#ketsubine

It may have been far too long since Sabine spent anysignificant amount of time around Ketsu, but some things she didn’t forget. Shehad forgiven Ketsu, but there was still a certain amount of tension betweenthem, leaving them both unsure of their standing. They weren’t quite friendsanymore, not exactly. Friends implied a certain level of easy interaction theywere missing now, but there was still far more of a connection and past thanjust allies and former partners.

The way Ketsu held herself at the briefing, the tensionand tightness around her eyes, the way her lips thinned when she wasn’ttalking, they were all signs Sabine would have had to be blind to miss. Whenthe briefing ended she made a quick excuse to Hera that she’d meet back up withthem later, and followed Ketsu.

For half a moment she worried she might have lost her,and then she rounded a corner and there she was, waiting.

“I had a feeling you might be following me, Senaar’ika.What is it?” Ketsu’s usually relaxed stance was just the slightest bit tight,favoring one side. If she thought the old nickname would throw Sabine off, shewas wrong.

“You’re hurt. Have you been to medical?” Sabine didn’twant to mince words.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” Ketsu waved a handdismissively.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Sabine put her hands onher hips.

“It’s not worth going to medical about,” Ketsu frowned. “What’sit to you, anyway?”

“Whatever it is, will you at least show me? You werealways the worst about underestimating your own injuries.” Sabine dropped hervoice “And I don’t like seeing you hurt, not now, not ever.”

Ketsu visibly hesitated and then nodded “Fine, if I easesyour mind I’ll show you.”

Sabine let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding“Your room then?”

Ketsu didn’t waste much time once the both of them werein her room, stiffly starting to take off her armor to get to the bodysuitunder it. “I was getting some information when someone didn’t exactlyappreciate me snooping around. He got me with a table, I got him with a blasterbolt between the primary eyes.“

“Always making friends and influencing people.” Sabinequipped, watching as the fabric was pulled away and then sucking in a breath,hissing it out in quiet sympathy. Ketsu’s umber skin made the bruising lessstark, but no less ugly as it mottled across her side.

“Some of us don’t have Jedi and purple walking mountainsas backup.” Ketsu brushed fingertips along the edge of the bruising. “Looksnasty, hurts worse, but there’s no serious damage. Does that ease your mind, Senaar’ika?”

“It’s a start.” Sabine did find it easier to stopworrying with visible evidence of why Ketsu was moving so stiffly. She held herhand out, gloved fingertips hovering less than an inch from some of thenastiest bruising. “Did you check for cracked ribs?”

“There might be one, but if there is it’s just cracked,not broken. I’d rather take the week or so of it hurting than deal with thenausea I get from boneheal.” Ketsu shrugged, mostly with the shoulder farthestfrom her bruised side.

“I understand. Are you taking any painkillers for it atleast?” Sabine asked.

“A few, the good ones make me sleepy and stupid though. I’drather be hurting and sharp for meetings like that.” Ketsu started to tug thebodysuit back on and a bit of color caught Sabine’s eye.

“Is that a newtattoo?” Sabine asked, grateful for a topic that wasn’t asking pryingquestions.

“Probably. The one on my shoulder?” Ketsu turned, to showoff the firebird rising from purple and orange flames.

“You chose my design?” Sabine couldn’t stop herself fromreaching out then to trace the bright swatches of color inked into dark skin.

“It seemed fitting. A new start and all.” Ketsu finishedtugging the bodysuit up, but not quickly enough to hide the goosebumps thatrose up at the light touch.

“To new starts then.” And Sabine was close enough shecould lean in and kiss Ketsu if she wanted to. The question was did she wantto? Because it wouldn’t just be a kiss, it would be opening up to all the oldemotions of their past and refusing to define anything because they might nothave tomorrow.

Before she could fully make up her mind, Ketsu leaned inand kissed her instead.

It was light and gentle and lingering and Ketsu slowlypulled away after several long moments with a crooked smile. “I’ve wanted to dothat for a while now, but it doesn’t need to mean anything more than that.”

“What if I want it to?” Sabine challenged and thensighed, shaking her head slightly. “Now’s probably a terrible time to try andwork anything out. I don’t know. I don’t know if I want it to mean anything.”

“Then we’ll find a better time.” Ketsu made it sound likea promise, and Sabine smiled.

“Right now how about… you tell me the full story behindgetting the information and cracked ribs, and we can go from there?” Sabinetried not to sound too hopeful.

“It started when I got a tip from one of my informants.You’d like them, I think. Never met a color they disliked and if part of theirclothing looks boring it’s probably just dyed something obnoxious in a spectrumhumans can’t see.” Ketsu started, sitting gingerly on her bunk.