The Serpent's Apprentice (Obanai Iguro x Reader)

Promise

With those words, Obanai silently left the room, not even his footsteps making a sound.

I watched as he left, my heart pounding a steady beat like a drum. Be my apprentice, he'd said. Was he serious? Was he actually going to choose me? I mean, we didn't even know each other, unless you counted our meetings as children, but those meetings were few and short lived.

I remembered what Aoi had told me, but to actually be faced with this reality by Obanai himself, it was terrifying.

I wouldn't deny that I'd never forgotten about him, or that I really just wanted to see him again, but I didn't let my thoughts stray in his direction for long.

We were from two different worlds, and I was way out of his league. It was just puppy love, so harmless and yet so harmful. Obanai was an unattainable dream, all I could do was chase after him.

He was a stranger, yet I couldn't help thinking of our last meeting...

Young (Y/N)'s P.O.V.

A few miles away from grandpa's cottage, there was a small pool of water, fueled by a waterfall a few footsteps worth of walk away.

There, Obanai and I sat.

I dipped my toes in the water, relishing in the coolness that flooded through my body. Obanai sat beside me, so close that our knees touched. The silence was peaceful, but little did I know that this moment was going to remain in my memories for the longest time.

"(Y/N)... I'm going to leave soon, you know?" Obanai's voice was soft, comforting. At the time, I hadn't known what he'd meant. Why was he leaving? We'd been having so much fun together. Of course, I'd also known about his dreams and ambitions. I knew that he wasn't going to stay forever, but the selfish voice inside my head wanted him to.

I didn't reply, so he continued, "I'm probably never going to see you again."

I couldn't control myself anymore as tears swelled up in my eyes. "W-why?" The one word question came out more like a string of broken syllables. "Why?!" I said, "Do you not like me anymore... Am I too annoying, too childish?"

Obanai didn't speak for a long time.

I didn't either.