Kamui looked like death. When Ame and Abuto reached his room, he was sitting in the middle of the bed, scowling down at his hands. Kagura was seated on the bed beside him, silently concerned. The man didn't acknowledge them when they entered, and made a point of throwing his head to the other side as they approached.

"Kamui," Nearly pleading his name, Ame crawled onto the bed and reached for the man's jaw. He leaned away, refusing to be touched by the woman that had betrayed him the moment he fell ill. She was going to leave him. He just knew it. She was going to break up with him and leave him for being so weak. It was disgusting. He could barely make it down the hall without growing dizzy. Even sitting up too quickly would send a rush of blood to his head and render him inept at the most basic tasks. When he didn't respond, Ame retracted her hand and sat between her legs, still watching him. Her brow drew upwards, and her lips parted, but no words came out.

All the while, Abuto watched in knowing silence. That had been a hard pill to swallow, even if it had been fake. As long as he'd known Kamui, he predicted the Captain's mood and had been prepared for the cold shoulder.

"Captain,"
"Which Captain?" Bitterly pouting the words, Kamui stared at the sheets over his legs. If Abuto stole Ame he would kill him too. He'd seen how naturally the older man let her, Kamui's Human, sink into his left arm and hadn't even hurt her with the mechanics hidden under his cape. Abuto had been careful of her. Gentle. They were scheming to elope.

Far more hurt than she should have been, Ame let out a breath that slouched her shoulders. She stared down at the covers under her and wrapped her hands in them, carefully pulling at them as she racked her mind for the right words. None came. She wasn't good at things like this. Before, her train of thought had been clear but now she wasn't so sure.

"I-" Tripping over her words, she felt the eyes of Abuto and Kagura prying into her mind. "I didn't-" It wasn't coming out right. She didn't know how to say what she was thinking. "Did you see how many people were out there? What the fuck were you thinking stumbling around like that? I saved your ass, you should be thanking me for covering- do you know how bad it would have been if they thought our Captain was so weak?!" Before she could stop herself, her voice raised and she was shouting the words at him. Had jumped to her feet and flung her arm towards the door. Kamui looked up at her, wide eyed and glaring.

"I'm not weak!" He spat back at the woman, but she shook her head. Refused to accept his claim.
Her voice boiled in her throat and she started to continue, but before she could a heavy fist came down on Kamui's head.

"You should have stayed here like I told you, idiot. Now they think I'm the Captain. What's gonna happen when we have another run in with them and you're better?"

"Nii-Nii," Kagura leaned over into Kamui's line of sight, carefully meeting his gaze. "They were trying to help. They wanted to protect you!"

"I don't need protection!" Jerking away from the girl, Kamui pushed himself as far as he could and started to leave the bed. He threw his legs over and the covers tangled around his ankles, oddly throwing his weight and sending him to the floor beside the bed. Ame was immediately at his side; rubbing at his temple and carefully trying to sooth him, but he smacked her hands away. "I'm fine!"

Taken aback, the woman fell from the balls of her feet and landed flat on her rear. Did nothing but stare at him as he jerked the sheets from his legs and rubbed his own head. Before he could get up, Abuto rounded the bed and jerked him to his feet.

"Knock it off." The older man's eyes dug into his and though he was still annoyed, Kamui's struggles came to a halt. Kagura remained quiet. Just watched until the older man turned to her and clicked his teeth. "Kid, you might wanna get out of here for today. He's gotta get his rest."

One nod was slowly offered. The girl stood, and though she started towards the door, her gaze stayed on her brother the entire time. She paused for a second, still watching. Waiting. And he stared back, right up until the room was closed behind her.

Kamui's foul mood lasted long after Kagura left. Ame hadn't said a single word after his outburst, but perched herself on top of the dresser to watch as Abuto chastised the man and left to get Ryu. Something about an order. Even when Kamui reluctantly laid back down and they were left alone, the woman didn't reproach him or make any attempt at contact. Sick as he may have been, he was still excessively strong and from the shove he'd given her, less mindful of such. Glancing over at Ame, the Yato felt a tinge of guilt in the pit of his stomach. She wasn't even watching him anymore. Just planted on the wooden drawers with one leg hanging in front of them. The other was bent and her combat boot was firmly embedded behind a roll of medical tape. Her elbows were burrowed into her legs, one perched on her knee, the other in the opposite thigh, and her eyes were locked on some unknown particle of dust. Somewhere far, like the field they'd found a mango tree in. He was just giving her more reasons to leave him now. Tearing his eyes away from the statuesque form of the woman, he stared at the air vent over himself.

Silence with Ame had never been so uncomfortable before.

Even when they'd first met and hadn't known each other well; the days in front of the window staring at "everything" as she'd put it. When she hated him more than she hated herself for not being able to defend her ship and friends, he had never been so aware of her silence.

The door to his room opened and Abuto walked in, followed by a familiar blue haired man. A cigarette was perched in Ryu's mouth, and upon seeing Ame in all her steely glory, he promptly reached into his pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes. It was tapped against his leg and a single stick popped forward, only to be held in her line of sight. When she didn't move, the man started to turn away, but finally, as if snapped from her trance, Ame grew aware of his presence. He'd already turned by the time she moved, but was halted by a single firm hand on his wrist. Glancing back, Ryu stopped as the woman released him and took the cigarette. Didn't say a word.

Ryu approached the bedside, poised in the path of Kamui's keen glare. He tossed a lighter over his shoulder and Ame caught it with a clap of her hands.
Beside the smoker, Abuto reached into his pocket and produced a thorny, oblong fruit.

"Ryu found a plant that should help. You need to bathe in it."
Eying the plant in question, Kamui pushed himself up. He knew exactly what it was and he wasn't falling for that.
"No, it stinks."
"Suck it up." Across the room, Ame flicked the lighter and ignited her cigarette. Fixed her hazel eyes on Kamui in a steely glare that he had long grown accustomed to.
"No, you don't get it," Shaking his head, the man turned back to Abuto. "It stinks." He wrinkled his nose at the thought of letting that plant into a bath with him. "Human, you don't have my nose. Your nose is dumb."

At that, Ame rolled her eyes. The other Yato in the room started to snicker among themselves, well aware of what Kamui was referring to. They smelled it too.

"I can smell blood from across the ship." As he was speaking, Ame dropped from the dresser and joined the two at the foot of his bed. Hardly interested in the conversation. "I even smell your weird blood that comes every month; what is that, anyway?"

The laughter between Abuto and Ryu grew more prominent and Ame clenched her jaw. Before Kamui's eyes, color simultaneously drained from her face, then flushed her skin a bright red.

"Holy fucking, that's not even- What, are you telling me Yato don't have-"

Ryu nudged Abuto with his elbow. The smoker was equally incapacitated, but had to know the other man had heard it too. Had no chance of intervening. Mortified, Ame sucked in a deep breath and crossed her arms. Some how, Kamui really was oblivious to not only natural processes but anatomy as a whole. The woman didn't dignify his question with an answer. She would strangle him later.

After what felt like an eternity, the older men finally regained control of themselves. Ryu cleared his throat and Abuto turned to Ame. He extended the plant towards her and she stared at it. Made no move to accept it and silently damned the amusement in his eyes.

"He needs to bathe in this, have fun."
Narrowing her gaze at the man, Ame pushed his hand away.
"Me? I can't even sleep with him and you keep-"

"Ame!" Their sex life had nothing to do with this! She kept jabbing at it. Just had to keep reminding him that a few short weeks ago they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other.

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had sex?! Do you?! And you expect me to give him a sponge bath?!"

"Don't tell him that!" Kamui's jaw dropped, and though Abuto didn't seem to care that his intimate life was being aired, he felt it better to shut her up. But he also knew it was impossible. Instead of continuing, much to Kamui's relief, Ame humphed into herself and resigned her argument. Then she looked to Ryu. He met her gaze, yet expressionlessly reached out and tapped her bicep.

"Tag."
Betrayed, Ame glared at the man. She whipped around to face Abuto and her palm jabbed into his chest.
"Tag."
The older man shook his head and slapped her shoulder.
"Tag.
Reaching up she grabbed a pinch of Abuto's hair and yanked it down. In one of the most malicious voices Kamui had ever head from her, she tried again.
"Tag."
The man's hand shot up to his head and he glared at her. Without hesitation, Abuto rammed his hand back into the woman's arm and nearly knocked her off balance. Pain shot through her, and she covered the area that was sure to form a bruise; still glaring up at him as a spark of amusement crossed him again.
"Not this time."

With that, the man turned away, smirking to himself. Ryu joined him, chuckling as Abuto tossed the plant over his shoulder to Ame.

"You might wanna wear gloves." A low snicker escaped the man, and Ryu's chuckling continued until they were out of the room and well down the hallway. Irritation swept through Ame's entire body as she stared down at the soft yellow fruit. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to face Kamui, only to find his nose still wrinkled and his lip poking out. There was nothing fun about this. She crossed her arms and started to the bathroom, muttering under her breath.

"Come on."

Though the gesture was unspoken, Kamui was relieved that she didn't try to coddle him. He managed his way to his feet and carefully followed. The bath was started, and as the man reached the doorway, Ame paid him no mind. Still mad at him. He contemplated grabbing her. Turning her around and forcing her into a better mood, but in the back of his mind, the burns of his arms both nagged and repulsed him. How could she let him touch her like that? She was probably disgusted too. She'd never had an issue with him coming back covered in blood, but this was different. He'd always been normal under that blood.

Lately, it felt like they had no time together. There was always somebody else around. Kagura, Abuto, Ryu; Kamui could barely get a moment of privacy with Ame. Now that he had her alone, he was hesitating. The woman had her back to him. Pulled a knife out of her boot (where the fuck did she get that?) and sliced the fruit into the running bath water. The moment it touched the water, the bath turned milky white, and Kamui couldn't help but scrunch his nose again. It smelled even worse now. He didn't want to smell like that. But if it would make his skin better...

Relieving himself of his shirt, Kamui dropped the fabric onto the white tile of the bathroom and crouched behind the woman. Watched as she sliced the last half of the plant and dropped it into the water. She pretended to be unaware of his presence, let alone their close proximity. Her expression remained unchanged. Stone cold granite. Ame ran her knife under the water faucet and wiped it on her pants. Stuck it back into a holder on her shoe. Just as she started to move away from Kamui, he snagged her forearm and pulled her back down. The woman easily returned. A bit too easily. She caught herself on the side of the tub, having nearly crashed back to the ground, and turned to glare back at him.

While Ame expected a stupid grin, she was almost startled to find Kamui frowning. Maybe he'd pulled her a bit too hard, but it hadn't felt like it. He was always careful of the Human; it was so easy to hurt them and she was a woman, so even more fragile and requiring more care. But now that he thought about it, nearly every time he'd touched Ame, she'd either fallen or hadn't been able to resist. Was he using more strength than usual?

"Did that hurt?"
"What do you think?" Her tone was curt. As if she couldn't be bothered with him.

"Oh." Simply mumbling back to the woman, Kamui glanced at the water level behind her. She was still looking at him. He leaned onto her shoulder and reached past her to stop the bath. Severed the flow of water, then returned to his spot and pulled her back to face him. "I can't help it." Sighing to the woman, Kamui shifted his gaze. She didn't move, but her eyes softened. A moment of silence passed, both of them unmoving and waiting for the other to further break the initial ice that had encompassed their interactions. Then Ame sank to the floor between the man's legs and scooted towards him. Her palm gingerly found the warm skin of his chest, and she leaned into the man, not even glancing at the scabs and peeling skin. Maybe it didn't bother her as much as he'd thought. The woman offered a small smile. It wasn't much, but meant more than she understood.

"I don't mind..." Her words came easily and every ounce of the previous hostility drained from the air as Kamui took her claim as an invitation. He dragged her closer. Forgot his injuries as the woman melted into him and eagerly met his lips. Her body pressed against him, and for the first time in the last few days, Kamui grew aware of how terribly starved she'd been of his attention. What started as a single over-due kiss took a nosedive into multiple feverish presses of the woman's mouth against his. Her arm wrapped around his shoulders and she pulled him to the floor. Straddled him and ground their bodies together to push the man further and draw out more of a response. He couldn't keep up with her hands. They started innocently enough; his chest, his shoulders, sliding up his neck and cupping his jaw. Then descended into overtly perverse desires as they slipped down his frame and tugged at his pants. The woman barely allowed him to breathe, and as she bit down on his lower lip, a groan forced its way through Kamui. He tried to still the woman by tightly holding onto her waist, but the more she pulled at him, moaning into his lips and scrambling to undress him, the more he knew he had to stop her.

"Hey," Turning his head and severing the kiss, Kamui laced a hand through Ame's hair. She hardly responded. Took the opportunity to move onto his jaw and neck. If he couldn't gauge his strength in appropriate situations, there was no telling how well he'd do in a more intimate setting. This was the closest she'd gotten to him since he'd been denying her, and he could only imagine how badly he'd have lost if he was up to par. "hey," By some miracle, the man managed to catch her wrists. He held them out and took extra care to be gentle as he forced the woman back. Though Ame tried to maintain contact, she found herself suspended inches away from the man, breathless and leering at him from hazed eyes.

"Not now..." He stared back at her, divided in his decision and even more torn when a pleadingly frustrated whimper escaped the woman.
"When?" Her expression turned his stomach, and seeing the woman so unspeakably deprived stirred something in him that he couldn't place. Slowly inching the woman closer, Kamui allowed their lips to connect once more. Ame didn't take advantage of the opening this time. Didn't try to pounce on him anew. Just accepted his lead. He was able to safely release her. When the woman pulled back, a long, disappointed sigh slipped through her lips. She turned her head and stood. Offered to help him up, but it wasn't necessary. Steam was still raising from the bath, and without speaking at all, Ame returned to preparing it for the man.

He finished undressing and eased into the water; still hating the smell of the fruit or herb or whatever the hell it was that Abuto and Ryu had brought back, but he didn't complain again.

In turn, Ame barely looked at him after being refused for what had to be the thirtieth time. Maybe she really didn't care that he had a few scars and burns... Maybe she really was still attracted to him.