Author's Note: Not really much to say for this... Just enjoy! And review!
p.s. It took so long to put out 'cuz I've been swamped with schoolwork. Not that anyone really cares...
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears is still the undisputed property of Squaresoft. However, I am working on that little angle... Mwahahahahaha! (Shadow Angel continues to cackle evilly.) ^_~*
Chapter Twelve
Margie woke up sluggishly to find herself lying on her stomach in an unfamiliar bed. Her body was curiously numb, but the feeling was slowly coming back, pricklings that made her aware of her limbs again. And as awareness came, so did the aches. Dull aches right now because her body was still half numb.
"Ah, you're awake."
Margie turned her face up a little (since she couldn't quite make the rest of her body move), and focused sleepily on Citan who was standing a few feet away from her. He was putting his things away in that black bag he carried with him always.
A doctor's bag, her brain slowly reminded.
"Hullo, Citan. What are you doing in my room?" she asked on a yawn. "And where are the others? Prim and Chu-Chu?"
"Marguerite, we're not on the Yggdrassil."
"We're not. Where are we then?" she asked lazily, her eyes closing again. Something in her mind told her that the dull ache her body was in would soon increase and it was better to just sleep it off.
"We're in Shevat."
Margie's eyes snapped open and she immediately tried to sit up... only to gasp in pain and lie back down as her shoulderblades screamed in protest.
She sank back down to her original position on her stomach and clenched her teeth, her breath hissing out through them as the fire on her back prevented her from moving.
"It would be better if you _didn't_ move," Citan said, the suggestion quite useless now. He was still tidying up his stuff.
Margie waited until the pain had faded before she finally asked. "Citan, why can't I move?" She was proud of how calm her question came out.
Citan turned from the table his bag and things were at and gave her a curious look. "You do not remember?"
"Remember what? What happened to me? Why can't I move?" This time, her voice quavered a little, some of her fear showing. It wasn't a nice feeling to wake up and find yourself unable to move because the pain was too sharp... "Why does my back hurt?"
He came forward and touched her forehead with his cool, gentle hand. "Hmm. No fever..." he murmured, a small frown creasing his brow. "It must be the shock, then."
Margie stared at him, confusion and little bits of fear poking at her uncomfortably. ~What happened to me...?~
The doctor finally crouched in front of her and looked her directly in the eyes. His voice was quiet, gentle. And soothed her as he told her what had happened to put her in this position.
"When we arrived here yesterday morning, you ran off by yourself and a monster attacked you. Luckily, Bart, Billy, and Jessie decided to follow you and were able to scare the creature away before he could do much harm. Your shoulderblades were cut, though, and you lost some blood so we had to immediately take you to an Infirmary and get you some medical aid. But now you're fine and healing well. All you have to do is try not to move much until I can finish healing your back properly."
Margie could only stare and blink as she tried to remember all of what he told her had happened. It was slowly coming back, but she still could't remember everything. What she did remember, though, was the pain and the fear she had felt. And then the ocean of relief when she saw Bart coming. The rest was too blurry...
"This all hapened yesterday?" she asked skeptically.
"Yesterday about an hour before noon, if I remember correctly," Citan said, patting her hand as he stood up and went back to his doctor's bag.
Margie frowned thoughtfully and a sudden, horrible thought came to her. "Doctor Uzuki, you said I can't move until the healing's done, right?"
"Mm-hmm," he confirmed as he lifted a stethoscope up to the light before putting it away.
"And how long do you think my healing will take?" she asked, biting her lip in apprehension.
"Oh, another week and a half, I'd say."
"What!? But why so long!?" she exclaimed in surprise. "You have your magic, don't you!?"
He turned and gave her a brief smile. "I have to use my magic only a bit at a time so you wont be left with any scars and so the tissues and muscles may heal right. If I rush it, I could damage you further."
Margie's heart sank and she sighed, burying her face in her pillow. "I'm not going to be able to go out to the snow for a whole week and a half... Can things get any more horrible?"
**************************************************
Apparently, they could.
Margie was stupid enough to ask for a room with a window. If she couldn't touch the snow, she could at least see it and get a bit of satisfaction from that, right?
Wrong.
**************************************************
The snow fell in a feathery rain that softly blanketed everything in sight. Laughter and screams of delight echoed across the white expanse as families and friends played, dived, and rolled in the white powder in complete abandon. Bliss...
Needless to say, it made Margie want to scream in frustration. She stared at all the people outside from within her room, kneeling on one of the beds as she looked out the window (yes, she could move with relative ease now) at all the fun going outside without her being able to join in. It just was NOT FAIR!
"Ugh! I want to go outside!" she complained for the twentieth time.
Maria, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed, just sighed and shook her head. Things were not going as planned. She was supposed to keep Margie occupied so the young Great Mother wouldn't sulk about being kept inside. So far, she was failing miserably.
"Margie, it's your move," the young mechanic reminded.
Margie turned away from the window and frowned at the chess board set up between them. They had been playing this game for the last hour and she was losing. She wasn't paying attention to it at all. Her mind and her eyes kept on drifting to the white flakes that fell outside her window.
Margie sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Maria. I'm not really paying attention. I can't help it."
Maria nodded in understanding and shrugged. "It's okay. I understand. So, what do you want to do?"
"Honestly? Nothing, but go outside," Margie answered, turning to stare out the window again.
"But you can't do that. Not for another few days at least."
"I know. Doesn't stop me from wanting to, though."
So far, she had kept herself from going insane. Having freedom (and that damn snow) just a stone's throw away, but not being able to do anything about it was very hard on the mind. Not to mention the spirit.
In the past five days, she had been visited by the whole gang, including a surprising visit from Kahr and Dominia. Kahr had been kind and Dominia... well, Dominia had been civilized, at least. She hadn't tried to kill her. Margie figured that was the best anyone could get out of the femal Solarian.
What had irritated her to no end, though, was the _way_ all these people had come to visit. Snow on their coats from their recent romp outside. Their faces disgustingly healthy; flushed from the cold and the fun. The way they couldn't stop talking and gushing over the perfect weather outside...
Okay, so maybe she _was_ acting bitter. But it was so frustrating! Thankfully, they had finally gotten the hint when Rico had peeked into her room one time, and had received a pillow in the face for being completely covered in snow. Apparently, Emeralda had shoved him into a snow bank.
That wasn't the only thing that had gotten her in a lousy mood, though. Bart hadn't been visiting her much. His appearances were short and numbered very few. Almost like he was avoiding her or something. She was quietly seething about that. Once she got her hands on him...
Knowing that her wishes to go outside were useless right now, Margie turned to Maria and tried to be a little more cheerful. She still had a mission to complete anyway. "So, have you and Billy put your differences aside yet?"
Maria only frowned and crossed her arms, which was all the answer Margie needed.
"You haven't apologized to him, then."
Maria's dark green eyes flashed. "Why should I have to apologize!? He was the one acting like a jerk! Badmouthing his Dad the way he was and acting like a brat! I'd say he's the one that has to apologize!"
Margie smiled a little at the younger girl's angry face and wondered if she should tell her that, well... "Um, Maria..."
"What?"
"Billy's right behind you."
Maria swiveled in her seat so fast, she nearly fell off her chair. She stared at the figure standing in the doorway and she blanched.
"Uh... Billy..."
"_I_ should apologize?" he asked with a frown as he stepped into the room. "You think _I_ should apologize? Hmph. You're the one that insulted me!"
Maria seemed to get her wits back at that moment because she glared right back at him and stood up. "All the things I said were the plain truth! I just pointed them out!"
Billy's normally calm aquamarine eyes narrowed dangerously and he was about to retort, when Margie suddenly stood up and stepped in between them, her sapphire eyes brightening considerably. They were finally 'talking' after a week of ignoring each other. Now all she had to do was direct the discussion the right way...
"Hey, come on you two," she began as she pushed them away from each other a little. She nudged Billy down on the bed that was next to hers and then turned to Maria, who was still standing. With a sharp look directed at the young mechanic, Margie got her to sit down on her bed without a protest.
Margie took the chair Maria had previously occupied and sat down between them as the mediator. She'd have them talking by the end of the day for sure. She had nothing better to do anyway.
"Alright, it's time to clear this up, you two. You've been ignoring each other for the past week or so. Isn't that enough already? You guys are friends. Good friends, I might add. Shouldn't we be able to get pass this?"
Maria crossed her arms and looked away. "I have nothing else to say to him that I haven't already shared."
Margie silently sighed and turned to Billy. Hopefully, he'd be more mature about this...
"I wont talk to her until _she_ apologizes," the ex-Etone muttered.
Okay, maybe not. They both wanted to act like children about this, so be it. She'd treat them like children.
"Maria, you apologize to Billy for what you said about him," Margie ordered, her tone icy.
Maria turned to her, a confused frown on her face. "And why should I?" she demanded.
"Because you know you're not happy with this distance between you," Margie retorted. At Maria's guilty look, Margie softened her voice. "You're just being stubborn because you want him to see things your way. I know."
Maria stared down at her lap and didn't say anything.
Margie turned to Billy and saw the guilty look in his eyes, too. "Billy, you have to understand that you hurt her with the way you treat your dad. If she hurt you with her words, she didn't really mean it. Maria sometimes has a hard time expressing her feelings, especially when it comes to friendship and forgiveness. Most of her life, she spent thinking about revenge. She's clumsy at this. But you can tell she's getting better at it. She apologized to Tolone when she almost got into that fight, remember? You just have to be patient with her. We're her friends, after all."
Billy flushed a little and nodded. Maria was completely crimson. Margie knew she had put them both on the spot, but she also knew they both had a hard time getting their emotions across. And she didn't want to see them drift apart for one fight. She loved them both too much.
Maria cleared her throat and looked up, her face still flushed. But she looked at Billy straight in the eye. "I-I'm sorry, Billy, for yelling at you. I know it wasn't my place to tell you what I did, but it really does piss me off that you don't appreciate your dad when he's right there for you. I wish I was that lucky..."
Billy sighed and shook his head. "It's okay, Maria. What I did was wrong because I hurt you with what I said. I should be more tactful around you." Then his eyes hardened a little. "But, I wont apologize for what I feel. What I feel towards my dad is not something you can't really understand. I don't think anyone really can."
Maria looked like she was about to say something about that, but Margie shut her up with a look. Now was not the time to point out that he was wrong or whatever it was she was about to say. Maria rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet.
"Okay, now that we've settled that," Margie said cheerfully, standing up. "Let's all go outside and have a nice snow war. Anyone with me?"
The other two looked at each other, then at her, and shook their heads firmly.
"Damn. I thought I could trick you two while you were emotionally vulberable..." Margie muttered as she stomped back to her bed.
To be continued...
*I apologize for the lack of a Bart appearance in this chapter, but it was necessary. Not to worry, though. The next chapter will be full of his kawaii presence. ^_~ And yes, it will be out sooner this time. I promise!*
p.s. It took so long to put out 'cuz I've been swamped with schoolwork. Not that anyone really cares...
*Disclaimer*: Xenogears is still the undisputed property of Squaresoft. However, I am working on that little angle... Mwahahahahaha! (Shadow Angel continues to cackle evilly.) ^_~*
Chapter Twelve
Margie woke up sluggishly to find herself lying on her stomach in an unfamiliar bed. Her body was curiously numb, but the feeling was slowly coming back, pricklings that made her aware of her limbs again. And as awareness came, so did the aches. Dull aches right now because her body was still half numb.
"Ah, you're awake."
Margie turned her face up a little (since she couldn't quite make the rest of her body move), and focused sleepily on Citan who was standing a few feet away from her. He was putting his things away in that black bag he carried with him always.
A doctor's bag, her brain slowly reminded.
"Hullo, Citan. What are you doing in my room?" she asked on a yawn. "And where are the others? Prim and Chu-Chu?"
"Marguerite, we're not on the Yggdrassil."
"We're not. Where are we then?" she asked lazily, her eyes closing again. Something in her mind told her that the dull ache her body was in would soon increase and it was better to just sleep it off.
"We're in Shevat."
Margie's eyes snapped open and she immediately tried to sit up... only to gasp in pain and lie back down as her shoulderblades screamed in protest.
She sank back down to her original position on her stomach and clenched her teeth, her breath hissing out through them as the fire on her back prevented her from moving.
"It would be better if you _didn't_ move," Citan said, the suggestion quite useless now. He was still tidying up his stuff.
Margie waited until the pain had faded before she finally asked. "Citan, why can't I move?" She was proud of how calm her question came out.
Citan turned from the table his bag and things were at and gave her a curious look. "You do not remember?"
"Remember what? What happened to me? Why can't I move?" This time, her voice quavered a little, some of her fear showing. It wasn't a nice feeling to wake up and find yourself unable to move because the pain was too sharp... "Why does my back hurt?"
He came forward and touched her forehead with his cool, gentle hand. "Hmm. No fever..." he murmured, a small frown creasing his brow. "It must be the shock, then."
Margie stared at him, confusion and little bits of fear poking at her uncomfortably. ~What happened to me...?~
The doctor finally crouched in front of her and looked her directly in the eyes. His voice was quiet, gentle. And soothed her as he told her what had happened to put her in this position.
"When we arrived here yesterday morning, you ran off by yourself and a monster attacked you. Luckily, Bart, Billy, and Jessie decided to follow you and were able to scare the creature away before he could do much harm. Your shoulderblades were cut, though, and you lost some blood so we had to immediately take you to an Infirmary and get you some medical aid. But now you're fine and healing well. All you have to do is try not to move much until I can finish healing your back properly."
Margie could only stare and blink as she tried to remember all of what he told her had happened. It was slowly coming back, but she still could't remember everything. What she did remember, though, was the pain and the fear she had felt. And then the ocean of relief when she saw Bart coming. The rest was too blurry...
"This all hapened yesterday?" she asked skeptically.
"Yesterday about an hour before noon, if I remember correctly," Citan said, patting her hand as he stood up and went back to his doctor's bag.
Margie frowned thoughtfully and a sudden, horrible thought came to her. "Doctor Uzuki, you said I can't move until the healing's done, right?"
"Mm-hmm," he confirmed as he lifted a stethoscope up to the light before putting it away.
"And how long do you think my healing will take?" she asked, biting her lip in apprehension.
"Oh, another week and a half, I'd say."
"What!? But why so long!?" she exclaimed in surprise. "You have your magic, don't you!?"
He turned and gave her a brief smile. "I have to use my magic only a bit at a time so you wont be left with any scars and so the tissues and muscles may heal right. If I rush it, I could damage you further."
Margie's heart sank and she sighed, burying her face in her pillow. "I'm not going to be able to go out to the snow for a whole week and a half... Can things get any more horrible?"
**************************************************
Apparently, they could.
Margie was stupid enough to ask for a room with a window. If she couldn't touch the snow, she could at least see it and get a bit of satisfaction from that, right?
Wrong.
**************************************************
The snow fell in a feathery rain that softly blanketed everything in sight. Laughter and screams of delight echoed across the white expanse as families and friends played, dived, and rolled in the white powder in complete abandon. Bliss...
Needless to say, it made Margie want to scream in frustration. She stared at all the people outside from within her room, kneeling on one of the beds as she looked out the window (yes, she could move with relative ease now) at all the fun going outside without her being able to join in. It just was NOT FAIR!
"Ugh! I want to go outside!" she complained for the twentieth time.
Maria, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed, just sighed and shook her head. Things were not going as planned. She was supposed to keep Margie occupied so the young Great Mother wouldn't sulk about being kept inside. So far, she was failing miserably.
"Margie, it's your move," the young mechanic reminded.
Margie turned away from the window and frowned at the chess board set up between them. They had been playing this game for the last hour and she was losing. She wasn't paying attention to it at all. Her mind and her eyes kept on drifting to the white flakes that fell outside her window.
Margie sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Maria. I'm not really paying attention. I can't help it."
Maria nodded in understanding and shrugged. "It's okay. I understand. So, what do you want to do?"
"Honestly? Nothing, but go outside," Margie answered, turning to stare out the window again.
"But you can't do that. Not for another few days at least."
"I know. Doesn't stop me from wanting to, though."
So far, she had kept herself from going insane. Having freedom (and that damn snow) just a stone's throw away, but not being able to do anything about it was very hard on the mind. Not to mention the spirit.
In the past five days, she had been visited by the whole gang, including a surprising visit from Kahr and Dominia. Kahr had been kind and Dominia... well, Dominia had been civilized, at least. She hadn't tried to kill her. Margie figured that was the best anyone could get out of the femal Solarian.
What had irritated her to no end, though, was the _way_ all these people had come to visit. Snow on their coats from their recent romp outside. Their faces disgustingly healthy; flushed from the cold and the fun. The way they couldn't stop talking and gushing over the perfect weather outside...
Okay, so maybe she _was_ acting bitter. But it was so frustrating! Thankfully, they had finally gotten the hint when Rico had peeked into her room one time, and had received a pillow in the face for being completely covered in snow. Apparently, Emeralda had shoved him into a snow bank.
That wasn't the only thing that had gotten her in a lousy mood, though. Bart hadn't been visiting her much. His appearances were short and numbered very few. Almost like he was avoiding her or something. She was quietly seething about that. Once she got her hands on him...
Knowing that her wishes to go outside were useless right now, Margie turned to Maria and tried to be a little more cheerful. She still had a mission to complete anyway. "So, have you and Billy put your differences aside yet?"
Maria only frowned and crossed her arms, which was all the answer Margie needed.
"You haven't apologized to him, then."
Maria's dark green eyes flashed. "Why should I have to apologize!? He was the one acting like a jerk! Badmouthing his Dad the way he was and acting like a brat! I'd say he's the one that has to apologize!"
Margie smiled a little at the younger girl's angry face and wondered if she should tell her that, well... "Um, Maria..."
"What?"
"Billy's right behind you."
Maria swiveled in her seat so fast, she nearly fell off her chair. She stared at the figure standing in the doorway and she blanched.
"Uh... Billy..."
"_I_ should apologize?" he asked with a frown as he stepped into the room. "You think _I_ should apologize? Hmph. You're the one that insulted me!"
Maria seemed to get her wits back at that moment because she glared right back at him and stood up. "All the things I said were the plain truth! I just pointed them out!"
Billy's normally calm aquamarine eyes narrowed dangerously and he was about to retort, when Margie suddenly stood up and stepped in between them, her sapphire eyes brightening considerably. They were finally 'talking' after a week of ignoring each other. Now all she had to do was direct the discussion the right way...
"Hey, come on you two," she began as she pushed them away from each other a little. She nudged Billy down on the bed that was next to hers and then turned to Maria, who was still standing. With a sharp look directed at the young mechanic, Margie got her to sit down on her bed without a protest.
Margie took the chair Maria had previously occupied and sat down between them as the mediator. She'd have them talking by the end of the day for sure. She had nothing better to do anyway.
"Alright, it's time to clear this up, you two. You've been ignoring each other for the past week or so. Isn't that enough already? You guys are friends. Good friends, I might add. Shouldn't we be able to get pass this?"
Maria crossed her arms and looked away. "I have nothing else to say to him that I haven't already shared."
Margie silently sighed and turned to Billy. Hopefully, he'd be more mature about this...
"I wont talk to her until _she_ apologizes," the ex-Etone muttered.
Okay, maybe not. They both wanted to act like children about this, so be it. She'd treat them like children.
"Maria, you apologize to Billy for what you said about him," Margie ordered, her tone icy.
Maria turned to her, a confused frown on her face. "And why should I?" she demanded.
"Because you know you're not happy with this distance between you," Margie retorted. At Maria's guilty look, Margie softened her voice. "You're just being stubborn because you want him to see things your way. I know."
Maria stared down at her lap and didn't say anything.
Margie turned to Billy and saw the guilty look in his eyes, too. "Billy, you have to understand that you hurt her with the way you treat your dad. If she hurt you with her words, she didn't really mean it. Maria sometimes has a hard time expressing her feelings, especially when it comes to friendship and forgiveness. Most of her life, she spent thinking about revenge. She's clumsy at this. But you can tell she's getting better at it. She apologized to Tolone when she almost got into that fight, remember? You just have to be patient with her. We're her friends, after all."
Billy flushed a little and nodded. Maria was completely crimson. Margie knew she had put them both on the spot, but she also knew they both had a hard time getting their emotions across. And she didn't want to see them drift apart for one fight. She loved them both too much.
Maria cleared her throat and looked up, her face still flushed. But she looked at Billy straight in the eye. "I-I'm sorry, Billy, for yelling at you. I know it wasn't my place to tell you what I did, but it really does piss me off that you don't appreciate your dad when he's right there for you. I wish I was that lucky..."
Billy sighed and shook his head. "It's okay, Maria. What I did was wrong because I hurt you with what I said. I should be more tactful around you." Then his eyes hardened a little. "But, I wont apologize for what I feel. What I feel towards my dad is not something you can't really understand. I don't think anyone really can."
Maria looked like she was about to say something about that, but Margie shut her up with a look. Now was not the time to point out that he was wrong or whatever it was she was about to say. Maria rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet.
"Okay, now that we've settled that," Margie said cheerfully, standing up. "Let's all go outside and have a nice snow war. Anyone with me?"
The other two looked at each other, then at her, and shook their heads firmly.
"Damn. I thought I could trick you two while you were emotionally vulberable..." Margie muttered as she stomped back to her bed.
To be continued...
*I apologize for the lack of a Bart appearance in this chapter, but it was necessary. Not to worry, though. The next chapter will be full of his kawaii presence. ^_~ And yes, it will be out sooner this time. I promise!*