Cold Reason

by MetaIIix

Wind gusts over an eastern archipelago as briskly as ever. Divided from its heart, the northern chill mellows, ready to begin life anew. Yet, minacious tides follow suit, and waves of change stir beneath. A rebel begets change; a demon shifts the land, a paradigm resets itself, embedded in the heart of darkness itself.

1. Glass

'...An everlasting battle continues unremittingly. Each fallen body, crushed under the weight of another.'

'Trumpets foretell doom, as the choirs sing curses.'

'Horsemen roam solely to unleash the umbrage of chaos.'

'Blood saturates the ground, reflecting onto the sky only the deepest shade of red.'

'The world lies in ruin; nothing remains of the civilizations built on it or the beings that once resided there.'

'Both sides advance to a close, marching into their last conflict. One last battle, to end all battles, one final war, to end all wars.'

'...He was going to be the one to finish it, one way or another...'

---

For once, there was nothing. The light that had shined so brilliantly and repelled the darkness had finally been extinguished by it. Silence reigned: the torment, anguish, and rage throughout the void had ceased. For a time, there was no difference between nothingness and absoluteness.

A lone consciousness persisted, but with no sensations left, it could only perpetually dream. Images flashed through its mind, making jigsaws from faint strings of memories and piecing together a messy collage with what it saw.

Pale livid eyes from an expressionless boy reflected onto a window, the fissured clouds from a morose afternoon representative to his subconscious. The years flickered through its memory, detailing the few friends and even fewer memories attributed to his life; before pausing on the last day of his life.

That boy, content to remain ambition-less, only felt obligated to walk one step in front of the other, wherever it may lead him. Yet, the conscious 'knew' a task-less path didn't lead the boy astray. Rather, he was whisked away and set onto new tracks.

Falling into the shoes of his next life, he adjusted especially, hungering for knowledge, and desiring the truth. However, an unfortunate reality awaited him, promising death and rebirth eternally. Nevertheless, with open eyes and a confident gait, he was reborn once again.

The consciousness then remembered what it- he was. As if awakening from a dream, 'feeling' spread throughout his senses, resuscitating a broken body. Partially regaining awareness, a heaviness weighed him down, persuading him to wash his consciousness away. So, he relegated himself back to rest…

An olden man continued walking as his stick tapped against the stepping stones. He knew he wasn't getting any younger, and decided to venture out again for what hopefully wouldn't be the last time. The mild weather recently beckoned for a hike through the hibernating forest. With how cold it had been lately, he figured now was a good time to stretch his legs. It was going to get warmer, and soon: leaves would return fully, crops would grow, and the air would become revitalizing once more, until then, the trees wouldn't block the morning sun out.

The trees eventually stopped leading him, and he reached a path isolated from the forest, abruptly ended by a bluff overlooking the coast from several dozen men above. With a small huff, he scraped a worn sandal behind the edge to peer down at the sandy shore below, before gliding his gaze up onto the jagged rocks aloft. The seaboard stretched high, revealing the rope bound between a pair of crags. In his mind, the man couldn't remember the tide ever being so low.

The weathered man took a step back and lowered himself into a kneel. He would usually rest, meditate, and pray here as time demands it. He laid his accompanying stick down in front of him, and he brought his knees to the ground.

The gods always reward those faithful and subservient to them. If one were to give them offerings, they could expect their wealth to soar into prosperity, or maybe their surname will be recognized with honor and glory, or perhaps one's mind could be eased with a hopefulness towards the future. The gods grant miracles felicitously to their followers.

However, belief is the greatest offering one could present to a god. Faith not only affirming that god's existence, but also contributing credence towards their dogma.

For what influence would a creator hold if none of their creations believed in them, like a parent who wants their child to be free, but as a result, are unable to stop them from doing something reckless, because they can't bring themselves to intervene in their child's wishes.

Except, the almost enfeebled man has seen miracles in his life, and knew his unwavering determination wasn't attained by only his willpower alone. Rather, a belief forged at birth guided him to this moment, and so, he prayed. Prayed for perseverance through these uneasy days, with a vague hope for the future of those he considered family.

---

It was about mid-day when he returned. His apprentice and aide, of sorts, was waiting for him by the gate; a non-descript, dark-haired young man with a keen focus for learning, but not much else. His beady brown eyes widened slightly upon spotting his stature, and with a brisk stride, hurried over to greet him.

"Master," he spoke in lukewarm malaise and hooked to a curt bow. Afterwards, he spoke, "Another letter was found hanging from a tree in the courtyard," he held out a small, white envelope, sealed with purple ink and a stamped, heart-shaped sigil. "The guards brought it to my attention, but-" he stopped, "I think you already know..."

The elder raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his pupil, marking the sweat trailing down from beneath his black bangs.

Detecting his master's curiosity, the boy started speaking again, "There isn't any sign of magical tampering, I broke the seal just in case there was."

The aged man scratched his grayed mustache as he listened, then accepted the envelope. He cradled his walking stick in between his forearm before reading the letter. Then handed the note back with a sigh, "Get rid of it, I don't care how," and began to walk off, his stick clacking along behind him.

The apprentice hastened to keep pace with him, "Are you not concerned at all." He leaned forwards and lowered his voice to a mutter, "We cannot ignore such... denigration when we can still do something about it," still air moments later helped him realize he would not get a reply out of the older man, so he straightened his posture and maintained his stride.

After a few moments, the elder decided to speak, "I understand you're anxious to fix this problem, and we're tense because of it. However, they won't kill anyone, they may convert some of us, but only those who are not married to a yokai would undoubtedly turn on us in captivity." He turned his wizened eyes towards his pupil, he may be a fast learner, but situations like these may only be learned through experience rather than fact. "Staying calm and rational should be our precedence, as long as we're not reckless, we'll be fine.

Once they reached their home, the young man opened the door, but before going inside, he turned around, "Even still, I would recommend everyone to at least stay within sight of this village. Even if we lose more, a witness to a thieving yokai could determine a habitat to scout, or easily identifiable footprints." With that, he disappeared inside, leaving the elder alone.

---

'If no one was allowed to venture too far from the village...' he mulled on this as he set his tea down, 'Then no one would be allowed to bring fresh fish or water from the river down the way. They would also be reluctant to accept those goods from nearby traders in exchange of the blessed spring bleeding into the river. The sacred water: bringing good luck, curative, and natural healing to not only the spring water but the fish too.' He reclined himself on a thin layer of carpet. His back ached for the release from rigidity.

Of course, solutions didn't wait to stir in his head. 'A small group of unrelated, but capable individuals could walk out together to gather water, or we could respectfully ask for a blessing ourselves to shield us from harm, or-' his thoughts were interrupted by a rasping on his door. A lean figure silhouetted on the other side.

"Enter," his glassy voice lowly echoed across his abode, and in strode his apprentice; a thin line leveled on his mouth, accompanied by a separate look of indifference across his eyes. He looked troubled under that mask of his, he usually was.

He started with a bow, "Master," and another familiar greeting he unwittingly rehearsed. "There is a matter we must discuss. Yesterday, around noon, a couple left the gate and never returned. That's, however, not an isolated problem; our matter is about their young, newly abandoned daughter. When the parents never returned, their neighbors noticed the lantern wasn't lit during the night, and found that girl alone inside, sleeping. Those neighbors took her in for the time being."

"Who were they?" the elder inquired, a diminutive frown plastered firmly under his thin mustache.

The youthful man, expecting that question, quickly answered. "Keiko and Hachiro Tamura," they kept to themselves mostly, only socializing when they left every Sunday to fish down the river."

The elder scrunched his face, "Why is the girl our matter, you said it yourself, she's taken care of for the time being."

"Wha-" caught off guard, the younger man steadied, "She may very well perdure as a foster for the rest of her life. But I don't trust in that faith. I'll bide on hope until the time comes." A glower formed onto the scrutinized man, "Either way, I won't let her become an orphan."

Folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes, he drew a breath to continue. "But that's not all. A perceptive individual claims to have seen them leaving with one of these on both their persons," he fished out a small charm and held it low for his master on the floor.

From his finger, A lead locket dangled in front of the senior. The tiny object took the vague shape of a heart, glistening in smooth proof while alighting the image relieved onto it. The image of a lake filled most of its face, disturbed eddies captured its sheen, splashing erupted droplets into the air above, framing the pointed tailpiece diving underneath.

The venerable old man waived it away, knowing what it was and what was on the other side. "Yes... yes, I see it." He paused to squint up at his pupil when no reply heeded him, "If that's all, I would want to know what you think we should do with this knowledge."

With a twitch of his fingers, his disciple slipped the charm over his head like a necklace and responded, "The couple wasn't very religious, and while extending a prayer and offering at a dilapidated shrine isn't enough cause for concern..." His face turned to stone as he looked at the elder, "I think it's time we have a little talk." Maybe with less inflection, he would've appeared more neutral, but as it stands now...

"No," his voice took the imperceptible smile off his apprentice's face, with a light red glow beginning to form on his cheeks. Before his adherent could form a single word, the elder spoke up, "Not with that tone of voice we won't." He pushed himself to his feet, "We will not accuse anyone or purposefully make enemies with them. Especially to someone who has amended with us even through our times of need."

Scowling and red, he tried to keep his voice even as he spoke again, "That does not make her exempt from scrutiny, master. Our people have been taken from us, she may not be capable of sheltering the blame all by herself, but we do not know what she is capable of, and anybody may be responsible." He stood rigid, not taking any movements other than to breathe and blink.

The mature man stood tall against his charge; partly because of the boy's bad posture from improper reading. "Are you implying we may be guilty for our people's plight," He pointed severe eyes at his charge. "Don't accuse me, or anyone living in this village of that ever again."

After a few moments of silence, the disciple abated his gaze, anger, and embarrassment, "Of course, forgive me, Master," he said with a deep bow. "I am just anxious to resolve this problem. I will relent, but I am afraid to insist we should take at least one escort with us if we were to visit the shrine." He rose with a blank expression devoid of a reddened complexion.

His master stared impassively, discerning his student's upsetting countenance. "It would be unwise not to, but only what's necessary. Our intentions are for peace, not war." He clapped his hands together, "We shall leave tomorrow during the late hours of the morning, and we will leave with a capable warrior. If that will be all..." he bowed and wished a good night to his disciple, which he returned...

---

Wide, large eyes snapped between the old man and his companion. "Uh, Master? There is something important I would like to discuss with you, privately." Sneered vocalization accentuated the manic fluttering from his gaze.

Keeping his amusement hidden, the old man let his lips curl slightly upwards, "What's wrong? You don't like girls?" the words barely left his mouth before the younger man's face flared red, and a callous hand rushed forward to drag the smirking old man away.

After being dragged out of earshot, the young apprentice turned to face him, "Please explain yourself, Master. I do not understand..." He pointed his eyes back towards their 'capable warrior,' an average built, pale young woman with mid-length, inky, snow-white hair who dazed off into the distance. Black bovine ears drooped out from under dangling locks while bull horns jutted out from above the white-fringed auxiliaries. Just a small glance would prove to anyone that she wasn't human.

She wore a plain, black robe that stretched down her body, hiding her 'hairy' legs, but not the cloven hooves stapled underneath. She stood in clasped hands, idly staring at the blooming cherry trees growing on the path to their residence.

"Usually, Ushi prefer the quiet pastures of farmland compared to the bustling, cramped towns." He shifted his eyes back towards his ward, "But I have more questions than that, such as: why are we taking her with us, instead of someone stronger, and well-trained?" full, hazel eyes, stared at dull, taupe ones, opting to let the man explain himself.

The old man obliged, "She's a skilled fighter, I can assure you of that, and remember, they share strength from their distant cousins. With the three of us together, there shouldn't be much concern for hostilities; we aren't traveling through the country." Feeling his voice stiffen, he coughed to clear his throat, "However," he began to speak again, "Besides the guardsmen, the only other trained warriors we have are a handful of yokai. We can't anticipate their reactions, especially with our future company in mind."

"Besides that, we are peaceful guests, if we intend to bring the extra company, it would be unbecoming if they were impatient or leering." He then gestured with his free hand to their companion, who gently swayed in the breeze, "We won't have to worry about her causing a problem, I'm sure," his words were spoken with uncommon docility, unused when conversing or teaching his disciple. "Shall we go?" he gazed at the young man next to him, who still seemed unsure about the situation.

"Of course, let's get this over with before it gets any later," he said with a delayed sigh, already tensed about the day.

"But," the old man waited to speak until he recaptured the younger one's attention, "We are bringing gifts like the good visitors we are, so..." he pointed at an unassuming wooden box, just big enough to fit between both palms of someone's hands, leaning against a tree behind him, "Will you be kind enough to carry this burden for us? I'm not as young as I used to be, and you wouldn't be much of a gentleman if you let a lady do it."

The boy blew a stray strand of hair that decided to tickle his eyebrow. He wouldn't be getting any breaks any time soon, he knew that.

---

"Master, what's in this box?" Curious about the thick, obtusely shaped box, he asked after the trio's leader.

"They're gifts that'll put us in good favor, and believe me, they will beg to impress!" the elder animatedly replied, before clasping a hand onto his pupil's shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll be there before you know it." However convincing the elder tried to be, wasn't enough to renew the boy's vigor, he frowned a little at being patronized.

His master had quickly lead them out of the village and onto the trails, the young man bothered by his mentor not having the girl introduce herself all the while. She just trailed behind them, barely making any noise, aside from the clops her hooves left on the stones back in the village.

He happened a glance back at the strange girl; expansive auburn eyes quietly acknowledged him. "What's your name?" Of course, he didn't intend to respond with equal tact as crass, but he supposed several years with his mentor would eventually begin to show its due. He hastily apologized, "Excuse my impoliteness, I've been tense lately, but I don't believe we've been acquainted. I'm Akio, the master's apprentice. May I know your name?" he tried to hold a smile on his face, hoping to coax her to speak openly, but she didn't seem to change her expression.

Instead, her drooping ears flicked up slightly, and she blinked a few times, caught off guard by his gesture, expecting a hushed jaunt through the forest. She began to part her lips anyway, "I'm Isabelle, it's nice to meet you, Akio." She cutely tilted her head aside, "Do you need something?" Her phrasing was polite, but the docility of her tongue carried an undertone withdrawn from delicacy, showcasing the phlegmatic nature aberrant for her kind. Mild intrigue seemed to bleed through those few words, humanizing her even just a little.

Now it was his turn for curiosity. He only had one question before, but now... "Are you a foreigner?" his demeanor languished, momentarily forgotten.

"Yes..." was the sole response to his question, her voice was comprised of softness, yet, cold with apathy. She began twiddling her fingers under the long sleeves, thinking he wouldn't notice her discontent.

He shouldn't have put her on the spot, a simple question drove a disquietness between them. So he decided to ask her about a topic with common ground, "Well, how do you know my master? I know you two aren't strangers. He wouldn't trust a stranger to act as a personal bodyguard, no matter how temporary."

Without missing a heartbeat, the once previously silent man broke his muteness, "You'd be right about that, my pupil! This young woman joined us some years ago when a caravan came into town. She joined them transitorily for safer passage into town. Then I'd heard about a promising guardswoman-in-training with a knack for strange martial arts, but... well, that's a story for another time I'm afraid." His stick clattered for the first time since their departure, smacking a flat stone laying on the ground squarely. "Here we are."

Disappointed to be interrupted and also learn nothing in the process, he soon relaxed to arrive untouched. "I said it'd be a short walk. You didn't believe your humble master?" The old man would always act chipper in or around non-familial company, but if it was just his apprentice present, then the gloves came off, along with the masks.

The stepping stones led to a small temple isolated from land, and surrounded by a shallow body of water; only reachable dryly from the bridge spanning across the moat. The slouching boy recognized the location as a hidden landmark for his home, and revitalized himself in intent to quickly leave sooner rather than later.

Only, his master was content to take as much time as possible. "We must be courteous, and wait for approval before we can just welcome ourselves in," the pallid man explained on the stone path to his weary student as if he hasn't already undergone this routine before. Then again, he figured at this point, the man was just putting on a show for the audience. The image of his master trying to induce a smile in a girl was almost enough to make him scoff, the only company he kept now was himself.

The site was serene, concealed by the forest from outsiders, the seclusion was somewhat reassuring to the boy. Trees enclosed the spring, only making way for the sun to sparkle on the passively flowing water. The spring whirled, streaming under the bridge like a creek, a soothing sight and sound reminding of the latent life throughout.

Dozens of scroll-like charms stapled across the branches by the perimeter, acting as a sort of ward against any ill-disposed beings. Green sprouted fully from the tall, deciduous trees; unlike the stillborn ones around the village, they encompassed the boundary of the domain.

It wasn't like this all-year-round, the leaves almost die during the Winter, leaving them a tint akin to Autumn through their usual expiration date, and wouldn't recoup their luster until the next season. But the spring never froze up, and the water would bathe its occupant in warmth, heating their body back to temperature in even the snowfall, and render them flushed when leaving the tranquil pool.

The apprentice supposed it was one of the perks that came with blessing the very land you stood on.

A vermillion gate soon greeted them over the curved bridge, enlaced, straw-like rope stretched across the underside of its archway, hanging from the rope's entanglement, patterned paper folded the shape of blunted stairs towards the ground.

The shrine itself was a tiny dwelling in comparison. Cherry wood trimmed the structure, connecting the ground to the roof while acting as a portrait for bleary white to fill in the walls between its relief. Above the red and white easement lay black tiles, which ridged along the square roof, barring no accessories within its mantle.

The elder clicked his walking stick upon the wooden deck porched under the red door. He reached up to draw twine hanging from amidst a bundle of chimes, and let the bells resound together.

A brief moment later, from somewhere within the miniature building, a melodious voice beckoned them inside, "Come in!"

Before sliding open the door and entering, the mentor-student duo removed their sandals, while the hoofed girl informed the two of them her plans to stay on watch.

Before stepping inside, the recently lively old man set his hand staff against the frame around the door, out of respect, and function. His apprentice closely followed him, eager to set the weight down.

A glance around showed an almost funereal container to live in; a meager room made the shrine, tidy as it may be, most of the furniture decayed after outliving its last owners, who religiously cared for it; leaving the interior mildly squalid. The modest temple was built as a god's altar and was never meant to be lived in, not even the couple who built it intended to stay a night there. The boy's master had told him about those days, when the gaunt, wise man was just a healthy, innocent boy, and he had yet to exist.

Situated at the farthest wall was a painted mural of a long, snake-shaped dragon curled around a steep, towering mountain, seemingly asleep atop the ridge; its head angled crudely aside from the viewer. A large body of water encompassed the precipitous overlook, revealing nothing but waves in the foreground, and leaving only a horizon of mountains tucked under bushy trees to underline the sun in the background.

The parchment was worn and watered, its original finish fading off, dimming the radiance of the sun, the shine of the water, and magnificence of the azure dragon perched above.

Sitting in front of the painting was an elegant, pale-skinned woman, whose eyes sealed in serene bliss, with a content smile upon supple lips and situated her back to the scroll. Silky, dark-lavender hair primmed her head, neatly hiding equally shaded eyebrows, before falling behind her, rearward. Two, bone-ivory horns cut out from her orderly hair and split apart at the middle like a pair of antlers. A symmetrical couple of red fins poked out from behind dangling, silky stripes, crossing over sharp cheeks, highlighting wide cheekbones, underlining her conjoined eyelashes, and stretching out as a front for ears. Similarly, crimson-scaled arms sat in her lap, daintily resting on top of one another.

Her crimson, elongated lower body laid wrapped up on the floor, and coiled around her hips like a massively, fluffy pillow. Dark, azure hair stretched along the spine of the tail, contrasting sharply with her pearlescent, white skin and red appendages. It seemed as if she anticipated them; settled next to a bare table, she almost appeared to be meditating. She welcomed their entrance with the panes of her glassy eyes; aureate orbs in-fenced a thin ring around the tangerine irises within, framing slim, oval pupils centrally, intermixing her eyes into an alluring, sugary maple blend. They locked on to the young man, before lowering to the box in his possession.

Gliding back to their faces, the sinuous woman addressed the two men, "It's been some time since I've had any visitors, what may I do for you today?" Gently smiling, she greeted them with a courteous bow from her position. Her eyes glanced between them, waiting for a reply. Surreptitiously looking below her neck, Akio glanced down at the low-cut, dark-purple floral patterned yukata barely restraining her immense chest and accentuating the red-violet underbelly of her tail, while falling below her hips.

The elder man stepped forward, intent on speaking first, "Greetings, we brought a gift!" He then gesticulated a solitary arm towards the box in his follower's palms. A shimmer kindled her eyes and pink lips made way in gleeful surprise. Without deferral, an imbricated appendage shot out from around the table, flew across the room, and snaked around the box in the young man's grasp. He let his grip slacken, as his burden was quickly flung away from him and towards the enthusiastic woman. Her tail placed the box on the table before her and swiftly unhitched the latch to peek inside. Digging a bony claw through the bag, she nipped out a stick of skewered dumplings, the round balls glazed a brownish-orange.

The eager girl held the brochette in between her narrow claws, raised it above her gaping maw, and buried it down her throat. The duo thought she swallowed the stick, before she drew it upwards, tightly twisting it in her mouth as she plucked it out with a delightful moan, her eyes closed in bliss. While she delectably trimmed her tongue along her lips, dazzling maple eyes cracked open to glitter towards the pair standing by the door, "They're delicious~" Her decorum returned after she set the stainless stick on the table, "Thank you for bringing me such a delicacy, it means a lot, you know?" Her lively smile flatlined a second later, replaced with inscrutable apprehension. She pointed a stare at the older man, "But, you look troubled, why have you come here?" Those glimmering eyes lost some tenderness they once had, now replaced by remote solicitude.

A stern line crossed the aged man's forehead, recollecting their original purpose here, and trying to phrase it to the scaled girl. "Several of our people are missing, a couple of them were spotted heading this way yesterday. Have you seen them?" he decided to be frank, knowing she most likely hadn't, and probably never will.

Shaded purple hair concealed her brows, outlining their ridges, yet, those bangs shifted crescively from the movement underneath. "I'm sorry," her words were spoken with solemnity, foretelling unwanted news, "I've been here by myself. I haven't had any guests in quite some time before you two." Her face remained impassive, trying to conciliate amid the frowns amongst the men in front of her, "I'm sorry."

The younger man, displeased at the waste of time, grew incensed at the finned woman's reply. "No you're not," narrowing his eyes at her staunch figure, he lowly growled, "Yokai." The words almost broke the shielded visage fragmented on her face, and she flinched from the vehemence coloring his tone. Ripping his glower from her wretched eyes, he swiveled towards the door while speaking to no one in particular, "I'll be outside," and took his leave.

Sliding the door open, he stepped out to cleaner air, and closed the stagnant behind him, leaving the tension with it. He took a breath to clear his mind and opened his vision to big, auburn irises. Their traveling companion was giving him a sidelong glance, reasonably predicting his master to burst out the door next. He briefly noticed her tail wasn't visible from behind the robed garments. He would've greeted her, but instead decided to stand still in meditation. "Akio?" The soft-spoken girl stared intently at his rigid stature, concern was heard in her voice and for a moment, he thought it was just his imagination. "What's wrong?" She persisted, beaming those doe-like eyes at him to perceive his upset. "Do you want to talk?" posed as an inquiry without the inquisitiveness, she looked over his bristly form again.

Beginning to grind his teeth together, dry agitation dripped from his tone, "I don't want to talk, I want to be left alone." Cursing and shaming himself for lashing out at the relatively amicable stranger, a diminutive grimace crossed his face, and his voice traveled in a small whisper, "Forgive me, just, leave me be... please." He didn't bother to look at her when she turned away from him, instead, opting to take small comfort in the silence to collect his thoughts, and drummed his fingers on his knuckles as they waited.

After a short while, the aged man slipped out from the makeshift residence, angled curvatures skimming his features. Swiftly, he placed the reposed stick against the palm of his dominant hand, before slipping his sandals back on. "Let's go, it's getting late," he pointed a look at his pupil, "and keep your guard up, something strange is afoot," the statement would purposefully stall any further conversation till they returned homeward. Punctually, they departed from the shrine.

Humiliated by his irrational furor, the young man lagged behind the pair. The damage was done, and no one would be more ashamed in him than himself. So he followed behind quietly.

In a way, he knew it couldn't be helped. They came here to hopefully learn something about the kidnappers, but staying for too long seemed to distort his mind, causing a bad temper to resurface. Even though know he knew the sinuous woman wasn't responsible, the thought that a child might grow up without her parents weighed on him.

'No, she was responsible, she diddeserve everything that happened to her,' a cruel introspection plagued his mind. Childhood amnesia blocked his parents' faces from his mind. He was too young to remember what they looked like, let alone what they meant to him. That girl was triple his age during that moment in his life, she had remembered, felt, experienced normality one moment, another blink later, and it was gone.

These kidnappers were targeting young, single laborers, taking the young workers during broad daylight when they left the safety of their home. The human couple was an outlier across the half-dozen reports over the prior weeks, and he didn't want any more reasons to fix this as soon as possible.

He adjusted outside his mind, seeing the cloudy, mid-afternoon sky, and the budding trees around him. They'd get through this, he was sure of it. Glancing to his side, he saw the interconnected river off from the path and supposed the couple were around this area when they disappeared. Before he could take another step, a searing pain split through his leg, causing him to stumble and slam his body into the ground. Briefly losing his breath, he clutched at the affected leg, attempting to put pressure on it. Instead, all he was the nerves inside throbbing, a numbness seized the leg. Looking down, he winced at the sight of a handle sticking out of his calf, the signature of a kunai embedded under his skin.

Hearing the peril behind them, the two companions shot their eyes to his agony, then tensed as they took a ready stance while surveying their surroundings. Taking his hands off the gashed leg, he tried to push himself off the ground. He heard a voice try to warn him not to get up, until another sharp pain cut through his body, splitting through his abdomen, and forcing him back onto the ground.

"They're in the trees!" the usually reticent girl shouted, gingerly shuffling towards the limp man. She put a step between the assailant and their unmoving victim, vigilantly awaiting the elder's commands. "Akio!" her sharp whisper called for alertness, yet the young man could only squirm in displeasure on the dirt.

Before long, a blade was stripped from its sheath, "There's another," the trio's leader was coarse with attention, "Deal with the coward, leave the other to me," a curved saber twisted to his side, the scabbard hidden under his coated robe. His cane laid aside, abandoned on the ground.

A golden-blond haired woman, partially coated in golden fur and black dapples throughout her clawed limbs, emerged from the woods; clothed only by an angular tribal curtain strapped centrally on broad hips, and a white scarf of fur draped over shapely mounds. A grizzly, serrated blade dragged along the ground behind furry bipedal legs. Her mottled tail swished restlessly behind her, paired with a baleful grin on fallow skin.

A deep scowl marked his face, taking one glance was enough for him to know what she wanted. "Leave us be," he gave the warning anyway, hoping for the impossible chance she would reconsider. The feline ears above the blond head of hair twitched, and that grin stretched wider, displaying her fanged incisors.

A couple of moments pass before he suddenly turns to deflect a shuriken, knocking it out of the air. His voice cuts through the air next, "Isabelle!" he bellowed at the idled girl, unable to specify orders as he's forced to inure a heavy strike from the fallowed adversary immediately afterwards.

Hearing her name, the hoofed girl, torn between staying with the injured man, rushed towards the hidden ninja, who concealed their presence upon a thick tree branch.

Planning on pressuring her to the ground, she charged the trunk the ambusher perched atop of, ramming into it and causing it to shake convulsively. Afterwards, she glanced up, and noticed a branch twitch as a blur shifted around it. She drove her hooves into the ground, and shoved them off the greenery, propelling her body a distance away from the potential impaler, who finally revealed themselves from camouflage with a severe thud.

A female ninja was crouched with a short, curved blade burrowed into the ground. Trimmed dark purple-highlighted hair shrouded her head, counterpoising with the magenta-accented black cloth she wore as 'clothes,' which exposed: the entirety of her thigh's slimness, a large chasm on her chest, and slender shoulders that swung under towards open windows on opposing sides of her abdomen. Smoke-like tattoos drew themselves upwards from her ravines of skin, splotched like the view of her hidden in the tree.

She pulled her blade from the dirt and began rising with slow deliberation, keeping her pink eyes and matching face mask on her quarry.

Feeling an uneven weight on her body, the robed girl traced a finger from her collar, all the way down her stomach. The kimono was sliced open, narrowly revealing part of the skin-tight garb beneath.

Determining it to be a hindrance, she slipped the robes over her shoulders, and let it fall free from around her arms, crumpling to the ground in a heap. A white bodysuit laid underneath, tightly embosomed to her torso. Black sleeves wrapped around her arms and hands; separated by a cut, airing her slim shoulders and the axillae below. From her hips down, similarly colored black spots contrasted with white fur. A thin tail poked out from her tailbone, leading a long, white filament to a black, broad, and thick tip, like a stained paintbrush.

The forbearing ninja kept the modest blade balanced in her palms, holding it next to her face with the point facing parallel while she astutely observed the taller woman, looking for any snares. She studied the horned girl's body and the robe around her hooves. However, she deduced the only place the woman could hide anything would've been under the skin-tight clothes hugging her figure, the prime suspect being the girl's significantly reduced bust compared to others of her species.

Apathy met impassiveness, the dark-haired girl, disciplined to stand motionless, kept vivid, pink eyes fixed on her quarry's dull, red ones, searching for a hint of her next move by the slightest twitch of the face or muscle across the body.

The bovine-eared girl relented first, gradually drawing her eyes towards the clashing behind the ninja. Seizing the opportunity, a kunai flung out from under one of her pink gauntlets, and the infiltrator sped ahead to catch up to it.

Noticing the movement, the blotted-haired girl quickly nudged her head away from the soaring knife, resulting in it cutting through a throng hair beside her neck. She reoriented herself to a straight, prepared stance, leaving her elbows bent and palms free in front of her. The ninja closed the distance fast, committed to running the cow through with her sword. Icy, red eyes stilled, before the poised fighter speedily ensnared the girl's wrist and diverted the blade that was heading for her heart, to around the curve of her waist instead, narrowly gliding pass white linen.

A sickening crunch and scream followed soon after, as the assassin's forearm was turned crooked by the monstrous strength of her horned opposer. The hilt slipped from her grip, hitting the ground roughly, muffled by the dirt, while her legs were swept out from behind as she fell with it.

Laying on her back, the functioning fingers from her opposite arm hurriedly flashed to her legged gauntlet, but a hoof smashed into it, pinning it to her hips, causing another cry from the injured girl.

With numb fingers, the curbed girl blindly intended on using her legs next, but before the masked ninja could kick her legs out to misbalance the attacker, she was swiftly kicked over to her stomach. Lifting a knee, she attempted to stand up, until a furry shin pinned her calves to the ground, while her effective arm was snatched up and over her head into a chokehold.

The hooved fighter pressed her body against the girl's back, and with a push, lowered them both to the ground. Ignoring the prickling sensation on her stomach, she continued strangling the dark-clad chameleon, wrapping the underside of an elbow around her arm and neck, coiling them together, while the other arm reinforced strength behind the lock by compressing her wrist.

With trapped legs and a free, but limp arm incapable of action, the sputtering and struggling soon ended, reposing the ninja to a steady pulse. Still feeling a sting on her belly, she let her victim drop with a quiet thud and spotted a heart-shaped dagger dripping thick, red and purple liquid onto the unconscious body's back. Running a finger below her navel, she felt her blood freeze.

Lifting the hem of the red-stained shirt, she saw an incised hole a little longer than her finger, outlined red, and oozing the purple fluid. Slim fingers let the hem fall back to her waist, knowing it was too late to mend. Gazing down at the insensible girl once more, she took another look at the heart-shaped blade and saw it was connected to a flexible cord roped under the clothes covering her modesty. She had been careless, the kunoichi reserved a hidden trick that fooled her, a tail tipped with a poison she couldn't identify. She knew it wasn't worth mulling over right now, so she cleared her mind, and shot her focus at the struggling old man.

Not matching physique with his feline pursuer, the strained man breathlessly deflected as many strikes as he could away from his strength. Except, the power behind the blond warrior's strikes were impressive, and dangerous, causing him to withstand every block he couldn't deflect. On the other hand, the attacker enjoyed every moment of his turmoil, delightedly smiling at him from behind the white fur naturally scarfing her neck.

A moment later, his sword threatened to slice the spotted cat's head off. Leveling her's with the task, she crashed the brutal blade into his elegant one, colliding their strengths together. Locked together, she effortlessly overpowered him and leveled both their blades to the ground, using the serration on her sword as leverage.

Before the man could stabilize himself, she shot a paw at his chest, upsetting his balance into a retreating stumble. Planning to finish him with savage impalements from her blade, she swung her weapon at a severe angle towards his chest, before he tumbled backwards, causing her to miss with a harsh gust of wind in its wake.

The pleased smile left her face, robbed of a satisfying battle. She leisurely waltzed towards his heaving form; the once aloof focus he admirably displayed, now abdicated to painful respiring. Hoping to resume their contention, she raised her weapon, ready to cleave his vulnerability in two, until sudden weight rammed into her side, launching her to the ground. Landing on her side, she rolled to her rump, gripped her weapon, and rotated the blade in front of her, before honing onto the kneeling stance of the battering cow.

Jumping to her paws quickly, she glanced at the man, who sluggishly tried returning to his feet, until snapping her golden eyes back to the interloper, who was already upraised and scraping a hoof along the ground.

Agitatedly flicking her tail, the now frowning feline readied the blade in her hands, angling to gamble with the encroacher, regardless of her aching abdomen.

The Ushi rushed, the cat braced; until cloven hoofs abruptly skidded to a stop in front of the poised warrior. The blunt of the blond's blade fiercely thrusted towards the halted woman, but bare hands intercepted and caught the furry wrists responsible. Before the golden-coated feline could react, she was thrown overhead and soared onto the ground next to the incapacitated boy.

Yet, opportunity incurred an idea. Putting it to the test, she scurried to her knees, and hoisted the inert boy onto his own, before skating the claws of her sword above his torso.

"Put him down," her pale adversary spoke lowly. The spite in her voice twisted a smirk on the tanned abductor's lips.

Pressing the sweaty body closer to her chest, she craned the boy's head back with a single claw. Her tongue skimmed his neck while her fangs loomed to tear it open. Carrying her hot breath on his ear, a sultry whisper burrowed into his head, "What a shame," before his torso was gashed from end to end.

The young man could only gape as colored flushed his face and sprang his senses to height. His robes sliced apart, and the ravine of revealed skin glowed red, yet, stayed dry. The shock fell him to his back, collapsing him in a heap.

Present companions separated to return to their partners, the escort filled Akio's sight, centering in his tunnel vision until it was all he could see.

Alluring auburn eyes worriedly peered down at him, her eyebrows partly hidden by untidy black-and-white bangs, but he could easily read the expression she gave him. 'Such beauty... shouldn't be worried about me... I know...' thoughts played in his mind as he stared into her eyes. Eventually, his ogle loitered to her supple lips, moving in silent communication, mouthing his name.

His hand suddenly clasped around her wrist, stunning the troubled girl. Helping the sweating boy pull himself up, she asked again, "Are you injured, Akio?" instead of answering, he stared at her face. Drawing his hands to her shoulders, he languidly rose to pitch with her, and traced his eyes to her lips one last time, before launching himself at her, instantly ensnaring her lips with his own. He stood to height, looming over her rigid demeanor. When he began pushing her down, she didn't resist and toppled statuesquely onto her back, heat arising to her frozen face.

His pin left her shoulders, slipping into a fumble beneath her collar as his tongue tried to break through her teeth. Blankly, she detached his head from her person, forcing his chest away with her forearms. In reprisal, he tried to press his body back down and pull her stupor closer, craving to bring their flushed faces back together.

Suddenly, a pommel struck his temple, knocking him off the bovine's body, and instantly rending him unconscious. The weary elder twisted the sword back into its sheath, his white robes swallowed it whole, leaving not even the hilt exposed.

Outstretching an open palm towards the vacant-eyed girl, he called out sharply, "Isabelle!" and hoped she'd blink to attention. His grip was accepted by her smooth hand, but the girl still stared off, unfocused. "Isabelle!" his diminished voice announced her to attention again, this time, slightly rousing the bull-headed girl from her trance, dazed eyes shifting onto his own proving the fact. The elder reached around to pinch one of her drooping ears, fed up with her torpidity.

A tiny squeak followed soon after, the embarrassed girl hastily apologizing accompanied with a short bow., "Forgive me, I was careless." When she stood tall, her face sprang in panic and shot her view around the area in urgency.

"Calm down, they're gone, and I don't think they're coming back anytime soon." He leaned forward, maintaining direct eye contact, "So listen closely. Akio needs treatment, take him back home immediately," a pointed glance fixed itself onto her damp abdomen, "Along with yourself. And don't worry about me," he broke away from her sight. Treading to his discarded cane, he rebalanced the familiar weight in his grasp, "I'll be fine," his eyes didn't meet hers.

Turning around, he saw the bull-horned girl standing some distance away from him, nervously twitching in her bottom-less state, an amassment of hair acting as her undergarments. "Go on! What are you standing around for!" he barked at her, which sparked the anxious mind to scuttle away lethargically, the adrenaline unable to energize her body any further.

After his companions left, he pointed a toe towards the spot their attackers retreated from, knowing they wouldn't risk coming back so soon. Even then, he thought of the unlikely alliance held between the renegade mercenary and faithful servant; both of them served different 'masters' but worked together anyhow.

He glanced at Isabelle's discarded clothing, the garments lying in their wake, before shifting onto the flattened grass close to it.

His breath regained control, and his mind cleared soon after, causing his legs to lead him away from his belatedly departed companions.

---

It should've been dangerous to walk the light-less woods alone. Nevertheless, an unconcerned young woman gamboled abound the grass absentmindedly, pleating a jovial smile along the crease of healthy peach lips. Her coziest orange-and-white floral yukata wrapped around a lissome waist. She pranced ahead, vibrant, sandy-brown hair splaying from the breeze. Her eyes remain glued shut as intimate habituation guided her through the route. A warm day was descended upon them, and with the night mild, she took it upon herself to visit an old friend.

Blind eagerness set in late during her trip; presuming the telltale sign of familiar energy, she hopped off the beaten trail, onto jagged grass and bunched trees. That merriment diminished as she drew closer to the presence. Unable to see its source, she narrowed her perception through inherent sense: a sharp prickling pestering the back of her mind, coaxing her to leave.

The days of old were far behind the young woman, she never once felt such ferocity from a mamono, and the faint power she felt strongly foretold those ill tides. Her body shuddered at the subject of her thoughts. Leaving no margin for reconsideration, she shouldered the responsibility of her home's safety and honed her amble towards the being's aura.

Maneuvering through a couple-dozen thickets and trees, some pulling at her low hems, she hid behind a tree. Prudent not to disturb the air, she moved meticulously, nimbly leveraging slim fingers around a trunk, before cautiously poking an eye around its girth. Scorched foliage and withered trees, soaked with ash and soot, blanketed the grounds, marginally encircling the dry land with bleak achromatism. She traced her sight across the disconsolate field, steadily detailing the bizarre curiosity until it landed on a prone silhouette in the middle of the singed earth. The scene was foreboding, and at first glance, it looked as if the eerie forest swallowed the figure's life into it. Having seen the body, her heart lurched, anxious to help, but unnerved by the vile atmosphere.

Determined to help, she left the cover of the tree and began to make her way to the blackened body, the flattened ground granting her quiet guarantee. As she drew close, she observed the dark form, it had the vague shape of a human male, aslant pollices hinted it laid on its stomach. Presuming it a man in a dire situation, she hurriedly kneeled next to him, and lowered a hand to his face, feeling for his distinct life-force.

That plan abruptly halted, as a frigid numbness seized her ankle, constricting it in a bone-crunching grip. Shrieking in terror and pain, she fell back, and landed on her bottom. A blood-red eye stared at her from the contour of the man's head, watching her squirm under its stricture.

The negative energy increased tenfold, pressuring down on her; from all directions; the looming forest wrung the lucidity away from her, forcing a cold realization, she was alone. Terrified at the situation, she cowered behind her hands, "Please..." the usual stability in her speech relegated itself a shriveled whimper, unable to clearly articulate herself from the fear.

The dullness in her ankle suddenly subsided, and cool air licked it once again. A semblance of sensibility rushed back to her, allotting her a feeble push away from the body, she took the chance to force her eyes on him again; he rose with incisive deliberation to his darkened soles, keeping an attentive eye on her with vivid, yellow irises. Shadows seemed to cling to the male figure, consuming every distinguishing feature on his body.

"Wha- What... happened to you?" she gaped at the macabre figure, her mind warned against it, but her heart thought otherwise. His aura flared to life for just a moment, before fading away instantly. During that time, she felt the menacing energy wash over her. The silhouette's very being stood covered in unfeeling shadows, his soul warped by inhuman coldness. It struck her that this man needed help, something malicious had been planted in him, something ancient. She just hoped it wasn't too late to save him.

She quickly lifted herself to unsteady legs, "Si-," she cleared her throat, and washed the fright out of her mind, "Mister," her words invoked attention in the man, but his yellow eyes stared unceremoniously back. "You can understand me, right?" she began to fidget at the rapt interest directed her way, until a dull nod answered her question. "Well, um..." she trailed off, uncertain where to lead her conversation next, but curiosity got the better of her, "What... happened to you?" she disquietly peered into his piercing eyes.

Impassively gazing through her soul, he responded with equal reservation, "Nothing..." a grim rasp croaked from his throat, grating on the girl's ears, and sending shivers down her spine.

Nervously tugging on the wide sleeves of her robes, she tried to talk to the dreary man again, "Where is your home? Will you be safe tonight?" genuine concern bled from thinly veiled distress. She covertly swallowed a lump of worry down her gullet, as the pair of unblinking beams silently watched her.

A moment later, another response left his form, "I'll be fine," hollow in tone, his voice carried an unquestionable structure, leaving no opportunities for further conversation. As such, his focus finally left her, to wander, along with his body, away from the irresolute girl.

She panicked, her face morphed in dismay, and her mind shuddered with a single thought. "Wait!" she stopped herself, rectifying her impolite holler meekly, "Please..." she stood placidly, as the man froze to observe her once more. One pause later, and she uncertainly continued, "It- It's not safe here at night, and you..." she trailed off again, unresolved about how to articulate herself.

Choosing to prioritize the prerogative, she promptly got back on topic, "I'm traveling to a shrine tonight, you'll be welcomed interim refuge there; if you choose to accompany me."

His unmoving body silently observed her, before deeming a question appropriate, "Why should I?" spoken with slight curiosity behind acute scrutiny.

She breathed a little easier after the minuscule emotion emitted from the man. "You can expect enough to get you on your way: nourishment, clean clothes, a heated bath, and sanctum from the night. However, I wouldn't expect a warm meal." Her features curved downwards in a somber contortion, "I won't force you to join me, but I couldn't bear to leave someone alone in the woods either." She arched to a bow, a hand, held to her heart, "I swear, if you decide to join me, that no harm will come to your person, and I will protect you with my life. In return for your temporary trust," rising from her bend, she connected a solemn gaze to his, prepared for a response.

The sincerity, highlighted by the gesture, took the darkened man aback. Her dignified manners, paired with the sentimental approach impressed him greatly, and first impressions went a long way. Amusement almost pulled his lips, "Alright, I'll go with you."

The lids of her eyes pulled back, fully showing her golden irises, before they hastily reverted, changing with her expression, radiating a grateful smile. "Come along then. It's not too far from here. And…" she stopped herself, biting the interior of her lip in hesitation, "Thank you... for trusting me." A smile pulled on her fair, sun-kissed face, returning to her composure after the draining encounter.

She pivoted her sandals around, facing the acre she trod over. Looking back towards the ominous shadow, she watched him stalk closer, before leading him to their trek.

---

Some time later, the dormant malevolency from the dead forest was left behind, and the young lady's thoughts simmered, driving doubts into her mind. The man crunched every branch and leaf along the path, reminding her he was looming behind. She should've reconsidered bringing the stranger with her, he carried that latent energy with him too, wore it like a second skin. When she turned around every once in a while, glowing, yellow rings un-empathetically gazed back, palpitating her unease imagining the abnormal man staring holes in the back of her head the whole jaunt. She trembled, recalling his frightening crimson glare, and the impossible fear instilled in the depths of her soul, she couldn't even remember when the shivering stopped, but the horror still tingled the pit of her heart. Yes, she definitely should've revised her line of thinking.

Taking the initiative, she invited him to more conversation, "Mister?" she peeked an eye over her shoulder at the quiet man. "Are you..." her interest shifted from his keen focus to his irregular stride; shifty legs shambled across the grass, "Hurt?" Not slowing her pace, she glanced back towards his face, a flicker of concern across her features.

Indifference remained in the eclipsed man's eyes, shadows chose not to clip any more of his body, "No." For a moment, she gawked at his superficialness. Shortly following that, she surmised that he was probably tired, bewildered, or even embarrassed. Those previous sharp gazes told her otherwise, however, but something in it now softened a bit compared to before.

The clacks of stone footing greeted their ears, and the girl's spirits grew soon after, all the stress nearly alleviated at the sight of the path ahead. Abruptly, a familiar stricture halted her anticipated approach. Her head snapped back, springing to the source: the over-shaded figure of a man, who kept a rigor grip on her wrist, "Is this the place?" his scrutiny reignited, burning holes through her soul yet again, the coldness from his hand stung her bare wrist, wracking her body with tremors.

"Ye- Yes. See? I- I told you it wasn't far," her voice involuntarily quivered, knowing it couldn't be helped, she continued, "Is... something wrong?" she raised a wavering, easy smile, but felt it was only to comfort herself.

A stoic glower stared her down, before shifting past her, "This place," his words echoed through the night, letting her slowly digest his speech, "What's on the trees?"

Puzzled, she followed his gaze and spotted an inked slip of paper tied around a low branch. Blanching, she hurriedly dilated her gaze back towards her subject, and released herself from his hold, "Forgive me," penitence fell under the sandy fringe draping her forehead and lowered herself into a shameful bow. "I haven't been entirely honest with you. The resident living here is... bound, by these seals scattered around the premises. I promise, she won't harm you. even if only I can speak for her."

After her bow, she let her gaze sadly glance towards the path ahead, "It's... complicated, to explain what caused her to reside here." Facing back, amber irises regarded him sympathetically, "I know you have little reason to trust me. If you wish, I won't stop you from leaving."

The other pair of yellow orbs implicitly read her features, while formulating a question, "What is she?" accentuation flecked his voice, unmistakable in tone. Narrow skepticism cracked into an observant stare, analyzing the young woman's inglorious quandary.

She, on the other hand, verged towards an honest commitment. With open eyes and an assuaged countenance, a subdued utterance was guided through her lips, "Well..." her eyelids drooped as she looked up at the perfervid man, "She's not human." Her neck sloped towards her shoulder, and amber eyes fell to the ground beneath his soles. A sigh absconded from her mouth, dipping longing on a tired face. Gradually, her eyes glided back to his, still inclined to the side. "She's a Ryu."

He appropriately blinked after her last word, the first shutter the girl directly paid witness to since they met. A moment of silence later, his hoarse croaking rose again, "Ryu?"

The clueless nature of the question caused more surprise in her than it did the faceless man, "You... don't know? The Ryu is a benevolent dragon native to these lands. They harmonize with the villages around them, and help in any way they can."

He stared dispassionately at her. She stood readily, her visible brow raised worriedly, but her eyes pled inquiry after him, "Is there... anything you'd like to know?"

Its name wasn't unknown to him, and the description was familiar; he deemed it meaningless to question her further, "No, that'll be all."

She addressed a nod of acknowledgment to him, before swiveling back onto the path, the man not far behind.

Ignoring whether or not what she said was veritable, he digested his surrounding under the moonlit, midnight sky. The forest flourished with lively verdure alongside the stone laden path, juxtaposed with the desiccated land in their wake. Red, bulbous lanterns hanging from posts weakly dimmed the path ahead, drawing the sunset-like light along some of the ground, stepping stones, and non-descript plants.

Peeking through the darkness, an illuminated, reserved enclosure came into view, sitting daintily on a hill, encompassed by bright, flowing water. A bridge, stretching longer than the building, crossed over the streaming body of water, allowing dry passage across.

Stepping onto the wooden beams holding the overpass together, the innate humidity from the water grazed the man's skin. Unlike a natural spring, contaminants plagued the water, infecting it with ailing energy, causing steam to saturate the atmosphere in an aberrant, colorless fog.

The guide hopped up to a low balcony attached to the base of the darkened structure, and pulled a string attached to some wind chimes; acting as a makeshift doorbell, resounding beyond the air; she turned back to look at him as she slipped her socked feet out of their wooden sandals, "Will you please wait here for a while? I apologize for my discourtesy. It's just, you're soiled in grime, and we can't easily clean the shrine if it gets dirty." She promptly skimmed her eyes over him, head to toe. Frail curves steadily kept the corners of her lips upraised, "I promise I won't keep you long," with that, she slid the traditional doors open, and wedged herself between the narrow space, before vanishing behind the sliding entryway.

Once inside, she unconsciously slid the door shut behind her, keeping her vision centered on the moonlit interior. No light emanated from inside of the building, but the moonlight secreted through the translucent walls, tinting the room a faded-blue twilight. A silhouette situated itself in the center of the room, faintly breathing in its illumination by the navy sky and pale moonlight. The self-invited guest passively shuffled towards the shadow, only stopping when the thin breathing from the hunched figure halted.

Dangerous, slitted pupils shot out from the darkness, wrapped around luminous, maple irises. "Hello?" The girl meekly sounded out, "Rei-" something coiled around her waist then, freezing the words on her tongue. Motionless from the thick, threadlike object encircling her body, she peeled her eyes from the spectator's and attempted to lower them to her stomach. The appendage roughly squeezed around her waist, halting her gaze and filching a gasp from her lips.

Her body was then swiftly lifted off the ground, and the surprised squeak that followed was shortly interrupted by her restrainer. "Tsuki~!" the cheerful voice channeled warmly throughout the nightly room, allaying some brace in the suspended girl.

After being thrust through the air, she was uncomfortably snatched from the stifling constriction by another merciless squeeze; scaled arms snuggly embraced her lithe body, while the spindly tail shrank the distance between them. "What are you doing here?" the woman questioned disbelievingly, hidden over the other's shoulder, while still not relenting her clutches.

With her arms finally freed from the winding tail, she gently placed her arms around her friend's body, below the back of the stunned woman's neck. Tenderly holding the woman, she acquiesced the stiffness wracking her tendons, and closed her eyes for a brief moment, "The weather was warming up, so..." their embrace loosened, and they separated from each other, "I thought you would enjoy some company." The sinuous woman seized the other's hands as they released, keeping their postures inclined on the mat.

The tangerine irised girl beamed at the slim maiden, "That's kind of you," her smiled faltered, "But you shouldn't trouble yourself so much with me. You should out there making connections," she removed a hand to point at the girl's chest, "While you still have that willful compassion in your heart."

Appalled by those words, the smaller girl momentarily gaped, "Don't say that about yourself!" She took a second to still the glaring passion in her voice, "I won't let you spend these days alone, besides," her puffy gaze shot to the door, "I... have someone with me who needs help," facing back, concerned looks met each other. "He's outside, awaiting my return, he looks like a charred corpse, but doesn't appear to be in any pain. I… don't know," she sighed in abandonment, "You'll know what I mean when you see him," she shook her head side to side as her eyes kept track of the disconcerted woman. "I'm worried about his wellbeing, more specifically, his state of…" she cut off her prospective rambling. "He needs help, promise me you'll let him use your spring, no matter what you think of him," severity underlaid the plea underneath, amber eyes housing the quail as admittance.

Beginning to bite her lip, the dark-haired woman began to rise from her pillow of scales, pulling the other maiden up with her crimson tendril, "You don't need to ask me that, Tsuki. I won't turn anyone away." Ebony slits peeked at the entrance, before turning back to her visitor in accord, "I'll help you," she comforted the girl with a smile, before shifting to concern. "Will you introduce me? I can see you're troubled, so I'll soothe your worries right now." Smoothly nurturing her visitor into solace, she awaited assent before jumping to assistance.

A silent nod of acknowledgment passed to her, and they began to move towards the door open upon the affirmation. Sludging behind, the horned woman intended for her visitor to honor the door with its appeasement.

Almost hastily, socked feet skidded to the entrance, restless to check on her self-internalized trust. Still, gold-ochre hair swung around for the resident's own, requited approval.

In response, pink lips fastened a sure smile on her purple framed face, like a mother permitting her kid to play with the others. One melted smile in return later, and the orange-garbed visitor turned around again in preparation for her thoughts. Beginning to slide the door open, they looked ahead as the doorway stretched open for his figure, those gilded orbs floated ominously from his darkened visage.

It seemed, long before she even opened the door, that he was awaiting for the horned woman to appear in his sights, like he was watching her approach through the translucency. His focus was fixated solely on the slim tailed woman behind, once she slid into view, his eyes scoured her body, soaking her appearance in, meticulously compartmentalizing the exotic sight. With that scene, peach lips hastily attempted to break his ungracious greeting, "Mister?" She stepped over the divider, onto the balcony, forcing his attention. His eyes shone down on her, but he didn't face her." I apologize for the wait. Allow me to introduce you to our hostess," she positioned herself to the side, attaining view of the two, and motioned towards the sinuous, proper woman aside them, presenting her idle and elegant composure with a flat palm. "This is Reina, she will be taking care of us."

The woman smiled in practiced gentility, melted, oblique eyes denoted regality. Her spindly tail implied serpentine origins, but the ovated scales patterning her lower body, aquatic fins lining her cheeks, and clawed hands clasping over one another, spoke undoubtedly of the draconic nature within.

The hydra-like woman dressed in a tight, inky-purple robe embroidered with cherry-red flowers, rivaling her dark-lavender hair, crimson scales, and red-violet underbelly. Proving she wore nothing underneath, a triangular window of skin pointed towards her neck, enfenced by red-accented trims. A small, golden magatama was infixed squarely on her sternum—tiny squiggles snaking beside it.

A lengthy, red ribbon encircled her neck, intertwined above her clavicle, and dressed her prodigious breasts in another layer of cloth. Small, violet shawls dangled from her covered elbows, and curtained her denuded, scaly hips.

Symmetrically tressing her forehead's contour, two, green magatama accessorized her hair, ringing a pair of dark-lavender locks into their respective ornaments. The outshining part of her body resided atop her head; two, white horns like antlers jutted from beneath her primmed hair, matching contrast with her milky skin, a familiar landmark from a foreign place.

After her introduction, the aforementioned Reina carefully lowered to a modest bow, "I'm delighted to meet you." The bend straightened with equal grace, in turn, her lips softly arced upwards, exchanging the crook in her back. "May I know the pleasure of your acquaintance?" a polite smile plastered her face, inoffensive and comforting.

The overcast man observed the woman's homely mien, before startling a husk from his throat. "I am a wayworn wanderer, and for now, I'm in your care," he didn't nod, he didn't bow; instead, a flicker of concession gleamed his eyes: a sliver of pliancy rarely shown, clouding his coarseness.

The brows hidden under her dark-lavender bangs furrowed, troubled, but incapable of being expressed suitably. "Well..." this time, her eyes traversed his body, noting nothing from the dimly illuminated form, only an exaggerated silhouette. "Would you like to clean yourself up?" the taut unwrinkled, and she resumed her passive grace. A heavy nod approved her suggestion, "Then come with me, please," she brushed past him, the prolonged tail trailing behind. The other girl stood still, awaiting his anticipated movement. Now, a placid eloquence aligned her body, relieving her desire for additional company besides him.

Silently, the gloomy man started walking alongside the winding tailpiece of their hostess, his guide stepped into tune with him, following along from the opposing side. Briskly, they took a trip down the hill behind the enclosure, and soon arrived at the neighboring ground directly in front of the steaming water.

Ending her slide near the edge of the footing, the slithering woman whirled to her quiet guest, "Here we are. Make yourself comfortable. This spring will invigorate and scrub your body clean." A strange look passed her, "Will you… need assistance?" quivers tugged her lips, unintentionally rippling the neat crest she worked onto her face.

Callously, the stony man dismissed her, "No," and twitched his eyes to the sight behind her. The water began to bubble, and whiteness palpitated from the sudden stirring.

The draconic woman hid her forlorn at his indifferent apathy, "Are you sure? You-" her words sounded unsure, unlike the certainty in his voice. Her eyes tentatively fell to the grass, along with her head, "Never mind, If that is what you wish," her body started to stalk itself back to her home, "Then I'll leave you be."

The hushed rustling eventually faded off into the distance, and his attention turned from the currently wrinkled water—to the observer of his recent interaction, who stood off to the side, a sullen frown dangling off her mouth. After catching his attention, she asked, "What troubles you?" a short break of silence intoned her quandary, finalized with a heavy sigh carried by the light breeze. "Please, don't close yourself off from us completely. I know everyone has secrets they'd like to hide, or aren't comfortable with sharing but..." she brushed billowed bangs away from her eyesight, purposed with evincing her willful understanding. "We want to help... I would ask of you, at least consider our presence." Closing with a respectful bow, she trailed after the lately departed hostess.

Forgoing the company, he edged over the lush turf, inclined to assess the vernal pond. Bottom-full water rippled and streamed pensively, his reflection asymmetrical on the wavy crests, uneven golden rings shined through imperviously, incapable of reversion.

Kneeling next to the gentle ripples, he anchored a hand off the coast and dipped a couple of digits to feel the solace of warmth. After filching moisture from below the shallow depths, he inspected the pasty skin revealed underneath; ambient mana soaked the sparsed skin, not only washing away all the grime, but also imbibing into his body.

His mind briefly illuminated, and a tired body lethargically marched forwards. Cautious soles sunk into the feverish comfort of the bath. Soon, the waterline almost extended to his knees, and the heated caress enticed him to a peaceful respite. Slumping to heavy knees, his waist fell under the surface, and his back gently receded to the ground, submerging every part of his body once fiery eyes ultimately evaporated. He finalized the rest onto his shoulders, and with the protrusion on his neck deposed, his conscious lulled into the cradle of darkness.

---

When padded feet stepped back into the confined shrine, she immediately caught sight of the snakelike woman, who sifted through a cabinet in a shadowed corner.

Shambling towards the preoccupied woman, she launched an inquiry across the room, intrigued by her friend's behavior, "Reina? What are you doing?"

The dark-lavender haired woman swiveled to the attention, "Oh, he's going to need new clothes, right? I'm looking for something that might fit him." Re-entrancing herself again, she continued rummaging through the closet, absently talking from the nook, "I know the Takayama's clothes are still here, but I can't seem to find- aha!"

Slinking to height, she spun around, revealing a folded, plain-black kimono in her grasp. Pinching the shoulders, she let it unravel down her body in comparison. "Do you think it'll fit him?" she rotated it a bit to get a view herself, until spying an unsure glance at the woman ahead.

The other girl sized up her hostess, who stretched herself upwards with her springy lower body in imitation of the stranger's height. "It's…," she pondered, holding a finger to her lips, "Are you sure that's a man's, it looks a little short."

Melded eyes blinked, "Well, the Takayama's were a little short in their twilight years, and Yasu indulged in a smidgen of corpulence during that time," the stretched woman explained for her visitor.

Ceasing her line of thought, the chocolate-blond decided to waive their concerns away, "We can always look for something else later. For now, let's see to the sleeping arrangements."

They stalled, before looking around cluelessly, hoping for a suitable bed to magically appear out of thin air; otherwise, the pocket-sized room would undoubtedly feel cramped by the late-night hours.

Reina wrapped the robes to a flat fold while she pondered, "I have just one blanket we can use, but I have more than enough cushions for all of us. If we share the mat..." she gestured towards the carpet they stood on, filling space, in and around the low table centerpieced in the room, " We should all be sufficiently comfortable for the night. Does that sound suitable?" she prodded a suggestion, testing the waters in the process.

The opposite muser kept an uncertain stance, "I… suppose it'll have to do," a sigh finalized the statement, privy to her attempts at masking the half-hearted resolve underneath, "Reina?" Red fins peeking around purple locks twitched, composing themselves for a question. "You're not upset with him? Are you?" condensed with worry, solemn eyes stared at their quarry.

The woman in question stared into a daze, "No, I just didn't expect such a callous response from him," a straight face turned stoic, "I shouldn't have expected anything at all." As if connected directly to her soul, the disquiet in her heart flashed through her eyes. A blink later, it was gone. "Don't worry Tsuki, I'm fine," with a joyless smile, she reassured the girl.

Ostensibly coupling emotions, a similar face mirrored from the visitor, mimicking the unconvincing expression on the Ryu's. Fabric rubbed together as padded feet shuffled along the floor, "I don't believe you, Reina." Summery eyes pierced through the façade, swaying it into a fragile frown. She eventually faced across from the bedeviled woman, and leveled a plea from her gaze, "Talk to me."

Lines on the purple framed face slipped, dragging pink lips downwards, rending the visage completely. "You already know what's wrong..." she muttered lowly, despondency hooking the back of her throat. "I know I can't truly live, but still..." oval slots pitched downwards, veiled by their natural drapes; until sudden warmth pressed against her chest, rested on her shoulder, and slimly encircled her waist.

"How many times do I have to tell you? If we can share a moment like this, then surely you can experience one with somebody else." A pause of silence followed her compassion. "Don't dwell on those idle thoughts. Instead of believing you can't live them, believe you can. Because if you keep trying, I know you'll eventually find happiness." She took a tired breath, "But if you stop now, how can you expect to find what you gave up searching for?"

They pulled away from the embrace, and vibrancy glistened from sunny eyes, lighting up the room in an attempt to lift the crestfallen resident's spirits. Pink lips wriggled ever so slightly in response, "Yeah, you're right. I just lost my assurance for a while." Vitality returned to her face, "I'm grateful for your kind words, Tsuki, but I must apologize for stealing some of them for myself." With color restored to the room, the climate tempered, "Don't apologize for anything. You're my best friend. How could I possibly accept my best friend to live in anguish?" Her expression arced down, "Just don't forget, your life is what you make it to be."

Peach lips opened partly for continuation, prior to amber eyes flashing in remembrance and the palm that soon followed that memoria to her head. "It seems we forgot about our guest... and we don't even have a towel ready! I- Could you-" the question was interrupted by a four-clawed hand signaling the air.

"Don't worry, I'll fetch a towel out of here, and maybe some more comfortable clothes too. If you want to check up on our guest, be my guest," the brightened girl shined a smile at her present visitor.

Whom meant to clarify herself, "He's probably been waiting out there for awhile. I don't want him to think we forgot about him..." she blinked, "I mean, we did, but... you know what I mean." Padded feet began to slip back towards the door, "I should probably take my leave. I'll meet you outside, okay?" and she exited the shrine once more.

Promptly scuffing into her sandals, an unease compelled her to move fast, she kited the corner towards the back, and descended the hill, before slowing to a crawl. The spring brightened itself in vacancy, irradiating the forest around it in solitude. If her eyes didn't deceive her, then the stranger was gone. She frowned, a sigh echoed her disappointment, knowing she could only blame herself for leaving the wayfarer unattended.

Realizing she stopped moving altogether, stationary legs began guiding her down the slope again, with the slim hope he might return. A conscientious survey trotted along the woods encompassing the perimeter, before finally whirling onto the spring. Noticing large bubbles disturbing the area, she walked closer, tempted to take a glimpse, just in case. The disruption kicked out transparency in the usually clear water, surfacing opaque whiteness instead.

As she drew imminent to the edge, her heart lurched. An obscured silhouette of a person laid immersed under the bubbly surface. Lightheadedness began to sway her body, "Mister!" but she was already rushing down to the ledge, and plunged herself into the spring with a drenching splash, then she dove towards the distortion. Lunging towards the distortion, slim hands suspended her fall from complete permeation; kneeled on all fours, gold-ochre dropped under the self-made surges. Desperately reaching for his torso, she prepared to heave him above the surface, until her body prickled in numbness.

A familiar death grip cast itself over her shoulders, almost pulling the startled girl below with it. Barely staying upright, she blanched at the bloodless face rising from the shallows. Varnished skin sheened under the pale moonlight, shaping the image of a cadaveric young man; rested eyes lent the appearance of a ghost rising from its grave, while slicked, dark hair glistened from over-saturation.

A breath escaped her, as his blanketed eyes split open, oblivious to the water trailing into its crevices. Ashen livid irises replaced the blazing gold from before, a dull shade analogous to the moon, accustomed without its hue.

"Mi- Mister!?" alarmed by his appearance, she evened her voice out, "Are you okay!?" anxious, she waited for a response, clenching whitened knuckles around his back all the while.

Instead of replying, the young man chose to use her as a winch, mutely lifting himself from her shoulders. She was about to ask him again, until... "Hey! What's going on!?" the hostess emerged from around the shrine, clothes draped over her crimson forearms, and agita constricting her face.

Refocusing on the stranger, she prioritized his avowal before ensuring her friend everything was all right. She shot back to the man. "Are you..." momentarily slurred, she released her grasp from his transient lenience, watching as he stood taller, and eventually loomed over her, "a- alright?" the response, more apprehensive than she was hoping, lingered in the breeze shortly after.

"I'm fine," his voice, absent from hoarseness, resounded in transparency.

Her nervousness turned to temperate scorn upon those words, "Wha- What were you doing!? Were you trying to drown yourself!? You-" the reprimands died on her tongue, a smothering glower demanded immediate silence.

"I said, 'I'm fine,'" intrinsic resoluteness lowly echoed across the spring again, harshly ceasing the girl's distress.

"Hey! What's going on!?" the slithering woman appeared soon after the exchange, shouting to the duo. Damp hair angled a misted face towards the interposer, unable to spout a word before being halted, "Tsuki! You're drenched! What are you even doing in there!?" An imbricated tail sprung over the border and whisked the girl away, placing her onto dry land.

When the soaked girl didn't immediately reply, caramelized-aureate eyes exchanged inspection onto the half-naked man staring their way; short, charred trousers transposed as one of his only graces born from his dreary reproach. Using the tense deafness he provided, she adjusted her focus to survey the canvass of skin pasting his indecency—the sinless skin of a lean, teenage boy, then stirred it around the nearby area, before snapping to the glum girl beside her, "Tsuki? What's wrong?" The girl continued to stare at the ground, uncomfortably wet after the late-night excursion, "Nothing's wrong," a feeble murmur diminished her voice.

Looking back and forth between the two, the Ryu relented, "Here," and offered a towel to the miserable girl, who refused to accept it, claiming under her breath she didn't deserve it.

"I can't leave you sulking like this, now can I? Listen, there here are more inside, so take this one, and I'll race inside to grab another." Reina tried to reason with the obstinate girl.

"Not until he gets one. I caused this problem myself after all..." She remained stony, clamping her faulty posture in between ashamed hands, and slanted herself towards the dirt.

From oblique peripherals, a melded iris pinned back onto the topless onlooker, who still stared at the two of them from the knee-deep spring. Anxiety refrained a warm gaze from the horned woman, but pink lips began to lift the lines along her cheeks anyway, "Are you finished? I have your towel with me," she wiggled the burdened arm for conveyance.

Dead air reigned persistent a short while after, until superseded by the sloshing of sodden movement. The young man gracelessly stomped through the border of water standing between them; icy-gray eyes infixed on the woman's, determined to reach land.

Stepping onto grass, the squelching couple of shoes boring his feet vied for her attention. Obliging the request, couldn't help but scrunch her nose at the peculiarity protecting his soles.

She straightened her arm, inviting the man to relieve the semi-folded towel coiled around it. Without delay, his listless fingers clamped down on the fabric and unapologetically peeled the layers away.

After the cloth left her body, she started retreating, "I'll be back soon, okay?" and spared a glance at the downcast girl beside them, before whipping back to her dwelling.

Now alone, stony eyes snapped to their borders, scouting the inverted picket fence of caramelized bangs privatizing the amber orbs underneath.

Still as a statue, she remained crooked, rather than composed. Rustling from behind her neck drew the slack out; a dim stupor poked out from beneath dripping wicks, addressed to the young man, who deemed to drape the towel over her doldrum.

Once snugly slung over her shoulders, he freed the cloth from his pinch and spied a look at the disarrayed expression adorning her face. Allusively, he flicked his head towards the residence, proposing a dispel for the unrest evident in her posture.

Almost forcefully, her steeped sandals carried the disquieted mind away, homing behind their guide. For a moment, her self-esteem rose, and managed to choke out a response from a dry mouth, "You don't have to be so serious, I just want to help…" the words croaked into timidness, and her head followed it back down.

Sodden shoes halted, their shadow falling in step behind; thoughts spun in his mind, urging respect from a sincere pledge. Pivoting towards the moping avulsion, he processed an impelled consideration. "You... have given me more compassion and hospitality than I've ever known." Attempting to smother his rough countenance, he continued, "I want you to know... I appreciate all you've done for me so far." He didn't constrain any insincerity. Instead, he unfastened the tension routing his face, and let a cooled expression, free from severity, breeze through.

A lone eye peeked out to gawp at him, while peach lips parted in bewilderment. Not giving her time to talk, he quickly spoke up, "Now dry yourself off," then lurked off around the corner of the shrine, granting the gawker some privacy.

Stepping in sight of the door, he arrived right on time for the entrance to slide open. Trailing over the ledge like a speed bump, the dragon turned an unexpected gaze to her new guest. "Oh, hello again. Where's..." peeking around his body she streamed the words off her tongue, asking an unspoken question.

A thumb pointed at the bend; beside his head from the onlooker's perspective. "Oh... well, here's your..." her features froze, "Where's your..." he flicked his thumb above his shoulder again. "Oh..." shortly, she resumed her speech, "Well, here's your clothes and towel. You're welcome to keep the clothes, by the way. I have no need for them, but I can see you do…" her lips curved sharper than usual, tangerine irises leered below his neck, almost shuttering to a close.

A split second later, the look evaporated, and she all but shoved the articles into his chest. "I still need to deliver something to Tsuki." A generic, black robe made itself apparent, layered over the shawls curtaining her elbows. "So, keep yourself busy until then, okay?" and with that, she brushed past him, keeping an inch of space between their bodies.

Slinging the towel over his shoulders, he focused on the threads gifted to him. Unfolding the parcel in his hands, he noticed the faint resemblance to modernity in design, apart from the wide, but short sleeves. It was a two-piece set, indigo in color, consisting of ankle-draping pants, and a robe-like garment reaching below the groins—appended with a ravine splitting down the chest—intended to be girdled and tied around the waist twice, completed with wrist denuded sleeves.

Slipping an arm through a sleeve, and swapping the pants in place of the towel, he prioritized the desiccation of his sleek shorts, mopping any damp moisture with brisk scrubbing. Next, he removed the sopping shoes from his soles, leaving them on the wooden boards to dry, then haphazardly stretched the dyed pants recently given to him over top of the charred remains of his previous ones.

Guiding the other arm through the garb, he quickly realized that the clothes weren't elastic, and needed to be knotted with the attached bands before looking presentable. Pacifically, he acquiesced himself for the task, endeavoring to achieve even a serviceable tie on the traditional pair of clothes.

---

"Tell me already, what's got you so flustered?" vented pupils crushed into a skeptical gaze, set upon the flushed form of their quarry.

The interrogatee, for her part, tried to riposte, "W-Well, if you weren't staring at me so intently, I might not be so embarrassed." The girl clenched the towel over her stripped chest, desperately clinging to the last shred of virtue available. Alit with color, she wrested yellow eyes from impertinent trees to occupy on the woman drinking amusement from her peril. "It's nothing important, I was just... dazed," her precedence shifted away again, resetting back where the onlooker initiatively found it: the shrubbery.

"Tsuki…," a stern voice stiffened its target, admonishment prodded the whimsical foresight infixed within. A softening face disappeared beside her view, "I don't believe you," suppressed breathing hitched, before the towel was suddenly ripped from her figure and thrown overhead, shrouding everything in her sight, and stinging her nude cold. Ruffled for a life's worth, she could only squeeze her eyes shut, praying for the torrential shaking to end.

Eventually, the coarse fabric spared her face some reprieve, but her dignity was thoroughly rubbed off with it. As every inch of her slender endured the pat-down, she could only frown at the assaulter, like a child who was just mercilessly bullied by her older sibling.

Accommodating a wry smile with her playful mood, the intruding woman poked fun at the pout, "I'm sorry, were you planning on staying wet all night?" At those words, the humiliated victim snatched an offered robe from her tormentor's outstretched grip.

Unfurling the black kimono, she wriggled the sleeves around her arms, and swiftly tied the robes securely against her waist, comfortably sheltering herself before addressing her friend. "No, I wasn't. Thank you, Reina." She let the corners of her lips perk up, relatively cured of her flush.

A pale face furrowed, "Tell me something," she spoke without jest, "How did you meet him?" The Ryu expressed curiosity, and her target of interest knew she deserved the truth.

Rosy cheeks fell fair; the lively atmosphere became sullen. The black-robed girl began to recount the matter, "Ah... well, I was traveling along the trails here, when I felt this... presence, in the forest. I couldn't leave it be, so I went to investigate," she stalled to peruse her retention.

"What I saw on arrival, was a patch of blackened land, singed in the scraps of frayed branches, and burnt bark; the life looked acidicly eaten away from the forest. I found that man in the middle of it." She exhaled restlessly, the crisp recollection displacing her sight, "That place felt malicious... ancient, even." Still, she remained infixed on the shaded foliage, "I never imagined myself envisioning what we, in the previous age, felt like, but now..." her mind dissolved the speech, bothered by a stray thought.

The Ryu never rent her engrossment to rouse the speaker. Instead, she patiently awaited her friend's resumption.

Embarrassment flashed upon the re-teller's face soon after. "A- Anyway, when I saw his body splayed on the ground, I tried to help him..." The blue-hued trees unduly gained her attention again. "I raced to his side, thinking he was unconscious... He wasn't..." she swallowed a lump down her throat.

"He startled me when he grabbed me, but I wasn't aghast until I saw his eyes..." she ended in a daze. The scene never left her mind; blood-red glares blazed amidst the pitch-black night; for once, she couldn't see through the darkness.

"I thought that malevolence possessed him, if you had asked me earlier, I would've said it did." Awareness rounded back to her listener, "I've seen my misassumption now, there's still a vestige of light pumping within his heart, although..." her conviction faltered, "He needs help, Reina, but I can't do this alone. He's a vagabond. I barely convinced him to accompany me here."

A semblance of hope, and doubt, glossed her eyes, "You saw it too, didn't you?" the weight holding her voice wavered in trepidation, disquiet thumped against her chest. The thought of being sole witness to such latent peccancy would crumble her, but the consolation for an unfortunate truth pled from her eyes.

The woman quavered, caught off guard by her anguished proposal, "I- I don't know Tsuki, I think you would be better off without me. I- I would just... drag you down..." broken posture ashamedly identified itself in slumped shoulders and drooped fins.

"Reina," softly spoken, she repeated her plea, "I can't do this alone." She drew herself closer, raised delicate digits to the crestfallen cheeks, and cupped them upwards, "But I also won't let him be consumed in... that. Please… help me." An artless meaning demurred behind amber eyes, untold in full.

"I… Tsuki... I'm trapped here. When you need me, I won't be there for you, or anyone, for that matter..." forlorn speech disappointedly attached itself to reality.

Nevertheless, amber eyes glimmered hope into the discontent, "Even then, I don't care, you're all I have. All I ask is for your support, no matter the temporality of it. Please, give me a straight answer this time."

Smothered in expectation, the Ryu couldn't control her stammering, "I- I- I..." hesitance submitted weakly, "You won't move on this, will you? Do you really believe I can help?" Even when downcasted, a semblance of faith twitched her voice.

Summery radiance soothed the doubt, "Of course I do. Why would I ask if I thought otherwise?"

The Ryu sighed, before conceding with her badgerer, "Okay then..." The reluctance laid itself bare, but abatement commenced an eviction, "I'll do what I can, as long as I can," an unsureness wiggled onto her lips, upset by its receptor.

Peach lips tugged at the affirmation. "Reina…" soft gratefulness gushed to the horned woman, "Thank you.."

Despite that, the frown didn't shimmer from the praise. Breathing a heavy sigh, the Ryu inquired after their unknowing charge, "If I'm going to be involved in this, would you kindly answer some more questions for me? Like, what do you know about him?"

Her honey-haired companion eagerly complied, "Of course! But..." she soon levied glum versus the glee, "I don't know anything about him..."

"But, you know more than you let on," Reina rebuked. "What did you call him? A nomad?" Trying to negotiate, she gave a key to jog her memory.

"That's what he called himself. But I did almost pay witness to that behavior earlier tonight." She took a breath in finality, but when syrupy gems continued staring, a reply was forced from her, "He almost left, Reina. I had to stop him from wandering off." Then she closed her eyes in rumination.

Soon after, a gleam crossed her eyes, "Actually, I remember he was clueless about what a Ryu is, so he must be from overseas, right?"

"Hmm," she set a finger to her mouth, "Maybe, but..." Her eyes trailed away, the same way the digit traced along her lip, "Something about that irks me..."

The black-clad listener blinked, "And what is that?"

The woman bounded back, "He doesn't look foreign. And trust me, I can tell." Silence instilled the air following those words, until broken a while after, "Forget it, it's just a stray thought for now. What else can you tell me about him?"

Reina's internalization induced one of her own, scrounging for any hint of place or personality. Tsukiko envisioned the man as if he was right in front of her; short, raven bangs, glistened from its damp, scarcely stinging under the cusp of his brow, while obliquely crossing the scrim along his forehead. Stern brows sloped to a grim, ascetic declination, flattening the tip of his eyes into a replicated constriction. Under his small nose, thin, cupid lips accompanied his disinterest, while moderate cheekbones squeezed around it, and cast a slight tint over his jaw. Above it, lock-less hair coated his temples like fur, which symmetrically edged past the tips of his brows, and directed itself down to his ear lobes. The frame of an obtuse angle leveled with the corners of his eyes.

Other than his appearance and expression, she couldn't say anything more. "I know nothing more than you do now. I'm sorry," she fixed her gaze on the eyes beneath white horns, disappointedly relaying her news.

Upon seeing her friend's dejection, she withdrew herself. "Don't apologize, Tsuki, we'll… figure something out." Awkward disquiet began to stir, until Reina spurred their focus away, "We should get some sleep; besides, I still have a guest to accommodate." The purple-cased woman, not acquainted with late-night outings, decided to head back. "For now, hang your clothes on that tree, I'll come back in the morning to get them." With that, she left the girl to deal with her previous wardrobe, slithering back to her abode in preparation for the night.

Moving around the same corner from earlier, the boy's aslant back stood visibly coated in blue now. As if distincting the natural rustling from her elongation, he whirled around curiously.

"Oh my," her fixation instantly shot to the bunch weaved onto his waist. Unquestionably, he didn't call this country home. "How-" she interrupted herself, "Do you need some help?" when the young man dimly nodded his head, a pleasing smile eased onto her lips, "I currently have some tasks to take care. But don't worry, Tsuki will help you. She's..." her eyes glanced away from his, "A better teacher than I am, she'll show you all the ropes of that samue, and have you wearing it as if you were born into it by tonight. I'll settle you in later tonight, okay?" Dismissing herself from the one-sided conversation, she slinked inside her home, escaping the watcher's interest.

A few moments passed before the aforementioned girl cut the same corner, slightly lost in thought during her leisure tread, with a finger prodding divided lips and a narrow stare fixated on the ground. The lively bathrobe She dressed herself in, gone, replaced by a plain, black kimono. Noticing his attention, the occupied gaze freed itself from her mind and attended to the awaiting man. "Mm, do you need something?" her digit returned to its designated spot, enlaced between concealed hands; blackened robes doing the job her sunny-varicolored ones could never.

Even as his gaze tunneled into her own, her eyes had already blinked implicatively at his waist. "You... I can- here, let me show you," she shuffled upon him, before abruptly faltering shortly after. Amber eyes tethered to his own, awaiting approval to an unspoken question.

Catching the connotation, he regarded her acutely, "Will you?"

With that, slim fingers unashamedly flexed the sloppy knot out from his coat. "Watch me. There are five ties throughout this outfit. First, start with the one along your hips..." experienced finessing guided slender fingers through intricate twisting and looping across his limbs, her signature tie twisted into a heart. He watched obsessively, intent on never experiencing vexation from something so simple ever again.

"...pull it all taut, and... There!" she released hold of the band tied beside his waist. This time, it rested under his arm and folded the garment neatly against his thigh, allowing unrestricted movement from the leg down.

Without warning, he unfastened the band she spent the last couple of minutes teaching and replicated instructions seared into his memory long ago. An unfamiliar angle slowed the process down more than he'd like; vital folds meticulously laced through each other, delineating caution. Eventually, a strange tie, unrelated to her own, gangled in its place: tucked under his arm.

The observer scrunched her eyes at the fastened band; two pairs of blue lines fell from their knot, hanging like pendulous limbs from a disembodied person.

Withholding the comment, she turned her intrigue to praise, "Yep, under your arm, not along your waist. Remember, two ties on the abdomen, one on the hips, and two more on your ankles. Otherwise, I think you understand." She bloomed a rosy smile, looking, almost proudly, up at him.

He hid his dissatisfaction, "I'm... grateful, for your compassion," speaking as if he never thanked anybody in his life, the words croaked out of his throat, like the breath of a diseased, before they turned over.

"Don't thank me, consider it a curtesy from a concerned bystander." If she noticed the unnaturalness, she made no motion to react to it. "But... if you want to thank me, sharing your name with me wouldn't bother you, would it?" her head leveled with his chest, but amber eyes stared up at him shyly, somewhat reminiscent of coy fluttering a sycophant would use in recourse.

A pause accompanied the question. Gray glazed over, passing through her spectrally, his eyes reflected the echoes flashing through his mind.

She was about to snap him out of his reverie, before he refocused on her, "Tell me, what do you see me as?" a gloom fogged his eyes, resembled from sullen remembrance.

"As in... a name?" puzzled at his question, she asked one of her own. After his affirmation, she reserved a moment to genuinely consider a name for the young man, and bit her lip in contemplation. Then it struck her, "Shinsuke," three syllables rolled off her tongue before she pursed her lips together, turning nervous at the vacant look on her querier.

"Um... sir?" bare feet timorously fidgeted in their sandals, restive for a reply.

"And why, would you think that?" a blank stare connected with her eyes.

Afraid she offended him in some way, she quickly sputtered her reasoning, "B- Because you're not hiding who you are, and you- you weren't unwilling to express yourself to me, but I can tell you don't- you won't burden anybody with your problems either. I- I think that makes you strong, so a strong name fits you, wou- wouldn't you think? Be- Because I think it does..." she couldn't look at him, only a distracted gaze, twiddling fingers, and bloomy blush supported the indignity caused by her bleeding thoughts.

The young man stoned at that reasoning, his emotions relegated to an impassive stare. Still, something inside wanted him to act otherwise. "It's interesting you think that..." his attempt at emotion made his voice sound more inanimate than usual.

Abandoning his absurd meandering, an indiscernible shadow of a smirk tugged his lips, "For now, call me... Shin," The self-dubbed Shin responded, indistinctly pleased with the convenient label now attached to him. "Now tell me, who are you?"

Her steadily receding panic promptly yielded to a rhapsodic gleam expressed through dancing eyes, "I would introduce myself as I am, but I'm afraid it wouldn't suit the manners I strive to exhibit." She stood motionless for a second, before the honeyed hair atop her head shook, a pair of tall, canid ears erupted from the disturbance, exteriorly matching her sandy-brown hair. While white fur inlined the interior, tufting onto her scalp from its base.

Posteriorly, another duo of appendages emerged, twisting from her rear, two foxy tails—similarly coated like her near-flaxen ears, swayed in the breeze, snowy tipping dressed their fluffy ends. They exposed themselves by puffily peeking around the edge of her hips, oscillating as if in greeting.

Otherwise, chalk smoothly brightened her bangs and fringes, partially blooming in place of the maple locks once in occupation. It seemed, her appearance emphasized itself from the slight transformation, flushed from the bath.

A gold-ocher mane strew disheveled from its previous incarnation, drawn and prodded like a thorn bush. Unblemished skin softly stretched a home for the petite bones underneath. Low, wide cheekbones straightened lean along her face, her jowl curved in an obtuse v, before meeting cheeks at a broad c. A reddened underline reared beneath her eyes, born from a jovial expression.

Her facial structure closely resembled the Ryu's, sharp eyes befitting of a fox angled her expressions, and soft brows relaxed above their ridges, curling severity to no one.

In fact, both she and the hostess behaved alike. They expressed themselves from warm gazes and sweet smiles, wore similarly patterned robes, and enlaced gentle disposition ahead of indelicate hips. While small noses, lips, and chins accessorized the benevolence modeling their faces. At a glance, they would appear to be siblings, or at least raised by the same mother. He concluded his thoughts upon her cheery gaze.

The corners of her lips soothed upwards, unburdened from deceit, "I must apologize, as I haven't been completely honest with you. My name is Tsukiko, and I'm happy to finally meet you properly." she took a small bow, pointing her ears above his chest at its antapex. "These appendages mark me as a kami, my true self, purposed from birth," the foxy additions wriggled throughout her body in response.

"A... kami?" Shin stared lowly, unperturbed by her unveiled guise, but confused nonetheless.

She formally reverted her pose back to its straight stature. "Yes, I suppose it would be more accurate to say I'm a divinity. Specifically, an Inari." Furry ears twitched from the inquisitive slant angling her head, "Do you not feel my luster? Or Reina's? Or the spring's?" She was unmistakably perplexed by his lack of explanation.

"What are you doing here, on the ground?" He inquired vacantly, half-heartedly attempting to end the misinterpretations inferred from his question.

This time, she stared blankly at him, "On the... We've resided on the soil for several hundred millennia. What are you trying to..." realization dawned on her, "You truly don't know why we live amongst humans?"

He stayed silent, while the girl happily ran through a rehearsed explanation, "The kami descended long ago. Their purpose was, and still is to pledge themselves towards aiding humanity, and use their benevolence as a delicate bow to tie around the world, neatly enlacing our species as if they were one." Her eyes lost themselves in a trance, inertly phasing through their regard, "I suppose that rings true now, more than ever." Amber eyes stared off, naturally tiny pupils shrunk to a pinprick, enlarging their irises.

Shin tempted a snap to rouse the girl from her internal recession until awareness flickered back into her eyes, and pink cheeks centered a polite smile on the man. "I'm sorry, I fell into my thoughts for a second. Come, you must be tired. Let's not keep our hostess waiting any longer," she pivoted her heel, beckoning him to follow.

Shortly after, she led him through the entrance to behold the dim-lit environment decoring the interior. Florid paper lamps opposed each other across the width of the tiny residence, centrically casting an eclipsed sunset in the room, while leaving the luminescence of the twilight clinging to the thin boundary surrounding them. With just the morose lambency, the only point of interest was the table elucidated in orange.

The smell became apparent shortly after, aged, not like wine, but like a stale attic from an abandoned house rife with dust. Yet, humidity from the spring leaked through the walls, and a balmy fragrance reminiscent of nature dispersed the must.

A twisted shadow coiled into the light, "Sorry Tsuki, we'll have to wait for them to dry. I can't find any socks, as I have no need for clothes I can't wear." Soft illumination caressed onto the appearance of their slithering hostess, a disheartened twinge sprung upon her lips, "You'll have to..." her expression spontaneously sterilized, mouth agape from planned speech, her fins twitched in puzzlement.

Belated realization crossed her face, wildly darting throughout the vixen's body, "Ah! Tsuki!" she conveyed her thoughts with pointed glances towards the silky fluffs now adorning her body. "I thought you-"

She quickly saved her friend's breath by cutting her off, "Yes, yes, I know, and you're right. But I don't see a reason to stay disguised while I'm here."

The gawker frantically swept the air between the two with unblinking flitting, speech wobbled her lips in anticipated movement.

Once again stopping her friend, she raised a hand to halt the line of dialogue she, no doubt, accumulated, "It's okay. I'm comfortable like this," and passed a 'look' to the woman's bemused assiduity.

Understanding mellowed onto her face, reforming the composure she had earlier. After a stagnant pause, Reina resumed from her message, "Well..." she flicked her eyes between the two of them, "Are we all ready to settle in for tonight?"

Tsukiko paid a glance to her side, eyeing the silent watcher, who stood vigilant, observing every gesture and listening to every word they spoke. When she turned towards him, he deftly fixed her regard with an adequate nod.

The affirmation led her to hastily swivel back in return, "Yes, I believe we are."

"Alright, feel free to get comfortable. I already have everything spread out," she presented a hand to the table beside her, altered to form a makeshift bedspread, with pillows outlined specifically to cradle one's body. "Tsuki, we'll sleep on this side," she patted the spot below with her tail, "and you may have the opposite, Traveler," she announced his title matter-of-factly, oblivious to his newly dubbed name.

"Shin," the words rolled off his tongue in meticulous intonation, dispelling any inquiries about pronunciation.

His assertion listed a frown onto her lips, almost mirroring his own, "Shin?" she tested the name, "Are you displeased with our arrangements? If you want... one of us could... switch places with you." Behind the salacious request, she sounded genuinely aggrieved by his misanthropic presentation.

He wordlessly observed them; rather, his austere, teenage appearance instilled unusual docility in them, or the exposed hide of humanity revealed their natural disposition. From his peripheral, the snow-tipped vixen carefully shifted her gaze towards his inflexible stance, taking interest herself.

He soon lined up a reply, "I cannot accept your hospitality."

Reina's frown cleft in bewilderment, nuanced inference followed closely behind. "Wha- Are you... leaving?" nervousness layered beneath her unobjectionable tone, writhed from her thoughts.

The question nipped the fox next to the man, who furrowed concern at the man. "Shin?" the gentility attracted his gaze to the girl beside him. "What's wrong?"

Their compassion was misplaced; Their nature, obscured. He never eased his skepticism; their incessancy convinced him not to. Even then, something allured him to the two women, endeared him, more like.

He broke the stillness, "I can't comfortably rest laying down," he spared no details for the women, unwilling to indulge their curiosities.

The draconic woman temporarily relieved at the answer. The fox, however... "Why? Are you hurt? What's wrong? We can help. Just-"

"Tsuki," voiced unobtrusively, the purple-framed woman's address reached the other's ears, which twitched in stimulation, before rotating to her direction.

Tsukiko swiveled back to the man after a brief glance at the dragon. "Will you be alright?" she settled on a single question this time, and searched into livid eyes.

"I'll be fine," the young man never took his eyes off her during his response. She didn't repose her concern, but reluctantly broke off from his gaze, leaving him free from interrogation.

For a time after, her features drooped at the floor, while a ovated hook slowly glided towards her. The shape shortly startled her peripherals before it zipped onto her wrist and yanked her into the stalk of its tail.

Reina tore the fox away from her worries, electing her to the confines of scaly, supportive claws. "Come on, Tsuki. I'm exhausted," and with that, she was promptly removed from her thoughts, and relocated to their allotted side of the table. Amenably, the fox descended into the makeshift bed, disappearing behind a swathe of pillows, and shortly after, the Ryu coiled a blanket modestly over their bodies.

Ignoring the sporadic reaction, he looked over to their contrary, and noticed the conglomeration of flat pillows neatly organized on the floor, which somehow stifled any desire in him to use the amenity.

The duo inaudibly whispered next to each other, disquieted at his stillness. Shin ran his eyes to the edge of the shrine, opposite of their heads, and began walking towards the wall, all the while, every step took along the narrow path attuned to canid ears.

He stopped at the unassuming wall and slid to a resigned slump onto the floor. Lapping an arm over a knee, he cleared his mind of all but the sounds throughout the dusk: the restless shuffling of the inhabitants, the rustling of leaves, the apparent steam of the spring, even the stillness of night carried ambiance from the wind outside.

He stared at the floor. For now, he would allow these guides to run their purpose, a kinship linked the two hearts together, bleeding their sentiments together. He could tell. If they both walked on feet, they'd be walking in step.

The murmurs hushed, and before long, the paper lamps flickered out, courtesy of an elongation blindly slithering across the room.

A stirring, disturbance clutched his body. Shadows in respite nestled his senses, urging him to his mind, to dormancy. The malleable cradle of darkness tinged a vacancy within the back of his eyes, a recessed part of himself noticed the latent beguile, but ignored it anyway. Dullness soon fitted his eyes, tranced without fatigue.

Plastering his head downward, he resigned himself to discreet quiescence.