Midnight's Reign

Chapter 7

The many times she's helped Shinobu in the Butterfly Mansion, she's learned a thing or two about natural medicines. She's memorized a few of the basic ones that could come in handy when out on a mission.

Comfrey is good for burns and bruises, Lavender is used for rashes and helps reduce swelling. The one she's currently looking for is Yarrow. Her current mission had brought her out to a massive forest; multiple demons had been plaguing the nearby villages. So she was sent out with Sanemi, Tengen, and Kyojuro. They had to split into two groups: Tengen and Kyojuro split to the north side of the forest, her and Sanemi to the south.

Sanemi had sustained a cut on his chest, which is why she's searching for Yarrow. She kept her gaze low to the ground, keeping her eyes peeled for any clusters of the tiny white flowers.

"It's a shallow cut; I'm fine." Sanemi says, arms crossed as he watches her navigate through the brush.

"Infections can be just as dangerous as deep cuts. Since we finished our mission early, we have some time to spare." She says.

She smiles as she finally spots what she's looking for. Bending over, she plucks a few flowers from their stems. Sanemi's gaze lands on her rear, quickly looking away once she straightens back up. She narrows her eyes at him as he whistles innocently.

She pops a small handful of the Yarrow into her mouth, chewing to work them into a paste. Once she's satisfied with the consistency, she spits out the creamy wad into her hand. She walks up to him.

"Open your shirt."

"Easy there, take me out to dinner first." He teases, smirking down at her.

She rolls her eyes. "Must you always be like this?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "It's hard not to; you're cute. Plus, it's fun to see you flustered."

She shakes her head, poorly suppressing her smile. Reaching up with her free hand, she peels back the fabric revealing his wound. It's shallow as he said, but it's pretty long. The blood has already started to coagulate. She slowly applies the cream colored paste, taking care not to rub too hard. She can feel his sharp eyes watching her as she works.

Once she was finished, she moved his shirt back into place, covering her handiwork. She walks to a nearby tree and removes a large leaf, using it to wipe her hand clean. They continue to walk, the agreed upon meeting place is just ahead.

She hears a faint snap and Sanemi reacts before she can. He rushes towards her, arms wrapping around her to move her out of the way but wasn't fast enough. In the blink of an eye, they're both wrapped up in a net that was hidden by leaves. She yelps in surprise as they're thrown skyward, the net halting to a stop 30 ft in the air.

They hang suspended, the net slowly sways side to side.

"Well, shit." He says, his arms still wrapped around her. She's pressed close to his chest, sitting sideways in his lap. She untangles her hands from the netting, reaching for her sword. Unfortunately for her, the netting is too tangled around her weapon, rendering it useless.

"Can you reach your sword?" She asks him.

He withdraws his arms from her waist and tugs on the handle of his blade. Just like hers, it's too tangled to be removed.

"Nope." He says.

She purses her lips, thinking about their options. Without a blade to cut the net, they have no choice but to wait for their companions to free them. His breathe tickles her ear, reminding her of their close proximity. She tries to move herself farther from him. Moving her legs, she struggles to maneuver and ends up making it much worse. Now she's straddling him, her right leg getting tangled in the rope.