usually was, but relieved. "I can fix it."
***
"So explain to me what happened," Eddie murmured, riding close to Nate as they started off. Ashe was still weak, Katsu in vast amounts of pain, but Nate was pushing onward. Better to leave, Eddie guessed, lest Byron realize he'd been played.
Nate's eyes lingered on Katsu, who rode his horse stiffly, arm splinted and in a sling. "He killed those people we found, and convinced the rest he was carrying a plague. When Byron fell ill, they threw Katsu out."
It seemed entirely too simple. Plus, it was Katsu . Eddie watched Katsu, his spine ramrod straight, lines of pain and exhaustion etched into his face. "How'd he fake a plague?"
Nate's gaze turned considering. Eddie had seen that look before, when he weighed the pros and cons for a new battle strategy. "I don't know."
***
Ashe paused at the top of the rise, looking down the few feet to the little creek that burbled through the stand of trees. Katsu knelt there, awkwardly filling a canteen with one hand. His other hand was strapped to his chest, arm bound and splinted for the foreseeable future. Or at least six weeks, which seemed like the foreseeable future to Ashe.
He was certain he hadn't made any noise, hadn't dislodged any rubble. Somehow Katsu sensed him anyway. Katsu turned slightly, looking back, gaze meeting Ashe's. There was a strained silence before Katsu turned to the creek again.
They hadn't had a chance to talk. Not since Katsu had given Ashe herbs that would have killed him, if the others hadn't found the medic. Would have killed him slowly, in agony. Like the bodies they'd passed, twisted in death that Katsu had caused.
Ashe began to edge away.
"Sorry."
The word came after him, but nothing followed it. He watched the line of Katsu's back, the tension under Katsu's tunic. "For what?" Ashe asked, trying for nonchalance.
Katsu pinned the canteen between his feet, jammed the cork back in with a deftly wrapped bit of leather to keep it there, and stood with a wince. Gone was his fluidity, and Ashe didn't know when it would be back. He'd only caught a glimpse of bruises down one side of Katsu's body, but a glimpse was enough. "I don't know," Katsu said gruffly. "For whatever you're upset about. Making you so sick, I guess."
Ashe paused on his words, about to reassure Katsu that of course he wasn't upset about that.
He wasn't.
He was more disturbed at the bodies littering the road back toward the city, horses and people both. "How did you kill them?" He hadn't meant to ask. He didn't really want to know. And yet, he found he had to know. "They wouldn't have taken herbs you gave them, like I did."
Katsu wouldn't meet his gaze. "You'd call it magic, I guess." Ashe knew Katsu would call it chakra. The fact that he hadn't called it that meant something, but Ashe didn't know what. Katsu started to shrug, hissed and winced, and shook his head slightly instead. His dark eyes bored into the ground. "I just... stopped their organs from working." The last was said swiftly.
Not swiftly enough to go unheard. Ashe looked at him, mentally charting the tattoos hidden under Katsu's clothes, remembering how he had moved Ashe's own magic, forced life to keep pumping, when Ashe's body would have given up a few weeks before. "Did you do that to me?" He asked. "Stop my organs?"
The muscles in Katsu's narrow jaw jumped. "I knew the herbs would keep you alive awhile. They're expensive. Sold your stuff for them, but I knew they'd keep you alive..." He trailed off. The hand holding the canteen tightened. The bag twisted slightly with the pressure. "Long enough for me to find you, I hoped."
"So you can kill people with a touch," Ashe clarified slowly. It was almost impossible to believe. This was Katsu , their medic, who saved their lives and stopped infection and patched them up when they were hurt. Who could kill with a touch.
"I don't like to," Katsu muttered.
Ashe stood there for a long moment. It turned his world upside
***
"So explain to me what happened," Eddie murmured, riding close to Nate as they started off. Ashe was still weak, Katsu in vast amounts of pain, but Nate was pushing onward. Better to leave, Eddie guessed, lest Byron realize he'd been played.
Nate's eyes lingered on Katsu, who rode his horse stiffly, arm splinted and in a sling. "He killed those people we found, and convinced the rest he was carrying a plague. When Byron fell ill, they threw Katsu out."
It seemed entirely too simple. Plus, it was Katsu . Eddie watched Katsu, his spine ramrod straight, lines of pain and exhaustion etched into his face. "How'd he fake a plague?"
Nate's gaze turned considering. Eddie had seen that look before, when he weighed the pros and cons for a new battle strategy. "I don't know."
***
Ashe paused at the top of the rise, looking down the few feet to the little creek that burbled through the stand of trees. Katsu knelt there, awkwardly filling a canteen with one hand. His other hand was strapped to his chest, arm bound and splinted for the foreseeable future. Or at least six weeks, which seemed like the foreseeable future to Ashe.
He was certain he hadn't made any noise, hadn't dislodged any rubble. Somehow Katsu sensed him anyway. Katsu turned slightly, looking back, gaze meeting Ashe's. There was a strained silence before Katsu turned to the creek again.
They hadn't had a chance to talk. Not since Katsu had given Ashe herbs that would have killed him, if the others hadn't found the medic. Would have killed him slowly, in agony. Like the bodies they'd passed, twisted in death that Katsu had caused.
Ashe began to edge away.
"Sorry."
The word came after him, but nothing followed it. He watched the line of Katsu's back, the tension under Katsu's tunic. "For what?" Ashe asked, trying for nonchalance.
Katsu pinned the canteen between his feet, jammed the cork back in with a deftly wrapped bit of leather to keep it there, and stood with a wince. Gone was his fluidity, and Ashe didn't know when it would be back. He'd only caught a glimpse of bruises down one side of Katsu's body, but a glimpse was enough. "I don't know," Katsu said gruffly. "For whatever you're upset about. Making you so sick, I guess."
Ashe paused on his words, about to reassure Katsu that of course he wasn't upset about that.
He wasn't.
He was more disturbed at the bodies littering the road back toward the city, horses and people both. "How did you kill them?" He hadn't meant to ask. He didn't really want to know. And yet, he found he had to know. "They wouldn't have taken herbs you gave them, like I did."
Katsu wouldn't meet his gaze. "You'd call it magic, I guess." Ashe knew Katsu would call it chakra. The fact that he hadn't called it that meant something, but Ashe didn't know what. Katsu started to shrug, hissed and winced, and shook his head slightly instead. His dark eyes bored into the ground. "I just... stopped their organs from working." The last was said swiftly.
Not swiftly enough to go unheard. Ashe looked at him, mentally charting the tattoos hidden under Katsu's clothes, remembering how he had moved Ashe's own magic, forced life to keep pumping, when Ashe's body would have given up a few weeks before. "Did you do that to me?" He asked. "Stop my organs?"
The muscles in Katsu's narrow jaw jumped. "I knew the herbs would keep you alive awhile. They're expensive. Sold your stuff for them, but I knew they'd keep you alive..." He trailed off. The hand holding the canteen tightened. The bag twisted slightly with the pressure. "Long enough for me to find you, I hoped."
"So you can kill people with a touch," Ashe clarified slowly. It was almost impossible to believe. This was Katsu , their medic, who saved their lives and stopped infection and patched them up when they were hurt. Who could kill with a touch.
"I don't like to," Katsu muttered.
Ashe stood there for a long moment. It turned his world upside
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