Last Warriors

8. Eclipse

The day after the battle

Yue moves and whines. HeDi wakes up, worried, still gathering her close to him.

"Hey... How are you? You scared me yesterday..."

"It hurts all over..." she complains.

HeDi does not understand why she is hurting if the creek healed her.

In an attempt to find a solution, he leaves Roar to watch over his YuYu while he runs to the Village to ask the Healer what he can do to help her.

The Healer gives HeDi an oil that will aid her. She explains that Yue's brain cannot understand how her injuries healed so fast and it is having a hard time catching up.

"It might take a few days. Keep applying the oil wherever it hurts to make her brain understand she is cured. The pain is just a reflection of an idea, not a fact."

HeDi goes back to the tent with the oil, kneels beside Yue and explains the situation to her.

Yue tries to apply the ointment by herself, but she has no strength. When she moves, the pain is excruciating, and she is unable to rub it on.

"I can't..." she mutters with teary eyes.

HeDi thinks for a second...

"I'll do it, if that's alright with you."

Yue nods. She is agonizing; anything that will help her is welcome.

HeDi is agitated, obviously. Yue is suffering and all he can think of is that there are no garments covering her body under the blankets, only that womanly figure that he yearns to caress, to kiss, to feel... He shakes his head and attempts to focus.

He washes his hands in the creek and then kneels again next to Yue.

Slowly, he uncovers her bruised shoulders first. He puts some oil on his hands and lovingly begins to massage the area.

Yue sheds a tear.

"I am sorry, do you want me to stop?" he asks with sorrow in his tone.

"No. Go ahead, just... Be gentle, please."

HeDi nods and kisses her forehead.

Gradually, the pain begins to subside as his warm hands release his affection and compassion on her shoulders.

Now it is time to massage the middle of her chest and ribs, where a knife struck her a few times, trying to hit her heart. As the blanket moves down, HeDi gulps. How will he do this? Even the position is weird. The best way to go about it is to hold her in his arms.

He moves to the bed, uncovers her whole body, and brings her delicately to his lap to rest her on his left arm.

His heart is pumping harder than when he battles, while Yue is too exhausted and hurting to even think about what is happening. All she knows is that she is thankful for the way he is tending to her.

There are a million sensations and emotions inside HeDi: love, indignation, compassion, desire, anger, frustration, uselessness... He feels them all; she awakes them all.

However, when his hand begins to rub the oil in the middle of her chest and he feels her heartbeat echoing on his skin, everything seems to settle. HeDi senses peace and fulfilment. Everything fits; all is well because she is in his arms, dependent on him, trusting him, allowing him to take care of her. Nothing has ever felt this right; nothing else matters but Yue.

As his hand massages the ointment on her abdomen, her hip, and her thigh, the world has disappeared around him, there is no one else but Yue in his heart and on his mind. He is engrossed, absorbed by her. Having her in his arms is everything.