It was, quite frankly, an incredibly irritating experience to wander around and hear murmurs of things likeĀ āhaha, whatās that kid doing hereā way more often than he should. Going off appearances alone, he pretty much did look like a kid by human standards, but he was really hundreds of years old, for godās sake! And at this point, combining that with the headache that was starting to feel like it was pounding against his skull, heād just about had enough.
āHeey,ā Fudou stops and turns towards the small group of people thatād uttered the most recent comment towards his appearance, since theyād looked harmless enough on passing. Like a bunch of brats who were just trying to be snotty, or something.Ā āYouāre really noisy, you know~? Pickinā on someone who only looks like a kidā¦ā
His eyes narrow a bit, watching the lot as they seem to be mumbling about themselves while giving Fudou the occasional glance that put him on edge. They were up to something, werenāt they? Thankfully he had hitched that wooden sword to his side; his hand hovers over it instinctively as they turn their full attention back to him.
āAh, really sorry, lilā buddy. Hey, wanna like, hug it out or somethinā? Promise weāll make it up to ya.ā
The middle oneāmust be the ringleader or somethingāspreads his arms out with some awkward-looking smirk, and the one next to him snorts a bit after his words. Thatās enough of a red flag, frankly, and he wants absolutely nothing to do with whatever theyāre planning.
āHuuuh~? No thanks,ā Fudou responds, turning on his heels to go off on his own way again.Ā āWhy would I do that? Donāt you people say to little kids, ādonāt trust strangers,ā or whatevāā
His words get cut off, as do his footsteps, when heās suddenly jerked backwards, one arm holding him in a vice grip and a familiar sort of cold metal pressed against his neck. He shouldāve known it wouldnāt be as easy as walking away, dammit. Why did he think it was a good idea to say something in the first place?Ā
āHey, hey, cāmon, kiddo! Itās rude to not listen to yer elders aināt it? So as punishment, all weāre gonna ask is for your lunch money, got it? If ya just give whatever ya got to us, we wonāt leave any kinda cut or anythinā on you! We clear?ā
Oh, wonderful! Heād spent what, a number of hours here? And already something like this was happening. Damn it allāokay. Well, he definitely didnāt have a single coin or anything on him, so that wasnāt going to go well. Heād dealt with bigger enemies before on the battlefield, but heād had his real blade with him then⦠would a wooden one even do him any good?
Damn it. Seriously, damn it.
Itād been a while since heād seen humans interact. And to think they were just the same, no matter what time they were in. Incorrigible.Ā
Heād spotted what appeared to be a standoff of some sort, and felt compelled to listen in, keeping himself hidden so not to cause any trouble just yet.Ā
Masamune had seen this before. Heād experienced it once before, before...he was changed. Skipping grades had put him in similar situations, where the taller would look down upon the shorter.Ā
The beastās blood within him would stir, his eyes gleaming with an almost malevolent light as, wooden blade in hand, he would use his agility to seek out the one aiming something at the unfortunate strangerās neck.Ā
The only warning of his arrival would be a very quiet voice, just loud enough for the stranger and the one holding him would hear.Ā
Ā Ā Ā āYou should be careful around here, mister. There are monsters walking the streets, ready to attack once your back is turned.ā
With a slash with his wooden sword accompanied by a snarl being ripped from his own throat, his strength had been bolstered momentarily as heād deal a lot more damage than he would normally do with a wooden blade. Thankfully, it was enough to cause the other to release the stranger, and Masamune would speak to the other in a calm voice.Ā
Ā Ā Ā āI donāt suppose youāre incapable of running, are you? Are you unharmed? If you wish to leave this situation, follow me.ā
He would only say this once, before he turned his back on the stranger. The others looked...rather pathetic, in his gaze. His body wanted to stay and fight, but his mind wanted to get this stranger to safety. So he would force himself to move, moving with surprising agility to an alley, turning only to gesture to the stranger.Ā
Ā Ā Ā āCome. Those fools arenāt worth the effort of fighting. Letās get out of here.ā