Whew, this took a lot longer than expected! But here's the second chapter. I hope it's worth the wait! ^_^;


Isuke got to the hospital in record time. The nurse at the front desk pointed her to the ICU, where a doctor met her to explain Haruki's current condition.

"She didn't have any broken limbs, by some miracle—just some fractures in her left wrist and forearm, and two ribs were cracked. She dislocated her left shoulder as well, but that was repaired immediately and without any problems. She did sustain some head trauma, but she just has a minor concussion. No cracks to her skull, brain damage, memory loss, or anything serious. She had several internal injuries, but all were taken care of. We had to remove her spleen, which means she'll be more susceptible to infections even after she recovers. Nothing happened to her face: no broken nose or jaw, chipped or missing teeth, eye or tongue injuries...the cuts from surgery and her fall will leave scars on her body but no muscle damage, so no worries there. We'll be keeping a close watch on all of her organ systems to make sure nothing unexpected happens, like internal bleeding or infection, but that's more of caution than certainty."

"So she's okay," Isuke sighed, relieved.

"I'm afraid there is a bit of bad news," the doctor added, his voice turning somber.

"Bad news? What is it?" Isuke asked, her throat closing up as she struggled to think of any possibilities.

"Her spine took substantial damage, and we could only do so much this soon. We'll be able to fully repair it with surgery once her body recovers more, but until we operate...she'll be paralyzed from the waist down."

Isuke swayed slightly on her feet, a surge of dismay nearly overwhelming her.

How can someone as active as Haruki cope with that?

"She's been asking for you," the doctor informed her. "She'll need as much support as she can get while she's healing, and after we repair her spine, she'll need extensive physical therapy. You'll have to take care of her."

"I will," Isuke promised. "I have a very flexible work schedule," To be accurate, I don't have one at all since being an assassin isn't really a nine-to-five job, "so taking care of her and making sure she gets to every appointment she has won't be a problem." The doctor nodded.

"I'll take you to her room." He started to walk, and Isuke matched his pace. "Also, until her body fully recovers, she won't be able to stay at her house. She'll strain herself and worsen her condition when she inevitably tries to care for her siblings, and she's too weak to fight off any sicknesses or infections they pass on to her. Even something minor could turn very dangerous, very fast. Can you make alternate arrangements?"

"Yes," Isuke assured him firmly. "She can stay with me; I'll have my house renovated to accommodate her needs."

"Good. I'll compose a list of recommended living conditions so you'll be better prepared."

"Thank you. Could you avoid telling her about the living situation? I want her to be surprised," Isuke requested, smirking.

"I don't see why not," the doctor agreed.

"How long do you think it will take before you can operate again and fix her spine?" Isuke asked.

"It's hard to say," he admitted. "Hopefully in a couple months, but any illness, infection, or other health problem could prolong the wait."

"Mm." Isuke crossed her arms. "So I'll have to listen to her whine for at least two months. Good to know."

"I hope you keep that attitude," the doctor commented with a chuckle. "I can tell you with certainty that she's not in the best frame of mind, and pity would only make it worse."

"I know," Isuke confirmed with a shrug.

I don't pity her anyway, and acting like I do would seriously upset her since she knows pity isn't me.

"Here." The doctor stopped at a row of seven sinks, with everything running on motion sensors only. "Wash your hands thoroughly, and don't touch anything after you dry them. Hands carry a lot of germs, so for the next two weeks, it's necessary."

"Mmhm." Isuke hid her growing impatience and forced herself to be obedient, then followed him to a door.

"Here." He quietly turned the knob and opened it for her. "She should still be awake."

Without acknowledging his chivalry, Isuke stepped through the open door and he closed it behind her. Haruki was indeed awake, but she was staring at the ceiling and didn't seem to notice that someone had come into her room. Her left arm was in a splint from her elbow to her hand, so Isuke went over to stand at her right side. Still, there was no indication Haruki had noticed her entrance.

"Haruki," Isuke said, catching her attention. Haruki met her eyes with a frightened expression.

"I know you're really mad at me about all this, but before you start yelling at me and cursing me and telling me how much of an idiot I am, I just want to say—mm!" Isuke cut Haruki off by leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. Haruki recovered almost instantly and easily returned it so Isuke rested a hand against her cheek, feeling her battered body relax under her touch.

"You are an idiot, Haruki," Isuke said when she pulled back, "but I'm not mad at you. Not anymore, at least. I thought I was mad at Haru too, for thoughtlessly telling you about how easily she smiles even after so many people died for her, so I tried to kill her...but I didn't actually do it because I realized the only person I was really angry with was myself, for not being able to stop you. It's my fault that you went through with it, not anyone else's."

"No, Isuke...it's not your fault. I'm so sorry...I never even thought...I had no idea you'd blame yourself for that. To be honest...after talking to you...I couldn't bring myself to jump. You sounded so desperate and scared...it wasn't like you. You told me you loved me and you begged me to not do it. I almost didn't. I had to push you out of my mind first. It took a few minutes, and as soon as I managed to stop thinking about you for two seconds, I jumped. But when I was falling, you were the only thing on my mind, and I regretted my choice to go through with it. Then...I hit the ground and lost consciousness."

There was a pause.

"They...they told you, right? About..." Haruki bit her lip and looked down her own body for a moment before meeting Isuke's eyes again.

"The temporary paralysis? Yes," Isuke confirmed bluntly. Haruki responded with a slight, grateful smile.

She's relieved I'm not sugarcoating everything, Isuke noticed, feeling some of the heaviness in the atmosphere lift.

"You sure you want to go out with a paraplegic?" Haruki joked. "I doubt I'll be any good in bed this way." Isuke rolled her eyes and smacked her shoulder. "Ow!"

"You're not getting out of a relationship with me so easily! I don't give a damn about that, and we're not even going to think about trying it until you recover! This isn't the time for it. You're not gonna be paralyzed forever anyhow. Starting now, you're my girlfriend, and that's that," Isuke retorted.

"Ah, the old ball and chain, huh?" Haruki earned herself another smack. "Hey, I'm in a hospital bed here! Stop hitting me!" she protested.

"Then stop provoking me," Isuke countered. Haruki huffed and shot her a glare but didn't argue. Isuke hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask her next question. "Haruki..."

"Yeah?"

Since she'll be living with me, this is something I probably need to know, right?

"Just out of curiosity...what exactly can you feel from the waist down?" she asked. Haruki took a deep breath.

"Well...nothing in my legs at all. You could probably stab them, shoot them, and smash them with a hammer without me knowing unless I saw or heard you do it. But in the rest of that, it's more of a muted sensation. I can barely feel, but I can more or less tell what's going on if I really focus. And as for sexual pleasure...I have no idea if I can feel that right now or not." Haruki bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly. She clearly hadn't wanted to explain everything she'd lost from this injury, even if it was only temporary.

But I had to ask. And...does she seriously think I'd even consider having sex with her while she's recovering from all this? This isn't the time for it at all. Hell, I just said that!

"Well if you want...we can always test that last one," Isuke replied seductively (albeit insincerely) to lighten the solemn mood, leaning down. Haruki opened her eyes and put a hand over her girlfriend's face to shove her back, grinning despite her blush.

"Someone might walk in on us, you tease!" she played along with a laugh, the sparkling mirth in her eyes making it clear that she knew the "offer" was a joke. Isuke chuckled and opened her mouth but refrained from speaking when the door opened and a couple nurses came in with a wheeled cart.

"Just have to take your vitals and run a few tests, Sagae," one explained. Haruki groaned.

"Oh great...now my girlfriend gets to watch you poke me like a lab rat," she complained.

"You're in good spirits," one of the nurses noticed with a pleased smile. "Any pain?"

"Not really. But that won't last, will it?" Haruki guessed.

"No, which is why we brought a morphine drip," the nurse replied, making Haruki groan again.

"She's gonna see me all doped-up too?"

"Stop whining," Isuke chided. "I'd rather see you doped-up than suffering."

"Ohh, are you going soft on me, Isuke?" Haruki taunted. Isuke smacked her shoulder. "Cut that out!" She looked pleadingly at the amused nurses. "Make her stop hitting me!"

"Baby," Isuke accused.

"We really do need to take her vitals, so please take a step back for now," one of the nurses told Isuke.

"For now?" Haruki repeated incredulously. "I just had a near-death experience, but you won't keep her from assaulting me?"

"I wasn't assaulting you—it's a reprimand, not an attack. Besides, you've lived through worse hits than that."

Haruki shot her a sullen glare but otherwise didn't respond, and Isuke stepped away from the bed just enough to give the nurses adequate space.

"Do you need anything?" a nurse offered, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around Haruki's right arm. "Food? Water?"

"You guys have been forcing food and water down my throat since I woke up! Jeez, I'm too full to put anything else in my stomach," Haruki complained.

"Alright," the nurse agreed with a chuckle. The other one was preparing needles and tubes with which to both give Haruki injections and draw her blood. When those were ready and the blood pressure cuff was gone (with a quick utterance of it being in the normal range), the nurse attached an IV bag to her arm.

"If the pain gets bad, just hit the call button and we'll adjust the dose," he said. Haruki grumbled agreement and kept a sullen expression as her blood was drawn, as a couple shots were injected, as the nurses took the rest of her vital signs…

When they left, Haruki sighed with relief and Isuke returned to her bedside. Haruki looked tired after the nurses' visit.

"You want to go back to sleep, huh?" she guessed. Haruki grinned sheepishly.

"Kinda, yeah…but I also don't want you to leave," she confessed.

"Then I won't." Isuke settled in the chair beside the bed. "Get some more sleep."

"'Kay…" Haruki yawned, already sounding half-asleep. "Love you."

"Mmhm, I love you too," Isuke replied. When she was sure Haruki was asleep, she took out her phone and opened her browser to search for house renovation services operating in the area. She could at least be productive while waiting for her girlfriend to awaken again.


Almost an hour later, Isuke heard stirring in the bed. She quickly closed the notes app in which she'd typed various businesses' information and put her phone away. She wasn't sure if Haruki was really awake or not, but she didn't want to risk giving away the surprise of the future living situation they would have.

"Hey, um...Isuke?" Haruki caught her attention, still tired but shaking it off faster than Isuke thought someone in her condition would be able to.

Ah. So she's actually awake after all. Isuke looked at her, but her girlfriend wouldn't meet her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Isuke asked with a concerned frown.

"Could you...step out for a few minutes? Get food or coffee or anything you want. Just...just leave for a while."

"What? Why?"

"There are...there are some things I don't want you to see," Haruki explained, her voice strained and thick with urgent distress. "I don't want you here for them. So please...go find something to do for a few minutes. Please..."

Isuke hesitated, then sighed and stood. She leaned down to press a kiss to Haruki's forehead.

"I understand," she assured her. "I'll be back soon. Have someone wait at the door to make sure I don't come back in before you're ready."

"Thank you, Isuke," Haruki said with a faint smile. Isuke smiled back and left the room, a quick glance over her shoulder showing that Haruki was reaching for the call button beside her bed.

She'll have to get over being embarrassed about these things. She can't do much on her own yet; I'll have to help her with a lot when she's out of the hospital, whether she's embarrassed about it or not. But why can't I feel annoyed about how much I'll need to do for her? How much time, effort, and money I'll spend on her needs and wants? Why can't I be even a little irked?

Oh, right. Because love is a stupid, weakening thing that I can't resist no matter how hard I try. Ugh...

After some internal complaining, Isuke realized she should probably check in with her mother. She'd need to make money while she was taking care of Haruki but she didn't want to risk going far away from her girlfriend, just in case something happened.

I need to ask Mama for a favor. I'd better go sit in my car while I talk to him, though...I can't risk someone overhearing and calling the police on me.

It didn't take long for Isuke to find her way back to her car. She unlocked it, sat in the driver's seat, locked the doors for extra security, and took out her cell phone. She dialed her mother's cell phone number from memory and put her phone to her ear, tapping the fingers of her free hand impatiently on the steering wheel. It only took a few rings for Eisuke to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mama.

"Isuke? Is everything alright?"

"She's not dead, if that's what you mean," Isuke replied bluntly, earning a slight chuckle. She'd told her parents the whole story several days after the incident. "In fact, she's awake. Mostly alright, but there's a little hitch."

"And what would that be?"

"Temporary paralysis below her waist. I'll be taking care of her once the hospital discharges her—I'm renovating my house and everything for her, actually. She doesn't even know she'll be living with me." Isuke couldn't fight her own chuckle at that. "But I'll have to stay close to home from now until she recovers, since she'll need me to be there with her. That puts a restriction on jobs I can take, so can you just…pass any nearby ones on to me?"

"Isuke, you know you don't have to be an assassin, right? I'm proud of you for following in my line of work, but if you need something more stable—"

"Mama, I love my job," Isuke cut him off. "Just give me all the nearby targets."

"I will," Eisuke agreed. "And give Haruki my best."

"Thank you, Mama. I'll call you again later."

"Alright. I love you, Isuke."

"Love you too."

Isuke hung up and leaned back in the driver's seat, letting out a slow sigh. She thought about calling some of the renovation business she'd found but decided to wait until Haruki's doctor gave her the list of recommended living conditions he'd promised. Isuke didn't want t risk calling on someone who didn't know how to properly carry out those requests. If the renovations were unsafe, the sorry soul who screwed up would soon be dead at her hands. She didn't want to kill unnecessarily—especially when she had a personal, easy to prove motive—so she just stepped out of her car and locked it behind her.

I'll find somewhere to get food in the hospital, then check on Haruki again. Or maybe track down that doctor first to get his list of living conditions for Haruki. Renovations take time, and everything has to be completely ready by the time she's discharged. I've spent a lot of money and time on my house, getting it exactly how I want it, and now I'm going to be changing it for the sake of someone else. Being in love is so stupid. Especially when the woman you love jumps off a damn bell tower and ends up in the hospital with serious injuries and a temporary disability, yet for some godforsaken reason you can't stop loving her. Stupid Haruki! She's lucky I'm rich enough to take care of her through all this, and her family too. But it's still going to hurt my wallet…

She had better make it up to me once she recovers.


Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to finish and post! Reviews are always welcome. :)