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Enjoy.
A new day was dawning in the human village. The birds were singing, the skies were clear, and gradually the residents were waking up to begin their daily routines, all the troubles of yesterday left in the past.
Almost.
After being scared witless by Okuu the previous afternoon, the entire village had gone into a frenzy, with half the population running home to barricade themselves and their loved ones inside while the other half was ready to take up arms and go after the offending youkai. Thankfully, a certain bookworm had caught wind of what transpired and went to fetch the Hakurei shrine maiden, who was able to calm down the townsfolk on the promise of handling it the following day.
Which is why nobody thought anything of it when yet another stranger walked into town, strands of pink hair peeking out from the hood of her cloak.
Following her detour with Yuugi the previous day Satori was able to leave the Underworld without incident. Many of the residents were still reeling from what transpired at the end of her and Yuugi's sparring match, which meant that nobody really paid any attention to the small, hooded girl weaving her way through the streets. With no interruptions she was able to reach the edge of town, catch the attention of the kasha ferrying corpses, and hitch a ride in Orin's wheelbarrow just as she planned.
What she didn't anticipate, however, was just how tight the confines of the cart really were. She had ridden in Orin's cart before, of course, but in those cases she was simply sitting in it as Orin pushed her around. She never had to fully curl up and cover herself with a blanket like Orin does with corpses, which was necessary to transport the deceased from the surface to the Underworld, or vice versa in her case.
But that was the quickest way to the surface, and she had no time to waste in tracking down her friends. So, Satori stayed curled up in a tight little ball for the duration of the trip, focusing on anything but the fact that she was phasing through thousands upon thousands of metric tons of rock. By the time they reached the surface she all but leaped from the cart, and after thanking the kasha she made a note to never, ever travel that way again.
It was already night by the time she had reached the surface, but she did not sleep. Aside from having rested at Yuugi's earlier, she dreaded to think what nightmares might plague her dreamscape with all that's happened recently. Instead, Satori sat on the stump of a once large tree, tracing constellations among the stars while listening to the dreams of the slumbering forest.
The night passed slowly, and as it did Satori's thoughts drifted. She thought of Orin and Okuu, of course, a pang of guilt stabbing at her chest as she recalled their smiling faces. She thought of times long since passed, only to force those aside whenever they crept up on her, lest they get the better of her. More than anything, she thought of Yuugi's parting words.
Sometimes, all you can do is learn to enjoy things as they are, rather than how they once were.
Over and over those words rang in her head. She was no fool, she understood the oni's words and the meaning behind them perfectly. They were words of comfort, to try and reassure her should she fail in her quest. But she wasn't about to give up now. And even if she does fail, and nothing but an empty palace awaits her, she would never forgive herself if she didn't try.
She had to.
And so night slowly turned to day, the troubled satori eventually raising from the stump and heading for the human village where she now found herself.
To say that Satori was tense would be an understatement. While she was indeed nervous when entering the underground village, but at least there she had the reassurance that the oni wouldn't think much of her presence. Just another outcast among outcasts. But she's also only been chased off by oni a handful of times. Compared to the lifetime's worth of chaos she's caused in human villages that was nothing.
So, rather than put herself under even more stress by trying to utilize her sub-par social skills and ask for information on her friends, Satori wandered aimlessly though the streets hoping to pick up some clues among stray thoughts.
Got to make sure I get extra beets for dinner tonight.
I wonder what book I should get today?
So hungry…
Unfortunately, it seemed she would have to socialize after all, as even while the morning slowly moved on and everyone fully awoke, she was unable to gleam anything useful.
"Excuse me."
Satori startled and jumped aside, so caught up in examining those around her that she somehow didn't notice the man coming down the street until he was right behind her.
"S-Sorry," she stammered, keeping her head low.
Gods, I wish I didn't have to go fishing today. After yesterday the lake is the last place I want to be.
He passed by without a word, but his thoughts gave Satori pause. She could tell by his equipment that she was a fisherman, so why wouldn't he want to go to the lake? Had something happened here? She looked among the other humans, stealthy shifting her third eye beneath her cloak to follow her gaze.
I'm not opening shop today, not after yesterday.
Where is that boy with the delivery? Don't tell me he stayed home scared.
Please, please let today be a normal day with no surprises.
Satori furrowed her brows. Her suspicions were confirmed, something had happened here the other day, but it almost seemed like everyone was actively trying not to think about it. Now that she thought about it, everyone she scanned so far felt unusually guarded, like one does when they feel like they're in danger. Satori wouldn't know more unless she took a thorough look at someone, but even without doing so she could now sense the fear rolling off everyone.
"What happened…" she muttered to herself.
"You didn't hear?"
Again Satori jumped in surprise, letting out a little yelp as she spun around. An old man she had just seen exiting a building moments ago had come up beside her without her knowing, now giving her a puzzled look from her reaction. Mentally Satori berated herself for being snuck up on twice in such a short amount of time. Nonetheless, she quickly replied before he got suspicious.
"N-No, um, I didn't. What happened?"
"You really don't know? Two youkai came into town the other day and stirred up all kinds of trouble!"
"Really?" Satori asked. Two youkai, they could easily be Orin and Okuu. But her precious pets, stirring up trouble in the human village? Preposterous. She tried to take a closer look into his mind only for the old man to shove a finger in her face.
"What, you take me for a-"
"No sir, I do not think you are a liar. Please, excuse me."
She bowed her head and made a hasty exit, ignoring the suspicious thoughts he was sending her way. Once she was a good distance away she let out a deep breath, trying desperately to keep her calm. That scene was beginning to get uncomfortably familiar.
"That was close. But at least I have a lead to go on."
Looking around the village, now finally bustling with activity, Satori spotted a group of women standing together in the marketplace. Even from this distance she could look through their eyes and hear the gossip they were discussing. As much as she didn't want to put herself in the most crowed part of the village, they were likely her best bet at the moment for information. So, taking a deep breath, Satori approached to women, trying her best to appear innocent.
"So then what happened was-"
"Pardon me, but may I have a moment of your time?"
The women paused and looked around in confusion, before eventually looking down to see Satori standing there.
"Oh, hello," one of them said. "Can we help you?"
This again?
"Yes. You see, I'm looking for some friends of mine and was hoping you could help… me…"
Satori trailed off, seeing a dark look fill their eyes.
Just like that girl from yesterday.
She must be with them.
She looks human, but so did those other girls.
There must be something she's hiding under that cloak.
"Um, never mind…"
She nodded and turned to leave, dread settling in her stomach like a dead weight, only to feel something catch her cloak.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Oh no you don't!
"S-Stop!"
The woman pulled on her cloak just as Satori tried to pull free of her grasp, the old garment letting out a loud rip as the clasp in front failed. Satori stumbled forward, nearly landing face first in the dirt before catching herself at the last minute. All around her she heard everybody quiet down, the normal commotions of the village coming to a halt as everyone stopped and stared at her. Ice began filling her veins as their thoughts reached her.
A youkai?!
Another one?!
Is that an… eye?
She has to be connected with those two from yesterday!
Ah! The eye just looked at me!
What is she…?
"You!"
Satori spun around, seeing the old man from before emerging from stunned and frightened the crowd.
"You!" he repeated. "I knew there was something off about you!"
"No, you don't understand. I do not wish to hurt anyone-"
"Lies! I know your kind! You're a satori! A mind reader!"
A murmur spread among the crowd at the old man's words. Satori felt her heartbeat pounding in her chest.
"Yes, but-"
"But nothin'! My granddad told me stories about your kind! You go from town to town, readin' minds and spilling the secrets of everyone there! And now you've come here, to try and ruin our town!"
"That's not what I'm here to do!" Satori argued, keenly aware of the less than pleasant stares everyone was giving her. "I'm just looking for someone!"
"Those two youkai from yesterday?" the woman from before spoke up. "The same two who tried to attack us!?"
"Wha-"
Satori cut herself off as all around her, the thoughts of the humans all switched to the same memory, one of a dark and imposing shape down by the lakeside.
"Okuu…"
"You think you can just come in here and stir up trouble? After what your friends did the other day?"
"You probably sent them here on purpose, didn't you?"
"We aren't just gonna stand by and take it this time!"
Satori looked every way, only to be met with the incensed eyes of the villagers, their minds filled with nothing but hate and fear. Just like all those times in the past. No matter how long she isolates herself, the moment she steps foot in a human town all hell breaks loose. The same story, just a different date. She spotted an alleyway with nobody nearby and made a break for it.
"She's getting away!"
"Someone stop her!"
The humans chased after the youkai, but she quickly outpaced them. With eyes better adjusted to the dim lighting of the underground Satori was able to expertly duck and dodge around the various debris strewn about the alleyway, putting more and more distance between herself and the angry mob until they were just a faint noise in the distance.
But she didn't stop there. Satori ran through back alley after back alley until she reached the edge of town. Then she kept running still, weaving her way through trees instead of buildings, putting as much distance between herself and the village as possible. She finally came to a rest when her legs simply refused to go any further, sending her tumbling to the ground and staining her clothes with grass and dirt.
Satori spotted a hollow at the base of a grand tree and crawled her way into it, dragging with her some loose branches to throw over the opening. Once inside she curled up in a ball, hugging her knees to her chest.
"You're fine Satori. Everything's fine. Everything will be all right. It will be all right."
She sat there, quivering beneath the massive tree, muttering words of comfort to herself, heedless to the tears that have been streaming down her face the entire time.
"It will be all right…"
Some time later, after Satori had escaped and the villagers calmed down enough to return to their daily lives, two men were walking down the street filled with people. One of them had just come into town from his farm and his friend was filling him in on what had transpired.
"A satori? Here, in the village?"
"It's true. The thing had to nerve to walk among us like it was nothing!"
"My word, the youkai these days are so brazen…"
"Last I heard, it was heading east, out into the forest."
The men continued on, gradually switching to more mundane topics. However, had there been an onlooker, they might have noticed how once the men mentioned the satori, they briefly moved apart as the walked, as if stepping around something that had stopped in their path. This onlooker might then have noticed the empty space that the crowds seemed to be unknowingly stepping around, or how the empty space seemed to be moving eastward towards the forest.
Back on track! Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave a review, otherwise thank you for reading and stay turned for more!