"...Leaving the village..?"
Oshieru stood, stunned. The instructor was befuddled, replaying Tanjo's words in his head repeatedly.
"Tanjo… you can't leave. If you do, your chances of becoming a warrior will narrow. You'd have to restart everything elsewhere!" Oshieru rationalized, his gray eyes analyzing his student precariously.
Tanjo closed his eyes. "I'm not planning on attending anywhere else, Mr. Oshieru."
"Then why are you stealing armor?" Oshieru snapped, making Tanjo open his eyes.
Tanjo's lips parted slowly, but words struggled to escape. "You know what this year has been like for me; for all of us in Class 1AB! In Ryakudatsu, when I failed to rescue that child, Mizuki, I was down on myself—but refused to succumb to those feelings. However, the thought of falling short on saving anyone is the exact opposite of what a warrior should do."
"You can't save everyone you meet, Tanjo. We all learn that sooner or later; it was unfortunate for you to experience that early on." Oshieru argued, his voice becoming thin.
Tanjo's eyes steeled. "It shouldn't be like that! Warriors are supposed to make people feel safe, and allow the people of their village to smile happily—not have them die because of our failures!"
Oshieru took a step forward. "Tanjo, you..!"
"Even during the invasion, I couldn't make it home in time! All that was left was rubble and the lifeless body of a cat I took the liberty of caring for! That cat was supposed to be the start of my career, a new opportunity for me to save everyone!" Tanjo hollered, his blue eyes glinting heatedly in the moonlight.
Oshieru stayed silent, enabling the teenager to express himself. Various emotions hit the instructor, fluctuating with every word that flew out of Tanjo's mouth.
"As I was being subdued by an invader, something clicked! I… saw what I have been missing out on. I managed to defeat the invader, I was able to prevent Akogare from dying—even saving you from your potential death!" Tanjo continued, his breath becoming slightly labored from newfound adrenaline.
Oshieru waited for Tanjo's mouth to close, finding his breath. "Tanjo, It's great that you found that power, but you need to stay here to harness it completely! You were unstable, you killed someone! And I know that wasn't you—killing him contradicts everything you stand for!"
"How about you? You killed before, I know you have! I also know that you wish for nothing more than to protect the people in need, Mr. Oshieru." Tanjo shot back, clenching his hands tightly.
Oshieru didn't leave a second of silence to come, "But you can be better than me! All of you can be! Just like you, I've failed before. Within a warrior's life, killing is just another part of the job—you, however, were so determined on changing that. Your drive is the nation's only chance of becoming a better place!"
"I've learned something, Mr. Oshieru. Be it from what I have seen firsthand, or from my peers: Sacrifices are both important and dangerous; I'm willing to sacrifice my time with you all for the betterment of your lives. People in this village have started to resent me. Me 'harnessing' my power will only put people in fear." Tanjo claimed with fiery eyes.
Oshieru's thoughts halted.
"So, you already knew about that?" Oshieru asked gently.
Tanjo smiled lightly. "I was aware the moment I killed that invader. I felt it, Mr. Oshieru."
The jet-black-haired teenager could vividly remember that very moment; snapping the neck of the invader, only to then glance at the nearest crowd of people. Tanjo both saw and experienced the fear he had inflicted on the people of his village. He may not have been entirely conscious, but the idea of ridding people of their smiles pushed him away even further.
"Please, Tanjo. I know what you're feeling. I've acted the same way before—shunning people in hopes of getting better results; and, to my disappointment, it never worked. You're smart, very smart. You scored the highest on most assignments, even learning ways to perform better during training! Don't do this."
Tanjo was unmoved. "I'm sorry, but I've already made up my mind."
Oshieru's heart fell, losing his breath simultaneously. He couldn't win this. Tanjo was too determined to leave it be. At this very moment, Oshieru wished he had the ability to experience sobbing, but it had been years since a remorseful tear escaped from his sockets. Not from the lack of emotion, but from the amount of displeasure the instructor has grown accustomed to.
Slowly, the blue-haired instructor lowered his right hand into his pocket, pulling out his blue headband. The head gear unraveled in his hand as he presented it to Tanjo.
"This headband…" Oshieru started, his hand flat as he showed the blue fabric. "...It was with me the day I had lost nearly everything. I acknowledge the fact that it is an inanimate item; but to warriors, we grow attached to things that are always with us. Before and after the loss of our friends and family."
Tanjo didn't utter a word, surveying the blue headband that lay loose in his instructor's hands.
Oshieru stepped forward once more, extending his hand outward. "I want you to have it. It's clear that your mind is somewhere that I once was—keep it, and remember that you aren't the only person in the world with internal struggles."
Hesitantly, Tanjo reached out to grab the blue headband from Oshieru's hand, lifting the item into his own.
Suddenly—swish!—Oshieru clamped his left hand around Tanjo's arm, shocking the teenager.
"If I were to keep you here, your emotions would fester up inside of you, and surrounding you with vengeful villagers would only increase the chances of you committing a regretful act. So, I'm telling you now: stay safe, don't push yourself into your own demise, Tanjo. For the first time in years, I'm begging."
After a few quiet moments, Tanjo and Oshieru's hands slid back, morphing the tight hold into a handshake; the headband remained within both of their grips. They both then relinquished the grip they had on each other's hands, enabling Tanjo to step back.
With a smile, Tanjo fasted the headband around his head, his eyes focusing on Oshieru.
"I promise, not only to live but to make my goal a reality!"
In mere seconds, Tanjo vanished into the dark, leaving a saddened instructor.
XXX
*FWOOSH!*
A cyclone of fire appeared before Laurence and Gabriel's cell, revealing both Imawashiki and Mizuki.
As the fire dissipated, only leaving the torches on the wall as light, Mizuki squinted his eyes at the cell before him, immediately recognizing the two that were chained up.
"Father, Gabriel..?"
Gabriel perked up at the voice of Mizuki, his eyes darting to the child standing on the other side of the barred door.
"Mizuki! You're alive! Thank the gods!" Gabriel said in relief, his mouth gaping slightly.
Laurence glowered at Imawashiki, his eyes shifting from Mizuki to the fiery abomination. "What have you done to the child, you abomination!?"
Imawashiki noticed Laurence's hostility instantly. "Breaking already, huh? I guess it makes sense, you're reaching the end of the road, aren't you?"
"Answer the question! What have you done to—!"
Before Laurence could finish speaking, he broke out into a fit of coughing, his throat severely dry. Laurence was perplexed as to why they were left alive, being frequently supplied with food and water.
"Calm down, you geezer. I am only here to grant a wish Mizuki had made." Imawashiki silenced Laurence, answering the former minister's question.
Gabriel was confused. "What was the wish?"
Imawashiki nudged Mizuki forward, wordlessly guiding the child into speaking.
Mizuki, with his hand still clutching his arm, spoke with a nervous shudder, "I-I wanted t-to see you again, G-Gabriel."
As Mizuki explained his reasoning, Imawashiki butted in. "Since we're doing this, I might as well ask…" The fiery abomination craned his head to the side, eyeing the old minister intently. "...why did you kill Kokoro Kangae?"
XXX
Well, this is the start of something new for Tanjo. What will he do? Where will the boy go? Who knows(Besides me)? What did Laurence do to kill Kokoro Kangae, how does Imawashiki know? Stay tuned to find out!
I also deeply apologize for the inconsistency and shorter chapters.
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_