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 Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 7:53 pm
Mara's Shrine
Katrina's Fateful Encounter with Demon of Temptation, Fuzen-Mara She dragged her almost bare feet across the hot rock. Long ago, she had walked through forest grass, the green of Gensokyo. Today, stripped of any hope, her dirtied face glowed on light the red hot rocks of the Former Capitol gave off. The streets only gave her glares. The youkai where like the humans. They did not understand or tolerate her differences. The humans thought she was a youkai, youkai saw her a weak human, when in truth she had grown to be neither; precariously balanced on the line of sanity and complete instinct. Long ago, she had had a family. Long ago, she had hopes of finding them. Long Ago, her tired face wore a smile. Long Ago. Today, her feet earned physical cuts from the rock, and her psyche mental tears from another form of exclusion. Youkai and Human. Human and Youkai. Both the same garbage with different names in her eyes. The gypsy slumped, wavering back and fort as her tired body walked through the streets of the Underground. Too exhausted to be bound to her corporal pain, her eyes wore an empty look. Like this, Katrina continued her way through. Long ago, she would have looked back. Eventually the light of the streets was at her heels, but she shuffled foward, knowing that where she stopped she would die. The gypsy had neglected her body. In her depression, food , rest, and shelter where no longer priorities. At the end of her line, she decided she would trudge to a dark corner, and die alone. The light at her heels begun to fade, ahead a single light floated, unconsciously drawing the gypsy towards it. It was an old bridge, rickety under her damaged soles. Katrina walked past and to a faded shrine, eventually managing to press her figure past it's doorway and towards it's main hall. She gave the smallest oh as her eyes caught the golden engravings in the wall. It was the last sight she caught before her legs gave out. Expecting the plank floor and death, Katrina was surprised to feel someone caught her elbows and eased her to her knees. It took her a bit to register a soft hand on her cheek, and someone's face in front of her. Katrina's eyes slowly focused on the beautiful woman before her. Faired skinned, deep black eyes, her jet black hair neatly trimmed and showering over her shoulders to around her waist. This woman now had both hands tenderly placed on Katrina's face, her cold grasp a welcomed sign to the gypsy's crisped face. "Are you okay, dear?" She spoked with such a sweet voice, it was hard to believe it was really. "You seem distressed." Katrina mouthed a few words, astounded by this figure before her. Then, the figure banished as the darkness closed in on her. ~~~ When she awoke, she was in a futon, unsure of her location. It felt funny to try to move, so instead of fighting it, Katrina allowed her body to slip into the ecstasy of whatever had erased her physical pain and clouded her mental anguish. A small itch in her jaw made the gypsy move at long last, suddenly noticing she was in a clean outfit, and her scrapes had been bandaged. She looked baffled at the bandages in her right arm; no one had showed her any amount of kindness since her run in with Kazami Yuuka years ago. "Ah, you join me." It was the same voice from earlier, Katrina sat up, looking at the woman that had helped her. "Th-thank you miss-""Worry not," she giggled,"I saw you were in need, and so I did what any sentient being would do; aid you.""...Not...not many people would do that..." she muttered in response,"I have been left to die countless times...""Goodness!" The woman gasped,"What an awful world the above has become!"Katrina shook her head,"Just to those who can't be labeled.""Pity, you look like such a fine young lady," her host sighed gloomly,"May I know your name? ""To who saved me, of course,"Katrina nodded,"I am Amaterasu Katrina.""What an original name," She smiled warmly,"I am known as Fuzen."A small part of Katrina wondered by a woman like this would be named Fuzen, or sin. Most likely an insane prophecy like those the natives of Gensokyo would be likely to believe. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Fuzen," The gypsy bowed her head in thanks, earning a smile."Like wise." She stood from where she had been sitting,"Do you have a home I could Escort you to, dear?""I am afraid not..." Katrina remembered her deceased clan, melancholy swiping her off her feet."Oh, sorry dear..."Fuzen sighed but brigthen up right away,"You may stay here as long as you please. This shrine is empty. Company would serve me well.""Wow, I don't think I co-""Don't fret dear," Fuzen smiled, once more radiating warmth," You need rest, consider it a recuperation stay.""Thank you very much Miss Fuzen, I can not thank you enough." ~~~~ Days passed and the gypsy worked for the mysterious woman. She helped clean the shrine and kept Fuzen company, quickly growing to like the woman and her sweet way of speaking. A few things bothered Katrina though. She had not seen the shrine's Deity. She worried of Fuzen's name sake, and of any dark secrets that this hidden building kept. Yet, she couldn't escape, she felt accepted and attracted to staying. It was as if it was a spell which Katrina's old positive self sought to fend off with all it's might. Albeit, Katrina's new cynical side didn't want to leave the shelter Fuzen had provided, and so she decided to dance to this silent spell placed upon her for now. That fateful day, Katrina swept the main hall of the shrine as she had done for the past few days, stopping to glance at the golden wall, wondering whose shrine this really was, and wondering why this god hadn't aided her family. "Are you feeling lonely?"Katrina spun to see Fuzen stand in the shadows casted by the candles they kept lit. "You miss your family. The warmth the world used to provide for you. You miss the old days of being a careless child. You miss being able to laugh without feeling guilty, to prance with no remorse. You miss your innocence that was rudely taken by senseless prejudice and intolerance." This was sudden and unexpected, Katrina gripped the broom till her knuckles turned white around it's handle. Fuzen was right and she knew it. "You want an end to this suffering, but you fear death as all mortals do. But you know, I like you, and through these days, I have found you very, very helpful." The woman took a step forward, making the gypsy step back, clinging to the broom. The two continued to step and step back, until Katrina hit one of the pillars that line the main walkway. The figures threw a pair of long shadows, the smaller one's trembling was fully visible as the larger one reached to her face. "I understande that pain. I lived through much of it. Long ago, when I was a mortal," Fuzen's hand was on Katrina's face, despite the gypsy trying to turn away from her grasp."I can offer you a way out. Out of the pain and that which saddens you. You could stay here, and never have to face the outside world alone." "All you have to do is accept whatever may come our way, and become the shrine maiden of this place." Fuzen moved her hand to point to the shrine,"You would have a home, shelter, and a friend." She moved to step even closer to the trembling gypsy, who desperately tried to pull back, pushing her weight onto the pillar. "Bu-but- mortal- what...?" Katrina was trying to wrap her mind around everything, not only the details of Fuzen's sudden attack like speech but the sudden feeling of danger that emanated from Fuzen. Why had she not noticed this aura of pure evil coming off the woman? "I am the shrine's deity, dear," She snickered, moving her hand to take Katrina's chin and force her to look into her deep ancient black eyes," I am Fuzen-mara, demon of temptation." Katrina quivered in Fuzen's grip, it was iron strong but not hateful, almost tender. She was in a demon's home, the biggest fear of her people. " You can stay here, and be my shrine maiden. A loyal follower to me , and rebel to the world that defiled you." She moved hand to put it under Katrina's arm, and reel her back away from the pillar, and into the full blow of the candle lit room,"You would not feel the remorse of your past life. You would not regret anything of what happened. You would not remember that which pained you. Unlike your family, I will not leave you." The gypsy looked into Fuzen's eyes, detecting nothing but thrust in them as the demon held her. If it was this easy, if her life could be like the last few days, it would be worth it, wouldn't it? Not only where Fuzen's Words drawing, but so was Katrina's need for a sort of acceptance she had lacked for the last years. "Okay... I will stay here." Fuzen grinned, stepping back, putting a hand on Katrina's face once more ,"That's right, dear." She stepped back and held out her hand,"Formality dictates we shake hands upon that agreement. You stay and become my shrine maiden, and I will provide you a home and shelter."Katrina peered from Fuzen to her hand. The gypsy slowly reached to shake the demon's hand, stopping inches apart to hesitate for a moment and glance at Mara's smiling face. Katrina shook Fuzen's hand. There was a dark spark of black current, before that same shock ran through Katrina herself. The gypsy's eyes went wide as she doubled over, cradling her stomach. She had a sudden knot there, a pressure in her chest, and some wild back pain. The world was spinning, and her skin burned as if singed by Hell's own fires. In the whole thing, she had fallen to her knees and curled over the plank floor. She was about to fall over, but there was something that made her yelp. Something pushed on her back, or out her back. Katrina dug her nails into her shoulders as she cried out in pain. Once more things begun to blacken, but as she fell forward, ready to pass out from the pain, Fuzen caught her once more. “There, There.” Katrina found herself limply leaned on the demon, her face buried into her shoulder. The gypsy could feel Fuzen’s arms around her, patting and rubbing at her back in some vaguely comforting way. In her limp state, Katrina’s hands touched on a liquid. Readjusting her glance, she spotted a red liquid on the floor. Was Fuzen bleeding? That wouldn’t be right. The girl tried to move, feeling a new weight on her shoulders. She whimpered a bit, only to have Fuzen’s embrace hold her down in her attempt to get up. The tired girl and the demon stayed there for a while, allowing Katrina some rest. Something caught her eye; a blood red bulk behind her. Since she was startled she jumped, and the bulk twitched along. Fuzen snickered ,”Those are your wings, dear. There is no need to be frightened.” Finally understanding, Katrina testingly moved the wings, she could see their bright red color, even under the dried blood they had on them. She reached around her shoulder to touch them in a bit of disbelief, only now noticing the black marks that where etched into her left arm. Katrina flinched a bit before blinked and touched her arm with her other hand. As her eyes shifted from the wings to her arm, Fuzen stood, unabashed by the blood caked on her dress. She still smiled warmly as she offered a hand to help Katrina up. Mentally and physically exhausted, the girl complied at stood with the demon’s aid, only to be walked to the side of the room, and to the back room where she usually slept. Fuzen had her hands on her shoulders, walking the now winged figure to the mirror they had. “Look, sweetie.”Katrina’s exhausted eyes looked into the mirror. In the mirror there was an exhausted girl, with now drying blood on her dress. She was deadly pale, with dark patches under her red eyes, and under the right eye, two lines that curled framed the cheek right below it, with three dots above the first line. Her left arm brandished similar marks to those on her cheek. The marks ran all over under her sleeve, making her bring up her hand to move the cleavage of her dress a bit. Even at her neck those marks where evident. The girl in the mirror move her gaze to the bloodied wings, with intricate marks like the once that framed her body, a wingspan of about two meters. She raised a hand and placed it to the mirror. Katrina watched this girl touch her finger tips to her own through the cold reflective surface. Behind this girl, the demon stood smiling, and still holding her shoulders. The girl was Katrina, she could hardly recognize herself. “I think your wings are very pretty, we just need to clean them up, and they will be beautiful,” Fuzen-mara smiled,” I am glad to have you by me now.”Katrina was silent, before dropping her hand, and saying ,” Thank you, Master Fuzen-mara…”The newly turned youkai allowed her master to pull her along, listening to her excited speech on how the girl had entered a new life, and how she would never remember her previous suffering....
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:49 pm
Lumine Mayflower
Too Much of Heaven
Her heart beated, threatening to burst through her chest. A girl stood on the roof of a performance hall, a large, white building with golden trim and decorations. The building rested neatly in the clouds, high above whatever ground may lay below. She took another step forward. Her heart beat faster still as the tips of her toes dangled over the building's edge, only her heels keeping her from falling.
"I hate this place." The girl closed her eyes, tears threatening to overflow. "I hate what it does to people." She clenched her fists. A wind blew across her small figure, sending a shiver down her spine. Primal instinct wanted her to step down, but she held firm, forcing her body to stay. "I want to see you... Will you be waiting there for me?" The girl held her breath for what felt like a lifetime. She exhaled. She took the last step.
. . .
Not long ago, a girl found herself resting on something soft, in a place that glowed with a brilliant light, a light like no other. The girl had stunning, icy-blue hair, and eyes to match. Her small, lithe figure was curled into a fetal position. She cautiously opened her eyes, allowing them time to adjust to the light. Was she in the sun? She didn't feel warm. She didn't feel cold, either. Her eyes shifted downwards, to inspect what lay beneath her. Furniture of bright red vibrancy cushioned her, its plush fabric and dark wood frame were very comforting. Her eyes drifted outward, into the room she rested in. It was a large room with white walls, encrusted with gems and inlaid with gold that shimmered in the light. The light in question came from the sun through a window by her feet.
"Oh, you're awake?"
The girl's eyes moved to the source of the voice, a doorway in the opposite corner of where she lay. A woman stood there, dressed in a beautiful white dress with a multicolored sash around her waist. "Don't worry. You're safe now, young one."
With hesitance, the girl pushed herself up into a sitting position. She didn't feel pain, nor aches. Her body seemed to move flawlessly. "Where am I?"
"You are in Bhavagra, my dear. It is a place without suffering, with no disease or famine." The woman's smile was gentle, caring. But the girl had her doubts. "You mean...Heaven?" The woman laughed. "Some people call it that, yes." The woman moved towards an elegant piece of furniture, what the girl discerned to be a dresser, and opened a drawer. From its depths she removed a long white robe, folding it in half over her arm. "Here. Heaven or no, I'm sure you still have your modesty..." She offered it to the girl, who, confused, looked down. It was then she realized she was completely nude. She gasped, frantic to cover herself with her hands, and by curling up into a ball. This made the woman laugh again. "It's okay. Please, take this. And... I didn't get your name. What may I call you?" The girl, still covering herself with a twisted mass of her limbs, gingerly reached out to claim the robe. "My...name? I...I don't know..." Doubt and worry rushed to her mind. Even still, the woman simply smiled before turning away to leave. "Don't worry, young one. I'm sure you will remember soon."
Days went by, then weeks. Soon, the nameless girl found herself becoming accustomed to life in Bhavagra. The food was amazing, the buildings were beautiful, and the sun always shined here, among the clouds. It truly was a heaven for one who had never seen it before. However, something bothered her about the people... They were always happy. Nothing wrong ever happened to them, or to her. The food was always cooked to perfection. The beds were always neat. Not a speck of dust dared to rest upon a single piece of furniture. Every day, there was a party, a performance, a gathering of happy people, and their happy families, doing happy thi...
Their...families?
One day, a realization had hit her, one that felt like a dagger to her heart. She had no one in this beautiful world. Did she have a mother? A father? A sibling? If so, why weren't they here, with her? Did they abandon her? Did she abandon THEM? As nice as the people who lived here were, it always felt so fake...so forced. They played and laughed, but did they really mean it? How can one enjoy pleasure without first experiencing pain? These thoughts plagued her mind, and her days thereafter soon became meaningless. That is, until a rumor began to spread across all of Bhavagra...
"She's gone!" "Who?" "The First Daughter... She's left the city!"
"But how? Why?! Who would want to leave?" "I don't know, but her father is furious. He's sent a missionary in search of her. Iku Nagae." "Nagae? Surely she'll be able to find Tenshi and bring her back home..."
Tenshi? The name echoed in the girl's mind. A person who left Bhavagra... to forsake everything it offered. Why? Was Tenshi lonely, like the girl was? She had to know. She had to find her. Soon, the nameless girl began asking everyone she met for details about Tenshi: Who she was, what she looked like. They offered vague explanations, but were all generally the same. White and blue clothes with rainbow decorations, and long, shining blue hair, and whom also carried a sword of great destructive power. This Tenshi sounded fascinating to the young girl. The idea of Tenshi gave the girl hope, direction. A reason to exist. A reason to be.
It was that day the girl gave herself a name, one inspired by books she had read in the months prior. "Lumine Mayflower" would be the girl's name; a light to illuminate a path, and a vessel to travel upon. This would be her story.
Lumine clothed herself with garments who hoped resembled Tenshi's. A white shirt that fit somewhat snugly, and a pretty white capelet with a wide-brimmed hood. The capelet was decorated with multicolored jewels that hung from its edge, and laid gently across her shoulders. Below, she wore loose-fitting clothing that was somewhat like a skirt, but was also sewn between the legs. It might have been something a man would wear, but it gave her full freedom of movement without fear of showing her underwear - unless someone would be perverted enough to try to peek up her pantleg. After that, simple boots protected her feet, and gloves for her hands. That would be enough...right?
Tonight was the night that another celebration was being held in the performance hall, one of the tallest buildings outside the palace. As the people began to gather and pass through its grand doors, Lumine took to the outside, scaling the wall. The feat was strenuous, or would have been if she could feel pain. It took her hours to reach the top, but even still, the party was still alive below. The wind blew across the roof, causing the loose bits of Lumine's clothing to sway and shift across her body. Looking down through the skylight, Lumine watched the people inside for a long time. They drank, danced, and ate. All smiles, all laughing... They had no reason to exist beyond these walls. How shallow, how hollow they must be inside... It made her sick.
Then, she thought of Tenshi. The person who left all this to seek something else... from this view, it was easy to see why. That was when she decided.
Lumine walked slowly to the edge of the roof of the performance hall, its tall structure nestled high among the clouds. Her heart was racing, beating hard in her ears. She took another step forward, peering over the edge, only the heels of her boots keeping her from falling. She looked down into the clouds, wondering what lay below. Tears flowed to her eyes as she shut them, summoning all the courage she could muster. "I hate this place..." she said, as if the words might comfort her. "I...I hate this place! I hate what it does to people!!" Her words fell deaf upon the wind. Fear threatened her, but Lumine held firm. "I want to see you...I want to find you!" She clenched her fists, opening her tear filled eyes. "Tenshi!! Will you be waiting there for me?!"
Time seemed to stand still, as did her breath. The moment felt like an eternity. The girl stepped forward, and for a second time...
An angel fell to Gensokyo.
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:59 pm
Dull Sword Dance
Maemi's incursion into The ways of the Sword and Eventual Failure A figure tumbled down the side of the youkai mountain. It's complains and grunts where loud, but no matter how it tried to stop the descent, it helplessly rolled and tumbled down the ledges. At last, she fell over a cliff, but a knife stabbed into the rock. Limply, she clung to her knife. The tengu girl was bloodied from the travel down the rock, but her hand was still tight around the knife. Her wings weren't responding, so she helplessly looked down to the ground below her. A sweat drop fell from the tip of her nose, showing the way down to the stony edge below. She gulped, when the thud of shoes by her knife made her give a sligth gasp. The winged tengu quickly looked up, eyes wide. The feet at either side of her knife led to a waving tail, and a cracked blade. The blade came down, forcing the girl to release her knife to avoid further damage. She released into the empty air, twisting to shift her body into a more aerodynamic decent. At the sides of her vision she could see her opponent skillfully jumping from stone to tips of trees to dangerously lose stones. Her wings spread, as she readied to pull out of the dive, sadly her move was interrupted by a side attack. A leathery item impacted her and knocked her off her axis. Seeing the floor close by, the agile tengu put her gauntlet wearing hand out first and she slowed her momentum enough to not break her wrist and absorb the impact. The tengu flipped forward, landing crouched before spring ahead once more in flight. Confident she would out run her opponent she stopped at a branch, panting and covered in sweat. All was calm here. An arrow got her armored shoulder guard, shooting her off the tree and into the floor below. There she laid twitching a bit at how easily she had been defeated. Once more the thud of feet made her look up, as her knife stabbed into the floor before her, making her close her eyes as she cringed. Slowly she opened her eyes, and moved them up the figure. Maemi smiled sheepishly, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry-" The figure sighed,"I have told you time and time again, child, to never stop." The tailed woman put a hand out to help Maemi up to her feet,"Again, confidence was your fall." "Sorry Master Kazuko..." Maemi muttered as the tailed teacher undusted her and yanked the arrow out of her shoulder guard, ending by handing her the knife back. "Let us go to the waterfall and wash this dirt off, I need to tend to your scrapes," Kazuko said, her tail waving back and forth slowly,"We would not want your parent to think I am hurting you." "Bah, father is hardly around, and mother only comes around dinner. She never looks at me for more than ten seconds." Maemi muttered, putting the knife back into the belt and following Her teacher as they walked to the waterfalls, earning a shake of head from the wolf tengu. "You should know, such is because of the duties that come with the sword, Child." She said, wisely as always. "Would it hurt to ask how my day was?" Maemi continued to be stubborn,"All they ask about is how many sparring partners I defeated in the day's training. Never do I hear about my hobbies or anything." "There, there," Kazuko patted the crow's shoulder,"You know I am always interested in listening to your news." "Yes, but... You are not my family." A bit hurt the wolf tengu withdrew her hand and turned to silently lead the way. ~~~The two tengu's made it to the silent waterfalls. In their seperate accords both took the boots off. Kazuko moved close enough to put her feet in the water and relax a bit. Maemi, who was dirtied from the extreme beatin she received, took the shoulder guards off. She then preceded to remove the gautlent and bandages on either of her hands, her shirt and skirt. Now wearing only her sarashii and the short pants she wore under her skirt she walked into the waters and begun to scoop up water and rub it on her muddied skin to slowly clean any residue off it. Her wings made little to noise as she moved and continued to slowly clean herself. Seijin observed Maemi,"As soon as you are clean, make your way over here, I need to patch you." "Yah,yah." Grumpily, crow walked over sitting in the between Seijin's feet. The wolf tengu leaned over to start to rub some herbal remedies to the larger cuts, and put band-aids on those that where small enough to be covered. "I do praise you for stopping yourself with a knife." Kazuko commented absently trying to pull the girl out of her gloom,"While you are not so good with the nodachi, you surely have picked up some tricks. This is why I train you personally. Not because of your family name, but for your potential." "What Potential? My whole life Is a lie." Maemi sulked staring at the reflection in the water,"I am no swordsman, I have pretended to be one my whole life, when what I want to do is be a reporter..." "Who says you cannot be both?" Seijin chuckled, as she bound a bandage to Maemi's upper arm,"Have you tried to make it a hobby? As a mountain guard I am sure you will find many interesting stories." "That's an idea.... A very good idea." The crow's wings twitched a bit as Seijin turned to playfully brush the feathers into place, with a soft smile. "You can please your family, and do what you truly love," the old wolf tengu continued,"I am sure the news would be glad to have the call of having an elite member of the tengu community within their roster of workers. Tomorrow, you mustn't hesitate to ask for an amateur position." "You are right, Master Kazuko," Maemi's reflection brightened up, a smile appearing,"I will do that first thing tomorrow!" "Much more like it, that is th-" Seijin was interrupted by the crow shooting to her feet. The movement and her excitement made the black wings move suddenly and hit the wolf tengu square in the face, making her fall back. "FIRST THING TOMORROW!- ... Master Kazuko...?" ((May add more later =w=))
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:25 am
The Sunshine of Life Hanalli's Promise and Grand Trip Hanalli, the Youkai of Joy, was enjoying her afternoon in the Human village. She greeted people with her presence. Pets and kids frolicked to see her. But today, she was meeting with a certain teacher at her home. "You in, Keine?" Hanalli knocked on the door to signal her arrival. When the door opened, the blue haired woman greeted her. "So glad you came Hanalli. What was it you wanted to talk-" Hanalli soon walked past Keine and sat at the table. "Miss Keine. I plan to travel Gensokyo. I realized by now that I am not like my other siblings. I need to be free." Keine was dumbfound. A youkai telling a human she was leaving? "Might I ask why you are telling me this?" Keine asked. Hanalli replied in a less joyful tone "Because you and that Mokou girl helped me live here for a while. I just wish to not be treated like an Idol again." the weight and memories of the past were catching up to Hanalli. Keine sighed with a smile. "I understand. Promise to visit the village every so often? The children adore your presence ever so." Keine extended a pinky finger to Hanalli who used her own to wrap around it. Her smile returning. "It's a promise!" From that day, a series of fateful encounters unfolded. And with her, trailed a song from her days. 'You are my sunshine. My only Sunshine...' -------------------------------------------------------------------- Missing Power of Joy Hanalli started to feel a bit tired from flying so far, and spotting the Hakurei shrine below her gave her an idea. She bolted down to the stone path before the shrine steps, only to see not a Miko but an Oni. She was smaller than Hanalli expected out of an Oni, chugging on her purple gourd. The oni locked eyes with Hanalli to speak. "If you are looking for Reimu, she is out currently." Hanalli wondered who this person was exactly. She knew that the Priestess would always have a warm hand of sorts given to the beings she fought in Danmaku matches. "Excuse me for asking, but mind giving me your name, Miss..." The oni stood up, her height just as tall as Hanalli. Her horns were much longer than she anticipated from the glance she took once at. A grin on her face later and she answered. "You can call me Suika. I am just an oni who loves parties." Hanalli could not help but smile as well. Seeing such a happy being as her was a relief. "I am Hanalli. The Be-Youkai of Joy." the close call made Suika raise a brow. "Oh ho. Sounds to me that you use to be more powerful?" she pulled out a small sake dish, offering it to Hanalli who accepted it and a seat on the steps. After a sip, Hanalli explained her reason... "I see. It must of been harsh to see the people who worship you like that all die by a member of your own kin. Then again, Humans are never ones to be honest all the time. Take it from me, you see one human act shady or lie, then the majority will." Suika added. Her own memory of seeing some of her own friends die due to trickery by humans still is a weight she lives with to this day. Hanalli on the other hand nodded and smile. "I heard about what happened to the Oni. I never thought I would see one today or anytime in the world's lifespan. Granted I thought they were all killed. From the stories about your kind in Gensokyo, it sounds like they are really cheery folk." Hanalli offered her special bun to the Oni before her. She declined. "Sorry. I am not in the mood to eat something sweet. I still have to watch over this place while Reimu is out. The last thing I want to happen is for this place to be broken like that time I fought her." Hanalli could not help but laugh and radiate joy from her. "I swear if it wasn't for your horns, you were just like any other Youkai I met! More human than the humans. You all have standards and such pride in yourselves. Maybe one day I could come underground to meet your friends." Hanalli asked. Suika, feeling the warm aura, could not help but giggle a little as well. "Say, how about we have a small Danmaku match? Nothing to gain or loose." Suika dusted her outfit off as Hanalli extended her staff once more. Hanalli on the other hand changed it. "Oh no. How about we just have a simple fist fight? This may be my only chance to fight an Oni hand to hand. Besides, Danmaku is all for show as it is." hearing that line made Suika smile bright as she positioned her fighting stance. She took one swig of her gourd, corking it, and charged head first. Hanalli tossed her staff to the side, blocking the first punch and meeting the second with her own fist. The impact caused a small explosion of Purple, blue, yellow and red orbs as small as a fist to come from it. Hanalli sent a kick straight for her left side. Suika countered by hurdling over it and throwing a kick straight at her face. Hanalli backed away as to regain her ground, charging forward at Suika. A few more punches and kicks meeting one another and the second blow was from Hanalli into Suika's chest. At first, Suika looked hurt. But as she rose her head, her face was clearly grinning with please and wonderment. The two would continue to fight one another for thirty minutes until Suika's punch was ducked out of the way, hitting one of the support beams of the Hakurei Shrine. "Oops..." Suika removed her fist, noticing the bent support and the crack on the other side. Hanalli backed away in case it would fall, bumping into Reimu. Her red and white outfit covered what rage she had inside. Hanalli felt her life on the line as did Suika. "Reimu! I-i-it was an accident!" Reimu walked past Hanalli and Suika, inspecting the damage. She sighed with relief. "Thank god it's not that bad. You should be more careful when you fight! How many times have I told you to watch the area you are in?!" such a strong voice could make the oni sit on the ground, eyes focused on her. "Priestess, It is not her fault entirely. I was the one who wanted to fight her hand to hand in the first place." Hanalli bowed to Reimu in a show of apology. Reimu huffed. "Fine. Then both of you can fix it."Suika and Hanalli spent the next few minutes, fixing the broken beam before Hanalli had to take off. "I will see you sometime around Gensokyo!" Hanalli cried out, as she took off. Suika was about to leave herself but noticed the bun that she was offered earlier by her side. She decided to take one bite, making Suika's own body glow in enjoyment. "You make me happy, when skies are grey..."-------------------------------------------------------------------- God's Wind of Joy Hanalli took a detour to meet up with Sorina, the Youkai of Sorrow, as she took her flight up the mountain. Sorina told Hanalli of another Priestess whom lives with two gods up on the mountain. A strange place, knowing that Youkai thrive here more so than anywhere else. Nevertheless, Hanalli took the flight and went up the mountain with ease. Upon reaching the top, she noticed the area was smoothed out perfectly. The stone laid in perfect alignment and the wooden Octagonal rods made a short path to the shrine steps. Before the steps, a human with green hair and two hair trinkets of a frog and a snake swept the ground. "She must be the priestess. Her outfit is a dead giveaway." Hanalli approached the shrine, showing no sign of intruding at all. The green haired girl looked up and noticed the being before her. "Oh my. What brings you here to the Moriya Shrine?" her broom stopped sweeping as she was focused on the new person before her. She hands out a small yellow bun towards the green haired girl and presented herself. "I am Hanalli. The Youkai of Joy. I came here to see what this shrine was all about. Something about a wind Goddess?" The name instantly made the girl's eyes wide with enjoyment. "So you are that Joy filled being! I am Sanae Kochiya. Oh, I should get Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako. Hold on a moment!" she ran inside to grab her two Goddesses from the main room and outside. One woman in red and dark red attire was taller than the three. Behind her was a large Shimenawa ring. Then there was the other Goddess. She was slightly taller than Hanalli but much smaller than the other two. A large hat with eyes and her frog patterned outfit gave Hanalli the impression that she has some sort of a frog like persona. The tall one introduced herself. "I am Kanako Yasaka. The main Goddess of this shrine! And besides Sanae is the other Goddess, Suwako Moriya. It is an honor to have you here, Hanalli. Come on inside and let's talk a bit!" Kanako's presence seemed very sneaky but her voice showed a side of pride in herself of being a goddess. Suwako on the other hand stood silent as she walked with them. Her hands inside her large sleeves. It was inside that Sanae came out with a small dish of Mochi for the group. Hanalli however pulled two of her buns out for each goddess, while Sanae still had her's. "It is a pleasure to meet you three. Very rarely do I meet actual gods. Here. Try some of my Joybuns! It has a secret ingredient that when consumed will taste exactly like your most beloved food or whatever you crave." Hanalli sat back as she watched the three try her bread. Suwako's expression was compared to that of a small child. Kanako's expression over the bun made her look like a woman whom just tried one of the best deserts ever. As for Sanae, she seemed to enjoy it as if it were some sort of Hamburger. The aura of joy was enough to power a small home at this point. "Oh my! This is truly an amazing food!" Suwako was first to break the ice. Sanae nodded in approval as Kanako finished her last bites. "I'd say. You must tell me how you made them." for Kanako, it almost felt like a full course meal. Hanalli simply waved her hands to explain. "I can't. It's a secret that I must keep under wraps. Even if I told you how I made them, it would never come out the same unless I make them myself." Kanako nodded and soon had an idea. "We will sell your food to make profit for the shrine!""Lady Kanako!"Hanalli giggled at her attempt to get more. "That does sound like a nice deal, but my Joybuns would become nothing but bread if profit is involved. I do not mind making them, but profit is something I do not wish to own. What will i do with the money? My ingredients are far too simple and cost next to nothing." then Suwako, who finally finished her's, added in. "Miss Hanalli. I think this is a good thing. Your presence give off such a radiance of wonder and laughter already. The Joybun enhances it more for us. Mind if we take a walk? Sanae? Kanako? Mind giving us some time?" she asked the two. They both nodded, letting Kanako talk about her ideas more with Sanae alone as Suwako and Hanalli walked outside the shrine and into the light blowing wind. It blew past Suwako, her one piece skirt flowing with the wind as did her flimsy brim of the hat. She turned to Hanalli, whom continued to look at Suwako. "That is a very clever way of using your manipulation of joy for the buns, Hanalli." She saw right through her secret already?! Hanalli could not help but smile. "You are a powerful Goddess, Suwako. Or should I say, Miss Moriya? Tell me why did you let Kanako own the throne for worship here?" to which Suwako explained... "If you were there to see it, then you would understand in full. The short reason is that I no longer wanted to be associated with being a god of anything. I use to be a cursed god. Villagers would sacrifice people to me to keep me happy...when I never asked for it. When Kanako came to fight, it was the perfect chance to vanish. However, she needed me in the end. Her faith with the wind is a powerful thing, but without the earth, the plant life would wither and die. No soil, no rain, no food. The shrine is indeed named after me. I am not the true goddess of it though. No matter how many times I hear that name. Moriya." Hanalli walked closer to the ex-goddess, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It seems we were in the same boat. My siblings were once worshiped like you. It turned horrible when one of our own kin turned against the humans and destroyed the city named after me. Even coming to Gensokyo, I hated the idea of people looking up to me. I just want people to look at me. My joy is something that must be spread, not focused in one area." Suwako looked at Hanalli, the two smiling at one another. They laughed and laughed, the time ticking away. But the day would draw to a close. Kanako, Suwako and Sanae went to send Hanalli off. Sanae asked Hanalli. "Will you ever come back again?" Hanalli, her smile ever so bright even in the setting sun, handed one more bun to Sanae. "Of course. I usually fly around Gensokyo constantly, so I will be among the wind as it is. You may hear my voice at any time when the wind blows past you. Always laughing and giggling. I thank you for your hospitality, but Kanako...I am sorry but the Joybuns are purely for free. Now I must go. Take care and keep smiling!" she started off with a run, jumping off the side of the mountain before flying away along the setting sun. Sanae took a single bite of the joybun, instantly remembering a song she use to know from before entering Gensokyo. "You never noticed, how much I love you..."-------------------------------------------------------------------- Legendary Flying Saucer of Joy ((WIP))
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:36 pm
Blind Wonderland
Ochiba's adventure in the human world When she was young, no spellcard system existed. She roamed the bamboo forest freely, and though she would usually get lost, she had no real problem with it. Having no home nor a name made living easy; Find food and you were set. She was aware there was other rabbit youkai around the forest of bamboo, but she cared little for them. Barefoot and wearing a simple black robe that stuck to her childish looking shape, a small flower adorned her black hair. Time passed easily, and the fairy sized girl lived a hollow life; breath, sleep and eat. A normal day she walked through the bamboo looking for water, eventually finding the source she needed so. She crouched by the river and filled her canteen, taking a moment to stare into her reflection as the water flowed into the small container she always had on her shoulder. The floppy rabbit ears twitched as she caught a noise, causing her to look up across the river bank. Over the glassy water, a man stumbled out of the thicket, looking like a mess. He tripled and a feral youkai came out after him, teeth bared. With the smallest thought, the rabbit jumped over the river, landing not far. She took a rock and threw it at the creature. The other youkai yelped before lunging at her. Plain as the rabbit was, an upward graze led the other youkai straight into the rock and into a hazy and painful dream. The rabbit landed and went to pour some of her canteen's water on the man's face. She sucessfully woke him up. The man looked into the rabbit's almost expresionless face. He spoke. Sadly, the rabbit youkai had little to no knowledge of these strange noises he made with his mouth, and the man was soon standig and picking her up. The rabbit squirmed a bit in his grasp, but the man quickly ushered her with some petting. The man took the rabbit home, much to the poor thing's bewilderment. ~~~Weeks passed, and the rabbit was kept inside the man's house. He fed her fancy food, and gave her new clothes. He made sure she had a nice place to sleep, and would always wake up to a nice greeting. The rabbit complied to the comfortable life she had been given. The man always called her by the same noise. ~~~Months passed. The rabbit begun to understand some of the words the man spoke, but could not articulate the noises with her own mouth. She would usually make do with pointing or gesturing. She picked up on simple tasks like sweeping and washing dishes. Soon enough the rabbit would follow her master out on strolls and help him with groceries. She was a quick learner! Soon enough, she was aware that her master called "Ochiba", so whenever called by that, the rabbit would hurry over to her master's side. Sometime later, she figured out her dear master worked with beautiful tubes of dust. Once you lighted the tail of these objects, the tail would slowly disappear, and the tube would fly and disappear. Then, the sky would be lit with gorgeous lights! One time, Ochiba sat in her bed playing with a stuffed toy her master had given her as he worked. While the man turned away the curious rabbit came over to inspect the tube of magic. It was a very interesting thing. For the next few Months, Ochiba would learn how to build these tubes of magic, and aid her master further in his life. ~~~Years passed. Her master aged. The rabbit did too, but not to the extent her master did. She still appeared young as the day they met. He married and had a beautiful child. The family was quite happy, and Ochiba was treated well. She would often babysit the child and keep her company, making for a great playmate. The rabbit loved the kid, and she devoted her time to making sure her master's daugther never needed anything. One day, as the two girls staid behind from important adult matter at a nearby court, Ochiba watched her master's daugther play with some of the tubes (which the rabbit had heard called Fireworks.) Anxiously the rabbit tried to tug the girl away, only to be ignored. An awful accident occurred, somehow... The flame ignited. The explosion was blinding and deafening. Among the flames, a blinded rabbit hurried to take the girl on her weaker arms and pull her out to safety. Despite the burns both sustained, the duo was safe and alive. Nevertheless, the explosion entailed it's effects. While the girl fully recovered, the Rabbit's eye sight begun to degrade. The explosion had damaged her eye sight, paired with the blow black of the shock wave, it had permanently impaired her. Her master, in ever gratitude towards her for saving her beloved daughter, supplied a pair of glasses for Ochiba. Albeit a bit large for her due to her small frame, they made the world much clearer for her. ~~~Decades passed. Ochiba's Master and Wife passed away, leaving her to his daughter's care. Ochiba's life was calm for a few years until the now woman married. Her husband had little like for youkai, and he spited Ochiba. The rabbit did her best to keep him away from her, but the drunk man he was, he had fun kicking the small youkai around. Eventually tired of it, Ochiba lashed back with a simple smack, and was then beat out of the household. She cursed upon the inequality of the event, but taking a messenger bag and what clothes she had, she left the house to become a roaming youkai. ~~~Ochiba spent much time cursing at how ungrateful the daughter of her master had been. She had been kicked out for defending herself. For a few days, the rabbit slept by her true master's grave, mourning over her now lonely excistance. Soon she realized it was time to move on, but looking into the tomb of her master, she took his last name "Saiseki" and bound it to her soul so as to never forget the kindness this man showed to her. With that, the earth rabbit left to never return. She begun to live in the Youkai Forest, finding much more abundant food supplies and resources. She built herself a house inside a hollowed tree and begun a new life. Ochiba found companionship in the other rabbits that happened to roam the forest. They liked how she suppled food and she liked how they supplied smiles. In this way, Ochiba found her gift to always see the truth, since the little rabbits where real tricksters. While her vision was bad most of the time when a lie confronted her, she would see it crystal clear. Ochiba trained herself in mild danmaku, and lived silently where no one would find her. And so, the rabbit made herself a den, and hid there until trouble sniffed her out, allowing time to slip by, and never truly touch her home.
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Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 10:31 pm
Mineral Treasure
Youji Yochi's past life The mine was a dusty place, not far from hell. The mine was a loud plays. Yes, the mine was lots of things, but it was the perfect place to put children apparently. While days blended in and out, the mole youkai minded little. Most of her young days she spent carrying rocks around for her family. Her large Family. Father, Mother, their respective parents, and the countless children. Yochi fell somewhere. Yes, just somewhere. She had no idea what number of kid she was, and really didn't care. The young mole conformed with doing as told in order to receive a meal. Truly, working for her family made her a well treated slave. She lived to work and worked to live, no other way of life did she know. The mine was filled with endless task that no matter how many of the Youji family there where, there was always a task someone had to tend to. Since no sun reached the cave, they all worked systematically. Some would work, and when their shift was up, they would go wake up their substitute, and the substitute would tell another one to go eat. They all worked like a clean conveyer belt, never to have a piece fall out of place. Like these, the den of moles worked the mines to provide for each other, for years and years. Now thinking upon it, they never quite saw a funeral. So counting the years upon a darkened cave where death was never thought of was tough. Nevertheless, the stronger mole youkai lived to see into their teens and so on. Life was endless work, and never were they disturbed, until the movement of Hell and the coming of the oni. The mole youkai were displaced of their home, no intentionally. With all the racket there was, the tunnels where no steady enough for the demand the cave was in. So soon, the Youji Family moved. A certain mole, though, hid and staid behind, seeing this as her old chance to escape the endless work that never gave her more than a piece of bread and water. Sure enough, with how many moles there was, her family didn't give a single thought to a lone mole they lacked. They all figured she had finally died, and moved on. She witnessed the moving of the hell, and the complete relocation of the oni. She saw the Former Capitol be reshaped, and eventually saw what oni where capable of. Day and night, she dug away from ruckus, beating her hands raw with every swing of the pick axe, bruising her hands with every load of the wheelbarrow, but she didn't mind it. She was beating herself at her own pace. She worked as she pleased, ate when she was hungry and slept when she was tired. The outside world didn't lure her, she worked, and collected the minerals and precious stones she found, letting time slip her mind. She worked like this for who knows how long, finding no need for company after living with people with her blood she did not know. Eventually, she reached the side of the mountain she had resided in. The light that filtered through the small hole she made hurt her eyes beyond belief, so the mole retired further back. Once she saw night fell outside, she dared open the tunnel and peek outside. It was a wondrous sight. Things she had only heard of, like trees, like birds, like wind, all now within her grasp. That night she left the caves for the first time in her life, and enjoyed all that the surroundings had to offer, always sure she had time to return before the sun rose. The night opened a window for Yochi to explore and take resources her cave could not offer. Once or twice she saw a human cross her path, but like a Kappa, she hid, and let them pass. Until one night she saw a man with a pair of dark glasses, making her think of how they would make her life easier, and while she wonder why the man brought the glasses at night, she thanked whatever possessed him to. With the smallest thought, Yochi pulled out a small mineral that looked like a diamond. She aimed at the man who trekked slowly, and flicked it at him. The mole had developed an affinity for things like minerals , and with a small tweak it shot out like a bullet from a gun. Before she knew it the man dropped dead, pooling, if not drowning, in his own blood. Yochi gave a gasp of surprise as he fell, her heart racing and stomach knotting, quickly jumping out of her hiding spot and going to the man. Wide eyed, the mole desperately fretted over him as the blood continued to gather. How can this have happened? She hadn't been aiming to kill him, all the mole wanted was to knock him down and take those dark glasses. She eventually rolled him over and had the mineral shoot out, glistening with the man's blood. Yochi felt weak and pale, but she took the glasses and ran for it, as if someone had witnessed this. Morning came, and now with glasses on, the half blind mole spent the day cleaning the residues of blood off herself. Her mind kept replaying the dying man, what if she could have helped him? She could have saved his life! Yochi felt guilty for a long time, until she rationalized it could not have been her fault only. The mole shifted the blame to the life she had been given, and she needed those glasses to survive the morning. The world was live or die, survival of the fittest. She told herself she had no time to fret over a man dying. Youkai were meant to be feral, right? She could kill one or two and still be a being. So, Yochi decided to not let live being get in her way. She easily took out any that decided to oppose her, easily using stones to beat them or the like. Later, the mole took to using her shovel, finding it very useful as a weapon. Secretly, the glassed woman had filled it with lead, making it heavier and twice as damage inducing. That way, she could obtain things from others and not from arduous searching. Much more time passed like this, and the mole continued her lonely and empty life, loving it much more than she had loved her life with her family. Everything was quiet, she would head outside daily, and one day, she found a heap in her tunnels. Curiously and cautiously, she observed it from a distance for a while, it seemed to be moving to the rhythm of breathing. Yochi observed it, and eventually the figure sat up, moving to lean with it's back to the wall. Now she could it more clearly. The figure was horned, with one single horn, mind you. Black hair, from what she could tell. A simple skirt and a top. From the looks of the decorative, shackle like bracelets, the mole deduced it was an oni. While she was completely indifferent to most, oni mostly annoyed her. Always drunk. Always fighting. Always... Happy. She observed the figure, until it just sort of fell to the side, laying there, almost looking dead. The mole peeked out a bit, and slowly walked around the figure. She'd not give it another thought, for all she cared, that person could die. A few days passed, and a curious Youji went back to check on it. Sure enough, the figure was still there, almost in the same position. This time the mole left a plate with fruit, allowing a closer glance at shape. Sure enough, an oni with one horn, a girl at that. Didn't look so much as tired and beat. Now, the mole thought she would leave food by her, maybe a trained oni would serve the cave well. Or that was her excuse to keep looking at the strange visitor she had. Yochi kept leaving the plates with fruit for the oni, who eventually caught on. Like any other day, the mole was about to leave when the oni caught by the hem of the skirt, stopping her in her tracks. "Who ... Are... You...?" The oni asked in pitiful attempt at a voice. She was probably tired, even with the food Yochi provided, not everyone was suited for lonely life in the caves. Yochi looked down at her, surprised, but thankful the cave would conceal such emotion. She put the oni's hand down with a swipe of the handle of her shovel, "These are my caves, the real question is who are you?""I'm... An oni..." "I asked who, not what," the mole scoffed down as the girl went back to curling up the way she usually was,"I know well what you are.""Sorry..." She responded, but then stopped talking all together. Yochi frowned annoyed and went back to her cave. The chamber she had carved out a home of was cozy. That night she pondered on what to do with that oni laying around the tunnels. Killing her right now would be easy, but, what a waste of potential. The mole youkai decided it'd be in her best interest to nurse her back to health, and have her work in the mines for her. For the next weeks, the mole would pack a simple lunch, and go eat with the oni, rationalizing that first she must take the oni out of her shocked state. Conversation would serve her well, as would the food. It did indeed work. The oni opened up a little at a time, slowly lasting longer in the small talks Yochi made with her. The underground Youkai soon begun to distinguish some odd features of the oni. Originally she had thought the oni was single horned, but that was not so. One horn and another one that was missing, apparently broken off. Her orange colored eyes tended to avoid eye contact, and more often than not, she simply looked at the food she was given instead of looking at Yochi as they spoke. The oni's presence became something Yochi grew acostumed to. As usual one day she headed to where the oni usually was only to find her gone. The mole felt a small ping of sadness, though her usual face changed naught. She tucked some hair behind her point ears and left the lunch where the oni usually was before heading to walk out the tunnels. Having forgotten it was daylight, the sun's rays blinded her as she fumbled about the neck of her poncho to take the glasses and slip them on. As her eyes readjusted, Yochi's eyes fell upon a figure on a stone nearby. On the stone, sitting was the oni. The mole stared a bit mesmerized, before moving ahead. "I thought you'd have left by now," she said, coming to the oni's side, "So, are you finally going to tell me who you are? I went through enough damn trouble. If you say no, I will kick you right off that stone... And I am pretty serious.""I am Hinarasu Ibara... Sorry for the trouble I may have caused you, but thank you very much." She responded. Looking at the mole sideways she gave a small smile, blue eyes alive. The mole raised an eyebrow, "Good, you better stay around I'd love some help in the caves. If you don't have a home anyway. and you aren't here to help, kindly, Go to hell~"Ibara blinked as the mole turned and headed back inside. Yochi begged for the oni to come her way. Come her way she did. Soon steps echoed behind her. "Excus-excuse me-!" The oni said,"I would... Love to pay back your kindess, Miss. I will work here with you if you allow me...."Yochi grinned, and took the shackled wrist of the oni, "Perfect!With that, the mole dragged the oni into the black darkness of her caves, as she had dragged many in the previous endless years.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 12:14 pm
Seamless Moon
A Night at Club Youkai The day had come to an end, as the doors were locked and windows closed, a woman made sure everything was in place before heading upstairs to her sleeping quarters. She was the owner the bar Club Youkai, but she got little clients. Those that had come to frequent her establishment knew better than to try to make talk with her. If they did, they'd usually get a frown and their drinks roughly slid over to them. None of them ever held her interest for long. Today was no different, so she found relief in closing for the day. She threw her hat onto the bed, onto the light that seeped through her window. The owner pulled out her pair of pajamas, and begun to unbutton her shirt, thinking of how tired she was. Soon enough she was Pulling the blanket onto her shoulders and trying to find sleep. At some point she did slip away.... It wasn't cold like her bed was. In fact, it was scorching hot. Her skin burnt, and her entire body ached. She was barely standing when more than three folk tackled her down. In the rush of moment and her blurred vision, she could see a figure crumpled not far from her, and now more horned figures begun to gather around her and fret over her.
What had happened? Things had been under control hadn't they? It had just been a scuffle, how could it have gotten this bad? Now Ibara was being dragged back. She blacked out again.
When she woke up, she was tied by the wrists with chains, her head down and on her knees. She was surrounded by more oni. Everyone yelled and screamed and called out in the name of someone. The council here was unsure of what to do with her.
When her eyes snapped open, her head jolted up, feverishly looking around at the crowd, who begun to aim their screams of fury at her. The oni cringed as some of her persecutors threw things at her in their rage.
The leader of this lynch crowd call to order and came to stand before Ibara, informing her that she was to be exiled for the act of murder and the destruction of the street of their home. The black haired girl pleaded for mercy, tears welling in her eyes, as she stuttered and slurred trying to convey she had never intended for this to happen.
From the back, suddenly, another oni rushed out grabbing Ibara by a horn and ramming her into the earth face first, causing not only a yelp from the unsuspecting victim, but a sickening crack as the horn he had grabbed snapped in his grip.
The male oni bellowed about the dishonor she was and the like as he was dragged behind the lines once more. Ibara was crumpled in the floor as another member of her species took the back of her shirt and pulled her to her knees once more. She hung her head, the side of her face that had impacted the ground bloodied and filled with dirt from the hit. The voices of the crowd was just a buzz in her ear, she fell silent after that hit.
All she felt afterwards, was her limp self being dragged out of the warmth of former hell, and placed outside the geysers. She was still unsure of how long she staid there before regaining consciousness and looking into the starry night.
When she felt strong enough, she sat and weeped for a while. Ibara had no idea what had just happened, she had lost friends, her home, a horn, and now she was stranded. With a pitiful look she stood and walked somewhere, telling herself she'd go as far as she could in her tired and raw body.
At some point she reached Youkai Mountain and fell into one of it's caves. She still continued to walk though, eventually having her knees give out. The oni simply collapsed where she was, once more hitting the rock.
At least this time she didn't crack a hole in the cave.With the collapse, came the feeling of falling, and she fell back into herself. Her eyes opened. At some point she must have rolled to put her face in her pillow. Ibara rolled to her side and looked out the window, she hadn't closed the shutters. Shame, she wasn't going to get up and fix that now. The oni rolled onto her other side and tried to sleep some more. She still felt tired so it didn't take her long to snooze once more. Time slipped through her fingers like sand. Once she collapsed, so did her spirt and mind. Ibara was not sure how much time she spent curled up on her side, she was sure she would black out for certain amounts of times. Time frames didn't work well in her mind, and when she least expected that Spider would be gone.
As time passed, her body grew more and more fragile. Finally one day, she rolled over to see what looked like a plate of food. With a blink, she pulled herself over and plucked an apple from the arrange, taking a tentative bite.
Once she deemed it edible, she rolled over to sit and dig in hungrily. Who knew when her last meal was? Food felt amazing in her stomach! It almost made her forget of her troubles. Once the food was gone, she felt her gloom return, and she fell like a tree to her side. This time with a filled belly, the oni slipped into real sleep.
In the dark of the cave, a side of her thrived. Like moss it'd grow on her, that stronger part of her that had kept her alive through those tough times where no food or drink was supplied. She begun to rationalize that those times where she blacked out, she was still conscious, wide awake in fact... But she didn't let it bother her. It was those lapses that brought cold relief to her pain and suffering, so instead of spiting it, she thanked it.
The food kept appearing, until at long last she caught that was leaving these small presents: A Stout woman, with pointy ears and a fanged grin. They exchanged few words, mainly due to the lack of mental integrity in Ibara, but soon the woman begun to come around more. Soon introducing herself as Yochi, a mole youkai.
The woman came around much, bringing Ibara food and a ligth conversation, slowly coaxing the oni back into sense. The one horned oni grew to like her company, and was soon on her feet ready to aid this mole in anyway to repay her kindness.
Ironically enough, Ibara woke with that thought. What a silly girl she had been. Believing Yochi was a kind woman. Must be some sort of joke, some joke someone thought would be funny to play on her. Ibara rolled onto her back staring at the ceiling above her. This was going to be a restless night. She still closed her eyes and let her fatigue take over. Working the mines wasn't so difficult or tough. Ibara had grown weak in her isolation, and she thought that was good. Yochi festered some sort of dislike for oni, so the weaker she could be, the better. Ibara was definitely strong by youkai standards, but she was weak by oni standards. So long as it was enough to keep Yochi pleased, Ibara needed no more.
Eventually Yochi dragged Ibara out and showed her what she did in the forest: Rob people. Ibara still had decency in her and she knew stealing was nothing good. The mole though, persuaded her with her rationale, so to make the oni comply to her wish.
They were soon robbing whoever Yochi targeted, in a very efficient way. What Yochi said, was done, and it all worked out. The one time it did not work out, Ibara found out just how messed up she really was.
A usual night it was, and after offering to help. Things would have been so much more different had they know those guys where Youkai. Soon the tables flipped and it was the two girls who where down.
Yochi, being smaller and not necessarily impressive, was easily wrenched down. One of them thought he'd be funny. He thought he could play with Ibara, and not lose but time. He was very wrong.
The flash of orange hid the blue in Ibara's eyes. From there, it all happen too fast. When she came to, the blood stained the grass of the forest, and she was once more on her knees, the back of her head pounding. Ahead of her she heard heavy breathing. Yochi was clinging to her shovel, panting.
When the two had caught their breath, Yochi explained the slaughter house she had witnessed. The mole worried of Ibara and rightfully. Soon the two discovered just what had grown in those caves when the oni blacked out and awoke without knowing so.
Yochi told Ibara she would make sure to keep her in check, while they figured it out. The mole kept her word best she could. At leas that night they got a nice bonus wallets.
Though a man escaped and told the story in his own twisted way.
The next few memories she encountered where filled by dark patches, and awakening sore and bear, with long cuts along her arms that would turn into her scars, all testaments to Yochi's constant attempt of survival against whatever lurked in Ibara's shadow.
Still, the mole let the oni stay, and for that, she thanked her.
Once more she awoke, this time just as she had slipped away. Her arms hurt just to think of the scars and of the constant blows Yochi handed down whenever something triggered her. She sighed once more rolling to see the sun slowly rising. The bartender figured she could take another small snooze before the sun hit her face like Yochi's shovel, so she would take the chance. She closed her eyes with another sigh and tried to get another twenty minutes of sleep. After Ibara grew tired of Yochi's games, they had a fallout. The oni stormed out of the cave punching a wall on her way out in a way that threaten to make the tunnel collapse in on itself. Ibara had grown tired of Yochi's bad taste and deceitful ways for earning money. A sober oni and all, she knew there had to be better ways to get what you needed.
The oni, once more homeless, took to living in the Forest of Magic, by one of it's many lakes. She would help humans and get them out of the forest with their supplies, usually earning a small commission.
After a few years of doing this, Ibara had gather quite a nice amount of money, and decided it was time to move into the human village. She built Club Youkai to be her home, and bought new clothes.
The oni would hide what she was, as she had renounced to what her kind was. While she had issues with that part of her, so long as she didn't get into conflicts it would all be fine.
So the rest was history. She met Yuuka, Byakuren, Selkie and all the rest of her kind friends who made her feel at home, who liked her for who she was, and accepted her no matter what. This new part of her life she loved and cherished: It was what she had lacked for countless years.
Ibara woke up once more, startled by a the moisture on her pillow. She then realized a few tears had escaped her sleep, as she remembered all she had to live for. With a small sigh, and a soft smile, the oni sat up, and wiped at her eyes. Still in bed she looked out the window, noticing it was time to get up, and get to work. The oni went about getting dressed. Shirt, pants, socks, suspenders. Carefully tying the white ribbon to her head and placing the cap on before placing her heavy boots on, she headed down, pretty much easing herself over the handle bar of the stair case and landing below without a cringe or pause. Opening the windows and unlocking the door, before going to slide over the counter. This is why she wore pants. She now waited for the usual drunks to come. Sure enough, soon the usual clients came and Ibara served up the drinks like only and Oni could. When they tried to make chat she simply walked away, bored by them. Many of the bar goes usually gossip of her, of how she has this bad vibe about her and how she serves them and leaves. Some say she is some demon, others that she is just an antisocial human. Either way they are wrong. The oni finds nothing in them, and some day, she hoped a friend would step inside. Just to show them she can smile.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:25 pm
The Spirit Shepard
Tebiki's and Fuzen's story The young girl was unsure of who she stood before. This was not her home. Forgotten her name, she had, and only memories of the answers to the questions she was asked she kept. She was knelt infront of a great figure, in a court of sorts, on one knee as she had been taught to do by her family of nobles. Her head staid bow through the interrogation she was given, while the venerable figure before her placed things on an odd and intricately designed balance. At long last the young girl dared to look up at the figure that sat on the chair behind the desk, tallying up her life's span. A green haired woman, with a silent power about her, and when the woman's glance found the girl's, she immidiately returned to looking down. "Stand, child," the figure extended a hand to signal the girl to stand. "There is naught to fear, so please, stand tall. The girl looked up, now the woman wielded a soft smile, which she could see behind the odd golden tool she wielded. With an awed face, she stood as instructed.
"I am Yamaxanadu Shikieiki, I am sure you have heard of the yama of paradise, but as of your young age,I doubt you where properly introduced to that which awaits for you after death."
The yama's extended hand soon had a mirror floating above it's palm, and she looked into it. She peered into the girl's confused eyes, and smile warmly. "Normally, you would await thirty two days in higan before being brought here, if not have to wait for the full sixty years... But, my ferryman noticed something in you. As I peer upon you, I see that as well."
"Your death was untimely," Shikieiki once more peered into the Cleansed Mirror,"And while you ran a clean and sane life, one in the path to Nirvana and rigtheous behaviour, your soul is also young, and unable to reach enligthment. It is quite tragic-" "Does this mean I am going to hell?!" The girl gasped, the tension of the entire situation made tears well up in her eyes,"B-but-" "Take a deep breath," Shikieiki snickered, with patient eyes,"You did nothing to merit such punishment. No, and while reincarnation would be the proper course of action, I am asking a much greater deed of you."
"But first, what is your name...?" "I am...Noroshi Tebiki.." The girl looked curiously,"Anything, Great Yama.." "A job," the yama continued," We need someone calm and soothing for this job... To easen and calm spirits after they pass on, and have them brought here, to the Sanzu, if they cannot find their way."
The cleansed mirror disappeared and her hand moved to set down the rod of remorse as she came to step down from her seat. "I will not lie and tell you it is an easy job. Like all those that work for the Ten Kings, it is highly demanding of your best possible attempt. It will give you no pay, but it would allow you to stay in this world as yourself, and aid all those who will find light in you." By now, the Yama stood by the flustered girl, and took her hands in a motherly way, "If you refuse, you will still go to Hakugyokurou and await your reincarcation, as proper. Turning this down will do nothing to your sentence, and I want you to chose upon this at your will. If you decide not to, we will wait and find someone else to do so." The girl looked at the yama's hands on hers,a sweat drop beading from this demanding option. Her parents always told her that to do the right thing was far more than doing what you considered comfortable. Here she was given a chance to aid the world, and its departing souls. She thought of how this job would help bring calm to the family of deceased members. New resolution sparked her eyes. "I will do it, Yamaxanadu-sama." "Splendid, I thank you deeply for this," The yama raised a hand tracing a circle before extending her arm to the side, as a staff appeared in her hand, a shiny red-steel looking staff, with a crescent moon on the tip and a small blade at the bottom. A shiny lantern hanged from it, a blue light in it.
"This, is the Guiding Beacon, a staff that will gather the spirits who have passed away." She held the staff for Tebiki to take,"You will carry this in a calm way, with your innocence as a being of light to guide all lost souls,...I trust you will wield it with pride and wisedom." ] The newly announced spirit herder took her new staff. Looking at it's pretty light she felt it's warmth wash over her, as a spirit herself, she felt how soothing it was. She nodded to Shikieiki,"I will do my best Yamaxanadu-sama!" The yama smiled as she went back to her seat,"I trust you will, please speak to Komachi, she will take you to where your assignment lies,I am sorry to quickly push you towards work, but we are in high demand as of now.""Thank you, Yamaxanadu-sama," She bowed and headed out, leaving a content Yama to her duties. --- Komachi was highly understandable and talkative, she was happy to see someone else working under Shikieiki, and was quick to give her tips on how to avoid trouble with the Yama. Tebiki's shy nature made her a bit awkward to respond to all of Komachi's quick comments, but she appreciated the kind face. Once to where she was dropped from where she was meant to walk to the village where to find the spirit that had lost her way. Tebiki bowed to Komachi who smiled and warned her to be careful with evil spirits. Tebiki walked through to the village, already surrounded by two or three spirits. She had been told she was looking for the spirit of a woman who had been lost for quite sometime, and threatened to become an evil spirit. Tebiki walked through the moonlight showered town looking around with a frown. It was like playing hide and seek without knowing the players. She roamed the village abit more, until a movement in ther corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning around and pointing the staff foward, she caught a young woman trying to hide behind the corner of a building. From her pale apperance, Noroshi could tell it was spirit. "Hello...Uhm, I a looking for... a woman name Yumi?" The shepard said, lowering the staff so she could see the woman clearly,"I am here, ... from...uh, past Higan..?"The woman peeked out a bit further, wearing a white robe, her face looked exhauster, and her brown hair was up by a ribbon, "I am Yumi...are you a Yama?" Tebiki shook her head stepping closer to Yumi, "I am a humble herder of souls, I was told to guide you to the Sanzu, where Onozuka-sama can aid you in crossing over." "But...I can't leave yet, I have things I didn't do..." The woman whimpered hiding behind the wall once more,"I wasn't meant to die...My husband..." Tebiki heard small sniffling, she felt sad at this,and walked to the wall looking around it to see the woman on the ground crying softly. She sat down by her, stabbing the staff into the soil. "I am sorry, I can't bring more comfort, Miss. I am absurdly new to my job... If there is things you must do, I will let you conclude them. I died too young as well...""You...just died?" The much younger girl nodded,"I can't remember much myself. When I woke the yama spoke to me, and gave me this job. I can understand if it feels like things where left incomplete...So I will take a bit of trouble for Yamaxanadu-sama, if you promise to come to me when you are done with that business." "Oh poor dear!" The woman gasped ceasing her weeping,"I am so thankful to you, I promise to come to you." "Then it's a deal," Tebiki smiled, standing and turning to walk,"I will visit you soon, Miss. Until then."With that the shepard left, thinking she had done a good job. Sadly, she made a big error. ---> Tebiki continued her duties, pretending this or that got in her way of collecting the soul of Yumi. Komachi was her share of suspicious but the shinigami let it slip. At last, in one occassion, Tebiki brought up what trouble her mind. As the two loaded some souls onto the boat, the Shepard leaned on her staff. "Hey, Onozuka-sama?""Yah?""Has a soul... Ever asked you for a little more time?"More time?" Komachi straigthened out from over the now loaded raft,"Do you mean as in ask for more time to do unfinished things?" The herder nodded. "Of course they have. They alway want more time. None of them ever want to stand before Shikieiki-sama. Tell a soul they have more time, and they will waste. That is just how mortals are, Tebi. They never have enough time, no matter how much you give them."
"Anyway, why do you ask? Don't tell me you made a beginner's mistake? If you did, no shame in that. Still, best if you resolve it." The shinigami got onto her boat, scythe in hand. "Don't worry, and get that resolved. And take care~""O-okay, Onozuka-sama!" Tebiki waved, amazed by the Ferryman's intuition. Now she knew she had to fetch the soul of Yumi. Or else.--->Once more, she went to Yumi's village. The village much changed had a stiff and tense air. The herder could hardly see any roaming humans. Eventually she went to the village's temple and asked to speak with the monks about this. Of course they immediately took her in, thinking she was a higher status spirit. They told her of an evil spirit that had haunted the village, hurting many that got in it's way. All the accounts pointed to a young woman, torn by her death at her beloved's hands. Right away, Tebiki knew her mistake, she suggested the sealing of the spirit, for herding her to the sanzu was something beyond her hope. The shepard promised to stay and aid the monks and nuns in this rite. Night befell them, and the sealing circle was ready, a nun even offered to sacrifice herself and further impair the evil spirit. Tebiki overwatched the preparations, staff in hands and soft bodied spirits circling her as always. Through the means of a weak sorceress's spell, they psummoned Yumi to the site, or rather dragged her there. Very unhappy, she appeared inside the sealing circle. "Why have you brought me here?" she hissedAs the monks and the like cowered back, Tebiki stepped up, pointing the staff at Yumi, "I have come to correct my mistake. By giving you time I allowed you to walk a stray path. Now, I must seal you, and never allow you to see light again.""So you have grown as a herder of spirits?" The woman mused from her placed inside the barrier, putting a hand on it and causing wild sparks as her hand burnt,"Well, I have grown as a demon."The woman smiled and brought back fist, punching the barrier and shattering it like glass. Before the herder had a moment to gasp, the wind of something rushing past her made her cross her arms (and staff) infront of herself, soon filling the dead silence by the screams of pain and maniacal laughter. Swooping around, she could see the grass be painted red by the blood of the various buddhist monks and nuns. The shepard hurried after the woman, followed by what few buddhists survived. They all split, a horrible mistake, but their only way to find the demon that was now ravaging the village. While Tebiki's desperate surge got her nothing, a blast of kinetic magic caught her attention, making her swerve around and run to the source. Her staff in both hands she reached the area, where a circle of magic had burned the grass where it was made. In the center stood one of the nuns that had served the temple, hugging herself and trembling violently. Tebiki hurried over, turning the nun around and holding her by the shoulders without letting go of her staff. It was obvious this woman had sealed Yumi in her body. "Listen to me, I am the guiding beacon of light, that which you see when you reach the end of your road," she spoke calming and soothingly. She would try to guide this noble woman through her fight with this demon.
"You are a noble soul, that follows the rigtheous path of Buddha. You sacrificed your body, and as you fight this demon, know that all of this village will be eternally grateful." The woman stopped shaking in her grasp and turned to heavily panting, the sweat visible. Tebiki thought it was over and sighed, when a disturbed smirk split the woman's face. She drew both hands back, as Tebiki cringed back, and planted both palms into the herder's abdomen, sending her rolling back and to a thunderous crash with a home that collapsed onto the girl. Things blackened for a moment, but she awoke when the sound of shrill child like screaming pierced her ear. Snapping awake the spirit girl sat up, digging out of the debris. "YUUUUMIIIIIIIIII!!!!!! She rose from the debris, her gray eyes ablaze with rage. Ahead the bloodied puppeetered body turned around to face the newly reawakened girl. She had a insane tired and bored look as she raised an eyebrow, "I thought you where dead. Did I not hit you hard enough?""You moron, I have been dead for ages," Tebiki walked out of the rubble, snapping her fingers. Her abandoned staff got impacted by a few spirits, sending it propelled to her hands. "You will pay for the destruction you have brought upon this innocent village that was not deserving of what you did." "Ufufufufu, have I angered you, Little girl?" The woman walked forward through the mangled bodies and pools of dark red liquid,"Your mistake has brought this upon these innocent people. Don't blame me.""I will end your existance." The spirit stood ready, staff wielded like a weapon,"You will regret your error once you stand before Shikieiki-sama,Yumi." "Oh please stop calling me by my mortal name, despite being bound to this disgusting human body," the demon said,"You may Call me Yumi, but to the world, I am Fuzen-mara. Demon of Temptation."Did she say MARA? As in MARA. The demon who had attempted to tempt Buddha? This was like a horrible nightmare! What had Tebiki created?! The spirit clenched her teeth, "What have I do..." "Doomed more than a village~" Fuzen laughed,"But alas, I must be on my way. Till we meet again, Young Shepard~"With that line, Fuzen took flight, and Tebiki followed by foot before collapsing to her knees. Not only was there pressure from a whole building collapsing in on her, but also the pressure of realizing she had made a horrible mistake, and lead to the creation of a demon. She remained on her knees, weeping, silent tears rolling from her cheeks. Her staff was stabbed into the ground, and one hand on top of the other as both her her staff. Her head was bowed, the salt of her tears mixing with the blood of the village she had been unable to save. --->Tebiki confronted Shikieiki on her error and quickly promised to find a solution for the new threat that she had given rise to. Shikieiki was forgiving, and allowed the spirit shepard to focus on stopping this menance whenever she had the chance. That said and done, Tebiki set out to look for Fuzen-mara. She tied a black ribbon to her arm, in sign of permanent mourning over those she had doom with her foolish innocence. --->She spent various days searching, looking for this woman that had slaugthered a village. For years she failedl to find her, and the herder soon lost hope of finding her. Until one day. Rumours of a mysterious woman reached her ears. She leaved outside the forest of magic, in a humble shack. The gossip said she was a witch of bad vibe, and her description fit perfectly of that of the culprit she searched for. The herder staid outside, watching this shack with predatorial eyes, this may be the one she searched for. At long last, the demon stepped out, apparently about to head for a nice day of shopping. It disgusted Tebiki to see her smiling in her careless way. She took her staff and pointed it. A streak of blue with an arrow like tip flashed out, and struck the demon on the shoulder, knocking her into the wall of her home. Fuzen quickly stood, holding her now bleeding shoulder and looking around with a snarl, "WHO GOES THERE?! SHOW YOURSELF SO I MAY ERASE YOUR EXISTANCE FROM THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH!The shepard stepped out, solemnly, staff in hand and a trail of ghosts in her wake, "Have I angered you, little girl?" She said in a mockingly cold voice, echoing the words Fuzen first spoke to her upon taking the nun's body,"I care little, I have come for your soul, Fuzen-mara. A sneer cracked Fuzen's lips, "My. You haven't aged a bit, my old friend." The blood seeped through her fingers as she held her shoulder, she was obviously in no state to fight, already backed into the wall of her home.Tebiki pointed her staff at Fuzen,"I will be taking you now." The lamp of her staff gave off a blinding lighr and when she knew it, Fuzen was before the Yama herself. The weighing had been done, as had the paperwork, all while Fuzen was unconscious from Tebiki's none bodily attack. "In truth, I did not have to sentence or ponder upon it. Demon Fuzen-mara, you are most obviously guilty of all that plagues the path of Mara. I sentence you to permanent sealing hell, where you will never see nor hear from another being in your entire existance.""WHAT HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Fuzen cried out as two of the worked of hell picked her up and ragged her to her new resting place. She spotted Tebiki, standing not far with her staff upon a shoulder and spirits circling her, "YOU. YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS SHEPARD! YOU WILL CRY OVER THIS DAY YOU HEAR?! YOU HEAR?!" Tebiki watched as Fuzen was dragged out, and listened as her yells of complaint faded away. Thinking she was rid of that problem, the shepard turned away and resumed her duties as rightfully so. ---> Decades passed, and nothing bother Tebiki's work or life. She grew to love herding the soft and lost ghosts she found, quickly growing used to their silent company. She may have lost some of her social skills but she gained intuition and senses that only in this job she could gain. The girl matured mentally, but never physically, stuck in her teen-like-body for the rest of her existence. She came to terms with this, for it made her more appropriate for her job of guiding and soothing ghosts. For ages, she lived without a problem. Everything was silent until she was called by a monk in a village she frequented. Coming to the call, Tebiki heard the story of a young girl with odd markings a vivid red wings. No doubt a demon of sorts. The girl understood this wise man had related this to the demon that had haunted her for years, as there was similar issues with this new wined girl. Tebiki nodded and asked of him to band the most powerful Mages and Monks he could find. They where to storm the capitol of former hell, and go into Mara's shrine, to see for themselves if the demon withing was still in its bondage. ---> Tebiki gathered with the monk and his aid, and led them to Mara's shrine, always keeping her staff's light alive to guide the crowd. They soon found Mara's shrine over a decrepit old bridge. Tebiki came inside first, finding the winged girl there (after she told the buddhist to stay outside.) "Stand aside. I have come for Fuzen-Mara," Tebiki pointed the staff at the girl,"You best move out of the way, Child.""My name is Katrina and I am no one's child," the winged girl responded,"I am the Seven Sin Youkai, and I will never let you tough Master Fuzen.""So she created you? Foolish human! You lost so much to her! And not you seek to defend her?" The shepard took a step forward,"I suggest to step aside, or else." "I won't!" Katrina raised a hand and a spear formed, before Tebiki had a word, the sinful youkai dashed for her.The spirit easily blocked the spear with her staff, giving a small word of "give up" before pushing Katrina back and releasing blue-flame-like danmaku that begun to pollute the area.Katrina herself sent out orbs of dark danmaku to the shepard. Their danmaku clashed kicking up dust and the like from the shrine's ground. In the dust, Tebiki could see little, until from the mist the winged demon rose, taking flight with her spear ready. The spirit ran forward, planting her staff into the planks and pushing herself over in a kick at the slightly confused girl. The kick landed, and the two came down into the planks, more dust kicking up. From the cloud Tebiki jumped out, turning around as a light glinted in the cloud. " Sinful Sign ~ Colorful Greed" The spiral and colorful danmaku moved around, every four a pillar of red danmaku circles would lash out. The spirit jumped up, running through the beams of the shrine to graze the danamku. Tebiki landed once more as Katrina's spellcard timed. The shepard ran foward, with all the intention of whacking the demon with the staff. Katrina took out a card,"Sinful Sign~ Wrath's Heat!" A Pillar of spiralling black fire spin around Katrina as the other girl ran through. Having been mid attack, the staff impacted with the firey hell that Katrina gave rise too. Noroshi grintted her teeth still trying to go through. A card's image flashed in the blue fire of her staff's lamp,"Guiding Sign~ Blizzard of a Thousand Years " The staff begun to turn an ice-white, the light of the staff flickered out before bursting out with a blue beam worthy of a Masterspark, cutting through Katrina's spell and ultimately letting the remaining spell, and Tebiki's staff hit her head on. Tebiki sighed as she stood over the demon who was now immobilized in the plankless floor. "I told you to stand down, now tell me where Fuzen-mara is.""Hurting Katrina will get you nothing." Tebiki looked up, as a dark ligthig strik hit her trough the chest, sending her backwards into the floor."...!"While she caught her breath, Fuzen knelt by Katrina, pulling the demon up partially to craddle her head to her chest. "I...am... Sorry Master Fuzen-Mara...NGH-.... I have failed you...""Nonsense, dear. Sh, sh, It will be fine." Fuzen scooped up the demonic shrine maiden and placed her by the altar of the golden wall."I want you to rest now. That spell looked painful. We will talk in the morning, do you head?""Ma-...master-" Katrina passed out after that. Tebiki had gotten up using her staff as a crutch. The demon Fuzen still was knelt by her unconscious shrine maiden, head bowed, and her shadow thrown onto Tebiki by the shadows at the altar. "You. Why do you ruin everything?"I told you, I promised to never let you see light again. I, unlike you, keep to my promises." The girl responded, once more to her full height. Despite being a spirit, some blood flowed from the wound Fuzen Had Handed. "I am here to seal you once more. I am sorry to disrupt the life of your follower." Fuzen stood turning, and coming down the set of stairs that lead to the altar, the glow of the candles, and her solemn face, eyes filled with poison that could kill. "I will make you pay for forsaking my shrine."
She reached the center of her shrine, black spirits suddenly appearing, a deep contrast to Tebiki's white fluffy looking ghosts. "I will let you see Mara's true power.""You will fall, Fuzen-mara. As you did years ago." The staff raised and stood ready. She appeared a pitchfork like weapon, and pulled a spellcard,"Izanami's Lament~ Jiangshi's Love."The lingering spirits flied out, as more unearthened themselves. Collisions would result in explosions of more danmaku, pelleting the shepard into crossed arms infron of her. When she looked up, Fuzen took her down, pinning her down to the floor in a single move. The staff rolled out of her hand, along with the spirits that followed it. The pitchfork stabbed in her right arm, causing her to yelp. Fuzen's knees buckled at Tebiki's sides, causing incredible amounts of pressure or the girl's ribs. One of Fuzen's hands rested on her victim's other arm while the other gripped the front of Tebiki's shirt. "You must be getting old, you where much smarter back in your day, Shepard." Fuzen grinned wildly," Now that you are in Mara's home, it may be time for you to walk a different path." Her hand moved to take Tebiki's chin,"Unlike buddhism, Mara's path pays in more ways than one~"When Fuzen moved her hand, Tebiki snapped her fingers, and the staff was once more propelled by the ghosts their way, hitting Fuzen right off Tebiki. The brave spirit swiftly reached over and, gripping the pitchfork, yanked it out of her arm, with a gasp. She rolled to her feet throwing the staff to the side and snapping her fingers once more, calling the staff to her hand. Fuzen was dazed to say the least and she was barely getting up when Tebiki's staff shaft impacted her neck and threw her back into a coughing fit. "I see you are a smug demon, worthy of the name 'mara' as a surname." The staff's lamp flashed once more with the image of a spellcard,"It is time for you to be finally sealed, Fuzen. And I regret having been a cause for your decisions, for your errors along our path." The shepard used the crescent moon decal of her staff to flip Fuzen over and placed it under Fuzen's chin. "Had you kept your promise, you would have reincarnated already. The fate your brought upon yourself..." She looked to Katrina,"Upon that girl... It cannot be forgiven." The spellcard appeared in her hand. "I ask for your forgiveness, but do not want it either way. I lost my anger towards you long ago, and it was replaced by disgust, and now it has turned into pity."
She shifted her staff, "Higan Sign~ Guiding Beacon." The staff gave off a blinding light of blue spectral glint, before it exploded in a full out kinetic wave that focused in a four five meter radius. When it cleared, Fuzen was unconscious and the spirit leaning on her staff.Tebiki called the monks forward, telling them the demon would be unconscious for several days, and that it would give them time to seal her elsewhere, In Youkai Mountain. While her spells where none bodily attacks, their cleansing powers where twice as effective upon demons and evil spirits. The monks bowed and moved on, taking Fuzen-mara with them. Tebiki looked back, and pondered on staying with the girl and trying to ease her back into Buddha's path, but seeing the vibe of ill intent she gave off and her devotion to Fuzen, she knew that would be hopeless. With a sigh, the shepard left with her trail of ghosts, leaving the sinful youkai behind her. ---> Fuzen Was sealed in the caves of Youkai Mountain, where yet a third seal was placed upon her body, and induced into a forced slumber. Katrina awoke, and having lost her deity, lost even more of herself to the darkness that enveloped her. The demonic shrine maiden promised to keep the shrine running for her master's return. She had hopes of seeing her Master some day... ----> She lived on, working and herding spirits to Komachi, enjoying the time she got to spend with all of the deceased spirits. In her time she saw little like Fuzen, and never allowed another spirit to stray from it's path. Tebiki learned her lesson. The guiding light of the dead. The beacon of light you see in the end of your road. That was what she was. Never neglected a spirit, never allowed a spirit to stray. For she was their shepard, and she loved what she did. Not a day passed, where she did not thank the great Yama of Paradise for the opportunity she was given. Occasionally, the herder would stray from her usual path, and visit the village of a friend of hers. She would walk the deserted and emptied streets, where some stains had not been washed by the years of rain and wind. She would find the wall where a saddened young woman used to hide, and would sit where she sat to talk with this woman. She would walk to where she had held the nun that shook and trembled to her core. To the building that collapsed over her younger self. Vividly, she could see the slaughtered bodies and pools of blood. There, she would kneel on one knee and with both hands on her staff, bow her head in the memory of those that had perished to the hand of the demon of temptation. And she mourned over the children. Mourned over the fathers, mothers, brothers,sisters. She mourned for the brave that fought the demon. She mourned over the woman who she had allowed to stray. Tebiki never forgot the consequences of her errors. The black ribbon on her arm was testament to that. And still, she held her head high, for she was meant to be a calming sight to those that approached her. As she told Shikieiki, she did her best and never stopped to try to do better. Such was the life of the spirit shepard.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:37 pm
The moon. It was above her head wasn’t it? She couldn’t feel, or was this her being super sensitive. She was looking at the starry sky above her eyes, spinning with the dizziness. She had her arms out to the sides of her, her heart was still pounding. That sticky feeling…. Of blood drying in the night chill. She could hardly move, she knew that if she did, she would see the wonderful glint the red fluid had under the moon’s light. She felt someone stir by her, the grass was displaced as someone sat by her, taking another space.
Had she lived like this for a long time? It felt as if she had just woken from an eternal nap. The sound of metal, clinking against rocky soil. “That may have been a bit too much. You may have as well pulled out their guts, and you would have made less of a mess.” At last she was coming to. The stars, they were so pretty…. She reached a hand up to the sky, in her odd state, it felt as if she could let them slip past her fingers. In her child-like amusement, with a smile that cut through the dried blood on her face. Time to hear the sound of metal clinking to bone. Oh, there were new, brightly colored stars that slipped past her fingers and mental grasp, as she cradled her now bleeding nose. It smelled sweet. ” What is up with you? You are worse than usual. By now, you are usually complaining about the blood and how hard it will be to get it out of your dress.” The oni was holding to the blood that was pooling in her grasp.
Now she was feeling more than the numbing pain, yes, there was the cut of dirtied blades, of sins carried upon bullets, she wringed a bit, rolling onto her side, away from the mole youkai next to her, speaking through her hands. “W-why did you-you do that—I was… comin’ b-back already-“ Her stuttering had worsen as of the last few months, Yochi had noticed this that, and Ibara knew that. She tried to steady herself, sitting up, giving up on stopping the rushing blood. Why was she covered in blood? Another lapse? She didn’t feel this one coming either. Was she getting worse?
Without waiting for the question, Yochi begun to answer. A quick glance to the mole, as Ibara sat, revealed the mole herself was sprayed with blood. She was cleaning her glasses on her poncho. ” We got ourselves a nice gang o’ fighters. You just lapsed out faster than I expected, so I couldn’t stop you until after you splattered their brains all over a couple rocks… I gotta give ya props. The tree stunt was pretty neat. Next time, don’t wait till they are looming over me. The tree almost killed me too.” The mole took the shovel that had human and oni blood on it, and stood. ”Come on, it’s almost sunrise.” With that she begun to lead the way out, not caring if Ibara was capable of even standing.
It had been like this for a while now.
Yes, it was far more than Ibara’s stuttering worsening. Her mental state had degraded so much, it was like when she had stumbled into the caves. She stuttered and slurred like a drunk at times. Her hands shook ad trembled, hardly able to stay steady if she was not holding on to something. Ibara hardly talked, unless addressed to, and even then her answers were short and had little detail. Yochi noticed all this, and it stressed the oni even more; the mole had to see use in Ibara, or else, would the mole get rid of her, like she did of with all the workers she found? They spent time like this, and even if Ibara did not notice, Yochi did try to aid the oni. Yochi always had Ibara’s hands on something, be it the shovels, pick-axes, or wheel barrows. The mole kept her busy at all times, feeling lanterns or simply moving things around for no good purpose. She was no medical aid, and Yochi feared that if she softened, Ibara would leave her. The two went about their own business and attitudes, not letting the other know what was going wrong.
Nights after that last night, where Ibara’s last lapse had been in matters of split seconds, the two returned from a similar trip. Yochi overall, was okay, scrapes here and there. Ibara was, as always, bathed in blood. The oni’s look was glazed, and the mole doubted she had completely come back from that deranged mentality. “Bad night, we hardly got anything. Next time we should try to get their things, then you can do with them as you see please. Mh. That may work nicely. Next time, let me talk before you try to scare ‘em with your fists or whatever.” Hearing no response, an empty feeling took the miner. It was like when her parents said they were listening to her mapping ideas, and they were actually just minding some other affair… but this felt worse. It was more like the silence she first felt when she realized her family was gone from the caves, and that no one would ever miss her. “Ibara, are you lis--!” She had not spun around ninety degrees when she saw Ibara’s fist coming for her face. The mole lunged backwards, holding her shovel ready. ”Gah--!” The mole tried to back step as Ibara shadowed her steps.
The mole bumped into the wall and as she held the shovel across her chest in lieu of blocking, Ibara gripped the shovel and crushed it in her hand. The mole was ready to retaliate, but the length of Ibara’s arm impacted on Yochi’s neck, and pushed her up and against the wall, getting the mole clear off the ground.
Youji thought’s circled and circled. She had to get out of this. Her lungs clawed for more air, her nails digging into Ibara’s skin. The oni took Yochi’s hair, and put her head up against the wall. The stout woman soon managed to focus in the oni’s features. The piercing blue eyes. No this was not Ibara at her worst; it was Ibara at her best. It made Yochi crack a twisted grin, realizing this was just Ibara in her sane mind, finally snapping at her. Great, so she wasn’t a spineless pile of bones. “Your turn to listen to me.”
Yochi Gave Ibara a, “Do I really have a choice” look.
“Enough of me getting my hands dirty. Enough killing.ENOUGH. I won’t take the blame for the garbage you cause. No. You are on. YOUR. OWN.” That was it. Ibara dropped Yochi and turned taking her leave and leaving the mole to gasp for a bit. That in itself was a shock. The mole couldn’t quite stand. Ibara was leaving. How..?
” You are going to elapse, then you will lose all you had and ever got!” The mole yelled after Ibara. “You are going to destroy everything, and you will die! You won’t last a day in the world!”
”Then I will take my chances.”
Yochi listened to the fading steps. The oni left. That had been it. With that, Ibara left the caves, telling herself she would never let anyone like Yochi take advantage of her. Too bad, the mole had done enough to twist Ibara into a perfect tool. Ibara’s hands eventually steadied, she didn’t stutter at all, ad eventually her elapsing was only part of her dream like nightmares. She never got over opening her eyes in the dark room, thinking a mole had dragged her back into the caves.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 2:34 am
Her eyes opened mid-night. Above her was the engravings of the map of gensokyo; those she had mapped from stories of the older kids that had been outside. She was shorter than most. So, when Yochi wished to work in her small den's (her room) intricate decor, she would stand on a stool she had made herself. The room itself was about two meters wide and three long. She wasn't afraid of the bullying of the other kids here. They all promised to never enter each other's rooms.
She had a cot against the width of the room, where she slept. A straw pillow and an old rag for a blanket. The caves where cold in the night, but the young mole was used to it. She threw her legs over the side of the cot rubbing at her eyes. A small jump, and yochi was walking to the stool of her room, the one she used as a table. Her eyes needed no light, she had never seen light, aside from those produced by the explosions of dynamite. The only notable thing in her room was rock shelves she had made by hefting them around. All the levels filled by books she had found, lots of maps, and drawings of the tunnelings of the Youji Caves.
Even for one of the dozen children of the caves, Yochi was odd. Something were to crash most would scamper away like rabbits, while the curious child would draw closer, inspect the debris and take note of it in the small notepad she had; her cherished posession.
Tonight she looked over her new notes and begun to look at the mapping on her room's walls (the roof was reserved for the map of Gensokyo.) "Collapse in tunnel 172... Three o' seventy." Her own short hand notations. Thousands of numbers neatly arranged to make things easier. Taking the notepad and the rock knife, she trailed the knife across the wall, looking for tunnel 172. When she found it, she engraved the new dent upon it's right wall at a 95 degree angle from Dent 2,079. That done she proceeded to the road block that split tunnel 237 , creating a new Tunnel, promptly numbered 904. Then to brand the dynamited site in tunnel 591, opening a new connection to tunnel 47. Notes made. Yochi tucked the notepad into her pocket. She had a few hours till her shift started, the little youkai, not 4'10 tucked herself back into the cot and snoozed .
It was one of her brethren that woke her up, through She couldn't remember his name, probably one of the younger kids. He did it by means of clashing two shovels from behind the curtain that served as a door. Yochi rolled over, slipped on her boots, tied them, and took the bandanna around her neck. She didn't hesitate on this. One time she didn't feel like getting up; Her father took care of that. The dreaded ruler punishment. Except here, the ruler was of tough Leather hardened upon a slab of rock. Five hits of that was enough to knock the even largest children cold out, if not push them towards their graves. In any case, The bandanna served for a sort of mask, to keep some of the dust off her face and nostrils. She hurried out, bowing a thank you to the child who quickly scampered off to bed. Breakfast.
Yochi nibbled on bread, and the mysterious liquid that seemed to be black and thick with what looked like oil but tasted like coffee. She sat next to her favorite sibling, Misao, who was about as old as herself.
Misao was the only one who ever listened to Yochi's ingenious tunneling ideas, ranging from conveyer belt like chains of work with interchangeable assembly lines. One time Yochi tried to talk to their mother about this. The small mole was told to go back to work, and that was how she lost her first notebook; to the fires of the kitchen stove.
The two mole girls scurried along when it was time to work. They always worked side by side, and chatted about what they could in their reclusive lives. Yochi wanted to go out and learn everything she could about the buildings that the outside seemed to have, while Misao wanted to read and learn about hiakus, things like literature was what she loved. Sometimes Misao would break out in a chain of hiakus, stringing one to the other, like a song. Yochi would home along to the rhythm her sister came up with. Misao visited Yochi's often, and the host would share the few books she had.
Misao and Yochi did call each other sisters, while most of the other moles where just Youjis. Misao would defend Yochi if ever she saw the girl be bullied or harassed. Yochi would archive everything she could amass, if anything for Misao.
Death was common in the caves. So much was this, there was never any funeral or anything. Miaso and Yochi where of the oldest mole children of the Youji family, only out aged by a few others. Yochi would learn first hand how cruel this rule was; one day she simply found a new working kid in Misao's den. The action of stepping into another mole's room ended in her being punished.
Hands tied to a rock. Fifty 'ruler impacts', and the other children agree to this punishment. The weirdo had defiled the most important rule to them, she deserved it. Surrounded by what people would call her family, the grandfather was in charge of hanging down the punishment. Dozens of tiny piercing glances stabbed into Yochi. A sturdy old mole of 5'9, strong with centuries of cave work, bringing down the ruler with all his power on a 4'8 framed girl.
Yochi did go through it. She did it without letting out a single whimper, even as the leather of the rock slab cut through her, or as it hit her shoulder and almost dislocated. She bit back every complaint, and thought of her dear Misao, forever gone.
When the beating ended, Yochi clung to consciousness, when one of the Youji's cut the rope that released her hands after having held her up to it, she felt feint. She didn't give, all she did was steady her legs, clench her fist, and, with her head high, she walked out to the deeper ends of the cave. Blood stained the rock slab in the old mole's hand.
One of the elder Youji, she found her way to the darkest cave, to the deepest chamber. Once there, she leaned her shaking arms on the rock, in front of her. She bowed her head and cried for the first time in a long time. She yelled and kicked, she punched the cave wall with all her strength, again and again. Eventually, she had rubbed down to the bone, and was forced to stop. Yochi collapsed there and cried for her sister.
After that her entire attitude change. She sought to take advantage of the younger children, she would miss her shift, and go through the entire day without eating a bite. She wouldn't even be in her room. She would roam the tunnels she had charted herself. When ever she was caught, she would earn the beatings. Fifth, Sixth, even seventy beatings of the ruler, but the mole never gave a whimper nor a voice of complaint.
When the oni moved not far, Yochi begun to see her precious tunnels be moved and shifted even faster than she could chart; one of the rumbled produced by the oni partying destroyed her room, along with all in it. Her walled maps, her books, her archived notebooks,.... Misao's hiakus. It was another round of cave beating from the mole, and her behavior got even worse.
Her back was toughened by the time her beatings reached the hundreds. She could go through it still without a whimper. With the constant cavings, Yochi gave up in mapping the tunnels, she would roam the tunnels and sometimes... Watch the night from two hundred meters away.
She could escape, but the outside scared her like no other thing did. So, she would sit here, and watch the night before disappearing to avoid her work.
Eventually, all the Youji gave up on working those mines. The eldest begun to gather things for the great move. They hunted down Yochi for that, they told her of what they planned, they had the derelict of the Youji's craft a lengthy and well thought plan for it. She was happy to help as it lowered her beatings by twenty strikes.
Soon the Youji's moved; and Yochi staid behind. She had the best knowledge of the tunnels and all she did was hide in the emptiest darkest tunnel, and didn't come out until she could hear her own heartbeat.
The silence and darkness around her. That was all she felt. No remorse. No regret. No sort of shame. The first thing she did was take Misao's old den, and worked there. That would be her home. And then, she dug. And dug. And dug. Never stopping to think of a reason, her parent's words resounding in her every shovel-ful.
Now grown Yochi lived by those words, she would mutter them to herself to fill the cave's silence. Her father's words,"Don't hand your heart to anyone they will steal it. Don't trust them with your life either, they will erase you. Don't hide your mistakes, they will come back and burn you."
They will come back and burn you She would never lie of who she was and what she did.
Her mother's words filled her in loneliness. "You will end like me. This is the last time I will speak to you, as you are a troublesome little girl... If you want to have a life, don't fear progress."
You will end like me No. Yochi would be more than a locked woman in her caves, she would meet the outside world. She would go out, and hope to make it to the other side. The mole grew alone, in her mapped cave, never stopping to think of why she was digging.... But there was a reason.
She wanted to find her sister. The memories of the Youji's faded away, while the picture of the young mole girl who she lived with burned in her mind for the rest of life.
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:35 pm
Delusions Of Derelicts
The Plotting of the Crime Long before the rumbles of the earth begun, deep within the earth, the first hints of the plan that would turn into an incident sprouted. It started when the demon, once known as Katrina, found fit to remodel the Shrine she inhabited. The only one willing to work for her a quirky, stout mole who always had an unusually heavy shovel with her. The mole was a hard worker, and soon the remodelations where completed. Still, the miner youkai, known as Yochi, continued to visit. It bothered Livid that she could not elicit any sort of rash behavior from the mole, who usually grinned in her twisted way, collected and cool as ever. "You can't make a sinner out of someone who does not believe in sin," she would say every time, while stealing some more of the demon's food. In reality, not being able to stir anything from Yochi brought her hollow comfort. The mole was not remotely scared of Livid like every other trespasser had been, and with no sort of power over her, the demon had no fear of earning lies from the shameless mole. While Livid grew to like Yochi (much like a hornless oni had in her time) the miner collected information from their talks. Yes, she had heard this girl to be the Seven Sin Demon, in older ages, the devote follower of one of Mara's Daugther, a temptress that had strayed from the path of the enligthened one long, long ago. Her memory served her well, and finding it interesting that she remembered a certain chamber in Youkai Mountain with a set of seals that prevented any entrance, she knew that in there, slept Livid's Master. Of course she did not speak until she was sure! The mole took a trip to Youkai Mountain, following traces of her memories to find the Sealed Chamber, as it was branded from the outside. The blood red paint engraved Mara's name upon it. The first seal was simple: a puzzle like thing that involved moving various slates into the proper positioning. It took two seconds of staring for Yochi to move it into place. The seal melted away, rumbles erupted, and the pressure of malevolent power that had been unaired for centuries surged. It was paralyzing, but the mole grinned and continued. The second seal was a riddle. Nothing difficult; Yochi figured the answer was the name of the village the demon had destroyed upon her early awakening into Mara's Path. Prithee, I had originally thought these monks where unschooled from their first seal, I suppose this second one lack a knob to turn. It took her about a minute to figure "uncleaned ink" could be one's blood. With the edge of her shovel, she slit her forefinger, and proceeded to write the kanji of the village. Another rumble, more pressure of magic, and the Sealed Chamber was opened to anyone who found. She peered onto the seal that most certainly held the temptation demon behind it, she could just feel the hatred that had piled up behind it. She removed her dark glasses and examined the walls." Well, aren't they a bunch'a cunnin' little bastards...." She muttered under her breath. This needs the blood of a "Willing, Devoted Follower with no Ill Intent." Anyone in their right mind would know what they are doing by releasing Mara's Daugther. This riddle is a bit tougher than the last... OH yes, Livid. She will open this for me. Once she is frustrated by it, she will figure it out, and open it, only thinking of wanting her Master back, not of what it would mean to Gensokyo. I won't tell her how to solve it that'd be it-- Another earthquakw shook the mountain. The miner mole looked around, all too used to mountain's crumbling by her. These Earthquakes are bound to continue. The Tengu guard will be extra alert... This energy, it will also throw many youkai out of their right mind, getting the Tengu even more on edge. Perfect. They won't allow anyone to enter out of pride. They will keep people out of our way. Of course that means we will have to get through them. Ibara. Yes, that oni will be of help. I will just have her promise to help me or something. A letter will bring her over, no questions asked. With Ibara out of the surface, Yuuka will worry as well. Aaaaah the Flower Master of The Four Seasons, it has been a while. She will be in my game as well?
Fine. A letter to her to. To bring her to Mara's shrine, in order to inspect some odd floweers; those that grow in Livid's altar. I won't warn the demon, maybe she will socialize with Yuuka, once Yuuka get prying -as usual- Livid will take care of her. That youkai is as much sinner as anyone, the demon should have it easy. If Yuuka decides to come after us, then the other Youkai can mind her, and if all else fails; Ibara will hold her down. Ibara wins, Yuuka dies, Yuuka wins, she will be too worried to leave Ibara's side. That's one less thing to worry. All other Exterminators need to be stalled just long enough for Livid to figure out the riddle on her own. The tengu and youkai, plus Ibara, and myself if need be, can get that dealt with.
I think that is all. Yes. That will work quite nicely. Gensokyo, Let the Games Begin! A laugh echoed off and out the No-Longer-Sealed Chamber. Before The Sin Pity. Yuuka defeated Livid with hardly any exertion. Yochi came back as her timing had been perfectly calculate. Instead of finding Yuuka unconscious, it was Livid she found bleeding over her pretty dress. Yochi herself took care of Livid's wound, saying as she wrapped the demon up," No plan is ever perfect. Your plan is at it's best when it has tunnels channeling off. That is to, that no, my plan is still perfect. The most flawless plans are the ones that are so flexible, they adapt to whatever comes your way. Hehe, Victory has more than one meaning~" Cryptic little thing, all she did after her small speech was ask," My friend should be coming to us tomorrow. Will You be Ready By.... Mh, let's see.... Mail Delivery, Reading, Travel to the Underground.. Locating... by Twenty till one? If my calculations are correct, she will be around then.""Yes, is that a question?! A few scrapes won't keep me from struggling to free Master Fuzen-mara!""That's the spirit~" Yochi smiled as she tied the last bandage, "I will see you tomorrow then, as we recruit one more member to our noble cause~"Mara's Sword In Weak Hands As Yochi had predicted, almost on the dot. The tacking of heavy working boots impacting on rock then on plank, the tall figure, with black hair past her waist, looked around tense. The dark shrine, with darker intents yet, it made her edgy. Yes, Ibara had entered the Former Capitol upon Yochi's call. A letter urging her to come and help her with important matters that could not be discussed as they could compromise the mole. She had snuck through the back. No one recognized her anymore so it was not an all too difficult task. She took a few steps into the shrine, she peered onto the golden engraved wall, in front of it an altar with dark flowers. As an oni, Hinarasu had never heard of any such flowers blooming in the underground , and she curiously walked to it. The bartender reached for the flower, but it felt as if the sky fell on her, pinning her to the plank floor. Ibara grunted, her fist clenching as she readied to lift off, a knee nailed the small of her back, and an arm locked over her shoulder blade. Shadows from wings where thrown over her. Ibara begun to panic, to slip, the fear of death clawed at her to let it loose and fight this menance. From the way this figure buckled itself over her, it was someone smaller than her, how much danger could someone this small be?! "Tsk, tsk~ If you lapse, you will get in trouble again. Are you willing to lose you head, in a literal way~? The mole's feet appeared in front of Ibara's immobilized shape. "Yochi!" The oni snarled up at the mole. Yet another trap from the blonde woman. The next Conversation ensued quickly, as Ibara was no longer capable of a long conversation or word games; Just like Yochi had predicted, any paused filled by the impact of a shovel upon a head, with the clink of horns hidden against the metal. "So, are you willing to help me?"
"In what?"
"We are freeing a demon, Mara's daugther."
"Stupid."
"Yeah. Aren't you wonderful. One word at a time, we will never finish. So how about try harder?"
"Screw you."
"Okay that's two."
Pause
"Okay, let's try that again."
"...."
"I will do the talking until I ask you to talk. Deal?"
"...."
"I will take that as a yes."
"This is simple, Oni." No longer addressing her as Ibara." You will promise to not let anyone intervene with our plan. Feel that one on your back? That's the seven demon sin, isn't she wonderfully helpful? It was so easy to trigger you with her. Now, we could simply trigger you through it."
"Go to hell."
Pause
"Three words. You are getting better."
"..."
"Promise to help us, and not let anyone intervene, and we let you stay sentient. Does it sound good?"
"No."
"Oh, still there?"
Pause
"Let's try it again."
"No."
Pause
"Stubborn, as always. Come on, I can promise you won't have to hurt your friends."
"No you can't."
"Sure I can."
A spark in Ibara's orange eyes catch her attention.
Yochi frowned, she knelt in front of Ibara, leaning down, before roughly taking Ibara's face in her hand, sharp nails digging into her cheeks. " My. Aren't you a surprise. You are still there. I hadn't seen you scratch through this."Ibara grinned at Yochi's closeness. With enough strength to buckle Livid back onto her legs, her hand shot out and gripped Yochi's neck. The mole gave a yelp, quickly taking the shovel and staking it into Ibara's shoulder. Livid had the same reaction, she rolled back onto Ibara and stabbed her spear into her shoulder. The spear nailed her, and the spade cut her deeply forcing Ibara's face into the plank and to release Yochi. The mole fell back panting, rubbing her neck. "You smart b*****d! I never saw that one coming!" Yochi rolled onto her feet, taking the shovel and ramming onto Ibara's head several times. The oni buried her face in her arms, biting into one of them to prevent her yelps. Too prideful to let the aggressors know that it hurt. She was still clinging to her mental sanity, so she could steal feel the pain vividly. Seeing stars another quick set of words. "I can see your blood. Come on. Promise to not let anyone intervene and help us in what we need."
"No."
Pause
"So. Promise. "
"No."
Pause
"Promise."
"NO."
Pause
"Promise."
"... o-okay..."The oni seemed beat, the beastly orange glow of her eyes turned to submissive blue, her face in her arms. "Say it. 'I promise to stop anyone that tries to intervene and help Yochi and Livid.' Come on."Ibara didn't lift her head as she growled in stutters," I pr-promise to stop any... Anyone tha-that tries to intervene and help... He-help Yochi and Livid." As she said that, Livid removed the spear and her weight from Ibara leaving her alone in the plank floor. "We just need to get you a better more intimidating out. Maybe that way no one will recognize you that way~"The next part was a bit annoying, more than the fact that she was forced to help, but that she was forced out of her usual outfit. Yochi wrenched her down, took the headband and hat and turned to sharpen the stubs of Ibara's horns, sharpening them to look like miniature spikes rather than horns. That done, Yochi pulled out some armor shoulder guards. They where heavy and cumbersome, but Ibara got used to them. Yochi took a broken chest guard to place it on her. Ibara secured it to her abdomen with one of the belts: Choosing to keep the Moon one as it had her sword hilt. She got a hakama like bottom and her same boots. Some gautlents and she was all set. The oni sulked in some corner as Livid poked at her mentality, using her like a guinea pig. Livid got a bit through her, only triggering her for a short time. The demon gave up and smacked a spellcard into her hand." Sin Sign, Wrathful Soul," Livid grumbled,"This will trigger all your power. Of course, you will get dumber, I know, it seems hardly possible. Still, you better use it as a last resort. Okay? Because if we fail because of you, I will rip your horns off."She gloomily put the card away with her other cards in the star covered container. Yochi only grinned as Ibara mopped around. One more pawn to move. Wonderland Detour The day arrived, Yochi moved the demon and oni out of the underground and lead them towards the Tip of Youkai mountain. The smallest interjection occurred in the forest surrounding the mountain. As Yochi had predicted, many smaller youkai had gone mad with the pressing energy emitting from the mountain. Livid and Yochi walked ahead of Ibara, while the oni dragged herself after them. Since she lagged, she saw the smallest movements of to the side. Curious, she moved to the small shape, crumpled over itself. Ibara moved over there, the small figure cringed away from the sizeable visage of the woman. "No, no. I am here to help..." Ibara knelt to stay at the bunny eared girl's height. She inspected the situation; apparently a hunter's trap. She wrapped her fingers gingerly between the sharp teeth of the trap. Ibara snapped it into two, grabbing the rabbit Youkai and trying to relax her with the temperance ability. Eventually the rabbit calmed enough that Ibara was going to release her, but Yochi came up. "Ah a rabbit! We best get you to cover! There is some people trying to destroy the forest." What lies where these?! Yochi told the rabbit Youkai that some people would try to destroy the Youkai Mountain that that was why the earthquakes where occurring. The scared youkai ran off, picking up some spectacles from the ground by her, fleeing the scene. Ibara was saddened by the lies Yochi had used to stir up trouble; in the innocent. Tempered Blade The second leg of the trip, after the forest was mostly Ibara sweeping Youkai out of their way, either pushing them aside or simply scaring them away with a look. Her height made her look impressive to those who didn't know her. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Yochi warned them of the Tengu Guard, and how it was their territory. Livid nodded, while Ibara seemed to ignore her. The three youkai moved up the mountain. The first fee tengu where easy to bat aside with their combined strengths. By the time they were higher up in the mountain they were a bit tired; mostly from the constant fights. As they went on, another tengu jumped in their path. Another quick conversation, Yochi taking the word. "No intruders are allowed. It is dangerous after this point."
"Oh, we are here to stop the earthquakes."
"You seep out lies."
"Aren't you sensitive?"
"Stand down, leave the mountain. Now."
"Don't think I please so."
"I won't let you cross. I can feel the danger you all are."
"Right. Can't you think of the fact we have come this far?"
"..."
"Why would you be able to stop us? From you stance, and the way you contain your trembles,... You don't trust yourself."
"Then I will hurt you best I can."
"Tengu. Back down, or lose your life."
"Mole. Back down, or lose your life."
She snickers,"Ibara. Go ahead. Show 'er some Swordin'."
The oni hesitated, before sighing as she pulled out the hilt of her sword, flicking her wrist. The red, blade appeared, this time sizeable enough to be a two handed blade, though Ibara swung it in a single arm. Yochi stood back with Livid. " You should give up now. I don't want to... Hurt you." The way her voice sounded defeated and broken sent a chill down the tengu's back. " Then don't. Resist whatever makes you." The daughter of the Kenkaku bloodline drew the long nodachi," I won't let you pass!" The battle it self was short. Ibara had refused to trigger all her power, but in the background a whisper from Yochi in her crossed-arm stance to Livid fixed that. The demon begun to prod at Ibara's growing annoyance at the tengu's refusal to fall. Eventually, Livid's shoves pushed her past her grasp, and the oni went on a rampage, easily thrashing the tengu swords-woman. When the oni lost it, she took to a last card, after one of Ibara's devastating punches dented her gauntlent inward and forced her to drop her nodachi. " Reporter's Way! ~ Flashing Blade!" She threw up a camera, that begun to flash as it snapped shots. Using her momentum ability, the tengu dashed from side to side slashing with a small battle knife. Ibara, being in no mental condition to deal with it, simply brought her arms up to protect herself Yochi stepped in, moving a mineral into her hand, aiming and flicking it like a bullet. It penetrated right through Maemi's chest plate, shattering the spellcard. As the tengu tumbled, her camera hit the rock floor. She quickly moved to her feet only to be attacked by Yochi's mineral barrage. As if that wasn't enough, the tengu was staggering back, when Ibara upper cutted her into the air. Grinning, the oni followed up, axe kicking Maemi into the floor. The tengu was slipping into the black, when the Mole came up to her, with Maemi's battle knife ," I commend you for your failed attempt. But here, have your knife back~" Yochi stabbed it into the space next to the broken shoulder guard and her collarbone. Maemi yelped, her nails digging into the earth. Yochi turned to Livid, who had been smacking Ibara back into her right mind. The oni was now doubled over panting, her face covered by her long black hair. " Come on, we are almost there. We can't give up now~!"Livid nodded and went to follow Yochi around the grounded tengu. Ibara was shaky still, so she lagged a bit behind. The oni walked over to the last tengu she had defeated. The broken girl seemed to be breathing, but it made the usually soft oni bring her hands to her head in hopelessness. Looking at what she had done, it made her doubt she was worth saving or caring for. Nothin but a wolf in a sheep's skin. Ibara bent and picked Maemi up, moving her out of the sun's way and below a tree's shade. With Nervous glances to Yochi's tracks, her blue eyes darted back to the tengu's shape. Ibara quickly undid the chest plate and shoulder guard on the tengu, yanking out the knife from her shoulder. The reporter groaned and cringed; she was still conscious. " I am so sorry... I never meant for this to happen." Ibara muttered closely to Maemi as she took a few of the bandages from her travel sack and tied them around the worst wounds; it was not enough that Yochi would notice the gauze was missing. That done Ibara turned taking the bag as she stood and ran after Yochi. When Maemi returned too, she too was affected by the leaking hate of the temptress. Had she been in her five senses, she would recognize the stranger bandages that dressed what had been her worst wounds, placed by the enemy. Not Mercy, but guilt. ~Loading Please Wait Warmly While Girls Prepare~
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 6:42 pm
Past HistoriesSeijin Kazuko's Tempering She was a young tengu. This was all before anyone knew her name, before she was the great swordsman and ran the Guard's academy. Seijin would spend most of time running from the forest to her home, a small decent hut in the skirts of the tengu village. Her dad was a well known wood cutter, he would make great furniture pieces if asked for it. Seijin thought he was the best there is. Her mother was a stay home person, Seijin would come and go from school and her mother would be there. She would help the little puppy with her homework or anything. Seijin did have one older brother, he was a troublesome thing, but he was sweet to Seijin anyway. Her brother left the house early one. She regretted being out playing when he left; she never got to actually say anything or even goodbye. Her mother told Seijin that there was no use worrying over it. "We may not be crows, but even then, our children leave the nest," Her mother said, and hugged the little puppy, petting her hair, she stopped to smile at Seijin and pinched the wolf ears between her finger tips, rubbing at it. The odd feeling and how it sounded, made her wag her tail a bit and cheer up. The family had no problem continuing, but no one disrupted her big brother's room, out of respect. So they kept on living. Seijin went to school, finding the biggest interest in the honor codes of the Tengu Guards, who were more than important. So, after those lessons, Seijin went home, taking some left over wood, and worked on making a nice wooden sword, even going as far as to making it by the measurements of the regulated practice swords used by the Sword Academy. The Hilt was tricky, as she had to beat the indention into the rock, earning enough pinched fingers and bruised hands. So, the hilt was of heavy stone, while the sword was of wood. The project took quite some time, but when she was happy with it, she showed her parents. Thrilled by the interest of the young tengu, her mother made her an leather sheath, while her dad provided a belt to make it adjustable to her small frame. After that, she would practiced with her dad, who like most males had some concept of sword fighting. She dreamed of going to the Swords Academy, and she would daydream in her classes a times. Secretly, her parents tried to gather money to pay for her tuition, seeing the passion that she had for the arts of the sword; even if the wolf tengu thought no one knew, her parents had seen her practice her swords skills in the night. As it was, they would never be able to finance Seijin's dream. Of course, Fate had a way to aid those who are in our tale, even if it was through a tragic event. The tengu village deals with attacks of youkai and marauders, they had a rich culture and some treasures. In one of these attacks, Seijin did not get to cover and time, and so she was forced to try and live through it. All the young tengu (now in her early teens) had on her was her wooden sword, and the hopes of finding a tengu guard that would keep her safe. She hurried around the village, empty, a few stains of blood. Tengu and Youkai Blood, mixed upon the soil. No segregation In these conditions. Seijin ran, finding a Tengu Guard, she was relieved until noticing the two youkai standing attacking the guard. In a rush the wolf took her wooden sword and dashed out, jumping and bringing the sword from an overhead impact. The youkai collapsed under the impact, but only momentarily. The second youkai, in it's lizard like features whipped around, back handing Seijin into the ground. The girl yelped, but quickly rolled over her back as the monster tried to crush her. The other was standing when the Guard cut through it. Seijin continued to dodge the second's attacks, whacking it with her wooden sword in relatively skilled attacks. Thankfully the guard soon helped her, also using his sword to end the second youkai. The guard hurried to her side, but the poor girl collapsed soon after from the stress placed upon her mentality and the small scrapes and bruises from her scuffle. When she woke up she was in a strange room, confused and disoriented. She woke up with start sitting up frightened. A nurse (it looked) soon came to her side to calm her down. Poor Seijin was hyperventilating, though it took her only a few minutes to breath. The nurse had to hold her in place until she did relax, soon explaining she was in the Academy's Nursery Hall. Once her wide eyed gaze blinked, the wolf tengu remembered what the conditions had been.Last she remembered, the sky had been at high noon. It must be not long after, the girl begun to stand, desperate to know of her family's well being after the raid. She was nimble and she slipped past the nurse when the trained woman had left to fetch her water. Seijin didn't get far, as she exited the room she bumped into a tengu guard, it seemed to be the one she had aided. The wolf girl struggled to free herself when her mother's embrace cooled her down on the spot. Apparently the guard had found the Kazuko Family, recognizing Seijin as their daughter, and had set out to gather them and have them retrieve the girl themselves. Seijin went home with her wooden sword, thinking that was that. The other kids at school asked her about the bandage that decorated her cheek and the bandages that where on her arm from a close miss in the attack. She ignored their comments of how she looked silly with a bandage and gauze on her arm, and instead decided to wield her wounds proudly! Days later, a letter arrived at the Kazuko household, with the stamp of the coat of arms of the Sword Academy. Her parents opened it and looked at each other. They walked outside for a long time while Seijin went about her school work. When they returned, her mother looked a mixtured of sad and proud and angry and stubborn and a lot of things the young Seijin had never seen. Her father too, wore a sad smile of pride. The letter was offering Seijin a scholarship to the Swords Academy for demonstrating the aptitude if a true Guard Tengu. Taking the scholarship, though, meant the Girl was to stay in the academy grounds until she was a guard, which would be in about two years or three if all went well. Her parents had discussed it, the fact of letting their only daughter go follow her dreams. The two wolf tengu had decided it was not their choice but Seijin's. Sure enough, the girl admitted that it hurt her to be a year without her parents' constant company, but that she knew her dreams where in the academy. That settled, Seijin packed and left to the academy, with her wooden sword, bag and letter. Two years passed quickly in the academy. Seijin was the youngest certified guard ever to step out of the academy. The wolf had a natural talent for the art of the sword, and she was out with the highest honors. She spent much time as a night guard, finding the night her preferred time to be awake. With a few extra years of work, she was soon in one of the highest positions, bringing pride to the humble house of the wood cutter. Seijin grew into a woman as all girls do, and after a while, turned to being a sort of walking guard around the Mountain. It was the loneliest position, but she filled in quite nicely with her usually reserved nature. She continued to work devoting herself to the Academy. Eventually, she was offered the job of instructor, which she gladly took. Matured now, and past her reserved nature into a more quirky version of polite quietness. She worked in the institution for a few years, eventually falling for another tengu guard who courted her with all his heart. The two married, promising to keep their last names, saying they would get to chose how their child would be named to the last letter. Years later they had a daughter, with the features of her mother, and the nature of a lone wolf. The child never cried and she grew without catching much attention of anyone. The child was named Michiko, "child of wisdom." The father decided to give her Seijin's last name, Kazuko, as he said it sounded perfect to him, and naming their "child of wisdom" a "sage" just made her all that more likely to be smart! Both the Tengu continued to work in the academy, Seijin by the day and her husband by the night, that way their daughter was always with either of them. Naturally, Michiko grew closer to her father, as he was with her when she was awake. It pained Seijin to watch her dear daugther sleep, with only an hour or so to be with her. When Michiko had grown to a teenage tengu, her father fell ill. Seijin was always by his side, caring for him through the entire sickness. No medicine cured him, and on his last days, he was terribly delusional from the fevers he suffered of. It took it's toll on Seijin, but the woman was strong for him, holding his hand on his last breaths. When he passed away, Michiko grew awfully apathetic. Seijin's daughter would disappear for days and return only for this or that. Seijin could feel the spite that stabbed at her from her, and she never understood it. Was it blame of her beloved's death? Was it some repulsion to her job? She knew Michiko was a sort of pacifist, but Seijin was so herself. The silent dance the two played around each other, attacking for answers and deflecting for refusals. They continued for a few years, as Michiko grew, and with her c grew the spite she festered for Seijin. Things fell apart in a day like any other. When Michiko never showed for breakfast, Seijin went to wake her up; only to find her bed empty aside from a piece if paper on it. Dread overran the mother as she stepped slowly to the bed and took the letter. It reeked of hate. Hate rancid with the aging of silent years. The letter explained all that Michiko's heart hid. The expectations of being her daughter, the daughter of the great swords woman Kazuko Seijin had been a large shoe for her all her life. She called out Kazuko for never defending her own passions, for being a slave to a bloodied blade, for never being there for her when she needed the motherly figure. Michiko called her out for every mistake she made and any she was to make. The ink on the letter was blotted by the tears of the mother who had listened to her daughter's words but never to her heart. Now, Michiko left the note saying all that her heart had kept, and telling her mother that she would live on her own. There was no "I love you" or "Thank you" just a "Most Sincerely" over the cursive signature. Yes, words where Michiko's best weapon... For many months Kazuko mopped around, melancholic and depressed. She was alone now. Her parents and husband long gone, and deserted by her daughter. She lost most of her usual gleam of youth and warmth. Even her warmest moments were cold compared to the shadow of how jolly she used to be. Years passed with no word of her daughter and eventually the wound of that deep flesh cutting attack turned into a large scar. A certain person was the only reason she forgot the scar itself. Kazuko was hired by the Kenkaki household to train their middle child; a young crow tengu that despite all her training never really made the cut. The legendary warrior agreed, so long as she got to do so at her own terms, and if she saw the child to be fit. Yes, the Kenkaku Child was... Quirky. She had certain flow to her moves, drilling into herself through constant training, but at the same time there was jerkiness from lack of talent. She identified the large nodachi as the problem, but the Kenkaku Elders refused to let her incur the child in the use of a Katana, or perhaps even a Wakizashi. That established, Kazuko agreed to train the Nodachi Wielding Crow. Maemi was just as quirky as her swording style. She was obviously a soft person, caring and easy to come to love, but she tried to stand taller than she was, head high, pretending not to care about anyone or anything. She had made herself the black sheep of the Kenkaku Bloodline. Kazuko had a tough time breaking through her, but a couple lessons into the training, Maemi was cracked open like an egg. She gave in to Kazuko's interrogations and admitted she hated the idea of being a guard and that she did it only to please her family. Maemi confessed she wanted to be a reporter, a journalist, but that such profession was looked down upon by her parents. Deeply touched by Maemi's story and seeing it all too like Michiko's story, the wolf tengu promised to help Maemi through everything and in every way she could. ~~~ Seijin spent the first few months tutoring Maemi two times a week. When her parents grew impatient of her lack of improvement, they punished her with five days a week training, and when she still showed no progress, it became a daily thing. Kazuko nearly lost her employment standing for Maemi's potential and her family's lack of concern for what a daily training session could do to someone as young as Maemi. The wolf tengu actually got close to challenging the Kenkaku household's leader to a duel, just to free Maemi of their senseless demands. But, it was the young crow tengu that took her master's wrist and pulled her out to the grounds of the manor. When they were outside, Maemi sat down her teacher and talked with her. She told her that she would do all in her ability to train even harder, even if she knew how much she disliked the idea of being a guard and of wielding a cumbersome nodachi above all. Maemi thanked Seijin for everything she had done to that day, and told her that it was enough, that if she was so bothered by it, she would gladly take the swordsmaster's resignation. The wolf tengu was surprised to say the least, she looked from her seat up to Maemi, who had her arms crossed and a dignified pose. As if to display their ranks, the wolf tengu stood, an inch or so above Maemi's eyes. She took Maemi's should in one hand, and her cheek on the other, with her warm smile, and said, "It is a mature decision to make, but now they challenge more than my ideals as a swordswoman, but my ideals as a righteous being. To leave you now, it would be to desert all that I believe in. No, I will not present you my resignation, Young Master, no, on the contrary,... I have much bigger plans." With that the wolf tengu parted from an awestruck Maemi, who spun on her heel as the wolf rested a hand on the hilt of her sword an went inside the manor once more. The Kenkaku looked her down as she strode inside. Maemi hid behind the door frame of their central parlor, watching as Seijin's smile faded into a smirk, confident and full of insult. It was a face she had never seen the wise and kind woman make before. With that same face she begun to speak, her voice booming in the overly large room: "Oh Noble Kenkaku household~" She dramatically placed her hand over her heart and bowed, tail swaying low as usual, and her other hand over her hilt, "Alas, your young descendant has placed something upon my sight, yes yes. Why should I, a consegrated warrior of no pedigree, a mere mutt, have a say in such a pure line of blood heritage, whose blood could make the purple sakura trees that bloom past the Higan run white and lose all their sin?" She looked up from her bow, her smirk turning into a sly grin, "Yes, I have no say upon your bloody pedigree. I am but a mongrel from the lower woods, who worked with her.. how would you call it? Commoner Father who made so many but wood into useable items.. Oh why! You sit upon one of his very creations, I would bet!" As she registered the flustered look from who would be Maemi's father, the warrior stood tall, still smirking. "Yes, I am a mongrel compare to your superiorness. But, I will be damned if you tell me how to properly train a swordsman. I have taught at the academy for a good century, and now, despite you having hired me for those precise reasons, you seem to think my work resume is nothing?" She drew the sword and in a flash it was stabbed into the wall, right next to Maemi's father's face, perfectly framed by his neck and shoulder. The entire line up of the Kenkaku, tensed, the few guards that lingered turned and drew their weapons, pointing them to the older tengu. Kazuko laughed, holding her stomach as she did,going into her belt she drew Maemi's dagger... Now the young crow noticed it was missing. The guards, who previously stood so sure of themselves, moved a bit back; attacking an unarmed Seijin was one thing, her armed was another entirely. "I find it rather offensive to be told how I must teach." Maemi's father stood and drew the sword from the wall. He turned and stomped down the steps, his heavy steps rattling the armor on his shoulders. "You are quite a defiant woman, Kazuko-dono,"He towered over her, wings spread wide, threateningly placing the blade to her neck, "I do not take kindly to defiance of my word in my household.""It is a shame I am not of your household, Kenkaku-sama." Seijin snickered, moving her neck closer to the blade by means of stepping closer, but by doing so she put the tip of the knife over his belt guard, with a mocking smile as the man blushed red at both her closeness and precision to aiming, "I will be ... Merciful. I will instruct your daugther to your schedule, but to my methods, the moment you denounce my teaching methods will be the moment your entire household will lose the possibility of instructing themselves in the Swords Academy." "Why you little bit--"The knife pressed against him. "Now, now, where have your manners gone, Kenkaku-sama?" She giggled at him, smiling warmly, "Did you think that because I was retired I had no way to influence what the academy thought of certain applications? You may be the ruler of a long bloodline, but I have created my own. I am a legend to the tengu now, and the power that comes with such, along with is responsabilities, are all mine."In one swift motion, the knife cute leather, the wolf swiped her leg and struck out. The daughter of the household watched her father fall on his rear, lose his shoulder guard, and unwillingly return the sword to Seijin. The heavy iron piece of armor clashed to the polished floor, as the tink of Seijin's sword being sheathed resounded in the dead silent parlor. Maemi's father was most obviously taken a back as the wolf's tail swayed a bit higher, the knife's blade shining as Seijin blew onto it's lenght as if riding it of any dust. "Do we have an agreement, Kenkaku-sama~?There was a silence. "PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN MEN." Indignatly, the master of the house stood, pushing back anyone trying to help him, "DO AS YOU PLEASE, WOMAN. Your lack of blood and feeble threats can do nothing to prevent a Kenkaku entry to the academy in any situation!""Yes yes, as you say, Kenkaku-sama~" The wolf giggled, fiddling with the knife in her grasp as she turned to leave. Her boots tacked to the polished floor, and her tail swaying high unlike usual. "Thank you for your understanding~ I shall resume instructing your young daughter as soon as possible. Good day to you~"Seijin walked out the door not sparing Maemi a glance. The poor girl was so shocked, she just stared after the wolf with a gapping mouth, much like her familiars where. Maemi continued her studying under Seijin with renewed respect. She had previously though the old wolf a simbol of a dying art, instead, she stood for more than that. For a long time they trained without much more than minor occurences, and they drew even closer than they had been at the start of their force relationship. Kazuko became Maemi's advisor and confident, and like that, they eventually became like daugther and mother. Long after, when Maemi had gained some skill to her ancient blade, another figure appeared in Maemi's life. One day, Kazuko watched Maemi train, when when thinking to herself aloud, she actually got a response. Thinking she had gone mad, she was surprised to find a blue haired girl by her side. Kazuko immidiately called Maemi over, demanding the girl's name and purpose in the Tengu Village, strangers where not really welcomed here. Maemi responded that she had met this girl in a small swoop for news, and had some how ended up promising her that she would teach her how to use danmaku. The wolf tengu looked from girl to girl, wondering what had brought this celestial after a tengu. Seeing as how the girl kept apologizing for having insisted, and repeating she did not want MAemi in trouble, the wolf tengu complied to her prescence and gave her a trainee badge. The wolf told her that if she wore it, she would not be questioned by any of the villages inhabitants. Lumine Mayflower (she later learned her name) would become her second post-retirement pupil. Kazuko loved how Maemi always seemed softer to the girl; it was a joy to see the tengu express more of her feelings to someone other than her kin. Kazuko would take her time to train both, and advise them if need be. It became her duty to safeguard these girls, and she would no hesitate to give her life for them.She had gained two daugthers to cherish for the rest of her days. She was given another chance after she lost her precious Michiko. The old wolf told herself she would not make the same mistakes of her youth, and to these daugthers that bore no resemblace to her, she would tell them just how much she loved them every chance she earned.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:38 am
~Head in the Clouds~ Her heart beated, threatening to burst through her chest. A girl stood on the roof of a performance hall, a large, white building with golden trim and decorations. The building rested neatly in the clouds, high above whatever ground may lay below. She took another step forward. Her heart beat faster still as the tips of her toes dangled over the building's edge, only her heels keeping her from falling. "I hate this place." The girl closed her eyes, tears threatening to overflow. "I hate what it does to people." She clenched her fists. A wind blew across her small figure, sending a shiver down her spine. Primal instinct wanted her to step down, but she held firm, forcing her body to stay. "I want to see you... Will you be waiting there for me?" The girl held her breath for what felt like a lifetime. She exhaled. She took the last step. . . . The girl awoke with a start, falling into her own body, though still safe in her bed. It was only dream... She sat up, rubbing her eyes free from the sandman's mark. The room was lit with sunlight, made even more nauseatingly bright with the hospital's all-white interior. It didn't matter what time of day she slept anymore, nor did it matter how long she stay awake. Time became useless to the girl, trapped in this white coffin and with no hope of escape. The girl slowly climbed out of her bed, bracing herself against its cold metal frame. Her steps were weak, but she somehow managed to cross the room and stand in front of the window on the far wall. Outside, the sun shined through holes in the gray clouds, turning everything into a dreary monochrome. The girl placed her hand against the window, the cold air beyond stinging her fingers through the glass. "Lucy!" A voice called out from behind. The girl, Lucy, turned around to find a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway of her room, wheeling in a small cart filled with medical supplies. "Lucy, you know you shouldn't be out of your bed, not without someone to watch you.""... ... Sorry..." The nurse sighed, and entered the room fully, pushing the cart to the side of Lucy's bed. "Come now, come sit down. It's time for your medicine." Lucy obliged, carefully moving her frail body back to the bed and climbed back in. The effort was exhausting, but she still managed to sit up. "...Why can't my bed be near the window anymore?" The nurse looked at her for a moment, then sighed again. "Because of your nightmares. A month ago you became so terrified that you somehow managed to break the window pane. Granted, it was somewhat of a pleasant surprise to see that you still had that kind of strength, but you cut yourself badly in the process. We can't take the risk of letting that happen again."With that hope diminished, the nurse administered her medicine, which Lucy had come to accept without question. The treatment now over, the nurse fluffed Lucy's pillow. "The doctor will be by shortly to check up on you, alright? I don't want to see you out of bed again unless you call for assistance first." Lucy nodded, staring nowhere in particular. The nurse left, and Lucy was left to her lonesome once more. She reached up and tugged at a lock of her platinum blonde hair; it had gotten long again, and was almost due for a trim. A few minutes passed, and there was a hearty knock on her open door. "Lucy? May I come in?""Yeah... go ahead." The doctor, a tall, middle-aged man stepped in. His hair was already graying, and he sported a rather nice beard - Lucy enjoyed to think he looked like Santa Claus. "Hello again, dear. How are you feeling today?""I'm okay..." Lucy replied, giving the brightest smile she could muster. "Good, good. I'm going to perform a quick checkup on you, alright? Nothing major, we just need to keep a record for legality's sake."The doctor went to work swiftly and with much experience. After only a few minutes, the physical was over. "Excellent! Everything checks out fine. Now then, is there anything I can do for you before I leave, Lucy?" The girl turned her head to stare longingly out of the window, into the world beyond. "Can I... go outside?" The doctor's warm expression turned to a frown. He sighed, saying, "I'm sorry, but you know I can't allow that. Your body just... can't handle the stress right now." Tears welled up in Lucy's stunning blue eyes. "I... know..." The doctor put his hand, large and rugged from a life spent hard at work, on Lucy's shoulder. "Don't give up hope, Lucy. I know they say 'laughter is the best medicine', but hope is just as good. ...Tell me, if you could leave, what would you do?" The girl thought for a moment, wiping her tears away. "I want... to see the whole world... and go on adventures, like the heroes you read about in books! I want to see amazing sights, and discover things that no one else has ever seen..." The doctor patted Lucy's shoulder, his smile returning. "Then don't give up that dream. If you keep working hard on getting better, then someday I'm sure you'll be a great adventurer, and you'll see all the amazing things the world has to offer. But until then, you must keep taking your medicine, and following my orders, okay?" The doctor collected his things. "I'll be back around tomorrow to check up on you, alright? Take care, Lucy.". . . "How is she doing, doctor?"
"She's getting worse. Treatment doesn't seem to be having any effect on her illness."
"I see... that's a shame."
"No, what's a shame is that no one comes to visit her anymore. Not even her ******** parents. She's their only daughter; you'd think big business owners would have the spare time to drop by once in a while. It makes me sick."
"About that..."The nurse motioned behind herself, gaining the attention of a girl with dark hair, standing near the help desk. She walked over and bowed her head graciously to the nurse and doctor. "This young woman would like to visit Lucy. Is it okay?" The doctor smiled, adjusting his glasses. "Well, I'll be. Hon, you're gonna make that girl's day. Come on, I'll show you in."The dark-haired girl followed the doctor to Lucy's room where, as always, he knocked before entering. "Lucy? I have some good news for you. You have a visitor today!"=========="Thank you, Doctor." The dark-haired young woman entered Lucy's room, gaining an ecstatic reaction from her. "MARIA!!" Lucy's bright reaction made Maria smile. "I'm happy to see you again, Lucy... I know it's been a while since I came to visit, but I was busy with schoolwork. You know how it is." The young woman walked over to Lucy's bedside. She was dressed in a red school uniform, tailored perfectly to fit her athletic figure. The doctor, still standing in the doorway, spoke quietly. "I'll let you two have your privacy. Miss Maria, please let the orderly know when you take your leave." With that, he left. "Can I sit down?" Maria asked. She carried with her a leather bag with a single, large opening flap, fastened with a polished metal clasp. Lucy nodded happily, a large smile still on her face. "Yes, of course!" She scooted over, further towards the head of her bed, and patted the blankets in front of her. Maria sat down and, without a moment's hesitation, wrapped her arms around her friend. Lucy's skin felt a bit cold, raising some concern in Maria's mind. "Lucy, your skin is like ice... Are they taking good care of you? Do I need to alert the staff?""No, I'm okay. Promise! Besides, you're nice and warm, so I get to enjoy it more..." Lucy buried her head into Maria's shoulder, letting herself sink into the young woman's warmth. They stayed that way for a few moments, wrapped in a silent embrace, before Maria slowly retreated. She took Lucy's shoulders and returned her upright. "Hey. I have a present for you, wanna see?" Lucy nodded, brushing her bangs from her face. "A present? What'd you get me?? Is it my birthday? I... I don't really know what day it is." Maria set the leather bag on her lap and unfastened the metal clasp. Inside was a leather book, black and polished to a bright sheen, with gold inlay surrounding its border. "I made this for you," she said as she opened the book between their laps, sharing each of its halves. Lucy's eyes widened as Maria turned its pages, each one containing photos of people and places. "A... A photo album?" Lucy asked with awe in her voice, resting her head on her friend's shoulder as they turned the pages. "Yes. I know that... you can't go outside much anymore, and I know how much you miss it. So if you can't go see the world, then I'll bring the world to you... ...I know it's not the same thing, but I do it with all my heart."Maria's words touched Lucy. Tears fell from her eyes, splashing across the glossy pages. "Th...Thank you..." The two spent over an hour looking through the photos Maria had taken with her an old, archaic camera. It was a dying art in this day of technology, but that never deterred her for a moment. They talked about each photo on each page, reminiscing the time they spent together during and after school, on break, and even during the holidays. "Remember this? This was the first present you gave me. I still have it, you know...""I remember! I looked forever for the perfect gift. I was so afraid you wouldn't like it!" "...And this is our old classroom. They moved some things around, but it's still the same.""That room had a nice view from the windows; you could see all of the campus from there! Oh, that place..." "You remember it? ...That's where we first met." Lucy ran her fingers across the photo of the large hallway. "Of course I remember..." She couldn't help the smile the memories gave her. "Everyone was so excited, it was the first day of school...and my first time there. I was really scared, and nervous. I was on one side of the room... and you were on the other..." "I didn't like how immature they were all acting. It was just another year.""That's why you stood out...you weren't like everyone else. That's why I went to talk to you!" Lucy laughed, "You were so startled, you nearly dropped your book..." "Hey, I wasn't expecting a little blonde airhead to appear from outta nowhere!"Lucy turned the page, and found it to be blank. And the next one...and the one after that. "H..Hey, why are these empty?" Maria smiled, and moved the book fully into Lucy's lap. "Because, these pages are reserved for the pictures we'll take when you're all better... Together."A knock on the door interrupted them suddenly. The doctor poked his head in, bearing his usual warm smile. "Sorry to interrupt, but visiting hours are almost over, and Lucy still needs her rest. If you'd like, you can come back tomorrow." Maria frowned. "I can't. My family is leaving on a trip, and forcing me to go with them."Lucy was heartbroken. She wrapped her arms around Maria's waist, burying her head into her friend's side. "...Please...don't go! I don't wanna be alone anymore..." Maria pulled her friend up, holding her frail body with both arms. "Hey, don't be sad! I'll come back, and we'll be able to spend more time together. I promise." She kissed Lucy on the cheek and hugged her tightly, letting the blonde girl enjoy her warmth one more time. "Please don't be sad, for me? ...I love you.""I'll try... A..And... I love you, too..." Parting their bond, Maria stood up, shouldering her bag. "Now come on, you need to rest!" She took a hold and held the blankets up. "Lay down, Lucy." The blonde girl smiled and slide her legs under the covers, and Maria gently laid them across the rest of her body. "Good girl. I'll see you soon...""Goodnight, Lucy. Ring if you need something." The Doctor lead Maria out, and slowly closed the door behind them. Lucy would lay there for a few minutes more, thinking about the photo album that sat beside her pillow. She wanted to share many more memories with Maria. She turned and took the book, holding it close to her heart. It still carried Maria's scent. Lucy would dream peacefully this night. =========Just as Maria had said, she and her family left on an expensive vacation, much to the young woman's detest. She wanted no part of the imposed holiday, instead wanting nothing more than to be near her dear friend. Before she left, however, she had expressed her displeasure to her most trusted advisor, her nanny, a woman by the name of Katherine. Katherine was a strong woman in her 50s, whose gray hair only complimented her natural beauty. She was wise well beyond her years, garnering a wisdom collected perhaps over a number of lifetimes. Naturally, she and Maria had become close friends. She enjoyed watching her employer's daughter grow over the years, and had come to see the young woman as her own adoptive daughter. She gave Maria the love and kindness that her family neglected to show her as she grew. Seeing Maria in such a distressed state worried Katherine, but she told the young woman not to worry, and that "Nanny always knows a way." She already knew of the young girl in the hospital, the friend Maria held so dear that had become so sick in the last year. Katherine decided she would visit the girl in Maria's stead, and keep her company until her friend returned. The day after the family had left, Katherine finished her duties early and quickly made her way to the hospital. Once there, she politely approached the staff and inquired about the young girl. She was directed to the appropriate room, and was lead there by a nurse. "Lucy? You have a visitor." The nurse said, briskly knocking on the door and turning to leave. "O...Oh? Come in, please." The nanny entered Lucy's room, taking off her hat and taking a quick bow. "Hello, Lucy. My name is Katherine. I'm Maria's housekeeper." The blonde girl's eyes widened at the mention of Maria's name. "D..Did Maria send you? I thought she left with her family somewhere..." Katherine drew closer, and came to sit in a chair not far from the bed. "No, she didn't send me, not exactly. I came here on my own accord. I know how much you mean to Maria, dear, so I decided that I would come to keep you company in a time when she couldn't." Katherine smiled, continuing, "It may not be my business, and she might get upset with me later, but I don't mind. Some things are just more important." Lucy sat up on her bed to properly greet her guest. The shiny black photo album still lay beside her pillow, and hadn't left her side once. "Oh... that was the present Maria was making for you. She put a lot of work into it. Did you like it?" Lucy nodded vigorously, sending her golden locks flying everywhere. "Yes, I do! I love it!" She took ahold of the album, her fingers dancing across its polished surface. "Maria was always really good at taking pictures... I wish I was as good as her. I could never make anything like this." "On the contrary," Katherine objected, looking around the room. On the walls surrounding Lucy's bed were a great number of drawings and sketches she had made, drawn with pencils, pens, even crayons. They depicted fantastic settings; bright blue skies, lush, green forests, ancient-looking ruins, and tall mountains that pierced the clouds. "These pictures are wonderful. May I assume that you drew them?" Lucy blushed a bit. "Y..Yeah. They're all places that I see in my dreams... when I'm not having nightmares..." Katherine smiled again. She placed her hand over Lucy's, grasping firmly. "You are a very talented young girl. And while you may not be able to take pictures, it doesn't mean that you can't make something beautiful for Maria." The two spent the afternoon together, talking about many things before their visit was over, although most of Lucy's topics returned to Maria. Before they knew it, visiting hours were over, and Katherine was forced to leave, but not before promising to return as soon as she could. A few days later, she made good on her promise, and returned to Lucy with a gift for her - a simple pack of colored pencils. "With these, I'm sure you can craft a masterpiece for Maria. That way, you'll have something beautiful to show her when she returns." Lucy hugged her tightly, and thanked her repeatedly throughout the day's visit, and as soon as Katherine left, she got to work on her best drawing yet. Days passed, and Katherine became busy with her duties at the manor. As soon as she could break away from her job, however, she returned to the hospital to visit Lucy. She would soon discover that it would be one of her last. That day, the nurse showed her to Lucy's room, quietly opening the door and letting her in. "Lucy? Are you awake? ... A friend is here to see you." Lucy slowly turned her head to look at Katherine. Her eyes were tired, and distant, but she still forced a smile. "H...Hi, Miss Kathy..." The wise old woman stifled her worry and went to sit by Lucy's bed once again. "Hello, Lucy. Are...are you feeling well?" She reached a hand out and brushed Lucy's bangs from her face, revealing blue eyes that didn't seem quite as bright now. "I'm... I'm okay... I just feel really tired, that's all... ...Oh! K..Kathy, look, look..." She rolled over slowly, pawing a hand at the shiny black album that rested near her pillow. "...Open it up. I made something...for Maria. I wanna show it to her...when she comes back..." Katherine took the album and opened it as requested, and let out a small gasp. "Lucy, this... this is absolutely beautiful. I'm sure Maria will love this." Lucy smiled weakly, rolling onto her back again. "Thank you... Um, I... I don't really feel like talking, but... could you stay with me for a little while, anyway? Please?" "Of course, Lucy. I'd be honored." The next day, Katherine had forsaken her duties entirely, instead choosing to return to the hospital first thing in the morning. She was met at the desk by Lucy's doctor. His face was sorrowful, and in his hands, he held the black photo album. ... That evening, Maria and her family returned. "I don't care, Mother! I have important matters to attend to!" Maria said, slamming the door between the caretaker's quarters and the rest of the manor. "Katherine! Where are you? I need you to prepare a driver for me." Katherine was waiting in the next room for Maria. She hid something behind her back. "There you are. Did you hear me? I need to get to the hospital, pronto! I want to see Lucy. I have more pictures to show her, and... ...Kathy? What's wrong?""Maria... I'm so sorry." From behind her back, she withdrew Lucy's photo album. "Katherine... what is this? Why is this here? I demand the meaning of this!" Katherine held the album out, presenting it to Maria as she fought back tears. "She wanted you to see this. Maria... she isn't going to make it. The doctor said she doesn't have long." Maria reached out to take the album, her hand and body was trembling. She fingered through its contents quickly, becoming frustrated at each turn of the page. "What do you mean? Damn it, we're wasting time! Hurry, get the car and-- ...Oh..."On the last page, there was a drawing, inserted into the book by Lucy. Even drawn in colored pencil, it looked almost real. The drawing depicted a beautiful starry sky, and a bright, full moon. At its center, atop a grassy hill, stood both Lucy and Maria. The older, taller, dark-haired woman was behind Lucy, her arms wrapped around the blonde girl's waist, and her head rested on her shoulder. Lucy's hand reached up to caress Maria's cheek, and the other rested across the clasped hands around Lucy's waist. Brilliant white angel's wings extended from Maria's back, wrapping around both their bodies, forever defending their silent embrace. Maria almost dropped the album. She held a hand to her mouth, fighting back tears. Katherine took her hand. "Quickly, child! We haven't a moment to spare." Katherine drove Maria in her own car, with a speed and efficiency that no one dared to stop. Once in the hospital, the two women broke into a run, making a beeline for Lucy's room. "Hey! You can't just barge in here! Stop them!" Two of the orderly began to chase the women. Katherine stopped and tripped one of the nurses, sending the larger man into the wall head-first, knocking himself unconscious. The second man tried to grab Katherine, but a quick jab to the ribs sent him to the ground as well, winded. "Maria, go!!" Maria didn't stop even when Katherine lagged behind. The athletic woman easily outran her pursuers, and before long, she shouldered her way into Lucy's room. "Lucy!!!"... The frail girl's eyes had been closed, nearing an eternal sleep her body yearned for. Lucy fought the all-consuming fatigue to open her eyes again, turning her head with the greatest of effort to the voice that called out her name so loudly. "...Ma...ri...a..?" Maria dove to the side of Lucy's bed, wrapping her arms around her friend's fading body. "Lucy!! I'm here! Please, please don't give up!" She held Lucy tightly, her tears staining the white hospital gown she wore. "I'm here, I'm here, I'll always be here, so please... please don't...!" Katherine soon entered the room, with Lucy's doctor behind her. It seemed he had quelled their pursuers. Katherine joined Lucy and Maria's side, placing her hand on her daughter's back. Lucy looked to the older woman, her smile returning. "Miss Kathy... Thank you..." "Maria..." Lucy gently placed her hand on the older girl's side. Maria responded, pulling away slightly to meet Lucy face to tear-filled face. "Don't...be sad... Okay? Because now... I can sleep...in your embrace at last..." Maria smiled. She stood and climbed into Lucy's bed, sitting beside her. She picked Lucy up, holding her in her arms. Lucy laid her head against Maria's breast, her heart's beat and body's warmth giving her the greatest comfort of her life. "I will stay, 'til you are sleeping... I'll always be here for you. I'll protect you, forever and ever... And we'll see each other again someday, I promise. I love you, Lucy... Please don't forget about me..."Lucy let her eyes close for the last time. "I promise... too.... I...love you..... Maria....." ... A girl left a dark and dreary world that night, though her passing was eased by her love's embrace and gentle words. She never could have imagined the importance of the promise they made that night. The bond these two souls possessed would transcend time, and would continue into a world unknown.
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:02 am
The Rabbit and the Wolf
Kazuko Michiko and Saiseki Ochiba's Meeting Certainly, the forest if magic is not empty. It overflows with youkai, young and old. Long ago, though not long ago enough to be consider ancient history, a young wolf tengu moved to its depths, not even rounding to her first century in life. She built herself a humble home, and furnished it herself. Her grandfather had been a wood-chopper, one of the finest, and as a pup, she would hide of her mother's constant lessons by going to her grandparent's shop. She as well avid in the arts of shaping wood, and she loved it quite a bit. The lessons paid of in building her home's furniture. She frequented the Human Village long enough to buy whatever she needed, and once she had that, she never set foot upon it again. The wolf spent her time writig or reading the books she found. Youkai seemed to love stealing but once they found no use of them they would discard them. Books piled as did memories in the silent and reclusive corner the wolf called home. Still, one day, an old rabbit found her home, and poked about her garden. It seemed the culprit wanted to do with some of her things, and the wolf simply wouldn't have that. She promptly went out with a broom to fend her home's goods. Sure, the rabbit ran, and the wolf stood with pride in her successful defense. Wild youkai sure have a nerve, for the rabbit returned, though this time, the wolf tengu launched some danmaku after it, and it scurried away. They played this game for several weeks, turning it into a routine. Until one day, the old rabbit decided to outsmart the young wolf. Arming herself with a bow and arrow, she took aim for the door... From inside it was loud twhack! that brought the wolf to the door, startled by this grizzly knock on her home's door. When she opened her door, a small clothe tied to the arrow cradled a small item inside.... It was a carrot, with a note tacked to it by means of a wood nail of sorts. "Do you think of me a Vermin? The wolf blinked at the neat script on the piece of home made paper. What was the meaning of this?! Was it a mockery of her?! Growling ferally, the wolf crumpled the paper in her hand, crushing the carrot along. She casted her grey eyes onto the forestry, taking the arrow and breaking on her knee before slamming the door behind her. The next day the same noise brought her to the door. This time, the arrow held an apple. Once more a second note to it: "I will just keep this up." The wolves eye twitched, she broke the arrow again, and threw the apple back into the forest in rage, before hiding in her home. The third day, the noise came, and the wolf ran out of her home hoping to catch sight of the culprit, but instead, she found silence. She turned to the arrow and read the note attached to a small bag of berries. "Which of us is wiser, Wolf? Will you discern my game?" The wolf retreated into her home silently to await for the fourth day. This youkai knew what it was doing, and if a game of wits is what she wanted, The wolf would play! The fourth day, two arrows hit the door. One with an arrangement of fruit, the other with the note and an inkwell. "You think yourself a scholar? A brat in wolf's skin." The attacked took the inkwell and went inside. When she returned, she calmly tied her note to one of the arrows, she closed her eyes taking a breath. When she snapped her eyes open, she launched the arrow back into the forest, impacting a tree and stabbing into the wood as if launched by a bow. With a smug smile hidden behind a calm look, she retreated. "You mock the wrong wolf, vermin. Call me Michiko, I will not let you close to my home." The fifth day, another arrow arrived, with a much longer message attached: "I am Ochiba, brat. You challenge the wrong rabbit. I could enter your home and you would never know." "I would like to see you try, Miss Ochiba, most importantly, I wan to see you walk with my blade stabbed into your fluffy behind." .... The sixth day, another arrow arrived... This time the pack holding Michiko's diary, the one she had lost since last night. The note attacked also had a picture the wolf had from her father pinned to it, most likely the smallest message since they begun their game: "You were saying?" Enraged, Michiko quickly replied. "Don't you dare enter my home again! Much less tough my belongings, you piece of scum. If I ever catch you, your hide will decorate my living room!" The seventh day, one more arrow arrived. It would be the longest message, and there seemed to be no real additional item attached. "Threats serve no good, pup. Take this as a lesson. You are not the alpha here, watch your back or lose your tail. This will be the last you hear of me if you decide so. And for the record... I am older than the dust you step on. More knows the devil of age than of being a devil -Ochiba Saiseki, Rabbit Youkai,Local 'Friendly Neighbor' " It took Michiko a bit to write the letter, after spotting inthe end of the note a hair pin. Apparently, it was her reward for lasting the ordeal Miss Saiseki put her through. At last, she launched the arrow out once more. "Thank you. -Michiko Kazuko, Wolf Tengu, Local Hermit" ... As weird as it was, the two youkai grew to look forward to the arrows traveling from the forest to the door, yet they never dared to meet face to face....
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:35 pm
Tears of Fright Sorina. One of the three Emotion Youkai that live in Gensokyo. She is the Youkai of Sorrow and revered by all to be the most beautiful maiden in the mountain. Sadly, every man that has seen her real face run in fright. Not even beasts would look at her without gaping. For she has no face. Only a gaping hole. A faceless being. Oh who would ever love a Youkai with no face? Each day, she would spend it however she wanted. Her most beloved activity was to sing to herself and even make poems or rhymes. "A maiden of Sorrow is who I am. The one who spreads depression across the land. I am always alone as my pain still grows. Please, please may I have someone to hold?" She can smile indeed, but only when in the presence of a certain being... Nahumar. To Sorina, Nahumar was special. He always saw Sorina as what she really looked like and never turned away from her. It made her happy to know someone looked at her with care instead of fright. It could be due to how Fear and Sorrow work great together. At one point, a little Tengu spread some false claims that Nahumar and Sorina are actually married. Let's keep this short and say that the certain Tengu suffered some night terrors of being chased by a pack of worg beasts. Even then, Sorina wished it to be true. She loved Nahumar. She wanted Nahumar. But it was impossible. Nahumar saw her only as a sibling like Hanalli. This fact pains her to this day. For- My dearest sister...
You want Nahumar, right?
Kill Hanalli and-"NO! Stop talking to me!" Sorina cried. You know that as long as Hanalli is still around, he will treat you as nothing but a false kin."SHUT UP!" Don't try to fight it, Sorina. You want him. You crave him. Yet if you can't have him-"It's not like that! Stop it now!" Fine. Keep sobbing in the corner like a little human child. Be weak. Be pathetic. I know Nahumar wants someone who is strong and powerful like himself. Which is why he eyed that Yukari person years ago."STOP TORMENTING ME ANERA!" I hate weak beings like you. Unfit to even fight. I hate Hanalli, so happy all the goddamn time... I hate humans. I hate them all. Look at what they have done to you three!"NO! You are wrong! they helped us! They protected us! Yet they are still as savage as before."Stop it! STOP IT! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" She cried, shaking her head in a desperate attempt to get rid of the voices. I will come back...and you will break one of these days.
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