Reprieve
A cool breeze caressed my cheek as a familiar scent of flowers greeted my nose. I remembered this place. It was that sakura glade I loved to visit back at the Valley. Birds were chirping in the trees, and I was struck by a sudden urge to draw, and I reached for my sketchbook. A distant part of me thought something was not right, but just as quickly as it came, I didn't care anymore. This was peaceful, nice, beautiful, and I didn't mind staying here forever. I looked into the trees, spotting a good half-dozen robins. A smile crossed my face. My favorite bird, and there were so many too! Seeing this many was rare these days. I smiled and started drawing them. Noises from the distance reached my ears, but I ignored it and continued my art. I heard it again, closer this time, and I looked up from my drawing.
"Don't sneak up on me, Commander!" I grumbled as I stood to my feet, "It's my break time... huh?"
I realized someone was coming my way. I first thought it was Commander Viper, but it couldn't be. The figure not dressed like him, and looked too young. As the person came my way, I realized that I'd never seen this kid before! I took a step back as the dark-haired boy came my way. He paused for a moment, then approached again. I once again took a step back. Who was this person? Why was he here?
"Hello?" the boy asked me and tried to come closer.
A stranger! I backed up again, but the boy kept coming closer every time I moved. He was starting to weird me out. "Who are you?" I asked?
My question seemed to confuse him. "Who am I? Good question. I just woke up and started wandering around. I have no idea where I am..."
Suspicious, very suspicious. I backed up more, but he kept up with me perfectly. "Where are you going?" he asked, "Just tell me-"
"I... I don't know you!" I stuttered a bit as I accidentally backed into a tree. "Commander Viper! Commander Viper!" Getting poked so suddenly startled me, and I spun and ran back towards the facility. Strangers in this area were rare, rare enough that I could count on one hand the number of times it'd happened. Commander Viper needed to know about this, right now! I thought I heard the boy shouting behind me and giving chase, so I picked up my pace.
"Robin... Robin..."
Who was that? That voice was familiar... My surroundings became less and less real as I puzzled it out.
"Can you hear me?"
Jackal. The word came to me unbidden. Why? What...?
"Robin! Come on, give me some kind of sign here..." Jackal! I remembered now! It was the voice of my best friend! Jackal was worried about me...
"Please wake up, open your eyes." I became aware of someone holding my hand in theirs. But why was jackal telling me to wake up?
As awareness returned to me, I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry and ill-adjusted to the light in here. I groaned and scrunched my face against the unwelcome brightness. Squinting against the light, I opened my eyes again. I saw that I was lying in a cot in a white-walled room. I slowly became aware of more and more details. I was hooked up to several machines that I didn't understand. Those I did understand: a heart monitor and an iv drip, gave me a clue as to where I was. I was in an infirmary. Now why the heck was I in... that's right, that mission with the snake. I passed out after the fight. And now my whole body hurt in a way I didn't know was possible. Was I still wounded? I was stiff and a little lethargic too. How long had I been here anyway?
"Robin!" I felt my hand being squeezed gently, and I turned my head to the voice. I saw Jackal sitting beside my bed, holding my hand in his. I saw him with a concerned look on his face that changed to relief on seeing me wake up.
"Jackal?" My voice sounded hoarse and weak to my own ears, but it was enough to get a response out of Jackal. Jackal's relieved expression changed further to a pleased face.
"Welcome back, sleepyhead." Jackal piped up with his signature lighthearted smile. I couldn't restrain a smile of my own. It fell a notch when I noticed he was in a hospital gown too. Had he been injured too? I propped myself up to a sitting position to get a better look at him. Well, I tried to anyway. My arm wobbled under me, and Jackal's grip tightened on my hand.
"What do you think you're doing? You just woke up, so don't get up yet." He lowered me slowly back down to a laying down position, and I let him do it. I was learning the hard way that I had the muscle strength of a teddy bear right now.
"How... long have I... been here?" I asked.
"I'm told it's been five days since that fight with Tsuchinoko." Jackal shook his head, "But that's not important. You should just keep resting."
"Tsuchinoko?" I repeated.
"I'm told that's what they named that snake that almost killed us. Seems it was once the name of some local demon or something." Jackal smirked mischievously, "I'd have called it 'pain in the ass.'"
I chuckled a bit at his joke. "You got that right... I'll feel this one for a while. But five days? I've been unconscious for five days?"
Jackal's face fell a little. "Yeah. I was out for three. They were having a hard time with your wounds and..." He shook his head and his face brightened. "Never mind that depressing stuff. I'm so glad you're alright!"
I returned the smile. "I'm glad you're okay too."
"Didn't I tell you to stay in bed? You're incorrigible!"
I turned to the new voice. A black-haired woman wearing a revealing green halter and long-slitted skirt was walking in. She paused by my bed and put a hand on her hip, "That's the second time in as many days now. Don't you ever want to get better?"
"Crap, busted again..." Jackal grinned sheepishly, "I can explain, Sakuya."
"Who is that?" I asked, "One of the doctors?"
"Close. I'm Sakuya Tachibana, second-in-command of the First Unit." Sakuya raised her right hand, and I saw a red armlet on her wrist. "I'm a God Eater, just like you two. I'm a field medic by trade, and I've been asked to keep an eye on you two." Sakuya cast a meaningful look to Jackal, "Your friend is a handful. He won't stay put. He keeps sneaking out of bed to check on you."
Jackal's face was a little defensive. "I was worried about her. Got a problem with that?"
"No, of course not." I noticed that Jackal was still holding my hand. Jackal seemed to notice this at the same time and quickly let go of me. Sakuya seemed to be amused and chuckled a little. "You two must be close, huh?" I nodded and felt my face redden a bit. She was starting to get a little personal.
Sakuya looked between us then said, "That reminds me, I have to ask you something. Its about your condition..."
I wrinkled my brow. If she was a medic, then she's probably already figured it out, so why did she need to ask me? "My condition? I just know I was unconscious, and my legs really hurt..."
Sakuya looked to Jackal and was about to say something to him. I shook my head. "It's alright," I replied with another smile, "I don't mind him being here. What is it?"
Sakuya's kind smile grew serious. "Your wounds were reopening and making you bleed out. That was happening a lot more than normal. Do you have some kind of medical condition that would affect that, like hemophilia?"
I looked uncomfortably between Jackal and Sakuya. I had a feeling this would come up one day, but I dreaded it all the same. Sakuya's suspicions were correct, but I couldn't make myself say it and all I could do was nod once.
It wasn't something I brought up often because people always treated me like some fragile rose afterward. I became a God Eater for two reasons. One was because I came from a poor family living in one of the satellite bases. We were always running out of money, and I would work odd jobs to help pay off my medical bills. When my family learned I was a match for the God Eater program, and that Fenrir would pay off all my bills, they wasted no time in "volunteering" me. It turned out that becoming a God Eater would give me a regenerative ability that effectively nullified my condition. I wouldn't heal quite as fast as other God Eaters, but I could at least match "normal" people now.
As for the second reason I became a God Eater, well... that was an entirely different matter for another time.
"You're going to take me off the front lines, aren't you?" I asked sadly, "I promise I'll do my very best, so please give me a chance!"
"I don't think its serious enough to merit a drastic move like that, but you do need to be more careful out there, alright?" I nodded, pleased to hear her response. I was sure I would be demoted from the extermination division when my hemophilia came to light, so when Sakuya said that, I was surprised and relieved.
"Alright, good. Now as for you..." Sakuya turned to Jackal, who had already stood back up with some difficulty.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Back to bed..." he said in resignation.
"And stay there this time!" Sakuya scolded, "Don't make me use the bed restraints."
Jackal froze mid-stride and turned back around, looking startled. "Restraints?!"
Sakuya chuckled. "That was a joke. But I meant it when I said to stay in there, got it?"
"I know." he replied as he returned to a bed near mine. The thought that they put Jackal right across from me was both a relief and slightly embarrassing. I wondered if he really did spend all that time just concerned about me, and I felt a sudden pang of guilt at making him worry. "I have to go prepare some plans for a mission, alright? Just keep resting for now."
"A mission already?" Jackal asked.
Sakuya nodded and looked at the both of us. "Director Sakaki wants some of us to gather some scales from Tsuchinoko and research what property made them able to harm that snake. He was inspired by what you did to it, Robin. We have you to thank for that discovery. I'll let you two rest now." Sakuya stood up and looked at me, "I don't want to hear you tried to get up while I'm gone either, got it? Stay put."
I nodded in response. I wasn't interested in walking anyways. She smiled my way and left, leaving me to ponder what was ahead. A mission to collect scales from Tsuchinoko... I couldn't help feeling an ominous sense about that. I really hoped they weren't all about to make a terrible mistake.
