Trials of War
An RP by Tachigami and NekoLen

WARNING

The following RolePlay, written by NekoLen and Tachigami, depicts acts of war, violence, racism, and questionable beliefs.

These do not in any way reflect our own, personal beliefs and should not be taken as such and any offensive racial slurs or insulting scenes are to be taken as they are originally intended: As part of the storyline and nothing else.

---

He arrived the day before, as the rest of the medics and surgeons the compound would house, among many others. He signed himself in, filled the documents out, and found his tent---B-3, near the medical area. So far the tents were white, pristine, and sterile, the surgical equipment so far unused, the bottles of medication and chemicals so far full and in full stock, the beds and gurneys clean and pressed and smelling of cotton and clean, polished metal. The enlisted soldiers would be arriving some miles away on an airliner, then trucked in. So far neither side had come to blows, but tensions were high, and Connor Cross was just as uneasy as the rest of them. He wore what everyone else wore---a plain white tee shirt and green pants, and a set of thick brown boots. Their rank and status was displayed on their shoulder pads when they wore their full uniform, but Africa was a hot continent, and none of them wanted to be weighted down by dark colors.

Around Connor's neck a key on a chain sat against clinking tags. The key, hidden between the two tags, was to the medical lockers, where medicines were kept. He ran his finger over the teeth of the key nervously as he stepped into tent B-3 for only the second time. Yesterday they were still erecting the tents, and the medics and surgeons had slept on the floor of the infirmary. His back still ached when he thought about that, but he found the inside of the tent clean and rather spacious. Two army cots sat on either end, two small tables, chairs, and on either side several bags sat. He recognized the first set as his own, and went to the cot, sitting down slowly and testing it. It felt rather good, though he was sure as time wore on he would find it less so.

With a sigh he lifted one of his bags and opened it, finding his personal things. Pictures, a stuffed cat he was reluctant to admit that he'd had since the day he was born almost twenty six years ago, a box of sewing supplies that he felt might come in handy when his clothes got an inevitable rip or needed a patch. A few notebooks and a fountain pen from his grandfather, with which he learned to write at an early age. A Rubik's cube he hadn't been able to solve in the past year.

He set that, the box, and the notebooks and pen on the table, stowed away the stuffed cat under the pillow beside him, and rifled through the photographs. One of his parents---Miller and Denise Cross, appearing as young as ever. He had inherited his mother's brown hair, his father's almost unrealistically blue eyes. His father always hated how his son grew his hair a little more than he should have, enough to tie up and back. He was never sure why, as both his parents had been overjoyed with his first and current love---a young man named Mason.

Switching photos, he found one of Mason. A bit brash, but honest and smart, he hadn't wanted Connor to leave. The way he had overreacted, as if Connor would be in the line of fire, warmed the medic at first, until Mason made it apparent that he didn't even care if people died as long as Connor was there. It still unnerved him. He bit his lip, shaking his thin body and sliding the photos into the small table's drawer as the tent's thin door opened and a man entered. "Hey. Connor Cross, right?" He was a blonde man whose hair looked as if a stiff breeze had caught it and he never put it back down, rather large and solid. Connor nodded, standing and accepting the handshake. "Remmy Anderson, surgeon. You're one of the medics, eh? Gonna go out there in the field for the wounded if this comes to blows?"

Connor shuddered, but did well to hide it. "Ah, well, I dunno about going in..."

"Shame. You're kinda small, probably fast. Good at dodging and stayin' low I bet."

Connor laughed shakily, nodding a bit. He hoped he didn't have to go to the scene of any battle, or even hear of a battle at all. Remmy was about to say something as he rifled through his bags when the sound of distant engines rumbled through the air. "Sounds like the men are coming in!" He set his largest bag down and looked up as if he could see through the tent's beige walls. "C'mon, Cross, gotta get down there'n see who we got." He waved to the younger man, stepping out and ushering Connor into the noonday sun. He squinted a little, moving along with the others as they approached the compound's front gates.

There is a small warning I want to place on my post for anyone reading this rp. Tensions are high at the start of a war against China, who have started to buy out various countries. Racism is rampant, especially in the barracks. Please read with caution and note that nothing written here are my beliefs at all. I will try to tone down the racism, but be warned.

-

Akai lurched awake from the slumber that the movement of the truck had lulled him into. He peeled his forehead off the window, grimacing at how sweaty he was. Africa was a lot hotter than he could have imagined, and being crammed into a space with over 30 other men didn't help matters. He wiped his brow, straightening him self in his seat and glancing about the truck. He noticed how much the scenery had changed and wondered if they were getting closer to the camp.

He caught the reflection of himself in the window and ran his fingers through his stylised hair. The natural black colour was streaked with bleach, and he kept it spiked up with copious amounts of gel. He had brought a small tub of the gel, as well as a big bottle of the particular shampoo he was fond of. He knew that they would shave their hair as soon as they got to the barracks, but he was hoping that they would spare him. As if reading his mind, the man sitting next to him spoke, "Sure ain't looking forward to the make over, aren't you?"

Akai shook his head slightly, but remained quiet. Before they were deployed to Africa, he had spent almost a month training with this very group of men. He knew that most of them thought he was of Chinese decent, and they made it very clear that they were feeling hatred towards those that might threaten their freedom. He had tried to explain that his mother was Japanese, but he was born in America, just like all of them. It was hard to explain while he was held down and beaten.

He snapped out of his daydream, just in time to realise that they were finally pulling into the camp site. He felt relieved to finally be off the hot and cramped truck, but dread also bit into his stomach. How long until they were made to go into battle? A week? Two years? No one seemed to know when the war was supposed to happen, or the higher ups just refused to tell the ones that would be dying for them. He shook himself as they grabbed their bags and climbed out of the vehicle. There was no need to think about dying... yet.

They lined up outside of the truck, standing on hot dusty sand. Akai saluted the higher ups as they walked past to inspect the troops. He turned to look around the compound and automatically noticed that there were other troops that had just left their trucks. He wondered where they were from as they were made to walk to their barracks. His mind was racing as they walked. First, he would be having a physical. Knowing that there weren't many female nurses made him look forward to it slightly. He just hoped that the guy poking his finger into places was good looking. He noticed a group of people wearing white watching them walk past. His eyes slid across their faces until his gaze fell upon a gorgeous young man. That was the type he was looking for. He flashed the man one of his white-toothed grins, hoping that he'd notice.

His heart felt as if it were shuddering in his chest. It was nerves, of course, but from what? He wouldn't be running at an enemy with a gun between himself and a bullet or mine, spending days in foxholes and trenches and quickly, shoddily-made camps that might have to be abandoned in a moment's notice. No, he would be saving their limbs and organs from mutilation and disease, fighting illness that came from heat and insects and contaminated water or ground. He was sure Remmy had been exaggerating about his being on the field. More than sure, even. No, he wouldn't be there. Couldn't be. Of course, he was nervous because lives would be in his hands. In the hands of the other surgeons and medics standing to his left and right. Mostly men---why was that? He knew plenty of women more than qualified for a job here.

He swallowed hard, shoving his hands in his pants' pockets and standing up straight as the vehicles came rolling by in front of them. They looked absolutely massive, so huge they could crush the entire row of men and women he stood among in a moment flat. But his eyes were playing tricks on him. If not because of the heat, then because his apprehension was making everything appear twice as large as it was. Even the men and women that stepped off looked twice as tall as they should have been.

Taking a deep breath, Connor shuddered and squared his shoulders. He needed to be calm. Collected. That was what he learned. He was used to being under pressure, and this was as pressured as he could get, surely. He shifted his tongue in his dry mouth, sliding his eyes through their ranks as they saluted their superiors and called out their names or whatever answer to whatever question they were asked. One caught his eye quickly, though. One of possible Asian descent but whose blood was diluted somewhere along the line. He definitely stuck out among the rest, and the smile he seemed to be giving Connor made him try---and fail---to stifle one back. Then he looked to his left and right, habitually checking to see if this particular soldier were looking past him and to someone just to his left or right.

He didn't quite hear what the officer stepping between them said, until he turned to the line of doctors. "Go to your respective checkup tents for mandatory arrival physicals! A folio of information will be in the IN slot."

They were dismissed with a wave, and Connor followed the others toward the line of medical tents near the infirmary tents. He'd stopped by the previous day to look in, and found it fascinating that they set each tent up to resemble an actual doctor's examination room. His was the second from the beginning, simply listed as "Exam 2".

The tent where he would be sleeping was near the back of the compound, under the shade of some strange-looking trees. It was large enough for all 30 of the men in his troop to sleep in, though there wasn't much room for any privacy. Akai set his bag down on a bunk near the entrance and sighed heavily. He didn't want to be here. If he had his way he'd be at home, sleeping in his own bed and eating his mother's cooking. He laid back on the barely comfortable cot and stared up at the green canvas ceiling. He didn't have long to contemplate before an officer came into their tent to command them to go to their physicals. Akai rolled off his bed, glancing at the sheet of paper he had been given. He was to report to "Exam 2", to be looked over by a man named Connor. He just hoped that it wasn't an old man.

He lined up behind all the others, craning his neck over the heads of the others to try and see into the tent marked with "Exam 2". Soon he was the next to be called.

The small tent looked just like a doctor's office inside. He grinned as he closed the flaps behind himself, looking at the long haired, blue eyed man he had seen before.

"Hello, there," he continued to smile.

The tents that made up their compound were between sturdy houses and high class camping gear. Wood frames, inch-thick floor pads easy to sweep and mop to keep clean, wooden doors that generally slammed shut without warning, and even small windows in several especially large buildings. The exam rooms were identical to one another---the same size, the same height, white tile-like floors. Various wall hangings for various illnesses and diseases to be referenced as needed, filing cabinets, a chair, a wheeled stool, an exam table and a small cot in the corner for temporary relief. It even had running water---new shipments of clean water were to be brought in weekly, he had overheard.

Connor's hands were sifting through the folder, the first arrival came in. There was a rather long line outside each tent already, and he called each in one at a time, asking their names and finding their information. He went through a list of questions, regarding asthma, physical limits and allergies. He measured them, inspected their eyes, ears, and tested their reflexes and blood pressure, took their heart rate, gave them immune boosters and various vaccinations, and requested they strip so he could inspect their skin for rash, redness, or general discoloration that came from long overseas trips, stress, or illness previously unknown.

He slid the latest profile into the green folder marked "PASS" that Connor and the others were to turn in at the end of the day, and looked around to the door as it was closed. He immediately recognized the smile, he'd seen it once before lined up in front of the vans that had brought him and the others in. "Hey..." He looked into the folder of profiles in his hand, almost immediately finding the right one. Akai Davies. He looked up and intentionally lost it. "Er, name please?" When it was given, he pretended to search extensively and plucked it out from the rest of the paper. "There we go... Go ahead and take your shoes off and stand against the wall to the left so I can get an accurate measurement." He couldn't tell why he kept thinking about Mason, but the thought didn't seem to want to leave his mind.

Akai stated his name when asked and removed his boots at once, standing against the wall mentioned by Connor. He couldn't help grinning as the man approached with a measuring tape. "Oh, I'm 8 inches. I've already measured," he joked, loving the way the man seemed taken aback. "You can measure me again if you like, but you'll have to get me excited first. I'm a grower, not a shower."

He winked to show that he was just joking, letting Connor take the right measurements. "You know, we already had physicals. Why do we have to have another? I mean... I'm not complaining or anything. I'm glad I get to talk to you, Connor." He hoped he wasn't offending the man, as he was told to sit in a chair so Connor could look at his ears and his throat. "I'm actually really excited to get to talk to you. When I saw you before... You looks so different to the other medical staff..."

Connor pursed his lips slightly, rather surprised at the eased way Akai spoke. The others seemed to prefer business---take care of their secondary physical and be on their way. There was little conversation, no more than a curt 'Yes', 'No', or some growl or grunt that was just there for acknowledgment purposes. He cleared his throat a little, bending down to attach the measuring tape to the magnet on the floor and threading it up the wall to where a measurement scale came down to rest on Akai's head. "I don't think we'll be getting that thorough today, Akai." He said, managing a smile he felt was perfectly devoid of whatever awkwardness suddenly bloomed in his chest. Akai seemed rather comfortable in a new environment, rather opposite of Connor.

He ticked down the measurement on the form on the desk and rolled the tape up again. "Well, your first physical was in the States. That was to make sure you're fit for duty in general." He gestured to the exam table and pulled a stethoscope and thin beam flashlight from the wall above the desk. "you just got finished with a pretty long flight, and the stress can let the body react in odd ways, even if you don't feel it at first." Connor settled the stethoscope on his head and slid the chestpiece under Akai's shirt, pulling a watch from his pocket. "Breathe in and out slowly through your mouth. I need to listen to your lungs as well as heart beat."

Akai breathed steadily as instructed, wishing that Connor's hands would stay on his chest - even if he had to put up with the coldness of the stethoscope. "Come to think about it... I have got a bit of a headache," he said once the man had removed the device from his skin. He grinned toothily, watching the medic. "Perhaps a kiss will cure it?"

He had always been forward with guys that he liked. There was no point beating around the bush when it came to love or lust, he had learnt. Besides, a lot of guys couldn't resist his confidence and charm. He just hoped Connor was gay as well, because the last thing he needed was to be hitting on a straight man. That was another lesson he had learnt, while at high school. He sniffed slightly as Connor pulled out devices that measured his blood pressure and reflexes. "You're not going to test my blood, are you?" He really disliked needles and the last thing he wanted was for Connor to see him faint. "Like... with needles..."

Connor fumbled slightly, turning around a bit mechanically to hide the way his face grew red. He'd never been put in such a situation before---not even Mason had been so straightforward. If he hadn't been in Connor's mind at that moment he may have obliged---Akai was different than the others. He didn't belong here, in a place full of danger, tense emotions, and a looming war. He steadied his hand as he wrote, and cleared his throat. "I have some pretty good headache medicines, but I'm afraid that's all I can give you at the moment." He hoped his voice wasn't shaking as much as he thought it was, but it had to be exaggerated in his own mind.

Returning with a small padded hammer to test reflexes and a blood pressure gauge, Connor shook his head. "No, you've already had your blood tested. I've got the results here and you're perfectly clean. But I do have some vaccinations for you. Standard vaccines for the diseases that can be prominent in Africa, and a couple immune boosters to keep any benign illnesses away---or fight against them at least." He used the small hammer lightly on Akai, testing reflexes and finding them well in tune with the young man's age. "They're small needles, though, Akai, it'll be just fine." He slid the blood pressure cuff onto Akai's arm and tightened it, watching the gauge move in small jumping motions until he stopped, making note of an average blood pressure and noting it down. "Besides, temporary discomfort is little to pay to avoid some nasty disease." He laughed, perhaps a bit more eased. Akai seemed a little reluctant to even speak of needles, let alone be injected, but it was necessary.

"Argh..." he muttered, glaring at the wall before cracking his face back into his grin. "So even in the future we have to deal with needles..." He remembered when he was younger, reading sci-fi novels and marvelling at what the future could hold for them. They were all published in the early 2200's, which made them pretty old, but Akai had loved reading them. "I was expecting psychics with the ability to heal any disease or wound... I guess I read too much sci-fi growing up." He chuckled nervously as Connor brought around the needles.

They were a lot smaller than they used to be. According to his father, needles were long enough to see and even feel under your skin. Akai was glad that at least they couldn't be seen unless you looked closely at them. He held his breath and bit his lip when Connor picked up one and brought it close. He tried to calm down, but his heart pounded fast in his throat. Before he could notice, he had blacked out.

Connor smiled a little. Too much sci-fi was a good excuse. He used to read about medical advancements. Nowadays, science had come to produce true human organs with just a few cells from the organ, making organ donation a thing of the past. Realistic human and animal prosthetic limbs had come to be around 2310, which behaved and even felt like real limbs. Nano surgery had come a long way, but that was still in strict development. Computers had come far from their bulky states and were now often as thin as a sheet of paper. But paper, here, was more appreciated.

He brought out the needles on a tray and set them on a rolling table beside the exam table. There were ten as a whole, and he picked up the first---the first immune boost. But he barely had it near Akai when he slouched suddenly and he grabbed the young man's arm before he sagged far enough down to fall onto the floor. In school he had to manhandle various realistic dummies the medical students would operate on or show their CPR skills. Akai was no different in that moment, beyond the fact that he was alive and would feel any hard bumps later, and Connor carefully settled him down in a lying position.

He glanced at the door. He had only a few others in his folder, but he didn't know how long Akai would be out and he needed to monitor his vitals. Snatching up the folder, he went outside and passed them out manually, referring them to the other medical tents under a slight emergency call and slid back in, listening to Akai's heart beat settle into a safe zone before administering the injections. Sometimes it was just easier to do so while someone was out.

Finishing the last, Connor dumped the syringe cartridges into a medical waste bag and settled on his stool beside Akai two fingers on his wrist and the stethoscope on his chest. "Just a couple more things to take care of." He said, hoping his voice would bring Akai up a bit faster.

Akai blinked his eyes before the darkness disappeared. He could faintly hear Connor talking to him, but it took awhile before he woke up fully. He blinked a few more times and felt as though his arm had been punched hard, the tell tale sign that the man had injected him with all the needles while he was out. He blushed slightly as he focused his blurred vision on the man now, who was sitting next to him and keeping an eye on his heart beat.

"Argh... Sorry... I... Well... I hate needles..." he muttered, feeling embarrassed. Had his sign of weakness turned the man off? He had to find a way to get back into Connor's good books. His eyes moved around the room rapidly, but he couldn't see anything he could comment on. "You got a family back home...?" he asked, hoping Connor would talk to him and ignore his episode.

Connor stood and kicked the stool slightly, letting it bump the wall. "It happens to the best of us. We'll just take it easy until you can stand up without feeling faint." He spoke easily, shrugging it off and helping Akai sit up. "I do have family, actually. Well, don't we all? My parents own a chain of gun stores and shooting ranges in Colorado... But none of my family's ever even been associated with the military, or Navy, or law enforcement. So they were pretty surprised when I was brought in... Even more surprised when I accepted it and actually wanted to come here, of all places, and be involved with anything that might happen..."

He crossed his arms lightly, looking at the floor. "My, ah... My partner didn't exactly like it... To be honest, he got really... offended. I just try to tell myself he's worried, but he didn't even come to say goodbye..." Conner shook his head and turned away. "Sorry... I get carried away... Do you have family waiting for you?" He went to the wall near the door and slid the switch up, brightening the room. "And if you're read, go ahead and stand and strip for examination, I'll just be checking for suspicious rashes, discoloration, or malformations that come with possible parasites..."

akai's heart sunk, if for just a moment. Connor was taken. Though it sounded as though him coming here really put a strain in the relationship, so maybe he still had a chance with him? He smiled weakly, still feeling a bit faint. "Oh yes, we all do, don't we?" he sighed slightly. "My father was proud that I came instead of him... I just... Didn't think he'd be able to do it, you know? He's getting on in years and... Well... Okaasan was really mad though... That's my mother. She was... Fuming when I left... But she still hugged me and kissed me goodbye... I miss her cooking...."

He perked up at the mention of a strip down. The last physical he had was with an old man, and he wasn't too happy to be naked in front of him. Connor was a different manner. He happily took his clothes off, standing naked in front of the man. "See anything you like?" he asked cheekily.

Connor smiled a little, overcoming his natural curiosity and keeping a relative hold on his more professional state. Most were embarrassed when the prospect of the physical examination came up, hesitant and almost unwilling to go through with it. Akai was obviously content and confident and it reassured Connor somewhat. "We'll see after I'm sure you don't have a parasite or two clinging for a ride." He said lightly, stepping forward in the brighter light and bringing Akai into the center of the room, lifting his arms and lightly brushing his hands down the skin. No rough patches, red, irritated skin, strange bumps or moving lumps underneath the skin. He followed a plotted track, around the neck, down the back, buttocks, legs, and feet, and around and up his front again.

His hands were sensitive. Sensitive to heat, cold, and curious bumps that may be more than just a bump. Some parasites liked it just below the skin, finding it easier to navigate and safer in their unsuspecting hosts, and when agitated, squirmed the slightest bit. He found nothing out of the usual, however---just like the rest, free of any disgusting thing that didn't belong in the body. "Looks like you're fine to me." Connor stepped aside, deliberately turning his back and remembering home. "You're finished, Akai. And if you've got any discomfort or something bothering you that seems suspicious, come to one of the medics quickly." He signed his name in looping script at the bottom of the form and slid it into the PASS-marked folder.

"You are such a tease," Akai commented, pulling his clothes back on. "Feeling me up like that and not even giving me eye contact." He winked at Connor as soon as the man looked over to him. "Maybe next time, eh?" He pulled on the remainder of his clothes and left the room. He was certain he'd see Connor soon enough, even if he had to make up an excuse or two to see him.

-

Night came far too quickly. Akai had a busy day after his physical and now he sat at a table with shorter hair than before. He was still grumpy that he had to have it shaved. He kept running his hands over his now bald head with a frown on his face. Dinner was soon over and the soldiers were commanded to go to bed. They would be up early in the morning for their daily fitness exercises and more training. Before he was drafted, he had never even held a gun in his life. Now he knew how to hold, aim and shoot military rifles and he was good at it too.

As they trudged their way towards the barracks, he hung back, trying to find Connor amongst the greens and whites of the crowd. He saw the medic and grinned, making his way towards him. "Had a good day?" he asked casually, glad that Connor wasn't around anyone else just then. "Mine was tragic. Lost my hair. Thought I'd have a chance at keeping it... Like you..." He touched Connor's long hair which was tied back. Just then another man wearing white walked up to them.

"What are you up to, soldier? Shouldn't you be going to bed?" he demanded, making Akai stand rigid.

"Sorry, sir. I was just needed a medic to look at my sore knee, sir," he made up a lie, hoping Connor would take the bait.

When he was alone, Connor felt as if the air rushed back into the room. There was something particularly interesting about Akai. Something was there---in the new soldier's personality---that he hadn't seen before. Not in anyone he had been able to speak with one-on-one. He left, shutting down the light and locking the door.

***

The day was a hot one, cloudless and bright but only somewhat uncomfortable. Connor would sometimes glance at the training grounds and shooting range and be glad that he didn't have to do any of it. He would have died not an hour in, perhaps. But it didn't stop him from meandering just outside the fenced-off area, watching the men and women going through their drills and then grimacing at the noise from the firing range.

For the time being---and hopefully for good---the medics and surgeons didn't have anything to keep them busy. Taking stock of medicine, handing heat stroke and dehydration, but otherwise, Connor had been unmolested by any troubles as the sun began to sink behind the compound's walls and darken the sky. He was going back to the tent he shared with Remmy until a familiar---if slightly more bald---figure caught his eye and he paused with a light smile, even as a superior approached with the usual curt, harsh tone of someone in charge.

Connor tilted his head a little. "Sore knee could be anything." He spoke to both of them. "Ah... Fracture from landing on it too hard, slight dislocation, inflammation---" He was waved off with a curt nod, and patted Akai's arm. "Let's see what's up with that 'sore knee'." He nodded toward the medical tents and started walking.

Akai was glad Connor took the bait and fake limped his way towards the medical tents with him. The terrain was loose in places and he had to really think about where he was placing his feet. He had seen a few scorpions around while training and hoped there wouldn't be any nearby. The last thing he wanted was to be killed by some insect. The thought of death weighed heavily on his mind a lot lately, more than he usually thought about it. He guessed it was because of his situation and he tried to push the worry to the back of his mind.

He looked up at the night sky and stopped walking, his mouth open slightly. "Look at 'em..." he whispered, marvelling at just how many stars he could see out here, away from the bright lights of the city. "So many..." He stepped forward, still staring up at the sky and tripped over something prickly. He yelped and fell to the ground, crawling away from the cactus he had walked into. "Ow... Now I really do have a sore knee..." he whimpered slightly, looking at the needles sticking from his torn pant leg. He pulled them out and winced as he stood up.

They made it to an empty tent and he went straight to the medical table, sitting on it and waiting for Connor to join him. "I just had to see you again, I couldn't help but to think about you all day... What did you inject me with?" he teased, flashing a cheeky grin at Connor.

Connor kept his eyes anywhere but on Akai's relatively convincing acting job. But it didn't fool him. There was hardly a reason for Akai's knee to be sore, especially after Connor inspected both to be sure earlier that day. He had patients that tried to fake illness, pain, or psychosis of some kind or another to get medication, and wouldn't let even these guys and girls try it. He glanced around when Akai came to a stop, looking at the sky. True, it was breathtaking. There weren't many powerful lights on yet in the compound and the dimness allowed the stars to shine through in a way that seemed impossible. He'd never been out of the city enough to see more than a few hundred at a time, and now millions assaulted his vision like salt and pepper spilled on a dark tablecloth.

He gasped and tore his eyes away when a sound of pain reached his ears, and stifled a laugh, helping Akai stand and make his way to one of the exam tents without running into anything else. "I should send in a request to get those cacti fenced off or cut down..." He muttered, closing the door while Akai truly limped to the exam table.

He smiled, approaching Akai and crossing his arms. "Don't blame me, Akai, I gave you only the standard injections and no love potions or distractions. Now get your pants off, you have some smaller spines in your skin and I need to get them out and clean the wounds, and I'd rather not cut your clothes." He fiddled with the key around his neck and unlocked the locker in the corner of the room, pulling cleaning supplies out.

"Yeah right, voodoo doctor," Akai continued to jest, wincing slightly as he pulled his pants off. The wound was a lot worse than he had intially thought. Blood trickled down his leg from where the larger needles had been pulled. He was reminded of skinning his knees as a kid, falling out of trees he had been climbing. His mother would rush to him instantly and fuss over him until he had felt better, even as a teenager and adult. "Oh, Okaasan would make such a fuss if she knew I was bleeding..." He grinned again. "Mothers. What can you do about their worrying?"

He bit his lip as Connor came over with disinfectant and tweezers. "I guess I have a reason to see you now... I should fall over cacti more frequently."

Connor felt as if a light smile were natural around Akai, even while he was actually hurt and no longer making up excuses---even if it was a rather different excuse than he was used to. "Well, mothers are supposed to worry, even if we don't always want them to. My mother always worried when I was sick... never because of a physical injury." He laughed a little. She was always fretting over him when his fever was just a little high, or if he had a light cold. Setting the tray on the exam table, he smiled a bit.

"I'd prefer you didn't." He said, moving slightly so the light hit Akai's knee right. "Cacti can be covered in disease, especially disease related to bird droppings." He pulled the smaller needles from the skin, drawing pinpricks of blood, but disregarded it until they were all sticking in a small rag. "There, so far so good..." He stood upright, dousing cotton with disinfecting alcohol and swabbing the injuries. The quiet, though, let questions bloom. "Did you... smile at me earlier this morning...?" He was sure the answer was yes. It had to be. The way Akai was acting now vouched for that.

Akai couldn't stop grinning. He was sure that he'd permanently crack his face in two because of it. "Oh, you did see me!" He winced as the alcohol soaked into his wound, but didn't complain. He was too old to whine about the disinfectant hurting more than the wound. "Yes, as soon as I saw you... I knew you'd be interesting to get to know... I mean... You're the first guy I've been attracted to here... Everyone else are meat heads, even racist... And that just isn't attractive."

He relaxed a bit and stared up at the roof, watching the shadows of Connor's fingers. "You know, I have never fired a gun... Before all of this. I hadn't even held one before. Now look at me... Trained to kill..." He made a pretend pistol out of his hand and shot the ceiling. "It's funny... When you are a kid you'd play with your GI Joes and pretend to shoot your friends... And then you actually are expected to be like... Well..." He shook his head and laughed, looking back at Connor. "I'm sorry, I guess it's just been a long day for me..." He caught Connor's hand and held it in his for a moment, staring into his blue eyes.

"You are very beautiful... Has anyone told you that?"

Connor grimaced. He was sure Akai got a hard dose of racism because of immediate judgment. Others probably thought he was of Chinese descent and some spy, or he wanted to sabotage things in some way. Connor couldn't think that, though. He wouldn't let himself. He didn't see races so much as he heard voices, saw spirits, tried to burrow down to see what they were as a human. And Akai was kind and extroverted. Talkative. Easy-going. He made Connor smile rather easily. He set the cotton aside and picked up another, watching Akai speak. His eyes seemed to sparkle when he talked, like everything he said held a kind of weight few could understand. He smiled a little, cleaning the running blood and setting the last cotton ball down.

He almost gasped when Akai grasped his hand, and nervously pursed his lips. Had anyone? His mother, but that was a given---she always called people 'beautiful' or some variation. Mason? Not Mason. He never went the way of any form of elegance. Connor shook his head, sliding his fingers away and starting to patch the small wound. Small though it was, it had to be protected. "No, never." He said rather quietly, blowing back hair that had loosened from its bond to fall into his face.

Why was Akai's attention so enthralling? It was too fast. And there was Mason...

"Never...?" Akai whispered, his eyes glistening slightly. "Your boyfriend isn't much of one if he never told you that, if you don't mind me saying." He took his hand back and waited patiently to be patched up. Once he was done he slid from the table and flexed his knees slightly. The bandage stayed on. "Good work!" He winked at Connor again. They were so close... Akai longed to reach out and grabbed the slight man, to pull him close and into an embrace.

Instead he started towards the door. "I'd love to stay but... I gotta get up in the morning. Really early. 0400 hours, the sarge said..." He yawned just thinking about it. "But I can come see you after our training... I'll make some excuse... I mean... If you want to see me again, that is..." He grinned and leant against the wall, forgetting it was made from canvas and nearly falling right through it.

Akai was right. Mason wasn't very warm, rather distant. Friendly, perhaps, but he didn't like to be close. He didn't know what to say to make someone feel better. But he was glad to see his light bandage worked out well, and grinned, and was rather sad to kow Akai had to leave, only to wake so early. He laughed a bit as Akai lost his footing and caught himself on one of the wooden frames, pulling the tie in his hair out and shaking his head a bit.

"I wouldn't say no to meeting you in the mess hall around lunch or dinner... Maybe both." He didn't mind spending time in public. There wasn't much privacy in a place like the compound, full of canvas housing and public bathing and eating, sleeping and existing. "I mean, making up too many excuses could get you shipped back home, hm?" He laughed a bit.