Moral !1d4WGijdSc 2011/12/31 (Sat) 10:48 No. 299 ▼ File 132532848153.jpg - (433.19KB, 841x781 , 95abe300583d1e279e109d7510d07511.jpg)
Rano watches Rumia clink her coins into the donation box under the shade of the shrine. She meticulously counts each and every one of her coins before dropping them as offering money. After she finished dropping her money in, Rumia closes her eyes and clasps her hand tightly to start her prayer.
"How have you been?" He asks the blond girl.
Shrugging, she replies, "Nothing much. When I woke up in the morning, I felt really tired... I didn't even want to go out for the day, and I felt really sick. But I got better, so I'm here now!" She waves her arms as if to provide confirmation that she is indeed here. She quickly stops however, and starts to clutch her head. "Owww..."
"Don't push yourself too much. You should go home early Rumia." Rano says softly. Despite her initial objections, she doesn't put up much of a fight when he ushers her out of the shrine grounds and towards the human village. She's still in a daze, numbly walking down the tall stairs. The priest watches her until she's safely down all the way. Then returning back to the desolate shrine, he sits on the altar and closes his eyes. His mind returns to the deep cut on the side of Rumia's head. He dwells on it the whole time as he spends his time on the altar. Finally when he had enough, Rano takes some of the money he saved up and climbs down the shrine steps. He clicks his tongue and mutters, "Not like anybody will visit..."
He makes his way to a clothing and fabric store, not too far off from the central village. Though it was too expensive to purchase material for Rano himself, he was certain that something for Rumia would be a different case. He browsed through most of the merchandise, but only one thing struck out to him. A bright red ribbon stood, jutting out apart from rest of the items. A single, white lining laced the middle of it.
A middle-aged woman with a blue smock spots Rano staring intensely at the ribbon. She smiles knowingly and gently folds the ribbon into a small box. She adjusts her spectacles as she closes the box with a small seal.
"I don't have much money to pay for it..."To show her, Rano takes the money he stored in his pocket and lays it on the counter.
Pushing the money back, she chuckles. "No need to pay, I'm sure you'll do good with this gift. It'll make someone happy I think!."
He thanked the gods for the occasion. "I bless you, miss.."
She bows. "Thanks for your patronage.."
Rano walks out of the store, feeling embarrassed for some reason. But the woman's voice calls out to him. Holding his money, she puts it in his hand. Now he feels doubly embarrassed, forgetting the money that he didn't need to use. He waves goodbye to her in a rush.
By the time Rano gets back, it's already the eve of the new moon. A few crashing noises rattle the shrine. Upon his arrival, the rampant noises abruptly falter. The priest draws a small dagger under his blade in case of a robber. He takes a small step forward before stopping altogether. A set of red eyes pierce the darkness shrouding the shrine. Black haze emanates from the source, obscuring his vision. Rano drops his dagger. He knows it is useless against a youkai.
Making small movements, Rano inches closer to the shrine. The deep, red eyes follow his every step warily. Because of the low visibility, Rano trips on an unknown object on the floor, landing with a thud. The box with the ribbon crumples on the ground. The sounds startle the youkai, who instinctively lunges at him. Rolling forward, he narrowly misses its grip. But for a second, he swears he saw a flash of blond hair. He sprints towards the altar, grabbing the talismans and amulets hidden underneath the small pedestal. Before the youkai attempts to attack again, Rano counters by throwing a holy talisman filled with light. It lands right under its feet, illuminating the area. His eyes widen.
"Rumia!?" He calls out to the figure shining in bright light. A dark aura emanates from Rumia's figure. A pulsating black flows from her fingertips and eyes. Squinting, Rano recognizes the dark orb encircling her head. It is the small dark youkai from before, possessing her body. "Stop this..."He calmly tries to soothe her. She doesn't answer, but readies her sharp claws in blood lust. The youkai has latched onto her, and Rano knew he couldn't do anything about it. Her soft and amber eyes from before are now replaced with a cold, red glare. As the talisman loses its glow, she once more fades into the darkness. With a swift tackle, she knocks down Rano's lower body and sends his knees buckling. The youkai wastes no time, slicing through his soft flesh. His clothes offer no protection, as they tear and shred as easily as ripping paper. Rano pops another talisman on himself, exploding in a white flash.
"Gckh!" The youkai snarls, clutching at its head. The talisman disoriented it, but also temporarily blinded Rano. He is the quicker to recover, and opts to attack right after. He shoots a few amulets, exploding on the contact. It retaliates by blindly swiping its claws around itself. One random hit strikes the priest across the cheek, resulting in a deep gash that penetrates to the bone. It quickly starts bleeding profusely, abundantly trickling down his face. Rano grits his teeth, as he clutches at the wound.
The youkai wildly pounces him, seeing an opening. Pinning him down, it applies quick pressure on his arms and legs. It starts to splinter his bones, causing him to yell out in pain. He struggles to shake one of his arms free, but can't seem to do so. "Rumia..."Rano exerts out a strained voice. The youkai releases its grip for just a split second, but it allows him enough time to break free and latch a dozen amulets and talismans at point blank range. The light pulsates, engulfing the hazy darkness in a brilliant spectrum.
She opens her eyes again, this time filling with red softness. Her ill intent is gone from her gaze, instead replaced with a familiar warmness. "R-Rano..."She whispers. "I hurt you." She says this in complete shock, tears starting to flow from her red eyes.
"But it's alright now," He says to comfort her.
"It isn't though!" Rumia exclaims while sniffling. "I...hic, Mom and Dad...!" She wails, tears pouring down her cheeks in full streams. Rano can do nothing but offer his shoulder to her. She bawls on his clothes, not restraining her emotions. Her sobs make her tiny shoulders quiver. "They're gone now, aren't they? But I'll have to be strong now. I can't cry forever." She smiles with a hint of hope.
"Then Rumia, what are you going to do? I could take you in, but things aren't so simple anymore. People will view you as an icon of hate. The people who visit my shrine will most likely come to despise you, without ever knowing who you are.."
Rumia looks downtrodden, a frown encompassing her face. "I don't think I can stay here. I'll drive away the only visitors you'll ever have!."
"Well, I'll manage somehow. Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Rano asks her one more time.
"I'm sure." She replies, uncharacteristically serious. "I'll make sure to visit every day. But every time I do, you'll have to fight me."
Rano was caught off guard. "Why?"
"Because it's a youkai's job to attack humans, right?" Rumia smiles with a thinly veiled bitterness.
"Then I'll fight and beat you every time." He smiles. When Rano looks over to Rumia, she is utterly exhausted, lying down with her eyes closed on the cold ground of the shrine. He opens the ribbon box, beaten from when he threw it down. For now, he carries her over to the bed and and tucks her in. Making sure she was still asleep, Rano deftly ties the red ribbon around her blond hair. The ribbon covers the cut from the youkai's initial attack with its knotted loop. Remembering the small youkai, Rano clutches his amulets before slipping them into his pockets.