My favorite characters right now are Washi and Meimu.
Washi led Sorano through a veritable maze of houses before stopping in front of one at the edge of town. He looked back for a moment, eying the girl trough his bluish bangs, before walking right in. "Dad!" His yell permeated the small cottage and probably the surrounding ones as well.
"Washi," a voice responded through a doorway at the far end of the room, "what have I told you about yelling in the house?" The man who emerged from the other room was clearly the boy's father. He had the same blue hair, held back with a simple cloth headband as it hung a little longer than his ears. In his arms he held a toddler who was obviously curious as to the other girl's presence. The man's dark eyes also landed on Sorano, taking in her strange appearance. "Washi," he said once more, handing the little girl to her brother, "watch Suzume for me." He stepped closer to blond girl. "I am Kijuuki. However, you may call me Tasuki. We've been waiting for you, Priestess of Suzaku."
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When she opened her eyes once more, Michi could only see darkness. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted and found that she was in a cave. To her right, she could see a bit of the lake she had previously passed out in. The reflections off the water rippled over bits of the cave wall. However, her location was more or less free from any of these. She sat up slowly, the blanket sliding down to her waist. Opposite the lake, her school uniform was drying. That, of course, begged the question of what, exactly, she was wearing. Looking down, she saw that she was still clothed in her bra and underwear.
A voice and clink of ceramic on stone brought her attention away from her (lack of) attire. "Here, eat." The speaker was a young woman, skin tanned and hair bleached from spending too much time in the sun. She gestured for Michi to try the meal she had provided, and the highschooler was glad to oblige. After a few bites, she thought it polite to introduce herself. "I'm Kinjo Michi."
"You may call me Akumu."
There was silence for a few moments before Michi spoke up once more. "Do you know how far I am from Tokyo?"
Akumu frowned.
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The storm just around Kameko halted as the figures stopped before her. The man was wearing an eye patch on one eye and a fur hat covered his short hair. "I am Mizore," he told the girl.
"Watanabe Kameko," she responded, marveling at the lack of a blizzard in her immediate vicinity.
Mizore took her hand. "Follow me, Kameko-san. You need to get away from this storm."
Kameko, with no other options, went with him.
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Meimu, Abigail mused, was very cute. His long hair was neatly tied back with a ribbon and his green eyes sparkled with mischief. She smiled at him as he led her out back for her work.
"Abigail Russell," he said, struggling to pronounce it properly. "That's a strange name."
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm from a different country that speaks a different language."
"Really? That's interesting." He paused as they approached a large tub. "You do know how to do laundry, right?"
Abigail eyed the large tub warily. "I can try."
Meimu grinned. "That's good enough. Joshu's already filled up the tub and brought out the linens." He leaned down to pick up one of the dirty sheets and his ponytail fell over his shoulder. On the nape of his neck, Abigail could see the kanji for 'shell' shining a bright blue.
"What's that on your neck?" she asked.
The boy looked at her after having successfully retrieved the sheet. "Have you heard the legend of the Priestess of Seiryuu?"
Whee! Another chapter down!