When Shu woke up it was to the sight of the light of dawn washing across his copper eyes. 

Blinking in confusion, the twenty-five year old allowed himself a few seconds to mentally inspect his body before carefully rising up from off of the ground. Once his upper half was up as far as it could go, Shu looked around the area for which he was in. Nothing seemed familiar to him, as he was settled onto an immensely deep and vast canyon, the likes of which seemed odd to the young human. Letting out a cough, Shu found himself turning his head to the side to get out some of the dirt which had clogged up his lungs. It was upon doing this that the special operative noticed a peculiar scent on the wind, one in which seemed oddly familiar to him. He couldn't exactly place it though, as most of his senses were not up to their full strength at the moment; a truth that more than likely had to do with Shu having recently woke up. 

Allowing himself a moment to recall what exactly had happened to him - he said a small prayer in thanks to his ancestors for them allowing him to continue to live - Shu slowly rose up from the ground. Searching around for the equipment that had been sucked in before him proved to be useless, as there was nothing around him, save craggy rocks, and so Shu stuck a finger into his mouth and then licked it. Wetly popping the digit out from in between his lips, the young man raised the moistened finger into the sky and then tested the wind. A harsh brush of air came from his left making the young man turn in that direction. Turning his head to where the wind had come from, Shu narrowed his eyes and then looked up. Because he couldn't see anything from his current vantage point, he decided to make his way forward in that general direction, a hunch lingering within his mind that something important was waiting for him that way. 

His intuition proved to be spot on, because in traveling the distance in question the raven haired man found himself getting to an extremely long stone staircase with holes in some spots on the sides. Curiosity made Shu wonder why exactly something like this had been built here, as there didn't seem to be much of a point in creating such a structure all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. Practicality pushed this assessment to the side in favor of telling Shu that only someone with human-like intelligence could have or would have done such a thing, and thus, there had to be someone akin to a human around the area, as it looked fairly well kept. With this thought in mind, Shu ran up the thousand plus steps in the hopes of finding someone who could help him find something akin to civilization within this unknown world. That the sun seemed to be following behind him as he made his way up the pathway was something that the special operative didn't concern himself with, as his animal brain told him that he needed to hurry for some odd reason. 

As he made his way to the top of the area in question, Shu couldn't help but notice that there were staircases that all grew progressively thinner and shorter the longer he traveled up. Why this was he didn't know exactly, however, once he got to the peak of the mountain the young man found himself not caring over the why of this strangeness, as he found his copper eyes overlooking two pedestals bearing an oddly specific looking solar symbol on its front. At the center area there stood a rhombus-like shape with a large, sun symbol on the stone wall in front of him. Shu let out a groan of disappointment upon seeing this, as he knew that this design would be useless to his survival within this world, however, as the rising sun fell over the patterned shape a chuckle echoed throughout the entire area. 

Flipping his head around to try and find its source, Shu was completely unprepared to see what he saw next. 

His copper eyes were forced shut by a blinding white light which illuminated the entire area - he raised an arm up to cover his face from a potential attack almost as an involuntary reaction. A few seconds later the light faded from view, though it left behind a figure which towered over the young human. Shu blinked his eyes open when he felt that a shadow fall over him. Lowering his arm, the special operative gasped as he gazed into the stunning creature which stood casually in front of him; fear, confusion, and a strange sense of awe overcame his mind as he mentally mapped out the form that bore itself for his scrutiny. 

The first thing that stood out to Shu was the fact that the creature was tall, at least eight feet from what he could guess, it also resembled a white lion as it stood there before him, a well built lion at that, as rows upon rows of thickly corded muscles stood out from the other's densely furred body. It had a blunt muzzle with a blue-gray nose and pale blue eyes which reminded him so much of someone he really didn't want to think about at this moment. Upon looking at the top half of the beast's face and noticing how the deep blue area showed a constantly changing starscape, Shu immediately reasoned that whatever he was dealing with was not a normal creature, as there was no chance that nature would give such a monster such an oddly specific design. Four yellow spikes framed the lion-like monster's head like a crown while two pairs of spikes adorned either side of its lower jaw, giving it a very feral appearance. That each spike was separated by large tufts of what could only be called a mane served to make the bipedal creature look almost regal as it stood there with his arms folded carefully over his chest. The sudden want to reach out and touch the mound of fluff overcame the raven haired man's mind for a split second, however, it was beaten down by years of training and learned scrutiny.

When the bipedal creature chuckled at him a spike of fear and embarrassment flashed within Shu's mind, he shook the notion off, as there was no way that the monster could have known what he had been thinking.

Continuing to mentally map the other, Shu noticed that solid ridges - red nearest the beast's head and yellow farther away - poked out of each tuft along the middle, except on the tufts on its cheeks and chin, with the topmost part wrapping around the tip of the tuft. Overall, its mane gave Shu the most peculiar impression of a stylized sun being cast into the other's body. Looking down at the unknown being's legs, Shu purposefully tried not to notice the thick, white sheath and low hanging orbs which hung wantonly in between the motionless feline's body, as he instead focused on the dark orange band and black spot on both of the creature's feet. 

When another deep chuckle resonated throughout the air, Shu found himself blushing and then turning away as he looked up to see two glowing blue eyes lingering on him. When a purring sound echoed through the air the raven haired boy found his head being drawn back to the other by some invisible force, his copper eyes, which now bled red, looked into the face of the creature standing there in front him, before suddenly watching as the other tipped its head down. Like a puppet on a strong, Shu sent his gaze southward without question. Bearing witness to the other's genitalia once more, the special operative found himself noticing the barest hint of something thick and black peeking out from the tip of the furry pouch. Shu found his heart hammering hard inside of his shirt covered chest as he noticed the familiar scent once again filling his nostrils. 

When the beast attempted to take a step forward whatever spell had been cast over Shu instantly dispelled itself. With his mind once again under his authority, the raven haired man skid backwards in order to put even more distance between himself and the monster in question. A flash of what looked like hurt crossed the other's face when it noticed the smaller human's reaction. Why that caused his heart to shudder, Shu really didn't know, but he didn't let the odd happening linger within his mind for very long, as what looked like frustration slowly covered the lion-esque biped's features. Shu didn't care about any of this, as he was more concerned with continuing to survey the other's body.

Noticing that the other had three black toes on each foot with long yellow claws, the special operative didn't have to ask how tough the curved nails were, as the white beast scraped at the stone as though it were butter beneath his feet upon his copper eyes narrowing upon the extensions. The suddenness of something long and thin swaying behind the other's backside made Shu look up just in time to inspect the tip of the creature's tail; the sight of a large black spot with a thin yellow rim painted onto the other's appendage slightly bewitched the young man, not that he would verbally admit to such a thing.

At mentally recording everything there was to know about the other Shu found himself feeling slightly concerned, as he had no idea if there was any weakness the other might have possessed, at least on his front. When the monster took another step forward Shu decided that it would be best for him to get away from the area in question, as he had already figured out that there was something within the place in question that the lion-like beast drew strength from. However, upon getting to the stairs a terrible roar escaped from out of the other's now opened maw stopping Shu cold. When a wall of light appeared before his eyes, the young human reached out to beat a fist against the barrier in order to test it. As expected, the nearly invisible wall of light was able to be penetrated by the special operative's fist. 

Turning back around to regard the now angry looking creature, Shu quickly came to the realization that the monster would not be allowing him to leave its presence quite so easily. With this knowledge in mind, the raven haired boy brought his fists up into a familiar position in front of his face and then moved his body into a fighting position. The flash of fear which brushed across the beast's face was one that would stick out within Shu's mind for the next several minutes, because, though he didn't know why it had come to pass, he was sure that it had a deeper meaning that carried with it an importance to himself. When the other ducked himself down in preparation to pounce Shu tore the notion out from the front of his mind as he prepared to defend himself from what was to come. 

The sight of the other pouncing as the morning sun shone across the white lion's fur was like poetry in motion - a musician would have been remiss not to capture the forward movement in song - but for the special operative it was a portent to his defeat. And that was something Shu could not allow. Ducking over to the side, the young man rolled himself out of the way of the oncoming attack. The sound of a large body hitting the ground echoed throughout the canyon, as the feline's massive bulk literally shook the area as it forcibly touched down onto the stones. Shu didn't think, he simply acted, as he threw himself forward to try and punch the other. 

The feeling of his fist connecting with fur and flesh brought a smile to Shu's face, though not as much as the shout of pain which was released by the monster in question. The sight of the barrier warbling slightly caught itself onto the edge of the raven haired man's peripheral, though he didn't spend time contemplating this, as he instead rolled his arm back and then sent out its twin into the white lion's side. Another yowl filled the air. Followed by a third, though this one came from Shu, and not the beast, as a leg darted out to kick the young man into the stomach. The force of the attack, even as unfocused as it was, sent the special operative careening back through the air. Time seemed to slow as Shu noticed that, for a brief moment, he was flying. The moment swiftly came to an end once his back hit the hard ground. 

Groaning, Shu allowed himself the briefest of moments to wallow in pain, before he slapped his hands against the ground and then raised up his knees into his chest. Throwing his legs forward, the raven haired boy was forced up into the air. Guiding his feet down so that the rest of his body would follow suit, Shu found himself kneeling on the ground with one hand outstretched in order to cement his balance. Turning his head up to look at the lion, the special operative gasped when a white blur was headed directly for him like a white bullet. Shu ducked down in order to avoid the tackle, though he wasn't quick enough to avoid the full effect of the attack, as seen by how, when the beast dove over him, the other's long tail smacked him across the face. Turning his head to the side in pain, Shu shook his head to roll away the pain his nose suddenly found itself in.

When he was suddenly grabbed by impressively strong hands, the special operative gasped. 

Feeling his body raised up and then slammed down against the warm stones underneath his back made Shu gasp in pain. Bloody red eyes glared up into the leonine face that suddenly loomed over him, as he stared forward into a knowing smirk which seemed to speak volumes about what the other thought of his captive. Shu struggled to get free, however, everytime he moved the beast would simply clench his muscular arms, drawing the air out from the human's lungs. Shu growled, bearing his flat teeth forward as though he were an angry animal, up at the other, however, instead of being afraid of this, the white lion chuckled down at him. 

When the creature lowered his face down, Shu found his heart skipping a beat. Fear that he would be ripped apart overcame the special operative, however, instead of possibly being torn asunder he found his face and throat being licked over by a broad pink tongue. Confusion surged within the raven haired man's mind as he tried to make sense of what just happened to him, since he was sure that the two of them were still fighting, despite his obvious disadvantage. The sound of a deep purr made Shu go stockstill, the faintest hint of something unexpectedly familiar raced through his mind at hearing the noisy rumble, and yet in trying to reach for the intangible essence which lingered within his mind the special operative found himself unable to take hold over it. And yet, despite not being able to capture the sensation, Shu found his body almost vibrating in excitement for some reason. 

When the white lion leaned down to wrap his bestial lips around his own, the raven haired man's crimson eyes actually flashed. A memory of something that shouldn't have been possible radiated within his mind like a shining beacon; Shu growled when the monster's tongue tapped at his sealed lips in askance for entrance. Curling his legs underneath his prone body as best he could, Shu let out another growl before kicking the white lion into the gut as hard as he could. The sound of the leonine creature letting out a yell of pain made the raven haired man smirk, especially since it told him that the other was quite vulnerable around his midsection. Kicking at the other again and then a third time, Shu found his body being released from the hold it was kept in. Wiggling his body up as best he could, the special operative snatched one of his arms free from the white lion's hold and then punched the other as hard as he could into the side of the head.

The beast's face immediately snapped to the side from the force of impact. 

Rolling completely away out from the other's bulk, Shu shook his head like a dog before turning to glare at the dazed white lion. When their eyes connected once again, the leonine beast shaking free the electrical effects of the still charged gloves, the pair silently assessed one another once again. Time seemed to slow as the two warriors looked to one another with anger and respect, respectively, glittering within their eyes. Rolling away from one another so that they could stand on their feet once more, the human and monster put themselves into position to continue their fight. 

Nearly an hour passed with both Shu and the white lion trading blows with one another as they clashed again and again there underneath the rising sun. Blood poured out from Shu's lips from where the bipedal creature had punched him across the face several good times, however the monster wasn't fairing all that better, as his blue eyes blinked several times from the strikes the human had been able to get across his face. That his white fur was also slightly singed black was a telltale sign of how much damage the special operative had been to do across his body, though from what Shu could see it seemed as though the wounds themselves were slowly healing. Knowing that he would be at a serious disadvantage the raven haired man quickly devised a plan to try and defeat the other as he ran at the monster once again.

Quickly jumping to the side saved Shu from the second grapple that the feline was attempting to use on him, though the fact that it had quickly recovered from its diving motion admittedly scared the human, because it meant that he was getting slower thanks to his injuries. Shu raised himself up and then knocked his knuckles together. A familiar blue electricity rapidly coated his fingers as the young man moved himself into a practiced position that he hoped would counter whatever the other was about to do next. 

The beast moved forward suddenly, it bore its claws in an obvious attempt to mentally subjugate the young human, to which Shu merely sneered as he pulled his fist back in preparation to counter the assault about to happen. Blood flew through the air when the feline's attack cut into the side of the special operative's turning cheek, though a pain filled roar sung out from the monster's lips as electricity coursed through its chest. Two quick punches sent the creature stumbling back, however, a third more careless punch was caught by a massive fist. Shu gasped. He then found himself picked up and then slammed, face first, into the ground. The sound of bone meeting stone was not one that anyone should ever hear, because the sickening noise would have been enough to make most people's stomachs turn. For Shu, it was the feeling of pain that caused him to nearly wretch out the M.R.E. that he had scarfed down before venturing out from the military base hours earlier. 

The young man had just enough presence of mind to notice that he was being grabbed once again before he found himself looking into the face of an unimpressed feline. Thought didn't enter into his mind as he uppercutted the white lion into the bottom of its jaw. The hand holding him sprung open allowing Shu to drop down onto the ground, he was too injured to fully catch himself, however, once down he sent out a sweeping kick which tripped up the monster in front of him. The sight of the large white body falling down brought a smile to the raven haired boy's face, however, once the other fully crashed down Shu found his crimson eyes rolling up into his head as he passed out, the pain he had been trying to hold back finally overcoming his mental training. 

Silence filled the area as the two combatants remained within their respective positions for nearly a minute, it was the white lion that stumbled up onto its feet first, the attack done by Shu not phasing it as much as the young man would have liked. Once the beast stood towering over the still unconscious special operative for a second time, the feline took a moment to look down over the one it had fought against. A slow smile tugged at the corners of the beast's lips, turning the neutral scowl that had graced its lips into something that could be called a happy smirk. Shudders overcame the monster's body before it threw itself backwards to let out a bellowing laugh which resounded throughout the entire canyon that it called home. Slapping a massive hand onto the front of its face, wincing slightly as he did so, the white lion allowed itself all the time it needed to enjoy the realization of what it had just accomplished as the creature stared down at the unconscious human. The leonine creature finally ended its outcry of jubilation several minutes later once its mirth finally died down, though upon it calming down, the white lion kneeled down next to Shu and then scooped the other up into its gargantuan arms.

Gently carrying its prize over to the center of the altar, the feline nuzzled the bleeding man before setting the other down onto the ground. It then lifted its hand up to the sky. White light slowly bloomed into existence a few seconds later, forming a large spherical shape that coalesced into a beach sized ball, as the sun's light obeyed his command to create what the beast needed. Once the radiance had fully congealed, the blue eyed monster dropped the orb down onto Shu's chest. Seconds later the young human was absorbed into the sphere, leaving behind only the orb itself, which, in turn, warbled around as if trying to fully contain the motionless figure inside of its depths. It didn't take long before the ball stopped its movements, growing still as the world around the canyon as it did so.

Seeing this, the white lion sighed and then dropped down onto the ground beside the white ball of light. Settling itself onto its rump - mindful of its ever twitching tail - the creature reached out to the top of the sphere and then began rubbing over it. A feline purr escaped from out of the white lion's throat as it leaned its face forward to nuzzle the orb in question. Blue eyes closed as the monster allowed itself to begin the process of using the light of the sun to heal the injuries that it had suffered, all the while mentally hopping up and down inside of its mind at the thought of what was about to take place.

"Shuy." The feline whispered softly to itself before fatigue overtook its mind.

Inside of the bright, white ball the light within began to assault the unconscious special operative's body with a gentle grace that belied the aggressiveness of the act itself. Had he been conscious at the time, Shu would have been more than a little apprehensive about what was happening to his physical form as his mesh shirt and cargo pants were torn off of the young human's lanky, yet muscular form, as the light around him sought to violate him down to his core. However, Shu would have had other problems to worry about at that moment, because the radiance within his ephemeral prison was doing more than simply ripping away at the threaded fabrics which covered his body, it was also piercing deep within his vulnerable mind, wearing away the two plus decades worth of thoughts and ideas that he had accumulated for himself through the trials and hardships he had endured in life. Shu squirmed when the memory of two older humans was wiped away by a starlit trail that blazed within his brain. He would have been angry at such a violation, but it would have been impossible for him to hold onto this emotion, as the reasoning for why he should have been remiss at not recalling someone he couldn't even remember overcame his rationale; in a strange way, the special operative's pragmatism made it easier for the firefly light swarming all over his half naked body to erase his old thoughts.

The days he had spent earlier on with said humans that looked eerily similar to himself faded as white and yellow trails of luminescence danced along his mind, the happy moments he had spent laughing and playing before the first gateway had opened within his homeworld faded away like dying sunlight drifting beyond the horizon. Grunts and groans soon began to fill Shu's lips as he instinctively fought to retain images of a man who seemed rather important to him, the figure of a masculine form blurred within his mind's eye as a flash of light filled with darkened vision. Shu shivered as his upper torso became bare for all to see, the light fluttering across his lithe form seemed to curl around his pale skin like long bands, before spreading his arms as wide as his mortal body would allow. More streaks crossed around his half naked legs, though the special operative was powerless to do anything about this, seeing as he was too busy contending with the fact that another recollection was stolen away from him suddenly. 

Shu had suffered a lot of physical and mental trauma working for the government, and though he would never admit it, he hated what he chose to deal with everyday for the sake of people who hardly knew of his existence, this was why he cherished the memories of his instructor - a burly man that had a deep claw mark carved into his right eye - as the man had been the one to take Shu under his wing after the orphan was dropped off with several dozen others nearly a decade ago at a military facility. It was impossible to remember the other's name by this point, however Shu most definitely recalled the other's warm hands as he smacked him across the back of the head after he had fallen asleep while the other had been lecturing to a class of thirty-five would-be trainees. He had screamed at Shu and then dragged the young raven haired boy in front of the class to chastise him before demanding he stay after class so that they could work out together. Because the older human loved to keep himself in shape, despite the protest from his worn muscles and aching bones, Shu had come to enjoy the punishment he had to endure for his constantly drifting off in class; these moments were some of the ones that always served to make Shu smile.

Though as more of the lights washed across his head and chest he found himself wondering why he adored this person so much. 

Searching through his memories, Shu tried to grasp onto the faintest hints of his instructor, however, a flash of memory reminded him of the man taking him out on the town on his motorbike to eat...something. 

Something warm and doughy. 

Cookies? 

Cake?

No. That wasn't right. 

Shu tried to summon up another vision, one in which the man had hugged him tightly when he had made his first kill, the feeling of warm monster blood coating his body brought with it the sensation of despair and terror like no other, as the realization that he had slayed another living being fully settled within him. This was what made so many within the military's program drop out, as the psychological understanding that they had taken a life - even one that was assured in its desire to kill them - overwhelmed their rationality. So many within the field broke down and had to be sedated afterwards. That was why people dressed in clean clothes were brought in to speak with them, the raven haired boy didn't have a clear picture of said people anyone, but the smell of warm chamomile tea and a soft chair underneath his tender backside did linger within his recollection, at least until a blur of light eroded the mental picture. The special operative grunted and fought against his bindings as the man - what was his name!! - whispered something in his mind as he held him closely. 

A strong burst of starlight ripped apart that moment in time and Shu couldn't help howling in response to this.

He quieted down a few moments later, as his mind refocused itself to remind him that he shouldn't be caught up in petty thoughts that weren't important to what was happening at the current time. That was something that Shu had cemented into his mind after his first partner had been killed after pushing him out of the way from a giant reptile's open jaw. The sight of blood and gore filled his thoughts for several seconds as he looked into the face of the slightly younger human who he had been assigned with. Shu grunted when that vision popped out of existence. The fact that it was followed by many more echoes of the past caused the special operative to shiver and then moan, thought much of that probably had more to do with the last strip of clothing being snatched off of his body to leave him as naked as the day he had been born. More whitish-gold bands tied themselves around Shu's lower body, leaving him spread eagle within the bright darkness that surrounded him. 

Had he opened his copper eyes, Shu would have seen a pillar of light racing right towards him, but because he was still unaware of the world around him he was completely defenseless from the spiraling coil of light as it hit him directly in the head. 

In the seconds to follow the raven haired youth forgot everything else that existed within his fractured mind; memories of a blue haired girl that constantly chirped at him were washed away at the same time all of the words and lessons he had carved deep into his brain from all of his years of harsh training got swept aside away like leaves in the wind. Once it was all over with, the human was left with nothing more than his senses to guide himself, though they were slightly dulled from being contained within his prison.

No.

He wasn't trapped.

He was...somewhere safe.

The sensation of being confined within a protective space quickly filled up the human's thoughts as he hung within the starlit void. He was no prisoner being held against his will, instead, he was where he needed to be because someone wanted him to be there. 

Someone? 

Who?

The raven haired human couldn't recall this person - was it a person? - however, he did know that he shouldn't resist what was happening to him right then. He was safe. He was loved. A vision of a white haired silhouette drew itself in front of the human's mind' eye after a silent eternity passed by. The figure looked like him, at least he thought it did, the human didn't have a good idea of what he looked like since he had no memory of anything at that point in time - wait, how did that make sense? The human tried to find some kernel of an idea of what was going on at the moment, but nothing made sense at the moment. So, without anything to cling onto, he simply accepted the feelings which swam within his being which whispered to him that the image filling his thoughts was of the only thing that mattered at this point in time. That said figure grew up and outwards to become an impressive white statuesque body that looked down at him knowingly only served to make the feelings inside of the raven haired human grow all the more prominent. 

Instinct made him reach out for the other, but the glimmering bands around his body refused to allow him to move just yet, they had their own mission to see to, after all. 

The young teen gasped when a burning heat overcame his entire being seconds later. Like a brand being pressed deep into his very essence, the human found himself groaning and crying out as pain swam across his senses. Thankfully his suffering didn't last that long, though what it was replaced with was too queer to actually be defined anything good. Strange was the best word that he could think of to describe what he felt next, as an unfamiliar pressure seized his entire body.