Shokudaikiri Mitsutada
燭台切 光忠
Requested by The_Insane_Reader!
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He couldn't stop himself from pacing up and down along the corridor.
As he received news of the sage being attacked at the shop, he could feel a rock sinking deep in his heart. The sage was then hurriedly rushed to her room, allowing only medical personnel from the Government to enter.
It has been almost a day since she was unconscious.
As he entered her room, he then sat down and watched over her, praying hard that she would be fine and well from the ordeal. His prayers seemed to work, as the sage fluttered her eyes open while whining in the pain she felt on her head.
"Aruji! Are you alright!"
"I-I am fine... If I would like to ask, who are you?" She replied while still surprised at his sudden question.
He could feel the world breaking into tiny pieces of glass shards at that fleeting moment.
~~
"General's amnesiac. She can't even remember how to forge or repair. It's just like how she was when she first came to the citadel..." Yagen told Mitsutada as he left her room after a thorough examination, still worried about her condition.
"How long will it last?"
"This... I don't know. It may last for a day, a week, a month or even a year... No one knows when it'll disappear." The tantou said while looking down on the ground, angry that he could not do anything to heal her back. The eyepatch then gave a small sigh and walked off, trying to spend some time alone.
If he had accompanied her to the shop, nothing of these would have happened.
~~
Once she woke up, the eyepatch was sitting while facing her.
"Good morning, Aruji." He greeted her with a smile, trying his best to help her regain her memories back.
"Good morning...Erm.."
"I am Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. Just call me 'Mitsutada', Aruji. Today's breakfast is one of your favourites!" He told her his name while passing her a tray of food. It consisted of a silver of grilled fish, fresh greens and a bowl of rice and soup. The sage was surprised at his skills, and tried to remember the taste as she took a bite.
"It's delicious..! Thank you, Mitsutada!"
"It's nothing, Aruji."
Sending mouthfuls of rice mixed with soup into her mouth, she then made a surprising request.
"Mitsutada, can you teach me everything in this citadel? It looks like I've forgotten everything after the incident."
"But Aruji, you're not fully recovered yet..."
"It's fine. I just want to help everyone, just like how I did previously." She said with a smile, reminding the eyepatch with her strong attitude.
"I understand. I shall meet you here again after an hour."
"Thank you, Mitsutada."
Leaving her room, he tried to put his thoughts aside and focused on today's tasks instead.
~~
He could vividly remember the time when she did her first forge. She was clumsy; dropping the charcoal while carrying it to the firepit. It took her quite a long time to familiarise herself the daily tasks that she needed to accomplish. Often, Mitsutada had to remind her sometimes because she was tired out from repairs and sorties.
And it was still the same.
As he watched her carrying the steel to the fire pit, pieces of it dropped behind her. He was amused by her antics, but soon to his usual expression without her noticing it.
"Aruji, don't drop those while you carry them. They are precious resources."
"Y-Yes!"
Starting the forge, the timer showed a '0.40'.
"It's a wakizashi. I hope it'll be Urashima this time.."
"Urashima..?"
"Ah, his name is Urashima Kotetsu. Back then Aruji was so obsessed in him, all the resources were depleted quickly. You got told off by Ishikirimaru afterward." He said while he giggled, causing her to blush at her own antics.
A sudden pain took over her head. Collapsing to the ground, she remembered the time when Mitsutada was helping her finish all the paperwork while she had her dinner before taking over from him.
"Aruji!" The figure caught her in time and looked at her pained expression frantically. The pain soon subsided and turned into a fainting spell, but not enough to make her collapse immediately.
"Mitsutada... I remembered that time you were finishing the annual report for me while I had dinner before continuing to work till 3am... Both you and I got sick the next day... Haha.."
He was surprised but soon formed a smile on his face.
"I am glad that you remember something, Aruji. It's time for you to rest." With that he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to her room, preparing a new set of clothes for her after putting her down on the futon.
"Call me if you need help in anything, Aruji. Don't stress yourself too much from the lack of memory. Take it easy."
As he was about to leave, he could feel a gentle tug on his blazer.
"Can you... accompany me?"
~~
Days soon went by and she was able to remember almost everything by now, except for one cherished memory that she had with Mitsutada.
"Mitsu-bou, she still doesn't remember that?"
"..."
He looked up towards the sky, replaying that memory that she shared with him.
It was the day when he confessed his feelings for her. While thinking about it, he could almost imagine the actual scene repeating in front of him all over again. He could remember her blushing furiously while giving him her first kiss nervously, earning a suppressed laugh from him after breaking contact.
"I don't mind her forgetting that day as long as she is safe and sound. After all, I can do it better again this time." He said while smiling, planning all over again for that memorable day.