Chapter #6Encountering the Ikaruga by: Feri   Rean wasn't exactly sure if the left path would lead him back to town, but he supposed he just needed to trust his gut. The former male gave himself a once over, sighing with faint pink on his cheeks. He'll just have to try his best not to feel so conscious about the sensation of his current clothes... no matter how tight or how the silky fabric rubbed his new curves.
The instructor marched on, enduring the strange and embarrassing sensation his female body gave him. Rean guessed he should be thankful his senior wasn't wearing heels or the walk back to town would have been annoying to deal with. He continued walking the path, hoping he would eventually see signs of Longlai.
To his dismay, it seemed like the man was starting to get even more lost in the forest.
"Darn it, everything looks completely different compared to when I came to the forest at night..." Rean groaned. The last time he came here was when it was nighttime while looking for his Master. He didn't expect that the area would look completely different when the sun was up. Strangely, the forest seemed a lot denser compared to when it is evening.
Despite his grumbling and embarrassed whimpering (due to the swaying of his huge chest), Rean stayed strong and continued his trek... Until he heard the sounds of battle cries from a distance.
Halting his steps, Rean hid behind a tree, sensing several people nearby. His ears caught the familiar sound of katas being performed. The former male glanced in the direction of the noise, eyes growing wide to see men clad in black eastern garb, their faces obscured by a clothed mask of sorts.
"Are they part of the Ikaruga...?" Rean wondered with squinted eyes. His suspicions were confirmed when the large man, who looked like the one who was instructing them, turned around, revealing the familiar mask he saw that night. 'Kurogane! So, they really are the Ikaruga! Were they waiting on standby while Shizuna was in the hot springs?'
That was the only logical explanation he could think of at the moment. A part of him wanted to ask if they could escort him back to town, and another (much larger) part screamed that it was a bad idea and he could expose himself by approaching them. His logical side and personal feelings clashed for a few minutes. Of course, his logical side won over the mental bout.
He hated to admit it, but Rean would inevitably get lost in the forest without any guide. Begrudgingly, he started walking toward the group of shinobis. They immediately stopped what they were doing before they withdrew their wooden swords, kneeling before the former man.
"Welcome back, Princess!"
Rean sweatdropped as he forced a confident smile, though it looked more like he was trying his hardest to resist going to the bathroom.
"Y-Yes, I'm back. How is everything going, Kurogane?" He attempted to act as normal as possible by asking the masked man a casual question.
Kurogane dipped his head for a nod. "We're simply doing some light training while waiting for you, Princess. Was the hot spring enjoyable for you?"
"Yes, it was. I thoroughly enjoyed myself." Rean gave a genuine chuckle. He actually did enjoy the natural hot spring he was in earlier. If only he was in his own body... "I have a favor to ask of you all if you don't mind hearing me out."
All of them immediately looked confused... Well, as confused as they can be see due to their masks anyway. Kurogane tilted his head before nodding once more.
"If it is to our abilities, Princess. We will gladly accomplish what you want us to do."
A little overwhelmed by their commitment and loyalty, Rean tried his best not to stutter or look surprised. "Please escort me back to Longali..."
The members of the Ikaruga looked at each other before they all nodded in unison.
"As you wish, Princess."
They all got up and surrounded the former swordsman as they started leading the way with Kurogane in the front. Rean wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he simply let out a giggle, hoping it didn't sound too forced. Such a sound coming from his own mouth kind of disturbed him and made his heart flutter.
Damn Shizuna's body...
Rean followed the men clad in black, walking on the path before seeing the path split once more. This time, however, the instructor wasn't worried since he followed where Kurogane lead him. He inwardly sighed in relief, glad he would reach town and meet up with his senior.
He hoped they could fix this weirdness as soon as possible. The Divine Blade didn't know if he could continue being in Shizuna's body due to... reasons.
The slightly awkward silence was broken when one of Shizuna's subordinates spoke up.
"Um, Princess? My apologies if I am speaking out of turn, but are you all right? You seem... different?"
Rean felt his heart drop, freezing in his spot as the others came to a halt as well. He could feel their eyes inspecting him before the other shinobis added their two cents.
"Yeah. She's usually way more energetic."
"And doesn't she hum to herself whenever we escort her like this?"
"The Princess rarely uses such a polite way of speech."
'How the hell do you act around your men, Shizuna?!' Rean had to stop his jaw dropping from shock. That last one completely raised question marks above his head. Don't tell him she acts completely unhinged and chaotic with them?!
"You'd be punished for making such rude remarks," Kurogane glared at the grunts as they flinched before turning to the former male. "But they do raise a good point. You're acting a little off today. Are you feeling unwell, Princess?"
Rean started to sweat bullets as all of their eyes locked onto him.
What the hell can he do now...?   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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