Held by the Hours [Koga/Hana]

The night had passed, but another was quickly approaching, and Koga still hadn’t woken up. Kaminari had placed him under a form of kaido that kept him sleeping peacefully while his body healed. If he were awake, he’d be in unbearable pain. It turned out his injuries were far worse than just the burns. Kaminari said that he’d likely been in a fight before coming to help her against Akira. That realization left a pit in Hana’s stomach, and she couldn’t bring herself to leave his side.

With dinner approaching, Hana had already turned one offer for food away. She didn’t think she could keep it down. They weren’t in a hospital building, but a large tent, divided by paper walls. Koga laid on a raised stretcher, not a bed. Too much had been destroyed and a lot of resources had already been used, so this was the best they could do for him. Hana sat on a small cushion, her zanpakuto placed next to her, and her head laying on the edge of Koga’s stretcher, close to falling sleep.

'Please... wake up, Koga...'

"..."

What the hell happened? All he remembered before he went unconscious was a sea of flame and Hana's terrified shriek. He had intended to cut down that suited bastard where he stood, but now he was here. Naturally, he didn't assume he was dead. His heart was still beating. He could breathe, albeit somewhat strained, and as his eyes opened, he recognized the somewhat familiar surroundings.

His body suddenly rose as he immediately looked around for Hana. Did he make sure she escaped safely? Was she still alive? His mind cycled through several questions until his gaze traveled toward the end of his stretcher, noticing the snow-white woman dozing off.

"Hana! Ow.... ow... Shit, why does my body feel so sore...?"

Feeling the stretcher shift beneath her, Hana barely reacted, dismissing it as Koga moving in his sleep again—just like the last ten false alarms. But the moment she heard his voice, her eyes snapped open, and she lifted her head. Koga was finally awake. Hana gasped, her hands hovering over his shoulders, but she froze, afraid to touch him. Her fingers trembled as she hovered over his arms, his hands, his chest... She couldn’t find a safe place to make contact and eventually gave up.

"Koga..." she said, sniffling. "You were badly hurt: broken bones, charred skin... Third Seat Hatakeyama has worked tirelessly to heal your wounds." Overwhelmed with relief, she covered her face with her hands. "You finally woke up..."

"Holy shit... and you're tellin' me I'm still alive after all that? Guess I'm more durable than I thought."

He chuckled softly, albeit strained as he fought back the immense pain in his body. Most of his flesh was healed on the surface, and his body seemed to be recovering internally too, but he couldn't exactly move and laugh as boisterously as he was accustomed to. That fucking sucked, but he was relieved to see that Hana was alright.

From his point of view, there didn't appear to be any noticeable bruises or wounds across her body. She was safe. That was all that mattered to him now, even if his pride was internally crushed from losing two battles on the same day. Even if she hesitated to hug him, he wasn't nearly so bashful. His long limbs reached over to pull her into an embrace as he grunted in pain.

"My body's fuckin' killin' me right now, but at least... I know you're safe now."

"Yes, a friend of mine, Josh... he carried both of us to a medical station after we were hit," Hana said, her voice trembling. "I was so terrified you were going to die..." She drew in a shaky breath, not expecting Koga to pull her closer. Despite him choosing to embrace her, she hesitated to return it, afraid of hurting him. She rested her cheek gently against his chest, careful not to press too hard. After a few moments, she looked up, offering him a weak smile, though sadness lingered in her eyes. "I'm only safe because of you and Josh," she whispered, her gaze dropping to the floor. “If you two had not taken that hit, I would be dead.”

"Please, do not ever do something so reckless again, Koga!" Hana shouted at him, her worry and desperation bubbling to the surface in that moment.

"Yea, yea. I know. Here's where I'd joke and say being reckless is in my blood, but..."

Koga hesitated for a moment as he recognized the genuine fear in her voice. Presently, he was in no position to say he could handle things of that nature, let alone tell her she shouldn't worry. No, he had nearly died and found that his life had only been preserved thanks to a redhead from another division. Rubbing the back of his head, he sheepishly grinned as he patted her head. Though there was a significant size difference between them, it wouldn't be entirely difficult for Hana to notice the apologetic glint in his eyes.

"Sorry. Got a little carried away out there. Couldn't really bear the thought of seein' ya get hurt. When I heard you scream, I practically fuckin' lost it and saw red."

Hana closed her eyes as her head was pat and let out a soft sigh, “You were more than ‘carried away,’ Koga.” Now that he was awake, she could feel herself relaxing. The tension in her muscles was fading away. “You must be hungry… I will find something for you,” Hana said and pushed herself to her feet, a little shaky and weak. When she stood up, she looked wobbly, like she could fall at any moment. She tried to take a step, but couldn’t before she got dizzy and fell to her knees.

"Oi, oi. If you're feelin' overwhelmed, ya don't gotta go fetch me anything to eat. I'm just happy to be alive right now..."

Koga wondered if she was experiencing any kickback from the stress regarding their current situation. He couldn't imagine she experienced anything nice in the hellish landscape Soul Society had become. One moment they were in peace, and now everything was practically in fucking shambles. Worse yet, he couldn't do anything to stop the invaders. All in all, this day was a lost cause. He was happy enough to know his efforts led to her safety, but he knew his pride was in the trashbin right now. How could even dare call himself a warrior with this poor showing?

"Don't push yourself. I'm just glad yer alright'. No need to feed me yet."

"I… um…” Hana let herself sit back, leaning against the side of Koga’s stretcher. She took a few deep breaths, putting a hand on her chest as she calmed herself down. “My apologies. I will be fine.” Hana got to her feet again, forcing herself to stand. If Koga and Joshua could take magma to protect her, there was no way she was going to let a little hunger keep her down. She walked out of the tent, took a few minutes to grab food, and came back with two plates held by shaky hands.

“Here… Eat, please,” Hana said as she held his out. A moment later, a woman walked in with some ice water for the both of them and set it down. Hana nodded and thanked her before the woman left. She clearly couldn’t carry it all. Hana sat down on the ground again, next to the stretcher, and began nibbling at the food. They had some fried rice and steamed veggies. It wasn’t much, but it would do.

"I don't believe it, but if you say so... I won't force the issue... for now."

Koga didn't believe her for a second. He would've likely sooner grabbed her and kept her rooted here, but it was difficult to move his body right now. Forcing the issue would be foolish right now. He simply allowed her to do as he pleased as he relaxed against the stretcher. He fucking hated this right now, but he wasn't going to complain about it. He was alive. Hana was alive. He could find contentment in that. Besides, how could he complain when he was being tended to by her?

Grabbing his plate, he carefully took in a few mouthfuls as he tested his ability to swallow. Once he found that he could scarf down pretty well, he went at his food voraciously and downed the water with urgency. He was tempted to ask for seconds, but she was still eating, and he didn't want to put too much strain on her as it were.

"Thank ya, Hana. I'm sorry I worried you so much. Ya look pretty out of it right now."