Hello all! I apologize for longer than usual wait. I had a few personal things to take care of.
EDIT 1/12/2015: This story now has a beta and with this note, what you are reading is the beta'd version. All betaing has been done by bleeding-roses 16
I hope you do enjoy this chapter! It is longer than usual as a apology.
The room downstairs is loud with drunken laughter and hazy with found Eiko standing by the door of the kitchen muttering to herself, obviously not happy with the situation at hand. It's understandable why, this is a tea house not a tavern, and from what Akiko suspects, this has happened before.
Akiko stands in the doorway, watching the movements of the two men who seem to be chasing Fumiko around the tables. Fumiko herself, seems to having fun if her tinkling laughter is to tell. With a slight shake of the head, Akiko moves cautiously to Eiko and successfully avoiding the notice of the men. But not Fumiko.
Eiko sees Akiko coming and quickly beckons her come and vanishes into the kitchen just moments before Akiko arrives and follows smoothly behind.
"That girl! Always inviting trouble! Next thing you know, when I die she'll turn this place into a common bar!" Eiko begins immediately, being silent for so long would only have made those thoughts fester.
"Generations of my family, this place being passed down from mother to daughter and from father to son! And it'll all end with her!
"I should have never have had her leave to the nearby town for her schooling! Should have done it myself!"
Akiko blinks, taken off guard by the woman's words and their personal intensity. For her to have said such things, Eiko must consider her in some regard.
"Now Dear, what is it you wanted me for?" She asks, her eyes staring kindly at Akiko. Akiko is blind sighted for a moment before regaining her composure.
"...My patient's fever is getting higher and I fear that the only way he will recover is to break it." Akiko begins and watches at as a concerned look came onto Eiko's face.
"Are you sure?" She asks, worry evident in her voice.
"Yes. The infection was the cause but while it is still being treated, the fever would run rampant in his body and I fear that he would die." Akiko explains calmly, her own worry hidden but from the look in Eiko's eyes, she is sure that the older woman can see it.
"If that's the case then, What do you need?" Eiko asks, a steely determination in her eyes. Akiko smiles at the sight, while Eiko may know the man she is glad that her elder is willing to help.
"I'm going to need cold water, and plenty of it. Cups, wash cloths and rope." Akiko lists, counting each item on a finger. There is a silence that stretches from Eiko's end.
"...Rope?" She asks hesitantly.
"Yes, Rope." Akiko confirms with a nod of her head. But there is still an unasked question in her eyes.
"Earlier today, I'm certain that the patient was hallucinating and it sounded terrible. What I worry about is that there may be more episodes such as this and in order to protect him from harming himself in these delusions, I believe that I will need to have him restrained. At least until his fever breaks." Akiko elaborates further.
There isn't much more she can say without revealing her knowledge of who Kakashi is and later being questions on how she knew. And If Akiko is correct in her assumptions, those possibilities will definitely come to pass should she say anything.
The old woman nods her agreement, unable to argue with Akiko's logic.
"You wait here, I'll be back with the cups and rope." Eiko says before she's off, venturing deeper into the kitchen.
Akiko knows the woman won't be gone long, so she takes this chance to examine her surroundings.
Along one wall, there is a shelf filled with large copper pots to boil water. Along another are jars and jars of tea, all of different types with the scents of all of them intertwining to make a large mess and confusing enough to have Akiko wiggle her nose in discomfort. In front of her is a row of coal stoves, six from what she can count. Two of them have a copper pot with a ceramic kettle place upon each.
Eiko returns with the items, halting her observation of the room, handing Akiko three cups, rope and a thick group of cloths.
"I found the cloths in the back, they are still clean. I just haven't used them for a while." Eiko informs her, aware that sterility is always something on a medic's mind.
"Thank you." Akiko's gratitude is seeped into her words and Eiko smiles warmly at them.
"I'll come up with the water, there is no need to thank me my dear." The older woman pats Akiko's cheek gently before turning away again, intent to ready the cold water.
Akiko takes her actions as a dismissal and leaves the kitchen.
She is half way across the room when she feels rough hands clutching her shoulder and the smell of alcohol drifting from whomever has a hold on her. Akiko can feel her lips curl in distaste.
"Nnnowww, Waaiii jst a miute Prtty Lady! I waana a daaancee" Slurred speech meets her ear causing her eyebrow to twitch in annoyance.
"I'm sorry sir, I do not work at this establishment. Please take your hands off me" Akiko says, turning to face the drunk man with a fake smile plastered on her lips, her upper body slightly turned with tense muscles. These men were customers and are most likely paying for both Fumiko and Eiko's service. That Akiko will respect.
However, even with the respect Akiko will defend herself if required.
"Doon't caaarrrrree! Wann a Daannnse!" The man continues, leaning precariously closer to her, the stench of the Sake and other foods are breathed into her face and Akiko can feel her smile slip slightly. She could feel the hand that was on her shoulder wandering lower past her back.
She was Not here as someone's entertainment and neither was she going to let the man remain with such ideas about her.
Akiko was a medic, first and foremost. Not an entertainer. And as a medic, she did have intricate knowledge of the human body with pressure points and acupuncture being one of the many things she had learnt in this world.
Akiko also knew that this man, while drunk, wasn't likely to back down without someone to subdue him.
Shifting everything to her left hand, she grabs the man's hand with her right, bending it down perpendicular to his arm before pulling the hand across her chest bringing him closer and at the same time, using her folded left arm to elbow the man in his solar plexus.
Akiko could hear the man's sudden expel of air from the hit and felt the hand slip and heard it's slap on the ground as the man collapsed. There was still noise from the other man, clearly he either hadn't heard or cared and was most likely as drunk as the man before her.
With an exasperated sigh, Akiko set the items she was carrying down on the nearby table before turning to the man she had just injuries.
She could see a mop of pale blond hair, wrinkled clothes and the smell of dried wheat mixed with alcohol drifts up to her nose. The man is hunched over, one arm cradling his stomach area and the other is supporting his frame as to stop him from falling over.
Akiko bends over and places her hands under his biceps, firm from his job, and lifts him up. She gently seats him down on the nearby table.
He doesn't look up when she stands, still dazed from the blow. Another sigh leaves Akiko and she lifts his head with a hand on his chin.
Green eyes take her in with a suspicious sheen of tears in them, and in the interesting mixture of still being foggy with alcohol and sharp with pain. And he, like Kakashi, has his eyes trained on her oddly coloured hair.
Akiko crouches down so she is eye level with his legs. She grabs the brown and slightly dusty pant leg on one and yanks it up. She wraps her hand around the exposed leg, hair and all, with her index finger just below his knee cap. Akiko can feel the drunken stare on her head and ignores it with practiced ease. With her hand firmly wrapped, she presses down her fourth finger with moderate ease.
Akiko lifts her grip after a few seconds and stands once more. The man's head follows with her movement, his stare slightly less drunk and more intense. Akiko feels her self stiffen in surprise, this wasn't what she had expected from a drunk man. Either he wasn't as drunk as she thought he was or he was really good at pretending.
She forces herself to relax and retrieves the things that she had placed down earlier. Akiko smiles kindly at the man before patronizingly patting his cheek twice with her free hand, as she had once done to her grandchildren when they tried to pull the wool over her eyes, and walked off.
x
When Akiko returns to upstairs to place her equipment down, she is pleased that Kakashi is still asleep however she is less pleased and more worried when she realizes that his forehead is drenched in sweat and so was the bedding under him.
From here, Akiko knows, it's going to be difficult because the fever has increased in-spite of the Willow tea she had given him and it seemed that either tonight or tomorrow was when Kakashi's fever was going to break. One day and one night, any longer and Akiko would start to doubt that he would survive.
Eiko came in with a large bowl of colder water and a cold teapot held together with the water. She had arrived not long after Akiko had examined the man and made her prediction but with Eiko saying that she would stay with Akiko as a second set of hands had relieved a great amount of tension on her shoulders and made something in her relax slightly.
'This night is going to be a long one' Akiko thinks to herself as she watches shivers rack Kakashi's body and his fever climb higher.
x
The mumbling and tremors don't start til after midnight. Eiko had fallen asleep, leaving Akiko with anxious nerves and a belly full of lead. She had been unable to find peace in sleep and took to quietly pacing the floor at the foot of Kakashi's bed interspersed with moments of staring at the man and it was during one of these staring moments that Akiko noticed the movement of the man's lips.
She stepped closer to his head and watch his eye lid flutter as he dreamt. The muttering was quiet and Akiko wasn't going to lean closer to him to figure out what he was saying, the very fact that his muscles were tensing was enough for her to know that the dream wasn't a good one. Most likely a memory.
Akiko watched with a wary eye as Kakashi continued to twitch, his head jerking and the cold damp cloth sliding precariously on his forehead.
x
There was a sudden shout that had Akiko jerking violently as she woke from her unintended slumber.
Kakashi is crying out in pain, back arching off the bed as his muscles tensed as if experiencing an attack.
"Eiko!" Akiko cried loud enough to wake the old woman as she rushed to Kakashi's side. He was thrashing against an invisible enemy and she arrived at this head, the sight of his sharingan eye open sent shivers down her spine.
She had remembered a few abilities of that eye. It's ability to place people in illusions and remove their freewill. Akiko didn't know how much control he had over that eye and in his own nightmare, she wasn't willing to test it out. While staring at his scar-less cheek, she grabbed the cloth that was on his forehead and dragged it over his eyes, blocking the sharingan from sight.
Even with the eye shut, there is little that changes as Akiko attempts to push him down against the bed with her hands and arms on his shoulders, straining against the ninja's strength.
There is a violent arch and a flail of Kakashi's right hand which hits against the wooden edge of the side table. A sickening crack fills the room briefly and Akiko knows that he's just broken his hand.
Eiko, she notices, was only staring in shock at Kakashi, unable to move as if he was something that she has never seen before.
"EIKO!" Akiko shouts at the woman, her patience cut short. The old woman looks up abruptly startled out what ever reverie she was stuck in.
"I need the rope!" Akiko cries as Kakashi bucked under her hands still crying out like a wounded animal. She can hear the faint sound of movement as the woman hurries to the table. Akiko doesn't dare look away, not when he is reacting on instinct. Now she needs all her wits about her.
As Eiko walks back with the rope, there is a faint buzzing in the air, something easily ignored in favor for the much needed rope.
"Toss the rope across his chest and to the other side of the bed. Bring in over back to me from under the bed." Akiko instructs sharply, there is a grunt of acknowledgement from Eiko but no words are exchanged.
Suddenly the door slams over, and Akiko instinctively turns to face who ever opened it.
"Will you keep it down!" Funiko screeches, dressed in a plain white night gown, her eyes wide and face red with fury.
'That white clashes with her personality and actions' Akiko thinks, distracted by her entrance, once again dismissing the faint crackling in the background.
There's another groan of pain from the silver haired ninja and Akiko turned back to face him, and just doges a lighting charged hand that had slipped through the restraints. She can feel the pain the races up from her forehead to her head and for a second fights against the dizziness and vertigo that catches her by surprise.
Akiko's lax hands had allowed Kakashi to arch up and flail in what seemed like panic. Forcing herself to move past the twitches and muscle spasms from the lighting charge, Akiko pushes against Kakashi again. There's a tapping by her foot, but she can't afford to let go. Eiko is the one doing the tapping but with Kakashi continually thrashing there is no way that Eiko can collect it after letting it go.
All these thoughts fly though Akiko's head and she comes to a split second decision.
"Fumiko, grab the rope!" Akiko shouts, as the blood starts to drip over her left eye, hindering her vision. There is no response and Akiko is fast loosing her patience with the witless woman who only seems good at antagonizing her.
"Fumiko, GRAB THE ROPE" Akiko roars at her, catching a glimpse of the proud woman. There is a meek sound that comes from the door and quick soft steps follow as Fumiko makes her way over to the bed.
Akiko can see her black hair as she quickly bends to get the rope and once again throw it back to Eiko who ties it off.
There is a quick relief, enough time for Akiko to wipe away the blood with the back of her hand, before the small group they've made moves on to containing Kakashi's kicking legs.
x
Tying down Kakashi's legs wasn't as hard as tying down his upper body but it wasn't any easier either.
Akiko had taken the brunt of the wild kicks,with various bruises from her shoulder to her hip. Each were different colours of yellow, blue, purple and black and each time she moved, they twinged with pain. Akiko ignored inquiring looks from Eiko, there wasn't any need. He was her patient and she was going to treat him regardless of the pain.
Fumiko barely did anything after helping to tie Kakashi's legs, her face was pale and her eyes were filled with an odd emotion every time Akiko had caught the woman staring at her. It seemed that for all her pride, she had been completely unprepared for this.
Akiko's head had stopped bleeding but from how it was cut, she suspected that it was going to scar. Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of the dried blood pulling at her skin, she quickly brought the bowl of water close to Kakashi and soaked a new cloth and stretched over his forehead and his face.
His thrashing stalled slightly, no longer as vigorous as before. Akiko took note of this and continued to soak the cloths and placed them on various parts of his body where allowed.
Individual clothes on his legs and feet, two on each shoulder and an extra on his forehead.
The next thing would be getting water into the man, and with his violent movements, she highly doubted that he would hold steady long enough to force it down his throat. Instead, Akiko soaked another cloth in the cold water and gently squeezed it over his lips letting the water dribble down. She watched as his pink tongue darted out to capture the liquid on his lips.
There was a tap a on her shoulder, Akiko turned her head slightly and saw that it was Eiko.
"Sit down Dear, you've done enough. Fumiko will take it from here. I'll take care of that head wound." She says, sincere in her worry and Akiko feels bad for shouting at her earlier. She bites her lip as she considers Eiko's offer, yes she was tired but he still was her patient and anything that happened to him would be on her conscious, a place where there were enough ghosts.
Akiko starts when she notices a hand on her, she follows the arm and Fumiko is there, offering a shaky smile. With a sigh Akiko relinquished control and sits heavily down on the wooden chair.
"My supplies, including the needle, are in a brown satchel" Akiko tells the old woman and watches Fumiko with wary eyes as she slowly feeds Kakashi water.
"Got it!" Ekiko announces and quickly hurries over to Akiko, with a needled and thread.
Akiko's eye momentarily flickers to Eiko before being drawn back to Kakashi and Fumiko. A strange apprehension has formed at the sight of Fumiko near Kakashi, why she isn't sure.
Wet cloth touches her face and wipes away the blood, Akiko jerks her head away in shock and watches Eiko with the thread and a one of the salve jar that had been on the table.
"Here hold this." Eiko hands her the salve and set to work on the cut. Akiko hisses in pain as the needled pierces though her skin and at the strange sensation of the thread moving though its hole.
"The salve please." wordlessly, Akiko holds out the small jar in exchange of the needle.
'She used the exact amount of thread.' She though in surprise before flinching from the sudden cold of the paste and the stinging that had come with it.
"Thanks. And sorry for shouting at you earlier" Akiko apologizes. "At both of you." she says as she turns to stare at Fumiko who looks slightly sheepish in the middle of changing one of the foot cloths.
"Oh, that's alright Dear, I knew you were just worried about your patient." Eiko assures softly "We both knew."
Fumiko nods hesitantly at the Eiko's words but the sincerity in clear on her face.
'Perhaps, I misjudged her...' Akiko wonders as she stares at Fumiko who flushes slightly, in what Akiko would guess to be embarrassment.
Her eyes turn back to Kakashi, as she levers herself out of the chair.
He is still and breathing calmly, though not as relaxed as before but enough for Akiko to be satisfied. She wasn't going to hum to him with company around, the mere thought of it tightened something in her heart. She wanted that to be their small thing, well her's at any rate.
Akiko removes the cloth from his face and her lips raise slightly at the sight of both eyes being closed. She brushes aside the folded cloth on his forehead, and rests her own forehead against his, her hand is too numb to take a semi accurate temperature measuring.
She breathes in his scent, the smell of ozone covered the faint smells of dog and metal and...something she couldn't identify, but she felt so warm. It was like...
"Well? How is he?" Eiko's voice breaks though her thoughts and her eyes snap open, unaware that they had closed in the first place. Akiko carefully released her breath and focused on Kakashi.
x
The two women waited with bated breath for the verdict from Akiko, each harboring new respect for the woman who had brought a man bleeding out on her back.
'Please let Kakashi be alright. Sakumo would be sad that his son died so young.' Eiko's thoughts are filled with despair, hope and worry warring with each other.
"His fever has broken." Akiko's clear voice cuts through the silence and the weight that had been on her shoulders since that silver mop on hair had come in to sight lifted.
Both Eiko and Fumiko shared smiles of relief and happiness. The pair looked back to the Doctor who's own eyes were filled with relief and just behind her, in the window above Kakashi's bed, the sky was the same orange as Akiko's hair.
'Well Sakumo, your son is still among the land of the living.' Eiko smiles, peaceful and content that can only come with age.
So thoughts?
That little fight scene, what did you think? kudos if you can figure out where I had gotten it from.
And from my research, the acupuncture pressure points are to relieve abdominal pain, stomach aches, menstrual pain and generally pain in dealing with the stomach area.
And now we have a few more ideas on how Eiko knows Kakashi!
Also I did a quick drawing of what Akiko looks like in her travel clothes, the link is in my profile at the bottom! Just remove the spaces! It isn't in colour, I've just done it in pencil.
Please R & R!