“I’m tired… so tired… of everything.” said Shun as he dragged his feet along the sand. His sweat and tears rolled down his blood soaked skin, washing it ever so slightly.

“Why the hell am I even alive?” He murmured. He questioned why he kept fighting, even though he wanted so badly to die. Shun sighed and lowered his already sunken head, believing his existence was simply for the amusement of the gods. He inched his way to a mango tree, his vision slowly getting blurrier. Exhausted from fighting bounty hunters, he fell onto his back. The clouds had then parted and the moon shone its light upon him. The disheartened boy stared into the moon, sensing a familiar aura as his face bathed in the moonlight. He then heard a whisper in his ear,

“ I found you.”

And so he fell asleep.

Shun laid in an empty void. He wasn’t sure what he was doing at this point nor was he sure what he was going to do. He waited to enter the afterlife, but was then reminded that it wasn’t gonna happen. A mysterious glowing figure stood over him. In a woman’s voice it said “So you’re giving up now? What ever happened to ‘I’ll find a way’ or ‘I’ll kick everyone’s asses’?”

“Go away!” the boy angrily shooed the figure.

“Ah, but you clearly need me. You can’t stand being alone with your thoughts.” she replied. There was no point arguing with the figure. She knew him all too well, and wanted him to live.

Shun sighed and complained, saying “If I had my old sword, I wouldn’t be rotting in this shithole of a realm.” to which the figure responded with “You know, you can’t solve all your problems with your authority and abilities. Besides, you’ve got a better one.” The “better” sword in question was the Tenken, the sword of heaven. It is similar to a katana, although it had a bigger curve which resembled a crescent. It had no cutting edge but it was quite powerful.

“Look… From here on out, things are going to be splendid!” the figure predicted, clicking her tongue and making an OK sign. This was then followed up a complaint by Shun who stated “You said that yesterday, and the day before that, AND the day before that! In fact, you’ve been telling me that ever since we met! And you know what’s changed? Nothing! Things just kept getting worse everyday!” In response, she said “That’s not true. You’ve changed at the very least.”

“Liar.” Shun quietly retorted.

She then backed up her statement saying “Don’t believe me? I have noticed that you weren’t cocky anymore. Well… as a matter of fact you’ve developed an inferiority complex.”

“Screw you!” he exclaimed as he flipped the bird. She shrugged and continued with “What? You said you’d like me to lighten the mood.” as she then sighed. She sat beside the boy who still laid motionless.

“You’re going to alright I promise.” she said, placing one hand onto his head. Shun then looked at the figure. Although she had no eyes or even a face, she could see in his teary eyes that he believed her. He kept on believing her because there wasn’t any other thing that pushed him forward anymore. And with one deep breath, Shun closed his eyes and woke up.

He woke up in the same place he slept, under the shade of the mango tree.

“At least I’m not sleepwalking anymore.” he thought. Although his hair had now dried up, his clothes had remained damp. He instantly felt his stomach twist itself as he had nothing to eat the night before. He could eat the mangoes above him, but the acidity would only worsen the pain in his already barren gut. He slowly got up and used his sword to support himself.

“I might as well catch some fish.” he thought. Fishing in the sea with only a sword would be too strenuous for him since he’d have to swim. And so he searched for a nearby river. Shun dragged himself through overgrowths and vines. He stayed in place, examining his surroundings. Soon after, he heard the sounds of water flowing in a stream. He walked as quickly as he could to it. Through trees and bushes he passed until he stopped at a small cliff, overlooking the viridescent river. He picked up a tiny pebble and dropped it in, causing small schools of fish to scamper about. He slowly made his way down to the steam, taking off his shoes and pulling his pant legs up upon reaching the riverbank. He stood against the current with his hand clasping his sword’s hilt. He waited for any kind of strange motion between his feet, and then… SPLASH!!! A milkfish flew from the water after being struck upwards. Shun quickly sheathed his blade and caught it as it fell. The fish was quite big and was as long as his torso. It squirmed and jerked, trying to break free from his grasp. Unfortunately for it, Shun struck the side of its head(right where its gills would be) with his sword and killed it. As he got out of there to find some dry grass and wood for tinder, he heard the rustling of bushes on the ledge above him. He looked up to see a strange figure wearing a white mask and a straw hat. Although he caught a glimpse of it, the figure moved so fast they appeared to blur, leaving behind a hazy afterimage. A chill ran down Shun’s spine as he began to feel even colder than he did last night. This strange presence was unlike anything he had felt, not that of any bounty hunter or monster he had ever faced. It couldn’t possibly be his more powerful enemies, the Mazoku, who had a more pungent aura. This presence had a more familiar vibe to it; a familiar aura that greeted had him after painfully long time. Could this figure be…

“A god?” he thought to himself.

The familiar presence as well as his curiosity drove him to follow the mysterious figure. Without further delay, he ran as fast as he could after them. As he sprinted through the grove, he could see the masked figure gliding through the trees, leaping on one branch after another. They got closer and closer to an open field. When the figure leapt into the sunlight, they turned around mid-air and pulled out a mirror. A beam of bright light emerged from it and landed on Shun’s eyes, blinding him for a few moments.

He regained his sight soon after he got out of the grove and found himself in a field of sunflowers. He looked around to find that the strange fellow in the mask was nowhere to be seen. He proceeded to walk through the flowers which were around chest height. Was it all just his imagination, hallucinations, or was he actually dead? These thoughts of his were soon proven wrong as the masked figure emerged from a bed of flowers in front of him. Shun jolted back and dropped his fish, steeling himself for a fight. He finally knew what the mysterious masked figure looked like, seeing as how they were inches away from him. Their face was hidden behind a white fox mask and their head was adorned with a glossy straw hat; not to mention the balaclava that covered their neck and hair. They wore a thin black silk coat(a haori), with a pattern reminiscent of the “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” over a pair of gloves and a long sleeved shirt of the same color. Their all-black tops were contrasted by a pair of navy track pants and gray rubber boots. The fellow in the straw hat immediately took the fish and wiped the dirt off of it. They walked a little closer to Shun and stopped to hand it back. He reluctantly reached out his hand and snatched the dirty fish as he then stepped back and drew his sword. The masked fellow stood idly for a few moments, tilting their head and examining the frightened boy. When they spoke, the muffled voice of a girl came out, saying

“Are you lost, baby boy?”

He lowered his sword in confusion as he silently mouthed “What the fu-” The masked fellow came even closer which startled Shun a bit more. He took a step back and pointed the tip of the blade towards her chest. This didn’t stop the girl in the fox mask as she pushed the sword to the side and proceeded to pet the boy’s head.

“Who the hell are you?” Shun asked, to which she responded with one word; her name.

“Temi.” she stated.

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The two of them stood in silence for a few more moments. It would likely be pointless for Shun to introduce himself to her, since he strongly felt that she already knew who he was.

“Are you from the Shrub village?” he asked, to which she shook her head. She then said “Well… I’m from somewhere else, you see. Not from HERE, you get what I’m saying?”

“Another realm?!” he asked. “Do you know the way out of here? I really need to-”

“No. And even if I did, I won’t let you leave.”

Shun took as step back and in slight frustration asked “Why though? This whole damn… shitass realm isn’t safe for me anymore, not with everyone out to get me.” Temi offered to talk somewhere else, saying “Why don’t we talk about this over some roast fish.” and walked off to sea. He followed her without question.

After washing the fish Shun had just caught with seawater, the two of them discussed things while roasting it over hot coals.

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t leave, why’s that?” Shun asked. Temi answered his question with “It’s just not safe for you, not yet.” Her answer was responded to with another “Why?”

“Lady Tsukuyomi’s former followers, they’re also out to get you.” she explained. “Those bounty hunters and whoever else is out to get you are roaches compared to them.”

“You know Tsuki?” he asked excitedly. Tsukuyomi was what many people would consider a god. She was a close friend of Shun’s before they were seperated. The boy’s eyes were aglow. He wanted to know how she was doing, considering how long it had been since he had spoken to her.

“She sent me out to find you. I’m surprised none of your enemies ever found you. I on the other hand, with her help of course, managed to track you down in just a few days.”

He smiled, looking toward the horizon as he said “Damn…” He turned his head back to her, following up with “Anyway, where were we? Her former followers, they’re out there looking for me, right?” to which she nodded.

“They just never seem to give up, huh?” Shun replied. “First they get jealous that I got close to Tsuki, then they tried to ambush me. Wait, former… They got banished after that whole fiasco?”

Temi replied with “That was what she told me. I came across one of them, Kujaku.” He scoffed upon hearing this, saying “Wow, you found the weakest one! Nice.” Temi came across him in a realm of giant seahorses and flying fish. He was balding and living as a fisherman. He became miserable after Tsukuyomi banished him. At first he blamed Shun for everything, but realized his mistakes after having a therapy session with Roven, a muscular dolphin philosopher.

“He told me about the others.” Temi stated. “They’ve been forming armies of their own followers to exact revenge on you and Lady Tsukuyomi.” Shun then said “I’ve beaten them before and I can do it again.” to which she replied with “You can… if only have the one thing you used against them. Your sword, that is. Eight divine powers, put into one instrument. Must really suck, knowing that you’ve lost it.”

“Well… I still kinda have it.” he replied as he lifted his shirt, revealing a ball of energy that has replaced his heart. It sat in a gaping hole on his chest, glowing faintly.

Temi expressed her utmost curiosity, letting out an “Oooh.” She leaned in closer, asking “Can I touch it?”

Shun declined and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It tickles, like a lot.” he said.

“Okay okay… But as you are now, you won’t stand a chance against them.”

“I’ve got you with me at least.”

She tilted her head as she then said “Aw, I’m flattered.” and proceeded to jam her hand into the hole in Shun’s chest, tickling him.

“But I’m not that tough.” she admitted “Even if you’ve got me on your side, there’s hundreds of them and only two of us.” He fixed his gaze onto the roasting fish, understandably bummed out with his predicament.

“I just wanna go home. I miss my mom, my grandma, and grandpa too.” Temi then followed up with another question, saying “And if you were to get home and your enemies found you, do you think you can protect yourself and your family from them? Your grandfather may have been your predecessor and had seen a lot in his heyday, but now his hip could give out at any moment.” He got even sadder, bowing his head even lower. The girl in the fox mask moved to sit next to him. She placed her arm over his shoulder to reassure him.

“But like you said, you’ve got me.” she stated. “I’ll look after you as much as I can, I’ll promise you that. I can’t guarantee whether you’ll be totally safe or not, but you’ll live. And speaking of living, where are you headed? We could try to find a place to live.” Shun raised his head and placed his hand on his chin. He explained “Manila… It’s one of the only places with a functional teleporter, but it’s not open to the public. I was gonna head north, sneak into it, and get home.” He sighed as he then followed up with

“But you’re right. I probably won’t last a day out there, not anymore at least.”

“We could live there then!” Temi offered to which Shun immediately refused, saying “I not really good at talking to Notherners. I heard some of them… get knifey towards Islanders.”

The two had a lengthy conversation until it was well into the afternoon. They debated on a safe place to live in, enthused over pop culture, and then came the topic of martial arts. Temi stood up and dusted the sand off her pants.

“Care for some sparring?” she offered, to which Shun reluctantly accepted. She picked up a tree branch as long as her arm, and struck it against a rock a few times to test its durability. Once she was done she walked to the shoreline in the direction the sun was setting, turned around, and pointed her stick towards him. He examined her for a moment before engaging. He could tell she’s up to something. The waves gently caressed the heels of her boots and the wind blew west, carrying sand over to the horizon. One wrong move or even a grain of sand in his eyes could cost him the match. He took a deep breath and nodded before charging towards her, his sword still resting in its scabbard. Right when he was within her range, Temi used her stick to flick bits of sand and seawater to his face. He stepped to the right and dished out an upward strike right when he drew his blade. She blocked it with ease and proceeded to use her left hand to try to poke him in the eyes. Shun spun to the left and swung to her back, which she avoids by doing a backflip. She taunted and gestured him to come at her again. He leapt high up into the air and swung downwards as he fell, using the momentum to make the strike be able to break a bone(in this case a stick.). When he missed, he followed up with a leg sweep and another upward slash. Sword and stick clashed with each attack. As Shun delivered a flurry of blows, Temi deflected each one with only a stick. She also noticed something about the way he fought. He always left himself wide open. A proper fighter always keeps their guard up, but he seemed to do the opposite. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t a capable fighter. In fact, most swordsmen wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Could it be that he’s asking to get hit, or is he using it as a way to trick his opponents? Maybe even both? She had also noticed that he always held onto his scabbard with his other hand. She then put the pieces together and finally evaluated his fighting style.

Shun struck the sand beneath his feet and launched it towards her, slightly obscuring her vision. As the veil of sand dissipated, he disappeared. Shun took this opportunity to catch Temi unaware and strike her from behind. However, he made a mistake which then caused him to lose: His back was facing the sun. Temi turned to where he was and pulled out her mirror. Like earlier, a bright beam of light blinded him. He could only see himself and her as dark silhouettes, the scenery turning white. He couldn’t stop immediately since he ran up to her so fast.

“I might as well put everything into this one attack.” he thought. He jumped and swung his sword as wide and with as much force as he could. Temi was able to dodge that by simply stepping back. She then stepped in to counter with a thrust. What she didn’t notice however was that he also swung his scabbard. A loud smack as well as the shattering of glass echoed across the shore as Shun began to regain his sight. The first thing he saw was Temi’s stick poking his chest, followed up by his scabbard appearing to have shattered her mirror.

“As I thought, you fight by purposefully leaving yourself open; dodging and dealing a powerful strike right when your opponents step in.” she said to him. “Not only that, you seem to have also developed a fighting style in which you use both your sword and your sheath.”

Shun was filled to his head with awe by her skill and observation that he dropped his weapons and knelt in shock.

“Teach me!” He tearfully demanded. She sighed and affirmed his request, saying “Sure. Anyway there’s one thing I’d like to ask you. Since you can’t go by Shun anymore, what would you like me to call you?” As he wiped the tears off his eyes, he thought well and hard for a few moments. He then chose a name that lingered within his thoughts; A name so simple yet slightly unique. He looked right into the eyeholes of her mask and declared “Tobi.” as his name. Temi offered her hand to him to help him get up. He of course didn’t make her wait and tightly gripped it.

And so, a beautiful friendship between the two was forged on the shores of Guimaras island.