Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 4 ~ Part 1||

Momo washed the blood off of her hands, scrubbing her arms and between her fingers ritualistically. The golden hues of the setting sun cascaded through the house's single window and highlighted the water in the basin as the liquid turned a deep cooper. In the distance, the sound of a lute started, accompanied by the muffled singing of the Greeks as they began their celebratory feasts. In the air, Momo could detect the faint scent of roasting lamb over the smell of decaying bodies and smoldering smoke.

It made her stomach churn.

She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at Tokoyami. The temple guardian was still unconscious. The human parts of his body, sticking out from under a wool blanket, were pale and covered in sweat.

The operation had taken the whole day. The wound on Tokoyami's stomach had been severe, but the more concerning problem had been the amount of blood he had lost by the time she had been able to treat him. It was a miracle that he'd survived at all, and the foul stench of the Styx River still sat thickly on her tongue like molding bread.

Momo looked back at the darkening water and paused as her chest tightened and her breathing grew fainter. The terror and anxiety that she had carefully sealed away during the procedure began to slowly leak through the cracks of her control. And Momo was helpless to stop her thoughts as all the possible scenarios began to flicker through her mind, reminding her of how precarious Tokoyami's situation was.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed nervously over a dry throat, clamping down on her thoughts.

She wasn't going to panic.

She had been the Temple's top healer, known for her calm demeanor under pressure and extensive knowledge of medicine. She had stitched hundreds of injuries before, some worse than Tokoyami's wound. There was no reason for her to get emotional now.

Momo took a deep breath and returned to rinsing her hands furiously. Tokoyami would pull through. He had to. He was the closest thing to family she had left. He would never abandon her.

She didn't know if she could be alone again.

A stabbing pain shot through her wrist, pulling her from her thoughts. Momo stopped and frowned, touching her hand. She had neglected to treat her wrist before beginning the operation, and the constant movement and precision needed to sew Tokoyami's wound had only aggravated the sprain. With the amount of strain she had put on it, it wouldn't be surprising if it swelled up, and she'd be unable to use it for a couple of weeks. It would hinder her from protecting Tokoyami, but it had been a risk she had knowingly taken.

Momo pulled a towel from the back of a chair, her gaze sliding to the side to discreetly look at Shouto Todoroki as she dried her hands. He had watched her the entire day, barely moving from his spot leaning against the opposite wall, except for when he had wordlessly left to change clothes or the few times he had replaced the water she'd used during the operation.

Momo diverted her attention as he looked up and his gray eyes caught her stare.

Until Tokoyami could protect himself, she'd have to be careful. There were plenty of men who wouldn't hesitate to use the temple guardian as leverage to bend her to their will. She doubted Todoroki would be any different. She was just another person for him to conquer. Even if he had helped her more than what their agreement had stipulated, he would most likely ask more from her in return.

Her stomach curled. Momo frowned. She'd have to stay on her guard around him. She'd already shown too many of her weaknesses; it was just a matter of time until he used them against her.

Momo picked up the water basin and emptied it outside. She turned sharply back towards Tokoyami, and black spots danced across her vision. Momo stumbled, catching herself on a warm arm that suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a hard chest and steadying her body. Momo stilled at the contact.

"You're exhausted," Todoroki's deep voice rumbled. The sound seemed to travel through her back and down her spine.

She pushed down a shiver and forced herself to look at him. Todoroki's face was tense and his expressionless eyes steely. He had cleaned the blood off and changed into a regular blue chiton. Up close, she could catch the faint smell of olives. The muscles under her fingers rippled.

Momo pushed herself up. "I'm fine. I just tripped," she said, taking a step back and out of his arms.

Todoroki let her go without any resistance, but his eyes seemed to narrow. He looked her up and down. Momo was uncomfortably reminded that she was still in her torn chiton as his cold, gray eyes examined her. In the back of her mind, she wished she hadn't taken off his cape, no matter how impractical it would have been to perform surgery with it on.

She forced herself not to shift under his stare. This was a game — cat and mouse. The best defense she had against him right now was to hide her fear; it would only be used against her.

Todoroki's gaze returned to her face.

"Go clean up. You're done for tonight," he said after a moment.

Momo's lips thinned; she pulled her shoulders back and turned away from him with all the grace she could manage. "I'm not tired," she said, making her way back towards Tokoyami. "I've had longer days than this. Besides, I still need to make more medicine and clean Tokoyami's other wounds. I'll rest once I'm done." She placed the water basin back under the window and turned back around. Todoroki was right behind her.

Momo swallowed.

She hadn't heard him move.

His eyes glittered as he loomed over her. "Do it tomorrow. You haven't eaten or rested all day. You're going to get sick." He glanced over at Tokoyami lying on the wooden table. "It will be fine for another day."

Something twisted inside of her, and then a fit of anger that she didn't realize she possessed roared through her. Momo clenched her hands into fists; her eyes narrowed. "No, I won't!" she said harshly. "The first twenty-four hours are the most critical for a patient's recovery. I need to monitor his condition carefully to ensure his body doesn't reject the sutures, or he doesn't come down with a fever," she explained, trying to keep her voice from trembling with rage.

Todoroki's face hardened. And Momo felt her anger disappear as fast as it had come; her heart stalled. She had overstepped. She could feel his mounting frustration beating off of him like waves onto rocks, and she braced herself. She still knew next to nothing about the Spartan, and Momo had seen women battered for smaller offenses. If he grew serious, she wouldn't stand a chance against him, especially with her injury.

Todoroki rolled his jaw. "That's fine and all, but don't forget that you promised yourself to me." His tone had an edge to it. He reached forward and wrapped his fingers around her left wrist. Momo hissed and flinched at the unexpected contact. Todoroki released her, and his eyes widened as she pulled back.

"You're hurt." He sounded genuinely surprised.