Chapter Text
The winter was harsh. Finding good wood to go in the fireplace was becoming more difficult as the snow fell onto the ground. The temperature dropped like crazy. Food was becoming scarce.
Kazuha's eyes narrowed, pulling back on the string of his bow and aiming it at his target. An adult rabbit. It was his luck today. The 3rd rabbits he's stumbled on.
The sun made the snow shined as he let go of the arrow. The arrow pierced into his unaware target. It screeched quietly, squirming but quickly dying as the snow underneath it was dyed red. Kazuha let out a breath and walked torwards the dead rabbit, picking it up by the arrow and sliding it off as quickly as possible, blood now coating the arrow.
He wrapped a rope around its neck and attached it to his belt along with the other two he had already caught. Not big but enough to feed his group for the night.
Kazuha walked back to the others who had come with to look for supplies.
"Hey. I see you've had some luck on this fine morning." Aether giggled, placing the logs he had found in a big wool bag.
"I'd rather not push it." Kazuha smiled, feeling good about what he had caught this morning. It was like a small win.
"Our new friends really are useful. Aren't they, Jojo?" Hutao smirked at her brother who only rolled his tired eyes.
"Let's not celebrate. We still gotta get back in once peace and we have yet to find any medicine." Xiao was obviously in a bad mood but when wasn't he?
Hutaos smile dropped slightly and Aether only sighed. The four of them silently walked back to the house.
Inside it was cold. The fire had gone out. There was nothing but the wood they brought back to light it again. The sunlight came in through the windows. It would be enough until tonight when they would light it again with what little they had.
"How was it out there?" Shinobu asked as they walked into the kitchen, setting everything they found down.
"3 small rabbits, 2 cans of beans and a few pieces of burnable wood. No medicine." Aether said sorrowfully.
Shinobu seemed disappointed. "We can work with what we've got. Heizou's fever spiked again this morning and Qiqi still has a bad cough. We should go out again but I'll come with you. There's a small town a couple miles west."
Xiao looked a bit caught off gaurd, "A couple miles? Today? We are on minimal sleep due to getting up so early to go get what we already got this morning. We need to rest."
Shinobu turned to him, "I understand that but we need medicine. Qiqi and Heizou are only going to get worse without some form of antibiotics. That town is our best shot."
"And what happens if we get trapped there and die?" Xiao snapped. Shinobu glared at him, knowing now was not the time to argue but Xiaos temper lately has been very ugly and it's very frustrating when she was trying to save a life.
"Let's go for a walk." Aether spoke softly, grabbing Xiao by the arm and pulling him out of the kitchen. Shinobu glared at him until he was out of sight.
She took in a deep breath before noticing the worried look on Kazuha's face. She winced a bit, "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you-"
"You did nothing wrong. I am worried though and I agree with you, if this is our best chance at getting what they need to survive, I'm all for it." Kazuha explained, smiling a bit at her. She smiled back softly.
"Alright."
A bit more was spoken about until Kazuha walked away into the livingroom where Heizou lay, curled up into a ball and shivering with a fever. Kazuha felt himself aching at the sight of his lover. He looked so small.
Kazuha leaned down and stroked his hair, urging him to wake up so he could check on him. Shinobu said that there's a chance he'll fall asleep and won't wake back up until we get him some medicine IF they don't get him any soon.
It brought anxiety everytime he went to check on him and found him sleeping which he's been doing a lot of. His leg was looking better but not great. He wasn't on the verg of losing it anymore though.
Heizou woke slowly, eyes fluttering up to look at Kazuha. He smiled at him and it made Kazuha smile back. "Hi.. Kazuha."
"Goodmorning. Did you sleep well enough? How are you feeling?" Kazuha worried, watching as Heizou struggled to sit up and hold his own weight.
"Hm. Great. Come here.." He slurred slightly and he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kazuha's. He felt so cold.
There were small, soft pecks. Nothing more could be done as Heizou leaned closer to him. Resting his head on his neck. "You're cold. How long were you guys out there for?" Heizou whispered, feeling the heavy weight of sleep try to take him again.
"A few hours at the least. We just returned and brought back some food. It's not much. I have no water I can give you right now either." Kazuha whispered back with guilt. He wishes he can provide for him but he was struggling. This group seemingly didn't like being separated from eachother for too long or go too far away from eachother. They depend on eachother a lot.
Qiqi was suddenly beside them, looking over at Heizou. "Hello Qiqi." Heizou smiled at her. Surprisingly, Heizou has gotten along better with the child more than any of them. Besides Xiao, Hutao and Aether of course. They seemed to have responsibility over the child.
Kazuha learned that Heizou and Shinobu knew eachother. The two also being close. Qiqi didn't speak but smiled very faintly at him. Heizou wasn't fazed by her lack of emotions or anything but it freaked Kazuha out. She was only a child yet void of any emotion.
"You okay?" Kazuha asked softly.
She tilted her head before shaking it, "Hunrgy." Was all she muttered out.
Kazuha's eyebrows arched, feeling a bit bad for not being able to provide for her either. "It's alright. We'll.. get you some... food.." Heizou suddenly began to slur more than usual. Kazuha looked down at him.
His eyes were closing and his breathing picked up again. "Heizou? Hun?" Kazuha's tone was filled with worry as he shook him slightly. He didn't respond but he was actively shaking in his arms.
Kazuha only held him tightly, praying to whatever God's would listen to him to let Heizou hang on for a bit longer. He gently set him down on the mattress, covering him with a blanket so he could rest.
Qiqi only watched. Not saying anything as she crawled next to Heizou and lay down with him. He was beginning to wonder if she knew much about stranger danger.
He stood, giving his lover one last look before going to find Xiao and Aether. The two were outside on the porch. Sitting in silence. Kazuha felt bad for ruining it but this was urgent.
"Xiao?" Kazuha hesitantly spoke and Xiao looked up at him. The bags under his eyes were not good but none of them had really been sleeping well.
"Heizou is getting worse." Kazuha said next.
"There's nothing we can do-" Xiao was cut off.
"That town. Shinobu said it might have what we need." Kazuha interrupted.
"We are not going." Xiao stated angrily again.
"Qiqi needs medicine too. Don't you-"
"Qiqi will be fine! Heizou is not my problem, currently. I refuse to take a risk like this for someone I barely know." Xiao coldly bit back. Aether looked surprised at his response to Kazuha. Nearly hurt at his words.
"Xiao.." Aether tried but Xiao glared at him, not wanting to listen to any of it. Aether was stubborn though and glared back, "You're being a jerk right now, you know?"
"I don't care. We don't need to do that." He turned to Kazuha, "If you want to so badly, by all means go but none of us are coming with you." Xiao stated firmly.
Kazuha didn't want to beg him. He didn't want to convince him either. If he didn't want to risk his life, Kazuha understood it was his choice. He said nothing else as he left the porch. Going to grab his things, loading his gun and bringing a few extra bullets.
He was filled with determination but as he was finishing up packing what he would need, which wasn't much, he began to hesitate. There was a very strong chance he might not come back. Heizou would be here alone with people who viewed him as a burden to them. Aka Xiao.
It infuriated him. Kazuha remained calm. He couldn't force anyone to do something they didn't want to. Kazuha would very much rather die trying to save the only person he had left then sit here and watch him wither in pain until he died himself.
He finished, picking up his bag anad turning to walk out the door. Shinobu and Aether stood in the doorway. It startled him a bit. "You're going?" She asked.
Kazuha nodded. "Alone?" She asked.
He nodded again, not needing to speak to them about what he was doing. His mind was already made up.
The two were quiet for a moment before sighing. "We're coming with you. We'll go out the back so Xiao doesn't try to stop us."
Her response shocked Kazuha, "What? No. No you- you should stay here. If any life is going to be risked, it should be mine."
"You can't carry everything we need on your own and you'll need help. Those things are fast. I believe you know this." Shinobu stated, not taking no for an answer.
Kazuha couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. The three of them gathered their things, everything they would need to go in and out. Get what they need.
Shinobu spoke to Itto and Hutao before they left explaining to them what to do if Heizou needed help or his condition worsened. They set off. With more than enough hours of the sun left to deal with.
As they walked, Kazuha noticed the guilty look on Aethers face. He occasionally looked behind them a few times as if waiting for someone.
This sparked some questions. "What made you change your mind? I thought you were set on Xiaos decision." Kazuha said, pulling Aether from his thoughts.
He blinked a few times before sheepishly looking away. He had opened his mouth to answer but Shinobu beat him to it, "He may look like a push over but he's just as stubborn as that hot headed boyfriend of his. He came to me in private after I had heard you come inside."
"Yes. I can speak for myself." Aether smiled softly, "Xiao can be a bit.. void of human morals sometimes. The reality of living in the apocalypse takes over a lot of his thinking most of the time. Qiqi, however, is small and also needs medicine. I don't think he thought about that because of how tired he is." He explained.
Kazuha could understand Xiaos reasonings. If... the man had told him himself but here his savior was. Explaining his actions for him. It's probably the lack of sleep that has him irritated by the mention of his name.
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They arrived at the town near the afternoon. The sun high up but it was still very cold. The snow crunched. A little slippery though.
Kazuha lead the way. It was uncomfortably quiet. None of them spoke as they very silently made their way through. Walking passed a few shops that were dark inside. Shinobu spotted it first, a grocery store. There had to be something still in there.
Shinobu glanced at the other two, Kazuha pulling out his sword and Aether grabbing his knife. Shinobu carried a large dagger. Where the hell did she even get that?
They walked torwards the store slowly, hearing faint cries and screeches coming from inside. Kazuha looked back at them, "Do you guys have masks?"
Shinobu nodded, pulling out two for her and Aether. Kazuha had his own. There were definitely spores inside. You'd think they'd stop growing in the winter. Usually, they are more likely to die in the cold.
With their masks on, they opened the door and immediately spores spilled out like flies. The contaminated air dancing around them. Masks protected them from getting infected.
"Watch your step." Kazuha warned quietly. One wrong step and every infected in that town would be on them within seconds. This was so unbelievably risky, he understood why Xiao didn't want to take it.
Unlike him, Kazuha was willing to get infected to save Heizou's life.
They moved through slowly. Visibility low due to the spores in the air. Kazuha remained calm, breathing at a steady pace. That didn't stop the amount of fear that tried to eat away at his bones.
Kazuha was leading them but was pulled back, nearly losing his footing. Kazuha whipped his head around and Shinobu had her finger up as if to shush him before pointing forward. An infected was sticking to the wall by more spores but these spores were physical.
The fungus spread throughout the wall. The infected was still breathing but only particles came from it's mouth. It wheezed, his eyes rolling to the back of it's head. Clearly struggling. The virus was taking control, growing on it's face and piercing into it's skin. Whoever this was, they were suffering.
Kazuha closed his eyes, looking away and turning around. "What- are we-" Aether tried speaking but Kazuha shook his head. Nothing else was said as they moved along, away from the fungal mess.
Shinobu saw the pharmacy, the gate was closed. "There." She said, began moving but stopped mid step as a clicking sound was heard near them. Too close. They all immediately pressed themselves against the shelf to hide. Turning off their lights. Kazuha peaked and saw a clicker.
Standing there with it's hands and arms scrunched against it's body. Spasms rocking it's body as it's mouth hung open, cracks and choking sounds. It's chest heaved, struggling to rise and fall.
Kazuha felt himself slightly panic and pressed back against the shelf. Shinobu and Aether waiting to know what he saw.
"I- It's a clicker. We need to be.. very very quiet." Kazuha whispered as lowly as he could. Shinobu nodded but Aether looked fearful. His body didn't tremble but it wss obvious he was hesitant.
That was not good. Kazuha looked at him and thought for a moment. What was the best way to do this? It was near impossible to get into that pharmacy without making noise.
He looked around, in the wall. There was a fire extinguisher. He didn't have a good count of how many there were in here but he knew it was a good amount. Getting them away from the pharmacy would be good. There was plenty of room in here to run around for a bit as well. He could do that.
"The things I do for you..." Kazuha whispered before turning to them, "I'm going to distract them-"
"What!? All of them!? You can't do that." Shinobu whispered a little too loud. The clicker close to them made a cracking sound but did nothing more.
"There's no other way to get in there without making noise. If they're distracted, you guys can go in and get out. I'll find my own way out. After you get the stuff, leave the building and I'll meet up with you at the pet shop." Kazuha explained hurriedly, the more they spoke, the more the clicker twitched in it's daze.
Shinobu hesited. She thought hard about his words. They made sense. Looking behind her at Aether then looking at Kazuha, "Are.. are you sure about this?"
"If anyone is taking a risk here, it has to be me. You have to be quick. I'm going to give you 6 minutes at the least to get what you need and get out. Go out the front, I'll keep them in the back. Got it?" Kazuha spoke quickly as he turned around, preparing himself for what he was about to do.
Shinobu nodded slowly, feeling herself become engrossed with anxiety that she needed to swallow.
"Shinobu?"
"Yeah?"
".. If I die, please make sure Heizou lives. Don't.. don't let him die too." Kazuha said with a heavy breath. Not giving her a chance to respond, he moved.
It was quick, swift movements torwards the extinguisher. He used his elbow to break the glass, the sound immediately causing the clickers to flinch roughly and snap their bodies his way.
Cutting himself a bit, he ripped the extinguisher out and used it to bang on the wall, "Hey!!" Kazuha yelled at the top of his lungs. Without fail, they ran torwards him at lightning speed. Kazuha was quick too, running in the opposite direction of the pharmacy.
Shinobu mentally counted all of the clickers that passed them and ran after Kazuha. It was.. a lot. She didn't have time to ponder. As soon as they were out of sight and following Kazuha down another ile, she got to her feet.
Aether was right behind her. There was a lock on the gate. Aether quickly got rid of it and the two jumped over the counter and went to the back. Shinobu and Aether desperately looking through the cabinets and shelves for anything at all.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Shinobu felt herself starting to panic. "No no no no!!"
Kazuha slipped as he sharply turned a corner. Almost slamming straight into a shelf. He was able to catch himself though and the infected that were gaining on him did in fact hit the shelf. The shelf knocked over, causing an even more louder ruckus.
He was fast. Jumping over knocked over things and big lumps of fungus that had grown into the ground. His lungs burned through his mask. His flashlight flickering a bit. He ran through all possible iles he could, the sharp turns helping him lose them slightly but he made sure they didn't lose him. Banging on the shelves with the extinguisher.
Whenever they got too close, he would use it to slow them down. It would sometimes make them fall a few times. The closer he got to the back, the more fear he felt. He couldn't run for long and he needed to find a way out.
Shinobu was throwing boxes on the floor as she desperately looked for anything they could use. Aether ran to the back of the pharmacy, finding a locked door. He tried opening it but it was locked.
"Shinobu!" He called. She was there within seconds.
She quickly assessed the situation, not thinking twice about what might be behind that door. She lifted her leg up and with the power of a horse, she kicked into the door. It made a loud sound that echoed through the store but it only moved slightly.
She repeated this processes until the door caved in and left her gasping for air. No time was wasted as the two barged in. More spores. Aether knew what that meant but Shinobu was not thinking. She dived in, looking for what she needed. In the far corner of the room were two shelves.
Full of supplies. Most importantly, bottles of medicines. She felt her heart jump at the sight, some hope finally shining their way. "You get the food, I'll get the meds. Grab as much as you can."
Aether nodded, opening his backpack and going for the cans of food, most of them were still good and not damaged. He stuffed as much as he could in his bag.
The sound of soft shuffling caught his attention. Shinobu was still very focused on the meds she was grabbing, looking at it before either tossing it away or placing it in her bag.
He slowly turned towards the shuffling that turned into heavy footsteps. He could feel himself shaking as he saw an infected come from behind a shelf. It's neck was torn out, it's head barely hanging on as the blood dripped down it's body. The fungus already growing out of it's eyes and wound in it's neck.
The moment it laid it's eyes on him, they both froze but only for a fragment of time. It then screamed and lunged at him.
Kazuha sprayed what was left at the infected behind him, the gas no longer coming out. The infected got too close. He needed to get out now. No more time could be given. At the end of an ile, he threw the extinguisher to the side and pulled at the shelf.
The clickers screeched so loud it made his vision swim and blur but he held onto to the heavy shelf. Struggling to bring it down. "Come on come on.." He gritted his teeth.
Letting out an exhausted yell as he finally got the shelf down, it fell on top of the clickers that got to close to him. Crushing them in one swing. All of them were now under the shelf and he had minimal time to find an exit before the few that weren't killed crawled out of there. He could hear them crying and gargling. Bone cracking.
He glanced on the other side of the store, the pharmacy, praying they got out.
Aether was tackled before he could draw knife, pressed against the shelf that soon tattered over. Shinobu has been on the other side of it and now was underneath it as it fell on her. She yelped and tried to get up but Aether was still trying to not get bit by the infected who was on top of him.
"Gah..!" Aether yelled, not helping the fear that enlightened. The infected was so strong. The only thing that was stopping it from biting into his neck was the knife that was stabbed into it's chest. Aether managed to get a leg under it and attempted to push it away. Freshly turned infected are very very strong. Aether didn't understand why he was having so much trouble getting it off of it.
"Aether!? Hang on!" Shinobu yelled from underneath the shelf, beginning to crawl, her bag with her. She has everything she needs. Including bandages and rubbing alcohol.
Good finds but won't be if they die in here. She could just hear the fear in Aether in the way he was breathing. The way the shelf on her shook. She wasn't going to make it.
Suddenly, the infected on Aether, it's breath hitched. A stabbing noise was heard and it's body jolted. Blood splattered around them. The body went limp on top of Aether before it was quickly ripped away and thrown onto the floor.
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Kazuha was running away from the store, looking for any signs of footprints in the snow in the direction he was going. Before he made it to the pet store, he had to stop. He leaned against a random wall that lead to a different store.
He unhooked the back of his mask and took it away from his face, his breathing heavy. The first breath of fresh air nearly had him collapsed. The cold breeze cooling his beating heart. He was alive.
He could feel his skin prick, his chest burning. It felt so good to finally breathe again. "I'm coming.. Heizou." He whispered apon the winds.
Once he composed himself, he did a light jog torwards the pet store. He saw them. Standing outside and waiting. Another person was with them. It was Xiao. He looked beyond pissed.
Kazuha walked up to the group and before he could say anything, Xiao marched up to him and punched the shit out of him.
Not giving him a chance to recover from the first hit, he grabbed him by the collar and hit him again in the face.
"Dammit. Xiao!! Cut it out!" Shinobus voice echoed. The two others quickly pulling him off of Kazuha.
"I told you. I fucking told you to go alone!! Yet you dragged my people here and nearly got them killed!!" Xiao yelled at him, kicking snow at him while being held back. Kazuha was on the ground at this point, his face stinging more than it usually would because of the cold.
"Xiao- it was our-" Aether tried to calm him down.
"No! I don't want to hear what you have to say. You almost died. This is his fucking fault!" Xiao began yelling at Aether, pushing him away roughly. Kazuha felt anger boiling in him.
It was fine if Xiao wanted to push Kazuha around. Not Aether though. Aether did nothing wrong but have a good heart. That man was probably the only reason he got anyone to come with him. The only reason they got what they needed without anyone dying or being infected.
Kazuha couldn't help himself as he stood, grabbing Xiao by the back of his collar and throwing him to the ground. Away from Aether. Xiao was quick though and got to his feet faster than he could blink.
Now the two were in a full brawl. Blood splattered onto the snow. Fist were thrown. It wasn't until the sound of a gunshot was heard, did they stop.
Shinobu held her gun pointed in the air. The two of them stopped and looked at her. She then pointed it Kazuha who quickly let go of Xiao. Xiao did the same when the gun was pointed at him next.
"Are you done now? I have a life to save back at the house and the longer you two sit here and play who has the bigger dick, the less chance I have at saving it." Shinobu was obviously very annoyed. The two boys glared at eachother. Xiao scoffed and turned away.
"Good. Now can we please get this stuff back to the house? The sun will be setting soon." Shinobu said, grabbing her bag. It was a bit heavier than what is was when they got here. All of their bags were full of supplies, Kazuha noticed. That was good.
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The walk back was silent. The tension around the group was not pleasant but that was the least on Kazuha's mind.
When they reached the house and got inside, Xiao went upstairs and shut one of the bedroom doors. Locking himself inside. Kazuha didn't care. He immediately put everything down that he was holding, including all of his weapons and went to Heizou.
Heizou wasn't awake. He looked worse in fact. He was shaking still and his eyes were moving under his eyelids. Before Kazuha could shake him, Shinobu stopped him.
"Wait. Let's get him some food before you wake him up. He needs to reserve his energy." Shinobu warned. He followed her into the kitchen where they all lay out everything they had found. More than enough cans to last them at least 3 weeks at the LEAST and medicine.
"I found a few antibiotics and pain killers. Also a few sleeping supplements. You can give them to Xiao, help him get out of his bad attitude." Shinobu looked at Aether who just nodded. It was obvious he felt bad for what happened.
"Excuse me." Aether left the kitchen. Shinobu gave him a solemnly look before turning back to what they had. She grabbed a water bottle and an energy bar, giving it to Kazuha.
"I found this. Give it to him for now while we make dinner and get a fire started. Try to get him to stay up for a bit too but if he can't then don't push. I'll be in there to treat him when I gather what I need." Shinobu told him.
Kazuha went back to his lover, sitting near him. Finally, he shook him awake gently. It was frightening how long it took to get him awake and sitting up.
"You need to eat something. It's not much but dinner will be made soon." Kazuha's tone was soft. Heizou was shaking in his arms as he slumped against the wall, his eyes half lidded.
He looked up at him and concern immediately filled his expression, "Kazuha. What the hell happened-" Heizou coughed.
Kazuha then remember that his nose had been bleeding earlier and there were most likely definitely bruises on his face. He reached up and touched it, only to wince and pull away. "Ah. Nothing. Just.. a fight with Xiao..."
"A fi-" Heizou attempted to raise his voice but it only led to a coughing fit. Kazuha immediately gave him the water. He chugged on it before trying to speak again.
"What the hell is wrong with you? You do realize these people are helping us?? They could kick us away at any point." Heizou scolded him in a hushed voice. Glaring at Kazuha who didn't seem the bitest bit of guilty for it.
In fact, he even smiled at Heizou. "It was that or you not getting what you need."
Heizou's cheeks flushed, "What?"
"If it wasn't for Aether and Shinobu, we wouldn't have been able to get you any medicine. He was upset because they came along with me which I don't mind taking the blame for," Kazuha leaned closer, using his cold palm to cuff Heizou's cheek, "I'd take a beating to save your life any day."
Heizou shivered slightly at his words before smiling back at him and leaning into his palm. "Screw that asshole.. I guess..." The tiredness returned to his face once more. Kazuha gave him the energy bar which he ate slowly. Seemingly struggling to eat it.
"My leg stings." Kazuha noticed how his words slurred slightly.
Before Kazuha could respond however, Heizou looked really sick all of the sudden. Kazuha grew increasingly worried for him.
"Heizou?" He called but Heizou didn't respond. The shaking got worse. Heizou's face contorted with pain. "Alright. Hold on."
Shinobu came to Kazuha's call. Assessing his leg. She peeled the bandages away. His leg had been getting better but the wound wasn't closing and they hadn't had any proper cleaning supplies before.
Heizou winced and huffed out a shaky breath, tears in the corners of his eyes as he held onto Kazuha's shirt and the blanket that was now halfway off of him. "Qiqi, may you go get Itto to start a fire?" She asked without looking at the little girl.
Even though she didn't make her presence known, she had been watching from the other side of the room. She did what she was told, Itto coming back not even moments after being called. "We need the room to get warm as soon as possible. The sun isn't even touching the bottom of the trees anymore." She muttered, feeling herself shiver.
Cleaning his wound was easier since they weren't using actual alcohol. Heizou was still in pain though. His eyes rolled back a few times because of the pain. It seemed he was struggling to keep quiet. He was squirming.
She injected a needle into his skin, near the wound before doing it again on his shoulder. Both times made him wince more. "Are you done poking me yet?" Heizou sounded irritated.
Shinobu was not fazed by his attitude, it was as if she was expecting it, "I'm nearly done. Quit your bitching."
He couldn't help but let out a strained laugh, "Is this how you talked to your patients back at the QZ?" The question made her inflict little pain to his leg that spread out to his body. He let out a small yelp.
They way these two bantered with eachother was something he's never seen Heizou do with others. It's like they've known eachother for years. Well they kind of have.
Shinobu spent at least 15 more minutes dealing with his leg before she finally wrapped it up and felt around the man's forehead. "Your fever will spike but it will go down eventually. I believe you are going to be just fine. Thanks to our dear friend, Kazuha." She smiled, a hint of relief on her face.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Kazuha felt relief rush to his bones too. Much more than hers. He hugged her, squeezing her tightly just for a second before pulling away and trying not to cry.
"Jeez. You worry a lot more than you let on. I'm glad Heizou's big headed self was able to find someone to care about him." She laughed. Heizou didn't respond. He was nodding off due to the pain meds he had been given before she even started.
After that, she turned to Qiqi and began working on her. Examining her before giving her some liquid medicine. She didn't like it very much and her face scrunched up at the taste of it but she did swallow. A strong girl she is. Kazuha wondered what she's been through.
Qiqi was then given some food to until dinner was done which Shinobu got up to do next with Itto. Kazuha was blinking slower than usually as he sat on the floor next to Heizou. Realizing that he's so tired. He can't even remember the last time he got proper sleep before he lost Heizou and found him like this.
Usually, Heizou takes first watch. Then he takes second watch most of the time. He's always the one losing sleep, not Kazuha. The relief he was feeling probably contributed to his tiredness but Archons he needed a nap.