[So that's where this was going. Everyone wanted to change things here, but doing so - and living - was another matter. Did Daitou think that Tian might actually stand a chance against the powers at work in this place? Rain was intrigued, but he was also skeptical.]

...That's easier said than done. How do you intend to do it?

That's where I come in. [Rain said that softly, almost to himself. So they had no plan yet... he was hesitant to agree to help without knowing what he was agreeing to. But at the same time, he couldn't refuse if he didn't know what he was refusing. He was fairly sure of one thing, though.]

I don't know Tian-dono [ - the honorific was added more for Daitou's sake than anything else - ], but you and I are already allies.

[What little they had recalled - that one radio memory, especially - had made that much apparent.]

[Rain shook his head.] Our lives prior to arriving in this place are no less real just because we don't remember them. We were allies, and unless something happened to change that, we still are.

[Daitou was his ally, and the man whose body Daitou was stuck in at the moment was his master. Rain was finally sure of that much, and as far as he was concerned, having forgotten it didn't invalidate it. He was willing to help an ally... but still, he was wary. Both Daitou and Tian had been known to recklessly push the limits of what it was safe to say over the journals, after all. Rain met the other man's gaze evenly.]

My goal is to return home, alive, to my service under the vice commander. To that end, I'm willing to aid you. [Alive being the key word. Rain recalled all too clearly the lecture his sister had given him in that one memory, when she'd caught him about to kill himself.]

[Rain bowed his head slightly.] You're welcome. If you ever have further questions, I'm available.

[He paused, considering his next words carefully.] ...You may tell Tian-dono that, as well. [Whether he'd actually answer any questions from Tian, he couldn't say. They'd never met, after all. But the dragon-man was welcome to ask.]

[It was unnervingly strange, seeing the vice commander bow to him like that, and Rain had to consciously remind himself once again that this was not the vice commander. The smile helped. Still, he returned the bow with a more proper one of his own.]

Please keep me informed.