Chapter 9: Reunion
Dante woke up inside a warm colored room. His head was aching from the sudden blackout he had inside the armory. Nevertheless, he quickly looking left and right at his surrounding, jogging his mind to make out where the hell he was based on the objects placed inside the room. He made out beds lining together –each separated by white curtains providing a private time for whoever was using any of those mattresses. He sensed a strong authentic smell of the tidily piled up medicines within a glass cabinet at the edge of the room. With that being known, he told himself that he's currently within the infirmary. It's not the place that he cared about.
But how.
"Ah, so you have awoken?"
He was greeted in a friendly tone by a tall guy in a long white coat that slightly exceeded below his knee. Dante leveled his face to get a better look at the voice owner. Though his vision was slightly foggy, he could make a face of a young man in his 20…he corrected himself. That man was probably in his thirty. He had a spectacle folded in his chest pocket, a pair of green eyes radiating a warm and caring look at him as his profession suggested.
"How did I end up here?"
"You have been sleeping for a whole day, by this I mean 24 hours and I am starting to worry about you." The man in cloth said.
That voice…sounds familiar. Yet Dante couldn't remember.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Multiple positive signs of fractures, torn muscles tendons in right arm, excessive muscles usage, second to third degree of burn in both palms as a result of stopping a 980 tp high frequency energy blade barehanded…" The doctor stated. "Despite using an I.S, if you are not an averagehumanin the first place, you'd be judged by the Omnipotent One already, Devil Hunter."
"Hey! We met somewhere before?"
The doctor had his jaw dropped being slapped with the question. Dante guessed that this guy must have to be someone with an affiliation with him in the past. Could be one of his clients whom wanted to repay their favor for his service and demanded to give him more tip (How he wished this one), or one of his middleman besides Morrison, or maybe worst to worst, any of the mobs he roughed badly who vowed a grudge against him.
"You serious?"
"Am I looked that I am clowning here?"
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"Hey! You still haven't answered my questions, doc!"
There was a venom included in Dante's pronountiation. He was addressing to dog instead of doc.
"Just pipe down and tell me what was the last thing you remember, Devil Hunter!"
"Kicking kids' asses, one on six or five. Changing in locker's room and that's the last thing I remember. Save your breath for asking my name. It's Dante."
"'Devil Hunter' Dante. Yeah, right." The doctor exhaled in relief. "You had me worry 30 seconds ago. Negative signs of amnesia. But seriously Devil Hunter, did you forget about me?"
"You still haven't answered my question."
"A lady found you were iced cold in the changing room and shouldered you here."
"I see. Well, what between us are we missing here?"
"We met years ago."
"I did meet a lot of people."
"I sent you my marriage picture with my wife."
"Got buried in the rubble with my office."
"What?" The doctor's surprised. "How come?"
Dante spat. "Building's aged already. Business went downpour. No more demons to deport."
"My father in law used to hire you to put a hit on me."
"I did being hired to put a lot of hits though."
"How about this, in a bar at night." The doctor disappointedly sighed "I chose a whiskey. Yours' beer. I read a book, you complained about having a pizza with olives with the waiter."
"Title of the book?"
"Romeo and Juliet."
"Ahhhh! Right! So you are that Romeo!" Dante remembered.
Romeo chuckled. "It's Bradley Hagel. Not Romeo. Funny that you are still calling me like that after all these times."
"How's wife?"
"Good. She's now working in this school's education board." Bradley eyed Dante for a moment. "But you appeared not fine to me. I am seeing that you are left with skin and bones, sign of losing weight from malnutrition. Tell me, have you been eating well recently?"
"Bread and water are enough for me."
"Regarding your profession, that's not enough nutrition for your body to carry on living especially with your extreme lifestyle." Bradley judged.
The man in cloth approached his desk. Then, he began filling that small blank piece of paper with black ink.
"And given your condition after I checked, you are lacking of Proteins, Calcium, and Vitamins especially A and C that you are one way from being IV-ed." Bradley presented the paper to Dante.
Dante accepted with puzzled expression when he looked at the paper.
"What's with this chicken scratch?"
"Your dietary." Bradley answered shortly. "Give that to the cafeteria's lady and she'll dish your meal."
"The hell are you writing, Romeo? Even a 1st grader could write better than you."
"Oh trust me. Every doctor's handwriting is like that especially the specialists. Mine's can be considered the best amongst them."
"Funny you said that." Dante carefully eying Bradley. "You, from all devils, amongst lesser ones be remind you, to be a doctor? What's your game?"
"I am not a devil, Devil Hunter." Bradley calmly sat on a chair. "Not anymore."
"That's a bull." Dante said, shifting from the bed while holding the paper. "You know once a devil always a devil."
"No. You are wrong." Bradley slightly shook his head.
"What do you mean wrong? Wait! Hold on! Don't tell me that you…"
Bradley curtly nodded.
"You did that didn't you?"
"Everything for my wife." Bradley proudly replied. "I would do everything for her, including giving up my power for tears to become one with her."
"Since when?"
"The day I was married to her."
"What can I say?" Dante offered his hand. "Congratulations."
"I thought that I wouldn't hear that from you. Thank you Devil Hunter. I owe you my life." Bradley accepted Dante's hand.
"Gaaah?!"
Dante winced in pain. Bradley quickly released his hand.
"Whooops! I am sorry! My bad!"
"It's…okay…fuck! Getting used to this…already." Dante groaned, resisting the stinging pain coming from his right hand while cursing his stupidity.
"That's strange. The gel should be working already." Bradley confused.
"What gel?" Dante suspiciously asked.
"Biomedical gel. Treating wounds effectively by replacing the dead cells with synthetic chemicals, also can be a quick react painkiller." Bradley explained. "It's personal made. I just need to patent it and don't give me that look. It's 100% body friendly."
"Not convincing enough. Every doctor always spewing that crap."
"Unless the every doctor you met is a specialist graduate with honors from Taiwan who won numerous Nobels during his study, then I suggest you to find another doctor."
"Whatever. Speaking of which, you didn't tell me your reason to be a lifesaver."
The emerald within Bradley's eyes radiating a deep understanding look at Dante.
"Devil Hunter, is there any other reason for helping people?"
"Do tell me."
"Yes, I know this is such a naïve and childish vision I have, Devil Hunter. For this question, it's best if you ask other people. Not me. For my reason is solely to help people as much as I can, well maybe I was inspired by you, who help me to find my happiness."
"Sheesh, now you made me look like I am the bad guy here." Dante smiled inwardly. "Truth is, my gun dried out that time."
"Hahaha. Is that so? Then you are the worst liar I ever met, Devil Hunter."
"You are not the one who came out with that line earlier."
"And not the first one who became the subject of that line of yours."
"How did you know?"
"I just can tell. I am also a psychiatrist too, for your info."
There were three knocks on the door immediately terminated their conversation. The solid white the door slowly swung opened. A girl in her fifteen then stepped into the infirmary.
"Doctor, is he fine?" The girl worriedly asked.
Dante's eyes slowly widened.
"Patty?"
The word slipped from his mouth. Patty turned to face Dante in response, her sapphire blue eyes radiating light filling the void on the soulless silvery eyes Dante possessed.
"Dante. It's been a long time." She smiled.
"Well...you…*Sigh*" Dante dropped his head. "You can say that."
Bradley immediately stepped in between them.
"How about this Ms. Lowell, do me a favor by taking Dante to the cafeteria for his meal, while I have to sort several documents in a private time."
"Sure thing Doc." Patty cheerfully said.
"Well, can you be on your feet, Dante?" Bradley asked.
Dante silently obliged. He put his strength onto every fiber of his muscle struggling to move his dead weighted body. Bradley came into his assist. He circled his arm with care around Dante's shoulder, with an 'upsy daisy!', Bradley carefully lifting him with an adequate amount of assistive strength like lifting an old man from his death bed.
"Go and do what you have to, Devil Hunter. Tie up the loose strings after all these years." Bradley softly whispered during the motion.
Dante turned on him.
"How did you know?" Dante scowled softly, feigning annoyance with Bradley's assistance.
"She's not the only one who's looking for you all these missing years, alright? Besides, I am also a psychiatrist, remember?" Bradley whispered.
"Shouldn't have trusted a doctor."
"You should not. But not this One though." Bradley walked Dante to Patty and returning to his normal voice. "You might want to take care when he's walking, Ms. Lowell. Make sure that he's walking where there is a handrail or wall to lean onto, in case that he's losing his footings. Can you?"
There is a several resemblance toward a military mesh hall in Infinite Stratos Academy's cafeteria. The only thing that makes it totally different is simply located at the design. Different shapes of lightings dangling in different heights radiating warm relaxing lights. An aquarium with many colorful fishes sprawling from a row of chair was located at the very back of the cafeteria emitting calm auras into the dining room from the tranquil water within the fish tank. The cafeteria has many windows as well as an exit that lead to life outside the enclosed room. Different chairs and tables are set in certain arrangements, mostly are in group for 3 to 6 seating than personal seating. A silver idol taking a shape of a four winged angel is standing proudly at the center of the mesh hall. A silver shield crest embedded on the core of the angelic idol and two insignia, I.S are engraved on the crest.
There were not many human life forms as far as he could see. It was already afternoon, around 4 PM when Dante noticed the time upon stepping into the dining room. It seemed like there were students in apron who were using the kitchen to experimenting what he knew as 'cooking'. Now he began to understand the meaning of a 'school club'. Which meant, activities to glue students to school instead of just jumping straight ahead to home or straying somewhere else.
Even without looking, Dante knew that he was being eyed by faces of resentment. He was getting used to it already. On second thought, he just realized that those eyes-glares were not only directing at him.
But his little miss counterpart as well.
Dante walked over the counter where he spotted a middle aged lady at her 40-s. She politely greeted the silver haired male despite being a gaijin and asked how she could be at his service. Without speaking much than necessary, Dante produced the chicken scratch from Bradley, then politely handed it to her. The lady took the paper and glanced over Dante several times. She nodded understandably in which, to Dante's surprise when she served his meal consisted of a rice mixed with vegetables, a grilled salmon, a set of fried chicken, soup, a cold milk, orange juice, and grape juice all on a single tray in 5 minutes as though she's serving fast food meals.
The old lady can read that chicken scratch?!
"Haik. Enjoy your meal." She politely said.
Dante was impressed.
"Err…Arigatou." He thanked.
Dante carefully brought the packed tray onto a desired empty seating at the corner of the room, where an adequate distance was drawn to keep him away from the hostile eyes.
Trembling,he'sfighting the slight tremor in his hands.
Was the pain along with the fatigue finally kicked in?
Yet he did sleep for 24 hours straight, that's according to the doctor. He should have been able to recover mostly of his strength just by sleeping like he usually did. Not this time, however.
Shouldn't have trusted a doctor in the first place.
Dante let a soft curse escaped from his mouth. The tray slid away from his hand. Before the meal could stain the pearly white floor he stood at, a snow whitey hand firmly grasped the tray edge preventing from its fall.
"Here." Patty took Dante's tray. "Allow me."
"Err…Thanks."
The two of them sat right facing one another at the spot which Dante desired, away from the disturbing look emitted at them. Patty placed Dante's tray carefully not wanting to spill more than what had already fallen from Dante's drinks.
The food on his tray invited Dante with its warm steamy edible smell to dig in. Though no matter how hungry he was since he had a proper meal just like Romeo/Bradley mentioned, Dante prioritized why the hell was the client he used to handle doing in this place.
Under normal circumstances, Dante preferred to keep professional relationships with his clients where he cared less with them once he received his dough after each contract he carried out successfully. It all began when the old middleman Morrison signed Dante to bodyguard this little orphan to a gathering according to a will left by someone (which he reluctantly took the contract for his towering debt upon his office's repair cost). That was years ago before she developed her womanly figures. Banishing demons whom stood on their path back to the pits of hell, things eventually unfolded that this current blonde teenager Patty Lowell was just a scape goat for another adult Patty Lowell to lure harms for the duo, whom was the legitimate inheritor of the will beside another two inheritors.
Dante, who was also dancing accordingly to adult Patty Lowell's tune couldn't suppress the fire within and could have put a bullet between her eyes if one of the male inheritor, turned out to be a demon did not take her place for his rage. What amused him from that demon, actually turned out to be a greedy materialistic that it took the skin of the unfortunate inheritor (Dante pitied the guy whoever he was) and ate another inheritor of the will right on scene.
That demon met its pitiful end by the tip of Dante's blade.
Things turned out well in the end though. The adult Patty Lowell having realized her mistake, willingly to offer a shelter for the orphan Patty Lowell as her retribution. Patty turned her down. She preferred to live in the orphan better than living with the disgusting woman. Dante couldn't protest her decision either.
Afterward, she spent her daily basis cleaning Dante's office or just simply fooling around there. Dante did not mind that though because he got a free cleaner in his service. Sometimes, the adult Patty Lowell secretly dropped by when the orphan Patty Lowell wasn't around to check that kid's news. She also tipped Dante in huge amount on regular basis as a gratitude for 'babysitting' Patty. Dante did not complain when he accepted the dough. Instead, he secretly opened a bank account for the girl and cashed in the money he got. All of them.
It was indeed that he could hog the whole cash himself. Hell, the adult Patty also backed the orphan Patty Lowell's needs behind the curtain. So what gives?
Likewise the orphan Patty Lowell, Dante himself was an orphan this reason, Dante broke his rule of thumbknowing what she went through. For the little girl's sake, every payoff he received, he threw half of the cash into her account and the rest working on his debt.
That gives.
Moreover, Dante accepted a job from a client- turned out to be Patty's blood mother who abandoned her since birth to draw chase to herself from demons whom after an amulet that sealed a high end demon she carried. With helping hands from his female employees, the trio devil hunters diced every neanderthals apprehended them with Dante closed the curtain with a heartwarming reunion between a long separated mother and daughter.
Until the day after he sent the ladies off for personal reason, the bank account book was his farewell gift to Patty.
"Dante, your foods are getting cold. Are you not going to eat?"
Patty was puzzled more when Dante pushed his meals sideway to create a space where he could rest his exhausted arms on the table like a parent who was going to have a serious talk with his child. Bruises appeared from his arms. Especially at his right fist as if cancer that spread like wildfire.
"Patty…" Dante's voice was deep and sorrowful. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"What?!"
Yep. That's it! He screwed their reunion after all these long time. Patty shot a dreadful look in response to Dante's question. Her mouth was half opened in shock. She was struggling for a single word that could link later on as she talked. Nevertheless, Dante continued to blurt out another line like a machine.
"Look, Patty, from all schools-best or worst in the world, why did you choose this one?"
"Dante, seriously? After all these times, that is what you asking me, for real?!" Patty said concealing the anger under a controllable voice that kept bare low.
That hit Dante pretty well. Nevertheless, Dante did not lose his composure.
"Patty, you are playing with fire in this place."
"So?"
"I reckon you did see my fight, didn't you? Of bloody course you would since its broadcasted wide by Orimura teach, this I.S, is a weapon! It is not something that you should toy with or hang around near with!"
"And you are saying?"
Dante's voice tolled through the entire cafeteria rising alert on their position.
"I AM SAYING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO WIND UP AS A BODY FOR GODFORSAKEN SAKE, PATTY!" Dante glared at the other eyes on them. "The hell you are looking at?"
With that being shouted, the girls timidly returning to their business.
"It's…It's just…." Dante lowered his voice. "Patty, you are making me worry when I see you."
"What about me?"
"What?"
"I said, what about me, Dante?" Patty snapped. "Ever since you gave me the book, you disappeared without traces all these years! You had no idea how I spent every single day without worrying about you going for another job far from the town but no!"
Dante could not help but feeling sorry for Patty. Tears began to gather on her eyes, later dripping downwards like a pair of waterfall.
"I…I thought…that you were…d…d..d…dead, y…you know." She sobbed.
"Patty…"
"E…everyday…I ca…came to you…r office…only to…to…to find…it…it empty. No…no matter…how many times…I came and searched every…day…y…you were…nuh…nuhwehr! Eh…ehen…Luh…Lady…nor…nohr…Mohrison…knew...wehr…tuh are!"
Dante took a napkin from his tray, then gently wiped Patty's cheek. What he did was indeed a surprising act for a bloody prick gaijin like him in the girls eyes aroused his charm, turning him into like a charming silver haired prince toward the spectators who suddenly envied Patty's luck and wished they could take Patty's stead.
"I am sorry. I didn't know you had it hard on you all these years. "
"*Sniff!* You…You…jehrk Dhanteh! *Sob!*"
"It's okay. I am here now." Dante softened his voice "Don't cry anymore, Patty. There. There."
"You…You…"
"It's alright." Dante confined. "Everything's gonna be fine. I promise you."
"Just..." Patty began to calm down. "Where were you all these years, Dante?"
"I…" Dante put down the napkin, averting his eyes from her. "I was…somewhere far those times… Hell, who am I fooling? Look Patty, I am sorry that I am lying but what I did all these years, but I could not take you nor everyone around me to board the same boat. I am not expecting you to understand but…it's personal, Patty."
"Alright. I forgave you."
"You mean that?"
"But that's without a catch."
"What is it? Cute clothes and sundaes as always?" Dante jested.
Patty calmly smiled and shook her head. She produced a thin rectangular book from her pocket. She slid the book to Dante on the table. How Dante was speechless when he saw the book lie in front of his tray.
"Patty, I can't accept this." Dante slid back the book to Patty.
Patty immediately held Dante's hand. "Just take it Dante. You need this more than me now."
"No, Patty. I made this book just for you. There's no way I can take back what I gave!"
"If it's the money that you are worrying about, I can assure you that all these times even after you are missing, I am living sufficiently with my mother. In fact, after I was enrolled into this academy, our livings are subsidied by the governments not to mention I was chosen as a rep for a private company to demonstrate their I.S too." Patty rose. "Dante, please. Do me a favor."
Till next time folks. Sorry if this chapter's kinda crappy. Lots of things happened this month.