章 3: Reunion

Jerking, Kellen stumbled, trying to get to his feet, but a firm hand pushed him back onto the cushion with a soft chuckle. "Stand down soldier, you're injured." Opening his eyes was easy now given the shock he was experiencing. Kellen tilted his head back to take in the full glory of the man in front of him, and swallowed the saliva forming in his mouth.

The man looked like he had come out of a magazine for the perfect front line Esper. He wore his Guild's uniform colour, the perfect blend of black and white, with not even a thread out of place. His shoes were perfectly shined when he glanced at them. It suited his personality that nothing was out of place, including the coiffed black hair, cut just short enough to not be too long, but long enough that it tempted others.

Kellen wasn't sure why, but he'd always had a desire to ruffle up the perfect image of the man who stood before him, but it was the eyes that held him back. The man had vivid yellow iris'. Just like the man who had almost surged in the lobby, and he'd had those eyes ever since Kellen had met him.

"C-Captain, what are you doing here?" The words fumbled out of Kellen's lips, almost like he couldn't stop them. The Captain smiled as he raised his hand, slowly cupping Kellen's face in his palm.

"Funny story, that. I happened to be in the area when the alarm went off, and that Esper also happens to be one of my new recruits. I didn't know he'd let himself get to such a dangerous level, but I am glad if it meant that I could see you again." Kellen's mouth opened slightly as the Captain admitted that so casually. "Tell me, I thought you were supposed to be kicking up your feet and enjoying an early retirement. So, Mr. Woods, why do I always happen to find you with injuries all over your body?" Kellen's face heated with embarrassment.

"Uh, I..." The Captain's yellow eyes stared deeply into the Guides, and Kellen was the first one to break it, turning his gaze towards his knees. "I never meant to end up injured, I was just trying to protect the others." With his grip on the Guide's face, he gently raised his face, forcing the Guide to not avoid him. Kellen watched as the Captain nodded at his explanation, but Kellen had worked enough with him to know that was never a good sign.

"Of course you would never mean to. Who would? But, I've had plenty of examples of what kind of man you are in the past Mr. Woods. Need I remind you of how many times you've saved my men from peril before?" His grip tightened slightly on his face. "But I've always been curious about one thing, why is it that you always happen to be in the wrong place at the right time? Every time I think you're tucked somewhere safe and sound, you come out of the bushes covered in dirt and blood." He tsked. "At least this time you aren't covered in dirt." The Guide's face heated further with every word out of the Captain's mouth.

"I-I cannot help it if I'm accident prone, Captain." Sniffing, Kellen opened his mouth and spoke his mind, feeling brave from the loss of powers, and the fact that they weren't on the front lines. "It's very rude that you keep poking into my sore spots." Kellen glanced at the Captain to see his reaction, and was stunned to see his expression shift, and his eyes drop into a deeper, golden shade as his fingers gently grazed his cheek. Kellen felt himself swallow.

"And I cannot help but seem to be in your debt despite that." He smiled down at the Guide. "How many men of mine have you saved with your measly C Class guiding Mr. Woods? 30? 40? How am I ever going to repay this debt I have towards you?" His tone was teasing, and Kellen felt his cheeks flame, turning his gaze away from the Captain.

"Doing my job doesn't mean you owe me anything. If anything, I would say you need to keep a better eye on your Espers instead of this. Or hire more Guides." He chuckled.

"Oh? Are you offering?" Kellen shook his head aggressively at the Captain's soft tone.

"Absolutely not! As you said, I'm only a C Class Guide, and there is only so much I can do." Kellen's hands hadn't been doing much during this conversation, but now one gripped the other's wrist, digging into the small cuts and bringing the stinging bite of pain, fighting through the haze that threatened to take over his mind. He was on the edge of his own consciousness, and he hated being weak in front of this man. He was worried any sign of weakness in front of him would be taken as a sign that the Captain had won. Won what, he wasn't so sure about.

Captain Rhys Thatcher was one of the best Espers alive. He had become a powerhouse at a young age, awakening his powers in his teens. He'd cleared more gates than anyone else in the country, and formed his own Guild 7 years ago, around the same time Kellen had joined the front lines. Since then he'd been nurturing talents from around the world.

Most Guild Captains would take a step back after they had formed their Guilds. Not him. Captain Rhys Thatcher was a hands-on man. That was the reason Kellen had run into him so much on the front lines. He preferred to test his talents on the front lines, gaining them great levels of experience fighting monsters and also working as a team. The talents he had weren't, at least in public, disrespectful monsters like some of the other Espers out there, including some rather powerful Guilds.

But that didn't mean Kellen had any intention to work with them. He was only a C Class Guide, and would have been treated like shit given he was the lowest in the pecking order at any Guild, even one where everyone knew who he was. Plus, he was pretty sure Captain Thatcher's Guild didn't hire anyone below B Class.

"A shame. I would have loved it if you joined. The offer still stands if you find life too boring in the city Mr. Woods. Your talents are wasted here." Confused at the conviction in the Captain's voice, Kellen glanced up only to find the Captain staring at the doorway. "Ah, it appears Ms. Green has arrived. She'll take good care of you and the others. After she makes sure the new recruit isn't damaged beyond repair." He seemed amused, while Kellen felt a shiver run down his spine at his words. He didn't want to know what would happen if he was badly damaged. "Something tells me he'll make a full recovery. Do you want to make a bet on it?" Even more confused, Kellen shook his head and he laughed.

Releasing his face finally, the Captain stepped back. "A shame. Alright Mr. Woods, I've taken enough of your time. Your colleagues want to check on you but seem to find me intimidating. Hopefully the next time we meet you aren't heavily injured, Mr. Woods." Kellen nodded, even if the man was smiling as he spoke, he felt the threat underneath. He wasn't sure what would happen if he did find him injured again, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to enjoy it. As the Captain continued towards the door, Kellen gave a slight bow towards the older man.

"It was good to see you, Captain." The Captain glanced over his shoulder at the Guides words, pausing in the doorway. His eyes crinkled up with his smile.

"Likewise, Mr. Woods."

Gerald and the Guide Center Manager ran into the room shortly after the Captain had left. Both were out of breath and seemed to have a lot of questions, but held their tongues as Ms. Green entered the room right behind them. Clearly, the Esper was fine if she was already here, or she had prioritized the injured Guide.

Ms. Taylor Green was the same age as Kellen, and had gone to the same school as him all throughout their school days. They hadn't really interacted with each other, only being cordial to one another until both had awakened. Once it was obvious that the two could potentially run into each other, they began to get closer.

Ms. Green had awoken as an A Class Healer, meaning she basically had the credentials of a doctor, but unlike most other Healers, Ms. Green had gone to school to fill in any of the gaps that she was missing. She didn't end up finishing school, which was the reason she was still Ms. Green and not Dr. Green. Kellen only knew this because they had kept in contact even when he had gone to the front lines, and Ms. Green was scouted by Captain Thatcher as soon as he formed his Guild.

The funny thing about it all was the fact that when using ones powers as an Esper, colours were usually associated with them, and green was the colour used for healing related powers. It was something she had been teased for before she'd really established herself in the industry.

Kellen took in her body as she moved towards him. She was wearing the same uniform as the Captain before her, but hers wasn't in perfect condition like his had been. She wasn't wearing the thick jacket that normally came with the uniform, and instead was wearing a branded and colour-coded shirt along with a long black and white doctor's jacket. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, and her blue eyes were filled with worry. She paused a few steps away from Kellen to sigh while Kellen raised one of his hands to give her a weak wave.

"Hey Taylor." Gerald and the Guide Manager jerked when they heard how casually Kellen called the famous Esper. They were even more shocked when the woman didn't get upset at being addressed so casually and she instead frowned down at the injured, now skinny Guide before her.

"I thought you said you were done getting into trouble Kellen? You promised that to your Dad and Mom, and you bragged about it to Ms. Hill." Kellen smiled sheepishly at her accusing tone while Taylor's hands made quick work of the ruined uniform he wore. Her eyes took on the unnatural green hue that even if you couldn't feel the shift of power in the room would be a clear sign that an Esper was at work.

"Funny enough, the Captain said basically the same thing. Are you two on the same wavelength?" Taylor's cheeks turned pink and she slapped the chest of the injured Guide. Kellen laughed while the two other Guides witnessing the scene before them kept silent.

"Don't you dare imply the same slop that the tabloids are saying about the Captain and I. You know they aren't real." Kellen laughed harder while Taylor's cheeks flamed still, but her hands didn't stop their work.

For some reason, people seemed to think that Taylor and the Captain would make a great couple. It was obvious to anyone who looked at them that they were both attractive, so from a very basic understanding, sure, they would be a power couple. But, it wasn't common for Espers to get into relationships with each other. It was far more common for Espers and Guides to end up in romantic relationships.

Guiding...could be done in many, many ways. More often than not it was through basic skin contact. Hand holding and the like. But...this is where the lure of Guiding Center C came into play.

Some people preferred doing guiding in a more...intimate way.

Even without proper compatibility, some people just enjoyed the simple act of mixing the healing and...other things at the same time.

Kellen was unfamiliar with such things. It wasn't because he was a prude or had ideals, but lay in the simple fact that he had very low compatibility with everyone. No matter if he did higher level guiding with others, there wouldn't be much of a difference between him holding their hand and guiding versus sleeping with him.

For time reasons, and strain on his body, he went with the easier option. But that wasn't the case with most Guides. He was an oddity with his low compatibility scores, so oftentimes other Guides would guide others through kissing and other methods.

Even if you were a professional, over time, doing that with someone over and over, there was no way you wouldn't develop feelings for them. Hence, it was more common for Espers and Guides to end up in relationships, like Kellen's parents.

"Haha, I'm just pulling your tail. You know I'm just teasing." Taylor frowned as she finished looking over the wounds on his body.

"Don't you dare guide me while I heal you. I'll ask someone else to help after. You are going to pass out any second now, aren't you?" She watched as the man before her smiled widely, deliriously, as his head bobbed as if his neck couldn't support it any longer. Frowning deeper, she helped him hold his head up so that he could continue speaking to her instead of his lap.

"Mmhmm. I was waiting for the healer to get here first. Hit my head. Wasn't sure..." Kellen's head bobbed even while Taylor held it, and she watched him blink slowly and have to fight to keep his eyes open. "...cussion." He muttered quietly and she exhaled before a soft smile touched her lips.

"Go to sleep Kellen. I'll make sure you get home safe and your parents don't worry." She promised and watched as Kellen closed his eyes finally. She glanced at the two other Guides in the room before smiling, shaking her head, and continuing her treatment of the injured Guide. She'd chastise him later, once he was all better and awake.