Alpha and Omega - Jackal's Story
Chapter 10
In collaboration with Subzero Dragon. Visit their profile to see the other side of this story. Important events that aren't mentioned here take part in the other side of the story.
Subzero Dragon's Chapter = 5500+ words
I wandered around the Den for a while as I thought of who to bring on this mission. As far as I am aware, there is no such thing as an Intel team here in the Far East so does that mean that Hibari told me to bring someone who was on the mission with Gina, Shun and Federico? That must be it, but I don't know who any of them are. Damn it! I knew I should have paid more attention to the introductions yesterday! I could ask somebody who these people are but the only people I really know are Robin, the 1st Unit and Karel. Asking Karel is out of the question. I can't stand the guy. It was bad enough to be sent on one mission with him, it would be even worse to communicate with him outside of missions too.
"Bet you can't keep 'em off of you." I raised my head in the direction of this unusually loud voice. There I could see the owner of the voice was a white haired woman whose favourite colour seemed to be purple, judging by her attire. She wasn't the only person I could see though, next to her was Robin and she looked more than a little perturbed by the other's presence.
"Hey, you! Stop bugging Robin!" I quickly came to Robin's defence as I approached the two of them. My face sported a look of on not to be messed with. Unfortunately, this woman didn't get the message.
"Aw, you're a spoilsport, can't you see we were just having a girl-to-girl chat?" The woman spoke with humour and determination in her voice. She made it clear that she wasn't going to stop annoying Robin and that annoyed me too.
"Only if it's a different topic, please..." Robin spoke and I noticed that during the white haired woman's previous line of speech, Robin had been retreating towards the lift. I found this and her nervous tone of voice to be quite cute but didn't express this.
"See? She agrees." The purple clad woman spoke and made a shooing gesture with her hand. I must admit that she knows how to annoy people. "Now go and let us get back to the juicy part." I could feel my voice beginning to rise as I prepared to speak back to her. At least, I would have had it not been for a startling noise coming from Robin's vicinity. Looking at her, I notice that the lift doors had opened and Karel had walked out. Just the person I didn't want to see.
"Karel." I spoke with a stern voice. It really was a bad time for him to show up.
"What, Jackal? I'm just here to pick up a new mission." Fair enough. I shouldn't get angry if that's all he is doing. I begin to ease myself from a stiffened pose that I hadn't realised I had went into. That was until,
"Are you here for a cut of my reward again?" He glared at me as he spoke with a tone that reminds me of how royals would speak down to others. That fired me up and I had to force myself from punching the man that deems himself as being 'holier than thou'.
"You wish, I'm just looking for the three God Eaters who saw the strange, golden Aragami earlier. I think their names were Federico, Shun, and Gina." I scoffed.
"You mean that bird thing from earlier?" The silver haired woman spoke for the first time since Karel arrived. "I was on that mission. I'm Gina." She seemed genuinely intrigued by the flow of conversation and appeared a little giddy. After she says this Karel decides to start walking and not-so-friendlily bumps into me as he does so.
"She'll tell you. Now get out of the way."
"Grr..." I growl as he moves by and my anger sky-rocketed. How dare he treat me like that! I'll give him a good enough thumping that will make him learn some manners! I ball my fists up and prepare to walk after him but a gentle, and firm, hand on my shoulder stops me.
"Jackal, calm down. Leave it." Robin speaks in a calming tone but it does little to calm my thoughts.
"Jackass." I mutter under my breath as I didn't want Robin to hear that but I needed to do it to take care of some of my anger. I turn back towards the two, Robin and Gina, after giving a sharp sigh.
"Sorry you had to see that, Robin, Gina." I spoke with a hand on the back of my neck. "That jerk values his own wallet more than the mission, and that kind of selfishness really pisses me off in a hurry." While I stopped speaking, my thoughts continued, he is the type of person that I wouldn't mind seeing on the wrong end of multiple Aragami attacks.
"Ooh, a hot-blooded type, aren't you?" Gina asked me before turning to Robin. As soon as my brain processed what she said, I immediately tuned out whatever else she was going to say. This woman says she is Gina, one of the few people on the reconnaissance mission earlier, and I have already found her annoying. Unless she says something about the Aragami I'm searching for, I am going to disregard everything she says. It turns out that I must have disregarded her for a while as someone new joins in the conversation.
"Gina, stop teasing the new kids. You don't want them to spook." Lindow speaks after he got out of the lift. I find myself beginning to think that this lift seems to bring all of the I have problems with into this conversation.
"Oh, it's not teasing if it is the truth! I'll just let them think on it some more. Can't rush love." Gina speaks with a teasing tone. I must have disregarded her for too long as I have no idea how we got onto this topic. Wait, did they resume their girl talk whilst I was here? Anyway, that's not important right now. I want to know about the Golden Aragami and it's clear that Gina wasn't going to talk to me about it.
"Do either of you know where Shun or Federico are? I still have to ask them about that mission." I spoke to get us back on track.
"I think Federico went on a mission with Brendan, Tatsumi, and Kanon to the Sunken Grid not long ago. It's just two Fallen Chi-Yous, so I expect they'll be back before dark. As for Shun, I last saw him in the cafeteria, grumbling something about being bored." Lindow answered and I was happy for it. If Shun is bored then he could probably come along with me on the mission.
"Then let's go, Robin." I speak with a smile as I turn towards her before we head towards the lift. Or we would have had Gina not decided to run in front of us and block our path. This woman was seriously becoming a nuisance.
"Did I put you two off? Okay, I get it. Let's be serious then. I know about that Aragami too, so if you want me to tell you, just ask!" She looked quite desperate as she said this.
"Well, don't you think right in front of the elevator is a weird place to discuss it?" Lindow continued, "How about you three head to the cafeteria and discuss the details with Shun? I heard him grumbling about how he wants a challenge. Maybe you should think of taking him and Gina with you, Jackal." Lindow suggested but I'm not too sure I want Gina on this mission.
"I'd like that! I love fresh prey. New Aragami like that make me want to hunt." Gina speaks with passion almost instantly after Lindow. I had begun to question her word choice "prey" as an example. She sounds rather sadistic.
"Good. Well, I have a date to see to, so I'll see you all later." Lindow speaks up as if it was decided that Gina was coming with us and leaves at that. Just as I finish questioning Gina's word choice I begin to question Lindow's; "date" for an example. Isn't he engaged.
"Date?" Robin also seemed puzzled by this. Does this mean that Lindow is the type to use women for sex?
"Didn't expect him to be that type..." I scratch my had as I speak with a puzzled expression marring my face. Gina seemed unaffected by this though.
"Oh, Lindow just says stuff like that when he's hunting something big. I wonder what he'll take down this time? Maybe another Ouroborus? Or better yet, two!" Gina was definitely the sadistic type. "Well, enough of that. Let's find a seat at the cafeteria and discuss that Aragami there, hm?" Robin and I nodded in response and followed Gina into the lift with our destination being the cafeteria.
Gina, Robin and I entered through the cafeteria door after navigating our way through many hallways. It turns out that the lift is quite the distance away from the cafeteria despite this floor being need the cafeteria floor. Upon entering the cafeteria, we find one person in it. This person is a red-haired man situated at the far end of a table. His attire consisted of a lime-green jacket, a black shirt, and a cap positioned sideways.
"Shun! Hey!" Gina almost sang her greeting to him.
"What, Gina? I'm kinda busy." His tone reminded me of Karel. Hopefully he doesn't have the same attitude as him.
"You know that scouting mission we went on yesterday? Jackal here has some questions to ask us." Gina, again, almost sang as she took the seat beside him whilst Robin and I sat across from them. Shun appeared to be sizing us up as he acknowledges Gina.
"You're those so-called 'elite' God Eaters we got. You two don't look like much."
"I'm tougher than I look." I speak before remembering that Robin is beside me. "We both are." Shun smiles at this. Maybe he isn't like Karel.
"You better be! I heard you two raised hell last week. Hunting that Tsuchinoko thing was ballsy of you!" I was glad to hear his response wasn't something that would imply we could have done better but it was annoying to hear that even Shun, a person that I have just met, already knows about what happened last week.
"How does everyone know about that?" I ask with a palm on my forehead.
"Well, you better include me next time! Tsuchinoko won't stand a snowball's chance against my blade!" Shun exclaims with passion lacing his voice. Maybe he is some kind of sadist. It would make sense though. Two sadists, Gina and Shun, on a team. They'd have no empathy for the Aragami and prefer to see them suffer. They might be useful on the team...
"So the bird. We saw it, but we didn't have the 'manpower' for a head-on fight." He used hand gestures to emphasise the word "manpower". He didn't sound too happy during his speech.
"But Federico was right," Gina replied, "As much as I love a good fight, three of us versus one large Aragami, and a new one at that, wouldn't have ended so well." As Gina chips in, I get the feeling that their other team member, Federico, had suggested that the three of them escape from the Aragami. It sounds as though he was the captain for that mission.
"I wanted that mission to track the thing, but Hibari said it was taken!" Shun shook his head as he spoke, "I was looking for something challenging. I'm sick of all the small-fry missions I've been stuck with lately!" Perfect! He doesn't know that I was the person that accepted the mission. If I ask him, he'll probably want to come along! After all, didn't he say he wanted a challenge?
"So, why don't you come with me then? I took that mission. If you're so keen on taking it down, do it with me." I noticed that Robin did a little jump as I spoke. Was she scared that I spoke so suddenly?
"This sucks. I find my prey but I have to share the spotlight with some wannabe hero? Pass." Shun replies in a depressed tone and slumps into his seat. Maybe I was wrong to say he was more like Gina. I can identify certain aspects about him that is easy to see in Karel and that annoys me greatly.
"Fine, then don't come. I'm just looking for some experience with the thing." I speak with a snarl. If Shun was going to act like that then I don't need him on the team anyway. Besides, I turn to the white haired woman on his left, I can ask Gina if she wants to come along. I would much rather have her company than Shun's. "Gina, you in?"
"You bet I am! Fresh prey is my speciality!" Gina spoke with another sadistic look on her face and a smile that stretches from ear to ear. She turns to Shun, "C'mon, Shun. Don't be a lone wolf. Or are you just scared?" Gina' words appear to have an affect on Shun as he quickly sits straight.
"Scared?! Hell no, I'm not scared of an Aragami! I take it back, I'm in. You should be grateful." Shun changes his tune pretty quickly and I withhold a sigh at his words. He may not be as irritable as Karel but he still is quite irritating.
"So, that's three then? Who're you picking for your fourth, Jackal?" Robin asked from beside me. Truthfully, there was only one person in the Far East that I could trust to be by my side.
"Oh, some cute spear-wielder I know. She won't mind, will she?" I ask her with humour in my voice. She smiles in response which only emphasises my point.
"She sure won't!"
"Then that's settled! Good!" Now that the team has been sorted out, now all that's left is to prepare.
"So where is the mission this time, oh fearless leader?" Gina asks in what I can only describe as a suggestive voice as she leans across the table. What was worse was that I could see down her shirt and see something black. It was quite unnerving and I felt a weird tingle down my spine. I shuffled in my seat to regain my thoughts.
"The mission's somewhere called the Wailing Plains. Hibari said it rains almost constantly there, so I better prepare supplies for the weather. Meet me up on the roof in thirty minutes." I informed them. These were the last words spoken before we all left the cafeteria to prepare.
It didn't take long to prepare. Since it rains most of the time, I decided to take a jacket with a hood. Hopefully it should keep me relatively dry. I hopes that the others have thought the same thing as me. Shun has a hood on his jumper but the two girls, Robin and Gina, didn't look to be wearing anything that could keep them dry. Luckily, they did decide to wear something that could keep them dry. Either way, sitting in the helicopter now, it is really quite a boring trip to the Wailing Plains.
The helicopter dropped us off near the edge of what looked to be a crater. The reason as to how the crater formed didn't concern me. What did, though, was the enormous tornado in the middle of it. I began to think that it was too dangerous to stay here for long. The tornado made the rain even worse. There was not much point of wearing this jacket. It was already soaked to the bone. Looking at the others, I noticed that they were all soaked too.
"This should be good." Shun spoke the first words since we landed, "You three better not hold me back." He shot the three of us a smug over-the-shoulder smile.
"Didn't plan to. I'm just here for the thrill." Yeah, I don't have to worry about Gina sympathising with these monsters. She is very clearly sadistic but it was a trait to be thankful for when against Aragami. There'd be no hesitation to finish it off.
"All vitals are green. Stay sharp and don't let your guard down. If that new Aragami is invulnerable like Tsuchinoko, you must retreat, am I clear?" Hibari makes herself known through the intercom.
"Sure. It's better to come back alive than doing something stupid." Robin answers and I find it difficult to argue with that reasoning; not that I'd want to.
"That's the spirit! Oh, and try not to forget who I am this time, okay Robin? That kind of hurt last time." Hibari speaks honestly. It must have been hard to know that you were forgotten.
"G-got it, Hibari." Robin spoke with embarrassment in her voice but we didn't have time for this.
"Alright, let's start the search. Don't get separated, guys!" I spoke, reminding them that we are out here for a reason. Looking at my squad, I noticed Robin nod her head and the other two give me a sign of acknowledgement too.
Approximately five minutes of searching for any clues of the beast later, four words from Shun gave him my immediate attention.
"It's that bird again!" I looked to where he was looking, noticing he had drawn his sword in the process, and could see a figure perched on top of a ruined building. It did, indeed, look like a bird. From my position, I could see a lot of gold feathers littering its body. That's not all though, it seemed to have a crest on its head, a tail nearly twice the size of its body with three appendages that reminded me of peacock feathers with the spots on them shining as the light hits them. This Aragami, whilst notably smaller than the Tsuchinoko, appeared to carry itself with a huge sense of pride. Under the crest sat its eyes which were a set of savage slits whilst at the end of each wing was a three-pronged claw. It was quite the sight to behold butt we're not here to admire the sight!
"I don't like this." Robin speaks with caution in her voice and I look to her, making sure to keep the beast in my sight as well, "I know it sees us. Why isn't it attacking?" She raises a valid point. One that I do not know the answer of but something clearly isn't right. Is it waiting for us to make the first move?
"It's just sitting there? Lame. I came here for a challenge, and this is what I get?" Shun speaks but I couldn't really care at the minute. The Aragami must be planning something.
"Should we shoot it down?" Robin also appears to not know what to do.
"Don't ask stupid questions! Just do it!" Shun barked in response.
"You should savor the hunt more. More for me, then. Wish granted!" Gina spoke before setting her sights on the beast. We shouldn't act too rashly!
"Wait! Something's wrong!" Alas, my warning came too late. Gina had shot three bullets towards the beast which eventually moved. It extended its wings and the bullets hit them. It looked as though the beast shook off the attack. Despite Gina's attack, it didn't retaliate.
"Get down from there, feather-face!" I really wish I didn't bring Shun along now, "Come over here and fight me man-to-man! Or, bird-to-man! Whatever!" Shun got his wish as the Aragami rushed towards us at high speeds. High enough speeds that I didn't have time to react as it gripped onto Robin and ascended further into the air with her.
"Robin!" I shouted in shock. I doubt she heard me though seeing as how she was so far up into the air. I could see her fighting against the Aragami and struggling to do so. She mustn't have noticed how far into the air she is. There was nothing I could do to stop the bird. All I could do is follow it. I couldn't risk shooting it since I may hit Robin, although if I do it may bring the beast's attention to me. It sounds like a risk I'll have to take. Robin, I'm sorry if I hit you.
"Robin!" I sprint after the beast and switch my Arc into Gun Form. Unfortunately, I don't have a sniper rifle like Gina so I will need to be a lot closer to the beast before I can fire my bullets. Nevertheless, I have to try but that also means that my results will not be as accurate.
"Gina! Fire at the bird!" I shout to her as she runs along next to me.
"But what about Robin?" She protests.
"It's a risk we'll have to take. We need to bring the Aragami's attention to us." That was all the encouragement she needed as she shot her gun towards the beast. She failed to hit it though and I seen Robin wriggling around to avoid the bullets.
"You have a sniper rifle, right? How come you can't hit it?"
"Shut up! I usually shoot when I'm standing still. It's harder to hit a moving target when you are also moving!" She shouts back, annoyed that she cannot hit the beast. I haven't seen a sadist get angry before so I hope for the life of me that the Aragami pays attention quickly.
A few more minutes later, the beast has finally halted in the air. It wasn't too far away from us so we should be able to bring its attention to-
"Holy Shi-" I shouted as I realised that the beast was quickly descending towards the ground, head first. A fall from that height will kill Robin! Using as much strength as I could muster, I jumped towards the target, trying to intercept it. I deploy my shield at the last second as I make contact with the beast which tried to veer to the side. It couldn't avoid me, however, and bounced off of my shield whilst Robin collided with me into the ground.
"Ow." Was the girl's response at the rough collision.
"Argh! I'll feel that one tomorrow." I groan on the ground. The sudden change in direction and the forcefulness of it had caused more than just a headache to form. There is no doubt that a non-God Eater would have a few broken bones from that fall.
"You two are something else!" and now Shun is going to run his mouth. I noticed that he falls back from combat with the beast and deploy a Restore Post before running back into combat. "Are you sure you're elites? Some elites you are!" Shun speaks mockingly.
"Are you okay?" Robin asks me as she extends a hand to help me up. I take it.
"I'm fine. I just I hit my head on my Arc when that bird rammed me. How about you? That thing didn't hurt you did it?" I asked Robin. I was more concerned with her well-being than mine. Although, the fact that she got up before me means that she isn't too injured.
"Not really." She informs me but another look at her proves otherwise. Her face had turned even whiter than a sheet, as if she had seen a ghost.
"Okay, okay. I did get hurt a little, but I'll be fine in a moment. Come on, we better help." She'll be fine in a moment? What did that mean? Oh yeah, Shun's Restore Post. I notice Robin looking behind her to see the beast floundering around on the ground. Gina is taking advantage of this but she was becoming fatigued. Shun was delivering a few blows to it from behind. It was only a matter of time before the beast would regain its composure. Turning back to Robin, she gives me a little nod and runs towards the Restore Post. I find myself following. After that, we ran back towards the beast.
As we approach the bird, it manages to find its feet. I hadn't noticed before but there were markings on its wings which glowed and the circles of its tails glowed a blue colour as well. It looked to be forming an attack as frost formed at its talons. At least we've now deduced its type. It slashes its wings in our direction and numerous icicles are thrown at us. I noticed this attack too late and felt the brunt of the icicles that scraped across my arms, slowly drawing blood and I shout in anguish as I feel it. I also heard the others' cry of pain. Keeping my eye on the beast, I checked to see if everyone was still in a fighting condition. As I look to Robin, I notice that she has already brushed off her injuries and appears to be fiddling with her God Arc. Whatever she is doing, she'll need support! I switch my Arc to Melee Form and stood in front of her, Shun by my side. It was only seconds later that I felt a little more energised. Robin must have used a healing bullet but I cannot focus on that. The Aragami smashes its balled up claws into the ground. I was able to prepare for this and deployed my shield just as a wave of ice hits my Arc. I lower my Arc after the beast's attack but notice that something isn't right. My shield did not lower. How the hell am I supposed to fight with a broken God Arc?!
"What the hell?! My God Arc's stuck!" Shun shouts. So it isn't broken but what is wrong with it?
"I'm stuck too!" I tell him before getting an idea. Maybe smashing it against a hard surface will help it. I decide to smash it against the ground but it doesn't appear to be working. "I can't change to Gun Form either!" I was unable to do anything. Would I have to continue this fight with only my shield? Well, at least we still have-
"Me too!" Or so I thought. I look to Robin as she shouts.
"My gun is frozen too! I can't change bullets! I think I can still fire my gun though!" Thankfully, at least we have some form of attack with Gina's gun. We could defend as she shoots.
"Good, try to shoot that bird! I'll cover you since I can't fight back. Robin, Shun! Back me up!" I shout, setting up a defensive formation.
"Good idea! We might not be able to fight, but we can still defend!" Robin understood my plan and helped to form this formation.
"Oh my, how noble of you. You're all like my guardians now. That's so sweet~! Do you two practice chivalry?" Gina speaks as if she found our actions cute.
"Shut up and do something, Gina!" I couldn't agree with Shun more, "When this thing thws, that ice-bird's mine!" Shun joins in in our formation and we notice the bird ascending.
"Oh, boo. Why do you have to be so serious, Shun? Whatever, time to hunt!" Gina finally comes to senses with the situation and fires what I notice to be red, Blaze, bullets. Quite fortunate seeing as how the beast is a Freeze-type but I am intrigued as to the effects of the bullets. When they hit the beast, the markings on its wings and tails glow red. I find myself absorbed in this change of colour. That's when the beast decides to charge at us and it covers itself in flames. Is it possible that the beast is both a Freeze and Blaze type?. I raise my shield in preparation and track its movements. I see that Robin, in front of me, dives to the ground for some reason. Allowing me to take the force of the attack. However, for the second time today, my Arc fails me. My God Arc must have thawed due to the beast's flames as it drops, making me take the full, scorching force of the beast. It pummels into me and grabs me by my shoulders with its feet. I find myself being lifted off of the ground and pushed into something very large and hard behind me.
"Gah!" I grunt and prepare to hit the thing with my God Arc. At least, I would have had it not bitten into my shoulder; the pain making me drop my Arc as it continues to maul me.
"Argh!" It digs into my chest as well, seemingly ready for the final kill. I could feel my eyelids drooping.
"Jackal!" I heard Robin shout and could see her spear hit the beast but bounce harmlessly off of it. Thankfully, she had distracted it and it stops digging into my chest. That's definitely going to hurt in the morning. My eyelids had dropped despite ,y desperate attempt to keep them open. I could hear Robin scream angrily and could only hope that the beast hadn't gotten her.
It was getting hard to breathe. I could feel the blood pouring down my arm and chest. I wonder how I look in this condition; covered in blood mustn't be a very good sight. Especially to Robin, I'd hate for her to see me like this but try as I may, I cannot move without great pain.
"Gina! Shun! Jackal! Robin! Come on, somebody answer me!" Hibari's shout through my earpiece was like a screech from hell. It felt as though it has caused my ear to bleed as well. At least, I hope that was blood from my ear that I could feel and not from my head.
"What, Hibari? Stop shouting!" Shun spoke in an annoyed tone. I had attempted to speak but I hadn't the energy to do so.
"Oh, thank goodness! I completely lost your signals for a while! Report in!" Hibari shouted through the earpiece again. Won't somebody please remove it from my ear?! I could feel my breathing becoming even more erratic as the conversation continued.
"We found the Aragami. Too bad it ran though, because that fight was just getting interesting!" Was Gina's response. I could hear my own breathing and knew that it sounded bad. I wouldn't be able to last for much longer.
"What happened out there?! Jackal's vitals are redlining!" Hibari's words were the last I heard.
I hear voices. They burn my ears after each utterance. In between each sentence I could hear some kind of ringing noise. I couldn't quite identify what it was. Despite how long I tried to identify the noise I still couldn't. I am pulled out of my thoughts when I feel something cold on my chest and a sudden rush of electricity shoots through my body. It was painful. Was I still on the battlefield? Had a Vajra joined in the fight? Either way, I am still going to die...
I painfully open my eyes and regret the decision as the bright walls of the infirmary enter my vision. My eyes shut to protect me from the sudden light before I force them open again.
"Jackal!" A feminine voice is heard from beside me. I slowly move my head to the side and see the owner to the voice to also be the owner of emerald green hair.
"Hey Robin." I speak and notice that my voice wasn't the same as it usually is. I see that Robin seemed to be in a roughed up state. It was obvious that she was not okay but I didn't know what was wrong with her.
"How are you feeling?" She asks me and reminds me of the previous events. I move a hand to my chest to feel for my injury. Surprisingly, I felt no pain but I could still feel the mark. I check my right shoulder as well and also feel no pain. I must have been drugged up pretty badly to not feel the pain from these marks.
"Other than this, I feel fine." I gesture to my condition. "I don't feel any pain though. Do you know if they drugged me?" My voice was not the same as it was before but I can't describe how it was different. I just knew it was.
"Erm... Probably, right? So that you don't feel any pain."
"I thought as much." I tell her before returning my sight on the ceiling. I stayed like that for a while before something that Robin said made me speak, but had she been speaking all this time?
"...gami has been named Garuda. A fitting name don't you think?"
"Does it really matter what it's been called. It's a monster, it doesn't need a name. If you're thinking about the name of an Aragami then you are not thinking about how you will kill it." I spoke what was on my mind. Going over those words in my head I could tell I was incredibly blunt about the situation. I turn back to Robin and wait for her response. Her face showed many emotions but I could not identify them.
"Well, I suppose so but we need to make a record of them, don't we? That's how we can prepare for battles with more of that Aragami if they show up in the future." Something about what Robin said caused a switch to go off in my brain and I look back to the ceiling.
"But is there even any point?"
"Huh?" She mustn't have understood my train of thought.
"In fighting Aragami, I mean. It seems that after every battle with a new Aragami, somebody gets injured. When we were against the Tsuchinoko, it was the both of us. When we were against the, now called, Garuda, it was me. Whenever a new Aragami shows up,there are bound to be casualties. It won't be long before there is also a fatality." I look back to Robin and, again, I can't read the emotions on her face.
"There seems to be a never ending swarm of Aragami. I wish we could say that we have eliminated a lot of them but, in reality, despite the amount of God Eaters all over the world there are still a lot more Aragami. New ones that we haven't discovered yet. New powers that we never thought possible, like the Tsuchinoko's invisibility. Mankind is doomed. It always had been and always will be." I finish my speech and try to read the emotions on Robin's face but failed to do so. She got up and left the room in a hurry and I can't help but think if I said something she didn't want to hear.
Two days have passed since the battle with the Garuda, I found out that I woke up eight hours after passing out by one of the medical staff that came to check on me, and ever since our first conversation when I woke up, Robin has not been back to visit me. In fact, my most common visitors were, surprisingly, the other two that went on the mission with me; Shun and Gina. I'm not quite sure why but Gina seemed to be very attached to me over these past few days. It seemed that she checked on me every two hours or so, and each time she visits for about half an hour. When I asked her about it she said that I had changed since the battle and she is fascinated at how I am now. I'm not sure whether this is a compliment or not, either way, it is quite disturbing. It almost feels as though she is conducting experiments on me. She often taunted me during her visits but to be honest, I am thankful for the company. It is times like these that I will miss most of all when I am dead. Especially since I could die tomorrow...
Another two days have passed and I still haven't seen Robin. I was starting to think about the worst. Had she been killed in battle? Was she missing? No, I don't think either of them scenarios are correct. Every time I have asked one of my visitors about Robin they would always say that she will visit me soon but soon never comes.
"Hey, stop staring into space." A voice almost scolds me from beside the bed. I had forgotten that I had a visitor. The provocatively dressed medic of the 1st Unit. I turn my head to the side so I can see her properly.
"I need you to answer these questions. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can get out of here." She tells me and taps her pen against the clipboard a few times. "So, let's continue. Have you been feeling light-headed at any time since you woke up?"
"No."
"Have you been in pain at any time since you woke up?"
"No."
"Good so then the medical staff must treat you whilst you're asleep." Sakuya informs me before turning the page.
"They do what?!" It was more of an exclamation than a question and I see her scribble something down on a sheet of paper. I snatch it from her, ripping the paper into two pieces in the process, and read what it says. Ignoring her protest and moving the paper away from her as she tries to grab it back.
Finally shows some form of emotion after a little. It cuts off there. She hadn't finished writing.
"What were you going to write?" I ask and I can sense that my voice became more rough. I gave her the half a sheet of paper back.
"Sorry but I cannot tell you. It's for your medical records." She gets up promptly and makes her way towards the door. I still wanted to find out what she meant by that and prepared myself to go after her. I swung my legs to the side of the bed and got up quickly. It was only seconds later that I regretted my decision as, after only a few steps, my legs crumbled underneath my weight and I fell to the floor in a heap of agony.
"Gah!" The pain was sudden and sharp. I mustn't have healed properly yet but I was almost thankful for that because every day I am in here means I have managed to live another day. I try a few times to get back up but fail miserably. I must have been here for at least a few minutes trying to get back up. Why did Sakuya have to up and leave? I never got an acceptable answer to my question! I stop writhing around as I hear voices outside of the infirmary.
"I wouldn't go in there right now if I were you, he's not exactly too happy." That was Sakuya's voice! She was still outside! Had he been talking all this time? I wonder if I can get an answer to my question by listening to her conversation. I crawled towards the door so that I could hear better.
"But, he's showing an emotion, right?" It was another female's voice but I couldn't quite make out who it belonged to . It was definitely familiar though.
"Yeah, a breakthrough. Finally. But it isn't the best of times to speak with him. He still isn't his old self. I know how upset you were last time you spoke with him." Sakuya answers the other woman and I wonder what she means by that. Clearly this person has visited me before but I have had quite a few visitors. I could instantly rule out the male visitors like Shun and Lindow because of how feminine the voice sounds but quite a few women have visited me also. Sakuya said that I upset this person the last time they visited me. Who could I have upset? Nobody looked to be upset during their visit. Not Gina, Alisa, Kanon or Robin.
"But if he's finally coming back to his senses maybe all her needs is a little push to return back to how he was." I hear a little shuffling outside and suddenly the owner of this voice seems closer to the door. Whoever it was was wanting to come into here. I have to get back to my bed!
"Well, good luck. You're gonna need it."
"Er... Okay, thanks?" I could hear the doorknob jiggle and I was almost at my bed but I couldn't get onto it in time.
"Jackal!" The familiar voice shouts and rushes to my side, helping me back onto the bed. Why didn't I realise earlier that somebody would be visiting me? As the woman helps me back onto my bed, I see a few flashes of green hair and as I am placed onto my back, I realise that the person that Sakuya was talking to was Robin. It's only been four days since I last heard from her and yet I had already forgotten her voice. That reminds me, I apparently made Robin upset when she last visited me as well. How did that happen?
A few wordless seconds pass by which sees Robin sit down in the chair by my bedside.
"So how have you been?" She was the first to break the silence but she seemed slightly reluctant.
"Other than the occasional pain, I've been fine. How about you? You been on a ton of missions?" I wondered why she hadn't visited me since the first time I woke up. Being on a ton of missions was the only explanation I could find.
"A few. The first one was..." I tuned out as she explained the missions that she went on. I didn't really care.
"I feel sorry for you." I speak, interrupting her rambling.
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Every time you are out there, you are putting your life on the line. If we compare your life to mine, I am more likely to live longer. I'm stuck in the infirmary and therefore don't have to fight for my life, unlike you." I explain to her.
"What?"
"As long as I'm in here, I don't have to..." I attempt to explain to her but she quickly interrupts. Her words leave a lasting effect and she runs out of the infirmary. I had definitely upset her but I didn't mean to. I don't even know how I did.
I wake up a short while later, I hadn't realised that I had went to sleep. I notice that it seems darker than usual and more peaceful. As I come to my senses, I realise that it hasn't gotten darker; instead, I am just covered by the shadows of a few people surrounding me. I manage to make out a medical uniform on each one of them and go to speak.
"Mhm" That's not what I wanted to say. "Mhmh" Why can't I articulate properly? I try to lift my hand up but realise that it is strapped to the bed. I begin to panic and attempt to lift my other hand up and am meet with the same resistance. For some reason, I had been strapped to the bed and my mouth had been covered. I try moving my legs but to no avail. Something wasn't right.
"Mhmhm"
"Will you just shut up. You're making this harder than it needs to be." One of the medical staff speaks. I try to get a better look at them but realise that their faces are covered. Whoever these people are, they didn't want to reveal their identities. One of the staff grabs places a hand on my forehead and presses down, pushing my head into the pillow.
"Hold still." I attempt to fight against the grip but it is too strong. He eventually removes his hand and I see a chance to fight back. Or at least, I would have had it not been for somebody else strapping my head to the bed. What was going on here? I could feel myself beginning to sweat and could feel my heart racing. Whatever was going on, certainly wasn't normal. I could see their mouths moving and could tell they were speaking but I couldn't hear the for the blood rushing to my ears. My eyes dart to each individual as I try to figure out what they are doing. It is only a few seconds later, which feels like hours, before the one closest to me pulls out a long needle from behind their back. The needle must have been at least 10 centimetres long and it was heading towards my eye!
"Now, this might hurt a little but it will hurt even more if you move." The person spoke but that didn't stop me cowering the pillow, trying everything I could to evade the needle. I fail to do so, however, as it plunged into my eye.
"Mhmhmh!" I screamed at the pain and could feel the man quickly take the needle out. The pain felt familiar, as if I had been stabbed in the eye before. A few seconds pass as I think about how familiar the pain is and then it hits me. The realisation that I have been injected in the eyes before, numerous times. I wonder how I could forget such a thing.
"Rbn!" Is all I can scream as I continue to feel the pain and tears stream down my face.
"That should be all his injections for about half a year. I find it funny that he has no idea that his strength comes from all the injections he has had." One of the staff spoke in a masculine voice.
"Should you really be talking about that in front of him?" Another, more feminine, voice spoke.
"It'll be fine. He'll probably forget all about this by the time he wakes up. He'll probably think it is another bad dream." The same man replied before taking the strap off of my head. "Wait until he's asleep before removing his other straps." I feel gag being removed but before I can scream for help, something is placed over my mouth and nose. "It shouldn't be too long with this gas." That's all I hear as, within seconds, my mind clouds over...