Flower

Author: Seth


"Some judge things on their practical worth, others on their aesthetic worth. Something that has both in spades, now that's something truly worth striving for." 


Well this was irritating.

Kuroga prided himself on always knowing where his brothers and sisters were (Or at least where they had been recently; it was hard to keep tabs on people when on a mission), so it stung when he couldn't find Wakagi anywhere in the Ginsenkei compound. How was he supposed to protect his family (his sister in this case) if he couldn't even find them?

Finally swallowing his pride, the leader of Unit 4 asked Ayalla, whom he could find, where her teammate had gone. He was summarily informed that the young Akasha had left a few hours prior in the direction of the Northern Argenfluo gate.

It took him some time to find the blue eyed healer. In truth, he'd actually passed by the Akasha girl initially without noticing her, but he could be pardoned that oversight. How was he to know Wakagi was under the bridge?

What was even more surprising was why she was under that bridge in the first place.

"I never pegged you as a flower person." Kuroga remarked as he took in the tens, maybe even hundreds of little white blossoms, nestled in the cool mud under the enormous bridge.

"And what's so odd about it?" Wakagi asked in return, nudging a bit more mud around the base of the chrysanthemum-like flower she was kneeling in front of. "I am a girl after all. Isn't there some kind of unwritten law that says we're allowed to like flowers?" Work done, the snowy headed girl went and rinsed her hands in the Ginsei.

"I didn't say anything about being 'allowed'," The illusionist amended. "I just didn't think you were the type of person to spend so much time on something so… well, frivolous I guess."

Wakagi laughed, shaking the final droplets of water from her hands. "And whoever said it was frivolous?" She asked, reaching into a small pouch at her hip as she walked towards Kuroga. Retrieving a single blossom from the pouch, identical to the others still rooted in the mud, she plucked one petal from the flower and handed it to the raven haired boy.

"Crush it between your fingers." She told him.

Doing as she asked him, Kuroga was surprised, and not a little fascinated as a cool numbness spread through his thumb and fingers, originating from the crushed petal.

"It's an anaesthetic;" Wakagi explained, "a fairly powerful one too. It usually grows up in Miwajin territory, seems to thrive in cold temperatures, which is why I have to keep these," She gestured to the rest of the flowers still in the ground, "under the bridge, and near the river."

"Doesn't the river ever wash them away?" Kuroga asked.

"More often than I'd like." Wakagi grimaced. "It's a very hardy plant though, the need for cold aside. There's always at least one flower left, and I've been doing this long enough that there are quite a few seeds lying under that mud if I ever need them."

"I don't have to grow these." The Akasha admitted. "We've got a stock of dried Frostbloom petals back at base, but they don't work nearly as well as fresh ones do. I hate working with low quality supplies." She grinned ruefully.

"You shouldn't have to make do with poor materials." Kuroga said. "It's nice of you to go out of your way to make sure you don't." He shook the remains of the petal from his fingertips. The numbness hadn't abated any.

"Thanks." Wakagi smiled bashfully. "But you didn't come here to talk about flowers, did you? Why were you looking for me?"

"Tora got injured on our last mission." Kuroga nodded his head towards the sunlight that crept under the bridge, a silent request that she follow him. "He's not in danger or anything; they've already patched him up. We'd just like it if you could have a quick look at him, just to make sure there isn't anything that will turn into a complication somewhere further down the line."

"That, I can do." Wakagi answered, following the air manipulator out from under the bridge. "I wish my cousin would hurry up and come back. The moment he leaves it's as if everyone and their dog suddenly needs me to check every little wound."

Kuroga laughed uneasily. "On the subject of dogs, Souji says that Soumaru-"

Wakagi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't. Even. Start. I have had it up to here with that boy and his stupid hat. How can that thing even need treatment is beyond me."