What Hanzo made for the group wasn't close to Maya's cooking but it was good enough. He received bonus points for not burning down her house. She regained some of her strength after eating and thanked him for helping her. He didn't want to admit that he was happy to be doing his part in helping her when she's sick instead of it being the other way around. Maya remained lying on the couch with Kenshi sitting at the end of it. He sat on the floor in front of them with one of the many books from her collection in hand. While Maya and Kenshi carried on a conversation in language Hanzo didn't understand, he thought of other ways he could help her continue to recover.
A long walkway with a view of Lake Shinji became a place where Hanzo frequently visited during his many travels around Matsue. Other onlookers suggested he should return during sunset. He planned on going back alone but decided it would be best for Maya to come along with him.
How they will get there concerned him. A bus or train ride might cause her to have motion sickness, seeing her in more pain something he wanted to avoid. He then thought about the risks they would run into if she used her magic to teleport them. On any other day it would be convenient and faster. Her recovery could be put to a halt if she uses magic while she is still weak. A light poke on his head caught his attention. He turned it to see Maya looking at him. Even in her fatigued state she wore the sincere smile he's grown accustom to seeing.
"Whatcha thinking about over there? You're being all quiet on the floor. I was getting a little worried about you."
"Even when you're suffering you're concerned about the well-being of those around you."
"Comes along with the whole healing sorceress gig. And I wouldn't say I'm suffering. Just a little bit uncomfortable." She shrugged her shoulders.
"When you show any signs of discomfort, you're suffering. At least in my eyes."
"What else do your eyes see when ya look at me?" Maya wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.
It took a lot of self-control but Kenshi managed not to laugh. He wanted to blame Maya's strange illness for her suggestive question but knew better. He may be physically blind but he could see what was going on between his friends in the past two months. He sensed Hanzo's serious demeanor break for a few seconds and his eyes quickly scan Maya's face. Their sudden interaction confirmed his suspicions.
"She makes sly, flirtatious comments and compliments. He admires her from a distance when he thinks I'm not around and she's not paying attention. I should try distancing myself to give them time alone with each other. If this doesn't work then I will have to come up with something else."
"A woman who needs some rest." This time he was the one who poked her forehead.
'If you say so, Hasashi.'
"You got jokes, Hanzo. That's cute."
Being the patient was unfamiliar territory for Maya and she absolutely hated it. Healing and helping others get and feel better is her area of expertise, where she has the most control. Her inability to take charge and heal herself made her feel helpless. Kenshi and Hanzo were also in unfamiliar territory. Hanzo rarely helped others heal and like Maya, Kenshi didn't know what strange side effects from emotional healing will rear its ugly head.
"What are we supposed to do? Like she said, she's a sorceresses who's specializes in medicine. There has to be something else going on other than a headache and fatigue. She drank five of those potions that were lying around on her bedroom floor. I remember drinking one and the headache I had went away within minutes."
Hanzo whispered to Kenshi when they walked outside to give Maya some time alone. She fell asleep minutes ago and they didn't want to risk waking her up by talking around her.
"You're right, there is something else but none of us know what. We just have to wait and see what happens next. If anything happens next."
Kenshi desperately wanted to tell Hanzo what Maya did to him the night before but couldn't bring himself to do so. He already promised Maya that they will not bring it up to Hanzo and getting into an argument with her now definitely wouldn't help things either. The stubborn streak in both Hanzo and Maya was something he couldn't break. When they made up their mind about something, it's almost impossible to reason with them.
"We'll have to stick to the basics of tea, food, and rest for now. Giving her some space should help too." Kenshi's answer didn't sit well with Hanzo.
'They've known each other for years. He should know some of her healing methods and use them to help her recover. If this is his way of being her nurse, she's not going to get better any time soon.'
Unfortunately, he was right.
Maya's illness dragged on for a week. Her physical health didn't worry the men, she was able to move around on her own after the first night. It was her emotional and mental health that worried them. When they attempted to strike up a conversation with her, she kept her answers short or didn't answer at all. Not hearing her wise cracks or laugh for days was incredibly disturbing. If she did talk for more than a few seconds it was to herself or the two phantoms that lurked around. Self-blame and doubt were a reoccurring theme in her conversations.
Her moods quickly changed with each round of self-blame and doubt she put herself through. Anger and contempt appeared first, despair and anxiety followed afterwards. Small mistakes she's made in the past that didn't have a major effect on her life, a misplaced potion or waking up late, worried her. The irate and irrational of the phantom duo lurked around, trying to make things worse by planting ideas in her head that it was all Hanzo's fault and he shouldn't be trusted. Luckily the more rational and calm phantom counteracted the other's plan. Hanzo wasn't pleased with Kenshi's actions during the trying week. Even when she ignored or yelled at him, Hanzo constantly checked up and kept her company. Kenshi on the other hand kept his distance.
It was nearly midnight when Maya was having another conversation with the two phantoms.
"Woo! Ya not looking too hot right now, girl. I don't think your little boyfriend will want to see you looking like this. Pull yourself together. We're the same person and the last thing I want is to see myself look like a pathetic little girl. You see what happens when you run away from what you're supposed to do from the beginning? Shit hits the fan and you can't cope. Like right now! You're having some sort of out of body experience. Disassociation. Depersonalization. Does that sound familiar? Something a certain somebody that came back from the undead did when he first came here? He's a bad influence on you."
"I hate to say this but she has a point." The other phantom shrugged her shoulders. Maya stared at her in disbelief. "What I meant is yes, you're disassociating and distancing yourself from the guys. A lot like what Hanzo did when he first arrived here. Shutting him out now, especially after him being in his comfort zone of doing whatever he can to help you, is a shit move. He's been doing more than Kenshi now that I think of it. The whole bad influence, 'it's all his fault' talk is bullshit. If you really think he is, then you've really lost it."
"Usually seeing two different versions of yourself and talking to them are signs of losing it but okay." The other scoffed.
"She has a point, again." Maya sighed.
"You're going to need to let Kenshi in seeing us. I'm surprised he hasn't sensed us at all this week." They turned their attention to the door when they heard someone knocking on it. "Maybe that's him." Maya got out of bed to answer the door. Instead of being face to face with Kenshi, Hanzo was the one who stood in front of her. Neither of them liked how they didn't feel comfortable around each other. Her phantoms' bickering about what to do about him filled her room. He mistook her frowning about the arguing for annoyance at him disturbing her.
"I would offer you tea but I doubt it would do you any good."
"Apologize for being a bitch!"
"Slam the door in his face!"
"Hanzo, I um. I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately. You've done a lot for me and all I've done was ignore or yell at you. "
"YES! IN YOUR FACE!" The calmer phantom stood up from her bed and cheered when she got her way. Her other half mimicked her and cursed under her breath. Her sudden outburst caused Maya to turn around and stare at them in disbelief. She quickly apologized before disappearing with her other half. Hanzo scanned her room to see what got Maya's attention but saw nothing out of the ordinary. His raised eyebrows and widen eyebrows quickly relaxed when Maya look at him.
"No need to apologize. It's funny," He huffed.
"What is?"
"I'd say we changed roles this past week. You've been acting a lot like me when I first came here. Distant, not willing to receive help, and sticking to old ways. While I am behaving more like you."
There was a long pause before Maya smacked her forehead, startling Hanzo. In an instant everything made sense. Instead of blocking his anxiety and negative emotions to make sure he doesn't have another panic attack, Maya took them all in. That was one of the main side effects of empathetic healing but she chose to ignore it because in her mind it could never happen to her. If someone in her care said that she would slap some sense into them.
"Since you're taking on more of my role in our little circle, what do you suggest I do next?"
"Not hitting your forehead is a good place to start." He poked it, making her laugh for the first time in days. "Leaving this house would do you some good too. I know wandering around Matsue with you and Kenshi that day helped me."
"You're right! I've been keeping myself prisoner here. Wherever you want to bring me, I'll use my magic to teleport us there."
Sitting next to Hanzo on a bench with a view of Lake Shinji at sunset was the last thing Maya expected to do. Now that Maya was feeling better it was only fitting she had a to do list to complete. After completing a much needed inventory check of the potions, she realized she was running low on nearly all of the ones she made months ago. Living with two men meant she needed to go grocery shopping asap. Natsuo also had an update about the temple and needed to see her and Kenshi. The two men persuaded her to put off her list for another day and relax.
"Man and woman sitting side by side near the water, watching the sun gradually sink lower down the sky." Maya dramatically moved her hand to mimic the sunset.
"Very poetic." Hanzo nodded his head with a smirk on his face.
"Just a little somethin somethin I made up." She replied. "But seriously, thanks for bringing me out here. I can see why you visit this place a lot." Being around the water relieved her stress. Seeing the solitary island of Yomegashima reminded her of home and her life before the Netherrealm invasion. Bittersweet memories along with fond ones surfaced.
"I can clear my mind and focus on more peaceful matters. You are more than welcome to join me when I visit here." Hanzo said, breaking the silence between them.
"Of course! It's nice when we have a little one on one time. Kenshi's usually with us whenever we go somewhere. This is a nice change." Hanzo turned his head to look at her.
"I agree."
Although he didn't like how his friend has been distancing himself from Maya, especially when she needed his support, he enjoyed being alone with her. With their friendship is still in its infancy, he wanted to use this and every other opportunity he gets to be alone with her as a time to get to know her more.
It's been a minute since I've updated the story. Sorry about that! I've been all over the place and was really stumped on this chapter. Now I have some time to update on a regular basis. Chapter 5 might be up before or on the 25th. That's a very special day for me because it's my birthday! 21st birthday to be specific, ooo extra special lol. Thanks for reading! And an extra thank you to those who left reviews, followed, and favorited the story. I really appreciate it :)