Andy was in the kitchen cooking for the others, trying to go over spells in her head. She'd taken to testing herself over them so she kept them memorized and categorized. Eventually, she finished the food, grabbing a small portion and sitting down at one of the tables.
Tet slid beside her, stealing a bite as he grinned. "Why so serious?"
She shook her head, "Just thinking about spells."
"Ah." He stole another bite, then kissed her cheek.
She gave him a small smile, "There's plenty up there for you."
He sighed as he got up. "No time. Gotta drop off a package to the General."
Andy frowned before nodding, "Well, there'll probably be leftovers when you get back."
He chuckled as Rei and Yoshi came in. "Only if you pack some before the porters and Kiba eat it all. We should be back in about an hour and a half. Try to smile, will ya?"
She smiled at him as she chuckled, "Stay safe."
"If only those were magic words." Tet waved a hand at the twins. "Let's go."
The three left the kitchen.
Andy went back to picking at her food, not really feeling like eating.
Some of the others came in. Sensing her mood, they got plates quietly and sat away from her.
She eventually got up and washed her plate before heading out of the kitchen. She went slowly made her way to her room, then collapsed on the bed. After a few minutes she pulled herself up and went back to reading her mother's book of shadows.
About an hour later, there was a frantic knock at her door.
She stood and opened it, looking out at the knocker.
Kiba paced the floor, his fists clenching. "I need you to come with me now."
"What's happening?"
"Tet called, said they were being attacked. The phone went dead and we haven't been able to reestablish contact."
Andy nodded, "I'll get us there," she grabbed his arm and focused on Tet, saying the teleportation spell.
They materialized just as a jet of flame erupted from the dragon in front of the three men. The twins were back to back, protecting an unconscious Tet from the witches in front of them. Rei gasped as a spell took effect, dropping to his knees in agony.
"Bastards! Ever heard of fighting fair?" Yoshi started to shift, then let out a shrill cry. Blood began flowing from the slashes that suddenly appeared in his fatigues.
Andy started muttering spells, a barrier surrounding the twins and Tet appeared before some of the witches started going down.
The dragon billowed smoke toward them and Kiba immediately shifted. He charged toward it, swerving several flames shot toward him, then sank his teeth into one of it's legs.
Andy finished taking the witches down before turning her attention to the dragon. She started with spells to take it down, starting with one that made it off balance so it couldn't move as well. She dodged a shot with a barrier before starting another spell. She knew it'd be quicker to take down if she'd shift but she couldn't bring herself to. She finished the spell, large gashes appearing in the dragon's chest.
Kiba released the dragon, growling at her. He ran toward her as the dragon roared, spitting flame. There was the smell of burning fur, a howl, then Kiba was knocking her over.
Andy pushed herself up, wincing as she felt a few burns on herself. She started reciting a killing spell, the dragon sinking to the ground as it went into effect. She moved Kiba toward the others and teleported them all to the infirmary.
Rei groaned, regaining consciousness. "Are we safe?"
"We're back at the base," Andy responded as she checked him over.
He grimaced, but sat up. "Think I'm okay now." He coughed a few times, then stared at his blood streaked hand. "Okay...maybe not."
She said a spell to help heal him and stop the bleeding. "That should help." She moved to Tet and started checking him over.
His skin was icy, his pulse slow. There was frost on his eyelashes and his lips were slightly blue.
Andy said a spell to help warm him up before wrapping him up in blankets. She said a spell to heal any of his injuries before moving on to Yoshi.
His fatigues were soaked in blood, deep gashes in his chest and abdomen. His pulse was erratic, appearing and disappearing.
She said a few different spells trying to work on closing the wounds and steady his pulse. She cleaned him up and made sure the wounds were fully closed before checking on his pulse again. When she found it slow but steady, she moved on to Kiba.
Andy took a deep breath, analyzing the burns before saying spells to heal them. She then cleaned him up before sitting down beside him.
Tsukasa ran in, pausing as he looked over the men. "How bad?"
"They should be alright," Andy assured.
"Who and how did they know?"
Andy shook her head, "There were witches and a dragon but that's all I know."
Tsukasa cursed, then spun and left the infirmary.
"You almost got killed.. Why the hell didn't you shift?" Kiba's voice was pained and angry.
Andy looked down, "I don't want to be what the Branch made me into. I can get by with my spells."
"Get by with your spells? You're putting our lives in danger!" He hissed as he sat up and glared at her. "Are you really willing to watch Tet die because of your insecurities? I'm not. Not willing to die for them either." He pushed himself off the bed, turning his back to her. "Get your shit together before you lose someone forever.."
The wolf limped out of the infirmary after flinching from her hand on his shoulder. He disappeared out the base's side door.
Tears filled her eyes as she headed out of the infirmary and down to her room. She locked the door behind her before sitting down and starting to full out cry. She eventually cried herself to sleep.
Tet blinked his eyes open, forehead creasing in confusion. How had he gotten back to base? The last thing he remembered was calling the base as the witches attacked. He'd been so cold.. He surveyed the twins, then looked for Andy. Finally, he opened their telepathic connection. "Thanks for the save. I can check visiting the Arctic off my bucket list."
Andy sighed and just answered, "You're welcome."
"What happened? I can hear you're upset. Where are you?"
"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'm in my room."
"Of course I'm going to worry. Can I come over?"
She took a deep breath before standing and unlocking the door. She sat back down on the bed, "I guess. Door's unlocked."
A few minutes later, he entered. Seeing her puffy eyes, he growled. "Who do I have to kill?"
She shook her head, "It's nothing, just me having my own issues to deal with."
He looked unconvinced. "You don't cry over issues unless someone has pushed a point way too far. Now spill before I start asking the guys." He sat down and took one of her hands.
"I don't want to be what the Branch made me. I don't want to shift. I don't want to be a vampire..." She looked down. "We came to rescue you and I refused to shift. Kiba got hurt, because he was trying to protect me.. He says me not shifting will put the whole team in danger, but it's not like I asked to be protected." Tears dripped down her face, "Maybe I should just stick to the infirmary and stay off missions.."
He sighed and looked down at the floor. "And what happens if your spells are the difference between life and true death and you're not with us? Look, I understand not wanting to be what you are. Ask Boss how reckless I was for the first several years I was here. I tried my hardest to get killed because I didn't want to exist. But I came to grips with what I was. You will too eventually. Kiba doesn't know when to keep his thoughts to himself."
Andy nodded slowly, "He's right though, I need to get my shit together."
Tet gave her a small smile. "Even broken clocks are right twice a day."
She took a deep breath, "I should probably go talk to him.."
Tet sighed. "You might want to tie him down. He has a habit of avoiding talks."
She nodded, "Any clue where he'd be?"
"The bomb shelter maybe.. Unless he went off base into the forest. Sometimes he shifts and stays out there when he's annoyed."
Andy sighed, standing up before kissing Tet's cheek, "Thanks."
She headed to the bomb shelter first, entering slowly to see if he was there.
"What do you want?" His tone was hostile, his posture tense.
She looked down, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry and I'll work on getting my shit together. It's just, when we went to get the books I got the files of everything they did to me, and I've been having trouble dealing with it all. I'll be better next time." She turned to climb back up the stairs.
"Wait..I should be the one apologizing. I keep forgetting you weren't born into this, that it was forced on you. Tet is right, I should learn to keep my mouth shut. Just got scared when that dragon tried to roast you.." His shoulders slumped.
"I chose to be here as a witch and necromancer. But then I got turned into a vampire and a shifter and eventually I got used to it, but now apparently I have three shifts because Branch doesn't know when to stop. I'm so many things, I can't even keep track." She leaned against the stairs, "And if a dragon tries to roast me because of my own choices, let it next time. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Tet would turn me into dinner if I did that." He tried to hide the wince that crossed his face, one hand clasped tight to his stomach. "I like being in one piece, thanks."
She sighed and approached him, she said a healing spell to help with the pain.
He averted his eyes as he cursed. "Didn't think I swallowed any.." He tried to move away, but lost his balance.
"What's wrong?" She said quietly.
"Apparently I swallowed some dragon blood.. It doesn't react well on us wolves." He took a shaky breath, then doubled over.
Andy frowned and started trying different spells to help him.
He lay on the floor, breathing deeply to counter the pain. "Serves me right.."
Andy knelt beside him and teleported him into the infirmary. She did a few tests before formulating something she hoped would help. She injected it into his arm and waited.
"Should have let me suffer.. I'm such an asshole.." He sighed as the pain receded.
She shook her head, "You needed to knock some sense into me."
"Could have been nicer about it.." He sleepily protested.
She gave him a small smile, "Just rest for now."
He chuckled, then closed his eyes.
Tet ran in, holstering a pistol. "Can you leave him?"
"What's going on?"
"There's been an attack at the porters' school. There are reports of injuries.." He trailed off, busying himself with checking another pistol. His eyes were flickering as he visibly tried to compose himself.
"Alright, let's go." She grabbed onto his arm and teleported them there.
Smoke drifted through the air as they materialized. She froze as she took in the scene.
It looked like a major battlefield, bodies strewn across the campus. Blood trickled down the pavement into the grassy areas. One building was smoldering.
A familiar beanie caught her eye, then she saw a headful of red hair next to it.
She rushed to his side, kneeling down to check him over.
Ryon was still, bullets peppering him. Blood was pooled around his head as well from a large gash.
She teleported him back to the infirmary before going back to look for the other porters. She looked around sadly at all the bodies, knowing she didn't have the power to save them all.
"Andy?" Yamae staggered toward her, his shirt bloody. His face was soot streaked and he was listing heavily to the right.
Andy caught him, "What happened?"
"No idea. One minute I was listening to a lecture on calculus, then the roof was falling in and there was smoke. Where's Ryon and Ryusei?"
"Ryon's in the infirmary.. Haven't found Ryusei yet."
Yamae's strength finally gave out, sagging in her arms.
She teleported him back and laid him into a bed before heading to look for Ryusei.
Tet grabbed her as she approached the burning building. "He's not in there.." His voice was raw, his hands shaking.
"Then where is he?"
He slowly led her to the college square, his eyes haunted.
Ryusei had been tied to the metal bulletin board spread eagle. There was a piece of paper impaled on his chest by a large knife. Blood was pooled beneath him, already drying.
Andy took a deep breath, trying not to cry at the scene. She approached and removed the knife gently before looking at the paper.
Animals are for hunting, not educating
Andy growled before moving to untie Ryusei. She brought him into her arms before going back to Tet. She soon teleported them both back to the infirmary before she started healing Yamae.
After working on him for a little while, she began removing bullets from Ryon. She stitched the wounds closed before muttering spells for healing under her breath. She set up a transfusion before working on reviving him.
Tet stood staring at Ryusei, his hands clenched and trembling. "Why can't we be left alone? He never hurt anyone.. They just wanted to live their dreams.." He slammed a hand into the wall as tears streamed down his face.
Andy put a hand on his shoulder, "Unfortunately there are mean and terrible people out there who do things like this. It's how we respond that is important." She sighed before moving to work on cleaning and healing Ryusei. After she fixed him up, she focused, gold light surrounding him.
Nothing happened. Tet let out a strangled whimper.
Andy frowned and began running tests to see what she could find.
Tet snarled. "They call us animals.." He stalked out, his eyes flickering.
Andy continued running tests, trying to stay calm. She took a blood sample and worked on checking it out, eventually finding poison in it. She worked on formulating an antidote, then injected it into his arm. She focused on him, the gold light once again surrounding him.
He sucked in a breath, coughing as his eyes fluttered open. "Andy.. the others.."
"Ryon and Yamae are safe."
"Good.." His eyes closed again, his breathing evening out.
"What the hell happened?" Kiba sat up, eyes narrowed.
"There was an attack on their school," Andy approached with a sigh.
Kiba snarled. "Who?"
Andy shook her head, "I don't know."
"I do. Where's Tet?" Tsukasa gave her a look.
Andy shrugged, "He headed out while I was working on them. Who did this?"
The dragon sighed. "A group I had believed destroyed. The Shifter Hunters. They believe we are inferior and deserve to be hunted for sport."
Andy growled, "Where can we find them?"
"Don't know yet. After we killed or arrested the leaders, they went underground." He scowled. "Tet may have gone looking. Can you find him?"
She gave a nod before focusing, teleporting to Tet's location.
He lay on the ground unmoving. There was no one else around.
She knelt beside him and teleported him back to the infirmary. She lifted him into a bed before checking him over.
No pulse, no breath, no heartbeat. His skin was cold and pale. No sign of trauma.
She tried reviving him, focusing her power on him.
The light faded away without doing anything.
Andy let out a frustrated sob before starting to do testing like she had on Ryusei. She started with a blood test, eventually finding something odd. She made an antidote and injected it into him and watched with curiosity.
His heartbeat slowly restarted, his pulse steadying after a few minutes. His eyes fluttered open, giving her a confused look. He struggled to breathe, growing more and more agitated as the lack of oxygen caused him to panic.
"Calm down," she said, "Take slow breaths, everything will be alright."
Finally, he took a shaky breath, then another. "I was so scared..I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.. I thought I'd never see you again."
"It's alright." She rubbed his arm gently, "Everything is okay."
"I'm sorry I left.. Ryusei.. I need revenge. He didn't deserve to die like that.." Tet squeezed his eyes shut at the image. "I can't visit his grave until the monsters are dead."
"Ryusei's alive," Andy informed. "And I know we'll go after them, don't worry."
His eyes widened in shock. "How? The light didn't work.."
"He had a poison in his system, so once I got rid of that it worked."
"They poisoned him too? The knife wasn't enough?" Tet spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm going to tear them apart."
"I'm sure Tsukasa's coming up with some kind of plan."
"And we get first blood." Ryon and Yamae looked at them quietly.
She nodded, "Sounds good."
Tsukasa entered, Daiki trailing quietly behind. "We found them. Or should I say they found us.." He was trying to control his anger, the vampire putting a hand on his arm and softly murmuring in his ear.
"What's happening?"
He shook his head, handing her a tablet silently. A still picture of a beaten Kenji, Leo and Jade stared at her, the words 'Our trophies unless you want them back' along with an address scrawled on it.
Andy growled, "I'm going to rip them to shreds."
Tet and Kiba began snarling as they looked over her shoulder, their eyes beginning to glow.
Tsukasa shook his head. "Calm down. We go as soon as everyone is able. Scorched earth, just like Branch."
Andy nodded, "Fine."
The dragon and vampire turned and left as Kiba gazed intently at Andy. "You got things straight now?"
She nodded, "I'm still not totally fine with things, but I think I'll be okay. Probably should learn how hawks and snakes fight though.." she gave a small smirk.
"Snakes are sneaky. Just let you step on them and then bite. Hawks just pounce, kinda like your panther." Kiba gave her a grin.
Tet looked at them in confusion, but didn't say anything.
Ryusei grimaced, shielding his eyes as he sat up. "Why are you guys looking like we just attracted a nuke?"
"We have some assholes to take care of when everyone is healed and ready," Andy answered. "The same assholes that attacked your school."
His eyes darkened. "I'm ready for payback. Where are they?"
"They gave us an address. They kidnapped Kenji, Jade and Leo."
His face twisted into a snarl. "Tell me and give me Taka's launcher. You guys won't have to do a thing."
Tet rolled his eyes as Kiba snickered and Ryon got up and smacked the other porter's head.
"When everyone is ready, we'll head out," Andy informed.
Tet suddenly swore. "Where are they? The phoenixes were part of Kenji's recon squad but there was no mention of them.."
Andy focused on them before saying the spell to teleport to their location.
Red gold feathers fluttered around her as the wind swirled around her. The twins lay in a heap, blood streaked and still.
Andy knelt beside them to start checking them over.
Akira's eyes stared sightlessly at her, multiple injuries visible. Taka shakily grabbed her hand. "Save them.." His breathing hitched as he struggled to focus on her.
"We will," she assured. She teleported them to the infirmary before saying spells to start healing their injuries.
Tet stood beside her, his jaw twitching as he watched Taka close his eyes. "Maybe you should stay here?"
She shook her head, "We can go when I'm done taking care of them."
"They'll be safe here? Alone?"
Andy sighed, "They should be."
"Alright. We're getting ready. Little worried about Ryusei. He's pretty vicious right now."
"Want me to knock him out?"
"He'd be mad as hell, but it might be a good idea. I mean, I understand his anger and his desire to kick these assholes where it hurts, but he seems more interested in torturing them."
"I'll talk to him first, okay?" She headed off to find Ryusei. When she spotted him, "Hey. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" He pretended to study a stun gun, not meeting her eyes.
"Well, it is my job to make sure everyone's okay," she said with a small smile. "How are you holding up though? I mean you were hurt pretty badly, and your school was attacked. It's understandable for you to not be fine."
"I'm angry. What the fuck did we ever do to anyone? All we wanted was to study what we were interested in. Instead some racist nutjobs start shooting.. How many innocents lost their lives because these assholes thought it would be fun?" He slammed his hands on the table.
Andy sighed, "I'd have brought them all back if I could have." She looked at him for a moment before wrapping her arms around him, "I'm sorry you had to go through this."
He hung on to her for a minute. "I'm used to getting picked on by bad guys cause I look young. But seeing everyone else…" He closed his eyes tiredly. "I can't sleep yet.."
Andy nodded in understanding, "We'll get revenge on them, but remember to stay in control of your anger. If you let it run wild, bad things might happen. I just don't want you getting hurt again."
He slowly nodded, swaying slightly as he forced his eyes open.
She frowned, "Are you really sure you're up for this? We can wait a bit longer or go without you if you need more rest."
"I.." He slumped into her arms as he lost the fight to stay awake.
Andy gently lifted him and carried him to the infirmary, laying him in a bed and tucking the blankets around him. She kissed his forehead before heading back out to Tet.
"How is he?" The tiger asked worriedly. "Did you have to drug him?"
"He'll be okay, but he passed out."
Tet frowned, then nodded. "One less person to worry about, I guess."
Andy took a deep breath, "We should probably get going."
As if summoned, Tsukasa appeared in full gear. "Listen up. Our top priority is getting our three back. Once we have them, feel free to vaporize these assholes. Andy, you know the drill. Get our boys back here, then help with any other wounded."
He paused. "We've dealt with these jerks before, but they're new to you. They have a habit of videotaping their tortures. There may be more victims of them, use your discretion if you find any."
She nodded as she tried to think of how her shifts could help fight. "Let's do this."
"Lock and Load. Andy, 'path the address to the porters." He stood next to Ryon and several other team members.
Andy did as she was told before holding onto Tet and Kiba and teleporting to the location.
Seconds later, the rest of the team appeared. Tsukasa crouched beside the building's door, then nodded and kicked it in.
Andy headed inside, glancing around for enemies or her teammates.
A big shaved head poked its head into the room. "Ah fuck!" An arm holding a pistol appeared.
Suddenly the body dropped, a hole between the eyes. Kiba didn't stop moving, passing the body without a second look as he headed further in.
Andy continued on, still looking for signs of her friends. She spotted a few more enemies appearing and she quickly shifted, a black snake slithered up to them. She chuckled internally when one of them jumped at the sight. She crawled up one of them and wrapped herself around his throat and tightened until he fell to the ground. She then shifted into her panther form and pounced on the other two, ripping them apart with her claws.
Tet raised an eyebrow, then began fighting a man who had snuck behind him. He grunted as a punch connected, then slammed a knee into the man's face. He swayed a little, then started forward. "Come on."
Andy shifted back into human form and continued to move forward. She finally spotted her friends down into a long room, but then noticed a large group of men who were also in the room. She grabbed her pistol and started shooting until a few men got to her. She dodged a hit by shifting into her panther form and knocking the man over. She bit into him, draining him quickly before turning and growling at the other two. She was so focused on getting to her friends, she didn't feel much when someone started shooting at her. She got the two men down, then turned toward the shooter, quickly shifting again, this time into a large hawk, and flying toward him, ripping into him with her talons. When she was finally free of attackers, she rushed to her friends and grabbed onto them, teleporting them to the safety of the infirmary before returning to the battle.
There was the sound of intense fighting in the opposite direction. She saw a transformed Zal for a split second before he disappeared. She could see a jet of flame envelop two shooters, but couldn't see who'd shot it. Tet slowly stumbled into the hall, then fell face down.
An explosion rocked the building from the basement area.
Andy quickly teleported Tet out of the building before returning, heading into the room where the majority of the fighting was taking place.
Bodies littered the floor, several others tied to one wall. Tsukasa was leaning heavily on Daiki, one shoulder leaking blood.
"We had an incident below with a weapons cache. No one's answering. Find out." Tsukasa ordered Kiba who gave a grim nod and disappeared down a set of stairs.
Andy looked Tsukasa over for a moment before saying a healing spell for him. She then followed Kiba.
He was kneeling beside Jack and Yamae. Apparently they'd tripped a booby trap, setting off several grenades nearby. She noticed several shiny patches on Kiba's dark jumpsuit.
Andy frowned, "What are those?"
He shook his head. "Nothing important. We need to get them to the infirmary."
Andy sighed, holding onto Jack and Yamae before grabbing Kiba as well. She teleported them into the infirmary before teleporting back to Tsukasa's location. "I got Jack and Yamae, Kiba and Tet, as well as the three who were kidnapped. Where's everyone else?" She noticed he was still leaning on Daiki.
"Rei and Yoshi headed upstairs. Ryon and Shouma disappeared down that way." Tsukasa waved a hand around the corner. Daiki scowled as he pushed Tsukasa into her arms.
"Take care of this idiot. I'll find our wayward members." The vampire shakily weaved toward the stairs leading up.
Andy sighed and teleported Tsukasa back to the infirmary. She pushed him into a bed before making sure the others were all in beds too. She winced as she noticed blood coming from her side. She took a deep breath and focused on getting back to the mission. She headed back and went to the stairs, searching for Daiki and the twins.
A few minutes later, the two appeared. They gave audible sighs of relief as they saw her. "A little help getting home?" They were supporting an unconscious Daiki, blood making tracks on the floor behind them.
She teleported them back, "Start basic first aid on whoever seems worst. I'll be back to help in a few." She headed back, looking for Ryon, Shouma and Zal.
She found the three of them together, Zal and Shouma lying unconscious on the floor. Ryon was sitting against a wall, his eyes staring at nothing. His hands were limply pressed against his stomach in a futile attempt to stop the hemorrhage.
A dead man lay between the three, a knife in his throat.
Andy quickly moved the three closer together before teleporting them back to the base. She got them into beds before taking a moment, leaning on a chair before going to get the supplies she needed. She started with the worst injured first and spent the next few hours working with Rei and Yoshi to bandage and heal the team.
Shouma woke, giving a cry when he saw Ryon.
Andy went over to him, "Don't worry, he'll be alright."
"He pushed me out of the way.. It was supposed to be me.."
"It's okay. He was just protecting you because he cares about you. But he's going to be alright, so don't worry."
A flash of black heading for the infirmary door caught her attention.
Andy quickly turned, "Get back into bed."
"I'm fine. Just going to get out of your hair." Kiba tried to act nonchalant, his pallor making a lie of his light words.
Andy sighed, "Kiba, get back into bed before I freeze you. You're not getting out of here without me checking you over."
"I said I'm fine." He stubbornly glared at her.
"I can tell you're lying. Why don't you want me helping you?"
"You've got too many patients." He grabbed his hands as he began trembling and suddenly grew paler. Blood began trickling out of his fatigue leg onto the floor.
Andy went to him and dragged him back into a bed before checking him over. She said a few spells to help start the healing process. "Just rest, okay?" She glanced at the twins, "Who still needs help?" She took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the growing pain in her side.
"Just need Ryon revived, then that idiot you just lectured. Think Ryon will be easier." Rei fought a chuckle as Kiba took advantage of Andy being distracted and tried to slide off the bed. "Maybe you should put him in a coma.."
Andy looked back at Kiba, reaching out and grabbing his hand, "Please just let me help you."
He sheepishly dropped his eyes, tightening hold as he grimaced and gingerly probed his side.
She said some more healing spells before saying a spell to put him to sleep. She watched as his eyes slid closed and she readjusted him on the bed, pulling blankets up around him.
She sat down for a minute, pain and lightheadedness taking her over. She eventually pushed herself up, shakily moving toward Ryon and starting the process to revive him.
"Maybe you should wait. You don't look good." Yoshi approached slowly.
Andy ignored him and focused, the gold light starting to surround Ryon. She watched until he finally sucked in air before leaning heavily on the end of his bed.
"That's it. You're getting looked at." The twins each took an arm, moving her to an empty bed. Rei gathered supplies as Yoshi began to examine her side gently.
"Pretty sure I was shot. Not sure if the bullet is still in it or not," she said as she laid her head back.
"Looks like a clean in and out." He began cleaning it as Rei threaded a needle. "A few stitches and rest is all that's needed."
She nodded and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain.
She felt a pinch in her arm, then the pain disappeared. She soon was fast asleep.
She woke slowly, taking in the sounds of people breathing and machines whirring before opening her eyes. She glanced around the infirmary, wincing as she touched the bandage on her side.
"Welcome back." Yamae said softly from his seat beside his brother. "Feeling better?"
"A little," she gave a small smile, "How are you feeling?"
"Very lucky thanks to you. Damned booby traps." He gave a half smile.
"How's Ryon doing?" She tried to glance at the monitors.
"Hanging on. He's stubborn." Yamae gently held the unconscious man's hand. "Did you really knock Kiba out with a sleep spell?"
Andy chuckled, making her wince. "Yeah, he wasn't listening."
The porter sent a glance toward the snoring wolf. "That'll teach him..maybe."
"Probably not, but at least I know the sleeping spell works on him so I can use it again next time."
"Good to know. I'll remember not to annoy you too much." He flashed a grin.
Andy glanced over at Kiba for a moment before looking over at Tet. She leaned back onto the pillows, blinking her eyes sleepily.
"You need more rest. Everyone's fine right now. Bit of good news. The Shifter Hunters are officially defunct. Your clinic called. One of the victims in their hideout was brought there. Someone by the name of Akasa? He's asking for you."
Andy nodded, "I'll go there when I'm a bit better."
Yamae looked at her impishly. "Is he an ex? Can I video Tet getting defensive?"
Andy rolled her eyes, "He's not an ex. He's a nurse. Didn't expect he'd be in this world, though."
Yamae shrugged. "The clinic said he wanted you to hold on to some kind of book for him?"
Andy's eyes narrowed, "Interesting. It's been a while since I've seen him. We used to be really good friends, but life kind of dragged me here." She gave a small chuckle before closing her eyes.
Nightmares of the Branch scientists plagued her mind as she slept. She'd been having nightmares at least a few times a week since she'd been back from them, her mind playing through a mix of her actual memories and information she'd read about. She whimpered in her sleep as her mind kept racing through scenes.
"Andy? Andy, wake up. You're safe." Tet's voice was soft as he brushed her hair out of her eyes.
She blinked an eye open and looked up at him. "Sorry.."
"No need to apologize. Are you feeling better?"
She took a moment to analyze herself, then nodded, "Still sore but a lot better than before."
He smiled. "Hungry?"
"Yeah," she nodded again.
"Good. I cooked and want to show the guys they won't die if they eat it." He gave a roll of his eyes.
She chuckled, "Alright." She pushed herself up.
"You up for that?" He watched her carefully, ready to help if needed.
"I should be able to make it to the kitchen," she gave a small smile before starting to head to the door.
He walked beside her, matching her pace. "Kiba's a little sulky. Told him he deserved it."
"He wasn't listening so I had to do something." They reached the kitchen and Andy opened the door slowly. She headed to grab a plate.
Yamae and Ryusei exchanged looks as Tet loaded it with food. "You are brave.."
She chuckled and went to sit down before starting to eat.
Tet stuck his tongue out at the porters. "See?"
"It's good," Andy nodded.
Ryusei's eyes narrowed. "See her use any spells?"
Yamae shook his head. "She could be trying to poison us for being such pains in the ass?"
Tet growled good naturedly. "Fine. You guys can starve then."
Andy was quiet as she ate, still a little sleepy from the medicine.
Finally Tsukasa entered, not hesitating in getting food. As he sat, the porters shrugged and gave in. They loaded their plates and sat down with nervous smiles at Tet.
Andy finished her food, continuing to sit there as she watched the others. Eventually, she got up and put her plate in the sink before starting to head back to the infirmary.
The porters chorused apologies to Tet as he followed her. He huffed and shook his head. "The things I put up with…"
Andy gave a tired laugh before remembering, "Sorry I didn't mention my other shifts.. I found out about them when we got the books from the Branch.."
"I remember you and Kiba having a conversation a while ago. I thought they were pretty awesome myself."
She grinned, "Thanks." she opened the door to the infirmary. "I guess having the shifts helps when it comes to fighting, but I wish they never screwed with me in the first place."
He gently hugged her. "I know. But you really saved the day with them." His eyes glanced at Ryon's bed sadly.
Andy followed his gaze before moving to Ryon's side. She checked his vitals and the monitor readouts before saying a few more spells to help him. She watched him for another minute before moving back to the bed she'd been using.
"Any idea why it's taking so long for him?" Tet sat down slowly.
"Not sure, but if he's not up in the next couple days I'll do some testing and see."
The tiger nodded, then narrowed his eyes at her. "What's this I hear about a guy wanting to see you?"
Andy rolled her eyes, "He's just a friend. He's a nurse."
Tet gave her a grin. "Just as long as he knows you're taken."
She chuckled before yawning. She closed her eyes and soon fell back to sleep.