The Art of Courtship
Cam and Lillian are standing the river. The cold winter air attacks their bodies mercilessly. She shivers and folds her arms across her chest. Cam turns to her and she smiles widely. They don't usually have the opportunity to talk with such ease. She doesn't want to cut their time together short.
Meow
They whip around at the shy cry. Their eyes settle on a cat sitting on the small island. Its long dark tail swishes from side to side. The cat's legs tremble violently with the cold. Its eyes dart from place to place desperately.
"A cat! What's it doing out in this weather?" Cam exclaimed, horrified.
"I don't know…" Lillian frowns. Her eyes bright suddenly. "Maybe it can tell us! I'll go and get it."
"What? Wait-!" Cam yells.
His warning falls upon deaf ears. Lillian races towards the cat at once. She doesn't spare a single thought for common sense. Her left foot touches the frozen surface of the river and she slips.
!
"Lillian, are you okay? Can you hear me? Lillian?" Cam shakes her gently.
She groans loudly and her head lolls to the side. A throbbing ache emanates from her body but she can't tell from where. She slowly opens her eyes to find the darkness receding. In its place is Cam. His expression is twisted into one of concern.
"Are you okay?" he asks again.
His words echo for a moment. She struggles to differentiate between the muted echo and the real word. Eventually she simply nods. Her neck aches with the simple movement.
Cam pulls her to her feet. "Are you sure? You don't look too good,"
"I'm fine," Lillian lies. "I just got a fright, that's all."
He remains unconvinced. "Come on, I'll take you home. You might go into shock and it's too cold for you to be outside if that happens,"
Inwardly she swoons. It isn't a secret in her home village of Konohana that she cares deeply for him.
"I can't," she pushes him away and sways slightly. He doesn't notice her moment of weakness and looks at her questioningly. "We're too far away and you need to be back at work… Oh! Where'd the cat go?"
He grasps her shoulder before she can run away. "You're in no condition to be chasing after it. I'll take you to the café and look it myself if you're that worried,"
She glowers at him. "I've fallen and I've bruised myself; I'm not giving up now,"
Cam sighs, dejectedly. "I'm really sorry about this,"
Ayame laughs warmly. "Don't worry. This isn't the first time that Lillian's worked herself unconscious and I'm sure it won't be the last,"
A quiet chuckle rises from the far side of the room. Hiro tries to disguise it with a cough. He turns back to his mentor whilst avoiding Cam's curious look.
Cam slumps forward. "She didn't tell me she was bleeding,"
Hiro passed the bandages to Ayame. "The wound isn't deep. I remember her cooking once. She cut her finger and stuck a plaster on. She had to come to the practice sometime near midnight,"
A loud, heaving sigh erupts. Small snickers follow the sound – mostly from Hiro.
"I am here, you know," Lillian pouts.
"We're here as well if this happens again," Ayame chides. "There… We're done. As long as you keep your forearm away from sharp objects and jagged patches of ice you'll be fine. I expect you to rest tonight and I'll check up on you tomorrow afternoon to make sure you're behaving. Goodnight Lillian."
The two leave near silently and Lillian sighs again. She looks to Cam apologetically.
Her voice is quiet. "Was Mrs Bauer happy?"
He nods. "You passed out after we returned the cat,"
She blushes. "You brought me all the way back here. Thank you,"
He smiles. "You don't have to thank me,"
Lillian's smile fades. She looks at the window for a moment, deep in her thoughts.
"It's cold and late. Do you want to stay here tonight?"
Above the doctor's clinic Hiro and Ayame sit at the kitchen table. They each have a cup of tea to wind down before they go to bed.
Hiro chuckles quietly. "You don't suppose that I'll have to cut my arm open to find my other half?"
Ayame shakes her head, amused. "No, you won't. Those two are just… special,"
Author's Note: This... sounded better in my head. Oh, the ellipses can be blamed on Master of the Universe – the original Fifty Shades of Grey. That woman has an unhealthy obsession and -I don't have permission to name the user-'s reading is too good but he really should have put a warning in advance. Oh boy… Anyway, this really did sound better in my head and Bauer supposedly means farmer / peasant. I also have another two stories for this particular game. I'm very excited for that. I hope you are too because they are so much better than this. Thank you for reading! I hope that you liked my story. I apologise for the lack of quality because of my mind's lie.
Part of the Revival Collection.