Healing
Title: Healing
Rating: G
Fandom: U-Kiss
Theme set/prompt: Fantasy/02 - Good
Summary: More questions - and still no answers.
Author's Notes (optional): Part four. I think.
Disclaimer: Not Mine, Not true
Inspiration from 10_what_ifs
Previous: One, Two, Three
"How does your hand feel?" Kibum asked, and Eli shifted his shoulders. He sat against one of the biggest rocks around the fire, his hand submerged in a bucket of mostly melted snow. At least he'd seen Kibum enter the cave this time.
"Better," he said. His hand cramped, sending a lance of pain up his arm, and he winced. When he looked up, Kibum had lifted an eyebrow.
"You're no good at lying," Kibum said, and regarded him for a long moment. Eli didn't know how he didn't fidget under that gaze. "My friend will be here soon, and he'll be able to help. Does the salve help at all?"
"Some," Eli admitted. It hadn't kept him from feeling insanely run down, so much so that even sitting took more energy than he had. It felt like the burn just… sucked his energy out of him. He couldn't even claim to be sick, because there was nothing obviously wrong with him.
"But not enough?" Kibum took his hand and looked at it closely: swollen and still blistered. "No, I see not. I'll have to see if Xander can come any faster."
"I'm here."
Eli looked up and his eyes widened.
Xander was not human. No one with those ears could be; they rose gracefully from the sides of his head, tapering to a point. Xander stared back at him, dark eyes just as wide, then he shook his head and knelt next to him. "What's your name?"
"Eli." He held out his hand when Xander reached out, and the elf looked at it, then up at him.
"Short for anything?"
Eli shook his head. "Not that I know of," he said. "Why?"
"This is going to hurt. He didn't know to wash your hand off, but when it's done, you'll start to heal." Xander got to his feet and glanced at Kibum, who left the cave.
He returned moments later with a bucket of water - hot, Eli realized suddenly - and soap. It dawned on Eli what he meant; things had taken forever to sink in since Soohyun had taken him down to the forge. He got to his feet, not even sure what he meant to do, but before he could go anywhere, Kibum wrapped his arms around him, pinning Eli's left arm to his side and holding him still.
Eli thought it had hurt when the rock burned him. But hot water and harsh soap had nothing on that. He bit his lip to keep from screaming at the pain, his head falling back on Kibum's shoulder. It didn't stop his tears, and he didn't even care. Before Xander had finished, Eli's knees buckled, and Kibum helped him carefully to the floor, arms still around him, still pinning his left arm. "Just a bit more," Kibum said gently. Eli groaned and closed his eyes, trying to keep still, his breath coming in gasps. He just wanted it over.
"And done," Xander said an interminable time later. He dried Eli's hand off and inspected it carefully. "Yes, I think it should heal now." He dug a pot out of his own saddlebag and spread the contents on Eli's hand. Eli went limp as his hand went numb, deadening the pain, and his eyes drifting closed.
"You should sleep," Kibum said, laying him down gently. Eli didn't answer; he barely heard the comment.
"Victoria," Xander said, and Eli tried to open his eyes, tried to see who the elf spoke to. He couldn't, though; his eyes felt glued shut, his arms and legs full of that eternal sand and impossible to move. He wondered how long he'd been asleep.
"Why are you bothering me?" A woman's voice, dull. Her voice echoed oddly, but not like she was actually in the cave.
"Because. I didn't know your paramour very well, and I think you need to see this boy Kibum called me for."
"I'm not interested in some boy….." Not even anger. Almost hopelessness, maybe? If he could see her face, maybe he could identify it. Light shone on Eli's closed eyelids and he tried harder to open his eyes. Still no luck. He had no better success trying to lift his arms to rub them open.
The woman gasped in an audible breath.
"His name is Eli," Xander said gently. "Kibum grabbed him out of the desert, where his… where they left him to die."
"Eli," the woman repeated, nearly a whisper. "I… would have to talk to him. See him personally."
"I'll see if I can arrange it. It will be a while," Xander added, and the light went away. "He was injured. I don't think he knows. He picked up some iron ore, and was surprised when it burned him."
"No, he wouldn't have known," Victoria said softly. "He was too young when he was taken. Send him to me when you can."
"if I can," Xander said. "I'll talk to Kibum."
Eli didn't understand any of it, but trying to figure it out tired him, and he drifted back to sleep.
Table
Rating: G
Fandom: U-Kiss
Theme set/prompt: Fantasy/02 - Good
Summary: More questions - and still no answers.
Author's Notes (optional): Part four. I think.
Disclaimer: Not Mine, Not true
Inspiration from 10_what_ifs
Previous: One, Two, Three
"How does your hand feel?" Kibum asked, and Eli shifted his shoulders. He sat against one of the biggest rocks around the fire, his hand submerged in a bucket of mostly melted snow. At least he'd seen Kibum enter the cave this time.
"Better," he said. His hand cramped, sending a lance of pain up his arm, and he winced. When he looked up, Kibum had lifted an eyebrow.
"You're no good at lying," Kibum said, and regarded him for a long moment. Eli didn't know how he didn't fidget under that gaze. "My friend will be here soon, and he'll be able to help. Does the salve help at all?"
"Some," Eli admitted. It hadn't kept him from feeling insanely run down, so much so that even sitting took more energy than he had. It felt like the burn just… sucked his energy out of him. He couldn't even claim to be sick, because there was nothing obviously wrong with him.
"But not enough?" Kibum took his hand and looked at it closely: swollen and still blistered. "No, I see not. I'll have to see if Xander can come any faster."
"I'm here."
Eli looked up and his eyes widened.
Xander was not human. No one with those ears could be; they rose gracefully from the sides of his head, tapering to a point. Xander stared back at him, dark eyes just as wide, then he shook his head and knelt next to him. "What's your name?"
"Eli." He held out his hand when Xander reached out, and the elf looked at it, then up at him.
"Short for anything?"
Eli shook his head. "Not that I know of," he said. "Why?"
"This is going to hurt. He didn't know to wash your hand off, but when it's done, you'll start to heal." Xander got to his feet and glanced at Kibum, who left the cave.
He returned moments later with a bucket of water - hot, Eli realized suddenly - and soap. It dawned on Eli what he meant; things had taken forever to sink in since Soohyun had taken him down to the forge. He got to his feet, not even sure what he meant to do, but before he could go anywhere, Kibum wrapped his arms around him, pinning Eli's left arm to his side and holding him still.
Eli thought it had hurt when the rock burned him. But hot water and harsh soap had nothing on that. He bit his lip to keep from screaming at the pain, his head falling back on Kibum's shoulder. It didn't stop his tears, and he didn't even care. Before Xander had finished, Eli's knees buckled, and Kibum helped him carefully to the floor, arms still around him, still pinning his left arm. "Just a bit more," Kibum said gently. Eli groaned and closed his eyes, trying to keep still, his breath coming in gasps. He just wanted it over.
"And done," Xander said an interminable time later. He dried Eli's hand off and inspected it carefully. "Yes, I think it should heal now." He dug a pot out of his own saddlebag and spread the contents on Eli's hand. Eli went limp as his hand went numb, deadening the pain, and his eyes drifting closed.
"You should sleep," Kibum said, laying him down gently. Eli didn't answer; he barely heard the comment.
"Victoria," Xander said, and Eli tried to open his eyes, tried to see who the elf spoke to. He couldn't, though; his eyes felt glued shut, his arms and legs full of that eternal sand and impossible to move. He wondered how long he'd been asleep.
"Why are you bothering me?" A woman's voice, dull. Her voice echoed oddly, but not like she was actually in the cave.
"Because. I didn't know your paramour very well, and I think you need to see this boy Kibum called me for."
"I'm not interested in some boy….." Not even anger. Almost hopelessness, maybe? If he could see her face, maybe he could identify it. Light shone on Eli's closed eyelids and he tried harder to open his eyes. Still no luck. He had no better success trying to lift his arms to rub them open.
The woman gasped in an audible breath.
"His name is Eli," Xander said gently. "Kibum grabbed him out of the desert, where his… where they left him to die."
"Eli," the woman repeated, nearly a whisper. "I… would have to talk to him. See him personally."
"I'll see if I can arrange it. It will be a while," Xander added, and the light went away. "He was injured. I don't think he knows. He picked up some iron ore, and was surprised when it burned him."
"No, he wouldn't have known," Victoria said softly. "He was too young when he was taken. Send him to me when you can."
"if I can," Xander said. "I'll talk to Kibum."
Eli didn't understand any of it, but trying to figure it out tired him, and he drifted back to sleep.
Table