Through Fire and Water

Chapter 10 - Stranger

This chapter is dedicated to JustSpiffy! Happy reading! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~

Izumi pov:

"What?" I asked while looking at Ichirou san rather dumbly.

"I said that you have been assigned to be Prince Shichiro's bodyguard from now on. His Highness was thoroughly impressed by what you did yesterday – fighting off the rebels and coming all the way to his chambers to ensure his safety. He has ordered you to become an Elite Guard to the Prince....which I assume you will consider as an honor." He said without looking at me but going through a roll of parchment that he had in his hand.

"I am honored that the Blood Emperor was impressed by me and thinks that I'm good enough to guard a member of the Royal Family but correct me if I'm wrong – guarding a Prince would mean staying in the palace by his side all the time. And that is not what I would consider and exciting job. Besides, how does the Blood Emperor know about everything that happened yesterday anyway?" I asked narrowing my eyes a bit.

"Not an exciting job? Do you think you're in a position to say that, Izumi? This is a Royal Command and you will perform it whether you like it or not. And did you really think His Highness wouldn't be aware of what happens in his palace? Everything that happens here is reported to him immediately and he is always aware of even the smallest thing takes place in his palace and country. Don't be foolish to assume anything otherwise." Ichirou san said with a scoff.

"Okay, I guess I was being a little stupid in that matter. I deeply apologize, Your Eminence." I said, sarcasm dripping off my words. "But why can't you find someone else to guard the Prince? Someone better, perhaps? I mean, it's not like I'm the best fighter in the Elite Division."

"True. You are not the best." He remarked making me twitch in annoyance. "But you fared quite well yesterday, seeing how you had taken out close to two dozen rebels all by yourself – even fighting them in groups. Sometimes it is skills that matter and not brute strength. And from what I heard from His Highness, Prince Shichiro seems to have taken a liking to you. He's very grateful to you for saving his life and has spoken about you with His Highness with much praise and positive feelings. It has been hard finding a bodyguard who Prince Shichiro is comfortable around until now so this is a chance we cannot let slip away. Besides, Prince Shichiro has already been informed of this and he is eagerly awaiting your arrival."

He turned away from me before I could protest and began giving out instructions to the others in the training hall. I just stood there, jaw slack in disbelief as I watched Ichirou san who showed no hints of wanting to talk to me about this matter anymore. I clenched my jaw and fists irked by this sudden turn of events, not happy in the least because I knew this job came with restricted movement. I would have to be by Prince Shichiro's side at all times, the chances of going out of the palace on missions was slim which, in turn, wouldn't give me many chances to find the information I wanted to find about returning to the modern world. The only thing that I probably could see as positive was that I might be able to access the Royal Library and Records Room without having to sneak in without permission.

"Hey, cheer up, Izumi! I'm sure you'll get a chance to do something exciting....guarding the Royal Family isn't exactly an easy or safe job, you know?" Haji san said encouragingly as he joined me.

"True....but it's not exciting enough and I'm pretty sure it won't have enough running around. How am I supposed to train and stay in top shape if I'm not challenged by anything?" I asked unhappily.

"You don't have to worry about that." Koharu said this time. "There's usually a cycling of roles that happens in the palace. During your training time, someone else will take the responsibility of protecting Prince Shichiro so you won't have to worry about your skills getting rusty. Besides, you'll also get a day off every week to relax and do whatever you want."