New Fic!
Title: Hope
Fandom: S-Cry-Ed
Pairings: Ryuhou/Sherise
Rating: G
Notes: For 30kisses. Theme #26: If I Could Only Make You Mine.
Follows An Unexpected Encounter
The first time Sherise met Ryuhou, she fell in love with him. She was hungry, in pain, and waiting to die and then he suddenly appeared. Her captors had been taken prisoner and she had been whisked to one of HOLD's medical units. Based on her past experience, she had expected Ryuhou's kindness to come at a price. Life as an Inner had taught her that altruism didn't exist. Everyone expected something and with men, it was usually one thing. Sherise didn't resent it, though. Nothing he did could be as horrible as what he had rescued her from.
He never came. It had made sense while she was recovering in HOLD's infirmary, but once she had been given a small dorm room, she expected him to come. She *wanted* him to come. No one had ever treated her as kindly as Ryuhou and she welcomed any chance to spend time with him.
After a few days, she realized that he had probably forgotten all about her. But even though she didn't *see* Ryuhou, she certainly heard about him. He was well-known throughout HOLD and, while his Alter was respect, and maybe a little feared, the opinions on his personality were less than flattering. Everyone said the same things: Ryuhou was cold, maybe even cruel. He didn't have time for relationships; all his time and energy was devoted to hunting down Native Alters. For him, it was more than a mission. It was almost an obsession. The more Sherise learned about the green-haired man, the more she realized that his behavior toward her was an exception. The nurses, the youngest of which was still several years older than Sherise, had noticed her interest in the HOLY officer and had assumed that Sherise had developed a crush on her rescuer and smiled indulgently. Several of them pointed out other, safer choices for her affection.
None of it had mattered. Before Sherise had been released from the hospital, she had made several decisions. The first was that she loved Ryuhou, even if he was, as various people cautioned, incapable of returning any affection. Since she loved him, it was obvious that her place was at his side. If Ryuhou's mission was tracking down Native Alter users, then it would become Sherise's ambition as well.
*That* had presented a problem. Sherise's Alter had the potential to be powerful and valuable in certain situations, but it wasn't the kind of power that would be of use to Ryuhou, or anyone, in a combat situation. She had mulled over that for an entire week, wishing that she had an active Alter that Ryuhou would want to back him up. But Sherise had lived her entire life in the Lost Ground, much of it on her own, and she was nothing if not resourceful. After exploring the opportunities open to her, she had weighed her options and formulated a strategy that even Ryuhou, with his tactical and organizational abilities would be impressed with. She would train as a medic in HOLD's medical team. Her Alter power would be valuable there and it would put her out in the field with Ryuhou. Eventually, she would have a chance to prove that he needed her as a partner.
And so, once she had been released from the infirmary, she had thrown herself into her new life. She followed the doctors' orders to improve her health. The majority of her day went to learning the skills needed to be a medic. Any spare time was spent in the gym, becoming stronger, or researching HOLY and Alters, preparing for the time when she would be a part of the elite organization.
She had seen Ryuhou, of course. The first time was over a month after her rescue and it had taken every ounce of control she had not to run to him. Instead, she merely bowed politely as she passed him in a corridor. He barely returned the bow, not even looking at her, deep in conversation with Commander Zigmar.
As silly as it seemed, Sherise had convinced herself that Ryuhou had reasons for not visiting her. For her to come face-to-face with him and realize that he really had forgotten that she even existed had been a huge shock. Though she was ashamed to admit it now, she had ignored all her commitments for the day and spent the afternoon crying in her room. It was the first time she could remember crying herself to sleep, but when she rose in the morning, she had a new determination. She wouldn't approach Ryuhou. She would let him come to her. If he didn't remember rescuing her, if he couldn't recall seeing her at rock-bottom, then all the better. Sherise didn't like to remember her past anyway.
So, in the following months, she had avoided him. It had been hard. Not for her, because she had a plan. But Ryuhou had frequently been alone and there seemed to be a sadness buried beneath his single-minded obsession. She wanted to join him in the cafeteria and try to make him smile, but instead, she always walked by. It was hardest when he seemed to be studying her, as though she was familiar but he couldn't place her.
Of course, she had studied him as well. Although she was careful not to let him realize it, she was frequently observing him, trying to learn more about him. The rumors were certainly true. Ryuhou never smiled and sometimes his behavior was almost cruel. It probably should have turned her off, but one thing always stood out. He had smiled at *her*. His voice had been gentle when he had talked to her and she had never felt as safe and comforted as she had when he had carried her out of the hell she had been living in. The conclusion she had drawn was that Ryuhou had the capacity to be gentle and caring, but his experiences had forced him to bury that sensitivity to survive. Initially her desire to be by Ryuhou's side was a selfish one, but now, she wanted a chance to try to make him smile. She wanted to show him that it was okay to be gentle sometimes.
Then, today, he had walked into the infirmary. Sherise had made sure that she was the one to treat him, a feat made easier by the fact that most of the medical staff was either intimidated by him or simply found him to be a difficult patient.
Her initial instinct had been to treat him efficiently and professionally, since those were clearly qualities that he admired, but then she saw his expression. It was intense, almost brooding, and suddenly, she wanted to see a smile on his face again. And so, she had teased him. The look he gave her when she tried to examine his throat during an evaluation of a broken arm would have probably terrified anyone else and she realized exactly why no one had challenged her when she volunteered to examine Ryuhou. It didn't bother Sherise, though, having seen his gentle side. She had merely laughed and teased him further...something that had clearly confused the HOLY officer.
When he had asked her if they had met, her bravado had faltered. But she had accepted the fact that the person she had dedicated her life to didn't even recognize her face, so she had quickly recovered her composure and resumed the banter. When Ryuhou had made his own, somewhat stiff, joke and smiled slightly, everything she had done for the past months seemed worthwhile.
She also took great pride in her treatment of Ryuhou's injury. The damage to his arm and hand would have normally taken weeks to heal, followed by a period of painful physical therapy. Revealing her Alter power to him had been a nerve-wracking experience. She had already encountered scorn from other Alter Users with more combat-friendly powers and Ryuhou's Alter, Zetsuei, was known throughout HOLY. To her relief, he had seemed intrigued by her power.
She hadn't been able to resist kissing him. It would have been possible, of course, to have healed him with other skin-to-skin contact but for once, the strict self-control that had taken her so far had slipped and she had indulged herself. Ryuhou hadn't been offended. In fact, he had responded to the kiss very well, which gave her a little more hope for the future. Afterwards, when she was still a little weak and dazed from the use of her power, he supported her, his hands touching her waist.
This time, it hadn't hurt when he left her to resume his HOLY duties. The stern lecture she had gotten for the reckless use of her Alter power hadn't bother her in the least, because she knew she had saved Ryuhou a lot of pain. When she was criticized for her "unorthodox" way of using her Alter, she had merely smiled. And when she was restricted from seeing patients for the next two weeks and assigned every menial job in the infirmary, she had considered it a small price to pay.
As she slipped into the small room provided for her by HOLD and crawled into her single bed, she was finally happy. She was exhausted, after spending the afternoon cleaning out and inventorying several storage closets as punishment for her actions earlier, but that didn't matter. For the first time in months, there was hope.
Cross-posted to: 30kisses, _s_cry_ed_, eternal_devote, scryed_works, sherisadjanifan, and my journal.
Fandom: S-Cry-Ed
Pairings: Ryuhou/Sherise
Rating: G
Notes: For 30kisses. Theme #26: If I Could Only Make You Mine.
Follows An Unexpected Encounter
The first time Sherise met Ryuhou, she fell in love with him. She was hungry, in pain, and waiting to die and then he suddenly appeared. Her captors had been taken prisoner and she had been whisked to one of HOLD's medical units. Based on her past experience, she had expected Ryuhou's kindness to come at a price. Life as an Inner had taught her that altruism didn't exist. Everyone expected something and with men, it was usually one thing. Sherise didn't resent it, though. Nothing he did could be as horrible as what he had rescued her from.
He never came. It had made sense while she was recovering in HOLD's infirmary, but once she had been given a small dorm room, she expected him to come. She *wanted* him to come. No one had ever treated her as kindly as Ryuhou and she welcomed any chance to spend time with him.
After a few days, she realized that he had probably forgotten all about her. But even though she didn't *see* Ryuhou, she certainly heard about him. He was well-known throughout HOLD and, while his Alter was respect, and maybe a little feared, the opinions on his personality were less than flattering. Everyone said the same things: Ryuhou was cold, maybe even cruel. He didn't have time for relationships; all his time and energy was devoted to hunting down Native Alters. For him, it was more than a mission. It was almost an obsession. The more Sherise learned about the green-haired man, the more she realized that his behavior toward her was an exception. The nurses, the youngest of which was still several years older than Sherise, had noticed her interest in the HOLY officer and had assumed that Sherise had developed a crush on her rescuer and smiled indulgently. Several of them pointed out other, safer choices for her affection.
None of it had mattered. Before Sherise had been released from the hospital, she had made several decisions. The first was that she loved Ryuhou, even if he was, as various people cautioned, incapable of returning any affection. Since she loved him, it was obvious that her place was at his side. If Ryuhou's mission was tracking down Native Alter users, then it would become Sherise's ambition as well.
*That* had presented a problem. Sherise's Alter had the potential to be powerful and valuable in certain situations, but it wasn't the kind of power that would be of use to Ryuhou, or anyone, in a combat situation. She had mulled over that for an entire week, wishing that she had an active Alter that Ryuhou would want to back him up. But Sherise had lived her entire life in the Lost Ground, much of it on her own, and she was nothing if not resourceful. After exploring the opportunities open to her, she had weighed her options and formulated a strategy that even Ryuhou, with his tactical and organizational abilities would be impressed with. She would train as a medic in HOLD's medical team. Her Alter power would be valuable there and it would put her out in the field with Ryuhou. Eventually, she would have a chance to prove that he needed her as a partner.
And so, once she had been released from the infirmary, she had thrown herself into her new life. She followed the doctors' orders to improve her health. The majority of her day went to learning the skills needed to be a medic. Any spare time was spent in the gym, becoming stronger, or researching HOLY and Alters, preparing for the time when she would be a part of the elite organization.
She had seen Ryuhou, of course. The first time was over a month after her rescue and it had taken every ounce of control she had not to run to him. Instead, she merely bowed politely as she passed him in a corridor. He barely returned the bow, not even looking at her, deep in conversation with Commander Zigmar.
As silly as it seemed, Sherise had convinced herself that Ryuhou had reasons for not visiting her. For her to come face-to-face with him and realize that he really had forgotten that she even existed had been a huge shock. Though she was ashamed to admit it now, she had ignored all her commitments for the day and spent the afternoon crying in her room. It was the first time she could remember crying herself to sleep, but when she rose in the morning, she had a new determination. She wouldn't approach Ryuhou. She would let him come to her. If he didn't remember rescuing her, if he couldn't recall seeing her at rock-bottom, then all the better. Sherise didn't like to remember her past anyway.
So, in the following months, she had avoided him. It had been hard. Not for her, because she had a plan. But Ryuhou had frequently been alone and there seemed to be a sadness buried beneath his single-minded obsession. She wanted to join him in the cafeteria and try to make him smile, but instead, she always walked by. It was hardest when he seemed to be studying her, as though she was familiar but he couldn't place her.
Of course, she had studied him as well. Although she was careful not to let him realize it, she was frequently observing him, trying to learn more about him. The rumors were certainly true. Ryuhou never smiled and sometimes his behavior was almost cruel. It probably should have turned her off, but one thing always stood out. He had smiled at *her*. His voice had been gentle when he had talked to her and she had never felt as safe and comforted as she had when he had carried her out of the hell she had been living in. The conclusion she had drawn was that Ryuhou had the capacity to be gentle and caring, but his experiences had forced him to bury that sensitivity to survive. Initially her desire to be by Ryuhou's side was a selfish one, but now, she wanted a chance to try to make him smile. She wanted to show him that it was okay to be gentle sometimes.
Then, today, he had walked into the infirmary. Sherise had made sure that she was the one to treat him, a feat made easier by the fact that most of the medical staff was either intimidated by him or simply found him to be a difficult patient.
Her initial instinct had been to treat him efficiently and professionally, since those were clearly qualities that he admired, but then she saw his expression. It was intense, almost brooding, and suddenly, she wanted to see a smile on his face again. And so, she had teased him. The look he gave her when she tried to examine his throat during an evaluation of a broken arm would have probably terrified anyone else and she realized exactly why no one had challenged her when she volunteered to examine Ryuhou. It didn't bother Sherise, though, having seen his gentle side. She had merely laughed and teased him further...something that had clearly confused the HOLY officer.
When he had asked her if they had met, her bravado had faltered. But she had accepted the fact that the person she had dedicated her life to didn't even recognize her face, so she had quickly recovered her composure and resumed the banter. When Ryuhou had made his own, somewhat stiff, joke and smiled slightly, everything she had done for the past months seemed worthwhile.
She also took great pride in her treatment of Ryuhou's injury. The damage to his arm and hand would have normally taken weeks to heal, followed by a period of painful physical therapy. Revealing her Alter power to him had been a nerve-wracking experience. She had already encountered scorn from other Alter Users with more combat-friendly powers and Ryuhou's Alter, Zetsuei, was known throughout HOLY. To her relief, he had seemed intrigued by her power.
She hadn't been able to resist kissing him. It would have been possible, of course, to have healed him with other skin-to-skin contact but for once, the strict self-control that had taken her so far had slipped and she had indulged herself. Ryuhou hadn't been offended. In fact, he had responded to the kiss very well, which gave her a little more hope for the future. Afterwards, when she was still a little weak and dazed from the use of her power, he supported her, his hands touching her waist.
This time, it hadn't hurt when he left her to resume his HOLY duties. The stern lecture she had gotten for the reckless use of her Alter power hadn't bother her in the least, because she knew she had saved Ryuhou a lot of pain. When she was criticized for her "unorthodox" way of using her Alter, she had merely smiled. And when she was restricted from seeing patients for the next two weeks and assigned every menial job in the infirmary, she had considered it a small price to pay.
As she slipped into the small room provided for her by HOLD and crawled into her single bed, she was finally happy. She was exhausted, after spending the afternoon cleaning out and inventorying several storage closets as punishment for her actions earlier, but that didn't matter. For the first time in months, there was hope.
Cross-posted to: 30kisses, _s_cry_ed_, eternal_devote, scryed_works, sherisadjanifan, and my journal.