Chriirp
"Huh?"
Kyuu peeled open her eyes from her spot on her shikibuton, lying down in a somewhat random position atop her blankets. Her drowsy eyes became wide-open as she saw the creature sitting on top of her chest, its long tongue flickering onto her nose.
She sat up, rubbing her eyes as the pangolin-like creature, a Senzados climbed down her chest and onto her desk. About the size of a large house cat, the senzados appeared to be a more stretched pangolin, usually with dull colours with the occasional albino and more vivid scaled variants.
The sandy-coloured animal chirped once more, dashing into her closet, where Kyuu winced as she heard multiple things falling down. She had mistakenly left her closet door open, and definitely looked forward to seeing what Daichi had done.
She slid a shoji door to reveal the scrambled innards of her closet and sighed as she began picking everything back up and agonisingly re-folding all her hakama, using the triangle-shaped hangers to hang her basic collection of haori.
Kyuu then took off her shirt, reaching for her uniform which she began to put on. The 'uniform' was really just the training outfit provided by the Hunter's Corp for training. She had put two arms through the arm holes when-
Her door practically flew off its hinges as two men(boys at heart) burst through it, excited as if it weren't seven in the morning. They're excitement stopped as they saw Kyuu looming over them, bearing nothing but shorts and a grey muscle shirt, and very much angry.
She smacked them both on the side of the head and kicked them outside her door, steaming. The two huddled there as Kyuu scolded them, a huge lump on their heads, "Just because you're my best friends, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN BARGE INTO MY ROOM WHEN YOU WANT!"
Slamming the door behind her, Kyuu hastily changed into the training uniform. The outfit consisted of a black undershirt, per Kyuu's usual, black hakama, and some dark colour shirt with a dark coloured haori on top. Today it was a dark blue shirt under a dark grey haori, with blue as the main colour
She combed and put her long wavy scarlet-to-fire-orange hair (The trio still couldn't find a colour to describe Kyuu's hair) into a high ponytail. Her hair was rough and preferred to run wild, but it was straight enough and Kyuu kept it in order. Her bangs cradled her face and there was one noticeable part right in front of her nose, bangs parted and framing her features.
Kyuu glared into her mini-vanity mirror as she heard a knock at her door. She wasn't one for looks, but she shook her head and her bangs for a moment before answering the door, not bothering to open it for them, "Yes, you can come in now."
Kai and Hitashi poked their heads in, their eyes looking at Kyuu, who glared over at them, and then at Daichi, who stuck his tongue out at them. The two boys entered, trying to stay as far away from Kyuu as possible, glaring at her suspiciously as they stuck to the wall.
"Can you guys just relax?"
Kai and Hitashi breathed a sigh of relief, patting each other on the back and straightening up, smiling. Hitashi cleared his throat, "Anyways, good morning Kyuu! Watcha doing?"
Kyuu shrugged, dusting off her room, and kicking her futon closer to the corner, "Nothing much. I just plan to check the board for any missions, or just train today. How about you?"
Hitashi shrugged his broad shoulders, "I was going to do what you were doing. Did you know, the yearly couples dance competition is coming up in November…"
He raised his eyebrows repeatedly at her, Kai wheezing with laughter in the corner with Daichi. It didn't last long. Hitashi should have expected that.
Hitashi sputtered, his back on the ground as Kyuu kicked him in the gut, grabbing his shirt collar. This seemed like an exemplary feat, considering Hitashi was a strongly built, well muscled, 195 cm guy with broad shoulders and the physical attack of a bear, while Kyuu was only 190 cm considerably leaner, and looked like, well, just not nearly as strong as Hitashi.
"Hitashi. You do this. Every. Single. Year. Any more disrespect and I'll give you a little more than just a suckerpunch." She retreated, leaving Kai, the third of the trio, a 152 cm (unfortunately) wiry, thin boy with scruffy brown hair that stuck out every way possible, trying to recuperate his friend. Kyuu sighed, still smiling very much smugly, "What would you two do without me..?"
Hitashi got up, accidentally knocking Kai away, dusting himself off as he stood. He wore a similar outfit as Kyuu and Kai, though edited to be large enough for his body shape. He stretched, far more excited than Kyuu. His already untidy dark hair somehow got even more messed up, threatening to be even more spiky than Kai's.
"Come, let's go get some breakfast and go check the board or something!"
Kyuu grabbed a sturdy forest burcas leather satchel, a burcas being a piglike creature with tough skin and much protein, and checked to make sure her lapis pendant was in its place as always. Sticking her tongue out at the two boys, she opened the door, the room lightening.
She ran down the stairs, taking every shortcut as she hopped corners, grinning as she heard Kai and Hitashi scramble down after her, crashing down the stairs in their chase. Leaping and landing triumphantly outside, Kyuu stood over Kai and Hitashi as they came tumbling down, landing on their faces beside her feet.
She knelt down, laughing and poking the two in the cheek, "You guys are such doofuses!"
"Doofusi."
"It's doofuses."
Kyuu petted both of them on the head and stood up, "Hurry up you two. No matter how much earlier than me you are …"
Kai and Hitashi picked themselves up begrudgingly, "We're always late." they said in unison, something they had been forced to say ever since they lost a bet with Kyuu(a lot of bets.)
Kyuu merrily walked her way towards another building farther from the centre of the commune-town-training place that Hunter's Corps members lived in, though this was not the only one. The Hunter's Corp had a university-like land that had everything the members of the corp needed. Including, and most importantly as Hitashi would say, food.
Kai and Hitashi retook their place at either side of her. "What's for breakfast today?" Kyuu inquired amiably, knowing they often checked the night before. "Better not be miso soup again. I'm so sick of it."
Hitashi shrugged, "Bad news for you, Princess-"
"Don't call me that."
"Princess, it's miso soup, with soft boiled eggs and shrimp." Hitashi continued, accenting the last letter dramatically, and laughing as Kyuu deflated, slumping over and slowing her pace down a bit.
"The Corp's breakfast items are rather repetitive," Kai laughed. "I guess they're trying to cut corners on their budget."
Kyuu rolled her eyes. "So much for 'serving the people'. I mean, sure, we can't charge them for protection, but the donations aren't really adding up."
"I guess if they really get desperate, they could ask the Yakesu's to fund them," Hitashi snorted. "They're doing fine though. The Corp has good trainers and fighters, but they should put some thought into the chefs. Kyuu could cook a better meal with the time they train their chefs. These chefs are like 50 year old."
Kai and Hitashi burst out laughing as Kyuu flushed and fumed over their words. "My cooking's not that bad!"
Kai wiped tears from his eyes, "Even Daichii refuses to eat what you make him."
Hitashi wheezed once more, struggling to stand, "You messed up a salad. A salad."
"Well, how should I have known that there is such a thing as too much vinegar?" Kyuu retorted, her face red with embarrassment at her lack of knowledge when it came to cooking.
She stormed off, leaving Kai and Hitashi dying on the path after she had kicked them both(again) , entering the large building jokingly dubbed, 'The Dueling Room', a gag used to scare new members out of their wits.
"Yo! Kyuu! Over here!"
Kyuu turned to a familiar face, Fukai, someone Kyuu had met through the corps. He had short fluffy hair and big round eyes, making him seem adorable and very femme in a way. His puffy cloud-like blonde hair was in thick curls, but also in points and places, made anyone think he was some cute guy with a nice personality. Too bad he was an absolute menace to other people sometimes; you piss him off and you're socially dead.
She sat down next to him, greeting the rest of his friends that gathered at the long table. Fukai held up two trays with, as Hitashi predicted, miso soup, soft-boiled eggs, and fried shrimp.
"Owww …"
A few heads at the table turned as Kai and Hitashi trudged in, another lump on their head. Fukai laughed, "What happened to them?"
"A word of advice Fukai, don't poke a barn full of Onmoraki," she said, smirking at Kai and Hitashi as she fluidly snatched a tray from Fukai and sat down, "Unless you want to hear the voice of the devil."
She took a spoonful of her soup absentmindedly, ignoring the cries of both Hitashi and Kai.
"DON'T!"
Kyuu spat out the soup, choking and gasping for air, desperately cleaning her tongue, glad no one sat in front of her. She gagged, downing a glass of water she randomly grabbed. Fukai laughed at her, "Yeah, well don't tease an orobi unless you want to hear your own cries!"
"That's what your cooking tastes like!" Kai teased, earning a few hearty laughs from the other men in the room. Most members of the corps were ages 18 to 35, with anything above that usually being a senior.
"Shut up, Kai!" Kyuu yelled, visibly livid as she stood onto the bench and put a foot on the table, pointing down at Kai, "You cannot be talking right now! Don't act like your cooking is that much better!
Hitashi slid away from the commotion to the meal counter, picking up a wooden tray of the same meal everyone else had. He did however, steal an extra egg while everyone was focused on Kyuu and Kai, scarfing it down before anyone noticed.
Kyuu glared daggers at the measly 152 cm tall Fukai who laughed at her anger. He patted her back, "Hah! You're a riot, Kyuu! You should be a comedian."
Hitashi chuckled, sliding into the seat next to Kyuu and taking a sip of his non-salt-filled soup from the meal counter, "I guess you don't need the soup anymore then. You did say it was rather repetitive …"
Kyuu seethed, "I am going to kill all of you," she said, hastily eating her egg and shrimp, wiping her mouth afterwards, the salty taste of the soup still lingering in both her mouth, and the egg and shrimp, ruining the whole thing ", after I finish a Yokai board mission. Meet me when you're done."
The Yokai Board. A board that was just maybe enchanted(The small amount of magic extracted from some ore was used on the board) allowed members on the Corp, given they were at least 'Gi' in rank, a rank most of Kyuu's fellows including Kai and Hitashi were, to view special missions.
Corp Ranks
Ko←Head-of-Command
Shu←Second-In-Command
Yin←Seniors
Mao
Zhin
Shitau
Kure←Kyuu, Kai, Hitashi
Gi←Fukai
Shin
Yu
Jun
Yumi←Default Rank
Walking up to the silent message board, Kyuu touched her hand to it, the wood responding to her touch and revealing the papers attached to the wood. Kyuu scanned the scraps of paper, eyeing what she could accomplish that day.
Holding her katana at her side, the sword being the one assigned to her, and therefore being kept near the Yokai Board, as after a rather drunk night some rowdy corps members has made it so sword were not allowed inside their rooms, she landed on a piece of paper surprisingly far to the corner. She detached the note from the board, taking it closer so she could see. The thin parchment crumpled slightly in her grip.
"The Kawa Akago keep pulling pranks on the fishermen and stealing their catch. We cannot keep up with this. Please get rid of them any way you can. Bubo Village."
Kyuu dissolved the paper, watching the specially made parchment turn to golden dust like ash. A normal occurrence, it's how you marked the commission would be completed. Bubo Village…Kyuu pulled a small map from her pack and examined it. They didn't have too much land, but a map was handy in pointing out different villages. She frowned as she discovered Bubo Village to be a very small village near the larger Kusho area, northwest.
Kero, kero!
Kyuu jumped as she heard the familiar ring of a tele-tad in, yet again, her satchel. Tele-tads being smaller and more portable versions of Tele-phrogs, creature-like plants that could connect voices. This particular voice seemed to be coming from Kai.
"Kyuu-! Oi, this is Hiiitashi~!"
Kyuu smirked as she heard Hitashi and Kai fight over the device. After a series of whoops from Fukai, Kai weaselled his way from the huge Hitashi, putting his voice back for Kyuu to hear.
"Hi, I'm back! Heyhey, did you find something for us to do? Not too big right, because I want to train for the rest of today."
"Yeah, just a few kawa akago prankings down in Bubo."
Kai groaned, "Not those things! The little rats."
When they were young, Kai was tricked by a few of the oni-kappa-child-like creatures and dunked in the river. Kawa akago tricked humans into following them until they could dunk them by mimicking children's cries. They often did no harm, but people disliked the cousins of kappa that annoyed them to no end.
Kyuu laughed, "I suppose we just find all the other ones, put them in a sack, and call in to place a seal for the waters if they come back."
By placing strong ore in a specific place, they could ward away yokai. Not many places had them, because strong yokai attacking areas like that was rare. Kyuu turned her head and put the tele-tad back in her pack, greeting the boys who raced to catch up with her.
She turned around as the two blew by, collapsing behind her and causing her hair to ruffle, "Kai won."
Hitashi rolled over on his back, Kai standing triumphantly over him while Kyuu held back in another laugh.
"Kai is half my size, yes he's going to be faster than me!" Hitashi complained.
"Come on you doofuses, let's get to Bubo."
****
Wind blew Kyuu's long hair back as she pressed closer to her steed. Hosoi, a thin horse-like rideable steed bred from fanged hosoi. Faster, leaner but less durable than the fanged hosoi, everyone of Shin rank had to learn to ride one, you couldn't go to Gi without learning. That was the reason Kai and Kyuu got three months of extra learning while they waited for Hitashi to learn to ride the poor creature that had to carry his massive build.
She pressed closer the thin frame of her own Hosoi, Uma. She nodded at Kai who had begun catching up beside her, on his own Hosoi. Because Kai weighed almost nothing, his Hosoi had no problem running as fast as it could.
The trees thinned as the sun found space to shine, Kyuu straightening up as they reached the small village of Bubo. The three pulled their reins, slowing the speed of the Hosoi to a trot.
"You are the warriors from the Hunter's Corp, yes?"
A young woman with a pale face and tiny poppy-red lips, large, concerned doe eyes a cute maple-brown, emerged from the village, waving.
Kyuu patted Uma's flank and nodded, motioning to Kai and Hitashi with her head, "Yeah that's us. Its the Kawa problem, right?"
The woman bowed, the red miko and white kosodo, along with some white socks and wooden geta, showing her status as a priestess. She had also worn her long black hair in a hime cut, with a bun behind it being held with a long gold needle-like hair accessory. "Thank you for your services."
Hitashi suddenly appeared right in front of her, almost tripping Kyuu as he lay his entire body weight on his arm, deciding to lean on Kyuu's shoulder, "Even if it takes a war for us to meet, it will have been worth it."
The woman blushed, using her kosode sleeve in an effort to hide her smile. Hitashi smirked at her in a flirtatious manner that pissed Kyuu off a little. She turned her head up to him, pasting on a smile.
"That's nice, Hitashi."
A moment later Hitashi was rolling on the ground in pain after Kyuu kicked him in the groyne. As Kai gave him CPR (That was best he could do she guessed) Kyuu turned back to the woman and bowed deeply, "My apologies, miss."
The young woman, rather stunned at Kyuu's violent act, stared in shock for a moment, wilting a bit as she leaned to look past Kyuu, Kai holding Hitashi in his arms and begging him not to die.
Kyuu blocked her view by waving her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about them. What's your name?"
"Tekina Yoen," she said with another small - this time shaky - bow, "And yours?"
"Just call me Kyuu. The doofus from earlier is Hitashi and the scrawny one is Kai."
Yoen smiled, "Very nice. May I inquire how old you are? I'm 25."
Kyuu was a bit surprised. Not at the question, but at Yoen's age. She didn't look a day over 20. She guess she was maybe 22, but Yoen just had that doe-eyed face she guessed.
"26. So, uh, let's get to the bottom of this yokai problem. It shouldn't take too long, so we'll be long gone by dark. Hold on, I'll just tie my hosoi to a post. Gimme a sec."
Yoen nodded, glancing over at Kai and Hitashi as Kyuu fastened her brown hosoi to a tree with a rope. She pet her snout, earning herself a begrudging whinny as she checked the rope once more and returned to Yoen.
Yoen nodded and began to guide Kyuu. The village was small and consisted mostly of wooden houses with straw roofs, a few stone wells and half-done walls. It seemed mostly deserted, say for a few elderly couples with children who ran behind the houses, peeking out the windows.
Kyuu looked around, absentmindedly waving to the few passersby.
"There's not many people here, huh?"
Yoen shook her head sadly, "There used to be much more people here. However, when all the men began leaving, and many other calamities, most left for more populated places. I'm training to be a priestess under the head priest. The few fish we have keep getting stolen by the kawa."
"Oh, I'm sorry. That's uh… rather unfortunate, they'll stop bothering this place after I'm done with it."
The two stopped as they reached their destination. Farther away from the main village, a long wooden dock that lead to a river, surrounded by thick reeds and cattails. The two turned their heads as Kai and Hitashi ran back up to them, out of breath and sweaty.
"Ok…we're…back…"
Kyuu rolled her eyes at them, "Oh please, get yourselves together."
Yoen looked back at the murky waters silently, taking her golden fan out, and fanning herself. She watched as the trio bickered amongst themselves. She narrowed her eyes on Kyuu. As a priestess, she had been trained to sense magic in anything, be it sigils, seals, or creatures. In addition, she had been born with a special gene usually kept within priestess and priest families that gave her an aptitude for aura.
Her eyes flashed as she tried to concentrate on the aura around the red-head. What was she hiding? Whatever it was, something was concealing the better part of it.
Waaa!
All of the heads turned and everyone went silent as the sound of a child's cries sliced through the river. Yoen almost jumped, quickly folding back the fan.
Kyuu suddenly crouched at the edge of the dock, right next to Yoen. She concentrated, her brows furrowing as her fingertips brushed the dirty wood. Kai raised an eyebrow at her pursed lips and silence.
"Don't we just need to find the-"
Kyuu's eyes suddenly widened, and she shoved Yoen and Kai out of the way, violently unsheathing her sword, holding it horizontally in the air with both hands, gripping the blade.
Time seemed to slow as Yoen watched what leaped out of the water. Not a little child-like kappa-oni creature. Kai and Hitashi barely got their hand on their blades as water droplets hung in the air.
Kawa weren't the only thing here. "WATCH OUT!"
The tiger-headed fish hovered in the air above them, water following its arc in the sky. Shachihoko, tiger-headed demons with the bodies of huge fish. The jaw of the tiger mixed with the green-blue skin and scales, and almost claws of the fish. It glinted like a stone sculpture made of sapphire and emerald in the sun, jaws of iron ready to strike.
Kyuu was fast. Her reflexes were unparalleled.
The demon was faster.