Hey everyone, guess who's back! This chapter has been sitting around in my Google Drive unfinished since last year, so I decided to use it as a jumping-off point for my creative juices. This chapter is set just after that big battle in Sindria at the end of Season 1 of the show? Idk how active I'll be from here on out, but enjoy!

Damage

The war was over and spoken for, at least for the time being. At the sight of Princess Kougyoku washing out the waters of Sindria, the troops from Al Thamen that hadn't been decimated made their quick and hasty retreat back from whence they came. The storm was over and passed, and everyone residing in the small island kingdom could breathe a sigh of relief. The 8 Generals had been ordered to return to Sindria castle once the meleé had died down, and the people were assured to be safe, so that was exactly where Sharrkan was heading. The idea of making the trek back to the castle from the edge of the island was unappealing at max, and the slash on his back still stung like crazy, but it was a journey that had to be made nonetheless. Figuring his comrades were about as beat up as he was, Sharrkan decided he would deal with the injury when he got back.

Due to knowledge of practically every shortcut around the island, it took Sharrkan half the time it would have take a civilian to get to the castle from his current position. Upon arrival almost everyone was accounted for. The Generals that were already back, with the addition of Sinbad, were waiting in the front courtyard of the castle, dispersed around the area assessing each other. No one looked horribly worse for the wear, which was comforting to the swordsman as he entered the group. Ticking off names in his head (Hinahoho, Drakon, Pisti, Masrur, Ja'far) plus himself made 6, they were two short. Spartos and Yamuraiha were still unaccounted for. Sharrkan remembered the two of them had been sent out to around the same area as one another during the battle. Surely they were just slow coming back, but paranoia ebbed at his nerves anyway at the thought of the opposite outcome. They were both strong fighters, there's no way they could be defeated. Not now. Surely the two of them would come flying in at any moment on that godforsaken staff.

Five minutes of staring at the sky in bated anticipation later incited the sound of footsteps from the main gates of the castle. Spartos walked in first, looking just about as composed as ever, and a flash of teal hair behind him immediately calmed Sharrkan's racing nerves. However, they only stayed calm for a brief moment. One glimpse at Yamuraiha and Sharrken was immediately alarmed all over again. Yamuraiha looked as though she had had it the worst out of all of them. Her hair hung loosely at her sides, her hat and hair shells discarded somewhere in the ocean no doubt. Scratches and scrapes covered her body, and her chest was horribly exposed save her arm holding herself together. She wore a tired smile on her face regardless, likely drained of most of her energy from whatever taxing fight she had been put through.

Yamuraiha, spotting Sharrkan standing alone among their friends, thought they were all blatantly staring at her with concern, slowly walked up to him. By the look on his face, Yamuraiha was convinced some kind of concerned or alarmed question would be the first thing to pass his lips. But no, the first thing that idiot swordsman blurted out was "Cover yourself!", reaching out to pull the sleeves of her robe up to their proper place on her shoulders, covering up much of her exposed skin. Yam's now free arm dropped to her side, her face hardening into an annoyed deadpan. "Out of all the things you could have said, that is the one you choose to start with?" the water magician asked exasperatedly.

In all reality, she knew he had meant it in a compassionate manner, and another time she would've found it endearingly amusing. It was just his roundabout way of expressing his concern, she knew that.

As the ever familiar sight of the two generals bickering beginning, the others loitering around the courtyard began to drift inside to tend to themselves and celebrate a battle well won. As Sharrkan and Yamuraiha had cooled down enough to do the same, she finally laid eyes on it. As Sharrkan had turned to mount the steps into the palace, Yamuraiha's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, stopping him dead. Her other hand gingerly began tracing the line of the gash marring his back. The graveyard-like silence was only interrupted by Sharrkan's metered hiss of pain as Yamuraiha's fingers got too close to the source of his injury. In a quiet voice, as if she were afraid her speaking would cause him further pain, she asked, "How did this…"

"The same way you got your damage." Sharrkan explained plainly. They had just been in battle, it was only natural some future scars would result from it. Then he turned partly to look at her and his molten gold eyes bored into her. They slowly began pouring assurance into the hole worry was gnawing in her heart. "It's just a little knick, it'll be healed in no time," he said, using the tone of an adult reminding a child that there is no monster in their closet.

Yamuraiha's grip on his arm loosened momentarily so her hand could slide down his arm to his hand. Sharrkan could feel her grip tighten, pulling him along behind her into the castle. "Someone has to fix you up" he heard Yam mutter as they stopped outside the doors to his bedroom.

Once inside, Sharrkan's mind could only focus on one thing before anything else occurred. Taking a few steps away from Yamuraiha, he dug into his closet to produce a clean white button-down shirt, one all the generals owned. "Please cover yourself" he said, repeating his earlier statement as he held it out to her. He watched a handful of emotions cycle through her eyes before she landed on exasperation, pulling the shirt out of his hand and turning to the wall to dress herself in it. Giving her privacy, Sharrkan turned away from her to make his way over to the bed, slowly letting himself down onto it.

When he looked back up, there she was, dressed like a proper general for once. Rarely did the day come where she wasn't wearing her shell bra, shoulders exposed by unreliable robe sleeves that always slipped too low. Then again, he wasn't really one to talk with how he normally clothes himself, but still. She looked comfortable, and gorgeous, and the realization that she was wearing his shirt sent a thrum of satisfaction through Sharrkan's veins.

She came over to sit behind him, gently pulling off his shirt as she went to work on his back. Sharrkan chose to focus more on concealing his visceral reactions to the stinging pain, as opposed to the feeling of her hands on his skin. They sat there in silence as she tended to him for a while.

"Don't let something like this happen again." Her voice was soft, quiet. It was different from the usual angry condescension Sharrkan would've expected coupling this kind of remark. She was legitimately worried about his wellbeing.

"I promise," he responded in much the same tone, "as long as you promise not to take so long coming back next time." And then it registered with Yamuraiha that the flurry of panic that had filled her upon seeing the damage done to his back, was the same he was feeling on her trek back to the palace.

It was so instantaneous Sharrkan thought his mind had made it up for a moment. The soft feeling of her lips against his cheek was not something he would forget easily however. It healed all his pain, inside and out, even just for a moment. Hiding a smile, he turned his head away from her just in time to hear a hushed,

"I promise."