Vampire Bund, Tokyo, Japan, 2010.
I felt pain all over while I was regaining consciousness, and I caught a whiff of something cooking. I opened my eyes to see the surprising figure of Seiji making meat and potatoes on a makeshift stove. As I looked at the police inspector, I thought about how I had nearly died and how I felt that something was off with my memories...I had some memories of my parents being killed in a robbery gone wrong...but I also had some vague images that were foggy and out of order like a jumbled up jigsaw puzzle. I tried to focus on the images, but a splitting headache hit me and I grabbed my head as I groaned slightly. Seiji looked back and smiled when he saw that I was awake.
"Finally back in the land of the living I see...give me a sec, just finishing up some grub," Seiji notified me and added, "See, the trick is to not overcook it. The texture's important."
"Inspector? What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned in confusion.
"I live here," Seiji stated as he gestured the room we were in.
"You live inside the Bund? I wasn't told about that," I pointed out and Seiji rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Oh...sorry. I guess I should've informed you. To explain, I was transferred here to represent the police force's bund division. This office right here is where I'm set up...it's still pretty empty but it's home. See, in order to prevent any future vampiric terrorist attacks...you know, like the one that happened last week, they had to open up an office within the Bund. Of course, I'm the only employee here...but you know how it is," Seiji remarked.
"I'm surprised...I was expecting there to be more people working with you on this, and you are either very brave or incredibly stupid to volunteer on working with vampires and werewolves," I stated as I carefully sat up, and discovered that my green shirt and jeans jacket were gone and a blanket was covering me.
"That's what my superiors said! They said that I was the only dumbass stupid enough to stay in a place like this. Hell, Councilor Gotoh even nominated me personally, though she can be harsh at times...anyway, what you need now is some good old fashioned meat and potatoes," Seiji suggested as he handed me a plate of food.
I took the meat and was about to eat it, but I remembered what I did to that shape-shifter and started covering my mouth in revulsion as I heaved and felt sick to my stomach.
"Shit! Are you okay?! That was the first time you killed someone in such a manner, didn't you?" Seiji asked while laying a hand on my shoulder in concern.
"Yeah...and the worst part was that I enjoyed it..." I trailed off as I looked at my hands, horrified at what I had done, wondering what had come over me.
"David...when I saw the display you put up, I lost my lunch. I don't know what had happened to you back in the States...but it must've fucked you up pretty badly. Look, you don't need to hurry...this town has its charms, but trying to find food for normal humans is nearly impossible. One more thing...if you are wondering where is Kaburagi-san is, I didn't find him when I stumbled upon you and the gruesome scene you set up. I'm thinking someone took him away while you were out cold," Seiji explained while I took a bite of the meat.
"Akira can take care of himself...this is pretty good. The glaze on the skin, is this orange juice? No, maybe a liqueur..." I observed while I tasted the meat and Seiji perked up.
"Holy shit, you can tell just by tasting it?! That's fucking sweet! Normally, the people who eat my cooking...they never even give me so much as a compliment. It sucks too...the only time I ever get to escape from the stress of doing paperwork is when I'm cooking," Seiji remarked and I nodded.
"I know...while I was growing up in the research facility, I did some of the cooking for a few friends. One of my friends who turned into a rival, Nikolai, he didn't say anything no matter what I made. I had always figured that he didn't have any interest in it...but we were friends, so I kept making things for him and the others. Even though the maids at the castle take care of everything, I still cook to take my mind off of things," I explained.
"You have maids taking care of you? Lucky bastard...must be nice to live a life of luxury after killing people for chump change," Seiji muttered and I huffed slightly.
"It's...different than what I'm used to. Anyway, thanks for providing me assistance and feeding me, but I need to keep moving and find Akira," I stated as I stood up and looked around for my shirt and jacket.
"David, don't be an idiot. I know you're not fully healed up yet," Seiji said with a little concern in his voice.
"I've survived missions that have a 99% fatality rate, so I'll be fine since "the Death" cannot die. And if I stay here, I'm only going to cause you problems," I stated. I spotted my knife and gun nearby and picked them up as I asked, "Do you have a phone that is untraceable? I need to call someone."
"Um...I think I do," Seiji said in confusion as he dug through his pockets then handed me a phone.
I took the phone and dialed Yuki's number, waited until the call went through, then felt relief at hearing the familiar voice of Yuki.
"Hello? Who is this?" Yuki asked in confusion.
"Yuki...it's David," I replied and I heard a gasp.
"David?! You're okay! I was so terrified something had happened to you! Where are you? Are you safe?" Yuki questioned frantically in pure relief.
"I can't say where I am, but I just wanted to call you so that I could let you know that I'm okay at the moment...Yuki, I'm sorry," I said quietly.
"What do you have to be sorry about? You're okay and that's all I needed to know," Yuki stated and I started trembling as I thought about what I had been put through and what I did to that assassin.
"I'm apologizing because I'm an idiot...I never should've made you worry about me and I should be with you right now. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of and looking back on it now, I am questioning a lot of things...there are some things about my past that are jumbled and confusing and I need to sort them out. I don't know what it means, but I think it's connected to what had happened to me 15 years ago. Yuki, if I don't make it...I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed the short time we spent together and that I owe you a debt I'll never be able to repay...people like me, we never find anything good at the end of the road and it always ends in tragedy," I said while I held my head with one hand.
"What the hell are you saying, David?! You'll be fine and you'll come back with Akira!" Yuki tried to reason and I chuckled bitterly.
"I'm telling you this because I don't want you to have false hope...I'm fucked up in the head, Yuki. I've committed many sins in my life, so maybe this is karma finally kicking my ass for what I did in the past. I love you and I wish that I didn't have to put you through this...I'll do my damndest to get back to you with Akira, but there is a chance that neither of us might make it through this night alive," I stated while my voice was cracking a little.
"Just...please come back with Akira...that's all I want," Yuki told me while a few tears welled up and ran down my cheeks.
"I swear to God I will...even if Akira and I have to crawl back," I swore in determination and I hung up as I looked at Seiji.
"David...those assassins that are after you for getting in the way...you know that you might die fighting against them, right? Even in your condition?" Seiji inquired with a look of pure seriousness on his face.
"I know...and you knew about what is going on?" I asked.
"Damn right...I'm the acting Branch Chief," Seiji declared while he was sipping his cup of coffee.
"Then you know that assisting me or Akira is prohibited, correct?" I warned and Seiji shrugged.
"Hey, kid, I'm not a vampire or a werewolf so I think I'll be okay. Besides, the Japanese National Police have this motto, 'human life above all'," Seiji stated with a smirk.
I was about to reply when I heard something and held up a fist, Seiji tensed up and gestured for me to get the package that was in the bag of food. I grabbed the long looking package just as one of the men in Oni masks crashed into the window, and I tossed the package then pulled out my knife and gun. Seiji unwrapped the package to reveal a Spas-12 shotgun, and he blasted the assassin in the arm just as the second masked assassin appeared out of the shadows to attack me. I blocked, dodged, evaded his attacks and retaliated with a combination of quick slashes from my knife and skillful marksmanship with my combat pistol, shooting the man in the leg and chest which forced him to leap back into the shadows. I looked behind me to see Seiji using a combination of martial arts with his shotgun, blasting the first attacker through a window and the police inspector scoffed as he reloaded.
"Stubborn motherfuckers," Seiji muttered in irritation while he loaded the gun.
"I doubt that'll keep them back for long, so we should evacuate from the premises before things get too hot for us to handle," I suggested while I aimed around.
"You're right, which is why I know of a quick way out. Follow me," Seiji said as he gestured me to follow him.
I followed Seiji, who led me to a chute. We both went down it to find ourselves in a tunnel. As we moved through the near darkness, Seiji and I found ourselves in the underground city for the Vampire Kingdom.
"So soldier boy, what's the plan? We could slip into the city and try to lose those masked men," Seiji offered but I shook my head.
"I wouldn't advise that. If we head into the city, the civilians will be caught in the crossfire and I would rather we didn't have civilian casualties," I refused and Seiji grinned.
"Well...if that's your decision, then it's fine with me. So, there are four of them from what you told me?" Seiji inquired.
"Yes...there are the two Chinese masked men and the man and woman in the armor," I informed him and Seiji looked thoughtful.
"I don't know anything about the man and woman in the armor, but it's the masked men that are becoming a real pain in the ass," Seiji grumbled.
"Those men are highly skilled at close range, so we need to use long ranged methods and come up with a tactical solution on how to take them down permanently," I stated.
"You have a good point...so we need to find a weakness that'll help us kill those bastards," Seiji agreed as he rested the shotgun over his shoulder. I decided to ask him about where he learned how to shoot so proficiently.
"You know...we make an effective combat unit, but there was something I was wondering...Inspector, what was your former occupation before you became a police officer?" I questioned.
"Why do you ask?" Seiji wondered.
"Because of the way you handle a gun...ordinary law enforcement officers are not usually that skilled with a shotgun, so I'm thinking you are former military...maybe special forces," I theorized and Seiji frowned as he looked away.
"You're very observant...yes, I am former military," Seiji admitted.
"So, were you with the JSDF?" I asked and Seiji shook his head.
"No...I used to be in Delta Force," Seiji replied which caught my attention.
"You were with one of the US Army's special forces divisions? That's impressive, and it explains a few things...the way you hold yourself and how you are always on high alert whenever you enter a room. It's similar to how I react," I pointed out.
"I wanted to say that I'm an American like you...it was where my dad was born," Seiji stated and I perked up.
"Your father was an American? You must've gotten your looks from your mother because I can't tell that you are the son of an American," I commented and Seiji laughed in amusement.
"Yeah...I did get my looks from my mother. Anyway, my father was Navajo and my mother was Japanese. I was born here," Seiji informed me.
"You're Native American? So...you're like me then. My mother was from Europe and my father was from Boulder CO and he was descended from the Navajo Nation," I notified.
"Yeah, but I don't transform into a wolf," Seiji remarked and I chuckled.
"True...listen, can I ask you an honest question?" I inquired.
"Sure. What is it?" Seiji wondered.
"Why are you really helping me? You practically know nothing about me, yet you are going out of your way to make sure I survive this nightmare. And how are you not scared of the thought of dying?" I questioned and Seiji frowned.
"You're scared of dying? You don't seem to be the type," Seiji pointed out.
"It's because of my training that I'm always able to keep it together...but this situation has me questioning a lot of things about my past and I guess I'm terrified of dying and not making it back to Yuki," I admitted with a grimace.
"I guess the reason why I'm helping you is that I don't want a kid dying on my watch and that you are a good person who went through hell in your life. Let me ask you this...what do you think is the most important thing for a marksman?" Seiji asked me suddenly.
"Never hesitate when you have eyes on your target," I answered instantly.
"Bingo! Sure, a good aim plays a part but every sharpshooter knows that when it comes time to pull the trigger...you must never hesitate," Seiji lectured.
"Yeah...the drill instructors taught me that so I would never fail a mission. Did you learn that from experience?" I questioned with an arched brow.
"Nah...I read it in a book once but I think it was right. It's a question of preparation...when you draw your gun, you have to be ready to pull the trigger no matter what the circumstances are or who you'll face...even if it's your best friend because there is a reason why you are fighting. And there is a reason why you have to pull that trigger...isn't that right? As a soldier, you understand fighting for what you believe in and you have someone waiting for you throughout all of this, don't you?" Seiji asked me and I thought about Yuki.
"Yuki..." I muttered with a fond smile.
"Men like us are complete dumbasses. We'll put up with damn near anything for the girl we love...you know what, forget what I said! I'm just an irresponsible adult who's talking about stuff I don't understand at all!" Seiji remarked and I laughed.
I suddenly heard movement coming fast to our location and my good mood went away. I signaled Seiji and we started running. I didn't hear anything after that but I was forced to stop us when I picked up noises ahead.
"Shit...we're being flanked. We need to find an alternate route, ASAP," I stated and Seiji suddenly blasted the hinges on the door next to us, causing a path to open up before us.
"Go on ahead! I got this," Seiji instructed.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to be killed because of me," I inquired.
"You're still not fully recovered and without being able to transform, you're gonna have a helluva hard time winning even with your training. You just need to run for now and wait it out until you're fully recovered. Put this on and don't forget what I said," Seiji stated as he took off his jacket and gave it to me.
"Copy that...stay safe, soldier," I told him as I put the jacket on and felt respect for the man who was willing to die for me.
"Oh, don't worry, I'll make sure to give them hell for you. Now go!" Seiji ordered as he aimed down the tunnel.
I took off through the doorway and ran, ignoring the gunshots as I found myself in some kind of ventilation shaft that was really windy. I heard a battle cry approaching and I swore under my breath, taking off down the shaft and covering my face as the wind got even stronger. I nearly fell down a giant hole and saw massive fan blades moving fast.
"Damn...out of the frying pan and into the fucking fire," I muttered in displeasure as I suddenly heard something behind me and looked to see one of the masked assassins going for a swing at my head.
I quickly dodged the strike and saw the fan suddenly stopping, taking the chance to jump into the hole and falling past the fan blades. I heard someone calling for me to grab hold of something and I opened my eyes slightly to see Akira and three familiar kids holding out the end of a jump rope. Thinking fast, I grabbed the end and was pulled into the space they were leaning out of.
"David...I'm glad we saved you when we did," Akira told me as I stood up.
I nodded as I stood up and looked at the children, who beamed as one of them hugged me. I smiled softly and gestured them to lead the way. Akira and I followed the kids but I heard the noises of the man and woman in armor approaching.
"We have incoming contact...it's not the masked Chinese assassins. The man and woman in armor are fast approaching," I informed everyone while I stopped to aim my gun down the tunnel.
"Whoa! You can tell just from the sounds of their footsteps?" the dark-skinned kid asked in awe.
"This isn't the time for questions! You kids have to run!" Akira said urgently as I got ready to shoot.
"Shit...the enemy is regrouping much faster than I expected. If I can just let my body recover, then I'll be able to change form and have a tactical advantage," I thought and I heard the kids calling for us, looking to see them in a vent and climbed up after them.
"Hurry! Keep moving!" the kid urged us while Akira and I struggled to keep up.
"Hey...David and I are not as compact as you guys are!" Akira protested and the bottom of the vent was blasted by something.
I looked through the hole to see the man and woman in armor shooting the vent, forcing everyone to frantically crawl to avoid getting shot. One of the kids kicked open a vent cover on the right and we all saw a bunch of pipes overlooking an endless drop. The kids dropped down and landed on one of the pipes, gesturing for us to jump down and I obliged by dropping down. I landed gracefully just as Akira followed suit, and we followed the kids.
"Are you alright, Temple-chan?" one of the kids asked in concern as I sat down against the wall to rest.
"I'll be fine...I'm not feeling well right now, so I'm still recovering," I gasped slightly as I reached into the jacket left pocket.
"Aww, you're sick?" another kid wondered while I took out a box and opened it to see a shotgun shell and a syringe.
"A bullet and a syringe?" the little girl wondered as I took out the shell and the syringe.
"Must've been a gift..." I trailed off as I injected myself and felt like I was recovering more quickly.
"Temple-chan, what are you and Onii-chan gonna do next?" the dark-skinned kid asked.
"I need to let my body recover, but that's going to be difficult...if only there was a location where those assassins won't be able to find us," I grumbled in irritation and the kids looked at each other.
"I know! There's a place they'll never find you and Onii-chan!" the dark-skinned kid declared.
Akira and I followed the kids into the underground city's residential zone, passing many vampires and winding up in an apartment.
"Shhhh...we need to be quiet. We'll be in big trouble if Kaa-chan finds us," one of the kids urged as they pushed me and Akira forward.
"Oh, you'll be in big trouble alright," an adult female voice announced sternly, causing the kids to stiffen up and look around the corner.
"Kaa-chan?!" the kids cried out in alarm.
"I'll have you three know that I've been looking all over for you! And just what is that you're hiding there? You three better show me now...ugh, please tell me you didn't find another stray. Is it another cat? A dog?" the mother questioned firmly, Akira and I peering out to reveal ourselves.
"No...we are wolves, though," Akira remarked.
The woman was surprised to see us and before I knew it, she was serving us cake and talking with us.
"Please help yourselves," the woman offered kindly while she placed two slices of cake on the kitchen table.
"Cake?" Akira wondered in confusion.
"Sometimes, I just crave sweet things so badly...it reminds me of when I was human. Strange, isn't it? Even though I can't taste it anymore, my body still seems to want it," the woman explained sheepishly as Akira and I ate.
"Thank you for the cake, Ma'am," I said politely after Akira and I were finished.
"Oh, my...devoured them already I see. I hope the kids haven't been causing you two any trouble...they can be such troublemakers sometimes," the woman stated.
"You don't need to apologize, they assisted us when we were in trouble...we should be the ones to apologize for putting them in danger. We'll be leaving as soon as we're finished resting for the moment," I said calmly.
After chatting for a while, the kids came back and we left the apartment to find thousands of Fangless vampires waiting to encourage and cheer on Akira and I. When Akira and I swore that we would make it back to Mina, they all cheered joyfully and I was rendered silent from the massive support since I wasn't used to something like this. We all headed to a large pipe and were suddenly attacked by the man and woman in armor, quickly jumping down the pipe and splashing into a pool of water. We all got out of the water and shook ourselves off, Akira glaring at the kids.
"Speaking as an older brother who has a younger sibling...don't you know that you shouldn't play in dangerous places like this?!" Akira lectured sternly, the kids groaning in disappointment.
We moved through the lower levels while avoiding the armored man and woman, trying to figure out what was going on and how they were tracking us.
"I don't understand...how are they tracking us?" Akira muttered in irritation while we took a short break.
"Maybe they put a bug on one of us like in those spy movies," one of the kids suggested and I felt realization along with betrayal as I clenched the jacket Seiji gave me.
"I see now...you're working for the enemy, aren't you Inspector...or were you even a cop in the first place?" I thought bitterly as I looked at the others.
"I know what we need to do, but it is going to be highly risky," I warned.
"What do we do?" one of the kids asked.
"I have a plan to lure them out of hiding...and ambush them while they aren't expecting it," I stated and started to tell everyone the plan.
Akira and I looked down to see the assassins in armor walking over to the shotgun shell and picked it up off the floor.
"Don't move...I have a gun pointed at your heads and I'm a quick shot. Look up," I instructed while I aimed at the assassins.
"See that container up there? It weighs ten tons...one wrong move from either of you and it gets dropped or David shoots. And believe me when I say that neither of us will hesitate," Akira threatened coldly while the assassins looked at us.
"I knew that something was off..."Inspector", or are you even an actual police officer? How you managed to locate me when I was out cold and how you knew some things about me that I never told anybody...the day we met, you had the scent of a werecat on you and the woman who's with you...I have a pretty good idea who she is. Isn't that right? Mei," I accused with a hard stare, the armored people taking off their helmets to show us Mei and Seiji.
"I'll deal with Seiji while you go after Mei..." Akira suggested and I nodded as Mei took off.
I pursued Mei until we were on a catwalk, facing each other with stony expressions.
"So Mei...you want to tell me why you gave me that cellular transformation blocker? The drug you gave me earlier today temporarily suppresses cellular activity when a therianthrope is undergoing surgery, which explains why my body was rejecting itself earlier. They take about three hours to work...how do I know this? Because the only thing I ate earlier today before this game of hide and seek was one of your pieces of hard candy! Why Mei?! Why did you screw me over like that?!" I demanded harshly as Mei turned around.
"I've been waiting for this moment for 12 years...three clans and Mina Tepes, the leaders of the vampire world are finally in the same room...now I can turn them all into ash at once. That is what I must do for the person who is dear to me...and just so you know, I'm not talking about Rozenmann," Mei said quietly.
"Let me guess...you work for Telomere, don't you? Christ, you people are like fucking cockroaches...no matter how many of you I crush, more of you keep on coming," I scoffed bitterly and added, "And what the hell do you mean by waiting for 12 years?"
"You really don't remember me...haven't you figured it out yet, we know each other more than you think," Mei stated and I gritted my teeth.
"I don't know what the hell you are going on about, so quit it with the fucking mind games! The first time I met you was about a month ago!" I shouted in frustration and an agonizing pain ripped through my head.
I slumped onto my knees and gripped my head, images rushing inside my head as I screamed in pain...the images became clear as day and my eyes widened as the true memories of what had happened 15 years ago crushed the altered ones.
I was running with mommy and daddy, trying to escape the bad men and making it to our wooden cabin in the forest. I was scared of the bad men and I didn't want them to hurt mommy and daddy...mommy opened the front door and we all ran inside the cabin.
"Scott, they're coming!" mommy alerted daddy as we headed to the basement and went down the stairs to hide.
"Mommy, daddy, I'm scared," I whimpered and mommy rubbed my back to comfort me.
"It's okay sweetie...mommy and daddy won't let the bad men hurt you," mommy reassured while daddy looked tense.
"I swear Umbrella will pay for this... lying to us about who they are and hurting our son? They made a big mistake," daddy growled under his breath and we all stiffened up when we heard the front door being kicked in.
I started crying, mommy quietly shushing me and daddy going over to a locker to take out his shotgun. Suddenly, the basement door was kicked open and daddy shot at the bad men who were dressed like soldiers. The bad men frantically moved out of the way and shot back. I screamed while I covered my ears, a few bullets struck daddy's gun and daddy tossed it. Mommy let me go and went next to daddy, the two of them snarling and changing into monsters before my eyes. My mommy and daddy turned into wolf people with brown and white fur, charging at the bad men who were desperately trying to fight back. I closed my eyes and looked away, keeping my ears covered for a while to block out the screams and gunfire...then it finally went silent and I opened my eyes to see if it was safe. I saw mommy and daddy lying on the ground, covered with a red liquid and funny looking holes while the bad men were also on the ground with many bad owies on them. I went over to mommy and daddy, knelt down and poked them.
"Mommy? Daddy? You can get up now...mommy, daddy, wake up. M-mommy...daddy," I whimpered when mommy and daddy didn't wake up.
I frantically tried to wake up mommy and daddy, but they didn't move and I screamed for anyone to help while I was sobbing.
(3 days later)
I had forgotten how long I was trapped down here, but I was very hungry, thirsty, and cold...I tried to leave the basement, but it was blocked by something and I cried out for anyone to help me. I begged and pleaded, but no one came and I was trapped...I sat in front of mommy and daddy, feeling numb and I didn't move for who knows how long. I suddenly heard footsteps and the sound of someone moving something. The basement door opened and a pair of hands helped me up.
"We finally found the target's location Sir, but Beta Team is down...yes sir, sending in the cleanup crews now...Experiment B-241 has been located and is being extracted back to Facility A," the man notified on his walky-talky.
I was led outside, put into a black van and I was taken away. Before I knew it, I was strapped to a metal table with men and women in lab coats looking down on me with cold stares.
"Is the process starting?" one of the men inquired.
"Yes, sir...Compound Six is being inserted right now. The subject should have no memory of what had truly happened," another man stated.
"Good...Umbrella's Telomere branch has been working hard on finding the key to eternal life...Lord Spencer will be pleased," the head female doctor with long blond hair declared while a funny feeling went through me.
(seven months later)
I was bored, not wanting to be with the other kids as I drew...I was working on a picture of wolf people when a girl about my age with black hair and funny looking yellow eyes came over.
"Hi! I saw that you were alone, so I was wondering if you wanted to play," the girl offered and I just stared at her blankly.
"Not interested..." I said coldly and went back to drawing.
"Say...that's pretty good. I've never seen art as good as yours," the girl said and I looked back up at her.
"You...like my drawings? The others think I'm weird since I don't talk with anyone," I stated stoically.
"Well, let me be the first to talk with you. My name is Mei Rei. What's your name?" Mei asked curiously.
"David Temple," I replied quietly.
"Nice to meet you, David. I have a feeling that we are going to be good friends!" Mei declared and I shrugged.
I gasped while I was recovering from regaining my memories and I looked at Mei, who stared back in anticipation.
"We...were best friends, right?" I inquired and Mei perked up.
"You finally remember! David...it's been 12 years since I had last seen you back in the facility and I had hoped that you were okay while I was taken away," Mei told me while I stood up.
"So, Mei...you are working for the enemy even after everything they did to us all those years ago? Why would you do that when they were the ones to treat us like lab rats?" I questioned.
"Because one of the scientists saved my life and she was the one to become someone I cherish...that person is currently the leader of Telomere and she has a plan that'll ensure Ozwell E. Spencer's vision will come true," Mei stated while raising her arms joyfully.
"You really have changed, Mei. When we were friends, you wouldn't have thought about hurting other people...but you don't even hesitate on doing just that. I guess Umbrella really did fuck up the both of us, and this loyalty with Telomere will destroy you," I stated, causing Mei to laugh bitterly.
"You don't understand, David. That woman gave me a purpose again after I was taken away to have horrible things being performed on me! She gave me everything! My name, my freedom, a reason for living...my people of the Forest Clan were in hiding and they repopulated after the war centuries ago nearly wiped them out...after I was taken away, I was experimented on too many times to count and kept as a pet when she rescued me. She has done so much for me that I long to return the favor...I will do whatever it takes to make sure the door to the new world order is opened, then we will crown my princess as our rightful queen...vampires and humans alike will have no choice but to bow before her," Mei stated and I didn't know what to think.
"Do you even hear yourself?! Spencer tried to accomplish the exact same thing and it became his downfall, only to be killed by Albert Wesker in the end! Telomere will fall and your friend will only have herself to blame...you do know that I won't let you do this, even if we're friends," I said darkly as I got into a combat stance.
"I know...this will be the battle where our hopes and dreams collide! Prepare yourself, David!" Mei declared as her eyes glowed, her hands and feet changing into clawed hands and digitigrade paws while she charged at me.
I weaved out of the way and went to slash at her with my knife, Mei dodging and sending me staggering back with a kick that caused my chest to be sliced. Mei came after me and it became a deadly dance of dodging, weaving, slashing, shooting and getting hit many times.
"C'mon David! What happened to Operative HUNK?! The man who survived missions that would kill an ordinary human?! The most decorated team leader of Alpha Team who was under the employment of the Umbrella Security Service?! Where is that cold and ruthless killer who would only put the mission before everything?!" Mei roared while I was busy dodging and blocking her fast strikes.
Mei tried to swipe me as she passed, but I managed to twist myself out of the way and start shooting at her which caused Mei to roll out of the way.
"You remember what you told me?! You said that we were the ones to truly understand each other due to what Umbrella put us through...you know what I mean?! But the Mei I knew died when she was taken away that day 12 years ago! Whatever our friendship used to mean, it's gone now and I'm not going to let you and Telomere cause fucking chaos to the world!" I declared while we faced each other down, Mei laughing softly.
"Yeah...I know, and I'm sorry to hear that. Umbrella, the Three Clans, we let them take over our lives. We're both fucked in the heads...we're butterflies in love with flowers, willing to sacrifice mind, body, and every drop of blood without any regret," Mei stated as she ripped open the top of her armor to show me horrific scars on her chest.
"Jesus..." I trailed off in horror.
"The things they did to me, nothing will ever compare how I felt. This is Agni's blood that had been modified for Therianthropes. Wanna try to take it out?" Mei asked mockingly.
"Oh God...don't do it!" I called out to her in alarm.
"Oh calm the hell down, because I'm not going to die alone...your beloved Yuki and Princess will be right beside me when I detonate it. Now, how about one last dance, David?! Only one of us will be leaving this place alive! The question is, will it be you?! Or will it be me?!" Mei cried gleefully and she changed into a tiger, snarling at me while I smiled softly in regret.
"I'm sorry I have to do this...maybe things would've been different if Umbrella hadn't destroyed our lives," I stated sorrowfully as I felt myself fully recover.
I shifted into my wolf form and we charged at each other with claws and teeth bared, crashing into ourselves and toppling over the catwalk. We fell from the long drop and landed into a parking lot, the sight of a black wolf and a yellow tiger ramming into themselves and destroying cars in the process. To any observer, there would be a black light and yellow light bouncing off of each other as they climbed into the air and moved across the sky in an amazing light show. I twisted out of the way of an incoming strike and raked my claws across Mei's side as I passed her in mid-air, blood shooting out while we landed on opposite cranes. Mei shifted into her humanoid werecat form and charged at me, prompting me to shift into my wolf-man form as I went into a combat stance.
Mei went to slash me with her claws, but I deflected the attacks as I kneed her in the gut. I went to go in for a crippling blow and Mei twisted out of the way, sending me flying and crashing into the wall of a building with a few hits. Mei took the chance to rush over and slash me across the chest, causing blood to spray as I fell.
(Play Green Bird from the anime Cowboy Bebop)
As I fell, time seemed to slow down and I started reflecting on my entire life, my parents' murders caused by Umbrella, being raised in an Umbrella lab, becoming friends with Mei, Nikolai, and Jessica, being experimented on, losing Mei and Jessica, becoming a cold and ruthless mercenary, surviving missions for two years, being involved in the Raccoon City incident, being hired by Mina to become her personal guard, falling love with Yuki, and fighting Mei. As I reflected, I felt regretful of the man I had become and I wondered what my life could've been if it hadn't been stolen by Umbrella. I crashed into a parked car and barely rolled off it while I involuntarily shifted back to my human form, struggling to stand on my two feet as Mei approached in her human form.
"It's all over, David," Mei said softly as I stood up.
"I'm coming...Yuki," I rasped weakly and added, "I'm sorry for...putting you through this...just hang in there...I will come back to you, my mate."
I stumbled over to Mei and stood before her with eyes glazed over from the agony.
"I was thinking David...I know why we're fighting on this night...it's because we were destined to encounter each other a month ago" Mei stated as we shifted into our were-forms and charged at each other.
I swiped at her and Mei dodged, moving in to impale me with her claws but I barely moved out of the way and stabbed her right into the heart as I embraced her.
"You...win..." Mei gasped and she shifted back to her human form while she added, "I'm happy...I never thought I would see you one last time...David and that I would die...with someone I cared about...thank you David, for setting me free from this hell."
With those last words, she died in my arms just as Akira stumbled over with one arm, his eyes widening in shock. I looked at him with eyes of despair and whimpered slightly.
"She's dead..." Akira muttered while I looked at him sorrowfully.
I looked down at Mei one last time and raised my head to howl mournfully, shifting back to my human form as my howls of sorrow turned into broken sobs of grief. At that point, I knew that I was never going to be the same again.
I stumbled with Akira as we entered the castle and headed for the Throne Room, feeling like I had gone through all nine circles of hell and been spat back out...while we supported ourselves, I spotted Yuki and Mina running down the steps of the grand staircase to rush over to us.
"Akira, David!" Yuki and Mina called out tearfully as they approached.
"Yuki!" I gasped as I stumbled to her and we embraced while crashing our lips together.
"I knew you and Akira would make it..." Yuki whimpered after we stopped kissing to rest our heads together.
"I'm sorry...for putting you through hell," I muttered while tears ran down my cheeks.
"Men! Three howls for the warriors!" Wolfgang ordered and the Elite Eight chanted three times in honor of our bravery.
While Yuki and I held each other close, I thought about Mei and a burning hatred for Telomere raised up inside me.
"Telomere...no, Umbrella. They stole our lives from us, turned us into monsters, and blackened our souls. Mei, I will find every last one of them...and I will make them pay for the horrors they put us through," I thought as Yuki, Akira, and I went to the hospital so that Akira and I would get ourselves checked out.
(a week later)
After the events of what had happened, I was checked out by a doctor of the Bund's hospital and he saw that I was healing up fast. I was put through some blood work and found out that there were some anomalies that he had never seen before...after doing some more tests, it was discovered that I had antibodies of some kind that made me immune to something unknown. I knew that Umbrella had done something to me while I grew up in that lab, recalling getting all those "flu shots" and wondered if I was experimented on with the company's bio-weapons which caused my body to adapt to them and form antibodies.
As for Akira, he got his arm reattached and was forced to stay at the hospital so that he would make a full recovery, despite his protests. Now, I was approached by Wolfgang, who told me that due to proving myself many times, I was now ready to go through my Rite of Passage but I needed to get therapy after the traumas of what I had been through...which is why I was now currently standing in front of the door that led me to a Beowulf veteran support circle. I looked back at Yuki and Mina, who gave me nods of encouragement that caused me to go inside the room.
I saw Beowulf soldiers in casual clothing, who were sitting in a circle and looking at me with nods of greeting as I came over to take a seat.
"Well...seems like we have a new guest. Wolfgang-dono explained that you were coming, so how about you introduce yourself," the therapist suggested patiently, and I took a deep breath.
"Hello everyone...my name is David," I introduced and everyone greeted back.
"Nice to meet you, David. Maybe you could tell us why you're here? If you don't want to, then that's fine since it's your first time being here with us," the therapist offered.
"I just...want to say some things about myself and maybe I'll consider it," I started hesitantly.
"That's perfectly fine. We all know how you are feeling, so you can take things slow if that's what you want," the therapist said and I nodded in gratitude.
"Where do I even begin...I've done things that I'm not proud of but at the time, I didn't care because I always put the mission before everything else...I took many lives for a paycheck and I didn't care as long as I completed the mission...the first time I was in war, I never thought about what would happen next...what I was going to do when it was over, but I suppose that's how I was back then...y'know, I think that might be the hardest part...the silence of when the shooting stops...how do you adapt to that? I guess...I guess that's what you need to figure out and that's what you guys are doing...you're working on it and I respect that...I just...um, if you don't look at yourself, I'm sure you look in a mirror and you need to...admit who you are...but not just to yourself...you need to do it with everybody else. The first time for as long I can remember, I finally found a place to belong, found someone to care for, and that I don't have to risk myself for nothing...but, the things I've seen, the things I did, there is no coming back from that and...well...to be honest...not knowing what'll happen next, I'm scared," I admitted hauntingly, uncertain of what my future will be.
A/N Finally done! So, did you all like what I put down in the final scene? I think David admitting he's scared just shows how truly broken he is, and that it will be a real struggle coming to terms with himself and his dark past. Now, if you all know what a werewolf's Rite of Passage is in the manga, then David will be in for one hell of a time due to being dropped into the mountains without any clothing, any outside contact, and forced to work with newly trained Beowulf recruits for months. I figured that since David hadn't gone through a werewolf's Rite of Passage yet, he has more than proven himself that he is ready for it. Now that I'm done with most of the anime, David's story will continue in the manga so get ready. Stay tuned everyone.