HUNTED ━━ obi x oc

lord brother | 0.16

The other soldiers laughed harder as the man's cheeks turned bright red. I gave them a wink before turning my attention back to the group.

"Shall we?"

~~~

The journey back to the castle was quiet. No one, not even Shirayuki, said anything. The only sound was the clatter of horses' hooves and the occasional crack of branches as Obi traveled separately in the trees.

I couldn't complain, though. It was my fault, after all. Ever since my little "incident," no one really knew how to interact with me. Obi tried and obviously failed and I doubt Kiki or Mitsuhide were willing to test their luck. Shirayuki, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. She would still attempt small talk with me. She, however, was oblivious to what had happened while we were away. No one besides Zen and Obi really knew what happened, and Obi was the only one who knew why.

I know it's not fair to keep the others in the dark but I can't help it. My entire life has been spent training myself not to let my emotions get the better of me, and I failed. I almost killed an unarmed man and I blew up on Obi when all he did was worry about me. How could I not want to distance myself from them?

Upon our arrival to the castle, Shirayuki was the first to leave. With a wave, she ran off to go report to Ryu and Garack, the head pharmacist. I used this opportunity to slip away from the others without them noticing. I made my way to the courtyard, climbing my favorite tree once I got there. With a sigh, I laid back on a branch just wide enough to support my body. I allowed my eyes to drift closed and was on the verge of sleep when I heard the sound of feet scoffing below me. I opened an eye to see a group of guards making their way through the gardens.

That's odd. Since when have guards been stationed here?

That's when I noticed it. The amount of guards had almost doubled since we left and their posts were all different.

Why would their posts change? If Zen had arranged this, I would have known and as head of the protection detail, both Mitsuhide and Kiki would have been notified immediately if there had been any changes while we were away.

Something's not right. But what?

"Yo," a voice said suddenly. My body immediately stiffened. I barely had time to react when I suddenly lost my balance, falling off the branch I was resting on. "Whoa, careful," Obi said, reaching out to catch me. "Are you alright?"

I watched him with wide eyes as he pulled me back onto the branch next to him, his hand hovering just above my waist. "I'm fine," I said once I recovered from my surprised state. "You just...scared me, that's all."

"I know," he said, eyeing me carefully. "That's why I'm worried."

"Well don't be," I said, ignoring his scrutinizing gaze. "I was lost in thought and you surprised me, nothing more."

He raised an eyebrow, watching me closely while making sure to keep one of his hands securely on the branch behind me. It was impossible for me to fall.

Too close. He's way too close.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Why are you here, anyway?" I asked, subtly trying to move my body away from his. He sighed, allowing me to do so before responding.