When Yuuhei arrived the next day, it was on a late morning Remnant Line train, in a specially-attached hospital car. Eiji went out to the platform to meet him, and the first glimpse he got of his old friend, through the opened door of the train car, came as a severe shock. Yuuhei’s head was wrapped in bandages, as was more than half of his face. His neck and one leg were both in braces, one arm was in a cast and the other was in a sling. Eiji saw bandaging on his neck that went on beneath his clothing. His posture was stiff and awkward, and at first he didn’t look like he would be able to stand or walk on his own, but after heaving himself to his feet with a groan, he did, slow and wincing, his braced knee unable to bend.
“Hell,” Eiji said as Yuuhei hobbled off the train and up to him, followed by two white-clad Medical Guild attendants, “you really took a beating.”
Yuuhei said nothing, only stared at Eiji with the one eye that the bandages didn’t cover, his expression harsh and unreadable. For a long time, the two said nothing.
“It’s good to see you alive,” Eiji said at last.
“Eiko is dead,” spat Yuuhei, and he limped on without another word, past Eiji. He had to stop at the steps to wait for the attendants to come and help him climb down. Just outside the station he lifted himself with their help into a waiting autocarriage.
