Black again. Really? This color is irritating! All Azi could see was that same color that tormented him. He hadn’t been able to remember all of it, but he instinctively knew how terrible it was.
The color black reminded him of shattered glass, the sound so painfully piercing. His awareness came back to him hard as it was, and on top of that, the last thing he remembered was a sudden revulsion of a taste in his mouth that was foul.
It subsided a few seconds later and now, He felt like he was lying down on a hard floor. It was not in the comfort of his bed at home. Though, that thought made him pause, that made no sense to him.
Where was home? Where was “this”?
He didn’t know, but he knew that he hated the color black. It was a dreadful color, a color that evoked such fear and cold lifeless emotions. The more he looked at this blank blackness, the more he felt himself almost breaking apart.
He shunted the thought away. Instead, he focused, he had too many questions upon his awakening, and while he should have been trying to find answers, what was occupying his mind more urgently was that there was an ache in his lower back and neck.
A chill then suddenly ran across his body.
'Hmmm? What was that? What happened, wasn't I with Ozen? Where did he go? And why am I laying down? And why can't I see anything? Hmm....'
“H..ey!..You!.. Wa.. ke.. U!”
From the black void of his vision, was an unknown noise, or was it a voice? It sounded like a voice but was too soft to hear, as if there were several layers of wall between him and whomever was on the other side.
"W.. up.. Wak.. p."
Azi's attention was yet again drawn away from his thoughts and he attempted to focus on hearing the noise to better understand what it was saying. Was it even words? He wasn’t sure, still, the aching in his lower back was killing him. ‘
I could really use a bed. His lips moved and he thought he heard himself. Then the voice became louder, clearer, and then became irritated. In the next second, it immediately formed into a scream.
"WAKE UP!! BOY!!"
'That sounds like....... a girl?'
Out of nowhere, his mind’s train was cut short. A freezing sensation fell across his face. It burned cold and a wet sensation on his skin made it seem as if he were drowning. With a cough, Azi cried out, spitting flying from his lips.
"What the heck! What was that?!"
Feeling as if he took a hit of ice-cold water to the face, his eyes reflexively shot open from the biting cold, surprise overwhelmed him for a brief moment.
Eyes now wide open, he rolled to his side and wiped at his face as he attempted to get out whatever had gotten into there. His blurry vision settled as a light from what looked like a torch or lantern shined in front of him.
He held a hand up and the visage of a person stood over him. It turned out that his previous conjecture was correct. The voice he heard did come from a girl, and a well pissed off one at that. She was like a mother looking down and disappointed in their child.
It unnerved Azi.
As pissed off as she looked and how much he paralleled her with older women, Azi thought she seemed somewhat.. Young, maybe a highschooler?
To be more precise, she was actually a tall voluptuous woman who had a scowl on her fair features, which gave her the sense that she was a mature woman. Took notice of the now empty wooden bucket held in her hand.
Finding that there were still some chunks of snow clinging to the bucket's rim, it was easy for Azi to tell that he got splashed with water that had been mixed with chunks of packed snow.
After getting the last of the water and snow from his face, he trembled as a sudden chill enveloping his body. He was drenched and his clothes were frosted through, or well, they were more like torn rags by now.
The chill in his bones was further emphasized by the dark blue sky and the frosting air as he let out a fogged breath. He shivered as a strong breeze went by, licking his bare and wet skin.
“Achoo! Ugh. Where am I?”
Looking around, Azi ignored the scowling girl, she seemed like too much trouble to deal with. She was also a stranger and someone he had no idea how to handle. Finding Ozen, who was sitting nearby on a wooden stool, he asked in his confusion of where he was.
He approached, an action the earlier girl seemed to not take kindly to. Nevertheless, Azi came forward, he needed answers.
"What is going on Ozen, did something happen while we were on the way to the village? Where are we?"
Glancing over his shoulder, Ozen looked at him with a deadpan stare and with a similar tone to his own, as if confused by why he would ask such a redundant question. He turned in his seat, and gazed at him fixedly.
"You passed out, boy. You don’t remember? By the time I noticed, we were already at the entrance to the village."
The large man then sighed and got up from his seat as he complained, confused by the lack of grit and mettle he had. Children had always wanted to ride on his back, all his kids did when they were Azi’s size, so why did he of all people not enjoy it?
Also, how could he not even handle a simple patrol through the forest?
"Just how weak willed are you? Does a simple run through the forest scare you so much that you pass out?"
Recomposing and recalling his recent memories, Azi remembered the experience of Ozen's so-called "simple run" while atop his back. It was a horrifying experience, his insides felt as if they were moving around in ways that they were not supposed to, or were never for him to ever feel.
At one point, perhaps his heart would have gotten caught in his throat and he would have choked on it to his death. A morbid and truly pathetic way to go, not to mention nonsensical.
"There is no way that that was simple!”
He knew he was being rude with his tone, but Ozen was so sudden in his actions.
“You were jumping so much that I felt like I was going to hurl up my guts. How are you able to move at such scary speeds like that?"
"Well, as king of a nation, my body must be strong enough to face all the enemies of the Empire of Yamato. Additionally, considering the enemies I have gained over my years as king, I would say that my current ability is expected of me."
Scoffing in response to Ozen's blatantly prideful claim, Azi gave a haggard sigh. He couldn’t believe that a king needed to be that strong. His own knowledge of kings, that was slowly coming back to him, had him remembering them as fat and lazy people who gorged themselves on their vices.
Granted, Azi didn’t think that of Ozen, but he knew that being King was lavish in some way. Ozen on the other hand, looked more modest and like a fatherly type. Traits he didn’t see in a king, not to mention, Ozen did not look like a battle hardened man, he was large, he’d give him that, but the man had such a peaceful expression of calm.
Azi internally argued that a king didn’t really need to be as strong as Ozen had chalked himself up to be. So far, Ozen didn’t seem the type. Their prior conversation confirmed how his speech pattern was more loose and lax, rather than noble and curt.
Ozen didn’t seem to care much for the role. Azi was skeptical.
"Really? Aren't kings supposed to usually be sitting his butt down on his throne all day as he handles meetings and paperwork while other people do the real work in the fields.”
He knew what he said was a slight against Ozen, but he truly needed to vent his frustration at the turn of events. He grinned at how Ozen didn’t offer a rebuttal. Rolling his shoulders to get sleep out of him, he struck up a conversation about the topic.
Yawning, a sudden reflex for him after waking up, Azi continued.
“Ah! Well, Whenever I think of a big shot like a king, that’s what usually comes to mind. What is your.."
His sleepy words were cut off as he blinked in surprise. A pair of glowing red eyes looked at him, it was.. Terrifying. He almost wanted to run, but a sudden impact to his left cheek sent him flying off into the wall of a nearby home.
He thumped against it, and luckily, his impact into the wall was not as bad as he thought. Nothing broke, nor did anything come out of him except his breath.
He slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
Still, air wasn’t an issue, he was getting plenty. Instead, he was more concerned by how the punch seemed to have had a substantial amount of killing intent behind it. Seconds before it connected, Azi’s spine chilled and shivered when he saw the earlier girl give him a death stare, as if wishing he would drop dead from merely looking at her.
Quickly recovering from the sudden surprise attack, he looked for the culprit. He was so turned around that it took him a few seconds.
Ugh, that girl that has one heck of an arm. She must be a meathead.
He found his target of ire quickly. The pissed off girl moved to stand next to Ozen and she emitted an intimidating aura as she talked to Ozen. She had a tone that didn’t seem like it fit her regal attire or her situation in talking with a “supposed king”.
Shortly though, Azi took back the earlier sentiment as he listened closer. Her manner of speech was loose like Ozen’s yet had a hint of dignity and pride behind it.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"Father, why have you brought a boy like this to one of our villages. After only a few moments, I can already tell that he is trouble. Anyone who would dare to insult the honor of a king is nothing more than a stain upon the nation he would inhabit."
Ozen responded with a sarcastic nod and explained, trying to allay the girl’s opinion.
"Yes, Yes, Shizu, I understand. But there is a simple reason for this, he is likely a foreigner from a place far far away from the influences of the Empire of Yamato. Not to mention that he’s likely a peasant as well. When I first met the boy, his demeanor was casual. It was novel to speak so freely with him. I oughta do it again.” He chuckled jovially for a moment, but returned to his mock kingly demeanor.
“Anyway.. I suspect it comes from his upbringing. With these points in mind and from what I can tell, he is likely from a nation where titles like king have no real power. Perhaps a nation to the far west?”
Ozen then looked over to Azi, grinning to himself in slight surprise.
"Isn't that right boy!" He shouted and Shizu turned to see who her father was addressing. In her mind, there was no way the boy could answer back. She had made sure to lay her punch on thick, if it had been a stone or boulder, it would have cracked. Yet.. she gawked at what she heard next.
Letting Ozen finish stating his estimations of him, Azi shook himself to get the spinning in his head to stop and rubbed the bruise on his cheek.
"I think so, but there is a hole in your explanation." He eyed Shizu more warily as he walked over. One of Ozen's brow rose in a hint of curiosity. What could he know that Ozen’s didn’t?
Not to mention. Ozen examined closer. He’s quite strong if he’s able to stand up to my girl. Interesting. Quite interesting.
"Oh really?” Ozen said. “And what would that be? If not from Yamato or the Sea nation to our East, then the only place that doesn’t know about myself or this empire would be the far off nations in the west."
While walking towards Ozen, Azi gave his own estimations of himself. He had little to go on with his amnesia, so he tried to put together what he could.
"While it is true that I am likely a foreigner, I get this feeling that it isn't the right word, but it is accurate. I can support your idea on how I don’t come from a place that had people that title themselves as king. We had.. More like? Leaders? I’m not sure, my head is still in a haze and I don't remember where I came from at all. For all I know, I may just have some messed up memories or a unique case of amnesia."
It was like putting a puzzle together except you had pieces missing, so the image was always incomplete. Attempting to think about his past again, Azi showed signs of a slight headache. His brow furrowed and he grasped his head lightly, grimacing from the twinges of onset pain deep in his brain.
Ozen noticed and made a mental note to himself, concerned if Azi would grow up okay with his situation. He was still a child in his eyes, so much shorter than him.
Perhaps it truly is amnesia, though, it seems like he’s remembering something, but slowly?.. I wonder, what kind of information could he tell me about the west? What will become of him though if this amnesia is recurring.
Meanwhile, as Ozen thought of more conjectures of where the mysterious boy came from and his safety, beside him, Shizu was dumbfounded by the current events. She had punched the boy with the intent to kill on accident since her anger had boiled over at his rude remarks to her father and King.
She would say it outright if not for how out of context it would be, but she loved her nation.
This boy’s flippancy and overly friendly demeanor with her nation’s King was another red flag that made her lose her temper. This boy was a commoner who didn’t know his place and had only met their auspicious king recently. He had no right to impune against or associate with any King in such a way.
But, as a noble, killing a commoner for a petty reason was disgraceful, it was in her right, but she steadied her hand. At the last second, she did try to reel her strength, though she wasn’t sure if he would survive or not.
She thought he was dead for sure and her earlier irritations and worries if she would be punished settled as a more pressing concern came forward.
Raising her voice, she questioned the boy with a dumbfounded expression.
"How are you still conscious? I was sure that my punch would kil .... umm I mean.. knock you out. Who? Just who are you?"
Kill? Really? Azi mentally argued. Just how bloodthirsty is this girl? By how she sneered at him, Azi knew her type. She was part of the prideful and condescending groups of society, and these people were the worst.
His headache ceasing at her words, Azi turned to Shizu and barked back. Where did this violent girl get to yell at him for no reason, and he had caught her flubbing, so he pounced.
"Knock out? KNOCK OUT!” Azi yelled. “That felt more like you were trying to do more than that you damn psycho!!!"
Sending a glare back at him, Shizu very much desired to now seriously punch him, and Azi seemed ready to dodge and run, a coward, she thought. By her estimations, Shizu knew she would win in a physical fight, but his challenging words made this into a duel of words.
For the outrageous slight against her, she would counter by beating him with words as well. How dare such a small boy call her a psycho. She thought herself beautiful and upstanding, not some vagrant of evil grandeur and mental degeneracy.
"Psycho? You dare use such a vulgar word to describe me. You not only have a mouth on you but also some balls. Maybe I should remove both as a recompense for your transgressions."
She flashed a cold and evil grin on her red lips, which Azi returned in kind as he smiled widely as if prouder than her and talked back sarcastically.
"OH, well aren't you kind, but unfortunately, I will have to decline your offered "mercy". Good job though, a good 10 out of 10 on negotiation skills. You’d be great in a “court” of law."
He knew that the girl was only trying to intimidate him so that he knew his place, but he would not take it lying down. He would not let himself take her aggression out so one-sidedly, not without a fight.
“Oh yeah!’ Shizu remarked, giving him sarcasm in kind. “Then I bet I would be great! Better than you! Some commoner who came from who knows where? Bet you’re sooo much better.”
“Maybe I could do better than you, but be my guest. Heh, go ahead, I'd “love” to see you try first. Don’t choke!”
With the most insincere gesture of mock compassion, Azi gave her a lousy bow to follow his words, as if inviting the challenge. Shizu’s glare deepend and became even harsher, so much so that it could probably melt through ice.
Azi didn’t miss a beat and stared back, obstinate and adamant on not letting Shizu have her way. The intensity of their spat exasperated Ozen's mood, they were devolving into children.
At the side, Ozen looked on at the two and could swear he saw fiery sparks form between them. Sighing, he called them out to stop their foolishness.
"Alright you two, enough of that!"
Breaking up their glaring match, Ozen stood between them.
"Let's get the introductions finished first. Azi, this is my oldest daughter Shizu, and Shizu, this boy's name is Azi. I found him lost in the mountains and decided to give him a helping hand.”
“Hmph! I see.” Shizu said uninterested and continued giving Azi an eye, telling him wordlessly to watch himself.
“I am going to need you to be his guide around Shisayama for the next couple of days.” Ozen said wearily. “So, the both of you, please get along.”
While Shizu wanted to break her gaze from Azi first to reject Ozen’s order, Azi broke it first and turned in concern at Ozen. He had a question ever since he woke and now was a good time to ask.
"Shisayama? What is that? And where are we?"
To Azi, he was turned around, and what Ozen had said was unfamiliar to him. While he knew by the context of the conversation that was the name of a place, he didn’t know of any nation or city name in such a way.
It was possible that he had forgotten, yet the name sounded both familiar and foreign, as if it shouldn't have existed.
Seeing him break eye contact with her, Shizu sneered in victory as she also turned her head away in the opposite direction of Azi's gaze. Her cheeks puffed a bit at how lackluster their duel of words was.
If the little, rude troublemaker was going to get so lost in himself, then let him, and leave me out of it. She thought. Oddly enough, she liked getting worked up, it was thrilling to speak to openly.
Chuckling from Shizu's childish bravado, Ozen patted Azi on the shoulder, as if thanking him for adding a bit of color to his day. He knew he wouldn’t understand, but did it anyway. His daughter rarely got like this because not many people could stand up or rebut her.
By his own words, Ozen would call her a strong woman, perhaps too strong for her own good. Her life wasn’t all princessy or rich with friends and connections, her position as his first daughter isolated Shizu from the rest of the common folk, a fact he knew Shizu grieved about.
"Ahem!” Ozen coughed, getting Azi’s and Shizu’s attention and answered Azi. ”Shisayama would be the current village we are in. It is near the city Kujyuri which is the nation's name and capital. We are at a small village that is on the way from Kujyuri to the capital city of the Empire. It is known as Yamato. Does this ring any bells for you? Any memories?"
“Maybe, hold on.”
Azi finally took notice of his surroundings in greater detail. He turned one way and then another, making out what was around. Yamato did sound familiar, so maybe that was where he was from or that he lived around here, close to Yamato.
He still wasn’t sure and glanced around some, perhaps he’d recognized something. Jog his memory, maybe?
By his estimations, he was in a small square clearing that looked like a modest garden of an aristocrat's home. This garden had smaller houses spread all around, possibly to house servants or guests.
Some of the buildings had stone chimneys billowing smoke out of them into the gray evening, or was it early morning sky? Azi had no idea of what the time was, there was no clock nearby he could look at.
He tried to find the sun, but there was no luck with that.
While trying to find that source of light, he saw other sources of light that lit the roads and dirt paths. There were torches and very few fixed oiled lamps placed around, as if marking key areas so no one would get lost at night.
As small as the light they gave was, it helped him to see better.
Getting a feel of his surroundings, it seemed that Ozen had brought him to where he could be tended to and be given aid after he had passed out. A few bandages were applied to his feet, most definitely to treat the frost bite he had to endure for a short time out there.
It stung when he shifted his foot, though only a little.
Beyond the border of the small garden, Azi got a better look and saw alleyways between the wooden buildings. In the horizon in the gray sky, the sun's edges were beginning to crest up from its rest from the night.
It seemed that this village did not have the use of electricity for lighting, but had to rely on torches and lamps to light the darkness.
Perhaps this was the norm out here in the sticks. Azi thought.
He then realized that he had likely passed out for quite a while. He remembered clearly that when he met Ozen, the sun was still slightly above the horizon.
But now, Azi saw the sun was about to rise and regretted that both Ozen, and even Shizu, had waited for him to awaken through the cold night.
They had laid him down on a mat outside on the porch of a large house. The two were likely sitting nearby waiting for him to come out of his slumber. Yet, why the water. It seemed that the sit and wait approach reached its limit with one of them.
It was evident by the empty bucket that Shizu still held.
Azi noticed it was still dripping pieces of snow and drops of water from Shizu's hand. He gave her a deadpan look of annoyance. She flinched, somewhat taken aback by how ruefully someone could gaze at her, especially someone so young looking and short.
"You lack patience, don't you?” He said. “Was that why you woke me up so forcefully? With all that water? And what was with the added snow of all things?"
Not expecting him to put two and two together, Shizu could only turn away as she threw the empty bucket far out of sight. Dusting herself off, her back straightened as she gave a polite smile.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I see." Said Azi. His eyes began digging holes into her head and Shizu sweltered a cold sweat on the back of her neck. It was surprising already that this Azi person had stood up to her and lived after taking one of her punches.
To her credit and to the contrary of her fair beauty she knew she had, she was immensely strong and could disable a man for life with her bare hands if she wanted to. So for this commoner to show such staunch grit in the face of her overbearing nature and strength was impressive.
In the next moment, the sound of a THUNK and BONK could be heard in the distance. Following it, an annoyed man’s voice spoke out.
"Ow! What the heck? A Bucket? Where the.. huh?"
The annoyed man looked around for the culprit of his distress, and after a few moments, his eyes locked with Shizu, who was standing across from Azi. With a heavy weight in his throat and on his frowning face, he walked up to her, obviously annoyed if not just as much or more than Azi.
"Sister! What did you do this time?"