"Determined Protector"

by Shelly Webster

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne. Not sure who does, but I'm pretty sure I'd know if it was me. I am getting nothing for writing this. I do own Sei, so if you need a good medic and want him, ask and he might let you use him. (Yes, it is up to the fictional character. He has his own mind and opinions.) I also own Yaifa, same system as with Sei.

A/N: Thanks to my D, who betaed this for me. Inspired by the Escaflowne series, not feature film. This story uses a character from the RPG I am in. We're always looking for new members. If you're interested, check my bio for the link.

Summary: It's hard to protect the Dragon Slayers, and even harder to protect them from themselves. The doctor aboard the Vione struggles to accept the dangers in their jobs, when he has sworn to do no harm.

Chapter 1

Living with pain

"Thank you, Doctor Erimentha." Gatti left the infirmary, shutting the door behind himself carefully yet rapidly, as was his habit.

Sei Erimentha sighed. It was the soldier's second visit to refill his first aid kit, that month alone. I hope he shares it with the others...otherwise, I fear he can't last much longer as a Dragon Slayer, if he gets injured that often.

He sat at his table and began filling out paperwork requesting more supplies for his infirmary. He got the feeling the team of fighting youths would battle soon, and he was going to be prepared. These boys always fought like they were going to die if they didn't use every ounce of energy they had. He was baffled by this behavior, but always patiently healed their wounds when they returned to the Vione, just like he tried his best to convince the Dragon Slayers to let him heal injuries caused by their commander.

Dilandau Albatou was another conundrum. He fought with more ferocity than all of his soldiers combined, but still had enough repressed emotion and energy left to fight with them when he was confronted. Sei had his own theories about the young man so respected by his men even as he mistreats them, but he had few opportunities to explore the accuracy of his thoughts.

Lord Albatou only visited the infirmary when he was injured so grievously that he could not repel the hands of those taking him there.

A few days later, the command rang out, calling the Dragon Slayers to their guymelefs, attacking Asturia. Sei packed his medical bag with several vials of medicine to use as soon as the troops return. He also checked that he had clean needles and thread in the infirmary, as well as plenty of gauze in the sachel.

Splints, slings, cots made up for new patients...Am I forgetting anything? The gurney was propped up beside the door, ready for action. He almost went to the melef hangar to wait, but that was against procedure, so he instead just waited, as ready as he could be for whoever and whatever was coming.

While he waited, Sei thought back to when he began his education in healing. His natural academic intelligence suggested this was the perfect career after the catalyst of his brother's death in battle. He was twelve at the time.

He wandered in the garden, throwing rocks whenever his emotions got the better of him. Why did he have to die? He shouldn't have left me!

"I know you miss your brother. I do too." His grandmother rapped the ground with her cane to ensure she had his attention. "I bet you're even a little mad about it. That might make you feel bad, like a bad brother. But it's okay. I'm even a little mad about it. But it doesn't mean you don't still love him."

Her words hit something in Sei and he broke into tears, though he tried to control it.

"Grandmother, can't I do anything about it? What if I get left all alone?"

"Child, you can never be alone. Even when we're dead, we still love you. You just can't see us loving you."

His grandmother's words made him realize that he needed to do something for others, so he decided on a different type of military career than his brother had. He didn't want anyone else to feel that alone.

The melef pilots finally returned and a messenger appeared at a run. "The hangar, sir, quickly!" he gasped. The messenger carried the gurney and Sei toted the bag of medical equipment, making haste as he traveled from the bowels of the Vione out to the location of the newly-returned soldiers.

All that Sei knew was that someone seemed to be badly injured; possibly more than one person. As he entered the hangar, he scanned the room, mentally logging each soldier and his injuries as best he could see.

His tally came up short. Does anyone know yet that Miguel isn't here?

He pushed the thought away and began treating Dalet, who seemed to have the most serious wounds. He poured a pain-killer down the pilot's throat, then dabbed blood away from his face. Dalet lay on the floor of the hangar, the pain glazing his eyes clearing slightly. Once the blood was mostly gone, Sei determined that it flowed from a long laceration along the left side of his hairline. He rubbed an antiseptic gel over the cut before staunching the bloodflow with a large square of gauze. Securing the gauze to the soldier's head, he and Chesta, who was only slightly bruised, lifted Dalet onto the gurney.

He had to help the others before he could take the soldier back to the infirmary for stitches. Gatti's ribs were injured. He could still walk, so he took himself to the infirmary to get them examined and treated. Viole was scraped up a little. Some of the scrapes bled. Sei rubbed the antiseptic into each scrape and bandaged those that had bled. A couple other soldiers also needed the antiseptic, but this battle had apparently not been too serious.

He offered all the soldiers some pain-killer, but only a couple took him up on the offer. They had lived with worse pain in the past and would do so again. It wasn't worth hearing about how they had gone soft.

Dilandau Albatou seemed to have no physical ailments, but then the young commander seemed to register something through the haze of the adrenaline rush the fight had given him. "Where is Miguel?" he cried out.

This is going to be bad was the only thing that had time to run through Sei's head before Yaifa was back-handed. The soldier's mouth began to bleed a little, and his cheek split open. No one looked shocked by what had occurred, and Sei realized that several of the other Dragon Slayers had cheeks that were injured or looked recently healed. I guess I know why Gatti keeps filling that first aid kit...

No one answered Lord Dilandau. No one seemed to know where the youth was. He asked again, stalking menacingly towards the area where most of the soldiers had gathered. Sei knew. The boy must have fallen. He began searching for a sedative. Oh shit. I thought I was forgetting something important. Lord Dilandau did not always need to be sedated, but when he got this worked up it was necessary for his health, as well as the well-being of his men.

He subtly signaled to the messenger who had helped him before. The boy approached and Sei whispered where to find a syringe and what the vial of sedative looks like. The boy understood and took off even faster than he had run the first time.

Lord Dilandau had lost it. He was yelling and blaming the others more and louder as each second passed without any reassurance concerning Miguel's safety.

The soldiers masked the fear in their eyes, respecting him, but not wanting to be hurt. They knew not to back away and he paced closer and closer to them. He was nearly beside Guimel when the messenger reappeared a moment too late. For when Lord Dilandau drew that near to Guimel, he began pounding on the blond Dragon Slayer.

Sei snatched the syringe and filled it with the speed that comes from much experience. He hurried over to the albino leader and looked for an opportunity. He signaled to a pair of the Dragon Slayers that he needed their help. They took hold of their commander. While they were unable to completely tame him, they did manage to slow one arm enough that Sei jabbed the needle into a vein.

The solution mixed into Lord Dilandau's bloodstream and took effect, knocking him unconscious. The broken young man was able to have peace for a short while. He, too, would need to stay in the infirmary for a period of time.

Sei rested his head in his hands, wishing for the release of tears. Those who work for Zaibach quickly learn that there is no place or time for tears, and that some fates cannot be altered.