Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 2
Chapter 14: Shigeru and the Nightclub Dancer
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
Three Years Ago...
Shigeru was on his way to the Kingdom by the River on Alecrast as he was about to be married to a beautiful princess of its realm. It was a match that was destined by the Rakuen Priesthood as he couldn't turn it down. Just a week ago, he saw the image of the woman that he was about to marry as she had black hair and purple eyes, for she was the most beautiful thing that he ever set his eyes on. When he got into the palace grounds, he was about to be greeted by a troubling surprise in mind as he noticed that something was wrong indeed. When he went towards his bride's room, he noticed that she was gone as the place was empty. He has never been stood up before as he noticed that there was a piece of paper on the floor in which he picked it up. It was written in Latin as it signified that someone has "bought" her and made it clear not to allow anyone to pursue.
Shigeru was not too happy to see something like this on the day before his wedding as he heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, he saw a woman and man appear as they were armed with guns and swords in their hands. They were the cousins of the princess as they were not too happy with Shigeru coming here just to collect her from the Kingdom, for they made a deal that would end up having their souls put towards Hell in the making.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked the woman as she drew out her gun.
"I wanted to collect my bride, but she's gone," answered Shigeru.
"We know who you are, Shigeru Mitani," said the man as he drew out his sword. "You're the grandson of that High-Elf who resides in the Order of Letters."
"Tsukitama and Tsuchikuro, I presume? I take it that you did something to Futaba, didn't you?"
"Futaba's been sold to a tradesman from Kaijirin and you'll never see her again."
"What kind of tradesman?"
"You'll never know because he's been incognito for a while," said Tsukitama as she was ready to fire directly at Shigeru. "Still, no Elf will ever inherit the Kingdom by the River because it will always be a place for humans alone."
"Your uncle was close friends with my father once, but-"
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Tsuchikuro as he was ready to strike. "Has it ever occurred that you still have the elephant in the room that looks like a man with ratty clothing?"
"Stop telling me this! That fiend nearly killed me after I endured a terrible bout of insomnia all those years ago, so don't even go there!"
"I hate to break it to you, but you will never be welcome here in our kingdom, do you hear me?!" cried Tsukitama. "You'll never have my uncle's kingdom and you'll never have Futaba! All you will ever have is that fiend that stalks you everywhere you go!"
Without warning, Shigeru saw several guards pointing their guns and swords at him as they were poised to kill him on sight. It was also at that moment that he grabbed the flower hairpin that was on the vanity as he left the room and was sprinting for his life. He was running out of the Kingdom as he made it out the door and out of the gates. In a moment of misery, he vowed never to go near the Kingdom by the River ever again as he saw the guards and soldiers standing in front of the gates. He had never been hoodwinked before as he wanted to leave quietly out of Alecrast until he saw a familiar nuisance appear out of nowhere.
"It's been a while, Shigeru," he said as he was standing on a rock. "I bet that you got gypped by your future bride for someone more macho, but you can talk to me, can't you?"
"Go suck it, Lucifer," he snarled. "I almost got killed in there after finding my bride gone."
"Oh, it's just a simple girl; it's no big deal."
"It was a big deal! The Rakuen Priesthood set me up with her just to maintain order of possible bloodlines that would work! Now that Futaba's gone, I don't have a snowball's chance to face my possible future in the Order of Letters now, but I doubt that they would want me around while ducking the radar of the ones that are eager to put me into a shotgun wedding."
"Hey, you could at least have a little debauchery while you're at it. Anyway, there are all sorts of fish in the sea anyway."
"Go away, Lucifer. I don't need you to badger me right now!"
And with that, Shigeru saw the annoying nuisance disappear as he was alone for a long time. The moment of him being stood up didn't try to bring him down as he vowed to duck the radar of the Rakuen Priesthood while he did what was best, for it was hunting monsters that harmed the innocent as he vowed to redeem himself one slow step at a time, even if it meant to be celibate over the years...
Present Day...
"Excuse me," cried the Half-Elf as she she was standing in front of me. "Where is Shigeru Mitani?! Where is he?!"
"He's not here," I answered.
"I know who you are, Sam Winchester and I know that you worked with him while you found him on Gehenna several months ago!"
"I take it that you're Marthona Ross, I presume? Come to think of it, visiting hours are over, so I suggest that you find another time to speak to me."
The intruder didn't budge as she was determined to get Shigeru come hell or high water if she could. In a sense of dread, I found Marthona to be intimidating as she was known as the Lethal Virgin who remained celibate in order to be part of the Rakuen Priesthood, for she would stop at nothing to get her prize to marry his jilted bride sooner or later.
"I take it that you bear a grudge against Shigeru because of something he did," I said.
"Three years ago, Shigeru walked away from his bride on the day before the wedding," said Marthona as she was refusing to budge. "It was also said that he finally signed up to be a member of the Order after all since he fled his exile on Gehenna. I commend you into bringing him out into the open, but I suggest that you bring him to us for questioning."
"According to what he told me, he's off at a nightclub celebrating the birth of my sons, but he's not a big fan of alcohol. All the same, he likes the sight of beautiful women dancing on poles."
"That philandering son-of-a-bitch! I'll kick his ass!" I saw Marthona leave my hospital room as she turned around and faced me. "And by the way, thanks for the information."
I saw the Half-Elf leave as I was feeling a hint of guilt wash over me. I never wanted to sell Shigeru out like that as I had a bad feeling that he would be in over his head if not careful. Still, I had to go and defend him as I left my hospital room and went out the door fully clothed with boots, an overcoat, and a scarf. I didn't have time to dress warm enough as I left the hospital and went towards the district where the entertainment was going on in droves. I had to get to Shigeru directly, for there would be a nasty welcoming from Marthona if he wasn't careful...
Shigeru was enjoying his root beer float as he was grateful that Aora and Ghimru were born while he was living it up at the Lilac Lounge. The place itself was clean as it had several tourists from all over the system simply living it up or perhaps going for the entertainment that was about to appear in hindsight. It was at that moment that Shigeru saw a familiar dancer appear as she was the same one he saw on Kaijirin. She was the same one that was dancing at the bar as she was dressed differently in white lingerie and white costume wings along with white stockings and stilettos. Shigeru didn't know what to think as he watched her dance to another random K-pop tune. He didn't take his eyes off of her as he watched her pull out her dance moves on stage. It was deja vu to him as he wanted to see the dancer just shake it until the song was over.
By the time the dancer was finished, she took a bow as she stepped down off of the stage and was sitting next to Shigeru, who was still sipping at his root beer float. He never expected the same girl with the same short hair to sit next to him as she also saw him to be something for to her. They were most likely to be sparking a huge conversation as they were in the bar just taking a load off, but there would be something else in mind when the time was right.
"I take it that you enjoy women dancing," said the dancer as she ordered a ginger ale.
"It's my downtime," said Shigeru. "I just got the huge load of my two nephews just a couple of hours ago."
"You're a smooth talker, aren't you?"
"Damn straight, but after three years of hunting things and saving lives, I'm most likely to be upping the ante in my place in the same group that Gramps put me in."
"The Order of Letters?"
The dancer looked directly at Shigeru as she remembered him long ago. It had been a long time indeed as she now knew he was here to marry her at last and get her out of the rut she was in. She was seeing him for the first time since their encounter on Kaijirin as they were also about to draw suspicion on all sides. Somehow, he had a reason to have his time with her as he also saw Marthona come into the bar. The Half-Elf from the Rakuen Priesthood was coming the bar for him as she would stop at nothing to make him answer for his mistakes.
"There you are!" she yelled. "Shigeru Mitani in the flesh! It's about time that you came back to your place in the Order after exiling yourself three years ago!"
"Marthona Ross...," he said. "You never give up in your search to justify your actions, do you?"
"You sloughed off your opportunity the moment you dumped your bride three years ago! How dare you do that?! How could you walk away from your destined match after all that planning?! The Dominus from the Kingdom by the River has suffered much worse since his niece and nephew took over! And for that, you threw away everything!"
"Let me remind you that I didn't throw away everything because when I got there, my bride was already gone in which she was sold to a tradesman."
"Liar!" Marthona draws out her sword as she was about to cut at Shigeru. "You ditched Futaba so you could live freely without any cares or worries! I bet that you won't live to see her emerge again 'cause I'm gonna cut more than just your hair!"
When Marthona was about to strike, Shigeru noticed me standing in front of him as I didn't want the member of the Rakuen Priesthood attempt to kill him on the spot. Anger seethed within her as she wanted to kill him for running off on his marriage until the dancer stepped to intervene. She didn't want any violence here as she was aware that there were innocent people and customers here. There was also the matter of Shigeru's folly to see to as I had to resolve this peacefully.
"You shouldn't make too much noise in front of the customers," she said as she stood by Shigeru's side. "It's bad for business just to burst in here in order to kill people."
"Get out of the way, harlot!" yelled Marthona.
"I won't let you kill Shigeru!"
The crowd gasps as they were all staring at him and the dancer. Shigeru was staring at the woman who came to his defense as he wanted to make sure that she didn't get hurt in the process while enduring another bout of Marthona's wrath. It was also at that moment that I sensed something radiating from both my friend and the nightclub dancer that stood in his defense, for they were the ones who were destined to rule the Kingdom by the River on Alecrast, but what will happen next?
"Well, I guess that there's more where that came from," said Shigeru.
"You shut your mouth, adulterer!" yelled Marthona. "I'm not finished with you yet!"
"You don't know who I am, do you?" said the dancer. "I am the betrothed of Shigeru Mitani!"
"You're not a part of anything, whore! I bet that you're not even a virgin, are you?"
"Marthona!" I yelled as I was standing there defending Shigeru and the dancer. "That's enough out of you! I know who the dancer is now. Her name is Futaba Momotora of the Momotora Clan, who are a group of humans who live in the Kingdom by the River. I don't know the rest of the details about what really happened between them, but I know that they are next in line to rule the realm that I speak of. As a member and an Elder of the Order, I will officiate the wedding between them and I'll make sure that they fulfill their destiny into toppling the false rulers of the Kingdom by the River."
Marthona was speechless as she heard me stand out despite the injury on my shoulder and hand. I had to pull a slick one as I was about to officiate my second wedding soon enough. It was twelve in the morning as business hours were extended until two in the morning in which I had to have all that time to get Shigeru and Futaba hitched in order to get them propelled to their true purpose soon enough...
After our skirmish in the lounge, I led the way as I directed Shigeru and Futaba into a hotel that had a romantic setting in it. With my some of my stipend paying for a room to officiate the private wedding, I noticed a familiar face operating the hotel in which it was the same man who owned the Red Rose Inn on Gehenna. Yes, he was there, but he wanted it to let it slide as he remembered being possessed by a demon, only to be saved at the last minute before our departure. I was most likely to be making sure that Shigeru and Futaba were ready to say their vows as I led them into their room, which was known as the Honeymoon Suite. The place itself had a heart-shaped bed with red blankets on it as it was the kind of thing that was made for romance so far, for Shigeru and Futaba would be more than ready to get it on afterwards.
"Nice bed," said Shigeru as he sat down on it. "It's more like something that Cupid would be sleeping in."
"Hey, you're gonna need it after I officiate your private nuptials," I said.
"I take it that you're new in the Council of Elders, aren't you?" said Futaba.
"I'm the only Elder with the jewel on my forehead, but that doesn't mean that I can't do my job correctly." I saw something being slipped into the hotel room as I later picked it up and opened up the package. "Well, I guess that you're gonna put a ring on it after all." I saw the two decorated rings that were made from Rendilian gold and diamonds as I was about to do my work as an Elder of the Order of Letters. "Shigeru, do you take Futaba to be your lawfully wedded wife; for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part as long as you live?"
"Come again?" he asked.
"You're getting cold feet on your short wedding reception, but if I don't do this, I'll have Marthona to deal with and we all know that the Lethal Virgin is known to have such a very short fuse, which she demonstrated earlier tonight."
"Alright, I'll take the hot burlesque dancer, end of story."
"Futaba Momotora, do you take Shigeru to be your lawfully wedded husband; for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part as long as you live?"
"I do," she said.
"Now, with these rings, you will wear them as a symbol of unity within the both of you." I watched Shigeru and Futaba put their rings on. "Now, by the power invested in me by the rest of the Order of Letters, I now pronounce you two husband and wife. You may now kiss... the burlesque dancer sitting next to you."
I watched Shigeru kiss Futaba on the lips as he wanted more of her after that. When I left the hotel room, I noticed a strange man with neon green hair standing next to the door as he was hearing the ceremony word for word. I never seen him before as he was also a man that was dressed in a dark grey suit with a purple shirt, for he wasn't human in which I noticed him being inquisitive at what I had did in order to bring Shigeru and Futaba together on a whirlwind of a night after the birth of my twins, for he was watching over us like any other celestial being who ventured from place to place.
"Sam Winchester, I presume," he said as he stood firm. "I take it that you finally got Shigeru and Futaba together after doing my work into keeping her safe."
"Who are you?" I asked. "Are you an angel?"
"My name's Taraniel and yes, I'm an angel of the Lord. It's nice to see you doing your duty as a man who excelled from servant to Elder in such a short time for a human."
"You watched me officiate Shigeru's wedding, didn't you?"
"Someone had to see it, but at least Lady Futaba's far away from the scumbag who bought her just to have her soul taken out of her."
"Who was he?"
"The tradesman who bought her had it coming when I was seeing him taking virgins just to extract their souls in order to be converted into demons. In the end, I took him out after I heard about his dirty dealings with Gonzalo Arredondo, also known by his underlings as El Jefe."
"The one who orchestrated the arrangement of those people who died in that boxcar in the Southern Stride on Alecrast?" I was remembering the incident of the fallen souls who lost their lives down in Kaldur as I had a feeling that I would be hearing more about the dirty dealings of the infamous El Jefe and his famous clients. "That man has close ties with the Coyotes, but he's also got close ties to Abaddon as well."
"In the three years prior of protecting Futaba after that, she decided to hide her identity and posed as a burlesque dancer for a while, only to see Shigeru in intervals. Every once in a while, she sees him, but he doesn't recognize her due to the fact that he still faces the wrath of her cousins along with one of the descendants of Ennis Ross on the spot. Still, Futaba steered clear under the radar of El Jefe, but his goons have been stealing innocents that mingled in the melting pot of souls, but the ones from virgins are the most powerful."
"So, you wanted Futaba to be with Shigeru after all, didn't you?"
"I did all I can for now, but if any of those demons or perhaps Futaba's cousins come here, they'll show no mercy to the newlyweds, I can tell you that. As for the soul harvesting practice, I suggest that you shut it down before it gets worse."
I was reminded of the factor of what occurred in Kaldur as I had a feeling that there would be no end into stopping the infamous soul factories that were going on all over the galaxy. I was also now aware that the Demon War had gotten a lot deeper than normal, but there was also the fact that several tradesmen had sold their souls to harvest souls in order to convert them into demons just to add into the growing Army of Cain. It was more than enough to protect Shigeru and Futaba from certain death as I also had a feeling that they would end up being targeted by something worse in mind. When I saw Taraniel disappear without a trace, I heard footsteps approaching as I turned around and saw Reuben and his troop in the Medical Corps standing in front of me. He was certain that I would be here as I was about to be dragged back to the hospital sooner or later.
"You fled the coop, Sam," he said as he wasn't too happy with me.
"I fled because of the fact that Shigeru needed my assistance," I said.
"You may have bit the bullet after taking a fall that incapacitated your right shoulder and hand, but I won't let you leave a second time."
"Fine..., I'll go on my merry way."
And so, I followed Reuben and the Medical Corps troops as I was about to go back to the hospital as planned. Still, I had my work cut out for me as I performed a wedding that was in a hotel room, but there would be a time when I would be called out on the field sooner or later...
Shigeru was in the bathroom getting a shower as he was cleaning himself off. He was preparing to lose himself before the night was over as he noticed Futaba coming into the stall where he was. She was naked after stripping off her lingerie as she decided to join him in there. The very sight of her drove him wild as he was starting to feel more in tune with the nightclub dancer that he saw earlier. When he saw her clean herself off, she was ready to lose herself to him as she felt her short hair droop to her shoulders while under the shower nozzle. After the both of them were clean, they turned off the shower as they decided to get it on in there anyway.
Shigeru began to kiss Futaba's soft lips as he was even touching at her large breasts. He was seeing her in all her glory as he was also ready to turn on the shower again. He was ready to keep her as he decided to take her eventually when he felt his member hardening up. He was giving her more pleasure than normal as he set her on the bench part in the shower stall and spread her legs open. It was also at that moment that he finally breached her defenses by going in deep inside of her. The feel of being in there made him become welcome as he was thrusting inward and outward. He heard Futaba moaning as she wanted more from him. Carrying her onto the shower floor gently, he was on top of her as he was even fondling at her soft breasts.
The cries of pleasure was more than enough to keep Shigeru sated as he was giving more than his all in the shower. He was getting used to it as he was about to slow down in the form of his climax. He saw Futaba aching for his touch as she let out a cry of orgasmic pleasure that sent him spewing out his livelihood in one fell swoop. He was done as he pulled out of Futaba in which he saw the virginal blood and semen flowing beneath her legs. He did his duty as he got up and turned on the shower again in order to clean his new wife up.
"It's interesting that we did this without any of my father's counselors knowing about it," said Futaba. "It's also my first time, too."
"It's my first time just to shed my own virginal coil, but at least we don't have to hear Marthona bitch about me going anywhere," said Shigeru.
"This Marthona... Is she the one that was angry at you?"
"She's one of the members of the Rakuen Priesthood and a descendant of Ennis Ross from the Elder Days. She's also someone that doesn't take no for an answer when it came to me dodging the bullet too many times."
"And what about the Elder who officiated our wedding not too long ago..., did he go home?"
"He probably got caught by the Medical Corps and got sent back to the hospital, but I have a feeling that he'll bounce back the moment he gets his other arm working. At least he's there just to make sure that we all function fine until we are called to service again."
It was at that moment that Shigeru was finishing up as he cleaned up Futaba so nicely. After rinsing off, they dried themselves off with towels as they put them into a hamper and left the bathroom. When they got into their heart-shaped bed, they fell asleep in each other's arms as they were complete at last, for they would be having their own destiny to be paved in stone soon enough...
One Year Ago on Atreides...
Shigeru was on his way towards one of the cities on Atreides as he was wrapping up a hunting mission. Most recently, he was busy saving people and hunting things as he also wanted to catch the night life while he was over there. When he got to the city of Darugu, he was noticing it to be quite a clean one as it also had some decent casinos and pachinko parlors there as well. In time, he used his luck very carefully as he was going into one of the casinos just to play on the slot machines. He utilized his luck with all the sharpness he had as he hit the ones that were deemed to be right on the money. With the four slot machines that he picked, he won jackpot on all of them as he was lugging his winnings with style. He was on a roll as he decided to check out the entertainment that was going on so readily until he saw a stunning burlesque dancer appear out of nowhere all dressed in a skimpy nurses' outfit with red stockings and white high heels.
"Hello, nurse," said Shigeru as he saw the dancer getting ready to perform.
The outfit that the dancer wore screamed sexy as Shigeru was staring at her with the look of such desire to give her some of his coins before all of it was over. With the start of a random K-pop song playing, the dancer was putting on her moves as she was simply strutting out in full motion. Shigeru was simply smitten by what he saw on stage as he saw the dancer pull off some sexy moves that stunned the customers that were watching her. The very sight of her put him on edge as he saw her come closer to him and kissed him on his lips. It was at that moment that he was most likely to see her again soon, but it would take a long time before all of that would ever happen again...
Meanwhile, back in the present...
Shigeru woke up as he was feeling the need to make love to his new wife as he saw her sleeping beside him. His quick wedding and consummation of his marriage was something that was cemented onto him as he saw Futaba get up and stared at him. She was no longer a virgin as she was staring at Shigeru in which they were now together at last after three years of being apart for so long, for they would be a part of a destiny that would soon turn the tide of what would happen next.
"Oh, what a night," said Futaba as she saw the fresh snow falling from outside.
"Last night was a bitch, but at least a certain someone came in and married us off at the last minute," said Shigeru. "I bet that after this, you're gonna put away your lingerie and get some normal clothes on, aren't you?"
"Shigeru, my work as a burlesque dancer paid well, but the guy who protected me had told me that I had to remain virginal so I could see you again."
"You're the real deal after all, but-"
"The guy who protected me was an angel. He even said that he was part of the garrison in Heaven once before hiding away from his superiors."
"That explained the package of wedding rings that were given to us, but he's probably friends with Castiel of all people."
"This Castiel..., Taraniel told me all about him once, but that was when we had to leave again to this planet."
"I'm beginning to remember the times I saw you now. On Atreides on a hunting mission, I watched you dressed in a skimpy nurse's outfit that made me want you to play doctor. There was also that time that I noticed you on Kaijirin, but I was busy babysitting Gramps of all people."
"It was when Crowley was here, but I don't think he's out and about anymore according to some of the people that saw me in my line of work."
"Crowley's been in the slammer the moment he got ousted, but he's simply biding his time in order to reclaim his status as the King of Hell again. By the way..., as for you, I'm wanting you to get into your nurses outfit again when we get back to Alecrast."
"I bet that you're gonna see me in my lingerie, but not in the public anymore because I want to shed that image I had out of the picture. It's the least I could do in order to maintain a much normal position in mind. I might want to grow out my hair the way it was before it was cut short to hide my appearance. All I want is some normalcy after hiding out for three years."
"And you shall get it... Besides, you can't hide away forever from what you truly are on both sides because of the fact that you've got something that could turn the tide."
In that moment, Shigeru got up as he was dressed in his clothes. As for Futaba, however, she was ready to get back into her lingerie until she saw fresh underclothes and a lavender kimono on a chair. When she got dressed, she looked plain, but she had a feeling that she would be scrutinized because of her work as a burlesque dancer for the past three years. She may have decided to give up on the dancing business on the outside, but her true destiny was waiting for her the moment she was about to return to the Kingdom by the River on Alecrast. By the time that Shigeru and Futaba were about to leave, they saw Taraniel standing there as he was now aware of what went on, but he didn't let it get to him due to the fact that he wanted to make sure that neither one of them would come to further harm from what would be going after them.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mitani," he said as he sat down in a chair.
"I take it that you're the angel in disguise," said Shigeru.
"Hey, I did my part 'cause those cherubs demanded me to keep you guys safe and pure before anything else happened."
"My cousins...," said Futaba. "They're gonna be coming after me soon..."
"Tsukitama and Tsuchikuro have abused their power in the Kingdom by the River for three years now and it's about time that you guys put a dent in them the moment you get your butts back to Alecrast."
"And what about that Elder who officiated our wedding last night? Is he new to the Order?"
"Sam Winchester is the youngest Elder of the Order, but he's well-known because of the raw power he has in him. The guy recently welcomed his sons yesterday, but he's been stuck with an injury after going into that derelict just to put a stop to Severin Thrippe. Hey, I know the bastard, but I know for a fact that he's got a prosthetic limp to replace the arm that he lost in that scuffle in the Factory of Death not too long ago. Still, before we do anything, we have to nip Severin in the bud before he launches another all-out assault against yours truly in the hospital. We can't let all of this slide 'cause Abaddon's been gaining ground against her enemies by stealing innocent souls and converting them into demons. This isn't the first time it happened, but in the time of the Elder Days, it happened twice: once before the Order Slaughter and again during the Angel Expulsion. We have to tell the rest of the Order and hit every single soul factory and dealer before it's too late and seeing a person without his or her soul isn't pretty."
Shigeru and Futaba saw Taraniel disappear without a trace as they had to put out one threat at a time. The presence of Abaddon and the Army of Cain had to be stopped as the soul factories had to be nipped in the bud first before doing anything next. It was the least that Shigeru and Futaba would do as they had to get to the hospital and tell me off the bat before it was too late...
I woke up as I was placed in an examination room in which I felt my right arm in pain. When I looked at the clock, I saw it to be eight in the morning as I was still reeling from a pep talk from the Medical Corps who caught me in the middle of the night. When I sat up on the examination table that I laid on, I saw Reuben come into the room as he was ready to give me a much sterner lecture than normal, for he didn't want me to go off out in the open too much due to the injury that I had.
"I take it that you're still not too happy with me, are you?" I said.
"Sucking up won't work, Sam," said Reuben as he was sitting at a desk. "You can't just go wandering off due to the fact that you sustained an injury not too long ago."
"A member of the Rakuen Priesthood was after Shigeru in which she wanted to kill him if he didn't agree with marrying Futaba."
"What did you say?"
"Last night, I officiated a wedding between Shigeru and Futaba, who was once masquerading as a burlesque dancer, but I did it because of the destiny that they have in order to topple the false rulers of the Kingdom by the River. There was also an angel that was on hand into protecting the future princess over the three years she was saved from having her soul extracted from the tradesman who bought her."
"I knew it... The Kingdom by the River has been in the huge melting pot of corruption since the former Dominus' niece and nephew took over and usurped him three years ago. It makes sense that they've even sprouting gambling dens and brothels all over the region in which the current rulers show no regard of their citizens, only their own greed."
I had never expected Reuben to show disdain towards the ones who hoodwinked Shigeru as I also knew about the corruption that went on in the Kingdom by the River. Still, I wanted to know more about what went on there as I was also most likely to be intervening into restoring Futaba to the throne in order to cement her place into stamping out the filth that went on there. It was yet another problem that I had to face, but I also had a feeling that I would run into some trouble the moment I bring my family back to Alecrast. I was an Elder of the Order of Letters, but I also had to make sure that no form of corruption would fester out in the open the moment I vowed to get Shigeru and Futaba towards their true destiny. When I was about to leave the examination room, I was stopped by Reuben as he wasn't about to let me out of sight sooner or later.
"You're not going anywhere, Sam," he told me as he gently pushed me back down on the examination table. "Just because you have too much to do, doesn't mean that you can go off freely with an injury."
"I just took a long drop towards the abandoned mineshaft under the factory, but I lived to tell the tale," I said. "I also have Reiko and the twins to look after the moment I get out of here."
"If you think your injuries to your right shoulder and hand are bad, the rest of you is much worse."
"What are you talking about?"
"I looked at your x-rays and the rest of you is not a pretty sight."
I saw Reuben show the images of my body on screen as I had a feeling that I took a turn for the worst. I saw my heart up close as if it was just like Daisuke told me before Christmas on my last examination. My heart was twitching indeed, but it was something that could never be ignored as I was about to be delivered the worst news that I ever had on me. I had a feeling that I would most likely be sitting things out instead of being with the crowd as I couldn't ignore what I saw on screen. It wasn't long until I heard footsteps coming towards the examination room as I sat up and saw Shigeru and Futaba rushing in there in order to tell me the news I was dreading for a long time.
"So, you're still under the ringer after being caught last night," said Shigeru.
"I've been probed and prodded, but I'm fine," I said.
"No, you're not," said Reuben sternly. "Your heart can't take the stress you have on you."
"I still live, but I can't let all of the problems in the Order's record books slide."
"Sam," said Futaba. "Let us tell you lightly."
"Futaba..., I have to be in an emergency meeting after this, but-"
"What about your heart?! You know that you're in dire need of rest after what you put yourself through!"
"What the hell, Sam?" said Shigeru as he saw the image of my heart x-ray on screen. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"
"I didn't want to worry you guys too much because of the problems that are on our plates already."
"Does Dean know about this?" I shook my head. "He's gonna know eventually because if he sees this, he's gonna do more than kick your ass in real time."
"This condition in his heart's been going on for years now," said Reuben as he was analyzing the images on screen. "This can't go on, Sam. You can't just mask your condition just because you're okay or fine. This has been going on a lot longer the moment you were put there on Gehenna. You can't let this slide and after this emergency meeting, you're gonna be prepped for another surgery to repair your heart. This is not a joke or a debate and this isn't that 'just a flesh wound' crap because what you've experienced over the years did a toll on your heart. After this emergency meeting, I want you scheduled for heart surgery, is that clear?"
I reluctantly agreed as I was most likely to endure something that I didn't want so far. I didn't have time to be in another surgery as I was about to be put under the ringer with all the responsibilities that I had to muster. Just as I was about to get off of the examination table, I felt the pain in my shoulder flare up again as I fell onto the floor. It wasn't a pretty sight for me, but I had to deal with it as I was on my feet. I wasn't in fine fettle at all as I had all my responsibilities in a bundle, for I had to take care of my family's needs as well as my own.
By the time I was done hearing that stern lecture, I noticed Taraniel come into the room as he placed his hand on my chest in which the condition I suffered from was gone in an instant. The twitching in my heart was gone as I was staring at the angel who protected Futaba all those years ago. He was no stranger in being an angel of the Lord, but he has his own reasons into making sure that I didn't fall under the pressure of my position as an Elder of the Order.
"It's a start, but at least you don't have the burden in your ticker anymore," he said.
"You could've healed my shoulder and hand, you know." I said.
"Sorry, but the shoulder and hand are gonna have to wait and besides, you've done enough stuff already. Give it a rest, will you?"
"So, Sam's stuck with his past injuries, isn't he?" said Reuben.
"The shoulder and hand will take longer, but he can't shoulder the burden of his responsibilities alone. He's not Superman, you know."
"I heard that," I said.
"Hey, injured and bothered," said Shigeru. "Of all the responsibilities that you could muster, you sure did something for me of all people."
"I know what I did and at least we all don't have to worry Marthona harping all over you."
"Sam, let us do the leg work for you," said Futaba. "Besides, you can't just play Superman forever."
I heard all of that advice come into fruition as I saw Shigeru and Futaba holding hands while Reuben and Taraniel were staring at the x-rays on screen. I had my work cut out for me for a while, for the time of the emergency meeting was about to begin soon enough...
To be continued...