"He's been asleep for far too long now Doctor D." One assistant told him regarding Raven. Dr. D ran his thumb and index fingers down the hair of his chin with thought.
"Hmmm..." He said. "And how long is it now? Ten hours?" At their nodds, Dr. D thought some more. "How are his obs otherwise?"
"Stable." the first assistant replied showing Dr.D Raven's chart. Dr. D was silent as he flipped pages and read. Then his eyes lit up.
"I see you changed the sedatives like I asked. That's probably all it is. Did he sleep at all before this?"
Both assistants exchanged glances. "Not that I'm aware of. But he should have been with the sedatives-"
Dr. D gave a knowing smile. "Mister Raven is a Zoid pilot who has been under the personal training of Prozen. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has developed a high tolerance for most of the drugs we are using. Keep taking his obs, and if tonight he shows no sign of waking, inform me." He wrote something in the chart then put it back on the end of the bed. He watched the assistants go about their work before regarding Raven's sleep induced innocence. Raven's dark hair and red clan mark stood out sharply against the paleness of his skin and the stark white of the bed sheets. Raved was breathing by himself, but Dr. D had decided an IV should be introduced. Raven was still so deeply asleep that he was not in the REM stage yet. When Raven was relaxed in this way Dr. D could hardly recognise him from the angry young man they all knew.
"Hmmm..." Dr. D thought out loud suddenly. "Perhaps I should not have discussed your back ground with those two. They may yet cause some trouble. I think I'll call up Van."
Dr. D paused at the nurses station. The receptionist looked up and smiled at him.
"You don't by any chance know what happened to the baby belonging to Mr. Raven, do you?" He asked.
Raven tried to sit up as soon as he realised he could no longer hear Kouryo's breathing, and found he was being held down with hundreds of cords around his arms and legs. He pulled at them in a frantic attempt to be free and get to his son.
"Kouryo!" He called out into the inky darkness that was the hospital room. "Somebody! Help me! Kouryo's not breathing!" Surely the nurses would ignore his personal status as Enemy and help an innocent child!
Wouldn't they?
Wouldn't they?
But nobody was coming.
Then he heard a familiar growl that turned his blood icy. He had no idea what he/it was doing here, or how it came, only that he knew it wanted to harm.
"Shadow!" Raven pleaded with the organoid. "Please Shadow! Leave him alone!" Shadow appeared slightly from the darkness and Raven watched helpless as the organoid clomped closer and closer to the silent cot. Raven screamed with horror as Shadow lunged down and snatched Kouryo from the cot and stood with him in it's jaws. Shadow tilted his/it's head back and swallowed the child head first. Raven saw one perfectly formed foot hanging from Shadows mouth for a second before it was gone. Raven felt as though his heart was ripped from his chest and he screamed and thrashed and sobbed.
As he was doing so, Shadow's chest compartments opened and out emerged Prozen, his white hair stained with Kouryo's blood. He grinned from ear to ear as he beheld Raven trapped on the bed.
Raven then realised, to his ever increasing horror, that he was naked and helpless to escape Prozen's hot hands as they slid up the inside of his thighs. Raven bucked as Prozen settled himself between Raven's legs with his hands pressed on either side of Raven's abdomen. Prozen smiled down at Raven. Raven hissed with shock as he felt his belly heat up under those large hands which stayed there while Prozen lent down to whisper in Raven's ear.
"This one is MINE."
"NOOOOO!" Raven screamed, flinging himself up from the bed he was tangled in the sheets of and was standing before his mind registered that it was day and he was in the hospital. And Van was sitting there in the chair watching him and looking rather startled. Of course Van's presence did not really settle his nerves.
"You." Raven said coldly after he settled his heart a bit.
"Bad dream?" Van asked, grinning. Raven wanted to punch him, but right now was more concerned with Kouryo. The portable cot was gone.
"Where's Kouryo." Raven demanded. Van blinked and shrugged.
"After you fainted the nurse took him. I guess he'd be with her some where."
"I did not faint, you idiot." Raven hissed and stormed out of the room.
"Could have fooled me." Van jumped to his feet and raced after him. "Oi, wait. Wait! RAVEN!"
Raven wasn't listening. He was halfway down the hallway storming past anyone who moved out of the way, and just knocking down those that didn't. An icy glare that he wore on his face usually clued the nurses and others in the way to move it. Van finally caught up and grabbed Raven's shoulder to stop him. Raven span with such fury on his face that Van was almost too shocked to react, but his training kicked in before the clenched fist heading his way could actually connect with his face. He caught Raven's fist in his hand, ducked, and twisted the hand so that he pinned Raven's arm behind his back, then slammed him face first into the wall.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" Van hissed, pressing up against Raven while Raven struggled to free himself. "Do you want to be thrown in the brig instead of here, huh? HUH?" Van twisted Raven's arm more, making Raven arch his back. "Well? Because if you don't like theses accommodations I sure as hell can organise a nice, small, cold, cell for you. I doubt your kid would be allowed down there either."
That made Raven stop struggling, breathing heavily.
"There, that's not so hard is it? Believe it or not we are trying to help you."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Really. Well it's true."
"Then let me go so I can find my son." Raven said firmly.
Van paused, then released Raven's arm. Raven glared ice at him and continued to stalk down the hall. Van shrugged and followed him. "So," Van said conversationally. "What's the hurry?" Raven simply looked at Van through narrowed eyes for a moment, and kept walking.
A nurse in the maternity ward recognised Raven, and she hid her giggle the moment he fixed his glare upon her.
"Where's my son." Raven demanded of her.
The nurse quickly placed her professional persona in place. "He's asleep in the day room. [1]" She tilted her head to the side as she looked over Raven and Van who was slightly behind him. "If you follow me, I'll take you to him."
They followed her through a door behind the nurses station that had couches with curtains hanging around them so new mothers could breast feed in privacy, a long bench with a sink in it and a television attatched to the wall playing a educational movie about different breast feeding techniques. Raven ignored all that while Van blushed heavily and tried not to look at any of it. On another wall there as shelves filled with linens for use as nappies, as well as baby clothes and blankets. In front of the bench with the sink were five portable cots with sleeping babies wrapped in blankets. Each had a chart clipped to the end of the cot. There were a few empty cots around the corner that continued to the premy baby room with humi-cribs. Some more nurses were busy holding babies against their chests allowing their mothers time to rest.
One of the five cots had a distinctly coloured baby sleeping peacefully. Raven felt his heart lurch when he saw his Kouryo, and went quietly to his baby's side.
As if sensing his presence, Kouryo opened his eyes and smiled up at Raven.
Back in Raven's room, Raven watched Kouryo discover his hands. Kouryo watched his fingers as he held his hands in front of his face, absolutely fascinated. His eyes were a smokier violet than Raven's right now, but that would change as Kouryo grew and developed. Raven realised -with some delight- that they resembled each other. The silvery tinge to Kouryo's skin aside, he had Raven's eyes, nose, mouth, hair... on close examination he even shared the same birth mark on the belly. It was amazing. Simply remarkable. Even Kouryo's eyelashes and eye brows were like Raven's.
Raven wondered, not for the first time, what it was Prozen had really been trying to do? Raven's piloting skills came from long years of practice and hard work. He knew he was better than any other pilot ut there apart from Van, but still...
Van. Wasn't that an Interesting Thing. Rescued by Van after many a defeat by Van. The Shame. Van, his nemesis, now his saviour. Van saw what a state Raven had been in after all Prozen's goon men had finished with him, not to mention Shadow and Prozen himself. He felt another pang in his chest. He didn't know what Prozen had done to Shadow to turn the organoid against him, but it sure worked. Raven took a deep steadying breath, and slowly released it, well aware of the brown eyes of his saviour/protector/guard/shadow/annoyance/what ever watching him. Raven would not let it all bother him. He now had a child to take care of and protect and nothing else was important any longer.
Van cleared his throat nervously. "So." He said from his seat against the wall. "How does this actually work?"
Raven tore his attention away from Kouryo over to Van. "Why are you still here exactly?"
Van crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, the powers that by want to, well, crucify you. The only thing that is delaying that is the way you were found and of course your kid."
"His name," Raven interrupted angrily. "is Kouryo. Not 'kid'. Not 'it' or 'thing'. Kouryo. Either use his name or don't talk."
"My, my, grumpy! Gees. There's no need for that."
Raven's eyes flashed with anger, but his voice stayed calm. "No need for me to be grumpy? You have no idea! You go through what I've been through and then tell me if I have no need to be grumpy. Fuck you, Van."
Van was going to snap back, but closed his mouth instead. "As I was saying," He continued stonily. "For the moment your situation regarding Kouryo is the only reason why you are not in a cell awaiting trial for war crimes. However there are hundreds of people out there who more than likely don't give a shit. That's why I'm here to protect you."
Raven snorted sarcasticly.
"When I'm not here," Van continued, ignoring Raven's attempts to wrile him. "Then another member of the Guardian Force will be."
"Great. Don't tell me it will be that idiot Shoebultz."
"We'll just have to wait and see. Now I know what is like being a soldier, and having to take orders. The powers that be are willing to go lightly on you if you tell us what Prozen ordered you to do."
Raven gave Van a confused look which concerned Van, but then Kouryo fussed so Raven picked him up and opened his shirt to let Kouryo suckle, and the moment was over. Raven settled at the head of his bed tilting his head to look at the ceiling back as Kouryo fed.
Van watched openly, himself oddly fascinated. Van shifted from the chair to sit on the bed on the opposite side to Kouryo. Raven turned his head and watched passively as Van reached out to lift the other side of Raven's shirt away to reveal his pale chest and shoulder. Van flicked a look at Raven's wide eyes then down to the dusky nipple. Slowly he ran his fingers down Raven's hot shoulder skin to touch the slight swell of what on a woman would have been breast. Only here it was much much smaller. Only a slight swelling. Van leaned in close to examine the area better, fingers lightly sliding over silky soft skin. When Van brushed the darker skin Raven made a small noise and his breathing hitched. Van raised his eyes back to Raven's then sat up straight again.
"So," Van said quietly. "How does it work?"
Raven turned his eyes away first, avoiding Van's, and readjusted his shirt. "I don't know." He replied truthfully. "They had me dosed with drugs a lot of the time." He risked a slight smile at Van before flicking his sight back to Kouryo. "I broke one of the scientists neck." He said it like it explained every thing. To Van it explained a lot. "After Kouryo was...born..." Raven paused, he found it difficult to talk about. Especially with one's 'enemy'. But really he had no idea who was his enemy anymore. "They told me some things, like how to feed him and how to hold him, but they would take him away in between times. When they first said how I was to feed him I couldn't believe them. I mean, come on. A MAN? Breastfeeding? But they did something so it works." Raven focussed off into the air. "The bastards." Then he sighed. "But... I can't really blame them. When Prozen wants something done, you do it. No matter how stupid or disgusting it is. If you want to live, that is. Perhaps that's why he chose me. I was the only one that defied him on a regular basis." Raven closed his eyes fighting to control his emotions. "But he got what he wanted in the end. He always does."
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