hadriel_logs | my heart is a furnace

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my heart is a furnace

Who: Fox and Caedra (edit: plus whoever's here for the fallout!)
What: For all Caedra's done to make the residents of Hadriel suffer, Fox takes revenge.
Where: The north island
When: Post-monster event, nighttime
Warnings: Violence, body horror, mentions of character death, allusions to childhood abuse.

It's a dangerous plan. Fox knows it is, but he knows he's all out of other options. So with the ring given to him by Rage hanging around his neck, and his katana in hand, the masked teenager has to face the confrontation that's been eating away at him for months. He hasn't even sent a calling card-- he's not stealing a heart this time, and while this may be about justice, he's acting alone, not on the behest of the Phantom Thieves.

It takes time to track down Caedra: her movements are unpredictable, and it's made all the more difficult by the city being split into islands, and by his preference to move under the cover of darkness. After a few nights of unsuccessful searching, he manages to track her down to one of the rocky beaches where they're surrounded by sea -- where there's nowhere for her to run except to the water, or through him.

He steels himself, and emerges from the shadows, eyes bright with anger behind his kitsune mask.

"Caedra! Your cruelty ends here."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fortunately, Law blazes right past the clothing without noticing and zeroes straight in on the wound itself. He knows this damage, he's seen it in creatures great and small that he and Caedra have worked to kill. It's a good thing, in terms of Yusuke's state of health, because Law has already been both theorizing and practicing how to repair such damage should anyone get on her bad side in his vicinity. He is probably the only physician in town that can even do it, but it requires quick action and some hardcore surgery. He'll worry about the why and how later.

He goes swiftly to work without a word, just a stern and anxious expression on his sour face. First, a Room, so he doesn't have to waste time walking across the clinic to get supplies - he can just Shambles or Takt them to hand, grabbing antiseptic, purified water, gauze, his scalpel, needles, trays, gloves, all of it. "This isn't going to be pretty," he warns as he starts by cleaning blood and other matter away. "The flesh is necrotizing, I have to actually cut it out before it spreads and then work to repair the gap left. Lucky for you, it won't hurt. Lay down if you can."

The wonder and splendor of the Ope-Ope Fruit is swift, precise incision and excising, painless and bloodless. He literally cuts Yusuke apart at the seams so that the dead and dying flesh is removed and the process halts at those incisions. That doesn't mean it's not horrible to watch, it's quite nasty to know that's a piece of yourself, but it doesn't hurt. Patching that up is going to be the real hard work, and require every resource at hand as well as working all the way down to the molecular level to stimulate platelets, redirect adrenaline, and redirect the nerves still in that area to stop firing so that the pain around the area doesn't interfere. It's all very technical and drastic and intense, and even with his level of talent Law sweats a bit under his fuzzy hat.

Yusuke winces as he starts cleaning the wound, and the insistence that the experience will be painless when he's talking about cutting out enough flesh to leave a gap... is hardly reassuring. It sounds like anything a doctor should be trained to say to stop a patient freaking out, even if it actually is painful.

But he has to give him the benefit of the doubt. "All right." He lays down gingerly, easing himself onto the cot, and braces himself, becoming very still in preparation for inevitable agony. It doesn't come, however, so he just alternates between watching in faint interest alternating to horrified revulsion as Law operates. Is he bleeding? Could he die? What if Law's powers suddenly stop working? His hands ball into fists, and he has to will himself not to tremble while Law operates.

"...Is it bad?" An obvious question with an obvious answer, but he can't help but seek some kind of reassurance nonetheless.

"It's not good..." Law is laser-focused on what he's doing, hands working swiftly, aura of power shimmering silently around them, but as he answers, a thrilled smirk starts to take over his face. It's terrible and touch-and-go and all those other things, but for him, it's also awesome. To be so in control of life, to wield his brain and his power together as the greatest medical tools ever...and so on.

"...but in my hands you'll not only live, you'll recover," he finishes, flicking a finger to set his scalpel on the table beside him. "I can't guarantee there won't be a scar, but there won't be a net loss of muscle if I have anything to say about it."

Yusuke nods weakly and squeezes his eyes shut, as if it might drown out the strange sensation of being operated on while fully aware, and where the surgeon seems to be enjoying himself. He almost wishes he had Akira with him. But this is his fault, his dangerous decision, and -- how is he going to explain this to anyone, really?

He tries to steady the panicky rise and fall of his thin chest, putting the hand on his uninjured left side over his eyes. Willing this to end as soon as possible, so he doesn't have to think about where there was a gaping, rotting wound and then a hole in his side any longer.

What can he say? Rescuing a patient from the real danger of spreading necrotic tissue is an adventure for a surgeon. And he gets to perform surgery, and not just wrap up cuts! Don't ask what he needs to do in order to replace the unfortunate flesh, though. It's best that no one knows.

He's fingers-deep in Yusuke's side for a while, manipulating reality to respond to his commands, taking his time and being extremely thorough. A few stitches, just to keep things closed while they heal on their own. It's probably a good hour before he's actually done and can step back and lower the Room. "That should do for now," he announces, popping off his gloves. "You'll need to rest, though. Don't move around too much, it'll take about two days for things to knit enough that you won't open the wound again. Stay hydrated, and if you don't have someone to make you nutritious food, I'll call Black Leg-ya.

"Now." Crisis over, it's time for the knowing stare. "Do you want to tell me how you got on the wrong end of a certain necrotizing weapon?"

Yusuke remains still for much of it, and on reflection, this is probably one of the more surreal aspects of an extremely surreal turn his life has taken recently. He's willing himself to zone out or fall asleep or something that means he doesn't have to think about this situation, but by the time he's slowly nodding off, Law is popping off his gloves.

Yusuke lowers his arm from his eyes. He has no idea who or what 'Black Leg-ya' is, but he's also too drained to ask.

"Thank you," he says it quietly, craning his head down to look at the stitches in his side. Amazing, how much better it looked already, after the mess of before. The question makes him freeze, however. "I don't know. It was too dark to see."

"...is that so?" For a moment, Law wonders, while he washes up again and then moves to cover the stitched area in soft, clean bandages. It is pretty dark out there. But Caedra also isn't much for ambushes and anonymous stabbing. She'd brag about it.

Shrugging it off after a moment, he keeps working until everything is covered to protect it and contain any seepage. "You're lucky I know this damage, and how to repair it. Anyone else and you'd be dead despite their best triage efforts. Though," he muses, "some people prefer death to a scar. Hope hasn't fucked up any resurrections lately that I know of."

"There are really people who would risk death over a mere scar?" Yusuke laughs weakly, a bitter sound, but it pulls at the wound and hurts too much, so he quickly stops.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard here."

He may be an artist, but he isn't shallow. The scar can serve as a reminder, whether it becomes ugly or not.

"Oh, yeah," Law says easily, with a touch of distaste. It's dumb no matter which way you look at it. "When Hope can bring you back whole and healthy without any sign of the stupid thing you did? Death has appeal. Though, I might add that I don't know the minds of every patient I've ever treated. I could be making assumptions."

He's not, though. He knows at least one person who genuinely thought about going that route.

"Recovery takes time." He goes to wash again, but around here there's not much chance of genuine sterility so he has to be that cautious. "It's slow, painful, and frustrating. Obviously, in our right worlds it isn't an option, but here, it can be." He nods toward Yusuke. "Even if I am an excellent surgeon and can cut your recovery from months to weeks. It's going to take time before you can move, and then more time for the flesh to fill in. Additionally, I would recommend visiting me once a week, after that time, to allow me to ease the scar tissue and reconstruct. Otherwise, the tissue will tighten and constrict."

Yusuke wishes he could sit up to watch Law as he moves away, but the last thing he should be doing right now is moving, so he simply tries to crane his head instead.

"I understand. And I'm very grateful for all your help," he says, in a weak voice. His throat feels parched and he can feel exhaustion setting in, but it's best to talk about this right away, even if it takes effort to concentrate now. He pauses and swallows, dropping his gaze. "Though I'm not certain why you would want to help me..."

Law seems to know exactly who he got into a scuffle with, even if he doesn't know the outcome. Will he refuse to treat him if he sees the state of Caedra, he wonders?

It does seem for the best that for now, Law only assumes that there was a scuffle and they both walked away. When he sees the truth, he'll still do his job, but with a lot less conversation. He might also not be so gentle. "I'm a doctor," he says simply over his shoulder, filling a glass with water and bringing it over. Can't keep the patient hydrated without it. "It's what I do."

That, and he's well known for treating first and then telling someone to go die if they're so dumb after they're healed.

Yusuke sits up just enough to accepted the glass of water, taking a drink before laying back down with a wince.

"I'll find a way to repay you," he says, quietly closing his eyes. He won't forget the kindness of someone who saved his life, even if they come to hate him later on. Until then -- he'll rest.

"That's not necessary." Given how many people have bravely offered the same, and as of yet he hasn't seen anything resembling payment. Here, Law performs his greatest works of surgery as well as simple pill-making because he can, because he doesn't always trust the rest of the clinic staff to be as good as he is. His ego won't let him take a vacation, basically.

Besides. He knows where that wound came from. Yusuke's debt will be much greater in a few days, impossible to repay. He tips his head in a brief nod. "Better if you don't try to move tonight. If you want to go upstairs to the nicer beds, I'll teleport you."

"Can you do that?" Yusuke seems surprised. Law really is far more powerful than he anticipated, although now isn't the best time to question him about his powers, so he bites back his curiosity for now. "If you can, I'd be grateful."

"Easily." With that "stand back and watch" sort of taunting tone in his voice. The Room he calls up this time is large enough to swell above the ceiling, encompassing the upper level Kate supplied with beds for long-term patients. Shambles only works by swapping one object for another, so Law actually swaps Yusuke for the pillow on one of the beds, which means he'll have to come upstairs himself to give it back. Mere moments after the aura fades, he's coming up the stairs with the pillow in hand. It's not like he needs to be proud of such a simple accomplishment, but there it is.

"If you need anything more, text me. I'll be downstairs most of the night." Not guarding, necessarily, but if Caedra does come in to finish the job at least he'll be there to intercept. He's got work to do, papers to read, it's fine.

Even with the warning, Law's ability to rewrite reality seemingly effortlessly is still a surprise, and when Yusuke looks around he's suddenly on the second floor. Probably it would be just as disorienting even if he were at full health, but his current condition doesn't help matters.

"Impressive," he says, as Law rejoins him on the second floor. To the instructions, he nods weakly. "Thank you once again..."

"Yeah."

Content that Yusuke is settled, he heads back downstairs. Part of him itches to go find out Caedra's point of view on whatever conflict they've had, but he's alone on call, so it's better to just send a text (that never gets answered) and wait it out. He'll find out more later, and when he does, his opinion on matters will change. But not his treatment of his patient. Everybody gets top-notch medical care first, the rest gets handled when they're healthy.

Once Yusuke is back on his feet enough to get around -- while still being careful not to overexert himself -- he's eager to leave the clinic and generally disappear from the city's attention as much as possible. He hasn't forgotten Law's instructions to return to him for treatment, however, and the last thing he wants is for such a huge wound to heal improperly.

So, slowly and with a great deal of effort, he returns to the north island after a few days, asking for Law once he arrives. He's trying to mask his anxiety as he waits, particularly now he's sure Law has had more time to take stock of things and piece together the truth.

By that time Law has indeed done more than put two and two together. He's had time to burn some bridges and prepare some contingency plans. The one thing he hasn't done, though, is tell anyone that he knows who committed the anonymous freezing.

His intrinsic wish to provide quality medical care only briefly wavers when he sees Yusuke's face again, post-fallout, but his irritation doesn't last for long. His face remains somewhat sour but he otherwise moves to get his equipment, wash his hands, and prepare to rehabilitate the flesh beneath the scar. "You showed up after all," he grumbles while he scrubs.

Yusuke is quiet throughout, only bowing his head briefly when Law arrives. To his surprise he isn't immediately turned away, so he moves to sit with a wince, removing his shirt so Law can see the exposed wound more easily.

"Yes. You saved my life, so it seemed wise to heed your advice."

"Damn right you should," Law mutters. If there's one thing that annoys him as a doctor, it's people not taking his advice. So, good. But there's still that lingering heavy demeanor about him even though his work is as skilled as ever and he isn't denying Yusuke a single element of proper, miraculous treatment for a wound that ought to have killed.

He really could do almost anything to the guy while inside his Room, but he keeps it to surgery. This time, though, he never even attempts to look Yusuke in the eye, and there's a perpetual scowl turning down his lips. His hands are smooth and swift but his face is pure suppressed anger. There's no attempt to make small talk, he just does what he has to do to ease the scar and allow healthy tissue to fill in beneath it. It's not until he's mostly finished, just cleaning things up, that Law finally breaks the silence. "Just tell me why."

If silence on its own could be deafening, this would be the textbook definition of it. Yusuke is tense as Law begins, which is probably unhelpful but inevitable. He relaxes only slightly when it becomes obvious Law has no intention of rearranging his insides or anything equally torturous. So when the silence is broken, his frown deepens.

"Why?" he echoes. "Why what, precisely?"

He doesn't mind offering answers to someone he feels he owes a debt to. He does, however, want to fish for an understanding of just how much Law knows, first.

Oh, it's going to be like that, is it? Today, Law is simply not interested in games. "You know what," he murmurs coldly. "Do you really want her to come and kill you back? Because that's what's going to happen."

He cleans up his station and puts everything away before coming back with a fresh set of bandages. "I won't even be sorry," he adds, "I just want to know if any rational thought went through your head at any point."

Yusuke's eyes narrow, watching him as he goes to fetch the bandages. "Are you ever sorry when she kills anyone?" he retorts. "I was tired of seeing a dear friend be hurt again and again. I was tired of hearing similar stories from other friends and acquaintances. And I was tired of hearing the indifference, the inaction of the adults around me... Everyone who behaved as though nothing could be done to protect anyone!"

He pauses, shaking with visibly contained anger.

"It may not have been an ideal solution. The entire city may villify me for it. But if it makes the islands safer, even for a while, then I will accept responsibility for my actions."

Law is not so blind to not notice the way Yusuke's feelings make him physically react, but there isn't a single part of him that even remotely feels bad about it. So, it was an accumulated anger, then? Interesting. He lets him finish, get it all out, before saying anything in reply.

"Am I sorry? Why should I be? I'm not the one committing the murder." For a man who says he doesn't like to kill if he can help it, there sure are a lot of people who die around him. "I neither control her nor involve myself in what she does. She is her own person."

He sighs and then actually starts wrapping the bandages, his helpfulness still clearly at odds with his attitude. "Altruistic idiots like you are the bane of my existence. There comes a point when by doing what you think is the right thing, you end up dooming everyone around you."

my heart is a furnace

cw: body horror just in case

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