Working with Gabriel - Maritsu and Gabriel

After sleeping through an entire night, Maritsu felt incredibly well rested. So well rested that he couldn't remember the last time he had felt that way.

Anyway, it must have been a very long time ago.

After getting out of bed, Maritsu did his morning routine.

First, he brushed his teeth and then changed his pajama's into sport clothes.

After having dressed in his exercise clothes, he went out for a run and did some martial arts training. After he had finished all this, Maritsu took time to cooldown. Which actually existed out of a short walk and some stretching.

Having finished his cooldown, he headed towards the showers and took a cold shower.

Finally, he was ready to start his day; He got dressed in his military uniform and headed to the cafeteria for some breakfast.

While taking the notebook, in which he wrote all his thoughts and ideas, with him in his backpack.

After eating his sumptuous breakfast, he finally couldn't contain his excitement. He would go to Gabriel's office to decide his future.

It had taken him a lot of willpower to not go to Gabriel's office as soon as he woke up and to do his morning routine, before going there.

Now he had finally finished all the things he needed to do, and he was also sure that Gabriel should be in his office around this time, therefore he went there as soon as he had finished eating.

Going to Gabriel's office once again, and this often, meant that he had almost forgotten how nervous he was when he stepped into Gabriel's office for the very first time.

While walking to the office, he contemplated how a very short period of time had changed him.

He never believed in the saying that when surrounded by the right people, a person could change for the better in a very short period of time.

Now, he had to believe that, however, and the fact that he didn't believe this saying before showed how much he still had left to learn and to grow as a person; Because now he had to believe this saying without a second doubt.

After all, having Gabriel in his life had changed him, and probably would continue to change him for the better.

Walking inside the office once more, Gabriel and Maritsu sat down and discussed Maritsu's future.

What was the best path for him to take?

Maritsu had dwindled down his options to three future paths. So, they focused on the paths which were left.

They discussed the pro's and the cons of every option at length.

Finally settling on the second one. Gabriel and Maritsu would stay in contact like they were now, and Maritsu would work hard to work his way up the ranks by himself.

Only after he had made his way up the ranks himself and had earned all the merits and promotions he needed only, then he would become Gabriel's assistant.

Until that time, they would work separately towards the same goal.

When the discussion finally came to an end, they had some coffee and ate their lunch together.

After walking out of Gabriel's office, Maritsu knew his future path would be risky and bumpy, one full of obstacles, however, he the new path didn't give him dread, but a feeling of peace.

The feeling of peace seemed to be an affirmation of his decision, like he was finally heading in the right direction. That he had found his way forward and that he wouldn't go off track any longer, and even if he swerved off track, it wouldn't be a big deal after all now he had Gabriel watching over him.

Maritsu took determined strides down the hallway back to his quarters, he wouldn't lose sight of the goal he had just set for himself.

He would fight for this new goal with all his might. This was also a way to repay Gabriel and show how grateful he was of all the effort and risks Gabriel took for him these last few weeks.

Gabriel had showed him a way forward and a way out, trusted him, while he had been so lost.

Now it would be his turn to help Gabriel. He would help Gabriel carry all the weight he had been carrying alone for so long.

They would work together to achieve this enormous goal, but more importantly, he would make sure that Gabriel would never feel alone again in his struggles.

He was sure they would make a difference and no matter what they would encounter or whatever price needed to be paid; they would make the armed forces a safe haven for everyone who enlisted, as much as they could.

Many years later, Maritsu had worked his way up the ranks and became Gabriel's most trusted deputy. They had founded the Watcher organization together and made the Uniform code of Justice a reality.

For this result, they bled, cried, and suffered unimaginable pain, but nothing could compare to any small step forward they were able to take.

Any laws or regulations which were implemented to any person tried and convicted of crimes, which wasn't punishable before they created or helped create these laws, gave a thrill and an enormous sense of satisfaction. More importantly, it gave a conformation that what they had been doing mattered, and they hadn't been doing white work.

A highlight in those years, in which they were experiencing unimaginable suffering, was when Maritsu finally got justice for his big brother, Jason. He sometimes doubted if he had found all accomplices, but he was almost positive they got them all and the most important thing was, justice was served, not revenge.

The people who were responsible for his brother's demise served time in jail and were discharged from the army. Some even had to do hard time for the rest of their lives, they would never again be free in their entire lifetime.

These sentences were not just based on the death of his brother Jason, these officers and soldiers had more blood on their hands than just his brother's. They had acted uninhibited with disregard of soldiers' lives, now they would pay the ultimate price. Never being able to regain their freedom and to suffer behind bars.

When that judgment came down, a weight was lifted of Maritsu, however for a while now he had already been carrying a bigger and larger weight together with Gabriel, so it was noticeable, but it didn't free him from all responsibilities, like he thought it would so many years ago.

The world kept spinning and didn't stop; he didn't feel lost, because he accomplished his goal. He still had their goal, his and Gabriel's to accomplish, he was far from done.

When the verdict had come down, what he thought was finally justice, and he looked over at Gabriel and was sincerely grateful. Gabriel changed his life. If he hadn't caught him breaking into that officer's office that night, he couldn't imagine where he would be now.

He would forever be in Gabriel's debt for that, the offered hand and the guidance Gabriel had given him when he had needed it most had altered the course of his future.

Therefore, even when his goal was achieved, he would continue to work with Gabriel just to help him, but it was more than just helping Gabriel by now. Maritsu now saw the meaning of what they were doing.

Their work was preventing any Jason's from coming into existence again, as much as possible and as much as they could.

The figment of his imagination that he experienced many years ago never returned. When being near Gabriel, he could always feel his brother around.

This feeling however disappeared after a year or two after they had started working together.

The appreciation he had for Gabriel, however, had only grown over time. Gabriel was now an indispensable part of his family, a big brother which he could never replace.

That didn't change the fact that he didn't still miss Jason, he still did and always would. Now he just had two big brothers instead of one.

So, while Maritsu didn't pay attention to the fact that the feeling of his brother's presence went away, Gabriel did.

Gabriel had found the support in his sleepless nights and endless days in this presence for over two years. So when this presence disappeared he was distraught, however he had climbed up the ranks like a shooting star, almost like he was unstoppable.

The shooting star he had compared Maritsu to all those years ago, had now become him.

More important however was that to get the laws, regulations and organization set up, he sometimes felt that he had become more of a politician than a soldier at the time.

This meant that no matter how distraught he was nobody could tell unless he was willing to share his feelings and although Gabriel had accepted Maritsu as a younger brother, these feelings were of a very personal nature, and therefore he didn't want to share them with anyone, not even with his little brother.

The presence had been his sustenance all this time; it was a personal gift from god, he thought, so he was never willing to share this experience with anyone.

Therefore, Gabriel never knew that this presence might have been Jason, because they had never discussed the feeling of this presence.

Now many years later, after they started working together, and after getting justice for Jason.

Finally, having achieved their goals, they knew that there was more work to do, but what was next? What was the best way forward? That is what they had to assess. They needed a new goal to work towards or a clearer direction of what to do next.

Which meant that after Maritsu walked into Gabriel's office, and had sat down, they took time to discuss what their next course of action should be.

However, they couldn't come to a result. Remembering that many years ago they decided on the road to walk, because they returned to basics, they decided to do the same thing once again,

Like they did all those years ago by dragging Maritsu to teach bootcamp and ethics class, they would return to basics once more.

Hoping that they would once again find the right path forward and a goal they should achieve.