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Chapter 24 – Drugs Or Medicine
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When they arrived on Water Tribe land, it was rain outside. Kayano never felt pleased when it was rainy day outside. Water Tribe land was known because of their beautiful land and its climate. Rain poured this land more often than other lands in Kouka, and it would become more often when it was the wet season till created the flood. One of that was today, when it was not only rain, but storm with thunder and lightning outside. She really hated it.
When thunder struck loudly outside from the sky, Kayano rushed to outside, running to Hak and hugging Hak while crying in fear "KYAAA?! Onii-chan?!".
Hak was used to this, he had known about her phobia of Thunder and lightning when it was rain or storm outside. Looking down to Kayano who squirming in fear while hugging him tightly, Hak hugged her back and caressed her head, stroking her back soothingly "ssh, it's alright. I barely forgot this because it's been a while since the last time you cried like this because of storm".
Zeno hugged Kayano from behind, patting her head "ssh, it's alright, Kaya-chan. It'll be alright".
After Kayano fell asleep, Yona asked Hak about Kayano's phobia "I didn't know she has that phobia".
"back at home or on the Castle, she usually hid under the blanket on her bed", Hak told her "she had her Astraphobia ever since she was a kid. She said on the night when her parent died, both her mother and her father, she had a nightmare about her parent's death and it was storm outside".
Yona remembered how Kayano was crying when she lost her mother. From what she remembered when they were still children, Kayano's father passed away on the same tragedy which killed her mother so she understood how deep her trauma.
Carrying Kayano on his arms, Hak told them all that he would sleep beside Kayano (usually it was Yona and Yun who sleep with Kayano in the smaller tent because of their size while five other guys slept on the larger tent). No one protested about it, instead Yona said she wants to sleep beside Kayano's other side. Jae Ha thought it's alright to wander around. Actually, Jae Ha wanted to ask Hak to join him but considering Kayano's condition, it couldn't be helped, looks like he should go alone.
"where is this?", Kayano flet her body floating on the air. When she opened her eyes, she found her mother very much alive in front of her "no way... mother?!".
Kayano reached out her hands and lunged into her mother, but her body only passed through her. Kayano looked behind, her mother stood there looking back to her sadly.
"you've grown really big, Kayano", her mother reached out her hand "go, you have to save him".
Kayano tilted her head, confused "who? And to where I have to go, mother?".
Her mother lifted her hand, pointing to behind her. Kayano heard someone screaming behind her, she found Jae Ha had fallen from the sky to the ground, unmoving.
"NO?!", Kayano gasped, her head jerked back as she wide awake, panting "...dream?".
"Kayano", Hak cupped her wet cheeks "what's wrong? a nightmare again?".
Kayano sat down, touching her wet cheeks "I was...".
"Kayano, are you alright?", Yona quickly sat beside her, handing a cup of water from Yun thankfully "drink this".
"thank you", after she drank the fresh, liquid water, she just realized Jae Ha wasn't here, looking around "wait... where is Jae Ha?".
Yun told her that the pervert just went to red-light district and Kayano asked them to looking for him right away because she had a bad feeling. Right after Kayano told them that, three Dragon Warriors here jerked their head.
Kija stood up "Kayano's right. Jae Ha's presence felt strange".
As they walked down the street, Yona ran beside Kayano and Hak "actually, what happened, Kayano? How did you know?".
Thinking back to his little sister's reaction when she woke up, Hak guessed "your dream?".
Kayano nodded her head, though she didn't tell them that she met her mother in her dream. They found Jae Ha laying on the ground, barely unconscious. After they dragged Jae Ha back to the inn, Jae Ha rampaged and Hak had to lock him inside their room, telling them all to not come inside.
Kayano stepped forward with frown on her face "and just let him be?".
Uh-Oh. Hak knew that look and he knew he wouldn't like it "it's not like I'm gonna do nothing, I'm gonna do something to make him throw up whatever he drank".
"then let me in, I will treat him".
"what I told you before this is dangerous?!".
Kayano stubbornly argued back "I am a doctor and this is my obligation as a doctor!? I have to treat and help him to get rid whatever ailed him?! If I allowed myself to be afraid of danger which come from my patient, I would not be able to become a doctor!?".
Standing face to face and holding gazes, Hak and Kayano diametrically opposed against each other's idea until Hak sighed in defeat.
"geez, you really could be too strong-headed sometimes", Hak scratched his nape, then with all seriousness "well then, but I'm coming with you".
Kayano ignored him and came into the room "but I am not as stubborn as you, Onii-chan".
Hak said nothing and closed the door behind him. Not long after Hak closed the door, they heard something shattered into pieces after being hit to something, Kayano cried in surprise and Hak yelled her name.
Yun knocked the door warily "hey!? Is everything alright?!".
Kayano warned "yeah!? Just... Don't come in?!".
Kija couldn't help but mumbling "I doubt about it".
Actually, right away after Hak closed the door behind him, when Kayano wanted to check upon Jae Ha, Jae Ha fought back, swinging his leg which hit the bowl beside him and barely hit Kayano, just if Hak didn't pull her away from Jae Ha, pushing her to get down on the floor.
Hak hissed "told you—".
"now, now", Kayano waved her hand and cut him off before Hak could say anything further to scold her "I also said I knew the risk, right? It's not like I couldn't avoid or dodge his attack".
They heard someone knocked the door before they heard Yun asking "hey!? Is everything alright?!".
"yeah!? Just... Don't come in?!", Kayano asked Hak to get off her body "you're heavy like a bear".
"that's what you said to your life-saver?", Hak rolled his eyes mockingly before he reached his hand to help her stand. Looking back to Jae Ha, Hak narrowed his eyes "this is also why I told you all to not come in, this guy probably doesn't want anyone to see him like this".
"Onii-chan, don't forget", pouring herbs remedy which she prepared for Jae Ha to the empty bowl, she started to grind and asked Hak to hold Jae Ha down once she mixed the herbs powder with clean water "for a doctor, drugs or medicine are just the same, because we could use it to kill people or to heal people. For example, what people know Chrysanthemum is poisonous or Viper's poison is venomous, but a doctor can make it become remedy which either able to kill or to heal. Now, hold him down".
Raising his eyebrow, Hak couldn't help but twitch his eyebrow as Kayano straddling on Jae Ha's hip when she forcibly made Jae Ha drinking her medicine after she had pressed Jae Ha's pressure point to paralyze his limbs "I wonder what the others, especially Zeno when they saw this".
Kayano rolled her eyes playfully "what? I don't think it will affect them that much, not to mention Shina must have witnessed this".
Meanwhile, outside the room, Zeno mumbled "somehow Zeno has a bad feeling".
Not long after Jae Ha had calmed down, Kayano and Hak let them all in and they slept in shift to watch Jae Ha in case he would rampage again. As Hak watched guard, Kayano sat beside Yona who fell asleep beside Jae Ha before she herself fell asleep in sitting position due to tiredness. Before Kayano collapsed to the side, Zeno sat beside her to support her.
Hak who watched silent affection from Zeno like that, couldn't help but wonder "Zeno".
Zeno hummed, looking up. It was not so often for him to have conversation with Hak "hm? What is it, Mister?".
Hak told him that he asked Zeno as her older brother "do you love her?".
"yes", Zeno answered Hak's question sincerely and smiled fondly as he looking down to Kayano before he settled her down, laying Kayano's head on his lap "but since Zeno has no idea about how does Kaya-chan feel to Zeno, Zeno will not say anything because for Zeno, as long as Zeno can stay together with Kaya-chan, that's all enough".
"good to know", Hak leaned his head on the wall "but if you make her cry or suffer, I'm gonna kill you".
Zeno chuckled "Mister could try, but Zeno hardly believed Mister would be able to do that, unless he wanted to see Kaya-chan's crying".
Hak snorted, Zeno got him this time.
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In her dream, she felt a pair of warm hands wrapping itself around her shoulders. She looked behind and smiled brightly "mother, thank you for your warning".
"anytime, daughter", but then, her mother's expression turned dark "Kayano, tell your friends to leave this town immediately and don't stick your nose into this land's problem".
This was not the first time her mother appeared in her dream, but everytime her mother appeared in her dream, usually it meant something would happen so she knew this was really important "why?".
"because it's too dangerous for you".
"forgive me, but I couldn't, mother", Kayano shook her head "but I chose this path, to serve the princess along with Hak Onii-chan. Not to mention, I already have friends that I consider as my family. Who would help them all to heal when they get hurt if I leave them? I don't want to run alone".
"stubborn and faithful, just like your father... but this is what make me proud of you...", her mother kissed her forehead, cupping her cheeks before saying good-bye for this time, hugging her "please, don't lose the innocence and kindness on your heart, my little angel".
Kayano opened her eyes, she felt a calloused hand caressing her cheeks as a pair of warm hands wrapping itself around her neck. When she fully woke up, she was surprised when she found out Zeno hugging her and Jae Ha caressed her cheek.
"Kayano-chan", Jae Ha caressed the trail of tears on Kayano's face "what's wrong? have a nightmare?".
"dragon chop!", Zeno chopped Jae Ha's forehead with innocent smile on his face "that's for waking up Kaya-chan and make us worried since last night".
"good, hit him again for us, Zeno", Hak grinded the butt of his Tsu Quan Dao's pole on Jae Ha's cheek "no flirting with my little sister, remember?".
"now, now, it's discrimination", Jae Ha protested, pointing Zeno who hugging Kayano "you forbid me to flirt with her and Yona-chan but you let Zeno flirt with her and you—guh!".
Hak cut him off with his fist to his chin "Zeno hugged all of our group's members, so it's fine. Besides, Zeno would not do something weird to my sister, he's too pure to ever do it".
"do what?", wiping her tears, Kayano blinked in confusion and broke the hug with Zeno before exclaiming, obvious of Zeno's pout "ah!? Forget that?! How do you feel!?".
Yona stirred awake and exclaimed "Jae Ha!? You're awake?".
After Kayano and Yun checked on his condition and Jae Ha recited what happened last night, Kayano scolded Jae Ha for his recklessness "what if the symptoms comes up again?".
Yun agreed "she's right!? If it's a strong drug, symptoms might come up again later?!".
"it's fine. I'm used to drugs", Jae Ha deadpanned but then realized it was a big mistake "ah, no. I lied".
"kids, please hold him down~", Kayano clapped her hand with sweet smile before started rummaging her bag "now, I wonder where do I put my anesthesia~".
"yes, mom", Kija, Shina, Zeno and Hak said in unison as they holding Jae Ha's hands and legs.
Shaking his head, Jae Ha frantically flailed under his comrades' iron grips, panicking "Kayano-chan, please don't!?".