Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7
Chapter 38: Delicate Lives
(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.)
(ALSO A DISCLAIMER: This chapter includes a trigger warning about discussions of rape, trauma, torture, and suicide attempts; so be warned!)
Two thousand years in the past…
Totsuka was in his safe house as he was busy crafting tools for whoever would want them to fight monsters. He was also concerned about Sam's behavior as he had a gut feeling that he would never want his soul back again after the Apocalypse ended. No, he wanted Sam to get his soul back, for this insanity couldn't continue after hearing of the recent report about fairies that were masquerading as aliens yesterday. To his shock, he saw a man dressed in civilian clothing appear out of nowhere as he was shaking with fear. He knew of him to be Michael as he was once let out of Lucifer's cage, but why? He had to protect the archangel and the vessel he housed as he refused to go back to the handler who let him out to be tortured by those who yearned to molest him, for it couldn't continue.
"You're a Shinigami, aren't you?" he said as he stood firm in front of Totsuka.
"Adam Milligan?" he said as he was startled by the sight of the archangel. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Kurotowa is coming! I can't stay here! I can't stay anywhere!"
"If Dean knows this, then-"
BOOM!
Totsuka saw a Shinigami in a black suit burst through the wall as he had his sights set on Michael and the vessel that he housed. He knew of him to be Kurotowa himself as he was ready to take his prize back to Hell in which he would stop at nothing to take what belonged to him. Michael wasn't about to go down without a fight so readily as he was ready to snap his fingers at his torturer, but he was quick to restrain him the moment he was ready to toss him back in Lucifer's cage, for he had another form of torture in mind.
"Release me, Kurotowa!" yelled Michael as he was struggling to break free.
"Sorry, but you're mine while Crowley's in charge!" he yelled.
"Let him go, Kurotowa," said Totsuka as he got out his sword. "He ain't for your sick perversions!"
"Sorry, but Michael is a hit among the demons and others who live in the Middle Ground!" He activates a portal as he is ready to return Michael back to where he belonged. "As for his vessel, he's in good hands, so I suggest that you don't follow!"
And so, Kurotowa knocked out Totsuka as he grabbed Michael and fled the safe house towards his base in the Middle Ground. With Michael in tow, he tossed him into a room as he was ready to do his worst. It wasn't long until the archangel noticed his powers to be useless as he was also powerless against his torturer, for he had no other choice but to endure another bout of malignancy so far.
"This isn't Lucifer's cage, but you can't use your powers here," said Kurotowa as he used his own abilities to chain Michael down to the floor. "Zachariah made the right call to bring you here after your vessel's half-brother said no way too many!"
"I would rather be back in Lucifer's cage than endure another bout of misery from you!" he yelled.
"Perhaps a little persuasion will do…" Kurotowa strips Michael of his clothes as he walks from behind him. "I can do both men and women, for they are highly yielding for my touch. Therefore…," he gets out a condom as he begins to unzip his pants. "You are a highly prized specimen, Mikey, or perhaps your sniveling vessel, Adam Milligan, who spurned me in which I helped bring in a bunch of ghouls to finish him off until Zachariah resurrected his sorry ass!"
"You won't let me go, would you?"
"No, Michael, I own both you and your vessel. Two peas in a pod, right? Anyway, let's begin this little soiree!"
Kurotowa began to touch at Michael's member as he was dreading the sexual urge that he didn't want. He was being forced to endure this misery as his torturer brought out his own member and placed the condom he unwrapped onto it. He was ready to give his prisoner more pain as he plunged into his anal cavity from behind. The feel of Kurotowa's member in the rear made Michael both nauseous and stunned with unwanted pleasure as was starting to shed tears that ran down his cheeks. He wanted it all to end as he heard Kurotowa howling with sexual pleasure while he was moaning from the pain he endured from it. By the time of their climax, Michael let out a scream of both bliss and terror as he felt Kurotowa pull out of him while throwing away the spent condom in the wastebasket. Blood leaked out of his anal cavity as he collapsed in a fetal position while crying in pain. He feared and loathed Kurotowa as he was standing in front of him with his member in his pants while zipping it up, for he had a smile on his face after conquering the archangel.
"Don't worry, Michael," he heard Kurotowa say to him. "There's a lot more waiting for you, but Death will come and I will foist the waste of space that occupied the cage with you and Lucifer. In the end, he'll be long gone and I will be glad to get rid of him!"
Michael saw Kurotowa leave as he was laying on the floor naked and alone. He hated being humiliated as all he ever did was weep, for he was a victim of a trauma that never went away in the many years to come…
Meanwhile, back in the present…
I was on my way to a portal that was near the old mosque with the Devil's Trap as I was ready to return home to my family first. After getting a summons to see Shion at the Order's main headquarters on Westeros, I noticed Reiko approaching me as she was ready to say goodbye for the time being. I wanted to see her, but I had to attend to my duties as an Elder of the Order as I would soon see her again once my mission was over. It wasn't long until I saw her hug me warmly as she would soon see me off to Westeros, for I was starting to yearn for her touch a little more than what I expected.
"I hate it when we're apart," I said.
"What are you talking about?" said Reiko as she smiled. "We can always be together when we choose to be. Besides, I looked into the castle there on Westeros and it's in Tenzo Village. Thankfully, I found a key to open it up in which the place is linked to our own homes on Alecrast, Drakonus, and Valinor. You should see it, Sammy. It has a garden filled with peach trees in which they will be ripe in the fall."
"And I will see it once this mission is wrapped up…"
"Hey, aren't you supposed to get your ass to Westeros?"
I spotted Nabaka as she was standing in front of us in which she was most likely to be returning to her unusual adventures. She was no stranger to seeing us leave as I also had to report to Shion as soon as possible. Still, work was work as I had so much at stake in which I also had to maintain balance with the familial life that I have, for I was just a simple Man of Letters after all.
"You sure know how to travel from place to place, Sam," said Nabaka as she saw a room that was open with a red rubber ball in it. "I've heard of those portals before, but they're better than space travel that takes years to get from one place to another."
"You should get going, Sammy," said Reiko. "Besides, you shouldn't keep Shion waiting, for it is rude to do so to a lady."
"I know," I said. "Still, we have to tow the line in order to stop the Executive Division, but there's also the factor that concerns the safety of your brother, whose unmentionable problem must be kept out of the public eye in order to avoid scrutiny."
It wasn't long until I spotted Matriarch Ovidra and the rest of the resistance coming as they were staring at both me and Reiko in reverence towards us. Even though the Red Inquisition is flushed out of Zavrath, life was slowly returning to normal as there was a long way to go. I was also ready to take my leave to Westeros as I was thankful that everyone here in this Shigan town was ready to move on and never be under the cruelty of their harsh masters again.
"We give thanks to you, Sam Winchester," I heard Ovidra say to me. "Your guidance has helped us bring dignity to what was lost to us, but sadly, most of the Terrans here were taken prisoner by the ones who started this ongoing war just to work them to the bone and harvest their souls to sell."
"I've seen this practice before," I said. "If there's a chance to help whoever is captive by the Executive Division, we'll find them, for they won't be forgotten in this ongoing war."
"Lady Shion is waiting for you, My Lord."
"I know… If she needs my help, I'll do what I can to aid her against the Executive Division, for they started this hellish war to begin with. I won't let them win, regardless of the matter at hand."
I meant what I said as I took my leave the moment I followed Reiko into the room with the red rubber ball. Once we entered inside, we saw the ball glowing as we were going towards Westeros as planned. By the time the ball stopped glowing, we stepped out of the room as we entered into the castle that I never went to before. The interior of it was beautiful as it was adorned with European influences everywhere. I was starting to admire the Westerian architecture as I later went towards the kitchen to see the older children doing their chores in which they recently made breakfast earlier. I even noticed our own children sitting in their playpens and bassinets as they were cleaned up while they wore fresh clothing. What I never expected was that the castle I stepped in was now connected to the ones we housed before, for our castles were now a whole in the planets that they were in.
"Aora and Ghimru were being messy again," said Dirk.
"The older twins are always messy," said Carly as she picked up Zia from her bassinet. "Thankfully, Grandma found the frozen milk for the younger babies and fed them first."
"You should be careful with the baby, fusspot," I said as I took Zia out of Carly's arms before she dropped her. "This little one is a handful, but she's also getting a growth spurt like her older brothers."
"She's been super hungry," said Kanna. "Zoran is also hungry, but he's the size of a huge potato sack."
"Aora and Ghimru are bigger and the size of a preschooler," said Gyatso.
"Hey, all of you," said Cynthia as she entered into the kitchen. "Shouldn't you guys go outside to play? It's time for the grown-ups to talk maturely. As for the fab four in their playpens and bassinets, it's time for their nap."
The children obeyed as the younger ones went outside while Dirk and Gyatso gathered up the others and put them to the nursery. As for what Reiko, on the other hand, she followed the boys to the nursery as she wanted to tend to the other smaller children we had. With only me and Cynthia in the kitchen, we were most likely to be in a bigger pickle as I had a gut feeling that there would be no end to this ongoing war.
"You took your time flushing out the Red Inquisition with Minara doing the heavy lifting in his condition," said Cynthia. "As for what was going on here in our oversized bunker, we have the lay of the land not only in Kanto Village, but in Anzu Village, Tenzo Village here, and Jomon Village. Around this place on Westeros, some of the townsfolk have enlisted into the Westerian Army to fight against the Executive Division that came here."
"It's been a year since I visited Tenzo Village," I said. "From what I gathered, three delinquents tried to vandalize the shrine that was discovered here, only to repent their actions."
"Speaking of delinquents, one of them ended up in the hospital after suffering from a mental breakdown. From what I heard, she was found in a wheat field near the farming town of Stouthaven, which is one of the largest producer of grains poised for export all over the galaxy."
"Renata…" My heart sank as I sensed the plight that one of the former delinquents had suffered from after my last visit. "What happened to her?"
"According to one of the farmers, Renata was found sprawled on the ground naked in which she had blood between her legs. Her other two cohorts weren't so lucky in which one of them died at the hands of the same scum that were once paraded by Darbus Toller and those who followed. The repercussions of that attack invoked a wrath of angels destroying the enemy soldiers in which their eyes were melted out of their skulls while leaving a burn mark in one of the flax fields."
"Ryohanji…"
I had a gut feeling that the former delinquent met his end as I feared the worst. It had been a year since I last saw the delinquent trio as one of them met his end at the hands of the Executive Division's prized pets. When I left the kitchen, I went outside of the main house of the castle as I rushed towards a bridge where the place was surrounded by a moat. When I reached the gate, I went into Tenzo Village as I saw several mourners from both the Order and the Westerian Army walking towards the cemetery where Buckner Shrine was located. I later noticed Shion in attendance of a funeral that took place as she was cremating the remains of the fallen in which she was also paying her last respects to a soldier who laid his life on the line till the end.
"Dear friends," she said. "We have gathered here to pay our last respects to Ryohanji Zabumori, whose sacrifice to save the farmers of Stouthaven won't be in vain. He went above and beyond the call of duty to stop the soldiers from the Executive Division from harming the townsfolk there. He started out a delinquent by vandalizing things, only to turn around and serve his planet till the end. His bravery won't be forgotten after he went towards a group of enemy soldiers and destroyed part of their unit, only with a group of angels finishing off the rest. Godspeed, Ryohanji, for you saved lives and helped your fellow people till the end."
I prayed for Ryohanji as I noticed Renzaburo sitting in the shrine in a wheelchair. He was in a much rougher shape as the injuries he sustained took a toll on him. By the time all the funeral services finished up, everyone left except for me and the delinquent as I wanted to talk to him in which I had to comfort those who suffered loss of comrades in this war. The look in his eyes was the look of sorrow as I saw tears streaming down his bandaged face, for he suffered through the worst in the ongoing onslaught that came to us without warning.
"I'm sorry that you lost your friend, Renzaburo," I said as I walked towards him.
"It's you, isn't it?" he said as he recognized me, even with the silver hair on my head. "Last time I saw you, you gave me and my friends a harsh talk about the dangers that Darbus Toller brought out."
"I heard that you and your friends enlisted in the Westerian Army."
"Ryohanji and I did, but Renata was forced to be drafted by our superior. She never wanted to join the army, but after getting reports about the Executive Division threatening our planet, all able-bodied men and women must serve or else they will lose the respect from everyone here."
"You went against the enemy, didn't you?"
"That prick, Lorne Eichenberg, will pay for what he did to Renata! When we tailed him and his unit to Stouthaven, I had a feeling that we walked into a trap… We were ambushed by those things that once destroyed Bert and Ernie's and tried to kill us last year, but our unit was nearly wiped out in which I took the full brunt of the injuries I suffered from." Renzaburo let out a heartbreaking sob as he was suffering from the pain he endured. "When I came to, I lost the use of my legs. It wasn't long until I saw Renata trying to fend off the soldiers in gold armor in which she stopped some, but not without Lorne attacking her from behind. He beat her up so badly that he enjoyed doing it to her in which he had the gall to strip off her clothes in that wheat field. I crawled to where she was until I saw Lorne on top of her. I couldn't forget the screams when he tore her up inside. He was raping her again and again until she scratched his face by the time he withdrew from her. He went berserk when he continued to beat her up to the point of shattering her well-being. By the time he was done with her, he left in a ship bound for Stohess in which the rest of his unit were ready to kill some of the townsfolk who lived here for years. Ryohanji, may the gods grant him passage to the Grey Havens, saw them in the flax field in which he had to stop them before they ended up slaughtering everyone who lived there in Stouthaven. At that moment, he went towards a small Howitzer and turned it into a bomb, even when he ended up sacrificing himself to save people from those soulless freaks."
"Cynthia wasn't lying… You and your comrades took the full brunt of going up against the enemy, but Ryohanji's sacrifice won't be in vain. He saved people from those soulless soldiers in which his bravery won't be forgotten."
"This isn't all! After Ryohanji sacrificed himself to stop the soldiers, Renata and I came home, only to see her suffering from a nervous breakdown in which she tried to kill herself after she got plastered at Bert and Ernie's. Hiyono alerted the Medical Corps in which they hauled Renata away to a psychiatric ward in which she was put there for counseling. Sadly, the Westerian Army has a say not to allow psychiatrists to counsel people like her because it makes their morale weak."
"If Kazuo saw this, he would roll in his grave… If Reuben were here, he would force his way to allow psychiatric counseling to you and your friend. No one should be broken, for they will be fixed slowly in order to heal. He's now the Medic General of the Medical Corps and he's been pulling his weight to allow psychology for those who suffered from trauma."
"I just hope that you're right…"
I wheeled Renzaburo out of the shrine as we saw the undertakers placing a grave marker near a freshly covered mound of dirt where Ryohanji's remains were at. I prayed at the new grave marker as I never forgot the sacrifice that he made. Renzaburo also prayed at the grave marker as he would someday meet again with his fallen friend. Just as we were about to return home, we saw Shion standing in front of us as she wanted to take Renzaburo towards treatment, for she was also concerned about his mental health just like I was.
"The Westerian Army is being uncooperative in which psychiatric help equates to weakness," I heard her say as she was angry at the situation at hand. "I just wished that General Tetrax could just allow the Medical Corps to console the wounded for once."
"There's no end to this cruelty, is there?" I said.
"The Empress of Westeros would be cross to see this planet's army behaving like a bunch of toxic masculinists. No wonder she's been wanting to reform the army since the passing of the late Emperor."
It wasn't long until I spotted Reuben as he was most likely to be taking Renzaburo away to be rehabilitated after what happened to him. He meant business as he wanted to care for the Westerian Army forces who suffered from mental stress. I never expected him to come out here until now as I had a feeling that he would be butting heads with the army's top brass on the horizon.
"You're far from Shiganshina, aren't you, Sam?" I heard him say to me.
"I've got business here," I said.
"Same here. I've been fighting with the Westerian Army about how they treat those who suffer from mental illnesses, but they equate that with weakness."
"I bet that the Empress is willing to put the army in their place so that the injured would be treated and consoled."
"Recently, I got word from the Empress' Imperial Guard that I'm here to take Renzaburo to the Order's main headquarters here for treatment. I can't abandon his needs after what I heard from some of the townsfolk who resided in Stouthaven."
"Let's hope that he gets the treatment he needs."
I saw Reuben wheel Renzaburo away from Buckner Shrine as I was grateful that he stepped up and was ready to help those in need. Still, I had to answer to Shion's summons as I was ready to follow her. With the both of us walking towards the train station, we saw one arriving as we noticed it stopping in which it was on its way to the Order's main headquarters here on Westeros. When we entered inside, we walked towards one of the passenger compartments as we sat down the moment we left Tenzo Village and onto the Order's main headquarters as planned. The ride was slow as I saw the various floating islands cascading with the train lines from above. With Shion sleeping, I continued to look out the window until I heard some small footsteps approaching. Turning around, I saw a young girl dressed in Westerian summer clothes as she was almost the same age as Gyatso and Kanna. The girl herself had long blond hair and blue eyes as she was wearing a crystal pendant around her neck, for she was quite a peculiar one indeed.
"You look as if you're looking for your parents," I said to her.
"And you look as if you're concerned about my planet's military turning away the mentally ill," she said. "I just wish that they would bend the knee and let the Medical Corps tend to them…"
"By the way, my name's Sam Winchester of the Order of Letters."
"My name's Zaralia and I'm… a latchkey kid who's close ties with the Westerian royal family."
"As soon as I finish with my summons, I'll come and visit the Empress and her family in which they have close ties with the Medical Corps."
It wasn't long until I saw Zaralia scurry off as Shion woke up from her nap. She was seeing the interior of the Order's main headquarters here on Westeros as she was most likely to be discussing the possible attacks here on this planet. We were in for a long day and night as I also had to find out more about why the Executive Division is still adamant into causing chaos while trying to operate Project Amaterasu. It was a long and grueling battle uphill, but we had to get through it, no matter what. By the time the train stopped, we got off as we were going towards the main hall where most of the Elders were at, for this wasn't over. What we didn't expect was that Zaralia was hiding in the distance as she was desperate for something, for she was most likely to be something more than just a simple latchkey kid on the spot…
The summons lasted a grueling four hours as I was sitting in my seat hearing the messy complaints that the other members of the Order issued out. The recent attacks here on Westeros were getting monotonous as everyone was busy airing their grievances the moment I listened to what was going on. By the time I was finally finished, I was ready to go home to Reiko and the others as I was on my way towards the station, I saw a suspicious person arriving as he was staring at me in which I had a gut feeling that he was up to no good, for he had his sights set on me for no reason.
"It appears that this meatsuit's more than just part of the Westerian Army," he said as his eyes flashed black. "Lorne and Liesel will be pleased to have you gift-wrapped for the Executive Division just to power up Project Amaterasu!"
"It had to be a demon here," I said as I saw the suspicious man walk towards me.
"That's right, Sam! Milverton sent me to take you down, only to see you burn."
"Milverton has much better things to do other than sic his stray hellhounds on me."
"You should've never crossed the Red Inquisition, Sam!"
The demon froze as I noticed a Devil's Trap painted on the floor. I never saw this coming as I was ready to recite the Rituale Romanum to exorcise the one who is sent to kill me. Just as I was about to do so, I heard footsteps approaching as I saw Zaralia standing next to me while she wasn't afraid of going against a demon in which she was more than what she said she was.
"Oh, great; a little kid," said the demon as he was struggling to get free. "You have to do better than that, you little shit!"
"You better watch what you say, sir!" yelled Zaralia as she was ready to incite the Rituale Romanum on the spot. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio; infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis et secta diabolica." The demon was struggling to get free as it was writhing in pain. "Cessa decipere humanas creaturas; eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, Satana; inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge; invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate serviere te rogamus, audi nos. Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo. Deus Israhel ipse virtutem truderit et fortitudinem plebi suae. Benedictus Deus, Gloria Patri!"
I saw the demon fleeing his host as I noticed Zaralia running towards him. She noticed him to be part of the Westerian Army as she later noticed him to be part of the royal guard due to his uniform. When I rushed towards the man who was exorcised, I had to make sure that he was alright as I had to report him to Shion right away, for it was mandatory to do so in this time of war.
"He's in no further danger," I said as I made sure that the man was safe from harm. "By the way, you know how to recite the Rituale Romanum for a latchkey kid."
"I heard it from an Orc who had psychic abilities in which he had the Winchester sigil tattooed on his back," said Zaralia.
"Sam!" yelled Shion as she rushed towards me. "Thank goodness that you're safe!" She stares at Zaralia with suspicion as she was concerned about her safety. "You shouldn't be out and about without your royal guard present, Your Majesty! The Executive Division are still out there and I can't let your safety become jeopardized by your disregard for your own surroundings."
"'Your Majesty?'" I said as I stared at Zaralia. "So, you're the Empress the whole time in which you know how to exorcise a demon."
"I'm so sorry about deceiving you, Sam. All I wanted to do was to find the demon who possessed one of my royal guards. I had to stop him before he tried to hurt you."
"That is why you painted the Devil's Trap on the floor."
"My father, may the gods rest his soul, was a hunter. He was a man who protected his people until he passed away. He even said good things about a boy with raw power saving him once in which he told me about how he was rescued from a monster. He also wasn't too happy with the Wisterian Army not helping their troops enough in which I heard the royal guard talking about how they ended up killing themselves if they didn't get any help from what was truly ailing them. I have to protect my people like my dad did. I also wanna make sure that the wounded army troops get all the help they need from the Medical Corps like that one woman who was taken here earlier."
"I'll see what I can do, Your Majesty. You make a great Empress putting your people first, but don't let your burden get the better of you."
"I'll see you again soon, Sam. If you visit, come find me at my home in Raithwall. It's the capital of this planet."
I watched Zaralia and the man who was once possessed being escorted by members of the Garrison Corps as I was happy to see them go safely. Still, I was ready to go back, but I had to clarify about something that concerned Renata. I had to know myself as I had to do so in which I couldn't bear to see anyone suffer like what happened to Renata, for it was very dire indeed…
I made my way to the hospital wing of the Order's main headquarters on Westeros as I remembered it well after being tested by the Medical Corps a year ago. When I made my way to the psychiatric ward, I went to one of the rooms as I saw Renata handcuffed to a hospital bed while she was had bandages on her wrists. I never saw her in such a shocking state before as I saw her weeping helplessly in her bed. She could do nothing due to the catheter that was shown between her legs in which she was still adamant into finishing herself off, for she was still grieving for the loss of Ryohanji back in Stouthaven. When I saw her open her eyes, she still had tears in her eyes as she was also reeling from the horrible sexual assault and brutality that came from Lorne, for she wanted it all to end without any help at all.
"I heard about what happened to you," I said.
"It's you," said Renata as she stifled a sob. "Last time I saw you, you showed us the truth about Darbus Toller… After that, we took care of the shrine here in Tenzo Village in which we were seeing those soulless dolls pop up more and more after the destruction of Project Apollo and Project Ra. The Executive Division are doing more than just causing chaos for no reason, for they want the ultimate prize to submit to their vile machinations. When Ryohanji and Renzaburo enlisted in the Westerian Army, I decided to stay behind and take care of the shrine in Tenzo Village, but General Tetrax forced me to enlist so I had to do what she said."
"The Empress was here earlier and she is not too happy with the army's maltreatment of their troops who suffer from mental illness. She's also adamant into allowing the Medical Corps to treat your fellow comrades in this war."
"It wasn't all… I saw the leader of the unit in Stouthaven in which he was wanting to capture the townsfolk just to harvest souls and sell them to any Crossroads demon who is a sucker for buying them for a profit. Renzaburo noticed that we were in an ambush in which the rest of our unit ended up dead at the hands of those scum in gold armor. He suffered the worst when his legs were broken and couldn't move. After that…, I saw Lorne come at me and he…" I hear Renata choke out another sob as she was starting to shake with fear. "He… attacked me… He beat me up with his fists and baseball bat in which I was bruised all over. And then…, he tore off my uniform and underwear in which… he was on top of me! I couldn't shake him when he put his dick inside me while I heard him grunting with rage and pleasure until I scratched his face."
"Renzaburo told me about that… Lorne also attacked you again out of retaliation in which the trauma from your rape made you suffer from a nervous breakdown. As for Ryohanji, his sacrifice to stop the Executive Division's soldiers from harming the townsfolk in Stouthaven didn't go in vain. He was brave till the bitter end and he wouldn't want you to suffer that way."
"I tried to forget about my rape!" Renata sat up in her hospital bed. "I tried to forget about Ryohanji's death! I tried to drink my sorrow away when I wanted to end it all. Hiyono called the Medical Corps after she found me with my wrists slit in the bathroom at Bert and Ernie's. I was too drunk to move until I was taken to the main headquarters here. I wanted to die, Sam! I wanted to even join Ryohanji so I wouldn't be in pain anymore! It's all too much for me to bear!"
I walked closer to Renata as I placed my hand on her shoulder. Her sad plight reminded me of the multiple attempts of trying to end my life as I didn't want her to do the same. I wanted her to live. I wanted her to keep going in which I have seen similar plights like hers before, for I didn't want her to fade away so recklessly. When I saw her sobbing uncontrollably, I saw her to be powerless after what Lorne did to her. I had to comfort her as she was suffering from her troubling plight, for I also hated the one who caused her such misery in the Stouthaven ambush.
"This isn't fair to me!" I heard Renata say as her hands were shaking even more. "I can't take this anymore!"
"Enough!" I yelled. "You may think that ending your life can set you free, but think again! You're not the only one who went through it. There were times when I wanted to end my own life in which I was stopped at the last minute by those who cared deeply about me! Renzaburo cared about you and he's in good hands with the Medical Corps. You should do the same in which you should also honor Ryohanji's memory after he sacrificed himself to save Stouthaven from becoming a bloodbath. He wouldn't want you to end it all that way."
"I would rather be dead than living through the flashbacks of my rape!"
"And I want you to live! I want you to move forward like those who suffered worse. I've seen those women go through hell in which they moved forward. They may be traumatized from such toil, but that doesn't mean that they're powerless. You have a lot to live for, so I suggest that you get help and live further. Don't let the trauma overwhelm you, no matter what."
Renata was moved by my words as I saw her wipe the tears away from her face. I saw her feeling more calmer as I didn't want her to fade away so recklessly. By the time I left her hospital room, I made my way to the cafeteria as I spotted Totsuka arriving with some extra weapons for the Order to carry, for he was busy like the rest of us. He was exhausted as he ordered a cup of coffee and a donut. I was also ordering a cup of coffee of my own as I also had a bowl of fruit. Both of us were ready to return to our families as we also had to fight against the Executive Division in this long and grueling war. It was all too much, but I can't let our enemies win as I also had to destroy Project Amaterasu and Project Helios before it was too late.
"You look worried," said Totsuka as he sipped his coffee.
"After what I saw here, Lorne Eichenberg is next to go," I said as I took a bite of my fruit.
"If you think that the asshat who raped Renata was bad, Kurotowa was a hell of a lot worse."
"Are you certain about this?"
"After the Apocalypse ended and your past self ran around soulless for a year and six months, I saw Michael running to my place in which he was scared to death. What I didn't see coming was that Kurotowa had an obsession with him the moment I was knocked out unconscious. When I came to, Michael and his vessel, Adam Milligan, were taken away in which I had a gut feeling that Kurotowa would be sexually assaulting anyone, regardless of being male or female. He would put his dick in it, but not without protection due to his fear of contracting an STD. From what I also knew, after he finishes violating Michael, he shoves him back into Lucifer's cage in which he wanted your past self out of the picture. That was when Death came along the moment Kurotowa yanked your past self's soul so he can have Michael all to himself. It's ironic that that old fart with a fast food obsession got saddled with your past self's soul, but not without leverage when Dean's was tasked to play Death for a day."
"I heard about it, but with what you say about Kurotowa rings true to the plight of someone who suffered the effects of sexual assault."
"That wasn't all. When your past self tried to do away with Old Man Singer to scar his vessel and getting his soul back, it pissed off Malcolm Hofstra in which he was adamant into yanking it out of him. Luckily, your past self was cast with a soulbinder spell so that his soul would never be taken out of him again. His guilt for his past sins after that became too much in which I found him trying to do away with himself, only to be shoved back into the psych ward he was in when Dick Roman rolled into town. After that, he refused to give a damn about himself in which he was also completing the trials. He hated himself the most in which he wanted to fade away, but his life mattered because he would answer to his calling after all."
I never heard Totsuka come clean to me about my past self before as I wanted to chastise him for not loving himself enough. I never expected him to put his life on the bottom after all the past sins he committed, but I didn't want to right now. All I wanted was to make sure that no one else suffered the misery of such trauma as I also wanted those who were afflicted to be healed. I never forgot about how Guinevere suffered from her rape before she married Matsuo. I never forgot about how Kotori suffered from the guilt and trauma of hers in which I didn't want her to run away from her responsibilities. I never forgot about how Mizuwa suffered at the hands of General Wetzel in which she faced her fears in this war. I never forgot about Chitorin, who was raped and kept prisoner by Cesare Zampano, who is rotting in jail. They all suffered the dangers of sexual assault in which I was thankful that they all had the courage to move away from the shame and guilt they endured. I respected them the most as I was more than glad to see their minds and hearts changed by my presence.
Still, I had to do a lot more as I was still concerned about the health of those who have been injured on the battlefield. The scars from various experiences that soldiers carried with them were the most difficult as they were the most difficult to heal of all. By the time I finished my coffee and fruit cup, I was ready to go home again as I left the cafeteria. When I went towards the train station to catch the ride home, I heard footsteps approaching as I turned around and saw Reuben standing in front of me in which he was not too happy with what he saw within the Westerian Army, for he was wanting to air his grievance towards them for not doing enough for their soldiers.
"That intolerable bitch!" I heard him yell as he was angry.
"You don't sound too happy, don't you?" I said.
"General Tetrax is the worst in the Westerian Army in which she refuses to abide by the wishes of the Empress and the Medical Corps. She even said that Empress Zaralia and her family are just figureheads to her in which that the military holds the real power here on this planet."
"I've seen the Empress before and she happens to be the youngest ruler that I've seen."
"The superiors in the Westerian Army continue to ignore the Empress due to the fact that she's about to turn ten in which the military still ignores her pleas to help the wounded and mentally compromised soldiers who were pluck out of the battlefield."
"You're the newly minted Medic General of the Medical Corps, Reuben. You should keep pressuring the Westerian Army to treat the wounded and mentally compromised. You should also collaborate with the little Empress and allow the compromised soldiers to be tended to. Don't let them down."
My words reached Reuben as he was not about to give up the fight for those who have suffered the worst trauma. As for my own assessment of what happened, I was also wanting to fight for those who served their planetary militaries as I vowed not to give up on the ones who need the might of the Medical Corps the most…
To be continued...