Here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews.
If you can't tell, I like herbs. I find it necessary to point out that the ones mentioned here are very dangerous, so don't mess with them in real life.
The Cure
"What would you have done if he had recognized her?" Saito asked as they drove.
She ran a hand over her face, "Honestly I don't know. I just guessed since he has never mentioned her, and I don't think the Battousai would let her get on the polices radar. She's young."
"Old enough to be drugged. Which, in this case, is a good thing. If she were any younger, we would have just found her body." She nodded, and the car fell silent for a while. "Do you want me to come in with you? I doubt her friends are going to react well and technically she's not a criminal so it's not breaking your rules."
"Thanks, but I think that would only aggravate the situation more."
"I'll come back and check on you in a couple days then," he told her as he pulled up. "Be safe and good luck."
"Thanks," she said, and he drove away. Heaving a sigh, she headed to her apartment, this was going to be a long week.
"Is that the girl?" Yahiko asked her as she walked in. "What happened?"
"She was dosed with the drug. Since she is affiliated with the Battousai, it's best to treat her here." She put Misao on the bed and started getting ready.
"Megumi gave me some restraints, I said you would need them," she looked at him. He was young, but he understood what was going to happen. After being to the hospital, how could he not.
"Thanks. It's going…"
"I'm staying," he cut her off. She wanted to send him away, but she couldn't. She had promised he would always have a home here. Forcing him to leave would destroy what little trust she had built over the past few months.
"If that is what you want," The look on his face was confirmation enough. "I'm going to be busy with this so I'm going to need you to keep things running. Cooking, cleaning, and lessons." His chest puffed up at the last part. He didn't have a lot of training, but he could run review lessons. This way she could at least get him out of the house for a little while. "Did Dr. Gensai bring over the seeds?"
"Ya, though not that many," he said showing her the pouch.
"Good," she didn't need that many. She had about fifteen minutes before the drug took effect and about thirty minutes, if they didn't rush, before Kenshin and Aoshi arrived. "I need you to crush two of the seeds, use the pestle with the red tape and wear gloves. No matter what, don't get any of it in your system." Yahiko got to work and she got Misao restrained. Once that was done she went out to help Yahiko.
Kenshin and Aoshi didn't bother knocking when they came in, they were a lot earlier than expected, which was easier in some ways. Misao hadn't started reacting to the drug yet. "She's in here," she said showing them where Misao was. A blanket covered her, hiding the restraints. "You can't go in," she said, stopping Aoshi.
"Why not?" His voice was cold and deadly, but she couldn't back down.
"I can help her. I can bring her back without breaking her. But if you go in there and talk to her, try and bring her back, she will break. And it won't just be what the drug does on its own. No, you would cause her to shatter."
"How do you know that?" Kenshin was now physically restraining his friend. Yahiko did not look happy either but she stood her ground.
"Because you're in love with her," Aoshi deflated. "We tried that, in the beginning. We thought it would be easier for loved ones to help with the suffering caused by the drug. But it didn't. Hearing loved ones call out to them made their suffering ten times worse. In the end they were pretty much brain dead. There will be a time when she will need you, and when that time comes you need to be there. But if you come in before I tell you it is ok, you might as well just kill her."
"How long?" Aoshi said looking defeated.
"It will take ten days to get the drug out of her system. You can come in once she is coherent enough to tell reality from dream. The time line varies from person to person, so you will probably have to wait six to eight days. It would be easier if you were not here."
"I'm not leaving." She guessed this was going to be his response.
"Fine, but I need to know you understand what I said. I need to know that when she starts screaming you aren't going to come running in." Aoshi and Kenshin both paled, "The detox process is not pleasant, for anyone. I need your answer now, she's going to need me soon."
"What about me," Kenshin asked.
"You may not be in love with her, but you are still a loved one."
"I think it would be easier for Aoshi if I was there. I swear I will not say a word to her," She nodded. She had already guessed this would be the outcome. In truth Aoshi was the only one in danger of really hurting Misao because she was in love with him as well. But that wasn't her secret to tell.
"If Kenshin is there I will restrain myself, knock myself out if necessary," Aoshi said. Well there went her attempts at keeping the Battousai's identity a secret from Yahiko.
"Don't make me tape your mouth shut," she said to Kenshin. "Yahiko, follow the directions. If it ends up the wrong color, even by a tiny amount. Throw it out and try again. There are directions for dumping it out safely and whatever you do. Don't get it on or in you." Once she got the OK from Yahiko that he understood. She grabbed Kenshin and they disappeared behind the door.
Once the door was closed and locked she took the blanket away. "Why is she restrained?"
"As I said, detox isn't pleasant."
Kenshin just stared at the restraints. "What does the process entail?"
"I keep dosing her with my concoction until she is lucid. We keep her hydrated and deal with any side effects."
"Side effects?"
"People react to the counter drug in different ways. What I gave her earlier is a weaker version that mainly just helps get them to the hospital. The hospital has a chemical compound that builds off of the dose I give them. Since it is chemical based, the side effects are a little more predictable. We don't have that here. Yahiko is making the stronger variation of this," she indicated the partly filled jug. "Since it is plant based it's not as predictable."
"What's in it?" She moved closer to Misao, who had started twitching, showing that the drug was taking effect.
"Cayenne pepper, licorice, and Ricinus communis. Cayenne induces a fever which helps me tell when it is wearing off. It also prepares the body, letting it know it needs to fight. Licorice helps raise blood pressure, to counteract the Ricinus communis."
"What does that do?" Karou didn't respond at first. Misao was now fully moving, pulling against the restraints. For now, all she would feel is mild discomfort until Yahiko finished the stronger batch. This gave her time to see how Misao reacted to the drug, which would tell her the most likely side effects.
Once she had all of Misao's vitals written down she turned her attention back to Kenshin, "Ricinus communis contains Ricin poison." Kenshin's eyes turned ice cold, like how he had first looked at her. Only his faint trust in her stopped him from hurting her. She couldn't stop the stab of pain in her heart. After everything she had done, he still didn't trust her. "She is trapped inside her own mind. The only thing we have found that brings people back without breaking them is pain. Pain is the one thing that can draw the mind away from whatever it is focused on. The cure is pretty much causing them pain and making their body react to the poison. It pulls them away from their mental suffering long enough for the drug to lose its grip."
"Until she becomes lucid. You said that would take a week. You're going to poison her for a week?"
"As I said. Detox is not pleasant. I'll use the higher dose on her for three days and then, depending on her condition, change the dosage. The concentration is low enough that it's not lethal, but it will cause her pain. If it makes you feel better, she won't remember. The other drug has a strong enough grip on her mind that she will physically remember the pain, but she will not have any memories of it."
"This is the cure?" he asked, looking somewhere between throwing up and attacking her.
"If there were an easier option, we would use it. At least she will come back, they all don't get that option."
Time became a blur of screaming, blood, and vomit. Only Yahiko's periodic bringing of food told them time had passed. Yahiko was pale and she knew he wasn't getting a lot of sleep, but he never complained. If she had enough strength, she would have tried to persuade him to leave. But she didn't, sleep wasn't an option right now. Not when she was the only person with medical knowledge. And she knew Yahiko would never leave, no matter how hard it got. When he came, he gave her updates on what was going on. Aoshi had tied himself to her couch, to stop him from subconsciously entering the room. He wasn't eating. She would deal with that later, when the screaming stopped.
In the brief time between doses, when Misao was not screaming and writhing in pain. Kenshin would lift her up so Karou could change the sheets. Then they would force water down her throat before the next dose, where she inevitably threw most of it up. They had become accustom to the smell of vomit. Kenshin had been worried the first couple times when there was blood in the vomit, but she assured him that, as long as there wasn't much, it was normal.
She would periodically send Kenshin away to get some rest. He was pale and looked like he was going to be sick most of the time, but he always came back. In the times when he was gone, she would sponge Misao off as best as she could. They would give her a proper bath when she was more stable. Right now, Karou just tried to get the worst of it off.
On the first day, Misao had struggled to breath, but that was a common side effect of the counter drug and Karou knew how to deal with it. On the third day, a rash appeared on her arms, but it went away after Karou applied a simple cream. Misao's fever was higher than average but it stayed below dangerous temperatures.
After four days, Karou was relieved that she could decrease the concentration. The screaming finally stopped. Misao was still in pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. It gave her time to half sleep and regain some energy. After two more days Misao was slowly becoming conscious. After Misao settled into her first real sleep in over a week, Karou took the time to go deal with Aoshi, Leaving Kenshin alone with Misao with instructions not to speak and to call her if there were any changes.
She felt like a zombie, leaving the room for the first time in six days. They had kept the room dark, so as to not hurt Misao's eyes. She had to blink a few times before her eyes adjusted to the afternoon light. She knew she looked like hell, but Aoshi wasn't looking much better.
Grabbing the food Yahiko had left for him, she shoved it under his nose, "Eat," she commanded. He looked up for the first time and registered she was there.
"How is she?" He asked, sounding desperate.
"You need to eat."
"I can't."
"You can and you will," she pushed her tired mind to keep functioning. "She's going to need you soon. You aren't going to be much help to her passed out on the floor from malnutrition." He slowly reached out and took the food, forcing it down. Karou leaned back, "She's doing better. She's asleep right now, which is a good sign. Give it a day and you can probably come in. I need to ask you; do you know about her past? Do you know her worst memories?" The spoon in his hand froze, "You don't need to tell me, I just need to know if you know."
"I know. At least most of it."
"Good. The drug causes people to relive their worst memories and fears until it is too much for the person to handle and they hide within themselves. The treatment uses pain to force them out of their hiding place. I have forced her back into life, now you will need to talk her through the suffering. You will have to help her put her past back in the past. You will also have to help her through her fears. She will think they are reality for a while. You will have to assuage those fears. Make her feel safe again. I don't know all her fears. But I do know one of them is watching you die and not being able to do anything."
"How do you know?"
"She speaks sometimes. Softly and the words are dis-conjoined, but I figured it out. It is what everyone fears when we have people we care about."
"Is it something you fear?"
"Yes," she stared out the window. She had broken her vow after all, to prevent just such a thing from happening. From the way Aoshi was looking at her, she could tell he knew there was a lot behind that one word, but he didn't push. "Get your strength back and be ready to be there for her." With that she got up and went back into the room.
Karou did not dose Misao with the counter drug again. After 24hours, Misao was still able to recognize faces and that she was in a foreign place. This told Karou that her part was mostly done. She sent Kenshin away to take a shower and get some rest while she gave Misao a bath and cleaned up the room.
Aoshi bolted into the room the moment she told him he could go in. "Keep an eye on her condition, especially her temperature. The drug has a tendency of rearing its head one last time before it's completely out of the body. And keep her drinking water." she told him. Once she got a nod of approval from him, she closed the door and went to freshen up.
She couldn't sleep, not yet, they weren't completely out of danger yet. She could however, put on a clean set of cloths and take a quick shower. Once that was done she laid down on the couch and allowed herself an hour of rest.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Kenshin asked when he woke up to find her working. He had been sleeping in what he assumed was her room. It was the one the boy had told him to use. Karou looked exhausted, but she was wearing fresh cloths and didn't look as haggard as she had been.
"Soon, it's not safe yet. Can you bring this tea to them? It should help soothe the pain in her throat from vomiting."
He knocked before opening the door. Aoshi was sitting close to the bed, holding Misao's hand and talking softly to her. Misao was crying, a fact Kenshin pretended not to notice. He told them about the tea and left. That was the most emotion he had ever seen Aoshi show. In order to help Misao, his friend had dropped his mask, making it easier for her to open up to him. He understood why Karou had sent him in, he at least knew them, so it was not as much of an intrusion.
"How are they?"
"Talking."
"Good," she said yawning. She took a big drink from a mug on the counter before busying herself with something else.
"You should really get some rest. I can wake you if something happens."
"That's what I've been saying for the past hour," Kenshin almost fell over in surprise. Had the boy been sitting on the couch the entire time? He couldn't stop the surprised 'oro' from escaping his lips, which caused Karou to laugh. He decided, making her laugh was worth the embarrassment.
"I'll rest when Misao's out of danger." He could tell that fighting her on this would be pointless.
It happened late that night. Aoshi came running out of the room and told them Misao had a fever. He had been sitting on the couch with Karou. Her eyes had been closed but she wasn't asleep. She was up on her feet in an instant.
"Kenshin, I need you to fill the tub with cold water. Aoshi, keep her face and feet cool until the bath is ready." They did as told without question. He trusted her now, they both did. She had gone through all that just to save their friend.
Before long, Aoshi was keeping Misao's head above water as she soaked in the cold bath. Karou kept an eye on her temperature, telling them they just needed to keep her temperature low enough that it didn't cause any brain damage. The fever would burn itself out in a couple hours.
Kenshin became the runner for ice and anything else Karou needed. He now understood why she had spent so much time making things during the day. They were all lined up on the counter and labeled. All he had to do was grab the correct bottle when she asked for it.
A little before sunrise, the fever broke. Karou sat back against the bathroom wall. "Now, she is safe," she said with a sigh. "Go wait outside, I'll get her dried off and changed."
Once Misao was settled back in bed, fast asleep, Karou retired to the couch. Yahiko handed her a cup of tea, "Now will you get some sleep?"
"Now…" she was cut off by a banging on the door. Karou let out a groan, but got up and opened the door. The old man he had seen before stood outside. One of the little girls was in his arms, the other one was standing next to him. Looking sleepy and scared. The one in his arms was coughing and her breathing was raged.
"I'm sorry Karou, my water heater is broken." Karou didn't hesitate, she let them in.
"Yahiko, I need you to get hot water running in the bathroom. I need lots of steam." Yahiko nodded and left. Karou then grabbed his arm and knelt down in front of the other girl, pulling him down with her. "Ayame, this is my friend. He is a great story teller, but he won't tell me any of his stories. Do you think you could pry them out of him while I help your grandfather make Suzume fell better?"
"My name's Kenshin. It's very nice to meet you Miss Ayame," he said holding out a hand to her and smiling. After a moment's hesitation, she took his hand and he picked her up.
Now that Ayame was ok, Karou went with the older man and they disappeared into the bathroom. He took Ayame to the couch.
"Are you ok?" He asked her after a while of silence.
"I need to be strong," she said fighting tears. "I'm the older sister. It's my job to take care of Suzume. But Karou told me to stay out here because she knows I'm not strong enough."
"Now now, that's not what Miss Karou meant. She told the same thing to my friend, and he is strong, that he is. Do you know why she did it," A small shake of the head. "She did that because she wanted him to save his strength. So that when she gets tired he can step in and take her place. We can't expect Miss. Karou to do all the care taking, that we can't."
"So, she doesn't think I'm weak?"
"No, after all, it is not an easy task getting a story out of me," he got a small giggle.
"Do you have lots of stories?"
"I have a few."
Her small hand reached up and touched the scar on his cheek. "Tell a happy one. One where everyone ends up happy." He wondered what kind of life she had lived to be so young and yet say something so beyond her age.
She snuggled further into his lap as he began to speak. It had been a long time since he had made up a story, reading her ki to tell what direction the story should go in. It was peaceful, sitting on the couch with her in his lap. It was a glimpse at the future he hoped to someday have, once all the fighting was done.
It wasn't long before she was fast asleep in his lap. He didn't move for fear of waking her. Karou and the old man alternated between outside and the bathroom. Every time they carried Suzume by, her coughing wasn't as bad, and her breathing sounded more normal.