A Fanfic by Yomi no Miko
Chapter 3: Nijati
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One year had passed since I abandoned Raizen's domain. Once more, I was all by myself. In those days I visited many different places, I searched everywhere but I never even heard of Kurama again. Sometimes it occurred to me that long-gone day on which Raizen had dissolved his army might have been just an illusion. Maybe the youko wasn't even real. I didn't care so much about it after a while, even though I could not forget him yet.
I spent the winter at a small village that doesn't exist anymore, near the River Lao, mid-east of Makai. In fact I was on my way to the east of Makai, for obvious reasons. The village was called Nijati and was a relatively organized place. It was controlled by a kind of Elders Council. I was accepted to work during winter as a snow thrower. In exchange, I would receive shelter, food and the favours of Luia, wife of the owner of the house where I was living. This last kind of payment wasn't official, of course.
As a matter of fact, Luia's sittuation didn't put me in danger at all. Rioje, Luia's husband, was a very old youkai and naturally couldn't handle all that youki. All in all, Luia was very demanding company. Rioje was a member of the city's council and he used to spend all his day busy with his endless tasks and reunions, so Luia just didn't let go of me; she wouldn't let go of any part of me at all. It was very enjoyable. If it were not a temporary job, I wouldn't mind staying after the winter.
Speaking about my great ambitions... Well, I thought the wish for being a king could be left aside a little longer. Life with no ties and commitments had its advantages. The way that leads to power is a harsh one and I knew that damn well. After the disbanding of Raizen's army, many gangs were formed in order to try to rule his territory. None of them were successful. Although Raizen was isolated and despite the rumors about his health (they said he had been refusing to eat for centuries), he continued to be the only powerful creature of Makai. The rest were nothing more than scattered gangs who could barely keep a territory of their own.
The winter was fading and taking my easy life away with it. I was already being pressured to leave the village when, in a dark night, the place was attacked by a large group of raiders. It had been a long time since I last picked up a real fight, and the truth was that I missed it badly. It was more for bloodthirst that I engaged into battle and less for actual heroism. During the fight I felt so alive that I couldn't understand how I had been able to put up a peaceful way of life for so long. At the end, not only had we defeated our agressors but we also had some interesting profits - We had collected lots of spoils of war, weapons, and survivors who would be traded in the slave markets.
But the best was yet to come. The people of the village started believing that I was the one they should thank for their salvation. So, I was invited to remain there, becoming one of the leaders. Moreover, as Luia's husband had been killed in battle (not my fault, I swear), I'd inherit her and all of her former husband's belongings and privileges. Beside that, I would also receive half of the slaves, to do with them whatever I wanted. Finally I was a leader. Something hard to believe.
Easy come, easy go. I had already listened to
that saying before, but I had not grasped its full meaning yet. Nothing
comeseasily
in Makai.
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Shrine to Yomi-Sama -