This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Knocking twice on the door, Akasuki pushed it open. General Tatsuo, sitting at his desk, gruffly looked up, brows profusely crossing.
“What…?! are you doing here?”
Akasuki calmly walked into the center of the small chamber, leaving the door ajar. “Did you not wish to receive a report?”
“I will go to you,” the man growled. “Whenever I see fit. Not the other way around.”
Closing his eyes and slightly dipping his chin, Akasuki stayed cool.
“If that is your wish.”
With the report in hand, he retracted his hands to a clasp behind his back, then opened his eyes, meeting the General’s directly.
“However, do try to keep your visits within sunlight hours, just as the Princess authorized,” he reminded. “And do go to me. Not the lieutenants under my purview, who are not authorized to report in my place.”
Without another gesture, Akasuki turned and headed for the door. However, his remarks enraged the General, driving him to abruptly stand up, pushing his chair back and smacking his hands on the table.
“Imbecile!”
The low, vile bark echoed the small chamber, denying Akasuki the last words. The chair clattered as it teetered a few times. Akasuki took a few more steps before succinctly coming to a stop.
“Do not act smart,” the General continued in his low growl.
Standing still, face hidden away, Akasuki offered no response.
“There is only one man here who issues orders.”
Though he kept his voice menacingly low, the General’s words seemed to reverberate countlessly, his seething anger lending them extra strength to persist. Yet, Akasuki stayed stoically rooted, blocking them out. He stood at the doorway for a brief time, as if he was expecting more.
Eventually, he dipped his chin, barely looking over his shoulder. “Is that all, General?”
The man did not receive the question well.
“Wanderers like you are not people,” he spat, resuming his tirade. “The only reason your kind can roam freely within the army is because the Emperor decreed it.”
Akasuki remained silent once more.
“But make no mistake, your kind are avatars of destruction, and if it were me, you would all be chained up like the beasts you are.”
Without a flinch or a twitch of his lips or eyebrows, Akasuki continued to stare from his existing vantage. Then, he dipped his head, closing his eyes.
“If you are so unhappy with our presence, I will be sure to convey your opinion to the Princess. If that is your wish.”
Straightening, the General crossed his arms with a humph.
“Do not bother.”
“Very well.”
And with those final words, Akasuki left, report still in hand, leaving the door untouched behind him.