He gave up. He truly, honestly, did. Was it a "leader" thing to do? Was he the dumb one? Maybe, at this point!
First Apollyon sends only him and Skye to defend an ally Legion's fortress. No other backup. Just a Warden and a healer. But it worked.
Then Stigandr and Runa both had the brilliant idea of running off on their own inside a fortified stronghold full of trained enemies, only to come back when, surprise surprise, they ended up getting injured for it, even getting close enough to Pluto and kiss his cheeks, in Stigandr case. But again, it worked… somehow.
And now, Amane and Momiji woke up and decided that going into Ashfeld to… scout, he guessed, would definitely not end in blood. And take a wild guess, it fucking worked!
All three factions did it. He could understand the Vikings, strategy isn't really their strong point. He could even understand Apollyon, she was insane after all.
But the Samurai? Ayu?! One of the smartest people he ever met?! She okayed this?!
Maybe he was the stupid one… but regardless of that, now he had his hands full with a sheepish Momiji, in all her arrow in the knee glory, and a weirdly quiet Amane, covered in cuts and bruises, staring at him with an expression he could not decipher.
Something in between curiosity and… teasing?
He blinked a couple of times, before promptly deciding to spare his own sanity and focus on his job. Amane was many things…
A woman that you wanted to understand was not one of them. Better to just nod and say yes.
"So, how's it looking doc?"
Corvo checked the wound without removing the arrow, at least for the time being.
"It's not debilitating, if that's what you're worried about. But you won't walk for at least a couple of weeks, that I can guarantee".
Momiji slumped, while Amane laughed to herself.
"Chin up Momi! Your adventuring days are far from over!"
He groaned. He didn't even know why, but that sentence bothered him to his core.
"Shut up already and fetch me my flask, instead of sitting there like an old geezer".
"Okay, okay! Damn, what a slave driver…"
The Orochi stood up, confidently strutting to where she knew the healer kept his basic supplies. She assisted to more than enough "operations" to be pretty damn familiar with the small apothecary.
"Thank you. Now you, hold onto something. This one is gonna hurt".
The Nobushi nodded and braced herself, feeling the familiar sting of a sharp object being removed from her body. Or, at least he assumed it was familiar. She looked like a seasoned warrior, even if she was relatively young.
Right after removing the offending item, he immediately started treating the wound, completely slipping into "focused healer" mode.
"So, Amane. Mind finally telling me what happened after you shoved me beyond that barricade? You told Ayu, but not us!"
The Orochi blinked, her gaze once more sweeping to him. Okay seriously, why the hell was she staring at him?!
"Right, I never told you, didn't I? Well, long story short, I met that Warden I pointed at you earlier. She knocked me out, then we had a scuffle and after that, she pointed me in the direction of Apollyon's Castle. We were right, that's a group of people that rebelled to the Blackstone Legion, she was their leader apparently. After that, I recovered your carcass from the barricade and dragged you back here. You're welcome, by the way!"
She? A female Warden, leading a group of defecting former Blackstone Legion…?
He couldn't contain the grin forming on his face. He knew it! He knew that Skye wasn't going to disappoint!
He raised his head, meeting Amane's amused eyes. Fuck…
"You're looking pretty damn cheery right about now. Is there something that you would like to share with the class?"
He winced and struggled to school his expression back to neutral. If only She could see him now…
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I'm merely glad that we're not gonna be alone in assaulting Apollyon's stronghold. That's all".
Neither The Orochi nor The Nobushi looked convinced.
"Suuuuuure. Whatever you say, handsome".
Corvo groaned, feeling his mask that he carefully crafted over the years, crack more and more, not aided by Momiji's constant teasing. This woman was a genuine menace…
"Stop calling me that already…"
The Nobushi grinned.
"Nope! Can't do, it's too funny to see you get so worked up over a silly nickname".
And it was just that, he knew. She called most men "handsome" and most women "beautiful", regardless of whether she actually thought it or not.
The only exceptions were Ayu, for self preservation reasons, Seijuro, she was still angry at him for all the shit he pulled them through, and, for whatever reason, Okuma.
Curious…
Why was he even thinking about this?! Venus almighty, old Tyrian was probably rolling in his grave. He hoped that he was, nothing would bring him greater joy.
He finished applying the bandages to Momiji's knee with practiced ease.
"There. All done. Your turn Amane…"
Surprisingly, The Orochi waved her hand.
"Nah, I'm good. These little cuts will heal by themselves, no need for you to waste supplies…"
Corvo shrugged. It's not like he could force her, even if he wanted to…
"Come on then Momi. Lean on me…"
"Actually… Amane, do you mind leaving us alone for a moment? I need to talk to him about some things".
Why was he suddenly starting to feel dread? It was a familiar feeling… like a repressed fight or flight instinct. Last time he felt it was almost two years prior, when Mercy was in her "teasing big sister" mood.
Corvo turned towards Amane, silently signaling her with his eyes to take The Nobushi away. Obviously, the Emperor's Champion caught his discreet plea for help…
And proceeded to completely ignore it, like the bastard that she was.
"Okay then! Be back in a couple of minutes!"
She happily skipped out, leaving him alone with Momiji. Her mask was still firmly on her face, since she wasn't allowed to take it off in front of other people…
But he could easily picture the shit eating grin hiding behind it. Nobushis weren't supposed to be like that, from what he had studied at least. Why did he have to be stuck with the broken one…?
"Soooo…"
She purred like a cat.
"You know this Warden ally of ours, don't you? Care to explain to me why you looked so happy earlier when she came up in the conversation…?"
Her words were layered with honey…
But the hidden meaning was much more demonic in nature.
"What are you trying to imply?"
He shot her a dirty look. Momiji couldn't have looked more fake innocent if she tried.
"Me? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I was just wandering… you never showed much emotion, since you joined us last month. Even when Ayu threatened to kill you, you barely even blinked! But the second Amane started talking about this Warden… you lit up like a star! Now, it could be a mere coincidence, buuuutttt… I don't think so".
She placed her hands beneath her chin, the perfect definition of innocence.
"Care to elaborate on that, handsome?"
Corvo sputtered, his composure well and completely broken. But eventually, he sighed.
"Yeah… I know her. Her name is Skye. She's… a friend. The very first friend I ever made since…"
He didn't elaborate, and Momiji apparently took pity on him and refused to push the subject. The teasing… was another matter.
"Ohhh? A friend, you say. Are you sure, handsome?"
Now it was his turn to be confused.
"Uhmm… yeah. What else could she be?"
The Nobushi giggled quietly.
"Oh, you clueless little Knight. Ah well, if you don't know yet, then I'm not going to spoil it to you. But I think you'll understand soon enough".
No longer did she finish speaking that Okuma showed himself, instead of Amane. The second he showed himself, Momiji clammed up, suddenly quiet like a mouse.
"Hey there. I came here to pick her up. You don't mind, right?"
Corvo sighed lightly, grateful for The Shugoki's intervention.
"Not at all. Be careful to not open her wound back up though, please".
The big guy nodded, walking up to The Nobushi and gently picking her up. The healer didn't miss the way she tensed when the bigger man made contact with her.
It was his turn to grin.
"Have fun, 'Momi'!"
The glare she sent in his direction almost made him snort.
Almost. Then he actually did snort when he caught sight of The Orochi outside his tent, who winked at him when Momiji stopped looking.
Is this what it meant to be an "agent of chaos"?
But still, her words kept resonating in his head.
Skye was a friend. She had said it herself not long after she joined the Blackstone Legion.
They were friends… nothing more than friends.
Right?
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of AHO, the show where the teasing big sister trope is a must.
And Momiji is done as well! Whew, to be honest with you all, I never expected to reach this point of the story. I wrote the first chapter of this on a whim, you could say, just because I wanted to get it out of my head. I never thought that people would ever be interested in reading, but here you guys are nonetheless. Thank you for giving this story a chance, I really cannot appreciate you all enough.
Next time on A Healer's Oath: Okuma, The Shugoki!
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!