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"Senkuu!" Kohaku yells, running over to him.
"Hm?" He looks up, and- his heart drops when he sees the expression on Kohaku's face.
"There was a cave-in where Chrome and Taiju were mining," she starts-
(He can't lose anyone again- he can't- he-)
"They're both alive!" She cuts off his spiraling thoughts. "But-"
(No, no, no-)
"Taiju got hurt- his leg got crushed after he shoved Chrome out of the way." She explains. "Tsukasa was able to dig him out, but- Some of the bone is poking out- but we can handle it, right?"
Senkuu forces himself to breathe evenly, despite the iron grip of panic slowly constricting around his chest. "It's- we'll likely need to perform surgery to make sure the bone realigns so it can heal properly."
He forces down the terror at the thought that Taiju- if he loses him-
"Get everyone to start cleaning out the medical hut. Everything needs to be as clean as we can possibly get it."
Breathe.
"We'll both need to wash up as well- I'll need someone strong to help me realign it- we don't have any anesthesia, somebody will-" His voice chokes off for a second, but he shoves the surge of panic back down. "Somebody will need to hold Taiju still as well. Is Kinro available? Ah, and-" (He hates to do this to her, but-) "Yuzuriha should prepare as well, to help stitch everything closed at the end and help me with precision tasks."
Kohaku nods. "I'll get them and round some people up to clean the place. Focus on gathering any tools you'll need."
Senkuu nods, half in a daze as he struggles to hold back the flood of terror.
(He can't lose Taiju too- he can't- he just wants his dad back, he just wants-)
Right. He needs to prepare to operate. He doesn't have time for fear.
Everything's ready for Taiju by the time that he gets there. Senkuu's locked all his emotions behind an ironclad shield, ready for the operation.
Tsukasa gently sets Taiju down on the operating table.
Taiju- despite the pain he must be in- smiles at Senkuu. "You've got this!"
Senkuu takes a deep breath. "Kinro, you're on stability duty. Make sure that leg stays still, no matter what."
Kinro nods dutifully.
"Yuzuriha-"
"Ready."
Senkuu takes a deep breath. "First we need to clean out the injury and check for anything that may have gotten lodged in there. Kohaku, you're on tool duty, but also keep an eye out for anything we might miss. Yuzuriha, you're in charge for this stage."
(He doesn't want to do this to her- but nobody else has the same level of precision and attention to detail she does. This is what gives Taiju the best odds of survival, and so this is what they have to do.)
He focuses on the injury, on the broken bone sticking out of the skin, on the bits of rock and debris lodged in the wound, studiously avoiding the fact that this is Taiju here, on Taiju's grunts of pain he can hear despite his best efforts to stay quiet.
Yuzuriha, next to him, dutifully cleaning out small bits of rock he hadn't even noticed, is doing much the same.
The seconds ever-ticking in the back of his head is the only account of time passing he has as it drags on, even as he's mostly ignoring it the counting never stops, even though his conscious attention is miles away from it.
Once the wound is clean, the next step is-
"Kohaku, take hold of the leg here- you need to pull on it so the bone can realign."
He guides her hands- Yuzuriha making minute corrections to her angle. "Kinro, are you-"
"I'm ready."
Kohaku pulls-
(Taiju's scream will live in his nightmares forever.)
Yuzuriha, face forced still, examines closely, making minute adjustments, ensuring everything lines up exactly. "It's in place."
(Taiju- indomitable, unstoppable Taiju, actually passes out from the pain at this point.)
Kohaku passes her the needles, prepared with suture thread.
Senkuu's hands won't stop shaking, his breath coming in desperate pants, but Yuzuriha's hands are steady, pulling together flesh with the same skill as fabric.
He keeps breathing, keeps counting.
The leg is gently wrapped in bandages, the plaster prepared for the cast going on over it.
Senkuu's hands feel distant, not his own, sounds around him filtering in as though miles away.
He's faintly aware he's dissociating, but-
Finish. Clean everything up. Instruct Kohaku and Kinro to carefully move Taiju to his bed.
His heart won't stop pounding.
Now that the job is over, Yuzuriha's arms are shaking just as much as he is as she pulls him close.
Nothing left to do but to hope infection won't take hold.
(They could still lose him-)
Yuzuriha sobs into his side. Senkuu still feels ten thousand miles away from his body.
He can't afford to lose anyone else- they can't slow down, they'll need better supplies next time something happens-
He clings back to Yuzuriha as they both fall apart.