A Chance Granted By the Blue Moon [Yamazaki x OC Fanfic]

13

            “Have you heard what that bastard does?” One man snarled, taking a sip of his sake.

            “Yeah. The man’s a complete disgrace,” another replied, also taking a sip of his own beverage.

            I was downstairs, enjoying breakfast at the inn. As much as I wished one of my cousins or even my mother or father was with me, I could not have that. I was alone, for the moment. Mother was gone- a fact I still hadn’t truly accepted- and father was off trying to get help from fellow clans to rebuild our manor. Ryuu and Tsume, my two cousins, were helping with the rebuilding. So, I was alone. Left to fend for myself, I had next to no money.

            “I wouldn’t care so much if the dumbass didn’t go and flaunt his money,” the first man spoke again.

            “Yeah. Wish he’d just drop dead.”

            “Not one to kill over something like this, though I’d give anything to see him dead.”

            My ear twitched and I was suddenly paying more attention to them. Though, as soon as I realized what I was thinking, I shook my head and went back to eating. How could I think such things? Sure, I needed money. But seeing as I wasn’t able to kill the human that was a partial cause for my mother’s demise… What made me think I’d be able to kill an entirely innocent civilian, even if I was getting paid?

            “And it seems the sellswords are getting scarce. Apparently a ton of them are being taken in by the actual forces in case of war.”

            “Really? They’ve sunken so low to even be accepting hitmen?”

            “Yeah. It’s insane, in my opinion.”

            My blood pulsed; what was this feeling? Adrenaline pulsed through my veins and before I could even stop myself I found my lips moving. “What’re you paying?”

            They just stared at me in disbelief. “You can’t be…?”

            “You’re a woman. There’s no way.”

            “Believe what you will. I can get your guy, depending on how much you’re willing to pay.” I sighed, eyes finally glancing at them through the corner of my eyes. “I’ll even take the payment after the job’s done if it’ll prove that I’m worth your coin.” They seemed fairly reasonable; they weren’t drunk or anything. Just troubled men.

            Why was I helping them? Why was I willing to kill for them… for money?

            “…I… Alright, I guess. We’ll give you the details tomorrow morning.”

            “Don’t screw us over, lady.”

            “Trust me, I have no intentions of it.”

~~

            The man handed me a piece of paper and a small sack of coins. “Leaving you without a down payment is unfair. Take it.”

            “Thanks. I should be done by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning.”

            “…Yeah.”

            I slid the paper into the sleeve of my kimono and stepped outside, staring up at the sky. I was fifteen; after the fire I had traveled with my father for just over a year. Finally, he decided it best for me to just stay at an inn. As I looked up at the moving clouds and blue sky, I bit my lip. What was I doing? Why was I willing to kill for money? It didn’t make sense to me, but every ounce of my being boiled at the opportunity. Maybe it was just my need of money, or maybe I was losing sight of who I was. I didn’t know anymore.