Phew, I just wrote the most serious piece of smut I ever dared. All for you my dearest readers ! It shall come in a few chapters. First, we have to go through this, and serious drama.

A few months passed, random meetings called by the Captain whenever he needed to clear out his thoughts and make sense of his dreams. He never pressured Gwen to use the sight, and the more she offered her visions, the less anxious she became; she was slowly getting used to the gift functioning again.

Now that the floodgates were open, she caught herself brushing away memories that her colleagues would probably never admit to. Another consequence was that she could now feel the Captain's presence. When strong emotions took hold of him, his indigo aura swirled around him.

They debated, at length, whether this was demonic energy – yōki – or not, and how it was possible for it to exist in the first place. Gwen didn't see anyone else's aura. On the bright side, she now knew he could never surprise her; her perceptions were attuned to his presence. It was an odd sensation, as if a wave caressed her skin, a soothing feeling that tingled against her sixth sense.

The moment she walked into the common room, shaking droplets out of her hair, she knew he was there, hidden amongst the other recruits about to take their shift. Lifting her eyes, she found him in his usual spot; at the very end of the table.

The Captain sat there as if he owned the world, with the confidence of those big dogs aware that know nothing can challenge them. But there was always an edge in his eyes, awareness. That kind of confidence could only come from experience, not from a man with PTSD. Her research had taught her he should be more nervous, always on the lookout, paranoid, even.

"Ohayo, Taishō," she greeted him, grabbing the teapot for their morning brew.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," he responded, a look of smug satisfaction written over his features. Gwen wondered what had put him in such a good mood, but surmised he would share should he wish to.

"Ohio whatever," Jolyne grumbled as she strode into the room, wiping mascara from her cheeks. Her hair was so drenched that the curls that usually reached her chin now fell upon her wide shoulders. Taishō raised his signature eyebrow. Even though he lived on the base, he couldn't possibly ignore that the sky had chosen to split and drench them this morning. The downpour almost covered the whistling of the boiler.

"Where's your fluffy umbrella ?" he teased.

The matronly woman whirled around, glaring daggers at her Captain.

"I think someone hid it."

"To her defence," Gwen started as she measured up the right amount of sencha tea and rinced it, "it is raining cats and dogs." By her side, Jolyne grabbed a mug, filled it with coffee and endeavoured to pour an insane amount of milk inside of it.

Lost in the preparation of her tea, Gwen didn't notice anything amiss until his overwhelming presence was right behind them. Bracing for impact, she almost jumped when he proceeded to bark playfully.

"Woof !"

Jolyne started with a yelp, nearly spilling her mug onto herself. The Captain just laughed at her ire, his eyes flashing golden in delight.

"You…", Jolyne berated. "I can't believe a grown man can be so childish."

The accusation caused the room to still; the Captain was held in such high regard that the young ones tended to forget he was also a human being. Only a few team leads had the guts to talk back to him, and it caused no shortage of attention. Jolyne's blue eyes looked at Gwen, pleading for support. The young woman just shrugged.

"I got only one thing to say."

Taishō's eyes zeroed on her as he straightened, towering over the two women with all his intimidating presence, daring her to challenge him in public.

"And that is ?" he asked.

Gwen just smirked.

"Meow."

The Captain's eyes softened imperceptibly, but not enough to break the persona. Jolyne sighed, defeated, and stomped away to sit at a nearby table. Out of the way, but not out of earshot. Gwen proceeded to fill her teapot with three quarters of boiling water, and one quarter of cold water, surprised when Taishō didn't retreat. He seemed pretty entranced by the green tea leaves.

"I've got papers for you," he eventually said as they waited for their beverage to steep.

Neat ! Trying to contain her enthusiasm – Jolyne's eyes were set upon them both – she responded neutrality.

"All right, I'll swing by to get them."

"Good," he responded, his voice warm. Then he presented his mug to her, and she poured the soothing sencha into the recipient. His body was so close that she could see his chest moving as he breathed and smell his thunderous scent. Was he making it difficult on purpose, or did he not realise how his aura wrapped around her, causing her skin to tingle ?

At last, the light green liquid reached the rim of his cup he nodded his thanks before disappearing in his office, door wide open in an invitation. Gwen released her breath, finding air difficult to find before she filled her own mug and joined her friend at the table. Jolyne sent her a speculative look, her lips slightly quirked up.

"What was that about ?"

Gwen almost panicked, her cheeks reddening as the pace of her heart increased tenfold.

"What ?"

If Jolyne mentioned how flustered she was around the Captain – knowing he WOULD hear them from his office because of his damn superior hearing – she would die. Fortunately, the unit lead went on before Gwen could dissolve in embarrassment.

"The paper stuff."

Relief flooded Gwen's veins and she deflated on her seat, finding that she didn't like one bit the amused look on the older woman's face. Fortunately, both she and the Captain had spun a pretty story to feed curious minds when they started seeing each other at the tea house.

"Nothing special," she shrugged casually, trying to look convincing. "I happened to be searching about a particular legend of Sangoku jidai. Taishō said he'd have a look because I can't research in Japanese."

Jolyne's blue eyes widened slightly, and she chased a damp curl away from her forehead.

"Sangoku… like in dragon ball Z ?"

The statement caught Gwen off guard and she laughed. The disgruntled look upon Jolyne's face caused her to sober up.

"Feudal era. Think fifteen hundred, the times of Daimyos and Shōgun."

"Can't you talk normally ?"

Eyes wide, the young woman realised that her current area of interest was so foreign that most people were bound to react thus. Who knew of the history of Japan ? Of the way they wrote, and how they were organised before the Meiji restoration ? This was the fuel of historians and nihongo lovers…

"16th century, Japan," she concluded.

Jolyne's eyes flashed with understanding.

"Ah, samurai stuff then ? I get it… Actually, no, I don't. I'm a modern woman, and don't understand how you still live so much in the past. But I get what it was about. So I bet you'd better get your papers before Erik drills you into oblivion for being late."

The open door beckoned for her, and Gwen grabbed her cup of tea to penetrate in the den of the beast, anticipation flooding her veins. Papers meant more of the story, perhaps the end of it. She didn't need Taishō's order to close the door, pushing the light piece of wood that created an illusion of privacy in the early morning.

The Captain was sitting at his desk, a stack of papers pushed her way.

"There it is, to the very end."

Something flashed in his eyes, some deep pain that immediately gave way to satisfaction. As she grabbed the heavy stack, Gwen's fingers slightly trembled.

"You… remembered everything ?" she asked.

Including how you died ?

His gaze didn't weaver.

"I did."

His steely tone told her she would have a hard time reading it. But at the same time, she cursed the numbers of hours that separated her from the moment she would land on her couch and devour the text.

"Tell me when you're done."

Dismissed.

Gwen nodded, floating out of his office with her head a million miles away. This evening, she would read about the death of a person close to her heart. The death of a legend, twice married, lord of the western land who left a teenage son behind him.

And when she discovered, late in the night, that Taishō had died to save his second son - a newborn - from the very fire that engulfed him whole, she cried a river.