Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ How I fell in love with your silence ❯ 4. My life for yours ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

4. My life, for yours

Another month flew by.
Sakura was lying in bed, trying to read one of many books Koji had brought her the last time he visited. They were written in Ancient Chinese, and, even though he was persistently teaching her how to read it, she was still having a hard. Genrou was sitting near her feet, leaning back against the wall, killing some time by giving a polishing touch to his swords and daggers.
The air between them had been tense and awkward lately. Each time their eyes would meet, the room heated up and they would quickly look the other way. Whenever Genrou would catch a glimpse of her skin that he shouldn’t, his whole stomach burned hot. They still talked to each other, they still practiced together, and they still shared a good laugh, but something had changed between them, especially for him.
There was a sudden knock on the door, startling them.
"Knock-knock. Who is it? It's Koji, here to pay a visit to the beautiful Sakura and his friend Genrou. Oh, please come in. Arigato." Koji swiftly made his way in, wearing his trademark ear-to-ear grin. Sakura jumped out of her place, book entirely forgotten, and threw herself in his arms. "Ah! Ya see, Genrou? Here’s why I come here so much; I got this kawaii girl waitin' fer me. How're ya today, Sakura-chan?"
Genrou frowned. Their closeness annoyed him. He hated how Koji could touch her so casually with no hesitation, and he hated how her smile would just lit up her whole face when she looked up at him.
Bah, this is stupid! I’ve got no business feelin’ this way, he thought furiously.
"... an' I heard someone sayin’ today's the Hanami Festival. Wanna come?" Genrou caught the conversation in time to hear Koji’s invitation. He glanced back at her worriedly.
Sakura’s face paled alarmingly with the thought of visiting another village again. Sometimes at night she still had nightmares with the last incident . Her blood froze in recollection.
"Maybe is best if we don’t go, Sakura," Genrou offered.
Koji raised an eyebrow. “Eh? Why not? She gonna love it! The whole place’s filled with cherry trees in flower.”
Oh she had always loved cherry trees, even more if in flower… it had been her favorite time of the year since she was little. Her brother used to joke around saying they blossomed every spring because they wanted to make her smile.
Maybe she could give it a try… if Genrou was willing to go with her…
“I think I want to go,” she told him, putting her hair up in a messy up-do.
“Fer real?” Genrou blinked in surprise. Sakura nodded. “Well… a’ight… but don’tcha go wander off again! Stay close t’ me.”
The village was wonderful that night. Even Genrou was forced to admit.
There was just something very charming about the little tents selling sweets and the gaming booths. The villager’s had hung red and golden paper lanterns, some with the image of a phoenix – Suzaku, Sakura figured –, over their booths and establishments. Its faint orange glow made the streets look inviting, but still allowed the couples to converse under the discreetness of the shadows, away from prying eyes.
 What Sakura found more beautiful, though, were the cherry trees in full blossom. They rose above their heads like the hands of a giant, reaching out to take the village in its grasp, burning under the moonlight and the lanterns. She marveled at how gracefully the petals spiraled down, over them.
It was strangely reassuring that, even though she was so far from home, the cherry trees still looked the same.
Genrou smirked at the gleam he saw in her eyes. “Like the sakura trees, huh Sakura?”
She chuckled, nodding cheerfully.  
"Come on!" Koji urged on. “Where ya guys wanna go first? The archery booths, the iron arm match, the wrestling combat-”
“Hey hey! How ‘bout stayin’ away from places where someone, an’ by someone I mean this prone to danger one right ‘ere, might get hurt by accident?” Genrou cut off, pointing not at all discreetly to Sakura, who was standing protectively near him.
“Oh, right…” Koji turned back to her, looking a little sheepish. “Yeah, sure, sounds like a good idea. Then let’s try that one.”
They went to the closest booth where Koji offered and paid for three pocky sticks. The seller gave Genrou a hard stare, trying to see under his black cloak, with a furrowed brow, holding out their sticks in one hand. Koji noticed. He promptly snatched them away and hurried them further down the busy and crowded street, giving each one stick.
Sakura devoured hers in the blink of an eye. She stared at the empty stick sadly. Genrou shoke his head, sighing in defeat, and offered her the remaining half of his own. When she flashed him a dazzling grin, he scratched the back of his head and moved away with Koji, who had seen the whole scene unfold finding it very amusing.
“Ahh look-” Koji pointed towards a gaming booth with a tank full of water balloons. He smirked when Sakura made a face of recognition – she and Miaka used to play yoyo-tsuri all the time when they were younger. “I’m gonna getcha one!” He walked over to the booth, closely followed by Genrou who, after also noticing her reaction, wasn’t about to let him win her attention.
Koji and Genrou rivaled to get the lavender balloon with white flowers decorating it. Sakura cheered for the both of them equally, but Koji was the winner in the end. She happily accepted the yoyo, chuckling as she bounced it up and down from the string attached to her middle finger. It was just like the one she and her sister used to get from their big brother. He would always get green for Miaka and lavender for her, because of their eyes.
The orange haired bandit crossed his arms and pouted, sulking like a little kid. Then, looking around, he spotted another booth, this one with a shooting game – his favorite.
Genrou grabbed Sakura by the hand and snatched her away from the much too intimate, for his liking, conversation she was having with Koji.
“Yo, what’re ya doin’ Genrou?”
“I’m just gonna take ‘er fer a while,” he answered over his shoulder. “Go drink some sake or whatever an’ we’ll catch up withcha later!”
Keeping the cloak half over his face, shielding it, he approached the booth man. The old man smiled broadly at the costumers. “Hey there, young fella! Wanna give it a try?”
“What’s in it fer me if I win?” Genrou asked.
“Depends. Let’s pretend ya hit one target instead of three; then ya can choose a hat. Two and ya get a weapon, and if ya hit all three targets… well, son, I’ll letcha choose whatever ya want.”
Genrou sneaked a glance at Sakura, who was curiously peering up at him, and smirked. “A’ight. Come ‘ere, Sakura.” She did and he settled behind her, grabbing the small bow from the seller and guiding her hands to hold it properly. Sakura’s eyes bulged in bewilderment. It made him laugh. “I’ll lead yer hands, ‘kay? First, ya gotta relax yer body – I said relax, Sakura, not tense up.”
Sakura blushed. It wasn’t like she was doing it on purpose, the feeling of his strong chest pressed against her back just made her body react differently. She was starting to get used to it, though. It was something that seemed to happen whenever he was too close to her.
“Okay, pull this arm back. That’s right, and don’t forget to aim – exactly.” Genrou instructed while correcting her posture. With his left hand over hers on the bow, he brought the right one to wrap around her small waist, closing the space between their bodies. He could feel her heart race on her ribcage and hear her fast breathing. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “now let go.”
And she did.
The bowstring released a noise like a groan and the arrow shot at full speed. It hit the bull’s eye.
Sakura spun on her heels and threw her arms around his neck, laughing. Genrou chuckled, patting her awkwardly on her back, because he didn’t know what else to do.
“’t was fun, right?” He asked, earning a frantic nod from her. “Good! But now ya gotta let me choose the prize, ‘cause ya wouldn’t have done it without me.” She shoke her head at his arrogance but complied anyway.
Genrou told her to close her eyes and then mentioned for the old man to bring down the jewelry. Once he saw the beautiful hair piece, he knew it. He grabbed it with a half-felt “thank’s” to him, and turned back to Sakura.
“Open yer eyes,” he said. Sakura’s breath hitched as she saw what he had chosen. It was the most wonderful kanzashi she had seen – black and golden, with delicate white cherry blossoms. “Like it?”
Her eyes softened at the expectation she heard in his voice. She looked up, smiling fondly at his red cheeks.
“I love it, Genrou.”
He even flushed darker. Fighting against the urge to rub his face until it was back to its normal color, he reached forward and weaved the kanzashi on the side of her messy hair. He smiled when he drew back to admire his work – it did suit her after all – and nodded approvingly.
“Looks nice,” he honestly said. Sakura blushed and smiled, raising a hand to touch it gently. “Come on. Let’s see if we find that baka.”
They made a motion to go down the street, where they’d seen Koji last disappear into, but, before they could, the old man who had sold them pocky earlier made his way out of the crowd and he was soon followed by a group of scary-looking men, armed to the teeth.
“Dammit!” Genrou muttered under his breath.
“There they are! I’m sure that’s him!” The old man said, pointing at Genrou and Sakura as they tried to escape.
The men reached for their spears. “Stop right there, you two!” Another group came up behind them, cutting short their way out. “Come with us peacefully an’ no one gets hurt, Genrou!”
The people around them began whispering when he mentioned his name. It made him smirk – he was still famous after all.
“Grab onto me, Sakura,” he mumbled to her. Sakura put her arms around his waist, burying her fingers in the back of his cloak. “Sorry t’ disappoint you, guys,” Genrou called out, “but I don’t plan on gettin’ caught by a bunch o’ girly girls who turned their backs on okashira’s last wishes!”
He jumped high, landing on top of a house with Sakura. In a quick movement, he picked her up and took off running like the wind over the rooftops. The men followed him from the ground, but they had a hard time accompanying Genrou’s supernatural speed.
As soon as he thought he had lost them, he climbed down, putting her back on the ground.
“Genrou! Sakura-chan!”
They heard Koji call out, sneaking out from behind a tree a little further down the mountain. Genrou smirked, inwardly bubbling to tell his friend all about how quickly he’d lost the bandits, until he saw the look of alarm on his face. He spun around and spotted one of the men aiming an arrow at Sakura.
His sight went red.
"Sakura!"
Genrou pushed her out of the way just in time to miss the arrow. However, it pierced right through his shoulder, sending poison straight into his blood. It figures; with his messed up luck, of course the arrow had to be poisoned. He had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn’t scream in pain. He fell down like a brick, his body shaking with convulsions.
Sakura kneeled down beside him, leaning over his body. Her eyes flooded with tears as she got him into her lap and as he looked up at her with the nothing but the shadow of a smile.
“Don’t cry, Sakura. I’ll be fresh as a daisy by tomorrow, eh?” He tried to joke, only making her cry harder. She couldn’t help but to question why. His eyes softened, he brought a hand to touch her cheek. “My life fer yours… eh, it doesn’t sound like such a bad deal.”
Then, he closed his eyes.
Sakura panicked. Her mind was blank, she had no idea what to do or even how and if to move. She was frozen with fear. It was a good thing Koji's took over control and knew exactly what to do. He pulled the arrow out, stopping the bleeding the best he could with a piece of his shirt, then he swung Genrou’s uninjured arm over his broad shoulders and told her to do the same with the other one.
"We gotta get 'im back t' the house. That arrow was poisonous," Koji told her aggravated.
They got home relatively quickly, eve if not nearly as much as either of them would've liked. There, Koji peeled off his jacket, the same with his bloodied shirt, and laid him on the bed carefully.
This is bad, he thought, chewing on his lower lip. Genrou was burning with a fever and there wasn’t any healer he could get to help him.
"He's burnin' up, Sakura-chan... I-I don't know what else t' do..." The seriousness of the situation finally caught up to him. Koji hated feeling so powerless, so useless.
After calming down and leveling the situation some more, Sakura pushed him away from Genrou and climbed into the bed, kneeling beside him and telling Koji to help him sit up. Once he did, she ripped off the piece of Koji’s shirt away from his shoulder and closed her mouth around the bleeding wound, sucking hard.
She remembered her mother once telling her that the only way to stop a killing from poison was to suck the poison out of the system before it reached the heart. That would usually take a few hours, so she had that in her advantage. Maybe she could get it all out before that.
It still broke her heart in half to hear him scream in pain.
After getting out all the poison and spitting it into her handkerchief, Sakura ripped a sheet into pieces, patched him up and, finally, pushed him back into the softness of the pillows. Genrou was quick to fall asleep.
"He gonna be okay?" Koji asked worriedly. He sighed with relief when she nodded. "Phew! That was close... Where ya learned t' do that?"
"Back home.”
"Well, that was amazin', Sakura-chan. But I have t' go back t’ now... ya up to takin’ care o' him tonight?" Sakura nodded. "A’ight, then. I'll stop by next mornin'. Make sure ya get rest too." Koji kissed her forehead before leaving.
Alone, Sakura heaved a deep breath, staring at the bandit who had been protecting her all that time. It was hard for her to see hum in so much pain, it was all her fault. Why had he jumped in front of her? Why couldn’t he have just pushed her out of the way without getting shot?
If he wouldn’t have made it… Sakura didn’t think she could live with herself anymore.
Sakura stripped of her bloodied kimono-like dress and washed it in cold water and soap, hoping the blood would come out. In the meanwhile, she put on one of Genrou's shirts, tying it firmly with a belt because it was much too loose. She went to get a bowl, filling it with water, and looked around for a soft cloth. She took a seat on a chair by the bedside and gently dapped Genrou's forehead with the wet cloth to help the fever go down. She would stay awake all night if she had to, but she would definitely make it go down.
If you hear me, please don't let him get any worse overnight, she prayed silently to whichever deity was watching her at the moment.

The fever was high for three days. During which Sakura didn't sleep much as she was constantly dapping his forehead, forcing him to drink some tea and eat something whenever he was mildly awake. Her hope was beginning to fail when, on the third day, his temperature suddenly dropped back to normal. He was breathing better, his sleep wasn't so restless anymore and the wound began to heal a lot faster.
It was almost evening by the time Genrou woke up from his long, yet refreshing, sleep. He groaned with the soreness of his muscles and brought a hand to feel his wounded shoulder, only to find it all healed under the bandages.
Sakura must've done it, he thought. As he glanced to his left, he met her troubled sleeping face. She didn’t look better than him; her burgundy curls were sliding from their sloppy bun, sticking to her flushed cheeks, there were dark bags under her eyes. She was gripping his hand tightly, almost as if she was afraid he might vanish out of thin air.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Sakura..." He shook her gently but she didn't even flinch. With a chuckle, Genrou brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes and called her again. She was still sleeping, so he tried a different approach. "Yo, wake up, Sakura! Yer makin’ my hand go numb!"
It worked like a charm. Her head snapped up and she let go of his hand. Although she was a little disorientated and irritated, Sakura managed to pull it together to notice his very awake state. She flung her arms around his neck.
"Oi! Have ya gone crazy, ya damn woman?! What're ya doin'?! GYAHHH, SAKURA!"
Between her bone-crushing hug and Genrou’s attempts to escape from it, they both ended up tumbling off the bed. When he propped himself up on his elbows, cringing from the impact, he found himself in the most awkward situation – with Sakura underneath him. Her hair had come out of place, waves spread all over the floor. Lavender eyes stared up at him wide open, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Genrou could stop his eyes from wandering over her body, involuntarily being drawn to the loose collar of the shirt. He blushed furiously at the sight of the top of her perfectly round breasts. Yet, he simply couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Dear Suzaku! She's naked under that!
He gulped down loudly, she copied the gesture. How were they getting out of that? Especially when he felt himself wanting desperately to rip off the few clothes which were making the only barrier between them?
Suddenly, though, the front door swung open. Koji, with both arms full of groceries and packages, walked in unceremoniously – as per usual. He stopped dead in his tracks seeing his best friend hovering over a blushing partially naked Sakura. A coy smirk made its way to his lips.
"Am I interruptin' somethin' here? 'Cause I can always come back later, ya know..."
Genrou jumped away from Sakura like he had been burned with a scolding iron. She sat up and folded her knees underneath her.
"We weren't doin' anythin'! We just fell off the bed when this crazy woman tried t' suffocate me t’ death..." Genrou rambled on nervously, raising his hands in the air. He purposely ignored Sakura’s glare.
"Course ya did." Koji chuckled, putting down the stuff he’d brought over on the table. "I didn’t know if ya guys had enough food or not but I figured ya’d be pretty short on it after these days, ‘cause ya couldn't really leave bed an' Sakura was here all the time takin' care o' ya."
Genrou walked over and peered over his shoulder the stuff. "I know what these are... but what're those? Presents? Oh, Koji man, ya shouldn't have!" He joked, referring to the extra packages he’d brought, patting him on the back.
"I didn't," Koji said, rolling his eyes, "they're fer Sakura-chan." He crouched in front of her and gave her the packages and grinned like the Cheshire cat. She unwrapped the packages and pulled out two hanfu dresses – one white and red, the other purple and blue. "Ya like 'em?"
Sakura nodded enthusiastically, hugging him running to the other room to go try them on. From his spot, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, Genrou glared daggers at Koji.
"She's got a nice outfit already, why ya buy 'er new ones?" He asked angrily.
"Well and why not? She's a girl... girls like clothes."
"Sakura's not like other girls, she doesn't care fer that sorta stuff," he replied, furrowing a brow at Koji suspiciously. "Are ya tryin' t' seduce 'er? Ya can't do that! She's like... like... like one o' us!"
Koji laughed. Man, he really is clueless, he thought.
"No, I ain’t tryin' t' seduce 'er, don’t worry. But don’t fool yerself goin’ around thinkin' she's like one o' us, 'cause even an idiot like you can definitely tell she’s nothin’ like us."
"Humph! Whatever."
The door from the small room opened and Sakura came out, smiling happily. She had chosen to wear the purple and blue hanfu. The top shirt, with long wide sleeves, was white and the ankle-length skirt was blue, tied around her tiny waist by a purple bow.
Genrou was assaulted by a strange sense of satisfaction, though, when he caught a glance of his gift  among her curls.
"Ohh ya look so kawaii, Sakura-chan! Gimme a little spin, will ya?" Sakura did and blushed when he wolf-whistled. "I just knew those colors would look great on ya."
"Bah, this isn't important at all! I got somethin' t' talk t' ya... 'bout Eikens an' gettin' my Tessen back..."