Chapter 5
Manta stared quietly at the river, and then smiled weakly. How long had it been since she had ridiculed this very pastime? As frustrated as she had been, the shaman who once stood here, pretending he didn't notice her, had been a beautiful image against the sun setting in the west. Tranquil and wise. Her eyes welled with tears in remembrance of that time that seemed so long ago. She shuddered lightly while clasping her hand over her mouth, and then squeezed her eyes shut while crunching her shoulders and neck loosely. "You couldn't even remember my name," she thought, attempting to be bitter but failing as hard as she tried. After lunch, any time she so much as looked at Yoh and Horo, the Ainu would direct his friend as far away from her as possible. She felt as though she were some plague that would suck the very life from them, and try as she might, she couldn't understand why Horo treated her the way he did.
Her thoughts were caught short minutes later when she felt a sharp pain shoot through her abdomen. Her eyes widened as she doubled over, and then she began to cry as the pain continued, moving through her back and making her sick to her stomach. "Not right now," she cried in her mind, and then tightly contracting her muscles, she awkwardly made her way to the end of the bridge and slowly climbed down to the ledge where she had always enjoyed sitting with Yoh after school when they were younger. She tucked her knees as tightly as possible against her and whimpered, the cramps growing more and more painful. "Jun-san..." she muttered between whimpers, and then began to cry again.
-
Ryu clenched his fists tightly as he walked, considering giving himself a good punch in the head. It was one thing to get into a fight with Horo. Horo could look after himself. But he had raised his hand to Tamao of all people. The one thing he loved more than anything else, and he had raised his hand to her. He screamed inwardly at himself, demanding what he was thinking, and what kind of animal was he to hit a young lady. Well, he had certainly stepped in it this time, and knowing his luck, he had blew his final chance to be more than her cooking buddy. He wondered if she would even let him cook with her again, and then growled while grasping his head. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he shouted angrily, and then he flinched when he felt a ticklish sensation making its way down his face. He touched where it was trailing, and then pulled his hand back and stared confusedly at a wet drop. A smile forced its way onto his face before he looked down grimly.
What gave him the right to shed tears? He wasn't the one who was hit. In fact, he was the one trying to drive her away from him. He had no right to cry over his own actions. He was 6'3" with 207 lbs of muscle. Compared to her 5'1" of 103 lbs, he may as well have been a tank. He bit his lip at the thought of what he could have done to her, and then cursed while slamming kicking his foot, only to hit a hard rock that had been sticking out of the ground. He cursed more loudly than the last time, and then sniffed while crouching down to ensure that his foot, only protected by a pare of sandals, wasn't damaged.
Before he could even finish inspecting his foot for damage, he lifted his head and squinted slightly, staring intently against the breeze. He tensed for a moment, unsure if his eyes were playing trick on him, and then stood up and began jogging along the path that followed the river to the bridge. He slowed as he came closer, and then finally stopped and looked worriedly at the blonde girl who sat, hugging her knees and shaking. He glanced down and frowned when he saw that blood was starting to soak through her school uniform's skirt, and then walked over and knelt beside her. "Miss? Miss, are you okay?" He smiled when she reluctantly looked up at him, and then grunted in surprise as she fell sideway. He grasped her shoulders before she could hit the cement, and then laid her down and looked her over worriedly. "Miss, can you hear me?" When he didn't receive an answer, he decided that she had fainted, and then frowned while glancing down to her skirt again.
A Shinra Academy uniform. It was the same as what Anna and Tamao wore, and then quickly decided that if any more blood stained it, the skirt would be ruined. "Miss?" he said again while cupping her face in his hands. He smiled when her eyes opened partially, hoping it would help her to relax. "Miss, you're bleeding quite heavily. Do you have any pads or tampons?" He frowned when she shook her head, and then began to think. "Miss, my name is Ryu. There's a store nearby. I'm going to go get something fresh you can put on and some water, and then I'm going to come right back. Okay?"
When he received a weak nod he sprinted away and up the hill, then across the bridge. The store was only a block beyond the bridge and was quick to reach. He first went to the clothes section, and after a brief debate selected a pack of small underwear. Having learned the hard way with Anna, he knew that the girl was probably going to want to feel comforted and concealed during such an ordeal, so chose a size larger in dark sweat pants than he guessed she would need. He then went to the back of the store and immediately decided on an overnight sized feminine product and a small pack of baby wipes. His final stop was to the fridge at the front of the store, where he got a litre of water before finally laying the products on one of the conveyors.
As the cashier scanned each item, he glanced to the young man and gave a half-smile. "You remind me of my daughter's first emergency," he said in a friendly tone, noting that Ryu kept bobbing up and down, as though he were in a rush. When he received a confused look, he chuckled. "First time's always a doozy, huh? One day they're starting school, the next day they're all grown up."
"Um, yeah," Ryu replied as the man finished scanning the last item, and then retrieved the debit card from his wallet.
"That comes to ¥2200," the cashier said while separating the items between two bags.
"So much for Yoh's BobLove DVD," he sighed to himself as he paid, and then thanked the man before taking the bags and leaving the store quickly. As he jogged back towards the bridge, he found himself thinking back. He had only been part of Funarbi Onsen a few short months when he faced a similar panic. Anna had broken her own rule about missing school, saying that she decided she deserved a break. Of course, he was in the onsen more often with her than the others, so it didn't take much to figure out that something was bothering her. It was around lunch when he heard her shriek his name. It was mainly one filled with anger, but there was also a bit of panic in it. To this day he would be reminded of his own concern for her. While rushing to her aid he sharply wrenched the muscle in his right calf, and since then had trouble with speed running, not to mention suffered severe pain during the cold months if he wasn't careful to keep the leg warm.
When he reached the bathroom, he found Anna sitting on the lid of the toilet awkwardly, her expression riddled with a mix of frustration and fear. He didn't even get to finish asking if she was okay before she demanded that he go to the store and buy a pack of pads. It was indeed an awkward demand, but dutifully he marched on to accomplish his task. It really wasn't that hard to accomplish. He had once helped Muscle-Punch look after his younger brothers and sisters and ended up making an emergency run for one of the elder girls.
He sighed as he made his way down the path to where the girl was waiting. Why did he get stuck with these emergencies all the time, anyway? There had to be some other poor sucker who could handle it. He looked over and saw the girl was sitting up again, but frowned. She was whimpering, and if she was embarrassed, it was completely hidden by her pained expression. "Miss, I'm back."
She looked up quickly hearing him, and then looked confusedly at the bags. "Um... What..."
"Oh!" the brunette replied sheepishly, and then handed her the bags. "Uh, here. I don't know if you can walk, so I thought I'd bring them to you." He watched as she inspected the items, and then turned his back to her. "I can go up onto the bridge until you get yourself cleaned up. I think we should call an ambulance, too."
She stared at him for several moments before looking down. "Thank you, Ryu."
"Hmm?" The teen glanced back curiously.
"You said before your name is Ryu, right?" she replied, and then winced while tensing the muscles in her lower body.
"Uh, yeah," he replied while looking out over the path again. "I think you may have fainted."
"What a nice first impression I've made," she muttered. "I'm..." She cringed again, and then sighed. "My name is Manta. I... I can pay you back for these things."
"Oh! No, it's fine," the teen laughed nervously. "My role in life seems to be to help young ladies during their symbol of fertility." He gave himself a mental slap as soon as he finished speaking. Somehow it sounded more chivalric in his head than it did coming from his mouth. After a minute he breathed in deeply, and as he did he began to feel as though he were being given a boost of energy. He began to shift his weight back and forth on his legs, feeling impatient, but became solemn again when he heard her uncomfortable murmurs becoming more desperate. "Manta, are you okay?"
"I just hurt," she replied while tying one of the bags tightly after getting herself cleaned off, and then after pulling on a fresh pair of protected underpants and the sweat pants she placed the soiled clothes in the second bag and tied it as well. "It... It's okay to look now," she said embarrassedly while eyeing the bottle of water tiredly. "Thank you."
The young man smiled while looking back to her, and then walked over and took a seat next to her. "Do you usually faint?"
"It happened a couple of times before I left China," she replied quietly. "I guess I'm just weak. But every time I get like this it hurts so bad..." She bit her lower lip. "Sorry."
"What for?"
"It's inappropriate to talk to men about these things," she replied softly.
"And it's inappropriate to talk to women about masturbation, but guys do it anyway," he replied. "At least your situation is decent." He frowned when she began to double over and start crying 'ow'. "Manta?" He watched as she began crying again, and then carefully pulled her into his lap. "Manta, I need you to relax," he said gently. "Come on. Take deep breaths. Don't tighten up like that."
"It hurts!" she cried, now wriggling, trying to find a position that would offer even a little bit of comfort.
"Shh. That's okay. It's okay to hurt. But in order to get rid of it, you need to relax." He wrapped one arm around her stomach to hold her so that her back was pressed against his chest, and then used his other hand to lean her head against his collar. "Manta, you're going to hyperventilate, and all that'll do is make things worse. Just try to breathe with me, okay?" He steadied his breathing so that it would match her lung capacity, and then rubbed her forehead lightly. "Breathe in, and then out." He felt himself growing fearful as she grasped the loose material of his pants tightly, and then sighed. "Where do you hurt?" he asked lightly.
"My back," she replied while trying to follow his breathing pattern. "And, well... down there. I feel like I'm gonna get sick."
"Okay," he replied. "I know a technique that may help ease the pain. Do you..." He winced when she let out another cry, and then sighed. "It'll seem like an advance, but I promise I won't do anything wrong." By this point she was breathing erratically again, and could only nod in response, wanting nothing but for the severe cramping to cease. He gave her a moment in case she changed her mind, and then moved his hands to the small valley between her stomach and abdomen and began moving his fingers in circular motions. Several minutes passed, but once she began to relax, he asked her to sit straight, and then repeated the circular motions in the same area on her back. He continued this until he heard her make a sharp cry, and then leaned her against his chest again. This time he pressed his knuckles firmly against her lower abdomen and began coaching her breathing again. Once she had began breathing somewhat normally again, he began to rock his knuckles back and forth in the area, always pressing firmly but keeping the rocking motion slow and steady. As the minutes passed he observed how her body began to relax. First her legs slid to a more natural position, then her lower back became more relaxed, and then finally her upper body relaxed. She made one small utterance before her grip loosened, and then she became still.
Whether she had fainted or simply fallen asleep, he couldn't be sure. He decided she must have been in quite some pain to allow a stranger to place his hand below her stomach, even if there was clothing between her body and the hand. With a sigh he awkwardly removed his jacket and folded it to form a pillow of some sort, then after placing it next to him he carefully moved the girl and laid her down easily before standing up to stretch. He glanced to the two bags that sat not far away, and then sighed while looking around. There wasn't a payphone for several blocks, and without a phone of his own he wasn't sure what to do next; He could go and find a phone, but that would mean leaving her alone, and he had hardly liked leaving her alone the first time, what with the rising rates of crime and bizarre events; However, they most certainly couldn't just sit there all night, because if she was still bleeding heavily, she needed medical attention, as well as rest. With an annoyed grumble he looked around, trying to figure out what to do, only to brighten when he noticed a backpack. It must have been her school bag, and if she really was a student from Shinra, chances were she came from a higher class than he. If that was so, then surely she would have a cellphone. He checked the bottom pocket first, and then sighed when he found nothing. The main pocket had a variety of notebooks and textbooks, but it too held no phone. He was about to place the bag down again when he spotted a side pocket, and while crossing his fingers he slowly opened it.
Much to his relief there was indeed a cellphone, and as he began to flip open the receiver it let out a loud, chirping sound. Startled, he fumbled the phone and nearly missed catching it, and then looked over the buttons with confusion. Not noticing the screen read 'Home', he found a button labelled 'Talk' and pressed it before bringing the receiver to his ear.
"Manta, where are you?" a young woman demanded worriedly. "You were supposed to come right home!"
"Uh..." Ryu stuttered confusedly.
"Huh? Who is this? What are you doing with Manta's phone?"
"My name is Ryu," he replied confusedly. "I was actually about to call for an ambulance."
"Why do you have her phone, and why would you need an ambulance?"
The young man frowned. "Because for at least the last hour she's been haemorrhaging, and in that time she's fainted twice." He listened as a small gasp made its way into the receiver, and then sighed. "Who is this?"
"Put Manta on the phone."
"She's unconscious," he replied irritably. "Who is this?"
There was a long pause before she spoke again. "Where are you two right now?"
He glanced back worriedly to Manta, and then sighed again. "We're just under the Funbari bridge."
There was another pause before she finally spoke up again. "My name is Jun. I'm going to come and pick Manta up. Is there a secure place nearby?"
"There's a store a block away, but that's about it at this time of night." He frowned when she made an uncomfortable mutter, and then glanced to Manta again. "She'll be safe, if that's what you're worried about."
"It's a bit difficult," Jun replied. "Look, if a kid with spiky blue hair or an unusually large wolf comes around, get her indoors as quickly as possible."
Ryu's eye twitched faintly. "Why would a wolf attack something as big as me?"
"To get to her," she replied quietly. "You said she's bleeding heavily. I don't want them mistaking her for a mate or their next meal."
"And what about the kid?"
She paused yet again, and then sighed silently enough that Ryu couldn't hear her. "He's dangerous. He would be the reason an unusual wolf would be around and I worry he might try to hurt her."
"You don't say," the young man replied, more to himself than Jun. "I can handle it until you get here." With that he hung up, tired of the conversation, and then after putting the phone back where it belonged, he sat down and lightly propped Manta's head into his lap. "Can you here me?" he asked in a half whisper, and then sighed. "If you can... Jun said she's coming to pick you up." Still he received no response, and then looked to the east and sighed at the sight of the perfect full moon, which provided more light now than the dying sunset. "Damn well better stay away tonight, Horokeu," he muttered, and then leaned back against the bridge wall and waited.
-
"Tamao, we didn't even kiss," Horo insisted. "We were gonna, and then I thought 'Hey! Why do I need to kiss this woman when I've got the best girl in the world?'"
He had been trying for two hours now to girl to forgive him, speaking so quickly that she couldn't even get a word in. Of course, if he had slowed down sooner, he might have realized that she wasn't even paying attention to him. She just stayed lost in her little world of thoughts as she baked, and then stared out the window as she washed the dinner dishes. "Ryu-san still hasn't come home," she murmured sadly.
"Hmm? Forget Ryu, Hun!" he replied, still oblivious to the fact that she hadn't heard anything he said. "What do you say?"
She looked at him blankly for a moment. "Huh?"
"Do you forgive me?" the Ainu asked with a weak grin.
"Oh... Well..." She looked down quietly at the dishwater, and then let out a sigh. "I guess..."
Horo frowned at her sad response, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Honey, what's wrong? You've been so sad tonight."
She was quiet while collecting her thoughts, and then squeezed the washcloth lightly before speaking up. "I made Ryu-san angry today."
He frowned as she shivered, and then lightly slapped her hand as a gesture for her to put the cloth down, and then turned her to face him. "What's that supposed to mean? Ryu doesn't get angry with girls."
She averted her gaze before she spoke again. "I was upset, so I talked to Ryu-san when I got home. And after a while I said that he was mean because... Well, I said he was mean, and he got sad and said that I was right. I sort of made him tell me why he was being hard on himself, and when I told him he wasn't a bad person he got really angry and left."
Horo watched as tears slid down her face, and then wiped them lightly with his thumb. "Honey, did he hurt you?"
"Why would Ryu-san hurt me?" she cried while looking up at him. "Ryu-san is a good person! He wouldn't hurt anybody. Not even if I was being annoying!"
The blunette stepped back, startled by her sudden outburst, and then began to hush her while embracing her warmly. "Okay, Tamao. I was just asking. But you know, you should tell somebody right away if he starts acting like that. Especially if it's around you."
"Why? So you can say bad things about him?" she asked with a small pout.
"No. It's just... you know how Yoh and I get a little weird sometimes?" When she nodded, he continued. "It's like that. He gets a little weird sometimes around me, and he's done it with Anna, as well." Once she finally looked up at him, he gave her a small smile. "Tell you what. I'm going to go look for the big oaf, bring him home, and make him apologize to you."
"But..." she began.
"Nope! Not another word! You're a good girl. If he got angry, he was taking something out on you unfairly." He gave her a peace sign with his fingers. "I'll be back before you know it!"
Tamao watched silently as the Ainu ran out of the onsen, and then looked down sadly. "Ryu-san..."
A/n: The massages that Ryu uses in this really do work, ladies. If you've got a boyfriend, make him help you to feel better during that icky time of the month. : D