``amid the falling snow

[wulfbayne]

[continued from ``and all the things you left behind]



The air was distastefully cold and its fingers penetrated even the thickest of clothing, but the cold was not something that discouraged Azusa's longing to be out within the snow, wrapped in a grey wool cloak. Her left arm was still bandaged and a dull pain still lingered, but the broken bone was well on its way to recovery and gave no hint of causing further trouble. A small smile came to the woman's lips. She might be a bad luck charm, yes, but she had much luck to counter her bad fortune.

It had been a little over a month now since Azusa's encounter with Akumu, the king of Aku. Since then she had visited the Mizuno lands for a brief few days in order to have her arm fixed. They had healed it as much as they could, but a bandage and small splint was required. As of now she had taken up residence in a small village a mile or so off the Travelers Trail. It was a small community of farmers, ones who were greatly devoted to their faith - and completely against demons. Ignoring the danger, though, Azusa had disguised herself and felt completely at home.

She had taken up a job at a bakery in the village. Her pay consisted of a few coins, some bread or pasteries, and even a jar of milk from time to time. She was happy to work there, though, especially during the winter, because the bakery was always warm and smelled sweet.

At this moment Azusa was free from work, and occupied with herself as she sat perched upon a small rock just outside of the village. Wrapped in a woolen shawl, Azusa watched as the sheep moved lazily through a frosted pasture. Wonder how long I'll be able to stay here, Azusa thought to herself. Human's weren't very observant, and often times let things slip past them so easily... but anyone would notice that she wasn't aging. She would only have a few years here without pushing it. Azusa sighed. A life of travel, only being able to stay in one place for a short few years. She could become part of the Mizuno clan, but doing so was asking too much of her. Hugging her legs close to her chest, Azusa rest her chin on her knees and watched the herd of puff go about the routine grazing.

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[Izumi, Yin]

Rowdy Izumi boys. They had escaped from their mothers and the teacher and eluded the cold eyes of Yin. Now they were within the village and causing mayhem while playing themselves off as mere poor boys with dark hair and eyes. Stealing from people and then making their animals run in chaos or stealing their chickens for a feast. The Izumi boys were under 10 years old but no less then 7. They looked like they could almost be twins with mirroring smirks and dirty faces. Faces that a mother would be whinning over and be cleaning them while giving grief. Then to complain over their dirty, raggy clothes and to change into something nicer and clean.

Hindari had been told by Yin of these two boys running off. It was now his duty to go and bring them back. Who knew what the boys could be doing right now? He was not aware of the mischief they were placing themself in. Though he had a slight guess of what they were doing. The two were known for trouble in the Izumi clan. Released in a human village and there could be a lot of problems for both the village and the Izumi.

As he entered the village his dark eyes shifted around to what seemed like a peaceful area. Not far some sheep were being herded and all seemed well - so far. Hindari moved slowly through the village and ignored some of the stares he got. Some of anger, others of fear, and then some awe-struck gazes of young women who did not know of a grieving heart yet and were naive to the world's cruelty. Some had even tried to catch his attention but had failed miserably as he stared on ahead. Then they would get snickered at by the ones who thought they were better and who would try - only to fail with the same misery. Hindari held no interest in wasting his time on them. He wasn't looking for any kind of relationship, after all.

Scattered feathers laid on the ground and some blood marks were within an alley. It was obvious the boys had been there and feasted when they had gotten hungry. Two carcasses that used to be chickens were carelessly left there to be discovered by some unsuspecting civilian. Hindari had decided to hide them just in case the village was to act with hostility. Though the small of the raw, dead chickens already made his nose wrinkle and he was quite sure any human who entered the alley would smell them, too. The chickens probably smelled as bad as the Izumi boys probably did. Often those rowdy boys needed a bath but it was found impossible to force them into any kind of water.

Heading his way toward the sheep herd he knew of their appetite. Growing boys could eat a lot and two mere chickens would probably not fill them. They would go after the sheep and try to get one of them unnoticed. Which would fail. He already saw a huge disruption as a shudder seemed to go through the sheep and they scattered. He moved quickly toward the pasture where he caught two glimpses of blurrs racing around - looking for the sheep they wanted to kill. Then he saw them both go to one and take it down in one swift bite. One bite to the jugular and the other to the back. The fluffly white creature was gone before it knew what happened and its dark blood stained the ground as the two boys began to feast after admiring their work.

"Hn," He sighed a bit in annoyance. Then strolled toward them, as they were oblivious to his presence. He lifted them up by their shirt collars and they jumped in shock, looking at him and recognizing who he was. He gave a disapproving look at the two which made them seem to shrink in apology. Then he just shook his head and began to drag the two away. They'd have to get home soon. As Yin would not be happy with them as it was.

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[wulfbayne]

Azusa had been in a peaceful, light doze. The air - although cool and crisp - held a deeply rooted serenity. She inhaled a chilled breath, wincing a bit as the iced air stung the moist tissue within her nose. Doing so excited a sneeze, which erupted in a warm fog as her breath met with winters. Heaving an agitated sigh from her shoulders, Azusa pushed the cloak from her hood back and looked up at the sheep. A mother and her wobbly newborn passed about her rock to greener grass. Soon there was a river of white about her and the silence was now filled with the sounds of munching sheep and the air was misted from their warm breaths. Reaching out, Azusa curled her fingers within the wool of a passer-by, delighting in the fact that this was one of her first times every being around sheep. She had always been around cattle or goats (two animals she was absolutely terrified of due to past experiences of being chased or rammed).

A soft sigh fell past her lips, followed by a short laugh. She was always getting herself into trouble, but things were justified because she always seemed to get out of those terrible situations right before her death. As she thought this a movement caught her eyes, something much too fast for a human being. Azusa stood up on the rock and pulled her shawl tighter about her shoulders. Where was it? Her masked eyes, which were brown for the time being, skimmed the sheep and noticed as a ripple of alarm surged through the puffy herd. Soon there were terrified cries as the sheep scattered every which way. One bounded over her rock, knocking Azusa from the rock and onto the ground. Alarmed animals hurled over her and others just missed stepping on her.

She was out of harms way in just a few moments. But her shawl was down for the count. A frustrated growl slipped past her lips and she looked about to find the source of the disturbance. Not two seconds later a sheep crashed to the ground before her with two dark shapes attached to it. The pungent smell of blood kissed Azusa's senses and she recoiled slightly - not only was it blood, there was the disgusting sweet scent of aged death. Azusa clamped her hand over her mouth and nose while her eyes adjusted to the scene in front of her.

There were two boys and a sheep. Dark hair, dark eyes, swift movements... demons. Izumi. A frown seeped across Azusa's face and she started towards the two with a scolding in mind. But someone had beat her to them. He held the twins by their shirts. Her steps hesitated a bit. Hindari? But, that aside, Azusa was upset by what the two children had done. Just because they were demons didn't give them any right to come gallivanting through a small village and destroy what they had worked to build. "Hey!" She called out, crossing her arms and walking over to the three. But that's where her rant suddenly came to a halt. A brick wall, we should say, because even if she demanded that they give some compensation for the deceased animals and property damage, Hindari was an unmoving force and would simply say it was 'in demon nature' (or give some stupid excuse like that) and go back to whatever he had been doing before. But, hey? Why not give it a shot? Moving before the three, Azusa crossed her arms tightly across her chest and shifted her eyes about the three. "You're not leaving until you help gather all the sheep - and pay for what you have devoured." Azusa motioned with one hand towards the sheep that lay dead, it's fuzz saturated with blood. At this moment, blocking their way from leaving, Azusa felt she was her own brick wall. Well, Azusa thought, let's see how he reacts if I give him a dose of his own medicine.

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[Izumi, Yin]

The two Izumi boys hung almost limp in Hindari's hands. Both of them were frowning at him yet they were quiet. It was the eldest of the two, probably only by a few days or weeks, who spoke up first.
"Bs'us vissl, Hindari-sensei. Bs bsus zyokul." He seemed to try and make himself slump a bit. His eyes were apologetic and innocent as he begged the older Izumi for forgiveness. It would be bad enough to get a tongue lashing from Yin and then both their mother's. They'd never hear the end of it for a while. Doing dangerous things that could get them killed. But at least his younger siblings would get a kick out of it. He couldn't wait to go and brag to them while they sat and stared in awe with their mouth gaping. The boy had five younger siblings and the one beside him was an only child. Sometimes he envied his best friend.

Hindari merely shook his head at the boys and dropped them, watching them land on all fours then get back onto two legs like a normal human would. He faintly wondered how they were fairing on learning human behavior. Speaking of human behaviors...a language not Izumi had caught his attention and made him turn his head. There was that woman yet again and this time she was acting quite demanding. Hindari tilted his head a bit at her and his eyes shifted toward the sheep slightly. Sighing a bit, he knew it wasn't wise to leave it out like this. So he pointed to the sheep that was not yet fully eaten.
"Gqsaeo ex."

Instantly the boys were on the sheep again and began to devour it to soon there was little to nothing left. Then they buried the bones and looked rather proud of themselves, chuckling and high-fiving each other. Then they looked around for the other sheep, wondering what was to become of them. Their wondering eyes looked at Hindari and awaited their fate. Hindari merely shrugged at them and told them rather sharply to go home. So the two Izumi boys scurried and pushed straight past Azusa and took off for home as fast as they could. It wouldn't be too pretty when they got home.

Hindari looked toward Azusa quietly. He had gotten rid of the sheep for her. Well, the boys had...Hindari hadn't cared how they did it. He had just told them to clean it. So they had cherished the open opportunity and ate it. As for the other sheep he cared not much for them. The shepard made his living herding them, anyways.

[/size]

[wulfbayne]

Appalled by the feasting friend, Azusa looked away and sighed. She hadn't meant that they finished the thing off, more that they should pay for what they had so quickly claimed as their meal. She shook her head a bit and let her arms drop to her sides. The villagers here were already suffering from the veil of everlasting darkness, and now their resources relied on their few spell casters (to keep the plants alive) and the dwindling livestock that roamed the shrinking pastures. It was a very poor town, and something like this could be rather devastating. Shifting a bit, as to not allow the boys to touch her as they sped past, Azusa glanced out at the bundle of sheep who were slowly being brought together. To her own slight amusement, Azusa wondered if it had anything to do with static cling. She laughed a bit at her silent joke before sinking back into the reality of things.

Her now brown eyes shifted back to the Izumi male and a soft frown captured her features. Well, they had cleaned up the mess... but that didn't make up for anything. "I said pay," she finally said, her voice a bit distant, "not hide the evidence." She shook her head a bit and brushed several strands of loose bangs behind her ears. Lately she had been wearing her long hair (which she had shifted the shade to a dulled bleached blonde so that she could hide her identity within the village) in a braided fashion. She wasn't partial to the style, but working in the bakery had required she wear her hair back - unless she wanted it to catch fire, or end up with doughy hair.

"With money," she continued, "and I'm not letting you go until you do." A burst of courage swelled in Azusa's chest as she squared her shoulders and replaced her hands on her hips. "Something like a missing sheep is costly to this village, and just because you're a demon doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to walk out of here with a complimentary sheep dinner."

Her eyes studied Hindari, and her thoughts began to sink back into other thoughts. Like her dreams... and her attempts to follow his advice as well as stay out of trouble. But... whenever there was trouble for her he seemed to be around and she started to wonder what misfortune would affect her life today... other than the sheep, but that affected the village as a whole. Besides, Azusa was down right certain she'd make him pay for that sheep. If he didn't have money, she'd make him work off the debt.

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[Izumi, Yin]

Hindari's gaze remained his normal emotionless one. He cared not what she had meant, he had ordered them to get rid of the evidence. Her words really had no affect on the demon at all and he gave her a bored blink. There was nothing she could make him do if he didn't find it needed. He was like she described, a force that couldn't be moved. He looked at her appearance and noticed how it looked different. If she had been an Izumi, Yin would've killed her for it. But she wasn't even a part of a clan so it mattered not. Hindari did not concern himself with such silly thoughts. Reaching into his pocket he brought out a pouch of coins.

"Here, then," he tossed it to her, "all that I have." He yawned, "not that it's needed. Yin wanted me to get some for her for some reason." Who knows what Yin was going to do with human money? Probably use it as bribery or something. But he could always get more as it wasn't hard to steal from a human.

[/size]

[wulfbayne]

Doubting the fact the demon had any money on him, Azusa was surprised when he produced a small coin purse from his pocket and tossed it at her. She clumsily caught it with a surprised blink and glanced at him momentarily before looking at the contents of the pouch. There was more than enough in here for what had been wasted, but she didn't care... and she doubted he cared either. "Oh," was all she could get out at the moment. To tell you the truth she was a bit disappointed that he had the money... she was kind of looking forward to making him do some kind of labor. Just to keep him around a little longer- ... what was she thinking?! She wanted nothing to do with him. The jerk. "Thank you," she said curtly and gave him a sharp nod. Maybe she could buy herself a new shawl with the extra money.

She turned sharply upon her heel and started back towards the village with swift strides, but her pace slowed to a stop about half way to the rock where she had dropped her shawl. Her eyes observed the pouch in her hands. A gentle sigh slipped through her lips and she grasped the coin pouch tightly in her hand. She felt like she was drowning and there was nothing to hold onto, no hand offered to her, no bottom to this sea of emotions which had so suddenly swept her off her feet. She wanted to look back at him, but doing so would admit to something profound within her... something Azusa wasn't ready to face at all. She was much too young and naive to face that part of life... and she was much too out of place. To look back at Hindari was to admit that somewhere within her, Azusa had a growing love for him. I barely know him, she told herself as a frown took hold of her soft features, and this feeling... it was spawned by a dream. I don't really know him, he didn't even tell me his name - he doesn't even know my name. On top of that... what would he ever want with a demon who has always thought of themselves as a human?

It didn't matter though. It was there and soon she would either have to confront it... or let it wilt. Tying the coin purse to her belt, Azusa continued towards the rock and picked up her shawl. By then a group of men were running towards her. On man stopped beside her while the other's continued towards Hindari. He gripped her shoulder and asked if she was alright. "Yes," Azusa replied with a slight nod. "But don't hurt him!" She exclaimed, suddenly realizing the village men were seeking revenge for the chaos. "He's a demon, there's no value in his life," the man said with a slight laugh, "why do you care so much?" Azusa frowned a bit and took the purse in her hand and held it up to the man. "He already paid for the damage and the sheep he killed. He won't be doing anymore harm, so just leave him be." The man frowned and snatched the purse from Azusa's hand and proceeded to count its contents. "There's more than enough in here to pay for what's been damaged," he said with a grand smile. "I'll be able to buy some luxury items for myself." Azusa frowned. That was the money she was going to use for a new shawl... there was no use speaking out, though, he'd simply tell her to work harder.

The men approached Hindari quickly. Two strung their bows and knocked an arrow while they took a knee as they aimed. Two men approached him quickly with a net and another murmured something a few moments before a blinding light drowned everything in a flash of light. As the light spread out the archers released their arrows towards the Izumi male while the other two men attempted to capture the male in the net. Startled, Azusa stumbled into the man in front of her and gripped his shirt. "W-what was that!?" Azusa exclaimed, looking behind her. "A spell a caster will use to impair an Izumi," the man explained. "It normally works - and it's so bright it can still blind someone with their eyes closed." That wasn't all too fair... "He paid, though," Azusa said, "why capture him?" The man shrugged a bit. "There's a bounty for that exact demon," the man said with a grin. "As well as a Mizuno female. The king of Aku placed him on the list not too long ago." Azusa's stomach twisted a bit. She was being hunted, too? That meant she absolutely couldn't be discovered, or else... "How are you going to hold him?" Azusa asked with a frown. "We have our ways." The man replied with a smug grin as he watched the scene ahead unfold.

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