Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The blazing southwestern sun was brutal- Choso knew he had to get himself- and his horse, for that matter- out of the scorching rays before one of them passed out. There’s only so much his hat would do to keep the light off his neck. He spots a small alcove tucked into the side of the canyon trail he was riding along and steers Ghost, his dappled grey mare, towards it. Once in the shade, he dismounts and pulls the deep plum-colored bandanna he was wearing down from his face to hang around his neck. Sighing softly, he takes a swig of water, finding a shallow dip in the rock to pour some out for his horse, who eagerly drinks it up. 

“We’re gonna need to make a stop in the next town, huh, girl?” he murmurs, stroking her neck. “I guess we ought to call it a night… It’ll get dark soon. Let’s just hope it cools down too.”

Ghost nickers, seemingly agreeing. Choso lets out a small laugh and unbuckles her saddle, figuring she was more than deserving of a break for the night. 

The sun sets fast, and soon, the fire that Choso built a few hours ago is down to the embers. He lays down near Ghost, staring up at the rock ceiling and partially-visible stars above them. Once in the next town, he would hopefully be able to get more information about the person he was tracking. A more unusual one this time- a younger woman, around his age. Definitely a change of pace from the outlaws he usually went after. Her family had heard of his tracking abilities and asked- more demanded, really- that he find their daughter. It sounded like a relatively standard runaway bride situation, but he didn’t really care as long as the money was good. He was running low on supplies, so he would make quick work of this job and be set for a while. Choso pulls his hat over his eyes, a small huff escaping his lips as he decides to go to sleep for the night. Once he makes it to the next town, he would figure out a better plan, and more importantly, ask around to see if anyone had seen the girl. He didn’t know much about her- just her name and the fact that she came from a fairly well-off family in the Northwest territories. Her family had given him a picture too, so he at least somewhat knew what she looked like. Not too much to go off of, but he’s found people using less. His reputation as a tracker was well-earned. 

Choso wakes up early the next morning, wanting to start riding before the sun heated everything up too much. He quickly gears up his horse again and leads her out of the alcove before hoisting himself up and clicking his tongue to get her moving into a trot. The more ground they can cover while it's still slightly dark, the better. The reddish-orange walls of the canyon were illuminated in the golden morning light, making the entire valley glow. The sand and dust made it all a bit hazy, and Choso pulls his bandanna back up over his face to keep it out of his lungs. 

After a few hours on the trail, the small ridges of roofs begin to appear on the horizon. He’s finally made it to the town. Soon enough, he’s riding down main street until he finds his destination. Choso dismounts and ties Ghost to a hitching post by a trough of water so she can rest while he gathers information about the person he’s tracking. There was a good chance she had passed through here and someone had seen her- at the very least he would be able to talk to some people he knew in town and stock up before hitting the trail again. Once he enters the bar, he scans the room, eyes landing on a familiar face. A slight grin plays on his lips and he walks over to the table and sits down.

“Long time no see, Tengen.”

The person sitting across from him has a soft, neutral expression on their face. They nod in acknowledgement before greeting him. “Choso. Back on the hunt? Which outlaw are you going after this time?”

Choso shakes his head. “This one’s a bit different. A lady from a rich family, she was supposed to get married as a part of some agreement, but the day of the weddin’ comes and she’s nowhere to be seen, and neither is her horse. The pay is good if I find her though, so it’s all the same to me…” he says as he pulls out the photograph he had been given by her family, showing it to Tengen. “See anyone like this come through here recently?”

Tengen examines the picture carefully as they think. “Well, a lot of people come through here, but there was a person who looked similar to this. They were covering their face slightly but I caught a glimpse when they asked me for directions… This looks like it matches up. She was headed east, for the Colorado River. Based on that story, I’d say she’s going to keep going as far east as she can. If I were you, I’d want to catch up to her before she crosses the river… It'll be flood season soon enough,” they say.

“You’re right…” says Choso. “I ought to go, then. Thanks for the help. I’ll buy you a drink when this job is done,” he says with a grin.

Tengen nods. “Sounds like a deal. Good luck.”

Choso dips his head in acknowledgement before standing up and leaving silently. After stocking up on some much-needed supplies, he rides off eastward- one step closer to finding his target. 

Four days later, he can tell he’s getting closer. The river is only about a day’s ride away, and he can see another set of hoofprints embedded in the dirt. This route isn’t usually traveled in this direction- most of the time, it’s stragglers headed west, hoping to find some luck out on the opposite coast. Choso was quite confident that this trail would lead him to his paycheck. He focuses his sharp eyes on scanning the ground for the indications of a camp- compressed grass, broken sticks or branches, burnt firewood- anything that could confirm his suspicions. After a little while longer, he sees something. A small clearing slightly tucked away into the trees, with traces of a campfire. He clicks his tongue to slow Ghost to a halt before getting down and walking over to it and crouching down to get a closer look. 

Sure enough, there’s a set of smaller footprints, horseshoe prints, and a stack of charred logs that had dirt kicked over it. Someone had tried to hide their presence, but clearly not well enough. He huffs softly as he stands up, getting back on his horse and nudging her to get her moving again. Traveling faster now, he knows he’s right on her tail. Time was running out, though. He could practically hear the river already, and it would be a hell of a lot harder to catch the girl if she had already crossed it. It was unlikely she would be prepared for that kind of feat, but seeing as how she had managed to escape her family’s compound, Choso figured he shouldn’t put anything past her. 

Ghost is remarkably fast when Choso needs her to be, and before another hour has gone by, he can see the river from the high point he’s on. And at the very edge of the riverbank, he sees a figure sitting atop a sleek bay horse. That had to be her. Luckily, she’s still on the same side of the river as him, but it might not be that way for long. He could see that she was pacing along the edge of the water, trying to find somewhere to cross. It clearly was proving challenging, however, especially because of how much extra snowmelt had left the river fuller than ever this year. The last thing Choso needed was for an inexperienced traveler like her to underestimate the current and get swept away. Grumbling softly at the situation, Choso heads down to the riverbank. He’s extremely grateful that Ghost has a soft footfall. He didn’t want to be given away too soon. As he nears her, he observes from the treeline. She hasn’t noticed him yet- probably thanks to the roaring water- but it wouldn’t be long. Choso decides it would be best to make himself known first. He guides Ghost closer before speaking. 

“Trying to cross, Miss?”

Her head whips around, eyes narrowing immediately as she sees him. “Maybe I am. What’s it to you?”

Choso lets out a small chuckle, not expecting such a snappy response. He raises his hands slightly in an attempt to seem non-threatening. “Just askin’. I spotted you from the cliffside and wanted to see if you needed any help. This is a bad time of year to cross. You must not be from around here if you didn’t know that…” He observes her face, now more sure than ever that this is who he was looking for. She’s dressed in much more practical clothing, but those bold eyes were unmistakable, even in a photograph. He can’t help but silently admire her beauty- the camera hadn’t done her justice.

“No, I’m not. But I can figure something out on my own, thank you very much, Mister…” she trails off, suspicion still lingering in her gaze.

“Choso. And I’m sure you’re very capable, but what are you doing here all on your own, Miss? Surely your family must be worried?” he says.

She dismounts her horse, keeping her eyes fixated on him. “They don’t care what happens to me. I’m just a pawn for them.”

Choso raises an eyebrow. There’s clearly more to this story than a bride with cold feet. Not sure what she’s planning on doing, he dismounts his horse as well. “Is that so? How can you be sure?”

“Because they sent a bounty hunter after me instead of coming themselves, or better yet, leaving me alone.”

He grins slightly at her words. “So you know who I am, huh? But doesn’t it show that they care, since they sent an expert?”

Her eyes are cloudy with anger and frustration. “They only want me back so they can marry me off for more money. That’s all I am to them- another fuckin’ gold rush. And I won’t give them that.”

Before Choso can even react, she dives into the river, fighting the current. And before he even knows what he’s doing himself, he’s jumped in after her. The freezing water is an instant shock to his system, and he winces, telling himself to focus on his breathing and getting her out of the water. He tells himself he’s doing this for the money, but a part of him remains curious about this girl. Luckily, Choso is a strong swimmer, and he catches up to her. She’s gasping for breath, struggling to just keep her head above the water- partly due to the cold temperature. Choso grabs onto her, powerful arms paddling the two of them to shore. Once back on land, he looks over at her to see that she’s gone mostly limp. A jolt of fear goes through him, and he turns her on her side, shaking her slightly.

“Shit, wake up, come on…” 

Her eyes blink open, and she sits up, coughing up water. She takes in some shaky breaths before looking at him.

The terror in her eyes is unmistakable, like a hunted animal that had been cornered. It rattles Choso. She opens her mouth, voice hoarse and no higher than a whisper.

“Don’t take me back…”

Chapter Text

The two of them sat on the riverbank, shivering as their clothing clung to their bodies. Choso couldn’t help but stare at her with bewilderment- although he remains polite and only keeps his eyes on her face.

“Why shouldn’t I take you back? I have a job to do. Why in hell’s name would you even run away from such a lavish life in the first place? You had it a whole lot better than most of us could even wish for,” he spits. “You’re willing to just throw it all away like that? You could've died- christ, we both could’ve drowned just now.”

Her eyes flare with rage and bitterness at his words. “Just because my family has money doesn’t mean I had it easy. I’d rather you have let me drown than drag me back to them.”

Choso narrows his eyes in disbelief before scoffing and standing up. He grabs her, still being careful not to harm her further, and starts walking back to their horses, obviously not without a fight. She kicks and claws at his hand, but his grip is strong and her life of easy work has not given her the strength to break free on her own. To his misfortune, she’s better prepared than he bargained for and she takes advantage of his guard being down. 

Before Choso can react, the flash of a blade catches the sunlight, sliding across his arm and drawing up a line of deep crimson blood in its wake. He yells out sharply, releasing her wrist instinctively before attempting to grab her back, but she’s quick. The girl takes the opportunity to scramble back, putting some distance between them and keeping the knife extended in front of her. Choso sighs, finally realizing she won’t be caught easily, keeping his eye on her as he unties the bandanna around his neck and wraps it firmly around the injury to stop the bleeding, which luckily isn’t too deep. Once he’s secured the cloth, he turns his attention to her fully, not even trying to hide his irritated glare. He’s been injured on the job countless times before and has the scars to prove it, but he’s more mad at himself for not reacting more quickly. He should have recognized the desperation in her eyes- the look of a cornered animal who would do anything to survive. 

Choso lets out a huff of frustration as he takes a seat on a nearby boulder, fully sizing the girl up this time before he speaks. “So, it’s that bad, huh?” he says with a scoff. “Even though I’m guessing you’ve never had to go days without food or had to work for anything in your life?”

This earns him a frustrated sound of opposition. “Maybe I’ve never starved, but there’s different kinds of struggle in life. Sure, it’s probably nothing compared to whatever you’ve been through in life but that doesn’t mean it isn’t bad,” she says.

He rolls his eyes a bit. “Yeah, yeah. Bad enough to slice my arm up a bit, huh? Where did that knife even come from?”

A twinge of guilt flashes on her face, but she keeps up her guarded gaze. “I just… I can’t go back. I honestly don’t care what I have to do to achieve that anymore.”

“Well, that’s too bad, since I sure as hell need the cash your family is promising.”

She begins to back away slowly, eyeing the river once more. “Are you serious? Can’t you just find another client? Based on how fast you found me, I can only assume you’re quite good at your job. Just let me go.”

“I suppose I could. But I’m in no position to turn down the kind of deal your family put on the table. So how about you save us both the trouble and suck it up and come with me?” His hand has begun inching towards the lasso on his belt, ready to use it if necessary. 

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. Why not just let me cross the river and tell them I drowned?”

“No can do. I wouldn’t get paid for letting you get away.” Choso can’t ignore how close she’s crept to the water’s edge now. He wouldn’t put it past her to try and swim away again. “You planning on getting wet again? I don’t want to have to tie up a lady, but I will if you don’t give me any other choice, darling.”

She huffs, clearly irritated at herself for not getting across the river sooner. Obviously, he doesn’t care about her personal issues. She assumed this, of course, him being a bounty hunter and all. Getting attached to those you’re hunting would certainly make the job harder. “I don’t think I will. Good luck finding another target.” With that, she whips around, making a mad dash for a wooded area farther back from the water. Choso sighs again. He never enjoys chasing people, but he breaks out into a run, readying his lasso. It’s quite easy for him to gain on her, and he sends the rope flying through the air, manipulating it perfectly to snare her for good, his control over it uncanny. Her arms end up pinned to her sides, forcing her to drop her knife. She falls to the ground, thrashing and kicking up a storm, which only makes the rope tighter. 

Choso walks up to her, keeping a firm grip on his end of the lasso. “It’s better if you don’t fight it, you know. You’ve already managed to scrape yourself up quite a bit there,” he says, observing her face, which has gained a long cut on one cheek, small droplets of blood beginning to well up. “That’ll leave a mark. Let me patch you up, at least…” he says as he opens up one of the small pouches attached to his belt, removing a small strip of white cloth that he quickly soaks with some strong alcohol. “This’ll sting a bit, but it’ll help clean it off so you don’t get sick.”

She winces at the slight sharp pain she feels as he wipes off the excess blood, staining the fabric to a deep crimson color. “I don’t need your help,” she spits.

“Sure, sure. But it would be pretty embarrassing if after all this, you died because of a little infected cut.”

With the exception of a small huff, she remains cold and silent, eyes full of hatred that pierces right through him. Choso’s been looked at that way countless times before, but this is an especially unforgiving one. He does his best to ignore it, and shove away the creeping guilt that is gathering in the back of his mind. She was not one of the typical outlaws he went after, and it felt a bit wrong to go after a girl who just didn’t seem to have done anything really wrong. However, he had never expected her to fight back as much as she had, and he had become sure that bringing her back to her family wouldn’t be as easy of a job as he had thought it would be. 

Choso kneels down next to her, keeping the lasso tight as he faces her. “I’m gonna have to check you to make sure you don’t have any more weapons… I’m not tryin’ to be a creep,” he says before patting her down gently. He only finds the knife she had revealed previously, which he confiscates before tying her up more securely and leading her back to their horses. After double-checking that her wrists are properly fixed, he gets her onto her own horse and fastens it to Ghost before taking his own reins and getting the group moving. The sun is setting fast and he wants to find somewhere to shelter for the night. 

After a little while of searching, Choso decides that staying near the riverbank will be easier, and he hitches the two horses up on a fallen log. The two of them seem to dislike each other much less than their owners, bumping noses and whinnying softly to each other. Choso helps the runaway down, keeping her tied to her own horse while he sets up camp, standing up straight and eyeing her once more when he’s done.

“Try and get some sleep. You’re probably exhausted. And if you need any food or water, I’ll be awake keeping watch… I would just recommend you cooperate. It’ll make it easier for the both of us.”

She keeps her gaze locked on the ground, visibly, but silently, seething. Choso rummages around in one of Ghost’s saddlebags before finding his stash of coffee. It was cold at this point, but it would give him the energy he needed to stay awake for the night. He takes it over to a comfortable spot to sit and settles down, taking sips of the drink every now and then. His sharp amber eyes keep watch on the girl and the forest nearby as the world slips into the darkness of night.

Chapter Text

In the dim light provided by the moon and stars, Choso could see that she had fallen asleep, although she seemed to be plagued by some sort of nightmares, continuing to toss and turn. He sighed softly, leaning back against a tree trunk. She really was beautiful- nobody could honestly deny that. The moonlight seemed to make her glow, almost ethereal. He shook his head and occupied himself with taking another sip of his coffee. These kinds of thoughts were hardly professional. Choso decided he would set out again at first light.

After what felt like an eternity, the first pale tendrils of early-morning sunlight shone through the branches. Choso yawned and rubbed the sleepy feeling from his eyes. While he didn’t love doing it, he was fairly used to staying awake through the night, as evidenced by the dark eye bags he had. He stood up and stretched, the long cut on his arm still sore, but no longer bleeding after he cleaned it and bandaged it properly. He went over to the horses, who were beginning to wake on their own. Leaving them to graze before starting the journey, Choso turned back towards the young woman, crouching down in front of her. He reached out, patting her gently on the shoulder.

“Hey. Time to get movin’,” he murmured.

Her eyes flutter open, narrowing to a glare once she sees him. Despite this, she stands up, seemingly not willing to fight him after such a restless night. She follows him over wordlessly to the horses, ignoring the hand he offers her to get onto her horse. He lets out a huff of amusement as she manages to step into the saddle on her own despite her hands still being bound. 

“You’re full of surprises,” he says as he leads her horse over to his own, hitching them to his own gear before climbing on and starting kicking them into a steady walk. The greyish light of dawn illuminated the rocky trail, following the riverbank north. The morning continued relatively silently, but Choso’s curiosity was starting to overtake him, which was unusual. He typically had no interest whatsoever in his targets’ backstories, but this job was not like any others he had taken before. Hesitantly, he spoke up, looking at her over his shoulder.

“So, this guy you’re supposed to marry… What's his deal?”

A small sigh emanates from behind him. “His name is Naoya. Just another typical rich jackass from a wealthy family that my parents are willing to trade me to like cattle for some money. I might have just gone along with it if he was even slightly nice, but… I met him the night before the wedding was supposed to happen. I was already having doubts before then, because I’ve heard some- stories- to put it nicely,” she says quietly, hesitating. “He… he laid out this laundry list of his expectations- demands, really- of how I was to behave, dress, serve him. Be a ‘proper wife’ in his words. I could see any hope for freedom I had just slipping away. I knew I would end up suffocating with him.”

Choso remained silent for a moment. “That doesn’t sound great, I’ll give you that. The name sounds familiar.”

“It is the opposite of great. This is my family’s way of getting me off their hands.” She eyes him for a moment. “Maybe you should just let me go. It would be easier for everyone.”

He lets out a slightly amused scoff, underlined with a twinge of sympathy . “No can do. I’ve got my own issues to worry about, and a reputation to keep up. The truth is that it’s not easy out here. You would probably be a lot safer if you just stayed home.”

“Safer, maybe but happy…” she said, voice cracking. 

Choso looked at her to see tears welling in her eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek, kicking himself for asking about the situation in the first place. It was a point of his to never learn too much about his targets’ backstories, and this was why. He knew the guilt would be eating away at him now, but he had to try and ignore it.  

After that, the rest of the day passed by pretty much silently. They stopped a couple times to eat some food and rest their horses, finally making camp under a rock overhang. 

“...We’re not too far from a town. We’ll make our way there tomorrow to get some supplies, then keep moving. It should be about a week’s journey to make it to where your family wanted me to bring you.”

She did not dignify his words with a response, keeping up the silent treatment she had been giving him the whole day. Choso had to hold back a wince as he untacked the horses. He was definitely not used to this sort of silence. Usually, the people he captured assaulted him with unrelenting swears and curses, or at least words of ill intent. This lack of response of any kind felt uncanny. He was certainly debating whether he should continue this job or not. The people he usually targeted were real threats- murderers and such. This was a barely twenty-something girl who was just born to a controlling, money-hungry family… 

Right. 

Money. 

That’s why he was in this situation to begin with. 

He had to save up enough to try and reunite with his brothers. It had been years since they had been separated. His heart panged as he thought of them- they had been so young when he was torn away from them, and Choso had never been as distraught as he had when he realised he would no longer be there to protect them, to do his duty as the eldest brother. He shook his head, not wanting to revisit the memory. Staying focused was a must. Besides, once he finished this job, he would have saved up almost all the money he needed to go and find them again. 

After they were properly settled in, Choso sat down across from the girl, watching her half-heartedly. She had laid down facing away from him, her will to fight seemingly extinguished. He pulled his knees into his chest, draping his arms over them. Letting his head lean back, he stared at the night sky. There was not a cloud in sight, and the stars were already shining brightly. He could see countless constellations. It was mesmerising, and soon enough, Choso’s exhaustion caught up to him. He slipped into an uneasy sleep, filled with the cries of his brothers. As desperately as he searched for them in his dream, they were always just out of reach. He woke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, gasping. As he reached for his canteen, he noticed he was being watched. The girl had woken up too and was now facing him, staring.

“Bad dreams?” she said, voice lacking any sense of sympathy, which Choso couldn’t blame her for.

“Ah- I suppose so,” Choso said, his mouth dry. “I- no, you don’t need to hear my woes.” He let out a small attempt at  a chuckle, but his voice just broke and he looked at the ground instead.

“Well, why not? I told you mine. It’s only fair.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Well, if you want to know… I was just thinking of my brothers. We were separated a long time ago. I’ve just been working as a tracker to save up so I can go find them again. That’s why I need this job,” he admitted.

The sharp look in her eyes softened slightly at his words. “...That must be hard. I’m sorry. But still- why can’t you just… I don’t know. Take a different job and let me go?”

“The amount I would get from your family would double what I’ve earned so far,” Choso says bluntly.

Her eyes widen slightly, and she goes quiet again other than a soft ‘wow’. Choso stays awake, watching her fight, and lose, against the need for sleep. He gazes at her the rest of the night through half-lidded eyes, waiting for the sun to rise on a new day.