Chapter 1: A New Home
A little girl ran through the dark streets of Kyoto. Beside her was her okaasan. On their backs were packs. They quickly rushed out of the city into the woods.
"Okaasan aren't there youkai's out here?" asked the little girl.
The woman turned back around and kneeled in front of her.
"Don't worry Namiyo. Youkais are no match for us," she said.
Namiyo nodded and followed behind her okaasan. They walked for what seemed like hours. After days of traveling they came to a small village.
A little girl with long dark brown hair was helping her okaasan with the wash. She was a little cutie. Her name was Tsubaki. Tsubaki's okaasan had the same long brown hair. Her otousan was talking to some other villagers. Tsubaki looked up from the wash and sighed. Doing laundry was boring.
"Tsubaki! Stop daydreaming and hang that kimono up," shouted her okaasan.
Sighing, she did what she was told. Tsubaki stood up and hung the kimono she had washed up. That's when she noticed them. Her eyes widened at the strangers who were walking into the village. The other villagers stared at them too. Tsubaki had never seen anybody like them before. Her okaasan came up behind her.
"Who is that?" wondered her okaasan. Tsubaki otousan saw them as well.
There was a young woman and a little girl. They both had long black hair. But the older woman had thin streaks of light blue running through hers. Her eyes were the same blue as her hair. She was tall and very attractive. The girl next her looked about 7. Which was how old Tsubaki was. She had the same long black hair. But her hair had streaks of dark purple. Her eyes were the same purple as her hair. Both them had very long dark lashes that framed their pretty eyes. Both of them were very pretty. No doubt the little girl was the woman's daughter. Tsubaki okaasan came out of her shock and called to them. "Hello! Who are you?" asked her okaasan.
The woman stopped.
"My name is Taki and this is my musume Namiyo," she said.
"What is your purpose in this village?" Tsubaki's okaasan asked.
"Our old home was dangerous. So we had to live. May we stay in the village?" asked Taki.
Tsubaki's okaasan didn't say anything. Instead she looked down at Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki why don't you show Namiyo your doll?" said her okaasan.
"Hai okaasan," Tsubaki.
Taki took the bag that was on Namiyo's back and pushed her forward. Namiyo timidly walked up to Tsubaki. She grabbed her hand and led her into her families hut. The little girls sat down on Tsubaki's pallet and she showed Namiyo her doll. Namiyo just sat there with her knees drawn up.
"Isn't my doll kirei? My okaasan made her for me," said Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"She is very pretty. What's her name?" asked Namiyo.
"Tonbo," said Tsibaki.
The girls then got very quiet. Tsubaki couldn't help but stare at Namiyo's purple hair.
"Why is your hair purple?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo shrugged.
"I don't know. My okaasan says that all sorceresses have different colored hair. They don't have normal hair like regular humans," said Namiyo.
"You're a sorceress?" shouted Tsubaki and jumped up.
Namiyo nodded.
"How can you be a sorceress? How can...what is a sorceress?" asked Tsubaki
Namiyo looked down at her hands.
"A sorceress is some one who has an elemental power. But we also have powers of that allow us to do different things. My okaasan can move objects with her mind. She can also make it rain. Her elemental power is water," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes were wide. There were really humans like that? So if her okaasan was that meant that Namiyo was one too right? Tsubaki sat down next to Namiyo.
"Are you a sorceress too?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"Hai."
Tsubaki then sat right in front of Namiyo.
"What are your powers?" she asked.
Namiyo stared at the girl with a wide smile in front of her. This girl actually wanted to know what her powers were? When most people found out they ran away from her. Maybe this girl really wanted to be her friend.
Namiyo relaxed and crossed her legs.
"I can make ice and I can also move objects with my mind and read people's minds," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes widened.
"How cool! What am I thinking right now," asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo looked at Tsubaki with an intense look. Her dark purple eyes started to glow.
"You are thinking, that your okaasan doesn't find out that you broke her best dishes when you were washing them," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes grew wide.
"That happened days ago! You really can read minds!" shouted Tsubaki.
The girls started to chat lively. This was the beginning of a great friendship. Taki sat in front of Tsubaki's okaasan and otousan.
"I am Yoshi and this is my wife Tsutsuji. Where are you from and why did you leave?" asked Yoshi.
Taki bowed her head.
"My daughter and I once lived in the city Kyoto. But war has fallen upon the city. So I took my daughter away from there," said Taki.
Tsutsuji nodded. Poor woman. But why was her hair such an odd color?
"You and your daughter may stay in this village. There is a hut that we own at the end of the village. You may move in there," said Yoshi.
Taki bowed.
"Thank you so much," said Taki.
"Please excuse me for asking, but why is your hair such a odd color?" asked Tsutsuji.
Taki stood up.
"Because I am a sorceress. But please do not be alarmed. I am trained in healing and I can protect the village from youkais," said Taki.
Yoshi nodded.
"As long as you are not a youkai," he said.
Taki bowed again. They called the children out. Namiyo and Tsubaki came laughing out of the hut.
"Okaasan, is Namiyo and her okaasan staying here?" asked Tsubaki.
Tsutsuji nodded. Tsubaki and Namiyo shouted for joy. They hugged each other and jumped up and down.
"Come now Tsubaki let Namiyo and her okaasan get settled in," said Tsutsuji.
Tsubaki nodded.
"We're going to be the best of friends aren't we Namiyo-chan?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"The best." Said Namiyo.
A little girl ran through the dark streets of Kyoto. Beside her was her okaasan. On their backs were packs. They quickly rushed out of the city into the woods.
"Okaasan aren't there youkai's out here?" asked the little girl.
The woman turned back around and kneeled in front of her.
"Don't worry Namiyo. Youkais are no match for us," she said.
Namiyo nodded and followed behind her okaasan. They walked for what seemed like hours. After days of traveling they came to a small village.
A little girl with long dark brown hair was helping her okaasan with the wash. She was a little cutie. Her name was Tsubaki. Tsubaki's okaasan had the same long brown hair. Her otousan was talking to some other villagers. Tsubaki looked up from the wash and sighed. Doing laundry was boring.
"Tsubaki! Stop daydreaming and hang that kimono up," shouted her okaasan.
Sighing, she did what she was told. Tsubaki stood up and hung the kimono she had washed up. That's when she noticed them. Her eyes widened at the strangers who were walking into the village. The other villagers stared at them too. Tsubaki had never seen anybody like them before. Her okaasan came up behind her.
"Who is that?" wondered her okaasan. Tsubaki otousan saw them as well.
There was a young woman and a little girl. They both had long black hair. But the older woman had thin streaks of light blue running through hers. Her eyes were the same blue as her hair. She was tall and very attractive. The girl next her looked about 7. Which was how old Tsubaki was. She had the same long black hair. But her hair had streaks of dark purple. Her eyes were the same purple as her hair. Both them had very long dark lashes that framed their pretty eyes. Both of them were very pretty. No doubt the little girl was the woman's daughter. Tsubaki okaasan came out of her shock and called to them. "Hello! Who are you?" asked her okaasan.
The woman stopped.
"My name is Taki and this is my musume Namiyo," she said.
"What is your purpose in this village?" Tsubaki's okaasan asked.
"Our old home was dangerous. So we had to live. May we stay in the village?" asked Taki.
Tsubaki's okaasan didn't say anything. Instead she looked down at Tsubaki.
"Tsubaki why don't you show Namiyo your doll?" said her okaasan.
"Hai okaasan," Tsubaki.
Taki took the bag that was on Namiyo's back and pushed her forward. Namiyo timidly walked up to Tsubaki. She grabbed her hand and led her into her families hut. The little girls sat down on Tsubaki's pallet and she showed Namiyo her doll. Namiyo just sat there with her knees drawn up.
"Isn't my doll kirei? My okaasan made her for me," said Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"She is very pretty. What's her name?" asked Namiyo.
"Tonbo," said Tsibaki.
The girls then got very quiet. Tsubaki couldn't help but stare at Namiyo's purple hair.
"Why is your hair purple?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo shrugged.
"I don't know. My okaasan says that all sorceresses have different colored hair. They don't have normal hair like regular humans," said Namiyo.
"You're a sorceress?" shouted Tsubaki and jumped up.
Namiyo nodded.
"How can you be a sorceress? How can...what is a sorceress?" asked Tsubaki
Namiyo looked down at her hands.
"A sorceress is some one who has an elemental power. But we also have powers of that allow us to do different things. My okaasan can move objects with her mind. She can also make it rain. Her elemental power is water," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes were wide. There were really humans like that? So if her okaasan was that meant that Namiyo was one too right? Tsubaki sat down next to Namiyo.
"Are you a sorceress too?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"Hai."
Tsubaki then sat right in front of Namiyo.
"What are your powers?" she asked.
Namiyo stared at the girl with a wide smile in front of her. This girl actually wanted to know what her powers were? When most people found out they ran away from her. Maybe this girl really wanted to be her friend.
Namiyo relaxed and crossed her legs.
"I can make ice and I can also move objects with my mind and read people's minds," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes widened.
"How cool! What am I thinking right now," asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo looked at Tsubaki with an intense look. Her dark purple eyes started to glow.
"You are thinking, that your okaasan doesn't find out that you broke her best dishes when you were washing them," said Namiyo.
Tsubaki's eyes grew wide.
"That happened days ago! You really can read minds!" shouted Tsubaki.
The girls started to chat lively. This was the beginning of a great friendship. Taki sat in front of Tsubaki's okaasan and otousan.
"I am Yoshi and this is my wife Tsutsuji. Where are you from and why did you leave?" asked Yoshi.
Taki bowed her head.
"My daughter and I once lived in the city Kyoto. But war has fallen upon the city. So I took my daughter away from there," said Taki.
Tsutsuji nodded. Poor woman. But why was her hair such an odd color?
"You and your daughter may stay in this village. There is a hut that we own at the end of the village. You may move in there," said Yoshi.
Taki bowed.
"Thank you so much," said Taki.
"Please excuse me for asking, but why is your hair such a odd color?" asked Tsutsuji.
Taki stood up.
"Because I am a sorceress. But please do not be alarmed. I am trained in healing and I can protect the village from youkais," said Taki.
Yoshi nodded.
"As long as you are not a youkai," he said.
Taki bowed again. They called the children out. Namiyo and Tsubaki came laughing out of the hut.
"Okaasan, is Namiyo and her okaasan staying here?" asked Tsubaki.
Tsutsuji nodded. Tsubaki and Namiyo shouted for joy. They hugged each other and jumped up and down.
"Come now Tsubaki let Namiyo and her okaasan get settled in," said Tsutsuji.
Tsubaki nodded.
"We're going to be the best of friends aren't we Namiyo-chan?" asked Tsubaki.
Namiyo nodded.
"The best." Said Namiyo.