She ran through the city's main gate, head swerving in all directions, ignoring the alarmed cries of her cousin. Her ankle burned something fierce, almost causing her to stumble, but she was way too excited to care.
It's not everyday that a Samurai, much less a Shinobi like her, got the chance to visit the Knight's capital. She wanted to see it all, smell it all and taste it all, her thirst of knowledge and discovery having been ignited by the promise of their Empress. Maybe, just maybe, she had the possibility to finally see the world for herself, instead of having to read books and relying on her imagination. Which was plentiful, don't get her wrong, but she craved more.
And it seemed like she was getting her wish. She dodged her cousin's arms with practiced ease, even if she hissed in pain from her wound. Huh, she was really trying hard to catch her, wasn't she? How weird, it almost seemed like she didn't want to be here…
"Ayame, settle down for a moment! You're going to make your injury worse!"
She laughed at that. Such a worrywart, her cousin was. She needed to learn how to relax, forget her duties for a moment, maybe find a nice man to settle down with… even if this last one wasn't looking very likely. She sorely needed it, considering how she had been submerging herself in work for these last… ten years, give or take? Wow, had it already been that long? Man, time flies when you're bored! Or was it the other way around…?
Ah, who cares.
"Catch me if you can, you lazy bum!"
There, that should get her going, for a bit.
"Ayame, stop running! You're gonna bump into something! Watch out!"
Watch out for wha…
Her forehead collided with someone's chest, causing her to flip backwards. Not on her feet, this time around. Oh… that's what her cousin meant.
Her poor butt… now she had two spots that ached!
"I told you to be more careful, look at what you've done! I'm so sorry for the in…convenience…"
Ayame the Shinobi blinked, looking curiously at her cousin, who had suddenly stopped talking. What happened to her? She saw mom's ghost?!
She turned her head in the same direction, finding that it was indeed, not her mother's spirit, back to haunt her. Just a man, with long-ish blonde hair, a green tunic and the most striking green eyes she had honestly ever seen. Hmmm… that description sounded familiar…
"Amane? Is that you?"
Her cousin gulped at the mention of her name.
"C-Corvo! Hi, how are you doing?! Been… been awhile…"
Corvo? Where had she heard that name…
Her brows shot upwards, the answer coming to her like a thunder from Susanoo himself. Oh… oh…
She really screwed up this time around huh? That's why Amane was so jumpy… she was afraid that they would bump into him.
She wanted to smack herself, but refrained on account of not adding a third injury to the tally. She would deserve it though, she wanted it on record. Maybe it could be a moral smack?
While she was distracted, the other two had a pretty embarrassing conversation, she was willing to bet. She could smell the awkwardness from a mile away.
"I can take care of your cousin, don't worry. A simple twisted ankle is easy enough to treat".
"R-Right. T-Thank you, Corvo..,"
Only her ankle! Ohi, what about her butt?!
Amane glared at her.
"Don't even think about asking that. You fell because of your own scatterbrained attitude, now you're gonna deal with the consequences".
Ah, poo…
"So, let me get this straight, just for clarity's sake… you injured your ankle because you thought that kicking a fully armored Tiandi in the chest was a good idea. Did I get that right?"
Yikes, he was making it sound like the worst idea she ever had. It was not, by the way.
"Hey, at least I got him down that ledge! Fighting the guy would have been much worse, I promise you! I swear, Tiandis always seem to know when I'm going to dodge and catch me anyway! Bunch of cheaters…"
She muttered that last part. Her eyes flew from Corvo's disapproving expression to the flaps of the tent, where she could see her cousin's shadow waiting outside. Man, she really did it now, huh? Of all the people she could have bumped into…
"So, you're Amane's cousin aren't you? Younger, I presume".
"Sure am! But only by a couple of hours, don't you dare forget it!"
He chuckled, raising his hands.
"I won't, I promise. So, what's been happening with her? Hadn't seen her in like… five years, give or take? She was here for…"
He suddenly went quiet. She remembered the event, Amane had talked to her about it. The funeral for the Lawbringer known as Holden Cross. It had been a terrible event for the Knights as a whole, she said.
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"I would, but… I have a feeling she doesn't really want to talk to me".
Not… inaccurate, but also not really right either.
She knew that Amane loved talking to and about Corvo. But she also knew that it brought her a great deal of pain each and every time. She could only feel sorry for her big cousin…
"You know that she…"
He nodded, sorrow in his gaze.
"Yeah. I understood it completely the day I got married. She may be good at hiding her emotions, but I was the expert not too long ago. That's why I tried to give her some space… but it seems like it wasn't enough…"
"Amane… she firmly believes that love… true love, only comes once during your entire life. And if you miss it… you can no longer get it back. I don't know when or even if she'll ever recover…"
The healer looked back down on her ankle, continuing his work with a sigh.
"Well… now that's a way to make me feel terrible…"
Ayame smiled tightly.
"Don't. It just… wasn't meant to be, I suppose. I've been trying to convince her to give it another chance elsewhere, and by the gods I will succeed if it is the last thing I'll ever do! It's not like a Shinobi to give up!"
He smiled at her, while he put down her foot, the pain having mostly receded.
"She's lucky to have you around to look after her, then. Keep doing it for me as well, okay? I may not… return her feelings, but she's still one of my best friends".
Ayame the Shinobi grinned, patting her chest.
"Leave it all to me!"
She turned around to look back at the flaps… only to notice that Amane's shadow was gone. What the… where did she go?! She averted her eyes for just a couple of minutes! And Amane had the balls to tell her that SHE was the one who liked to run around!
She'll hear her when she gets back, mark her words!
Elsewhere, in a training room, two warriors clashed with wooden versions of their weapons. It wasn't the first time that they fought. It likely wasn't going to be the last. Not really surprising, since having worthy opponents at their level of skill was incredibly hard.
The Warden parried the strike for the Orochi, launching her counter, but her opponent was quicker. She recovered and deflected the attack, planting her wooden katana against her opponent's stomach, smirking.
"And dead again, Skye. I won this one!"
Skye the Warden Queen sighed, clicking her tongue in annoyance..
"Dang it. What's the score?"
"Eight to seven for me. Best of ten?"
"Sure. We got time, after all".
Amane smirked once more, getting back into position. This felt a lot more familiar. She could never forget the first fight between them… one of her best, right after Apollyon's. That woman was crazy, but she was extremely talented with that sword of hers. She could respect that.
But both her and her opponent were beyond her, at this point. What she remembered the most clearly from that fight, ten years ago, though, was the aftermath. Skye coming to her, begging her to "keep Corvo safe, no matter the cost". That was the reason as to why she was looking at him weird. With amusement mostly… but also a bit of jealousy sprinkled in. She had protected him, at the end of it all, effortlessly too, might she add.
And even if she wanted more than just his friendship… it was about time to put an end to her moping.
"Skye? Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Do you remember, ten years ago, when you asked me to protect your husband and keep him alive?"
The other woman's cheeks flared at the memory. D'awww, how precious, she's just too easy to fluster…
"W-What about it?!"
The Orochi smiled, raising her sword above her head.
"Now it's your turn. He relies on you… so you better not let him down, alright?"
A nod was her only answer. More than good enough for her.
With a shout, she ran up towards her sparring partner. When Skye eventually reached ten first, she was plenty satisfied.
She will do.
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of AHO, the show where some characters finally get the closure that they deserve.
Today was mostly focused on the Shinobi, Ayame. Maybe it's just me, but between male and female Shinobi, the latter always struck me as… more childish than the others. I know that it's not like that, but there's only so many times you can write a character being stoic before it gets old. On top of that, Amane finally gets a conclusion to her own struggles. She's not gonna stop loving Corvo anytime soon… but maybe it's about time to listen to her cousin and move on. We have a bunch of light hearted chapters ahead of us… but they won't last for very long, so better to enjoy them while they're here.
Review responses!
Voidicus: Yup, the Wu Lin are here. I'm not really making anything up here, that's also how Ubisoft introduced them, back during the Marching Fire update. An overwhelming invading force, looking for a new home after theirs fell apart… but the whole plot point got abandoned when the Wu Lin themselves received massive backlash. The only thing that I did was to have them come by early, as to give the other factions an excuse to ally and be all in the same place.
Next time on A Healer's Oath: Asterion, The Gladiator.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!