Just a short story I wrote a while ago

Considering what I detailed I planned to do in the first post of this blog, I think it is time I actually posted a story. The following is a piece I wrote when I attended university, shortly after developing the characters of Rin and Amity. Since then, I have changed the circumstances of their meeting, but this was pretty much where the whole idea for the Coin Flip Chronicles began.
Without further ado, I present to you A Meeting.

A Meeting

Dark clouds covered the sky, completely blotting out any light that may have been attempting to break through. Torrential rain poured forth, causing rivers to overflow and large puddles to form everywhere. Even the shelter provided by Maiso Forest did nothing to help with the downpour.

Rushing onward as fast as she could, Rin battled the elements in order to find her way to the next town. She felt as if she had spent several weeks within the forest, due to a lack of any notable landmarks. Just as she was cursing her luck, a bolt of lightning leapt from the clouds, followed by the monstrous roar of the thunder. Rin instantly stopped in her tracks, and crouched down with her eyes closed. With one arm wrapped around her katana, she covered her ears, and attempted to block the noise of the thunder. Rin's efforts to block out the sound were fruitless.

 A while after the thunder had stopped, Rin dared to listen out for a moment. All she could hear was the sound of the rain. She decided to take the chance to find some kind of shelter to wait out the storm.

After a few minutes of searching, Rin suddenly spotted a tent set up nearby. She slowly approached the tent, trying to see if anyone was inside it or not. Another sudden rumble of thunder spurred her onwards quicker.

Upon discovering the tent was empty, Rin took the coin from the locket she wore, and flipped it. She checked the result, and then crawled into the empty tent. She wasn't able to see much in the poorly lit tent. Despite the poor light, Rin set her katana down beside her, took off her duster, and used it as a makeshift cover. She was wearing a white blouse and black skirt underneath. She wore black boots, and thigh-high socks. Her duster had helped with keeping those dry as well, although her boots had gathered quite large amounts of mud. Laying back, Rin stared upwards blankly, before her exhaustion finally caught up with her. Despite the noise from the storm, Rin managed to fall asleep without any problems.

'Ah, good morning,' a female voice said to Rin. Rin moved into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. She yawned before replying to the other person.

'Morning,' Rin replied, stretching.

'You don't seem to be a morning person, huh?'

'I've been awake for longer than any normal human should be... I'm surprised I actually woke up, to be honest.'

'Hmm... I don't think you have actually woken up, yet.'

Suddenly, Rin's mind began to work properly again. She looked over to the source of the voice, to discover it was another girl around her age. This girl had blonde hair, and wore a white blouse and black skirt not too dissimilar from Rin's own clothes. She had a pink mob cap on her head, which had a red ribbon band around it. One particularly striking feature was the duster she was wearing. Glancing around the tent, Rin confirmed that her duster had been stolen.

'Who are you?' Rin asked, reaching over to her katana.

'My name is Amity,' the girl replied, 'actually I need a favour from you.'

'Amity, is it? You appear to have something of mine. Give it back.'

'Oh, this?' Amity said, motioning the duster, 'you can have it back when you've done this favour for me, all right?'

'Do you think it's wise to steal things from someone who has a katana?'

'Follow me!' Amity said, leaving the tent and disappearing into the forest.

Rin cursed under her breath, and then reached for her coin. Reassured that her locket had not been taken, Rin flipped her coin and examined the result.

'Tails, huh?' Rin muttered, 'sorry, Amity, but the coin has decided that you should be killed...' Rin picked up her katana and followed Amity into the depths of the forest.

Rin's lack of direction didn't help, but eventually she stumbled across Amity again. This fact was somewhat helped by Amity standing in a clearing and waving energetically. Rin was thrown off of her stride for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and approached Amity with her katana drawn.

'So you've decided to help me out, then?' Amity asked, almost as if she was completely oblivious of Rin's katana.

'I flipped my coin, and it decided that I should kill you before I take back my duster,' Rin said. Without any more hesitation, Rin charged at Amity. Just as she was about to strike at Amity, Rin slipped on a patch of mud.

'Steady, there,' Amity said, catching Rin. Rin quickly struggled to her feet and attempted to regain her composure, but Amity interrupted her. 'So, I just done a favour for you, so you should do one for me in return.'

'I can't go against what the coin shows me,' Rin insisted.

'Look how well that turned out,' Amity replied, 'why don't you try flipping that coin of your again? I reckon it will want you to help me out.'

Rin decided to flip the coin again, although she couldn't hide her dissatisfaction at the result. Although she tried to hide the disappointment, Amity managed to pick up on it.

'Ah, glad you've decided to help me out,' Amity said, smiling at Rin. Without waiting for Rin to say anything, Amity walked off. Feeling obligated to her coin, Rin sighed and followed Amity.

'Over there,' Amity whispered, pointing at a fairly well-built man who was carrying a large sword. Rin and Amity had concealed themselves in some dense foliage whilst they spied on their target.

'What about him?' Rin asked.

'He took something precious to me,' Amity replied.

'Someone took something of mine recently, actually.'

'I had to make sure that I had something to guarantee your help.'

'Yeah, yeah. So, what is it that I'm going to get back for you?'

'It's a locket. Actually, it's remarkably similar to the one you have.'

'Should be easy, then. Give me a couple of moments, and you'll have your locket back.'

Amity watched as Rin stepped out in front of the man. She hadn't drawn her katana, although the man was extremely weary.

'Who are you?' the man asked.

'My name is Rin,' Rin introduced herself, 'now I believe it is common courtesy to tell me your name now.'

'I'm Ryu. What do you want from me?'

'You took something from someone I know. They've asked me to take it back. So, will you return it?'

'Oh, this?' Ryu said, producing Amity's locket. Rin was momently thrown off by the appearance of the locket; it was exactly the same as the one she wore. Ryu was also quick to notice it, as Rin had reached up to her own locket as an automatic response to seeing Amity's one.

'Hand it over, Ryu,' Rin demanded.

'Do you know that I have only ever seen two of these lockets? I reckon these will be worth a fair bit, so I'm gonna have to take that one from you as well.'

'I was hoping I could have just convinced you to give it back with words alone,' Rin said, unsheathing her katana and throwing the scabbard aside.

'You think you can beat me? I train practically every day! No one I know has ever beat me!' Ryu exclaimed, readying his sword. Rin and Ryu clashed. Rin was caught slightly off-guard by Ryu's speed, since his sword was so big. She managed to parry his blow, but it was evident that he had the upper hand in their fight. Amity watched worriedly, beginning to regret involving Rin.

Although it took a few moments longer than she expected, Rin sound found her rhythm, and managed to force Ryu to defend. Amity hadn't seen much in the way of swordplay before, but something about Rin's technique seemed to signal that she had been taught well, although she still had lots of room to improve.

'I'll be taking that locket, now,' Rin said, creating an opening in Ryu's defence. Without any hesitation, Rin smacked him with the flat of her blade, and punched him unconscious whilst he was reeling from the blow. Ryu fell to the ground like a sack of spuds, and Rin retrieved Amity's locket.

'Well done! You did it!' Amity exclaimed, emerging from her hiding spot. Just as she attempted to grab her locket, Rin removed it from her reach.

'I won't give you this until you return my duster.'

'Oh, fair enough, I suppose,' Amity agreed. Rin and Amity swapped the duster and the locket, both grateful to finally retrieve their beloved items. When Rin slipped her duster back on, it felt more comfortable than before. She couldn't quite fathom the reason for this, but she seemed to feel a bond forming with Amity.

'My name is Rin, by the way,' Rin said. Amity replied by hugging Rin and thanking her for retrieving the locket. Rin wasn't too sure how to react to this, but she knew that it felt incredibly nice.

'So, what are you doing roaming Maiso Forest, anyway?' Amity asked.

'I was going over to the next city, but I decided to wait out the storm.'

'Really? Why would you do that? You faced that man with no problems.'

'Actually, I hate to admit it, but I really hate loud noises...'

'Well, I suppose we all have our own wants and fears, huh? Well, at least you didn't get lost in the forest.' Amity was quick to notice Rin attempting to hide her embarrassment, and couldn't help but laugh.

 'Oh, come on! Surely you have things that you aren't too proud of, as well?' Rin asked.

'Yeah, I suppose I do... I might even tell you about them.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, since I like you so much,' Amity said, smiling at Rin. Rin could feel herself blushing slightly, since no one she met had ever treated her like this before. Without any further hesitation, Amity decided to lead Rin out of the forest, only after they had stopped off at her tent.

Rin had expected to return to the tent she had slept in, but they completely bypassed it. Her curiosity growing, Rin asked Amity about the tent she had spent the night in.

'I think it belonged to that Ryu person,' Amity informed Rin, 'I was out picking herbs in this forest when he jumped me. He took my locket, but left a really obvious trail. I followed him and found that tent, and decided to set up camp nearby. I was planning on stealing my locket back from him during the night, but when I went into his tent, I found you instead.'

'That could've been dangerous if he was in the tent, you know. How much is that locket worth to you?'

'Ah, it actually belongs to my parents... I'm not exactly on the best terms with my parents, to be honest. Truth be told, this is one of the things I'm not too proud of.'

'Well, at least you have parents,' Rin said, 'I only have my looks and this katana to remember mine by.'

'I'm sorry to hear that.'

'Huh. Usually people tell me how unfortunate I am to have purple hair...'

'What's wrong with your hair? I think it makes you look wonderful... in fact, I might even go as far to say you are incredibly attractive.'

'Err... wow. No one has ever said anything that nice to me before... although isn't it weird for a girl to think that about another girl?'

'Surely someone with purple hair shouldn't really care about stuff like that?'

'Ha ha, I suppose you're right. Anyway, tell me about your parents.'

'Ah, well, my mother wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't so terrified of my father. She wouldn't even dare speak to another man, for fear of my father hurting both her and the people she talks to.'

'That sounds rough... I have to admit, I feel a little envy, just at the fact you have parents.'

'Trust me, after I tell you about my father, you won't be envious any longer. I can tell that my father was always disappointed at the fact that I was born female. He never allowed me to experience anything a girl should, and always forced me to pretend to be a boy. I could never grow my hair out, or wear dresses or skirts, and he always forced me to do the work that was expected of the boys. It's like he expected to me to become a boy just by doing everything a boy would. I don't think anyone in my village actually knew I was a girl until the day I decided to flee.'

'Not to sound rude or anything,' Rin said, feeling a little awkward, 'but err... well, even if your hair was short at this moment, I would definitely see that you're female.'

'Oh, my chest? Yeah, my father always forced me to wear thick clothing to hide that... you have no idea how much I had to put up with those hate-filled eyes every time I saw him.'

'You were wrong, Amity. I still feel a little envious that you have parents, even if they treated you that badly.'

'Well, that's up to you, I guess. All right, once I've packed everything away, we'll leave this forest and go to the nearest city. I hear there's quite a big mercenary guild there.'

'Oh, so what do you think Ryu was doing out of his tent during that thunderstorm?' Rin asked.

'Hmm... I think he was with a group of bandits. He must have got separated, and it's likely his sense of direction is as bad as yours.'

'Oh, thanks...' With that, Rin helped Amity to pack her things.

After around fifteen minutes of travelling after packing up Amity's camp, the pair heard someone disturbing the nearby foliage. They decided to stop and see who was approaching. Emerging from the forest, Ryu appeared before the girls.

'Found you!'

'Oh, Ryu, huh?' Rin said, preparing herself to fight.

'I need to pay you back for humiliating me in that fight!'

'Surely you'd realise that I will probably be able to beat you again? So why come after us?'

'I remember the boss saying that pretty-looking lasses fetch a fair bit of gold... and I reckon I would get even more for you, since your hair is purple, like in that story... er..'

'So, you think you'd be able to sell us?'

'Yeah, and I'm going to fight seriously this time! I never expected a girl to be able to fight, but I've learnt from my past mistake!'

'Ryu, could you please stop exclaiming every sentence?' Rin asked, mockingly, 'we're standing right in front of you, and it's probably not very wise to let the whole world know your plan.'

'Shut up! I'm going to beat you this time!'

'So noisy...' Rin muttered. She sighed and unsheathed her katana. Amity hadn't noticed it earlier, but Rin's katana seemed to give off a sinister aura. She had no doubt that if anyone other than Rin wielded it, they would be driven insane. Amity couldn't be too sure, but something about Rin's presence, which felt incredibly warm and kind, seemed to hold the katana's aura in check.

Without any further hesitation, Rin and Ryu locked blades. The sudden movement surprised Amity, and she could see that Ryu was giving the fight everything he had. It was evident that when Ryu fought seriously, he was incredibly skilled. Somehow, Rin managed to match Ryu in skill, and neither side was giving an inch. Amity watched in awed silence as the two swords crashed into each other, over and over.

'So, you actually can fight,' Rin said whilst the two blades were locked.

'I'm surprised you can keep up,' Ryu replied, 'of course, it's just a matter of outlasting you. You will tire before I do, and that's when this fight will end.'

'You sound cocky.'

'Just confident.'

'Ah, I guess I'll end this now, then.'

'Now who's cocky?'

'It's confidence. Now, let me show you a little trick I learnt,' Rin said. When the two blades clashed again, Rin managed to summon enough strength to knock Ryu's sword from his hands. Without any hesitation, Rin run him through. Withdrawing her blade, Rin flicked the blood off of it.

'Rin...' Amity said, a fear filling her.

'I hate having to kill...' Rin muttered, retrieving her scabbard and sheathing her katana. Although Amity could feel fear, she still felt Rin's warm and gentle presence, which put her mind at ease.

'I suppose we should bury him,' Rin said. Amity agreed, and the pair managed to dig a pit in the ground, despite their limited resources. Rin pushed Ryu's corpse into the pit, and she and Amity went to work burying him.

'That was probably a little undignified,' Amity said, when they had finished.

'He wanted to sell us as slaves, and he was fighting to kill me.'

'Well, I don't suppose it matters now.'

'Anyway, now we're free from people trying to sell us, I believe you were going to lead me to the city.'

'Ah, yes. Just follow me.' Amity led the way forward. 'Actually, why do you want to go to the city?'

'Ah, I know next to nothing about my family. I mean, I know who my parents were, but I never learnt anything about any of my relatives beyond that. It might just be that I have the blood of two legendary figures in my veins, and I was hoping to find out more about that.'

'Might? Surely your hair is a definite sign of that? Actually, I was hoping I might stay with you from now on.'

'You know what? Usually I would flip my coin to decide something like that... but this time, I'm going to make my own choice. You can accompany me, Amity. I have no problem with that.'

'Thanks, Rin. You're actually the first friend I've made since I ran away from home.'

'Friend, huh? I reckon we'll become more than that, Amity.' Rin couldn't help but smile when she saw Amity blush at her statement.

With a friend at her side, and no doubt that her fate was a special one, Rin felt incredibly good as the pair left the forest and made their way to Kodai City.