first proof of seventh chapter
Road of two shadows

-What a hell took you so long-
Waves laid down the shore. It was the darkest hour of the night and forests were swarming with people who had killing in their mind.

-"Am I alive?"- Ayame thought of herself.
She lay in sand keeping her eyes closed. Her hands sank in the watery bed. She was starting to realize that she wasn't in the village. Otherwise someone would have noticed her. Waves pushed her further to the shore and she coughed water from her lungs.

She opened her eyes and noticed that it was night time. Ayame rose to sit. She had an awful headache. Ground and trees were staggering in front of her before she lost her eyesight again.

-"I'm so sorry that I failed you…"-

She thought thinking of her home. She looked the stars, but didn't get any comfort for them. Those looked like snow as Ayame watched them twinkle. Not pride and clear, just like her thoughts.

She sensed someone coming.

Would she have enough strength to hide, to fight and to survive? She was evidently faraway from home, no-one know where she was and would her burden be valuable enough to be saved? She thought of her friends.
Kiku… and Rikimaru…

-"I wonder have they noticed that I should have returned for ages go…
She felt sudden dizziness pass through her brain.
What am I thinking! How can I be thinking about giving up, it must be the poison that confuses my thoughts…"-
Ayame put her hand to her forehead so she would have at the very least that much strength for not to think about giving up. She would never do that! If she was going to die, she would die like a warrior.

Ayame saw her change to disappear in the shallow water. Water would back her up so she would not fall so easily. So she stayed at the shore and waited.

She had gone to hide just in time. Ayame saw a strong male figure kneeling to the shore and drinking water from his hand.

Ayame took her swords to her hands whit out a sound. She tried to blink her eyes, so if that would clear her eyesight, but it only moved her headache to her forehead.

Man was standing in the water, he had probably paddled deeper to wash his face whit could water. Now he just stood there fazing Ayame. She could not be sure was she perfectly out of his sight, but didn't dare to move. Ayame couldn't trust her Ki, her senses were total mess. The man took couple steps back and turned to walk away.

Ayame slide true the shallow water and rose to surface. Man turned and she attacked.
Ayame was pullen back by the worse that had plocked her pounce.

Suddenly the same hands that had pushed her out of her balance catch her, stopping her from falling the water. It took couple of seconds to Ayame to realize what had happened.

"Rikimaru?…"

He couldn't say anything. Situation had astonished him too and it didn't make it any easier to see the empty look in Ayame's pasty eyes. But at least she was alive…

Ayame hugged Rikimaru tightly and let her sword slip from her hands. Few trop's of water plashed as those sunk, other left standing in beach. Ayame was ashamed. She could have killed him and that she would have not been able to forgive herself.

Rikimaru hold her up, not believing that this human wreck was self-reliant woman that he knew. He smoothed her back for giving her feeling of being safe.

"Ayame…" And sight for relief that she was mainly in one piece.

He lifted the tired girl to his arms and carried her out of water.

Authors note: Wow! I can't believe that I have catsh so many readers… I'm speechless! … Well not totally, I just need to say THANKS! And then afcourse…: Someone asked me about is there any proof of A and R getting together, in the game. Well, I can see how you all don't see it… but I think it's a lot possible (, right?) I think that R is totally crazy about A, but A is too scared to fall in love to him because he's all… ninja, not showing his feelings and stuff. So yes, it WILL HAPPEN in the game. There is just some misunderstanding between them…

Well did you like the chapter or not, should I change something, has it got some irritating spots that can not be happening…? Could you tell me what of my sentences didn't make sense? (…as in the story)
Let me hear it!