#goddamn-

•••

A plan builds itself quietly. It does not reveal itself until it is time. It lingers and mutters hints, both sweet and bitter until it creates what could either be classified as a monstrosity or a beautiful thing. 

For you though, your plans are loud and vulgar, crashing through at speeds nobody could comprehend, not even yourself, who had created those very plans that come out of your mouth like spitfire. 

You move the pieces around the map, the thin paper sliding on the glossy table with every move and shift that the coloured plastic makes. The shadows of others in the room are casted onto the wall, a strange, dark pantomime of everything that was happening in the room. 

You settle a legion of ships onto the side, tapping your index finger as you contemplate your next move, your right hand man already moving a piece forward. A green soldier, you acknowledge. Probably taken from some child's toy set. 

A man with dark hair moves forward, seizing a handful of plastic soldiers before placing them on a rocky terrain on the map. "We should move the soldiers forward. The land here is rocky and provides good cover-" 

"Absolutely not." You cut him off, taking a plastic soldier from his hand and moving it to the front of a charcoal drawn depiction of a mountain range instead. "That terrain is prone to avalanches and the chances of the opposition using it to their advantage to take out our men is too high to risk it."

Your fingertips press themselves to a blank space in the map, a desert plain. "There's multiple tunnels left over from a mine expedition a few years ago, so it should be safe to pass through here. The exact entrance is unknown but the villagers nearby should know. They're tight-lipped but if we bribed them with something they need, we should be able to get the information we need." 

Rokuro bows his head, apologising softly before looking at the legion of ships. "Then what will we do with the ships? The waters should be calm in this season and if we can release the ships, they will provide us with extra manpower." 

You hummed thoughtfully, rolling a ship piece between your fingers before placing them a small distance away. "Rokuro, get permission to station the ships outside the borders. When we're invading, the enemies' attention will be directed towards the main force. Meanwhile, the ships will come in and take over the ports. We'll be able to pressure them in that way because their source of income comes from their trades via the port. By doing so, we'll be able to trap the fishes that keep escaping our net."

"After a month or two, we'll be able to break in and topple their defenses."

You thought for a few moments more, rubbing your wrist. "Any questions?" At the silence that follows your words, you give a small smile, bowing politely and stepping back. "Very well then, if General Mamoru will approve of this unsightly child's plan-" 

A heavy sigh interrupts your words, your father being the source of it. He huffs quietly, a tired but faintly amused smile making its way onto his face like a small water snake. "For the last time, you are not unsightly in the slightest."

"Insufferable then." Rokuro suggests, lips quirked up into a sly smile before dropping. You don't remember him ever being this cheeky. Then again, you didn't know much about him despite being his friend since diapers.

you agree with him though, nodding to yourself as the other generals in the room chortle. "Ah yes. This insufferable-"

"No." 

You give a small sigh, dipping your head and pouring yourself a cup of tea. "Haah, well, General Mamoru? Will you entertain your poor son's ideas?" 

"I changed my mind. You really are insufferable." 

Impressively enough, you suddenly found yourself with the will to punch in the wall, despite those words being your very own. "I'll allow this plan with little modifications. Hajime, prepare the troops and get them to move to the next encampment. Ryo, inform the other armies of the plan. We have three months. I expect everyone to not waste them and prepare accordingly." 

"Yes sir!"

•••

"Good job on convincing them to go through with your plan." 

Your footsteps are quiet in the courtyard as you walk across the stones inlaid into the ground. "I gave them a plan, they took it. That's all there is to it." 

He scoffs, dragging his feet along the stones. You don't bother to turn around. He'll follow you soon anyways. "Quit being so humble. It doesn't look good on you." 

"Whatever do you mean, Rokuro? I've always been humble." You said innocently. 

Spoiler alert: you've never been humble in your whole short twenty year old life. 

He laughs, shakes his head as he mutters a sentence in his mother tongue under his breath, the pond water before him rippling as he throws a piece of bread to the lingering ducks. "Go dunk your head in some salt water and come back and try to tell me that you've always been humble."  

"Why must you deny the truth?" You crouched down, stroking the head of a nearby duck. It gave a surprised quack, tail wagging as it paddled away from you.

Rokuro only laughed. 

"Ha, even the ducks know that you're not humble at all. Any responses to that?"

"..."

"Pfft-" you promptly whacked the back of his knees, making him bend down and crash into the pond. You wipe away the water on your face with a handkerchief, dapping gently at your forehead as you watch Rokuro sputter, face bewildered before his forehead develops thin lines. 

"Frown any more and you'll become an old man in no time." You toss him the handkerchief, standing up and walking to the entrance. "I don't need an old man who wobbles on his two left feet by my side." 

"...." 

"I don't have two left feet…" 

You wave your hand dismissively, muttering an inaudible 'of course not' as you leave the scene, the quietly withdrawn eyes of Rokuro watching you as you walk away.

•••

You strike a match, bending down to light the incense at your mother's grave before blowing it out, the thin trail of smoke swirling into a dark sky that's lit only by the occasional explosions from the opposition over the mountain range and the burning bonfires of your own troop's. 

It's strangely quiet here. Like the area around you is unaffected by the happenings of war. The smokey remains of your village sits around you, a bitter memorial of those who onced lived here. Your father sits beside you, drunk on what you think might be a higher concentration of sake. 

You take an experimental sip of it, retching at the strange taste but continuing to drink from it either way. 

"Two years, six months, seventeen days and twelve hours. Minutes unknown."

The stars in the sky seem dimmer now, clouded by the smoke of gunfire. 

"That's how long you've been dead." 

You fix back the thin bouquet of flowers, red poppies that you had done your best to find on the trampled ground. They had been your mother's favourite when she was still alive. In your opinion, spider lilies were better suited for her. 

'...are you happy?" You look down at your father, taking off his helmet and resting it beside his large figure. "I think I'm going to die this year." Strange how quickly one light comment can lead to a darker one.

That's what you've always said before. That's what you said with every new year that passed. And yet you hadn't died. Not yet. 

"This old man that you married is getting married next year. Can't believe he's already got someone new. It's stupid." You keep your hands busy by reorganizing the small shrine that sits on the doorstep of your old, humble home. "She's a nice woman, sure. But... she's not you." 

You stand back, scratching your neck with fingers that have dust and dried blood under their fingernails, a wobbly smile on your face as you look away. 

"Last year of war. Wish us luck 'ma."

•••

You don't know why you're having a staring contest with a black cat in your new courtyard. 

It's strange. You don't even remember when you started with this. Actually, you don't even know where this cat slipped in from. The estate that you're staying in should be guarded from every inch by the soldiers. So how did a small cat get in? You would have to reprimand your soldiers again later…

Rokuro stands beside you, fingers twitching with what you assume is the urge to pet the cat. 

"My lord, if you would be so kind to permit me to pet the cat-" 

"...are you seriously sucking up to me because you want to pet a cat?" 

"..."

"...my my, how the great Rokuro has fallen-" 

"Oh shut up."

You laughed and looked back at the cat, crouching down to look at the rope tied messily on its neck. It looked lopsided and wrong, as if the owner of the collar planned to tie it on later. It's fur was surprisingly clean considering the fact that the army was stationed near the front lines.

It butted its head against your palm, purring loudly as it avoided Rokuro's hopeful open palm with surprising ease. You snorted, coughing into your free hand as you avoided his disappointed eyes. Was this guy seriously the feared general out on the field? The man who every soldier avoided because he was known for cutting off a man's dick and breaking two eggs in one day?? And with a blunt knife too???

Sad emo kid on that Christian's god's d̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ birthday would be a far better title for him. 

You lifted up the cat, wiggling it experimentally in the air as you ignored the small hisses it let out. "...how do I hold a cat again?" It was unusually fat now that you thought about it. 

...was it pregnant?? Actually was it a female cat-

"Pretty sure that's the right way to do it, my lord." 

"Okay then. Now, how do you check the gender of a cat?" Rokuro stilled, blinking in confusion before nodding. Strangely enough, the cat in your hands also stilled, watching you with wide blue eyes that were similar to the gem on its collar. 

"Just check the, ahem, anus." A strange cross between a yowl and a screech escaped the cat's throat as it attempted to wiggle free. You only tightened your grip on it in response. "It should be rounder for a male and a vertical slit for females."

"En." You stared at it, noting the way it seemed to be shaking its head desperately. Was it just you or was its fur damper than it was before? "Whatever, I'm going to guess that this one's a girl." 

Meow-!

"Why's that sir?" 

You poked her stomach lightly, standing up again as you cradled her lightly. 

"It's obviously pregnant."

"..."

"...."

"Sir, I can't believe you're fat shaming a cat-" 

You glared at Rokuro, raising an eyebrow at him. "Y'know what, just let me do it. I'll bear the shame of checking a cat's anus." He held out his hands, also ignoring the way the cat seemed to recoil away from beckoning hands.

"Absolutely not-" 

"C'mon just one check, it's probably a boy and just really fat-"

MEOW-

•••

with the scene where Tailgate wants to stay on the Necrobot’s planet.