When Lucian was woken up by Ivan he felt relieved that he was finally getting out of Israel and back home with Elias. He wasted no time getting out of the car, which was more of a task than he wanted it to be since his body didnâ€™t seem to want to move from the comfortable position he had placed himself in, yawning and stretching briefly. He felt a little groggy, that nap had barely done anything for him. As much as he wanted more time to rest, however, he knew that there was no time for that. They needed to leave Israel, right here and now, and that was that. If he knew anything about Azraiâ€™s enemies he knew that they were probably preparing to strike sometime in the near future. Once they did, he would be called upon again for them to use his services he was sure. That was how it always was. To get that off his mind he watched as Ivan and Shizu exchanged words and felt a small frown tug at his mouth.<br/><br/>Even though he didnâ€™t really know much about what had went on, he almost felt like he was doing something wrong by taking her away from Azrai. He had not seen for himself how attached he had become to the woman, or why everyone had risked their lives to protect her from Sanctus Unum, or even what she was, what made her so important. That did not stop him from becoming a little emotional while he listened to the words exchanged between Shizu and Ivan. Good-byes were never an easy thing to witness for Lucian. He might seem like an ungrateful asshole to some but he did have a heart. He wondered how Azrai was feeling about this, knowing, if the man was conscious, he probably wished he could have said good-bye. It was odd how he was feeling this way, especially over someone he barely knew.<br/><br/>He pulled himself together when Ivan spoke to him. â€œYeah, I will. Donâ€™t worry your pretty little head off, weâ€™ll be just fine.â€ For a moment awkwardness had fallen between them just then while he tried to think of something more to say. He gave a nod as he watched Ivan leave knowing that if he did it would probably come off as awkward. That was just how it always has been between them.<br/><br/>When Lucianâ€™s attention was brought to Shizu he gave her a small smile and thanked her when she handed him a sandwich. He was pretty hungry; he barely had anything to eat the other day and he was literally running on empty right now which contributed to his grogginess. Whatever was keeping him motivated right now was a complete mystery, and whatever it was he wanted some more of it. Unfortunately there was no time to sit and eat it now; he would have to munch on things here and there during the trip. Lucian really didnâ€™t like eating while he was flying, it felt like eating and driving to him, but he had little choice. It was either that to wolf everything down right here and now and run the risk of puking it up once they got to solid ground. Once he and Shizu reached Elias everything would go back to normal and everyone would live out their lives, right? He would finally get the rest he so desperately needed by this point.<br/><br/>â€œI would love to rest, but I canâ€™t.â€ He murmured as he slowly began walking towards the plane. Taking in a deep breath, he paused and looked over his shoulder at Shizu, â€œI donâ€™t know all of whatâ€™s going on, but I can tell you that the longer we stay the harder it will be for you to leave. Itâ€™s best to just keep moving.â€ Lucian was not the best at being reassuring, but he tried. She still seemed a little unsure and he wanted to give her some strength to leave. Having made it this far without turning back, he was pretty impressed, he didnâ€™t blame he for not wanting to leave since she was going to a new place. He had gotten the sense that she had never been outside of Japan when he had met her before, by the way she had asked him about planes and other things. In fact he was sure that she had not gotten out much at all. Poor girl must have lived a very sheltered life, though he knew not the extent of it.<br/><br/>Lucian immediately started walking around the plan, running over the usual mental checklist of mandatory things. He trusted Ivan but still wanted to be sure that nothing went wrong while they were in the air. When he finished looking everything over he gave a nod of approval, and murmured â€œAlright, here we go.â€ He opened the door and climbed inside the plane, noticing that there was a sleek cell phone sitting on the seat waiting for him. It was not his personal phone much to his dismay but at least it gave him a means of contacting Ivan as well as Elias should something go pear shaped. He thought about Elias again for a moment, a smirk appearing on his lips, that man had to be worried sick about him. That wouldnâ€™t be surprising since the man was always worried about him whenever they havenâ€™t spoken in awhile. Since he had his dear friendâ€™s number memorized, he punched it in and shot him a message stating that he was on his way and that once they got home he was going to take them out for drinks.<br/><br/>Slipping the phone into his pocket he sank back against his seat, a bit livelier now that he was in familiar territory. He was going to hold off on eating but he just couldnâ€™t do it, he was too hungry, and ended up taking a bite of it to stop his stomach from growling. Once he got himself situated he started up the plane. His destination had already been mapped out for him, so he did not have to worry about heading somewhere blind. Once they were in the air he made sure to stay vigilant and look out for anything that might come their way. Even the sights of a bird in the distance made him tense a little as if he was expecting it to be the enemy. They had come too far without any trouble, which had come as a surprise as well as a huge relief, but that did not mean he should just blow off the possibility.<br/><br/>â€œAre you holding up alright?â€ Lucian looked at Shizu out the corner of his eye. Despite what he had said earlier he really did not blame her if she was terrified of leaving, heading off into the unknown again. He did not know what kind of sheltered life she lived but he has seen enough people Ivan and Azrai have worked with to know that she had to be scared. From what he gathered from her, Shizu was a bold woman, very kind as well, perhaps not the type to be frightened easily. Honestly he envied that she was able to make such a decision, leaving the only thing she has known for protection, that gave her a sense of comfort, and starting a new life. He knew he probably wouldnâ€™t have been able to do that. â€œI donâ€™t blame you if youâ€™re still uncomfortable leaving, but, trust me, Iâ€™ll keep you safe. Once we reach out destination, youâ€™ll be free to do what you want. Isnâ€™t that at least a little exciting?â€<br/><br/>He paused and shook his head, deciding that he probably shouldnâ€™t keep going. It hadnâ€™t been his intention to pry. â€œForgive me, I shouldnâ€™t pry. Itâ€™s been a long day.â€ He should just shut up for now and focus on reaching their destination; he really didnâ€™t want to pry anyway. With a long trip ahead of them, he just figured a bit of conversation would definitely make it seem like the trip was much shorter than a few hours. Talking would also help him stay awake a little easier but at the same time he knew he needed to focus on flying. It would be a waste of energy to talk, would it not? Surely she would want to sleep some more so either way he should just keep quiet.<br/><br/>About an hour in to the flight and they were only a few more hours away. Sometimes flying could be really lonely but he supposed it suited him in a strange way though he couldnâ€™t say why. He had eaten most of his sandwich, which was mostly cold by now, and in spite of feeling so tired earlier he was feeling somewhat more energetic. Somewhat being the key word. He really could not wait to get back on the ground, have a drink with Elias, and then sleep for the rest of the week.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>This was almost infuriating in a strange sort of way. If it were not for the fact that he was using every last bit of energy he had to block out the pain Azrai would have leaped off the bed and strangled Maverick. His brow furrowed and the look in his dull, grey eyes made Maverick shrink back a little while he tried to find the right words to say to his dear friend. To make matters worse the trembling in Azraiâ€™s hands was getting worse and he would need to get out of this room before he lost it. He still had a long way to go before he was fully recovered but he absolutely hated being cooped up especially in hospital room. After having some bad experiences in the military he would suffer panic attacks whenever he was in a hospital setting for too long. Since then he has gotten a lot better and could control himself but he still became extremely uncomfortable after awhile.<br/><br/>Maverick really did not want to see that again. He sighed, knowing that there was no way he could avoid explaining the situation to his friend. â€œI know youâ€™re upset with us, but if youâ€™ll hear us out...â€<br/><br/>â€œIt would have been nice if I was informed Shizu was leaving.â€ Azrai cut him off with a sharp tone.<br/><br/>â€œYeah, well, that was part of the dealâ€¦ Zachariah knows more about it than I do, but what I can tell you is that she saved your life before she left. You were dying from that poison; had it not been for her you probablyâ€¦ we would have lost you.â€<br/><br/>Azrai wasnâ€™t sure what to think right now, he was really out of it because of his injuries and being so tired. There was so much he wanted to say but his mind felt so jumbled up. If he were to say everything that was on his mind he doubted it would even make much sense if he tried to form coherent sentences. He looked away from Maverick for a moment and placed a hand on his head, closing his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.  The combination of Shizu leaving so soon and the fact that he really needed to get out of this room was starting to become too much for him in his current state.<br/><br/>â€œYou said Shizu is safe, correct?â€ He asked softly in spite of his feelings towards the situation. This was the first time in awhile he was becoming emotional over someone and it was actually a little surprising. After what happened with Cassandra, he knew he would never get comfortable around another woman. He was not necessarily talking about a deep relationship, but in general friendship. His line of work was dangerous and in the end Cassandra had paid the price for deciding to be brave and winning his heart. That was how it always was. No matter how hard he tried to make friends people who associated with him were only hurt by his enemies. After what happened today all he wanted Shizu to be safe, away from the kind of life he lives as he would not want her to get dragged into it. He wanted her to have freedom, a life where she would not be held somewhere and then hunted like some animal like she had the night he came to get her.<br/><br/>If that was all he wanted, he should be happy that she was safe, which he was. He was just hurt that he could not have said good-bye to her and that their promise had been broken. There was so much she had to learn, and while he may not be the best tutor he had made that promise with the intention of keeping it. There was so much she needed to learn in order to adapt to her new life and he knew she had some deep scars that may never heal. He knew they would have gone their separate ways eventually, he would not want her to rely on him of the organization for the rest of her life, but he had wanted it to be after he had educated her a little more. He wished he could have at least done something more for herâ€¦ was that wrong? Learning that she had saved his life made him feel like he had not done enough for her. Why had she not said good-bye to him?<br/><br/>Maverickâ€™s words pulled him out of his thoughts, â€œYeah, sheâ€™s fine. She and Ivan left a little while ago, before you work up. From what I gather Ivan has already arranged for her to be taken somewhere she will live out the rest of her life peacefully.â€ If there was one thing that was certain, it was that the look in Azraiâ€™s eyes told Maverick that if he dared say no, even if she was indeed safe, Azrai actually would leap off the bed and wring his neck. It was a rather unsettling thought. â€œShe was taken out of Israelâ€¦ I say the sooner the better, your mission has been completed, it would have happened eventually. You shouldnâ€™t have gotten so attached to her, you nearly died protecting her.â€ He did his best not to wince as a few possible reactions swam through his mind.<br/><br/>â€œI know it would have happened eventuallyâ€¦ It would be nice if you leave the fact that I had become attached to Shizu alone.â€ There was a flash of anger in Azraiâ€™s eyes which made him flinch a little. He had half expected the man to lunge at him and snap his neck then and there.<br/><br/>Ivanâ€™s voice coming though his earpiece saved the day. Without another word, Maverick sighed stepped out of the room, leaving Azrai alone, as much as he had not wanted to, and into the hallway. â€œIvan? Thank Godâ€¦ Azraiâ€™s awake right now...â€ he muttered softly as he walked down the hall, peeking in a few rooms to make sure everything was still calm and running smoothly. This place was a bit stuffy, he was going to have to get use to this new base, but it was better than nothing. â€œZachariah went to go take a nap I think, so I had to deal with the stubborn mule myself. He seemsâ€¦ out of it right now, though I donâ€™t know if itâ€™s because of the blood transfusion or not.â€ He rubbed his chin lightly and sighed.<br/><br/>Things have settled down considerably since Shizu had left the place. Everyone seemed so uneasy after they had seen what she was capable of on the battlefield, some had even voiced their opinions, a few questioned what Zachariah had been thinking sending that â€˜demonâ€™ into battle. Maybe it was a good thing she had not stuck around to hear any of this but it also angered him. She had saved Azraiâ€™s life, had fought not only for the organization, but for her freedom, and they were questioning her behind her back. Luckily Azrai was unable to hear any of thisâ€¦ Wherever Shizu was now, Maverick could only hope that the fact she was an Oni remained hidden from the world. If that got out somehow, it would make her an easy target and they might have to step in again. Perhaps he should speak with Ivan about this matter, once everything settled down, and ask his opinions about it. He was better at that stuff than he was.<br/><br/>For the time being he had other things to attend to since Zachariah had taken a nap, before Ivan did get back. Supplies were needed and Azrai needed to me watched to make sure he didnâ€™t do anything to hurt himself now that he was fully awake. He would also need to get the man some fresh air before he lost his mind sitting in that room. He was going to need to make some phone calls. Most of his contacts were back home, but he knew a few people in the area. He contacted them, gave them a brief rundown on what was going on as a few of them were allies with the organization, making sure that supplies would be brought to the base. Medical equipment and some electronics, just so that had something to start with, were on the main list of things he had requested.<br/><br/>Soon, they would rebuild. They would rebuild and they would be a better organization than they were before. Hopefully things would start to look up from here. God was on their side, they were Godâ€™s army.  Was it wrong that he felt like they were invincible right now? They might have won that battle with Sanctus Unum but Shizu deserved some credit as well. Surely had it not been for her they would not have won that battle and if they had they would have lost a hell of a lot more. They would have lost Azraiâ€¦ But they had not, and he was grateful.<br/><br/>He was grateful that everybody had lived to fight another day, in the end that was all that mattered.