Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter 41

Undineday, Gnome-Decan 55, ND2019 – 12:40pm local time (Zao Ruins)

For a moment, Guy's mind went completely blank. He stared uncomprehendingly at Jade's sprawled-out body, lying face down and motionless on the glowing walkway.

It was impossible.

In all the time Guy had traveled with Jade, on his adventures with Luke and now with Florian, Jade had never fallen in battle, never taken an injury severe enough to threaten his life. Jade had always been a reliable presence in the group, the one who always knew what to do, no matter how bad the situation. But now...

"Gnome!" Florian wailed in anguish. "How could you?! He was working to set you free!"

The hell you say! Gnome retorted. He tried to kill me! Without another word, the sentience of earth disappeared in a golden swirl of fonons.

"Gnome!" Florian shouted after him. "Gnome! Come back!"

Anise fell to her knees at Jade's left side and shook his shoulder. "Colonel!" she shrieked. "Colonel, get up!"

No response. Jade didn't move at all. Anise's eyes, wide with shock, began to fill with tears, and she started sobbing.

Tear and Natalia both began casting at once. "Come forth O illumination of life..." chanted Tear.

Natalia's voice shook as she chanted, "O divine embrace that fosters life..."

"Healing Circle!" Tear finished. Seventh Fonons streamed down, forming a circle on the walkway around Jade.

"Cure!" Natalia gasped. A flash of light surrounded Jade's limp, lifeless form.

Neither healing arte had any effect. Jade didn't stir or even open his eyes.

"No," Anise whimpered. "Don't be dead. Please don't be dead!"

Jozette Cecille stepped forward. "Calm down, everyone," she said levelly, as she knelt beside Anise. "He isn't dead, just knocked out. But he needs a Life Bottle right away. Fortunately, I have one. Hold his head up, Gailardia."

Numbly, Guy obeyed. He knelt on Jade's opposite side, turned the unconscious man over onto his back, and carefully lifted Jade's head and shoulders. Jade's glasses were askew, adding to the overall wrongness of his appearance, but Guy didn't have a hand free to straighten them.

Jozette uncorked the Life Bottle and poured the contents into Jade's mouth. She pinched Jade's nose shut with her thumb and index finger, then tipped his head back so that the liquid would run down his throat.

After a few seemingly-eternal seconds, Jade choked, gasped, and swallowed. He coughed hard, three times, and opened his eyes. Several blinks, accompanied by more coughing, failed to help him focus. One pupil was noticeably wider than the other, Guy observed.

"Colonel?" Anise whispered anxiously between sobs.

"Nngh..." Jade groaned.

"Hey, Jade," Guy said with a nervous chuckle, as he helped Jade sit up. "You okay, old man?"

"Uh..." Jade replied hazily. "What...just happened...?"

"Gnome hit you on the head with his shovel," Jozette answered matter-of-factly. "He was angry with you for disintegrating him with that arte you used earlier."

"Oh," said Jade. "That explains...the headache..."

"O regenerative power, abide here..." Natalia chanted, her voice soft with relief. "Healing Force!"

"Thank you," Jade murmured.

"Can you stand?" Florian asked, glancing around as though expecting Gnome to reappear.

Jade sighed and said, "No... I'd rather not."

"Too bad," said Jozette, grabbing Jade by the wrists and standing up. She looked Guy in the eye. "I'll pull, you lift. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, ready," said Guy, taking a grip on the shoulders of Jade's uniform jacket. My cousin Jozette, ordering me around as usual, Guy thought, feeling oddly fond rather than resentful. Some things never change.

"On the count of three," Jozette directed. "One... two... three!" She leaned back, bracing her feet as she pulled hard on Jade's arms. Guy, remembering how Pere had taught him to lift with your legs, not your back, stood up carefully, using his leg muscles to support Jade's weight in addition to his own.

"Ah...ah...careful..." Jade protested, as Guy and Jozette hauled him upright. "Ugh...I'm dizzy..."

"You can lean on Gailardia," said Jozette, letting go of Jade's wrists. She turned to Anise, who was still on her knees, sniffling. "He'll be all right, Anise," she said gently, holding out her hand. "Come on now, get up. We need to organize ourselves for retreat."

Guy smiled as he watched Jozette help Anise to her feet. As a child, he had only seen Jozette as bossy and annoying; now he saw strong, competent leadership. Born to command, I swear, he mused. She could be a field marshal someday...the first female field marshal in Kimlascan history. I don't know whether to hope for that or not, because I never want Kimlasca to go to war with Malkuth again.

Jozette surveyed the group with a calculating look in her light hazel eyes. Her gaze fell on Natalia, and she hesitated. "Your Highness?" she asked tentatively.

Natalia blinked in surprise. "Oh! I thought you were taking command, General Cecille."

"My deepest apologies, Your Highness," said Jozette, bowing. "It's...not my place to give you orders."

Both women regarded each other in silence, each waiting for the other to take the initiative. Guy, his curiosity rising, decided not to interfere. This choice on Natalia's part could affect the future of Kimlasca for decades yet to come. Would she claim her leadership role as royalty, or would she defer to Jozette's military expertise? And if she deferred now, would it become a habit? Would Natalia become the true ruler of Kimlasca, or would the military eventually end up governing?

The silence stretched awkwardly. Finally, Natalia sighed. "All right. I'll take charge, then." She drew a deep breath. "General Cecille, you and Guy will go first to clear any remaining monsters out of our path. Guy, you'll carry the item bag again. Tear, you and I will support the Colonel on either side so that he can walk straight. Florian, Anise, you'll be the rear guard. Stay sharp, everyone."

Suppressing a grin of relief, Guy handed Jade off to Tear and Natalia. Something in his expression must have revealed his approval of Natalia's choice, because as she gave him the item bag, her eyes met his; she smiled slightly and gave him a small acknowledging nod. His heart skipped a beat as he smiled back at her.

Jade accepted Tear and Natalia's support without any objections, draping his arms over the women's shoulders. Guy slung the item bag onto his back and took his usual place at the front of the formation, with Jozette beside him. Anise and Florian took their assigned places at the back. No one spoke as the group followed the walkways away from the passage ring and trudged back up the ramps.

As they reached the sandy area in front of the doorway, where half a division of still-petrified Kimlascan soldiers awaited them, Florian called out, "Gnome, once we've made a pact, the first thing I'm going to have you do is turn these statues back into people!"

Bah! Gnome's voice echoed in reply. Whatever, kid. Now scram!

A little while later, Guy called a halt. "I have an idea," he said. "Let's use a Wing Bottle to get out. We're still pretty deep underground, and Jade looks like he's about to collapse. He needs to be resting aboard the Albiore."

"Ah! I should have thought of that!" Natalia exclaimed.

"Why didn't you mention it earlier, before we walked up all those ramps?" Anise complained.

"Well, it didn't occur to me until now," Guy replied, feeling ashamed of himself. "But it should have, because Jade made me inventory the item bag when we re-supplied in Keterburg. We have three Wing Bottles left. We can afford to use one of them, in a situation like this."

"I agree," said Tear. She sighed, then added, "I should have cast Resurrection instead of Healing Circle, when he went down. I don't know why I did that."

"Perhaps because he never needed it before?" Natalia suggested. "None of us were thinking straight, except for General Cecille. I commend you, General, for your calm leadership in a moment of crisis."

"I really don't think I should be commended for saving a Malkuth officer, Your Highness," Jozette demurred, looking slightly alarmed. "At least, not officially."

Natalia smiled. "I will keep that in mind, General. In any case, thank you for reviving him."

"You might consider including me in the conversation, instead of talking over me," Jade said wearily. "Better yet, save the chit-chat for later, once we're aboard the Albiore."

"Yes, let's hurry," said Florian. "By the way, what's a Wing Bottle?"

Guy chuckled. "You'll see, Florian." He rummaged in the item bag and found one of the Wing Bottles. "Everyone ready?" he asked.

Six people nodded wordlessly. Guy opened the bottle, and in a whirl of fonons, the group was transported instantly to the Zao Ruins' entrance.

"Whoa!" Florian exclaimed. "That was cool!"

"Pretty nifty, huh?" Guy replied. "Fontech enthusiasts like to say, 'Necessity is the mother of invention.' If there's a problem that needs solving, sooner or later someone will invent a solution."

"I might call a Wing Bottle more of a convenience than a necessity," Jozette commented.

"True," Guy admitted, as the group approached the Albiore.

Noelle greeted them all as they boarded. "Welcome back, everyone!" She glanced curiously at Jozette, before addressing Jade. "Where are we going next, Colonel?"

"Uh..." said Jade, as Tear and Natalia guided him through the hatchway. "I...don't remember."

Noelle's cheerful smile faded to a look of concern. "Colonel, are you all right?"

"...No," Jade answered, slumping dejectedly.

"He took an injury to the head," said Tear, bracing her feet to keep from losing her balance as Jade leaned on her. "He should lie down and rest for a while. Someone should monitor him to make sure he doesn't fall asleep."

"Actually, it's fine to let a person with a concussion sleep, as long as the injury isn't too severe," Jozette corrected. "If a person can carry on a conversation, walk without assistance, and see straight, it's best not to force them to stay awake. Monitor him, yes, and wake him up every few hours to check on his symptoms, but don't stop him from getting the sleep he needs."

"Are you sure?" Natalia asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jozette replied firmly. "It's what the military healers always advise for head injuries... and head injuries are common among soldiers." She sighed, and added, "Helmets can't protect against everything, sadly."

Florian frowned in puzzlement. "Tear, Natalia, why can't you use your healing artes to cure him?"

Natalia sighed. "Unfortunately, with head injuries, sometimes healing artes can do more harm than good, especially if they're too powerful. Healing artes use the memory particle component of the Seventh Fonon, and that can interfere with a person's own memories... which was why I used Healing Force after General Cecille revived him, so that the healing power would be applied in small amounts over time, rather than all at once."

"I noticed that," said Tear. "You were thinking better than you gave yourself credit for, Natalia. I'm the one who..." she trailed off.

Natalia shook her head. "No, I panicked too. I used Cure first, without thinking it through. I hope I haven't done permanent damage."

Jozette bowed to Natalia and said, "With all due respect, Your Highness, I agree with Tear. You deserve more credit than you give yourself. Modesty is a virtue, but constantly putting yourself down is not the same thing. Good leadership requires confidence."

After a thoughtful pause, Natalia said, "Thank you, General Cecille. I appreciate your wise counsel."

"Yes, that's good advice," Tear agreed. "I should keep that in mind, too."

"If you both are finished with the self-criticism, I'd appreciate it if you could take me to my bunk," Jade remarked. His usual sarcastic tone was dampened by exhaustion.

"Walk on your own two feet," Jozette told him sternly. "If you can. And take someone with you."

Guy felt a small jolt of surprise at his cousin's tone of voice. Jozette's demeanor had changed noticeably since she had revived Jade. She was no longer afraid of Jade the Necromancer, Guy realized. Perhaps Jade's injury had helped her see that Malkuth's most infamous soldier was still only human after all.

"I'll go with him," Anise volunteered quietly. "Come on, Colonel."

Jade grimaced, but he let go of Tear and Natalia's shoulders and trudged toward the crew quarters. Anise followed him.

"So..." Noelle asked, glancing uncertainly back and forth among Guy, Tear, Natalia, Jozette, and Florian, "where should I take you?"

"We were going to go to Belkend, right?" Florian asked.

"That was what Jade said," Guy replied slowly, "but I don't know if that's such a good idea right now. He needs to rest. If we take him to Belkend, he'll want to talk to Spinoza about the passage rings."

"Yes, but Doctor Shu is in Belkend," Tear pointed out. "He's the best doctor on Auldrant. We should take the Colonel directly to him."

"No, we should find a doctor closer than Belkend," said Natalia. "It's essential to treat concussions as soon as possible."

"Perhaps we should go to Chesedonia, Your Highness?" Jozette suggested. "It's the closest city, and I know a good doctor there who specializes in head injuries."

"Oh? Who?" Natalia inquired.

"Doctor Jaxon, Your Highness. He's a retired colonel from the Kimlascan Royal Forces. He may be hesitant to treat a Malkuth soldier, but I'm sure you can persuade him."

"Oh yeah, I remember him," said Guy. "He came to Baticul to examine Luke after the kidnapping, but he couldn't find any signs of brain damage. He was completely baffled as to how someone could lose their entire memory without any apparent injuries."

"And now we know why," Natalia sighed. "I wonder why replicas have none of the memories of their originals. It must have something to do with memory particles."

"Possibly..." Tear mused.

"Well then, let's go to Chesedonia and take Colonel Jade to see the doctor there," Florian declared.

"Got it," Noelle acknowledged.

Natalia, Tear, Florian, and Jozette followed Noelle up to the flight deck. Guy trailed behind them. Huh, he thought. Looks like Florian is developing some leadership skills, too.

A/N: I did a bunch of googling about how to treat a concussion, so Jozette Cecille's advice is as close to correct as I can make it. Still, if you ever get a concussion, don't rely on the info in this fanfic – consult your doctor ASAP.

Also, I hate OCs, but I had to invent a doctor in Chesedonia because it just makes more sense to take Jade to someone close by. Dr. Jaxon's name is based loosely on the username (from another site) of a certain friend who is in the medical profession. Jax, this is my tribute to you. Enjoy.