As Ivan left the room to send Shizu and Lucian on their way Zachariah had bid him a farewell and prayed that all three of them, Ivan, Shizu, Lucian, would all be safe on their journey. The latter two especially. God had been smiling down upon them all day, he hoped that He would smile upon those two until they safely reached where Elias was. The reason he had agreed to have her sent away was not just to protect the organization, but to ensure that she did live happily and did not have to worry about violence or being abused. Hopefully Azrai would understand. Surely he would, and he was hopeful, because he knew for a fact by how he was so hell bent on protecting her that he wanted her to be safe and live peacefully.<br/><br/>The possibility of Azrai trying to look for Shizu after he heard about what was going on was something not thought of much. Even if the man was attached to her, both Maverick and Zachariah had their doubts about him trying to find her. That did not mean they would dismiss the possibility of it happening. Before the blood transfusion Azrai had always been a very unpredictable man when he put his mind to something. Despite seeming like an open book from time to time, the man was pretty damn clever; there was no telling what he might do. All they could really do now was wait and see how he took the news before they did anything. Should he decide to go after her then he would have to be dealt with, and definitely would need to be monitored either way. Whatever happened after he woke up, they would deal with it then. Now, they needed to focus on other things and hope that Azrai would truly recover.<br/><br/>The possible changes concerned him, concerned everybody. He had seen the look in the manâ€™s eyes when he had first woke up and he certainly did not like the way he looked at all. Should he mention that to Ivan once he returned? Everybody was worried what might change in that man. While they all considered him part of the family, Zachariah knew most people in the organization were terrified of Azrai whenever he got into that state of mind. If his aggression was going to become an issue then he would have no choice but to take necessary actions. The thought of kicking Azrai out of the organization nearly tore his heart out of his chest; he did not want it to come down to that. To this day he still remembers the look on the manâ€™s face when he took him under his wing and showed him a new life after he had finished serving his time in the military. He had found the man drinking his life away, and he gave him purpose, with Ivanâ€™s help of course.<br/><br/>Those two had been pretty close while they were in the military.<br/><br/>â€œMaverick, I want you to be in charge of watching over Azrai when he wakes up.â€ Zachariah said, looking out into the hallway at the medics still working hard to ensure the wounded pulled through.<br/><br/>Maverick winced slightly, â€œWouldnâ€™t it be easier for Ivan to do it? Heâ€™s better at dealing with him whenever heâ€™d pissed off about something than I am.â€ He might have been jumping to conclusions a little bit there but he didnâ€™t really care. It made sense for Ivan to do it since he lived a hell of a lot closer than he did. As much as he would love to see Azrai more he had his own things to deal with back home that were driving him up a wall. Not to mention the only reason he had been able to come to Israel was because Zachariah had paid for his trip, he did not want to have to keep relying on the manâ€™s money.<br/><br/>Zachariah sighed softly, shaking his head, â€œIt will only be until Ivan gets back so you donâ€™t have to worry. I know youâ€™re struggling with things back home.â€ He seemed to be reading the otherâ€™s mind, which came as a huge relief to Maverick. But then their leader suddenly became very grim, â€œJames,â€ Maverick straightened a bit more gave the man his full attention. It wasnâ€™t that he was not already giving him his full attention, he would never half-listen to Zachariah, but he knew the man was going to tell him something serious whenever he addressed him by his name, â€œIâ€™m sure youâ€™re aware that there might be changes to Azraiâ€™s personality. From what Iâ€™ve seen, it didnâ€™t look like it was going to be a good thing, but weâ€™ll only know for sure when he is fully recovered. When that time comes, he will need to be watched and I will need both of you on the job. I will check up on things occasionally, but Iâ€™m going to have my hands full for awhile.â€<br/><br/>â€œI understand.â€<br/><br/>â€œToday has been rough; I think the two of us should rest before Ivan gets back.â€<br/><br/>Maverick nodded, â€œI think Iâ€™ll be able to rest easier knowing Azrai is alright.â€ He probably spoke for everybody there, but that was one thing he was good at, being the most emotional out of everyone. He had opened his mouth to speak again, but Zachariah had beaten him to it.<br/><br/>â€œYour injuries are worse than mine, Iâ€™ll have myself checked out soon, so go rest and recover.â€ With that the man gave Maverick a pat on the shoulder and walked off. As much as he wanted to he knew he could not rest quite yet. He needed to contact a few of his old friends, let them know what had happened, and see what supplies he could get for this base. It was a bit run-down sure, even though it worked out nicely in the end, but they needed to be prepared and restock what they had used up. This was the wonders of having more than one close friend at hand. Surely they were all restless, those who had heard about the battle, and wanted to lend their hand in any way they could to make sure the organization got back on its feet. With Shizu gone it was not as much of a weight off their shoulders as they would have liked it to be. She needed to be watched constantly.<br/><br/>Careful preparations would be needed for that and he knew this was not going to be an easy task. Thank God for Elias, who had the resources to do just that and keep them updated. He, too, was hoping for one day where she would not have to be watched. Surely there were other people who wanted her for themselves.<br/><br/>Taking in a deep breath he stopped by Azraiâ€™s room to see how he was doing. Much to his dismay his condition had not changed, but then again it was not getting any worse right now. For the most part he was stable and looking less pale. In a sense he was aware that both were positive signs but he still had his concerns. Would he really recover? If they lost Azrai he knew that the organization would be dealt a huge blow to morale, he was part of their family. He turned away from Azrai and let the medics handle him before he got too emotional again. At all times, he needed to keep his composure; if their leader faltered surely they would lose any morale that they have repaired since his arrival. All he could do now was to continue to send prayers in hopes that God would answer them and Azrai would reach full recovery without any problems and that when he did recover he would still be the same Azrai they knew.<br/><br/>As much as he wanted to deny the latter, he had seen it with his own eyes, or at least what he thought was true. Once he was in that murderous state of mind, Azrai did not bounce back quickly. Maybe now that Shizu was out of everyoneâ€™s hair he would return to normal. No, he doubted that, Azrai was going to be pissed, that was what everybody knew and was worried about. This was his mind looking for a way to expel everyoneâ€™s worry like he always did during tough situations. Maybe he should be the one to explain to Azrai why Shizu had to leave, it might make things easier so he and Ivan didnâ€™t kill each other if Ivan was the one to explain. He was sure Maverick would not want to be the one to do it and he didnâ€™t blame him. Zachariah was not even sure he wanted to do it, but he must, right? Azrai usually listened to him more than the others.<br/><br/>He would deal with that later. For now, he was going to go find an empty room in the back and take a nap until Ivan got back, before he dealt with Azrai.<br/><br/>Before he did that, he stopped someone in the hall, â€œI need you to head out and bring back some whiskey, it doesnâ€™t matter what it is, and a bottle of wine.â€ They were going to need it, especially after this mess, he was hoping it would help everyone calm down including himself. The woman nodded and told Zachariah she would be back in a few.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>As much as the two of them didnâ€™t get along this was probably one of the few times he would agree with Ivan on something. He really didnâ€™t know the whole story or why Shizu and Azrai had become attached to each other in the first place; he was so out of the loop to what the hell was going on it wasnâ€™t even funny, unwillingly dragged into this. During the flight to Tel Aviv she seemed to like the man a lot, and he recalled how exhausted he had been having slept the entire ride. He had thought it had just been a rescue mission, and he knew that the number one rule was to never get attached to the one you are saving in the few missions where he has gone to fetch people. There was not a word of complaint from him when Ivan and Shizu exchanged words. He knew the man was just doing what he had to, though Lucian had to admit that he couldnâ€™t help but feel a little sorry for Shizu.<br/><br/>He was feeling a little uneasy seeing Shizu so torn over leaving Azrai though he wasnâ€™t going to say anything about it. It almost made him feel just as bad since he was the one who was taking her away from him. What was so important that people had risked their lives to make sure Shizu was safe? Lucian included himself in that since he was the one who was to look after her now. Flying to Tel Aviv, anything could have happened, he knew anything could happen during their trip to where Elias was and thinking back to it really made him uncomfortable. There was a good chance that he could have been killed and he still didnâ€™t know all of what was going on. Perhaps he could ask Shizu about it, knowing if he were to ask Ivan they would only get into some sort of argument. Right now they needed to cooperate with each other to get Shizu out of Israel and he was more than willing to just follow along since it meant he was going home as well.<br/><br/>â€œI had already planned on it,â€ he told Ivan somewhat absently when he mentioned contacting them once he and Shizu had reached Elias.  It would either be Lucian or Elias who informed them of Shizuâ€™s arrival anyway, so he figured he might as well keep everyone updated since he was the one flying. Even he was beginning to feel uneasy with how quiet their walk down the hall was. It was giving him time to think about a few things but he almost wanted there to be more conversation between the three of them. He probably would have started one, if it werenâ€™t for the fact that he felt it was best to keep his head down until they reached the plane. The walk up the stairs, towards the outside, was not any better and made him extremely uneasy. He focused on the echoing of their footsteps for some level of comfort in this situation.<br/><br/>It felt nice to get out and get some fresh air after having been in that stuffy medical base. Remnants of the battle still lingered but everything seemed calmer now than it had when he had first been brought here which was nice. Lucian took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his tiredness really beginning to catch up to him. Despite being in a hurry to get out of there he was beginning to wonder if he was alright to fly. And hour of rest was not much, but it would have to do. It wasnâ€™t like getting barely any sleep was something that was new to him; he was sure he would be able to manage without much issue. Though, he was certain that he would need to stop somewhere and take a break before they reached Elias. Either way, one way or another Lucian would get both Shizu and himself back to Elias in one piece. He might not have gotten along with everyone but he knew when to get his shit together and did what he could to prove himself reliable when it came down to it.<br/><br/>He knew his way around a gun; though he was not much of a fighter, when it came down to it he wouldnâ€™t hesitate to put a bullet in someoneâ€™s skull.<br/><br/>At the mention of food he perked up a little more and smiled at Shizu, some part of him glad that she didnâ€™t seem as depressed as she had earlier. He knew she was still struggling; you could say it took one to know one, Lucian knew what it was like to make hard decisions, hell everyone in the organization knew what it was like. â€œIt doesnâ€™t matter where we go to eat. I just want something in my stomach before we leave and Iâ€™ll be satisfied.â€ He said softly as he followed Ivan to the car. The moment he sat down he sank back against the seat and relaxed, not even bothering with his seat belt. Try as he may to not look or sound completely exhausted, he was, and he hoped that his decision to rush out of here would not affect his ability to fly. He was going to get out of that medical base either way, but now that he had Shizu to look after it was putting a bit of pressure on him. If anything happened to her, Azrai tearing everyone to shreds was the least of his concerns.<br/><br/>During the ride, Lucian had thought to check the weather app on his phone for current conditions. It would make it easier, he could plan ahead how he was going to go about this trip; he really did not want to get caught in a storm somewhere. Everyone has their scars from the past, Lucian did not like flying through storms no matter how good of a pilot he was. He swore under his breath when he realized he didnâ€™t have his phone with him. Wonderful. More than likely it must have been dropped somewhere when he was dragged around by those men. He decided not to say anything about it and just looked out the window trying to hazard a guess as to what the rest of the day was going to be like. The grey sky made him wonder if it was going to rain at all or if the weather was just being deceiving. He decided to turn on the radio, seeing no other option at this time, and flipped through the stations until he found one that was giving a weather report.<br/><br/>He listened to it briefly before shutting it off, liking the silence a little better than the noise, and looked out the window. When they reached the place where they were to be grabbing food, he felt relieved and decided he would just sit in the car, if they were going inside. There was only about forty minutes left in the hour now and he needed every minute of it to get some rest. He decided to rest in the car while Ivan and Shizu went to get food, â€œGo on ahead without me, if youâ€™re going inside. I need at least some sleep before we take off.â€ He told them, he had already mentioned he didnâ€™t care what he had to eat anyway and he didnâ€™t have to use the bathroom. It was and enough flying on an empty stomach, he needed all of his focus while flying and that meant he needed a nap. Flying a plane was not like driving a car, you couldnâ€™t just pull over somewhere if you were feeling tired. He was going to have to get there in one trip. That was what he was telling himself, no stops unless he needed fuel.<br/><br/>The organization had enemies and he was sure people were looking for Shizu. At least that was the vibe he was getting from the situation. While he did not know why she was wanted, he didnâ€™t want her to be recognized if he did decide to make a stop somewhere. A similar incident had happened while he was shuttling Azrai around once, what a disaster that had been. He was going to make sure that didnâ€™t happen again.<br/><br/>------------------<br/><br/>Sometime later Azrai started to come around again, slowly but surely. He had woken up a few more times, after the third or fourth time restlessness settled in quickly. No matter how much he knew he should rest here were too many things keeping him from wanting to rest and allow his body to heal. The medics had left him alone for now, which was a good thing.  The longer he stayed her the more his dislike of being hospitalized was really stated to sink in. He needed to get out of here.<br/><br/>Considering the fact that he really did not want to stay here in a hospital bed Azrai decided he was going to do just that. He was shaking a little and that sealed it for him that he needed to get out of this bed now, his discomfort was starting to become stronger. As he sat up his body screamed at him as if scolding him for not resting. There was just no way he would be able to sit around when there was a lot to get done, not for the organization but Shizu as well. Now that she had her freedom he needed to ensure she would officially be safe. He took a few short breaths and forced himself to believe he was not weak or in pain before attempting to pull out the IV in his arm and whatever else they had hooked up to him. This had alerted the medics who came into the room and tried to persuade him to stay resting. Naturally, being as stubborn as he was, he refused to go back to resting but they insisted.<br/><br/>It was around that time, Maverick entered the room, â€œHow are you feeling? Stubborn mule, why wonâ€™t you rest?â€ His question had not surprised him.<br/><br/>â€œWhere is Shizu?â€<br/><br/>â€œSheâ€™s safe, donâ€™t worry.â€<br/><br/>Azrai studied Maverick for a moment and narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced. He knew Maverick well  and could easily tell when the man was hiding something from him; he was a lot easier to read than Ivan was sometimes. â€œI wish to see her.â€ Zachariah had told him Shizu was still resting and he wanted to believe that, which was why he was asking to see her, he trusted that man with his life which was not something he said about most people. But there was something he was missing, something Maverick was hiding from him, that his trust in Zachariah did not expel the fact that he couldnâ€™t shake the feeling there was something was going. He wanted to see Shizu, he needed to know that she was alright not just physically but psychologically as well. The image of her true Oni form was still seared into his mind.<br/><br/>â€œWhy donâ€™t you rest and worry about Shizu later? Sheâ€™s fine, trust me.â€ Boy, Maverick really wished Ivan would hurry and get his ass back here but there was still some time before that happened. He truly hated dealing with Azrai when he was being stubborn. What he said had not been a lie, Shizu was fine and Azrai did need his rest. Leaving out the fact that she had given him her blood so he would live under the condition that she leave him was what was tearing him up, he hated not being completely honest with his dear friend. Unfortunately Azrai had seen his falter, and he mentally kicked himself.<br/><br/>â€œIf she is fine thenâ€¦ why are you now allowing me to see her?â€ He growled, trying to keep his cool, to keep himself from doing anything that would agitate his wounds. Just then, it felt like something invisible had slammed into Azraiâ€™s chest. He had actually flinched from the realization the moment things began to piece together: Shizu was not here anymore. â€œWhere is she, Maverick?â€<br/><br/>â€œWhen Ivan gets back, weâ€™ll explain everything.â€ In the end, Maverick had broken and decided to be honest. His dear friend was pissed about this but there really was not much else he would do.