The silence is deafening as the words leave her mouth. She’s a Yoshida. Asahi’s mind races as he looks at the woman. Zero doesn’t let the moment sit for long as she charges at her with her blade at the ready slicing the wind either side of her.

Asahi can’t even react before a burst of wind blows his hair out of his face as the suit of armour flies by him. He wants to tell her to stop but his mind races as his gaze lies on the woman as she quickly defends herself with her enlarged hands.

Zero slams her blade into the giant palms of the woman causing her to shriek in pain. Zero forms an axe and thrusts it towards her enlarged fingers but all it slams into is the snow below. Before Zero can pull the axe out the ground a large hand grabs her and tightens its grip.

Zero winces in pain as the sounds of cracking armour awakens Asahi from his trance. He shakes his head and sprints towards the two.

He reaches his hand out but before he can diffuse the situation he is palmed away as she screams for him to leave them. Zero can’t hold out any longer and her pain is heard as she screeches to the sky.

Asahi punches the ground below him as the echoes of her cries ring in his ears. He slams his hand on his chest and with a face full of desperation he shouts,

“MY NAME IS ASAHI… ASAHI YOSHIDA!”

Asahi’s plea causes her to pause for just a moment. A moment long enough for Zero to get free from her hold and form a spear. Asahi tries to shout for her to stop but is too late and she flings the spear straight through the woman’s shoulder leading to a screeching, painful cry.

Zero drops to her knees as the crying echoes through the forest. She breaths through gritted teeth as she holds her chest in pain. Nonetheless she arises and stands over the crying woman with a piercing stare felt through her helmet.

The woman heavily breaths through her cries as she clutches her shoulder. The spear dissipates as blood seeps out of the gaping hole in her arm. She wheezes and coughs as she holds the ragged doll to her chest, and she lies her head on the snow below as it begins to run red with blood.

Asahi sends an angered look towards Zero before approaching the woman.

“I am Asahi Yoshida… I’m Kenji’s son”

His Voice is soft as he leans down towards her

The woman mumbles into her chest. Asahi leans in to listen with a hopeful glint in his eye.

Just as his hand touches her shoulder she springs towards him causing him to fall backwards. She clutches at his shirt and pulls him in towards her. Her face scrunches with anger and grip shakes with fury.

“You liar…”

Her voice pangs of vitriol as the words dig into Asahi.

Asahi shakes his head as he places his hands on hers.

“Please, I want to help you…”

“You’re a liar”

She lifts her head slightly as her boiling gaze lands on Asahi

Asahi lifts his hair out of his face and flashes his eyes to her. Giving her a slight smile as her silence gives him a small rush of optimism that she has cooled down. Zero looks on as her hands clench ready to pounce as the woman slowly grows closer to Asahi’s face.

She places her bloodied hand on his face as their eyes glimmer against one another. As the forest lies silent Zero lowers her guard and Asahi smiles.

“Liar”

In one swift motion the woman enlarges her hand once more and clamps down on Asahi. Zero forms two small blades before and bursts towards the woman. As her foot slams into the ground she feels the injuries she sustained and crashes into the snow below her.

As Zero lies in a mound of snow Asahi doesn’t resist within the clutches of the woman. The woman limps towards the bloodied and broken body of armour lying in a mound of red snow the anger returns to her face once more.

“You’re better off dead than in the hands of my father”

She enlarges her other fist and readies herself to slam it down on Zero.

Just as she’s about to, a fist comes crashing into her face from nowhere causing her to step back and release Asahi. She looks up to see the origin of the punch and it’s Hiro smiling while standing between her and the broken Zero.

The woman shakes her head in confusion as she slowly steps backwards. Hiro clenches his fist once gain ready to strike before Asahi runs in his way. Hiro smiles at him but instead of receiving a smile back Asahi slaps him across the face.

He slowly places his hand on his cheek and looks at Asahi confused. Asahi stares back at him with fury.

“Wha- “

“Don’t dare think you can lay a hand on a Yoshida!”

Hiro looks to the ground upset as Zero slowly gets to her feet. Asahi drops the fury in his eyes and looks upon Hiro regretfully. He tries to apologise but something within him stops him. Instead, he walks towards the woman as she stands dishevelled by Hiro’s punch.

Asahi tidies her up and apologises for Hiro. Before the woman can respond she passes out from blood loss into his arms. He hoists her up and carries her off towards the city and away from Hiro and Zero.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Hiro is left astonished by Asahi and stands unable to understand what just happened. Zero stands by his side as they watch Asahi leave towards Kyosho. Zero uses Hiro’s shoulder to stabilise herself as pieces of armour drop onto the bloodied snow below. Through the slits in her helmet a rage builds behind her blue eyes, a rage towards the man walking away from them.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No… you sa…”

Zero also passes out into Hiro’s arms as blood drips from her helmet onto his chest.

Hiro looks back at a small doll sitting in the snow with blood splashes across its face he picks it up and takes it with him as they also head back towards the city. Zero leans her body against Hiros as they stumble back.

Morning comes as Asahi sits at the woman’s bedside in the nearby inn. Her shoulder has a huge scar where the spear hit but she has healed far quicker than any normal human could. Asahi looks sorrowful as he leans backwards and lets the sun from the window hit his face. His eyes sparkle in the shine as he sighs.

Next door to him sits Zero alone in a silent room. An empty chair sits by her side as she slowly sits up. She panics slightly before she touches her helmet and realises it’s still on. She gazes at the empty seat for a moment before her eyes catch her bracelet around her wrist given to her by Asahi. She growls slight as she pulls it off and throws it to the floor.

Asahi fiddles with his bracelet as the woman slowly awakens.

“A-Are you ok?”

“Where am I?”

Asahi clasps his hands together and bows his head

“I am so sorry… I know I should never allow another Yoshida to be struck by a-“

He can’t really find it in himself to insult Hiro and with a heavy breath he looks back up at the woman. She stares back at him with slightly widened eyes.

“You really are a Yoshida then…”

She looks down at her hands with a heavy heart. Tears quickly well up and drip onto her palms. Asahi looks around awkwardly not knowing what he should do or say. All he can do is bow his head and let her cry.

As she lifts her head she looks around frantically.

“The doll… where’s the doll”

“I-I’m sorry I think we left it back in the forest”

She once again drops her head. She cries as she holds her stomach. Asahi is about to ask about it before he hears a knock at the door. Asahi slowly walks over and opens the door to Hiro holding the woman’s doll. The doll looks cleaned up as he awkwardly stands fidgeting with its buttons as he holds it out for Asahi.

“I-I’m sorry for what I done… I didn’t know she was important to you”

Asahi looks down at the doll as h holds it out and back up at his smiling face. He can barely even talk as he tries to comprehend it. As he spots his gift to Hiro hanging around his wrist he can’t help but let a tear roll down his cheek. Hiro grows worried as he tries to get him to stop.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry did I mess it up? I maybe shouldn’t of tried to clean it myself. Maybe I ca-“

Asahi interrupts him by embracing him tightly. He apologises profusely into Hiro’s shoulder as he pulls him in. Hiro just smiles and accepts. The woman looks on from the bed with confusion written across her face.

Asahi invites Hiro in but Hiro declines as he heads back to Zero’s room to watch over her.

As Asahi slowly closes the door behind him he smiles to himself and wipes the tears from his eyes.

“You really shouldn’t lead them on like that you know”

Asahi looks at her confused as she continues,

“Seriously if you give the powerless the feeling that they are on the same level as us they’ll always turn it back on you”

Asahi looks down at the doll and then presents it to her. She smiles and pulls it in tightly.

“Hiro brough that for you”

“Hiro?”

“The powerless one that you mentioned… it was him”

The woman doesn’t even react as she sighs of relief as she got the doll back. Asahi sighs at her refusal to acknowledge Hiro as he sits back down beside her.

“So who are you? You said you were my grandfather’s daughter but I’ve never heard of you before”

“Of course you haven’t… that bastard kicked me out the family during the war”

“He kicked you out? Why?”

She looks down at the doll once more as her green eyes grow sullen in sadness.

“I fell pregnant to another families’ chosen…”

Asahi’s eyes widen in shock

“Really? Is that even possible”

“Apparently so… but the guy ratted me out to my father because he was so scared”

“Did the child not make it?”

She shakes her head as she fidgets with the doll

“I tried to fall pregnant again and again but every single time since… I just can’t”

“And you think that’s due to my grandfather?”

“That bastard has put a curse on me… I’m sure of it”

“Well why don’t you come back to the capital? You called out my father’s name right?”

“I wish I could see my baby brother once more… but not while my father is there”

Asahi clasps her hands with his.

“He died before the war ended…”

She looks at him blankly as he tries to smile for her. She can’t bring herself to speak as she tries to comprehend what he said. All she can do is cry. Asahi tightens his grip as he tries to reassure her.

“So I’m free?”

Asahi smiles as she jumps up and hugs him. He embraces his aunt as snow swirls outside the window.

“My name is Sakura... Sakura Yoshida”

“Then you’re my aunt Sakura?”

They laugh together as she lets the doll go as it falls to the floor.

Hiro slowly opens the door to see Zero standing by the window. Her armour is in tatters revealing most of her figure from the light from outside. Hiro slowly tries to leave before she speaks up.

“Thank you, Hiro… for saving me”

Hiro smiles and chuckles.

“I’m serious Hiro… You saved me and I won’t forget it”

“You do realise you’ve already saved me loads too, right?”

Zero sighs as she turns around to face him.

“You’ve saved me in more ways than you could know”

She quickly turns back towards the window as Hiro smiles not really knowing what she means by it. He sees Asahi’s bracelet lying in the corner of the room as he sighs. He slowly lifts it and walks towards her. He smiles as he turns her around. He clasps her arms in his hand and places the bracelet around her wrist. The two stare at one another for a few moments before Zero hugs him.

Hiro is completely taken aback by her out of character gesture. He can’t even hug her back through his shock. As she pulls away she grabs him by the collar.

“I might be grateful… but don’t do anything so stupid again”

Hiro laughs as she lets him go

“Only if you’re in trouble”

She feigns frustration towards him as he laughs. He sighs as he drops down on her bed and yawns

“It’s morning why are you tired?”

“Oh I didn’t sleep last night”

“Why didn’t y-“

Hiro snores away as Zero sighs. She gives a glance to the empty chair pointing towards him and her eyes linger on his sleeping face.

She closes the window behind him and gives him one last glance before slowly closing the door behind her. She steps out in the hallway and across from her stands Asahi.

Zero strides past him.

“I’m s-“

“You’re very lucky he is who he is…”

She hands him the bracelet he gifted her. He looks saddened as he holds it in his hand. Zero leaves him alone in the hallway between Hiro and Sakura’s rooms. He apologises before heading into Hiro’s room.

Zero sits on a bench just outside the inn as the snow flows down from the clouded skies. She lifts her helmet slightly to feel the cold on her face.

Her cheeks are blush as she smiles to herself.