Hi guys :) So I am finally putting this up and I know it is short and I am sorry to not have uploaded sooner but I will start working on the next chapter ASAP :D Things start to go wrong in this chapter and other relationships start to strengthen so I hope you guys like it! Of course, sorry for any grammar and spelling mistakes ;)
Dinner was awkwardly quiet. Nod tried to make conversation with MK but it just didn't seem to work. MK gave short answers or slow nods or shakes of the head. She didn't really want to talk to Nod and that only made Ronin surer of the fact that he had to talk to her and figure out what was going on. Ronin felt bad for the fact that MK was having a hard time with something and couldn't talk about it so he tried to make conversation for them.
"So Mary Katherine, what did you get to do today?" Ronin asked, trying to get MK talking about something that would not bring up Acacia. Nod obviously couldn't not see that the subject of Acacia bothered MK so he had only tried to make conversation having to do with Acacia and MK's thoughts on her.
"I collected some vegetables, fruits and flour so I could cook for the rest of the week, and I just did some other stuff and worried about you guys…" MK answered. All Ronin could do was nod, he didn't know how to respond to that.
The rest of dinner was quiet and awkward. All attempts at conversion were gone and when they finished dinner, Ronin wished MK a good night with a kiss on the cheek and said goodbye to Nod.
"I'll help you wash the dishes" Nod said, already starting to pick up some of the plates from the table.
"I'll do it myself" MK said taking the dishes from him and taking the rest from the table. Of course, she couldn't carry everything so Nod brought the rest to the kitchen.
"Sweetheart…I" Nod started to say, but wasn't sure what to say next. He didn't have an explanation for something he didn't understand. He didn't know why she was as upset as she was but he had to find a way to fix it because MK being distant with him was the worst thing that could be happening to him. "I'm gonna go check on Acacia, I'll be back soon."
Without knowing that he had just crushed MK's heart, Nod left their home leaving MK to be on her own. Nod had figured that he would just be giving her some space, but out of all things to say that he was going to do, visiting Acacia was just about as bad as it could get.
Once MK was sure that Nod was gone, she let the tears slide down her face as she started washing the dishes. She stood scrubbing the dishes so hard that at some point one broke, creating a large, angry gash on her left hand. MK cursed under her breath and took her hand out of the water before the water turned red with her blood. She quickly grabbed a kitchen towel and wrapped it around her hand. The tears fell faster now that her hand was bleeding pretty heavily and she was upset. She let herself slide down the front of the kitchen counter so that she was sitting on the ground holding her hand.
Somewhere else in the village, Ronin was at home wondering what was really wrong with MK. All of a sudden, he saw Nod going to the healing center, most likely to check on Acacia. When Ronin thought of Acacia, he remembered his earlier conversation with MK and the fact that Nod probably told MK he was going to visit Acacia, not knowing that it would hurt MK. Ronin sighed frustratedly at how much he cared and then got up and left his home, determined to go to MK and Nod's house to see if MK was doing alright.
When reaching Nod and MK's home, Ronin found it incredibly quiet.
"Mary Katherine?" Ronin called out. He didn't want to just walk in. "Mary Katherine?" After hearing nothing, Ronin walked in carefully, looking around.
"Ronin?" Mary Katherine cried softly hearing the booming voice far off in the distance.
Ronin heard the cry and immediately followed it to the kitchen. The moment he saw her on the ground, the kitchen towel around her hand and red with blood he knew he needed to help her. Ronin crouched down facing MK and took her hand with the towel around it in his.
"What happened Mary Katherine? Talk to me" Ronin urged, looking at her hand and slowly unwrapping the kitchen towel. Ronin had no clue how long she had been sitting there or how long her hand had been bleeding, but he was worried that she was losing too much blood all at once. It reminded him of Acacia for two seconds before he again focused on MK.
"Plate broke in my hand" MK mumbled sounding tired. She was cold, not to the point of shivering, but cold enough to worry Ronin. Ronin had put this home together for Nod and MK when MK stayed small because he knew that they would need a house to live in in the actual village. For this reason, Ronin had a good idea of where everything was. He quickly got up and moved towards the bathroom which had the first aid kit on the wall. Grabbing the first aid kit and running back to MK, he sat down cross-legged in front of her. He put the first aid kit on the ground and opened it to get some antiseptic and a big bandage for her hand.
When getting the kitchen towel off of MK's hand, Ronin was surprised as to how big the gash was and sucked in his breath knowing it must hurt.
"Mary Katherine, I need to ask you something and please don't get angry. Did you…did you do this to yourself?" Ronin asked carefully. He didn't want to ask her that, but he knew that he should.
MK shook her head at him and Ronin knew that MK would not lie to him no matter what.
"Was angry at Nod…washing dishes…too much anger…plate broke" MK mumbled and then winced when Ronin applied the antiseptic to her hand.
"Okay, you're alright Mary Katherine" Ronin whispered to her trying to comfort her. By the time MK's hand was all bandaged up, she had passed out. Ronin, looking at MK, saw how peaceful she looked and decided she would carry her to the bedroom so that she could keep sleeping. When he picked MK up, she stirred slightly but didn't wake and Ronin was happy to see that she was okay. MK seemed heavier than he remembered her to be, but he didn't mind it and lay her down on the bed she and Nod shared. Once he did, he walked to the kitchen to start cleaning up the blood on the floor and the dishes that were still in the sink. Ronin had just finished when Nod came back. Nod, being surprised to see Ronin in his house without him around at such a late hour, stopped dead in his tracks.
"Ronin…What are you doing here?" Nod asked, not knowing if it was a good or bad thing.
"You're an idiot Nod, a damned idiot" was all Ronin said before he walked passed Nod and out the door. Nod didn't even have the chance to ask Ronin why he had said what he said, but he figured he'd just let it go and get on with going to bed. Nod had gone to see Acacia and the Tyler guy hadn't left her side. He brought Tyler some food and something to drink before he left to come back home. Acacia looked a bit pale but she wasn't bleeding anymore and he was curious as to what Tyler would reveal about Acacia and her intentions in the Budding Meadows. Tyler obviously didn't like Nod any better than before, but the feeling was mutual. Nod was only being polite because MK taught to do so no matter if he liked a person or not.
When Nod walked into the bedroom he shared with MK he was happy to see her asleep. The happiness vanished when he saw her hand wrapped up in a bandage and a slight tinge of red on a small part of it. Her hand was bleeding underneath that bandage. Something had happened while he wasn't there and she had ended up bleeding and no one had called for him. It all hit Nod in that very moment, that's why Ronin was there, to help MK. Nod figured he'd ask MK about it in the morning but for now he was going to bed, he was exhausted.
Morning came quickly and brightly. Nod was up before MK and decided that maybe making breakfast for her for a change might make her happy or at least make her smile because she obviously was not happy with him last night. Nod had just finished cutting up the fruits for before the toast and jam that he had ready when MK came out of the bedroom.
"Morning babe" Nod said going up to MK to give her a kiss on the cheek. MK seemed completely out of it as she looked at her hand without saying a word to Nod.
"I made breakfast" he said smiling and leading MK to the table. The toast and jam were ready, and he had just put the fruits on the table as well. MK sat down and mumbled a thank you before taking a sip of water.
"What happened to your hand?" Nod asked casually as he bit into his toast and jam. MK only looked at him for a split second before looking down at her hand. Her brows knit together as if she had a hard time remembering before she closed her eyes and sighed. Nod was about to ask her again but then Ronin showed up and yelled for him.
"NOD, LET'S GO" Ronin yelled, "GOOD MORNING MARY KATHERINE". Mary Katherine got up from the table and went outside to see Ronin. Ronin smiled kindly at her and hopped off his bird to give her a hug.
"Anything you need, just call for me" Ronin whispered for only MK to hear. MK smiled gratefully, gave Ronin a gentle kiss on the cheek and held her hurting hand. "I'll come bandage it again later."
MK stood and watched while Ronin and Nod flew away before going back to breakfast. She wasn't really hungry but knew she had to eat.
Ronin and Nod were silent while on their birds. They were making their way back to the recruitment area, today's lesson was sword-fighting.
"Ronin, what happened to Mary Katherine last night while I was gone?" Nod asked carefully, knowing very well that Ronin was upset with him about something.
"You broke her and then left her on her own, that's what you did you damned fool."