I finished off Jin with one past swing of my sword, effectively knocking him out, and quickly replaced it in my back. I went to leave, seeing as I had to find Gwen. He just had to go for Gwen, the only girl I happened to love. I walked to the door, and saw just the barest movement out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and got a closer look. It was a small figure, and it was female. "Who's there?" I asked, and rested a hand on my sword hilt. I heard a small whimper in reply, and that was all I needed to identify the someone. It was Gwen.

I moved forward, slowly. Gwen was a powerful fighter, and if she was traumatized, which she probably was, she might not realize that it was me. She would be stuck within her own mind, trapped within the horrors they inflicted on her. I came closer, still moving very slowly, and said, "Gwen? Come on, you need to talk to me." She shrank back against the wall, and whimpered in fear again. A small, pitiful sound. I slowly knelt down, coming to rest in a kneeling position. I held out my hand into the shadows, and waited for her to take it. She knew it was me.

Nothing happened for a minute, but then I saw the shadowy figure move, and take my hand. Her small fingers were bloodstained, and they clasped my larger hand like a lifeline. I held her hand, and began to lead her toward me. She came with me, hesitantly. I saw that her clothes were in tatters, barely keeping her decent. I furrowed my brows, and then my eyes grew huge as she fully came out into the light. She was covered in bloody wounds, and was beaten and bruised awfully.

Keeping a hold of her hand, I stood slowly, and dropped my sword behind me. I let her go for a couple seconds, and she began to shake. Her feet were bare, and her hair a mess, and her gray-blue eyes were haunted with terror. I unfastened the belts around my waist, and shrugged my jacket off, and swung it around her shoulders. She immediately clasped it around herself, and looked up at me, eyes filling with tears.

"Ragna? I knew you would come for me... I knew it... Ragna." She then coughed violently, and covered her mouth with her hand. I held her up, and she leaned against me, panting heavily, and dropping her hand, which was covered in blood. "Shit..." I swore, and she fainted against me. "Shit!" I caught her, and picked her up, one hand under her back, and the other under her knees. She was so light, and so thin, it was no trouble to carry her. I held her close with one arm, and with the other, refastened the belts around my waist, and replaced my sword on them. "Let's go." I said to no one, and ran off, heading back to Taokaka's house.

I ran back inside the house, and moved down the hallway, poking my head in the kitchen, and I found Litchi. "Litchi, I need your help. It's Gwen." Litchi immediately came to me, and she gasped in shock, before her medical mode kicked in. "Go lay her on a bed, and clear away the blankets. Keep her head raised, and her body flat. I'll be there in a moment." She dashed off, going to retrieve her medical kit. I move swiftly down the hall, still carrying Gwen, and shouldered open my door, careful not to hit her head on anything. I laid her down on my bed after shoving the covers down, and slipped a pillow underneath her head. I also removed my jacket from her, and hung it on the headboard.

Litchi came in seconds later, and set down her medical kit, and began to assess her injuries. "Several deep lacerations, puncture wound, scratches, bruising, and a fractured collarbone." She felt along a bruise at her collarbone while she said this, and then felt along her neck and head. "Thankfully, there is no scalp or head wounds. Or stomach wounds." She shot me a small smile while she said this. "She'll have a better chance of recovery with no head wounds." She turned back to her medical kit, and I clasped Gwen's hand in mine, and asked. "What do you want me to do?"

She turned back to me, and had a few things in her hands. "I want you to tend to those scratches on her arm and her cheek there. Clean them with antiseptic, then apply this healing ointment, and butterfly bandage the one on her cheek there. If any of them are deep enough to require stitching, let me know." She handed him the items, and I removed my glove. I worked my way up her arm, cleaning various wounds and scratches, and frowned at one on her shoulder. "Litchi. This one needs stitches. It's rather large." She looked up, and nodded. "Here." She handed me a large, clean washrag, "Finish cleaning her cheek, and wipe all the blood off her shoulder. Then I'll tend to it." She went back to stitching the wound on her thigh, and I finished her face, caressing her jawline with my fingers.

She came over a few minutes later, and we switched sides, I tended the small wounds, and she stitched the large ones. Together, she had 23 small wounds, and 12 larger ones. How she sustained so much damage and lived, I would never know. All I knew was the hate bubbling inside of me at Terumi. Litchi took my shoulder. "Go shower and calm yourself down Ragna. Come see me if you are injured. You won't help her if you lash at Terumi and get hurt. Go." I nodded meekly, and gathered clean clothes. Never argue with her when she is in Medical mode.

I showered, and roughly towel dried my hair, before dressing and leaving the bathroom. I went to the kitchen after poking my head in on Gwen, who was covered with warm blankets and soundly sleeping, and started my hunt for something to eat. Litchi came in a few seconds later, and shoved me into a chair, before lifting the lid on a pot of soup on the stove and ladling me out a bowl. I nodded my thanks to her, and she sighed tiredly. I ate quietly, and she asked me, "Who did that to her?" I frowned, but answered with hatred in my voice, "Terumi."

She nodded, and I went to go eat some more soup, but discovered my bowl was empty. I got up, and ladled myself out another bowl, before sitting back down and eating it. "And she was always so warm and happy. She always smiled and laughed with you Ragna. Why would he do that to her?" I looked down, and said, "She mentioned that she had some special power that Terumi wanted, but he couldn't have. She couldn't control it either. It's not her fault." She nodded, and sighed again, before leaning against the counter.

"I'm sorry Ragna. We'll get him someday." I nodded and finished the soup, and set my bowl in the sink. "Thanks Litchi." I awkwardly patted her shoulder, and she giggled. I walked away, and entered my room, where Gwen was sleeping soundly, recovering. I knelt by her, and held her hand, before sitting down against the bed, and falling asleep.

I awoke to someone weakly petting my hair, and I turned around slowly to see Gwen's eyes wide open, but still haunted. I smiled softly, and reached for her hand, holding it gently. She squeezed it back, but only slightly. "Gwen... Are you okay?" I asked, concern in my voice. She sat up, very slowly, and painfully. I helped her up, and she looked at me for a minute. "No...no I'm not okay." Her shoulders shook, and she began to scream. "Why didn't you come for me?! He beat me, he wounded me, he scratched me! He fuckin' tortured me and you weren't there to save me! Where the hell were you when I needed you?" I squeezed her hand. "Gwen... Calm down! What are you saying! It's over now." She shook her head. "He killed our child Ragna! I was pregnant and was going to tell you when he kidnapped me."

I felt all the blood drain from my face, and I couldn't even comprehend what she had just said. "W-what? He...he what?" I stood up, absolutely livid, and stalked out to Litchi. "Help her...pregnant." Was all I could get out, and I ran out of the house, intending on going to kill something to calm down. Litchi fled to Gwen, and immediately knelt by her. I left, furious, and tears streaming down my face at the loss of an unknown child.

I knelt by Gwen's bedside, held her hand, and waited for her to calm down. When she finally calmed enough to look at me, I smiled reassuringly. "Let's make sure everything's fine, shall we?" She nodded, hesitatingly. I helped her up, supporting her weight, and we made it down to the bathroom, where I instructed her in the usage of a pregnancy test. She nodded, eyes still haunted, and I left her, waiting just outside the door. A few minutes later, a shaky voice called out, "L-Litchi?" I came back in, and she was sitting on the floor, an arm around her belly, and the other holding a test. I took it from her, and held my breath when I flipped it over.

To my utter shock, and relief, it stated positive. There was no mistaking the blue + sign on the white stick. "W-what does it mean?" She asked, a spark of hope in her haunted eyes. "It means," I said, seriously, "That you need to eat something, because you have a baby in there." Her eyes widened in surprise, and she hugged her stomach, smiling very faintly. Just then, Ragna came in, and he still had faint tear tracks on his face. "Gwen? How are you?" He asked, kneeling to her, and stroking her hair. She nodded, and held out a hand for the pregnancy test I still held in my hand.

I watched as Litchi handed Gwen a small white stick, and I stared curiously at it, still kneeling at her feet. She showed it to me, saying, "Our baby. It's still there." She was smiling faintly. My eyes grew huge, and Litchi chose that exact moment to leave, giving us privacy. I collapsed, holding her to me, and laughing my relief into her shoulder. She hugged me tightly, stroking my back. I heard her stomach rumble, but neither of us moved, I began to cry when it really hit me. I was a father. My child wasn't born yet, but I was father. I pulled back slightly, and rested my good hand on her stomach, but I felt nothing. She was still flat, and I looked up at her.

"That's our baby in there." Her eyes widened, and then, the haunted look left. They began to sparkle again. "Yes. That's our baby Ragna. I'm about 5 weeks along." I heard her stomach rumble again, and I smiled. "How about some food? I smell something cooking." She nodded, and held out her arms to me. I chuckled, but picked her up, cradling her close to my chest like a child. I sat her down in a chair when we got into the kitchen, and Litchi promptly set a bowl of soup and some warm bread in front of her, along with a glass of water.

She also served me, and smiled at us, planting a motherly kiss on Gwen's forehead, and one on mine as well, giggling at my pretend glare at her. "Goodnight you two." Gwen waved, busily eating the delicious soup Litchi had made. In no time, she had drained the soup, ate the bread, and drank the water. She looked up at me, her signature puppy eyes begging for more food. I sighed, but got up and got her some more soup, which he ate happily. I finished after her, and cleared the dishes. I walked back to her, and scooped her up, carrying her back to my room. I laid her down, and stripped my clothes off down to my boxers, and watches as she sat up, stripping down to her tank top and panties.

I scooted into bed with her, and she cuddled into my chest, happily soaking up my body heat. I held her close, and breathed in the scent of her warm hair, my hand running over the soft skin of her belly underneath her tank top. She cuddled even closer, planting a warm kiss on my collarbone. I reached up, and tilted her chin up, capturing her lips with mine. She responded eagerly, parting her lips in an invitation for something deeper. I obliged her, switching sides, and rolling over her, supporting my weight on my arms.

I swept my tongue along his, and tasted the warm, male taste that was Ragna. I felt his tongue sweep along my teeth, stopping at my canines, as he always did, and I smiled into the kiss. And gently, he pulled back.