Playing With Fire *COMPLETE* (Obi x OC)

I'll Walk Into The Fire

Chapter 9: I'll Walk Into The Fire

The lock clicks open as the door gets fully engulfed in flame. Loxley has been panicking quietly in the far corner of the room while I worked on the lock. It was a little harder than I anticipated but I did it. Now I just have to get the four of us out of here before we burn to death or succumb to the smoke. I turn toward the small window and curse under my breath, then notice the large wooden dresser in the corner. I have Loxley help me move it out from the wall, then have the three of them hide behind it. I smash the glass before diving down to hide with them. The sudden rush of oxygen fills the room with fire and as the fireball dies away, I help the woman stand and help her out of the window without cutting herself. I hand her daughter off afterward before turning toward Loxley.

"Alright, you're next."

"How will you get out?" She asks though her eyes are glued to the flames.

"If I am an assassin who can't get through a window, then I don't deserve to live." I shrug. "Now get going so I can get out too."

I help Loxley climb through and wait for her to disappear before moving to climb through as well. A loud crack draws my attention but before I can trace the source, the ceiling crashes down above me and I'm knocked to the floor.

I can't get up. I'm trapped under a beam. That's just great. My boss may be dead and I'm going to die in a fire because I went after Loxley... I can't call her back in here for help, she's too affected by fire to be much help. She could potentially get hurt as well and I told her that I wouldn't let her die in here. Maybe I should stop being so nice and mind my own business. It doesn't really matter now since I am going to die very soon.

"Obi?"

"Loxley? I'm trapped!" I call out.

Her voice sounds close but I can't see anything through the smoke. The flames are close... It's so hot... I can't breathe. She doesn't answer me but I feel the beam slowly moving above me. I have to stay awake... I have to get out of here...

I wake up on the ground outside alone. I'm alive... That's good. How did this happen though? Oh wait, Loxley was in there. Did she save me? Where is she now? I try to sit up and a rough cough wracks my body. I think I got burned a little but it's not enough to be serious. I don't think she'd be dumb enough to go back into the cottage after getting me out and I couldn't have gotten out how I was so she made it out alive. I'm sure she ran while she could since she attacked Master. Master... I hope he's still alive. I don't even know how long I've been gone. If he is alive I'm sure he's probably angry with me for not protecting him properly and for going off on my own without his clearance. Her appearance in my life has done nothing but complicate things. I thought perhaps it would just be a snippet of fun but it's definitely not that anymore.

When I return to the clearing where I'd left Mitsuhide and the others, I find Master alive and well. That's a relief... Everyone turns to me expectantly but their expressions instantly turn to concern and confusion.

"Hey, uh, Obi, it looks like you... got a little burned?" Mitsuhide says, breaking the silence.

"You think?" I huff. "Are you alright, Master?"

"The needle compressed a nerve and I passed out. I'm fine now. Did you kill her?"

"No, she escaped, but I did find out more about her. It may be useful if we encounter her again. As it is, she and her employer think you're dead, so she may not come around any longer."

"With you around that's likely not true." Kiki sighs. "You seem to attract trouble."

"Well, when Master employs such an incredibly handsome young man such as myself, it may be hard for women to resist." I smirk and everyone groans in annoyance.

Before we continued on our way, I stopped to check out my burns. They were rather minor but a few of them blistered. There wasn't much I could do about them so we just left. It's been three days now since the fire and I haven't seen any sign of Loxley anywhere. I'm not sure if she went back to that man or if she's hiding from me. Perhaps since she's done with her job involving Master she's going to move on to the next one and I won't see her again. Things would definitely calm down that way. It'd be back to lounging in trees in between jobs and getting black out drunk with Garak. It's not a bad life I suppose. The perfect life to most, in some way. I don't think it's mine though. I don't know how to fix that either, that pit of dread that grows in my stomach when I think about staying so docile and pinned to one place. It'll be nearly impossible to leave without either changing the fate of the kingdom of Clarines or facing a life on the run. Neither option would be too unbearable, but I don't think I have the energy to deal with the first one and the second one would become an annoyance after awhile. I'd have to lay low for some time then change my alias. It's always been a hassle doing that, since so many people remember you as one alias and if someone knows you as one and another knows you differently, it makes a mess.

"Obi!"

"What, Hide?"

"If you didn't snap back to reality soon I was going to find a stream and toss you into it." Mitsuhide chuckles. "What's on your mind?"

"A little of this, a little of that." I shrug.