AN: I'm really sorry for everyone who is waiting for this story to be updated .

I kinda forgot to upload in this site even though it's already been updated in my other writing site. So I want to tell everyone that you can check the faster updated version in Ao3. But I want you to know that this isn't because I don't like writing here, it's just that I've been too focused in that site so I sometimes forget that I have to update the story here too.

I won't say I'm gonna stop updating here but it's just a kind of notification that you who prefer to read in Ao3 can also access my stories there :) BTW, my ID is same, only you change 'the dot.' with the underscore (_)

Well then, please enjoy this new chapter :)

Bold words: Memories

Italic words: thoughts

Grace was in all her steps

Love was in all her gaze

Through years, the memories of you shall live forever

Until the day we meet again

The epitaph that was beautifully carved on the tomb in front of me squeezed my heart as I read each words carefully.

The willow's branches above me were dancing slowly, swaying at the slight graze of the wind. I looked up, remembering how beautiful this place was when she was still here, Alive.

Recalling those bittersweet memories almost made my mind went blank. I breathed deep, feeling the cold air hit my nose. The sky was still dark and the sun was still in its slumber. As far as my gaze perceived, mists were everywhere, clouding upon my surrounding. Even so, I knew perfectly where I stood.

Because that place was, forever, always my precious.

"We'll finally meet again." My gaze stared back at the daffodils I put before on the tomb. "Wait for a bit, my lady. I'll definitely set everything right…"

Just like what it was supposed to.

I gave my last pray before I turned my back, gazing upon the misty surface of the small waterfall on the steep cliff far at the left. The sound of water falling filled this hollow field with a subtle serenity.

Such a peaceful place for you to sleep without being disturbed.

I looked up at the dawn sky, smiling bitterly. Sadly, you're not here…

Not even once...

Green Eyed Wolf

"Haah… it's almost one month…"

Sawamura let out a long sigh, loudly enough to make Haruichi and Furuya put their attention to him. Sitting together under a huge tree at the backyard of the mansion, both of them took a glance on the brown haired man between them.

"What's with the long sigh?" Haruichi inquired. "Getting bored here?"

"Nah, that's not it. It's just… I still don't know a way to go back to my world… And it's almost the end of the month. Isn't that bad?" Sawamura gave a dispirited response. His face showed terribly weary look.

"You're still thinking about that? I thought you've already accept your fate." Furuya suddenly retorted, calmly with his stoic face.

"Oi, that's a different matter, I'm already okay with living here, but that doesn't mean I don't want to go home." Sawamura replied as he lied himself on the grassy ground. He looked up on the sky. "I still have many things to do in my own world. And I can't just leave it. "

"Ah, you mean your dream?" Haruichi asked.

Sawamura nodded slightly. "And it won't be just a dream! I'll definitely become a pro player and the best pitcher in Japan, no, the world!" He threw his fist up on the air, looking all excited.

"The world huh?" Furuya sneered slightly. "You think you can do it?"

"Why not? It's better to aim higher than something that you can easily reach! And for your information, you're much more brazen than me! You'd already talking about becoming best in Japan in your second year and put everyone in the team on edge. Though, I can't deny that it's cool..."

"Furuya-kun is more brazen than you?! That's new." Haruichi pulled his brows up, looking slightly in disbelief.

"That's not me, of course. Haruichi, did you just believe that?"

"Well, yeah, you're so quiet and stoic. But your face tells everything. Almost like you're speaking using your expression only. It's strange and funny, but well, that's you." Sawamura chuckled as he grinned wide, looking at Furuya with such clear brown eyes. His gaze showed the honesty in his words, proving that it wasn't just a flattery.

Furuya and Haruichi stared at him with wide eyes. A slight disturbance was seen on their face, though both of them quickly erased it, turning to their usual self. Even so, both of them became quiet. None of them was talking. And it completely made the mood turned awkward, though Sawamura was the only one who didn't realize it.

"Oi, Oi, Oi, what's with this awkwardness? Am I in the middle of shy gathering of young teenagers?"

Suddenly, a voice was heard from behind of them.

Haruichi and Furuya instantly recognized the voice and stood up, while Sawamura quickly straightened himself as he turned back.

"Kuramochi-senpai?!" Sawamura yelled out in surprise.

"Ooh, just like what I heard. You really knew our names huh?" Kuramochi smirked as he leant his side onto the tree where Sawamura and the others were resting underneath it.

Wearing fiery red sleeveless kosode with white hakama made Kuramochi looked magnificently standing out than the other knights. With two long katana at each of his side, it made Sawamura realized that Kuramochi wasn't in the same level with Haruichi and Furuya.

"How's the war?" Furuya suddenly asked.

"Nothing much. The enemy was too weak. There's still a long time before they can try to breach our nation's border."

"Then it still just like before? That's too strange." Haruichi muttered, looking conflicted.

"Yeah, it feels like they're toying with us." Kuramochi clicked his tongue, looking irritated. "There must be something behind their moves."

"Uh… sorry to disturb, but… what do you mean with war? Are we not in peace here?" Sawamura abruptly asked. He looked slightly hesitant yet curious.

"Nah, an outsider like you don't have to know. Knowing won't make you any good. Besides, you have your own problem to solve right?"

"Well...that's true…" Sawamura pouted a bit, looking slightly disappointed. "But at least, this city is safe right?"

"Who knows? There can be a cursed beast sneaking into the city by now." Kuramochi shrugged off while smirking playfully.

"Please don't say things like that, Kuramochi-senpai." Haruichi quickly retorted.

"I'm just joking." Kuramochi casually brushed it off before he turned his gaze at Sawamura. "Well, about what you said before, we really are living in your world too?"

"Uh…" Feeling hesitant, Sawamura trailed off.

It'll be fine right? I won't change history, er, future, or something like that right…?

Besides, I've already told that to Haruichi and Furuya, though they don't look like they believe me.

"Ehm...about that, well, it's...true…" Sawamura looked obviously reluctant to reply. He just realized that the information that he leaked about his world might change something in that world. And he didn't want anything to do with that change.

"Hmm…" Kuramochi simply hummed, thinking in silent. "Miyuki and I are also there right?"

"Uh, yeah, both of you are our upperclassman."

"Heeh, that's why you call Chris-san and Miyuki as senpai huh? That's interesting. How about both of them?" Kuramochi glanced at Furuya and Haruichi before turned back to Sawamura.

"Er...yeah, they're too." Sawamura nodded slightly.

"Friends?"

"Yeah, we're in the same age."

"Hmmm…" Kuramochi then simply stared with an enigmatic gaze. And that strangely made Sawamura got all nervous.

"Uh… is there anything else you want to know again…?" Sawamura hesitantly asked.

"Well then, there isn't any kind of mythical beast in your world?"

"No. But beast like nine-tailed fox or nekomata are kinds of demons that appear in folk tales of my country, so I can say I'm a bit familiar. But still, they're not exist."

"So, technically, your world and ours are two different world which existed in different timeline and universe…" Kuramochi paused. He looked Sawamura with the same enigmatic gaze again. "...And the question is… how can you get here, right?"

Sawamura's eyes widened at the sudden remark. It felt like Kuramochi got ahold of him as he pointed out the one thing that always had bothered him since he came to that world.

"...Do you, maybe, know something… Kuramochi-senpai?" With a soft, anxious voice, Sawamura uttered his curiosity.

"How can I know something that you don't even know?" Kuramochi shrugged off. "Besides, you're already gone home if the answer is something that easily can be found."

"Right… it won't be that easy huh?" Sawamura sighed and went back to his former position, lying on the grassy ground.

"You should ask Miyuki or Chris-san about that. Or maybe, Gin."

"Someone's calling me?" A chirpy voice suddenly heard as thick white fog abruptly appeared in the air. A small white fox then jumped out from the white fog onto Sawamura's chest.

"Uwaa! You-!"

"Ooh! We meet again, dear Lady." The small fox smiled as he saw Sawamura.

"La-! Oi, that's not funny, fox. Do I look like a girl?" Sawamura scrunched up, looking irritated.

"Ups! Right, you're a boy. But your face...uhm, looks a bit misleading, so that's not entirely my fault." The fox firmly uttered his defense, not wanting to be blamed.

"Huh?! Misleading? You mean there's a girl who looks like me?!" Sawamura furrowed his brows in disbelief.

"Of cou-"

"A-ah, Gin-sama! Nice to see you here!" Haruichi suddenly picked the small fox up in his hands. He looked slightly tensed with few of sweats appearing on his face. "W-what makes you come here?"

"Ooh, Haruichi. How's your day? I heard that you became the guardian of our guest here. Is it fun?" The small fox grinned innocently. He jumped from Haruichi's hand onto Kuramochi's shoulder with a light step. The figure of him made he really looked like a small, cute fox rather than a divine beast. Even Sawamura couldn't help but to see it just like a moving fluffy toy.

"Uh...yeah, I think so."

"Kazu-chan likes both of you, so, you'll always be the guard for anything that he holds dear." The small fox smiled as he glanced at Haruichi and Furuya. "I count on you, Haruichi, Satoru."

"Certainly, Gin-sama." Furuya and Haruichi responded at the same time. Their gaze are firm and straight. It's no doubt that for both of them, Miyuki was more than just a Liege.

Sawamura couldn't help but to admire the strong bond between them, knowing that it's a different kind of bond that they had in his world.

It's kinda cool… Sawamura looked at their friends with eyes filled with a slight yearning. If I was born in this world, would I be the same like them? Become a knight and serve Miyuki-senpai?

"Nah, not him. I don't want to serve him." Shaking his head, he immediately dismissed the thought.

"Hm? Did you say something, Eijun-kun?" Haruichi turned his head, hearing the soft mumble from Sawamura.

"Huh? No, it's nothing." Sawamura simply grinned, not wanting to think that matter even further. Quickly, he focused his attention to the small fox. "Er...you called Gin right?"

"What is it, our dear guest?"

"Do you know anything about why I got here or something like that? Y'know, I don't really understand how magic or uhm… mana works here, so if there's anything you know..."

With his slanted eyes, the small fox stared at Sawamura for a moment before he pulled up a smile. "Very well. I shall tell you a few thing that I found out about you recently."

"Gin-sama?! Are you sure-?!" Haruichi abruptly let out a voice. He looked somehow anxious and surprised.

"It's okay, Haruichi. Trust me." The small fox gave an honest smile. His voice sounded firm and dependable. It made Haruichi closed his mouth and locked away whatever words that wanted to leave out from his lips.

The small fox then turned back to Sawamura. "Well then, Eijun-chan, what do you really want to know first?" He jumped off from Kuramochi's shoulder and approached Sawamura who still sat unmoving from his position on the ground.

With a slight pause, Sawamura slowly opened his mouth. "...Well, it'd be about why I came to this world, and of course, for what purpose..."

His face slowly turned dark and gloomy. Even though, he's trying to keep it sealed inside, the tremendous anxiety and fear still lingered deep inside his heart and it kept making him thinking the worst situation all the time.

Haruichi and Furuya could only look at each other in silent, not knowing what the right words to say. Seeing the silence grew between those young man, the small fox then uttered in his cute voice.

"About that, it's still a mystery how a human from the other world can come to this world. But one thing that is certain, the only thing that capable to do that unworldly miracle is a divine or higher class beast. Meaning that you're pulled by someone using the supreme mana from divine or higher class beast. Someone like Kazu-chan."

"Someone did that? Someone who is able to have a beast like you? But for what-" Sawamura looked incredibly in shock. It's hard to accept that someone that he didn't know was making him trapped in that inscrutable situation.

The small fox pondered for a while. "I can just say that the perpetrator needs you. I don't know for what, but using tremendous mana just for pulling someone from another world won't be for a simple joke. I can say for sure that he'll search for you, Eijun."

Sawamura eyes widened, looking like he finally took a grasp of something. "Then I should let myself to be seen! Somebody pulled me to this world and he's searching for me! I can't be just stay still if I want to go back!" He abruptly stood as he exclaimed loudly. His eyes lit brightly in all seriousness.

"Wait, wait, wait, you two." Kuramochi suddenly interjected. "Are you forgetting something, eh, Sawamura Eijun?"

"W-What?" Seeing the familiar yankee tone from Kuramochi made him flinched. It felt like the usual pattern when Kuramochi would scold or strangle him.

"Didn't Miyuki tell you to stay still? Maybe you can go everywhere in this town with Furuya and Haruichi, but it doesn't mean you can bring us trouble."

"But I-!"

"Do you understand how dangerous that someone would be? He has a contract with divine-class beast, it won't be just an ordinary folk."

Sawamura shut his lips tight. He knew what danger that awaited, but still he couldn't just give up that easily. "...Then what should I do?! It won't like anything will happen if I just walking around or staying inside reading books that I don't even understand!"

He shouted out loudly, letting all the frustration that sleep inside of him exploded. His eyes slowly glistened with tears. "...I don't even know if I became a dead person in my world…"

Sawamura turned his head down, trying to hide his teary eyes. The air between them became so heavy. Not even anyone tried to open their mouths. Only the small cricket sound were heard within that awkward mood. But not too long, the small fox suddenly let out a small sigh, breaking the silent. "Yoichi, you said too much."

Kuramochi glanced at the small fox before he also sighed softly. "Ah, my bad. I did say too much. But still, hear me, Sawamura."

The way Kuramochi called him with a softer tone, made Sawamura glanced up. Seeing that, Kuramochi continued. "I said that not just for you, but for Miyuki too."

"What do you mean…"

"Just know that Miyuki did his best to search the way for you to come back to your world." Kuramochi straightened up, slowly turning his back. "Don't you think that getting in trouble is the least thing you should do for him?"

The word got him struck. He recalled when Miyuki gave him the freedom that he wanted. Even though he was somewhat distant all this time, he knew that Miyuki would never take his eyes off from everything.

Even before he became a captain, he always looked at everyone in the team…

Sawamura finally looked a bit calm. Miyuki-senpai had helped me enough. Right, I can't trouble him.

A sigh escaped from his mouth. "I was wrong too, Kuramochi-senpai." A faint smile then appeared on his face.

Kuramochi simply shrugged before he walked away, leaving the rest behind. Sawamura and the others watched in silent before the small fox finally broke the silence.

"Well then, do you have any other question?"

Sawamura along with Haruichi and Furuya instantly turned their attention to the small fox. The small fox stared at Sawamura with a slight expectation, and that rose another curiosity inside him.

"About that 'someone', do you think you'll know when he comes?"

His cute, slanted eyes slightly opened, showing the red, piercing glow of his orbs. "Who do you think I am?" He smirked proudly. "I'm the great Silver Fox, Eijun-chan."

Seeing that, Sawamura flinched before smirk found its way on his face. "That's so reassuring, Gin."

"Just relax, Eijun-chan. I won't ever let our dear guest to be hurt, especially you who are more than just a guest for us."

"Huh? What do you-"

"Bye bye." In an instant, the small white fox abruptly disappeared into thin air, leaving traces of white thick fog instead. It was so sudden that it made Sawamura gaped dumbly before he realized that the fox had already gone.

A sigh was the only thing that he could utter. What's with that appearing and disappearing tricks? Is he a ninja?!

"Gin-sama is always so sudden." Haruichi let out a soft sigh. "You have to know that he's always like that. Y'know, being so unpredictable and full of mischief."

"Aah, I'm not that surprised." Sawamura rolled his eyes as he said that. Since he's Miyuki's divine beast, I'd guessed that they might be just the same.

Smiling, Haruichi uttered again. "But since he finally appeared in front of you, it means that he's starting to like you, Eijun-kun."

"Oh? I think he's just like when I saw him for the first time."

"Gin-sama won't appear in front of people that easily. And since he's a divine beast, he also has some appearance to uphold so letting himself to be seen in that cute form means that he likes them."

"So...he never let himself appeared in front of the others?"

"No, but if he had to, it won't be in that cute form."

"Then, like a huge nine-tailed fox monster or something like that?"

"Uh...no, not in that size."

"Ooh, it must be nice getting a ride on him." Sawamura giggled, imagining how wonderful it might be to have a ride on a fox in a size of big tiger or something like that.

It'd really feel like real fantasy! Sawamura shouted in excitement inside.

Haruichi could only smile seeing Sawamura looked strangely excited by himself while Furuya simply sigh in secret. Both of them knew that calmness could never be in what Sawamura was, even when his mouth shut tight.

Meanwhile, at the corner of the engawa, a pair of eyes were watching them in silent. The figure of man in a casual light blue kosode standing behind the shadow was unnoticed by the those three young man on the backyard.

Only Kuramochi who was already walking away from where those lively bunch were, saw the glimpse of the man's face from the corner of his eyes.

"What are you standing in there for?" Kuramochi then approached the man closer. "Miyuki."

The suspicious looking shadow who was actually Miyuki, turned his head to Kuramochi. His face was calm and unchanged even for a slight.

Kuramochi smirked, seeing how strange the stoic look on the man's face. "Do you want to join in that fresh, youthful juvenile group but to shy to come out since you knew you're already an old man?"

"If I'm an old man, isn't that mean you're too?" Miyuki let out a sneer, though his eyes were still unchanging.

"No, no, no, I'm talking about your attitude." Kuramochi jumped on the engawa, making himself on the same ground with Miyuki. "You've already looked like an old man. Peeking those young boys with that lecherous old-man eyes like that."

Kuramochi's smirk went wide. It always felt nice when he could score up against Miyuki once in a while, since it'd been Miyuki who always successfully made him get on his nerves with his brazen, mischievous attitude.

But strangely, Miyuki simply stared at him without saying anything. He looked like he wanted to say something but his lips shut tight. An odd, enigmatic smile simply came upon his face as his eyes turned at the lively bunch far at the yard.

"I have to say that you're half right."

"Wha-"

"But I think you're the same too, Kuramochi." Miyuki then turned his back. "After all, it's almost impossible to see him without recalling the past."

Kuramochi's eyes went wide in an instant. The words from Miyuki's mouth came like a jolt of lightning. It petrified his mind in a second. But he snapped out as he saw Miyuki started to walk away.

"...You said that you won't get shaken up over this matter." Kuramochi said in a sharp tone. "Are you starting to see him as her?"

Miyuki turned his head, looking at Kuramochi with a strange deep gaze. "If only it's just like that."

His lips formed a smile, but his eyes weren't smiling. Kuramochi then realized what he meant by that as he remembered what Sawamura said before.

"We really are living in your world too?"

"Well, it's...true…"

"Miyuki and I are also there right?"

"Uh, yeah, both of you are our upperclassman."

His eyes widened in a flinch. He looked at Miyuki with an utter shock.

"Do you mean he's-?!"

"It's still just a speculation but Gin already told that it's plausible." Miuki turned his head slightly with eyes casting down. "Also, that's the only thing that sounds reasonable more than any kind of speculation we had."

"So, Chris-san found something when he came to you a few days ago right? That's why you can say that."

Silence filled the air for a second before Miyuki slowly turned back, revealing his darkened, sharp gaze.

"Kokuryuu's body is gone. The empty vessel that should've been nothing more that just an ancient relic of the past is gone."His lips slowly curled up, creating an ominous smile.

"What do you think that means, ne, Kuramochi?"

The sun had already in the border of horizon when Sawamura slowly woke up from his light nap in the grassy riverbank. With a chilly wind starting to brought him shivers, Sawamura couldn't help but to regain full consciousness after such comfortable nap.

"Never thought I'd sleep in open place like this." He smiled as he mumbled by himself. "I couldn't even do this in my world."

As he started to become more familiar of this world, Sawamura began to loosen up. Everyday, Sawamura would let himself to be relaxed and filled his time with exciting things more than the first week when he came to that world. And now that he slowly to understand how this world worked, he could accept a few things about his matters and of course, about the same yet new friends of him.

"Haruichi and Eiichi still hasn't come huh? Here I thought I've been sleeping for almost two hour here." Sawamura rose up and looked around, catching a clear sight of his surrounding. "Maybe it's only a few minutes after Haruichi left? Since the sun isn't set yet."

Sawamura then lied back on the grassy ground. "Ah… so bored… nothing to do…."

Wait, Isn't this mean I'm all alone here? With no guard?

Sawamura instantly rose up. Mischief and excitement were painted clearly on his face. "Then I can go-"

"Nyaaa."

"N-Nene! You're here?" Hearing the cute meow sound from the nekomata on his right made Sawamura flinched in surprise. After all, he really thought that he was left all alone by Haruichi.

"Haaah… so you're here to watch me huh?"

The black nekomata let out a meow again. Sawamura could only let out a long, weary sigh.

"Geez, when I'm about to go to an exciting adventure."

Resigning himself from hoping to have some alone time, Sawamura then picked Nene up and put her between his crossed legs. He gently stroked Nene's black fur.

"Another day just passed again without me knowing anything about the way to go back." Sawamura uttered suddenly, talking to Nene. "Do you think I'll be just stuck here forever? What do you think?"

Nene took a glance at Sawamura before she let out her cute, dignified voice. "Do you want to go home?"

Sawamura stared at her for a while. "I want to. I really want to go home."

"Why? Your friends are here too right? Miyuki-sama also treats you well as a guest, isn't that enough?"

"That's not the problem, Nene. Even if I became to love this place more than my own world, I still can't live in here. I have family and friends there, remember?"

"...You're right. They'll be sad."

Sawamura could only pull up a smile. An image of his mother crying if she knew that he's gone, came into his mind.

"What if I became a dead person there?" The words in his thought leaked out as he lost in his reverie. But the moment he realized of what he said, he instantly shook off his head.

"No, no, no! I can't be discouraged! Even if it's true, actually I'm not dead! I can just come back and-!" He abruptly stopped his words. He remembered how he got into an accident right before he got sent there.

How can I forget about that?! Before I'm worrying about being labeled as a dead person, I've got to worry about my sudden disappearance first?!

"People surely would find it weird." Frustrated, Sawamura bit his lips hard. "Ugh… not only I have to think about the way to get back but I also have to think the reasonable excuse for that! If it's like this, I don't know if I really want to go back!"

"You sure about that?"

A voice was suddenly heard from his back.

Sawamura got surprised by the voice, but more than that, he's surprised that it was the voice that he fully recognized. "Wha-?!"

He quickly turned around and found another familiar face staring at him. "Y-You! Th-that wolf brat!"

"So loud." The owner of that whisper-like voice let out a light grumble. His green eyes looked at Sawamura with a calm, enigmatic gaze.

"Ugh! You're still as rude as ever! Isn't there any word to say other than that when you saw your senpai?!"

His green eyes narrowed a bit. "Senpai?"

Ack! I forgot that he's not the same wolf brat! Sawamura gasped in surprise. He started to feel panic, scared that he'd look like a weird, overly familiar guy.

"Uh, no, I mean…" Sawamura's eyes danced around nervously.

"Eijun, get away from that man!" Nene suddenly shouted out loud as she stood in front of Sawamura. She looked so alarmed with her eyes shot a piercing glare to the green eyed man in front of them.

"Nene, what's wrong?" Confused, Sawamura quickly get himself up.

"Get away fast! That man is a bad news!"

"Wha- He's one of you right?"

"Was." Nene replied with a growl. She shot a piercing glare, looking so menacing. "How can you get here? The barrier should've reject an outsider like you!"

A thin layer of whirlwind suddenly appeared and wrapped her beautiful black figure. Seeing that Nene was prepared for a fight, Sawamura instantly felt wary.

"Wait, wait, wait! He's not like Furuya or Haruichi? Not one of knights here?"

"No. He's just a lowly, ungrateful human that betrayed his own master. A wanted criminal like him isn't knight."

"Wanted-!" Sawamura turned his gaze to the man again. His eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "You're not...our friends?"

Those green eyes wavered slightly before he casted his eyes down. His long bangs were swaying gracefully by the graze of the wind, creating a delicate look on his stoic face.

"Eijun."

Sawamura's eyes widened. It gave him a surprise. He never thought that one word that left from the man's lips was his name. Furthermore, he said the name strangely with a gentle voice, such a big difference with his former haughty tone.

"Sawamura Eijun, isn't it?" The man's lips curled up a bit, shaping a thin smile. "Even the name is almost similar."

"What are you…" Sawamura got speechless. He couldn't read any of the man's intention at all. Not to mention, the fact that the young man in front of him was too different with the one he'd known.

I thought that he won't be that different. But to know that he's not even a friend…

Sawamura bit his lips unknowingly. He felt so upset all of a sudden. "So you're not Okumura?"

"Why do you think like that? Is it because I'm not your kouhai?"

Sawamura gasped. His eyes widened more. Shivers ran throughout his body as the puzzle within his mind started to fall into right pieces.

"You… know me." A soft murmur left Sawamura's trembling lips. His shocked look told everything.

The young man simply pulled an enigmatic smile. "Senpai."

The soft voice that called for him made Sawamura stunned still. Their gazes locked into a long, silence stare.

"Let's meet again." He took a side glance at Nene who was still glaring at him. "Next time, I hope there won't be anyone to disturb us."

"Wha-?!"

"Do you think you can just leave like that?" Nene abruptly shot a blades of wind towards the young man. But all of those were deflected by a sudden appearance of a black wolf.

"Hisui!" Surprised by the appearance of the black wolf, Nene stopped her attacks.

The black wolf let out a growl. Its black, huge figure gave off an intimidating aura. The black wolf stood in front of the said man, looking completely on guard. Sawamura flinched at the sight of its piercing glare.

"Hisui, calm down." With a slight stern voice, that young man gave the black wolf an order.

"You're done, right?" A low, manly voice came from that mighty-looking wolf. Its dignified jade eyes looked so bright in the contrast of its dark figure.

"Hm, we'll leave." The young man slightly nodded.

"Wa-wait! You're just gonna leave?! Like that?!"

"I've seen what I want." He replied curtly. "Any longer here will be a disadvantage for me."

"You can't just leave like that!" Sawamura shouted loud in protest. "There's so much things I want to ask you!"

His green eyes widened for a second before his lips curled up into a thin smile. "We'll meet again. Until that time, please just quietly wait for me."

"Hey, wait-!"

Black substance suddenly appeared under the wolf's feet. It became larger as it slowly engulfed both the man and the wolf. It's only a second before their figure were no where to see.

"What did just happen…"

Sawamura fell onto his knees. With all surprises that came to him like a surging wave, he felt like he lost all of his strength.

"Eijun-chan!" Nene instantly ran to Sawamura's side. Seeing Sawamura looking so pale and weak made her got panic. "Eijun-chan, you're okay?"

Nene repeatedly called for his name, but Sawamura paid no heed. His mind was full with questions and he deeply drowned in his thoughts.

He's Okumura right? That Okumura Koushuu! How come he became a criminal?

No! That's not the point! Sawamura shook his head hard.

"He knows me…" A murmur left his mouth again, unknowingly. "He knows my name… He looked like he…"

He knows who I really am… A cold shivers shot throughout his body, jolting him with a shock. And all of a sudden, he felt suffocating squeeze in his chest, making him out of his breath.

"What-?!"

"Eijun-chan!"

His body then fell on the ground. The pain in his chest gradually became stronger. And unwittingly, he squeezed the hem of his khaki colored kosode over his right chest. It was then, when Nene realized that there's something on Sawamura's chest.

That's-! The plain black mark that was seen in a glimpse on Sawamura's chest gave Nene a fright. She's fully aware of what that mark meant.

"Eijun-chan! Get a hold of yourself!"

"It hurts…" Sawamura let out a pained cry. His face looked terribly awful. It's obvious that he couldn't perceive anything beyond the incomprehensible pain in his chest.

Why… why am I suddenly…

"I'm sorry…"

What-?! Someone's voice!

"I'm sorry…"

Who?! Why?! Why is she apologizing?

"I'm sorry…"

"Who...on the earth...are you…"

"Eijun-chan?!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Shut...up…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Shut-"

"Koushuu…"

Stunned, Sawamura felt as if his body got all numb. The throbbing pain in his chest didn't matter anymore. All of the fibers of his being became too focused with the echo of that voice. But it's only just a moment before his mind went completely blank and his round, brown eyes shut tightly.