Chapter 8

It had only been a day since Guin was brought to the sanctuary where Koga had once lived. Gordon was busy studying the venom that plagued his patient while his younger son – a bright-eyed brunette – Haruno assisted. Karin had taken over work at the inn while her father was busy. After a long argument between Yamamoto, Roku, and Rinda, the captain finally gave up and let Roku teach Rinda in medical knowledge. No one seemed to mind the surplus of customers since they'd hidden their armor, and were assisting in the daily tasks. Despite the supposed calm demeanor the atmosphere was a fog of tension and worry. Gordon had already managed to uncover two side effects of the venom; extreme sensitivity and a slowed healing process. On top of that there was Guin's illness, making fevers a constant threat, but Gordon said that this at least would pass soon. Guin's room was under a constant watch in case Zinran sent any pursuers or of any change in his condition.

Blurry eyes opened slowly, focus fading in and out. Guin listened to his surroundings but couldn't pinpoint anything specific. What happe- The memories came in a flash of pain and despair, his last one of being trapped in that demon's horrid embrace. His eyes narrowed in pained determination as he forced himself upright, stifling a loud groan as his wounds screamed in protest. The two guards whom had been standing watch turned at the sound and immediately ran in, "W-whoa Guin! You should be staying still!" Guin looked their way as he dragged his legs to the side of the bed, unable to clearly see or hear them. Unfortunately for the guards the words "Get the others" were heard loud and clear. Panic began to form in his mind, he would not let them keep him prisoner any more.

Panic turned to defiance and Guin leapt off the bed, gritting his teeth and leaning on the wall for support as black dots danced across his eyes. The guard rushed forward to steady the warrior but was met with a blow to the chest, his sword clattering to the floor as he was knocked back. More guards could be heard approaching, unintelligible words hurriedly sent between them. The wounded warrior let out a low growl, daring someone to approach. Two of the men crept forward, one on each side, while more footsteps echoed in the corridor. In one swift motion Guin struck the two guards before falling to the floor.

Both Gordon and Rinda had made it to the room by this point. "Not good…" Gordon muttered while Rinda stared in silent fear. The leopard warrior was on his knees with one hand on the ground, the first guard's dropped sword in his other hand mere inches from the ground. "Can you hear me?" Everyone was startled to hear Rinda's voice. Rinda had moved to a spot among the surrounding guards directly across from Guin, though at least 10 feet away. She was looking into the warrior's eyes, which had snapped her direction at the sound of a female voice. To Rinda his eyes betrayed his fear, causing his aggressive demeanor to seem more like a defensive one. It hurt her to see her former protector like this; many of her emotions were unclear. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she began speaking while slowly inching forward, "Guin, it is me, Rinda." No one dared to move for fear of startling the warrior into lashing out, but many were also conflicted with the desire to tell Rinda to stay Back. "We are your friends and allies…" she continued softly, her eyes watching every hint of movement and body language.

The room seemed to disappear to Guin, the soothing and somewhat familiar voice in his ears releasing some of the tension. But he was still on guard, his body shaking from the agony his wounds were awakening as he tried to stay focused and at the ready. "You are safe here," He went rigid, the voice was closer… too close. There was a faint rustle of clothing as the person before him knelt down. His vision was too blurry to see anymore, but the scent was familiar and warm. The person spoke again, and for once the words were clear, "I will protect you." The last of his strength left him as his mind was dragged into unconsciousness, the tension vanished.

The room was silent with utter disbelief as the wounded warrior visibly calmed and then collapsed. It had worked, though no one knew why. Well, except for Gordon who was now approaching the fallen figure, motioning for one of the guards to follow. "He reopened his injuries," He said as they lay Guin back on the bed, "and likely made some of them worse." Rinda was at his side with supplies, her brief time to learn medicine telling her this much. "Something caused him to wake up," she stated quietly as they worked on the wounds, "I just don't know what exactly." Little did they know that there had been a surge in demonic energy in the air at the time. The Elite had gathered at the Demon's fortress and reduced it to ash to erase any and all evidence of it having ever been there. Their master would create a new one somewhere else, in time.

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With everything taken care of the room had emptied fairly quickly aside from the two new assigned guards outside the door. Rinda was sitting in a chair next to where Guin lay in bed, having refused to leave his side. Her mind wandered while she watched his steady breathing, his chest rising and falling in slow rhythm under the blanket. All through out their travels she'd come to almost rely on Guin to be the guardian and protector, unyielding and infallible. She never really stopped to think that – even though he was undeniably powerful – he might also need someone to help him. A wave of guilt washed over her, had she really been that blind? Seeing him now he seemed somewhat smaller, more fragile. She had never wanted to see him in such a state and couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for the cause. What if they'd gotten there sooner?

Quick uneven breaths interrupted her thoughts. Guin was panting, almost gasping in his sleep while his muscles twitched. His head turned slightly and a mumbled groan escaped him, his face was contorted in fear and pain. A nightmare? Rinda was there in seconds, climbing onto the bed beside him and holding him close. "n-no… don't…" mumbled words, barely audible, were heard coming from the tormented warrior as he struggled in his sleep. Rinda wrapped her arms around him and his head under her chin. "shhh, it's ok Guin, you're safe…" She continued to hold him and petted his head gently, much like her mother had used to do for her when she was little. Slowly he stopped struggling and his breathing began to return to the even pace it had had before. You have always been there for me… protecting me in my time of need… now I will be here for you in your time of need. Rinda hummed a soft lullaby and stayed there, still holding him close.

Captain Yamamoto took up guard duty about an hour later, and was silently greeted by Gordon whom had gone in to check on the status. He had a warm look in his eyes. Reaching the doorway the captain found out why. There before him was Rinda, sound asleep and holding Guin in a protective – almost motherly – embrace.

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Author's note

Please don't shoot me for those last paragraphs, If u don't like it then fine. It's not going to become some bizarre mother son relationship or anything like that. I'm just taking into account that experiences can greatly effect people, in Guin's case P.T.S.D. College is picking up the pace so please be patient.

On a side note: I have also begun typing two new stories for Guin Saga. One has an O.C. and the other Takes place while the twins, Sunni, Istavan, and Guin are traveling (before Remus goes dark and all that). Still debating whether to make them one-shots or short stories since Dark Skies is my main one at the moment.

And again: PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR SOMETHING! THIS LACK OF FEEDBACK IS DRIVING ME INSANE!