Imagine that just a few hours ago, you narrowly escaped being shot at, stabbed at and blown up.
What's the first thing you'd want to do? Aside from trying not to go insane from fear or exhaustion you'd most likely want to go home and sleep. Maybe eat something, preferably warm like soup; comforting even. I am no different. Training your body to endure such hardships regularly requires an equal amount of considering what happens after the fight, not just what happens during it.
So I have my post mission ritual.
I do the kind of things you expect. I clean my gear, my knives and any other blades, I slow my brain down with the action of replacing everything as it was before I started. I can hear Tadaomi's voice in my mind 'you are only as good as your preparation'. Next, I change my clothes. I strip off the remnants of the job by discarding the bloodied coat and replace them with the simple black clothes of a government operative. Yes, that's the title by the way, calling us 'assassins' when that's a relatively outlawed profession Isn't something the government likes to do anymore. For the sake of keeping their hands clean, the government dub us 'field operatives'.
So what now, I hear you ask? That's simple. It's perhaps the most important part of my post mission down time, and the part I crave the most.
"Tadaomi, there better be snacks in your car because I am fucking starving" I announce as we walk across the parking lot at Narita International Airport, having landed half an hour ago.
"Don't curse" Tadaomi scowls, marching on ahead of me with his hands in his pockets.
"Out of all the things I've done today, cursing is the thing you have a problem with?" I snort as he unlocks a black car, and swings into the drivers seat.
"I think I want ramen" I continue when he doesn't reply "Warm, nice ramen. With bacon. Man I'm so hungry"
"You've said that already, now put on your seatbelt"
"Then do something about it please, because we're not going Mos Burger like the last three times. You're getting predictable with the places you choose" I answer as I click my seatbelt into place. He sighs like he's about to argue with me but then I hear a faint buzzing.
His earpiece is ringing.
"Karasuma" He answers and I see his brow furrow.
"Yes, sir, we've landed...Yes I was about to drop Matsuoka back and send you the details..."
There are a few beats of silence where Tadaomi does nothing but sit with his back taught and jaw clenched. Finally, he nods.
"Yes, sir. We're on our way"
"On our way?" I enquire, as Tadaomi turns to me "On our way where?"
"Headquarters"
"...You always go to the debrief, you don't need me for that, why do I have to go?" I question and something in the way Tadaomi hesitates to reply, already starting to drive, makes me wary of the answer.
"...you have a new assignment"
"Already?" I ask, even though it's useless. I'm surprised by the speed of it, since I only landed from my last job half an hour ago. Realising how little time has passed also brings my attention to the aching in my body. Tadaomi was right in his advice that adrenaline makes you forget. Because now every sensation of aching in my body is evolving into pain. It evolves into the realisation that my body is sore and my mind is tired. Too tired to talk about a new job where I get to do it all over again. It doesn't matter who you are, or how capable you are at this job, the human body needs time to recover and that's all I am. Human.
YOU ARE READING
To Kill For the Truth (BOOK 1)
Fanfiction~ "That's the problem here. You say you want the truth as if it means the same thing to you as it does to me, but there's a big difference here. I'll kill for the truth" ~ Anri Matsuoka had spent her whole life knowing what she was good at. Killing...
