Time for punishment - Maritsu and Gabriel

Gabriel did indeed as he had promised. He punished Maritsu for his actions.

So a weird occurrence took place in the military compound.

You could see a highly decorated officer like Maritsu walking around the military base doing the work of grunts.

Cleaning the common areas, bathroom and toilets. Cleaning Gabriel's office was also part of the punishment.

At first, Maritsu would receive weird looks from the people around him and which made him very self-conscious.

However, he knew Gabriel didn't have any malice in his actions, otherwise he would have been in jail. Therefore, all he could do was follow the punishment Gabriel set out.

Therefore, even if all the looks he received, made him not want to do the punishment Gabriel set out. He did it anyway.

Soon he would ignore the weird looks he kept receiving from the soldiers around him and became absorbed in the tasks he was doing.

Before he knew it, people around him were used to see him doing the work of grunt. Work that an officer normally wouldn't do.

Soldiers, however, were busy people, so once they saw it a few times, they quickly focused on the things at hand they had to do and ignored the weirdness of Maritsu doing these tasks.

However, the reason Gabriel had punished Maritsu was not to just to embarrass Maritsu. The goal of the punishment was to get Maritsu back on track.

After all, he had veered off too far to the dark side and Gabriel wanted to yank him back to the light.

Gabriel could see that Maritsu's soul hadn't turned dark completely, because the academy had colored his soul in army colors. His soul, therefore, could still be saved.

If that hadn't been the case, he might have let Maritsu be punished by the law. Although Gabriel would find out who was behind his brother's death for him if he had to send Maritsu to jail.

Luckily, however, that wasn't the case.

Although Maritsu's soul had become darker over the years when the investigation didn't have any results. His soul was still very much worth saving.

Gabriel based this decision on the fact that Maritsu refused to hurt innocent people.

Breaking into an office was maybe not the brightest idea, however, it showed that he was still hell bend on finding evidence, before he hurt anyone, even when he had chosen revenge over justice.

This showed that his soul still had a lot of light left in him.

The army colors his soul contained made him unable to break his bottom line, even though his soul had blackened. Gabriel hoped to build that bottom line stronger and more sturdy than ever before.

He had decided to adopt Maritsu, a lost little lamb, in his eyes, but an excellent soldier as his little brother. This meant that he would fulfill all the obligations which came with the responsibilities of being a big brother.

Military training was the place where he held build a strong sense of justice and where Maritsu had previously built the principles which he refused to break.

Therefore, Gabriel saw military training as a way of redemption for Maritsu.

Cleaning was to show Maritsu there were consequences for all his actions and sometimes those consequences were hard to bear or even humiliating.

Just punishment wasn't enough, though let a punishment have the desired effect: re-education was important.

Therefore, he made Maritsu his deputy and applied to teach classes at Columburt.

Columburt was happy to have Gabriel and invited him with open arms.

At Columburt, Gabriel taught military ethics. While giving these classes, he took Maritsu with him, hoping Maritsu would remember what he had learned before and deepen the lessons so that they would become entrenched in his soul.

Just following classes, however, wasn't enough.

To be fully rehabilitated, Maritsu needed to once again realize the team spirit and family bond that an army training could build.

All he knew before the punishment began was that he would be Gabriel's deputy for a while.

Knowing you would be punished and not knowing what the punishment entailed brought on all kinds of anxiety for Maritsu.

The first part of the punishment, teaching at the school he studied, was a pleasant surprise. After staying there for a week, Maritsu had calmed his restless heart and anxiety.

After all he was told he would be punished and to follow him. How could Maritsu not have been a wreck of nerves, not knowing what to expect?

Thinking that all that was required of him during the punishment would be teaching and attending class. He had miraculously calmed down. After all, this was something he could do, and he was sure it was something he could do well.

The calm, however, didn't last long. Only a few weeks after settling in his new role, he was once again brought out of balance by Gabriel, because he was told that this part of the punishment was over.

There was more, Maritsu thought? What would be next?

Therefore, anxiety he had just calmed down came back in full force.

He was a trained soldier, so staying calm when facing the unknown was a prerequisite for all soldiers to be trained for. Expect the unexpected.

However, this wasn't a military exercise, this was just a punishment. Therefore, his thought could wander freely without danger for your life. If thoughts could wander, then you could feel anxiety, because you wasn't focused on staying alive or completing a task.

Therefore, the military training he had received didn't help much in this situation.

Where would they be going next? What would the next punishment entail? And would he be able to do a good job there as well? All these questions kept popping up in Maritsu's head.

Taking a seat in Gabriel's car, he kept quiet, trying to regain his balance he had once again lost. Wondering where they would go most of the drive. While he was being driven toward the unknown.

Gabriel could see from the corner of his eye that Maritsu was nervous by how fidgety he was. That was a good sign, though. It meant that Maritsu was focused on the task at hand and wanted to do well.

Therefore, he let Maritsu be lost in thought while he drove them to their next destination in complete silence, without any intention of calming down his nerves.

When they arrived at Jumbaya, the destination wasn't so unknown for Maritsu as one would expect.

Jumbaya was a name that Maritsu knew.

Not because he had been there before, because that wasn't the case.

He knew it was the training base for newly enlisted soldiers. This was the place that new enlisted soldiers received their basic training most of the time.

The reason Maritsu knew this was this was the place where his brother had received his basic training.

When he knew what the second part of the punishment was, he took a deep breath.

Gabriel and he would teach these foot soldiers and grunts their basic training skills.

Which meant they would teach these soldiers or up-and-coming soldiers how to use and handle a weapon, the military hierarchy, survival skills in the wild, and team building, which was done by conducting exercise or by marching.

When he knew what the punishment was, Maritsu took a deep breath. He was worried. What he would teach them differed completely from standing in front of a class in the Academy.

If he didn't teach well here, it could impact these soldiers' lives or their future military career.

Knowing that his brother was once like one of these soldiers, he could feel the weight of what he was about to do acutely.

Therefore, the responsibility of the task ahead was much heavier than the first punishment to Maritsu. Once, his brother had been part of a group just like this.

Young children, of about 17 or 18 years old, with hope and dreams for their future, but also sometimes with heavy responsibilities which didn't belong to their age.

Being forced to become part of a society too soon, because of having no other choice. Without having an education to fall back on.

Whenever Maritsu looked at this group, he could imagine his brother Jason here.

His brother had been the same as them, caring for him and his mother, especially since his mother was sick. Without an education to fall back on.

Facing the same unknown future as the people in front of him, and he was now responsible for them. Responsible to teach them everything they would need to know for soldier's basic skills.

When look at the people in front of him, Maritsu, however, didn't see the helplessness that he expected to see

What he expected to see was a group which had been forced by life with no other way out, just like his brother had been back then. What he saw, however, was the complete opposite. He saw their hopes and dreams.

Maybe his brother had felt the same way back then. Not helpless and forced by life, but hopeful.

Happy and satisfied to help, full of hopes and dreams, not burdened with an impossible choice like he had always imagined.

When Gabriel saw that Maritsu became serious when facing this group. He knew that staying here would have an impact on Maritsu in ways he never could have imagined. When he had applied for the task of training these grunts.

Therefore, in the next few months, Maritsu and Gabriel became the officer of the group of grunts in front of them. Teaching them basic military training.

Training with them, living with them and shouting slogans with them.

The goal of the chanting and the slogans was to instill camaraderie and teamwork within the group.

What Maritsu needed right now was to once again feel part of something bigger! This was Gabriel's goal.

Shouting slogans and marching songs was part of military training. They often did marching songs in an answer and response style. The officer in charge of training, in this case Gabriel and Maritsu, asked a question and the grunts responding.

Or the marching song would create comedic relief. By chanting songs like:

Birdy, Birdy in the sky Dropped a whitewash in my eyes I'm no wimp, I don't cry, I'm just glad that cows don't fly

Superman was the man of steel,

but he aint no match for a Navy Seal.

Chief and Supe got in a fight;

Chief hit Supe with Kryptonite

Supe fell to his knees in pain.

Now Chief's dating Lois Lane

Well, Chief and Batman had one too.

Chief hit him in the head with his left shoe.

Hit him in the temple with his heel,

Now Chief's driving the Batmobile.

Only after the grunts completed their training did Gabriel and Maritsu leave.

Maritsu had changed during the time here, infected by their hopes and dreams. However he needed to get back to work himself.

The only reason he could be here was because Gabriel had asked for special permission and since Gabriel almost never asked for anything, they expected him to have a good reason and allowed it with much thought.

Now it was time, however, to go back to where they belonged.

The last few weeks had lifted a weight, which had been hanging around his neck like an albatross, for Maritsu.

The release and weightlessness he felt right now was unimaginable.

He could not remember the last time when he felt so relaxed and part of something bigger.

Being able to see the grunts start their training with apprehension to how they were when they left, being a full-fledged soldier, with confidence in their skills. Was an insane experience. Nothing could compare.

Before leaving, however, Maritsu and Gabriel took part in the celebration. After all, there was always a ceremony for those who made it through bootcamp. They wouldn't miss that for the world.

From now on, the soldiers they had trained would become a part of the armed forced and start a whole new chapter in their life. All Maritsu and Gabriel could do was send up a prayer for their safety and best wishes, so that they may fulfill all their hopes and dreams.

After Gabriel and Maritsu returned from the celebration with the grunts, and returned to their military compound after a long drive.

Gabriel once again took him to the office where it all began and asked: "how do you feel now, Maritsu?"

Maritsu looked up and wondered what was the right answer? Was there a right answer?

Being part of the training, the last few weeks, and having taught military ethics before that. Had indeed changed him.

He felt like something had anchored him again. He felt at peace.

However, that wouldn't stop him looking for the person who caused his brother's death. He could never let that go.

So he clenched his fist, unable to formulate an answer that would satisfy Gabriel.

Gabriel had invested so much time in him. He learned to appreciate Gabriel and had become to see him as a big brother. Training and living together like a family for the last few months had created a stronger bond than he imagined.

All the effort Gabriel had put in to guide him and teach him hadn't gone unnoticed. He wasn't an ungrateful person, and he really had accepted Gabriel from the bottom of his heart.

Therefore, he didn't want to disappoint Gabriel, but he knew lying to Gabriel would disappoint him even more.

Ethics class which Gabriel had taught at Columburt had taught him that much at least.

How could he answer the question without letting down the person in front of him? Feeling lost, Maritsu clenched his hands so hard that without him noticing, the nails dug in his skin, causing blood scratches to form.

He didn't want to disappoint the person in front of him, but he didn't want to lie, either.

Not answering the questions, however, wasn't an option, but if he answered, would he lose Gabriel as a fixture in his life? When he had only had let him in?

Becoming a family member he hadn't had in so long?

Gabriel was so much like his big brother, but very different at the same time. Losing him after opening his heart to him and accepting him as family would be unimaginably hard.

He had come to admire Gabriel during this period of time. Was there a way he could prevent answering the questions, so that he could prevent Gabriel from thinking he was a lost cause and cutting him out of his life?

He already had lost one brother. He didn't think he could survive a similar loss again.

didn't think he could survive a similar loss again.