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5 times when Eishia took care of her fellow Cleaners + 1 time they took care of her.
1.
“Auggie? Are you in there? I know you said not to disturb you, but you skipped both lunch and dinner and we got worried–”
Eishia peeked through the crack of the door into her brother’s workshop.
“Auggie?”
She let herself in, like she always did. August didn’t let anyone in without his permission, except her.
August fell asleep on his desk, surrounded by tons and tons of sparkling and colorful fabrics. The Doll Festival was approaching very fast and August was determined to provide the best of his creations. He looked like he was peacefully napping, yet, his breathing seemed too shallow for Eishia’s liking. She decided to check his forehead-
Yep, a fever.
He worked himself sick. Probably he was also dehydrated a little and he might have skipped some meals. That’s not the first time it had happened, and won’t be the last time for sure.
Eishia activated her Jinki and used it on August for exactly two seconds, like she always had. Two seconds were enough to bring him back on his feet the next day and not to overwhelm him from the Jinki’s power.
Feeling a familiar flow of his sister’s electricity, August groaned in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes. Eishia stared at him with a worried expression. He nodded back at her. They didn’t need any words to communicate.
She helped him get up and helped him lay down on his couch, on which he definitely slept too much and too often. Eishia prepared him a fresh glass of water, she added some lemons for better hydration. Which he desperately needed. August accepted the drink, silently promising his sister that he’s going to get some food after another nap. Like he always did.
Eishia smiled at him in a comforting way and looked around his studio. Then, she saw it. Her costume for the upcoming Doll Festival. It was the only one that was ready, with all its details. August always prepared outfits for her first.
It was beautiful. Especially the hat part, it reminded her how she used to wear her hair before. WIth her Heal and his side-effects she couldn’t keep her hair long. But August always made the impossible things work with his outfits.
She touched the soft fabric with care. It was prepared with love and passion. The warm and grateful feeling blossomed in her chest. She made a mental note to check on August more frequently during the upcoming weeks before the Festival.
2.
“Shit! Gris help me-”
“Riyo, get the car!”
“Zanka, move! Now-”
“Is he-”
“Now! The trash beast!”
“Someone get Eishia!”
“I’m here.”
The piercing roar of a trash beast filled the air. Cleaners organized themselves rapidly, after only a few seconds of chaos and panic.
Riyo went to get the car. Zanka, Rudo and Follo took care of the remaining trash beast. Tomme kept her eyes out on everyone and kept taking notes, as usual. Eishia got ready to use her Jinki. And Gris was keeping pressure on Enjin’s wound, holding him alive. No more hesitant moves and wasted time.
It was a pure coincidence that Eishia was with them. They were supposed to drop her off at Alice’s before their field mission, but on their way they got a call that Alice was needed in the local hospital and she couldn’t meet with Eishia, so the young healer accompanied them on the mission.
If she wasn’t there, Enjin wouldn’t have a single chance to make it out alive.
The beast took them by surprise. Nobody had suspected that a monster the size of their car could be moving so fast. And so unexpectedly. WIth a sharp tail that could cut the skin so deeply.
The beast targeted Riyo. Enjin moved without thinking, he pushed her out of the way, got in position to counter its attack, but the monster was just faster. It sliced Enjin’s neck before any of them could even blink or register what had just happened.
The Cleaners didn’t usually take a medic with them on mission, simply because they didn’t have many healers, and the risk of them getting injured or killed was too big. Especially Eishia, she was too special to them.
She could heal almost anything, especially life threatening wounds - if the injured Cleaner got to her in time.
Enjin’s condition? Death within seconds. WIth Eishia by his side? Granted full recovery.
Gris was holding his friend’s head up, he didn’t know why he even did that, probably to grant Enjin a minimal sense of comfort. With his other hand he tried to put pressure on the bleeding wound. With the amount of high-pressure blood pouring out, “tried” was an adequate choice of words. He did his best to stay calm, he knew that he couldn't panic, he knew that Eishia was by their side, he knew that Enjin was going to be okay–
–but he could never be prepared for the view of his best friend in his arms while the other was dying.
Technically, he was prepared for this in theory. They all knew what they were facing while serving as Cleaners, they knew that there was always a chance of someone not coming back from mission.
But theoretical knowledge was nothing right there, when Enjin was in his arms.
Gris’s hand began to tremble, the sounds of battle began to muffle, all he could focus on were Enjin’s pale eyes locked with his own. They seemed to be speaking to Gris, ‘I’m okay, I’ll be fine, Eishia’s here.’
‘I know, but I’m still so fucking scared, ‘Jin.’
Riyo pulled up in the car, expression stoic as always, like she wasn’t the one that was supposed to land in Enjin’s place seconds ago. They worked fast with Eishia, connecting Type: Heal with a car’s generator and in no time Eishia was working her powers on Enjin.
The wound disappeared in seconds, like Enjin never got hurt. Even his neck tattoos looked not impacted at all. Gob’s creation.
Gris could only stare at blood on his own hands, wondering what they would do without Eishia. If they had left her at Alice’s place–
“Hey.”
Enjin placed his hand on Gris’s shoulder and squeezed it hard in a comforting manner.
“I’m here. Eishia’s got it. Come on, let’s help the rest.”
3.
“You should have come to me immediately.”
Zanka only huffed in annoyance, saying nothing. He kept staring at a blank wall, not daring to look at Eishia’s direction. He couldn’t face her.
“Yeah, Zan, she’s right. Honestly, I thought you knew better than this.” Semiu added in a tired voice. That stung.
The three of them were sitting in Eishia’s clinic. Eishia just finished treating Zanka’s sprained wrist with Type: Heal. With her treatment he was going to be alright the next day. He just needed to keep his hand in bandages for the upcoming evening and night.
Eishia was always there to help and treat him. Zanka knew that. He wasn’t stupid. He had hidden some of his injuries in the past and he had gotten scolded adequately for that. He learned from his own mistakes. He learned that it was okay to get hurt, to show any sign of weakness. He knew it was okay to ask for help. He knew better. He really did.
He also knew that he had just spent three weeks in infirmary, recovering after his fight with Jabber. And today he was cleared by both Eishia and Corvus to get back to his usual activities.
And it was his own fault that he sprained his wrist in the first fifteen minutes during his training with Lovely Assistaff.
How could he bother Eishia asking to get treated the same day he had left her care?
“Zanka?” Eishia’s voice spanned Zanka out of his thoughts spiral. “Please remember that you can come to me. Anytime. I, um. I am responsible for keeping you guys all okay. You included.”
“Yes, I know. Sorry, I just–”
“Anytime, Zanka.” Eishia was stubborn, she looked at him with a firm expression. Semiu stayed quiet, watching them both with a curious look.
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” Eishia snapped back, suddenly getting angry.
Zanka was taken by surprise by the sudden outburst of the healer girl. His chest felt heavy, he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Wait, Eish-”
“You know what, Zanka, listen to me.” She interrupted him with fury in her eyes.
Zanka politely nodded and let her talk.
“You- you are a great fighter. You made it out of every mission. Without any scratch, or with my healing, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you keep rising every single time. If you have to come here to have me heal you every single day, then come. Because you’re also my friend and I hate seeing my friends getting hurt. You’re an important member of the team, and even if you weren’t in Team Akuta, you’d still be an important member of the Cleaners. And if you weren’t in the Cleaners, you’d still be important as just Zanka. If you get hurt every single mission, it will be okay. If you get hurt every time you train, it will be okay. I just– I just want you to see in yourself what we all are seeing in you. I want you to truly believe how important you are. I want you to believe how much we all love you.”
Semiu watched them in silence. She remembered their first meeting, how small and shy they seemed around each other. A proud and warm feeling filled her chest, when she watched Zanka taking Eishia in his arms in a tight hug.
4.
Enjin was known to be a reckless driver, but his speed was what they needed at that moment. Eishia was holding on her seatbelt so tightly that her fingers got pale and her knuckles were ready to snap. She wasn’t scared of the high speed of Enjin’s driving, she was scared that they wouldn’t make it on time.
A car crash.
They got a call that their friends got involved in an accident and they needed Eishia’s help as soon as possible. Tomme didn’t share many details, she just demanded them to hurry. And to be ready to fight trash beasts.
“We’re getting really close, Enjin, slow down a little and turn left after that rock.” Gris looked around and scrunched his eyebrows at the sign of a black smoke. The car seemed to be burning in the distance.
Enjin followed Gris’s directions. He pulled up to the crash scene in no time. A trash beast’s roar echoed in the distance, yet the beast was nowhere in their sight. The black smoke covered the whole area.
“Zanka, Riyo, you guys look around for the threat. Call me immediately if you need help. And I mean it.” Enjin stopped the car and looked at his students with a serious expression through the rear mirror. They nodded back to him. Enjin was glad he had their support and trust and he was even more delighted that he was able to trust them to get a job done.
“Gris, Eishia, let’s go.”
The three of them quickly moved to the place of accident. Suddenly one beast jumped in their direction, but Zanka managed to destroy it with Lovely Asisstaff in one impressive hit. He nodded at them, encouraging them to hurry up. And so they did.
The first noticeable thing was the burning vehicle. The smell of burnt down tires hit them, even through their masks. The air was full of black smoke, it was hard to see anything.
“Here!” Gris screamed on their left.
Follo was the first person they saw. He was lying unconscious in a recovery position, probably Tomme’s work. One of his legs was broken, the bone was pointing out and he was bleeding from a head wound. He was wearing his mask and breathing, that was a good sign.
About three meters behind him they noticed Tomme and Rudo, also unconscious. She was leaning on the rock, hugging a bloodied boy in her arms. Rudo was in her mask. Tomme didn’t have one, which could only mean that Rudo’s mask got destroyed in the crash and she sacrificed her own one to let the boy breathe. Which meant that she had been at least breathing not filtered air for more than twenty minutes. That wasn’t good.
Eishia checked on Follo’s injuries first. The head injury worried her the most, she used Heal on it to prevent any signs of concussion. She didn’t find anything more life-threatening, so she left him and moved to the others. Follo’s leg and other bruises could be treated later.
Enjin had already placed his own mask on Tomme and Gris laid down Rudo on the ground. At first glance, Eishia didn’t spot any broken bones. Only cuts and bruises that could be treated. But air was a silent killer on the Ground. Eishia didn’t have much success dealing with the effects of toxic air, although he knew she had to help them. Here and now.
Connected to the car’s battery, she poured all her anima into Heal to treat Tomme and Rudo at the same time. To break down the tiny toxic particles flowing in their blood vessels.
She could do it.
She had to do it.
5.
The heatwaves were merciless on the Ground. Long into the night, the temperature was still barely bearable. The stench of rotten garbage haunted HQ corridors more than usual. Most of the Cleaners fell asleep early after an exhausting hot day, yet not everyone.
Eishia knew her route by heart in the dimly litted hallways. The third floor, second turn to the left, fourth door. Riyo’s room.
She let herself in without knocking. Riyo always kept her doors locked, but she had sensed she would have a visitor that night. And Eishia also knew that it was a night for the visit.
Eishia saw the symptoms during the day. Riyo smiled more, yet talked less. She kept herself closer to Zanka rather than to Enjin. She kept praising Zanka all day, rather than joking with Enjin. She skipped all the possible interactions with Rudo, leaving the overly energized teen in Follo’s care. The unfinished lunch. The extra nap in the car.
The signs were subtle, not noticeable at all, even for the most curious eyes. But Eishia knew what they meant. And what Riyo needed the most.
She made her way into a Giver’s room and closed the doors behind her. Riyo’s room was stacked with various items that Riyo collected during her years with Cleaners. She didn’t own anything from her first home. The only thing that she was left with were dark memories.
Those bothered her all day.
Eishia didn’t know anything about her friend’s past but that didn’t concern her. One day Riyo might talk to her and open up about her past. And if she didn’t want to, she wouldn’t have to. All Eishia cared about was to make Riyo feel better and less alone.
Riyo laid curled up on her bed. She was awake, staring blankly at the wall in front of her. Eishia joined her wordlessly, hugging the redhead from behind. The air was hot in the room, but that didn’t bother two girls, who were touch-straved.
Eishia learnt with time what Riyo needed during those days. The presence of another person. The break from her Akuta boys. She didn’t want to make them concerned. The gentle hug. No conversations.
Eishia was the Cleaners’s best healer and she knew that not all the wounds could be healed with the power of anima. Sometimes, other ways were necessary.
+1.
—
—
—
“Jinki overuse does not happen often, but it is a real thing. A real condition, a real illness, a real issue. The Giver suffering from overuse falls into a coma that usually lasts from a few hours to a few months. No medical treatment is able to wake the user. There is one case of a Giver, who is still asleep. The condition itself needs to be deeply studied for the safety of the Givers.”
-from Arkhra Corvus’s notes
—
As soon as Eishia finished checking out the inventory in the infirmary, she felt the urgent need to sit down. Her head started spinning and she got really nauseous. She sat down on the nearest bed, hoping for that feeling to pass soon. That didn’t happen, it got even worse. Hot sweat stuck to her body, words got stuck in her throat as she reached to call for help on her choker. Yet, nothing escaped her mouth, as the darkness swallowed her whole.
-
August was the first one that found her. He came to check up on her since she hadn’t joined them for lunch. He found Eishia passed out on the patient’s bed. He immediately ran to her, alerting Semiu through the choker.
Soon, Semiu with Enjin and Tomme walked in. August managed to properly lay his sister down, so she could be as comfortable as it was possible. Her hat and Heal were gently placed next to her.
Enjin called Alice and both of them agreed that the young medic suffered from overusing her vital instrument. That had happened a few times in the past. Enjin wasn’t proud of himself that his subordinate suffered from overworking, yet he was aware he couldn’t control everything. Life was ruthless.
Enjin discussed with August covering shifts to watch the young girl rest. Leaving her alone was too risky. The Cleaners actually didn’t know much about the Jinki overuse, they had only witnessed the bad side effects with Eishia, Zanka and Guita. Things could get nonpredictable any moment. In the meantime, Semiu and Tomme cleaned up the infirmary. Tomme finished up the inventory and Semiu discussed with Alice the possibility of Alice covering any medical emergencies in the couple of upcoming days.
Enjin stayed with Eishia first. Gris joined him soon. They both chatted comfortably, keeping an eye on the girl. Gris still sometimes thought about Enjin’s last injury. That image sometimes visited him in his nightmares. If Eishia wasn’t with them on that day–
Eishia was their heart and core. Without her, they wouldn’t be able to function like they did. They sometimes acted way too reckless, keeping in mind that Eishia would heal them. They became too reckless.
After a few hours August came back, this time dragging Zanka and Rudo with him. Both teens were concerned about seeing their friend hurt, yet August kept the cheerful mode. He guaranteed everybody that his sister will wake up soon with a new portion of energy.
Rudo brought some new trash he collected the last time and started showing it to the whole room. Most of these pieces were past medical equipment, Rudo was eagerly chatting how he could possibly use them with his 3R. Wanting to be helpful as well, Zanka prepared his favourite jasmine tea for everyone in the room.
The atmosphere had shifted. Everyone seemed more hopeful. After a while, Enjin and Gris left them, August took charge. Zanka decided to meditate, keeping everyone company. Somehow, he didn’t mind the sounds of August’s and Rudo’s discussion in the background.
Follo came in, bringing everyone dinner. They all ate together, glancing at Eishia, hoping the smell of food would wake her up. The time for the evening training came, Rudo and Follo went to the training yard. Zanka decided to stay longer and brought his set for polishing his Jinki. August kept sketching new designs and both of them enjoyed the rare silence.
By the time the night arrived, Riyo came to switch with August and Zanka. August gave his sister a little peck on the forehead and left the two girls alone. Instead of sitting on the chair next to Eishia’s bed, Riyo snuck under the covers and held the other in her arms. That seemed to get a reaction from Eishia, as she shifted in her sleep and mumbled in a raspy voice; “Mmm, what time is it?”
“Five more minutes, Eishy.” Riyo said as she snuggled closer.