Author Notes: Today is a happy day. It isn't just another day for this story to be updated, but there are other things to be happy for. A beautiful moment.

I am proud to announce that my niece has been born. She has been born healthy and well. Fate has a strange sense of humor because she was born the same day my father had his heart attack last year. Perhaps it was meant to act as a redemption for that day. I still remember last year hearing about my father's heart attack while driving home from work. He didn't die that day, but I knew it was the end after I heard about it. He suffered several episodes during 2018 and 2019, but that episode felt final to me. It now makes me feel happy knowing that day will now be the day my niece was born, and I'm grateful for that.

The previous chapter was a bit of a dozy, but it was one that I was proud to write. It is now time to dive into the aftermath of the fight. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please be sure to leave a review after reading.

/

Past is Prologue

Chapter Eleven: Licking Wounds

/

Please you much not go

There is still so much to do

You must stay with me

/

A wise man once said, 'Haste makes waste'. In most cases, people would agree. Sometimes rushing things will only achieve the opposite. Unfortunately, Yu was too panicked to consider this philosophy. He was rushing to find someone who could help his sister.

Azumi put her life on the line to protect him more than once during their final fight against the group who had been stalking them for the past couple of months. For her efforts, Azumi took a knife to the stomach. He couldn't lift and carry his sister all the way back to camp. He could wish he could all he wanted to, but that was not reality. He could not afford to entertain the fantasy. Instead, he had to face reality for what it was.

Finding his sister help was the only option. Yu lost sight of their father during the fight, but he hoped to find their father somewhere close by. If that wasn't possible, he would need to rush back to camp as quickly as possible, but he knew that might take too long. It would be a risk he'd have to take, but it'd be a risk nevertheless.

As Yu ran in the ruins of the warehouse, his ears perked upon hearing something nearby. Yu wasn't sure what he was hearing, but something told him that he needed to investigate. It didn't take Yu long to locate the source of the noise. He ran toward it at first until he decided to slow his pace when he was close. Thankfully, his instincts to investigate proved to be beneficial.

Yu had located his father, Haru. He was surrounded by several of the remaining members of Estuko's crew. They were all sprawled on the ground unmoving on top of pools of their own blood. Their bodies were all ignored by Haru because they were all irrelevant. There was only one he was focused on, and that person was Kouta. He was the one Haru held by his collar as he continued to beat down on him like a drum.

/

"You son of a bitch!" Haru cried out between punches. He could feel the knuckles collide with his cheek bones with every strike. "We were friends!" After a few punches, Haru began straining the outside of Kouta's mouth. Haru kept punching him regardless. At this point, 'morals' weren't going to stop Haru from punching this man with everything he had.

"After everything we've been through!" Haru punched Kouta with all his strength, "You betrayed me!" Haru punched Kouta once again, "You sold out my daughter!" Haru knuckled met with Kouta's cheek again, "And for what?" Haru's fist collided with Kouta's face once more as he shouted, "For what?!"

Yu stood there as his father kept punching Kouta. He didn't say a word nor lift a finger. All he did was watch his father's fist rained fury on that traitor's face which was leaving him a bloody pulp. Yu witnessed the man's nose be converted into a leaky faucet as blood continued to pour out as his eyes became unfocused.

After a few more punches, Kouta appeared to lack the capable of closing his mouth as he eyes became dazed. From what Yu could see, the man had literally been beaten senseless. Yu could see it in Kouta's eyes as they were completely dazed. Leaving the man like that was perfectly fine with Yu, and he didn't need to add anything more.

While this cathartic moment was enough to briefly entice Yu for a few moments, reality hit him like a wave as his eyes widened. He cursed, "Shit!"

Yu stopped wasting time as he then ran towards his father and shouted, "Father! Father! Azumi needs help! Azumi needs help!"

It was in that moment Haru let go of Kouta's collar as he turned to his son and asked in disbelief, "What … What happened?"

In a rushed voice, Yu answered, "She got stabbed … She was …" Yu felt himself become tongue-tied before then answering, "No time! We gotta move!" Yu then began running back to her he left Azumi as he shouted, "She's dying on us! Let's go, go, GO!"

/

Haru didn't say another world. He followed Yu as he rushed back to the warehouse. He could only imagine what condition he would find his daughter in when they arrived. With each step he ran, he imaged blood ebbing out of Azumi. She was lying down on an ever expanding pool of her own blood while desperately begging for help. Haru had to shake his head to rid himself of those thoughts. He had to focus.

Yu shouted, "She's still in the warehouse!" As soon as he heard that, Haru ran faster than he ever did before.

Haru pushed the warehouse door open while dread what he would see on the other side. What he saw was nowhere near as bad as he feared. Haru could not help but feel grateful.

Azumi was lying on the cement floor surrounded by their fallen enemies, including their leader Estuko. Haru hardly spared her a glance as he ran to Azumi's side. He saw there was a pool of blood forming underneath Azumi, but it was not as widespread as he originally feared. Azumi was pressing down on her wound, and she had slowed down her heartbeat by taking deep, slow breaths. However, her eyes were closed.

Haru knelt down and called out, "Azumi, are you awake?"

Yu caught up and said, "Sis! Wake up!"

"Ugh …" Azumi groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and she softly replied, "Sorry … Just resting my eyes …"

Haru then asked, "Azumi your wound is … How bad is it?"

"Grh …" Azumi gritted her teeth before answering, "That bitch stabbed me right through me in the back. She used that …"

Azumi motioned to the knife lying next to Estuko's body. Haru's eyes widened. That was much bigger than the switchblade she used to slice Azumi's face earlier which was still bleeding profusely. It's unfortunate that facial wound wasn't their biggest problem.

Yu asked, "Can you do something, Father?"

"Hmm …" Haru replied, "I can handle small injuries, but this is much more serious. I could carry her, but that could cause her to bleed out faster. It might take too long to get to the doctor and come back. However, I'm not sure if I might do more harm than good if I try treating this myself."

Seeing this was in circles, Yu told him, "We need to do something, and we have to do it now!"

"Okay!" Haru voiced his decision, "I'll try to do something myself, and I'll carry her back to camp." He looked to his daughter and asked, "Are you okay with that, Azumi?"

Azumi simply replied with, "Yes …"

"Then it's settled." Haru stood up and said, "I'll double check what I have in my bag. I know I should have something we can use." He ran over to where he dropped his bag.

/

Waiting for her father to get back was only a minute, but lying on the cement made it agonizing long. She didn't wish to say anything to make it worse. She tried not to be a distraction. She did everything she could not to make a sound until her body forced her to.

"Gah." Azumi closed her eyes as she coughed into her hand. When she opened them, she saw there was a little bit of red liquid on her hand. It took her an instant to realize what it was. Azumi immediately used that hand to place more pressure on her stomach wound as she cursed, "Damn wound … Son of a bitch."

"Sis! Sis! Are you okay?!" Yu didn't appear to notice her hand." He must have been looking away when she coughed. If he wasn't, Azumi was certain, his tone would've been far more panicked.

"You know Yu …" Azumi took a deep breath, "You had me there for a couple of minutes."

Yu was taken aback, "Huh?"

"I was worried …" Azumi clarified, "Worried that they really managed to get their hands on you, but I just knew you weren't going to let me down … You couldn't …"

"Of course not." Yu shook his head, "I messed up before, but I wasn't going to this time. Not after everything you taught me. I just knew I couldn't afford to."

Azumi reached with her other arm out patted his shoulder as she complimented, "Good man …"

As much as Yu wished to enjoy this moment, he couldn't as he looked down at Azumi's stomach and told her, "Sis, you're still bleeding …"

"You can't do anything about it. I need to get back to camp …" Azumi did her best to remain calm as she ordered, "We need to let father do his thing and get me back …"

"Okay." As Yu was about to get up, Azumi grabbed his wrist.

Azumi was looking up to her brother as she softly said his name, "Yu, Yu …"

Yu knelt down, "Yeah, Sis?"

Azumi requested, "Get our stuff."

Yu understood what Azumi was talking about as he inquired, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah …" Azumi nodded, "We're all gonna need that stuff. All of it. You got that?"

"I got that." Without a second thought, Yu ran out of the warehouse.

Haru noticed Yu taking off which caused him to call out, "Yu? Where are you going?! Get back!"

"Don't worry about him!" Azumi spoke up. When she had his attention, she assured her father, "He'll catch up to us … We need to focus on this …" Azumi put more pressure on her stomach.

"Right …" Haru told Azumi as he held up a towel, "Just give me a moment …"

As Haru was preparing, Azumi glanced in different directions before asking, "What happened to Kouta?"

Haru merely reiterated, "What about him?"

"Okay … Fine." Azumi couldn't stop herself from groaning, "Ugh …"

"Just keep pressure on that Azumi." Haru assured her, "We need to stop you from bleeding out before you get back to camp. I'm going to make sure of it."

"…" Azumi didn't say a word as she took a deep breath.

Haru held up the alcohol and warned his daughter, "This is going to hurt a lot more than usual."

Azumi took a breath and clenched her fist before she told him, "Just do it!"

"Fine." Haru instructed, "You're gonna have to move your shirt up a little."

Azumi did what she was told. She steeled before she felt the liquid touch her wound. It felt as if she was receiving stinging and burning sensations within her simultaneously. Azumi was forced to bite down on her lips to prevent any screams form escaping. She had her eyes tightly closed. She then experienced it again when the alcohol touched the wound on the other side of her body.

There was nothing Azumi could do but keep her eyes closed. Azumi didn't look, but she felt her father placing two soft cloths on her wounds to cover them up before wrapping a bandaged around her lower torso. She wasn't sure if this stopped the bleeding or not. Either way, she felt ready to pass out.

"Okay, Azumi." Azumi could feel her father's arm underneath her as he said, "It should be okay to do this …" He corrected himself, "As okay as it can be."

"All right …" Haru told her, "I think I did as good as I could …"

"Thank you …" Azumi did her best to sound grateful, "We should probably get going …" Haru nodded in agreement.

Haru scoped his daughter in his arms. For a moment, he nearly lost his balance, but he was quickly able to stabilize his footing. While his daughter continued to put pressure on the wound, he had no time to waste as he moved as quickly as he could without harming his daughter further.

The two of them walked away leaving behind a room filled with blood and corpses. As they walked, they could faintly hear drips and nothing else but their own footsteps. A chilling scene that had become all too common for Azumi and Yu. As with the previous time, their father Haru was there to play an active role in it. Their actions were necessary, and this was the proof they needed for that.

/

This was a defining moment in her life, and Kannagi Azumi was having difficulty keeping her eyes open. Her father was attempting to move as fast as he could, but she could feel as if her life was draining out of her. There was nothing she could do to help. As much as she didn't wish to distract him, some words needed to be said.

Azumi softly spoke, "Father ..."

As Haru continued to move, he told her, "Don't talk, Azumi! Don't strain yourself."

Azumi took another breath, "Make sure … Yu and Mom get back to Fenrir … Promise me."

Haru told her, "I won't need to."

Azumi requested once again, "Promise me …"

"They'll make it to Fenrir." He then added, I'll make sure you do as well."

Azumi let out a sigh of relief. It was one less problem to worry about. Unfortunately, it was one less thing that allowed her to remain conscious. With one less thing on her mind, Azumi's eyes began to feel heavier than ever. She did her best to keep them as wide open as possible, but she felt as if a force was crushing any resistance she had. She had no idea how long as she was able to keep this up, but her father must have noticed at some point.

"Hey!" Haru called out to her, "Don't fall asleep! We're almost there!" He was right there, but it sounded as if he was calling out to her from a distance.

"S … Sorry …" Azumi muttered, "I'm sorry …"

"Not good! I need help! Haru called, "Someone help!"

"What the hell happened?!" At this point Azumi eyes were closed. She could still hear the voice, but they grew more distant with each passing second. Azumi knew she held out long enough to reach the camp and there was almost nothing.

/

As Haru held Azumi in his arms, he found himself swarmed with various people from the camp. The sight of him carrying his daughter to the medical tent was quickly becoming a spectacle. They were all asking 'What happened' or if she was still alive.

None of those questions mattered as he heard his daughter speak again. Her words were soft, but they were clear enough for him, "Promise … We … we're supposed to look out for each other. This group … we've been together for years. We were supposed know each other." Haru felt his heart sink as each word passed Azumi's lips. Even when her eyes were closed, she knew how to make things sting. He didn't say a word as Azumi attempted to speak again, "We were …. We were …"

Azumi was not able to finish that sentence as her head fell back. She wasn't dead. She merely passed out. She was still breathing, but barely. He had to keep moving. The clock was ticking with each drop of blood.

As soon as Haru placed Azumi in the tent, he heard his wife called out, "Azumi! Azumi!"

"Sis! Sis!" Haru looked to see his son caught up carrying two backpacks. He didn't need an explanation on what Azumi asked him to do.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" The doctor pushed everyone out of the way before he dropped down and checked her pulse. He then inspected the wound on her stomach as he motioned everyone to step away, "Everyone give her some air."

Azumi's mother, Kaede, attempted to protest, "But she …"

The doctor informed the family, "Azumi-chan suffered a serious wound, and she lost a lot of blood. Not to mention, how she had to be carried before I had a chance to look over her." He looked to Haru, "It was a good thing you tried doing something before carrying her Haru otherwise she might've bled out."

The good doctor might've meant for that to be a compliment, but Haru did not say a word. Instead, he pushed his lips against each other. He didn't wish to say anything.

It was then the doctor told the family, "Keep everyone away from the tent. I'm going to do everything I can to treat this."

/

When Yu, Haru, and Kaede exited the tent, they could see there were a number of people from the camp gathered around. Thankfully, it did not take too much effort for Azumi's family to disperse the crowd from the tent. Yu, Haru, and Kaede left the area of the tent as well. There was not much they could do even if they wanted to. A distraction was the last thing they needed to be.

After seeing her daughter as a bloody mess, it was understandable that Kaede was shaken. Haru had to hold her closely until she managed to calm down and brought her to bed. Afterwards, Haru and Yu had to speak with several of the senior members of the camp and inform them of how Kouta's betrayal caused the events to transpire that day. None of the members had any smart comments, especially after the revelation that Kouta betrayed them. If that wasn't enough, knowing that Haru personally punished him kept them silent.

When the meeting was dismissed, it was only Haru and Yu left. The two stood on opposite sides of the table. They were silent and unable to look each other in the eyes. It wasn't until Yu looked up that the silence was broken, "So should we check up on Sis now?"

"Maybe …" Haru still looked down as he told his son, "I wouldn't be surprised if the doctor has done all he can by now."

"Sis was in bad shape …" Yu spoke plainly, "How much can the doctor do?"

"Quite frankly, it's impressive she managed to stay awake as long as she had." Haru leaned on the table as he said, "She must've been pushing herself like always … She wanted to make sure she did everything she could."

With a mixture of pride and sorrow, Yu glanced down as he said, "That's Sis for you. She just keeps going and going until there's nothing left."

Haru concurred, "It's how it's always has been, so it might be best to just let her sleep. Who knows what'll happen next."

"Maybe, but …" Yu turned his back as he said, "I'm going to make sure she knows that someone is waiting by her side when she does open her eyes."

"Of course …" Haru then told his son, "She'll always be happy to see you."

/

Hours passed. It could have easily been days for all Azumi knew when she slowly opened her eyes. She took soft breaths as her eyes began to focus. The first thing she could see was her younger brother, Yu.

"Yu …" Azumi softly said.

"Sis." Yu was on both knees as he looked down at her. His mouth was agape, and she could see his eyes. It was difficult for her to describe what she was looking at. Was it 'relief'? Fear? Both. Difficult to say.

Azumi looked to see that Yu wasn't alone. Their friend Minato was there as well, but he remained silent on the side for the time being. He knew it was not his place to speak up.

This allowed Azumi to focus her attention on her brother. The only thing Azumi could say was as she held up her hand, "Is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me." Yu held her hand as he told her, "I'm right here."

"So I'm awake …" Azumi took a breath, "I didn't die."

"No." Yu held onto Azumi's hand tightly as he assured her, "You're alive. You're here with me."

"Good …" Azumi breathed easily as she said, "Then, it's not just me …"

"Thank goodness …" Yu sounded relieved as he said, "You almost had me there … I almost thought you were gonna die …"

Azumi took a deep breath before she replied in a matter of fact tone, "I still might …"

Yu nearly shouted, "Don't say that!"

"Sorry, but …" Azumi took a breath, "I'm a mess … I can feel it … I can feel it right here … When she stabbed me, I felt like it cut my insides … I heard that when someone received serious stomach injuries, their odds of survival are 50-50 at best … even with medical attention …"

"Then, stop talking." Yu's request sounded like an order, "Stop talking right now! You need more medical attention then I'm taking you to Fenrir. I don't care if I have to carry you on my back, I will get you there."

Azumi looked like she wanted to say something, but she appeared to be taking her brother's advice. She laid her head back, smiled, and raised her hand. Her hand was opened, and Yu grabbed onto it.

"Just say with me!" Yu insisted, "You'll make it through this! You've made it through worse, and we're not gonna … gonna …" Yu briefly slowed down before finishing, "We can't lose you too! I won't!"

Azumi gripped Yu's hand which caused him to look at her. She nearly whispered, "You won't …"

Yu could see there were tears beginning to well up in Azumi's eyes. It appeared as if she was doing her best to contain them, but she was fighting an uphill battle. Yu wished he could tell his sister it was okay to cry, but now was not the time. He needed her to hold onto that stubbornness if she was going to live.

Based on what Yu could see, Azumi was doing her best. Yu could see Azumi was slowly taking a deep breath through her nose before slowly exhaling through her mouth. Her chest was slowly rising and falling in conjunction.

Azumi glanced down to see that her outfit became stained with blood, she joked, "I guess I'll need a new favorite outfit."

Yu merely told her, "Well clean this up good. I promise."

"…" Azumi offered no other response other than a smile and a nod.

"You should get more rest, Sis …" Yu attempted to put her arm down, but she suddenly tightened her grip on him. He knew she wanted to say something. He remained quiet until she did.

After a breath, Azumi attempted to speak, "You know …" Azumi smiled as she told him, "We should get Minato to make you a sword …"

"A sword?" Yu wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Yeah …" Azumi seemed sure of herself. More sure than Yu had ever seen her as she told him, "It would be perfect for you."

"Perfect?" Even though Yu didn't wish to contradict his sister, he felt the need to say, "Sis … Do you think a sword really works for me?"

"Of course …" Azumi explained, "When I was a kid back in the old world, it was popular to depict heroes as wielding a sword."

Yu's mouth went agape as he realized what Azumi was getting at, "Heroes, huh?"

"I don't know why they choose a sword." Azumi bit her lip before continuing, "Probably because Japanese history is so attached to the sword and honor because of Samurais and stuff like that." Azumi scratched the back of her head as she sheepishly admitted, "Heh. I honestly couldn't tell you why but that'd be my guess …" Azumi corrected herself, "My best guess …"

"So …" Yu asked again, "Why should I have the sword then?"

Azumi answered, "Because I know that it fits you."

Yu denied, "But I'm not a hero."

"Hmph … If you say so. Then, consider it a gift." Azumi grinned as she asked, "You wouldn't turn down a gift from your 'Big Sis', right? It'd be rude to do that. You're not going to be rude to your big sister are you?"

"No." Yu shook his head as he smiled and held onto her hand, "I'll take it. Thank you."

"No … Don't thank me. You earned it." Azumi warned, "Just be careful."

"Don't worry." Yu assured her, "I will Sis."

Azumi shakily held up her other hand as she brushed Yu's hair. "Good. Make sure you don't lose it."

"That'll be the last thing I do." Yu requested, "Just try to get some sleep. We'll be needing you again. Real soon."

"I … Yeah … I'll get some sleep." Azumi was truly struggling as she attempted to say, "But I …" Even though Azumi felt a strong need to sleep, she could not let herself do so just yet. Not when she saw the look on her brother's face. She kept fighting to keep herself awake as she bluntly inquired, "You look like you have something else to say. Out with it."

Even though someone else answered this question, Yu felt the need to ask it again, "Sis, are you going to be okay?"

"Hmm …" Azumi took a moment to consider her response before asking a question of her own, "You know I'm honest with you, right?"

Yu nodded, "Yes …"

"When I tell you something y …" Azumi bit her lips.

Yu was nearly frantic as he told her, "Don't talk! Don't talk! You need rest."

"No!" Azumi shook her head as she calmly told him, "I have to finish!"

"…" Yu became silent once again.

"You …" Azumi struggled to finish, "You know when I tell you something. It's the truth, right?"

Yu merely said, "Yeah …" When Azumi looked in his eyes, she knew he meant that. Even if he was hesitant.

"The truth is …" Azumi winced as she pointed to the bandages that covered her stomach, "… the knife I took to the gut really messed me up. I don't know how to describe it, but it feels like I'm totally off … Like if I tried to stand up, the balance of my body would be thrown off … I … I don't know if I can fix it." Azumi rubbed her head and groaned, "I swear it's like I'm hearing some kind of ringing or something …"

Yu was taken aback when he heard this. He had no idea how to even respond other than to simply say, "Oh …"

Azumi shifted herself into a more comfortable position as she remained lying on the ground, "This is honestly the worst shape I've ever been in. I feel like despite everything I should make it out of this, but at the same time …" Her tone became darker as she finished, "I can see this being the end."

"No …" Yu held his sister's hand as he assured her, "I won't let this be the end, Sis. It's not supposed to end like this. You're not supposed to end like this. You're supposed to become a God Eater, and I'm supposed to become one too." Yu put his other hand on his chest as he told her, "I know we're supposed to. I just know it."

"…" Azumi took a moment to look up at her brother before she blinked and told him, "Don't worry … I don't plan on giving up. Not yet … I'm just telling you the truth, and you'll need to be ready just in case. …"

"I …" Yu briefly hesitated, "I understand, but that's not gonna be a problem because we're going to get through this. We'll rest up a little then head back to Fenrir. I'm sure they've got people there who can fix you up."

"Probably … If they …" Azumi sounded a little more optimistic as she told Yu, "If they can make God Eaters, they've got to have other stuff too."

"Right." Yu let go of his sister's hand as he stood up, "Exactly. I'll talk to father, so we can get moving as soon as possible."

"Yeah … You …" Azumi's eyes closed as she rested her head down, "You do that …"

Yu looked down only to see that Azumi was still breathing which caused his to let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He then snapped his fingers as he said, "She's out."

"Hmph. Like a light." Minato who had been remaining silent spoke up and concurred, "It was about time she went to sleep. She might be on her way to recover from her injuries, but she really shouldn't be pushing her luck. She's not doing herself any favors by staying up. You should probably get some sleep too. You can talk to you father tomorrow since it is going to be a big day. Might as well be ready for it."

"Yeah …" Yu nodded and concurred, "Okay … I might as well …"

"You can go." Minato assured him, "I'll keep a watch over her until the doctor gets back."

"Thanks." Yu then took his leave from the tent.

Minato waited about a minute until he turned to Azumi and said, "That brother of yours."

Azumi's eyes opened slightly as she replied, "He's earned it … The sword."

"I don't doubt it, but …" Minato knelt next to Azumi as he asked, "are you sure you didn't want to sugarcoat it a little?"

"No …" Azumi took another breath, "If anything, I may have accidentally sugarcoated it already."

Minato looked to Azumi's bandages before commenting, "I see … It feels that bad, huh?"

"Yeah …" Azumi bit her lip again before telling him, "I'm really worried about what the knife did to me …"

"…" Minato didn't have a response to that. Instead, he asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

Azumi replied, "Two things …"

Minato leaned forward, "Name them."

"First," Azumi glanced to the exit of the tent as she said, "I need you to remember your promise to keep an eye on Yu."

"But …" Minato stopped himself as he assured her, "I will. The second?"

Azumi held up her hand as she requested, "Just stay here a little longer please."

Minato took her hand, "Of course …"

"Oh actually there's a third …" Minato leaned forward as Azumi made one additional request, "Make sure the bikes are ready … I know I can't stay here much longer."

Minato nodded as he told her, "I intended to."

On that note, Azumi finally felt enough peace to close her eyes. As Minato said, there was a big day ahead of them. She would need as much strength as she could possibly gather for what was to come.

/

Author Notes: This chapter was a bit of a struggle to write. There were a couple of alternate takes on scenes that I needed to combine in order to make them feel whole. It wasn't easy, but I think it worked in the end.

The ending to this chapter was originally going to be a little different, but I cut it at the last moment. Instead, the original ending sequence of this chapter will be used as the opening sequence of the next one. I hope you will look forward to that.

Originally, I planned on having Azumi cough up blood in an earlier fight, but I was told that if she was coughing up blood she would be in no shape to walk. I decided that this would be the chapter that she would cough up blood. It is fitting considering the injury she received in the previous chapter. Additionally, she is in no shape to walk, so it worked out quite nicely.

As usual, I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. Stay safe and be sure to leave a review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.