| [Feb. 8th, 2017|04:00 am] |
Genma waited for the dressing down he’d earned with his own flare of temper. Raidou surprised him, though, saying instead, “There's definitely no one in range?”
Genma nodded. “C-clear as far as I can t-t-tell.”
“Then I want a goddamn shower,” Raidou declared. “Hound, aim the next one my way.”
Kakashi obliged, sending a stream of water jetting towards Raidou. Grease and sand peeled away, leaving Raidou’s skin pink in its wake. Old scars stood out raised and silver in the sunlight, contouring hard muscle like an artist’s drawing.
The sand on his own skin chafed where it rubbed against Ryouma’s. Genma glanced up to find Ryouma thin-lipped, every line of his face etched with exhaustion.
“Us t-too,” Genma declared. The cold water would be dreadful for a moment, but getting the grease and sand off would be more than worth it. He braced himself for the blast, but when Kakashi turned the shower on them, it was gentler, and not nearly as icy as Genma’d expected. He and Ryouma both had to scour with their hands to get anything like clean. Without soap, it was just a rough approximation.
Even with tepid water, the shower dropped Genma’s temperature fast. The chills hit harder, and Ryouma took over entirely, bracing Genma with one hand and scrubbing his skin with the other.
While Kimiko and Sango took their turn, Genma huddled close to the ground and let Raidou and Ryouma together towel him off and help him into dry clothes. His joints and head ached as if it had been a real fever, and the shivers, though less violent now that he was dressed, continued.
When Raidou gave him the most skeptical of looks, Genma shrugged. “My t-teacher never liked this technique. Said it had t-too many f-f-flaws. But it k-kept the baby safe.”
Raidou regarded him for an unimpressed moment, before he dropped the towel directly over Genma’s head — his answer, it seemed, to shinobi under his command behaving in ways he disapproved of.
“Everyone ready? Yes?” he asked. When no one disagreed, he said, “Good, let's march.” He gave Genma a hand up while Ryouma did the same for Kimiko and Sango. Kakashi resealed the scroll and stowed it.
Genma didn’t bother with a protest when Raidou insisted on slinging an arm under his shoulder to steady him as they walked. They were a slow, mostly silent band, climbing through clinging brush and loose volcanic soil. Sango, securely in her mother’s arms again, dropped off to sleep. When they finally made it to the safety of the caves on the ridge, even Kakashi seemed relieved to be able to rest. |
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