You Couldn't Stop Me

Yumie sobbed into the hospital gown covering the chest of the man she loved.

She couldn’t see him - only feel the steady rise and fall beneath her cheek, hear the faint rhythm of his breathing. Braith lay unconscious in the hospital bed, warm and solid beneath her hands.

It was just like the first time he’d been hospitalized, after he’d accidentally shot himself.

Except this time, she was crying.

She hated herself.
She hated that she hadn’t protected him.
She hated that the vow she’d made had left him like this.

There were positives, she supposed. She was now a citizen of Japan. Legally a person. Braith had been granted citizenship too - but until he woke up and signed the documents, it wasn’t official.

None of that mattered.

She remembered the moments after he’d gone limp beneath her.

Shouted orders. Boots on carpet. Someone touching her shoulder, asking if she was alright. She’d snarled at them, not knowing - or caring - who it was. She’d refused to move from Braith’s chest, clinging to him even as someone covered her with a blanket or coat. She hadn’t noticed which.

Braith’s arms were slack, but still wrapped around her, holding her like a stuffed animal.

When his body shifted beneath her, her tail had wagged briefly in hope - before she realized he was being lifted with her on top, transferred to a stretcher. She hated the dark. Hated the sudden activity with no explanation. Hated the noise.

The darkness pressed in.

She heard Kertu’s voice somewhere nearby, but it didn’t reach her. The ambulance sirens made her head throb. Hands tried to pull her away from him. She fought them blindly.

Eventually, she found the words.

“I can’t move.”

They discovered why soon after.

The healing magic, combined with the prolonged contact between their injured bodies, had fused them together. Not metaphorically. Literally.

It was unprecedented - something entirely new to both medicine and magic.

X-rays and scans revealed that their blood vessels had merged. Their blood circulated between them, both hearts pumping the same shared flow. Thankfully, no organs had fused, and after careful preparation she was placed under anesthesia.

When she woke, she was alone.

She screamed.

Only when she was shown to Braith’s bed did she calm, immediately climbing in beside him and curling against his side. She fell asleep clinging to him, refusing to be separated again.

Braith had nearly forty bullets removed from his body. Healing magic had closed the wounds as they occurred, but it hadn’t replaced the blood he’d lost. With medical support, his body worked slowly to recover.

He didn’t wake.

So she cried.

The silence was unbearable. The darkness even worse.

Her bare hands stayed wrapped around him. The gloves were no longer necessary. During her basic training - finally completed once she understood he wouldn’t wake immediately - she’d learned how simple it really was.

Now, when Braith thought a magic command, she had the final say.

A fraction of a second. A decision.

She never wanted to test it.

She also refused to let anyone heal him.

She knew she could wake him instantly if she allowed it. But he was hers. And she was his. No one else needed to touch him. Healing wasn’t necessary.

He would wake up on his own.

So she waited.

Sobbing softly into his chest. Listening to his heartbeat. Waiting for his hand to rise and pat her head. Waiting for his voice to pull her out of the dark.

Waiting for him to come back to her.

It happened at eight in the morning, two days after the attack.

Yumie had been asleep with her head resting on his chest when she felt it - his breathing changed. Subtly. Wrong enough that she woke instantly.

As she lifted her head, a hand settled gently on top of it.

Her tail, sticking out from beneath the sheets, began to thwap wildly against the side of the mattress. She was suddenly afraid to speak.

“B… Braith?”

The hand gave a familiar scratch - one she knew by heart - and then his voice followed. Weak, but warm. Alive.

“Hello, Yumie.”

Her smile broke open. Her ears shot upright, her tail wagging so hard her hips swayed with it as she lunged toward the sound of him. His reactions were slow, but he still managed to slip his arms under hers and pull her close.

She laughed. Sobbed. Laughed again.

“Braith! Braith! Braith!”

Another broken laugh.

“I love you!”

He chuckled softly, holding her.

“You haven’t changed at all.”

Then he blinked.

“…and you’re completely naked.”

She nodded, perfectly content, squeezing him tighter.

“Don’t worry, I put on a gown when someone comes in!”

He blinked again - then laughed, relief spilling out of him as he hugged her back.

For a moment, he could only breathe. Could only thank whatever force had kept them alive. Kept her safe. Kept them together.

He didn’t know what had happened while he was gone. He didn’t care.

As expected, Yumie leaned in first. He met her halfway, guiding her gently as their lips touched. The kiss wasn’t deep or urgent - but it carried more meaning than words ever could.

When they finally parted, both smiling like they’d won the world, another voice drifted in from nearby.

“Uh… I’ll give you two some space. The walls are soundproof, in case you’re wondering. Press the button when you’re done.”

Braith glanced up just in time to catch a glimpse of Kertu’s white curls as she slipped out and quietly closed the door.

For a second, mortification flickered through him - but Yumie’s expression pulled him back. She smiled shyly, cheeks warm, and whispered:

“Um… is now a good time?”

He was weak. He’d only just woken up.

But the answer came easily.

A thought formed - and with it, the familiar green wisps bloomed as his body finished healing completely with her magic. Yumie gasped softly, tail wagging faster as she felt the change.

He drew her in, kissed her once more, then murmured against her lips.

“Of course.”

This time the kiss was deeper. Unhurried. Certain.

For the first time since Yumie had been born, they had nothing left to fear.