(OC is mine. Input is needed, and much appreciated.)

???

"Cherish them. Don't hesitate. Protect them at all costs."

Those words ring in my head every day.

The biggest piece of advice I've ever been given was the last.

Admittedly, it's saved me and others time and time again.

Cherish what you have, you don't have the time to hesitate, and protect your loved ones no matter the cost.

Well, obviously pyrrhic victories don't really count, but still.

Ever since that day, I've only ever had one goal that's been eating away at me.

And in seeking that goal, I was tricked, and sent here.

Now, I have these Humanlike animals conversing with me.

I've sensed them when I eyed them up, and felt no ill-intentions from them, only confusion.

That's good, I can't emphasize enough how some places have itchy trigger fingers.

It's almost poetic, with animals reaching a state of being like humans...

Or I'm being presumptuous and there's more to this than meets the eye.

Everyone I've encountered so far is animalistic in shape, but I guess getting to know these locals will clear things up.

To reiterate, Anthropomorphism seems to be a trait in this world, as evidenced by the three of them being animalistic in nature, but still retaining the stance of humans. I've always found the concept, interesting to say the least. The fusion of man and mammal into something entirely different, especially in fiction, where the different species can be used to convey different messages and positions in life. It creates something unique, and I admire that.

However...

The wolfman is already interrogating me.

He has white fur accented by teal fur covering his back and the top of his head. He has gray fur on the bridge of his black nose, and a white diamond-shaped pattern on his forehead. He has a small, disheveled mane of fur around his neck that spills out all over. His eyes are ice blue, and he wears light tan trench coat with the collar up, a black sweater, black cropped gloves, a pair of slim dark gray chinos, and dark brown chelsea ankle boots.

"What do you mean, 'Your Demons'?" The ancient feeling wolfman asks, sounding like he's in his twenties.

"One of the biggest threats your society faces right now. It wasn't expected that I got here first, but not unwelcome."

"How do we know YOU'RE not one of them?" He replies, eyes narrowed.

"Because if I was...you'd already be dead right now. Your friends and family would be as well, at best. At worst...I'd rather not divulge in that for now."

"What are they?" He asks.

"Beings that constantly grow in strength. They seek to destroy. Cliché, but they're belligerent, and numerous. Identifiable by their sinister feel to it. It makes you uncomfortable in your own skin, or just gives you an inwardly cold feeling. When you see them looking at you, that situation only ends either when one dies, or one escapes. Some tactically retreat, others go out in a blaze of glory..."

"What else can you tell us about them?" The raccoon girl asks.

"They aren't your typical red devils in horns with pitchforks. Lower ranked-Demons look more human-like with black and white business blazers and their faces are obscured with their signature Demonic masks. They get more unique looks when they 'rank up' or 'evolve', usually signified by what their powers are. The only Demon that doesn't wear one is their de facto leader. Lee Rylan, or as we call him, Negative. Others would call him Mister Negative, though surprisingly he doesn't know people address him in that last manner. He's been a thorn in ours, and everyone's side for, who knows how long..."

"Well, I know you're not one of them. You helped people out of the rubble after you got here, you saw they needed help, and didn't even need us to ask first. If you wanted them dead, you would've either finished them off or just left them there." The brown raccoon-looking girl speaks to me, sounding, and feeling, like a late teen or early adult.

She bears handful traits of blue jay, judging from the color scheme of her hair and tail, and raccoon (marking around the eyes, which also gives the whole 'raccoon' impression). Her chin-length bob-cut hair and tail are blue in color with black ends. She also has teal eyes, and black pointy cat-like ears on the top of her head. Her hand-paws, feet-paws, and a patch on her face are dark brown while the rest of her fur is light brown, contrary to what I believe as a raccoon.

She wears a loose gray tank-top, a black sports bra underneath, navy dolphin shorts with light green trim, a red sports jacket with white trim and an unfolded collar, and white sneakers with red soles. Her bushy tail sticks out from her shorts.

"Who do you serve?" She asks.

"Those who need our service. Like you. If you are asking who I answer to, that would be my superiors. Some of which you would consider to be 'higher beings'."

"I mean, you didn't kill us on sight, as you've said. You seemed more, intrigued, than anything." The bright pink fox girl says, seemingly rationalizing my actions, who sounds around the same age as the raccoon girl. "Also, you don't really feel sinister...so..."

Her hair is long, pink, with a dark pink bang going down her forehead. Her fox ears are the same color as her hair. Above her nose, her fur is also pink, but below it, it's white.

She might be any other canine being, potentially related to the wolfman, but I'm calling her a fox based on her bushy tail.

"Indeed. Like you said earlier, I need to know who I live among. Whether it be man, or monsters."

The wolfman tries to speak up, but the raccoon girl beats him to it.

"Well, rest assured, we're not monsters." She says.

I chuckle again.

"Good in most cases, but functionally..."

I walk away slightly, putting emphasis on what I'm to say next.

"No one wants to be a monster that goes out of control. That's not good. What they don't realize, however, being a controlled monster, being able to do what's necessary against other monsters, is what gives you a chance against them, Demons, and the other threats that follow."

"You're here for a reason. Why else would you be giving us this advice?" The wolfman asks, seeming to catch on what I'm talking about.

I walk further away, leaping in a single bound up to the darker ledges.

"I'm here to help."

"With what?" The raccoon-girl ask.

"To make you stronger, of course."

"Say what?" She asks, tilting her head.

"I'll need to...how you say...survey you guys. Get candidates, so to say. Those who are worthy, to prove themselves they can be trusted...with our secrets..."

"Guessing it'd be optimistic to assume you'd explain your secrets right away, right?" Shirou asks.

"I'll need to get to know you guys, and your people, better. Though it'll more than likely go for me as well, with you knowing more about me. If you need me, give me a holler. Or if you're in trouble...rest assured, I'll be there."

I turn to them.

"If you wish to leave, you may. And if you have anyone else you want me to speak to, whether it be a friend, or your leader, I will be here."

They bow their heads.

"Thank you, for your time." They say in unison.

As they turn to leave, I remember something.

"Ah, one more thing."

They stop in their tracks, turning back to me. I pull out a few somethings from behind me.

"Heads up."

I toss them in the air, the 3 of them taken aback at me suddenly throwing things at them. But they catch 2 things respectively.

When they look down, they see the flat, sharp, shiny piece, and the unusual white eye-shaped object.

"What...what are these?" The fox-lady asks.

"A peace offering."

Though confused at first, the 3 hesitantly accept the gifts. Obviously, for them, they're holding alien-like pieces in their hands. So their curiosity is through the roof right now.

"Thank you." They say, instantly going to observe them.

"No. Thank you. For your time."

"Do...you have a name?" The raccoon girl asks, the others look at me intently.

I'm not sure on if I should reveal that just yet...

"For now, call me...Skyfall."

"My name is Michiru. Michiru Kagemori." The raccoon-girl says.

"Nazuna Hiwatashi." The fox-girl adds.

"Shirou Ogami." The wolfman ends.

"Japanese names..."

"Yeah...is there anything wrong with that?" The one named Shirou raises his eyebrow.

"Not in the slightest. Just kind of surprised you told your names as easily as you did."

"Guessing Skyfall's not your real name?"

"A security measure."

They say nothing more in return, likely seeing the futility of trying to probe any more than they already have as they observe their gifts.

"One more thing, an odd request, actually..."

They look up to see me again.

"The next time you send someone here, would it be too much trouble to ask for a citrus-based food or refreshment?"

The 3 of them look to each other in confusion that just says, "Yeah, odd request, indeed.".

"Not at all." Shirou says. "That's specific, why?"

"To be frank, I have a taste of death in my mouth right now that only goes away with citrus foods. If you have that here, I'd be grateful."

"I can arrange that." Shirou says.

"Thank you."

Soon, the 3 animalistic beings bow, thanking me again as they leave the cave, making their way back through where they once did.

I'm starting to think I could've handled that better.

The whole mysterious-monk guy thing isn't exactly doing anyone any favors.

I know I'm trying out a new style...but it feels more of a byproduct of me not being able to get over my loss...it's been nearly 5 months...

But though they were skeptical, after I told my 'name', they were so willing to reveal their real names...

I've seen this before, but...

Why did it hit so hard now?

I leap down where my guests were earlier...

Or technically, my hosts, because I'm on their turf.

I grab the two swords and rip them out of the stone.

I look at the giant odachi in my left hand, thinking about...

The deadly owner...

I must find people soon...

He's coming.

He always is...

Nazuna, in the elevator in city hall

"That...was a trip..." I say.

"Talk about sugarcoating it..." Michiru replies.

"Didn't even get a chance to ask him how it...he...saw me." Shirou comments.

"There's always next time." My friend assures our wolfman friend. "And yeah, it did sound like how a normal guy would..."

"We know he's not some alien invader, apparently. That's a start." I add.

"Yeah." He says, contemplating while looking at the 'gifts' the guy gave us.

I, too, look down at the contents in my hand.

A shiny piece that feels sharp on the edge and the tip, the shape being reminiscent of a feather, as well as an eye-shaped pearl that looks about the size of a marble.

Why give these to us?

Peace offering, maybe, but there's bound to be another purpose...

There always is.

"Guess we better tell Mayor Rose what we found out." I suggest.

"Yeah." Shirou says.

As if on cue, the door opens, and we make our way into Mayor Rose's office.

She is still doing her paperwork, bodyguarded by her friend Ishizaki.

She looks up to us.

"Hello, Shirou. Girls. What did you find?" She asks stoically, placing down her pen.

Shirou puts his hands in his pockets and sighs.

"We found out that HE, is here to help, apparently. He talked about things related to 'Demons', and how they're the reason he's here, and that he's needing to protect us from them. He wishes to make us stronger, and that he'll need to get to know us, and us him, better." He explains.

"Okay...did he...this being, have a name?" She asks.

"He said 'For now, call me Skyfall'."

"Skyfall...hmm..." She utters, pondering about this.

I guarantee you he likely called himself that as a codename, or a title, to protect his exact identity for now.

"He gave us these." Shirou says, walking over to Rose, holding out the blade and the eye-marble, placing them on her desk.

She picks them up, observing them intently.

She looks up, down, left, right on the blade, and holds the marble like, well, a marble, observing it as well.

"He also said, if anyone wanted to speak with him, they may. Whether it be other people or political leaders." I add.

We'll have to take his word when he says he's not here to kill us.

"Did he say anything else?" She asks.

"Nothing substantial." Shirou replies.

"If he is amicable with us, then we must return the favor. He was not aggressive, so that's good." She says, sighing, placing the 'peace offerings' on her desk, Shirou picks them back up. "Given that foreign relations must be worked on..."

She gets up from her chair, straightening out her coat.

"I will go speak with him." She announces.

"Ms. Mayor." Ishizaki interjects. "Is it too soon for him to meet with someone in a high position such as you?"

"If I do not work things out with him, then he'll be too much of a liability to worry about. Besides, if we can show that we can make peace with beings from, potentially, another world, it could be the start to good relations for the rest of our world." She explains.

"I still don't know..." Her bodyguard utters, crossing his arms.

"It must be done." She makes her position, closing her eyes, but opens them to us. "You 3 have done exceptionally well. Thank you."

"You're welcome." We bow.

"I have just finished my work for now, I will make preparations to meet with...Skyfall." She says.

"I will need to guide you through. He's taken refuge in caves near, and under the island." Shirou advises.

"Okay. Be ready for my call." She says, soon looking to me and Michiru. "For now, I have a feeling you will need to rest and recuperate. So please, do what you must to relax. I can't shake the feeling you might need it soon."

We nod our heads.

As we're dismissed, Shirou begins discussing other matters with Rose, and we close the doors behind us.

Michiru

When we ride the elevator down, and exit the giant tower, we're left with the rest of the city in our hands, to figure out what to do to relax...

For once...

"Would it be a little late to try Kim and Kuro's now that we don't have another situation on our hands?" I suggest.

Nazuna chuckles and nods her head.

"Yes, that'd be nice." She replies, smiling.

We activate our wings...and we soar into the air.

And thus, I take the lead, us soaring through the urban, and recently liberated Animacity.

Our new home.

Believe me, I'd do whatever it takes to protect this place. Nazuna, a little more enthusiastically than I expected she would've, agreed to it.

We've mastered our beast forms and now serve alongside Shirou in defending it.

With all three of us, including our friends doing it, what could happen?

The being, of course...

Skyfall...happened.

Poetic choice of names, apparently.

Again...such a wrench in the gears...

He's done nothing wrong, so to say, beyond just scaring the pants off us when he did his dramatic entrance...

I guess he'll prove his point with his actions.

They do speak louder than words.

Given that he can fly without wings...which shouldn't even be physically possible...

We soon find ourselves hovering over a very familiar plaza where, essentially, all the drama started with a terrorist attack.

To think that it was all motivated by self-hatred and greed. Not a very good combination of attributes to have.

Ugh, I'm just going to push that thought aside for now.

We gracefully land on the ground near one of my favorite places to eat, the FireBull stand still right next to it even after the Silver Wolf Celebration has long been over. It's one of those locally owned small businesses that operate year-round. I respect that.

We shift our wings back into our forms so we can use our arms and legs properly.

Kim and Kuro's, a place that serves a little bit of everything for everyone.

Finally have a chance to come here...

They got sushi, sashimi, pork bao (one of my favorites), tempura galore, yakisoba, onigiri (pickled plum filling is my favorite), even surprisingly good takoyaki (another one of my favorites) and more.

"You mentioned this place before, and I've met Mrs. Kim at the market before, but I forgot she and her husband ran this place. Is it new?" Nazuna asks.

"Not sure, but you know how new buildings can have a distinct smell?" I ask, she nods. "Well, this place does not have that in any capacity. So, I think it's been here a while."

"Huh, well, if you think it's good, I'll go for it!" She says as she gives me a high five.

We go into the joint, soon greeted by a somehow homey scent of sea, tea, and tempura. The western song 'Skyfall', by Adele, plays softly on the ceiling speakers.

'Ready to' and 'Night Running' aren't the only songs I know of, Skyfall is one of my favorite songs and I got a nice library on my phone.

Kind of coincidental with the Skyfall we know of now, huh?

Believe it or not, I'm a bit of a Hans Zimmer fan myself. Who knew electric guitar went so well with orchestra?

Freaking 'Man of Steel'...

The owner over the display case instantly notices us.

"Hey, Michiru! I haven't seen you in a good long while!" The middle-aged lady, wearing a hairnet, black bangs hanging through greets us gleefully.

"Hey Mrs. Kim, sorry, I've been a little busy." I say.

"You and Nazuna, saving Beastman kind? Sure, it'd take up a lot of your time." She says, gesturing to me and my friend.

"Good to see you, Mrs. Kim." Nazuna replies, smiling.

"Good to see both of you girls! You've been all over the news. It's hard not to notice nowadays, considering you two were literally the cure to Nirvasyl." She explains, we hold the back of our heads in flattery. "Well, here you can be safe from any paparazzi, I can promise you that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kim." We both bow to her.

"Wait, where's Mr. Kuro?" I ask, wondering about her husband.

"Oh, he's out getting more groceries, he'll be back soon." She says.

"Okay, good to hear." I say, glad to hear her husband's safe. "How'd the storm and the earthquake effect you?"

"Honestly, it was so sudden I had to take cover under the table! But any breakables I have are always stored away safely in case things like this happen. I experienced both Tohoku and Hokkaido, you know." She points out, citing her knowledge.

"Oh...the earthquakes and tsunamis?" I ask.

"Yeah, Tohoku was in 2011 and Hokkaido was in 2018." Nazuna says, remembering her history.

"Glad to see you're okay right now." I say.

"How'd you girls fare against it?" She asks.

"Well..." I hold my hand on the back of my head, looking to my friend as to how we can explain this to a motherly figure such as Mrs. Kim. "We were kind of blown away. More so because you could say we... 'met', the cause of it."

She tilts her head.

"Did you girls hit your heads?" She asks, concerned.

"N-Nevermind." I say.

Kind of useless to explain something no one would believe.

If she doesn't know what we're talking about, then she didn't see it.

"Oh, okay. If you're alright now, that's what matters. Then, what're you girls in the mood for? Saving and surviving the world's bound to leave you two hungry. Your usual if my memory serves me properly?"

"Yes, please!" I exclaim, remembering the heavenly platter.

This is my favorite meal to get here.

It's Char Siu ramen, steamed pork bao, pickled plum onigiri, and strawberry ice cream mochi.

"And how about you, new symbol of Animacity?" The lady flatteringly says, Nazuna blushes.

"Oh...uh...you know what? I'll have the same. Try new things, right?" She looks to me.

"Trust me, you'll love it." I say, putting my hand over her shoulder, bringing her into a side hug.

I reach into my bushy tail to grab my wallet, being careful not to yank on it too hard so as to not pull the noise trap I have installed on it. If I pull it too hard or far, it'll pull the string out of a little mechanism locked onto my pants, an alarm will go off and the wallet has a powerful magnet that forces it shut until I press the button on my pants. The alarm will also keep blaring until I press the button as well.

I am not having another Rabbit Town incident.

"Oh, don't worry about paying, girls. It's on the house. Also, that FireBull stand is just for advertising. You'll get complimentary FireBull drinks alongside your orders." The motherly lady says to us. "It's the least we could do for you after saving us."

"T-thank you Mrs. Kim." I say, putting my wallet back in my tail.

"Thank you very much!" Nazuna exclaims.

Our new friend gets straight to work preparing our meal, and we take haste in securing ourselves a seat. Even though there's no one else in the restaurant at the time.

"This looks like a good spot." I say, gesturing to a sizeable booth.

"Alright." My friend says.

When we sit down in the secluded spot, we both seem to sync for a moment as we breathe the biggest sigh of relief we've had in a while.

Given that we literally started our next adventure right after our own finished...

I've said it before and I'll say it again...we need this...

Like earlier, we both pull out our phones to look at social media.

Except this time, people are posting on their views of what actually happened with the storm and earthquake. Some even managed to get photos of...

Him...

They're speculating on who or what he really is, and what his presence means for the future.

I can't really have an opinion on him yet...not unless I know more.

"How many times is our perception of reality going to be shattered, Michiru?" My friend asks, putting her phone down and laying her head in her arms.

"What do you mean?" I ask, putting my own phone down.

"You know what I'm talking about. First the whole Sylvasta thing, now Skyfall? What's next?" She asks.

"One of these 'Demons' shows up, as the guy says?" I suggest.

She raises her eyebrow.

"Don't jinx it..." She utters. "Tends to come true..."

"You're stressed about something more than just this Skyfall thing. What is it?" I ask, looking at my friend.

She sighs again.

"You know I hurt this city. Shirou knows it. And everyone else knows I played a part in the near destruction of Beastman kind as we know it. It just feels like I needed to take responsibility for my actions. I was essentially let off the hook after I defected, but it still feels like there's more to be done on my part." She explains. "I was legitimately wanting to look for ways to get started on it, but then...you know what happened."

"Yeah." I say, looking out the window to the sky. "I can't shake the feeling that he might need as much help as he says we need from him."

"Why's that?" She asks.

"I don't know. He seems secluded, distant, even. He says that he'll need to get to know us, and us him. But it felt more like he was doing it as a necessary thing to do. There's something beyond that mask. He could be hurting, for all we know. Maybe something happened he needs help with." I say.

"I guess the more we talk to him, the more we can find out." She suggests.

"That'd be nice, and heck, we might be able to find solutions to each other's problems! Maybe this is the divine intervention we've been needing!" I try to brighten us up.

It seems to work.

"Yeah...this could be our chance!" She perks her ears up slightly. "We could even find out more about ourselves! Our last adventure was our awakening, but this is us exploring what it really means!"

"Yeah!" I nod, I hear footsteps coming.

"Okay, girls, two usuals." Mrs. Kim says with her motherly voice, carrying our food, placing our dishes in front of us one-by-one.

The effects of the feast seem to be instantaneous with the now happier Nazuna. Her pupils comically shrink at the visuals. Her senses seem to be overwhelmed at how good the smell of the ramen is, as well as the rest of our food. Her jaw is slightly dropped, and I swear I almost saw her drool for a moment.

I know I mentioned it earlier, but I think I was understating the nature of the food!

For each of us there's the perfect Char Siu ramen. Uniform, steaming, and appetizing pork bao. The almost glistening umeboshi (rice balls with filling, if I didn't mention), and the dainty pieces of pink strawberry ice cream mochi. All creating the perfect ideal meal.

To top it all off, it seems that we also have been given promotional bottles of FireBull, holding the namesake drink.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kim." I say, bowing my head to her.

"T-thank you! This looks amazing!" She exclaims, doing the same.

"Anytime, girls. Thank you, for saving us." She says, bowing her head too before getting ready to go back to the kitchen. "The bottles are for you, call it a gift of thanks and, admittedly, some free advertising for the business next time you're out and about."

"Don't worry, we'll show it off!" Nazuna says.

"Thanks again!" I say, both of us waving as she goes behind the push doors.

Dang, it's been a good long while since I've been here, and I can't believe I forgot how good this stuff is.

Sure, we come from Japan, where ramen is basically everywhere, but I gave up eating instant noodles. I go for the fresh stuff if I have a choice.

The moment you try real ramen, true ramen, you can't go back to the cheap stuff.

My best friend and I lock eyes briefly before clasping our hands together and closing our eyes.

"Itadakimasu." We both say before opening our eyes and getting to feasting.

I grab my chopsticks in my right hand and a spoon in my left, tasting the pork broth while getting some fat bubbles. Salty, savory, and delicious. I follow up with grabbing the noodles and slurping them up unceremoniously. Tender and tasty. I think Nazuna would agree too, as she's wide-eyed right now, enjoying this moment of privacy to do the same as me, eagerly slurping up the broth and noodles. I soon move on to biting into some of the Char Siu, the charred flavor perfectly complimenting the broth. After I finish the soup, Nazuna herself finishes soon after, the bao are next. The soft, pillowy exterior flawlessly balances out the richness of the pork filling, creating another amazingly savory experience. I have to take a drink out of my FireBull to wash it all down.

"WHOO! Strong as always..." I say, observing my drink, Nazuna soon grabs her own.

It's citrusy, lemon lime with orange, but has a good amount of ginger for a nice kick, which is why it tastes strong.

She tries the same, and the top of her head nearly pops off at the intense flavor.

She's not as experienced as I am.

"Give it a sec." I say to her, smiling.

"Dang, that stuff really is strong! Didn't understand until just now." She says, but soon takes another small sip. "Still good, though..."

"Ha!"

She holds her drink out for a toast, and I do the same.

"Cheers." We both say, touching the bottles together and taking another swig, powering through the burn the drink throws at us.

I soon get back to munching and Nazuna follows suit. The bao are soon finished and we move on to the umeboshi. The pickled plums with their sour cherry taste seem to be an instant favorite of Nazuna, as evidenced by her eyes flying open at the taste.

Because of this, we make quick work of them, downing them in less than a minute.

Finally, the part I've been looking forward to this entire time, the mochi ice cream.

It's only 3 pieces for each of us, but considering everything we've eaten so far, it's enough.

I move the plate over and pick up the little pink ball, as does my best friend. We both look at the confection, and then her own fur, sharing a laugh at the similarities.

I hold out my dessert like I'm giving a toast again, Nazuna does the same.

"Cheers?" She asks.

"Cheers." We tap our strawberry sweets together and we take a bite out of them.

"Mmmh!" She utters with her mouth full.

"Mmmh-hmm!" I concur with her.

They're cold, soft, chewy, and the sweet tart berry flavor makes them the perfect way to cap off a perfect celebratory meal.

We take our time with them, but as soon as I swallow my last bite, as does Nazuna, we hold out our bottles for one last drink, and bite the bullet of the kick, downing all the rest of it. We slam our empty bottles on the table in absolute satisfaction.

Oh man...

"Aah..." I blissfully say, staring off into space.

"Aah..." Nazuna says as well, eyes closed and seeming like nothing can bring her down.

"Now...THAT...is the perfect celebration right there..." She says.

"Could NOT agree more..." I concur.

As we sit here, satisfied out of our minds, Mrs. Kim comes up to us.

"Hello, girls. How was the food?" She asks.

"Incredible." We both say, the lady blushes in pride.

"Aw, thank you. Would you be alright with me taking your dishes?" She asks.

"All yours..." I say, almost dreamy

"Thank you..." Nazuna says, her eyes closed and head faced towards the ceiling.

Mrs. Kim takes haste in refilling our bottles, assembling all our dirty dishes, perfectly balancing them on top of one another, and soon disappears into the kitchen once again. We grab our bottles, soon noticing there's little adjustable straps to hold them onto things on the side. I secure mine to my belt on my pants, hanging off my hips, and Nazuna slings it over her shoulders.

"Now that...was a way to celebrate." I say.

"A-freaking-greed..." Nazuna says, still happy.

Finally done with our food, we both get up from the table and make our way out of the restaurant, soon waving goodbye to Mrs. Kim for the food.

"Come again!" She says.

"We will!" We both say.

I stretch my arms over my head as the cool breeze brushes up against me like it did earlier, this time with a full stomach.

"I love how she can cook so well." Nazuna says, smiling, still happy. "I'm honestly not the best at it."

"Same. I was thinking about taking cooking classes at Reiwa, but it would've clashed with my basketball schedule, so I didn't want to compromise. In hindsight, I should've. Would've been a good skill to have." I say, reminiscing at the memories.

"I had a similar issue with that, but it was mainly issues involving tryouts and auditions." She replies, also smiling at her own little regrets. "Looking at it now, I don't exactly think the celebrity status would be good to have on my shoulders all the time."

"Yeah, basketball's a passion of mine, but I don't think it would've been a good career either.

"And here I was thinking I was alone making mistakes." Nazuna rolls her eyes, smiling.

"Oh-ho-ho, no, no you are not alone, my friend." I point to her.

"Glad to hear that." She looks at me again, but soon looks ahead of us again, to which I do as well. "So, what now?"

"I think Jackie and the Bears are going up against the Flamingos again." I say. "Maybe wanna watch the game while I strike 'em out to the curve?"

"Aren't they a baseball team?" Nazuna asks, tilting her head.

"Yeah, that's what I was referencing when I said 'Strike 'em out'." I clarify.

As we make haste to the slums to help my friends defeat the aggressive opposing team, my old friend asks me one more thing.

"Since when could you play baseball?"

"Since my life's been turned upside down for the umpteenth time. Today...has been no exception."

As we continue to make our way to the slums...

We don't realize a presence atop one of the buildings...

Watching...waiting...

Not him...

But something else...

Mayor Rose

"This is the place, right?" I ask my old friend.

"Yes." He replies. "Cave almost reminds me of the Venezuela incident."

"To think such a resource-rich country could go to ruin so quickly without even a war..." I comment, remembering it like it was yesterday.

"Some people can't learn from history." He says, shaking his head.

"Then arrogance is far deadlier than most think in that case." I say.

"Let's go." He says, leading me inside.

As we walk through the vast network of caves, him showing me the way through an intricate selection of tunnels, we eventually emerge into a significantly more open section.

"You got the FireBull and oranges, right?" He asks me just in case.

As I conversed with Shirou a little more on Skyfall, he mentioned bringing something citrus-based as a refreshment.

He, too, agreed it was an odd and specific request...

But they do say to honor your guests...and it isn't too much trouble, so I had Ishizaki run to get a couple bottles of FireBull, and dried blood oranges.

The dried blood oranges were the only ones in stock at the closest store, so hopefully they'll do.

I reach to my satchel and I pull out the 2 citrusy-ginger drinks popular in our society, as well as the packs of the red dried fruits.

"I know not if he is averted by spicy things, so it's better to have both of these." I say, putting them back.

"Good."

You know, in my entirety of being a political figure, I never thought I would be building bridges with beings potentially beyond our world before doing so with members of our own.

Oh, the dramatic irony...

It's not even a few moments of us being in an open area of the caves that we're greeted by an echoey voice.

"Hello, Shirou, right? Hasn't even been a day yet."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." He says, then gestures to me. "You said if anyone wanted to talk, you'd be open. So, this is our Mayor. Barbara Rose."

I bow my head to the source of the sound.

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It's good to meet you too. Didn't know you were governed by humans..."

Is he referencing the fact that I'm a human right now?

Clearly, he doesn't know what a Beastman truly is...

"With all due respect, that's not exactly how we operate. And I do believe you are missing some vital context, of which I am more than willing to provide, if you are willing to converse." I say.

The next moment consists of a white and gold masked, armored humanoid being emerging from the darkness, who leaps down, and descends slowly as if gravity were but a distant memory to him.

When he lands, and walks closer to us...

"Gladly."

He walks over to two sizeable rocks, and lifts them up, bringing them over to us and setting them down, creating seats for us.

His physical strength, not even looking like he's putting in too much effort, is on par with that of Shirou...

He gestures for me to rest myself on it, which I do. He also sits down on his rock, and maintains his emotionless expressions with his mask.

"I wish to conduct this alone, Shirou. I can remember the way out." I assure my friend.

He nods and begins to walk away, turning back at the last second.

"If you do anything to her..." He begins to say but is answered with a rhetorical question.

"I'm your guest. What good would that do?"

He says nothing more in return as he exits the caves, leaving me alone with the outsider.

His stance, again, is exactly like a human...

But I can't for the life of me figure out what else he is beyond that mask...I'll simply think of him as a human, to make things easier to process...

"You're the Mayor, right?"

"Yes." I nod, and soon reach into my satchel, pulling out food and drinks. "Refreshments?"

I can hear a small laugh emanating from under that mask.

"Yes, please. I greatly appreciate it."

I hand him a bottle of FireBull and a bag of the blood orange slices.

He apparently adjusts his mask enough to allow an opening right underneath the chin, but unfortunately for me, I can't make out anything even when he begins popping the orange slices in.

It only takes a few seconds before a satisfied exhale comes from him.

"I have had to had legitimate training just to handle that horrendous taste. It's bitter, stinging, almost. Again, thank you for your help."

"You are very welcome. It is only customary to treat our guests." I assure him.

"What's your story?"

"My friend, Shirou, as you saw, found me during one of his missions. I joined forces with him in the crusade to protect Beastman-kind against those who would seek to undermine us. I went to college, got a masters in genetics, and I eventually became the mayor of Anima City. Though, unfortunately, you caught us at, for lack of better words, vulnerable time..."

"Us? You, too, are one of these 'Beastmen', as you say?"

"The 'context' you do not have, currently, is that a Beastman summarizes a human who has the ability to transform to and from an animal-like form. The scientific name of Beastman is Homo sapiens Bestia. Beastmen are the closest living ancestors to the humans. They share a similar evolutionary lineage and their last common ancestor existed after the divergence of Australopithecus (about 2 million years ago). However, their genetic data does not primarily use DNA, and instead uses beast deoxyribonucleic acid (BDA)."

The whole mention of 'another form' seems to pique his interest...

"You are shapeshifters?"

I smile at his abridged conclusion.

"In a way, yes, but for most of us, the Beast form is only as far as we can go. There are exceptions, but they are exceedingly rare beyond...other conditions..."

"Are you one of these, Beastmen, as you say?"

"Yes, actually."

I can tell beyond that mask he wants to ask me to show my other form...

But it seems that he relents, likely out of politeness.

"Besides appearances, what does this 'Beast' form do? Would I be optimistic in assuming it enhances your attributes? Makes you stronger? Faster?"

"Intuitive. Yes. Though for civilians, it's more of a response to stress and danger. We usually don't use the Beast forms unless either by individual choice or if we need to defend ourselves."

He seems to ponder for a while, thinking deeply about his next question.

"Does it also grant psionic abilities?"

"In what sense?" I ask.

"Before the others came here, I sensed Shirou, specifically his presence, watching me. Is that a common ability here?"

Wait, he saw Shirou's tracking presence?

The kind he used to figure out Michiru's past?

He SAW that?

How's that even possible...?

This takes even me aback...not even Alan could do something like that...

He could certainly mimic many things Shirou could, but I haven't seen him see Shirou's tracking presence, much less being able to do it himself...

Before I can think more, I shake my head as he asks another question.

"As a quick tangent, who would you say is the strongest 'Beastman' as far as you know of feats?"

"In what sense?"

"Do you have some that are looked up to as deities? Because sometimes overwhelming power can be looked upon as the power of gods."

"If I am to confide in you. Shirou, as you saw, would technically classify as that, there are others like him, but also rare. He has lived for a thousand years and is the last living resident from the destroyed city Nirvasyl. His legend was even immortalized as the Silver Wolf: Ginrou."

He puts his hand on his 'chin'.

"I knew I sensed the potential...what happened to that city?"

"As it turns out, Beastmen have a genetic disorder that, if placed under a specific kind of stress, would activate Nirvasyl Syndrome, rendering them transformed into a monstrous form that makes them go berserk. Only recently have we found a way to counteract it via an antiserum. Because of it, the city was destroyed. The Syndrome was named for that very incident when the residents went berserk."

"My condolonces go out to you for that. How dangerous are the Syndrome Sufferers?"

"Thank you, and very. They can even spell trouble for Shirou himself. The bigger the sufferer, the worse."

"I'd imagine."

"Enough about me. I've told my story. What about you, Skyfall? Why are you here? Shirou said you mentioned 'Demons', or something along those lines."

Now that the spotlight is on him, I can hear the sound of inhaling, and then exhaling.

"If I'm to be honest, being here wasn't my priority in any way, shape, or form. It's more of a byproduct of my former mission going awry."

"And what was that mission?"

He breathes in again.

"I'll say that it was for the purpose of finding one of our own. I was sent to capture/interrogate the second in command of the Demons to get that information. Unfortunately, he discovered I was there, we wound up dueling, during which he had a trap set up to send me here, of which worked."

"You have my sympathies. I hope you are successful in finding your kin."

Suddenly, a small laugh comes from him, almost as if I said something.

Did I reference something unintentionally?

"Thank you, I...greatly appreciate it. I hope we do too."

"What do you mean 'we'? There's more of you?" I ask him.

"Yes, there's an entire society of us, dedicated to our mission. For the most part, one of our driving forces is that we've gotten good at solving problems, as well as our own, we're going to help others solve theirs."

"Seems like you get things done."

"It's why I'm not a politician. Oh, no offense."

"None taken." I assure him. "Where do you hail from?"

"For security reasons, I can't answer that. Apologies."

"It's okay." I nod my head. "Would you be open to describe what it's like there?"

"Normal, I guess. We have our ups and downs, lefts and rights, peacetimes and wars. Rarely does it occur within our culture, most conflicts that happen occur within the culture like feuds and disputes as to what happened during events."

"What are your customs?"

"We believe in courtesy, integrity, perseverance, indomitable spirit, selflessness, self-control, and betterment. These principles are what we use when we fight to keep the peace and hold evil at bay and are what we use to get stronger to do so."

"A noble walk of life." I compliment him. "What would you say is also notable within your culture?"

"Well, if I am to mention something specific, there's this thing that we do called an Allied Tournament. Mutual combat, overall betterment. It's among the things I can enjoy in life."

"Interesting..." I say, even with my poker face, the gears are already turning in my head at this idea that would even catch Shirou's attention.

"To summarize, it would be a battle royale, remaining contestants fight in duels, and eventually the final duel will decide the Grand Champion. Killing is prohibited. Mutual combat, again. It strengthens relations between us and helps with betterment."

"Sounds exciting." I say, smiling.

If it isn't obvious, I think I've gotten him talking now. I'm like a therapist interviewing her patient, even though I'm the one who came here. My minor WAS psychology, by the way.

Though with that knowledge, the way he was talking earlier seems that he was more torn about the one of his own he lost...there's definitely something more to it than he's letting on, but I return to listening to him speak.

This is still the most I've heard him speak so far today.

"That's putting it mildly. Some train for years just to have a chance there, I did, too."

"Have you competed in these before?" I ask.

"Yes, actually. Me and my friends have all fought in these competitions. We each have won at least once, but the final battle is usually the most climactic out of all of them."

I think I have an idea...what with foreign relations now...

A competition where people battle against each other to get stronger...

"Interesting...on another note, before I forget, what else about these 'Demons'? What trouble could they spell for us that is so bad you can't leave unless you help us?" I ask the question of the hour.

"When you say you know your demons fairly good...you never know OUR Demons. I know them all too well. They're powerful. A nigh-unstoppable force against anything that isn't prepared for it. They believe that if they become everything, they'll transcend or gain knowledge of a higher plane of existence. They take, and destroy, rarely ever create anything not of their own. You have to get to their potential victims first before they do. Because for us, strength in numbers, the same goes for them."

This...is a lot to process.

I've never heard of these 'Demons' before he mentioned it. Is he referring to other parts of the world? Another planet, or something like that? If it was on this world, I'd be bound to hear about it at least once...

Do they...want to become...for lack of better words...Gods?

"You don't need to take my word for it."

"Why?" I ask, confused.

"They'll be here before you know it..."

"When do you think?"

"They might even be here now. They haven't made themselves known, but I'm not optimistic on their timing in this case."

I don't even know how to respond to something like that.

We could have this unstoppable force living among us and we don't even know about it...

Only the being in front of me knows how they operate.

"Before I forget...we've been talking about our potential common enemies, and about my people, as well as yours. Even me...but what about you? I'm a Beastman, I now know of these 'Demons', but that begs the question."

I lean in closer to emphasize this next question.

"What ARE you?"

"You may be a Beastman, and you may live among each other, and humans as well...but I...we..."

He, too, leans in to mimic this, and the answer, almost certainly foreshadowing absolutely everything, is one that will stick with me for years.

"Are Beyond Human."

Chapter End