The Calm Before the Storm 22

Tetsuma's eyes fluttered open, the soft light of the room blinding him for a moment. He blinked several times, trying to focus, but his body felt heavy, the pain of his injuries lingering.

As he shifted slightly, he heard laughter. His four best friends—Senju Renji, Senju Jiro, Senju Kenta, and Senju Satomi—were sitting around the room, making fun of each other.

"I'm telling you, Kenta, you look like you've aged five years in the past week," Renji joked, pointing at Kenta, who was frowning at him.

Kenta shot him a deadpan look. "You're one to talk. You've been rambling on about that stupid joke for hours."

Satomi, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, leaned back in her chair with a smirk. "Hey, leave him alone. At least he's trying to entertain us while we wait for Tetsuma to wake up. Kenta, I swear, you're the most boring person when there's no action happening."

Jiro, sitting beside Kenta, just chuckled. "Well, you can't blame him. Some people actually enjoy peace and quiet."

"I'm sure Tetsuma would love to be part of your 'peaceful' conversations, but…" Renji trailed off, glancing over at Tetsuma, who had finally fully opened his eyes and was looking at them all with a confused expression.

Tetsuma blinked a few times, groggy and still trying to process what was going on. "What the hell happened?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

The room fell quiet for a moment as his friends turned to him, their faces breaking into smiles as they saw him awake.

"You've been out for a week, man," Satomi said with a grin, crossing her arms. "Thought you were gonna sleep through the whole thing."

"You're a tough one to wake up," Renji added, his voice lighthearted but laced with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Tetsuma took a moment to assess his body. His limbs were sore, his wounds still fresh, and he could tell he'd been through hell, but the fact that he was alive was all that mattered. "Like I've been run over by a stampede of bulls," he said dryly, trying to sit up but wincing at the pain.

"We thought you might be down for a while," Jiro commented, his tone casual but with a flicker of concern in his eyes. "But you're tough. Always have been."

Satomi raised an eyebrow. "Tough, huh? You've been out cold for a week, but sure, tough sounds good."

Tetsuma gave them all a weak grin. "You guys really know how to make a guy feel welcome," he teased, though his words came out a little weaker than he intended.

"Well, we've got to keep you entertained somehow," Renji said, leaning back in his chair. "You should've heard Satomi's stories while you were out. We almost thought about charging her for the entertainment."

Satomi scowled playfully. "Hey, I'm just trying to keep the mood light. Someone's got to do it."

Tetsuma chuckled softly, despite the pain. "It's good to see you guys... even in my state," he said, glancing at each of them. He appreciated the banter—it was a comforting constant in his life.

"You're lucky we're not letting you off the hook this easily," Kenta said, looking over at him with a small smile. "Once you're healed up, you've got some explaining to do. We're all eager to know what happened out there."

Tetsuma's expression sobered slightly, the memories of the mission still fresh in his mind. But before he could respond, Renji spoke up again.

"Don't worry, Tetsuma. We've got time. For now, just focus on getting better," Renji said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, we've got plenty of time to catch up on everything," Jiro added, his usual calm demeanor now tinged with a quiet warmth.

Tetsuma nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief. His friends were here, and though the road ahead would be tough, he wasn't facing it alone.