Crouching Tiger Hidden Yokai
Chapter 1: Yokai
Hiddy let out a harsh breath as she drove her katana, the legendary Onimaru Kunitsuna, into the skull of a rather relentless Mezuki that had been swinging at her for the better part of an hour. The yokai let out one last shriek, an impressive feat considering her blade was driven all the way through its skull, before finally collapsing and fading away into amrita. One of the perks of being half yokai was the ability to absorb said amrita and become stronger from it, which is how Hiddy went from barely being able to fight a Gaki to taking down the likes of Otakemaru. Throwing the golden blood off her weapon with a single flick of her wrist, Hiddy sheathed said weapon before turning around to continue on her journey up the slopes of Mount Fuji. Word had reached both Hiddy and Mumyo that the yokai in the area started acting up, descending from the mountain to attack the local towns of Gotemba, Fujiyoshida, Fujinomiya, and Fuji.
"Hey, are you alright?" speak of the yokai hunter and she shall appear, switchblade in hand, "It looked like this one worked you just a bit too rough."
Hiddy simply tilted her head, remaining true to her vow of silence and ultimate unwillingness to talk, but Mumyo had slowly begun to understand what she was trying to express. Tokichiro, may his soul be at peace, had become fluent in the language that was Hiddy and they would hold conversations for miles even though it was only Tokichiro doing the talking. Now it was Mumyo's turn, or it would be if she even bothered to hold a conversation for more than five minutes. Hiddy and Mumyo were a lot alike in their desire to speak through actions, or in this case cutting down yokai, and any time they had to rest was often in silence next to a roaring campfire.
"Right, what was I thinking. You have the healing rate of a yokai and that armor isn't anything to scoff at," Mumyo grinned just a bit, reaching up to lower the snarling oni mask that covered the bottom half of Hiddy's face, revealing three scars that ran across her otherwise smooth skin like some bastardized smile.
Mumyo frowned when Hiddy pushed her mask back into place just a few seconds later, making sure it was strapped securely, before turning to continue along the path without a second thought. Out of the hundreds of yokai Mumyo knew Hiddy carved a bloody path through, through skill and sheer force of will, none had left a mark on her like the one Tokichiro did. It was Hiddy's hesitation that was to blame; hesitation in cutting down one of the few people that didn't persecute her for being half yokai. He'd nearly cut Hiddy's jaw off because of it and it was only because of her yokai half that she even survived to fight Kashin Koji when he suddenly appeared. Since that day and almost three years later, Hiddy wore that mask to cover the scars. Even after Tokichiro redeemed himself by saving her life, begging for her forgiveness with his forehead pressed into the dirt.
"I suppose we all have our own masks," the yokai hunter whispered, pulling her own mask back down and silently following her friend.
For the next hour they travel in silence, the local yokai following them in the trees but not daring to attack the two women. Hiddy spent the time recounting her travels, the truths that were finally revealed to her after so long, and why she'd been born with pure white hair unlike everyone else. She'd never be as beautiful as her mother, Miyoshino the yokai, but at least she could take up the sword like her father did.
There was a flash of movement from the shadows before a figure leap at Hiddy, jagged horns glowing atop their head!
Hiddy could see them in her mind; her right hand gripping the hilt of her blade!
She gazed upon them with her slit blue eyes; her blade was drawn with practiced grace.
The yokai, looking so much like a normal man save for the horns on his head, was dead before his feet could even touch the ground!
Growls and snarls, like that of wild beasts, soon dominated the once silent mountainside as glowing eyes glared at the two women from the shadows. Mumyo was at Hiddy's back in a matter of seconds, switchglaive still in its collapsed made but dangerous nonetheless. No words were spoken, none needed to be, and the surrounding yokai wouldn't give them the chance regardless. They came out like a swarm; men, women, and even little children sporting the horns that labeled them as anything but what they appeared to be.
As they charged, the whole area was suddenly covered in shadows as red flowers sprung to life. A pair of horns, resembling thicker versions of Miyoshino's, appeared atop of Hiddy's forehead as well with her eyes now glowing a lighter blue than their normal color. It was Hiddy that drew first blood; her purity infused blade gliding through yokai flesh like air. The creature's body, resembling that of a young girl, fizzled out into nothingness.
Mumyo wasn't slacking off either, dancing across the ground with her massive weapon shifting between it's three forms almost faster than one could blink. There was no more hesitation in her movements than there was in Hiddy's, making them both appear as murderers cutting down innocent people to anyone watching. From scythe to glaive, from glaive to compact, and from compact back to scythe, Mumyo was a force of nature that any yokai was smart to steer clear of.
"Hiddy, behind you!" Mumyo was in motion before the words completely left her mouth, throwing her scythe through the air and impaling a Yoki right through the heart.
Hiddy returned the gesture in kind by throwing Mumyo her sword as she lept through the air to grab the switchglaive from the now vanishing yokai. Her hands found purchase upon the weapon and almost immediately it was put back to work, cleaving a full grown man in half from brain to balls.
A roar was the only warning either of them received before a massive Gozuki came charging down the path and right at them. Hiddy knew she wouldn't be able to move in time, especially if it meant Mumyo would take the hit for her, and so the halfbreed did the first thing that came to mind. A massive white viper suddenly came to life around Hiddy, the only indication that something was about to happen, before an explosion of light lit up the night sky. Hiddly felt the other half of her heritage take over, forcing her body to change and the weapon in her hand to change with it.
Her skin hardened until it was like forced steel, thankfully covering up the majority of her now exposed chest, and the once elegant weapon was a massive club that looked to be made of boiling lava. It was at that moment the Gozuki slammed into Hiddy, only this time she caught the bull by the horns and dug in deep. It was quite a sight to behold, at least for Mumyo, watching someone so small stop a beast so big right in its tracks. With a primal roar, the halfbreed twisted the Gozuki's head to the point Mumyo thought her partner might just rip it off! Which she almost did by giving one more bone chilling war-cry and twisting the yokai's head all the way around until it was facing forward again.
All the other yokai paused at that, almost hesitating, but this ended up costing them because Hiddy's primal half burned for the taste of yokai blood! She surged towards the nearest one like a true berserker, lifting up an old woman looking yokai by the face before slamming her into the ground with a thunderous boom. The next got torn in half. The on after that was smashed by the spike covered club.
Crushed.
Pummeled.
Ripped apart!
TORN TO PIECES!
HAD ITS HEART RIPPED OUT AND EATEN RIGHT BEFORE ITS VERY OWN EYES!
"Rrrrraaaaaggggghhhh!" Hiddy cried out, suddenly lunging at Mumyo only to grab the poor yokai that had been sneaking up on her, ripping the creature's throat out with claws as sharp as any blade.
In a fight that should have taken them the better part of an hour to get through, Hiddy took care of in less than twenty minutes. When it was all said and done, the world around them shifting back to normal, Hiddy's yokai form just stood there breathing deeply. Mumyo hesitated to approach her friend, years of hunting yokai and halfbreeds warned her to stay away at all cost, but those same teachings were crushed under the weight of how much she trusted this halfbreed. Hiddy had earned her trust, she'd suffered for years holding evil at bay, and was the one yokai the hunter could never bring herself to strike down.
"Hiddy, are you calm?" Mumyo would never admit to yelping when the yokai woman shot her hand out and grabbed the front of her armor, pulling the hunter face to face.
Hiddy's face was close, her glowing blue eyes lidded, and for some reason Mumyo didn't feel the need to try and escape. There was a flash of light, bright enough to make the hunter close her eyes, and Hiddy was suddenly back in her human form. She was getting faster at that; reclaiming her human body and suppressing the instincts that came with being a yokai. Then, as expected, the silent woman's legs gave out and Mumyo had to catch her.
"Honestly, you're so reckless," they'd have to set up camp, Hiddy needed to rest after pushing her yokai form so much and Mumyo could use something to eat, "Just rest for now; I'll be here when you wake up."
It was a shame Mumyo never noticed another figure watching them from the woods. Taller than most humanoid yokai, but looking like the silhouette of a persona with a crown of antlers on his head. He was also completely naked, but was covered in a glow of soft gold that turned nearly pure white at the tops of his antlers. This was the God of Light, one of many gods that rule throughout the cosmos and create a multitude of life wherever they go.
"You've taken an interest," a voice spoke from the heavens, drawing the Gods' attention.
"Yes," was all the golden god said, his form slowly shifting into that of a dragon, "They are the ones I choose."
"Will you look over them?" the voice asked, a hint of warning as to what would happen if the answer wasn't up to par.
"She is already a white snake, but by the end they will both be dragons."
"When the time is right, send her to me."
The God of Light didn't respond, instead his heavenly dragon form took to the skies before diving down upon the two unsuspecting women like a bolt of lightning from the heaven's themselves. Mumyo was knocked out almost instantly, collapsing on top of the still unconscious Hiddy, and so missed the breathtaking sight of soaring through the very stars. Earth was gone in the blink of an eye, any roles they might have played being meaningless for both hunters, and another world replaced it. A shattered mood, a broken landmass, and the unmistakable feeling of a godless domain was what awaited them.