Mineko jolted awake almost 24 hours later. There was a sharp jab in her abdomen that took the oxygen right out of her lungs. The pain had an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at her stomach. There was nausea too, just enough to make her hold onto the mattress beneath her for support and breath slow. She often prized herself on overcoming pain, but it just wasn't possible at that moment. Not as long as confusion still tormented her mind.

What was that weapon? How did it injure her so quickly? Both questions pounded in her skull until it seemed like she'd never find an answer. In a desperate attempt to distract herself, she tried to make sense of the room around her. It was familiar... but she was certain that she'd never seen it before.

It was a bedroom, furnished on a meagre budget but still full of character. There were two large bookcases full to the brim with university textbooks and science novels. Many of them looked like they hadn't been touched in a while, likely because they had already completed their higher education. On the walls were posters from what Mineko could only assume were 'movies'.

It became obvious that this was Barry's room a few moments before the door swung open. She had never been in this part of the apartment, as tempting as it was, she at least had some respect for his privacy (despite the fact that she'd trashed his place the first time she arrived).

"Mineko!" Barry's voice called from across the room. He rushed to her side faster than the human eye could detect and gestured for her to lay back down. "Just relax. You've been unconscious all day."

Mineko's gaze flicked down to her torso where a bandage had been tightly wrapped around the wound, the same had been done to her leg. She tried to sit up again but was greeted with another piercing pain shooting all through her body. Her face scrunched at the feeling, and her teeth bit into her bottom lip in an attempt to keep any winces or gasps at bay.

Barry's expression visibly fell at her agony. "Are you alright?"

"I would be much better if I knew why I was so gravelly injured." She replied honestly. "I did not see my attacker wielding any blade, nor did I see him throw one."

"Oh... right, you haven't seen a gun before..." Barry huffed and pondered how exactly to describe such a thing to someone that had no idea of its function. "A gun is like a... tubular ranged weapon? Umm... typically designed to pneumatically discharge projectiles."

Mineko's brow furrowed and Barry sighed, trying to think of a way to simplify it. "It's a weapon that can cause a lot of damage, let's just put it that way. I'll explain the rest when you're feeling better."

She nodded, stare focused on the wall opposite her. "It was so loud..." she muttered.

"Yeah, I know." Barry said sympathetically. "You get use to it, for what it's worth."

"I will never get use to such a vile sound." Mineko argued, lips tugging into a frown.

Barry's expression immediately mirrored hers. It was hard to know what to say, especially when they were both so different. All it took to lift Barry's spirits was a sincere 'I'm sorry', and a somewhat inappropriate joke... but Mineko wouldn't accept either of those. She would question why he was apologising and not understand his sense of humour. He'd have to take action. Do something that didn't rely solely on the intricacies of words.

"Ah... w-wait right here." He said, though he had no reason to ask such a thing. With his connection to the speed force re-established, what would feel like mere seconds to Mineko, would be hours to him.

It was probably the first time in his life that he made tea, let alone a weird obscure variety that no one really drank since Feudal Japan. Instead of using a kettle, he just vibrated the molecules in his hand until the friction created enough heat to boil the water. That way he could screw up multiple times, which he did, and start again without delay.

After finally succeeding in making tea, Barry realised that using some random brand from the local shop probably wasn't good enough for her. The notion of finding the specific tea leaves she liked had Barry in a frenzy, until he remembered where Mineko grew her own hundreds of years ago. The Scarlet Speedster made a quick trip over to Japan, and was extremely relieved to find that her handful of plants had grown into a massive bush. He returned with a handful of leaves, and a smug grin on his face ready to actually make her tea.

To Mineko, he had been gone for no longer than 5 minutes when he returned with a steaming mug grasped in his hand.

There was no contemplation needed on her part. She had seen enough cups of tea in her lifetime to know the distinct, thin lines of steam that swirled from its surface. What she hadn't anticipated was the smell. It was nothing like the modern bags of tea she'd spotted at the mall, all smelling like factories and chemicals. This one had a more familiar fragrance, one that reminded her of home.

Barry wore an expression of slight pride as he handed the cup to her, and Mineko wasn't quite willing to discourage his efforts by telling him he should have ground the leaves up before tossing them into the boiling water. This came as a surprise, as she was typically not the type to spare people's feelings.

Mineko brought the porcelain mug closer to her face, until she could feel the heat against her lips. It's scent was now much clearer, and it was hard to deny the distinct aroma.

"Where did you find this?" She asked curiously, voice far more relaxed than it had been a moment ago.

"W-Well... I got it from that old garden you told me about."

Mineko froze, cup barely making it another inch towards her mouth. "You mean my personal garden?... It's still there?"

Barry nodded a little sheepishly. "Yeah, it was a bit of a long shot to check there but it paid off. There's a massive tree there now, the whole place is like a farm for rare and old types of tea leaves."

Mineko blinked at the man in slight disbelief. It was absurd to think that a small hobby she started centuries ago would become one of the only places to harness those types of leaves.

She wasn't exactly sure how to thank him for his efforts. She made few friends even in her own era, so she was unaccustomed to receiving anything but a new sword wound from another person.

"Uhh..." Mineko started, still unsure of what to say in such a situation.

"Don't mention it." Barry answered understandingly.

This seemed to put her at ease, not having to say anything out loud was a relief. That also meant, though, that the conversation had ended. It left silence hanging in the air, thick and intense. Mineko wasn't entirely sure why it felt that way though...

In an effort to drown out the nerves beginning to buzz in the more influential areas of her mind, Mineko brought the cup up, blew lightly on the steaming liquid and took a large gulp from the vessel.

"What happened to the one that attacked me?" She asked once the substance had successfully passed down her throat.

Barry sat himself onto the side of the bed and said "It's alright, he's locked up now for attempted murder...well they had to stabilise his wounds first. You dished out as much as you took."

Mineko felt somewhat pleased that she returned the damage she sustained. "Who was he?"

"His name is Johnny LaMonica, a professional killer. Goes by the name Black Spider. He's no joke...and for someone to hire him to kill you... That's not good." Barry said, shaking his head. "I managed to get a couple words out of him. He's denying that he ever tried to kill you. After we pulled evidence on him, he says he seriously can't remember."

"Do you believe him?" Mineko asked.

"I dunno...he isn't exactly a nice guy, but he's always taken responsibility for what he's done in the past."

Mineko simply nodded, and with a small inhale of preparation, sculled the remainder of her drink. With speed that seemed relatively uncompromised by her injuries, Mineko jumped out of bed and tossed the empty cup back at Barry.

The boy clumsily fumbled with the fragile chalice, refusing to abuse his connection to the speed force just to ensure he didn't smash a mug due to his own lack of coordination. Finally, he managed to secure it between both hands and sighed in relief.

"You shouldn't be out of bed yet." He said, placing the mug carefully on the side table. "What are you doing anyway? If you need something I can get it for you instead."

"We must find Yan, immediately." Mineko stated, not completely ignoring Barry's concern but choosing not to comment on it. "We have wasted enough time already."

"Yan?... Is that the scary looking chick that Thawne brought here? If so, I'm pretty content to, like, not find her... and just wait for her to show herself. That sounds like a lot less work."

"She has already shown herself." The woman replied, giving one final glance at the blood staining the bandage on her abdomen. "I believe that this 'Black Spider' is telling the truth."

"How could he be? I saw him with my own eyes, so did Wally. You witnessed it first hand."

"He was undoubtedly the one that attacked me, but I don't think he remembers doing so. I don't even think he was completely conscious when it happened."

Barry blinked, then shook his head. "Hey, I might be able to explain the theory of relativity to a 400 year old mummy but that doesn't mean I understand all that cryptic samurai shit. Mind clarifying?"

"Yan can control people in whichever way she pleases, and for however long. She can make them do things, distort their reality, or even take possession of their consciousness. She was the most deadly creature that I had ever encountered in my era, the only giveaway is the victims eyes. Their milky, like thick fog has somehow clouded their pupils and irises. Black Spider had those eyes."

Barry's lips tightened. "Why did you ask me if you already knew he was innocent?"

"I may be confident in my knowledge, but I'm not naive enough to not admit that I'm out of my element. You know more about this place than I do, and I wanted to eliminate any other possibility before making an assessment."

"In other words, you wanted my opinion." Barry smirked.

"Is that not what I just said?"

Barry shrugged. "I mean, I suppose? In your own weird way."

Mineko had ceased listening at the beginning of his sentence, and opted for grabbing the 'modern' clothes Barry had laid out on the chair. He didn't even need to explain that he had brought them for her that morning, she simply saw that it was her size and threw off the robe she had been wearing.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Barry screeched, turning away with an embarrassment so intense that it stained his face dark red. "Put your clothes back on!"

"Are these not meant for me?"

"Who else would they be for?!" Barry muttered out, voice squeaking between each word.

"Then I don't see the reason for your loud wailing."

"You seriously see nothing wrong with this scenario?!" Barry said, now resorting to shielding his eyes. "Y-You're naked! I almost s-saw your-"

"Oh, please. You're acting as if you've never seen a woman's body before." She rolled her eyes and continued rummaging through the clothes and attempting to put them on correctly. "Where I was raised there was no room for modesty. In the monetary we slept, ate, showered, and changed in front of one another."

Barry shook his head, still very obviously unsettled about what he had almost seen. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now, can you please put something on?"

Mineko obliged, but quite begrudgingly. She still didn't understand what the big deal was, but asking Barry again didn't seem like the wisest decision.

"Okay. I'm dressed. You can stop hyperventilating."

The red-faced man finally dared to glance back towards her, a little less anxious after confirming that she was fully clothed. That peace of mind allowed him to register just how ridiculous she looked in the dollar store outfit he had picked out.

It consisted of merely a pair of track pants that bagged oddly on her toned frame, faded grey sneakers, and a bright pink jumpsuit with Hello Kitty winking right in the centre. It didn't suit this tall, skilled warrior at all, but it did force a laugh to become lodged in Barry's throat.

"Now, let's go." She stated without any thought to how she appeared.

There was no option available to Barry. Without any opportunity to voice his concern about her going out with such a grave injury in the process of healing, he was dragged out of the apartment, her hand grasped firmly around his wrist.

Sometimes he forgot how stubborn she could be...

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