S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction ❯ Full Circle ❯ Awake ( Chapter 8 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Drunken Muses 
Shiirice is back, but her memories are not. What will that mean for her and the two men?
Anime/Manga: S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.18.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 433 | Status: Completed
Shiirice is back, but her memories are not. What will that mean for her and the two men?
Anime/Manga: S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai / Romance / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.18.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 433 | Status: Completed
Chapter 8: Awake
"Are you sure the sensors say a useful Alter user is here?" Shiirice tried to ease her way through the brush without getting scratched up. Whoever designed the female uniforms for HOLY needed the crap beaten out of them.
Ryuhou brushed back a branch in his path. "This is what field work is at times. You said you wanted to join my outfit."
"I'm not complaining," Shiirice quickly added. This was her first mission and she wanted Ryuhou to see how good a HOLY officer she was so he would keep her as his partner. "I'm just double checking we’re going in the right direction."
"We only have to scout this area and then we are going back to base," Ryuhou smiled slightly. All those times between missions when Shiirice would catch up to him and tell him that she was studying hard to be his partner, he really hadn't taken her seriously. But he was glad that the half-dead girl that he had once stumbled upon had found a new direction and life in HOLY's order. "We’ll be back soon enough."
"Ouch," Shiirice winced, scratching herself despite her best efforts, on a thorn on one of the dense paths of underbrush. "Ryuhou, why do you say that? I want to get out of here, but I’m in no hurry to get back, really."
"You have that boyfriend of yours back at headquarters, right?" Ryuhou could see her stiffen through the blocking undergrowth.
"Who?"
"The one in the pharmacy?" HOLY was an elite organization and as such relatively small. When some had heard the young girl was Ryuhou's new partner, the inevitable jokes and rumors had quickly reached him. The one about him being careful about falling for her because she was taken was weeks old by now. "It started with a Sh sound. Shinji-... Shinjuu...Shin-" Ryuhou had been too distracted to remember the details.
Shiirice looked away, rubbing self-consciously at a scratch on her arm. "Oh... him. Um... we broke up last week."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ryuhou responded. “Well, I suppose there isn’t too much of a rush for you then.”
Shiirice turned around abruptly, blocking her superior’s path. She needed to tell him. She had waited so long. "My loyalty-my heart belongs with here with you." Ryuhou's mouth instantly widened in a smile, and the hope blossomed in Shiirice’s heart. Finally, he understood... she was so happy!
"I'm so glad to hear that," Ryuhou laid his hand on her shoulder, "You'll make a fine HOLY officer with that attitude! Stay dedicated, and you’ll do well.”
********
Ryuhou's eyes snapped open. It took a second for him to get his bearings, and he couldn't make any sense of the ceiling hanging over him. Turning his head, he noted that he was covered with a light sheet, and lying on a slightly-lumpy futon on an unfamiliar floor. Sitting up slowly, Ryuhou tried to think about what he last remembered. "Oh my god," Ryuhou gasped as he hesitantly covered his mouth in horror. He had gone to be separated from Shiirice. But he had dreamt of her–relived her memories again. It could only mean it didn't work. He buried his head in his hands, feeling a crushing sorrow descend upon him. He'd lost her again.
He kept his face hidden as he heard the sound of a door sliding open, unsure if he would be able to face Kazuma just yet. He'd failed again... failed her, failed Kazuma...
"Kazuma, are you in... oh! You're awake!" A familiar, female voice jerked Ryuhou out of his stupor. Blinking away the haze of threatening tears, he looked toward the door and saw Shiirice standing in front of it, holding a large basin in her arms.
"Sh-Shiirice..." he gasped, almost unable to believe his eyes as she walked toward the bed.
"Kazuma was going to give you a sponge bath, but I can't seem to find... eeep!!" The girl squeaked in alarm as Ryuhou lunged out of bed. Time seemed to still as Ryuhou scrambled from the futon, not truly getting his footing. His momentum carried him across the room, and he tackled her to the floor in one ungraceful motion.
Ryuhou didn't care about the warm wetness from spilt water that both were lying in. He had dreamed of this for so long, and for once, seized the moment, kissing her with all the achy desperation he had in his being. Between his frantic kisses, his hands eagerly explored her sides and back as if trying to reassure himself that she existed.
His joy was short-lived as the sound of her muffled protest reached his ears and she struggled to push him off herself. Pulling away, he felt his heart skip as he saw her eyes filled with frightened tears... and she screamed. He scrambled off her in shock, belatedly realizing that he was naked.
"Kazuma!" Shiirce scooted back and continued to scream, her arms crossed protectively over herself. Startled, Kazuma ran into the room, his Alter already materialized. He paused for a second as he saw the situation in the room and was torn between running to the frightened Shiirice and the startled Ryuhou, who was trying his best to cover himself with a bed sheet. Deciding that Shiirice sounded more scared, Kazuma hurried over to the girl and pulled her into his arms, dropping his Alter in the process. "Shh, shh. What happened?"
Shiirice clung to Kazuma, trembling. "That friend of yours attacked me!”
Ryuhou couldn't believe his ears. "What are you saying, Shiirice? It's me. Ryuhou!” Holding the sheet with one hand, he reached out toward her with the other. "What's wrong? I didn't..." Kazuma cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Stay back," he commanded, turning slightly as if to protect Shiirice with his body. "Just... stay back a moment, okay?" he repeated, a bit less harshly. "She doesn't remember anything." Soothingly stroking the girl’s hair back, Kazuma gave her a peck on the temple. "Can you wait in the other room while I talk to my friend?" he asked gently. “Go get some dry clothes on, all right?”
Shiirice nodded as she glared at Ryuhou, her fear now giving way to violated anger. She stood up, clenching her fists. “Yeah, sure.” Her back stiff, she stomped out of the room.
Kazuma watched Shiirice leave the room, then stood and walked over to Ryuhou, who was trying to regain his dignity by pulling the sheet tighter around himself. "Geez, go and scare the girl, why don't you," he teased, lightly slapping the back of Ryuhou's head.
Ryuhou frowned, looking down at the wooden floor. "She... she really doesn't remember?" he asked quietly.
Shaking his head, Kazuma crouched in front of his friend. "No, and I'm sure you didn't help by tackling her, moron." He grinned, clapping Ryuhou on the shoulder. "At least you're up now! Thought you'd never get your lazy ass out of that bed." Try as he might, Kazuma couldn't completely keep the relieved tone out of his voice as he teased.
Ryuhou ran his fingers roughly through his hair. Now that the adrenaline rush had faded, he felt weak and shaky. "Yeah, well..." Tightening the grip on the sheet, he staggered to his feet, intent on a shower and clothing. The room spun in a slow loop around him, and he swayed and would have fallen again if Kazuma's arms hadn't circled his waist.
"Whoa, hang on," Kazuma said, slinging one of Ryuhou's arms over his shoulder and steering him back toward the futon. "You get to be lazy a little longer. Shiirice took at least a day to get back on her feet once she woke up." He settled Ryuhou on the mattress, pulling the blankets over him. Sitting beside him on the floor, he smiled down at the man. "You can make it up later... you get to do all the work next time the mainland attacks!"
Ryuhou sighed, rubbing at his head again. Something Kazuma said was bothering him. "How long ago did Shiirice wake up?"
Kazuma glanced away and shrugged. "I dunno. Couple days... she woke up back at the tent. You've been... really out of it. I was..." he trailed off, then looked back at Ryuhou. "I'm... aw, hell." Abruptly he leaned down, kissing the other man harshly. After a moment, let go and quickly stood up, turning toward the door while Ryuhou was still stunned by the sudden affection. "I'll get you some more hot water so you can wash up. Then I'll get you something to eat."
"Wait!” Ryuhou called him back, his head spinning. "She doesn't remember anything?"
Kazuma paused, but still turned back. He really didn't want to tell Ryuhou so soon. "Um, no. We'll talk about this later."
Sitting up, Ryuhou reached out and grabbed Kazuma's arm. "No. We'll talk about it now."
Kazuma closed his eyes and sat back cross-legged on the floor. "She's physically the same as when she sacrificed herself but she doesn't remember you, Ryuhou. Everything from when HOLY freed her on is gone." He choked a bit. It didn't have to be said that she didn’t remember his time with her either. "So her memories are of a kid. I don't know what age she is mentally, now, but I've decided to take things slow." He rubbed at his head, grimacing a bit as he remembered her first panicked moments of awareness. "I don't know what hell you yanked her from, really." Kazuma sighed as the old Shiirice's words echoed back to him in his mind. 'Freedom to starve, to freeze, to be raped and killed? Forget that.' She had really associated those things with living in the Lost Ground. "It took me a while to convince her that the gang that had her hadn't sold her to us and that she could trust me."
Ryuhou's eyes widened as he realized now why his actions had scared her. "She... she doesn't remember me. All the time we had together..."
Kazuma put his hand on his companion's shoulder. "She'll get 'em back. Give her time. And if not, she's still the same girl deep down." Kazuma gave a smile he hoped wouldn't waver. "I'm sure you’ll get her to fall for you again." It hurt a bit to say but Ryuhou needed reassurance and Kazuma was determined to give it.
After a moment of silence, Kazuma coughed, feeling once again uncomfortable. "Well I'd better get cracking at dinner. How's canned chili sound?"
Ryuhou started from his developing funk enough to say, "I hate chili."
"Chili it is!" Kazuma grinned, jumping to his feet and running out of the room, leaving Ryuhou to his thoughts.
*********
When Akira said her old base was nearby, she wasn't kidding. Nestled deeper in the same mountains as the Konpaku Springs, it was an abandoned traditional hotel that was built originally by hot springs. It actually lucked out and mostly survived the upheaval that caused the Lost Grounds due to the nearby mountain. The west wing was crushed and buried under a landside, the contents of the East Wing was raided, and the nearby hot spring it was built for had dried up but other than that it remained intact–a rarity in those times.
Ryuhou’s bare feet thudded against the wood floors as he wandered the halls, feeling out of place amidst the old architecture and mildly torn paper partitions. It was so dark and cold in the halls... obviously, the place had no electricity. He felt too light and so empty as he followed the light and sounds of life from what must have been the dining area. "Kazuma, you're so mean," Shiirice's voice playfully pouted even as Kazuma chuckled and teased right back,
"But you like me mean, don't you?" The sounds of merriment stopped as the freshly scrubbed Ryuhou entered. The green-haired man sighed quietly, feeling even more out of place.
"Ryuhou," Kazuma paused in his stirring of his beloved canned chili. Ryuhou didn't know why that particular foreign food appealed to Kazuma, since it looked like a bloody mess. Half of the canned goods they got out there were bad anyway. Still, Kazuma had finally perfected the art of picking a good can of ancient food. "Are you feeling better?"
"No. I'm going to have to eat the results of your terrible taste in food," Ryuhou grumbled, focusing across the room at the woman standing behind Kazuma. Stepping up to her, Ryuhou decided to try to repair the damage he had caused. Shiirice looked up from the cups she was carefully wiping clean. She was wearing some ill-fitting clothing they must have borrowed from Akira's group since Ryuhou didn't recognize them. The pants had to be cinched at her waist and rolled at the bottoms. The t-shirt was a bit small and strained against the ample chest Ryuhou both recognized and yet seemed so new and impressive. Deciding it wasn't wise to focus on those particular assets, Ryuhou stared into her eyes. They looked exactly the same, save for the fact he never saw her look at him with that expression before. "Shiirice, I-" Ryuhou paused, wondering if he should introduce himself. Turning to Kazuma, he asked, "Kazuma, how much have you told her?"
"I told her everything I knew." Kazuma shrugged.
"But isn't it a great shock to tell her about her past that she doesn't-" Glancing back, he noticed her expression harden further.
“Kazuma did tell me about HOLY supposedly rescuing me and my 'past' but I still don't remember." Shiirice said bitterly. "So tell me? Did you always talk over my head when I was standing right there?"
Ryuhou blinked, not at all used to Shiirice turning a malice-filled phrase at him. He gulped and stammered, "N-no, I didn't mean... I just thought..."
She rolled her eyes. "Thinking doesn't seem to be your strong point. You sure didn't think before you attacked me earlier."
Kazuma winced. His instincts were telling him to take cover but he knew he couldn't let this escalate. "Come on guys. You two just started off on the wrong foot."
Shiirice laughed. "No, we started off with him on top of me... not just on my foot!" With another glare at Ryuhou, she turned her back on him and started digging some bowls out of the cupboards. "That looks about done, right Kazuma?"
Kazuma gave the stunned Ryuhou a sheepish shrug, then turned back to stirring the pot. "Yeah, I think so... you hungry?"
Ryuhou blinked, still dazed at the verbal viciousness of his sweet Shiirice. When she immediately went around him to smile and latch onto Kazuma's arm, it hit him as a double whammy. "Maybe I am. So long as I get to eat with you, Kazuma."
Kazuma gave an apologetic half-smile as he shoved a bowl at Ryuhou with his free arm. "Why don't we all just sit down?”
Despite Kazuma's attempts to change the subject and keep everyone happy, the dinner soon evolved into a uncomfortable situation that had nothing to do with the fact that none of them were really used to chili.
Ryuhou poked absently at his bowl with his spoon. Despite the fact that he was hungry, he didn't think his stomach could handle this stuff on the best of days. He'd taken a few bites, but had mostly stayed with nibbling on some stale crackers they'd managed to find. It didn't help that Shiirice kept blatantly ignoring him as she giggled and talked only to Kazuma. The other man attempted several times to include Ryuhou in the conversation, but was mostly unsuccessful. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Interrupting Kazuma's story about yet another ass-whipping they'd handed the Mainland armies, he pushed his bowl away and stood up. "Excuse me. I'm not hungry anymore."
Kazuma looked up at him, his smile fading. "You all right?"
Ryuhou paused. "No, not really. Goodnight."
He turned and walked as quickly as he could out of the room, cursing the fact that he still felt a bit unsteady on his feet. All he wanted was to get back to bed, to wipe the image of Shiirice's angry face out of his mind. He heard steps behind him, and Kazuma's voice, calling, "Hey, Ryuhou, wait up!" But he only walked faster... until a wave of dizziness ambushed him and he had to stop and brace himself against the wall.
Kazuma rushed to Ryuhou's side and tried to get the older boy to lean against him, but was quickly pushed away. "I don't want your help." Ryuhou used the wall to help him help his progress to his room with a worried Kazuma following, until he rounded a corner and was confronted with the thin paneling of older Japanese interior. He was forced to wobble as best he could to his room.
"Why are you being like this?" Kazuma tried to keep a nice tone but failed. He knew Ryuhou was ill and he should take it easy on him but it was grating on his nerves.
Ryuhou ignored him, continuing to make his way down the seemingly interminable hallway. Finally he arrived at his room, and collapsed on the futon, exhausted, not bothering to light a candle in the dark room. He shivered and turned his face to the wall, even as he felt the blankets shift with Kazuma's weight. "What are you doing, Kazuma?"
Kazuma's hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder, but Ryuhou flinched away, pulling closer to the wall. "I'm just trying to get you well..." he began, but Ryuhou interrupted.
"No. What are you doing with Shiirice?"
"What do you mean?" Kazuma didn't exactly follow what Ryuhou was getting at or wanted to hear.
Rolling over suddenly, Ryuhou fixed Kazuma with an angry glare, focusing on his silhouette in the darkness. "I mean, what are you trying to do? You about made me sick with all your flirting at dinner."
Kazuma was taken aback. "We weren't flirting that much," he began, blushing. Then he abruptly turned fierce. "And what’s it to you? It's only flirting."
Ryuhou couldn't take it. All the things him and Kazuma had been through... just when they were friends, Kazuma already barricaded himself in Shiirice's heart while he was unconscious. "Just flirting! Did you already screw her again?"
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and pulled his hand back. "How dare you ask that? I'm just trying to help her."
Ryuhou rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like getting in bed with her is going to help."
Before he'd realized it, Kazuma's hand had clenched into a fist as he jumped to his feet. "Is that what you think? That I could take advantage of a girl when she didn't have her memories?"
Adrenaline flooding into his body, Ryuhou was soon following Kazuma. Without thinking, he shoved him against the wall of the small room. "I don't know what to think anymore!" he shouted, slamming his fist next to Kazuma's head. "You didn't tell me about you and her before, even when you were fucking me. Why should now be any different?"
Kazuma used both hands to shove Ryuhou away, harder than he'd intended. "You don't know me very well, then," he growled as the other man staggered back a few steps. He was still worried about Ryuhou's weakened state, but anger was starting to overwhelm his concern. Stepping forward again, he pushed his face close to the other's, fists clenching in the front of his shirt. "I wouldn't do that. I can't say the same for you," he snarled. "But then again you weren't able to get anywhere with her in all the years you knew her."
Ryuhou's hands came up to grab at Kazuma's wrists. "That's because I didn't want to take advantage of a young, naive girl. Something you wouldn't know about.”
"Go ahead and tell yourself that!" Kazuma yelled. "Anything but the truth that you weren't man enough to love her!" The words were out of Kazuma's mouth before he could stop them. From the instant hurt expression Ryuhou's face, Kazuma knew he had hit his mark. He hadn't meant to go that far and immediately tried to amend, "Ryuhou, I- "
Ryuhou's face hardened a second later and his fist connected with Kazuma's jaw. Kazuma fell back but grabbed Ryuhou’s arm and pulled him down with him. That suited Ryuhou fine... he straddled Kazuma and continued to punch the daylights out of him. "Just because I don't mistake a fuck for love doesn't mean anything!"
Kazuma managed to grab Ryuhou's wrists, stopping the assault. Some part of his mind was still worried that the other man still felt weak... the hits lacked their usual strength, even though they hurt quite a bit. Ignoring that nagging feeling, he flipped Ryuhou over so he was pinning the other to the ground. "What do you know about love?" he shouted. "You wouldn't know love if it was right in front of you!"
For a long moment, the two only stared at each other, breathing heavily. Ryuhou was shaking... from anger or adrenaline wearing off, he didn't know. He searched Kazuma's face for answers, finding none. Kazuma leaned closer, his breath mingling with Ryuhou's as he continued to meet the intense gaze. The shift of weight on top of Ryuhou ground their hips together, making him suddenly aware of how aroused they both had become. His eyes widened as another, different shudder ran through him. Kazuma blinked in surprise, then scrambled off him. "Aw, forget it," he growled. "Just... go to bed." Before he could think better of it, he turned on his heel and stalked out the door.
***********
Shiirice finished scrubbing the caramelized and grungy blackness that Kazuma had left on the bottom of the pan. She didn't know why she had to scrub dishes because Kazuma had to go calm down that Ryuhou-guy. She didn't know what his problem was. One minute he was tackling and groping her and the next he looked like he was going off to cry. Maybe the reason he was sick in bed was he was a lunatic. Well the farther he stayed away from her, the better. Hopefully, that really nice guy, Kazuma, would protect her if he got too close. She didn't like the look in Ryuhou's eyes. Something about it made her feel... she didn't know what it was. Weird, she just guessed. "There!" she crowed as she finished the last dinner dish. Blowing out the last few candles, she hurried out of the room. She hoped Kazuma was done setting that Ryuhou straight.
Spotting Kazuma in the hall, she ran up to throw her arms around him. She wasn't expecting him to stiffen in her arms. In the few days she knew him, he had always reacted warmly when she hugged him. "Kazuma? What's wrong?"
"Shiirice," Kazuma's voice was strained as if he was trying to hold his breath. "Go to bed. I've got to go... take a walk."
"Um, okay," Shiirice tilted her head and let him go by her. She pouted for a moment, considering following him, but decided she didn’t want to annoy him further. If he was bothered about something, he’d tell her later. Her mind made up, she walked hurriedly to her room, anxious to get under the warm blankets.
"Are you sure the sensors say a useful Alter user is here?" Shiirice tried to ease her way through the brush without getting scratched up. Whoever designed the female uniforms for HOLY needed the crap beaten out of them.
Ryuhou brushed back a branch in his path. "This is what field work is at times. You said you wanted to join my outfit."
"I'm not complaining," Shiirice quickly added. This was her first mission and she wanted Ryuhou to see how good a HOLY officer she was so he would keep her as his partner. "I'm just double checking we’re going in the right direction."
"We only have to scout this area and then we are going back to base," Ryuhou smiled slightly. All those times between missions when Shiirice would catch up to him and tell him that she was studying hard to be his partner, he really hadn't taken her seriously. But he was glad that the half-dead girl that he had once stumbled upon had found a new direction and life in HOLY's order. "We’ll be back soon enough."
"Ouch," Shiirice winced, scratching herself despite her best efforts, on a thorn on one of the dense paths of underbrush. "Ryuhou, why do you say that? I want to get out of here, but I’m in no hurry to get back, really."
"You have that boyfriend of yours back at headquarters, right?" Ryuhou could see her stiffen through the blocking undergrowth.
"Who?"
"The one in the pharmacy?" HOLY was an elite organization and as such relatively small. When some had heard the young girl was Ryuhou's new partner, the inevitable jokes and rumors had quickly reached him. The one about him being careful about falling for her because she was taken was weeks old by now. "It started with a Sh sound. Shinji-... Shinjuu...Shin-" Ryuhou had been too distracted to remember the details.
Shiirice looked away, rubbing self-consciously at a scratch on her arm. "Oh... him. Um... we broke up last week."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ryuhou responded. “Well, I suppose there isn’t too much of a rush for you then.”
Shiirice turned around abruptly, blocking her superior’s path. She needed to tell him. She had waited so long. "My loyalty-my heart belongs with here with you." Ryuhou's mouth instantly widened in a smile, and the hope blossomed in Shiirice’s heart. Finally, he understood... she was so happy!
"I'm so glad to hear that," Ryuhou laid his hand on her shoulder, "You'll make a fine HOLY officer with that attitude! Stay dedicated, and you’ll do well.”
********
Ryuhou's eyes snapped open. It took a second for him to get his bearings, and he couldn't make any sense of the ceiling hanging over him. Turning his head, he noted that he was covered with a light sheet, and lying on a slightly-lumpy futon on an unfamiliar floor. Sitting up slowly, Ryuhou tried to think about what he last remembered. "Oh my god," Ryuhou gasped as he hesitantly covered his mouth in horror. He had gone to be separated from Shiirice. But he had dreamt of her–relived her memories again. It could only mean it didn't work. He buried his head in his hands, feeling a crushing sorrow descend upon him. He'd lost her again.
He kept his face hidden as he heard the sound of a door sliding open, unsure if he would be able to face Kazuma just yet. He'd failed again... failed her, failed Kazuma...
"Kazuma, are you in... oh! You're awake!" A familiar, female voice jerked Ryuhou out of his stupor. Blinking away the haze of threatening tears, he looked toward the door and saw Shiirice standing in front of it, holding a large basin in her arms.
"Sh-Shiirice..." he gasped, almost unable to believe his eyes as she walked toward the bed.
"Kazuma was going to give you a sponge bath, but I can't seem to find... eeep!!" The girl squeaked in alarm as Ryuhou lunged out of bed. Time seemed to still as Ryuhou scrambled from the futon, not truly getting his footing. His momentum carried him across the room, and he tackled her to the floor in one ungraceful motion.
Ryuhou didn't care about the warm wetness from spilt water that both were lying in. He had dreamed of this for so long, and for once, seized the moment, kissing her with all the achy desperation he had in his being. Between his frantic kisses, his hands eagerly explored her sides and back as if trying to reassure himself that she existed.
His joy was short-lived as the sound of her muffled protest reached his ears and she struggled to push him off herself. Pulling away, he felt his heart skip as he saw her eyes filled with frightened tears... and she screamed. He scrambled off her in shock, belatedly realizing that he was naked.
"Kazuma!" Shiirce scooted back and continued to scream, her arms crossed protectively over herself. Startled, Kazuma ran into the room, his Alter already materialized. He paused for a second as he saw the situation in the room and was torn between running to the frightened Shiirice and the startled Ryuhou, who was trying his best to cover himself with a bed sheet. Deciding that Shiirice sounded more scared, Kazuma hurried over to the girl and pulled her into his arms, dropping his Alter in the process. "Shh, shh. What happened?"
Shiirice clung to Kazuma, trembling. "That friend of yours attacked me!”
Ryuhou couldn't believe his ears. "What are you saying, Shiirice? It's me. Ryuhou!” Holding the sheet with one hand, he reached out toward her with the other. "What's wrong? I didn't..." Kazuma cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Stay back," he commanded, turning slightly as if to protect Shiirice with his body. "Just... stay back a moment, okay?" he repeated, a bit less harshly. "She doesn't remember anything." Soothingly stroking the girl’s hair back, Kazuma gave her a peck on the temple. "Can you wait in the other room while I talk to my friend?" he asked gently. “Go get some dry clothes on, all right?”
Shiirice nodded as she glared at Ryuhou, her fear now giving way to violated anger. She stood up, clenching her fists. “Yeah, sure.” Her back stiff, she stomped out of the room.
Kazuma watched Shiirice leave the room, then stood and walked over to Ryuhou, who was trying to regain his dignity by pulling the sheet tighter around himself. "Geez, go and scare the girl, why don't you," he teased, lightly slapping the back of Ryuhou's head.
Ryuhou frowned, looking down at the wooden floor. "She... she really doesn't remember?" he asked quietly.
Shaking his head, Kazuma crouched in front of his friend. "No, and I'm sure you didn't help by tackling her, moron." He grinned, clapping Ryuhou on the shoulder. "At least you're up now! Thought you'd never get your lazy ass out of that bed." Try as he might, Kazuma couldn't completely keep the relieved tone out of his voice as he teased.
Ryuhou ran his fingers roughly through his hair. Now that the adrenaline rush had faded, he felt weak and shaky. "Yeah, well..." Tightening the grip on the sheet, he staggered to his feet, intent on a shower and clothing. The room spun in a slow loop around him, and he swayed and would have fallen again if Kazuma's arms hadn't circled his waist.
"Whoa, hang on," Kazuma said, slinging one of Ryuhou's arms over his shoulder and steering him back toward the futon. "You get to be lazy a little longer. Shiirice took at least a day to get back on her feet once she woke up." He settled Ryuhou on the mattress, pulling the blankets over him. Sitting beside him on the floor, he smiled down at the man. "You can make it up later... you get to do all the work next time the mainland attacks!"
Ryuhou sighed, rubbing at his head again. Something Kazuma said was bothering him. "How long ago did Shiirice wake up?"
Kazuma glanced away and shrugged. "I dunno. Couple days... she woke up back at the tent. You've been... really out of it. I was..." he trailed off, then looked back at Ryuhou. "I'm... aw, hell." Abruptly he leaned down, kissing the other man harshly. After a moment, let go and quickly stood up, turning toward the door while Ryuhou was still stunned by the sudden affection. "I'll get you some more hot water so you can wash up. Then I'll get you something to eat."
"Wait!” Ryuhou called him back, his head spinning. "She doesn't remember anything?"
Kazuma paused, but still turned back. He really didn't want to tell Ryuhou so soon. "Um, no. We'll talk about this later."
Sitting up, Ryuhou reached out and grabbed Kazuma's arm. "No. We'll talk about it now."
Kazuma closed his eyes and sat back cross-legged on the floor. "She's physically the same as when she sacrificed herself but she doesn't remember you, Ryuhou. Everything from when HOLY freed her on is gone." He choked a bit. It didn't have to be said that she didn’t remember his time with her either. "So her memories are of a kid. I don't know what age she is mentally, now, but I've decided to take things slow." He rubbed at his head, grimacing a bit as he remembered her first panicked moments of awareness. "I don't know what hell you yanked her from, really." Kazuma sighed as the old Shiirice's words echoed back to him in his mind. 'Freedom to starve, to freeze, to be raped and killed? Forget that.' She had really associated those things with living in the Lost Ground. "It took me a while to convince her that the gang that had her hadn't sold her to us and that she could trust me."
Ryuhou's eyes widened as he realized now why his actions had scared her. "She... she doesn't remember me. All the time we had together..."
Kazuma put his hand on his companion's shoulder. "She'll get 'em back. Give her time. And if not, she's still the same girl deep down." Kazuma gave a smile he hoped wouldn't waver. "I'm sure you’ll get her to fall for you again." It hurt a bit to say but Ryuhou needed reassurance and Kazuma was determined to give it.
After a moment of silence, Kazuma coughed, feeling once again uncomfortable. "Well I'd better get cracking at dinner. How's canned chili sound?"
Ryuhou started from his developing funk enough to say, "I hate chili."
"Chili it is!" Kazuma grinned, jumping to his feet and running out of the room, leaving Ryuhou to his thoughts.
*********
When Akira said her old base was nearby, she wasn't kidding. Nestled deeper in the same mountains as the Konpaku Springs, it was an abandoned traditional hotel that was built originally by hot springs. It actually lucked out and mostly survived the upheaval that caused the Lost Grounds due to the nearby mountain. The west wing was crushed and buried under a landside, the contents of the East Wing was raided, and the nearby hot spring it was built for had dried up but other than that it remained intact–a rarity in those times.
Ryuhou’s bare feet thudded against the wood floors as he wandered the halls, feeling out of place amidst the old architecture and mildly torn paper partitions. It was so dark and cold in the halls... obviously, the place had no electricity. He felt too light and so empty as he followed the light and sounds of life from what must have been the dining area. "Kazuma, you're so mean," Shiirice's voice playfully pouted even as Kazuma chuckled and teased right back,
"But you like me mean, don't you?" The sounds of merriment stopped as the freshly scrubbed Ryuhou entered. The green-haired man sighed quietly, feeling even more out of place.
"Ryuhou," Kazuma paused in his stirring of his beloved canned chili. Ryuhou didn't know why that particular foreign food appealed to Kazuma, since it looked like a bloody mess. Half of the canned goods they got out there were bad anyway. Still, Kazuma had finally perfected the art of picking a good can of ancient food. "Are you feeling better?"
"No. I'm going to have to eat the results of your terrible taste in food," Ryuhou grumbled, focusing across the room at the woman standing behind Kazuma. Stepping up to her, Ryuhou decided to try to repair the damage he had caused. Shiirice looked up from the cups she was carefully wiping clean. She was wearing some ill-fitting clothing they must have borrowed from Akira's group since Ryuhou didn't recognize them. The pants had to be cinched at her waist and rolled at the bottoms. The t-shirt was a bit small and strained against the ample chest Ryuhou both recognized and yet seemed so new and impressive. Deciding it wasn't wise to focus on those particular assets, Ryuhou stared into her eyes. They looked exactly the same, save for the fact he never saw her look at him with that expression before. "Shiirice, I-" Ryuhou paused, wondering if he should introduce himself. Turning to Kazuma, he asked, "Kazuma, how much have you told her?"
"I told her everything I knew." Kazuma shrugged.
"But isn't it a great shock to tell her about her past that she doesn't-" Glancing back, he noticed her expression harden further.
“Kazuma did tell me about HOLY supposedly rescuing me and my 'past' but I still don't remember." Shiirice said bitterly. "So tell me? Did you always talk over my head when I was standing right there?"
Ryuhou blinked, not at all used to Shiirice turning a malice-filled phrase at him. He gulped and stammered, "N-no, I didn't mean... I just thought..."
She rolled her eyes. "Thinking doesn't seem to be your strong point. You sure didn't think before you attacked me earlier."
Kazuma winced. His instincts were telling him to take cover but he knew he couldn't let this escalate. "Come on guys. You two just started off on the wrong foot."
Shiirice laughed. "No, we started off with him on top of me... not just on my foot!" With another glare at Ryuhou, she turned her back on him and started digging some bowls out of the cupboards. "That looks about done, right Kazuma?"
Kazuma gave the stunned Ryuhou a sheepish shrug, then turned back to stirring the pot. "Yeah, I think so... you hungry?"
Ryuhou blinked, still dazed at the verbal viciousness of his sweet Shiirice. When she immediately went around him to smile and latch onto Kazuma's arm, it hit him as a double whammy. "Maybe I am. So long as I get to eat with you, Kazuma."
Kazuma gave an apologetic half-smile as he shoved a bowl at Ryuhou with his free arm. "Why don't we all just sit down?”
Despite Kazuma's attempts to change the subject and keep everyone happy, the dinner soon evolved into a uncomfortable situation that had nothing to do with the fact that none of them were really used to chili.
Ryuhou poked absently at his bowl with his spoon. Despite the fact that he was hungry, he didn't think his stomach could handle this stuff on the best of days. He'd taken a few bites, but had mostly stayed with nibbling on some stale crackers they'd managed to find. It didn't help that Shiirice kept blatantly ignoring him as she giggled and talked only to Kazuma. The other man attempted several times to include Ryuhou in the conversation, but was mostly unsuccessful. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. Interrupting Kazuma's story about yet another ass-whipping they'd handed the Mainland armies, he pushed his bowl away and stood up. "Excuse me. I'm not hungry anymore."
Kazuma looked up at him, his smile fading. "You all right?"
Ryuhou paused. "No, not really. Goodnight."
He turned and walked as quickly as he could out of the room, cursing the fact that he still felt a bit unsteady on his feet. All he wanted was to get back to bed, to wipe the image of Shiirice's angry face out of his mind. He heard steps behind him, and Kazuma's voice, calling, "Hey, Ryuhou, wait up!" But he only walked faster... until a wave of dizziness ambushed him and he had to stop and brace himself against the wall.
Kazuma rushed to Ryuhou's side and tried to get the older boy to lean against him, but was quickly pushed away. "I don't want your help." Ryuhou used the wall to help him help his progress to his room with a worried Kazuma following, until he rounded a corner and was confronted with the thin paneling of older Japanese interior. He was forced to wobble as best he could to his room.
"Why are you being like this?" Kazuma tried to keep a nice tone but failed. He knew Ryuhou was ill and he should take it easy on him but it was grating on his nerves.
Ryuhou ignored him, continuing to make his way down the seemingly interminable hallway. Finally he arrived at his room, and collapsed on the futon, exhausted, not bothering to light a candle in the dark room. He shivered and turned his face to the wall, even as he felt the blankets shift with Kazuma's weight. "What are you doing, Kazuma?"
Kazuma's hand came to rest lightly on his shoulder, but Ryuhou flinched away, pulling closer to the wall. "I'm just trying to get you well..." he began, but Ryuhou interrupted.
"No. What are you doing with Shiirice?"
"What do you mean?" Kazuma didn't exactly follow what Ryuhou was getting at or wanted to hear.
Rolling over suddenly, Ryuhou fixed Kazuma with an angry glare, focusing on his silhouette in the darkness. "I mean, what are you trying to do? You about made me sick with all your flirting at dinner."
Kazuma was taken aback. "We weren't flirting that much," he began, blushing. Then he abruptly turned fierce. "And what’s it to you? It's only flirting."
Ryuhou couldn't take it. All the things him and Kazuma had been through... just when they were friends, Kazuma already barricaded himself in Shiirice's heart while he was unconscious. "Just flirting! Did you already screw her again?"
Kazuma narrowed his eyes and pulled his hand back. "How dare you ask that? I'm just trying to help her."
Ryuhou rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like getting in bed with her is going to help."
Before he'd realized it, Kazuma's hand had clenched into a fist as he jumped to his feet. "Is that what you think? That I could take advantage of a girl when she didn't have her memories?"
Adrenaline flooding into his body, Ryuhou was soon following Kazuma. Without thinking, he shoved him against the wall of the small room. "I don't know what to think anymore!" he shouted, slamming his fist next to Kazuma's head. "You didn't tell me about you and her before, even when you were fucking me. Why should now be any different?"
Kazuma used both hands to shove Ryuhou away, harder than he'd intended. "You don't know me very well, then," he growled as the other man staggered back a few steps. He was still worried about Ryuhou's weakened state, but anger was starting to overwhelm his concern. Stepping forward again, he pushed his face close to the other's, fists clenching in the front of his shirt. "I wouldn't do that. I can't say the same for you," he snarled. "But then again you weren't able to get anywhere with her in all the years you knew her."
Ryuhou's hands came up to grab at Kazuma's wrists. "That's because I didn't want to take advantage of a young, naive girl. Something you wouldn't know about.”
"Go ahead and tell yourself that!" Kazuma yelled. "Anything but the truth that you weren't man enough to love her!" The words were out of Kazuma's mouth before he could stop them. From the instant hurt expression Ryuhou's face, Kazuma knew he had hit his mark. He hadn't meant to go that far and immediately tried to amend, "Ryuhou, I- "
Ryuhou's face hardened a second later and his fist connected with Kazuma's jaw. Kazuma fell back but grabbed Ryuhou’s arm and pulled him down with him. That suited Ryuhou fine... he straddled Kazuma and continued to punch the daylights out of him. "Just because I don't mistake a fuck for love doesn't mean anything!"
Kazuma managed to grab Ryuhou's wrists, stopping the assault. Some part of his mind was still worried that the other man still felt weak... the hits lacked their usual strength, even though they hurt quite a bit. Ignoring that nagging feeling, he flipped Ryuhou over so he was pinning the other to the ground. "What do you know about love?" he shouted. "You wouldn't know love if it was right in front of you!"
For a long moment, the two only stared at each other, breathing heavily. Ryuhou was shaking... from anger or adrenaline wearing off, he didn't know. He searched Kazuma's face for answers, finding none. Kazuma leaned closer, his breath mingling with Ryuhou's as he continued to meet the intense gaze. The shift of weight on top of Ryuhou ground their hips together, making him suddenly aware of how aroused they both had become. His eyes widened as another, different shudder ran through him. Kazuma blinked in surprise, then scrambled off him. "Aw, forget it," he growled. "Just... go to bed." Before he could think better of it, he turned on his heel and stalked out the door.
***********
Shiirice finished scrubbing the caramelized and grungy blackness that Kazuma had left on the bottom of the pan. She didn't know why she had to scrub dishes because Kazuma had to go calm down that Ryuhou-guy. She didn't know what his problem was. One minute he was tackling and groping her and the next he looked like he was going off to cry. Maybe the reason he was sick in bed was he was a lunatic. Well the farther he stayed away from her, the better. Hopefully, that really nice guy, Kazuma, would protect her if he got too close. She didn't like the look in Ryuhou's eyes. Something about it made her feel... she didn't know what it was. Weird, she just guessed. "There!" she crowed as she finished the last dinner dish. Blowing out the last few candles, she hurried out of the room. She hoped Kazuma was done setting that Ryuhou straight.
Spotting Kazuma in the hall, she ran up to throw her arms around him. She wasn't expecting him to stiffen in her arms. In the few days she knew him, he had always reacted warmly when she hugged him. "Kazuma? What's wrong?"
"Shiirice," Kazuma's voice was strained as if he was trying to hold his breath. "Go to bed. I've got to go... take a walk."
"Um, okay," Shiirice tilted her head and let him go by her. She pouted for a moment, considering following him, but decided she didn’t want to annoy him further. If he was bothered about something, he’d tell her later. Her mind made up, she walked hurriedly to her room, anxious to get under the warm blankets.