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Mizu has learned to adapt and be adept but London never fails to make her feel like she’s just one step behind no matter how hard she tries. London is crowded, loud and despite her initial worries of sticking out like a sore thumb - especially with Taigen who didn’t even have bits of white ancestry to cover him - they manage to don waistcoats and awkward tights. Mizu barely managed to scrape through a lie when Taigen had jokingly suggested she was better suited to a dress in lieu of the men’s attire as a jab at her lean physique and proceeded to punch him square in the jaw.
There’s a distinct and subtle shift in their dynamic now. Taigen’s retorts remain the same - harsh, rude and deliberate - but he doesn’t call her a dog anymore and there’s little to no punch in them. Mizu admits only to herself that most of their time together is not unbearable and they fall into each others side quite naturally and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t grateful for a familiar face in an unfamiliar place.
Speaking of unfamiliar, both of them are now stood across an elevator, both noting it looks far more complicated than a pulley system. They need to get to the fourth floor but neither one steps into the foreboding open arms of the lift. Taigen nudges her shoulder, “You first.”
Mizu frowns, her glasses caught in the bridge of her nose in annoyance and strides into the compartment in spite. Taigen follows suit before glances around. They stand side by side when the doors slowly slide shut, leaving them in a dim light as the floor descends.
There is a dull hum and the light fixture flickers as they make their way down. Taigen is the first to cut through the silence, “What’s your plan for when we get to the fourth floor?”
“No plan.”
“You cannot keep doing this,” Taigen deadpans, “What if as soon as the doors open we’re faced with a crowd of white people just waiting to kill *you*? ”
“Us.” Mizu looks at him pointedly. “You mean waiting to kill us.”
“I have no intentions of dying at the hands of a white man!”
“Then you shouldn’t have followed me to London you dumb fuck.”
Taigen huffs, clearly agitated at Mizu’s lack of forethought as he puts his weight against the wall. There’s a high pitch screeching sound as the lift lightly rattles and halts. For a second, (it feels like a really long second) Mizu and Taigen don’t move an inch. Taigen’s fairly relaxed posture has hardened into a wary stance, Mizu’s eyes clear cut and sharp through her glasses as they face the door in standby.
A second turns into a minute and then they lose track of time, the door is screwed shut, they know the lift isn’t moving and they’re intent on not making a single sound. Mizu’s thoughts race in response, she turns accusingly towards Taigen, “Why did you lean on the wall?”
“What?”
“This *thing”* Mizu waived her hand, “stopped when YOU leaned against the wall Taigen”
“Your kidding right? I did nothing!”
“That's all your good for! Nothing!”
If Taigen was drunk, this would be what sobered him up, “I saved your fucking life.”
“I didn't ask you to.” Mizu retorted now short for breath as she hissed back at him “Just like I didn't ask you to come here.”
Taigen’s breaths were shallow and if they weren't in a foreign land trapped inside a foreign thing, he would've flung himself at Mizu and attempted to kill him without a second thought about the duel he was promised. He would be lying if he said his words didn't sting. He had hoped Mizu wouldn’t press about why he’d tactlessly followed Mizu onto the ship heading for god knows where. They both knew that the duel was worthless. Taigen had nobody to regain his honour back for, no purpose to set him apart, no entity to be loyal to and so instinctively he’d come after Mizu claiming it was under the pretence of making sure he was alive for the ‘duel’.
It was more to convince himself and deep down Taigen knew that he knew, he was proper ashamed to admit that he looked up to Mizu and his focus, his purpose of revenge and his sense of direction and in his own flawed understanding assumed if he assisted Mizu maybe he’d be allowed that glimmer of purpose too.
“Taigen?” Mizu’s voice brakes him out of his reverie and he notes how his own clenched fists fall at his sides, his head hanging low, his breathing erratic. “Are you crying?”
Taigen’s head whips up in response, anger swelling in his chest for Mizu’s uncharacteristically concerning tone that he mistakes for a snap back, a cheap insult meant to further bruise his ego but when his eyes meet Mizu’s and he notes the genuine concern laced in his eyes. When Mizu’s arm warily reaches out towards his face, he feels the dampness on his own cheeks, the way his eyelashes are clamped up and how pathetic he must look in the shade of his hat. Taigen swats his arm away and recollects himself but he can’t ignore Mizu’s stare as it bares into his back. The silence is suffocating for them and it does nothing to ease their predicament.
Eventually, under the flickering light of the lift their unease reaches its pinnacle. The air between them more hostile than it had been since they reached London. Mizu breaks the silence first, “I’m sorry.” It’s curt and straightforward and Taigen finds himself stiffening again. “I shouldn’t have said all that crap.”
Taigen turns his frame to face Mizu and relaxes when he sees that he’s back to his stoic self, some normalcy returned. He tips his head in acknowledgement and suddenly they are back to normal. The malice between them seeping through the grates in lift, leaving the previously cramped atmosphere a bit more bearable.
“We should force our way out,” Taigen suggests, “There’s clearly no one here to attack us, they would’ve done so if that was the plan.”
“I can’t fire off the gun into the door,” Mizu counters in thought, “It’ll give us away.”
“Can you reach the grating overhead?”
“I might need a push.”
Taigen cups his hands and Mizu pushes herself up. She retracts her *Kenzashi* and starts to unscrew the bolts. They fall to the floor with four clinks in succession and the grating loosens. She gingerly places it on the floor and smiles at the gaping hole overhead.
“I miss my sword.” Mizu comments softly.
“It’s like missing a limb” Taigen completes and stretches his palm again. “You first, then pull me up.”
Mizu nod and hoists herself out. “Pocket the bolts.” She tells him and pulls him up in turn. As Mizu and Taigen emerge from the elevator, they find themselves standing in a narrow and dimly lit elevator shaft. The air is heavy with the scent of rust and the darkness seemed to swallow them whole. It was a stark contrast to the cramped confines of the elevator they had just escaped.
Mizu's sharp eyes scanned their surroundings, searching for any sign of an exit. She noticed a ladder leading up along the side of the shaft. With a determined expression, she pointed it out to Taigen.
"We'll have to climb up," Mizu said, her voice filled with resolve. "It's our only way out of here."
Taigen nodded, his face set with determination. They begin their ascent, carefully gripping the rungs of the ladder and pulling themselves up, step by step.
In the darkness, their movements are slow and deliberate. Every sound echoing through the shaft, adding to the tension. Mizu's heart racing as they climb higher and higher, their progress steady but painstakingly slow.
After what feels like an eternity, they finally reach the top of the elevator shaft. They push open a small hatch and emerge into the cool air of the building's maintenance room. It is a welcome relief from the confined space they had been trapped in.
They catch their breath. "Mizu," he began, his voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and determination. Taigen met her gaze, his eyes reflecting the flickering light of the maintenance room "The reason I followed you to London wasn't just about the duel," he admitted. "It was because... I looked up to you."
Mizu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly surprised by his confession. "You looked up to me?" she repeated
"Yes," he replied with a wince. "Your focus, your sense of direction, your purpose of revenge... I admired all of that. And deep down, I wanted to find my own purpose too."
Mizu's stern facade softened as she processed his words. She had never expected Taigen to reveal such vulnerability. It was a side of him she hadn't seen before, and it made her reevaluate her perception of him.
"I didn't realise," Mizu admitted, her voice filled with a mix of surprise and understanding. "I didn't know that you saw something in me that you wanted for yourself. Considering I’ve always been a dog in your eyes." She said pointedly
Taigen nodded. "I apologize for the way I've treated you," he said. "I've been harsh, rude, and at times, even cruel. But please understand that it came from a place of my own shortcomings.” His gaze hardened in resolve. “I want to help Mizu let this be my purpose too. I’ve lost Akemi, I’ve come to realise my honour means nothing and fate has roped me into this precarious situation with you, the dog that I had despised.” Taigen’s eyes met Mizu’s once again. “Let me repent this way.”
"I've been so consumed by my own pain and anger that I couldn't see beyond my personal goals. It wasn't until I lost Ringo's trust, abandoned Akemi, and deceived you that I began to see things differently. You had the audacity to pursue me because it was your desire, while I was blinded by the need for revenge and neglected the important aspects of our situation." Mizu's smile was gentle as she continued, "If your presence can help us balance our shortcomings, Taigen, then I suppose I can find space for you."