I forgot to say this last update out of laziness… Mia… OO –Gets a big head- Your story rules. Honest. Update soon! –Pokes-
Anywho, back to fish. Mmm, fish. Speaking of, I wonder when dinner is… err… never mind…
I was going to call this chapter 'Here, fishy fishy fishy...' but decided against it for a few reasons. One, because it doesn't really fit in with the flow of the story, and two, because this site doesn't let you put '...' in chapter names. And 'Here, fishy fishy fishy' just doesn't look right. So, there you go. )
Over an hour, four fish and a tantrum or two later, she returned to the cave, fish still in the bucket. Her sign of triumph over the damn things.
She felt warm and so loved whenever she thought of how Ryu had sacrificed his own health, dismissed his own safety for her. Perhaps she really did love him, too. Surely you didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling, that happy smile when you weren't?
Love… me… heck, I do feel warm and fuzzy. Like I have a new security blanket or something, almost. Seems stupid, but… love… wow…
It felt positively magical. A new experience, on a solid gold podium elevated above the stars. Love. And she was allowed to feel it. How lucky was she?
Her thoughts returned to less-magical reality as she entered the cave.
No signs of Hayabusa having regained consciousness. That was until she bent down beside him to check his temperature and saw blurred emerald eyes staring at her.
"Ryu? You're awake,"
He blinked slowly. That one action looked to be a great effort, and dispelled any hope she had that the poison had worn off or somehow not worked. Unlike the clear emerald she was used to, they were bleary and the confused, almost frightened expression that was on his face was so unlike him and so concerning that she instantly wanted to comfort him.
"Where am… where am I?"
He was speaking slowly, as though his mouth was having trouble forming the words.
"You're in a cave near where you were injured. Do you remember?"
His eyes shut, stayed shut for several moments before opening again. "Kasumi? Is that you?"
"Yes, Ryu. You're delirious. Do you want to eat something? I think you should,"
A single nod was her response before his eyes shut again.
Oh, Ryu… don't do this to me. You have to be alright! You have to!
Soon enough, she had a small fire burning merrily out the front of the cave. Not exactly the most subtle of things, a fire, but she couldn't really move it anywhere else. The fish were cooking nicely as she brought Ryu some fresh water from the stream.
"Here. Drink this,"
It hit her like a blow as he took the cup and she noticed that his hands were trembling excessively as he lifted the cup shakily to his lips. Good god, if poison can do this to him, what hope would I have? I am so lucky he took that blow for me… but heck; I'd feel less guilty if I took it… especially now that I know how he feels about me…
"Dinner's nearly ready,"
There was a scrumptious, taste bud-probing smell wafting in from outside. A small exclamation from her stomach made her remember that the last time she had eaten was the day before. She grinned sheepishly, and went outside to bring in the fish. She placed them on two plates before bringing them back inside.
"Here you go-"
She stopped abruptly as the realization slowly dawned on her that Ryu had lost consciousness in that short period of time.
His breathing was laboured, perspiration beading on his face. Soon enough, there was another tear in her clothing as she tore off a strip of material, wet it and gently wrapped it around Ryu's forehead.
Her meal didn't taste nearly as good as she had thought it would. Perhaps it was that underlying of anxiety that made her stomach churn. She ended up throwing away most of it.
"Come on, Ryu," she whispered. "Snap out of it. Come back to us. Come back to… come back to me,"
Her words drifted away on the wind. She knew that he would never have heard her; he was too lost in the land of dreams. Or unconsciousness. She preferred the former to the latter.
Sleep well, Ryu. Just make sure you wake up again in the morning.