Resident Evil, Children of the Seraphs, Chapter three

Resident Evil

Children of the Seraphs

By: Xenogears

Chapter three

In no way do I own the characters of Capcom's legacy, Resident Evil. They are used for non-profit purposes, only for entertainment. The characters Ryan Joseph Davidson, Anna Yamaguchi and Mark belong exclusively to me and may not be used by anyone without my permission. The stories Resident Evil: Silver Blood, Resident Evil: The Seraphs, and Resident Evil: Children of the Seraphs are also copyright by me, and my not be used in any way without my exclusive written permission.

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Ryan slowly opened his eyes. He expected to see Anna right there, next to him, but then he remembered what had happened the night before. He groaned and stretched, and opened his mouth for a big yawn. Today was Saturday, so he shouldn't have been in that much of a hurry to get out of bed. But he did anyway. Rubbing the crust out of his eyes, he put on a new change of clothes, along with his old gray hooded sweatshirt that he hadn't replaced for years, and for some odd reason hadn't grown out of. Concentrating, he checked for Anna's presence in the household. She was in the house, and awake.

Looking for his camouflage-green hair tie that was on his nightstand, exactly where Anna had left it the night before, he found her small, thin, gold chain sitting next to his clock, which read 9:53 AM. He lifted the chain and placed it in his pocket. His bandanna, which Anna had also taken off the night before, rested on the floor atop yesterday's pile of clothes. He picked it up and tied it around his forehead, being careful to completely cover his scar. After noticing how wrinkled it was, he made a mental note to ask Anna to iron it out again.

A sudden draft from the open window next to his bed reminded him to close it, and memories of the previous night drifted into his mind.

'Man,' he thought. 'The way she wrapped her legs around me, her moans and cries, the way she squirmed...the way she treated me...what a night...'

They had made love in the darkness--though they could see each other in the moonlight that shown though his windowpane--with the window open. Even though they used a light covering, it hadn't felt cold that night. Because their bodies had warmed each other? Ryan didn't want to guess.

'Maybe it was because of my electric element? Electricity can generate heat.'

This morning it seemed like the night before was a romantic fairy tale, but it had really happened. And that was something that he would be more than willing to accept. One thing bothered him, though. When they were first deep into the loving, he had wanted to let all of his feelings out, tell her how much he was finding that he cared for her, how he wanted to be with her, but he couldn't find the words. He hoped that Anna felt the same way, but she too had said nothing that gave away any such thoughts.

He took a glance around his rather large room. Well, large for him at least. A bed against the far left corner next to his window, a closet in the wall with a mirror on the door, a desk with a computer on it (yet another gift for his sixteenth birthday), shelves, two bookcases, a lamp or two, dark blue carpeting. Considering that he was somewhat of a slob, it surprised him that his room was so well kept.

'Probably because of Anna. I guess it's true when they say the woman changes the man.'

In the shelves of his first bookcase were two framed pictures. One of the whole household in one big picture, and the other of just him, Anna, and Sherry. On his computer desk was an oak-framed picture of him and Anna. In that picture they were leaning their backs into each other, both crossing their arms and looking smugly at the camera. There was one last photo on his nightstand, a single picture of Anna, the frame elegant in a 15-carat gold, her full name written in perfect Kanji at the bottom. It was a full body shot. Anna was looking directly at the camera, wearing a green female kimono with gold floral designs, and a brown-gold obi. She wore her hair braided up into a ponytail--a rare occasion--and had a benevolent smile. The background was of the nearby corner of Oakton and Knox Streets at dusk. That was the day that he, Anna, and Sherry had gone to the annual Natsu Matsuri of 2001, which was held at the Buddhist Temple of Chicago.

That day was forever etched in his mind: not only because of how good that day was, but also because it was the first time that he had worn his own brown kimono and navy blue obi, both which were gifts from Anna for his sixteenth birthday.

'I've rarely worn it since,' Ryan thought. 'Don't want to ruin it...'

He picked up the picture of Anna and admired it for a few long moments before setting it back down.

His own private video game collection resided on a shelf above his computer, along with a few PC games.

On the bookcase next to his computer was his prized Anime and Manga collection, and in the right-hand side of his desk was his more...private collection of Anime and Manga, which was why he always kept the drawers locked with a key. Ryan cringed at the thought of what would happen if anyone were to discover the contents of that drawer.

'Anyone, especially Anna, would flip if they found that I have "La Blue Girl," among many others, and that would most probably seal my fate...'

On the shelves of his other bookcase were various books, including all of James Clavell's works, and dozens of other books, most of them on war history. There were even a few that were on Chinese and Japanese history, all arranged in chronological order. The Yellow Turban Rebellion, The Overthrow of the Han Dynasty, The Mongol Invasions of China, The Great Wall of China: Beginning to present, The True Life Accounts of William Adams: The Miura Anjin-san, The Battle of Sekigahara: The battle that decided the fate of Japan, The Tokugawa Shogunate, The Meiji Restoration Period, and Hirohito: Emperor of Japan.

'Well, not anymore. I believe that his son Akihito is the current Emperor...' He thought. 'And to think that they called Hirohito's reign the age of harmony? How is getting bombed twice by nuclear weapons, plus a whole bombing raid over the freaking capital and years of famine, harmony?'

Ryan brushed his hands over his face and decided he could go another day without needing a shave. Tying his hair, he stepped out his door and soon found that as he walked, he couldn't keep a certain bounce out of his step.

He came out into the hallway, and there was Anna, dressed in a white bathrobe with a damp towel wrapped around her hair, cheerfully humming to herself.

Ryan wasted no time in locking his hands around her waist, and twirled her around as she gave a soft squeal and a laugh.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Anna-chan."

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Ryan-kun."

Ryan moved her in for a kiss, but Anna blocked her lips with the back of her hand.

"Listen to me, Ryan, we can't act like we just went through what happened last night."

Ryan grinned.

"With someone as beautiful as you, that's gonna be pretty hard."

Anna beamed at his compliment.

"Just try, okay?"

"I promise I will."

With an effort, Ryan let go of Anna and turned to enter the bathroom for a shower. Then he remembered what he was holding for her, and turned around.

"Oh! Anna!" Ryan said, reaching into his pocket. "Your chain." He held her gold chain out to her.

Anna took the piece of jewelry and clasped it around her neck.

"Thanks," She winked. "I was looking for that."

Anna then trotted down the steps, continuing her hum, and Ryan smiled to himself and turned around for the shower. Sighing in bliss, he said to no one in particular, "Life is marvelous, is it not?"

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Claire watched Anna enter the kitchen, inwardly debating what she would say to her. Anna was dressed in her white bathrobe, and had a towel covering her hair. She paused and looked around the table at Leon and Chris, looking to see if they could give her any advice.

Chris was suffering from a hangover, Claire could tell, and he was doing a terrible job trying to hide it.

Leon was waiting patiently for breakfast, reading the Chicago Tribune.

Sherry had yet to come back from the sleepover.

By the sounds of running water coming from upstairs, Ryan was taking a shower.

Ever since they had moved to the suburbs Anna had been enlisted as their cook in the mornings, and Leon was the night cook, since they were the only two in the house who could prepare an edible meal. And with the exception of a few courses, there were no objections to that.

"Ohayo--uh...I mean, good morning everyone," Anna said, a strangely delightful mood showing in her voice. "What will it be?"

"I would like the Saturday usual, please," Leon said.

"I concur," said Claire.

Chris made a mumbled response while covering his ears.

"Okay then."

Anna went to work on the homemade pancake batter, French toast, and bacon. She worked very efficiently, almost like a pro, not even stopping in her search for the ingredients, and got the homemade batter done in five minutes. In another ten minutes or so, breakfast would be ready, so Claire took this time to talk with Anna.

"Anna?" she said, "can I see you out in the living room, please?"

"Do you have to? Breakfast will be ready in only a few minutes."

"Yes."

Anna followed her into the front room. Anna sat down on the sofa, and Claire stood over her. Claire looked deep into her eyes, looking to see if she was purposely hiding something from her. Her eyes told Claire nothing, so she supposed that she had no idea about her and Leon arriving home early the previous night.

In a way, Claire was happy that Anna and Ryan had gotten so close. After all, they were like the kids she never had. She wanted only the best for them. But on the other hand, she was very disappointed in Anna for doing something like that when she was only about three months away from being legal age. Claire could easily charge them with statutory rape but she wasn't cold hearted enough to do something like that.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

Claire paused, looking for a way to say it. Finding none, she went for the slightly direct approach.

"Let's just say that Leon and I got home early last night."

Anna seemed to tense up a bit, but other than that she kept her composure.

"How early?" She asked slowly.

"Half-an-hour, I believe."

Anna then tried to bury her head in her hands, no longer able to keep an impassive face.

"Oh...damn it!" she gasped. "You...you were back home by then? Did you...hear us...?"

"Yes."

"Oh no..."

"Hey," Claire said, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. I know that you're not quite yet the age of consent, but we're not gonna turn you over to the cops or something."

"It's not that! You were...you heard us...This is so embarrassing! Do you know how mortified I am?"

Claire thought for a moment.

"Yes, I do, actually."

Anna wasn't expecting that response. She cocked her head to the side a little and raised an eyebrow.

"Look, have you been using the pills I gave you?"

"Of course," Anna grimaced. "I'm not stupid."

There was an ever-so-slight pause in Anna's response, that Claire thought she might say "no."

"Good. Now come on. We don't want our breakfast to burn."

When they got back in the kitchen, Ryan was sitting down, shaking Chris's shoulder, wondering why he looked so downcast and tired. Anna soon finished making breakfast, and served it around the table with the flourish of a hostess who loves to entertain.

"Nice," Ryan complemented. "You would make a great housew--uh, I mean house cook."

Anna shot Ryan an "Oh, please" look, then gave him a coquettish grin.

"Is that an invitation?"

Ryan returned her grin with one of his own lopsided smiles.

"No, just a compliment."

That had attracted a few looks from the others. Ryan and Anna just stared back at them.

"What?" they both said.

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Anna stood over the stovetop, hiding her face from everyone. She was scared almost to death. It was if some horrible omen had just descended upon her.

'That one Friday he took me out,' she thought. 'I...I forgot...'

She silenced the voice, evading herself from the thought of how serious her consequences would be. She managed to convince herself that somehow her Seraph powers would prevent anything from happening.

'Just serve the damn food, Anna,' she told herself. 'It's all right. Nothing's going to happen. Nothing at all. Just act like everything's normal. It's all right.'

'But it's not!' a voice in the back of her head screamed.

Anna blocked her thoughts for the time being, put on a convincing smile, and turned around to serve breakfast.

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Six weeks later...

Anna Yamaguchi resurfaced from the water, taking a deep breath of air, being thankful for one of the simplest, yet most important, commodities the Earth had to offer.

She had swum about ten laps back and forth around the large school pool along with the rest of the swimming team, and had decided that she had had enough for now. For some reason, she felt a little more exhausted than usual. She used to be able to swim between fifteen and twenty-five laps; maybe a few more if she was having a good day, but now she would be lucky to even get eight in.

She got out of the water, said good-bye to her teammates, and went into the locker room to get dressed back into street clothes.

She was headed straight to the doctor's office to receive the results of her bimonthly physical. Usually, she could be given the results in just one visit, but since all the school sports teams were being tested at this single location; it had taken almost two weeks to get the results back.

The drive into Chicago only took about twenty minutes, and soon she was at the doctor's office. She waited patiently until her name was called. After finishing her exams, she waited once again in one of the medical rooms. When her doctor returned, he had an inscrutable expression on his face.

"Is anything wrong?" She asked.

"I think it would be better if you just read this."

The doctor handed her a few papers. Anna read them over without much consideration, but stopped when she arrived at the bottom of page two. Her eyes widened.

"This...this...can't be right..."

"It's what the test shows, Ms. Yamaguchi."

"Oh dear God..."

"I think that you should look this over with your parents."

She lowered her head.

"Yeah...I should...shouldn't I?"

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Anna stood in front of the house. The snow that was falling in thin blankets the biting cold didn't bother her much, considering what was going on at the moment.

'What will Ryan say?' she worried.

Gathering all of her courage, she placed her hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly.

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Sherry sat in a chair at one end of the living room working with a twist lanyard, as Ryan, across the room on the couch, busy reading a book entitled My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King.

The sound of the turning doorknob made him look up from his book. Anna walked in, shivering.

"Uh, hello..." Sherry greeted.

"Jesus!" Ryan exclaimed. "Why didn't you wear a winter coat?"

He walked over to her and led her up the stairs to his room for her to warm up. Closing his door behind him, he led her to the foot of his bed, and draped his comforter on her.

"There you go, Anna-chan. I'd wish that those stupid bastards from Com Ed would hurry up and fix our heating, but I guess this will have to do for now, neh?"

"Yeah..." she answered meekly.

There was a gloomy silence in Ryan's room. After a few tense moments, Ryan sat down next to her.

"Hey, uh, Anna-chan..."

"Yes?"

"Well...we haven't...you know...since my birthday, and I was wondering if we could, you know..." Ryan said as he moved closer to her.

"No!" She said, almost snapping.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Look, I hate to shatter the moment, but...just read this..."

"Why? It's just a normal physical."

"Just read it! Please. I can't say it."

Anna handed Ryan the papers. Ryan gave her a pensive look for a moment, then he began to read the document. He stopped when he reached the bottom of the second page. His eyes widened and he gasped.

He checked to see if the ink had somehow been disoriented, hoping against hope that what he saw was somehow wrong. If it was indeed correct, Anna was,

"Pregnant..." Ryan whispered to himself.

Anna's head slumped.

"What the f***...?" Ryan asked himself more than anyone.

Anna didn't respond to him. He sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, this time not as close to her. He felt as if his head would explode and his body dissolve.

"How many are...we...expecting?" He asked.

"I don't know. It's too early to tell."

Ryan held his head in his hands, wishing that the day would start over and that this wasn't happening.

'Kuso...! This is definitely not what I need right now! For Christ's Sake! I turned seventeen just ten days ago! This is just...' Ryan brooded silently.

"Well, look, Ryan...I know that this has come at a really bad time, but I believe we can accept it and go with the flow. Shikata ga nai, neh?" Anna said.

Anna came closer to Ryan and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ryan sat as if he was frozen, staring vacantly at the floor.

"I know we can work this out somehow," Anna said, sounding sure of herself. "Everything's gonna be okay..."

Ryan's head was spinning. He was hard put to pay attention to her just now. The only thoughts going through his head were various curses in rapid succession, how his life was so utterly ruined, and the fact he would be responsible for a human life, or lives.

"I had plans too, but now we have something else to -- "

Ryan didn't know what happened next. Something just set off inside him, and he jumped to his feet screaming. His rational thoughts were tossed out the window.

"This is all your fault!" Ryan shouted, his voice strained and desperate. "Yours!"

Anna got up and shrank back a few steps as he advanced on her threateningly, not believing this outburst.

"What?" She said, dumbfounded. "What do you mean, Ryan-kun?"

"You lied to me! You said that you were on the pill!"

Ryan still kept his advance.

"I...I-it's not 100% effective--"

But Ryan continued, still shouting.

"You pushed me into this situation just because you just had to satisfy your own desires! You have plans? I have plans for the future! Or more correctly, did!"

Anna's backside hit his desk. She had no more room to retreat.

"Ryan, please stop! Just listen t--"

"No! Quiet! I won't hear it, you ungrateful, whiny little bitch!"

At this, Anna looked solemnly at the floor.

"I don't even know why I slept with you in the first place! Get me off of this hook and get an abortion and--!"

It wasn't until Ryan hit the floor that he registered that he had been slapped very hard. It was also at this time that he realized what a mistake he was making. He looked up at Anna, who had an expression on her pale face that made him loathe his very being. She was badly hurt, and having a hard time keeping back her tears. Somehow she found her voice, though it was a little shaky.

"You...you...bastard! How can you say that?! You mean to tell me that you care nothing for what's growing inside of me?" Her voice finally cracked. "Your own flesh and blood? Well, I don't know about you, but I care about these children inside of me! Our children! Shouldn't you feel the same way?!"

"Anna, I--wait, Anna-chan--"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Get out of my life, Ryan Davidson! Keep going and never look back!"

Anna ran for her room, her hair flowing behind her.

"Anna!" Ryan called after her.

She paused at Ryan's door to look back at him.

"Zakennayo!"

She ran into her room crying, slamming the door behind her. Ryan suddenly felt very insecure. He knew he would never get her back.

He turned to the closest wall, and punched it hard. He ignored the dull pain, and simply kept his fist there.

Sherry then came to his door, a bewildered expression showing on her face.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked. "Anna just ran into her room crying."

Ryan slowly turned to Sherry as if impending doom. He must have had a very angry face, because when he turned, Sherry started to back up.

"Nothing," he rasped. "Leave. Now."

Sherry turned and walked toward her room without saying anything.

He tried to establish a mental link with Anna, but she blocked his every attempt. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to communicate with her in that way. He went over to the wall that separated their rooms and knocked on it, but she was crying too loudly for her to notice.

He walked out of his room and knocked on her door. This time, she heard him.

"Go the hell away!" Anna screamed from behind her door. "Ima!"

'Great,' Ryan thought. 'You just freaked out at the situation and blew it completely out of proportion. Now you've lost the girl of your dreams. So tell me, Ryan Davidson, how do you feel?'

Ryan told himself to shut up, and walked downstairs into the kitchen and opened the fridge. He dug through it for a moment, not really looking for anything. His hand suddenly brushed up against a tin cylindrical object hidden in the back and he grabbed it. His hand came out of the fridge holding a can of beer.

'They say you can drown your troubles in alcohol...might as well give it a try.'

He took out several more, and sat at the kitchen table. Opening one, he placed it to his lips and threw it back with a grunt. There was a slightly vile aftertaste, plus his stomach didn't quite approve of the presence of the beverage.

He ignored the taste, what his stomach felt, and kept drinking.

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Claire opened the door to the house, feeling very tired after her day at the hospital. All she wanted was rest. The house was quiet again, which meant something was amiss. She walked into the kitchen, looking for something to eat, and froze.

Ryan was passed out on the table, eight empty beer cans lying beside him, one of them spilled out on the table and floor, the alcoholic libation still dripping into a large puddle on the floor.

'What the hell is going on here?!' she thought.

She shook Ryan a few times. He mumbled a few incoherent words, but refused to wake up.

She needed some answers, so she went to Anna first. She knocked at her door.

"I said to go away!" Came the reply from the other side.

"It's me. Claire."

After a pause Anna told her to come in.

The room was dark, the only light shining in from the hallway. Anna was lying on her bed, back to the door, and Claire could sense that she was silently crying.

Claire took a seat at the edge of her bed.

"What's going on?" Claire asked. "Something with you and Ryan?"

Anna paused again.

"I...went to the doctor's for the results of a physical, and the results that he gave me say that..." Anna paused for a deep breath. "...I'm pregnant, and when I tell Ryan about this, he just explodes in my face about how it's all my fault. So I slapped him and I've been in my room since."

Claire almost jumped up form the bed at Anna's words. She couldn't believe what she was being told.

"I thought you were on the pill!"

"It's not 100% effective, Claire. I only slept with him twice. The last time was on his birthday, ten days ago, and we used protection that night. I got the results just yesterday, and I went in for it two weeks ago, so I know it was the first night. But I know I used the pill."

Claire could tell that there was something else on the edge of Anna's tongue, almost slipping out of her mouth. She knew that the younger woman was hiding something.

"Well, in case you didn't know, Ryan is down in the kitchen, passed out drunk. I can tell he really feels sorry for what he did. Maybe...maybe you can forgive him in the morning--"

"That bastard deserves whatever he gets," Anna replied, her voice as sharp and deadly as a Dotanuki Katana.

"What?"

"He told me...he...doesn't care about what happens to our children..."

"Whoa...how can you say that?!"

"He told me to get an abortion! What better proof?"

"You're both young! You both have a bright future ahead! A kid isn't exactly what you guys need at the moment. What other kind of reaction were you hoping for?"

"A caring and understanding one, maybe?" Anna replied, her voice strained from the tightness in her throat.

There was a pause as Anna fought for control of her tears and forced them at bay.

"You're not going to stay angry with him forever, are you?"

"Of course I am! If he doesn't care about our children, then he doesn't even care about me. Hell, he hasn't even told me that he loves me yet..." Anna's next words were said quietly, and Claire could just barely hear them. "If he really does..."

'"If he really does?"' Claire thought. 'Are you blind, or just hardheaded?'

Claire paused, wanting to add a dramatic effect to her next words.

"...Do you love him?"

Anna choked and gave what sounded between a laugh and a sob.

"Ha! Don't be silly! I don't give a damn about him!"

Anna drew in an uneven breath and started to cry again. This time she clamped her pillow over her head, and sobbed into her mattress.

"I think I should leave you alone for now."

Claire left the room, closing the door silently behind her. Glancing at her engagement ring, she remembered Leon. Now how was she going to wake Ryan before Leon got back? If Leon saw Ryan then the young man would have hell to pay.

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Anna waited for the door to close before she tried a mental link with Ryan. But she couldn't open one, because he was too intoxicated. The only thoughts she was getting from him were slurred and mostly unreadable.

Anna smirked.

"Kono yaro..."

'But maybe, it really is my fault,' Anna thought. 'I mean, I did miss the pill one day, and then I didn't take any RU-48...'

"But men are never too far from the scene of the crime..." she whispered to herself.

She looked down at her stomach. She still couldn't believe that a new life was happening now inside her body. She hugged her stomach and tried to drift off into sleep. Maybe then she could finally get some peace of mind. She could actually feel something growing inside her. The beginning of Seraph powers forming. In a way, it actually felt good. The best way she could put it, it made her feel like a mother.

A sudden wave of queasiness went though her and she quickly got up and ran for the bathroom. On her way there, she swore that if she were to feel like this for any long period of time, that she would kill Ryan very slowly for doing this her.

Author's note: I don't know about where you live, but where this fic takes place, (if you hadn't already guessed, the U.S. state of Illinois) the legal age of consent is 17. Just remember, "Under 17 will get you over 40." : )

The book My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King was written and is owned by Reymundo Sanchez, and I do not own the rights to it in any way. And a word of warning for those who read it: it is not for the squeamish (I'm not kidding). Heck, you shouldn't even read it unless you're in high school or something. If you do decide to pick it up, just remember to keep an open mind. A VERY open mind.

Natsu Matsuri (Na-tsue-Ma-tsue-ree)/Summer Festival

Kuso (KUE-so)/Damn it

Kono yaro (Ko-no-yarr-oe)/Asshole/Bastard. My favorite use of this word is the latter practice of it.

Zakennayo (ZA-ken-na-na-yo)/Put simply, this means 'Fuck off.'

Shikata ga nai (shi-ka-ta-ga-naie)/Literally, "It can't be helped." The most common English equivalent of this would probably be "Shit happens."

Ima (Ee-mah)/Now

Draft: 6/18/01 (12:03AM)

Final: 9/19/01 (1:45PM)

Ja ne!