CHAPTER 5: SUZUNE AZURI

The river flowed gently, the sun's reflection dancing across its surface. Sahiru sat beneath a tree with his blade resting beside him, the wind tugging lightly at the sleeves of his red haori. His expression was as distant as the sky—still weighed down by memory and purpose.

The silence was broken by the sound of fast footsteps splashing in the shallows.

"Found you!"

Sahiru blinked and turned.

A girl rushed toward him, spinning a green-and-white parasol above her head like a fan of petals. Her long brown hair swayed in the breeze, and her emerald green robe shimmered with gold as she reached the riverbank. There was a spark in her wide, expressive eyes—a joy he hadn't seen in years.

"I knew I'd find you here again," she grinned, tapping the parasol on her shoulder. "You always come to this river after training, don't you?"

"…I like the quiet," Sahiru replied softly.

The girl spun her parasol shut with a flourish and stuck it into the ground before sitting beside him.

"I'm Suzune Azuri, remember?" she chirped. "From the corps. I watched your trial the day you joined. You were incredible."

Sahiru gave a brief nod. "Thanks."

She leaned in, pouting slightly. "You never smile."

He paused.

"I don't have a reason to."

"Well then…" she stood up and raised her parasol high into the air, casting a speckled pattern of light over them. "Train with me! That's your new reason."

—

Days turned to weeks.

They sparred by the river, challenged each other through form and footwork, and laughed when one of them slipped into the water. Sahiru's cold silence slowly began to thaw under her warmth.

He taught her the foundations of his technique—how to breathe, how to conceal pain, how to strike with truth hidden behind expression.

And one morning, as dew still clung to the grass, Suzune stood across from him with her blade drawn. She focused, breathing steady, heart open.

Then—she moved.

A swirl of color burst from her swing—soft pink petals edged in crimson, rippling through the air like a dance of emotion and memory.

The trees behind her shuddered. Petals scattered through the light.

Sahiru's eyes widened.

"…You created your own variation," he whispered.

Suzune smiled brightly, twirling the sword once. "I call it… Mystic Breathing."

Her parasol rested in the grass behind her, and for the first time, Sahiru smiled.

Just a little.