She hadn't fully remembered the ride to the medical base; her mind had been so foggy. She could feel her sister reassure her that she would be fine. She smiled weakly though she wasn't sure if she had truly done the action. She whimpered and moaned as they headed to the medical base, her body was losing energy fast. Would she survive or would she end up like the Cannibal? No, she knew better than to think like that, she was in God's hands now. She believed that he would help her recover from these gruesome injuries. All that he asked from her was her will to live and damnit she wanted to live.<br/><br/>Once they arrived at the medical base, there were gasps of horror. She knew that she was in terrible condition but she could vaguely see that the staff was already busy. People were running around and there was high tension in the air. She wondered who was here and what kind of injuries they had that caused so much panic. She didn't have time to indulge in her curiosity, as she was taken away from the bay and into immediate surgery. She groaned being placed on the surgeon's table and she knew that it would take a while to recover, if she survived surgery. The last thing she saw was the lights that hung over the table and the face of the surgeon before she was sedated for the work being done on her shoulders.<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/>He knew that he had been keeping Maverick on edge, not updating him on Azrai or Shizu's condition. But even he wasn't sure how well the cure would work. He had left it in God's hands to take care of them and he had hoped it was the right decision. He had been more thankful when Elias had found something that could be a cure; he took anything that had been given to him. Now, he wasn't sure if it had been the right thing to do. Had there been more time to debate whether this cure was right then he would have used it. Instead, he merely acted on instinct, doing anything he could to save the life of his friend.<br/><br/>He knew better than to say anything to Maverick about the tears he had shed, it was normal for the male to become emotional. If not for Maverick, who else would release their unshed tears? Ivan felt as if he was on a verge of a mental breakdown but he was too proud to think about crying but he knew if Azrai didn't make it, he would lose it. Ivan wanted to avoid that at all costs, crying made him extremely uncomfortable and he would beat Azrai's ass, if he thought about dying. He opened his mouth to reassure Maverick to the best of his ability but a new problem came through the medical bay. He glanced at the loud noise of another woman shouting some orders and his face paled as he recognized one of the people. Maverick beat him to the punch however.<br/><br/>He let out a low grown at the pompous attitude that Lucian had and he wondered why Elias even bothered with the pilot. He definitely didn't need a new headache and he was sure that Lucian would give it to him. With a reluctant sigh, he slowly stood up staring at Lucian, his eyes were cold. "And who are you to be asking me questions? You better be lucky that Elias cares for you, asshole," he growled out, not really in the mood to fight but more than a little pissed off at the pilot's attitude. "If you really must know what's going, then I'll tell you. Raziel formed a new group called Sanctus Unum and he planned to slaughter everyone with the bio weapons he created. Now Zachariah is out there fighting while we take care of Shizu and Azrai, who are in critical condition." It was a short explanation but it did the job. He would have explained more but one of the medics from Azrai's room came.<br/><br/>The look on her face told him everything he needed to know and he closed his eyes as she spoke, absorbing her words. The tension released his shoulders and he looked back the other two men in the room. "If you will excuse me," he murmured walking out of the room, nearly shoving Lucian out of the way. Why did the pilot come here in the first place? It was obvious that Raziel had tried to stop Elias from hacking by probably holding Lucian hostage. Ivan almost felt bad for being rough with the man, almost, but Elias was the only one who could get a decent word out of the pilot. "Elias, it seems like Lucian had been involved somehow but he is safe at the medical base," Ivan said into his earpiece. As much as he wanted to tell Elias about Azrai, he knew that younger male wouldn't take it well. He would blame himself for not being able to find a proper cure but Ivan still hoped that Azrai would pull through.<br/><br/>His walk to Azrai's room was silent; his mind was full of so many things. What would he tell Zachariah or Shizu? Opening the door to Azrai's room, he looked at his dear friend. The monitor was showing a weak heart beat and his breathing was very low. Ivan hated seeing the man like this; he looked so pale on the medical table. He walked slowly to the side of his bed, his eyes searching for the man that he had known for such a long time. "Come on you asshole, recover like you always do," Ivan said in a strained tone, emotions threatening to take over him. He wanted to punch Azrai but knew that it wouldn't help. If the man hadn't taken this mission, then this would have never happened. He should have been more against it but he had truly thought Azrai wouldn't have taken it. Shows how much he knew his friend.<br/><br/>"Ma'am, please you must rest!"<br/><br/>Ivan turned to see a surprising sight. In the doorway, Shizu was breathing heavily as she clutched to the doorframe. Her body was covered in bandages yet it seemed not to faze her. Her eyes were transfixed on Azrai, the emotion unreadable on her face. He knew what she was thinking because that was on his mind as well. Azrai wasn't recovering. Azrai may not make it through this ordeal. Shizu's eyes finally left Azrai's form, as if noticing there was someone else in the room. Her lips parted as she tried to think of something to say to Ivan but she knew that she was to blame for Azrai's condition. Ivan let out a sigh, knowing that Shizu was berating herself and he moved over to her. She tensed as she watched him but didn't say anything as he picked her up and moved her closer to Azrai.<br/><br/>He pulled a chair up by Azrai's bedside and set her down in it. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and she smiled weakly at him. He knew that she wanted to be a lone with him and he respected her wishes. He walked outside of the room, glancing at the medic who was scowling at him. "She needs to be resting, her body-"<br/><br/>"Her body is different than ours, she'll be fine," he said in a low tone, glancing back in the room through the window. He was at a loss right now, he had no idea what he could do for Azrai, if this cure didn't work then they would lose Azrai. Ivan rubbed his face, truly feeling the weight he was carrying on his shoulders.<br/><br/>Something wasn't right. That was the reason why she woke up. At point, she knew that she had been extremely close to death. All around her had been silent; it left a ringing in her ears. No matter where she had looked, it was completely black but then there was a light that made her want to come closer. Before she had gone too far, something caught her wrist. She turned to see someone holding her back, their hand feminine. "Shizu, where are you going?"<br/><br/>The face was blocked but she felt a sense of familiarity. Shizu glanced at the light that had been calling towards her. "This is my time to leave, is it not," she asked in a gentle voice. A laugh left the person holding her back. "No, it is not your time yet. You still have things to do." Shizu looked somewhat confused at this point, and then she remembered that she had yet to experience her freedom. She had yet to thank everyone for all the trouble that they had gone through. She had yet to thank Azrai and make sure that he was recovering. She was pulled further from that light, the sounds of the outside world slowly filling in the emptiness of this limbo she was in. Her eyes opened slowly, staring up at the white ceilings of the medical room. Her body ached but oddly enough her body didn't feel like it was on fire. Had they found a cure?<br/><br/>She glanced over at the medic who was coming by to check on her, the woman never passed out from the shock that she was awake so soon. "Ma'am, you need to sleep." Shizu's eyes watched the woman pull a syringe out and she knew that it would be used to subdue her. Her hand captured the medic's wrist and the woman gasped. "Where...." Her throat was dry and it hurt to speak, her sentences would have to be short. "Azrai," she asked gently, not wanting to cause any more fear in the woman. The medic smiled gently and nodded her head. "He's fine, you should rest." Shizu's eyes narrowed as that answer did not match the uneasiness in her stomach. She needed to see for herself. She left go of the wrist she was holding, pushing herself off of the table. The medic stared at her in shock; to be moving around so easily would have been impossible for any normal human. Her wounds should have kept her down for a week.<br/><br/>"Ma'am, please lay back down! You need to rest! Your wounds-" She fell silent at the glare that was given to her. The medic felt uneasy about trying to stop the Oni by herself. She retreated to go find more help to subdue the woman. Shizu sighed before pulling the IVs out of her arm, wincing slightly. She knew that she was still weak but her recovery rate was faster than anyone else's here, which was why she had been so worried about Azrai. That was how she ended up sitting beside him. Her eyes staring at his pale face and she felt guilt in her body. Even though they had made it off the battlefield, the poison had made all his prior injuries worse and his body couldn't handle it. Even if they had found a cure, his body was taking too long to try to recover; in the end it could kill him. The thought struck her and she felt an ache in her chest. He wouldn't die, would he? It was impossible...what of the promise?<br/><br/>She knew that she had to stop being so naive and face reality, Azrai was only human and his body could only go through so much. Her hand twitched slightly and she wanted to reach out and touch him, to make sure this wasn't a dream. To make sure that she truly hadn't passed on from this world. She reached out to take her hand in his but as soon as her fingers brushed against the back of his hand, she lost her confidence. Besides, he disliked being touched by people. She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, feeling herself become emotional. "You stupid man," she muttered softly. The thought of losing Azrai scared her, she hadn't gotten to know him that well but she still cared about him. "You are not allowed to die," she said between her soft sobs, wiping away her tears.<br/><br/>Watching Shizu trying to interact with Azrai was difficult; Ivan knew that it would be hard to separate them. He had honestly wished that Shizu had stayed in her room but alas they couldn't stay away from one another. His mouth twitched slightly as he watched her attempting to touch Azrai but she had failed in the end. He wondered what their relationship was like. What happened between the two of them in Japan and at Azrai's place while they were alone? Ivan had wanted to ask that question for a while now but he knew that Shizu wouldn't answer him and Azrai would just stare at him. They were so annoying he thought with a snort. He glanced over at the door seeing a medic walk in and asking Shizu to leave for a moment. She nodded her head and walked away from Azrai's beside, not without staring at the medic for a while. Was it her turn to be protective of Azrai? When she left the room, she came out and stood beside Ivan, staring into the room.<br/><br/>He chuckled when she turned away as the medic began to strip down the male to change his bandages. It surprised Ivan that she was shy about looking at Azrai, when she was standing out here in her skivvies and bandages. "Ivan..." She said and he turned his attention towards her. "I believe that I could save him, if you would allow me." Ivan was about to question her but she cut him off with a serious look. "His body is unable to recover because of the overexertion it has done, however...if I give him my blood then he could recover but it is not guaranteed."<br/><br/>How many times had he heard that today? Ivan glanced back into the room his mind processing her words. "What if your blood doesn't match his?" Shizu shook her head smiling slightly. "In my village, I would give blood to those who were ill or hurt, they all seemed fine afterwards," she said with a slight smile. "Would it change him, you know like..." Ivan couldn't find the right words to describe his thoughts. Shizu seemed to be in deep thought at the words he mentioned. "My blood should not change anything physically, internally it would give him a better rate of recovery and maybe a few more signs of...aggression. It would not change him into an Oni; we are not like other supernatural creatures. In all honesty, I do not know what it will do to him but I do know that it will help him."<br/><br/>Like they needed a more aggressive Azrai, Ivan thought in disdain. "What about the poison? Will it not attack your blood?" Shizu smiled slightly looking up at him. "If it had been a poison against my blood, I would have been dead before you brought me here." That was very true; it seemed as if the poison was merely attacking her system harder because it was designed for the genetic make-up of her body. Ivan rubbed his chin, knowing that this was a risky deal but at this point he would do whatever he could to make sure his friend lived. "Will you be alright, giving blood?"<br/><br/>"I will be fine I assure, though I would probably need more blood afterwards." She turned back to look into Azraiâ€™s room. "I have one thing that I would like to say," she said in a low tone, Ivan knowing that this was going to be a serious statement. "If this should work, then I would like to be taken away from Azrai." Ivan gaped a bit shocked that she wanted to leave after all that they had been through. "I have caused too many complications for him and I wish not to continue to do so. We are both wanted targets for criminal organizations and it would be easier for us to hide if we were apart from one another." She looked up at Ivan, scarlet eyes filled with absolute resolve. "This is my condition for giving him my blood. I will give as much as I can to save him but I will leave before he is fully able to move around. Send me to a place where he will not be able to find me."<br/><br/>Ivan let out a sigh; she pushed a very hard bargain, especially since he knew that if and when Azrai recovered, he would not be pleased. Or maybe he would understand...Damnit; she really put him on the spot. Why did everything have to be so fucking complicated? He wanted to slam his head into a wall and forget about all the stress that came with his life. However, he knew that this was a very good deal. Ivan had been an advocate in the beginning to not allow Azrai to accept the mission. Even now, he wished he hadn't done so and Shizu was making his argument easier. He would have advocated that she be sent away from Azrai after this war was over. It was selfish; he knew that but seeing the condition he was in now, only proved his point. Being a bodyguard was not for him and he had even become attached to Shizu, which was the worst thing he could do. It was killing him to be around her.<br/><br/>"Are you sure this is what you want to do," Ivan asked.<br/><br/>"At this point, I will do anything to save him," Shizu said softly.<br/><br/>What the hell had they gotten themselves into? "Alright, you have yourself a deal," Ivan muttered knowing that he would face the consequences later. This was her condition and he would allow her to save him, if she could. Shizu nodded her head, feeling guilty that she was making this deal but it was the only way to keep him safe. He needed to recover first. Ivan called over a few medics and they entered the room. Shizu sat down in the chair once more, offering her arm to the medic. Ivan watched as they worked on the blood transfusion. Shizu seemed to think that this would work and he had to some faith that it would.<br/><br/>That was all that he had right now.<br/><br/>----------<br/><br/>He was slightly surprised that Zachariah had caught his wrist. It had felt satisfying to land a solid blow on the other. He had wanted to pummel his face until blood coated his faces and he felt bones breaking. However, the urge was extremely strong but he couldn't bring himself to do so. No matter how much anger he felt towards him, Raziel found himself unable to finish off Zachariah. He knew that he had would be able, even if his body was growing weak. He knew that he could've ended things sooner and the rage he had held for five years was still burning in his blood. But why was it that he was unable to continue on? What was holding him back? When Zachariah spoke to him, something rang throughout his mind. It happened every time the other spoke to him; it was as if Zachariah seemed to find a way to make his reasoning wrong.<br/><br/>Was he wrong?<br/><br/>When Zachariah began talking about the past, Raziel's eyes narrowed. Of course, it was always about the past, wasn't it? Why was it so wrong for him to have different ideas? Why did Zachariah have to have such high hopes for him? It was annoying. Everything about Zachariah had pissed him off, even at a young age. It was always about how great Zachariah or look how many followers he had. Never, not once had it been about him. Sure they had shared the same thoughts but when Raziel decided to make an army to defend the Kingdom of God that was when things fell apart. It was true that there had been hope for the two of them, as brothers, to change the Holy Land. When it came time to devise a plan, things had changed. Raziel had seen how imperfect the world had become and he was more than willing to eradicate the things that tainted it. Zachariah hadn't felt the same. Of course not, he was the compassionate one, believing that everyone deserved a chance. That everyone could be saved.<br/><br/>Not everyone could believe those thoughts after seeing the world as it really was. "Everything," Raziel started off slowly, his voice trembling with emotion. "Everything I have done is for the Holy Land." He clenched his jaw as he thought about these words more. Of course he had done this for God. This had all been for Him. Ever since he had first begun planning the use of bio-weapons, it had been for Him. This was the perfect army to fight for the Holy Land. This had been the perfect way to show Him how dedicated he was. How dare Zachariah question his motives? It angered him that the man couldn't see the genius behind this plan. Yes, he had thought about the consequences but surely God would overlook his actions, because he had made this for Him. He was showing his love in the best way he knew how. Why couldn't Zachariah see that?<br/><br/>The way that Zachariah belittled him stung, probably more so than the acid that was breaking down his body. His grip loosened around the other's neck, the feeling of despair nearly knocking the wind out of him. To say such things to him, without knowing how hard he had worked to get to this point was more than humiliating. He began to second guess the decisions that he had made, but he knew that he couldn't go back to change it and there was no future for him after this. His life would end, that much he knew. "I...." He looked around him, as if listening to what Zachariah had told him to do. This certainly wasn't what he had originally intended to go but if only Zachariah had listened in the first place. "No, this was not what I wanted but if only you had listened to me...." His voice almost seemed like he was desperate for Zachariah to understand him.<br/><br/>"If you would have listened, then it could have ended a long time ago." He shook his head. "God...He loves me for I have done everything to please him. I was given this duty to cleanse the Holy Land and that is what I am doing, this war is proof of it." He was eerily calm as he spoke, a grim look on his face. His brow furrowed briefly, as if he was suddenly taken by anger. "You loved me," he said with poison. "I have doubted that since we were mere children, you have never loved me." He growled lowly. "It has always been about you, brother. About your needs and your desires, you put up a facade. I have seen the real you." A smug smile came to his face. "You are the one who has strayed from the path; you will see that in the end. God has always favored me."<br/><br/>Even when he had acid flowing through his system, he was arrogant. That was how he had always been; he could not accept that fact that he was wrong, even if it was the truth. He grimaced slightly, feeling the acid burning through some of his muscle, his control slipping. He faltered slightly, knowing that he was growing weaker by the second. His body was slowly deteriorating and he cursed Zachariah for making such a weapon. So, it seemed that he truly wanted him to die. So how, he couldn't believe it. He had never thought that it would Zachariah to kill him off, but then again he would have been disappointed if it hadn't been him. How tragic that this situation was, like Cain and Abel. It was a shame that he not been more prepared for this moment.<br/><br/>Was he really in God's favor like he had thought? Or had he been clinging to false ideologies this entire time? Had it been Lucifer that had tainted his once innocent and pure mind? He questioned his faith and beliefs at this point, feeling almost lost. Was this the path that had been chosen by God or Lucifer? What was his purpose now? Damn Zachariah! He always made his thoughts muddled! Releasing Zachariah's neck, he cradled his face. He began to laugh manically, unsure of his emotions at this point. Was he going insane? Was the acid finally traveling through his nerves? He stopped laughing as if clarity struck him in between his eyes. "I see," he whispered. He stared down at Zachariah with wide eyes. "I see now, this is what God has planned all along. We will perish together. The acid within me and my hands around your neck," he growled out, wrapping his hands back around Zachariah's neck, feeling a new sense of determination coming through him.