| [Jan. 15th, 2017|07:26 pm] |
She wasn't asking for the mercy stroke. She couldn't be.
Ryouma clenched fists over his thighs and rocked forward, uselessly. If a chakra transfusion wouldn't help, if blood pills wouldn't work, if Genma couldn't heal, there was absolutely nothing Ryouma could offer that would make any difference. And yet—
Genma'd spared her outside Ibaragashi, when any other man would've cut her throat or just left her to die. Even after the mission in Tsuto Takayoshi's house, where Genma killed grandparents and teenagers, he'd denied that he was looking for someone to save. He said he'd done it for Konoha, for the information she could provide under interrogation, for the confirmation of Kakashi's Bingo Book kill.
But he wasn't looking down at her, now, with the eyes of a man who saw her utility as done. There was tension behind that wrought-iron calm: pain in his mouth, a darkness like grief in his eyes. He said, low and quiet, "Tell your sister you love her."
A sob broke in Kimiko's throat. Her hand moved in Fukuda's hair, stroking over the filthy tangles. "Takedo-neechan," she whispered. "I'll make sure Sango knows all about you. I'll tell her how you saved us." She bent, tears dripping, and kissed her sister's face.
Fukuda said something indistinct, too low for Ryouma to hear anything but a single recognizable word: "Konoha." Kimiko's eyes darted up, across Fukuda's prone body, to Raidou's blood-masked face, then dropped again. She shook her head. Fukuda gripped her jaw and tugged her back down. "Promise me," she said. "Until you're safe."
The words dragged out of Kimiko, heavy as gravestones. "I promise."
Fukuda drew a breath, slow and painful. Her lips were pale, nearly blue. "Look after yourself. Not just Sango." Her eyes flitted past her sister's head, skipping over Raidou, finding Ryouma. "And you. You'll protect them both."
It wasn't a request. Not even a demand. Just—certainty.
He ducked his head. Her breath eased out. She kissed Kimiko's cheek, and then pushed her gently back. "Be quick."
Genma said quietly, "I'll make sure you don't suffer."
Fukuda shook her head. Her hand fell to Kimiko's. She turned her head, exposing her throat, and watched her sister's tears fall. |
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