Chapter Text
It was a normal day for Aya Drevis and she wasn't expecting anything unusual to happen. She was just going into town for more supplies once she realized she was running low after treating her last patient. The townspeople were kind and exceptionally nice to both her and Maria. They had helped them build their clinic when they had first come to the town and had helped them survive through the first winter. Smiling at the memories playing in her head, Aya urged her horse onward.
Arriving in town quickly, Aya dismounted and lead her horse to the blacksmith’s, handing him a few coins for the tending and care that the horse would need during her time here. The blacksmith gave her a nod and a smile, tucking the coins into his apron. Turning with a wave, Aya made her way to the local doctor’s office. The man had been her mentor for the first few years that she and Maria had lived here and he ordered medications and supplies for her when she started to run out. Opening up the door to his office, she greeted him with her usual, “Hello, Dr. Stanz!”
“Good morning, Aya. I take it you’re here to pick up the supplies you requested?” He asked, turning away from one of the many stacks of paperwork he had sitting on his desk. His office was in a state of organized chaos, and as Aya looked around, she started to slowly shake her head.
“Yes, I am. You know, Dr. Stanz, you should really hire an assistant to help you with this mess,” she said with a small chuckle.
“Yes, I suppose I should, but there’s no one around here that meets my requirements, and I don’t want a stranger in my office. So I guess for now I will just have deal with it myself,” he said with a sigh. Moving to the safe on the other side of the room, he opened it and took a medium-sized package out. Turning back to her, he held the package out to her, saying, “Your supplies came in yesterday. I hope that with them, you are able to help more of those who need ‘special’ care.”
“Thank you, Dr. Stanz, and have a nice day!” Aya said, taking the package and turning towards the door. Opening it, she began to leave before turning her head over her shoulder and saying, “Maria says hi!” Heading out the door, she then went to the local general store to pick up some new fabric for clothing for both her and Maria, and to get some food for supper tonight. Paying the clerk, they both exchanged “good days” before Aya headed back to the blacksmith’s.
As she walked along, she quietly hummed to herself, occasionally waving and saying hello to passing townspeople. As she rounded the corner to the blacksmith’s though, she quickly found herself on the ground after crashing into the person who had rounded the same corner in the opposite direction. Rubbing at her hip, which she had landed on when she fell, she looked at the person and said angrily, “Hey! Watch where you’re going! You could seriously injure someone!”
“I could say the same to you.”
That voice, Aya thought, quickly looking up to see who the stranger was. She was met with a gaze of amber eyes under short blonde locks. The gaze was one she was familiar with, but she never thought that she would ever see it again, not after that night all those years ago. “It can’t be,” she murmured.
The boy recovered from their shared accident much quicker than Aya and bent down to pick up the items that had spilled from her shopping bag when she fell. When he had finished, he stood to his full height. Holding out a hand to her, he asked, “Are you alright?”
Taking his hand, she let him help her stand before saying “I’m fine,” sharply and picking up her package of supplies from the ground. When he held her shopping bag out to her, she took it without a second thought and began to check the items purchased to make sure nothing was ruined. Satisfied with what she saw, she walked around the boy and hurried to the blacksmith’s. Quickly securing her things in the saddlebags, she said a quick goodbye to the blacksmith before urging her horse into a breakneck run.
“Wait!” the boy cried out as he saw Aya ride out of town. Realizing it was no use, he returned to the blacksmith’s and asked him who that girl was.
“That was Aya Drevis. She’s a doctor who runs a seclusive clinic out in the woods. The clinic is for those with special needs who can’t afford a normal checkup by their local doctor,” the man explained before turning back to his work. Giving the man a quick thank you, Dio started walking the same way he had seen Aya ride off. Looking up at the sky, he quietly thought to himself, Finally, after all these years of searching, I found you Aya Drevis. I still remember that night at your mansion, when I had to help save you from the others who were so distraught with anger towards your father. I hope you kept the promise I asked you to make. I hope you remember all those you encountered in your search for the truth. But most of all, I hope you remember me.