[ninth bullet] action (for everyone in Camp Otacon)
[When Liquid was sane again, he found himself in the middle of a forest without the slightest indication of how he'd gotten there. The walls of the prison came had simply burned off like fog, leaving him confused and disoriented and exhausted beyond belief.]
...?
[Had he never left at all? Was that why he was covered in mud when he'd been in the ( Read more... )
...?
[Had he never left at all? Was that why he was covered in mud when he'd been in the ( Read more... )
...
[How long had Liquid been gone? Had he killed anyone--no, surely he would have heard something. Was he alright? And...would he ever come back?]
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...hn.
[He started to creep a little closer; there was a soft rustle of underbrush when he moved.]
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...hm? What is it?
[Otacon glanced up as we;l, looking around.]
Kotai? What's wrong?
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[Maybe he was hallucinating again.]
[Maybe, if it really was Hal standing there, he didn't care.]
...
[He watched and waited.]
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Come on. [Kotai following close at his side, Otacon took a few steps in the direction the giant cobra had been hissing.]
...Anyone out here?
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[And the figure that he cut was quite a bit too thin to be easily recognized as his own. Losing a good twenty plus pounds did that.]
Hal.
[His voice was so hoarse and rough that he didn't recognize it as his own.]
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[From what little he could see, the soldier looked like he'd gone through hell and back at the very least.]
Liquid, you're [--okay? Not the right word. Not by a longshot. But what was, then?]
...you're here.
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[He didn't care what was being said to him right now, he was too preoccupied with the fact that Otacon was alive and standing right here in front of him, obviously not dead. Not cut to pieces.]
[He stepped out of the woods and reached out a hand to feel for himself that the man in front of him was alive and real.]
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[Those hallucinations had clearly shaken him, to say the very least. Perhaps worse than anyone else Otacon had seen.]
...It's okay. [Otacon reached up and took Liquid's hand in one of his, managing an awkward smile.]
It's over.
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...
[Without a word, Liquid pulled Otacon into what was probably the second hug of his life.]
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[His shoulders went rigid for a few seconds before the engineer relaxed, leaning his head on Liquid's shoulders and hugging him in return. Otacon vaguely remembered this having occurred while he was hallucinating, and noted in the back of his mind that it was rather nice now that he was completely lucid.]
...it's okay. We're here for you. All three of us will just hide out here until everything blows over.
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[It was still kind of nice, though. And it was more of a relief than he would have ever admit that Otacon wasn't dead, or even very hurt.]
I thought I killed you.
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...just a scratch, that's all. It's mostly healed by now. [He pulled back a little, smiling faintly.]
You look like hell, y'know--and I'm guessing you're hungry.
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[He hadn't killed him. Or, at least, he was hallucinating that he hadn't killed him. At the moment, Liquid was fully prepared to play along with this delusion if it got him food and maybe something hot to drink.]
I know. [He looked like hell, sounded like hell, and was probably about five minutes and thirty feet away from his body rebelling against him and refusing to move until he got at least a few hours' sleep.]
...I need a shave. [Because Liquid's brain focused on the really important things when sleep-deprived and half-starved.]
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[He smiled awkwardly, waving a hand in the direction of the campsite.]
I managed to get all the supplies we'd need for at least a few days, and there's a small river just past those trees over there.
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...okay.
[He should probably go make use of that-- what he shouldn't do is just wander over to the campfire, fall over and pass out, even if that's about all that his body wanted to do at the moment.]
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