ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴏʙʟɪᴠɪᴏɴ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴢᴇᴘʜʏʀᴀ

[Tenzai]

A story by @Tenzai & @Zephyra
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
ꜰɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀꜱʜᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅʏɪɴɢ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴀᴄᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴇꜰɪᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴇɴᴛʀᴏᴘʏ

Izumo; A dying land existing beyond its fated end.
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ | ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪʀᴀɢᴇ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

Tell me who's gonna miss me
What If I'm already gone
What if I am trapped under the water
And I can't come up for air

Not until this world is over
No one seems to care, No one seems to care
No one seems to care,
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

What future was left of a world when the gods of creation and light forsaken? What was left for a soul with no afterlife to strive for? Was this cursed eternity fated to come to a predetermined hell meant to punish the world-walkers for their hubris? Or was it a stroke of misfortune which drew the world to its end? If not for the ever present threat of oblivion due to the hostility of such a barren land, it would be these thoughts that would have pervaded the minds of those unfortunate enough to survive. Though underneath their masks, these questions were a truth shared by everyone. Jaded were the hearts of those who held hope. Fearful were the souls that once toted bravery. Lost were the minds of those who planned for a kinder future. The generations upon generations of ancestors that came before them had never expected their bravery and their sacrifice to have gone in vain. This lost world was their graveyard; The land of Izumo, a once-paradise now ruled by those who seek to make the most of its demise.

"Bury him." In the midst of painted snow, two vampire ronin had stood in a field of white and red. Beside them were two bodies, one of their own, another immortal ex-samurai who had escaped the clutches of their young master, and their quarry, a shapeshifting yokai attacking the local village which took the form of a massive, multi-armed golem. "Taking his body with us won't do us any good, Taiga. Besides... He deserves his peace." Despite the loss of their friend, the two appeared emotionless. Now wasn't the time to shed tears, not while they were still in the wilds of the scattered lands. Their bodies were battered and injured too. Bruises and cuts had made each movement exhausting, yet, in respect to their fallen's history, Taiga continued to melt away at the mass of snow to give his friend a proper burial. "Junichi. You deserved better than this." Taiga muttered to himself as his heated yari created a rift in the packed ice beneath him. "In another life, I hope we meet again under kinder circumstances if the gods allow."

With a hole formed to make for his final resting place, the two bonded vampires lifted Junichi's corpse into its bed. "Hoshiko. If you can. He always found hope in your prayers." Hoshiko nodded her head, aware of just how much her efforts in keeping them together had meant to their recently deceased. Closing her eyes and bowing her head, she called upon the remnants of the heavens. "To whichever gods may listen to the pleas of a tainted body, I ask for your mercy in guiding his soul into the afterlife. Junichi was an honest warrior, capable and brave. Whatever world comes after, please. Grant him grace." As quick as her prayer came, it passed. "Any last words, Taiga?" He shook his head. "None at all. It would be wasted since he's not here anymore to listen. His soul's gone."

While Taiga rested the hilt of his spear back on his back, Hoshiko looked at Junichi's face for a final time before closing his emerald eyes. "In another life, Junichi. Thank you for protecting us and being by our side. There is no other that could be your equal." Leaving behind his damaged armor and his cracked bow, she grabbed his blade and tossed it towards the ember ronin. "Here. I doubt he would have wanted to have his legacies be buried with him, especially if they could help us survive. Hold onto it, yeah?" Stripping his quiver as well to wrap around her waist, she made sure that anything usable on her dead companion would not be wasted. If not for them taking it, it was likely that it would have been stripped from some roaming scavengers instead. Lifting her eyes up, she noticed the sunset dipping under the horizon through the increasingly hostile weather; A blizzard was coming. "Bad news. We need to find shelter soon. Take the claw of the yokai, it should serve as proof of bounty enough. As for Junichi..." She turned towards him one final time.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"The snow will bury him in our place."

"Come now. Let's not waste anymore time here. The map says there are village ruins we could use for shelter."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
I am just seeking redemption
Will I make it on my own?
Or am I just needing attention
So I just feel less alone?

Oh how did I deserve to live?
Is there a way... A way out of this?
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Nightfall, a time of day where the most dangerous and most powerful yokai hunted. Not even the most hardened bandits or powerful cultists dared face traversing the wasteland at night without armed, well-trained company; And even then, it was well known that sacrifices would be made. The mortals that once dominated these lands were far from the top of the food chain. To many yokai, they were passing prey, made even more delicious when food was scarce during these winter storms. To some, these predatory yokai were but snacks to fulfill their insatiable hunger; Monstrous threats that not even the gods could have comprehended. As a result of knowing some of what lurks in the darkness, the two ronin had moved in hurried steps to keep out of their way. At the least, the most powerful of the yokai did not prefer hunting where shelter and settlement were. They saw many mortals as pests, not worth the effort for the nutrition they brought. But in the wilds, these yokai were far more opportunistic.

Using his yari's heated tip as a torch to aid in his darkvision and keep him warm, Taiga led the way forward while Hoshiko remained close behind with a map in hand. Through the use of a twilight spell, she made her own map glow, but without the warmth that a fire would offer. As a result, she stood close to Taiga, letting the heat of his weapon keep away the sting of frostbite. However, despite the light, the snowstorm had made it difficult to get a reading on their location, masking notable landmarks behind layers of ice. The more they moved, the more alien their surrounding terrain looked. Even their footsteps were covered the moment they moved, making it hard to know whether they were walking in circles at times. With the stars above hidden as well, she couldn't use the skies for direction, but there was something that drew their attention as the world grew darker and darker around them: Blood. Fresh blood. "You smell that?"

Like sharks in water, the both of them had caught on to the odd smell in the middle of what felt like nowhere. If it were bandits around this hour, then it would mean that, while they had a fight ahead, there should also be shelter nearby. "I do. Smells fresh too. Not Yokai blood though." Thanks to their time spent as yokai-hunting mercenaries, they were able to tell the distinct differences between the blood of various species. "Human and elven. A lot more human blood though." With a direction in mind and the increasing risk of being caught out in a blizzard at night, the two gave each other a reassuring look, as if communicating nonverbally that this was the appropriate choice to make given their circumstances: With blood came food. Even if it was not their most preferred, it was enough to regain their stamina and regenerate some of their wounds. "The smell isn't getting stronger. They probably don't know that we're here." He whispered as he dimmed his light, using the frigid winds to his advantage.

"I'll lead the way. Stick to the shadows, Hoshiko. If we're outnumbered, then let's use the storm to better our odds." Remaining quiet, the pair began to make their way towards the smell, finding the outline of a Torii gate being the first to break the white wall of snow. Upon closer inspection, arrows were buried into its wood, hinting at a potential fight that occurred recently in combination with the scent of fresh blood. Whatever they were stumbling upon would most likely have been injured. As they passed through the gate, stumbling outlines and trails of blood had led to the wounded, dead, and dying. Enchanted chains and collars were made present on the bodies. 'Slavers.' Taiga thought to himself. Though, whoever was the one to injure them had yet to be known. Surveying the area, the duo had counted six in total. Three standing while the rest lay on the ground covered in blood.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"That's it! I don't give a fuck about what our boss thinks anymore!"

"That smug elven shrine bitch killed Daisuke! Yori and Tsun are both bleeding out!"
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

As the slaver gestured to the wounded, the duo had held their breath as they hid behind the shadows of a few nearby trees to eavesdrop on what happened. "We're not being paid anywhere near enough to care about her! Let's take our revenge. She's hurt already! Besides, it's not like the boss is gonna care whether she's used goods anyways. We got paid to make sure she comes back alive. Whatever happens to her in doing so doesn't matter." Whoever was speaking seemed to be in charge. Unlike his human companions, he towered above them; Most likely a wolf told to track and capture someone at the shrine. "Find her! Now! She's bound to be around here somewhere."

As the other two separated from their leader, Hoshiko whispered to her bonded. "Taiga, we have two options. We could either take advantage of them splitting up to intervene, or we could let whatever happens happen and wait it out until they're gone." Despite the inhumanity that could occur in front of them, Hoshiko wasn't kind. She didn't feel any pull or draw to help. She was a realist who put herself and her family above all else, prioritizing the safety of her and Taiga alone. "We've already suffered enough today. We're exhausted too. It would be wise for us to be cautious here." Though as much as she could disengage herself from the lives of other people, Taiga was different. Trustworthy allies were hard to come by, but somehow, he always had a way with inspiring people around him to join his side.

"What's to say they won't prove a problem for us or the people we're working with in the future?" His gloves tightened on the shaft of his yari, clutching it close as once he drew it from his back. "What if they come back while we're resting?" His eyes lit up with determination, already cementing his choice. "We should take advantage of this, Hoshiko. To ensure our own safety and potentially save someone capable as well." Being able to take on this many slavers alone was a feat worthy of respect for the ember samurai. Whoever was delivering these attacks knew their way around a bow. "Should whoever this shrine elf is turn against us as well, we'll take care of her too."

Relenting to his conviction, Hoshiko drew her bow. "Always the stubborn one choosing the harder option every time." She chuckled, glad to see that despite their recent loss, Taiga had yet to change. "Fine. Let's take care of him together. I'm not letting you join Junichi so soon." Coming to a decision, the two split apart to flank the slave captain from separate sides. As he gazed down at his dead to spit at their failures, a glint in the snow had caused him to forge a shield of ice in reaction, blocking the sudden strike of Taiga's lance. "Oh, I didn't think she had a boyfriend. How quaint." Parrying the strike away, the cryomancer drew a sword from his scabbard, slowly encasing its steel with permafrost. "Come now, that the best you got? It's almost like you want her to taste our bodies."

Refusing to let his taunts get to him, Taiga stabbed his spear in a flurry of strikes, each shooting fire at the pinnacle of his jabs. Though, while his element may have given him an advantage, it was cut short. The blizzard had fed into the cryomancer's abilities even further, making it hard to melt through his defenses. His exhaustion too had tapped his mana reserves to near dry. But, he fought with faith. Taiga was not meant to be the danger, only the distraction. Flying from behind, two arrows struck into the slaver's leather, drawing blood and sending the wolfman reeling. A pained howl had echoed through the shrine, beckoning his other companions to return to him, only to be cut short once Taiga took advantage of Hoshiko's surprise. Using his spear for added leverage, he kicked the slaver in the torso to send him to the floor, stomping his neck as he tried to rise while impaling his shoulder to the ground. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right here, right now."

"Fuck... You... Ach!" Instilling his weapon with fire, the shoulder he impaled was boiled with impatience. "Wrong answer. Shame. I expected your species to be smarter." Without noticing it, the wound Taiga received from the yokai he fought earlier had bled down from his thigh to his boot, eventually making contact with his enemy. With a smirk, the slaver clung on to his boot with both hands, freezing the blood that ran to him up to his wound and even inside, causing icicles to form within Taiga's veins as he attempted to freeze him from inside. "And I didn't expect you to be this fucking stupid for a ronin! How do you like that?" Upon being stricken with pain, his eyes flared up, utilizing the last of his reserves to melt the very essence of mana the cryomancer injected into his body. His blood boiled, melting the ice that pierced his body. Fueled with a surge of adrenaline, he let go of his spear, drawing on his sword to slash. Upon being pulled from its hilt, embers emitted from it as it caught flame.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
Summoning draconic fire as hot as the sun itself, Taiga reduced the captain to ash before falling to his knees.

Taiga, The Ember Lotus
It was his fault for underestimating his opponent, a mistake he would never make again.
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Taiga!"

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴄᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ | ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪʀᴀɢᴇ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

And I'm calling you
Cause I can't be with myself in solitude
I can't stand myself so I'm reaching out for help

I'm a letdown, oh yeah
But I don't want to go the way I am, I swear
I don't know what to do with myself
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Misfortune came in storms, moving as swift as the rain in a torrent. Hoshiko bolted towards Taiga upon seeing the sudden flare of his flames do away at the snow on the ground. His wounds were many. Icicles that once bore out of him left their spotted pattern as scars on his body. He had need for a healer or a substantial amount of fresh blood, far more than what was available across the several slain slavers, in order to regenerate from his injuries. Struck by the sudden calamity, as footsteps had approached their position, using the armor and weapons of the slain, she commanded them to fight in her stead. Taiga needed to have his wounds tended to immediately. The ice and combat would only serve to exacerbate the damage inflicted already. Light shone from the moon upon her command, possessing the fallen's armor to give them a mind and a will of their own. The sustenance of her own spiritual reserves would mean little if its conservation would come at the cost of her bonded.

While the others slavers were met with the nightmare of fighting an enemy that knew no pain, Hoshiko helped walk him towards the largest building within the shrine, trudging up its steps before finally resting him on a wall inside. "Taiga, stay with me! I'm here! Just follow my voice okay? Don't leave me. Please..." He was dazed and out of it. His liquid life was coating his armor. Cursing to herself, she pulled a vial of fresh blood meant to be used for her in case of emergency to pour into his mouth. "Drink this. It'll help." Seeing the crimson fluid force his throat to contract as it dripped into his mouth had made her sigh in relief. Even if it won't prevent him from bleeding out, it would be enough to hold back the tide of death for now.

"I'll go look around for the bodies. See if there's more I could feed you. Until then, rest here. You've done your part, Taiga. Now it's my turn to do mine. Leave the rest to me." Her voice grew soft as she carefully tended to him, cutting scraps of nearby cloth with her own tanto. However, before she had a chance to inspect the outcome of the battle, the lingering scent of elven blood had drawn closer. Reaching for her sword, Hoshiko turned in its direction, sensing the scent come from a corner that led to another hallway. It was likely that whoever it was had eavesdropped, listening in to her softer tones while she was distracted. Given the distance, she doubted that she had enough range to wield her bow effectively, and with her light being inhibited inside and her mana being rendered empty due to upkeep of her armored troops outside, she was left with the help of shadows and her sword to wield against this stranger. Still, with Taiga too injured to fight, the tactician was forced to make her stand. If they died here together, then she would take on the next realm with him and Junichi by his side as well. Taiga was all she had left. She wouldn't let anyone take him without a fight, yokai or otherwise.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Who goes there? Come out."

Hoshiko, The Moonlit Blossom
"Now."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
I feel the weight when I'm alone
I feel the weight of the world bearing on my chest
Hours of lifeless staring at my phone

Should I call you? Should I call you?
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

 

[Zephyra]

┏❤♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡❤┛
⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤,
𝔅𝔲𝔱 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔬𝔫.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: sᴏɴɢ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛs | ɴɪᴇʀ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺


How many years had it been since she'd last interacted with another living soul?

》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《​

Time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye in this dying, desolate world. Where once Kaori had prayed to a thriving, benevolent goddess and spent her days basking in the warmth of a radiant, golden sun, she now knew nothing but emptiness. Her sisters of the cloth were long gone, each one of them taken by the cold and unrelenting clutches of death. In truth, there was nothing left that bound her to this world but her faith, for even in the darkest of times it shone brightly enough to illuminate a clear path before her.

Tamayori would return one day, she knew it. And when she did, Kaori would be there to welcome her goddess back home with open arms.

Unfortunately, her love and her belief in Tamayori alone was not enough. The people of Izumo had turned from her after the war, forsaken their prayers and strayed from her loving embrace. At one time, she was the goddess of balance and equilibrium, the gatekeeper between realms that protected all who lived in this world. Her worshippers were many, and they built shrines in her name, raising young women from all walks of life to devote themselves wholly to her glory. And yet now she was little more than a forgotten deity, her name wrongly dragged through the mud by her dissenters only to be lost to the lips of those who used to sing her praises so highly. To have lost so much in such a short span of time... Truly, it was heartbreak beyond measure.

She spent her days in the one of the last remaining bastions in Izumo, the safe pocket of Tamayori's protection that was Moritaka Shrine. The village that it was named after had been razed to the ground by bandits many moons ago, yet the red torii gate outside of her home remained, continuing to stand tall in the face of adversity. It was a sad sight to see that these mountain paths, once bustling with her fellow miko as they went about their duties, now whistled silently with the icy winds that swept in from some far-off land. The rooms within the shrine temple were empty, but if she listened closely she could still hear the chatter of her sisters as they busied themselves with menial labor, their laughter ringing like chimes across the snowy mountain peak. Oh, Tamayori-sama... please accept this prayer. Clasping her hands together, the lone priestess knelt on the wooden floorboards before the statue of her goddess.

​

As she always did, she pulled out her lyre and began to play for the goddess, her slender fingers rhythmically plucking at the instrument's delicate golden strings. No matter how many times she'd played this ballad before, she always felt deeply connected to Tamayori in these moments, her soft voice rising over the melancholy of the shrine as she performed for an audience of none. It didn't matter if nobody was around to hear her, or if she was the only person in the whole world who worshipped Tamayori. If it came down to it, Kaori would continue to sing until the land withered away and her body turned to dust alongside it.

So deeply engrossed in her music was she that she almost completely missed the arrival of a band of strangers at her doorstep. The light, airy timbre of the notes faded away into nothingness as her pointed ears seemed to stand at attention, silence enveloping her shrine once more. Someone was out there.

Tucking her lyre back into its place, Kaori quickly rose to her feet and padded over to the katōmado window overlooking the steps that led into the temple. She pushed the curtain aside ever so slightly, a single lavender eye peering between lengths of fabric to look upon the snow-covered landscape beyond. The sun was beginning to set and a dark orange glow was retreating beneath the horizon, but if she squinted she could just make out the shadowy silhouettes of six figures strolling casually up to the torii gate that marked her shrine. Despite the blizzard, they continued to scale the mountain path, presumably seeking shelter from the storm. And yet... Her eyes widened at the chains around their necks and the weapons they carried, a wave of ill intent crashing over her even from where she stood hidden within those four walls.

These strangers had not come here for a chat.
​

Faced with a disturbing realization, the young woman sprung into action, her body moving all on its own. Instinct led her to the stairs where she swept up her bow as she passed, strands of her long pink hair billowing behind her as she ran. Still, she could not flee into the trees and hope that they wouldn't find her — this was her home, and she was sworn to defend it from any who dared to encroach upon its sacred ground.

She hurried up to the second floor and climbed out of one of the windows, quickly making her way onto the lower rooftop. The angled tiles were somewhat difficult to traverse, particularly when they were covered with frost, but she was used to navigating uneven terrain. Expertly weaving to the side of the temple, the elven priestess crouched low to the floor and readied her bow, relying on the fading light to obscure her location as she nocked the first arrow and pulled back the drawstring.

—Fwip!

"Got him."
​

The slavers hadn't even known what hit them. In one motion, she'd taken out the first man with a perfectly-timed shot to the heart, Tamayori's guiding light blessing her to strike true as it lit up the arrow with a golden glow. The jagged arrowhead lodged itself into his breast, and like any mortal man, he crumpled to the floor and perished from a direct hit to one of his vital organs. His death rattles could be heard even from where she lie in wait above them, the shouting of his companions as they realized what they were up against quick to follow. She didn't know if they had come here for her specifically or if they'd simply come looking for a victim, but she knew that she needed to dispose of them, and quickly.

As their voices grew louder, she readied three arrows at once this time, lining them up together and firing off in the mens' direction once more. Not all of them hit their targets — two lodged themselves into the shrine gate behind them, but the last one struck a different man in the leg. He yowled like a tortured animal, clutching his leg as he drew his sword and searched for the assailant. Finally, they all noticed her. Standing there juxtaposed against the darkening sky, she appeared as an angel of death, both beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. Despite being just a petite thing, she wielded her weapon with nothing less than a clear intent to kill.

"Take one step closer and it will be your last." The elven maiden threatened them, but the trembling of her limbs and the waver in her voice betrayed her. This was the first time she'd come into contact with anyone in a very long time, but what could have been a joyful meeting was utterly ruined by their malicious aims.

"Move in. Get the girl, but don't damage her too badly. She needs to be in saleable condition."

Gritting her teeth, Kaori was given less than a split second to react as one of the other slavers withdrew multiple silver shuriken from a pouch strapped to his thigh. Spinning their bladed points between his fingers, he sent them flying towards her, each one catching the moonlight as they sliced through the air and cut a vicious path towards the miko. She saw her own blood splatter before she ever felt the sharp sting of the blade, wincing as she quickly put a hand over her arm. Though she'd sidestepped to dodge them, one had managed to slit her thigh, and the other grazed her arm. Another was embedded into her shoulder, but it only took her a moment and a bit of willpower to dislodge it, ruby droplets beading over the wound that was left in its wake.

Luckily, adrenaline and the cold numbed the stabbing pain she might have felt otherwise. Composing herself, Kaori let loose another flurry of arrows, her hands working quickly as they darted between her quiver and drawstring with practiced efficiency. At this point, she wasn't really trying to aim carefully anymore. Her goal was to stop them from advancing far enough to make it into the temple, because if they got in close enough to seize her then she would be completely doomed. Her arrows buried themselves into the snow and the trees surrounding the area, some of them even colliding with more throwing shurikens and knocking both projectiles out of the air. She panted from the exertion, frigid air filling her lungs painfully as she took a few steps back, carefully navigating the rooftop and the sharp objects that now littered it. Despite her best efforts, three of them were still standing and quickly forcing their way into the shrine, undeterred by the magical barrier that protected it. That barrier only kept rogue yokai away from the temple; unfortunately, it did nothing against people.

As the shield-bearing captain led his subordinates in through the doorway, Kaori clambered back inside through the window and looked around for a suitable spot to hide in. The interior of the shrine was fairly large, but a lot of the old furniture was too heavy for her to move on her own. Without a second thought, she ran down the hallway and flung open the tatami door leading into her sleeping quarters, her bare feet padding silently over the mat as she squeezed into the narrow closet.

ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ...​

Her pulse thundered in her ears as she peered through the shutters, soft lantern light spilling in through the gaps in the door and illuminating sections of her face as she hid in the shadows of the enclosed space. She could hear the men speaking to each other, silently listening to the shuffling of their boots as they soiled the holy ground they trod upon.

"Come out or we'll burn this shithole to the ground!" One of them yelled, his words prompting her to flinch as she clasped her hands over her mouth and retreated further into the darkness. No! She couldn't let them scare her into revealing herself, but she really couldn't afford to let Tamayori's last shrine be decimated to ashes just like the village that lay beyond it. Trembling, she brought her entwined hands to her chest and wordlessly mouthed a prayer, beseeching her goddess' protection. Now more than ever, she wished desperately that she would wake up from her long slumber and right all the wrongs that took place in this world.

Just as she was debating between staying in hiding or giving herself up before the smell of smoke and fire reached her, she stiffened further, her body freezing in place as the shouting grew louder. To her surprise, the footsteps had begun to retreat, the strangers' presences fleeing from the building as they ran back out into the treacherous blizzard. Stunned, she strained her ears harder, just barely able to make out the sounds of fighting and a new voice that had joined the fray. Had one of the men turned on the others? Or were there even more unexpected visitors in the mountains tonight?

Against her better judgment and the voice of rationality screaming at her to stay, Kaori emerged from her hiding place, her fingers slowly prying open the closet doors before she crawled on hands and knees to the other side of the room. With an audible gulp, she gripped onto the edge of the window sill and propped herself up just enough to take another peek outside. Aside from the three men she'd taken care of earlier and the three that were still active, there were two new figures closing in on the others. One was a man with a fiery crimson mane and dark raiment, while the other appeared to be a woman with midnight hair and a sword. She caught the tail end of the battle, a gasp leaving her lips as she watched the slaver captain attempt to freeze the crimson-haired man who only retaliated with his flames, his actions ending the other's life in a single moment. Their victory was not without sacrifice, however. The priestess watched with bated breath as the warrior collapsed and his feminine companion immediately came to his aid, mana flowing from her fingertips and animating the corpses strewn about the battlefield. She made a tactical retreat, her arms wrapped around the man while she helped him hobble up the steps and into the shrine.

Turning away from the window, the elven maiden crept out of the room and towards the stairs once more, her hand gliding along the wall and helping her find her way down the dimly-lit hallway. Her footsteps were light and cautious, each one carefully placed so as not to tread upon a creaky floorboard or bump into a wall or handrail. She took the steps one at a time, crouching as she descended them so that she could get a better look at the situation.

``Taiga, stay with me! I'm here! ... Just follow my voice, okay? Don't leave me. Please...``

As her voice faded in, the woman's desperate pleas tugged at Kaori's heartstrings, such a gentle-sounding soul instantly putting the elf more at ease. The presence of another woman was comforting for her, as it reminded her of her miko sisters; how tender and lovely they'd once been... She continued to watch with a concerned expression on her face as the female ronin tipped a vial of dark liquid into her male counterpart's mouth, her brows knitting as she witnessed the effect it had on him. It was too dark to tell, but was that substance... red?

Clutching onto her still-bleeding arm, Kaori tensed up when she sensed that the other had finally noticed her. Droplets of her own blood continued to patter against the hardwood floors, but surely such a subtle sound wasn't enough to give her location away. Suddenly, the ronin's gentle tone had become severe, the forceful intonation of her words frightening the miko. Her breath caught in her throat as she stood deathly still for a few unbearable moments, wondering if perhaps the other woman would decide not to pursue her. Yet from the way that she glared into the darkness, her amber eyes faintly glowing with a burning animus, Kaori could tell that she was not going to just let her leave. Unlike with the slavers outside, she had no desire to engage this stranger in combat. She wouldn't be able to wield her bow indoors regardless, and her own wakizashi was practically useless in her hands.

A sharp breath escaped the priestess as she slowly sidled out from behind the wall, moonlight reflecting the shine of her pastel hair and purple eyes. The golden jewelry and adornments she wore gleamed in turn, her ivory skin almost luminescent in spite of the shadows. She took a few steps forward, holding the stranger's gaze with her hands resting at her sides. It was clear that she wasn't holding any weapons.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

☾✧ ⸻ "You're not one of them, are you?" ⸻ ✧☽
​

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Kaori spoke up softly, her dress fluttering around her thighs as she settled into place across from them. Her lavender gaze swept over the ravenette, deciding that she was not in need of immediate medical attention, before coming to linger on the redhead. Anyone could see that he was badly wounded, his shallow breaths rasping lightly as the chill of ice continued to spread through his veins. Whatever the cryomancer had done to him was even worse than she'd thought, but she wouldn't be able to pinpoint the issue without getting a closer look at him.

As a priestess of Tamayori, she felt that it was her duty to help all living creatures in need, no matter how they turned up at her abode. However, she was still skeptical of the pair, especially because of the group that came before them having soured the atmosphere. She didn't know if she could trust them, and if they were hostile, then she would fare a lot better against just the one.

No, what am I thinking? She bit her lip, a guilty frown twisting her features. They'd worked together to take down her attackers out there — even if it had been done solely out of their own self-interest, they'd saved her. The least she could do was repay them for it. And besides...

People who cared so deeply for one another as these two did... There was no way they could ever be her enemies.
​

Having made up her mind, Kaori crossed over to the brick fireplace that was built into the adjacent wall, kneeling down next to the hearth where dying embers still sputtered helplessly as they began to fade into oblivion. She picked up the fire poker lying beside it and shifted the logs and ashes around to allow the flames more room to breathe, finally tossing some bundled-up herbs and dry twigs on top. Grabbing the lump of flint she always used, she drew her wakizashi and struck the steel blade across it until more sparks flew, the fire growing as it hungrily devoured her offering.

Catching the woman's eye, the pink-haired priestess set aside her sword and bow for the moment, unarming herself willingly to prove that she wasn't a threat.

"Your friend is bleeding out..." She muttered, stating nothing less than the obvious. Like a reluctant doe, she stood and came closer to where he lay, his chest rising and falling with some difficulty. "Let me take a look at him. I can help him, but I'll need your assistance." Kaori's voice was gentle and placating like the waters of a secluded grove, her elegant visage laced with worry and sincerity. She'd never been this close to a man before, but she couldn't let her inexperience get in the way of her work now of all times. Above all else, he was injured and he needed help.

"I'll need more firewood. He's ice cold — that man's magic is still spreading through his body. The warmth will help, but I'll need to isolate and inhibit the point of crystallization. There are logs out back on the veranda. We don't have much time."

In true healer fashion, Kaori set to assigning duties to her unwitting assistant, all of her attention shifting to the suffering ronin at her feet. At the very least, he seemed to be conscious. "It's a good thing you cut up this cloth. I'll use it to stem the bleeding." She got on her knees next to the man, her robes pooling around her as she leaned over his seated form. She was hesitant to strip him, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to remind herself that it was out of necessity as she unstrapped his armor and peeled it off sheepishly, taking in the sight of the blood that stained his undershirt and pants. Her fingers trailed over his chest and down to his thigh, a myriad of wounds marring his lean figure. Yet the presence of other, age-old scars suggested that he was no stranger to combat in the first place.

There it is. Kaori thought, sensing how far the icicles had progressed into his bloodstream. He'd melted most of them, but they were resilient, continuing to drop his body temperature as though it was a last-ditch effort by their maker to do away with him. She focused on that area, her hands pressing into his flesh and spreading a soothing warmth throughout his core. A healing aura blossomed within him, the invasive magic being expelled from his body as the bleeding began to slow. Taking advantage of that brief interval, she wound the fabric strips tightly around his most serious injuries, her fingertips stained with his blood when she pulled them back. He would stabilize soon, but getting him warm and letting him rest was of the utmost importance.

Unaware of his true nature, she brought her own bleeding wrist to his lips and held it over his mouth. "Tamayori-sama, lend this vessel the strength to stand and fight another day." She cradled the back of his head with her other hand, her whispered prayer washing over him as she allowed her sanguine essence to drip onto his tongue. Her blood had healing properties of its own — normally she would slip it into a different concoction rather than making somebody drink it straight from the source, but she didn't have time to whip up a medicinal elixir while a man was dying on her floor. At the very least, this would speed up his recovery, so she made sure that he swallowed it all until it ceased to flow, her head light and woozy in the aftermath.

"Ah... Help me move him closer to the firepit. And come sit down if you're hurt, too." The elf took hold of one of his arms, too weak from using her magic and her own blood loss to lift him on her own. She could tell that the other woman also wasn't in peak condition, so she didn't expect her to do it all by herself, either. Though it was something of a tragedy to see Tamayori's shrine desecrated by the blood of mortals, she knew it couldn't be helped. She would scrub it out of the floorboards later, but for now the trio had far more pressing issues at hand.

"Please trust me. If we work together, he will get better. I promise."​

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚         
✧. ┊         
⋆ ★

 

[Tenzai]

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"You're not one of them, are you?"

"And you're the priestess they're after too."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜰɪɴᴀʟᴇ | ᴘᴏʟʏᴘʜɪᴀ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Lavender jewels encroached upon Hoshiko from the darkness as the priestess had announced her presence. As she approached the ronin, the tactician stood in between her and her wounded companion, her dominant hand bound tightly on the grip of her sword. While the two may have done the stranger a favor by fighting the slavers that intruded outside, her intentions were still unknown. Many kami were worshipped in Izumo upon the disappearance of Tamayori, several of them demanding sacrifices for their powerful boons. Given the skill she displayed outside with her marksmanship, despite the advantage Hoshiko felt she had against the slaver's bounty, the priestess still served as a threat that could use her bond with Taiga against her. Being forced to protect herself and him at the same time had taken away any advantage close combat would bring.

Though, straying from expectation, instead of placing her focus on the ronin who intruded and spilled blood upon her temple's sacred ground, she walked past them to kneel in front of a fireplace, contorting the pile of flaming wood to better warm the room they resided in. Turning her back to the two had eased the tactician's concerns, lowering the tension her fingers had on her weapon for a moment before seeing her disarm herself in front of them. Despite the opportunity arising to strike her down to fuel her companion's need of blood, as she contemplated, she felt the hand of Taiga holding hers before being met with the shaking of his head as she turned around. "Don't hurt her." He motioned with his lips.

"Fine. As long as she doesn't try to hurt us either." Relenting to her companion's will, Hoshiko released her weapon before crossing her arms, filled with skepticism. "What is it that you're after, priestess? This shrine's god isn't one that I recognize and there isn't much around here but rock and snow." The two ronin were new to these lands which stood high above the oceans. Born and raised close to the coast, for most of their time spent as swords for hire, they had grown used to hearing the waves crashing against the shoreline, finding peace in feeling the pouring rain on their skin accompanied by the sound of the coastal breeze bringing motion to the trees. While growing up, the only kami they recognized were the ones that guided the waves and the ones that inscribed their names in the night sky. Tamayori was no more than a passing name spoken by merchants from across the ocean, used in vain attempts to sell goods to the locals.

"Your friend is bleeding out..." Instead of responding to her interrogation, the priestess had brought up the topic of most concern. Her voice was soft, careful not to pluck the strings of suspicion even further. They were not enemies or allies to the slavers, they were merely people seeking shelter for the night, caught up in the conflict of another. "Let me take a look at him. I can help him, but I'll need your assistance." Hesitant, she stepped in front of the priestess, getting in between her and Taiga. Though one familiar push on her thigh was all she needed to move. Taiga was much better at reading people than she was; A leader who inspired courage in those he led. Hoshiko on the other end was his tactician, a capable schemer that kept his edge refined even against the subterfuge of the enemy.

"... Don't try to pull anything, got it?" Despite the stubbornness in her voice, Hoshiko understood that Taiga needed help. There was only so much she could do to staunch the bleeding. With his body reacting to the remaining ice puncturing his innards and a lack of fresh blood to go around, she was forced to accept whatever help the priestess was willing to offer. "... He got hurt by the one coming after you outside. The leader of them, a wolfman slaver, armed with ice made stronger by the blizzard." As she spoke, the winds of the storm had rattled the outside exterior of the building they were in, sounding haunting echoes of the hostile climate through the empty halls. "If not for us coming back from a hunt to defend a local village from a shapeshifting yokai nearby, we would've fared much better." Explaining their situation, she hoped that the stranger would be fueled by compassion to offer her mercy. Grace was a rarity, a scarce luxury few could afford. If utilizing it properly would motivate her to grant her help under kinder terms, she would use it to the best of her ability.

However, despite her intention on using it to gain an edge emotionally speaking, some honesty had dripped through the cracks. "... We... Should've arrived earlier, if not for us burying one of our closest companions..." As the priestess placed her hands on Taiga's body to examine the scale of his injuries, he gave one of her hands a gentle pat of his own. "Thanks for doing this. I... Ach... Thought it would be best to get on your good side... You did fine work with your bow. Would've been a shame to have lost you to those slavers." The redhead chuckled, before coughing a bit of blood. His lungs were pierced by ice, making it difficult to breathe well. "Taiga! Relax, you don't need to speak!" Her confident facade had split for a moment as her words became filled with affection. "You've done your part. Let this priestess help you. You could talk when you're better again." Motivated by his condition, Hoshiko swapped gears and focused instead on what mattered.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"So what do you need, priestess?"

"I'll need more firewood. He's ice cold,"
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

"that man's magic is still spreading through his body. The warmth will help, but I'll need to isolate and inhibit the point of crystallization. There are logs out back on the veranda. We don't have much time." With a concerned look on her face, Hoshiko turned towards Taiga only to be met with a reassuring glance. If the priestess had truly meant to hurt them, she would have taken advantage of their vulnerability already, yet she tossed away her weapons, offered to help, and her hands had moved with sweetness, being careful not to apply pressure to where his nerves were the most vulnerable. Speaking quieter to avoid damaging himself further, he gestured her to move. "I'll be okay, Hoshiko. Don't worry about me right now. Go and do what you have to." Nodding, she left the two alone to focus on what she had to do next. "I'll be back soon, Taiga. Stay warm. We're right here for you." If anything negative were to become of Taiga, she aimed to make sure that none of it would have been her fault.

"It's a good thing you cut up this cloth. I'll use it to stem the bleeding." Emboldened by a desire to avoid causing any undue worry to the two women by his side, Taiga had done his best to keep himself awake. Being in his body felt exhausting and his eyelids were heavier than massive stone blocks. Yet, his fight was far from over. Holding back the beckoning tides of finality, he kept his attention on the priestess' face. "Hoshiko was always a better doctor than I was. Sometimes, I don't know how she could muster up maintaining so much knowledge in her head. A walking library, I tell her." He chuckled, using humor to keep his heart warm and resilient to the creeping cold. "Tsk!" Interrupting his laughs was a sudden sting of pain; Her hands applying pressure, while mending his flesh, had contorted his nerves, pulling them back into place as she uttered the prayer to her goddess.

"Tamayori-sama, lend this vessel the strength to stand and fight another day." Offering her own blood, his sanguine urges commanded his mouth to open, taking whatever she was willing to offer while his core illuminated with her goddess' light. She was heard. Though the power was far from as radiant as it was before, it was there, shining away the darkness of the room. "Tamayori... Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while." Strength returned to his body as the dark fog of death was done away with the help of her kami. His body had ceased in its loss of warmth and even his wounds were beginning to close. All that he needed now was time and fuel to recover, and with her hand being lifted to his lips as an offering, Taiga acted in caution to avoid taking too much. "Thank you for your kindness, friend." Reaching towards her hand, he brought it to his lips to kiss over and over again up its contour, taking in some of her spilled blood, before planting his lips on her wrist.

Muttering before he took any more, Taiga mumbled into her skin. "I promise not to take anymore than I need to seal the worst of my wounds. You've let out a lot already." Instead of sinking his fangs into her, he chose to kiss her wrist, carefully drinking her blood without disturbing her gash, only to pull away once he felt his flame return to his eyes. As he did so, Hoshiko returned with lumber in her hands with one of her commanded dead holding more beside her. Whatever combat had occurred outside had come to its end, leaving behind one active body for her to use as a tool. "I didn't know if this was enough, so I ordered one of my possessed to grab more."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Ah... Help me move him closer to the firepit. And come sit down if you're hurt, too."

"Please trust me. If we work together, he will get better. I promise."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Her words lacked strength. Her wounds were spilling much more than her body could handle. "I do, but take it easy, okay? You've done more than enough for me to prove your word..." As she wobbled with the help of the vampire she aided to her feet, Taiga looked to Hoshiko. "I'll be fine thanks to the both of you. But..." In Izumo post-catastrophe, good deeds often never went repaid. However, as if shown something special by the way she healed him, the swordsman refused to let her succumb to a fate without settling his debt. "...I know I'm not the only one who needs help. Hoshiko, help me tend to her. I'll bring her to the fire. I'm sure that there should be supplies we could use on the bodies outside." With renewed vigor in his step, Taiga assisted his savior towards the only source of warmth in the room, careful not to reopen sealed wounds. "I'll be back soon. Stay strong alright? Good people like you are rare to come by."

Moving by himself, despite the makeshift bandages restricting some of his movement, he was able to make it outside, only to experience the blizzard at its harshest. The world was cold, his nerves pulsating, begging him to return back to the safety of the shrine. However, the scent of her blood still lingered on his tongue, reminding him of who he was doing it for. How much was this when it came to the value of a good life? Pushing through the white abyss, he used the scent of strange blood to find the bodies amidst the ice, only to find misfortune.

Their bodies lacked medical supplies and upon closer inspection, it was clear why. Bandages had covered their bodies from a past conflict as well, most likely due to an attack before arriving at the shrine. With nothing to find, as he continued to frisk the bodies for anything that could be of use, a ghastly wail had come from the woods that surrounded the shrine. A yokai, of what kind was unknown. Given its proximity, either it was massive or close, attracted by bodies. To spend any longer out there was to risk meeting with its source. Frustrated, he returned back, primarily empty handed.

Meanwhile, inside, Hoshiko took scraps of her own cloth to bind against the priestess' wounds. Her face lacked color. Her body lacked heat. If not for the hope that Taiga instilled in her from looting the bodies, it was likely that her life would be forfeit without the use of extraordinary measures. "Priestess. Keep your eyes on me. I'm here." Grabbing her hand, Hoshiko massaged her fingers to keep her conscious, mixing the warmth of the fire with her own to give her wounded ally resilience against the cold. Smiling towards her, her fangs glistened in the embers of the nearby fire, hinting at her species and its fascination with blood. Yet something about the both of them had made them appear more than human. Taiga's flames were not granted by magic alone, but in combination with something physical. Hoshiko on the other hand had appeared to have the light bend around her, as though the darkness respected her.

Though, before she had an opportunity to inspect her any closer, the door had suddenly pushed open, revealing a Taiga covered in snow. "Taiga! Your back! What did you find?" He was silent, ensuring that the door was shut behind him before returning to their side to thaw by the fire. "Nothing too useful. The slavers must have used up their medical supplies on the way here. A yokai might be outside too, maybe the one that attacked them. Only thing there was left to scavenge was this." Placing a small bag by the light of the fire, as he opened it, it revealed fish recently gathered from a stream nearby. "Just a little bit of fish. Found it on the wolf who nearly killed me." The two grew quiet before turning towards the priestess, trying to think of a plan. Given their lack of resources, it was likely that they would have to leave her behind unless...

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Hey Taiga, how much do you care about her?"

"A kind priestess of a kami who would bless her mercy is one we won't find twice."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

"She saved my life, Hoshiko. Nothing would change that." Defending her value, Taiga had shared the truth of how he felt. "She didn't ask for anything while you were gone. In fact, she treated me very well. Even gave me her blood." Hoshiko raised an eyebrow, wondering what might have possessed her to do so much for a stranger. Either she was desperate for a friend or foolish, not knowing of the horrors that existed beyond the shrine's confines. Whatever the answer may be, his conviction in saving her life had brought an answer to her condition in mind. "We could always consider enthralling her." Enthrallment, a method at forging a contract forged between a vampire and someone who was interested in wielding their power. In exchange for inheriting sanguine abilities, one had to give up a portion of their soul and their autonomy. Loyalty for power and immortality, a simple trade, but not a simple decision to make.

"Think about it. Her wounds are fewer than yours, but deeper. WIthout vampire regeneration, she's sure to die. If we forge a sanguine pact right here, she'll be able to seal her worst wounds with some blood we have on the bodies nearby. Maybe with the blood of the yokai outside, we could get you both back to fighting strength. What do you think?" Taiga gave her response some thought. It would be one thing if it saved her, but to take away some of her control of her body, now that was a much tougher ask. In addition was the thought of her kami's reaction. Would Tamayori cease in her blessing should her servant become part vampire? Or would she deem condone this transformation as the consequences of the priestess' fate or destiny? "... Only on the condition that this is what she wants. I'm not our master. I'm not taking her free will from her."

Turning back to the priestess, the two offered her a contract. "You've done us a great favor, priestess. If not for the dire circumstances, I wouldn't even consider offering this curse." With every word, his fangs were made present. His breath was a lot warmer than earlier, thanks to the work her goddess had done to his body. "If you want to survive, we could bite you and make you one of us. Of course, there's a cost to it and I don't want to lie to you. You'll be drawn to follow our orders, but at least, we're far from the worst masters you could find out there." Taking a moment to blow some fire into the fire pit for the flames to be lit up once again, he turned his attention back towards her. "I understand how much it would change and I won't judge you, should you not wish for it. But the world has a need for people like you, and it would be a shame to have you leave so soon without at least getting to know you first."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Take your time to think, but don't take too long."

"Even as a vampire, there's only so much being a thrall could do before you're too far gone to regenerate."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

---

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
"Left behind. To think, they'd forget me."

Cursed rebirth in frigid abyss.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴇɴᴅ | イア
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆​

Death may have been the norm for most, but undeath was a cursed fate forced upon few. Dark magic had scoured the land, possessing vessels powerful enough to serve its bidding. Covered in the scattered remains of lost slavers that dared disturb his slumber, Junichi had felt nothing but malice at the blurs that once offered his heart warmth. They were nearby. They must be. Their scent had yet to fade with the melting ice. Drawn to the shrine by the drops of their blood, the cursed remnants of their dearly beloved friend had clawed its way through the ice covered forest, slashing at the bark of nearby trees, calling the attention of nearby yokai. "I know where you're hiding. Taiga. Hoshiko. You will join me. You promised... We will be together..."

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

"Forever."
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆​

Soon to come

↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

 

[Zephyra]

┏❤♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡❤┛
⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤,
𝔅𝔲𝔱 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔬𝔫.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴅʀʏ | ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ᴘʟᴜᴛᴏ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

Kaori was saddened to hear that the strange woman didn't recognize the name of her goddess, but it was nothing new these days. Most had either forgotten her, or simply regarded her with disdain, as though she alone was at fault for the war and the ensuing apocalypse. Tamayori-sama, how far you've fallen... She could do nothing but grieve for her beautiful Lady of Balance.

As skeptical as the female ronin seemed to be, she did finally relent and allow the priestess to come closer and treat her wounded friend. Kaori could tell that she really cared for him, and she couldn't help but wonder at their relationship. They didn't seem to have any blood ties, but their bond was strong — much stronger than most who traveled together in these faithless lands. They must have been together for quite a long time, she wagered. Regardless, she listened to the woman as she explained the circumstances that had brought the two of them to her shrine. She had watched the slaver captain injure the red-haired man from her window, but she hadn't known there'd been a yokai attack so close to the area. Moritaka Shrine was spared their wrath due to the last vestiges of Tamayori's magic protecting it, made possible with the priestess' own mana as well. Even without the barrier, however, there weren't enough prey in these mountains for most of them to bother coming this far up the peak just for one mortal snack. Her isolation protected her as much as it pained her, but if she played her cards right, perhaps she wouldn't have to suffer in it much longer.

"My condolences..." Kaori whispered in response to the ronin's explanation regarding the death of their companion. There wasn't much else that she could offer aside from her sympathies, and even those were in short supply in Izumo. As the redhead thanked her she merely shook her head once and gently pushed him back down to prevent him from hurting himself further. "She's right. You must stay still. Breathe."

Having treated her sisters in much the same manner whenever they fell ill or became injured, Kaori was no stranger to nursing others. She understood the woman's reluctance to leave her friend alone with a strange shrine maiden, but she wasn't lying when she said they were short on time. Luckily, he managed to successfully convince her to collect the firewood. As she listened to the two of them speak, she learned that their names were Taiga and Hoshiko. The names of warriors... Somehow, it suited them.

Despite her own deteriorating health, Kaori endeavored to use the last of her strength to treat the man. She nodded along as he spoke, doing her best to encourage him to stay awake. "It sounds like you two are quite close." She smiled gently at him, though it faltered when she felt him react sharply to her touch as though pained. "Sorry." She hadn't meant to hurt him, but a bit of discomfort was inevitable to kickstart the healing process. Still, this was good. He was talking and even laughing with her, a sure sign that he would be able to recover. Exhaling softly, she allowed him to take her arm as the fresh slice

above her wrist hovered over his mouth. Normally, she would have expected some pushback or at least a little bit of hesitance, but Taiga practically scented out her blood like a shark, his lips tickling her skin as he...

Kissed it...?

Kaori forgot herself for a moment, her face turning red as she felt his little pecks travel up her hand and wrist, an involuntary shiver passing through her body. Her wide lavender eyes focused intently on his face, his boldness throwing her off guard completely. "I-I... of- of course..." The priestess muttered, averting her gaze finally when the embarrassment became too much for her to take. Surely he was just delirious from blood loss, or perhaps the customs were different where he was from. Whatever the case, she had to try and put it out of her mind for the moment to focus on what was most important. Sharing a bit of intimacy with a man for the first time was one thing — keeping him out of the arms of death was another.

She turned as Hoshiko reentered the shrine with an undead servant at her side, both figures carrying armfuls of firewood. Nodding to them, the elf went to stand and escort Taiga over to the hearth, but she was stopped by the very same man she was trying to help. Using her abilities had taken more out of her than she'd expected; normally, she could just shake it off and rest for a while to recover her mana. However, with the wounds that the slavers' shuriken had carved into her flesh, the deadly combination of blood loss and a lack of power was quickly sapping her strength away. She hadn't even realized how pallid and disoriented she'd become until she was nearly tripping over herself just to cross the room, her body leaning heavily up against the ronin's as he set her down next to the crackling flames.

"Ngh... W-wait... you shouldn't go... out there..." Her weak protests fell on deaf ears, her back slumping against the brick edge of the fireplace as she sucked in a ragged breath. It was getting harder to breathe, and with a dark cloud of death hanging over her panic was beginning to set in. While Taiga was gone, Kaori vaguely registered Hoshiko approaching her, feeling the other's careful touch as she wrapped up the gashes littering her smaller frame. She lifted her eyes to gaze upon the one helping her, the sight of such a beautiful young woman tending to her bringing the faintest pricks of tears to her eyes. Being this close to her reminded her so much of her fellow miko that she was on the verge of becoming emotional.

She looks just like an angel.​

Blinking the tears away, Kaori nodded softly as her dark-haired savior took her hand and squeezed it tenderly. She focused on her touch, yet the sight of fangs peeking between her lips was not lost on the priestess. If the two of them truly were vampires, then it would explain how they'd sustained so many injuries and still made it this far. Not to mention Taiga's unusual reaction to her blood... Unlike some, however, such a revelation didn't bother her in the slightest. Vampires, humans, and even yokai, all were beloved by Tamayori, the goddess that maintained equilibrium between worlds. Just as her kami cherished them, she, too, was a paragon of those very same ideals. Coughing lightly, the elven maiden reached up and placed her other hand over Hoshiko's, her grip feeble and cold but filled with quiet sincerity.

The grateful look that she gave her was devoid of her earlier vitality, but the meaning was still there. "Thank you..." Dropping her other hand to her lap, she dipped her head down and tried to soak in the warmth of the fire as best she could. Thanks to Hoshiko's efforts, she was at least able to stay aware of her surroundings, even if her eyes were getting heavier by the minute.

When her male companion finally returned and lamented over the lack of medical supplies, Kaori shuddered, trying to come to terms with her own situation. Even if they wanted to save her, she reasoned that they probably had no way to do so. Healers like herself were hard to come by, and since she was completely spent from mending Taiga's wounds she was too far gone to save herself, either. As the end closed in on her, all she could feel was an all-encompassing, pervasive sense of numbness. How tragic it was to have lived so long in the hopes of serving her goddess well only to die before her true journey could even begin...

The one saving grace was that she wasn't alone. Ever since the war, she'd always suspected that she would leave this earth without ever getting to talk to or touch another person again, so being able to share her last moments with the kind ronin was more than she could have ever hoped for.

As they spoke with one another, she allowed her tearstained lashes to flutter closed, her whole body feeling impossibly heavy as though she bore the weight of the entire world on her shoulders. She could barely hear them anymore, their voices muffled by the ringing in her ears as it grew louder and louder. This was it. She had failed Tamayori, after all.

Taiga's voice momentarily brought her back to her senses, her gemstone irises coming into view once more when she heard him speak. Straining herself, she tilted her head back to lock eyes with him and tried to ground herself in those gleaming rubies that shone back at her. The curse of vampirism. He was offering to make her into a thrall to save her life, though it would bring about her undeath in doing so. Her brows creased slightly as she listened to him speak, hardly able to grasp the choice that was presented to her:

Survive and forfeit her humanity, or perish on these hallowed grounds, forever a nameless follower of a forgotten deity.​

Realizing she'd forgotten to breathe, she paused to fill her lungs, a deep inhalation of air preceding her next words. Her eyes hardened and filled with a new resolve, the flames of determination burning within them. She would not die here and leave this world to its own ruin. Her love for Izumo and all of the creatures who called it home was too strong, too bright to ever be extinguished so easily. Rather than die a pitiful death at the hands of slaver scum, she would rise up and finally take the initiative. For far too long had she spent her days in solitude, biding her time while waiting for the perfect opportunity to leave this place. While it may not have been perfect, that opportunity had now presented itself. She'd be a fool to waste it.

Besides, somebody ought to know her name. Something as impersonal as 'the priestess' simply wouldn't do.

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤ "It's Kaori." ﹥*:ꔫ:*+ﾟ
┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤ "Akizuki Kaori... My name." ﹥*:ꔫ:*+ﾟ​

Compared to before, the smile she beamed up at them lacked the same vivacity, but it was clear that she'd made up her mind. Shifting slightly to try and sit straighter, she glanced between Taiga and Hoshiko, her trembling fingers ghosting over her own weakening pulse. Without their bite, she was sure to expire, and soon. Turning to immortality as a last-ditch effort to save herself may have been viewed as cowardly by some, but her devotion to reviving Tamayori transcended any judgement or persecution she might face by others. If she had to become a thrall to see the goddess' will done, then she would offer her neck without a moment's hesitation.

"... I accept. But I need you... to promise me something..." Swallowing thickly, Kaori leaned forward and beckoned them closer, her voice barely audible even amidst the stillness of the temple. "Take me... to Mizutori Spring. I don't care what it costs. I'll give you everything I have... and do anything you say. I need to go there... I need to wake Tamayori... sama..."

Her vocal cords tightened, closing up on her as the reaper's embrace drew nearer. She felt so weak, so frail that she might wither away at any moment like a flower deprived of sunlight. At her sides, her fingers twitched as she curled them into fists, strands of soft pink hair obscuring her vision as she tilted her head ever so slightly to expose the moonlit outline of her throat. "Please..."

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚         
✧. ┊         
⋆ ★

 

[Tenzai]

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
The offering of names begets power and trust.

"It's Kaori. Akizuki Kaori... My name."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
◯⸻⸻⸻⸻ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɪ ꜱᴇᴇ ꜰɪʀᴇ | ᴇᴅ ꜱʜᴇᴇʀᴀɴ⸻⸻⸻⸻☾
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

"Akizuki Kaori. I'll be sure to remember that." The taste of her name on his tongue was new but its sound had fit Kaori so well. Her blood, now spilled across the floor and her body, had smelled sweet and divine; Blessed as though their meeting was planned by her kami. Her stained crimson was akin to ambrosia to the redheaded vampire, a flicker of flame appearing in his eyes as he saw her offer a weak smile upon hearing her name come out of his lips. Even if he wasn't guaranteed eternity, he wasn't one to forget the names of those who gave him compassion. If not for her, he doubted that he would have the strength to speak, let alone still believe in his tomorrow. "Its a nice name for you. Fitting."

Placing his hand against his chest to properly introduce the man she saved, Taiga finally gave her his name. Names to vampires were a sign of trust and power in these dark times. They were important things to be remembered, a pleasant memory if bonded right and a terrible regret otherwise. "My name is Taiga. Kitamura, Taiga." Holding onto her back to keep her sitting up with one hand, with the other, he reached for her hand to hold it close. "The Ember Lotus, once-prominent samurai of the Kitamura clan." The ronin didn't see his past with regret. While his master was unkind, he himself had accomplished feats he wore with pride. A symbol of bravery through overwhelming odds, he became one of the faces of his clan's army soon after being adopted into his master's ranks and family. "I promise to never lose your name. I will carry it with me until the day I die, Kaori."

Hoshiko on the other hand was a bit more cautious to share at first. She knew her names had a reputation to it as a result of their family names, and with them came the weight of their bounty for desertion. Though, seeing the priestess' reaction to her bonded and watching the state of her tip between life and death had eased her anxieties. If Kaori were to turn on them after becoming enthralled, then she could be easily disposed of. She would not have been the first to turn against them and she surely won't be the last. However, drawn by a favor to pay her back for saving Taiga, she held off her concerns for now. Overthinking would lead to avoidable tragedy. To deny them a chance to build rapport and make a meaningful ally would be a rare opportunity wasted. They were already reeling after the recent loss of Junichi, to have Taiga lose someone again so soon would lead to him being possessed by a darkness they can't afford to suffer.

"Kaori. My name is Hoshiko. Kitamurai, Hoshiko." After weighing the scales, the tactician decided that investing into some level of trust with the priestess would serve a better boon in the long run. Giving her a polite bow while she was on her knees already from inspecting Kaori's body, she introduced herself properly. "The moonlit blossom, past-tactician of the Kitamura clan, at your service." Seeing his bonded feel safe enough to share her name had brought relief to Taiga's heart. He knew that she was a bit more stubborn when it came to the people she gave her name to. Once she lifted her head to meet the priestess' eyes, she offered the terms of what she could do to preserve her life, only to be surprised by Kaori's reaction.

"... I accept. But I need you... to promise me something... Take me... to Mizutori Spring. I don't care what it costs. I'll give you everything I have... and do anything you say. I need to go there... I need to wake Tamayori... sama..." Never had she imagined that someone like her would've accepted vampirism so swiftly, even while desperate. To many, vampires were a corruption upon the land. Their mere existence itself had made many believe that the gods were losing their power. Their sanguine taint was a curse, a sin that corrupted the very soul its dark boon inhabited.

Hoshiko wouldn't have been surprised to have seen Kaori be willing to end herself instead of tarnishing her body and soul with the mark of their bites. Yet, the strength of her will had made her see beyond its ungodly allure. Whatever religious feat which could only be conducted at this spring must have been worth her life several times over, and through her conviction in pursuing it, she had earned some respect in the tactician. Rarely did she ever come across good people who felt so strongly over something during these harrowing times where they would resort to measures like these in pursuing it. With the last of her vestiges of stamina in her throat, she pleaded. "Please..."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Then let this be the beginning of our pact."

"In exchange for your undying eternity, we promise to fulfill your dreams."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

With the both of them giving a nod of their heads towards each other, reaffirming that this is what both of them truly wished, the two ronin carefully rolled down her robe's sleeve off each of her shoulders before sinking their teeth into each side of her. Taiga had gone for the right side of her neck while Hoshiko had aimed for her left shoulder. When it came down to matters that involved the soul, they did it together. A pact formed between them long ago had ensured that they would keep true to their promise to do their best for each other, hence their term for each other being bonded. As they bit, Hoshiko saw a fire in Kaori's ambition. Being reminded of Taiga had made her wish not to let her flame go out. On the other hand, Taiga saw peace in her eyes and felt the humble warmth of her soul, being reminded of the kindness Hoshiko only showed in private. Kaori was a reminder of what made them wish for each other's company so many years ago. To let her die cold and alone was to make their newest companion subject to their worst fear.

Adding Kaori to their shared pact was not a decision they made lightly, though her gracious act, a rarity in this dark world, and her conviction in her words had made them both believe that this was truly worth it. Their fangs surprisingly did little to give her pain. No blood was taken from her body. Instead, the two of them injected their own into her stab wounds, leaving behind a part of their life to dwell within her body, corrupting from within with their shared taint. Slowly retracting their mouths from her flesh, the both of them had given her wounds a kiss to help aid in the sealing of her bites, knowing well of the transformation that was soon to come. "Rest up, Kaori. You'll be fine." Hoshiko noticed the weariness in her eyes. "By the time you wake up, we'll be by your side. You'll feel weak at first and that's normal. But we truly mean it. We will get you to that spring even if its the last thing we do."

"Have a bedroom we could take you to? I doubt sleeping on the floor would feel comfortable." Willing himself up, Taiga crested her legs and back over his arm, princess carrying her from the cold ground below. While her body was beginning to become one with the blood it was given, the once cold bodies of her vampiric saviors had started to feel warmer with each passing second, recognizing them as if they were human. Following her directions, they walked through the cold building, eventually ending up in front of a couple doors with a light still flickering inside.

With Hoshiko opening the doors for him, Taiga walked in before setting Kaori down on her sheets. Grabbing her blanket and setting it over her body, the redheaded warrior gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about us, okay? We'll be alright thanks to you doing your part. Just get your rest for tonight. We'll keep a watch out for any more slavers..." Reaching for his weapon, he turned towards the door. "...And we'll make sure not to leave you alone. We're bonded now. That means We'll live together, fight together, and die together. We're here for you no matter what."

As he left, Hoshiko sat on her bed and rolled her eyes. "That idiot sure knows how to be romantic with his choice in words." Feeling safe enough around her to speak, the tactician gave her a peek at her humanity. "But if anything, he's really good for his word. If he says he'll do something, he'll do it." Brushing her hand over Kaori's head to make sure that she wasn't sick, Hoshiko sighed in relief. She was weak, most likely the result of her blood loss but fortunately not anything else. If the slavers had used poisons or curses, it would have made her transformation ever the more complicated. Turning the conversation from her transformation towards another topic, Hoshiko aimed to distract her from her pain until she was finally able to fall asleep. "You must really care about your goddess, don't you? There's not many priestesses like you anymore. You're a rare one."

As she spoke, a walking suit of armor had come to her with a torch in hand, most likely made using a club placed in the fire outside. "Oh, thank you dear. Can you do me a favor and keep the fire in here warm?" With a nod of its head once it received her command, upon leaving the torch in her bedroom's fireplace, it walked outside towards where the rest of the wood stockpile was located. "Sorry about that. Its been a while since we traveled alongside someone like you. I can't tell if its too cold or warm sometimes." She chuckled, before returning back to the conversation at hand. "I've heard many others claim they are acting as priests and priestesses of this so-called Tamayori, soliciting tithes from hopeful guards in the hopes of bringing back some semblance of the light, but you... I've sensed the barrier upon coming in. You're more than just a false priestess."

The winds of the outside howled against the closed shutters of her bedroom window. The world they were in was unkind, especially to those living near the mountaintops. "Safe to say, you have me curious about you. About what you do and about what goddess you serve. You didn't need to bleed yourself to heal." Seeing her wounds slowly seal was a good sign that the vampirism was taking hold. Her holy nature didn't appear to be influencing the blood in her too terribly. "Nor did you need our blood or some sort of sacrifice to perform a miracle. You just did it. Make me wonder why you haven't sought out the spring yourself."

While she may have been powerful, Hoshiko understood the strength of the yokai that often traveled the wilds in between settlements. They typically congregated around places of power, and if the spring could be used to reawaken a goddess, it was likely that it was guarded by yokai of untold strength. "Tell me, what are we going to expect on the way there? I'm not so much of a fool to believe that something as important as the reawakening of a goddess wouldn't come without trial and tribulation. What's stopping you?"

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"If you want us to fulfill our end of the promise."

"We'll need you to be transparent with us. Whatever's stopping you, we're facing it together."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

---

──✩₊⁺⋆︎༄⋆⁺₊✧──
"Four weeks. You have four weeks until your sister's life is forfeit. Understand?"

Kaito, the exiled fencer
#a8daf0
"I... Understand..."
──✩₊⁺⋆︎༄⋆⁺₊✧──

"I should've died then. I'm sorry, Sei. This is all my fault."
✧⸻⸻⸻⸻ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴍɪꜱꜱɪɴɢ ʟɪᴍʙꜱ | ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴛᴏᴋᴇɴ⸻⸻⸻⸻✧
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆༄⋆⁺₊✧──​

"I'll save you soon. I promise. I'll make up for all the time we spent apart." Lighting his rolled tobacco with the sparks of an electricity spell, the bounty hunter inhaled a cloud of smoke before puffing it out into an empty inn room. he knew his sister would have never agreed to him falling back on one of his vices, yet he felt that there was no other better alternative to coping with her vacancy from his life. Kaito was a failure of a half-brother and a terrible guardian.

Wounded during one of his jobs against a yokai, he was forced into debt in order to get the medical attention he needed to survive. Yet, while he was given a second life, it came at the cost of another: His half-sister of whom he traveled oceans with to escape the persecution of his homeland. Hoping he could settle down into a new life with her where work was abundant, he was only met with tragedy after tragedy. No matter how hard he tried, he always seemed two steps away from saving her; His debt's interest nearly made it impossible to pay off his debt without going against someone truly worth it.

Though, in this village near the top of the mountain, he heard of the three famous vampire ronin rumored to have appeared within its proximity, each of them holding a sizable bounty on their head well worth multiple times his debt. If he managed to take them out, not only would he be able to free his sister, but he'd be able to live a life in a safer part of Izumo free from the debt collectors that sought to ruin their peace while removing the taint of vampires from the land, even if by a little. Unlike the other contracts that paid similar amounts too, this one seemed feasible.

"Just wait a little longer for me. I won't let you out of my sight again." Taking another breath of his smoke, Kaito wrapped his quiver around his shoulder full of stakes for his two crossbows, hilting his sheath that held his fencing blade afterward. With pouches full of sanguine blood wrapped around his belt and a backpack full of provisions, he spat out the rest of his tobacco in a nearby waste bucket, ready to take on the world outside. She was waiting for him, trapped in the clutches of those who wished to make the most of her. To spend another moment waiting for the perfect opportunity was to lose precious time in freeing her.

 

[Zephyra]

┏❤♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡❤┛
⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤,
𝔅𝔲𝔱 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔬𝔫.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴡʜᴏ ɪs sʜᴇ? | ɪ ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴇʀ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

The two vampires who were formerly strangers introduced themselves as Kitamura Taiga and Hoshiko, their names earning a weak nod and a faint smile from the priestess. The Kitamura clan was not one that she was familiar with, sheltered and isolated as she was. She'd guessed that they were ronin thanks to their long swords and lack of a family crest, but she was altogether unaware of just how hefty the bounties they carried truly were. Not that it mattered, anyhow. When it came down to it, she would accept help from anyone, regardless of whether they were lowly criminals or in the highest ranks of the nobility. Most importantly, they listened to her plea, treating her wish with the utmost sincerity as though they genuinely believed in her cause. Anyone else probably would have thought her a complete and utter crackpot for claiming that she needed to go wake some ancient goddess sleeping in a spring.

Hearing their pledge, Kaori shut her eyes softly and leaned her head back against the brick wall behind her. This was her one and only chance to finally make it to Tamayori; she'd already accepted any and all of the risks that came with becoming their thrall. Feeling their fangs sink in to either side of her neck, she gave a sharp exhale, her brows twitching from the jarring sensation. It wasn't as painful as she'd expected, though she was so numb she could hardly feel anything right now. Still, the sensation of having her flesh pierced and a strange substance injected into her veins caused her to shudder lightly, too disoriented to feel any embarrassment or reservation at their closeness. It was only when they pulled away again that she reopened her eyes and lifted her head slightly, hazy lavender pools focusing on their faces.

Hoshiko's reassurances were barely registered by the elf, a flicker in her countenance the only indication of her acknowledgement. Somehow she felt both better and worse at the same time — no longer was she knocking on death's door, but now her body felt strange and alien, like it wasn't really her own. She grappled with these strange new feelings as she felt herself lifted off of the floor and into Taiga's arms. The sudden shift had a wave of vertigo sweeping over her, one of her hands clutching onto his shirt as he carried her toward the stairs. She tried to speak but her mouth felt dry, her lips and tongue weighted down like heavy stones. After a bit of struggling, she was finally able to croak a few words out. "Yes... up the stairs..."

On the way there, she couldn't help but feel that she was really enjoying being so close to the man. She wasn't sure if it was because she'd been deprived of physical touch for so long, or if it was because of their new bond, but basking in his warmth was one of the few pleasant things she could ground herself to. It was almost a disappointment when Taiga finally set her down and took a step back, a tangible emptiness taking the place of his presence.

With her body laid out across the futon, Kaori glanced up at her saviors with half-lidded eyes, a faint hum of appreciation sounding from her lips in response to the male ronin's words. "Thank you... Taiga..." She smiled weakly at him, her pupils trailing after him as he left the room. The next moment her gaze had shifted to the woman that now sat at her side, the sincerity in her words warming the priestess' heart. It was good to know that her judgement of them had been correct — they really did care about one another like family.

As Hoshiko's featherlight touch passed over her forehead, she breathed in deeply and waited for the pain and discomfort to subside. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't easy for a mortal body like hers to undergo a vampiric transformation, either. Still, the talk of her kami had her perking up considerably, her eyes nearly sparkling in the dim light.

"Indeed... I love Tamayori-sama... with all my heart. I'd do... anything... to bring her back." Her weak fingers clenched into a fist, a sign of her strengthened resolve. If it wasn't for her divine lady, she likely would have died before her life could even really begin, a newborn abandoned by her parents and taken by hypothermia on a snowy mountaintop all those years ago... She owed her everything and had sworn to sacrifice anything in that pursuit.

Sparing the undead servant only a fleeting glance, she redirected her attention to Hoshiko once more, her brows furrowing at the woman's follow-up statement. To impersonate one of Tamayori's disciples for material gain... Just the thought of it made her sick. She shook her head, long strands of her pink hair fanning out across the mattress beneath her. "Tamayori-sama looks unfavorably upon false prophets and idolaters... I'm sorry that's how you had to learn about her."

As Hoshiko expressed her curiosity over her abilities, Kaori stayed quiet, her gaze drifting over to the crackling fire while the flames reflected in her clear irises. Some invisible red thread of fate connected the three of them now, and yet she still felt the tiniest bit of hesitance when it came to revealing her past and her secrets to them. It was understandable, given the circumstances, but the tactician had brought up a good point. How could she trust the pair to escort her to Mizutori Spring if she couldn't even trust them in the first place? No, they had a right to know.

As weak as she felt, she used her remaining strength to stay awake and bend the ear of her new companion.

"I tried to make the journey myself, once..."

⊹︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶⊹
​

Kaori began, her hands trembling with the memory. "Not long after the war had ended. But this barrier that protects the shrine can't come with me... Out there, I was on my own. Tamayori-sama lost most of her strength when she fell during battle... it's why the balance between Izumo and Yomi was lost. It's also why my abilities are much weaker than they used to be." Much as it pained her to admit it, it was simply the truth. When Tamayori was at her peak, she could have healed Taiga and herself without any issue, while taking down those slavers would have been a walk in the park. The goddess' power continued to wane, only mere wisps remaining of its former glory.

"My sisters went with me. We were all going to go to Mizutori Spring together... but not a single one of them returned. I alone made it back to the shrine in one piece." She took a moment to grieve for them, revering the bravery of her fellow miko. They had all been killed by rogue yokai, the sacrifices they'd made allowing her to escape before she, too, fell to the beasts. "I've been stuck here ever since. Nobody else has come by in a very, very long time." Not even she could remember how long it had been.

She closed her eyes and leaned further back into the pillow, her breathing slowing as fatigue crept in to her aching bones. Her wounds healing meant that she was guaranteed to live, but the enthralling process had taken its own unique toll on her. "But, I... I don't know what's waiting for us at the spring..." Kaori admitted, her lashes fluttering as she glanced up at Hoshiko one more time. "All I know is that... Tamayori-sama told me to go there before she lost her power... that it was... the only way..."

Reaching out weakly, the priestess placed her hand over Hoshiko's, her palm resting on top of her knuckles. "Will you... stay with me...?"

For the first time in years, she could finally fall asleep beside someone. To her, that was the true miracle.

---

┏☾☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆☽┛
☯ Seika Asahina ☯
❝𝔇𝔢𝔣𝔦𝔫𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔪𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔬𝔣 𝔴𝔞𝔯
𝔗𝔬 𝔪𝔢, 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔡𝔬 𝔴𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔴𝔢'𝔯𝔢 𝔟𝔬𝔯𝔢𝔡.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: sᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴇ | ᴏᴍʀɪ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

Drip. Drip. Drip.

​

Water droplets pattered against the floor of a musty cell, a pair of golden eyes focused on something hidden within frantic hands. The young woman they belonged to had her fingers wrapped tightly around a small rock as she repeatedly bashed it into a chain connected to her ankle, the metal crying out in high-pitched tones each time she struck it. Her slightly pointed ears and diminutive frame suggested that she was a half-elf, one who had taken traits from both her human and elven parents. Still, she looked incredibly out of place as a prisoner in the slavers' hideout. Her long, gradient blue curls and delicate, unblemished hands were far from what one would normally envision for a hostage. Furthermore, the fire in her eyes refused to go out even in spite of the bleak circumstances surrounding her capture.

Just as determined as ever, she continued to pound away at the chain link until her fingertips bled and her arm ached with exertion. If not for the mana-inhibiting properties of the material, she could have sliced it with her winds and been out of this dungeon days ago. As it was, she couldn't even summon the faintest breeze to at least blow the dust out of her cage.

Hearing footsteps approach, Seika quickly stashed her rock in her pockets and turned towards the door. One of the slavers appeared, the creepy grin he shot her only made more all the more unsettling by the missing teeth that accompanied it. "That good-for-nothing brother of yours still hasn't brought us the money he owes. Bet you're wishing he woulda just died instead, eh?"

The man staggered back a few feet when the captive charged at him, her knuckles turning white as she fisted the bars and leaned in, a look of pure malice in her eyes.

"Don't you ever talk about my brother that way again, filth."

"He's going to come and kill every last one of you bastards, mark my words."
​

The slaver seemed genuinely shocked for a few moments, his mouth gaping open like a fish out of water as be stared at her wordlessly. In the end, she was just a girl behind bars, however. Without her magic or her weapons, she posed no threat to him — or to anybody, for that matter. His astonishment made way for laughter, the sound of his derisive cackling grating on her ears as he flung the tray with her food in it through the bars, some unidentifiable gray mush spilling onto the floor and staining her dirtied robes. It was the kind of grub even pigs would turn their noses up at.

"What a laugh! Aye, I'd like to see that." He snorted, the keys at his hip jingling as he turned and walked back down the darkened corridor. All the while, Seika watched him go, her lips set into a hard line. His words had caused her temper to flare up, her shoulders heaving as she seethed alone in her prison.

You'll come, Kaito. I know you will... I only hope I can manage to break out of here and kick their asses before you do.

​

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚         
✧. ┊         
⋆ ★

 

[Tenzai]

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Regret made permanent through scars.
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
◯ ──── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɴᴏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜰꜱ | ʟʏɴ ──── ☾
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺​

Kaori's fingers suggested fear upon revisiting her memories, each digit shivering as though they were met with a reality too cold for hope. "Not long after the war had ended. But this barrier that protects the shrine can't come with me... Out there, I was on my own. Tamayori-sama lost most of her strength when she fell during battle... it's why the balance between Izumo and Yomi was lost. It's also why my abilities are much weaker than they used to be." From the way she spoke about her goddess to the knowledge she shared about the truth of the world, despite Hoshiko's own initial skepticisms, Kaori's bond with her goddess appeared to be true. She didn't ask to go to the spring for some half-assed reason they didn't know; She must have genuinely believed that whatever lied at the spring was key to Tamayori's revival. Her powers even in her weakened state were far too significant to ignore.

If this was Kaori without the full strength of her goddess, the tactician could only imagine what strength she would have wielded during her heights. To have an ally as capable as Kaori was, was a boon that preserved their good odds of survival. To thrall her to ensure her loyalty and have her strength be recovered however, now that was an opportunity that ensured their longevity should they manage to pull through. Balancing the scales and seeing her dreams lending itself well to their favor, Hoshiko felt a sudden drive beyond fulfilling her promise to make her dreams come to fruition. The two ronin were known for making miracles occur on the battlefield, what more was doing the same for a priestess in need, especially if her goddess would come to owe them her favor?

"My sisters went with me. We were all going to go to Mizutori Spring together... but not a single one of them returned. I alone made it back to the shrine in one piece." Wrapping a soft but firm hand around her shaking fingertips, Hoshiko made her presence known to Kaori's cold flesh. "I've been stuck here ever since. Nobody else has come by in a very, very long time." Loneliness was a quiet curse that disturbed the mind even at peace. To have known love and family only to have lost it was a fate Hoshiko did everything in her strength to avoid. Aching in heart upon seeing their newest companion suffer a nightmare for the vampires, the tactician had felt a pang of sympathy for her history.

"Then it seems like your goddess is still looking out for you, binding our fates together like this." She smiled warmly, baring her fangs in a show of kindness and warmth. "No matter what happens next, you, I, and Taiga are bound together until our fated end, if not for eternity." Her eyes were full of conviction and a desire to fulfill her promise. With Junichi finding his end just before reaching the shrine, she was fearful of loss. Taiga was all she had left in this cold world to rely on, yet somehow, right after suffering an unforgettable blow to her hearts, she stumbled across someone who was able to mend some of that despair. "I'm not so much a fool as to deny the existence of the gods and their plans for me."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"If they believe it's right for our paths to cross..."

"...then we'll fight through whatever obstacle comes in our way together."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

"But, I... I don't know what's waiting for us at the spring..." The process of her regeneration had appeared to drain her of her stamina. Already left exhausted from the wounds she sustained earlier when fighting against the slavers, Hoshiko understood her need for rest. "All I know is that... Tamayori-sama told me to go there before she lost her power... that it was... the only way..." Letting go for a moment, the tactician rested her hand at the side of the bed, refusing to leave her be until she truly fell asleep.

"Hush now. You've said enough. It'll be alright." Her voice lowered down to a whisper once Kaori's own had grown too exhausted to speak normally. "You've done your best so far, living alone for all this time." Now knowing the truth of the priestess that lay in the bed beside her, her own opinion of Kaori grew. She was a candle in a dark world, her light flickering as it preserved the flame of her other sisters simply by existing. She was their final hope in their land being brought back her goddess' light. She was Tamayori's prayer made manifest. "Don't feel regret for being the only one left alive, Kaori. Its because of your will to live that your sisters could still bear hope. Its because of you that Taiga and I are still together."

"And its because of you that you won't be left alone. Taiga and I are not ones to forget kindness. We are not ones to go back on our promises to good people." Unafraid to share the opinions of her heart, she made the strength of their growing bond known. "And we're not ones to abandon someone when they need us the most." She appeared brave, strong in her will to preserve their bond and longevity. "Our pact will keep us together. Our skills will keep us alive. Our bonds would make each passing day a fond memory. So as long as you don't give up on us. We will make sure to bring you where you need us to most. Your dream had become our dream the moment you accepted our bite."

"Will you... stay with me...?" Feeling her hand plant atop hers, Hoshiko felt her hope in the two ronin. The creation of their bonds had only just begun, though with what trials were to come, they needed to rely on each other. "I never planned on leaving you in the first place." Ensuring that Kaori's last image of the waking world was her own smile, Hoshiko held her hand tight until it loosened the moment Kaori truly fell asleep. "Goodnight, Kaori. I'll see you soon." Yawning, she felt a wave of exhaustion overtake her now that everything was said and done. With Taiga watching her back and guarding her from the nightmares that roamed outside, whatever tension that came with needing to keep them all safe was let go, sending her crashing down on the bed beside the priestess to sleep. While stuck in a dream-like state, her arms had reached out to grab Kaori, embracing her as if she too feared being alone. Muttering in her dreams, a whisper escaped her voice.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

---

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
The smell of home.

"You're awake early."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
◯ ──── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʜᴇʀ | ᴇᴇʀʏ ──── ☾
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

As Kaori awoke from her slumber, she was met with the smell of a bubbling stew cooking inside her room. Using the same fire she slept nearby for warmth, her redheaded warrior had kept watch over her, tending to her fire while preparing a breakfast for the three of them. "Managed to hunt some game during guard duty. Thought you both would appreciate some breakfast after a tough night." Hoshiko appeared to have been missing from the bedroom, swapping shifts in guard duty to give Taiga some time to rest after enduring the tough weather outside. As he moved to stir the pot in front of her, his arms had seemed to recover well, losing some of the friction it held after enduring his wounds the night before.

"Hmm? Curious about me?" Stretching his arms in front of her, he attempted to flex for a moment before wincing a bit in pain. "I'm ach-... Alright. A little sore but much better than before thanks to you." Turning back to the stew at hand, he spilled some of its contents into a bowl he scavenged from the shrine's kitchen while exploring, filling her portion for her to consume. "Rabbit stew. I melted some of the ice for the water and boiled it with the rabbit's bones for broth." Taiga was proud of his cooking and resourcefulness, especially when it came to the serving of the people he cared about so deeply. "Used a few herbs and salt from the slaver's pouches for the seasoning too. I mean, its not like they were going to use it anyways. To leave it on their dead bodies would be a waste."

Showering a bit more salt into her stew before approaching her bedside, the ronin placed the warm bowl in her lap for its heat to warm her body. As a result of becoming a vampire, her body temperature hit lower than normal, making warmth feel ever more welcoming. "Here, for you. Eat up, we have a long way to go today and I'm sure your body must be hungry after all the recovery you had since last night." Letting go of the bowl, he removed his gloves before placing one hand on his own head and another on hers. "Hmm... Good. Doesn't look like you have a fever or anything either." Giving a little bit of a smug grin as though he noticed the heightened heartbeats upon picking her up like a princess the night before, once he deemed that she was doing well, his typical confidence had returned to him. "Then again, I don't think you'd be complaining if I walked you back to the village in my arms myself."

As the stronger of the two ronin, while well, he often honed his muscles by practicing with his sword and working out during down time. With Hoshiko by his side handling all the complicated matters, he was free to hone his craft, strengthening his body in the hopes that he would one day be unrivaled under the sun in terms of strength in battle. She was the guide to his blade and he was the force of her will. Together, they were a force unmatched by most, a lethal weapon employed by those lucky enough to have forged meaningful bonds with them.

"Hey... Kaori, about last night though." Before being carried away however, Taiga's voice took a turn to something softer. "I'm sorry about spilling blood on your temple's grounds... And about how intense Hoshiko could be sometimes." Aware of how hostile his bonded could come off as, his pride was nowhere near ignorant enough to ignore the potential damage she might have caused Kaori while he was gone. "She told me more about your past and about how much your goddess meant to you. At least... If we take you there and you revive her, I'll have the opportunity to apologize to her in person." Carefully selecting his words, both to show how much he felt for her and how much his promise meant to him, the ronin reaffirmed her hope in them. "But as for you, Hoshiko is just careful when it comes to new people. Hells, you should've seen her when she first met me."

Grabbing another portion of the stew, he sat beside her as he pulled out a couple wooden spoons for both of them to eat with. "If you knew the first words she said to me, you would've thought she hated my guts... And maybe she did." He chuckled, finding their first interaction so different than the way she saw him now. "We even fought several times, butting heads over what worked and what didn't; Yet at the end of the day, we always kept coming back from the battlefield. In a world where consistency is scarce enough already, our faces and our interactions became familiar." Stirring his stew and looking down at his own reflection in the meat covered broth, he saw the scar on his cheek that she inflicted herself as well as her bite on his neck. "And soon... We've grown to prefer each other's company. She hasn't changed much since you know? A little brash when it comes to meeting new people, but she genuinely cares about you."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──

"It was hard peeling her off of you once she got comfortable sleeping by your side."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

 

[Zephyra]

┏❤♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡❤┛
⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤,
𝔅𝔲𝔱 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔬𝔫.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ɢʜᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ɴɪɢʜᴛ | ʟᴜᴜɴᴀʟᴜɴᴇ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺


☾✧ ⸻⸻ 𝔉𝔞𝔱𝔢... ⸻⸻ ✧☽

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ･​

Fate had brought them together, and it was fate that would keep them together — of this, Kaori was certain.

"Thank you, Hoshiko..." She whispered, her words heavy with gratitude. They may have only just met, but they'd already saved each other and had begun to foster a bond built on trust and understanding. Kaori understood why the tactician had been so cold and unforthcoming at first — she had somebody she wanted to protect, after all. But after sharing little pieces of their hearts with one another, she could slowly sense those walls between them coming down. She knew what it was like to lose something precious, too. The two ronin had to bury a comrade only hours ago, the weight of his death still fresh in their minds. Though she knew she could never replace their friend, and that they could never replace her sisters, she hoped that they could lighten the load of grief by shouldering it together. After all, in a world where loss was commonplace, those who were left behind had no other choice but to pick up the pieces and keep going.

The elven maiden felt blessed in the knowledge that her new allies had her back, that no matter what happened in the coming days, they would be together through thick and thin. Just having someone there to listen to her speak set her heart at ease, a weight lifting from her shoulders. She'd never told anyone that story before, for she'd never had anyone to tell. Hoshiko was her first real confidant in so long, her presence so warm and comforting that it helped her drift off to sleep, her troubles fading away like the stars come dawn.

Although she wasn't consciously aware of the other's embrace, her body reacted accordingly, migrating towards the source of warmth as she nuzzled her head under the woman's chin and inhaled the sweet, homey scent of her skin. They locked into place like matching puzzle pieces, legs tangling together as soft breathing and beating hearts fell in sync. For the first time in years, Kaori did not fear the howling winds outside of her windows or the shadows that lingered just beyond her lanternlight. Tonight, she slept soundly, peacefully.

Just like that, 'tomorrow' became...

╭══ ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ ೋ•✧♡✧•ೋ ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ ══╮

╰══ ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ ೋ•✧♡✧•ೋ ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ ══╯

... something to look forward to.

​

---

​

---

Birdsong awoke her the next day, the area around the shrine whirring to life with the arrival of the sun as it peeked through the clouds. Kaori sat up on her futon and rubbed at her eyes, the simple white comforter slipping down her shoulders and pooling in her lap. Unfocused eyes landed at her side where the imprint of another remained, Hoshiko's gentle smile resurfacing in her mind. So that was why her dreams had been so pleasant... Idly, she touched her fingertips to the holes in her neck, sweeping them across from one side of her throat to the other. They served as proof that last night was real, the chill in her veins and the sharp points in her mouth a harsh reminder of what she'd become.

A vampire.

​

She went to touch her new fangs just as she heard a masculine voice call out to her, the scent of an herbal stew hitting her at the same time she turned her head to look for its source. Her eyes widened when she realized that Taiga was here, alone in her room with her, nothing but the crackling fire to keep them company. The ice had all but melted outside, but the air was still frigid, the old walls of the temple doing little to insulate them.

"G-good morning..." She stumbled over her words, heat rising to her cheeks as she redirected her gaze to the floor. She'd never expected to wake up and see a man in her room... What would Tamayori think? Clasping her hands together in her lap, the priestess tried to still her racing pulse, a deep breath escaping her parted lips. Aside from the fangs and lowered body temperature, she didn't feel all that different. The sunlight coming in through the blinds was a bit irritating rather than refreshing, but she supposed that was just something she'd have to get used to.

As soon as she noticed Taiga wince, she reflexively threw her blankets off and scooted over to him, her hand reaching out to brush against his shoulder. Before she could even ask him if he was okay, he'd already begun to reassure her, the confidence in his voice drawing a hesitant smile to her lips. "Thank you. It smells delicious." Compared to last night, she was doing much better. Color had returned to her skin, and her voice was much stronger, finally able to form fluid, coherent sentences without issue. Without a cloud of death hanging over her, her personality was able to shine through, a quick bow of her head accompanying her acceptance of the meal. She sat cross-legged as he placed it in her lap and nodded, her thighs warmed by the heat emanating from the wooden bowl.

"Let's ea— ah!"

Before she could even begin, Kaori felt the man's palm press against her forehead, the suddenness of his touch nearly causing her to spill the contents of her bowl out of surprise. "K-Kitamura-san!" She was so flustered that she'd reverted to formality, her stammering voice a clear indication of her nervousness. Despite her face feeling like it was burning even hotter than the sun, Taiga concluded that she didn't have a fever and pulled away. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Sorry to worry you..."

Goddess give me strength... She thought, her eyes lowering in embarrassment at his smug comment. Perhaps he was more of a handful than she'd initially anticipated...

As he moved on to the next topic, Kaori's eyes raised to his once more, lavender meeting crimson in a show of tentative understanding. He apologized for the bloodshed and initial hostility of his partner, both things that she wasn't concerned about in the least anymore. The blood could be cleaned, and Hoshiko had proven to be a kindhearted woman, even if her compassion was more subtle than some. Kaori smiled and spooned stew into her mouth as she listened to him reminisce, her heart warmed by the talk of their bond. Of course, there was a little bit of jealousy there, too. She was only a person, after all. For so long, she'd yearned for somebody to talk to — anybody — and after losing those she cared about most she'd often wondered whether life was even worth living when all alone. At least they'd had each other, but even that wasn't guaranteed to last, immortality be damned.

Swallowing another bite of the hearty stew, she took a moment to dab her lips with a cloth napkin before speaking up. "No need to apologize. If you two hadn't shown up when you did, I'm not sure what would have happened to me." Based on the fact that her attackers were slavers, it couldn't have been anything good. "But I understand why Hoshiko is so protective of you. Who wouldn't be? It's hard to find friends these days. Especially ones as kind and as capable as you, Taiga." She moved to put her hand over his like she'd done to Hoshiko, but thought better of it, unsure of what constituted appropriate behavior around the opposite sex. "A-anyhow... I really appreciate her for listening to me and staying by my side... I can tell that she's a good person."

The elf beamed up at him, noticeably more comfortable after opening up, even if she did feel somewhat sheepish knowing the

female ronin was that close to her. Shifting pink tresses over her shoulder, she glanced out the window to look upon the landscape outside. After last night's blizzard, most of the snow had already melted, and the red spider lilies were once more visible around the temple's perimeter. The shrine was a small, secluded bastion where nature could flourish, green grass and moss blanketing the forest floor around them like a sprawling carpet meant to welcome the wayward goddess back to her home.

"Say, I didn't know that vampires ate normal food, too. Should we bring some to Hoshiko?" Throwing him a curious glance, Kaori stood, her body actually responding to her commands faster than before. Aside from having miraculously healed up, she also felt stronger, her senses heightened to a noticeable degree. She could see and hear better, but there was still a strange heaviness weighing on her mind.

The bonds of servitude... Everything came with a price, and her transformation was certainly no exception. Now there existed those other than Tamayori whom she would have to answer to, but it was something to come to terms with later. If the ronin stayed true to their word, then they would take her where she needed to go, and that was all that truly mattered. "Oh, and let me know when you're both ready to get going. I'll just need to grab a few things for the road."

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚         
✧. ┊         
⋆ ★

 

[Tenzai]

──────✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──────

──────✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──────
◯ ──── ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ──── ☾
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

With the morning sun breaking through the winter sky, a beam of light had glimmered through the cracks of her bedroom window's shutters, offering the pair of vampires a glimpse of natural warmth to go along with that of the fireplace. As the light shined onto the redheaded warrior in front of her, bruises were revealed in the places where past lacerations had once tore into his canvas, suggesting the level of regeneration done on top of what she did for him the night before. In addition, given the glow of the light atop his body, shadows appeared where his muscles had carved into his flesh. Even if Taiga wasn't the most attractive warrior around, due to the strict diet enforced by Hoshiko's demands and the training regiment he performed daily to keep his own edge honed, Kaori was able to see the fruits of his training chiseled onto his body. His appearance was deserving of the Face of the Kitamura Clan's Vanguard.

Given the strength of her embarrassing reaction to his diagnosis of her condition, Kaori had appeared to be recovering well after her transformation, causing Taiga to sigh in relief. In truth, he held concerns of how her transition would have ended up and whether their bite would have been rejected by her body given her bond with her goddess and the fact that her power had served as an anathema, warding off the tides of yokai that lingered outside. However, that didn't seem to be the case. As she spoke, fangs had protruded where there was none before, being held out in display whenever she smiled towards him. The sight alone combined with her consuming the stew he gave without complaint had caused his heart to ease. 'At least, it seems that her goddess isn't against it.' He thought to himself.

"No need to apologize. If you two hadn't shown up when you did, I'm not sure what would have happened to me. But I understand why Hoshiko is so protective of you. Who wouldn't be? It's hard to find friends these days. Especially ones as kind and as capable as you, Taiga."

Upon hearing Kaori's praise, Taiga returned her a smile of his own, as bright as the warm star that greeted their day outside. "Thank you for your kind words, Kaori. I'm glad that my choices led us to someone like you... And that our actions were enough to save you from those slavers. I don't wish to imagine the what ifs should I have fallen." The thoughts of his recent losses still lingered on his mind. Despite his best attempts in battle, even with his ability, he was unable to defend the man he deemed his brother when it came down to it most. However, despite his anxiety's attempts to ruin his moment, Kaori was someone he saved. Even if she owed them, he couldn't help but feel grateful for what she did to mend his wounds when he needed her most, ensuring his survival without a guarantee that she would survive herself.

"To be honest, I'm far from perfect... Too far from it sometimes.... But, its words like yours that give me hope. Smiles like yours that make me train for all that tomorrow will bring... It wouldn't be wrong to say that I do all of this to protect that happiness." A glow in his eyes mimicking that of the soft flames of the fire behind him had made itself known, revealing the extent of how much he believed in his own words.

"I aspire to be worth that praise everyday while I still have breath in my lungs. To be worth your company and good graces, as much as I wish to be worth Hoshiko's too. People who show their gratitude don't come around often, you know? It's a nice change." As Kaori raised her hand over his own, he raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she had in mind. "Hmm?" Though as she pulled her hand back, instead of pushing his curiosity on her further, he simply let her be. They were still new to each other's presence and it was understandable should she still feel nervous or uncomfortable about her new masters.

"A-anyhow... I really appreciate her for listening to me and staying by my side... I can tell that she's a good person."

"She really is. I've been lucky to have found her... And I feel lucky to have found someone who could see her beyond surface level too." Placing a hand on Kaori's shoulder, his voice grew soft upon hearing his thoughts on his bonded companion be shared with his new thrall. Taiga understood that Hoshiko's intolerance for people she didn't like and her standoffish attitude at times made it difficult for her to make friends with others, yet in spite of her potential first impressions in his absence, the priestess appeared to have grown preferential of the tactician. "She deserves to have other friends too. Other good people she could call family... You too." Retreating his hand back to his side, he took another sip of his stew, blowing on the spoon before consuming to let its warmth strip him of the cold he endured earlier.

"Say, I didn't know that vampires ate normal food, too."

"Yeah, vampires like Hoshiko and I could eat normal food like we did before we were converted." Stirring his spoon in the bowl in front of him, Taiga looked down at his own murky reflection, content that what he made was able to help both himself and her recover after a long night. "Though its nowhere near as empowering, tempting, or fulfilling as fresh blood is. Newer vamps tend to struggle with holding back when they smell the scent of it; Hells, maybe you might too. But given enough discipline and a focus strong enough to distract yourself, you could resist the temptation too. Not all vamps are bad, but some of us give the rest a bad name, acting no more than yokai."

Taiga thought of the many monsters like him that he had to put down before. Ever since Tamayori's light had disappeared from the shores, the loss of one's mind due to bloodlust had grown frequent enough for him to get personally involved with the deaths of many of his own. "If it ever feels too tempting for you however, just know that you could bite me instead. You're our thrall now, and I'll take personal responsibility in ensuring that you won't become one of them." For a moment, he appeared lost in thought as his eyes grew serious, only to end once he scooped up more soup to put in his mouth.

"Should we bring some to Hoshiko?... Oh, and let me know when you're both ready to get going. I'll just need to grab a few things for the road."

As she spoke, his cheeks were full and his mouth was occupied. His eyes wandered down from her face towards the bowl in her hand and upon realizing that she was nearly done with her bowl already, Taiga began to scarf his own down quickly, only to cough up steam upon swallowing due to the heat spurning his throat. "Argh. Hot. Hot. Ach." Waving his hand at his own mouth rapidly to try and reduce its sting, he grabbed a flask which held cold water in another hand to bring to his mouth, eventually soothing the sudden pain. The scene that played before her was one that few others had the opportunity to see, only revealed to those he felt were trustworthy enough to show another side of him in private. "Ah... Much better."

Taking a deep breath, with his bowl now empty, Taiga poured what was left of the stew back in his bowl. While there he held three of them, one for each member of the party they had when they headed out to take the contract, it felt wrong to eat out of a dead man's plate. Instead, he simply reused his own bowl, letting Kaori enjoy her meal out of Hoshiko's in the meantime. "Once we meet up with her, we should be ready to move. She could eat on the go, but I think we've overstayed our welcome here. Our contracts have a time limit and we're already pushing it. Once we claim the reward on the yokai we hunted's bounty in the nearby village, we should be able to prepare supplies we need for our journey."

Placing her portion on a nearby table, the warrior stowed his belongings in his bag before hoisting his spear to his side and his sword to his hip. Upon being ready to go, he grabbed the bowl meant for Hoshiko and opened the door first, stopping once it was open. "After you, priestess." He smiled. Before he left, he muttered words of power in a language she didn't quite understand, turning to the fire to beckon it to his whims. As soon as his words were known, the fire had reduced to nothing more than cinders, fading in heat until embers and smoke remained.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Standing where snow once blanketed the ground, the vampire tactician kneeled in a field of flowers. With the light of the sun now on her, there was little she needed to concern herself with when it came to the yokai, thus granting her a moment of peace within her storm. The lilies themselves had bathed the ground around her in a sea of red, each waving in the wind as though they were the waves of an ocean overtaking where blood was once spilled. The loss of a friend was never an easy feeling for either of them, but where she differed from Taiga was how she dealt with her grief. Taiga sought the company of others to mend his broken heart, but as for Hoshiko who was so accustomed to the life as a commander on the battlefield, leading many to their deaths, the weight of her sorrow had pushed her to prefer to be alone at times like these. Meditation was her saving grace as she sought her peace in the silence.

"Miss us?" Footsteps approached her from behind as the two of them walked over from the path that led towards the gate they came in from in the first place. "Of course I did." As much as her heart weighed heavily from the blame she put on herself for the loss of Junichi, Hoshiko had to remind herself that she wasn't alone. She had allies that she considered inseparable and now a thrall she felt could become something more. While one journey had come to an end, another had just begun, but this time, she promised herself that it would end differently. She would be damned to let another friend's dreams end unfulfilled. "Then again, I can't say I didn't enjoy the quiet. You're not exactly the most quiet person to be around, Taiga." She chuckled before turning her attention towards Kaori.

"Thanks for spending the night with me by the way. Its been a while since I got to sleep with someone else." Given the fact that it would be often where one of the two vampires would have to remain awake to keep watch, the times where she was able to share sleep with someone she could trust were few and far between. "... I hope it won't be the last night either." A pale blush grew over her master's face, causing Taiga to smile at the sight of her cuteness. "You know, Hoshiko? You should smile more often. I like it when you smile like this." Upon having it be brought up, the tactician immediately pouted and turned her head. "Hmph. Then give me more reasons to, idiot." Playing the part for a second, the two had broken out in a small fit of laughter. "Sorry. It's just hard to sometimes." She wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Yet you always find a way to make it easier."

Standing herself up from the field of flowers with her preparations already made, Hoshiko wiped the fallen leaves from her shoulders before approaching the two. "Is that for me?" Taiga nodded. "Kaori and I already had our fill. Feel free to eat while we move. If we travel quickly enough, we could give a proper goodbye to Junichi and make it to the village before it gets dark." Taking the bowl from his hand, before taking her first scoop of the stew, Taiga warmed the bowl with a small fire magic spell, heating it just enough for it to bubble as though it came directly from the pot itself. "Thanks, Taiga. Let's get going, shall we?" Walking beside the two, before they passed the Torii gate that made up the entrance of the shrine, she slowed her footsteps down to a halt. "And Kaori, I promise you. This won't be the last time you see this place." Ensuring her thrall that she would hold true to her promise, the tactician gave her a reaffirming smile. "Besides, I'd like to see this place with your goddess sometime. If we bring her back, she owes us dinner."

Taiga was the first to pass the gate, making it beyond the barrier that kept them safe from the yokai. "I feel well rested enough to fight, should we deal with some unwelcome company along the way." Joining his side, Hoshiko passed the gate as well, looking back to the priestess, pausing once again once she found Kaori closing her eyes and speaking quietly. "Shhh. She's praying." Elbowing the spear wielding warrior in the side, he coughed, scratching the back of his head as they gave their newest partner a quiet moment to speak to her goddess' statue. Should their journey be as dangerous as she spoke of, then any boon her goddess could offer would be a welcome one. Once she returned back to their side, crossing the boundary where she once knew safety alongside her sisters, the three had departed into the forest they came from.

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Surrounded by towering maple, cedar, and ghost-oak trees covered in snow, the three had returned to the heart of nature at the top of this mountain. Birds had swung from the trees, eager to explore after a night spent hunkered down and away from the yokai that threatened them. Small animals had ruffled the nearby brush, keeping close to the shadows while they fed upon wild berries and mushrooms. Leaves shaken off branches by cool wind had scattered themselves like rain through the air that surrounded them.

Walking in front, Taiga guided the way with the tip of his spear glowing to light up the darkness of the forest floor. His heat allowed him to use his weapon as a makeshift torch, keeping those who would've believed them to be easy prey away. Behind him followed Hoshiko with a drawn map in hand, etching marks as she passed by nearby trees to keep track of where they were. This forest was a natural labyrinth to those new to it, and while the two vampires were well experienced when it came to navigating the wilderness, they were still strangers to this forest, only crossing it once to find their quarry.

"How long have you spent living in these woods, Kaori?" Taiga struck conversation while they walked, seeking to pass the hours it would take to get to the closest village. "It's nice and quiet here... I like it. Its unlike anything I've ever experienced near the coast." As if the forest itself was handcrafted by the very goddess who watched over the shrine, it felt as though whatever yokai they faced upon coming here had been warded once blessed by the priestess' company. "Maybe when we retire, we could live in a nice, quiet village around a place like this." Hoshiko mused, carving another letter on passing wood. "I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my eternity here."

"If you'd like, you could go ahead and play that harp of yours. We have quite a ways away before reaching the village too." The spearman tilted his head at the harp resting in her arms, observing her hand's placement on it. "Would be nice to hear what you've learned over the years. Maybe your sisters taught you a song or two that you want to share." Without realizing it, something watched them from a distance, observing their movements and following them using their scent from afar.

"... You replaced me...? ...With her?"

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆​

 

[Zephyra]

┏❤♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡❤┛
⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 ℑ 𝔴𝔞𝔰 𝔰𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤,
𝔅𝔲𝔱 ℑ 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔬𝔫.❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: sᴄᴀʀʙᴏʀᴏᴜɢʜ ғᴀɪʀ | ᴛᴜᴏᴛɪʟᴏ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

​

Talking to Taiga was the most peaceful, heartwarming experience that the priestess had had in what felt like ages. At one time she'd spent many hours conversing with her sisters while doing chores, cooking, or just messing around before getting ready for bed. They used to tell each other scary stories about the surrounding woods — back then, they'd been nothing more than folktales from the local village, stories of mythical monsters and ghosts that stalked the forest and preyed on mortal men. Nowadays, Yamihana Forest was as good as haunted thanks to the restless yokai that still wandered the mountains in search of prey. It was a true horror story to be a lone maiden surrounded by creatures yearning to feast on her flesh, separated only by an invisible barrier that she wasn't even sure would last forever. As these dark thoughts crept back into her mind she tried to wave them away, focusing instead on the man across from her.

At first, she'd been nervous to spend time with him alone, but she was quickly learning that he was an amicable soul who had a way of setting her heart at ease without even trying. Still, she had to remind herself not to stare too much at his corded muscles or the gradual taper from his broad shoulders to his lean waist. His form was very much alien to her, an alluring enigma that drew her in further with every sidelong glance. She practically buried her face in her bowl and forced herself to focus on eating instead, resulting in her finishing her own meal considerably quicker than him. The food didn't feel as filling as it once had, but at least it warmed her body and helped her wake up fully.

He's a good person, too. She thought, smiling at him as he reaffirmed his beliefs and mentioned how lucky he felt to have met Hoshiko... and even herself. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, her skin tingling a bit beneath the strong hand that pressed into her shoulder. Flustered as she was, she only managed a small nod in response, recomposing herself as quickly as she could after he released her.

At least she got some valuable information from the exchange. She was already in the habit of eating regular food, so it was nice to know that she

could continue to do so at her leisure, even if it didn't really provide the same nutrition as before. The thought of losing herself to bloodlust was more unsettling, however. Kaori was a woman of great self-restraint, but she wasn't so foolish as to believe that she could go on unaffected without drinking blood at some point. Swallowing softly, she touched her throat once more and looked away. "... Understood. Thank you, Taiga." It was a generous offer, and one she'd likely have to take him up on before long.

Her worries were dispelled somewhat when she witnessed him burn his own tongue on the stew he'd made in an effort to eat faster, a sight that gave rise to soft, tinkling laughter from deep within the elven maiden's chest. Realizing that it was probably impolite, she hastened to stifle it, but the traces of a an amused grin still pulled at her lips even as she apologized. "Sorry, sorry. You okay?"

Once he was confirmed to be alright, she watched him get to his feet and gather his belongings, eventually moving to do the same. "Oh! Okay, don't worry, I'll be quick!" They both left the room and she made a detour to grab her lyre, as well as the secret stash of gold that was kept beneath the goddess' statuette. It felt wrong to take from Tamayori's offerings, but she knew that the three of them would likely need it somewhere along the way. Since it was for the greater good of reaching the spring, she internally apologized and pledged only to use it for necessities and nothing more. A fur jacket was also in order when it came to braving the wintry conditions outside. With her bag, her bow, and her quiver, she was finally ready to get going. "I'll lead the way!"

---

Standing in the light of day, Kaori looked around at the place she'd called her home since childhood. The sun seemed to sap her energy away somewhat rather than rejuvenate her as it always had, but it was mild enough that she could tolerate it. She went with Taiga to where Hoshiko knelt among the spider lilies, strands of her raven hair lifted by the icy breeze. For a vampire, the gentle sunshine and field of flowers really seemed to suit her. Kaori caught herself smiling just looking at her, relieved that she was safe and happy to see her again after last night.

"Oh, wh-what are you saying? I should be the one thanking you." The priestess waved her hands about as she tried to clear up the embarrassment she felt knowing that Hoshiko had embraced her all night long. "I mean, it's the same for me, so... I... I hope so too, eheh..."

She looked away, her own cheeks glowing brightly, much to her dismay. Luckily, it seemed Taiga shifted the focus to the female ronin and her bashful smile. Kaori turned her head to watch as they playfully bickered over his statement, their camaraderie lighting up her own features. So rare it was, in these trying times, to see people genuinely enjoying themselves and bonding even in a world without hope. Everyone had to make the best of the cards they were dealt, after all. It seemed like these two were doing a fine job of it. The redhead gave the swordswoman her rations and the party finally closed in on the torii gate that loomed over the temple grounds, the red wooden beans towering above them marking one of the last safe havens left in these lands.

Kaori drew in a deep breath upon hearing Hoshiko's promise, her lavender irises trailing from the gate to the shrine that stood quietly behind it. So many years had come and gone, and yet this place hadn't changed one bit, as though it was frozen in time. "... I know. We'll come back, and we'll bring Tamayori-sama with us. I just know she'd love to meet you guys." She smiled in response, getting ready to follow along before she remembered something she'd almost forgotten. Spinning to face the temple, she planted her boots in the grass and lowered her head with her hands clasped under her chin. She faced the direction of the statue she'd been offering her prayers to for years and gave one more for the road, not knowing how long it would be before she'd be able to kneel before Tamayori's likeness once again. Please guide us on our journey, Tamayori-sama. And please protect my new friends, Taiga and Hoshiko. It's thanks to them that I'll finally get to see you again.

And so it was done. Kaori turned back and hurried to catch up with them, a hesitant little smile on her face. "Alright... Let's get going."

Just crossing the threshold into the woods had her trembling with the memories of a trip that ended before it could truly begin, the sounds of screaming and bones snapping filling her head with a horrific vision. She willed her shaking legs to take her beyond the barrier and down the winding mountain path, discarding those fears that had such a stranglehold over her. She could feel the air shift after leaving the safety of Moritaka Shrine, attuned to the goddess' power as she was. It felt like her comfortable bubble had popped, and taking that first step was always the hardest. But at the same time, she'd waited years for this — there was no way she was going to turn back now. Come hell or highwater, she would make it off of this mountain if it was the last thing she ever did.

Still, every rustling leaf had her nearly jumping out of her skin, the feeling of being watched plaguing her every movement. Yamihana was a beautiful, peaceful forest in appearance, but she knew well of the beings that lurked in the shadows of every tree and bush. After the war, much of Izumo was dominated by yokai, and these woods were certainly no exception. There was one in particular that she feared encountering the most, its familiar voice calling out to her the source of many a sleepless night. At least Taiga was able to distract her with his question, her pointed ears perking up when she heard the ronin speak.

"Ah... well, my whole life, actually." Kaori admitted, one hand wrapped around the limb of her bow. "I've never left. The sisters hold to our faith through seclusion... after all, only women can serve as Tamayori-sama's miko. So, we always stuck together out here, pursuing equilibrium through meditation in nature. I used to explore these woods often before the war, but I never ventured out of the mountains. I'm pretty excited to see what the rest of Izumo is like." Illustrations and descriptions in books could only do so much for her... She wanted to see and experience the world for herself, to know what it was like to sit on the beach and look out upon the ocean or stand in the middle of a bustling marketplace while chatter and festivities filled the air. And now she wanted to see all of these things with Taiga and Hoshiko by her side.

Her eyes passed over Hoshiko's tree carvings before landing on Taiga when he made a new suggestion, her interest immediately captured. "Really? You want to hear me play?" The elf beamed and lifted her instrument higher, cradling it in both arms as though it held unquantifiable value. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had an audience. She glanced around to make sure that the surrounding area was safe before holding the golden lyre against herself with one hand and resting her fingers over the strings with the other. "I know a few songs, let's see... ah, I know. This one comes from a country far across the sea, but I learned it from my sister, Akane."

She took a second to make sure it was tuned properly before beginning to play, the notes ringing deep and rich against the stillness of the forest around them. Even though she was walking, her gait was careful enough that she was able to watch where she was going and strum at the same time.

♪ "Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For she once was a true love of mine." ♫

╔•═════════════════════•༺۝༻•═════════════════════•╗

╚•═════════════════════•༺۝༻•═════════════════════•╝

♫ "Ask him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea-sand
For then he'll be a true love of mine." ♪
​

For a while, Kaori continued to play for them as they traversed the mountainside, light peeking in through the canopy of leaves above. It was a nice diversion from the monotony of walking, and it allowed her to engage in one of her passions with her allies. Ever since her fellow miko died she'd only ever used her music for prayer, but singing for them reminded her how much she missed just playing for fun. She smiled, thinking of how wonderful it would be to teach them all the songs she knew so that they could sing with her sometime.

But pleasant thoughts gave way to paranoia when at last the priestess felt something, a presence that took her far too long to notice thanks to her distraction. She abruptly stopped playing and halted dead in her tracks, a breeze blowing through her pink hair and rustling her heavy coat.

.
.
.

𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃 𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄀𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄂 𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀 𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄀𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃 𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀 𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃

𝄁𝄂𝄃 𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂 Iᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. 𝄂𝄀𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀 𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃𝄃

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ | sʟɪᴘᴋɴᴏᴛ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
​

A presence... That presence. The feeling of being stalked by such a beast made her skin crawl, her diamond-shaped pupils shrinking to mere pinpricks at the sight of it. The creature approaching them took the form of a man, one who was unfamiliar to her but whose face was well-known to the man and woman that traveled alongside her. Her fingers tightened around her harp until her knuckles turned white from the strain, knees going weak as she struggled to find her voice.

The yokai called out to them, its voice and appearance a perfect replica of the corpse it had stolen them from. "Hoshiko! Taiga! You're alright!" The figure waved to them, finally revealing itself in a bid to gain their trust. It began to close in, its footsteps leading it closer to where the trio stood. "I was so worried. I thought you'd left me for good-"

"Don't get near that thing!"

Kaori screamed, her arms shooting out to stop them. It must have seemed like she'd gone mad, for he appeared to be just a normal man to the naked eye, and yet she was shouting at him like he was some kind of monster. The priestess could see the corruption that festered around him, however, a tangible darkness that curled from his skin like wisps of smoke and rose into the sky. It was a shapeshifting beast, a face-stealer that used its abilities to lure mortals in to feed on and sustain its own miserable existence. The more vessels it claimed, the more powerful it became— and this particular yokai had claimed dozens. She knew this because she had seen it happen.

She quickly swapped her harp for her bow, her grip faltering as she aimed it at the fake Junichi. It would be better to kill it now before it could start to change, but there was just one problem with that. How could she convince her masters to believe her over someone they'd known for much longer than her?

"It's not your friend. It's just trying to trick you by wearing his skin. That's a yokai-"

"What's up with her? That girl must be confused. I just woke up in the snow last night and started following your tracks... I'd been looking everywhere for you two." The shapeshifter was trying to reason with them, doing its best to discredit the elf and paint her like she was some raving lunatic. "How could I be a yokai? We just came back from hunting one in the village yesterday. Don't you remember, Taiga? Hoshiko?" It looked between them, flaunting the memories it had taken from the real Junichi to back up its claims. "I was saved by a passing cleric. I just knew I had to find you guys immediately, but... it seems like you've found someone else already. I don't understand... I thought our bond was irreplaceable..."

Kaori shook her head, hardly able to stomach the way the creature lied through its teeth so easily. But as they deliberated it continued to get closer and closer, its growing proximity to them posing a very real threat. No, she had to act fast, but the visions were back, her sister's tortured wails eating away at her as trauma and guilt reared their ugly heads. No, no, no... Move, damn it. Don't let them die, too.

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚         
✧. ┊         
⋆ ★

 

[Tenzai]

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
"Alright... Let's get going."
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
◯ ────ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴡʜʏ ᴄᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ | ᴀᴢᴀʟɪ ──── ☾
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

"... I know. We'll come back, and we'll bring Tamayori-sama with us. I just know she'd love to meet you guys."

Hope was at the core of their being. It was the fuel of the soul that drove them forward to exist and prevail despite the harrowing times. Even if they existed beyond the end of their living world; Even if the skies above had mourned as though the grounds below are dying, only meant to be buried under countless layers of snow, it was sights and memories like these that they fought so hard to protect. The very land itself had appeared to recognize her prayer too, remaining still to offer her the respect she had grown accustomed to in times past. Kaori was the last of the priestesses, the final flickering candle of a world that gone dark. As she ran back to the bonded vampires with a smile, they had greeted her back with two of their own.

"Then let's be on our way and give her something to be proud of when she meets us." Warmth had came from the cold soul's voice, as though he was well accustomed to the joys of life. Taiga wasn't immune to the tender feelings that welled up from faith in him. By having a companion that believed in him, he felt no regret in his choices upon entering the shrine, even feeling pride in the sight of her doing so well. "She deserves to see one of her most faithful with people she could believe in."

"Friends... I like the sound of that." Hoshiko mused as they turned their backs to the shrine, walking through the gate one last time. With Kaori in the middle of both of them, her happiness had felt as welcoming as the morning sun above. It was a ray of hope that struck through the feeling of loss. Perhaps, as long as she did her best fulfilling her end of the promise, everything would manage to work out. "No take backs." As if the title itself had thawed some of her cold heart, humor had cracked through her lips, causing Taiga to share in her chuckle as they reentered the forest they came from nearby.

​

Noticing Kaori jump at the smallest noises, Hoshiko thought to herself that if Kaori lived here yet felt so unwelcome, then whatever yokai that dwelled here must have been dangerous enough to keep her cautious of even the most minute sounds. Keeping her hand on her weapon and her head on a swivel, she too had remained prepared in case combat were to occur. On the other hand, hoping to ease her with their company, Taiga struck conversation in an attempt to distract her, keeping aware of his surroundings as they walked. Undue fear would lead to her exhausting herself faster, potentially hindering their progress as they reached the next sanctuary, the village. Despite being capable warriors themselves, he hoped to avoid being around in the dark any longer than he had to. "How long have you spent living in these woods, Kaori?"

"Ah... well, my whole life, actually. I've never left. The sisters hold to our faith through seclusion... after all, only women can serve as Tamayori-sama's miko. So, we always stuck together out here, pursuing equilibrium through meditation in nature. I used to explore these woods often before the war, but I never ventured out of the mountains. I'm pretty excited to see what the rest of Izumo is like."

"Oh, then it sounds like you'd like Shimizu Harbor! Maybe we should stop there along the way to the spring." Keeping close to her with his spear irradiating light and warmth, as he increased the intensity of his light to that of a torch, the smaller animals in front of them had made way for them to pass, becoming still or running well in advance to avoid attracting the ire of the ember lotus himself. "Its quite a ways away from here, but I'm sure you'd like their seafood. Much of it comes from the nearby oceans where light still touches the surface." The thought of their festival food had brought his mouth to water. Even in the worst of times, people still found a way to celebrate with what they had on hand. Happiness might have been rare, but it wasn't impossible.

"Hmm... In around a week or two's time, there should be a festival happening there. Perhaps a small detour could be arranged." Looking at her map in passing glances in between scanning around and carving their place in the trees, Hoshiko determined the best course of movement across the lands of Izumo. It would be a long trek spanning the course of weeks if not months should they not run into any problems and they find an alternative means of travel across the way. "I won't lie. I am quite preferential to what they have on sale there too." Tapping the hilt of her weapon, she insinuated that her gear was produced there. "Would be nice to see what's in stock to prepare for the journey ahead." As they continued on walking through the woods, passing gnarled trees and ever-blossoms, Taiga noted the instrument hanging from her arm, curious as to what songs she could play with it.

"Really? You want to hear me play? I know a few songs, let's see... ah, I know. This one comes from a country far across the sea, but I learned it from my sister, Akane."

'Wow.' 'Woah.' Upon hearing her fingers meet her strings for the first time in front of them, when combined with her voice, the two stood there in awe as they saw their companion sing and weave in the midst of a forest she called her home. She wielded the instrument as though she were holding a priceless magic tome, summoning compositions from its strings as if it were truly magical. Giving each other a content nod, as they returned to the forested path to leave the mountain, they felt their legs feel lighter than usual as time passed in a flash. With something to break the quiet and the boredom that came from a long march, she made traveling with her feel easy. Her strummed notes acted the cushion beneath their feet and her voice, the salve to their exhaustion.

Only until Hoshiko noticed the odd sights of scratch marks on trees did she break out of her euphoric trance. These etchings bore far deeper than that of the local fauna she had come to expect after traveling so far. Remaining guarded as they entered the final stretch of the forest that lay between them and the roads outside, as they entered into this darker section of forest, her music abruptly came to an end. Finding her smile fade, the lingering joy Taiga felt in that moment had faded, only to be replaced by a growing surge of adrenaline. Something unwelcome must have grabbed both of their attention for her song to end so harshly. With the sounds of the forest coming completely to a halt, it was clear that something roamed this area; Something dangerous enough to keep the local wildlife away.

Finally noticing the shaking eyes of the priestess directed in a singular direction, as Taiga and Hoshiko turned to where her attention remained frozen, they found a familiar face, healed from the wounds he sustained when they were together. "... Junichi?" Taiga took a step forward, before another and another, breaching the distance that separated them. Hoshiko on the other hand remained paralyzed, finding her grief made manifest as it approached them. 'Was this a nightmare? Were they all hallucinating? Was this some sort of spell from a yokai or illusionist?... Was his death a dream?' As she traveled through her thoughts for an explanation as to what she saw, her old friend called out to both of them. "Hoshiko! Taiga! You're alright!"

As Junichi approached them, the two ronin didn't retreat from his presence. To them, he was the spitting image of the man they failed to protect; The friend that left them behind too soon. "I was so worried. I thought you'd left me for good-" A scream had stopped Taiga in his tracks, breaking Hoshiko out of her mental fog. "Don't get near that thing!" As if she was able to sense something that they couldn't, despite Taiga's initial skepticism of her response and Hoshiko's initial hesitation, nothing in her blood had made it seem as though she was lying. There was genuine fear in her voice. Her arms shook as they held the warrior of flame back. Even if it was hard to believe, she held substance in her words.

"It's not your friend. It's just trying to trick you by wearing his skin. That's a yokai-" As if taunting her with the ease at which it infiltrated her companions' hearts, "Junichi" attempted to use reason to turn her against them. "What's up with her? That girl must be confused. I just woke up in the snow last night and started following your tracks... I'd been looking everywhere for you two. How could I be a yokai? We just came back from hunting one in the village yesterday. Don't you remember, Taiga? Hoshiko?"

Its words reigned true for the most part. However, there was something about the way he responded to their appearance that felt amiss. Something that even the redhead spearman couldn't ignore. "I was saved by a passing cleric. I just knew I had to find you guys immediately, but... it seems like you've found someone else already. I don't understand... I thought our bond was irreplaceable..."

As she placed her hand on her bow, Taiga reached for Kaori's hand to beckon her to lay down her weapon. "Our bond is irreplaceable. You're someone no one could ever substitute." Though, that didn't stop him from gripping his own. Only until he could believe without a shadow of a doubt that this man was or was not Junichi, would he choose to strike it down or give up his hostility. "But, Jun... The only priestess on this mountain is right behind us... And aren't you missing something?"

As perfect as the yokai shapeshifter's memories were when it came to recent events, where it remained troubled was the long-term and permanent. No matter how much a yokai could mimic a personality, it was never a perfect match. Once a soul had truly died, there was no bringing it back the way it was. "All I've been missing is you-" Without giving it a chance to finish, a spear flew through Junichi's chest, impaling him against the tree. Whether his soul was still in the creature or not, he didn't know. All Taiga cared about was giving Junichi his final peace.

"Your sword. The one given by your dad that you always called your favorite." Despite holding the sheath, his friend's corpse lacked the blade that always remained close by it. It was his treasure, a family piece that was inherited; His only connection to the family that was no longer with him. "... As much as I hate to be reminded of how we failed you... You're dead, Junichi. No amount of prayer or magic would bring you back. So please, go to sleep now. This world isn't for you anymore." Stepping in front of Kaori to keep her safe, he reached for his sword, hoping that the initial damage was enough to kill the yokai who took his friend's form.

Drawing her own bow, Hoshiko kept it aimed at the yokai as its form shifted to the many it stole upon taking an injury. Appearing as a pillar of shadow to the priestess and an amalgamation of faces and flesh to the ronin, her bow began to take on the light of the moon despite it being day outside due to how enraged she was. It took the face of their dearest friend, the man she once loved. "To think, your kind has evolved new ways of violating the soul. As if you couldn't stoop any lower." Tearing up upon seeing the face of her once beloved now take a place as one of the many faces the creature had absorbed, she aimed the arrow she held directly at his face. "You couldn't even let him rest in peace." Releasing her grip, as the arrow flew to pierce in between the eyes of Junichi, instead of hearing a cry or a howl of pain, a great many voices had laughed in the pitches of the bodies it stole.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʜᴇ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ʏᴇᴛ. | ᴜʟᴛʀᴀᴋɪʟʟ ᴏꜱᴛ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆​

"You should've accepted your fate. Why choose to suffer longer in this hellscape of a world?" Pulling out the spear from its chest, as it glared towards the three, one of its faces had moved from another part of its body towards its head, eventually transforming and taking the form of one of Kaori's sisters right in front of her. "And you... Kaori. The only priestess who escaped me. Here you are making it difficult for me to feed once again. Ah... How stubborn of you. Your flesh would taste divine~" Taunting her with the voice and body of her fallen, the wound that the two ronin inflicted upon it had sealed, revealing itself to be much stronger than that of the ordinary yokai they came to expect of this forest. "Perhaps, I should thank them. If not for them, then I would have never got you out of that cage you call a home. Your god won't protect you here."

As it tossed Taiga's weapon aside, preferring to combat the trio with its metamorphic body, Taiga turned towards Kaori. "If you don't think you could fight this, stay back, alright? Hoshiko and I aren't going to let this yokai live. Not after what it did to our friend." As he stared at her, his eyes grew bright with flame. The tattoos that decorated the exposed parts of his arms and neck ignited with a similar color, blazing alight with the passion to bring his friend peace.

"Fight with us or stay back, Kaori. its your call." Ready for a fight, Hoshiko emptied her bag, revealing the looted armor and weapons of the fallen slavers. "But we're not leaving. Not until its dead." Extending her hand outward to beckon her light into the armor, two sets had answered her call, each being possessed and ready to guard their masters. "If we don't take this yokai out, its only going to follow us wherever we go to wait for a better opportunity to ambush us." Aware of the danger it posed, the two ronin nodded at each other, preparing to attack. "Now, Taiga!"

Charging first, the flaming swordsman struck swiftly and quickly, propelling himself forward with his flame and slashing at its flesh only to meet hardened bone instead. Given its ability to take knowledge from those it feasted upon, it wielded Junichi's brain against him, using the many hours spent in recent memory sparring with Taiga to resist the onslaught of his attacks. "I will feast upon your flesh after I'm done with her." Still keeping its attention on Kaori, as it deflected Taiga's attacks by shifting its bones into swords to parry and strike with, another face appeared on the side of its head, giving the shapeshifter vision of the swordsman as he attempted to flank the monster.

However, what it did not expect was the potential of Hoshiko's ability to bind objects to her will. Upon finding itself outnumbered and unable to deal with Taiga, Kaori, and Hoshiko all at the same time, a guttural roar had escaped from its mouth, drawing the attention of nearby yokai in. The tactician wasn't the only one who could beckon others to its aid. Upon noticing Hoshiko look nervous at the sudden presence of more, a grin grew across its face, splitting the very mouth of the sister Kaori knew well. "Interesting trick. I wonder what it would be like if I extracted that power from your corpse too."

Given the sudden appearance of the other yokai, Hoshiko was kept distracted, using her living armors and her bow to keep the others off of them. Despite initially holding a numbers advantage, they've met their match, having to fight near their best to have good odds at survival. "Kaori!" Knowing how dire the situation had become, Hoshiko knew that they didn't have a choice when it came to having Kaori sit this one out; They needed her. "Work with Taiga to bring it down! I'll hold off the rest from here and keep them off your back!"

As true as her aim was, the yokai that chose to intervene were met with a force unlike any other. Armor held no fear nor limit to its stamina. They continued to fight for as long as Hoshiko herself wielded strength in her force of will. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that those who heeded its call were all of what the forest had to offer them. With enough time, others could soon follow, leading to their initially good odds to take a turn for the worst. Finding the ronin a nuisance, instead of treating them as enemies alone, the powerful yokai thought of an idea. "You know, Kaori. You could always surrender yourself for your friends. How about I make a deal with you. You give yourself up to me, and I let them free..." Using her potential guilt against her, it spoke fluently in the voice and intonation of her sister priestess. "You wouldn't want to be the cause of another death, would you?"

"Kaori! Don't listen to him!" Taiga yelled, increasing his heat to a temperature that was able to melt through the hardened bone. Placing faith in the trust she pushed into them as friends, his soul burned with the fire of his conviction, making his attacks light the very flesh it touched. Upon landing a single strike, it shrieked before conjuring more bones out of its body to use as weapons. "We need you just as much as you need us. I won't let anyone else, especially a yokai, take away my opportunity to pay you back for saving my life!"

 

[Zephyra]

⸎ Kaori Akizuki ⸎
❝ℑ𝔰 𝔦𝔱 𝔶𝔬𝔲, 𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔱 𝔪𝔢?
𝔒𝔯 𝔞𝔪 ℑ 𝔧𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔩𝔬𝔰𝔱 𝔦𝔫 𝔞 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔟𝔢𝔞𝔱?❞
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

⟡⸻⸻⸻⸻ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅɪsɢᴜɪsᴇ | ᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴʟᴇss ɪɴ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ⸻⸻⸻⸻⟡
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

​

Time heals all wounds, or so they say...

But time alone hadn't been enough to mend the gaping hole in Kaori's heart, left there by the loss of her sisters; at least, not fully. The shapeshifter knew this, and it used her mortal emotions and attachments against her, always haunting her with the memories of the lives extinguished before her very eyes, helpless to stop the carnage. At least Taiga and Hoshiko hadn't immediately fallen for its tricks, remaining skeptical in the face of a seemingly impossible reunion. If Junichi truly had died, resurrection would be essentially unattainable in all but the most miraculous of circumstances — him having followed them here simply wasn't feasible.

Taiga held her back from attacking prematurely, his hand on her bow shifting her aim away from the impostor. Her breath caught as she turned to look at him, fearing for his life if his judgement was wrong. But when he stepped forward and flung his spear into the creature's chest, she knew that she'd made the right choice in coming along with them. Her eyes widened when Hoshiko joined in, the sight of tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes only strengthening the priestess' resolve. She wasn't just facing down her own demons here— the two vampires were plagued with loss just as she was, but they had a chance now. Together, they could stand in solidarity against one who had taken from them all and left nothing of their dear friends in its wake.

However, their weapons piercing into its flesh were not enough to take the yokai down for good. It proved exceptionally resilient, shrugging off their blows like they were little more than pests buzzing around it. As it recovered, it turned to her, the main source of its ire. Prey that had eluded it for so long, shielded by her goddess' fading blessings.

"No... stop it..." Her voice wavered, the sight of her sister's face staring back at her nearly bringing her to her knees. She knew it wasn't real, that it was just a sick ploy, but it still hurt so much to see her again after the fate she'd let befall her. "You're not her. You have no right to look like her!"

These games that the beast liked to play were unbearable. Gritting her teeth, she looked up as Taiga and Hoshiko called out to her, their voices grounding her in the moment. No matter what, she had to fight, even if her strength failed her as grief threatened to consume her. "I can't sit back and watch. I won't let this monster devour you both, too. I can't keep hiding in the shrine forever." Though her fingers were shaking, she nocked an arrow and prepared herself for combat, the wails of the souls claimed by the face-stealer crying out so loudly that they overrode her own thoughts.

It started with Taiga making the first move while Kaori and Hoshiko provided back-up, though immediately she could tell that this approach wasn't going to work. The creature knew the swordsman's moves intimately, could block and parry his strikes with unnatural finesse. Though some of her arrows did land, she knew that they wouldn't be enough. They needed to vary their tactics, draw it in and land a grievous attack when it had no chance to recover. But how?

Her answer came in the form of its summoning roar, the rallying cry attracting lesser yokai from across the mountaintop to flock around the trio that fought together, each one like a fruit ripe for the taking. These yokai were absolutely starving from a lack of food, and their hunger made them feral and ravenous. Now that they'd lost the advantage, the female ronin called on her for help, reaffirming the belief that they needed her.

To be needed by someone filled her with strength, a warmth she hadn't felt in a terribly long time. She couldn't let them down now. Even if she wasn't the strongest fighter, she would do everything in her power to defeat this monstrosity.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆​

Before she could fully engage it, she was taken off guard by a familiar voice, the sight of a woman she had loved and ultimately lost materializing before her. Raven-haired with cool gray eyes, she stood tall and poised, the eldest of the shrine maidens. She was Akane, Kaori's closest friend in life, one who had taken on something of a mentor role with the younger maiden. Though none of the miko were sisters by blood, their bonds had been as strong as any true family. Kaori bit her lips, her fists balling. To see the likeness of someone so gentle and patient warped and used as a tool by the shapeshifter filled her with indescribable rage. Because of this creature devouring her sisters' bodies, she'd never been able to give any of them proper burials. Because of this creature's wickedness, it tried to taint the precious memories she'd held on to for so many years.

No, she refused to let that happen.

Taiga called out to her and she nodded to him, empowered by his encouraging words. Turning back to the yokai, she lifted her harp and plucked the first string, the resonant note causing a circle of light to

form at her feet. "I'll never make a deal with a soulless, pitiful creature like you. Even if you spared them, how many more lives would you go on to take? This ends here — I won't let you claim a single other soul."

The next two notes she played had another pair of glowing rings illuminating the ground beneath Taiga and Hoshiko, holy light enveloping the ronin and blessing them with heightened abilities. She, too, could feel the divine power coursing through her as she went on to play the full sonata, her fingers dancing over the chords faster. Finishing her performance took focus, however, and that was where she needed them to defend her while she played. Screeching, the beast puppeteering Akane's body reached out to strike her with a clawed hand, but she hastily stepped back and put her faith in Taiga. The other yokai could prove troublesome, too, but she was sure that Hoshiko had them under control. Please, just hold out for a little while longer, you two... Kaori thought, the final circle soon cropping up beneath the shapeshifter's reeling form.

As the light surrounding it brightened, it began to scream in agony, but she did everything she could to shut out the sight and sound of her sister's cries. She closed her eyes and played louder, trying desperately to drown it out. Akane's screams shifted to that of Junichi's, until there was a chorus of every life the creature had claimed all howling together at once. It was losing control over its forms, each one blending together and shifting rapidly between faces and voices, both familiar and not.

"N̵̩͉̠͒ǫ̸̛̲̫̣̟̤̼͈̠̙̦̺͙̳̝̻̜̥̑́̐̓̈́́̑̈͗͊̆̍̑̈͌͑͂̔͑̈́̕̚!̴̮̜̝͙̟̔̋̏̈́̇̿̾͐̈́͆͋̑̏̀̏̓͊̕͝ Don't let her kill me!" Junichi gasped, air crackling into his lungs as he swiped out blindly at the vampires. "You promised we'd always have each other's backs, Taiga! Hoshiko, what happened to our ḟ̶̮̜͎̪̖̮͂̔̏̑͐͜u̴̲̱̬̫̘̮̅̎̄͛̓̚t̵̻̦̻̮̥͙́̄̈́̋͆ù̴͔͔̞̯̬̉̀̅͌̓̓̈ṙ̶̛̤̼̫̟̎̔͋͠ͅe̶͙̠̻̦̬͚͈̚ͅ?̶̢̡̯͚͇̟̞͕̏͋͋̓!̷̧͓͍̜̚͠͝"

Fear and uncertainty filled Kaori's eyes when she finally opened them, Akane's distorted features begging her for mercy.

"Kaori, don't do this. We could be together, just like we always used to. Ḁ̸̘̘̬̆̍̅l̶̢̡͈͙̉̌͆͌̊͐͝l̷̦̩̣͑̈́͑͆̽ͅ ̸̝͙͓̙̌̃͠o̸̧̨̺͊̚f̸̢̪̱̞̹̮́̃̔͂̿͝͠ ̴̢̛̺̪͋̚ų̴͔̲̉̂̅̊͜ͅs̷̗̥̙͓̗̯̗̈́̏̇.̸̅̈́̋́͜͝" Frantically, the faces of her other dearly departed sisters flashed across her vision. They were pleading for her to save them, cursing her for condemning them. "Let's go back to how things were. If you let it live, it will f̴̨̳̞͇͎̲͖̦͔̓͋r̵̩͎͍̪͈̬̀̽̀̆̔̅͐̈́̋̈́͊̔̽̀̓̋ë̶̱́̍̀͋̓̋̒̒͑̎͐̌͘͘ẹ̷̣̻̩̰̞̋̈́͐̌̌̎̈́̐ ̷̡̡̹̼̩̼͇͔̑̅̈́̄͛̉͐̚ͅͅu̸͎͉̫͍̟͓̗̿́̀̀̔͜s̵̛̘̻̘̦̫̟̱͓̹̫̽͒̓̅͂̀̈͌̑̿̚͜͝ ̴̧̧̻̩̹̙͍͕͕̬̳͉̜̈́̅͛́́̃̈́̇͒̊̀̍͘͠ͅa̸͓͉̣̣͚̖̭̝̜̰̞̯̲͌̈͒̿͒̈́̚l̶̛̜̟͍͍̈́̀́̂͐̓̿͋͂̎́̕ĺ̸̯̮̟̈́̋͑̀̈̚. We could be a f̷̱̙͖̬̫̄͂̋̾ȧ̶͈͚͉̩̩́͑́͝m̵̡͕͚̈͒í̵̪̜̀̚̚͝ĺ̵̬̬ÿ̴̧̥̗̹́́͌ a̶̺̩̅g̴̢̢̛͇̺̟̹͉͙͖̯̯̳͕̲̼͇̉̑̌̄͋͐̀͛̇͋͘̕͜a̸̦͍̱͗̊i̴̛̼̪̝̰̰̍̈́̐̐̊̓̑̈́̿͗̄̚͝n̶̤̭͎̜͎͔̘͓̜̪͇̟͒."

By now, the glowing lights around all four of them were so strong that they were almost blinding. The shapeshifter was trapped within a prison of golden light, a series of radiant lines connecting them all in a fully-formed magical circle. The priestess seemed to hesitate for a moment, her head bent as she strummed the last few notes. As the music faded away, she slowly tilted her chin up, revealing shiny tears that glistened like stars as they streamed down her cheeks.

ꔫ ⸻ "Akane-chan, my beloved sisters..." ⸻ ꔫ

ꔫ ⸻ "I hope we'll all meet again in another life." ⸻ ꔫ​

It was doubtful that there was enough of the real victims left to hear her at all anymore, but it was her way of truly sending them off after everything that had happened. "And Junichi, if you're in there... I promise to take good care of Taiga and Hoshiko in your absence." She smiled sadly, her glowing harp placed back on her belt as she grabbed her bow and aimed it at the yokai. Nodding to the others, she looked towards their target and held her stance. "On three, hit it with everything you've got."

"One."

The cries intensified.

"Two."

She took a breath.

"Three."​

Icy cold air hit her in the face as she released the drawstring and let loose a prismatic arrow that soared the distance between herself and the shapeshifter, her aim steady and true. Mana crackled in the air around her, so electrifying that it raised the hairs on her head and reflected golden particles in her eyes. At last, she had done what she'd thought impossible... she'd brought divine retribution upon the beast that took everything from her.

But revenge tasted so bittersweet, she realized, as she watched her sisters die a second time right in front of her.

__________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
┊ ⋆ ┊ . ┊ ┊
┊ ┊⋆ ┊ .
┊ ┊ ⋆˚      
✧. ┊        
⋆ ★        

 

[Tenzai]

"Are you so stuck on your own disgust at your failures that you can't recognize me?"

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 17 ᴛᴀʙɪᴅᴀᴄʜɪ (ᴅᴇᴘᴀʀᴛᴜʀᴇ) | ɪʙ ᴏꜱᴛ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

The more her mind began to crack, suffering from the weight of his pressure, the more her sister seemed more realistic. The yokai was nearing the perfect recreation of the body it savored, ensuring that each detail of her figure and mind was not wasted on his taste buds alone. Despite Taiga's numerous attempts at forging distance in between the monster and his two companions, it began to move towards her, offering a deal to put an end to their suffering. As its attention had been turned away with its eyes still made ever present on the back of its body to continue defending itself against the emblazoned strikes of the crimson ronin, little did it notice that his heat kept rising with every attack. Taiga didn't cool when he got tired, the longer the fight went on, the more power he wielded with every strike.

"I can't sit back and watch. I won't let this monster devour you both, too. I can't keep hiding in the shrine forever."

"There is no need to be so stubborn, sister." Robbing Akane's voice, it used the sacrifice of the lesser yokai to bridge the distance in between them. "All you have to do to make this end is offer yourself to me. Let us become one again. Let us put an end to our distance. Please." Now doing a perfect mimicry of the sister, as it walked with the same strides that Akane did, the sound of Taiga cutting through their conversation had taken away her peaceful smile, showing an emotion that was rarely seen in her past family: Annoyance and disgust. Taiga was a parasite that kept leeching onto the monster, making it difficult to eat.

"I'll never make a deal with a soulless, pitiful creature like you. Even if you spared them, how many more lives would you go on to take? This ends here — I won't let you claim a single other soul."

"How typical. How... Unfortunate." Instead of finding acceptance in her tragedy, it found defiance. Instead of watching her eyes go empty like the many victims it disfigured before with its many mouths, she saw a fire emboldened by the words of those she surrounded herself with. The companions she traveled with were more than just allies made in the moment; They were people she genuinely trusted. "Then it seems that its only right to feed on all of you. Don't deem me a monster for you choosing your own fate." As it began to shift and transform from a humanoid into its true self, the head of the beast was slammed into the ground by the crimson spearman, now enchanted with strength beyond that of his own.

"We choose our future, creature." Whatever blood spilled atop the blade of his sword had been reduced to vapor given its newfound heat. Warm to the touch was his hilt, embracing the passion of its wielder and channeling it all into its edge. "That's what makes us different from you monsters." As a response to the sudden weight of his attack, the monster sent a wave of bone towards Taiga, only for its barrage to be splintered with a few strikes of his blade. "I won't subscribe myself to the fate this world dictates of me. And I won't let you take away the futures of my bonded and my thrall either."

Hoshiko's hands had grown more rapid as time slowed for her mind. The armor that followed her beck and call had fought with increased vigor, as though they were replicating the moves of the warrior she had grown so accustomed to adventuring with. Upon hearing Taiga's convictions and being reaffirmed by Kaori's bravery, the lesser yokai that believed them to be an easy meal were met with a decisive end, each being brought down by armored beings that knew no fear or death underneath a glowing rain of arrows. "Your end draws near, Junichi. I won't allow you to suffer any more than you have to."

The two ronin that fate had decided to bring to her side were far from helpless. While they were together, a very capable force, it was when they were working as a triad where their strength had multiplied. Alone, they weren't too far beyond mediocre, but as a team, they stood a chance at reaching the spring. Realizing that its time was running out, the creature began to make a mad dash towards the priestess in the hopes of shredding the woman that was empowering the two ronin so much with her music. Though, as if she was able to put faith in the people that surrounded her, as it charged on six legs and attempted to swing, its arm was lobbed before it was sent towards the ground once again, this time skewered by the spear he threw earlier. Taiga was not going to let it hurt his people, not when he was around and still capable of fighting.

Trying to rip his way out of Taiga's hold, as it grasped the spear and shook the wrist of the warrior above it, its eyes were shot out by the tactician standing beside Kaori, her hands moving faster than the beast could track and defend against. Together, they were able to keep the powerful yokai bound for now, only for a magic circle to appear from underneath the monster. This one was far larger than the circles that surrounded the two ronin. Giving each other a nod, Taiga left his spear inside the circle as he withdrew himself from its proximity, the two watching in awe as the light of her goddess had not only permeated from the ring's edge but also from within the creature as well. A mad symphony had escaped its many mouths as its form constantly shifted from one body to another of its many victims.

"N̵̩͉̠͒ǫ̸̛̲̫̣̟̤̼͈̠̙̦̺͙̳̝̻̜̥̑́̐̓̈́́̑̈͗͊̆̍̑̈͌͑͂̔͑̈́̕̚!̴̮̜̝͙̟̔̋̏̈́̇̿̾͐̈́͆͋̑̏̀̏̓͊̕͝ Don't let her kill me! You promised we'd always have each other's backs, Taiga! Hoshiko, what happened to our ḟ̶̮̜͎̪̖̮͂̔̏̑͐͜u̴̲̱̬̫̘̮̅̎̄͛̓̚t̵̻̦̻̮̥͙́̄̈́̋͆ù̴͔͔̞̯̬̉̀̅͌̓̓̈ṙ̶̛̤̼̫̟̎̔͋͠ͅe̶͙̠̻̦̬͚͈̚ͅ?̶̢̡̯͚͇̟̞͕̏͋͋̓!̷̧͓͍̜̚͠͝"

Hoshiko looked away upon the recognition that their promises to each other would never be fulfilled. This accursed world had robbed them of their happy ending, taking away their friend so soon. Yet despite how much it could beg, despite how much it could take the form of the man she once loved; The truth was plain and simple: Junichi was dead. He had died and he was buried. No amount of alcohol or magic could ever strip her of that memory. Holding onto his weapon on her waist, despite her being faithless to the kami above, she prayed quietly for his peace and an end to his suffering.

Taiga on the other hand was angry that he wasn't allowed to rest. His body was disturbed during its eternal slumber in the snow. With his flames channeling from his emotion, embers of fire had erupted from the tattoos that lay present on the exposed strips of flesh on his body, hinting of his desire to put an end to this now. "Don't you dare take his voice again, monster. Your sin is beyond mercy." Barely able to control his own emotion, as he spoke, sparks of flame had escaped from his tongue as the soul that lay within screamed, yearning for a chance to bring a swift end to the man he entrusted his being to in the first place.

"Kaori, don't do this. We could be together, just like we always used to. Ḁ̸̘̘̬̆̍̅l̶̢̡͈͙̉̌͆͌̊͐͝l̷̦̩̣͑̈́͑͆̽ͅ ̸̝͙͓̙̌̃͠o̸̧̨̺͊̚f̸̢̪̱̞̹̮́̃̔͂̿͝͠ ̴̢̛̺̪͋̚ų̴͔̲̉̂̅̊͜ͅs̷̗̥̙͓̗̯̗̈́̏̇.̸̅̈́̋́͜͝ Let's go back to how things were. If you let it live, it will f̴̨̳̞͇͎̲͖̦͔̓͋r̵̩͎͍̪͈̬̀̽̀̆̔̅͐̈́̋̈́͊̔̽̀̓̋ë̶̱́̍̀͋̓̋̒̒͑̎͐̌͘͘ẹ̷̣̻̩̰̞̋̈́͐̌̌̎̈́̐ ̷̡̡̹̼̩̼͇͔̑̅̈́̄͛̉͐̚ͅͅu̸͎͉̫͍̟͓̗̿́̀̀̔͜s̵̛̘̻̘̦̫̟̱͓̹̫̽͒̓̅͂̀̈͌̑̿̚͜͝ ̴̧̧̻̩̹̙͍͕͕̬̳͉̜̈́̅͛́́̃̈́̇͒̊̀̍͘͠ͅa̸͓͉̣̣͚̖̭̝̜̰̞̯̲͌̈͒̿͒̈́̚l̶̛̜̟͍͍̈́̀́̂͐̓̿͋͂̎́̕ĺ̸̯̮̟̈́̋͑̀̈̚. We could be a f̷̱̙͖̬̫̄͂̋̾ȧ̶͈͚͉̩̩́͑́͝m̵̡͕͚̈͒í̵̪̜̀̚̚͝ĺ̵̬̬ÿ̴̧̥̗̹́́͌ a̶̺̩̅g̴̢̢̛͇̺̟̹͉͙͖̯̯̳͕̲̼͇̉̑̌̄͋͐̀͛̇͋͘̕͜a̸̦͍̱͗̊i̴̛̼̪̝̰̰̍̈́̐̐̊̓̑̈́̿͗̄̚͝n̶̤̭͎̜͎͔̘͓̜̪͇̟͒." The monster continued to plead and beg in a vain attempt to win its escape through their mercy, trying to poke and prod at the priestess' heart for any chance to be freed from the confines of her goddess' light, yet nothing worked. Kaori had already had her heart set on this being a final goodbye to the people that once paraded the shrine with her and made it truly feel like home: Her family.

Their time was up. As unfortunate as it was for the people they loved to have succumbed to such a bitter end, at least in this way, their souls were finally able to move on into whatever afterlife that came next. "And Junichi, if you're in there... I promise to take good care of Taiga and Hoshiko in your absence." While a plethora of faces had cried for mercy on its body, one of them had revealed a smile, embracing the idea that the end of its life was dealt by someone who truly held the best in mind for him. With a nod to the others, Hoshiko and Taiga both prepared for what was to come: Their final blow. The fight was soon to be over. "On three, hit it with everything you've got. One. Two. Three."

Empowering her arrow with whatever energy her soul could muster, a beam of moonlight radiance had struck onto her enemy, piercing through it as though it were truly a concentrated stream of light. Immediately following the pillar of brightness, Taiga jumped onto his enemy, grabbing onto both spear and sword alike as he embedded both weapons further into its purified flesh, soon to engulf its entire being in an inferno. Surging in heat, the warrior had cooked it alive, subjecting it to the full strength of his passion to free his friend and his remorse of failing to bring about what he promised: A happy ending. Once finished calling upon the fires of his heart, he jumped off, ripping out both weapons to let Kaori give it its final mercy: A quick death that came in the form of a divine thunder, reducing the suffering body of the beast to an imploding spray of accursed guts, dark mist, splintered bones, and toxic gas.

Immediately, the tactician grabbed the priestess and took the both of them down to the floor to limit the shrapnel's area of effect on their body. Taiga on the other hand was thrown back due to his proximity to the arrow's target, thankfully freeing him from the worst that the corpse's end had to offer in its final show of revenge. However his landing was far from graceful as he landed back first into the trunk of a fallen tree. "You, alright? Kaori?" Inspecting her for wounds, the tactician sighed in relief finding nothing more than superficial scratches. Blood had trickled from her cheek, though nothing had seemed to have dealt significant damage to her features; or at least, enough damage to inhibit her genuine smile at their survival. "... Thanks for fighting with us back there. I don't know if we could've survived without you."

Taiga crawled up from behind the fallen tree trunk, resting his body atop it for a moment to take a few deep breaths before returning back to the side of the other women. With his sword hilted and his spear being used as a crutch to walk himself over, the blunt force of being thrown against the tree had seemed to be the worst of his injuries. Noticing the concerned glances first, he gave a strained smile. "I'm alright you two. My back is just aching. I'll be fine after a little break." Extending his arm from his side towards Kaori's head, the ronin gently patted her head. He saw how much emotion she went through over the short period of time and he felt for her.

"And that's all thanks to you that the bruise is the worst of my injuries. Good job Kaori." Truly adopting her as one of them, as the two ronin took to the path to leave the site of the battlefield behind in the case that other yokai would be attracted to the scent of the body and the sound of the fighting, the moment she turned around to see the remnants of the tragedy they were able to escape from, she saw two familiar ethereal figures standing side by side waving their goodbyes at her. The souls of the recently departed, Akane and Junichi, had lingered for a little longer to see their beloved friends and family off for the final time. Upon noticing her staring, their lips had read: Thank you, before finally fading away.

"Kaori, did you leave something back there?" Taiga tilted his head, placing a hand on her shoulder before looking back towards where her attention was placed. "We should get moving before we get drawn into other fights." Offering her a reaffirming smile, he patted her shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure that once we find your goddess, we'll have the time then to give them a proper funeral." Offering her a hand, Hoshiko seemed to share the same familiarity with Kaori as her bonded. "He's right. So are you ready to go? You fought hard with us too, and after everything we went through today already, I think its about time for a break and our camp would be missing something if you weren't there."

"Once we're done with everything. I promise you, we'll come back for them. Junichi and your sisters deserve a proper sendoff."

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

---

──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ | ʜᴏᴛʟɪɴᴇ ᴍɪᴀᴍɪ 2 ᴏꜱᴛ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──✩₊⁺⋆◯ꔫ☾⋆⁺₊✧──​

Upon finally given a moment to rest after a hard fought battle, the two ronin had returned to some semblance of normal. While the air was heavy due to the recent loss of their friend, there was also the same feeling of relief of knowing that they put their past to peace through a shared effort. Warm wooden cups filled with tea from nearby leaves scavenged from the forest nearby had sat in the pair of women's hands while the crimson warrior slathered ointment on his bruise and kept the fire warm with his magic.

"Given the speed that we're moving at, we should be able to make it to the closest village by nightfall." Hoshiko spoke up, examining her map while drinking her tea. "Even if the yokai we slain wasn't a part of the bounties, at least the villagers there could sleep easier knowing that something like that is no longer around to haunt them." Despite her rather callous appearance when it came to her personality, she seemed benevolent to the wellbeing of the innocent. If she had to make sacrifices, she wished it to be for a proper purpose rather than only for the prideful ambitions of negligible rulers.

"Sounds good. Maybe we could even buy another bedroll for Kaori. Spare supplies too. We've gone through a lot of our medicine on the way here anyways." Using his sword to split the bandages apart, he wrapped the cloth around his bruise to ensure that his ointment would remain undisturbed while they moved through the woods together. Though as he turned around to check in on Kaori, a look of sympathy had coated his face. "... Kaori. Don't feel bad about this, okay? There's no need to apologize. I'd rather suffer something like this than lose one of you." Standing up from the log he sat, he sat beside the two of them, grabbing a cup of tea for himself from the pot over the fire to get a taste of what they scavenged. "Its because of what we did together that we're able to drink together like this, so take pride in this, yeah? I'm sure that the others who left us behind would be proud of you too."