[MaraTwasHere]

Eiko’s face was wiped of emotion, her interest piquing at the girl’s reply. “Far from home…I understand the feeling.” The waves coming off this girl standing before Eiko screamed yokai. Had she, perhaps, already been searching for her dormant powers within? The only way to truly awaken them would be to return to the place the yokai once ran free. A place where her clothing wasn’t ‘traditional’ but common. Eiko reached into her kimono sleeve, and as if by magic pulled out a long string with little straw dolls dancing along it. Her lips curved into a smile that did not reach her blood eyes at the thought of her being young. Her short stature did not help her child-like appearance, and since she was in the modern world not many–if any–knew about how demons or yokai could easily appear younger than they actually were. If any did know, who would expect such things in modern times where everything was mostly ‘safe’? Nowadays demons hid within people, whispering dark desires in the minds of humans and filling them with selfishness and greed. Where were all the true monks to at least try to defend their people? “I am giving these away. For peace of mind, at the least,” She turned her head up to look at the girl. This was the first girl who had approached her–unaware or not of what she thought Eiko could bring her. Subconsciously, could she sense the power the omamori had?

[cass coltheart]

*seeing the dolls, she smiled. She knew these. Omamori. This meant that questioning this being, who clearly wasn’t a child, would be a bad idea. Mitsu was weak in this world of concrete and fumes, but if this girl could make these dolls, then who knew what else she was capable of? *  “thank you very much. They’re beautiful” *she took one from the girl and headed home, barely able to contain herself*

 

[MaraTwasHere]

Eiko watched the girl walk away, keeping the string taunt as cool breeze blew through the straw dolls, making the dance back and forth stiffly on the yarn. “When you feel nostalgia or aloof, the thread on the left arm may bring relief.” Her voice called after the retreating, seemingly excited girl, as if the straw doll was a little package of happiness and wonder–which for some, it would be. Eiko let her hands fall, and her smile came true and strong in the audience of darkness and shadows of the park. I was right. She thought to herself, winding the string up with the dolls and sliding them into her sleeve. She closed her eyes, letting the night breeze fly through her equally dark hair. There are people who have their souls still longing for the old world. There had been humans with old souls who longed for the old world as she had. If anything she went through all the trouble and tasks for minogame for at least a world she could bring them back to to fufill that long-awaited longing. But yokai? But yokai she knew? She had to pat her eyes to keep tears from falling. “Its really happening….” Eiko looked up at the stars, and the trees that had branches reaching upward greedily. But their leaves were changing, turning red and orange. Funny, in this Japan the world was of oranges and reds. In her world, the frosty winter’s breath was leaving to let in spring. Soon, cherry blossoms would bloom. What a perfect time to bring in the new yokai.

Eiko reached for her green doll hidden within her sash, reached for a read thread, and melted away without a trace.

 

[cass coltheart]

*finally reaching her home, the omamori in her pocket and the strange girls words ringing in her ears, she calmed her self. Excitement could ruin it all. She had to be careful. For the next few hours she went through the usual evening rituals of the orphanage. Dinner, bath, then an hour or two of reading. When the building fell quiet, she lifted the omamori, and thought of the past. The old world. The fresh air. The calm. The cherry blossoms and festivals. Gently, she tugged on the ribbon on the dolls arm and closed her eyes*

 

[Chris the wise]

It had grown dark when Miles again picked up the doll. Laid out on his back with his legs under the table, he studied the details of the straw figure, absentmindedly twirling the red string around his little finger until it slipped free from the doll’s arm.

[MaraTwasHere]

For those who pulled the thread away for the first time may have seen the world become a bit blurry or dim. Tiredness would set into their bones and their limbs would get heavy and their tongues feel thick. Eventually the world would fall away like oil paints off a page, everything blending together to ugly browns of mixing colors in their descent, leaving black left over. Slowly pin pricks of light could be seen shining brightly in the darkness of the night sky, making out constellations. The trees just below the sky were bare other than small buds promising blooms, and soon enough flower petals would carpet the ground. The feudal era was quiet as it usually was, especially in this empty field where the those who could not imagine where they wanted to be in this new world would go. Yokai’s powers would flourish in the ancient land made of the soil clung to the oldest trees in Japan, where the trees were only saplings in the feudal land.

[cass coltheart]

*opening her eyes after the feelings had passed, leaving her still, kukuri opened her eyes….yes…..kukuri..that was her name …..and this…this was her world….where she belonged. She stood, and took in all its beauty and majesty. She loved it. Looking down she saw herself in her old clothes. So much more comfortable. Would her powers work though? Whispering an incantation and holding out her hands, she focused for a second, until a shimmering, ghostly naginata ( I think I spelt that right ) appeared before her. Yes…she was where she belonged. Dismissing the weapon, she turned, and began walking, seeking others*

 

[MaraTwasHere]

Eiko landed in the clearing, her geta’s meeting the grass-land without a sound. In one hand, she held a fan raised up just above her nose. Her other hand was concealed by the long kimono sleeve. She shut the fan with a  clack, revealing the knife on the back of the closed fan. A Tessen. The darkness was fading, receding slowly to a soft blue-gray, and toward the east was vibrant colors of orange and red. Towards the north was the closest village from earlier, Inasaku nōka, where their rice farms were very bountiful. However, the families their had to have bountiful rice farms for the ‘protection’ of bandits that would otherwise raid their village, steal their women, and be on their merry way. Demons that had been hiding out had come as well–lower and higher–some she could not stop from entering the world. Their presence was faintly everywhere, and when one came too close into ‘her territory’ she could smell and see their miasma. For now, Eiko stood near a tree peeking out at the girl with that blank, pale face. The first thing the <i>yokai</i> noticed was the way her hair was purple. An interesting color, she must admit, but not uncommon here. Uncommon for humans, though. She had to stop her smile at the joy of finding another yokai. Still, this far off, she still couldn’t quite recognize the girl.

[cass coltheart]

*kukuri decided to head north. That seemed best, even thought there were no tracks. Her clogs made little sound on the soft earth. She was having some difficulties keeping her blank face. But too much emotion wasn’t good. She had to remain in control. Oddly, she sensed a familiar presence. Glancing around she didn’t see anyone. She advanced cautiously*

 

[Chris the wise]

Shin lay on his back, the world seemed just too large, just a moment ago he was in his apartment taking a nap, the next he awoke here with this tall grass, naked.
He rolled onto all fours, the dampness of the grass clung to his fur. something had happened to not only send him here, but also shrink him and give him fur. Glancing back over his body, Shin spotted his brushy tail and decided he must be a fox, which somehow seemed natural.
He closed his eyes and remembered his other form, the human Miles, and stood on his hind legs. His body shifted back to his human form.
A short distance from the trees he spotted a village, recognition flashed across his features as he studied it.
“The Sengoku Jidai?” he looked down his form and decided to blend in, his Jeans and shirt shifting into more traditional garb, He knew by instinct that his facial features had shifted too. Reaching back, he tucked his tail away as he began his walk to the village.

[MaraTwasHere]

Eiko watched as the second one appeared as well. They both had come so quickly, she was a bit surprised. Both also came in their true forms. Eiko still awaited on several humans who hadn’t come to this world with the dolls as of yet. She’d waited for years now. Some never came, perhaps the human souls were simply unable to take apart of any type of magic. What a pity. The long grass blew through the wind toward the North where both headed. Eiko knew by now, with light coming over the horizion, the people where up and about.

 

The forest would stop short to a grassy slope downward toward a village of about 7 or 8 houses, not including the largest hut in the center holding the village elder, Yui, and her fair and beautiful granddaughter, Hana. To the left of the gathering of huts was the large rice field, already flooded with the scraggly men and some women tended to their crops with long straw hats covering their face from the upcoming sun. On one woman’s back was an infant held on by cloth. Sasuke, with a terribly ill husband the young woman would be forced to bring her share of work to the village and care for the baby and him. In fact, many of the men in this village were too-thin, sick, or elder. Strangely, however, all the women appeared to be quite healthy. Any yokai or sacred warrior would be able to immediately sense the dark miasma that hung over the village. But the children, all female, ran along the dirt path screaming and playing Darumasan ga koronda. No one there seemed to feel the thick miasma above them.

Eiko followed a good distance behind, waiting to see their reaction to the village with a rice field and a river to the right.

[cass coltheart]

*seeing the village, kukuri quickened her pace slightly, hoping to find answers. Yet as soon as she neared the outskirts she stopped like she’d hit a brick wall. A curse…..a powerful one, hung over this place like graveyard bell, tolling death to those who entered. She hesitated for a second, then pressed on. She was a yokai. This would not stop her.*

 

[MaraTwasHere]

A child with their eyes closed facing a stone and straw hut slowly turned at the other girls’ whispering rather than playing the game. “Who is she?” Someone asked, “She’s so pretty…” “I’m getting my mama!” Most of the children ran from the edge of the village, back towards town kicking up dust from their bare feet. The girl who was facing the wall instead stared silently in awe at the purple haired lady. “Demon” she heard one of the older girls, a twelve year old, whisper as she led the younger ones off. But this girl did not seem to notice struck by this woman’s beauty. Her eyes were a deep brown, her dark hair dusty and just past her shoulder with a white, flat, ribbon holding the hair that would have been around her face. Her kimono was yellow silk with butterflies across it. The child couldn’t take her eyes off of the purple haired lady. “Are you princess Kaguya?” Her whisper came.

[cass coltheart]

*kukuri shook her head and smiled* I am of the yaogatami family. Kukuri yaogatmi. It is nice to meet you. I appear to have lost my way. What is the name of this village *though she smiled, her eyes and voice remained dull*

 

[MaraTwasHere]

The girl continued to stare, shifting from bare foot to bare foot seemingly shy. “Um…this is the Inasaku noka…the village of rice!” Her voice pitched at the end, and she took a few steps back. “We-we can’t really take any travelers who can’t pay right now…we do not have much food for ourselves.”