| abstract
| - As lazy as any dog in its final years, as any obese male wanting his food to come to him, as youth who wishes not to rise for the school day, Shira puts them all to shame with her slothful display. Although her initial behavior was never this relaxed—her initial self is as bewildering as any. Throughout her time within Volkov's company she has given detailed information that only one whom has lived during Sengoku Jidai (the warring states period of Japan 1467-1573) would know and has also seen several artifacts that had been lost over the centuries as well. Shira only gives chunks of information while in Volkov’s presence and Volkov’s presence alone. He does not even know if she is older than him or if she is capable of channeling spirits which have yet refused to leave this plain of existence. Additionally, she refuses to give details on either choice and continually dodges the topic and several other things but never in a rash manner. It is as always; she approaches her dismissal of the subject through pure and utter laze; often falling asleep if she does not wish to uphold the conversation, or even giving her reasons as to why she does not wish to continue, and then sleeps. There had once lived many young women and children whom had lost most of their husbands, brothers, uncles, and other lead members of their families due to illness. It was within the winter months so this did happen but never to this extent. Within her small mountain village, Shira lived with two other women, Nikai and Asa. Asa was a Ryukyuan born woman of Onna while Nikai was of the Yamato. All of them worked a stall selling food. Shira, the second best cook with Asa besting her. Nikai handling payment since she was not exactly the best cook and to keep customers, she was not allowed to cook whatsoever. This business had been well established and had been running for three years now. It was at the end of the day when arrows set ablaze began to rain down from the sky. Shira was about collected rice to be used for their cooking when the first of many were killed before her very brown eyes. Seeing the men charge through upon horseback, she leapt forth and hid herself amongst the river. A small stalk had pointed skyward and was among many as she lay in cover, the men rode along and chased down others. Hearing them go by, Shira slowly rose from the river and ran. It took her little time to reach her village and warn others. Despite her impressive speed, she had been too late. Directly after, the same group of men had attacked the village. Being that most of the children were too young to defend themselves they were easily picked off while some of the female children were beginning to show signs of maturity. These children were taken prisoner while the rest were killed. Most of the females who fought back were killed or taken prisoner. Asa, a practitioner of the sword, was not of those numbers. She killed and killed until she had been surrounded. Although she was trapped she still fought her way out and crossed paths with Shira and Nikai. Shira, knowing medical treatments to help Asa, she did so in their home—the same place which they sold their food—it was not long before their door was broken down. Asa rose to her feet to fight but then dropped to one knee. Her wounds would need time to heal. Shira told her to run and find a place to hide. Asa told her that she would conceal herself amongst the Nansei Islands and that would be where the three of them would meet. After Asa fled, Shira and Nikai chose to go in separate directions. Although it was mainly Nikai who thought this and Shira initially disagreed; she had only agreed to it simply because Nikai had thrown the fact they are wasting time by arguing. As they parted, Shira ran to her room and looked for her best friend. This friend was a kitten which she had found roaming the village. No one had claimed it so she took the kitten in and named it Neko. Deep down, Shira had always wanted a pet and she also loved animals. Entering her room, she found Neko hiding under a lengthy wrap of bandages which had not been used. Collecting her kitten, she turned and immediately backtracked so that they could escape the village. Hearing Nikai scream made her hasten her pace. With her kitten in her arms she rushed until she came to the open hall. At this point it was far too late. Alarmed by her quickening steps, a man had spun around and impaled not only Shira but Neko, through the chest. Realizing his error, he quickly drew the blade from them and cursed as Shira immediately fall to the ground and ceased to move. Nikai had screamed her name time and time again until her voice had begun to echo. It sounded as if her voice vibrated throughout the air only to dim out as they reached her ears. Her brown eyes saw what the men were doing. Nikai’s robe had been torn off and her sarashi stripped away as well. They were raping her. Blood had been about the ground but she had not been wounded for blood to bleed. It was then that Shira recalled the loss of virginity would cost blood. As she lay motionlessly holding her beloved Neko to her chest, Shira lay in a pool of their shared blood as Nikai was forcibly taken advantage of by several men and defiled in ways she thought not possible. Shira died while gripping the stained black fur of her pet and her brown eyes in the direction of the Nikai as she was raped time and time again. It had been months after this had occurred and as the Warring States waged on, there were those who fled in various directions. Some came to this mountain village where Shira had once resided but they found little and what they did find, they looted. As reports came in of children and mothers retreating to this area, there had been soldiers sent to aid them and escort them to a safe zone. Of course, as they arrived, things were much grimmer than they had thought. From deserted dwelling to piles of debris. It was all the same. Not a human soul lingered about. As Sengoku Jidai raged on in an uncomfortable proximity, remains of a body were found, yet these were the remains of a woman whom had been wearing a tattered and torn sarashi and a robe. She was buried shortly after being found and as investigation went on about the ghost town, there was nothing found of value. A soldier held a small turquoise chopstick in his hand with a damaged owner’s name which was cut off by what seemed to be something as sharp as a sword, but he was unsure. The only identifiable part of the name was the syllable: “Ne” other than that there was no clue as to who it could have belonged to, let alone if she had still been alive. As they searched about they found not a person whatsoever, yet as night had fallen, they resumed their search. This was a different search though. There had been rumors that a woman was still alive and frequented this area in the middle of the night. This is the second reason as to why these soldiers had stopped in this ghost of a town and as such, they thought she was a survivor of the harsh war yet, as they searched about they found nothing. The reports themselves stated that a dark haired woman was seen searching for something while another report states that she had been playing with what was said to be an animal of some sort but no reports have stated as to what the animal could be. Additionally, within these reports it is said she was talking to someone yet, no eye witness reports have ever identified what or with who. It is assumed that it could be the animal which is not known as to what it may be yet; this woman was difficult to locate. Other soldiers whom had visited this area previously had mixed thoughts and judgments about the situation. Some of them agreed that she needed to be found and helped while others feared her while claiming her to be a demon. One woman, who had heard of such stories, claimed the woman to be a living spirit. Pure in life and refusing to accept her fate, she has trapped herself within our realm of existence. In either case, they had not located any signs of life, therefore, the soldiers returned from whence they had come. As for folklore, superstition claims this woman to be an Ikiryo: A being whom in death, lives as if they are still in life; a spirit in complete human form. Though, Ikiryo are not known for their violence, it vastly depends on the said individual in life. If they were calm and just, they more than likely may continue doing so and if they were violent then that would also be the same factor for them to remain violent. Of course, with the threat of purification, there would be only the idiotic to continue their violent ways. The calm ones would be difficult to locate, identify and deal with but if they were calm and sated as they are, then there would be not a need to vanquish them. Of course, there are those who believe that this realm is only for the living humans and other animals, not spirits or demons. Half bred or not, some individuals did not want that risk and have devoted themselves to dealing with such beings. Some were monks and others were hunters. Among the hunters were clans of ninja and everyday mercenaries but a more rare and powerful hunter were those whom were Kaminchu. Kaminchu were said to be divine beings that communicated with spirits and even the Gods and Goddesses. Some believe they speak to all forms of deities no matter the region or religion while others see them as misfits and individuals whom would soon come to abuse their power. Though their numbers were small, their spiritual power was immense. Kaminchu are capable of focusing their spiritual power and harness it to attack their foes whether it be demons or not. This show of power had been the reason why the Kaminchu were treated as they were. As time passed, it had been two Kaminchu which had come to this wasteland in search of those same rumors which by now were over one hundred years old. The Warring States had long since passed and the reason for this search was due to the sightings which matched reports of the Sengoku Jidai and the unusual aura of the area. Ninja, Monks, Priestess’, and Kaminchu were capable of sensing the auras of demons and other paranormal and supernatural phenomena. The aura they felt was not only otherworldly but also calm and serene. It was as calm as the wind on a hot summer day but in contrast to this calmness any icy bite of the beings essence within this world was nearly undetectable but definitely present. As they explored the lifeless area they came across several bones and weapons which have lost most of their edge. Nothing of true use was found and anything that could have been of use had been long since stolen. Passing through an archway which led down to a river the two females slowed in their pace and took in their surroundings. “Beautiful…is it not?” This was Arrai. By her complexion, one could tell that she was not Japanese and even her name proves that she is not. However, she only remembers he life amongst the Japanese which is why she claims to be as such. Her weapon of choice had been a thick Iai blade. Her saya was about her right hip and her speed when attacking was phenomenal. Her strength lay within her blade and as few mortals have seen, she was capable of sending shockwaves from it to her target which makes her lethal at a distance and in close range. “Indeed.” This female was clearly older. Ryukyuan by her deep complexion and also a Kaminchu by her style of dress and her hair; she had a long bow which demons could sense the spiritual power which resided from within it and she also carried a dagger with the same residing strength as a sidearm. Her name was Mi~na. Demons know of her and hold fear due to her surprising strength and her feats in battle. Although she, along with a Kunoichi, were two of the highest threats to them, the archer was feared more simply because she can be sensed when she approached and her spiritual aura was unmistakable while the Kunoichi was practically undetectable. Crossing the river the two looked onwards towards their destination. They were venturing deeper and deeper into vegetation of the mountain and more importantly, further and further away from any other signs of life. They had noticed that animals had not ventured into this area in quite some time and most of the leaves and bushes had not been disturbed in anyway. The animals feared this presence; a common yet, disturbing fact. As the hours had come and gone, the sun had begun to set and as this dawned on the two they had come into not only a clearing and also a hot spring. Mi~na was suspicious of this just as Arrai had been yet; examining their surroundings the two located a small dwelling just beyond the overgrowth of roots and other vegetation. Venturing beyond the roots, the two took precaution as they drew closer to the dwelling. It was here that the aura had been at its strongest yet still ever so calm. “Does it not detect us?” Arrai thought to herself. Truthfully, she did detect them. Rising from her downed position on top of the dwelling, she immediately gave away her position to the two who immediately separated and gained distance. Scratching the back of her head as well as her ears, the two took in what they were seeing and was somewhat awestruck. Her ears, her tails, told them that the rumors were true. An Ikiryo did in fact live about this area and for it to be secluded as such and oft seen within the village; the two knew that it had more than likely met its natural end within that village over one hundred years ago. As it yawned, it looked into their directions and then laid back down, this time, facing them. Her eyes, violet in color, were half open as she looked between the two. “…what do you two strangers want?” She sounded relaxed but extremely tired. Truth be told, it had been quite warm today and she had been lounging and sleeping beautifully within the sun until she was disturbed. “Are you in fact the Ikiryo or the demon?” Arrai asked this simply because the aura was strong. Not only that but, the warm and calm aura had been completely different from the deathly cold aura from hours earlier. This was also evident to Mi~na whom had been focusing on Shira, who she believed to be the Ikiryo. That would mean that the Demon was either her ally, or her enemy and she simply has not noticed it yet or is not threatened by it whatsoever. “Demon…?” It took her several seconds for her to truly grasp the situation. “So you’re Hunters, right? I’m guessing you’re both here to take my head…” Her calmness gave a false sense of ease to them both and as a result, Arrai sheathed her weapon and took a few steps closer. “No nearer…” Her violet eyes studied the one before her and noticed her hair. That iconic white hair was also about the other as well, who in fact had two arrows prepped and aimed at her. “What are you two supposed to be exactly,” Shira inquired as she slowly blinked. “Lying here I can tell that you both are beyond the average limits.” She knew they were powerful as well. Possibly just as powerful as her even though she herself had been a spirit bound to this plane of existence. “It is rude for you not to answer my question…” “…I can’t answer what I don’t know…or…wait…” Thinking for a few seconds, Shira then looked to the sun as a few bits of its rays reached her lovely dark skin. “What’s an Ikiryo?” Arrai immediately hid her shock and confusion while Mi~na focused on her aim. She had three points covered; if it leapt to the right, the left, or upwards. However; if it leapt down in front of Arrai, she had no shot and Arrai would have to act quickly if she did not want to be killed. Arrai was no fool. No matter how calm she allowed herself to appear, she had always been prepared for combat and even with her weapon sheathed, Arrai was her own tactic of surprise. Her draw speed was nearly invisible to the eye yet, her spiritual energy aided that talent. Preparing to answer the question, Shira’s ears immediately shot skyward while at the same time, Arrai and Mi~na noticed this and what had been approaching. Leaping from her position, Mi~na was expecting this and took her final sight before she fired; yet, Shira immediately dove and scooped Arrai in her grasp to evade the impending strike and arrows. A large mass of some creature swept over where Shira had been lounging and destroyed the top of the dwelling she had doubtlessly built herself. As the two landed near Mi~na, Arrai got to her feet and fixed her eyes upon the beast which could have easier killed her as she had not been quick enough to even react to Shira’s burst of speed. In light of this, Mi~na immediately saw that the Ikiryo had protected not only herself but also Arrai and now diverted her sight. “…I just wanted to sleep in the sun and bathe in the moonlight…is that too much to ask for…?” With this said, Arrai allowed a smirk to show on her face and she readied herself while Mi~na on the other hand, showed not a new expression other than her straight face. As the demon, serpentine in nature, played about the vegetation, Arrai drew her sword and released her energy along with it. The blast of blood flying from the vegetation told her that she had struck the beast. It was immediately after that which it attempted a lunge for its intended prey—Shira; evading the fangs of the demon, Shira, with her claws, dove them into the serpent’s side and as it charged forth, she moved in the opposing direction and dealt a grave wound to the demon. Hissing and releasing a cry of pain, Mi~na took her new sight and released her two arrows which were originally meant for Shira. As the arrows were released, a whitish-blue light, her spiritual energy, encased the arrows and as they penetrated the skull of the beast, they slowly turned red and again, it howled in pain. Shira noted that the arrows were in fact burning the demon but what happened next would enthrall her. It was not long that the serpent’s head exploded and covered the immediate area in gore and blood. The three of them—covered in blood—were at a sense of ease but not Shira. After a few moments of silence she spoke. “So…” With that word the two Kaminchu looked to the Ikiryo. “…I’m being hunted by Hunters and Demons…and I can’t even take a bath now…” She looked slightly saddened. Arrai and Mi~na looked to one another and as Mi~na nodded, they both turned and prepared to leave. “…where are you two off to?” She inquired with a quizzical look upon her face. “There’s no need for you to worry of us,” As she said that, Mi~na turned to face the Ikiryo. “You’ve lived for over a hundred years in solitude and more than likely have had only demons to deal with and have even fought and killed most in this area. Am I correct?” Shira nodded and also verbally agreed. “Then there is no need for us to worry of you then. As you are the Living Spirit, you are on par with us in several ways and have even demonstrated that it is not your wish to bring us harm; your aura shows that just as well as your actions and speech.” The entire duration Mi~na had been silent, she had been assessing Shira to see if her words were that of a lie. Not only did she speak the truth but her actions have led to her not having to combat the two Kaminchu. Shira felt not much about the situation for she had not a thought of combating them in the first place. As they bid their leave, Shira was left by herself. It had been years since she had interacted with another human and they were decent individuals so… “Mind if I come?” Mi~na was enthralled by the request while Arrai thought as much would be said. “...are you…” “The death of a demon here would do nothing more than bring animals if not other demons as well. So it clearly isn’t the safest place for me and there isn’t anywhere that I can go really…” As her voice trailed Mi~na noticed how her voice had in fact trailed. “You’ve never left this area have you?” Shira shook her head. “…Never really saw a need to,” Arrai’s face fell flat as Mi~na’s evolved into a quizzical state. “I mean, there’s fruit here that I can eat and if I want to bathe I can do it in peace without worrying if someone’s watching me,” This left the thought of Shira walking from her dwelling over to the hot spring naked—she lightly shook her head to rid her mind of the thought. “Also, if it gets too cold, I can go back home and sleep there if I need to.” “Home?” Arrai inquired. “D-do you mean the village?” She nodded. Arrai looked to Mi~na while Mi~na continued to look in Shira’s direction. It was after a while that she smirked and once again, turned her back and resumed walking. “…if you want to follow, you can…just try to hide your ears and tails.” Looking to Shira, Arrai saw that they had already vanished. Not only that, Shira had immediately started walking alongside Mi~na. Not being one to complain, Arrai shrugged the event off and began backtracking on the path which they had taken to reach Shira. Before long, they had reached the village and before the three of them departed, Shira collected a few things and also paid respects to a lone grave which was a short distance away from the river which the Kaminchu pair had passed. After she bid a temporary farewell to her friend, a terrible cook but a perfect friend, Shira set off with the Kaminchu pair. This marks the beginning of a strong, yet complicated alliance.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)