The day dawned bright and clear in the Youjakai. Kayura rose with it. She moved through her morning routine, however, instead of her ceremonial robes, she donned much less formal garb. She had picked up in the Ningenkai. She didn't touch her hair, instead she picked up her brush and a 'ponytail holder' as it was called in the Ningenkai and left his room.
She went up to one of the many doors in the building and knocked softly. A few moments later Anubis opened the door, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and blanching at the bright light.
"Hai?" he yawned, scratching at his tangled blue-hair. Silently she held up her brush and the elastic.
"Braid?" she queried softly. Anubis scowled and turned to look at the clock, another item from the Ningenkai.
"Gods girl! Do you realize what time it is? It's too goddamn early to be doing that!" He slammed the door shut before she could say anything else.
Kayura turned to head for the next room. She passed by Rajura's room, knowing that if Anubis was grumpy, Rajura would be out-and-out deadly. She paused to look into Shuten's old room, offering a silent prayer to the one who'd used the shakujo before her. Then she continued on again.
She stopped by the last door, and softly knocked. Naaza opened the door, a grin on his face.
"Ohayoo Kayura," he said cheerfully. She smiled at him, hope rising within her.
"So what are you doing here? Feeling lonely with Shuten gone?" He reached out and stroked her cheek with her finger. She tossed her head away from his finger and pulled away as he leaned down, her hopes cruelly crushed. She shook her head.
"Nothing, never mind." She turned and walked back towards her room. She could feel Naaza's reptilian eyes on her. She would have stayed, he would have done it for her. Sometimes, though, he could be as randy as a... a... snake, she always did what she could to avoid him those times.
She entered her room and stood in front of her mirror. She quietly began brushing her hair out. She watched her brush make its way through her long hair. When that was finished, she put the brush down. She reached behind her and began braiding, wishing one of the others had been more cooperative. All three of them were better at braiding than she was. Anubis was the best, although he was rather picky and hated it when she brushed her own hair. Rajura was next best, he loved brushing her air, but wasn't as finicky as Anubis. Naaza's braids weren't as good as either of the them, and his ended up being some of the wierdest-looking ones. Like the one that begins at the top of the head (the 'french-braid' wasn't it?) and then there was the one that always took him forever to do, at least with her long hair. He called that one the fish-tail, scale, fish-something-or-other. Both were pretty popular with the ningen girls, only Kaosu knew where he'd learned about them.
She finished braiding and tied it off. Recalling that it was probably winter in the Ningenkai, she put on her heavy coat. Quietly contemplating her plans for the day she headed for the gate to the Ningenkai.
As she'd expected, it was cold. The chill wind played with the stands of hair that had escaped her braiding. She opened her senses to the power swirling around this world. The electricity hummed around her, keeping this city alive. Emotions were thrown out and about at seemingly random intervals. She ignored those instead she 'looked' at the mystical energies flowing along.
'White' flashed along her 'sight.' She focused her eyes on a small group of teenagers. Their individual colors swirled together to create the white fire that bound them. She recognized them. Her dear friends, her former enemies. They laughed together companionably as they went into a store together.
A tear blurred her vision and she discreetly wiped it away. She wondered how they'd gotten Touma up this early. He was almost as bad as Rajura about sleeping in, but not nearly as dangerous. She turned from them, focusing on the aura's around her. Battle colors filled the air, marking the Troopers' struggles to save this world. She could pinpoint the building Arago had used to create the energy balls sent to kill Tenku no Touma. And there Rajura had deceived Shu into fearing his yoroi. Where each of the four gates had stood was a slowly dissipating mass of darkness. The strongest aura reached high into the sky, it was there that Kaosu had given his life.
Further out lay a mass of darkness that brought the memories of fire and claws, terrible hands. She would be there in time if she started now.
****
Kayura stood in the middle of a grove of trees. She held out her hand and summoned the shakujo. Light surrounded her arms as the staff appeared with its distinctive ring. The light faded, only that around the staff remained. With a quick thrust, she stuck the staff into the ground. She released the shakujo and knelt before it. She concentrated on the shakujo.
The soft ringing of the magic staff filled the air. The orb on the staff shot out beams of light, once again illuminating the trees around her. She pulled forth memories, recalling her village as it had been before Arago had attacked. The shakujo's ringing resounded in her ears, but she ignored it, instead preferring to revel in the memory of those happy days. Inevitably, it seemed, her mind drifted to the day Arago attacked.
Kayura opened her eyes. The shakujo had banished the trees, replacing them with thatch-roof huts. Huts being consumed in fire. Youja soldiers ran through the huts, slaughtering all they caught. They entered buildings and screams could be heard as the occupants were murdered. Kayura turned to every sound. A young girl ran out of a building.
"Kaasan! Tousan! Doko?"
Tears made their way down Kayura's cheek. "No," she moaned, "please, no more."
"Kayura!" a woman cried.
Both Kayura's turned to the voice.
"Okaasan..." the older version said.
"Kaasan!" the younger screamed, dashing towards her mother.
"Kayura! Hashire! Hashire Kayura!" The woman was running toward her daughter. A youja stepped in front of her, implaing her with a spear. The woman collapsed.
The former Demon Priestess could hear her mother moan her name, just as she could those many centuries ago. She covered her ears, not wanting to hear anymore. She closed her eyes, so she could not see.
"Please stop!" Even though she had shut out those senses, she could not shut out the memories. Tears slid down her cheeks, squeezing past her eyelids. She reached over and knocked the shakujo down. The screams silenced.The illusion vanished.
Kayura drew her knees closer to her, wrapping her arms around them. Arago had wiped her past out in one blow. Then he'd taken her memories, her freedom. He abused and molested her unwilling, willing body. He then encouraged the Masho to do likewise. During all that time she'd thought it was his way of showing love, or that it had been her fault, that she'd done something wrong.
Now she was free, but she felt no better. The Masho were all older than her, the Troopers so much younger, and they were all men besides. Nasuti always treated her like a child, which was too belittling, even after Arago.
Kayura cried into her arms. As she had done many times, she wished Arago had left her dead in that village those many centuries ago.
Note: Hashire- run
Jibber: Yes, this is the whole thing.