02x02 - Beating Will

[bunniefuu]

Fushi.

A sphere that can
take on the form of others.

My name is Hisame.
It is an honor to meet you.

Those who sought to take Fushi away came.

Hey, you over there.

And so did those who fended them off.

Those who have been poisoned

are strong against poisons.

You're Jananda's…

Tonari.

When I was young,
I often had my owl on my shoulder.

Every day, I would collect
the poison from its third talon.

I later learned that its poison
is similar to morning glory from the west.

The girl with the owl, Tonari.

Grandmother mentioned you
in the documents she left.

Why are you here?
Aren't you the chief of Jananda?

I left my companions in charge

because I had other things I needed to do.

Well, since we're here,
I might as well give you a warning.

Leave Fushi alone.

I'm afraid I can't do that.

Fushi belongs to the Guardian Force.

Guardian Force? There's plenty
of your kind on Jananda as well.

I could turn a blind eye
so long as no harm came to Fushi,

but it's a different story
now that you've joined forces

with the Nokkers.

You know nothing of its capabilities.

The Nokkers will bring
danger to you and Fushi.

It wouldn't do such a thing!

It's a precious friend I inherited
from my grandmother to connect to Fushi.

She's a scary lady, isn't she?

Trying to k*ll you.

But worry not. I'll protect you.

It has even controlled your mind.

I can take care of it in an instant.

Ligard!

Damn it! I can't uproot it!

No! I mustn't fall asleep!

Am I going to die here?

Fushi!

Fushi!

Fushi…

You're awake.

I am the chief of this village.

It is an honor to meet you.

What happened last night?

I'll lead you to her.

Fushi, you made it!

What happened?

She was attacked while we were unconscious

by the Nokker in Hisame's left arm

What? Where's Hisame?

She was taken away by the Nokker.

The Nokker disliked her more than you.

Her body is hurting.

Hey! Do something to help her!

-Quick!
-Don't make that face.

Smile a little, okay?

Here.

Alcohol at a time like this?

There's nothing else I can do for her.

The Nokker opened up
a lot of holes inside her.

The only thing I can do is to get her
to cough out the blood pooling inside her.

So I thought I would let her
have her favorite liquor in the end.

No way.

I failed to protect someone again.

Don't worry, Fushi.

I'm feeling fine.

Can I do anything for you?

You want to do
something for this old lady?

That makes me happy.

Then,

will you stay by my side until I die?

Is that all?

That's enough.

I heard you kept yourself
secluded on that island.

What have you been doing
for the past 40 years?

I fought the Nokkers and ate them.

-Is that all?
-No.

I tried to test how long
I could live in my form.

I trained in the bow and arrow
and strengthened my body,

but I still failed
to find something I was good at.

Why didn't you leave the island?

It's because I didn't want
to see anyone else die.

I lived with a friend named Pioran.

After she died,

I figured

I wouldn't get hurt
if I didn't meet anyone else anymore.

I can't stop people from dying.

I couldn't protect them,

and many died because of me.

Are you going to keep
living like that moving forward?

If I can.

But you came running when you heard
this village was under attack.

I think

you need people who understand you.

You need friends.

I can't.

I don't want their help
if it means sacrificing them.

Everyone experiences the death
of their friends and comrades.

It's not something only you go through.

No.

Everyone dies, but I live,
and that'll keep happening.

I can live just fine on my own.

I don't need friends.

Hey, Fushi.

I want to see the people you've met.

It's the last request

of someone who's dying.

All right. But don't freak out.

This is the first person I met.

He was very young.

I didn't know his name.

When he died,
it was as if he'd fallen asleep.

I couldn't do anything
for him at that time.

Then, I met March.

She took care of me when I was helpless.

Parona did everything to protect March

but both of them were k*lled by Hayase.

I met Gugu in Takunaha.

He fought the Nokkers for me,

and because of that,

I took him away from his brother, Shin.

Gugu had a family.

Grandpa Beer and…

Rean.

What's wrong, Mr. Fushi?

After that, I arrived in Jananda.

There,

I fought a strong guy named Nando.

He sacrificed his life for his brother.

He was an honorable man.

So I decided to save
the people of Jananda.

There were many others who fought with me.

Uroy,

Mia,

Oopa,

and also

Sandel and Tonari.

They're alive.

They're still alive!

That's great to hear.

Are you all right?

Fushi,

what was Tonari like?

Tonari? She was…

I've always thought she was annoying, but…

She brought me friends
who fought alongside me.

Do you still think it would've been better
if she had minded her own business?

I'm grateful to her now.

You don't hate her anymore?

I don't.

Fushi.

Remember more often

the time when everyone was still alive.

Just that will make us
feel glad that we lived.

What are your plans after this, Mr. Fushi?

I haven't decided yet.

I see.

I will return home
to inform the others of her passing.

When you face the Guardian Force again,

please turn into her.

For your sake, she made
her body resistant to poison.

For me?

Why? Who are you guys?

I'm sorry. I can't tell you.

It was her request.

She said it would be embarrassing.

At least tell me your names.

She and I are just people who love you.

A hundred arrows are better than one.

Your friends didn't live to make you sad.

Farewell.

Miss Tonari,

where are you now?

Do you still have any regrets?

For your sake, she made
her body resistant to poison.

So that was why…

You need friends.

A hundred arrows are better than one.

Friends, huh?

Should I look
for people who understand me?

But I don't like being around people.

I bring good news.

Nokkers have appeared.

In two places that
you cannot reach by foot.

How is that good news?

That will stop you from making
excuses to hide yourself away.

They're attacking others instead of me.

What are they trying to do to this world?

Why are they doing this?

Who knows?

The only possibility I can think of
is that perhaps they are envious.

I can't believe there's
something even you don't know.

I don't have the ability to control minds,

so I cannot perceive their thoughts.

But you can control bodies, can't you?

So stop them!

Don't you have any ideas about this?

If you wish to stop the Nokkers,
that is for you to figure out next.

Stop changing the subject and help me!

He ran off!

So this is where you were, Fushi.

Hisame?

Are you all right?

When I woke up,
I found myself in the forest.

But this led me to you.

What did I do?

I can't remember anything.

It's better to get rid…

…of that thing in your arm, after all.

Please stop! You're scaring me!

I don't like that form!

It's hurting you.

It doesn't matter.
I've given it my left arm.

Don't be ridiculous!

No. There are still things I must do.

It seems that this is the end.
My body cannot take any more.

This will be the last time
we see each other.

I'll take you back to your group.

Follow me.

Fushi…

Here's some cloth.
Use it to bandage your arm.

Thank you.

Their scent is close.
We should reach them tomorrow.

No! Be good.

What are you going to do after you return?

I will do my best
to maintain the Guardian Force.

Maintain?

One day, I will have children

and pass my…

No. Hayase's blood
to the future generation.

I don't understand.

This is our last day together,

so I'll be honest with you.

Hayase had a wish.

A secret goal beyond the normal activities
of the Guardian Force.

A goal shared only among her kin.

Fushi,

I want to bear your child.

That's your goal?

Yes.

Will you leave me alone
once you achieve it?

I don't know, but…

my mother and my deceased
grandmother would probably be satisfied.

I don't know how to make children though.

My mother said
we just need to sleep together.

That's all?

I've slept with a lot of people before,

and we've never had any kids!

It appears that girls can only get
pregnant once they reach a certain age,

and they must want a child
in order for it to happen.

Is that all right?

Mother says I'm still young,

but I'll do my best to carry a child.

If that'll get you guys
to lose interest in me…

Thank you.

Now I can return with my head held high.

Remember to tell that thing in your arm

to attack me when it can talk.

I'm sure it heard you.

Now, please go to sleep, Fushi.

I guess she needs someone
to understand her and help her too.

Miss Hisame!

Miss Hisame! Where are you?

She fainted on the side of the road.

She's still alive, but her arm is rotting.

You must remove it quickly and treat her--

Miss Hisame!

-She's unconscious! Hurry!
-Are you listening?

-We can't let her die!
-Heal her arm!

And tell her parents
to take care of their daughter better…

Wait.

I could k*ll a child like her
whenever I want to.

Let's go!

Next time, it might be your
and Hisame's child that comes to find you.

That won't happen.
I didn't sleep with her.

Your reproductive organs
are functioning normally.

If you wish to try it out,
you only need to go to a town.

What are you going on about?

Sorry. It seems you do not understand.

It was only a proposal
for you to head to a town.

You're right. The Nokkers
will find me no matter where I am.

If so, it wouldn't hurt to look
for people who can understand me.

Then, let's go to the town!

-Race you!
-Wait for me!

These are coins from another country.

You can't use them here.

Please buy this sword from me then.

I'll pay you one silver coin for it.

Sure.

-I want one of those.
-That'll be three silver coins.

I'll need two more swords for that.

Here.

New food. This tastes great.

I haven't slept on a down bed in forever.
This feels great!

Towns are great.

This is great!

I came to a town in search
of people who understand me,

but I still worry that I might put
the people around me in danger.

There's a rule I have to follow
to stay in a town peacefully.

Based on my experience living
on the island, the Nokkers will show up

if I stay in the same area for seven days.

The first and second days are safe.

Things begin to happen on the third day.

Even if they aren't visible,

the Nokkers will plant
their seeds in rocks and plants.

So even if I enter a town,

I'll need to leave before the third day.

On the fourth day, I'll have to set out.
Never stay in the same place for long.

I would run into a Nokker
once every six months or so.

But…

Nine lives were lost.

In places where I cannot reach,
people are still getting hurt.

That is the one thing I regret.

If I work with someone,
I might be able to save more people.

I hope I can find friends soon.

I drifted from one town to another,

collecting food, books, useful tools,

and other things like animals and insects.

If I don't memorize them,
I can't create them.

Four months after I began my journey,

I learned of Ligard's death.

It must have returned
to Tonari's side now.

I feel jealous of Ligard,
who could return to its friend.

I didn't make much
progress finding friends.

Even if I met good people
who understood me,

I couldn't bring myself to reach out

whenever I recall that
they might die because of me.

To me, friends are something
I held after they departed.

I couldn't communicate with them.

Even if I try to talk to them in my mind,

they only respond
with words I already know.

These are my only true friends.

Greetings, Fushi.

I am the vice-captain
of the Guardian Force, Oumi.

The Guardian Force is still active?

Yes.

We are recruiting allies and comrades
all across the Hena Continent.

Those who accept our activities
put up that flag

to show that they are under our protection

and are prepared to engage
the Nokkers should they attack.

Once the Nokkers show up,
the citizens will fight with us.

For that thing in your arm,
doesn't that mean betraying its own kind?

Won't it resist?

Sometimes, it hesitates.

But unlike the other Nokkers,

this one is cooperative.

Are you Hisame's daughter?

Yes. My mother was under your care.

Please rest assured.

My mother gave birth to me
when she was 17.

I heard you're a kind person
who stayed with her through her suffering

when she was young.

Well…

She passed away half a year ago,

and my child will carry on Hayase's will.

She'll be under your care then.

Got it.

Hayase's descendants continued
to come to me one after another.

I am the second successor, Ushio.
Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Don't touch me!

Hello.

I am the third successor, Chisui.

They're a group of strange people

who deliberately pretend
as if they're close to me.

But whenever I turn into Tonari,

they get disappointed and leave me alone.

I enjoyed that and started
looking forward to their visits.

On the other hand, another frustrating
matter continued, much to my chagrin.

Ten Nokkers appeared
in the northern mountains.

The Guardian Force
has eliminated all of them.

I see.

The one who actually
countered the Nokkers wasn't me.

It was those girls.

What books are you reading?

Mostly cookbooks and books on sewing.

"How To Construct A Ship."
"A Guide To Construction."

"How To Produce Water."
This is a book about magic.

Are you reading these
because you cannot create them?

Who knows? Who are you?

I am the sixth successor, Kahaku.

A guy?

NEXT EPISODE

Fushi started traveling with Kahaku,

the one who succeeded Hayase's will.

Fushi is revered and persecuted but
that doesn't stop the Nokkers from coming.

As Fushi struggles,
a fascinating prince appears.