I've kept this story for myself for a long time now. I hate to say it, but I was scared. I couldn't prevent mistress Satori from finding out though, but she has my trust. I want to speak out, I want the truth revealed, I want my name purified. I want to tell it. Now I have finally the chance. I have greatly improved my English, but I am still very bad. That doesn't stop me from writing, though!
My name is Utsuho Reiuji and this is my story.
If I had known what would happen, I would have never listened. I know it's my own fault, but could I be blamed? Many see me as the evil supervillain, but am I? Was world domination really my motive? Or was I acting outside my own will? I'll say this: I was tricked, used and corrupted. Someone else was pulling the strings. You know who? Kanako Yasaka, goddess of rain and wind and leader of the Moriya shrine. I tell you, she caused it all! She was the one responsible! I'll tell you why…
I lay my pen on the desk. Mistress Satori gently put her hand on my shoulder.
'It's a good thing you are revealing this, Okuu,' she said. 'If you want to, I can refresh your memories, so your story is more accurate. The downside, however. You have to relive the events.' I nodded. Satori had once told me that memories could evolve over the years. I didn't want that to happen!
'I wanna write the truth,' I said, before slamming my fist on the desk. 'I don't care whether I will see it all over again! I have enough of it! I am not a nuclear terrorist!'
'I know, Okuu, I know. Well then, imagine it as a movie and you will be fine.' One finger snip and the images appeared before my eyes.
It was a quiet day. I was walking through Blazing Hell when I heard it: a voice. It was calling out to me. "…Hell raven…can you hear me…" it said. I stopped in my tracks. The voice was mysterious, soothing and insistent.
"Unyu?"
"Yes, you…" My intuition told me to listen.
"…Come here..." I walked straight to the source. I was very curious. It had never occurred that a stranger was calling for me. If I had only felt that something was wrong, if I weren't so naïve! When I had arrived, I saw a figure standing in the flames. It was a woman in her thirties. A smirk appeared on her face.
"Hello, hell raven…" was her response.
"Utsuho Reiuji, my name is Utsuho Reiuji," I told her. The woman then nodded and beckoned. Without even thinking, my legs had started moving in her direction. I should have known that she was manipulating my actions. I KNEW the feeling. Mistress Satori tends to use it when I am stubborn. A feet away from the mysterious lady, my legs stopped.
"So you've become a youkai huh?" she said. "Are you strong?" Although I had gained control over my body, I was naïve and rashly answered the question.
"I am, for a hell raven." I didn't tell her how strong I was compared to humans. To be honest, I was very weak, but normal ravens were weaker. I felt how she softly caught my right arm. I didn't know whether I should pull back or allow. Now I know that I should have run away at that time. She was inspecting whether she could turn it into the Yatagarasu's third leg. But how could I know that at that time? After a few seconds, she released my arm.
"Good girl," was all she said.
"Who are you exactly?" I asked.
"I am Kanako Yasaka, I am the goddess of the Moriya shrine." The question why a goddess would call out to me never came up in my mind. What was I stupid!
"Oh, okay…" I said. Kanako walked in a circle around me. Her eyes flashing from my eyes to my wings to my legs. My feathers felt that she was standing behind me.
"You don't mind coming along, do you?" she asked. Before I could even react, I felt my head being jerked backwards. I lost my balance and faltered backwards. I called out in confusion, but she had gagged me, muting all sounds. Before I could stand up, I was thrown into a jute bag. I struggled, but it was no use. My wings and legs were cramped. I barely had space to breathe. My screams were still muffled.
"Don't worry, Utsuho. You will be released soon," Kanako said after many struggles and muffled screams. My heart was in my throat. The fact that I was being kidnapped started to get to my mind. The possibilities of consequences were infinite. And after a few minutes, I could see a white flash through the miniscule gaps in the bag. From here onwards, I barely have impact on the situation.
'Ah Kanako! You have her?' a high-pitched voice said. It felt like I was shaken around.
'Perfect vessel,' Kanako answered. I didn't know what it meant, but it didn't sound like it was something good. Without warning, Kanako turned the bag and I fell on the semi-molten floor. I quickly looked at my surroundings. I was still in Hell, but this was a part to which I had never been to. Around me, a bright seal closed off the area. Next to Kanako stood a small blonde girl with an eyed hat.For the information, that was Suwako Moriya. With one smooth motion, my gag was removed. In fear, I slowly crawled backwards, away from the hag who kidnapped me. My wings were unfolded and tried to give a sense of protection.
"I wanna go home…" I softly cawed. "Please, let me go…" I looked Kanako straight in the eyes, trying to convince her. It didn't help. On the contrary, Kanako lifted me up again.
"You can go home, after we are done." That smirk returned. "At least, If you ever want to return…" I squealed.
"I kinda feel bad…" Suwako said, while she was tying my hands to the sealed wall. I was completely helpless now.
"This is no time to feel bad. Just make sure it goes down her throat." That was Kanako's cold reply. Now I noticed that Suwako was also carrying a bag. She opened it and pulled out a small heap of ash black feathers. When I took a better look, I saw that it was a crow corpse with three fragile legs sprouting upward.The Yatagerasu, the sungod in his true form. It scared me. My instincts finally got to me. Dead corvid equals danger. My fourteen-feet-wingspan wings spread out like a fan.
"Why is that…bird…dead?" I asked.
"Because you're gonna eat it, nolens volens," Kanako said as she plucked the suncrow out of the Earth goddess's hand. I quickly closed my mouth and turned my head away. I was not a picky eater, but even for a scavenging hellraven, cannibalism was morally incorrect. The next train of events happened so quickly…
Before I knew, Suwako had pried my mouth open. All I could see was Kanako's grinning face, before my throat was stuffed with feathers. I tried to scream and to gag at the same time. Not only was it horribly tasteless, the temperature started to rise incredibly. With all might, I tried to spit out the now slimy ball of feathers. However, it only resulted in Kanako getting annoyed.
"Just eat it already, you overgrown quail!" Her hand pushed the Yatagarasu even further into my throat. I hung my head when all struggles were forcefully countered. The flesh on my palate started to scorch. Maybe when I just do it, the heat will stop…The naïve thought of hope and that all would be okay eventually. So wrong…so wrong… With effort, I finally swallowed the bird. My breath was rapid.
"I…got it…down…" I panted. One finger snip and the ties around my wrists disappeared. Both goddesses stepped through the seal.
"Good girl, good girl. If you don't mind, we are waiting on this side of the barrier," Kanako said.
"You know what you're doing, right?" Suwako asked unsure. I first thought that I felt a lot better, but that thought crushed when I felt a splitting pain in my chest. I screamed out in pain as I dropped to my knees. What was happening? What was happening? I felt how my flesh tore apart. With one forceful jerk, I ripped apart the buttons on my white blouse, just to see what was wrong. My hand became red: I was bleeding. When I looked down, I saw a gaping and bloody hole on the place my heart should be. It gave off a bright light, almost blinding me. The blood on the floor was bubbling: it was cooking. I ain't even talking about the pain, cause there are no words to describe it. I heard a throbbing sound, like a beating heart. My chest gave off pulses. With each pulse, I felt something change in my arteries. The incredible heat was taking over my body. A yellow glow engulfed my wings. I couldn't take anymore! The dreaded pain. The hag was killing me. With a strong pulse, a bloody red eye grew out of the hole in my chest. That was the moment I collapsed on the floor, tears shortly running down my cheeks before they evaporated. But the contact between the eye and the floor made the pain worse. I rolled over and was now staring skyward. Now my plan was to keep still and never move again. With every breath, a wave of hot energy released from my body. I started to count in my head, yet I didn't come further than ten. I actually felt ashamed I couldn't count. Every time I started over, my head felt heavier and heavier. My eyelids too. Aside from my twitching arm, I was pretty motionless.
"How…r…ee…ng…?" A faint distant call made my eyes open again. A blurry Kanako appeared before me. One hand hold my cheek, yet I didn't feel anything. My vision blurred again and I slipped away.
I was walking in space. This is a dream, I later realized. Small planets appeared and orbited around me.
"So you are my new vessel?" A spirit appeared before me. It took form of a giant black bird.
"Unyu?" I answered unsure. A bird leg slowly reached out for me. It slowly lifted my head by pushing up my chin.
"Just look into my eyes and let go…" I saw two shining blood red eyes. The next thing I knew, were flashing images. I saw myself, surrounded by fire. A mushroom cloud behind me knocked down anything in my way. People kneeled down for me. Somehow I thought they had respect for me. A flag arose: the three-legged bird, on top of a black sun with a symbol that looked like the blades of a electric fan.Never thought that that symbol, the radioactive hazard trefoil, would become my trademark sigil.
"Do you want to achieve this?" a voice said.
"I think so!" I answered.
A bright sun. Kanako petting me on the head. Satori-sama and Koishi-sama cheering for me.
"Satori-sama!"
"If you listen to me and to mrs Yasaka, this will be within reach…"
A group of black-winged boys, throwing roses at me. The last thing I saw was Orin, throwing herself into my arms. "You are my hero!" she said as she snuggled into a hug.
"I will listen!"
"Then, accept me, lord Yatagarasu, as your new master! And shall we burn the world together!" It is just cheap to play with my feelings. I think anyone would have accepted. I should have never listened to that damned bird, but now it's too late…
With a flash, I awoke again. No pain. Only the two goddesses standing right before me.
"Why don't you kneel down for her?" Yatagarasu said. I quickly nodded, stood up and kneeled down before her feet. I had only kneeled down for Satori-sama before.
"Utsuho dear…" she said.
"I have spoken to lord Yatagarasu!" I called out. "I'm here to stand at your side!" Kanako grinned again.
"Just like I thought…" With one gentle movement, she shove my right arm into an orange hexagonal arm cannon. As soon as my hand was put into the right place, a beta particle appeared around my left leg. Rocks from the ground clamped around my right leg and fused into one shapeless mass. A Suwako attached a white cape with moving starfiel around my neck. It partly covered my black wings. Both goddesses made a step backwards.
"Now, rise, my nuclear bird!" Kanako shouted as I raised my hand. From the tip of my index finger, a black sun appeared.
"Hai, Kanako-sama!" I saluted.
"Soon, all faith will be mine!" With one scream, I pointed my cannon and released an incredibly powerful beam of plasma.
Another flash.
"I remember it now! Thank you Satori-sama!" I exclaimed. I was back at the Palace of the Earth Spirits. I picked up my pen again and started writing.
"I'm glad you appreciated it," my mistress said as she was reading from my head what I was going to write.
…and after I accepted the Yatagarasu as my master, things began to change. At first, I was only busy with the nuclear reactor Kanako had built. But after a while, she started to question my happiness. Whether I was angry, or ever wished someone dead. I had to admit that I had those feelings. Toward the ones that chased Satori-sama and Koishi-sama away. Toward the "normal" youkai made fun of me for being a bird (why I had never finished primary school). Toward the people that hurt Orin when she was little. Yatagarasu said that it was good to punish those who hurt me or my loved ones. One day, Kanako visited me. The past weeks of remembering those horrible times had changed my mood. She said this:
"Utsuho, I have a task for you. I want you to burn the world to the ground. I want you to eliminate all living gods on Youkai Mountain. I want you to destroy the Hakurei Shrine, the Lunar Capital, all other shrines and temples. And at last, even Yukari Yakumo will collapse from your power. Then, we will be the only gods left. I, Suwako, Sanae and the Yatagarasu. Make me proud, and you'll make your beloved seers and catgirl proud. I'm sure you'll even find your perfect love."
Who doesn't fall for this. Apparently, Orin overheard that conversation and started the events known as 'The Geyser Incident'. After I was shamelessly defeated, Reimu Hakurei went and warned through the Bunbunmaru newspaper for the ill-minded nuclear bird from Hell. A portrayal that I couldn't escape, until now.
So please, give me my good name back. And watch out for Kanako Yasaka. She had never good intentions to start with.
It was finished. The only thing left was…
"Okuu!" The door opened and Orin stepped through. Next to her was Aya Shameimaru.
"Oh thank you Orin for bringing her here. Okuu will definitely appreciate it," Satori-sama said. I nodded.
"So, I heard you have a scoop?" Aya asked.
"Yes," I said as I handed her my story.
Characters belong to ZUN
Picture doesn't belong to me
