Run to the Hills! // Finished

[Faden]

Faron Woods, where the gentle creatures roamed, and nothing bad ever happened. That was far from the truth, but to Faden it was actually quite serene. There was nothing out to get him, and he had been traveling through it for over an hour now. Perhaps he was lost? If it were true, he wouldn't admit it... Not even to himself. Was that taking your pride too far? Before the thought even finished there was an odd sudden whoosh whip through the air, then something struck Faden upside the head.

Faden was moving quite fast through trees, and for something to strike him was either an accident or a quite skilled marksman. Whatever it was, it had sent him straight to the ground, the long pause that ensued after he stood up, made him ponder what hit him. Not wanting to move to give away his position, he felt his head then checked his hand for blood. There was blood, but it was very little. So whatever hit him must of been blunt. Luckily for Faden, a blunt projectile would be very ineffective against him.

Taking this time to pull out his scythe, it extended slightly and stood it's full six feet in length. The blade itself was around 3 feet in length, and the weight distribution actually made it easier to carry, and also swing. There was another sound, this time it was whizzing. Quickly, Faden jumped back, and looked up to see a feathered arrow perched on the tree he was beside.

"Now we're talking." a wide smirk flew across Faden's lips as he leaped forward, grabbing the arrow with his free hand he pulled it from the tree . Taking the time to understand the trajectory he knew that whatever was attacking him had a nice look on him from atop a hill. Since there was no way to see beyond the treeline, there must be a spotter around. Sometimes creatures could communicate without words, or even without telepathy.

There was another sound, and just as he expected another arrow gently glided past him. This time, it was in succession. Another arrow, another, and another. They all began to follow his path. Whatever these creatures were, they must have very good sight. Faden's footing was damn near perfect, but a sudden crack was heard and he knew the sound. "Trap." before the vines even whipped in formation, he was gone from the spot. Faden could be one of the fastest Sheikah to date, but it was all in speculation.

"These guys must be very crafty. I must rid them of their futile attempts at living." he said, to himself. Then suddenly wondered, why was he talking to himself? Was he really going mad like everyone in Hyrule speculated? Or was it just him thinking too hard on the subject?

Though as if to interject itself, another arrow whizzed toward him, though it was placed expertly in front of him, as the shooter was now leading his shots. Though it also could be due to the fact that he has closed the distance dramatically and he can now see him better. Regardless, the arrow once again missed. Faden had stopped full motion, and jumped directly over it. Though as he did, he used a branch just above him to grab and spin on. Suddenly, he perched himself atop the branch but only to jump unto another one, but this one was much higher. Taking this time, he moved toward the marksman's cliff.

Jumping down from the trees, he made it to the cliff's clearing, and began to scale the small cliff. Only to make it to the top of the thirty foot drop within seconds.

Upon arrival, he readied for anything, now holding his scythe toward his right side, in a defensive position. Though to his surprise, there was no one here. There was actually a tent with a bed, and a fire pit with a very large pot holstered above it, but no one was there. Looking toward the ground, he noticed the bow and quill that the attacker must of been using to shoot at him. Why had he left? Possibly due to the fact that Faden was able to outrun his bow and arrow?

Looking around, he noticed large and small animal carcasses all around. The creature must have been very skilled, as there were plenty of agile creatures in his plethora of carcasses.

All of a sudden, something hit him. Not physically, but mentally. What had hit him first? It wasn't an arrow, but more along the lines of a rock, and it was impossible for someone to sling a rock this far away... So still, he wondered what had hit him previously. Possibly if not for that, he could of died.

Shrugging off the thought, he put the scythe on his back once more, and began to rummage through the tent to see if there was anything of use.

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[Aiyume]

The day had so far gone by so smoothly. So soothingly. Just the right amount of wind snaked its way through the tight knit leaves of the canopy and around the wide trunks of trees to tickle her skin with cool comfort. Just the right amount of sunlight seeped down to the forest floor to warm her. And, just the right amount of silence surrounded her every step.

It certainly helped that it had been several days since she had been through a town. Life always seemed so much quieter without the drama of civilization. Well, it was quieter when drama did not have the chance to follow her, which it rarely did when she spent so long in the middle of nowhere. No, all that she had to face out here was nature itself. Here, she knew how to avoid danger so much more easily. Nature did not randomly change its mind about how it felt for her. Anything that hated her started out that way, and there were always warnings.

Aiyu wandered almost aimlessly for a while – seemingly not paying attention to where she was going or simply not caring. The day was so calm that it had actually become quite boring. Too boring... It was in times like this that she became reminiscent. It made her think of all of the fun that could be had with the company; of all of the fun that she had with friends as a child. Granted, they were students in training to be calm and thoughtful individuals on a daily basis, but they were also children. Being a child was too entertaining!

Something had to be done to tear her mind from her thoughts and back toward the surface of the earth. Adjusting the bag hanging from her shoulder, the girl’s dark brown gaze scanned over her surroundings again. They were indeed beautiful, but in no way did they succeed in steering her thoughts in a direction she desired. So, the lithe woman began to weave in and out of trees in odd patterns. She hummed softly, her gentle voice hardly escaping her body, but vibrating just enough inside of her own head that she could be at least mildly entertained. It was no good, though. Just a few minutes of her silly wandering and she came to a halt, and then suddenly sat down in the dirt – risking the beauty of her new form-fitting white kimono.

She would have to accept it. The thoughts of her own self-pity poured in as undeniably as the sun setting at night. They infected her mind like a poison slipped into her gourd against her will. She still had to drink, as she still had to think. Where was she going to go next? Where else could she ruin her self image further? Who next would hate her for reasons she was entirely unaware of? Hell... What was she going to eat? She had run out of rations again, relying entirely on nature, which had not been so fruitful as of late.

Before Aiyume realized, she had been tossing rocks from a peculiar pile that happened to rest directly next to her. She had not noticed it before. With a glance around the surrounding forest, it was quite easy to see that there was not a single stone anywhere else in sight. Perhaps they had all been gathered to this pile. But, to what purpose? None of them seemed tainted by any hint of fire; there did not appear to be any other traces of activity here. The girl sat there, analyzing one of the rocks rather close to her face before she gave up. Perhaps it was time to move on... The strange pile of rocks gave her a bad feeling about the area. It was clear there was interference here, but any other trace of life had been erased.

For one last thrill, she pulled her arm back, paused for a moment, then sent the rock flying through the trees as fast as she possibly could – which, honestly, was not all that fast for a humanoid. Her dainty arms had not the muscles to encourage any great output. Alas, the little strength she could conjure was just enough to cause damage, apparently. Suddenly, she heard the bone-chillingly surprising sound of a thud much too loud to belong to the stone she had thrown.

Though she had been frightened by the sudden realization that something else lurked amongst the trees, curiosity burned at Aiyume’s flesh. Her entire body ached to rise and find out what had made the sound. Carefully, the wily woman snaked around trees once more, inching closer toward the location she had heard the thud. Just before anything came into sight, she heard more. She heard another thud, though quieter, and then a voice. Without a thought further, Aiyu’s body pressed against a tree, turned just enough that her form would not protrude from the sides of the cover.

She peeked only to see an otherwise normal looking figure dodging arrow by arrow that was sent his way. It was peculiar... Who was shooting? She turned, dark hair falling into her face as she tried to look up into the direction the arrows seemed to originate from, but all she saw was leaves. If she could not even see out, how did they see in? She did not sense magic. At least, it was not strong enough to be obvious. It was beyond her.

The girl watched in wonder as the stranger swung himself upward from branch to branch before he was out of sight completely. So curious... It only took a quick glance around her to find the most convenient branch to launch herself toward. She caught it easily, and swung her weight forward until she flipped up onto a perch nearly just as he had. Alas, she found it difficult with a constrictive kimono on, so she had to pause to remove the hindrance. Swiftly, the outer layer of her clothing was removed and left behind hanging on a branch as she pulled herself higher and higher into the tree. The tricky part was that the high she went, the smaller the branches became. Nimbly, she maneuvered her weight so that she could peek her head just barely outside of the top of the leaves to see out.

At first...she saw nothing. She had no idea where he went.

[Faden]

There was little time to be had in rummaging through the ever so 'clean' tent. It was as if creatures everywhere made it their duty to just never bathe, or let alone tidy up their place. After a few minutes, and quite a few held breaths later he turned and exited the small tent. There was nothing in the tent but a bed and a small chest. The chest was locked, he could pick it or break it, meither was his choice; he was sure that there was either nothing in it, or just full of junk.

"I wonder where he ran off to? Possibly toward me, it would be a smart move. If you move toward someone you're attacking, you can incidentally create a blind spot..." he assured himself. For some reason, he had no idea why he was talking to himself. Actually, he did all the time, was this the first time he noticed it?

Though unrelentingly odd, he had to drop the subject as he looked off the side of the cliff. In the distance, a figure popped out from atop the trees. Which he now noticed he could actually quite easily see in between leaves. For some reason it was as if you could see semi-in, but no one could see out from the trees. A good maneuver, but in logic how does it work? Did the leaves pull in, so ones could see in between them? It was actually only this part of the woods like that, he could see other parts and he couldn't see in at all.

Though before he could think more, the figure in the distance intrigued him. Was that the spotter? Looking to see if his sniper is still there?

Whatever it was, it wasn't getting away.

Placing his foot at the edge of the cliff, his hands tingled with the sudden feeling of dropping off the cliff. Moving past his deep gut feeling, he leapt off the cliff. Free-falling right into the tree line, dodging a branch, he brushed off it to stop his descent as he grabbed another and used it to spin. Before he knew it the tree limb snapped from the pressure of his fall, but just enough spin gave Faden the chance to begin jumping from branch to branch. Even if they did break, he was never on it long enough to fall. This was only a small amount of his speed, and it allowed him to barely cause any weight to hinder a branch.

Only mere seconds have gone by since he free-fell from the cliff, and he was already in earshot of the person. Was this a female? The bust, the figure, and the clothes. All of them were feminine, and it did irk Faden to an extent, though before she could say anything he grabbed the shaft of his scythe and pulled it from his back. Swinging it in an arc, it cut a small branch holding leaves in front of him.

"You are?" he asked. Though in this position, he could tell she was some sort of humanoid. Possibly Hylian even. He hated humans, so if she was Hylian she might get more sympathy. Though since he faced in front of her, and obviously had his mask over his mouth, and a hood over his head she would find him a bit weird for demanding this. Though to tell the truth, he was just attacked by an archer. Was it so wrong for him to be wary?

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[Aiyume]

When at first the girl’s head emerged from the treetops, there was not much to be seen. She had somehow managed to get turned around and was staring out at various treetops that seemed to go on forever. Without a doubt, it was a beautiful sight. How often did one get to see a forest from such a point of view? It showed diversity among uniformity. Some trees were smaller than others. Some more green. The thought momentarily distracted the woman, but she was quickly drawn back to the task at hand when the sound of a breaking branch met her ear.

She whipped her body around, turning at the shoulders to look behind her. Now she saw what she had managed to miss before. Where she first looked, the land was rather flat, but behind her there were cliffs! It was a wonder that she had not noticed them sooner. All this time she had been wandering toward them without realizing. She would have simply come to a wall she could not cross. Perhaps that is where the peculiar man went. He had moved so fast that it was not entirely infeasible to think that he could have made it up. It was not all that tall to make it seem impossible, as much as it may have been for her to have done it. Near the edge of one of the cliffs sat a rather obvious camp ground, of which the tent was clearly visible from her point of view, but it seemed that no one was there. It would not occur to her why not before being interrupted.

Just as Aiyume was in the process of turning around completely in an attempt to see it better and scan the area for the strange man that had disappeared from the treetops, she heard the sound of a falling branch frighteningly nearby. But, that was not what frightened her most. The sound was followed by a voice possessing a rather demanding tone. She was caught entirely off guard, which was not entirely unlike her, but also not an everyday occurrence. Her gaze snapped down to view the hooded figure just as her body began to fall backward. She had lost her grip as well as her balance on the flimsy branches at the top of the trees, sending her into a back-first downward descent.

Desperately, she reached out to grab the first branch she could get her hands on, missing a few before finally catching herself with her legs. She had landed practically in a sit on a lower branch – her legs slapping against the bark harshly. Her body swung back beneath the branch as her legs remained hooked around it. Her reflex then was to grab her head and curl forward, trying to reverse her momentum to keep from swinging so far that her legs could not hold on, considering it had been a rather wide branch. Her eyes were squeezed shut at this point, hoping for the best.

Still holding her head, her body still swinging slightly, she spoke in an exasperated and seemingly irritated tone. “A little warning next time?”

[Faden]

The woman seemed to blankly stare out toward the distance. Then, as if all of a sudden she burst from her spot and fail. Was she that easily startled? She'd die sooner or later from that, possibly even now. Faden didn't find the need to keep his scythe out, as she didn't seem quite hostile, nor did she have a weapon at the ready either.

Though, against his better judgement he sheathed his scythe on his back once more.

The woman fell, and he saw some pretty nice things in her fall. It was quite funny as well, and as he descended from the branches, he chuckled a bit. "Have a nice trip? See you next fall." it was quite corny, but the joke made him chuckle some more as he smiled dimly through his mask.

Slipping off the branch, he fell the rest of the way down to the ground. As dirt kicked up from his landing, he peered his head back upward toward the woman and motioned for her to come down.

"I was just attacked, so don't mind my manners." he said, as his tone seemed to soften. Though he was still on guard, and ready for almost anything. "Though I don't believe this place is safe, as that marksman did leave his quill and bow at his perch above a hill. You can see very well into the forest from there, and he could of killed me if there hadn't of been that rock to hit me upside the head." he wiped his still semi-sore head, where dried blood peeled off his skin, and he tossed it to the side.

"Why is a woman doing way out here anyway? You're not a Sheikah, so you are in danger in being here, y'know?" his tone was actually gentle, and did seem to care. Well he did to an extent, no matter how much he hated people a womans life seemed more worthy of life than a mans. Though what he said would come off as rough and sexist, and might end in him being slapped. Wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.

[Aiyume]

The girl’s eyes peeked open to the sound of the stranger’s feet colliding with the ground. Her arms relaxed slightly to allow her head to roll back just enough for her to locate the speaker beneath her. Her long hair continued to swing a little, getting in her way periodically, but she was still able to see where he stood. Before falling, she could not see his face at all. He was perfectly anonymous at eye level, but as he was now just enough light crept through his hood as he looked up at her. Of course, there was still very little she could gather about him at a glance due to the mask he wore over his mouth. What she did see, though, said enough.

The image of his red eyes burned into her own. Sure, there was not all that much of a difference between their races, but the eyes made them seem somehow more... She was not sure what to call it. It was intimidating while also being incredibly intriguing. She knew so little about Sheikah. She merely knew enough to recognize one, as she did now.

While he spoke, she remained hanging from her branch until he mentioned being hit by a rock. Could it have been hers? What else would have sent a stone airborne? Sure, it could have been his attackers, but if they had arrows why would they throw rocks? Besides, she had found him precisely in the direction she had thrown the last rock. Her face scrunched in the thought. She swung forward briefly, before swinging further backward, releasing her legs and sending her body in a loop. After two turns, her body straightened with her feet aimed at the ground.

She caught her footing easily, without any hint of imbalance, but that was not without effort on her part. She had spent too long with her head being the closest part of her body to the ground, and now faced the consequences of reversing that so quickly. The blood drained from her head at an uncomfortable rate, but she managed to keep her composure rather well. So dearly did she want to sit on the ground to allow her body to adjust, but she fought through the urge and looked up at the hooded figure before her. ”One is in danger no matter where they travel,” her soft voice murmured, not giving way to any hint of urgency in her tone.

The girl smiled nervously, still somewhat embarrassed about her fall. ”Death follows all of us. The trick is walking fast enough keep a step ahead!” Folding her arms behind her back, she glanced up at the bag and kimono she had left hanging from a branch. She had been ready to simply walk away from their conversation after her last words, but remembered immediately that there was still that reason to hang around. ”If this place isn’t safe, why are you still here?”

[Faden]

The woman seemed kind of intriguing to him. She was agile, and obviously a Hylian. That was a plus in his eyes, as it was from his descent and not one of those savage humans. "I'm here because..." pausing for a moment, he saw something shiny in the distance. Luckily, Faden's reaction time was quicker than normal. For had it been a second later, he'd of taken an arrow straight in the chest. Watching the arrow thud to the ground, his speed allowed him to dodge it within mere seconds. "Get down." before he could even mutter those words, his eye caught glimpse of another shiny arrow tip. It was headed directly for the woman. His scythe would take too much time to reach, and acting on pure instinct he grabbed the woman and quickly threw her aside.

The passing of the moment ticked in his brain. The pain from the arrow piercing his skin was all too new to him. Right above his shoulder, it went straight through, even peeking out the other side of his chest. The feeling of being mortally wounded... it wasn't the same pain as he had felt many times over, it was different. The speed at which he had achieved long ago gave him the ability to outrun death, just as she said... Though he knew at one point he'd trip up and death would catch him. Was this that moment...?

There's four arteries he could of hit. Brachial aretery, carotid artery, popliteal artery, and my femoral artery... If they're punctured, I'm dead... All for someone I just met? This isn't like me, why did I jump like that? he asked himself, as he began to slowly fall. Only for another arrow to suddenly pierce him through his other side. Falling straight down to the ground with the sudden force behind he hit his head hard on the dirt below.

Faden wasn't out of the game yet. Pushing his feet into the ground to give himself leverage, and with this rash decision, he was able to push himself toward the woman. Grabbing her by the arm before she even had time to react. The force of his throw threw her over toward a tree as he felt another arrow hit him, though this time he was saved by his scythe. It made a clanging noise as it bounced off the shaft of his scythe, and hit the ground.

"I don't care anymore. This is personal..." he said, grabbing ahold of both arrows, he broke them off and threw them to the ground. Shaking off his dizziness and pain he looked back toward the cliff. It was quite closer this time, but he wasn't pulling any punches anymore. Within an instant, he was gone from view. All that was left was a small dust cloud at where his feet were.

A few seconds later, he was atop the cliff again. This time seeing the person face to face. His eyes widened, and he could no longer control his anger. "A human? A human did this to me!?" he yelled out, as he noticed the normal looking being in front of him, with his round ears, narrow face, and shabby clothing, it was obvious. "You're human, of all the kinds of people, it was a human!?" Faden showed his distaste for humans at this point, and his eyes narrowed toward the man. Why was he even attacking him? Faden wasn't an animal? Was this man killing people for game? Or was he actually a cannibal? Up to this point, it didn't matter.

Now that he had a clear visual of him, it was actually a quite fat human. Which he was now dumbfounded, possibly due to the fact that Faden was not dead. The man's hands trembled and he didn't speak a word, it was obvious he always killed from a distance. There was no way that he could be an amazing marksman like he had seen, though sometimes life gives you lemons, and you can make god damn applejuice. Though throwing all his inhibitions away, he watched the man reach for another arrow as to interject his train of thought, he reached for the scythe on his back as a rebuttal. They both paused, as if in a Mexican standoff. Lowering his head, he closed his eyes. As if daring the man to grab an arrow and pull back the string. His mind was gone from existence for a moment, his blind rage was now in range. There was nothing to hold him back here, his muscles tensed as he looked up. His red eyes illuminated from his hood, as he began to speak in a demonic tone.

"I'll kill you before..." he was gone. There weren't many people in Hyrule that could match Faden's speed. The display of speed was tremendous, and his drawing of his scythe made it almost instantaneous. The instantaneous movement allowed him to see every expression of the man as he saw Faden closing in on him. He could see his eyes widen, and the horror of his death in his expression. This was the most satisfying part of a kill, the look on their face as they meet Death.

The arms of the man made a loud thud on the ground, as Faden smirked behind his mask. They twitched, and moved as they fell to the ground, but soon subsided. Though what was more amazing was the distance he traveled within mere seconds. At the start of it all, he was fifteen feet from the marksman. Now he was five feet behind him.

"I finish this sentence." finishing his prior sentence, as he threw the scythe on his back.

Turning toward the now screaming man, he moved closer to him, only to kick him over. "You'll die before you can stop the bleeding. Next time, choose your battles human." his voice rang of hatred, as the man rolled on the ground. It was amusing to Faden, it looked as if he was trying to hold his arms close to himself. His screams were quite loud, and could even be heard as Faden slowly descended from the cliff.

His movement was no longer limber, his dizziness was unbearable and he could barely make his way back to wherever the woman was. Though the small area they were in wasn't far from the cliff, and he couldn't run at this point. So he made his way toward where she was, she wasn't injured so why was he going back? Actually, why not? It was her fault, if he died he better damn well tell her something first. His right arm was now numb, and he could barely move it. Holding his left hand over the arrow tip that protruded from his chest. Faden was actually too afraid to look at where the wound was, as if it had hit his artery he might die within moments. Though if so, he'd probably be dead by now.

Not knowing if this was the right place or not, he opened up his heart to whomever was around. "You know if I die today, because of this... I just wanted to tell you, whoever you are... It's... Your fault." he said, with a half smile. Stumbling toward a tree, he tipped over and grabbed on to it. His scythe fell from his back, as it brushed against the tree. His head then spun, and he tried to compose himself. It was failing, and he could start to see his eyes to dim. Reaching toward his back pouch, he took it from his pants and opened it. Only to take out several bandages before falling to the ground. Everything was becoming numb to him, he couldn't die here... Not alone, in the forest. Where else was he to go though? All of Hyrule who knew his name hated him, or just didn't want anything to do with him. He was an outcast now. Could he have died of old age, with a nice wife and kids? Was it possible for someone of his stature?

Though, no matter how much he denied it... Faden knew it would come to this. Dying, alone, hated. Just turning into mulch and feeding the long cycle of life. It was hard to accept, but hey...

That's life.

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[Aiyume]

With another glance up in the direction of her things, Aiyume awaited the man’s response. What caught her attention and brought her gaze warily back toward him, though, was that he had begun to speak, but promptly cut it short. His pause sounded worrisome as did the look on his face. It may not have been one of fear, but it was one of an alert awareness that struck fear within her. Hardly a moment later, an arrow whizzed past his chest as he moved from its path and skidded across the ground. Eyes widening, she took a step back – wanting to further herself from the apparent target of the archer. Then, it began apparent that he was not the sole mark.

Simply by watching his face, she could practically see what was coming. He caught everything just slightly before she did. So, essentially he was doing all the work for her. But, he was still faster. Noticing his eyes dart to the side and then back at her, as if following an invisible path, she could feel that she was not exactly safe where she stood. Again, she moved to back away from the face of danger, but the hooded man was too fast for her again. Her heart jumped with the surprise when his hands were suddenly upon her. Just as soon as he reached her, though, he was tossing her to the side. Not only was it rather unnecessary, but it had a rather negative result on his part.

Not prepared to be thrown, Aiyume’s footing was entirely lost at first. She stumbled aimlessly to the side for a moment before catching herself on a rather young tree. The skinny trunk was perfect for her to wrap an arm around and halt her momentum. Though, she had to turn around the trunk in the process of slowing herself down. Doing so, she was turned back toward the one who had pushed her. She expected to be able to look at him in anger for what he had done, but instead the instant sensation was that of guilt instead. She had turned around just in time to witness him falling to the ground with two arrows in his back.

She felt her heart had jumped so high that it got caught in her throat. She could not breathe. She could not think. She could only feel. She felt a pain in her chest, as if she were taking the arrows herself. She just might have, if he had not pushed her. Though, there was a chance she would have moved enough. Her mind roared back to life at the thought. It seemed he went through the trouble of pushing her only to step in the way of the arrow. It seemed so unnecessary. He was a stranger, and she was not worth it...

Still somewhat in shock, she began to step away from the tree in an attempt to run to him. The only thought she had in mind was that she could perhaps pull him out of sight of the archer, but she risked so much. She had only been one step into the beginnings of her run when he moved to stand. Before she could take another breath he had grabbed her again, this time throwing her even harder than before. There was no struggle for footing this time, as her feet weren’t near enough to the ground. She had no control over this flight, either. She had not the time to look where she was going, only to brace herself. Much to her dismay, she collided with her back to a tree.

The girl’s body rolled to the ground in a hunch. Now, she was in a new kind of shock. Her eyes filled with pain as she laid on the ground – her cheek to the dirt. A heavy exhale sent dirt flying, bringing her to close her eyes tight. She had no idea where the man had gone at this point, and hardly had the mind to care. Like she had been broken, she reached her hands to her back as if she could hold herself together. She felt as if she was failing. It ached with such ferocity.

Her eyes opened again only to see a bloodied spot on the ground and a few broken arrows. He had gone... and hopefully took his danger with him. In the distance, echoing off the cliff walls, she heard a blood-curdling scream. Who it belonged to, she could hardly imagine. She had to move... she could not stay there. So fragile and clumsy she had proven herself today... She simply wanted the day to be over and all of this behind her!

With a groan, Aiyu moved to push herself up into a stand. At first, the best she could do was push her face from the dirt, then merely sit for a moment. She rubbed her back gently. Then, with another reluctant groan, used the tree as support to stand fully. Again, the memory of her things she was forgetting in a tree brought discomfort to her mind. Could she risk it? She had to... she did not want to leave them. So, reluctantly though quickly, she moved for the tree she had used as a perch before. It took a lot of effort to pull herself up unto the first branch, and much less to get herself down.

With her bag and kimono in hand she began to backtrack. Obviously, she could not continue in the direction of the cliffs. She had to find another direction. Before she had gotten more than a few yards, she heard a voice behind her that brought her to a stop. Her brow scrunched as if in pain before she at last turned her head to see the speaker. His strength was obviously diminishing rapidly as he half-stumbled through the trees. As if seeing him was not enough to administer a large dose of guilt to her mind, his words blamed her whole-heartedly.

Her heart sank. She could not just leave. No, she was too good for that. It would be against everything she believed in. His falling to the ground sealed the deal and ended these thoughts. There was no other thought than helping him in her mind. It did not matter how he might have hurt her in his attempts to ‘help’ her, he had gotten fatally injured and might die without her help.

Turning on her heel, Aiyume ran back as quickly as she could – which was fast for her frail appearance, but nowhere near as swift as he had displayed before. She slid to a halt beside him, kneeling immediately and reaching out to him to steady him after tossing her things to the side. His wounds were obvious. The back of his cloak was soaked in blood where two broken arrows protruded. It was a problem that required attention immediately. Thankfully, she had been trained in the art of healing – both magically and physically. Examining his clothes, she determined it would be far too difficult to attempt to remove his cloak and whatever else might be hiding beneath it in order to get to his wounds. She would have to be more destructive in her attempts to save him. Nervous, she forced her fists to open again and directly reached for the opening the arrows had created in his clothes. She waited not a moment longer before tugging on the fabric, influencing it to tear further. At first, she was gentle, trying not to disturb his wound further, but once she got it to tear just a little further, she ripped more aggressively. With just a glance at his head to make sure the way his head landed wouldn’t constrict his airway, she ripped the fabric all the way across his back. Were it not for the massive amounts of blood that had poured from his wounds, it would not seem so bad. As it was, he had been so active with them that his blood had flown faster that it might have if he had stopped to address it. Hindsight was 20 20... Then again, what choice did he have?

Examining his wounds now, with the area clear for view, she could see that it was going to be a challenge. She needed to extract the arrows carefully and immediately apply pressure to stop, or at least slow, his bleeding. What she needed was a third hand! Sure, she had magic, but her healing spells would only make him heal around the arrows. They had to be removed first. Grabbing with one hand for the bandages he had dropped nearby and for a dagger sheathed to the side of her cloth boot with the other, she prepared to begin. Alas, she had another problem. He was lying flat on his stomach, and she would need to wrap cloth and gauze around his wounded shoulder. Placing the bandages and blade on his lower back, she carefully slipped an arm underneath his chest, trying her best to avoid hurting him, despite his numbness she was unaware of. ”Oh, how heavy men can be!” she complained aloud. The girl lifted him, attempting to prop him up. The only thing she had to her aid, though, was he own body. With much effort, she pulled the man toward her lap so that she may prop his non-injured shoulder against her knee in a way that would give her the access she needed to wrap cloth around him.

Now, she could work. Setting the gauze in her lap, she leaned over the man’s back with a dagger in hand. With her free hand, she tugged very gently on the protruding arrow, testing it to see how deeply it was rooting itself in flesh. Thankfully, this one was not badly trapped, though it had hit bone. Bracing a few fingers against his skin, she pulled up on the arrow carefully with the others, pushing flesh aside with the blade. It was painstaking how careful she was trying to be, but it had to be quicker. Blood poured from the agitated wound as she moved. Her stomach lurched at the sight. Much quicker!... In one quick motion, she pulled the arrow the rest of the way, tossed it to the side then reached for the gauze to press it firmly against the gash it left behind. With panic rising in her chest, Aiyu closed her eyes as she leaned into the wound, trying to gather her thoughts for what had to come next. The blood was beginning to soak all the way through the roll of gauze she had gathered, but she could not stop to put more over it.

Trying to shake off her anxiety, Aiyu reached for the gauze again. This time, she had to wrap something all the way around his shoulder to brace the gauze, but she would need the rest of this for his other wounds... At this point, the girl began to hum softly, trying to calm herself, gather her thoughts, and well... calm herself! It hit her then. This cloak he wore provided an abundance of material...and she had already torn it. What was a little more? Unfortunately, she needed both hands. So, she had to let go of his wound for a few moments while she tore several rather long strips of cloth downward from his clothes. Surely, he would be angry when he wakes, but she did not have time to care now. Promptly after securing herself enough strips of cloth, she returned to his open wound to apply pressure.

She had to push his body around somewhat in her attempts to wrap the strip of cloth around his shoulder – from underneath his arm pit around to the opposite shoulder – but she got the job done with haste. Her humming had worked like a charm, so she couldn’t yet give it up. She continued to hum gently as she looked down at the remaining arrow. She remembered vaguely that it had protruded from the other side. If it stuck out of his chest, she could simply pull it out from there. First, she bandaged the open side on his back before slowly and cautiously turning him over to lay on his back. She followed the same procedure as she had on his back resulting in a well (for the time she had) bandaged wound. Unfortunately, the problem remained of how much blood loss he suffered. He would not make it through with simple bandaging.

Her humming slowed to a stop as she looked down at the unconscious man. What little her magic could do might be enough... Not wanting to turn him over again, she focused her magic through the wound on his chest. Her hands were cold as she placed one over the bandaged wound and the other over his eyes. She closed her eyes, trying to conjure all matter of concentration that she could manage. It was difficult, considering her stomach remained one massive knot, her heart beat somewhat rapidly, and her hair stood on end with the thought that they could still be in danger. How could she know for sure that he had taken care of his attacker?

Eventually, only after she had begun humming again to calm herself once again, a bright white light emanated from her palms. Her magic would flow through him, influencing his body to replenish itself...to survive. Though, she did not have the power to heal him completely at this time...

Please...

[Faden]

There was little time to be had, he had to get up. There was no way he'd let himself die here. His body fell off from existence, he couldn't feel anything that was happening around him. There were sounds though, birds tweeting, leaves crumbling. It was as if he could still faintly hear of what was supposedly in a different plane of existence.

"Faden." something called out to him, as he awoke. Slowly looking over his surroundings, he checked warily for any signs of life. There was nothing, everything was pitch black. Taking at look at the ground, he wondered what he was laying on. Nothing was there, yet he could feel a soft layer of pressure underneath him. It was actually warm, as if it was radiating small amounts of heat. Where was he? What happened? His contemplation led him to nothing, it just made his head spin trying to think of it.

"There is no need to be alarmed. You're unconscious right now, and will soon awake." the voice bellowed as if from somewhere deep in the void that seemed to endlessly stretch across the invisible plane. "You're safe for now, and I have been waiting for a time like this. For a time of dire need to be awakened inside of you, and thus I have been. Though for many years you have not been able to hear my voice, or even see my figure in your dreams. I was always there, telling you things. Making you strive to be better... I could sense when you awoke you remembered not what I said. Though it stuck with you, and here you are now." the voice echoed briefly in the distance, and rang through Faden's ears. ”Oh, how heavy men can be!” The voice seemed familiar, but he could not place it. This voice came straight from around him. No, it wasn't around him... The voice was too abrupt to be placed easily, but very soon afterward a very soothing hum echoed, taking it's place throughout his head. It wasn't coming from a direction, no. It was coming from inside of him, it was coming straight from inside his mind. There was no way to explain where the projected voice that beckoned him came from, or the hum, but it was astral of sorts.

"What are you?" he went to say, but his voice never left his body. It was as if he couldn't even hear himself talk. Or maybe he couldn't talk? Had he gone deaf, what is this? "What-- Happened? I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF!" he began to panic, and slowly spun around. Now everything whirled around him. There was nothing he could do, was he stick here? Was this voice his own, was he stuck in his sub-conscious and now in a coma?

"Calm yourself, child." the voice soothingly shook the plane with it's voice. Now that Faden thought about it, the voice had no real gender behind it. It was so ambiguous and explainable. It was as if he just understood that it was the perfect voice, regardless of gender. This was weird, because he couldn't describe it himself.

"I can hear you perfectly well, and you can hear me now. That's all that matters." it's voice hit him again, only to have Faden's eyes lower toward what was beneath him. There was a small light in the distance. He could see through whatever the floor was made of, and it was as if it called to him. Kneeling down, he reached toward the light.

Aiyume began her healing, which immediately called forth Faden's consciousness. His hand began to twitch.

In the plane, he could feel his arm phase through the floor. The light turned brighter, as if it was gaining speed toward him. Blinking for a second, he could see that he was now sinking into the ground. There was nothing he could do but look up, as the ground began to take him in. Before he was gone, he could hear the voice again.

"Find the darkness, but it must be your own. Remember my voice, and hold on to it. It might save you one day, and remember that day as it will be a day unlike any other." the voice began to fade near the end, and he could hear humming from around him. It was actually the same hum he heard previously. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He could feel the pain slowly come back to him. It was slow, but sure. It was as if someone was slowly pushing a dagger into both his shoulders, and even so, he felt calm.

"Find the darkness?" he said aloud. It was cliche, he even knew that. What did it mean? What would be surprising, is the woman that was healing him would hear him speak of an odd sentence as if he just got out of a dream. Though he did remember the words, but he couldn't remember what the voice sounded like. Wait, it wasn't a voice. It was as if the knowledge was being planted directly into his head, like a blockade of information was slowly being released from the recesses of his mind. Was this the right term for it, what about the humming...?

Opening his eyes, slowly, the light from above stung a bit. Though he glared straight out, blinking a few times. He was still in a daze, and his bearings were totally out of whack. What happened? he asked himself, trying to move his arm, but finding it almost impossible. Looking toward his shoulders he noticed his clothes were torn, and gauze was wrapped around him. Who did this?

He couldn't move much, it wasn't that his arms were useless. He wasted all of his energy on that man. It would have been easier had he not been injured. And now he would feel the sting from these wounds for awhile, and possibly have scars on his shoulders. Though scars isn't something he was afraid of, he had plenty. Though none of them until now were caused by humans, this was his first. He would now make sure it was also his last.

His eyes darted above, turning his head gently. Feeling the soft feeling of flesh and fabric underneath him. Earlier, he was numb to touch, but his color and feeling began to come back almost at the same time. Faden began to feel his arms being able to be moved, but casued tremendous pain to his shoulders. Was this the end for his fighting abilities? Perhaps his arms would heal like any would, and if not. He'd make sure he could fix any ripped tendons, he'd find some sort of magic somewhere. Faden was just hard-headed like that.

His eyes finally caught glimpse of her face again. It wasn't hard to notice it was the same woman. She wore the same clothes, and well, looked the same. "So you did come help me? I guess I'd owe you thanks, if I hadn't of saved your ass." he said, as he noticed that talking actually made him lose his breath very easily, so he broke his sentences between short breaths. "Though in hindsight, I could of just pushed you away. Guess I didn't have the time to think, just react..." he said, chuckling a bit as he began to sit up.

Wincing some, he used his stronger right arm to hold his left shoulder. It hurt a lot, and even with the healing powers still pained him. The pain would happen regardless of healing or not, and luckily all major arteries were safe. That last arrow if not deflected by his scythe would of surely killed him though. Now that he thought about it, his eyes widened. Where was his scythe!? It wasn't with him, and he couldn't see it. Looking around, trying to remember what happened before he blacked out, he couldn't. Though out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dark black scythe pushed against a tree.

He calmed himself shortly, and turned toward the woman. His eyes softened a bit, and he reached up lowering his mask. His face was quite young, and the hood still shadowed some of his hair. "My name is..." his eyes slowly descended toward the ground, though he slowly peered back up to her. He owed it to her, at least to tell her his name. "The name's Faden, and no matter what I said, I do appreciate you for saving my life." he said, with a sincere smile spreading across his face. It was odd to seem himself this way, he felt like being generally nice. Was this near death experience changing him? Perhaps even for the worse?

[Aiyume]

Only after a few moments of working to gather enough concentration for the task of healing did she finally get into a steady flow. Her humming became a lot less forced. It ebbed and flowed to the song in her mind. It was a song of her childhood that always succeeded in bringing peace to her heart as it did now. Her voice had softened to an indescribably gentle tone. Alas, it came to an end when the sound of speech met her ears again.

Her eyes blinked open, as if she had been awoken from a sleep of her own, and peered down at the man. His eyes were still closed, so perhaps he had just mumbled in restless sleep. It was a rather strange thing to say, but out of context things usually were. Still, hearing his voice was just the confirmation Aiyume needed. He was still alive and he was certainly going to live. She had been successful so far, that was clear. Feeling somewhat accomplished, she removed the hand that had covered his eyes in light and focused it on his chest. If she could at least wholly close one wound it would do him an enormous amount of good. Of course, since she covered his wounds she could only run on faith that her magic was working.

A few moments longer and the man seemed to stir to life. In her peripheral she spotted his head moving to the side. Watching his progress brought a genuine smile to her lips. She had managed to calm herself so much that all that she felt now was happiness. That is, until he spoke. There was something so negative to his words, and it stung her. The light emitting from her hands faded away as the thought infected her mind. Her guilt was beginning to rush back like a tidal wave following receding waters. It was a wall of discomfort threating to crash into her.

As he tried to sit up, she did her best to assist him. She placed a hand on his lower back, well away from his wound so that she would not cause him further pain. Ordinarily, she might have told him to remain lying for at least a while longer, but she did not think to argue with him over it. One thing she did not want him to do, though, was grab at his shoulder like he attempted to. Without a thought, her hand shot up to stop his own. She grabbed him by the wrist, surprising even herself at how quickly she reacted. ”Please, try not to agitate it further,” she begged him in a sharp – yet still somehow very quiet – tone, before releasing his hand slowly.

She watched curiously as he sat there then pulled down his mask. It was curious...she had not quite expected he would appear so young as he did. In hindsight, she had seen the majority of his torso, which was young in itself but also seemed so battle-worn. This time when he spoke, his words had the opposite effect than the first he had muttered. Her happy smile returned in response to his thanks. Placing her hands in her lap, she bent her head and back respectfully. ”Aiyume.” Her eyes remained lowered as she straightened her back. ”What would I be if I left you to die? Such an act would make me no better than your aggressor.” Her gaze lifted along with her sweet smile. ”I really wish you would lie down. Rest just a little longer...”

[Faden]

There was a short pause as she began to soften her tone. The feelings he got from her were completely mixed. His words actually affected the way she reacted. This was weird, as no one took what Faden said seriously. Usually, he was just an ass, but it was all jokingly. At times, he could be serious about his attitude. Though even when times look their worst, he can crack a joke. Even before death, he can make a distasteful joke, and that's exactly what he did. In hindsight, it was completely harsh. What if he died and she had tried to save him? Would he ruin her life?

Faden blinked, as he snapped out of thought. Why did he care? There was no reason that he should give two thoughts about this girl. Now he was fearing for making her feel guilty for the rest of her life? Was he softening up? The questions he asked himself piled up as if ready to be thrown out like the weekly trash.

Looking at his shoulder, he didn't notice it 'till now... But his robe was ripped and torn. His eyes narrowed, as he remembered who gave him this. It was a special family possession. Not this one itself, but the fact that he was wearing it and it was a gift made it important. The sadness that enveloped his eyes as he now knew that what he held dear could easily be torn from him within seconds notice began to hit him hard. It wasn't just the fact that it could be torn from him so easily, but also the fact that he had nothing other than his clothing... Also tore at him from the inside.

Looking over to her, he gently pointed at his torn clothing, which now seemed to be part of the wrap that was used to support his wound. "You did this to my robe?" he said, his voice was mellow. It actually could barely even be hinted as malicious, but yet it seemed cold. If he had his way now, he would of just been across the forest by now and heading toward the next town. Did he really need to go through all of this? Though was it all a bad thing? All her sweet words earlier were all but forgotten. Laying down? That was impossible now. His eyes seemed to become just as crimson as they were when he killed the man in on the cliff. Though suddenly they softened, and his anger began to turn into something less... hostile.

"This was handed down to me to complete my rite of passage and becoming a full-fledged Sheikah. It was all I had, and..." his eyes darted toward the ground. Sliding his legs underneath him, he sat on them. His lower body felt fine, though he felt as if he couldn't squeeze his fist as much as he wanted. He tried though, he squeezed his pant leg, and tried to hold in his mild anger.

Moments passed, very few moments. He didn't say anything, just listened. Staring at the ground. Not dare looking up, he was indeed upset. She saved his life, at the expense to the only thing that was ever handed to him in honor.

A walking disappointment. That's what they called him. Sheikah laughed at him, he was just average, but yet he came from top grade Sheikah blood. His sisters, father, mother. All of them were ten times stronger than he himself was. Now he had nothing but a ripped heirloom to show his bloodline.

What is this feeling? his questioning continued, as he felt his heart suddenly thud with a weird sensation. It was the same feeling of distress when he couldn't find his scythe previously, but it felt heavier. It was something he hadn't felt before, or atleast if he had... He didn't remember it. Sadness, is this what losing a loved one feels like? the only place he was safe, was in his mind. It was his only home, and the only place that accepted him. When he brought his feelings to the outside, it was different.

Taking a sudden breath, he gently placed his arm on the ground. Shrugging off any objection from the women, he slowly began to stand. The pain from his shoulders stung as he slowly stood. Evening his posture, he felt the pain and wooziness of standing, as he began to tip. Stepping his foot down, he caught his balance. Everything I've lived for... he took a few steps toward his scythe, and within the few feet gently bent over. Wincing some, he picked his scythe from the ground. Placing the blade of the scythe on the ground, he used it as a sort of crutch to begin walking away. It was all for naught, and what I cherish... Was the same as my life. Fragile.

The end of the pole was sharpened to a point, but he only used the long pole to lean against as he walked away. This time, he didn't even say anything. He even abandoned his pouch he had dropped before. What she did, it wasn't her fault. She didn't know any better, and honestly... He still blamed her. Leaving without a word, or even a look in her direction. That's all he wanted now. Even if he limped away, and bled to death in some dark hole. He couldn't dare look her in the eye.

Why did I jump the gun? Should I have let her die, and her be the one now bleeding with me not being able to heal her?

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[Aiyume]

It was interesting watching the rapidly changing expressions on Faden’s face. He went from one look of confusion to another before looking down at his robes and then taking on the appearance of sadness. Aiyume simply watched, maintaining her sweet smile as if she hoped it would influence him to do the same. It was in vain. Her smile faded when he would speak again. She looked back at his torn robes then reluctantly returned her gaze to his own accusing one. The moment passed in silence as she feared speaking. His question did not really need an answer, considering it was already too obvious who the offender was.

The guilt of the entire situation seemed to slap her in the face. It stung at her cheeks as she looked downward in shame. It was already her habit to blame everything on herself all the time, it truly did not help that he liked to throw blame at her as well. If only she had not thrown the rock. If only she had not stopped in the first place and just kept walking. Then again, if she had done that, perhaps she would have been the victim of the archer’s wrath. She would not have survived it on her own, that was for sure. Still, she would not be the victim of this man’s scorn either. It had the same sting – causing her heart to sink into her stomach and her skin to chill as if her blood had stopped flowing at all.

Her gaze fell before his expression could soften and potentially cheer her up. Long black hair that had escaped from the loosened tied cloth around her hair fell into her face. Next, learning that the robe had been an heirloom was simply a slap to the other cheek. Her chin sank further, as if it were even possible. ”I-I’m sorry...” she muttered, her voice breaking.

Beyond those words, another silence fell. Little did Aiyume know, he was having very similar thoughts to her own. She felt like a failure. Sure, she had managed to bring him back from the very edge of death, but she had apparently done it wrong. She was always wrong... She traveled from town to town, being greeted with a smile as she walked in and later chased out by angry faces. It never failed, and she never understood why...but it was always her own fault.

As he began to stand, her hand twitched. Instinctually, she wanted to stop him, but now she felt it was not her place so she had to stop herself short. He probably did not want her help now, if he ever did. All that she could do was watch him in guilt. It was painful watching him struggle his way toward his weapon. It was a sort of motherly feeling she had never truly realized she harbored. She did not want him hurting himself any further, but he would never listen to her now.

She could no longer simply watch. Gathering her things as well as his, she pushed herself up into a stand and hurried to discontinue his walking. She held everything in one arm as she moved around him and came to a stop before him. “Please, how far do you expect to get like this?” she prodded, placing her free hand against his chest in hopes to influence him to halt. Were he to keep walking, she would simply walk backwards with him. She looked up at him with eyes full of her own sadness. She did not know him, but it killed her inside to think she hurt him. ”I will tear nor break anything more, I promise you... Allow me to make it up to you. Let me help you...”

“Here...” The girl reached into her own bag and pulled out a rather small, silver-spined, hand held harp then held it out to him. ”This is my favorite... It was my mothers,” she explained in a reluctant tone. ”Damage me as I have you.”

[Faden]

There was no way to explain it. The pain that hit him, it was new to him. Fact is, he never felt sadness like that before. People made fun of him, they laughed at him. Was he truly sad over that? It was the only thing that pushed him to become stronger. His eyes stung now, he wasn't crying. There was no need for this, his body was in pain. Perhaps it was the feeling of wanting to release the levees? It wasn't going to happen, there was no way for him to cry, especially not in front of someone.

She continued to bother him, wasn't it obvious he was holding in his anger? Did she feel that guilty because of what he said to her? Couldn't she see that it really wasn't her fault? It was just the fact that it happened is why he was mad, and he needed to leave before anything bad happened. She didn't want to die, and he didn't want to flip out and do something he regretted. There wasn't anything else to do but pause, as she blocked his path.

She pulled something from her things, and said something about it being her mother's. It was a harp, and it did seem like it meant a lot to her. His expression changed once more, as he stared at the harp now in front of him. Slowly he straightened his posture, it hurt, that was a given. Wincing through the pain, he slowly pushed on his scythe. Grabbing it with one hand, it spun around his shoulder, and suddenly the blade sliced through a couple of the harp's strings. Strings could be re-strung, and his clothing could be re-made, but it was the fact that it was now ruined in his mind. Torn, destroyed, and was it actually all his fault?

"Don't give me your pity, and don't dare belittle me like that." he said, as his bandage slowly began to seep with small traces of blood. The sudden burst of movement must have reopened his poorly healed wound. Not really his fault, nor hers. He must have woke up before she was done trying to heal him, but he didn't care anymore. The blood was warm, and then slowly he could feel the pain from the wound become more intense.

"I will get as far as I want to, and I don't need your goddamn help." his scythe slowly hit the ground again, and he leaned against the pole once more. Slowly, he turned and began to walk in the other direction. If he had not of somewhat gone through all this pain, he might of destroyed that harp immediately when she brought it out. If she hadn't of saved him, and tore his clothes. She'd easily be dead right now, but he owed her. No matter what she had done to his possessions. She did save him.

[/size]

[Aiyume]

The harp remained before him as he stared at her. Her eyes remained on the instrument, feeling remorse for ever suggesting he destroy such a precious item, but what could she do now? It would only make her look worse if she backed out. The very moment her peripheral vision caught sight of movement on his part, she winced. Her entire body locked up in fear of the seemingly inevitable act to come. She couldn’t breathe nor think, only fear.

She felt nothing when he sliced merely a few of the strings from the harp, leaving her standing there in fearful suspense. It was his speech that made her look up and see what he had done. Despite her complete expectations of having a destroyed instrument before, she was still surprisingly devastated by the little destruction he had done to it. Those precious strings... She had never had to change them before. They were the same that her mother had strung all this time. All these years, she had taken such good care of it.

His words did nothing to soothe her troubled emotions. He barked at her for pitying and belittling him, but she had no inkling how she had managed either. She felt guilty for causing him harm. All she wanted to do was ease her mind...to set what she had done wrong right. So often she was blamed for things she did not do and could not rightfully apologize for personally, but now she felt it truly was her fault. If it were not for her actions she would not be here. He might not be hurt. She would probably be dead, but he would not be hurt.

He barked at her again before finally turning and walking, rather staggering, away from her. She wanted to apologize for helping him, since he had declared he did not want nor need it, but it would not be truthful. If helping him was the only thing she could change about her actions today, she would not reverse it. He could have died! Not that it soothed her any to be reminded. He was simply yet another to step into her life only to immediately want out of it.

It never...fails...

Aiyume swallowed away the knot in her throat, then held out the hand that still held his things and her kimono. ”Your—“ she choked. She attempted to announce he had left behind his pouch, but failed immediately as the knot rose back up to obstruct her breath. She felt helpless, useless, and simply foolish. She could not blame him nor could she be angry for how he mistreated her. She did not see it as mistreatment.

Giving up just as soon as she got started, she dropped the things she held – including his pouch as well as her kimono. Her own bag had been placed over her shoulder already. Aiyume then turned to walk away just as he had, but with sorrow and shame clouding every footstep. Only after traveling a few yards would she dare to life her harp and look at it again. She looked at the strings with regret, plucking the few on either end that remained intact. The sounds, though all very high pitched, were so far apart. Her face burned with her guilt, threatening to push her over the edge at any moment. Why did she care so much?

“Oh fast in the hour of the heaven-born’s child... Oh live, oh live for the sake of that smile,” her voice murmured into a song as she walked, following the tunes the few strings she had could provide. It rang nearly perfectly equal to that her mother had once sung. At first her voice wavered and broke, but slowly she managed to calm herself just enough to smooth it out. Her sole goal being her own comfort. “Thy heart is a home for the faith of time passed, oh dance oh dance or the dark will be cast.” Her mind cleared, forgetting momentarily of what she walked away from. She only wished it could be left behind for good. “Hold fast and abandon the hoax of man’s wile, oh live oh live for the sake of that smile...”

[Midna]

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