The Cloth
Ayame hadn't seen Rikimaru since their rooftop encounter. He had stayed in his room for the last few days sleeping and recovering. Ayame knew he was okay. He was able to get onto the roof and all, but he was being his usual self and dragging it out as long as possible. Ayame on the other hand was fully recovered and was in the training area throwing knives at small wooden targets. Lord Gorda had been to see Rikimaru a few times but he had never said anything about a new partner. Ayame was hoping that Rikimaru's statement was only a threat to make her fell even worse, which it did.
Once Ayame had finished with her practice she returned the knives back to the equipment room and sat down by the river, soaking up the last of the warm sun. Lord Gorda came over, sat beside her and ran his fingers through the water.
"I have been talking to Rikimaru."
"Yes master."
"Do you know what we have been talking about?"
"No." Gorda sighed. He needed his best ninjas to work together not apart. He didn't want to do it, but he had to.
"Rikimaru wants a new partner. Tomorrow morning we will gather all of the newly trained ninjas and you both have to choose a new partner. It will benefit both you and Rikimaru and you can pass your talents onto the next generation so to speak."
"I understand." Ayame felt tears spring to her eyes. It wasn't a threat. It was for real. It was over. "I thought he would forgive me. So I stuffed up. He's okay isn't he? This isn't fair!"
"Life isn't fair Ayame. Give Rikimaru time and I'm sure he will come around soon." Lord Gorda placed a small leaf boat that he had made during their talk into the river and both of them watched as it floated downstream. He quietly stood, reminded Ayame of the partner picking the following morning and left. Ayame reached inside her pocket and pulled out a piece of blood covered cloth. It was all that was left from Rikimaru's clothes from the other day. The ninja's burnt the rest of it but Ayame took some as a reminder of her mistake.
She ran to Rikimaru's room not bothering to announce her entrance. He was lying there staring at the ceiling.
"I know it was a mistake. I have this to remind me!" She threw the cloth at Rikimaru's face. He sat up and studied it.
"Why did you keep this?"
"So I could relive my mistake until you got better. Until you forgave me. That day will not come so now I have no choice but to give it to you. Maybe it will give you bad dreams now!" Ayame was shaking. She couldn't stop the words from coming out her mouth. They were being blurted out without her brains knowledge. "And another thing, with this partner thing tomorrow, I think I deserve to get first choice!"
"I can't believe you kept it..." Rikimaru's eyes had not left the cloth.
"You are impossible." Ayame left in a similar way to how she had entered. 'I forgive you' Rikimaru thought as he watched the door she had just walked through, then placed the cloth under his pillow. She had grown up with him in the village. There had been many a night where they had snuck out after curfew and ran with each other through the bamboo forest just to feel the adrenaline pumping through their veins. They promised they would always be partners. Rikimaru couldn't be partners with her anymore. They weren't just friends, they were to close. It was getting to personal and the last mission had proved it to him. His thoughts were only on Ayame not the mission. He couldn't afford to be like that. He need to concentrate.
That night he had a nightmare. It was the events that had occurred the other day. This time he was seeing it through Ayame's point of view, feeling what she felt, hearing her thoughts. He woke covered in sweat and was panting.
"The cloth." He reached under his pillow and removed it. He slowly made his was outside and threw the cloth into a torch that was beside his front door. He watched it burn into nothing.
'I can't believe it' He thought as he watched the sun climb into the sky from his roof. He had felt everything she had. The feeling was still there even as he sat perfectly still. She couldn't have helped him, not if she felt like this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the sun woke up the rest of the village the mysterious ninja leapt down from it's viewing place high in a tree and ran back through the forest. This ninja had been watching the village for the last few days, and knew the routine of its next kill quite well. Now it just needed the right time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today was the big day. Ayame's body refused to wake up and she groaned to herself. "Rikimaru can't be doing this to me" she mumbled curling herself up into a ball. She wanted to go back to sleep then wake up again with everything being how it should be. She wanted Rikimaru to be her partner... Ayame froze for a second. Maybe she didn't want him to be her partner, after all he was always telling her how to kill people and when to do it. She was quite capable of doing these things on her own.
"Maybe I should train a little me, it could be interesting!" Her new found excitement gave her the energy to fight her body and get up. "A little Ayame following me around. I can't wait. I hope Rikimaru's new partner hates him, that would be so great!" Ayame even found herself skipping up to the main ninja house so eager to get her new partner.
When she entered the house Lord Gorda and Rikimaru were sitting at one end of the room while seven young ninjas sat in front of them with there heads down. As soon as she entered her eyes connected with Rikimaru's. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know why but she couldn't stop looking at him. She wanted to run up to him and give him a big hug but she knew she couldn't. This day was going to be very hard for her.
Ayame hadn't seen Rikimaru since their rooftop encounter. He had stayed in his room for the last few days sleeping and recovering. Ayame knew he was okay. He was able to get onto the roof and all, but he was being his usual self and dragging it out as long as possible. Ayame on the other hand was fully recovered and was in the training area throwing knives at small wooden targets. Lord Gorda had been to see Rikimaru a few times but he had never said anything about a new partner. Ayame was hoping that Rikimaru's statement was only a threat to make her fell even worse, which it did.
Once Ayame had finished with her practice she returned the knives back to the equipment room and sat down by the river, soaking up the last of the warm sun. Lord Gorda came over, sat beside her and ran his fingers through the water.
"I have been talking to Rikimaru."
"Yes master."
"Do you know what we have been talking about?"
"No." Gorda sighed. He needed his best ninjas to work together not apart. He didn't want to do it, but he had to.
"Rikimaru wants a new partner. Tomorrow morning we will gather all of the newly trained ninjas and you both have to choose a new partner. It will benefit both you and Rikimaru and you can pass your talents onto the next generation so to speak."
"I understand." Ayame felt tears spring to her eyes. It wasn't a threat. It was for real. It was over. "I thought he would forgive me. So I stuffed up. He's okay isn't he? This isn't fair!"
"Life isn't fair Ayame. Give Rikimaru time and I'm sure he will come around soon." Lord Gorda placed a small leaf boat that he had made during their talk into the river and both of them watched as it floated downstream. He quietly stood, reminded Ayame of the partner picking the following morning and left. Ayame reached inside her pocket and pulled out a piece of blood covered cloth. It was all that was left from Rikimaru's clothes from the other day. The ninja's burnt the rest of it but Ayame took some as a reminder of her mistake.
She ran to Rikimaru's room not bothering to announce her entrance. He was lying there staring at the ceiling.
"I know it was a mistake. I have this to remind me!" She threw the cloth at Rikimaru's face. He sat up and studied it.
"Why did you keep this?"
"So I could relive my mistake until you got better. Until you forgave me. That day will not come so now I have no choice but to give it to you. Maybe it will give you bad dreams now!" Ayame was shaking. She couldn't stop the words from coming out her mouth. They were being blurted out without her brains knowledge. "And another thing, with this partner thing tomorrow, I think I deserve to get first choice!"
"I can't believe you kept it..." Rikimaru's eyes had not left the cloth.
"You are impossible." Ayame left in a similar way to how she had entered. 'I forgive you' Rikimaru thought as he watched the door she had just walked through, then placed the cloth under his pillow. She had grown up with him in the village. There had been many a night where they had snuck out after curfew and ran with each other through the bamboo forest just to feel the adrenaline pumping through their veins. They promised they would always be partners. Rikimaru couldn't be partners with her anymore. They weren't just friends, they were to close. It was getting to personal and the last mission had proved it to him. His thoughts were only on Ayame not the mission. He couldn't afford to be like that. He need to concentrate.
That night he had a nightmare. It was the events that had occurred the other day. This time he was seeing it through Ayame's point of view, feeling what she felt, hearing her thoughts. He woke covered in sweat and was panting.
"The cloth." He reached under his pillow and removed it. He slowly made his was outside and threw the cloth into a torch that was beside his front door. He watched it burn into nothing.
'I can't believe it' He thought as he watched the sun climb into the sky from his roof. He had felt everything she had. The feeling was still there even as he sat perfectly still. She couldn't have helped him, not if she felt like this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the sun woke up the rest of the village the mysterious ninja leapt down from it's viewing place high in a tree and ran back through the forest. This ninja had been watching the village for the last few days, and knew the routine of its next kill quite well. Now it just needed the right time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today was the big day. Ayame's body refused to wake up and she groaned to herself. "Rikimaru can't be doing this to me" she mumbled curling herself up into a ball. She wanted to go back to sleep then wake up again with everything being how it should be. She wanted Rikimaru to be her partner... Ayame froze for a second. Maybe she didn't want him to be her partner, after all he was always telling her how to kill people and when to do it. She was quite capable of doing these things on her own.
"Maybe I should train a little me, it could be interesting!" Her new found excitement gave her the energy to fight her body and get up. "A little Ayame following me around. I can't wait. I hope Rikimaru's new partner hates him, that would be so great!" Ayame even found herself skipping up to the main ninja house so eager to get her new partner.
When she entered the house Lord Gorda and Rikimaru were sitting at one end of the room while seven young ninjas sat in front of them with there heads down. As soon as she entered her eyes connected with Rikimaru's. Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't know why but she couldn't stop looking at him. She wanted to run up to him and give him a big hug but she knew she couldn't. This day was going to be very hard for her.