Chapter 14

Keough had to set up his tent and start a fire after removing most of his heavy garments. He figured it was pointless to hide his face anymore. He then went and traced a huge circle around the camp area. It was a simple made barrier to keep unwanted things out. He pulled out his first aid kit and his huge water bottle. He glanced at Wilhelmina and felt a bit apologetic since there was nothing to actually make her rest more comfortable and when he checked his water bottle, there is not enough.

"Shit," He cursed. "Not enough water and its inhospitable out here," He added with a growl. Keough was grateful that Wilhelmina had healed his wounds so that he wouldn't have to heal two people.

"Allow my assistance," Tiamat offered, materializing Wilhelmina's huge green travelling bag. Keough hadn't noticed the bag's disappearance but it seems that Tiamat has control over it, somewhat. He opened the bag to find numerous things inside. He pulled out a huge comforter and a blanket. He also found two water bottles, enough for him to clean up Wilhelmina's wounds. He was about to start peeling off her clothes when Tiamat shot him a warning, "Do not be disrespectful," Keough nodded unwillingly.

He took off her jacket first and then removed her dress, revealing her under things. Keough's face felt hot when he saw how much cleavage she had. He was still a man. He ignored it and started to work on the wound on her shoulder. He used water to clean up the blood and applied disinfectant before wrapping it up in bandages. The wounds had stopped opening ever since he'd defeated Sabrac but it was still not a guarantee. When he was done, he covered her with the blanket and went outside. He wasn't going to sit next to her when she wakes up only to be plastered with the title 'pervert'. Keough sighed, lying on his back and looking up into the sky. It was not the first time he'd be sleeping out under the stars. His thoughts floated back to the Flame Haze who was sleeping in the tent. He hoped she would be fine enough for them to continue on since he did not want to be ambushed here by Kamaz. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a small respite.

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Sabrac came back in a less than happy mood. Bel Peol knew he had failed if his demeanour were of any indication. He did his best and so she paid him, sending him off. Kamaz was not pleased either but not entirely since he wanted to bring Golden to heel himself. Hecate was not ready yet, still doing something of a personal sort in the Denizen world. He had to be patient or he could get himself killed by throwing himself out in front of Golden who had a Flame Haze attached to him.

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It was morning and Keough rose early. He went into the tent to check on the Flame Haze. Her wounds hadn't healed fully yet and her face had gained a red tint. Keough worriedly put his hand to her forehead, confirming his worries, she'd caught a fever. Her wounds and the cold air contributed to this and so she was not healthy enough for them to move out today.

"Do you think you can help me find a stream nearby?" He asked, knowing the Flame Haze's Denizen would reply.

"Half a mile south," Tiamat replied. Keough followed her direction and found the river. He filled his water bottle and a bowl he'd dug up from Wilhelmina's travelling bag. He headed back to the tent and placed the bowl beside Wilhelmina's sleeping form. He searched for a cloth in the huge green bag and soaked it in the bowl full of water, placing it on her head. Then he pulled out his medical kit again and searched for some medicine. Wilhelmina stirred slightly and that startled Keough.

"When are we leaving?" She asked her voice soft because she lacked energy.

Keough shook his head, "We're not leaving any time soon until you recover," lifting her up into a sitting position, "Open your mouth and eat this," putting the pill in front of her. Wilhelmina did as told, Keough giving her some water to help the swallowing process. Laying her back down, he pulled the blanket to cover her, forgetting that she was only in her under things. He replaced the cloth on her head and sat in place as if waiting for her immediate recovery.

"I am alright for travel," She tried to argue.

"No, get your rest or else you'll delay us some more," He shot back sternly, stomping down on her argument.

"I apologize for being such a burden," She said tiredly. She knew she was supposed to sleep but she wanted to stay awake a while longer.

"You'll burden me even more if you don't quickly get better," Wilhelmina felt her heart skip a beat. He cared for her, in a weird way but she was too quick to assume that was the way he felt. One, he had never once called her anything, talking when he needed to, he immediately assumes she's listening and expects her to know that he's talking to her. Therefore, he diminished the need to call her by a name, not even a Flame Haze to boot much less her real name.

"Why do you not ever call me by my name?" She asked. "The last time you called me Selena," She was purposely rubbing salt into the wound to get him to talk since this was probably the only chance she had at tying him down. Keough stiffened at the memory and the fact that she wanted him to call her by her name.

"I remember apologizing for that incident," Keough grounded out. "And I don't want to know your name because then it will be hard to get rid of you from my memory," Not that she was not already part of his memory. He could not stop thinking about her, the bad side to being alone for so long is that one tends to like having company, especially female company if one is a man.

"Why, you need to have comrades. I have come to realize that even I cannot do everything by myself and I need help sometimes. I cannot and never will be able to have defeated Sabrac by myself without your presence, do you understand?" She allowed herself a small smile at her latter statement. It was true though a sad reality knowing that she was not the strongest but as the saying goes, there is always someone stronger and better.

"I don't want to have comrades. I will hurt them by just being near them. Denizen, Mystes or Flame Haze, they won't stop at anything just to get their hands on the Golden Flame. They would kill anyone in the way and thus they've sacrificed their lives by merely putting themselves in the way of those power hungry fools. I'm better off on my own since I can hide," He explained, his tone even and melancholic. It was the only way he could protect the people he cared for, by leaving them even though it will cause them sadness, it was the only way.

"I understand your feelings. You merely want to protect those you care for," Wilhelmina offered him a small smile. Keough's brows rose in apprehension. "I too have people I care for. The Flaming Haired Blazing Eyed Hunter, Shana, the Mystes of the Reiji Maigo, Sakai Yuuji and his mother, madam Chigusa. A recent addition is the Chanter of Elegies. We have spent a long time together in Japan and have come to know each other so well that it is almost impossible to imagine them gone forever," She explained. Keough found it quite interesting the person before him. For someone who has never given him anything short of a cold look, she had such a soft heart. It surprised him and made his heart feel warm for some unknown reason.

"So they are people you've met along your journey?" He asked, curious to know more.

"Not all of them. I helped raise the current Flaming Haired Blazing Eyed Hunter upon the request of the previous Hunter, my best friend Mathilde. She made both the Rainbow Wings, Merihim, and I promise her this before she activated the 'Heaven Destruct Earth Break'. I met Sakai Yuuji, the current mystes of the Reiji Maigo about two years ago while the Bal Masque was openly chasing him. I met the Chanter of Elegies during that time as well," She explained briefly. Keough dug through the recesses of his memory, listening to her at the same time.

"I remember the Rainbow Wings, Merihim, to be part of the Great War, were you part of it?" He asked and Wilhelmina nodded in confirmation. Shit, now he knew who she was, he was stupid enough to ask but he was curious. He could put one and one together since he knew the Flaming Hunter was always with her partner, the Manipulator of Objects. "Merihim, if you don't mind me addressing him by his name, was in love with the Flaming Hunter of that time, was he not?" Wilhelmina stared at Keough in shock.

"How did you know?" Keough mentally hit himself, coughing at his slip of tongue.

"I met Merihim during those days though that was a very long time ago. He was happily professing his love at the time. He was going to kill me but after I reasoned with him he didn't and so we became friends, somewhat. It was the only meeting I didn't regret since he was so powerful but also because it was beneficial at the time," Keough explained. Wilhelmina could not blame herself for not knowing since Merihim never told her things.

"I see, so that is how you knew him," Wilhelmina murmured. She suddenly felt energetic due to curiosity but her fever was still making itself present.

"May I ask how he's doing?" Keough hadn't seen Merihim in a long while and this was a good time to maybe catch up before he dies. Wilhelmina was stunned by the question, feeling like the Grim Reaper but she had to tell him the truth.

"He died. He refused to stay around in the world of the living since Mathilde was not present. That hateful man disguised himself as a skeleton and helped trained Shana to become the Flame Haze to replace Mathilde and then returning to his original form of a Denizen, getting Shana to kill him. He refused to allow my interference and he had planned it for so long," Keough could feel the anger in her voice, such hatred she held for his old acquaintance.

"Why do hate him so much? What did he do?" Keough had to ask because this person hated the only other person he didn't mind having as a friend. He felt sad to know that Merihim had left before him.

"He wasted his life because he could not move on. He was foolish and irrational, giving up everything because he did not have the strength to carry on," He couldn't disagree with her, she was right. It made him angry at the thought that Merihim had not been strong enough to carry on. What did that make him? He had to leave Selena's memory behind and carry on. Merihim was a fool indeed.

"You loved him," Tiamat chimed in. Wilhelmina's face was set in anger as Keough looked at her in shock.

"It is the only thing I ever regret, for being a fool. I was pitiful toward him because Mathilde loved the Flame of the Heavens, Alastor. She never felt that way for him but he still blindly chased her, claiming it was love and refused to acknowledge my feelings. He deserved nothing short of death," Wilhelmina was unconsciously releasing all her anger, everything that she had kept pent up over the years. Tiamat had succeeded in making her angry, with Keough's help. "Even when she was going to leave, she never said she loved him and yet he refused to admit the fact that she did not. He wasted everything by dying, wasted all his time all because he had not the strength to move on," Tears were silently sliding down her cheeks. She had never been more frustrated in her life until she started falling in love with Merihim. It was her worst mistake in life and the most burdening.

Keough felt sorry for her, Merihim was a fool indeed. What Keough saw before him now was a woman who had truly loved him and his foolish friend had thrown away something so precious. What a hateful man indeed. Keough saw nothing wrong with Wilhelmina as her heart was as pure as one could ask for, nothing short of honest intentions. He accompanied her in silence as she silently cried herself to sleep. It was what she needed to help ease the pain in her heart, something she had postponed doing because she had no one to confide in. Keough's heart went out to her, sharing the pain caused by his inexperienced friend, Merihim. He had always known that Merihim was a fool the moment he couldn't answer his question on whether Mathilde loved him or not. Keough felt responsible for not telling him off that time because if he had, maybe Merihim might have opened his heart and made room for a chance with Wilhelmina. If he had done that, Merihim might still be alive and Wilhelmina would not be as bitter as she was now. Unfortunately, he was a hypocrite, he was nowhere near letting go of the past either.

"Thank you," Tiamat felt grateful to Keough because he had helped Wilhelmina.

"I can hardly be thanked. I should have told him off then and there instead of just calling him a fool and walking off. If only I knew," He spilled out his guilt, his conscience mocking him.

"Not your fault," Tiamat understood that Keough wasn't at fault but he felt like a partner in crime with Merihim, taking the burden his friend had left behind on his shoulders. Keough sighed, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, I feel a little better knowing that someone else doesn't think I'm guilty," He said with a laugh, he had enough guilt as it is. He imagined Merihim before him, hateful man indeed, such a name, he deserved worse. Keough could think of a million things to call this foolish friend of him but none of them will make a difference because he was gone. Such is a hateful man.

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Let's make Wilhelmina angry! o YAY!