Takunaha Arc

The Takunaha Arc is the fourth story arc in Fumetsu no Anata e.

Gugu's Past
The two brothers Gugu and Shin live in a makeshift tent in the forest. They work every day on the fields of a farmer and sell his vegetables at the market in the nearby city. They save up the money they earn to one day build a big house for both of them to live in. One day, when Gugu returns home, he sees his brother talking to some people. When Gugu digs out the boy with their savings, he notices that some is missing and asks Shin if his friends saw where the box was hidden, to which Shin snaps back that he shouldn't accuse his friends. While eating, Gugu meets a small dog and feeds it. The next day, the dog follows him to the market. As it turns out, the dog belongs to a young girl from a wealthy family. As a thanks for finding her dog, she gives him a very valubale ring that would allow him to stop selling vegetables for the rest of the life if he sold it. Gugu tries to ask the girl's name, but she has already left.

When Gugu comes home, neither his brother nor their savings are anywhere to be seen. In an effort to fight against his fate, Shin left Gugu behind. Gugu continues to work hard for the farmer until he comes across a cart carrying logs one day. Suddenly, a log falls off the cart and barely misses Gugu. The owner of the cart rushes to get help to get the log back on his cart, but the log starts rolling down the hill instead. At the bottom, a girl is collecting flowers. Gugu runs as fast as he can to save her and manages to shove her out of the log'S way, but it pulls him down the clff instead and lands on his head.

When Gugu awakens, he finds himself laying on a table. Dazed, he gets up and takes a look at himself in a mirror. He discovers in horror that his face is completely disfigured. It turns out that Booze Man found Gugu at the bottom of the cliff and performed operations on him to save his life. Three months later, Gugu is working in the Booze Man's liquor store when Pioran and Fushi arrive.

Fushi and Pioran arrive in Takunaha
At first, Gugu shyly greets Fushi, but as soon as he realizes that he can't even say his own name yet, he breaks out into laughter and asks Booze Man if he could show him around. They spend the day together and in the end, Gugu decides that because they're both "monsters", they should be friends.

The next day, Gugu teaches Fushi the daily routine, how to clean, cook and tend to the field. At dinner, Booze Man wonders what to do with him and Pioran jokes about selling him, which Gugu is clearly against. He wants to accept Fushi as family, more precisely as his little brother.

A few days later, the girl Gugu saw on the market visits the liquor store. She's looking for something to treat a wound on her arm with. Gugu and her talk a bit until the girl asks for a name. However, she doesn't mean Gugu's name by this, but Fushi's. She's fascinated with Fushi and when she visits the shop again, she only has eyes for him, much to Gugu's discontent. He tries to separate them by interrupting their conversation, but the girl, whose name is revealed to be "Rean", is set on spending as much time as possible with Fushi. Later that day, Gugu sulks in his room. Booze Man finds him there and tells him that, instead of sulking, Gugu should find ways to make himself a more interesting person. Thus, Gugu decides that he will train to make his body to make physical strength his redeeming feature. When Fushi tries to mimic him, Gugu tells him to go get some sleep instead as he doesn't want Fushi to become an even more interesting person in Rean's eyes.

The next day, Rean announces that she'll start working in the shop and also move in with Booze Man and Gugu. After dinner, Gugu asks Fushi to show him what he can create. To test his ability to heal himself, Gugu cuts Fushi's hand and concludes that pain must be the stimulus that lets him reproduce objects. He wonders if Fushi could reproduce fire if he got burnt, but he can only reproduce the wooden stick of the torch Gugu holds to his hand. Fushi makes a pained expression, but Gugu completely ignores his feelings and instead tells him that it's not like it would kill him. Later that night, Fushi leaves the Booze Man's house and spends the night outside instead. The next morning, Gugu looks for a way to heal Rean's wound and the Booze Man, much to Gugu's surprise, pumps alcohol from Gugu's stomach cavity into a bowl. He explains that he gave Gugu an extra organ because he wondered how alcohol brewed inside a human would turn out. Gugu is clearly upset by these news and runs outside. Fushi sees him run away, but doesn't follow after. Back in the shop, when asked if he is worried, he firmly denies. He even goes as far as to the cooking himself, although he fails miserably. Even though Pioran and Booze Man complain about the food, neither of them nor Fushi or Rean go out to find him.

Gugu leaves
Gugu realizes that no one is coming after him and decides to get all the alcohol out of his body, but fails. He spends the night in his old tent. The next morning, Fushi tries to do all the chores around the house, but fails because he hasn't understood what purpose these tasks serve yet. Fushi is aware of his failures, however, and asks Pioran for help. She refuses and tells him to find Gugu so he can teach him.

Meanwhile, Gugu has reached his former employer's home and asks for work. The farmer agrees and even invites him to move in, but the farmer's son, Chan, disagrees. After the news spread about Booze Man having a new test subject, Gugu was declared a monster, which is why the boy doesn't want him to live with them. The farmer scolds his son, but Gugu acknowledges that he cannot be part of their family if they can't love him. He proceeds to take off his mask and everyone looks at him in shock. While on his way back to the tent in the forest, a group of men runs by and takes his mask, only to throw it into a nearby ricefield Gugu ponders if he really needs the mask and ultimately decides to leave it behind in the field. While Gugu is confident without his mask, the farmer is surprised and wonders why he threw it away, but ultimately lets him work for the day. The next morning, however, Chan urges Gugu not to come to work because "we're not a freak show". And so, Gugu quits. Because of his looks, he can't find a new work and thinks about selling Rean's ring, but ultimately decides against it. As he walks through the market, he hears someone shout his brother's name. He discovers that his brother's life hasn't been easy either and gives him the ring. Shin calls out to Gugu, but he denies having a brother and leaves.

During the night, Gugu is captured by two men, but they don't get far. Fushi had been looking for Gugu and attacks the men until they run away. Later, a group of teens go look for the "monster lair" in the forest, where Fushi transforms into Oniguma to scare them. Fushi and Gugu quickly grow close again as they play pranks on the townspeople, but Gugu still doesn't want to return to Booze Man's place. Worn out, he collapses and Fushi has to reproduce food to feed him. When he sees Rean's dog, he thinks about the name the Nameless Boy gave him, which leads to a conversation about what "dying" means. Gugu is glad that at least Fushi will remember him and asks him to turn into him once he dies.

Minutes later, Rean appears at the entrance of the tent and tries her best to get Gugu to go back home. She explains how Booze Man is sorry about what he did and that he'd remove the alcohol. Gugu says he can't go back because he threw away his mask and thus his humanity. And so, Fushi heads out to look for it. While he's gone, Rean shows Gugu her scar so he might feel better about the injuries on his face. Rean is frustrated that her parents think she's overreacting because she's worried about it. She says that her parents treat her like a pet, meaning that she's constantly supervised and can't decide anything on her own. Gugu, on the other hand, thinks they are great parents because they care so much for their daughter. It's only after Rean gives the mask she brought with her to Gugu that he comes out of hiding. The two decide to go back without Fushi. Meanwhile, Fushi has found Gugu's mask in the rice field where the hooded figure appears behind him and tells him to be careful because his enemy is always looking for a chance to strike.

In town, Rean gets captured by a man working for her father, but Gugu saves her and the two run away. Fushi finds them sitting next to a path and returns his mask to Gugu. After talking to Rean, Gugu decides that he can go back to Booze Man now because he has lost interest in his circumstances, i. e. the alcohol in his stomach and his face. On the way back, a maid of the Cropp family recognizes Rean despite her mask, so Gugu takes her hand and the two run away again. Fushi distracts her by turning into March and pretending to be hurt, allowing Gugu and Rean to get to Booze Man's tower.

Fushi's second fight
Fushi, however, is attacked in the forest by his "enemy". Gugu hears the scream of the maid that was with Fushi and goes to check out what happened. He finds Fushi in a puddle of blood on the ground and almost gets hit by one of the being's tendrils, but Fushi saves him by transforming and reproducing a spear to catch it. He tells Gugu to run away, but he refuses. Once again, Fushi begins to lose his vessels, this time because he's worried about Gugu. The being picks up Gugu by the ankle and flings him away, the trauma causes him to throw up. This doesn't stop him from thinking about how he could help Fushi though. He notices that the ground around him is burning because the alcohol he spat out caught fire. With a lit torch in hand, Gugu returns to help Fushi, but his stomach is already empty. He rushes back, but the alcohol is already starting to kick in. Back at Booze Man's tower, Rean's parents have arrived and are about to take their daughter back home. Dazed by the alcohol, all Gugu can think of is Fushi and he demands to get more alcohol from Booze Man. Luckily, Pioran remembers what happened the last time Fushi was in trouble and so, Gugu gets his stomach cavity refilled. Rean's parents try to leave but Pioran stops them.

Gugu rushes back to where Fushi is fighting, but Fushi is nowhere to be found. Gugu uses his newfound "fire breathing" ability to burn the being in the shape of Oniguma but Fushi is still missing. As the being's core burns up, a sliver of light indicates that Fushi, who had been reduced to the vessel of a stone during the battle, has just regained the vessels the being stole from him. Surprised but relieved that the battle is over, Fushi and Gugu return to the tower. While everyone is enjoying dinner inside, the cloaked figure talks to Fushi outside. It urges him to leave so he can grow stronger. It also reveals that it named the beings "Nokkers". Fushi wants to stay with Gugu because he believes that he needs him to fight against these beings. The figure accepts this, but warns him it will lead to Gugu's death.

Four years later
Four years have passed and Gugu and Fushi are still living in the Booze Man's tower. Rean still runs away from home regularily to visit the liquor store and has become good friends with both Fushi and Gugu. Fushi has not changed forms in these four years because the Nokkers didn't attack in that time and because Fushi chose to grow older like Gugu. Because of this, Fushi's abilities haven't improved since his last battle.

Rean tells Fushi about her upcoming 16th birthday and invites Fushi and Gugu to the party. She also tells him that she will have to get married once she turns 16 and complains that she will end up like her mom, stuck with a person she doesn't love and bratty kids. This is why she plans to introduce her boyfriend to her parents at the party, but she doesn't have one yet. Fushi points out that the feelings she experiences when thinking about Gugu are the same ones Gugu experiences while talking to Rean. He asks her if she isn't going to tell him that she's getting married. He tells her outright that Gugu likes her and would be happy to marry her.

Meanwhile, Gugu helps Booze Man carry some bags when suddenly Shin shows up at the tower. He tries to talk to Gugu, who doesn't respond. Finally, he blurts out in anger if he only came here so Gugu could tell him how worthless he is. Shin apologies deeply and explains that something was wrong with him back them, but Gugu denies this, saying that the Shin back then was the real one. Shin doesn't give up and promises to make it up to Gugu so they can make a fresh start living as a family, but Gugu refuses because he has found a new family and doesn't want his brother to take these "precious treasures" from him. After Gugu leaves Shin to continue working, Shin enters the liquor store and hands over something he "held onto" for Gugu to Booze Man. Rean is curious to know what that something is and once she sees it, she is more than surprised. It turns out that Shin never sold the ring Gugu gave him, after he received it as a gift from Rean. She realizes that the boy who returned Meer to her that day was Gugu.

She goes to return to ring to him, but finds him asleep on a pile of turnips. Like she did four years ago, Rean tries to put the ring on Gugu's finger, but it's far too small for Gugu's large hands now. Encouraged by Fushi's words, she tells Gugu that, if he wanted to court her, now would be the time. Gugu is confused and even when Rean asks him out loud if he loves her, Gugu can't help but panic. Unlike Gugu, who forgot what happened the day he fought the Nokker because of the effects of the alcohol, Rean remembers how he said that he loved her the most. Red from embarassment, she yells at him to come to her birthday party and then runs off. Booze Man comes up to him and announces that he just finished making a new "anti-treeman" mask with an ignition mechanism for Gugu, who immediately tries it on and also wears it to Rean's birthday party.

Booze Man suggests to empty the liquor in his stomach so he could enjoy the tasty food at the party, but Gugu declines with the reason that he wants to be in fighting form in case a Knocker attacks. Before they go, Booze Man tells Gugu and Fushi to be careful and even starts tearing up. Pioran asks why, to which he answers that he can't stand the fact that he will die before Gugu and that he wants to stay alive until Gugu has found his own path in life.

On the way to the party, Gugu and Fushi talk about presents. While Fushi already has a pot of vegetables with him, Gugu decides to buy a "Dream Bellflower", a purple flower and the only thing Gugu can think of that Rean might like. They arrive at Rean's home, a large mansion. While Gugu is busy with making Fushi a plate of food, the other guests starts gossiping about him.