The news, when it came, caused havoc in the cathedral.
"I am sorry to inform the loyal members of this Church that a life was lost of which can never be replaced…"
Bishop Shimura had been missing for the last five days, much to the chagrin of his followers and to Lee's building anxiety. Yes, he was glad, so very happy, that Bishop Shimura had not been violating and demeaning him – but, then, who was he with?
Lee couldn't remember being visited last week, which was even stranger than the Bishop's disappearance as weekly visitations were the very least he would do when using Lee. In his defense, he couldn't remember being visited the week before that, but this was different. He had actually been told that Bishop Shimura had not been to the orphanage in the past nine days.
He rubbed a hand over his face, exhausted beyond belief because his waking moments had extended well into the night and had begun to start very early in the mornings. In the past three days, he had gotten a total of four hours of sleep.
"A Holy man was taken from your arms into the Lord's where he shall be rewarded for his actions here on earth…"
Lee blearily came into focus, waiting. Without his knowledge, he was swaying from side to side. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning.
He was not even living anymore, but existing in a constant state of paranoia.
"May the Lord cherish him as we all had. Now, let us pray for his safe passage."
He somehow managed to realize that two men in cassocks were gently, and silently, ushering families into the confessional, one by one.
The first family came out, a mother and father and their five-year old son. The father was steely-faced, the mother in tears, and the son held his head down as his father had a hand wrapped tightly around the back of his neck. They left as fast as they could, weaving into the nave as if they wanted to go unnoticed.
The second family went in, a widow, an aunt, and another son.
When they came out, the aunt was not so subtle.
"MONSTER!" She thrust a finger towards the man who was speaking, a man who had forgone introducing himself. "YOU SPEAK SO HONORABLY OF A BEAST!" She was in tears, weeping, the widow holding onto her son as if she could protect him from what had already happened.
Lee had to look away. He didn't have to guess at what they were speaking of, and he thought, maybe, the name of the man who had passed away had been uttered in the beginning. A tangle of emotions arose in him as he knew exactly who had died now. So many things that his hands shook and his vision became unclear.
Oh, Gosh, Bishop Shimura was gone.
Even though that made him and all of the other boys safe, what exactly did that mean for him now? Because, hadn't his entire life been devoted to trying to keep Bishop Shimura away from the orphans?
He looked to his little roost of chicks and noticed, for the first time, their excitement among other things.
Chen caught his eye, frowned at whatever she saw in his expression, and then wrapped both of her hands around his. "It's okay, Lee. Even though Bishop Shimura's gone, we have Father Sabaku now!"
The man speaking, scarlet red hair carded low over his forehead and eyes heavy as if he hadn't slept since the day he had been born, stared apathetically back at the raving aunt.
"I don't know who you think I'm speaking of," the Father said in a low, husky voice, "but Cardinal Sarutobi has recently passed away due to reasons I can not discuss."
The aunt was held in shocked silence, as was everyone else.
"If you mean to curse Bishop Shimura," he went on to say, right through the astonishment of everyone gathered, including Lee's (how disorderly of this man to not say who they were gathered for!), "he was removed from the Church for his conduct nearly a week ago. He took his life not too long after." Then, as if he had said nothing about it, and as if the Cathedral itself had not exploded into dozens of voices that rose in disbelief and horror at the loss of their leader, he continued.
"My name is Father Sabaku,"
"He's the one that saved you from demons," Samo whispered to Lee, whose mouth fell open.
"But he is so young!" he whispered shrilly back.
The aunt, still frozen to her spot, had been grabbed by the widow and forced towards the door.
"As ordered by Cardinal Senju, recently appointed after the passing away of Cardinal Sarutobi, I am here to replace Bishop Shimura. I hope to not fail any of you." He bowed respectfully to a captive, enraged audience who felt he had already failed.
Lee's hands, both held tightly in three other pairs of little hands, grew cold as an older woman in the pew before him snarled, "What a horrid boy to think he can replace the great and humble leader Bishop Shimura."
"No doubt," answered the old man at her side, "this horrid boy will drag us all to Hell. Oh, how could the Church have seen fit to dismiss Bishop Shimura?" And Lee's stomach dropped.
"He lived for us," murmured a third voice, a woman he knew to be the elderly lady's sister, just as old and fixed in her ways, "and, when they took that away from him, he could not live. Poor man, to have to suffer in Hell for a crime the Church committed. It is enough to make me lose my faith in God!"
And he swore, for a moment, that his heart stopped.
Whatever Bishop Shimura had been, he had not been a man who lived for his people.
Lee's eyes traveled up from his clasped hands to the alter.
Father Sabaku was watching him with pale eyes that had seen far too much. Lee watched as he raised a hand to cross himself; a hand lightly bandaged with prayer beads wrapped loosely around it.
Somehow, that made Lee feel… and he managed a weak smile for the Holy man… safer. And his skin tingled in an odd pattern: over his wrists, the back of his head, across his temples, like a phantom touch.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Had the priest's hands touched him?
Well, if Father Sabaku had been the one to save him…
An image came unbidden into his mind: something that wriggled and screeched and was wrinkly and ugly like slabs of clay rolled into one tiny, bulbous creature – and it hung from an un-bandaged, burned hand.
"Lee…?" En was frowning at him, hand over his speeding pulse. "Are you okay?"
He tore his eyes away from Father Sabaku. "Yes. Yes, I, I think I am!" Perhaps. Maybe. Nothing was certain.
He rubbed his one shoulder, then held. There were still scars there, scars as if small daggers had been stabbed into his flesh. Or it could have just been dagger-like claws.
~""~
Author's Note: Jeepers, it's an UPDATE! Sorry to leave everyone hanging for so long. I lost interest in this story for awhile, so I took a break from it… I hope no one's too mad.