Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor any of the characters affiliated with it. Hirosuke is my own creation, however.
Acquaintance
When at last she awakes she sees a ceiling above her head. Her head is throbbing, but she can vaguely tell there is no near-by threat. Closer concentration tells her her wounds have been bound.
"You're awake. Good."
Bleary eyes turn to the speaker.
"How do you feel?"
She tries to answer, but realizes she's not quite sure how to make the right sounds.
"Of course, you must feel terrible. What a silly question. Never mind, just rest."
A small bowl of water is placed next to her and the man dips a cloth in it. With utmost care her presses it against her lips allowing relief to the burning thirst she was only becoming aware of, and she is thankful. He is gentle, and the smile never leaves his eyes.The closeness of him is unnerving. She can smell the fir-laden masculine scent, not altogether unpleasant; his heart is pulsing calmly and she can detect no youki but she knows better than to let her guard down.
"I'm Fujihara Hirosuke. I...You were attacked by bandits. Well, outnumbered really. You did manage to put out two."
Her eyes walk on his face. Silently she implores the gods that the bandits did not get the jewel, then another thought makes her heart stop. What if they...took something else instead of the jewel? Ice spreads through her.
"What's wrong?"
She has never been one to panic, but now...
"P-please..." Her voice is slightly off and raspy. Tears jump to her eyes – she can't help but think this whole 'damsel in distress' thing is not very like her.
"Y-you, saved me...?"
Understanding dawns in his eyes.
"The bandits did not touch you. Your jewel is also safe. I...er...happened upon it when I dressed your wounds."
Relief floods through her.
"It's fine. You're fine." He pats her hair like a mother would. "You're fine. I'll watch over you, so you just worry about getting better."
He stands up and leaves the room.
"I'll be right back" He reassures her on his way out.
He returns with the Jewel; with great reverence he kneels beside her and tucks it into her hand.
"I figured it must be important to you...maybe it'll make you feel a little better, eh?"
All she can manage in reply is a wane smile.
"Rest now. I shall make you a broth to give you some strength, all right?"
She nods.
"I assure you it won't take long. Rest and get better, alright?"
She is surprised to find her smile still lingering after his departure. Her tired body craves rest, and somehow his scent is soothing. More content than she has been in a long time, she closes her eyes and lets sleep claim her.
When he returns she is asleep. He takes his time looking at her. Such a young face, and yet her voice, her eyes, speak of long years passed. She is a mystery to him, and one he'd like to solve at that. He sees her frown, her fight with her dream, and he boldly grasps the hand lying loose at her side. He doesn't let go for the rest of the night.
The blood is everywhere. She cannot escape it, cannot save that person so special to her. She tries harder, struggles against restraints, against her own limits. Kind, brown eyes smile at her one last time. She screams and screams and all she can hear is growls and the thundering laugh of Death. Brown eyes bleed red, the face fades to bone. Death smirks victoriously.
The first thing she sees upon waking is brown eyes, warm like an autumn day.
"You were having a nightmare." Hirosuke informs her matter-of-factly handing her a cup of water. Her hand feels awfully warm although the rest of her is chilled, but she is too shocked to ponder it further. The water plops quite painfully into her empty stomach prompting it to growl. In an instant a bowl of warm broth is presented to her.
"Thank you." Her voice is quiet. He regards her silently and smiles.
"Not at all." He disappears for a moment and returns with another bowl.
They eat in silence.
She is still hungry upon finishing her portion, but she is accustomed to it and decides against bothering the man. Her stomach has other plans, though.
His chuckle glides over her ears.
"Still hungry, huh?" He offers his share while she looks on horrified.
"I couldn't...I'm...I'll be fine, thank you for your concern." He smiles wider and puts in her hands.
"It's okay." He assures her. "You can help me with the vegetables when you get better." And he is gone.
In the loneliness of her room she wonders why she is out of breath, why the feel of his hands lingers upon her skin, and why the pain has stopped. It is too much to come to terms with and she contents herself with just finishing the broth. She sets the bowl down, full for the first time in many a-year, and utters a prayer of thanks to her unknown saviour.
Sleep claims her once again then; this time she dreams of autumn, sunlight and kind eyes.
A/N: So, here it is. Thank you all very kindly for your reviews, and I apologise for the wait. I have been rather tossed around by some very interesting phenomena in my little dictionary so I'm just trying to sort things out at the moment.
I am grateful to each and every one of you who takes the time to leave me a comment. I dearly love hearing from you! Really!
Here is hoping you will continue to enjoy this story!