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Razor was confused. After he joined Lumine on her adventure, he always has been confused by the constantly new things he's been experiencing. Being away from his Lupical didn't do him any good, for he was getting antsy and sometimes even aggressive when it came to meeting new people.
This land, however, was making him more and more on edge. Especially after seeing Lumine being thrown into the fray of a civil war, getting almost killed by a god unknown to him, and being just generally worked to the bone by the citizens of Inazuma; he was definitely not alright. Lumine was his only Lupical there with him, if she was gone, then everything would be lost and he'd be stranded here; in the land of the element he carried. He'd be just as easily abandoned as most of the stray cats and dogs he saw on the streets. He might have not completely understood what this land was all about; but he definitely knew it has been abandoned by its Archon.
He did not want to be abandoned.
So he clung to Lumine at all times, never leaving her side. He was clingier than even Paimon, who claimed to be the best travel companion Lumine had. He was there when she slept, awake and guarding her. He was there when she ate, making sure she was healthy and not eating anything poisonous. He was there when she was hurt, licking her wounds and taking care of her, and he was there when she was doing commissions.
Thus, it was natural he came along when she got the commission to go after a certain man called Arataki Itto.
It was quite the ordeal to find the man; he had hidden himself and his Lupical quite well, Razor had to admit. Seeing him react to the beans they threw at him made Razor feel bad - it reminded him of his relationship with vegetables.
He didn't quite understand Itto's deal yet, nor had the man acknowledged him either. It was as if they were ignoring each other on purpose, because Lumine was there. And Lumine was of the utmost importance. Razor had to stay on edge, and protect Lumine of all harm. As far as he heard, Itto was dangerous, so Razor would not allow himself to trust him.
However, the more they found out, the more he understood and resonated with the man in front of him. He was simply looking after his own Lupical - his gang, the granny who raised him, the blue oni. Razor respected all of that. Especially because this man was an oni - he did not belong among the humans, just like Razor did not belong among the wolves. Yet he still had his Lupical; and he still protected them from all harm. More so, however, he thought there was finally someone he could fully understand, someone he could know without having to guess.
It was sad to see him and the blue oni getting taken away by Tenryou Commission in the end. Luckily, Razor managed to convince Lumine to bail him out sooner rather than later.
It was that moment that Itto first acknowledged Razor, and Razor couldn't have been happier at that. If he had a tail, he would be wagging it.
And this is how it started, the friendship of two lonely souls, who found similarities in their pain. Itto began calling Razor "little man!" everytime they met up. At first, Lumine always accompanied Razor; for he didn't know the way, and the roads of Inazuma can get overwhelming for the poor boy at times. But the more he and Itto met, the more they knew each other, and the more relaxed Razor became.
Which is what lead us to this very moment. Razor was hanging out with Itto again, on the streets with the kids of Inazuma. Watching him play all sorts of collectible card games and beetle battles. Razor didn't mind, of course, rather, he's gotten used to simply watching Itto be the most social man he knew. It was enjoyable to just be around him; his company was all Razor needed to feel safe.
They did this more and more these days, and Razor even met the third red burny girl due to it - one whose name he could never pronounce. She was there today as well, looking after the kids who were playing with Itto. She always ruffled Razor's hair whenever she saw him, which made him try to avoid being in her vicinity. She also talked an awful lot, making him quickly lose focus and be overwhelmed by her presence. Luckily Itto picked up on that, and kept him closer to him than her.
Itto was the only one allowed to ruffle his hair; not even Lumine could do it. Razor kept telling himself that it was because Itto had the same tangled hair like him, so he knew how to ruffle it carefully. But even he, with his basic understanding of human relationships and emotions, understood that he only liked Itto more than others to let him ruffle his hair.
It was a nice sunny day out. Itto just lost another round of Jan-Ken-Pon, and was sulking about it to Razor and the kids. Razor didn't show much emotion on his face, but he liked to be of service to Itto when he was sad. He wanted to be there for him.
"Hey, Uncle Itto! Who's that?" One of the smaller kids pointed at Razor.
He was at a loss for words for a second, being put on the spot like that. Itto, however, didn't miss a beat.
"Oh, yeah! That's my lil bro, Razor!" A toothy grin grew on his face. "You better not do anything to him, or I will steal your beetles! You will be totally thrashed in the next battles then! I'm watching youuu~."
Itto then proceeded to do the gesture he always did when saying that sentence. Razor didn't understand why he did it, but he didn't even have time to think about it. His brain was riddled with questions about what brother exactly meant in this case; if Itto was calling him a part of his Lupical; or whether Lupical and Family weren't the same thing.
Not noticing his shock, Itto ruffled Razor's hair again, and went back to play with the kids. Razor then thought back to all of the things they've done together: running around in the fields, catching Onikabuto and eating the Lavender Melons they found; eating all the sweets Itto won through games with kids; grooming each other's hair and visiting the Onsen.
Yeah, Razor thought, maybe they were Lupical already, and he simply didn't notice. And even if they weren't, Razor didn't mind waiting until they were. He learnt through his time in Inazuma that sometimes, the best things are created, rather than simply birthed into the world. Perhaps, he could learn something from Itto as well, who seemed to consider everyone he met his Lupical. Maybe, Razor too, could learn to belong to everyone, rather than no-one.
That would be a joyous day, indeed.
