A Race Between Time • RyuuxReader • Snow White With Red Hair

6 - The Significance of Unspoken Questions

"Wait!" Prince Izana outstretched his hand towards you. His heart raced whilst silently praying for you to listen.

You froze before slowly turning back around, the now settled anger bubbled back up once again, "What do you have to say other than to apologize for what chaos you have brought for me?" You felt a dry anger, unlike the one you had felt before. Your eyes were not wet with sadness but dry like hard stone.

"I didn't pick the flowers," his eyes were full of desperation, but no pity rose from your gut this time.

Zen slightly gasped, "But you did-"

"No!" He snapped back, "I did not try to kill anyone! They were delivered specified for Y/n. But, since I was seeing both, Y/n and Shirayyuki, I gave one to each," Prince Izana made eye contact with Zen, "Then, I gave the rest to a servant to dispose of, I had no use for them."

"Who gave you the flowers?" An urgent voice shot up. Kiki. What was she doing?
Had it been a normal encounter, Prince Izana would have been furious. Regarding that this wasn't a normal experience and Prince Izana was getting blamed for attempted murder, he let it slide.

Prince Izana sighed once again, "A man, supposedly from the fort you-" he glanced at you, "-saved. His name was.. ah yes, Sue I believe?"

"Sue?" Zen asked

Prince Izana nodded, "Yes, yes Sue. But I should be noted that there was suspicious activity in the ca-"

The office doors slammed opened, "The Court Herbalist is awake!"

Prince Izana made eye contact with you as everyone froze. And then you ran.
This time the walls did not fade by like slow moving paintings but flew. You could hear your heart beating to the drumming of your feet fitting the cold stone flooring.
You swiftly opened the infirmary doors only to be greeted with loud whispers. You muttered about their lack of professionalism as you pulled back the curtain shielding Ryuu from the rest of the room.

He was sat up with his head leaning back. His once blush filled cheeks now lacked any type of color and were left a sickly pale. His hair stuck up in various directions whilst also sticking to the sweat on his forehead.

His sickly appearance made you speechless,
"Ryuu?" You whispered

He shot his head downward to look at you, causing him to groan and place a hand to his left eye. You hesitantly walked over to him and sat at the seat next to him, probably the one Garak kept warm most of the time.

"I've been so worried about you," you whispered after a long silence

Ryuu gazed at you sleepily before pointing to his throat.

"Oh," you reached over to him, "Do you mind?"

He shook his head as you gentle felt his lymph nodes, they were puffy and swollen. You then lightly pressed under his ears and again, the same symptoms applied.

"Your immune system is fighting," you pushed his hair off his forehead and placed your fingers along his temples, causing him to shiver, "You still have a fever."

He gazed at you as you readjusted his hair back into place. You tried to hide the throb in your throat as you held back tears. Seeing someone important to you in such a state brings emotions no other situation could bring. The lack of hope and sorrow was almost overwhelming.

Before your hand went back to your side, he gently grabbed it. Holding it to his chest.

You gasped lightly, "What are you doing?"

Ryuu looked down at your hand whilst moving it to his heart, the beating ran through your finger tips.

The tears in your eyes built up, you stared at his hand over yours to avoid his gaze. His eyes felt heavy on your face, making you look away completely. Ryuu tugged on your arm, forcing you to look at him. He then patted the absent spot beside him.

You silently laid beside him, your hands still clasp together over his heart. You laid your head on his shoulder and realized how much you had missed him, his touch, his voice. The voice you were still deprived of. With this realization came many others.
They swarmed and covered your mind like a cobweb. The nostalgia of unspoken words haunted you.

You stayed by Ryuu's side until Garak came back and sent you back to the Pharmaceutical Common Room. Waiting there was Shirayuki, Zen and Kiki. The 3 who always told you unfortunate news and this time was no different.

They had finished the meeting with Prince Izana after you had fled. He was currently locked in his office with different shifts of heaving guarding changing every 12 hours.

Little was said after your absence.
Prince Izana claimed it was a solider from the fort with the name Sue who attempted the murder. Unfortunately, there is no one in the port with the name Sue. Making his case, in fact, not convincing.

As for opinion on the situation; Kiki and Obi think that Prince Izana should be immediately thrown into a cell for Attempted Murder of Royalty.
But as he is the future King, reputations are very significant. If he truly is telling the truth and did not attempt murder it would damage his peoples opinion to a very large extent.

Zen (lead to this opinion by Mitsuhide), Shirayuki and Mitsuhide believed that they should check out the Fort first, before going through with the Court Accusations.
Zen privately told you he thinks Kiki would agree with him, had it not been you that had been put in danger. You tried to as him further questions, but he instantly shot you down.
Apparently there's no special treatment for almost dying.

And so, after explaining the situation they gave you your two options.

Go with them (Kiki, Zen and Mitsuhide) to the fort
Or
Stay with Ryuu

Shirayuki was hesitant whilst explaining to you the risks of each.
Go to fort and put yourself in danger, rumors, and (she avoided your eyes whilst saying this) potentially not being there if Ryuu passes. After all, none of the medicine they're giving him is working. His fever still rises and his lungs are still damaged.

Stay with Ryuu and (still) put yourself in danger, (still) rumors, but may not catch the person who did this (if it's not really Prince Izana). The only pro, still being here if Ryuu passes.

With Ryuu's time ticking, you have to ask yourself an important question.
Is your sense of guilt or revenge stronger?

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