Rays of light

Every day, his memories faded. He was left to wonder if it had ever really happened at all - that perhaps he had imagined a life before. He still couldn't quite reconcile the blank space where a wolf-mother and wolf-father should have occupied, instead still dimly seeing human faces where fur and pointed ears ought to have been. No; it still wasn't a fantasy. Not yet.

The plains were miserable.

As the fading summer sun beat down mercilessly upon his thick coat, he trudged onward, elsewhere, no longer pursuing his former goal of finding a way out of this godforsaken world, but now simply hoping to find... anything. A purpose. A reason.

Osamu spied a thin stream of water in the distance, and hurried his steps toward its glittering surface. He was grateful for the drink, but as he licked away the moisture from his lips, he still couldn't help but feel a great sense of loss.

What was a samurai without a sword - and far more than that, what was a man without purpose?

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Keeping things vague till some threads are finished LOL

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  What was a wolf without a purpose in general?

  Unfortunately, Izumi did not know the true answer to that, as she'd just been touching the surface of what her own purpose was as of late. Something strange were beginning to happen; faces she knew within her past were starting to appear, just as she'd been ready to leave the plains and find out what else there was to explore. Yet for now that plan had been postponed to see what exactly was going on. What was fate trying to tell her with all of this? Whatever it was, the crane would linger protectively within these fields -- for she could not waste her chance at trying to keep them close.

  Remnants of her past; Fujiwara would protect them with all that her second life would grant her if she had to.

  The crane bird would roam the outer plains today to sniff out exactly this -- survivors from home. Attempting to track the scent of either family, or anyone from a distant past who she might've thought as familiar. Yet the scent trail she'd been following hadn't led up to anyone of a distant past at all -- it was but a man of greyscale who lapped from a thinning stream.

  One who she watched from the distance she stood at. Wondering if it would be better to chuff to announce her presence and avoid a negative interaction, or to simply turn and leave another direction...

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He answered her dilemma for her.

Osamu's keen warrior's eyes observed the she-wolf's approach from a distance, sharp silver meeting pale lilac. His expression was stern and unwelcoming, but it was more owing to his natural carriage than any real malicious intent. He could no more control his expression than he could the weather; he had always worn a harsh mask. It made his job easier.

Though at this point, he was essentially unemployed.

Wordlessly, he straightened, squaring his shoulders in a formal posture of greeting as his tail remained out straight behind him; cautious, always perceiving a threat, the warrior habitually remained on edge around strangers until their intent had been cleared.

She moved with a calculated grace. It was almost familiar; she reminded him faintly of the ladies of nobility back home, with their long gowns and elegant sleeves rustling against the periodic silence of a sōzu in their gardens.

Curious. His tail lowered, almost imperceptibly.

Moved by nostalgia, he spoke reflexively, using honorifics he had not recalled for some time now.

“My lady-sama,” he said, bowing his head. Something told him this was a woman of high birth - at worst, if he was mistaken, she would merely be amused. “I am Osamu. Is this your domain?”

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  The platinum-haired man had seen Izumi, and the initial assumption that this might've been a negative interaction was probably correct. He'd given her a look -- one that was precived as a threat the more she looked into those eyes, and for a moment her hackles would raise within the silent alarm bells that went off in her head. She was nervous, though knew better than to let that much show -- and instead of walking away first would stand her ground to stare back at them with her posture straightened. Of course this was a rouse with her lack of experience in fighting, but the girl was a rouge now; she'd have to toughen up if she were to survive all alone in this world.

  Though things took a strange turn Izu didn't see coming.....he bowed to her-?

  What baffled her more was his use of words, refering to the crane -sama. Izumi had not been referred to in that light ever since she'd been a princess within the clan, being greeted to by their citizens or tended to by guards or assistants. She was flustered and a bit taken aback by such formality that, in her veiw, was of no use in her current state. “"I-"” The cranebird's ears would splay against her skull in bewilderment as she spoke -- but then again, he had used honorific she was farmiliar with....did that mean she didn't have to speak English?

  “そう呼ばないでください...私は単なる旅人です--” — Please don't call me that...I am but a simple traveler-- she would say, running a tounge over her lips in uncertainty.

  “――そして、これらの土地は私のものではありません。” — --and these lands are not my own.

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She seemed surprise at the way he addressed her, but he had long grown accustomed to addressing lords and ladies of higher station. One did not necessarily need to possess a title to earn respect, either; nobility was as much learned and practiced as it was given in honor, and her smooth carriage had him quickly defaulting to old habits and memories.

In a way, he was grateful - it seemed not all of his past had been lost to time in this land.

Osamu allowed his ears to swivel ever so slightly forward at the sound of their native tongue. A wolf speaking Japanese? The thought was almost laughable, but - here he was. A wolf, who could also speak Japanese.

"彼らは私のものでもありません。" — Nor are they mine. he said tersely, but not unkindly. The she-wolf seemed nervous. "私は戻って道を見つけることを望んで、何ヶ月も旅してきました-しかし、それは無益なようです。" — I have traveled many months, hoping to find a way back - but it seems fruitless.

The grey wolf shifted slightly, breaking the intensity of their eye contact just long enough to give the plains surrounding them a sweeping glance before he spoke again.

"あなたは出身です。.. ここ?" — Are you from... here?

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Shes speaking Japanese, will edit hover code soon enough. Too lazy to right now. Blah.

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They were no one's, really. These lands were unclaimed -- neutral. Lacking any strength in the scent of wolves that would suggest it belonging to anyone, and Izumi silently questioned why he assumed it did; moreso, whether he felt threatened enough simply standing in these feilds to ask such a question. Unbeknownst to her, they man may not have been accustomed to sense what any canine might've guessed already.

“It is unclaimed land....many can wander as they please without being pestered by another” she assured him, still a little confused by their first impression. What he had meant about finding a way back was unbeknownst to the eclipsed cranebird, but it left her a tad curious about the sterling silver man who spoke the same tounge as her.

“I am from nowhere, as I have no home. The plains are simply a stopping place until I move on again...though I assume you are not from here, either?” Judging by his questions.

“Who are you?? -- and how do you know Japanese?”

--and do not call me sama again. I will actually die.

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It appeared that they were in a similar predicament, both aimless wanderers with no place to rest or seek peace. Empathy was not a well-developed emotion for the samurai, but some small part of him did feel sorrow for the maiden, and how she, too, seemed adrift in a strange land.
That feeling of helplessness - he would not wish it upon anyone.

She questioned him then, and he appeared visibly uncomfortable for a moment, shifting his weight as he looked out toward the plains, brow furrowed. He thought he had known, but time had been playing tricks on him as of late, and now every day memories faded further and further away from his grasp.

But... he remembered just enough.

私はかつて、他の誰かだった。 どこか別の場所。 弱い者を守るための目的を持つ刃、悪魔の殺し屋。 — I was someone else, once. Somewhere else. A blade with a purpose, meant to uphold the weak, a slayer of demons. Osamu returned his silver gaze to the crane, meeting her eyes levelly with his own. Some distant sorrow hovered wordlessly behind his expression, but it could not be named. 今、私は奇妙な土地で見知らぬ人です,ゆっくりと私の過去の私を奪う容器の中に閉じ込められました,私の名誉を剥奪し、この罰に耐えます... 損失。 — Now I am a stranger in a strange land, trapped in a vessel that slowly robs me of my past, stripped of my honor and enduring this punishment of... loss.

The grey wolf realized he had slouched unconsciously, head low, and straightened himself immediately. It was unheard of to be so caught unawares.

He also realized this was the most he had spoken since his arrival. It felt... odd. Pleasant, but peculiar.

だから私はさまよう。 — So I wander.

Osamu paused, hesitated, then dared -

あなた自身の旅行の援助を要求するかどうか尋ねることは気違いであるか。 — Would it be amiss to ask if you require aid in your own travels?

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Izumi was an introvert -- always had been. She was always capable of going off on her own without the company of others, and the idea of being all alone never really had the grandiose impact it would've had on, say, someone more extroverted. Yet just because she enjoyed her own alone time did not mean she didn't yearn the company of others whenever alone time became too much....which was the predicament she always seemed to be in ever since leaving what she once call home -- alone. Something she would never admit, nor agree to feel mutually with this man if he ever asked, but it never stopped it from being true.

Her struggle was her own. She would not reveal that vulnerability to another.

If she wasn't going crazy she could've sworn that the man looked...put off by her question, and Izumi slightly wondered whether or not she was prying. It was understandable, and if he wished her to she would mind her buisness as any stranger should, yet before she could open her lips to voice it -- the man spoke to her again with an answer to Izu's inquires. A blade with a purpose...a slayer of demons...

“戦士なら…” — A warrior, then... she answered...assumed, softly, looking slightly away in thought. He had something to say, something to explain about his past woes -- and even If she couldn't see it on his expression, she could feel it in his voice. So the crane would seat herself to listen, silently and intently....she could at least grant him that much.

He didn't possibly fight demons in his past though....right?

The man slouched as he spoke, and she would lean in slightly to make him aware of that much, but snapped back when he stood up straight again, which she would as well. He was a rather strange fellow.....strange like her. In the sense that he'd truly hid something that lied just beneath the surface, but was too out of reach to make a statement.....in a way, Izumi could connect with it. “罰とみなされることは、新たなスタートとみなすこともできます...戦う理由を見つけ、第二の人生を通して名誉を取り戻すために...” — What could be seen as punishment could also be seen as a new start...to find a reason to fight and regain your honor through a second life... she suggested. Whether her words would aid him was up to him, but they were meant to do just that. To help him feel better, even if her words ended up doing little.

The pause made her a little nervous, coupled with the eye contact that she turned her gaze slightly away from....then he'd ask a question -- one that she blinked in suprise at while turning back to him. Yeah, this guy was weird. “あなたは奇妙です、あなたはそれを知っていますか?” — You are weird, you know that? and Izumi would let him know that, yet her tone suggested dry, joking humor, and the slightest of smiles would appear on her face as well....just slight enough to miss, and mistake for something else.

Her wisterian gaze would cast upward towards the skyline now as she continued to speak. “そういえば……私には、あなたと同じ苦境を抱えたこの平原に家族がいます。前世から引き裂かれて、説明のつかない奇妙な土地に生まれました。 どうにかして彼らを守らなければならない...” — Now that you mention it...I actually have family with these very plains that came with the same predicament as you -- torn from their previous life to here, in these strange unexplainable lands. I need to protect them, somehow... -- and now her gaze was back on him again, her gaze serious, even pleading in a way, -- “彼らを守るのを手伝ってくれませんか？ 方法を教えて？” — Will you help me protect them? Teach me how to?

He was a warrior....he could fight -- while Izumi could not, ehe was weak. If she were to lead the people to safety and continue doing so for the future, she needed to be stronger than the vessel she was now...

If he was willing to follow suit, was he also willing to teach her?

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The willowy female offered her own theory as to his predicament. A second chance, a fresh start; to finish what he had already begun in the past, but in a different world, with new means at his disposal. He glanced down at his blunted claws, wondering how they might possibly serve him better than his old katana, but he merely grunted assent and shifted his gaze out toward the Plains.

Perhaps she was right. He would prefer her to be right, especially after having previously regarded the situation as a form of punishment.

Suddenly, she called him weird.

Anyone else might have bristled at the remark, but he had been called many other (and much worse) things in his time as a samurai; her tone remained neutral, yet as he returned his silver-stone eyes to her expression, he caught a fleeting glimpse of - something. A twinkle behind her gaze, perhaps the slightest curve at the corners of her inky lips.

Osamu did not smile, but his knitted brow loosened just a fraction of an inch.

"それは私が良い会社にもいるようです," — Then it seems I am also in good company. he said, utterly impassive, returning his own flavor of dry humor.

The woman was not unlike him in some ways. Quiet, reserved, stoic - not given to extravagant displays of mirth and sincere in her speech.

She made her plea, then - not even a plea, but a maiden's request.

Osamu could but answer one way.

"私の刃-または私の牙-はあなたのものです," — My blade - or my fangs - are yours, he said gruffly, closing his eyes as he made a small bow of respect. "女性に戦士の道を教えるのは伝統ではありません -" — It is not tradition to teach a woman the path of a warrior -

The wolf shot her a glance, gauging her expression.

The barest, faintest hint of a smile traced his mouth. If one were to look away for just a moment, they would have missed it.

"しかし、私たちは奇妙な土地で見知らぬ人であり、私はあなたが必要とするかもしれないスキルを伝えることを光栄に思います。" — But we are strangers in a strange land, and I would be honored to impart any skills you may require.

There. Tradition be damned - she was equipped with the same weapons as he, and she would do well to learn to wield them with the swiftness befitting a warrior.

"多分私達は互いから学ぶかもしれない。" — Perhaps we may learn from each other.

He met her eyes once more, as grave and serious as ever, but there was a question lingering upon his face -

- Where would they go now?

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She could've had alot to say -- defensively -- in the traditions of women not being taught martial arts, but the crane stayed silent to hear before she judged. All her life she was meant to be protected, and always denied the right to be taught -- making her loose intrest in such topics in the self patronizing idea she'd grew up on to be taught she was too weak to do such...

"My blades -- or my fangs -- are yours"

-- and yet her plea for help was granted, and a sigh of relief left her nostrils, along with a greatful bow of her crown in beat with his own movements -- a very big 'thank you'.

He was a hard creature to read -- on one hand, she could tell her joke was not taken with too much negativity. Yet on the other, it didn't look as though it was taken with all that much mirth, either. Izumi wasn't a very self-aware woman, which is why it was a bit difficult to read another even if the had similar mannerisms as she did -- though perhaps the two of them spending time together could prove to be an opportunity to learn more about not only him, but herself as well. Now that he agreed to aid her in her cause.....wait....

Who was "he"?

“藤原いづみです.” — I am Izumi, by the way...Izumi Fujiwara. the woman stated after a while. They had been so quick to make acquaintanceships with each other yet didn't even know one another's name. “私は前世で、兄や妹たちと一緒に実家の一族を継いでいた。 私たちが攻撃され、私たち自身の遺産とともに全滅する前に...” — I was heir to my family's home clan in a life before, along with my brother and sisters. Before we were attacked and wiped out along with our own legacy... she explained to him. They were few, now, and it would take the force of the group to feed, defend and travel together. It was time to start making the preparations for that to happen, and the addition of someone who would not only help defend, but help teach Izumi to do the same was a big help. “家族を再建し、彼らを滅ぼす原因となったまさにその危険から彼らを守る機会なので、あなたの助けに感謝します...教えて...” — It is an opportunity for me to rebuild my family and protect them from the very dangers that caused them to perish, so I am greatful for your help...tell me... as she'd get up and move, turn her floral gaze upon him as an invitation to follow, she'd question;

“お名前は？” — What is your name, sir?

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He straightened immediately. An heiress to a noble family - he already suspected as much from her carriage and elegant diction, but now it had been confirmed. He resisted the urge to bow reflexively, instead closing his eyes in brief affirmation with just the slightest downward movement of his head.

Some habits were too ingrained to ever abandon.

"泉," — Izumi he repeated, ensuring he would not forget. "私はおさむです。" — I am Osamu.

As she rose to her paws, so then did he, quickly shaking out his fur in a gesture of readiness. He had pledged her his aid, and where she now went, he would not be far behind - the warrior felt a strange sense of relief within his soul, having purpose again at last.

"この仕事であなたを助けることは私の名誉です。 私たちはすぐに訓練します-しかし、最初に、食べ物を探すのが賢明でしょう。 空腹で戦うことは決して多くの成功につながっていません。" — It would be my honor to assist you in this work. We will train soon - but first, it would be wise to seek out food. Fighting on an empty stomach has never led to much success.

Osamu then offered the maiden a rare smile, so small and so fleeting she might have missed it if she hadn't been quick.

"私たちは出発してみましょう。" — Let us depart.

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Osamu, was his name -- Discipline is what it had meant in her home language -- and that name rang true within him. He gave off an atmosphere of sharp dignity and taught discipline. The true air of a samurai -- a protector -- and Izumi could almost feel that she could be able to trust this man with her own life if it ever came down to it. Izumi may not have been aware in what ways Osamu might've been thankful in asking him for a favor, but she was grateful to have someone like him join her on her journey.

He offered a hunt before training had begun, and Izumi was once again grateful to be offered something she was actually skilled at before getting onto the hard parts, yet there was something that made her freeze in place as he turned to walk off....a smile? Or not, though she could've sworn it was...wasn't it?

--It was probably just her imagination.

So just as quickly as the crane would catch it, she would shake it off and focus on what was ahead as the two of them walked ahead in the plains. To seek food, and to hopefully introduce him to the rest of the group soon...

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