A Ninja's Reveng(closed)

Ronin opened his eyes for a moment and turned to look at her with his piercing blue gaze. He didn't speak for a moment before he dropped to the ground and sat in unusual style, his legs crossed and his arms lightly resting upon his knees.(Like his photo in his bio ) He said nothing and instead sat there with his eyes closed, as though he were...meditating. "You will be taught the way I was taught," he said softly, his voice naturally soft. "With time and patience. First step is to focus your energies and find your center."

Fiona tilted her head and remained silent for a moment before she sat down beside him in the same fashion. "How do I do that?" She asked looking a tad bit confused. Her father had taught her in a different way and this was all new too her."

"Meditation," Ronin said simply. "Close your eyes, relax your body. Listen to the world around you."

Staying silent for a long moment she cocked her head to the side, watching curiously. "How do I do that?" She asked as she sat down in the same cross legged fashion as him. Her father had taught her in such a different way. This was very new to her.

If Ronin was irritated, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked very relaxed and calm, much like something out of fantasy. "Calm your breathing," he answered calmly. "Slow your heartbeat so that it rests with your body. Then close your eyes and listen to nature around us. It's called meditation, something my Masters put me through whenever my anger got the better of me. So I have been taught, I will teach to you."

Taking a deep breath she sat her hands in her lap and and did as she was told. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest She could hear everything, the birds, animals moving through the forest. She had to admit this was rather peaceful and she liked it.

Ronin smiled beneath his mask and his head bowed slightly. "Good," his voice had dropped into a whisper and he sounded like he wasn't speaking to no one in particular, though his words were directed at Fiona. He would remain like that for a while, he knew. And he hoped that she'd be able to do the same.

Fiona did stay like that for a good long while. She enjoyed the sounds of the forest around her, the sounds of the animals moving around her. She eventually got so relaxed that she fell back onto the ground asleep. Curling up on the ground she slept silently in the snow.

Ronin slowly opened his eyes and glanced beside him at Fiona. With a small grin behind his mask, Ronin rose silently to his feet, dusted off the snow and began to set about making a camp for the night. Soon, he had a fire going and something smelt like food.

Yawning Fiona sat up and brushed the snow out of her hair. She looked over to see that camp had already been set up and there was food on the fire. "Oh, I'm sorry.. I guess I got so relaxed I fell asleep." She was cold from sleeping in the snow and so moved close to the fire.

Ronin said nothing as he turned over what looked like chunks of rabbit meat, so that it would get evenly cooked. "One thing to remember," he said, turning his head slightly to look over at her with his piercing blue eyes, which looked even more eerie in the darkness and the harsh light of the fire. "Never get relaxed. Meditation is to sharpen your senses and find your center. Falling into a false sense of security is how Assassins get killed."

For a brief moment, Ronin's eyes flashed with pain, as though he had experienced this once before. It was gone the next moment, though, and he returned to cooking their dinner.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to fall asleep..." Fiona said as she sat by the fire. She sat close enough to feel the head but still far enough away that the flames couldn't touch her. She had, had an irrational fear of fire it could be seen in the way she watched the flames. "I won't fall asleep again..." She said finally before smiling at him.

Ronin closed his eyes and bowed his head in acknowledgement before turning back toward the fire and turning over the meat again to ensure that it was fully cooked before he twisted and pulled out a couple of makeshift camping plates, on which he placed the meat and handed Fiona hers with an outstretched hand. "Eat," he said simply, sounding more like a command than an invitation. "Then sleep. I will wake you when it's time to leave." The way he said this made it sound as though he were going to stay up all night keeping watch, as though he expected someone to take advantage of them during the night.

She took the food and blew on it before taking a bite. "You can't be planing on staying up all night... I can stay up for half the night." She offered as she took another bite. She felt bad about felling asleep when he had been teaching her and she felt she like she should help keep watch.

Ronin gave a soft chuckle that sounded more like a rumble, kind of like when a landslide was rolling down a steep, rocky hill. "If you wish," he purred, turning back to his own food for a moment. "I will wake you when midnight comes."

Nodding Fiona finished her rabbit before pulling her hood up and laid back down in the snow. She curled up beside the fire and went to sleep. She had no dreams that night but slept peacefully. It was the best sleep she had, had in months.

Ronin kept watch over her for a while before he rose to his feet, setting his plate aside for a moment, and grabbing something from his saddle bag. He'd pulled out a blanket with what looked like a Japanese symbol woven into the fabric inside of the Assassin's logo. Carefully, Ronin unfolded it and stepped lightly next to Fiona before carefully pulling the blanket over her, up to her chin. After he'd placed it, he stepped back and sat down next to his plate, which he seemed to ignore for a while as he pulled out his journal and began to scribble words into it on a new page, using the light of the fire to see by.

As midnight drew nearer, Ronin's rabbit haunch was nearly gone and he'd put his journal away, now just watching over Fiona and checking to make sure they were entirely safe. She's different than the rest, he thought to himself, glancing over at the young woman who had decided to tag along in his hunt for the man who had killed his family. Perhaps...she can be trusted...

A smile appeared on her face as the blanket was draped over her and she curled up into a ball underneath it. It wasn't until a few moments later that she began to toss and turn in her sleep. One of her nightmares had taken hold of her. She began muttering in her sleep and clutching the blanket closer to her. "D-dada...." was the only word she said that was understandable.

Ronin looked over to her just as midnight began to come around. Slowly, he stood to his feet and crossed over to her, crouching down into a kneel. "Fiona," he called softly, a hand laying gently onto her shoulder. "Wake up."

Sitting up straight, her eyes wide as she looked around her. She only seemed to calm when her eyes meet Ronin's. Taking a deep breath she wrapped the blanket around her before speaking. "Is it time for me to keep watch?" She asked, looking especially tired. She wondered if the nightmare had caused her to toss and turn or if he had just simply woke her up to tell her it was her turn to keep watch.

Ronin didn't say anything for a while and wondered if he should question her about her mumbling but quickly decided against it. Instead, he gave a small nod of his head and looked to the sky for a moment. "It's midnight," he said softly, as was his usual way. "And time for you to keep watch as you said you would."

Nodding Fiona, sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself. "Do you want the blanket?" She asked as she looked up at him. She had hopped she hadn't panicked to much in her sleep. Since she had watched her parents burn to death. She stared at the fire for a moment as her nightmare replayed in her head. The sound of her parents screams as they burned to death..

Ronin's blue depths seemed to laugh at her offer of the blanket. "You can hold onto it for a while," he said softly. "Take good care of it. My father made that for me. It's all I have left my family."

Giving him a small smile, Fiona nodded and wrapped it around herself. “Your lucky… I don’t have anything that belonged to my father.” She mumbled quietly as she watched the fire. She wanted to cry but refused to do so in front of Ronin.

"You never know," Ronin said, settling down beside her in the snow. "He could have left you something that you just haven't found yet." He flexed the arm with his hidden blade and gently laid a hand on it, as though it were precious to him.