originally posted in:The New Dojo
Suzume closes her eye and lets a single tear trickle down her face, hugging the girl back.
“I am sorry all of this happened, you should not have had to go through this pain..”
English
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"N-No, you saved! You're my hero!" The girl sniffled, still shaking. "I owe you my life..."
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Suzume smiles weakly and hugs the girl a little tighter, her eye still watery. “I am grateful to have been able to save the life of an innocent in the face of danger.”
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The girl kept hugging Suzume, not letting go. "I was so scared...." Her breathing was shallow and quick.
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“If I am to be honest, so was I. Not for myself, but for you.” She opens her eye and removes her black circular hat and sets her sheathed blade to the side. Her feline ears were now visible as she removed her jingasha, though the girl still had her face buried in Suzume’s chest.
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"Thank you again...for this. I'll do anything it takes to repay you, just ask. Anything." She gazed up at Suzume, her deep blue eyes letting her know she meant it.
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Suzume smiles at the girl, still close to tears. “Tell me, do you have a home? Somewhere safe that you can be? Or are you alone and have nowhere to go?”
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"W-Well...no. I don't have a place to go back to really." She replied.
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“If you have nowhere to go, you may as well have someone to look after you. What would you say for me to help keep you safe and look after you from now on?” Suzume looked earnest and completely serious, truly wanting to help the girl and ensure she was safe.
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"I-I can't ask that of you! That's so much work and time and...all for me?" The girl shook her head. "I-I'm not worth that."
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Suzume shook her head. “I came to this place to bring peace and enforce justice to those that deserve it. You [i]are[/i] worth that, trust me. Besides, I do not have a companion of my own, and in truth I am often lonely, partially because I have spent years wandering around the planet.” She sighs and looks down before looking into the girl’s eyes again. “You and I, we are both similar. We both do not have a home to go back to. You do not seem to be able to defend yourself against those that would do you harm, and I would be heartbroken to see you harmed by anyone who has no care for the innocent and wishes to harm them. Please, I can keep you safe and do my best to look after you in every way I can..”
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"I...Thank you, so much. I-I'm Silver. I'll gladly keep you company." She smiled a little up at Suzume.
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“My name is Suzume Hiroshi. I am glad that I can help keep you safe and provide a means of protection for you.” Suzume smiles happily at Silver, now backing away a little bit to give her some space. She still had yet to take care of her own wounds, caring more for Silver than herself.
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"I-I can heal those..." Silver placed a hand on Suzume's wounds, the damage quickly healing with no pain. Instead, a feeling of calmness and joy filled Suzume as she was healed.
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Suzume sighs in relief and closes her eye, falling forwards onto her knees as she is overwhelmed by a strong—almost forceful—sense of happiness and joy, and she smiles as she feels herself transported back to her early childhood in her mind, watching her best memories play out in her head. A single tear trickled down her face as this happened. She had obviously tried to forget her past so much that she had cast aside her favorite and best memories.
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Silver smiled, feeling the memory run through Suzume's head. "You okay? W-We should probably get out of the dark alley..." She nervously chuckled.
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Suzume opens her eye and looks to Silver. “Thank you for that...and yes, we should definitely get out of this alley.” She grabs her black jingasha and puts it back on top of her head, then grabs her sheathed sword and puts it back on her waist. She then gets to her feet slowly, offering a hand to Silver.
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Silver took the hand, holding it and clinging to Suzume's side. "Thanks, Suzume...." She leaned on Suzume lightly.
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Suzume smiles down at Silver, ruffling her hair a little bit. “We will get along very well, I can already see it.”
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Silver giggled, her long silver hair getting a little messy. "Oh yeah? So can I."
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Suzume lets out a quiet laugh. “Yes, we are definitely going to get along well. Come on then, let us get out of this place, and see to it that you never have to endure such horrors again.”
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"Alright, lead the way!" Silver happily waited to follow Suzume, humming a happy tune.
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Suzume leads Silver out of the alleyway and holds her close with her hand as she walks alongside her on the sidewalks.
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Silver clung to Suzume's side as they walked, smiling and humming.
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While they walked, Suzume looked down at Silver. “Are you hungry at all? I can get you something to eat if you would like.”
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"O-Oh, that would just be wonderful!" Silver hugged Suzume's arm a bit. "I'm actually rather hungry."