Chapter Text
When she got home, Aya was exhausted. Instead of facing the situation in front of her, she had run away. She knew that she should have just confronted the boy and demanded he tell her how it was even possible that he be alive. But she knew in her gut that it probably wouldn’t have helped.
Dismounting, she walked her horse to the pen where Maria’s horse stood grazing. Opening up the gate, Aya guided her horse in before removing the saddle from its back and the bridle from its mouth. Giving it a loving pat on the neck, she exited the pen and put the saddle and bridle in the shed where Maria’s were also stored. Opening up the saddlebags, she removed her shopping bag and her package. Entering the clinic through the back door, she called out, “Maria? I’m back!”
Maria entered the kitchen where Aya stood removing the food and fabric she had bought. Smiling, she greeted Aya with a “Welcome back, Mistress”, before helping her put away the food.
“Maria, how many times must I say it? Please do not call me Mistress. You know how I hate what it reminds me of. Any other pet name is fine, but don’t remind me of my parents,” Aya said in a grim tone. She did not want to remember the night all those years ago, when she had almost died at the hands of her own father. Her father had been a “scientist”, a creative genius. But he actually had been a murderer, killing innocent people who would not have been missed just to perfect his “art”.
“My apologies, Aya. You do know how I forget things sometimes, especially after working for him for all those years. Did you have a good trip into town?” Maria said, quickly changing the subject to avoid any anger from the younger woman.
“Yes, but I ran into someone who should be dead before I left town. You remember that boy from that night, the one who helped us escape?” she asked, glad that Maria had changed the subject. Aya hated it when she got angry with Maria, since the woman was like a mother to her, but there were always certain little triggers that made her just snap and lose control of herself.
“I do, but you said it yourself, he should be dead. How is that even possible?” Maria wondered out loud. To herself she thought, I hope that that boy doesn’t cause the Mistress any trouble. Or me, as a matter of fact, since I did attack him. But I also saw the way that the Mistress looked at him on that night, and how he looked at her. He loved her, even if he didn’t know it at that time, and she loved him. If that boy is in fact the very same boy from that night, he would make the Mistress very happy. She has been so very lonely these past few years. Oh well, only time will tell.
* * * * * * * * * *
As Dio walked along the forest road, he admired the beauty and the serenity of the place Aya chose to call home. Inhaling deeply, he continued down the road, humming a song from a strange memory, his thoughts turning to Aya. He had missed her in all the years that had passed since that fateful night. He had missed her smile and her beautiful blue eyes and raven hair. He smiled at the thought of seeing her smile again, of being the one that had put that smile on her face.
Where did that thought come from?
Looking up, he could see the sky start to turn orange, heralding the night. As he returned his head to the road ahead, Dio noticed a small dirt path going off in the opposite direction of the road. Crouching down, he examined the hoof prints that could be seen in the dirt of the road and the path. Satisfied with what he found, he stood, dusted off his pants and hands, and headed down the small path. Eventually, he came upon a sturdy-looking two-story house. The sign in front proudly displayed that this place was “Drevis Clinic”.
“I found it,” Dio muttered to himself. Walking up the steps to the door, he gave it three sharp raps of his knuckles. Stepping back, he allowed room for an inhabitant to step out of the door slightly. When the door opened, he greeted the person who had answered with a smile. His smile was quickly replaced with a frown when the door was slammed in his face.
That’s odd. Isn’t this clinic supposed to open its door to anyone and everyone? He thought, leaning up close to the door to hear any conversation that may be occurring on the other side. When he realized that he wouldn’t be able to hear anything through the heavy door, Dio turned away and faced the woods. Perhaps I startle them. It has been over fifteen years since that night, and I was just a corpse animated by her mother’s curse for that one night. Oh well, if they don’t want me to be here tonight, that’s fine. I can spend another night in the woods, just as I have since I started my search for Aya. It’s no bother to me.
* * * * * * * * * *
The knock at the door drew Aya’s attention. It was too late in the evening for anyone to have come as a patient, so just who was knocking on her door? Heading back down the stairs, she approached the door and unlocked it. Opening it to see just who was visiting her this late in the day, she quickly slammed it shut and leaned against the door. Maria had just come into the front room to answer the door when she saw Aya slam the door in someone’s face. Alarmed, she exclaimed, “Aya! What in the world was that for?”
“It’s that boy! He’s just outside the door! How did he find this place?” Aya explained frantically, her breathing heavy. Looking up at Maria, she asked, “What should we do? Should we let him in or should we just ignore him and hope that he will leave?”
“As much as I feel that we will regret this, we should let him in. It would be cruel to purposefully make someone spend a night in these woods,” Maria answered. Moving towards the kitchen, she said over her shoulder, “I’ll warm up something for him to eat. Be sure to be kind to him, and make sure you get his name so we can stop referring to him as ‘that boy’.”
Sighing, Aya turned to face the front door. Opening it, she saw that he was already starting to head off into the woods. “Wait!” she cried, flinging the door open all the way.
Hearing the door open and Aya’s cry, Dio stopped and turned his torso to look at her. “Is there something you wanted?” he asked her.
“Please don’t spend the night in the woods. It’s too dangerous. Would you like to come in?” she asked him, a fist over her sternum and a concerned look in her eyes. She bit her lip, scared he would say no after the way she had treated him today.
“I would love to come in, Aya. And before you say anything, yes, I am the boy from that night all those years ago. I don’t know how, but through some strange means, I was reincarnated, or reborn, I guess. My name is Dio, and if Maria is worried that I will be mad at her because she attacked me, tell her that she has nothing to fear. I forgive her actions since I can understand how the situation may have looked from her viewpoint,” Dio said as he walked back to where Aya stood. Looking down at her, he asked, “Have you kept the promise you made to me that night?”
“Yes, I have. I think about those people every single day,” she said sorrowfully. Looking up at him, she took his hand, saying, “Come. I’m sure Maria has got something warmed up for you by now. You must be hungry if you walked all the way here from town this afternoon.”
Glancing down at their joined hands, he smiled at her and said, “Yes, I am starting to feel a bit famished,” before stepping through and closing the door behind him.