Remember
Chapter 8: Rumor Has It..
(TW: OOC ALOT OF OOC SO STFU)
"Shinden. Sono gādian ga kaettekita" ("The Shrine..Its Guardian is back").
Sora remained as quiet as possible, hoping to eavesdrop on the two of them and hear more of the conversation, yes she didn't even know what they were talking about, but the way the ladies talk says like it was something important and she was curious to hear more of that.
She slowly moved closer, trying to get a better position where she could hear their conversation better.
"Nani.. ? Mori no naka no furui jinja no kotodesu ka? Demo sore wa mō hōki sa reta n janai no?" ("What..? Do you mean THE old Shrine in the forest? But didn't that got abandoned already?")
"Hai! Demo obāsan wa mite ita ndesu! Aka to shiro no kimono o kita chōshin no dansei de,-gatana o motte imasu! O bāchan ga kare ni chikadzukou to shita toki, kare wa kanojo o sashi-sō ni narimashita" ("Yes! But Grandmother saw it! A tall man wearing a red and white kimono, and he has a sword! When Grandmother tried to approach him, he almost stabbed her!")
"Sate, anata wa ima kore o detchiagete iru dakedesu" ("Okay now you're just making this up")
"Iya, honkida yo, chikau yo!" ("NO I'M SERIOUS I SWEAR")
"E e, sonotōri.." ("Yeah, Right..")
Sora breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the two of them walking away and their footsteps fading.
She finally let out a tense breath as she turned back towards herself and began trying to recall the information she had just heard.
Sora tried to remember everything that she had heard and tried to piece it all together in a logical way, considering the context.
Shrine..?
Guardian..?
What do they mean?
'Wait, why am I even thinking about a stupid rumour..its probably not real..probably, but what if..okay stop!'
Sora shook her head and snapped herself out of the useless thoughts that had been swarming around her.
She clasped her hands on her cheeks and rolled her eyes lightly, trying to stay focused on more productive thoughts.
After composing herself, she took a deep breath and exhaled sharply.
"I should go back..she'll worry, I can see the stands tomorrow.." Sora softly mumbled to herself as she started to walk back to her room.
She was slightly disappointed that she had to retreat to her room, but she knew that it was the more sensible decision at the moment.
Sora was an 'agent' now, after all, not a little kid who wanted to see silly lights.
Although sometimes, she wishes she wasn't.
Sora came back into her room, finding that Adrianne and Viktoriya were still sleeping soundly just as she had left them before.
She quietly slipped back into her futon, feeling disappointed that she couldn't fall asleep after all, even though she was exhausted.
Sora's mind is filled with regrets about not going to see the displays and her curiosity about the rumour has only grown stronger.
Her mind was now filled with regrets and curiosity, and she swears one day this curiosity of hers will kill her.
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Sora woke up the next morning feeling exhausted, as she had barely gotten any sort of complete sleep the night before.
She rose from her bed with a small groan of frustration, noticing that Adrianne and Viktoriya were both gone from their futons.
Sora let out a heavy sigh as she realized that she was now all alone in the room.
She also wondered where the two had gone and what they could be up to.
Sora got up from her bed and decided it would be best if she got changed before she went out to meet up with the two others again, wherever they were.
She opened her suitcase and proceeded to pull out a large clump of clothes, which she suspected was a long dress.
However, she couldn't say for sure as she hadn't seen the clothes yet.
Sora sighed and stood up from the suitcase, thinking that it would take quite a while for her to change into the dress if she decided to try it on.
Sora took off her clothes and began to put on the 'dress', or technically a kimono, that she had taken from inside the suitcase.
She ignored the slight pain from the bullet wound on her arm as she continued to dress in the more traditional Japanese clothing.
Once she was done and had the kimono fully on, she took a look at herself and examined her appearance.
Sora wore a beautiful floral-designed purple kimono that featured long sleeves.
The bright colours and intricate patterns of the floral designs created a very eye-catching outfit.
As she stood in front of the mirror, the kimono was slightly loose on her, allowing her to move around freely and comfortably.
She thought that she looked like a complete Japanese lady with the kimono on, for some reason, it felt wrong and right at the same time.
Sora gently closed the sliding door once walked out of the room, her eyes now blinded by the bright sunlight.
She quickly covered her sight with her sleeves, wanting to avoid any unnecessary nuisances like brightness right in the early hours of the day.
She proceeded calmly and slowly as she tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the sun.
Sora made her way out of the building and walked along the hallways, where a few of the workers greeted her with a smile.
She politely returned their gestures, giving a small nod or wave, even if it wasn't seen.
Once she made it out to the entrance outside, she stepped outside and squinted her eyes as she attempted to look for her fellow agents.
The bright sunlight was starting to slowly become more bearable, but it still left her slightly blinded.
"Hey, Over here!" Sora turned her head towards the sound of the voice calling her, hoping to find out who it was.
It didn't take her long to find who it was, she quickly spotted Adrianne waving her hand up in the air from near another's building, wearing a short kimono.
Sora noticed that Adrianne's kimono featured a green, floral design, which was quite common for this area as she noticed, as well as the short skirt that only went up to her knees.
Sora also noticed the pink and green socks with the black boots, which was a bit of an..interesting combination to put it in a nicer tone but Sora didn't judge anyone's style choices.
Instead, she simply shrugged and let Adrianne be with her weird outfit choice.
Sora quickly sped up her pace and walked towards the other agent.
When she reached her, Sora gave a polite bow as a way of greeting.
"Took ya long enough to get here" Sora rolled her eyes internally when she heard Adrianne snicker, questioning why she was dealing with yet another nuisance first thing in the morning.
Was it gonna be worse from here? She hoped not.
Sora shook her head slightly as she tried to remain positive and keep her composure, "Where's Viktoriya?"
"Geez, do you miss her that much? Don't you wanna see your dear instructor too?" Sora instantly recognized the sickly sweet tone that Adrianne had put on, causing her to roll her eyes mentally again.
Adrianne seemed to enjoy teasing Sora whenever she got the chance, causing the latter to sigh in frustration.
'No. I rather not.' Sora thought to herself.
"Just drop it, Where's Viktoriya?" Sora asked once more in a nonchalant expression, causing Adrianne to cross her arms and look at her.
"I know I said you should get to the point when attacking during our trainings but can't you chill for a while?" Sora looked at Adrianne with an impatient gaze, wanting to get this conversation over with so that she could go do something more productive.
Adrianne seemed to find Sora's response quite amusing, as she continued to chuckle internally, "Okay fine, Viktoriya's inside, she's been waiting for you" She pointed at the door on the building behind her.
Sora couldn't help but facepalm internally when Adrianne finally answered her question and told her where Viktoriya was.
'Of course that's she were! I mean why else Adrianne is standing in front of this conveniently placed building!.. I need to get my common sense checked' Sora sighed to herself.
Sora nodded in response to Adrianne's answer and walked past her to the building - in proper terms, kaiseki, that was located right behind her.
Adrianne watched Sora as she made her way to the building.
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Viktoriya sat there in her seat awaiting Sora's arrival.
She had sent Adrianne outside in case Sora went looking for them, and she had let the new agent get some rest.
This might seem unprofessional but this was all an investment on Viktoriya's part, as she knows that if Sora got some decent sleep, she would be able to perform better on the mission that they were on.
Viktoriya continued to sit down with a cup of green tea in her right hand as she took a light sip.
The morning had started very calm, with only a few minor interruptions so far.
Viktoriya was thankful that she had asked Iris not to give her a kimono, she never liked the thought of wearing one either.
Viktoriya wore a plain black yukata with a dark blue obi around her waist as she sat there and sipped her cup of green tea.
She had her hair twisted into a messy bun, which was pinned down with a blue and gold floral pen, a simple yet effective way to complete the look.
She was also wearing a pair of wooden geta sandals, which made the outfit even more simplistic and appropriate for the sake of blending in.
She wished she didn't have to wear the floral pin, but for the mission's worth, it was necessary.
Viktoriya suddenly felt her earpiece connect, hidden behind her hair that fell from the tie of her bun.
She pressed it closer to her ear to allow for clear communication with the person on the other end.
She cleared her throat to prepare herself for speaking, but she would have to wait for the person on the other end to start talking first.
"Mazekeen," It was Iris, Viktoriya immediately fixed her posture as if it was an instinct "How are things going there?" She asked, sounding concerned and Viktoriya wasn't a fool not to notice this.
"Affirmative" Viktoriya responded as she heard the voice on the other end of the earpiece.
She lightly gestured her cup in a circular motion before drinking and finishing it all.
"..Yeah, sorry, I was just worried in all of this, especially with Sora..being new and..them being back" The voice of Iris could be heard on the other line as she spoke to Viktoriya.
Iris seemed to be slightly frustrated as she had to pause her words in certain parts.
Viktoriya chuckled lightly and smiled, "Yeah I know, don't worry, are you okay?" Viktoriya asked Iris another question.
She felt a bit strange about the way she was speaking to her, she knew herself in all of the years but she never actually genuinely talked to someone like this, but she assumed it was just the way for Iris to get to people's hearts, like always.
Iris's unique charm was a great thing to have as her business partner and friend, but Viktoriya still wished that she could have done more for her.
"I am, just thinking y'know.. for the future of this agency, I just-..After everything I've been through, I don't want it all to go to waste" Viktoriya was aware that Iris often tended to overthink during missions, which could sometimes become quite annoying.
However, now that Iris had stopped doing so, temporarily, Viktoriya knew that it probably meant that there was something more significant than just simple overthinking going on, she knew where she was getting this from.
The two of them had been working together for many years now, She knew that she was probably right in her assumptions.
"But I'm still here with you, I'll still be here till the end, partner" Viktoriya's smile grew bigger as she heard Iris laughing lightly on the other end.
"Pfft- HAHAHA! That's so corny!" Iris was laughing heartily on the other end, and Viktoriya couldn't help but smirk at the sound of her laughter.
"But hey, it made you laugh, didn't it?" Viktoriya leaned in towards the table and raised an eyebrow, amused by the comment that Iris had said. Even though
Viktoriya could not see her, she still got the feeling that Iris was rolling her eyes for a moment, "Yeah, yeah.. good luck, Mazekeen" Iris cut off the call, leaving Viktoriya alone with her thoughts.
It was nice talking to a friend.
Viktoriya found herself randomly smiling for no apparent reason, but she quickly shook herself and returned to her professional persona.
'Right! The mission, focus Mazekeen, don't mess this up!' Viktoriya repeated on her head multiple times.
Just as the call ended, Sora and Adrianne both conveniently entered the room and took up their positions beside Viktoroya.
Sora sat to her right, while Adrianne took her place on her left.
"Ohayo" (Good Morning) Sora greeted Viktoriya in a very tired mood, while the latter gave a polite nod in acknowledgement, "Anata mo ohayō" She replied.
'She looks tired even getting more sleep than the both of us..eh, who am I to judge, I slept for two days once and I looked like I'd been making up theories for days when I woke up' Viktoriya's thoughts were totally different from her expression as she plastered up an automatic smile to Sora.
"Are you ready for today?" Viktoriya asked Sora a question while Adrianne called up for the chef in the background.
Sora looked dumbfounded when Viktoriya asked her the question, her jaw slightly dropping in response, "Today?"
'If she's not ready, she has a high chance of getting herself killed...maybe I should've gotten that deal on coffins when I had the chance' Viktoriya thought to herself.
"Oh, yeah! I'm so ready..!" Sora nervously replied, but the latter could tell that Sora was just trying to play it off.
"Really? Then what are we doing today?" Viktoroya put in an as if, innocent manner as she asked Sora another question.
However, Sora started to stutter and avoid eye contact, a clear sign that she was feeling nervous about the conversation, "Uhm, for the.."
"We're gonna go around the square today, getting to know the place and locals, I'm sure they have a lot we can use for what we need" Viktoriya quickly interrupted Sora before she could make a complete mess of herself and ended up embarrassing herself.
Adrianne slipped a cup of tea into Viktoriya's hands, which was a good thing, as she needed another good morning tea to get her going.
"Right." Sora briefly said.
"Anyways, we're gonna split around the square, I'll inform you later where you'll go but I'm asking, since your new, do you want someone to accompany you? I could simply ask..'Sayuki' to accompany you" Viktoroya gestured towards Adrianne, who was now busy slurping a bowl of hot ramen, clearly enjoying her time as her attention was on her meal.
Sora's thoughts were elsewhere now, her mind seemingly fixated on being alone with Adrianne.
"Nope, no thank you." Sora straightforwardly declined, even shaking her head for extra measure.
"Alright..just remember to call us up when you need us" Viktoroya said but Sora's eyes grew confused as she realized that something was amiss.
Sora wasn't wearing her earpiece right now, and she had lost hers on the last mission.
Sora was about to correct Viktoriya when she suddenly took something out of her belt obi and looked back at Sora.
Viktoriya gently pinned Sora's hair behind her ears and positioned the earpiece perfectly so it could be secured in place.
Sora was quite taken aback by the gesture, feeling slightly flustered even.
However, she quickly cleared her throat and looked back at Viktoriya, "..Thanks" She replied briefly, not being able to look for her long, she turned away quickly.
Viktoriya smiled at Sora, seeing that she was trying to hide her appreciative feelings.
It was cute to see her struggle to keep cool, and Viktoriya decided to just let her be for now, "No problem"
"What's the problem?" Adrianne suddenly poppedinton the conversation as she held both hands on her empty bowl, Sora slightly frowned on her random appearance, not noticed.
"Nothing, say where's our food anyways?" Viktoriya turned her body to face Adrianne but she just looked at her blankly.
"Oh! I didn't know you guys wanted food, I only got two bowls for me, actually, this isn't enough, Chef!" Adrianne immediately raised her hand calling up the person in charge of the food.
"Of course you did" Viktoriya replied hollowly.
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After having their breakfasts, Viktoriya immediately instructed them to start scouting their respective areas for any suspicious activities.
Adrianne would scout near the forest, while Viktoriya would wander around the village itself. Sora was sent to the nearby marketplace area, which she was more than happy to oblige.
With the group all assigned their areas, Viktoriya made sure that they each knew what they were supposed to do and be on the lookout for.
Once everything was clear, all of them went to their separate ways.
Sora arrived at the marketplace and immediately got swamped with visual and sensory stimuli.
The whole area was crowded with people, and the sound of happy chatting was all around her.
The atmosphere was cheerful and peaceful, adding up to the wonderful aromatic aromas that filled the air from the variety of food stalls.
Sora felt her once-dreaded spirits lift as she took in the sights and sounds of the vibrant marketplace.
It was a complete contrast to her previous mission with its dark and dreary atmosphere, and Sora felt energized and excited by all the positive energy surrounding her.
While Sora found herself completely captivated by the lively atmosphere of the marketplace, she still remembered that she was here on a mission.
'Focus! You have your priorities, yes but we need to do this mission properly if we wanna go back!' Sora was about to actually start on her goal until she was captivated yet by another stand '..Okay, one last glance'
Sora could feel her willpower faltering, and she was just about to give in to her final desire.
The stand looked like it was quite worn out, as the sign was almost falling off, but the sweet old lady running it was just too sweet-looking for Sora to turn away.
Besides, she was selling some cute little pieces of fabric that had patterns on them.
Sora looked over at the different designs that the old lady had on display.
Some were designed with intricate waves, some with delicate floral patterns, and some were even just simple lines and shapes.
They were all very beautiful and vibrant, and Sora was instantly drawn into their details.
"Hitotsu hoshīdesu ka, shin'ainaru?" ("Would you like one, dear?") The old lady perked up, sensing Sora's gaze.
Sora had tilted her head up to look at the lady, "O ō! Īe! Tada mi teta dakedesu… gomen'nasai" ("O-oh! No! I was just looking..sorry") Sora's reply was a bit shy and timid, as she was being extra cautious with her word choice.
She didn't want to accidentally say something that would upset the old lady, or even worse, make her suspicious.
"Shinpaishinaidekudasai, muryō de te ni ireru koto ga dekimasu.. Kono shissoku wa dōse nagaku wa tsudzukanaideshou.." ("Don't worry dear, you can have it for free..this stall won't last long anyway..") The old lady's reply was rather somber, as she shared how she felt about losing things.
Sora could relate to the old lady's feelings, as she had gone through something similar.
She had lost everything she knew for most of her life too, and the pain of that was still fresh in her mind.
"Naze?" ("Why?") Sora gently asked the old lady a short question, trying to engage her in some conversation.
The old lady looked melancholy, "Ā, chōdo watashinokazoku no jidai ga kita nodesu... Watashitachi ga kazoku no jinja o ushinatte irai, hoka no hitohamina, gendai-tekina seikatsu yōshiki ni ikō shimashita... Watashitachi wa sono jinja de pafōmansu o hirō shi, dentō o tsukuri, arayuru basho de watashitachi no isan o jikkō shite imashita. Sedai... Demo ima wa mō nakunatte shimattaga, watashitachi wa mada koko ni iru" ("Oh, its just my family's time has come..ever since we lost our family shrine, everyone else moved on to a modern way of living..you see we used to perform and make traditions in that Shrine, carrying out our legacy in every generation..but now it's gone, but we're still here")
Sora's heart softened as she sympathized with the old lady, feeling bad at seeing the woman's melancholic expression.
Sora wanted to hug her so badly but she wasn't sure if the lady would appreciate a hug from a total stranger at this time.
Wait, did she say, shrine?
'Ah SHIT, I completely forgot to tell Viktoroya about that.." Sora bit her lip and cursed herself silently for forgetting to relay important information to the team leader at such a crucial time.
But now that the old lady had mentioned it, something seemed rather off.
There was supposed to be someone at the shrine according to what she had heard in whoever she heard from last night, but it seemed the old lady claimed that they lost the shrine, meaning its abandoned..
Now Sora was unsure which one was the correct shrine, or if there was indeed an entirely different shrine in town..
"Soshite kono jinja wa haikyo ni natte shimatta…?" ("And this shrine was abandoned..?") Sora queried tilting her head to the side.
"Zan'nen'nagara,-sōdesu. Menimieru mori no naka ni aru node, soko ni kite hōmon suru no wa muzukashīdesu.." "Unfortunately, yes..its within the forest you see so it's hard to come there and take a visit.."
'Something doesnt add up..do I have to check it out myself..' Sora sighed and agreed to her thoughts, she bowed down to the lady to say farewell.
As she quickly dashed to leave the stand until she suddenly stopped to remember something and walked backward to the old lady's stand.
"E ̄ tto, moshi yoroshikereba saki hodo no ofā wa mada nokotte imasu ka?" ("Umm..if you don't mind, is the offer earlier still stands?") Sora hoped she hadn't come across as rude but she still gave her best effort at asking her question anyway.
"Mochiron, sukinamono o erande kudasai" ("Ofcourse dear, pick whatever you like") the old lady smiled sweetly as Sora's eyes grew in delight.
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Adrianne had been hanging out on a tree for quite some time now, looking for any signs that would signal a connection to this mission.
She had become rather bored from the lengthy duration of this watch and was starting to roll her eyes in frustration.
However, as she rolled her eyes, she finally spotted someone familiar passing by in the distance.
It was Sora.
"Huh, what the.."
Adrianne saw Sora look around her area before making her way towards the forest, which was quite strange.
Sora's intended place to patrol was the marketplace, not the forest.
That's when Adrianne realized that something very suspicious was going on..
There seemed to be no logical reason why Sora would just abandon her area without explaining her reasoning to anyone.
Adrianne had already been bored out of her mind during this mission, and now someone interesting had finally caught her attention.
So she decided to take matters into her own hands and follow Sora wherever she was heading.
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Viktoriya walks through the village and exchanges friendly greetings with the locals, acting like she was a part of the community.
She also helped out the elderly villagers with their daily tasks, as they seemed to make up the bulk of the population.
While everything seemed quite peaceful on the surface, Viktoriya couldn't help but think that this calm atmosphere felt a bit too quiet for her liking..
Things were too peaceful in the village for her to trust completely, and she had a feeling that something was bound to happen eventually.
As she continued to walk through the village, Viktoroya's ears caught on some news being spread around by the locals.
Any information, even false news, could be invaluable in her eyes, and she was willing to collect it and assess its validity later.
".. Yamada no kodomo ga kesa yukue fumei ni narimashitaga, nani ga okashī ka wakarimasu ka, darekaga shin'nyū shita keiseki wa mattaku arimasendeshita" ("..Yamada's child disappeared just this morning but you know what's strange, there wasn't a single sign that someone broke in") A middle-aged woman chatting softly to another woman, who was obviously very shocked by whatever she had heard from the first woman.
"Nani? Chōkō wa hitotsu mo arimasen ka?" ("What? Not a single sign?")
"Kon'nichiwa, minasan, o ni-ri no kaiwa ga kikoezu ni haira remasendeshitaga, kore wa dō iu kotodeshou ka?" ("Why hello ladies, I couldn't help but hear the conversation between you two, what's this all about?") Viktoriya approached the two women with a charming and confident demeanor.
She had used this strategy on several missions before, and she was quite proud of it.
Her pride was apparent in her thoughts, but her expression remained neutral as she hid her emotions behind a smile.
Obviously, her charm worked like a 'charm' during their conversation, as the two women seemed quite flattered by Viktoroya's pleasant demeanor.
"Ō! Anata wa nanto utsukushī wakai joseideshou. Tsumari, kesa, watashitachiha kodomo no fukōna shissō ni tsuite hanashiatte ita tokorodesu" ("Oh! What a beautiful young lady you are..I mean, we were just discussing a child's unfortunate disappearance this morning..") The first woman's tone changed from one of flusteredness to a sad one, her mood abruptly shifting.
The other woman stepped in and took over, "Sōda ne! Jissai, sore wa shibaraku mae kara okotte imasuga, sono riyū wa dare mo shirimasen. Shikashi, kita no mura no hitobito ni wa tsuneni onaji koto ga okotte iru tame, ichibu no hitobito wa basho o idō shite imasu" ("Ye-Yeah! Actually it's been happening for some time now and no one knows why..but it always happens to the people in the North village, that's why some of them are moving places") ,as she tried to comfort the first woman and help her regain her composure.
"Ā, hontōni gomen'nasai, minasan no anzen o inotte imasu." ("Oh..I'm so sorry about that, I wish all of you safety..") Viktoriya adopted a sad tone in her voice as she bowed down to the women, putting on an expression, apologetic, and so she walked away with a sad tone in her voice and a look of apology on her face.
Viktoriya felt satisfied with the information she had acquired from the women, smiling.
She hadn't wanted to press them further for more information since it seemed to be a sensitive topic, but she still had her curiosity aroused and wanted to dig a bit deeper.
Viktoriya decided that she would gather the information herself, as getting it from the locals first-hand would probably provide her with more details.
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Adrianne was following after Sora into the forest, feeling quite bewildered by the whole situation.
She didn't have a precise idea of what she was supposed to do here, and she was feeling odd and curious about what was going on.
The fact that she was sneaking into someone else's place to patrol was definitely suspicious, and Adrianne felt uncomfortable with the whole thing.
Adrianne kept on following Sora through the woods, feeling a sense of slight judgment towards the woman's level of awareness.
If it were anyone else following her through the woods, Sora would probably be dead by now.
Sora had stopped in front of an ornate shrine with a red-colored gate for the first entrance.
Adrianne had been observing her every move, and she could tell that Sora was hesitating to enter the place.
"Just what are you up to.." Adrianne quietly uttered words under her breath as she watched Sora finally enter the shrine.
She had decided to take a different route than Sora, going through the outside area between the main path and the sacred forest near the shrine.
This would allow her to remain unnoticed while still being able to observe Sora's movements from a safe distance.
Adrianne continued to follow behind, but she noticed that the shrine was empty and rusted, though it still retained its beauty and cleanliness.
It was..odd now that the shrine was abandoned, especially with how well-maintained it still was.
This place locating deep in the middle of the forest was also strange, Adrianne let out a scoff in disbelief.
The whole situation seemed suspicious about why the shrine was so well-preserved and why it was placed in this remote location.
The walk was indeed pretty long, and Adrianne was slowly making her way along the side of the path.
She kept using her fingertips to touch the vegetation along the side as she occasionally stole glances towards Sora.
Adrianne didn't seem pleased with Sora's overall aloof and careless behavior, as though she hadn't taken away any of the lessons from their training.
Adrianne huffed and looked at Sora with a disappointed expression, as though she expected more from Sora but wasn't getting it.
Adrianne took another glance at Sora and saw that she had finally stopped walking.
She had arrived in front of the Komainu, the stone guardian lion-dogs that guarded the shrine.
'Alright, this is getting weird..' Adrianne thought to herself, 'I mean yeah Sora is weird from the moment I met her but this is beyond that level..'
Adrianne was thinking about the odd situation with Sora when she saw her about to touch the stone guardian lion-dogs that guarded the shrine.
However, before Sora could do anything, Adrianne sensed a dangerous presence about to charge Sora from the side.
Acting on instinct, Adrianne immediately jumped over to the main path and pushed Sora away before dropping down on the ground with her.
She dragged Sora along with her, feeling as if they had narrowly avoided an attack.
Adrianne quickly got up and scanned the area looking for possible culprits.
"WHA– HEY!.. Wait, weren't you.." Sora's voice had just begun when Adrianne silenced her by covering her lips with her hands.
The quick and unexpected action caught Sora by surprise, and she let out a slight murmur of confusion as Adrianne shushed her silence.
Sora's wide eyes stared up at Adrianne as she was pinned to the ground, awaiting further explanations on what the heck was going on.
Why did Adrianne cover Sora's mouth?
Why was she shushing her?
What the hell was going on here?
"How about more hush-y and less touching random objects unguard-ly" Adrianne spat out some words in a frantic tone, and Sora rolled her eyes at Adrianne's strange choice of word usage.
"Mrkin oh it.." Despite Adrianne's attempts to silence Sora's voice, it was still clearly perceptible.
Sora's muffled voice could be heard even with Adrianne covering her mouth, and a slight edge of impatience could be heard in her whispers.
Adrianne took out her pocket knife from her Obi.
The sharp blade shone brightly under the setting sun as her guard was fully on alert, awaiting any sign of an imminent attack.
Just then, Adrianne felt another dangerous presence about to strike at her from another direction, causing her to react swiftly.
She quickly got up but was a bit too slow as the mysterious figure suddenly attacked her from behind.
Her sandals dragged roughly along the ground due to her sudden movement, and her razor-sharp knife just barely parried the attacker's katana in time to prevent her from getting injured.
Sora was watching the entire event unfold from the floor, and she felt a mixture of shock and terror as she witnessed Adrianne struggle against the mysterious attacker.
Sora quickly got up and moved away from the fight to a safe distance, her body shaking slightly from nervousness and fear.
The sight of an intense fight was overwhelming for her, especially having that she had no idea who this man was or how strong he was.
She kept her distance from the fight while watching Adrianne bravely face off against the mystery opponent.
The sudden clash of blades caused a sharp sound as it echoed throughout the forest, and Adrianne was slightly off-balance due to the unexpected attack.
Adrianne faced her mysterious attacker, standing there unblinking as she struggled against him.
The attacker had white skin and stares at her with his teal-colored eyes in a seemingly emotionless expression.
Adrianne noticed that the man was wielding a sharp katana, which he was holding in a perfect stance.
As he moved his arm, Adrianne also spotted something quite peculiar.
His sleeves had rolled down due to his arm movement, revealing the shape of a watermelon etched into the man's wrist.
Adrianne immediately knew what this meant.
Adrianne snickered, "Hah..I see those assassins are still old-school, sending a samurai..LIKE YOU" She said as her breath was limiting as this goes on, still attempting to stab the man on the side with her knife.
However, the man was quick to react and knocked Adrianne to the ground by using the handle of his katana to strike her stomach.
Despite Adrianne's best efforts, the man was too fast and agile for her to get a clear hit in.
Adrainne grunted as the blow landed firmly on her stomach, and she coughed roughly as she pressed her arm against it as to stop the pain.
She was about to get up and continue fighting against the mysterious samurai, but he quickly reacted and pointed his katana at her cheek, cutting it slightly.
The cut to her cheek was just a minor wound, but it was nothing compared to the pain that she had felt on her stomach.
Adrianne looked up at the samurai, observing his features.
The man had long dark purple hair that was tied high up and neatly, extending all the way down to the middle of his back.
The samurai was dressed in a traditional Japanese attire, consisting of a red haori over a black-colored nagagi kimono with a white umanori-style hakama.
He also wore a pair of zori with red straps, and white tabi socks.
"I work for no one, I only serve for my family's legacy." The samurai spat at Adrianne, and while she couldn't understand what he said, she didn't like the tone of his voice either.
Adrianne's brows furrowed in disapproval at the man's attitude, and she decided to use her feet to sweep him off his feet with a swift kick.
The samurai was caught off-guard by the unexpected blow, and he fell to the ground with a grunting sound.
The samurai was about to fall onto Adrianne, but she reacted swiftly and rolled over to the side just in time to avoid being pinned down.
Adrianne took her opportunity to try and retreat to the forest, but a sharp hand grabbed her on her ankle, causing her to fall down face-first on the ground as she lost grip from her pocket knife.
Adrianne's body took a real beating from the samurai's attacks, and her inability to regain her bearings was growing increasingly difficult.
The combination of the pain from her previous wounds and the constant physical exertion was slowing her down, and she was beginning to worry that she would not be able to get up this time.
As her thoughts began to spiral in a panic, she suddenly remembered Sora.
'WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?'
Adrianne was just getting ready to search for Sora when another sharp pain shot through her hand, causing her to let out a shrill scream of agony.
She looked up just to see that her hand had been stabbed all the way through, and a heavy foot had stepped on her back causing her to fall back down.
Her painful screams echoed within the shrine walls and filled the surrounding area, but the samurai was completely unaffected by her cries.
He looked down at Adrianne with a cold stare and no sign of empathy whatsoever.
As Adrianne finally gave in to all the pain and passed out, her cries faded out along with her consciousness.
The samurai finally removed his katana from her hand, taking a moment to examine its bloodstained blade before sheathing it back into his scabbard.
The man watched over Adrianne's unconscious body with an expression devoid of any emotion or sympathy.
The samurai turned his body and his gaze towards Sora, who had witnessed the tragic incident that had just occurred.
Sora was cornered on one side, sitting with her knees pulled close and her hand firmly covering her mouth, almost as if trying to hold back tears of fear and despair.
Sora's eyes were wide with terror and shock from the whole situation, and she was clearly terrified by everything that she had just seen.
The samurai walked slowly towards Sora, and her body froze in a mixture of fear and helplessness.
She wanted to get up and defend herself, but she felt utterly powerless after witnessing what he did to Adrianne.
Sora was weak compared to him, and she knew it.
The samurai finally reached Sora, crouching down to her level and making eye contact with her for a few long seconds.
Sora felt a chill run through her spine as she locked eyes with the samurai.
After a while, the samurai suddenly struck her neck with his hand, causing Sora to lose awareness and fall to the ground in an unconscious state.
"Sleep Well."
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