AOS118: HELLO! OMG… Don't kill me, I forgot to update-
Altair: That roughly translates into "I had not a fucking clue what to say"
AOS118: -smacks him- Shut up! Even though he is right…
Altair: Ha! I win!
AOS118: Yes, you do. See, I had serious writers block for this stupid fic. I couldn't think of ANYTHING. So now I'm getting something done. Starting at least.
Ezio: Cause I have to be here some how. She doesn't own ANYTHING except the characters she makes up and the plot!
Extra disclaimer: I do not own a certain quote in here, I give those rights to Rooster Teeth (Red vs Blue Season 10 (c)) because that was where I'd seen and heard it first! :)
Tears of the Rain
Chapter 6
Out before Ru'yah was a vast field, with flowers and grass as tall as her waist. There were all sorts of flowers. Reds and blues, yellows and oranges, indigos and purples. There were even whites and blacks. Some reached the tops of the grass, others barely reached her shins. But it was all very beautiful, and very calming to ones mind. She smiled as the breeze blew her hair around her, twirling it and making it dance in twisting intricate ways that were confusing to the mind. She reached out an open palmed hand, just reaching and stretching. She closed her eyes in bliss as she stretched her other hand out, and pushed both of them skyward. She sighed as she pushed her stomach out, arching her back a bit, and her smile reached her eyes as she heard her back pop.
'Ahhh. It's nice to be here, not killing or training or anything extreme.'
"Like recovering from falling off a building?"
She stopped, her hands falling from their previous positions, and her head snapped in all directions. "Who said that?!" She called out to the emptiness. She heard an echoing laugh in response.
"Let's just say, I'm someone who will-"
The crushing black seemed to suffocate Ru'yah and she struggled with her assailant. Her dream forgotten, or was it a nightmare? One hand was holding, what she hoped, was their neck. While the other was trying desperately to find her hidden knife, but she was met with nothing. "Shhhhh. It's me. The boy from before. I had to follow you, please do not be mad…" She stopped struggling once she heard his voice. Slowly he lifted his hand from her mouth and nose, and he shrugged. Ru'yah's eyes narrowed at the young boy.
"What the hell was going through your head?!" She whispered fiercely. He shrank back slightly, and cringed at the tone of her voice. "I just want-"
"What?! To live this life? In case you forgot, you don't fall into the categories for me to accept you, or even THINK of accepting you as an apprentice. Besides, I don't accept apprentices period." He got fierce like her, and stepped up a step.
"I don't want to feel so helpless….. like I can't do anything! You obviously don't remember any of the shit that I said to you!" He whispered back to her. He cringed back slightly from what he said, but Ru'yah didn't notice it, or take note of it. 'His thoughts are the right track to be apprenticed, but…' she stopped slightly. "That's not going to change my mind." She told him stubbornly. She crossed her arms over her chest staring intently at the young boy.
A few hours later, Ru'yah found herself in Aamirs office, the boy in front of her with her hands on his shoulders. "Soo…. Why exactly is this boy in our stronghold?" Ru'yah stood there, shuffling her feet lightly, she was worried to death to tell him of her "treachery" (as most would see it).
"You see, I kinda told him today of what I do… Not in detail." She quickly added the last part as Aamir began to speak.
"That doesn't exactly explain why he is here."
"I'm actually-"
Ru'yah smacked his head. "I told you not to speak. I showed him the stronghold, and I guess he just kinda…. Snuck in?" Aamir sighed, it was obvious she was in some type of trouble. "Do you realize how bad this could turn out? Ru'yah…"
"I know, sir, and I'm very sorry, I didn't mean for anything like this to happen."
Aamir nodded, showing some sort of understanding, "I'm sure you didn't, so I'll let you off with a warning. But you have a choice now, you can kill the boy, or he's going to become your apprentice. And I'm sure you understand why." Aamir added the last part when Ru'yah began to speak. Instead she nodded. "Yes sir."
"Report back here in two hours."
Aamir turned his head back down to his paper work, and Ru'yah exited, pushing the young boy out in front of her. "Stay close, don't, and I mean, don't, wander off." She looked at him, and he nodded. "Ok."
Ru'yah walked down the left side, and turned down both sets of stair cases, and could hear the boy hurrying to catch up. She could tell he was scared, who wouldn't be? Their life being held in a strangers hands? Anyone would be. She walked along, exiting the stronghold, and making her way to the training grounds. Walking down the short stairs, she passed the training grounds, and exited the strongholds outer most wall. She moved to the side and stopped, causing the boy to almost run into her.
She turned to him. "Okay, how did you get in?"
He stared at her, momentarily caught off guard. Wasn't she supposed to kill him or train him? "How did you get in, boy?" She was losing patience. He must have sat there staring at her longer than he thought he had, "Uhhh, I climbed the gate?" She nodded, "Okay, come along now."
A few minutes later found the couple in the streets. Ru'yah was weaving through the crowd as if they weren't even there, and the boy was working to keep up. Coming to an alley, Ru'yah climbed the ladder and smiled looking at the view. The boy was up next, and he was very winded, she laughed lightly to her self. 'He could pass out, right here, right now.'
And as if on cue, "I could… pass out, right… here, right… now."
Ru'yah laughed, "You'll get used to it. Especially if you want to be an Assassin."
He smiled, but the smile faltered when Ru'yah caught what she'd said.
"If I chose to apprentice you too me, that is."
His hopes rose a bit though, knowing there was a possibility.
Ru'yah sat, with her legs crossed and admired the view before gesturing to the empty air in front of her. "Join me." He too sat, but with the soles of his feet touching, instead of crossing his legs. "Now. How did you climb the gate?"
"Ummm.. I've had some climbing skills, with the practice of scaling the walls. I just kinda… I don't really know how to explain it." He smiled sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.
"Hmmm. That's interesting." Before she could continue, he intervened.
"What is?" He caught her look and smiled lightly again, "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, don't do it. It's interesting because most men with many years on you, in the Brotherhood too, can not seem to scale the gate. But…." The two talked for hours, question after question, and he answered each one without thinking too long. He knew what he wanted, he knew he wanted to live. So he gave smart answers and nothing to funny or silly. Ru'yah liked the boy, she found him to be someone the Brotherhood would benefit from having. She could only imagine Altair's thoughts when he gets out…
The boy found it strange how she hadn't asked of his name yet, but he did not question it, just kept answering her questions.
She was running out of questions, and so far she had liked all of his answers. Some worried her, but most were good. He fit the description of assassin. Of course he could have lived a different, much safer life, but. He was here now, no point in killing him, he was young, he deserved a chance. Umar did not think to kill her off simply because she was a girl. She prepared herself for the last questions, this is where she heard, most younger novices failed.
"Ok, this is one of the last questions. Also one of the most important."
She looked at him, he was still straight faced, and he looked ready to take on the world. Or the Brotherhoods trials at the least.
"Can you leave behind your family?"
She saw the look on his face change, she knew it. He couldn't. None of them could, and they did in the end no matter what they chose.
"Yes."
His tone shocked her, and her head snapped up. He had 'that's-easy' sound to his voice, as if leaving his family was the least of his worries. He was looking at his toes, which were wiggling as he played with them. She smiled softly.
"Do you wish to see them one last time?"
She decided he needed some suspense in going with her, or dying. This last answer would decide his fate...
"No. They wouldn't miss me anyway."
She frowned. "Do you not have any siblings to say goodbye to?" He shook his head. "You do realize, you can never see any of them again. Ever."
He nodded, "I don't want to. Goodbyes are too hard. And if I do not say goodbye then technicality I am just not there currently, right?" Ru'yah smiled to herself at the saying, she felt she'd heard it some where before... "Besides, what would I do? Walk in and say 'Hey guys! I hate you all and wish for you to burn in the deepest part of an abyss! Which, speaking of, I'll never see you again! Gonna go live my life as an assassin, or be killed by one!' And walk out? I don't think that would go over too well with any parent."
Ru'yah tried to keep a straight face, she understood his situation, but not on a personal level. She had seen families that have no communication skills what so ever, she had seen it tear families apart to the point where a parent accidentally killed a child. Or more than one. But on a personal level? Not really, she did not understand how it felt to have the parents not even care that the child actually does exist.
Standing up, she breathed in some air, and then let it out in one big gust. She looked down at him, he was staring at her. She could see all the emotions as they flew through, anger, despair, hope, fear, joy. He was considering both consequences. He was prepared to be killed, or apprenticed.
Most possible apprentices don't make it, also, because they can't keep straight faces, or they anticipate everything. That was never good as an assassin. You should be prepared, not anticipate that this was going to happen, or this was gonna fail. You needed to assume that it could. Not that it would.
"What's your name?"
"Omar. I'm not too sure of my last name…" He stood too, staring out at the scene before them.
"Well, we will have to change that. Hmmmm, Khalif 'Ahad." She smiled. "Well, Khalif. Let's go."
He stopped, jaw dropped. "Where? Go where?"
She laughed whole heartedly. "Back to the Brotherhood, of course! Where else would we go? To your "grave"?! Yeah, right!" He smiled, didn't laugh. Just smiled. "Ok, your leading. So show me the way!" He looked at her, "What?"
She frowned. Then smiled again. "You leading me back to the Brotherhood. Consider it your first test." He nodded, "Alright. I can totally do this." He looked out at the vast expanse of Masyaf only to see that the Brotherhood was all the way across the way and that that had been the reason they'd jumped across the roofs. So that way they would have time to talk and no worry about being rushed. "By the way; you have to show me the way, through the crowd, no jumping the roof tops this time!"
As they moved off, Ru'yah decided to further his test. "How old are you?"
"I just turned 13." She could tell he was trying to move how she did. 'At least he picks up quickly.'
The whole, time, she rambled. Everything and anything she could think of to distract him. But it did not work, he kept on track, he hardly glanced up at her. If not at all, he had memorized what turns they'd taken on the roofs and was using that knowledge in the streets. He obviously hadn't anticipated her saying yes, because there were occasions that he glanced to see if he was on track. But sure enough, within the two hour mark, they were back in front of Aamir's desk.
Khalif was standing, nervous, he was fidgeting. And Ru'yah stood calm and collected.
"Khalif, as I can see, Ru'yah has chosen to save you." Ru'yah thought she saw a tremor roll through Khalif at Aamir's use of his new name.
"Yes sir." His answer was not that hesitant. And his shaking did not show in his voice, that was very good on his part.
"A good choice, I assure you. There is no need to be so nervous." Aamir threw Khalif his normal easy going smile that he threw her most of the time.
Ru'yah decided to pipe up, she already knew Aamir had no issues with her taking him under her wing. "Sir, if I may?"
"Of course, Ru'yah. Go ahead." He gave her a knowing smile.
Ru'yah turned to Khalif. "It gives me great pride, to give you these robes."
Ru'yah revealed gray, novice robes from behind her back. And Khalif's heart began to pound in his chest. But, before he could grab them, Aamir spoke. "You realize, once you touch those, you are forever under us. And you will answer first to Ru'yah and second to me while she trains you." Khalif nodded, and placed a gentle hand on top of the robes. He placed his other hand under them and took them, Ru'yah letting go of them knowing he had them. He held them to his chest and looked up at Ru'yah who smiled.
"Welcome to being a novice under none other than myself."
AOS118: What'd ya'll think? Through it together in three times opening the document! XD WHOO! No one her to be annoying, just review, and fave :) love you all!
