A/N: Hehe, so I know I said biweekly on Chapter 1 but I couldn't resist. This has been done for over a week and I just keep going back and editing it/rereading it to the point where it has to be unhealthy. There's only so many times you can tweak something before you need to get rid of it, right? Anyways, I want to apologize for one thing in advance: I'm a total medical junkie. It doesn't help that I have a BS and pursuing an MPH now on top of having worked in a hospital for several years but I tried really hard not to go overboard. Anyways, enough of this junk! Enjoy Chapter 2 everyone!
It takes a few minutes for me to be fully aware when I come back to it. On top of that, my senses come online in stages which is a completely disorientating.
First it's the pain that I register. It isn't anything like it was before but I can still feel sharp, shooting pains in my side. I groan and curl in on myself trying to make it go away. I'm already on my uninjured side so all I can do is pull my knees up and tuck my head down. I know it's just an instinctual thing to protect my core in this position but I really don't care, I just want the pain to stop.
A pair of soft hands start running through my hair and another pair grab my left arm. Scent and hearing come to me at that moment but I can't understand anything, just a bunch of noise that can only be described as buzzing at different pitches. I do recognize one smell right away though, Sheimi. There's no way of mistaking the barrage of plant smells for anything else. I can also smell the overwhelming stench that can only be described as hospital. It's hard to pick out things individually, there's just the overwhelming scent of cleaning products and something else that just puts you immediately on edge. My sense of smell didn't heighten too much when I changed and I never put much thought into it, but now I'm wishing it had so I can get more information without opening my eyes.
Once I piece together as much as I can, which honestly isn't much more, I slowly open my eyes but everything is too intense. The light is too harsh, colors are too bright, it's too much of an overload. I hiss in pain and close my eyes again, curling further into a ball. Sheimi's hands pause in my hair but the one's on my arm grasp a little tighter. Hearing starts to get a little better, the noises no longer sounding muffled like I'm listening through a wall. After another minute passes and I can finally pick out voices as well as understand them.
"-'s ok Rin, we turned off the lights. That should help a bit. It's ok."
I slowly open my eyes again. Sure enough, the lights are out and the curtains are pulled shut. I can see the orange glow of a street light bleeding out behind them but really the only sources of light are the green glow from various machines in the room. I notice my left arm held out straight by Suguro, one hand is holding onto my bicep while the other is at my wrist. I look at the crook of my elbow and see that a needle is in it.
Well that explains why he's keeping my arm straight. I try not to imagine what would have happened if I'd bent my arm.
I follow the tube that's coming out of it to a heavy looking machine on wheels. There's two larger wheels moving on the outside and a few digital numbers glowing on a screen in the middle but they don't mean anything to me. I notice another line is coming out of it and follow it to Yukio. He's got a matching tube and needle in his right arm resting on top of the sheets of his bed. He's propped up a bit on his back and sound asleep. Someone has taken off his glasses and laid them on the table against the wall.
I take a second to really examine my brother. He doesn't look relaxed in his sleep. His brows are furrowed and his nose is wrinkled like he's having a bad dream. I hope he's ok, it pains me to see him like that and I really want to talk to him about what happened. Other than that though he looks physically fine. He's in a light blue hospital gown covering most of his upper body but the injuries I remember on his arms and face are already gone.
I let out a sigh and look at the machine connecting us. What the hell is this thing? I must have a confused look on my face because Suguro starts talking.
"You lost a lot of blood and passed out during surgery. When you didn't wake up right away they realized your demon blood wasn't replenishing itself so they started a slow blood transfusion. They didn't know how much blood you would need or how your healing works so they just hacked this set up together and hoped for the best. Bit of a shortage on half demon children of Satan to figure this shit out."
I manage a small smile at his joke. He's sitting on a stool with wheels hunched over a bit to keep a grip on my arm. He's in clean clothes and I can smell a bit of soap still on him. I wonder briefly how much of my blood was on him which reminds me about what they did before I passed out. I feel my expression fall.
"Well I wouldn't exactly call it a surgery…" I mumble as a lame joke mostly to myself. Suguro seems to hear me though and his eyes widen. Before he can say anything Sheimi speaks up.
"How are you feeling Rin?"
Her voice is soft behind me. I try to roll onto my back so I can at least see her but a shooting pain in my side prevents me before I've moved much. I manage to keep myself from groaning in pain but Suguro doesn't miss what happens. He jerks his head to call her over to this side.
I can hear her quick footsteps and in a second she's on her knees by my bed.
"Oh I'm sorry, I should have known better! What can I do? Where does it hurt? Should I call the doctors?" She's babbling, something I've noticed she does when she's nervous.
"I'm fine I'm fine." My voice is hoarse and my throat is beyond sore, how long have I been out? Did I scream that much with the stitches? "If you don't mind though, could you get me some water?" I hadn't even finished the last word before the door shuts behind her.
The following silence is a bit unnerving since all I can hear are mine and Yukio's heart rate monitors.
"How long have I been out?" I look up at Suguro.
"About six hours." This time it's Shima who speaks up somewhere behind me. I had detected another person being here but I'm surprised it's him. "It's almost midnight, the battle was over 24 hours ago."
"You really haven't missed much." Sugero picks up. "The train tracks were easily cleared so pretty much everyone that could leave, left. Not too many civilians remained but those hurt were taken to surrounding hospitals. This place is strictly for staff and students so after people were fine to go they hopped onto the trains. Seems like nobody wants to stick around here, can't say I blame them. I'm sure a ton of people got temptaits so they really saw what happened. The place has been pretty empty for the last few hours too."
I take a second to process that before I realize something. I feel my heart stop and can hear the monitor stutter it's beeping. "How many people died?"
Sugero makes a face like he knew I was going to ask that question but was really dreading it.
"Last I heard 207, almost all civilians in the city…What? He wouldn't have let it drop and lying wouldn't have done any good." That last part is directed at Suguro who's glaring at him.
I drop my gaze to the needle still in my arm. I had started to feel better but now I'm feeling cold again with the knot in my stomach making me feel nauseas. All those people…they died because-
I don't even get to finish that train of thought because Suguro gives me a light smack upside the head. It doesn't really hurt, but it does get my attention.
"Oh no you don't, don't you dare start thinking like that. I can see it in your face, it isn't your fault. If it weren't for you and Yukio that number would be at least five times that and growing because nobody else would have been able to destroy it. The portal spawned here at the school, you and Ms. Shura kept Satan distracted for hours which allowed civilians and everyone here at the school to flee." He takes a deep breath, shoulders heaving in response. "It's because of you two that anyone is still alive." He says the last part a lot softer, gentle almost.
I don't get to respond because the door opens again with Sheimi and a few nurses. Sheimi stands off to the side in my field of vision holding a styrofoam cup with a straw while the nurses walk up to me.
"Good to see that you're awake, we were getting a bit worried." I don't really listen or focus on her, I'm looking back up at Suguro. "Unfortunately we're playing a bit of a guessing game with all of this but since you're awake we'll take that as a good sign and stop the blood transfusion."
She moves over to the machine and pushes a few buttons. It lets out a long beep and stops humming as the wheels stop moving. The other nurse pulls the needle out of Yukio's arm and wraps the site with tape. He doesn't really move, just flinches slightly before settling back down into his restless slumber. When the nurse who shut the machine off turns to me Suguro gives me a look before getting up and letting go of my arm. I hadn't noticed how comforting that was until he let's go. The nurse doesn't pull out the needle though, she just twists a portion a few inches away and the tube detaches. The other nurse takes the tube still attached to the machine and hands her a syringe filled with a clear solution but missing the needle part.
"Thanks Yume. We're going to keep this in your arm just in case we need to do something else. In the meantime, just be careful." She injects the clear stuff into the tube and the last bits of Yukio's blood disappears into my arm. She screws a little cap on before taping it down to my arm. The clear stuff is cold and makes me shiver, it also leaves a weird taste in my mouth and smell in my nose.
"Excuse me ma'am, um, how long will Rin and Yuki have to be here?" Sheimi's nervous voice breaks the silence as the nurses continue their examinations.
The nurse, Yume I assume, taking notes by Yukio's monitors answers.
"Unfortunately we're not really sure. Like Mei said, we're pretty much flying blind with how to treat them. We don't even have baselines for vitals." She finishes jotting down what she needs and turns to face us. "Typically for patients that require a blood transfusion due to injury we like to keep them for a few days to ensure no complications arise. Same case for GSW patients. However…"
"You guys really don't know what you're dealing with, we get it." Suguro rolls his eyes.
Mei nods towards Yukio. "Mr. Okumura, Yukio that is, should be clear to go tomorrow as long as he doesn't show any problems from giving blood but I'm willing to bet you'll have to stay here for a few days Rin." At that she turns to look at me. "We need to keep an eye on that wound. Speaking of which, we need to examine it. Is it alright for your friends to stay or would you like some privacy?"
Sheimi looks like she's about to heard everyone out and I feel like a weight has been dropped into my stomach. I don't like the idea of being alone, even if Yukio is asleep only a few feet away. "Nono!" too fast, too desperate sounding. Way to go Okumura. I take a breath and try to ignore how the monitor betrays me and my anxiety by beeping frantically. "They can stay, that's fine."
Suguro moves back a bit closer into my field of vision behind Nurse Mei.
Mei moves the thin blanket and sheet that's been sitting around my waist to my thighs. It's only then that I notice I'm wearing the same blue hospital gown as Yukio. I wonder briefly when they put me in one because I was still wearing my black jeans and cut up shirt when they stitched me up. Yume moves to the other side of my bed. She plucks gently at the fabric of the gown to pull it up, nudging my right arm to move it out of the way as well.
I'm watching them do this but I regret looking once the material is out of the way.
A thick piece of non-stick gauze is taped over the area on my stomach but it doesn't hide much. The skin is a mottled blue and purple all the way to my belly button and wrapping around my side. The bruising is bad enough to look at but silvery colored tendrils are also poking their way out from under the bandage and that's what makes me feel sick. Mei begins to pull at the tape and I have to look away. I've never had a weak stomach but if the rest of me looks like that I don't want to look at the stitches.
My gaze settles on Suguro and I almost wish I had kept looking. He's extremely pale with wide eyes and mouth hanging open slightly. Well shit, guess it looks awful to others too.
"Is it that bad?" Shima seems to notice his expression too and edges over to have a look. He flinches and looks away immediately. "Y-Yep, it's that bad." He mutters.
"Gee thanks, really reassuring." I mumble back.
Suguro gives his head a quick shake before looking over at Mei. "What's the silver stuff?"
"From what we've been able to guess it's the residue from the bullet reacting with his demon blood." She takes out what looks like a black marker from her pocket and starts drawing on me. It takes me a second to figure it out but she's marking where the silvery lines stop. I'm still refusing to look down at the stitches. She passes the marker over to Yume who starts marking on my back. "I'm not sure where you all are in your Exwire training but here's what it comes down to: the standard bullets used by Dragoons, much like all Knight weapons, are specifically made for Exorcists."
"Yeah, when the bullet gets fired the energy from the small explosion triggers the engravings on the casing to allow spiritual energy into the shot. Knight weapons work in a similar way with the spiritual energy going into the strikes via engravings in the hilt and blade" Suguro provides.
Nurse Mei has her back to Suguro so he misses how her eyebrows rise, clearly impressed by his knowledge.
"Explains why so many Dragoons are riflemen and snipers, must be easier to put more energy into a single shot than a little in multiple." Sheimi provides from her spot on the wall.
"You have some excellent teachers." I hear Yume say. She's done marking on me and I can feel her applying a cold substance on the stitches. "While the Dragoon's spiritual energy put into the shot is what makes it deadly there's still damage that can be done by just the bullet. It takes years of training to be able to put energy into each shot so as a backup if a Dragoon misses one, the bullets have a coating that breaks up upon impact. This coating has a lot in it, but the most important ingredient is holy water."
"So the bullet can't actually kill a demon but it can incapacitate them, right?" Shima is looking at the nurse behind me, clearly trying his hardest not to look at what they're doing. I can tell he's uncomfortable, hell his face is even paler then Suguro's. So why's he staying?
"Correct, that's what we're thinking is happening here. The residue from the coating is reacting with his demon blood since the bullet used didn't have the spiritual energy to make it fatal. That being said, I'm sure it could have been fatal if it had hit your heart, a major artery, or head." Yume starts taping down a new bandage. She tries to be gentle but it still hurts when she runs her finger over the tape to make it stick to my skin, I can't help but flinch away.
"Sorry," she murmurs. She puts the last piece of tape on the same way. "Done. The silvery lines are actually tracks the residue has made through your body as it follows your veins. Fortunately the bullet didn't hit any major arteries and managed to miss your kidney so this should stay localized. We're keeping track of how far it's spreading to be safe, hence the marks. The best way we'll be able to tell if it somehow to hit your blood stream or an organ is this will expand rapidly but we'll also be able to tell when your body is fighting it when they shrink."
"Makes sense." Suguro murmurs. Nurse Mei finishes putting new bandages on my front in a similar fashion as Yume. She pulls the gown back down and gently pulls the bedding back up to my shoulder.
"We'll be back every few hours to check on you and your brother, push the call button if you need anything ok?"
I manage a nod and they leave with the heavy machine.
Shima lets out a heavy sigh. "Well that's a lot to take in…"
Sheimi rushes up to my side and holds out the cup. "Thanks Sheimi." I giver he a smile before taking a huge gulp of water from the straw. The relief is instantaneous on my throat, the cool liquid instantly sooths the irritated tissue. I try to savor it and make it last, but I drain the cup in four huge gulps.
Everyone is quiet. Shima is picking at a thread hanging off his white shirt, Suguro is looking at the door with his arms crossed, and Sheimi is still on her knees by my bed looking at the spot where my stitches are hidden. The silence isn't peaceful, it's tense, heavy. I don't like it all and I can't figure out why.
I clear my throat. "So, where's everyone else?" Shima's shoulders sag in relief, I'm sure he's grateful to have a change in topic.
"Koneko, Kamiki, and Paku are all at the dorm you and Yukio live in. Seems like that one is the only one not heavily damaged." Suguro says while still looking at the door.
"We helped out as much as we could around the hospital but they made Bon leave right away. Health concern having that much blood all over him, can't say I blame them for that call." Shima gives an awkward laugh. "Anyways, he's the one who checked out our dorms and got our stuff. Well, mine, Koneko, and his that is. They weren't in too bad of shape but no power and water pipes busted. After he cleaned up he came back here and let us know. The others left probably a few hours ago for some sleep, we opted to stay here with you guys for the night. We planned on trading out around 6."
I blink a few times. They planned on taking shifts?
"Trading out?"
"Well yeah, we weren't going to let you and Yuki be here all by yourselves." Sheimi sits back with a wide smile, her hands in her lap still holding the cup.
I really look at my friends then. Sheimi's blonde hair is a little tangled and wavy in places. She must have taken a quick shower and let her hair air dry. I wince at the hand shaped bruise around her neck, that's going to kill Yukio when he wakes up. I'm sure it hurts her a lot too, no way being choked unconscious wouldn't. I can tell she's tired. She may be sitting up and smiling, but her shoulders are drooped and she has creases around her eyes. Not surprising, she and the others have to have been up for almost 48 hours now. Shima is in his usual casual attire, though a bit more rumpled than usual. He doesn't have his staff but I'm sure it's somewhere in the room. He's got a nasty bruise poking out from under his shirt along his shoulder and a few scrapes on his face. Suguro is in his purple sweat pants and black t-shirt, haven't seen him in those since the exercise with the Reaper. He has a small bandage along the right side of his jaw and some bruising under his left eye. I wonder how his ribs are, he took a hard hit. His stance is stiff with his arms crossed and his shoulders tense, but not in a way to reflect being hurt. What's going on?
"I really appreciate it you guys, but don't feel like you have to stay here. I know it all looks bad, but really we're fine."
At that Suguro jerks and finally looks at me again. "We're your friends dumbass, that's what they do. Plus you nearly died! You really think we're going to bail after that?"
"Well…no. But aren't you guys tired?"
"Of course we're tired." Suguro snaps. "It's ju-" Shima elbows him in the ribs and Sheimi gives him a sharp look. He shuts up with a grumble.
Sheimi puts a hand on my arm. "It's just we're also still worried about both of you." She continues in a very soft tone. "You guys have been through a lot, we want to be here."
I can finally feel a smile crack. My friends…Sure there were a lot of mixed emotions when they first found out about my lineage, but I don't hold it against them. Sheimi admitted she was a bit hurt I didn't trust her with my secret but she said she understood after seeing how much I struggled with it. Izumo has always been blunt and says exactly what she's been thinking. To be honest, I appreciated her a lot more after her little pep talk in the hall with the candles. I know it was Izumo just being Izumo, but I really needed that. Shima just said he was confused and apologized for being distant. He never said or did anything, just kind of stood back from it all. Not surprising with how Konekomaru and Suguro acted. Konekomaru apologized a lot but I forgave him as soon as I knew what was going on with the Gufu. We do crazy things when we're scared, I wasn't mad at him. As for Suguro…I can't fault him for being protective, but I admit his reaction stung the most. I had hoped acting like nothing had changed would show them I was still the person they met at the beginning of the school year but that proved futile. I mean, saying they weren't my friends anymore hit me the hardest.
Growing up I never really had friends. I had my brother, dad, and the monks at the monastery, but no one else. Can't say I really fault kids my age for not wanting to be my friend. I was loud, I never paid attention to the teachers, I got into fights, I was reckless, but the thing is I still had strong morals. I could have easily gotten into the crowd with the other "bad kids" but I still had a strong sense of right and wrong, I didn't want to do what they did outside of school.
So that left me alone, and I never liked it.
Coming to this school, I made friends, real friends for the first time in my life. I finally met people who wanted to around me, support me, and cared about me. To have one of them say they weren't anymore, it hurt more than I could explain.
Suguro did approach me after the fight with the Gufu and apologize. I wish I could say I forgave him as easily as I did with Konekomaru, but it took a while. He had managed to hit my biggest weakness and it took some time to heal.
But now, now I know I can call them my friends. We've been through a lot together, but after the other night I know I can trust them and that they really care about me. They came to the rooftop when they found out what Ernst was doing, they tried to protect me from Satan, they got hurt because they cared more about my safety than their own.
I look each one of them in the eye. "Thanks guys, that means a lot to me." A yawn slips out at the end.
Sheimi giggles and moves the hand from my arm back to my hair. "Get some rest Rin, we'll be here until the others come." Shima nods behind her and Suguro does a quick jerk of his head. Hardly a nod, but I know he'll be here too. Sheimi starts running her fingers through my hair again and I instantly start to drift off. I close my eyes and know there's a smile still on my lips as I fall asleep.
A/N: Please let me know if I need to cut down on the medical...stuff, I don't want to take away from the story! I promise this chapter is really "the big one" with that but there will be some in future chapters. Thank you all for your support, I hope you enjoyed this installment!