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He was being watched.
The Doctor walked through the halls of Rhodes Island, making his usual rounds within the base to make sure everything was running smoothly. This wasn’t necessarily part of his job, but between sitting in his office all day and running operations that took a heavy toll on his mental state, getting out and walking around was a nice way to calm down.
Or at least, it should’ve been.
Someone was following him. He knew who it was, and why she was tailing him, but it didn’t stop the chills he was getting from her unseen presence. He looked up at the ceiling tiles. “ShiraYuki.”
The Doctor heard the quiet sound of someone landing on the floor behind him and turned around. ShiraYuki, the Anaty from Lungmen, stood before him, staring into the mask he was wearing with those cold silver-blue eyes. “Speak your orders.”
“...Right. Listen, I know you’re new to this job. That’s fine. But you don’t need to crawl through that ceiling to protect me.” The Doctor reached to brush some dust off of ShiraYuki’s shoulder, but she shifted in order to avoid his hand. “Look at Plume and Gravel. When they’re on their shifts, they simply stay close to me. Too close in Gravel’s case, but still. They aren’t hiding, you know?”
ShiraYuki simply shook her head. “I protect best from the shadows.”
The Doctor sighed. He still wasn’t completely familiar with Lungmen’s culture, much less Higashi where ShiraYuki was originally from, so he found it difficult to tell her how she should go about protecting him. “Fine. If that’s the way you want to do it, I won’t stop you. As long as it isn’t too troublesome for you.”
ShiraYuki bowed wordlessly before leaping straight up into the ceiling again, replacing the missing tile afterward. The Doctor shook his head. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get used to her. Despite being a “gift of goodwill” from Wei Yenwu—or rather, his wife Fumizuki—to the Doctor, he and some of the others at Rhodes Island had some trouble adjusting to her presence. For one, the Doctor already had several capable bodyguards; another wasn’t truly a necessity. In addition, despite the cooperative agreement Rhodes Island had with Lungmen, it was hard to consider Wei Yenwu completely trustworthy. Thus, the presence of one of his own working at the base as a bodyguard didn’t quite sit well with some people; namely, Kal’tsit and S.W.E.E.P., the team dedicated to removing threats within Rhodes Island.
As the Doctor continued down the hall, he found himself wondering once again what ShiraYuki’s true purpose at Rhodes Island was.
Over the next few weeks, the Doctor didn’t have many chances to speak with ShiraYuki. She often stayed nearby, yet out of sight, and her characteristic brevity with words didn’t leave much room for conversation even when she did show herself. It wasn’t until nearly a month into her stay at Rhodes Island that the Doctor had another chance to speak with her.
Rhodes Island’s leading strategist was sitting in his office, enjoying an unhealthy lunch of fast food. He was in the middle of reviewing the contract Rhodes Island had with Blacksteel Worldwide when he heard a peculiar noise. He looked around, trying to stay as quiet as possible. A rumbling, growling noise was coming from somewhere in the office, but he couldn’t place it. The Doctor stood up, dropping his fries back on his plate and began searching around in the office to find the source of the noise. The third time he heard it, he was able to pinpoint the direction it was coming from.
He looked up at the ceiling in confusion. “ShiraYuki, is that noise you?”
“...No.”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow as the growling noise was heard again. “ShiraYuki, come down please.”
After a quiet pause, the ceiling tiled was moved and ShiraYuki dropped into the office. Her stomach growled loudly as she stood up straight, and the Doctor could tell she was trying to ignore it, even though her mask hid her expression. “S-Speak your orders.”
The Doctor smiled and sat down in his chair, gesturing to the other seat across the desk. “Sit down and have lunch with me. There’s more than enough for both of us.”
ShiraYuki looked at the burgers and fries for a moment, then shook her head. “I cannot.”
“You’re clearly hungry.”
“I cannot eat with you, employer.”
The Doctor looked at the food. “I know it’s a little unhealthy, but the alternative is whatever Hibiscus wants to force-feed me, and I’d rather have a heart attack than choke that stuff down. A little should be fine, right?”
ShiraYuki shook her head again. “The food is not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“My face. I cannot eat in front of you.”
The Doctor’s gaze shifted momentarily from ShiraYuki’s eyes to her mask. “That’s it? You just don’t want to show me your face?”
ShiraYuki nodded solemnly. “Only Princess Fumizuki may see it.”
“Even though she put you under our jurisdiction?”
“Princess Fumizuki is my master. You are my employer.”
The Doctor resisted the urge to wince. The cold tone in her voice said far more than her words ever could. He cleared his throat and wrapped one of the burgers back up in its foil. “Well, you still need to eat.” He held the burger out to ShiraYuki with a smile. “Take it back up in the ceiling if you want, but I don’t want to be protected by any hungry bodyguards.”
ShiraYuki stared at the burger before slowing taking it from his hand. “Thank you.”
“Your work ethic is quite commendable,” spoke the Doctor, “but I don’t want you to make yourself unnecessarily uncomfortable on my account. If you’re hungry in the future, please let me know.”
ShiraYuki nodded quietly before leaping back into the ceiling. The Doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair. Another rather awkward conversation, but he could tell she had a good heart. Probably. She just needed to warm up to him a little more. He popped a fry into his mouth and returned to work.
Several days later, the Doctor was sitting in his personal quarters, trying to relax by reading a book. The day’s operations had been rather stressful, and he was feeling at his wit’s end. He was just beginning to relax in his chair when his door opened and Kal’tsit walked in.
“Doctor. We need to talk.”
“I need you to knock first.” The Doctor put his book down with a frown. “At least then I can tell you to go away before you come in.”
Kal’tsit ignored him, sitting on the bed. “We need to talk about the weasel from Lungmen.”
“She’s not a weasel, don’t be rude.”
Kal’tsit raised an eyebrow. “Then what is she?”
“An ermine.” The Doctor replied as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
Kal’tsit rolled her eyes. “Same thing.”
“There’s a difference. You meant something specific when you called her a weasel.”
“That’s right,” Kal’tsit replied angrily, “because you agreed to let her come in here as an agent of Lungmen and grant her special access to the proximity of your person.”
The Doctor sighed. “We’ve been over this before. As much as you may have disagreed with it, there was no way I was going to decline a gift in good faith from Yenwu and his wife. She’s been here for weeks now with no problems.”
“None that we know of yet.”
“Didn’t you say there was no reason for her to be here as a spy? Those were your words in her file, right?”
Kal’tsit groaned, putting her face in her hands. “Yes, I know what I said. I’m the one who wrote it. But she doesn’t have to be here as a spy to be harmful.”
The Doctor tried to hold back a grin. “What exactly do you think she’s planning then?”
“She could be biding her time.”
“For?”
“...Assassination.”
The Doctor coughed out a laugh in surprise. “You can’t be serious.”
Kal’tsit stood up, glaring at the Doctor. “The only reason you can laugh at that possibility is because you can’t remember what happened to our previous leader.”
She had a point. “...Yeah. I’m sorry.” The Doctor cleared his throat and stood up. “But I seriously do not feel that ShiraYuki poses a threat to me. She’s not here to hurt me.”
“Then why is she here?” Kal’tsit put a hand on her hip, knowing she’d never receive a satisfying answer.
The Doctor didn’t have much of a response. “I...I don’t know. Yet. She hasn’t told me.”
“Exactly. Not that she couldn't just lie if she needed to.”
“But,” the Doctor continued, “I don’t think she’s dangerous. You and S.W.E.E.P. can continue to monitor her, closely, but until you find some evidence that she’s got ulterior motives, I’m going to continue as things are. She’s a good bodyguard. I know you’ve got Red watching her whenever she’s on duty. I’ll be fine.”
Kal’tsit sighed. “Fine. I’ll keep watching her. Just let me know if anything suspicious about her catches your eye.”
The Doctor nodded and Kal’tsit left the room as quickly and abruptly as she’d entered it.
“She always gives me a headache.” Rubbing at his temple, the Doctor looked up at the ceiling. “You can come out, I know you’re up there.”
The ceiling tile moved, and ShiraYuki slowly lowered herself down into the room. She looked up at Doctor, but her eyes weren’t as focused as usual. He couldn't say why, though.
“I’m guessing you heard that.”
“I’m not here to spy.” The Doctor could’ve sworn he heard a touch of frustration in her voice.
“I figured as much.” The Doctor sat back down in his armchair. “But unless you tell me why you’re actually here, it’s not like I can come up with much of an argument.”
ShiraYuki didn’t respond.
“I don’t think you’re here to kill me.”
“Master Wei holds you in high regard, employer. If he wanted you dead, Silver Wind would’ve taken your head long ago.”
“...Right.” The Doctor glanced momentarily at the large shuriken the Anaty always seemed to carry with her. “Then is it something non-political?”
ShiraYuki looked down. “I cannot say right now. Please understand.”
The Doctor sighed. “I thought as much. I won’t force you, just be careful not to do anything that will set off any flags. Red and Scavenger are both watching you constantly, and Kal’tsit is far too suspicious of you to let any slip-ups on your end pass.”
“Yes sir.”
“You’re dismissed. Or I guess you can go back up into the ceiling if you want. I still need some time to relax.”
ShiraYuki nodded and looked towards the hole in the ceiling, then stopped. “Sir?”
“Hm?”
The ermine hesitated before continuing. “You have no recollection of this place. Why do you work so hard for it?”
The Doctor raised his eyebrows. “That’s a good question.” He smiled as he leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. “This is a pretty dangerous job, and it’s full of unpleasantness a lot of the time. Even working puts a pretty bad strain on my mental state.”
ShiraYuki stared into his eyes intently, waiting for him to continue.
The Doctor had to resist the urge to abandon his train of thought and admire her silver-blue eyes. “At first it was for Amiya. She had so much faith in me even when I had just woken up in Chernobog. Ace and the rest of the Elites did too. But over the past few months, I’ve realized I’m working and fighting for Rhodes Island because I believe in its cause. To rid the world of Oripathy sounds like a dream, but we have so many people willing to fight for it that I can’t help but believe in it.” The Doctor scratched his head in embarrassment. “I suppose it’s a bit of a silly reason, but I believe in Rhodes Island with all my heart. That’s why I want to do my part.”
ShiraYuki was quiet as she thought about his words. Finally, she nodded. “You’re right,” she said as she jumped back into the hole in the ceiling. “It is silly.” The tile was replaced, and ShiraYuki was gone.
The Doctor gazed up at the tile long after it had been returned to its proper position. ‘I still can’t understand her,’ he thought to himself. He picked his book up and began to read again, but his mind was no longer on the pages. ‘If she’s not here for political reasons, it has to be something else. Something personal? Maybe there’s something going on in Lungmen with Wei and Fumizuki that we don’t know about. Or maybe she's been lying and she really is spying.’ His mind reeled with several possibilities, but nothing stuck.
He sighed once more, looking up at the ceiling tile again.
Just what is your purpose here, ShiraYuki?
Following the conversation in his room, the Doctor noticed some significant changes in ShiraYuki’s behavior towards him. She still spoke with extreme brevity at almost all times, and she was constantly jumping in and out of the ceiling, but she seemed a little different. Softer. Her eyes weren’t as cold, but they did seem to be on him more often. She was observing him, and she wasn’t trying to hide it. Peeking out of the ceiling, gazing from across the conference room, at any given moment he could feel her eyes on him. He wasn’t sure actually why she was acting this way, but he decided to take advantage of her increased interest.
One day, the Doctor was sitting in his office, waiting for two separate arrivals. ShiraYuki would be arriving for her shift soon, but before that, he was expecting a delivery. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. “Come in.”
The door opened and Matterhorn entered, his large frame barely fitting into the doorway. “Doctor?” He held out two large Styrofoam food containers. “Brought you what you asked for.”
“Ah, great.” The Doctor rushed over to Matterhorn, taking the containers and placing them on his desk. “Thanks Matter, I hope this wasn’t too much trouble.”
“None at all.” Matterhorn gave a kind smile. “Learning the recipe along with Vulcan was pretty enjoyable. If you have any other exotic dishes you’d like to try, please let us know. I just hope we did the meal justice.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great; you haven’t disappointed with your cooking yet.”
“Just let me know what you think; I’m curious to know how Miss ShiraYuki enjoys it as well.”
The Doctor nodded. “Will do.”
Matterhorn left with a wave, closing the door behind him.
Sitting back down in his chair, the Doctor found himself anxiously looking between the Styrofoam containers and a folded blanket he had placed on his desk. It was getting close to lunchtime, and he knew ShiraYuki had a habit of coming in to work without eating on Wednesdays, so he hoped today would be no different.
Before long, ShiraYuki entered and promptly bowed as usual. “Employer.”
“ShiraYuki.” The Doctor smiled and nodded in greeting. “I assume you haven’t eaten.”
“I have not. No burger today, please.”
The Doctor stood up, walking over to stand in front of the ermine. “No burgers for either of us today. I have a special treat for you.” He placed his hand on the containers Matterhorn had dropped off. “We’ll be eating what’s in here.”
ShiraYuki’s face remained passive, but her right ear twitched in curiosity as the Doctor handed her one of the containers. Opening it, her eyes widened in genuine surprise. “.....Sushi.”
“That’s right!” The Doctor couldn’t help but grin as he saw the most expressive face she’d ever displayed in his presence. “I heard you enjoy sushi, so I asked Matterhorn to make some as a surprise. What do you think?”
ShiraYuki couldn’t look away from the meal. “Did you order salmon nigiri on purpose?”
The Doctor nodded. “I was told that was your favorite.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “And I’d like to eat it with you.”
ShiraYuki finally looked up at him. “I cann—”
“I know, I know. Your face. But I do have a solution.” The Doctor grabbed the folded blanket off of the desk and spread it across the floor before them. “We’re going to eat on this.”
“...I don’t understand.”
The Doctor grabbed his container of sushi and sat cross-legged on the blanket, with his back towards the middle of it. “If you sit down here and put your back against mine, we can eat together and you won’t have to worry about showing your face. Just lock the door so no one else can come in and see it.”
ShiraYuki was silent for a moment before nodding. After making sure the door was locked, she sat down on the blanket, leaning against the Doctor’s back.
Alright, just stay relaxed. Stay comfortable, the Doctor had to reassure himself. This was more physical contact with ShiraYuki than he’d ever had before, and he didn’t want to freak her out. He heard a soft sliding of fabric on skin and realized that she’d removed her mask. He resisted the urge to turn around.
“Itadakimasu.” ShiraYuki mumbled some word that the Doctor didn’t quite understand the meaning of, then the sounds of quiet eating began. The Doctor grabbed the chopsticks Matterhorn had included in the container and began to eat as well.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes before the ninja spoke. “It’s good.”
Surprised by her sudden remark, the Doctor raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad you like it. Matterhorn’s a great chef.”
“It reminds me of Higashi.”
The Doctor wasn’t quite sure how to respond. After a bit of thought, he spoke: “Do you miss the Far East?”
“I do. But my home has always been with Princess Fumizuki.”
“That makes sense.” The Doctor nodded, stuffing another bit of the sushi into his mouth. It really was tasty. “How long have you been with the princess?”
ShiraYuki was quiet for several moments before responding. “The Princess and I have been in Lungmen for fifteen years. I had already been serving her for several years before then.”
“Wait, how old are you?”
“Secret.”
He should’ve seen that one coming. The Doctor smiled at the quick response and continued eating. He considered where to take the conversation next when ShiraYuki spoke up.
“Princess Fumizuki is very important to me.”
Surprised by the short, heartfelt statement, the Doctor responded honestly. “I can tell. You’re very devoted, and judging from her words, you’re important to her too.”
The Doctor felt her stiffen against his back. “Her words? You spoke to her?”
“How do you think I found out about your food preferences?” He smiled and took another bite of the sushi. “I sent a message to the princess asking what you might like to eat, and she responded with quite a list.”
“...I see.” ShiraYuki’s voice was hard to decipher. “Did she say anything about herself?”
“No, she mostly just wanted to know how you were doing. Why, is there something you want me to ask her?”
“No.” ShiraYuki answered abruptly, resuming her meal.
The rest of the lunch was eaten in a rather comfortable silence. The Doctor had just finished his nigiri when he felt the pressure leave his back and a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see ShiraYuki gazing into his eyes, mask back in place. He was a little disappointed not to see her face, but before he could say anything she spoke up.
“Thank you for the meal, Doctor. And for your care. They’re appreciated.”
“Uh...you’re welcome.”
Bowing deeply, the ermine removed the ceiling tile above her and leaped up, hiding herself as usual.
After taking a moment to recover from ShiraYuki’s surprising expression of thanks, the Doctor stood up and began cleaning up the remains of their lunch. At the very least, that went better than expected. We got to talk a bit and...wait, did she call me “Doctor”?
As time went on, the Doctor was able to enjoy several Far Eastern lunches with ShiraYuki, thanks to Matterhorn and Vulcan. Although she never let him see her face, the time spent together was enjoyable anyway. The Doctor came to learn about ShiraYuki’s hobbies and past, and she was able to learn more about him as well, in addition to hearing the many stories he had of his interactions with the other operators.
Eventually, things began to change for ShiraYuki as well. The longer she remained at Rhodes Island and the more time she spent with the Doctor, the less others saw her as a potential security threat. Even Kal’tsit and her team, who still remained somewhat suspicious, no longer treated ShiraYuki with outright hostility. Things were going well, and the Doctor could only wonder how things would progress from here.
Unfortunately, it was tragedy that would ultimately decide their paths.
Winter had come to Rhodes Island, and with it the much colder temperatures of the season. The base was more active than usual on this particular evening, as it had begun to snow outside, prompting the operators to seek entertainment within Rhodes. The Doctor, rather tired from the day’s work, had just entered his personal room after barely escaping a rather enthusiastic party invitation from Exusiai. Sighing in relief as he closed the door behind him, he turned on the light. Immediately he noticed a peculiar scroll on his bed. He eyed the parchment suspiciously before picking it up and unrolling it.
Several beautiful characters were painted across the page; it was a calligraphic work of art. He found himself admiring the sweeping, bold strokes, but couldn’t help but wonder what the letter itself said. After some consideration, he left to find someone whom he thought might be able to help.
After much searching around, he found Matoimaru in the gym, sparring with Hoshiguma. He was finally able to catch her eye during a break and waved her over.
“Wow, this is really something.” Matoimaru said upon seeing the scroll. “Ya know, I tried calligraphy at one point. Long time ago, to help refine myself a bit. Couldn’t really get the strokes right and kept breaking the brushes, so I tried working with flowers instead. But this is real good. Really talented stuff.”
“Can you read it?” The Doctor inquired.
“Sure can. For all its beauty it’s a pretty simple message. ‘Please come to the deck when you see this.’” Matoimaru rolled the scroll back up and handed it to the Doctor. “Looks like someone wants to see ya.”
The Doctor had an idea of who it was. “Thanks Matoimaru. Best of luck with your sparring!” With a wave, the Doctor was off.
The ping of the elevator alerted him to his arrival on the deck of Rhodes Island. As the doors opened, he immediately spotted the person he was expecting.
ShiraYuki stood against the deck rail in the falling snow, looking out over the landscape. Her figure seemed incredibly peaceful from the back, so much so that the Doctor hesitated to even approach her. “ShiraYuki.”
ShiraYuki didn’t move, but her voice could be heard in the quiet snowfall. “Doctor. I received news today.”
Something was wrong. The Doctor slowly stepped towards ShiraYuki, unsure of why he was being so cautious. “News from Lungmen?”
“Yes.” ShiraYuki’s voice wavered as she spoke. “It’s about my reason for being here.”
The Doctor tensed up. This was it. “Alright.”
Still facing away from him, ShiraYuki continued. “I have served Princess Fumizuki for many years. I was to serve her for the rest of my life.”
The Doctor’s brow creased in confusion. ‘Was?' He thought to himself.
“Do you know of the Princess’s talents, Doctor?”
“Um...” The Doctor thought for a moment. “I know she’s very gifted in the use of Arts.”
ShiraYuki nodded. “She always had been. But she became much more gifted when she developed Oripathy.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened. This was news to him. “Princess Fumizuki is infected?”
“Yes. For several years now. She had been receiving treatments, but they were not entirely effective.”
“I don’t get it.” The Doctor tried his best to understand what she was saying, but he didn’t like where this was going. “If she was infected, why didn’t she come here for treatment?”
ShiraYuki sighed. “Master Wei wanted her to. But Princess Fumizuki was concerned that her staying as a patient here may tie him politically to Rhodes Island in ways that would be detrimental to his strength of position. Being temporarily allied is one thing, having his wife under your care would be another. She didn’t want Master Wei to be placed in the position Mister SilverAsh is in.”
“...I see.”
“Princess Fumizuki was also a strong believer in the transience of life. Even before she contracted Oripathy, she respected the temporary nature of her existence.” ShiraYuki’s grip on the deck rail tightened. “I still don’t understand it.”
The Doctor continued to approach ShiraYuki until he was standing right behind her. “So she never received effective treatment.”
The ninja nodded.
“I see.” The Doctor scratched his chin in thought. “But...I’m having trouble understanding what that has to do with you being here.”
“The last time I spoke to Princess Fumizuki, she told me she would not live much longer. She gave me the option to return to the Far East once she passed, or to continue serving the Yenwu household as one of Master Wei’s bodyguards. Or...I could come here.”
The Doctor tilted his head in confusion. “Why here?”
“The princess said that she felt my talents would be best utilized helping Rhodes Island. And after meeting you, she felt that you would be a worthy master for me.”
The Doctor had no response.
“I was prepared to die with Princess Fumizuki. I would serve no other. But she asked me to give you a chance. And so I did. Your work for Rhodes Island was very passionate, Doctor. You had no idea who you were, or even what Rhodes Island really was, yet you strove to fight on behalf of these people.” ShiraYuki paused for a moment before continuing. “Princess Fumizuki told me once that blind loyalty was nigh-impossible to find. But there you were. And—” Her voice broke for a moment. “And I liked it.”
“ShiraYuki...”
“Whatever your past was, Doctor, you’re a caring man who puts his whole heart into something, no matter what it might be. Even making sure the ‘Lungmen weasel’ felt welcome here.”
The Doctor remained quiet. He couldn’t find any words.
ShiraYuki sniffed. “I had decided recently that Princess Fumizuki was correct, and that having you as my new master would be acceptable. But I can’t find it in my heart to declare it right now.” She finally turned to face the Doctor. Her mask covered every part of her face except her teary eyes. “I received word from Lungmen today. Princess Fumizuki is gone.”
“...I’m so sorry, ShiraYuki.” The Doctor was shaken to hear of the princess’s passing, but he struggled even more to accept the pain in ShiraYuki’s eyes. For the first time in all the months they’d spent together, she was truly and completely vulnerable, and he hated to see it.
ShiraYuki hung her head, her voice barely above a whisper. “I'm sorry, Doctor. My heart is too heavy to devote myself to you, Doctor. My master...my best friend is dead.”
The Doctor stood in silence, unsure of how to respond. Finally, he gently wrapped his arms around the ermine, pulling her into his chest. She stiffened up at first, then he felt the shaking of her body as she quietly sobbed in his embrace.
An hour later, the two of them were standing side-by-side on the deck, watching the snow fall. ShiraYuki was no longer crying, but she was still visibly depressed and her eyes were red. They stood without words until ShiraYuki quietly spoke up.
“I am glad you came up here.”
The Doctor simply nodded. “I’ll always be here if you need me.”
“I know.” ShiraYuki backed away from the railing, turning towards the elevator doors. “I apologize for taking so much of your time tonight. I’ll return to my room now.”
“ShiraYuki.” The Doctor turned to look at her. “Take a few days off, please. Return to Lungmen if you’d like, take some time to grieve. Please.”
ShiraYuki didn’t turn around, but she nodded. “...As you wish. When I return as your bodyguard, I will be ready to name my new master.” She hesitated. “And...Doctor?”
“Yeah?”
As she turned to face the Doctor once more, ShiraYuki hooked a finger in her mask, pulling it down. The Doctor couldn’t help but stare as she stood against the gentle snowfall. Her gorgeous silver-blue eyes warmly stared back at him as she gave a small, beautiful smile.
“Thank you.”