Chapter 6 – Strength of a woman

Fuuko stared at the unconscious form lying on the bed. She was unused to seeing Raiha helpless. The only time was back in SODOM, when the Raijin was destroyed after taking most of Raiha's life with it. Till then, Fuuko was the one who had been stuck in difficult situations, and Raiha was the one who rescued her.

Their meetings had always been kind of… weird. She remembered the time when she fell into Kouran's trap and almost drowned. It was Raiha who had saved her. And it was again Raiha who brought her back to her senses when Soukakusai captured her using his urn. Back then, he always called himself 'her prince'. But why would 'her prince' want to kill her just to prove a point?

Fuuko had thought that Raiha was interested in her. It was nice having another admirer besides Domon for a change. She was genuinely happy seeing him at SODOM, but her happiness was all dashed when Raiha had tried to kill her. Other than the Hokage, Raiha was possibly the only other male that was closer to her.

Fuuko looked at Raiha's face. He looked so calm and peaceful. No one but those who knew him would guess that he was formerly an assassin that killed without batting an eyelid. His life was actually quite sad. Of those Uruha loyal to Kurei, only Neon and her sisters are still alive. Everyone else was dead.

Fuuko could not help but look at Raiha. Her feelings were mixed regarding him. One side of him was a nonsensical, sweet and funny klutz, while the other was a cold-hearted assassin. She did not know what to expect regarding him. She sighed and looked out of the window.

"Ugh…"

Fuuko turned toward a shifting Raiha. He was regaining consciousness.

"Raiha?" Fuuko whispered.

Raiha slowly opened his eyes. They widened as he saw Fuuko for the first time.

"Fuuko? What are you doing here?" Raiha asked.

"Raiha! You're awake!" Fuuko exclaimed, unconsciously grabbing Raiha's hand. "How did you end up like this?"

"Er… I got shot?" Raiha gave a sheepish smile.

"You baka! You should be more careful," Fuuko replied, voice tinged with concern.

"Heh heh. I will. And could you please let go of my hand?" Raiha said, smiling again.

Fuuko then realized that she was holding on to Raiha's hand. She quickly pulled her hand back and blushed slightly.

"Ahem."

Fuuko and Raiha turned toward the voice. It was Mikagami.

Raiha looked at him. "You're… Mikagami, right? What are you doing here?"

"I saved your leg," Tokiya replied in his usual no nonsense, bored tone.

"Ah, I see," Raiha said, then tried his best to bow from his half sitting position on the bed. "I give you my thanks."

Tokiya accepted Raiha's thanks with an almost indiscernible nod and turned toward Fuuko.

"Chemotherapy time," Tokiya said, looking toward the door.

"Huh? Chemotherapy?" Raiha looked confused. "What are you suffering from, Fuuko?"

Fuuko's face turned downcast for a second. The next moment, her face was set in a grim determination, like when she faced Raiha in SODOM.

"Leukemia."

Fuuko's reply hit Raiha like a rock in the face. He stared at Fuuko, dumbfounded for a moment. Well, at least she was what he expected her to be. Strong. He respected her for that.

As he watched Fuuko leave with Tokiya, he muttered softly, "Strength of a woman…"

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Shinya lay back down on her bed in her private ward, waiting for doctor Soujiro to do his daily examination. She was happy to be able to see Fuuko again. Fuuko was one of the strongest girls that she had met, both physically and mentally. Why did she have to be afflicted with Leukemia?

The door opened. Shinya sat up straight. The person that walked in was definitely not doctor Soujiro. In fact, it was a tall, lanky man with long hair tied up at the back of his head, with gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to penetrate into her deeply. It was Tokiya Mikagami.

Tokiya took up a file attached to the foot of her bed. Looking at it, he asked, "You are Shinya?"

"Yes, doctor. Where is doctor Soujiro?" she replied, staring at him even more.

"Doctor Soujiro is on leave. For the duration that he is gone, I will be covering for him. Get used to seeing me. I am doctor Mikagami," Tokiya said in his usual bored tone.

Inwardly, Shinya's heart leapt. He was drop dead gorgeous!

"Alright. Stretch out your left hand," Tokiya commanded.

Shinya noticed that Tokiya was surprisingly gentle as he took her blood pressure. He was also a man of few words. He went through all the other checks slowly and carefully, as if he had all the time in the world.

"Er, doctor Mikagami?" Shinya said.

"Yes?" Tokiya replied, looking at her.

Shinya blushed. Tokiya's gaze was so penetrating that she could not help but look away. To have such a good-looking guy look at her like that was rare for her.

"What is the status of my disease now?" Shinya asked, still looking down.

"More or less under control, finally. If nothing comes up within the next two or three months, you can be discharged. All you have to do then is to come back every month for a checkup," Tokiya replied, standing up and preparing to leave.

Shinya stared at him as he left. She could not help but think of him. There was something about him that made him stand out from other people. His eyes held a hint of sadness. The way he moved, the way he talked… everything about him was surreal. Was she in love?

She resolved to find out more about him the next time he came around. Lying down, she tried to sleep.

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Closing the door, Tokiya thought to himself that Shinya was rather pitiful. To have cancer afflicted since she was young, she had never known a proper childhood. This was something that Tokiya could relate to. His childhood was spent mastering the Ensui to avenge his sister. They were in similar straits yet so different.

Now after all these years, Tokiya had found peace. He was ready to begin his life anew. Being a doctor was a logical choice. He could not save his sister. More than anyone, he knew how the death of a loved one felt. And so he chose this profession. To help save lives. From his loss, came his strength. He knew that Mifuyu would approve.

Mifuyu… you are smiling at me now, right?

And so, Tokiya resolved to do his best, to be a good doctor dedicated to saving lives. Especially for people like Shinya, sick since young. And for his friends, for without them, he would not have known friendship. For Fuuko.

I have changed, Mifuyu. You would be happy to see me like this.

He knew that he could not totally become a different person. Living as a cold, dark soul all those years has moulded his personality. Even now, he still finds it hard to open up to people. Other than Kagerou, Fuuko was the only one that had made him feel like part of the Hokage. Thinking back, he was seriously annoyed at first. Now, he decided that it might not be such a bad thing.

Well, monkeys are hyperactive.

Shrugging, he went about the rest of his daily duties.

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Author's notes: Remember, this fic takes place a few years after the manga, so don't come screaming at me that Mikagami is terribly OOC. Stay tuned for the next chapter.