The Apothecary and The Warrior | F!Y/N as Shinobu Kocho | Apothecary Diaries

🌷Day 1🌷

Gaoshun's POV

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As I round the corner, I notice a random soldier crouching down and staring at what looks to be a plant.

'He must be one of the new recruits...' He sighs

Seeing as that he is drawing attention to the other recruits, I walk over to them to them and yet they still don't seem to notice me.

"What are you doing?"

He jumps and as he stands up, I get a better look at his appearance.

"I was just seeing what type of plant this was..."

'He seems to be shorter in height than a regular male (sorry to those who are actually tall), more delicate features as well, reminds me of someone...'

"Hm, I hope that you don't start causing issues on your first day. I'm sure you know that will get you in trouble." I warn him

"Yes, I am well aware. I didn't know that getting yourself familiar with your surroundings was against the rules, I will be more cautious next time."

He bows and excuses himself, then leaves. I continue to stare at his back as he walks away.

'Something seems strange about him, but I'm not sure if I can define it...'

I look down at the plant he was staring at and sigh, walking away.

'I shouldn't be thinking about things like this, we need to prepare for the training tomorrow...'

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Next Morning, Second POV

You walk out to the training grounds, having already washed up and gotten ready for the day.

'I'm guessing we're starting with introductions and maybe a physical test to see our level in combat...' You think not really thinking about it much.

As you're lost in thought, you notice a young man who clearly seems lost.

Approaching him, you tap on his shoulder.

"Are you lost? Where are you heading?" you ask

He turns to look at you, startled.

"Uhm, the training grounds. I'm a new recruit so I don't know my way around yet..."

"I'm going there too, follow me." I say bluntly and start walking again, not looking back.

'E-eh? He's a recruit too? I guess I should just follow him, he's rather blunt...' The man starts to quickly follow you

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The two of you soon arrive at the training grounds and see other soldiers scattered around the area.

'Hm, seems the session hasn't started yet...'

"Uh, thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it." The man says hesitantly

You nod your head and walk away, wanting to see the different areas in the training areas. You eventually go around all of the different spaces. Checking out the weapons room that also had armory, an office which you guessed held records off all of the soldiers, an infirmary, and a mechanics room.

Coming back to the main training grounds, you wait for the other soldiers and generals.

Everyone soon arrives and are advised to be lined up for an introduction.

"Welcome to the training grounds, it seems as everyone is here so we will start right away with introductions. I am Xiangquan, and I will be you advisor for the next few months during your training."

The general then proceeded for us to introduce ourselves, going down the line so he could memorize our names.

"Next, you. State the name and which province you are from."

"I am Kocho Y/N and I was recruited here from the pleasure district." You simply say.

He seems to stare at you for a bit, but moves on.

'Why was he staring? Have I piqued his interest? That's not good...' You think as the other soldiers introduce each other

Training commences after everyone has introduced themselves, they made you do some physical exercise tests to see your skills in strength, flexibility, etc. You'd say you did average, you were training beforehand so it was natural for you to match up or even surpass the strength of a man.

They then proceeded to put you into pairs and start with a roster of training exersises to see who would place top.

'Hand-to-Hand combat? Not really needed in actual battle but I guess it could be helpful in training.' You thought as you got paired with the same man you saw earlier, Lihaku you think his name was?

"Oh, it's you again. Seems like we're partners for the first combat battle."

You simply nod. Looking up at the roster, you see you're the 5 out of 7 rounds that are in the first sector.

You sit on the sidelines, deciding to observe people's technique and skills. While also planning out how you would go against Lihaku.

'This should be interesting, I wonder who I will be going up against...' You think awaiting for the combat exercises to start.

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The battles go on fairly quickly and you start to get ready for your next training exercise.

The 4th combat ends and you walk onto the training grounds facing Lihaku.

"Like the previous rounds. This will only be a hand-to-hand combat battle, and will end when one of the two surrenders. understood?" the proctor states

The two of you nod and Lihaku looks at you.

"Uhh, may the best win?" He says unsure of what to say.

You stare at him blankly then look back at the proctor, signalling him to start the battle.

"Alright, fighters ready..."

You look back at your opponent, taking a fighting position. You were clearly going to not go easy on him, even people on the sidelines could notice the tense aura.

But even though you had thought about what would give you an advantage against Lihaku, you didn't really care about whether or not you would win.

'Just do what feels best' you repeat in your mind just before the proctor says the last word.

Fight.

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A/N

Wow, a chapter right after a chapter.

I know the ending is kinda abrupt but I hope you've been enjoying this fanfic :)

Thanks for Reading!

word count: 934