Nusac

Chapter 21

Faith’s POV

Mmm, peanut butter-y goodness. I dip three fingers into the jar and scoop up as much as I can and try to fit it all in my mouth at once. It makes it stick to the roof of my mouth. Yum. I could be here a while.

”Well you seem better. Not an hour ago you couldn’t move, with pain.” Meh he’s just cranky ‘cause I stole his peanut butter.

I dip just one of my fingers in this time to scoop out some more. ”That was before you had peanut butter. ”

Nam gets this strange look on her face as she watches me eat. “Is it like medicine or something?”

“Nope. It’s just yummy.” Honestly I’m switching between these languages like a fucking yo-yo. One of them has to learn the other language ‘cause it’s starting to get confusing. ”Got anything else in that bag of goodies?”

”Urm” He bends over in his chair rummaging around in his backpack which is between his knees. How did I not notice that before? ”Pens, papers, text books. Ohh Kit Kat.”

”Chunky?” I ask very serious. Don’t look at me like that. It is the most important question in the world right now. I’m a woman and I haven’t touched chocolate for nearly eight months now.

He looks up at me. He almost looks scared that he doesn’t have the right kind. ”Yeah. With peanut butter.” Damn this guy likes his peanut butter.

”You’re a legend.” He smiles and hands one over. I rip the packaging off and twist and turn the bar over. Is it strange that I just want to look at it? I break it into three pieces and share it out. What? Just because I’m craving this like a bitch doesn’t mean I can’t be nice. Nam looks at it suspiciously while the other guy… was his name Pike? Pushes the entire thing into his mouth.

I saved myself the end bit. Just because I was being nice doesn’t mean that I had to be stupid about it. Slowly I start to nibble the chocolate off the sides. Nam is actually looking at me like I’ve grown another head. This is a Kit Kat Chunky with peanut butter. It must be savoured.

Unfortunately the bar is gone way before I was ready to finish. I could ask for more but I don’t think my stomach could take it any more.

I lie back on the table again. My knee beginning to twinge as the anaesthetic begins to ware off. The pain makes me suck in a shaky breath through my gritted teeth. “I did tell you that magic’s could be helpful.” Yeah, yeah you were right I was wrong Nam. “There’s nothing I can do with that Faith. It’s likely I’ll pass out from sharing your pain.”

“I get that.” Okay, bite the bullet slayer and just ask. Come on you can do it. “Am I ever going to walk again?” Right now I’m quite happy to lie here and never put any weight on my knee ever again. But I can’t, I’m needed and what’s more when that urge to slay comes around you can’t just ignore it. That’s a sure fire way to go insane fast… and in my case, again.

She tilts her head to the side as if thinking about her answer but the look on her face tells me all I need to know. “Well you are a slayer and you heal very fast so it’s possible…”

“Cut the crap Nam.”

She rubs her forehead before answering. “You shattered the knee cap. I’ve set it as best I can but short of opening your leg up and physically pinning the bone back together it will not just heal on it’s own, at least not properly. You may be able to walk again in months maybe years but running, jumping and climbing is going to be next to impossible.”

Great. Why don’t I just throw myself off something high? I’ll tell you why because I have no way of getting to the said ‘something high’ to throw myself off it. “And there’s nothing we can do?”

“No. There’s nothing I can do.” She didn’t say that like she was defeated. She said it like there’s some other way. “I can’t touch you without the amulet on. Not with the sort of pain you’re in. It’ll be less than helpful. But having said that it’s more likely than not, that you have healing abilities. Given the correct circumstances you can turn those abilities around on yourself.”

“Great. After we find out I can’t even charge up you want me to heal a shattered knee?” I’m screwed.

She’s getting frustrated with me I can see it. She gets this twitch in her eye whenever I don’t get what she’s trying to say. I don’t pick things up as fast as she does. “Magic needs an unflawed line to be able to flow.” Well that’s helpful I’m going to have to say that a shattered bone classes as flawed. “If it doesn’t have one it will create one. If you can charge, the magic itself will encourage your bones and your skin to heal in the correct position. Your skin may scar and your bone may be weak but it will be in the right place. If your knee is weak it will be a lot easier to work with than if it heals incorrectly.”

“But I can’t charge you saw me.”

“You simply haven’t found your trigger yet. That’s the one thing I can’t help you with.” Again I’m screwed.

“Running, Jumping, climbing?” Just get myself some motivation first.

She smiles. She understands me even if she is a complete mystery to me. “I like your chances a lot more if we try this.”

There is no way I’m going to get out of this charging magically thing am I? “Okay you win. I’ll do this charging thing. How the hell are you going to get me up to top of the waterfall?”

“That could prove problematic” Can’t she just say that it was going to be difficult? She looks across the table at me and Pike who by this point has peanut butter smeared all around his mouth. No wonder he carries a spoon. “Can you ask him to help me carry you to the cart?”

“He eats like he’s about three and you trust him to carry me to the cart?” We’re trying to make me better. Why does she have to look at me like that? “Fine.” So whipped. This is why I avoided relationships before. ”You’re going to have to help move me.”

He tries to talk with a mouth full of peanut butter and has to stop before he chokes himself. ”Move you? I thought you weren’t supposed to move people with broken bones.”

How do I explain this? Hold on he knows Buffy. There’s a sure fire way to explain anything to anyone who knows Buffy. ”Magic.”

”What kind?” That was supposed to make you shut up and get on with it. My knee is really starting to hurt again. I must have my ‘death glare’ on because he forgets all about his question and takes hold of the stretcher, which I’m still lying on and with the help of Namine lifts me. I’m carried through the doorway and across the field towards the cart. Gotta tell ya a girl could get used to this kind of treatment.

I’m placed on the floor while they get the horses set up to pull the cart then I’m put in the back. Starting to feel just the tiniest bit helpless by this point. “I think you should tell your friend to stay behind.” Namine tells me.

Okay does she just live to confuse me? “Why?”

“To give you a better chance of being able to draw the energy into yourself you need to have full contact with the ground.” I’m trying to understand but can’t she just say things how they are? “You have to be naked.” Yeah like that.

“You want me to sit at the top of a waterfall naked and you’re worried about Pike seeing me. I’d be more worried about everyone else on the planet.” Am I the only person in this dimension with priorities?

She lifts her eyebrow at me. “We’re not going on top of it we’re going under it.” I almost ask her to say that into my good ear. You know the one that wasn’t burned to a cinder. Instead I do what she asks and tell Pike to stay.

As Nam navigates around the trees, having to take a detour because of the width of the cart. Every bump in the ground, every tree root we drive over every rabbit hole. Some how she seems to hit all of them. The movement shoots all along my leg. I’m on the verge of asking if she can just chop it off and I can make a new one or something. Have you ever injured your knee before? If you haven’t it fucking hurts. I thought my shoulder was bad. It doesn’t even compare to this.

“You okay back there?” Why does she always ask that question whenever I’m in so much pain I can’t speak? I’m sure she does it on purpose.

I grit my teeth trying to push the pain out of my mind. “Peachy.”

“Nearly there.” No it’s okay, just take your time I’m just going to gnaw my limb off. Not a problem is it? She rounds another corner and the right wheel goes down a particularly big hole. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. If we go back now that means I have to go over those potholes again so I might as well give this a try.

She comes to a stop and the cart rolls forward and then back before coming to a complete stop. It’s strange how you don’t notice these sorts of things unless something draws your attention to it.

She comes around to the back and now I have to wonder how she’s going to move me. There is no way I am walking on this leg. She places two sturdy angled sticks on either side of my injured knee and begins to attach them together with string. She angles the joint the way she needs it and I have to bite back a cry of pain.

“Sorry.” No she’s not. She carries on with what she’s doing till she’s happy. It stops my knee from twitching but because it’s so tight it makes it throb as blood tries to pass it to reach my foot. I’m not quite sure which one is worse. “You’re going to have to walk the rest of the way.”

“You’re kidding right?” I say around a forced laugh. She’s not kidding. “You want me to what? Hop the rest of the way.”

She has the decency to look sheepish. “I’ll support you.” Oh and now everything is right with the world. She must see the look on my face because she continues, “I can’t carry you Faith. I don’t have the same upper body strength that you do.”

I close my eye and try to push back the pain in my leg. This is going to involve a lot of jerking around. “Fine.” Using my arms I swing my legs off the side of the cart and sit up. Even now I have to grit my teeth and take several deep breaths.

I open my one good eye and try to judge just how far away the ground is. I would kill for depth perception right now. In case you’re wondering my eyelids are still fused shut. I can feel my eyeball moving around in there I just can’t open the fucking thing.

I slip my burnt hand over Namine’s shoulders and drop the few feet to the floor. My hand reaches out and grabs the side of the cart so I can clutch something against the pain without breaking any of my companion’s bones. “Do I really have to walk?” I feel her nod because she’s on my right so I can’t really see her.

For the next half an hour we stumble up the small incline to the cave under the waterfall. A couple of times I had to stop and lay down. You know just take a breather. Which I then servility regretted. I found out very quickly that getting up hurt so much more than actually moving.

She lets me drop to the floor and lets me rest from my over exertion, next to the large pool of water in the cave.

She kneels next to me cutting up the leather pants and removing them from my body she then begins to unlace the thick leather jacket I wear. She helps me to sit up and slips it off my shoulders and while I’m sitting up she pulls off my t-shirt. Great now I’m injured and naked.

She carefully takes my legs swinging them round and helps me in the water. There’s this interesting little ledge that I can sit on and my feet down even reach the bottom but I’m submerged to just below my shoulders.

She takes her shoes off and steps into the water beside me. Carefully undoing the splint from around my knee. The moment it is released I sigh with relief. It’s not restricting the blood flow any more and it’s hardly throbbing. As an added bonus the water is supporting it so it’s not twitching.

I could just sleep for a week. I feel my eyelid getting heavy and I feel warm hands holding my face. “Are you going to be okay if I leave you for a while. I need to get some things from the cart.”

I nod. “I’ll be fine.” Seriously I’m just happy that I can keep still for a while. She leans forward and kisses me before stepping out of the water and replacing her shoes. I listen to he retreating footsteps and let my eye close. It’s seconds before I’m asleep.

Lips touching flesh and flesh touching lips. All of the sensations created by such a simple act.

That small act if done correctly can elect a gasp, a squeal, a moan. All three sounds invade my subconscious. Overwhelming me with feeling as strong desire and passion.

A palm skating across smooth, soft skin. Dipping into and out of natural crevasses made by the body. Running over a small incline made by a sharp knife.

A soft face with forgiving features framed by dark blond hair. Deep piercing blue eyes, which could possibly look into your very soul. With a simple touch can know what you’re feeling. Feel what you’re feeling.

I’m shocked out of my vague dream by something landing behind me.

Me eyes snap open. Somehow I feel like I’ve been caught with my hands in the cookie jar. I twist my head to look behind me. Its only Nam, its okay. “Hey” She says looking slightly confused. She crouches down beside me and cups my face. “What were you dreaming about?”

Namine sex, sex with Namine. Is what runs, though my head. What actually comes out of my mouth is: “I don’t remember.”

”Faith your eye.” What? I bring my hand up to my face and run my finger over what I expect to be deeply burned flesh. I only notice when I see my fingers that my eyelids are open. The skin is still cracked but nearly healed. Looking at my hand it’s still red and looks a little sore but no sign of the charred flesh that was there before. “What were you dreaming about?”

So in order for me to heal I have to make myself horny? That could prove…frustrating. Take that however you like. Now how do I tell her that I was dreaming about having sex with her? Granted it was vague but it was sex. Trust me I know sex when I dream it. “Nothing.”

She shakes her head at me, stands and begins to strip off. Keep that up woman and I’ll be walking any second now. Great so just to clarify I’m now injured, naked and just for the icing on the cake, horny.

She lowers herself into the water and swims over to me taking my leg in her hands. Then begins running them over my knee. “Well you’re going to have to think of ‘nothing’ some more. It’s helped but it’s not really enough.”

Great. I can only get myself so far with just my mind. You know what I’m saying? Her fingers run over a particularly sore part and I push out though clenched teeth. “You okay? I was dreaming about you.”

“Me?” She looks even more confused than when I had said nothing. “What was I doing?”

“How long have I known you? You seriously have to ask me that?”

A look of understanding crosses her face. “Oh.” Yeah, now you get it. “I see.”

I feel fingers travelling up the inside of my thigh. My breathing picks up.” What are you doing?”

Her finger travel agonizingly slowly up my leg. She looks me straight in the eye. “Helping.” That’s as good an answer as any.

As those tantalizing fingers travel something washes over me and it sure as hell isn’t the water. It’s the same feeling as when I touched that building but much stronger and doesn’t feel so strange and wrong. It’s very difficult for me to explain… it’s like when you shiver for no reason. It feels almost good and right for some unknown reason yet cold… not a bad kind of cold though. The kind of good cold that you feel when you put on a fresh pair of jeans. See how this is hard for me?

Fingertips gently run along my nether lips and the… magical feeling. Lets just call it that it’s magical and it’s making me feel stuff. Okay so the magical feeling runs down my body as the heat Namine creates travels up it.

Her fingers travel past the lips and touch my clit circling it slowly. The magic running through me seems to gather behind my knee. It’s not painful or uncomfortable but it’s not pleasurable either. It’s just there and I’m very aware of it. It’s a really strange contrast and is taking my mind off the pleasurable feelings.

She slips between my folds and slides into my entrance and I reach out to grasp her shoulders as I gasp.