Through Fire and Water

Chapter 5 - Breaking In

Izumi pov:

"Are you sure you're going to be okay sleeping by yourself, Izumi?" Mira san asked worried as we stood outside my room doors.

"I'll be fine, Mira san. I've been through much worse – a couple of cuts won't bother me." I stressed, eager for her to her leave so I could check up on the boy in my room. Mira san worrying about everyone was really nice of her and even motherly but I preferred not to be bothered sometimes. And now was one of those times.

"Alright....if that's what you feel. But you can wake us up if you need anything during the night, okay? You didn't even tell us what happened clearly so we're worried." She said and took a hold of one of my hands in hers.

"Yeah, we were worried alright! What the heck do you think you were doing getting involved in something dangerous by yourself?!"

I looked to the side upon hearing an angry voice and heavy footsteps only to see Haruko walking towards us. He was glaring and I mentally groaned, preparing myself to receive a scolding session from him. And that meant I was going to be stalled even more from going into my room any time soon.

"I said I'm sorry! I would have called you but you'd already gone into the restaurant! If I was even a minute late, the boy could have really got hurt so I had to go by myself!" I stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so now it's my fault, huh? You didn't call me because you thought that I was being a lazy ass who thought eating was more important than saving someone's life?!" He snapped back.

"I didn't say that! I just meant that I had to act quickly and I didn't get the chance to call you. Why is everyone making a big deal out of this anyway? I saved a boy, I did something good and just got a few scratches on my arms and legs – so what? The main thing is that I'm fine, right?" I hollered, now feeling a little annoyed.

That's right, I had told them that I had saved an 'innocent' boy's life earlier this evening and the assailants who were trying to kill the boy had rewarded me with the scratched on my arms and legs. I had told them that I had returned the boy to his home and his family thanked me and said they would take care of his injuries themselves. I'm sure things would get very tense if I told them that I had no idea who the boy was and that I had brought him home, treated his injuries and let him rest in my room.

Both Mira san and Haruko were silent for a moment as they watched me after my short outburst. Haruko was the first to break the silence with a deep sigh. He looked to the side while putting one hand on his hip and ruffling his hair with the other. He let out another short sigh and then looked back at me calmly – well calmer than before anyway.

"Look Izumi....I know that everyone who lives here aren't really related to each other and we have no right to tell them what to do and what not to do. But we all live here as a family. And you are one of us – you are an important member of our family and that's why we're worried. If it was a simple matter or a small scuffle where you ended up with a busted lip or something, we wouldn't have worried. But this...." He said while waving a hand over my body and the cuts visible on them. "This isn't small....these are wounds from a katana, not from a hand to hand fight. Going against people with weapons isn't a small matter – it's dangerous and who knows who the people you fought against are? What if they were the Blood Emperor's samurai assassins? Forget about Crimson Rose; what if they come back to hurt you?"

"Haruko is right, dear. We just don't want anything bad to happen to you." Mira san added gently.

I felt a sharp sting in my chest at their words. It was out of guilt. I knew that they worried for me but I didn't know that I, a stranger they had welcomed a mere month ago, was seen as someone so important. The last time I felt this kind of emotional attachment from someone was when I was with Grandma and honestly, I found it very gratifying. I saw the genuine concern in their eyes and I felt angry at myself for trying to sound like what happened to me wasn't any of their business. In some ways, these people sort of reminded me of Juri san, Obachan, Teddy and everyone else who I worked with. I shouldn't have yelled at them for worrying about my wellbeing.