Chapter 4: Waves
What We Know Is A Drop What, We Don’t Know Is A Ocean
~Isaac Newton
Cool water from the waves rushed against the bottom of the cliff walls below. The splashing of the waves' droplets trickled in lines down Sage's leg. Chirping echoed through Sage's ears. The birds above called to their young, to box in their prey. Meanwhile, Sage's combat boots slipped on the mud-riddled climb more times than he could count, as he continued his trek up the cliff. The mountains in northern Virginia were astounding with their soft mixtures of green, and burnished orange hills.Trees crowding around them were rooted to the ground by old age, their curved branches home to red squirrels with cute pointy ears.
Sage fingers dug harder at the small crack in the wall for a secure hold. As the fiery flames of the sun peaked out the clouds, the heat burning into his back. Sweat tickled his upper lip. He was content to decide on wrapping his walnut locks in a famous "man bun". He hadn't had time to put on any hiking gear, so he was fresh out in a skin tight tee and camo shorts. By now he knew it ruined his shorts with dirt stains. His jaw clenched as he moved along the side of the cliff, gripping and fighting for any open space he could to reach his destination. He knew Saki was practicing her swordsmanship skills at the top. His arms burned at the next climb, but gulping down the ache in his biceps, he carried on Miyasaki Ayase. She was ruthless. A badass. And his partner in the organization.
They called it the organization because they had never once met the person who ruled over them and knew they probably never would. The organization was an assassination squad for the criminals at the top of the list society voted murderous or too rowdy. They were cleaners of the streets. All of them had some unique ability to help keep peace in the morbid world they called Earth.
Members of the organization were trained to kill, not to ask questions trained to obey, not demand, trained to fall in line, not mess up. They couldn't afford to make any mistakes. Too much was on the line. An innocent life, a life that's not born yet, or a life that lived past its prime. Whatever the case was, the most important thing was it was still a life worth protecting. In short, the organization was a screwed up team of avengers. Sage knew whatever his life was in the past, didn't matter now because this was his life now-Fighting a war for the greater purpose. The Community.
It wasn't long before he reached the top of the cliff. When he did, his sights set on her form.
Saki was in a stance he knew well. She held her steel Jian sword and a shield in front of her as she paced back and forth, arms upright, holding the sword tight. Her cherry-red lips set in a line as her midnight silky hair dangled in a braid to her hips. She tied it up with a black string so it wouldn't get in her way while she practiced. That's how much of a perfectionist she was. She wore her practice clothes from the armory-thick leggings with a ruffled shirt that stretched to her skinny wrist, and a satin vest studded with golden thorns, that formed the initial ''A" for her last name.Ayase
Sage crouched to catch his breath while taking in the scene before him.Saki was not the average partner. She was his trainer ever since the day they stumbled upon each other, and she beat the hell out of him in the fighter's den.
The fighter's den was a test of mentality and physical endurance. A test to see if you knew exactly what you were doing with your weapons, the weapons being your fist. It was a way for the organization to know if you were authentic. The rusty iron bars creaked as they lowered them down to the screaming and whistling soldiers below. Fresh meat being handed to the lions.
Sage remembered how the cold air bit through his ragged clothes until a guard handed him leather trousers, vest and tee the moment he entered the facility doors. Doctors patched up soldiers coming back from a mission. Counselors in their suits juggled the heaps of paperwork on their sandalwood desks. It was a busy scene in the facility. Hardly anyone was sitting, everyone was up moving around trying to figure out the next quest or assignment.
They hauled Sage up moldy stairs, to an enormous birdcage where a slim figure leaned against the rusty iron bars without a care in the world. Sage swallowed, his raspy breathing catching him by surprise. The rule to the cage consisted of making your opponent unable to stand back up. It was a vicious tactic, but it kept the organization in line, made the soldiers see who was in charge. Made them undefeatable.
The fight between Sage and Saki was a fight to the close death. It had the other soldier's paying attention to the next pair in the ring instead of the stale bread placed on the silver trays for dinner every evening at 7 like clockwork. The fact that Sage was a newbie that had healing powers was a curse more than a blessing to him.
Saki fist was heavy-handed. She paid no heed to the blood already pouring from his mouth. She stomped his leg's making sure he wouldn't move. His consciousness faded in and out three minutes into the fight When Saki finally stopped kicking him in his stomach, he was sure that she cracked his ribs.She glared down at him with disgust. It was almost like she was used to the feeling of winning. No smile or no jump of victory for herself-she was emotionless. She was the first to leave the cage. Leaping, she strolled along where the light disappeared. Even with Sage's regenerating abilities, it took him a whole two weeks to recover from the fight.
Since then, he and Saki had formed a sort of bond. He wouldn't call it friendship, but it was one where she agreed to help him learn the ways of the organization for a mere training partner. She explained to him the reason . The sole reason was none of the organization's people had ever defeated Angela. She was the best of the best.She was feared to the degree that no one dared trained with her.
Sage stretched out his shaky limbs. He waved at Saki, but there was no reply. She was too deep into her training . "Hey!" he shouted. The water crashing at the bottom of the cliff brought his voice to her ears.
Saki moved into a different stance. She angled her arm forward, ready to thrust the sword through to her opponent. She looked up suddenly as a smile played upon her lips.."Look who it is, "She said, clicking her tongue. She parted her feet. "Why are you here?" Steadying her jian, she balanced it as she swung. "Front forward. "She mumbled to herself as she thrust her sword around.
"Would you rather train by yourself?" Sage leaned back on his heels, not really in the mood for Saki's forgetfulness. He'd rather be at home, snuggled beneath his covers, listening to his soothing rain music lulling him to sleep. Not on this high-ass cliff training for the fifth time this week.
Saki shrugged. "I wouldn't have texted you, if that was the case." She swung, missing a seagull landing by an inch.
Stuffing his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights "I would have stayed and slept all day, but you texted me early this morning to meet you here," searching for his lighter, he pulled out his pockets.
Saki paused and side eyed him, raising her hand out like a child wanting a piece of candy.
Flicking his lighter, Sage shielded the wind from the warm flame. Inhaling the tobacco, he breathed in a deep draft. The strong smoke hit the back of his tonsils and circled back to his mouth. "Ah, man, that never gets old. " He looked to the side, chuckling at Saki as he handed her the abstract lighter and cig.
Sage watched the birds fly by as his cigarette smoke misted his vision, The wind cool on his sweaty back. His face set in a relaxed state as he moved past the training square, white lines marking the borders.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a cigarette tucked in her mouth.
"Unlike you, when I have nothing else to do, I prefer to catch my breath before continuing onto hours of training "
Saki pointed her sword towards him. "I don't need to catch my breath," She grinned lazily, "you're just weak."
He sat on the moist grass. "What do you mean? The minor breaks get you there." He craned his neck, looking back at Saki. She stared at him in confusion with her Jian sword clenched in her palm. "You've gotta be kidding me, you've never sat down and appreciated the landscape or just kicked back during one of your training. How about just taking it all in?"
"How would I be able to train if I didn't appreciate my surroundings " She followed his eyes towards the sky, a vast space of Carolina blue mixed with white. The brightness of the sun obscured behind the clouds. "I 've never taken a break during training. Never taught to and never needed a break"
"So you've never. Ever. "Sage said in astonishment, "Wow, no wonder your such a-"
"A what?" She crossed her arms.
Sage giggled, "An amazing citizen of the state. "He plucked at the soft grass.
"Are you ever going to train or are you going to gaze at the dead sky or birds or do some other weird shit, " Saki blew the last of her cigarette, flicking the butt over the cliff. "Get your lazy ass up, I'm not the one who needs training here."
Sage brushed his pants off, walking towards her. "I'm not an invincible robot. "
"But you are immortal, or so you say.Plus you know the deal."
Sage was used to Saki and her harsh words. Instead of getting angry and ruining his day thinking of her replies all afternoon with her smart mouth, he got even."First," He motioned with his tattoo finger. "I am not immortal. " Shrugging,'' he said, "I just have unlimited healing powers unlike you who does...what exactly?"
Saki straightened herself, shifting her head to the side "I recall myself beating your sorry ass damn good last time. "she shrugged, moving to the side picking at him some more ."Regenerating abilities, immortality, all that's bullshit and I don't need it. " She got closer to his ear, her breath tickling him. "You won't be able to touch me." She slowly twirled away from him with her sword.
Sage noticed that when he and Saki trained. She was more like a child than the relentless fighter at the fighter's den the first day they met. She was different.Sage grinned as he got a perfect view of her rounded ass this way. So he just ignored her.
"Yeah, well, are you going to fight me or talk?"
At the end of the day, he was a man who had needs. And Miyasaki? She was a teaser. He laughed it off, focusing on the chirps in the air and the splashes in the water.
The seagulls were all settled upon the ocean's glittering surface; the mustard beaks diving in and out of the water. Every once in a while, some came up with little silver bodies flapping in their beaks.
"Can I not do both?" she made eye contact with him, hazel meeting sea foam. The air got thin between them. She was testing him like she always did. Sage wanted so badly to smooth the hair resting upon her face. The death wish that followed wasn't as enticing.Sage slid his hands in his camo shorts. Why exactly did she text him about training? The competition for the promotion was not until the next two months. "Hey, why did you text me so early. I mean, I didn't even have time to taste my bagel, just spread my miracle cream and crammed it into my mouth. I drove so quick just to get here."
Miyasaki stopped in her midst of practicing. She gave Sage a side eye. Exhaling hard, she stepped towards the edge of the cliff and turned his way as she said her next words. "They elected me to go on a mission, "Her back straightened, "So you'll have a new training partner. "She said resolutely. Her face resorted back into the emotionless wall Sage knew well, almost as if he could hear it click in place. The military, Saki. Not the woman he was just joking with a few minutes ago.Before Sage could ask she held out her palm. "Don't ask who's going to be your next partner cause I don't know, the organization has not mentioned any replacement yet."
"I just hope they're nice and petite...having you as a partner for so long may have made me dull in some areas. "
"You're disgusting."
"Mmm... not the first time I've heard it, when did you find out the good news "
She was about to say something smart, but she turned it in for a shrug. "A month ago."
The answer took him by surprise. He stood to his full height, which was convincing for someone to lean. "Saki wha-" He cut himself off, masking his feelings. She could not know he cared, that he wanted her to stay. Thinking back to last month, he had no assignments. He was up early every day like an espresso shot. Why didn't she tell him then? They spent every second together. "So," He said coolly. He forced his heart to stop thudding out of his chest. "Why didn't you tell me?" He motioned himself in front of her.
Saki sidestepped around him.
"Have you ever noticed how many questions you ask?" She turned around and looked him up and down. She tilted her head to the side, similar to a dog waiting for a bone. She swore she felt tension so her brown orb's scanned him keeping Sage from walking away. Shaking off the crazy thought, she sheathed her sword. "Weirdo." She mumbled to herself as she walked past him, bending down to wash her hands off in the stream that ran down the cliff. It's magical water washing away any cut's she had.
"Hmm... nah, I've been told an estimate. " Damn, he almost got caught. Sage inwardly made a list of things not to do in front of Saki. He never lost his cool like that. He had to get away from her before he did something he might regret. He had to get this feeling of his under control.
"I'm sure my replacement will be on the same level as you, if not higher. "Saki watched her crimson blood flow down the stream.
"I hope so." He said distantly, thoughts jumbled in his head.
"Have I not been an acceptable trainer?" Her dark brows furrowed, she walked towards him. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Roles reversed. She was the one with the questions. Saki was sure she taught him well. It wasn't her fault he couldn't do some jumps she laid out for him. Maybe if he trained instead of being so damn dubious all the time, he would get shit done.
"Huh?" Sage said absently.
Saki stared at him with a questioning expression, her lips scrunched up. She stood inches shorter than him. Lowering his lids, he accidentally smiled. His face heating. "What's up?" He said as he looked away in the clouds. Facing her was a hard task at the moment.
Saki slowly put her small hands on her waist. She stood with power. "Did I not teach you well?" she repeated.
"Oh, " Sage's voice was soft as spring petals. When he said his next two words, he stared at her directly. He didn't see Saki Ayase, the woman who was feared. He saw a little girl who was stubborn and rude.He saw pain and tears.He saw her. In that moment, he carved every line of her face into memory, taking in her wide nose and puffy cheeks, her pouty mouth, her slender neck. He wanted to feel the weight of her. Grab her and squeeze her. Protect her, even when she was capable of protecting herself. "You're perfect." He exhaled a shaky breath, searching for any sign of sarcasm.
She went quiet for a beat before she swiftly turned around, her braid whipping in the wind. She got back in her square and unsheathed her sword. "Are you ever going to train?"
"Right. "Sage said as he ran towards her. He grinned from ear to ear in relief, no matter how much he wanted more, he had to admit to himself that this was enough.Saki was leaving soon, so he had to make the minutes count.
Sage was too far away from her to see the pink that painted her face.
Update: Coming with the Chapter 3 next week
I am big on anime, so unlike your average writer, I don't see it realistically. I see my world in animation. I hope you come to love it just as much as I do.
I want this to be an animated series or movie. Hell, a game works too, but I like the 3d games like Final Fantasy and The Witcher. Do we have any Witcher fans? Or Final Fantasy?
Comment in the comment section down below if you do
Also thank you for reading, and yes, I have changed a bit of things up.
"Fighting"
If you want more of Sage and Saki put a heart and be ready to buckle your seats for what's coming ...Thank you ☺.
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