"Ms. Mayuzumi, someone has paid your bail request."

"After 2 years, who would pay such a tremendous amount?"

"Well, it's anonymous, and he has also arranged an escort for you."

"Hmm, yes well thank you officer" (Good, everything's going according to plan) He accompanied her to the exit of the high security jail in Los Angeles.

She headed outside to see a black limousine parked and gets on, without a doubt in her mind. The driver takes her to the Airport, where she uses the fake identity card arranged for her.

She heads to the counter and buys her ticket for her next flight to Ratzeburg, Germany, and boards her plane. The flight was quite stressful, while Reina seemed disturbingly at ease.

She left the airport and drove to the city, where she stopped in front of a mansion. It was quite riveting, as if out of a fantasy film, with Austrian flags waving and flapping in the cold and ruthless German air.

"How delightful you could make it Ms. Mayuzumi."

"Of course Prince Moritz I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Do come in so we can discuss our 'affairs'. Shall we?"

The inside looked scintillating, filled with antiquities of various times, some she has never even seen before. They entered his conference room.

"I've requested your presence here today for matters that require a momentous importance."

"Considering whom you are, I'm guessing it concerns guilt…"

"Yes. You've had quite a history with it, might as well put it to good use."

"Well…What would be my reward from all of this?"

"I will put it simply; Eternal youth, and immortality."

"!... Of course! It's quite a hard offer to refuse. But with all due respect, haven't your forefathers failed at accomplishing this feat prince Moritz von Raitenau?"

"Oh my dear, my forefather's goals were weak and short lived! Mine will be of incredible magnitude! I plan on wiping out this sinned race in one fell swoop, and I will need your full cooperation to accomplish so."

She reads his papers and analysis, awestruck at the intensity of this project and begins to show slight signs of worry. Nuclear guilt/Rosalia virus weapons, natural hosts, and all continents marked on the map are what mostly frightened her.

"I-I'm not so sure…"

"Well…Your reward would also involve revenge on Derek Stiles and Angela Thompson."

At that moment, a demonic grin swept across the woman's face, making the general's plan a way to satisfy her thirst for revenge on the doctor nurse team. But she considered asking him for his own reason to execute such an action against them.

"May I ask what your motif may be against them…?"

"Well, both destroyed the family legacy, but more importantly, I want 'her'. You see, I went to the same college as dear Angela, and I've been in love with her the second I laid my eyes on her pristine complexion. We were even together for a while.

But that day… when I proposed to her, she told me I was trying to change her, that I wasn't supportive of her life choices, and refused, leaving immediately the day after. She never loved me like I did!" He spat the last part of that sentence.

He continued speaking: "She was supposed to marry me, instead going and becoming a legend in medicine with her idiotic 'doctor'… I should have let her become a host to GUILT long ago…"

After almost dozing off from his back story, Reina's attention quickly snapped back to reality when she heard Angela's a natural GUILT host. She had an ingeniously despicable plan.

"You know, I have a way, to make them both suffer…"

The young prince had a disgusting smile growing on his face just of the thought of making them cry and beg for their lives.

"That's… Perfect. But for now, you will be reinstated as head of acropolis industries. Don't worry; I've had everything arranged from the start, so you shouldn't have any problems readjusting. I'll communicate with you for further details and cooperation. Oh and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Welcome to Delphi, Reina."

It was a fairly sunny day at Caduceus, where everyone was busy saving lives like always, although one doctor was busy enjoying his delicious coffee.

"mmmm, this coffee is just amazing, I just feel like I'm in heaven right now."

"Oh come on Dr. Stiles, its coffee, it's not such a big deal."

"Really Angie? Well without it, I'd probably sleep through my operations"

"Don't you do that already?" She asked sarcastically when she heard a scoff from him that made her giggle. She finds him cute when he does that.

"Well even you can't live without something! Let me guess, is it make up?"

"No, I don't even wear make up to work"

"But then how would you always look so pretty everyd—" He didn't realize what he said until it slipped out of his mouth, and made a huge blush appear on both their faces.

He was probably mentally kicking himself for saying that out loud. The awkward tension seemed to last for what seemed like an eternity, until Angie disrupted that silence.

"Ugh…" She rubbed her temples.

"Angie, are you alright?" He instinctively scooted closer to her.

"Oh it's nothing, just a bad headache."

"What can I do to help?"

She smiled for a moment, thinking, then took a pillow and set it on his lap, earning a confused look coming from him. It was soon replaced by a look of nervousness.

"Can I just lie down for a while on your lap; my head keeps banging like crazy… ugh"

"Y-yeah of course, if anything happens, I'll wake you up." He said with a crimson tint on his face.

"Oh and by the way Derek, I think you're cute too." She slightly giggled at the sight of his face turning purple.

She then set her head on Derek's lap, lying down on the couch beside him, her head facing his chest.

He silently turned on the T.V, but couldn't pay attention to anything else than the woman sleeping in his lap. Her breathing was so calm it slowed his.

He just felt like it was the most natural thing in the world. The person he secretly loved, in his lap, sleeping peacefully. He stroked her golden hair lovingly while he admired her beautiful face, after he made sure she was asleep.

He was amused by the thought of the nurse being 'his' nurse, his soul mate, although it was nothing more than just a thought.

"You know, you were always the one I couldn't live without Angie." He gently whispered to himself so she wouldn't hear. He then sighed exhaustingly, paying no mind to his coffee now cold.

Just then, an announcement sounded from the blow phones. Requesting presence of doctor Stiles and Nurse Thompson at the office immediately

He was upset this moment had to end. He neared his face to hers, his lips making contact with her smooth skin, and kissed her cheek, something he could do only dare to do when she was asleep.

His face lit up when he smile a smile trickle onto her face.

"Angie… Ang, you need to wake up" He softly murmured in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open while she sat up sleepily, thinking to herself (Oh my god! Did Derek just kiss me? This has to be a dream!)

"Hmmm, is everything okay, Dr. Stiles?" trying to hide her blush.

"Yeah they just need us at the office, its urgent"

"We better get there then" She got up with newfound energy fueling her.

"Right behind you."

They both headed to the office were a serious Director Hoffman sat.

"Welcome, have a seat both of you."

They both sat down anxiously waiting for what he has to say.

"I've called you both here, because there was an outbreak in the city"

"I-Is it Guilt again?" Derek said, taken by surprise.

"No, this is a recently discovered type of virus. It's called the Rosalia virus, but it's not spread by man."

"Wait, I heard about this virus! A friend of mine, who works at Resurgam taught me about it when we met a while ago, so I know the steps involved on how to deal with it. Hard to believe it came from nature though." (By the way, this story happens before they found the serum for VHF/Rosalia virus.)

Both men were a bit surprised by how advanced her knowledge was.

"Well in that case Derek, Angie will brief you on your way to the scene of the outbreak. Just both of you are careful, it's highly infectious, and I won't risk losing my 2 top doctors."

"We're on our way!" Both declared sprinting out of the door off to save lives.

(In the ambulance) Both were seated beside each other, geared up and prepped for any danger waiting in front of them.

"So Angie, is there a cure for it?"

"Well unfortunately, not yet, although sometimes surgical procedures also work. So we'll mainly be going in there blind."

"That's good to know, heh."

"Oh come on at least it isn't GUILT, and we'll have each other to get through this crisis. So don't worry."

She emitted a cute giggle after that sentence making the doctor chuckle a bit out of joy.

"Who is this friend of yours from Resurgam anyway?"

"Oh it's Tomoe Tachibana, we used to meet at Aikido conventions, one held a month ago too! She's a ninja by the way."

"Haha yeah sure. You're joking right…? Y-you're not serious… right?"

She stayed silent for an awkward amount of time, meaning she was serious, which sent a chill down his spine. He never expected Angie to be training with ninjas. He found it oddly… attractive.

"Ok, we're here. Let's get ready."

They stepped out of the ambulance, ready for what's ahead. Although what they expected to see was nothing like the vehement settling in front of their eyes.

"O-oh m-my g-g…" Angie tried to utter, hand covering her agape mouth, words helplessly stuck inside her mouth.

Injured and burned half dead bodies scattered all across the city pavements, covered in Black putrid bruises.

"Quick let's head to our section and start the procedure!"

"R-right away doctor!" They sprinted to their first patient.

"He has burns on his upper torso. I'll begin treating him immediately. Scalpel…"

(After a while)

"Almost done…" just when the machine sent one resounding, continuous beep.

"Damn it he's coding! I need to Shock him NOW!"

"There are no paddles anywhere! Wait, Dr. Stiles! Start chest compressions while I run to the van and get the paddles!"

Without hesitating, she started racing to the van. Along the way, she didn't notice the huge rock in front of her, thus tripping on the hard cement floor by accident, severely cutting her arm, exposing the open wound to the outside infected air.

"Damn it!" She yelled while panting. She got back up and still kept running wearily "Almost there…" *cough**cough*

An agonizing headache suddenly struck her, slowing her down on her tracks.

She wasn't able to withstand the gravity pushing her injured body down, and toppled down on the ground, her hands supporting her, on her knees

"Damn it… Don't you die on me!"

He pounded the patient's chest one more time with full force, hearing a triumphant succession of beeps. His panic subsided, as he sighed.

"Oh thank god, he's stabilized; I need to transport him… Wait… Where's Angie?"

All he heard was a blood curdling scream, when he caught sight of her. She was far away from him on her knees, gasping for breath, clutching at her bloody arm in desperation and agony. That's when his panic came back.

"Wait, that could only mean… no… ANGIE!"

He started a mad dash to her not caring if he was in danger, as long as he could just get to her…

She was suffering so much; she thought her lungs were on fire.

"Der…D-derek… H-h—"

She tried getting the words out, her vision turning blurry, and her body going numb. She still heard him scream her name trying desperately to reach her… to save her…

before it's too late.

- A game of Shadows Ch1 -