After graduating from University of Tokyo I moved to the eastern side of Japan at Fukushima Prefecture to teach the kids and parents English. The kids have picked it up quicker than the adults, but it's good to see them trying to communicate with me.

On the island they speak Japanese, and to communicate with them I normally type words into the google translation app, so I can speak to them since growing up I've only been speaking English and so are my friends from Downtown Tokyo.

Right now I am sitting on the beach with the six to eight year olds.

"Ball," Kazumi says.

Hachiya throws the ball to her and the ball goes around the kids like a hot potato.

All of a sudden the water from the beach begins to recide and I hear an unusual roar that sounds like a train coming from the ocean.

"Run!" I yelled. "We need to get to a higher ground."

Five of the kids start to run and I see Hana staring at the sea.

"Leave her." Makiko yells, as she runs with her group of kids.

I'm not going to leave an innocent child to die.

I pulled her back and then I saw the tsunami wave coming towards us.

Birds are flying away and making a lot of noise.

Hana and I didn't make it too far when we're swept away by the sea.

I saw Hana get dunked under the water. I dive into the water and my hands grab onto her shirt. I pulled Hana up and she wraps her arms around me.

"Hana, I need you to grab onto the tree when we go pass it."

"Alright, Miss Inoue."

A fallen tree is in front of us and I swim over to it.

Hana climbs onto the tree, while I stay in the water holding onto the trunk.

The water keeps pushing against us and I start to wonder when we'll be free of the water.

I feel something scrap against my leg and it hurts really bad. I started to curse.

I'm just glad that the kid didn't understand what I'm saying.

The water starts to calm down, but I don't believe that that's all we're getting. I look around the water and see another wave heading our way, from the opposite direction.

"Hana, you need to dive under the water. It's going to feel like you are in a washing machine. When the water settles you'll know when to come up."

"I'm scared, Miss Inoue."

"Don't be. I'm just here beside you, I won't let anything happen to you. Hold on tight."

"Okay."

I count to three and we dived under the water.

She holds my hand and I tried not to let it go.

The water throws me all over the place and my hand slips from Hana's.

Please, let us survive this.

Inoue's P.O.V.

I tried to open my eyes, but they began to hurt from the light in the windows. I closed my eyes again and then re-open them.

I can hear a lot of commotion around me. Looking around the room I see people in beds, with tubes in their arms and machines beeping.

As I move my arm I fetl a slight pinch in my arm due to the IV drip attached in my wrist. A clear liquid is going through the drip.

A nurse walks over to ny bed when she notices that I'm finally awake. She starts speaking Japanese and I get lost with what she's trying to say.

Hana

I looked around the room and I don't see her anywhere.

Did she survive? Is she with her parents?

The machine I'm hooked to, starts going off and the nurse places her hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I was with a little girl. Where is she?"

She looks around. "Hana Komatsu? Is she who you're looking for?"

"Yes,"

A smile spreads across her face. "She's been reunited with her family. They actually wanted to see you." She calls the doctor over. "Can you do some tests on her before I get the Komatsu family to see her."

"Sure," he walks away to get what he needs.

The nurse sits next to me. "Do you know who the Komatsu's are?"

I nod. "They are like Royal's on this island. No decisions are made without them."

"Good, since you saved their daughter they will be forever in your debt."

I shake my head. "I did what everyone would have done in my situation."

"That's not true. The girl told her father about the teacher that told you to run and leave her behind. You did what a saviour would do. You saved the life of a child that didn't belong to you."

***

An hour later, the Komatsu family walked towards my bed and I saw Hana holding a teddy bear.

"Miss Inoue!" she runs over to me.

I smiled at her. "Hey, Hana. How are you?"

"Good," she gives me the teddy. "This is for you."

I took it from her. "Thank you."

Hana's father moved next to my bed and he introduces himself. "Hello, I'm Hiro Komatsu. I owe you so much for saving my daughter's life." He looks at my leg that's i an plaster. "In saving my daughter's life you got hurt yourself. So, whatever you need I will help you out."

I want to see my family.

"I want to go home."

"I can arrange that to happen in my private plane. As soon as you're discharged you can go home if you like."

Hana suddenly cries. "I don't want Miss Inoue to go." She throws her arms around me and continues to cry.

I wrapped my arms around her. "I will visit you from time to time. I haven't seen my family for a really long time and I'm sure they're worried about me."

I wouldn't put it past my roommate not to have called my family and told them that I was in the town where the tsunami hit.

When I just started living with her she would ask me why wouldn't I go home during the holidays.

I really didn't want to tell her that a guy from school told me not to show my face back in the town or he'd make my life hell. I believed him so I chose to stay away from home.

I hope he regrets kicking me out now.

When I go home I'm not going to put up with his garbage anymore. I'm going to tell him exactly what I think of him.

The nurse walks back into the room and she looks at the Komatsus. "Hello, Hiro and Nami. How are you two doing?"

"We're good." Hiro replies. He looks at me. "When do you think she will be able to leave?"

"She can leave tomorrow."

Hiro turned to look at me. "Do you want to go home then?"

"Yes, please."

"I'll organise the flight for you. But before you leave, would you please come by the house. I would like to talk to you."

"Okay, sir."

Hiro looks at his family. "We should let Miss Inoue get some rest." He walks away.

Hana hugs me again. "Bye, Miss Inoue." She runs over to her father and he lifts her up. She starts laughing with her Dad.

Nami wraps her arms around her husband and they walk out the door.

I wish I had that kind of family!

But Saitou's last words still haunt me to this day

Flashback

It was graduation day and I was the Valedictorian. I gave an awesome speech about my experience in high school and what I'd like to see to happen in the future. I gave the graduates a few quotes that means a lot to me.

*I went over to my group of friends and Saitou was standing beside my Best Friend.

He had his arms wrapped around her and he said to me.

"What are you looking at?"

"Not you, jerk." I turn my attention to my Best Friend.

"What are you doing with the enemy?"

She crosses her arms. "He's not my enemy. You shouldn't have pissed him off*."

I didn't do anything to him. Him and I knows it. So, why has he been this way with me?

"*I haven't done anything and you know that. What happened to you, Kari?"

"I grew up. Something that your not going to do." She whispers something to Saitou before she walks away.

Saitou looks at me. "When you leave for University that will be the last time you ever step foot into our hometown. If you return I will make your life hell. This isn't a threat. It's a promise. And also, don't show up at the Graduation Party. No one wants you there." He walks over to my friends and they start laughing with him.

I don't know what I did to get my friends to turn against me, but I think it had more to do with Saitou not liking me; that they decided to side with him so they wouldn't be the outclass like me.

Flashback ends*

I left a couple days after graduation and I found an apartment close to campus. I got a job and started to work up until I went to University.

The boss still kept me on regularly after class started.

He worked around my schedule and I was still able to act like a university student on weekends.

I leaned over the bed and pick up the phone.

I better call Himari. I don't want her to continue worrying about me.

"Hello?" Himari answered

"Hey, Himari. It's me Inoue."

"I knew you weren't dead!" She yells into the phone. She lowers her voice as she asks. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital. Did you call my family?"

"Yes, they needed to know that their daughter was on Town Namie."

I sighed. "I should have called my family before I left."

"You can still call them."

"Well about that. Can you call my family and tell them that I'm still alive?"

"Okay, but you should really go home."

"I will. But don't tell my family because I want to surprise them."

"I will visit you in a couple of weeks. Are you going to move home already?"

"Yes, I want see my family again as soon as possible."

Inoue's POV

At 7am, I was given forms to fill out for my discharge.

I quickly filled them out and took them to the nurses' station.

I don't want be here longer than necessary.

The woman takes the forms from me and she said. "Goodbye."

I hurried out of the hospital, carefully walking on the corridors as some of the doctors seem to be rushing around.

There's still heaps of people at the hospital, who were more injured than me.

As I stepped out of the hospital I saw Hiro next to a black SUV. He has a group of men surrounding him. He turns toward the door and a smile spreads across his face. He then walks over to me.

"I'm here to take you to your place to collect your things. Then I want you to spend some time with my family before you leave. Hana took a liking to you."

A smile spreads across my face. "I took a liking to her as well, sir. She's a great a kid and you have raised her right."

"Thank you," he opens the door for me and I climb in.

Hiro moves to the other side of the car and he

climbs in too, sitting across from my spot.

"Your house was on a higher ground, so it didn't get damaged during the tsunami. A few teachers weren't as lucky as you. They lost their passports and other documents. So, they'll have to go to their consulate in the town to get a new one. It will take them a couple of weeks to get it. I'm afraid that all the children won't have any good teachers when they leave."

I touched his hand. "There are other people out there that will be interested in teaching the kids. I've learnt a lot from the children while I was here and I'm really going to miss this place. Do you want to know the real reason why I took a job here?"

He nods.

"I couldn't go back home. The place where I grew up with my family. A boy told me that if I stepped foot back into the town he'd ruin my life. I was so scared to return home. So, when I came across the opportunity to become an English teacher for the kids on this town I took it and not once have regretted it."

"And now you want to go back to the place where you grew up?"

I nod. "It's about time that I face my past. I want to move forward and enjoy the rest of my life. I don't want to live with regret, especially after what happened here.

As we drived down the dirty track, there are lots of heaps of trees on the ground we've passed. Power poles are on its side, cars have mud on it and some look like it went a few round with a truck.

Hiro looks out the window. "A couple days ago the road was blocked by these trees, power lines and cars. I got a group of people together and we cleared everything up." He turns towards me. "My wife and three other kids were safe in the house when the tsunami hit and when I saw the rush of water from the balcony of my place I thought my daughter would be dead. When things settled down I went to all the hospitals to find her, but I couldn't find her. There was one hospital that I didn't try and with a sinking feeling I went there immediately, I thought she was dead. Until saw you on a stretcher with my daughter holding your hand."

Hiro wipes his face as he remembers that day.

"You know she didn't want to let you go. She cried when I pulled her away. I had to promise her that she would see you again in a couple of days. I took her home after she was checked out. She had a few bruises here and there. Other than that she was perfectly fine."

I don't really know what to say to that, so I stayed quiet.

Before I know it the car comes to a stop in front of the building I live in.

The guy that I rented the place from is standing at the doorway. He looked at me as I approach the place.

"Hey, Hisuka. How are you?"

A smile spreads across his face. "Better now that you're here sweetheart." He wraps his arm around me. "Do you know who that guy is?"

I nod. "I saved his daughter. That's who he is."

Hisuka drops his arm from around me. "Do you have the keys to your place?"

"No, I lost them when I was caught in the tsunami."

I don't have my handbag either. I wonder if it survived the tsunami.

Looking at Hiro I said. "Can we go to the school. I want to see if my handbag is still in one piece."

"Sure,"

I hurried up the stairs and packed my clothes into the suitcase.

It didn't take me long to pack my stuff. I put my photos in my carry on bag and then I walked back down the stairs to where Hiro is currently talking to Hisuka.

Hiro looks up to me the moment I exit the building.

"Let me help you." He takes the heavy suitcase from me and we walked to the car.

I climb into the car. "Bye, Hisuka." I waved at him as the car heads in the direction of the school. "Hiro did the school get hit?"

He turns towards me. "I don't know. I never made it to the school. It looks like we'll see for ourselves in any moment."

The school wasn't too far from my place. It was down the road and I walked there all the time.

There were heaps of people walking around the town, but right now there's no one out, they were probably staying at higher grounds right now.

Maybe a lot of them are tending to their wounds from the tsunami. Or they're still too scared to go back down here.

It's going to take a while for people to live again especially after the devastation that the tsunami has caused.

There's a few body bags at the side of the road as we arrived at the school.

A cross is placed close to their bodies.

Looking at the school, I see that it's still standing, but you can see that the tsunami had reached the school as there's dried up sand on the floor.

Moving forward I walked towards my classroom. I saw my desk next to the door that leads to the next classroom.

I unlocked the drawer and found my handbag in there.

My purse is dry and all my stuff in there seems in good condition

It looks like the water didn't rise as high here since it's a little higher up than the beach.

There's a bush track behind the school that we took that leads to the beach.

It takes about thirty minutes to reach the beach from the school, I wonder how the rest of the teachers are?

As I finished thinking that, three teachers walked into my room. One of them being the teacher that told me to leave Hiro's child behind.

She walked over to me. "I'm glad you're alright." Looking at my bag she asks. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I am."