Happy holidays! I hope you enjoy the chapter^.^
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids.
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Sai opened his eyes, the bright lights of the room blinding him. What had happened again? He recalled his nightmare and then the headache. He had been coughing up blood. His disease…he remembered. It wasn't the first time this had happened. He had gotten sick in the presence of Zen before and the general had helped him. The process had been painful, but he didn't remember much of it. In fact, he didn't remember a lot of things. He began to look around, trying to limit his movement, since his head still hurt.
"Hey," said a voice from his right. He turned slightly and saw Van and Fiona standing there.
"How do you feel?" asked Fiona. Sai wanted to say something, but he couldn't. His voice wouldn't work.
"Dr. D told us about what happened," said Van. "He mentioned an operation that can be done to save you, but it'll be painful." Sai cringed. He'd have to go through it again.
"They'll have to do it soon, but we need your consent to okay it," explained Fiona. "Is it alright with you?" Hesitantly, he nodded. He wanted to live, even if it would be painful.
"Okay. We'll see you again right before you go under, alright?" He nodded again and they left the room, leaving him alone again. He hated this. That procedure would hurt and he knew it. He wasn't sure why it hurt or what went on during it, but he hated it. Why did he have a disease like this? He thought back to his dream. Had it been a dream or a memory? Had that really happened to him? He had been in so much pain. His whole life had been full of pain and that was about all he remembered of it. Zen was the only one who had ever cared about him, but now there were these people. The people who had taken in an enemy and nursed him back to health. The people who had taken him here and were now going to wait until he made it back from his operation. Was this what it was like to have friends? To have people who cared about you? Other than Zen, he couldn't remember anyone who had been this good to him.
However, the thought of the pain soon came back, filling his senses. This would hurt, and somewhere along the line, he'd have to go through it again. He would never live a normal life. He'd never live without the pain. Was it worth it, or was he better off dying now? It was a hard decision, but he had already given his answer. He decided to live a little longer. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
******
"He said it was okay," said Fiona.
"I'm sure he's had to do this before," said Van. "The mention of the operation made him cringe."
"I can understand why," said Dr. D. "It'll be very painful." He sighed before continuing. "Now, don't get your hopes up. Just because he's going through with it doesn't mean he'll live. There's still a chance that the operation will kill him. His body has been severely weakened, and in his injured state, he may not withstand it."
"You shouldn't say things like that," chided Moonbay. "He can make it."
"Exactly," agreed Karl. Irvine said nothing and Scarlet was currently out on a walk.
"Hey Irvine," said Moonbay, catching his attention. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"There isn't really anything for me to say," he said casually. "I don't have much of an opinion on this."
"So you don't care?" Moonbay questioned angrily.
"I feel the same as all of you, I guess," he responded. "Whoever did this to him deserves to be punished, I mean, injecting metals into him to enhance him as a soldier is just sick."
"I agree," said Van. "We have to get back at the person who did that. I mean, what if this guy doesn't stop with Sai? What if he does it to other people and creates an army of advanced soldiers?"
"That's why we need to find out who did this," said Karl. "I know it may seem rude, but we'll have to interrogate Sai as soon as possible."
"Can we at least give him time to rest?" pleaded Fiona. Interrogating an injured man didn't seem right, especially one who was dealing with so much. Karl nodded to her, giving the okay.
******
Scarlet found herself at Sai's hospital room. She opened the door and walked in, heading over to the sleeping boy. He was so much like her. He had the same metal flowing through his veins that she did. He had been hurt like she had, only worse.
"Sai," she whispered, getting his attention. He opened his eyes and turned to her. "I'm sorry," she said, noticing the confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry this happened to you…that you're sick." She wanted to tell him. She wanted to explain what had happened to him, but she had promised not to say anything about the zoid magnite flowing through his blood. She had promised. She wouldn't break it, no matter how much she wanted to. She owed it to them all. She felt bad for Sai. He hadn't been created, but opened up and experimented on. It was sad and she wanted to cry for him. All she could tell him was how sorry she was.
"I swear we'll get whoever did this to you," she said to him. "You don't deserve this pain; you shouldn't have to go through an operation just to live. It isn't fair. It isn't fair at all." She hadn't noticed that she was crying until she saw the confusion wash over Sai's face, as if he was studying her. She reached to her cheek and felt the dampness from her tears. She was crying. That was something she still wasn't used to. Tears hadn't been used by her for a long time and she was currently just experiencing everything she had forgotten about. Sorrow and pity were two of those things. She wanted to help Sai, to lessen his pain. He had been through so much and she wanted to help him through it.
"I'll see you later, Sai. I'll come back right before the operation, okay?" she said softly. He was knocked from his stupor and simply nodded to her. She turned around and left the room.
'She was crying,' Sai noted. 'She was crying…for me. Scarlet was…I don't get it. Why? She's…supposed to be a killer and yet she's so…human.' The thought confused him. He wasn't used to being alone with his thoughts. He hated his mind, because it wandered when he had nothing to do. He closed his eyes again, trying to drown it all out. Scarlet's face came back to him. Why, he didn't know, but it did. He couldn't take it. She was crying. He hated it when women cried. It bothered him for some reason.
'I need to just stop thinking,' he told himself. He would have to go under soon. He wasn't ready. He didn't want to feel that pain again. It would be so easy to just die. All he had to do was pull out a few of these IVs and he could die. Painfully, but he would die. It was becoming tempting. He was about to pull one from his arm when he froze.
'What am I thinking?' He quickly let go and lowered his arm. 'What is wrong with me? I can't die yet. I want to live…don't I?' He decided to forget about it. He'd let them do the operation. He knew his new found "friends" would have a few questions for him afterwards, but that was okay. He decided in advance that he'd answer them, unless it was a question that may endanger his general. Otherwise, he'd share his information. He owed them that, at least.
He finally closed his eyes and fell asleep, awaiting the painful operation. He would live. He wanted to. He had to.
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Short, I know, but writer's block will do that to you.
Happy holidays!
Bye!