His Rival

An Unlikely Connection

Hello everyone!

This chapter is more of a normal length (26.6 pages/ 9,721 words), so still be sure to take breaks as needed.

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

My head throbbed as I sunk into the mattress, thoughts a jumbled blur as a soft knock on my door echoed through the room.

"Cadet?" I perked up at that unmistakable voice, wincing as I trudged out of the covers. After wiping my tears on my sleeve, I slid open the door, mustering all remaining willpower to meet my team leader's rounded gaze.

"Shiro, you don't have to worry about me. Really, I'm fine." Although it brought up horrid memories that scalded my throat like poison, that incident at the dinner table was nothing compared to what I've dealt with before. But Shiro's expression only tensed further, forehead creasing as his voice nearly dropped to a whisper.

"You don't have to be fine. Listen, you don't have to answer this and I won't tell the team if you do, but I at least have to ask. James, has someone hurt you?" My composure crumpled just at the sound of those words, heart heavy as I beckoned him inside and closed the door.

"Is it that obvious?" Shiro sighed deeply as he perched himself on the side of my bed.

"Well, after being Zarkon's prisoner for years on end, it's not hard to see. Like you, I always used to be so outgoing at the Garrison, their perfect pilot and role model. But when I had to fight for my life in that gladiator arena, watching victim after victim die in the most gruesome of ways, I turned into a completely different person.

I became Haggar's killing machine, all for their twisted amusement." My mouth went agape at the tremors that slipped into his voice, the unusually harsh angles of his brows. When was the last time I ever saw him this worked up about something?

"I was nothing but a test subject for her experiments; I wasn't even put under any sort of anesthetic when she ripped my arm apart and shoved a new one in its place. The sheer pain I experienced during that operation was worse than anything I've experienced in my entire life, I couldn't imagine how I'd react if I was drug into a hospital room."

I grit my teeth just at the thought of the torture that had drug him through, the pain echoing deep within my bones. As horrendous as my past abuse was, I couldn't even imagine what it must've been like to endure such experimentations.

"Shiro, I had no idea. You should've never had to go through all of that, it sounds terrible." Shiro merely shook his head at my hushed tone.

"Thank you, but I'm not looking for pity. I just want you to know that I understand why you've been distant from the team." Right, he was a survivor just like me. Shiro was one of the most revered fighter pilots to come out of the galaxy Garrison, a legendary record breaker whose exploits were larger than life. And yet under all of that, Shiro was still human. His life was far from the perfect picture it seemed, my brows furrowing as I pondered that sharp contrast.

"How do you do it? How do you manage to smile and lead the team like you do after all of this?" Shiro answered with a faint grin, gesturing for me to sit beside him.

"Because you paladin's give me hope. You're the next generation, and you all have such bright futures ahead. It brings me back to my days as an instructor at the Garrison, to the point that I sometimes forget that Haggar gave me this scar on my face. Of course, I can never escape it in my nightmares, but I know I'm in a better place now." His eyes locked with mine, sparks of warmth kindling in my chest as he continued.