the sun, the moon, and everything in between. (Obi x reader)

chapter 5

Obi's POV

Obi fought the urge to let his fingertips linger on Y/N's shoulder as he slipped away into the cold dark woods. Mitsuhide was right behind him, and surprisingly he was able to keep up with Obi's quick pace. Even if he had reassured Y/N that everything would be fine back there, he couldn't help but share their worries. What was causing the smoke? What was that sound? Is Master and the rest really going to be okay?

The dark haired attendant shoved down his concerns and focused on the job at hand, quickening his already hasty pace.

He had barely broken a sweat by the time they had reached the source of the smoke. Mitsuhide caught up soon after. "Jeez Obi... I should've just.... let you go alone...." He panted, breathless.

Obi simply gave him a cheeky grin in response, though his expression quickly turned serious looking at the small clearing in front. In the middle lay a pile of embers, the remnants of what looked like an exceptionally large bonfire.

He didn't sense anyone nearby, and the only thing that wasn't burnt was a small vial liquid haphazardly thrown to the side of the ashes. Obi trotted over and picked it up, examining the scratched glass. The liquid sloshed as he turned the vial around, though there was no label to tell him what it was.

"What is that?" Mitsuhide asked. He had regained his composure and was inspecting the burnt patch as well. Obi shrugged, "Some kind of liquid," He unplugged the cork and took a whiff. He furrowed his brows, putting the cork back on. "It's odorless. I'm pretty sure it's a poison, though."

Mitsuhide blinked in alarm. "Do you think whoever did this planned for the smoke to be inhaled?" Obi shook his head, frowning. "This is a completely open space. If they planned for that, then they should've done it closer to the fortress or at least in the woods. Plus, the vial is completely full. even if they used the tiny amount missing at the top it wouldn't be enough to do any real damage. It's not pungent enough."

Mitsuhide stared at the pile of ashes, seemingly in deep thought. A feeling of worry wriggled it's way into Obi's stomach. Despite the fact that there was no one around, and the scene was completely innocent, Obi's instincts screamed at him that something was horribly wrong.

"We should head back. Master and the others have probably arrived at the fortress by now." Obi said, though he couldn't help the edge of worry that had slipped out. Mitsuhide nodded, "Please don't make it a race this time. I was trained to protect the prince, not run cross country."

Obi gave him a quick smile and set off, speeding through the treetops and leaving the poor attendant bounds behind.

As Obi neared the fort he slowed down to allow Mitsuhide to catch up. He slowly caught up, his sword clacking against his waist as he ran towards Obi.

Obi probably would've make a snarky remark, but the tendril of worry from before had grown, and he was almost 100% sure that something had gone wrong when he left them.

The two of them made their way to the entrance of the fort, and the two guards bowed as they spotted them approaching.

"We've been expecting your arrival." The one on the right says, lifting his head to look at Obi and Mitsuhide.

"The prince is already here?" Mitsuhide guessed. The guard nodded, "He came in a little while ago with a grim look. His attendant was with him, as well as another person laying in the wagon. Though they looked terribly ill."

Panic and alarm shot through Obi. "Y/N?!" He blurted out.

"I would assume so. They looked too pale for their own good. I'm not sure what happened though."