𝐋𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐇 || mizu

𝟎𝟐. 𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭

˚ ༘ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ
⁺˚⋆｡° chapter two ⁺˚⋆｡°

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

❛ echoes of the past ❜
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊
∘₊✧──✧₊∘

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

    "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" MIZU ASKED AFTER A LONG PAUSE, finally taking in the full sight of his closest and only friend.

She wore a long black cloak that completely obscured most of her womanly figure and concealed her weapon of choice, though Mizu could still make out the vague impression of the full quiver strapped to her back.

Strangely, it felt like he was looking into a mirror.

Shizuku hummed thoughtlessly, examining the alleyway the two still occupied. "I've always heard about how great Kyoto is, so I came to see for myself." The sarcasm was evident in her voice, earning an eye-roll from Mizu.

While she'd meant it lightheartedly, she couldn't help but feel her jaw clench at Mizu's question. "What do you think I'm doing here?" Her tone went cold as she was flooded with an anger she hadn't felt since the day Mizu had left her behind.

The samurai's gaze dropped out of partial shame, and Shizuku saw his jaw set firmly. He refused to voice the answer aloud, a sharp inhale his only acknowledgement of it.

He wanted to ask how she'd even managed to find him after so long, especially without him realizing it. But he held his tongue. The silence between them, aside from the soft buzz of life at either ends of the alley, was hardly bearable, Mizu slicing it moments later with a low grumble of, "Go home."

Without so much as another glance, he spun on his heel and started to head back to the main road. Shizuku almost didn't believe it, staring at his back as he walked further away. She let out a stunned scoff when she finally got ahold of herself and ran after him, managing to find him before he vanished into the sea of people along the road.

"You're not serious, Mizu." The woman seethed over his shoulder, careful not to let her temper draw attention to them. "It took me so fucking long to find you. I can't just go back now."

Mizu wouldn't turn around. "You can. And you should. Go back home." He told her.

Shizuku went quiet, but she still remained firm on Mizu's heels. The samurai felt her hovering, and he sighed, but he knew it was nearly impossible to get her to go back on a decision she made. She was always stubborn, particularly when it came to her home.

That was mostly why she was even here. The girl had decided very early on that she would leave her abusive father behind the second she got the chance to, and that she would never look back once she did. She'd made that decision alongside Mizu, who swore that an opportunity would present itself soon.

He thought back to that promise, and how empty it would become because of him.

It was unfair of him to be so cold towards her, really. Even if he believed it was for her own good, he had no right to tell her to back out on a promise that no longer existed when he was the one to do so first.

So he let her follow him for a while in silence, allowing her some time to calm down.

All the while, he concentrated on remembering the woman's instructions from earlier as he made his way through Kyoto. They hit the river first, Mizu lingering at the edge of it to spare Shizuku a questioning glance.