A/N: The Saria x Silence ship is back by popular demand. Hope y'all enjoy! I'll probably do a family one shot of these two with Ifrit at some point so if y'all are interested in that let me know.

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Beep.

Beep.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPP.

Defective heart monitors really were one of the most annoying things. Silence found herself scowling at said monitor at three in the morning. The sun wasn't up but her energy level remained stationary at didn't care and wanted to sleep. Any other medic who dared to join her in the room would be met with a scathing glare that clearly warned them to get the heck out of the area as soon as possible.

Her body felt stiff from sitting in the metal chair for so long, her nose itching from the smell of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. But none of that mattered. None of it mattered in comparison to the woman on the bed.

Saria.

Memories of the battle clouded her vision, a stinging assault that some would mistake as tears. The screams, the shouts, the grunts as swords clashed and the ground splintered with black ice. Above all the angry words that made her heart stutter; the look on Saria's face as she had said those terrible words. And then nothing as the black shards consumed consciousness and made normally stoic amber eyes go hazy before shutting completely like a shut down software incapable of restarting. Her relationship with the healing defender was complicated to say the least, yet the two of them had always maintained a trust in each other's skills. And despite knowing each other's limitations, despite not knowing the true potential of the opponent they faced, that hadn't stopped her from casting a blind eye on Saria, arguably when the other woman needed her help the most.

And what I said to her, I should've never said that. And now she may never wake up again.

Those were the dark thoughts keeping her awake, even in the waning hours between dusk and dawn. Contrary to popular belief, Silence did not feel the constant need to sleep during the day like her friend Ptilopsis would. Sure, she was prone to naps, but never would the sun keep her in the way of work. She found none of this mattered now though, not when her focus was on one person alone. Days, weeks, years could have passed by and she would remain here, watching Saria as she slept, this she knew for certain.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She resisted the urge to yell. This knock was familiar, resonation on metal like pebbles tossed into a lake. There was no denying this visitor. With hooded eyes she offered up the only response she had in her. "Come in."

Ptilopsis stood waiting on the other side. Much to her annoyance, she wasn't alone.

It's like she brought the whole welcoming committee.

The rest of the Rhine Labs liaisons were with her, including the unwelcome intrusion of her ward Ifrit. Our ward. She used to be ours but then you had to leave, didn't you? Why did you go? I needed you and you left me alone. She stared at Saria's sleeping face briefly; the grip she had on her cold hand tightened.

"So she's really here! I can't believe it!" Ifrit practically sprinted over to Saria's bedside, knocking aside a very startled Magellan and a worried looking Mayer in the process. Ptilopsis just moved aside to let her pass, not the slightest bit concerned about what exactly was going on here. How Ifrit was in no way to have any contact with Saria without her express permission.

The traitor.

"Yes. You have eyes, don't you Ifrit? You can see she's here."

Large amber eyes peered at Saria with what she could only describe as a mixture of adoration and sadness. Silence didn't know how she felt about either, felt very uneasy about the two being in the same room despite the ex-Rhine Lab member in question being unconscious.

"I know I know. I was just saying it cause I haven't seen her in, like, FOREVER! You know."

Silence sighed. "Yes, I know. And that wasn't your fault, keep that in mind."

The sadness on Ifrit's face deepened. The teenager was leaning on the handlebars of the bed moments before, reaching out to grab Saria's free hand. It halted midair, still as a blimp stuck in the sky. And while Silence was angry at Saria, she suddenly felt horrible for this. Why antagonize a damaged relationship further? What's done is done after all. There was no turning back time. Such an ability did not exist and never would.

"I know. But I-I missed her a lot Silence. Is she, is she going to be okay?" Ifrit asked quietly, not daring to take her eyes off of the downed defender for a moment, as if the second she looked away Saria would disappear forever.

Silence deliberated over her options and ultimately chose the one that would make the most sense. Being clinical had its time and place. A child, because yes Ifrit would always be a child in her eyes, would not understand the cold cut observations in her heart. They would anger the pyromaniac, pushing a colossal heat out of her that could scorch the room and all the occupants within it aside from Saria. It was with begrudging admittance that she understood how fireproof her ex-fi . . . ex-girlfriend could be. It came in handy more than she liked to admit when dealing with Ifrit's emotional outbursts.

"Her injuries are healing well. With any luck she'll wake up soon."

"That's good news." Mayer offered.

A giant grin. Ifrit's excitement was as contagious as her laughter. Silence found her own mouth wanting to quirk up in agreement, but she held back, letting Mayer do it for her. While it annoyed her, it made sense her friends were happy about the news too. "Haha! That's not just good news, it's great news. And then we can all be together again."

Magellan frowned, meeting Silence's gaze. The penguin explorer had remained mostly quiet during the explanation, as had Ptilopsis —not that this was any surprise for the latter. "Ifrit, I'm not sure it'll be so simple . . ." This was the honest truth unfortunately. Even if she's sorry, nothings changed. She still left. Didn't even say goodbye.

The IV bag hanging up continued to drip liquid down. Silence thumbed the attached on the back of Saria's hand. Sharp, invasive, prodding as the bloody vials getting scanned in machines. The other woman held indifference towards needles, but she made an effort not to show them around Ifrit. In a way, it had created a person Ifrit could turn to that she didn't see as another doctor wanting to experiment on her. And they all knew just how much the teenager needed someone she trusted. Someone who would not hurt her unless absolutely necessary. A scream echoed in her ears. Her own shouts mingled with them as she had begged and pleaded for the flames to stop. And then Saria had been there, with a grim expression on her face, tranquilizer gun in hand. One shot was all it took to stop the inferno threatening to burn the entire lab down. But instead of sticking around to deal with the aftermath Saria had slipped away. She left them behind.

She had left all of them.

She had left her.

Had left Ifrit, a child who adored her more than anything.

And that was the kicker, wasn't it? Had it been for anything else, maybe Olivia would find it in herself to let go. But Saria had hurt Ifrit too. Was forgiveness even an option? She couldn't allow someone in just to watch them leave again. And why did she leave? Another unanswered question.

"But, but she's family. I-we . . . she belongs with the rest of Rhine Labs." Ifrit murmured, her tone far too helpless for Silence's liking.

Ptilopsis placed a comforting hand on Ifrit's shoulder, squeezing gently. A silent conversation passed between her and Silence. The two had known each other for years, had bonded over so many things. So she knew Ptilopsis was going understand.

"Ifrit. My calculations confirm it's in our best interest to let Saria rest and recover before continuing this conversation any further. Come. We can go be productive elsewhere."

"But what about Silence?" Ifrit inquired, her grip on the railing tightened. "Shouldn't she come with us?"

Silence felt a wave of warmth at the teen's concern. "I'll be fine Ifrit. Saria isn't the only one who needs rest." The chair she sat in was beginning to feel more like the stiff piece of plastic it was. When had her awareness returned?

"You're right. But I doubt you'll find it here. Shouldn't you go back to your room?" Mayer asked.

"Yeah. You can't be comfortable." Magellan agreed.

Clearly they weren't going to quit worrying about her. She would've appreciated it under different circumstances. "Guys . . ."

"They are correct, but they do not understand." Ptilopsis surmised for her.

"Don't understand what?" Ifrit asked, confused.

"How can she sleep when Saria's here. Silence will feel better once she knows Saria is okay."

"Huh." Ifrit murmured, like she'd suddenly had an epiphany.

"O-Okay." Magellan stuttered.

"I guess that makes sense," Mayer said with a nod.

"Good, then I'll see everyone later then," Silence said.

Each of them bid her farewell, with Ifrit giving her a hug before walking away. Ptilopsis was the last to leave, her head titled owlishly at her. "Silence . . . when Saria wakes up, what do you plan to do?"

A bitterness wound up in her chest. "You mean if she wakes up."

The nasty comment didn't stop Ptilopsis. She reiterated her question. "What do you plan to do?"

Silence dragged a hand through her hair. She needed a shower, and sleep, and so many other things. And she needed Saria to wake up. No matter how hard she tried to forget, the longing part of her heart remained.

"I don't know for sure yet, but I know we need to talk." She murmured.

Ptilopsis nodded. "Good. Your mental health will no longer suffer from putting this off."

"I know." She murmured.

And she did know, but there was no telling if she'd manage to say the right words. Time would tell Silence supposed as she stared at Saria's sleeping face. Time will tell.

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A/N: So several people wanted a part two and hopefully this delivered. And as you can probably tell, there will be a part three to this so stay tuned. Don't forget to vote and comment!