Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Louise POV – November 2nd.
I took a deep breath and moved. My sword sliced through the air with sufficient fluidity, the product of months of hard training. Torrents of water began to accumulate on the sword, first drops, then a jet, and finally enough to resemble small waves almost as large as my body, flowing, swirling, and moving around me with a pressure and force beyond what was apparent at first glance as I continued performing Water Breathing.
After repeating all the stances several times, I adjusted my body, changed my sword grip, and continued moving. The new forms were completely different from the previous ones. Where Water Breathing flowed, these movements seemed extremely powerful, intense, and very aggressive.
And then a burst of flame erupted from my sword as I continued performing the Flame Breathing techniques. The flames began to grow in intensity, volume, and heat. I could feel the water that had fallen earlier slowly evaporating, but I didn't stop. I kept moving with determination, each strike sending a flame of fire flying in all directions, extending several meters from my position.
I continued like that for several repetitions until I felt my arms tremble with exhaustion; finally, I stopped, completely sweaty. So far, I had been able to learn, not master, but lean to a high level, two breathing styles that Izumi had taught me: Water and Flame.
Initially, Izumi had wanted me to learn in a certain order: Water, Stone, Flame, and Wind, for some reason. But that didn't happen because I couldn't use heavy weapons to accompany Stone Breathing, so while he adapted it, to avoid falling behind, he taught me Flame.
For the past few weeks, I had been training harder, all to avoid thinking about, or even letting cross my mind, anything about my mother. I sighed shakily before walking away to where my belongings were. I grabbed my water bottle and towel, drying my sweat and slowly sipping the water to hydrate myself.
I sighed contentedly before freezing at the sound of laughter. I turned around, confused, seeing no one, before hearing the laughter again. I merely blinked before shrugging, only to freeze once more at the sound of a laugh I recognized perfectly.
"Izumi?" I murmured incredulously. I left my things in the small corner of the UA gym before leaving the building, glancing around before frowning and starting to walk to one side, then stopped when I heard more laughter coming from behind the building.
I walked behind the building only to keep hearing the laughter, only now it seemed to be coming from the woods behind the gym. I sighed and followed the sounds through the woods. Luckily, I didn't have to walk through the entire forest to find where the noise was coming from.
A small clearing where Izumi stood with his summons and a little girl. Eri. I recognized her immediately; I'd had the chance to meet her a couple of weeks ago. I could only blink as I stared at the scene before me.
The music was soft enough that I could only hear it when I got closer, but more importantly, they were dancing. Or at least, Izumi, Eri, and a white wolf were dancing.
The white wolf was in the middle, looking genuinely happy as he danced. I… I didn't even have words to describe it. He was bobbing his head high from side to side with what looked like a silly grin, while his rear end swayed in the opposite direction. Izumi and Eri seemed to be cheering him on and dancing beside him. Izumi was even clapping or waving his hand to encourage his wolf as he danced. The other summons were standing around them, simply watching.
I could only watch the scene in disbelief. I had already tried to stop understanding Izumi, but this was too much even for him. I could only shake my head and smile amusedly as I watched. Izumi was having a wonderful time, while Eri seemed genuinely fascinated and entertained by the dancing wolf, even as it swayed slightly from side to side while trying to dance.
"Izumi?" I asked incredulously, suppressing a laugh. Izumi, Eri, and the summons all turned at the same time to look at me amused. Eri moved first and hid slightly behind Izumi.
"Uh oh, we got caught," Izumi said playfully. "Do you know what that means?" Izumi asked Eri, who just frowned slightly.
"Should we kill her?" Eri asked seriously, looking at Izumi. He just stifled a laugh. I stared incredulously at Eri, then horrified at Izumi. What on earth had I been teaching that girl?!
"No, Eri, where did you learn that?" Izumi asked, laughing. Eri just blinked.
"That's what she... she did," Eri said worriedly. I frowned. Overhaul. I guess being held captive by Shie Hassakai for years had definitely left its mark, more than just some trauma. Izumi just smiled as she crouched down, placed her hand on Eri, and gently stroked it.
"Although it's a good way to silence someone, killing is wrong," Izumi said gently. "First, we invite you to join our secret meeting." Izumi said, winking. Eri nodded seriously.
"And if she talks, we'll kill her," Eri added seriously. Izumi laughed.
"That's my girl," Izumi said playfully, ruffling Eri's hair. Eri's expression brightened, though she didn't smile overtly. "You heard her, if you open your mouth, we'll feed you to one of my summons," Izumi said playfully, looking at me. "And by the way, Louise, what are you doing around here?" Izumi asked casually.
"That's my question. I was training, I heard laughter, I thought I heard your voice, I didn't think I'd find... this, whatever this is." I said dryly. Izumi laughed amusedly.
"We were dancing," Izumi said, as if it were obvious. I snorted dryly.
"I noticed. Your wolf has some nice dance moves," I said dryly. Izumi's eyes sparkled with amusement. "But I have to ask, doesn't Eri need to be in the hospital?" I asked carefully, glancing at Eri.
"We escaped!" Izumi said proudly.
"Did you escape?" I asked incredulously, Izumi laughed amusedly.
"Don't worry, it's not the first time, we run away every few days." Izumi said as if it were obvious, I looked at him even more incredulously.
"That doesn't make it any better!" I said incredulously. Izumi chuckled.
"Eri was bored, I was bored, I went to find her with Nue and we flew here to-" Izumi stopped when Eri tugged at his hand, frowning. "My apologies, I went to find her with Stormy and-" Eri interrupted him again, and Izumi laughed. "Duchess Stormy, guardian of the blue skies and fluffy clouds and friend of the birds." With that, Izumi looked at Eri, who nodded contentedly. Izumi chuckled softly. "As I was saying."
"We flew here to UA, I'll take her back in a couple of hours," Izumi said, pointing to the bird perched on a nearby tree branch, watching everything. I opened my mouth to reply before closing it and sighing wearily.
It would be pointless to argue with Izumi, especially since he'd already done it several times. At least he had the sense to bring her to UA; in case of any problems, there were more than enough people there to take care of Eri.
"Do you know how to get back to the hospital?" I asked curtly. Izumi puffed out his chest with pride.
"Eri knows how to come back." Izumi said proudly. Eri straightened up and nodded seriously.
"We've only gotten lost 4 times so far," Eri said seriously.
"That's a new record," Izumi said proudly, extending his fist toward Eri, who bumped it lightly against hers. I gasped, then rubbed my temple, my head pounding. Considering Izumi and a six-year-old leading the way, getting lost four times was a miracle.
"Congratulations, I guess." I finally said with a sigh. Izumi just laughed slightly. "And I suppose you're in this... forest, to stay hidden, right?" I asked with a sigh. Izumi nodded.
"It's our secret place," Izumi said playfully. "We even made a sign." Izumi said, pointing at a tree. I turned around and looked incredulously and saw that, yes, there was a sign.
"Eri and Izumi's Secret Place, Property of Eri and Izumi, don't be here, except for Eri and Izumi." I read the ridiculous sign. It was written in Izumi's handwriting, but around it was Eri's drawing; she had clumsily drawn various animals that seemed to mimic Izumi's summons.
"What a nice sign." I said resignedly, there was no point in arguing that this still belonged to UA. Izumi bumped fists with Eri again and they both chuckled knowingly.
"We were about to have a small snack, do you want to stay?" Izumi finally asked. I saw him pull a blanket out of his shadows. Eri moved immediately, and as if they were already used to it, they both spread the blanket out on the grass and arranged it.
Then Izumi brought out several baskets, and Eri began distributing the items onto small plates as if it were her job. She then grabbed what looked like several sandwiches and began moving quickly toward Izumi's summons. Clumsily, because she was overwhelmed, she started giving one to each summon. I could only blink and sigh softly as I watched the scene unfold. I approached Izumi.
"I admit it, she's cute." I said to Izumi in a low voice, Izumi laughed with her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"She is." Izumi said playfully.
"But I still have to ask, shouldn't you... be preparing for Jeju?" I asked worriedly. Izumi smiled gently as he watched Eri feeding his summons, even though it was pointless since they were made of shadows.
"Don't worry, I'm working on it," Izumi said gently. "It's good to know there's something to come back for. The girls and Eri are important to me, and I won't let some stupid ant-infested island stop me from going back," Izumi said dangerously. "Besides, Eri is never a distraction," he added, smiling again. I could only look at him and smile softly.
"If you're sure," I finally said as I nodded.
"By the way, you were also on the list of important girls." Izumi said, winking at me. I blushed slightly.
"Shut up, I didn't ask you," I said, embarrassed. Izumi giggled, especially when he leaned in and kissed me on the lips. I sighed with pleasure before moaning in frustration when the kiss ended just as quickly. Even so, Izumi had already pulled away and was watching Eri, who was returning empty-handed and sitting down on the blanket.
Izumi sat down next to her and then looked at me before tapping the empty spot beside him. I just snorted, but carefully sat down on the blanket without knocking over anything important. Eri reached down slightly and handed me a sandwich.
"Thank you." I said immediately, then Eri handed one to Izumi.
"Thank you." Izumi said gratefully. Eri finally seemed satisfied and grabbed one for herself and happily began to eat.
"It really seems like you've been doing this a few times," I said, sounding slightly surprised as I ate my sandwich. Izumi nodded.
"Indeed we have." Izumi said easily.
"And do you always dance?" I asked curiously, Izumi shook his head.
"Not really. Sometimes we draw, sometimes we explore, sometimes we play, sometimes we dance, and sometimes we sing." Izumi said easily. I could only blink in that direction as Eri looked up from her food upon hearing that option.
"Can you sing?" Eri asked immediately, sounding really excited as she bounced in place, then paused slightly. "Please?" she added quickly and bounced again. Izumi laughed, grabbed his sandwich, finished it in three quick bites, and then pulled out his scroll.
"Of course, you choose the song," Izumi said as he handed the scroll to Eri. Eri's eyes sparkled with excitement. She took the scroll and began to clumsily manipulate it, but the music quickly began to play. Izumi simply started singing along, and it was truly adorable to watch.
Or rather, watching Eri. Eri stared at Izumi so intently and without blinking, she focused all her concentration on him, as if trying to memorize the entire song while Izumi sang to her. When it was over, Eri simply selected another song from the scroll.
To my surprise, Izumi even encouraged Eri to sing after a couple of songs. Eri enthusiastically joined in, despite not knowing half the lyrics. Even so, she seemed genuinely happy to be singing. Izumi occasionally corrected her, showing her the proper singing technique—appropriate for her age, certainly—just maintaining the correct posture, opening her mouth freely, and breathing deeply.
The singing show quickly seemed to transform into an impromptu singing lesson in the middle of the forest, and neither of them seemed bothered by this fact; both seemed really comfortable and happy with the situation.
I just stood there watching them for several songs in silence, almost afraid of interrupting the scene. Neither of them seemed to remember me until Izumi simply looked at me and forced me to join in. I stared at him, almost horrified.
Apparently, one of the rules of Eri and Izumi's secret place was that everyone had to sing. So I was forced, against my will, to sing along with them.
In some ways, I was worse than Eri. I didn't know any of the songs they were singing. I'd heard Izumi sing a few times, and I actually had some of the videos saved in my feed. But even so, the songs were completely different from any I had heard before; they were all completely unfamiliar to me, so I could only awkwardly babble random words trying to keep up.
Even so, they both seemed completely satisfied with my terribly poor performance. I was able to relax when neither of them laughed or made fun of it, so I just kept singing along with them.
Before I knew it, we'd been singing for over an hour. They both looked really tired, especially Eri, but they still seemed incredibly satisfied. Izumi just smiled and stood up.
"Alright, Eri, it's time to go back." Izumi said gently.
"B-but-" Eri tried to say as she nodded slightly, trying to stay awake. She yawned widely. Izumi bent down and lifted her into his arms, and Eri snuggled against Izumi's chest immediately.
"Come on, I'll take you back, you rest." Izumi said gently. Eri barely said "Come on," she just closed her eyes and her breathing began to calm. Izumi glanced at me slightly. "I'll take her back to the hospital." Izumi said easily. I could see the Nue dissolve into shadows before reforming, this time much larger, big enough for Izumi to climb on top of.
"Come on, I'll go with you," I said to Izumi easily. Izumi just raised an eyebrow. "Your navigator is asleep; you'll never make it to the hospital," I said curtly. Izumi opened his mouth before snorting, turned around, and gently jumped onto his summoned creature. I quickly followed.
Once we were above, Nue, or Stormy as she'll be called now, flapped her wings and lifted off from the forest floor, soaring into the air. I held on tight and tried to stay steady during takeoff. Luckily, she then began to fly slowly, enough for me to regain my balance. Izumi sat down and cradled Eri in his lap, using his arms to shield her from the wind. I carefully moved and sat down next to Izumi.
The ride on Stormy was relatively short; it took us right to Musutafu Hospital, and it was definitely impossible for us not to be seen, but Izumi just walked right in through one of the open windows. I could see a sign that said 'Eri's Room' under the window, taped to the wall in Izumi's handwriting. I could only shake my head in amusement.
Izumi tucked Eri into the hospital bed before gently kissing her temple. I could only watch the scene with a sigh. Izumi jumped back out the window after closing it from the outside, and then we took off again in Nue.
"That was cute," I told Izumi. He just shrugged.
"Eri is cute." Izumi said as if it were obvious. I snorted, but nodded.
"She is," I said playfully. "You're really thinking about adopting her, huh?" I asked casually. Izumi just hummed.
"Maybe. As much as I'd like to say yes right away, we have to think about what's best for her. I'm still a student, I have classes for more than half the day, raising a 6-year-old isn't a part-time job," Izumi said seriously. I could only hum softly while nodding.
"You'll figure it out," I said honestly. "The girls will surely support whatever decision you make," I said gently. "I would too," I said with a small smile. Our relationship was barely defined. After kissing in my room while we discussed Mom's plans, well, I still didn't know if we were actually a couple or if we were just pretending or what. Izumi seemed really comfortable, so I hadn't really stopped to think about it.
I would simply… let whatever happens, happen. I… couldn't follow my mother's wishes anymore, especially after spending a couple of hours watching Izumi and Eri together. They were both truly smitten with each other, and I was sure Izumi would cut down an entire country for her. If Izumi was like that for any of his children…
I chuckled softly. Yes… I couldn't do anything that involved them, and I didn't want to. I… I'll have to face Mom sooner or later, but for now… I could enjoy these moments.
"Wrong direction." I told Izumi with a smile, but I leaned towards him and gently took his hand. He immediately intertwined his fingers with mine. Yes, everything else could wait.