Tatsuki finishes chewing on his leg. Dissapointed that the human refused the fight, he brings a paw up and starts rubbing his eyes. At the question, his paw stops dead. Ever so slowly, his paw comes down until it rests on the earth. He blinks slowly, eyes trained on the boy. "That...is a complecated question." He says in a mesured tone. Settling into a comfortable possition, 'I did agree to this "game" I suppose'

Licking his chops, he begins. "There are several resons I despise your kind. Not the least of which is the obvious contempt and fear I have recived from interacting with you creatures." Stretching out his paws, Tatsuki's back legs stretch out so that he's resting directly on his belly, legs splayed outwards. "I did not always find your kind do contemptable. There was a time I lived at peace with a village in this region."

Tatsuki's head sinks to the ground at the memory. "Several of the young children would come into the forest. I would play games with them, in my beastial state of corse. It wasn't so bad. Years earlyer, I had been chased away from many humanly populated areas, but this place seemed peaceful enough. I decided to give humans a chance." Tatsuki turns a harsh glare on to the preist. "But it seems to creatures can not escape your nature." Tatsuki's tail begins thrashing furiously.

"I needed a break from my beastial for for a while, so I went deep into the forest, to a pool I had visited many a time as my beast self. I changed into my humanoide form, and entered the water. I was bathing for some time, before I felt her presence. When I looked to her, I saw she was a girl, no older than yourself. I climbed out of the pool, and I saw her turn from me. I swiftly changed back into my animal form. When I tried to approach her, and she saw me as my beast self, she fled from me.

Confused, I followed her to the village. There, she had called on the holy man." Growling, Tatsuki looks away towards the moon shinning bright above. "He called to him several youkai he had enslaved over the years, and ordered them to attack me. I had spoken to many of them on occoassion, not knowing what the holy man had done to them. When they attacked me, I couldn't fight back. SO, I fled."

Turning back to the human, Tatsuki sneers. "It didn't end there. I had not yet given up on humans completely. I returned and tried to reason with them. Starting with the children. Many of them still loved me, but a few had been convinced that I was evil. One such little girl ran from me, terrified. She fell. Her parents came to her, and brought her home.For some unkown reason, she soon took ill, and died of fever." Tatsuki shakes his head hard. "Guess who they blamed?" He snorts with disgust.

"I still have scars from the attack I endured after the girl passed. It was then I realised how foolish, an incompatable humans and youkai are." WIth an audible laugh, Tatsuki stares hard at the boy. "No matter how much you think you're 'friends' with the youkai you know, you are lieing to yourself. They're interesting, facinating. More free range pets than friends. No human would ever consider a youkai their equal. It's just not your nature." Finishing his tale, Tatsuki yawns.

Not in the mood for a fight any more, Tatsuki asks a simple question. "So, what do you do for a living, human?" His mind is still buzzing, and chest aching from recalling several painful memories all at once. Taking a few deep breaths, he begins grooming his fur to relax.

Genji was not prepared for the tale that Tatsuki related to him. His heart hurt for the plight of the handsome creature beside him…When Tatsuki had finished speaking the exorcist noticed the silent tears streaming down his face. He had always seen the magical creatures of this world as kindred spirits; all were his equal if not his better. Genji longed to throw his arms around Tatsuki’s neck, to show him that not all of humanity was like that priest.

Then the wolf asked his question…”I’m an artist and an exorcist. I do the exorcisms for free mostly, only asking for food here an there for payment.” He thought about his turn and there was only one thing he wished to ask. "May I touch you Tatsuki?"

A low growl imediatly erupts from Tatsuki's throat. He trains all his senses on to the human. 'What is this? He...pitys me? I can smell his tears from here.' The low rumble continues. 'I do not want such things from this creature. I am strong. I don't need it.' Dispite his self reasurance, Tatsuki feels himself tingle at the thought of being pet again. The rumble dies down, and he lets out a huff. "Leave thos damnable beads over there. And don't be all over me. I'm not a pet." He watches the boy intently for a few seconds before asking his next question. "What made you so tired? I noticed you were exausted before I even attacked."

Genji pulled the beads over his head and put them in his bag by the tree. He sat back down by the wolf. Slowly he laid his hand on Tatsuki’s head. He curled his fingers in the warm fur. The exorcist started to scratch behind the wolfs ear slowly working down his body. A second hand came up and started to scratch up under Tatsuki’s chin and down his chest. He had grown up with a dog and remembered the placed his furry friend used to itch.

Hearing the wolf’s question Genji’s hand slowed down a bit as he thought. “Well, I got called to an exorcism last night. It was a little girl and she had been possessed by a very angry demon. I was able to get the youkai out of the girl. The spirit had just lost it’s own child and the grief had turned it into an oni. I was able to banish the darkness and the water spirit and the girl were both saved. It took to much of my chi though…” He continued to scratch his companion, thinking of his next question. Genji didn’t want to dredged up any more anger between him and the wolf, but he was so curious.

“What happened to your pack? I mean the last time I met a wolf youkai, they were in a large pack.”

Tatsuki can not help the gentle growl that the stroking pulls out of him. He tenses slightly when he feels the boy reach for his neck, but soon relaxes at the feeling of fingers between his fur. The human's next question is one he anticipated, but that didn't stop the pang of anguish that rippled across his heart to hear it spoken. 'Well, if I'm going to giving the damn brat my life story, I might as well be comfortable' he grumbles silently.

With a stiff shake, Tatsuki dislodges the human's fingers. Headbutting the boy in the chest to ensure he's sitting flat, Tatsuki settles his head on the boy's legs. From muzzle to ears, his head is about the size of the preist's torso. Licking his lips a few times, he settles his body down into a comfortable position on the soft dirt. "You have an afinity for long stories, don't you human?" he grumps.

"My tribe was huge. We covered an area at least half the size of this island. We has livestock, and rice farms. If it weren't for the children frequently switching back and forth between beats and human forms in their games of catch the rabbit, most humans would walk into one of our towns without suspecting a thing." Licking his nose to moisten it, Tatsuki continues.

"I wasn't anyone important. I was in training to be a town guard, or so I told myself. My parents had a good sized herd to take care of, but I also had seven sisters and three brothers, so they didn't really mind my path I chose for my life. I was off on a self proclaimed 'field mission' when it happend." Tatsuki pauses, letting the pain pass. "I returned after a week away, and it was all gone. There was nothing. All that was left behind was the grass. It was as if my tribe never existed."

Tatsuki pauses to take a deep inhale. Letting it out slowly, he lets the memry fade from his mind, and heart. "I tried for years to find them. I travled from island to island, looking for answers, but to no avail. It wasn't until fifty years after I began my search that I even got a hint as to what happend." Turning his head just far enoguh to glance up at the preist for a moment, Tatsuki quickly rolls his head back flat.

"I was told to go to the Island Closest to Hell. I took another year just to find it. There, I cam in contact with those responsable. The Abyss Walkers is what they called themselves. They never leae their island, but once in a while, apparently, a young one will break free to see the world. One just happend to walk on to my home island." With a rueful laugh, Tatsuki goes on.

"What they told me next broke any hope I'd ever had of finding them alive. The young one in question has banished them without knowing what he was doing. Among their kind, banishing is easy, but it takes an eternity to learn how to bring baished thing back." Tatsuki turns his head to look up at the preist's eyes with one of his own. "And, as luck would have it, only the banisher can recall what he's banished." Flattening out his head again, Tatsuki lets out an enormus sigh. "I am tired human. No more questions tonight. Just remember, it's my turn." And with that, without asking permission, Tatsuki falls asllep with his head on the boy's legs.

The boy listened to the story quietly absorbing and cataloging the information. No wonder the youkai in his lap was so angry. Genji remember when his own parents has died. His father was killed in an industrial accident about two years after Genji had received his ‘gift’. His mother unable to deal with the grief of losing her husband drowned herself in liquor and opium. Luckliy he had his tutor who adopted him and brought him to live at the monastery.

He wouldn’t have made it as a child without the kindly old monk. The monk had taught him everything and gave him something to focus on besides his mother’s drunkenness and his father’s death. His heart wouldn’t have been complete though without the companionship of his youkai friends. As a child he would often seek away from his lessons to play with tree nymphs, frog youkai and his best friend the little otter youkai, Ritoruribā. As the exorcist had aged the otter was the only one to ask to come and live with the boy. Mostly because the ancient otter was worried that Genji would get himself killed with out his advice.

Genji smiled at the memory, slowly running his hands over the wolf’s head in his lap. He listened to the breathing of his companion even out. He didn’t pity the wolf, he just wanted to help him. Maybe the great Buddah had seen the suffering in the wolf’s heart and brought him to these very woods. He leaned back against the tree and let his exhaustion over take him.

Tatsuki's head perks up at the sound of something nearby. Sniffling the air without opening his eyes he grumbles "rabbit." As his head comes down to rest again, his mind suddenly starts working again. His eyes snap open, and he finds himself face-to-face with the sleeping preist. Out of shear irritation, he licks the sleeping boy from neck to forehead. Scuttling away before the human wakes, Tatsuki starts pretending to clean his fur.

Genji wakes up to the feeling of a wet tongue on his face. Opening his eyes, he scowls at the wolf. “Good morning to you too…” Wiping off his face, the exorcist reaches for his pack pulling out a clean shirt. He starts to undo his hamakas, just enough to pull his shirt out of his pants. Taking it off he puts on the new one. Genji sighs, he really wished that he could take a bath. “Hey Tatsuki…is there anywhere I could bathe near by?”

Chuckling to himself, Tatsuki feels lighter this morning. "Hmph. There is a sream nearby. Or, if you can drag youself a bit further, I have a tub at my house." Thinking for a second, he adds, "and if I rememebr correctly, I should have enough wood for a fire bath." Stalking over to the preist, Tatsuki brushes past, bumping him with a shoulder as he goes by, and starts pawing at the human's bag. Picking it up with his teeth, it tear slightly at the rough handling. "Somfing smews furrny im here." He says, his words garbled by the cloth between his teeth. The smell causes him to growl and shake his head hard, to the detriment of the poor bag between his teeth.

“HEY! Get away from that baka!” Genji leaps forward trying to get the bag from between the wolf’s jaws. He couldn’t think of what the wolf was smelling inside his bag. He had only brought his art supplies; charcoal, a pad of paper, paints and brushes, his food supplies and clothing. He fought harder with the wolf. “Tatsuki, let go! If you ruin my art supplies I swear to kami I’ll kick your butt…”

Just then their was a large chitter as Ritoruribā fell out of the bag in a heap on the ground. He took one look at Tatsuki and sprang into Genji’s surprised arms. He glared angrily at the wolf his whiskers twitching as shook his fist. “Stupid wolf I was taking a nap. How dare you be so disrespectful to an elder…”

Genji covered his little friends mouth before he insulted the wolf further. “Ritoruriba stop! What are you doing here?” Looking guilty the little otter youkai put on his biggest cutest eyes and teared up a little as he spoke.

“Genji I just wanted to make sure you were safe.” Putting his little paws on Genji’s face. He turned to look at he big black wolf. “Who the heck is he?”

Tatsuki's growls subside at the sight of the weak spirit. Snapping his jaws at the little vermin, he snarls, "Watch your mouth, rodent. You seem very confident for something that would make a nice snack!" Tatsuki walks past the human and his pet, smacking the small vermin with his tail as he passses. Pawing at the tattered bag, Tatsuki begins pushing the preist's things back into it. His nose is caught by the scent of a particularlt black peice of something or other. Lowering his shaggy head down, he picks it up delicately between his teeth. 'This tastes interesting' he thinks to himself. He's about to crunch down on it, when he remembers what the human had said about damaging his atr supplies. Setting the object down in the ragged remnance of the boy's bag, he muses to himself. 'I'm in no mood for him to have another "accident" on me. Best leave that alone for now'

Genji sighed irritated at both Ritoruriba, and Tatsuki. Pinching the bridge of his nose puts the otter on his shoulders away from the wolf. He looks at his tattered bag… “Tatsuki! How am I supposed to carry everything now!” He picks up the little black stick making sure his charcoal wasn’t too damaged. What was the wolf doing? Why did he want charcoal? To eat?

“Tatsuki, why were you trying to get at my drawing charcoal? If you’re hungry you can have some more jerky and rice balls…” Genji pull out a yukata and starts to pack everything from the bag into it. He pulls out a pocket knife and cuts the straps off the bag and cuts the rest of material into strips. Tying everything together he is able to fashion a sling. His otter friend taps Genji’s face trying to get his attention…

“What Ritoruriba?”

“Whose the wolf and why is he bonded to you?”

“He’s a…friend… and well I had a bit of an accident.” Genji relates the story to the otter, who immediately falls to the ground laughing. “Not funny, Rito…”

The exorcist turns back to the wolf. “Can we go to your house now?”

Tatsuki take a few deep whiffs of the air before replying. Smalling only small game he says, "Sure." His voice is gruff, and distracted. Shaking out his fur, Tatsuki begins stretching. Audible pops and cracks come from the area between his shoulder blades. WIth a final snap, Tatsuki trots off in the direction of his house. Slipping around trees and under bushes, he does his best to rub off as much human scent as possible. He can hear the human following, but doesn't turn around to see how he's fairing in the tangled brush. 'Hmph. I can't wait for this to get done and over with.'

Genji walked behind Tatsuki watching the wolf weave and rub himself against the trees. He wondered why the wolf was rubbing himself all over the trees…must be strengthening his sent…

Another branch hits Genji’s face as they continue to walk through the trees. He doesn’t say anything wanting to prove himself to the wolf youkai. It is finally Rito that snaps at the wolf when the kid trips again and rips part of his shirt on a ragged branch. The little otter jumps from his friends shoulder and grabs the wolfs tail in his mouth. He lets go and growls back at the now pissed wolf. “Slow down dog, Genji is still weak and cannot keep up in this under growth. Either take us to a different clear path, or slow down.”

Genji pales at the words and reaches for the little otter.

Tatsuki whirls around, intent on shreding the little beast. Lunging for the creture it's pulled out of the path of his snapping jaws in instant before they snaped the otter in two. Furious, Tatsuki lunges at the furball now clutched in the human's arms. The boy falls flat on his back as Tatsuki's large paws knock him to the ground. The otter goes flying into a nearby bush on impact. Tatsuki, to angry to think, simply stands there over the boy. His paws on either side of the preist's arms give the human very little room to move. He can hear his heart pounding, the sound ringing in his ears.

Genji looks up at the large wolf in udder fear. “Please don’t…he was just looking out for me.” Then the exorcist remembers that they are bound, the wolf can hurt him. He gets mad and trys to sit up pushing on the wolf’s chest. “ENOUGH! Get off me…”

He scoots away from the wolf and reaches in the bushes for his otter friend. Little Rito was out cold. He cuddles the form to his chest. “Rito…are you alright?” The otter chirrups, but falls back asleep. Genji stands up glaring at the wolf. His right arm is bleeding from were he caught it on a branch.

“He was just trying to help me…you need to get that temper of yours in check before you really hurt someone.” He pushes past the wolf and starts off into the trees.

Still furious, Tatsuki does the only thing he can think of to let him feel revenged. Turning hard, he sprints in the opposite direction the boy had just walked in. Top speed, he hits the wall in less than thirty seconds. Braced for the pain, he manages not to cry out when he hits the wall of pain at full force. Literaly bouncing off the barrier, he flied backwards and lands in a bush. A little dazed, he grunts, "There. now we're both in pain. Seems fair to me. A cut bot you, a bite for me, and a punch in the gut for both." He continues muttering to himself as he walks back towards the human. The second he catches sight of the boy's black and white hair, he stops. "Next time you need somthing, speak up, human. Don't leave it to others to take care of you." Tatsuki growls out. "In the end, all any of us have in this world is ourselves. Don't go wasting it by letting others carrie your load. Without looking up at the preist, Tatsuki walks past him, towards his house.

Genji clutched his stomach nearly getting sick as the pain races through him. He moans, but stays on his feet tring to keep up with the wolf. Did he really let others do everything for him? Was he just a weakling? He shook his head, no he wasn’t. He shouldered his bag and continued to follow the wolf. Rito hadn’t stirred in his arms and he was starting to get worried.

He turned over the otter and felt for a pulse. It was steady, but weak. He’d be alright. Genji wondered why the wolf had never gotten another pack or taken a mate and started his own.

Tatsuki snorts. 'He's falling behind' Turning, he stalks over to the boy. Before he can protest, Tatsuki grabs the little beast out of the human's arms by the scruff. Setting a slower pace, he walks slowly towards their goal. Picking wider paths with less clutter, he stays within arms reach of the boy. 'Damn nucence' he grumbles to himself. Feeling the weak energy coming from the thing between his teeth, he sighs. 'Oh bother' Concentrating as he walks, he lets a slow trickle of his own chakura flow into the still form of the otter. 'Why. Why is this happening? I havn't done anything to deserve this. Heck, I havn't DONE anything since I settled in this wood. A scare here and there, that's all....I just want my privacy...' He coughs slightly as the beast's smell starts tickling his throat.

Genji watches with rapt fascination as the Wolf helps heal his little friend. He quickly catches up. Walking beside the black wolf he smiles. “Thank you.” He reaches for Rito and gathers him back up in his arms. “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost him. Rito and I have been friends since I lost…I-I mean since I was a little kid. The was one of the first youkai to ever talk to me.”

He watched the wolf looking for some kind of response. Genji couldn’t even find a flicker in the wolf’s face that he had even heard him.

Suddenly, Tatsuki bounds forward into a small clearing. Standing on just the other side is a rather large hut. Around the entire outer wall grow vines with very small green flowers on them. The entire clearing is covered with grass, standing out in stark contrast to the otherwise dirt covered forest floor. The hut looks sturdy, and the vines well cared for. Even the grass seems to be the same six inches tall all around. Tatuki trots up to one of the curved walls. Pressing his nose to a partictular spot, the vines around the area he touched pull back, revealing an alcove big enough to fit the wolf. Turning back to the human, he jerks his head in the direction of the hole. "Put the rodent in there, then come around back for that bath you wanted." With that, Tatsuki trots out of sight around the right side of the hut.

Genji kneels on the ground and removed his shirt. He balled it up and tucked it around his little friend. Looking around the hut the exorcist takes in his surroundings. It is a nice home fairly clean and well kept. It makes Genji feel safe. He places his bag beside the sleeping otter and pulls out soap and a towel.

Shirtless Genji walks around the hut and looking for the wolf. His mouth falls open at he sight before him.

Water pours from a pipe jutting out from the roof of the hut, into a large tub, the size of a free standing four foot deep swimming pool. Beneath the tub, a roaring fire is already burning hot. Steam rises over the wooden walls of the basin. Without turning, Tatuki begins talking. "You know, of all things you humans have come up with, the most useful one I have found has to be plumbing." Tatsuki's tail sways slightly as hea turns and walks over towards the hut. Reaching up with long arm, he grasps a rope whos other end is attatched to the pipe. With a small tug, the pipe swings around and begins pouring onto the ground. Stepping beneath the spray, Tatski's black knee-length hair is soon soaked through.

His chest and back are littered with thin white scars, the finer of which are obviously spell made. He brings his hands up to push back his hair from his face, revealing his lack of human ears, while the black pointed tips of wolf ears flick bits of water of of them from their perch atop his head. What look to be self made scars stand out a dark red on each hand, running from between each knuckle to the wrist. On his right wrist glistens somthing silvery.

"It took two years just to find the pipes I needed" he continues, grabing a cloth and scrubbing his arm. "And the pump, well that was an ordeal I can tell you. And of corse, I had to do all the digging and welding myself. I may have not been up to human tenitian standers, but it works." Tatsiki shakes his head hard, dislodging some watter that had found it's way into his ears. "The closest water source is a good mile from here. I'm so glad I don't have to haul all that water any more just to get clean. Not to mention watering my garden."

Rubbing his body free of all the dirt he can find, Tatuki finaly turns to the gawking human. The flow of water over his body does nothing to hide the scar, nor the fact that he's completely naked. His body looks to be of a ninteen to twenty-five year olds, and it's light tan skin gives it the look of someone who likes working outside. Stepping out of the flow, Tatsuki bangs his head a few times with the heel of his hand, trying to get all the water from his ears. "Well," he inquires, "are you going to come take a bath, or spend all day catching flies?" Reaching back, he returns the pipe into it's position over the tub.

Genji shakes his head to gather his wits. Closing his mouth he turns away blushing. “T-Thank you Tatsuki.” He quickly stripped from his hamakas and fundoshi. He quickly made his way to the tub and got in. He sank under the water wetting his hair. He tried not to look at the now human form Tatsuki but the man found it harder and harder to look away. The man had such a wonderful lean body, but the scars, Kami, they were everywhere. Could those have been from the priest that had nearly killed him.

He scrubbed the dirt from his body thinking. Tatsuki was quite handsome and the exorcist wondered why he didn’t spend more time in his human form. Genji watched with rap fascination as the wolf stretched and dried himself. “You know Tatsuki you did a really good job building these pipes.”
He sank down further into the tub feeling the warmth seep into his bones.

“Tatsuki…um I know it’s your turn to ask questions, but may I ask…your scars, how…I’ve never seen a youkai who couldn’t heal enough so that their wounds didn’t leave scars.” Genji was unsure as he spoke, but he question had been nagging at the back of his mind.

Tatsuki growls. Still deep, even in his human form, it revrberates through the air. Stretching, he eyes the tub. 'It's my tub, so I'm very well going to use it' In two strides, he's at the tubs edge. Climbing over the lip, Tatsuki settles down opposite the preist. The tub is wide enough so that when Tatuki stretches out his legs, the toes are still a good distance from touching the boy seated across from him. Relaxing slowly, he begins to feel more inclied to talk.

"Several are from my being a dumb kid who insisted on picking his scabs." He murmurs, letting the heat soth his aching muscles. His hair draped over the side of the tub to keep it clear of the water, Tatsuki settles his head back on the little bunch it makes on the edge. "But these ones, "He says, running his fingers over the thin white lines criss-crossing his neck, shoulders, hips, and thighs, "are from my battle with the holy man." Tatsuki pulls his lips back in a snarl at the memory, revealing inch long fangs.

Running his hands over his shoulders and chest, he forces himself to relax once again. Tatsuki brings a had up, gazing at the backs. "And these...." He trails of into silence for several minutes, still staring at the back of his hand. Finaly, he says, "These I got the day I realized I'd never see my tribe again. I clawed my hands over and over again, dawing blood, not allowing them to heal before tearing the skin open once again. It was customary in my tribe to morn the loss of a loved one for seven days and nights. So, for seven days and seven nights, I morned my tribe."

Tatsuki falls silent, his right arm coming up to cover his eyes with the back of his hand. The glint from before turns out to be a bracelet, silver, with something small dangling from it. Sighing, Tatsuki sinks a little lower into the water.