Post by dj1678 on Jul 27, 2010 12:03:11 GMT -5
Aurem stared blankly at the orders he held in his hand as he sat next to Arieta's hospital bed. She'd been in a coma for almost a week now, and though her physical injuries were starting to heal, the doctors told him that she still showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. Sitting silently next to her, the familiar whispers of doubt and inadequacy began to haunt Aurem once again, as they had continually since the battle.
"She's never going to wake up you know. It's all your fault she's like this," the whispers prodded.
"No! It's not my fault. How could I have known?" Aurem responded in his own mind.
"She knew, why couldn't you? Oh, that's right! You never put your full effort into anything, do you?"
"Shut up! Even if I had known... There's nothing I could have..."
"Excuses! Arieta didn't make excuses when she switched places with you. You could have, but you didn't. Do you not really care?"
"No! I would have if I had known! I love Arieta, but there was nothing I could do."
"Then you admit you were powerless. Whose fault is that? Certainly not Arieta's."
Aurem had nothing to say to himself. He knew the whispers were right. Two time war hero, survivor of multiple near-death battles, best marksman in the unit, and countless other accolades all seemed useless if he couldn't protect the one he cared about most. Aurem had no family left. No brothers, or sisters, parents or grandparents. Nobody except Arieta, whom he wasn't even properly married to yet, and he was losing her. It wasn't fair. Aurem beseeched the whispers of his mind for answers and consolation.
"Why? Why Arieta? Why did it have to be her?"
"You should have asked Garma before you killed him. Once again, your fault."
"It's not my fault... It's Garma's fault, he's the one who shot her."
Aurem stood from his chair and punched a hole in the wall next to him, tears filling his eyes again. "Stop tormenting me, you bastards!" Aurem shouted at the voices no one else could hear, before suddenly remembering where he was and taking his seat.
"Your fault or not, what's done is done. What are you going to do about it? Sit here and cry about it until Arieta either dies or comes back?"
One of the nearby nurses sighed and went to retrieve the wall repair kit they'd created while Aurem was their visitor. Another looked more concerned and approached. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked kindly.
"I'll kill them all..." Aurem said in a barely audible voice to the whispers.
The nurse looked a little stunned, but decided she had heard him wrong. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked a little more nervously this time.
Aurem stood suddenly, knocking the nurse back a little, eyes filled with renewed purpose. "I promise I'll be back when I am finished." Aurem said to Arieta. "Promise me you'll be waiting when I return." Aurem bent and kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you,” was the last thing he said to her before turning and leaving the hospital.
At the door, he found a nervous looking private pacing in front of the door. When he saw Aurem approach, he stood rigid in shock. The last three messengers they'd sent to Aurem had returned with black eyes after trying to convince Aurem to leave Arieta's side.
"Lieuten-- erm... Captain Ferdinand sent me to... um... to... to pick you up and bring you back to the ship. We're launching soon." The private clamped his eyes shut, sure that even though Aurem was already out of the building, he was going to get a black eye.
"You can tell him I am on my way then. And when you are finished, bring me every tech order, every note, every possible scrap of information you have on my new unit and the remaining Zabis. I don't intend to fail again."
"But... you defeated Garma Zabi, how could you consider that a fai--"
The private was cut short as something hard slammed into the privates left eye. He picked himself up off the floor a few moments later after Aurem had already started marching away toward the hangar.
Note: Reconstituted from backup files
"She's never going to wake up you know. It's all your fault she's like this," the whispers prodded.
"No! It's not my fault. How could I have known?" Aurem responded in his own mind.
"She knew, why couldn't you? Oh, that's right! You never put your full effort into anything, do you?"
"Shut up! Even if I had known... There's nothing I could have..."
"Excuses! Arieta didn't make excuses when she switched places with you. You could have, but you didn't. Do you not really care?"
"No! I would have if I had known! I love Arieta, but there was nothing I could do."
"Then you admit you were powerless. Whose fault is that? Certainly not Arieta's."
Aurem had nothing to say to himself. He knew the whispers were right. Two time war hero, survivor of multiple near-death battles, best marksman in the unit, and countless other accolades all seemed useless if he couldn't protect the one he cared about most. Aurem had no family left. No brothers, or sisters, parents or grandparents. Nobody except Arieta, whom he wasn't even properly married to yet, and he was losing her. It wasn't fair. Aurem beseeched the whispers of his mind for answers and consolation.
"Why? Why Arieta? Why did it have to be her?"
"You should have asked Garma before you killed him. Once again, your fault."
"It's not my fault... It's Garma's fault, he's the one who shot her."
Aurem stood from his chair and punched a hole in the wall next to him, tears filling his eyes again. "Stop tormenting me, you bastards!" Aurem shouted at the voices no one else could hear, before suddenly remembering where he was and taking his seat.
"Your fault or not, what's done is done. What are you going to do about it? Sit here and cry about it until Arieta either dies or comes back?"
One of the nearby nurses sighed and went to retrieve the wall repair kit they'd created while Aurem was their visitor. Another looked more concerned and approached. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked kindly.
"I'll kill them all..." Aurem said in a barely audible voice to the whispers.
The nurse looked a little stunned, but decided she had heard him wrong. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked a little more nervously this time.
Aurem stood suddenly, knocking the nurse back a little, eyes filled with renewed purpose. "I promise I'll be back when I am finished." Aurem said to Arieta. "Promise me you'll be waiting when I return." Aurem bent and kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you,” was the last thing he said to her before turning and leaving the hospital.
At the door, he found a nervous looking private pacing in front of the door. When he saw Aurem approach, he stood rigid in shock. The last three messengers they'd sent to Aurem had returned with black eyes after trying to convince Aurem to leave Arieta's side.
"Lieuten-- erm... Captain Ferdinand sent me to... um... to... to pick you up and bring you back to the ship. We're launching soon." The private clamped his eyes shut, sure that even though Aurem was already out of the building, he was going to get a black eye.
"You can tell him I am on my way then. And when you are finished, bring me every tech order, every note, every possible scrap of information you have on my new unit and the remaining Zabis. I don't intend to fail again."
"But... you defeated Garma Zabi, how could you consider that a fai--"
The private was cut short as something hard slammed into the privates left eye. He picked himself up off the floor a few moments later after Aurem had already started marching away toward the hangar.
Note: Reconstituted from backup files