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

Chapter 42

Azumi had always been alone.

From the moment she had been born, Azumi had been abandoned, and she now held no knowledge of her biological parents. Azumi wished to say that this did not bother her, but in the depths of the night when her mind was running rampant, she mulled over what her life would have been like if they didn't abandon her. The only thing she knew about her parents was that they had been travelling merchants and their business had flourished in Kouka because of the usefulness of the foreign tools they sold. However, they were young, too young to deal with the burden of a child. Their business was reaching its peak and they could not afford to look after a child, so they had left them with a family friend. That family friend was Eiji.

These people were not unkind, they were just not prepared to deal with the repercussions of their actions. And so, they handed over their newborn to a man who was suffering from the death of his wife, who had died during a miscarriage. His entire life had just crumbled around him, only for his friends to pass on something that had just destroyed everything and then run away only to never return.

Azumi had learnt this from the whispers on the street as a child, and that was why she sympathised with Eiji. At first, although he had ignored her, he had provided for her and given her a roof. How could she not be thankful? But then, Kouka's situation got worse and their farms went dry. The only source of income and food was depleting and the entire village was fretting about it, so from the high superstition they held, they blamed it on the orphan. Later on, the village had been captured by Kai and had been given a replacement for their crops, nevertheless, their superstition remained. It was the orphan's fault. Azumi was by no means an orphan. Her biological parents were still alive (or at least, they presumed so) and Eiji had acted somewhat as a parental figure for Azumi. But as soon as the drought hit, Azumi's entire life changed.

It was easier to let out your frustration on the small orphan girl, then on the king who had caused their suffering after all.

Eiji, who had lost both his wife, his unborn son and his farm in the span on a year, could not take the pressure anymore. And so, he resorted on letting his anger out on Azumi just as everyone else in the village did. She was the sacrifice for many prayers; she was the play toy for many men; she was the topic of gossip for the women. She was the source of everyone's problems.

So, as Azumi's feet flew over the side of the fence, her back open to nothing but air, she could not stop the smile from stretching across her lips. She stared straight into Eiji's eyes, those eyes that were filled with hatred, and she smiled sadly. Suddenly, the guilt appeared in his eyes and that moment of stillness and silence was gone.

She could barely hear the screams of horror as her body plummeted, the roar of wind drowning out everything around her. Daigo appeared at the edge of the balcony and held out a hand, a look of utter horror on his face as he watched the love of his life fall. Azumi merely smiled and let her eyes shut, the poison making her mind dull and the wind stinging across her bare arms and shoulders. However, despite the peace she felt, knowing that no one would be burdened by her anymore, she felt her tears well up and her heart clench. All she wanted was someone, no matter how foolish it was, to come after her. She was sick of risking her life for others; she was sick of taking the repercussions of others' actions and shouldering the burden of blame and anger; she wanted to be the damsel in distress. She didn't want to be Azumi, the one who always stood at the front of the battle with a bright smile on her face. She didn't want to be strong; she wanted someone to fall on, but she knew it. She knew it from the very day that everything changed and her childhood innocence was ripped from her on that fateful night, that no one would be coming after her.

And suddenly, that moment of happiness was dropped from her, Azumi sobbed as the world spun around her, blurs of colour shooting past her as her body fell faster and faster towards her death. The world became even more blurred as the tears welled up in her eyes and the sobs bubbled at the bottom of her throat, unable to finish as she tried to stop herself from crying.