tampered | Log, complete

Log, complete

When; Monday 18th, afternoon
Rating; PG
Characters; Aya (

onceaweiss) and Umi (

soulofocean)
Summary; After breaking free from the Saw trap where they were stuck together these two decide to be the worst hospital patients in the history of The City.
Log;
They'd told her he was alright. That he was evolving fine -- extremely well for the kind of wounds he'd taken. But ask her if their word was enough. Umi felt each hour she spent stuck in that bed was an eternity. The Network device she'd all but bullied the medical staff into letting her have back wasn't doing much to fix this. Instead it kept her restless, delivering a parade of awful news from that nightmarish weekend. Hearing Aya's voice had helped a lot, but it still wasn't the same. The Water Knight understood that if he felt as weak and wobbly as she did it might well take a while for them to see each other in person like she needed them to.

The nurse wasn't cooperating even under the threat of getting soaked, chilled to the bone, or even yelled at. That awful curse had kept Fuu away since Sunday night, and in any case Umi doubted her sister could have done much about the situation.

...But she swore that if it took more than an hour longer all bets were off. She didn't care who she had to coerce into it. She WAS going to check on Aya even if she had to fight the entire hospital security to drag herself to his room. All caution be damned. After that hell of a weekend she needed to be sure of this more than she needed any further medical attention.

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"Er... well. You know?"

She gave it a good wait until the doctors and nurses were reluctantly out the door -- with apologies, at that: Umi knew she shouldn't feel so vindicated about so little, and YET -- then she turned to Aya with a conspiring look and whispered: "Ken promised to bring me potato chips in his next visit!"

"He brought me food as well. It was a nice change."

More than a nice change. Aya had greatly appreciated having something that wasn't hospital food. Something he'd never been fond of.

"We'll both be out of here soon, Aya. I'm sure of that." More so now, that both of them would be able to get some real rest. Looking at Aya Umi wondered just how bad had he gotten it. She'd only caught glimpses before Ken and Clef and Presea tended to them. Had the doctors needed to put him through surgery too? It pained her to think about that, but he was looking well enough to reassure her.

She lay back against the pillows she'd just ranted about and found them cushier than she remembered.

"Then we can have real food and make it up to ourselves for all this mess. I feel we'll all need that. I--!" She sighed heavily, immediately regretting it as her side started to hurt. "Jeez, it hadn't been this tough in a long while. October lives up to the stupid hype."

Aya nodded slowly as he relaxed into his bed. Now that that problem was off his mind he could focus on...worrying about Ken. His friend had been through so much this weekend.

"At least people won't forget that it is still October."

Which wasn't exactly a good thing but there wasn't much they could do about it. Something he hated rather passionately.

"I doubt there's even a way for anyone to forget this one October." There was no way she would, at least. She shifted where she lay, making sure she was facing Aya's bed without straining her wounds. The bandages were awfully itchy, but that meant the cuts were healing right? She already felt like she was getting better. "I know I won't. Even without the scars I wouldn't..."

Scars. Aya didn't want her to have scars. There was no way to avoid it entirely but that didn't mean he wanted her to have that. To scar. He had scars all over his body and he didn't want anyone to have to deal with things like that. "Just rest now, Umi. Do that for me."

She couldn't mind the scars too much, not really. They were at least a reminder she'd stayed alive, and made sure Aya had too, even through a freaky nightmare such as that one. Hikaru had been left with her own scars, after facing such a thing. But those? Those were nothing Umi wanted to think about. Unlike hers, those grated. And in any case they were gone now.

...Of course she couldn't guess what Aya was thinking, but the tone of his voice helped her realize something specific had troubled him. She smiled from where she lay. "Look at me: I'm resting now. Thanks to you."

"Because I had to get up to check on you?" He didn't trust the doctors not to lie to him about Umi's condition. That was something he needed to see for himself. And now that he had, he felt so much better and it was showing. Aya was able to relax and smile easily as he looked over at her.

And...he was near the door too. It would make it far easier for him to protect her from anyone coming from that direction.

"Because you came, yeah. And because you'll be staying here so I can take things easy." It was a long list. Tired and restless as she'd been feeling but a few moments ago, before Aya walked in and made it all better, Umi found she now felt like at least voicing a few points of it.

So much to be grateful for... It made recovering from all she had to regret and hate about that weekend seem more possible.

She lowered her eyes and rested comfortably against her pillow, a smile on her lips. "And because without you to keep me from fretting too much I'd have stayed stuck in that nasty trap and..." A sigh, a bit helpless too. "Well. Everything."

Her smile became somehow guilty. "I hope I didn't give you too much trouble through that..."

"No, Umi. You weren't any trouble. You never are. I'm just glad I was able to get you out." Aya's face became serious to show her that he meant every word that he was saying. He didn't fault Umi for worrying and having a hard keeping calm in that trap. There was a time when he would have been the same way.

But then he smiled again.

"Umi, I'll always come when I know you need me."

Umi's grip on her pillow had been tightened without her notice, at her own last words. At Aya's own it relaxed completely.

She'd sensed the purpose he'd put in that seriousness, his tone... Aya didn't ever say things he didn't mean. He did, every word of that, and Umi knew him well enough to tell this. It helped ease that odd guilt inside her until it vanished. She'd done her part too. She'd helped, in the measure that had been possible for her. And she'd make sure she always would.

It was her turn to become serious and solemn as she matched that promise with her own. "I will too. Always. It doesn't matter if I can only do so much. Aya..." She realized not even The City could make this impossible just as she was saying it: "I'll never leave you alone."

"I know."

Closing his eyes, he ignored the fact that the City had so much power over them. There was so little he could do about that and he knew it. He could only make do with what he had right here and now. Aya hated that fact but if he spent time dwelling on that, everyone he cared about would really and truly suffer.

That fact bothered him more than anything so he wasn't about to let it become a reality.

"You should sleep, Umi."

"Right... At last. Never soon enough, huh." She gave him an affectionate smile before she shifted where she lay to hold a hand out to him. Their beds were close enough to do this without any discomfort, and Umi couldn't think of a better way to seal a promise.

She thought that in her heart she understood what was troubling Aya. It was that place, and the way they could never guess what awful things they may have coming. All they could do was try to be there for those they loved. Umi was going to make sure she always did. Especially in his case, like all her family.

"We both should."

His entire life he'd been someone who didn't really enjoy contact. However, now and then, he greatly appreciated it. At those times, it was still only a certain number of people that could have that privilege. Umi was certainly one of those people for Aya.

Reaching out, he took her hand in his. "You're right. I'll make sure to now."

It was the only way Umi was going to get to sleep and he knew that.

"Don't think I won't notice if you stay awake." A bit of her teasing tone was back, more cheerful than Umi thought it would be for the longest time after what had happened. Yeah, she knew him perfectly capable of waiting until she fell asleep to actually try and go there himself. And for one she was alright with that. But that went for making Aya realize it was important to Umi that he got enough rest too. He should be aware of that by now, but reminders never hurt. Let him keep in mind she wouldn't get better if he didn't.

Huddling into a more comfortable position against the pillows, she smiled at him one last time before she closed her eyes at last.

"...Sleep well, Aya."

She gave his hand a little squeeze, holding it tight. She knew she'd probably let go as soon as she fell asleep -- and BOY, didn't she suddenly feel dead tired. But that didn't matter.

He was safe here.

"Sleep well, Umi."

Shifting to make himself more comfortable, he closed his eyes. It was amazing how the bed had become more comfortable for him to rest in. He wasn't surprised though. Umi was safe and would rest with him here and that was what mattered most to him.

Aya let out a sigh as he let himself drift a little, waiting a little to let Umi fall asleep first. It would help him.

And as soon as she did, he fell asleep as well, managing to continue holding her hand even then.

So warm. When had the bed become so welcoming? Umi wasn't sure when exactly did she drift off to sleep herself. Only that it was a smooth transition that occurred the moment she breathed deep, found out her wounds didn't strain her anymore, and so she could let go of concerns for the first time since that nightmare had happened.

It couldn't win. Those were her last thoughts before a peaceful silence took her. Just like she'd told Aya back then. It wouldn't as long as they had each other.

Only now she could understand the reasons Ken had for fearing to lose someone dear to him so much. The mere idea that... Aya... No, but that wasn't anything she needed to consider now. It WOULDN'T win. Simply because she wouldn't let it happen.

She'd promised.

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