World Tree MUSH

    It's been a day since the debacle at the barbarian camp involving honor duels and demon attacks. Those were not good times, but the party did earn some time to go handle the demons elsewhere before the tribe simply decides to attack the nearby town out of hand. That's well and good but.
    Shirou nearly died in the encounter. And Anna went into a frenzied state where it took BOTH Muradin and Valerian to hold her down until she passed out.
    She's been by Shirou's side ever since she woke up, fretting nonstop- and has passed out, again, at his side in the healer's tent since; dozing off while sitting up in a stool at the side of the cot where the youth recovers.

    All things considered, Shirou probably damn well should have died, after eating a hit like that. The attendance that he did get for himself after the fact, though, did point out pretty quickly to one thing: the boy's wound was healing on it's own. Wether anyone other than Yumi managed to get an actual look at the close specifics of the wound before it closed too much to allow for the inner workings to be seen is a completely different question. But if they did? Someone might have noted to the strange little magically-forming and disintegrating bits of metal effectively knitting him together, to Anna. Or maybe Yumi did? Who knows.
    Either way, all that lead to him being very much alive in the tent, albeit passed out and with his ruined jacket and shirt stripped away so he could be cleaned up and wrapped in bandages, just in case. He might have been healing fast enough that the effect was noticable, but not fast enough that anyone wanted to take any chances.
    He's laid there on the bed Anna is sitting and dozing by, with a light blanket draped over him. Sleeping with such peaceful stillness that one might well have mistaken him for being dead if it wasn't for the telltale, steady rise and fall of his chest in tune with his breathing.
    "...Nnnh."
    The boy stirs eventually. Shifting and turning along the bed for a moment or so, before lifting up to sitting with a stretch of his arms, the motion bringing the covers of the bed sliding down to pool on his lap.
    As if though he was just waking up from a slightly uncomfortable sleep instead of resting off an ijury from a hit that nearly bisected him.
    "Ugh, what..." He mumbles groggily, with his hand rubbing over his forehead, shifting down to rubbing fingers along his eyes. And when his hand lowers from there and his eyes open?
    He sees the runaway princess sat there.
    "...........Anna?"

    Conversely, to Shirou's seemingly peaceful sleep, Anna's is fitful and turbulent. Head nodding repeatedly as her body struggles to remain upright.
    "Mmf... Nh..." She's not exactly getting much rest even if she is dozing. Whatever dreams the raging royal might be having, none of them are probably very good as...
    As Shirou begins to stir.
    Slowly, the girl's lashes begin to flutter, and green eyes eventually flit open, half-lidded and groggy, confused and staring at the youth now sitting up. If anyone told her about how Shirou's strange healing worked, she has since forgotten it between exhaustion and bewilderment as she stares at the youth for a beat.
    "Shi...rou..." She says, voice a hoarse whisper from blowing out her throat with all her furious screaming.
    ... Shirou...!" Croaked, disbelieving as she sits bolt upright first, before launching herself forward, arms wrapping around the boy's neck and shoulders in a tight squeeze as though he might keel over and die for real if she let go.
    "... You idiot... I thought you... Were going to..." She trails off, shoulders trembling as she grips a little too tightly.

    She stares at him. And Shirou stares right back at her. Uncertain of what he should even say. "Uh...?"
    And shen she practically leaps right at him, driving a sharp sound of surprise as he's jostled from the girl's weight effectively colliding into him. "A-anna?!" He lets out first, before the tightness of her grip properly hits in -- and that, in turn, comes with a low groan of pain. "Were going to what...? Where-- nnnh, hey Anna...?" His hand taps against the girl's side a couple times lightly, as if though he was trying to signal forfeiting in some kind of bizarre wrestling match. "You're kinda hurting me..."
    He doesn't even give a second thought as to why he feels kind of sore and why his body feels much more sensitive to pressure like that.

    It takes a second for 'you're kinda hurting me' to sink in with the tapping, and Anna hastily lets go. But when she does, her face is immediately buried in her hands, eyes scrunched shut as she draws in a shuddery breath.
    "What were you thinking?" Asked, hoarse and high pitched. "If you had gotten killed because of me, I..." She trails off again.
    That was a sob.
    It would seem the princess isn't all rage. Except when she is.

    A low, audible breath of relief comes from Shirou when she lets go and leans back... but his face is immediately taken over by concern when he sees the girl like that.
    "H-hey...?"
    Russet brows furrow together, and his head cocks to the side in visible confusion. "What do you mean? I--"
    Wait.
    It didn't really sink in properly first, but the memory hits him just then. The chaos in the camp during the duel. The massive sword smashing right through his own and...
    Oh.
    "Hhhh--"
    Nausea quickly sits in. One hand goes to his stomach, and the other goes to cover up his mouth, as if in need to hold himself back from hurling up whatever is inside his recently-healed stomach. Nothing comes up, thankfully.
    "R-right, I..." His words muffle against his hand before he lets it drop down, turning his focus back to Anna as he does.
    "Anna... It's okay. I couldn't just stand there and let that thing just go for your back, you know...?" He offers to her, reaching to try and gently set a hand onto her shoulder. "Besides, they got me all healed up here. I'm okay."

    "No, it's not okay." Anna muffles. For all her rage she's still a young girl, and seeing Shirou nearly get bisected at the waist is probably going to leave a lasting and horrific memory, as memory returns to the youth and he realizes just what had happened.
    A shivery breath and Anna finally pulls her face from her hands, eyes red and puffy, hands quaking.
    She's exhausted. She didn't get any proper rest, waiting at Shirou's side, and losing herself in that frenzied state took a severe toll on her.
    "Shirou..." She says, tone soft and disbelieving.
    "... No one did anything. They bandaged you but. You healed on your own."

    "I... Just wanted to keep you from getting hurt, you know?" Shirou insists -- even if seeing her all puffy-eyed after a good sob into her own palms does make him wince a bit. Still, he tries to give her a reassuring smile, while giving a gentle little squeeze to her shoulder, still keeping his hand there for a while.
    "It turned out okay. Um... Have you slept, though? You look really worn down..."
    Yes. Even after everything, the concerns he has are strictly for someone else. And they're going strong, too.
    But what she tells him now, about how he healed? The smile fades away, and he kind of just... stares at Anna for a beat.
    "Mmmm... Nnnnoooo?" His head cants further to the side now, lips pursing in growing confusion. "That doesn't sound right. I don't even know any healing magic, you know?"

    And Anna... Anna stares right back. Dumbfounded, shocked. With the heavy bags under her eyes from exhaustion, the plaintive look of sheer confusion that she gives the boy is almost pitiful looking.
    "I'm... I'm fine." She lies, she hasn't had good sleep since then, if any real sleep at all, coupled with her exertion and strain, it's a wonder she's even upright.
    "But... But Shirou." She says, voice barely audible. "That's really what happened."
    That hangs in the air for a moment as she stares. "The blade cut deep... It would have- should have been lethal, but your body... You body started putting itself back together..."

    "Are you sure?" Shirou presses on, and his eyes narrow while he rather openly studies Anna's current appearance. None of what he sees washes any of his own concern away at all, no matter how untimely it might be. "You look like you've barely had any sleep at all, and what little there was must have been *awful*. Either that or you were trampled by a stampede of horses."
    And he just... doesn't sound convinced at all even when Anna further explains the events. He should have died? His body put itself back together? None of that sounds right at all. So he just...
    "No, sorry, that just doesn't sound possible," he insists still with a shake of his head. "I'm telling you, I'm not capable of anything like that... but nevermind that right now!" In a sudden burst of hurry, he turns to stand up from the bed, either unrealizing or uncaring of the fact that save for the bandages, he's basically topless at the moment. "We should get you someplace you can rest properly! Or at the very least get you some tea to help you keep going. ... You think the people here would let us have some?"
    Nothing about this seems like unusual behaviour to Shirou at all.

    She's not sure. She looks ready to keel over at any minute, but Anna manages to pull herself together. She can last a little longer, as she slaps both her cheeks in unison a little hard. It wakes her up enough to frown.
    Wow does she frown hard.
    "No." She says firmly to the idea of getting up for tea. "You stay RIGHT where you are." She adds in even harsher. "You're not going anywhere until we're sure you're fully... Recovered..." She says, tone drifting off. He still doesn't believe her. Or perhaps he's just in denial.
    "But that is what happened, Shirou!" She snaps, voice rising upwards by an octave before she winces from putting more strain on her throat.
    "I've only heard of magic that heals but have never seen it myself; clerics that could stabilize the dying and cure any wound with a touch are one thing, but your body recovered on it's own without any of that, you- you- you gormless halfwit!" It's frustrating. Her eyes are starting to turn a little bloodshot. "You may not think yourself capable, but that really is how it happened."

    "Eh?"
    Shirou had just about enough time to get his feet off the edge of the bed before that harsh order came. And the red-haired teen blinks rapidly at Anna with that -- listening a bit wide-eyed to her sudden, insistent outburst."H-halfwit? Hey, now, hold on..." He protests somewhat ineffectively at all this.
    He does let his intent for getting off the bed fade away some, at least, and he even turns to look away from her for a moment. "... I mean... I don't know. I guess anything could have happened..." Well, isn't that noncommittal of him. When he turns to look back to Anna, his eyes settle right on hers-- and that just makes him look even more concerned.
    "...Look, okay, I won't go anywhere, but seriously... We need to do something for you, at least." Frowning, he considers all this-- and then comes up with an option.
    "Look, I'll stay here so I can be checked up on, but at least... Change places with me? I'll take that stool and wait, and you can... take the bed. Okay?"

    Halfwit, that's right, she went there. And the girl huffs irritably, ignoring the youth's protests. Hands set on Shirou's shoulders, and despite her sheer exhaustion, she keeps him pushed to where he's sitting. He's not going to be getting up any time soon unless she relents.
    "Stop... Stop stop stop, just stop...!" She croaks. "Stop thinking about others for once and think about yourself just a little. It's one thing to want to be a hero, it's another thing entirely to nearly get yourself killed trying." She points out harshly before her tone softens.
    Anything could have happened. Well something happened alright.
    "Please just... You can do something for me by staying where you are until we're sure you're fully recovered..." No. No she will not be taking the bed while he sits his busted self on the stool. She'll live without sleep a little while longer, it's not like she intends to stay up all night for another night or something insane like that anyway.

    "But, Anna..." Shirou protests still, eyes locked firmly on hers while they reflect his own confusion right back at her. Even in the face of her repeated insistence to stop doing... pretty much exactly what he is doing.
    "That thing was going to kill you. For all I know it might have if I just... stood there and watched, you know? I mean..." His hand leaves her shoulder, and settles to rest on one of her forearms instead, while she's still holding onto him like that.
    "I didn't do what I did to die. I just tried to save you and it just happened to work out like that."
    Is... is he serious?
    It might be hard to believe anyone would say such a thing in all due seriousness, but just one look at the youth's face? At that confused expression that practically tries to say 'I don't know what I did wrong'? Yeah. He's absolutely serious when he says that.

    "And in doing so you almost died!" Anna says, voice raising painfully in pitch again. But then, with a slow breath, she does the best she can to calm herself. That confused look on Shirou's face is... It's painful.
    And for a beat, Anna sags where she stands with a weary sigh. ... Nothing she says will change a thing will it? Shirou would have flung himself in front of that demon time and time again without a second thought regardless of anything she could possibly say right now and that makes the princess slump. "Just..."
    "Just try not to worry me so, next time." She finally relents, giving up with a shuddery sigh.
    "Um..."
    Then she decides now might be a time to raise a new point. "Please try to not do anything so foolish again... At least until we can re-arm you."

    Shirou did almost die. He purses his lips at this, and... ultimately, he just ends up shaking his head *again*. "I mean, I thought I might die, but... I figured risking that would be better than just letting you get killed." His hand gives the gentlest of squeezes at her arm...
    And then she stats to sag.
    "H-hey, Anna?!"
    His hand lets go of her arm, and both his arms go to set around her, to try and give her some support. So she doesn't just straight up fall to the floor! "S-seriously, at laest... Look, I'll scooch over here, I think we can both fit if nothing else, okay? It's gonna be no good if you push yourself, too."
    Notably, he doesnt say *anything* about wether or not he will be worrying her in the future.
    But she does, indeed, bring a good point. He completely freezes with the realization her words bring, too!
    "Ah!"
    And just like that, he's suddenly just... going pale, and looking a bit more paniced. "The sword! Oh-- I broke it, I'm so sorry!"

    Siiiiigh.
    Shirou's priorities... Are... Vexing. Vexing and frustrating. But for now, Anna will have to live with him and his ways, as she rubs her face with one hand.
    "Shirou. Please stop. We do not have to share the cot." She says, motioning for another one in the healer's tent, just a few feet away. She has her own. She just was too restless to use it while waiting for the youth to recover.
    The sword though...
    "It's fine... It's fine. I... I've made enough with the last few jobs that we can get you another, just..." She shakes her head and... Wobbles. 
    Oh dear.
    Oh dear she topples; right onto Shirou and... Starts snoring gently.
    She's done.

    "Oh. I mean..." Yeah, that does make much more sense than what he said. At least Shirou has the sense to blush with some embarrassment over the understanding of how entirely unnecessary what he suggested actually is.
    "I just thought, since you were... nevermind."
    How much do you want to bet he was going to say something really stupid again?
    He probably could have had plenty of things to say about her intent to buy a replacement sword for him, too. But unfortunately for him (and probably fortunately for her), he doesnt get a chance to voice his concerns.
    What with her passing out riiiight there and then. And falling onto the boy.
    "Wah!"
    Her weight coming down does result in him being brought back to lying down, too, and... he's just left splayed there over the cot, having been repurposed into a pillow for her. He... does not dare try to move, out of fear he might wake her up and receive one (1) cranky berserker princess.
    ".....Welp. Guess this is my life now..."