riptide | kyojuro rengoku

XLIV | awake

RECOVERY WAS MANAGEABLE. Or, at least it was without Shinjuro's constant supervision and micromanagement. According to Shinobu, he had paid great dues for her people to come and assist with building and healing the injured villagers. Along with that, he had refused to leave his oldest son's bedside and forbid anyone into his quarters, even Senjuro.

You were sure he was simply mourning the fate that Kyojuro could've had, but it still made your heart hurt to know that you couldn't even see him. Still, you swallowed your needs and wants in order to keep Senjuro company amidst all the chaos. He was still young and impressionable, so you intended to keep his mind off of his older brother and father as much as you could.

He occasionally complained and whined about not being able to visit Kyojuro and see how he was doing, but he would quiet down when you spoke. Sometimes he would even shut up on his own; you were never sure as to why but you had a suspicion that it was because he would view your injuries and realize he didn't want to see his brother in such a state.

It's not that Senjuro viewed Kyojuro as weak; he just didn't want to feel so helpless and broken seeing his brother's own mangled body. The fight had resulted in a burn-covered left arm as you had used it to shield yourself from the heat of the Flame Pillar's attack, so your skin was more rippled and textured there.

It didn't hinder you very much, but you still hissed in pain with the slightest graze against the wound. Your left ankle's scar had also reopened only to be reclosed just as quickly, Shinobu's medicine seemed to work wonders on you. You were sure it was some kind of fancy heal ointment along with a burn treatment that was fixing your body.

However, you had learned the hard way to never question her on her medical skills out of curiosity. She'd either launch into a ramble about things you didn't understand or subtly insult you for trying to 'pry into her business'. You were sure she said those things more for her amusement than to hurt people randomly so you tried not to let it bother you much.

"And they're gonna turn this place into a market area," Senjuro tugged your hand, raising it to point in the direction he was mentioning. Apparently the destruction of the fight had given the villagers the option to 'remodel' the entire layout and add more aspects that they had been lacking previously.

The village had been a generational thing as it had stuck for years and years, but now they were left to rebuild from a clean slate. Sometimes a rebirth was exactly what the people needed and ironically, although the citizens were devastated by their losses, they were more than happy to make up for it through hard work.

You quickly learned that dedication wasn't an 'only Kyojuro' factor; it was more of a village-taught and village-drilled moral standard. Senjuro had even grasped it at a young age considering he would leave you for hours at a time early in the morning to go complete his cleaning duties for the day.

Sometimes he would leave again at night to draw a bath for himself or to complete another round of chores. You had a feeling that he would also leave food and toiletries for his father outside Kyojuro's door, but no one had ever seen something outside it or seen the door open whatsoever.

Shinobu seemed to know though since she would always inform you of Kyojuro's whereabouts and how he was generally feeling. It wasn't enough to be detailed, but it satisfied your concern knowing that he was at least breathing and resting properly. You had no idea how she was checking up on him, but you never heard her linger in your room past midnight.

Maybe that's when she did her medical duties for him; even Shinjuro would be reluctant to turn her away from his oldest son considering she had some of the best medical skills known to mankind. Her medical remedies were far more advanced and abundant than the Fire Village could ever dream of having.

Especially considering they simply didn't have certain herbs or plants like that around. "This is gonna be the new port. They said they're gonna build ships way later because all the ships got destroyed and nobody wants to go sailing. . . " Senjuro trailed off awkwardly. Did my abilities make them apprehensive to go into the ocean or something? 

You quietly questioned yourself but made sure not to say anything in front of the younger boy, allowing him to drag you to another area of the island. "This might be an orchard soon. When we were at the cliffside they saw a lot of fruits so they said they were gonna go back and pick a few for the seeds or something. I think they need your permission too," He spoke up.

He said the last part a little louder than his past words and you giggled. You wondered if the villagers were going to ask permission at all or if they were too scared to. "I could help with that. Kagaya grew those fruits before so I don't mind helping them grow the fruits properly." You hummed. 

You didn't know a whole lot about plant keeping considering your lack of sight, but you were fairly efficient in basic plant care. Kagaya had pretty much taught you the basics and it's not like you were going to make hybrids out of these fruits or anything. Senjuro cleared his throat in a  reprimanding way, trying to make sure your statements were heard.

Maybe they really were just planning on stealing my fruits? At this point, you weren't remotely surprised. Not that you still hated any of the villagers, but rather you knew they were too afraid to ask you so they'd rather opt to steal it from you without you knowing. However, clearly, Senjuro blew that plan to pieces.

"You two," There was a gust of wind and you heard Shinobu's robe flutter in the wind. She had quite an odd way of traveling; she would hop from area to area and fall gracefully, almost the complete opposite of Kyojuro. "He's awake and he's asking for you both to visit him." She spoke kindly.

Again, that sense of neutrality behind her voice bugged you, but you knew Senjuro felt your joy and anxiousness all the same especially when he tightened his grip and dragged you with all his might, sprinting forward.