[center][h2][color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/h2]
Fields of Gold
Lvl 9 [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi[/color] (54/90) -> Lvl 9 (55/90) 
Word count: 632 words[/center]


Thankful that nobody pressed him further about J, Zenkichi ambled along the path, taking in the sights. It was a nice, peaceful place that was reminiscent of rural Japan. The gentle breeze was nice, too, though his new tunic was thankfully more breathable than his suits were. The focus sash, which he’d tied to his wrist under the tunic, was a bit uncomfortable at first, but already growing on him. The constant sense of reassurance was like a wedding band. Took a bit to get used to, and once you were, you never wanted to be without it.

The thought meandered back to Sandalphon, and her adorable heart-eye reaction to his peck on the cheek. The feeling over her cool skin against his hand still lingered, as if his skin wouldn’t let him forget the feeling before they met again. His mind meandered from there to what was said about Amaterasu, and the implications of that. As far as he was aware, the sun god had never appeared in the form of a wolf, but then again, as far as he was aware, Bowser and Pikachu were [i]fictional characters[/i] so he wasn’t gonna think about it too hard. Amaterasu was a Japanese sun god. That was…

A little brain-melting, to be frank. Yes, he’d heard of Pit’s goddess, Palutena, but they were from a straight-up fantasy world, just like Sandalphon. He wasn’t sure how active [i]her[/i] goddess was in her world, but on Earth, kami were…usually not physically present anymore. If you even truly believed in them, their influence was historical or ephemeral, not…literally there and making miracles happen in front of your very eyes. For heaven’s sake, a [i]cat[/i] that hung around a train station had been elevated to kami status! Not that he was insulting the great and venerable Tama-san, but…it was extremely strange to him to see a goddess in person, in the flesh, even with how common they could be in Japan. The fact that he could [i]feel something[/i] from Amaterasu didn’t help. It was the tiniest inkling, the littlest light in his soul, but part of him was drawn to protect her. And it wasn’t just because she was a wolf (not a dog, she was very much too large to be a mere dog) or a fellow Seeker. 

No, he felt something more than that. There was some kind of natural bond drawing him to her, which found him walking carefully at the back of the group and contemplating it, while he could keep the others in sight. One of those Spirits had given an angelic vibe, but he hadn’t contemplated their appearances too much before fusing with them. The only negative side-effect he could think of so far was that his abilities felt more draining, but that wasn’t a terrible price to pay. 

So it was that he watched the divine wolf chase after Bowser’s kids (And that was still so weird) in their vehicle, eventually hopping over it and stopping with Primrose to assist a cart that had broken down, repairing the vehicle in the blink of an eye while the dancer stopped to heal her horse. He stood back, looking back down the road they’d come from for any threats or fellow travellers so he could stop them before they hit the cart. 

Once the repairs were complete, he continued along, silently walking a short distance behind the ambling cart. He hoped he didn’t give the woman driving the cart too many nerves, though he was sure Primrose or the others would explain him away if she did. If she grew accustomed to the presence of a wolf, it was unlikely she’d be more nervous about a quiet man who appeared unarmed walking towards the city known for people engaging in recreational combat.