"Azuka, why? Why would you say no Azuka," Ichina asks with a worried mixed with anger in her face. "This just isn't for me, I'm-" Images flash in Azuka's mind, a bloody, beat-up child lying in an alleyway with only one exit. His mind sent chills down his spine, as he thought back to his childhood. "You villain," rang throughout his mind in and out. "I'm not a hero," Azuka whimpers. "Sorry old man, but I will not help you," Azuka says bowing at him.
"Azuka! Just say yes, it wouldn't hurt you to at least say a simple, I will try!"
"I won't! I won't gain anything from this."
"Gain? You don't need to gain anything. You are helping people with your power isn't that enough!"
"No, Ichina! I don't even know these people, I just got here and I have to help them? Sounds like some bullshit!"
"AZUKA! What is with that foul mouth of yours? I should really put some soap in it!"
"You could try, if you could even catch me."
"You aren't that much stronger than me."
"Yes, I am."
"You haven't even seen me actually using my magic in a fight. A princess has to hold back in the presence of peasants. It is only common decency."
"So now you are calling me a peasant? I thought you were my partner."
Azuka and Ichina continue arguing as Chief gets off the table, back to his end of the table. He enters his meditation pose once more and contemplates. If I have to wait for the next reincarnation, then I do not think I will be able to survive the next encounter with Damien. Only God knows if this village will prosper for another century after I die. Perhaps I could convince Azuka to still help us with a massive reward. He seems like the type to only work for a reward, but we do not have much else left to give. Too many pirate raids, too many demon visits...
"You don't know anything about me, Ichina! How about you just leave me alone!" Azuka storms out of the hut in a fit of rage. Ichina stomps her feet, with a tear in her eye, but she wipes it away, turning toward Chief. She bows quickly, "I will try my best to bring him back. I'm sure if I talk to him he will help." Ichina rushes after Azuka, who was prancing with hard stomps. He appeared to be walking in the direction of the shore.
"Azu-" Ichina stops herself from yelling out to Azuka. I should follow him, he is right about me not knowing anything about him. If I follow him maybe I can learn something about him.
Ichina follows Azuka to the shore, she hides behind a tree watching him move a few bushes around. What in the world may he be doing? Wait- Is that our bags? He must have hid it. Speaking of which, where is our boat? Ichina looks at the same spot that their boat was previously. However she could only see the pieces of wood from her destroyed boat. In place of it was a large brown boat, sitting comfortably in the shore.
I shouldn't be too worried it got destroyed, maybe the village has another boat for us to use. Ichina looks back at Azuka who started sitting down with the photograph of Emily in his hand. To Ichina he seemed to be praying to it or confessing his sins. She stares at him for a moment, thinks back to the many times she never asked him about the photo. Then she clenches her fist, gulps, releasing her fist, and begins walking toward Azuka.
I've seen him with that photo practically everyday. I've never seen it, but every time I see him looking at it he looks so sad. I never asked him about, because I felt like it was a personal thing to him. After interacting with practically everyone in the village, I've gotten used to people and feelings. Which has been a great learning experience from the Kingdom.
"Azuka?"
Azuka freezes griping the photo tightly.
"Azuka, what do you got there?"
Azuka shoves the photo into his pocket with enough speed for Ichina not to see it, but with enough force so it does not get damaged in any way. "It's nothing," Azuka stands up with his back to Ichina. "What are you even doing here? Are you trying to convince me to go help that village?"
Ichina nods, "Azuka, you were right. I don't know anything about you. So how about you just tell me about yourself."
"Leave me alone! Can't you see that I'm busy?"
"Azuka! You can start with your childhood with me, if we can get to know each other better, maybe we could-"
"We could what? Save the village with our friendship, I'm not into that kind of stuff. I've always been alone."
Great, he started talking about his past. If I can keep this up and get him to open up, I can change him. "I've been alone too. Since my mother died, my father has kept me isolated. He assigned fake siblings to help me go along with my years of isolation, he gave me fake friends. I was always alone just like you Azuka!"
HMPH! "You had family! My mother, my father, I never met them." Azuka turns around with a face that was breaking down by the second. Emotions seemed to ooze out of Azuka, heat protruded from all over his body.
"My Master was barely there for me when I needed him! I had no friends instead I got bullied by the local town 'heroes'. I wasn't isolated in a giant castle, I was left to die on the streets where nobody came to help me! I had to resort to crime since that was the only thing I was taught! You wanted to know who the photograph is of, well it's my girlfriend! Who I had to leave behind to achieve my dreams! I intend to go back for her, so saving some little village where I have a high risk of dying is not my cup of tea!"
Tears begin rolling down Azuka's cheeks that started vaporizing as it streamed down his face. "You and I are alike? We are nothing alike! My girlfriend wanted the best from me and every time I try to live up to her expectations, I fail! Do you know what it is like knowing that the only person who cared for you is going to be the most disappointed in your actions? Do you know what it is like to see the man you killed in your dreams every night? Do you Ichina? Little Ms. Princess with everything handed to her."
Ichina was speechless, she did not know what else to do, but rush at Azuka and give him a massive hug. She felt a burning sensation from every place that she made contact with Azuka. She endures it and rubs the top of Azuka's head. My mother would do this to me whenever I had a bad time with another student in school.
"There, there," pain was clear in her face, but she continued in a soft voice resembling that of a mother, "Azuka, you want your girlfriend to be proud. Save the village. It is something that would be the best for you. I don't know what exactly she would be dissappointed at, but being good seems like the way she wants you to be. Azuka for ten seconds I will let you lash out all of your emotions. After that you will be completely fine and all will be forgiven."
one...
two...
Azuka's tears fell down harder than before.
three...
four...
five...
Azuka hugs Ichina back, she lets out a shriek as the heat from Azuka burns her much harsher than before.
s-s-si-six...
seven...
eight...
nine...
ten...
"T-Time is up, Azuka."