Y'shara: Masks

Part One

Moonlight drooped lazily onto the overlook. A gentle breeze stirred a tide of dark green blades. Sitting amidst the soft foliage, Y'shara reclined. Below her, stars twinkled in the mirror-like surface of the lake. In this quiet nook, she was safe from mischievous musings. Her voice curled out, like a hesitant creature creeping from its burrow.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The au ra sitting beside, turned to face her. A soft expression broke the collected demeanor of the shinobi. Yugiri drew a knee to her and leaned on it.

"It is." Y'shara slipped a hand from a glove and clutched the soft grass. A twinge of contentment dripped into her heart.

"I never thought I'd miss it." Yugiri raised a brow, curious. The gunbreaker took a breath before continuing.

"The simplicity of before I became an adventurer. A part of me wishes I could go back there, without the weight of the world bearing down on me." Y'shara didn't look to see her friend's reaction. What a stupid sentiment, she doesn't want to hear me complain. The thought rested in her mind like a stinging burr. The shinobi offered her reply after a few moments.

"I understand. At least, I think I do." The miqo'te broke her gaze from the lake. Yugiri wasn't speaking directly to her, but Y'shara could see she was taking her time to find the right words.

"But in the time I've known you, I doubt you'd have ever been willing to sit idly by. Even if you hadn't become an adventurer, you wouldn't have rested until you helped." Yugiri didn't meet her eyes but the gunbreaker could tell that she was sincere. Y'shara turned her eyes down, and admitted,

"You're right." Something that felt a great deal like shame weighed down on the miqo'te. Complaining about things that can't be changed, pathetic. The gunbreaker felt a hand on her shoulder. Meeting the comforting gaze of the shinobi, that venomous thought was suppressed for the moment. Yugiri spoke,

"There was a time, not so long ago, that we sat together and you brought me a measure of solace about my place in Doma." Y'shara's mind recalled the campaign in Othard. Everything that had happened, all so quickly. Yet, that night was not far from her thoughts. In truth, a tremor of surprise shot through the miqo'te. As tightly as she clung to the memory, she had never thought the shinobi would recall it fondly. Yugiri glanced to the starlit water, her voice steady and low,

"I hope that I can offer you that same respite now, as you did then." Y'shara let a hand embrace Yugiri's. Her voice came quiet,

"You are, you are." The shinobi's hand retracted, and the gunbreaker had to fight the urge to clutch tight, her disquieted heart desperate to hold something familiar. But the pair returned to their isolation, sitting silently as the wind teased ripples in the water below. Despite the tranquility that pervaded the night air, Y'shara felt a vise winding about her. Her heart would not rest, roused to carry her into battle. Every nerve in her body thrumming with energy, driving her to move, to fight. The miqo'te took a deep breath, hoping to quell that infesting anxiety. Y'shara was acutely aware that it did not work when the shinobi spoke again. The sudden sound startled the gunbreaker and it took the majority of her mental effort to maintain her composure. Her ears flattened against her head as she scolded herself for being so skittish. Yugiri leaned over and drew close to Y'shara.

"Why the mask?" The gunbreaker stopped. Her face turned from looking down as the au ra traced the edge of the mask. There was an inquisitiveness that hid a deeper concern behind it. Instinctively, Y'shara scooted back, her body aware of how close the shinobi was. She stammered out a response, her eyes averting,

"It's... it's unknown lands, I have to protect myself." There was a slight chuckle of disbelief and Yugiri gestured to the gunblade slung over Y'shara's back.

"I thought that was the weapon's purpose?" Y'shara managed a forced chuckle as her vision fixed on her hands, fingers fidgeting with her gloves.

"Y'shara?" The gunbreaker grimaced and shut her eyes, terrified to meet the shinobi's gaze.

"Why are you really wearing the mask?" The question hung like a storm cloud in the air. Dark, ominous, heralding that any second, a deluge would flood the serene vista. The miqo'te pulled her knees into her chest and sunk her masked face into the darkness. Tears brimmed in her eyes as her voice came out trembling,

"I'm scared, Yugiri. I'm so scared." For a few moments, Y'shara couldn't hear anything but the thunder of her heart. The rush of blood to her head, warming her face and temples. Her fingers shivered as she clawed her own shins, hoping that if somehow she could hide in her body, she could escape from that truth. The maelstrom that brewed in her almost deafened her to Yugiri's next words.

"My friend, you are one of the most courageous souls I have ever met. There is no enemy you cannot face, this I know." A pang of agony recoiled through Y'shara. The shinobi's calm voice came with such certainty that it halted the consuming emotions. No, that's... that's not

"That's not what I'm scared of." Her voice cracked and wavered, the tears in her eyes not yet adorning her face. The gunbreaker looked up at the shinobi. A hand tore off the mask and hood, revealing the grieving face of Y'shara. The pleading look on Yugiri's face nearly sent the miqo'te into utter despair. But she found a sliver of her resolve and spoke,

"Yugiri, I'm terrified because I could be stuck here for the rest of my life. It doesn't matter if we save them, because if I can't go back, I can't tell you what I need to." Y'shara stood now, her boots pacing across the grass. Yugiri rose to her feet and grabbed the miqo'te's hands, steadying her.

"Then tell me now." Cerulean eyes looked back, pain writ in them. Y'shara bit back her tears and struggled to get the words out,

"I... I need to tell you... that I love you." Yugiri's eyes went wide as she took a step back.

"Oh." Y'shara turned away. This was a mistake, I need to leave. Before she could take a step forward, a hand gripped her shoulder. The miqo'te looked back to see Yugiri, still flustered by the declaration.

"Please sit, sit with me." The gunbreaker nodded, and they took their places overlooking the lake of Il Mheg. Y'shara dared not shatter the silence that loomed between them. After a few moments, Yugiri spoke,

"I don't know what to say." Y'shara looked at her feet, still embarrassed at her own words. But the shinobi's next proposal brought her some solace,

"Let's just enjoy this, together." The gunbreaker nodded. And so the pair sat in peace, the starlight dancing off the ripples in the lake. Time passed and the shinobi's hand inched for the gunbreaker's. Together they rested, holding on to each other in this strange land.

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Y'shara awoke with little commotion. It was night in Il Mheg, stars merely harsh pinpoints in the firmament above. She winced against the stiff ground and leaves scratching at her skin. The gunbreaker sat upright and looked at the grass beside her. The verdant blades were undisturbed, save from the passing of the breeze. The miqo'te clenched her hand, the touch in her dream not yet faded. But every passing second remanded that feeling into faint memory. When Y'shara couldn't feel it anymore, a tear streaked down her cheek. The gunbreaker drew her legs close and nestled her face in her elbows as she hid her face. At least... Her body began to shake as the emotion came pouring out. At least... Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed into her arms.

I'm alone.