Azama X Orochi (&Hinoka)

C+

6 Years Earlier

Azama had always relished the peace and quite during his time of scaling mountains. Especially when high above sea level, nature itself had often heeded to this preference with just a chirp here and there, along with the calming sound of the creek flowing through the great forest-covered rocks. But on this particular day, however, it was anything but peaceful.

Half the day had been wasted trying to find an ideal spot to meditate. Each and every time that he was about to settle in, Azama would find himself too close to a mosquitoes nest or a beehive, getting urinated on by a toad which sat on the branch of a tree he sat under, or on one occasion, accidentally trespassing onto a grizzly's territory which held a plentiful amount of berry bushes. As each hour passed by, the young monk would slowly make his up higher towards the peak of the mountain. And by the time he'd finally reached it, the sun had already reached past its peak as it began to descend back towards the horizon; approximately two hours past noon.

To the east, the shining kingdom of Hoshido reflected the great star's golden light over its vast open fields, farmland and villages that surrounded its capital many, many miles beyond. At the south, not near as far from the mountain that Azama stood upon, was the Bottomless Canyon. With much more rocks and less trees, the everlasting, rainless thunderclouds continued to loom over its host as lightning struck throughout the sky. And finally, to the west, with forests thicker than Azama had ever seen and clouds darker than the ones that occupied the Canyon, was the Kingdom of Norh. It was the first time that the monk has had an actual clear view over the entire continent. And yet, even at this height, it was impossible to see what was past the horizon and beyond Hoshido's northern coast.

With the exception of the slightly strong winds due to the high elevation, Azama had decided it was the perfect place for meditation, now that the currents will protect him from any insects and no animals were present. Sighing in relief, he laid his staff down at his side, sat down into a lotus position on the mountain's flat-topped peak, and closed his eyes.

"Come on, girl! You and I have been through worse than this!" Hinoka yelled over the raging winds as she struggled to stabilize her pegasi. "Once we're over that mountain, it's tailwind from here on out! Just a little further!"

Even though the eldest Hoshidan princess had managed to get her steed back under control, it was already difficult enough to keep herself from being blown off the saddle from the currents alone. And attempting to keep her balance while also guiding the pegasi through the turbulence had proven to be the ultimate challenge for Hinoka.

"That's it! Come on!" She encouraged her partner. "Five years of training together, and you are not going to fight with me on this one!" For those next several brutal seconds, the pegasi huffed and let out a high-pitched whinny as it gave out one last powerful flap and cleared the top of the mountain by thirty meters. "Alright!" Hinoka through a fist in the air. "That's my girl! We're almost home fre-."

Her victory speech was cut short as a vigorously strong gust of wind struck at them from the right flank without warning. Hinoka, who's right hand had been taken off the horn of the saddle, was nearly thrown off of her pegasi as it rotated by about twenty degrees in midair. She was able to keep herself from sliding off its back by hooking her feet tightly around the mount's torso. However, she made the mistake of using the reins as support and pulled down on hit; causing it to shriek as it spiraled out of control.

Oh gods, no! Hinoka wanted to scream, but the air in her lungs had been sucked out by pure petrification as both she and her pegasi plummeted into the trees.

If Azama hadn't heard the flying horse's bellow over the raging winds, he wouldn't have been so rudely awakened from his meditation and looked up to see it and its red-headed rider glide almost right over him. Grunting in aggravation, he watched as the hotshot victoriously raised her fist into the air; only for it to short-lived as her mount suddenly went out of control and almost fall to her eminent death. It was at that very moment when the monk's expression quickly changed from annoyed to an intrigued, enthralling manner.

"Oh," He said aloud. There was no hint a real concern in his voice when he'd spoken, and continued to watch as the rider intensively yanked back on the reins and caused the pegasi to go out of control. And the last thing he saw before watching them disappear into the trees was the redhead wrapping her arms around the mount's neck for dear life as they both plunged into the woods.

For a short moment, Azama simply remained in his meditating position as he processed everything that had just happened in the short amount of time. Did someone actually have the audacity to attempt flying over the northern mountains? This part of the land was well known for its superior wind turbulence. The trails cutting through them were way too rocky and narrow for caravans to travel on, making it impossible for full-fledged armies to march through; therefore only very few people make the journey through the mountains when traveling between both Norh and Hoshido.

If anything, even if the fool survived, she probably deserved to fall to her death. Although, it would be a good idea to bury the bodies and give them a proper funeral like any monk should, (according to the stooges back at the shrine) but also to keep any unwanted guests from becoming attracted to the smell of rotting corpses.

After Azama had found both the pegasi and its rider, he was actually quite surprised not by the fact that they had survived the crash, but because the two were even still conscious. From behind a tree a short distance away, he could see that the girl was around his age; about sixteen, maybe seventeen. Her short red hair wasn't that of a typical redhead, but rather literally a tomato color red. And judging from the outfit and armor that she wore, it was clear that this maiden was a Sky Knight of the Hoshidan Army.

The steed's injuries didn't seem very serious as it whinnied in pain and struggled back onto its feet. Its right wing was tucked tightly to its side, and blood coated the snow white hair on its front left leg.

The rider however, was a different story.

She lied almost completely motionless on her back; her chest rising and falling rapidly as her amber-red eyes darted in random direction as though she'd lost control over them. The only noticeable injury that Azama could see was the back of her head becoming soaked into an even darker shade of red. And upon seeing this, he recognized the grave situation that she was now in. The girl was lucky enough to survive the fall, but if she didn't receive any medical attention soon, that luck will be nothing more than a delay of the inevitable.

From where she lied, Hinoka immediately noticed the boy advancing towards her after leaving his hiding spot. Her vision was blurry, she felt nauseous, and the pain in her head felt as though something were trying to claw the skin off its skull; making it almost impossible to get a clear conscious of what was going on around her. However, the only thing that caught her full attention was what the boy held in his hand.

Panic took over and she began willing her body to move frantically; her arms scouring over the ground, trying to find the naginata thatshe'd lost in the crash. It didn't make things much easier either as Hinoka's legs refused to cooperate and tried rolling onto her stomach to crawl away.

But Azama quickly moved in to stop the fool of a Sky Knight from causing anymore damage to herself. He set his staff aside, got down on both knees and placed both hands on the young woman's shoulders to keep her from rolling over. Hinoka responded by thrashing her arms, babbling out incomprehensible words and weakly attempting to shake off her "assailant."

The monk sighed cynically. "Truthfully," he began to say, "I never expect anything as much of a, 'thank you,' or any other type of gratitude for helping a total stranger, but if you're that persistent on hastening your death, I'm more than willing to oblige." Even though she couldn't hear him clearly, after another moment of struggling, Hinoka realized that the boy was making no attempts to end her life and became still. Through her blurred vision, she gazed helplessly back up at Azama, who couldn't help but smile tediously.

He suddenly realized, despite the circumstances, that this was the most entertainment that Azama had had in quite some time. Watching the maiden's cute little face shrivel in fear as she fought desperately to stay alive, it was almost saddening really, for someone this young having a 50/50 chance of survival. But that was what he was there for, wasn't it? The monk had long since accepted the eminent fate of death, and he found it rather pointless to prolong one's suffering so that they can remain in the world for a few more painful minutes. Pointless pain, in fact.

In her final moment of consciousness, Hinoka raised a trembling and placed it on Azama's shoulder. With as much self-control as she could muster, she stuttered the words, "save him... please," before her eyes rolled back, her body slacked, and blacked out.

Azama was both surprised and bewildered by what the Sky Night had just said. Save him? He thought. Did she mean the pegasi? The monk inspected the mount more closely. Nope, definitely a female. Was this girl delusional?

He shook his head. It hardly mattered. It was only a short matter of time before the fool started to bleed internally, if it hadn't begun already, and went straight to work.

I-I-I-I-I

There were two things that Hinoka immediately noticed upon waking up: one, her head still hurt. A lot. Two, her body felt cold on one side, and warm on the other. And upon opening her eyes, she found herself lying down on a bed mat and staring up at the star-splatted night sky.

To her right was a boy about her own age sitting on a log in front of a campfire with his back facing her. He had brown, short spiked hair, which had been held in place by a headband, and wore black samue clothing. On her left side, her pegasi was lying right next to her and appeared to be asleep. But as though it were sensing its master's awakening, it opened its eyes, snorted, and nudged her cheek with its snout in an exercised manner.

With a weak smile, she scratched her partner's neck and said timorously, "Hey, girl. Are you all right?"

The pegasi answered with short, soft whinny as if to say, "I'm good, how about you?"

Something else then catches her attention and Hinoka's gaze falls to her mount's front left leg, whose hair had been stained red with blood with a bandage wrapped around its knee. Guilt and dread came pouring in like water over a dam as the Hoshidan princess contemplated over everything that had happened.

"Ah, so the Fool finally awakes." The boy said apathetically, not looking back at his patient. "You are truly a special one indeed. Having the guts to fly across the northern mountains and actually survive a crash landing such as that? Perhaps you should take up gambling, since you seem to possess more luck rather than wits."

"Huh?" Hinoka attempted to sit up, only to suddenly feel nauseous again and causing the pain in her head to increase; forcing her to lie back down. She placed a hand on where the source of the pain was coming from and found out that nearly half of her head had been wrapped in bandages. "Wha-...?"

Azama chuckled. "That was quite the nasty fall, too. I would highly advise refraining to as little movement as possible; not with that concussion of yours."

"Concussion?!" The Sky Knight said in hysteria.

"Mhmm," he said, "Nothing too serious as of right now, though I will admit I was expecting a fool such as yourself would be out of it for just a little while longer. Ah well, the sooner the merrier for the both of us." With a tin cup in his hand, the monk retrieved the small kettle hanging over the fire and poured what looked be dirt-brown liquid. After filling the cup three-quarters full, he pulls out a silver flask and added in a small pinch of clear fluid.

"What is your name?" Hinoka asked him.

"You may call me Azama." He answered with a flat tone and went silent.

"Don't you want to ask what my name is?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't care less who you are. A commoner, a noble, advisor, or even Royal Blood, it's all the same. Each person in this world has gained the privilege to become subconscious of their very existence. And it's only natural that each and every one of them, who are as much as animals as all other living creatures, have that instinct to do whatever it takes to live a full lifelong experience. I feel that it is only my duty to ensure this outcome with as many people as possible since now that I have no quarrel with death. That is my place, after all."

Once he had finished mixing the potion together, Azama hands the cup out back to Hinoka without so much as turning his body.

"Drink up now," Azama told her like a parent talking to a small child. "This will have you up and moving again in no time. Although I warn you, you're taste buds will not have the most exciting taste of your life, which is why I've added some of my own ingredients to dumb it down a tad."

Hinoka had little problem with accepting the boy's medicine. Slowly and carefully, she propped herself on one elbow as she gingerly took the cup into her other hand. "Thank you. If there's anything I can repay you with, I can-."

"Thanks, but no thanks." He interrupted reputably. "I seek no reparations of any sort from you. Everybody has their share of hardships, and you should never make a promise that you're not sure you can even keep."

"But money isn't a problem," She urged, "I could at least bring you back some-."

"Are there any other bothersome questions that you'd like to trouble me with?"

Hinoka pursed her lips. "I can see from your clothes that you're a monk of the Shinto Shrine," she inferred, "Is that correct?"

Azama slapped his knee. "Excellent detective skills, my fair maiden!" He said sarcastically, "Were there of other clues that led you to that conclusion? If my robes have given me away, why couldn't you say it without absolute certainty?"

The eldest princess scowled. Obnoxious, sarcastic, sharp-tongued, and overall rude. She thought, although, I am at his mercy, so I'll just have to play along. "I thought Shinto monks were supposed to be... oh, you know, bald-headed?"

"Now, now, there's no need for such a blunt demeanor. In truth, yes, that's how it's usually managed back at the shrine. But we're not at the shrine now, are we not? Now hush up and drink your tea."

She reluctantly obeyed and took a large sip of the tea, which was a mistake, not knowing how bad it was going to taste and nearly spat it out. But with shear willpower, she forced it down. "Ugh, I think my stomach is going to war with this stuff."

"Delightful, isn't it?" Azama asked rhetorically.

Hinoka hulked downed another sip. "So you don't agree with how things are run there?" She asked. "That's why you're all the way out here? What was the big deal?"

The monk scratched his chin. "Maybe I was either forced to live in isolation, or that I just prefer the solitude. Or perhaps maybe, it might have something to do with both? Either way, that hardly matters."

"You're not making much sense."

Clapping his hands together, Azama said, "Have you ever heard phrase of how the fools learn nothing from the wise, but the wise learns from the fools?" He didn't wait for a response. "What defines a fool? What defines a wise? Is it by what that person experiences? Or could it be from how they experience it? Now I ask you this: Why can't the Fool learn from the Wise?"

Hinoka answered, "Because the Fool refuses to listen to the Wise."

"Exactly!"

"So what are you trying to say?" She asked sharply, "That I'm a fool and I don't have the right to have honest conversation-?"

"Nonononono," He interrupted, "I have said no such indication."

"You've called me a fool twice, Azama." She countered.

"Right, but as a special kind of fool. And already, you have already proven to me that you are far from one. Are you curious why? Of course you are! Now, allow me to explain.

"There are very few, if any at all, that dare to challenge the skies of the northern mountains. The only logical reason for a gutsy flier to attempt something like that would be in dire situations. But even if the situation did call for such actions, even then, it is an idiotic plan. Though you've had your reasons, even if you were trying to 'save him', he wouldn't be better off with you and your pegasi's corpses rotting on a mountain." He sighed. "A real Fool wouldn't understand how futile it is to single-handedly bring home their long lost sibling from the captivity of Nohr."

The Sky Night scoffed. "So you do know who I am."

"It wasn't hard to figure out," he shrugged, "Word travels fast of how the infamous eldest princess of Hoshido made a reputation of disappearing from the public and Capital's eye. And only someone who's matched your level of recklessness would attempt to fly over this terrain." shaking his head, he said, "You must give up on this pointless expedition. It's like the gods' divine intervention that you were able to make it this far on a pegasi alone; much less still be breathing."

She clenched her fists. "You're saying that I should abandon my family to the likes of the mad King of Nohr?"

"As heartless as this will sound, yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Hinoka was at a lost for words. "You- how could you possibly say that without one shred of-."

"Take a look at yourself, Lady Hinoka." Azama snapped. "And your pegasi. Your poor judgment as its rider is what landed yourself here to begin with. What good would it do for your siblings to lose a sister because her overconfidence and pride is what led her to an avertible demise?"

Her mount neighed as though it were agreeing with the monk. "Gee, thanks partner." She muttered.

"And the biggest concern of all," he continued, "You wake up to find a complete stranger, who's offered you medicine and treatment for your wounds, and even near death, you've chosen the only path available that either lets you stay among the living, or simply delay yourself to a painful, undignified death."

"Waitm, so you're saying that if you were- or are- an enemy," Hinoka clarified, "You would only be offering me help to earn my trust for an even bigger gain in the long run."

"My, my, you've got more wits than I originally gave you credit for." He laughed. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm getting at. But lucky for you, I am no enemy. But that doesn't mean I can't have my own share of fun."

Hinoka had just finished her cup as she froze and asked skeptically, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, now you see," Azama told her, "You were smart to accept the only brew of tea for miles, because it was either that, or die in a coma. And since you were almost absolutely willing to drink the only thing that keeps you alive, I couldn't resist but add in a little bit of nature's excrement to see the look on your pretty, horrified face."

The Hoshidan princess gawked at the monk with shear rage. "You cut-throat little snake-! When I get out of this bed, I will-!" She cut herself off as her vision suddenly began to dim and her body felt heavy again.

"And one last thing," he mentioned. "What I mixed in there was a fast-acting sleeping potion so that you don't get up when you're not supposed to; just as a safety precaution given how reckless you've proven to be." Hinoka was on the verge of unconsciousness when she heard the monk stood and finish, "It was a great honor to meet you, Princess Hinoka. Although when you awaken, I will not be able to stop you, but I pray that you make the smart choice for once in your life for your own sake. And I have a feeling that one day, the gods will forge a path for both of us to meet again. Until then, farewell."

I-I-I-I-I

"Azama?" A woman's voice spoke up. Remaining absolutely still, Azama pretended as though he'd heard nothing and continued to concentrate on his meditation. Orochi, who stood over the monk with a hand on her hip, repeated, "Azama."

He let out a mental sigh. Of course it had to be one of Mikoto's crackpot retainers. Ever since he'd done her the favor of keeping the rats away, she'd been following him around nonstop like a homeless dog chasing the last hand that had fed it. Not that it was a bad feat, since he actually found it quite entertaining to watch her dish out her rather convoluted fortunetelling and see the looks on that individual who'd thought it was a bad omen. But still, he found it odd that even for someone who he'd given enough grief to would still keep pressing into his business; knowing full-well of the biting remarks they'd receive back. (However, the royal siblings were the only exception)

As for Orochi, who took this to a whole other ballgame, said once more, "I know you can hear me, Azama, and you know I'm not going to just walk away."

Knowing that neither ignoring or deriding her was going to have much effect, Azama scoffed, "Doesn't this army require your services elsewhere rather than pestering a poor, harmless monk? Surely you understand that a man needs his peace and tranquility."

The diviner scowled but didn't budge. "'Harmless' isn't a word I'd use to describe your character." She puffed her cheeks. "And what do you think you're doing meditating all the way out here almost past our patrol perimeter? If an enemy were to advance on our camp, you would most likely be their first target."

Azama didn't bother hiding the truth. "It is simply so that there's less of a chance of being interrupted.'' he tilted head up towards her. "Also, if you'd taken the opportunity to study the terrain, you would know that the only way our enemies could launch a full-out assault is from the trail to the north-." He pointed in front of him past Orochi, "-Where the bridge crosses over the river; where its current are too strong and deep for even horses to wade through. Adding to that, with the mountains to the west, open fields to the east, and the coast at the south, that is the only reasonable option for a stealth approach."

Orochi's expression softened as she wrapped a string of hair in her finger. "How interesting," she said admirably, taking a seat on the grass in front of him. "All of those years spent living in the mountains, and you've grown quite accustomed to reading the landscapes. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but there definitely is more to you than you let everyone on to be."

"Everyone has a part in them that many people don't see," said the monk, twirling his healing rod in one hand, "Only as for me, I willing choose to hide what to hide whether they are good or bad. If you give an adversary even the slightest bit of information for them to work with, they will figure out how to turn your greatest strength into your worst weakness."

"And yet, you had absolutely no problem sharing that small bit of information with me." She narrowed her eyes, "Do you not think of me as a potential threat who might turn on their comrades, or is this another one your weaselly schemes?"

That question wasn't a hard one to answer. "I believe in you with every ounce of my trust," Azama said, "And not because you've proven time and time again on the battlefield, or when everything goes down the drain pipe, but because, simply put, I know you, Orochi. As bumbling as you may be with your fortunes, even as your family had been mocked, you've demonstrated incontestable loyalty to Lady Mikoto and her children. I know that there's nothing in your heart that would lead you to commit such an act."

The spirit summoner was dumbfounded. "You really have changed, didn't you Azama?"

"I beg your pardon?" He responded curiously.

"Don't pretend you don't know it," she giggle, "I remember when Lady Hinoka had first brought you to the capital and requested that you were to become her retainer. You were quite the boorish one too, in terms of your social skills towards everyone with the exception of the Siblings and Lady Mikoto. How Saizo restrained himself from slitting your throat when you slept at night, that's beyond me. But I especially remember how Yukimaru wanted to tear his own hair out when Hinoka let you stick around."

Azama relished at that memory. "Ah, yes, that old coot of a tactician. Quite the entertainment he turned out to be."

"Hmph. And which also led to Lady Mikoto requesting to Hinoka that you'd be trained like a house dog if you were to become her retainer."

The young man grimaced. "Now that's actually pushing it, wouldn't you say?"

"Oh, not at all!" Orochi laughed. "I was confident that your big ego would get the best of you and you'd be back to hiking mountains before the week's end."

"Well then, I'm sorry I disappointed you." Azama snapped, his good mood now quickly dissolving.

"Oh, cheer up, Azama," she told him, smiling, "To this current day, it all worked out! Now you're taking part in role that helps determine the future of Hoshido! What is there to sulk about?"

His silence was the only thing to respond with, mainly due to fact that he had nothing more to say. But Orochi, seeing how low this conversation had suddenly gotten, asked lightly, "Why did you ask me about my biggest weakness?"

The monk perked up. "I'm sorry?"

"My fear of rats." She elaborated, "When you've had to chance to exploit it and turn my whole world upside down, why did you decide to help me instead?" Before he could answer she added, "If you trust me completely, then you should have no problem sharing at least one little secret with me. Is that too much to ask?"

What is with this woman? Azama thought. He knew it was a mistake to continue further interaction after that little staring and insult "contest," and could have avoided this whole predicament entirely. He'd be alone, quite, and undisturbed in his meditation without having someone with the likes of her constantly banging at his door.

But in truth, even he didn't fully understand why he did it to begin with.

So instead, he answered flatly, "I just decided that it would be no fun for the cat to play with the mouse as it is already backed into a corner with nowhere to go."

That was the wrong answer.

Orochi's nosed flared. "So that's all I am to you? A jester for your comedic stage? Another plaything that you can poke at with a stick to see what it's going to do?" She bolted to her feet. "Well, congratulations! You pulled on the right strings, and you've got your reactions! Are you happy now?"

Confused, Azama also stood. "I hardly see why you're taking this in such a negative direction, but how is it that-."

He didn't even get a chance to finish.

"Obnoxious, rude, and above all else, insensitive." She almost yelled. "You can pretend to be as fatheaded as you want; I can still see right through it!" Azama could've sworn Orochi was trying her best not to tear up and looked as though she was getting ready to slap him. "You idiot-," Her voice deteriorated, "You big, fat, ignorant fool of a..."

She stopped short and her body began to sway. Was Orochi hyperventilating? Azama wasn't sure. She was upset, that much was certain. However, she wasn't breathing hard, but her face was radiating heat, which was not normal at all.

"Orochi?" He asked with legitimate concern right as her knees buckled and began to topple back, but managed to rush and catch her before she hit the ground. "Orochi?" He repeated.

Eyes rolled behind her head, the diviner made no reply.

Attained Support Level C+

Project Requested By: equach

I had to completely scrap my first draft of this pairing simply because I didn't like what it was leading up to, which is why it took longer than I'd wanted to publish and spent 3 consecutive days binge writing this latest work. So I hope you've enjoyed it!