RoKa Art & Writing

My art, writing, crafts, AUs & OCs, fanart, refs/inspo, MBTI stuff (see pinned post)

[rokasai]

Info, tags, other accounts under readmore

Writing tags:

Fiction directory here: https://rokasai.tumblr.com/post/636969680614113280/summaries-of-all-my-terrible-and-sometimes-not-as

#my writing, #poem, #assorted writing, #prompt, #writing reference, old writing is tagged #hello these are Terrible

#Warrior Cats OCs AU fics: Cloudeye’s Determination [CED] (finished), Stonefire’s Journey [SFJ] (started), and Snowfur's Peace [SFP] (in planning stage) #cloudeye #stonefire #snowfur

ML OCs ancient Japan AU fic #Kiseki (almost finished)

impulse writing project: For a Brighter Tomorrow [#FBT] (sort of started)

#flash fiction friday blurbs: #Adventures of Talah and Taragon (#RPG)

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Art and Crafting tags:

#my crochet and #crochet pattern, #knit, assorted #fiber crafts, #whittling

#color palette, #dresses (outfit design)

#Kisekiart, various #OCs - usually #Kiseki and #RPG

#fanart for #HTTYD and #HTTYD AU, #Godzilla and #Godzilla AU, #Transformers, #Pokemon, #vocaloid, #Studio Ghibli, #ML and #ML AU, #Star Wars, #Spiderverse, and other random stuff

#cat sketches, #my inktober, #Japanese -inspired stuff and #kanji practice

usually #pen/pencil drawings, sometimes #digital drawings

#assorted art, old art is tagged #look at my terrible drawings, #art dump, #art reference

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Other tags:

general #reference, #moodboard and #web weaving, #masterpost, #tea, #mbti, #picrew, sometimes random stuff that's #not technically art

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Other accounts:

main/personality blog is @infj-arli

catblr is @finn-and-jazz

Ravelry shop is RoKa Designs https://www.ravelry.com/designers/roka-designs

Pokémon Go code is 1800 3068 3950

YouTube is @rokasai https://youtube.com/@rokasai

Dropbox folder with video synth covers is https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/9my7ga1lodzrz7i64ocgk/h

[rokasai]

May 2026

snowdrifts?

no, cottonwood pollen

.

雪化粧

yukigeshou

ではなく、ポプラ

de wa naku, popura

の花粉で

no kafun de

[rokasai]

first warm day

sunny sky blue

driving with the windows down

and summersong

something in me rises,

「le vent se lève,

il faut tenter de vivre」

says I am alive

- 5.21.26

[rokasai]

Woodland skirt I made years ago with cotton quilt fabric

[rokasai]

4-9-26

I dreamed about you last night.

It was all the same; everything was different.

You were gone like before.

I was cleaning out your room,

Things I didn't recognize

From a past we never had.

I found notes you'd left years ago

That said all the things I'd wished you had.

But somehow I still couldn't feel anything.

[rokasai]

March 2026

the first spring flowers -

crocus and tiny blue speedwell

.

春花にて

shunka nite

オオイヌフグリ

ooinufuguri

やクローカス

ya kurōkasu

[rokasai]

collection of my short poems and unfinished prose fragments (ongoing)

Despite it all, I was happy. - 4.6.26

an echo of my grief resonates with a low thrum – 3.9.26

two empty pools reflect each other's stillness – / me and my cat, staring across the room – 10.?.26

search for me and pick me out / the way I rescue seedlings from growing in unforgiving stones – 12.6.22

do you think of me? / though you've little reason to, / do you, even now? – 8.6.22

though born of water I bear little of its calm / my nature not of power nor of healing – 4.6.22

Most stories are tragedies in one way or another – 10.26.21

Time passes differently at two- three- four in the morning, / When ghosts of the past come out to play and time stands still... – 10.25.20

Memories come unbidden / I wish they wouldn't / I’d rather forget them all – 10.1.20

It's strange, isn't it / We think things will go on like this forever / but they never do – 5.26.20

a broken record repeating the same track, all these years later – (can't find the date)

[rokasai]

February 2026

from the lake

heavy fog drifts

inside and out

.

湖水から

kosui kara

降り込む霧気 (or 濃霧)

furikomu bou ki (or nōmu)

内外で

naigai de

Language ramble:

降り込む霧気 furikomu bou ki

vs

降り込む濃霧 furikomu nōmu

Not sure which to go with. 濃霧 nōmu is more literally fog; whereas I found 濛気/朦気 mouki (which might be an obscure/uncommon phrase) that refers to both fog and depression, then sort of modified it to 霧 bou + 気 ki which is fog + spirit/mood, sort of like a compound word, similar to mouki but simplified a little and uses the kanji for fog instead of for dense/dark (fog or mist might not be a literal meaning? might be implied?). But it probably isn't an accurate translation to a native speaker.

[rokasai]

Funguary 2026 critter doodles

[rokasai]

Working on a project: finding what pokemon me, my cats, and a few of my friends would be.

I figure it out by deciding what types, moves, and natures fit each one, then narrowing down the pokemon based on that criteria. It may not be the best method I suppose. The mons that I associate with each person aren't always the ones I choose in this system.

Then I'm trying to make them in pokemon scarlet / pokemon home. It's tricky to find mons with both the nature and characteristic correct.

[rokasai]

January 2026

deep snow

and breaths frozen

in my throat

.

雪深い

yukibukai

と息がのどに

to iki ga nodo ni

凍りつく

kōritsuku

[rokasai]

AoTaT OCs pinterest moodboards

Min, Talah & Taragon

Kye, Delta/Mogra, Vortex/Forba

[rokasai]

December 2025

early dark of night, / muffled, covered in a smooth / blanket of bright snow

冬の夜ね、/ 明るい雪に / 覆われた

fuyu no yo ne, / akarui yuki ni / ōwa reta

(or:)

早い闇 / ね、雪化粧し / 雪あかり

hayai yami / ne, yukigeshou shi / yukiakari

Alternate translations that sound better but didn't fit the syllables:

~~~

雪月花ー / 月と花もがな。。。雪が少ない

setsugetsuka ー / getsu to ka mogana... / setsu ga sukunai

setsugetsuka ー / I wish more moon and flowers... / less snow

[rokasai]

November

stray kitty's

downy fur cold

from wet snow

.

野良猫の

noraneko no

産毛は湿雪

ubuge wa shissetsu

で冷たい

de tsumetai

[rokasai]

Kiseki Chapter 8: Azuna - Daybreak

When she woke up, she was alone. She sat up and looked around. There was one of her mother's baskets next to her, filled with her Shikake clothing. They were clean. Her shoes were somewhat clean but broken from the fight. She was clean too, and wearing someone's borrowed clothing. She didn't recognize the blanket that she slept under either. Panic shot through her groggy confusion. What was going on? Where was Kitsude? And their families? She clutched the unfamiliar blanket around herself and slipped out of the tent.

There was still little light in the sky, but the sun was on the opposite side of the horizon. Not much light, not yet dark; the waxing moon was barely visible as a thin crescent. The campfires still burned, allowing Azuna to see the people's makeshift tents. There seemed to be about a dozen fires with two tents facing each fire. A few belongings and crates were scattered about, but the state everything was in suggested that this was meant only as a temporary camp.

Azuna saw the doctor from that morning a few tents away. He was leaving someone's tent with a basket of medicines. Azuna rushed over and peeked inside. There she saw her mother with Suzume-san, both sitting next to Kitsude.

"Is he okay?" Azuna asked as she entered.

"Azuna, you're awake," her mother said as she stood up. She placed her hand on Azuna's forehead and lifted Azuna's arms, inspecting her. She was not a woman known for showing affection - quite the opposite really - but she placed her hand gently on Azuna's face. "I'm grateful you were not injured," she said softly.

Suzume-san, on the other hand, had no problem expressing herself. She embraced Azuna tightly. "I cannot thank you enough for saving my son," she said. "I don't know what happened, but we were separated in the attack. I hoped he had evacuated with everyone else. I should have stayed and looked for him..."

"You had to keep your other children safe," Azuna's mother reminded her.

"That doesn't change the fact that I left my son behind!"

"No, you did what you could." Something like shame crossed the sterner woman's face. "I left my daughter. I thought she was with someone else, and I didn't search for her until we all gathered on the road."

Azuna felt uncomfortable. "It's alright, I'm okay now." She couldn't tell her mother why she hadn't evacuated. Trying to change the subject, she quickly asked: "Where are the rest of the townspeople?"

Her mother shook her head. "Most of everyone continued to the next village. That horrid kaiju hasn't moved, so we hope they will be safe there. Suzume sent her other children with a friend, but we stayed here to wait."

"We didn't know if you or Kitsude were alive, but we hoped we would find you again," Suzume-san said. She looked away. "Others also decided to wait here for family members, but they have not been as lucky."

All three looked at Kitsude. "Is he okay?" Azuna asked again.

"He has been sleeping since you brought him," Suzume-san responded. "Sometimes he's restless like he's in pain, so the doctor gave instructions for this medicine he brought. As if a mother of five children doesn't know how to care for them when they are sick and in pain." She was facing away from Azuna, but she was sure the woman was rolling her eyes.

"Is there anything I can do?" Azuna asked.

"You need to rest," her mother stated. "Your friend is perfectly fine with his mother caring for him; you need to get your own strength back. There's some food and water in my tent - eat that and go to sleep."

Azuna scowled but knew her mother was right. Her eyes flicked to Kitsude one last time before she left.

Back in her mother's tent, she scrounged around for food. She felt absolutely famished and practically inhaled the day-old rice and mushy fruit that she found. She removed the lid on a crate that seemed promising, but it turned out to have just some straw.

It took her a few seconds to realize there were also several Kokisekis tucked in the straw, staring at her.

"Oh! There you are!" she cried. Medeé shushed her, but she ignored it and scooped them all up in her arms. "I wondered where you all went!" she added, quieter this time. She plopped down on her sleeping mat and wrapped her blanket around them all.

"We didn't want your mom to find us," Medeé said.

"We ate all the food in there," the little koi fish Kaimu piped up. Apparently despite looking like a fish he didn't actually need to be in water.

"How's Kitsude?" Taji interrupted him. He trembled anxiously.

"He's doing okay," Azuna answered. "It sounds like he needs some time to recover, but whatever Ennya did saved him." She gave Ennya a warm smile. "Thank you. I can't thank you enough, really."

Ennya smiled. "It's okay, I understand." Her color was still faded, but the shimmery reflections from before had stopped. It appeared that her devices were still slowly repairing - no, recharging, Medeé had called it.

"So... What do we do now?" Azuna asked.

Nobody spoke. They all looked to Medeé.

"Why do I have to make the decisions?!" she sputtered. She crossed her tiny arms and frowned thoughtfully. "We need to use every resource we have," she said. "We'll wait for Shikake and Yūgure to be rested and ready. In the meantime we'll come up with a strategy for an all-out attack on the kaiju and the daimyō. Ennya can accompany Shikake. And Vesa and Kaimu will need partners."

"I'm sorry, what?" Azuna's eyebrows shot up. "We're doing a what attack?! Where- Wait, how do we find partners for them?"

"That's where you come in," Medeé replied. "Who do you know that you can trust? Who can you find - quickly - who can help us fight the steel kaiju?"

Azuna gaped. "How do I..." She shut her mouth so Medeé would stop glaring at her. She ran through in her mind who she knew - who was fit for an attack, who was nearby, who was trustworthy, who might have any training related to their mission. She gasped. "Tagiwa! He's perfect for it."

Medeé nodded. "We'll all go with you when you talk to him. Get some rest so we can go soon." She helped the others back into their crate.

Azuna closed her eyes. She tossed and turned for a little while, but eventually she passed out and slept soundly.

Someone's voice woke her up in the early morning. "Azuna! Azuna, he's awake!"

She rushed out of the tent, barely awake, forgetting her blanket or shoes. She found her mother outside Suzume-san's tent. "He's awake?" she asked.

Her mother nodded. She put her arm out to block her daughter. "Don't go charging in, wait for Suzume to let you." She gave Azuna a pointed look before returning to her own tent.

Azuna rubbed her scar and paced between the tents. The sun was up, not yet midday, but it was hard to tell exactly because of the cloud cover. Azuna shivered and wished the clouds would go away.

Finally Suzume-san came outside. "He's okay," she repeated for likely the fiftieth time. Tears of relief trickled down her face once again. She nodded to Azuna, then the doctor called for her and she left.

Azuna entered, then knelt next to where Kitsude lay. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Kitsude didn't meet her eyes. "I'm okay." His voice was quiet and scratchy.

Azuna remembered the last time she'd seen him awake - gravely injured and struggling to breathe. She glanced over him, grateful that his wounds were healing quickly and he was breathing steadily.

She suddenly felt strangely awkward. She hadn't felt that around her friend before, and she couldn't figure out why she felt it now. She looked down at her hands.

"Why didn't you tell me you're Shikake?" Kitsude asked quietly.

Surprised, Azuna looked up sharply. Wasn't it obvious? "I can't tell anyone what I'm doing. What if people found out that I'm fighting against the daimyo? Most people don't know that he's behind the kaiju yet, but what if they found out? And if I didn't hide my identity, he could find me and my family and punish us. I can't trust anyone."

"You don't trust me?" He finally met her eyes, his face betraying emotions she couldn't identify.

"No!" Her eyes widened. "I mean yes, of course I trust you, you're my best friend but-"

"But what?" he retorted. "You don't trust me enough to tell me where you disappear to all the time? What if you were seriously hurt?"

"Like you were?" she blurted out. Probably not the best time to bring that up. Her stomach felt horribly tense. "I don't need people worrying about me!"

"Well I DO worry about you, Azuna! Because I..." He faltered. "If anything happened to you I'd-" He stopped again and broke eye contact. His outburst left his breathing sharp and ragged.

Azuna's shoulders sagged. She'd never seen him react like that. She waited a minute for his breathing to steady - and to collect her thoughts. She tried to steady her own breaths. Then she spoke again, gentler than before. "I'm sorry, Kitsude. I never meant to hurt you. I really do trust you. I was just... afraid." She didn't want to admit it, but it was true: she was afraid. "I'm scared every time I fight kaiju. And I'm afraid for the safety of my family and friends - even you."

Kitsude sighed deeply. "I know. I'm afraid too. I couldn't tell you what I was doing either. And in the end I couldn't even protect myself."

Impulsively, Azuna reached out and put her hand over his.

He flinched, then turned his hand around and held hers. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm in the same position as you are, and I shouldn't have accused you like that."

"It's okay," she said. "I understand." She held his hand and they stayed like that for a few minutes in comfortable silence.

Azuna remembered her conversation with the Kokisekis. "Oh, we have a plan once you're feeling better," she said.

"'We'?" he asked.

Azuna adjusted the sleeve over her free hand to show all the bracelets wrapped around her wrist. "Don't worry, I'll tell you everything later."

Kitsude raised his own wrist. "You took mine?" he asked.

"Taji did," she said. "He was worried about your mom finding him."

"Is he okay?"

"Of course, he's with the others in-" Azuna cut off abruptly when Suzume-san entered the tent.

"Ah- yes, well, I'm glad you're feeling better," she said, a little too loudly and a little too nervously. She withdrew her hand quickly and rubbed her scar again. "Rest well- good morning Suzume-san, I'm just leaving now, see you later bye!" She smiled awkwardly and rushed outside.

[rokasai]

Botober Recipe

Part 2

Part 1 here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi I'm back with the groceries. How are things on your end?

Ah, well...

Why do I feel like I'll regret asking.

No, it's fine! I've got most of it ready. I just... I read the instructions and frankly I can't imagine how this is supposed to work.

You and me both. Anyway, let's start with taking stock of what we have. In this bag I have all the produce: fresh spinach, celery, bell pepper, rhubarb, cucumber, and some dried peppers.

Wow, that's a big bag. I don't think there's ever been that many veggies in this kitchen.

Yikes. Here, the bread bowl is separate in its own package. Oh and the goat cheese. This bag has the other stuff: canning salt and vinegar for the celery, bread crumbs for the bell pepper, fennel, lemongrass, umami, more pepper... I picked a milder ancho pepper so it's not too spicy. Though maybe that would be better - make this thing so spicy you can't taste any of this weird combo.

That's okay. I got the mac and cheese ready, and the noodle water. I don't know how much we need but it's all in that bowl. I did my best to follow the list you left. In the freezer is the crushed ice, frozen apple, and a can of tomato soup. Orange jello and mayo are in the fridge. The other stuff is on the counter there - twizzlers, another can of soup, a muffin, black pepper and pumpkin spice, smores in an orb shape, and bread crusts soaked in the noodle water and drained.

Hmm. Some of these ingredients could make a soup, but some would be better as a baked dessert or something. Do we have to put them all together? Or is it okay for your assignment to make 2 dishes and have an edible meal?

I don't know.

Can you ask your teacher?

Honestly I'd rather not, if you're right and he gave me this recipe to mess with me.

Fair enough. I'm going to make the executive decision to make 2 dishes, simply because I don't want to eat all this in one thing. What's it called again?

Spoonfur Pie.

Still not terribly descriptive. I'll get some of this prepped while you tell me the instructions.

Well the first things listed here sound more like objects to use. Pinetanabous Mold, crock up, heated baking rings...

Alright, we'll figure it out one at a time. What was the first one again? A mold?

Pinetanabous Mold.

Hmm. I really don't know what that would be. You know what jello molds are, right?

Yeah kinda. I don't have any though.

I didn't think so. Do you have any sort of... triangular dish? Vaguely like a pine tree?

No. Oh, I do have a novelty serving dish that someone left here after a party last year. It's triangular-ish. Is it deep enough?

I don't know what goes in it yet so we'll see. What's next?

It says crock up. Like a crockpot?

Do you have one?

A little one. I used it to heat up soup when my microwave broke a while ago.

That's fine. What else?

Just heated baking rings.

You wouldn't happen to have rings used for biscuits and crumpets and things like that?

No.

I have a few at my place. I don't really want to go all the way there to get them though.

If they're just round rings, can we use something else round? Bowl or dishes or something?

If they're oven-safe. Show me what you got and I'll check. See, it says it on the bottom here.

Oh, yeah. How many?

I guess just a few for now. It's not q u i t e what the instructions say but I don't think it'll make a huge difference in the end.

Okay. There's only a few instructions, actually, but they're kind of jumbled into one. Like they're not numbered or anything. "Grated pan. Behold onion. Lightly spather. Leanwhile, rub the bog. Add blender. Shell."

Hmm. Great.

Yeah.

One step at a time. Obviously we can't grate an actual pan, but 'pan' is a word for bread in some languages, and we already have a sliced bread bowl here, so we can grate that.

I have a cheese grater. But actually, you have breadcrumbs here from the breaded bell pepper, so couldn't we use more of those since they're already basically grated?

Huh, that's a good idea.

Yay!

What comes next?

Behold onion.

What onion?? That's one of the few things I'd expect for a recipe but it's not in the ingredients list.

Should we go out and get an onion?

It just says to behold it. Maybe we can just look at a picture of an onion...? Here, image results.

...What for?

Inspiration, maybe?

For what? The shape? Or the layers?

I guess so. Maybe that's how we should assemble the ingredients, in layers. Let me see the rest. Something about a blender... Okay, I have an idea of where to go with this. Let's start with the baked dessert thing. Get the baking dishes and anything sweet from the ingredients. Anything bready too.

So frozen apple, orange jello, twizzlers, lemon muffin, soggy bread crusts, sliced bread bowl, smores orb... and maybe the pumpkin spice?

Good. Crumble up all the bready stuff to make a crust and line the baking dishes. Put the smorb in one, twizzlers in another, and the frozen apple chopped up in the last one. A little of the crushed ice for liquid so hopefully they don't burn... We'll bake them for a few minutes. Then when they're done, top with a scoop of orange jello and "lightly spather" with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice.

I doubt the flavors will go well together.

True. It's the best I can do to salvage all that.

Okay. Those are in the oven now. What do we do with the rest?

Soup.

Oh?

Yeah. That's what the blender is for. 6 slices frozen soup and quarter can tomato soup, all this pile of veggies, breaded bell pepper too, the rest of the spices... What else is over there?

Some mayo and the noodle water. Oh and the goat cheese.

We'll use the cheese at the end. Also the extra breadcrumbs. Those will make a nice topping. It won't be the best soup, but I'll try to guess on the amounts so it's not too bad. You have a blender, right?

Yeah, it's here.

I'll put stuff in this bowl for you to blend, then when it's smooth pour it into the crockpot. I'll check on the oven.

Got it.

Ah, the twizzler one melted weird and burned on the edges. I had a feeling that might happen.

How did the others turn out?

Hmm... The apple one turned out like a tiny unsweetened apple pie. A bit soggy though. The smores one is goopy, but actually it might be okay. It's kinda like desserts that are made in baking dishes- ah what are those called... looks like a souffle or creme brulee but it's... I can't think of it. Anyway. Something like that.

So hopefully edible?

Yeah.

That's a relief.

Yep.

What do you think it means by "Leanwhile, rub the bog"?

I'm still puzzling out that one. The soup is sort of bog-like, though that's a bit of a stretch.

The texture is nice.

What are you doing?? It's really not necessary to stick your hands in it!

Too late.

Whatever. That's done, don't do it again.

Okay fine, haha. The soup is done too, by the way. Do I turn the crockpot on high or low?

Low should be fine. We'll serve it in the triangle serving dish. I think that should count as the "shell" part at end. I'll get the goat cheese and breadcrumb crumble ready.

That will look nice for the assignment photos. Wanna eat the dessert while the soup heats up? I'll get the jello and stuff and take photos.

I wouldn't mind trying the apple one. But I've been looking forward to the promise of that mac and cheese...

[rokasai]

Kiseki Chapter 7: Azuna – Nightfall

Azuna held the unconscious Kitsude in her arms. Her heart broke, and she felt utterly helpless. It would be dark soon and she didn't know what to do. She gently wrapped him in her cloak, tearing strips of fabric to wrap his injuries. Medeé found her broken necklace that had fallen and tried to fix it.

"I didn't know it was him," Azuna whispered, her voice hoarse. "He recognized me and I just… I froze. I realized who it was." She watched his chest move - he was still breathing, but with difficulty. "What do I do?"

Taji sat up on Kitsude's shoulder and stared at Azuna. "Take him to Kohaku," he stated flatly.

"She's not a doctor," Medeé said.

"I know that!" Taji snapped.

"But what if-"

Taji glared at her pointedly. Medeé's wings drooped.

So they set out to find Kohaku's cave. They accidentally passed it once and had to circle back around; by then it was pitch dark with no moon. They went through the first passageway but had to stop when the path narrowed.

Azuna reluctantly set Kitsude down on the bare rock. He groaned but didn't wake up. "I don't have any fire for light," she said.

"I can see in the dark," Taji replied, "but I'm not leaving him." He rummaged around in Kitsude's pocket and pulled out a flint and steel.

Azuna found a stick and made a simple torch. She and Medeé left Taji and continued through the caves until they reached Kohaku's hut. There was no light coming from it.

"Kohaku-sama?" Azuna called and knocked on the door.

There was no answer, but then Ennya flew out. She landed clumsily on Azuna's shoulder. "Azuna? What are you doing here?"

"Ennya, what's wrong?" Medeé asked.

Tiny, very un-bird-like tears rolled down Ennya's face. "Kohaku… She's very sick," she murmured. "She fell and she's been in bed for days and… I don't know what to do. I don't think she's going to make it much longer."

Azuna felt her heart sink even lower. The door was unlocked so she went in. She lit a few candles that were lying around. The tiny home was usually tidy, but now it was in disarray.

"Who's there?" Kohaku's weak voice came from a pile of bedding in the back.

"It's me, Azuna," Azuna said. She kneeled down and moved the blankets away from Kohaku's face.

"And Medeé," Ennya added. Both of them perched on Azuna's shoulders.

Kohaku peered at them. "Is the boy with you?"

Azuna's throat tightened. "He's... by the cave entrance. He was injured in a kaiju attack."

Kohaku mumbled quietly.

"What do you need?" Azuna asked.

"Water," Kohaku whispered. Azuna got her a cup of water and helped her sit up to drink it. The old woman settled back down, then spoke again. "Ennya, go with the children. Help them."

Ennya landed on Kohaku's pillow. "I can't leave you, Kohaku! We can use-"

"No!" Kohaku interjected forcefully, then coughed horribly several times. The old woman smiled fondly at her. "Give it to him," she said. "There's nothing you can do for me, but you and the others can help them."

"What others?" Azuna whispered to Medeé.

Medeé didn't answer. Instead she flew to Kohaku's small table, where there was a bonsai tree and a small bowl with water. A little green gecko popped out of the tree, then a bright blue and orange fish out of the bowl. Medeé brought them to Azuna.

Azuna gaped at the little creatures. "There's more Kokisekis here? I've never seen them before."

"Of course," Medeé replied. "Kohaku protects us."

The lizard crawled her way over to Ennya, with the fish holding on to her with his fins.

"Vesa, Kaimu," Kohaku spoke to them. "Go with the children. They need your help." Then Kohaku turned her head to Azuna. "I'm sorry that I cannot help you anymore," she said. "You must take these with you and rescue the turtle. Keep them all safe. Promise me."

Azuna nodded quickly. "I promise." Tears stung the back of her eyes.

Kohaku paused for breath. From somewhere near her she took her own Kokiseki device and two others. "Keep them safe," she repeated.

Azuna took them and placed them in a secure pocket. "I will. I promise."

The Kokisekis said their final goodbyes to the old woman, each in their own way. She had protected and cared for them for many years and they didn't want to leave her. Not like this. Finally she told them one last time to go, and to blow out the candles as she was tired and wanted to sleep. They all knew she wouldn't wake up, but they did as she requested.

Azuna didn't want to leave Kohaku either, but she needed to get back to Kitsude quickly. Her torch burned low and dim; still, she rushed through the cave back to where she had left him. She kneeled down and checked his breathing.

"Is he okay?" she asked.

"He's been sleeping," Taji answered. He watched her adjust the makeshift bandages. "It felt like you were gone for a long time, but I don't think it was." He noticed the other Kokisekis when they came out of Azuna's pocket. "What happened? Where's Kohaku?"

Medeé spoke first. "She's very sick. She's not going to make it much longer." She settled next to Taji. "I know you would've wanted to say goodbye."

Taji's ears drooped even lower than they had before. "What now?" he asked, his question sounding like a mournful meow.

Ennya came closer. "We still save him," she assured Taji.

"What do you mean?" Azuna asked. She realized Ennya was shimmering- no, flickering. Was something wrong with her disguiser device?

"It's a… tool that our technician developed," Medeé said. "I'm not sure how to explain it in a way you'd understand. It was intended to restore injured Kokiseki to health, but he discovered it could be used to heal humans."

"With mixed results," Vesa, the gecko, added. Taji glared at her.

Azuna sat beside Kitsude. "Whatever it is, are you saying it works on people?" she asked. "Healing? You can restore…?"

"I hope so," Medeé said. "It's our last one. It may not heal him completely. And it's- well- how it looks-"

"Please do it!" Azuna cried. She clenched her hands so hard that her nails dug into her palms. "Whatever it is, please heal him! If I lost him I... I don't know what I'd do."

"Of course," Ennya said. "Tell me when you're ready."

Medeé turned to her. "You'll do it? It will drain your battery."

"I know that," Ennya retorted. "It's solar, it'll recharge soon enough. That doesn't matter. I'm doing this for Kohaku."

Medeé was silent. She nodded once.

Taju pressed a paw to Azuna's knee. "You might want to step back."

"Why?" Azuna asked, but she didn't get an answer. At Medeé's direction, she moved to the opposite wall of the passageway. The others crawled onto her lap.

Ennya watched her expectantly. Her form seemed to shimmer and shift as her disguiser device tried to hide… something. There was a humming noise, then clicking, then a shifting noise that Azuna didn't understand, and then crackling as a glow formed.

Taji nudged Azuna's hand. She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Ennya's form glowed much brighter than before, a blinding light that seemed so small and yet so big. Then-

A blast of flame shot out at Kitsude. The flame engulfed him like it would burn him, but he didn't wake up.

Azuna screamed. She bolted upright and moved toward him, but Medeé held her back from interfering, surprisingly strong for such a small creature.

"You set him on fire!" Azuna shrieked.

For a moment Ennya seemed to fracture, distorted like in a broken mirror. Then she faded to a dull hue and drifted to the ground. She muttered something incomprehensible.

The flame died down as quickly as it had spread. Azuna rushed to Kitsude and frantically checked for burns. Somehow, miraculously, there were no burns or damage. She heard herself speaking but didn't know what she said; her hands shook uncontrollably and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath.

Medeé was the one who took control of the situation. She placed all the Kokisekis back in Azuna's pocket, then perched on Azuna's shoulder and spoke firmly. "Calm down, Azuna. Breathe. Listen to me: he's okay. He's alive and breathing. He needs time to heal. Pick him up and find his family."

Azuna closed her eyes and breathed deeply. That's right, she had to find their families. Her scattered thoughts began to collect together and she wondered where the townspeople had gone. Was her mother safe? And Kitsude's family? They must be worried sick by now.

Azuna wrapped Kitsude securely in her cloak, careful of his injuries, and carried him in her arms. She slowly made her way out of the cave, then through the forest, then to the edge of the ruined town. Here she stopped. She set Kitsude down gently and rested her sore arms. The sun hadn't quite risen yet, just brightening the edges of the sky on the horizon. The kaiju stood still in the same spot; its reflective plating was illuminated eerily in the early morning light, making it seem like it was swaying in place. Azuna turned away from the dreary sight.

She scanned the road that led to the next town. Sure enough, there were small fires burning some distance away. "Those must be from the townspeople," she said to Medeé. She picked up Kitsude again and trudged along toward the fires. As she got closer, she wondered why there were so few. Surely if the whole town was there on the road, there would be a larger camp; right?

She stopped when she was a short distance away from the camp. A silhouetted figure blocked the road at the entrance. Medeé finally dropped from her perch on Azuna's shoulder down to a pocket.

"Who's there?" a harsh voice called out.

"Azuna and Kitsude," Azuna responded. She couldn't make out who was guarding the entrance, nor the small group of people who gathered behind him when he called out.

There was a commotion behind the guard. "They're alive!" someone shouted. Another said: "Go get their mothers!"

The guard rushed forward. Azuna recognized him as one of the fishermen - an unusually tall man with impressive strength from hauling heavy nets for many years. "Are you injured?" he asked. His eyes darted from Azuna's filthy and tear-streaked appearance to the unconscious and even filthier body in her arms.

"I'm okay," she answered. "Kitsude was... injured by the kaiju."

The man took Kitsude from her and carried him into the camp. He called for someone to find the doctor, then sat on a wooden crate and held Kitsude securely.

Azuna followed at his side. She recognized some of the people who had gathered, but then her eyes fell on Suzume-san. The poor woman looked like she had spent the night mourning instead of sleeping, which was entirely likely. She rushed to Azuna and embraced her, then saw her son and fell to her knees at his side. She wept and murmured something unintelligible.

The town doctor was woken up and brought to examine the children. He wasted little time in checking Azuna, announcing that she had only a few minor injuries and really should go wash. Then he turned to Kitsude. He examined him carefully, removing the bandages and feeling for broken bones.

Finally he spoke to Suzume-san. "He will be okay," he assured her. "He needs to be cleaned up and to rest, but despite how he looks, there's no major damage. There's some wounds that I can give you medicine for, but he should be on his feet again soon."

Azuna staggered in surprise - no major injuries? Ennya had really healed him? Not completely, but enough that his life was no longer in danger. She couldn't understand it. She felt guilty for lashing out at Ennya earlier.

Relief and exhaustion drained what energy she had left. Her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed. Someone nearby supported her so she didn't fall. Somehow she ended up lying down in a tent, then she saw her mother sitting next to her with a cloth and a bucket of water. Her mother didn't speak, her lips set in a thin line, but with a gentle look on her face instead of anger or disappointment. Azuna wondered where the Kokisekis were. Then she slept, a mercifully dreamless sleep.