Chapter Seven: Calm after the storm……….or is it?
Yukito winced when light hit his sensitive eyes. Once again, he was awakening in his room, with his worried friends hovering over him.
"This is becoming a habit………." Yukito muttered, wincing when even talking caused his head to pound. He heard Umi and Fuu sigh with relief.
"We were so scared when we found you, Hikaru and Eagle collapsed in that hallway, Yukito. What happened?" Umi asked.
"I don't know. All I know is that a dazzling light came from the Proof room and a voice came from it. Then, the next thing I realize is that I am waking up in my room. Again." Yukito replied, sounding a little irritated about the whole thing. Umi and Fuu exchanged a glance, then looked back at Yukito.
"Yukito-san, there is something you need to know. We now have Eagle Vision in captivity and there is a temporary cease-fire in effect." Fuu said, gently.
"Well, at least some good came out of that battle. Where is Eagle now?" Yukito asked, now curious about where the enemy was.
"He's in one of the special cells. I think Sera is seeing to him now." Umi said, as thoughtful silence descended onto the three.
Cautiously, Sera stuck her head into the room where Eagle was being held prisoner. She was startled to see that he was up and about, investigating his new 'quarters'.
"You really shouldn't be standing right now." Sera said, startling the young man slightly.
"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm quite all right." Eagle replied, with a charming smile. Sera was taken aback, she hadn't expected Eagle to be so handsome or cheerful. But she quickly regained her composure and approached his cell, passing through the invisible wall with ease.
"Are you sure you want to come in here? I am, after all, your enemy." Eagle said, as cheerfully as before. Sera glanced up at him and gave him an even look.
"I'm one of the resident healers here. It's my job to check in on you and see how you are doing, and check to see if you have any broken bones that need setting." Sera replied, coolly. Eagle chuckled, a warm sound that caused Sera's heart to quicken its beat.
"W-what's so funny? You don't think I'm old enough to be a healer?" Sera asked.
"Oh, not at all! It's just that that serious expression you are wearing doesn't suit someone as pretty as you." Eagle replied, honestly. Sera blushed, but got him to sit down on the bed so she could check him over.
"Hmm…………you seem a bit warm, are you ill?" Sera asked, as she felt his forehead first.
"Uh……………..I don't know, you tell me." Eagle said, now starting to get uneasy. What if this girl found out his horrible secret? Would she tell her superiors about it? Would they use that information against him or his people? He was shaken from his thoughts when Sera spoke.
"Take off your shirt, for a second." Sera ordered.
"What?" Eagle asked, surprised.
"Take off your shirt, I need to get a good listen to your heart." Sera said, becoming impatient with her charge. Reluctantly, Eagle did as he was told and took off his black turtleneck. He stared straight ahead as Sera checked his heartbeat and breathing.
"That's odd. Your lungs sound like they have fluid in them. Do your people know that you are sick?" Sera asked, with genuine concern in her voice.
"No, they don't." Eagle replied. Sera looked at him for a moment, then stood up straight again.
"Go ahead and put your shirt back on. I'm going to go and get some herbs to make some medicine for you. I'll be back in a few minutes." Sera said, as she exited the invisible wall.
"Wait." Eagle called. Sera stopped and looked back at him.
"Why are you doing this? Am I not your enemy?" Eagle asked, confused.
"You may be my enemy, Commander Eagle, but I can't ignore anyone who is sick and in need of treatment." Sera said, before disappearing from sight. Eagle continued to stare after her with a look of consternation on his face. He had not been expecting this. He doubled over when pain again tore through his chest.
"Ugh………" Eagle moaned, before coughing up some more blood. As before, the fit lasted twenty minutes, coming to an end just as Sera was coming back with a tray in her hands.
"Commander!" Sera yelped, as she put the tray down and rushed over to his side. She was shocked to see so much blood on the floor. Eagle looked up, again surprised by the Cephirian woman's concern.
"Why are you so worried about me…………….?" Eagle rasped, as Sera quickly shushed him.
"Don't talk. You need to rest. I brought some broth and the medicine I'd promised. Get into bed and I will get it for you." Sera said, as she helped him get back over to the bed. She then rushed over and retrieved the tray.
"Thank you." Eagle whispered, as Sera returned with the tray.
"Don't mention it. Now, to see if the medicine will do any good." Sera said, as she gave Eagle the small glass that contained a greenish fluid. Deciding that he didn't have much to lose, Eagle took the glass from her and downed it, making a face at the sour taste.
"Now for the broth." Sera said, gently.
"Why broth?" Eagle asked.
"To take the taste of the medicine away. If you would rather have solid food I could go get you some." Sera suggested. Eagle shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. I suppose any kind of food will taste better than medicine, anyway." Eagle said, quietly. As he sipped the broth, Sera watched him. She was relieved to see that a healthy color was returning to his tanned skin, and his fever had come down. Just as Eagle finished the last drop of the broth, he settled back onto the bed, utterly exhausted.
"Is this one of the effects of your medicine?" Eagle asked, drowsily.
"Yes. It will help you sleep and it will ease the pain. In time, it might even cure the disease." Sera said.
"But I don't have much time left………" Eagle protested, sleepily.
"That's just it, this medicine will buy you the time you need to heal." Sera explained, as Eagle drifted into peaceful slumber. Sera watched Eagle for a few minutes, then she turned to cleaning up the blood from the floor. When she finished, Sera again looked at Eagle.
"He looks so innocent when he's asleep! He isn't what I'd expected at all!" Sera thought, as she gently brushed an errant strand of cornsilk blond hair off of his face.
"Well, I see that he is asleep." A woman's voice said, as the owner of the voice entered.
"Healer Kaho!" Sera yelped, startled. Kaho arched an eyebrow, but smiled, knowingly.
"Taking an interest in your patient?" Kaho asked, as she entered the invisible wall.
"Yes, I am, I guess. You didn't tell anyone else about his illness, did you?" Sera asked.
"No. Why tell anyone when we have the cure for his disease and he could be healthy again in a matter of weeks?" Kaho said, as she glanced at the sleeping man's face.
"Very true. Kaho, do you think he'll still go after the Proof of the Pillar when he's healthy again?" Sera asked.
"That depends. I have the feeling that he is not doing this for his own sake, but rather for the country of his birth. From what Kailu Lantis has been willing to tell me, Autozam's atmosphere is badly deteriorated. That might explain why Eagle has this lung disease." Kaho said.
"And why he came for the Pillar of Cephiro. Kaho, do you think he will recover from this? Or is he too far gone?" Sera asked. This time Kaho raised both eyebrows.
"You have taken an interest! Well, for your sake, I'll help you as much as I possibly can." Kaho promised.
"Thank you!………..Erm………..I mean………" Sera said, embarrassed by her outburst. Kaho laughed.
"Don't worry, Sera. Your brother made a complete recovery from the lung disease; why shouldn't this handsome rogue? Well, let's get going before we are missed." Kaho said, as she and Sera left the cell, leaving Eagle to sleep.
Yukito sighed as he sat down in his favorite spot in the residential area. He was about to drift off and take a nap when he heard a voice call his name.
"Yuki! It's Yuki!" Mira shouted, as she and her friends ran over to him. Yukito smiled; the children had remembered him.
"Hello Mira!" Yukito greeted, as Mira hugged him, and as the other Cephirian children gathered around him.
"Hello, Yuki! Everyone was wondering where you were! You stayed away for so long!" Mira said, as she looked up at Yukito with her innocent sky blue eyes.
"I'm sorry. I should have come to visit sooner. Do you forgive me?" Yukito asked.
"Yeah! We've got a gift for you too, Yuki!" Mira said, as a few of the children brought a plain wooden box over, with Presea following closely behind them. Yukito looked questioningly at Presea, then opened the box. His jaw dropped when he saw what it was; it was a silver amulet that had a winged lion carved into the metal and had a luminous silver opal in the center.
"Yue……………..This is what Yue looked like before he was revived! But how did they know? How?" Yukito wondered, as he gave the children a stunned look.
"We all had the same dream, Yuki. We dreamed that a winged lion lived on the moon, and Presea made this for us, tellin' us that your Mashin is from the moon!" Mira said, smiling as Yukito carefully took the amulet out of the box and carefully lowered it so it now was draped on his neck.
"Thank you, Mira, minna-san. I really appreciate it." Yukito murmured, moved by the children's kindness.
"You're welcome, Yuki!" the children replied, in unison. Just then, the other three Magic Knights entered the area.
"Yukito-chan!" Hikaru shouted.
"Ne, Hikaru-san!" Yukito replied, as he went to stand up, but found himself pinned by the children, laughing as they tried to hold him down. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu all started laughing as Yukito playfully tussled with the children.
"He looks so much happier than he did a little while ago." Hikaru said, still smiling.
"Yes. It appears that the children help him forget for a while." Fuu agreed. As they settled in, Clef and a few others made their appearance in the residential area. Kerberos, as usual, was driving Innouva insane and Lantis was, for once, in deep conversation with Ferio about something. All seems peaceful, but everything could change in an instant. From the shadows, Nova snickered; she would show them just what true terror could be. And she would take Lantis for herself, no matter what.