The Hearts War: Destiny Ninja

Chapter 22: Comfort

A/N: Get cozy for some fluffy scenes

COMFORT
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Hyosuke had taken me to his room to change, but before that, he asked a servant to bring a bowl of hot water, to which he dropped the towel inside and I heard him instruct her to

"Take this and give her a little scrub, then dress her with this underneath the shirt; I'll be waiting outside."

The servant nodded mindlessly as she kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

He watched her approach me where I sat in Hyouskes chambers on a cushion on the floor.

I had only just started feeling the aches in my body. I had not gotten better yet from the previous night. My bandages needed changing and from the struggle earlier, even just lifting my arms was difficult to do.

The young servant shakily knelt before me with her mouth hung a little open, she quickly pulled the rag out of the bowl, absentmindedly she spilled hot water over my lap because she forgot to wring out the towel first. I winced in pain.

How much discomfort do I have to go through here.

"You know what-" He interrupted, taking the towel out of her hands and pushing the bowl away from her.

"You can go, I'll do it myself, just- close the door behind you."

"Master Hyosuke, I think it would be best for the lady if I-"

"I don't mind." I quickly interjected.

I hate it how people seem to pretend i'm not in the same room

". . .See?"

Hyosuke forced a smile and told the girl to leave.

"We'll be fine. Thank you." He continued.

"Very well sir. . . lady. . .I'll take my leave."

The servant girl quietly left the room but took one more curious look at me before she completely slid the door shut. And now I was alone with Hyosuke.

There was a deafening silence in the room between us. He broke the silence as he spoke

"You know, before you came along, I was the medical-nin for the group. . .We have a physician who treats the soldiers. He has assistants. . .But he's much too old to take care of everybody. . .which is why it was really cool of you to volunteer your medical skills."

I looked at him blankly. Where was he going with this.

He wrung the towel of hot tower into the bowl and clutched it, kneeling in front of me.

"What I mean to say is. . . We medical folk only really have each other. . And I don't trust an assistant or an old guy to take a look at you. . ."

I had started listening to him closely now, Hyosuke has been nothing but kind to me since I got here.

" . . .But if you really want a lady to do this; I can just supervise-"

"No. It's fine. Stay please." I interrupted

He sighed as if he were holding his breath very long.

I shifted myself to properly face him, and shakily with my aching arms, tried to push my hair back, he took charge and went behind me, removing the ribbon and tied my hair high up on my head in a bun very quickly. When he finished, he knelt in front of me with one knee; reaching both hands to my shirt, trying to remove it. I reflexively recoiled.

A little surprised, he felt like he needed to apologize for being too fast

"Uh. . .sorry. . . I've done this many times, sometimes with civilian women from attacked villages, so don't worry, I won't think that way while I'm-"