Chapter Text
The searing pain along your calf dragged you from your groggy slumber. After several heavy brinks, the familiar ceiling of the Butterfly Mansion came to view. The bed and covers nearly swallowed you whole, and with lead arms you pushed off quilts and struggled to sit up. After a sweaty seven minutes, you lean into the headboard, wiped out from lugging your body weight upward while trying to minimize jousting your right leg.
The shoji door slid open, and a short girl with twin braids entered carrying a tray. Naho’s eyes lit up at the sight of you.
“You’re awake! Everyone will be happy to hear.” The young girl shut the door and placed the tray on a side table.
“Naho? How long have I been asleep for?” You shifted to straighten your back.
“Only a couple of days,” Naho opened new wrappings and prepared an opaque ointment. “How do you feel? It’s time to change your bandaging.”
You yanked back the covers, the pajamas you commonly see on patients greeting you. Naho helped roll up your pant leg, and unwinded the wraps and gauze. Four angry, jagged scars throbbed hotly and you hold back a hiss. The young girl was quick and efficient in applying medicine and redressing.
“Thank you Naho, that feels much better.”
“My pleasure. Shinobu-sama’s wisteria remedy seems to be effective for treating the venom in your wounds. You need to rest well for a couple more days, so strict bedrest for you! Aoi-san’s orders.” Naho smiled at your groan.
Bed-rest wasn’t exactly the most stimulating treatment plan, especially when the only modes of entertainment were reading the medical journals from left in the bedside table, and the quick chats when you can catch one of the girls. You could recognize footsteps well enough to sneak around your room, sometimes waddling over the chair by the window, and dragging another chair to prop up your calf.
By next morning, you had read through all the medical literature stored in your room. Naho and the other girls were busy running around the mansion, a surge of injured slayers calling for all hands on deck. Aoi had given you a sharp look when you reached for the covers, and therefore were still banned from taking on any tasks outside of your bed. But with the treatment halls on the other side of the Butterfly mansion, surely no one would notice a quick sit in the sun?
With crunches under your arms, you pushed aside the door, and peaked outside. You waited for a breath, listening for nearby footsteps and movement. Only the distant chatter and running around reached your ears. Slowly, you creeped down the hallway, the sunset rays stretching into the garden. Pulling open another sliding door, this one of glass windows, you peer into the yard. Not a soul in sight, and a great view of the sunset. You reach for the wooden floor and lower yourself down, leaving your health leg to hang off the edge. The fresh air filled your lungs with a deep sigh as you leaned against a supporting beam.
“A deep content sigh! The sight is indeed magnificent.” A deep voice boomed from below. You squeaked as a familiar haori came into sight in the yard. “Rengoku-sama! Please pardon my late greeting.”
The hashira before you stood tall with an intense gaze. His dual-colored eyes flicked to your wrapped leg and back to your face. You felt a tad awkward, sitting on the open floor of the mansion gave you a slight advantage to the standing pillar. It was the first time seeing him so near. The individual strands of hair that had slipped from this hair tie. The distinct rings of two pigments stolen from the evening sky in his stare. Even the unique shape of his eyebrows added to his charm. His charm?
If you weren’t as close as you were to Rengoku, you would miss the dark bruising under his collar, the small sharp cuts across his cheek, and his tight grip on his forearm.
“It is good to see you up and around! How are your wounds?” The flame pillar leaned forward, searching your face for pain. His eyelashes are long.
“My wounds? Ah, I am getting better. The healers of the Butterfly Mansion are skilled at their craft. I’m thankful for your inquiry, but may I ask how you know of my injuries?” You only recall seeing the hashira at the last meeting here at Shinobu’s residence, but that had been weeks ago.
Rengoku and his wide stare tilted to the side. “Do you not recall? When you fought the demon - And quite valiantly might I add!- you used a short blade for your escape. You were falling-”
Realization struck like lightning. “-and you caught me.” You blinked. “You saved me. You saved my life.”
“Yes! Well, you saved yourself from the demon. I only stopped your fall!” He beamed.
“Oh. Oh. I see. I-” you swallowed, a heat crawling up your neck. “Thank you for catching me. I really thought that was going to be my end.” You bowed as much as you could from your seat. As you raised your head, another thought occurred, and mortification bloomed in your cheeks.
“Wait. Rengoku-sama, were you the one who carried me all the way here?” The person whose uniform you clung on to?
“There was no time to wait! The venom of a demon is a death sentence if not treated immediately. There were no other matters to attend to, and it would have been a death easily avoided.” His voice echoed in your ears. You pressed your face in your hands, trying to smother whatever expression was on your face. Memories of the warm safety, strong arms, the soothing sway of his gait bursted behind your eyes.
“That is true. Thank you for bringing me back.” You peeked through your fingers, and peered at what you saw earlier.
“And you? Are you alright? You are hurt.” Rengoku looked down as if he also just remembered his state. “The treatment hall is on the other side of the residence.”
“I am aware of the hall, but this wound had been treated yesterday. I have unintentionally ripped my stitches during my training.”
“I see. Perhaps I can have a look?” You rolled up your sleeves and patted the floor next. “ I have some training in minor healing that could be of assistance.” The flame hashira paused in thought, and ultimately came closer to pull up his sleeves. His skin was warm, and just added to the dusk imagery Rengoku always made you think of.
Underneath was a pinking wrap, held together with butterfly clips. You carefully pulled off wraps and exposed a series of stitches struggling to hold together a long, thin wound. You hummed as you investigated the scratch, gently rotating his tanned wrist to see the whole injury. The style of sutures was familiar.
“This style of stitches is often used by Shinobu-sama.” You noted, and placed a hand over the flame-breather's arm. He nodded, eyebrows raised.
Strolling around the opposite side of the treatment hall, where Shinobu’s office was, avoiding the rest of the leading healing staff who work directly under her… “Ah, I understand.” You looked up from your work. “You are avoiding Shinobu-sama. Because you reopened your wound.” You bit back a smile. The doctor could be quite terrifying when she wanted to be.
“She is a very busy person! I was simply waiting until the rush was over.” Rengoku smiled knowingly. “And you are supposed to be on bed-rest?”
Your hands tense for a second, and you straightened your line of sight anywhere but red and gold eyes. Pressing your lips together to hide your grin.
“Perhaps I can rewrap your arm and keep it to myself, and you can enjoy your unripped stitches and not see me outside my room?”
The flame hashira threw back his head in a booming laugh, his smile too infectious to resist.