Kyrie Eleison- Have Mercy
Author's note: This is a story dedicated to my very faithful reviewers invain, DBZ Fanfiction Queen, Cheerlygal, and Shortie630. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
For the people I may have inadvertently forgotten, forgive me, but I will take note of your names and thank you for your support. You might like Secrets in the Dark by the way, or maybe even The Curse of the Stradivarius. I have this new fic too called Souffle au Chocolat. Lots of fluff and stuff but I'm not sure if I want to continue it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter below.
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Kyrie, eleison!
Christe, eleison!
Kyrie, eleison!
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
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The plane's PA system was announcing the arrival to London as the vehicle landed in Heathrow Airport's runway. By the time the plane came to a complete stop, Squall stood up and took his bag out of the compartment. He smiled to himself, pleased to know that the people who created his weapons were clever enough to realize that chemicals and sharp objects were often spotted on the airport X-Rays.
As he exited the terminal with his duffel bag, he rushed out among the crowd of people to immigration. After a brief moment of interrogation, he was finally allowed to enter London, England. Squall looked around at the people who were holding placards up to call the attention of some passengers. When he saw his name on one of them, he approached a man dressed in grey slacks and a white shirt.
"Father Martine, long time no see," Squall greeted him.
"Squall, Cid told me that you would be coming to London but I didn't know it would be this soon. So, tell me Squall, where are you headed off to?" the older man asked him.
"I need to find a way to get to the Convent of the Sisters of Saint Agnes. Would you happen to know where that is father?"
Father Martine led Squall to the parking lot where the church's car with its symbol emblazoned on the side was waiting. "As a matter of fact, the Convent was set up by the church I work in, Saint Mary's church. I should have the directions, but if I'm right, I think the convent is situated on the outskirts of London. If you want to get there fast, you could take the train. A trip by car, however, will take only half an hour longer to complete."
Squall looked at his watch and noticed that it was five o'clock. "Well, if I get to your church and borrow a car, I could probably get there by nine."
Martine entered the car and invited Squall inside. "Squall, I personally think it would be better if you left tomorrow. It is getting dark, after all, and the fall weather of London isn't your typical dry leafy season. We get more rain here than most of Europe does, so some daylight on the road would be more helpful. Why don't you leave tomorrow?"
'Because I want to get this over and done with.' Squall rested his head against his hand as they drove to the city. "I'd rather do this now so that I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of maneuvering through London traffic. I'm not used also with driving in the car's right hand side, so I think it would be better that I travel at night so that the traffic doesn't stress me out."
Martine sighed. "If you say so."
Martine turned on the heater and stole a glance at Squall. "So, what brings you here in London?"
Squall placed both his hands behind his head and rested himself against the car seat. It felt strange to be on the left side without a steering wheel. "Mission work," he lied. "Father Cid wanted me to help with the convent as they needed a helping hand."
Without keeping his eyes off the road, Martine ensued with the conversation. "I see. Mission work? I didn't see you as the kind of person who would do missions for the church."
Squall chuckled softly. "And so people say. I get that a lot even from the friars and priests in France."
"Well, you aren't exactly the benevolent kind of person at first glance so I would assume different if the church sent you here. Goodness knows I would think of you as some kind of a bloody secret agent who transfers funds to churches!" Martine said with a hearty laugh.
Squall felt uneasy at what Martine said, because partially, he knew that he was an agent of the church. Only that he, instead of transferring funds, took lives of people whom the church saw as a threat. "Heheh…that kind of life sounds thrilling but it's not for me." 'Not for me indeed…I hope I don't have to do this ever again.'
After half an hour passed by, Squall and Father Martine arrived in St. Mary's Church. He invited Squall over to a simple dinner at his quarters and showed him to his room. It was simple compared even to the cheaper hotels Squall would usually stay in. It was, however, for all its simplicity, a warm and homey dwelling.
"Squall, I understand you're leaving soon. But if you ever need to come to London, I suggest that you come back to our church to stay for the night. I know that not many rental places are open right now so I will be glad to lend you one of my cars. If you would just wait for a moment," Martine said before leaving.
Squall sat down on the bed and sighed. 'I hope whomever this Rinoa is, I get the job done quick so I can go back to Austria or France.'
He rummaged through his pocket again and lifted the silver rosary and began fiddling with the beads while praying. In the middle of one of the prayers, the priest reentered the room. "Squall, here it it…oh, I'm sorry Squall. I didn't realize."
Squall opened his eyes and received a small box from Father Martine. "It's fine. But what is this?"
Father Martine opened the box and gave Squall a key. "That is the key to one of the church's cars. It's not much, since the church isn't incredibly wealthy, so I'm not promising you a sports car."
Father Martine did the sign of the cross before leaving and left Squall in his room. Squall put the key in his pocket and ran to the hall with his duffel bag. He found Father Martine later and said, "Father Martine, would you happen to have the files of the nuns currently serving in St. Agnes' convent? I need to speak to one of them."
Father Martine raised an eyebrow and laughed only a moment later at his request. "This is a convent Squall, not Scotland Yard. We trust our nuns well enough to know that they are doing the work of God."
"Oh." Squall's face looked downcast so Father Martine tried to offer some help.
"Who is this particular nun you are looking for Squall?"
Squall looked up at the priest and answered, "Sister Rinoa Caraway. Would you know her?"
The priest looked away and scratched his chin, trying to register her name. "I'm sorry Squall, but I haven't met a Rinoa Caraway in the convent before. I do frequent it often, but perhaps the one you are looking for is new to the order. Don't worry. The nuns in St. Agnes are wonderfully nice. They will refer you to Sister Rinoa if you ask them."
"Thank you father." And with that, Squall left for the convent.
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About two hours later, Squall was driving an old Volkswagen Beetle down a winding road. After receiving a map and some dried food from the church, he set off for his mission to the English countryside to search for the elusive convent. It was getting dark.
'Maybe Father Martine was right. I should have gone tomorrow.' He swerved his way down a winding hill and turned on his headlights. There weren't any lampposts to light the road, so everything in front of him was pitch black. He stopped for a while to read his map again, and soon enough he resumed his journey.
'Ah, to hell with this mission! If I can kill the target tonight, the sooner I can get rid of this burden on my back.' He continued driving until he found a small gasoline station. He saw a man looking out for vehicles.
"Oy! Oy there! You need a fill for your car?" the man cried out loud. He was a short blonde with a tattoo on his face. Squall stopped the car, realizing that his fuel supply was going to run out sooner or later.
"Thanks man! You are a saver! This countryside doesn't offeh mutsch for mine business so it's bloody great that you stop by! I promise. It's not too costly here. I just need a few pounds to buy me mum and dahd some suppeh for the night."
Squall exited his car and went to the strange little man. "Uh, you can fill it up to full tank can you?" he said in his accented Austro-Germanic English.
"Sure man! Have all the time! Say, you're not from around here are you?" the man asked him.
"Well, no. And you can tell from the way I speak?" Squall inquired the smaller man.
"Yeah. You sound like you coming from Western Europe or somewhere there. Are you German?"
Squall shook his head. "I'm actually French, but I grew up in Austria."
"Oy! Vienna! Always wanted to visit the town. I've loved it ever since I saw the Sound of Music. Julie Andrews…such a great dame don't you think?" he asked him while filling the car up with gas.
"Yeah," Squall mindlessly agreed. "Really something…uh…her acting."
The man laughed as he removed the nozzle and replaced it in its slot. "By the way, me name's Zell Dincht! Dincht of the Royal Knights of England! Ok…maybe not but me great great great granddad served as a knight for the King…King Henry or something like that! I 'ave 'is sword in me room closet and I takes care of it everyday. Oils it till its slick! I keep it in its case too! If you have time again man, be sure to drop by and I takes you to see it! What's your name by the way?"
"Squall. Squall Leonhart. A Knight of the Order of the Jesuits."
"Oy! A church man! Well, God bless your heart and may you find your journey safes me friend! I'll never forgets you for your kindness tonight."
Squall chuckled and entered his car. Before closing the door, he snuck his head out the window and faced the man. "By the way, do you know where Saint Agnes' convent is?"
Zell paused and tapped his foot on the floor. "Saint Agnes…Saint Agnes…Ah! It's another half hour of a drive from here! You have to go through the tiny valley up north about twenty kilometers from me humbles abode and you go just follow the winding road. At the bottom of the two mountains is the convent. Hard to miss!"
"Thank you. I hope you have a good evening. But…uh, I haven't paid yet."
"Oh me plumbs forgots! You truly are a nice man! Honests you really are sir! It's fifteen pounds and thirty-nine pence!" Squall found the English currency in his wallet and gave it to the man. "Safe journeys to you my friend!"
Squall gave him a short wave and continued down the road. Twenty minutes later, he found the valley entrance and began snaking down the winding road.
'This is too easy. I've assassinated so many people before and they put up a hell of a fight. What can a nun do? Drive a blunt cross through my heart?'
He continued down the road until he drove through a dark woody area. As he was driving, he suddenly saw a car flashing high beams at him out of nowhere. With not enough time to swerve his own vehicle to avoid the incoming one, he crashed into a tree, careening out of the car as he landed on branches and shrubs that seemed to tear and gash him. Everything began to grow dark around him, but he could hear two voices in the distance.
"Oh dear oh dear oh dear! Darling, the man is injured!"
The last thing Squall saw before completely losing any sense of awareness was a man making his way through the thick foliage of the forest. And then…blackness.
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"Is he awake sister?" a voice called from a corner of the ward.
His ears could hear the cheerful chirping of birds outside. The scent of the room…it smelled clean and of incense as he slowly came out of his state of rest. He attempted to flutter his eyes open, but the fatigue and exhaustion eventually caught up to him. He just decided to get more rest and listen to the voices.
"No, I'm afraid not. Poor dear, he was found by our caretakers the other day. Sister, do you know who he is?"
"No dear, he didn't carry any identification. No credit card, ID card, or whatever article we may use to identify him. Hopefully, he didn't get amnesia, otherwise trying to find out who he is would be like finding a needle in haystack."
"Sister, please take care of him. Make sure he doesn't move around too much. We can't bring him to the hospital since he has no identification so…just do your hullabaloo or whatever it is that you do. Don't worry. Sister Xu and I will keep mum about this."
Squall heard the door close as two of the women departed from the room. He felt a soft hand lift his arm, peeling the bandages off carefully so as not to hurt him. The next thing that touched his skin was a hot, damp cloth. Squall smiled inwardly at the treatment he was receiving. It felt…nice.
He strained to open his eyes, but his vision was mostly blurry. 'How long have I been out?' he wondered. He could make out the outline of a nun in her uniform, carefully tending to his wounds. They had removed his shirt and he could see the white bands of several yards of linen all over his torso. The woman seemed to look around and as she passed a hand over a large gash over his abs, a luminescent glow emerged out of her fingertips. His vision registered some kind of blue light, but he could have been hallucinating.
A moment later, the woman touched a wound again and did the same, and then another. She found a bandage on is pectorals and removed it, finding quite an intricate set of cuts that seemed to require more attention. Grabbing a cotton ball and soaking it briefly in an alcohol solution, she gingerly dabbed it on the wound.
Squall suddenly cringed and grabbed the hand of the woman who now dropped the cotton on the ground. "Don't! What were you doing?"
"I…I…" she stammered as she tried to release her hand from his grip.
"Where am I?" he demanded as his vision became clearer.
"Th…this…this is S…s.s..saint Agnes' Convent sir! Please, don't hurt me!" she begged him.
"Saint Agnes' Convent? What happened?" he asked her again, trying to get up.
"Please, d…d…don't get up! You'll hurt yourself! You had an accident!" she managed to say.
Squall tried to get up again and when he did, a sharp pain shot through his body and he fell back on his mattress. The nun tried to help him, but he pushed her away.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted at the woman, pointing at the door.
"Y..yes…as you wish!" she said before making the sign of the cross and leaving the room.
Squall's fatigue was getting to him again, and soon enough, he was asleep.
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When Squall opened his eyes again, the sun was just beginning to set. He heard several voices outside his room and found a pair of crutches at the foot of his bed. After what seemed like an eternity in his attempt to stand up, he limped his way to the edge of the mattress and grabbed the two crutches. Balancing himself on the two stainless steel sticks, he carefully made his way outside his room. Closing the door behind him, he saw four nuns and another man playing a game of cards.
"Oh my, someone's cards don't look very good!"
"Yours I assume, are the worst. Face it Irvine, you always lose."
"Well, since I am a natural gentleman, I would always give way to the ladies."
"You are the most…improper church caretaker I have ever met! Imagine a man like you flirting with Sister Selphie! And now you flirt with the whole bunch of us! Away demon! I command you in the name of our Lord, depart the flirtatious demon that resides in this man and bother us no more!"
"Hey! Quit that!"
"I won this time Sister Xu! I told you I would win!" exclaimed one of the nuns who had blue eyes and what looked like wisps of golden hair peeking from underneath her head shawl.
"Ok, you won, but what have you to gain my dear sister? We don't gamble for money! Especially not in the house of God!" cried out the nun beside her.
"Oh, quiet dear about that house of God business. If this really is a house of God, we wouldn't be playing cards!" The entire table erupted in fits of laughter but stopped when they noticed Squall staring at them.
The blonde was the first to get up. "Oh dear! You're awake! You shouldn't be standing dear, you might injure yourself!" she exclaimed as she made her way around the table towards him.
Squall just shrugged her off and sat down on the couch beside the table. "Are you the Sisters of the Convent of Saint Agnes?"
They all nodded silently. "What happened? How long was I asleep?"
A short nun with green eyes explained his situation to him. "Well you see, the other day, the caretaker who is this man to my right was coming along with me to the nearest town to purchase medical supplies to prepare for the winter. We were driving and we didn't realize that you were there, so we turned on our headlights and we have a reason to believe that was the cause of your accident. You swerved abruptly and flew out of your car into a branch-filled area."
When they all couldn't add anything else to the conversation, the blonde said, "You have been sleeping for three days now, and your wounds are slowly healing. We would have taken you to the hospital, but you had no identification so we weren't allowed to bring you there."
Squall sighed and looked up at the ceiling before facing them again. "Who was the one who took care of me earlier?"
Three of the nuns pointed to the sister who averted her gaze away from him. She was still obviously terrified of the way he had reacted towards her that morning. Being a proud, strong male however, Squall made use of his crutches again, his presence causing the crowd to part away from him like the Red Sea did when the Israelites crossed its expanse. He balanced his weight on one of the crutches and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you…thank you for helping me."
The sister turned around and gasped at his touch. She looked like she had been crying.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you…I wasn't thinking," Squall apologized. 'She is beautiful.'
"That's not a problem sir. I was just doing what the Lord would do if a man like you were injured," she stated plainly as she wiped her eyes with her long sleeve.
"May I know the name of the one who sheltered me and tended to my wounds?" he asked her, his blue eyes peering into the depths of her brown ones.
The nun stammered for a moment as she said, "I…I…I…I'm Julia. Sister Julia Heartilly."
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Ok, since three people like it, I'm updating. If you can increase the reviews to like…twenty, I'll update really really fast. Thanks for your support and the next chapter: Dies Irae.