Happy Holidays to all! Okay, yes, this isn't a Christmas-themed story, or even a holiday themed story. Its actually more of a gift to all fans of my Dusk series, and a bit of an apology for not updating in so long. If you're new to this, I suggest reading my other stories Dusk Sets and Shadows at Dusk to get up to speed; this is set during that storyline after all.
To nutshell, this was originally just something I wrote for fun. Then I started improving on what I created. Then, before I realized it, I had something worth publishing. This whole oneshot takes place during the vacation from Shadows at Dusk, so that should sum up plenty of things. As for why this is classified as a crossover...well, read to figure that out. (Just a note, there are a few Japanese words and phrases that will be defined at the end).
Two things before you can start however. One, I write in present tense. I also occasionally switch tenses when writing without thinking. Do NOT comment on that, I am fully aware of it and quite frankly I don't care if you think fiction needs to be written in past tense. This is simply how I write, don't like it? There's a back arrow and a close button. Take your pick. Oh, and also; don't flame. Its just a waste of your time and mine. Thank you :).
Second, Shadow the Hedgehog is copyright SEGA and I claim no ownership of him whatsoever. Also one of the legends to be seen is sorta property of Capcom as is Okami, so they are the ones you need to give credit to. I only own this plot, a handful of background characters, and Dusk Rose. Now then enjoy.
Two hedgehogs stroll together down a somewhat empty city road, looking up at the historic pagoda buildings right beside newer ones.
One's fur is a black so pure that it looked he was made of the night sky, accented only by a poof of white fur on his chest and red streaks on his bent quills, wrists, and ankles. His harsh red eyes survey everything with hawk-like precision and cat-like interest.
His friend makes a pleasant clinking sound as they walk; a result of the Extreme-Gear skates she wore. Her fur is a deep, mysterious midnight-purple which stood well against the black shirt and pants she wore; the only break being the deep-silver stripe going up both sides of the garments. Unlike her friend, her deep-blue eyes are much more friendly and absorbed everything that they saw.
"Interesting how Japan's found a balance between past and future." The black one comments.
"Yea," his friend replies before giggling, "Funny thing Shadow. You could say Kyoto is the embodiment of Japan's past while Tokyo is the embodiment of its future."
"Your point Dusk?" Shadow asks.
"Think about the two names...Kyoto and Tokyo." Dusk replies. When Shadow still doesn't get it, she sighs, "They're anagrams of each other. More than that, just flip the syallbles of one and you get the other."
Shadow tries it in his head and seems to hold back a laugh, "Well what do you know?"
"Lots of things...like how lucky I am to have you as a boyfriend." Dusk replies, taking Shadow's hand. "Come on, there should be a park nearby where we can rest and plan our next trip."
Just like she guessed, the two find a nice park in a peaceful suburb of Kyoto, claim a bench in the shade of a crimson red maple, and look over Dusk's map.
"I think we covered the south half pretty good," Shadow says, "Can't really think of anything else to look at down there."
"Still, I don't want to wander too far north. Go too far that way and we'd blunder right into sub-arctic territory." Dusk adds.
Before Shadow could speak again, his ears twitch; picking up the sound of footsteps. Out of curiousity, he turns to look and can see a handful of other people, a male rabbit, a pair of male monkeys, a female human, and a male falcon to be precise, all walking towards a nearby intersection of the paths. The interesting thing is that they all seemed to carry some kind of instrument case with them.
"Hey Dusk, what do you think they're doing?" Shadow asks, gesturing at the quintet.
She looks to see them gather around a large decorative rock. "Guess they're a band of street performers. Wonder why they've got those instruments though..."
"What's wrong? Those aren't Japanese instruments?"
"Well no, they are. But the other street performers we've seen all had a stereo for their "instrument" and were using it to break-dance." Dusk replies, watching as the two monkeys climb to the top part of the rock with their instruments; a horn-like object and a small set of drums. "It seems strange that they'd have classical, real instruments."
"Well, hopefully they won't be as annoying as the break-dancers." Shadow grunts, watching the rabbit lean against the rock and tune up his stringed, banjo-like toy.
The human checks her flute before giving it a few test notes and the falcon swigs down a bottle of water before picking up one similar to the rabbit's. Already a few other locals were stopping to gather around this group.
Dusk and Shadow watch from afar as the five musicians begin to play a rather pleasant melody; first the drums-monkey began to play a simple beat, soon afterwards the horn and flute joined in giving it depth and dimension. Finally the stringed instruments started as well; completing the melody and (somehow) stirring up a strange feeling inside of the hedgehogs...
Their eyes drifted shut for a few minutes, during which both of them felt as if they were flying over the ocean. The flute evolved into wind, rushing through their fur; the drums became the low rumble of the water below. Wherever the horn joined it became a group of playful dolphins, leaping from the water. The strings completed this illusion; becoming the sunlight shining down on them and the birds calling from higher above.
The two subconsciously rock back and forth to the melody, letting the beautiful sounds echo in their ears. Soon Dusk quickly hops up and whispers the umber hedgehog's name to get his attention.
"Come on, lets get closer." Dusk says, gently taking Shadow by the arm and tugging him towards the growing crowd.
After a few minutes the song ends and the falcon slides his instrument around so that it is strapped to his back, he pauses to take another swig of water before bowing to the crowd then beginning to speak in Japanese.
His voice is a little squawky, he is a falcon after all, but at the same time its pretty pleasant to listen to. He spoke clear and loud, but was gentle at the same time and seemed to gain the attention of the crowd from the moment he began.
After speaking what Shadow guessed is his introduction, the other four began to play again; this time creating a haunting, somber melody. The strings turned from light-hearted to serious, the flute went from airy to chilling, the drums turned dark, and the horn became ominous.
The falcon began to talk again, and although Shadow didn't understand a word he said, he still felt as though he could follow along with the story thanks to the instruments. A few times the instruments suddenly made a large, deep noise that spooked the whole crowd; but seemed to do it on cue with the Falcon's story instead of randomly.
After a minute or so the instruments change from dark and haunting to what felt like the "heroic charge" scene from a movie as the falcon begins to speak faster, putting more energy into his voice as the story goes on.
Within seconds the melody changed again; from the "heroic charge" to the "heroic battle," while the falcon begins to speak with such an energy it felt as if the air around the band is charged.
Soon the music changed again, back into the haunting melody, then quickly resumed the battle music; again, all timed with the falcon's words and energy.
After another minute perhaps, the instruments play a triumphent jingle then stop; exactly as the falcon does. Yet, just when the crowd begins to applaud, the instruments kick back into life; this time emitting a new melody that was both haunting and morose. They played slowly as the falcon spoke slowly, each word sounding as if it held a thousand tears.
Again Shadow notices the bizarre influence those five have on him. The falcon was still speaking Japanese, of which Shadow only knew a few formalities Dusk had taught him, but he still felt a handful of tears welling up behind his eyes. He couldn't understand a word, but the tale that was being told still effected him. He gives a quick glance over to Dusk and notices that she was furiously wiping away the tears; only to have them return the next second.
The sad ending continues for a minute, then the instruments begin to play a more happy, inspiring tune. The falcon begins to speak more cheerfully and belts out the end of his story with a mixture of pride and happiness before giving a big, cheeky grin.
The crowd around him bursts into cheer while the performers bow, politely accepting their praise. While the five turn to pack up their instruments, the crowd qickly disperses; leaving Shadow and Dusk the only ones left.
The rabbit notices who was still there and quickly nudges one of the monkeys. He quickly says something and gestures at the hedgehogs, getting the monkey to look. He laughs, calls up the rest of his friends' attention and gestures at the two.
The others are either amused or surprised at the guests they had, but all quickly bow; the falcon quickly saying, "Konnichiwa, Shado-san. Dusku-san."
Dusk and Shadow return the bow, replying with a "Konnichiwa," of their own. Dusk however, continues on and quickly says something to the five of them. The human replies to this, to which Dusk asks another question.
Before Shadow realizes it, Dusk and the five performers are having a small conversation in Japanese, and he's stuck being an observer again. It ends quickly, with Dusk bowing to them again and saying, "Arigato."
The falcon waves it off, but then says something else, Dusk asks what it was, and the falcon laughs. He reaches into his bag and removes a notebook of blank pages and a pen.
"Uhh...autograph?" he asks, sounding unsure of himself. The next thing he says is in his native tongue again.
Dusk giggles before accepting the offering. She turns to Shadow and says, "These guys are grateful that we enjoyed their performance, and were wondering if they each could get an autograph."
"Oh, is that what that all meant?" Shadow sarcastically asks, taking the items from Dusk and signing his name on five of the sheets; ending each with a small, weirdly shaped spiral.
Dusk re-accepts the items, signs another five of the sheets (her's ended in a small heart), then hands them back to the falcon.
He smiles before all five bow and say, "Arigato."
Shadow and Dusk return it with, "Douitashimashite."
The five pick up their instruments, bid farewell to the hedgehogs, and walk off.
"What a fun bunch of folks." Dusk remarks.
"Too bad I couldn't understand a word of what they were saying." Shadow says.
"All they really did was just recite a folktale, that's all." Dusk replies, "I'll translate it for you later if you want."
Shadow shrugs and looks at Dusk as she goes back to the map. He watches her for a second, then glances back at the departing performers. Nothing unusual about them at all...but he just got a feeling that there was more to those five than there appeared to be.
The umber hedgehog ignores the feeling and goes back to the map, but misses the rabbit glancing back at the two of them then looking ahead again...perfectly normal apart from a red mark appearing on his forehead before disappearing as fast as it came.
Several hours pass and the moon has reclaimed the sky. By now Shadow and Dusk have left Kyoto, heading back into the forests; enjoying themselves as they explored areas that few others have. The two have since found a secluded clearing and chosen to stay there for the night.
After a simple dinner, followed by a quick spar in the light of their campfire, the two are sleeping peacefully under a Japanese Maple; Shadow's head resting against one of the tree's roots and Dusk's resting in his chest tuft.
The two sleep peacefully for a long time, until at least midnight. Then something strange happens...a weird pressure descends on the clearing; almost as if all of the air from the forest is getting pushed into that small area.
Shadow, being more sensitive to things than his girlfriend, wakes up and scratches at his ear; trying to relieve the pressure build-up. His fidgeting wakes Dusk, who also notices the bizarre change, even through her drowziness.
"What's going on?" she asks, rubbing her ears as well, "Why does it feel like we're in airplane?"
"I don't know..." Shadow replies before looking around, "and is it me, or does it feel like we're not alone?"
Dusk stops rubbing at her ears and sits up, taking in the clearing as best she could. It wasn't easy to see in the starlight, but nothing seemed out of place. Despite that, it felt as if some presence had joined them in the clearing...the fur all down the back of her neck started to bristle.
The two look around, finding no-one else there; not even some nocturnal critter. The only...anything they could see in the clearing with them is the empty fire-pit. Shadow and Dusk even get up to look behind the tree they were sleeping against, but still find nothing...at least, until they turn back.
Without a sound, a girl had appeared...a girl mobian wolf to be exact. She looks to be in her twenties and is standing quietly in the middle of the clearing, quietly gazing up at the moon; her fur so white it seemed to glow. She wore a silvery robe over her torso, dark-blue shorts, and red sneakers. A few loose bracelets dangle from her wrists, and her slender tail (for some reason) reminded them of the bristles on a well-kept paintbrush, even down to a blackened tip.
Most strange about her, apart from her appearing out of thin air, are the dozens of red markings visible in her coat. They almost looked like blood, but just the sheer number of them ruled that out...nobody could have as many wounds as that and be alive. The way they seemed to shimmer in tune with the white of her fur meant the markings were probably just patterns in her coat...but at the same time seem too out of place to be natural.
"H-Hi!" Dusk says, a little unnerved at the mysterious girl. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
No reaction, she doesn't even turn and look at them...her ear doesn't even twitch.
"That's weird..." Shadow states, then nudges Dusk, "Try Japanese, maybe that will get her to answer."
"Okay, worth a shot." Dusk says back to him before turning to the wolf. "Konnichiwa, nani o shite imasuka?"
She turns and looks at the two with eyes as red as Shadow's, but didn't say anything. In her eyes though, Dusk and Shadow could see that she looked...almost sad.
"Nandeyotsu?" Dusk asks.
The wolf tilts her head, then turns and rushes off into the woods. "H-hey! Wait!" Dusk yells, grabbing her backpack and running after the wolf.
"Dusk!" Shadow exclaims, grabbing hold of his bag and following after her.
The two hedgehogs chase after the wolf, only knowing where they were going by the bobbing white form ahead. They run and run through the forest, never quite able to get the wolf back into view. After a few minutes, a strange fog begins curling around them as they ran...it was unnerving, but at the same time comforting...like the arms of a long lost friend are curling around them; happy to be reunited.
The wolf's white form vanishes in the fog, but Dusk continues on anyway...at least until she slams into a wall and ricochets backwards and into Shadow.
"Oww!" she grunts, biting her tongue to keep from cursing and clasping her hands over her muzzle.
"Here, let me see..." Shadow calmly says, moving her hands away. "No damage done. What'd you hit anyway?"
Dusk winces from the stinging pain, but shakes it off, "Felt like stone."
Shadow turns from her and looks in the direction she was going. The fog parts to reveal a smooth white object.
"What in the-" Shadow stops while walking up to the object and pushing on it. "It is stone...but its painted."
More of the fog moves away to reveal a "roof" atop the stone; bamboo shingles painted red.
"Why is a stone wall in the middle of the woods?" Dusk asks.
Shadow shrugs, but walks back to and picks her up. Without a word, he leaps to the top of the wall and provides them with a view of what was behind it. It looked like what was once a beautiful garden, but now the grass has grown wild and shaggy. The stone pathways are gone, eroded away and barely visible through the thick green carpet. An old pond, with two streams leaving it at opposite ends, sits in the middle, and dotted around are moss covered rocks and old, crumbled stone lanterns.
There are two features that dominate this place; a giant tree and a tall tower. The tree had to reach at least three-hundred feet in the air; it looks like a cherry tree, only the size of an ancient redwood. The trunk is slender and only knotted in a few places, and the roots seemed to reach up to the air before plunging downward into the earth.
By comparison, the tower is puny. It is designed in the traditional pagoda style and seemed to have maybe two or three floors, but the holes everywhere made it clear that this place was abandoned long long ago. Even in its neglected state, with holes in the walls and cracks in the roof, it was still beautiful.
"Wow...imagine this place before it got abandoned." Dusk says as Shadow hops down into the garden.
"This must've been one amazing place..." Shadow replies while setting her down.
The two quietly walk through the garden and up to the mammoth tree. Despite its massive size, it still didn't give off the idea that it was overgrown. Dusk takes off one of her gloves and runs a hand down one of its roots. "All the things this tree must've seen. Its probably one of the oldest living things on this planet."
"Yea," Shadow agrees, craning his head backward to try and see the top. It stretched so far into the sky it looked like a bridge to the full moon. "This must've been a sapling before Angel Island was even created..."
The two admire the tree a little bit more before Dusk removes her hand from it and puts her glove back on. They leave the tree and head for the tower, finding that the doors have collapsed into broken chunks.
Shadow hesitates to look up at the old structure, then lowers his gaze to see Dusk wandering around inside. "D-Dusk! Be careful!"
"I'm fine Shadow. I doubt the ancient Japanese were fond of building basements anyway," she replies, looking around. "If you're too chicken to come in, then toss me the Chaos Emerald, I need the light."
Shadow rolls his eyes before carefully stepping inside. He removes his emerald and squeezes it, getting it to emit emough gray light to work as a lantern. If there was anything down on the ground floor, it has long since rotted away. They do manage to find a ladder leading up to the next floor.
Dusk, fearless girl she is, quickly and carefully climbs up the ladder; reluctantly followed by her boyfriend. Something is present on this floor however, eight somethings to be precise.
Resting over on semi-ruined table are eight, foot-tall statues; each of a mobian dog dressed in samurai armor. Unlike the stone outside, these statuettes are in virtually perfect condition, they don't even have moss despite resting under a hole looking out at the stars.
The hedgehogs walk over to the figures and examine them; finding a single kanji carved into each one's helmet.
"Any idea what these are?" Shadow asks, "You're the one who can read that."
"They don't really form a sentence...they're just different words. That guy's bravery," Dusk replies, pointing at one, then focusing on another she says, "This one is virtue."
She looks at all of them before something clicks in her head. "Wait a second...I think these are the Hachi Inu Bushitachi. The Eight Canine Warriors."
"Canine Warriors?"
"I found their legend when researching Japan. The beginning is a bit fuzzy, but I remember something about eight boys being born in eight villages all on the same day. Each embodied one of the eight values of Buddhism, and they all grew up to become mighty warriors; eventually forming into a band so strong, they destroyed a corrupt emperor's army on their own and put the proper emperor back on the throne."
Shadow lets out an impressed whistle, "Dang. So what happened to 'em?"
"Well, that version of the story ends with them being the emperor's personal guard until they die of old age, but there are so many different retellings, its hard to know for sure," Dusk replies, "I thought they were called the Canine Warriors because they were so loyal to the real emperor. I never thought they'd actually be canines!"
"Hmm," Shadow grunts, then turns around to see another intact ladder. "Please don't tell me you want to go higher," he says, turning to look back at Dusk.
She was gone, and with a sigh Shadow knew exactly where she went. "Never thought I'd be cautious one...but something just isn't right in this place."
The umber hedgehog ascends to the third floor and finds his girlfriend in front of another table. As shadow approached, he found that like the previous one, this table is occupied by small pristine stone statues. Unlike the previous floor, however, this one has at least a dozen smaller statues all around a single, slightly larger one.
Also unlike the other one, these don't seem to have any unifying theme. The large statue is a wolf, while its smaller friends are a dragon, mouse, three monkeys, boar, horse, snake, rabbit, falcon, sheep, cat, tiger, and ox. Even stranger are the poses of some of the smaller animals; for example the monkeys held some kind of instrument, the falcon has a long pipe in its beak, and the cat is perched on what looks like a wall.
"Now I'm stumped as to what these are," Dusk remarks, staring at the strange statues.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that these are the animals from the zodiac legend," Shadow remarks, "It even includes the foolish cat that got tricked...but why is the dog or wolf larger than the others?"
"I don't know...unless...unless this is related to what that falcon was saying."
Dusk takes a deep breath before turning to Shadow and beginning to re-tell the story they heard earlier. "Long ago, there was a small village nestled near a large lake. For the most part, the villagers lived happy, content lives...but there was one time that they all feared, the full moon of the harvest. You see, there was a horrible monster that lived in a cave in the lake; a fierce, serpentine demon with eight heads, eight tails, and a body the size of a small mountain.
"The demon forced a horrible ritual on the village; sacrifice one maiden of its choice every year on the harvest moon, or be obliterated. Year after year, the village endured this horrific ritual...but on one year, a mysterious white wolf appeared in the village just before the time, prowling the outskirts by day and the roads by night. Believing the wolf to be in league with the demon, and helping the creature choose a sacrifice, the villagers attempted to chase the wolf away. But no matter how many rocks they threw or how often they charged, the wolf was sure to return at nightfall.
"The night came, and once again the demon made its choice, this time selecting the crush of the village's resident swordsman. In an outrage the swordsman tore off to slay the demon and protect his love. When he found the creature's lair, he proceeded to do battle against it; parrying the demon's attacks only to find its hide too tough for his blade.
"For hours the battle wore on, the swordsman doing his hardest to slay the demon, but quickly losing his stamina and strength. Even worse, the demon began landing blows, which slowly brought the warrior to his knees. When he finally could fight no more, he sank to his knees and bravely awaited the end, but when the demon was about to attack a howl resonated through the lair, and the white wolf leapt between them.
"Only now, the wolf seemed different. Its fur was shining brightly and it eminated a presence that it never had before. The demon took no notice and tried to attack the intruder, only for large trees to suddenly appear in its way. The wolf leapt from behind the cover and made a slashing motion with its tail, somehow succeeding in slicing away some of the demon's hide.
"Emboldened by his partner, the swordsman got to his feet and charged in alongside the wolf, suddenly using his blade with far more strength than before. But the battle wasn't so easy, for every two wounds inflicted on the demon, it gave them one each. For another hour the battle waged, neither side backing down, until finally the demon got a lucky shot and slammed the wolf against the wall; leaving the poor creature sprawled on the ground and whimpering in pain.
"Feeling a power like no other, the swordsman held his sword to the sky, where the clouds parted to reveal the full moon. With a prayer to the gods, he leapt forward, swinging eight times and removing one head each. The demon's body writhed and flailed before collapsing into death, leaving the swordsman to weakly sheathe his sword and carry his fallen companion back to the village.
"The demon was slain, the cursed ritual forever banished, but no cheers came from the villagers upon their swordsman's return. Tears dripped from everyone's eyes as he knelt and rested the wolf in the cool grass, bowing his head in respect to the brave soul. The chief of the village came and sat beside the mortally wounded animal, apologizing for being so cruel to one so noble.
"The wolf weakly lifted its head and licked the man's chin before giving one final howl, then growing still. The entire village mourned for the wolf, who was honored with a burial befitting a warrior. A statue was erected in its honor and the tale of the wolf spread across Japan; bringing tears from anyone who heard it. Many of the people said that even the gods wept over the loss, as the sun and moon were blocked by rainclouds for days.
"The clouds finally parted, and shortly afterward, travellers told of a white wolf; racing across the land, leaving a trail of flowers and lush grass in its wake. Many believed that the gods pooled their energy to breathe new life into the wolf's spirit; turning the noble animal into a guardian of the lands, an Okami, or wolf god. Now with something so precious protecting them, the people began calling the wolf Shiranui; the light guardian."
With her story finished, Dusk turns back to the statues. "Maybe these were created to honor the legend. To show respect for someone so brave and noble as to sacrifice themselves to protect those that hated it."
The purple hedgehog politely bows her head and whispers something in Japanese. As Shadow watches her, his ears pick up a faint sigh. He gives the girl an understanding smile before asking, "You see yourself in that legend, don't you?"
"Yea. The two of us trying to do the right thing, regardless of scorn...and almost losing everything in the process. The only difference is that I lived, and Shiranui didn't...at least, not at first."
Shadow glances around the shrine before resting an arm on Dusk's shoulders. "Come on, lets go."
She nods before following him down and out of the shrine, then up on top of the wall. The two pause and look back at the ruins, a stray night breeze blowing through their quills. As the moon peers down at them, both hedgehogs felt a strange calm within them...as if this place is the most peaceful in the world.
"Hey Shadow?" Dusk asks, "Now that I think about it...that girl we saw before was a wolf, you don't think she could've been Shiranui, could she?"
"The rational part of me says no way," Shadow flatly replies, "But the rest of me isn't so sure. She might be..." He seems to pause, but then finishes with, "Either way, we should probably leave this place alone...something feels odd about it."
With that the umber hedgehog hops down from the wall and starts back off in the direction they came from. Just as Dusk is about to follow, something made her turn back to the ruins. It could've been a trick of the light or even some kind of debris blown along in the wind, but for a brief second she could of sworn something white darted across the ruins.
"Dusk!" Shadow calls out, "You coming?"
"Y-Yea! Sorry!" she replies, hopping back down and hurrying back to Shadow. The two hike back to their clearing in a few minutes, then settle back down in the same place they were before the strange encounter.
The remainder of the night passes without incident and soon the warm morning sun comes to rest on the two. Dusk grunts from the sun and yawns before sitting up and rubbing some of the sleep out of her eyes...then freezes when she realizes that something is in her pocket.
She reaches in and grabs onto whatever this object was, then pulls it out; finding it to be a small charm with the kanji for 'life' on it. On the side however, is a small slip of paper tied to the charm with a thin string. Dusk removes the paper and unfurls it, finding nothing but four kana on it...that spell out, "Arigato."
Dusk smiles before whispering, "Arigato, Shiranui-san," then hides the slip away in her backpack after hearing Shadow yawn.
"Morning Dusk," He grunts, standing up and stretching out his muscles, "Sleep well?"
"Mm-hm, want to go explore Tokyo today?"
Shadow shrugs before opening his bag and rumaging through it for some breakfast. While her boyfriend is busy, Dusk glances up at the orange and blue morning sky.
She winks and gives a thumbs-up before looking for some food of her own...but neither one takes notice of a smiling, white, mobian wolf watching from behind the trees. She watches the two for a second before turning and dashing off...
...leaving behind a few small flowers where she was standing.
Well, there you go. Hope this suffices while I work towards a breaking point in my other story (Super Smash Bros. Clash, if anyone is curious). I am really, really sorry I haven't updated Shadows at Dusk in months; I hope (but don't get too hopeful) that I can update that before the end of the year. Now before I leave, I promised definitions so here they are.
"Konnichiwa"- traditional Japanese hello. The "Shado and Dusku" are as close as I could guess to how their namewould be promised in the Japanese phonetics. The "-san" afterwards is a way of showing respect, but there are so many suffixes like that, I'm not surprised if I used the wrong one on accident.
"Arigato"- Thank you.
"Douitashimashite" - You're welcome.
"Nani o shite imasuka" - I believe this translates to something like "what are you doing?" not one-hundred-percent though.
"Nandeyotsu" - What's wrong?
"Hachi Inu Bushitachi" - My best guess for "Eight(Hachi) Canine(Inu) Warriors(Bushitachi)" I know I've probably got the ordering wrong, but I'm not an expert either.
That should be all of 'em. And I might as well while I've got your attention. The Eight Canine Warriors is a real Japanese legend that you should be able to find pretty easily somewhere on the internet. As for the tale that Dusk spoke of, and by extension the falcon's story, that is a slightly modified form of the opening story to Okami. I fiddled with it here and there, but its more or less the same thing. Shiranui and the band are actual characters from Okami, just changed into mobians to better fit with the different universe.
Again, I'm very sorry for taking so long on an update to the central Dusk story. Hope this can suffice until I actually get that updated! Happy Holidays to all!