Chapter Text
The nights air bit harshly at her exposed skin, her sounds of ragged breathing filling the air as she ran. The trees passing in blurs as tears fell uncontrollably, sobs racking his already hoarse throat. She was going as fast as her feet could carry her, which were stinging and turning numb from the cold freshly laid snow.
A sudden burst of maniac like laughter rang through the trees making the girl sob harder and trip. She stayed on the ground, the soft snow coming close to burying the poor girl as she closed around herself. Tears, snot, and blood staining the left overs of clothes she had on her. She knew she could not out run it no matter how hard she tried, all she could do is hope, wish, and pray, and she did just that. Placing her hands in front of her face. Her eyes closed tightly as she tried to reach the beings that watch over her, her family, her older brother. She made no attempt to move even when she heard the soft snow crunching close by, her form curled, hands in a sad attempt at a prayer.
“Not even trying to run? That’s a first,” a rough voice said followed by a fit of laughter, which ceased when the creature stopped right in front of the girl, a look of confusion adorning its ugly face. The girl again didn’t move making it seem that she was asleep which the creature chuckled to itself mocking the ‘dumb girl’ in its mind. It was non the ready when the ‘girl’ shot up, fist contacting its face and pushing it back with some strength they both didn’t expect. They both stood in silence staring in shock, the indent on the creatures face that was made by the impact healing as the ‘girl’ stared down at her fists, looking back up at the creature and her fist a few times before the creature took a step forward, triggering her instincts as she turned and ran again, her previous exhaustion being taken over by adrenaline as she ran for dear life. It stared for a bit processing what was happening before suddenly letting out a yell.
“Hey! That’s not fair!” It let out before chasing after the girl who had gotten a fair amount ahead of it due to the pause. In the chase that seemed more like tag with the ‘girl’ dogging as best she could from the slashes of its claws and leaps it would take at her, she wanted her brother! Tears began to well up in her eyes again at the thought of her brother pushing her out and telling her to run, his hurried and panicked voice clear as day as it rang through her mind.
She wanted to crumble and cry, to lay down and watch her brother practice with the bokken, proclaiming he would make father proud by becoming a samurai, for things to go back before her father came home screaming about their now debt, and her now being well, a her! Before the attack from this creature!
She wasn’t sure how long the two had been running, her for her life, and the other because it was petty and wanted food, but before she knew it they had entered a clearing. A male stood in the middle of the clearing, not looking in the twos direction, but the girl saw him, and his sword, immediately recognizing him for a samurai.
“Sir samurai! Help please!” She yelled before crashing into the mans back, he didn’t budge from the new weight but he surely looked back to see the small girl, confused as to what was happening. A small girl clinging to the males haori as her figure racked with what he could only assume was sobs, bringing his attention to what she was running from his eyes met with a gross looking creature, with green skin and multiple arms and eyes all over its body, all eyes stared back at him, it was unmoving seeming to be teaming with fear as it shook slightly. Though he was not phased as he stared, reaching for his sword, the clink of the sword being slid back into the sheath made the girl look up at him then behind the two where the creature was, it’s head rolling on the ground and starting to fade. She stared for a few moments watching it vanish in thin air, eyes filled with awe before her grip on the man loosened and she stepped back. She wiped at her eyes and nose with her remaining sleeve before looking back to the samurai and bowing to him.
“Oh thank you samurai sir!” She said, she hadn’t seen his face yet. He looked down at the girl not sure what he felt, joy? Happiness? She was thanking him for saving her, no one had done that before, they mostly only compared him to his brother. He was surprised when she looked up a bright smile on her face and eyes in awe as she stared at him the dry tears leaving marks on her pretty little face, then suddenly she fell, he caught her of course but it still left him in shock and unsure about what to do. Had she not looked at his face? But sure she had, they had both stared at one another before this predicament. But then why had she stared at him with so much awe and admiration?