Duty-Bound: Chapter 36
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For several days, he had travelled quickly to the Eastern Lands. Finding her mentor was not an easy task because, according to her, Rei often travelled across the lands. But since autumn was around the corner, the chance to find the man in his place was bigger. He really hoped it wouldn't take a lot of time to find the man. After leaving the palace, he suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She didn't argue with him when he wanted to assign a new guard for her, which led him to believe he shouldn't leave her for long.
"You will need someone to protect you while I'm away."
He didn't bother to hide his worry when she said, "Have someone in mind?"
Before he could voice out his anxiety, she went on, "I don't feel right without you, Natsume."
They gazed into each other's eyes while he weighted the truth of her words.
The longer he stayed with her, the harder it was for him to leave. Standing up, he made his way to her.
"I'll come back as soon as possible, Mikan," he said and kissed her moist lips. After that, he left without another word.
In the end, he had asked Youichi to look after her. Youichi was an orphan that his father had taken in a few months before she was disowned. The young man was the only one he could trust since he was like a younger brother to him. Even though Youichi was not second in command, his skill was above average. Though he was still worried about her, having Youichi's help slightly lessened his worry. His gut kept telling him that something bad was going to happen, so he needed to finish this mission as fast as he could.