TLC Nurse Needed: Reunion of Saturn and Charon

[ree]

Setting: Immediately following the destruction of a local mall, many injured are being treated at various hospitals. At Tokyo General, Meidono Sen is currently in the tender care of the hospital staff...who are utterly terrified of him.

Meidono Kazuomi - Visiting Hours

After the disastrous events at the mall, the entire Meidono-gunpai family had gathered at Tokyo General upon learning that their young boss had been caught in the accident. There had been reparations demanded for the stupid gaki who had actually left him alone to get caught in such a mess. Even Henry, Sen's normally mild-mannered and very British father, demanded the highest compensation the men could give him. So now he had about six new fingers to show off as proof that when need demanded it, he could be every inch a Yakuza himself. Only Kuma had been spared, since they knew Sen would want to handle the matter of his second-in-command personally. Once family business was taken care of, they gathered in the hospital where Sakura had never left her baby boy's side.

There was a bit of a problem though.

Word had gotten around that one of the syndicate sons was currently residing at the hospital. In fact, it was rumored that old man Meidono Kazuomi was coming to the hospital in the morning and now the staff were too nervous to be of much good to anyone. Sakura was stressed, Henry was stoicly angry, and Kazuomi was livid. Sen, however, slept through it all, recovering surprisingly quickly despite his extensive injuries. They had left no less than three men to keep an eye on the family, including Sakura's personal bodyguard, who was rumored to be a former MI6 operative.

Then there was the mysterious young woman that Sen had met in the cake shop. Intrigued, Kazuomi had started making inquiries about her and discovered she had been witness to much of the attack. However, she'd seemed very nervous about interacting with the Japanese police force, so Kazuomi had gotten some of his men to escort them from the premises with the very strong suggestion not to come back for a while. So when he arrived at the hospital in the morning, he was pleasantly surprised to find the young woman in question outside his grandson's door. He waved his hand discreetly and the two men outside promptly left, sighting the need for food. He also dismissed his own guard to go somewhere else and approached her, his aura radiating "dottering old grandfather."

"Why hello there young miss," he said in his best 'I'm a nice old man' voice. "Are you here to visit my grandson too?"

[Shuu]

[ Guang Ying Shen ~ A Hard Day's Night ]

Shen had been up all night.

Although she could have easily gone home and tried to forget about the whole mess of events leading up to this point, she simply couldn't. Charon had been hurt because of her, and she wanted - no, needed - to speak to him again. So while the hussle and bustle swarmed around her, she focused on her mediations. After all, she could stay up for days at a time without feeling fatigue, provided she focused on her chi well enough.

But things were getting more complicated.

With Sen being hauled in, they had to remove his shirt to treat his injuries. Upon glancing at his back, she spotted an elaborate tattoo. Even though Shen had been sheltered for much of her life, she knew what it meant. The surge of body guards and family members also attested to it. Not that she cared, she had her own secrets.

For the most part, Shen was mostly unnoticed with the black-suited members of the syndicate. They were more focused on their young master and keeping both the police and the media at bay; far too involved to notice the plainly-dressed Shen.

It was then that the police came to her to ask her what happened.

Shen hid her chin in her turtle neck and made sure her bangs covered most of her face, never looking directly into the eyes of the detectives. She didn't respond to their questions, merely shaking her head to everything they said. Thankfully, they were pulled away from her.

Thinking she was alone again, Shen attempted to return to her meditations, until she noticed an aura approaching. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up from the chair she was in, seeing a sharply-dressed Japanese old man. He had a friendly air to him, but spoke to her in Japanese.

In keeping up appearances, she shook her head at him. "Um...Kanwa." She said clumsily, stating the Japanese word for the language Mandarin. Hopefully he would leave her be once he knew this.

[ree]

Meidono Kazuomi - Oho, What's This?

When Kazuomi had approached the young woman and she informed him she spoke Chinese, he fought the urge to raise both eyebrows. He'd been around for a long time and knew a diversionary tactic when he heard (or saw) one. Even more intrigued, he simply continued to smile and spoke in perfect Chinese.

"Quite understandable, young miss, you don't seem to be from around here. I said hello and asked if you were here to see my grandson? He's over in the room nearby."

Kazuomi knew how to speak Chinese because it was useful. He spoke with many syndicate bosses from all parts of the globe. It also didn't hurt to know what people might be saying behind his back. Although he was older, with far more lines, there was much of Sen in him. They had the same blue eyes, but Kazuomi's hair was rich black, testament to his Japanese ancestry. He still blamed Henry for passing on his more exotic coloring to his favorite grandson and making him look not so respectable.

"May I join you? I've been up all night with worry and these old bones don't handle that as well as they used to."

[Shuu]

[ Guang Ying Shen ~ Looks can be deceiving ]

Shen shouldn't have been too surprised that the old man knew Chinese so well. Although he looked to be the kindly, old Japanese man, she knew what Sen was now. Any relative of his was bound to the Yazuka family, so if this man was his grandfather...

But she wasn't suspicious or distrusting of him. Why should she be?

Shen sighed and nodded her head. "I was there when the attack happened." She explained in a low voice. "I can't help but to feel... responsible for what happened to him. If I had been more careful..." She sighed again and shook her head, looking up at him. "S-sorry, I try not to be so hard on myself but...it's difficult sometimes."

[ree]

Meidono Kazuomi - Evil Ideas, I Have Them

When the young woman explained that she felt responsible for what happened, Kazuomi suddenly had a most devilish idea. He wanted to see his youngest grandson married before the stupid elder grandson managed to find a woman stupid enough (or gold-digging enough) to do so. He also wasn't blind, nor stupid. The young woman was hiding from the Japanese police force and he made a mental note to have his men do some checking up on her. She seems so young...then again, age makes no matter in our world. So he smiled his kindest, most benevolent grandfather smile and patted her hand.

"Then my dear child, you must come in and see him. Apologize if you must. However, I have a feeling that the moment he awakens, yours will be the face he is looking for. You can also meet his mother, my most beautiful only daughter, and her husband...the gaijin."

Although Kazuomi really had no quarrel with his daughter's husband (anymore), appearances still had to be maintained. Particularly when his heir's life hung in the balance. He was just grateful his stupid older grandson wasn't around. Kazuomi then gestured to the door and waited patiently for her to come with him. You interest me, young miss, and I don't find many people who do. This shall bode much looking in to.

[Shuu]

[ Guang Ying Shen ~ Wait, what? ]

Shen was taken aback by this straight-forward invitation. She hadn't ventured into the room since Sen was put there, not wanting to intrude on the family. The plan was she'd wait until after things had calmed down enough to see him. But to be asked straight-forward by this seemingly kind old gentleman? She wasn't used to this.

Still, she wanted to see Charon again, and get used to the fact that she...he...changed genders somehow.

"I-I would like to see him, that is true..." She said softly, down casting her pale eyes. "But I do not wish to intrude on your family's time with him."

At this point, the notion of meeting the family flew over her head completely. Of course, Shen never experienced the things most teenaged girls did due to being locked up, and that going in to meet a boy's family usually meant things were quite serious. After all, she had just met Sen briefly in this life, and things were bound to be different. Right?

[ree]

Meidono Kazuomi - Oh, it Seems I Have to be Persistent

She was resisting. What a refreshing change. Normally everyone hurt themselves to do whatever he ordered. He smiled even brighter and waved his hand.

"Nonsense. My daughter needs a rest, food, a bath. She's been here all night. I'm sure she will be satisfied with his dear grandfather and the young lady who helped save his life looking over him. Come, they will want to meet you and thank you for finding him." He even managed to look a little pleading. "Please, I insist. It would mean so much to the family."

"Papa?"

"Ah, Sakura my dear," Kazuomi switched to Japanese and smiled genuinely at his daughter. "Come, come over here, this is the young lady who helped get Sendou to the hospital. I was just asking her if she'd sit with me a spell while you go home and rest."

"Really?" Meidono Sakura was a lovely woman with Sen's eyes (it was joked that it ran in the family) and dark brown hair. She was willowy and looked hardly strong enough to bend a sapling to those that didn't know her. "This is her?"

"Yes but she only speaks Chinese, so I have been trying to convince her to come sit with an old man and keep him company." He turned to Shen. "This is my daughter, lovely isn't she? I like to think my grandson takes after her rather than the gaijin."

[Shuu]

Guang Ying Shen ~ Bringing Down the Party?

Well, she couldn't say the old man wasn't persistent.

Granted, he was being very pleasant with her, but he seemed most intent on including Shen in what was a family affair. It was also true that most people didn't have the endurance Shen had, probably due to the fact that she hardly ever slept, even when she was younger. She always attributed that to always being asleep in the past, and a majority of humans didn't know what it was like.

But, she wasn't forthcoming yet. "S-sir, I didn't save his life. I feel like I'm responsible for what happened to--"

Shen was about to say more when a woman approached them, speaking Japanese. Shen lifted her head up but didn't make eye contact - she rarely did anyway - and tried to look a bit lost in translation. Strange, how all of these relatives had those captivating eyes she knew so well, despite only ever looking into once....

"I-It's very nice to meet you, ma'am." Shen said quietly to Sakura, giving a small incline of her head.

[ree]

Meidono Kazuomi - I Am a Pleasant Grandfather, Yes I Am

Kazuomi went to his daughter and started a whispered conversation with her. He urged Sakura to go home and rest, he would have his men there, and he wanted to get to know this young lady more. It took some convincing (and some rather dignified coaxing) but Kazuomi eventually managed to convince Sakura and Henry to go home. The two of them left, Sakura squeezing Shen's hand and thanking her in Chinese before they did so.

"There, now you are not intruding on a family affair. In fact, I think I may need to make a few business calls. Why don't you run in and see if he's awake, hm? I think I saw a lovely shop just down the road, perhaps I'll send someone for cakes, Sendou does enjoy sweets..."

And he walked off, rambling to himself in the continued act of being just a doting old grandfather. He waved over one of his guards and started a whispered conversation. He hoped the young lady would go in now, without the family there, and he could get the ball rolling on discovering who she was.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Sen's hand started to twitch and he groaned...

[Shuu]

Guang Ying Shen ~ Well, then...

Shen had no idea she was being duped by the pleasant gentleman. Before she knew it, the two parents were whisked away and the grandfather meandered off on his own as well. Now, it was just her and several guards outside of the hospital room. Her mouth slowly fell agape when she realized what just happened.

That cleaver bastard. She thought, unable to contain a small tugging at the corners of her lips.

With Charon being alone, Shen sighed and looked back to the room. Well, they'd be alone now at least, and hopefully she could speak Japanese for a time. Approaching the door, she opened it and slipped inside quietly, spotting Sen laying on the bed, giving a groan. Quickly, she closed the door behind her and moved to the beside.

Strange...looking down at him, it was almost as if their situations were reversed. Shen was now the outsider, the stranger in the midst, looking down at someone and hoping that they'd wake up and see her. Was this what Charon felt in this past? The hope, the anticipation?

Leaning over the bed, she removed her glasses so he could see her pale eyes fully. "...Charon..." She said quietly, hoping he would remember.

[ree]

Meidono Sen - Ow, My...Everything Hurts

Everything was so fuzzy. He vaguely remembered the battle. He remembered being knocked into a wall after being kicked in the ribs. He remembered Kuma shouting at the gaki to not jostle him and get their asses moving. But the thing he remembered most was her. Saturn. It seemed that the drugs they had him on induced some of his memories because he'd been drowning in them. Of the past, their past, of him (her, and wasn't that just weird) waiting for Saturn to wake up, the isolation, the loneliness, all colored by the hope that someday someone would understand. It was really funny sometimes how lives continued to repeat themselves. Sen felt as lonely now as he did then, but this time was different. This time, Saturn was here, was real....

Was standing right next to his bed.

Sen's head swam as he slowly blinked open his eyes. Luckily the lights had been dimmed in case he woke up and he was grateful. His head pounded like it was a taiko drum and he felt weak and groggy all over. Still, he couldn't forget those eyes and the pull he'd felt the moment he'd laid eyes on her.

"Saturn...please tell me...I'm not dreaming..." His voice was raspy and he coughed, then groaned as it made his ribs protest. "Ouranos is so dead...the next time I see her..."

[Shuu]

Guang Ying Shen ~ It's not a dream anymore

Looking down into those eyes, however addled by drugs, Shen knew it was Charon. No one else had those eyes, even his family members couldn't pull her in like this. That soft smile, the one she had only shown for him in the past, returned as relief danced her face. Ever so gently, she reached down and placed her hand against his cheek to comfort him.

"It's no dream, Charon." Shen assured, "I am here. I found you, just as I knew I would in this life..." Pausing, the smile faded and she glanced down to his IV drip. "...How are you feeling? You took that blow pretty bad..." She looked back down to him after saying this.

It felt so...surreal. She had never been able to touch Charon before, due to the seal on her in her castle. The only time she could was after Charon died during the Silver Millennium, but it wasn't like this. Back then, her hand was covered in a gauntlet and Charon no longer had life coursing through her veins. Now, there was life in there, a painful one right now, but it would ease with time.

...If she didn't do anything to hurt him again, that is.

[ree]

Meidono Sen - Pinch Me (Gently) I'm in Heaven

It was too surreal. Almost. Sen felt her hand, warm and alive, on his cheek and looked down at his hand. Using all his willpower, and a heaping helping of sheer stubbornness, he reached up and grasped her hand. He was still a man though and nothing about him revealed that his arm muscles were now twitching at the change in position. He didn't care. He'd endure anything if it meant keeping her here.

"I've waited for this moment for so long and now I'm in a hospital bed and I can't even enjoy it." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm as good as I can be after getting knocked into a wall. What about you? You weren't hurt were you?"

He didn't remember anything after he had gone flying. There had just been the sensation, the pain, and then blissful darkness.

"What happened after I was..." Sen searched for the right word. "Incapacitated?"

And he still held her hand.

[Shuu]

Guang Ying Shen ~ Feels like a failure

Shen felt his hand rest against hers, her eyes flitting down to it. It felt warm and soft, and a deep feeling of relief and satisfaction filled her. To actually feel Charon's skin against hers...it was almost worth all of those long years of imprisonment for this one moment. She wasn't sure why, but she liked it.

"We will have time once you recover." Shen assured in a soft voice, giving his cheek a stroke with her thumb. Upon asking if she was hurt, she shook her head and sighed, "I am fine. I was more worried about you, Charon, then anything else."

Upon asking what happened afterwards, Shen's expression grew dark. She looked away from Charon and towards the floor.

"...I...I-I lost control over myself." She muttered bitterly, "Seeing you hurt and having no weapon, I did what I swore I would never do again...a lot of innocent people died because of my anger. Despite that, I didn't even defeat our enemy, they escaped. All that death for nothing..."

[ree]

Meidono Sen - Whoa, Whoa, Wait a Minute

Relief flooded him when she told him she was uninjured. So at least I didn't get injured for nothing. However, when she revealed that she'd lost her temper and people had died, Sen kept his face perfectly still though inside he winced. He also scowled internally at the thought of their enemies getting away. Still, we were too evenly matched. They had to goad us into doing something stupid, otherwise they would have gotten beat and beat hard. Sen remembered Ouranos' posturing and recognized it for what it was.

"Lady..." He coughed and cleared his throat. "Do not blame yourself. Take it from me, the Shades knew they were evenly matched with us. I recognized Ouranos' posturing for what it was: posturing. She had to goad us into doing something stupid, otherwise if she had tried to escape, we would have pursued her and most likely have caught her."

Having been raised in the world of crime, Sen had seen a lot. He also knew that Saturn would beat herself to death with guilt unless he managed to convince her that while yes, it was regrettable she lost her temper, there really was nothing else that could have been done. He was feeling tired and groggy and wanted nothing more than a thick slice of cream-filled cake smothered in chocolate sauce (though he would never, ever admit that aloud) but he wanted to ease her guilt before he passed out again.

"You lost your hold on your anger. I lost my head in battle and wound up here. Ouranos lost her mind and provoked you. Those civilians could have fled when they saw the fight starting, we weren't exactly subtle about it. But they didn't. So the whole thing was just one big accident. As my mother always said when I was a boy, you did it, you learn from it, and then it's over and you try not to repeat it. The important thing is..." He coughed again, throat dry, and his voice cracking. "You're here. We're together and finally free to be together like this. The way we never could have been in the past."

I swear to every deity known to man, if I had the strength, I'd pull her into this bed and never let her go. But then grandfather would immediately think to offer a marriage and then we'd both be screwed. So he sighed internally and settled for just holding her hand and gestured for her to sit on the bed.

"You never told me what your name is in this new life..."