End Of Last Chapter:
He thought of many things he could do, but he knew even if he tried, he
wouldn't leave. Something was holding him back. Something...strong.
And with that, he fell asleep.
Chapter Five: Pleasant Dreams
Soujiro had a terrible sleep that night. He kept tossing and turning and sweating through his sheets. His head was spinning with every thought that entered his mind. It went a little like this...
Soujiro watched from afar as he saw himself in Shishio-sama's hideout. And he was battling with Himura. 'I can beat him so easily. This can't be the Legendary Battousai.' Himura's skills were amazing, but nothing compared to his former skills, and nothing compared to Soujiro. He watched as Himura spoke nonsense to him about protecting the weak. That's exactly what it was. Nonsense. But he spoke of it as if he truly believed it. 'Why would he risk his life to protect the weak?' He watched himself grow more and more frustrated with every word that man said. He heard himself say the same thing over and over. 'Why? If what you say is true, then why? Why didn't you protect me?!' He watched as his skills weakened as his anger grew. But, he also saw something else. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but it seemed...it seemed as if Himura were trying to...help him. He saw Himura's eyes grow with concern as Soujiro grew more stressed, and he saw the obligation Himura had when he finally won the match. 'He was...he was concerened?? Why?! Why would he care about his opponent?!'
Soujiro's mind wandered to another scene. He was walking down a path. The same path he walked on to enter the village. He listened as he heard himself think. 'I have heard talk about Shishio-sama since his death. They all were pretty much true. But one story stuck out to me. One story..about a boy. A young boy that Shishio used. Used to gain power and install more fear into the people. Could they have been talking about me?' Soujiro watched as he entered the village. Again, he wasn't surprised when the people ran away from him. He saw himself turn the corner and stop. He saw Ayame standing there, smiling. He listened as she spoke. "Greetings. I have been waiting for you Soujiro-kun." She had known his name. How? He briefly remembered her saying something along the lines of not knowing the reason herself. His mind fast forwarded again.
They were in her cabin. She had the dagger in her hand. He remembered this. "Do you believe that love and hate are just as powerful as any blade? That they can determine the fate of someone's life as can a sword?" He watched as she performed her examples. "Love." "Hate." "Blade." "Until you truly believe this, you wont believe a word I say or anything that happens, and nothing will change." What had she meant? "..you wont believe a word I say or anything that happens, and nothing will change." She was right about the first part. He hadn't believed her. Not until she did the impossible, but then, she HAD done it, so..was it really that impossible? "..or anything that happens.." She was right again. He hadn't believed what had happened. He had thought it was a trick. But he had felt the blade cut him. He had seen the blood run off his hand, and he had seen the cut vanish. But the question was 'did he really believe it had happened?' He thought about that for a moment. She was a strange girl. Very strange, but he sensed something about her. Something that led him to believe what he saw was true. "..and nothing will change." What had she meant by that? Was she telling some kind of prophecy? Nothing will change? What would have changed in the first place?
Ayame didn't sleep that well either. She had another one of those strange dreams. But these dreams were more than just strange. She had always thought she was different, but these dreams made her believe she was more than just different. Just like the dreams, she was....abnormal.
Soujiro awoke startled. He was gasping and was covered in sweat. It took him a moment to put everything into place. 'It's ok. I remember now. I'm at Ayame's house.' He paused. 'Wait! I'm at Ayame's house?' It didn't really surprise him though. He knew he wasn't going to leave. While thinking that, he heard something. Something....something that sounded beautiful. He listened harder. It was someone..someone singing. It was a wonderful tune. 'But what would someone be singing outside for at this time?' Soujiro looked around and laughed at himself. The sun was already up. He quickly got up and headed outside. The sun was bright today. He looked around and saw a beautiful bunch of flowers growing around the house that he hadn't noticed the other night. He walked around to the back of the house by the stream and saw Ayame sitting there on a boulder. She was the one singing. But it wasn't anything Soujiro understood. He figured she was singing in English. He walked towards her. She saw him and stopped singing. "Good Morning Soujiro-kun." She had said his full name this time. He just nodded. "I'm sorry if I woke you." "No, no you didn't wake me." Ayame noticed he was all flustered. "Why don't you go rinse your face in the stream? It's always very refreshing. I do it every morning." "Alright." He walked to the stream and knelt down. Ayame watched silently as he splashed himself with the cool water. "I 'm guessing you have decided to accept my request?" Soujiro stood up and looked at her. He thought about it for a minute. Finally he decided. "Yes. Yes, I'll bring you to him." He watched as her face light up with joy. "Oh Thank You Sou-kun!!!" She ran up to him and gave him a hug. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood there. 'She does the most bold things', he thought to himself, but this thought was interrupted when he noticed something else. His face went scarlet red. He had never been hugged before. Not by a girl, not by anyone. He liked the feeling. Suddenly she let go. "Oh Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I'm so glad you've decided to come!" She said this straight from her heart. She really did, and she tried to show a lot of surprise in her reaction, but she wasn't really surprised at all. She knew he would come. And she wasn't joking when she said she knew he would come.
End Of Chapter
Chapter Five: Pleasant Dreams
Soujiro had a terrible sleep that night. He kept tossing and turning and sweating through his sheets. His head was spinning with every thought that entered his mind. It went a little like this...
Soujiro watched from afar as he saw himself in Shishio-sama's hideout. And he was battling with Himura. 'I can beat him so easily. This can't be the Legendary Battousai.' Himura's skills were amazing, but nothing compared to his former skills, and nothing compared to Soujiro. He watched as Himura spoke nonsense to him about protecting the weak. That's exactly what it was. Nonsense. But he spoke of it as if he truly believed it. 'Why would he risk his life to protect the weak?' He watched himself grow more and more frustrated with every word that man said. He heard himself say the same thing over and over. 'Why? If what you say is true, then why? Why didn't you protect me?!' He watched as his skills weakened as his anger grew. But, he also saw something else. He hadn't noticed it at the time, but it seemed...it seemed as if Himura were trying to...help him. He saw Himura's eyes grow with concern as Soujiro grew more stressed, and he saw the obligation Himura had when he finally won the match. 'He was...he was concerened?? Why?! Why would he care about his opponent?!'
Soujiro's mind wandered to another scene. He was walking down a path. The same path he walked on to enter the village. He listened as he heard himself think. 'I have heard talk about Shishio-sama since his death. They all were pretty much true. But one story stuck out to me. One story..about a boy. A young boy that Shishio used. Used to gain power and install more fear into the people. Could they have been talking about me?' Soujiro watched as he entered the village. Again, he wasn't surprised when the people ran away from him. He saw himself turn the corner and stop. He saw Ayame standing there, smiling. He listened as she spoke. "Greetings. I have been waiting for you Soujiro-kun." She had known his name. How? He briefly remembered her saying something along the lines of not knowing the reason herself. His mind fast forwarded again.
They were in her cabin. She had the dagger in her hand. He remembered this. "Do you believe that love and hate are just as powerful as any blade? That they can determine the fate of someone's life as can a sword?" He watched as she performed her examples. "Love." "Hate." "Blade." "Until you truly believe this, you wont believe a word I say or anything that happens, and nothing will change." What had she meant? "..you wont believe a word I say or anything that happens, and nothing will change." She was right about the first part. He hadn't believed her. Not until she did the impossible, but then, she HAD done it, so..was it really that impossible? "..or anything that happens.." She was right again. He hadn't believed what had happened. He had thought it was a trick. But he had felt the blade cut him. He had seen the blood run off his hand, and he had seen the cut vanish. But the question was 'did he really believe it had happened?' He thought about that for a moment. She was a strange girl. Very strange, but he sensed something about her. Something that led him to believe what he saw was true. "..and nothing will change." What had she meant by that? Was she telling some kind of prophecy? Nothing will change? What would have changed in the first place?
Ayame didn't sleep that well either. She had another one of those strange dreams. But these dreams were more than just strange. She had always thought she was different, but these dreams made her believe she was more than just different. Just like the dreams, she was....abnormal.
Soujiro awoke startled. He was gasping and was covered in sweat. It took him a moment to put everything into place. 'It's ok. I remember now. I'm at Ayame's house.' He paused. 'Wait! I'm at Ayame's house?' It didn't really surprise him though. He knew he wasn't going to leave. While thinking that, he heard something. Something....something that sounded beautiful. He listened harder. It was someone..someone singing. It was a wonderful tune. 'But what would someone be singing outside for at this time?' Soujiro looked around and laughed at himself. The sun was already up. He quickly got up and headed outside. The sun was bright today. He looked around and saw a beautiful bunch of flowers growing around the house that he hadn't noticed the other night. He walked around to the back of the house by the stream and saw Ayame sitting there on a boulder. She was the one singing. But it wasn't anything Soujiro understood. He figured she was singing in English. He walked towards her. She saw him and stopped singing. "Good Morning Soujiro-kun." She had said his full name this time. He just nodded. "I'm sorry if I woke you." "No, no you didn't wake me." Ayame noticed he was all flustered. "Why don't you go rinse your face in the stream? It's always very refreshing. I do it every morning." "Alright." He walked to the stream and knelt down. Ayame watched silently as he splashed himself with the cool water. "I 'm guessing you have decided to accept my request?" Soujiro stood up and looked at her. He thought about it for a minute. Finally he decided. "Yes. Yes, I'll bring you to him." He watched as her face light up with joy. "Oh Thank You Sou-kun!!!" She ran up to him and gave him a hug. He didn't know what to do, so he just stood there. 'She does the most bold things', he thought to himself, but this thought was interrupted when he noticed something else. His face went scarlet red. He had never been hugged before. Not by a girl, not by anyone. He liked the feeling. Suddenly she let go. "Oh Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I'm so glad you've decided to come!" She said this straight from her heart. She really did, and she tried to show a lot of surprise in her reaction, but she wasn't really surprised at all. She knew he would come. And she wasn't joking when she said she knew he would come.
End Of Chapter