After sealing Ryūkotsusei away, Toga knew his death was near.

The wounds that had been inflicted on him were lethal, and despite his attempts to heal them, his body was weak after the grueling battle. In his attempts to retreat to the western lands, he’d blacked out along the way, his giant form crashing into a forest. His body was exhausted and worn down, blood seeping into the ground beneath him as he lay dying.

Toga had lived a long life, centuries traveling through various lands, and he’d made his peace with death. Ryūkotsusei had been a tough opponent, but sealing the dragon and assuring the land was safe lulled him into a peaceful state.

He didn’t expect to wake up again.

Somehow, you’d managed to bring him back from the brink of death, yet he didn’t stay for long before disappearing.

Your human methods to save him had worked, for the most part, but Toga knew he needed to retreat to the western lands to heal properly. The wounds left on his body had scarred, leaving his chest covered in a jagged scar that went from his left shoulder to his right hip. Myōga and Tōtōsai are surprised he survived, having made their peace with his death, though they’re able to get him the healers he needed.

It takes months for him to fully recuperate his strength, and it’s only then that he goes out searching for you.

The human who had saved him.

The one who, despite the odds, brought him back to life.

Toga had saved a piece of cloth— yours, he assumed —that you used to wrap some of his smaller wounds. Even now, it still held your scent, and he used that to track you down. He doesn’t expect to find you in a small village on the outskirts of the western lands, living in a hut that’s far too meager.

He watches you for days, taking note of how the other humans treat you and the things you do. You didn’t have coins or supplies for food, so you scavenged. You made your own clothes, poorly, or sewed them (equally as poor). The one good thing you seemed efficient at was finding herbs and turning them into medicinal remedies.

You were, by all means, normal.

Which only made Toga more curious about how you managed to save him.