Time: A Week Ago
Cough.
“Xun- anyone want a beautiful Xun?” Kumorimaru was a strange sight indeed, his kimono a vibrant color compared to the dark blues and greys that moved around him. The wooden box on his back clinked, its wares inside bumped lightly against one another as Kumorimaru walked, the paper umbrella blocking the sun standing out like a pink spot amongst the dark masses. A cat sat on top of the box, swaying around with a pink glow resting on its white fur, cast on it by the umbrella. It swayed with each step, listening to the clinks of clay hitting on another, listening to the shouts of the market that raged around them. To the children screaming into the air, and to the selling of wares that Kumorimaru’s weak voice joined in. The cat closed its eyes, the light blue irises vanishing from sight, the look on its face serene, human-like; a serene, happy look that no one else carried on their face. But it suddenly opened its eyes, pupils dilated and fur on edge, a purr rippling through its throat, through the crowd and back again, resounding loudly in Kumorimaru’s left ear. A loud thudding-thud-thud of a tail thumping on hollow wood, but the clink-a-clink gone from the crowd.
“Kill him for me! Kill him for me, oh yokai of Jigoku! Drag my son’s killer to the lowest level of the Underworld and place him under the punishing hands of Enma Dai-O!” A woman’s frenzied yell cut through the crowd, as if splitting it in half, the people moving in circles, in frenzies, colors bursting forth and colors splitting into the air. The box was gone- so was the cat. Where is the cat? The cat is gone- not in this world, this was a different world, a world of darkness. Kumorimaru stepped out of his kimono, out of his skin, watching them disintegrate into the darkness, swirling in fast circles, away from sight, away into the darkness. A clench of the fist and the flash of the eyes- tattoos swirled alive on Kumorimaru’s arms, bright gold on brown skin, mingling with the gold kimono, as if of one singular substance. A sword- Is this a sword?- attached to his hip and another step forward; A room consolidated in front of Kumorimaru, a weeping woman begging and kneeling, hands on the floor. “Savior! Oh- oh, savior!” The crying woman burst out, foam forming on the corners of her mouth, spittle tip-tapping and meeting their end. “Bring justice to my boy! My poor dead boy, he was but five!” Sightless eyes, his thoughts formed, watching the mother wail, her trembling hands holding up her 500 yen. Sightless eyes for a sightless fool.
Down the coin went, down his pocket, down the gold satin pocket that adorned his gold satin kimono. “It is done- but thou must giveth in return what thy holds closest to thine wretched heart.” Swirls adorned the room again, bright swirls of dim red and grey, and then- nothing. Nothing adorned the sky and nothing sounded in the distance; nothing surrounded Kumorimaru and nothing happened to his mind.
Until his next victim appeared. A quick ghost- a quick step. No more did Edo surround the two, but the swirling colors of mirth and filth- vanity and anger, lust and gluttony. “For thine sins that thou hath commit within thine life,” the walls shimmered, transferring word after word to the ears of the shuddering man, words bouncing between the two figures that stood in the no man’s land. “Thou shalt repent for all eternity.” A step- a thud. The sword handle drawn, a red mist burst forth, surrounding the man in but a form of a drum. A step- a thud. The hilt of the sword hit the drum, a vibration echoing through the room as the man’s scream filled the din.
Thump thump thump thump.
The drum was no more- a ball of shadow laid in its place. “Silence, human. No scream shall set thou free. Repent in the depths of Jigoku; repent with thine nightmares cursing thee.” A wave of the hand- the man appeared, paralyzed, hovering in air, drool drip-dropping to the floor below, eyes rolled up to see his screaming brain. “I taketh thine life for eternity, oh Human. But thou shalt not be alone- others await thou with their screams, too.” A flash and a rip, the red mist went through the man’s chest. His heart stopped thumping- it stopped working, as the red mist disappeared along with the man and his silent screams. Darkness once more- swirls of mist- nothing could be seen, through the clouds of death. “W-where am I?” Came a voice from below, below his feet, near the filth of the lake. A flick of the eye and no responding sound- only for the man to start screaming, his nightmares coming back once more. Splish- splash, the oar made against the black water; the mist moved away, tendrils reaching for the man , as if trying to hold onto his soul, his damned soul, the soul he wished he never would have had- the one he wished was alive but was now nothing but dead. “DEAD!” The man’s voice echoed, choking and screaming, whistling high in the air before dying once more just like he had with the red mist, but the red mist was gone.
Thud.
A jump, off went Kumorimaru, as the sounds of a waterfall suddenly came to ear. “Thou hast arrived at thine final destination, human. Pray that my Lord treats thou well.” A flip of the boat right above the waterfall, the soul fell to the darkest pits of Hell. Screams filled the air- screaming at the new arrival, but Kumorimaru was not finished with his work. A release of the boat, a new step forward, colors swirled and the woman appeared once more, her eyes transfixed with anger- an anger that looked like paper. Time elapsed again, his tattoos swaying as Kumorimaru moved, away from the woman- towards the woman. “Thank you! Thank you! Bless you, yokai of Jigoku! No! Lord of Jigoku!” Babble passed through the room, babble passed through Kumorimaru. His hand grabbed her forehead, his eyes as bare as the air itself. “For thine wish, I must taketh more than just 500 yen.” A whimper. Moans- womanly moans of pain and fear circled around the room, fixing itself into every crook, into every cranny. “No, no, no- I thought that 500 yen was all that was in the payment!” A laugh- a cold laugh, a predator-like laugh. “Thou hath been misinformed. I must take something more- and in this case, thou did not set the rules, did not inform me of mine reward. I taketh from thee-,” Loud screams, agonized tears, flew down to the ground, flew down to Enma Dai-O’s ears. “Thine memories of thy son, and-,” a crackle resounded through the room, the mark of one cursed appearing momentarily on the woman’s head, “thy sanity and thy soul.”
Thump the lady’s body sounded, hitting the floor of despair and vomit. Darkness once more enveloped the world, till the cat opened its eyes. The red eyes surveyed the humans around them, bustling, yelling, shouting. Cough.
“Xun- anyone want a beautiful Xun?”
Time: Present
Kumorimaru lounged in his room; a cherry blossom branch draped over his arm and a chrysanthemum in his other. The cat sat in his lap, purring loudly, it’s eyes closed and it’s conscious away in a dream. As he slowly stuck the cherry blossom branch into the vase that sat in front of him, Kumorimaru assessed the stones that kept the branch from deviating the calculated stance his hand gave it. A quick flick there and a quick snip there, Kumorimaru looked at his piece with much pride. The chrysanthemum was cut to the flower and stuck in the bottom, a symbol of Kumorimaru’s handiwork- a symbol that would raise the piece’s price to one very high.
“ "Off your asses, fools! Get over here! We finally got a prayer." A very amused look passed over Kumorimaru’s face as he got up from his seat in a hall. The hall was dim- but the voices were not so. Slow shuffling down the hall, slow shuffling down the stairs, Kumorimaru carried himself to the Shrine, his hands covered with the scent of flowers- and he, the smell of wind and death. Looking up at the words scrawled on the board- Such tattered handwriting, indeed- Kumorimaru chuckled, but not with glee. “It would seem that there is an interesting task ahead, does it not, Ankoku?” He asked, his eyes flickering to the younger demon along with the circles on his kimono. They flickered back and then flickered around, as if a whole new set of eyes- watching, sensing, warning. “I myself do not have much to do. Alas, the main box has been relatively empty, has it not?” A flashing smile, and then nothing more once more. “This task does sound interesting- I shall help, if I am allowed.”
“Xun- anyone want a beautiful Xun?” Kumorimaru was a strange sight indeed, his kimono a vibrant color compared to the dark blues and greys that moved around him. The wooden box on his back clinked, its wares inside bumped lightly against one another as Kumorimaru walked, the paper umbrella blocking the sun standing out like a pink spot amongst the dark masses. A cat sat on top of the box, swaying around with a pink glow resting on its white fur, cast on it by the umbrella. It swayed with each step, listening to the clinks of clay hitting on another, listening to the shouts of the market that raged around them. To the children screaming into the air, and to the selling of wares that Kumorimaru’s weak voice joined in. The cat closed its eyes, the light blue irises vanishing from sight, the look on its face serene, human-like; a serene, happy look that no one else carried on their face. But it suddenly opened its eyes, pupils dilated and fur on edge, a purr rippling through its throat, through the crowd and back again, resounding loudly in Kumorimaru’s left ear. A loud thudding-thud-thud of a tail thumping on hollow wood, but the clink-a-clink gone from the crowd.
“Kill him for me! Kill him for me, oh yokai of Jigoku! Drag my son’s killer to the lowest level of the Underworld and place him under the punishing hands of Enma Dai-O!” A woman’s frenzied yell cut through the crowd, as if splitting it in half, the people moving in circles, in frenzies, colors bursting forth and colors splitting into the air. The box was gone- so was the cat. Where is the cat? The cat is gone- not in this world, this was a different world, a world of darkness. Kumorimaru stepped out of his kimono, out of his skin, watching them disintegrate into the darkness, swirling in fast circles, away from sight, away into the darkness. A clench of the fist and the flash of the eyes- tattoos swirled alive on Kumorimaru’s arms, bright gold on brown skin, mingling with the gold kimono, as if of one singular substance. A sword- Is this a sword?- attached to his hip and another step forward; A room consolidated in front of Kumorimaru, a weeping woman begging and kneeling, hands on the floor. “Savior! Oh- oh, savior!” The crying woman burst out, foam forming on the corners of her mouth, spittle tip-tapping and meeting their end. “Bring justice to my boy! My poor dead boy, he was but five!” Sightless eyes, his thoughts formed, watching the mother wail, her trembling hands holding up her 500 yen. Sightless eyes for a sightless fool.
Down the coin went, down his pocket, down the gold satin pocket that adorned his gold satin kimono. “It is done- but thou must giveth in return what thy holds closest to thine wretched heart.” Swirls adorned the room again, bright swirls of dim red and grey, and then- nothing. Nothing adorned the sky and nothing sounded in the distance; nothing surrounded Kumorimaru and nothing happened to his mind.
Until his next victim appeared. A quick ghost- a quick step. No more did Edo surround the two, but the swirling colors of mirth and filth- vanity and anger, lust and gluttony. “For thine sins that thou hath commit within thine life,” the walls shimmered, transferring word after word to the ears of the shuddering man, words bouncing between the two figures that stood in the no man’s land. “Thou shalt repent for all eternity.” A step- a thud. The sword handle drawn, a red mist burst forth, surrounding the man in but a form of a drum. A step- a thud. The hilt of the sword hit the drum, a vibration echoing through the room as the man’s scream filled the din.
Thump thump thump thump.
The drum was no more- a ball of shadow laid in its place. “Silence, human. No scream shall set thou free. Repent in the depths of Jigoku; repent with thine nightmares cursing thee.” A wave of the hand- the man appeared, paralyzed, hovering in air, drool drip-dropping to the floor below, eyes rolled up to see his screaming brain. “I taketh thine life for eternity, oh Human. But thou shalt not be alone- others await thou with their screams, too.” A flash and a rip, the red mist went through the man’s chest. His heart stopped thumping- it stopped working, as the red mist disappeared along with the man and his silent screams. Darkness once more- swirls of mist- nothing could be seen, through the clouds of death. “W-where am I?” Came a voice from below, below his feet, near the filth of the lake. A flick of the eye and no responding sound- only for the man to start screaming, his nightmares coming back once more. Splish- splash, the oar made against the black water; the mist moved away, tendrils reaching for the man , as if trying to hold onto his soul, his damned soul, the soul he wished he never would have had- the one he wished was alive but was now nothing but dead. “DEAD!” The man’s voice echoed, choking and screaming, whistling high in the air before dying once more just like he had with the red mist, but the red mist was gone.
Thud.
A jump, off went Kumorimaru, as the sounds of a waterfall suddenly came to ear. “Thou hast arrived at thine final destination, human. Pray that my Lord treats thou well.” A flip of the boat right above the waterfall, the soul fell to the darkest pits of Hell. Screams filled the air- screaming at the new arrival, but Kumorimaru was not finished with his work. A release of the boat, a new step forward, colors swirled and the woman appeared once more, her eyes transfixed with anger- an anger that looked like paper. Time elapsed again, his tattoos swaying as Kumorimaru moved, away from the woman- towards the woman. “Thank you! Thank you! Bless you, yokai of Jigoku! No! Lord of Jigoku!” Babble passed through the room, babble passed through Kumorimaru. His hand grabbed her forehead, his eyes as bare as the air itself. “For thine wish, I must taketh more than just 500 yen.” A whimper. Moans- womanly moans of pain and fear circled around the room, fixing itself into every crook, into every cranny. “No, no, no- I thought that 500 yen was all that was in the payment!” A laugh- a cold laugh, a predator-like laugh. “Thou hath been misinformed. I must take something more- and in this case, thou did not set the rules, did not inform me of mine reward. I taketh from thee-,” Loud screams, agonized tears, flew down to the ground, flew down to Enma Dai-O’s ears. “Thine memories of thy son, and-,” a crackle resounded through the room, the mark of one cursed appearing momentarily on the woman’s head, “thy sanity and thy soul.”
Thump the lady’s body sounded, hitting the floor of despair and vomit. Darkness once more enveloped the world, till the cat opened its eyes. The red eyes surveyed the humans around them, bustling, yelling, shouting. Cough.
“Xun- anyone want a beautiful Xun?”
Time: Present
Kumorimaru lounged in his room; a cherry blossom branch draped over his arm and a chrysanthemum in his other. The cat sat in his lap, purring loudly, it’s eyes closed and it’s conscious away in a dream. As he slowly stuck the cherry blossom branch into the vase that sat in front of him, Kumorimaru assessed the stones that kept the branch from deviating the calculated stance his hand gave it. A quick flick there and a quick snip there, Kumorimaru looked at his piece with much pride. The chrysanthemum was cut to the flower and stuck in the bottom, a symbol of Kumorimaru’s handiwork- a symbol that would raise the piece’s price to one very high.
“ "Off your asses, fools! Get over here! We finally got a prayer." A very amused look passed over Kumorimaru’s face as he got up from his seat in a hall. The hall was dim- but the voices were not so. Slow shuffling down the hall, slow shuffling down the stairs, Kumorimaru carried himself to the Shrine, his hands covered with the scent of flowers- and he, the smell of wind and death. Looking up at the words scrawled on the board- Such tattered handwriting, indeed- Kumorimaru chuckled, but not with glee. “It would seem that there is an interesting task ahead, does it not, Ankoku?” He asked, his eyes flickering to the younger demon along with the circles on his kimono. They flickered back and then flickered around, as if a whole new set of eyes- watching, sensing, warning. “I myself do not have much to do. Alas, the main box has been relatively empty, has it not?” A flashing smile, and then nothing more once more. “This task does sound interesting- I shall help, if I am allowed.”