Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 6

Chapter 31: My Kingdom For an Octopus

(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.)

It had been a week since Reina's funeral as I was busy taking care of everything that stemmed from looking after the children to doing laundry. I was under the scrutiny of Hugh's wrath as I saw him coming towards me. He was seeing me in just a cap over my long hair and a smock that covered my clothes in which he was ready to pounce at what I was going through.

"Hey, retard," he said. "Maybe you should go hang yourself with one of the cords that are attached to the prayer bells there."

"Knock it off, Hugh," said Varro as he arrived to report in. "He's been through enough in which I know the truth about how my grandmother died."

"You're staring at the murderer of your grandmother, aren't you? Well, aren't you gonna punish him for it?!"

"A member of the Black Dragon Guild killed her, end of story. As for your misconduct, you should tread carefully or else I'll file a report to Marshal Calvert if need be."

"It's alright," I said. "I'm used to this right now..."

I left the scene as I was on my way towards the kitchen where the smell of dinner was cooking in the form of nikujaga for everyone. I was welcomed by the sight of it as I wanted to have a bowl for dinner like everyone else. With the clock nearly getting closer to five, I was getting hungry as I left the kitchen and saw the nikujaga in a large stewpot on the table in the dining room. I was ready to be with my family until Hugh stood in my way in which he refused to budge. I wanted to be with my family, but my stubborn half-brother continued to block my way to the dining room. His anger towards me was more than enough for me to bear as he still reminded me of what happened a week ago, for he refused to let that go not even once.

"Get out of the way, Hugh," I said.

"You don't deserve to eat with Reiko and the others in your family," he said.

"I'm the Elder of this castle and I get treated that way?"

"Why don't you tell it to Reina…, oh, wait, she's dead; no thanks to you."

"Reiko made that nikujaga not just for the children, but for me as well."

"You're not getting a damn smidgeon of a bowl, 'cause you're getting something else for your dinners on a daily basis."

"And what is that?"

"You're dining on octopus every day! It's a reminder how low you fell ever since you let Reina die. And for that, you don't deserve to live in which I hope that you kill yourself just to decrease the load in this castle. As soon as you admit to your guilt about Reina's death, then you'll be offered the keys to the kingdom once again. Besides, it's your punishment for allowing her to die on that mission."

I didn't argue further as I returned to the kitchen to where I walked towards the fridge in which I saw a large container that had a two of the eight-tentacled creatures, along with two squids that were in there. Even though I was barred from eating the nikujaga that was prepared, I had no other choice but to make due of my predicament while getting ready to cook it. With the large container out of the fridge and on the counter, I took out one of the octupi as I began to rinse it out in the sink in which I saw the ink washing away. I was hard at work by washing and peeling the octopus as I even removed the guts, eyes, and mouth while throwing them away in the trash. I did the same with the other one as I was also even using some salt to clean beneath the sucker part of the tentacles until they were clean and ready to go. With some pots of water that are seasoned with salt and sesame oil, I tossed the octopi into them as I turned on the burners so they could cook for a little bit.

While the octopi were cooking in the pans, I got out the squid as I removed the guts, eyes, and mouth from them while cleaning and peeling them. With an idea that was set in stone, I noticed a package near the back door as I saw it to be from James Farragut in which I noticed it to be a set of urn-like jars the moment I brought them in. Opening them up, I was thinking of them to be kimchi until I saw the redness in both paste and powder form. When I noticed the labels that read "gochujang," and "gochugaru," in black letters, I decided to make the squid in the kitchen anyway as I got out a grill pan and placed it next to the stove. With the squid dried off with some paper towels, I began to delicately cut and score the squid halfway as I set it aside just to make the seasoning sauce that was there. With some garlic and ginger cut and minced while put into a bowl, I added some mustard, rice syrup, soy sauce, and some gochujang as I mixed them all together the moment I added some oil to onto the grill pan. With the squid put on the pan, I was hard at work into cooking them until I saw the pots where the octopi were starting to boil over.

Turning off the burners where the potss were, I continued to cook the squid as I even put the spicy seasoning on them until they were done and ready to be put on a bed of arugula complete with some green onions that I cut up for garnish while drizzling it with sesame oil and decorating it with sesame seeds. By the time I got the octopi out of the pots, I began to cut at the legs and heads as I was most likely to be making plenty for myself during my times of being a servant again. With some of the octopus parts being braised in a mixture of garlic, water, soy sauce, rice syrup, and gochugaru, I cooked them to my advantage as I was using the remainder of them for muneo-sukhoe and takoyaki due to what I had in my pantry and fridge. I was hard at work into making a tentacled feast as I was done with what I had. When I made the sesame dipping sauce for the muneo-sukhoe, I heard some eating sounds as I turned around and noticed Castiel getting into the braised octopus that I prepared. The look on his face said it all as he was eating more than just molecules, for the sight of the tentacled feast was more than enough to feed a small army.

"You're getting into my dinner," I said.

"The octopus is good, but spicy," answered Castiel.

"Well, this isn't a plate of hamburgers or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches right now."

"Hugh has a disdain towards you, doesn't he?"

"He'll always has a grudge against me ever since Reina's death. I can't forgive myself for it."

I got a plate as I used some chopsticks to pick up some of the muneo-sukhoe on it, along with some takoyaki and the grilled squid that I made earlier. I began to eat them as I found them to be very delicious due to the work I put in it. I was happy to eat what I made as I was also going towards the braised octopus until I saw Castiel get into the muneo-sukhoe that was there. He never expected to try odd foods unlike hamburgers or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but he was most likely to be want seconds in this debacle in the kitchen. Both of us were here as there was no further problems for the time being. It was my way of avoiding Hugh's tantrum as I had enough solace to keep me sane for a while…

After dinner, I noticed a box on the counter as I opened it up. It was a cake that was sent by Shigeru, but I noticed that it was tampered with so far. I noticed the words, "You let Reina die," in red letters on a blue canvas of frosting in which I lost my appetite altogether. When Castiel returned, he spotted the cake directly as he couldn't contain himself due to the side effects of the raw power coarsing with his angelic grace. By the time he finished it off, he had cake and frosting all over his face as he went towards the sink and washed his hands and face, for he was now full after what he ate earlier.

"You just had to eat cake, didn't you?" I said.

"It was meant for you, but I couldn't control myself," answered Castiel.

"The cake was tampered with in which those hurtful words against me were there before you devoured it… 'You let Reina die,' was written on the cake with red decorative icing in which it was blank before someone got a hold of it."

"Hugh bears such an ill will towards you for something that was beyond your control, doesn't he?"

"He'll always nurse that grudge against me, no matter what I do..."

I was still feeling troubled as I could never forget about what happened to Reina as her death was still fresh in my mind. Still, I was kept in a harsh light as this wasn't the end of what happened next, for that grudge would turn into something dangerous if not contained in time…

Varro was on his way towards Ginryu's office as he wasn't too thrilled in what was going in the castle. Even though it had been a week since Reina's death, he wanted to wring Hugh's neck for shoving more insults down my throat for no reason. When he was outside, he saw the Kurokage arriving as it landed into a clearing. At that moment, he saw Dean arriving as he was exhausted and ready to come home for a little while, for he would soon know more about the mission that ended on a sour note.

"So, who brought in the dip and chips?" he asked.

"My grandmother was killed," said Varro.

"What the hell?! Are you telling me that Reina's dead?"

"She died from her injuries after shutting down the factory on Drakonus a week ago. With the SIM-Tron chip that I found, she sacrificed herself to save Sam from an assassin from the Black Dragon Guild, but Hugh blames him for her death."

"Where's he at?"

"He's been spending his days taking care of things all over the place, but recently, he's been forced to retreat to the kitchen and eat nothing but squid and octopus. The guy's a demigod, but he's also the primal target for the Executive Division of all people."

"I'll go talk to him. He can't just have that dark cloud of guilt hang over him forever. It ain't like him to just pile on the resentment 'cause he needs to let it all go in order to move on."

Dean went towards the castle grounds as he saw me sitting on the porch in the backyard. He saw me to be a wreck as I was in my usual cap and smock that covered my clothes. When he saw me stare at the sky, he wanted to confront me about what I was going through as he wasn't about to let me off the hook just yet, for he couldn't let me sulk in my own misery forever.

"It's been a week since that mission and you sulk like this?" I heard him say.

"I don't deserve any sympathy right now after losing Reina," I said.

"Varro told me about how she saved your ass from an assassin's bullet and the one who pulled it off came from the Black Dragon Guild until he got taken out by werewolves."

"That doesn't change anything right now, Dean. I should've protected her that day, but saving me in that moment of danger?! From now on, I'm doing my field work alone, you got that?"

"If you did that, then you can kiss your membership of the Order goodbye."

"It's better than having anyone else put in body bags. I can't get Reina's death out of my head, no matter what I try to do. It should've been me that took the bullet instead of her. If those roles were reversed, I would be good as dead right now."

"Anyway, you should be, retard," said Hugh as he came out of the house. "You killed Reina by leaving her in a rain of gunfire, for killing an Elder is a serious offense indeed."

"You rotten little pissworm!" yelled Varro as he was not having it right now. "You throw every form of punishment towards the man who is destined to rule this basket of planets, but hurling out that infamous six-letter pejorative towards him?! You should be ashamed of yourself for doing this and you force him to dine on octopi and squid while being confined in the kitchen?! Oh, you're not getting out of it 'cause you're in a whole new game of hurt."

It wasn't long until Varro dragged Hugh by his hair as he took him into the bathhouse in which he saw a small bar of soap near the wash basin. Opening it up, he broke it in half as he took one piece and shoved it into Hugh's mouth and covered it. He wasn't about to let him get away with what he was doing to me as he was letting him get his soapy desserts in such a humiliating display.

"You're getting your mouth washed out with soap just because you continue to hurl out that awful pejorative at your half-brother!" he yelled. "I don't care if the Marshal gets pissed off at me for 'assaulting a military officer,' but having you say that r-word all over the place leaves a sour taste in our mouths! Therefore, I suggest that you get your head out of your ass and show some forgiveness or else it'll end up being a burden on you. Sam's already saying that he's better off without a bodyguard to protect him and I heard you say that word for word. As for my grandmother's memory, it won't be in vain 'cause she survived much worse than what we all know, you got that?"

Varro released Hugh as he saw him go into the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. The young cadet was humiliated to such a troubling degree as he flushed the toilet and left the bathroom in which he sprinted out of the bathhouse. The humiliation he suffered from Varro was more than enough to bear as he had to watch what he said, but that didn't deter him from punishing me for Reina's death. He wasn't about to let me off the hook that easily as that tragic image remained fresh in his mind, for he wanted justice for her memory so far…

I was in the kitchen after put away the food and cleaned up everything else. The meal of braised octopus, muneo-sukhoe, grilled squid, and takoyaki was enough for me and Castiel to eat as I was finishing up the kitchen before getting a bath and going to bed. By the time I finished up the kitchen, I was on my way towards the bathhouse as I spotted Hugh standing in front of me. He was eager to do something as he was still wanting to punish me for the burden I bore.

"You know how to clean up the kitchen, don't you?" he said.

"It's the most I can do," I said.

"Sam, Reina's death wasn't your fault in which Varro shoved some soap in my mouth, but it's best that we put aside this skirmish before we all fall."

"Let's hope that we do so..."

"I'm hoping for the same thing..."

I turned around as I was putting away the pantry essentials that I used earlier. What I didn't expect was that I felt a blunt object knocking me out as I fell to the floor. When Hugh walked towards me in a state of unconsciousness, he had a brick in his hand as he set it on the floor the moment he would do something drastic, for he wanted justice for Reina's death, which was beyond my control at the time…

"Sam!"

Dean was searching everywhere as he was looking all over the castle. He was desperate to find me as he still didn't trust my judgment into going solo after that tragic incident that cost Reina her life. By the time he ran into the kitchen, he saw a brick on the floor as he noticed some blood on it. Just as he was about to look further, he heard the sound of a car engine starting up as he sprinted out the door and saw Hugh driving off with the Impala with me still unconscious and in the backseat. He was ready to let him have it the moment he got back as he wasn't about to let this slide.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" he yelled as he saw the Impala leave the castle gates.

"Damn it, Hugh!" yelled Varro as he was too late to stop him. "

"He's gone and done it this time… He still holds a grudge against Sam all because of what happened to Reina a week ago."

"My aunt had a saying: if one bears a grudge for too long, it will become an oversized boil that could never go away."

"Hugh's gonna get his ass kicked the moment I catch up to him 'cause his behavior towards Sam can't go on forever."

Dean ran towards the gates as he followed the trail of the Impala's tire tracks in the dirt road. Wherever they went, he had to track them down, but there was no motive of transportation to see where the tire marks would lead. All was lost until he spotted a familiar warg approaching as he often came and went, for he was sniffing around where I was at.

"You just had to show up, didn't you, Barca?" said Dean. "If we can find the Impala, I can find Sam, alright?"

Barca sniffed around as he ran towards the shed where it was opened up. Dean went towards there as he noticed that some rope and a container of gasoline were gone in which they were taken out of there. Running out of options, Dean noticed that Barca was bellowing loudly as he got onto his back in which they left to follow the trail that the Impala left on the dirt roads. He had to bring me back as he followed the trail that was getting further from the castle with one stride after another, for it wasn't good right now…

I woke up as I found myself tied up around a stake as I saw some withered wood and twigs surrounding it. I was screwed as I noticed Hugh with a can of gasoline in his hands. He was still hell-bent on seeking justice for Reina as he poured some of it all over the wood and twigs that were all over me. What I didn't expect was that he had a box of matches in his hand as he was ready to burn me for no reason, for he wasn't about to let me go free so far.

"You're awake," he said.

"Where the hell am I?" I asked as I was struggling to get free.

"You're about to burn for your crimes in which I consider it to be 'an eye for an eye,' but I demand a life for a life instead. When Reina died, she told you those words I keep hearing from the higher-ups of the Order: always keep fighting, but I'm fighting for the justice and honor that were taken away from her!"

"You're being misguided, Hugh! You can't just nurse that grudge against forever!"

"This is an eye for an eye and I demand justice for Reina! In the end of it all, you won't live to see what is there! Reina will be avenged and your life is meant to restore what was stolen from her!"

I watched Hugh light a match as he threw it over the pile of withered wood and twigs as a blaze surrounded me in a point of no return. I was going to die. I was ceasing to be. The flames got intense as they were burning me from the bottom up to the brink. When Dean got there, he got off of Barca's back as he saw the stake burning higher until there was nothing left. He saw Hugh kneeling as he seized him by the scruff of his tunic and punched him in the jaw, for he was ready to do more than just assault him on the sly.

"How could you do this?!" he yelled as he continued to punch Hugh in the face. "You killed Sam just because you can't let go of a grudge against him!"

"I did it for her, Dean!" yelled Hugh. "I did it because I wanted to see justice done for what happened to Reina! I demanded to see retribution for the one who killed her!"

"Sam didn't kill Reina and even Varro said that the Black Dragon Guild were the ones who killed her while she guarded our brother from harm. You should've been thankful instead of being vengeful towards him! Do you know how guilty he felt about her death?!"

Barca bellowed at the pile of ashes near the stake as he saw a hand emerge from the it. It was me as I was naked and covered with soot and singe marks in which I was walking slowly towards Dean and Hugh from behind. I was freezing as I used my hair to cover myself, but to no avail. Turning around, Hugh was stunned to see me from the ashes as he was shaking with fear. Even though I felt the touch of death in the flames, I was spared as I had tears in my eyes, for that burden of Reina's death could never leave me, nor could it be washed clean.

"No! You should've been complete ashes by now!" cried Hugh.

"I told you that you were misguided…," I said as I was feeling exhausted.

"You should've been charcoal fodder by now, murderer!"

"I didn't kill Reina! I know now that she saved my life from the assassin's bullet. I should be thankful, but I deserve to have this punishment by not having backup with me after all that happened. It's my form of not seeing it until now… As for going solo, it still stands on my field missions in which I can't let another person die at my expense right now."

"That's enough, Sam," said Dean. "You're not thinking straight. You almost got killed in which you emerge without a single burn on your body. You should consider yourself lucky to have that raw power as a blessing or else you would've been barbecue by now."

I fainted from the exhaustion as I was tired from the ordeal that I had. As for Hugh, however, he was still shaking at the fact that I lived from that trial by fire in which I was still alive, but shaken after all that was there in front of me…

"Why am I being banished?! Why am I being punished for carrying out justice?!"

Hugh's words were heard in a different part of the castle as he was trapped in the panic room as punishment for his attempt into killing me for his perceived form of justice. When he saw Dean entering, he was still shaking as he also had the bruises where he was struck repeatedly, for he wasn't about to pussyfoot his way out of that predicament anytime soon.

"You jumped the gun by trying to do away with Sam 'cause of the ongoing grudge that you had against him, and for what, exactly?!" he yelled.

"I wanted to demand justice for Reina!" cried Hugh. "All I wanted is to make Sam suffer for the negligence he made when he failed to save her!"

"Luckily, Sam's alive and resting up in the infirmary wing again, but you're one foot away on being shipped off to the Citadel of Silence for what you've done!"

"Don't ship him off yet, Dean," said Castiel as he appeared out of nowhere. "He has a purpose that will aid us against the Executive Division."

"Oh, he aided us alright…, by burning Sam at the stake, only to remain unscathed with only a few singe marks and bruises."

"Hugh is also a prophet of the Lord, but his misguided stance has blinded him to the point of despair. As for Sam, he's safe for now, but he still refuses to allow help to aid him on his field missions. Reina would be disappointed in him if she saw him right now..."

"Dean Winchester," said a voice over the intercom. "Report to the infirmary wing, please? Your brother is awake."

Dean left the panic room as he sprinted towards the infirmary wing in which he spotted me all cleaned up and newly dressed with some bandages where I was singed from the flames earlier in a hospital room. I was still shaken as I was staring at the ceiling from my hospital bed, for that incident where I was nearly killed was a reminder of how close to death I really was.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me.

"I won't press charges against Hugh," I said.

"Well, you should. He damn near killed you-"

"-And his motives were mainly misguided the moment I sensed such toil since Reina's death."

"And he gets a free pass? I just visited him in the panic room and I find out that he's one of God's prophets just like Kazuo… and I punched him for it."

"Well, the resident archangel who governs Kanto Village didn't intervene due to what was coming to Hugh. If you think his behavior was bad, my past self's was a lot worse when he ran around soulless and even trying to kill Bobby in the Elder Days. I read some Bible verses during my spare time in our years in the fort on Gehenna in which I read Jesus' final words after being pinned to the cross: 'Forgive them, Father; they know not what they do.' I also want to come clean to you about the dreams that I've been having. For a while, I often dreamt of being in Lucifer's cage in which I feel the flames burning me, but when Hugh's attempt to burn me at the stake backfired, I wasn't burnt entirely, which is a divine sign after all."

"Well, it's good that you didn't get burned to a crisp, but Hugh's about to get his just punishment after what he tried to do to you. Hasn't it occurred to you that you could've died from the flames in an awkward Salem Witch Trials fashion?"

"Hugh will be sent to the Citadel of Silence for his skirmish against you, Sam," said a familiar face as he entered into the hospital room. "What he did was unforgivable to both the Order and the Alecrian Army respectively, only to have you nearly killed."

It was Timothy as he was there for a reason. Even though he came here on business, he wasn't about to let Hugh go unpunished for his petty tantrum against me. It was something that was ready to be done as the marshal of the Alecrian Army wasn't about to let my half-brother off the hook yet in which he would put him there in the same place where most military offocers with a short fuse go.

"I thought only witches and heretics get caught and burned at the stake, but you of all people?" he said. "You're lucky that you didn't get burned entirely, but you won't be smelling like a rose the second time."

"I say to you, don't punish Hugh," I said. "I sensed something off when he was in his right mind."

"He knew what he was doing and-"

"He is intoxicated from something that kept his anger going against you," said another Half-Elf as he entered into the hospital room. "Timothy, I had a gut feeling that you would punish someone who is under such a dangerous toxin coming from a wraith like that."

"Graelam, you just had to come here, didn't you?"

The Half-Elf who arrived was a freelance hunter as he fished out a plastic bag in which there was a wraith's feeding tendril in which it was covered in blood. I also knew of him to be related to Timothy, but he was different with long black hair and purple eyes complete with a pair of glasses, for he had a seal sewn on his jacket that denoted his relative status to the Calvert family. As for the purpose of his talking down to the marshal, he was ready to tell him the truth of what happened in which there would be a moment of resolve soon enough.

"You should've taken a good look at what you see in front of you first before jumping the gun, Tim," he said. "Even though some people pass as human, I know the monsters clearly because of the experience I had with them."

"You just vindicated Hugh after all," said Dean.

"Dean, this is my twin brother, Graelam Calvert," said Timothy. "He would've been serving his mandatory military service in the Alecrian Army, but our father said no."

"Dad said the same thing to you," he said. "He wanted you to have a normal life instead of that in the army, but you chose to follow in his footsteps."

"The Calvert Family has close ties to the Alecrian Army and will do so till the bitter end. We have a service and an obligation just to do what we do best and that is serving one's planet."

"And you threaten to send Hugh to the Citadel of Silence after he was touched with skin-on-skin contact with an unsuspecting wraith who does nothing but allow its toxins to mess with its victims? You're lucky that Hugh is somewhat back to normal, but if his anger and grudge reached a breaking point, the wraith who made him his bitch would've slurped on his brains by now. This isn't the first time that a wraith was recorded in which I even read one of the Supernatural books about it. In chapter twenty of Sam, Interrupted, the wraith is known to touch its victims at random in which once they've reached their peak into an outpour of negative emotions, they go and slurp on their brains. Luckily, the only way to kill one is by staking it with silver."

Timothy never expected his twin brother to come clean like that as he saw the incriminating evidence that he showed to him. Still, he was confused, but he was most likely to rescind his judgment towards Hugh after all, for this was all too much right now…

The next morning, I was up and alert as I got into the remainder of the octopus that was saved in the fridge. Even though I was condemned to eat it, I had to make good use for it as I brought it from a container and onto a cutting board. Slicing it up, I was ready to braise it as I even delved into the ingredients to make the sauce to go with it. With my usual hair in a cap and smock over my clothes, I began to get to work as I was busy making the braised octopus on a pan that I got out. The smell of it was very enticing as I heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, I saw Dean entering into the kitchen as he smelled the spicy aroma of what I was cooking, for he was getting hungry with what was being cooked right now. With some rice being made in rice cooker, I was hard at work as I noticed my brother's stomach growling. I had a gut feeling that he would eat up what I was cooking first as I had to fend off his appetite before I dished out what was there in front of us.

"That smells good," he said as he saw me put the braised octopus into a bowl.

"It was the octopus that I cooked last night, but there's a lot of it just to make takoyaki, muneo-sukhoe, and other things with it," I said. "I tried some of what I cooked, but Castiel got the rest of the braised octopus before I got a chance to eat it."

"There ought to be some pie made after that."

"I had a cake, but Castiel got a hold of that one, too. It's a good thing that he did in which Hugh decorated the cake with those gut-wrenching words imaginable. 'You let Reina die,' was written on the cake, but I can't trust another pastry until I see positive words on them."

"It's just a cake, Sammy. Besides, you can't just let that cloud of shame get to you or else you'll end up being Jell-o for the rest of your days."

"What the hell are you doing with that octopus?!"

We heard Cynthia's voice booming as she stormed into the kitchen. When she got into the fridge, she saw what was left of the octopus meat stored as she wasn't too thrilled with what she saw in which the once freshly-caught octopi were reduced to a cooked pinkish red that was made for takoyaki and other things. When she saw the rice done, she noticed me open it up as I grabbed a bowl and scooped some into it along with some of the braised octopus that I cooked up earlier.

"You just wasted the dinner that was meant for Reuben's birthday party tomorrow," she said.

"Birthday party?" I said as I was stunned to hear that.

"That squid and octopi were meant for the festivities that take place for him and you cook it all up?!"

"You can get more, Mom," said Reuben as he entered into the kitchen. "Sam, what are you doing out of bed?" He sees me take a bite of my meal as I quelled the hunger that I had. "If Kazuo finds you out and about, he would send your ass back in."

"By the way…, how's Hugh doing? Is he still pissed off at me?"

"We found a toxin in his system that amplifies his negative emotions, only to see him touched by a wraith. Luckily, he dodged a sentence to the Citadel of Silence, but he's so distraught right now in which he's been put on lockdown in the panic room. Still, if Graelam hadn't came along to develop a cure for the toxin, Hugh would've been the main course for the wraith that was killed. I know the toxicology report in which he even tried to kill you, Sam."

"Yeah, but I wasn't burned entirely. It seems that my raw power saved me in the end, but it's going to be a lot harder for me to make amends to Hugh after Reina's death."

"Before you say that you killed her, you need to be thankful that she got you out of the way, Sam," said Dean. "She took the assassin's bullet in your stead 'cause she didn't want you to get killed. If you died now, then we all lose to not only the Executive Division, but other forces who have dibs on everything else, are we good? You've been through enough and if Reina saw you like this, she would turn in her grave right now. Past stays past for good, so shut up and eat your octopus."

I reluctantly agreed as I continued to eat my breakfast in the form of braised octopus over rice. With Dean and the others getting their bowls full of rice and braised octopus, we were eating as a family in the kitchen as there were no further problems right now, for there was a calming effect after all that has happened so far…

Hugh was in a hospital room as he found himself strapped in a hospital bed. Getting up was difficult for him to do so as he was there for his own good. When he noticed a needle mark on his arm, he had a feeling that someone injected something into him until he spotted Reuben coming into the room with a tray of braised octopus and rice along with a glass of water. Disoriented and confused, Hugh was feeling guilty about his actions as he was desperate enough to make amends towards me, for he was being honest this time. In a glimmer of reasoning, he remembered how he burned me at the stake in which he saw my body in flames. Guilt flooded him as he was desperate enough to make amends for his actions, for he was at the mercy at those who saw him under a monster's influence.

"It's about time that you woke up," said Reuben as he released Hugh from his straps. "It's a godsend that Ginryu pulled some strings just to keep you from being tried by Central 46 and sent to the Citadel of Silence on Cirith Ungol, but you should repair the damage that you caused and that includes making amends with Sam."

"I don't know what happened after I got that needle mark. And Reina's death…, was it caused by a member of the Black Dragon Guild?"

"We tried telling you that, but you ignored us, only to add fuel to the fire. And as for that wraith that touched you by using bare skin, you had a toxin in your system in which it impairs judgment, emboldens negative emotions, and put you on the buffet table just to get your brains slurped out. Wraiths are known for doing that in which they target the vulnerable. If one is let loose in a mental facility, then they use it as their own personal all-you-can-eat buffet in mind. Consider yourself lucky that Sam isn't pressing charges when he sensed that you weren't in your right mind, but you should try the octopus."

"I tried to kill him, Reuben… I was even tying him up and burning him at the stake, only to see him unharmed as if he's a god.

Hugh got out a pair of chopsticks as he dug into the braised octopus over rice in which he found it to be tasty after all that he went through. Tears ran down his cheeks as he was desperate enough to make amends for his actions. By the time he finished up his meal and drank his water, he saw me enter into the hospital room as I was unscathed, but with a few bandages on the wounds I sustained.

"You look like crap," he said as he had snot running down his nose.

"You had worse in the form of that wraith's toxin," I said. "I told you that you were misguided, but I sensed it before you burned me."

"Sam…, I am so, so sorry… I never thought of having a wraith touching me with skin-on-skin contact, but having a toxin in me?!"

"Graelam Calvert was here and he even killed one in which he even filed a report that one of them was an unsuspecting cadet in the Alecrian Army before he was eliminated."

"Wait…, the last time I had a handshake, I saw that guy before I took off to meet with you on Drakonus..."

"And Graelam tracked him down and killed him. As for burning me at the stake, I'm letting it slide because I emerged from the ashes alive and unscathed except for a few bruises and singe marks."

"It's like being given the worse mickey ever just to wake up and see a family member getting tossed into an oven and roasted alive. I have to fix what I needed to do or else that grudge will fester. I even saw the cake that Shigeru made for you in which I resorted into putting those hurtful words that made you think about Reina's death."

"Don't worry about it, for there had been much worse due to what was once recorded in the time of the Elder Days. It's best that you don't think about it right now, alright?"

I left the hospital room as I wandered down the hall in which I was on my way to the elevator. Even though I had made amends to Hugh, that didn't mean that I was off the hook. I was also making myself firm into not allowing any bodyguard with me as I stepped into the elevator the moment it closed up before Reuben stepped in. He was busy with his work like me as he was concerned about what happened to me so far, for he saw it clearly the moment I was on the verge of going dark.

"You forgave Hugh, but not yourself. Why?" he said.

"After what happened to me about Reina's death, I won't let anyone else come with me on my field missions," I said. "I can't let this slide after all that has happened and I won't let anyone else get killed on my watch. Everyone here is precious to me, but I won't toss them out to the wolves or throw them under the bus. As for the hired help in bodyguard duty, I'm relieving them of their services as of now. No one should be put in a body bag for my sake and I can't let that happen again after what happened to Reina."

"Does Ginryu know about this?"

"No, but I'll tell him eventually when he comes here..."

The elevator touched towards the main floor as we stepped out of it. When we entered into the main hall, we saw Ginryu arriving as he was there to observe things, for he was also concerned about the future outcome that I was about to tell him.

"It's a good thing that we saved Hugh from the toxin's influence, but it's also a godsend that you didn't get killed all the way," he said.

"Ginryu…," I said. "From now on, I will conduct my field missions alone. I can't let those around me suffer after what happened to Reina and I won't let it happen again to those around me."

"As you wish…, but you should be warned, Sam. The Executive Division is still out there and waiting to pounce. Still, you'll end up getting the help that you need to protect you on the field whether you like it or not."

"It won't happen, Ginryu. Reina's death may never be in vain, but the repercussions of what happened are already set in stone. I can't have anyone else suffer on my watch and that's final. It's better that everyone lives it out for all our sakes..."

I left to go outside as I saw the rain pouring down in droves. Still, Reina's death weighed heavily on me as I felt the guilt engulfing me all over. I should've saved her. I should've taken the assassin's bullet instead, but it was too late anyway, for I lived just to suffer from yet another form of misery imaginable for my negligence…

To be continued...