Shock to the Heart (Private: Aya and Fujimaru)

As the conversation went on, Aya had intently listened to every word that flowed forth from the vice captains mouth; His stuttering still remained, but at least he was starting to relax as he coninued to talk to her without that fear he possessed moments ago. She spoke to him in a solemn and modest tone, her eyes filled with the constant benevolence she wore frequently. "...Fujimaru-Kun, refer to me as Aya. Calling me miss just makes me feel―Old," Said the brown haired maiden. Aya knew her age was no longer within the realms of normal humans. She had lived far longer then most of her clans villagers―――Yet, always felt a sense of unease. Even if she had lived through these 400 years, the rest of her life is not guaranteed. In fact, she could not ascertain the information as to why she had lived for those years to begin with. Only two theories in her mind could explain this unusual phenomenon. Her clan's blood―――the blood of a Kawasumi woman. When Aya was but only a small child, she had heard of stories from the common men and women of her village. The stories were based on just how long her mother lived. Some said she was immortal, others said her life was being preserved by Reiki, there were many rumors she could name off the back of her head. None of them, however, were true. But it did make her wonder. In what way, was she possibly able to live longer then a normal human? Aya was no normal human, but still, the question came up on a daily basis. There was no use in pondering on the unknown, she might as well call it a blessing of heaven.


Needless to say, as he continued on, she felt flattered by every single word he spoke. Any woman, teenage, or adult, loved to be complimented. Whether through words of love, or through the praise of their peers, there is something about being praised by others that excites even the arrogant and the cocky. Aya was no exception to this fact. She was never one who prided herself on her looks, but still, everyday a man would come to her in the hopes of winning her heart. Uproarious crowds of female friends would swarm to her like bees, complimenting her on her choice of clothing and her beautiful brown flowing hair. She was never one to flaunt her looks, at least not enough to garner attention or praise from others. She never once let such compliments get to her head, but she didn't ignore them either―――over time, she started to experiment with her appearance, and frequently made requests to go out on a shopping spree for modernized clothing. She had always felt a sense of elation spring forth when she was complimented on her choice of outerwear and her overall beauty. Today was no different; she enjoyed this praise and took it in strides. As the two descended towards the section filled with meats of many kind, Aya came to a halt as she took a gander at a specific type of steak on her shopping list. There was lamb. There was duck. There was even normal beef and steak, all were nice and fresh ready to be bought and used in the finest dish one would dream of. Aya assessed the proper nutritional values, and also took into account which animal was killed to make this exist in the first place. Though, she had never cared about that. It was nature's way of life, she thought.

Did this make her seem like a hypocrite?; Anyone who knew Aya personally, knew that she abhorred killing with an absolute loathing. The sight of blood sickened her, yet day in and day out, she was forced to see the sight of blood on her blade. However, 400 years would undoubtedly change someone, even if only a little, Aya could be considered a shining example if this is the case. She does not intend to change her way of life and one should not consider her to be a murderer. She still views war and carnage, as the nightmares that should never occur, but also knows that in order to stop these nightmares she must brandish her blade against the demons and the evil that exist within the world today. The sacrifice of animals were not things that affected her anymore, as opposed to the past. As long as there wasn't constant bloodshed, she could see no problem with what she was doing right now. Others like vegetarians would think differently, of course, no one knew that Aya was both a connoisseur of meat and vegetables. Meat dish, Hotpot, Mongolian cuisine, these were the types of things Aya cooked using meat. Still, it wasn't as though it overshadowed her vegetable based meals either. Her elders just preferred meat over veggies any day. Those silly geezers would kill themselves one day; and leave her and her older sister alone. She chuckled lightly at such a ridiculous thought, they would never die while she was around. Even if she had to force them to eat healthier meals.

While she scoped through the meat section, she was still listening intently to the blonde haired male. It would be rude not too, and moreover, conversation was always a wonderful thing to have! she looked at him for a split second to see him reveal his identity as a shinigami and his vice captain's badge. Surprisingly, Aya knew he wasn't that much of a normal human to begin with, if he could lock onto her spiritual pressure and seek her out like he did. She smiled gaily as she looked back at him, picking up a few packs of raw lamb, steak, and chicken. "...I'm sure you'll reach your dream some day, hard work will be your key to success. " Aya said these words with care, in order to get her point across about how hard work pays off, if your willing, of course, to go through heaven and hell to make it to the top. Aya was not a woman who was pampered in life, nor was she given a silver spoon. She trained day and night, to reach her level of skill. She honed her battle prowess to an almost insane level of prodigal value. Aya was a woman who earned her name on the battlefield. The road was as anyone thought, brutal and unforgiving. There were times were Aya cried, there were times where she lamented on failure, and there were times were she thought about giving up but knew no good would come of quitting something you had already started. This undying will, this zealous passion, for success forged her soul into what it is today―the soul of a mighty warrior.

Surprise and curiosity soon followed, because after Fujimaru spoke about his dream of becoming a captain, he spoke about something that also became the center of Aya's life. Finding that special someone; It was a dream she had been pursuing for all her life, yet, found no success. She too, wanted to find a man to love her unconditionally. And in deference to his love, Aya's loyalty and protection. Aya was the material of not only a house wife, but what one would call aYamato Nadeshiko . No matter what, through thick and thin, she would protect her husband and stay with him through the good times and the bad. Such were the dreams that Aya had sought for such a long time. Would she ever be able to find her one and only? She didn't exactly feel an attraction from this man. But the words uttered just now, caused her curiosity to spark like a flame being lit by firewood. She took a deep breath and calmly continued to look through the meat section. As he spoke his last few words, Aya curiously looked back at him and asked him one simple thing; "I don't mind that...but...what is it about me you want to know exactly?" Aya had no qualms of telling him about herself, as long as it didn't reach the realm of personal, at that point, her growing trust for this man would probably plummet towards the ground.

"There is no need to think you’re rude, that's the spirit many people should actually have!" Aya took no offense to the confidence deep inside this man's spirit. It is something all warriors should aspire to have when they fail. Confidence, Persistence, Adamancy, and the will to succeed. If one can acquire these things during life then no goal should be impossible. Aya started to reminiscence on her years of childhood. Those beautiful, ethereal, times of being taught life skills that would later bring Aya to greatness, were coming back to her like raindrops within a torrential rainstorm. Aya smiled wryly at the thoughts of her deceased mother. She wondered; "Just what would my mother tell me today?" Aya was still a young girl in both mind and heart; a woman who simply yearned for answers to her questions each day. Still, she didn't quite imagine she would ever find half of the answers that fluttered through her head. She took a deep breath and carried on with her daily shopping routine while socializing with Fujimaru as an unexpected added addition. She couldn't be depressed in front of this courageous young man. Since he was making conversation, she felt that it would have been rude to do so.



"...Goals?" Aya took a moment to ascertain what her goals were. During her life before 400 years, she had already completed many of her goals at the age of 19, and was the happiest girl at the world at that time. She had brought glory to her clan, became the leader of that clan, and fought for them gaining many victories over the years. Her goal was to reach her mother’s level, yet, not only did she reach it but she had surpassed her mother with flying colors. "...Goals..." Aya's exuberant gait came to a halt at that time. Was there anything better then achieving a goal for your people?; She took the time to think about that and found no answers. "...I...Well...um..." She stuttered slightly, trying to find words to the answer. "I...don't have any goals...heh..What i want...is happiness...." Aya nodded to herself and to Fujimaru. "I...had already completed a goal of mine, many years ago. That was to bring glory to my clan's name, become a great leader, and acquire the respect of my peers. I also wanted to make the spirit of my dead mother proud of me. That goal has come to pass. “Aya’s smile widened even more as she continued to speak. "My happiness...is that...well...the one goal i have is to find...a husband. I know...that's strange, but I’m a lovesick freak...as my sister would say...." Aya said with a sheepish smile. This was the only goal - No, wish she had. Everything else had already been completed beforehand. If this one wish would come to be, then Aya would finally be complete. But, even through all of these years that wish had never been granted and Aya didn't know how long life would grant her with its embrace.

"But...that's it. I haven't really come up with other goals. I'm strong just like my mother. My elders are proud of me. My sister is proud of me. Everyone who i fought to make happy and trained for everyday until i sometimes - fell unconscious are all of them are satisfied with this woman known as Aya Kawasumi. So - if you had to ask me what my goals are now, i'm sorry but i don't have any. “Could one really call looking for that special someone a goal? To Aya it seemed more like a wish then it did a goal. It was even a dream, but a goal was not the right word for it - Was it? Aya then took the time to proceed onto the next subject, hobbies. "Hobbies....heh this is an easier subject to talk about..." she said as she gave him an emphatic nod and started to speak with a more ardent tone.”I love cooking and eating, equally. World-wide cuisine is something to die for...And i love making my peers happy when they taste a dish or two of mine. “She then went onto the social aspect of her hobbies. "I like to play visual novels, watch those "cheesy" romantic movies and play sports from time to time...and that's about it. I love adventures, so i have traveled the world before. “Aya’s statement just now was definitely true. She had lived for 400 years, so why not use that time to see the beauty and wonders of the large world? China, India, Hawaii, these were only a few places Aya had the honor of gracing with her appearance. She learned of so many things, from their mannerisms, to their cuisine, to their way of life. It saddened her to know that they were dying endlessly now due to the increasingly hellish monsters using this world for their target practice. Maybe someday the world would return to its momentary peace where almost everyone could be happy.

"Er, don't worry about my empty cart Aya, I'm just waiting till we get further in; seeing as I'm not gonna be heading straight back, I don't wanna get anything that will go bad, but I'm planning on making myself a little lunch

Aya chuckled benevolently and gave him an approving nod. "Sounds Deelish~ "

"Actually, if you don't have any previous plans, and if you wouldn't mind, would you care to join me for lunch? We could even make a picnic out of it"

Aya's interests had peaked at the moment he spoke these words, but what came next caused her to become excited.

"I mean, not to intrude or anything, but, sharing a meal can be a great way to get to know someone else; and it would be my treat"

"Uwahh...." Aya's eyes lit up revealing a endearing expression. She loved to eat food. Free or brought, the taste of food was something that Aya loved so very much. Of course, she didn't eat boat loads of anything that would cause her to lose her curvaceous figure. She just loved to try new things. "...If it's your treat, then i accept!” Aya smiled and latched onto his hand, while the other was still placed on the handle of her own shopping cart - which made for a nice contrast to Fujimaru's empty shopping cart. "Can we get something sweet!? Oh Oh! And also something gourmet style or spicy too! i'll even help...! Oh, there are just so many things that are good to eat here!" Aya had become much livelier now that the offer of lunch had been given to her. She stopped herself and regained her composure as she put her head down shyly twiddling her fingers softly as she pulled away from holding his hand. "G-Gomen...I..I...Sort...of get...like that..hehehehe" Aya scratched her head softly before giving him the chance to speak and let him decide on what he should buy. It was rude to intrude on whatever he had planned for lunch. "I was being rude...i don't want to ruin whatever plans you had for lunch, so whatever you can think of is quite fine.” Aya said as she tried to keep her cool. Exercising self control was the key to getting out of this embarrassing situation.