Samurai: Asai Kyou

Interlude #1: Awaking

Kyou looked blearily about the room. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and he swallowed, trying to rid himself of the sandpapery feeling. It failed. His chest ached, and his throat burned with disuse and a sore need for a cool drink. Despite that, his head felt relatively clear.

His roaming gaze made its faltering way around the section of the room he could see from his mat until it landed on another form lying on the floor a few feet away. Trying to sit up for a better look, Kyou suddenly realized how stiff and sore his muscles were. Everything hurt, and getting a good breath became a battle. What happened? He wracked his mind, trying to come up with an answer to that. He vaguely remembered passing out on the way to meet his main forces to quell the rebellion Isamu-san started. He had been sick. It came crashing back to him then. He had the Black Death.

A frustrated growl grated at his parched throat as he failed a second time to sit up. If he had Black Death, why hadn't he died? And who was the other person lying under swathes of heavy blankets across from him? He simply didn't have the strength to rise and find out the answers to those questions.

A screen was pulled aside, the wood frame scraping across the plank floorboards. Kyou couldn't see it from his vantage point, but he did see his sister when she entered and came to his side. When he attempted to sit up once more, she gasped softly and knelt beside him. "Kyou-san!" She gently pressed on his shoulders, avoiding his chest entirely.

For a moment he wondered if something was wrong with his chest. Maybe that would explain the difficulty he had with breathing? Then he grew concerned with sitting up again. "H-help me s-sit up," he croaked, his tongue feeling heavy from disuse. How long have I been out?

She shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not! The healer says you are to rest. You barely made it through. The priests said it was a miracle from the ancestors themselves that the fever broke and the Black Death receded. It was nigh half a week before they were able to get to you after Naoki brought you and Magoichi back!"

"N-naoki-kun?" Why didn't she use an honorific with his name? She's always done so with everyone before... My prim, proper sister is the least likely of us all to dispense with that.

"H-hai... He came back with a few men after leaving the rest to relieve your forces on the front lines of the rebellion."

Kyou forced his weak arms and stiff fingers to move so he could rub sleep from his eyes. His sister was blushing? He'd barely heard anything else because he was still mulling over the confusing lack of a respectful title for Naoki-kun. Just what is going on here, anyway? Naoki-kun's been trying to get us all to quit using an honorific for months. Why has she stopped now? What did I miss while I was sick? "H-how long have I been out?" He asked, his voice strengthening a tad despite being dry and achy.

"Nearly two weeks. You were awake sometimes, but you weren't lucid."

"Who's been watching over the war and rebellion?" Kyou tried to sit up again, panic coursing through him like a shock.

Natsumi-san didn't even exert any force in pushing him back to the mat. "Hiroshi-san and Naoki have been watching Oda-sama carefully. So far, he hasn't moved on us. I think he's likely busy with other clans who've been fighting. When those two weren't working, they stayed with you."

Kyou's eyes narrowed. There was that odd lack of a respectful suffix again. "So..." He eyed her slyly. "How has Naoki-kun been?"

His sister beamed at him. "He's been doing so much to help, Kyou-san! The servants and army stationed here love him. He's just done so much to help me and Hiroshi-san keep things running."

Bemused, Kyou noted she hadn't answered his question and stifled a weak laugh. That turned into a nasty coughing fit that left him drained. "Can I —" He went off into another bout of spasmodic coughing. "Water, please," he choked out.

Her eyes widened, and she rushed to grab the water for him. When she came back and he'd quenched his thirst, he said, "I didn't ask what he was doing; I asked how he's doing."

His sister laughed nervously and cleared her throat, blushing. "Right... Ano... N-naoki... Err... Yoi... Yoi desu."

Kyou eyed her with a smirk. "Mm... So... I take it you two have been around each other a lot lately."

This time, she looked away, refusing an answer.

He laughed softly. "That's what I thought. Does he know you've taken a liking to him?"

Her blush intensified. "Ī-Īe... You can't tell him, Kyou-san! Onigaishimasu!"

Waving a hand weakly, he said, "Hai, hai..."

Leveling a glare on him, she said, "Asai Kyou-san! Watakushi o ni ga kusokusuru!"

Kyou raised a brow. "Nande?"

"Dakara watashi wa onegai suru ima."

"Well... When you put it that way... I won't tell him." Directly, anyway, Kyou added mentally.

Natsumi-san's shoulders slumped, and she smiled at him. "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

"Hai, hai..." He waved off her thanks with a tired smile. "Demo... Can you send Naoki-kun in here? I need to talk to him about some various matters concerning the war and plans while I'm recovering."

She nodded, smiling again. "Of course!"

Then she bustled out, and Kyou shut his eyes to get a few minutes of rest before his friend arrived.