"Sugase! No!" He sat up, hands outstretched, warding off… something. He trembled, shaking uncontrollably, wrapping his arms around a frame too slender and frail to be his own - but it was. Someone moved toward him in the dark, he scrambled away, the dream too fresh for him to care that he ripped open wounds that had barely begun to heal. Light flared, blinding him. He recognized the shape as he fell from the bed. "Ranome? Please…"
Shun hurried to the other side of the bed, kneeling next to the other. "Shh, there. It's all right, I'm here. Let's get you back up on the bed, there we go, easy, yes. There. You're bleeding again, Iryu. Don't move, I'll go get some fresh bandages."
The voice was comforting, and the brush of the hand across his brow before the other moved away. Even so, Iryu could tell that something wasn't right. Ranome… he'd been closer to Ranome than any of the others… but there was something… they had been… he had been… Ranome was dead.
The realization tore through him, provided him with the identity of the one he'd thought to be Ranome. Andromeda, the Bronze Knight. Ranome was dead, had died the day that… that…. His mind tore away again, refusing to view those memories, refusing to acknowledge them. His recent revelation went with it, but the hint of unease remained when the pretty man returned.
"Here we go. I'll have to get you cleaned up without Shiryu's help after all; he's gone to help Seiya." Gentle hands removed the bandages, ran lightly over his skin. He trembled in terror, knowing that pain would follow. At the end, even Ranome…. His mind shied away again. "There you are. Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
Terror-filled eyes lifted, to see only concern instead of the hatred and scorn he'd somehow expected. Bright green hair swayed slightly as the man moved, getting up off the bed. "I'll bring you some water, anyway. I heard you screaming, your throat probably hurts. I'll just be a minute." The pretty one moved away, through the door he'd learned lead to the bathroom. A moment or two later he returned with a cup of water, and settled back beside him.
Iryu tensed, gasping a little when it hurt, a soft keening beginning when the man slipped an arm around him and supported him. "Iryu? What's wrong? It's just water." The cup was lifted to his mouth, tipped. He let the water dribble down his chin, the other pulled the glass away. "I guess you aren't thirsty yet. I'll leave this on the nightstand, then."
He watched as Ranome… not Ranome… Ranome? crossed the room. "You are safe here, Iryu. We'll protect you." Then the lights went out. He huddled into the blankets, burying his head beneath the pillows, curling himself as tightly as his pain would allow. He let the tears flow, the memory of the other's face suddenly in his mind, the blood, the blank eyes.
"Ranome…"
"Shiryu? Do you have any idea who Sugase could be?"
"Sugase? No. Why?"
"Your double woke up from a nightmare, screaming that name. He thought I was Ranome again - I think that's the only reason I managed to get close enough to him to help him. But then he was so scared, he was just shaking and crying…. Do you think we should…" Shun hesitated, uncertain. "Maybe a hospital could take care of him better."
"No, Shun. He stays with us." Shiryu coiled a lock of Shun's hair around his finger. "He needs our protection. You have felt that need, as have I. He needs protection. From what, I cannot tell. We cannot provide that protection for him if he is not with us."
"I know. But… well… he's hurt so badly. What if he has other injuries? Internal ones? Maybe that's why he isn't healing."
Shiryu was quiet for a time, petting Shun. "Perhaps you're right. The Foundation hospital, then. I… think the closer he is to us, the better."
"I'm not jealous, you know," Shun said suddenly, turning to look up at his lover. "I'm not trying to make you send him away. I'm just worried about him. He isn't healing."
"I know."
Something had changed. He wasn't exactly sure what it was… no! He was being moved! His eyes opened, limbs thrashing wildly as he tried to escape the white-coated men. He screamed, terrified, as the men strapped him to a gurney, screaming for the one who always came to help him. His screams stopped abruptly, an already pale face becoming even paler when he remembered.
He laid on the cot, unresisting now, knowing there was no one to come and help him, and no way he could escape. He was in too much pain, could feel the blood pooling. The white-coats cursed, swiftly re-bandaging the wounds, wheeling him away. He closed his eyes. Too much of his strength was gone. He would not be able to escape again, would never find what he'd lost.
Iryu didn't try and fight when they injected him, or when they removed the few bits of clothing that he'd been given. He made no protest when they touched him. He laid quietly with his eyes closed, drifting into that place where he could sense nothing. Perhaps, this time, he would stay there.
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Sugase: Sue-gah-say. Yep. That's Dark Pegasus. I gave him a name! He's the star of Iryu's nightmares, which since he's supposed to be dead, leads to a question or two. And what was it even Ranome, whom he apparently trusted, did? I'm at my page length, or I might actually answer those questions now! Ah well, at least the poor kid's gonna get some professional treatment. That's good… right?