ONE MONTH LATER!
'Is this death?' Gil wondered, 'Its less warm than I first thought it was, or maybe I'm in hell? That dark place they say you go, a place without God.
I really thought I did good, I really thought I was going to make it, I thought I was going to pull through. But maybe its for the best. Its not like a nobody like me could've done anything… maybe its time to let go.'
Slowly Gil waited to drift deeper into the silence only to hear laughter in the distance. He lifted his hand before waking up with a start.
He was breathing, alive, he was still here.
He seemed to be in his old room in the Cathedral. He had no recollection of how he got there or what even happened after he spoke to Catherine back at the house.
"Catherine!" He shouted as he sat up on the bed.
"Yes?"
She sat on the other end of the bed her legs folded. Gil squinted and with his right hand tried poking her cheek, but his hand just went through.
"Oh, your still dead?"
"Yes, I am still dead, thank you for noticing."
But now he could see her face. Her chocolate skin and her chestnut eyes and even her pink lips.
"I guess its good to see you two." Gil got out of bed but he then suddenly felt a sharp pain all over his body. "Ouch!"
CREAK!
"I thought that was you making all this noise." A female voice called from the door as it opened.
"Njeri, I'm so happy to you…Ouch!"
She sighed, putting down her basket and walking over to Gil. "Get your butt back in bed."
"I tried to tell him." Catherine gaslit.
"Huh?" Njeri forced him back into bed, "But I'm not tired." He wined.
"Shut it, I'm not arguing with you. I already lost two people I cared about this year, I'm not losing a third one. Dr.Blake says you need get enough sleep, he says your body is in a terrible state currently and if you push it more than you already have you won't make it. " She said all this without turning back, "So just sit your ass down and get some rest… please."
Well, how was he suppose to respond to that?
"Yes ma'am." He tucked himself back into bed as Njeri closed the door leaving him.
A few days later his door was flung open again, and by the same person.
"Wake up, don't sleep around like you own the place." Njeri pulled his blanket from him leaving him bare and cold.
"Five… five more hours please." Gil said reaching trying to grab his blanket.
"I'll give you five hours worth of pain if you don't get up!"
She grabbed his hand, "Get up you sack of bones, Dr.Blake's calling for you."
With that Gil opened both his eye and sat up, "Really, where?"
"Is that the only thing that get's you to wake up?"
Before he could leave he had to take a bath, he'd been a sleep for an entire month and smelled like he was living among the dead. Next Njeri asked him to brush his teeth, basic oral hygiene.
"I don't want you embarrassing me." She shouted.
Afterwards he wore something presentable, by that I mean casual clothes because all his later clothes had been thrown away and burnt.
"You've killed people you can never be an alter boy again." Njeri said and Catherine laughed.
Afterwards they left the Cathedral and Gil was left in awe how different the village he had come to was. The muddy streets were being replaced with new cobblestone, and the parts that weren't were actively being covered.
"Gil, Unasemaje msee (Gil what's up?)" Some of the workers called out. Sweaty men with their shirts off, some were on the road side carving cobblestone with a stone hammer and chisel they all waved at him.
"The town square too?" He exclaimed, "They dug a well?" He looked back at Njeri who just admired him from a far.
"Thanks to you. When you were gone all those weeks I thought the worst."
"Weeks?"
"Yeah, you and Blake weren't back for days… how long did you think you were gone?"
"I don't know." He scratched his head, "It felt like just one night."
"How was it?" She sat on the well's edge and stared at what the village had become.
"I wish I would've come, maybe I would've made it a bit easier on you."
Gil didn't say anything for a long time, he seemingly stared off into space as though contemplating what he should say.
"I… I don't know honestly, it was an experience I never thought I would have. But all I kept thinking about was that if I fail then… you, your mom, and everyone here will never have a home ever again."
"Gil." She tugged at his shirt, "Its ok, we're all ok, thanks to you and Blake. I didn't think that there would be a time in my life when I would actively be smiling in this village. I didn't think there would be a time where I just sit here not worrying about what to eat or the guards molesting me, black mailing me. Most of my life's been indoors because my mother didn't want me to go through things she saw everyone else. But thanks to you we won't have to worry."
Gil gave a weak smile, "I wish I could say that's true, but I'm not strong enough, but that's not to say that'll never be. "
Born into this world with nothing to give, joining the church to try and fill a role you could never and quickly realizing that that which you thought was righteous was nothing more than a hoax. Actually, I lied, you already knew that, the village you lived in before, weren't their priests who did nothing but take too? Were you waiting for a dusk? Waiting for a dawn? Instead, you got a never-ending nightfall. Why did you join the church?
"Why did you join the church?" Gil whispered.
"Mh?"
"It's a question I was once asked, and now I think I can answer it."
"What's your answer?" Njeri asked.
"I wanna help, and I just didn't know which way to do so, I thought that by going about things the correct way then I'd still be able to accomplish that… but…"
There's no point in living with false ambitions and lying to yourself that their true. You know why you joined don't you? You know your true intentions, don't live for someone else's ambitions, but I guess you can't see right now, its too dark.
"Now that darkness is lifting, I can see a little better."
"I am not getting whatever it is your saying." She got up, "But I do understand you wanna help out, so I'll do everything I can on my end."
"Thanks!"
With that the both of them were now headed outside the boarders of what one would consider the village. Out there was nothing but grassy fields that farmers would use to graze livestock, and Gil was partly right until he saw a huge structure in the distance a house like structure painted red and white.
One of the men standing at the gate saw them approaching. "Oh, umemleta? (Oh, you've brought him?)" He asked opening the gate, "Hey!"
"Hey." Gil waved back as Njeri led him towards the structure.
"Is that a barn?" He asked finally recognizing what it was.
"Yes, but that's not all. Come."
She grabbed his hand. "Wait where are…"
"Don't worry just come on.."
They ran passed the barn and revealed a fence which guarded a farm that was currently being dug by two men in the distance.
"Wooh, you guys turned this place into a farm?" Gil was ecstatic.
"Yep, now we can grow our own crops." Njeri patted her back, "Not to brag but it was my idea."
"Cool… wait how long was I a sleep?"
"Mh, a month and a half, why do you ask?"
"A month, how am I still alive. I have no idea, let's go ask Dr.Blake."
The two walked along the fence which surrounded a rectangular farm. On which were women sowing seeds where the two men in the distance had already dug.
"Hey Njeri!"
"Hey!" She waved back at the women.
In their general direction there were some girls who stood on the outer reaches of the fence observing the two men dig.
"Oh brother." Njeri rolled her eye
"What are they staring at?"
Gil received an answer very quickly as now the men in the distance were a lot more visible as their lighter complexion shone through. The one closer to the fence was obviously Blake since his hair was blonde.
"Who's that other guy?"
"Mh?" She sighed, "You don't even know the guy who brought you back in one piece. You better say thank you and don't embarrass me."
"Ok."
It was clear to see what the girls were interested in. Akame had removed his shirt remaining with nothing but bare skin. Not to say he was muscular but he did have a strong physique that captured attention.
"Excuse me." Njeri ordered the girls as she passed by them, "I've got a delivery to make."
They cursed her under their breath, it was bad enough they couldn't get close, but her of all people? Curse her and everything she stands for.
At the edge of the fence where a forest began was a wooden gate that let them enter. "Come." She gestured, Gil was visibly nervous for obvious reasons.
"Here they come." Blake pointed out to Akame who had taken a break from digging and was now leaning on the hoe.
"Its good to see them fine after all this time." He responded.
"Yeah, fighting a losing battle for a relatively long time can be something that breaks both the mind and soul, I'm more surprise they were able to keep fighting." Blake exclaimed.
"Well you know what they, bad habits die young."
"?" Blake was visibly caught of guard by this strange remark, "How does that fit in here though."
"Its human nature to want to rebel against something that doesn't make you comfortable, as such, as much as you'd wanna give up and throw in the towel there is always a stronger desire to keep fighting. Because in truth that's a habit all humans have." Akame wiped his forehead.
"True, but then what about those who suppress others? Isn't that habit as well."
"Yeah, and I believe the greater ideology wins. Suppressing people only leads to pressure build up, and soon those same people will just end up exploding back on you regardless of how long it takes…"
"What are you boys on about?" She asked with a smile.
"A talk about life I suppose." Akame answered as he got back to digging
"I guess that's one way of putting it."
"I brought him just like you asked." Njeri turned to Gil, who she found to be missing.
"Wooh, so is your hair just naturally white?" He asked Akame grabbing one of his hair threads.
"Is yours naturally purple?" Akame asked back.
"Apparently its intensity's been increasing for the past 4 years, I can't stop it."
"Gil I told you not to embarrass me." Njeri shouted, but what followed wasn't an awkward silence but rather a chuckle from Akame.
"Is that really anyway to talk to your saviour?" He asked.
"Um… welll… I just… Damn it!" She turned and walked away patting her cheeks, defeated by Akame's lovely smile.
"What's up with her?"
"The female mind is a complicated thing, understanding it is harder than any type of sorcery." Blake laughed, "In any case, me and Akame here were discussing your heroic actions that not only saved the village but possible the entire country."
"I don't think I'd say that." Gil got defensive, "Its more like I had no choice but to succussed."
"You did have a choice." Akame pitched in, "A choice to fight for what you want and a choice to leave it be and give in to despair. It doesn't sound like much, but not many people can choose to save a burning piece of paper."
'Piece of paper?' Gil wondered, "Oh you mean like the village and stuff?"
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"So what were you doing up in that tomb?" Gil asked, "Its pretty cold in there."
"True, I think the better question is why didn't Blake come to get me instead of sending you?" Akame said.
The two then stared at Blake, "How's that any fun?"
"Basing your dos and don'ts on whether its fun or not is seriously messed up."
Gil agreed by giving a nod.
"But it all worked out in the end."
"Horrible plan, but I must admit perfect execution." Akame laughed.
"You know I don't go for anything less." Blake joked, "But seriously, I'm glad your ok Gil."
"And I should thank you as well, you saved me despite not understanding what you were getting into or what the risks might have been, that's not something people can do easily. So, thank you."
Gil didn't say anything for a moment, this, this was what he'd wanted a simple thank you. Thank you for doing your best, thank you trying. In truth what more does a person need? A simple thank you could prevent many things, a war, rejection, misunderstandings and could fill even the toughest of men's hearts with the warm sensation of success, yes this is what he's wanted. Emotions weren't as simple or as muddied as we thought, these were merely feelings of a person at different times in their lives, good or bad, we just need to accept them. Because for every moment of sadness there is joy.
For every moment of defeat there is triumph and for every moment of hatred there is love. And all it takes is a single word.
"Anytime." Gil answered with a smile, "But more preferably when I know what I'm doing."
"Gotcha, I'll be sure of that." Blake said as the two continued their digging. Gil wanted to help but the two refused stating that it was their turn to help him, all he should do is relax and relax he did.
After that moment, many months had followed and the village never wavered from its continued growth. Determination and hopefulness had filled the people of that village, and as such the only thing they could do with all of that was build and continue to become better people in themselves.
Akame and Blake had brought foreign tropes to the village as well, most of the children did not know how to read or write in English as such the two worked hand in hand with the nuns to be able to do that.
"A-K-A-M-E. Is that English?" He was once asked, "No, it's a name from my homeland, its Japanese."
"Japoneise?"
Akame sighed, "I'll teach some."
The village thrived on this mixture of traditional and foreign influences, and while the older people were still skeptical about Akame and Blake's intentions, they began warming up to them as the days went by.
Fallen homes were rebuilt with better material, farms were restored by handwork, women were allowed to work again, children could eat for meals a day and play outside with no worries of being kidnapped or mistreated and before anyone knew it the year had finally ended.
Engrave It into me! Engrave it into the fields! Engrave it into our homes! Engrave it into our culture! Engrave it into our love! Engrave it into our souls! Engrave it into our hearts for tomorrow is better than today. Because our tomorrow is better than our today. I want to hear you cry it out!"
"Our tomorrow is better than today!" The congregation shouted in unison.
And in truth Gil started to believe again, everybody started to believe again.
ENGRAVE IT INTO ME!
TO BE CONTINUED