Disclaimer: See previous chapters

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Chap. 34

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The coppery eyes of the eagle zoanthrope slowly opened to white. As his vision cleared, a blur of blue began to enter in his sight and it soon solidified into a familiar figure.

"…Rei…?"

The girl turned to him and her face lit up brightly. "Shin, you're finally awake!"

Shin began to smile, but was stopped when he became aware of the soreness and dull pain that rippled through his body. Forcing it away, he asked her. "Where?"

"The hospital." she answered softly. "You were hurt badly."

His memory began to trace back a bit to the battle as well as faint images of the dragon as he had blacked in and out of consciousness.

"Are you…okay?"

A warm smile graced her lips. "Yes. It was you we had to worry about." Her gaze turned away, lowering to the floor. "We…I almost lost you."

Shin sighed and lifted his hand up in an effort to reach her arm. "I'm…sorry to make you worry about me."

Seeing his act, Rei quickly moved up her hand and lightly clasped it with his. "It's okay, really."

Shin's eyes narrowed slightly. "Something seems…different about you."

Rei blinked at the comment and was about to respond when the door to the room opened up. In stepped Uriko, a cheek bandaged and her wrist wrapped in similar fashion.

"Rei, are you…?" Upon seeing Shin awake, she almost squealed. "Shin, you're awake!" She turned back around. "I'll go tell Kenji."

A short silence passed and then Shin spoke. "They're both here?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah. Kenji and Uriko were both caught on the receiving end of the dragon's fire."

"Dragon? Oh, yeah …" His memory began to return more and he soon recalled the reason for his injury, and it wasn't the dragon.

"Is…Nagi here?" he asked slowly.

"No." the azure girl answered. "She's at the Ohgami's. She told me what happened and she says she's sorry."

Shin became quiet once again as his eyes lowered to his side, where the pain had been originating. The wound caused by Nagi's blade... But he knew it wasn't her fault. Ever since the fight between them had started, he knew that.

"…She didn't have to apologize."

The door burst open again, with Uriko walking in. A minute later, Kenji came in from behind her. He was in worse shape that Uriko, for he had bandages on both wrists as well as his upper torso.

"See, he's up." To Shin. "Oh, I forgot. Are you okay?"

The youth nodded carefully. "Yeah. More or less."

"Good." Uriko affirmed. "Now you don't have to stay in this room anymore, Rei."

When Shin's face shifted to surprise, Uriko explained. "She's been in this room waiting for you to wake up for almost a week."

Surprise turned into mild shock. "A week? You waited…? I've been unconscious for a week?"

"Five days to be exact." Kenji replied. "Even with your powers, you lost a lot of blood. It took time for you to recover."

Shin's face shifted back to its normal calm, but then he asked. "What about the shrine? The dragon? The little girl?"

Kenji replied. "Mana disappeared with Ryoho just before the medical crews arrived. The next day, the shrine was locked down by UN teams; Gado's work to cover up what happened at the shrine."

"Hm… So it's over."

Kenji shook his head and lent on the wall for support. "The earthquakes and zoanthrope violence may have stopped, but tensions are high. A lot of people were hurt in this and many more are afraid." His face turned grim. "Things are going to be tough for awhile."

"Don't be such a downer, Kenji." Uriko shot, frowning. "It could've been worse. That dragon could have turned everyone into marshmallows."

"That's true." Rei replied. Then with a feral grin. "Although I think you would look good as a marshmallow."

Uriko pouted. "That's not funny, crazy girl."

"Hehe…" The trio turned to look at Shin lightly chuckling at their display. It was soon cut off by when his hand reached up to hold his side. Nevertheless, he was still laughing a bit.

"Ow. Don't make me laugh."

This however, caused everyone else to laugh too, hurting themselves all the while…

Another room…

Jane sat quietly by the edge of the bed, looking out of the nearby window. Like her younger compatriots, she was injured and battered from the night of fighting. But unlike them, she had few bandages on her, mostly out of pride. She was a tough woman; no need to wear bandages when she felt she didn't have too. Still, she wasn't always strong. That night had shown her a particular weakness. She had lost control of her bestial form and went berserk. If not for her father intervening when he did, she could have killed a lot a people. Not hurt, killed. She knew what she was capable of and there would have been fatalities. There was no reason to sugarcoat it.

She was tough, especially on herself…

Her thoughts kept her so occupied that she failed to notice the door opening up and a man walking up to her. When he stood beside her, only then did she notice. But she refused to turn to him. She didn't, out of all people, for Long to see her weak. He wouldn't say that she was, but she didn't want his pity.

As she continued to stare out, she felt the bed change in weight, telling her that he was sitting right beside her. Yet he didn't say a word. She almost smiled. She was glad for his silence. She knew he would have loved nothing more than to speak with her. Yet she felt like silence was an even better way of communicating between the two of them. For her, it showed the he was being understanding of her, which in effect, told her that he knew what it was like or at the very least sympathize.

Sympathy…she could live with that…

But she didn't want this to be a give-and-take-situation. Long has always been so kind to her, despite his solitary nature. She was even starting to remember her father's wedding, where a few guests teased about her and Long having a relationship. At the time, there was a mutual understanding between them, but as time went on, it turned into something else. Close friends perhaps, at least that's what she thought. But she knew there was more to the two of them than friendship.

Shaking her thoughts away, she returned them to the present, which ironically reminded her that Long was still there. Sighing to herself, she slowly lent against him, her back on his shoulder. But she had miscalculated a bit and had slipped against his chest. Her eyes were widened a moment, but she slowly began to relax. He wasn't complaining after all. Perhaps looking weak isn't so bad. At least, not in front of him…

If she only knew how contented she looked right now…

Elsewhere

Gado gazed out the window of the hotel he was staying in. His unscarred eye slowly scanned the area before him. The earthquakes had done a number from what he saw, but it could have been much worse. No one was reported killed, although there were many with injuries and much of the damage was structural. But that wasn't what was prevalent over the lion zonathrope's mind now.

"I know that stance."

His eyebrow rose. "Jenny. I didn't hear you come in."

"You're not supposed to." She replied, stealthily walking up behind him. "And you're not getting away by changing the subject." Jenny's voice then softened. "What is it?"

"Hm." A moment of silence passed, nothing new between the two. Then he answered her, "Nothing I guess. But I almost lost control out there. And I almost did something terrible."

"That a lot of almost's, no?" she replied. When she found him that night, he was standing over a defeated and unconscious Shina. However, his face was one of slight terror. When she asked what was wrong, he said nothing and simply carried his daughter away.

"As I said, it's nothing."

She knew there was something more there, something that would cause the normally stoic soldier to react that way. But then again, that night had been a difficult one. Even for her. She had to fight the raging instinct of the beast within her and it had made her job quite difficult. Especially with many people become injured. Her instincts kept telling her to feed on her prey, only to realize that she was beginning to regard them as prey. She had to calm herself down several times, causing Stun to worry. She had always been a creature of the night, but this was the one time when she feared it. What she could have done? What she almost succumbed in doing…

Almost…

"Yeah. Nothing." she replied softly as she held her husband's arm.

Two days later, the four were released from the hospital (although under strict orders from Alice to be more careful and after Uriko was grounded for disobeying her). As they walked together to their respective homes, a familiar sound echoed from the side of one of the alleyways

"Arf!"

"Is that…Mana?" Uriko peered into the alley and soon enter in. Rei followed close behind and the two boys followed as afterward. After turning a corner within, they found Mana and Ryoho standing in wait of them.

"We've just come to say our thanks once again." Mana said. "Much damage would have followed if you had not stopped the dragon in time."

"Well, you don't have to thank us." Kenji replied. "It was Yugo who took it down."

"Yes. And I expressed my gratitude to him as well as the Spurious."

"Oh. Nagi."

"Yes." Her head lowered a bit. "Sadly, I could not return her to normal, but she has accepted it. Another thing I am grateful to her for." Her head lifted back up and she beamed. "She has vanquished the Unborn for good and its evil shadow will threaten us no more."

"What about Xion?" asked Shin.

"He was nowhere to be found. But if he is alive, he will be in the same condition as Nagi, without the Unborn to influence him."

"I don't think you have to worry about him." Rei replied.

"What do you mean?"

Turning to him, she winked. "I'll tell you about it later."

Both Kenji and Shin looked at her in puzzlement, but she said nothing more on the subject. They looked back at the pair.

"It is time for us to leave now." She waved her arms out and bowed to the four. "May you be eternally blessed for your acts."

Ryoho bowed as well and a sudden flash of light blinded them, causing them to cover their eyes. When the light faded away, Mana and Ryoho were gone and only a distant bark to signal their disappearance.

"Goodbye."

AN: One more chapter left