USER: #A5211F - Bogeyman (Forward dated to the 26th)

[swordfucker]

(color)

The bogeyman that was hiding in town has finally been defeated, but it was at the cost of three lives. Dave, John and Dextera. I couldn't save them. I'm sorry.

Okuyasu and Asuka are badly injured, but are currently being treated for it. [He is too? He's bleeding all over his laptop, but it's fine.]

Dextera's body changed into something else, but the other two are still remaining. I think they both have family here, or something close. You can contact me and I'll tell you where they are, so you can arrange a burial or whatever you think is best.

I take full responsibility for this. There's still going to be a defense force meeting at the beginning of next month, so we can talk about it then. I know there could still be people missing from the werewolf thing, too, so keep your eyes open for them, alive or otherwise. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them.

That's all.

[Of course, after this, he'll be in his room at his laptop, so people are free to come bother him. He's covered in blood, most notably a stab wound straight through his chest at the heart, and it looks like he's only partially been able to deal with that. He's not bleeding out as quickly? But his healing isn't working. He's only just barely come back to consciousness from Mahiru taking over.]

Comments

[messianic]

[To the stairs they go then, Minato gently guiding Guren to said stairs and crouching in front of him quietly. And then he's just going to go ahead and tug away whatever shirt or clothing or whatever he needs to to look at the bandages and injuries. He won't remove said bandaging, but...]

... These look like they're bleeding through. I'll grab some more so they can be changed, okay?

[Right now, he thinks this is what he has to focus on.]

[swordfucker]

Yeah.

[Again, he says the same thing, and he knows that's not fair on Minato, but he can't snap out of this. He scrubs at his face, smearing some of the blood he hasn't gotten a chance to clean off (from others, from himself) and sighs.]

I've got some upstairs, in my room. You know where it is? It's the big one.

[messianic]

Got it. Please stay here.

[He's gonna trot upstairs to grab bandages!! And probably also raise his voice just a tad as he does, to ask:]

Do you have any water in the house anywhere?

[That too.]

[swordfucker]

Some.

[He calls it out, telling him where it would be, maybe the kitchen back downstairs. That's by the stairway, though, so that's not a bad deal. Guren feels horrible making him do all of this, but he's also very aware of how much he told Minato to depend on others in situations like these, so...

What can he do? It's fair.

And it helps.]

Thanks.

[messianic]

Mm, got it.

[Off he goes to fetch water and bandages and everything he can. He's got to do everything he can, after all--Guren's always taking care of everyone, and now Guren's the one who's in trouble.

So it doesn't take long before he's crouched in front of Guren again, a handful of things in his arms--a bowl of water, and a cup of water as well, which he gently presses into Guren's hand.]

You need fluids, Ichinose-san.

[He's sure he can't do much in terms of the healing--if Guren isn't already healed, then there's not a lot he can do here. But he can focus on the small things, reaching for the bandages he'd fetched. He'd worked on plenty of minor and major injuries throughout their time of fighting Shadows, when they couldn't afford healing, or were at the end of their ropes.

But he's going to start with wetting a small, clean washcloth and reaching up to quietly wipe off Guren's face from that smeared blood.]

[swordfucker]

[Minato is the only one who's bothered cleaning off his face, bless you, Minato. Still, Guren makes a face for it, so even though those are gentle wipes, he'll get Guren scowling a little like he's annoyed.

But he doesn't actually say anything. He needs the help... and he appreciates it, too.]

I'll drink fluids when you get that thing off my face. [He's a baby underneath it all... But commenting like this at all means that Minato was able to break through a pretty heavy shield, even if just a little.]

[messianic]

[Like a child, really... but it's fine, Minato doesn't mind. It's good to hear Guren saying anything that's even remotely like himself after the trauma he's suffered through.

Minato can at least be some sort of foil for that much.

So quietly, he just continues to wipe off Guren's face anyway, even despite his complaints.]

I will... when you're clean...

[So chill!!

But true to his words, he tugs away the washcloth as soon as Guren's face seems a bit tidier. That's much better... and, mildly:]

You look a bit less terrible now. [Still terrible though.]

[swordfucker]

[Flatly:] Thanks.

[But he's turning away, and the thanks is genuine, behind the joke about his appearance. Minato's company... helps, in a way. It's soothing in a similar way to Dextera's, and though that hurts just as much, it's more calming right now. More than the crystal in his pocket that captured Dextera's last moments too well.

He lets out a quiet sigh, heavy enough to weigh his shoulders down further, and his eyes dip back to the ground. He can say occasional comments like himself, but he's never handed the deaths of those around him well.]

[messianic]

[He can't say he blames Guren for that, really. Losing people is always hard; if Minato thinks too hard about the thought of Dextera, Dave and John being gone, it's something he's afraid he'll lose complete composure over. He has to focus on what's in front of him--and that's changing Guren's bandages, frown tightening a bit at the severity of the injuries, but... he doesn't say anything, instead carefully cleaning up what he can before he starts to bandage them up again.

Guren will... live, he's sure. He's never met anyone quite so hardy.

But will he be okay...? It's really hard to say. Guren was closer to Dextera than anyone, and Minato's been in a leadership role enough times (has lost people to that role, due to his own choices--) to know that that sort of responsibility weighs heavier than anything else.

So he's quiet, for a long moment, before he finally just sighs, and quietly:]

...What are you going to do now, Ichinose-san?

[swordfucker]

...I'm going to work on what I want to bring up at the defense force meeting, and move on.

[He says that, but with the way his tone is, it's clear he won't "move on" at all.]

There's nothing else I can do. I let everyone know... and now I have to try to clean up this mess, and protect those who are left. I know I have to heal up first, if that's what you're worried about.

[messianic]

[He's really not here to scold Guren about not taking care of his own health. How could he do that, when Guren's already beating himself up in 500 different ways...?

Minato's just worried, plain and simple.]

I see...

[No matter how he looks at it, though, isn't Guren just doing a lot of things for everyone around him, and nothing for himself...? Still, if that's how he needs to cope, then that's how he needs to cope. This is a delicate sort of situation, and Minato's not in the habit of telling people how to grieve.]

... Is there anything I can help with?

[swordfucker]

You're asking me that after you did all this?

[Water, bandages, company. What more could he want to do? They won't come back to life. Time won't go backwards. He made his mistakes and now he has to live with them. It's the same as always.]

You've helped a lot, Minato. Thank you.

[messianic]

[This is the bare minimum, as far as he's concerned...but Minato's just quiet at that, focused mostly on finishing his task, and then he settles back on his heels to look at Guren's face properly.]

... I'll just leave the offer open, then.

[If Guren thinks of anything, then Minato will be there to help however he can.]

I haven't done anything you need to thank me for, regardless. These things are just what I want to do.

[Guren's hurting, Guren's just been through a lot... isn't it only natural that he would do what he can to make things even a little easier?]

[swordfucker]

[Guren is quiet for a long while as he thinks about that. There's so much that Minato is doing. Just being here is helping, which he's not sure he realizes... It takes a lot for him to say anything even close to that, but eventually he does speak, staring down at his hands while he does.]

You can stay here, if you want.

[messianic]

[He has a bit of an idea just how hard it might be for someone like Guren to say something like that. He certainly wasn't expecting to hear anything like it--

But.

He's glad for it, grateful in a lot of ways, because he wants Guren to be at least not alone, even if "happy" is a probably impossible goal right at this moment. But Guren isn't turning him away. What more could he ask for?]

Mm, I'll do that then. Thank you, Ichinose-san.

[He says that much simply, and then:]

Let me...help you to a better seat than the stairs. Where do you want to go? [Bed? Couch and laptop? He's willing to roll with what Guren would prefer right now, so long as he's sitting and resting.]

[swordfucker]

...Yeah, thanks. Back upstairs to my room, really, but that's going to take some effort. You sure you can help?

[He's not settling for the couch down here, or at least not yet. He wants to get back up to his bloody (literally) room and most of all, his laptop. It counts as rest if he's sitting with it in his lap or at his desk, probably...]

[messianic]

Yeah, I can do it.

[Honestly! He seems peacefully confident in that much; he may be scrawny, but he's a lot stronger than he looks. He can battleaxe it up when necessary!!!

So he just crouches in front of Guren, and:]

I don't want you to strain yourself, so let me take your weight, okay?

[swordfucker]

[For a long few seconds, Guren just stares at Minato's figure. This is too much, isn't it... Can't he just lean on him and limp upstairs painfully!! His pride is dying!!!]

How about I just put my arm around your shoulders.

[He's so stubborn... I'm sorry Minato]

[messianic]

[He is so stubborn... Minato's patient, though, so while he quirks an eyebrow, ultimately he's most concerned with getting Guren somewhere he can rest as comfortably as he can be.

That means emotionally comfortable, too.]

...Alright. If that's what you'd rather. But if you need to rest, tell me.

[He'll move instead to crouch next to Guren so he can sling that arm around his shoulders. Let's do this thing, Guren.]

[swordfucker]

[That he can do. He puts his arm around him, and moves with Minato, standing despite the unsteady way he does it. He's weak, he has to lean on Minato more than he'd like, and the stairs are going to be a pain.

But maybe this time he can stay in bed.]

Thanks.

[messianic]

[It's better than nothing, at least; Minato supports Guren's weight steadily, one arm carefully wrapped around his waist. Once they're properly standing, he just nods, and then they can tackle the stairs, step by careful step, Minato's focus entirely on Guren's breathing and how he's doing here.

He's used to having a team, to watching their statuses and taking care of them and telling them when to stop, when they need to rest instead of fight. Guren's not that for him, he knows--but even so, they're friends, they're family, and he wants to help however he can, even if he knows he'll never be able to slow Guren down.]

You don't have to thank me. After all... it's only natural to do this for your family.

[He'd do more, if he could--but there isn't any more he can really do.]

Now I just want you to recover, honestly.

[swordfucker]

[His breathing is shallow, it's clear that he's struggling, but it's also clear that he's wasting energy trying to mask it with every step.]

Hah... [Family, at least, gets him to smile, even if his heart stings at the ones he lost. It was his fault. It was his fault.]

You're right. But don't worry, I'll recover. I always do.

[Whether he wants to or not. When they get up the stairs, it's all the way down the hall to his bedroom.]

[messianic]

[Minato's quiet for a long, long moment at that, as they take those steps.

And when he finally does speak, it's in a quiet tone--but a firm one.]

I'm going to ask for something selfish, Ichinose-san. Obviously you can refuse if you want, but... I feel like I need to ask.

[A slow breath in, and:]

I'm sure that you're used to hiding how much pain you're in to protect the people who are counting on you from worrying. Because everyone is always counting on you.

But you don't have to protect me like that. So...at least when it's just us... will you stop trying to hide how much pain you're in? So that you can focus instead on just recovering.

[swordfucker]

[His eyes are what break first, slight as it is. They look pained, lost, empty, and he doesn't know what to do about it. It looks like he wants to cry, but he won't. His eyes stay dry.]

Aren't you already that way for plenty of people?

[The sturdy one who doesn't need to be protected, so everyone should vent to him. Guren just, for once, would like to be strong enough... to solve all the issues around him and have none himself.]

I can focus all I want on recovery, but it won't bring anyone back. It won't stop injuries, or pain, or disappointment.

[messianic]

[... It's a painful expression to see on Guren's face, to see in his eyes--but it's necessary. Guren's hurting, he's hurting so, so badly, and him trying to be strong for everyone who comes by... that must just be chipping him down even more, right?

Bit by bit...

Minato closes his eyes briefly.]

It won't stop any of those things. That pain, these injuries, the knowledge of what happened... you still have to deal with those.

So for now, just for a little while... stop trying to be strong for me. All I want is for you to focus on yourself, not on me. I promise... I can handle it.

[They're nearing the top of the stairs now, at least, but there's still so much to go, and Guren still has to cope with this for so much longer. Isn't all he has to cope with even more reason to not worry about Minato in the midst of all of this?]