Chpter 18 - Mourning

Mifune was keeping a careful eye on the hallway when he heard some sort of sound from Iwase. He wheeled around to see Iwase lift up an edge of a coat. He could see the Instructor's hair and – he tensed as he realized the reason he hadn't been able to quite place what was where, was that the Instructor's face was so badly beaten he hadn't SEEN it as a face. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Then he noticed Iwase folding the coat back over the rest of Ishikawa's body. Iwase's body dipped down and suddenly started to shake. Mifune heard the heavy sobs start up. He was completely stumped. What the hell could he do? It was insane that Iwase, large, little boy Iwase with the perpetually smiling face could be "really" crying. And Ishikawa! If he was that bad off, they needed an ambulance now.

Click, click. He barely waited until Nishiwaki signaled he was on the command channel. "We need medics hear right away. Second floor inside the northern end. And, and – Nishiwaki, I think you need to come here. Don't let anyone else here."

"Is the Instructor dead?"

"I don't think so but you need to get here right away. And we need those medics even more. Right now!" Mifune knew he was babbling on the radio and knew it was unprofessional but he couldn't seem to stop it. The Instructor with Iwasi next to him was the head of the organization. Nishiwaki stood only slightly below the two. Mifune knew he was considered the third in command but right now the command structure felt like it was breaking down and he was hanging onto a railing with one hand and his feet were waving in the air. Behind him the heavy sobbing continued. "Iwase, Iwase – calm down, its going to be okay. I've sent for medics. Nothing seemed to stop Iwase. Mifune edged close enough to see that Ishikawa was still breathing and then heard a noise from the hallway. He ran back to the hallway to see 2 more from the garrison checking out the hallway.

"Yokota, I want you to guard that end of the corridor. The only ones allowed in the hallwa are Nishiwaki or the medical team. You got that? "

"Yes sir!"

Mifune reached down to grab Iscariot by the belt and dragged his body out of the room and down the hall until it was not far from the two men. "Shourin, I want you to take Iscariot here and take care of him. Get him out of the way and keep him safe. Get treatment for him when you can. He's been feeding information to the enemy and we're going to need to interrogate him later."

Shourin's eyes widened when he heard what Iscariot had done but he quickly grabbed the man and swung him over his shoulder as he moved off towards the outside. Yokota retreated back to the end of the hall. Mifune moved back to his position by the doorway and looked around the room. He didn't know what he would do if the medics got here before Nishiwaki. He glanced towards Iwase but the heavy weeping continued. Noise again from the hallway but this time when he looked he could see Nishiwaki.

"Thank God you're here." He exclaimed as the other man entered the room. Nishiwaki was looking at him like he'd lost his mind when he face suddenly changed and Mifune knew he'd heard the weeping behind him.

Nishiwaki practically ran to the Instructor. He leaned over and checked his breathing and heartbeat. He wasn't happy with the fever but both breathing and heart rate seemed steady enough. "Motohisa," he sat next to him on the floor beside Ishikawa. "Shush, shush. Its going to be alright. He pulled Iwase over to lean against him. "What's got you so upset? We've found him. He's okay."

"I wasn't with him!" The words were broken by heavy sobs. "He's so hurt and I wasn't with him. I promised I would always be with him and protect him and he's so broken now. I wasn't there to help him. They hurt him so badly."

"He'll be okay," Nishiwaki said. But Iwase shook his head and gestured. He knew Nishiwaki and knew he would never say anything about what he saw. Nishiwaki lifted the jacket and looked at Haruka. Iwase was surprised to feel a faint tremble of the hard, warm body next to him. He looked over and noticed Nishiwaki's hands were clenched so tight in the jacked that they were white. He lowered the jacked back over Ishikawa and then brought one hand up to pinch his nose. His face was closed in and showed no emotion but his lips were so tight they looked like they had disappeared.

There was noise at the door and Nishiwaki wheeled around on his heels and then relaxed slightly. "Motohisa, the medics are here. Let them work on Haruka and we'll move over in the corner to talk."

Iwase suddenly tore himself from Nishiwaki's arms and threw himself on top of Haruka. "NO! No one should touch him, no one should see him. He wouldn't want anyone to know he had been hurt like this."

"I understand Motohisa, I'll talk to them. They won't say anything and he'll be covered in a sheet when he leaves, up to his chin." Nishiwaki looked up as he spoke and both medics nodded. He felt it would be better if Iwase didn't see Haruka until he was bandaged so he pulled him up and forcefully moved him into a corner and away from Haruka so the medics could work on him. He had to change directions when he noticed a body in one of the corners. He hesitated but then continued with what he was doing. The man looked dead and he was certain that Iwase had checked all dangers before allowing himself to grieve for Ishikawa. "Listen to me, Motohisa. Haruka wouldn't want you to cry like this when you have finally found him. Everyone's so happy he's alive. Pull yourself together or you won't be allowed to go back with him in the helicopter."

Whether it was the last threat or just the fact that he was no longer kneeling next to him, Iwase began to pull himself together. Nishiwaki kept talking softly to him and watching around his shoulder as the medics worked on Ishikawa. Finally they had Ishikawa on the gurney and ready to leave. A light sheet was pulled up to his chin and there was an oxygen mask over his face as well as an IV in his right arm. The left arm and the crushed fingers were hidden under the sheet. Nishiwaki lead Iwase to the gurney. "Look, you stay by this side of the gurney and make sure no one touches the area around his hand and arm or jars the gurney and makes them hurt," he indicated the hand where Crusader had broken all the fingers. "Mifune and I will clear the way and make sure the front and back is protected."

He lead the way out into the hallway and towards the front of the house. Almost all the men who had come on the raid were gathered to see the Instructor. They expected (as they had seen many times before) that the Instructor and Iwase would walk out together and wave to everyone. There were smiles all over and as Nishiwaki was spotted a few cheers went up. But as he began enforcing the formation of a corridor for the gurney and the people in front got a glimpse of the still figure laying on it a heavy silence sank over those in front. Whispers started to spread over the entire gathering and one by one men bowed their heads.