Childhood…adolescence…those are supposed to be the times you can be ignorant. Those times you can be free, innocent of all the wrongs and cruelties of life. No cares, no responsibilities.
My childhood ended the day of my accident. I was seventeen, and life only grew more and more complicated by the day it seemed. I decided to adapt a personal credo after watching a movie with friends; Childhood is over the moment you know you’re going to die. I took it to mean I could try and maintain some small bit of my innocence, to never fully grow up; to not lose everything.
It’s been getting harder and harder. But, I keep trying. Someday, I’ll fail. But that day is not today.
~ ~ ~
Asami made a face as she picked off bits of viscera off of her before getting into the company van. The job had been done efficiently, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t messy.
“How much of that is yours?” Dave asked her as she climbed into the back.
“Not much.” she answered, more or less honestly. While she didn’t particularly like lying to her team, she found that if she were honest, they sometimes couldn’t be kept on track. Still, he added “Nothing a company medic can’t handle.”
The boys all looked at each other, then started to say something before they were silenced by the fourth member of their group. “She’ll be fine. The quicker we get back to HQ, the quicker a medic can make sure, so move it already.” he grumbled, covered with a bit of gristle himself.
“Thanks Jett.” Asami said quietly after the van rumbled to life, and they’d begun moving.
“Sure.” he said, leaning against the side of the van, looking no worse for the wear himself.
As they drive on, Asami took a moment to assess her team’s well-being, and, after studying them each in turn, decided that any sustained injuries weren’t really anything to worry about. Tony was their tech guy and driver, so he didn’t always see a lot of combat. Dave was usually more long-range, so, again, he was fine – he hadn’t been up close this fight. Billy could regenerate, and Jett was…well, just more experienced than the rest of them altogether. Strong, fast and touch – he certainly knew a few tricks.
She’d suffered some injury, but knew she’d be fine – she could hold it together. Still… “All the teams have a staff meeting later this afternoon, don’t forget.”
“Oh, right.” Billy said. “New director guy, right?”
“Yeah.” Tony had said. “And good riddance. Nobody liked that last guy, and since he’s been fired we haven’t had consistent direction.”
The guys started talking about company politics, and she tuned out, like she often did when this happened, though this time she was beginning to feel tired. She’d nodded off partway back, dreaming of what-if moments; what if Dave had stayed a vampire? What if she’d never cheated? What if she had never split with Claude?
She was gently nudged away by Jett before they arrived, and she woke up, wiping a tear from her face. It had been a year since her New York incident, and a few months less since she and Claude made what relationship they’d had null If they did meet up anymore, it was purely professional, and never alone. If only he’d been younger, or she was older, or she got along better with his daughter – there had just been too much of a mix to make it work long-term.
Once inside, they all went first to get cleaned up and stripped down before checking in with a medic, Asami taking longer than most since she needed a few stitches. When they were done they headed to their respective locker rooms to change, then group up and use some available bunks to catch sleep for a few hours, rather than head home and come back later. She had some difficulties getting rest, but got there eventually, and was one of the first to wake up. Shower, change into what amounted to gym clothes, then breakfast and checking in with superiors or therapists until that afternoon’s announcement.
A lot of people were on edge about whom it might be, wondering if someone would be promoted from within, or brought from without. A lot of people were reserved, but others had bought into the mild hype the company had done within the HQ for the various teams, and were just ready to take orders. She was on her way to a training course, when the announcement came through to head to the training floor. Evidently, things were happening a little early.
Teams were lined up according to seniority, and as such her team was practically in the back, making it difficult to see the front of the room. There was a speech before the introduction, then several quiet moments before the front of the room erupted in cheers, with the cheers spreading. Due to this, she wasn’t able to hear the name called, nor see who it was. It was enough to make her grumpy at being short and in the back. It was the next part that concerned her.
As the speech continued on, there was whispering through the amassed teams, and a lot of looking back toward her team. Honestly, it confused her.
“Why is everyone starting at us?” she hissed to Billy, who was closest.
“I don’t know – couldn’t hear.” he responded.
“Did anyone else?” she asked, the rest of them, and some nearby teams, also shaking their heads.
There was more talking before the Team Meeting, as it had been termed, was directed to pair off with another team and spar. The new director was going to oversee how well people did. If there were issues, he would correct them.
Asami sighed, not really in the mood to get into a fight, but she and the Team that had been next to hers paired up and began sparring. She was all too into the moment to notice that the atmosphere in the room had changed. In fact, it wasn’t until her training partner had stopped altogether that she realized the room had gone silent. She’d been given space since others had backed off, and they were all staring at her. Opposing her was the new director. A face exceedingly familiar to her – that of her own father.
“Hajimeru!” he exclaimed, prompting her to begin sparring.
“Hai, sensei!” she called back, taking a stance, facing off against him.
It was unreal to her, as they fought together. Her father ahd trained her for years, and yet they’d never sparred like this before. Likely, she guessed, because he didn’t want to hurt her. Knowing him like she did, however, now was different. Now he was going to test her. Even more so than the company, he needed to know that his daughter could handle the dangers out there. To everyone else, it was excitement. Their favorite supervisor had come back, and was now squaring off against a member who, by this point, was widely known to be his daughter.
“That’s enough.” he said, after what felt like at least an hour of trading blows. He didn’t say anything else, just traded bows with her before moving on. For her part, Asami could gauge the room and decided she didn’t want to face a million or more questions when the broke. So, when that time came, she grabbed lunch and found a different place in the building to eat in privacy. Had that been respect in his eyes? She thought so. But she didn’t want to hear everyone else. Not right now. Right now she just wanted to eat in peace.