Chapter 24

Arrian 'awoke' in his inner mind standing a few feet from Kyori; who had a puzzled expression plastered on his face. Arrian noticed a chair materialize before his eyes and looked over to Kyori who was sitting on a chair himself.

"I figure something is on your mind," Arrian said with a smile as he took his seat.

"Ha ha ha! Very funny... ass. You can't tell me something isn't bothering you after what Larelle just told you, well told us," he said.

"A lot is bothering me. Is this Azrael looking for revenge on me or my entire family? Can I stop him? What if I can't? That's what I am thinking and worried about."

"What about the other sword, how do we get it back?"

"I don't know Kyori. For now I am trying to make sense of the information I do have," Arrian sighed.

"I know. I missed Sarah. I don't know how long we were out, but when we do wake up I'm going to spend some time with her," Kyori said with a soft smile.

On Kyori's hard face, the smile looked completely out of place.

"I'm impressed; she is the only one you have freely admitted to loving," Arrian said.

Kyori simply shrugged his shoulders. Arrian began to feel a bit detached and light, he could feel his mind leaving Kyori's domain and returning him to consciousness.

Brandon looked over Greg's wound as Greg retold as much as he remembered from their odyssey. He told them about what he heard the two men say before Arrian was taken away. Then he told them how Arrian came back for him on the bike with guns blazing.

Arrian laid on the ground his head in Kailynn's lap; Helen was on one side holding one hand and Cindy with a worried Sarah holding his other hand. Miranda was helping Brandon tend to Greg's wound; Sam looked lost —caught between a sword and a hard place. On one hand she wanted to be next to Arrian on the other, she didn't want to hurt Greg's feelings; he had been very nice to her.

Angela was buzzing around Greg making sure her dad and Miranda cared for him properly. Sharon was getting more warm water to clean the wounds.

"Why aren't you bandaging your son?" Brandon asked as he finished tending Greg's wounds.

"He is breathing fine and we still need to remove the bullet in his side, I would take him to the hospital, but he would probably just fly out the window again."

Brandon was taken aback at Helen's words. She had to be joking, right?

At Arrian's first groan, there was a bustle of movement around him as the women made arrangements to tend to his wounds. Everyone moved, well everyone except Kailynn.

Arrian opened his eyes, and looked into the tear-stained face of his sister.

"Why so sad Kai?" he asked.

She just let more tears loose and sobbed gently. Arrian could feel the pain radiating from his shoulder and side; he had to learn not to get shot someday.

He felt a well enough to get up and so he tried. It was not the best idea he ever had, he barely managed to get on his feet. The girls had to help him stay on his feet.

They sat him in a chair and began cleaning the wound on his shoulder.

"The bullet went through, Arrian." Miranda said.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Arrian asked.

"I volunteered at a hospital a while back. I learned some things," Miranda said.

Arrian finally noticed the presence of Greg and his family.

"How are you?" Greg asked.

"You have no idea," Arrian replied.

Miranda went through the motions of cleaning the shoulder wound and bandaging it. Next they looked at the wound on his side.

"Sharon get some tweezers— needle nosed pliers would be better," Miranda said.

"Oh, that can't be good. The bullet is still inside isn't it?" Greg asked.

"Definitely! Hurts like hell too!" Arrian snorted.

"Arrian this is going to really hurt." Miranda said.

"More than when the bullet hit me?" Arrian scoffed.

Sharon came back carrying more bandages, a small bowl, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a big pair of needle nose pliers.

"Anyone who is afraid to see to gushing blood, I suggest you go away for a few moments," Miranda called.

Cindy took Sarah away, when Sarah started to protest Arrian said he wasn't going anywhere but was hungry and he would appreciate it if she and her mommy could get him a snack.

Greg looked at Sam and motioned with his eyes suggesting that they could move to a more private location, Sam emphatically shook her head no. Greg continued to watch Sam who was staring at Arrian with an odd expression on her face.

Arrian hissed as the rubbing alcohol was rubbed into the bullet wound. Sharon, meanwhile, soaked the pliers in the alcohol. Sharon handed the pliers to Miranda and placed the bloody gauze into a small pile.

Arrian nodded at Miranda's silent question; without hesitation Miranda plunged the pliers in.

"What did he say?" Stuart asked.

"He said the specimen killed another subject and then demanded he modify the Series III bike." Randy answered.

"And what did the good Doc say about how the specimen accomplished this?"

"That's where I realized the Doc was bullshitting me, he said the specimen burned the other subject by spitting fire out of his mouth..."

"What!" Stuart roared.

Stuart couldn't believe he had heard right. It was more than that, Stuart's eyes began emitting a maroon red and his voice deepened.

"Tell me, this specimen, who is he?"

Randy wasn't stupid enough not to notice the change in his boss, besides who could ignore glowing eyes.

"I don't have a name, but I'm sure the Doc does, after all, it was his men who had the specimens brought in."

"Go and find out, and then report to me immediately!"

Randy didn't even bother to say anything; he knew when he was dismissed.

Could it be Arihah they caught and tried to convert? He said fire, but no mention of other elements was made. I've finally been able to pick up on Farael; I still need the shard if I plan on going for it.

<What do you mean 'I', you know better than that fool, 'you' have been 'we' since The Dragoon War.' You and I made a deal; you ceased to be Azrael, and I ceased to be a nameless Harbinger. We became Zareas!>

You may be the dominant one in this partnership, but my thoughts are mine alone.

<You still don't get it do you? 'You' no longer exist! 'We' exist as 'I' exist and 'I' exist as Zareas. Give up, you will eventually be merged into my being.>

No, I didn't give up then, I won't give up now.

<Then you will die.>

Arrian stood. He was under his own power for the first time since arriving at his home. He moved slowly; he still had some pain from the wound in his side.

Kailynn followed him as he slowly sat down on the couch and closed his eyes; she sat next to him and curled herself into his right side. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

Sarah and Cindy walked in carrying a spoon and bowl respectively.

"Daddy we made you some soup," Sarah said as she stood by his legs.

"Ok, thank you honey."

"We didn't really make it; the can opener sure helped," Cindy smiled.

"Oh how did you know I loved chicken soup?"

"A sibling birdie told me," Cindy said smiling at Kailynn.

Arrian took the bowl and began to eat the soup. In between spoonfuls he caught Greg's dad looking Helen over. He felt angry this man was looking over his woman!

Calm down! He doesn't know she is taken. Arrian admonished himself.

Helen had noticed Arrian caught Brandon checking her out. She was happy to notice the small flash of jealousy on Arrian's face. It felt good to know that he thought of her as 'his.' Helen moved over to Arrian and sat on the arm of the couch and leaned on his left shoulder, he made a small grunt, but no move to remove her from his side.

Greg motioned to Sam with his eyes to step out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Sam had been dreading this moment. She knew in her core when Arrian and Greg went missing that she couldn't stay with Greg, especially when she missed Arrian more than Greg. She was just afraid to break up, but she could do it; she had done it to Arrian before.

"Oh Sam I missed you," Greg said and moved to kiss her.

Sam turned her face to the side and he kissed her cheek.

"Sam what's wrong? Greg asked.

"Greg, I didn't want to do this tonight, but given all that's happened, I feel it's for the better," she sighed before continuing, "I don't want to go out with you anymore."

Greg looked like he had been shot in the groin; the loss of something important in no more than a few seconds can have some devastating effects.

Sam watched his reaction closely; she could see the hurt flash across his face and something else.

"It's Arrian isn't it?" Greg asked.

Sam didn't want to believe her feelings were that clear.

"He doesn't know," was all that Sam could answer.

For some reason those words angered Greg and he stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Arrian was no longer sitting, but standing and moving much better. He was speaking with Angela who seemed to be enjoying Arrian's words. When Angela had a fit of laughter it enraged Greg.