Kurai bounded around happily as she finally passed over to the wasteland. Today was the day she was finally going to nip her fear in the bud and prove that she could fight back. She felt like the grumpy old man was trustworthy enough, and if worse came to worse, the dragon could just run away like she did last night. What was there to fear, other than hollows that could creep up at any moment?

If that happened, Kurai could try her best to act brave and defend Yoshiya. It was the first step to killing her fears, be brave and prove it not only to herself, but to the man as well. But that wouldn’t happen, right? Kurai was a pretty big hollow herself and that would mean others would fear to come closer, right?

The hollow shook her head, happiness bubbling through her as a giggle escaped her scaly maw. It would be great to see Cheema and curl herself around the infant deer, showing her love by nuzzling and feeding her all that green stuff Kurai had found in the forest…

Kurai came to a dead stop, her stomach dropping as she turned around to face the border between the fourth district and the wasteland.

“How could Kurai be so stupid and forget about Cheema’s food!?” Flaring her wing repeatedly, Kurai paced as she let out a whine, “Kurai has to go back to get Cheema food.”

Against the backdrop of darkened rubble and shadowed dust stood Yoshiya, merely a silhouette against the darkened night. But this mere form stood alongside him. The lady Kurai.

He had woken up that day. That was a good sign, or it would be for many. The dragon had not considered the Rukon supper, and he woke up without injury. It seemed he had another day to live.

Though his mind was still clouded with sickness, he was able to put out more than a full day's work, preparing for his expedition into the wastelands. As well as stocking up on food, water and firewood, both for himself and Yggdrasil, who would be staying at home base, he purchased a set of bandages and a salve kit from a medicine dealer. These were added to his left hip pouch, along with the herb he received from that woman, now relocated from the front-left pouch. In that pouch were a set five shuriken, purchased from a weapon vendor. It was there that another strange occurrence befell Yoshiya. A man strode up to him, yelling about flashing lights and emergency turtles, thrust a bow and arrows at him, then wandered off. And that is why Yoshiya had a bow and arrows at his back.

Aside from this, in his left hand was his staff. His right held a sack of supplies.

Their trip through the third and fourth had thankfully been uneventful. But now they stood, on the border between the fourth district and the wasteland. The wrong side of the border for a Rukon, though the fourth itself was not a great place to be either.

But no sooner had they left the Rukongai than his companion fell into distress. He spun on his staff to face her.

"Where did you leave it?" he said, in a low voice. "What does Cheema eat anyway? On that point, who is Cheema anyway?"

He probably should have established who the future room mate was before starting out on this adventure. It may have been a less gracious Hollow, for all he knew. Though, Kurai didn't seem like a total imbecile, and she had plenty opportunity to murder him so far, and he was still alive. He was probably safe. Safe in that regard, at least.

The hollow would let out a huff of breath, her crimson eyes rolling as she planted her forefeet firmly into the ground in front of the old man. How could the man not know what Cheema was? Like, come on, seriously? Kurai sat down, a large plume of dust lifting from the ground as her rear touched down.

“Cheema is Cheema. Cheema eats stuff that will make Kurai sick, like all that green stuff where Kurai gets the fishies.” Bringing a clawed hand up to her face, she began to tap a finger against her mask. The result of said tapping ended with the hollow sneezing violently, more dust flaring up into the air.

After several more sneezes, Kurai would sit up from her seated position, shaking herself off as she gave one last mighty sneeze. Oh, how much she hated the wastelands. The area was only good at making the hollow dirty and uncomfortable. Why was it so hard to keep her scales all nice and sparkling!? Not to mention her hair. The greasy mess needed some grooming itself. The dragon let out a low growl as her tail lashed back and forth.

“Why can’t Kurai be like Ryuu, or Kou-chii, or even shinigami? All this sand is irritating.”

Yoshiya's heard increased a few beats.

"Why have we stopped?" He observed his surroundings, looking for any sign of ambush. None were apparent at the time.

"I don't know precisely what you mean by 'green stuff'. If you mean vegetables, I have some of that with me. If you mean insects, then I don't have any of that. What do you mean by green stuff? Where did you leave it? Who is Cheema? Stop being tautological!"

His eyes darted back and forth, searching for any sign of movement in the darkness. Still nothing, but her sneezing.

"Why do you not want to be a Hollow? Everyone has someone trying to kill them. The Hollows kill the Rukons and Shinigami, the Rukons kill the Hollows and Shinigami, and the Shinigami kill the Hollows and kill the Rukons by making them work whilst giving inadequate protection. Life stinks for all of us! The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill Kurai. There is nothing good about this world. From a utilitarian standpoint, it would be better if this world were wiped from existence!"

He was excited, but not foolish. His yells were quiet, he did not want to attract attention. He wanted to get moving and to base camp, ASAP.

The hollow narrowed her eyes, turning her body so she stared deeper into the wasteland and promptly sat herself down on the ground. Her tail continued to lash back and forth, this time out of anger towards the man. Scanning the land for any heat signatures, Kurai took a deep breath, scenting the area for any foreign smells only to shake her head. Looking over her shoulder at the man with dark red eyes, the dragon snapped her mouth closed before replying.

“We have stopped because I felt like stopping. Calm yourself, old man, for nothing will attack us. We are the only ones here.” Standing once again, the dragon continued to move deeper into the wasteland, shaking herself of the dust that had clung to her. “And don’t make me explain what Cheema is again. She is Cheema and she doesn’t eat people, now come on. I’d like to get home before the sun rises.”

Kurai walked in silence, her tail flicking from side to side every few seconds. The only noise that could be heard was the shifting of sand and rocks beneath the feet of the two, soothing almost to the young dragon. It reminded her of the many nights with her mother. They roaming the wastelands for food and shelter from the sun.

“Hey Kou-chii. I don’t remember if I asked, but do you have any family?”

They walked on, for many a mile, until Kurai broke the silence with a question. His family? Nothing to discuss.

"My family is not important. Whatever family I may have, I have not seen or heard from in centuries. They may be alive, they may be dead. It doesn't really matter. Yggdrasil is company enough. You would do well remember that I am your trainer, not your friend, Kurai."

Silence fell again

As she listened intently to the words of the old man, Kurai couldn’t help the sad smile from appearing on her features. Yoshiya reminded the dragon of her mother with his grumpiness and the way he talked. If the Rukon was watching her carefully, he would notice that her pace would start to slow, the memories of her mother flooding through her mind.

“Neene told Kurai something like that. You two are similar. If Neene wasn’t hollow and dead, she would like you very much.” Kurai let out a deep sigh, picking her pace back up. Being away from home for an entire day worried Kurai. Cheema had to be starving. “We should move faster.”

And with that, the hollow’s walk turned into a trot. Almost home, she thought to herself.

He noticed. He noticed many things. Comment, he did not. But he did notice. And then they sped up. Even though he wasn't the fastest thing alive, the trot was of an adaquate pace for him to keep up with. If his hands were not so laden. As such, the dragon started to pull away slightly.

"Slow down a tad. Carting all this stuff isn't easy."

He wasn't breathless, but it was awkward to have a staff in one hand, a sack in the other, and to be capable of running.

Slowing her pace once again, the hollow looked back at the man, an exasperated sigh leaving her maw. Not being home left her impatient. “Then let Kurai carry some stuff. The sooner we are at Kurai’s home, the better.”

The dragon stopped, hoping the man would give her some of the burdens he carried, her eyes roaming the landscape once again for any dangers. She lowered herself into a crouch as she continued to scan the area. This far into the wastelands, one couldn’t be too careful.

“Make it quick. I don’t like staying in one area for long.”

Yoshiya stopped, he hoped he was making decent enough pace already. Apparently not. Unfortunately most of the burden was tossed into a single sack, and he doubted his client could carry it more efficiently than he. As such he would have to remove most of the good stuff.

The man set down the sack, and deftly removed his belt. He sheathed his staff, then buckled the belt around the Hollow's waist, before clipping the bow to the side of the belt. The quiver was also attached to her back.

With that he picked up the sack again and started off at a jog.

"You have my armaments. If we're attacked, unless I can quickly get some stuff from you, then I'm pretty much defenceless.I particularly need that staff on your back."

May they get their soon.

Kurai’s scales itched, partly due to the sand that managed to get everywhere and because being out in the wasteland with the enemy probably wasn’t the best of ideas, but it was the only choice if the dragon wanted to become efficient in protecting herself. To be able to defend herself against hollows, Rukons, and Shinigami alike made Kurai’s insides flutter with excitement. Just because she could defend herself, however, didn’t mean she could necessarily leave an encounter alive.

She took a breath, clearing her mind of the thoughts that flitted through her mind, before rising up from her crouched position and entering a trot. Just a few more minutes until they arrived at the cave Kurai called home.

“Once we get there, we shall rest and feed Cheema. After that, we shall start training.”

"Sounds reasonable. But don't expect miracles. I haven't seen combat since Autumn, I haven't ever taught anyone how to fight, and we'll have vastly different fighting styles. I shall do my best for you, but that may not be much."

The pair walked onwards, through the dust and the wind and the night.

The continually noise of crunching sounded through the area only to stop next to what looked like a burrow. Kurai crouched down once again, waiting for Yoshiya to remove the belt he had given her to carry. Her tail flicked from side to side in anticipation. Oh, how she wanted to snuggle the miniature deer and fall asleep next to her, tell her about the past few days. After she had her rest/nap, Kurai would be ready for her training.

Once the man removed the belt from her, the dragon would slip through the fairly large burrow, assuming that the man followed suit. Once inside the burrow, Kurai gave herself a nice shake to rid her scales and fur of dust. Glancing around the cavern for the small form of Cheema, the hollow let out a whisper.

“Cheeeemaaa. Kurai’s back.” Her voice, even though she whispered, bounced off the walls, giving an illusion of the size of the cave. A shuffling could be heard once Kurai’s voice stopped echoing, a warm red form, to the eyes of the hollow, shifting. “Oh, Cheema! Kurai missed you so much!”

So, this was home. He dumped the sack a few feet into the cave, then set his belt, which he hadn't bothered reattaching to himself after removing from the dragon, next to it. Although he did remove his staff from its sheath.

"Strange. It almost seem to jump to my hand that time."

He surveyed the cave's interior. He could see the back of Kurai, but not much else. It was very dark in the cave.

"Blast, can't see a thing."

He shook the dust from his cloak and entered, tapping his staff on the ground afore him, trying to get a feel for the cave.

"Fine place you have here, milady."

For it was, as far as caves went it was a fine cave. Though it was still a cave.

He continued his survey, poking about in the dark.

The tiny bundle of fur finally got to its feet, an equally tiny bleat leaving the little deer’s throat. The clop of cloven hooves echoed through the cave as Cheema came up to the much larger dragon, timidly sniffing at the claws of Kurai. Lowering her head to nuzzle the fawn, the hollow cooed at the mammal before turning towards Yoshiya. She nudged the infant towards the old man, a look of affection evident on her face.

“Kurai appreciates Kou-chii’s thoughts on her home. Kurai would like to introduce Kou-chii to Cheema. Cheema is one of the reasons why Kurai goes out to the forest. We love each other very much.” To emphasize her words, the hollow nuzzled the deer lovingly. The deer let out another bleat, her nose snuffling at the dragon’s feet. “Oh, that’s right! Cheema needs food. Kou-chii said he had food for Cheema, right? If not, Kurai thinks she has some food stored away.”

Kurai moved deeper into the cave, her nose down to the ground in search of the food she had supposedly stored away. “Kurai knows she doesn't have much for Kou-chii to sit upon, but make yourself comfortable. After traveling most of the night, Kurai will need some sleep. The sun hurts her eyes so she can’t train then.” Before she could hear Yoshiya’s response, the hollow let out a noise of triumph as she dug through the rocks, dirt, and coins that littered the ground. “Kurai knew she had some food for Cheema! Cheema, food time!”

His eyes slowly became accustomed to the darkness of the cave. Shapes formed in the cave. He could make out the head of Kurai, and a small bundle she was pushing towards him.

"Why, hello their Miss Cheema, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Crouching down, he petted the small bundle of fur, although he did so not just to give affection, but to gauge her size and shape.

"Judging by her form, as well as the noise of her bleat, I'd say this creature is a deer of some description."

Yoshiya sat down against the cave wall and petted the deer as the dragon scurried around in the dark.

"Aye. We can get started tomorrow. We have had a long journey."

And then the deer left him. Yoshiya went over, picked up his stuff and moved further into the cave, still checking his path with his staff as he went.

"Kurai, if I am to stay here, I may as well tell you my actual name. It's Yoshiya Watson. Though you may call me whatever you wish."

With that, he sat down again, deeper in the cave, awaiting the end of feeding time.

The hollow paused her nuzzling of Cheema, eyes locking onto the man with a smile on her reptilian face. Her haunches touched down to the ground as her tail wrapped around her forepaws. Receiving the name of another was an honor to the dragon, one that filled the emptiness just a little. After a few more seconds of silence, Kurai’s voice would emanate through the cave.

“I am Kurohime Kurai. Pleased to meet you Yoshiya Watson.” Returning her attention to the deer, Kurai whispered about her latest adventure to Rukongai as Cheema partook in her leafy meal.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms Kurohime."

The Rukon dwelt in the layer of his hunter, the irony of the situation being long gone from his mind.

A bearded being sat, and listened in on the chatter of the two beasts, sole comfort in the hostile darkness.

Once the miniature deer finished her meal, she moved to curl herself up next to the hollow. Kurai gave a smile, nuzzling Cheema before curling herself around her. It was great to be home, even if the return journeys always made the dragon irritated. Before laying her head on her forepaws, Kurai turned her gaze to Yoshiya, a faint smile appearing on her scaly lips.

“Kurai thanks you, Yoshiya Watson, for taking on the burden of training Kurai,” the hollow said in a low voice. Her eyes then turned toward the entrance of the cavern, signs of morning appearing in the form of lighted beams. Tomorrow was going to be fun. And just like that, Kurai fell asleep.

[Exit]

Yoshiya looked on in amazement "That lady sure went out like a light." Many beings wished that they could fall asleep with that ease.

He reached his hand up and pulled his hood further over his head, to shield his eyes from the oncoming rays. The Rukon joined the Hollow's world for the second time that night, first the land of the Wastes, and now the land of Nod.

[EXIT]

SPOILER: Click to show

Thread ended, point distribution is as follows:

Kurai - 9

Watson - 9

Points to be added shortly, thread locked