...Not gonna lie, I'm a bit surprised at how tsundere and snarkiy Iris is turning out to be. She didn't have a clear, defined character in my head when I started this thing: literally a girl with a sword and a blue streak in her hair. I think a person's personality comes out a lot more clearly during adverse times, so I guess this makes sense... but still, my characters usually aren't this sarcastic. Just look at Amy!

Happy reading!

Chapter 24: Waking

A waxing crescent hovered behind the storm outside as Iris's eyes opened, and her lungs took in a large breath of medicine-filled air. She could feel something holding onto her hand through the darkness that partially numbed her senses, and she squeezed it, holding onto what little connected her to reality for dear life. The hand squeezed back, and Iris blinked, forcing her vision to clear as the medicine worked through her system and the world around her came into focus – a roof, heat from the candles, the sounds of crickets, birds, and a light snoring.

…Snoring? Iris pushed herself up with her free hand, and blinked a couple of times, shooing the last bits of darkness from her sight. Her head throbbed as she looked around the room – her bag next to her pillow, half-melted candles surrounded by dripped wax that gave off a thick scent, elaborate walls and pretty windows – before she turned her attention to whoever it was that had anchored her back to reality, and was still holding her hand. She stared.

"Waka?" Waka mumbled something in his sleep, but his hand tightened a bit around hers at the sound of his name. He was leaning against the wall, sitting up with his head tilted slightly upwards, face relaxed. Iris felt herself slowly regaining control of her body, and forced her fingers to uncurl from Waka's hand enough to pull away. Waka's hand closed around the empty space, and he frowned. The candles turned the side of his face a golden-yellow, and without the massive height difference caused by his crazy-tall sandals, she could actually see how handsome the man actually was…

Okay, this ended now.

"Waka." He sat up, and blinked before looking at Iris. After a moment – he must have still been waking up – he let out a sigh of relief.

"Tres bien," he said as he stood up, "You're awake."

"Tell me you didn't sit here all day. Then I'd have to be grateful." Waka laughed.

"I was about to ask how you felt, ma cherie, but it seems you're already getting back to your old self. You were in quite a state when your friend and Rao brought you here." He looked at her. "Do you know what happened to the comb? It should have kept you from getting sick…"

"It fell out of my hair," Iris said, "but I put it back in… that was just before we got to the city, and it got worse as we got further in. I remember getting about halfway through the canals, then…" she rubbed her forehead, "nothing. It just stops, like I passed out."

"You did." Waka held his hand out. "Can you stand?"

"Of course I can stand!" Iris pushed herself onto her knees, trying to ignore her shaking limbs. "If I can handle a giant hawk, I can handle a col-whoa!" Iris's legs gave in as soon as she stopped supporting herself with her arms, and Waka caught her as she fell forward, grabbing her under the arms so that their noses almost touched. "…cold."

"I can see you're right on top of this."

"Shut up and help me stand." Waka chuckled a bit, and stepped to the side, slinging Iris's arm over his shoulder. "I can carry you, ma cherie, if you like."

"Thanks," Iris said, "But I'd like to appear at least slightly capable of holding my own. Where am I, anyway?" She asked as Waka picked her bag up off of the floor and casually hung it around her neck and other shoulder, and helped her through the door.

"The Queen's Palace," Waka said, "on the way to see the Queen herself." Iris felt her eyes widen. Waka must have realized she was panicking, because he continued with "Queen Himiko is well aware of the disease running rampant through the city, so your state will be understandable. Actually, you're doing better than most of her soldiers… which, I'll admit, I'm attributing to your raw stubbornness."

"So I partially cured myself by being ornery? Wonderful." Iris covered her mouth with her free hand, and coughed a couple of times. "…Ugh, how long does that candle-stuff last?"

"We aren't sure," Waka said, turning a corner and lifting Iris when they reached the stairs, "it's a fairly new medicine, from a man called Redbeard. It kept you asleep for a good…" he looked at the sky as he set her down again, "oh, seven or eight hours, so I wouldn't worry too much for now."

"Eight hours…"You sat there for eight hours? Iris felt a slight blush crawl onto her cheek, before something came back to her, and she hit him in the arm.

"Ah! What was that for?"

"A path found in the water's grip," Iris grumbled. "That's what that was for." She slumped back down as they turned a corner. "But… thanks for keeping an eye on me while I was in sickness limbo."

She could hear the smile in Waka's voice. "It was no trouble, ma cherie."

They walked into what looked like an elevator, and Waka reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny firecracker, setting in the center. He took a match from a nearby box, lit it, and set it to the firecracker. "Brace yourself, ma cherie."

The elevator floor swallowed the firecracker, and shot upwards, until they had gone up three stories. Iris had instinctively grabbed onto the nearest thing she could as the floor rose and sent her skyrocketing, and it was only when the elevator stopped that she realized what it was – the front of Waka's shirt. She let go before he could comment, and kept looking at the floor the rest of the way to the Queen's main room, trying desperately to ignore the burning red in her cheeks along with Waka chuckling to himself.