Chapter Five: The Al Bhed

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I've been pretty busy with work and trying to get on a normal schedule again. Thanks for reading. Anyone faint of heart or bothered by gore should be careful in reading this chapter especially towards the end. It isn't too bad, but if you have a good imagination it could be. My apologies to Degongin for borrowing the surgery idea. My story just kind of led me there. I didn't mean to steal your idea. Again thanks for reading and please review. Also, if you haven't already reread Chapter Four please do. I added a lot that is pertinent to the story.

************************

Auron eyed the group of fiends surrounding the Travel Agency. He was feeling better now that he had drank Kimahri's potion. If Kimahri was right, though, it wouldn't last but a few hours. He would have to make use of that time in this fight.

Directly to his left was a shred; behind it was a skoll. To the right of the skoll was a yowie. Flying behind the yowie was a nebiros and directly behind it was an ogre. Great. He glanced at Kimahri. The Ronso held his lance to the side, ready for battle. The cat-man met Auron's eyes, seeking instructions. Auron glanced at the shred and hefted his sword onto his shoulder, indicating that he would fight that one. Kimahri smiled, at least by Ronso standards, and lined himself up with the skoll.

The shred attacked Auron, charging at him to ram its armoured body against the warrior-monk. Auron sidestepped the attack and brought his sword down to bite deeply into the shred, nearly slicing it in half. Beside him, Auron heard the skoll yelp as Kimahri ended its existence. The yowie and nebiros quickly moved in for an attack. Auron realized that he wasn't quick enough to hit either of them. He had to try though. The nebiros lined itself up with Auron. Great. He gripped his katana and eyed the giant insect. The nebiros suddenly attacked. Auron barely had time to dodge it. He swung his giant blade as he jumped to the side, but missed. The fiend attacked again immediately. Auron brought his sword up to block. The stinger of the giant insect bounced harmlessly off the blade. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kimahri take out the yowie.

Instantly Kimahri moved in on the nebiros giving Auron the chance to take on the giant ogre. Slipping around the nebiros, Auron quickly glanced down at his chest. It was bleeding again. The strange thing was that he didn't even feel the pain anymore. The Ronso potion must be the cause of it.

The ogre had been holding back while its companions fought. Seeing Auron approaching the fiend tightened its fists and slipped into the closest thing that it could to a fighting stance. Auron eyed it for weaknesses. He didn't see any. Power Break wouldn't work on this fiend. He had tried it before. He would have to be very careful fighting this one.

The ogre stood with its fists at his sides. It watched Auron warily, but hungrily. Battle lust could clearly be seen in its eyes. Auron slipped into a kimosei stance: legs apart, knees bent, sword on shoulder. He watched the fiend carefully. He would wait for it to attack.

The ogre's eyes widened as it threw its large right fist at Auron's chest. Auron sidestepped the blow and brought his sword down in a slicing arc that took out the fiend's right hand. The ogre screamed in pain and swung with its left fist. Auron had just enough time to swing his katana down for another blow just as the ogre's fist connected with his chest. The katana sliced through the fiends arm, cutting its arm off, but not before the fist had impacted with Auron's chest. He felt his ribs crack and the searing pain of one piercing his lung. Blood flooded his mouth and he fell to his knees choking on his life fluids.

"Auron!' Kimahri growled from what seemed like a great distance.

Auron calmly sat there and waited for the fiend to end his existence. The blow never came, instead a cry of pain and the sound of a creature dissolving into pyreflies followed. With great effort Auron lifted his head to see Kimahri standing in front of him, lance held out in a guard stance. The Ronso turned to the guardian in concern.

Auron tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't support him. He found it hard to breath and every time he took a normal breath a sharp pain would shoot through him and the coppery taste of blood would fill his mouth. Giving up on standing, he looked around for his dropped sword. It was a few feet away. Suddenly he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"Kimahri help Auron," the Ronso said, bending over to pick Auron up.

The thought of being carried to the trade post made every ounce of pride in Auron scream to resist, but he lacked the strength. He let Kimahri pick him up like a small child and carry him. As it was he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eye open and a red film seemed to be covering it.

Standing near the desk of the trade post was a young Al Bhed. He was about to thank them when Kimahri interrupted. "Help," he growled.

Auron caught out of the corner of his eye a look of shock cross the Al Bhed's face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Sir Auron." The Al Bhed turned to Kimahri. "This way," he said, gesturing behind the Ronso to a door at the end of the trade post. Auron would never forget his strange accent.

Rin. It was the last thought he had before he passed out.

* * *

Kimahri carried the young guardian into a small room inside the trade post. The strange Al Bhed followed close behind.

"You can set him on the bed there," he said, pointing to a twin bed in the middle of the room. The Al Bhed met Kimahri's eyes. "You had better get his sword, sir. If he wakes up he will be quite angry if it is lost."

Kimahri crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed at the word if. He glared at the Al Bhed silently telling him there better be no if about.

"You can trust me. I am called Rin. Sir Auron knows me. Please, bring in his sword." Rin had a very polite tone about him, but Kimahri still didn't completely trust him. He had little choice, though. With one final glare he left the room to retrieve the giant katana.

* * *

Rin looked down at his patient. Auron looked terrible. He was almost as pale as the white bed sheets he was lying on. His right eye was permanently shut because of a long wound that sliced from his forehead, down his cheek, to his jaw. His long black hair now had patches of grey in it and was soaked in sweat and blood. Rin pushed back the stray locks of hair that covered Auron's forehead to find a gash torn into the guardian's head. Rin quickly left to retrieve a potion. He would get rid of this wound immediately before it killed the warrior-monk. When he returned he poured a high potion onto the gash and then some onto the wound that crossed the man's right eye. He then examined the main wound.

Auron's chest was covered in blood. Little remained of his leather shirt. The wound looked like a third degree burn. Rin briefly wondered what had caused it. Auron's breathing was laboured and blood stained his lips. What could be causing this? The Al Bhed turned doctor gently ran his fingers over Auron's chest, pressing down in different areas, feeling for broken ribs. When Rin got near the left side of Auron's chest, Auron's eye flew open as he gasped in pain. He right hand grasped the wrist of the Al Bhed and jerked it away. Then Auron started coughing, choking up blood.

Rin wrung his bruised wrist. "Easy, Sir Auron. One of your ribs is broken and has pierced your lung. You must relax," Rin said, laying a soothing hand on Auron's shoulder.

"Where?" the guardian gasped, closing his eye.

Rin spread his hands to indicate the room. "You are in the Calm Lands. Your Ronso friend carried you to this room in the trade post. He is getting your sword. I can help you if you will let me."

Auron smiled a bitter smile and Rin again wondered what had happened to the young guardian. "I trust you," he said, barely above a whisper.

"Kimahri doesn't." The Ronso was standing just inside the doorway. He leaned the giant katana against the wall. There was a low growl in his voice that emphasized his distrust. Auron feebly turned his head to look the Ronso in the eyes. Even though the guardian was weak there was a piercing quality about his eye that caused even the Ronso to back down. Kimahri lowered his head. "Very well."

Rin smiled. "Thank you. I need your help."

Kimahri crossed his arms and waited for his orders or so the Al Bhed assumed.

"Over there in that closet is a cloth and some bandages. Please bring them."

* * *

Kimahri didn't like this Al Bhed. He was too polite. It seemed like he was hiding something about himself behind his politeness. But the Ronso didn't have a choice. He had to trust this Rin. He walked over to the closet that the Al Bhed had indicated. It was to his right in the back of the room. He pulled out the things that Rin had asked him to and returned to the bedside.

"Thank you," the Al Bhed said, taking the things from him. "One thing more: I need you to get some things from the shop outside. Please get a high potion and an elixir. They are in a chest behind the desk."

Kimahri nodded and then left to get them. He found the potions where the Al Bhed had indicated and returned with them. Rin had a strange bottle in his hand.

"This is a special potion that will cause Sir Auron to sleep, but he can't drink it," Rin said, handing the bottle to Kimahri. "He has to breath in the fumes. This is going to sound strange, but it works. I've done it before. What I am going to do is open Sir Auron's chest and remove the broken rib that has pierced his lung. That special potion will cause him to sleep through it so he doesn't feel the pain. What I need you to do is pour some of it onto this cloth and hold it to his mouth." Rin handed Kimahri the cloth. "Every ten seconds or so pour some more onto the cloth to make sure that he stays asleep. Do you understand?"

Kimahri nodded.

Rin turned to Auron. Kimahri also looked down at the guardian. He was shocked to see Auron still awake.

"Sir Auron. . ." Rin began.

"I heard you," Auron said, looking Rin in the eyes.

Rin smiled. "Ok, do you still trust me?"

Now it was Auron's turn to smile. "Just do it," he sighed.

Rin nodded. "Kimahri," he said, gesturing to the bottle.

Kimahri looked Auron in the eye for a second. The man didn't have much time left. The Ronso poured the liquid onto the cloth and gently held it over Auron's mouth. Slowly the guardian's eye fluttered closed. Kimahri nodded to Rin to start.

Rin pulled out a small knife. There was a bit of tension on his face, but he seemed fairly calm. Again he felt around Auron's chest for the place where the rib was. Finding it, he pressed the knife into the guardian's skin, creating a small incision. Slowly and carefully he sliced through Auron's skin, lengthening the incision. When it was about three inches long, Rin stopped and pulled open the skin. Kimahri tensed.

"Pour some more on the cloth," Rin instructed, seeming to note the Ronso's discomfort. Kimahri obeyed. He definitely didn't have a choice now.

Rin continued on. He grabbed what he called a pair of forceps. Kimahri had no idea what they were, but he soon found out. Inserting the forceps into the wound, Rin pulled out a piece of the broken rib then quickly poured the elixir into the wound. The puncture in the lung closed. The Al Bhed then poured the high potion over the incision and it closed, leaving behind a faint scar. He wiped his brow.

"You can stop now," Rin said. Kimahri removed the cloth from Auron's mouth.

The Al Bhed checked Auron's pulse and smiled. "He will be ok at least as far as this is concerned. What happened to him?" he asked, eyeing the guardian's burnt chest.

Kimahri shrugged. "He live?"

"I don't know. His chest wound is pretty bad. We'll have to see when he wakes up." Rin stood. "Please come and get me when he does." The Al Bhed left the room.

Kimahri leaned against the wall near the door and across from the bed. He crossed his arms. It didn't look too good.

*****************

For any doctors or medical people out there: sorry if I did the surgery part wrong. I only have limited experience with it so I was going by basically what I have seen on medical shows and ER. I tried to not get too detailed due to my lack of knowledge. Any help on how to make it better is welcome. Also, my apologies for Rin's dialogue. I tried to make it as close to the way the character would actually talked, but I feel that I failed. Any help with that would be welcomed as well. I should have Chapter 6 up soon. Thanks for reading.