SHE, WHO LIVES
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Y/N asks as she pointed out her index finger. Sayuri squints her eyes as if trying to focus.
"Two?" Y/N bites her lips and turns the door that opens with just who she was hoping to see. The soldier walks in with the mortar and pestle as ordered and hands it over to the noblewoman who's status is still unknown to him and the others.
Though they should no longer be unfazed with the pyro-user grabbing things out of mid-air like what she did with her polearm, the four militants and junior soldier watched in surprise as she took out a purple plant out of nowhere before dropping it into the mortar while keeping an eye on Sayuri. "My family was a line of doctors under the head clan of the commission that monitors our nation. But ever since the civil war and the stealing of visions, I couldn't complete my work and continue my research on this illness because the one of the larger commissioners dedicated to Her Excellency burned them." Mito turns to her friend and superior acrods Sayuri where Goshi gave her a look where he'd explain later.
"You mean the Tenryou commission you mentioned earlier?" the lieutenant colonel refers, raising a brow as he crosses his arms and watched Y/N's every move. It did make her feel uneasy but she proceeds anyways. The noblewoman nods and places down the pestle.
"This is the closest thing I have to a remedy. You need to make sure she stays away from anyone and everyone, let alone touch her. This thing is incredibly contagious it's almost mind-blowing," Y/N shakes her head and takes out a knife from her inventory, raising everyone's suspicion and guards.
"Woah, woah, what are you doing?" Mito stands up but immediately sits back down when the clan head raises her free hand to push her down.
"Yes, I will hurt her but not kill her. Injections won't work on patients affected by the energy," Y/N states and unfolds the knife. Goshi gets in front of Mito grabs her wrist, halting the actions of the young woman.
"And how can we trust you? We just met you," he furrows his eyebrows and tightens his grip on Y/N's wrist. Anyone would've let go of the knife by now, but her hold on the weapon did not falter.
"Your friend will die if you don't let go of me."
"And you will if you don't tell us your intentions."
"I have none. My mission these past few years was to rid of the Tatarigami disease. I've tested the medicine on myself countless of times to the point I've fainted, and I've been able to cure a handful of people affected by the virus. I know this seems unsafe but you need to trust me. Every second we're wasting right now is killing this girl and her too," she nods her head towards Mito who looks down to her hands. Y/N adds, "You can do whatever you want or need to me after this but let me treat them first. I promise to make this as painless as possible but the medicine will not allow that."
The blonde and his superior give each other a glance whilst Kureto watched this exchange in silence. The lieutenant general squints his eyes at Y/N, as if suspicious. He voices his thoughts, "How did the colonel catch this Tatarigami disease just by checking her temperature when you've done more than just that?" he raises a brow along with his wariness towards the woman who sighs.
"Other people in my clan think I've grown some sort of immunity against the energy because I've tested the medicines on myself as well as expose myself to patients affected by the Tatarigami but I highly doubt that. Though unlikely, I've come to realize that there are certain vision users who simply cannot be affected by it. I don't get the theory behind it, but I just know it." Goshi slowly lets go of Y/N's now bruising wrist and steps back, keeping guard by Mito. Kureto fights the urge to scoff but does so anyway, being the audacious man he is.
"It's like you can't survive without a vision. I wonder how useless you'd be without it," he sneers, resulting in a glare from the L/N.
"Unlike you, my life does not revolve around my powers nor me." Guren looks away and clears his throat, as if trying to stifle a laugh which catches Kureto's attention.
"Something funny, Lieutenant Colonel?" the brunet clicks his tongue as he moves his gloved hand over to the hilt of his sword. Guren clears his throat once more to regain his posture.
"There isn't a need to laugh at the truth." Y/N smirks at this and looks to Kureto who wore a scowl . She decided to quit teasing and focus on the two sick girls.
"If you don't mind, may I continue with treating these two?" Goshi looks to Mito, then Guren. The man lined in black and red pauses before nodding as a confirmation.
"Very well. But we're taking up your offer you gave earlier."
"Fine by me."
Y/N sucks in a deep breath and fixes her grip on the knife after pushing up Sayuri's sleeve, revealing her silky smooth skin even the noblewoman was jealous of. Despite being from a line of nobles and a clan head, her hands weren't as soft and smooth as many people would've expected. Hell, even Ayaka's hands were softer—and the child is a swordsman!
You can't exactly blame a doctor for having calloused hands like how you can't blame a pastry owner smelling like their shop all the time. It was easy for the young woman to admit that she was did envy other noblewomen for not having rough hands like hers or not having to deal with paperwork 24/7, maybe even having to convince Ayato, a fellow clan head to not feed his chief retainer, Thoma weird food.
She missed being a normal girl, times before the civil war. Y/N missed being able to hold ceremonies with the Kamisato clan without having to worry about the safety of the vision users, going to sleep without living in fear of losing her own vision and memories, her friends' vision and memories.
Y/N realizes she stops midway and shakes her head in hopes of shaking off the flashbacks she was having, but with the face of the Kamisato siblings and their friend, that eccentric firework maker, the general and his loyalty towards the priestess, down to her own brother. . . it was until now she realized how much she misses home. Even up to that oni who often picked fights with the adopted daughter of the Kujou clan.
Her S/C hands press on the skin of Sayuri before the knife does so too. Though Mito encountered gore and blood often, she couldn't help but wince at the red liquid shed by one of her closest friends. Goshi averts his gaze but Guren does not move. The lieutenant colonel knows this is the best for his colleague, but something in his stomach churns at the sight of Sayuri's arm being cut open.
Y/N takes a deep breathe in and grabs the mortar before slowly pouring the strong-smelling mixture into the fresh wound she had inflicted on Sayuri. She watches as the shorter girl whimper and wince, arching her back at the pain with her eyes shut close. The clan head frowns, knowing the agony Sayuri was going through. The poor woman had to test this on herself one too many times. "You're almost done, it's okay," she whispers in hopes that it'd reassure the aide as the shorter woman cried out in pain once again.
Kureto squints his eyes at the wound, watching the way it practically absorbed the naku weed and the blood seep out. He keeps his gaze on the black aura around Sayuri, noting that it slowly decreased in size. He then looks back to the doctor who bit her lips in concentration. Her E/C eyes never once left the bloody wound, not even to blink.
The atmosphere was tense—heavy. It was like no one dared to breathe. But when Y/N sighs and rips a part of her shirt off to bandage Sayuri's arm signalling that she was done. Mito was about to walk over to Sayuri to check on her but halts when she remembers Y/N's words.
You need to make sure she stays away from anyone and everyone, let alone touch her. This thing is incredibly contagious it's almost mind-blowing.
"You can check on her if you'd like," the noblewoman's voice knocks Mito out of her small reverie and looks to her. A small smile graced her lips. "Just don't get too close, we can't have your condition go as bad as hers."
"Sayuri," Mito suddenly says, confusing Y/N. "Her name is Hanayori Sayuri. She's the second lieutenant." Y/N smiles even wider, making Mito blush a bit.
"I'm honored to have treated such a beautiful woman."
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