"This is a stupid idea " soul shouts as his friends lay little scraps of paper around him.
Maka had read somewhere that all demon weapons have some underlying demon trait that came from their demon heritage. She thought it was an interesting idea and talked about it with tsubaki, who looked it up in one of her Japanese textbooks and found that it was not only true but by performing some kind of ritual she could tell us what kind of demon we're descended from .
So maka had made a stack of talismans and placed them in a circle around soul.
This all smelled really fishy to soul. He hadn't grown up in Japan like Maka and tsubaki had or even been there ever before. And he really didn't get the whole Japanese obsession with demons.
But maka was so excited he just couldn't refuse. he was sure gonna complain a lot though.
Tsubaki decided that she wanted to go first and shooed soul out of the circle.
"OK read me the directions one more time" tsubaki asked. Maka nodded and picked up her notes. "When the third verse of the chant is repeated transform into your weapon form and sit for as long as you can in your soul.
When the chant is complete the demon type should appear on the talisman ."
"And you guys aren't afraid of some kind of spiritual backlash? " soul questioned.
"No this is actually a pretty common practice for Japanese weapons. I first heard about it when I was little, but my parents didn't want any of us to associate ourselves with demons. They wanted us to be considered purer than that "
"Alright tsu, I have the incense ready."
Maka placed the bowl of burning leaves at Soul's feet, allowing the smoke to swirl around him in faint grey-blue swirls. Tsubaki began to chant then as maka swirled the smoke with a feather, effectively coating him in it.
Soul waited till tsubaki nodded to him then transformed. Maka caught him and placed him on the ground watching as the glow from his transformation faded but didn't quite disappear.
The talisman was painted a slight blue in the glow. Dark black patterns scrolling across the page where there hadn't been any marking before.
Tsubaki giggled excitedly and shouted to soul that he could drop his transformation.
The two girls crowded around the paper as soul stepped out of the circle, a bit Interested In the result, but not enough to show it
"Oh, that makes so much sense " maka gushes and walks into her bedroom to retrieve a book on Japanese demons.
"What does it say?" Soul asks leaving peaking at the writing.
"ôkami " tsubaki states with a smile "it means wolf-dog. They are very respected in Japanese culture. "
Maka returned with the book already open and read through the passage out loud
"The ôkami were the mountain spirits of japan. Many believe they can judge the character of a person with one look, and like to maul the evil. They have been known to share food with villages and provide protection to the corn fields from wild boars and rabbits. But they were to be respected from afar, because their short tempers and sharp tongue were meant to provoke people into fight them. If someone did attempt to fight them, the wolves considered it a flaw in their personality and would hunt them down and rip them to pieces.
They are usually depicted with snow white fur and red marking rubbing down their backs from the corner of their eyes. The wolves dark red colored eyes were believed to be the source of their power.
In some folklore they are the alternate forms of the kitsune, or fox spirits that served the God of the rice fields.
Both spirits are mischievous and like to take revenge on those who have wronged others, but the wolf spirits goal in life is to find its soul mate. Once the wolf has found its soul mate it will give up its wild ways and devote itself as the protector of its bride, refusing to leave their side. If one gets to close to a wolf's bride the wolf will not hesitate to ripple them to shreds.
A wolf spirit is represents devotion, the hunt, judgment, and the resonance of souls. "
Tsubaki gave maka a look from across the room, her eyebrows shimmying with implications.
"I guess that explains a lot doesn't it? "
"It really kinda does wow, I never realized how much of your personalities were rooted in your demons. "
"Oh come on this is all a load of bull. I'm not-... "
"Protective, possessive, unusual perceptive, spiteful, and aggressive? "
Soul said nothing but they could all tell they had him pegged. Maybe there was more to maka and tsubaki's crazy heritage than he had given them credit for.
