he's just a little guy

One day, Byakuran simply vanished overnight. It was highly unusual, even for him. It didn't take long for others' concerns to become paranoia. Something felt... wrong. This wasn't like him at all.

Even with the cast's connections and resources, it was difficult to track down where he went - or, more appropriately, where he was taken - and when they found him, he acted almost exactly like how Yuni was back when she had been drugged. Still coherent, still capable of movement, still recognizes everyone, but... a monotonous voice, no emotion, and he no longer smiles. In a way, it's almost like the same drug took his soul too.

For the time being, he stays in the hospital. The recovery process is best left in professional hands... although it's definitely taking a long time, isn't it?

--

(drabble during the process)

Byakuran has been laying on the clinic bed for… a while. He has no idea how long it has been. He never does.

The cold fluids making their way through his body leave him numb for a while too, but all he has to do is rest and wait it out. He really struggled the first few times he was given this, but he’s used to it by now. Flinching is no longer an issue.

This numbness is not the only effect either - memories get hazy, he has trouble thinking, and what little emotion he has regained since the previous dose melts away. Being able to answer verbal questions is the only way he knows he has come out of it.

This is also the drug he used to give Yuni. She had it in pill form, but he has it through IV fluids at a stronger dose. It’s not a surprise seeing as she didn’t fight them. Byakuran doesn’t want them at all - he never has, but he stopped caring enough to fight it.

It doesn’t matter.

When he first arrived here, he had still been fighting the situation. He tried his absolute best to get away, even while knowing he was doomed. The memories of what happened then are so foggy he doesn’t try to reach for them anymore. All he knows is that he was never a match for all seven of them at once.

It doesn’t matter.

They tell him he’ll be found - and saved - eventually. He doesn’t care anymore, but they tell him anyway as little progress updates. Things are slow despite so many parts of the underworld searching for him, for the seven, or… for anyone.

It doesn’t matter.

These people want something with Byakuran the same way he wanted something from Yuni, but he has no idea what. He doesn’t bother trying to figure it out anymore.

It doesn’t matter.

-

[ uni in the courtyard/garden finds a very injured baby bird that fell out of a nest in a tall tree. to survive, so even if the mother bird picks it up, it'll still die. uni's really sad about it. she's very attached to these birds, high up in a giglio-nero mansion garden tree.

byakuran shows up. he probably came out to the garden to see her assuming she'd be enjoying the flowers, but no, she's here looking upset with something in her hands. he asks her what she's holding? she shows him, then he reaches out to take it from her without even asking. she looks alarmed for a moment, then relaxes when he doesn't do anything to it. ]

"A baby bird…" He looks at the little thing closely with one hand, inspecting from a few different angles. "It isn't moving much… what a shame. It's so young too."

She looks away and up to the bird nest. "… Even if the mother comes for it, it won't have a chance to survive…"

"Don't say that." Byakuran laughs, even when she turns to scold him. He's already lifting a wing with one finger. "It just has some broken bones."

"Just broken bones?" Uni uses that tone where she's about to scold him. "A baby bird can't—"

"Easy fix." He interrupts her before she can get much further. He rolls it onto its back on his palm, delicately presses a finger to its tiny body, swirls that around the fuzz…

Her eyes widen when she realizes what he's doing. "You're healing it?"

"Of course I am." He rolls the chick back upright as it begins to wriggle in his hand. "You look so sad, Uni-chan." Once it starts chirping loudly, he holds it out to Uni again.

She smiles widely as she sees it moving around, then even wider when it's given to her. - "Thank you so much, Byakuran." - but she gasps as it tries to squirm right out of her open palms.

That won't work. He catches it to cradle between his palms and ignores the now-frantic chirping. "Let's put it back before that." He flares his own wings behind his back, spreads them wide and hops into the air.

Once he reaches the top of the nest, he briefly glances back down. This nest is so high up… no wonder the little thing broke bones on the fall. It's surprising that it survived the impact.

The rest of the chicklets chirp as well as he holds his hand into the nest and the fallen one wiggles away with its siblings. His impromptu job is done, so he floats back down next to Uni again.

Her smile is as dazzling as always… and the small tears in her eyes now are shimmering. "It's safe now… I'm so glad."

"You must see them a lot if you were this worried." Byakuran assumes that's part of why she was so upset. Then again, she's a very empathetic person… maybe she feels like this with all animals.

"Well, of course I was." Uni giggles at his comment. "They have a nest here in the courtyard. It's normal to get attached to something I see every day."

"Ahaha, I figured." He slides his hands back in his pockets. Maybe he should wash his hands after handling wildlife… but he'll do that later. A comfortable silence falls as they watch the mother bird return to the nest. Byakuran glances over to see Uni wiping the tears from her eyes as she watches them.

"You saved the little bird's life." She turns to face him with her brightest smile. "Thank you… this means a lot to me."

He never remembers how powerful her expressions can be until he experiences one. There is so much gratitude in her eyes just for doing something so easy that he'll forget about it by tomorrow. "You're welcome." ♪ … but he has to play it cool. "Still, you would have saved it yourself if you could."

She knows better. "You didn't have to save it for me, but you still did."

-