The Yamigami : Path Of God’s Tear

Chapter 7: Bonding



Amaya tilted her head. "And that's when the Yamigami found you?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah. It told me I had the potential to stop Ren and unlock the God's Realm. It gave me Yamigami and told me about the keys." He looked up, meeting her gaze for the first time. "But honestly, I don't care about being some 'descendant of the Champion.' I just want Mochi back. That's it."

For a long moment, Amaya said nothing. Then, to Kai's surprise, she chuckled softly.

"What's so funny?" he asked, frowning.

"You're just so… human," she said, shaking her head. "You're supposed to be this legendary descendant, chosen to save the world or whatever, and all you care about is your cat."

"She wasn't just a cat," Kai snapped, his frustration boiling over.

"I know," Amaya said, her tone suddenly serious. "I know she wasn't. That's why I think you're going to make it."

Kai blinked, taken aback. "What?"

"You're fighting for something real," Amaya said, her emerald eyes shining with an emotion Kai couldn't quite place. "Something that actually matters to you. People like Ren? They fight for power, for glory. But you? You're fighting for love. That's a hell of a lot stronger."

Kai stared at her, unsure how to respond.

"Anyway," Amaya said, her teasing grin returning as she stretched lazily, "thanks for sharing, Champion. Now I know I can trust you not to stab me in the back… probably."

Kai rolled his eyes. "Don't push your luck."

But as the firelight danced between them, Kai felt a strange sense of relief. For the first time, he didn't feel so alone in his journey. And though he didn't know it yet, that moment of trust would become the foundation of something far greater.

.

.

.

The forest was alive with sound, from the rustling leaves to the distant caws of crows, but Kai's attention was solely focused on staying upright. His boots sank slightly into the muddy trail, and he cursed under his breath as a root nearly sent him tumbling face-first into the dirt.

"Watch your step, oh fearless Champion," Amaya called out from ahead, her voice laced with mockery. She turned briefly, her silver hair glinting in the dappled sunlight, and grinned. "Or is the great Yamigami wielder afraid of a little mud?"

Kai scowled. "I'm not afraid of mud. I'm just not used to hiking through a death trap masquerading as a forest."

Amaya stopped, leaning lazily against a tree with an exaggerated sigh. "You're hopeless, you know that? What were you doing before all this—just selling trinkets and napping with your cat all day?"

Kai's hand instinctively tightened around the bell he'd tied to his belt. "Don't talk about Mochi like that."

The teasing grin on Amaya's face faltered for a fraction of a second, but she recovered quickly. "Relax, I'm just saying you could stand to toughen up a bit. Here, let me show you how it's done."

She strode forward and plucked a sturdy stick from the ground, spinning it like a sword. "Let's spar. You've got that fancy katana of yours, and I've got…" She inspected the stick dramatically. "This fearsome branch of doom."

Kai stared at her. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious." Amaya waggled the stick at him. "Come on, Champion. Or are you afraid I'll win?"

With a groan, Kai unsheathed Yamigami. The blade pulsed faintly in his hands, as if reacting to his reluctance.

"Careful with that thing," Amaya said, her tone suddenly more serious. "You're still not in sync with it, and I'd rather not lose an arm today."

Kai smirked despite himself. "Then maybe you shouldn't have challenged me."

The mock fight was over almost as quickly as it began. Amaya darted around him like a blur, her movements so fluid and precise that Kai could barely keep up.

"You're overthinking," she called out, dodging his swing effortlessly. "Yamigami isn't just a weapon; it's part of you. Stop trying to control it like some tool."

"I'm trying!" Kai shouted, frustration bubbling to the surface as his strike went wide again.

"Trying isn't enough." Amaya ducked under his next swing and swept his legs out from under him with a swift kick. He hit the ground with a thud, Yamigami slipping from his grasp and embedding itself in the dirt nearby.

Amaya crouched beside him, resting her chin on the end of her "fearsome branch of doom." "You fight like someone who's scared of losing. Let go of that fear, or you'll never master it."

Kai sat up, glaring at her. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one carrying the weight of—" He stopped, biting his tongue.

"The weight of what?" Amaya's teasing smile softened into something almost empathetic. "Go on. Say it."

Kai looked away, his jaw tight. "Never mind."

For a moment, Amaya said nothing. Then she sighed and stood, offering him a hand. "You're stubborn, I'll give you that. But you'll figure it out… eventually."

As they continued through the forest, Amaya subtly guided him away from hidden dangers—a patch of thorny vines here, a precarious slope there—all while maintaining her usual air of playful sarcasm.

"Don't step there," she said casually, pointing to a seemingly innocuous patch of ground.

Kai frowned. "Why not?"

"Sinkhole," she replied with a shrug, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He stared at her, incredulous. "How do you even know that?"

"I have eyes. You should try using yours sometime," she said, grinning.

Despite her lighthearted tone, Kai couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than she let on. She moved through the forest with an ease that bordered on unnatural, her every step deliberate and precise. And then there were the moments—fleeting but unmistakable—when her teasing would give way to a strange, almost sorrowful look, as if she were carrying her own hidden burdens.

"Who are you, really?" Kai blurted out after hours of walking.

Amaya glanced at him over her shoulder. "I told you, I'm a wandering swordswoman."

"That's not what I mean," Kai said, his voice firm. "You know things you shouldn't. You act like you've known me for years, but we just met. So what's the truth?"

For a moment, Amaya's expression wavered, but then she laughed. "You really are suspicious, aren't you? Maybe I'm just really good at reading people."


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