Prologue:

Suboshi fumbled around through the thicket. Thunderclouds were above him, and a storm was ahead. He was frantic now, pushing himself further, swatting away at the brush to get through. And he suddenly pulled out of the thicket and onto the edge of a riverbank. The river was silent, nothing moving, but a glimpse of silver caught his eye. The young Seriyu warrior looked to his left to a slightly elevated rock. A woman sat there, starring at the sky. Suboshi’s heart pounded through his chest. She was wearing a black dress, as dark as the sky, with leaves embedded into the fabric. On top of her brow was a crown of ivy, which glistened silver with dew. Jewels made of Amber dangled from her ears and neck. A small gust of wind blew through her pale hair and sent a small pile of leaves swirling around her. Suboshi flushed at the beauty of the scene, it giving her a serene tone. With the gust of wind, she glanced over her right shoulder and blinked calmly. Her face was sad, her eyes blue as ice, and the ice had cracked to form driblets of tears on the sides of her face. Her lips glistened lightly and a sad smile was plastered on them. A flash of lightning passed over them, and Suboshi became uneasy, as if the woman was starring into his soul. The sound of thunder soon followed and the rain began to fall. She looked at Suboshi wearily and spoke in a hushed tone,” Aoi arashi ga kuru.”

Suboshi flung himself up from his bed. He clenched the covers panting heavily. “Gods, I keep having that dream.,” he muttered to himself wiping his forehead from sweat. For two years now, two years! Ever since that day, since that last day he had fought for Yui-sama.

He struggled against the spirits of Tamahome’s younger siblings. The whizzing sound of his Ryuuseisui coming dangerously closer. And finally the little spirits faded and Suboshi looked up to see his own weapon hurtling at him. His eyes grew wide with panic and he began to move out of the way- he fell to the ground calling for his Aniki, and whimpering for Yui-sama.

Suboshi had woken up several hours later back in a hut in a village not far from his Aniki’s. He flinched trying to get, but a woman ran up beside him and pressed him back down. Bandages had been wrapped around his midsection. “Rest, please, you’re very injured!,” she said. Suboshi didn’t listen he jumped up and ripped the cloth from off his stomach to see his side grazed and scratched. Not impaled, he thought, and I’m-I’m back here! Where’s Yui-sama!? Where’s Yui-sama!?

His Yui-sama was nowhere. Back in her world. “Gods, I’m sorry Yui-sama.,” he murmured. He said that every day, but it never helped his anguish he felt. Suboshi shut his eyes and tried to regain some calmness. It was time he went out to the fields and began to pick some of the crop and take it to town. He had a long day ahead of him.

Suboshi shifted the basket of corn in his arms. The sun was high in the sky and already dark colored patches were forming under his shirt. It wasn’t long after he wiped the sweat under his brow that someone yelling snapped him out of his calmness. A man came out of his stand beating a dog with a stick. “Come back here! I just bought that meat!,” he had shouted swatting the dog hard. A flare of rage flashed in Suboshi’s purple eyes. He set his basket down. Without hesitation he stormed up to the man and grabbed the stick just before it was going to be brought down again on the dog. “What’s wrong with you! The dog’s only hungry!,” he shouted. The man jerked the stick back,” What’s wrong with you! He just ate the food I bought! I have no more money to buy anymore!” Suboshi glared at the man. He had raised the stick again and Suboshi jumped in front of mongrel. The stick smacked Suboshi’s chest hard. He flinched, not realizing that the man was that strong. Suboshi stumbled a little. From behind him, he heard the mutt growl and he lunged, landing on the man, biting him where he could. Suboshi wasn’t too shocked at that, the way the dog was being beaten. Then, his eyes caught the tint of blue on the hip area of the dog. Ashitare! No, Ashitare is dead! How-how could he be here now!? A crowed of people were keeping their distance around the area, starring hard at the scene. Parents were pulling their children behind them. Others looked horrified and glared at Suboshi as if it was he who stuck the dog on him. Suboshi grit his teeth. “Come here boy!,” he shouted knowing the crowd would be positive that it was his dog. Asitare looked up from gnawing at the man’s arm and calmly walked over to Suboshi and sat down at his legs. The crowd stared angrily at him. No use trying to sell corn today. Suboshi went over to the basket of corn and picked it up. And he and Ashitare left towards his house.

Suboshi finished drying the rest of Ashitare from his bath. Blood had stained his fur earlier, and it was dreadfully dirty. But now he was a pretty looking skinny dog. He hadn’t blamed him for stealing the meat. First off he was unsure whether Ashitare’s human mind was all there, and second, Kotou had been suffering. Every one was poor except the emperor. There was poverty in the past, but not this bad. And the usual outbursts and attempts to assassin the Emperor usually meant an attack on an innocent town from the royal army. Suboshi himself found it hard to make a living. “Gods, how did you get revived Ashitare?,” he muttered petting his head. Ashitare waved his tail and let out a cheerful bark. He frowned,” I suppose you don’t know either.” He sat down at the foot of his bed. If Ashitare is alive, why did Seriyu choose to revive him? He couldn’t possibly have any importance in the future as a dog unless we were summoning… “Oh Gods,” Suboshi muttered,” You guys are gonna start popping up, aren’t you?” Miboshi, fine sure, he could be revived, Suboshi could care less about him. Tomo, he’d rather not want to deal with. His fist clenched as he thought of him. He almost killed my Aniki. Soi, he could handle. It wasn’t like Soi did anything to harm him in any way, as far as he could remember. Then thoughts went to Nakago. “Gods, him. If he’s going to be revived to summon Seriyu, please don’t make him cold.,” he muttered clenching his fists, there was always something about him that frightened him, but he never knew what. “We’re going to summon Seriyu again,” he muttered to himself thoughtfully. And it hit him,” Yui-sama.” Instantly he stood up in shock,” Yu-Yui-sama’s going to come back to summon Seriyu! Yui-sama, Gods’ Arigato!” He started to romp around the house in a more cheerful manner. “Ashitare and I’ve been found, I know where Aniki is. Now we just need the other four and Yui-sama!,” he exclaimed.

continued in episode 1....