My Blazing Ember | Mizu x OC

04

C H A P T E R 4

-❆-

The winter chill wrapped itself around the atmosphere, in the distance, the haunting caw of crows echoed. As Mizu and Azumi make their way to the entrance of the Shindo Dojo. Mizu grabs a hold of the gate handle and uses it to knock, through the sliding peephole, the eyes of a man appear.

"No new students. Find another school." The man says harshly and closes the peephole again.

Mizu knocks on the gate again and the sliding peephole opens.

"We're not students." Mizu replies "We bring a message for the master of the Shindo Dojo." He explains, the sliding peephole closes again but this time another peephole opens and a hand appears, seemingly asking for the message.

"We must deliver it personally." Mizu said, and that the peephole closes as the huge gate opens, letting them in.

The man who was answering them was there and guided them in, as the couple studied the area around them. Left and right were students training through the harsh winter. They walked past a room where two students were duelling against each other and one of them injured the other.

They enter the Dojo to see another man, who seems to be the messenger of the master, with a small table in front of him and a piece of paper with ink and brush on top of the table.

"You may leave any message with me." The man says as he starts to write on the paper.

"What must be said must be said to the master directly." Mizu answers, as both he and Azumi kneel on the floor with four men behind them.

"I assure you, what is for the master is for me, as I assure you, the master does not meet with messengers." The old man states.

"He will for him" Azumi answers softly, as her voice enchants the men around them.

The messenger stops writing, the brush bleeding ink on the paper, finally giving them a harsh look.

"You both stand before the Shindo School." He says coldly as he stands up. "Foor 200 years, we have taught here the Shindo-Ryu, secret methods passed down from the Priest Soto, taught to him on the peak of Mount Kurama by the mystic Tengu themselves. Show your respect." He explains angrily.

"I must insist." Mizu said

"Escort them anywhere you please that is far from here."

"Come on, blind beggar." One of the men said behind them as he took a hold of Azumi's wrist.

"You are bound by hospitality to feed a traveller within your gates." Mizu stated, as he took Azumi's wrist away from the man. "We came very far. We're very hungry. Or has the Shindo Dojo done away with etiquette?"

The man stares coldly at them.

"Feed them. Then throw them out."

The same man who took a hold of Azumi's wrist grabs Mizu harshly and starts to drag them to another room, which was a closet, and another man starts to play with Azumi's clothes.

"Before you girl, you should have some fun with us" he says, sending shivers down her spine.

The man throws Mizu hard and gives him a bowl of sloppy rice.

"Eat and leave."

"Give me my partner," Mizu states coldly, wanting to pull out his katana at any moment but he couldn't, not yet.

"Oh this pretty thing?" the man holding Azumi questions, grabbing her waist harshly."We're going to have some fun with her."

They leave the room laughing as the same men who touched Azumi, starts leading her into a dark room as they throw her harshly and attempt to tug off her clothes.