"I can't keep calling you, you forever, you know." His protector, his savior, the one who helped him through this entirely new life explained and he stared at them in confusion. "Then....do...you not want me around anymore?" The other immediately denied it. Ensuring him that he was wanted around, that he would be helpful for their cause. He nodded, inwardly relieved that he was still needed.
"You need a name." The other explained and he tilted his head, immediately recalling the other asking what his name was when he first woke up.
"Do you have anything you want to be named?" A slow shake of his head. "Can...can you name me?" A gentle smile, and he could feel the pride coming off of the other.
"How about...Tatsuo? Hajime Tatsuo?"
"Ta...tsu...o? Tatsuo. Hajime...Tatsuo." He tested his new name on his tongue, almost surprised on how easily it slid off of his tongue, just like...he was meant for that name. or was it that name was meant for him?
"You like it?" Tatsuo nods with a small smile. He has a name, he.... he had an identity again.
"Well, Hajime Tatsuo. Let me be the first to welcome you, to the Shinsengumi."
A dip of his head, bowing his spine as he was supposed to. "Thank you, I will serve until my last breath." This was his home now, this is who he is now. He was no longer....no longer.... A scrunch of his eyebrows and he shook his head. Who he was before was no concern. He is who he is now, He is, Hajime Tatsuo.
He slowly came to, his head pounding and a soft groan slipping past his lips. "It seems like you've woken up." A soft voice next to him greeted and he turned to look at them. a stranger, some...sort of uniform? who....who was this person? "Can you sit up?" He started to push himself up, a cry of pain escaped his parted lips as he struggled to sit up. Where was he, what happened. His mind...too jumbled to make sense of anything. He felt someone slowly help him sit up, pushing a cup of tea into his hands. He cradled the cup in his hand, analyzing the tea, the cup before lifting it up and smelling it. Once he figured it wasn't.....what was it not? "It's not poisoned." The other person explained and he looked at them in confusion. Why...why would they think..why would he think it was poisoned? "I dont..." Everything didn't make sense, why was he making sure it wasn't poisoned.
"What you just did, you checked for poison. You know that right?" He shook his head, he didn't understand why he did that. Why it was almost second nature for him to do so. He slowly raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. The other waited for him to finish the cup before asking. "Who are you?"
Who...was he? He was...He...was... His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think, tried to find his name in his muddled brain. Who...who was he? "I dont..." The other person paused. "Do you know your name?" The cup fell to the ground as he clenched his head, the pain growing and he began to panic. Why couldn't he remember. "Name, I dont...what's... what's my name?" Arms slowly wrapping around his injured, why was he injured. What was he in the first place. He turned to the other and gripped onto their robe, panic swirling in his mind. "do you know my name?" Maybe they knew who he was, why he's injured, why. why. why.