6 Where She Came From - 1.6 (1/2)

Things started to change for Ai from that day on. True to his word, Daisuke started training her and teaching her all sorts of things.

After that conversation, Daisuke quickly dragged her to his herb garden. He taught Ai everything about herbs, from growing each one, to determining it's different uses and purposes, to the proper way of harvesting it and the places that they usually grow in.

Then he started teaching the little girl on how to refine and make medicines and antidotes from various herbs and in the process, she also learned about numerous poisons to understand how to cure them. Daisuke also guided her in learning acupuncture and basic knowledge of treating injuries which became extremely useful for Ai when Daisuke started conditioning her body and teaching her some martial arts.

As years passed, Daisuke became more and more of a father to Ai and gradually changed the way he referred to her. Changing from Ai to Rin. She also grew closer to Daisuke and treated him as the most precious thing to exist in het world.

Everything she learned and owned, she owes it all to him. Daisuke practically knows everything about her but she knew that he still hid things from her. She only found out about it when she came home from the city where she had a well-renowned reputation of a god-like doctor.

Daisuke wasn't expecting her home that night. The temple was eerily silent as rain poured and chilled him to the bone, soaking his clothes and plastering it wetly to his body.

His whole body ached and he clutched his side which had dark splotches that seeped through the clothes and left a trail of dark red as he staggered towards the courtyards. Pushing the wooden gates to the side entrance, he was surprised to see the silhouette of a young woman under an umbrella suddenly rush towards him.

Because of the lack of light and the feeling of light-headedness, he wasn't able to discern her features clearly since his vision was slowly being consumed by a misty haze as he fell unconscious and ge faintly heard the girl call out in alarm before he fully succumbed to the darkness.

The young woman let go of the unbrella she was holding just to catch Daisuke's falling body.

When he came to, the first thing that he saw when his vision cleared were a pair of amber gold eyes that were filled with anxiousness and worry.

Feeling confused, Daisuke wearily rubbed his eyes and blinked up and saw a very familiar face that he knew shouldn't be there.

”Little Rin, what are you doing here?” Daisuke's usually deep and gruff that always brought her a sense of warmth now sounded hoarse and filled with pain.

It filled her with immeasurable cold fury as her golden eyes flashed dangerously as if a raging inferno was lit in them while her face twisted to a cold mask at the thought that someone hurt the man she considered more precious than her own life.

Ignoring Daisuke's question, she gently put a straw near Daisuke's lips and patiently waited for him to finish drinking before she directed a question back at him.

”Who did this to you?” her voice was shaking with barely disguised anger before she closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm herself.

Sighing, Daisuke looked at the young woman in front of him in concern. He still remembered the guarded little girl he took in all those years ago. Right before his eyes, he saw her grow up into this peerless beauty that had the majesty and disposition of an ice queen that always made others feel a chill.

Her treatment and demeanor towards others was vastly different with the way she treated him. If others felt that she was a chilling block of ice, to him she was a beautiful flame that filled him with a sense of warmth.

Truly he treasured this girl like his daughter!

It's why he even lost his temper at the mere thought of ill intentions being directed to his little flower, Rin.

”I'm okay. It doesn't matter, no need to worry.” he said in a reassuring manner trying to wave it off.

Seeing the lack of concern Daisuke had was enough for Rin to lose hercool and fly into a rage.

”What do you mean it doesnt matter?! I come home to visit you and surprise you and what I find is your injured, bloody form stumbling through the courtyard! How can you even say it doesn't matter?!”

”Rin-” Daisuke softly called out as he tried to calm her down but he was just ruthlessly cut-off.

”Don't 'Rin' me! Tell. Me. What. Happened!” she demanded with anger coating each one of her words.

”I got in a fight.” Daisuke answered tiredly, knowing he wasn't going to win an argument with her in this state.

”What?! You never get into fights...”

With a meaningful stare, Daisuke watched as understanding slowly dawned on Rin's face.

Just like that, the anger in Rin dissipated and a feeling of guilt filled her.

”Why?” she asked quietly.

”One of your former patients found out that you lived with me and from what I was able to understand from the thugs he sent is that he's the leader of an underground gang and he's taken interest on you.” Daisuke muttered, annoyance evident in his tone and the dark expression on his face.

Looking exasperated and vexed. ”I already turned him down numerous times before.”

”He doesn't seem like he'll take no as an answer.” Daisuke said darkly as they both descended into a tense silence, seemingly lost in their thoughts.