End Of Last Chapter:
"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.
Chapter Six: Her Story- Part One
Ayame had already had everything packed. Soujiro wondered if she was certain he would say yes. So Soujiro grabbed his things, and the started their trip to Tokyo. They had already been walking for half an hour, and neither one said much. Ayame would stop and gaze at the beautiful landscape, vowing to keep it in her memory forever. She would stop and point at things she saw and every so often she would ask him something to start a conversation, but they both knew Soujiro was having a hard time making the trip. Not that he wasn't able to, but because he didn't really want to. He kept imagining what Himura would say when they met again. He was trying to plan something to say. Something to keep them at their different ends of the line, but whatever he would come up with, he figured it wasn't gonna work. Finally, he decided to think about something else. His mind went to one thought in particular. How Ayame had said she didn't know how she knew him, and then another thought. She claims to be a fighter, and she has those unique weapons of hers. (He was referring to the short stick staff and the dagger.) If she is a skilled fighter, where did she learn it? He decided to try asking her questions again. "Ayame- chan...why is it that you want to meet with Himura?" She smiled her well known smile. "For many reasons. Oh, and please call me 'Ayame-san' because 'Ayame-chan' is a little girl who lives at the dojo." "Oh, I'm sorry." "No need. I was just letting you know for future use. But going back to your question, why do you ask?" "...I..I just was curious since you were so eager on me taking you." She laughed. "Good Answer." She paused. They both did that a lot when speaking. "The main reason I want you to take me to Kenshin is not at all simple. It overlaps with many other reasons, so I'm afraid I can't answer that one now, but you will know soon enough." Another pause. "Are there any other questions you would like to ask me? Anything else you're curious about?" He thought of all the things he wanted to ask her. He finally chose one. "You have an assorted collection of weapons, and you said you've taken them from your past victories, but where did you learn to fight?" Her smile went a bit wider. "You sure think a lot about things." She laughed. "The answer to that question begins with a long story. Would you like to hear it?" He nodded. "Alright."
Her Story..
"It all started as soon as I was born. My parents were delighted to finally have a child to call their own, but after awhile, they started having doubts." She looked at Soujiro. He was listening with extreme concentration. She continued. "Right away, my parents thought I was different. I was extremely strong and could walk at age one. They were glad I could walk at that age, but they weren't so happy about me being so strong. The villagers would tell them how it was awful for a young child, a young girl more specifically, to be so strong. They thought it was bad luck. The second thing that bothered them, was I didn't look at all like they did. I can't remember what they actually looked like, but I know it wasn't the same as me. They also noticed how laid-back I was. How I wouldn't go over and play with the other children. I would go and watch the birds and the animals, or go sit in solitude. That worried them. But what finally scared them happened when I was two. They were trying to teach me to speak. They would show me something and say the name of it, and I would say something totally different. They thought I might just be a little bit stupid, but one day while walking me down the street, a westerner approached us. She was quite taken by, as she claimed, how 'cute' I was. Then it happened. I spoke. Not that I hadn't before, but this time they knew I had actually said something. I had said 'pretty'. I had pointed to her dress and said 'pretty'. At first they just recognized it as the nonsense I would speak to them, but then they saw the look on the woman's face and figured something was wrong. She yelled at her husband to come over. When he reached us she looked at him and said 'This Asian child speaks English!' He didn't believe her at first, but then she looked at me and pointed to her dress. I said it again. 'Pretty'. The man was just as shocked as everyone else, because by that time, they had figured that the foreigners understood me. Everyone quickly brought me and the foreigners to the town translator. He assured it. I had spoken English. When my parents found that out, they quickly took me home. They spent hours deciding what they should do. At the end of that time, the wise woman of the village came over to visit me. She had brought me presents. I was delighted to have presents, but they weren't the kind my parents were expecting. She had brought me my staff and my dagger. My parents didn't think it was wise to give a child so young these things, but the woman gave them to me anyway. They were shocked to see that I did not cut or hurt myself in any way. I had complete knowledge of how to use them. That made it final. During the night, my parents wrapped me in a big blanket and my presents from the woman. My father then took me to a town far from the one I had known. When we reached it, I was asleep, and he lay me next to a closed door. He gave me a kiss, and prayed for me. Then he left. He went back to his home. And he left me there. At a doorway in the middle of the street in the late night."
To Be Continued.....
Author's Note: OOOH!! Wasn't that interesting?!?!?! Keep reading to find out more of Ayame's past. There's A LOT more, so there might even be three parts to it! Oh, and sorry about the "To be continued" thing. I hate those endings too, but when you think about it, it makes you want to find out what happens next! Sooooo..Find out what happens next! Thanks for reading!
Chapter Six: Her Story- Part One
Ayame had already had everything packed. Soujiro wondered if she was certain he would say yes. So Soujiro grabbed his things, and the started their trip to Tokyo. They had already been walking for half an hour, and neither one said much. Ayame would stop and gaze at the beautiful landscape, vowing to keep it in her memory forever. She would stop and point at things she saw and every so often she would ask him something to start a conversation, but they both knew Soujiro was having a hard time making the trip. Not that he wasn't able to, but because he didn't really want to. He kept imagining what Himura would say when they met again. He was trying to plan something to say. Something to keep them at their different ends of the line, but whatever he would come up with, he figured it wasn't gonna work. Finally, he decided to think about something else. His mind went to one thought in particular. How Ayame had said she didn't know how she knew him, and then another thought. She claims to be a fighter, and she has those unique weapons of hers. (He was referring to the short stick staff and the dagger.) If she is a skilled fighter, where did she learn it? He decided to try asking her questions again. "Ayame- chan...why is it that you want to meet with Himura?" She smiled her well known smile. "For many reasons. Oh, and please call me 'Ayame-san' because 'Ayame-chan' is a little girl who lives at the dojo." "Oh, I'm sorry." "No need. I was just letting you know for future use. But going back to your question, why do you ask?" "...I..I just was curious since you were so eager on me taking you." She laughed. "Good Answer." She paused. They both did that a lot when speaking. "The main reason I want you to take me to Kenshin is not at all simple. It overlaps with many other reasons, so I'm afraid I can't answer that one now, but you will know soon enough." Another pause. "Are there any other questions you would like to ask me? Anything else you're curious about?" He thought of all the things he wanted to ask her. He finally chose one. "You have an assorted collection of weapons, and you said you've taken them from your past victories, but where did you learn to fight?" Her smile went a bit wider. "You sure think a lot about things." She laughed. "The answer to that question begins with a long story. Would you like to hear it?" He nodded. "Alright."
Her Story..
"It all started as soon as I was born. My parents were delighted to finally have a child to call their own, but after awhile, they started having doubts." She looked at Soujiro. He was listening with extreme concentration. She continued. "Right away, my parents thought I was different. I was extremely strong and could walk at age one. They were glad I could walk at that age, but they weren't so happy about me being so strong. The villagers would tell them how it was awful for a young child, a young girl more specifically, to be so strong. They thought it was bad luck. The second thing that bothered them, was I didn't look at all like they did. I can't remember what they actually looked like, but I know it wasn't the same as me. They also noticed how laid-back I was. How I wouldn't go over and play with the other children. I would go and watch the birds and the animals, or go sit in solitude. That worried them. But what finally scared them happened when I was two. They were trying to teach me to speak. They would show me something and say the name of it, and I would say something totally different. They thought I might just be a little bit stupid, but one day while walking me down the street, a westerner approached us. She was quite taken by, as she claimed, how 'cute' I was. Then it happened. I spoke. Not that I hadn't before, but this time they knew I had actually said something. I had said 'pretty'. I had pointed to her dress and said 'pretty'. At first they just recognized it as the nonsense I would speak to them, but then they saw the look on the woman's face and figured something was wrong. She yelled at her husband to come over. When he reached us she looked at him and said 'This Asian child speaks English!' He didn't believe her at first, but then she looked at me and pointed to her dress. I said it again. 'Pretty'. The man was just as shocked as everyone else, because by that time, they had figured that the foreigners understood me. Everyone quickly brought me and the foreigners to the town translator. He assured it. I had spoken English. When my parents found that out, they quickly took me home. They spent hours deciding what they should do. At the end of that time, the wise woman of the village came over to visit me. She had brought me presents. I was delighted to have presents, but they weren't the kind my parents were expecting. She had brought me my staff and my dagger. My parents didn't think it was wise to give a child so young these things, but the woman gave them to me anyway. They were shocked to see that I did not cut or hurt myself in any way. I had complete knowledge of how to use them. That made it final. During the night, my parents wrapped me in a big blanket and my presents from the woman. My father then took me to a town far from the one I had known. When we reached it, I was asleep, and he lay me next to a closed door. He gave me a kiss, and prayed for me. Then he left. He went back to his home. And he left me there. At a doorway in the middle of the street in the late night."
To Be Continued.....
Author's Note: OOOH!! Wasn't that interesting?!?!?! Keep reading to find out more of Ayame's past. There's A LOT more, so there might even be three parts to it! Oh, and sorry about the "To be continued" thing. I hate those endings too, but when you think about it, it makes you want to find out what happens next! Sooooo..Find out what happens next! Thanks for reading!