"Juzoh! Get back here!" The smallish girl with the purple hair and the rather 
painful (Juzoh knew too well that is was) purification flail huffed, hands on her 
hips. "I was looking all over town for you!" 

Juzoh stopped in mid-bite and gave Akari a withering glance. "You're the one who 
left me, Akari. Now lemme finish eatin' here..." He jammed the last bit of 
dumpling into his mouth, chewed a few times, then swallowed happily. "Now then... 
whatcha need?" 

"I need an escort to the temple, of course." She struck a slightly 
prim-and-proper pose. "There's no telling what sort of perverts would like to get 
their hands on a shrine priestess." 

"In trainin', Akari. And hell, I don' know amny men that could touch you if 
y'wanted 'em to." He knelt down to her level and gave her a broad smirk. "So 
y'don' need me at all. Yup, that's right!" He stood, turned, and walked off. 

"But you can't go home, Juzoh!" Akari looked... slightly worried as her friend 
kept walking off towards the edge of town. "Juzoh, listen to me for once, you big 
oaf!" Getting no reply, she simply sat down and huffed a bit. "LIke he ever 
listens to me." 

[-----] 

It was mere feet from his place when he saw... it. A wall of shadow, as thick as 
morning fog, maybe moreso. A bit nervous, he walked towards it, onyl to be thrust 
back painfully, onto his back. "Th' hell?" He tried again. Safe effect. "Shit... 
wht the hell is that?" He tried once more, only to be buffetted backwards much 
more forcefully, rolling back a few yards before stopping on his back. Once he 
opened his eyes, he saw... Akari. 

And she was... crying. "I told you... you can't go home... not yet." She quickly 
wiped her eyes and helped him up. "Alright... I'll keep you busy until then! 
C'mon! I need that escort, and NOW!" She swatted him on the butt, causing the 
mass of muscle to yelp and jump a good few feet. Akari giggled softly, then 
bolted down the street, back towards the city. 

"I'll catch you if it's the last thing I do, Akari!" Juzoh laughed heartily, then 
followed behind her. 

[-----] 

In the infirmary, a large man lay, covered in blood-soaked bandages, one rather 
large one binding his left shoulder and arm firmly to his side. For the slightest 
moment, a soft smile rippled along his lips, then faded, returning to the still 
neutralness that came with slumber.