soul_campaign | [ 03: February 13th

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[ 03: February 13th | Video ]

[The feed switches on to Kanji sitting in a chair facing backward, though the frame only catches the bottom half of his face as he pulled his arm back. He was never good at filming...]

...Yo. Had a lotta shit to do lately, so this entry's kinda late.

[And that was when an odd jingling started from somewhere behind him. The teen ignored it, taking a fist and slapping it against an open palm.]

I partnered up with Tifa! We're livin' in Death City Heights, Building 6, so don't bother lookin' in Murder Manor or Creeping Crypts.

[A lopsided grin.] Heheh... Witches're seriously screwed now!

[And with that, he cuts off the feed to the public, opens up a private message and hesitates, heart pounding. He could do this. He could do this...!]

[Private: Naoto]

[He'd turned his head away before the private feed started, arms tightly folded as clammy hands were balled into fists.]

Y-... y-y'free tomorrow!?

[Did his voice crack? Of course it did.]

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[Someone's back in the clinic, receiving a blood transfusion and antibiotics. Still, she's managing to contact Kanji after coming to again]

Congratulations again, Kanji-kun.

[That's a curious question to pose]

I have ample free time tomorrow...

[He figured she was just busy... but that didn't keep him from worrying when there was no response. When his communicator notified him of a reply, he all but snatched the mirror off the table and got it going.]

[All relief, all nerves, all bravado drained from him with the color of his face at the video he just saw. He took a few minutes to regain some semblance of composure before he set up the feed again.]

What... wh-what the hell happened, Naoto-kun?

[She opens her eyes at the response and picks up her communicator again.]

We took a mission in New York City. There was a Kishin Egg in the subway and we successfully eliminated it.

[Naoto pauses. The infection and medicine were currently warring inside her body] There... was a zombie we failed to notice. It bit my leg and managed to nick an artery.

Bit? Bit?

[He knows they recently had a zombie invasion, but... all the movies, all the games... did he really want to ask the question that popped into his head just then?]

W-what'd the doctors say?

[He stood, taking the communicator up with him. Bag... where was his damn bag?]

Hm? Oh... Its teeth had infectious bacteria, but that's to be expected of a reanimated human body. Normal human saliva itself contains bacteria, but...

[She cringed, feeling her stomach flip] A-Anyway, they've been administering antibiotics intravenously.

[Just grabbing this and that, the camera turned away briefly as he went to stuff the bag. Was this everything? Yeah? Good. Okay.]

Where were you admitted? I-I'm comin' by!

The clinic...

[Mhm, he doesn't have to yell.]

Got it.

[He turned the mirror back his way, but he was looking over his shoulder.]

Tifa! I'm headin' out!

[And looking back again as he hurried out of 1-C.]

S-seeya in a bit, okay?

... Alright.

[Excuse her if she closes her eyes for a little bit.]

[And again, he would put aside that awful fear that threatened to pile on top of everything he felt right then when he arrived around ten minutes later. Duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he was pointed in the direction of the room.]

[He'd... had antibiotics before, knew of the side-effects. When he poked his head into the room, the rest of him soon to follow, he was armed with water and a pack of crackers in case she didn't have any.]

Hey.

[He might have to explain the Duffel bag to her. Hanging with the bag of saline was another bag, the red liquid unmistakable. Color was coming back to her skin by now, but she still appeared sickly curled on her side as she was. Her bandaged leg was hidden beneath the tangle of bed sheets]

[Slowly, her eye opened at his voice and she let out a breath.]

Hello, Kanji-kun.

[His heart fell. She looked a hell of a lot worse in person than over the feed.]

[After quietly setting the bag down to the side, he went to get a chair and pulled it up. He'd be careful with this one, he promises. Even gingerly sat in it as he placed the water and things on the bedside table.]

If it's makin' you feel sicker, y'don't need to talk, okay?

[He wanted to reach out, do something...]

[She wouldn't be able to spring up so easily if this chair snapped. Naoto shook her head faintly]

I can manage. I just... need to keep my responses short.

[It made her feel lazy, but with the fever making her dizzy and her stomach having problems settling, it was a small sacrifice.]

O-okay.

[He nodded. If she could manage short ones, that was fine. Without really thinking, he leaned and rest a hand at her forehead, the other moving to his own for comparison. Her temp wasn't too high, was it?]

...Think you can keep somethin' down?

[No, just the usual low fever. Still, she let out a sigh; his hand was pleasantly cool in comparison.]

I should be able to. I haven't tried.

[Not too warm, that was good. He pulled his hand back pretty quick.]

Worth a shot, yeah? I remember my stomach wasn't actin' like an ass as long as it had somethin' in it. I, uh... brought some stuff.

[He hesitated, then looked away, mulling over his options. Some cold water would probably do her a hell of a lot of good, and saltines helped settle the stomach, but...]

L-let's get you up a little bit.

[She probably couldn't sit up, huh...? He rose from his chair and went to find extra pillows or something.]

[It feels like the period after they rescued her from the television world. She doesn't want to move, but she'll try. She had to maneuver slowly so she didn't tug out an IV line or cause her stomach to rebel further.]

[Ah-ha! There they were. He grabbed as many as he could carry and swung right back.]

A'right... uh...

[And he moved as delicately as he could, hoping it wouldn't be too much for her, a shaky arm sliding beneath to help prop her up temporarily as he shifted the pillows beneath, forming an fluffy incline to lie against.]

[Enough pillows, Kanji? She pauses, blinking at the abundance of pillows.]

[Her face burns as he wraps an around from behind and one of her hands take hold of his sleeve, holding on a bit longer even after she's propped against the pillows]

[W-well, you can never have too many.]

[Once she was all set, he leaned and reached for the pack of crackers, but found he couldn't move his other arm. Kanji glanced back and went a little red.]

[He paused, then settled onto the edge of the bed, just listening to his heartbeat in his ears.]

... Sorry. I'm feeling somewhat unsteady.

[She slowly withdrew her hand so he could move again]

[He hesitantly withdrew his arm.]

N-nah, it's.. i-it's fine.

[There was a little crinkling from the package as he retrieved it from the table along with the water, opening them up. He'd grabbed it from the fridge, so it was still a little frosty.]

This should settle yer stomach a little.

[Saltine crackers and water? She hasn't heard of this remedy before, but Kanji thinks she'll actually be able to keep them down, she's willing to try.]

Thank you... [She'll take one cracker for now and nibble at it]

[If he could track down some ginger, they'd really be in business, but well.]

N-no problem.

[He'll just... take one, too. His stomach was doing somersaults.]

[Not feeling well? Or is it because she's still leaning against him more than the pillows]

... Why did you want to know if I was available tomorrow?

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