NOVEL NEXT 41: Bedside Happenings
The brisk walk to the medical suites where Fuzō lay gave Kana a lot to think about. Not that she didn't already have enough on her mind. It was just that now there was more immediate distractions again. She took the time to get a firmer grip on herself, something that helped clear the bitterness souring her mood.
Contrary to Kana's expectations, they did not exit from the sealed chamber door from which Kana entered, but from a secret passage that blended in with the stone walls. The fact that she never even guessed it was there made her wonder just how many other such doors might be present in that chamber.
Very interesting indeed.
However she had no chance to ask about it further, as the rest of the journey was spent describing Fuzō's injuries and unique condition as best she could, along with the treatment Fuzō had already received for her more conventional wounds. Kana had planned to do so regardless, but whole situation was still a bit frustrating. How to even describe what her chakra did to soothe Fuzō's pain? And that was on top of, once again, postponing her more personal matters and questions.
Despite it all, the irritation and twinging at the back of her mind seemed to ease at the thought of Fuzō being treated.
Kana slowly realized that it might actually be for the best to rid herself of this... distracted state... before addressing her primary concerns. It would certainly help keep her calm, prevent another shameful outburst. Her inability and inexperience once again was not doing her any favors. Kana could wait to ask those questions, wait just a little longer anyway, but Fuzō's life might very well hang in the balance.
A life that... Kana had already invested a lot in saving. And besides, Fuzō might want to hear some answers herself.
Particularly confusing feelings arose from those thoughts. Why did she feel a little better with Fuzō but not so much Fuzō's mother, a supposedly obvious ally? Why did that even weigh so much on her mind at all? Why was it so hard to start the conversation she had come all this way to have?
These thoughts and foul memories of a certain cell deep within a mountain occupied the back of her mind as she relayed what she knew to Fuzō's mother.
For her part, Kaoru seemed to have both the patience and ability to switch tracks of conversation very easily, absorbing anything Kana said and immediately considering options before they even arrived at their destination.
Admittedly, Kana's first impression of her wasn't the greatest, but this side of Kaoru seemed capable and experienced. Dependable, but... off somehow. It wasn't as bad as the other sensations and warning signs her senses had alerted her to in the past, but the atmosphere between the two had worrying undertones.
Kana pushed it from her attention as together they exited a passage onto a balcony that overlooked a patient's ward. The wooden stairwell down from which led to a set of spacious rooms, most with clean tile floors and well-crafted furniture befitting of a luxury suite. A backroom had a sign identifying it as the entrance to a private hotspring.
Kana casually noted its location for future reference.
An arched hallway led to a wide room with wide windows on one side overlooking a rather plain garden courtyard, but a segment of the room was partitioned off with white hospital blinders, behind which was a similarly sterile-white operating table and patient's cot. Clean and comfortable, various amenities like robes, cleansing products, and a variety of toiletries lay prepared but untouched.
Fuzō lay unconscious on the operating table, partially wearing one such clean and light robe. Or more of a gown perhaps? A middle-aged looking woman, presumably a nurse, had drawn the gown back and removed some of Fuzō's soiled or damaged bandages, dabbing at the wounds with cleaning instruments and removing the preexisting ointment on her burns. The grey-haired nurse wore the same heavy medic robes that Nishi and Amano had worn.
At the sight of Kaoru's approach, the nurse lay her instruments to the side and handed over a series of parchments, then bowed and excused herself. Kana's eyes traced her as she exited, expression neutral once again.
Kaoru however barely acknowledged the woman's presence and departure, intently inspecting the limp form of her daughter. Her eyes were completely focused now, despite the moisture glimmering in the corners of her eyelids.
Kana watched in momentary curiosity as the older woman's hands glowed a bright green with the flow of medical jutsu, those hands running over Fuzō's wounds and glancing back and forth between injuries and the parchment notes. A glimpse over her shoulder revealed diagrams of a human body with noted segments and injuries outlined, all sorts of illegible notes written in the margins.
An impressively short time later, Kaoru released her breath and turned to Kana,
"I've confirmed it myself, she is in a stable physical condition. Not certain about those strange chakra-sickness symptoms you've told me about, but something like that... will require a different sort of preparation I must handle later. The wounds she has sustained are not fatal, just... extremely traumatizing. Her pathways are ragged with strain, I can see it clearly. Like she hasn't rested in months. This isn't quite like what I imagined, more serious. Hmm..." She placed a hand to her chin at that, a look of deep concentration furrowing her brows.
Going months without rest? That wasn't far from the truth, if Kana understood correctly. The phantom hostility and torment apparently reached even into Fuzō's dreams, the rest she had gotten was only due to Kana's own mysterious chakra.
What's more, the strange attitude and demeanor that Kana felt was off with Kaoru earlier had vanished for a moment, replaced by the calm and cool of a professional. Despite it being her own daughter so horribly afflicted, Kaoru didn't panic or avoid the problem like Fumio and the Yuka Group leaders did. She coldly analyzed it, listened to Kana attentively, and seemingly had her own thoughts about healing the affliction accordingly.
This was another form of strength, wasn't it? Fuzō and Kaoru... were both hardy and strong in their own ways, strengths of heart that Kana felt lacking in herself. Strength to resist collapsing to despair even under severe psychological duress. These people held passion within them as fiery as the red shades of their hair, sentiments which resonated with Kana. A valuable addition to her perspective.
"I'm glad I had a chance... to see this first." Kana whispered under her breath. She felt she had to say it aloud, to make it more than one of the millions of thoughts that came to her mind. The nearly inaudible whisper, for Kana like an ardent pledge. An acknowledgement of how much she still had to learn, how far she had come, and the new foundation she had made for herself.
Kaoru truly offered a glaring contrast to the behavior of Fumio and the Yuka, indeed. And in that contrast there were lessons to be learned, about actions and planning, about the passion of feelings. The Yuka's negligence had nearly gotten Fuzō killed. Something Kana had grown to find more and more unacceptable.
Nearly killed... like the others in their convoy. Ryuu, too...
Kana grimaced at the unpleasant reminder. Monsters more real than the phantom ones plaguing Fuzō still lurked out there somewhere.
Fuzō's words about... trusting the Yamakuni here to help her rung a little bit more truthfully to Kana's ears. Their barriers and fortress were surely safer than the wilderness. It brought back some steadiness and confidence she felt was lost after all these stressful events and worries.
Still, the sight of the unconscious woman and memories of the agony Fuzō suffered left the girl feeling restless inside. There was another way she could help in the meantime, that was a certainty. Kana was growing fond of the few certainties she knew. She could still take action, one problem at a time.
That in mind, Kana maneuvered herself between Fuzō and Kaoru while the latter turned and went about gathering supplies and bandages from a nearby cabinet. Kana slipped a hand behind her back to discreetly channel some of her chakra into Fuzō's, if only to ease whatever nightmares she might be suffering. Kana wasn't sure she wanted Kaoru to observe her doing that just yet, but seeing how Fuzō's shoulders relaxed told Kana she was at least helping.
That sight alone was enough for Kana to continue the practice, no matter if anyone else saw or not. It brought the realization that it no longer mattered. Kana breathed in and then out a long sigh, surprisingly relaxed at the faintly familiar sense of calm and confidence that helping Fuzō brought.
Familiar.
That was the word Fuzō and Kana had both used to describe how the chakra channeling felt to one another. That was the best way either of them could describe it. To feel that familiarity even after only a short while, amidst all the uncertainty swirling around both of their futures, it was... it was comforting.
Kana's fingers entwined with an unconscious Fuzō's and squeezed them tightly. An emotion Kana did not understand welled up with intensity like a wave from her chest, nearly bringing her to tears. Her eyes stung as she leaned forward, clenching her heart as the jolting sensation passed quickly as it came. Why did the emptiness it left behind... hurt so much?
Kaoru, unaware of this, had stood up from the cabinent with her arms full of all manner of bottles and instruments, though she paused a moment more while laying them out on a countertop, speaking once more with a strained tone,
"It pains me to see her like this, but I can tell from just a glance that she would never have made it without the care she received... from you?" A glance back at Kana showed a firm face with eyes full of warmth, but the girl didn't feel very reassured when she matched the gaze.
Kana was still distracted, doing her best to shake off lingering feelings even as Kaoru resumed her tasks,
"A relief knowing no bounds eases my heart, to see firsthand how she has been cared for, even in such a state."
The older woman then bowed deeply to Kana, "You have my personal, sincerest thanks. Not of obligation or in my capacity as an overseer, but my personal thanks. Thank you for saving her. Thank you for bringing her back to us alive!"
Both of their faces were solemn, but Kana's even more so. There were situations right in front of her to deal with, reflection could come later. That said, a preoccupied Kana couldn't prevent her own remaining concern and disgruntlement from leaking into her voice, "Of course. Fuzō's safety has been in my hands for so long now, I could-"
she hesitated, bemused by a surprising series of worried thoughts as she still channeled chakra into Fuzō.
I could... what?
She shook those startlingly vivid thoughts away and continued on for her own sake, "I... trust that in return I can count on your support for a few requests of my own."
This was a way to get back to more productive thoughts. Yes, a way to focus...
Kaoru rose from her bow of thanks with eyebrows drawn uncertainly. Something in Kana's words seemed to have left her conflicted. And that worried the girl in return.
"B-but of course, within reason yes? However, since Fuzō has returned alive and we're expecting her to recover... the mission request reward will already be granted. Do you mean addition to that, or perhaps instead of it?" She glanced to her daughter's slumbering face while she spoke, avoiding Kana's gaze. That slightly awkward atmosphere returned like the calm from minutes ago was a lie.
Mission, request? Kana knew nothing of the sort. Had that been mentioned back in the barrier chamber? Regardless, getting answers was a top priority. What to do...
"I... don't remember any details of this. Please explain about... this mission request, again." She chose her words carefully here. It sounded like she was entitled to some sort of reward, and Kana was reluctant to lose out on such a thing.
But after a beat, the situation took a turn.
"You're not... you really are not... sent from Uzushio, are you? I, I couldn't even imagine how..." Kaoru's face showed a shocked sort of serious concern, a wariness born more of uncertainty than hostility. In fact, the woman seemed more worried about something else, distracted rather than intent upon Kana.
What- what was this misunderstanding? Was this about her appearance? Again, Kana had made her resolve before already. She didn't know enough about anything to handle this vaguely. It was worrying, but... what would she have to-
"Ah! I- of course I mean no disrespect! This, this situation is just beyond anything I could imagine. There's just, just nothing about this makes sense at all. Someone of your signature is without a doubt welcome to the fullest of the aid we can spare. Let alone in thanks of what you've done for Fuzō."
Kaoru's hesitation turned briefly frantic, placating Kana's rising wariness.
A handkerchief appeared seemingly from nowhere in Kaoru's hands as she dabbed her own forehead, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
"But, if it has come to this, I- I am afraid I have no idea what is going on here. If you tell me more about... the circumstances that have brought you here, only then will I have any idea how to proceed. I don't think I could tend to Fuzō if someone of your... eminence had not been accounted for."
Sly, very sly, using Fuzō's situation to frame the issue. Kana's eyes widened and then narrowed as she heard this, for once feeling like she could see through the situation. Realizing how this left room for them to sort this out. Kaoru's deference made a bit more sense now, this awkward atmosphere. It would do well for everyone to work this out. The way the older woman had broached the topic recovered nicely from the direct confrontation. Marvelous indeed, quite admirable. If left to her own initiative, Kana would probably have blundered into even more misunderstandings.
If it had come to this, indeed... wouldn't it be much better to ease into the heart of the matter from the edges, calm everyone down before the most difficult topics came up? Kana would certainly feel more at ease if they took this slowly. Kaoru's approach was... strangely considerate.
"I can agree to that. We should talk... about Fuzō-san and I." Despite all the concerns in the back of her mind, Kana felt serene as she said that, her voice softer and more relaxed than ever that day.
The opportunity presented itself, no, was presented to her gracefully. Just like the opportunity she discovered simply by talking to Michiko, all it took was chance and a few words in the right order to open up a path just when you needed one. And Kana had more experience now than she did back then. If she could just apply that effectively...
A bit of anger colored Kana's next words, but it was drowned in the tensity of her seriousness, "I guess the place to start... is who did this to Fuzō-san and I, and how we arrived in the state we did. I think... there are enemies around that we should all be worried about."
