The Village Disciples

In Buraun's barracks, the sound of a knob twisting could be heard, followed by the sound of spraying water escaping from a faucet. Inside one of the bathrooms of the barracks, a certain warrior could be seen washing his face, his head lowered into the sink. After a few seconds of cleansing his face, he lifted his head and looked into the mirror that hung directly above the sink.

"What a shit show…"

Haishi, the Chief Warrior of Buraun, could be seen gazing into the mirror, standing in contemplation as water slowly dripped off of his face. On the sink was a hair tie. Grabbing the hair tie, he stretched out the hair on the back of his head and wrapped the rubbery object around his dark strands of hair, forcing his hair into a ponytail.

His thoughts lingered on what had transpired within the walls of Ryakudatsu. More specifically, his supposed death.

He could vividly recall the moment Gimu's sword lodged itself into his heart, feeling as all of his strength dwindled and leading up to him falling off of the giant root that emanated from the ground, serving to be the place he and Gimu battled on.

He placed his hand over his heart, feeling the steady beating. Another shocking discovery was not being able to find any injuries that he had previously sustained. No bruises on his skin, no soreness anywhere in his body, and more importantly, no hole in his chest. It felt unreal. Haishi was aware of the world of curses, having experienced some of them through combat—but none of them were as unique as the one performed on him.

He never got to thank the kid who saved his life. He quickly discovered the unfortunate news of Mizuki's kidnapping. Truth be told, Haishi was in a daze after being seemingly revived. His body moved, but his brain remained empty. It wasn't until shortly after the departure of the Furusato Unit that Haishi regained his sense of intellect.

Suddenly, an abrupt sensation of pain surged in Haishi's head, prompting him to grasp his forehead in discomfort. It has been a common occurrence ever since he could stand on his own two legs again. "...The damn Doctor said nothing was wrong with me," Haishi grumbled in irritation, "I'll just have to take meds or something."

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

Haishi turned around swiftly, noticing one of his fellow warriors standing in the doorway of the bathroom, knocking on the already opened door. The warrior had long black hair that hung down to the tip of his nose. He was also one of the assisting warriors that traveled to Ryakudatsu.

"You doin' okay, Chief?"

Haishi slowly removed his hand from his forehead and said, "Yeah, never been better." It wasn't a great lie, but hindering himself over a migraine-like headache wouldn't be ideal at the moment. Besides, he'll treat it soon enough—hopefully. "What do you need, Shouta?"

Shouta jabbed his thumb behind him and explained, "Kou is arguing about transporting those siblings here. Y'know, the kids whose brother was kidnapped?"

Haishi deadpanned. "Yes, I'm well aware of who 'those siblings' are." Though, the topic was surely confusing. "Why does she want them here?"

Shouta shrugged at the question. "I'm not entirely sure, Chief. But, it's something about Ryakudatsu being the center of attention for rogues of Adonai; not being safe for children like them." That didn't sound too unreasonable.

"Who is she speaking to about the situation?" Haishi asked, raising a brow to further indicate his confusion

Shouta lowered his thumb, resting his arm on the door frame. "Some of the warriors from Ryakudatsu have stopped by. The village hasn't been deemed an enemy or anything of the sort so far."

Haishi sighed and said, "Well, I doubt that they came without a message from the Minister." Shouta winced momentarily, being immediately noticed by Haishi. "What?"

"About that," Shouta began, "The Minister has gone missing…"

XXX

"Miss, we understand, but…"

"No! Those are innocent children who were dragged into your village's problems!"

Outside the barracks, Kou could be hollering at three warriors in light-blue armor and a crest that did not resemble Buraun's. These were warriors from Ryakudatsu. Surprisingly enough, it was as if you could see sweatdrops through the armor of the warriors as they struggled to contain Kou's rage.

A few feet away, a set of footsteps could be heard, garnering the attention of the distant warriors and Kou's. Turning to the source of the footsteps, Haishi and Shouta could be seen walking toward the scene. But—unlike the last time he was outside the barracks, he wore no armor.

"Kou," Haishi called out, looking toward the brown-haired warrior, "Please stop arguing with them. It's unnecessary."

"But they plan on keeping the kids stranded at their village, Haishi!" Kou rebutted, gesturing an arm at the warriors in light-blue armor.

Before Haishi could speak, one of the Ryakudatsu warriors spoke instead and said, "But that's the thing. Our minister has disappeared. Without him, our actions aren't governed. Our trip here was to merely apologize on behalf of our holy name."

"That's even more reasoning to deliver the kids here!" Kou was tenacious as ever, pressuring on the idea of bringing the siblings of Mizuki to Buraun. "We learned from one of the students that they lived in the Montgomery Church, which is currently destroyed. We have space here."

"That may be, but our statement still stands." The Ryakudatsu warrior replied, staring at Kou intensely.

Kou, in a fit of rage, turned toward Haishi. "Haishi! Please! You know what those kids must be going through! Their sibling even saved your life! If not for me, do it for Mizuki!"

Haishi eyed Kou silently, then casting glances at the warriors in light-blue armor. Why did today have to be so complicated?

XXX

Short chapter, but one to progress the story! I'll be going back onto my two-day furlough, like usual, so I wanted to get one out before I took my leave. Why is Haishi having headaches? Why are there no marks or injuries left on his body? What will happen between Kou and the Ryakudatsu warriors? Stay tuned for more!

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_