Playing With Fire *COMPLETE* (Obi x OC)

I'll Give It All Til There's Nothing

Chapter 7: I'll Give It All Til There's Nothing

I find myself face to face with Loxley in the canopy. The others have stopped out of curiosity so I place myself between her and Master. I don't know how skilled she is with her needles, so she could potentially curve one around me but I doubt it. Her face is pale and she's trembling slightly but there's a determined look in her eyes.

"Step aside Obi."

"I can't do that, Loxley. I'd fall out of the tree."

"I have to kill him. I'll kill you as well if I have to."

"Go for it then. Give it your best shot. I'll let you have first swing." I shrug. "If you can take me out, you can have Master's life."

She swings at me but I knock her arm away and hook my foot around her ankle to knock her off balance.

I follow Loxley down from the trees and catch her wrist as she lunges at me again. I lift her off the ground by her wrist and toss her aside. I almost feel bad for winning so easily but I have no plans to lose to her. I cross the clearing to where her body stopped and crouch down in front of her with a sigh.

"I was really rather hoping for a challenge."

"It's not over until someone is dead." She retorts as she struggles to get to her feet.

"So, in about two seconds when I kill you?" I smirk, tilting my head to the side.

She tries to tackle me but I side-step her attack and draw a dagger as she passes. It leaves my fingers almost instantly but she brings a needle up to block it. That's impressive, I'll admit. It's hard enough to block any weapon with another, but needles are nearly invisible they're so thin... I quickly find myself rushing to block each of her attacks and countering with my own as we fight around the clearing. I haven't looked toward anyone but I know they're watching us, I can feel their eyes on me. Loxley stops mid-swing and her eyes widen. I arch a brow and wonder what's wrong but before I can open my mouth to ask, she jumps up into the trees and is gone.

"So... does anyone know what that was about?" Mitsuhide asks after a long silence.

I'm not- wait, I smell fire. Is that what she ran away for? I know she has a fascination for fire but still... I straighten and turn toward Master as I hear a very faint whistle in the air. I can't tell where it's coming from though, the breeze is rustling the trees too much. I hurry toward him regardless but just a split second before I reach him, the scent of blood hits my nose and he collapses.

"Mitsuhide, Kiki, check on him. Prince Raji, Sakaki, stay close."

I leave them behind and race through the trees after the slight trail of rustling leaves.

I catch up to Loxley at the edge of a clearing but I find myself stopping short at what I find. There's a small cottage nestled in it but my focus is on the man standing in the doorway with a smug smirk on his face. Loxley is trembling before him, her back toward me. He must be her employer but why is she so scared right now?

"I did my job, now let them go."

"How do I know you succeeded? Where is his body Loxley?"

"The prince had three attendants and two others with him. There's no way I could have gotten the body."

"That's a shame then, isn't it?" He pulls something from his pocket and holds it up. "I told you that you had a time limit and time just ran out."

I realize it's a match when he strikes it against his teeth before tossing it into the home as he walks away.

"No!"

I step out from behind the tree once he's gone and carefully approach her. She seems at war with herself as she moves toward the fire but stops herself over and over. She's speaking but it's so quick and quiet I can't pick it up until I'm beside her.

"They're inside. They're burning. I need to help them. I can't go in there though. I can't... The fire. They're going to die."

"There are people inside?" I ask and she jumps but doesn't tear her eyes away from the growing fire.

"Yes." She whispers, then disappears from my side.

I catch sight of her sweater as she rushes into the cottage and I curse before following after her. I came after her to kill her for harming and possibly killing Master, yet here I am going into a burning house to save her. I mean, technically I'm saving the people inside, but I won't let her die in the fire as well. She went through it once already and survived, I won't let it get her this time. I'll take her into custody afterward but if she's succeeded in killing him, I will kill her instead. I tug my scarf up over my mouth as I move blindly through the smoke and flame, calling for her.

"I'm in here!"

I can barely tell where 'here' is, but it's coming from ahead of me.

"Hurry, they're trapped!"

I find Loxley in a bedroom in the back of the cottage, frantically working at the chains binding a mother and young daughter to a chair in the room. That son of a bitch... I dodge part of the ceiling as it falls and make my way over to the chair. He definitely poured oil throughout the cottage but thankfully the fire hasn't really hit this room yet. The smoke is bad though.

"Loxley, shut the door." It won't help the smoke in here but it'll slow the spread of the fire to the room. "I need one of your needles."

"I-I'm all out..."

"Alright, that's fine. It'll just take a little longer..." I mumble as I pull out a dagger. "I'm going to get you both out of here safely, I promise." I tell the mother as I approach and crouch down to study the lock securing the chain.