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At hearing her scream, Shinta abruptly pulled his hand away. Scanning the rest of her body, he thought about how best to carry her. They couldn't just sit there in the rain, and their master was certainly no help.

"We have to go to the infirmary," he admitted after looking at his throbbing arm. It would be useless, he knew that without even trying. And he wasn't stupid enough to do so and risk making it worse. With a nod of resignation, he hopped over to her other side.

"Hold on tight," he encouraged as he grabbed her arm and swung it over his shoulder. "And I'm sorry in advance," he added as he used his one good arm to lift her up. Cradling her against him, he tried to keep away from her ribs, instead curving his arm down around her waist and under her butt. He wasn't as buff as a lot of the other men at school, but he did enough weights to hopefully get them part way. The only thing that worried him was the spike of pain that sent dots of light in his vision when he stood up. That arm of his was going to be trouble.

"No I'm ok," he laughed shakily as he stepped up into the main dojo. He blinked a couple times to clear his eyes of the water and hair in his face. "Besides, if I put you down. . . I don't think I'll be able to pick you up again," he admitted softly. He didn't like admitting that he was hurt, especially to someone who he regularly sparred with, but this was different. She was just as hurt and he. Giving her a sidelong look, he couldn't help the pained smile at her bravado. Yea, like she could meet him in the infirmary.

"It would be best to just get there together," he noted. "That way, no one gets left behind. I wouldn't want them to forget about you while they patch me up." Even as he walked to the door, sweat was beading on his skin. Balancing on one foot, he slid the door open with the other and began his trek down the corridor towards the infirmary. Lucky for them it was not that far, only the other end of the hall and down the furthest left turn. Not even a block in distance, but he was feeling the strain from carrying her and from his arm that pulsed intensely. He wasn't sure if he would make it without dropping her.

Panting slightly, Shinta blinked back the pain caused by her shifting. Her leg bumped into his arm, making racketing pain shoot up and blind him momentarily. As a result his steps became a little uneven and he started leaning towards the wall as he walked.

"You and me both. Though, knowing him, he'll answer with some ancient saying or other. My guess is something along the lines of warriors' testing themselves in real fights are worth more than those who only do drills," he mused with a pained smile.

A few steps later and he had to pause before he collapsed all together. He's have preferred to lift his arm and let it rest over Yuukies' leg instead of having it dangle, but he couldn't break past the wall of agony that prevented him from even lifting it.

"Damn, I need something to clear my head or we're both going down," he growled in desperation. He tried to shake his head to clear it, but to no avail. Shinta needed a distraction to help him block the pain away and get them to the infirmary.

"Ha," he laughed breathlessly. "I wouldn't call that winning." He hissed softly as she lifted his arm into her lap. Well, at least it hurts less in this position, he thought with a relieved sigh.

Resuming his slow paced walk, Shinta became acutely aware of the body pressed against him. He wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't said anything. Was she mocking him? As a rule, Shinta hadn't dated while he was attending this school. It wasn't over anything particular like not wanting to deal with the drama or awkwardness of seeing ex's in class. No, he just didn't want to get hurt again. Once was enough.

That didn't mean he didn't notice the girls around him. Especially the girl that had made it a personal decree to be his esteemed rival. Well maybe not decree, but he had noticed that the few girls that he saw always bowed down to her might. Definitely the alpha among them.

Taking another pause, Shinta leaned his good shoulder against the wall to rest it a little. He managed to get two breathes in before he felt soft lips press into his own. At first he tensed, looking at the girl who so brashly kissed him. His injured arm twitched in pain, but he didn't mind it. Too much info coming into the brain for him to process it. A fire had ignited in his gut, chasing away the chill from the rain.

Tilting his head slightly, he closed his eyes and relaxed marginally. Shinta wasn't new to kissing, but he knew enough not to go farther than intentions intended. Keeping his lips half closed, he kissed her gently back before pulling away and starting to walk again.

"Not a bad reward for victory," he sighed breathlessly. "At least not a bad start."

(No tongue on the first kiss. Maybe next time? We'll see. lmao)

"I'm not," he laughed weakly at her apology. Keeping his eyes on the sign only a few feet away, he knew he'd get them before his arm gave out.

"Me too," he murmured with a smile. Yes if he fully won, what would his reward be? The many thoughts helped push away the aches and pains and helped him huff and pant his way into the infirmary. He didn't have the energy to respond to her statement of not talking about their interaction. That was fine with him, they didn't need to speak about it. But he hoped that didn't mean it wouldn't happen again. Shinta didn't try to rationalize out what he felt for the girl. If anything, it was chemistry. Maybe that was why they were always pitted against one another. They just seemed to be, without really trying.

No sooner had he passed the threshold than two aids rushed to them and got them onto cots to address their wounds. A curtain was all that separated them as the two aids helped examine, clean and wrap each wound respectively.

"Easy there, desperado. The lady went a little hard on me today," Shinta whined playfully to the aid that now wrapped his arm from wrist up and around his elbow before settling it in a sling. He knew she would hear, which only made him smile mischievously.

"I said I was sorry," he pouted as he was left to lay on the cot. The aid returned with some medicine and water, which he took quickly after eying the pills warily then he leaned back against the wall. Looking over at the curtain, he could just make out the silhouette of her figure.

"Hehe I see you," he giggled in a low voice a few minutes later. The meds were strong, making him feel all nice and fuzzy. His eyes were half closed and his free hand was idly playing with the sling. See, Shinta had a sensitivity to pain killers. Where people just felt relaxed and pain free, Shinta felt drunk and goofy. This made him more prone to talking silly and acting, well drunk.

"Yuuuukii," he called out, making her name several syllables longer than necessary.

Shinta looked over at her with a clouded expression as if it took him a moment to realize why she had said that. Then he smiled and tried to reach out to her only to wince when he used his injured hand. It hadn't hurt exactly, but tingled and was hindered by the sling. He looked at it curiously before looking at her again.

"It was a good fight," he acknowledged finally. Sitting forward suddenly he decided it was too cold in the room for his liking. Maybe it had something to do with him being shirtless, he wasn't sure. Upon realizing that, he looked around panicked before he remembered they had to take it off to wrap his arm up. Now the aids had left to make their reports and let them rest. He wasn't allowed to leave until his meds wore off.

Hopping off the cot, he took a few unsure steps before deciding on what to do. With his free hand he pulled the curtain aside to see Yuukie staring out the window.

"Hey, Yuukie? Can I sit with you? They didn't give me any blankets and took my shirt. I'm really starting to get cold," he asked while cocking his head to the side and putting on a pouting face.