Brief Commentary:
This chapter is like...all dialogue. Oh well, I had some fun with it. As I've said, criticism and suggestions = highly appreciated. Also, I'm assuming Nygus was not always so mummy-esque, because personally I don't think she would wear those bandages just for fun. Unless she had some kind of fetish...

Dead!
Chapter Three

Ice blue eyes fluttered slowly open, seeing nothing at first, closing, and then opening again. Still, they were greeted with total darkness, tinged with gray in the upper left area. Mira Nygus shifted her arms before letting out a raspy gasp at the sudden intense pain she felt.

"Ah, you're conscious."

"...Stein..." Nygus murmured, recognizing his voice immediately. "I'm in your laboratory, I presume?"

"Ahaha, you're good," the mad scientist said, although he didn't sound amused at all. If anything, his voice was grim.

"How did you find...us?"

"I was taking a leisurely stroll and I just happened upon you, that's all."

"In rural China."

"Why yes, it's a nice place." There was a squeak as Franken Stein sat in his revolving chair, and she heard the click of a lighter as he lit a cigarette. His voice became hard. "You two took quite a beating."

Nygus ignored the remark, knowing that if she pressed the subject of Sid she would only be getting emotional. She wrinkled her nose at the suddenly revolting smell of tobacco and who knew else was in those cigarettes that Stein bought.

"How long until I'm fully recovered?"

"Weeks, months, years, I don't know yet. Your burns are pretty severe. I'll have to reconstruct most of your skin."

"My senses?"

"Should not be damaged. You can hear my voice, smell the cigarette, and I presume you can feel your pain. Your eyes have not suffered significant damage, but I'm not risking it. You're bandaged head to toe, Nygus, and some bandages are going to have to stay on longer than others."

"How long have I been out?"

"Nearly a week. You missed Sid's funeral, but even if you had been awake, you would not have been fit to attend."

Nygus's breath hitched, her entire body tensing.

"So he...he's really dead, then."

"A bullet to the forehead. A perfect shot; it hit dead on."

"I..." Nygus couldn't finish her sentence. She settled for starting another one, hoping Stein could not hear her throat tightening as she did so. "When will I be out of this...out of this...this goddamn...bed...?"

"No use for revenge now, Nygus-san," Stein chided her, his voice half wistful, as if he wished she could kill that fire daemon again anyway.

"I know that," her teeth clenched and unclenched, bringing immense pain to her facial muscles. Biting back tears, she hissed, "I just want to know when I can fight again."

"Like I said, days, weeks, years, who knows. It won't be anytime soon."

Something tore at Nygus's stomach and chest, some internal snarling beast wishing to rip its way out and exact her revenge on something, anything. She lay in silence for several minutes, absolutely still. The revolving chair squeaked its relief as Stein stood to leave, before Nygus said hoarsely,

"Stein."

"Need something?"

"Yes."

"That would be?"

"Bring..." she paused, hesitating, before she started again, more fervently, "Bring Sid back."

"...Nygus, he's dead, I can't exactly bring him here-"

"No, no," Mira wanted to shake her head, but she had a feeling she would cry out from the pain, "I mean...back from the dead. Please."

"I'm pretty sure that is not possible-"

"DO IT!" Nygus suddenly shrieked at him, tensing her body and scrunching her eyes against an onslaught of unexpected tears. She heard the mad scientist take a step back in surprise.

"BRING HIM BACK, STEIN! PLEASE...please...please...bring him back, bring him back, oh god, please please...please, Stein...please just..oh god, bring Sid back..."

Her loud proclamation dwindled off into desperate mumblings, and with a quick palm against her bandaged forehead, Stein determined she had sprung a fever, and was suffering extreme delirium. But she kept pleading, spouting nonsensical reasons as to why he ought to bring Sid back from the grave, and something caved. Stein allowed a frightful smile to spread across his face, eyes darkening as he began to think it over.

"Just please bring him back, remember when you were in trouble that one time and he bailed you out of detention, remember, isn't it worth it to bring him back...he was such a nice guy right...oh god, Stein, bring him back please..."

She paused for breath, Stein gently patting her shoulder as he murmured,

"Okay, Nygus, okay."

Next installment? Probably not so soon, but I think we know what's going to happen, lol.