Fire and Water | A Blue Eye Samurai Story

Chapter 7

I should've been up there. I should've gone with him when he asked. Gods, this would've never happened if I'd just gone up that damn mountain. Ryuu lets out a sigh of disappointment as he keeps racking his brain over Mizu's injuries, no doubt blaming himself for the events that transpired. His disappointment in himself suddenly shifts to anger at the sight of the unnamed man ahead of him. Knowing that this stranger could be leading them to their doom, Ryuu clutches Mizu's sword tightly while keeping close watch on the man ahead. The group of now 4 people walk in silence for what seems like days.

The sun had set a couple of hours ago and the group reached an abandoned shrine in the middle of the woods. The shrine was a little larger than the one where he and Mizu first spoke to one another, and it was completely empty. Ringo takes Mizu to a secluded area of the shrine, and he gently lays him on the floor. Ryuu follows Ringo to the corner of the room holding a bundle of clothes and a large cylindrical backpack.

"Here. I found these off the side of the path on the way," he passes Ringo the items. "Is there anything I can do to help you? I know how to stitch a wound if you-"

"No. Go find some firewood so I can prepare him some medicine," he says sternly. "I can handle his injuries while you go search."

Ryuu looks at Ringo confused, and he wonders what's come over him. After a few minutes of staring at Mizu's sweating forehead, he decides it's best to find some firewood as requested.

Could this have to do with his mysterious secret? I don't see why I can't tend to him. Or maybe I'm not meant to see... He places Mizu's sword next to where Ringo had laid him down. Ryuu turns around to see the man standing in the doorway and he scoffs at his ever lingering and unwanted presence.

"That's as far as you go," he nods to the doorsill. "I suggest you refrain from pissing me off as well, stranger," his tone is so deep and laced with hate it causes the man to raise a brow. "Unless you'd like me to kill you here and now." Ryuu raises a brow at the suggestion he desperately wants the man to take up.

"My name is Taigen, not stranger. What are you? His guard dog or something?" he asks with a smirk.

"Call me whatever you want to. Just know that I won't remember your name past today, and frankly, I don't see anything worth remembering," he sizes Taigen up. "Especially since you have the gall to try to kill a man while he's unconscious," Ryuu retorts as he stalks past Taigen, shoulder checking him on the way out. Taigen turns and watches Ryuu walk away with a scowl spread across his face.

Ryuu heads down the small set of steps outside the shrine and makes his way toward some nearby shrubs. He kneels down to the thicker parts of the shrubs and begins cutting through them with his knife. Guard dog. He scoffs at the name. Gods I can't wait to eviscerate him. Ryuu smiles at the thought of killing him slowly and painfully. He collects a decent amount of branches and smaller pieces of wood, and he makes his way back towards the shrine where Taigen is still sitting outside.

When he walks through the door, he sees that Ringo has put up a curtain to shield what he was doing to Mizu, which makes Ryuu wonder even more. He turns to the left and crouches down where a small pot with stones underneath it waits. He tucks the small bundle of wood and branches underneath the empty pot.

"Ringo," he calls out from in front of the curtain, "I have the wood you requested." Shuffling can be heard from behind the curtain and Ringo appears. He walks over to Ryuu with his backpack and starts taking out different ingredients to put into the pot. He then pours water into the pot along with more ingredients. Ryuu takes out two stones and strikes them against one another, creating multiple sparks that catch on the bundle of wood. Ryuu leans forward to blow on the sparks and the bundle slowly catches fire.