Chapter 9

Akane woke to watery sunshine streaming into her bedroom. She'd been right: things did always look better in the morning. The night had been completely uneventful. Hideki had peeked into her room an hour ago to let her know that he was leaving for the harbor. Sea life started too early; she'd rolled over and gone back to sleep.

Akane stretched and sat up. They'd all overreacted far too much last night. She'd go and see Eri just after breakfast, she decided, make sure that she was doing all right, and that Shinichiro had calmed down. Shinichiro was too moody for his own good. Sure, the Yukawas had fallen dramatically in social standing with the revolution, but they had a home and a livelihood and friends and were reasonably well off now. Couldn't he just get over it already? Eri had.

She padded out into the hallway toward the stairs, pausing to peek in at Kenshin in the back room. He was lying on his back on the futon, with the quilt pulled up to his chin. Still sleeping. She started to turn away, but some instinct made her turn back, and step into the room. Something was wrong.

Kenshin's skin was very pale, apart from the red around the edges of his eyelids and an unhealthy purplish tinge to his lips. His breathing was fast and shallow. He was drenched with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead, and burning hot to her touch.

Akane shook him and called his name but got no reaction. Her heart started to pound unpleasantly. She threw the quilt off his body and bolted for the stairs.

In the kitchen she grabbed a stack of tea towels out of the cupboard and shoved them down the front of her yukata, then hauled on the pump handle, filling a pot with cold well-water. She ran back up the stairs, sloshing water onto her sleeves, and slid to a halt next to Kenshin's futon.

A high fever alone could kill a person. She had to bring down his temperature. She dunked a towel in the water, wrung it quickly, and laid it across Kenshin's forehead, pushing aside a stringy handful of wet red hair. She waited, listening to the desperate cadence of his breathing as she dampened a second towel to wipe away the drops of sweat on his face.

Minutes passed. Nothing was happening. She pulled the cloth off Kenshin's forehead (warm already) and replaced it with a fresh one. He hadn't moved, hadn't reacted at all. Akane felt a knot of worry growing in her stomach. What if it was already too late? She should have gotten up earlier, checked on him.... She adjusted the cloth, fidgeting.

This was too slow. Akane yanked the sweat-soaked yukata down off Kenshin's shoulders, bunching the fabric around his waist, and slapped a wet towel across his bony chest. Kenshin gasped, flinching, and a shudder ran through his body. Akane snatched back the cloth, dismayed.

No good, Akane, she told herself; being shocked is the last thing he needs. She waited while Kenshin's breathing settled down again. It was a little slower, a little deeper than before. A small improvement, at least.

o-o-o

Two hours crawled past.

Akane stayed by Kenshin's side, replacing the cold towel on his forehead at intervals. She desperately wanted to go for the doctor, but she didn't want to leave him alone.

She had succeeded in bringing his fever down a little. His breathing was more normal now, and some color had come back into his cheeks. He'd also started shivering intermittently. Akane had to fight the urge to cover him up with the quilt. He was still too hot for that.

It was with a surge of relief that she heard the scrape of the kitchen door, the voices of her two assistants arriving for the day. She jumped up and stuck her head into the hallway, yelling down the stairs.

"Eiko! Aki! Come up here quick!" She'd tried to keep from sounding too panicky, but must have failed, because the kids ran up the stairs looking alarmed.

"Akane-san! What is it?" Eiko tried to look past her into the room, her brown eyes widening. "Kenshin-san-- is he...?"

"No time to explain. Eiko-chan: run over to the warehouse and bring Hideki back with you. Aki-kun: go get Watanabe-sensei. Have him bring whatever he's got for fevers. Tell him it's an emergency." They were staring at her, expecting more. "Well? Run!" She waved her arms. They ran.

o-o-o

It was ten minutes' walk across town to Watanabe-sensei's house, ten minutes back. Aki returned in a bare fifteen, out of breath and alone. "He's out!"

Akane gritted her teeth. It was getting too close to lunchtime; they had to start cooking soon. "Okay. Let me think." She glanced at Hideki. He had returned with Eiko ten minutes ago, and she'd had him watch Kenshin for a little while while she'd gotten dressed and run down to the bathroom. She'd also taken the opportunity to refill her pot with fresh cold water to soak the cloths in; it had started to get lukewarm. She'd sent Eiko down to the kitchen to start cutting vegetables for lunch; she didn't want the girl to worry too much. (Unfortunately, keeping her away seemed to be having the opposite effect.)

"Okay," she said again. "Aki-kun, you go help Eiko get ready for lunch. Hideki, see if you can find Watanabe-sensei. Wait for him if you have to." Hideki nodded and went, Aki following him down the stairs.

Akane watched them go, then turned back to Kenshin. It was past ten already. They had an hour, hour-and-a-half if they were lucky, before customers started showing up. She plucked the cloth off Kenshin's forehead and dunked it in the water, then wrung it out and replaced it.

Kenshin shivered again and stirred a little, his eyelids flickering. Akane paused and looked at him closely.

"Kenshin?" She laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. He took a breath and his eyelids flickered again.

Akane's heart leapt. It was something. He'd tried to move his arms a little, too. She untangled his wrists from the sleeves of the yukata that was still bunched up around his waist, and squeezed his hand. His fingers twitched weakly in response.

o-o-o

Hideki didn't return with Watanabe-sensei until close to noon. The lunch rush had started by then, the arrival of each group of customers making Akane jump, expecting her brother. When he finally returned, sliding the door open deferentially for the small gray-haired doctor, Akane felt weak with relief. Hideki mumbled something about helping Aki and Eiko in the kitchen and left them alone.

Kenshin was still sleeping. He'd been stirring every now and then, and at one point he'd crossed his forearms over his bare stomach. He was shivering harder now. Akane still had him uncovered, a cold wet cloth across his forehead.

Watanabe moved quickly and efficiently, sliding in next to Akane beside the futon. "What's his name? I haven't seen him here before." The doctor's voice was soft, low and calming. He took the damp cloth off Kenshin's forehead, briefly checking his temperature.

"Himura Kenshin. He's new in town."

"Hm." Watanabe was feeling for Kenshin's pulse in his neck, wrists and ankles. "And the last time he was awake was when?"

"Last night, as far as I know. He's been sick since mid-day yesterday, but it wasn't this bad."

Watanabe was pressing various spots on Kenshin's body. Kenshin stirred, frowning slightly, his red eyebrows twitching together. "His lymph nodes are a little swollen, but I don't think it's anything incurable. I'm guessing it's a common fever, just unusually severe." Watanabe sat back, a serious look on his narrow face, watching Kenshin closely. "His temperature's still very high."

The doctor rummaged in his bag, pulling out a mortar and pestle and several small bags of herbs and powders. "I'm going to give him some medicine to bring down the fever. He's semiconscious so I should be able to get him to swallow it. Akane, go bring up a cup of tea, would you? Not too hot."

"Okay." She ran down the stairs into the controlled chaos of the kitchen and snatched a cup of tea from the tray Eiko had just poured, returning her questioning look with a tight frown. She hurried back up the stairs.

Watanabe had Kenshin propped up by the shoulders when she returned, a small fold of paper full of ground herbs in one hand. He poured the herbs into the back of Kenshin's throat, followed by the tea. Kenshin swallowed once reflexively and then choked.

"Oh-- damn it--" Watanabe slung Kenshin forward across his other arm and whacked him between the shoulderblades several times, hard, until he stopped coughing. Kenshin shuddered, gasping for breath. Gradually his breathing returned to normal.

Watanabe looked down grimly at the small body hanging limply over his arm. "He's been starving, hasn't he." It wasn't a question. Kenshin's ribs were clearly visible.

Akane winced. "Yes. I think so." She waited for Watanabe to respond, but he was quiet, lowering Kenshin gently onto his side. The rurouni's breath caught and he coughed weakly, then lay still, shivering again, his arms folded up against his bare chest.

Nervously Akane filled the silence. "He was travelling. Across the mountains, I think. He must have run out of food somewhere along the way." She paused. "It doesn't help, does it."

Watanabe sighed. "It means he's already weakened." He looked up at Akane with his small bright black eyes, and explained quickly. "It's why plagues usually follow famines. When people are weakened by starvation, they're more susceptible to diseases. They also have less strength to fight it off, so the death rate is higher." He looked back down at Kenshin's huddled form, and absent-mindedly laid a damp cloth across his forehead.

Akane looked anguished. "Isn't there anything more you can do?"

"Not really. All we can do is keep his temperature down, like you've been doing." Watanabe glanced up at her. "See the way he's shivering? It's his body trying to raise his fever, but he's losing enough heat to keep it from going up. When the medicine I gave him kicks in, his fever should go back down again, and then you'll have to be careful not to let him get chilled."

"Okay," Akane said softly. "Okay, I'll do it." She laid a hand protectively on Kenshin's bare shoulder.

Watanabe was packing up his herbs. "Aside from that, there's not really anything else we can do. It's up to him now to fight it off. I'll come back tomorrow, see how he's doing. But Akane--" He looked up at her, eyes sad, and shook his head slightly. "I don't think he has much of a chance."

o-o-o

By the end of the lunch rush, Kenshin's fever had gone down enough that Akane felt comfortable covering him up again. She stripped him out of the rumpled yukata, still sweat-dampened from the morning and starting to get cold, and wrestled him into a fresh one, then tucked the quilt in around him. He was still sleeping, breathing regularly; he hadn't really reacted at all to her awkward dressing procedure.

When after another hour Kenshin's condition still hadn't changed, Akane left Hideki to look after him while she went out. She had to do something or she'd go nuts waiting and worrying, and besides, she needed to do some shopping before dinnertime. She chatted briefly with Aki and Eiko, just finishing the washing-up from lunch, then wandered out the back door. She paused to take a look at her garden, the rich deep soil covered with straw to protect it from erosion by the winter's heavy rains. The days were getting longer; soon it would be time to plant the spring onions.

The market street was uphill from the harbor, running from the edge of the warehouse district up several blocks to eventually become the east road that led into the mountains. With the afternoon's sunshine, it was full of people. Akane bought her groceries -- root vegetables, fresh tofu, seasonings, some early spring onions from one of the farms south of town. She made a note to herself to send Aki to buy a couple sacks of rice later; they'd started to run a little low.

The Yukawas' place was up this way. Just a few blocks farther up from the produce sellers'... Akane's pace quickened. Yes, she would go see Eri after all, make sure she was doing all right, and Shinichiro too.

The short gate in front of their garden was closed. Odd; Eri usually had her shop open at this hour. Akane let herself in and went up to the house. No one was home. There was a paper tacked to the door reading 'Sorry to have missed you, please call again' in Eri's impeccable handwriting. Hmm. She hoped nothing was up. Well, nothing to do but try again later. Akane shrugged and turned toward home.

o-o-o

When she got back, Kenshin was awake. Akane stood open-mouthed in the doorway of the back room, gaping at the chaos inside. Kenshin was sprawled half off the futon, struggling weakly against Hideki and Aki who each had hold of one of his arms, while Eiko hovered ineffectually nearby, trying to reach in and help every few seconds.

"Aki-kun-- now!" Hideki said, and they hauled Kenshin back onto the futon. He tried to sit up, saying something incoherent about waterfalls, his eyes wide and unnaturally dark raking across them.

"What is going ON?!"

Hideki looked up distractedly, busy holding Kenshin down by the shoulders. "He's delirious. He was trying to get out of bed. We-- that is--"

"It's okay. Calm down." Akane moved quickly. "Here Eiko-chan, give me that." She took a sopping wet cloth from Eiko's hands, wrung it out into the pot of water, and stepped over Kenshin's legs (tangled in yukata and quilt) to kneel on the other side of the futon. Aki made way for her eagerly. Kenshin had gone still, tense and breathing rapidly, his dilated eyes tracking something that only he could see.

Akane felt Kenshin's forehead -- no change from before, feverish but not dangerously hot -- and laid the cloth on it anyway. He turned at her touch and stared through her unnervingly, but didn't try to move otherwise. Hesitantly, Hideki let go of his shoulders. Akane looked up at Hideki and they exchanged a worried frown.

"What should we do?" Hideki asked.

"I don't know. He's settled down now; I guess we just watch him and wait."

o-o-o

Though his eyes were open, Kenshin dreamed, memory and fantasy flowing one into the other. Some of the dreams were ordinary, long bright days spent training, or washing laundry, or walking the many roads of Japan; others were dark and violent and disturbing, soaked in the blood and fire of the revolution.

o-o-o

Kenshin held long conversations with people who weren't there, speaking little, spending most of the time listening. At the end of the dinner rush Akane had come back upstairs, taking over from her brother who had watched their patient for much of the afternoon and evening while she cooked. Now she tried not to eavesdrop too much, not that she could tell much of what Kenshin was seeing by his cryptic comments. She occupied herself mending some clothes she'd been meaning to take care of.

The night was worse. Kenshin hardly slept at all, and he seemed agitated, though he moved only a little and his voice had dropped to a whisper. Hideki spent the night there again, he and Akane taking turns sleeping. By morning Kenshin looked exhausted, his body sunk limply into the futon, his face deathly pale and pinched-looking, with dark circles around his half-lidded eyes.

Watanabe-sensei came by around lunchtime. Kenshin opened his eyes when Watanabe started feeling for his pulse, though he still seemed unaware of his surroundings. Watanabe looked surprised when he pronounced him not much changed. Kenshin was exhausted and starting to get dehydrated, yet at the same time his fever hadn't spiked back up and his heartbeat was no weaker than on the previous day.

Towards the end of the afternoon Kenshin startled awake from a light doze, his eyes wide, making Akane look up from her sewing. He blinked, trying to focus, and called out for his mother and father in a small hoarse voice. Akane's heart squeezed. She cooed to him in a comforting voice and leaned forward to stroke his hair. It was damp again with sweat. His fever was creeping back up. She soaked a cloth in cold water and laid it gently across his forehead.

He was silent after that for a long time, tense and breathing fast, his eyes huge and unreadable. After close to half an hour his bruised eyelids flickered closed, and he slowly relaxed, settling limply into the futon.

Akane stayed with him, convinced he was dying, leaving Eiko and Aki to deal with the dinner customers. But he kept breathing, shallow and slow and regular, through the evening and long into the night.

Kenshin's fever broke in the dark hour before dawn of the third day. Exhausted and emotionally drained, Akane woke Hideki to look after him and fell into bed.