"Nngh..." Finally stirring awake, crimson eyes are met with a mop of silver hair staring back in concern.
"Scathach-san, you finally came to! Thank goodness, you had me worried there!"
"...Marie? Wha?-" Getting a hang of her surroundings, the room she was in looked to be a makeshift hospital room. Scathach's entire right arm was in bandages, along with her left forearm, left thigh and right lower leg. There were also some wrapped around her forehead. In the room with her, the french lady was at her bedside while someone else with mistyrose hair was by the window. "Marie... Florence…? What are you two doing here?"
"Marie and Chevalier got here last night, they called me here this morning."
"Last night..?-" Looking towards the window, recollection returns as she glimpses the morning sun. "Wait- What time is it?!"
"Currently a little after nine. Why?" The mistyrose nurse checks her wristwatch to be sure.
"Nine?! Where's Medusa?! Is she- Ugh!" Suddenly trying to push herself up leaves the crimson haired woman in pain.
"Scathach-san! Please, don't move around too much! Florence-san already took a look at you, but your injuries aren't fully healed yet!" Holding her down, Marie manages to urge the former to settle down. "I only got here last night with Chevalier after we barely noticed the boundary field that was up. We came as fast as we could, but by the time we got here it was too late."
"I… Dammit, I messed up. It's all my fault… it's all my fault that Medusa's..."
"Your fault? Are you talking about what happened last night? Could you… tell us what happened?"
"I was careless. I made the wrong judgement call, I should've been more cautious… I- Medusa lost control again, but… Even if she did lost control and attacked me, I should've been able to subdue her. But I hesitated... And I..." Recalling last yesterdays events to Marie and Chevalier, the crimson haired woman lets out a dejected sigh. "I let my feelings get involved. and now, Medusa's… Did any of you see her after you got here?
"I'm afraid not." Marie shook her head.
*knock knock*
"Princess, Miss Nightingale, I'm back- Miss Scathach, you're awake."
"Welcome back, Chevalier. How did it go, anything?"
"Nothing I'm afraid." The royal guard shakes her head as she walks up to her bedside. "I searched the district as best I could, but it's no good, I couldn't find her. She didn't take anything with her either; her phones and belongings are still in her room upstairs. I'm sorry, but Medusa could be anywhere by now."
"It's fine, you did you best..." Pulling the blanket aside, the crimson haired woman ignores the pain as best she could, wanting to get off the bed.
"Wait!- Scathach-san, where are you going?!"
"To look for Medusa, where else? I have to find her before-"
"No. You are not." Cutting her off, the mistyrose haired nurse sits her back down with a finger flick to her forehead.
"Ow!" Landing back on her right side, even if it was a bed, it still hurt. "Florence!-"
"Ah, good. So you do still feel pain. Now, I am not about to let someone who nearly died last night to go walking around town, so lie back down!"
"I- Okay." Knowing better than to go against the nurse now that she'd started to raise her voice, Scathach reluctantly did as she was told.
"We'll take care of looking for Medusa, okay? Now please, do me a favor and rest here until you're recovered. Marie will remain here with you to make sure that is exactly what you're doing. But let me make myself clear, you so much as think about sneaking out and so help me I will have you in a straitjacket of bandages and then some. Do I make myself clear?" Hands on her hips, Nightingale warns using an extremely stern tone.
"...Alright, fine."
"Mmnnn..." Tired eyes slowly open to a feeling of scurrying against her. Looking down at her side, a small creature is huddling next to her, partially hidden among her long purple hair. "...Huh? A cat?" A gust of chill blows through her temporary shelter. After running with no destination in mind for hours last night, Medusa ended up at an empty park amidst the rain, where she spent the night hugging her knees against cold in nothing but her bloodied nightwear.
Wanting to gently lift up the tiny feline, it instead scurries out of her grasp, running off now that its temporary source of warmth was aware of its presence. "Huh...? My wounds... healed...?" Looking at her forearms and knees, the scrapes she had suffered from her fall last night were completely gone. "How...?"
Pushing herself off the ground, she still felt a little light headed, but seeing as she could stand on her two feet, Medusa decided she was fine enough. But after barely a block of walking, it was evident that wasn't the case. Minor light headedness ended up turning into a something else, the purple haired girl's breathing started to go erratic.
"Huh... Wha!-" Dropping to her knees, her entire body suddenly felt drained of all its energy. "What's... happening...?-" Trying to keep herself steady against a wall, her vision quickly blurred before she finally going black.
...
"Hm Hm Hmm~" Long white ribbons tied among the woman's long deluge hair blew gently with the light breeze. Walking back along the usual route from the supermart to the church with a bag of groceries and necessities, she pauses in her tracks when she spots something amiss. "Huh? What's that...?" On the path ahead, the was a tall purple haired girl passed out on the ground. "That's- Hey! Miss! Are you okay?!"
Quickly running to her side, the woman immediately checked for a pulse. "Thank the Lord. She's still alive."
But now was not the time for momentary joy. Putting aside how the nightwear she wore was covered in dried blood, the tall girl was covered in sweat, her breathing irregular like she were gasping for air. Placing her hand against the girls forehead, the amount of heat she could feel was startling. "Ow- Hot! She's burning up! I need to get her back to the Church, right now!"
"Bonjour! Long time no see, everyone!~"
". . ." Olga couldn't even bring herself to facepalm. After the recent string of events, the last thing she wanted was for her of all people showing up at Chaldea's doorstep. "...What the hell are you even doing here?"
"Come now Olga, that's the first thing you say to your teacher after all this time? I see you've not changed much since I last saw you." Adjusting her glasses, the chocolate haired guest narrowed her eyes towards the silver haired lady's chest. "And not so much physically either."
"What the hell is that suppose to mean?! Where the hell do you think you're looking?! And you are NOT my teacher! " The Director yelped, covering her chest defensively.
"I-It's nice to see you too, Da Vinci-san." Boudica decided to interject before Olga could blow her top.
"Mou... Come on Boudica. I've told you before already, it's Da Vinci-chan. Da-Vin-Ci-Chan." Leonardo Da Vinci, a prominent genius of her time, was the Technical Director of Chaldea based in London. She was also Olga's teacher, though the silver haired lady would rather die before ever admitting it.
"So, what brings your sudden arrival here to Japan?"
"That thing you and Mashu requested. I finished it early because, well, I am a genius after all." She huff her own chest out and proud. "And well, while the Mages Association is under the same usual impression that nothing of note is going on here, a genius such as I definitely noticed something's been happening here in Fuyuki. Am I wrong?"
"Well, you could say that... I don't even know where to being."
...
"Lev?" That certainly wasn't something the chocolate haired lady expected to hear. "You're kidding... He's back?"
"Yep. Believe me, I would love for it to not be the case, but... yes, he's back."
"Hmm, magic human experimentation. Well I guess I really shouldn't be surprised he currently has his hands in things of such nature. So, this Medusa girl, is who he's after? According to this, whatever procedure she was put through cause quite a few changes to her." Leonardo commented as she looked through the partially corrupted report Chaldea had managed to acquire. "Although it doesn't seem to be the case for her sisters, most of the procedures apparently weren't successful on them, not that it states what successful would be."
"That's not all, according to what Scathach-san witnessed, whatever was done to her gave her some rather... impressive 'abilities', I guess you could call them. Along with some rather extreme changes to her body." The british redhead sighed.
"Meaning?"
"Would you believe me if I told she becomes a monster?"
"Well that depends on the definition of monster you're referring to. Speaking off, where is Scathach?"
"Hah..." Scathach sighed, she finally gave up.
To anyone else, she'd been laid so still on the bed it really looked like she was actually asleep. But resting was something beyond her right now; she couldn't even get in a tiny bit of sleep. With every second that passed of her doing absolutely nothing, the feeling of a pit in her gut deepened as she grew more and more anxious and worried for Medusa.
"...Gah! Screw it!" Consequences be damned. Sure it was irrational and stupid to pull something like this while she was still recovering, but Scathach just couldn't take it anymore. Marie had stepped out for a quick break to the washroom anyway, so now was her chance.
"Caught you~" Or so she thought. Just as she was about to get off the bed, as if on cue the door immediately opened to, the french lady returning to the room. "Scathach-san, you know you're not suppose to be moving. Florence-san made that very clear, didn't she? You and I both know it is unwise to do anything in your current state, so please."
"Marie, I..." The crimson haired woman knew she shouldn't protest. Irrational, idiotic, stupid, all these words she'd be tossing at herself right now. And she knew better, she really did. But this time. "...I can't..."
Looking down at her knees, her hands balled into fist. The memory Medusa crying before she disappeared came back to her. "Please Marie, I can't. I can't just sit here and do nothing while she's out there. Medusa was crying before she left, she was in I could do was watch as she ran away in pain, and I can't stand it! I can't, so please! Please... just..." Closing her eyes in frustration, Scathach cheeks were flushed. She really couldn't believe what she was blurting out right now.
Taking a seat next to her with a slight sigh, the silver haired lady gently place a hand on her friend's back. "So I didn't mishear you when you said your feelings got involved then. Tell me then, what is it you actually feel about Medusa?"
"I... I just... don't want to see her hurting. When I remember her crying face, my heart feels like it's aching for her. I want to hug her... protect her from what's making her cry. I... I guess I'm in l-... l-... lo-..." Okay it may still be a little while before the crimson haired woman could admit that confidently.
In response, the french lady breaks into a giggle. "Hehe~ I didn't think I'd ever see you act like a love struck maiden. It's honestly pretty cute."
"Wha-" Her face flushed immediately. Cute? Okay, no one has ever called her cute. Ever. "W-Wha- What do you mean cute?! And I'm not love struck!"
"Yes yes, I'm sure you're not~" Finally managing to stifle down her giggles, Marie gets up off the bed. Walking to the door, she opens it and brings in a bag from the other side. "Well. I doubt you're even going to listen if I say no. So..." Digging into the bag, she lays out a fresh set of clothes on the bed, the crimson hared woman's phone and her favorite coat of color. "You're still healing from your injuries, so I want you to be very careful, okay? If you can promise me that, then..."
The french lady walks up to her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders, meeting her blue eyes with the latter's crimson ones. "...Go, Scathach. Bring her back."
"...Marie... ...Thank you."
Changing out of her current attire, Scathach made sure to apply a few healing runes on top of her bandages. Being on the move while they weren't fully healed definitely wasn't advisable, even with the runes accelerating the healing process. But hopefully it'll make things easier for her. Thanking her silver haired colleague one last time, she quickly headed towards the elevator, making her way down to the buildings entrance.
"Berkana." Setting out a couple of tracking runes, the rune pebbles sped off. "Alright... Please, find her." It'll take them awhile before they'd find her exact location, but for now they'd be headed in the general location the tall girl went. But there is a limit to what they can do, Scathach could only hope Medusa hadn't gone too far.
Blood...
Pain...
Screams...
Over, and over, and over again. Sharps claws ripped through flesh, limbs being popped off with the greatest of ease, being showered in fountains of blood. The nameless faces screamed... they cried... they begged... they died.
Everyday was hell, but months in her predicament soon numbed her to it. She doesn't even remember much of it, only that a part of her slowly started to enjoy that hell. It started finding joy in the killing. It relished in the joy. It ceased to care all together, and the result?
"Medusa... ..._ _ _ _, _ _ _ _..."
She didn't even know what she did that day until she was completely drenched in her sisters blood, there weren't even corpses left to show. She didn't just kill them, she devoured them.
Barely able to recall what their last words even were, She gave up after that. She'd become a monster. A monster that'd be better off dead.
And yet...
Something ended up reminding her of the warmth she had long since forgotten. She began to feel again.. thanks to her.
Long crimson red hair, stern yet gentle eyes. They belonged to the person who brought back a feeling she'd never thought she'd feel again. The warmth of being cared for... She was given hope, and for the first time in a while, she wanted to live. She thought it was okay for her to live, despite everything she had done. She even began to feel something else, but in the end...
"Scathach... I'm... ...I'm so sorry."
...
"...Huh?" Wet teary eyes stir open to a blurry ceiling. A soothing kind of softness enveloped her senses, with a noticeably cooling feel on her forehead. She was lying in a bed, a warm blanket pulled over her. There was a small damp towel sitting on her forehead. "...Where am I?"
"Thank Lord! You're awake!" An voice next to her speaks with elation. Medusa tried to focus on who it is, but tears left her eyes blurry. She tries to raise her hands to wipe her eyes, but her arms felt really weak. Her whole body did. "Ah. Let me help you with that." Closing her eyes, she could feel a tissue drying her eyes for her.
The purple haired girl could finally get a clear look at who the mystery voice was. A woman, with long deluge purple hair and sky blue eyes. She wore snow white garments that immediately brought the word 'holy' to mind. Clinging nicely to her slight yet busty frame, she was a beauty dripping with charm; she was perfection.
"Wha..." Where was she? Medusa remembered waking up after that night. But no further recollection of what happened after. Why was she- Remember what she did last night, the purple haired girl immediately tried pushed herself up. "I- I have to get out of here. It's not safe if I stay, I'm-"
"Hey! Don't do that, you shouldn't be moving!" The Saint held the girl down, urging her to calm down.
"No, you don't understand, I'm-" A sudden bout of tiredness eats at her body, forcing the tall girl to falter back against the bed.
"Whoa, careful! Your body is really weak right now, so please, just lie down." After some urging, she finally managed to calm the tall girl down. "There... just please take it easy, okay? You were really sick when I found you."
The purple haired girl hesitated at first, but eventually spoke up. "...You said found me? What do you mean? Where are we?"
"Fuyuki Church, in Shinto. I was on my way back when I found you unconscious, so I brought you back here with me." A Church? That's right, although Medusa's never been here in person, she had been told of a hilltop church when Scathach first showed her around Shinto.
"I see, thank you. Umm... Who are you?"
"Me? I'm a Saint who lives and works here. My name is Martha. May I ask what is yours?"
"...I'm Medusa."
"Well then, Medusa-san. If it's okay with you, do you think you could start by telling me why you were at this part of town when you passed out?" The Saint figured she'd start with whatever her guest was comfortable with sharing, instead of trying to get the whole story from her.
"I..." But the purple haired girl didn't want to say a thing. She didn't want someone else getting hurt because of her, not anymore. If she were able, she'd have left already, but that was something beyond her body for the moment.
Seeing as she was reluctant to say a thing, Martha let out a slight sigh. "Well, it's okay if you don't feel like saying a thing. Just know that if you want someone to talk to, I'm here, okay? It'll be better than just bottling it all up. But for now, just get some rest okay? I'll be back in a bit with some food for you."
"Okay. ...Thank you." Medusa softly muttered as the deluge haired woman left.
"Mashu!" Not even a minute after returning from an errand, the lavender haired girl was immediately captured in a tight embrace upon stepping into the office. "Long time no see!" The chocolate haired lady exclaimed.
"Gyah! D-Da Vinci-senpai! N-Nice to see you too." The younger girl tried to break free. "W-What are you doing here?"
"Well, you remember that thing I promised a few months back? Well it's-"
"Wait! You don't mean- Is It Finally Finished?!" Cutting her off, Mashu was literally bubbling with excitement.
"Yes, I managed to finish it early because I'm Chaldea's Genius Tech Director after all." Leonardo placed a silver briefcase on the table, unlocking it revealed a metallic screen and a small computer keypad with a bunch of symbols. "Mashu, your combat gloves please."
"Ah, yes. Here you go."
Placing them on the metal screen, the gloves disappeared into the machine upon being scanned in following some input from Leonardo. "Alright. Aaaand... Done!"
Following some final adjustments, a small compartment popped open on the suitcase's side, revealing a small medallion-like object. Lifting it out from the storage, she attached it to a black leather necklace. The circular object had a slight tint of lavender to it's silvery shine, with Chaldea's emblem engraved on the surface in a mild gold. A circular and square button on it's side along with a tiny switch. "Ta daa~ Your very own Mystic Code, made and fine tuned specifically for use with Mana Defense."
"Wow! Thank You So Much, Da Vinci-Senpai." Eagerly receiving it, Mashu was bubbling with excitement.
"Let's test it out right now, shall we?" Boudica suggested, and the younger girl was more than happy to agree.
"Alright, basic instructions: Press the circle on it's side, then activation via voice command."
"Y-Yes. Mystic Code, Activate." Beneath her clothes, her gloves formed around her arms. The lavender haired girls stockings were replaced with different once like that of her gloves, and a one-piece swimsuit formed around her torso, beneath her shirt but above her underwear. They were both black with purple stripes, just like her combat gloves. "W-What's this?..."
"Your very own full-body mystic code, tuned specifically for usage by you and you only, Mashu. All made with the exact same material as the gloves I gave you, that full-body suit will be like you're using Lord Camelot without having to lug that huge thing around. And if you are in a position to where you're also using your shield, you're combat prowess and magecraft efficiency will be doubled. They'll even form beneath your clothes, so it's perfect for subtly if you find yourself in the presence of bystanders."
"We get that part, Da Vinci-san. The thing is..." The british redhead sweat dropped. "Why a swimsuit?"
"Well, I could've gotten her full body suit, but the swimsuit looks better. And well, even a genius like me acknowledges that fanservice triumphs all logic." And thus followed a long and awkward silence.
". . ." Boudica and Mashu weren't even sure they should say anything in response.
"Oh, and one last thing. Your Mystic Code has a 'full release' function built in, and... Well, it's easier if I just show you. Press the square and slide the switch."
"This? Ah-" Doing as she was told, purple light appears from the medallion, taking the rest of her clothes. Pieces of metal begin to form around her, her torso clad in jet-black armor. Gauntlets for her arms and heeled greaves for her legs, with a long purple mantle coming down around the back of her waist, cloaking her in a suit of armor. "A knight's armor...?"
"Yep. I had that made based of the data we have of Lord Camelot. It took some effort, especially finding the correct magically-compatible mineral to build it, and don't get me started on having to forge it. But in essence you'll be able to use Lord Camelot to its fullest potential." Walking up to her, the chocolate haired lady used a verbal command to disable the armor. "Mode, Deactivate."
"It has a base duration of seven minutes, that duration will shorten faster if you push yourself to hard, so be careful. After that it will forcefully deactivate and be on a cool-down for forty-eight hours. And before you get any ideas, I've made sure it will not activate until those forty-eight hours are up."
"I see... Thank you so much, Da Vinci-senpai!" Mashu quickly bowed her head.
"Don't mention it. To be honest I had a lot of enjoyment putting this together for you, and I'm sure it'll come in handy given your current situation. Speaking off which, where are you at on that?"
"We've almost everyone out looking for Medusa; Shirou and D'Eon out at Miyama while Ushiwakamaru and Kiyohime cover Shinto, but even for us it'll still be the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. There's just no telling where Medusa could've gone after, for all we know she's made it outside of the city by now. A slight bit of good news though, Lev lost one of his that night, so that's a plus. But... I just hope they'll turn up something, and soon." Boudica sighed. "I can't imagine Scathach's too happy about being told to rest..."
...
"Marie, you did not-" Florence could already guess what had happened when Marie walked into her office alone. "You did, didn't you?"
"Now now, whatever could you be talking about?" The french lady giggled, taking a seat at the nurse's desk. "All I did was let a woman who promised to be careful go and look for someone who's become quite special to her. You should've caught on as well, right, Florence-san? Medusa-san isn't just anyone to Scathach-san anymore."
"But still, she's injured, and-..." Brows knitting together, the mistyrose haired nurse let out a sigh. "...Ahh, fine. What's done is done. I have some idea what you might be referring to. I'll... handle this, you should go lend Chevalier a hand with their part of the search effort."
"Very well. See you later then, Florence-san~"
"I need to go pick up Mordred soon..." She closed her eyes, fingers rubbing her forehead.
"...edusa-san. Medusa-san!" Teary eyes bursting open, Martha was staring down at her in concern. The purple haired girl was covered in a cold sweat, her breathing heavy. "You were having a nightmare; are you okay?"
Another nightmare, again. Medusa couldn't sleep, at all. Every time she closed her eyes, the recollection of what she had done to Scathach just came rushing back to her. And just when she'd finally managed to actually fall asleep, not long after here she was, abruptly woken up after being plagued by yet another guilt induced nightmare.
"I... I..." Maybe Martha was right, bottling it up inside was starting to tear at her. It'd definitely be nice if she could just take to someone, anyone. But...
"I brought you something to eat when I heard you. Were you having a nightmare? You were talking in your sleep. You kept saying you were sorry for hurting someone, that you didn't mean to." The purple haired girl inhaled sharply. "I take it this was a very important person to you if you were that distressed about it?"
"I-. . . . . ...She was..."
"Was...?"
"I'm not to her, at least not anymore."
"...Do you... think you could tell me what happened?"
"I..." The tall girl was still hesitant, but she sighed. Maybe it was because she wanted to talk to someone, she just couldn't keep it in any longer. "I lost control of myself. I hurt her, badly hurt her, and the I ran away. After what I've done to her, she definitely hates me how, is afraid of me. She'll want me gone. She- She-" Closing her eyes in a vain attempt to keep the tears from falling, Medusa held her head is down as her fist clench in anger. "Stop Crying! Stop Crying! You Don't Deserve To Cry!"
"I just...- I just...- I...-" She tries her hardest to stop the tears from coming, but they wouldn't. "Stop-... Huh?"
Reaching out, Martha covered both of Medusa's hands with her own, lifting them up gently. "You really love this person, don't you?"
"Huh?- ...L-Love? I-... don't..."
"Medusa, if I may. From what you've told me, it seems you care a lot about this person. And I guess you're just as important to this person as she is to you. So why is it that you think she hates you?" Bending down next to her bedside, the deluge haired lady wore a bright and gentle smile. "Let me tell you something, there is no way this person hates you, for sure."
"But- How could you know that...?"
"Because of you... Because you shed these tears. This heart-wrenching pain you feel, you feel it so strongly because you truly are sorry. Why else would you beat yourself up this badly for what you've done.? What you're feeling, it's what you feel for someone you truly love." Raising a hand to her purple haired girl's face, she wipes away a tear with her thumb. "So you shouldn't run, you should talk this out with her. She'll forgive you, for sure. I'm confident she feels the same way as well."
"Good word. I'm gonna throw up." A sarcastic tone comes from the doorway, belonging to a woman with white hair and yellow eyes. "I thought I heard an unfamiliar voice. Why did you have to go pick up another stray again? And could you be anymore cringe-worthy?"
"Caren?!- She's not a stray!"
"Sure, she's just someone you happen to pick up and was giving love advice to. Those are what you call 'strays'. Oh, and nice job giving her lesbian love advice there, way to go Miss Holy Lady."
"Wha- I was no- I don't wanna hear that from a sadist like you! You were at the amusement park's lost child center again, weren't you?!" Martha yelped back in retort.
"That's right. I had an especially great time today. There was a lost girl who kept tripping on herself in there. Ah~ The look on her face as she kept crying while trying to get up... It was paradise. I even came a little from the enjoyment of watching her." Caren face flushed with glee as she recalled her day.
"See! There is something wrong with you! Need I remind you that you are a priestess of The Church, such attitude is not befitting of your role."
"Oh, like the pervert with a bondage fetish is in any position to be lecturing me." The white hair girl nonchalantly fired back.
"I'm Not A Pervert! AND I DO NOT HAVE A BONDAGE FETISH!"
"Really? Because last I checked the only kind of people who get turned on when they're told to 'surrender themselves to the ropes', are bondage fetishists."
"I- I told you before, I didn't understand what it meant! Besides, couldn't they just tie their hands... Tying up someone's whole body... that's just... crazy..." The Saint tried to defend herself, but the ecstasy-filled look growing on her face wasn't helping her.
"Right, sure. If you're going to convince me even a little, why don't you try to not look like you're about to orgasm when you say that?" With her final retort, Caren decided to excuse herself.
"I do not- Argh!" Giving up, the deluge haired lady let out a huff in anger. "Sorry about that. That was Caren, Caren Hortensia. She's a priestess, living here alongside me as the head priest of Fuyuki Church. Do forgive her if she may have offended you, Caren can be a little... unique." Turning around, the Saint brought over a tray of food to the table near the bedside. "I almost forgot during all that, I brought you something to eat. You must be hungry after all. I'll be around the church if you need me."
"...Sure. Thank you very much." The tall girl's strength hadn't fully returned, but enough had to where she could get off the bed without too much trouble.
Sunset covered Fuyuki City is a dim orange as the day ended. Scathach had been looking for Medusa throughout Shinto ever since an hour before noon, following her tracking runes as best she could. She had covered quite a bit of ground since she started too, but to no avail.
Turing the next street corner, the momentary thought of taking a slight break crossed her mind when she spotted an empty bench in the distance, but she immediately dismissed the idea. There was no time for rest; she could do so all she wanted after she's found Medusa. Walking a little further, she slowed down when a familiar car pulled up next to her.
As the tinted driver side window rolled down, mild anger and annoyance was present on the drivers face. "Get in." Nightingale ordered the crimson haired woman.
"Ah! Scathach Obaa-san!" Closing the door on the passenger seat, a bubbly voice greeted her.
"That's Onee-san to you there, Mordred." Scathach corrected the blonde child as the vehicle drove a little more towards a secluded parking spot.
"Look... I know what you're gonna say, but I really need to-"
"Be quiet." Cutting her off, the mistyrose haired nurse gently snatching her arm. Pulling up her sleeve, she sighed. Undoing her bandages, her runes had indeed healed most of her wounds. "Healing Runes... Even if they are effective, will it kill you to let yourself heal naturally for once?"
Pulling out the medical kit she kept in her car, Scathach was surprised when Florence began changing her bandages for her. Doing as she was told, it didn't take the nurse long before she was done. "There. Thanks to your 'improvisation', your wounds have mostly healed, but you'll still need to be careful."
"...Florence, you..."
"Don't misunderstand, I'm completely against you pulling something like this when you're suppose to be resting. Believe me, the next time I'll be sure to watch over you personally instead of asking someone else to. But-"
"Mama, can we go eat now? I'm hungry." Mordred looked up from her picture book.
"Of course dear, we'll go right now." The nurse turned back to her. "Look, just be careful, alright? Now go."
"Florence... Thank you."
...
Staring out the bedside window, Medusa watched as the clouds drifted by across the sunset sky. "...you should talk this out with her." Martha's words from before rang in her mind, but... Doubt crept over her as she still freshly recalled what she did to Scathach that night.
The crimson haired woman, laid against the wall surrounded by her own blood. Bleeding out from wounds at several spots, the worse being the one on her entire right arm, right next to the bite on the side of her neck. The look on her face was one that screamed pain and suffering.
"Scathach..." What if she were to lose control again? It already happened before, and she nearly killed the only person she'd opened up to in a long time. Who's to say it won't happen again? Medusa can't stand the mere thought of another repeat, or worse, if she goes too far the next time. "...I, ...I."
Sighing, the purple haired girl got out of the bed. Seeing a pen and paper on the nearby table, she quickly scribbled a note before leaving the room, into a courtyard. Passing a couple more doors, the tall girl eventually stepped out an exit at the back of the church building. Glancing up momentarily, Medusa simply started walking, not the least bit concerned with the clouds that had slowly started to darken.
...
As the hours of searching passed, sunset soon transitioned to nightfall, bringing with it a rain that started showering Fuyuki in wet and cold. Scathach runes did finally pick something up, but she wasn't sure weather it was fortunate or not considering where following after them led her. "...This is..." She'd recognized the way she was going, the road where she was led to one place. The Church.
Carrying on her brisk pace through the rain, the cross sitting atop the white building was the first thing that came into view. Entering past the black gates, the crimson haired woman quickly crossed the courtyard, more than happy to leave the rain for the sheltered entrance.
*knock knock*
"Coming!" One of the wooden doors opened to a deluge haired lady. "Scathach-san? Ah, so you're the one..."
"Good evening, Martha. I'm looking for someone. She's-"
"Caren said she saw Medusa walking out towards the back exist a little while before the rain started. She of course did nothing about it." She was surprised when the Saint already knew who she was looking for, following the latter who led her from the sanctuary to the courtyard, out towards the back of the building. "If you hurry, you should be able to catch up with her."
"I see, thank you." Bowing slightly, the crimson haired woman ran back into the rain without the slightest hesitation.
"You're welcome." Opening her hand, the deluge haired lady looked at the note that was left behind in her room. 'I'm going for a walk. If I'm not back, don't find me.' it said. "Please. Go to her. She needs you."
...
Medusa wasn't really sure where she was headed after she'd left the Church, her legs simply continued walking aimlessly. Before she knew it, she was now in a field surrounded by trees, with a view of the city in the distance, building lights shining bright in the distance.
Looking towards the sky, rain clouds kept the moon obscured. Closing her eyes, she took a long deep breath as the droplets pelted her face. Inhaling, then exhaling, her breath was almost visible given the current environment. The purple haired girl simply stood there, soaking in the cold and wet.
Thinking back, she'd done this a once before back when she was still in the Shapeless Isles. She was much younger back then, and shorter too. Recollection on the why was a little blurry, but there younger her was, looking towards the sky like she is now. Afterwards, she got quite the scolding from her sisters. They were especially angry with her, and she may have caught a tiny cold thanks to her little stunt. But...
...when they went to bed that night, she remembers being huddled warmly between her sisters, the both of them keeping her nice and comfortable as they slept.
"...Nee-sama's..." It was a good memory.
"Medusa!"