Disclaimer: No I do not own Gunslinger Girl. Raphael and his other aliases yes but the rest of them no.

It is the day after the assault on Mr. Benoit's base and we had two people brought out in stretchers that night. It was Triela and Raphael, Henrietta and Jean saw both of them on the ground when they got in the conference room. However it turned out that Triela was only unconscious. Raphael on the other hand was in critical condition he was even in a worst predicament than when we first saw him at the town square. He had a samurai sword driven through him, Jean thought that he was dead but Joze felt a pulse so we whisked him to the hospital. However, the doctors did not know what to do with him so we had to wake up Doctor Bianchi and let him take care of Raphael. Last I heard it took 6 separate surgeries to save Raphael, now he's resting in the other room. Triela did not wake up since we found her so here I am staying beside her under orders of Jean.

"W-where am I?" Triela suddenly said.

"Triela you're awake!"

"Rico? What are you doing here? What happened?"

"You passed out last night Triela. You're back in the agency it's 8:10 in the morning."

"Huh? Agency? Wasn't I in the-the office?"

"Well, the handlers inferred that when Raphael lost consciousness you passed out too."

"Raphael! O no Raphael! Where is Raphael?" she said as she sat up and shook me for answers.

"Raphael's ok, he's in the room beside this one. Triela why d—Triela where are you going?"

Triela jumped of her bed and raced for the door. I followed her as she dashed down the hall.

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Chapter 18 Incubo

Nightmare

I don't know what happened last night but I do know this. Here's Raphael lying on his bed with more bandaging on his abdomen than anyone else ever. I bet he couldn't even bend his body if he gets up. He was still unconscious as he lay on his bed. I don't know what's the purpose of watching an unconscious person is, it's not like he's going somewhere he's just in bed all day long. I am just bored, I was able to finish the book I was reading because of how dull everything was. Suddenly I heard him stir:

"Am… am I dead?" he whispered softly.

"No Raphael, you made it." I said.

"Hey why do angels in heaven look like Claes? I would appreciate heaven more if they are cute little cherubs like Henrietta."

"Still sarcastic, even though he just woke up from a near death experience."

"It's something you get accustomed to when you habitually brush with death."

He tried to sit up but the bandages won't let him. He looked around to see where he was but I was the only person there.

"Hey near death experiences make you appreciate life more. You look a lot prettier today Claes." He said as he turned to look at me.

"I have a book here and I am not afraid to use it. No one has to know that you regained consciousness Raph." I threatened lightly.

"Well sorry miss cranky. Even when someone is complementing you, you still get mad."

He continued looking around and when he has looked at every nook and cranny of the room he lied back down and gave a sigh.

"Triela is not here if she's the one you're looking for." I said.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that. Where is she?"

"Probably still knocked-out."

"What do you mean knocked-out! What happened to her?!" he said as he tried to sit up again.

"Relax, she's ok. She probably just lost consciousness when she saw you all bloodied up."

"So she's alright?"

"Yes Raph, she's probably just sleeping."

Raphael made a move to get of his bed but the bandages stopped him. He tried several times to roll off the bed but was worried that he'd just fall. All of a sudden someone burst into the room. Triela came in with Rico close behind.

"Raphael! You're alive!" she screamed.

She jumped into Raphael arms just to hear groans from him since she applied too much pressure on his stitches. She was taken aback but was invited once more into his arms and they shared a kiss. The rest of the time she just laid there in his arms with one side of her head on his chest.

"Raphael I thought you were dead." She said as she tried to holdback tears.

"So did I." He said half laughing.

"Don't scare me like that again."

"Tell me that the next time I have a katana driven through my chest."

It was then that everything became clear to all of us in the room. Raphael was in an epic battle with Mr. Benoit, somewhere in the end Mr. Benoit managed to give him his near fatal stab. Raphael managed to kill Mr. Benoit afterwards but ended up fighting for his own life. Triela got in the room and found Raphael in an unstable condition. When Raphael lost consciousness Triela passed out.

"But seriously Triela, you passing out is uncalled for."

"You were just lying there, you lied there motionless with you're blood pooling beneath you. I did not know what to do… I thought you—you…"

Raphael held her close and comforted her. He dried her tears and continued to comfort her. Rico and I just looked at the couple as they cuddled there on Raphael's bed and whispered words to one another. Suddenly the door opened once more and in came Doctor Bianchi.

"Well Raphael it seems that you're ok now."

"Thanks to you doc. how many surgeries did it take?"

Doctor Bianchi explained how his lungs were punctured and how several blood vessels were cut but aside from that he did not have any other vital organs damaged. Once more it was thanks to his strange anatomy that by reflex made the muscles attempt to divert the projectile away from organs like the heart. 5 surgeries were required to save Raphael from an otherwise fatal confrontation. Doctor Bianchi would then say that he just needs to let the artificial skin adhere and he'll be good as normal. The conflict started when Doctor Bianchi said that he took a DNA sample.

"You did what?" Raphael exclaimed all of a sudden.

"We needed blood, so we took some of you're DNA." Doctor Bianchi answered.

"Are you done with it?"

"We're still going to file it off course."

"And why do you need to do that!"

"For archiving of course. Is something wrong?"

We all looked at Raphael, hoping to get an answer for his uncalled for harshness "No it's nothing, I am just feeling cranky and got annoyed by you guys not getting my permission. I realized that you're efforts saved me and that's what I need to thank for."

Doctor Bianchi was skeptic but left. His exit left the room in complete silence. Upon looking at Raphael I realized something that I have never seen before. I saw a single tear drip down his cheek. Triela saw it to and said.

"Raphael, are you crying?"

He snapped out of his trance and replied, "Huh? No. No it's the wounds they're just starting to hurt."

"O my, am I putting pressure on you Raph! I am sorry." Triela said as she got off Raphael's chest.

"No, it's not. Please stay Triela, I… need you."

Upon putting emphasis on the words 'need you' more tears flowed from Raphael's eyes. Triela ignored them and just hugged him. However, I just had to wonder. Raphael never cries, or that's what he wants us to think, so why cry now? It's just a DNA test what does he have to hide? What does Raphael have to cry about?

"I just love you so much Triela. Triela I love you so much… and that's the truth."

"Don't leave me Triela… don't leave me."