No Longer am I Bedridden...

[Dai]

"Alright Ito, you're good to go..." The doctor said, as he looked over Dai's newly-built right arm. He'd been in bed for a couple of weeks, and had heard the bad news - the South had been taken over by Aerugo. He looked down slightly, and then back up at the doctor with a small smile, nodding to him.

"Thank you. I'll be testing it out in a minute." He sat up properly in the bed, propped his back up with a pillow and then started to flex. He moved the joints at a slow rate first, making completely sure that it was safe to move, and then flexed his fingers and tilted his arm, thinking back to what had happened in Central. He smiled softly, and climbed out of the bed, walking over to his window and looking out over the landscape, finally being able to lean on two arms again.

"Careful with that for the first week or so." Dai nodded and waved him out - he'd heard the story before. He sighed, and turned back. He hadn't seen anyone from Briggs for the last couple of weeks, the doctor had practically imprisoned him so that he could work on his arm... Even Reila had been stopped by the pair of soldiers stationed outside. Something about not needing any more trauma or excitement.

Dai looked down at the steel - not only had he had a new arm rebuilt from scratch, but there was a new feature on it. He reached a finger down and hit a small button on his palm, starting up a small heater, which ran for thirty seconds and then stopped. A de-icer, something to help counteract the icy cold of Briggs. He smiled, and then walked over to the door, looking outside. His armed guards were gone, which meant he was open for visitors. He may have been bored of his surroundings, but he didn't want to go out in... He looked down... these clothes.

He sighed softly, walked over to his closet, pulling out some normal looking clothes, and dressing quickly. Now that he was in a light shirt and cargo pants, he felt much more relaxed.

"Ah, I feel much better now."

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila...was not herself and had not been since she returned from the retreat in South City. She lay on her bed, alone, in a room meant for two. The empty bed--the scent--and discarded items lay about just as they had been when Ilona was still alive. Reila rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in her arms, struggling to contain her heavy sorrow. She would never see her again...ever. No...it was just too sad. Why was life like this? How could such cruel things happen to people? And Reila couldn't even go to her funeral! She reached out and tenderly punched the wall, her fist already bloodied from previous anger. She had no energy left to cry...no strength left to beat sense into the silent wall.

She let herself fall off the bed and hit the ground with a sickening thud. Landing on her knees, she stared at the carpet as if it were something foreign to her. Looking at each individual string, she wondered if she was straying from her own ideals. It was the survival of the fittest, right...? So then...what was Ilona? An ice cold blade ran down her spine and she slammed her face into the ground. What was she classified as then!? Did that make Ilona weak? Were--were these tears weak?! Reila sobbed quietly, clutching the sheets which had slid off the bed with her. Why...why did Ilona just vanish? Golden eyes melted in the flames of misery, raining in the tundra.

She looked up suddenly, staring at every detail in the bamboo wallpaper. No, Ilona was of the fit; she just wasn't alive anymore. Even though she was gone for good, Ilona was still at Briggs. She was right there...lingering in her tooth brush--her dirty socks that didn't make it into the wash basket. It was the survival of the fittest, but those who died fighting for their dreams, aspirations, goals...were just as fit as those who survived in succession. And Ilona never gave up, of that Reila was sure.

She stumbled to her feet, in a haze of mental and physical exhaustion. Unlike Dai, Reila did not submit to the demands of the medical ward. Immediately after returning from the battlefield, she had locked herself in her room with the news of Ilona's death. With limited medical assistance provided 9 hours ago in the helicopter, Reila's entire abdomen was wrapped loosely with bandages and the pain was only getting worse. Still, she couldn't bring herself to seek help... And she--the head of the entire North--had been turned away upon arrival to inform her head of military operations that they had lost the South to Aerugo. All Briggs managed to do...was to save as many as they could during their retreat. But they were chased all the way to the West border. The dead couldn't even be retrieved... that was how vicious these monsters were. She slipped off her filthy military top and threw it across the room, missing the wash bin. Aerugo wasn't abiding by the international rules of warfare...what was going on in their heads...why? She untied her black boots, wasting too much effort on the buckles so she left them where they lay carelessly. The Auregese called them barbarians, but look at how Amestrians were being treated! Not even the dead were getting proper burials... Reila pulled off her tattered pants and winced when the fabric ran over a wound she was not aware of. Dried blood was caked all along a gash in the thigh of the dark blue material. She threw it just the same. She was sure there were Central soldiers in much worse condition... the entire force was almost completely annihilated along with her friend, Brigadier General Spade Aeries who barely managed to escape with them... Amestris was falling to ruin. Removing her bra, she noticed with sick humor as the philosopher's stone fell next to her bare feet. She left it there.

In just her slim, black underwear, she assessed her body for herself. Staring blankly with dull eyes into the full-body mirror, she saw herself reflected back. Reila's skin itself was coated in a layer of black war grime. Her right thigh was covered with dried blood, and her knees were rubbed halfway to the bone. The entire expanse of her body, save for the dirt, adorned various purple bruises. Shaking her head pathetically, she shut her eyes in anticipation, about to reach for the bandages around her shattered ribs. But she thought better of it, and quickly changed into a white cashmere turtleneck without raising her arms above her head. She had been informed not to by a doctor in the war zone for it could inflict internal bleeding. Reila didn't have time for that...so she obeyed. With much more difficultly, she slipped into a pair of skinny, washed-out jeans and didn't bother with a belt. They hung low as she put on her black polyester slippers and dragged her feet from the stuffy room. Reila was too lazy to wear shoes.

On her way to the medical wing, she had to stop a number of times. Mostly it was because she was halted for questioning by various subordinates, but it was also because she couldn't make it down the hall without losing her breath. Eventually she made it there and almost collapsed upon arrival. "Where...is...Dai?" She gasped.

[Dai]

Reila had been mistaken of Dai's whereabouts. While she thought he was in the medical wing, he'd been moved to his room about 5 hours previous, so that he could finish up his healing. His bare feet slapped on the ground, and his eyes scanned the area, looking for the blonde. He decided to check her room, first. And of course, she wasn't there, because even after he spent a good five minutes knocking and calling, she didn't answer. Well, she either wasn't there or she was ignoring him. He sighed, and turned away, before being confronted by one of Reila's secretaries, who asked how he was. Dai smiled politely and spoke to her for a couple of minutes, before asking if she'd seen Reila.

"Yeah, she seemed to be on her way to the Medical Wards." Dai smiled again and nodded, before turning towards the wards, and padding on his weary way there. The whole time he was walking, he was flexing his right arm, making sure that it was stable enough after he'd been using it for a little bit. He smiled softly. Good, it was fine. Now then, to Reila.

As he kept walking towards the Medical Wards, he began to think. Obviously, about the girl he'd kissed oh-so-long ago. He smiled secretly at the fact that he'd finally done it, but wondered now what the ramifications would be. He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck, thinking on it some more.

He looked down at his arm. That was something else to think on. In short, the arm was made of a thicker steel than his original, with several insulators within, to make sure an incident like that wouldn't happen again.

Not that it needs to, of course. Dai thought to himself, but it was nice to know they'd considered it. He laughed quietly, but suddenly noticed something. He was there. He was at the Medical Wards. And standing in the door, almost completely out of breath, and ready to collapse, Reila Tsukino. His mind was suddenly taken with a flood of emotion, and a massive smile came across his face, the redhead desperately trying to hold it in.

He reached forward, and placed a single metallic hand on her shoulder.

"I'm right here."

[Reila Tsukino]

"Iyaaa!!" Reila cried out in shock and almost fell backwards. The weight of a heavy hand was placed on her shoulder and that was all it took to shift her balance and scare her half to death. She dropped to the ground, utterly exhausted. The world was dimming, but she couldn't stop now. Reila didn't have time to rest; there was still more that needed to be done.

So she dragged herself back up off the floor, muttering in a dull voice under her breath. "coming up like that behind my back..." It was strange meeting Dai here as she stood in the entrance to the medical ward. And he had come from the wrong direction. Where on earth had he been, had he--? "You were released and you didn't come and see me?!" Reila stammered in neglect. She went to run a dirty hand through her hair, but it got tangled before she moved it an inch. Cringing in horror, she wondered why she was here instead of in a warm shower. No, hot shower--burning hot--scorching... Then she remembered. As if she had ever forgotten.

Grabbing Dai by the ends of his hair, she turned on her heel, which hurt like everything else, and headed back down the hallway whence she came. No, she had no intention of getting looked over by the doctor and told that she was in no shape to work. Wasn't happening. It was time to inform her head of military operations what was going on and also about filling the second in command position. There was no time for her personal affairs right now. ...But wait. Was she contradicting herself...? This was Dai too... Reila slapped a hand over her face. She was overworked that was for sure...

[Dai]

As soon as Reila dropped, Dai was just about off like a shot, trying to catch the girl as she fell. For once, he wasn't fast enough, and the girl landed. He sighed softly, and tried to help her back up with a nervous smile, but it wasn't happening. He just had to watch as she got back up and spoke to him, questioning as to why he'd been released and not visited her. He scratched the back of his neck, and laughed nervously.

"I only just got released myself. They moved me to my room for the last few hours of the recovery process. I was on my way to find you and let you know - but you look like you could use som-" He was suddenly pulled along by Reila, hair dragging him along. He grimaced, and tried to grab her hand, trying to get unlatched. He shouted out slightly, before finding the girl's hand with his left. His eyes opened, and his face went hot.

I've never felt her hand with this one... He quickly shook the thought out of his head, and tried to get his hair out of her grip as softly, yet as quickly as he could. He dropped to the ground as soon as his hair was left go of, and he stood back up, looking at Reila carefully for a few seconds.

"You look like you need some rest. Trust me - your mind will be cleared, even if it's just a sit-down." He nodded a couple of times, and took her hand.

"You choose the place - I'm sure it'll be somewhere good." He smiled at her kindly.

[Reila Tsukino]

"Mm," Reila confirmed without too much thought. She seemed to be struggling over something in her mind, trying to grasp all she needed to say and put in into one place. She had to remember everything so she could tell him and not leave anything out, but she was finding it difficult to even formulate a simple sentence. That was when she realized that Dai was holding her hand.
...........?!
W-What was going on? She blinked for a moment, coming back to herself and feeling her cheeks burn with tension. What was he doing?! Finally, his words registered in her head and she forced herself to start walking again down the long hallway. "--my room okay?" She asked so quietly she began to wonder herself if he had even heard her.

Eventually they made it to her room, and Reila was tottering in her slippers. She went immediately to the bed and sat down in a huff next to Dai. ...But sitting just made her feel even more wiped out. "...can i just speak in aerugese? i dont feel like i can think right now..."

[Dai]

Dai nodded when Reila told him that they'd speak in her room - better that than his, HIS room still had medical equipment in it. He smiled, and was practically dragged by Reila to her room, before sitting down on her bed and watching her sit next to him - Ilona's bed stood across from them, and Dai had to look slightly away so that he didn't feel himself well up - he had to be strong.

"Aerugese is fine. It doesn't matter either way..." He smiled at the girl, and looked around at the walls carefully, before opening his mouth again.

"I heard what happened down the South. It's a horrible loss, but I think we can learn from it..." He nodded slightly, and stood up, looking out the window with a soft, forlorn gaze to his eyes.

"I don't want you saying anything that'd make you feel worse. I might've only just healed, but you're still in no shape to be down." He turned to the girl, eyes staring in a calm and content matter.

"I told you I didn't want to see you sad. I plan to keep that promise. But if you feel the need to tell me, tell me. It's your choice."

[Reila Tsukino]

Reila laughed slightly, though thought better of it and forced it back inside of her. Smiling vividly, she turned her eyes onto the one she loved. Their gold beaming dully, a cold film shining over them, reflecting the horrific violence and bloodshed of the war she had just witnessed. Reila didn't want to know how much she reeked of the iron-smelling liquid and tried to ignore the thoughts plaguing her mind.

"So you've heard..." she began, curling a piece of shaggy hair by her hip, frowning now. In a timid voice, she continued after a small pause. "I don't think I need to tell you how much pain I'm in now...but before I do anything, I need you to hold the fort for a while... haha...literally." She averted her eyes from him and stared at her callused hands in her lap regretfully. "Central was completely destroyed. Their entire force was wiped out... only about 17 people survived...including myself and the men we brought with us to aid in the retreat. They chased us by foot to the border of West City. The helicopters were blown up before they could load anyone onto them." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to gather the shreds of herself and piece them together into something that made sense. "Once we reached the Head Quarters there, we were safe. And after about 14 days of a stand-off, those that weren't hospitalized returned to their respected posts...I got in about ten hours ago." She sighed and fell backwards onto the bed, watching the ceiling blankly. Holding a hand up to block the overhead lights, Reila turned her head to meet Dai's eyes, a sad smile on her dry lips.

"Though I asked such a hard thing of you... can I ask you something else?" She said innocently without thinking at all. Tears gathered on the rims of her eyes again, threatening to spill out. "Will you stay with me...just for a little bit? Can I..." She shifted her head so that it rested on his thigh and finally shut her eyes, a few tears slipping out. "Can I stay like this?"
zzz~
[EXIT TOPIC]

[Dai]

Dai listened to Reila's words intently, taking them all in. He watched the girl as she struggled to speak, and he sighed. He'd told her, if it was painful, he didn't want to know. But she'd made up her mind, and he had to respect that. And so, the red-head sat back on the bed next to Reila, still watching her every move, and still hanging off her every word. He smiled softly, and then started to speak.

"My time... hasn't been as interesting as yours. It might have been a bit on the painful side, but I've just been getting bedrest - I didn't have much choice, I'm afraid." He was about to speak again, when Reila said that although shed asked such a hard thing of him already, she wanted to ask him something else. He blinked, ready to accept whatever she was going to ask.

"Will you stay with me...just for a little bit? Can I..." Her head shifted so that it was resting on his thigh, Dai looked down at her carefully, carressing her face in his left hand.

"Can I stay like this?" Dai smiled, and moved his hand from her face to her hand.

"Of course you can. As long as you want."

{Topic DONE}

{There. Happy? =P 'Cuz I know I am. xD}

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