A Crack in the Shell [Private/Nai]

Day in and day out he was getting worse. He wasn’t getting better as she had hoped he would and what Kiran optimistically told her he would. He was already wasting away… The longer he ignored his need for food the thinner he became. Nai was worried, but any attempts she made to coax the boy to at least take a nibble were met with refusal. She went so far as to ask Kiran to name a few of his friend’s favourite dishes for her to try and make.

But even that didn’t work. Nai was at her wits end in trying to figure out a way to snap the boy out of his funk. More and more her thoughts often found itself wandering back to her dilemma when she should be focusing on her tasks. But low and behold, the downsides of having such a soft heart such as hers despite the fact she’s hiding it behind her polite soft-spoken façade.

Why wouldn’t he talk?... She was no expert in mental psychology… She wanted to know but the answer just wasn’t there. She wanted to ask but her own fear of triggering something within the boy held her back. She couldn’t… it was probably his own way of dealing with his own trauma. Fang’s way of coping with the years of forced revivals. If what Kiran said about trials was right… then that should have been her answer right?

Then…There was his own personal loss… The thought of it still made her cringed. She was a blatant reminder wasn’t she? She didn’t mean to be. Hell she didn’t know how close she resembled that friend of theirs until Kiran finally explained.

Perhaps… That was the problem…

She reminded him too much of the past… Kiran might have been right. This might be too much for her to handle but Kurenai wasn’t known for her stubborn side for nothing. She promised always. Gave her word without truly thinking of the repercussion. Dammit Kurenai, what happened to your internal oath of thinking things through?! Before jumping into a fight she knew nothing about… She honestly… didn’t know. One look at that forlorn face Fang had did it for her. She wanted to help him but the problem she faced now was… the question how.

CRASH!

The scent of brewing tea did nothing to distract the mess Fang found himself walking into. The lone bookcase the girl had. Obviously worn from overuse and age toppled over the pile of contents and books it once stored on the ground. And within the mess was the same pale hand belonging to the girl as she tried to dig her way out of the mess squishing against her. Youch… Guess that answers the loud clunk he heard… it wasn’t a ‘small’ clunk. The noise was simply dampened by the fact he was in the bedroom.

“Ow…”

That hurts…. Without a question that actually smarts! Nai wouldn’t be surprise if the next thing she sees on her skin are the ugly darkening marks of growing bruises. The downsides of being an albino. One of them is having easily bruised skin that funny enough reminds her closely of a banana. Nai just made a funny.

A funny to help distract her from her current predicament of being squished by her own mistake. This was?... The girl winced, steadying another pained movement as she tried to squeeze her way out of the massive pile currently weighing down on her. Dammit…what a time to goof… this just HAD to happen right before she finishes the brew she’s trying to make. Kiran mentioned once that Fang had a thing for tea. She was doing it as a last ditch effort to try and get him to react. “Kuso… should have just went for a chair…” Winced the girl as she tried to give one more push but before she could something… or someone took hold of her hand nearly forcing her small body to stiffen in surprise. But the surprise didn’t end there. She wished it did but it didn’t when a strong hand pulled her out of the mess caused by her toppled bookcase.

Fang….

Fang did it… Purple orbs widened to show the shock now dawning on her delicate mien. A bit bruised with a few spots on her arm already forming those darkened circles. Her only luck was that her kimono hid the darkening discoloration her skin was now suffering. She might have to ice it later. Once her new roommate was asleep. “F-Fang-kun? Wait…You’re uhhh moving? Oh… Gomen!” She girl awkwardly ran through the words she wanted to say. Gods how she felt awkward right now. A blatant faux pass against proper etiquette! Of all things the boy had to see… was her goofing up on something so simple as fetching something she placed on a spot beyond her reach without the use of a chair.

The subtle movement of his eye then followed by his rapid back peddling confused her until she saw his gaze drop down. Gods… people were confusing sometimes! The girl internally sighed, a key to a good diplomat is knowing how to read people. Nai can read adults but… people her age… people sharing her physical age… by sweet kami why was it so difficult?! The young silverette internally whined. The way he did it too caused her to internally question if she did something wrong again. The girl took one look at her---

Crap… it dawned on her once she got her overworking mind on the case. The warning Kiran gave her about looking like someone from their past. Dammit…

She winced again, this time though it showed before she had a chance to stop it from appearing on her face. “Sorry for the mess….I’ll clean it up in a bit.” Sighed the girl. Before moving herself back up, only to flinch slightly when she aggravated the growing bruise on her leg. Yep… icing didn’t sound so bad right about now. “I’m fine…” She caught the hidden form of concern from his single visible eye. “I’m a bit embarrassed to admit but this isn’t the first time this happened so I’m used to it don’t worry.”

He was worried. The idea somewhat humbled her but at the same time the guilt lingered in her. Him worrying entailed she troubled him somehow. That’s normally what it meant, that somewhere along the lines of her unfortunate mishap with being accident prone. Heh, guess Naomi and Tao were right on something. In fact they were right in numerous other things her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit for fear it getting harm.

Self preservation; her pride apparently knows it by heart with how much the people she associates with adore trying to butcher her poor pride. Almost like they turned it into a game of sorts. Almost, knowing her luck that’s exactly the case she just didn’t want to admit it. Let sleeping dogs lie if she could. Nai doubted she had much sanity or patience, lets ignore the fact her control over her patience is as good as a saint. Which probably is a boon to her seeing the type of people she’s associated with.

One picture comes to mind is Kiran and him… charging like Indiana Jones gone crazy into that lighthouse. Incidentally it was the same lighthouse they rescued Fang from. Speaking of which… The shock soon abated and in its place bubbled confusion. What…? Just what the on earth was this guy trying to do? Kurenai’s brow arched in silent query her purple orbs trained onto his small figure as the shaking man roamed around their shared cozy little dorm. The sitting area might not be much in the standards of her family but to her it was the homey feeling she wanted to bring out. From the way the furniture was arranged and to the style it carried.

She wanted comfort… not luxury. She had enough of the former since she grew up with it. The girl had simplistic needs, and its only living outside the confines of her family’s compound that she’s able to express her own modern simplistic taste. From the small sitting room to the connecting kitchen. Right past the china cabinet where she stored her tea collection. He didn’t stop until he rummaged through apparently looking for something she couldn’t figure out what. “Uhm…” She reluctantly peered at the boy, hesitantly trying to gain his attention to ask what in seven hells was he trying to do.
But soon she got her answer, just not verbal reply as she would have wanted. Once he found her mortar and pestle though, the boy might as well have screamed jackpot from the way he seemed to relieve in locating it. “Fang-kun?....what’re you planning?...” The girl asked. Voicing out the hesitation lingering within her soft spoken manner.

In the same spirit of reluctance, she walked closer to him. Nodding only once he pointed towards the Kotatsu with thinly veiled confusion. She still did it though. She still followed and sat beside him all the while wondering what he was going to do.

Oh… how could she be so stupid. THE herbs… she knew that scent anywhere. By the gods, if…this guy made the salve for her. She…honestly didn’t know whether to face palm at causing him extra work when he’s clearly still recovering or… smile at the effort. She….couldnt choose.

“Fang-kun really I’m fine, I’m not hurt see??” Kurenai frantically said. Waving her arm as an added emphasis only… to well wince when she moved another sore spot on her shoulder. Her back…wasn’t exactly a happy camper right now.

The light purse of his lip. One more move from turning into a less than subtle frown over the normally empty expression he has over his face aside from the lingering strands of sadness she doubted would fully leave the catatonic teen’s face. That’ll be her work in progress, getting him to move was top priority and it seem that nearly complete as he was moving on his own. Aside from the visible show of his weakened body. Nai wasn’t going to delude herself by ignoring the clear signs of his body’s less than stellar condition.

He was still recovering. Still weak from his ordeal and here he was trying to be the medic to her accident prone self. Gods, if Nai couldn’t feel more awkward by the second. Now was one those instances were she wanted to sequester herself under her bed and hide from the growing embarrassment and guilt that she was making him work.

So much for being useful… the girl’s cynical half scoffed at the irony. Defeat was eminent, she knew from the second he showed a stubborn streak nearly mirroring Kiran’s own. His arm reached out and took one of her injured limbs before she had a chance to answer his silent query with probably more insistence about her being fine. He won, he caught her off guard to the point it didn’t enter her mind to yank her limb back. Not that she had the heart to do it… he was already expending his limited energy on helping her.

The least this child could do is comply. “You’re as stubborn as your friend is…” The albino quipped lightly. Amused and somewhat exasperated at the same time. She at least was complying to his unspoken order. The darkening welts forming on her arm from below her wrist right up to the large ugly bruising above her elbow. This…was but a mere start of it. With now easily bruised her skin is… he should expect the worse when he has a chance to see where most of the bruises concentrated. That would be her back.

Nai merely watched him work. Opting to enjoy the silence as the one working on her seem to have found. Speaking would only ruin the peace, she didn’t want that. “Done?...” She asked once he finished tying the final knot on the makeshift bandages he used to wrap over her injuries. They were minor really, just a small incident. But whenever she tried to reassure him she was fine he merely gave her that stare.

Oh… that evil stare. Loathed she is to admit it, the boy’s pleading gaze caught her by surprise. To the point… well denying him was a challenge. Another stare… this time one bound and determine to finish his started duty. The girl’s face nearly went red when she caught his hidden meaning. He wanted to check on her leg next… by all rights of decency she should refuse. But she found herself moving the fabric of her kimono to show her right leg where she felt one of the swelling bruises causing her trouble. The one at the back of her leg which was already causing her discomfort every time she moved her leg. “Etto…Fang-kun would you like some tea after this?...”

If there was one thing both him and Kiran shared in great quantities it was their shared love for tea. Looking at him now, the feeling of hitting gold welled up as easily as she figured his shared weakness with her first birdy friend. If she knew about this earlier she might have offered tea earlier! But its already done, no sense in looking in the past for something she hadn’t known she could have done earlier. Nai’s amethyst eyes brightened in prospect, there…was also another matter that bothered her somewhat. Not as big as a debacle about getting this boy to move…

But something that riled her curiosity somewhat. She’s no stranger to knowing how the eastern side of Hisakawa housed numerous phoenix clans. It wasn’t much of a fact known outside Hisakawa but the natives knew. She’s IS from Hisakawa after all, just from the western portion of it.

“Then I’ll make us some tea in a bit.” She clapped brightly, only wincing a bit once she accidentally moved her still sore limbs. The soothing effect his salve had helped with the discomfort somewhat. But like all meds it needed time to fully work its magic. She… might need to listen to the same advice she scolded Kiran with yesterday about ignoring injuries. But she digress, compared to Kiran’s injuries hers was nothing but a bump.

“Etto?... Fang-kun what kind of tea do you like?” She took a big gulp of her nerves to ask. Curious eyes turned to him just in time… to see the pleading look he casted towards her. That’s…. not what it looks like is it? The rest of what she wanted to say died down her throat. “Eh?...” She blinked. Confused at first at what he was trying to convey until it clicked in her mind how he wanted to check her back at well.

OKAY. BACK UP.

Her mind quickly reeled itself back from delving down that side of the thoughts now streaming into her head. Too… many, not so pleasant thoughts for her modest upbringing. Good lord Nai… she pushed off the thoughts about how… uhh indecent this was going. It wasn’t supposed to be… but to the girl showing her back also entailed unwrapping her kimono. She wasn’t ready to go half naked infront of a man she barely knew. Even if… its for medical reasons.

But those pleading eyes… She tried. She really did to look away before it had a chance to dig its claws into her soft heart but the girl was a second to late to act. The image of his pleading orbs closely resembled the eyes he had when he first woke up. The same one she saw that broke her heart in two seeing him that way. “Uhm…if I agree would… It be fine if I change into something a lot easier than my kimono then?...” Nai grudgingly relented.

Gods this was too confusing for the young albino. Nai prided herself for her quick wit, and near perfect memory but now… chucked into caring for a man clearly traumatized by his ordeal. She just entered into a whole new different level of foreign ground. The child… took a large breath. Once the door to the bedroom door closed, she was able to release the held breath she’s been keeping ever since she had to excuse herself to change.

Gods be good… why were they punishing her? She whined internally voicing her complains to the wind instead of looking for another ear to listen to her troubles. She didn’t need it, pride so to speak prevented her from holding out a hand for help. It might bother them she feared, it might waste their own time listening to a problem she’s fully capable of handling herself. That’s what her family taught her to be. Keeping the pride of the clan meant keeping their independence, they didn’t need to do much anyway. The girl they raised to be a mature member of their clan was already an independent child. Years of watching the world behind her bedroom window or in worse cases, behind a hospital room’s window does that to a person.

Always being forced to ask for help. The girl’s hand curled into a fist. The faces the nurses had whenever they passed by her ward. The resigned look her family gave her whenever she fell ill. They gave up in ever seeing her physical aspect blossom. They hardly believed she would survive past childhood but she proved them wrong by continuing to live.

But that wasn’t enough for Kurenai. Not it wasn’t enough to prove she lived by being a meagre existence. That just meant she wasted her limited time on earth, that wouldn’t do to the young girl. With those exact same silent steps Fang showed the girl crossed through their now shared room towards to her side where her bed is. Adjacent to her bed was her closet, that’s her real target. She promised Fang she would merely go change her clothes. That was the excuse she gave to bid her time to recollect the composure she lost.

Not even an hour of him walking around and already Fang had done something similar to Kiran, he unwittingly caused her to subtly slip her mask. That earlier break in decorum she had done… she cringed at the idea of her parents seeing her slip up like that.

No Nai, bad thoughts. No need to get father involve in this. She shivered at the thought and in a way to keep her mind from wandering again she forced it back to the topic at hand. Finding… something modest for the guy to finish mending her injuries. Even now she wasn’t all that thrilled to have to ask the man whom was still recovering to doctor injuries she unwittingly caused herself. But this is Fang… anything to get him distracted right? Her body can wait. Not like… it was going to last. There she goes again, the second she drops her guard the ugly depressed elephant in her head takes the chance to drag it deeper down into the dark rabbit hole it made.

But happy thoughts! She mentally psyched herself. Summoning up what remained of her stored cheer before she dug around. She remembered the gym clothes she made… she and then the others Kiran forced her to buy when she could have made it instead. It’s Kiran, she found it easier not to argue sometimes so she did as she was told. She got a few sets and was now wearing changing into a shirt twice her size that she found on bargain as well as a pair capri joggers. Once she finished she glanced herself at the mirror.

The image looking back at her…didn’t feel like her. Sure they both had the same face but it was plain to see she wasn’t at all too happy with her clothes. It’ll do…she tried to reassure herself despite the lingering doubts. She felt naked without the covering of her kimono. She always hated showing skin… and this…despite the short not showing much still… gave a hint of her figure.
Not that she was comfortable in her own skin anyway. She wasn’t… she could hide her form when she’s in a kimono but not when she’s in modern clothing.

Now all that’s left is to face the music. That took another gulp of nerves before she was fine enough to reapply her mask. Straight back…. And now to keep her posture. “Done…” She raised her voice softly to catch the red head’s attention as she reluctantly peered her head out of the door. And in the same spirit of reluctance she walked out to join him in the sitting room. Both her hands toyed with the hem of her shirt to preoccupy herself from fleeing once more to change into something familiar.

She felt it. The way the cloth lifted ever so slightly from her back as he began to move. Cold hands unlike the warmth she received from Kiran touched against her skin nearly causing a shiver to ran across her back. But she persevered in stifling it down to barely nothing but a slight freeze by slightly stiffening her body before forcing it to relax quietly as he worked. The cold salve felt just as cold, the worse was the coming ice that was going to be added. She watched him work on her leg earlier. By now she should be able to guess how he was going to tackle the dark discoloured splotches all over her shoulder blades starting from the middle of her back.

The bruise itself was by no means small. It looked as painful and nasty as it went. Dark discoloured skin with the blood already gathering underneath. It started from the middle edging its way towards her shoulder blade where it took most of the hit.

How… inwardly pathetic. To make matters worse, Fang had the AUDACITY to point out her issues. She knows she’s a ‘noodle’ as Kiran pointed out numerous times but seriously, the girl didn’t need a constant reminder of it. Deep breaths, she reminded herself. Biting down on her rising irritation wasn’t so easy when she’s trying to keep herself from biting off a few limbs from the guy. She held back…for the lone reason that he was trying so hard to help her. The bowl of fruits caught her by surprise, another mark on her supposed perfect record as a host. She was making her own ‘guest’ work… which part was ‘right’ about that? Nothing is!

But like his stubborn friend… no matter how she pleaded he’ll find a way to get his way in the end. Like now… when the soft plop landed between her shoulders. The girl’s thoughts broke itself apart as she veered her head to look back. “Fang-kun?...” Annoyance was replaced with worry her purple orbs decided to ignore the subtle slap against her bruised skin. She’s an albino, that was part of the package she didn’t want. “Are you sure you’re fine?” She fully turned to the boy, right in the nick of time too to see the dazed expression still apparent on his face.
She made a sick guy work… oh shite.

Nai often made it a rule not to swear. Internally though she was swearing up a storm before she moved up to help support the guy. “I warned you not to move so much…” She softly scolded the boy. The worry mixed with a healthy amount of concern lingered on those jewelled orbs of her as she helped him over into the couch. “Stay…” She gave that soft command. “I’ll get you some tea… and maybe some soft rice crackers too… Hopefully I still have some…” She mumbled the last part. All because of a certain fox she wouldn’t name who hasn’t returned her box of rice crackers yet… Knowing Naomi thought… she shouldn’t expect it back. Without another word she rushed back to the kitchen to fetch the necessary items to make him a cup of tea. Maybe some sencha… that’s normally light on the stomach. Or some other milder blend.