Shizu’s eyes stirred open. The memory for the last few moments before she fell asleep had been more of a lucid dream than reality. From a mix of grief and exhaustion, what seemed to have happened was surreal. The time after a battle was always like this, but this time should’ve ended easily like all the others.

Yes, the kengiri got the drop on her, so what? Ambushes were par for the course in the warfare she was trained to handle and had experienced for years. While not a part of monster hunting, it could happen. So what was the cause of her exhaustion and grief? The answer was simple. Death, the death of a comrade.

She thought that this encounter was an easy fight to finish, yet in a moment when she was inattentive, the kengiri got the drop on her and Azi. That annoying and begrudgingly interesting idiot, took the hit for her and.. Died.

She thought for sure that that was his end, there was no pulse, and only an inkling of fleeting warmth from his lifeless body. So when Azi had seemingly come back from the dead next to her, she truly thought it was a miracle.

The earlier moments played in her head as she awoke, maybe it was a hallucination and the reality would come to bear. She would wake with the usual grogginess as she reminisced about that make believe conversation she had with Azi. Best of all, it was nice to know that he didn’t see her cry. The time came and Shizu woke up to an overly warm sensation writhing in her arms. That made her tense.

“W-what? N-No way.”

Shizu was in disbelief for a second time. Her eyes blinked in amazement in who and what she felt was in her hands. A pulse, a beating heart, a snoring boy, and that usual line of drool of his.

Looking around with a turn of her head to see if this was truly real, Shizu could tell that she was in her tent. Again, she startled at the sight of Azi's drooling face nestled into her chest. Her first thought was to usually pulverize any man that would try to be so intimate with her, and then the events of last night came back to her, settling in a special place in her mind.

She remembered that she took up Azi's offer to hug him to sleep and that he was completely, and utterly, not dead. He soothed her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. It was all very stimulating. She couldn’t believe she had acted in such a forthcoming manner.

Shizu gave his cheek a pinch, both to make sure this wasn’t an illusion of her own head or a delusion. The proof piled on when she felt his cheeks for a second time and hugged him, getting a hurt groan out of the sleeping boy. The squeeze she put on him was a bit too tight.

Really, she shouldn’t even be letting him hug her. Looking closer at him, admittedly, his face seemed cute. Figures for a youthful face like his. Once before, she had admitted it, but was too withheld to actually accept that notion.

“Little rascal.” Shizu mumbled. “Hmph! You better not get the wrong idea.”

Azi would likely tease her about this, he was still no doubt irritating, and for that she decided to indulge in his antics, but not without her own intervention to the situation. She’d treat him more like a pet from now on, so she began patting his head and ran her fingers through his disheveled black hair.

Pretty much, he was at her mercy.

His hair is so soft and I’ve forgotten how warm people’s body’s can be. It’s been a while since I cuddled Rulu, I need to get back to her.

Rulu, Shizu's little sister, that angel that could make any man cry from joy at how fantastic and adorable she was. Shizu really missed her, and yes she was overselling it, but why not? She loved her sister. Looking back to Azi, another thought crossed her as she compared.

He’s a close second when it comes to cuddling someone for fun, he can’t beat Rulu though, maybe I should really keep him as a pet in my personal guard. I’m sure the girls would love to pet him as well and I wouldn’t have to share Rulu with them anymore.

She chuckled, letting that joking thought stew. Suddenly her mind clicked and an idea popped up, one that was somewhat the same yet had its useful options.

Her father was looking for talent and while reluctant to say it, Azi had both a brave heart and an intelligent mind. He would possibly be perfect for a role in their nation, what it would be was way too early to say and the same was if his talents would really shine.

To really be special, you needed to carefully cultivate yourself into a notable figure. Azi’s speed of self learning was impressive yet not a defining note in his short record with her.

Still, Shizu’s plan would also be in line with her father’s recent activities of recruiting or hiring vagabonds, orphans, or peasants to bolster his court’s workforce with new blood. This practice was not commonly used since the noble classes of society were where the people of the court usually drew talent from.

But Kujyuri’s decreasing noble population and workforce had taken a hit in the last couple of years. Her father, the king of Kujyuri, had to draw upon unorthodox means, but in a way, Shizu’s father was just falling back to the old ways the Empire’s emperor drew upon talent from the people. It was like the long and sorted history of the Empire’s first founding.

Shizu had no doubts that the idea of recruiting Azi was already in her father’s initial intention when he brought him back to Shisayama. At the start, she had been adamant in not letting her father’s sights fall on Azi due to their somewhat.. Unfriendly and uncouth start.

But now, after these past few days, that upstart kid, or well, self proclaimed adult, had shown to have more than meets the eye. His deciphering and comprehension of the Yamaton language by scratch and his willingness to put his life on the line for others, were two points that stuck out.

It was especially impressive when the kengiri had gotten the drop on her and Azi stepped in to shield her.

Granted, Shizu thought she could have taken the hit. It was foolish of Azi to bite off more than he could chew, he was only an amateur warrior at best. He must’ve known he wasn’t a match. But that didn’t stop him. His recklessness served to show he had potential, a trickle of it.

He didn’t have strength in body as would all warriors, instead he had it in heart, a trait rarely found and highly sought by those who knew what true warriors needed to have to become truly strong.

The mystery of his background put into question where his loyalties lay. Shizu believed she herself could come to an agreement with his past when he remembered, if needed she’d put him on a short lease. A level of caution was needed when handling a variable like him.

As Shizu mused on her idea, all of it piqued her interest and a smile of anticipation formed on her lips as she began to make the most of the situation. Azi was helpless, so.. Why not?

Intensifying her petting, as if Azi were a common slumbering household pet, she relished the soft sensation of his hair. It was pleasing, as if touching thick and sleek lines of silk. Azi’s inviting cheeks were right there as well, so Shizu had great fun touching and pinching them as she watched him grimace in a deep sleep.

“Heh heh heh, so pliable, so small and so round. They're like the shaved belly of a dog.”

She palmed his cheeks. The sleeping boy nuzzled and muled a tired yawn. He didn’t wake up and moved closer, probably trying to escape the cold.

"Shizu! Shizu, are you up!” A loud voice suddenly called from the entrance of the tent. “I know you are still sad but I need to talk..?"

Shizu recognised the voice to be Kajima’s and he flipped open the flap of Shizu’s tent. The last part of his words trailed off as he was stepping inside. A moment passed as they made eye contact and Kajima’s eyes glanced at the somewhat sensual manner and position Shizu was in with Azi.

She had her whole body laid next to what he thought was Azi’s corpse. A somber mood fell over Kajima as he looked on as another concern caught his attention. Shizu’s breasts hid half of Azi’s head from sight while the other side of his face was clasped by her hand. The apparent proximity of Shizu’s lips to Azi’s was alarming as well.

Kajima had seen friends grieve before in manners where the next of kin or comrades would sleep in the same room as the dead, but those were customs wholly uncommon with Shizu’s family. And to go this far? Did Shizu really practice this form of mourning?

For her to do so with Azi of all people, a recent acquaintance? It was strange. Perhaps she had grown attached to the mysterious boy. Whatever the case, Kajima did not want to interrupt.

If the girl’s heart needed time and this method to move on, so be it. All the points he saw and thought made what he should do next feel right. He began to backpedal out of the tent.

"Don't worry little Shizu, mourn in the way you wish. It is hard to let go of the ones you love."

“Huh? Wha! What do you mean? L-love? Huh?”

Exasperated by the turn of events, Shizu separated from Azi and got up to stop Kajima from leaving.

"Wait Uncle, you misunderstand!"

Her sudden release from Azi caused him to lose the support under him. He was quickly jolted awake as the back of his head impacted the hard surface of the mat.

"Ow!” He groaned, rubbing his head as he tried to get his bearings. “Ugh.. Shizu! Could you be gentler when you’re hugging me? If you’re trying to wake me up, at least just shake me first."

Kajima stopped in his tracks as his ears twitched. Had he heard wrong? Azi’s voice, that voice that he thought he’d never hear again. Kajima turned around and was taken aback. He truly thought that Azi was dead, but to now see him seemingly alive and kicking, all Kajima could do was gawk for a moment.

"Yashimu! Yashimu! Yashimu!” The man finally shouted. “Get the Apothecary, Quick! The boy is ALIVE, he’s ALIVE!!" He bellowed out and called out in a panic, arms flailing.

The bellowing man’s words carried to everyone in the camp who were performing their midday duties. They were startled by the frantic tone of Kajima’s voice and what he had said. They all saw how lifeless Azi's body was and knew that the observations of the trained apothecary and thaumaturge were certainly accurate.

If a person was declared dead by both of them, then the person in question was truly gone and nothing could be done. The thought of the boy being alive befuddled everyone and doubt started to cloud them. It was good news though, but they’d have to see for themselves.

Yashimu, who recomposed himself promptly, quickly called for the two trained practitioners and requested them to do as Kajima had said. The whole camp gathered inside Shizu’s tent, almost taking up all the available room.

After a round of examinations made by the Apothecary, and a lot of unneeded attention from the soldiers who looked at him funny. Azi was tested on his primary senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. He was deemed to be in a somewhat healthy condition, albeit sore and exhausted.

“Excuse me.” Said the thaumaturge as she reached her hand out from under her robe. “Hold still, this won’t hurt, but don’t move.”

The thaumaturge switched out with the apothecary and started her part of the examination. Suddenly, white motes of light suddenly gathered on her hands. With them, she moved to touch Azi's head and chest. To Azi, it felt like being touched by sunlight, and it sort of tickled.

He bit back his reflexive chuckling and kept a straight face. This was a good chance to learn about thaumaturgy.

The books he deciphered while learning part of the Yamaton language referred to the concept of thaumaturgy as a control of spiritual energies. He had thought it to be a make believe concept from a folktale.

But now, with the proof in front of him, he couldn’t deny it wasn’t real. That this.. This light.. was Magic.. Was real.

“Hmm? How odd?” Said the Thaumaturge, she pressed her hand slightly harder on Azi’s head.

“Is something wrong?” Azi asked the practitioner, making sure to take mental notes of what he observed her do. The thaumaturge rubbed his chest next, moving the motes of light across his body. Azi could see them skimming the surface of his skin like little ants. He grunted to bite back the tickling sensation.

“No, nothing at all. You should be fine.. But.. Hmmm.” The thaumaturge sighed and conjured another spell. Examining the results of what she found, she nodded. “So it's there. Huh? How did I miss this?”

She was surprised by her findings as the previously emptied space in Azi's spiritual body was now filled with what her training as a thaumaturge taught her to interpret as a soul.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Realizing that she might have made a mistake in her previous observation, the Thaumaturge grimaced with internal guilt. It was possible to make this kind of blunder but her incorrect diagnosis of him could’ve thrown his life away due to her faulty slip up.

"It seems I’ve made a mistake, while I had thought your soul had left your body when I last examined you, upon closer observation, it was still within you. Only, it was in a dormant state that was undetectable to me since I hadn’t thought to delve any deeper into my earlier examination. I thought not to do so since the nature of your injuries were physical and not spiritual.” She turned to Shizu and bowed apologetically. “Lady Shizu, please, I ask for your forgiveness for my carelessness. I should’ve been more thorough."

Shizu waved off the woman’s concern and promptly asked her to continue. "It's alright but how is his condition, can he move, and will he be ok?"

"Physically he is fine." Said the Apothecary. She beckoned Azi to turn to her and handed him a wooden cup mixed with a remedy of herbs.

”There are only slight signs of malnutrition due to how he has not eaten in a while and his body used up a lot of energy to heal itself when we treated him with magic. There is evidence of slight strain in his left arm from the battle with the kengiri. Stamina wise, he can’t really move on his own for a few days."

“Urk, so bitter.” Azi abruptly cut in with a grimace as he took a sip of the remedy. He pulled his lips away from the cup and sniffed. It had smelt sweet, yet the astringent taste of herbs soured his mouth. Shizu and the practitioners chuckled at his kiddush reaction, as well as the soldiers. The Thaumaturge found this to be a good sign as she looked him over for good measure.

"Hmm, spiritually he is back to normal, but the color of his aura is clouded, he may be experiencing some stress or past trauma. You said he has amnesia, right? Lady Shizu? That might be the cause.”

The thaumaturge peered into Azi’s eyes and this time noticed a change from before. “My word, this is a good sign as well. His aura is less cloudy than the last time I examined him, he’s quite on a quick road to recovery. Tell me my lady, what did you do while he was with you? Did you use any magic on him?"

Shizu fidgeted in her seat next to Azi, who was still trying to sip away at the next big dose of medicinal remedy from the apothecary. Shizu was trying to keep her face from going red as her tone became uncharacteristically soft and low.

"Well, I was hugging him. I thought that if I kept him warm, .. he would wake up on his own."

The Thaumaturge looked incredulous and tried to make sense of the unusual mumblings Shizu gave as an answer. Not hearing one bit of it, she thought nothing of it and chalked it up that it was more a mistake on her part. The practitioner wouldn’t dare offend Lady Shizu.

It didn’t cross the Thaumaturge’s mind that Shizu had become close with Azi, that was just impossible, the man killer of Kujyuri never got along with men, or so the rumor went.

"I suppose whatever you did helped.” Said the Thaumaturge. “But why are you blushing?"

"N-No reason!"

Shizu turned away from her and quickly spoke to Yashimu. Luckily, her brother of all people hadn’t heard her exchange and neither did the other soldiers, except Kajima who raised a brow at Azi’s side.

"Ahem! Brother, what is our next step? Should we continue with the hunt?"

“Oh well, hmmm?”

Not minding his sister’s abrupt change in subject, Yashimu put a hand to his chin to contemplate their next course of action. It took him a moment, but he wasn’t put in charge of the investigation team without reason.

He had a plan ahead in the works, so all he had to do was give it a few more seconds of thought to complete his line of thinking. Deciding, he said.

"The team I sent to give a message to our father has returned and since we have disassembled the kengiri we should split our forces in two. One will head back with the current batch of monster corpses while the other gathers the ones we left behind."

During the investigation, the search teams followed a standard practice when disposing of monsters or animals. After killing one it was to be disassembled and stored away for later acquisition.

All parts of a creature could be utilized, from food to armor or even medicinal remedies. The Kujyurian way was to use whatever the land gave you, hostile monsters included.

Ordering a soldier to bring him his bag, Yashimu rummaged through it and handed Shizu a rolled up and updated map with a safer route back to the village. With Azi’s condition, the best route was the long path through known roads.

"Shizu, you will lead the team heading back to the village with our current batch of monsters. I will stay to move the remaining monsters we left behind and to further our investigation. The presence of a kengiri means that there may be another out there. It could be hibernating for all we know."

"Understood. That is a possibility." Shizu said. "I will set out as soon as we are ready."

“Good, then I’ll get going.”

Yashimu nodded to his sister and gave a look to Azi who was getting laid down on a mat in the tent. He was astonished that Azi had made a miraculous recovery. A slight headache pinched at him, he would have to inform his father of his error in judgment.

He could already envision his father's face of anger as he scolded him for telling him one thing and then turning around to say the other. It would annoy Ozen and was an especially embarrassing topic when it was concerning a mistake on identifying the dead or wounded.

That kind of blunder could have long reaching emotional effects. Yashimu sighed. Why me? He thought.

An hour later, the temporary camp was disassembled and the party was split. Shizu led Kajima, Azi, and 6 soldiers to Shisayama while Yashimu took the Apothecary, Thaumaturge, and the remaining soldiers with him.

Azi was moved to a stretcher carried by 2 soldiers for the trip back to the village due to how weak he was. Standing was difficult for him so walking was out of the question.

This was also at the Apothecary's and Thaumaturge's insistence. They believed that Azi should take it easy and wanted to air on the side of caution. The pair of practitioners were still skeptical of how Azi had come back to life and feared that his condition might rebound if put under too much physical or mental stress.

The cause of his seemingly deadlike state was still unknown.

As the trek back went on, everyone did a bit of chatting to bid their time. The mid winter day wasn’t all bad, or too cold since they had the right coats on.

While on the way to Shisayama, Kajima took it upon himself to scold Azi for worrying him but soon decided to continue where they last left off concerning their forest survival lessons. They talked about the local varieties of dangerous plants, the less dangerous medicinal herbs, and where they could be found.

Shizu and the soldiers beside her, all glanced behind their backs to occasionally see how the boy on the stretcher and the old man next to him, bantered about on a variety of topics like a boisterous father-son duo.

“Heh, the little guy seems to be doing well.” Said a soldier and another chimed in. One by one, they added to the hushed conversation.

“Yeah, glad he’s alive, but he can sure run his mouth with the old guy.”

“I’d thought he’d be scared of Kajima, the man’s a beast in combat and he's a scary looking kind of guy.”

“They sure are chummy, though it's funny how the big scary guy is so into all this talk about flowers and stuff. Not to mention how unordinary they seem.”

To the soldiers, Azi’s banter with Kajima caused a slight chuckle from each of them. The sight of a 2-meter man patting the boy’s head turned quite comedic when Azi’s eyes sparkled with over an enthused interest and delight, as if a boy in awe at a story.

To see such a hulk of a man chat so lively made the intimidating visage Kajima gave off seem harmless.

The soldier’s chuckling only got harder to contain as Shizu revealed Azi’s supposedly true age which got many looks out of them that then turned to raucous laughter. In spite of that, they kept moving, keeping alert of their surroundings but couldn’t help cracking a few jokes to make the journey back more enjoyable.

“27? Talk about one heck of a young looking guy. If the kid’s that old, then do you suppose Kajima’s younger?”

“Pfft, it would be funny to find out their ages and appearance are reversed, sounds like some comedy drama.”

“Yeah, the old and young, the duo of ages for all.”

Kajima and Azi noticed how lively it was getting at the front of the group. They had a guess of who likely got them so riled up. The pair turned their gazes on Shizu who was hiding a snicker from them. The soldiers' laughter continued. It finally died down when the party reached the entrance to the village.

When they moved past an outer perimeter guard post, Shizu had Kajima come over. “If you could, please take Azi home with you. I need all the soldiers to help carry the stowed prey we have.”

"Sure thing little Shizu. Come on Azi. Climb up on my back."

“Hah, well this will be embarrassing.” Said Azi. “You think I can try walking by myself?”

“Hah, I know you look fine, but let’s not test that. You’ve been injured, Azi.” Said Kajima. “I can’t let you walk until you get some real rest, so it can't be helped.”

“Yup, you’ve got no choice ..kid.” Shizu quipped, laying it on thick. “A little boy like you needs his rest, so be a good dog and let the real adult carry you home.”

Azi raised a brow at her. “I can do without your condescension. Anyway, sure.”

Nodding, he got up and was helped by 2 of the soldiers. He clung onto Kajima’s back in a piggyback position and waved goodbye to the group.

“Thanks for today.” He said. “I know it was stressful but I’m glad it’s over.”

“No kidding.” Shizu replied. “I'll see you after I talk with my father. Be sure to rest up, and make sure to clean up after yourself, alright?” She waved back at Azi, who sighed in exasperation. Azi didn’t like the look of how Shizu was smirking at him.

"Goodbye Little Shizu, take care.” Kajima gave a send off as well. “Be sure to be good to your father.”

As he turned, Azi glanced over his shoulder one last time. He thought it was weird how Shizu was going to visit him soon and his premonition for trouble to come was right. Shizu was still smirking.

"Oh don’t worry Kajima, I’ll tell him. And Azi! You’ll see me later!” She shouted back, as if knowing he’d seen her. “We’ll have a chat about your recklessness and mistakes.”

Mistakes? Me?

Thinking back, Azi remembered that the original plan during the fight with the Kengiri was for him to defend, not kill, the 3 gengiri. He thought it would be of no concern since the outcome of the battle was better than expected.

Still, he knew that he had disobeyed the commands of their party leader, and with Shizu’s streak of having reasons to tease or mess with him, her likeliness of holding this small blunder over him was high.

I get the feeling I’m going to be yelled at. Plus, why do my cheeks feel sore all of a sudden.

With that thought and a sudden ache in his face, Azi turned his head away and he tried to pretend to sleep, making it look as if he did not hear what Shizu had said.

Not noticing, since Azi’s acting was spot on, Shizu turned around and began issuing orders.

With a salute, the soldiers organized the bags filled with monster parts and marched to file into two columns. She then led back to the barracks. After situating them, she went to meet with Ozen in the village chief's house as she had a matter she wanted to talk about.

***

As late afternoon shone a dull orange in the white clouded sky above, Kajima continued with Azi on his back as they went on with their conversation about a variety of topics. They had moved on to metallurgy, a fascinating topic about metal tempering and refinement.

As they did, Azi noted all the important places he saw in the village while on the way back to Kajima's house. They had entered on the west side of the village and would have to go through a few places to the house on the south side.

One sight caught his attention, but it wasn’t a building. Down the road was a group of village children, and as they ran by he could hear they were playing tag.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight and remembered a time when he was that young. It was a simpler time where he could run and play all day in the sun. Plus, be able to talk all day with friends.

Who these friends were was a blank in his memory, so were the places he hung out with them. Only old and buried emotions came through.

For a brief moment, he reminisced on what was left to recall in his later life after his childhood. He didn’t think it would be all that good and he was right. It was uncomfortable for him to think about that time, but he wanted to know, or at least try to know more about himself. He couldn’t be left with his amnesia all his life.

Azi felt.. somber all of a sudden. The suspicious sensation as if knowing he never made any real friends during that later period of his life came to him. The friends he made as a kid had left him or some moved away. Then, if he recalled correctly, the rest were unable to contact him for reasons that were a blur.

He remembered moving alot, saying plenty of goodbyes, making promises to see each other, but they were never fulfilled.

He recalled his parents, what was left of them in his thoughts, and that they taught him that when he got older he had to keep to himself. He was taught to only trust family rather than give any real trust to friends. That lesson in life left a divide in Azi's mind between himself and other people.

A new rebellious emotion surfaced. A drive found itself inside him to prove his parents wrong and show that he could trust his friends, he chose to do the opposite of what his elders told him and acted quite friendly towards others. While he wanted to prove his point, he couldn’t deny that the majority of the reasons he did what he had done was to spite his parents’ teachings.

Did he hate them? What was their relationship like? Azi wanted answers, yet there were none to remember, it was all scrambled.

Nonetheless, he did what he thought was right at that young time of his life and over the years he did make new friends. Just as he was putting his thoughts together, a more recent memory, an even hazier retelling of events from his past, played in his head.

He was.. being fired from his job. Then he recalled how the friends he thought he had were nothing else but delusions that faded away into the background.

Deep down, betrayal stabbed at him with the truth, the truth that friends will always leave you if you are of no use to them and that if you ever met them again, they wouldn’t always try to reconnect or want to involve themselves with you.

So? He tried to be friends with those people, those new people, those.. mentors? But they brushed off his attempts to get along. Nevertheless, Azi persisted even before he was fired from whatever job he had and yet, inevitably, even though he had thought the best of his mentor, he was betrayed. He remembered the smile of glee on the mentor’s blurred face.

That person wanted him gone.

He then thought of Shizu. He was happy that he was able to make a friend again in this strange place. But a sense of loss stuck to him. He knew that one day, she might choose to cut him off should he be of no use to her. He was a mere peasant in this nation while she was an ordained knight of Kujyuri, so it would be easy for her.

Azi's expression formed into a small sad smile so he decided then and there to take a nap to clear his head. He was tired and didn't want to think for a while. So much had happened to him in the past few days.

At the same time as he nodded off, Kajima was about to talk on another topic. He paused as he heard Azi’s soft snores.

“Never thought he’d sleep through our talks.” He mumbled softly, as to not wake the kid. “Maybe he is a child, or.. Has some really bad stamina to be sleeping this early.”

Chuckling, Kajima carefully carried Azi back to his house, making sure not to trip so that it wouldn’t wake him.

“Sleep tight kid, I’ve got you and I won’t let you die so easily next time.” To that, Kajima promised. It would be a poor showing to not at least give Azi his support in this troubling time in his life. Kajima was the adult here, so it was his responsibility to help.

Especially in Azi’s case. He had almost no memory of his past, was in an unfamiliar land he didn’t know of, and had no one on his side.

No one, not anyone, should live like that.