Chapter 18
Tetsu tried to maintain his usual stoic appearance, falling back to his mannerisms from years of nobility once he reported to LtCol Ginger. The inside of Ginger’s office resembled Mizumi’s—almost identical with the layout of the bolted down desk, lack of windows—a claustrophobic space that kept Tetsu anxious, far too so to think about the others.
Kismet and Rowan were forced down towards the deck, both mopping with Judai at the watch. Rei disappeared moments after they stepped on the ship, following Megumi towards the medical bay. Nomad stood next to him, staring forward at the blank grey walls behind the LtCol Colonel while at the position of attention.
“At ease,” LtCol Ginger said. He stared down towards his desk, showing his crown to them. Despite his cracks across his face, his blonde hair remained surprisingly full, not receding or thinning. Once his gaze turned towards them, he continued, “You already know my name, and I know you both are well informed of this global conflict. Your name was Nomad, correct?”
“Yes sir.” Nomad replied.
“You’re still going to run this team, but you report to Corporal Watkins three times a day.”
Judai and the other were on first name basis, causing some confusion to dance across Nomad’s face before retuning with a formal, “yes sir.”
“You alright?” LtCol Ginger asked Tetsu.
“Yes,” Tetsu replied, feeling the urge to reach and put his thumb in his lips. “Yes sir.”
“To my understanding, you’re a little too young, but I was an early recruit too.”
“Really?”
Tetsu felt some warmth as LtCol Ginger gave a rather warm, but sincere smile at him. He continued to stand tall, staring forward and not wanting to make eye contact.
“You can look at me,” Ginger called out again, slowly easing up his demeanor. He seemed to retain some professionalism, quite the opposite of his erratic behavior outside just an hour earlier. “I know you’re nervous. Sit down already.”
The two cautiously pulled chairs from the edge of the room to take a seat in front of him. Ginger started to lean back in his chair, giving the two some reassurance while he reached into his breast pocket to retrieve a small, cylindrical plastic can. He opened the lid, revealing a moist, but fragrant tobacco within. Tetsu winced once as Ginger placed a small pinch in his gums, thinking of the many similar products in Nojiri.
“You’re not the first recruits from the other side I’ve had, so I’m not gonna bother offering,” Ginger said while placing the can back into his pocket. “Do any of you have any injuries or anything I need to know about?”
Tetsu was ready to give a quick, dismissive nod before receiving an elbow from Nomad. He then replied, “I have an injury. My shoulder was shot.”
Ginger’s calm smile faded to concern, prompting him to ask, “Did you pull something?”
“No sir,” Nomad added, “he was shot with a rifle, a pulse rifle about a week ago.”
“Shot?”
Tetsu reached up towards his shoulder to pull the yoroi aside, causing Ginger to gag as he glared at the pale, uncovered wound beneath.
He continued, “Why the hell haven’t you been sent to medical?”
“Sir, I did not think it was bad.” Tetsu responded, keeping confident amidst LtCol Ginger’s disgust.
“Good Lord,” Ginger coughed while he began to shield his eyes. “Why the fuck am I learning this now?”
“The one called Major Paxton of soldiers trusted my abilities,” Tetsu continued. “I am ready for the frontline.”
He tried keep the façade. Being in a new world and far from home, his confidence and demeanor were going to get him farther than his nobility could. With Ginger’s apparent disgust, his face began to light up with some enthusiasm.
“I like you,” he said before raising his hand to Tetsu again, shaking his fist enthusiastically. “You focus on getting stuff done, even when you’ve taken a bullet.”
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Tetsu did not spend long in LtCol Ginger’s office before being sent to medical. After finally coming to lucidity, he found himself in the medical bay, barely conscious on the foamy mattress beneath him. He tried to lift himself up again, but instead sank back in. The material was far more comfortable than what he grew up sleeping on.
He looked down at the blue medical gown over his body and then took notice of the sling over his arm. Moments later, he looked across the room towards Megumi, who was still fast asleep, which prompted him to call out, “Are you awake?”
Before going under, he could barely remember the doctors, instead remembering Ginger’s warm reception. After a few hours of drifting in and out of sleep, he was finally interrupted as one of the doctors made an entrance. He was a middle-aged gentleman, graceful as his fingers swiped through the tablet in his hands. The first thing that struck Tetsu was the patch of the man’s left eye, snow white hair, and familiar features on his face.
“How are you feeling?” the man asked.
“I’m really tired,” Tetsu muttered while he propped himself up. As he gently rubbed his hands across his face, he looked back up to the man, finally asking, “Have we met before?”
“I’m the one that operated on you. The anesthesia I gave you can be intense, sometimes when it’s administered you can forget things from before the operation.”
Tetsu could feel his chest getting heavy, quickly asking, “Am I going to forget things that happened in the past?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“No, no,” the man almost chuckled as he assured Tetsu, “it’s not like that. You’re not going to forget anything.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m glad I got to you when I did,” he started to walk around Tetsu’s bed, taking a glance over to Megumi and unconsciously taking notes on his device. “That field dressing was hideous. You weren’t covering it or taking care of it. You’re very lucky it didn’t get infected.”
“Is that bad?”
The man’s only eye quickly shot open as he turned back to Tetsu, perfectly framing the alarm on his face. He continued, “Yes, it’s horrible. You could die. You’re lucky the pulse hit you where it did. Your Axillary Nerve remained unscathed.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, if it were hit, you would be the legendary one-arm ninja.”
That close, he thought to himself. Many questions raced through his head while he continued to try and wake himself. The man walked around the side of the bed and took a seat in a small metal stool.
“Nojuro Tetsu, do I have that right?” he asked.
“That’s right, sir.”
“You don’t have to do that, call me ‘Doc’, Doc Matsuda.”
I know that name, Tetsu continued to repeat the words in his head. He then remarked, “I’ve heard that name, my friend has the same. You’re Shirow, aren’t you?”
He looked up to Tetsu, smiling back to him before giving a nod in agreement. Before Tetsu could process a response, Nomad entered the room. His hair was disheveled, face drooping from the lack of sleep.
“It’s about time you got up.” Nomad said.
“About time,” Shirow chirped. He finally placed the tablet in a massive pocket on his coat and stood up to face Tetsu again. “I know you already know my brother.”
“You know already?” Tetsu asked.
“It was a little heavy meeting again.” Nomad replied.
Shirow nodded before continuing, “Almost nineteen years.”
Nomad silently acknowledged, his features changing for a moment. It was one of the first times Tetsu could see something beneath the surface poking at Nomad. The acknowledgement laced with resentment drew Tetsu’s focus back to Shirow. Even with his rugged appearance and history, Shirow remained jovial, and cordial compared to the rest of the crew.
“I’m glad we’re all under one roof again,” Shirow remarked. “When you get back to fighting shape, we can teach you the ins and outs of this place. You’re both still green.”
“Why did you two separate?” Tetsu voice was soft, but his question sliced through the air like a knife.
Shirow froze in place as his one eye flickered back to Nomad. The air grew tense, almost suffocating. Nomad’s jaw tightened while he cast a sideways glance back to his brother. The room was seemingly shrinking around them, the past pressing from all sides.
“It’s complicated,” Nomad finally spoke, his voice strained and hollow. “Ancient history.”
Shirow looked away, his face a mask of professional detachment, but Tetsu could see turmoil in his eyes. A flicker of something—pain, regret, anger—passed over Shirow’s features before he composed himself. He busied himself with the medical equipment to Tetsu’s left, but his movements were mechanical, while his mind was clearly elsewhere.
Nomad’s eyes bore into Tetsu, a silent warning to tread carefully. The usual warmth in his gaze was replaced by a cold, distant look that made Tetsu shiver. He could sense memories swirling inside of Nomad’s head, ones that he did not want to revisit.
Shirow took a deep breath, his composure slowly returned as he continued, “Tetsu, you need to rest. I don’t see any reason to keep you in here for now.”
“That’s great.” Tetsu replied hesitantly, still feeling the weight of unspoken words.
“We can continue this later,” Shirow’s voice remained steady as the warmth returned. “You’re going to be on limited duty for a few months, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get you up to speed.”
Shirow finished his checks, barely containing the emotional storm beneath with his professional demeanor. He glanced at Nomad, his eye softened with a mixture of sorrow and affection. Without a word, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his brother in a brief but heartfelt embrace. Nomad hesitated, then returned the hug before they pulled apart.
“I’ll check you later, Tetsu.” Shirow spoke again, voice softer.
He gave Nomad a final nod before stepping out of the room. Nomad remained standing for a moment while he fixed his gaze on the door. Then, with a heavy sigh, he turned and settled into the chair beside Tetsu’s bed. Tetsu was unsure how to proceed. The tension in the air was palpable, and he could see the strain in Nomad’s eyes.
“How’s Rei?” Nomad asked, his tone casual.
“I don’t know,” Tetsu stammered for a moment. His thoughts wandered again, thinking of his last encounter with her. “I’ve been unconscious.”
Nomad nodded, a smile played on lips, “She came by to check on you, I thought you might have talked. She looked worried about you.”
Tetsu’s eyes widened while a spark of hope ignited inside of him. His voice tinged with excitement as he replied, “She did?”
“Yeah, she did. Seems like she cares about you.”
He could feel his heart swell, the thought of Rei’s concern brought a warm flush to his cheeks. After hesitating again, he decided to finally take the chance.
“I really like her,” Tetsu confessed, barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to talk to her.”
Tetsu let the words sink in as they hung in the air. He had finally vocalized what he knew deep down. The feeling was liberating and terrifying. He stopped, simmering in the moment while the weight of his confession left his shoulders. Nomad on the other hand was taken back by the comment and started to grin.
“Rei, huh,” he replied. “That’s interesting. I always thought you and Rowan were a thing or something.”
“Rowan,” Tetsu’s eyes widened in surprised. “No, she’s just a friend. Why would you think that?”
Nomad chuckled, “I don’t know, man, you two just seemed to click. She seems to really like you, but if you’re into Rei, I’m onboard with that. She’s awesome!”
Tetsu blushed, thinking for a moment of all his interactions with Rowan and how the others may have interpreted it. He understood she was interested in him but could not reciprocate the same for her.
“I agree,” Tetsu said after clearing his throat with a quick cough. “I wanted to get to know her better and I am not quite certain how to make the approach without making a fool of myself.”
“I thought you were a noble?”
“I’m serious, I need your help.”
“Well, it helps to be yourself, don’t overthink it. Just strike up a conversation and ask her to do something with you. It’s easy.”
“Like training?”
“Fuck,” Nomad chirped before looking back to him. “Yeah, just get in the ring and slug her my guy. She’ll love it.”
“You’re not being serious.”
“I am not. Just talk to her about something you enjoy, maybe crack a joke. You got this.”
“Thanks, Nomad. I greatly appreciate your advice.”
“Loosen up a little too, she’s already super tense.”