To Lyger 0: Don't worry; her mind is definitely in the game!
Yuki regained consciousness slowly, her throat sore and scratchy. Even with her eyes closed, the overhead fluorescent light overwhelmed her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment longer. Starting to raise her hand to block out the light, she paused, feeling the tug of the IV line and sensors on her fingers and wrist. Her arm settled back down on the rough, over-stiff hospital bed. She let out a breath and considered trying to fall back to sleep once more. Her body screamed for rest, after everything that had happened yesterday; it would be so easy to forget about trying to wake up and drift off again into a dream world where she hadn't been poisoned. How strange it was to think: it had only been a day.
She had been fully awake the whole time, lying on the floor of Chaba, with no idea what had happened. All she had known had been pain – pain and confusion. The pain of the teacup she had dropped to the floor and promptly fallen onto, shattering it and driving the shards into her back. The fire in her chest and lungs from the poison, so intense she had almost passed out then and there. The sickness and soreness in her throat after Shiro's initial attempt to get the poison out. She had wanted so badly for the pain to go away, to be able to fall unconscious, or else to pretend that it wasn't happening. But she had remained awake for the full time it took for an ambulance to arrive and transport her to the hospital. She had been rushed straight into the emergency room, where the doctors had placed a mask over her face. That was when she had finally passed out. Her throat still burned from the device they had used, dry and scratchy and sore. She tried to swallow, only to wince in pain. Suppressing a whimper of pain, she let out a breath. She needed water.
When she had last been awake, the water cup had been on the tray by her bed. Eyes still closed, she reached out in that direction. Her hand passed through that space, only to bump into something cool and solid. She was just about to grab the cup when she heard a rustling sound on that side of her and the cup vanished. Someone places a gentle hand on her arm, and moments later a straw poked her lips. Greedily, she sucked in a deep drink of the water, swirling it around in her mouth before swallowing and taking another sip. Hesitantly, she found the cup with one of her hands to hold it in place, drinking steadily until the cup was completely empty. Finally, she let out a breath and opened her eyes to stare up into the unforgiving glare of the hospital light. Wincing, she turned to find a familiar face looking down at her.
"You're awake," Shun observed, his lips cracking apart into a smile. "You have no idea how much of a relief that is. You have been in and out so much over the last day, we were beginning to get concerned."
She coughed weakly. "Just taking a quick nap," she mumbled, her mouth feeling like she had gargled sand. Pushing herself up the slightest bit, she looked around the room with some concern. The walls were painted a sterile white, the walls largely bare. Aside from her bed, she could only see a couple chairs and a few pieces of medical equipment around the room. Slowly, she forced herself to breathe and shrugged her shoulders, looking down at the hospital gown they had placed her in. Her head felt strangely… light. Carefully, she reached up to where her katsura should be, only for her hand to land on her own natural hair. Her eyes widened and she turned on Shun. "Where–?"
"It is safe. Shiro took it home," Shun explained quickly. "It had come off in the teashop, and there was some risk that someone might step on it. We thought it better to bring it somewhere safe, rather than risk it get lost or damaged here."
Yuki nodded slowly, collapsing back onto the bed. With a sigh, Shun leaned forward and carefully helped her adjust the pillows so she could sit upright. Nodding her thanks, she took another drink of her almost-empty water. "How long was I asleep this time?"
Shun glanced up at the clock on the wall and frowned. "We arrived shortly after breakfast – the moment they allowed visitors to come in – and you were asleep then. We thought about leaving to come back, but…" He shrugged. "We were loath to leave you alone when they could return. Or to let you wake up without a friendly face nearby."
"'We'?"
Shun nodded toward the far side of the room, where Yuki could see Shiro sitting with his eyes closed and head back against the wall. "It was a long night."
Suddenly the door flew open. "I don't care about your limits on visitors!" Keiko's voice echoed through the doorway as she burst into the room. Shiro jumped, one hand dropping to his side and reaching for his wakizashi, and turned his head in all directions, eyes wide, searching for a threat. Keiko turned on the nurse, her arms folded and eyes narrowed. "I am going to see her!"
"But apart from family, we do not permit more than two visitors in this ward!" the nurse insisted, following her inside. "The patient needs to heal!"
Yuki coughed, and the nurse jumped in surprise. "Actually, everyone in this room is family," Yuki told the nurse, smiling as calmly as she could. "So they may all stay, correct?"
The nurse frowned, looking around the room hesitantly. "They… are?" Yuki nodded. The nurse paused. "Well, if you are okay, Yamada-san…"
"I am," she assured her. "Thank you for your concern, but I am certain that I am in good hands here."
As the door shut, Yuki slumped back into her bed, groaning, and took another deep pull of her water. "Hello, Keiko," she whispered hoarsely, hardly able to keep her arms up off the bed. "Thank you for coming."
Keiko scoffed, shaking her head. "As if I could do anything else! If you get taken into the hospital after being poisoned, of course I'm going to come and see how you are doing!" She glared out the window, her hands clenched into tight fists behind her back. "When I get my hands on them…"
"Is it wise to upset her after yesterday?" warned Shun, raising an eyebrow at Keiko meaningfully.
"We can discuss this outside," Shiro suggested, giving Yuki a worried look. "Once you are better, we can fill you in."
Yuki cleared her throat. "I'm fine," she insisted, frowning at him. "I'm not going to get re-poisoned just because you talk about it in front of me." Turning to Keiko, she asked, "What did you find?"
"Ryoku and I, along with a couple of the Heroes of Paris who just happened to be in town went to follow up a lead last night," Keiko explained, leaning against the windowsill.
Yuki started. "That fast?"
Keiko's eyes flashed. "That fast – the Heroes of Paris don't mess around. Nor, for that matter, does New Atlantis. Not when one of our friends is in trouble." She frowned. "That's the good news. The bad news…" She sighed heavily. "We know what happened. Your client for last night? He was a Yakuza plant. Haruna called him when you went to the teashop with Shiro yesterday. That's how they knew."
"Wait… Haruna?" Yuki stared at Keiko in shock. "But–but she's my friend! No! I don't believe she would do something like that!"
Keiko grimaced. "Unfortunately, that is what happened." Quickly, she added, "When we confronted her, she said she didn't do it intentionally. And I think I believe that. She didn't know what would happen. But it what happened nonetheless."
Yuki looked down at the thin sheet and let out a breath, sniffling.
"That's the bad news," Keiko continued, putting a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "The good news is that she helped us last night, and now we may have a lead on the poisoner. She was at the ozashiki last night – along with Kamisenshi."
"Bastard," muttered Shiro, glowering.
"We told Haruna to ask some questions and scare them enough to make a move," Keiko explained. "After the ozashiki, the group split up and I followed Kamisenshi to a building not far from the Imperial Palace. Ryoku followed the poisoner to a brothel on the outskirts of the city, named 'Tanoshi Endingu'. We don't know for sure, but we think she must work there – that or she works out of there."
Shun's eyes widened and he frowned, stroking his chin. "That sounds like Kamidoku…" he mused slowly. "It must be serious if they brought her in. But the brothel… that sounds familiar. It may be where Kamimizu's sister is being held. At least it is in the right area of the city."
"Kamimizu's sister?" Yuki cocked her head, studying Shun's face carefully.
He nodded, his mouth set in a thin line. "That is why she serves them: because her sister is held as a… prisoner? victim? slave? at one of their brothels. They have one on the outskirts of the city where they 'process' their girls, though it has had a few different names over the years."
"But if we can rescue her…" Shiro began before trailing off.
"Can we rescue her?" Yuki demanded.
Shun furrowed his brows. "It's a possibility. But having Kamidoku in the mix complicates matters. Ishii-san probably brought in Tsuyoi-gumi for insurance."
"Ryoku and I might have run into a couple of them the other night," Keiko confirmed, gritting her teeth. "Kamihikari and a man who could run super-fast."
"Kamiikioi?" Shiro raised an eyebrow at Shun.
"That does sound like him," he agreed, nodding. "Last I knew, Kamihikari was the leader of Tsuyoi-gumi, and both Kamidoku and Kamiikioi were members. There are two others – Kamiomomi can change her density at will; Kamitakasa can do the same with his size. The five of them – Tsuyoi-gumi – were among the Yakuza's most adept Chikara masters, after Kami-gumi, of course. That they would bring them in for this is concerning."
"Why bring them in when they still have Odoshi-gumi around, though," Shiro pointed out.
"Do you really think they trust Odoshi-gumi after Tarascon?" asked Keiko rhetorically. "Even if they do, they might still have their suspicions regarding their loyalty."
"Thus they sent Kamidoku to poison Yuki," Shun agreed, a distasteful expression on his face. "And, presumably, to target you."
Shiro's eyes narrowed. "You think they targeted Yuki to get to me?"
"Was the poison just in Yuki's cup?"
Shiro's mouth set in a thin line, but moments later he turned to Yuki with a contrite expression. "I'm so sorry," he apologized. "We tied you to my name, and you were almost killed as a result."
Yuki raised an eyebrow. "I am not upset, Shiro," she told him. "We both knew this was a possibility. And I accepted this danger when I agreed to this plan."
Keiko's jaw dropped and she blinked, staring at the two of them in shock. "Wait… what!? You planned on this?"
"Not exactly this," Shiro interjected defensively. "But we thought there was the possibility that the Yakuza would show interest in Yuki if I were known as her danna. We did not think they would use poison."
Yuki coughed, and Keiko instantly turned to her, her face filled with concern. "I knew what I was getting myself into," Yuki told her quietly.
"I just – why didn't you both tell me?" asked Keiko, hurt in her eyes.
Shiro let out a breath, and his shoulders slumped from exhaustion. "We came up with this plan before you rejoined the team," he explained. "And it was as much to give Yuki an opportunity to return to her okiya as to draw out the Yakuza. By the time we started talking again, that was already old news; we didn't even know if anything would happen because of it."
Yuki gave her a small smile. "Believe me: if we do anything else this…"
"'Stupid'?" Keiko supplied, arching an eyebrow.
"Risky," Yuki corrected her, "then you will know."
Keiko nodded. "Just… if I had known, I would have given you one of these." She withdrew a small silvery-blue pendant from her pocket and handed it to Yuki. "That came from our Sorcerers' College. Keep it on you all the time. It won't protect you from everything… but it can at least keep you safe from poison."
Yuki took the pendant and slipped it over her head. The metal felt warm against her skin as she slipped it under her hospital gown. Taking Keiko's hand, she smiled. "Thank you for your concern," she told her. "And I am sorry for worrying you."
Keiko hummed, examining Yuki's face from all angles. "How are you feeling after all of this?"
Yuki gave her a wan smile. "I doubt I will be hosting any ozashiki for a few days, but otherwise I am feeling much better than yesterday."
"That's good." Keiko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just… don't do anything stupid like this again," she told her. "I prefer my friends un-poisoned!"
