Chapter 25
Retribution.
Oh yes, there would be RETRIBUTION.
The metallic Renegade base pulsed with electricity, and echoed poorly hidden sniggering and giggles. Lieutenant Armand Sol (or just Armand as he preferred) vowed that these entry halls would be the last things Private Simms and Sergeant Griswold ever laid eyes on.
Of course, given his current situation, it was not likely he'd be able to cash in on that promise.
The lieutenant's carefully styled blond hair hung in his eyes and his usually cocky demeanor had shriveled up. Yanked up by the collar, like naughty puppy, Armand was forcefully paraded down the monolithic halls for all to see.
If Armand's captor hadn't been one quarter of the infamous quartet, The Four Seraphim, he wouldn't be in this fix. Lord Aurion topped Armand by a good six inches, so in order to keep from chocking on his own uniform the lieutenant was forced to walk in an awkward pigeon-toed fashion. This was particularly the reason occasional peals of laughter that followed the unique procession.
'That's the last time I play messenger, insubordination be damned!' the lieutenant seethed. He berated himself for forgetting the first rule of good leadership: the ability to delegate.
"Lord Aurion," Armand began unsteadily. He was far beyond hoping that one of those kids would take pity on him. The chipper blond chick was busy looking at her boots. And the boy who shared an uncanny semblance the seraph was too busy hanging his head in shame to help the distressed officer. Then there was the little glaring pintsized punk who looked like he wanted to join Aurion rather than help his fellow half-elf.
Armand mustered the scraps of his fleeting courage and tried again, hoping to regain some dignity before entering the base proper, "Lord Aurion, I have orders to take you to Commander-"
Kratos impatiently looked down his nose to the half-elf swordsman, "Where is she, the professor?"
"Professor Sage?" Armand choked, the collar was digging into his neck. It briefly flashed through his mind that this man could easily end his existence. So his next words were more panic induced truth than his original intention. "I assume she's in the sickbay…probably intensive care."
Suddenly Armand's feet left the ground and he was face to face with an angered demon from the days of yore. The lieutenant tried to look away but locked eyes with furious smaller version of the professor. 'I can't win today…'
"She's where?!" Kratos barked.
Armand felt himself shrivel as the blood drained from his face. But when the lieutenant thought all hope was lost, a board tone interrupted the tense situation.
"I take it you didn't listen to my Lieutenant's full report before you manhandled him here," Yuan said as he descended on a glowing lift.
The Renegade leader stepped off and sardonically took in the ridiculous scene before him. "Kratos, let my officer down. I'll be hard pressed to find another swordsman of his caliber if you damage him."
Kratos complied slowly and Armand was never happier to have his feet touch solid ground.
"Lieutenant, dismissed," Yuan said absently. The lieutenant didn't need to be told twice, and double-timed down the adjacent hall.
'Kratos and his moods.' Sometimes Yuan could swear he was worse than some hormonal adolescent.
Yuan gave Kratos' odd procession a passing sweep. Both the son and former Chosen were unusually quiet, but the young half-elf caught his eye. A crude bandage was around Genis' head. It was punctuated by a dark brown bloodstain over his left ear, Yuan's eyes sharpened.
"You," Yuan said suddenly. "What happened?"
Genis flinched, and looked away from blue haired angel. The probing eyes made his mutilation that much more shameful. "I-I want to see Raine," Genis said not so subtly changing the subject.
An uncomfortable silence filled the area.
Yuan's lingering gaze finally turned away. "Very well then. This way." With a flourish of his cape he led the bunch further into the base.
The base was larger than its cliffside exterior suggested. The trek down into its maze-like depths was a journey of its own.
The base's medical center was heralded by the scent of disinfectant and white-coated men and women going about their routine.
"She is at the end of the hall," Yuan stopped and pointed down a short deadened hallway.
Genis wasted no time and shouldered his way around the caped half-elf. Kratos was not far behind when Yuan stepped in his path. He glared at his old comrade, but Yuan shook his head warningly mouthing the word 'wait.'
Genis skidded to a stop and hurriedly pressed a large green access button. The door slid open and his face went ashen.
"Raine!" the young mage wailed, sending a threatening chill up Kratos' spine.
Collette put both hands to her mouth as if to hold back tears. The utter horror in Genis' voice shook her deeply.
"What's going on," Kratos growled at Yuan, his head slightly bent so that his hair ominously covered his eyes.
"I will explain, but only if you get a hold of yourself," Yuan scolded, then added with a sneer, "you're behaving like a fool."
Collette followed Genis too, but Lloyd, displaying rare tact stopped her. Both numbly sat on a metal bench across from the room, waiting for their friend.
"Leave them here," Yuan said briskly. "We have much to discuss and even more to get done."
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It was well past midnight when Kratos had finished seeing to the task Yuan had unceremoniously dumped into his lap. That afternoon his ancient friend had informed him that Raine was in serious but stable condition and then handed him an electronic clipboard full of familiar names, saying, "They're your problem now."
Kratos could only stare dumbfounded as Yuan hopped the lift back to his command post.
The only motivation that saw this task to completion was the fact that Raine would appreciate the gesture. Other than that Kratos was too worried over Raine's wellbeing to honestly care about her intellectual brood.
On the plus side he was able to learn more about the ambush that left Raine in such a state. Yes, it had been lovely to get the grisly details from nearly forty starry eyed nerds. By the thirty-second Kratos was about to strangle someone.
Aside from Linar and Aisha who would arrive at the base tomorrow, everyone was accounted for and for the most part whole.
The halls were dimmer at night, fore the base only operated at half power. The staggered lighting and offered a much-subdued atmosphere as Kratos walked the halls with purpose. Only the occasional patrol offered any signs of life around the sleeping compound.
Kratos stepped quietly past an orderly snoring soundly in a chair. Next to the sleeping half-elf was a sign with bright red bold letters stating that visiting hour had ended. No doubt the doors had been locked, but that didn't deter Kratos. The seraph quickly entered a code into the wall panel to gain access.
The room was dark save for a soft blue light over the door. Kratos took a step inside and was quickly alerted by a soft sleepy mumbling from the corner. Genis lay curled up on the heavy bench that had once occupied the hall, curiously draped in a dark cape.
" …He may get on my nerves at times, but no one deserves that," Yuan pushed off the wall he had been leaning against. "I never thought that he would have to suffer the disgrace of being 'Clipped'."
"Clipped?" Kratos repeated then looked questioningly at his old comrade.
"Call it a new twist to half-elf persecution," Yuan grimaced. "The one physical trait that makes us not quite elf but not quite human either," the Renegade leader pointed to his blunt cone shaped ear.
Kratos swallowed thickly. "You've seen this before?"
"In the past three months? Yes," Yuan replied angrily. His eyes softened when the fell on Genis. "Too many times to count."
A busy looking apparatus next to Raine's sleeping form beeped noisily, and Kratos rushed to her side in a heartbeat.
"Its fine," Yuan assured. "Its just an alarm for the night shift so they can monitor her vital signs. The beeping is a good thing, trust me." He took a clipboard and quickly jotted down the numbers flashing on the machine.
Kratos took in her bruised face, her left eye was badly swollen and he could see stitches poke out from the seam of her lips. A light blue comforter covered most of her body, but one heavily bandaged hand lay atop the blankets with a long cord attaching it one of the machines that surrounded her.
Setting clipboard down on a low table Yuan said, "I'll give you the doctor's report later, but I'll give you a quick gloss over. She suffered crack bones, punctures, bruises, abrasions and lacerations, which can easily be fixed. But more worrisome is that the mana in her body had nearly gone toxic."
"Toxic," Kratos repeated absently lightly running his fingers over Raine's bandaged hand.
"You know that those with elvan blood needs mana as much as oxygen, right? Well, somehow Sage here managed depleted the mana in her system. As a result the remaining supply became unstable, causing it to eat her body from the inside out. My doctor's won't even try to begin curative magic until she stabilizes."
It wasn't as if he did not believe his old comrade, just that he needed to confirm the prognosis for himself. Which was why Kratos began to peel back the light blue cover from Raine's neck. He knew the symptoms and wanted to see for himself the telltale black veins that went along with such an affliction.
"I wouldn't," Yuan warned reaching over the comatose Raine to stay Kratos' hand. "You'll only work yourself into another fit."
Kratos pulled back eyeing his friend, very much un-amused.
Something suddenly occurred to the old swordsman and he found himself asking, "Why are you here?"
Yuan arched a derisive brow, "Why not? It's my base. I should be asking you the same thing. Visiting hours are long over."
Kratos narrowed his eyes, "Don't ask stupid questions."
"Again, I could say the same to you," Yuan said so ambiguously that Kratos replied with a sharp dubious look.
"You could say I've been compelled to bear witness this overnight living legend," the Renegade Commander admitted with a shrug. "You don't find many women willing to single handedly attack an entire enemy compound everyday you know. She's made a fan out of my entire base."
Still, Kratos leveled a steady glare at his fellow seraph.
Yuan was far above rolling his eyes, instead mocking smirk turned the corners of his lips. He simply could not help himself. "Don't worry I'm not aiming for her, if that's what you're worried about. I don't think I have the energy to deal with one like Sage. Gods know it hasn't been easy sailing for you."
"Yuan."
"Hm?" Yuan's face was a blank slate of innocence.
"Shut up."
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"She looks a lot better today," Collette chirped happily, standing over Genis' shoulder.
From his metal chair the half-elf held onto his sister's hand, looking over Raine to confirm Collette's observation. The swelling over her body had gone down and the veins along her wrists and throat were no longer as black.
"Yeah," Genis agreed distractedly. He worried at the gauze patch over his ear. The healing balm that would close up the broken skin itched like crazy.
"Don't worry, Genis," Lloyd playfully batted away Genis' hand with a hopeful smile. "Professor Sage is strong, I bet she'll wake up real soon."
"mm…soon-sooner," there was a pause as Raine wet her palette enough to speak. "A bit sooner than you think."
All three teens jumped and poor Genis nearly fell out of his chair.
"Raine/ Professor!" they all chimed at once.
Bubbling with excitement, Lloyd asked, "How do you feel, Professor?"
Raine winced at his loud tone, which in turn caused Genis to bat the taller boy away.
"Tired," Raine admitted shifting her eyes from hazy face to hazy face. Truth be told, tired was an understatement. The bone deep exhaustion was sickening, yet at the same time she felt uncomfortably stifled amid the clean sheets of her bed.
"Oh, this is so exciting! I've gotta go tell everyone!" Collette jumped up and flew out the door before it could fully open. There was a resounding crash followed by profuse apologies before her voice rang down the hall, announcing Raine's miraculous recovery.
While Genis and Lloyd peeked out to check for damage, Raine kept busy carefully wiggling fingers and toes to make sure all limbs were accounted for.
She let out the breath she was holding when she confirmed the existence of all her limbs. The bright artificial light hurt her eyes and it was hard to make out the details of her brother's face once he returned to her bedside.
She reached for Genis who automatically took hold of her hand. She grinned to the best of her ability, considering the myriad of stitched occupying her face. The relief Raine felt at seeing him alive and well nearly brought tears to her eyes.
"You need anything Professor?" Lloyd's visage suddenly eclipsed that of her brother's. Raine's semi-grin never faltered. For now she would allow Lloyd's impetuousness, she was happy to see him too.
"Yes, actually. You can," Raine's voice was slowly gaining strength. "Help me sit up, I'm afraid if I lay here any longer I'll be permanently fused to the bed."
"I don't know, Raine. Maybe it's a bit too soon," Genis cautioned. As ecstatic he was to see Raine regain some of her natural spark, he feared she'd suffer a relapse if he let Raine be her usual determined self.
"I'm perfectly fine, now come on," Raine urged. "Lloyd you help too."
"Me? Ahh…what do I do?" Lloyd's hands hovered around Raine's shoulders, clearly uncomfortable with laying his hands on the professor.
Raine leaned up as best she could, which wasn't much at all. The action shot a wave of dizziness through her skull and brightly colored spots danced in her vision.
"Support my shoulders first," Raine ordered the dual swordsman, fighting a bout of vertigo.
"Like this?" an apprehensive Lloyd slid his arm under the professor's shoulders.
"Yes, good," Raine narrowed her eyes in concentration. "Now Genis take hold of my arms."
"I don't like this, Raine," Genis said anxiously, but did as he was told.
"It's fine I said," beads of sweat now dotted her brow. "Ok now, Lloyd push…slowly!" Raine gasped.
"Sorry." Lloyd apologized, very much flustered. Then as gently as he could he began to support more and more of Raine's weight.
"Now, Genis hold my elbows to keep me from tipping over."
Raine bit the inside of her lip to keep from throwing up, crying out, or both. Lloyd was surprisingly gentle as he lifted her, a testament to his strength. This allowed a worried Genis to gradually work his sister upright.
"What do you think you're doing?" a low dangerous voice resonated from the door.
What happened next was akin to a domino effect. Lloyd suddenly snatched his arm back as if Raine had suddenly caught fire. This caused Genis to lose is grip with the added weight on his end, causing Raine to fall back onto the bed.
Raine choked back a strangled sob as pain exploded behind her tightly shut eyes.
Lloyd looked guilty. Genis looked lost all color in his face. Kratos was livid.
And Raine just hurt.
"Get. Out."
………………
Bewildered, both boys could only stare, thunderstruck, as the sliding door slammed in their faces.
Once over his shock, Genis punched the metal door with his bare pale fist, "What the hell!"
Meanwhile Lloyd continuously pressed the entry button, seemingly unaware that if it wasn't going to work the first time it wasn't likely to work the second, third…or fourth time.
Collette's ruckus had set the entire base into motion. Yuan had been able to stop the mob of well-wishers, but on his way to the medical ward he had a run in (more like collision) with Kratos that nearly had him kissing the floor.
"Here, move over," the blue haired seraph nudged Genis aside and punched a code into the wall panel, but to no avail. He tried again before giving up with an annoyed huff. 'I see someone had taken the opportunity to learn all the override codes.'
Genis put his fists on narrow hips and said impatiently, "Well?"
Oblivious, Lloyd kept poking at the access button until Yuan suddenly snatched the boy's hand away. "Would you stop that?!" he snapped.
"What's going on?" Lloyd was still very much confused.
Yuan leaned against the wall, letting his exasperation escape with a single breath. He then leveled a look at Lloyd and casually answered, "This is your father's equivalent to a temper tantrum."
There was a heavy thump, and the metal wall buckled under the blow mere inches from where Yuan's head rested. The Renegade leader's eyes went wide before going back to their usual half-lidded bored appearance.
"See?"
……..
Kratos removed his fist from the dent in the wall. He stormed towards Raine's bed, stopped then turned back again. This process was repeated several times before he regained his ability to speak.
"Have you gone mad?" Kratos boomed. "There are quicker ways to march off to your death, you know."
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking," Raine tried to sound blasé, but only managed to sound breathless. The fall back to the mattress had knocked the breath out of her.
Kratos stood at the foot of her bed, his shoulders tight with tension. He gripped the metal railing hard, squeezing it with frustration. "Like I said before. Where you trying to kill yourself?"
After catching her breath, Raine craned her neck to see Kratos hovering anxiously at the foot of her bed, "What did you expect me to do?"
"Wait for me." Kratos he said in a strained whisper.
"Hm, lay there and bleed to death? That sounds lovely," she replied flippantly. She let her head fall back to the pillow; the strain was starting to give her a splitting headache.
"Better than gambling with your life," Kratos' low voice boomed in the small confines of the room. He pushed off the bed railing and went to stalk about.
Raine expelled heavy breath into the sterile hospital air, and in a voice laced with warning said, "If you're going to bring this tired old subject up again then you'd better leave."
Kratos' mouth fell open and closed before finally opting for silence; he turned to study the walls. She was right, even Kratos was starting to feel like a broken record. But to his credit, Raine seemed to like putting herself in danger on a regular basis.
However he couldn't shake the feeling of hurt. Why couldn't she depend on him?
Finally in a voice, so quiet Raine at strain in order to hear, Kratos said, "I would have been there for you. If you only waited I could have been there."
"But you weren't," Raine was surprised by the conviction and bitterness in her voice. "You weren't there, and in your absence I did as I saw fit."
"Which included taking on an entire army alone?" Kratos asked finally turning to face Raine's prone form.
"Yes," she answered defiantly.
They regarded each other for a long tense seconds before Raine's look eventually softened, saying, "Look, let's just drop this from our repertoire, shall we? In truth," she averted her eyes. "I'm glad to-"
Suddenly there was commotion at the door, and then a high-pitched whine set Raine's teeth on edge. All she could think of was, 'Who was making such an unholy racket?'
Kratos cursed silently and shot daggers at the door with his eyes. He should have known they'd be up to something. Its been entirely too quiet, considering he kicked Genis out from his sister's sickbed.
"Is that a drill?!" Raine asked incredulously, screwing her eyes shut and trying to burry her head in the pillow.
Before Kratos could answer there a metallic "chink". The sliding door was shoved aside and like a war hero, Genis led the charge made up of a team of doctors and nurses.
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After being dosed with painkillers, antibiotics and other serums she couldn't name, Raine was reintroduced to the world of slumber. The next time she meandered her way to consciousness, she awoke to distinctively male voices.
"…Swords, spears, the doctors even suggest a mace. They damn near threw everything thing at her," came one voice. It had to be Yuan, for it took practice to always sound that smug.
A low throaty masculine chuckle followed, "She's not the type to give up easily." This voice was deep and resonant and Raine silently mused, 'When did Regal get here?'
"Even more remarkable is the utter mess she made of the opposition." Raine could practically hear the deviously pleased smirk behind the Renegade leader's voice. "I didn't think she had it in her."
"I think you've said enough." Kratos, Raine pegged that voice on the spot.
Yuan chuckled devilishly, ignoring the warning, "And with such fierce and well equipped opposition. The only thing that was able to bring her down was-"
"Yuan…" Kratos warned.
There wasn't even the slightest hesitation when the other seraph said, "…Herself. Nearly cast all the magic out of her body."
"She's quite something, is she not? That kind of determination is rare." Regal's voice was so full of pride, Raine felt herself flushing.
"I concur," Yuan agreed. "Such a waste spent teaching, though. Why if I had a general like her-"
"I can hear you, you know," Raine blinked her eyes open to see two hazy blue heads leaning over her.
"Sorry Raine," Regal said gently patting her shoulder, not at all bothered by her admission. The large man wore a smart vest ensemble the color of the ocean at night; it provided a much-appreciated contrast compared to the stark whiteness of Raine's room.
"Your personal guard is at a check-up, so we thought it be a good time to visit," Yuan drawled. He was without his cape, and leaning over her bed had released long blue strands of hair from his hair-band.
"Why dose Genis need a check-up?" Raine asked, feeling more cleared headed than she had in the last two days. All three men exchanged uneasy glances.
"All in due time," Yuan promised. Then on a more upbeat note he said, "But you couldn't have awoken at a better time. On behalf of the entire base, I would like a full recount of your harrowing escapade. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious as well."
In an instant Kratos was hovering over Raine's shoulder. "Perhaps it is better we let her rest."
Raine's eyes traveled to Kratos. She could not see his eyes do to his spiky fringe, but his fold arms suggested he was against such an idea.
"Actually I think Raine's story would be conducive to our investigation of events. The sooner we get the information the better," Regal politely reasoned, though he was with Yuan on this one. The company president was very curious too.
Raine sighed heavily and sunk further into her pillow. It wasn't as if she was afraid to recall the tragedy, it was more like she couldn't. "To tell you the truth. I don't remember much after my impromptu tumble down that damnable ravine."
"Hm, we were wondering how you managed such a spectacular split at the base of your skull." Yuan mused absently.
"Yuan!" Kratos snapped.
After reading up on the full extent of her bodily damage, Kratos was loathed to hear the details. But Regal was right; remaining ignorant would help no one. It took great effort but the former Cruxis lord was able to calm down with a murmured, "Sorry."
"As you were saying?" Regal politely cleared his throat.
"A tree about half way down broke my fall," Raine closed her eyes and willed herself to remember. "I don't think I was out too long, maybe two hours at most. But when I came to I… I…"
"Take your time," Regal encouraged.
Raine furrowed her brow in concentration. "I saw…wagons and…" There was something important, something she was forgetting.
"Kate!" Raine bolted upright from her bed, all three battle hardened warriors stumbled back from her outburst. She then doubled over with a strangled moan as her body objected the sudden movement.
"That sniveling bitch!" Raine raged nearly falling out of her bed. "She betrayed us!"
For all pretenses and appearances, it looked as if Raine was about to hop out of bed and go hunt this person down.
"Raine, you're bleeding!" Regal cried in alarm seeing small dark red stains appear on her white hospital gown.
"Don't just stand there slack jawed, hold her down!" Yuan barked at everyone.
Suddenly there were three pairs of hands on her, forcing her down on the bed. She fought but her body was weak.
"I see there still some of that tenacity left over," Yuan growled flinging the fallen hair in his eyes over his shoulder with a snort.
The anger came back in floods. Raine strained against her restrainers, but then flopped back down in defeat. It was futile to try and overpower what had to amount as three of the most powerful men in the world.
"Please, Raine. You've stretched your sutures. Calm down." Kratos pleaded.
"I-I saw her. She was talking to them!" Raine snarled.
Raine was starting to thrash about again, and all three men applied more pressure to keep her still and from further injury.
Yuan pressing down on her legs just above the knee spoke first, "This, Kate was part of your team? I don't remember the name on the original roster during the head count. And the only names missing arrived at the base yesterday, the two humans."
"She joined us in Atlamira," Kratos said placing a hand on Raine's forehead and gently stroking the sweaty strands of hair form her brow.
"Yes, at your behest," Regal inclined his head to Kratos. "I did some rudimentary digging. It appears she found employment at my hotel, about seven months ago. My HR department traced her hiring back to an agency that operates out of Meltokio. But that's all I could find before being summoned here."
"I knew she was trouble," Raine spat, beating her heels against the mattress in frustration. "Gods, I can't believe it!"
"If you don't calm down and act with some semblance of control, I'll have you sedated," Yuan hissed.
From her prone position on bed, Raine glared the Renegade leader, but eventually stilled.
"That's better," Yuan stood and released her legs. "Now lets try this again, from the beginning."
Raine took a few deep breaths then relaxed. "Very well, but I've warned my memory isn't perfect."
"Just do you best," Regal assured.
With that Raine began her tale.
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It had been six days since Raine was allowed low-level healing magic to help speed up her convalescence. Finally she was able to move around on her own. She'd never thought she'd miss the ability to walk herself to the toilet so desperately. 'Amazing what we take for granted,' she had mused that morning after the doctor's visit.
Today was the first day Raine was allowed to get out of bed and move about, and already she had a long list of things to accomplish.
Raine's first priority was Genis. Her brother continued to dodge her questions about injuries sustained during his abduction. Every time she broached the subject he would only mumble 'I'm fine," and change the subject. She'd twist a few arms to get some information if she had to.
Then of course she had to see to her team, then a meeting with Yuan and Regal in half an hour… Raine was becoming tired just thinking about it all.
Now as soon as she figured out how to get this confounded shirt over her head she could start her day.
Raine would be lying if she didn't admit she still hurt. She still sported many sutures along her body, which pulled painfully with every movement. And her carefully bandaged fingers did nothing to aid in the process of dressing either. It had taken her fifteen minutes just to fasten her pants.
At the moment Raine's head was covered in white cotton as she contemplated the best way to bring her arms through the sleeves with the least amount of pain.
Behind her the automatic door slid open with a hiss.
"The nurses usually knock first, Genis," Raine lightly scolded, her voice muffled by the shirt's fabric. "Since you're hear come and help me, I've been at this the last ten minutes."
So consumed with the task at hand, Raine did not notice the lack of griping and moaning from her little brother. Since Genis turned thirteen he became more squeamish when it came to the realization that his sister was in fact also a woman. He even yelled at her for keeping the two-piece she picked up in Atlamira, saying it was more of her than he ever wanted to see. Raine would taunt him by reminding him that after raising him for thirteen years, there wasn't a part of his body she didn't know. That usually shut him up.
"Hop to it, Genis," Raine said, "My arms are getting tired.
A hand larger than her brother's gently cupped Raine's elbow through the fabric and slowly worked her arm through the first sleeve.
At that point Raine stopped breathing altogether.
Callused fingertips traced along a large greenish purplish bruise along her ribs before working the other arm through and tugging shirt down over her head.
Messy silver locks fell across Raine's eyes as she took in the dark body suit partially covered with a familiar white and light blue jacket complete with leather straps.
It was the first time in a long time that Raine was able to face Kratos on equal footing. Since waking, a combination of painkillers and fatigue had left her out of commission for the most part. And she had time since their last encounter to calm down a little. Now she was flooded with a feeling of elation at having him near again.
Raine suddenly grabbed the high lapels of his jacket, tugging and pulling compulsively. The heat coming off his body along with the smell of leather and sword polish left her addle minded.
She had not idea what came over her. Perhaps all the fear and desperation she faced had not left her body. Or maybe she in fact did miss him terribly.
Now all that mattered was that he was here before her, and she'd be damned if she were going to let him leave again.
Raine drew up to him and firmly pressed her lips against his.
Kratos didn't need anymore prompt and quickly deepened the kiss. Nudging her mouth open, the seraph traced his tongue along the small stitches on the inside of Raine's bottom lip before plunging deeper.
Raine was just as eager forcing herself on her toes and pulling harder on his Cruxis outfit. She felt long the roof of his mouth and Kratos groaned raggedly as he slowly guided Raine back towards her bed.
Raine was like a woman possessed; she felt the need to devour him, never wanting to feel the strange emptiness again. The kiss grew more desperate and became clumsier with each passing second. Raine could feel saliva escape the corner of her opened mouth as Kratos used his tongue to plunge into her again and again.
Raine felt the back of her knees hit the hospital bed and before and she knew it Kratos had nudged her over, following her down in the process. As soon as her back hit the mattress Raine tore her mouth away to issue a startled cry as fire shot up the length of her torso.
Kratos jerked back as if burned. Raine had one eye screwed shut as she waited for the pain in her healing ribs to subside.
Kratos, supporting his weight with both arms, panted heavily.
"Raine? Forgive me. Raine?" Kratos received no response. Her breathing accelerated and the flush on her cheeks grew worse. "Raine, are you alright?" he tried again.
Raine started to chuckled as she took in his flushed worried face. Mirth filled tears beaded at the corner of her eyes, thinking that such a handsome face could look so funny. It was all too much.
"It seems," she chortled uncontrollably. "That you aren't the only one who's attached."
TBC
Author's Note: Phew! This chapter kicked my butt! I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading.