An Aura of Bloodshed

Chapter 13: The Doctor's Shady Past

Jesse seemed to freeze up after the question left Kitsune's mouth. He looked away from her, looking as though he were... ashamed, almost. The redhead quickly noticed, kneeling in front of him and putting a hand on his knee out of concern. "Jesse..?" She softly called.

The older male was quiet for a moment before sighing, turning back to look at her. "It's... a bit of a long story. But I'll summarize.. You've... I feel confident that you'd understand, given your background." He cleared his throat, averting his eyes as he started explaining.

"So... Seven years ago, I was a surgeon. Legally, anyway. But my surgical license had expired..." He sighed, moving his hair out of his eyes. He never liked thinking about this bit, but sometimes it invaded his mind. He didn't think he'd ever forget about that time..

"But... I was allowed to continue doing my work in a more hidden location... Under certain... conditions." He placed a hand over where the mark on his chest was, looking more solemn.

"I was to be put through a series of 'experiments'... A good portion of which were very painful, might I add. For example, there was this medication that I'd have to take. I have no idea what its intended purpose was, but it just... hurt. Sometimes more minor than others, but other times..." He shuddered, gripping his shirt. "It was so bad, that it'd cause internal bleeding..."

"Oh god..." Kitsune muttered in shock.

Jesse nodded. "It's... So much more than that. I- I don't know what the goal was, but after some time... The tests affected me- physically, mentally... Emotionally..." He sighed.

"One day... I had enough. They forced me to take that accursed medication again, and it... hurt... very badly. So, I just... snapped, I suppose." He covered his face. "There was... so much blood... I will never, for as long as I live, ever forget that day..."

Kitsune frowned a little, sitting beside him as she placed a hand on his back. She couldn't help but notice as he kept his head down. "It's alright, Jesse... I... I think I get it... You must've been really scared and angry..."

Jesse nodded, keeping his eyes on the ground. "I don't even know how many I killed... I'll never get their screams out of my head... Ever.."

The redhead wrapped her arms around him, gently running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that- that sounds absolutely horrible..." She commented.

Jesse sighed, resting his head on her shoulder as he hugged her in return. "It's fine.. I'm... getting better. More or less." He responded, pulling back a little.

"In any case, I suppose we should head back to the village. Let them know we killed that monster." He suggested.

Kitsune nodded, standing up. "Agreed. Let's go." She said, as they started walking. Halfway to the village, she glanced over at him. "Hey, Jesse?" She spoke up.

Jesse turned to look at her. "Hm? Yes, Kitsune?" He acknowledged.

The redhead gave a small, reassuring smile. "I just wanted you to know that... If you're ever feeling upset for any reason, or you just want to talk about anything, you can always come to me. Maybe talking may ease your mind a little- I wouldn't mind helping." She offered.

Jesse was silent for a moment before smiling back. "I appreciate that a lot, thank you. I'll probably take you up on that offer later down the line." He stated.

He really did consider himself lucky- for having such a sweet, understanding friend.