| [Nov. 14th, 2011|02:42 am] |
The orderlies came for Hakuin this time, not even bothering with restraints as they lifted his slight form onto the gurney’s stained mattress. The old monk turned his head to look at Katsuko and smiled at her pale, drawn face. “Courage,” he mouthed at her, and then they were through the door and turning the corner and Hakuin was gone. Hakuin was gone.
Time slowed down to a crawl. She made soothing noises at Ichiba, ignoring the pounding in her own heart, and tried not to think about anything at all. Hakuin had taught her the meditation exercises from his temple, but whenever she closed her eyes all she saw were the scars around the old monk’s throat, his thin wrists and the way his whole body shook with the cough that never went away. What passed for night in this place found her curled up against the far wall of her cell, eyes fixed on the door that they’d taken Hakuin through. Her lips moved silently as she tried to recite the sutras, lost her train of thought and started over again.
On the sixtieth parable of the Hundred Parables, the door opened with a rusty scream. Katsuko’s heart leapt into her throat as two burly orderlies appeared on the threshold, sinking down into her stomach when they muscled an unconscious body too tall to be Hakuin between them.
“Crazy bastard,” one of the orderlies grunted. “Kid’s got balls, though, you gotta admit.”
Katsuko lifted her head.
Kaminari’s lackeys dragged their burden down the hall, stopping at the cell on Katsuko’s right. She shifted closer, craning to catch a glimpse of the prisoner’s face, and nearly cried in relief when she recognized Asuma. Crawling over to the grate between their cells, she watched in wide-eyed silence as the orderlies tossed the young shinobi to the floor with a thud. When they’d left, closing the basement door behind them, she rose up to her knees and wrapped her arms around the bars.
“Asuma?” Her voice sounded very small. “You still with me?”
He groaned, rolling onto his side to face her. One arm wrapped around his head as he slurred, “Hey, darlin’.”
“You idiot.” To her shock and horror, Katsuko felt tears sliding down her face. “They took you and then they took Hakuin and...Kami, what did you do? It looks like you lost a fight with a bear.” Swiping at her eyes, she added thickly, “A really angry bear.”
“Katsuko?” Ichiba sat up. “Is that Asuma? Is he alright?”
"M'fine, kiddo." He pushed himself up on one arm, still holding his head, and crawled towards Katsuko. "Broke that bitch's nose and put the wind up the rest of them." He wrapped his free hand around hers, looking down at her with a lopsided smile. "Hey, hey, pretty lady, don't cry on me. You're going to make it rain."
Katsuko’s breath caught on a sob; suddenly conscious of Ichiba’s worried eyes on her, she scrubbed a hand over her face and tried to center herself. “Sorry,” she croaked. “Sorry. I just need a second.”
“Did you really break Kaminari’s nose?” Ichiba asked eagerly. “I wish I’d been there to see that.”
“You got close enough to break her nose?” Katsuko snickered. “Doesn’t her breath smell terrible?”
"Like a sewer drain. I'd hate to be her husband." He winced and settled down next to the grate, leaning stiffly against the bars. "I got close enough to smash her right up against the glass of that observation horror show. Busted her head open. Would've killed her, but I got tackled." He grimaced. "She healed herself, but I cut up a couple of the orderlies, and I don't think she's healing them."
Katsuko smiled, eyes going flat and hard. “Good.”
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