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The air inside her helmet feels suffocating. Or maybe it's the eyes, the neutral and the unfriendly, all focused on her. The bored spectators, the vengeful losers and the expectant hungry wolf... Not a single one of them are nice. Except hers.
Shame that Mafuyu is currently pointing her sword at her. To the bright blue eyes peeking out from beneath her helmet, shining with warmth and kindness despite the position they are in. Two fighters, circling each other in the ring, waiting for the chance to strike.
They've been at it a while. The arena is loud but all the chattering falls to the backside as Mafuyu focuses only on her opponent. This game of cat and mouse has been going on for a while. They're both tired of it. One of them has to strike soon.
They've both been fighting all day. Not with each other, no. That's far too long a time for one duel. They've had several duels in the Tournament, their status not giving them any leeway in getting out of the qualifiers. As it should be, Mafuyu supposes, but truly she had been expecting some corruption. If not from Kanade's side, then at least from her mother's. Then again, it is weird that the most promising knight of the decade is going against the Crown Prince in the quarterfinals. Mafuyu was expecting Kanade to make it to the finals, or at least the semifinals. She could definitely do it, if only Mafuyu wasn't her opponent, and it would be a good look for the kingdom to have their future ruler be so high in skill. And Kanade is skilled, Mafuyu has seen her fight many times. The amount of people in this kingdom who could beat her in a straightforward duel could fit in a round table.
Only, it's never a straightforward duel with her. Not anymore. Back then, Mafuyu could fight her and not be sure if she'd be able to win or not. Kanade was, to many people's displeasure, a genius at the sword. And then the weight of the world, or at least the kingdom, fell onto her shoulders and she managed it the best she could. So many voices whisper that she failed, that she's too weak to lead but Mafuyu knows better. Not many people would have been able to handle it, if they were in Kanade's place. Mafuyu has seen her choke down potion after potion, burdening her already sick body with even more work, simply because no one else can do it. Because someone has to. Because the current Regent won't do it, not properly and yet the man still claims that Kanade is the weak link.
Even if they dislike her, Mafuyu would have thought they'd at least have the mind to showcase Kanade to her full potential. A strong sword-master is invaluable, a Crown Prince who places amongst the top would naturally gather a lot of respect from the people that the Regent is currently failing to gain. If Mafuyu's mother is to believed, that is.
Maybe that's why Kanade was paired with her for this match, Mafuyu thinks. The Regent, being the fool he is, only fears what Kanade could become and can't see how important she is for all of their success. Mafuyu's mother likes how weak the throne is becoming, her eyes set upon the damn thing. Mafuyu beating Kanade in this duel would not gain her a kingdom but the Asahina's daughter placing first while the future ruler is eliminated at the quarter finals? It would be a thing to talk about. By simply pairing Kanade with her now instead of in the finals like it had been done to prior kings, her mother has managed to make Kanade look incompetent and set Mafuyu up for success.
Maybe Mafuyu should lose this fight. If Kanade was up against anyone else, if she had been taking her medicine like she's supposed to instead of overfilling her system with replacement potions, if her armor and sword weren't so badly made for her as a result of her wishes being ignored... So many things are here that should not be here. Kanade should be winning, would be winning if it wasn't for both Mafuyu's mom and her own kingdom working against her. Mafuyu very much wants to lose this fight.
But it's too late, already. Kanade looks exhausted and if she wins, she'll have to keep going. Mafuyu really doesn't think she can do that, not when she already looks unsteady on her feet and is looking a lot paler than she had been that morning when she announced the start of the Tournament. And she had been looking awfully pale in the morning too, dark bags visible under her eyes. The only thing Mafuyu can do now is end this quickly, with a satisfying enough show for the audience.
Mafuyu makes a half hearted lunge, her sword easily parried by Kanade's. The pale girl is panting, her breaths audible only to Mafuyu. She doesn't sound well. Her sword should have returned, taking advantage of Mafuyu being open to counter attack. Kanade is fast enough to do it.
It never comes. Kanade's slow, too slow. By the time she's bringing the sword down, Mafuyu has already stepped to the side, aligning her sword in front of her body. She doesn't even need to block, Kanade's sword cuts through air where Mafuyu stood a few seconds ago.
Kanade's eyes go wide. Mafuyu knows that look. And she does not like it. Not at all.
Taking advantage of her closeness, Mafuyu hits the back of Kanade's helmet with the pommel of her sword. The metal clashing against metal resonates with a loud bang and Kanade goes down like a bag of bricks in front of the audience's eyes. Someone gasps at her ruthlessness.
Only Mafuyu knows that Kanade had started falling before the sword ever touched her.
Mafuyu doesn't even wait for herself to be announced winner, it's only a formality at this point. Instead she pushes the sword back into its scabbard, leaning down to help Kanade out of the arena. The medics are too slow and Kanade wouldn't want to wake up from this, to an audience. And there's very little time until she's awake. Thankfully, they don't have much metal on. People aren't expected to be aiming to kill in a Tournament after all, hardened leather reinforced with iron is enough, only their helmets are from their plate armor. For obvious reasons.
She manages to drag Kanade, who is light even with the leather and metal, to her tent nearby. All the competitors have one, a small covered shelter for them to wait at between battles. It doesn't provide much, but it does provide one very important thing. Privacy.
Mafuyu unties Kanade's helmet strings, pulling the metal off the girl's face just in time for light to come back into her eyes. And then Kanade's turned sideways, throwing up whatever is in her stomach which seems to just be potions and potions again. Her eyes are shut tight, face scrunched in pain.
Mafuyu gently rubs her back, one hand on her shoulder to make sure she stays sideways. Neither of them are unused to a situation like this, although its becoming more common lately. Mafuyu doesn't even want to imagine what Kanade does in absence. Logically, there's no need for Mafuyu here, she knows Kanade can handle herself just fine. But... it still hurts, to imagine Kanade all pale and shaky alone in her room. Choking down all kinds of potions with no regard for the effects it has on her, then suffering alone.
"Sorry." is the first word out of Kanade's mouth when she settles down. Mafuyu bites down any other words she has to say. "You haven't eaten." she says instead. There's no way any food was involved any time recently, Mafuyu knows full well how that looks as opposed to potions. Kanade looks away in shame.
"I wasn't feeling well enough to eat." she whispers instead.
Mafuyu frowns at her. "So you didn't take your medicine." she's guessed already, from how unwell Kanade had been but... confirmation is another thing entirely.
Kanade looks down. "I was already pushing the limit with potions. I couldn't take another one safely."
Mafuyu grits her teeth. There's no reason Kanade should have had that many potions in her system, her limit being higher than the average persons. "And why, pray tell, was that?" Even with her words angry, she's dipping a nearby clean towel in water, handing it to Kanade to wipe her face. Kanade looks flushed.
"Uh. Just, the usual."
Mafuyu nods, glaring at her. "Yeah, the usual. Sleep replacement, meal replacement, energy, strength, anti-nausea, painkillers... anything but your actual medicine right?"
Kanade still can't meet her eyes. "It makes me sleepy."
"You need the sleep. And the food."
"I don't have the time! There's so much that needs to be done."
"By the Regent! Not you!"
Kanade laughs. It sounds a bit broken. "Yeah well, he's not. What can I do?"
Nothing. There's not a single thing that either of them can do. Mafuyu hates it.
"Don't you need to go back now?" Kanade asks, still looking at the ground. She's right. Mafuyu needs to go back before her mom gets angry.
"It's over for now." Mafuyu responds, her voice choked up. "Get back to your room and rest. Please?"
Kanade's already shaking her head. "I need to be there when the Tournament ends." she says. "I'm sorry."
Mafuyu turns away. She knows what expression Kanade will have if she looks back, and she hates it. She can't do anything for Kanade, never has been able to. The young girl has been shouldering everything alone for so long, not letting anyone help her. Not that anyone has tried, other than Mafuyu.
Her hand grips her sword hilt. She'll succeed. She'll save Kanade, like Kanade saved her.
Kanade still looks pale when Mafuyu next sees her, after having won the Tournament. At least she eats in the feast afterwards, hopefully able to keep it down. Mafuyu hopes she took her medicine, it should be fine since she'd purged most of the potions from her system earlier that day. She doubts it though. Kanade doesn't seem sleepy like the medicine makes her, only a deep exhaustion painting her face as she talks politely with the man next to her.
Mafuyu can't check on her, can't even talk to her. Not with her mother's watchful eye always watching. Mafuyu is already too close to Kanade for her liking. If that woman knew everything Mafuyu felt, everything she knew... Mafuyu wouldn't be able to see Kanade ever again, let alone talk to her. Mafuyu's just the heir, she doesn't even need to leave the castle before she becomes the new Duchess. Her mother is already showing a great kindness by letting Mafuyu accompany her on trips like this.
...or that's what her mother says, more or less. Mafuyu knows this is just another excuse to show off, get other Dukes and Duchess' on her side.
Kanade seems fine, Mafuyu decides. Not worse than usual at least.
A one day tournament is of course too short a time to be worth traveling all this way for. Meaning their stay lasts longer.
Meaning hunting trips, for the knights so that they don't bored of being cooped up inside all the time. Meaning Mafuyu gets to spend more time with Kanade without her mother. Her mother can't come, she's not a fighter. And she can't stop Mafuyu from going, they'd look weak. It's perfect.
Kanade smiles when she sees her, their earlier argument seemingly forgotten. Mafuyu doesn't smile back.
Kanade's smile drops. Shoot.
Mafuyu quickly rides up to her, quickly trying to fix the situation.
"I'm glad you're here." It's spoken low enough that the others shouldn't hear, but even if they do it would be fine. Only Kanade can understand what it means, that it's more than just a polite greeting. That Mafuyu really is happy.
Her smile quickly returns. "Same here."
Mafuyu pushes down a smile. She can't have word of this going back to her mother.
She stays close to Kanade for the whole trip, their horses moving in sync almost. They've done this a lot.
It's a peaceful trip, surprisingly. Kanade seems fine as well, though Mafuyu doesn't know how much of it comes from freshly consumed potions. But in the end, it seems like this trip will be fine.
They're wrapping up when the messenger comes running.
"Dragon!"
It's not a rare sight, to witness a dragon. But if one truly is nearby, for example hiding in the forest, someone needs to go drive it off. Or kill it, preferably, but the amount of people who've killed a dragon without great casualty... It usually takes half an army.
Mafuyu's about to voice her thoughts when she turns back to find Kanade already talking with the messenger, as quitely as she can. Something sinks in Mafuyu's stomach.
Kanade gives one last order to the hunting party before turning her head towards the forest.
Mafuyu rides with Kanade, her presence uncontested.
Finding a dragon is not hard, they make a lot of noise and they stick out like a sore thumb in such a forest. Fighting a dragon however, is harder. Mafuyu thinks they've been doing a pretty good job so far.
It happens in a second.
One moment, Kanade is by Mafuyu's side, safe and sound. The next, she's in front of Mafuyu, the blood slowly starting to drip. Mafuyu acts without thinking, a slice through the dragon's tail to sever it. Before she can even take in what happened. The fact that Kanade jumped in front of her to protect her from that hit. Thanks to Kanade's quick reaction, Mafuyu is unharmed and the dragon is wailing in agony, it's sharp tail motionless on the ground.
And Kanade...
She's in front of her feet, laying on the ground. The tail having pierced through her armor in only one hit. No, not just her armor. There's a hole on her shield, even bigger than the one on her armor.
Mafuyu hates her. She wants to hate her. The smart thing to do would have been to doge out of the way. But that would have left them falling to the ground in their heavy armor. And Mafuyu's tired. So of course, Kanade jumped in the way instead. Knowing she could get hurt. Scratch that, knowing she would get hurt. They both saw how that sharp tail pierced through their soldiers. And now that threat is gone. And Kanade's bleeding for it.
Mafuyu has no time to check, no time to help her. Either she acts now, or the dragon recovers enough to fight back and she's wasted the precious opportunity Kanade gained them. Still, from the side of her eye, she catches a glance.
Everything is red. She can feel the burning of her heart, lit aflame with rage. She should have been faster. She needs to be faster.
If Kanade dies here, it's her fault. So instead the dragons needs to die. Quick.
Mafuyu discards her sword, the piece of scrap that had been useless in cutting anything. She's not sure how exactly Kanade managed to cut the tail off, but she won't complain. She runs for the sharp piece, discarding her shield as well. If she can't succeed now, death is welcome to take her along.
The mighty beast is still roaring in agony as Mafuyu lifts the tail piece. It almost looks like a lance, in her hands. It should be heavier, and it probably is, but Mafuyu can't feel anything except the red hot rage coursing through her veins. She has to grab it with both hands, dark red blood staining her. It's sticky.
Mafuyu rushes forward, using her momentum to propel the thing into the dragon's flesh. She draws it back. Blood is gushing out of the stab wound.
Not enough.
The dragon, now aware of the threat once again, makes a swiping motion at her with one of it's wings. Mafuyu takes great pleasure in turning it's weapon against it, watching as the soft flesh gets torn apart by the object in her hands. As the dragon wails again, Mafuyu reaches where the heart is.
One thrust. With all of her remaining strength, she brings the weapon down and it's all over. She's showered with dark blood.
It's not moving.
Kanade.
Mafuyu rushes back to her side.
Her eyes are open. Then she blinks.
With a sigh of relief, Mafuyu is already tearing her cape apart for a makeshift bandage when Kanade speaks.
"Mafuyu?"
"Kanade." Mafuyu exhales. The purple fabric is being pressed against the wound from both back and front as Mafuyu wraps it around repeatedly. "Kanade" she mumbles again, filled with immense relief that she isn't dead. Not yet. Not ever, if Mafuyu can help it.
"Are you okay?" Kanade asks, her eyebrows furrowed. Mafuyu wants to cry. Why is she asking that when she's the one bleeding out?
"It's dead." Mafuyu answers, sure that her eyes are filled with tears. "I killed it."
Kanade smiles weakly. "I knew you could do it."
Mafuyu grabs her hand tightly. "I couldn't have, not without you." Kanade squeezes her hand back. Her grip is so weak.
"You'd have managed." she says weakly. "Without me here to-"
Mafuyu cuts her off, letting her head drop to Kanade's chest. "No." she gasps out. "That's not true. Stop saying those things."
A hand is in her hair, gently running through it. "Okay." Kanade responds, sounding sad. "Anything for you."
She's not lying. Mafuyu wishes she were.
Mafuyu pulls back, onto her knees. Her knees are right next to Kanade's torso, now stained in her blood as well.
"Potions." Mafuyu mumbles. "Do you have any left-"
Kanade's looking at her in that sad look she hates. "You're at the limit." Mafuyu guesses. Correctly.
Kanade shuts her eyes. "Sorry." her voice is weaker than Mafuyu has ever heard from her. "There was too much work to be done."
Mafuyu has no time to waste in arguing. Instead she rises to her feet, a plan already in her head. If she wants any chance of preventing Kanade from working herself to death, this is it. Taking her fingers to her mouth, she whistles.
Eugh. Dragon blood tastes awful. She spits the blood onto the ground. Their horses come rushing into the clearing
"Mafuyu?" Kanade asks, sounding panicked. Why can't she be this concerned about herself? When it comes to her, she's fine dying but if there's any sign Mafuyu might be in pain, she's alert suddenly. It sucks. It's so unfair. Mafuyu doesn't want to lose her, doesn't want to go back to being that lonely, empty shell she was before meeting Kanade. Before being saved by her.
"I'm fine." She responds, moving to Kanade's white horse to open a pouch. "Take a potion." She drops it next to Kanade before turning away.
"But-"
"You're dying Kanade!" Mafuyu shouts. She can't control it anymore, tears pouring out her eyes. Her back is to the girl slowly bleeding out. "Right now, and every day too! You're overworking yourself, I have to watch you slowly wither away in front of my eyes. You don't sleep, you barely eat and you're using your sickness like an excuse to let yourself die." She's shaking. She thinks it might be fear.
Her own horse nudges her softly. Mafuyu calms down ever so slightly.
"Take a healing potion." she repeats. "Whatever it does to you can't be worse than what you do to yourself. You're already almost dead."
She's going to have to apologize later. She's too angry, too harsh. But who can stand to watch the girl they love slowly kill herself?
Kanade is silent but Mafuyu can hear movement. She has very little time.
Kanade seems paler by the time Mafuyu's done with her task.
"It hurts." she whispers, clutching her stomach. Mafuyu's heart aches.
"I'm sorry." Mafuyu tells the girl who is slowly losing consciousness. Perhaps it's better this way, she won't be in as much pain.
She cuts away Kanade's armor, as well as taking her own off. They need to be as light as possible if Kanade's horse is going to carry both of them. Mafuyu's horse is already loaded with another, very important object.
Mafuyu makes sure that Kanade is in safe hands, being treated by the best healers before marching into the throne room. Her horse too, of course. Mafuyu would never let any harm come to anything Kanade loves, especially to her horse, Snow.
She has a sneaking suspicion the name doesn't only come from her color.
Mafuyu's horse is by her side, carrying the most important part of her plan.
Mafuyu takes a bow in front of the Regent. She can feel her mother's eyes on her from the sideline, the duchess glaring a hole into her.
How dare she?
Mafuyu smiles.
Before she met Kanade, Mafuyu loved being an only child. As the only heir, she was guaranteed to take over from her mom and rule their lands after her death. And she had been far too young to fully recognize the responsibility that put on her.
After she met Kanade, she mourned how she didn't have a sibling to pass the responsibility onto, so that she might be the child of the Kingdom's 7 Dukes to enter the loyal family. After all, it is their holy tradition that the monarch's consort be of high status. Only Dukes and Duchesses are considered high enough status for their children to be a viable candidate.
There has been a single exception to that in their history.
As long as Mafuyu remains the daughter of her mother, the only daughter of the Duchess her fate is sealed. In more ways than one. She will remain the puppet at her mother's side, forced to watch as Kanade struggles alone. Her mother would never let her only child leave, to become something other than what she'd planned. And if Mafuyu disobeys her, she can get disowned, lose the status that gives her the chance to be at Kanade's side. She'd become a commoner with no titles to her name and no right to come anywhere close.
But now...
Mafuyu lets her gaze fall onto the Regent. He's an old man, old enough to be her grandpa. She's not sure why he, of all people, had become Regent after the old king and queen had passed away.
She hates him. She hates him so much. If he was doing his duties properly, if he was doing anything at all instead of leaving it all to Kanade, she wouldn't be hurt. There's so little time left, until Kanade officially turns of age and can replace him. But now, due to him, she may not make it that long.
Mafuyu smiles at the old man. "I've brought you the head of the dragon I slayed." she says, pointing to the chopped off dragon head on her horse.
The whole royal court is still staring at her with their mouths open. Her mother is still glaring.
Long ago, the 7 Dukes had all failed to have surviving children by the time it was the Queen's time to marry. And then a commoner had stepped forward, a hero who slayed a dragon. It was then that the title of Dragon Slayer had been deemed enough to make one worthy.
"I hereby request the title of Dragon Slayer." Mafuyu speaks clearly.
The court is silent.
"Do you have proof?" the Regent asks.
Do you have eyes. Mafuyu refrains from saying it out loud.
"The head is in front of you." Mafuyu deadpans. "If that isn't proof enough?"
There are whispers among the nobleman. Mafuyu stands with her head high.
"Very well then. We grant you the title."
Mafuyu enters Kanade's room.
It seems that Kanade's medical staff isn't completely useless, the wound already stitched up as the girl lays on her bed. Her now blood soaked bed. A healer is by her side, mixing what appears to be even more potions. Kanade's eyes are scrunched in pain, her chest visibly moving up and down as she struggles to breathe.
Mafuyu rushes to her side.
"Kanade?" she can't hide the fear from her voice, the healer giving her a wide eyed look. Mafuyu doesn't care what anyone thinks anymore. Her hands reach forward to cradle her pale face.
Kanade is burning up. Her white bangs are damp with sweat, sticking to her forehead. Mafuyu brushes them aside. "Kanade?" she repeats again with more desperation.
The healer clears her throat. She looks young, maybe even the same age as them. Mafuyu wants to believe that's because she truly is the best among the healers and not because the older, more experienced ones refused to take care of Kanade. She's their future, for-
Mafuyu takes a deep breath. Being angry at the castle staff won't help Kanade. "Yes?" she asks, trying to keep her tone polite. The healer continues to stare at her with wide eyes. Belatedly, Mafuyu remembers that she's still drenched with blood.
Not a priority. Kanade takes precedence over everything.
"She needs to drink this." The healer tells her, voice shaking. Mafuyu can't be that scary, surely? The healer is holding a flask full of a green liquid, with two small stones in the bottom. Mafuyu frowns.
"She can't have any more potions." She firmly tells the healer. The healer frantically starts shaking her head at that. Her eyes are even wider now, if that's possible.
"It's not! Well, it kind of is but it's not supposed to uh... stay. It bonds with the potions already taken and neutralizes them. And uh, takes them out of her system."
Oh. Mafuyu can read between the lines. She nods, holding out her hand for the potion. The healer seems taken aback, staring at her empty hand. "Uhh... Asahina-san, I can-"
"I've got it." Mafuyu cuts in, gritting her teeth. The healer quickly nods, placing the potion in her hands. "You should probably-"
"I know." Mafuyu growls. They're wasting time, Kanade is suffering. Mafuyu places her free hand against Kanade's cheek. She's burning up. Maybe even more than before. "Kanade, I need you to open your mouth."
Kanade's eyes flutter at that, her eyelids barely opening. "Hmm. Mafuyu?" she mumbles. Mafuyu moves her hand to Kanade's jaw. "Open your mouth."
Kanade blinks, staring at her in confusion for a few seconds before she obeys. Mafuyu quickly pours the potion in her mouth, closing her jaw right after to make sure she swallows. She can see Kanade panic momentarily but the girl's too out of it for Mafuyu to be able to explain anything. Instead she discards the empty bottle, placing a bucket on Kanade's lap as she pulls the girl up into a sitting position. Kanade swallows, face twisting at the taste of the drink.
It doesn't take long for the potion to take effect like the healer said it would, Kanade hunched over the bucket. Mafuyu keeps on hand on her back, stopping her from falling backwards while her other hand is squeezing hers. Kanade is shaking, tears falling from her eyes, mixing with the sweat.
Finally, it ends and Kanade is left listless, slumping backwards. Mafuyu's arm is the only thing keeping her upright, just in case more in on the way.
"I'm sorry." Kanade mumbles. "You shouldn't have to deal with this." She takes her hand away from Mafuyu's.
It doesn't hurt. It feels like it does. Mafuyu busies her freshly free hand with grabbing a glass of water for Kanade to drink.
The healer is still there, staring at the two of them. She doesn't object, so it must be fine Mafuyu supposes. She holds the cup as Kanade reaches out, taking a few sips. Just taht one simple act seems to tire her out. Mafuyu puts the glass away.
"You should leave." Kanade mumbles. Mafuyu doesn't know if it's her or the fever speaking. "I'll be fine, you should go before your mother gets mad."
"No." Mafuyu replies firmly. She's not leaving Kanade to suffer alone, never again. "Just rest, Kanade. I'll be here."
Kanade tries to reply, but her eyelids are already closing.
With Kanade asleep, it's only her and the healer remaining. Now that Mafuyu is finally actually looking at her, the healer looks even younger than she'd assumed. The young girl looks away from Mafuyu's stare. "Someone needs to watch her tonight." She states warily, like she's already expecting another angry response. Mafuyu feels guilty, all the anger leaving her now that Kanade's sleeping semi-peacefully.
"I will." Mafuyu replies. "Thank you for your efforts. I'm sorry for my rudeness."
The girl beams at her, finally relaxing. "No worries, I've seen it happen before. You must really care about her."
Mafuyu can't stop the soft smile that appears on her face. She nods.
The girl leaves and Mafuyu is left alone with Kanade. She finally looks peaceful, in her sleep. Like all the weight of the world has been lifted from her shoulder, her pain faded. Mafuyu wishes she could look like that when awake. She's not sure how much time passes as she stares at the sleeping girl.
The door clicks open, the healer from earlier entering with a sheepish look. Mafuyu feels her stomach sink. Is there something else wrong with Kanade?
"I brought you dinner." the girl states silently. "Figured you might need it."
Mafuyu's eyes finally focus on the girl's hands. True to her word, one hand is holding a tray of food while the other has a bucket of what appears to be warm water and towels. "Figured you might also want to wash up a bit." she adds.
Mafuyu blinks. "Thank you..."
"Hoshino." the girl supplies helpfully. "Ichika Hoshino. I started working here a week ago."
Oh. That explains it, why she's so unlike the rest of the staff. Mafuyu has seen them range from scoffing at Kanade to ignoring her but she's never seen one carry warmth like this.
"Thank you, Hoshino." Mafuyu replies finally. Ichika beams, before her smile quickly falls.
"Asahina-san?" she asks quietly. "If you care about her... please do something. I don't think she can survive this a second time."
Mafuyu agrees. "I will." she promises, before the familiar rage seeps back in. "What did you seniors think?"
Ichika looks away. "They... they didn't stop her from leaving. They stitched her up and then let her come here alone. They were surprised when I followed."
Hmm. Maybe Mafuyu knows where to start, if she wants to help Kanade.
"Thank you for the information, Hoshino-san." Mafuyu smiled sharply. "I think a cleaning is due soon, perhaps."
Ichika looks shocked, before agreement settles on her face. She nods, before turning and leaving the room.
Mafuyu strips out of her bloodstained armour and clothes, all the while keeping a close eye on Kanade. She's still sleeping calmly as Mafuyu wipes the rest off the blood off herself, dressing in the biggest clothes Kanade owns. Which is quite a few, surprisingly.
The meal doesn't taste like anything, unsurprisingly, but it's fine. She would save some for Kanade but... That's probably not happening anytime soon.
Kanade wakes up several times throughout the night, each incident bringing Mafuyu's heart to her chest as the frail girl leans over the bucket. At the very least, now she's sure that there isn't any potions left in her. And then Kanade wakes up, fully.
The sun is rising. Kanade looks pained once again and Mafuyu is helpless.
"Mafuyu?" Kanade mumbles, before she's folded in pain, coughing her lungs out. Mafuyu can only watch.
It's painful. Kanade's tearing up, no matter how much she tries to hide it. Mafuyu has no idea where her mediation is, or whether if it's even safe for her to take any right now. She's helpless, again. She hates it.
"You know..." Kanade speaks in a gravelly voice. She has a smile but she doesn't look happy at all. "This feels like deja vu. My dad was like this too, in a bed like this, in his final days. Maybe we really are cursed."
Mafuyu cradles her face. "You're not dying, Kanade."
"I will thought. If not this time, then the next. I have no choice but to keep going."
Mafuyu denies it. "You have a choice. I'm here now."
"You should leave. I'm a lost cause, Mafuyu. I'm not worth it."
Mafuyu takes a deep breath.
"I told them I killed the dragon."
Kanade blinks. "What?"
"I told them i killed the dragon." Mafuyu repeats. "So... Let me stay by your side, Kanade. Please."
The girl is too shocked to reply.
Eventually she manages to choke out a single sentence. "Why would you want that?"
Mafuyu leans in, blue eyes meeting purple. Kanade looks so pretty, even on her deathbed like this. Truly, if Mafuyu could stay by her side until the day she dies, she will have lived without regrets.
"May I show you why?" she asks. Her voice is soft, hesitant. Like a flower about to bloom.
Kanade blushes. "I- I look awful, and I don't think right now would be a very pleasant taste..." she trails off under Mafuyu's stare.
"I don't care." Mafuyu states bluntly. "And I can't taste."
Kanade looks lost.
"Please?" Mafuyu adds. Kanade finally lets out a small laugh, nodding her head.
Mafuyu kisses her. It's warm. There isn't much else to say, it simply is what Mafuyu expected it to be. It's amazing. A flower blooms in her chest.
When she pulls back, Kanade is staring at her with hungry eyes. "So?" she manages to ask. "You-"
"I love you." Mafuyu confirms. "I have for a long time. And you knew this." she fails to keep the accusation out of her voice.
Kanade smiles sadly. "I didn't think I deserved it."
Mafuyu cups her face again. "You don't have to face it alone." she begs. "Please. I'm here. Let me be here for you, like you always were for me."
Kanade swallows, flinching in pain at the action. "I-"
"Let me rephrase." Mafuyu cuts in, voice growing colder. "You have my love, regardless of whether you think you deserve it. You'll always have it. I'm not letting you waste away any longer, not while I can help. The only question left is-"
"I love you too." Kanade answers before she can ask. She's smiling warmly now. "Mafuyu."
Mafuyu loves how Kanade says her name.
Mafuyu takes a deep breath. "Then let me ask once again, will you let me stay by your side, through sickness and health?" she doesn't have a ring, but she doubts Kanade cares right now. They can do this properly later. Mafuyu just needs a promise, that Kanade won't slip away from her again. That Mafuyu will remain at her side like she wants to. That she won't be shut off.
"It's mostly sickness." Kanade jokes weakly. "But yes. I will."
Mafuyu lets a smile spread onto her lips, leaving down to kiss her again.