Standard disclaimer: I don't own Tasuki or Chichiri or Mitsukake(he's only mentioned in this fic)
But Kazuma and the stranger are mine(should i be proud of that?) Sorry this fic is probably hard to read,
my computer doesn't convert to txt. very well. Please R&R ^_^ Arigato!
Also, the thinking parts are in ~ ~ That should help a little bit. Enjoy!
The day dragged on as Tasuki continued to stagger through the huge drifts of snow. With every step his foot would sink and take even more effort than before to pull his foot out. Chichiri's weight in his arms seemed to increase as every minutes past. His stomache reminded him that it had been awhile since he'd eaten and he was tired beyond belief. The only thing that kept the bandit moving on was the fear of losing the one he loved. There was no way he would be left behind, as the last Suzaku Seishi.
As Tasuki reached near his limits, he noticed through the cloud of white the outlines of houses. ~at last! there's gotta be a doctor here.....Chichiri...just a little bit longer, I promise~Tasuki quickened his pace as he closed in on the houses. Soon Tasuki entered the town which vaugely looked familiar. ~I-I've been here before, I swear I have......This...This is Touran!! Genbu's land. Now I remember. We came here looking for clues to get the shinahzo. I cant believe we've traveled this far. Shit, now where could a doctor be?~ A couple passer-bys noticed the shivering, confused man holding another man who was still bleeding in his arms but rather than assist, most turned away in fear.
"Hey! Come back here! Shit, can anyone help me please??? I need a doctor a quick. Please someone help!" Tasuki cried, emotion filling his voice. Tears streamed down his face and he frantically walked down the street. One man finally stopped and turned towards Tasuki.
"You say you need a doctor boy?" He asked, his voice deep and gruff. Tasuki just nodded and looked at the man with both hope and fear.
"Alright. Follow me. I'll lead you to the best doctor in town," the stranger said as he turned motioning for Tasuki to follow him. The bandit started off, following the man, staggering and swaying a bit as his tired legs screamed for rest. They walked past many houses and stores all which seemed to be closed because of the vicious weather. Few people dared to go out and those who did walked briskly towards their destination, not giving the the bandit and his injured bundle a second look. The stranger suddenly stopped in front of one of the buildings and knocked. The building itself looked like all the others except for the little medical sign that hung above the door. After a couple more seconds the door finally creaked open and a man poked his head out. He was about to say something when he took one look at Tasuki and the limp Chichiri and quickly motioned them inside. Tasuki qiuckly hustled inside, hearing the strangers voice before the door was closed.
"I give you my regards."
The day had passed by quickly and soon Tasuki found himself lying on a nice comfortable futon, wide awake. The window which he was laying near showed no signs of it being morning but the lucious smell of breakfast told him that it was. The large doctor had taken care of Chichiri's wounds first and ordered Tasuki into the other room. He hadn't seen his friend since but a visit every now and then from the nurses who carried information that his friend was still alive made him rest easier. ~We made it Chich. I got you to the doctor. ~Tasuki sighed which caused a dull pain in his shoulder and side. He hadn't realized just how badly he, himself was injured until the doctor had started tending to his wounds. The pain had caused the ex-bandit to thrash around trying to stop the pain. Being as large as the doctor was he easily held Tasuki down commanding him to sit still or it'll worsen his wounds. Tasuki finally calmed down and soon felt relief. The doctor had put medicene on his cuts which cooled them down. The pain wasn't bad now and he should be up and about in a day or so. His stomach growled reminding him of the lack of food that he also had. His stomach felt horrible, like something crawled in it and was trying to tear it's way out. The doctor had said the infection from the poision on the arrows had swept through parts of his body but it wasn't anything some medicene could help. Tasuki was comtemplating his situation. Get up and face the pain to get something to eat or lay like this in hunger until someone decided to come check on him. Luckily a decision was quickly reached when the warm, friendly doctor entered the room. He was nothing like Mitsukake. Well sure they were both tall but this doctor was also chubby. He had round cheeks and was starting to go a little bit bald. His voice was soft and it showed he really cared about his patients.
"Ah, I see your awake. Probably a little bit hungry by now ne?" Doctor Kazuma asked, walking over to the ex-bandits side and checking the bandages. "Good, I see the bleeding has stopped."
"Ieeee. Arigato for everything doctor. And no, I'm not hungry. I'm starvin'!" Tasuki replied, surprised at his own weak voice.
"Well, I'll have one of the nurses bring you some food. You shouldn't have any problems eating but dont eat too much at first. You obiviously haven't had much food in the past couple days. So just take it easy and stay off your feet for today. Tomorrow you should be able to walk around a little." Doctor Kazuma said as he started to leave the room.
"Y-yamatte! Er um doctor, how's Chichiri doing? The nurses kept tellin' me he was alive but wouldn't tell me anything else." Tasuki asked with pleading eyes. He needed to know how Chichiri was doing. It had been bugging him ever since they got seperated. The doctor hesitated before answering. He didn't know if he should tell the whole truth about this man's friend but he couldn't lie to him either.
"Your friend.." he started, "He, well he's struggling right now. I told my staff that if he made it through the night, then he should be ok. Well he made it through the night but the outcome is still in question. You know how bad his injuries were so you can understand. I had problems treating some of his wounds. The one in his side wasn't too bad, looks like a knief wound of some kind. The other wounds however, were like yours. Arrow wounds. And as I said before the arrows were poisioned. The poision infected his body pretty badly but I was able to flush most of it out with the medicene. The wounds in his back weren't too bad, although I can tell someone tried to pull the arrows out because of the jaggedness of the cut. His ankle however, I don't know how well thats going to heal. But I'm looking on the negative side and thats not something we should do now is it? He looks like he's one tough character and he should be ok so don't worry too much. You can visit him tomorrow alright?"
"I uh ok. But-but you said his ankle? I didn't see that. Was that an arrow too?" Tasuki asked, confused. ~When I pulled out those arrows in his back, I checked to see if he was hit anywhere else and there were no other arrows. How the hell did that happen~?
"No, that wasn't an arrow wound. It was more of a dagger and it was still in his ankle. It pierced through most of his ankle." The doctor explained. "But don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Now I've got to go check on some other patients as well as your friend again. I will have food sent up and see you in a bit."
"Arigato doctor. Arigato." Tasuki said as the doctor left the room. The sound of footsteps faded away and Tasuki was left in silence again. ~Damn, I wish I could go and see Chich right now. It's all my fault this happened. Shit. He's gonna be so pissed of at me but I cant blame him. Poor guy. He's hurt so bad. I hope he's gonna be alright. Dammit, it's my fault he's hurt so i'm gonna be the one to help him. I don't care how pissed off he is, I'm not leavin' his side until he's better.~
With the triumph of making his decision Tasuki closed his eyes, feeling a tad sleepy again. The creaking of the door brought the ex-bandit out of his light slumber as a mousey looking nurse walked in with a tray of food and water. She squirred over to the side of the futon and set the tray down. Tasuki noticed with dismay that there wasn't much food on the plate.
Seeing his dissapointment the nurse explained. "Now remember, doctor Kazuma said you should start off with a little bit of food. If you eat too much right now you'll just make yourself sick." With a quick smile and wave the nurse turned and left the small room. Tasuki sighed and started to sit up. The dull pain in his body made him groan as he reached for his food. There was a little bit of vegatables and a small bowl full of noodles. A smile graced the ex-bandits face as he proceeded to 'chow down'.
The snow continued to cover the city and showed no signs of letting up. A small candle burnt almost all away cast shadows across the small room. A dark figure still deep in slumber layed on a futon in the corner. The door suddenly squeeked open revealing the chubby doctor Kazuma. The sound awakened Tasuki from his sleep as he yawned and rolled over to look at the doctor. Doctor Kazuma strode into the room holding a candle in one hand. He gently set the candle down by the seishi and checked his bandages.
"Ohayo Tasuki. I see your fast at recovering. How are you feeling this morning?" He asked, sitting down on a chair.
Tasuki yawned again before answering. "Ohayo. I feel a lot better, arigato."
"Well your lucky. Your cuts and gashes have stopped bleeding and are almost healed over. The infection is gone from your body. You just have to get some rest. You lost quite a bit of blood but in about a week you should be back to normal." Kazuma explained, rising from the chair. Tasuki nodded as he streched out his legs and arms. "Demo, I also came here to ask if you wanted to see your friend now." Tasuki's eyes shot open and he practically jumped up. He swayed a bit and almost lost his balance before Kazuma steadied him.
"I guess thats a yes. Common, I'll help you there seeing your not too steady yet" the doctor said, chuckling. He lead Tasuki through a small hallway. There were numerous rooms and all had their doors closed. He figured those were other patient rooms. The two got to the staircase that lead to the bottom floor. After decending a couple steps, Tasuki nearly lost his balance but was again caught by doctor Kazuma.
"Now just take it easy Tasuki. You don't want to fall down the stairs and injure yourself worse now do you?" Tasuki just sighed and slowed his pace. He wanted to see Chichiri so bad.
"You might be wondering why we keep your friend on the first floor. Well all our critical cases stay on the first floor because there's always nurses and my aprentiaces wandering around down here so it's easier to keep an eye on the patients condition." The doctor explained. They reached the bottom floor and the doctor lead Tasuki to the third door on the right.
"Your friend is in here. If he's asleep, don't wake him up. I'll be in in a little bit." Kazuma said as he walked away. Tasuki hestiantly opened the door. The room was dark except for two candles that burned beside the bed casting shadows on the unmoving figure layed out on a futon. He slowly approached the bed and gazed down at Chichiri. The monk was asleep but was having some sort of disturbing dream. He was twitching and moaning softly. Tasuki leaned down to get a better look at his friend. Tasuki breathed in sharply at the sight of his injured friend.
"Oh Suzaku. Chichiri.........." he whispered, tears whelling up in his eyes.
But Kazuma and the stranger are mine(should i be proud of that?) Sorry this fic is probably hard to read,
my computer doesn't convert to txt. very well. Please R&R ^_^ Arigato!
Also, the thinking parts are in ~ ~ That should help a little bit. Enjoy!
The day dragged on as Tasuki continued to stagger through the huge drifts of snow. With every step his foot would sink and take even more effort than before to pull his foot out. Chichiri's weight in his arms seemed to increase as every minutes past. His stomache reminded him that it had been awhile since he'd eaten and he was tired beyond belief. The only thing that kept the bandit moving on was the fear of losing the one he loved. There was no way he would be left behind, as the last Suzaku Seishi.
As Tasuki reached near his limits, he noticed through the cloud of white the outlines of houses. ~at last! there's gotta be a doctor here.....Chichiri...just a little bit longer, I promise~Tasuki quickened his pace as he closed in on the houses. Soon Tasuki entered the town which vaugely looked familiar. ~I-I've been here before, I swear I have......This...This is Touran!! Genbu's land. Now I remember. We came here looking for clues to get the shinahzo. I cant believe we've traveled this far. Shit, now where could a doctor be?~ A couple passer-bys noticed the shivering, confused man holding another man who was still bleeding in his arms but rather than assist, most turned away in fear.
"Hey! Come back here! Shit, can anyone help me please??? I need a doctor a quick. Please someone help!" Tasuki cried, emotion filling his voice. Tears streamed down his face and he frantically walked down the street. One man finally stopped and turned towards Tasuki.
"You say you need a doctor boy?" He asked, his voice deep and gruff. Tasuki just nodded and looked at the man with both hope and fear.
"Alright. Follow me. I'll lead you to the best doctor in town," the stranger said as he turned motioning for Tasuki to follow him. The bandit started off, following the man, staggering and swaying a bit as his tired legs screamed for rest. They walked past many houses and stores all which seemed to be closed because of the vicious weather. Few people dared to go out and those who did walked briskly towards their destination, not giving the the bandit and his injured bundle a second look. The stranger suddenly stopped in front of one of the buildings and knocked. The building itself looked like all the others except for the little medical sign that hung above the door. After a couple more seconds the door finally creaked open and a man poked his head out. He was about to say something when he took one look at Tasuki and the limp Chichiri and quickly motioned them inside. Tasuki qiuckly hustled inside, hearing the strangers voice before the door was closed.
"I give you my regards."
The day had passed by quickly and soon Tasuki found himself lying on a nice comfortable futon, wide awake. The window which he was laying near showed no signs of it being morning but the lucious smell of breakfast told him that it was. The large doctor had taken care of Chichiri's wounds first and ordered Tasuki into the other room. He hadn't seen his friend since but a visit every now and then from the nurses who carried information that his friend was still alive made him rest easier. ~We made it Chich. I got you to the doctor. ~Tasuki sighed which caused a dull pain in his shoulder and side. He hadn't realized just how badly he, himself was injured until the doctor had started tending to his wounds. The pain had caused the ex-bandit to thrash around trying to stop the pain. Being as large as the doctor was he easily held Tasuki down commanding him to sit still or it'll worsen his wounds. Tasuki finally calmed down and soon felt relief. The doctor had put medicene on his cuts which cooled them down. The pain wasn't bad now and he should be up and about in a day or so. His stomach growled reminding him of the lack of food that he also had. His stomach felt horrible, like something crawled in it and was trying to tear it's way out. The doctor had said the infection from the poision on the arrows had swept through parts of his body but it wasn't anything some medicene could help. Tasuki was comtemplating his situation. Get up and face the pain to get something to eat or lay like this in hunger until someone decided to come check on him. Luckily a decision was quickly reached when the warm, friendly doctor entered the room. He was nothing like Mitsukake. Well sure they were both tall but this doctor was also chubby. He had round cheeks and was starting to go a little bit bald. His voice was soft and it showed he really cared about his patients.
"Ah, I see your awake. Probably a little bit hungry by now ne?" Doctor Kazuma asked, walking over to the ex-bandits side and checking the bandages. "Good, I see the bleeding has stopped."
"Ieeee. Arigato for everything doctor. And no, I'm not hungry. I'm starvin'!" Tasuki replied, surprised at his own weak voice.
"Well, I'll have one of the nurses bring you some food. You shouldn't have any problems eating but dont eat too much at first. You obiviously haven't had much food in the past couple days. So just take it easy and stay off your feet for today. Tomorrow you should be able to walk around a little." Doctor Kazuma said as he started to leave the room.
"Y-yamatte! Er um doctor, how's Chichiri doing? The nurses kept tellin' me he was alive but wouldn't tell me anything else." Tasuki asked with pleading eyes. He needed to know how Chichiri was doing. It had been bugging him ever since they got seperated. The doctor hesitated before answering. He didn't know if he should tell the whole truth about this man's friend but he couldn't lie to him either.
"Your friend.." he started, "He, well he's struggling right now. I told my staff that if he made it through the night, then he should be ok. Well he made it through the night but the outcome is still in question. You know how bad his injuries were so you can understand. I had problems treating some of his wounds. The one in his side wasn't too bad, looks like a knief wound of some kind. The other wounds however, were like yours. Arrow wounds. And as I said before the arrows were poisioned. The poision infected his body pretty badly but I was able to flush most of it out with the medicene. The wounds in his back weren't too bad, although I can tell someone tried to pull the arrows out because of the jaggedness of the cut. His ankle however, I don't know how well thats going to heal. But I'm looking on the negative side and thats not something we should do now is it? He looks like he's one tough character and he should be ok so don't worry too much. You can visit him tomorrow alright?"
"I uh ok. But-but you said his ankle? I didn't see that. Was that an arrow too?" Tasuki asked, confused. ~When I pulled out those arrows in his back, I checked to see if he was hit anywhere else and there were no other arrows. How the hell did that happen~?
"No, that wasn't an arrow wound. It was more of a dagger and it was still in his ankle. It pierced through most of his ankle." The doctor explained. "But don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Now I've got to go check on some other patients as well as your friend again. I will have food sent up and see you in a bit."
"Arigato doctor. Arigato." Tasuki said as the doctor left the room. The sound of footsteps faded away and Tasuki was left in silence again. ~Damn, I wish I could go and see Chich right now. It's all my fault this happened. Shit. He's gonna be so pissed of at me but I cant blame him. Poor guy. He's hurt so bad. I hope he's gonna be alright. Dammit, it's my fault he's hurt so i'm gonna be the one to help him. I don't care how pissed off he is, I'm not leavin' his side until he's better.~
With the triumph of making his decision Tasuki closed his eyes, feeling a tad sleepy again. The creaking of the door brought the ex-bandit out of his light slumber as a mousey looking nurse walked in with a tray of food and water. She squirred over to the side of the futon and set the tray down. Tasuki noticed with dismay that there wasn't much food on the plate.
Seeing his dissapointment the nurse explained. "Now remember, doctor Kazuma said you should start off with a little bit of food. If you eat too much right now you'll just make yourself sick." With a quick smile and wave the nurse turned and left the small room. Tasuki sighed and started to sit up. The dull pain in his body made him groan as he reached for his food. There was a little bit of vegatables and a small bowl full of noodles. A smile graced the ex-bandits face as he proceeded to 'chow down'.
The snow continued to cover the city and showed no signs of letting up. A small candle burnt almost all away cast shadows across the small room. A dark figure still deep in slumber layed on a futon in the corner. The door suddenly squeeked open revealing the chubby doctor Kazuma. The sound awakened Tasuki from his sleep as he yawned and rolled over to look at the doctor. Doctor Kazuma strode into the room holding a candle in one hand. He gently set the candle down by the seishi and checked his bandages.
"Ohayo Tasuki. I see your fast at recovering. How are you feeling this morning?" He asked, sitting down on a chair.
Tasuki yawned again before answering. "Ohayo. I feel a lot better, arigato."
"Well your lucky. Your cuts and gashes have stopped bleeding and are almost healed over. The infection is gone from your body. You just have to get some rest. You lost quite a bit of blood but in about a week you should be back to normal." Kazuma explained, rising from the chair. Tasuki nodded as he streched out his legs and arms. "Demo, I also came here to ask if you wanted to see your friend now." Tasuki's eyes shot open and he practically jumped up. He swayed a bit and almost lost his balance before Kazuma steadied him.
"I guess thats a yes. Common, I'll help you there seeing your not too steady yet" the doctor said, chuckling. He lead Tasuki through a small hallway. There were numerous rooms and all had their doors closed. He figured those were other patient rooms. The two got to the staircase that lead to the bottom floor. After decending a couple steps, Tasuki nearly lost his balance but was again caught by doctor Kazuma.
"Now just take it easy Tasuki. You don't want to fall down the stairs and injure yourself worse now do you?" Tasuki just sighed and slowed his pace. He wanted to see Chichiri so bad.
"You might be wondering why we keep your friend on the first floor. Well all our critical cases stay on the first floor because there's always nurses and my aprentiaces wandering around down here so it's easier to keep an eye on the patients condition." The doctor explained. They reached the bottom floor and the doctor lead Tasuki to the third door on the right.
"Your friend is in here. If he's asleep, don't wake him up. I'll be in in a little bit." Kazuma said as he walked away. Tasuki hestiantly opened the door. The room was dark except for two candles that burned beside the bed casting shadows on the unmoving figure layed out on a futon. He slowly approached the bed and gazed down at Chichiri. The monk was asleep but was having some sort of disturbing dream. He was twitching and moaning softly. Tasuki leaned down to get a better look at his friend. Tasuki breathed in sharply at the sight of his injured friend.
"Oh Suzaku. Chichiri.........." he whispered, tears whelling up in his eyes.