Disclaimer: I don't own Megami Kouhosei, it belongs respectfully to its creator, Yukiru Sugisaki. However, Tai Kazuya and the version of Carres Gouthena used in this fanfiction do belong to a friend and myself; Tai to the friend who created him. Please have respect for my work, and the work of Sugisaki.
"So Far Away"
By: Hyan Matsuya
- Chapter Two -
Three weeks in that plain white walled infirmary room hadn't done much for his recovery. Since his first encounter with that mysterious repairer, he had only seen her possibly another four times throughout that entire three week span of time. Most of the time it was different nurses or Dr. Rill herself. Tai shivered. God, Dr. Rill scared the living hell out of him. She was one psychotic woman if Tai had ever met one before then. If he didn't, which he was absolutely certain of, this doctor racked in the top slot of the list. She was completely nuts.
At least four different times the white sheets and pillow cases for his bed at been changed, and so had his black pajamas with the GOA symbol marked on the left side of the chest. Almost like a statement saying that GOA patented those clothes and they were to go nowhere else. That was what he thought, anyhow. They marked everything. The clothing, the students, the instructors, the Pro-Ings. What was to come next? Zion itself? He smirked. There wasn't a way possible for them to make a mark big enough to brand the last planet.
He let out a small grunt of distaste.
It was only now he realized there wasn't a window in the room to gaze out into space from. What a rude awakening that was. And here he was thinking he was gazing at the endless sea of stars every night before drifting off to sleep. He was losing it.
His hands ran through the loose spiky locks of his brilliantly shaded brown hair, fingers twining together behind his head as he laid back on his pillow. The ceiling was just as plain and white as the four walls, and even the floor. No scuffs or anything on the floor. What was with this place and keeping it so . . . white? It was bothersome.
Physical therapy was a joke. He was perfectly fine through the entire thing. Walking, running. Jokes to him. They were easy to do. Even a minor portion of the intense physical training seemed easy. But the downside was he hurt badly afterward. So they kept him there longer than he wasn't supposed to be. He was supposed to get out of here when that repairer said it was time and she thought he could deal with it. Yet she wasn't around the examine his progress. Another disappearance from his life, people seemed to love doing that to him.
Now training didn't even appear to satisfy Tai anymore. Finishing it up wasn't even on his mind anymore, let alone staying on GOA anymore. There was apparently no reason for him to. No repairer and then getting the crap beaten out of him by someone he thought was his friend. All that seemed to make up his mind for him. As soon as he was out of this cursed infirmary, he was asking for permission to drop his training and head back to his colony. It'd be for the best.
The door zipped open and he made no acknowledgment that someone was in the room other than him. Another nurse, another needle without a doubt. If it was, he'd freak. He hated being here in the first place and then they started sticking him with needles. Damn it, he despised the things more than he despised the Victim the candidates were being trained to destroy. Maybe he'd swipe the needle when the nurse wasn't looking and stick in her, let her know what it felt like to be stuck with one of those things. He shivered at the thought of it backfiring on him.
Groaning, he hid himself beneath the whiteness of his sheet, pulling it up over his head and tucking it back behind the pillow to keep it from slipping. Laying there dead silent and still, his hearing locked on to the sound of footsteps heading in his direction. His hands tightened up into fists. A few more steps and the room went silent.
He heard the chair scratch across the floor, the second time he had even heard it and it bothered his ears this time around. It was harder, making a worse noise than it did when that repairer did it the first time weeks ago. The room was so silent after that, he could hear the person sit down with a case placed on their lap, the removal of a needle from its protective casing, and the drawing of a fluid from its leakproof container.
Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath and held it. In his mind, he counted to three just as he heard the person stand on their feet. There was a tug to pull the sheet back, and as it was, Tai lunged forward at the person without even taking in a glance of them or the needle. All he saw was a wisp of blonde hair and familiar clothing colors before he grabbed the person's wrist and twisted the needle from their hand.
The needle, filled with whatever the person had filled it with, was now in Tai's left hand. His right hand was still wrapped around the wrist of the person with their arm twisted behind their back. The tip of the needle brushed against the skin of the person's neck as Tai pulled their back to his chest and held them there. He blinked to clear his view as he looked at the female now in his grasp.
The repairer?
His eyes widened a little bit in surprise. The feeling of his throat gone dry hurt, but he still held her there with the needle beside her throat. What a turn of events, not favorable, but he'd make it that way. It was time to get out of this place once and for all. By any means necessary if it came right down to it.
Wow, what a total turn around for Tai. Aggression toward a female. He had the right, he repeated to himself in his head. She did come at him with a needle. He just knew how to take things the wrong way. No, that wasn't him at all. He knew right from wrong, he just despised those damned needles with a great passion. There wasn't a way anyone was going to get near him with one of those sharp things without him putting up a good fight.
Starting to move toward the door, he dropped the needle on the floor and kicked it across the room. Good, it was away from him for the time being. That was very good. But bad on his part as it seemed to be taking a turn now.
Hands wrapped around his neck. Before he realized what happened, he was hauled over the repairer's back and slammed on his back on the hard floor. He choked up blood which spilled and made a lovely stain on the white floor. Hey, the room had some sort of natural coloring now. He had to snicker at that thought.
That blonde repairer had the case she brought in the room with her in her hands, standing over Tai with a look that didn't seem very pleased. Tai gulped. It wasn't going to turn out very nice in the end. He could tell.
His hands went to push him up to his feet and scramble to stand, but a booted foot pressed sternly on his breast plate and pinned him in his place. Shonen had really done a number on him, he was being flipped by a woman and even pinned by one. Tai couldn't believe it, and wasn't about to be stuck in the arm with anything either. He persisted in his struggle to get up, but then the repairer just knelt on his stomach and he knew it was done and over with.
His mocha stained oculars watched her as she set the case on his chest and popped the latches open. Her fingers slipped another new needle out from a sterilized case and her other hand took a hold on the small container of liquid. Just what was that stuff? He wasn't asking questions, he didn't want to know about it. All he needed to know was that it went into needles, and he hated those. That was good enough for him.
Pressing with her thumb, she squirted a little of the fluid out of the needle to make sure that it worked properly. She took out a small wrapped packet and tore it open to remove a small sterilized cloth with rubbing alcohol on it and swiped clean a small area of Tai's left upper arm. Holding the small cloth there to clean up after she injected him, she lowered the needle toward his arm without looking at his face.
Tai scrunched his eyes shut to the point that they started to ache.
"There," she said calmly, wiping the spot again with the cloth and tucking the needle away within the small case she had.
He laid there dumbfounded as she got up off his stomach and set the case on the bed. His blank stare was on the ceiling above himself. That was it? No gushing blood? No stinging pain? No struck nerve or anything? Was she that good or was it all mind tricks that she played with him? He gasped.
She had EX didn't she!
He shook his head. No, that wasn't possible for a female. So the current top pilot was a female. That had to be a fluke or a once in a millennia occurrence. Or a longer duration period than that. He laughed silently to himself she went crossed to the other side of the pure white room to pick up the needle he kicked moments before. Good or not, that didn't end his fear of needles.
Dropping the needle in the case and locking the latches close, she grabbed it with both hands and held it against her stomach. Her head tipped to the right slightly was she stepped over by his head, gazing down on him. Her face was soothing, no emotion yet there was something in it that was familiar. She did look like Yuna, he had the right to mistaken her for his old repairer three weeks ago. Only difference was Yuna had light brown hair, not blonde. And that she hadn't been a senior repairer. He was sure he'd come up with more as time passed.
A gentle shake of her head was given as she proceeded for the door. "You're able to leave here now."
Tai rolled over on his stomach and propped himself up on his arms and watched after him. His lips were parted, ready to speak out something before she disappeared behind the door. But her final words lingered in the room's dead silence as he stared at the open door.
