Post by Satal on Jun 29, 2009 12:55:49 GMT -5
Her summer kimono was a mistake. Though it was bright and colorful, it did not help the little Japanese girl as she made her slow way through the mountain path. Her brother, the only person who really cared about her, had left to become the priest of Genbu and her parents had found her a husband. But her husband was a controlling, cruel samurai named Hayato. Just thinking of him made a shiver run down her spine.
Fixing the pack on her shoulder and the jug of sake at her hip, she began to sing as she walked. It was a song the women of her village sang while they worked in the rice fields. A breeze stirred up as if to dance to her light voice.
"Tengu sing and dance upon the wind," she breathed with a smile. Of course all the tengu had been wiped out by hunters, samurai, or onmyoji. She sighed, what a loss it had been when the last tengu breathed its final breath. Now, any mystical being rarely visited her hometown.
She had seen a tengu before, but it was when she was too young to think of things like marriage and her brother leaving. All she could remember was that it wore a mask and had come to buy sake, thus the sake jug at her hip was not for her alone. Living at the base of a mountain had to be good for more than just growing tea leaves and good rice fields.
Reaching the top of the hill she had been climbing, she found a sakura tree in bloom. Its petals twirled and danced on the wind and the fragrant scent ladened the air like a veil.
"This was worth the climb," laughed the girl in joy. She hurried to sit in the shade of the pale pink branches. Leaning against the trunk, she said a quick prayer to the mountain.
"If any tengu still lives, I hope to meet you," she sighed. With a small knife she had kept under her obi, she broke the seal on the sake jug. Opening her pack, she took out the onigiri she had made for her lunch and bit into one. As she chewed, she looked up through the branches at the sky, except the sky was no longer visible. Instead, she saw the shimmer of gold fabric with several red phoenix sewed onto it and red beaded clouds.
"Greetings!" a deep voice boomed from above her, "I see you found me." The fabric rippled and a single pale silver eye came into her sight. It was surrounded by a golden mask.
"W-what are you?" she stammered know that if she ran, she could provoke his wrath and easily be caught.
"Me? I think you would know a tengu when you see it. I did hear you ask for me," the giant being laughed softly, "I am Yuuta, the tengu prince." He waved his hand in a silent suggestion that the young girl under him should state her name. She emitted a squeak at such a large movement.
"I-I am Saiyuri, Y-Yuuta-dono," she replied in a weak voice. She dipped into a low bow, her face almost pressed against the dirt. A sigh rippled across her and a sharp, red painted nail slid under her chin raising her head.
"You don't need to bow, Saiyuri-chan," he stated with a smile. Saiyuri noticed that his teeth were all very sharp from under the beak-like nose of his mask.
He moved to sit before Saiyuri, the ground shuddering with his movement. Tied to his azure obi was an old blue ceramic tea bowl and a white fan with a sakura print that clinked together when he sat. His long gold hair, with red strands littered throughout, lay at his hip. He ran a huge hand through his dusky golden wings. This hand, Saiyuri noticed, had blue paint on the nails while the other was red. His feet were bare and the nails on them were like red painted claws. His eyelids, too, were red. He wore an anklet of charms and bells.
"Saiyuri-chan," Yuuta rumbled snapping her fixated gaze, "You are staring. Is it at the scar on my ear?" He fiddled with his right ear, the pointed top missing. She gasped, it looked so painful though it was clearly an old wound. "I try to hide it in my hair, but with a size difference, it becomes apparent. I don't hold humans to blame for it though, I have forgiven the one who cut me too! Please don't worry or be afraid."
"No. I apologize. I was staring at you. I haven't seen a tengu for some time, Yuuta-dono."
"So you have seen a tengu before!" Yuuta cried, amazement clear on his face. Saiyuri nodded as Yuuta's laughter shook the air. His silver eyes gazed kindly at her. He noticed her black hair was loose around her shoulders, no decorations in it. Her pink kimono was printed with sakura blossoms and many pattered swirls. A dark pink bag held what money she had brought, probably thinking tengu still wanted monetary offerings Yuuta noted. Her geta sandals were worn and dirty suggesting a journey. Her dark brown eyes drank in the sight on the tengu.
"Now you are staring, Yuuta-dono," Saiyuri stated with a small laugh. Yuuta bowed his head in an apology. Saiyuri removed the money pouch and opened it. A few coins and a cup were reviled.
"I hope the money is not for an offering," Yuuta grunted. Saiyuri blushed. It had been for just that. Fidgeting slightly, she poured herself some sake. Yuuta's eyes lit up from behind his mask.
"Is that... sake?" he asked swallowing some saliva that had started to well in his mouth. He loved sake for the burning taste. She held up the ties of the jug for him. He loward one of his nails, shaking slightly with fear that he would hurt her or brake the jug on accident. She tied the opened jug to his nail carefully. He lifted it to his face. She felt silly for not bringing more. The jug might give the tengu three gulps.
"Thank you!" the tengu almost sang. He raised the jug to his lips. He drank daintily, savoring each drop. Saiyuri sipped her sake. She looked to her forgotten onigiri. She called out to the tengu and held out one of the remaining rice balls, which the tengu gratefully took. He chewed it gently, so as to not scare the brave girl. It was slightly sweet, the way he liked most of his food.
"Itadakimasu!" he sighed in pleasure. Saiyuri giggled again getting his attention.
"I heard tengu were monsters when displeased," she admitted, "They ate people and destroyed buildings. They took women hostage and forced them to bare more tengu. They..."
"Wait. You met a tengu and still think this?" Yuuta grunted in displeasure, "Have you ever ate a person? No? I'm sure they taste horrible! And we are not born. We are hatched by the prayers and wishes of others, good or not." Yuuta's wings sagged.
"I am sorry," Saiyuri said sadly. Yuuta offered the girl a smile.
"That is fine," he sighed, "Can you sing for me?" Saiyuri blankly nodded, still a bit shocked that she just shared her meal with a tengu.
She opened her mouth and took up the worker's song again, though this time the tengu joined with his deep baritone. Soon, she was lulled into a deep sleep, nodding off and sliding into the tengu's massive hand.
"I looked into your heart," he sighed sanding and brushing off the dirt that clung to his kimono, "It has been torn apart. What has happened to cause you to look for me? Do not worry. rest for now. I will be here when you wake."
He walked toward the cave that he called home deep within the mountain and Saiyuri slept.
Fixing the pack on her shoulder and the jug of sake at her hip, she began to sing as she walked. It was a song the women of her village sang while they worked in the rice fields. A breeze stirred up as if to dance to her light voice.
"Tengu sing and dance upon the wind," she breathed with a smile. Of course all the tengu had been wiped out by hunters, samurai, or onmyoji. She sighed, what a loss it had been when the last tengu breathed its final breath. Now, any mystical being rarely visited her hometown.
She had seen a tengu before, but it was when she was too young to think of things like marriage and her brother leaving. All she could remember was that it wore a mask and had come to buy sake, thus the sake jug at her hip was not for her alone. Living at the base of a mountain had to be good for more than just growing tea leaves and good rice fields.
Reaching the top of the hill she had been climbing, she found a sakura tree in bloom. Its petals twirled and danced on the wind and the fragrant scent ladened the air like a veil.
"This was worth the climb," laughed the girl in joy. She hurried to sit in the shade of the pale pink branches. Leaning against the trunk, she said a quick prayer to the mountain.
"If any tengu still lives, I hope to meet you," she sighed. With a small knife she had kept under her obi, she broke the seal on the sake jug. Opening her pack, she took out the onigiri she had made for her lunch and bit into one. As she chewed, she looked up through the branches at the sky, except the sky was no longer visible. Instead, she saw the shimmer of gold fabric with several red phoenix sewed onto it and red beaded clouds.
"Greetings!" a deep voice boomed from above her, "I see you found me." The fabric rippled and a single pale silver eye came into her sight. It was surrounded by a golden mask.
"W-what are you?" she stammered know that if she ran, she could provoke his wrath and easily be caught.
"Me? I think you would know a tengu when you see it. I did hear you ask for me," the giant being laughed softly, "I am Yuuta, the tengu prince." He waved his hand in a silent suggestion that the young girl under him should state her name. She emitted a squeak at such a large movement.
"I-I am Saiyuri, Y-Yuuta-dono," she replied in a weak voice. She dipped into a low bow, her face almost pressed against the dirt. A sigh rippled across her and a sharp, red painted nail slid under her chin raising her head.
"You don't need to bow, Saiyuri-chan," he stated with a smile. Saiyuri noticed that his teeth were all very sharp from under the beak-like nose of his mask.
He moved to sit before Saiyuri, the ground shuddering with his movement. Tied to his azure obi was an old blue ceramic tea bowl and a white fan with a sakura print that clinked together when he sat. His long gold hair, with red strands littered throughout, lay at his hip. He ran a huge hand through his dusky golden wings. This hand, Saiyuri noticed, had blue paint on the nails while the other was red. His feet were bare and the nails on them were like red painted claws. His eyelids, too, were red. He wore an anklet of charms and bells.
"Saiyuri-chan," Yuuta rumbled snapping her fixated gaze, "You are staring. Is it at the scar on my ear?" He fiddled with his right ear, the pointed top missing. She gasped, it looked so painful though it was clearly an old wound. "I try to hide it in my hair, but with a size difference, it becomes apparent. I don't hold humans to blame for it though, I have forgiven the one who cut me too! Please don't worry or be afraid."
"No. I apologize. I was staring at you. I haven't seen a tengu for some time, Yuuta-dono."
"So you have seen a tengu before!" Yuuta cried, amazement clear on his face. Saiyuri nodded as Yuuta's laughter shook the air. His silver eyes gazed kindly at her. He noticed her black hair was loose around her shoulders, no decorations in it. Her pink kimono was printed with sakura blossoms and many pattered swirls. A dark pink bag held what money she had brought, probably thinking tengu still wanted monetary offerings Yuuta noted. Her geta sandals were worn and dirty suggesting a journey. Her dark brown eyes drank in the sight on the tengu.
"Now you are staring, Yuuta-dono," Saiyuri stated with a small laugh. Yuuta bowed his head in an apology. Saiyuri removed the money pouch and opened it. A few coins and a cup were reviled.
"I hope the money is not for an offering," Yuuta grunted. Saiyuri blushed. It had been for just that. Fidgeting slightly, she poured herself some sake. Yuuta's eyes lit up from behind his mask.
"Is that... sake?" he asked swallowing some saliva that had started to well in his mouth. He loved sake for the burning taste. She held up the ties of the jug for him. He loward one of his nails, shaking slightly with fear that he would hurt her or brake the jug on accident. She tied the opened jug to his nail carefully. He lifted it to his face. She felt silly for not bringing more. The jug might give the tengu three gulps.
"Thank you!" the tengu almost sang. He raised the jug to his lips. He drank daintily, savoring each drop. Saiyuri sipped her sake. She looked to her forgotten onigiri. She called out to the tengu and held out one of the remaining rice balls, which the tengu gratefully took. He chewed it gently, so as to not scare the brave girl. It was slightly sweet, the way he liked most of his food.
"Itadakimasu!" he sighed in pleasure. Saiyuri giggled again getting his attention.
"I heard tengu were monsters when displeased," she admitted, "They ate people and destroyed buildings. They took women hostage and forced them to bare more tengu. They..."
"Wait. You met a tengu and still think this?" Yuuta grunted in displeasure, "Have you ever ate a person? No? I'm sure they taste horrible! And we are not born. We are hatched by the prayers and wishes of others, good or not." Yuuta's wings sagged.
"I am sorry," Saiyuri said sadly. Yuuta offered the girl a smile.
"That is fine," he sighed, "Can you sing for me?" Saiyuri blankly nodded, still a bit shocked that she just shared her meal with a tengu.
She opened her mouth and took up the worker's song again, though this time the tengu joined with his deep baritone. Soon, she was lulled into a deep sleep, nodding off and sliding into the tengu's massive hand.
"I looked into your heart," he sighed sanding and brushing off the dirt that clung to his kimono, "It has been torn apart. What has happened to cause you to look for me? Do not worry. rest for now. I will be here when you wake."
He walked toward the cave that he called home deep within the mountain and Saiyuri slept.
!!!!
