All Things Come to an End - Chapter 2 - January 2006
Chapter One
All Things Come to an End - Chapter Two
Gojyo hated Hakkai at times like this. Damn the man for being so reasonable! He'd gone and given Yaone his room, and had been sleeping on the floor in the main living area of their small, two-bedroom house. He hadn't wanted to put Gojyo out, he said. Hah! Gojyo thought, angrily. Nice of him to decide this without asking. When called on it, he pointed out reasonably that Gojyo entertained til the small hours, and if Hakkai was to share his room, it would put a damper on Gojyo's love-life. And of course it was out of the question that he would share the room with Yaone. He was too honourable to even suggest such a thing.
Gojyo glared down at the sleeping man balefully. He was making him look bad again, and Gojyo didn't appreciate that. He prodded Hakkai with a toe. "Wake up, you lazy, good-fer-nothing," he teased and grinned when Hakkai opened one eye and glared at him.
"Aren't you normally the one who gets up before everyone else and makes the breakfast? You're slacking in your old age," he teased the poor Hakkai unmercifully. Hakkai sat up groggily and stretched, elegant as usual, even with having spent the last few nights on the floor. Gojyo felt a stab of envy. How did he manage to look so good?
He poked Hakkai again, then left him to wake up on his own. Something wasn't quite right, he worried. He was right - normally Hakkai would be up by now, waking them with the delicious smells of food and beverage. Not still sleeping. From the look on Yaone's face as he passed her standing in the doorway, he could tell she was worried as well. Their eyes met in acknowledgement.
She would see to it that Hakkai would either get help or be helped regardless. Her glance told him that much. He would hate to be Hakkai and have Yaone on his case. Gojyo gave an internal smirk. Served him right for making himself ill.
Hakkai attempted to drag himself to full consciousness, but it was a struggle. He didn't understand, why wasn't he as alert as he normally was? He could tell something was wrong, but he didn't want to worry them, so he got himself up slowly, tidied up the bedroll and made his way to the bathroom to clean up. On the way, he stumbled and was automatically helped by both Yaone and Gojyo, who'd heard his faltering steps.
They helped him to sit on the sofa, putting him in the fainting recovery position, his head down. Yaone knelt in front of him, grabbing his face in her hand gently to get a better look at him. "You're going to the doctor's Hakkai, even if I have to drag you there myself," Yaone stated. "I'm not going to take no for an answer, either, understand me?" she asked him as she looked at him appraisingly. His colour was off, she noticed worriedly and exchanged another glance with Gojyo.
Hakkai moved away from her grasp, and held up his hand. "No, it's all right. I'm fine. I may have just caught a cold or something from one of the children," he replied lightly. He'd started giving the local children lessons again, as he had done before meeting Gojyo all that time ago, feeling at a loss for what to do with himself now that they didn't have anything to occupy their time.
He'd forgotten there had been something going around their neighbourhood and he was in a prime position to get whatever came as he was constantly surrounded with other people in an enclosed environment. He didn't want Yaone and Gojyo to catch it, however.
"Please, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll just lay here, and..." unfortunately his body had other plans, and he pitched face-first into Yaone, who caught the out-cold young man and laid him back on the sofa, covering him up with the blanket from his bedroll.
Gojyo was already halfway out the door. "I'm off to get the doctor, Yaone. I'll be right back. Just keep him warm, ok?" he said as he closed the door on her nod. He didn't want her to see the worry etched on his face, as he could see it plain on hers. He knew she had experience, being as she was the daughter of an apothecary, but most of her experience had been at the behest of Kougaiji, whose needs were entirely different from theirs. He also worried that she was too close to the situation and wouldn't be able to be as objective as needed.
Yaone let out the breath she'd been holding as Gojyo left. She was more worried than she let on, as she'd seen this sort of thing before as a child. The illness came on suddenly and fast, leaving its victims too weak to fight off any secondary illnesses that came after. This meant that it had an unusually high mortality rate. Normally, a strong man like Hakkai would have no problem fighting it off, but the constant fighting over the past few years had worn him down a lot more than he was probably willing to admit.
Injuries like they'd sustained took time to recover from, even when, from all outward appearances, things might appear to be normal. She felt a pang of guilt, as she remembered quite a few of his injuries had been sustained at her hand, or on her behalf. She gazed sadly at the unconscious young man, absently smoothing his hair back from his face. Hopefully she'd have a chance to properly apologise to him. She'd do whatever it took to make sure he recovered fully, she said fiercely to the insensate Hakkai.
Sooner than she'd believed possible, Gojyo reappeared, the doctor in tow. It was a mark of the respect in which the townspeople held both men that the doctor had come with such alacrity. Hakkai had helped the doctor out so many times, he was only too willing to return the favour.
The doctor bent down and got on with his task, asking Yaone to support his head while he gave Hakkai some medicines to help bring down the fever. She was impressed with his professionalism and did everything he asked, sometimes knowing before he did what was needed. He smiled gratefully. If only the families of every patient were this willing to help, he reflected. It would make his job a lot easier.
Eventually he finished and helped the other two make the now-sleeping Hakkai more comfortable on the sofa. He looked critically at the others. "You know, ideally he should be in bed, not on the sofa," he said calmly, correctly interpreting the looks Yaone had been giving the peacefully sleeping young man. Whether she realised it or not, she was in love with the raven-haired Hakkai, the doctor chuckled to himself. He had no interest in their sleeping arrangements, but he hoped his words would help things along a little. The sober young man deserved a little happiness in his life, he felt.
Yaone blushed and looked away as the doctor was coming a bit too close to the mark for her comfort. She still hadn't made up her mind about her feelings, and until she did, nothing was going to change in the relationship. That didn't mean she was going to put Hakkai out of his bed any further, however.
"Gojyo, can you help me move Hakkai into his bed? The doctor's right - he can't sleep out here on the sofa. He should be in his own bed, where he belongs. I'll sleep out here instead; it makes more sense that way. After all, I'm still merely a guest," she said with a smile as Gojyo's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Merely a guest? Gojyo barely remembered the doctor was still present, or he'd have said or done something he would regret. As it was, he gave her a strange look, before lifting Hakkai and carrying him into his bedroom. As was to be expected, the room was spotless and his estimation of Yaone went up several notches. Not like his opinion counted any, he thought wryly. After making the young man comfortable in his own bed, he returned to see doctor just about to leave, and giving Yaone some last-minute instructions.
He thanked the doctor for coming so promptly and was rewarded with a smile. "I'm grateful to have been able to help, in my own small way. Young Hakkai's helped me out so much, it's a pleasure to be able to return the favour. I hope he makes a full recovery soon. Now remember to call me if anything gets worse," he added, and with that, disappeared out into the early morning crowd.
Gojyo turned to Yaone. "Just what was that all about? Merely a guest, my ass. You know full well how Hakkai feels about you," he glared at Yaone.
She looked back at him defiantly."That's as may be, but until I work out how I feel, this is where I am going to be," she replied, glaring right back at him. "I won't have Hakkai out of his bed on my account, nor you yours. Nothing you can do or say will change any of that," she said, crossing her arms as she plomped herself down on the sofa. Men; they were always so damned difficult, she huffed angrily to herself.
She was so busy being angry she was unprepared for what Gojyo did next. He scooped her up, carried her into Hakkai's room and deposited her unceremoniously on the floor beside Hakkai's bed. He then quickly left the room, locking the door behind him. He turned his back on the door, panting a little. Man, she was a fiesty one, he thought with an evil grin as he felt her pounding on the door.
She hadn't once yelled or screamed the place down, which proved his point. Even the pounding stopped relatively soon after it started, as soon as she realised it could wake Hakkai. He knew she was at the other side of the door, so he decided to let her know what he was about.
"I know you're there, so I will just cut to the chase. You're not coming out of that room until you admit to yourself, and to me, that you care about Hakkai. And not just as a friend, or someone who saved your pretty little ass more times than you can shake a stick at." He couldn't resist getting in a little dig at her for being on the losing end of the recent conflict. "And don't even think about waking Hakkai up, even though I know you wouldn't. You know what it takes, so just do it. I'll be back in a few hours to give you some time to think it over."
He grinned and moved away from the door once it became clear she wasn't going to say anything. Fine, have it your way, he thought in amusement. She'd see soon enough that he was serious. Hakkai deserved to be happy, and if she made him happy, then all the more reason for her to get over whatever issues she had so that they could be together. He began to whistle, cheerfully.
"I think I'm going to go out today," he said with a grin. He knew that Yaone was more than capable of taking care of Hakkai with what she had on hand; he had made sure to leave the medication the doctor had given him on Hakkai's desk, as well as a pitcher of water. He wouldn't be gone that long anyway, so he'd be back well before anything critical could develop, if it was going to happen at all.
Yaone's heart sank with Gojyo's words. She glared at the door angrily. Why did he have to meddle? It wasn't his business anyway how she felt about anyone or anything. She put her back to the door and sank to the floor in desperation. She wasn't going to give Gojyo the satisfaction of an admission of anything, she resolved firmly, deliberately not looking at the sleeping form on the bed.
And why did Hakkai have to get sick now, of all times? She was having a hard enough time as it was, keeping herself apart from the two men as much as she could get away with, but it wasn't as successful as she'd hoped. Hakkai was an easy man to like, and while Gojyo was an infuriating person, he was also so easy-going that it was hard to take him seriously. She growled in frustration. Eugh. Men.
As she ruminated on her predicament, Hakkai shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He drifted in and out of consciousness, mumbling random words and phrases. He appeared to be having a nightmare of some sort, Yaone realised, as he cried out from time to time in pain. She quickly went to his bedside, wetting a corner of the sheet with some water from the pitcher on his desk and patting his forehead with it in an attempt to calm him and bring down his fever, which had gone up again.
He grabbed at her wrist in a vice-like grip, causing her to bite her lip to avoid crying out in pain. She didn't want to cause him any unnecessary distress, any more so than he was already experiencing. After a while, his grasp on her wrist relaxed and he settled into an uneasy slumber, occasionally tossing and turning. She caught the name of his long-dead lover, Kanan, and winced at the pain in his voice as he called out her name.
She smoothed the now sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead and spoke in what she hoped was a soothing voice, trying to calm him down. It couldn't be good for him, reliving the pain and grief of the past, and it broke her heart to see him like this. He sounded so lost and lonely as he now began calling for her. She bent over him, tears in her eyes, smoothing his hair and speaking in a low voice to him, telling him it would be all right, Yaone was there. She wanted to cry, but now wasn't the time, she felt. Right now, Hakkai needed her strength and by the Gods, she'd give all she had, if she had to, to make it all right for him.
Whatever she did, it seemed to have been the right thing, as he instantly calmed and fell into a more natural sleep. Feeling his forehead, she found his fever had broken and wept with relief. She hoped that the worst was over now. She didn't know if she could take more of it without cracking. Damn Gojyo and his interfering. When he released her, he would get a piece of her mind, that was for sure.
Yaone felt as if she'd been drained of all her energy and it took all of her strength not to drift off into sleep. Idly wondering what the doctor had left for Hakkai, she went over to the desk and had a look at the medication. It seemed all right to her, so she prepared the next dosage for Hakkai, leaving it within reach, should he need it. That being done, she felt even more tired and worn out.
Intending to rest for just a short period of time, she laid her head down, propped on her arms, beside Hakkai on the bed. Instantly she fell asleep. A few hours later, Hakkai woke, his mouth dry and feeling like he'd just battled all the youkai in the world. Surprised to find himself in his own bed, he looked around carefully, as much as his pounding head would allow. His eyebrows shot up as he saw Yaone, her head resting just a little ways away from his hand, fast asleep. He chuckled quietly. He'd wanted her in his bed, but not like this.
It appeared that he'd been taken ill, and she'd obviously been caring for him. How long had he been ill for, he wondered idly. He stroked her hair gently, admiring its lovely hue, and how it flowed silkily through his fingers. At his touch, she abruptly awoke, startled to see him awake and lucid. She blushed and tried to pull away, but his fingers were caught in her hair, making it difficult for her to move.
Hakkai chuckled and withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, Miss Yaone. I seem to have caused you some trouble," he said apologetically as she rose from the bed. She patted his hand and smiled, relieved that he appeared to be recovering well. He must be pretty strong indeed, for the illness to have broken so quickly, although she recognised it was partly due to the skill of the doctor as well and the medication he'd given Hakkai.
"It's nothing," she replied, as she turned away to get the medication she'd prepared earlier for him to take, and grateful for the interruption. "Here, take this. It'll help you feel better," she added, as she gave him the medicine and watched as he grimaced at the taste. She shrugged apologetically.
"How long have I been....?" he asked when he'd finished.
Yaone smiled. "Not long, actually. For a few hours, I'd say, by now. I'm glad you're feeling better though. Normally this takes a lot more to get rid of than most things. But then again, I guess you're not the same as most other people, are you?" she asked, rhetorically. "You'll still have to keep taking the medicine, though. I don't want you getting sick again," she said sternly, then laughed as he nodded meekly.
"Have you been taking care of me all this time, then?" he asked, and smiled when she nodded.
"For the most part, yes. Gojyo went and got the doctor when you first collapsed this morning. He gave you the initial dose and help, then left us to do the rest. But..." she stopped. What was she going to tell him about how they'd ended up in his room, locked in by Gojyo?
Hakkai looked at her quizzically. "But..?" he prompted her, when it looked like she wasn't going to continue. After a moment's thought, he wondered where Gojyo was. It wasn't like him to not be there when Hakkai was ill. Especially if he'd gone to get the doctor. He tried to sit up, but Yaone pushed him back down again with a firm hand.
"You're not going anywhere. Gojyo's fine. He's gone out for a bit. That's part of the problem," she said, and looked away. "He's...well, he's gone and locked me in, that's what he's done," she said, her voice rising. "Locked us in," she amended, and glanced sidelong at Hakkai to see how he was taking it.
To her surprise, he appeared to be laughing. At her. She turned away from him, her arms crossed in annoyance. Honestly. Men were all just idiots, she thought angrily, brushing tears of embarrassment away from her eyes. She shrugged off Hakkai's hand as he reached out to her, instantly regretting it as she saw his hurt expression.
"I'm sorry, it's all that doctor's fault," she cried. "He made an offhand comment, which got Gojyo going, and he went and locked me in here with you, swearing he wasn't going to let me out until I admitted that I love you." She clapped her hands in front of her mouth in horror as she realised what she'd just said.
Hakkai grinned like an idiot. "What was that?" he asked, with just a hint of mischief in his voice. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you not just say you love me?" He grinned even more as he realised she had been caught out by her own admission and was unable, try as she might, to deny it.
She blushed deeply and looked down, nodding mutely. They both jumped as they heard Gojyo's voice from the doorway. "Well it's about bloody time," he teased.
Yaone jumped, startled, as she hadn't realised he was there. Hakkai steadied her as she almost fell over him in shock. He'd gotten himself settled into a comfortable sitting position, although he didn't really mind her tumbling into bed with him. He winked at his old friend. "Nice going, Gojyo. Scaring a lady. Honestly. Where are your manners?" he laughed.
He grinned even wider as Gojyo replied, "Right here in my pants," he gestured vaguely at his front. "Where they belong."
Yaone looked from one man to the other in dismay. They appeared to be enjoying this. She hadn't believed it was possible to blush so much, but she managed. Even Hakkai was appearing a bit pink, she noticed, and chuckled sheepishly. She decided to give as good as she got. "I'd like to see them, please," she announced and held out her hand, laughing at Gojyo's stunned expression.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Your manners. I'd like to see them. You said you kept them in your pants, where they belong. So let's see them then," she just couldn't resist teasing him, enjoying the stunned expressions on the faces of both men.
Laughing at his discomfiture, she relented. "Oh all right, you can keep them. They're probably so small nobody can see them. That is, if you even have any," she smirked and grinned at the outraged expression on his face as he realised what she was implying. That would teach him to mess with her, she thought triumphantly.
All Things Come to an End - Chapter Two
Gojyo hated Hakkai at times like this. Damn the man for being so reasonable! He'd gone and given Yaone his room, and had been sleeping on the floor in the main living area of their small, two-bedroom house. He hadn't wanted to put Gojyo out, he said. Hah! Gojyo thought, angrily. Nice of him to decide this without asking. When called on it, he pointed out reasonably that Gojyo entertained til the small hours, and if Hakkai was to share his room, it would put a damper on Gojyo's love-life. And of course it was out of the question that he would share the room with Yaone. He was too honourable to even suggest such a thing.
Gojyo glared down at the sleeping man balefully. He was making him look bad again, and Gojyo didn't appreciate that. He prodded Hakkai with a toe. "Wake up, you lazy, good-fer-nothing," he teased and grinned when Hakkai opened one eye and glared at him.
"Aren't you normally the one who gets up before everyone else and makes the breakfast? You're slacking in your old age," he teased the poor Hakkai unmercifully. Hakkai sat up groggily and stretched, elegant as usual, even with having spent the last few nights on the floor. Gojyo felt a stab of envy. How did he manage to look so good?
He poked Hakkai again, then left him to wake up on his own. Something wasn't quite right, he worried. He was right - normally Hakkai would be up by now, waking them with the delicious smells of food and beverage. Not still sleeping. From the look on Yaone's face as he passed her standing in the doorway, he could tell she was worried as well. Their eyes met in acknowledgement.
She would see to it that Hakkai would either get help or be helped regardless. Her glance told him that much. He would hate to be Hakkai and have Yaone on his case. Gojyo gave an internal smirk. Served him right for making himself ill.
Hakkai attempted to drag himself to full consciousness, but it was a struggle. He didn't understand, why wasn't he as alert as he normally was? He could tell something was wrong, but he didn't want to worry them, so he got himself up slowly, tidied up the bedroll and made his way to the bathroom to clean up. On the way, he stumbled and was automatically helped by both Yaone and Gojyo, who'd heard his faltering steps.
They helped him to sit on the sofa, putting him in the fainting recovery position, his head down. Yaone knelt in front of him, grabbing his face in her hand gently to get a better look at him. "You're going to the doctor's Hakkai, even if I have to drag you there myself," Yaone stated. "I'm not going to take no for an answer, either, understand me?" she asked him as she looked at him appraisingly. His colour was off, she noticed worriedly and exchanged another glance with Gojyo.
Hakkai moved away from her grasp, and held up his hand. "No, it's all right. I'm fine. I may have just caught a cold or something from one of the children," he replied lightly. He'd started giving the local children lessons again, as he had done before meeting Gojyo all that time ago, feeling at a loss for what to do with himself now that they didn't have anything to occupy their time.
He'd forgotten there had been something going around their neighbourhood and he was in a prime position to get whatever came as he was constantly surrounded with other people in an enclosed environment. He didn't want Yaone and Gojyo to catch it, however.
"Please, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll just lay here, and..." unfortunately his body had other plans, and he pitched face-first into Yaone, who caught the out-cold young man and laid him back on the sofa, covering him up with the blanket from his bedroll.
Gojyo was already halfway out the door. "I'm off to get the doctor, Yaone. I'll be right back. Just keep him warm, ok?" he said as he closed the door on her nod. He didn't want her to see the worry etched on his face, as he could see it plain on hers. He knew she had experience, being as she was the daughter of an apothecary, but most of her experience had been at the behest of Kougaiji, whose needs were entirely different from theirs. He also worried that she was too close to the situation and wouldn't be able to be as objective as needed.
Yaone let out the breath she'd been holding as Gojyo left. She was more worried than she let on, as she'd seen this sort of thing before as a child. The illness came on suddenly and fast, leaving its victims too weak to fight off any secondary illnesses that came after. This meant that it had an unusually high mortality rate. Normally, a strong man like Hakkai would have no problem fighting it off, but the constant fighting over the past few years had worn him down a lot more than he was probably willing to admit.
Injuries like they'd sustained took time to recover from, even when, from all outward appearances, things might appear to be normal. She felt a pang of guilt, as she remembered quite a few of his injuries had been sustained at her hand, or on her behalf. She gazed sadly at the unconscious young man, absently smoothing his hair back from his face. Hopefully she'd have a chance to properly apologise to him. She'd do whatever it took to make sure he recovered fully, she said fiercely to the insensate Hakkai.
Sooner than she'd believed possible, Gojyo reappeared, the doctor in tow. It was a mark of the respect in which the townspeople held both men that the doctor had come with such alacrity. Hakkai had helped the doctor out so many times, he was only too willing to return the favour.
The doctor bent down and got on with his task, asking Yaone to support his head while he gave Hakkai some medicines to help bring down the fever. She was impressed with his professionalism and did everything he asked, sometimes knowing before he did what was needed. He smiled gratefully. If only the families of every patient were this willing to help, he reflected. It would make his job a lot easier.
Eventually he finished and helped the other two make the now-sleeping Hakkai more comfortable on the sofa. He looked critically at the others. "You know, ideally he should be in bed, not on the sofa," he said calmly, correctly interpreting the looks Yaone had been giving the peacefully sleeping young man. Whether she realised it or not, she was in love with the raven-haired Hakkai, the doctor chuckled to himself. He had no interest in their sleeping arrangements, but he hoped his words would help things along a little. The sober young man deserved a little happiness in his life, he felt.
Yaone blushed and looked away as the doctor was coming a bit too close to the mark for her comfort. She still hadn't made up her mind about her feelings, and until she did, nothing was going to change in the relationship. That didn't mean she was going to put Hakkai out of his bed any further, however.
"Gojyo, can you help me move Hakkai into his bed? The doctor's right - he can't sleep out here on the sofa. He should be in his own bed, where he belongs. I'll sleep out here instead; it makes more sense that way. After all, I'm still merely a guest," she said with a smile as Gojyo's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Merely a guest? Gojyo barely remembered the doctor was still present, or he'd have said or done something he would regret. As it was, he gave her a strange look, before lifting Hakkai and carrying him into his bedroom. As was to be expected, the room was spotless and his estimation of Yaone went up several notches. Not like his opinion counted any, he thought wryly. After making the young man comfortable in his own bed, he returned to see doctor just about to leave, and giving Yaone some last-minute instructions.
He thanked the doctor for coming so promptly and was rewarded with a smile. "I'm grateful to have been able to help, in my own small way. Young Hakkai's helped me out so much, it's a pleasure to be able to return the favour. I hope he makes a full recovery soon. Now remember to call me if anything gets worse," he added, and with that, disappeared out into the early morning crowd.
Gojyo turned to Yaone. "Just what was that all about? Merely a guest, my ass. You know full well how Hakkai feels about you," he glared at Yaone.
She looked back at him defiantly."That's as may be, but until I work out how I feel, this is where I am going to be," she replied, glaring right back at him. "I won't have Hakkai out of his bed on my account, nor you yours. Nothing you can do or say will change any of that," she said, crossing her arms as she plomped herself down on the sofa. Men; they were always so damned difficult, she huffed angrily to herself.
She was so busy being angry she was unprepared for what Gojyo did next. He scooped her up, carried her into Hakkai's room and deposited her unceremoniously on the floor beside Hakkai's bed. He then quickly left the room, locking the door behind him. He turned his back on the door, panting a little. Man, she was a fiesty one, he thought with an evil grin as he felt her pounding on the door.
She hadn't once yelled or screamed the place down, which proved his point. Even the pounding stopped relatively soon after it started, as soon as she realised it could wake Hakkai. He knew she was at the other side of the door, so he decided to let her know what he was about.
"I know you're there, so I will just cut to the chase. You're not coming out of that room until you admit to yourself, and to me, that you care about Hakkai. And not just as a friend, or someone who saved your pretty little ass more times than you can shake a stick at." He couldn't resist getting in a little dig at her for being on the losing end of the recent conflict. "And don't even think about waking Hakkai up, even though I know you wouldn't. You know what it takes, so just do it. I'll be back in a few hours to give you some time to think it over."
He grinned and moved away from the door once it became clear she wasn't going to say anything. Fine, have it your way, he thought in amusement. She'd see soon enough that he was serious. Hakkai deserved to be happy, and if she made him happy, then all the more reason for her to get over whatever issues she had so that they could be together. He began to whistle, cheerfully.
"I think I'm going to go out today," he said with a grin. He knew that Yaone was more than capable of taking care of Hakkai with what she had on hand; he had made sure to leave the medication the doctor had given him on Hakkai's desk, as well as a pitcher of water. He wouldn't be gone that long anyway, so he'd be back well before anything critical could develop, if it was going to happen at all.
Yaone's heart sank with Gojyo's words. She glared at the door angrily. Why did he have to meddle? It wasn't his business anyway how she felt about anyone or anything. She put her back to the door and sank to the floor in desperation. She wasn't going to give Gojyo the satisfaction of an admission of anything, she resolved firmly, deliberately not looking at the sleeping form on the bed.
And why did Hakkai have to get sick now, of all times? She was having a hard enough time as it was, keeping herself apart from the two men as much as she could get away with, but it wasn't as successful as she'd hoped. Hakkai was an easy man to like, and while Gojyo was an infuriating person, he was also so easy-going that it was hard to take him seriously. She growled in frustration. Eugh. Men.
As she ruminated on her predicament, Hakkai shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He drifted in and out of consciousness, mumbling random words and phrases. He appeared to be having a nightmare of some sort, Yaone realised, as he cried out from time to time in pain. She quickly went to his bedside, wetting a corner of the sheet with some water from the pitcher on his desk and patting his forehead with it in an attempt to calm him and bring down his fever, which had gone up again.
He grabbed at her wrist in a vice-like grip, causing her to bite her lip to avoid crying out in pain. She didn't want to cause him any unnecessary distress, any more so than he was already experiencing. After a while, his grasp on her wrist relaxed and he settled into an uneasy slumber, occasionally tossing and turning. She caught the name of his long-dead lover, Kanan, and winced at the pain in his voice as he called out her name.
She smoothed the now sweat-soaked hair away from his forehead and spoke in what she hoped was a soothing voice, trying to calm him down. It couldn't be good for him, reliving the pain and grief of the past, and it broke her heart to see him like this. He sounded so lost and lonely as he now began calling for her. She bent over him, tears in her eyes, smoothing his hair and speaking in a low voice to him, telling him it would be all right, Yaone was there. She wanted to cry, but now wasn't the time, she felt. Right now, Hakkai needed her strength and by the Gods, she'd give all she had, if she had to, to make it all right for him.
Whatever she did, it seemed to have been the right thing, as he instantly calmed and fell into a more natural sleep. Feeling his forehead, she found his fever had broken and wept with relief. She hoped that the worst was over now. She didn't know if she could take more of it without cracking. Damn Gojyo and his interfering. When he released her, he would get a piece of her mind, that was for sure.
Yaone felt as if she'd been drained of all her energy and it took all of her strength not to drift off into sleep. Idly wondering what the doctor had left for Hakkai, she went over to the desk and had a look at the medication. It seemed all right to her, so she prepared the next dosage for Hakkai, leaving it within reach, should he need it. That being done, she felt even more tired and worn out.
Intending to rest for just a short period of time, she laid her head down, propped on her arms, beside Hakkai on the bed. Instantly she fell asleep. A few hours later, Hakkai woke, his mouth dry and feeling like he'd just battled all the youkai in the world. Surprised to find himself in his own bed, he looked around carefully, as much as his pounding head would allow. His eyebrows shot up as he saw Yaone, her head resting just a little ways away from his hand, fast asleep. He chuckled quietly. He'd wanted her in his bed, but not like this.
It appeared that he'd been taken ill, and she'd obviously been caring for him. How long had he been ill for, he wondered idly. He stroked her hair gently, admiring its lovely hue, and how it flowed silkily through his fingers. At his touch, she abruptly awoke, startled to see him awake and lucid. She blushed and tried to pull away, but his fingers were caught in her hair, making it difficult for her to move.
Hakkai chuckled and withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, Miss Yaone. I seem to have caused you some trouble," he said apologetically as she rose from the bed. She patted his hand and smiled, relieved that he appeared to be recovering well. He must be pretty strong indeed, for the illness to have broken so quickly, although she recognised it was partly due to the skill of the doctor as well and the medication he'd given Hakkai.
"It's nothing," she replied, as she turned away to get the medication she'd prepared earlier for him to take, and grateful for the interruption. "Here, take this. It'll help you feel better," she added, as she gave him the medicine and watched as he grimaced at the taste. She shrugged apologetically.
"How long have I been....?" he asked when he'd finished.
Yaone smiled. "Not long, actually. For a few hours, I'd say, by now. I'm glad you're feeling better though. Normally this takes a lot more to get rid of than most things. But then again, I guess you're not the same as most other people, are you?" she asked, rhetorically. "You'll still have to keep taking the medicine, though. I don't want you getting sick again," she said sternly, then laughed as he nodded meekly.
"Have you been taking care of me all this time, then?" he asked, and smiled when she nodded.
"For the most part, yes. Gojyo went and got the doctor when you first collapsed this morning. He gave you the initial dose and help, then left us to do the rest. But..." she stopped. What was she going to tell him about how they'd ended up in his room, locked in by Gojyo?
Hakkai looked at her quizzically. "But..?" he prompted her, when it looked like she wasn't going to continue. After a moment's thought, he wondered where Gojyo was. It wasn't like him to not be there when Hakkai was ill. Especially if he'd gone to get the doctor. He tried to sit up, but Yaone pushed him back down again with a firm hand.
"You're not going anywhere. Gojyo's fine. He's gone out for a bit. That's part of the problem," she said, and looked away. "He's...well, he's gone and locked me in, that's what he's done," she said, her voice rising. "Locked us in," she amended, and glanced sidelong at Hakkai to see how he was taking it.
To her surprise, he appeared to be laughing. At her. She turned away from him, her arms crossed in annoyance. Honestly. Men were all just idiots, she thought angrily, brushing tears of embarrassment away from her eyes. She shrugged off Hakkai's hand as he reached out to her, instantly regretting it as she saw his hurt expression.
"I'm sorry, it's all that doctor's fault," she cried. "He made an offhand comment, which got Gojyo going, and he went and locked me in here with you, swearing he wasn't going to let me out until I admitted that I love you." She clapped her hands in front of her mouth in horror as she realised what she'd just said.
Hakkai grinned like an idiot. "What was that?" he asked, with just a hint of mischief in his voice. "Did I hear you correctly? Did you not just say you love me?" He grinned even more as he realised she had been caught out by her own admission and was unable, try as she might, to deny it.
She blushed deeply and looked down, nodding mutely. They both jumped as they heard Gojyo's voice from the doorway. "Well it's about bloody time," he teased.
Yaone jumped, startled, as she hadn't realised he was there. Hakkai steadied her as she almost fell over him in shock. He'd gotten himself settled into a comfortable sitting position, although he didn't really mind her tumbling into bed with him. He winked at his old friend. "Nice going, Gojyo. Scaring a lady. Honestly. Where are your manners?" he laughed.
He grinned even wider as Gojyo replied, "Right here in my pants," he gestured vaguely at his front. "Where they belong."
Yaone looked from one man to the other in dismay. They appeared to be enjoying this. She hadn't believed it was possible to blush so much, but she managed. Even Hakkai was appearing a bit pink, she noticed, and chuckled sheepishly. She decided to give as good as she got. "I'd like to see them, please," she announced and held out her hand, laughing at Gojyo's stunned expression.
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Your manners. I'd like to see them. You said you kept them in your pants, where they belong. So let's see them then," she just couldn't resist teasing him, enjoying the stunned expressions on the faces of both men.
Laughing at his discomfiture, she relented. "Oh all right, you can keep them. They're probably so small nobody can see them. That is, if you even have any," she smirked and grinned at the outraged expression on his face as he realised what she was implying. That would teach him to mess with her, she thought triumphantly.