Author's Note: Good evening! I'm posting this because today (February 17) is Soryu's birthday! So here's a gift for all of you! Thank you for all the kind reviews last chapter and welcome to new readers.
Please continue to show me your support with your reviews so I know what you all like best and what you wish would happen. I do want to consider those reading when I write some parts, so let me know your theories, etc.
Disclaimer: I own characters like Suzumi, Haruka, and the Soumas, but everyone else is owned by Voltage.
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
Demons - Imagine Dragons
Twelve.
Soryu was sitting on the couch of the suite, grimacing as both Inui and Samejima bowed deeply to a flustered Suzumi. The woman was waving her hands, trying to get the two men to stand and the two kept spewing their gratitude at her.
"Please stop! Of course I helped Soryu. Why wouldn't I? I'm glad I didn't hurt him more! You can stop bowing!"
"You're like a princess, Suzumi! Kind, humble, and good with your hands. You're like the Ice Dragon's very own princess, just for us." Inui stood and took one of her hands in his, eyes wet with emotion.
"Oh boy," Suzumi, muttered.
"Enough, I called you two here for an actual reason." Soryu took command of the situation, voice raising above Inui's excited tone. Shifting in his seat, Soryu looked to Samejima. "What was the final outcome from our attack two days ago?"
The break caused by the irritated Soryu gave Suzumi the chance to escape Inui and she shuffled over the sit on the opposite side of the couch from the mafia boss. She could feel his eyes on hers as she let out a breath of relief. Ignoring his gaze, she picked up her mug of tea and sipped at it carefully, the liquid still hot despite the brief interlude of Inui and Samejima directing themselves at her first.
Samejima pulled papers from a file he had tucked aside and cleared his throat. "We didn't lose anyone. While you were the worst injury, the others are unaware. A few other wounds, plenty of bruises and blood. We counted a loss of twenty on their side, but that was a quick count before the cops showed up. No signs of Taichi Souma or his son. Our contact in the force in Shiga had been hearing Ice Dragon rumors but was squashing them. With this incident, he can confirm that it had been the Brethren behind the pop up human auctions. In Kyoto, we are at a disadvantage since that's their home territory. Their main base of operation in human trafficking is also there, so we couldn't extinguish it completely. It's much larger than anticipated there, as it has roots that go back to almost a year."
"A year?!" Suzumi hissed. Her face looked angry, but the pallor of her skin turned nearly green. She wasn't sure if she wanted to punch something or throw up, but instead she swallowed thickly and clenched her fists, looking down at her lap. Next to her, Soryu looked equally angry.
"And this is why the Ice Dragons aren't scum. I want us to protect people, not exploit them. This is unacceptable." He made to stand, but the pain that shot through his side kept him in his seat, hissing in pain.
Immediately, Suzumi switched from appalled to stern caregiver and chastised him for trying to stand so suddenly. "Stay seated. I'll have to change your bandages if you pull at the wound."
Soryu had the grace to look slightly abashed, a faint touch of pink hinting at his cheeks. The color went unnoticed by his two subordinates, but the interaction between the two did not. Samejima smiled, amused.
"Please continue to take good care of our leader, Suzumi. That's all I have to report right now. I have to go through what possible assets and other intelligence was gathered since clean up last night."
Inui piped up, "I'm going back to Shiga to do more cleanup. Would you like me to visit Kyoto as well?"
Soryu pondered the suggestion, eyes closed in thought. "If you have time, do some recon. Find out what's happening after the skirmish, what people are saying, et cetera. The ordeal is much too large for a single man clean up, and when you need more than one or two, that's a job for a whole crew."
Samejima bowed, ready to leave, waiting for Inui to do the same. Shock painted across his face as he and Soryu watched the young man reached out for Suzumi's hand once more.
"Goodbye, Princess! Please keep taking care of our leader!"
Face red, Suzumi sat in complete silence, stiff like a marble statue until the two men left the suite, leaving she and Soryu alone. "What…"
Soryu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck his embarrassment. "Sorry. Are you not used to him yet?"
"Kind of. But why does he want to call me a princess?" Eyes wide, Suzumi held her hands close to her chest and watched Soryu struggle to find an answer for her.
"I couldn't tell you, honestly. I can make him stop if you'd like. He'll be upset but he has to learn to take it down a notch."
Suzumi shrugged. "I don't have the heart to tell him no. He means well, I suppose. I just don't want it to be a thing around Baba and Ota."
"Agreed," Soryu nodded. "I'll take care of it."
After that, lunch was brought up by a clerk, someone other than Haruka. Eating in a compatible silence, Suzumi could feel Soryu's eyes occasionally on her. Choosing to ignore him, she focused her eyes between her food and looking out the large windows. The day was overcast and the skies looked like they would burst with rain at any moment.
"You're spending more time out of the suite lately," Soryu commented casually.
Suzumi glanced at him and saw that he'd pushed his food to the side. He was ready to talk about whatever had been running through his mind, it seemed. With a sigh, she sat her spoon down and pushed her own dish away, leaning on the table.
"Do you not want me to?"
Soryu shook his head. "No, I don't have a problem with it so long as someone is with you. Like I've always said, just have someone else with you. However, it's been brought to my attention that, if something happened to me, you couldn't defend yourself. The others in the penthouse could hide you away and have trouble taken care of, but they have lives that don't involve you and if they aren't there in a specific moment, where does that leave you?"
Suzumi drew a blank, her mind unsure of where he was going with his line of conversation. She really only stayed in the hotel and then went to the Ice Dragon's office, and where else would she want to go? She wasn't allowed to contact family or friends and, other than her lucky gains now totaling an unsettling $2756 and a nice watch courtesy of Baba and Ota which she refused to touch, she had nothing but clothes to her name. She thought it was pretty apparent that Soryu spent time in the Tres Spades and that meant it was unofficially Ice Dragon territory, so who would cross into enemy land? And into a hotel owned by the terrifyingly manipulative Eisuke Ichinomiya, who had more money than should be allowed? Perish the thought.
"What do you mean?" she asked finally, seeing a frown grow on Soryu's face.
"We need to teach you some self defense," he said bluntly.
"Who is we exactly? You run the risk of bleeding every time you sneeze."
Soryu grimaced at the truth. "Ideally, me. However, Baba is a more than acceptable planned on tonight. I would have also recommended Samejima, but I have him doing something important for the next few days."
Suzumi frowned and instinctively drew in on herself. "I don't know…"
"You don't really have a choice," Soryu said, blunt. Taking in her hunched shoulders and the way she seemed to make her body smaller on the couch, he knew exactly what her argument against the lessons were. But given how much the rivalry between the two gangs had escalated and moved into more physical altercations, even a short train ride to the office could mean finding her limp body on the stairs of the hotel front. Or not at all. The last thing he wanted was for something to happen to her. He wanted to keep her safe and if she had to learn how to throw Baba over her shoulder, so be it.
"It's only Baba. I'm not asking you to work with a stranger."
"I know," she whispered.
Suddenly, a loud ringing filled the room, startling the two. Flinching, Suzumi looked down to the coffee table and reached out for the small egg shaped timer making the noise. Pushing the button to quiet it, she sighed and looked over at Soryu.
"Time to change your bandages for real. I have to apply the ointment Luke left. Take off your shirt."
Suzumi stood and left to get the ointment and bandages from his bathroom, her confidence suddenly returning. She left the room, head held high and shoulders straight, a small smile on her face. Unsure of what it was exactly, Soryu raised a brow at her retreating form. He'd sensed something different in her tone and, while it didn't worry him, he was surprised to hear it from her. If hadn't known better, he would have thought she was teasing him.
With a sigh, Soryu stood slowly, careful to not agitate his wound. Unbuttoning his shirt as he walked, he went to meet her in his bedroom so she could apply the topical treatment easier as he laid on his side. When he entered the room, she was already setting herself up a small workstation of ointment, bandages, and sanitized cotton to clean the area. Luke had given her a task and she'd set to it with serious dedication. Given his house arrest for a week minimum and that she never went anywhere else, Suzumi was able to keep him on a strict regimen of prescriptions, clean bandages, and see that he didn't stress the wound any more than necessary. While annoying that leaving the hotel meant a possibility of injuring himself beyond healing capacity, he had to admit that her ministrations kept him free of infections and the wound was healing much quicker than any other he'd left to his own haphazard attempts at first aid in the past.
Finished with her own preparations, Suzumi turned to see Soryu folding his shirt and laying it on the edge of the bed. Beckoning him over with her head, she started tugging at the bandages and unraveled them from his torso. When his entire chest and stomach were bare, she inspected the area as taught, looking for hints of infection or other internal issues that Luke had shown her in one of his books. Giving the area nearby a test poke, she fought a grin at his flinch. Well, he isn't numb, she thought to herself.
"Lay down, please."
Obeying without a word, Soryu laid on his side and watched as she started cleaning the area. She was very methodical, working her way in before focusing on the wound itself. A frown seemed to stay on her face the entire time, her eyes rarely venturing from the wound or her makeshift pile of supplies.
"What's this? Is Suzumi taking advantage of a half naked Soryu? I never thought I'd see the day!"
Suzumi flinched in surprise, accidentally jabbing Soryu with her hand directly on the wound. The mob boss cursed, sitting up straight and knocking into Suzumi who had been leaning over him. Sent sprawling from the momentum, Suzumi found herself on the ground, eyes wide and staring up at the bedroom ceiling.
"Suzumi?"
"Damnit. Suzumi, are you okay?"
"Soryu, you're bleeding!"
"Baba, you're lucky I can't reach my gun. What makes you think you can come into my rooms without my permission? How many times do I have to say it before you learn?"
In her line of sight, Baba appeared, frowning. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to frighten you." He reached a hand out to pull her up, but his hand was slapped away.
"No!"
Scrambling to her feet, Suzumi made to get as far from the two men as she could in the bedroom. Body shaking, Suzumi looked down at the ground and tried to control her now erratic breathing. Keeping her back to the wall, she said,
"I'm sorry. I just… I need a minute."
An awkward silence permeated the room, the only sounds were repetitive deep breaths that Suzumi took. Soryu laid back down on the bed and grabbed a wad of bandages to staunch the trickle of blood that came from the sudden aggravation of his wound. Baba covered his mouth with his hand, eyes cast downward in guilt.
"I can finish up, Soryu," Baba said quietly, turning to grab more bandages.
"No!" Suzumi shouted again. "I'll finish it. Get me more bandages, I need to fix the bleeding."
"Suzumi, maybe he should…" Soryu's eyes watched her as she crossed the room to stand back over him. It was very minute, but he could see her still shaking from the sudden encounter and he worried about her mindset.
"I'm fine. Or do you not trust me?" Eyes cast down as she swatted his hand away and tossed the ruined bandages aside, there was a steeled edge to her words.
A moment passed before Soryu answered. "Suzumi, I trust you with my life." His voice was quiet, but firm.
She nodded, eyes still down. "Then let me do this."
Next to her, Baba sat the bandages down and retreated to the doorway, watching the two as she cleaned his wound. When she took a step back, Soryu automatically sat up carefully and stood. Arms raised, the woman moved with a practised ease around his body, wrapping his torso tight. Baba was amazed at the synchronicity the two gave off as she worked and filed it away to ask Soryu later, once he was fully healed.
"Done. I'm going to go to my room now," Suzumi said, quickly retreating the bedroom, being careful to bypass touching Baba on her way out the door. Stopping, just outside the doorway, she turned. "Don't forget to take your pills in half an hour."
When both men heard her door shut with a click, tension seemed to melt from their frames. Soryu rubbed the back of his neck and Baba took off his hat and played with the edge of his hat nervously. There was an unspoken question in the room and Soryu sighed at the obvious curiosity radiating from the thief.
"It's still slow going with her healing, then?"
" …This is the first time something like this has happened."
"I'm assuming any lesson plans for tonight have been canceled, then."
"Yeah," Soryu let out another sigh and threw on his shirt. "Is Luke still hanging out in the lounge?"
Baba nodded, looking confused. "He was there an hour or two ago. I'm assuming he still is, but I just got back from an errand."
Grabbing his jacket, Soryu left the room and headed for the door to the hall. Following, Baba matched his pace as they went to the lounge where they found Luke and Eisuke talking about a surgery and Kishi napping on a couch near the window.
"Luke?" Soryu called out. The two men stopped talking and looked his way. Luke, a curious look on his face and Eisuke annoyed until his saw the expressions on Soryu and Baba's faces.
"Soryu?"
"Can we talk a moment?"
/*\
The first time that Suzumi had met Luke Foster, it was during Soryu's short absence from their suite. Several days in, Eisuke had called the doctor in and asked him to give the woman a physical and mental analysis. The hotel owner knew the basics of her situation from Soryu and his brief encounters with her after being sold, but wanted to make sure she wasn't driven crazy or in danger of dying due to poor health on his property.
While unhappy with being forced to let both men in Soryu's suite, Suzumi had complied. They were friends of her owner and she didn't want to make any of them mad. When Eisuke, who she once thought-hoped-to be tsundere but in reality was just cutthroat, told her why he and the new man were present, she had mixed emotions. A stranger examining her sent her body shaking but she knew after four months of abuse, she needed to be looked over. So she followed the blonde man, who introduced himself as Luke Foster, who said they would leave Eisuke in the living room while he did a routine examination in the next room.
Luke made copious amounts of notes, his eyes far off and unfocused. While nervous, she was able to recognize his complete lack of any interest in her except the medical results that came from examining her. Other than murmuring that she had lovely bone structure, he was completely detached and professional. After he made pages of notes, he allowed her to dress and asked her to meet him in the living room where he and Eisuke sat, waiting. From there, Eisuke began to once more put in his two cents.
"You're in my hotel and I want to make sure you don't pose as a liability to my business, my name, guests, or the auction managers. I will be here during Luke's interview with you so that I am aware. I won't comment, I'm not here for entertainment. Luke's job is to be a doctor and he can help with whatever you need. You may act as if I am not even here, to be honest. What you say in this room will not leave it unless you wish it to."
Luke nodded. "Eisuke keeps his word, he is a man you can trust. And of course, I am a doctor who will divulge nothing."
Luke asked Suzumi questions and let her speak for nearly two hours before she said she'd run out of things to say. She had been honest in her answers, the things he asked typical and had been expected. Short and to the point, she didn't want to go into detail, but she wanted them to know. Because she didn't want Soryu to know. Luke made an occasional note in his book, his attention never really leaving her. Several times in her peripheral, she could see Eisuke shift in his seat or stand and pace. His face, usually calm or crossed with slight irritation, would flip between his cool mask and a break of icy rage.
When the interview was over, Luke looked over his notes. "Thank you for being cooperative, Suzumi. This helped me a lot. I'm going to get several medicines for you, as well as vitamins and give you some recommendations in terms of lifestyle so that you can be healthy again. It may take me some time to get them, though."
"Whatever you need, write it down and I'll have Kenzaki fetch it," Eisuke said, standing by the window, watching them both.
"Hm, okay. Vitamins, sleep medication, some bruise paste, calcium supplements for your lovely bones, and…" Luke trailed off, writing down his list in full before handing the sheet to the businessman.
Eisuke looked over the list and nodded. "I'll call for him now. I have a meeting to go to." Barely bothering to glance back, he left the suite with a slam of the door, leaving the woman and doctor alone.
"Eisuke's changed since I last saw him. I'm happy to see he's taking your health seriously, though." Luke began writing down instructions for Suzumi for the promised lifestyle improvements. "Though, when he said Soryu was keeping a half starved woman up here, I didn't expect it to be so close to the truth." His blue eyes met hers.
"Yes, well…"
"Indeed. You need to put on more weight. You're at a completely unhealthy weight. Your organs will shut down if you continue to live this way. Make sure to eat every meal and snack if you are up to it. Small amounts so you don't get sick. Take the vitamins daily, use the lotions and pastes I'm sending for, they'll help with the lingering bruises and your skin. I'm worried about your wrist."
Suzumi looked down at her left wrist, wrapped in a bandage still from Soryu's attempt at first aid. "What about it?"
"How many times was it injured? Was it ever broken?"
She nodded. "It was broken just the once, right after I was brought to their home. But I honestly don't think it ever got the chance to heal. He was always grabbing me by the wrist or something else that hurt. It hurts still."
"I may want to do an X-ray. I'll bring a machine tomorrow to check. Let's rewrap it with a proper pressure now and give you some pain medication I have in my bag. Hopefully it's something a brace can fix. Though I can't promise no lingering pain or sensitivity."
"Thank you," Suzumi whispered, looking down at her wrist as he pulled off the used wrappings and massaged the area. When she winced, he nodded to himself and grabbed fresh bandages.
/*\
Luke agreed to see to Suzumi again, barely batting an eyelash. As Soryu lead the doctor away to his suite, Eisuke shook his head. He expected a step backward in the woman's behavior a while ago, so this hardly surprised him. Instead of staying irritated at the interruption, he pulled out the penthouse pager and called for Haruka.
"Be here in five minutes."
"What? That's completely insane Eisu-" He hung up and waited. His favorite past time of calling her up just to make him coffee would distract him until Luke finished his first futile attempt to draw the woman out.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Tell me your thoughts in reviews, please! I'm a fan of getting those emails in my inbox, especially from regular readers and the brand new ones!
Happy birthday, Soryu! ;-)