Chapter 9

It was mid-day when Guin woke up again, but not like last time, his fever had been reduced to a mild status. Slowly and cautiously the warrior opened his eyes, only vaguely remembering what had happened the day before. It still confused him; it could have easily just been a dream after all. "Looks like you're fully awake this time," a gray-haired man said as he walked into the room, catching the warrior's attention. A man? Not a demon like before? Cautiously Guin asked, "Where am I?" The question was followed by a painful cough, the sudden motion reawakening the pain in his injuries. More than enough confirmation that the horrors of before had really happened. "You are at a hidden medical ward known as 'Sanctuary' behind an inn," the man responded while sitting in a nearby chair, "You were rescued the demon known as Zinran a couple days ago." That would explain a few things Guin thought to himself.

Suddenly remembering what a boy he'd met at the demon's hold said he bolted upright, the man jumped and forced him back down. "There was another! Is he also here? His name was Koga!" Guin shouted despite the raw soreness of his throat. The man looked him in the eyes with a sad smile, "You remembered him… I'm glad…" Guin watched the man slump back into his chair. "Koga, my son, was the one who helped your friends free you. He was wounded in the process, and he… he died before they got here…" dead? The thought shook Guin to the core. That boy had been so kind, was so full of passion and drive, and had accepted Guin without question despite the fact that he wasn't human. True, Koga had told him he was slowly dying, but he still had years left before the effects would have started, right? Instead he'd died to save him, just like Orro of Tallas had back when he'd been traveling with the twins. And just like last time there was really nothing he could do for them in return. "It's not your fault," Koga's father interrupted his thoughts, having seen the look in his eyes, "and no one blames you for what happened. So don't be hard on yourself okay?" Guin just silently nodded.

"Gordon san, who are you talking to?" an all too familiar voice asked from the doorway. Guin's eyes widened, "R-Rinda?" "You're awake!" Rinda exclaimed in delight as she rushed over to the side of the bed. The warrior looked at her in astonishment, wasn't she supposed to be in Parros? Opening his mouth to ask his voice caught in his throat, resulting in a painful coughing fit. He really shouldn't have tried talking. Rinda watched in concerned silence as the coughing subsided, sending a questioning glance to Gordon. "Sore throat," he said while also looking at the warrior, "it's to be expected considering all that has happened." Guin went rigid. He really hadn't needed a reminder about it, he'd been gladly distracted by the present up until now aside from the news of Koga's death. His reaction didn't go unnoticed. "Guin?" Relaxing his muscles he let out a small sigh, glancing towards the doorway.

To his surprise a girl – who had a face similar to Koga's – appeared there holding a medium sized pot with a few bowls and spoons balanced on the lid. Rinda saw her as well, "Karin?" "Odd coincidence," the girl smiled as she walked over and placed her load on the small table, taking a swift glance at Guin in the process, "I swear Haruno is psychic or something. He insisted that I should make soup for lunch today, I was just bringing some back for you guys. I appear to be one bowl short though." The group looked at one another like they were sending hidden messages to each other while Guin kept staring at Karin's face. She looks so much like him. "I'll just get some for myself later," she proclaimed as she took the lid off of the pot and began filling the bowls with soup. Handing a bowl to Rinda and Gordon she went to retrieve the last bowl.

"You're probably hungry," she stated softly as she brought the soup over to Guin. In truth he hadn't really focused on that, but he knew it would be rude to turn down the offer. "That's not a good idea", Gordon said/scolded Guin when he tried to lift an arm to accept the food, only to wince as a groan tried to form. He wasn't exactly in any shape to move (Note the previous two chapters). Karin Just sat on the side of the bed and placed the bowl in her lap. "Here, let me help," she said as she slid a hand under the warrior's head to lift it slightly. Guin flinched back slightly at the touch, quietly rasping that he could eat without help. No use. Three pairs of eyes were on him, and he knew there was no way out of it, but damn was this uncomfortable. Sure he was aware that people too sick or wounded to move often received help with such simple tasks, but it still just seemed so… wrong to him. Eventually his hunger won the silent argument by making itself known and he finally relented. The soup was really good, not to mention it also seemed to ease the pain in his throat. Unfortunately, although expected considering he'd gone who knows how long without food, he couldn't finish that one bowl. He could feel exhaustion dragging at his senses and he was helpless to fight it off. He'd not been awake for very long after all, and yet he felt like it had been days since he last slept. As the dark cloud of sleep overtook him the three people silently finished their meals and left, not wanting to disturb him.

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Rinda walked quickly after Gordon and Roku while carrying some medical supplies. It was late evening and the sky was getting dark now that the sun had set. Roku had mentioned earlier that having an extra pair of hands was making things easier to manage, especially since they also had to treat the injuries some of the soldiers had sustained from both the rescue and the incident. Even though the whole family at the inn knew some part or other in the medical practice only one of them was fully knowledgeable, Gordon. Rinda had been curious during supper and asked who was more experienced out of the three siblings. Roku, being the oldest, had had the most time to learn and was skilled in many of the practices, but he seemed to specialize in treatment of physical injuries. Karin also knew quite a bit, though not as much as Roku, but was exceptional in use of medicinal herbs and remedies. Haruno was obviously the least experienced of the group, but he had a knack for being able to see and understand the most subtle of symptoms and physical indicators. After hearing this Rinda couldn't help but admire their skill and determination, and was glad to be learning some herself. Karin had headed to the research lab to help with analyzing the venom they'd collected earlier, though they had yet to completely confirm anything new since discovering that it's effects would take several days to wear off. Rinda on the other hand had been asked to assist Roku in redressing the bandages on Guin while Gordon checked the progression of his healing.

The sound of multiple footsteps made Guin's ears twitch, rousing him from his sleep. Letting his gaze fall on the entrance of the room he couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by the expression that flashed across Gordon's face. Why does he look worried? Gordon looked Guin in the eyes silently as he approached the bed, followed by Rinda and Roku, whom Guin hadn't exactly met yet. "I see you are awake again Guin," Gordon spoke while setting his supplies down with Roku and Rinda's on the small table which had unofficially taken permanent residence by the bed. The other two were quiet, sensing the mood coming from Gordon. It took them only a minute to realize the cause as well. Letting out a slow sigh Gordon continued, "We need to clean your wounds and apply fresh bandages." Ah… so that's it, Guin thought as he nodded in acknowledgement of the man's unspoken concerns. He was worried about the potential reaction the warrior might have, since he'd never actually been in contact with anyone consciously since the incident. Whether Guin was aware of it or not, he had severe PTSD.

Guin couldn't help but shiver slightly at the sudden rush of cooler air on his skin as the blanket was pulled away; it was an all too familiar sensation. Gordon was careful to an almost surgical degree as he began removing the bloody bandages, Rinda and Roku followed suit. Guin was able to maintain control for the most part as his injuries were slowly cleaned, examined, and re-bandaged, although he occasionally went rigid when he felt himself reacting. There were way too many things that could act as a trigger. The control disappeared however when the lower and most severe injuries were reached. Rinda had been asked to dispose of the used bandages mainly to give some sense of modesty to the now completely tense warrior.

He hated it, feeling so weak. He knew they were just doing what any doctor or healer would do, but he couldn't fight the quickly rising fear in his mind. To make matters worse, he'd been too lost in his own thoughts to notice the two men moving to begin. He could feel a hand on his leg, gently nudging it to a different position. Guin lashed out, images of Zinran's attack flashing through his mind. Roku, who'd been tasked with watching for any reactions by this point, caught Guin's arm and brought it back down. "Easy, easy… stay with us alright?" Blinking a few times the warrior clenched his jaw and gave a slight nod, fighting to stay in the present. Having been given the ok Gordon resumed moving the leg to expose – arguably the most severe – injury. If Guin hadn't been tense before he was now. His breathing was short and forced, hands balled into fists and muscles stiff. The pain came in a shockwave, forcing a strangled shout from him before he could stop it. Roku was now trying to keep him still as Gordon worked with almost blinding speed to get the job over with, knowing that the leopard warrior was struggling against the all too real flashbacks.

Feeling the blankets being pulled back over him Guin welt limp, letting out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm his uncontrollable trembling. He felt so weak, so helpless, and he hated it more than anything. How could he have been so badly affected by only one day? "Are you alright?" the worried, almost fatherly voice of Gordon reached his ears. "I'm fine," Guin managed in a somewhat calmer voice, masking the turmoil that whirled in his mind. Closing his eyes he willed himself to at least try to sleep, so he could hopefully forget all of this, or at least forget the demon's cold touch.

Gordon lingered in the room for a moment after the warrior had closed his eyes while Roku headed back to the inn to help his brother. It bothered him deeply, seeing the pain and fear in the warrior's eyes. You saw it too didn't you? He thought to Koga's spirit as he sat down next to the resting form. He's a lot younger than he looks, shaped by experience rather than years… only slightly older than your brother Roku… If there was one thing Gordon had learned over the years it was how to guess someone's age, though having a leopard's head made Guin's a little harder to guess. To be honest he had no clue as to how swiftly the warrior actually aged, but physically he was young enough to be his son. Casting one last concerned glance at Guin, Gordon finally stood and left the room. Why must the fates be so cruel?

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Author's Note:

For those of you who are wondering, yes I do have experience in matters of PTSD, though I won't elaborate any further on that. I'll admit that this story is difficult to write but I will type till it is done. Luckily I've got other ideas for different stories later on, some of which are beginning to be posted now. I.E. Eyes of the Innocent.