Disclaimer: No I do not own Gunslinger Girl. Raphael and his other aliases yes but the rest of them no.
I couldn't sleep last night. Couldn't stop thinking about her. In the end I did sleep, I slept during breakfast that is.
"Good morning again Raph!" Triela said for the 6th time.
I woke up again and here I am on a table in the canteen with Triela on the other side eyeing me. If I had the strength I'd be embarrassed but I did not so I just stared back and smiled. No we were not on a date it's just that Rico and Henrietta have not yet woken up and Claes was called to the clinic so here I am with Triela all alone.
"How are your cramps?" I asked Triela.
"Less painful thanks to the really sweet guy 2 door away form my room." She winked.
"Good to hear, I hope the sweet guy you're talking about gets to hear all this." I said half asleep.
Triela got me a coffee and sooner or later I woke-up. Soon we saw Rico, she was alone though so both of us asked her where Henrietta was:
"Henrietta said she won't be eating breakfast today." Rico said.
I don't know why Rico was still pretty cheerful after saying such a line but Triela and I felt that something was wrong so we asked why.
"Henrietta says that she is not going to stop crying in her room until Joze comes to get her which is probably tomorrow." Rico adds.
"O I see… What?!"
Chapter 8 Afflizione
Distress
Rico was not exaggerating we could hear Henrietta's cries before we were even able to open the door to her room. We even heard it through the hallway! It seems that today was supposed to be a special day for Joze and Henrietta but then Joze was called by the agency for certain matters.
"I don't want to go! Not until I see Joze! Cries" that's what Henrietta said when we told her to go have breakfast.
"Henrietta this is not good for you, come down now and have something to eat!" yelled Triela.
"I won't! I won't! Not without Joze." Yelped Henrietta as Triela tried yanking her off her bed.
Henrietta really sounded upset. Her cries made my heart melt. I had to do something but I had no idea what. Triela seemed determined to drag Henrietta to the cafeteria but Henrietta just held on to the bed and kept calling to Joze. I was pretty thankful that no one else was in the hall or else they might have interpreted this for something else.
I decided to fix this my way so I pulled Triela down and told her that I was going to try and handle this. So I climbed up the top bunk of the bed and sat beside Henrietta who was still lying face down and had her face buried in her pillow. I sat there and placed my hand at her back.
"Henrietta, this can't go on. You're a growing girl you need your nourishment. I mean Joze did not want to leave you today; he was probably required to go. He's probably scolding himself right now where ever he is since he definitely does not want you to be upset. He does care about you Henrietta."
At that moment Henrietta's sobs stopped and she lifted her face up to look at me, "You think so?"
"Of course, I could bet that tomorrow he's going to make it up to you. I mean who wouldn't; any caring person won't want girls such as your self crying her eyes out right now." I replied.
She tilted sideways and pulled the bed sheet over her self and curled up into a little ball. She looked at me with those brown eyes of hers and just stared. Then I continued:
"Besides what would Joze do if he finds out about this, he'll be really upset."
With that she pounced into my arms and buried her face into my belly, I hugged her back of course. I looked at the other 2 girls and there was Rico giving a smile of approval and Triela giving me a scandalous look. Henrietta and I climbed down the bed and she agreed to have breakfast with us. We were supposed to accompany her to the cafeteria but as soon as we opened the door we were shocked to see a really pale Claes.
"Claes, what's wrong!" Triela screeched.
But Claes was not able to say anything. She just looked at us and suddenly vomited blood.
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I lost my balance at that moment but instead of hitting the ground I was cradled by the arms of Raphael. He carried me to my room and laid me on Triela's bed since my bed was the top bunk and he'd have trouble carrying me there. He felt my forehead and checked my pulse. Suddenly I vomited again and Raphael told Rico and Henrietta to go without them and told Triela to find something to clean op the blood.
"Claes what happened?" Raphael asked me.
I did not want to talk I might vomit more blood, so I pointed at my stomach.
"There?" he said "may I lift your blouse up?" he ask.
I gave him a nod and so he lifted my blouse to reveal my stomach. Raphael probably saw the burses since he looked pretty surprised. Raphael concluded that I was suffering from internal bleeding. He and Triela would stay with me as he tried his best to lessen the bleeding and reduce my pain. It was really painful I could feel tears streaming down my eyes and Raphael saw it. He wiped them away and he held my cheek and told me that he is trying all he can to make the pain go away.
The ordeal lasted for several hours as he gave me some painkillers that he bought yesterday, both of them stayed vigilantly at my side as Raphael continued to hold my hand and let me squeeze it when the pain was too unbearable. Eventually I gathered the strength to sit up, Raphael was against it since he wanted me to keep lying down. I was able to mumble a "thank you." but Raphael simply held me and asked me what happened.
"There-there was this t-test made by the doc-doctors which was supposed to measure my r-reaction…time." Raphael made me stop talking by then and asked me to rest. Later on I again gathered the strength to continue speaking.
"There was this m-machine. It was similar to those that fired tennis balls in those sports places but this one fired balls going at 20 mph. I-I was not able to dodge one of them and it hit me in the gut."
"What did the doctors do afterwards?" He asked me.
"They wanted to check on me but Jean said that I was fine and had me sent me back to the dorms." I replied.
With that Raphael stood up and left the room, I did not know why but before he did he told Triela to stay with me.
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Rico and Henrietta came shortly after Raphael left so I decided to have them stay with Claes while I looked for Raphael and see what he was up too.
I went to look for him but he was not in his room, nor was he any where near that place. I checked the target range and did not see him either. It was when I was searching near the offices did I all of a sudden hear the voice of Jean:
"If this is about Joze then it's none of your business"
When I turned around I saw Jean looking at the window alone. I motioned to approach him when suddenly Raphael appeared from the left. I hid behind the corner and listened in on the ensuing argument.
"What? Don't tell me you had something to do with Henrietta's condition too." Raphael responded.
"So you did not know, well you do now. Yes I knew that Joze had plans with his girl but I thought that it would be just a waste of time on Joze's part so I sent him on an errand. You have a problem with that Raphael?" Jean said as he turned to look at Raphael.
Raphael was stunned. I guess he came there to yell at Jean about Claes's predicament but now it turns out he has something else to rant about.
"You heartless bstrd! Do you know what you did to Henrietta for sending Joze on that stupid errand? She'd still be in her room right now crying her eyes out!" Raphael yelled.
"It does not matter! It would also do that girl a favor as well. She shouldn't be so sensitive about these things!" Jean replied.
With that Raphael made a move to attack Jean but held back. Then he continued talking.
"Well if it weren't for your stupid conditioning she probably won't be as sensitive to these things. It's that conditioning that is causing all this. Isn't the lives of Ellsa and Angelica enough for you?" he questioned.
"It's the conditioning that makes these girls work in the first place. Compare Triela and Rico for example, Rico is obedient and disciplined, while Triela is a brat, a pain in Hillshire's side!" replied Jean.
"Don't call her that!" Raphael shouted back, "Rico has been reduced to a doll by your conditioning, she isn't a girl anymore yet she couldn't compare to the performance of Triela on the battlefield. Thank god Triela is not receiving as much conditioning, she still retains the sweetness and light heartedness that a girl really needs to have!"
Raphael-Raphael defended me from Jean? No one has ever stood up for me like that, not even Hillshire. Why do I feel so warm all over right now? Is it because of what Raphael said?
"And Claes what is the big idea sending Claes back injured!" Raphael continued.
"Treating her would have been a waste of time, besides Claes does not go into much action as the other girls. How is she anyway?" was Jean's reply
At that Raphael got threateningly close to Jean and replied.
"She was vomiting blood a while ago, thanks for asking!" Raphael yelled back.
"You're starting to pose a threat Raphael!" Jean placed his hand on his gun as Raphael took another step forward.
"If I have decided to kill you, you won't need that sir."
Jean rushed to pick his gun but Raphael was quick enough to twist his arm and take his gun. He threw it a short distance away and glared at Jean.
"That's the kind of reaction we wanted to get from Claes when we gave her those implants. It was her fault that she was not able to display them." Said Jean sounding confident even though he had been disarmed.
"I got that through training. Not by an implant on my brain. There are things that you just can't make a person do over night you know." Said Raphael as he released Jean's arm.
"The agency is threatened by your capabilities Raphael, that's why we're trying to make this girls an even match to you!" replied Jean as he pushed Raphael away from him.
"So it's my fault now that the girls are suffering? Why is that?" Raphael said as he stepped closer once more.
"Yes! Because we don't know who you are! Who knows how long you will be on our side?" yelled Jean as he stepped back.
With that Raphael did not bother to step forward again but instead turned around and walked away.
"Just make sure this does not happen again, or else I really will pose a threat… to your life!" Raphael said as he continued to walk away.
Jean just stood there as Raphael disappeared into the shadows of the darkened hallway. I decided to disappear as well. I have heard enough.
As I walked back towards my room I thought that I would not see Raphael again. It was dark and he'd probably be in his room. Suddenly I felt an arm wrap around my waist and as I looked to my left it was Raphael that owned that arm.
"You're out pretty late, where have you been?" asked Raphael, he has changed back to his cheerful self as he continued to hold me and walk with me.
He walked me to my room and as I entered the door I turned to ask him:
"You're staying here in the agency right?"
"Yeah, probably. I have nowhere else to go. Why is something wrong?" he answered.
"No it's just that… I always get the feeling everytime I wake up that this whole thing was just a dream." I replied.
"I can't bare to go, I care too much. I care too much for Henrietta, Rico, Claes and you."
"So they are close to your heart too?" I said in a disappointed tone.
"There is a special place for all of you in me. You mean a lot to me too, so stop looking jealous when ever I hug Henrietta."
That remark made me blush and I was about to make a move to jump into his arms but I just couldn't. He said goodnight and left. I closed the door and savored the moment but before Claes who was in the room could react to everything she just saw someone knocked on the door again. When I opened it, it turned out be Raphael, he did not say anything but kissed me in the cheek and left again. I felt my entire face warm up but my cheek was the warmest. I walked towards my bed when Claes said:
"Aren't you going to wipe your cheek, saliva has bacteria you know."
"Shut up Claes, I did not see you wipe your cheek when he held yours earlier today." I said.
She did not take it against me and we laughed at the thought that both of us had some explaining to do but that had to wait I needed to get some sleep.