Author's Preface
"Why would I be nervous?"
Naren retorted, shifting his scarf. Sure he was a bit shocked by it all. But it was just what he had to do. No use getting bent out of shape.
"Good. You should know, I made a pact so you'll at least live to become a shaman."
Yuna reassured Naren, though it seemed more like her teasing him.
"Great business you run. Bet you get a whole lotta people crawlin for your service."
"Sure, but you're special. After all, you were way too easy to rip off."
The mocking aside, Naren wasn't the least bit interested in what Yuna could and could not do. After all, her business was nothing of his concern. As soon as he becomes a shaman he can break free with no shackles.
So he should at least use what he can right now. At least he didn't have to give any thought into what he does now. Just follow her commands.
It made it easier when he didn't have to think.
"Now then, what do you want me to do, princess."
Yuna sat down on a crate, her face resting on her hand.
She was deep in thought for a minute. At least to Naren it was a minute.
Yuna's eyes functioned different. Her fable let her see the past and future sure, but it also isolated the present. Letting her spend hours sitting in a single moment. That's what made Yuna so well known even before becoming a shaman.
Yuna spoke just as suddenly as she went silent, surprising the drowsy Naren:
"Let's round up the suspects then."
"You know where they are?"
Yuna pointed at her ears.
"No, but I have a useful soldier."
Sure enough, she wasn't wrong. After all, what led them to the grotesque scene in front of them was Naren's hearing to begin with. The scream of Vera that sent him running off without Yuna, only for them to eventually meet at the same point.
That being said, Naren turned his head towards the rubble, sparks of ignited dust collecting at his gaze.
He wanted to avoid the maniac. He didn't have any good memories of him in recent loops. Their fights always leading to Naren's death in some way or another. Who knows what kind of twisted thoughts he'd have now.
Nonetheless, Naren pointed deep into the alley, past the corner.
There, him and Yuna met up with a certain one-eyed ninja. His shirt drenched as blood crept out while the heat of his body was trying it's hardest to cauterize deep gashes on his arms.
Naren stared at his abdomen. The black shirt now tinged in red seeping through. His previous wound from when they met must've reopened.
A faint glow was hung over Cairo's steaming body as a smile was still etched onto his face.
Naren nudged the body with his foot, the heat instantly leaving a blister on his bare feet.
"Looks like a lost cause. He's all burned out."
Ignoring his pun, Yuna crouched over Cairo holding the back of one hand over his mouth to examine his breathing. She pulled his eyelids open, watching his grey eyes dart around, her fingers burning. He was at least a little conscious.
"Soldier, clear out the debris and place him on flat ground."
Naren grumbled kicking and moving debris out. Picking up the unconscious man, Naren sucked in air through his teeth as blisters began forming, placing him on the newly cleaned floor.
Pulling out a knife Yuna cut open his shirt, exposing a split open abdomen, entrails visible. Staring at it for a moment, a million thoughts raced through Yuna's frozen eyes.
'Arterial bleeding from the renal side. Perforated section of intestine.'
Naren watched in silence as he watched Yuna put on a pair of plastic gloves, pulling out cloth and pressing it hard on Cairo's wound.
The one-eyed man grunted, as the cloth soaked up more and more blood.
Lifting one arm off, Yuna motioned over Naren.
"Hold here. Steady pressure."
Naren complied as Yuna probed the exposed intestine until her finger stopped on small puncture leaking brownish fluids.
Watching Yuna pull out a blade and cut through the entrails, Naren cringed, watching her delicate hands swiftly and accurately remove a portion of it, discarding it. Her jaw clenched holding in the blistering pain of Cairo's fable.
The beating of Yuna's heart intensified as Naren watched her thread a needle through the two halves of the intestine with robot-like precision. Her hands not trembling the slightest despite the intense heat.
But her heart. Cried out.
"Let go now."
Yuna's voice was devoid of the previous playfulness. Now completely stoic and centered.
Pouring some water over the open wound, Yuna watched for any other bleeders before loosely stitching up his abdominal walls and wrapping him up tightly with layers of gauze.
Even after Yuna sighed in relief and leaned back on her arms, Naren couldn't keep his eyes off her. Specifically he was staring at her chest.
Her heart. It was just beating so abnormally. He'd never heard someone's beat so passionately before.
Yuna giggled.
"I'm the pervert, but the guy staring at my chest isn't?"
"Huh? What? Who?"
Naren shook his head as he turned away. Only for his eyes to widen as his gaze fixated on something.
Yuna smiled:
"Well, you were so focused you didn't hear our little friend."
There around at the end of the alleyway was a little girl. Her hair ruffled and messy as blood smeared on her sailor uniform. Blood trickling from a scratch she got on her knees when running.
Naren opened his mouth then closed it again.
What's it matter, she's already forgotten him.
The little girl flinched a little as she saw him. A glimmer of happiness in her eyes, soon washed over by intense dread as her gaze fell on Cairo.
Vera took a step back. But before she could make any decision Naren motioned her over.
He yawned:
"I don't care if you don't remember, Shrimpy. You can't go back on your end of the deal."