Chapter Nine: Home

The next morning, the group eats some fish caught by Clive. All except for Ayame, as she was sitting away from the group with her head atop her arms and knees tucked under them underneath a tree on a small ledge staring with a deadpan face at the island countryside below.

Roca glances over at Ayame with a worried look as she says to the others, "She hasn't touch any food since last night and barely moves around. She's like a lifeless doll. Someone has to say something to her."

The others nods in agreement and Sam looks down as he says softly, "Indeed, I hate seeing her like this." He looks up at Roca and says, "Since you've been with her the longest I think you should be the one to talk to her Roca. You two are best friends so you would have the most influence on her."

Roca nods as she says gently, "I'll try my best." She grabs one of the cooked fish and stands up on her feet. She then walks warily over to where Ayame was and as she get close to her she says, "...Ayame?"

She gets no response and sighs. She taps Ayame's shoulder as she tries again, "..Ayame." She watches as Ayame slowly turns to look up her with a blank stare, which makes her feel a twinged of pity for the woman. Her eyes were always bright. To see this expression on her face upset her. She holds out the cooked fish to her as she says softly, "Here, eat."

Ayame turns away and replies softly, "...Not hungry."

Roca gives her a look of disapproval and says gently, "Ayame, you need your strength. You've not eaten anything since last night." She then sits down next to her as she continues, "I know Xaolan's death has hurt you. It has hurt all of us. But you mustn't punish yourself like this. Xaolan would want us to keep moving forward with smiles. You know how naive and happy-go-lucky she is. She wouldn't want you to be sad forever."

Ayame listens to her friend's words and says softly, "You're right...I just wish things didn't have to be this way. I made a promise...yet I couldn't keep it. I have all this power, yet it wasn't enough to save one little girl. Do you know how frustrating and helpless that makes me feel?" She then adds sadly, "She was like you..one of the stars...though she was just a child. She didn't deserve a fate like this. None of them do. I know I must do this task though I'm not sure I'll be able to keep my sanity with all this.."

Roca pats her shoulder and keeps quiet as Ayame continues, "Sometimes..I wish I was an ordinary woman..but I guess I was never meant to play that part." She then adds with a sigh, "You came over here to talk some sense into me for I have worried you all and I apologize. It's just..I never expected to be in this position. All that I've known in my life is crumbling around me bit by bit." She gives Roca a small smile, "However, I do feel alittle better now, so, thank you."

Roca returns her smile as she hands her the fish, "Tis what friends are for."

Silence falls between them and Roca fidgets alittle. She then turns to Ayame and says, "Actually, I was wondering if you could do something for me."

Ayame looks back over at her and asks, "What is it?"

Roca casts a quick glance at Clive, who was busy conversing with Sam, then looks back over Ayame and says, "Well, it turns out Clive suffers abit from vertigo after riding on Arez. So I was wondering if you could maybe make him something that helps with that before we leave for ya homeland."

Ayame blinked in surprised, then, a small smile tugged at her corner's of her lips as she says, "He's grown on you."

Roca blushes slightly as she replies, "A-ALittle..." She then asks, "So..can you?"

Ayame nods as she replies, "Sure, I can make him some ginger tea to alliviate some of the symptoms."

Roca gives her a grateful look as she says, "Thanks." She then hands her the fish as she adds, "Now then, how bout joining us to eat, hmm?"

Ayame nods as she takes it and the two get up and walk over to the rest of the group. She sits down and begins to eat her fish. As she finishes it she says softly to the others, "I'm sorry."

Sam looks at her curiously as he asks, "Sorry bout what?"

Ayame looks down as she replies, "For making you all worry bout me. I apologize."

Clive gives her a reassuring smile as he says, "We knew how ya felt. Don't worry bout it."

Ayame nods then says, "Thanks. Besides Xaolan, Frederico's antics have been on my mind as of late. I have a theory as to what he's trying to do."

Roca hands her another fish as she asks eagerly, "What have you figured out?" The others have curious looks as well.

Ayame takes a breath as she takes the fish and says, "We all know he is after something called the Jade Stone right?" The others nod and she continues, "Well, my encounter with that giant spider, despite what happened, was interesting. It had said something that has now caught my attention. According to legend, the Jade Stone is suppose to have the ability to revive the dead." She then adds, "And from what I've seen, it can grant immense power too."

She sees the other's eyes widen in shock, "What's even more shocking is despite Frederico's searching, the Jade Stone has been with us the entire time. It was given as a gift to Xaolan when she was born and no one knew because everyone avoided her due to dark premonition given to her by the wise woman."

Roca lowers her head sadly, "I pitied her so, she carried such a burden on her. Poor thing." She then asks, "What happened to the Jade Stone? Do we still have it?"

Ayame shakes her head, "I made sure it was buried with Xaolan so it will not fall into the hands of evil again. The spider tricked Xaolan by using her emotions against her to get it, thus ending with me having to kill them both to save her. I will not let it happen twice."

Her brows furrow as she adds, "So the real questions are whom or what is Frederico trying to revive? Or why he would want more power? The answers I haven't figured out yet."

Roca smirks as she says, "Well, once we find him we'll have plenty of time to get the answers we need." Her brows furrow as she adds, "After that I will show him no mercy."

Ayame nods in agreement to her friend's remark. Feeling full, she then says, "I'm abit full now so I'm going to check our medicinal supplies real quick."

She stands up then walks over to Arez and begins to dog into the supply bags tied to his sides. After finding what she needed, she quickly sets about making Clive's medicinal tea. When she was done, she then made a few extra back up powder batches and places them all into a supply bag.

She then notices that the others had then finished eating and were walking over to Arez, so she turns and pets the dragon as she says, "We're leaving here, Arez. Hope ya up for a long flight." The dragon nuzzles her then stretches and flaps it's wings eagerly.

Ayame giggles as a whirl of wind plays with her hair then motions Niss to get on. When Niss comes over, she helps her climb up onto the dragon then climbs up herself and sits behind her. The others follow suit and climb onto the dragon.

Once everyone was settled, Ayame says to Arez, "Let's go Arez! Head far northeast!"

The dragon let's out a roar and with a mighty flap of it's wings it lifts off the ground and takes to the sky at an amazing speed.

After flying above miles of ocean and other islands in a span of a two hours, they make it to the shores of Koyota. Once they land, the group gets off of Arez, who seemed quite exhausted after the long flight.

Ayame pets the dragon fondly as she says, "You did good Arez. Go ahead and rest." She then adds sternly, "But stay here. If my people were to see you they'd freak out."

The dragon let's out a yawn and curls up in the warm sand, a content growl rumbled in it's throat as it's body enjoyed the heat from both the sand and sun.

Roca looks around in amazement as she says, "It's so beautiful here." The area around them was filled with green lush hills and miles of pink flowered trees who's leaves painted the wind as it blew. She points to some of the trees nearby and asks, "What trees are those Ayame? They're so pretty."

Ayame looks where she was pointing and says, "Those are cherry blossoms. Their flowers are in bloom during the spring and many come to admire and eat under them." She smiles warmly as she adds, "If you think those are amazing, wait til you see my hometown."

Roca grins, her eyes filled with excitement, as she says, "Let's go see it now!"

Clive sits down on the ground and says weakly, "I'mma need a few minutes. The world's spinning abit."

Ayame looks over at him worriedly as she says, "Oh dear.." She walks over and pulls out some ginger root tea from the supply bag tied to Arez's side. She then kneels down next to Clive and hands the canister to him, "Here, drink this. I mixed ginko into so it'll help with dizziness."

Roca chimes in as she says, "I told her of your vertigo after we left the temple. So she went and prepared some medicine for you."

Clive gives her a grateful look as he takes it from Ayame and drinks it. He then rests his head down on his arms for a couple of minutes.

After Clive recovers from his vertigo, the group walks and passes through the gate entrance to the town of Kyoto. The group stares around in awe around the town. The buildings were quite fancy in looks to them with they're eastern style architecture. The men and women walking around them wore yukatas and kimonos just like Ayame did.

She turns to the others and says, "Come, I'll show you around." They follow her down the street as she walks away. They pass a few houses and come across a large temple. In front of it was a large pond filled with lotuses and koi fish. A bridge in the middle of the pond connected the building to the street.

Roca points to it and asks, "Is this the house of your village chief?"

Ayame shakes her head as she says, "No, this place is known by everyone as the Golden Temple." She points towards a large palace atop a hill in the distance and says, "See that palace over there? Our "chief" lives there."

Roca looks at the palace in awe, "It is quite large. He must be a powerful man."

Ayame nods and says, "He is, in social ranking anyway. Our land is kept safe because of him. He also has many concubines from what I hear." At the others confused expressions she adds, "Wives to put it simply."

Roca blushes slightly as she says, "Oh my...that's um..."

Ayame chuckles nervously as she replies, "Shameless I know...and I agree but the reason is so he can have many heirs to rule after him."

Sam looks around in wonderment as he says, "Your homeland is quite extraordinary. It is filled with many sights and sounds." He sniffs the air as he adds, "As well as smells. I can hardly recognize or tell anything apart though there are a few good ones." A few growls are heard from his stomach and he blushes in embarrassment.

Ayame chuckles slightly as she says to him, "Hungry huh? Understandable for we have travel a long way." She motions for them all to follow her as she says with a smile, "Come with me, I'll treat you all to some local delicacies."

The group follows her as she goes over to a food merchant stable and says to the merchant, "Excuse me, I'd like eight nigiri sushi as well as eight nikumans please." The merchant nods then disappears behind a sliding door. Within a few minutes he comes out with the food and says to Ayame, "That be nine-hundred yen miss."

Ayame nods and hands him the money from her small bag she brought along and takes the food. She motions the others to follow her to some nearby cherry blossom trees. They all sit down beneath the trees and Ayame hands two of each to them of nigiri sushi and nikumans.

Sam bites into a nikuman and his eyes light up as he let's out a happy sound and says fondly, "This is delicious. The meat in it makes my mouth water." He turns to Ayame and asks, "What is this?"

Ayame takes a bite of her nigiri sushi and after she swallows she replies, "They're steamed meat buns. These ones are filled with wildpig meat, but you can use beef as well." She then chuckles as she says, "Not to brag, but I can make some pretty good steamed meat buns." She then blushes as she adds with a shy smile, "I be happy to make you some anytime."

Sam returns her smile as a small blush paints his cheek and he says shyly, "..I'd like that."

Roca and Clive exchange knowing looks as they smile at the pair. Ayame then points to the nigiri sushi and says, "And those are nigiri sushi. They're made from a variety of raw fish that come from the sea and are laid over sticky white rice. We sometimes add sauces to give flavor. The ones we have here are made from salmon."

Roca gives a hum of approval as she swallows abit of the nigiri and says, "They're pretty good."

Ayame then glances around the streets. It was good to be home again and everything still seemed the same. She couldn't wait to introduce her new friends to her parents.

She then sees an old man pass by who was familiar to her. She turns to the others and says, "Wait here, I'll be right back." The others nod and watch as she runs towards the old man.

Ayame calls out to the old man, "Hey! Mr. Fujii!"

The old man turns around and his eyes widen in shock as he says in disbelief, "Ayame?!"

Ayame stops before him and he says with concern, "You have returned I see. Your dream not turn out well?"

She shakes her head as she replies, "No, it has been well. I have even made some new friends. I'm only visiting for alittle bit to see my family."

Mr. Fujii gets a sad look on his face and Ayame asks, "What's wrong?"

The old man looks at her as he says softly, "Not sure how to tell you this, but your mother is no longer of this world."

Ayame looks at him in confusion as she asks, "W-what? What do you mean?"

Sam's brows furrow as he thinks to himself, "Oh no..this is not good." His keen wolf hearing enabled him to hear the conversation between the old man and Ayame.

Roca notices his expression and asks, "What's wrong Sam?"

Sam turns to her and says softly, "Bad news...Ayame's mother is no longer alive."

Roca's eyes widen in shock as she asks, "Oh no, what bout her father? Is he..ya know.."

Sam shushes her as he replies, "Shh, I won't be able to hear. I tell you all in a moment." The others nod and he then tunes back in to Ayame's conversation with Mr. Fujii.

Mr. Fujii gets a depressed look as he replies sadly, "Things have changed drastically since you have left Ayame. And not for the better. The wars have claimed many people and many men of are being taken against their will as able bodied soldiers to help fight. Taxes are unbearably high and the wives of those men who cannot pay are taken to the red light district to pay them off. Many children are starving now because of it as well. Twas never like this when I was younger, and seeing it like this breaks my heart."

Ayame's eyes widen in shock as he continues, "Your father has yet to be heard from so many here who knew him assume the worse. Your mother stayed hopeful while he was away and prayed for his safe return. But as she waited, she'd fallen sick with a terrible illness. She promised the collectors the debt money when they visited, pleading that it be paid after she recovered. But they would not have any of it. Before they could arrange to send her to the red light district, she had passed on to the next world, succumbing to her illness."

Tears form in the corner of Ayame's eyes as she thinks to herself, "She was sick..Why didn't she tell me? I wrote to her everyday by pigeon. I wasn't here to help her...I knew she was frail but I was hoping to see them both one last time..She had been so supportive of my dreams that she convinced my father to let me leave. I..I shoulda stayed.."

Mr. Fujii takes out a folded up piece of paper from his yukata and hands it to Ayame as he says, "I found this the day your mother passed. It is addressed to you. I assume she was going to send it by pigeon to you. She tells me of your letters you send her."

Ayame shakily takes it from him and opens it. Upon it's surface a few sentences had be written upon it. It's words read, "To my lovely Ayame, my rare flower who blooms in the mist of adversity. I am proud of you and even though you cannot see me I pray that you continue to push forward with your dreams and may you find happiness within your journey. And a good man as well as I hope to someday have grandchildren hehe."

Tears streaked down Ayame's face as she holds the note to her chest. Mr. Fujii looks at her sadly as he says softly, "I am sorry for your loss my dear. If I were you I'd leave this place before the debt collectors find you have returned and place your parent's debt onto you. A pretty flower like you does not belong in the red light district."

Ayame wipes away her tears with the sleeve of her kimono and gives the old man a small smile as she says, "Thank you Mr. Fujii.."

She tucks the note into her kimono then bows before him and says, "I must be off now, my friends are waiting for me."

The old man nods and says, "Take care of yourself."

Ayame nods and heads back over to where the others were sitting. She sits down with them and says with a smile, "Sorry bout that. I wanted to talk to a old family friend I knew for long time."

She notices everyone's gloomy faces and asks, "What's wrong?"

Roca replies softly, "We know Ayame. Sam heard and told us everything. About your parents."

Ayame's eyes widen with surprise and she looks over at Sam. He gives her an apologetic look as he explains himself, "Us wolves have a good sense of hearing. I know it was none of my business but I couldn't help but overhear. I'm sorry Ayame."

Ayame looks down and says softly, "...I see." She then gives them a reassuring look, "Tis fine as you all woulda learned of it. I had intended on introducing you guys to them." Sam gives a small nod but the look of concern never left his eyes as he gazed at her.

Trying to change the subject, Clive looks at Sam curiously and asks, "So how far exactly can ya hear?"

Sam ponders for a moment then replies, "I'd say bout six to ten miles depending on the location."

Clive whistles in amazement as he says, "Damn, that be some good range of hearing. It be hard to sneak up on you."

Roca looks at Ayame worriedly as she asks, "Will you be ok? If there's anything you want to do just say it." She knew what Ayame was feeling now and wanted to be sure her friend had closure before they moved on. The others nod in agreement.

Ayame looks at her and says with a small smile, "I'll...be alright. Nothing will change the fact that my parents are no longer alive. It would be disgraceful for me not to move forward. I worked hard to follow my dream and they supported it. It's only right that I continue to walk this path in their honor. Thank you for your concern."

She then adds softly, "After this meal, I'mma do some shopping. Then we're going to leave this town." She looks down at her kimono as she thinks to herself, "I think a change is in order. If I'm going to play the part of a warrior, I need to both look and become it. Not some docile lamb. But fierce, like a dragon."

The others nod silently as they finish their meals. They then follow Ayame around town as she searches for a fabric and gear merchant. When she finds them she trades out the rest of her money for bolts of blue fabric, silver-plated metal, and boots. With her load in tow, the group makes their way towards the town gate.

Roca looks at the bundle of items in Ayame's arms and asks curiously, "What are you going to do with all that?"

"This kimono is not easy to maneuver in so I'm going to try to make some combat clothes." replied Ayame, a determine look on her face.

Roca and the others glance at each other with surprised looks. It seems a fire had been lit within Ayame and they had a feeling the deaths of Xaolan and her parents helped play a part in it.

As they reach the gate, Ayame notices a group of people had gathered just near the entrance and were cheering with excitement. Curious, she walks over to the crowd with the others following behind her as curious looks were painted on their faces as well.

In front of the crowd was a group of samurai dueling, some middle aged and few young. One by one they were defeated by one of the young samurai in the middle. The crowd cheers as the last contestant falls to his knees in defeat. The young samurai bows before the crowd and says, "Anybody else wanna challenge me? If you think you can beat me a huge reward is waiting for you!"

He then notices Ayame and a grin comes upon his face. He comes over and grabs one of her hands as he says, "Ah, dearest Ayame you have returned! What do you think of me fighting skills, eh? Not to shabby if I say so myself." He then asks eagerly, "Tell me, are you reconsidering my proposal? Tis why ya come back, yes?"

Ayame fidgets slightly as she replies, "N-no I'm only visiting." Her eyes narrow as she frowns, "And as far as that proposal goes, Renki, the answer is still no."

Renki gets a smug look on his face as he says sweetly, "Don't be so cold. How bout you and me go for drinks after this, eh? My treat. I'll make you see I'm worth you while."

Ayame shakes her head as she says firmly, "I'm really not interested..."

A low growl comes from Sam as he grabs the samurai's hands and separates them from Ayame's while saying calmly, "You heard her, she's not interested. So kindly remove your hands from her."

Renki yanks his hand away and looks Sam up and down as he says with a scowl, "Same to you filthy beast." He turns to Ayame and asks, "Do you know this creature?"

Ayame nods as she replies with a glare, "Yes I do and don't call him a filthy beast. His name is Sam. It's a nice name so call him by it. He is my friend and has been with me since I left this place to become a traveling herbalist. You will show him some respect."

She nods her head at the others, "They are my friends as well." She then adds, "And with all due respect, I would much prefer his company over yours any day. This man you call beast has more manners then you've shown and is quite compassionate towards others."

Sam is rendered speechless as he is taken aback by Ayame's words. His eyes then soften and a small blush paints his cheeks. "I knew she was different. A really good kind of different." he thought warmly.

Renki furrows his brows as he says coldly, "So, you mean to tell me you turned me down for some crazy dream and associated yourself with this monster?" He glances at Roca and Clive, taking in their appearance and adds, "And these savage low lives? How pathetic."

He then gives her a wry smile as he asks, "I take it this means you've also become his whore then? Tch, I refuse to take sloppy seconds. Your parents should be ashamed for you have become tainted and bring them dishonor."

Murmurs sound throughout the crowd around them as they watch the spectacle before them, casting both curious and disdain looks towards Ayame.

Ayame is speechless as Roca becomes enraged and says angrily, "Why you.." She grips her machete and unsheathes it. She then prepares to attack him, but Clive grabs onto her and holds her back. She struggles in his arms as she says fiercely, "Let me go! I'll gut him like the pig he is!"

Clive looks down at her and says calmly, "I know he's said something terrible, but shedding blood isn't the answer."

Knowing his words made sense, Roca let's out a huff as she stops struggling and sheathes her machete as she says calmly, "Fine." She then stares at the samurai with a heated glare and Clive let's out a sigh of relief as he releases her.

Sam let's out a low growl as he says angrily, "You know nothing about her! Ayame is a smart and beautiful woman who's kind and does not discriminate against others no matter what place they're from! Her parents would be proud of her as her dream will help many and she's good at it! How dare you speak of her in such a way! Apologize!"

Ayame looks at Sam with widen eyes, surprised at his words and thinks. "No one's ever said anything like that about me before except for my parents."

Renki scowls at Sam then notices his sword and says smugly, "Sam is it? I see you're a swordsman like myself. So how bout this? If you can beat me, I'll apologize to her and give you the reward."

Ayame tugs on Sam's arm as she says softly, "Let's just go. He's not worth it."

Sam doesn't budge as he thinks, "You are worth it to me." His eyes never leave the samurai's face as he says steadily, "I accept."

Ayame looks at him in disbelief as she says, "You don't have to-"

He cuts her off, "I want to. I won't stand for him insulting you. You're too good a person to be treated like this."

Ayame's eyes soften as she says, "Sam..." He looked as if his mind was made up and no words would persuade him otherwise. She then nods as she releases his arm and says softly, "Just..be careful."

Sam nods and walks over to the samurai as Roca calls out to him, "Kick his ass Sam!"

The two men draw their swords and circle each other. They then attack each other and clashing sounds of swords filled the air. Thanks to his animal reflexes Sam easily overwhelms the samurai and the fight ends with the Renki on the ground and Sam's sword pointed at his neck.

Renki holds up a hand as he says, "Easy, you won. I have to say you're quite strong. Much more so than some of the men I have fought around here. Quite surprised."

Sam slowly withdraws his sword from the man's neck as he says, "Now, that apology?"

Renki nods as he slowly stands up. He dusts himself off then bows towards Ayame and says, "I was angry and jealous. I am deeply sorry. Please forgive my manners."

Ayame gives him a gentle nod but says nothing in return. Renki then hands Sam a bag and says, "As promised your reward."

Sam takes it from him and sheathes his sword. He then walks back over to Ayame and hands her the bag. She peeks inside it and within was ten thousand gold coins. She closes the bag and tucks it into her obi as she says to the others, "Let's get out of here."

The others nod and they all leave out of Kyoto's gate exit. They go back to where Arez was and take the dragon with them as they try to find a suitable place to camp for the night.

They chose a spot by the river and Ayame began the task of making her new combat clothes. Niss had already fallen asleep. She was curled up by Arez's side who had curled himself around her protectively in response and Ayame smiles at the cuteness of it. As she stitches the fabric together, she thinks back to what Sam had said earlier and a feeling of warmth filled her as it rose to her cheeks. It made her happy that he thought of her like that and not as some prize as the men in her hometown had.

Sam was sitting nearby, watching her with interest. Noticing his gaze, she turns to Sam and says gently, "..Hey Sam?"

He gives her a hum in response and she says nervously with a blush, "Thanks...for standing up for me back there. What you said..it means a lot."

Sam blushes as he says, "I-I was only speaking the truth." He then asks, "So, I take it he was one of the many suitors that weren't so nice?"

Ayame nods as she replies, "Mhm, lot of them didn't know how to take no for an answer. They thought I was playing hard to get." She frowns, "To them, I'm a symbol of status. My father was one of many generals in the emperor's army so our family name held high honor and rank. What man wouldn't want to marry into that? I am but a prize in their eyes."

Sam gives her a sympathetic look as he says gently, "But you're not some thing to own. Surely they must know that. You are your own person with feelings and you've spoken them."

She shakes her head as she says, "My opinion matters not. If they really wanted me, they could force an arranged marriage. Then I would have to hold my tongue and do what is expected of me. They're one of the main reasons why I trained and left to travel the world as an herbalist. To escape the chance of a loveless marriage."

Sam shakes his head in disgust as he says in disbelief, "That's not right at all." The idea of Ayame having to do that makes his stomach turn. He was now happy that he beaten that samurai for her. "Sounds more like enslavement if you ask me." he thought.

Ayame nods in agreement as says, "I agree, but that is the way of our people." She adds the final stitch to the new clothing and says, "All done."

Sam watches as she then stands up with the blue bundle and walks behind a large tree. He presumed that she was going to try it on. After a few minutes she returns and Sam felt his heart skip a beat. She was wearing a blue cropped top with silver metal trim that bared her shoulders and revealed a slim, firm waist. On her arms were long blue sleeves that puffed out slightly at the ends of her wrists. Along with the top she wore a blue skirt that came down to her thighs. It was adorned with silver metal trim around the waist and had a purple gem in the middle attached to a long blue sash that hung the front and back. On her feet were black knee-high boots and on top her head was a silver circlet that had a purple gem in the center of it. The outfit accentuated her curves and it's color highlighted her fair skin and silver eyes.

He then hears Ayame say, "Um..Sam?" He looks at her and notices that she was blushing. He then realizes he had been staring at her this whole time without saying anything. Embarrassed, he blushes slightly as he says in an apologetic tone, "S-Sorry." He then adds, "You look nice. The color blue suits you Ayame." He then mentally scolds himself, "Nice? That's the best you could do?"

She gives him a shy smile in response as she says tentatively, "T-Thanks. Blue happens to be my favorite color."

This reaction takes Sam by surprise and he thinks, "Okay, maybe I didn't screw up."

Roca glances over and takes in Ayame's appearance. She then says in approval, "Wow..you look good." She then adds, "Bit revealing though don't ya think?"

Ayame shrugs as she gives her a sheepish look while replying, "It covers enough. What matters most is freedom of movement which my kimono restricted me of." She stretches slightly, "It feels good to be no longer confined."

Clive chuckles as he grins and says, "She's got some confidence." He gives her a thumbs up, "More power to ya lass."

Ayame smiles then settles down next to Sam. She sighs as she stares up at the clear night sky in wonder and says to him, "Isn't the sky beautiful tonight?" A sad smile crosses her face, "My mother once said the stars were once our ancestors who ascended into the sky and now watch over us from above."

Sam looks up at the sky as he replies, "Huh, never thought of it like that." He notices the sadness on her face and eyes. He knew the reason behind it. After choosing his next words carefully, he adds softly, "If that's the case, then your parents aren't truly gone. They're just watching over you from up there now, as well as Xaolan."

Ayame glances over at him in surprise and he quickly says, "Uh..well..what I meant is-"

To his surprise, she gives him a gentle smile, it's warmth reaching her eyes as she says, "I know what you meant and I appreciate it." She snuggles closer to him and closes her eyes as she says softly, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Sam. I feel alittle better now."

Sam blushes as she leans against his side, his heart fluttering slightly, but stays calm as he says softly, "Y-You're welcome."

Feeling eyes upon him, he glances over at Clive, who grins boyishly as he gives him a thumbs up. Sam gives him a nervous smile in response and watches in amusement as Roca jabs Clive gently in the side and gives him a pointed look as if to say "Leave him alone."

Clive rubs his side and gives her a give her an annoyed look that said "What I do?" which makes Sam laugh inwardly.

Sam then returns his attention back to Ayame and, to his surprise, finds that she had fallen asleep. Her head was rested against the fur of his scarf and her chest rose and fell gently as slow, soft breaths escaped from her. After today's events he couldn't blame her for being exhausted from all the mental stress. He then finds himself staring at her sleeping face in fascination.

The light of the campfire cast a warm glow across her face which helped accentuate her parted rosy lips and button nose. Her long lashes were curled softly away from her cheeks. She looked so peaceful that he didn't want to move lest he disturbed her. He let's out a content sigh, closing his eyes as fatigue sets in and he drifts off to sleep.

Roca glances back over at Sam and Ayame then whispers softly, "Would you look at that? They fell asleep next to each other. So cute."

Clive nods as he whispers back, "Aye, I think our wolf boy has charmed Miss Ayame abit after winning that duel in town." He then let's out a yawn as he lays down on his side, his head propped on one arm as he says sleepily, "Welp, I believe some shut eye is in order. Night, Miss Roca."

Roca nods as she too let's out a yawn and says sleepily, "Night." She then lies down on the ground and two then drift off to sleep.