Soma awoke in an uncomfortably hot area with five random civilians and a snoring Brendan Bardell. Soma winced from the chainsaw-like sounds coming from the God Eater, propping himself up and shaking his head to clear the fog out of his mind.

He scowled, wondering why everyone decided to sleep in his room, and walked toward the odd flaps that were in the place his door should be.

He blinked stupidly after pushing through the flap, standing outside in the sunlight and seeing the desert and forest of the Kokoto area. He narrowed his eyes, bits and pieces of the previous day coming back slowly.

When the group had gotten back from slaying the dragons – the green one was Rathian, the red one from before was Rathalos, and the blue was an Azure Rathalos, they were told -, Kanon and Sakuya headed to the tents that were to be used as temporary homes while extra houses were built in the village itself. They both fell asleep within minutes of their heads hitting their pillows.

Arashi, though he had looked just as tired as the girls, made his rounds and checked that everything and everyone was in order before heading to his tent. Soma had been tired at the time as well, so he had flopped into his small bed and slept for several hours without even checking who was in the tent with him.

He crawled back into the tent, taking off his coat and changing into a pair of blue shorts that were sewn the day before by a grateful native. Still wearing his old yellow shirt, he crawled back out of the tent and headed toward the village plaza.

His sides had been healed by the oracle cells in his body while he slept, and he could finally stretch his arms without feeling pain. He walked along the dusty paths, seeing the villagers moving about even in the heat of the day.

The villagers acted similarly to the civilians back in the Outer Ghetto; there was a small marketplace, where people were trading materials and food. Seems trading is the main currency around here, Soma thought to himself, watching people trade unknown items instead of paying money.

Loud cries of joy were the only warning Soma got before toppling over, three small children crashing into him. The oldest of them, a boy who couldn't have been older than 8 years old, asked with wide eyes "How did you get rid of the Rathalos? Was it scary? Why are you unharmed?"

The questions were rapid and abrupt, some of which far too mature considering their age – "Where's your really bad ouchie?" was a question asked by the youngest, whom was barely old enough to talk – and Soma tried to keep their ages in mind when he gave his awkward answers.

He was saved when a woman's voice called out to the children irritatedly. "What do you three think you're doing? Go play in the field, and leave the hunter in peace!" The kids lost their enthusiasm and left to play elsewhere.

Soma turned to see the teenage girl from the day before standing nearby, lending him a hand to help him to his feet. He accepted the help and stood, saying "Thanks for that. Not really good with kids," he added with an embarrassed grimace.

The girl shook her head, smiling as she said "No problems. Kaya and his friends have always been troublemakers. I'm Alara, by the way," she added, extending her hand to offer a handshake.

Soma paused for a moment, smiling slightly as he shook her hand. "I'm Soma." The day before, she looked fierce with armor similar to the scales from a Kut ku, as well as a large crossbow weapon in her arms and a helmet that hid the top half of her head.

Now, Soma could see her features clearly. She had golden eyes similar to Ketsu's, as well as a dark brown ponytail that reached to the back of her neck. Her tanned skin was marked with tiny scars; evidence of a life of hardship.

Her smile was contagious, and Soma had to turn away to hide the one growing on his face. There's something about her . . .

He was startled as he felt hands on his waist, where the bandages were. He twisted quickly, his face showing some form of shock as he saw Alara with her hand on the bandage. "What-" he started to ask, before she interrupted with "Where is your wound? It should've taken at least a week to heal, even with the best medical supplies."

She glanced up at him in curiosity, and Soma saw that under his bandage was a large scar that shined with fresh skin. His eyes widened, though for a different reason than Alara. That's never happened before . . .

"I'm . . . not too sure, myself. I've always been a fast healer," he quickly improvised, worried about what the scar could mean. Alara hummed in thought, before nodding and standing upright again. She asked "Hey, want to have a tour of the village? It seems like you guys might be here for a while, so you might as well learn the area."

Soma nodded, telling her "Thanks, but it will have to wait. I have to make sure my friends are all right." Arashi, Kanon, and Sakuya looked pretty beat, so it might be a good idea to check on them. Plus, his arms were very sore. Probably just overworked myself yesterday. Won't have been the first time, Soma mused.


He waved farewell before walking toward Arashi's tent first. He was nearly there before seeing Arashi's head poke out of the flap, gawking in confusion at the strange landscape. He must've remembered what happened, because his facial expression quickly straightened out.

He stared up at Soma, asking in a croaky voice "How are you right now?" He paused, then added "How are you standing without every single muscle aching like mine?" Soma raised an eyebrow, telling him "Well, my arms hurt right now. That's about it, though. What do you mean your muscles hurt?"

Arashi rolled over, his face turned upward, and groaned out "it feels like my arms and legs are being cut to pieces and stitched back all wrong!" Soma sighed, saying "You've been working hard. Take a few days off, and I'll get everything set up."

Arashi's head withdrew back into the tent as he said "I would normally smack you for suggesting that, but I'm in too much pain to argue. Thanks, Soma." Soma scoffed, leaving the tent. He yelled over his shoulder "Not like you would have the guts to hit me!" before heading to the tent Kanon and Sakuya slept in.

He stood outside, calling "Knock knock, girls, are you awake?" without entering the tent. He had been on the receiving end of several punches for barging into a girl's room while they were changing. Specifically: Kinaia and Sakuya. It wasn't my fault that they didn't answer when I knocked . . .

Sakuya's voice, groggy and muffled, said "Go away, Soma, Hibari gave me the day off today . . ." Soma chuckled darkly, a stress mark appearing on his forehead as he grabbed the flap and opened it wide to let sunlight cascade into the tent.

Sakuya, louder now that there was no cloth blocking her voice, almost yelled "Damnit, Soma, close the . . . door . . ." she trailed off, spotting the desert beyond Soma's form. The others in the tent – Kanon, Annette Koenig, and a few civilians – looked out as well.

Soma mockingly announced "Glad you could come back to reality. Oh, and Sakuya," he added with a slight glare, crossing his arms in an indignant posture, "Somehow, I always knew that Hibari never gave you all those free days. Call it a hunch."

He turned around, feigning a bad mood to hide a humored grin as Sakuya spluttered in embarrassment, trying to regain her lost composure.

Soma, with his back still turned, told them "Do you think you can get up, or do you need another day like Arashi?" He was answered with temporary silence until Kanon announced "I can get up, but the others are too sore. Give me a few minutes, I'll meet you by the elder's house."

Soma acknowledged her before leaving, seeking out Alara. Maybe Kanon could join them, and they would be able to help the others. Anything was helpful at this point, no matter how little the information was.

His scar – his first scar – came back to his mind. It was so blatantly obvious that something was wrong to Soma, and yet he couldn't figure out what happened.

Oracle cells healed all traces of damage. There were no 'healing scars' when oracle cells were done with their job.

He shook his head, letting the thought drift to the back of his mind as he saw Alara standing by a watering well. He waved to her, getting her attention as he walked toward her. I'll see if Arashi is feeling better later tonight. Maybe he's just sore from getting knocked around.

Maybe . . . he had nothing to worry about. He didn't believe in his own feeble denial, though.

That thought was forced to the back of his mind as well, preferring to be led around the town with Alara and a very groggy and unkempt Kanon. It was midday, but Soma still wanted to get as much done as he could.


Arashi found himself in his cot, the sky dim as the sun started to set in the horizon. He remembered Soma popping his head in a few times during the day to check on him, but he felt like hell.

His body felt like it was rebelling against him; every cell seemed to urge him to do something for it, and he didn't know what. It wasn't quite painful - more like unbelievably uncomfortable, as if he had a major case of stomach cramps and numbness at the same time.

He writhed around in his cot, unable to stay still and go back to sleep. He groaned out loud.

"Fuck it, if I can't sleep, then I can't sleep," he muttered as he rose slowly. It only seemed to make the sensation upgrade from worms crawling in his skin to sparks dancing along his nerves.

He glanced over to Brendan, seeing the slim man with a pained expression on his face as he slept. Damn, that man can sleep through anything, he wryly thought as he struggled into a fresh pair of new pants and a new shirt – both sewn the day before, according to Soma.

He stood up - ignoring the protest his legs made - and slowly meandered out of the tent. The cool breeze felt good on his skin, and he took a deep breath to settle his abruptly queasy stomach. He headed into the marketplace of Kokoto, trying to walk off the sudden sickness.

He spotted a few Terran refugees walking around the town, a few of which having weapons that they constantly examined. The weapons seemed to be small and unremarkable, but the refugees looked at them with various expressions of pride and determination.

Arashi spotted who he was looking for – the abnormally long braid gave him away – sitting next to a house with a few children and walked toward him, calling out to get his attention.

The boy, whom Arashi thought was called Ketsu, turned with surprise – which rapidly turned into relief – and greeted Arashi. "You look like you've had a bad night. Anything I could do to help?" Ketsu asked worriedly.

Arashi shook his head automatically, pausing for a second to think. He corrected himself by asking "Do you, maybe, have some medicine for aches and sore muscles?" He winced; his voice sounded rough and scratchy! What on earth was wrong with his body?

Ketsu nodded, waving him inside the hut after telling the children "I'll play with you lot later, but right now I need to help him. Go find Alara, I'm sure she would want to play with you." Arashi followed him, surprised at his hospitality.

His home was moderately furnished; there were two chests in the living room, each with an unknown symbol carved onto the top of the chest. There were two doorways leading to other rooms, and he was led by Ketsu into one of them.

The room was surprisingly furnished, considering the lifestyle these villagers seemed to live. One side of his room had two bookcases jammed from top to bottom with books. At the foot of his bed was a thick journal, and on the wall opposite of the bookcases was a hand-carved wooden desk covered in papers and half-filled books.

Ketsu exited the room again, digging through the chest on the left while saying "Make yourself at home while I find the ingredients stashed somewhere in here." Arashi acknowledged and thanked him before looking closer at the papers on the desk with curiosity.

There were various notes, all of which written in a language that Arashi understood. It looked like records of some kind, detailing many different things on each sheet. There was a small picture attached to each set of pages, and Arashi picked one up to examine it.

'Kelbi Ecology' was the title of the one he grabbed. The pictures he saw were actually realistic illustrations of various creatures. The monster called Kelbi looked like a deer with small horns on its head, a gray spotted pelt, and agile limbs. It was drawn eating a piece of sketched grass, and it looked very serene.

As Ketsu walked back in with a few bottles in his hand, Arashi put the paper down, saying "Your record keeping is extraordinary. Did you draw and write all of these by yourself?" Ketsu paused in the doorway, a shocked expression on his face as he stared at Arashi.

He slowly relaxed and continued walking in the room, looking wary as he placed the corked glass bottles on an uncovered corner of the desk. He kept his back turned, quietly muttering ". . . My sister did the drawings." He took a subtle breath before turning around, an embarrassed flush on his neck.

"I've . . . always had a fascination with learning about monsters. Habits, mating periods, food preferences . . . Things that would help me understand how they live, rather than how to kill them easier."

He lowered his head, murmuring "I've been called odd by my peers and superiors for not following tradition. I'm a hunter in a starving village, not a scholar for a high class town."

He sighed, saying "It will be several years before the next generation of hunters are ready to begin training, so I have to put my dream on hold for the village's sake."

Arashi was silent as Ketsu stared off into the distance while mixing the different liquids. Even though he wasn't looking at what he was doing, his hands moved through reflex and muscle memory as he mixed the various berries and liquids in a pestle, grinding them and adding water to make a strong scented medicine of some kind.

Ketsu sighed, looking back toward Arashi with a sad smile and giving him the small bowl of liquid. It was clear with an amber hue, and it smelled sweet and bitter. "Drink it slowly, a mouthful at a time. Give it time to flow through your body completely," he told him.

Arashi leaned his back against the wall, taking small sips of the fragrant liquid. It tasted horrible, but there was an aftertaste that left a warm feeling spreading through his limbs. He took several sips before clearing his throat to talk.

"Well, with us helping out, perhaps you could head out into the world and pursue your dream?" Arashi asked. His voice sounded much smoother and his limbs felt as though they were near a bonfire. His energy was returning quickly, and his sickness had all but disappeared.

Ketsu shrugged, admitting "I honestly wasn't sure you would stay. Even with the extra hunters, they would need to be prepared to fight at any moment. Despite being chased from your planet, how sure are you that they will be prepared to fight in case an invasion occurs, or bandits, or any other enemy?"

Arashi chuckled, taking a few more sips of the rejuvenating medicine before saying "You'd be surprised how prepared we are. Our lifestyle was difficult, and only certain people could fight. That, however, is a long and complicated story for another time."

"Just know that all of our civilians wished they could fight against our enemies, and now they are given that chance. They just had their home forcibly taken from them, and they have lived in fear for decades. I can bet you anything in the world that nearly everyone will eagerly take up arms and defend their new home." Arashi grinned at Ketsu's hopeful expression.

"Well, there are many things to do before we can travel to other locations. It will be a long and arduous journey, considering we are a traditional village with next to no contact with the major cities. As you say, it is a complicated process that should be explained another time," Ketsu told him.

He paused in thought, then added "Not to mention, we have to wait until your civilians are trained, we need supplies for a long journey across several hostile lands, we have to be sure our route isn't blocked . . ." he trailed off, turning to search through the bookcase and pulling out a specific book.

He opened it, thumbing through the pages quickly and flipping the book directly to the page he was looking for. It was an illustrated map of what looked like the surrounding area. The icons were anonymous scribbles to Arashi, but Ketsu traced his fingers across paths that only he could see in his mind.

"If we go this way . . . perhaps we could stop here, hunt in this area . . . the Popo's in this region are well fed year round, so it might be a good idea to restock there . . ." Ketsu muttered to himself, tapping the map with his index finger while thinking.

Arashi announced "I'll go see if there's anything I can do around the village. You take care of the route, I guess?" Ketsu seemed to snap out of his thoughts, glancing at Arashi with a surprised expression. "Sorry, I got too focused on the plans, I kinda forgot you were here . . . "

He cleared his throat in embarrassment, saying "Take a few others on a quest or two; learn the surrounding area, as well as which weapon would be best for you." Ketsu turned back to his map and continued to mutter to himself.


Arashi nodded even though Ketsu was facing away, heading out of his house and spotting Sakuya talking to Soma. Both seemed irritated, and Sakuya looked like she was sick. He felt much better, and there was still a lot of the medicine left, so he walked over and said "Oi, what's the deal? Sleep badly?"

Sakuya shifted her glare to Arashi and growled out "This asshole woke me up while I had the mother of all headaches, and then continued to wake me up several times." Soma scoffed, telling her "Well, if you would tell me to go away, rather than saying 'I'll be up in a few minutes', then I wouldn't feel the need to be worried about a teammate!"

That kickstarted another bout of yelling, and Arashi had to snap at them to silence their bickering. "Look, Sakuya, take a few sips of this," he held out the bowl, "and you'll feel a lot better in no time. I have to make sure the civilians are alright, so don't kill each other before I get back."

She nodded, a stress mark on her face as she accepted the bowl and took a generous sip. Her face screwed up in disgust, and she forced the liquid down before glaring again. "You could've told me it had a bad taste!" she complained, to which Arashi slightly grinned and replied "But where's the fun in that?"

She shook her head, hiding a small smile of her own as the medicine started working. "Whatever . . . did you need some of this, Soma?" she offered, but he shook his head and said "I'm alright. I worked the strain out of my muscles today with Kanon and Alara."

Arashi raised an eyebrow and made a sly grin, and Sakuya snorted while covering her mouth. Soma looked confused, saying "What's wrong?"

Arashi coughed, then said "We need to work on how you word your sentences, Soma." He thought for a few seconds, his cheeks coloring as he finally got the joke. "S-shut up, you two! Seriously, don't you have anything better to do than make perverted jokes?!" he exclaimed.

Sakuya started laughing, and Arashi shook his head in mock disappointment while walking off. "Gosh, Soma, you should've said that you found a few cute girls to 'exercise' with earlier," he threw over his shoulder, and ran off to avoid Soma's wrath, laughing the whole while.


In a house nearby, the elder was watching the trio's interactions with interest. The owner of the home, a middle-aged woman, said "They're a rambunctious lot, all right. Then again, they are young adults, so perhaps they are still a little immature?"

The elderly man shook his head, fondling his long beard with one hand as he gripped his cane in the other. "They are far more mature than they let on. I shudder to think of what they went through in their previous home, to be forcing humor like this."

The woman asked "You seem so sure of yourself, Elder. Why would you think they had a rough life?" He turned to her, murmuring "They have killed many beasts, and have referenced more than once that they have survived far worse. I fear that they will not be able to maintain a calm façade for very long, so I see the random laughter as a pressure gauge."

He turned back to the window, watching the woman holding her stomach while laughing, the somber young man stomping his foot on the ground with a deep red blush on his face, and the apparent leader of the group dashing away like a child playing tag, laughing freely.

He told her "They have survived the destruction of their homes, only to find that their troubles are far from over. They could choose to laugh every now and again, keeping their heads above the darkened sea. Or, they could silence their humor, forcing themselves under the turbulent waves."

He was silent from then on, standing by the window while staring into the distance. He knew these things about the newcomers because he had witnessed them before. He had felt these emotions himself, back before he became the village chief.

The woman behind him interrupted his gloomy thoughts, "I overheard Ketsu saying he wanted to travel along the mountains to go to Pokke Village." Her expression was slightly nervous.

The elder asked "Alone? Or with a group of people?" The woman shook her head, admitting "He didn't specify, but I believe he wanted to leave with Arashi and his comrades."

The elder was silent once more, sighing forlornly. The woman picked up on the tension and asked ". . . Is something wrong?"

He quietly murmured "I miss Lana. I always wonder . . . if I could've done something to save her. Stop her from leaving, show more emotion, just . . . something so she could still be alive."

He sighed once more, leaning on the window and watching the darkness fall on the village as night approached steadily. The woman, his friend since he was an adult and she was a child, knew enough to leave him alone.

"Get some rest soon, Hahn. A night's rest will do you a world of good," she said, leaving a cup of tea on the window sill next to him and heading to her own bed.


A/N: A bit of angst, but I rather like it. I'd like to think the Ketsu/Arashi moment and the Soma/Sakuya/Arashi moment make it balanced in some way.

I've said this repeatedly to several people in PMs, but I never quite understood how hard a crossover could be until I started writing one. It's slow going, but it's going at least.

Cheers~