Stranded, cold, and all alone. <North Pole>

[namha]

Namha lay behind a snowbank pulled into a tight ball. He was freezing, the blood on his tunic had frozen to his skin and his tears had turned to ice on his face. He lutched his knees close to his chest trying to keep in some of his body heat, but he was still so cold. He still held Thinh's jade pendent in his hand, not that he could drop it even if he wanted to. He was miles way from the city now and his brothers death almost seemed like a very bad dream, but his surroundings proved him otherwise.
He shuddered as a a wind blew over the snow bank and froze every uncovered inch of skin. He wanted so badly for someone to find him because he didn't want to die out here. He didn't want to die at all, but dieing out in the vast north pole scared him to no end. He whimpered silently squeazing his sore raw eyelids tighter trying to ease his mind, but he only accomplished in making his eyes hurt more.
"Please someone, anyone." He whispered to the vast white expanse before his mind caved and he fell unconcious in the cold snow.

[ayame]

Ayame sat towards the edge of the water, throwing small pebbles on the shoreline. They skipped across the surface of the water and gradually sank. She looked up at the sky; it was afternoon now. She didn't even now how she got so far away from home. She was just....there.

Ayame stood back up, stretching out be reaching her arms up in the air. She pulled her coat colser to her; it was colder than usual.

She started walking back, her hands behind her head. How boring it was here. Why can't anything-

She then heard something. She couldn't tell what it was. Maybe...a voice? But what was it saying? She turned around to a snowbank. It came from there, I think. She looked.

"Oh-My-" she cut herself off, and kneeled down to the young man, "Are you OK? What a stupid question, of course you're not OK!"

[namha]

Namha heard a voice in his head, at least he thought it was in his head. He squinted his sore eyes and tightened his crossed arms tying to restore warmth to his body. Not only was the cold nipping mercilessly at his face, but he was unable to really move. The sorrow of never returning home nearly killed him inside, but he knew after what he had done he could ever face his family again. Finally he managed to open his eyes just enough to see a young girl knelling in front of him.
"Don't... don't..." He tried to speak, but his vocal cords were as frozen as his ears. "Don't take me back." He finally got out, though he said it in a pathetic rigid voice. He knew his throat would kill him when he started caring again, but right then he wished he never had to hear himself again.

[ayame]

Ayame sat down at his side, looking at him pityingly. What happened to him? How'd he get so far away from the city? The way I did, I guess. she thought, but what could've attacked him? It was all so very strange.

She saw him shiver, and she felt her stomach churn. She heard him speak. "Don't take him back?" she thought incredulously.

"I can't just leave you here!" she said, "That would be inhumane." Ayame then started to think. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to help you."

Ayame couldn't help but smile at her own statement. But she then got back on track before her mind could wander too far. Ayame looked at how weak he was; he must be freezing. She took off her parka, knowing she'd regret it, and laid it on him.

"Here," she said, "I hope that will keep you at least a little warm while I think of what to do." She then got up and started to pace; taking off the coat made her cold and she had to move around.

"Can you move, uh...sir?" she asked, not sure how old he was or even if he could respond to her.

[namha]

Namha was a bit stubborn when it came to situations like this, not that he had ever killed a brother and ran away before, but trying to push himself to his feet he simply fell back to the ground. He felt so pathetic, not being able to even sit up.

"Please, don't call me sir." he choked out. He didn't deserve to be called anything but coward at that point in time, even coward was to good a term for him. "You shouldn't waste your time with me." He winced after blinking. His half frozen eyelids stung when he blinked and the reactive wincing didn't help. He grunted trying one more time to get up, making it barely into a sitting position when his arms gave out and he flopped back into the snow. The fresh white powder moving with the wind out from under his dropped body. He looked towards the girl, not able to really comprehend who she was or if he had ever seen her before. The only thing he really noticed was the moving snow creating white ocean waves on the solid ice.

On the surface he wanted her to forget about him, take her parka and leave him for dead, but then again something farther down didn't want that. It wanted her to stay and make sure that if he died he wouldn't die completely alone. One last time he tried propping himself up on his arms and barely managed to move back enough to lean against a small snow mound, giving him a very small amount of satisfaction.

[ayame]

She raised an eyebrow at him. What a strange man! She sat down beside him.

"Well, I'm not sure what you're so upset about, except for maybe the pain." she said, a little suprised at him. "Aren't you glad you're alive? You've still got a chance, don't 'cha? Don't give up so quick."

She then got up and started to pace again; it was still rather cold.

"Besides," she added, smiling in a reassuring manner, "I'm too stubborn to give up on someone half-dead."

She then kept thinking. Maybe she should go back to the city and get help? No, that might take too long. And what if she couldn't find her way back to him? Great. Now what was she suppose to do?

"It looks like you can barely move," she said, "And as much as I'd like to get help, I don't think I can find my way back." In truth, she didn't even know how she got there.

She sat herself down right next to him. What she was about to suggets was stupid, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"Put your arm around me, if you can," she said, "Maybe I can help you back."

[namha]

"No," he shook his head handing her back the parka to the freezing girl. "I can't go back." He could only imagine what she was starting to think about him. Her thoughts were probably tracing the thoughts of criminal and she would be right. He had killed his own brother and even if it was an accident he could never look at his family again without seeing Thinh's dying eyes before him. His pride was crushed, but that wasn't the only thing keeping him away from the city, it was the unbelievable guilt that weld up inside him whenever he thought about anyone in his family. what would Father think? He thought, the same thought that triggered a realization that he would never be able to join the army. His whole lifes training, down the drain with Thinh's life.

[ayame]

Ayame frowned. People can be so stubborn, she thought, Though, I guess that's hyprocritical, because I'm stubborn too.

She then put the parka back on him, even though she was still rather cold, "I don't care what you say," she said frankly, "You're wearing my parka and that's final!"

She was being bossy, but the man was dying; desperate times called for bossiness. She then softenend her expression.

"Please, I just want to help," she said quietly, "And I don't know why you don't think you can go back, but you have to. This is a pretty rotten way to go if you ask me."

But something made her curious. Why couldn't he go back? Maybe it was the pride of a warrior? Yeah, that must be it.

"Whatever happened, I don't think you deserve to die." Ayame said, "And if you wanted to die, there are better ways. If I could join the army, I'd like to die in battle. But let's not go there." she added.

"Now, let's try again!" she said enthusiastically, "Try putting your arm around me, and I'll try my best to get you back to Shai."

She then remembered her manners, "By the way, I'm Ayame. What's your name?"

[namha]

"I don't deserve to live, so if I have to die this miserable state is the best way to go." He said in a sad, almost pathetic voice. He knew staying out her much longer would give him massive frost bite and probably pneumonia, the perfect way to die for such a person as him. "The names Namha, not that it matters much." Eventually it registered that she thought he was a soldier, him, the low life he was a soldier. "Please stop trying to take me back, I wont go. I can't go to that city any longer." The loudest voice in his head right now wanted the girl to take her coat and leave him to rot, but after the few minutes he'd been with her he knew that wasn't very likely. how do you tell someone you're a murderer? He thought. He couldn't believe this girl, Ayame, was trying so hard to save a killer.
you didn't kill Thinh on purpose, he thought, but it was a flighting thought that was gone before he gave it any depth. It was his fault Thinh was dead and going back to the city now was a sure way to face his parents, his family, and that was something he couldn't do. Just picturing the grief on his mothers faces was enough to make him want to cry the tears that weren't there. No he could never go back, he needed to find a way off this iceberg and away from everything he had ever known.

[ayame]

She sat down next to him, leaning against the snowbank.

"You don't give up, do you Namha?" Ayame asked lightly, then looked over at the ocean. Now what?

It was a bit of a dilemma. She could very well honor his wishes and just go back before it got dark. But she could never forgive herself. She held her medallion tightly.

Come on spirits, Ayame thought, Give me some ideas!

"Well..."she started, not knowing what would follow it. Maybe just some small talk? Maybe he'd let her bring him back once they got to know each other.

"What makes you awful in the first place?" she asked; she was rather curious. "I'm not sure if it's the fact that you haven't talked much or not, but you seem all right. Except your a little stubborn."

Ayame then chuckled a little and looked back out at the ocean.

[namha]

"I killed my own brother." He said simply. If that didn't make her run he wasn't sure what would. His words were cold like the frozen air around them and he felt horrible for saying something in that tone. His brother had died at his hand , but Nam couldn't help let out a little smile knowing that if Thinh could see him moping like this he would kick his but from here to the South Pole.

"Where can I get a boat?" He asked not looking at the girl, but at the ocean. He knew what he had to do. He couldn't go back to Shai and he certainly couldn't stay on this hunk of ice so the only way out was across the sea.

He finally looked at the girl and was curious. Why was such a small person out here in the first place? He was grateful that someone had found him, but he was still kind of confused about her. Maybe she would be willing to join me on am aimless trip? The thought no sooner entered his head before he discarded it, the girl most certainly had family, she would never want to join a stranger on a sea voyage.

[ayame]

Ayame's eyes widened. This young man, half frozen and dying, killed his brother? No way. She then looked in his eyes a little. He wasn't lying just to try and get rid of her. He was telling the truth.

Oh, my.....

She was a little scared now. Now what do I do? Do I save the guy that killed someone? She then looked at the pathetic look on his face. Something doesn't add up she thought, If he was such a cold-hearted murderer, would he feel this guilty? Namha confused the heck out of her, that's for sure. She wanted answers.

He then asked the most odd question.

"A boat?" she said, surprised at his bluntness, "You either get them from the city, or from the docks." She smirked, "Either way you're headed to civilization, so you might as well let me help you to somewhere."

OK, so she was trying to help a murderer. And as much as the thought scared her, Ayame knew that Namha couldn't be all bad. After all, he didn't try to kill her.

She then remembered something a friend did a couple of years ago.

"What was your brother's name?" she asked as softly as possible, so she wouldn't sound insensitive.

[namha]

"Thinh," Nam replied simply, almost automatically. He was thinking more about the information on boats. He couldn't go back to the city, word probably hadn't gotten to the docks yet, thinking about it if he could get to the docks even spending a night there he could be long gone before anyone there knew.

"Help me to the docks and I might just tell you the whole story." He said simply looking up at the inquisitive face of the girl. He almost felt bad for dragging her along, but then he thought sooner he was gone better for everyone and he didn't feel so bad. He gave the girl a pleading look, like he was trying to ask her to trust him more with his eyes then words. Giving such a look made him feel like a lost puppy, but then again without knowing it that's kind of what he was.

[ayame]

It took Ayame every fiber of her being not to jump up, punch the sky, and shout out "I win!" She just smiled triumphantly at Namha.

She then remembered Thihn.

Ayame drew a symbol in the snow. It meant "safe passing," or something of the nature. She couldn't remember completely. Ayame then said quietly:

"May Thihn have a safe journey to the world of the spirits."

There. She thought. "Might as well give him a proper sending off," she said, holding on to her medallion. She then got up, and started to shiver a little.

Ayame had forgotten how cold it was. And the sun was getting lower. "OK, let's go!" she said to Namha, getting down on her knees and holdin her arm out, like she did before.

[namha]

Nam gave a small smile, this time accepting the arm extended before him. Before completely getting to his feet he took off the girl’s jacket and handed to her.

"You're going to need this." He said simply, then finally stood with the girls help. He felt kind of awkward standing, like a new born fawn, but he managed well enough with as little support from the girl as possible. It wasn't too hard he didn't need much help, just someone to slightly lean on.

It didn't take as long as he had expected to reach the docks, and the sun was still waiting behind the mountains when he was settled into a hard wooden booth near an inn's fire. He sighed taking in the warmth of the fire that sank into his skin and chased away the ice on his bones. He removed the blood stained parka and folded it into a small blue and red limp next to him. Under the parka he had only a thin white almost pale blue tee shirt with a brown leather breast plate. He had forgotten all about the armor, but now knowing that it was there he could feel the rough leather chaffing his skin through the shirt and unstraped it, setting it on top of the parka.

"I'm guessing you have questions of me." He said simply and waited for Ayame to start asking him whatever was on her mind.