Chapter 10 – A Weight Lifted and Marin’s thoughts.

Chapter 10 – A Weight Lifted and Marin’s thoughts.

"Pfffffffffffffffffffffff."

Naomi let out a deep breath as she collapsed onto her couch. Akagi had left only minutes beforehand, and it was clear that her meeting with the assassin had taken everything out of her.

"My lady are you alright?" Marin asked concerned. "You look pale."

"Yes, I'm fine. I just feel strangely tired, as if my entire body has suddenly gone limp." Naomi shook her head. "No, not tired, it was as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders and my entire body could truly relax for the first time in so long. (Naomi)

"My lady, I'm sorry that I never understood just how much pain you were in. I always knew the death of your parents was hard on you, but I never understood just how much you were dealing with. You always put on such a brave face and a tough outer exterior that I thought you would be fine. I am a complete and utter failure as your assistant." Marin said with a regretful look on her face.

"It's not your fault Marin. I went out of my way to hide it from you all these years and I never even attempted to confide in you. I thought that if I showed my pain to you or anyone else, you would believe I was nothing more than a helpless little girl. It's not your fault that I was hiding it." Naomi replied.

"I would never think any less of you my Lady, and I can assure you that goes for everyone else too. Crying and feeling sadness, are all natural things. We don't work for you because we believe you to be some unflinching girl with a heart of stone. We work for you because we believe in you." Marin continued. "So please, you don't need to hold it in anymore, at least not around me."

"Thank you, Marin. I really can always count on you, can't I?" Naomi replied with a laugh. "I should have known that all this time, but I doubted you like a fool."

The two exchanged warm smiles.

Marin had been at Naomi's side since she was a child and while she was a decade older, she had always seen herself as Naomi's friend first and foremost. That she had survived the events of that night was down to nothing more than luck as she was in Osaka visiting family. When she heard the news, she flew back to Kyoto in a blind panic believing that Naomi had perished as well. She was overjoyed that Naomi was still alive, but she could tell that the events of that night haunted her.

For months Naomi would wake in the night screaming in terror reliving the death of her family. Over time, Marin had watched her friend grow colder and more distant and she began to feel that she might lose her forever.

"arin....Marin!" Suddenly, Naomi's voice brought Marin out of her thoughts.

"Yes!" Marin yelped.

"I've been calling out to you for a while, what on earth were you thinking about so hard? You had a strange look on your face." Naomi asked.

Marin flushed red with embarrassment.

"My apologies, I was thinking about everything that has happened. It's been a lot to process." She said with a slight stutter. "Um.. might I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Naomi replied.

"What will you do, afterward? I'm scared that once you lose your purpose you'll....." Marin couldn't finish her sentence.

Naomi took a moment to think before responding.

"I honestly, don't know. I didn't think I would get this far. I've lived my life since that day in pursuit of revenge. Honestly, I didn't really care what happened to me afterward, so I didn't plan for the future. I suppose I will try to continue my family legacy as much as I can out of respect. If nothing else, I will dedicate my life to paying back Akagi for this debt." Naomi explained. " I have a few ideas that might work."

{At the very least, I'm sure Akagi will get good use out of my connections, and having a house back her will undoubtedly be useful even if it is just me. Hell, I would even marry her if she wanted; though I can't imagine she would go for that.} (Naomi)

Whatever the future held for Naomi, one thing was certain it would certainly involve Akagi.