HUNTED ━━ obi x oc

goodbye | 0.15

I knelt down and dug a small hole, looking at my veil one last time before placing it inside and covering it with the soft topsoil and snow.

"Goodbye, Mom."

~~~

I woke up to something roughly nudging my side. I ignored it at first but then it nudged me again.

Then again.

And again.

I pushed it away but whoever or whatever it was, was persistent. Finally after about five more times, I sat up, defeated. When I looked over to see what had woken me, my eyes met large black ones. Haru stared innocently at me while I glared daggers back at him.

"I was sleeping, you know," I said coldly, my voice still hoarse from crying the night before. I rolled over, laying down once again. I was on the verge of sleep when I felt him nudge my side again. This time harder. With a groan, I shot up, completely turning my body towards him. "What is it?" I asked, a tic mark appearing on my forehead. This damned horse isn't letting me sleep. Using his head, he motioned towards the open doorway. When I followed his gaze, my eyes were met with blinding sunlight. Morning already? I barely slept at all. I sighed before rising to my feet.

"Guess I should get out of here," I said as I attempted to stifle my yawn. I had only taken a step when Haru huffed loudly, stopping me. I turned to see him bobbing his head in my direction. I raised an eyebrow in confusion before looking down. A frown crossed my features as I took in my disheveled clothes and the amount of hay that stuck to them. As I looked down, my vision was obstructed by several straws of hay and it was then I realized that hay was sticking out of my hair in various places. Haru seemed to laugh as he continued to bob his head, clearly amused by my appearance.

"I'm glad someone is enjoying themselves this morning," I said with crossed arms as I eyed my horse displeasingly. "And to think I was going to buy you carrots."

He stopped short.

"Oh and apples too!" I added. "My, my, what a shame. Ah well." I clicked my tongue before turning on my heel and leaving the stables, leaving my horse behind. "Bye Haru~"

As I walked from the stables back to the main building, I set to work on my hair, picking as much hay out of it as possible before reaching the main door. When I walked in I was greeted by cheerful soldiers carrying out their usual morning routines and enjoying their breakfast time.

"Mornin' Vela," one greeted me, but nearly choked when he saw my face. "M-miss Vela! You're not wearing your mask, today!"

Others around him also noticed my sudden change in wardrobe. They all stared at me with wide eyes, pink dusting most of their cheeks. Around the castle I almost never wore my veil, for security reasons of course, but I always kept it secure around my face when on official business. This was the first time any of these men had ever seen my face. I gave them a small smile.

"No, no I'm not. I'm afraid you'll have to see my face from now on," I said sadly. Across the main hall, Obi, Mitsuhide, and Kiki looked up from their conversation, noticing the commotion.

"T-that's not a bad thing!" The same solider stuttered out, blushing slightly.

I chuckled lightly, though it didn't quite reach my eyes. "Is it not?" I asked, but walked away before any of them could respond. I shivered slightly. I could feel the soldiers' eyes on me and I didn't like it. I quickly pulled up the hood of my cloak, partially hiding my face. When I reached the others, they watched me with sad eyes.