Stormy Skies (open)

[Aryan Farr]

“What? No. I-I mean… you’ve seen it, it’s fine.”

Aryan lifted an eyebrow at this, giving her an unconvinced look. Well, it seemed that something was definitely wrong, otherwise she would not be acting like this. He sighed to himself. “Are you sure?” he questioned. He doubted that she was going to give in and tell him so easily, but it was worth a try. He didn’t understand why she was trying to hide it… She must really not realize what a horrible liar she was. If she was going to attempt to tough it out, she at least needed to act more convincing and not so jumpy. He opened his mouth to say something, about to inform her what an awful liar she was, but she spoke first, cutting him off.

“You’re just trying to shift attention away from yourself, you don’t want to face the fact that you’re sick!”

Aryan took a moment to process this. She was trying to put turn the subject back toward him and his welfare. He tried to ignore this. A little cold never killed anyone…“No,” he told her after a moment’s pause. True, he was glad that the spotlight was no longer on him, but that is not why he was asking her about her arm. He was worried for her. He wasn’t paying any attention to his rising fever or his wet clothes; Madoka’s well being was the only thing on his mind right now. That’s just how he was. It is how he had always been. Others before himself.“I am only asking you because I am genuinely concerned. I – ” Suddenly the door opened.

Her friend came in with the basket, saying she was making dinner. She also said that the girl’s mother was being picked up. Aryan just sat there awkwardly, feeling a little out of place. He wondered if the woman would be angry to find a strange man in her house… Perhaps he should go? Yes, he probably should… He didn’t really feel up to walking out in the cold again, but he knew that it would probably be best. “I apologize if I am intruding…” he said quietly, though he wasn’t sure if it was loud enough for her to hear or not. He would leave soon…That way he wouldn’t trouble anyone. However…before he did that, he would need to make sure that Madoka was okay. She had sounded horribly unconvincing , and he was quite certain that her arm was in a worse condition than she was letting on.

“So… are you hungry yet?”

Aryan’s smile slowly faded, a serious look replacing it. He ignored Madoka’s question. Slowly, he set down the clothes she had handed to him, letting them rest on the side of the bed, and then stood and took a step toward her. He swayed on his feet slightly, overcome by a sudden dizziness. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting it pass, and then closed the distance between himself and Madoka. “Stand still,” he commanded, voice soft but firm. He lowered his head, dropping his gaze to her arm, which was still bandaged in his shirt. He studied it for a moment, frowning. Then he lifted his head again. “You should change the bandages,” he told her. “And clean the wound. There is a chance it will become infected if you do not.”

He reached a hand down and very carefully lifted her arm, eyes never leaving her face, not even for a moment, watching for any sign that she was in pain. “Personally, I think that you should see a doctor… but if you refuse, then at least let me take a look?” His voice was gentler now, his expression concerned. “Do you have anything I could use to re-bandage it?” He wasn’t sure if she kept some type of first-aid kit in the house or not, but if not he supposed he could find a cloth of some sort to use. He bit his lip as he waited for her to reply. Oh, he wished that he knew more about this type of thing…

[Madoka Ogawa]

”Are you sure?” he asked her with an unconvinced look. He obviously didn’t believe her… fine, so her lying could use a little training, but even if he knew she wasn’t being truthful, it really shouldn’t bother him enough to press the issue. She’d dropped the subject when he waved off his own wellbeing and asked about hers, why was it so difficult for him to do the same? Although the fact that she’d dropped it while he seemed keen on keeping the discussion going probably said more about herself than him.
No… wait… Darn it! He was wrong here, not she.
“Yep, I’m perfectly fine.”

As he opened his mouth to speak once again, she cut him off with an accusation, hoping that would throw him off guard enough to back off and drop it. No such luck though, after only a short silence, he spoke up again and denied he was trying to shift the focus away from himself, and that he was honestly worried about her. This made her feel a little bad about what she’d accused him of… just a little though, definitely not enough to be fooled into answering by those puppy-dog eyes. If he thought she was going to cave that easily, he was in for a surprise.
Thankfully Yuka came in with a basket and turned attention away from both of them for a moment as mentioned making dinner. Hopefully she wouldn’t burn the house down… she still lived with her parents, and rarely cooked anything for herself as she had a mother to do it for her.
“I apologize if I am intruding…”
She glanced over from the window when she thought she’d heard him say something, but his lips didn’t seem to be moving now and Yuka didn’t look at him questioningly, so maybe it had just been the wind playing tricks on her.


Before she knew what was happening, Yuka had left and Aryan was in the process of getting up. He seemed a little wobbly and Madoka gave him a shocked look, “Don’t do that! Lie back down, before you fall down!” idiot she added quietly.
Fine, if he insisted on being difficult, she’d just have to deal with it. Seeing as he seemed to be approaching her, she thought up the dastardly plan of moving towards the bed herself and thus luring him there. She was better on her feet than he was right now, so she could probably circle him, dodge any incoming attempts at checking her arm, and hopping over the bed.
“Stand still.” he told her with a firm voice.
That he was telling her to do something rather than very nicely asking it was a bit of a surprise, what surprised Madoka even more was that she was actually obeying the order and stood perfectly still. She hadn’t been told what to do in a long time.
Well, actually Akemi told her what to do all the time… and her boss did nothing but order her around, but that was different somehow. They ordered her around for their own benefit, while Aryan just seemed worried about her and wanted to help somehow.
Any objections she would’ve had were quickly replaced by a sense of guilt.
She knew he just wanted to help, that he wasn’t forcing the subject to annoy her, and that she was being unnecessarily difficult. She just never liked admitting anything was wrong with her. Unless it was something you really couldn’t deny, like enormous bags under your eyes and a running nose, she tried to keep it hidden, from anyone and everyone. She had too many responsibilities towards other to worry about herself, though deep down she also knew it would benefit no one if she ignored her problems until they became too big to handle.

“You should change the bandages, and clean the wound. There is a chance it will become infected if you do not.”
She merely nodded, acknowledging the fact that an infected arm was the last thing she wanted. She’d need that arm for work, after all. As soon as Aryan lifted her arm she winced slightly and her body automatically tried to pull it back. That was odd… it hadn’t really hurt until now, but she also hadn’t really bent or even used her arm until now, so it made sense.
“Personally, I think that you should see a doctor… but if you refuse, then at least let me take a look?”
“Alright…” she started reluctantly before deciding she could actually use this to her advantage some, “But let’s at least sit down while you do so… I don’t want you to collapse or anything…”

Aryan was right. She couldn’t keep denying the problem, and so she would visit a doctor later, but it didn’t hurt to let him check it out for now.
Maybe it would make him feel better too, knowing she did trust him enough to let him near her injury. The way he was biting his lip indicated that he was nervous about her reaction, and even if he didn’t think much about his own health, she did. And she didn’t want to be the one that caused him more stress.
They’d both had enough stress yesterday to last them a lifetime already.
“Do you have anything I could use to re-bandage it?”
She nodded and pointed at a small table next to the bed. It would’ve been silly not to have a first-aid kit lying around, considering her mother’s balance issues. Lately, she’d been falling down a lot more than usual, and she couldn’t keep running back to the front of the inn to go get a kit.
“Yeah, it’s right over there.”

[Aryan Farr]

Aryan saw Madoka flinch as he lifted her arm, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Luckily, she didn’t try to deny it again, didn’t try to resist him. “Alright…But let’s at least sit down while you do so… I don’t want you to collapse or anything…” A relieved sigh left Aryan and his face melted back into a smile, grateful she hadn’t continued to deny her pain. Well, he wasn’t happy that she as suffering, but he was glad that she had at least admitted it. This way she would be able to get help from people. And Aryan, while he wasn’t a doctor, could at least help a little by changing her bandage, which was currently still a piece of his shirt. “Okay,” he agreed with a smile, dipping his head in small nod.

“Yeah, it’s right over there.”

Aryan followed Madoka’s gaze to the table. He led her to the bed, pushing her down lightly, and then he leaned over and grabbed the first-aid kit. Then he sat down himself, somewhat glad to be off his feet again. He felt less dizzy if he was sitting down.

As Aryan unscrewed the top to the disinfectant, he started to feel a little lightheaded, more so than before. He blinked a few times, trying to clear the feeling, and then finished unscrewing the cap. He fumbled with it for a moment, and then dropped it to the floor. It hit with a quiet clatter and then rolled off to the side, disappearing under the bed. He glanced down at the object, but decided it wasn’t important right now. He turned his gaze back to Madoka’s arm and began to dab the disinfectant on it, one of the most crucial steps. “This might sting a bit…” he warned her quietly, biting his lip. He didn’t like the idea of hurting her, but he knew that this was a necessary step that needed to be taken. If the wound wasn’t cleaned it would get infected, and if that happened…well, her life could be at stake.

Aryan finished cleaning the cut, which, really, wasn’t quite as bad as he had been expecting it to be. It probably wouldn’t take long to heal, though it might leave a small scar, because, while it wasn’t a large injury, the cut went fairly deep, damaging a lot of the skin tissue. He tried to concentrate on what he was doing, narrowing his eyes as he worked, an attempt to sharpen his vision. His vision swam, everything seeming slightly out of focus, and he silently cursed his fever… He needed to get this done. With a weak cough, Aryan reached back down into the box and pulled out some gauze, which he proceeded to wrap around Madoka’s arm. He tried his hardest to be gentle and not hurt her any farther. “Is it too tight?” he asked softly, words followed by a loud sneeze.

With his work done, he slowly pushed the first-aid kit aside and looked over at Madoka with a smile. He was silent for a few moments, but then he spoke up. “I really am glad you are okay, Madoka.” He made sure to use her real name this time, reminding himself that she had requested he call her by it. “You had me worried for a while when I could not find you out on the beach...” He coughed again, but the smile remained on his face. The smile was not fake, or forced as his smiles often were. This time it was more real, as he actually was quite happy that the girl he had met yesterday had not drowned or become shark food. That thought seemed a little sad to him. She was so young, so full of life… Someone like her deserved to keep on living.

Aryan’s smile faded after a moment though, and he looked toward the door, listening to all the talking and bustling around happening on the other floor. “I…should probably go now, hm?” He smiled again, this one forced. “Even if you do not mind my presence, I get the feeling that your friends would rather I leave…” He thought back, remembering what the one girl had accused him of earlier, making it clear she did not like his presence. Yes, leaving would probably be the right thing to do. He did not want to cause trouble, and he certainly didn’t want to impose on anyone.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Madoka sat quietly on the side of the bed, hands in her lap, waiting for Aryan to get this treatment over with. She felt a little silly just sitting there, cleaning out a cut wasn’t that difficult, was it? Maybe she should’ve just done it herself and let Aryan rest.
“This might sting a bit…”
Just as she was about to tell him that, she felt a sharp pain shooting throughout her entire arm and, being caught off guard, she gasped slightly and pulled her arm back with wide open eyes.
“What is that stuff? It can’t be anything good…” She muttered angrily at whatever it was he was rubbing into her arm, nevertheless, she gave her arm back and casually looked around the room to pretend it wasn’t really hurting her that much. With each dab her muscles tightened ever so slightly, betraying her real feelings, every now and then she’d nervously glance down to see how far along he was.

How useless were her friends to just leave her with a cut that may or may not have already been infected! Couldn’t they have fixed her up whilst she was sleeping? It would’ve saved her the trouble of acting tough and failing at it now.
As soon as they got back, she’d cut both of her friends and dump them in a tub filled with disinfectant. That should teach them a lesson.
Then again, they had saved her from a cold and lonely death on the beach, so they did deserve some gratitude for that.
She wasn’t thinking rationally right now though, so it was okay to have these sadistic fantasies. Not that she’d ever follow through with them… but they were pleasant enough to distract her from the horror of that cleaning stuff that was supposed to fix her up but only seemed to make her feel worse.

She was pulled from her fantasy when she heard Aryan cough beside her, she was really starting to get worried, but didn’t say anything yet. Best to just let him finish and then force him to rest.
She sighed in sweet relief when he finally stopped torturing her with the disinfectant and reached for something else. “Oh… thank God…” she let out the breath she hadn’t even known she was holding.
“Is it too tight?” Aryan asked as he wrapped the gauze around her arm before he sneezed loudly. She moved and bent her arm slightly to test it out, and aside from the pain she’d felt before and would probably feel for the next few weeks to come, it felt fine. She smiled and shook her head, “No, it’s perfect… thank you.” She added sincerely.
He remained silent for what seemed like an eternity and Madoka nervously wrung her hands together, not really sure what to do or say to break the silence.
Maybe she shouldn’t try that, maybe he was feeling sleepy and was already dozing off. When she turned to look at him though, this didn’t seem to be the case, though he did seem even paler than when she’d met him. Maybe he was angry then, maybe she’d said something wrong?

“I…”
“I really am glad you are okay, Madoka.” he spoke suddenly, a smile gracing his features the second he opened his mouth. Madoka smiled back when she heard him use her first name and almost grinned when she noticed his smile. It seemed different somehow, he’d smiled at her before, but this time his entire face had a glow to it, it seemed. “I’m glad you are okay too, Aryan.” Even if he had a fever, it could’ve been so much worse in the end, and she was grateful that all the horror scenarios that had plagued her mind while Yuka had been out looking for him turned out to be false.
“You had me worried for a while when I could not find you out on the beach...”
A laugh escaped her as he said that, “You are contagious, you know that?” she looked down at her hands for a second before speaking up again, “When I woke up, the first thing I wanted to do was look for you as well. I think I might’ve caught your nice… ness?” she faked an angry look and crossed her arms, “I hope you’re happy with yourself.”
There was a lot of commotion going on outside in the other room, and it drew Madoka’s attention away for a moment. That must be Akemi with her mother, she gulped when she realized she was about ten seconds away of a guilt-tripping mother and an angry, accusing friend.

“I…should probably go now, hm?”
“You want…?” she couldn’t blame him for wanting to leave. Before all this had happened, she’d found him sitting alone on a rock by the beach, so he must prefer to be alone. That he’d helped her this much didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to stick around for a while and be her friend, and it would be selfish of her to deny him his freedom. She slowly nodded her head, trying her hardest not to look too sad, “It’s okay if you want to leave, but let me at least set you up with a room for tonight? You really need your rest and…”
“Even if you do not mind my presence, I get the feeling that your friends would rather I leave…”
“Wait… so you’re worried about Akemi?” she hadn’t intended on it coming out sounding as cheerful as it did, but she was just glad he didn’t want to leave because of her. She could understand him not wanting to deal with Akemi though, considering how she’d treated him before.

“No.” she replied sternly as she stood up and stepped in front of him to prevent him from leaving, placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back down when she thought he might try to stand. “This… this is my house, and I decide who is welcome and who isn’t. It’s not up to Akemi, or Yuka, or anyone else.” She pulled her hands back when she noticed they were still on his shoulders, “If you… for some reason want to leave…” because he didn’t enjoy her company, though she didn’t voice that concern, “…then I won’t force you to stay, but otherwise, you are a very welcome guest. And if Akemi doesn’t want you here, well… that’s her problem then, because I do want you here. I’m grateful for her help, but that doesn’t mean she gets to dictate my life and decide whom I welcome into my house.”

[Aryan Farr]

Madoka told him the bandage on her arm was fine, and Aryan smiled in relief. He had been worried that he might have messed it up somehow. “Make sure to see a doctor too,” he reminded her, eyes still a bit concerned.

“You are contagious, you know that?”

Aryan looked over at Madoka with a confused expression, tilting his head to the side as he wondered what she was talking about. Did she think that she might catch his cold? No, that didn’t seem to be it… Aryan was about to ask her what she meant, but she answered before he had a chance to get his mouth open. “When I woke up, the first thing I wanted to do was look for you as well. I think I might’ve caught your nice… ness.” Aryan stared at her for a moment, watching as she pretended to be angry, crossing her arms. Her reply had surprised him, as he had not been expecting her to say anything like that. He felt a smile tug at his lips. “My niceness?” he repeated, lifting an eyebrow questioningly. His words were followed by a soft laugh. “You are acting as if this is a bad thing,” he added, voice light, teasing.

When Aryan suggested leaving, he saw Madoka’s expression fall, and he felt as if he had popped a balloon and was now watching it deflate.

“You want…? Okay if you want to leave, but let me at least set you up with a room for tonight?”

The look of disappointment quickly vanished though, and he wondered if he had imagined it. He decided that he had. His vision, after all, was not as sharp as normal because of his fever, and focusing was a little hard. Then again, even if he had seen wrong, there had been something in her voice. Sadness? He suddenly began to worry. Had he offended her somehow? “No, wait,” he said quickly. “That is not what I –” He didn’t get to finish his protest though, because suddenly Madoka was on her feet in front of him. Aryan’s eyes widened as her hands rested against his shoulders firmly, keeping him in place, as if she thought he might get up and leave right then and there. He stared up at her with a startled look on his face, looking a little taken aback by her sudden outburst. He listened to her until she had finished speaking.

“If you… for some reason want to leave…then I won’t force you to stay, but otherwise, you are a very welcome guest.”

It didn’t take Aryan to realize that Madoka wished him to stay. Why though? Wouldn’t he just be a burden for her? And…what would her mother say? He remembered Madoka saying she was a kind woman, but still… would she really be okay with having a strange man in the house? It was an odd feeling, having someone want him in their house, as most of the villagers would want quite the opposite. Many of the people he had come across, while polite and well-mannered, kept their distance from him. They were not rude, they were not cruel, but they made sure to speak to him no more than they had to. Aryan didn’t understand why Madoka was treating him so differently. He was unsure how to respond to her words.

“Well…I…” he began and then trailed off. Should he stay, or shouldn’t he stay? He certainly didn’t want to be a burden to her, but...the way she was looking at him he didn’t think he could tell her no. It wasn’t as if he really had much of a home to go back to anyway, just a small hut on the edge of one of the oceanside towns. He supposed a day or two wouldn’t hurt anything. And...she had said 'because I do want you here.' “If you are sure,” he said at last. “If you wish for me to stay, then I shall stay.” There was a note of finality in his gentle voice as he made up his mind. “But as soon as I am feeling better, I will leave, so as not to be a burden to your family.” He paused, and then added hesitantly, “Unless, of course, you would rather I not.” He tilted his head to the side, smiling at her. If she wanted him to stay here, for whatever reason, he would. Perhaps he wasn’t quite ready to leave yet either? Though he would not admit this to anyone, he liked to be around people, and he often got lonely living in his small hut all by himself.

Aryan started coughing again. He turned away from Madoka, body shaking slightly. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to stop the sound. “It sounds as if something is going on out there,” he managed between coughs, glancing up and nodding to the door. He could hear voices coming from another room, carrying through the hallway. “Oh…and…thank you,” he added, seeming to remember something from before. “For being so kind.” He paused, and then added quietly, “I will do my best not to trouble you or –” His sentence was cutoff by another sneeze, and he quickly looked down at the ground in embarrassment, tilting his head forward so his messy white hair fell in his face.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“You are acting as if this is a bad thing,”
“Very bad, I have a reputation to uphold you know.” The only reputation she had here was that of a hard worker, and little else. And maybe some found her to be too uncaring – She was often working, and too busy to stand in the streets and chat and ask about everyone’s day.
“If you are sure,” he began after she asked him to stay, “If you wish for me to stay, then I shall stay.” There was a note of finality in his gentle voice as he made up his mind, and Madoka gave herself a proud smile. Who said she couldn’t be convincing if she really tried?
“But as soon as I am feeling better, I will leave, so as not to be a burden to your family. Unless, of course, you would rather I not.”
“Oh please, you’re hardly a burden.” There were other things – other people – a lot more bothersome than he was, he couldn’t know that of course, but if he was going to stay for a while, he’d find out soon enough. In the end, he might even want to leave after dealing with these people too often.
“And having a man around here might even come in handy! You can get things from high shelves, intimidate thieves and fun things like that. For some reason, people are never too worried when I try to intimidate them… strange huh?” she laughed, not that thieves often came here, but they did stop by sometimes when they realized it was just an old woman and a young girl living here.

Madoka was slightly startled when she heard him cough again, this time hard enough to make his entire body shake. She lightly padded him on the back, not entirely certain it made things any easier on him or not.
“It sounds as if something is going on out there,” he managed between coughs, glancing up and nodding to the door. Madoka looked back to the door and pressed her lips together to hide her anxiety, “Yeah…” she drawled without making a move to go check it out.
“I’m sure they’ll come get me if I’m really needed. And if they do, please play along and pretend I’m asleep… better yet, you pretend to be asleep too, so they won’t ask you any difficult questions.” She was so not in the mood for a lecture, not from her mom, nor from Akemi. She’d just been through hell yesterday, and she deserved a day off in her opinion.

“Oh…and…thank you,” he added, seeming to remember something from before. “For being so kind. I will do my best not to trouble you or –” another sneeze interrupted his sentence, and he seemed slightly embarrassed about being sick.
“No problem… you treated me with kindness too, after all. It’s only natural to return that favor, isn’t it?” she leaned forward and peered through the hair that had fallen in his face, “Cheer up Aryan, everyone gets sick at some point. You’re only human too.”
At the mention of sickness, she felt her mood drop ever so slightly.
She hadn’t intended on telling him about her mother, but now that they were both in the house and Aryan would be staying for a few days, there was no way he’d never run into her. And her mother was visibly ill, so it was only fair to tell him now rather than forcing him to find the courage to ask later.
“Uhh… about my mother…” she started hesitantly, “She’s… well, she’s pretty sick. It’s nothing you need to worry about, it’s not contagious but it’s… sort of obvious?” she bit her lip and started pacing around the room, “I figured I’d tell you, allow you to prepare, you know?” to people expecting a regular old woman, Madoka’s mother could give them quite the scare with her pale skin – paler even than Aryan’s – and her thin, bony figure. She really stood out in a crowd, and not in a good way.

[Aryan Farr]

“Oh please, you’re hardly a burden. And having a man around here might even come in handy!”

Madoka told him that he would be useful, listing a few things that he could do, like get things from high shelves, scare away thieves. Well, he supposed that was good… She said that he would be able to help with things. So…he wouldn’t be completely useless. He hated being useless, it made him feel powerless, just like he had felt when – “For some reason, people are never too worried when I try to intimidate them… strange huh?” Grateful that the girl’s voice had interrupted his thoughts, Aryan chuckled, quiet laugh filling the room. “Very strange indeed,” he told her, lips curled up ever so slightly as he imagined her trying to scare a bandit off.

“Cheer up Aryan, everyone gets sick at some point. You’re only human too.”

Madoka leaned forward, face coming close to his, telling him to cheer up. He stared stubbornly at the ground for a few moments, refusing to look at her, but then let out a quiet sigh and hesitantly lifted his eyes. He met her gaze for a moment and then straightened up again. “I…um…Sorry,” he mumbled with a small cough, unsure of what to say. Why was he apologizing? He didn’t quite know himself. It was just something he did a lot, whisper quiet apologies when he was unsure of how to act, when he thought he might have done something wrong.

“Uhh… about my mother…She’s… well, she’s pretty sick.”

Aryan blinked, a little surprised by the sudden news. He watched as Madoka started to pace around the room, looking uncomfortable, like she hadn’t wanted to tell him this bit of information. He didn’t understand why though… It wasn’t as if he would think any less or her or her mother for it. Madoka mentioned something about wanting to ‘prepare’ him for the meeting, which made Aryan the slightest bit uneasy. He was sure there was nothing to worry about, as Madoka had said her mother was a nice woman. She was just very unfortunate to fall ill. “Well, I look forward to meeting her,” he said at last. “From the things you have said about her, she sounds like a wonderful person, even if she is quite ill. I am sure it will not bother me. I have seen…” He trailed off, realizing the direction his sentence was going, and swiftly stopped talking, ending his words with a small smile.

Aryan was sure that he had seen people in the same, if not worse, condition as Madoka’s mother would be in. After all, he came from a place that was suffering from drought, from famine. He had seen people die right before his eyes. He might have been caged in the castle, but on the rare occasion one of the guards would escort him into the gardens, he would always peer over the wall. The things he saw during those times were so dreadful… He shook his head, trying to block those images from his mind. He preferred not to think about his past, and usually that was fairly easy. Of course, it was impossible to ever forget completely, and there were times that it was accidentally brought up in conversation, or something someone said would remind him of it. The white-haired man looked distracted for a few moments, but then he let his usual smile return to his face, the one that he always put up when he was around another person, the one that wasn’t quite real.

Aryan listened to the voices outside the room, not quite hearing what was being said. He shifted on the bed, a little nervous. While he was usually good at talking with people, friendly and polite, he was always a bit shy, even if it didn’t show. “Perhaps I should change into something more decent…?” he suggested with a small awkward smile, remembering that Madoka had brought him a change of clothes, clothes that were not wet and salty smelling like the ocean.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“I…um…Sorry,” he mumbled as he straightened back up again. Madoka merely arched a brow and sat back up straight as well, “Are you apologizing to me, or to yourself?” she asked quietly, but didn’t press the subject.
Whatever he’d been thinking of that warranted an apology, it was his own business. She was curious, sure, but after she’d finally convinced him to stay at her house, she wasn’t going to antagonize him. Maybe he’d end up telling her on his own, and if not, it was well within his rights.
Now that she’d informed Aryan of her mother’s illness, she felt slightly relieved, though she didn’t know why. It had been years since she’d last mentioned – and acknowledged – her mother’s illness openly. Everyone in the village knew, and so she rarely had to explain anything to them. In some way, it made it more bearable to not speak of it. That way it didn’t feel so… real.

“Well, I look forward to meeting her. From the things you have said about her, she sounds like a wonderful person, even if she is quite ill. I am sure it will not bother me. I have seen…”
“She is.” Madoka said with a smile as she thought about the old bat that raised her, “She is amazing... she…” ‘is really the only reason I keep going’ “She is a much better person than I am.” Her voice was quiet with a hint of bitterness lingering after she’d spoken.
It was the truth, even if few people ever believed her when she said it. ”But you’re such a good person, taking care of your mother like that!” she didn’t hear it often these days, as most people seemed just as eager as she to pretend nothing bad was going on. She was glad they never mentioned it. Whenever someone mentioned it, she’d just be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
She almost didn’t catch him when he suddenly trailed off, “Hmm?” she looked over and noticed him smiling. “Sorry, I guess the wind’s playing tricks on me.” She said before he had the chance to respond. If he didn’t wish to discuss it, she would respect that decision, and she wouldn’t force him into making up a lie either.
He seemed quite distracted for a while, and Madoka shared the feeling. She too stared absently at some random pillow in the corner of the room, lost in memories of happier days. She didn’t even hear the commotion outside the room anymore.

“Perhaps I should change into something more decent…?”
“Mhm…” she mumbled as her eyes travelled from the pillows up to the window, “Yes, that’s wonderful.”
She blinked a few times when she realized her response made absolutely no sense in regards to his question, “Oh, uh… sorry… what?” she awkwardly cleared her throat and scratched at her neck, feeling her cheeks burn slightly. “I uhh… was daydreaming…” she admitted, though he didn’t need to know about what.
When she realized his question had been about changing his clothes, she blushed even deeper. ‘Yes, that’s wonderful’? What must he be thinking? She really needed to start paying more attention.
“Y-Yes, you should probably get some dry clothes on, before you catch... well, I guess you already caught a cold but um… you know… staying in wet clothes isn’t going to-” she pressed her lips together as she stared at him for a moment, at a complete loss of words. “I’ll uh… I’ll go see what’s going, give you some privacy.” She bowed deeply before remembering that she’d just asked him not to be too formal with her, and now she was giving him an extremely formal bow. “Yeah…” she mumbled to herself as she rushed to the door and with a quick smile, disappeared out of the room.

[Aryan Farr]

“She is. She is amazing... she…she is a much better person than I am.”

Madoka’s tone started off happy, full of love, but toward the end of her sentence Aryan thought he could detect a little bitterness. He studied her for a moment and then said quietly, “You are a good person too, Madoka.” Aryan wasn’t sure why she would think otherwise. From what Aryan had seen of Madoka, she seemed like a decent person, someone with good intentions…well, in his eyes anyway. Aryan was not a judging person. While most people could pick out the bad and negative qualities of a person easily, he struggled with it. He was better at finding the good ones, the ones that people often overlooked.

“Mhm…Yes, that’s wonderful,” Madoka said after Aryan had suggested changing clothes. He blinked, eyes widening at her response. Wait…what? He tilted his head to the side, giving her a rather odd look, eyes questioning. Wonderful? What was so wonderful about it? Perhaps she meant that – “Oh, uh… sorry… what?” Madoka seemed to realize what she had just said, and then quickly told him that she was daydreaming. Aryan watched her as she stumbled over her sentences, a confused expression on his face. She was obviously embarrassed about her slip of words. He could tell because she was blushing, cheeks growing darker red by the second. Was it really something to be embarrassed over? He pondered this, replaying the scene in his mind. Well, he supposed she had said it right after he suggested changing... and though he was sure she hadn’t meant it like that, the thought still made an awkward smile appear on his face.

“I’ll uh… I’ll go see what’s going, give you some privacy.”

With those last words, Madoka bowed to him and then awkwardly slipped out of the room. Aryan watched her go, door shutting quickly behind her. She was amusing, Madoka was. Not in a bad way. Actually, Aryan found it rather cute… He sat there for a moment, staring at the place she had been, and then he did something surprising and laughed. Laughing was not something that Aryan often did. Occasionally he would give a soft chuckle, but that was about it. This time, however, he was really laughing. He made sure to be quiet though, so Madoka would not hear. He didn’t want to embarrass her further. That, and…well…he didn’t really laugh like this in front of people. He always kept a rather calm demeanor. It was the way he had been raised. Emotions, they were something to keep to yourself.

His laughing quickly turned into coughing though, and he was forced to stop. With a weary sigh, Aryan slowly stood up from the bed, taking a moment to steady himself. He felt dizzy, and standing up only made it worse. His cheeks were slightly red, flushed from his fever. After he presented himself to Madoka’s mother he should probably lie down. Maybe if he got a chance to rest properly he would start to heal. He was a rather delicate person, and he was not used to the strain the events of the day before had put on his body. It wasn’t that he was weak, it was just that he wasn’t used to such excitement. For his entire life he had been kept indoors, and the farthest he had been allowed to venture was the garden.

He stripped himself out of his wet clothes and replaced them with the clothing Madoka had given him. It felt good to be rid of the damp clothes. The ones she had brought him were a tiny bit too big for him, sleeves hanging down past his hands, but he was still grateful. Anything would be better than sitting in cold damp clothing. He did wonder though… where did she acquire these items? A father, perhaps? Aryan considered this. Hm… now that he thought about it he didn’t remember her ever mentioning anything about a fatherly figure, just her mother. Speaking of her mother, he should probably go out there… The thought made him nervous, the idea of being surrounded by all those people at once, but he brushed that aside and slowly started heading for the door. Madoka would be waiting for him.

Aryan reached out, resting a hand on the doorknob. He was about to turn it, but he suddenly felt very weak. The room was spinning and he felt as though he might faint. No…he couldn’t let himself pass out… He had to focus… He tried to concentrate on the door in front of him, but his vision started to blur, and the next moment he felt his legs buckling beneath him. He hit the floor with a thud, blacking out.

[Madoka Ogawa]

“Oooh, you are alright!” her mother practically cried as she walked over to her daughter, studying her closely for any sign of injury. When she caught sight of her arm, she let out another wail-like sound and hugged her daughter – who was slightly taller than her by now – tightly.
“I am fine, mother.” Madoka gently patted the old lady on the back. She was such a drama queen. “I look fine, don’t I? Aside from… well… the uhh…” she nodded down to her arm and smiled innocently. It didn’t seem to have the desired effect though, as the woman’s expression quickly soured before reaching a bony hand up and hitting the back of Madoka’s head. Madoka blinked a few times in surprise – since when did her mother get physical with people? It didn’t hurt at all, but it still surprised her a little.
“Yes, exactly like that Miss Ogawa.” Akemi said with a devilish glint in her eye, “Told you it would be effective…”
“What the… You poisoned my mother’s mind!” she pointed an accusing finger at the elder girl and glared her down. Or… tried to, anyways. It wasn’t very effective. Akemi just laughed and shrugged it off.
From now on, Akemi wasn’t going near her mom again. Who knew what sort of things she’d teach her? Nothing good could come of it.
“You… you demon-wench!” it hadn’t come out nearly as convincing as she’d hoped, and so she just gave in and smiled, shaking her head slightly. At least the mood wasn’t as dark as it had been before, maybe the cool evening air had calmed Akemi down a little.

“You really had us worried Madoka.” Her mother finally spoke again with a saddened expression, it hurt to see her like this. She’d never intended on frightening everyone like this.
“I’m sor-“ she was cut off by a loud thud coming from the other room. Her eyes widened somewhat as she remembered Aryan. Ignoring her mother’s questioning look, she rushed to the door and slid it open, gasping when she saw Aryan lying right before her feet.
“Aryan! Are you alright?” she knelt down next to him and gently lifted his upper body up from the floor, resting his head on her lap, away from the cold floor. “Can you hear me?”
“He’s still here?” Akemi asked as she sat down next to Aryan as well, but kept the disdain from her voice this time, apparently too shocked to be mean.
“Look Madoka, he has white hair,” her mother remarked as she shuffled over to them, “Like an angel.” This earned surprised glances from both the girls. Did the woman not notice said angel was unconscious and in trouble?
“I… don’t think angels get sick, Miss Ogawa.” Akemi tried with a sweet smile to the old lady, but then turned her head back to the matter at hand. “Um… what did you do while I was gone Madoka?”
“Mom, this isn’t really the time for that. And are you suggesting I did something to him?” had everyone gone mad?
“Well… you were pissed enough to kick us out so…” the girl could barely keep the smile from her face, but upon seeing Madoka’s angry expression, she stood back up. “I’ll uh… I’ll get Yuka, she knows more of this stuff than I do.” And with that, she hurried upstairs.
“Wait, you have to help me-“ she sighed and just shook her head when she realized Akemi was already out of hearing distance. Great.

Now that it was just her and her mother, Madoka got nervous. Her mother was a bit wobbly on her legs, and would need some help sitting down, but she didn’t want to leave Aryan lying on the floor either.
“Mom, come here, give me your hand.” Her mother quietly obeyed and extended her hand. Moving her hand away from Aryan’s face for a moment, she grasped the woman’s arm and slowly lowered her to the floor. It took quite a bit of effort, considering she could only use one arm to support her mother’s weight, and she almost dropped her. Luckily the woman only slightly bumped into her on the way down.
“Are you okay?” she asked her mother gently before turning back to Aryan, tossing her hair over one shoulder to keep it from falling into his face. Though maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing, maybe it would tickle enough to wake him up.
“Little angel, it’s time to get up now,” Her mother sang in a slightly raspy voice as she tapped him on the shoulder, just like Madoka would do to her if she was being difficult.
“Aryan?” she whispered gently as she felt his forehead once more. He was really burning up, wasn’t he? “Please wake up… please?” there was a tremble in her voice that she couldn’t conceal. None of this would’ve even happened if she hadn’t made him help her find Shiroki on the beach, or if she hadn’t foolishly ran into a cave and gotten herself in trouble. If he were awake right now, he’d probably tell her to stop blaming and feeling sorry for herself, but she couldn’t help it. She still felt largely responsible for his current condition.

[Aryan Farr]

Aryan was unconscious for a good ten minutes. He was dead out, completely unaware what was happening around him. He thought he could hear voices, but he wasn’t sure what they were saying. They sounded distant and far off, as if in a dream. His breathing was shallow, his face pale. He had a high temperature, skin burning up. It was nothing fatal and in a few days he would probably make a full recovery, but right now he wasn’t so good off. Had he…? Oh no, he had, hadn’t he? Suddenly Aryan was bolting up. He moved too fast though, and a wave of dizziness swept over him, forcing him back down. Instead of hitting something hard, however, his head landed on something soft and warm.

“Where –?” Aryan started to say, but then he saw a face above him – Madoka’s. He stared up at her for a moment, vision swimming. As he concentrated, the two images of her became one, became clearer. He blinked a few times. Suddenly it came back to him. He remembered where he was, the blank spot in his mind quickly being filled. His eyes widened ever so slightly and his already flushed face, red from his fever, became a little redder. “I-I...am sorry,” he said, breath rushing out. He’d already caused her trouble. Though…she didn’t look angry. Actually, she looked quite the opposite. She looked worried, concerned, scared for him.

When he had been younger, he had been known to have fainting spells. It was something that happened if his body was put under too much stress. Because of this, someone had always had to watch him, keep an eye on him in case he was to collapse. It hadn’t happened in a long time though, not since he lived in the palace oceans away. He supposed it made sense though. He had definitely overexerted himself the other day. Nearly drowning was not something his fragile body was used to. Such was the curse of having built up no tolerance to anything, constantly sitting inside on a well-cushioned throne.

That’s when he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that there was someone else in the room too. At first he thought it was one of Madoka’s friends, but when he looked closer he realized the woman was much older. Her mother? He felt his embarrassment grow, suddenly wondering how long he had been lying there on the ground. Had it been minutes? Hours? “How…How long was I out?” he asked, voice awkward and quiet. He slowly started to force himself into a sitting position, looking pretty humiliated. He still felt lightheaded, but he could manage sitting up, as that didn’t require too much strength or movement. Aryan coughed quietly, and then diverted his eyes to the ground, trying to avoid the gazes of the two women sitting around him.

[Madoka Ogawa]

Before she knew what was happening, Aryan had already bolted up from his unconscious state, completely out of nowhere. Even her mother seemed to jump slightly at the sudden movement, though she recovered faster than Madoka, who just sat there with her hands up to catch him and a wide-eyed look.
“A-Are you okay?” she asked awkwardly as he landed back on her lap. He was certainly full of surprises, whether he realized it or not.
”Where –?” he stared blankly at her for a moment, as though he wasn’t sure who he even was at the moment. Madoka glanced over at her mother, not quite sure what to think of the situation.
Was this a fever, or had he perhaps hit his head somewhere between swimming in the cold ocean and arriving to her house?

”I-I…am sorry, how…how long was I out?”
“Few minutes, dear,” Her mother answered before Madoka had the chance, “Did you bump your head on the way down?”
The man slowly began to push himself upwards into a sitting position, and Madoka gently placed a hand on his back for support, though it didn’t seem he really needed it.
Without touching him, she checked out the back of his head… he didn’t seem injured, but there was always the possibility it just hadn’t shown itself yet. Tomorrow morning, he might well wake up with a nasty bruise.
“I… think he’s fine…” she told her mother quietly before turning to her, “He should lie down, right?” She was glad the woman was around, she knew far more of caring for people than Madoka did. It was odd that after all this time taking care of her mother, she still ended up turning to her for advice. Maybe she wasn’t quite as mature as she liked to think.

A quiet cough brought her attention back to Aryan, though he seemed unwilling to bring his attention to them. She really couldn’t see why he was so ashamed, had he never been sick before or something?
“Can you stand up?” she’d already gotten back on her feet and held her hands out for him, “Here, I’ll help you.”
The sound of a door flying open could be heard, and soon, the sound of footsteps could be heard around the corner before Yuka hurried in, “Have no fear, the doctor is… here?” she trailed off when she noticed Aryan was conscious once more. “Oh… well, the doctor’s still here!”
“Silly girl, you’re not a doctor.” The elderly woman laughed fondly before that laugh turned into a quiet cough. Nothing too concerning, she’d been far worse and no one seemed to even notice it any more.
“I do hope you brought an actual doctor, Yuka. This isn’t the time to fool around.” Madoka told her young friend sternly as she nodded over to a sickeningly pale Aryan.
Yuka merely rolled her eyes, “Yeah yeah, he’ll be here in a sec… Akemi’s telling him what happened.” The girl’s face brightened up when she looked at Aryan and took a few steps closer, “Feeling better?”

A moment later, Akemi walked in with an old man. Madoka knew the man well by now, as he’d been the one to take care of her mother whenever something really bad happened to her.
Madoka smiled happily and nodded a greeting, which he returned with a smirk.
“Good evening dear, how are you feeling?” he set his suitcase down as he patted Madoka’s mother on the head, “You look well, gorgeous.”
“I’m fine… but my friend here isn’t doing so great… he just fainted.” She gave Aryan a reassuring look as she explained what had happened the previous day.
“My my…,” the doctor laughed as he looked up at Aryan, “Quite the hero, hm?” he laughed as he patted him on the back, “Even heroes have their limits, lad.” He snapped his fingers at Yuka, who brought him his supplies. “Thank you kindly. Now let’s see how close to death you are.” He joked before glancing briefly at Madoka, “And don’t think I haven’t noticed the arm, young lady. Stick around, because you’re next.”

[Aryan Farr]

“Few minutes, dear.”

Aryan gave a soft sigh of relief. He had been fearing the worst, that he had been unconscious for hours. At least it hadn’t been long… Still, he couldn’t believe he had actually fainted. He needed to sleep, that would help. Madoka asked him something, but he only heard half of what she said, as he hadn’t been paying much attention. Something about hitting his head. He stopped to think about this. He didn’t think he had hit his head on anything, but then again, it was certainly possible he had when he had just fainted. After all, he’d just taken a plunge into the wooden floor. He offered Madoka a smile. “I think I am okay.” Then he turned his head to her mother and said hesitantly, "Um, it is a pleasure to meet you..." Now probably wasn't the time for introductions, but he wasn't sure what to say to her.

“Can you stand up? Here, I’ll help you.”

Aryan watched as Madoka got to her feet, tilting his head back to look up at her. He would much rather just stay there on the ground, to be honest. It was only when one of Madoka’s friends rushed in, announcing the arrival of a doctor, that Aryan started moving again. The news gave him the strength he needed to climb back to his feet, and with a small amount of effort, he was able to force himself up. He grabbed onto Madoka’s outstretched hands, using them to pull him back to his feet, being careful not to hold on to her too tightly in case he fell. He kept one of his arms resting against her shoulder though, using her for support.

A doctor? Had they called a doctor for him? His face was slightly flushed again, pale cheeks having a rosy tint to them. Already he had caused her family trouble. He closed his eyes, feeling dizzy again. He refused to faint again though. He had already embarrassed himself enough. Weakness…he had been taught that it wasn’t something you could show other people. You were supposed to keep pain and suffering to yourself, not burden others with it. That had been drilled into his mind from an early age. He couldn’t believe that he had passed out. He should have had better control of himself… Oh well, if there was a doctor here, then he could look at Madoka’s arm too. Though he had changed the bandages, he still thought it necessary that a professional examined it in case there was anything serious going on.

“Feeling better?”

A girl’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. Aryan turned his glance toward Madoka’s friend, whatever her name was, and offered a small awkward smile. He was about to answer, when a man walked into the room, obviously the doctor. Aryan stared at the floor as they told the man about what had happened the previous day. “Quite the hero, hm?” The man said with a laugh, giving Aryan’s back a soft pat. Aryan glanced off to the side awkwardly. “Oh, um, if you say so…” he mumbled. Absently, the white-haired man walked over to the bed, slowly lowering himself down. He needed to sit down now. There was no way he wanted to faint again, and there was less a chance of that happening if he sat down. “I-It is just a cold,” he said quietly, as it trying to dismiss it. He coughed a few times and then added, “You should examine Miss – Er…Madoka first...”

[Madoka Ogawa]

“I think I am okay. Um, it is a pleasure to meet you..."
The woman nodded a polite greeting his way, “Pleasure’s all mine.”
Madoka was feeling less light-hearted and just gave him a worried look before helping him stand up, though he didn’t seem all too eager to leave his comfortable spot on the floor. Maybe he was still feeling a little dizzy.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” Though if he did end up falling, there was likely nothing she could do about it. He was taller, and no doubt heavier than her. She really wouldn’t stand a chance.
It wasn’t until Yuka ran into the room announcing the doctor’s arrival that Aryan even made a move to get back up, and Madoka felt a bit nervous when he took her outstretched hands.
”Please don’t fall.” asking for it was likely not the best idea, for some reason, whenever she asked for something, the complete opposite would happen. Thankfully, this was not the case today, and Aryan managed to get up without stumbling, though he did lean against her for support.
That action on his part brought forth mixed feelings… on the one hand, she was glad he was accepting her help, but on the other, he must’ve really felt sick if he strayed from his usual routine. She decided not to say anything about it though, whatever was going on, the doctor would know more about it than her, and she didn’t want to flood him with questions right away. He deserved a few minutes of peace.

Of course, she couldn’t control the actions of others, and before she knew it, Yuka had already dropped the first question on him. “That must’ve really hurt… with the floor being made out of wood, and Madoka being too cheap to buy a rug and all.” Her smile faded when she noticed Madoka’s glare and unspoken request for her to shut up, apparently she didn’t get the message though, “Are you okay?”
An exasperated sigh escaped her, “Weren’t you making dinner?” she hissed quietly, so she wouldn’t interrupt the doctor who was now speaking to Aryan.
“Oh! No, I already finished!”
“Oh, um, if you say so…” Aryan mumbled next to her, and for a moment both girls thought he was responding to the whole dinner conversation. That was, until they realized everyone else present was listening to the doctor and hardly even noticed the quiet exchange between the two girls.

Without warning, Aryan began to move again, and Madoka instinctively brought her hands up again in case he’d fall. He seemed well enough to walk though, and slowly made his way over to the bed.
“I-It is just a cold, you should examine Miss – Er…Madoka first...”
“As you wish.” The doctor replied with a polite bow before turning to a wide-eyed Madoka.
“Wait! I’m not the one who fainted, check him out first!” she took a step backwards and nervously pointed at Aryan, “What if he hit his head or something?”
“He doesn’t seem delirious to me, so a common cold does seem to be the diagnosis. However, I will check him for any signs of injury, if you wish… after I check out your arm.”
Years of experience dealing with bratty little children had made him fast and smart enough to anticipate her next move, and within the blink of an eye, he’d grabbed her arm and with a satisfied look, removed the bandage. “Oh my…” he mumbled as a slowly tried to bend her arm, “Does this hurt?”
“Ow! Yes!” she whimpered and put on her sweetest puppy-dog eyes in order to make him stop, it didn’t work though, as he now made her move her fingers, which wasn’t the most pleasant experience either.
“Enough already…” she yanked her arm back and glared at the doctor as though he’d just attempted to kill her, “Stupid jerk…” she whispered angrily.
“Well, looks like we’ll need stitches to properly close the wound. And we'll need to wash it out, just to make sure it doesn't get infected.” He said simply as he made his way over to Aryan, “As for the rest, we’ll discuss that later, in private, for now, please see my assistant back at the clinic, and she'll take care of your arm for now.” even if he wanted to do it himself, he didn't have the proper tools with him, and the treatment really needed to take place in a room more sterile than this one. He looked over to Akemi, who seemed to get the message and nodded, "I'll make sure she goes there right away."

“Now, young man. How are you feeling? Any dizziness, headaches, painful coughs?” the man asked as he fished into his suitcase for a stethoscope. He subtly cleared his throat before turning back to Madoka and the rest. “If you ladies would be so kind as to leave the room, thank you.”
“But…” Madoka was about to object when the doctor held up his hand to shush her, “I’m sure your friend would appreciate some privacy. Besides, he’s in good hands. There’s no need to worry.” He gave her a reassuring smile and motioned for the door once again, “And I must ask you to let him sleep once we’re finished here. He’ll need his rest.”
A good night’s rest was never bad, and if this was just a common cold, he’d likely feel much better after sleeping.

As Akemi and Madoka lifted her mother off the floor and out of the room, he addressed her once more, “And Madoka, come see me tomorrow morning, so we can discuss that arm of yours.”
With a quiet creak, the door shut and it was just Aryan and the doctor left in the room. “Well then, let’s get you checked out, shall we? And please be honest with me, or I won’t be able to diagnose and treat you properly, alright?”

((OOC: It's up to you if you want to continue this thread or call it quits and have another one where it's a day/a few days later. Seeing as Aryan needs to sleep and Madoka needs to get her arm fixed, I thought the former would be better, but I'm leaving it up to you. I'm fine with either.))

[Aryan Farr]

( Hm. Yeah, I suppose that would be a good idea. Would you like to start a new thread for them, or shall I? )