My Blazing Ember | Mizu x OC

02

C H A P T E R 2

(a/n: this is the part where i now call them their names HAHHAHHA when it's the part where Mizu is revealed to be a girl that's when i start using she/her pronouns:) )

AFTER SOME TIME the couple was now travelling inside a bamboo forest. The woman, Azumi, hearing something behind them stopped in her tracks. Her husband, Mizu, followed her actions. As Azumi hears the familiar humming, she chuckles silently.

“Do you hear that? It seems like the waiter at the restaurant followed us.” She said, as she opened her right eye to see the annoyed face of Mizu.

Ringo adventures inside the bamboo forest following the two trails of footprints that the couple left behind. As he hums his way through the forest, he opens his eyes to see Mizu, with her katana unsheathe pointing it at him. But no Azumi.

“I found you!” Ringo yelled “I knew I’d never catch up on the path, but I remember this shortcut ‘cause when we travelled to the Izushi shrine for my 7th birthday, I went to pee and got lost, so I slept with a family of tanuki for three days.” he rambles, as Mizu gave him an unamused look.

“And I ate leaves and scarabs, and got to know the forest really, really well, so…” He stops rambling. “Also, I realised something, where is the pretty blind woman that was with you?” He asks.

“She’s right here.” Azumi answers from behind with a smile, with her katana also unsheathed.

Ringo yelps in surprise, turning to look at her and back at Mizu. “Go home.” Mizu demands as he sheathed his katana back, whistles softly, to let Azumi know to do the same, and that she did, catching up to Mizu, holding his hand.

“I hate home!” Ringo whined, following after them and walking forward from them as he tried to negotiate. “Please! My whole life, I couldn’t do anything right, but now I know what I'm supposed to do. Be a samurai, like you.” He says, as he extends his arms to Mizu, before starting to bow.

“Please! Let me be your apprentice. Uh, I'll do anything!” He said, as Mizu stopped walking, and sighed.” A breeze cna throw a crane off course. You… are a typhoon.” Mizu responded, leaving both Azumi and Ringo behind. Ringo sighs desperately as he looks at Azumi for help, but Azumi pats his back in comfort before following Mizu.

When Azumi matched up to Mizu’s pace, Mizu took her hand before walking much faster hearing Ringo’s footsteps from behind them, but Ringo won by kneeling in front of them.

“Please! I’m strong. I can carry your things, and you can have the best soba in the world every day! And I'll do anything you ask… Master. Uh, anything so I can learn to be just like you."

Mizu looks down at him and raises an eyebrow "Like me?" He asks, then side eyeing his wife who was chuckling quietly seeing her husband handle the situation.

"You're deformed, but you're still strong." Ringo states, as he looks down at his arms. As Mizu looks down on him before an idea pops up in his mind, giving Azumi a mischievous look.

-•-

Now Ringo was wondering how he ended up getting tied onto a huge tree.

As he struggles to break free from the knots that Mizu tied. As he sighs in defeat he starts to hum again.

"As much as I love you, if he dies from the cold, I'm putting the blame on you." Azumi states, her yellow eyes shimmers due to the sunlight. As long as no one is around, only Mizu.

"I doubt that." Mizu responds, chuckling at his wife as she slaps him on his chest.

Now they were travelling through a forest, as the sun set beautifully, they were walking past an old abandoned shrine. Mizu walked back a few paces as Azumi was already staring at the shrine.

Mizu stared at her for a moment before taking her hand, letting them go inside the shrine.

As Mizu sat on the prayer mat, Azumi stood in the corner. Mizu takes off his kasa, looking at Azumi, as she nods her head in response, he takes off his orange glasses.

Mizu takes out a piece of metal and a hammer, hammering the metal until it heats up,  he takes one of the incense sticks and lights it up. As he puts his hands in a prayer and closes his eyes.

"To a man lost in the dark, an ember can light the way. Thank you for my ember. I was lost without course so long." Mizu prays.

"Let this ember's light brighten a path from this Heiji Shindo to the men we seek." He continues, as he rolls down his left gauntlet sleeve, revealing an X tattoo with a dot at the bottom of it.

"Please guide my steps until I find them. Please give me the strength to kill them. Or let me die" He finishes, opening his eyes to reveal its true colour. He then shows a smile.

"Please, protect Swordfather from time and harm."" He added.

As he stood up, Mizu started wearing his kasa and glasses. Azumi went up to him, holding his arms. "You know you are not alone, remember? She says.

"I will be the one to kill him, I'm not letting them touch you." Mizu responded, caressing her cheek as she leaned into his touch.

"But we're gonna do this together, like we always do." Azumi said, now holding his left hand, letting the rings shine in the sunlight.

"Of course we will, always." Mizu stated, now bringing her face to his, giving her a kiss.

(a/n: merry cxmas evribody<3, currently working on chap 3 along with Azumi's profile ^-^)