Burn it All [Rin]

"Stop it. Of course it'll hurt." Aoi muttered as she winced, not enjoying being apologized to by this ridiculously pompous ghost man. He had a name but she didn't need to remember it, wincing more as he wiped.

They were fresh wounds and caked on blood, so it couldn't be helped... Finishing her cutting, she made sure he had enough rags to clean them before looking at the water in the tub. It was already tinting pink from all the rinsing off.

"So-...." Rin cut himself off; she didn't want apologies...he really should have expected it to be annoying, but...he couldn't help it. Now he just bit back the urge to do so.

He needed to be sure they were thoroughly cleaned, he didn't want to risk her getting an infection, not at all. Once he was sure they were cleaned properly, he stopped. "That should do it..."

Aoi didn't move, her breathing having gotten pained from the work. It was cleaned? Good... Wincing, she reached over and grabbed the antiseptic and held it back for the man to take. "Now put this all over the wounds. Be generous."

She'd need quite a bit on there, luckily she wouldn't need to stay here for long so he could apply enough to be sure of infection not occurring.

Accepting the antiseptic, he gave a small breath after he'd nodded, his eyes moving to her back again. She'd need a lot, and he'd need to bite back his tongue again to keep himself from apologizing when it stung...

Still, he went ahead with his job, and moved to put as much of the antiseptic on her back as needed, which...was a lot.

Aoi held in any sounds, she didn't want that stupid ghost apologizing again for nothing. It was over much more quickly than the other tending and she glanced back slightly before holding out more of the scraps of the yukata. They were larger square chunks and she held out the rolls of bandage.

"Here, lay them on the salve and then take the bandage wrap and wrap it around me. I can handle it from the front, but you will have to do it around the back. The more padding the better."

It seemed she was holding in any pained noises, and he was glad when he was done with this part; they were done with the antiseptic. Now the salve then...

As Aoi explained what needed doing and what was to be used, he gave a nod, accepting the fabric and bandages before he began doing as he'd been told. He needed to do this properly; the more padding the better, as Aoi had said...

Aoi helped him wrap it around her body, sighing in relief as the wounds were bound and covered. Standing once Rin had tied the final bandage wrap around her, she grabbed the tub on her way up and moved down the hallway to dump the water somewhere else.

She returned within a minute and filled it back up with fresh water, taking the remaining scraps of the yukata cuttings and beginning to wipe the blood and dirt from the rest of her body. It revealed bruises and other small injuries as she slowly got herself washed. "...I am going to sleep again soon. Keep careful watch."

Once she was clean she could put the bruise balm on and then see what that special one was... Keeping the fire one around would be good too, especially with what she planned... Her head was throbbing almost constantly now but she ignored it.

Rin was quiet as Aoi went to handle what needed to be done, all the way until she returned and began to clean the dirtied areas of her body to reveal...bruises. She'd said one of the medicines he'd gotten was for bruises, right?

He was glad he got it then...

He gave a nod as she spoke up; "Alright, I'll keep an eye out. Maybe...that special one can help for pain, you're hurting so..."

"You're weak. You worry over me. I'm nothing to you and yet...there must be something wrong with his brain, I really think so." Humans didn't think like this, they weren't selfless like that and worry over random others. At least to this extent, he was so...weird.

"...It might just be a rub for muscle pain or a heating one that helps relieve problems with joints." The cold woman felt the urge to destroy this man's hopes. His weird annoying hopes that caused her to look away as she began rubbing the balm onto her bruises carefully.

She wasn't looking at him for now. She refused.

"I am. I won't deny that." Rin gave a smile at her words, seemingly accepting of them. She wasn't...nothing to him though, but he couldn't say that. He had not attempted to say anything, but...

As he'd thought before, time was a dangerous thing to mess with so...he wasn't going to attempt.

"Even if it's just for those things, they would still be helpful." The bruise one would be anyway, and he only hoped the last one could provide usefulness as well.

"...You are weird. Very weird." Maybe it was a mistake to use him? But he was so helpful... He seemed a bit obsessive though, she would have to be careful. What if he turned on her? She didn't think he would but once he realized she could not give him what he wanted... Or maybe she could? That would bare thinking later.

Aoi finished putting the balm on her arms and legs, sighing in relief as it soothed away the pain. Pulling out the weird balm, she opened the box and sniffed it before looking perplexed. Taking a bit out with her fingers, she rubbed it carefully between her fingers before setting it on the back of her hand.

"...Huh."

Rin gave no response to her "weird" comment on him, but he simply smiled a little; if she thought that, that was fine.

He gained a curious expression when she began messing with the one they hadn't identified, watching as she smelled it before rubbing it between her fingers. She seemed...confused as well.

"Huh?"

"Its... a cream for making skin soft I think. The smell is ladylike, it has no heating or cooling elements and it feels too smooth and consistent to be something medical. It is possible its a face cream of some sort." Aoi looked at the box, looked up at the pompous pretty man, looked at the box... She closed it and held it out to him.

"You would get more use than I would from this."

That...

What had that been doing in a...supposed clinic? That was a beauty product, not medicine! A face cream!? That was useless!

When she held it out to him he blinked.

"I don't need it." He replied; he was not that lady-like! He didn't want it either!

Aoi looked at Rin as he seemed confused. Apothecaries did all sorts of things, it was probably really expensive to make and thus was put with the other important things. Wasn't his fault, it was normal. Didn't he know what those were?

He blinked, she blinked and looked disbelieving. She held out the box more as if he didn't see it. "...Think of it as a gift."

She obviously did not believe he did not use such things. In fact she was utterly sure of it, her emotionless and frigid eyes staring into his soul with surety.

"I don't need it." He didn't want it!

What kind of gift was that!? Even if this was Aoi, he did...did not need such a thing! Gifts weren't necessary!

"Gifts aren't necessary." He tried to be more polite about declining it; "How about attempting to sell it? You could probably get some money from it?"

Things in the Rukon, from what he remembered, and depending on what they were, could be pricey; this had been taken from a place that sold medical supplies, from what he assumed so it had to be worth something, enough for a meal at least when she needed it...

Aoi was still giving him that look that said she did not believe him one bit. Still he almost had a point. Almost. "No. Who would buy face cream from a shady person like me? If it was something that wasn't made, sure. But who knows what I could have put in it."

Sellers reputation and all that. Maybe medicine she could sell to someone needing it, but face cream? Whoever could buy that would go somewhere they trusted and not some random stranger.

Still he didn't want this gift. Blinking, she moved to her knees and leaned up. "Did you want my body then as repayment?"

Its possible he was holding out for something more, well it wasn't as if it mattered. She was a bit covered in things but if he wanted it later she would give him it.

Rin blinked, he guessed...she had a point in that; she could just throw it away! He didn't need it, and he wasn't going to need it! Ever!

His attention went back to Aoi and away from his rather loud thoughts as she leaned up and...

"No." That... Rin shook his head; "I'm helping you because I want to help you; not because I want something out of it."

"...I don't get it. I don't. What are you?" Aoi was confused and her cold voice sounded with that feeling, nothing else showing though.

He wanted to help her and didn't want her? But she reminded him of that person, yes? So he should want her... He should want SOMETHING. "You have to want something."

Did he have a grudge against the Guild too? He was a weird ghost thing, maybe he knew about them and knew she was going to destroy that place exactly.

"I'm Rin." He replied simply, though obviously that wasn't what she wanted, he was kidding, and that showed by his smile. "I don't want anything, your injuries have been treated so I'm relieved."

She didn't understand his intentions, he knew that, he didn't expect her to understand, and there was nothing wrong with that...she'd get better...it would just...take some time...just until they met...

"Thats not..." Crying out in pain before she could finish her sentence, her eyes shifted yellow and black staring out at Rin for a moment before she collapsed. She twitched on the floor, unable to move as she stared at nothing and had a small convulsion.

It hurt it hurt it hurt in her head and it burned and shifted and... she hated it. She hated...she wanted to not hate she wanted to go back why was this...

"Aoi!?"

Rin moved closer to Aoi as she collapsed, not even thinking as his hand moved to her; what...that was...had been...

His expression was obviously that of worry, but...what was he supposed to do!? "Aoi..."

Looking around, he grabbed the remains of the yukata she planned on wear later, putting it to the side for now as he attempt to...muster any focus he could to move her into a more comfortable position. That...That'd been...those eyes had been...

Other than give her basic comfort...he wasn't sure what he could do...there was...no one he could go to. He didn't have healing powers...he couldn't do anything to physically help...

He stuck by her though, he'd...been warm enough apparently earlier when she'd napped, and now he'd pulled the yukata over over to act as a temporary blanket. He...He couldn't do anymore now...

Aoi laid there for a bit, shaking as her eyes alternated and switched between her blue and the hollows yellow before finally she closed them. The shaking slowed and then the woman seemed to fall into a deep sleep, exhaustion overtaking her poor driven to its limits body.

She breathed better than before at least, not in as much pain... If Rin could see the wrapped up back, he would notice it looked much better and impossibly healed though nowhere near fully healed at least...

Once Aoi seemed to fall into a deep sleep, Rin moved his hand to her, unable to help it to rest on her head. Even if...this Aoi had no idea who he was, and even if she didn't care, he still wanted to help...

When she was like this though, he couldn't. At most just moving her into a more comfortable spot and staying by her were his limits.

As time passed, he noticed her back and...it looked better than before. That...That was good...

Aoi slept on, even as the sun started to rise and light up the world. She slept on as people could be heard outside going about their days... She slept and slept and slept the sleep of someone who was so exhausted they might as well be dead.

Midafternoon was the first time she opened her eyes, once again immediately awake without any sort of sleepiness or drowsing. Her eyes went to the shutters as she looked back at the man who had watched over her. "...What time is it?"