starting over || complete!

it was just another day in amakuji for hiro. with the weekend here and the bright sunny day without a single cloud in the sky, it seemed to trigger a need to run around for most of the humans, making the town seem even more busier than usual, much to the guadian's demise. it was bad enough trying to watch everything and everyone to make sure an obake didn't slip in nor was anyone being tormented by one but the inumimi liked to avoid large crowds. and surely the regular townsfolk shared the same feeling towards him. with more people around, they worried the stray might attack and tried to scare him off, not wanting him to ruin their day. he simply gave them a huff in their general direction before scurrying off, deciding to opt for a more quieter place where he could clear his head and relax before even daring to try to go out there again. besides, he might as well save up his energy. as usual, he'd be making his rounds to guard the town's borders tonight when most of the obake were really lively. so with that in mind, hiro trotted towards the park, honestly not expecting much to see there. even on a day like this he could have the confidence that the park wasn't one of the popular tourist attractions.

once there he made his way deeper, looking for a quiet secluded place where he could rest as well as get out of the sun. he knew of a perfect spot, his old 'master' always resting there whenever he was still alive. his ears lowered slightly at the thought. but just as quick as it came to mind, it vanished when he spotted an unfamiliar face at the base of the tree. looked like it was preoccupied. of course he wasn't about to just leave yet. examining her further, he realized she wasn't completely unfamiliar. he had noticed her move in just recently with her family. 'great.. more humans to look after..' he thought to himself as he continued to watch over her. despite his attitude towards it, he couldn't deny his purpose. whether he liked it or not, he was always going to protect humans as long as he lived. it was just the way it was. and he wasn't about to admit to the fact he actually enjoyed being a protector of the city. even if the people he was protecting didn't even realize it. hiro was obviously used to it by now though. but that didn't stop him from complaining about it. that was just hiro being... well, hiro.

standing there silently, she hadn't seemed to notice him yet, her attention preoccupied on something else. whatever that was, he wasn't sure. his curiousity of course got the better of him and he stepped closer to look up to try and see what she was so focused on, ears flattening against his skull when he found nothing there. humans. he still couldn't understand them. and he didn't think he had the patience to try to. no, he knew he didn't. so he wasn't even going to bother to attempt it.

now he had something different come to mind. she was new to town. surely she has heard of the rumors. that was nearly the entirety of what the town was made of and since she moved here, she had to know at least something. and he had a feeling the obake knew about her as well. or if they found out, they were sure to be attracted to the fresh meat in town. most of the townspeople knew better than to put themselves at risk, avoiding places obake were rumored to show as well as always being accompanied by someone else. they might have not believed it but fear managed to keep them on their toes after living there for so long. and though with daytime being much safer, that still didn't change the fact that he was positive this girl was going to be a hassle. especially if she was amused by such simple things. he rolled his eyes at the thought before deciding to break her out of what he thought was a trance.

without a second thought, hiro let out a loud bark to catch her attention, keeping enough space between them just in case she reacted badly. not all humans were fond of dogs. he learned that personally and would have liked to not risk getting beat with the nearest thing she could possibly grab in case she were one of those. he then waited for her response, the german shepherd going completely still while blue eyes watched her every move.

words: 785
tags: mikazuki
notes: cue the creepy mutt -shot-
credits: rinne of ote, dredg

he shouldn't have been too surprised by her response to the booming bark but ultimately he found himself jump a bit as well before taking another step back just to be safe, ears flattening against his skull as he continued to watch her struggle. okay... maybe that was a bit too harsh on his part. but he didn't expect her to react so badly. it wasn't his fault she was so jumpy. so with that in mind he decided to shed any of that guilt as quick as it came. or at least try to appear so anyway. besides, it would probably do her some good to be scared like that. fear was what kept you alive here at amakuji. so if you wanted to be technical, he was teaching her how to survive. or perhaps even helping her get adjusted to life here. either way, there was nothing to worry about anymore. after she got a look at him she seemed to calm down. of course he wasn't sure how to take that at this moment. especially considering now she was just staring at him without even moving a muscle. the awkwardness seemed to set in and he found himself diverting his eyes for a second till he finally heard her break the silence.

"I suppose you’re down right pleased with yourself, aren’t you? Scaring the heck out of me like that. You should be ashamed of yourself."

well that was a pleasant surprise. he wasn't used to being spoken to. especially not in that sort of tone. usually humans spoke to him like they would a bad dog really. angry and even sometimes fearful from the ones who had a strange idea that he could be rabid and fear he'd bite them. it was like she believed the dog could actually understand her. well.. this one could since he wasn't a regular dog but still, the idea was actually a little amusing. enough so that the corners of his mouth curled into a bit of a smile. obviously shame wasn't a emotion he was currently feeling. of course he wasn't sure if she was injured or not. that definitely would have made him feel sorry for what he'd done. then again, he wasn't so sure he hadn't. the idea bothered him a bit and his ears lowered once again as he searched for any signs of pain from where he stood, blue eyes resting on her face and pointed ears perking once more when he caught her smile.

"Well, you have my full attention now. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it? Clever."

his head tilt slightly to the side at her accusation. or rather praise if you will. he supposed she was right though. he had wanted her attention. but not that of a needy dog wanting affection or anything. just to make sure she was focused enough to not let an obake sneak up on her, let alone allow a barking dog to nearly scare her to death. of course now that he did have her attention, he wasn't sure what to do anymore. it wasn't like he could talk to her. scold her into realizing she needed to stay alert especially when she was out here alone. it reminded him on how his human always daydreamed and resulted in hiro fighting off a creeping obake who was going after his sitting duck of a protectee. he honestly didn't think he would be too crazy about reliving these moments. of course given he no longer has a bond with a single human and has taken it upon himself to try and protect the entire town, it was rather inevitable. considering this and the fact there was nothing more he could really do, he decided perhaps now was the time to leave. of course the human had different plans.

he looked up to her as she finally sat up, resting on her knees and holding out her hand to him as she continued to speak, scolding him for not being proper and welcoming her. 'seriously?' he thought to himself, head tilting once again and giving off that appearance as a confused dog. of course his eyes said otherwise, the bright blue's clearly expressing his questioning of her mentality. 'why do i even bother trying to understand humans?' he asked himself before turning his attention back to her gesture and debating on what to do. he could humor her or completely ditch her. though he was slightly leaning towards the 'ditch her' plan. what? after years of being chased off do you think he'd honestly be very sociable to a human? well... he's never been one to fit expectations.

with no idea why he felt he should even bother, the german shepherd stepped forward, sitting right in front of her before offering his paw into her hand like the typical 'shake' command most pets were taught. he felt foolish doing it after all these years. he was just glad no one else seemed to be around to witness it. 'might as well humor her... i have a feeling i'll need to keep a close eye on her anyway.' he thought to himself, trying to justify his reasons of acting somewhat softer than normal. besides, it would make things easier if she trusted him, right? wouldn't want her to be scared should he have to step in again to make sure she was safe. he just hoped he wasn't right and this girl would be a hassle. though he couldn't deny the feeling at all. it was just something about this human that made him feel like a lot of trouble was going to come with her company.

words: 955
tags: mikazuki
notes: he's such an ass. but at least he tries to be nice lol
credits: rinne of ote, dredg

maybe he overdid the whole 'humor her' thing. once again, he didn't expect her reaction. but thinking about it he supposed he had reacted a little strangely for a dog. maybe a little too smart? whatever the case, he couldn't deny that look on her face. obviously she was stunned by it. he diverted his eyes a bit nervously at the thought. maybe he should tone down a bit before he came off as too strange. for all he knew, she may have been one of those rare few who actually believed his kind existed. if that was the case, he definitely didn't want his secret to get out. so he may have to act slightly more feral. or as some would bluntly put it, just a little more stupid. his eyes narrowed slightly at the thought before he turned his attention back to her when she spoke once more, eyes widening a bit at the teasing.

if it weren't for all the fur, she might have noticed an embarrassed blush across his face at the adorable comment. his ears turned back and he once again diverted his eyes as he gave an annoyed huff in response. he wasn't adorable. he was a guardian who protected her kind from obake and nearly got himself killed in the process. where the hell did she find adorable out of that?! he ranted inwardly at the thought, growing more flustered over the teasing. he was just lucky he was in this form. it wasn't quite as noticeable as it would have been in his humanoid form. however it wasn't long until his ears suddenly perked and the inward storm calmed as he felt a simple pat on the head, the canine freezing a bit to the foreign touch. he almost seemed disappointed that she had stopped so quickly but as soon as he realized this he regained composure, removing his paw and looking back to her, trying to act cool as ever and unamused by the contact.

just when he was starting to return back to his cold and solitary attitude however was when she explained her first impression of him, even going further to state that she could use a friend. then suddenly he noticed something was off. dogs, like most animals, could sense emotions pretty well. able to tell when you are happy, scared, or even sad. just because he was technically more than just a simple animal didn't mean he didn't share this empathic ability. so as soon as she went silent, he seemed to have gathered something had gone wrong and this in turn worried him, drawing a short and slightly concerned whine from the dog as she diverted her glance. these were the times he really wished he wasn't so sensitive to emotions like this. it wasn't like he could just ignore it either. no matter how bad or indifferent he tried to come off as, if someone was hurt or in trouble, he couldn't turn a blind eye to it. he supposed it just came with the territory of being a guardian. he released a sigh at the thought as he impatiently stood up. he could try and run for it now. he could deal with the guilt later. perhaps he'd get over it since he didn't know her well enough. but even just considering it he knew that wouldn't be the case. it would be a nagging thought eating away at his mind till he finally tried to do something about it. he whined again at the thought, this time for his own sake. 'fuck me...' he growled lowly to himself, trying to come up with a way to cheer her up. there were many possibilities he could try. though plenty of them already seemed too troublesome for himself. too damaging to his pride.

"Hey, pal. Since it’s not like either of us has anything to do, what do you say to a game of fetch? Hmm?"

once again that look of his returned. there was no way a dog could be that expressive, with their eyes no doubt, he was positive about that. but he didn't care if that made ideas of him being a guardian seem more likely. there was only so much humoring he could do before it got too insulting, right? there was only so much a man could take. why was he still considering it? oh... right... that look on her face and that obviously sudden depressing mood he sensed when she mentioned needing friends. that wasn't his problem though! so why did he feel like he should try and cheer her up. he rolled his eyes at the thought before looking to the stick she was staring at before. 'no way. i'm not going to embarrass myself like that.' he thought to himself with an assuring nod. an assuring nod that was slowly crumbling as his own emotions started to set in and sympathy took over. 'oh my god..' he thought with an exasperated sigh escaping him. hiro then looked up to her, this time his look asking if she was serious about the offer. of course she was. but he was kind of hopeful she'd been joking. because obviously he couldn't make a decision. he was starting to realize he should have just left while he had the chance. too bad. he was stuck now. he wouldn't be able to leave until he knew she wasn't sad anymore.

words: 913
tags: mikazuki
notes: nah. he's more annoyed with the fact he's being sympathetic. and the fact she pretty much has him wrapped around her finger at this moment xD
credits: rinne of ote, dredg

hiro obviously didn't see what was funny. with another one of his head tilts he looked up to her, looking innocently curious this time around. he hadn't realized his puppy eyes had that effect on her. frankly, he didn't even realize he had used them. it was sort of a natural thing he'd grown accustom to since living as a normal dog for quite some time. or at least acting that way. so a lot of dog like behaviors became quite a habit of his really. it was really difficult acting like an asshole when being pet which was quite obvious from the pat to the head he received before. he shoved that thought aside though as well as the curiosity of what had her giggling. he decided it wasn't worth the trouble of finding it out.

this girl was rather strange. he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing just yet. but she was amusing. in that weird sort of way. she put on that dramatic act of hers, the humor of it pretty clear to the canine whom returned it with another one of his unamused looks. he then stuck out his tongue at her. of course anyone could have mistaken it for nothing but he was sure she'd get the point. she had been pretty good at noting his emotions so far. sure he might be pushing it but she seemed entertained none the less. at least a little cheered up. the idea in turn made him a little happier. at least he was good for something, right? these thoughts were broken however when he got another pat to the head, absentmindedly leaning into the touch as she ruffled his fur. later he'd complain about looking stupid. right now, the petting felt good. he might as well enjoy it while he can, right? and he was definitely enjoying the positive contact. it was much more comfortable than having things thrown at you or being kicked around. so maybe there was some good in sticking around after all. his tail wagged a bit at the thought, exposing some positive attitude from the mutt for once this entire meeting.

he barely heard her speak but got the gist of it. of course at that moment he was pretty much fine with whatever as long as she kept petting him. of course it ended all too soon for hiro. he might have actually tried to get her to continue but managed to get a hold of himself, diverting his eyes till he regained his composure. said composure was suddenly lost again when he noticed her fall back, worried for a moment something bad had happened before realizing the fall was intentional. he supposed he was just a little too quick to assume the worst.

as she lied there, looking up to the sky again, he looked around, noting the sun was setting. he'd have to get back on his guard soon. and make sure she was home before dark as well. it was like he was a babysitter. that thought was disturbing. but sadly it was pretty much the case. he was always watching to make sure no one got hurt. this would just be the first time he was concerned over a single individual. of course that was just because she was alone. he'll just have to hope this wont be a regular thing. once again he released another sigh. he wouldn't put it past her. the corners of his mouth tugged into a sort of smile at the thought.

"There’s always cloud watching, I guess. I mean, if you’re into that. Or something."

he sat down and looked up to the sky as he considered the offer. just another thing he really couldn't understand about humans. his own human had tried to explain the simple fun of it when he was alive but hiro never seemed to understand the fun in looking at clouds all day. he still didn't. it seemed rather stupid in his opinion. were the clouds doing something he couldn't see or something? what was so interesting about them that you watched them?

"How about it? Is there anything that you’d like to do? I mean, you’ve put up with me all this time – it’s only fair that you get your say as well."

he still found it odd this girl considered the feelings of an animal. or that she even believed one would be able to understand what she was wanting from him. he actually considered the idea that she knew he wasn't normal but quickly dismissed that thought. there was no way. still, given the choice he wasn't sure what to do. he never really thought about what he liked to do for fun. then again, he rarely had the chance to just relax and enjoy some fun. so he was pretty mindless on the subject. even if he did know something, he wasn't sure how to express it. he was still pretty limited in what he could do. so with this in mind, he simply made his way over, plopping down next to her and rolling onto his back to face the sky as well, his paws crossed over his chest like a human would do as he gave a sort of concerned pout looking up to the clouds. he still didn't see the entertainment out of this but it was better than just standing there awkwardly he supposed. though now he was just annoyed trying to find out the secret to this cloud watching thing. his bright blue eyes narrowed as he searched them before looking over to the human to see what she was doing. maybe he was doing it wrong or something.

he hadn't even considered he might have looked odd lying there like that. then again, he was too concerned about other things to worry about looking strange to this human or any passerby.

words: 996
tags: mikazuki
notes: you know when he figures out it has that effect on her he's probably going to abuse it x3
credits: rinne of ote, dredg

just being able to lie there was somewhat relaxing to him. hiro rarely had the chance to just take it easy, too convinced if he let his guard down for a second the world would go to hell. really, he still felt that way a bit. he might have been panicked if it weren't for the fact he kept in mind that him staying here was probably what was keeping her safe at this point. being so new to the town, it wouldn't be hard to believe if she could wander off and easily get lost. so yeah. with a sense of purpose he felt at ease. though he knew better than to get too accustomed to it. but it was nice while it lasted he supposed. you know... besides the whole cloud watching thing.

not surprisingly, the human girl seemed to notice his current attitude towards the situation, clearing her throat and ultimately catching his attention as he looked over, ears perked and attentive as he listened to her explain. as usual, the explanation still didn't seem to click with him, the german shepherd giving another huff as she told him he was defeating the purpose by being so serious about it. but he turned his attention back to the sky anyway, his expression calming slightly as he attempted to see the point of this again.

"There’s nothing to it really. You don’t have to force yourself to see anything, just enjoy the scene for what it is, and take a moment to forget about your troubles. You look like you could use a break anyway."

he rolled his eyes as she continued. pretty much summed up what he was told before. he still didn't see what was to enjoy about it really. but then she mentioned forgetting about your troubles, even going further to say he looked like he could use a break. his eyes widened slightly at this and he looked over to her in surprise. 'that noticeable, huh?' he thought to himself as his ears lowered. 'not like it matters any..' he continued before rolling back over and once again turning his attention to the darkening sky. he knew it would do him some good to take it easy but he really couldn't do it if he tried. he could calm down enough to. this was honestly the closest he'd ever been. but it was something he supposed. but that moment of relaxation was cut short when he heard her phone ring, breaking the momentary silence.

hiro rolled back over onto his stomach, looking over to her as she read the message before looking around the area for any other signs of life. he was back to being on his guard of course, making sure nothing else was around to have heard that and could be potentially on their way to investigate. he might have to drag her out of here just to be safe sadly. shame, though he wouldn't have admitted it he kind of enjoyed her company. but it didn't seem like he was the one who would have to make the decision however as she had already began to stand, dusting herself off as if she was getting ready to leave. sure enough, that was the case.

"Sorry, boy, but it looks as though I’ve got to go. That was ‘Kaa-san just now. She wants me to get some shopping done apparently. And while I’d much rather spend the afternoon getting to know you, it’s never a good idea to keep the woman waiting. So, I’ll see you around okay?"

he sat up finally and looked up to her, relieved that she wouldn't be out here alone for any longer but still finding himself for some odd reason saddened by the fact she was going. he shoved it aside as nothing though, just glad she wouldn't be out here in danger any longer for the night. nonetheless, he gave her a short and softer bark as if confirming he understood her reasons for leaving so soon.

"And don’t think I won’t come looking for you, because I will. I still haven’t gotten your name after all."

as if she had given her own. not that he could blame her. who introduced themselves to a dog like that anyway? of course he didn't know how she thought he'd give her his name. then again that just may be her nice way of implying she's thinking of a pet name for him, something he was accustom to. regardless, he took this as a warning, rolling his eyes at the thought. he can already see it now, her wandering off in nearly abandoned places like this just to find him. luckily, he'll be keeping his eyes on her so should she decide to search him out, it shouldn't be too difficult if she was looking hard enough and he could just step in before she wandered too far. of course that just meant more work on his part. oh well... might as well get used to it he supposed. there were always going to be new humans coming here because of the foolish mayor's decision to turn legend into a tourist attraction.

surprisingly when he was expecting her to just walk off she ended up kneeling down to his level and giving him a hug, the surprised canine tensing up a bit at first as he had feared the worst since he wasn't used to this sort of contact. but ultimately he relaxed, tail wagging a bit as she gave him another rub. okay... after years of being a stray it was clear he still was a sucker for human attention. he would have been embarrassed by the thought but had his mind set on her at this point, not considering how stupid he might have looked.

after that, she walked off, hiro watching her closely and releasing a relieved sigh until he realized she was going completely in the wrong direction. he growled lowly to himself at the thought. she was definitely going to be trouble. oh well. at least she was nicer than most. so he'd just have to deal with it. and steer her in the right direction of course. with that in mind he trotted after her, barking to catch her attention before grabbing the fabric of her pant leg between his teeth and tugging her back. if she didn't get the picture then he would just keep tugging her along till he got to the shopping district. of course that would spell trouble if any of the other town residents spotted them and thought he was attacking her. he'd just have to cross that bridge when he came to it he guessed. but one thing was for sure, he had to put her in the right direction. especially considering the way she was headed was towards the bakemono forest. and he really didn't want to risk her getting attacked by any of the obake lurking there.

words: 1176
tags: mikazuki
notes: she better get going before he accidentally tears a hole in her pant leg lol -shot-
credits: rinne of ote, dredg

once again, he perhaps overdid it as he tried to keep her protected. of course this situation could have turned much more dire than his previous attempt to just keep her alert. she was literally headed towards the obake hunting grounds. once humans went inside at night, they rarely came back alive and he certainly wasn't going to let that happen to her on his watch. unfortunately as he had done before, he had caused he to fall a second time, the canine barely dodging as she tripped, his grip seeming to have been lost during the tumble. or at least so he thought. if things just couldn't get more awkward, right?

as she had fallen he calmed down slightly, eyes focused ahead on the forest until he noticed there was a weird texture in his mouth. and looking down he realized he had a portion of her pants caught in his teeth, eyes widening slightly at the realization as well as the fact that she had seemed to notice. well, how could she not? his ears flattened and he opened his mouth, letting the fabric fall before carefully covering it with a paw as if he could get rid of the evidence. of course her narrowed eyes told him all too well that it was too late to act innocent. but where he anticipated her to get mad at him, scold him or even outright hate him now like many of the other humans, he was surprised whenever she smirked, the amusement now clear.

"I hope you don’t make a habit of this. How many times do you plan on making me fall for you anyway?"

'it's not like i'm trying.' he whined to himself as he once more rolled his eyes. of course he had to admit, he was relieved that she wasn't too mad at him. he wasn't really sure why to be honest. it wasn't like her opinion on him should matter, right? but still, he couldn't deny it. it was nice to know she still didn't mind his company. or at least didn't seem like it anyway. of course that demanding look she gave him made him a bit uncomfortable at first. especially since it was harder to express the danger's of the place other than giving it a growl or something. but for some reason he felt like she'd take that as an invite to investigate further. or at least he wouldn't put it pass her.

instead he opted to make himself a barrier between her and the forest, ears perked and alert to the sounds within as he kept his eyes on her. his fur was still a bit bristled from the scare and a low growl managed to rumble up his throat as he sent an occasional glare into the darkening forest when he heard something rustle within the far distance. it wasn't far enough for comfort though. if not attacked by an obake she would certainly get lost. he knew the area within was already starting to fog up. it was nearly impossible to navigate in there when it was dark and obviously not safe.

at the breathless 'oh,' hiro turned his full attention back to her, glad she seemed to gather some sort of understanding. at least that's what he hoped that meant. they both wouldn't like it but if he had to he'd rip more hole's in her jeans if he had to drag her back. but luckily she seemed to get it and he noted the embarrassment that came from her, reddened cheeks making that quite obvious. sure enough, she understood she was going the wrong direction and he calmed a bit at the thought and he gave another assuring nod, not at all worried at this point if his behavior was too strange. he was just glad they managed to avoid that disaster.

"Thanks for the heads up. But I really do have to get going, and seeing as I can’t tell one direction from another… Do you think you could possibly just give me a nudge in the right direction? I promise I'll be on my way then."

he was glad for this. sure it was once again a strange thought that she believed the dog could be of help like that but they both seemed to very well know he was capable of it. he'd feel more comfortable if he lead her anyway. make chances of her doing something like that again less likely. it was confirmed, he was definitely going to have to keep a close eye on her. with that in mind he nudged her as he walked by, walking towards the correct direction before turning back to her and barking, trying to get her to follow him or at least explain to her this was the way to go. she was just lucky he was born and raised here. he knew the entire place like the back of his hand. sure it was an odd thought to have a dog as a guide but if it kept her out of harm he'd be more than willing to. it was his purpose after all. to be a guardian to humans. especially to those who really needed the protection. and she seemed to fit that description perfectly. he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not though. he simply shoved those thoughts aside though, waiting for her to respond.

words: 911
tags: mikazuki
notes: he'll get used to it lol xP
credits: rinne of ote, dredg