[RL with Kratos and Yuan: Hospital visit]

[xx_bloody_jack]

Yuan had slowly been recovering sine the goddess had visited, and Jacky had been keeping an eye on him to make sure things were well. Of course, the past few days she could do little being a dog. But she was back to normal now, which meant it was time to pay Yuan a visit again. Not that he didn't visit him enough, but he was getting better now and

Comments

[shunraiken]

As luck would have it, Yuan was in fact awake at the moment, though all he was doing was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. Jade's refusal to forgive him had hurt him deeply, but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone. He didn't even plan on telling anyone about it if he could help it. It wasn't like they would care anyway. All he did was cause trouble for everyone else, that much was obvious.

Jade's reaction had driven home the fact that he couldn't expect forgiveness from anyone for what he had done. He knew that, even expected it, but it still hurt. Though that's nothing compared to what they must be feeling right now, he thought to himself. I did such horrible things to them...

Another coughing fit caused him to grimace. This was really getting old quickly; although he knew he needed to get the miasma out of his body, his chest hurt from coughing so frequently. He just hoped it would be over soon.

The sound of the door opening caused him to turn his head. Was Asch back? Or had Jade returned to mock him again?

... his heart sank at the sight. Oh no. This was far, far worse.

[xx_bloody_jack]

It was clear upon entering the room that Yuan was awake. That made Jacky all the happier. She had grown so worried when everyday she came by and he was sleeping. Seeing him awake really did wonders to cheer her up and give her hope that he would get through this okay. He was strong, she knew that. If anyone could do this, he could.

The decision to call for help seemed like a good idea now. The goddess had been so kind and so helpful. And Yuan was getting better now. Jacky was happy she could do something for him to make him better. She hated knowing what had happened to him and she still felt responsible for it.

Seeing that Yuan was awake, Jacky let go of Kratos hand and ran to Yuan's bed. Without a second's hesitation she leaned over and hugged him. Not too tightly in case he was still in pain, but tight enough.

"Yuan! You're awake!" She exclaimed happily.

[wingsoffate]

Kratos stopped as Jacky let go of his hand and watched as she hugged Yuan. Although he wasn't one to show how he was feeling, at that moment Kratos couldn't explain the overwhelming relief he felt as he saw Yuan awake. He had really had his doubts about Yuan pulling through... he wouldn't have hesitated to intervene if he had to, but since he didn't understand what was wrong in the first place he still couldn't have been certain that Yuan would have recovered fully.

Still anxious about them meeting like this, Kratos remained where he was and allowed Jacky to take control of the situation. He wasn't even sure if Yuan would want them here in the first place... so he would watch and wait for now.

[shunraiken]

Yuan stiffened at Jacky's touch and had to force himself not to pull away. This was the LAST thing he wanted right now... to be honest, he didn't want either of them there at all, much less hugging him. He didn't want to cause a scene by pushing her away, but at the same time he wished she hadn't done that. For now he merely remained motionless, making no effort to return the hug.

Instead he looked over to Kratos for the moment, fixing him with a level, emotionless stare. Hopefully his former friend would get the message he was trying to convey by that...

[xx_bloody_jack]

After a moment Jacky finally pulled away. It was so good to see Yuan and to see him well. It had been so long since she had really seen him. She hadn't seen much of him since she left the Base so long ago. And the last time she had seen him he wasn't himself. But now things could get back to normal and they could get better again. That's all she really wanted.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him, not moving away from his side.

[wingsoffate]

Kratos met his cold eyes, not flinching in the slightest. It had been what he had expected after all. Just because he was unwell and they had come to visit him, even if he knew to what extent everyone had been worrying about him and had gone to help him, Yuan would still react in exactly the same way. But he wasn't leaving and he wasn't going to force Jacky to leave either. Besides, he knew Jacky wouldn't go anywhere even if he tried.

Still moving no further, Kratos continued to watch the both of them, feeling increasingly uncomfortable and most of all... unwelcome.

[shunraiken]

It was better this way, it was for their own good...

"I'm fine," was all he said in response to Jacky, not meeting her eyes but instead continuing to stare at Kratos. He wanted them to leave, but he doubted they would-- Jacky especially. He'd just have to make them feel as unwelcome as possible in the hopes that they'd get the hint, then. Couldn't they see what they were doing to him? Were they really that blind?

Anger crept in, displacing the crushing sorrow and guilt that had occupied his emotions ever since Jade's little visit. Now they come to visit him after they'd ignored him for so long? Obviously he wasn't worth anything to them unless he was in danger of dying. Fine. It didn't really matter anyway.

[xx_bloody_jack]

"Good. Do you need anything we can bring for you?" She asked him. He seemed better, at least awake, but not good. Something was still off. She hoped it was just the sickness making him feel a little bad, but she got the feeling it was more than that. Either way, she would help him get through it.

Jacky glanced at Kratos and noticed how uncomfortable he was as well. She let out a sigh. It seemed not everything was okay. It wasn't just Yuan's health. Their relationship as a whole had taken a lot of damage. There would need to be a lot done to repair it.

[wingsoffate]

What Kratos was feeling now... it was exactly the kind of reaction Yuan was trying to provoke. It was clear he was still waiting for him to leave... for both of them to leave really. This seemed a far cry from how it was before, when he wasn't even sure if Yuan could hear him. He had felt so guilty and he really meant it when he said he wasn't going to let Yuan die. It seemed that his words had fallen on deaf ears from how Yuan was acting now. Or perhaps he really just didn't care.

The only way Kratos would leave now was if he asked for something, something that he would have to go out of the room for. And not simply because it would make him feel less uncomfortable... because he still wanted to help Yuan, no matter how he treated him. Kratos deserved whatever Yuan gave him but he still wouldn't give up on trying to help and make things better.

[shunraiken]

"I don't need anything."

Again his reply was short, clipped... impersonal. How long was it going to take for them to get the message and leave? They'd seen that he was doing better, now they could leave him alone to rest. Being around the two of them hurt in ways he'd never really hurt before and he didn't like it one bit.

He didn't want their forgiveness. He couldn't bear it. It was easier for him if they stayed angry, if they didn't want to see him or speak to him. That way he wouldn't have felt nearly so guilty about pushing them away. But what was he talking about? They didn't care about him anyway unless he was on the verge of death. Then they cared. Then he mattered, likely only because they didn't want to have his death on their consciences.

He wished they would just go away and leave him alone.

[xx_bloody_jack]

"Let us know if you do need anything," Jacky told him, offering up a small smile.

It was like when he first started pushing them away. Jacky recognized the signs. He didn't want them there and he was trying to get them to leave. She could tell how awkward it was making Kratos too the way he was acting. She couldn't blame him for it either. But she wasn't leaving. And Yuan would have to learn to deal with it.

The last time Jacky had left Yuan like he wanted her too he had suffered for it. And she had missed him so much and couldn't find him again after that. She didn't want that to happen again. The three of them were friends, whether the boys wanted to admit it or not, and she wasn't letting them lose each other. Not again.

[wingsoffate]

The tension in the room wasn't going away. He could just stand there like this and pretend everything was okay. With a heavy sigh, Kratos approached Yuan now and knelt down beside Jacky. He would show Yuan that neither of them were leaving, neither of them had no intention of ignoring him, especially while he was in this state.

"What will it take to get you to understand how much we care about you?" he snapped at his old friend, rather unexpectedly. He wasn't going to go through this only to have things return to how they were were previously... not again.

[shunraiken]

"I don't care," Yuan snapped back with increasing ire. "I never asked you to do any of this; you made that decision of your own free will. I don't owe you anything, if that's what you're thinking."

His vehemence surprised even himself, but his temper was extremely short at the moment and having the two of them around was only making it worse. Things weren't okay, and they weren't going to be okay anytime soon. They'd probably never be okay again. It was all their fault, anyway.

Only...

No, it was all his fault. He was the one who had destroyed everything through his actions... he was the one who had ruined everything. Jade had nearly died because of him, and he had hurt Kratos and Jacky and all of the others.

Everything was his fault. He deserved this.

[xx_bloody_jack]

Jacky jumped slightly at both men's outburst. She should have seen that coming, but she was trying to avoid it. Stress was the last thing any of them needed, especially Yuan. Why couldn't they put aside their differences for one visit?

"Yes, we know what we chose and we expect nothing. Now stop please," Jacky asked them calmly and indifferently. She wasn't picking sides and she wasn't allowing this to escalate any further.

She knew though that whether it was now or later, eventually these things were going to be said and they was going to be a lot of hurt people and yelling in the process. Sh wished they wouldn't fight like this. She wished they could back to the way things had been. She wondered when things started going so wrong...

[wingsoffate]

But Kratos wasn't going to stop. He couldn't help it... he needed to voice how he felt for once if only to try and get Yuan to understand no matter how futile it seemed. "I know you don't owe us anything... but I know that at least I owe you more than I can give. I am trying to pay you back for everything you have done for me despite what I may have done in the past... Why won't you realise that I want to help you? Why can't you accept it?"

Clearly this had affected Kratos more than he had realised... he had an idea of what Yuan's response would be before he had even said anything but that didn't make his own point any less valid. He just needed some recognition for his efforts... in fact this whole situation was beginning to remind him of their time all those years ago on the battlefield... except back then it was Kratos that failed to recognise Yuan. Perhaps this was Yuan getting his own back.

Whatever his reasons, Kratos was just as angry at Yuan as Yuan seemed to be at him.

[enemy_or_ally]

Well, the Colonel must have been hearing voices. Otherwise, this wouldn't have been occuring. He was merely passing by on his way to have a word with one of the nurses handling Yuan's health progress. But on the way there, who would have expected that he were to hear some rather angry voices from Yuan's room?

His choices were obvious. Continue walking or pay a "friendly" visit of sorts to Yuan once again. Surely he wouldn't want to talk, but it was better than nothing. As he stood there, contemplating his choices, he was clearly able to recognize the voices from inside. Yuan, naturally. Jacky. And... one that he hadn't had many conversations with but could distinctly figure to only be Kratos. Who else would Jacky have brought along with her? Luke? That was more of Arche or Kaye's job, he had come to believe.

It was best to step in now before things got nasty. He opened the door and entered the room, not bothering to knock. Why should he? Access would only be denied, after all. More than that, he was Colonel Jade Curtiss. He wouldn't knock on doors that he obviously had control over. He examined the situation rather thoroughly. Yuan and Kratos were obviously cross with each other. A growing pattern that he had come to notice and become wary of. And Jacky caught in the middle, trying to stop the arguing.

Having just arrived to catch the end of Kratos' questioning, the Colonel was happy to answer for Yuan as he leaned on the door frame. "He's not in any condition to accept anything, if you haven't noticed." The smile that was normally on his face was nowhere to be found as he greeted each person with a nod, "Kratos. Long time no see. I see you've healed nicely. Jacky. I should have expected to see you here sooner or later. ...Yuan."