The Taisho fire

Injured

Another great picture by Len.

Sorry it's been a while. I'm working on future chapters.

Gwen awoke from fitful sleep with a hum, wondering why the mattress was moving. Bleary eyes opened, only to find a set of golden ones watching her. Tōga lay on his back, an arm secured around her, gaze intense. Suddenly, the events of the previous night rushed to her fuzzy mind, and Gwen inhaled sharply.

Her hand lifted timidly, but she didn't dare touching him; the dark bruises on the side of his face had gone purple, and probably hurt like bitch. The fact that she was unharmed was a miracle.

"How are you feeling ?" she whispered.

"Like hell."

Gwen winced; the absence of Tōga's usual bravado was testimony to how dire the situation was. Those yōkai had truly battered him like a ragdoll. She'd come incredibly close to losing him. Now that danger had passed, the shock settled in her mind. A tear rolled down her cheek at the memory of his broken body, sprawled at her feet upon unforgiving concrete.

So close... The perspective of a life without him suddenly stared her in the eye. A bleary, too probable future that wrenched her guts and called forth a wave of nausea. Her whole frame started to shake, and Gwen scrunched her eyes close in an attempt to rein in the panic. To no avail. Suddenly, the dam of emotions shattered, and she found herself sobbing against his shoulder, mindful not to jolt any of his injuries.

As shameful as this breakdown was, her heart refused to be curbed until it had expressed the extend of its sorrow. Thus, Gwen shed a river of tears, shaking in Tōga's embrace while his hand attempted to card into her wild tresses. His hold was weak, at best, but his warmth and smell surrounded her. In the background, she could also discern his yōki swirling around her, a comforting embrace he couldn't give physically.

When, eventually, her grief was spent, Gwen sniffled.

"Sorry," she breathed, dropping a wet kiss upon his jaw.

"You should be," he rumbled. "I told you to go away."

The young woman started, pushing on her forearm to look him in the eye.

"I couldn't leave you there."

Tōga's jaw was so tense that it was a miracle he didn't dislodge any teeth. His eyes blazed, anger and distress swirling in their golden depth; the same look he'd addressed her after the fire. She knew he was about to lash out – the result of his fears – and braced for his anger.

"You should have !" he nearly shouted, his voice barely controlled.

And despite the fact that he lay prone in a bed, the underlying anger contained in his voice still affected her. The onslaught hurt deep, but instead of crumbling down like the last time, Gwen found her courage and confronted him. Because out there, in the streets, he wasn't her Captain, but her companion. She wasn't ready to lose the man she loved.

"You do not get to order me outside the fire station, Tōga."

To say he was shocked by the sudden backlash was an understatement. Tōga blinked twice, caught between anger and disbelief, emotions betrayed by his erratic yōki. There was no mistaking the strain it took for him to keep himself together; Gwen feared the argument would escalate when a casual voice rose from behind her.

"She saved your life, chichi-ue."

Gwen jolted, catching a glare on Tōga's face directed at the person behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was, but curiosity pushed her to shift and take a peek at the Ice King. Sesshōmaru sat casually, his three-piece suit as pristine at the previous day, long hair shining in the morning light. His amber eyes stared his father down, unaffected by his death glare, the crescent moon peeking under his bangs.