Yusaka No Raijin

a/n: The Yusaka No Raijin are eight demons from the Shinto religion that eat the souls of children through their abdomens during rainstorms. Yusaka No Raijin literally translates from Japanese to English as the eight thunder demons. I have sort of twisted the facts a little to make it fit the general consensus of a believable demon that you would find in the Charmed universe. I thought that the entire culture of Japan and the Shinto religion is interesting and there is a lot of magic based from other world cultures and religion in Charmed that I had to at least try and write something a little more cultured in it. I do not own Charmed or any of the characters related to the TV Show or any others that I somehow manage to write into it to make it seem slightly plausible unless they are oc characters and any translations from Japanese to English are at the bottom of the page and the Japanese will finish with (*1). The word for this chapter is Nihon. Enjoy! :)

Prologue

San Francisco was pouring with rain as he ran through the darkened streets staying to the shadows. He didn't mind the dark and slippery streets, it was the thing that was chasing him that was really getting on his last nerve. Making a turn he paused and slowed to a stop.

"Great this is just great." He stated in an out of place Brooklyn accent as he realised that the alley had just ran into was a dead end. "Well if I'm gonna go down, then I'm gonna go down fighting." He pulled a pair of twin sai clad in red and spun them around as he faced his foe.

The dark figure entered the alleyway. "Anata no ie no chīsana otokonoko kara tōkuhanarete iru no wa chotto wakaidesu ka?"(*1) It said to him in Japanese. He growled at him as though he was an animal.
"Moshi anata ga sore o tojinakereba, watashi wa anata o massugu ni Nihon ni modoshimasu." (*2) He responded. The dark figure didn't look scared, in fact he was still just getting over the fact that this creature, this kappa could speak Japanese.

The figure rushed the turtle creature and he was skilled with his sai. Suddenly the figure realised that this was no ordinary Kappa child. No he was far to intelligent for that. This kid was really strong, stronger than most others he had faced. The kappa got in close. "Watashi wa anata ga nandearu ka shitte imasu."(*3) It whispered in the figures ears before it decided to hit the Kappa with a jolt of electricity sending him flying to the entrance of the alley with a scream of pain, displeasure and humiliation.


Meanwhile three sisters were driving through the storm. "Are you sure you want to go to work tonight. I hate driving through thunderstorms." Paige the youngest of them stated.
"Yes I have to run the club tonight because the manager is off sick and there was no one else to cover." Piper the oldest stated. There was a crash of thunder and the youngest screamed a little.
"Sorry, I really do hate thunderstorms." Paige the car stopped in the middle of the road. "Okay why did we stop?" Phoebe the youngest asked. "It's bad enough that it's raining."
"Stop complaining, we're just out of gas it's nothing so horrible that it requires all three of us." Piper said as she climbed out of the car to get the spare gas from the trunk. They lived a life style that could cause them to react in a moment so it was always useful for each of them to always have extra gas in case of emergencies.

The second Piper was finished there was a scream from an alley way. She stopped dead and opened the door to the car. "Did you two hear that screaming?" She asked.
"Yip." Phoebe answered.
"Shouldn't we go and check it out?" Paige asked feeling a little nervous about the potential need to risk her life. Piper nodded and they got out of the car again.

The three sisters came to an alley where a dark figure was kneeling over another creature. There was a definite stench of blood in the air as it had cut open the creatures front and was trying to eat it's internal organs.
"Hey!" Phoebe called out and Piper went to blow up the demon. Her power had no effect on the creature and there was a sense of urgency as the other creature was bleeding furiously from it's abdomen.

Phoebe and Paige rushed to it's side. "Phoebe grab those pointy things. I think they belong to him." Paige said. Phoebe complied not really seeing the logic behind the assumption made by her sister.

Eventually the demon shimmered away in a puff of smoke, unable to get a bite out of the turtle lying before the sisters. It was groaning and swearing in both English and Japanese.
"Paige orb him to the manor and call Leo. We'll get my car and meet you back there." Piper said. "I have a feeling that this is going to be a long night."


Chapter 1

Piper and Phoebe entered the manor just as Leo was finishing up. They crowded around the turtle watching as he groggily opened his eyes. The second they were open he was up like a shot.
"Where am I?" He stated as moved a little too quickly.
"Take it easy kid. We aren't going to hurt you, but you need to lie down you almost died." Leo said to him as he gently guided the turtles strong upper body back onto the sofa.
"Don't ya think I noticed that." He stated. "Who are you people anyways? Why did you save me?" He asked, clearly no where near trusting them.
"My name is Leo. This is my wife Piper and her sisters Phoebe and Paige." Leo answered calmly. "Do you want to tell us your name?" He asked.
"My name's Raphael." He answered.
"Hey that's a Brooklyn accent your from New York."
"Yeah, I was fighting a bunch of ninja by the Chrysler Building and I blacked out. I woke up in the middle of a rainstorm and suddenly this Raijin is after me, so I bolted through the streets until I hit a dead end began to fight it when it overpowered me." Raph explained. He looked at the coffee table. "You brought my sai with you." He commented, a sadistic smile plastered on his face at that moment.
"That's what there called. I thought that they were salad tongs." Paige commented.

Piper tapped the turtle on the shoulder.
"Raphael, you said Raijin what does that mean?" She asked.
"Thunder god or thunder demon. I thought that they were just stories my dad taught me and my bros to scare us into covering up when it was raining." He responded. "He isn't the only one though."
"What do you mean?" Phoebe interjected.
"The legend is of the Eight Thunder gods, yusaka no Raijin." Raph said to them.

Paige opted to go and get the book and the others stayed downstairs. When she found the entry under the Japanese translation she read aloud.
"It says here that the Raijin were created by the devine pair Izanami and Izagani after the creation of Japan and the eight lightning gods were tasked with the protection of the Dharma and went rogue and now hunt during rainstorms with the help of their demon Raiju for the abdomens of children so that they can steal their souls." Paige looked particularly disgusted at that last part but Raph just nodded.
"That's pretty much the same as what I was told. Only Raiju is said to fight the demon of wind called Fuijin." He explained.
"Does the book say anything about how to defeat them?" Phoebe asked.
"No nothing." Paige answered.
"They only attack when there's a thunder storm, so we might be waiting a while." Raph said as he sat up on the sofa.
"I'm going to ask the Elders what they think about all this." Leo stated and left in a beautiful array of sparkly blue lights.

"What makes you think that you are fighting with us?" Piper asked him. "How old are you anyway."
"I'm the only one here that speaks Japanese and I'm fifteen why does it matter." He answered.
"You are still legally a child for a start. And you already got your ass kicked once. Do you really want to make it a second time?" Phoebe stated. Raph stood up to her level, despite the fact that he had made no move to hurt any of them he still seemed rather threatening.
"I need to get payback on that mother fucker for nearly waxing my sorry ass."
"Language." Piper warned him. Raph didn't look to happy at being told to tone it down, although he was used to it with his own father hating that language. "It's just to risky to let you fight."
"I know that it's risky, but I risk my life every night. I'm okay with beating the odds and the crud outta people."
"Maybe so, but it might just be too risky." Piper warned him. But Raphael wasn't exactly the kind of turtle who took warnings very well, or indeed listened to anyone telling him what to do unless they were his own father.

The large turtle sat back down on the sofa. He had a look in his eyes that seemed pretty lost. And he was for he was at the other side of the country from his home, without his family and in the home of three strange women who were trying to help him defeat some demon. His brothers and his father were never going to believe that the Raijin were real, but then again, who would believe half of what they went through. Raph told the sisters that he was qualified at fighting the not quite natural, and knew a lot of the stories from Japan and of the Shinto religion. This tipped the bar slightly in his favour of fighting with them, but they would need more information first.


In the Underworld the demon Raiju appeared before his brethren. "The storm is over, and I Haven't yet had a single bite to eat. Why do teenagers have to be so juicy?" He asked.
"Did this one give you a run around? Would have thought that someone of your status would have been able to catch one teenager." Another, Ichi, stated.
"Oh no this was no ordinary fifteen year old. He looked like a kappa, only he was more intelligent and looked like he was trained as kage." Raiju explained.
"If your having problems with kappa take some cucumber to hold him at bay." One of the others, Ni, spoke out with a laugh to his voice.
"Since the storm is passed maybe we should create another, so that you can at least have something to eat tonight." Yet another, San, suggested to at least persuade Raiju to eat something. Their bosses wouldn't be too happy if they missed their quota.

They got out some ceremonial drums and began to play a beat. Then there was a lot of chanting in Japanese. The eight thunder gods were literally making it rain.

When they were finished Raiju stood up. "I'm going to get that kappa whether he likes it or not." He stated and smoked out again, heading for the surface. He was going turtle hunting.


The sisters and Raphael had moved up to the attic. After learning that Raph had experienced magic before they were determined to get all the information possible out of him. They let him stand beside the book of shadows which was now on it's podium and found the page on the Raijin. It didn't give any information that they didn't already know. Only this time Piper noticed some Japanese writing on the side of the page.
"Raph, what does that mean?" She asked pointing at the words. Looking at the page Raph read it over.
"Watashi wa yattsu no raijin no majutsu-shi o yobimasu." He read aloud. "It means I call upon the masters of the eight thunder gods." He told the sisters.
"Why did you read that out loud?" Paige asked. "Never read out loud from the book of Shadows. That's how things happen." She scolded, causing the turtle to cross over his arms.
"How was I supposed to know. These things never happen to me by reading." Raph argued. "I'm more of a fighter than a reader." He crossed his arms over his plastron. "Besides it ain't everyday that magic happens anyway."

Leo orbed in. He looked like he had news, unfortunately not the good kind. When the others had acknowledged him he went straight to it.
"The Elders said that the Raijin are upper level demons that have been causing havoc, mainly in Japan and the pacific, for centuries. They also said that the only way to vanquish them is to kill their masters. And the only way to do that is with the power of three."
"We already know how to summon the masters." Raph stated. "It was in this book, the only problem is it's in Japanese."
"Its better than nothing." Leo commented.
"Wait, Japanese that gives me an idea. Do you think you could help me write a spell?" Phoebe asked Raph. He shrugged his shoulders and said that he probably could, but whether it would be any good was a different question altogether.

Phoebe and Raph went to a large table in the corner. "So how about I write it in English and you can translate it for me."
"I guess that sounds okay." The two got to work. Phoebe showed him the process.
"What we do is we gather everything we know about the demon and put it in a sort of verse or poem that we can use as a spell. Normally it rhymes, but if it's being translated it probably won't matter too much. As long as it vanquishes the demon." Phoebe explained.
"Demons there are a few masters, three actually; Kaminari-sama, raiden-sama and Narukami." Raph told her. Phoebe looked sort of dis-heartened at this but knew that it was important to be accurate.

They got on with their writing. So far Raph was impressed by Phoebe's skill and determination. It had only been about ten minutes and they had almost written the entire English version of the spell. It was looking pretty good.
"Hey Phoebe, I just wanted to say thank you." Raph stated as they worked on the last of the spell.
"For what?" Phoebe asked.
"For saving my life, I am honour-bound to be in your debt." He told her. "Yours, Piper's, Paige's and Leo's. My father would say that you have a lot of honour, enough that you are willing to risk your life to save someone you don't even know."
"It doesn't matter, it was nothing really."
"Of course it matters. My brothers and I save people all of the time and get no recognition for it, we get screamed and yelled at by the people we save that think we are monsters." He told them.

Piper walked over to them and put a hand on his shoulder. "Personally, I think that you are the bravest kid I ever met." She told him. "I know what it's like to want a normal life, but I think that you should also be thankful for the one you have."
"Thanks, you girls are alright." Raph commented.
"Hey the spells done. You can translate it now." Phoebe stated. Raph got to work translating the spell for the sisters.


When the spell was translated the sister's stood in a circle in their living room. Raph had been warned to stay in the attic, but had come down the stairs silently to watch the fight and help if necessary.
"Okay how do we say the spell to summon them here?" Phoebe asked.
"I think we just chant it the way Raphael did earlier." Piper responded. The girls held each others hands. There was an electric atmosphere to the room. It felt dangerous, but exciting at the same time. It was enough to make them nervous about casting the spell. Closing their eyes the sisters began to chant in Japanese.
"Watashi wa yattsu no raijin no majutsu-shi o yobimasu. Watashi wa yattsu no raijin no majutsu-shi o yobimasu. Watashi wa yattsu no raijin no majutsu-shi o yobimasu. Watashi wa yattsu no raijin no majutsu-shi o yobimasu."

There was a shrill wind and the sound of thunder echoed through the room. The sisters stopped chanting and looked to where the demons were standing.
"Anata wa saisho no mono o koroshitaidesu ka Narukami?" (4*) One of them asked the other.
"Is it just me or did he just give us a death threat?" Phoebe asked her sisters slightly confused.
"Īe, watashi wa shōnen o korosu koto o konomudeshou." (5*) Narukami responded and smoked out.

He reappeared beside a very shocked Raphael who immediately fought back. Using the stairs as a vantage point he launched himself off of it and managed to kick Narukami over to where the sisters were standing.
"You might wanna cast that spell now!" He yelled as he pulled his sai out of his belt. He launched himself at the demons who were still standing, to distract them from the sisters. They looked as though they were going to devour them at any moment. Using the blunt side of his sai he crashed into the demon on the left, it was Raiden-sama.

"Watashi no kame kara orite kudasai. Watashi wa anata no masutādesu." (6*) Raiden-sama stated as Raph managed to mount his downed form as though it was a horse and used his head as a viable weapon against him. Raph scowled at what the demon said.
"Watashiniha masutā ga ni ari, kare wa anatade wa arimasen." (7*) Raph told him in a low voice.

The sisters upon seeing Raphael jump literally head first into a battle were shocked at the very least. They soon got over this and began chanting the spell.
"Akuma yasuka no masutā, Kono jumon wa anata no unmei o fūjirudeshou, Anata o jiyū ni suru raimei nashide, Subete no eien no tame ni moeru." They said as they held hands in their foyer. The demons instantly went up in flames. This caused Raph to jump back in shock as he watched the magical flames burn. If you asked him, he would say that he felt no pain in that moment. But it was clear that the demons were feeling pain as the flames rippled around their bodies and burned through their flesh and bone, burning them and condemning them to a lifetime of pain.

In the streets the eight other thunder demons, Raiju and the seven others, began to burn. Thankfully they hadn't managed to kill anyone else that night and were sent straight to the wasteland where the demons go to die.

Raphael stood up and turned to the sisters. "We make a pretty good team don't we?" He asked with a smile on his face.
"We do. But I think it's time we took you home." Piper told him. "I don't think your father would be too happy if you are away from home any longer."
"No he won't be and I'll probably get an earful for being away so long." Raph told them. "May as well face up to it now. But I would like for you girls to meet my family."


Epilogue

The four of them appeared in swirls of blue light. Raph smiled as he seen that the Battle-shell was standing in all its glory. Only there were sparks coming out of it. "Hey Donnie, you alright over there?" Raph asked. A head wrapped with a purple mask looked around the front of the vehicle.
"Raphie, your home. We've been worried sick about you." He scolded his brother, although the elated and relieved tone kind of took the edge off. "The only reason we stopped looking is because Leonardo let Mikey drive."
"Donatello, this is Piper, Phoebe and Paige. They saved my life from Raijin."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Don replied waving at them. "Raijin are just a story Raph, Sensei used to tell us that story so that we would cover up if it rained." He concluded disbelieving his brother.
"Have I got a story for you bro." Raph said. "Come on, I think I better tell Splinter that I'm home."

The five of them went into the lair. Everyone was so happy that Raph was home safely that they forgave him for letting the sisters see where they lived. This didn't excuse him from getting lectured by Master Splinter, and then Leonardo when he was finished. But both of them hugged him after (that part didn't go down very well) that he figured that he was forgiven. They shared some tea with the sisters and told the story of what happened. At first none of them believed it, but with a little reasoning, they accepted what had happened as the truth.

After that the sisters went home, and both families settled back down into their lives of saving the world on a daily basis, and fighting with honour.


1- Aren't you a little young to be this far from home little boy?,

2- If you don't shut it I'm gonna kick your ass straight back to Japan.

3- I know what you are.

4- Do you want to kill the first one Narukami?

5- No, I would prefer to kill the boy.

6- Get off of me turtle. I am your Master.

7- I have one Master and he isn't you.

Spell translation- Masters of the demons eight. This spell will seal your fate. Without the thunder to see you free. Burn for all eternity.

I thought that I would include the numbers one through eight in Japanese. They are in ascending order as in 1-8.
ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, shichi, yasuka- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8