"You are late" Rei teacher said as she tries to sneak in the training hall, her teacher was busy meditating but he noticed her footsteps when she walks in , then tries to put on her gi, then he stood up and walks up to rei "ten minutes late" he said
"But I still made it" rei said
He signs "I will pretend like I don't know where you are coming from but master Akarawa gave me an order and I must follow" he said
"Well one day I will become master of Akarawa land, which means you will follow my orders too, so there is no difference then and now" Rei said
"Well until you become master, I will follow your orders, rules are rules Young master so you know what you have to do" he said as rie saw his face and realized that this man wasn't born with fun at all
"Yes, teacher," Rei accepted as she leaves.
"I hate night watching… this is worse than training all day," Rei muttered, pulling on her armor before heading to the gate. She sat down beside two guards—one female, one male—who were keeping watch.
"Some pork, Lady Rei?" the male guard offered, holding out a skewer as they roasted a whole pig over the fire.
"No, I'm full," Rei said as he continued eating. "Is this what you guys do all night—just eat?"
"No," the female guard laughed, "we watch the gate… and we eat to keep ourselves awake."
The two shared a laugh while Rei just looked at them in boredom.
"If i had known this would happen—me stuck sleeping outside—I would've stayed with Akari instead and just taken the punishment tomorrow," Rei muttered under her breath.
From where the pig was roasting over the fire, she idly played with the flames, shaping them into small, cute figures. The crackle of the fire mixed with the low chatter of the two guards nearby. Rei tried to keep herself awake, but her eyelids grew heavy, and her head began to droop.
"Sleeping on duty?" a teasing voice came from behind.
Rei jerked her head up and turned—only to see her father, Daichi, smiling as he held up two bottles.
"Papa!" Rei's face lit up. The two guards immediately stood and bowed their heads.
"Rice wine to go with the pork," Daichi said, giving the bottles a little shake. The guards grinned, stepping forward to take them.
"Thank you, Master," they said in unison before settling back with the drinks.
Daichi eased himself down beside Rei. "You came home late, didn't you?"
"Yes," Rei admitted, "I secretly escorted Akari back home. She was supposed to go with Rin and her brothers, but when she got to the maidens' club, they'd already left."
Daichi raised a brow. "And that's the story you're going to tell your dad when he asks why you were late?"
Rei's eyes popped open wider. "Obviously not. He'd either block my chi or send me away."
Daichi chuckled. "The only thing on your mind is love."
They both glanced toward the two guards—who were already half-asleep, clutching the rice wine bottles.
"These are the guards assigned for night watch?" Rei whispered in disbelief, staring at the slumped men. "They can't even handle their drinks."
"That rice wine wasn't even strong," Daichi replied with a faint smirk.
Rei raised a brow. "Then why are they drooling on their armor?"
Daichi's grin turned mischievous. "Do you want to do something fun?" He slipped a hand into his robe and pulled out two ink pens.
Rei's eyes lit up. "You didn't."
"I did," Daichi said proudly, handing her one.
Suppressing her laughter, Rei crouched beside one guard and drew thick eyebrows across his forehead. Daichi added a crooked mustache to another, then they both struggled to keep from bursting out as they admired their artwork.
But the laughter died quickly.
"Help! Somebody help!"
The cries carried through the night air. Both Daichi and Rei froze.
"Help us!" another voice shouted, closer now.
Rei shot up, fire crackling around her fingertips, ready to strike. Two identical figures stumbled into view, pale with fear. Behind them, massive shapes emerged from the shadows—giant ants, their armored bodies glinting under the moonlight.
"What the hell are those things?" Rei gasped.
"They look like ants… just bigger," Daichi answered calmly, though his fan was already in hand.
The twins staggered forward.
"Please, help us!" one of them pleaded, clutching his side. "Our sister—she's in danger!"
"Please save her!" the other begged, gripping Daichi's sleeve desperately.
Before they could explain more, the ants rushed closer, mandibles clicking.
Rei stepped forward, fire surging in both hands. With a sharp flick, she hurled a blazing orb that burst across the first creature's carapace. It screeched, but another lunged.
Daichi's fan sliced through the air, cleanly severing the ant in two. He moved with calm precision, each strike deadly.
Rei summoned twin blades of fire, cutting through the swarm with fierce strikes, each slash leaving burning trails in the night. The ground shook with the fall of the monstrous insects until, finally, the last of them collapsed in smoldering heaps.
Breathing hard, Rei lowered her swords, their flames flickering out into the night. "What the hell did we just get dragged into?"
Daichi turned sharply to the two boys, his voice firm. "Who are you, and where did you come from?"
But the twins didn't answer. They were too busy crying, shoulders trembling as if the weight of the world had just crushed them.
Rei's patience snapped. She lifted her hand, sparks hissing from the dying flames. "Say something before I burn both of you alive!"
The boys scrambled forward on their knees, clutching at Rei's hands as if she were their last hope.
"We're cowards…" Minato choked out, tears streaming down his face. "We left our little sister alone in that forest. No matter how much we wanted to protect her—we couldn't do anything."
"Please… please save our sister, Rin!" Ayato cried, clinging tighter to Rei's hand.
The name made Rei's chest tighten, her breath catching. Daichi's eyes widened too.
"Rin?" Rei whispered, shaking Ayato's shoulders desperately. "Rin Kisaragi?"
Ayato nodded over and over, unable to stop his sobbing.
"What happened to her? Where is she?!" Rei demanded, her voice rising in panic.
The brothers only cried harder, unable to form words. Rei's fury boiled over. She slapped Ayato across the face, hard enough to snap him back to his senses.
"Where is Rin!" she shouted.
"She's… she's in the forest!" Ayato stammered.
"Which forest?" Daichi asked quickly.
"I–I don't know! It's huge… so many trees… and—and there was a massive ant nest there," Minato sobbed. His fists clenched in the dirt. "They might have devoured her by now. We're useless… we couldn't even protect our own sister!"
Before Daichi could react, Rei let out a sharp whistle. Flames erupted in the air, and her fire dragon appeared, coiling with blazing heat. Without a second thought, she mounted its back and shot into the sky.
"Rei!" Daichi called after her, but she was already gone—vanishing into the night with the beat of fiery wings.
He turned back to the twins, his jaw tight. "Get yourselves together. You're going to lead me the way you came."
Minato shook his head miserably. "We don't know the way. We only followed the smoke… it led us to this gate."
Daichi exhaled sharply through his nose, trying to steady his anger. "Then one of you had better remember. I won't let my only daughter throw herself into danger alone."
Ayato swallowed hard, forcing himself to stand. "I… I remember the route. I'll lead you."
"Good," Daichi said, his voice like steel. He glanced at the two unconscious guards on the ground. "But first… I'll need to find replacements for the night watch."