| [Dec. 1st, 2011|08:21 am] |
Katsuko’s free hand drifted up to rest on her belly as she felt the seal there stir, chakra prickling at her distress. “Yeah. They threw me back in the cells just before they took Ichiba.”
Genma looked inquiringly at her, then nodded and wrapped his fingers around her shoulder. "It's okay. I shouldn't have asked."
“It’s alright,” Katsuko said. “It’s alright.” She smiled wanly and patted him on the shoulder, chuckling a little. “Kami. We’re a couple of miserable wretches, aren’t we?”
Genma chuckled, dark and wry, arm brushing against hers as he stretched out. "Yeah, I guess we are. So what lie did you tell the psych guy to get them to leave you the hell alone and get back to work?"
Katsuko grinned, a little guiltily. “I called him ‘Roly-poly-san’ and told him I could still beat him with one hand tied behind my back. I also told him his mother was good in bed.” There had been more, bland falsehoods about not that bad, really, and how the pills helped stop the nightmares. Roly-poly-san (she’d never bothered to find out his real name) was as eager to be rid of her as she was of him, by the end, and couldn’t clear her fast enough.
"Yeah.” Genma laughed. “I told mine the truth for about five minutes, and then I just learned to tongue my pills and keep my mouth shut. Lucky for me I had a friend who came and…" He paused, choosing his words. "Helped. In a lot of ways. Cause my hands were useless for months, you know?"
Katsuko knew. She’d been able to move her fingers, at least, but even reaching for a glass of water during the first month had torn the freshly healing scabs and stitches on her arms. Nori and Beni had tried to be there, at first, had kept her company in the hospital and during the recovery at home, but...
“Changing the bandages hurt like a bitch,” she said at last. “Couldn’t wear long-sleeved shirts for the longest time, afterwards.” She gave Genma a commiserating look. “Same thing for you with gloves, right?” |
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