Dawn Of A New Era

[Trusted Grader]

A heavy sigh was released from the samurai's breath, Crescent was very warm during these months, this being the beginning of the summer meant that he would be in for a doozy, luckily there would be plenty of shade during their patrol, all that remained was for his new partners to show up. The Legionnaire Captain had been tasked to take a couple of soldiers with him in order to see if they had fully committed to the role, Ishizuka knew that at this point they had already had their minds read, so any signs of treason would've been picked up a long time ago.

I guess integrating into a different society takes some time... Especially a new one such as this... Ishi leaned off the white wall as his right hand gently rested against his weapon, his left arm wiped the sweat off his forehead, his cloth, although designed for this weather did little to help him when they were being bombarded by the unrelenting sun. Tsk, at least they should be accustomed to this sun... It wasn't as bad as the borders near former Wind Country, at least not as he remembered it.

Times truly have changed... His thought pattern was short, yet he liked to linger a little on each one, as if he was never fully sure of himself but due to his work he always had to portray himself as such. He cleared his throat and stood straight once he finally spotted Kenji making his way down the empty alleyway he had hidden in the shades in.

The bricked streets, along with the light colored walls made the entire city stand out amongst the known ones as it gave off a mediterranean feel (Although such place did not exist in this world) "You have finally made it, good. Our patrol will be a rather short one." Ishi smirked, he was in a good mood fortunately and felt that it was perhaps time for the warrior to learn a little about the city's backstory.

[Kaida]

Walking along the humid streets, people parted like the Red Sea as Kenji and Riku made their way to the meeting point. It's not like they were walking in a small area, but a giant man with a mostly grown bear took up a lot of room. And it didn't help that they both looked murderous and uncaring at the same time. It was taking some getting used to, operating within Crescent as opposed to their time on the road after Suna fell. The constant thrum of people around them had Kenji on edge the first few months, his deep distrust of others making cohabitative life difficult. Eventually though, he was able to find a space within their ranks, a sense of order he could respect. Which further allowed him to care for Riku and Yuna. He had also been working more on his taijutsu abilities, wanting to open a dojo within crescent and train their soldiers on effective battle maneuvers and hand to hand combat. If this mission went well, perhaps he could use that as a means to broach the topic.

Coming up the alleyway, the shirtless man and monstrous bear stopped within a couple feet of Ishizuka, with Kenji nodding his head and Riku deciding now was as good a time as any to lay down and take up the entire width of the small corridor. He shook his head down at his friend, the bear was an asset in a fight, but he seemed to be more like a dog than a bear these days as he lavished in the luxury of real city living. His pitch black narrowed eyes finally found those of Ishizuka, and he nodded his head towards the smaller man. "Morning." His gruff voice tumbled out of his chest, causing Riku to open one eye and stare at their acquaintance before nuzzling further into his furry arms. Rolling his eyes, Kenji sharply whistled through his teeth and nudged at the bear. "Up. Time to work." He nodded his head to his patrol commander that they should get going as Riku rose from the ground. The pair would follow Ishizuka to their patrol route for the day.

[Trusted Grader]

Right... That God damn bear as well... Perhaps Kenji would work better as border patrols man? No one would be able to sneak past that bear, but that begs the question, what would the man himself want to do? Perhaps it will come naturally to him with time. Ishizuka uncrossed his arms and smirked, he wiped some sweat off his forehead as the man and the bear closed in on them.

The alleyway was rather empty so this would be the perfect place to meet, Yuna was supposed to be here but they could not afford to wait much longer as they still had their route to go on. Hopefully she had a valid excuse and would meet up with them, otherwise the Samurai might suspect foul play, albeit none of them had raised any red flags when their brains were initially scanned and have not shown any form of aggression towards Crescent.

"I know it can´t be easy to fly under the flag of another nation, trust me, us Samurai used to be independent, but with time you grow to appreciate the fact that you have a massive nation that supports you and your endeavor, besides, we aren´t as strict as the older nations. " Ishizuka started pacing out of the alleyway and entered the main street, they would walk past vendors that were slowly opening shop, the scent of baked bread and fried fish slowly began to covet the space they found themselves in as they continued to patrol.

"How are you and Riku holding up in Crescent? You haven´t ran into any trouble because of your past right?"

[zory_alechiv]

The woman was late, but her steps remained steady instead of speeding up. Unlike her partner, her tiny frame did not part the throng of people in the streets. Instead, she wove around them, going mostly unnoticed, lost in the crowd. The hood over her head hid her natural beauty, her wide, almost eyes portraying an innocence that no longer existed. If one knew how to watch, they would see the way she moved to keep her body from being touched by those she did not know. She was nothing more than a mere shadow and a small breath of wind at their sides, gone before they turned to see the source.

Yuna got closer to her destination the scent of fresh-baked bread becoming stronger until she passed the stall. Finally, her green eyes fell on her target and she clenched her hand around her staff tighter though she did not unhook it from the clasp on her back. Her target seemed to be of the same age as her partner, though her partner looked younger without facial hair. He was several inches taller than her (who wasn't) with tattoos and a fierce demeanor. he looked focused and determined. Ishizuka, her mind supplied as she closed the distance between her and the three.

"Sorry I'm late," she began, her tone almost whimsical in nature and full of wonder. Her gloved fingers reached up to brush lightly along Riku's fur before she pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "I was naming the stars, but I named them all te same name and got confused." Her lips dimmed in sadness as she looked to the samurai, waiting for his and Kenji's response.

[Kaida]

The monstrous bear lay somewhat on Kenji's feet as Ishizuka attempted to make small talk. It wasn't that Kenji had anything against the man, Crescent seemed perfectly fine compared to the life him and Yuna had been living thus far. "Flying under another nation carries no issue for me. My pride and responsibility to my village died the same day my wife and unborn child did." His words held no emotion, only simple fact as his face was hard and unreadable. That fateful day changed his life forever, a part of himself locked far away, even from his own eyes. The only glimpses that remained were privy to Yuna and Riku.

A low and confident chuckle left the large sculpted mans' mouth as his superior officer inquired about any problems he may have encountered. It was laughable to think that anyone would question him once passing their various entrance tests, and that wasn't even taking into account his sheer size and power. "I've yet to meet anyone foolish enough to stand in my way, regardless of where I've been." The smirk on his face mixed dangerously with his black eyes, a challenge in his raised brow. While it was true there were stronger people in the world, it wasn't often Kenji had struggled with overpowering or outsmarting those he encountered. He was sure he would be tested as he continued on this path, and it was a challenge he looked forward to. He was not so arrogant to believe he was invincible.

Just as they were about to depart, a familiar small hooded woman appeared. And with it, the first honest sight of Kenji's true personality. His dark eyes rolling in exasperated fondness for his companion as Riku rose up to lick a stripe on Yuna's cheek. Kenji raised his right hand, a large paw in comparison to the woman's tiny stature and rested it on her head as she buried her face into Riku's fur. Turning her head to meet his gaze, he raised an eyebrow inquisitively. A silent message between them to make sure she was alright. "And here I thought you were sleeping amongst the daisies again." A wry smile on his face as th familiar jest was uttered between them.

[Trusted Grader]

"Right... I would suggest humbling yourself Kenji, there are people out there that make Kage´s look like they are chump change, believe it or not. And some of them don´t even fight alone, hence why it´s important to find people who are willing to fight and die for you... Shame about your family though." Ishi sighed, he hated to hear about innocent women and children dying over wars created by men.

Ishizuka stopped walking as he heard Yuna make her way to them, the bear had been kind enough to let out a gentle grunt that caught the Samurai commanders attention. Normally he would feel some type of way that Yuna was late, but seeing as this was just a patrol where they would get a short history lesson, he felt that it was perhaps inappropriate that would scold her, well, that was until he heard her strange response. Named all the stars? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ishi raised an eyebrow and sighed, it was clear that he was annoyed by this answer as it almost felt disrespectful.

"Right... Or just say you overslept and take responsibility like an adult." Ishizuka was after all their superior, all their orders came from him, or rather from Enzaragi down to him and onto the soldiers that worked for Crescent Coalition.

"Whenever you both are ready." Said Ishizuka as he turned around and guided them through the city they had patrolled plenty of times before. Libertalis was sprawling with life, it´s Mediterranean design made the city stick out compared to most villages ninjas had set foot on, and the fact that the city was built in width and length helped disguise the secret village within.

"Now, can anyone tell me who this man is?" Ishizuka stopped by a statue of a massive eagle, above the eagle was a cloaked figure with his hood down, next to him were two women who seemed to cover his back. All of them seemed to be looking in different directions, covering each others back, with the central man staring forward.

[zory_alechiv]

"No, Kenji-kun, the daisies were being mean last night," she said petulantly though her eyes were soft with happiness. Something good had kept her up and she couldn't wait to tell him about the boy. Her green gaze drifted towards the older man as he too chimed in and if she cared what he thoughtt, she might have apologized. Instead, she tilted her head to the side, allowing her dark hair to fall over one shoulder as she looked at him blankly, almost as if she didn't understand.

Still, she knew to behave and helping a student with a broken weapon wasn't likely a good enough excuse. She had a soft spot for kids and the repairs took longer than she thought, but they had it back together again and the smile on his face was worth any scorn this geezer had towards her.

It wouldn't be the first time she silently questioned their need for stability. That's all this was to her. She was going insane...well, more insane with all of the travelling and the strangers they met. She'd tried to remain quiet about her own psyche and mental struggles. A lot of her felt guilty for what had happened to Kenji's wife, she had been there after all and she had failed the three of them spectacularly. Kenji didn't blame her which showed he was a good man, but she would follow him to the ends of the earth to repay the debt he said she didn't have. besides, she needed him too. She had become a shell of herself before the war and he and his wife had helped her. Without him or Riku, there was no telling how bad she'd be, probably in a psyche ward.

She didn't give Ishizuka a response, nor did she reply to Kenji again. Instead, she kept her hand in Riku's fur at his nape as the four of them made their way through Libertalis. She had to admit, this was the most beautiful city she had been in and was glad they were here.


"Now, can anyone tell me who this man is?"

Yuna flickered towards Kenji, letting him speak.

[Kaida]

His eyebrows raised in Ishizuka's direction, it would seem the man mistook confidence for arrogance. "No humbling necessary. I want to be challenged. I merely meant it's not often that anyone on the road will stand in the way of a large man with an even larger bear. I have had my share of fights that I did not win, and even more that were won with diplomacy over fists." He chose to ignore the comment about his family, not wanting to reopen that particular wound and not trusting that the man before him was genuine in his condolences.

As Yuna continued on about daisies and the stars, his eyes narrowed at the casual and dismissive way their superior spoke to her. Though he made no noise or movement of displeasure, he made a note to watch how the 2 interacted. Wanting to insure Yuna's safety at any cost. Shifting his gaze, he looked back down to the tiny woman, a gentle smile falling across his face conveying his fondness openly. "Now pup, we talked about this. The daisies only listen, they don't talk back." It had happened many times where Kenji would find her speaking aloud in nature, seemingly discussing events with the plant life as if they had a sentient voice as opposed to a sentient presence. It was endearing to him, but often gave others the wrong impression. And though he wasn't one to care about impressions, he knew Yuna needed stability in order to thrive. Surviving alone wasn't an option anymore. It made her too unstable and worsened her condition.

The large grizzly was still standing as the young woman nuzzled against him, an odd purring sound coming from deep within his chest. Surrounded by his favorite people, Riku felt completely at ease. Though with an animal his size, that could change at the drop of a hat.

As the group walked through the alleyway, their captain stopped and stood infront of a statue. It was seemingly important to him, but Kenji hadn't the faintest idea who it was. They had only beed in town for a short while, and most of that time had been spent getting set up for their new life. As well as lots of training, Kenji hated laying around. "If I had to guess, it's one of the founders."