Seishi set foot on the scorching earth of the makeshift airport. It had been almost exactly nine months since the first time he landed here, he thought. The mission he had joined was a long-term assignment, but its members had left as planned after eight months while a new team had set up camp some distance away. However, he and Ryô had chosen to stay, maintaining a presence at the first camp where their own team would return in a few months. Seishi ended up making a brief return to France for the Christmas holidays. He knew that his family was worried and his parents couldn't understand this "flight" to Africa. This stay at his parent’s home had reassured them somewhat. It is true that the African sun certainly made him look healthy. And physically, he did feel well. As for the rest... it was slowly being put back together

One of the members of the new team, who had come to welcome him, woke him up from his thoughts. Seishi took a deep breath. They would pick up Ryô who, unable to stay alone, had remained in the new camp during his absence. Then, he would be far from it all again, and far from the painful memories that France had stirred up once more.

He smiled. On the other hand, he had really taken a liking to the young Ryô. His apparent roughness and indifference put most people off and drove them away, but it was obviously only a façade masking a very great sensitivity and probably deep wounds. Once he had detected a few cracks in his defenses, Seishi had been able to bypass some of his barriers and help the young man open up a little more to the world around him. When one knew how to earn his trust and, in return, gave him confidence and responsibilities, the young man devoted himself entirely to proving worthy of those responsibilities. Seishi now thought himself blessed with some awkward friendliness from Ryô.

In some ways he reminds me...

He cut his thoughts short before a pain that was still too sharp could overcome him. After their real "first contact" thanks to Sama, Ryô had imperceptibly begun to pay attention to his work and to help him more and more openly until he became his only assistant, or teammate as Seishi preferred to call it, during these last months.

I would be really proud if he ever came to see me as a friend.

And he really wanted to, just as he wanted to do everything in his power to understand and help the young man.

~*~

Ryô kicked a rock, annoyed. He was bored. Since Seishi-san's departure, he had been forced to remain in the new camp established by their organization. He felt useless and unwanted. Thrown abruptly into their midst, he couldn't help but keep his distance again and this had once again worn his companions down. Nevertheless... his relationship with their former team had imperceptibly improved over time, but he knew that it was only due to one person. Without realizing it, since Seishi-san had once entrusted him with the responsibility of Sama, he had become more and more interested in the doctor's task. He had somehow helped him more and more, until the doctor actually asked him to assist him. Had he softened by being close to the doctor or had the others changed their minds about him when they saw him participate more openly in the life of the camp? The fact remained that the way they treated him and spoke to him had noticeably softened.

But this was momentarily over, and he longed to return and ask about little Sama, whom they had reluctantly left and "abandoned" to the care of a woman from his village. He therefore longed for the doctor’s return, without whom it would not be possible. Ryô let himself fall on a large rounded stone. He couldn't wait for Seishi-san to come back too, he had to admit it. He had really come to appreciate the young doctor, who was always so calm, composed and encouraging. Anyway, who didn't like him? He would have liked to have been his friend. He wished he had met people like him earlier in his life... Seeing that he had nowhere else to go, Seishi-san even offered him to take him with him to France. But what would he have done there, in a world even more unfamiliar to him except for Seishi-san, whom he knew must have been eagerly awaited back home? No, decidedly, he was better off here in this wild environment, "almost" free...

A distant purr and a cloud of dust caught the young man's attention. Finally, a few minutes later, Seishi-san got out from the camp's 4x4. Ryô sighed softly. It was a small miracle. All the planes and transfers had had to work perfectly to allow the doctor to arrive at the scheduled time! Of course, most of the team crowded around him to hear the latest news or get the equipment that Seishi-san had obviously taken the opportunity to bring back for the mission.

And as usual, he could not avoid the "friendly" advances of one of the nurses in the group. She used every excuse she could find.

Seriously, what the heck does she think she’s doing? Ryô sneered. This failed soldier lookalike with her boyish haircut and curves that Africa was only beginning to gnaw away at... That she will compete with all the pretty girls who, without doubt, were groveling at Seishi-san's feet?

Although, Ryô reflected, he had never mentioned any female relationship. But hey, Seishi-san may be a "peach", or sometimes even frankly too much of a "pushover" in his opinion, but it shouldn't be taken advantage of.

Once the luggage was unloaded and the customary greetings exchanged, Seishi-san seemed to want to dodge the attention. He waved to Ryô. The latter hesitated for a moment and then ended up going to meet him reluctantly.

“Hello Ryô-kun! Is everything okay?” he asked with a big smile. Ryô ignored the unenthusiastic looks of the others.

“Very well, thank you Seishi-san.”

“Well, would you be ready to leave right away? I think I'd like to get the whole journey over with today!”

Ryô shrugged.

“I don't have a problem with that, on the contrary. But don't you want to rest first, I bet you haven't eaten anything yet, right?”

“He's right, added the nurse”, who had been neglected until then. “You're going to work yourself to death, that would be a shame!”

Ryô rolled his eyes.

“I saved some food for you, just in case. We will just have to leave afterwards. You can give me instructions while you eat.”

The doctor gave him a grateful look and followed him, assuring the eager nurse that she was not to waste her time on him.

~*~

Ryô let out an exasperated sigh and, accompanied by Sama, left the hut to head towards the screams he could hear nearby. Seishi-san had insisted on fetching the water but he wasn't going to wait hours for him to finish having fun! Since their arrival, the children of the village had not let go of the doctor for a moment. Both of them, however, had first made sure that little Sama was all right; but once they were reassured, they could not avoid being monopolized by a small enthusiastic crowd. He’d had to deal with all this on his own while Seishi-san took stock of the situation with the village chief, and then left the place to the doctor again to go and prepare their things. Faced with his refusal to wait or to leave the doctor's belongings lying around, the doctor had tried to help him but...

A brutal shock and then a cold, wet "slap" cut his complaints short. A muffled cry echoed his own. Stunned, he then realized that, lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the noisy chatter approaching, which would have told him the group of children was neardy, and he had hit Seishi-san while turning a corner. The laughter and joyful cries of the children erupted from all sides.

“Go... Gomen...” he stammered, disoriented.

“No, no, it's me, sorry!” The doctor's concerned face leaned over him. “Oh my God, you're soaked!”

Ryô looked down and noticed that his chest and stomach were very wet... Probably the contents of the bucket now at their feet. He understood better the strange sensation he had felt!

“Luckily you won't catch a cold here”, Seishi-san said, brushing his fingers over the soggy fabric. “But hey, it can't be pleasant. Take off your shirt, it will be dry in five minutes.”

The young man stiffened suddenly.

“No need. I'll be fine like this, thank you.”

“But...”

“On the contrary, it's refreshing. I'm not going to melt”, he added to soften the abrupt and irritated tone he realized he had used. He gently pushed away the hands of little Sama who was having fun patting him while laughing.

“All wet Ryô-niisan, it sticks!”

“Listen, it's too stupid really. With the children pushing me, I wasn’t paying attention.” He reached out toward to the young man's waist. “If you're worried about getting sunburned,” he joked, “I'll lend you my shirt but...”

Ryô suddenly recoiled.

“No! Just leave me alone! It's okay I told you!!”

Pushing Seishi-san, he picked up the bucket and strode away towards the well.

~

Seishi watched him leave, taken aback, until a small hand slipped into his.

“What's wrong with Ryô-niisan?” Sama's asked in her small voice.

“I... I don't know... I didn't mean to...” Seishi whispered, perplexed.

Until the end of the day, Ryô avoided any contact with the doctor. He had finished preparing the meal and then disappeared, muttering a few excuses that he had to finish setting up camp. Seishi quickly swallowed his meal and then put everything back in order before looking for the young man to help him. The latter was neither in his own hut nor the doctor’s. All the belongings were however in place, beds and mosquito nets already set up. Since it was still fairly early in the evening, Seishi took the opportunity to repair and reorganize the medical area of the camp. When he finally went to bed, Ryô still hadn't reappeared.

“Well, it's off to a good start...” he thought before closing his eyes, exhausted.