Fan Fiction ❯ Destinys Call ❯ Ripples on Water ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter Six: Ripples on Water

Landing, Ayanes' heavy boot heels met with the forest floor evenly, though her head was down she could clearly make out that she was no more than a few feet from the stream the sound of the water passing over the rocks faint yet noted in her hearing. Without a moments pause she returned the weapon to its sheath on her back before raising to her feet once more. She raised her head, her violet eyes taking in her surroundings, the stream as she had noted was not more than maybe two yards ahead surrounded on one side by tall grass and some of the small greenish purple flowers that grew, to her knowledge, only in the nearby area. What seemed to be dozens on small fireflies danced in the air above and surrounding the small body of water in the reddish orange glow of late twilight. She had originally come to this place to get some time to think it was one of the few places where she had some pleasent memories from her childhood, she could remember times when she had been young wading in the small stream with Kasumi, thier pants rolled up to thier knees.Despite herself even now she could feel what felt like a ghost of a smile playing at her lips with the memory of such simple times.

Moving to a neaby tree Ayane leaned back, her back coming to rest against it . Finding the small cherry blossoms had brought questions to her mind the kind that refused to be pushed into the background and had ended up making it diffacult for her to perform even her most basic of training manuvers. The subtle breeze caused some of her lavander hair to brush her cheeks, she made no move to brush it away however only crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she leaned back farther upon the tree behind her, her mind refusing to leave its previous train of thought.



Ayane felt her face begin turning sour at the thought of those small blossoms resting in her palm,she could remember the first time she had seen them in that way, Kasumi had been training with Ryu Hayabusa during the time when Hayate had first become the new leader of Mugen-Tenshin clan she had challenged Ayane to a training match and Ayane had found herself unable to refuse, finally she would get her chance to show how truly advanced she had become.....

She could remember it as if it were just yesterday even though it had been well over two years now...she would never forget how humiliated she had felt. True it had only been a training match and meant nothing but she should have known better.. Kasumi had been training with Hayabusa and yet she had been surprised by Kasumis use of a teleport....so clearly she remembered it now that she could almost feel the cool earth beneath her knees as they had hit the forest floor due to Kasumis' gaining the element of surprise on her.Cursing to herself Ayane had raised her head only to see that sometime during thier sparring match Hayabusa and Hayate had returned... and had been watching. Ayane would never forget how the heat had risen to her face...but even that hadn't been as bad as having to listen to Kasumi whisper to her asking if she were alright, glancing up briefly from when she had bowed her head a moment to see her looking down with what Ayane considered to be almost pity.... she was only thankful that no one had heard and Kasumis' back had been thier small unknown audience.



Brushing a few strands of her lavender hair from her face Ayane looked out over the small stream once more trying not to think about how even now her face burned at the memory of that day... moving forward a small distance she knelt near the small stream allowing two of her fingers to skim the surface. Watching as the small ripples came forth from the place where her fingers disturbed the surface and then went outward becoming larger and larger with each pass they made. So much had changed since that day, though it was an example of the pain Ayane had felt being bested repeatedly by someone who had ultimately betrayed them all... the past was the past and could not be changed.. what was to come however....

Rising to her feet once more she turned moving in the familiar direction she had traveled so many other times in her life, she only paused to look back once and she was reminded of the ripples spreading out from her fingertips they had started out small and moved outward slowly becoming larger untill they ultimately broke. Deep within her she could almost feel it.. it wouldnt be long now for better or for worse,despite however she may feel soon it would all be over , Kasumis' time to run would come to an end...Just like the ripples on the water.

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" Somehow I don't see myself as ever living that one down,but it was worth it to hear them laugh...."

Ryu continued to listen as Kasumi spoke, the expression she held, her eyes closing for a few moments and then opening once more appearing thoughtful and relaxed, it put him at ease knowing that she was as well.

" No it would appear that will live on in the memory of all who witnessed it."His voice emerging with its normal serious tone as he looked up from his hand ,balenced on his knee to catch her expression a half smile of amusement.

She was seated not far away on his small matress, her legs somewhat off to the side and tucked partially beneath her, her long hair still somewhat damp from her bathing in the hot spring, formed a curtain over her shoulders.Thier relaxed conversation was reminding him of how things had been between them before so much had changed, it seemed almost possible to forget that it had....

"They always were that way though so serious even when we were supposed to be relaxing...I think they spent over half of that trip training..." Kasumis voice seemed to be trailing off somewhat becoming quieter as if fading away. Her soft orange brown eyes reguarded him with a question she didn't even need to ask in order for him to know.

Ryu found himself unsure of exactly how to awnser, he hadn't seen Hayate only once brifely since they had run into one another during the course of the third tournament. They had spoken little during that last visit,the silence had hung heavy over the words they had spoken. With Genras' threat having been elminated focus had returned to the only other known threat to the clan.......Ayane had shown up with some kind of message for Hayate toward the end of his visit and Ryu had used her appearence as an end to thier silence. He had been about to ask Hayate if he would like to accompany him on his trip if only for a day to get away from things for awhile as they used to do occasionally but he had gone on alone.

Now Kasumi had risen walking close to the entrance of the cave, turning looking out through the water twoard the night beyond, as if the awnsers to her questions could be found there. Rising himself Ryu stood still a moment contemplating what he should say or do next. He had seen this look upon her features once before that last time he had met with her before the start of the second tournament before she had made the choice that had left her having such concerns...

Without realising what he had done sometime during the course of his thoughts he had closed the gap between them part of his mind tried speaking up saying that Kasumi had chosen her own destiny, she and she alone had caused the heartache she now endured if she had waited......

"I had a feeling and said nothing...." He heard her voice emerge even depite the pain he knew the statement held. The light from the nearby fire shone upon her hair as she bowed her head slightly making it appear almost the color of the flames themselves. Seeing her this way hurt him in a way he was unnaccustomed to and he found himself wishing he could think of some way to comfort her. Reaching forward he touched her arm, his fingers closing around it and squeezing gently as he said the first words that came to him.

"Regret for the past is a waste of spirit Kasumi." the way the words left his mouth they sounded more like advice than an attempt at comfort. She turned then to face him, her orange brown eyes held his for a moment as a whisper of a smile pulled at her lips. Kasumi moved her hand to cover the one that rested on her arm sqeezing it gently as he had done, showing she had taken his words as intended.

"Yes..that is true" her voice emerged as little more than a whisper as her finger tips brushed over the top of his hand. The touch of her hand was soft as soft as the skin of her arm beneath his touch reminding him of when he had found her earlier asleep in the hot spring, the soft lantern light dancing across the water and her skin. He felt his hand relaxing slowly letting go of her arm as she let go of his hand. Those had not been the types of thoughts he should have been having at that moment.

Yet as he watched Kasumi move returning to her seat on his small matress, tucking her legs beneath her he couldn't help the direction his thoughts were taking or the feelings they were reawakening within him. Returning to his former seated position not far from her he closed his eyes a moment trying to gather his thoughts.











Author s Post-it note: Long time no see!! I know it has been quite awhile since my last update longer than last time even but it shouldn't be quite as long between updates next time. The holidays had a big factor in the delay this chapter, also I tried to keep it as well done as possible. I know the ending kind of dropped off suddenly. I wanted to write more but I decided to cut it off and make it ( the continuation of thier conversation) part of next chapter instead. Hopfully this chapter served to give a little more insight into Ryus' feelings (*crosses fingers and toes for luck*)

As of my next update I will be changing the rating of this story to R. I really wish fanfiction.net hadn't decided to section off the R rated stories from appearing in the default listings.(*grumbles some and laughs*)

Anyways thanks to all who have been reading I hope this chapter was worth the wait!!

Until Next Time!!

Questions,Commments,Creative Death threats? Send them to teesa57@hotmail.com Please read and review!!!!