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"Keep up, loser!"
A husky male voice echoed from the forest following with katana clashes. He dodged and turned, away from the blue-eyed samurai whose aim on him.
"I'll make you call yourself a loser instead." The samurai declared with ice cold voice, smoothly block his sword.
"Hah, bet! You won't!"
"I didn't say which place you're calling yourself a loser."
Despite the confusing hint, Taigen still chuckled and swing his blade under the samurai's leg, but she quickly outran it.
She finally smacked him from behind in the back of his knees as he fell down dramatically. A loud groan escaped his throat.
"You fucking- beast!"
He spit and laughed mockingly, pulled out his hand to shake hers as he stood up from his bruised butt.
"Hey, your hand is softer than a man's should be." Taigen muttered.
The samurai's glance pierced through his, giving him unintentional butterflies.
"Not impressed. I still can beat your ass with those."
A faint shout from Ringo, calling them for dinner.
The two just walked beside each other back to their camping place in the forest, vaguely seemed to be in peace despite the dreadful contract Mizu and and him made after an unofficial battle back in the Shindō shrine.
Unlike Mizu's, Taigen's eyes were a warmer brown, a pure Japanese trait, but it doesn't mean his attitude has the same tone; rather a cocky, self-absorbed swordman, next to a lone samurai whose title related to the vengeful Onryō.
The sight of fire awakened their senses again as faint smell of soup wander in the air, following with roasted sweet potatoes that Ringo picked earlier afternoon. He proudly place his handless arms on his hips.
"You two took soooo long, you know? Anyways, mushroom soup for dinner! Two bowls or four?"
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Snoring sound vaguely passed by, as the big figure of Ringo sleeping soundly next to their horses. Faint charcoal are still glowing red from burning.
The samurai's eyes aren't closed. They are drowned into the starry sky above, not vengeful as they were anymore, but a soft, deep and fully sorrowful gaze.
"Beautiful."
Mizu jerked up from surprise as she turned around soundlessly, quickly grab Taigen's collar as he held his hands out.
"Hey, come on, calm down blue-eyed deer. Just never seen your eyes looking like that before."
She frowned for a minute, then roughly let go of his yukata collar and lie her head on the solid grassy floor again.
"Don't you dare calling me by that name again." Mizu hissed.
"Oh well? Embarrassed?" Taigen's voice mocked her mischievously. "You're lucky I didn't call you a doe or sugar, twink."
"..."
"You know, if you were a girl I'd go for you instead. But hey, samurai's can't be girls...unless when I'm breaking the rules."
"You think so?"
"I'm not gay, blue-eyed deer. But you're pretty handsome. Girls got their eyes locked on you."
"Like yours earlier?"
Taigen's face suddenly turned bright red. How the hell were she wasn't blushing because of his flirting tactics, but also able to make him feel uneasy and bothered in just a sentence?
"Idiot." He turned his gaze away, promising himself not to let Mizu's face and voice wander in his daydream.
Mizu only snickered and crossed her legs, putting her arms under her head and closed her eyes.
"Awkward bastard."
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