Disclaimer: I make no claim to the ideas, series, or characters of Full Metal Panic.
The Deathbringer
Chapter 11: The Return of the Deathbringer
By Adam Lakewood
"Hey, how's it going?"
"What? Where am I?!"
"Well, right now? Currently, you're dead."
"... oh, yeah. I remember now. But... that doesn't make any sense. If I'm... Then how am I capable of thought right now?"
"I'm fixing you. You're almost good and ready to go. I'm not done here yet, and I certainly can't complete what needs to be done if you die right now. Technically, you've been dead for the past few days. I'm glad you finally decided you would wake your lazy ass up; I was getting kind of bored. We still have some time before you're ready to go, so hopefully we can keep each other company until then. You really got a number dealt on you this time."
The silence in the room was total. It could have even made historians remember back to the rumors of the Chinese Great Silence. Neither of the two women in the room was speaking, nor were they even looking at each other. As had been the case for the past three hours. The only possible thing that could be considered a sound in the silence was not coming from inside Meredith's house, but from the outside in the form of the light roar of the thunder and the soft hiss of the rain as it gently pelted against the leaves of the large trees.
To anyone besides the two ladies in the house, the current setting would have been an unpleasant one. In with the rain came a quick shadowing of the already setting sun. Also with the rain came a slight cold draft. It had been a warm day, but the cold draft and the shrouding of the sun soon made it a slight bit cold outside. As a result, the house had likewise turned cold. Meredith's story had taken her and Kaname's minds off of the uncomfortable temperature of the house since Meredith was so engrossed in telling her story and Kaname was so engrossed in hearing it. The story was enough to also keep the two in a contemplative silence for the past three hours; also keeping their minds off of the cold and the constantly deepening darkness of the room.
Meredith felt somewhat relieved that she was able to tell someone about exactly what she had went through during the major turning point of her life called Sousuke Sagara. There weren't very many if any people that she could tell. For the most part, no one would believe her. The only other person that she was able to tell this story to was Kevin. He was a very sweat person who honestly tried everything that he could to comfort her or to at least take some of that horrible weight form her chest. God bless him for trying, but it still wasn't the same. The major relief came from telling her story to Kaname. Kaname seemed to be able to understand and sympathize more so than Kevin actually could. She had loved the same man, and she also knew the burden of being one of the Whispered. These two things alone made her feel so much more able to confide in her by telling her the story. It also helped that Kaname wanted to hear the story as much as she wanted to tell it. She truly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted or at least lightened. Telling her story made her feel a lot better, but at the same time it made her feel as if the memories were going to rip her heart out. As the old proverb goes: "Memories can be painful."
Kaname felt torn between her emotions. Whatever way she viewed Meredith's story; it was tragic. But, her emotions conflicted with what tragic truly meant. But, then again that could also just be jealously making itself known.
Because she also loved deeply the same man as Meredith, she felt horrible for her loss. Especially since they had been through so much together. She knew that Meredith must have been feeling just as hurt as she was, perhaps even more considering all they had been through and how long they had known each other. She herself had only known Sousuke for little more than a year, and she already had felt like she had lost an immediate member of her family. The only time she had ever felt this much grief was when her mother had passed away. She knew greatly the pain that she was feeling, and she could not imagine how Meredith must be feeling.
But, because she also loved deeply the same man as Meredith, her 'darker side' felt contempt for her. Contempt, along with other things such as jealously and envy. Sousuke had never opened up to her or treated her like he did Meredith! Why did he never tell her about Meredith? Did he still have feelings for Meredith? Yes, that much was obvious in retrospect. For that, she was feeling a little bit of contempt at the woman.
"Selfish bitch!" she thought to herself about herself.
She would have kicked herself if she were in the right place to do so without arousing confusion.
This kind lady was willing to share her most intimate and tragic memories of Sousuke with her, and she was feeling contempt for the lady. Why was she feeling that way? She shouldn't even be feeling that way in the slightest! Meredith, in the hours they had known each other, had grown on her like a new family member. She felt more comfortable around Meredith than she did a family member or a good friend.
It was an unreasonable excuse, but she actually understood somewhat why she was feeling this way.
Meredith was incredibly nice. There was no measurement to how nice she was. She was incredibly smart too and beautiful. All of her traits started stacking up in the "good column." There were none to be found in the bad. Meredith was what many men and women alike would consider to be the 'perfect woman.' If she had to sum Meredith up into just a word, that word would be 'perfect.'
Sousuke loved this woman, and with good right to also. They had had their ups and downs, but in the end, Sousuke still loved Meredith. He told her that much himself. A man would have to be crazy to not feel attracted to her. She was after all, the 'perfect woman.'
Those two major facts of Meredith being the perfect woman and Sousuke being in love with her brought up another painful fact. Kaname knew that she loved Sousuke dearly and would have thought that he loved her in return. But, now there was not much hope of that left since she now knew exactly who Meredith was and what her and Sousuke's relationship was before.
Kaname thought back on their relationship. Sure, they had their... pleasant moments. But, that did not seem to compare with what he and Meredith had. She was also forced to think logically on this matter.
Meredith seemed to be described with the verb 'perfect', and she seemed to be described as the exact opposite in comparison. She was not even a shadow of the woman that Meredith was. There was no doubt in her mind that Sousuke would have definitely loved Meredith more than her. How could he not? And, all along she had been so foolish that Sousuke may be able to return her feelings. She was now reminded of another proverb: "The truth hurts."
She was startled by a sudden flash of yellow light in the room. She quickly looked over towards the direction it came from. Meredith was now moving her hand away from lamp setting on the table next to her. Meredith looked up at her and smiled.
"I'm sorry if I startled you. It was getting a little bit too dark in here."
She got up from her position on the couch and walked over to one of the windows to peer out. There wasn't much she could see. The sun had almost completely set, and the rain outside and that pouring down the window shrouded everything else from sight. Everything appeared as a grayish haze with a few bright colored hazes coming from some of the cars outside. She hated this kind of rain. She knew all too well what this type of rain was. It made her shiver. Or, perhaps that was just due to the temperature of the room.
"And, now that I notice, it's getting a tad bit chilly in here too. Are you cold?"
Kaname managed to nod her head in response to the woman. There wasn't really much more that she could do at that moment. An audible reply seemed to be far out of her reach.
Meredith moved over to the thermostat to turn on the heat. She fiddled around with the buttons a little bit before closing it back up. There was a low roar of the heater, which obviously hadn't been used in a while, starting back up. Meredith walked away from the thermostat once she felt a gust of warm air come up out of the air vent. She walked back over next to Kaname and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Kaname, you really shouldn't think like that, because none of that is true. I am no better of a person that you are."
Kaname looked up at her in surprise. She felt slightly embarrassed by the woman's words. They were like the words that a mother would tell to her daughter. It was like she was reading her...
"No, I was not intentionally reading your mind. But, you were a little bit too loudly. I can pick up those kinds of thoughts when I'm not even trying. Sorry, I couldn't help it."
She let out a sigh and sat down next to Kaname. She stared out the window before speaking again.
"Most of the time, we are the only people that truly notice the bad in ourselves. When we begin to notice that, it a lot of the time overshadows the good. You see all the good in me, and maybe you can't see the bad. However, I can see all of the bad in me, and very little of the good. I would be tempted to say that right here with Kaname Chidori, I am a pretty good person, but not even half that of the person sitting next to me."
She did not bother to look at Kaname when she said that. Kaname looked over at her in surprise. What she was saying actually made a good deal of sense. She didn't really know why she didn't think of that before.
"But, you know, I know that isn't true. I've learned to quit thinking like that, because every time I do, I always end up feeling depressed. I just try to remember that we are all humans, and all humans are created equal. ... With the exception of Kevin." she said as she let out a little bit of a chuckle.
Kaname smiled a little bit before looking back over at Meredith.
"Yeah, you're right. So, what exactly is up with Kevin? He isn't one of the Whispered is he?"
"Nope. He's not. I even ask him about that and I get the same answer every time. 'I have a gift from God to do His work.' And, the scariest thing is that I'm starting to believe him more and more everyday."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't exactly believe in that kind divinity really, but it makes me stop and think when I listen to him or see him putting that 'gift' to use."
She smiled slightly as she remembered many of Kevin's kind words to her during those few hours they were together.
"I really like Kevin. I hate to sound like a total fangirl, but I don't think that there could be a better person than him. I mean, is the man flawed in any way?"
Meredith laughed at Kaname's question. She also laughed because she had also wondered that same question before.
"Well, I have indeed pondered for hours before trying to possibly find something about him that could be a flaw. I even asked him and he said "Of course, just like any other man and more so, I have my flaws." You would think that by listening to him that he is the most horrible man in the world, but after all of the pondering I did, I still wasn't able to think of anything that was wrong about the man."
Kaname nodded her head in agreement. She had been thinking herself of a flaw that Kevin might have, but like Meredith, she was able to come up with none. But, then a sneaky question occurred to her.
"Hey, while we are on the topic to trying to find flaws about an unflawed man... I have a question."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Well, you see, you told me that Kevin has never told a lie before. Well, he told me that you were a nun, and you are telling me that you aren't a nun. I mean absolutely no disrespect to you, but you don't exactly act like a nun that I've studied about. So, does that mean that Kevin lied to me? If so, I think I found a flaw."
Meredith smiled at the younger lady's wit. Couldn't really put one past her.
"Or, is that a part of your protection cover up?"
Meredith smiled a bit wider. Once again, the younger woman's perception surprised her. It was obvious that she had indeed been around Sousuke for a while. Sousuke always liked to point out these sorts of things to her, especially political conspiracies. He was usually right the most of the time. It seemed he also enjoyed sharing this same pass time with Kaname.
"Yep, you got it. No, Kevin didn't lie because that is what is official. All records say that I left the military and joined the church as a nun. As a matter of fact, Kevin specifically requested that these beginning lies be made into fact, so that way he really wouldn't be lying."
"Once again, I mean no disrespect to you or Kevin. I'm just curious. Wouldn't or shouldn't Kevin be upset that everyone believes you to be a completely devoted to God, even though you really aren't totally devoted. I know its part of the cover up, but in a way, you are still using the church and the faith that Kevin seems to hold so dear."
Meredith nodded her head. She had never really thought that much about it before, but since she knew Kevin better than Kaname did, the answer came quickly to her.
"That's a good point. But, Kevin is not dedicated to the church or a religion. What he sees is that he knows more of what God expects than any church, book, or religion. I can't really place him to a certain religion, because he seems to believe a lot differently from many of the religions. This being the case, he believes that I am one of what he calls "God's Gifted", which are the Whispered. He believes that we should not have these kinds of powers unless we were truly special under God's eye. Kevin believes differently from almost every religion in a major way; he believes that God does play favorites. He believes that we, the Whispered, are his favorites of all his 'children.' To him, this is more than an opinion, this is a solid fact and no one can convince him otherwise. Since he knows this, he will do everything he can in order to protect me and now you also. This does not exclude using the church and the Catholic faith since he doesn't really believe much in either. Instead of see himself as a tool for the church or a religion, they are his tools. Kevin believes that, in that light, he is the tool of God, so churches, religions, and popular words are his tools. It is really hard to explain, but it boils down to Kevin seeing the church as one of many walls that protect me. He believes that my protection take priority over any other religious beliefs that he may hold. In his eyes, it is all justified."
Kaname nodded her head in acknowledgement. Despite Meredith's thinking not, her explanation actually made a lot of sense. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Meredith laughing and getting up from the couch.
"You know, now that I actually think about it, I can actually think of something that may be considered a Flaw of the Jacobs."
"Oh, yeah? What would that be?" Kaname asked with a smirk.
"He's grumpier than a small child when he's hungry." she said with a laugh.
"Really? I never would have guessed that."
"Yeah, it seems as if his stomach is his weak point." she said while looking up at the clock in the living room.
"And, he left out early this morning, it's going on to seven o' clock, and somehow I doubt that he's eaten anything. I lost track of time; he should have already been here, so he should be here at any moment. I better start dinner, or else he'll be so grumpy we won't be able to stand him!" she said as she left into the kitchen.
Kaname got up and followed behind her.
"Well, I don't doubt your ability to cook, but considering the rush I think I should help out a little bit; my cooking skills are somewhat decent."
"Yes, thank you. Your help would be most appreciated. I've been doing all of the cooking for me and Kevin for going on to two years now; a change of taste and cook might be completely acceptable. Also, about you not doubting my cooking skills, you should. I can hardly cook anything."
"Why don't you just let me die?"
"Because I still need to use you. Besides, you should be thankful. I'll even let you ride shotgun. So, we'll pretty much be sharing a body."
"I would prefer to die. All you're going to do is do what you did last time you took control of me. Death, destruction, mayhem, chaos...
"So, you finally figured out who I was! Good for you, dumbass. I thought you were a bit smarter than that."
"I do not wish to live if that is what I will be taking part in."
"No. I will respect what you want and will not go on bloody massacres like I did last time. But, in return, you have to respect what I want. You don't want to kill innocent people; I want to kill. So, we'll have to find the middle ground. That is: I don't care if they're innocent or not. Surely you have some enemies?"
"Meredith, this food is delicious!" exclaimed Kevin as he spooned yet another glob of corn into his mouth.
"Why thank you very much, Kevin." said Meredith with a grin.
Kaname smiled as she took another bite of the pork roast.
"Yes, did you do something different? I think this is the best food that you have cooked! It is great! Don't you think so, Kaname?" he said after chasing the corn with some apple juice.
"Yeah, it's pretty good."
"Kevin?" said Meredith with a smile.
"Yes? What is it, Ms. Iron Chef?" he said swallowing a bite of baked potato.
"Kaname cooked all of the food." she said with an evil smile.
Kaname put her hand up to her mouth to cover her smile. Kevin had already speared another piece of macaroni and cheese with his fork by the time Meredith finished her sentence. His smile dropped as he looked like a deer caught in the headlight of an on coming car. He kept his fork where it was at as if it were stuck. He quickly put a nervous smile back on his face as he looked over at Kaname.
"Well then, Kaname, this food is very good."
"Is hers better than mine, Kevin?" Meredith asked with an evil grin.
"Well, at the moment, yes. But that could just be because I haven't eaten anything since I ate that pizza early this morning."
"Kevin, you never lie. So, tell me. Is her food overall better than mine?"
She loved to make him sweat. Not much at all made him sweat, but it seemed as if he was now. She had him on the spot and he knew it. Now Kaname was glaring at him expectantly also. He felt as if he were one large slab of meat in the middle of two hungry dogs. No matter who got him, he would be torn to pieces. He suddenly smiled as he lifted his spear/fork from his plate and took the bite of food in his mouth.
"I refuse to answer that question. More like I refuse to be put in the predicament to where I will be offending someone. I will say only that I enjoy every meal that is prepared for me no matter who makes it for me. So, tonight my thanks go to Kaname." he said as he held up his glass of apple juice in salute and took a quick drink of it.
"By the way, ladies, you may want to start getting ready. I've added an extra night to the visitations of friends for Sagara."
Meredith almost spit out her water. Kaname looked at the man with a look of surprise on her face. Meredith was the first to voice her displeasure.
"What do you think gives you the right to do something like that?!" she almost shouted.
"Considering the circumstances, every right." he said with a stern look that he turned to them both.
"I'm sure that Kaname has by now given you all the details about what has happened."
"Yes, she told me while we were fixing dinner."
"Then, no doubt she told you about the woman that gave us all the trouble?"
"Well... yes, she did." Meredith said while lowering her head.
"This isn't something to talk about over the dinner table, but since you feel as if you have the right to question me about my rights, I will tell you. That woman could have killed Kaname and me easily if she wanted to. Somehow we managed to escape her the first time, and the second time we were saved by a phone call. You have also probably been informed that the woman wanted you dead also. I have plenty of reason to believe that she will be coming here to finish the job. Kill multiple birds with one stone, if you will. I have no doubt that I will not be able to stop her, at least not by myself. I informed Mithril that the church would be accepting friends for two days. This is plenty excusable since Sousuke had no family that would be coming on the night that only family would be accepted. Since I informed them this morning, Captain Testarossa of the Tuatha de Danaan assault submarine has already arrived. She is being housed no more than a mile's distance away from here. And, with her came a large number of elite and non-elite military personnel. A few of which were also friends of Sousuke's and a few of which are here for the sole purpose to protect Captain Testarossa if that need were to arise. I did not inform them of the expected danger in fear that they would not come. I did this in order to get the extra military support. I believe that I just may be able to keep the both of you safe that way."
Kaname couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nor could she find any logical sense in what Kevin was saying. Another large amount of people could be put at risk for the better of her protection. Many people had already died because of her, and she did not want anyone else to share that horrible fate. She stood up and slammed her hand down on the table making a few of the plates and eating utensils jump and rattle on the table. Kevin looked at her with a slight hind of agitation in his eyes.
"How can you do something like that? By doing that you will also be putting Tessa at risk along with many other unknowing soldiers!"
"Yes, I am aware of that. The soldiers will be protecting Tessa if Ace does decide to attack us during the next two days. Since they would also be protecting their captain, they would view you as civilians and protect you also. I hate to sound like a braggart, but I know for a fact that I alone can protect the two of you better than a platoon of Mithril soldiers would." he said as he took another sip of his apple juice.
"If that is so, then why are you calling them over? You said yourself that you are no match for Ace, and you also just said that you are much better than an entire group of the Mithril soldiers! So, if they do have to fight Ace, they will all die, and there will be no one else left to protect Tessa!" shouted Meredith who now stood up beside of Kaname.
"Not true. I will be left to look after the three of you, which as I said before, may just be better than their entire group."
"If you know that the soldiers are not going to be able to stand a chance against the woman, then why have you called them over? You have pretty much set them up to die!" shouted Kaname.
"They would at least allow for us a getaway. Obstacles, time delays, distractions, diversions... meat shields." he said solemnly as he watched the apple juice swirl in his glass as he rocked the glass on its base.
Both of the two were expecting, but not quite ready for such a response. They stood slack-jawed and staring at the man in disbelief. Meredith was the first to voice her displeasure.
"How can you say that so casually and confidently?! That would be almost one hundred people that would die! They would be sacrificing their lives for only me and Kaname, and then another one of 'God's Gifted' that wasn't in any danger, would then be in danger! How could you live with doing something as terrible as that!?" shouted Meredith as she too slammed her hand against the table.
Kevin quickly thrust his finger out that made the both of them take a surprised step back from the table. With his other hand, he rammed his butter knife through the table. He quickly got up from his seat, knocking it over, and gave the two a hateful look.
"Because I can more easily live with the worst of scenarios in that case than I could with the others! All human life is precious! But, you must understand... No, I don't care if you understand, but I need you to understand that I understand that the lives of God's Gifted are much more priceless compared to the worth of a regular human life! It pains me greatly when anyone dies, but I can do what has to be done because I know priority! Under the worst case, all the soldiers would die and no one would be able to help Captain Testarossa, but we three would be able to escape. I am fully aware that Captain Testarossa is one of God's Gifted, but it is much better if one were sacrificed than three. Under the better case, everything would be the same as the worst, but we would be able to escape with Captain Testarossa. Under the best case, the Lord himself would grant one of his miracles and everyone would live. But, though the Lord loves us all, he would still not intervene. He has placed me with this job, and I must do everything I can to make sure I do not fail Him." he said as he fell back down into his chair with a painful wince.
He propped his elbows up on the table, lowered his head, and covered it with his hands. He let out a long, shaky sigh before continuing.
"I know that I could very well be sacrificing a hundred men or more and possibly one of God's Gifted. But, I can at least ensure the safety of the both of you. I know that for sure I can do that. I will not blame you if you both hate me for this, nor do I expect you to understand my logic or beliefs behind my decision. But, I do know that I am making the best decision in this case. The Good Lord will not allow me to make a wrong decision when it comes to protecting His Gifted. I can at least have that much faith in Him." he said lowering his head as not to make his face visible.
He knew how this was sounding. He sounded like a monster to everyone but himself. But, he had to do what he could to protect God's Gifted. Never before had God led him to make a wrong decision concerning his job. As horrible as a thing as this was, he knew that he was making the right decision. His decisions concerning this matter were the Lord's decisions. He would like to say that the decision was hard for him to make, but then he would be lying. He knew that this was the correct decision for keeping Meredith and Kaname safe, so there was no hesitation on his part about making the decision. He could only imagine how horrible Meredith and Kaname were feeling about this. There was the possibility that near a hundred people would be sacrificed for their safety. To them, that would be completely unacceptable. They would never agree to such a decision if they had a choice in the matter. They did not believe in what he did; they did not see themselves as he did; they did not know how special they were.
"We can pray that I'm just being a fool and that nothing like that will occur." he said in a low tone.
Kevin lowered his head even further. His muscles went momentarily limp, his arm dropped off of the table, and his fork escaped his grip and hit the floor. He slowly placed his hand back on the table, and slowly, painfully lifted himself from his chair. He let out a sigh as he pulled his gloves back on his he put his trenchcoat back on. He lifted the car keys from his pocket and turned to the door. He looked up at the clock in the kitchen.
"Thank you for dinner, Kaname. It was delightful, but unfortunately I've lost my appetite. It is about a quarter after seven right now; it will begin at nine o' clock."
He winced and hissed in pain as he bent down to dust off one of his boots. He quickly shot back up and decided that the bit of mud could wait till a later time. He threw up his hand as he began walking towards the door.
Meredith looked over at Kaname to see her already looking at her. Her eyes were seeking an answer to something. One glancing scan of Kaname's mind revealed all that she needed to know about how Kaname was feeling. She believed exactly like herself. She did not understand what Kevin was doing, but she did trust what Kevin was doing. Meredith now felt slightly guilty. Normally, anyone would have all right to lecture someone or even hate them over such a decision, but not her. She knew Kevin too well. When ever Kevin was near, everything always seemed to work out. Maybe he did have a purpose specifically given to him by God. Whatever it was about him, she felt ashamed for doubting him. For as long as Kevin had been around her, everything that was good turned out great, and everything that was going wrong started turning right. Now, would also probably be the case. She knew Kevin was feeling bad for the decision that he had to make, and he would probably feel even worse if he thought that he did not have the support of the two people who he was trying to protect.
She quickly looked over at Kaname and nodded her head. She turned and went after Kevin into the living room at a hastened pace, and Kaname followed close behind her. She walked up behind Kevin and poked him in the rib. He yelped in pain as he turned around and looked at her.
"Ouch! That hurt, Meredith!"
Meredith looked around at Kaname and put a smile on her face. Kaname soon followed suit and also changed her grim expression.
"Yes, I expected it would. You never grunt or groan or wince in pain! So, you must be a little bit hurt. Come in the bedroom and let me and Kaname patch you up. You can't really protect us to the best of your ability if you're wounded, now can you?"
"No, I don't have any enemies as of current."
"Oh, but I think you do!"
"I believe that I would know whether or not I have any enemies better than you would."
"Don't forget that I am you."
"Good point. But, I still don't know of any enemies that I may have as of yet."
"Think a bit harder; you're sure to come up with a list."
"Well, then who do you think are my enemies?"
"Hell if I know! But, if I were you, I know I would have a LOT of enemies."
"Don't forget that you are me."
"...good point. How about that strange chick in the leather that is trying to kill Kaname and Meredith?"
"What the hell are you talking about?! Someone's trying to kill them?! Why?!"
"Oh, dear. You didn't know?"
"How could I know?!"
"What you're telling me that you can't feel it? The answer lies in the wind, Grasshopper! Literally."
"...now that you mention it..."
"Ut-oh."
"What do you mean, 'Ut-oh?!'"
"You know, ut-oh: a commonplace utterance of an acknowledgment of a mistake, tragedy, or..."
"Go to Hell!"
"Sure thing."
"... ... ... screw you."
"Now that's just kinky! Considering that I am..."
"You are really starting to bother me. Tell me what you were..."
"Ditto. Fine, I'll tell you. My singular utterance of 'ut-oh' was a result of me realizing a calculation. Approximate danger will be here in precisely two hours and thirteen minutes. It will be at least four hours before we're completely ready to kick ass and take names, so..."
"Kevin! I can't believe you! You were hurt and you still didn't tell me?!" said Meredith as she wrapped another layer of bandages around Kevin's ribcage while Kaname continued to bandage his shoulder.
Kevin Jacobs was slowly being doomed to mummification. He seemed to have pressed a few sympathy buttons with his last words, but now it seemed as if they were mad at him for those exact, heartfelt words. His torture would be slow and painful. The bottle of iodine that each of the women were armed with would make sure of this. The acidic liquid had already been applied to many of the cuts on his body that were now covered with bandages. There should have been a procedure to their treating of his wounds, or so he would have thought. Instead of cleaning the cuts, icing the bruises, or wrapping the fractures or breaks first, they instead seemed to start at the head and were making their ways down from there, treating injuries as they came across them.
He was also very cold. The room temperature still hadn't reached a comfortable setting yet, and he was drenched with water and the dreaded acid called iodine. It didn't help that he had to sit naked on a cold wooden chair with nothing but a towel to cover his lap.
"Well, it wasn't really anything major, and I knew that you both had a lot to talk about. I didn't want to be any sort of hindrance. Ouch!" he winced as he felt a solid jerk on his shoulder.
Kaname sneered at him as she loosened the bandage that she may have... accidentally pulled a little too tight.
"Kevin, what gives you the right to think that you would be a hindrance to me? Especially all that you've done for me! Coming from you I would have thought that to be sarcasm. I'd be much more inclined to say that I'm a hindrance to you."
"Yeah, that goes for me too. I think I speak for myself and Kaname both when I say that we're sorry." said Meredith as she fastened the last layer of the bandage around his ribcage.
Kaname nodded her head in agreement.
"We had no right to say some of the things we did a little while ago. Sure, it distressed us that you considered that possibility, but that won't happen while you're around!"
Kevin looked over at Meredith and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, you do, do you?"
"Yep! Kevin, nothing ever goes wrong while you're around. I don't have to remind you about what happened a little over a year ago. While I've been with you, everything that could have gone bad didn't and everything that could have possibly went good went better. The same can even been said in the little while that Kaname was with you. You, her, and everyone else at that restaurant should have died but didn't. And, what was it that saved you all? A sudden call on the woman's cell phone. What are the chances of that happening? I'll tell; there is no chance that something like that could happen, but it did. No, Kevin, you are a walking, talking, Karate-chop action, good luck charm." she continued with a laugh.
"I guess you've got a point there."
"And, what do you mean, "wasn't really anything major?" I don't know about you, but I would call a sprained shoulder, a fractured elbow, hundreds of cuts, four broken ribs, two pulled tendons: one in each leg, and a magical disappearing piece of your spinal cord 'something major.'"
"Yeah, maybe you're right."
"No, no maybes about it; she is right." Kaname added in.
"Yeah, you're right; maybe I should have told you earlier."
"No, no maybes about it; you definitely should have let us known earlier." insisted Kaname.
"Ok, so you're right and I should have let you known sooner."
"That's much better." said Meredith with a smile. "Let me see your left leg."
"It's just that... I'm kind of ashamed about it really. I've never been hurt this badly before by anyone or anything. I have never met anyone like that Ace woman. I... I didn't even stand a chance." he said as he lowered his head.
Kaname knew that he wasn't saying this to make her feel bad, but it definitely was. Kevin, a man that she hardly knew, could have died because he was trying to protect her. If she were not there, then he would not have been hurt. And, there would be a possibility that Meredith wouldn't be getting involved with this. She frowned at her thoughts. Just how many people were going to die because of her?
Kevin noticed that Kaname had stopped washing the crusted blood off of his back. She had been rinsing out the washcloth a little bit longer than it really needed to be. He looked around at her to see her staring at the floor. He really needed to start watching what he was saying a little bit more. He knew what she must be thinking since he had managed to stupidly blurt something like that out. He needed to change the mood a little bit. If there was anything that he hated worse than being depressed, it was seeing other people depressed. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He smiled.
"But, you know? I think that's what I needed! I've never been beat before, and I think I might have been getting a little bit too much of a complex considering my skills. I was starting to think I was invincible. So, that's probably actually what I needed: someone to put me in my place. Now, because of that, I know that there are some people that even I can't stand against. Now, I will be a much better bodyguard in the future." he said with a laugh, trying to sound as if he were laughing at the irony of it.
"And, I suppose the end results aren't that bad. I'm sitting here naked with two very beautiful women patching me up! I would say that any man would go through that kind of beating to be where I am now!" he said with a laugh.
Kevin was watching Kaname through the mirror in front of him. That actually brought a smile to her face.
"Yeah, well you better not get any crazy ideas because of this. We might not do this every time you get injured. For some reason I can now see you trying to find ways to injure yourself!" Kaname said with a laugh.
Kevin let out a chuckle as he cleared his throat with a cough.
"Yeah, there's a swimming pool just down the road. Maybe next time, I'll go swan-dive into the kiddy pool."
That earned a round of full hearted laughter from everyone. Meredith rose up after she got done wrapping a bandage around a large gash in Kevin's leg.
"Well, I think that's got it! You're good to go unless you have any injuries under that..."
"No, if I had any injuries there I wouldn't be walking. Thank you for patching me up, ladies. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed. We're expected over at the church at nine." he said as he glanced at his watch on the sink.
"The time is 7:52."
With that came a couple of surprised gasps from the two women as they quickly scurried out of the room in a hurried panic.
"I still haven't fixed my hair yet!" exclaimed Meredith.
"And, I still haven't picked out what I'm going to wear!" shouted Kaname.
"Calm down you two! We still have almost an hour before we have to leave!"
"Kevin, you know how long it takes me to get ready for something like this!" Meredith called back.
"And, you have no idea how long it takes me to get ready!" added Kaname.
Kevin sighed and put an amused smile on his face. He stood up a bit slowly and lifted his knees to his chest one at a time, making sure that the partial mummification would not hinder his movement too much. He pulled on his boxer-shorts followed by a fresh pair of jeans. He then put on his weapon belt and fastened it tightly. He let out a somewhat saddened sigh.
He would have much loved to see his friend one last time. However, he would not want to go and gaze upon a dead body. To him, that was taboo that he didn't want. So, there would be no need for him to dress fancy tonight since he wouldn't be showing his face inside the church. He would instead pull a little bit of extra guard duty. He heard the two women in another part of the house say a few hurried words to each other as they passed each other in their frantic race to transform themselves into different people. He often made fun of Meredith by calling it 'slow polymorphing.'
"Geez! How long do you two think you are going to take? I might just lay down and take a nap if you're going to be as long as I think you are." he stated with an impish grin on his face.
"Kevin! We have still got to pick out what we're going to wear, shower, fix our hair, and all of that!" Meredith called back to him in agitation.
"Yeah, and we have to be done in less than an hour, so we won't be that long!" Kaname continued.
"Oh, ok. Don't forget to put on your war paint also!"
Meredith let out an aggravated groan at the man's input.
"And, I suppose that's your terrifying war cry?"
"Shut up, Kevin!" yelled Meredith.
"Hey, what do you mean 'war paint'?!" questioned Kaname from another room.
"That's what Kevin refers to as makeup."
"Oh, I see." replied Kaname with an obvious tone of ill intent.
Kevin put back on his white t-shirt, and then went on to fasten, buckle, and tie his boots back on his feet. He sorted all of his weapons on his belt into proper position. After which he pulled his trenchcoat over him. Now that his wounds had been brought to mind, all of the weapons and the trenchcoat full of weapons seemed to weigh a lot more than they did before. Rather uncomfortable he had to admit. Oh well; he would have to deal with that for a while. He walked out into the living room and turned his head to the hallway to call out to whoever would be listening.
"Hey, I'm going out for a few minutes; I'll be back here in just a little bit."
"Alright." Kaname called back to him.
With that Kevin left out the door. There were a few things he needed to do and confirm before they went to the church.
"... What exactly are you going to do when we're done with this... you know... whatever you call it?"
"...Resurrection?"
"I suppose that's just as good a word as any. So, what do you plan to do when we're done... resurrecting? Will I be in control of my body?"
"Well, I believe I'll let you be in control since it was your body to begin with. But, be warned ahead of time: I will meet your needs by letting you take control of your body, but if you do not fulfill my needs, I will take control. Is that understood?"
"Yeah, I suppose I have no other choice."
"Good. When we are done resurrecting, I think we need to eliminate the threat."
"That sounds reasonable."
"... but what exactly do you consider to be the threat?"
"Hot damn! I think you've finally started to figure me out. I consider anything living to be a threat. But, not to worry, I said I will respect your wishes; I will. I will not insist that everyone that is alive dies, but I do expect to see a fair amount of bloodshed, so you better be thinking of some or all enemies you have made in the past. We can call this our 'shopping list.' We'll start with that sexy woman in that skin-tight leather."
TO BE CONTINUED