Jurou Kawaguchi's Story

The awaited and much anticipated trip to the village of Gokayama had finally came! Many students had anticipated the trip, most of which only cared for the free day off school. While others felt it would be a great historic trip. When the students arrived, the air was rich and the weather perfect; perfect for a trip in the woods that is. Ren had organized a little bit of an event of her own while they were here. She had heard of a legend where if you found a shrine within the forest of this village, you would find yourself engulfed into the Yōkai world.
Night had arrived, and the students were taking refuge in an inn within the village.


Hyped and ready Ren stood near the entrance of the forest, awaiting for her fellow students to arrive themselves. Although energetic as always, Ren couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She had invited quite a mix of people, personality wise. It wouldn't be a surprised if not all of them got along, but hopefully some sort of bonds would be made. It wasn't to clear to even herself why she even wanted to do this, she could just search for the shrine alone, it's not as if she is scared of getting dirty or some serial killer being out there; after all it was a peaceful village. After seeing some of her fellow students and hearing the rumors that were spoken of them, she honestly felt like reaching a hand out and maybe making some fond memory in their lives. Atleast that's what Ren was hoping for, just a fond memory she could look back on and laugh about.

Even with the slight hope of such bonds or memories being made, Ren didn't quite have her hopes up on everything going well. People always had some sort of problem with another and don't look past it quite often. It's the sad truth, but even if plastic friendships here are made, at least hopefully they would have a good time.

Ren lifted her head and looked at the night sky, it was gorgeous, nothing you would ever see out in the city. " Honestly, I wouldn't mind living in a place like this..." she muttered to herself. I bet the people here really have to work hard for their living, no desk jobs, only labor could suffice.she thought.
"Aaah! I would much rather live in a castle though! Maids and butlers, then a prince would come my way and lift me off my feet and take me away!" speaking her mind allowed again, if you saw her she would be blushing and swinging her arms back in forth as she day dreamed of such a fantasy. Ren didn't have luxury back at home, she can at least dream of it for the time being.
After calming down, she looked around for anyone whom may have been close. I twas hard to see in this darkness, all she had to light her way was a flashlight. A rather dinky flash light, hardly worked right, but it's all she had. She waved the light around, tyring to look for anyone whom seemed familiar. She couldn't quite make out anything, so she simply put the flash light down and put her hands in her pockets.
Ren was wearing her normal attire, a white plain t-shirt and some regular shorts. Nothing that would stand out, but enough to bare through the slight chill in the air. At this point there wasn't much for Ren to do but wait. She simply leaned against a tree and looked to the stars as she thought of her current situation with the others and what this little event could bring.

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Chatter and laughter was filling the rooms all around the inn, it was quite and active night. Many guests spending their time in the gambling hall, to dining, and even some ruckus going on in the bedrooms. The inn was indeed very active tonight. Recently the inn's popularity has been rising, news of wonderful events and the service being outstanding. All of this popularity has made the staff work harder than they should, it was time for some new employees to be hired.

On the very top floor of the inn, through an elevator,a flight of stairs, through a couple doors sat the head of the Inn, The Mistress. She was the head of every thing that was a part of the inn, from the building to the staff. Every breathing employee was hers, they did work for her after all. The lack of staff with the increasing popularity was no mystery to her, she knew of it and had planned to take care of it.
She sat at her desk, her room full of books, jewelry, and important papers that she so diligently kept track of. Her stunning appearance never faded even when taking care of the work she had to pull all nighters for. She was a diligent woman and it took more then lack of sleep to effect her appearance and capabilities.


She smiled the well known sly smile of hers, she looked to Raka with stern eyes.



She stood and turned herself to stare out of the window of her office. She focused her herself on what was the other side of this realm on a very specific place. She unsealed the magic placed on a shrine deep in a forest, she herself would not know what sort of people would investigate it, nor did she know how long it would be for anyone to step foot into it. It was visible to the human eye now, whom ever dared set their feet into it would find themselves embarked on a new little adventure.

Jurou was most pleased that he was yet to be ordered to carry out any tasks or do any work tonight. He found this time right to simply laze about for a while until he was ordered to do anything by the usual, Raka. Yes no employee could ever forget him, the Mistress's loyal pet, that's how he saw him. But at the same time Jurou respected him and didn't usually argue too much with him when he was assigned a certain task.

The Dhampir had seated himself atop one of the many roofs of the Inn, usually the roof he sat on was the one easiest to access and get down from, in case he ever needed to get away from someone quickly this place was perfect for escaping and for seeing who was entering and leaving. From here he could see far beyond the property of the Inn and it was truly an amazing sight to see. "Pretty chilly tonight." He said out loud to himself as a strong breeze pushed against him and gracefully flowed through his hair, but the so graceful wind most certainly did not give that effect on Jurou, no instead it just messed up his hair "how annoying." He groaned as he fixed up his dark chocolate brown hair, he liked to look presentable to the guests of the Inn but didn't like continuously fixing himself up or checking what he looked like, that was just tedious.
The male wore simple yet, professional type of clothing and when working it was the only time he wore such clothing. He almost looked like a butler of sorts or a waiter and well it was easier to stay in this kind of clothing on nights like these in case he got asked to work all of a sudden, getting ready in a hurry and having picky people study what you wear or pick out any little detail that was out of place was a serious pain in the ass. And so, he remained in the clothing even when taking a break atop the roof, hopefully sitting in such a place wouldn't get it dirty, that would make things difficult and he could see himself getting scolded for it (not that he cared if he was scolded or not).

Jurou's golden yellow eyes studied each and every customer/guest that entered the building, noticing those who seemed rather suss or fun "hm, things might get interesting with them" and those who seemed more boring and dull "avoid". Yes every person he saw was being judged just by their appearance and because of his curiosity he liked to confront those he thought seemed fun or suss and test if he's accusations were correct. If so, then his amusement was fulfilled and he would be happy for the rest of the night. Of course he wouldn't do this with the 'valuable' guests who, you could say, kept business flowing smoothly and were quite regulars. Of course he was supposed to see every guest as valuable but most of them were boring and far from any importance to him. Even the valuable guests got boring and it certainly took talent for him to keep up such a fake smile and flattery for them.
Tonight however, Jurou has a good feeling that things would be far from boring "something interesting is making its way to the Inn tonight!" He cooed happily, hoping that this hunch was correct.

It isn't often that stillness is what dominates Raka, the Raijūu of the Kurokawa Inn. Then again, it isn't very often that Raka gets any sleep either. That being said, Raka's usual habits aren't exactly the most animated either, but only in sleep does Raka appear so completely placid. His eyes are shut, but only just, and his limbs seem to weigh heavy on his frame. His eyelids darken to a deep shade of purple, and his skin blanches until it appears as white and dry as paper, and he breathes so slowly and rarely that his body barely moves at all. If one didn't know any better, they'd swear he was dead. However, just as swiftly as it took hold of him, sleep left Raka. Though the blonde had only just managed to lie down in an attempt to get even just a wink of sleep, the end of day and the onset of dusk was all it took to rouse him from his fitful slumber. Raka's eyes snapped open, and his body stiffened. Groaning with frustration, Raka sat upright and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He hadn't been expecting to get any sleep, and instead of being restful, whatever sleep Raka did manage to get seemed to be entirely unhelpful. Raka felt, if anything, more tired than when he'd laid down those few short hours ago.

"Well," Raka mused, stretching his sore muscles. The joints in his back and neck popped once, twice, three times and Raka sighed with relief. "Time to start the day."

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Having awoken with the rising of the moon, Raka had a rare moment of real, usable time, not just a brief couple of minutes between chores. Remembering it had been a week since he'd last stepped out on his own to relax, Raka managed a smile. Excusing himself, Raka stepped out into the fresh morning air, breathing in deeply the scent of dew-covered grass and the remnants of the day's heat. In the distance, a furious ball of red sat, sinking into the western horizon. Angrily it reached ever higher, trying to claw it's way back upward with a weakening, yet sharp light, that pierced the bellies of the clouds above, their blood staining the darkening sky. "Red skies at night..." Raka pondered aloud. Usually this meant one thing: good weather. The old adage wasn't always right, but Raka had a wonderful feeling that better things than clear skies loomed on the horizon.

With a scoff, that quickly turned into a quiet fit of chuckling, Raka discarded those worries and shook his head. After all, it wasn't like this hunch of his would actually lead to anything. His hunches were, astoundingly, usually indicative of the opposite sort occurrence taking place. Raka threw his head back and laughed at the night sky. "Looks like I'm taking things too seriously today too..." Sighing, Raka shrugged and allowed himself to take his bestial form. As if he were a dog, shaking the water from its coat, Raka's appearance shifted from his more human appearance into his full Raijūu form. Growling with pleasure, Raka simply took off running, and as he poured himself into the moonlit sky, his feet took purchase on the chill air, and Raka took flight. To watch the running of a Raijūu is a spectacular thing. Their gait is effortless, and their energy appears boundless. Raka stampeded across the night sky without so much as a whisper of sound to alert anyone to his presence. Finally, having made his way to his intended destination, Raka descended onto the mountaintop, whose base was immediately next to the Inn he lived and worked at. Sitting on the top of the mountain, Raka reclaimed his human form, simply shaking off his Raijūu body and assumed his position in prayer. Clapping his hands together, Raka wished not for prosperity or peace, nor power or fame. Instead, as Raka prayed, all he wished to convey to the great lord of the sky was contentment. Raka was happy here, despite the Mistress's interventions and the irritations of running an Inn. Raka enjoyed his work, he enjoyed his life, and he enjoyed making the people around him happy. It was a good life.

Having finished his prayers, Raka once more assumed his Raijūu form, and descended from the mountain, making his way to the Mistress's office. When he finally touched down on the balcony outside her door, Raka retook his human form, and awaited the attentions of his Mistress, who let him into her office in short order. Bowing his head politely, Raka knocked three times upon the door frame before entering; a sign of respect. Raka stepped swiftly inside, and knelt before his Mistress's desk, awaiting his orders. After collecting herself, Raka's Mistress spoke.


As she finished her train of thought, she smiled that well-known exceedingly sly smile of hers, one that could only hold devious intent. She looked to Raka with stern eyes speaking up once more, but softly, and with an air of command that none could refute.


Raka merely nodded. "Yes ma'am." He said simply. At that, Raka stood and turned simultaneously, and swiftly left his Mistress's room, following his nose to Penelope, whose orders would be, most prudently, given first. After giving her the orders from the mistress, she would, most probably, complete them by the time Raka had tracked down Jurou and given him his orders. Afterwards, Raka would only have to return the list of needed supplies to the Mistress and then he could make his way to the old shrine. That was, after all, the only place the Mistress could have been referring to when she mentioned needing new recruits. Sighing, Raka tilted his head upwards and sniffed hard. Getting a bead on that damnably elusive shadow via smell was infuriating at best. As Raka was so often reminded, Shadows don't really have a physical form, and, as such, don't have a smell, even worse, they don't make sound unless they want to. However, after a while, Raka picked up a scent that could only belong to her. The smell of rosin for a violin. Following the smell, Raka stepped up to the doorway and knocked three times on the frame, before taking a step back and waiting for her to allow him to come in. Hearing her address him, Raka smiled and bowed his head lightly before letting himself in. "Evening," he said politely. "The mistress has informed me of your duties tonight. Nothing too difficult it seems. As usual, you are to entertain the guests tonight with your music. However, before they begin arriving you are also to create a list of supplies that the chefs need, as well as any other supplies the Inn might be running low on. Once your list is complete, you may give it to me and I will, in turn, hand it to the Mistress." Raka concluded concisely, speaking clearly and to the point. "That's all for now." Raka said, smiling lightly before excusing himself from her room.

Having given Penelope her orders, Raka shook his head before easily catching a whiff of the resident Dhampir's scent. The pheromones they usually applied during seduction were an easy way to track them down. Chuckling softly to himself, Raka stepped outside the Inn and took his Raijūu form. Once more, Raka soared into the night sky, following his nose to Jurou, who was resting atop one of the Inn's roofs. Landing gently behind the Dhampir, Raka reclaimed his humanoid form and addressed his colleague. "Evening Jurou. I've got your orders from the Mistress for tonight. You're to entertain the women guests tonight, in particular. However, you're not to ignore the less attractive female customers. Look at it this way, if you do a good job, those ladies will tell their friends and even more attractive women will start making their way to the Inn. Before the guests arrive, however, you're to assist the others in cleaning the main lobby as well as resetting and cleaning the dining room tables. That's all for now." At that Raka left, leaving no room for questioning in his orders. Besides, there were much more pressing jobs to finish.

As expected, by the time Raka had finished with Jurou, Penelope had finished with her list, which he promptly brought to the Mistress's office. Leaving it in an envelope inside the box on her door, Raka took on his Raijūu form, and left the Inn, heading out to the old forest, towards the old shrine where he knew, undoubtedly, that new, "recruits," would show up. Raka flew swiftly, invisible against the night sky. His coming and going would be as nothing but a dire wind across the fells. Reaching the shrine in short order, Raka sat atop the steps of the shrine, waiting. Upon hearing the footsteps of his, "recruits," Raka would take the shape of a will o' wisp, and draw them across the bridge into the Inn where he would bring them before the Mistress.