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Yet again, even the Wizards' kindnesses proved cruel.
Still, Gingetsu did not allow his hands to tremble as he unwrapped the box, picking up both medicine and instructions. To be injected twice daily, without exception. It seemed simple enough. He did his best to ignore the small voice telling him that the Wizards had held the cure for Ran's rapid aging all along, and had only just now consented for its release.
Ran hated needles, a byproduct of his long period of captivity, but it was he who steadied Gingetsu's hand when it came time for the first dose. "It wouldn't do to miss," he said, and smiled with gentle humor.
Gingetsu was all business after that, sliding the needle home, dabbing the mark with cotton, affixing a bandage. It came as a surprise to both when he pulled Ran into an embrace, just holding him for a long time.