One month later:
A forceful punch sent a training bag toward the far wall, its base in the room's center point. It wouldn't stay there long as an even more powerful strike detached the bag from its hinges before careening into the corner.
Raven leveled his breathing as the bag plopped to the mat, sand leaking from a sizable rip. It was the fourth bag rendered unserviceable in less than two hours. He couldn't bring himself to take a breather despite nursing various injuries. While not immobile, his left shoulder hadn't regained its full range of motion.
'I shouldn't be too surprised. Another week or two of rest will do me some good.'
Out of all the UN's New York branch agents, Raven pushed himself the furthest. No one could match his work ethic and attention to detail - except one individual. He and his immediate supervisor have only spoken briefly the past month except for mission-related material. The Zaibatsu and Russian military quickly withdrew their country's forces, returning to their bases in Japan and Russia - each mysteriously quiet since.
Raven knew better as both factions were plotting their next move after the UN foiled their attempt to collapse the U.S.'s largest city.
That's why Raven was here training. His team would depart overseas for another reconnaissance assignment to infiltrate a Spetsnaz weapons facility and its logistics warehouse containing vital intel within the next few weeks.
"There you are."
Raven didn't bother turning around as he knew his visitor would've found him sooner or later. Tatyana quietly observed her subordinate's training while leaning against the doorframe in her modified mission attire, opting not to disrupt his focus.
"You didn't answer your pager."
"Well, you found me," Raven replied, his back turned as he stretched. "Something needs my attention?"
"I'm merely checking to see how you're doing." Tatyana raised an eyebrow at the punching bags piled up in the far corner.
He flexed his arms. "Just working out discomfort from the injuries. Nothing more."
"I see. Anything you want to talk about?"
"No."
"I'm not accusing you of doing anything, so stop being an asshole."
She was met with silence, Raven's mouth forming a thin line. This brought both agents back to their discussion at her flat, which has been unmentioned since then.
Tatyana crossed her arms. "Well?"
"My apologies. I suppose I haven't been myself lately." Raven turned around and paused to choose his following words. "I thought about what you said about not dwelling on master's passing. Turned out to be more difficult than I imagined."
"Now you see why I asked you earlier what the problem was. If it makes you feel any better, I also thought about the master's final days these past few weeks," Tatyana said before touching his shoulder. "He would remind us not to worry about situations out of our control. That's not to say I don't miss him because I do. But he didn't want either of us to live with regret."
Raven's expression didn't change. "I suppose..."
Tatyana saw her agent's distress, though he had masked it well. Body language can reveal much about a person no matter how well they hide behind a façade.
"How about we meditate before a sparring session? To help clear your mind," Tatyana suggested.
Her subordinate shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't hurt."
Both sat side by side to begin their meditation. Raven focused on past exploits, mainly his rivalry with Sergei Dragunov - few with words but not combat. He was a threat that required elimination or to be detained to no longer interfere in UN affairs. Suddenly, Raven's thoughts shifted to the woman beside him, whom he saved from death. Their interactions loomed far and few between outside Headquarters, each wishing to keep private discussions separated from duty. The past few hours of training had done little to ease Raven's clouded mind. Instead, a strange emotion drove his mind up a wall, its identity eluding him.
Grunting, Raven opened his eyes to find that Tatyana had already finished and began stretching. He stood up, watching from afar as her body contorted at various angles.
"It's impolite to stare."
Raven snapped out of his trance before internally chastising himself.
"Relax, I'm merely teasing." She adopted her stance. "Ready?"
With a mute nod, Raven did likewise. The two held steady, waiting to make the first move. Each ninja relied more on patience than attacking aggressively with wasted movement or lacking a strategy. Both agents went at it, the spar turning into a full-blown fight. If he didn't know any better, Raven swore he saw a glint in his supervisor's eyes, enjoying this like they were children again.
Distracted by his internal speculation, Raven failed to block a snap kick connecting against his face, nearly knocking his glasses off. The blow left him disoriented as Tatyana pressed on the attack, her sword drawn. Quickly shaking away the cobwebs, Raven unsheathed his twin blades before deflecting a horizontal swipe, allowing him to retreat in a backward roll.
"You have more to offer than that, Raven. I haven't even broken a sweat," Tatyana challenged.
She sprinted and swung her sword in an overhead slash, which he blocked. They held their weapons at a standstill before disengaging. Raven's quickness was rendered neutral due to Master Raven possessing more agility and overall speed. He managed to land several blows to her sternum but couldn't stave off her relentless pursuit unless he teleported. Each averted the other's swipes, commencing a stunning display of swordplay. Deep down, Master Raven was pleasantly impressed at Raven's fortitude through his ailments.
After ducking under his extended fist, Tatyana planned on capitalizing... but made a crucial error.
Her extended foot didn't connect against Raven's face but hit his injured shoulder. A sickening 'pop' sounded as the blade held in that hand narrowly missed nicking Tatyana's forehead. Raven shouted in pain, his shoulder dislocated upon impact. He gripped the limb tightly before falling backward. Recovering immediately, Tatyana saw what happened and was instantly at his side. She carefully got him into a sitting position to assess the damage, cursing audibly for getting carried away.
Tatyana activated her commlink. "Tyra, it's me. Get the medics down here to the training room. Just do it!" Her attention shifted to her injured teammate. "Here, let me-"
"Pop it back in..."
She blinked. "What?"
"You heard me," Raven grunted.
Tatyana reluctantly grabbed the dangled limb, Raven tensing in noticeable discomfort. "Hold still."
She shoved the arm forward to realign the shoulder in its socket, another pained groan sounding from Raven. The pain didn't subside, almost doubling in intensity before Tyra and the medics arrived on the scene.
Medical Ward:
All stood quiet within the halls as Tatyana sat, her recklessness proving costly again. It wasn't her intention for their spar to reach that point of contention. Raven's injury wasn't severe upon initial scans. Still, proper recuperation was needed if he had any inkling of embarking on that undercover mission.
'What the hell is wrong with me?'
Unable to conjure a decent answer or her lapse in judgment, Tatyana realized her subordinate was agitated. She didn't blame him for feeling that way. Tyra later found out what happened but chose not to pursue further, seeing as it wasn't her place. Tatyana was still determining if talking to him would garner anything positive with his current mood. Raven needed to know they were on good terms despite the apparent tension.
Patient Room:
Raven lay in bed, staring absently at the ceiling with his left arm in a sling. The recovery timetable the doctors gave him ranged from a few days to a week due to a strong painkiller prescription they made.
A knock occurred at his door. "Come in."
Tatyana walked in and gently closed the door behind her, much to the ninja's mild surprise. Raven was half expecting a nurse to be here to check his vitals.
"How are you feeling?"
"Could be better."
She quietly approached his bedside before pulling up a chair. "The doctors informed me of your diagnosis. Thanks to my stupidity, you suffered a near-complete separation of your shoulder. Fortunately, it's only a dislocation. I'm sorry for-"
"You don't have to be," Raven interrupted.
Tatyana shook her head. "No, I do for compromising your health. Besides, you're still recovering, and I failed to see that forcing the issue was the wrong decision."
"Perhaps. After all, I shouldn't have agreed to the sparring match. Considering it's been a long time since we last..."
Master Raven raised an eyebrow as he trailed off, curious if Raven would finish that statement. Another silence lingered, neither wanting to speak first.
"I should go." She stood from her chair.
"Stay... please."
Those were words never uttered by Raven. Yet, they came without a stutter.
Wordlessly, Tatyana sat back down. "Can we at least talk about it? What happened wasn't normal, let alone routine."
"We were both caught off guard. There's nothing to talk about."
She crossed her arms. "Risking your life in the line of gunfire isn't nothing. I know you're not one to risk your life like that."
"Ugh!"
Master Raven slid from the impact of Nina's kick at her gut. She caught herself with a hand gripping her side as it stung with a new pain. Master Raven inhaled sharply as Dwight's voice sounded from her commlink.
"All -ield agents, r-treat! I-its—death t-rap!"
She blinked. " What!?"
A hard shoulder shoved her forward.
Pow!
Pow!
Pow!
Master Raven rushed to catch Raven before he hit the ground, a trio of bullet wounds in his chest.
"How were we supposed to know it was a trap? I didn't want anyone getting hurt."
"Quit jumping around it and say what you mean!"
"Maybe I don't want to say it!"
"Why?"
Raven paused, not knowing how to interpret his feelings toward his superior. Master Raven knew things were always more complex with him. It was beyond the usual small conversation and business of coming missions or anything Mishima related. He was sure she could sense the unrelenting tension between them.
"We can't keep ignoring this... thing between us," Master Raven stated. "It will keep coming up until something happens."
A heavy breath was released, one Raven had been holding. "Fine. I didn't want anyone hurt or dead, especially you. I understand there will be casualties during war and on missions, but it's different. That mission and our conversation afterward."
Everything began making sense.
"I haven't been able to keep my thoughts straight. You've been on my mind recently, and I..."
Master Raven slowly nodded. "It seems we both feel the same way. I didn't want to lose you, and not just as my subordinate. After I initially couldn't comprehend why you did, now I do."
"Where do we go from here? What do we even call this?"
They had reached an unfamiliar crossroads after these last few weeks. Most would've swept this under the rug, but each knew better than to leave an issue like this unresolved.
"For now," Master Raven started before standing from her chair. "This won't have a name until we figure it out. Should you want to discuss this again, my place is open."
He nodded his head. "Thanks... Tatyana."
She gave a small smile. "Don't get used to calling me that."