Thanks for the reviews! :D I really would never have written this without your kind words.
Disclaimer: I don't own Psyren!
"Fuu-chan, hold still."
"Here, drink this. And listen to Van, you're in no shape to be pacing around like this. Sit."
"I don't need your help!" Frederica moved away from Marie irritably and sat down on the stone bench by herself, forcing Van to follow her in an attempt to keep on healing her numerous cuts and burns. According to Van, she had a large gash on her back that had come from a falling stone, several cuts and bruises on her arms, a welt on her face, and burns all over her body from the fire. She couldn't feel anything at the moment, save for a dull throbbing, and thus was determined to prove that her injuries weren't that serious after all.
Marie followed as well, holding a bottle of water and a towel. "Don't be upset, Fuu-chan. It's not your fault that this happened."
"I know!" Frederica buried her head in her hands, not wanting Marie to touch her face. Silently, Van moved around behind her to start on the gash on her back. An ice-cold, tickling sensation started between her shoulder blades.
She shouldn't have snapped at Marie, Frederica reflected. Marie had done nothing wrong. The eastern wing would have fallen one day anyway. The underground pillars were under a particularly damp patch of earth, and the condensation had been seeping into the wood and stone for years now. The wood rotted fast, without sunlight, and so it had been a matter of time. Granny had never meant for the underground Root to last forever. To live underground had been unbearable at times, barely tolerable at others. Perhaps Frederica should have seen this as a sign that the Root was finally moving on, into the sunlit sky instead of the dark vestiges of humanity.
Van tapped her shoulder gently, having finished with her back. "It's okay Fuu-chan, you don't have to cry. Let me see your face."
"I'm not crying!" Frederica shook out of his grip, and then stood up. Van and Marie looked at her with concern in their eyes, both worried. Both of them glanced at each other.
Kyle, Marie mouthed at Van, and the young boy nodded in recognition.
"Fuu – "
"There were others who got burned, right?" Frederica crossed her arms, starting to scowl. She pretended not to notice their second exchange of glances, more meaningful than the last. "Now stop bothering me and go away already, can't you?"
There used to be a time when Van would have nodded quietly and slipped away, without changing his expression. Now, however, the young boy gave her a very dissatisfied look, and started to argue back. "There's still a welt on – "
"There were others who got burned, RIGHT?" A tongue of flame flickered across her arms, and Van took a step back. No one wanted to be close to Frederica when she lost her temper. He gave her one last, concerned look before nodding and turning on his heel.
Marie followed, her expression the same as Van's. As she left, she set the bottle of water carefully on the table. For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something, but decided against it. Frederica was immensely grateful for that. There wasn't much more she could handle at the moment.
The door bounced softly against the frame, and thee creak of the hinges sounded eerily loud in the silence.
Frederica covered her arms, smoothing the flames out of existence, and shuddered. It had been ages since she had lost her temper with Van, of all people. He had been concerned for her, and so had Marie. Why did she always hurt the ones closest to her the most?
Scooting to the corner of the bench, she huddled against the cold white surface as if the iciness from Van's healing had not completely gone away. The burning sensation was gone from her back and her limbs, a guilty reminder of Van's kindness. They were replaced with a sore, bone-crushing tiredness.
With a sigh, she laid down on her side, deciding to go to sleep. When she woke up, first she would apologize to Van. Then to Marie. Then she would have to deal with the problem of sealing off the eastern section of Root, either through a blockade or a barrier. As soon as the danger of collapse was completely gone, then, and only then, if she felt like it, she would slap Kyle again.
She kept her eyes open and unseeing for a long time, remembering the brief anger in his eyes as he pulled her out of the rubble. The smoke had been black and heavy, and the haze of heat had made her dizzy, but it was unmistakable. Kyle had always called her brash and irresponsible. No wonder he blamed her for making a bad situation worse. But did he really have to call her out on it? It was bad enough that he thought she was useless in fights, needed to be protected and rescued like a stupid damsel in distress. But to say, with that burning contempt in his voice, that she had been irresponsible, had lost her temper, had caused all this…
Frederica closed her eyes, letting the tears squeeze out, hot and painful.
And then they were wiped away, just like that, with gentle and calloused fingers that Frederica would have recognized anywhere.
Ok, there are two directions this story can go in. K+, and T.
K+ is where there are basically very cute, heartwarming, bubbly sweet moments that make you go awwww such as Kyle getting all concerned over her wound, Frederica getting embarrassed and defensive over the way he tries to bandage it, etc. And a more realistic, plot-driven journey as they find solace in each other and support each other through the Root's recovery.
T is basically where Kyle takes poor Freddy and slams her against the wall while kissing her before explaining that she had better not run off by herself again because she was his, dammit, and if she got hurt then he would tear apart the earth in order to get revenge. And she hooks her arm around his neck and grins. And then slaps him for going out of line. And everyone hears.
I can write both, I think. Not sure which I'm better at. Thoughts? Review!