The Second Bodyguard || Re-written (Any x oc)

Chapter 12

Azumi was at peace, with a book in hand and a cup of tea sitting at her side. She sat in the infirmary, waiting for Akinari to wake up the next morning, the boy having been unconscious that afternoon and overnight. To help the nurses out a little, Azumi had stayed overnight in case he woke up, but he had yet to wake up. Now, in the early dregs of the morning, there was a calm breeze that drifted through the window, the scent of a vanilla candle wafting through the air, along with another citrus smell from the cleaning products. Akinari interrupted Azumi's calm thoughts suddenly by sitting upright with a loud gasp, before groaning in pain as his muscles contracted and his bruises burned. Akinari was covered in bruises, especially around his chest and neck, and had a broken wrist that the nurses said would luckily heal quickly.

"Careful, you might hurt yourself more" Azumi spoke up quietly, making Akinari's eyes flicker over to hers and widen. A second later, his eyes flittered down to find that he was shirtless, and a rodent-like squeak escaped his lips as he grabbed at the blanket. Azumi merely chuckled, waving away his flusteredness in amusement.

"Where am I? What are you doing here?" Akinari asked, clutching the blanket to his chest and gazing at her nervously. Azumi returned her gaze to the book, which Akinari was thankful for, and smiled once again.

"You're in the infirmary after you got into a fight with those other soldiers in training. Mind explaining how that started?" Azumi asked, flipping the page with a calm expression. However, her eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly, and Akinari gulped nervously. He opened his mouth multiple times to speak, before trailing off for a loss of words. His hand rose to his cheek, where he scratched at it with a finger and avoided eye contact despite knowing that she wasn't looking at him. After a long moment of silence, Azumi grew impatient and cleared her throat as a warning for him to speak. When he didn't, she let out a sigh and shut her eyes for a moment, silently reminding herself that he was much younger than Hiro and this was probably his first time in contact with women. Most rural tribes made sure that girls and boys were separate until the age of marriage, where their spouse was chosen for them.

"Hiro explained to me that it started because of me?" Azumi prompted, her eyes fluttering up to observe him for a second, before returning to the book. Akinari's fidgeting slowed for a second as he sent her a look of confusion. Azumi snickered slightly, having thought Hiro would have introduced himself with her nickname, as he had every other woman they'd met on their travels.

"Hiroshi" Azumi answered bluntly, making the boy nod while his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. He couldn't deny that he was slightly jealous of his new sparring partner, as he had such a desirable girl at his side who even addressed him by a nickname. Akinari was much too nervous to be that close to a woman.

"Well... As soon as you were gone, he began insulting you and speaking really foully of you. I couldn't just sit aside, so I told him off and he attacked before I could defend myself... He's the strongest in our unit, I had no chance against him..." Akinari mumbled, slowly getting more and more disheartened and embarrassed. Azumi glanced up from her book and watched him choke on his words and slowly flush red. Azumi smiled warmly, leaning over and ruffling her hair. Akinari's head snapped up to stare at her with wide eyes, memorised by her smile.

"Thank you, few defend my name when I'm not around. I truly appreciate it. But remember to be careful. You have to pick and choose your words. Take this as a lesson for the Earth Tribes new generation of soldiers. People should admire you, and certain actions and words will create that trust that you want to create. You also need to possess the strength to reinforce the laws of this kingdom, so train to be the best you can, yeah?" Azumi encouraged, giving him a grin and a thumbs up. Akinari gazed at her in awe, before reflecting the grin back to her. Azumi then slipped the bookmark into her book and rose to her feet, making the boy's grin falter.