[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]As a child, Kazuya had enjoyed his visits to Fall Arbor town. It brought up memories of his grandmother. A scarred woman whose entire life had been dedicated to holding a volcano in check. An enemy whose reflection was plain in her spitfire temper and tendency toward privacy. She had died while he was in prison. Buried in a ceremony that he had not been allowed to see.
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Today, he intended to visit her grave. A single flower—her favorite—was laid on top of her tombstone. A plate-sized hand planted on cool stone as he murmured a prayer to some unseen god. He did wis unto her peace. For such a thing would bore her to tears. Instead, he bid her happiness in whatever existence continued. But this task seemed hollow.
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To honor his memory, Kazuya knew he would have to assist the town she called home.
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The ash coated everything like a worn-out blanket. One of the itchy, scratchy ones you find buried at the bottom of your grandmother’s closet. The town’s beauty was all but invisible. Even his grandmother’s house, a lovely little cottage, was lost beneath a layer of soot. “Misa.” The Wooper stopped its races around a mud puddle. Its bright eyes lifted to Kazuya’s inscrutable ones. “Per?” Its head tilted.
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He swept his arm in an arc toward the town itself. The drab, grey wash covered every visible surface. “Let’s lend these people a hand.” His mouth did not move, but his voice was clear. “I will buy mochi on the way home.” With a delighted chirp, the Axolotl blasted a burst of water at a nearby storefront. Yellow peeked through as the thin layer of ash congealed and rolled down the storefront.
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Then, the Wooper turned to unleash another Water Gun. But this time, its target had a face.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠