Chapter Six

Saito's POV

Every breath I take sends spasms of agony through my body. I open my eyes and let out a small moan. The fire is almost out and there is very little heat coming from it. The Battousai is lying beside me and he looks like he is in a lot of pain as well. I reached over slowly and touched the arm that was not bandaged. He muttered something under his breath but stayed asleep. I let out a sigh and instantly regretted it. I tried to sit up enough to grab some of the firewood, but I could barely raise my head. My movement woke the Battousai, who sat up and sent a death glare my way.

"If you even try to get up, I will beat you to death with a piece of firewood and drag your carcass outside for the wolves to feed on." He growled throwing some more wood onto the fire, kicking up sparks. I didn't even have the strength to piss him off by asking how he would get me outside when the entrance was blocked. I just lay there, watching his every move. The Battousai held his broken arm close and went to dig in the box, trying to find a sling for his arm. I ran over the list of items in my head and made a note to make sure that all items were packed for the next box that was placed here. There was nothing for major injuries placed in this box.

"There is nothing in there to hold your arm Battousai." I said quietly, watching his frustration grow. He glowered at me and I let out another sigh. He was going to give me the silent treatment, I hate the silent treatment. For some reason, I could give somebody else the silent treatment but I couldn't stand when it was done to me. "You might as well help me sit up so I can make a sling for you. I promise I'll keep better control of my reflexes."

The Battousai ignored me and kept digging in the box. I got one elbow beneath me and tried to push up. He froze and glared at me, he was ready to kill me. I couldn't control the groan that escaped my lips and the Battousai started muttering under his breath. When I continued to move, the Battousai decided to stop the silent treatment and he came over to my side.

"Are you stupid or something Wolf? Lay back down." He snapped grabbing my shoulder and pushing me down. I seized his arm and he came down on top of me. Pain exploded throughout my body and we both whimpered. "You bloody AHOU!!!!"

I groaned and the Battousai sat up. He was sitting just below my sword wound and just above my belt. I caught hold of his free arm and held him still long enough for me to get a hold of his shirt. He stiffened and I ripped the edge of it in two long strips.

"What exactly are you doing?" He snapped holding almost perfectly still as I tightened my grip on his arm. I ignored him and continued to tear his shirt until I was satisfied that I had enough for a sling.

"Making a sling because there isn't one in the box." I said through clenched teeth. My ribs were beginning to ache but I ignored them. The Battousai nodded and he let me get his arm into the sling that I made. I laid my head back when I finished and he moved off of me. I closed my eyes and tried to get my breathing back under control. "If you go look near the back of the cave, you'll find a gap in the back wall. Don't go into it, but make sure that the entrance isn't blocked too badly. We can get out of here that way a little later if you are feeling up to it."

I opened my eyes and saw that the Battousai was standing near the fire glaring at me again. He began muttering under his breath, but grabbed a burning stick and stalked to the back of the cave. I smirked and began the slow process of trying to sit back up.

Kenshin's POV

My arm did feel better now that I had some support holding it up, but I was still mad at the Wolf. He was going to kill the both of us by being so damn stubborn. And if he gives me another order, I'm going to kick his ass. I shifted the burning brand so it was higher and slowed down as I reached the back of the cave. I saw a shadow that was deeper than the rest and walked toward it. As I got closer I noticed that there was a slight blockage but it could easily be moved. I walked back over to Saito and tossed the branch back into the fire.

"It's slightly –"I started until I saw that he was sitting up. I snapped. I slapped him upside the head with my good arm. He let out a strangled sound that sounded like a yelp. "Ahou! What did I tell you?"

"That you would beat me to death and drag me outside for the wolves, but you're forgetting that there is no entrance anymore. So I guess you'd have to put up with my bloody corpse if you kill me." Saito said rubbing where I had hit him, which I realized was where I had hit him with my sheath earlier. The bruise was dark purple and it was still swollen. "Was the entrance blocked or not?"

"It was partially blocked, but we should be able to get through." I answered sitting beside him. I groaned as my arm shifted in the sling, the bandage had come loose when I had been exploring the back of the cave. Saito looked at me with predatory eyes making me shiver. "How long will it take for us to get to the next cave?"

"It took a day in good condition. In the shape we are in, I would say about three days." Saito answered staring into my eyes in a show of dominance on his part. I stared back just to annoy him, but after a moment, I couldn't hold his gaze. "You're different from before Battousai."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my breath hitching slightly. I knew this would come up after I didn't tell him why I had saved him from the river and from himself afterwards. I looked down at the fire, not wanting to look into Saito's eyes. Saito reached over and grabbed my chin; forcing me to look at him. I flinched.

Saito's POV

There was something off about the Battousai, I could sense it and it was bothering me. I searched his face, but could find nothing. I let him go and he moved away from me. I decided that it wasn't worth fighting with him over, so I let it go. I shifted my left shoulder and it cracked loudly. It sounded louder than it was because it was silent in the cave.

"You aren't the same as before." I said again. "You are quieter and your eyes have changed."

"Leave it be Wolf! It has nothing to do with you." The Battousai snapped, his eyes turning gold almost instantly. I gave him a grin that showed my canines. It irritated him even more.

"Why? You have acted strangely since you saved me from the river. And you still haven't answered my question about why you saved me in the first place?"

"Leave it be damn you!" He yelled standing up suddenly, only to double over when he tore his stitches. I rolled my eyes and reached into the box behind me. "Are you happy now?"

"No, now come over here so I can re-stitch the wound." I said as he put pressure on the wound. He glared at me, but walked over slowly and sat down by me. I gently removed his arm from the sling and balanced it on my leg. Then I opened his shirt to get to the bloody bandages. The Battousai just sat there sullenly as I began to stitch the wound again.

"Saito, just leave it be. I don't want to talk about it and neither of us have the strength to fight each other." He said after a few minutes of silence. I looked up from my work for a moment and caught a faraway look in his eyes. I sighed and poke the wound gently, which snapped him out of it. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" I asked leaning back to take the pressure off of my ribs. I was beginning to think that sitting up was a bad idea. The Battousai was glaring at me, but I really didn't care.

"What do you think? Poking and prodding my wounds. Why do you keep doing that?" He asked as I finished re-stitching the wound. I replaced the bandages and helped him move his arm back into the sling. "Answer me!"

"Because you're acting like a child, spacing out at the worst times and treating me like I'm nothing more than a worthless house dog with no teeth. You need to stay focused on the present and not look at the past right now. If you don't stay focused, we'll both die here." I snapped my temper finally reaching the boiling point. "I may be wounded, but I will not go down without a fight. I will continue to bring you back to reality because I have no intention of dying outside of a battle."

I shocked myself as well as the Battousai with that sudden explanation; we stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and decided that it would be easier if we didn't talk to each other for awhile.

"We should rest if we are going to leave soon." The Battousai said looking back at me. I nodded and closed my eyes. I was too tired to argue with him anymore and I wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

TBC…