Chapter Text
Scarlett “Shana” O’Hara.
I search for Storm Shadow throughout most of the base. He’s probably hiding from me, maybe on purpose. And it’s probably to annoy me.
— Lieutenant — General Hawk comes up behind me and I stop in the middle of the hallway. A few random passersby dodge as I wait for the general to reach me.
—Sir — I reply. He nods but looks worried and that raises several alarms in me. Could it be Cobra attacking again? Or something with Snake Eyes?
— I’m going to check on Snake Eyes. Apparently some of Storm Shadow’s techniques failed, but Doc is confident. Maybe we should try Psyche-Out.
— Snake Eyes hates people trying to pick his brain, sir —I remind him but he seemed to want to pick MY brain at that moment by the intent look he was giving me. He was clearly worried about something.
— We need you to keep your head on straight, Lieutenant. And I know you know how to stay in control. — I frown and he hurries to explain. — What happened with Snake Eyes may destabilize you, but we are still on alert because of your mission. We cannot let our guard down yet, even with the Snake Eyes situation.
— I am fine, why would I be destabilized? — I answer a little harsher than I should have answered my superior. — Sir. — I finish saying trying to sound a little more subordinate and less angry.
— Scarlett, we know you are close and it is normal to feel destabilized in this situation. We may even feel a little guilty. I am feeling guilty for authorizing this mission and in the end it was just a trap for you. I don't like to think about the worst that could have happened. And although fraternizations are discouraged here, let's pretend we are not seeing anything. — He shakes his head from side to side as he lowers his voice a little more. Around us, people looked sideways, curious, but didn't have the courage to try to listen to us.
— I'm fine. And there's no reason to worry about my relationship with Snake Eyes, we're just friends. — I try to smile, even though I know it looks like a grimace. The way he looks back at me makes me feel bad, small and vulnerable. And he obviously didn't believe anything I said. It was as if he saw everything I was going through at that moment and I didn't like it. Now I understand why Snake Eyes runs away from psychologists so much. Even though the general wasn't one, he had a lot of knowledge about his soldiers.
— Right. — After a few long seconds, he answers me calmly. I look away from him, thinking quickly of something to interrupt that conversation that could be too deep for me right now.
We say goodbye with a nod and I take a deep breath, trying to gain some control. I continue down the hallway, ignoring the others around me who were trying to somehow decipher me just by looking at my face. I was holding back, avoiding thinking too much about it, I needed to hold back the tears a little longer. Just a little longer. They couldn't see the lieutenant crying over one of her comrades.
— Were you looking for me, Red? —The white ninja appears less than five steps away. I didn't need to know much to realize that he was listening to my conversation with the general. I look up and see the ventilation there. I look back at him, who completely ignores that I had discovered him, with a blasé face as he glances randomly and without interest at the hallway. Apparently there was no time to compose myself.
— Let's go to a secluded place. There are a lot of eyes on us around here. — I don't wait for his answer and walk ahead knowing that he will be following me. Ninjas in particular attract attention around here.
—I thought you were interested in my brother. —I stop in the hallway immediately and he obviously doesn't bump into me since he has his abnormal ninja reflexes.
— No funny business today, Storm Shadow. I'm not in the mood. — after staring at him for a while and knowing that I didn't really scare him, not like I scared the others, I resume my pace more quickly. I look at the windows of some rooms looking for an empty one and there is one that I see has the lights off, I go in and turn on the lights.
I wait for the ninja to enter and close the door softly.
We were in a meeting room, there were several chairs and a large table in the middle with a projector in the middle and a large whiteboard on the wall.
— Well, I'm listening. — He sits at the table and crosses his hands and uses them as a headrest. It was a blasé pose but I decided to ignore his attitude for now.
— Are you going to try to use the Arashikage clan technique on him again today? — He thinks a little before answering but nods positively. — Something I was unfortunately used to hearing. Snake Eyes would always apologize to me afterwards and I tried not to get upset, but I did. There was a part of him that was inaccessible to me and I wasn't happy about it. The truth is that I wanted everything, every part of him, but he never let that be possible. And the reason is easy to understand, I'm just his work partner and I should accept it.
I focus on the present again and realize that he was watching me as if he was reading my mind at that very moment.
Strangely, he nods his head just once and gets up from the table.
— Wait, is it going to be that easy? — I ask. With Storm Shadow, things weren't usually that simple.
— Yes, actually I was looking for you too. Yesterday my brother and I talked and he wanted to try with you as a participant.— He shrugs as if it was no big deal. My heart skips a beat knowing that he wanted me with him. I was really surprised, but I guess I can't hide my face well since Storm Shadow gives a small, good-natured smile. — You don't hide it as well as you think, Red. Everyone notices. Well, almost everyone, but my brother is kind of slow at it, I don't think it counts.
I turn my back to him, signaling that I had ended that conversation, although deep down it's for another reason. I needed to hide my reactions from him. And my face a little flushed too.
— Okay, then you could call me when-
— Let's go. — He quickly grabs me by the arm and carries me out of the room so fast that when I react we're already out of the room. I try to kick him, which he dodges with his exceptional skill, but at least he lets go of my arm. — Didn't you want to participate in our session today? We're almost late.
— You just should have told me before you left pulling me like a child. — I quickly straighten myself and realize that people had stopped when they saw the previous scene, but when they saw that Storm Shadow and I were now watching them back, they ran down the halls in a hurry. Soon this would become a conversation in the corridors of the base.
— But it wouldn't be funny, would it? That's definitely what my brother loves about you. — He lets out a quick laugh as if he had thought of something even funnier.
— What do you mean by that? — I ask curiously. I had obviously trained with Snake Eyes several times, after all we trained the newbies and even some old companions. We were both trained in several martial arts, although my level didn't compare to his and I had to admit that even though I didn't like it very much. I was proud and I recognized that and Snake Eyes himself noticed it during our training.
That didn't stop him from correcting me several times, including my impulsiveness combined with my aggressiveness that made him shake his head in dismay every time. That's why his brother's words sound strange, in fact I imagine that's exactly what he tries to educate me with his skills so hard, so that I can be a warrior as capable as him.
The white ninja stares at me for a few seconds as if he was thinking about what to say. In the end he just gives a mysterious smile and walks down the hallway again without even waiting for me.
-
Snake eyes
I wait in my accommodations for Storm Shadow to show up with Scarlett. After one night I was feeling comfortable here, which shouldn't be strange after all it was where I slept "before". I get up from the floor when I hear footsteps near my door.
General Hawk doesn't ask to come in but nods when I open the door for him, just standing in the doorway. It wasn't who I expected, but I had nothing against the man, in fact he gave me an aura of confidence and I felt like I really trusted him. In my "other life".
— I came to see how you were, son. — I nod back to him signaling that I was fine. I feel comfortable with his imposing presence and then some flashes of memories come to mind quickly, and they involved the general with his serious face and his phrases that always ended by calling me son. My memory was strange, but it was there. I was sure of it now.
"Sir, are my brother and Scarlett on their way?" I ask using ASL. Quickly looking at my hands as I make the signs, flashbacks come back to when Shana was with me while I was learning the new signs. I knew some of them before, but she helped me improve them beyond the things necessary for missions. I didn't care much for casual conversation, so I thought there was no reason to learn before, but then...
Wait a minute... Shana? I knew her real name. Would she know mine?
— I met Scarlett on the way — he answers and lets out a sigh. — We need to talk about this in the future, son...
I turn my head to the side, making my confusion clear. Talk about what? About Scarlett? As if I had summoned her only by thought, I see her over the general's shoulder with Storm Shadow walking behind her. She didn't seem pleased, but whenever they spent too much time together and had to talk, they ended up fighting.
— General, are you here? — Storm Shadow asks, approaching.
— He said he was going to come see Snake Eyes, don't pretend to be surprised. — She was still angry and managed to look even more beautiful when she was in that state, her green eyes vibrated more intensely and it seemed like the light reflected on her red hair like a newly created goddess. — You were listening to our conversation through the ventilation duct.
— Can you prove it? — he counters, but we knew he didn’t take it seriously. He didn’t even try to hide it, since she caught him in the act in some way, he probably did it to irritate her.
— Everyone knows that… — I raise one of my arms to get their attention. It wouldn’t stop if I didn’t put an end to it. It was fun most of the time, but sometimes it was inconvenient as Storm Shadow made a point of annoying her.
Then I realize how I remembered more things now. My hopes were already good, but now I’m sure they’ll come back eventually. It was a matter of time and rest as Doc had told me before sending me to my accommodation.
— Okay, I’ll leave you guys. I expect good news soon.— the general pats me twice on the shoulder and waves to Scarlett and Storm Shadow before leaving. My brother doesn't even wait for him to leave my sight and enters my room as if he were in a hurry.
"Wait.” I signal and they stop to watch me while Scarlett quickly closes the door to avoid prying eyes.
— What happened? — my brother asks as he crosses his arms and frowns with some concern.
“Maybe it's not necessary to try any of the Arashikage's techniques.” I fully trusted the skills developed by the clan that forged me, but it wasn't nice to have someone poking around in your mind to recover your memories. There are many things that most people don't want to end up remembering from their past.
— Why? — Scarlett approaches while asking with a ferocity that makes me happy and I try not to divert my focus by observing her too much. It was nice to have someone who cared like that... I don't think I've ever had that before.
“During the day I realized that I had some memories back. At times when I wasn't thinking about them but was relaxing with someone or observing something. It was as if they woke up even with other stimuli.” I try to explain as best I can. I look from one to the other and they shake their heads at me.
— If that's all, Doc was right when he said you'd get them back over time. — She bites her lip quickly as she seems to think of something but shakes her head to herself and quickly looks away from me.
— Less work for me. — Storm Shadow shrugs but then frowns as if remembering something. — And Red? Do you remember anything now?
She looks at me quickly with her eyes shining with hope and this sight makes my heart clench in fear of disappointing her. I should have better control of my emotions, but I admit that I've never had to try so hard to control what I feel for her as I do now.
And then I finally realize that I had recovered this particular memory, just the biggest question on my mind since I woke up with no memory. Not everything, but I knew I was in love with her. And it had been for a long time, but I hid it well until now.
It was there all the time and I didn't see the signs until now.
Scarlett and Storm Shadow quickly look at each other when they notice how still and tense I suddenly became. My brother raises his eyebrows as he looks at me as if he were trying to get into my mind. Some G.I Joes believe that we can actually do that, but unfortunately we can't. Or fortunately for me in this case.
Then I remember the question and immediately regain control of my emotions.
"I remembered that you guys fight a lot." I simply say. Storm Shadow doesn't seem satisfied with just that.
Scarlett looks confused as if she was expecting more than that, but she nods absentmindedly in agreement with what I had said.
—I don't think that's something that difficult to realize, but for now it will do. Let's use the idea that certain situations and people can be triggers for you to remember more things. We can start with Scarlett here. — My brother points his chin at her, who is not intimidated and agrees with his idea.
—Right. Where do we start? — she asks intensely as if she were going to face an enemy at that very moment and would not accept defeat.
Before we could think of anything, a voice echoed throughout the corridor, to the point where I could even hear it in my room. It was from the base's loudspeaker. They were calling Scarlett to the room where the G.I Joe intelligence was operating. She let out a resigned sigh because she knew we would have to leave our almost therapy session for later.
—I'll be back later, Snake Eyes. — She gave me one last worried look and left in a hurry, albeit reluctantly. You couldn't ignore a call.
— Well, since fate decided so. Time for you to explain what that was earlier. — We had barely been alone and Storm Shadow had already opened his mouth.
"There was nothing between us before, was there?" I quickly signed before losing the courage to ask.
"As far as I know, no. And I believe that even if you didn't tell me anything about it, I would have noticed." He shrugged.
"I think I was- I am in love with her." I said at once as I ran my hands through my short hair, although it had been longer before. I was maskless the whole time in their presence and I wasn't bothered by it, my face that once had no marks and now has scars from battles and after the surgeries that were necessary... and still the mask is necessary...
This was something painful to realize, one of the reasons why I also kept my feelings locked up for this beautiful and intense woman. I was embarrassed by my face. And then there was the obvious. She wouldn't be interested in someone in the state I was in... The truth hurt, but it was still the truth.
Storm Shadow remained silent the whole time and only then did I look at him and he looked back at me as if I were a child.
—And you only discovered this now? Congratulations, brother.
"Don't make fun of me!" I retort and he rolls his eyes as he sits on the chair next to my bed. I remain standing in the middle of the room, not knowing whether to pace from one side to the other or to remain still, still absorbing everything I rediscovered and what I do with it all.
— It's not like your old self didn't already know that, I'm sorry to tell you that you just didn't say it, or rather, you repressed it.
I think about what he said for a few seconds. Obviously I wouldn't do anything about it, but it explains why General Hawk might want to talk to me. He must think we're fraternizing, which isn't true either then or now.
"That explains a lot," I answer before sitting on the edge of the bed with a resigned sigh. "But I want to know more. Tell me what you knew about my old self and my relationship with Scarlett."
— Nothing they haven't told you before, brother. — Storm Shadow was taking the matter seriously at least and not rolling his eyes as expected. — In addition to the missions where one saves the other from almost certain death, the devotion she has for you and you for her, you also go out together and every time that happens the old gossips of this base start speculating, away from General Hank, of course. In addition to the bets, you should go check it out with Ace for yourself.
I engrave his words in my mind and agree that in part seeing other points of view about yourself can be interesting.
-
Finding Ace was easy, the hard part was getting him away from the ten soldiers around him. From afar I could hear excited voices and Ace's laughing. They were debating something animatedly and I was unfortunately going to interrupt that moment, but it was for something important.
— Okay, so the bet has no end date, after all we don't know when the snake's memory- Hey! Snakes! How are you? — he even loses his breath as he deviates from the subject. As if I hadn't already realized who they were talking about. I stare at each of the soldiers participating in the betting circle, but it was already breaking up. Some of the more attentive soldiers noticed my presence before Ace, who was in the middle of them, and quickly moved away when they realized where I was going. The stragglers who finally realized I was here seemed to want to disappear from sight.
Before Ace could think of anything, the circle of soldiers around him disappeared completely, leaving him unprotected. And he was alone with me and only a notepad in his hand. I extend my hand in a clear signal and he didn't hesitate to hand me the notepad.
I analyze the first sheet that said that the bet this time was when I would recover my memories, some were very hopeful and bet on 24 hours. The biggest bet was a month.
I turn the sheet and see several bets and some of the results. One in particular irritates me because it was about who Scarlett would choose and there are several names. Are there so many men trying to win her over? But of course there would be men after her, who wouldn't be? So, did I not realize it before?
No, the truth is that I never thought I would have a chance, but there are many people who think otherwise and bet on me. A small smile appears on my face but Ace wouldn't see it, after all, my mask was blocking his vision. Speaking of him, he was still motionless in front of me and seemed to be mumbling some excuse, but I ignore him.
The female Joes are the ones who vote the most in my favor. But I notice some names that vote for themselves or don't seem to like the idea very much, like Clutch, Mainframe and even Duke. Storm Shadow doesn't participate in these bets, it's not like him anyway. Does Scarlett know about this?
I separate a sheet of paper from the notepad and write.
"How many people exactly are trying to win Scarlett?" I turn the sheet over for him to read and watch his expression change from scared to curious. I subtly feel a presence, but there was no aggression or threat coming from her. I don't see the need to worry about third parties since I knew that with just one look they would leave. However, an itch still persists telling me that I should look, but there was something more important now.
— The ones who publicly flirt with her and then get beaten up? That would be the clutch. Mainframe and Scarlett work together and he's not exactly good at hiding it. The others don't have the courage for obvious reasons. — I wait for him to finish but he falls silent and I observe him a little more closely to make him continue talking. — Well, the reason is her too, getting beaten up by her isn't very good, the kicks she gives are enough to break your bones. But most of it is also because of you. Most of them think you're together, so they don't do anything. Which is smart.
I throw the notepad back to Ace who quickly catches it, almost dropping it in surprise.
I wave to Ace and quickly turn around, finding myself face to face with Scarlett in front of me with at least a meter of distance between us.
— Asking questions about me?”
-
Shana “Scarlett” O’Hara
I return to Snake Eyes’ room some time later to only find Storm Shadow who tells me that Snake went to talk to Ace and this arouses my curiosity. I ask the passersby in the hallways as I walk through the base trying to find him and soon I see them near the gym, but there were only the two of them standing there.
There were usually people there to work out or waiting for the others to finish. Strange.
—The ones who publicly flirt with her and then get beaten up? That would be Clutch. Mainframe and Scarlett work together and he’s not exactly good at hiding it. The others don’t have the courage for obvious reasons. — Wait. Are they talking about me? But why? This arouses my curiosity even more. They hadn't noticed my presence yet, not even Snake Eyes, which was surprising actually. But if I got too close he would definitely notice. — Well, the reason is her too, getting beaten up by her isn't very nice, the kicks she gives are enough to break your bones. But most of it is also because of you. Most think you two are together, so they don't do anything. Which is smart.
Snake Eyes throws the notepad to Ace and turns around to face me. Even without seeing his face now it's as if I can see his surprised expression just by the grooves in his mask and his body language.
— Asking questions about me? — I cross my arms and make the most blasé expression I can and he scratches the back of his head as if he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't have. I don't know if I should say this, but his reaction is cute, even though he's a dangerous ninja, etc. Ace seemed to be paying attention to our conversation and wasn't even trying to hide it, so I signal for Snake Eyes to follow me.
We walk side by side through the corridors, ignoring the people around us as always. The place we could get more privacy here would be a little further away, so I guide him outside. We leave the base and go into the open air, and I take a deep breath of the late afternoon air of an autumn. It was getting colder now.
— Then you can start explaining yourself, soldier. — I put my hand in the pocket of the coat I put on over my uniform when I was still in the intelligence room.
I hear him sigh and then he stops near the metal fence while I lean against the wall on the other side, standing and waiting.
"I was questioning Ace about the bets." He moves his hands quickly and then rests them at his sides, making it clear to me that he won't answer much. Okay, let's work with what we have.
— Ah, the bets... we know them well. You don't need to worry about it." I wave my hand in front of my body as if to say it was nothing, and it really wasn't. Just a silly joke that sometimes caused us some stress.
"Do you know about the bets they made on you? About us” he asks and I turn to face him. He returns my gaze, but it’s a little hard for me to sustain since he was a good few inches taller than me.
— Of course. I'm counter intelligence, knowing things is my job. — I joke with him as he crosses his arms trying to appear more assertive in search of answers. I know this pose well. — I've hit him a few times, I think he stopped making some bets about me. What bets did you see?
He raises his hands slowly, but takes a while to make the signs, still thinking about what he would probably say.
"One of the bets was about who you should choose" he looks away from mine. I didn't like it when we talked with his face covered, but I knew he didn't like taking his mask off in public.
— Choose? — I pretend I didn't understand what he was talking about and from his reaction he hadn't realized it yet. — Choose for what? As a mission partner? I don't think that's possible. General Hawk is the one who handpicks us on our missions.
He signs with his hands again, but faster now. I could even identify his reactions by the way he formed the signs. I could tell when he was frustrated, when he was shy, or when he was angry.
“Choosing in a romantic sense. As a couple.”
— Ah — I say, prolonging it on purpose. “And that seems to have bothered you a little, but why?” I held myself back from getting closer to him. We were facing each other, but there was a safe and unromantic distance between us. And I wanted to change that.
Okay, Scarlett hold back a bit or you’ll scare him…
I change my place and go to the fence where he’s standing, standing next to him now. Snake Eyes doesn’t get scared or move, which is good, but he hadn’t answered me yet.
“I shouldn’t-” Oh, great, here it comes. He is dumping her… She knew deep down that there was no way someone like him would look at a simple southern girl like her, who thought she was as good a fighter as he was. Snake Eyes said I was an excellent opponent, but he was always a good sensei and that was how it was with all the dedicated ones. I supported them until the end. Deep down, for him I will always be a pupil and a partner and that's all and I foolishly mixed things up. Perfect! Simply perfect!
I don't let Snake Eyes finish signing with his hands, because I hold them with mine to reassure him. I understood and would lick my wounds alone.
—It's okay, Snake. Seriously.— I try to swallow the lump that appears in my throat. His posture becomes tense, as if he was worried and from the look he gave me through the mask it seemed that way.
He pulls my hands away from his and starts to sign something faster, but before I can formulate a sentence the base's alert sound starts to play at its loudest volume and that meant only one thing. We are being invaded.
-
We ran towards the weapons arsenal. Along the way we saw several Joes running, some in uniform and others who were taking a break putting on some protection over the casual clothes they were wearing. In the armory, the rush was more organized. We soon entered, grabbed our weapons, and headed toward the enemies.
Snake Eyes held my shoulders for a moment, stopping me from continuing to run. He looked at my face intently but without saying anything. Then he turned and walked quickly down the hallway, quickly disappearing from view. I let out a sigh as I held my crossbow in my hands. I needed to focus on the game now.
— Scarlett! — Lady Jaye appeared next to me in her uniform and short dark hair. She looked ready for battle. Around us, soldiers were running in one direction. The energy was chaotic, the energy of an approaching battle.
— Jaye, what happened? — We rushed to find someone who could tell us exactly where the problem was, but the problem ended up coming to us anyway.
From afar I could see the Baroness and Storm Shadow fighting, my eyes immediately searched for Snake Eyes but with so many soldiers I couldn't see him. They had infiltrated the base apparently, but how? I was with Snake Eyes outside and we hadn't seen anything...
— That's what happened. — She answers pointing with one hand to the chaos in front of us. She quickly ducks to dodge a punch from a Cobra soldier.
We quickly entered the cycle of dodging shots, punches and kicks and then counterattacking with shots, punches and kicks.
Snake Eyes appears and helps Storm Shadow face the Baroness who was surrounded by several Cobra soldiers as support and next to her was Zartan.
— Oh great, as if it couldn't get worse. — Lady Jaye huffs in discontent when she sees him as well, while shooting at a Cobra soldier who falls from one of the base's walkways. It would be a lot of work to recover all of that.
They played dirty and I knew when the trap was ready only when I was inside it. They separated me from Lady Jaye, and now I was surrounded by Cobra soldiers in the middle of several individual battles taking place. I would have to get out of this alone, but I knew I wouldn't get out unscathed. Before I could prepare to attack and try to escape, Snake Eyes appears in front of me, placing me on his shoulder, and soon a hail of gunfire comes our way.
My brain takes a while to process the scene, but the amount of Joes running towards us wakes me up from my trance. My body shakes like a sack of potatoes as he runs from the crossfire, but I know he's been hit.
He drops me on the ground near the wall so I can have support, and I hear him groan. When I look at him, I see that the situation was even worse than I had anticipated.
— Snake! — He forces himself to stay standing but I see his legs shaking a little. — You can't go back there! Stay here.
— Is he okay? — Duke heroically appears, forming a protective cordon where we were with other Joes. Some who were badly injured were heading towards us to take shelter.
Snake Eyes unsheathes his katanas again, indicating that he would go back. I immediately step in front of him.
— Are you crazy? Snake Eyes, you're bleeding from so many places that I don't know where to start counting. — He didn't seem to take it seriously. I look in the direction he was looking and his brother was still fighting the Baroness and holding up much of the fight with other Cobra soldiers who replaced those who were already lying on the ground. He was going to save his brother. He abandoned him when he saw that I needed him more and now he would come back.
He takes my face in his hand and lifts it so that I could look at him. My eyes were teary as I realized what was going to happen. He might never come back... that was always my fear and why I always forced Hawk's hand a little so that I would go with Snake Eyes on missions. But that wasn't always possible.
— Will you come back? Do you promise that you'll come back for me? — He just nods solemnly, but I know that he made a promise to me there.
I watch him as he runs back to the battlefield surrounded by enemies. Duke seemed speechless since he had obviously witnessed all of that. I wipe away some of the tears and reload my gun. Time to do my part.
And I would make them pay.
-
— Snake Eyes is undergoing a bullet removal. Some are lodged. — Duke informs me as I stand outside the infirmary. Due to overcrowding, visitors are not allowed at the moment. Some of the Joes are being treated there, the most serious ones are in another area for surgery.
— The fact that he was still alive and standing until the end is what surprises me — Ripcord, upon noticing my gaze, shuts up immediately and disappears from my sight. He didn't want to risk getting beaten up here.
— My brother isn't weak like most of you. — Storm Shadow responds in kind and none of the others have the courage to deny him or face him. His arms were bandaged but he was fine.
I had been released earlier with only bruises, light sprains, a few grazes and small open wounds.
— You'd better rest Scarlett. — Covergirl comes closer to look at me a little closely. Ever since the battle ended, she had been trying to make me rest, and now I was seeing how right she was. I was starting to see everything blurry, and to make matters worse, the Baroness had escaped, but at least we managed to catch Zartan. There was still a lot to be done. — We'll call you when necessary, the general wants us to rest first before we get the house in order. We're going to have a lot of mess to clean up, especially to find out how we were invaded. We're going to need everyone well and recovered.
She was right, of course she was.
"Go rest, Red. I'll stay here to hear from my brother and I'll let you know if anything happens." Storm Shadow's kindness would have surprised me at another time. But if there was something we both understood, it was our concern for Snake Eyes' well-being. Despite their long history as brothers, then enemies, and then brothers again.
I was too tired and my swollen eyes, hair all over the place and the parts of my uniform that had been rescued already said a lot about my physical and mental state.
I said goodbye to everyone and headed to my room. I needed a shower urgently and that's the first thing I did. I barely remember when I fell asleep, I just know that I barely managed to put on some clothes before falling into the oblivion of sleep.
-
Something wakes me up in the darkness of my room, I open my eyes and see a light coming from outside, but it soon goes out. Someone had entered my room.
The blood starts to run fast in my veins and I wake up completely. I search through the darkness for a knife that I had hidden next to the bed or under the pillow, but before I can react the person identifies himself when he turns on the light.
—Snake Eyes? — He was wearing half of his uniform. Cargo pants and boots but he was wearing a simple shirt and now he was without a mask. I could see part of the mask sticking out of the front pocket. He immediately tenses up and avoids looking at me, so I quickly look down at myself and realize that I had barely gotten dressed. I was only in my underwear and bra with Snake Eyes in my room. I try not to think too much about the way his eyes widened when he saw me and how his face seemed to gain color. Maybe it was a trick of the light? I was still tired and could be seeing things.
I quickly get up knowing that he would be avoiding looking at me until I was properly dressed. And that is exactly one of the things that attracted me to him even more than the badass ninja, he was a gentleman, he respected me as a person and as a companion. How many men can we say do this?
— Okay, I'm dressed now. — I clear my throat to get rid of some of the hoarseness in my sleepy voice.
He turns slowly and starts signing for me.
“I came to see how you were. I didn't mean to wake you up, but since you ended up waking up and were scared, I thought it best to identify myself. After everything we've been through today.”
— I understand. — I sit back down on my bed and point for him to do the same. He prefers to sit in the chair close to the bed, but not close enough. I try not to let this shake me. — And how are the others?
Snake Eyes gives me a summary of the situation, in addition to the few casualties we had. I quickly think of something that won't leave my head and I share it with him.
— That mission, I think we got it wrong. They weren't focused on attracting you, in fact they ended up taking advantage of the opportunity. What they really wanted was to put an infiltrator here because we were more worried about what could come from outside, and we wouldn't realize that he was already inside. In the same way that we were so worried about the mission that we left the defenses fragile. This explains why we didn't see any attack coming from outside. They used our facilities and internal paths to get here. Probably the path underground that is to be used in case of heavy attacks.
Snake Eyes listens attentively, nodding his head. He seems to agree with my line of thought. It made sense. The person who infiltrated made the path easier for them.
I let out a long sigh and Snake Eyes looks at me again. When he looked at me without the mask, that's when all my defenses fell and I couldn't keep them up even if I tried.
— You shouldn't have done that. — I observe his body, or part of it, which was wrapped in bandages and underneath them were surgical stitches. This time he was lucky not to end up on a surgical table in serious condition.
He shakes his head, stopping me from continuing.
— Okay, if you don't want to talk about it or hear another thank you for saving my life. Let's talk about what happened before the attack. Between you and me. — He looks away and gets up from the chair. I get up with him to stop him from running away. It would be better to rip off the bandage right away. — Listen, you don't have to tell me anything, but at least let me talk."
He lets out a sigh that seems to come from his soul and continues to stand in front of me while I gently hold his arm, afraid that he will leave.
“I know you don’t feel the same way, and that’s okay. We’re friends, you’re not to blame for the way others feel. If you want to walk away, I’ll understand, but don’t do it. You’re special to me here, it makes me hold on a little longer.” I force myself to continue, I couldn’t lose my courage now. At first he seemed to avoid my gaze, but now he was looking at me intensely and at the same time with something in his eyes.
“Shana, what are you-” I raise my hand, interrupting him. If he continued, I might lose my courage.
— I thought it was better to clarify everything now. It’s not like people don’t notice too, I hear them talking about us a lot and after your reaction to the bets… I understand that someone like you doesn’t feel comfortable with that kind of attention. And I understood what you meant earlier and know that this won’t affect our work either. It'll be like nothing happened.
That's right, Shana. You managed to say everything without crying, like a grown woman. Congratulations.
"What are you talking about? Shana, I think we understand different things." Snake Eyes frowned, his scars showing. He got some of them by saving me too.
— What do you mean? Snake Eyes, earlier you seemed... I mean, you were going to dump me before the alarm went off. — Now we stare at each other without anyone taking their eyes off each other and I can see exactly the moment when Snake Eyes seemed to finally understand.
"You were going to confess to me before?"
— Well, I was trying. Wait... you didn't notice? — I wait for him to answer but he just shakes his head. Oh shit... — So you weren't dumping me?
He shakes his head again, his eyes wide in surprise.
I can't believe you did that, Shana... now I was the one who was thinking about running away from this conversation. Right now he would think I was so... pathetic.
— Okay, can you wait just a minute? I just remembered that I need to talk to Covergirl about something. — I had already let go of his arm in shock minutes before and now he was the one holding my wrist.
“Shana, let’s talk about this.” Oh, great! Now he wants to talk about it. He let go of my arm just so he could communicate with me and I decide to swallow my pride even though my face must have been red with embarrassment. “You got it all wrong. What I was going to say was that it wasn’t my place to say what bothered me or not, if it’s about you it’s up to you. If you say it bothers you, then it will bother me too. Although I can’t lie and say that I was happy to know about your list of suitors. But I have to be honest with myself too, there’s no way someone like you would be interested in me.”
— Wait what? Snake Eyes what are you— before I could finish he points to his face and to some parts of his body that I couldn’t see but I could imagine the amount of scars. — Okay, do you really think I'm that shallow kind of person? — I didn't mean to get mad at him, but I really was.
“Of course not. I know how real you are, but that's the way the world is. Even if you felt something for me, what could I give you? Besides enemies at your door, a partner who has to live in hiding for so many reasons…
— What if I don't have a problem with that? You talk as if I'm not a lieutenant and already have my own list of enemies too. They'll keep coming anyway, we can't run away from that. And as for the other things… I just don't care.
He shakes his head and takes a step away, we were standing facing each other saying things we would never have imagined weeks ago. We've been playing this game of not saying what we really feel for so long that it seemed like it would never end.
“How long would you put up with it? I can't ask anyone, especially you, to subject yourself to all of this.”
— You don't understand Snake Eyes, the only thing keeping me away from you is you. — He stands still as if he was thinking about it deeply and I take the opportunity to slowly approach him. He just watched me intently with his bright blue eyes focused on me. I could swear his eyes had never shone as brightly as they did now.
I move my hand to his arm, holding it gently and slowly moving it up. He didn't seem to want to do anything to stop me, he seemed hypnotized with his eyes focused on mine.
When my hand reaches his shoulder and neck, I can see how he shivers with my touch; he felt the same as me, in every way.
Gently I move my hands over his ear and then behind his head where his blond hair is. He closes his eyes slowly, giving in to the pleasure of the moment. His head bows as if he were a cat asking for more affection and I continue my gentle movements as I get closer and almost press my body against his.
With a little force, I make him lower his head a little and when he opens his eyes I slowly approach his face. Then I finally put my lips on his. He seemed unsure how to react at first, but I don't give up. I slowly move my lips, making my interests clear.
Snake Eyes, at his own pace, matches the kiss. His body seemed so tense at first that it was as if he were going to face an enemy. Little by little, he seemed to loosen up and enjoy the kiss. My hand remains behind his head, so I slowly make the same slow movements in his hair and the back of his neck while I decide to be a little daring and put my tongue on his lips. He moans and I shiver from head to toe. I could have sworn that the earth shook when we touched for the first time and now it felt like the whole world was being taken over inside my body. It didn't take long for him to repeat my movements and I moan back. He wraps his big hand around my waist and I press my body against his. I could spend the rest of my days like this, but it was only a matter of time before we lost control. Snake Eyes is the first to pull away. He places his forehead on mine and I see how flushed his face was and his lips swollen. My body shivers at the sight, and this idiot even said I wouldn't be interested in him...
— I think this is a confession on both sides. — My heart was beating fast, it felt like I had run a marathon, which explained why I was so speechless. Thank goodness he still had his hands around me because I didn't trust my legs.
This brings back memories of the first few times I saw him and when I started to really fall in love with him. How my legs would shake every time I saw him and every time he looked at me.
He smiles and I stand on my tiptoes again to kiss him, but he stops me.
"Wait a minute," he says, his lips silent, but I read them. He was panting and I had done it. Wow.
— Right. Good to know I finally discovered a weak point of the famous Snake Eyes.
He slowly releases his hands from my waist and I miss his warmth, his body. Before he could say anything, a voice came over the speaker once again. I was starting to think the universe did this kind of thing on purpose.
— Lieutenant O’Hara, report to General Hawk’s office. — the speaker said three times and then finally went quiet. I let out a disappointed sigh.
— Okay, time to get to work. I better start telling the general what I’ve been thinking earlier. The sooner I found out who the impostor was, the better. Maybe we got lucky and he’s still here for interrogation. — Snake Eyes nodded as he always did when he heard my ramblings about work or hobbies. — In the meantime, you can stay and take a nap here. You need it.”
“I got some sleep while they removed the bullets that were lodged in my body.” I stared at him in surprise, although I shouldn’t have.
— How can anyone sleep like that? — He shrugged and I pointed to my bed, trying to hold back a smile. — Time to go, big guy. — I pull him in for a quick kiss and then turn to leave the room.
I could have sworn I felt his dazed smile on my back as I opened the door.
Apparently today was going to be a good day.