Dr. Kakei Help!

Author: Fuji
Rating: G
Genre: Romance. One-shot.
Status: Complete.
Pairing: Jyuubee + Kazuki.
Summary: Bug bites plague our resident string-user.

It itched, how it itched, it was possibly the most horrible feeling on the face of the earth in Kazuki’s opinion. He would rather go through immense training with his string, cutting his fingers many times, instead of going through the itchiness from bug bites. It wasn’t that he was poor, well okay that was a lie, he was poor, but not poor enough that he couldn’t afford an apartment. Just poor enough that he had bugs crawling all over the floors, and sometimes, when he slept, he could swear those things got him in his bed as well.

It rather reminded him of camping outside, when he was ten years old, with Kakei Jubei, and how those damn bugs took a few nips of him then. Which caused him to lapse from scratching the itch from where they had bitten him. It was just his damn luck that bugs liked to bite him, perhaps it was how he smelled, or rather the quality of what he ate that made the damn things come to him.

“Ugh! I can’t stand this anymore.” Kazuki whimpered, as he got up and made his way out of the door, scratching at the offending irritations on his skin. His bells chimed, and while he walked outside the wind blew gently, dimming his mood more. It was different back then. When he was a child, he had Jubei to help him out especially when attacked with bug bites. He would normally appear at his house one day and notice all the scratch marks and growing bug bites. While pulling out his needles, he pressed them into certain points making the itching go away. After doing that procedure, he burned away the bites with purple smoke just like magic and they were gone. How he missed Jubei in all the sense of the word. They had reconciled after the battle, like going to the hot springs together, and their bond grew stronger, and yet there was a chasm between them.

It was rather pathetic, being so close and yet so far away; how he longed for the old days. However, it was unlikely that Jubei would be able to help him now, he was blind in a sense of the word, and however he was still accurate to an extent in battle. Amazing that he could find his way from one place to another in Infinite Castle, and yet get lost in the outside world easily.

Nevertheless, it had been several years since Jubei had resorted to practicing medicine, not to mention Kazuki didn’t want to remind Jubei of his lost eyesight if he was unable to help him. Traveling he made it to a bridge in the park overlooking a small creek, it was beautiful, and calmed him, except the ever present tingling itchiness that made him slightly annoyed.

A crunch was heard behind him, and he quickly released a string toward the intruder. A flash of needles appeared stopping the string midway, and Kazuki’s hands convulsed a bit in recognition then released his string from the other. “Jubei?”

“This sort of reminds me of how we met.” Jubei’s voice came out gruffly and amused, his eyes were closed like usual behind his sunglasses, and he was dressed in his usual attire.

Kazuki smiled, while scratching his arm. “Ah Gomen!” Beaming, he said, “I didn’t know it was you, I thought you were a rapist for a second.”

Jubei tilted his head, while frowning in concern. “Kazuki? What are you doing out so late?” His feet stepped forward and the crunch of gravel flittered through the air, until he was only one step away from the other.

“Er, I couldn’t sleep.” Kazuki leaned his head back and the bells tinkled a bit, as he turned his back away from the other. Inwardly he cursed that his plans went wrong, then glanced puzzled back at the taller man. “What are you doing out Jubei?”

Jubei fidgeted, while trying to suppress the faint blush that was coming out. “Aa…I got lost,” he admitted finally, in his major embarrassment at getting lost. “Sort of been lost for a while now.” Rubbing his head slightly, he noticed the scratching noises from the petite boy before him.

“Oh!” Kazuki laughed. “Well I would offer to help you home or even let you stay in my place, but you see it isn’t really that well cleaned.”

In a flash Jubei snatched Kazuki’s arm and felt along it, his eyebrows raised upward in surprise. “You have bug bites.” Fingering the bite, while making Kazuki want to scratch more, he asked, “Is this what you mean by well cleaned?”

“ER, well the bugs won’t leave me alone,” Kazuki admitted, knowing that Jubei already figured it out, obviously after all why else would he be scratching so loud.

Jubei led Kazuki over to a stone bench and sat him down. “Sit!”

“But…it’s alright, I can handle it…” Kazuki protested.

“I promised to protect you,” Jubei announced firmly, his fingers pulling out a couple of needles. Feeling along the smooth skin, he managed to pin point the area, and tapped the needle in. A gasp was his response. “Besides, I know that in the past you couldn’t stand bug bites, it is only logical that you would hate them right now more them ever.” His fingers pressed another needle into another spot. “Just bear with me in this.”

Kazuki bit his lip from the stinging then paused. “Ah, it stopped the itching.”

“Of course it did.” Jubei smirked, he then leaned forward pressing his lips to the pale flesh. “See no more itching.” Feeling the pulse quicken beneath his fingers, tugging out a package he pressed it into the spot of bites and started to burn the bites away.

Kazuki watched in amazement, he never could get used to this sort of thing, after all the only person he ever saw use medicine that burned purple was Jubei. “Ah, it disappeared.”

“I need you to guide my fingers to where your other bites are,” Jubei commented calmly, so for one hour they continued the process until all of the bites were gone. Finally, a relieved Kazuki leaned against Jubei happily; after all, even though Jubei was blind, he still was able to do things like this.

“Ah arigato.” Kazuki breathed, his hair covering his now pale arm clean from all the bug bites.

“Next time...” Jubei tugged the other into his arms. “Don’t hesitate to tell me that you have problems.” It was almost like time hadn’t passed for either one of them, Jubei holding him, and the world seemed to slow down just for the two of them.

Kazuki smiled in satisfaction. “You’re so old fashioned.” Laughing softly, he said, “Doctor Kakei you really are an old fashioned one.”

“What is so funny about that?” Jubei mused. “That’s the reason why you love me, for my life is yours.”

Kazuki shook his head slightly. “I love you for who you are, that is all. To me you’ll always be Jubei-chan the boy I met, who had the tenacity to try to sneak a peak, and interrupt my practice.”

Playfully Jubei retorted, “Well, to me you were the most beautiful little girl I saw.”

“GIRL! I am a male!” Kazuki glared at Jubei. “That isn’t funny.” He pouted while the other tossed his head back laughing his rear off.

“Well to me you were a girl, at first glance; it was surprising that you were a boy, though I do agree you do make a pretty woman right now,” Jubei whispered in faint amusement. “In the hot springs, I heard Ginji and Ban talking about your rear and how nice it looked, they even mistake you for a female too.”

Inwardly Jubei knew that Kazuki was probably narrowing his eyes at him, getting puffed up. He knew the other inside and out, every move he made, every gesture, however he never could figure out Kazuki’s mind. It was the one thing that he admired and felt was incredibly sexy, in a way he wasn’t lying one bit to Kazuki, when he proclaimed his love, and his life toward the other. It was natural that he would love this boy; in a way, he called it destiny, the first moment he stared into those chocolate eyes, to the smiles that were given to him. He felt a link to Kazuki, and yet he knew of the chasm between them, as they grew up, however he would remedy this chasm until it was no more.

After all, Kazuki didn’t know about his intent towards those proclamations, that he wanted him mind, body, and soul, to be his soul mate, his lover, perhaps even wife. After all Kazuki surely behaved like a mother hen, ever since he became blind; it was something inbred into the younger boy.

Kazuki shook his bells in front of Jubei’s face. “Now see here I am a guy! Meaning male! Even if I did look like a female and still do now doesn’t mean I am lacking in my masculinity.”

Jubei felt his lips twitch. “Hai, whatever you say little girl.”

“MOU! Jubei!” The yell echoed through the night.