Original LN: Journey of Ours [COMPLETE]

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Whiteblue
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Original LN: Journey of Ours [COMPLETE]

Post by Whiteblue »

Hello, Whiteblue here. I am an amateur writer and artist, and this is my first finished work. It is a one-shot, so it's complete at Volume 1. I'll post the first few chapters here first, and post the rest if you guys want to read the rest. Have fun.

Story Synopsis:
The tale of a demon child and her life together with her mother and mentor. Fay was born a demon, but was raised as a human. Even so, what would the people think of her?
The tale of the young, spirited girl in a village of festivities. Born into the world beneath a full moon, Luna led a carefree life, always smiling and cheerful. But how long will that last?
This is the story of their lives before they met, and how they came to be.

Image

Chapter 1:
Spoiler! :
364 - Spring

Fay was born with red eyes. The hair on her head was pure white, making her stand out among the rest of the village children. Fay was a little different, but no one thought anymore than that.

However when Fay was five years old, her ears grew longer and her teeth lengthened like fangs. Fay was not a human child, but a demon. Humans and demons did not get along well, and in most places strife between the two races are not uncommon.

Fay's mother was called Noa. Even though Fay was born a demon, Noa still loved her as her daughter. Fay never knew her father, for he died a few months before she was born from an illness.

Fearing a drastic reaction from the villagers upon discovering Fay's true nature, Noa decided to leave the village and seek a new place to live in, one that would at least tolerate Fay's existence.

It was a silent farewell. Noa brought along whatever she could carry and together with Fay, they left their old house at the break of dawn.

Sometimes, they would travel on foot. Other times they would be lucky enough to find a carriage. Noa made sure to hide Fay's ears under a hooded cloak, but none of the coachmen cared enough to even check.

Noa had led a frugal and simple life, and never needed to spend any money on clothing as long as she had a bit of fabric and her sewing needle. But her savings had began dwindling long ago, and all she had left was a small portion of it.

Several days passed before Noa and Fay arrived in a small, secluded village. Noa had heard rumors that before the war, humans and demons managed to coexist in certain villages.

Secluded and uncommon, but they existed. This was one of them, and as Noa approached one of the villagers at the outskirts of the village, she hoped that the custom had not been broken. As long as they could stay, Noa did not mind even if they had to live in an abandoned house.

“We do have a place just like that, but...”

The middle-aged farmer scratched the back of his head, glancing at the child in the mother's arms. His eyes narrowed as he noticed her strange appearance, turning back to Noa in uncertainty. The child looked no more than five years old, but there was no mistaking the demonic traits she had. But under those traits was a face showing signs of prolonged fatigue.

Sensing the farmer's uncertainty, Noa took a deep breath and mustered her courage.

“My daughter is a demon.”

In order to live together with as little problems as possible, Noa had decided against hiding the truth. Of all the places they have passed through, none of them would accept a demon living amongst them. In some cases, they were chased out without hesitation.

Many years ago, a war broke out between the humanoids and demons. The humanoids prevailed in the end, but many were left bitter with the deaths of their loved ones and families. Along with the growing bitterness in their hearts, their unwillingness to co-exist with their past invaders grew as well. In time, demons gradually disappeared into hiding, even the harmless ones.

Demons were no longer hunted, but neither were they accepted into normal society.

The farmer remained silent. He had guessed Fay's true nature when he saw her, but Noa's words confirmed his suspicions.

Noa waited patiently for the farmer to speak. If they were denied entrance, they would once again have depart. However Fay was already tired out from their nomadic lifestyle, with Noa's savings dwindling with each departure. She was unsure of how long they would last.

When the farmer finally opened his mouth to speak, Noa braced herself for the inevitable.

“Please wait a moment. Stay around here, but do not enter.”

The farmer turned away from Noa and ran into the village.

Noa, who expected the farmer to say no, stood surprised. He did not agree, but he did not decline either. As long as there was a chance, she would not give up hope.

With Fay asleep in Noa's arms, she paced around the outskirts of the village until the farmer returned moments later.

“The elder wants to see you. Follow me.”

Noa had expected this. As she followed the farmer into the village, she prayed that the elder would be understanding.

*

Noa was in the village elder's house. She sat on a cushion placed on the carpeted floor, with Fay still fast asleep in her lap. Other than the elder and a handful of villagers with them, Noa was surprised there were no armed guards in the room. Holding Fay firmly in her arms, Noa waited for the elder to speak.

“I have heard you are seeking residence in our village, yes?”

“Yes, elder.”

Ever since the war ravaged our village, we have not seen a single demon. Until you came along.”

Noa felt a twinge of despair. She had thought a village that once accepted demons might do the same even after the war. But if what the elder said was true, then that was not the case. Moreover, if they had been attacked before...

“We enjoy peace, and dislike trouble. We will not shun you away, but you are not exactly welcome here either. If it were only you, however...”

Noa's lips trembled as she began to speak. She had heard this many times before, to abandon her daughter or dispose of her to be granted entry, to which her reply was always the same.

“My daughter is everything to me. I will not leave her.”

“Your daughter is a demon.”

“......”
There was nothing Noa could say. Fay was a demon, she could not deny that.

“My daughter may be a demon... But she has never harmed anyon in her life.”

The elder sighed.

“Hana, what do you think?”

A young woman stood up from the corner of the room house. The moment she took a step forwards, Noa let out a small gasp. She felt a strong pressure in the air and froze, watching as the woman slowly made her way in front of Noa, facing the elder.

The woman had long, straight black hair. Her clothes were simple and plain, suited to those you would call village commoners. Her black eyes looked relaxed, but her gaze was sharp. Her posture was upright and her movements precise, with a hint of grace.

Noa had never seen one before, but she had heard of them.

During the war, powerful beings took part in either sides. They looked every bit like a human, but was nothing like them. Referred to as war maidens, they are warrior women that had been blessed with spiritual energy, enabling them to perform superhuman feats and various different powers.

The spiritual energy also stops the maiden from aging, potentially allowing them to never die. Hana may look like a twenty year old woman, but Noa cannot be sure of her true age.

Hana walked towards Noa, her footsteps against the wooden floorboard the only thing that could be heard in the silent room. Her long, flowing sleeves fluttered as she moved, her steps graceful and strong.

Hana then sat down face to face with Noa, gazing into her eyes.

Wordlessly, Hana stretched out her arms as if to receive something, and Noa tensed up. War maidens were known for killing demons, and Noa would rather die before she let Hana do that.

“Be calm. I do not harm humans.”

“Eh?”

Hana's words puzzled Noa.

“Hmm? Explain, Hana.”

The elder seemed just as surprised as Noa, but his expression only changed for a second. He had probably seen and heard many extraordinary things, and it was difficult to surprise him for long.

“Yes. What is the child's name?”

“... Fay.”

Hana nodded, her gaze completely fixed onto Noa.

“Fay is a demon, but she is also human.”

“What do you...?”

Hana raised her hand as if to stop Noa.

“I will explain in simple terms. Please listen.”

Noa nodded and stayed silent.

“This child- Fay. Before she was born, a demon had possessed her, in your womb. When she was born, the demon soul took control of the body over the human soul. That is your demon-child.”

“Two souls...?”

“The demon soul is the dominant one, while the human soul remains dormant inside her.”

“Hmm? If that is so, Hana, might there be-”

“No, elder. It has been too long since the two souls have been in one body. They are inseparable.”

“Mmm... So to destroy the demon soul would mean to destroy the human soul as well?”

“That is correct.”

Noa never thought she would hear about something like this. She should be feeling confused and conflicted, but she felt strangely calm. Her daughter was not one, but two. However, this did not bother her, because-

“Even so, Fay is still my daughter, demon or human. That fact does not change, and neither will my stand.”

The elder frowned.

“Do you think you're in any position to argue with our decisions?”

“...!”

Noa lowered her head. She would bow, but Fay was still sleeping in her lap, and she did not want to wake her. Noa knew she was in no position to argue or bargain, and remained silent.

The elder was conflicted. He had no qualms about letting them stay, but the other villagers might not agree otherwise.

There was a time where in their village, humans and demons worked together to live in harmony. The elder wanted to try bringing back those believes, but it was difficult to sway the hearts of humans.

“Elder, have you heard of the tale about the child who was raised by wolves?”

“Hmm?”

“Hana turned around to face the elder.

“Once, there was a human boy, abandoned by his parents. A baby in the forest, helpless and unable to defend himself. One day, a wolf came by and found the boy. Instead of attacking him, the wolf raised him up.”

Hana paused for a moment before continuing.

“When the boy had grown up, he could not speak human language, nor could he live amongst other humans. Instead, he led a pack of wolves and hunted together with them. They defended their territory fiercely, and ruled the forest.”

Hana paused again for several seconds to let everyone in the room think about her story before continuing.

“A human child raised by wolves will grow up to be a wolf. Likewise, a demon-child raised by a human mother will grow up to be like a human.”

“......”

Save for a few whispers amongst the villagers, the room was silent. The elder closed his eyes as if to consolidate his thoughts.

“And what, may I ask, will happen should the child grow up to become a demon instead?”

“If that is the case, I will destroy her myself.”

Hana turned towards Noa and Fay. Noa could say nothing under her piercing gaze, but she knew that if things turned out that way, she would be powerless to stand up to Hana. Yet, Hana's eyes showed no signs of warning or killing intent. Instead, Noa detected a faint hint of sadness.

Hana's words seemed to have swayed the elder, who sighed and stood up.

“Very well. You two can stay. But Hana, you are to watch the child carefully. Since you spoke for them, you now share the responsibility.”

“Yes, elder.”

Noa stood up with Fay in her hands, and bowed.

“Thank you, elder!”

*

“My, my.”

In front of Noa and Fay was their new home. It was not very big, but her previous house was smaller in comparison, and that had already been plenty for a mother and her child.

However, the house had clearly been abandoned for a long time. As few travelers passed through the village, even lesser had thought of settling down in such a rural area.

The house had everything. The living room was particularly large, along with a kitchen, bathroom, and three small bedrooms.

However, long-term abandonment had caused wear and tear everywhere possible. There were holes in the ceiling with dust everywhere, not to mention the amounts of debris laying all over the place.

The house was also far away from the village center, and the most out of place. In fact, it was located atop a small hill, and Noa could see most of the village from where she stood. Not many villagers would ever have the need to pass by.

“Mmm, this will take quite some time to fix.”

“... Uh...?”

Fay had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Mother?”

Fay looked around, taking in the new environment.

“Where are we?”

Noa gently stroked Fay's hair, a smile on her face.

“This is our new home, Fay.”

Fay stared and the mess of a house for a moment before yawning. At that moment, a small wooden beam fell from the ceiling, crashing into the wooden floorboards and kicking up dust.

Fay giggled.

“Looks weak.”

“Don't you worry, mother will fix it up, and then we can live together in peace again. No more running around, you'd like that, won't you?”

Fay nodded with a big grin on her face and jumped down from her mother's arms. She began running around their new home, the floorboards creaking whenever she took a step.

“Hey now, Fay, be careful!”

Fay giggled but did not stop. She searched every corner of the house, peeking into the rooms and pulling open all the doors. Every time she did so, a cloud of dust would rise up and she would cough, then laugh and run to the next room.

When she was done exploring the inside, Fay ran around outside. The ground was not brown with dirt like she was used to, but full of green grass. Fay saw a broken down shed and ran towards it, finding several different tools needed for farming stored in there. However, they were all rusty.

Fay ran to the back of the house, and saw a huge tree growing in the backyard. Fay hoped that it would bear lots of big fruits so she could pick them.

Occasionally, Fay would see a bug, but she did not mind. When she saw a butterfly, she would try to catch it, but fall and land on the grass. Fay would then laugh and jump up again, continuing her journey around her new home.

“You have a lively child.”

“Hyah!”

Noa, who was watching Fay, jumped a little at the voice behind her. Spinning around quickly, she saw Hana, dressed in the same way as she was before.

“Apologies, I did not mean to startle you.”

“No, it's fine...”

Noa walked to the house and sat down on the porch, then slapped the wooden floor beside her a couple times, beckoning Hana to join her.

The two of them sat in silence for a while as they watched Fay run around, until Noa finally spoke.

“Thank you for your help back there. Fay and I probably would've never been able to stay without your words.”

“......”

“If you don't mind me asking, why did you help us?”

Hana had probably killed many demons in her time. Noa could not imagine why she would choose to help Fay, knowing full well she was a demon.

“The child may be a demon, but there is human in her. As I have said before, I do not harm humans.”

“Oh...”

Of all the times Noa had heard Hana speak, her tone was firm and had little emotion to them. It was no different this time.

“But also...”

“Hmm?”

“I have fought in the war from start to end, and survived. I am tired. All my life I have been fighting. For how long, I do not know. I have put my past behind me, but I do not know how I should live.”

Hana paused, but Noa did not say anything, thinking that she still had more to say.

“Perhaps, I am only looking for a change. My purpose was to fight, but I grow tired of fighting. And yet, fighting is all I know.”

Hana suddenly stood up, and slowly began making her way towards the direction of the village.

“Seeing you and your child has given me some thought. Perhaps now would be a good time for me to seek change.”

“Everyone has their own paths to follow. Some of us might've never been able to choose who we become, but everyone can choose what she becomes.”

Hana said nothing. She reached into her left sleeve and pull out a folding fan. With a quick flick of her wrist, the fan unfolded in an instant. It was a normal paper fan, but Noa thought it suited Hana well.

“I will be leaving now. But I will remember your words, miss...”

Noa stood up and bowed.

“My name is Noa. Fay and I will be in your care from now on.”

“... Noa. I will come visit again soon. There is much I would like to discuss, as well as your child, Fay.”

Before Hana made her way back, Noa stopped her. She had a question that she wanted to ask ever since she met her.

“Wait, Hana! May I call you Hana?”

“If that is what you wish. What is it?”

“... Exactly how old are you?”

“...... Hmph.”

Hana turned away, a slight smile on her face. It was the first time Noa had seen Hana smile. When Hana spoke, her voice was softer, unlike her usual speech devoid of emotion.

“It's rude to ask that of a maiden.”

And with that, Hana left.

“Mother, who was that?”

“Mmm?”

Fay was standing in front of Noa, a questioning expression on her face. Noa picked her up and sat her on her lap, patting her head.

“Just a friend. You'll see her again soon, be sure to introduce yourself properly then, okay?”

“Yeah!”

Soon, the sun would set. Noa and Fay would have to sleep on the floor tonight, and clean up the house the next day. Noa would have to do much around the house, but Fay would help her. Fay knew that there was much to learn, and every single day would be different from what she was used to before. But Fay looked forward to every one of those days.

*

Two days passed since Noa and Fay moved into their new home. It was afternoon and Noa was on the rooftop, hammering away. She spent most of the past two days patching up the ceiling, worrying that the rain may come soon. Fortunately, they were spared with sunny skies.

No rain came, but the wild animals did. None of them came close enough to disturb Noa, as Fay's demonic presence made them wary.

“There we go.”

Having at last finished fixing the rooftop, Noa wiped the sweat off her forehead, sighing in relief. Had it rained before she was finished, the bedrooms would have been flooded, and they would have to sleep on the tables.

Noa slowly made her way across the roof, threading carefully on the wooden boards. The ladder she used was old, but still usable. However, it creaked in a way that worried Noa, and she was glad this would be the last time in a long while that she needed to use it. She would have to get a new one soon.

As Noa neared the edge of the roof, she felt a light breeze across her skin. The fatigue from working all day long was building up, and Noa thought it was time for her to take a break.

“Wha-”

Noa's foot caught on an unaligned plank of wood. She staggered, trying her hardest not to fall, but she could not regain her balance and-

“Waaa-!”

Noa fell from the rooftop, and immediately shut her eyes, bracing for the impact-

“Ha...?!”

Noa never hit the ground. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Hana's face staring at her.

Hana had come out of the house to check up on Noa, and just as she arrived at the porch, she heard and saw Noa slipping on the roof and caught her as she fell.

“Well now, it's not wise to let your guard down at any given moment.”

Noa caught her breath, and sighed in relief.

“You saved me... Thanks.”

As soon as Hana let Noa down, she wandered off to the old shed, and Noa followed.

“I have finished clearing the debris in the house. I will see which tools here are still usable, and separate them from those that can no longer be used.”

“Thanks for helping out again. We're able to finish things quicker now.”

“You do not need to thank me. I am only fulfilling my duty.”

“Your duty is only to watch over Fay, is it not?”

“Yes it is. That also means creating a proper environment for her.”

Noa watched Hana work, and smiled to herself. Hana's hands never stopped working even as she spoke, her eyes focused on her task at hand.

“Where's Fay?”

As though to answer her question, Noa heard loud and quick footsteps from the living room. Fay appeared to be wiping the floor with a towel in both hands, running back and forth across the room. Sometimes she would fall, but quickly stand up again as if it was nothing and continued her work.

“I am finished.”

“Eh? That was fast!”

“It wasn't much to begin with.”

Noa turned back to see that Hana had separated the tools into a wooden crate and a metal bucket. The crate was filled to the brim with rusty metal tools, while the bucket contained a couple of old and dull ones.

“Ah... This might be a problem.”

The house was a little elevated, sitting on top of a low hill. There was a large open field in front of the house, and no one was using it. The villagers did not use coin to purchase and sell goods, but rather they traded their produce with one another, and Noa thought she would try her hand at farming.

She used to grow corn with her father back when she was younger, so she was confident that she could pull it off again. But without proper tools, it would prove difficult to do.

“Mmm, this won't do. I will see if the villagers can spare some of theirs.”

“Eh? Is that okay?”

“No problem. They should be more than willing if I ask.”

“I'm counting on you then.”

Hana nodded and picked up the crate with the rusted tools.

“What do you require?”

“Ah, I'll be needing...”

As Noa listed out the various tools she would need, Fay finished cleaning the floorboards. She stood up and looked around the house, grinning widely. Over the past two days, most of the debris had been cleared away. Fay possessed more strength and endurance than children her age, and sped up the cleaning process. Along with Hana's help, they were finished in no time.

The house was now also free of dust, and with the ceiling fixed, the house began to look much more habitable. However, they did not have much furniture, and the house looked bare.

Fay knew that they would have to make their own cupboards and tables, but that very same thought made her happy.

Fay heard that her mother was going to try growing corn. Fay would have very much preferred meat, but she also wanted to try food that they grew together. She decided that she would help out in the fields as well when the time comes.

Fay went outside to see Hana and her mother talking together.

“... And that's about it.”

“Hana!”

Noa had just finished telling Hana what she needed, when Fay came up from behind and hugged Hana's leg.

Fay was small even for a five-year-old, and Hana was quite tall. Hana would pick her up, but she had her hands full with the crate in her hands.

“Play with me?”

“Not now, child. Perhaps later, after I have delivered the tools.”

“Dinner?”

“...... Considering.”

Noa clapped her hands together.

“That's right, you've never had a meal with us before, have you? Why don't you join us for dinner tonight, as thanks?”

“...... Considering.”

“We're having meat stew with bamboo shoots tonight.”

“Bamboo shoots you say...?”

Noa had discovered that Hana loved bamboo shoots through their frequent idle chatter, and had planned to get her hands on some and invite Hana over. Today was the perfect day to do so.

Hana looked as if she was considering Noa's offer, but Noa guessed she was only pretending to do so. Bamboo shoots were not exactly difficult to come by, but hardly anyone would deny a treat of their favorite food.

“... Alright then.”

“Yay!”

Fay leapt with joy, as this would be the first time that Hana would be staying for dinner. When Hana left for the village, Noa stretched her arms and sighed.

“Shall we stop for today?”

Fay nodded and reached out with her hands. Wordlessly, Noa picked her up and carried her in her arms, where Fay yawned and closed her eyes. Noa brought her to a cushion in the living room and laid Fay down, where she slept soundly. Fay often took naps after finishing her task, and Noa would let her do so. Today was no different.

“Now then, what to do next...”

With Hana's help, the house looked better than before, and there wasn't much to do anymore. But there were still areas that needed to be cleaned and loose floorboards that need replacement in the near future, and so Noa decided to make a mental list of what to do before preparing dinner.

*

“Well then, shall we?”

“Let us eat.”

“Let's!”

Fay, Noa and Hana sat together around the circular table. It was a low table and they did not have chairs, so they sat on the floor instead. At the corner of the living room was a box of new tools, all donated by the villagers Noa had not yet met. They were old tools that no one needed anymore, but Noa was still grateful nonetheless.

A pot of meat stew sat in the middle of the table, along with a few side dishes of fish, green vegetables and bamboo shoots. Fay was a big eater, so Noa made sure to cook extra portions for her. Fay ate the fishes whole, bones and all, her fangs shredding through meat as though it were made of paper.

Noa was worried about what Hana might think, but Hana made no signs that she was alarmed. In fact, she did not seem affected whatsoever.

“How is it?”

Hana chewed on some bamboo shoots and swallowed before replying.

“... It's good.”

“Great, have some more then.”

Hana nodded wordlessly, already consuming half her bowl of rice.

“Fay, have some vegetables too.”

Noa placed a spoonful of vegetables onto Fay's rice bowl. Noa knew Fay did not like green vegetables, but she also knew that she would eat them without complaint.

Fay simply nodded, and continued scarfing down her meal.

“Seconds, please.”

“... Eh?”

Noa had expected Fay to be the one to ask for seconds, but instead, it was Hana who asked first.

“Me too!”

Just as Noa had given Hana a second bowl of rice, it was Fay's turn to request for seconds.

“E- Eh? Ah, okay...”

Hana scarfed down her food just as quickly as Fay did, if not even faster. Not once did Noa imagine that the silent and firm Hana would be such a monstrous eater.

In the end, they were clean out of rice and dishes even before Noa even finished her first bowl. And what Hana had to say was-

“More please.”

“Ahaha... We're all out...”

“Eh, is that so? I could still go for more.”

“Me too.”

Noa sighed. Then laughed out loud. Hana and Fay stared at her, puzzled expressions on their faces.

“What's so funny?”

“Oh...! Oh, it' nothing, really. Just wondering how I'm going to have to feed two monster stomachs everyday from now on.”

“Every... Day?”

Noa could not help but smile.

“Feel free to come have dinner with us anytime you like. I'll make sure to cook lots, so there'll be enough for everyone.”

“......”

“Hana'll come everyday?”

Hana closed her eyes and for the first time, smiled.

“Alright then. Pardon my intrusion.”

“Ahah! Hana smiled! Hana smiled!”

Hana, her face usually devoid of expression, had, for the first time since she could remember, a smile on it.

Noa couldn't help but laugh along with Fay, and soon after, Hana did too. Restrained, but earnestly she did.

*

“Thank you for the tools. With this, I can try my hand at farming.”

“No need for thanks. Dinner was more than enough.”

With a cup of tea in her hands, Hana watched as Noa examined each of the tools the villagers had given to her. They were sitting on the porch, a full moon hanging in the sky. Fay was already fast asleep in her bedroom, peacefully and without a care in the world.

“Still, I didn't think the villagers would be willing to help me out. Perhaps I may be able to trade with them when the time comes too.”

“... Noa.”

“Hmm?”

“The villagers... Are afraid.”

“......”

“They are afraid of the child, and what she might become in the future. Some have asked me to... Take care of her.”

“... I see. Will you...”

“No. Rest assured I will not.”

Noa nodded in relief. Even though Noa and Fay were living by themselves, the reason why they were able to do so was because of the village elder and Hana. The villagers could only feel safe knowing Hana was keeping a close eye on Fay, and Noa found no reason to complain.

“It will be... Difficult for the villagers to be friendly. More so for the child. I will bring you whatever you may need from the village. You only need to ask.”

Noa would have very much preferred to interact with the villagers herself, but it would seem that was too much to ask. Perhaps in the future, the villagers would become more accepting.

“Hana.”

“Hmm?”

“Why do you offer us so much aid? We don't have much we can give to you, you know that. Even then...”

Hana took a sip from her cup.

“I... Do not know. Is there a reason I should have?”

Hana thought for a moment before answering again.

“In that case, food.”

“Food... You say?”

“Yes. I do it for your cooking.”

“For my... Pfft.”

“Hmm?”

Hana herself did not know the reason for why so was so willing to help Fay and Noa. But Noa understood a little. Hana may be much older than her appearance would suggest otherwise, and possess more knowledge than Noa, but her mentality was simple and straightforward. She was earnest and trustworthy, and Noa couldn't help placing her faith in Hana.

“What is it?”

“Oh-! It's, it's nothing.”

“Is that so? You appear to be shedding tears.”

Noa hastily wiped the tears off her eyes.

“Of happiness, that is.”

Noa decided there and then.

“Hana, where do you live?”

“A hut in the village. But I am only home to sleep. I do not use it for any other purpose.”

“In that case, do you want to come stay with Fay and I?”

“Stay with... You mean to live in this house?”

Noa nodded, awaiting Hana's reply silently.

Hana's did not have a purpose. Everyday she would patrol around the village, a habit from during the war she found difficult to shake off. Her house was bare, and the only reason she stayed there was so she had a roof over her head when she slept. There was no reason for her to stay there, where she had no purpose. But here, she might be able to find one.

“I have nothing to take along with me. All I need, I have with me.”

“Does that mean...?”

Hana smiled.

“Yes, why not.”

That night marked the day where the three would live together, work together, and play together. This, is the story of when the demon child and her human mother met the maiden in search of her purpose, and their life thereafter.
Chapter 2:
Spoiler! :
366 – Summer

“Again.”

When children turned seven in the village, they were allowed to attend school. When Fay was seven, she was forbidden from going to school like the other village children. For fear that she might attack them, their parents told stories of how demons would attack disobedient children, and warned them to stay away from the demon child.

“Again.”

Fay could not attend school, but Hana was her teacher. She took over Noa's role of teaching Fay how to read and write, and while Fay did not understand why she would need books to survive when she grew up, she obeyed nonetheless.

Throughout Hana's long life, she had never needed to do things like teach and take care of children. All she needed to know was how to fight, and while she did so, accumulated vast amounts of knowledge about everything. It was a little awkward at first but after two years of being Fay's teacher, Hana had grown used to her position.

Occasionally Hana would go to the village and return with a stack of books, and Fay would have to read them all. Today was no different.

It was morning. Fay had been reading out loud for the past hour now, and she was getting tired. She could run around the forest for hours, but sitting at the table for over an hour was definitely not her forte.

Hana knew of Fay's inability to sit still for long, and so she would only hold lessons for a short period of time everyday. It was not the duration of the lesson that mattered, but how much of it Fay remembered.

When Hana closed the book in her hands, Fay knew the lesson was over, and fell backwards onto the wooden floor.

“We'll stop here for today.”

“Ahh...”

Fay stared at the wooden ceiling for a while, focusing on the lesson she just had. Hana taught her to recap at the end of every session, as well as before she turned in for the night, so that it will stay in her memories for much longer than if she did not. This method worked well, and with Fay's knack for quick learning, she caught up with the village children in no time.

Fay blinked a couple times, then sat up straight.

“I'll go help mother in the fields.”

Without waiting for a reply, Fay stood up and ran out of the house. Hana slowly followed behind, and by the time she arrived at the corn fields Fay was already busy pulling out the harvest.

Hana watched as Noa and Fay worked together. She would help, but she had her own task to carry out.

Beside the corn fields was another, much smaller one, which grew bamboo plants. It was almost time to harvest the shoots, and Hana had been watching and waiting for the perfect moment.

“Hmm hmm...”

Upon Hana's inspection, it would seem that now was still not the time for a perfect harvest.

Hana sighed. She wanted to harvest them right there and then and she could, but that would mean missing the perfect harvest. As a self-proclaimed gourmet of bamboo shoots, Hana will only accept the best of the best, and nothing else-

“Hana, we'll be inside. Come join us when you're done.”

Hana had been so focused she did not notice Noa and Fay leaving.

“Alright.”

Hana left the fields, hoping to get a perfect harvest the next day.

“Grr...”

“Hmm?”

Hana had lived in the village long enough to be able to recognize the different animals that wandered the forest. But the growling did not come from any predators she knew of.

Fay had dropped her basketful of corn and was on all fours, fangs bared and eyes glowing red. She glared at a small, white rabbit in the grass, which stood petrified by Fay's piercing gaze. As she grew older, Fay felt the urge for more meat. However, she did not want the stew her mother made. It was delicious, but Fay wanted game meat. She wanted to hunt, and that desire came out all at once today.

The moment the rabbit tried to escape back into the forest, Fay gave chase. With a burst of speed, both the rabbit and Fay had disappeared into the forest.

Hana too, started to follow, but Noa stopped her.

“Hana, wait.”

“... Noa.”

“Let her be.”

“What are you-”

“Please. Let her be.”

Hana gritted her teeth. She did not understand why. Fay had started to develop predatory instincts, and yet Noa was not in the least bit worried at all.

Fay had only recently began hunting. Every time she did so, her desire would fade away for about a month before she felt the need to hunt again, and today was that day. Her targets have always been small animals, but Hana grew worried about what she would be hunting in the future.

Demons usually hunted from the very start of their lives, and more often than naught, their prey were bigger and stronger than they were themselves. Fay was different, having been brought up the exact same way a normal human child would, but Hana had no idea how long that would last.

“Do you understand what is happening? If you let her do this, her desire will grow stronger every time. There is no telling what, or who she may hunt in the future!”

Noa only smiled back, which aggravated Hana.

“Please, leave her be. Fay is not a monster, nor will she become one. I did not raise her to act like one, nor did you. Have trust.”

“Even so...!”

Seeing the look on Noa's face, Hana could not bring herself to say anything more. She was frustrated, angry that she, who had lived for generations, could not understand the mindset of a mother much younger than she was.

“Suit yourself.”

Hana picked up the fallen corn and placed them into the basket, then immediately made for the kitchen. At the end of every harvest, Hana would wash the corn and bring then to the village to trade. She needed some time alone, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Noa sat by the porch, waiting for Fay to return. As she waited, Hana appeared from the house, carrying the corn basket on her back.

“I'm going.”

“Alright. Please be careful.”

Hana nodded and made her way down the hill, into the village. She would not be back until dusk, and so Noa had prepared lunch for her in a wooden box. It was a routine that they had been through many times, and Hana had already gotten used to it.

Noa not only grew corn, but also sewed clothes. Unfortunately she was unable to finish the new batch in time, and only had corn to trade with today. Noa also made new clothing for Fay and Hana. Every year during Fay's birthday, Noa would make a new set of clothes for Fay as a present.

Since Fay was always running around, she often got dirty, and so Noa would make her clothes more durable. Noa wondered about the next set of clothing he should make, when-

“Mother...”

Fay and returned from the forest, dirt and mud on her shoes and a few light bruises on her arm. There was blood on her clothes as well and on her face. The area around her mouth was stained in red, and so were her fangs. Fay had both hands on her stomach, and hunched forwards when she walked.

“Fay, what's wrong?”

“Uuu... Tummy ache...”

“My, my.”

Noa reached out towards Fay, who jumped into her arms.

“Tummy hurts...”

“There, there.”

Noa carried the weeping Fay in her arms, and together they went back into the house. While Noa applied the medicine on Fay's stomach, Fay shut her eyes and endured the pain. After she was finish, she wiped Fay's face clean with a cloth.

Every time Fay hunted, she would return home with a stomach ache. She was still not used to raw meat, and while she felt nothing when her predatory senses were at work, she would return to normal when her desire was sated.

“The pain will be all over soon. Just rest for today, mother will take care of the rest.”

Fay nodded and stretched out her arms. She had done this so many times that Noa knew immediately what she wanted. Picking her up once more, Noa hugged Fay and slowly patted her on her back. Slowly, Fay's sniffles subsided and she quietened down. The medicine was starting to take effect as well, and Fay soon fell fast asleep.

Noa let her do so, and tucked her into bed. While Fay slept, Noa watched over her with sewing needle and cloth in hand, and she worked till dusk.

*

When Hana returned, the sun had already began to set. She carried with her varying amounts of meat, potatoes and fishes, all traded for with the corn she brought. She would have gotten a lot more had they more to trade with, but it could not be helped hat the clothes were unfinished. As Hana placed the basket by the kitchen table, she saw Noa sitting by Fay's bed, her adept fingers working on a piece of fabric.

Hana stepped lightly, not wanting to disrupt her work, but Noa heard her nonetheless.

“Ah, Hana. Welcome back.”

“...... Yeah.”

Noa had the usual smile on her face, as if everything that happened earlier that day was nothing.

“How is she?”

“Fay? She's sound asleep now. I guess raw meat doesn't suit her well after all.”

Noa laughed a little as if it was a light matter, but Hana knew better. It was a sign that Fay was changing, and it could potentially become a problem. Fay's environment significantly slowed down her demonic evolution, but it did not stop. Slowly but surely, Fay will change, and when that time comes, Hana will...

“Hana...?”

Fay had woken up and was sitting upright. Noticing Hana's return, she waved with both her arms, a smile on her face.

Hana walked over towards her bed and sat down beside Noa.

“Hey there. How are you feeling?”

“All better now!”

Fay waved her arms around as if to show that she had recovered.

“Good, good.”

Hana smiled and patted Fay on her head. But inside, Hana felt conflicted. Her task was to watch over Fay, and in the event that something were to happen, take care of it herself. But after living with her for so long, she did not know if she could perform her task should the time come.

“Well then, it's getting dark, shall we have dinner soon?”

“Yeah!”

“...... Alright.”

At the mention of dinner, Hana wavered. She had lived alone for longer than she could remember, but ever since she began living with Noa and Fay, she had grown attached to the meals they had together and their company.

Hana did not understand the word 'family'. She did not know her parents, nor her relatives. She could hardly remember her life up to the point she became a war maiden, but she knew the meaning of family, and felt that right now she was part of one.

But she did not say it, for it would be embarrassing for her. Instead, she kept the thought close to her heart. It was then that Hana decided to experience life together with her family. She would live as well as she can. Whatever that may come in the future, Hana would take care of it. But for now, all she wanted was to enjoy the days of peace together with Noa and Fay.

That night, Hana ate heartily, and any doubts that she had before were put behind.
Last edited by Whiteblue on Thu Oct 23, 2014 5:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Original LN: Journey of Ours

Post by Whiteblue »

Here's chapter 3 and 4.

Chapter 3:
Spoiler! :
369 – Fall

By the time Fay turned ten, she hunted almost every week. Occasionally, Fay would eat her prize on the spot instead of bringing it back home, but that was all. Over time, the worry of Fay turning demonic was left behind in Hana's mind.

Through Hana's teachings, Fay grew up to be decent in both speech and writing. Through Noa's care, she grew more charming by the day. Fay was brought up as a normal girl with great care, but that did not stop her demonic traits from developing further.

Fay's white hair grew to her waist now. Her ears were almost as long as elf ears, her fangs could snap wood and she began growing small claws on her fingers.

But Noa had taught Fay never to use them on another person, and Fay did not disobey. Not as if she ever had the chance to anyways, was what Fay thought.

“I'll be off now, mother!”

Fay waved back at the house as she left for her usual hunt. Noa had just finished sewing new clothes, and Hana brought them to the village to trade. Several years have passed since Noa and Fay arrived, but the villagers still refused to co-exist properly with them. However according to Hana, they no longer felt threatened by Fay. Though the villagers were still unwilling to see her, Noa hoped that this would change over time.

“Be careful!”

Noa waved back, watching as Fay disappeared into the forest. She remained seated at the table, where she poured herself a cup of tea.

The moment Fay had gone deep enough into the forest that she could no longer see the house, she stopped and looked around.

Ever since she heard of the other village children from Hana, Fay had been curious about them. She had never met anyone her age in the village before, and back then she was too young to remember anyone from her old village.

Fay decided to wait for the perfect opportunity to sneak into the village. When Hana was not home, and when it was time for her to go out hunting, to give the village a short visit. That day was today.

Hana had warned Fay not to enter the village and to keep out of the villagers' sights, and Fay was not about to disobey. All she was going to do was to take a peek from behind the trees, just a little peek...

Fay switched directions and headed for the village. She made sure to leave earlier than usual so she would have more time to hunt later, and had the excuse of an elusive prey ready if Noa questioned her late return.

As Fay made her way through the canopy of trees, she would occasionally come across a wild animal, like a rabbit and the more uncommon fox. But Fay ignored them, holding in her urge to chase after them.

Fay saw herself as a grownup, and grownups are mature enough to control themselves. Therefore, Fay will not lose sight of her goal today.

In a short while, Fay had arrived at the edge of the forest, where she could clearly see the village in front of her. There was a fence encircling the village, made out of wooden logs. The many houses were built in an unorganized formation, connected by dirt paths. Several villagers were walking about, some chatting amongst one another, some carrying sacks on their backs.

But today, Fay's objective was not the village itself, but the school. Moving along the forest edge, Fay hid herself behind the trees, searching for it. Hana had once told her that a school was a place for children to study and play together, so Fay thought it was the best place to observe other children.

“There... Is that it?”

Fay could see a wooden house that was far larger than the rest. A school had to be big to be able to hold so many people, and Fay concluded that it would have to be the biggest house in the village. Sure enough, Fay could see a group of children sitting around a tall tree behind the school, where an elderly woman stood.

Fay assumed the elderly woman was the teacher, and that they were having a lesson outdoors. Hana too would sometimes bring Fay outside and teach her about the various different plants and wildlife growing in the forest.

Fay's eyes could see further than a humans and her ears were more sensitive, but at this distance, even she could not hear what the teacher was saying. The group of children in front of her were of varying ages. Fay was sure that some of them were much younger than she was, and a few look as if they were older. But Fay noticed that they all had one thing in common, and that was that they did not have long ears or red eyes. None of them had white hair too, and it appeared that they did not have fangs.

Fay knew that she was a demon, and that other children were not like her, but she had thought that there would at least be some like her. However, she was disappointed to see none, and that disheartened her a little.

Fay stood there, wishing that she too could join in the lesson. How long she watched, Fay did not remember. After a while, the teacher clapped her hands together and said something to the students, then left. The children immediately started to form groups and began playing among themselves, several of them laughing together and running around in joy.

Fay had never played with anyone her age before. Sometimes, Hana would play with her, and Noa would play whenever she asked, even if she was busy with work. But they were both adults, and Fay wished she had a friend her age to talk to and play with. Soon, Fay found herself leaving the forest edge and slowly making her way towards the fence.

*

“Oh my.”

While Noa was cleaning the bedroom walls, she discovered a small bundle of clothing neatly folded together in a corner of her room. They were meant to be traded for in the village, and Hana had probably missed this pile of clothing when she left. Not only that, the lunchbox Noa had prepared for Hana also lay forgotten on her table.

“Mmm... This might be a bit of a problem.”

They were running low on food that week, and Noa was depending on her clothes to get them enough food to stock up during the winter. The bundle of clothes Hana had forgotten were thick, winter ones, and were high in terms of value.

“Guess it can't be helped.”

Noa picked up the bundle of clothes and lunchbox, wrapping a piece of cloth over them. Noa had not been to the village in a couple of years. The last time she visited, it was to see the physician as the medicine she used was not working too well. No one dared to enter their house, so Noa herself had to go to the village.

While none of the villagers shunned her, none of them stopped to have a conversation with her either. Some of them greeted her, but that was all.

Noa decided she would give the clothes and lunchbox to Hana and head straight back home. Leaving a note on the table in case Fay came back before she did, Noa put on her shoes and prepared to leave for the village. Just one short visit, and then she would leave as soon as possible. Just one short visit...

For some reason, Noa felt a sense of foreboding as she left the house.

*

Fay continued to watch the children play. She now stood behind the log fence, trying to make sense of what they were playing. Some were simply running around and chasing each other, while some were sitting in groups and drawing on the dirt with sticks. Some were eating lunch from wooden boxes, and seeing them made Fay hungry, even though she already had lunch moments before.

But what interested Fay the most was a group of boys kicking a ball around. One of then skillfully juggled it in the air, kicking it upwards with his feet before it could land on the ground. The rest of the children would try to snatch the ball from him, but he just as skillfully dodged them.

Fay wanted to play too. But she remembered that she was not to set foot in the village. Maybe the village children would be willing to play at her house. It was surrounded by large fields all around, so there would be plenty of space to run around. Fay was so engrossed with her thoughts, that she did not notice a girl with a ponytail walk up to her.

“What are you doing there? Do you want to j-”

The girl stared at Fay, a puzzle expression on her face.

“You look funny... Your ears are so long, and your eyes are red....”

“Come back, Nina!”

“Eh?”

One of the boys had run up to the fence and pushed the girl behind her, hiding her from view.

Fay was surprised when the boy shouted, but she soon noticed that he was the one who had so skillfully juggled the ball. Perhaps he was looking for someone to match him-

“Monster!”

“... Huh?”

Fay watched as all the children turned to face her now, and when they caught sight of her long ears and eyes, some of them ran and hid behind the tree, while some approached the fence.

“What do you mean mons- Ow!”

Fay felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. She staggered backwards from the force, holding her shoulder with her left hand. At first, Fay only felt pain, but soon after, a small patch of red began to spread across her sleeves.

“What're you doing?!”

The girl called Nina ran up to the boy and tried to stop him, pulling him backwards away from the fence.

Fay started to feel panicked, and thought of leaving immediately, but then she felt another sharp pain in her left knee. One of the children had threw a small rock at her, and where it struck, blood began to ooze and trickle down.

“Demon!”

“Monster!”

Many of the children were shouting now. Several began picking up rocks and sticks, and followed the first boy, throwing them at Fay.

“St- Ow... Stop it... Stop it!”

Fay fell on the ground, covering her face with her hands. She was bruised all over, but the children did not stop. Soon, the pain started to become unbearable, and Fay felt as if she was going to pass out, when-

“Ugh!”

One of the rocks hit Fay squarely on the back of her head, causing her to fall forwards. Fay lay there without trying to get up. She was too dizzy, and her vision was spinning. Blood trickled down the wound on her head, but strangely, Fay did not feel much pain. In fact, she felt no pain whatsoever...

“I said STOP IT!!”

Fay heard herself shouting out loud, but it wasn't her usual voice. It sounded lower than usual, and everyone who heard it felt chills down their spines.

Fay wanted to stay lying on the ground, but soon she found herself sitting upright, then standing up, as though against her will.

The children had stopped throwing rocks,and simply stood without moving, all eyes fixated on Fay.

Fay knew she was bleeding, but she did not care. She felt as if the children had done something very wrong, and she had to punish them...

Fay felt her fangs lengthening. Her claws hardened, and she could see red in her vision, just like whenever she went out hunting.

Fay approached the fence once again, ready to break the flimsy wooden logs apart, but something held her back. Fay could hear a faint voice at the back of her head, a familiar voice. It was her mother's voice, and Fay remembered then her promise.

Not to harm people with her power.

Fay's hands were on the logs, but she made no attempt to destroy them. She would hold it in, all the way until the urge disappeared. Fay is a good girl, she will listen to mother. Fay is a good girl, she will not harm other people. Fay is a good girl-

“Go away, demon!”

A rock hit Fay on her forehead. Her mother's voice disappeared, and once again, all Fay could see was red.

“GRAHHHHH!”

With a monstrous roar, Fay grabbed onto two of the wooden logs and pulled with all her strength, uprooting them right off the ground-

“Guh... G- GAHHH!”

And crushed them in her hands, breaking them into splinters.

That was all it took for the children to start running for their lives. Fay felt satisfaction, but that wasn't enough to fully satisfy her. She would teach each and everyone of them a lesson, a lesson they would never forget...

“Make way!”

Fay looked up to see Hana making her way through the crowd of panicking children. She was fast, even faster than Fay was when she hunted. In no time at all, Hana stood in front of the broken fence, blocking Fay's entry into the village.

Fay did not want to hurt Hana. Hana had always been good to Fay, and Fay liked her. But as Fay tried to run past Hana, she was blown backwards. Fay did not see Hana move, but a paper charm was now floating in front of her.

Once, Hana had briefly told Fay about charms. They had many different kinds of effects, some had the power to seal evil spirits, and some had the power to prevent beings with malicious energy from entering a certain area-

Fay raised her hands up, staring at her fingers. Where her nails should be, there were instead short, but wicked-looking claws. She was covered in bruises and was bleeding, but she did not feel a thing.

“Fay!”

“...!”

Fay could hear a voice calling out for her, a familiar voice. As she turned around, she was caught in a sudden, but warm embrace.

It was her mother.

Fay did not move. Her mother's embrace was warm and comfortable, and Fay wanted to stay like that.

Noa cuddled Fay in her arms. Not a word was spoken from her mouth, and not a word was heard from anyone else. Hana could only stand and watch, her paper charm burning up into blue flames.

Slowly, Fay gradually calmed down. Her vision returned to normal, and her claws no longer hardened, but her eyes were still glowing blood-red and her fangs did not shorten.

“M... Mother?”

Fay had returned to normal from her outburst. She blinked a couple times, still confused about what happened.

Slowly, Fay lifted up her hand to her face. There was blood on her hand, her own blood. The red liquid made her head spin as she dizzily opened her mouth, ready to bite into the flesh-

“Fay!”

Fay's eyes widened. Upon hearing Noa's voice, Fay lost her strength and her arms dropped to her sides. Fay felt her fangs shorten, and her eyes no longer glowed. She was completely back to normal.

“Mother...? What are you... Ow...”

When Fay turned back, she felt the pain returning all at once. Fay remembered. That's right, she was bruised all over from the rocks, and after that...

“Mother...”

Fay gripped tightly onto Noa's clothes.

“What is it, Fay?”

Noa's voice was soft and gentle, with a smile on her face.

“It hurts... Mother... It hurts...”

Tears were welling up in Fay's eyes as she spoke. Noa slowly stood up, stroking Fay's hair as she did so.

“Let's go home, shall we? Mother will fix you up, and whip up something nice for you to eat. How's that sound?”

Fay nodded and buried her face in her mother's chest, sniffling.

“Alright then. Try and bear with it for a little while longer.”

As Noa began making her way back, some of the villagers started to voice their complaints. But Noa made no attempt to stop. Even when she had disappeared from view, the villagers were still rowdy.

“What happened?”

“Obviously, the child attacked!”

“The child? You mean...”

“I knew it was only a matter of time...”

“Aye! I knew this would happen sooner or later.”

Hana listened in silence. She knew Fay would have never tried to attack without a reason.

“Everyone, calm down.”

The village elder had arrived. Hana wanted to voice her opinions, but she kept quiet and waited for the elder to speak.

“... Every incident has a cause, and there is a reason behind every cause. Now tell me. What was the reason?”

No one spoke for a moment. Hana was about to explain, when she was interrupted.

“It was the boys. They threw rocks.”

A girl had spoken up amongst the crowd. Hana recognized her as one of the students at school... Was her name Nina...?

“Hah? So did the rest of you guys!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

Soon the village was in an uproar. People had even started to accuse one another, losing focus on the topic at hand.

Hana sighed. She thought it was time to make her way back, and started to make her way silently out of the village.

“In the first place, this wouldn't have happened if you had just done your job right!”

Hana stopped, but she did not turn back, nor did she reply.

“Did you grow soft living together with those two? Or have you decided to join them?”

“Are you going to attack us too?”

“Everyone, calm down. It isn't simply a matter of-”

“Can't you just get rid of her?”

“Yeah, Hana! Just get rid of her and all our problems will be gone!”

“Aye! You can do that, can't you? Then do it! Just-”

“AHHHH!!”

Hana turned and stomped on the ground where her feet was. The ground shook, and in front of her a chunk of earth was pulled off the ground, forming a small platform of dirt. With just her feet, Hana had uprooted a large portion of the flat, even ground, and the villagers said no more. Some bowed their heads, but Hana wanted nothing more than to leave.

Hana waited for no words and headed back home. On her way, she found a few sets of clothing strewn all over the ground. A large wooden box laid in the middle of the road, the lid still sealed shut.

“...... So that is why...”

Hana picked up the clothes and neatly folded them, then piling them on top of each other to form a stack. She then sat down and opened the wooden box to find a pair of chopsticks and an assortment of rice, meat, bamboo shoots and corn. Hana gritted her teeth.

“...... I was careless...”

She picked up the pair of chopsticks and began to shovel down her lunch as she slowly made her way back.

When Noa brought Fay home, she immediately began tending to her wounds. Fay had many wounds on her body, but they were only superficial ones. Noa was relieved that they would heal over time.

“Mother...”

“Hmm?”

“Will Fay... Will I be able to make new friends?”

Noa paused for a moment. She had almost finished bandaging Fay's forehead, but stopped and fixed her eyes onto Fay's.

“In time, Fay. With time, people's hearts will forget. When they forget, they will forgive. And when they do, you will be able to make lots of new friends.”

“... Okay, mother...”

But Fay could not stop her tears again, and they began flowing down her cheeks once more.

Noa knew it wasn't because of her injuries. It was because Fay now knows, that she would never be able to have friends.

*

“Hah... Hah...”

At the crack of dawn three days later, a girl ran up the small hill which lead to Noa's house. The villagers were usually up later during the mornings, making it easy for her to sneak out. Her parents were heavy sleepers who only wake up in the mornings after her constant persuasion, so the girl made sure to sneak out early and be back in time to wake them up.

Fay had not yet fully recovered, but her injuries healed quickly. She had awoken early today, and decided she wanted to get some fresh air after being in bed for so long. She silently made her way out to the living room, careful not to wake her mother or Hana. However, she stops as something outside the window catches her eye.

Fay watched, popping her head up ever so slightly so she could peek out the window from below.

A girl was running up the hill towards the house, a small paper bag in hand. Fay remembered the girl as Nina, the one who did not throw rocks at her and tried to stop the others from doing so.

Nina was out of breath when she arrived. Fay wanted to greet her, but she was afraid. The incident at the village had left her traumatized. Not once had she thought the village children would go so far as to attack her on sight, and she never wanted to experience it again.

Fay watched as Nina left the paper bag at the doorstep, then quickly made her way back down the hill.

Fay was a little disappointed, but nevertheless she made her way out to see what Nina had left at the door.

Upon opening the paper bag, Fay found three steamed buns. They were no longer hot, but warm enough that Fay would still be able to enjoy them. As she reached into the bag for one, she sees a small, rolled-up piece of paper inside.

Fay unrolled the paper to reveal three messily written words.

“Get well soon”

Fay smiled a little, and began to eat one of the buns. It was filled with an assortment of meat and vegetables. Fay even tasted a little bit of white rice inside.

As Fay chewed and enjoyed her very early breakfast, she cried.
Chapter 4:
Spoiler! :
372 – Spring

In the following three years since Fay's outburst, certain events took place. Ever since Fay's wounds healed, she became more reserved, and wasn't as lively as she was before. Noa's body had grown weak, and she fell ill on many occasions.

The village elder has passed away half a year ago due to illness, leaving the village without a leader. A new leader would soon be elected, but that did not bode well. Most of the villagers were now against Fay and Noa's existence in their village, and should one of those people become the new leader, the situation may take a turn for the worse.

Hana now took care of most of the daily chores. With Fay's help, they managed to pull through. However, Noa was not as healthy as she had been, and making more clothes became a significantly more difficult task for her. Fay took care of the crops in the fields, while Hana tended to her bamboo shoots.

Hana had returned from the village, a basket on her back. It was filled mostly with corn, which made Noa frown a little.

“No good today either, I see.”

“You should get some rest. You body isn't as strong as before, and... Have you been working all this time?”

Hana noticed several pieces of fabric on Noa's bed. She had told Noa not to overexert herself, but she clearly did not listen.

“Fay's thirteen birthday is coming up. I want it to be the best present, even better than last year's...”

“You won't be able to do so if you keep straining yourself! You should rest for now, I will prepare dinner with Fay.”

“Is she still out?”

“Yes. She has yet to return.”

“I see...”

Noa slowly sat on the chair and leaned against the wall, looking out the window. It was evening. A few years ago, Fay would have already been home at this time, but recently she returned late often.

“Shall I search for her?”

Noa shook her head.

“Let's wait.”

“...... If you say so.”

*

Fay sat against the trunk of a tree, a dead squirrel in one hand. Even though she was not out of breath, she panted heavily, her fangs bared and ready to sink into the squirrel's flesh.

Fay's hands trembled, her teeth ached, but she did not bite. Slowly, she put the squirrel down, and lifted her left arm to her face instead. She froze for a few seconds, then sank her teeth into her hand.

Fay winced as pain shot up from her hand, causing tears to form in her eyes. She held on, until her hand bled. Then, she licked at her own blood, trying to satisfy her urge.

After all these years, Fay understood. She did not want flesh.

What she wanted was blood.

For several minutes, Fay continued until her teeth no longer ached and shortened. When her vision was no longer red, Fay stood up and made her way back home. Soon after, the pain was completely gone, and Fay's hand stopped bleeding. Where there should have been punctured skin, there was only a pink scar, and even that would fade away soon enough.

Fay was afraid of what she was becoming. She hunted almost everyday now, and her wounds healed so quickly she never had to use medicine. She was already at the top of the food chain in the forest, and most animals feared her. But Fay cast aside those feelings.

Soon she would return home to be with her mother. With Noa by her side, Fay never felt the urge for blood. And Fay hoped that that she would never have the urge in front of Noa.

*

“Happy Birthday, Fay.”

A week later when Fay returned from her hunt, Noa was waiting by the porch, a set of white and brown fabric in her hands.

“Mother? Is that...?”

Noa smiled and nodded.

“Happy birthday.”

When they went inside, Fay immediately set down her catch, two pheasants, onto the kitchen table and tried on her new clothes. It was a sleeveless, white one-piece dress. Over the dress, she wore the thick, hooded brown coat. She looked like a traveler, and Fay loved it.

“It's beautiful... Thank you, mother.”

“Suits you well.”

Hana had came up behind Fay, and watched as she twirled and walked about the house in her new clothes, admiring it at the same time.

“Oh, Hana. I made a set for you too.”

“... Eh? For me?”

“Who else?”

Noa retrieved from her bed another set of clothing. It was nothing like Hana's traditional outfit, a mix of green and red, with a white sash.

“Try it on.”

“O- Okay...”

Plain, but comfortable, was what Hana thought as she put on her new clothes. It fitted her well, and the sleeves did not get in the way of her movements at all.

“I thought you might want to try some new clothes as well, so I made a set.”

“This... Noa, you shouldn't- No. Thank you.”

“It suits you too.”

Fay had been silent, but she did not forget to compliment Hana in her new clothes.

Hana smiled. She no longer found it difficult to smile now. Even if they did have many problems to take care of, Hana could not help but appreciate their time together.

“Well now, today is your special day, Fay. Enough about me, let's prepare dinner, a fine one!”

“Yeah!”

That night, the house was filled with happy chattering and merry making. Even though they were only three, they had a great time.

However, happiness for them was usually short-lived, and this time it was no different.

The next day, Noa's condition worsened, and they had run out of medicine.

*

“I'll be heading out now. Fay, take care of your mother.”

Fay nodded. It had been three days since Noa fell ill. Fay had not once left her mother's side since then, and did not intend to do so. Noa was sweating profusely, a cooled towel on her forehead. Noa's illness was not incurable, but it would always return soon after even a hint recovery, fiercer than before.

Their only option now was to get medicine, and since Fay was not allowed to set foot in the village, Hana had to go.

Hana was prepared for difficulties in negotiating with the villagers. Ever since the elder passed away, the villagers became more hostile towards Hana. Trade would not go well, and few people would talk to her. Now that Noa was ill, and they did not have the medicine they needed, Hana was at a loss for what to do.

Hana sighed. She was not only preoccupied with finding a way of procuring medicine. Hana was also concerned with Fay and her recent behaviors. Hana could not bear to kill her, but if the time comes, she had to do something.

Hana had been preparing for that moment, and created a charm that would seal Fay. But Hana would wait. She had hope that Fay would never go out of control again. A hope that she held on to desperately.

When Hana arrived in the village, there was already a group gathered in the square. Upon seeing Hana, they approached her with angry expressions on their faces.

“What is the matter?”

Whatever the matter was, Hana was sure it did not bode well.

“Last night, several of our cows were killed. It has to be that demon!”

The villagers were rowdy, but Hana stood firm.

“Why do you say so?”

“It has to be her! The cows were all eaten alive! Only their bones were left behind. No other wild animal could have done such a thing! It has to be the work of a demon!”

“Ho? Only the bones were left, you say...”

“Yes!”

“But Fay eats bones. She never spits them out.”

“That- What...?”

The villagers were all looking at Hana as if she were mad.

“She eats bones. Your livestock were eaten by something, which left their bones behind. Do I have to make it simpler for you to understand?”

“Wha- Preposterous! What kind of twisted logic is that?!”

“And what kind of twisted mind do you have to accuse a thirteen year old girl of- Aha, eating cows alive?”

“She's a demon!”

“She's not the only demon, is she?”

“... You can't be suggesting...”

“I will see to the matter. Please make way, I require medicine.”

Hana tried to move away from the crowd, but they persisted, blocking her way in.

“Please move.”

“Not until you deal with that demon you live with!”

“......”

Hana had a policy to never harm humans. But at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to punch every single one of them. Clenching her fists, Hana turned around and left the village. There was no way she would be able to get medicine from the village now.

Hana had been careless. Years of peace had dulled her abilities and senses, and she could not tell how many demons there were. But she was at least sure that demons unlike Fay had finally arrived at this village, and they were not friendly.

“Careless...”

It had been eight years since Noa and Fay arrived, and twenty since she had to fight seriously. Today, Hana would once again raise her weapons to fight.

Hana returned home that day empty handed. Fay looked up, hoping to see new supplies of medicine, but when she saw Hana's empty hands, she knew things did not turn out well.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better... Than before...”

Noa forced a smile. It pained Hana to see her in this state, but she too smiled back and did her regular check on Noa.

Noa's condition had steadily worsened over the past three days, and Hana could see that it was becoming difficult for her to hang on.

“Mmm... Indeed. Do not worry, I will find a way to procure the medicine.”

Hana was clearly lying to herself.

“Fay, take care of your mother. I'll be out to look for the herbs we need. I'll be back by night, do not leave her side until then. Understood?”

Fay nodded. Hana clasped Noa's hand, and was alarmed at how cold it felt. There was no time to waste.

“Hana...”

“What is it? I'll be back soon, we will talk later, alright?”

“Hana...”

“......”

“Right from the start... You've been taking care of us... I can't thank you enough...”

Noa was breathing heavily, and it was difficult for her to speak. Hana made her decision.

“Noa, I will get those herbs and be right back. Wait for me.”

Without waiting for a reply, Hana ran out, vowing to return with the medicine.

“Mother...”

“Fay... Come close...”

Fay held on to her mother's hand, squeezing it tightly. Despite what Noa said, Fay knew that she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. If only they had the medicine from the village... On an impulse, Fay too, made a decision.

“Mother. I'll go get the medicine. Please wait for me, I'll be sure to return soon!”

“Fay...”

And thus, Fay too, ran out of the house, towards the village.

Noa lay alone in her bed. She knew her time was coming, and no medicine would save her. She knew this better than anyone else, for it was she who was dying.

“Before... I must...”

Noa mustered all her strength to sit upright. It was difficult for her to move, but she reached out towards the table and picked up her brush from the ink bottle. Her hand trembled and she knocked the bottle over, but she did not stop. She grabbed a piece of white fabric from the bed, and tried hard to hold her hand steady. She raised her brush, and began to write.

*

It was night when Hana stood in front of a great oak tree in the forest.

“Hmph!”

Hana bent down and thrust her palms onto the ground, sending shock waves all across. From the dirt shot up a large, wooden box. It landed in front of Hana, old and dirty. Hana opened the box to reveal a long, slightly curved sword, as well as a longbow and two quivers of arrows. Underneath the weapons were the clothes she wore during her time as a war maiden.

War maidens had the power to transfer their energy to their weapons, and theirs alone. Their weapons never rusted, and as long as the maiden has power, her clothes form an 'armor' against demons. They also had an almost instant self-repairing capability, and usually mends itself completely even before a battle concluded.

Against monsters and weapons, her armor may not prove to be much at all, but against demons, it was extremely effective.

Hana quickly changed into her war maiden's uniform. White jacket and and a long, red skirt, tied in place with red cloth. Long white sleeves flowing downwards completed the set. It resembled the traditional outfit of eastern shrine maidens, and rightfully so, as War maidens originated from the east.

Another demon had appeared. And now it was time for Hana to take care of the problem. Hana knew of herbs, but she was not well-versed in the art of medicine. Even if she did manage to gather the herbs, she would not be able to make them into a cure.

Her only option now was to quickly dispose of the demon or whatever that has been attacking the village livestock, and obtain the medicine from the villagers. Stealing the medicine would be all too simple for her, but the villagers will notice the disappearance and blame it on Noa, making the situation potentially worse than before.

Hana decided that she would convince Noa to leave the village after she recovers, and find another suitable place to live in together.

Swift as lightning, Hana weaved past tree after tree, branch after branch. Her senses have been dulled over the years, but if she were close by, Hana should be able to sense the demon.

“... There...!”

A cluster of demonic energy. Hana nocked her bow with an arrow and drew, all in a couple of seconds, and released it at the demonic energy. The arrow whizzed past the canopy of trees, and Hana heard the impact. But she knew that she had not destroyed the demon, as she could still sense its energy.

Hana kept away her bow and drew her sword. The demon would now be alerted to her presence, and it would not be wise to try and shoot it down with ranged weapons. Slowly, Hana felt the familiar feeling of battle coming back to her. She could do this.

The forest was silent. The demon moved without noise, but that was not a problem for Hana. It may be able to avoid detection from a normal person, but for someone like Hana, figuring out its exact location from such a close distance was easy.

Hana followed the demonic cluster with her senses, and finally spotted the demon. It was a black, gooey gel-like substance, and did not have a head or limbs.

“Hah!”

With a quick, clean slice, Hana's blade cut the demon in half, splitting it in two. It was weak, as Hana had expected. A demon that attacked livestock instead of humans could never hope to match up to a war maiden.

Hana was about to put her sword away, when she felt the demonic energy return.

“What...?”

The two halves of the gel-demon were coming back together. After it merged, it grew bigger in size, and Hana could sense an increase in power as well.

“Regeneration...”

A demon that regenerates grows stronger every time it does. There was only one way to destroy a demon like that, with spiritual energy from the inside.

“Hss!”

The gel-demon shot a black substance at Hana's head. Swerving to her right, Hana avoided the attack, which hit one of the trees and instantly caused it to disintegrate into back dust.

“... I'll have to end this fast.”

Without hesitation, Hana raised her sword and made a cut on her left hand.

“Kuh...”

Hana let the her blood drip onto her sword, which began to emit a faint, purple glow. War maidens possessed spiritual energy, and use it to fight against demons. Different maidens used different mediums to channel their energy, and what Hana had to use was-

“Blood. How crude...”

A barrage of demon-acid came flying towards Hana. But this time she did not bother trying to dodge. Instead, she slashed at the incoming fire, her blade making contact with every single one. Where her blade struck, the substance burned with a blue flame and disappeared.

Hana was relieved. Her battle senses have indeed been dulled, but it was not the drastic drop she had been expecting.

“Hsss!”

The gel-demon hissed at Hana, as if to show its surprise. But Hana had already begun her counterattack, charging towards it.

The demon was about to fire another barrage of demon-acid, when Hana disappeared.

“...?”

If the demon had a face, it would have a stunned expression. And the next second, it would have one of shock.

For Hana had reappeared behind it, and stabbed it right through the middle with her blade.

“SSSSS!”

The demon, just like its previous attack, burned in blue flames and disintegrated into nothing. The blade that had run through its body was filled with spiritual energy, which overwhelmed the demon and destroyed it from the inside out. There was no chance for regeneration.

“Fuu...”

Hana sighed and took a deep breath. She knew there was no time to waste, and immediately headed for the village. Hopefully, the villagers would relinquish the medicine once they find out that Hana had vanquished the demon.

The sky was dark, and large clouds had begun forming, showing signs that rain was coming soon.

“I'll have to hurry...”

But as Hana approached the village and saw it burning, she had lost all hope.

*

Fay ran as fast as she could down the hill. All she could think of was obtaining the medicine and delivering it home to her mother. Fay had only set foot in the village once, and she never wanted to enter again. But she didn't care anymore. As long as she could get the medicine, Fay will endure.

Fay approached the entrance quickly, but cautiously. There was a group of villagers standing together, several holding various tools such as work hammers and sickles. Upon seeing Fay, the villagers raised their arms, but did not approach.

For several long seconds, Fay and the villagers stared at each other, as if waiting for the other party to make a move.

“...... Please, my mother is sick and needs medicine. Won't you spare some?”

One of the villagers slowly made his way forwards, but stopped after a few feet. His sickle was raised and pointed at Fay.

“Why have you come here, demon? To steal our livestock again?”

“Huh?”

“We know it was you! You have been stealing and eating our cows! It happened again! You thought you would come back for seconds, eh?!”

“Wha- But, no! Please believe me, I haven't set foot in the village!”

“Lies!”

The villagers were rowdy, but not one of them dared to approach Fay.

“I speak the truth! Please, let me IN!”

Fay did not mean to shout, but she did so as she ended her sentence. Her demonic features were starting to show, and that was enough for the villagers to raise their arms and charge towards Fay without care.

Fay turned and ran. She could outrun any normal human, and in no time at all she was well hidden in the forest. Fay understood the villagers' fear, but she was angry. So very angry at them. Fay's eyes glowed a blood-red color, but she held it in. Instead, she went on all fours and swiftly made her way to the other side of the village while under the cover of the trees.

When she stopped near the wooden log fences, Fay used her heightened sense of smell to sniff out the smell of herbs. Fay was used to using her senses to hunt, but this time it was difficult as the village was an unknown environment to Fay.

It took a few minutes of sneaking around until Fay managed to find the source of the smell of herbs. A storehouse stood by the edge of the village, windows facing directly towards the forest. It was a suitable location, but it would be difficult to break in and out unnoticed as there were three guards patrolling the area.

Fay waited behind the fence. When all the guards were in front, Fay would make for the back window of the storehouse and break in-

“Now...!”

The back was now unguarded, and Fay wasted no time in climbing up the fence, From there, she jumped and grabbed onto the window, sliding it open and entering from there.

When Fay landed however, she crashed into a small box of bottles. The sound of breaking glass was so loud in the silence that Fay was sure the guards could hear, and she immediately began grabbing whatever medicine she could find, stuffing them into the box that had held the now broken glass bottles.

“... Hear that?”

“... Better check... Might be...”

Fay could only hear parts of the guards' conversation, which meant that they were still far away.

Fay realized that she had made a fatal mistake. She had no idea which of these medicine bottles were effective. In desperation, she emptied several crates and threw in a mix of whatever she could get her hands on into her box.

“... There's definitely someone in there!”

“...!”

Fay's heart skipped a beat as she heard the sound of the door being unlocked. It was time to go, and Fay jumped with all her strength onto the window sill. While Fay tried to keep her balance, the doors behind her opened. She had been discovered.

“Thief!”

Without hesitation, Fay jumped off the window sill and ran as fast as she could towards the forest, her heart still pounding from her narrow escape. Under its cover once more, Fay made her way home.

*

“Mother! I'm back with the medicine!”

Fay barged into Noa's room, dumping the box of medicine onto the chair. Fay did not notice the splatter of ink on the table, nor did she notice the white fabric on her mother's bed, for the first thing Fay saw was her mother's pale face, with her eyes closed.

“Mother...!”

Fay grasped her mother's hand tightly. They were cold.

“Mother! Mother! I have the medicine! Please wake up!”

“...... Fay...”

Noa opened her eyes. Everything sounded distant. Fay's voice was difficult to hear, and she strained to listen.

“Mother, I have the medicine...! Tell me which one...!”

Slowly, Noa shook her head.

“No... My time... Has come...”

“What are you saying?! Mother!”

Fay cried. For she knew her mother was right. No medicine could save her now.

“Fay... Listen. Remember... Never forget, even if you... Can't make any friends... Mother still loves you... mother still... loves... you...”

“I love you too, mother! I don't need any friends, I only need mother, mother is more than enough for me! So please... don't close your eyes... Mother...”

Noa had lost all her strength, Her eyelids were heavy, very heavy... But she could clearly see, her daughter's smiling face. Her daughter was a demon, but that did not matter to Noa.

Noa turned to her daughter. She closed her eyes, and smiled.

Fay could feel it at that moment, that her mother had left. It was then at that moment. Fay cried out, longing for her mother to return. It was at that moment, Fay's vision turned red.

Fay made her way down the hill, towards the village. There was only one thing on her mind. To destroy everything. And she would start with the village. The village that denied her. The village that refused to save her mother. All she wanted to do was forget everything.

Fay never stopped crying as she stood by the entrance, hardened claws raised. The villagers did not even try to fight back. When they saw Fay, all they could think about was to run. Fay was hunting again, and while she grieved, she lay waste to the flimsy wooden houses.

*

“Kuh...!”

When Hana arrived at the village, several houses were on fire. Many were running about in terror, some injured and bleeding. No one made an attempt to put out the fires, and Hana could only conclude that whatever attacked the village was still around.

Hana grabbed hold of one of the panicking villager.

“You there, what happened here?”

“D-d-demon!!”

That was all Hana needed to know. She made her way through the terrified villagers, searching for demonic energy. She did not have to search for long, with such a huge cluster of energy. Hana knew she would be in for a difficult fight.

“There!”

The demon was in the village square. Hana sprinted towards her objective, preparing herself to-

Hana slowed to a halt. In front of her was a young girl, standing in the middle of the chaos. As she sniffled, the wind blew her long, white hair, revealing her long ears. She wore a brown, hooded coat. Hana knew that under the coat, the girl wore a white dress.

“Fay.”

The girl turned around.

“......”

There was no mistaking it. The demonic energy Hana sensed pointed towards Fay, which meant-

“Noa...”

Fay jerked upright.

“Mo... Ther...?”

Hana had hoped that this moment would never come. The child that she lived with for almost decade. She was also her student, and a bright one at that. She was the daughter of a close friend, and Hana had to put her down.

“... I was careless...”

Hana drew her bow in a flash, and fired an arrow before Fay could react. The arrow whizzed past her head, taking a few strands of hair along with it.

In the time Fay took to widen her eyes and scream in anger, Hana had cast her bow aside and drew her sword, charging at Fay.

Hana had often been praised for her quick and precise swordsmanship. Few could escape her blade unscathed. But her target was Fay, and she unwittingly held back. None of Hana's attacks connected.

“GRAHH!”

Fay swung her fist at Hana. Hana blocked her blow using her sword, but the impact was enough to send Hana skidding back. Unable to maintain her balance, Hana had to run backwards to keep herself from falling over.

“Kuh... That power...”

Fay had completely lost her senses. She had forgotten herself in

her grief, and let the demon inside swallow her up. At this point, there was no bringing her back with persuasion. She would have to use force.

Hana took a deep breath and steeled herself. She did not like this one bit, but she had a duty to fulfill.

Hana made a cut on her heft hand with her blade once again, letting her blood empower it.

“Twice in a day, huh...”

Fay stood unmoving, watching Hana but making no attempt to attack. Perhaps she still vaguely remembered her time together with Hana. Perhaps she was trying to hold back. Whatever the reason, it was an opportunity for Hana, and she took the chance.

“This is it. Here I come!”

Hana vanished.

Fay readied herself, looking around for Hana. The villagers had all scattered, leaving the place empty apart from Fay and Hana. The only sound that could be heard was the roar of flames, and Fay could not tell where Hana was going to strike from.

“Hmph.”

Hana reappeared behind Fay. A palm strike to her back sent Fay tumbling forwards, but she immediately got on all fours and launched herself at Hana.

Hana twisted her body and kicked outwards, avoiding Fay's attack and counterattacking at the same time. Her foot connected with Fay's abdomen, sending her flying through the air and crashing onto the ground.

“GAAAAH!!”

Full of rage, Fay charged at Hana once again. Taking a defensive stance, Hana blocked every one of Fay's strikes with her sword. Fay's arms and and legs were strengthened by her powers, but she was not invincible. Where they struck the sword, it made small cuts on her body, wearing her down.

Fay got weaker with every strike, but Hana stay calm and composed, executing every move with ease.

Fay was blinded by rage, while Hana was an expert in hunting demons. It was no surprise that Hana would have the upper hand. But Hana did not take pleasure in her fight.

“Mother... Mother...”

Her student was crying and calling for her mother. Hana gripped her sword tightly, continuously blocking every one of Fay's moves.

“Hyah!”

Hana's counterattack was too fast for Fay to react to. Her fist hit Fay squarely in the chest, sending her crashing into the debris of one of the houses.

Hana could feel Fay's demonic energy fading, and knew it will soon be over. There was only one thing left to do.

As Hana approached, Fay made no attempt to fight back.

“Mother...”

“......”

“Mother... It hurts... Help me...”

Hana knelt down in front of Fay, her sword raised. But she did not deliver the final blow. She couldn't finish the deed.

“Clang!”

Hana's sword fell to the ground, her arms slumping down her sides.

“Ha... na...?”

“...!”

Fay retained her demonic appearance, but her voice had changed. No longer was it hoarse, but the soft, gentle voice she remembered.

“Ha... na...”

“Fay... Fay!”

Just as Noa did so many times, Hana reached out and hugged Fay.

“... I didn't... mean to... I just wanted... to see mother again... Mother...”

The girl cried in earnest, and for the first time in years, Hana felt a teardrop fall from her eye.

“Fay.”

It started to rain. Hana reached into her sleeves, and retrieved from it a paper charm with intricate, red lines.

“Fay.”

Fay looked up. Hana immediately placed the charm upon Fay's forehead.

“All your pain. I will make it go away.”

Hana bit her lip.

“As well as your happiness...”

The charm emitted a faint, red glow. Fay realized what was happening, but she did not fight back. The girl smiled at Hana, and for a moment, she saw the girl in her usual form, laughing happily as she harvested a field full of corn.

The blinding light flashed where the charm was, and Hana shut her eyes. Several seconds later, the light dulled, and the charm disintegrated into thin air.

Hana slowly opened her eyes. In front of her sat a child no older than a few months. Her eyes were a warm brown, and extremely short, black hair that had only just began to grow. She did not have long ears, nor did she have fangs or claws. The girl looked every bit like a human.

“... Thirteen years. The human soul has awakened.”

“... Aau?”

The girl stared at Hana, puzzled.

Hana carried the girl in her arms, and made her way out the village. A few of the villagers were waiting outside. When they saw Hana, one approached warily.

“What of the demon?”

“...... Vanquished.”

“This child...?”

“…... A human child.”

Hana stare was so cold, the villager backed down. None of them made any attempts to stop her as she climbed the hill back home.

*

“......”

Hana stood in Noa's room, with the child still in her arms. Noa's lifeless body lay on the bed, a smile on her face.

“Why did this happen....”

Hana soon noticed the white fabric on Noa's bed. There were several words written on it, and Hana realized it was Noa's dying message. Hana quickly carried the child out to the living room and set her down on the cushion, before returning and reading Noa's message.

Hana,

I am already gone from this world. I wanted to thank you for all that you have done for Fay and I, but unfortunately all I can give now are my words. Hana, thank you.

Fay is the only daughter I have. Whether she be a demon or human, I love her regardless. Hana, you were like family to us. My time draws near. I must make another selfish request. Please take care of my daughter. I leave the rest to you.

Noa


Hana crumpled the fabric in her hand. Noa had spent the final moments of her life writing this message, a final request for Hana.

“When you put it like that, how can I refuse...?”

That very same night, Hana buried Noa behind the house, just by the forest edge. There Hana sat, a bottle of wine in her hands. She drank half, and poured the rest in front of Noa's grave, then threw the bottle away. The human child watched as Hana stood up and walked over towards her.

“Uuu?”

Hana picked up the child, who was wrapped in cloth. There were no clothes that fitted her, and so Hana had found one of Noa's fabrics and crudely used it to cover her from the cold. The rain had stopped now, and a full moon shone brightly in the sky.

Hana never had children of her own. She had never properly raised a child before. Fay was her student, not her daughter. She taught Fay as a teacher, but Noa raised her as a mother.

“Do you think I can do it as well as Noa did, the role of a mother?”

The child did not understand Hana's words, and simply laughed happily, without a care in a world.

“Guu...”

The child stretched out her hands and pinched Hana's cheeks, then pulled.

“Aha, ahahahah!”

The child laughed merrily, playing with Hana's face.

“......”

When Hana looked at the child, she could see a strong resemblance between her and Fay. This was the child of a close friend, and she was Hana's brightest student.

“... Ahah...”

Soon Hana was laughing together with the child in her arms.

“Ahahaha!”

The two laughed for a long time. Hana had made her decision. She would move away from here. She would find another place, where she could raise the child in peace. Hana would teach her well, and raise her up to be a fine young lady.

“Mmm...”

Hana looked up at the sky. The moon was beautiful tonight, illuminating the house in its white glow.

“Luna.”

“Aau?”

“Luna. From now on, your name shall be Luna, the girl who was born under a full moon. What do you think?”

The girl turned to Hana. She did not understand, but she liked the sound of her new name. Happily, Luna clapped her hands together, laughing along.

“Maama.”

“...?”

“Mama!”

“...!”

Hana did not know what to think. She felt happiness in her heart, but at the same time, it didn't feel right.

Hana closed her eyes, and when she did, she saw Noa. The Noa she saw was youthful and free from illness. Today, just like any other day, there was a gentle smile on her face. Noa said nothing, but simply nodded before turning away from Hana, and faded away.

When Hana opened her eyes, she was smiling. Hana raised Luna up with both hands.

“Alright. From today, I will be your mother. I'll make sure to raise you well!”

“Aau, mama!”

Hana brought Luna back into her embrace, closing her eyes once more. Today, Luna was born, marking the start of a new life together.

“Happy Birthday, Luna.”

On that night, mother and daughter left the village in search of a new place to call home. This, is the story of when a maiden met the girl born under the full moon, and their life together thereafter.
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Re: Original LN: Journey of Ours

Post by onizuka-gto »

The premise is interesting, but it does go into the details pretty quick, straight into the characters.

Anyone else have any comment on this?
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Re: Original LN: Journey of Ours

Post by Whiteblue »

Apologies for posting this so late. Had several issues I needed to take care of.

Chapter 5:
Spoiler! :
383 – Fall

Summer had long passed. With the going of dry weather, came the falling of leaves. Several trees around the village of Festa had lost most of their leaves, signaling the cold, winter season to come.

Festa was a village not only known for its many festivals. The entire village was really just a long stretch of road. All houses were built on either side, whether they be homes or stores.

During festivities, the village attracted people from all over, and neighboring towns called it “Festa Street” because of its unique layout.

But on normal days, there were few visitors. During those days, the villagers grew crops. Blessed with fertile soil, Festa produced great harvest all year round, easily giving cause for celebration. However, that great prosperity would not only attract the eyes of traders, but also the eyes of thieves and plunderers.

The number of bandit sightings had grown larger several years ago and Festa had been in danger of falling into turmoil for some time. But that all passed soon after. Around that time, a traveler had arrived at the village, seeking refuge. With a small child in her arms, she listened as the villagers warned her of the dangers of staying with them.

That night, the traveler left her child in the villagers' care. With a bow across her shoulder and sword in hand, the traveler sought out the bandit territory, and in just one night, chased them all away.

In gratitude, the villagers wholeheartedly agreed to the traveler's request, to be able to live in the village from then on. A new house was built for her, and Festa received two new villagers that day.

Until this very day, the traveler guarded the village from bandits and the occasional monsters.

But today, Hana had the day off. She sat on the porch, folding fan in hand. A long time ago, she was used to seeing a cluster of trees whenever she sat by the porch. Now, it was a road bustling with people. Several greeted her as they passed, and she did so too.

“Mama!”

A girl ran up to Hana, her face dirty but smiling. She was eleven years old, with long black hair and matching eyes. Her green tunic was store-bought, and so were her straw sandals.

Over the past ten years, Luna grew to have a striking resemblance to Fay, though she was human in every way. But in personality, she was very much different from the older Fay. Lively and carefree, Luna could run around the village the entire day without tiring.

Luna knew Hana was not her birth mother. Hana had told her outright when she was barely able to understand, and she had little reaction to the news. Luna had always referred to Hana as her mother anyways, and nothing would change that.

Hana noticed the light bruises on Luna's arm, and immediately discerned the cause.

“Looks like someone has been quite the heroine again today, hmm?”

“Hawawa?!”

Luna tried to wipe her face with her sleeves, which only revealed more of her injuries.

When she was four, Luna started going to school. The first couple of years were smooth, but that would not last. Children liked to tease, and sometimes they would bully.

One day, six year old Luna had come home crying with bruises on her arms. She and a few others had wanted to play in the fields, but were chased away by a bunch of bigger kids. Hana could have taken care of the problem herself, but she did not want Luna to grow up depending on her all the time.

Instead, Hana trained Luna and taught her a little bit of martial arts. When Luna had defeated the bullies, she became known as the protector amongst the children, and those who were present at that time looked up to her.

It was all mostly pretend, but Luna took everything seriously. And sometimes, she would go just a little too far.

Since then, Luna would intervene whenever she saw a case of bullying, and sometimes they would get carried away.

“Lu, remember what I told you?”

“Hrrmm...”

Luna pouted. She knew what Hana was about to say. She had heard it so many times that she would finish the sentence before Hana could do so.

“You should only fight-”

“Only when I really have to.”

“And was that a situation where you had no choice but to exchange fists?”

Luna grinned widely, and Hana sighed. However Hana could not help but feel proud of Luna for standing up for others, and couldn't bring herself to reprimand her.

“Come in, Lu. Put down your things, and we'll go have lunch.”

“Are we eating out today?”

Luna''s eyes shone with expectancy, and Hana nodded.

“Yay!”

Beaming with joy, Luna jumped into the living room. Just like every other common home, her house was made mostly of wood. The living room was well furnished with all of their needs, and the kitchen had all the necessary tools for cooking ready. However, there was only one bedroom. But Luna did not mind, for she enjoyed sleeping together with Hana, snuggling up for warmth.

Hana could cook, but she wasn't very good at it. In fact, Luna could do it better, and all she could make were riceballs. Thus, Hana would often bring Luna out for their meals. Hana possessed great strength and intelligence, but she was an amateur at almost everything else.

“Where're we going?”

“Mmm., let's see now... What do you want to have today?”

“Dumplings!”

Luna loved the dumplings from one of the stores close to their home. It was famous for mixing dumplings with different stuffing onto the same plate, resulting in completely random flavors, and Luna liked the surprise.

“Right, right. Dumplings it'll be, then.”

“Alright!”

Hand in hand, the two made their way down the street.

“Oh, out for lunch together?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Good day to you, Hana!”

“Good day to you too.”

“My, my! You got into a fight again, Lulu? …... Did you win?”

“Of course!”

“Attagirl!”

“Good afternoon!”

“Ah, Hana! I've made a new recipe. Yellow noodles with bamboo shoots! Come try some later!”

“Bamboo shoots you say?!”

“Mama! Lu wants dumplings today!”

“Kuh... It's hard, but I'll say no today...”

As they walked, the villagers would greet and exchange a few words. Everyone was friendly and helpful, very rarely did any arguments take place. Even if they fought on occasion, the villagers would have made up before the day ended and return to being the best of friends.

For about a decade Hana lived in Festa, and the atmosphere had affected her greatly. Gradually, she had become accustomed to their jolly spirits, and even joined in on many occasions.

If only at that time, she had left with Noa and arrived in this village then, perhaps things would have turned out differently.

“Mama?”

“... Hmm?”

“What's wrong, mama? We're here.”

While Hana was lost in thought, she did not notice that they were already standing outside the store.

'Reg's Rice Dump' was written on the signboard that hung on the front wall. Whenever Hana read the sign, she was bewildered as to why anyone would call their store a dump.

She never found out either, for every time she raised her question to Reg, the store owner, she would be interrupted by a customer's order or something else. Once, when Reg was about to reply, a loose wooden board fell off the ceiling and landed on his head, splitting itself into two. From then on, Hana never tried to discover the answer again.

“Mmm, its nothing. Let's go in, shall we?”

“Okay!”

That's right. Noa wasn't here anymore, and neither was Fay. But she had Luna, and she would make the best of their time. Together they entered the store, looking forward to another delicious meal.

*

“Lu wants rice and dumplings!”

“Oooh, the usual it is then! And Hana?”

“Five bowls of rice and two sets of dumplings. Also a side dish of bamboo shoots and corn.”

“Ahhhh, another big meal. You sure can eat!”

While Reg busied himself, Hana poured herself a cup of tea. Most of the customers were regulars, and Hana knew them all. Many were discussing the upcoming harvest festival, which was the biggest event they had every year.

Before the festival, every house which grew crops would give some of their harvest. Those would be mixed together to make stew, which they did in a great, big pot. The villagers often used the other half to make treats and sold them during the festival in make-shift stalls.

Other than bamboo shoots, Hana only knew how to grow corn. She was sure that her corn could not match the others' in sweetness and taste, but not a single complaint about quality was heard.

“Each of these are unique and different in many ways. Just like Reg's dumplings, they may look the same but that's certainly not the case when it comes to taste!”

Was what the villagers used to say, and Hana found that to hold true.

It didn't take long before Hana and Luna stuffed themselves with food. It was as good as ever, the skin was soft, the juices were warm but not hot, and all the filling tasted great.

“Help!”

Hana had just finished her second bowl of rice when the doors swung open forcefully. A man came stumbling in, his face panicked sweaty. There was silence in the store for a moment, then-

“T- the bandits are coming...!”

Immediately after, the silence was broken by several voices, each increasing in volume quickly as if trying to drown out the others'.

“Lu, stay here. Reg, please.”

“S- sure...”

“Mama?”

Before she left the store, Hana picked up her third bowl of rice, turned around and raised her index and middle finger.

“You still owe me two bowls.”

On hearing that, everyone fell silent. It was as if Hana was sure she could keep the situation under control, and she should very well be. Slowly, Reg relaxed, a small smile on his face.

“And you owe me the bill.”

Without a reply, Hana left to find the streets full of villagers running in all directions. Many went straight into their homes, and those who were too far from theirs took shelter in the nearest house they could find.

“Mama!”

Hana did not need to turn around to know where Luna was.

“... Lu, stay inside.”

“Not fair, bring Lu along too!”

Hana sighed. Luna may be trained in martial arts, but she was still a child and very much inexperienced. There was no way Hana would allow Luna to fight by her side. Not until she became an adult.

“Lu, I've told you before. Not now. Go inside, please.”

“Come along now.”

Reg pulled a disagreeing Luna back into the store.

“Be a good girl, Lu. I'll take care of this quickly, and then we can play, alright?”

“Nnn...!”

Luna pouted, but didn't try to force her way out. Before she could change her mind, Hana quickly made her way down the street.

Her priority would first be to check on the situation, so Hana began to run to the village entrance, rice bowl still hand and mouth still chewing. Many people passed by her, but none were panicking enough to scream or cause alarm, and the reason was due to Hana's presence.

When the rise in thievery and plundering came several years ago, Hana protected the village, and not a single one of their attacks have been successful. Over the years, word traveled that the village was guarded by a superhuman strong enough to take down an entire army armed to the teeth on her own with her bare hands. News travel fast, and any bandits around the area soon knew to avoid Festa.

The rumors were greatly exaggerated, and Hana knew so. Confident as she was, she would stand no chance alone against an army. If there was still a group foolish enough to try and attack Festa, that probably meant that they were green and inexperienced.

In only a minute, Hana had arrived at her destination, where a watchman was waiting.

“How is it?”

“Miss Hana! They are about to come up any m- Are you eating...?”

“Hmm?”

While the watchman explained the situation, Hana was busy shoveling rice into her mouth with a wooden spoon. It wasn't a fitting image for a maiden, but at this point of time Hana couldn't care less.

“You seem, uh... Confident...?”

“Very much so. Could you give this back to Reg for me?”

Hana handed the watchman her bowl, now clean of rice.

“Oh, uh... Alright...”

Bewildered, the watchman took the bowl and left. Hana took a deep breath and readied herself. She could already see a small group approaching, several armed with mean looking swords and daggers.

“... Ah.”

Hana had not brought any weapons with her.

“... Well, time to fulfill the legend.”

Hana took a few steps out of the village and waited. Usually, bandits would waste no time and charge into their target location, but it wasn't everyday that a lone woman stood in your way. Curious, the bandits stopped several meters in front of Hana, smirking and grinning.

Bandits would try to look as intimidating as they could to scare their victims.

Hana thought they looked disgusting.

“What do we have here then?”

One of them walked up to Hana, wearing a thin, leather armor with a dull-looking sword tied to his waist by the side. Hana made no sign of moving, nor did her expression change, a grim, slightly sad looking one. In her head, Hana appointed the man of the title of bandit chief.

“You're the bandits?”

“Eh? We- Are we bandits? What do you think, little lady?”

Another one from the group walked up, and stood next to bandit chief. Though he called Hana 'little lady' he was much shorter than Hana was. She would call him little man.

“I do not wish to harm humans. Please leave and never come back. I want to spend my day off with my girl, and you're in the way.”

“Ehh?! Who do you think we are? I'm gonna s- Owoooo!”

Little man had drawn his sword and pointed it at Hana. Hana responded by grabbing and twisting his wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon. Then, Hana kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing into his comrades.

“......”

Hana had meant for him to fly further than that... Perhaps she unintentionally held back against people.

“What the-”

Bandit chief turned to Hana in disbelief.

“I thought you said you didn't harm humans!”

“I said I did not wish to. I didn't say I wouldn't.”

“Wha-”

“And besides...”

Hana crossed her arms.

“You're scum, not humans.”

“You- Attack, attack!”

“Gyaaah!!”

Bandit chief had given the order to attack, and Hana braced herself. But there was nothing Hana needed to do, for the bandit group waiting behind him had already been routed.
Hearing cries of defeat, bandit chief turned around to find his all of his men knocked unconscious.

“...... What sorcery is this?!”

Bandit chief was in a panic and he should be so, seeing as how his entire group was defeated before the attack even began. All he could do was stare at Hana.

Hana was just as surprised, she never thought she would see the surprise attack. In an instant, someone had approached the group from behind and knocked every single one of them out cold. She was so fast, Hana doubted that even she herself could have done it.

The figure then crept behind bandit chief with a finger on her lips. Amused, Hana decided to wait and watch.

“What did you do, woman?! What kind of spell did you cast on my men?”

“Hmm? So you really are bandit chief then?”

“Bandit chief- Are you giving me names now?!”

“Bandit chief.”

“What now?!”

“Behind you.”

Bandit chief turned around, frustration still on his face.

“BOO!”

“Gahhh!”

Was what he said before the figure smashed his face with a fist. Bandit chief lay flat at Hana's feet, unconscious.

With all the bandits defeated, there was silence once more, and Hana could now clearly see who it was that took out the group all by hers-

“... Hmm?”

A girl stood in front of her. She wasn't as tall as Hana was, but she recognized her outfit all too well. The girl was a war maiden like Hana.

“Yo, Hana! Few decades no see.”

Apparently the girl knew Hana. However, Hana was having a hard time remember who she was, let alone her name.

“Right, um...”

Other than her clothes, the girl was quite different from Hana. She looked younger than Hana, and her much longer brown hair was tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were larger than Hana's and her expression was much softer too. Tied to both her sides were two short, slightly curved blades.

“Could it be... You've forgotten?”

“Yes. I mean no... It's on the back of my head...”

“Come on! We even fought together all those years ago...”

“Y- you mean in the war...?”

“Yeah!”

“Ah... I see now... It's all, um coming back to me... er...”

All of a sudden, Hana could see the girl's face clearly in her mind, and she remembered her name.

“Rena.”

“Uuu...”

The girl began to cry fake tears.

“Was I wrong?”

“Kino! I'm Kino! Rena's my twin! And she didn't even fight in the war... She was a physician! How could you have forgotten? That's so mean! And in the first place, I-”

“Ah.”

As the girl called Kino rambled on, Hana remembered. In one of her battles, Kino fought by her side. From then on, Kino would be positioned at the same location Hana was, and they would pair up. During that time, all Hana cared about was winning her battles, and paid little attention to anything else.

But Hana did remember one thing. Kino had been extremely popular amongst both men and women. Unknown to even herself, she had many fans who admired her skills on the battlefield as well as her looks.

Over twenty years have passed since the war, and when Hana left her past behind, most of the people in her memories were left behind as well. Kino was one of those people, but with her sudden appearance now, Hana felt as if she were meeting a long lost friend, even when she did not know her well.

“Kino... It's good to see you again.”

“Uuu... Same to you.”

Hana couldn't help but smile. There were many things she wanted to ask, but she held them back for now.

“It sure is fateful to be able to meet you again... What brings you to Festa?”

“Eheh... To tell you the truth, after I heard you left, I did the same. I was hoping I might bump into you in my travels, but after a few years, I had given up. I really didn't expect to see you now, and in this small little village, no less!”

“Is that so...”

In those times, war maidens were uncommon, and most acted freely with their own judgment. However, a small base was set up specifically for their operations, and even those who wandered freely stopped by occasionally to help out or seek refuge.

After the war, the base had been destroyed. With the threat gone, there was no reason to rebuild the base, and so their time ended. But some maidens still stayed at the ruined base, for how long Hana didn't know, as she had left a few days after and never turned back.

“Never mind that... When I heard there was a superhuman guard in this village called Festa, I had thought that she might be a war maiden. Didn't expect her to be you though.”

Kino nudged at Hana's sides lightly with her elbow.

“Still... Taking on an entire army with your fists? Actually, now that I think about it, you might just be able to-”

“Rumors are often exaggerated... Please, no more with this topic...”

Hana did not mean to draw attention to herself. She only wanted a nice, quiet life. Unfortunately, she seemed to have become famous instead.

Ever since she became a resident at Festa, Hana picked up her training again. But her skills never seemed to improve, and she felt as if her abilities were growing weaker. Even so, she was strong enough to protect the village, and that was enough for Hana.

“I'll be heading back now, the villagers will want to hear from me. What about you? Coming along?”

“Sure, why not. Besides... More than twenty years! There's a lot of catching up to do, no?”

*

“...... So they're gone?”

“All gone. Thank Kino here, she's the one who took care of them.”

“Ooooh! We can't thank you enough, Miss Kino! With this we can have our harvest festival without any problems.”

“Hana would have taken care of it even if I hadn't been there anyways.”

“Guu...”

Kino could not help but notice the glares she received from the child sitting beside Hana. Everyone was crowding around Reg's store, with Hana, Kino and Luna in the center. There were two bowls of rice on the table when Kino arrived, and when she was done introducing herself, one of the bowls had mysteriously vanished.

Until of course, Hana set it back down on the table, not a single grain of rice left.

“Hey um, Hana? Who's that kid sitting beside you?”

“Hmm? Ah, well... She's the daughter of my friend.”

Luna's background was not exactly clean, and Hana wanted nothing of it to come to light.

“Hoo... So you're taking care of her for your friend?”

“Mama, who's she?”

“Well now little one, I'm- What. 'Mama'? Mama?! Hana! Don't tell me you- of all people... eeh-”

“No no, Kino listen...”

“This is all so- I mean, I should congratulate you... On your marriage- Please tell me you're married... Where's the father? Is he here-”

“That'll be me.”

Reg stood up from behind the counter.

“What. Reg what're you- Alright Kino, just listen to me-”

The store was filled with laughter now. Kino's reactions were entertaining for most, and the villagers played along with her.

At Hana's expense, that is.

Amidst the laughter, Kino's expressions became wilder, Hana could only stare at the table and sigh, palms on her face. Luna, who did not understand what was happening, looked around the store, wondering what was so funny.

An hour later, everyone dispersed and went back to their daily routines. Hana and Luna were in the front yard, practicing. Hana had recently made a habit of training a little after a big meal, and soon Luna joined in as well.

“Kino, why don't you join us?”

“Ehh? Nay, I'll pass... I'm tired.”

Kino yawned and fell backwards onto the porch. A cool breeze traveled through the village, sending a slight chill to anyone who felt it.

“Looks like winter's coming, eh?”

“Sure is. It'll be a colder one than last year's too. Staying for the festival?”

“I don't see why not. I like fun.”

“Don't we all, now.”

Kino sat up straight, looking at Hana with a slight frown.

“After all these years, you sure have changed. Of all the things I expected you to have, a child is definitely at the bottom of the list.”

“Lu's not a child anymore!”

Luna did not like being called a kid. Kino was a friend of Hana's, and Luna thought any friend of Hana's couldn't be a bad person. But that did not stop Luna from feeling annoyed whenever she started to tease.

“Come now, concentrate, Lu. And Kino, stop distracting us. We can talk later.”
“Mmu...”

Kino fell silent. A while later, they finished up and headed for the fields behind the house. Several rows of crops were being grown, some slightly quicker than the others, but overall at the same pace. On closer inspection, Kino realized they were all corn.

“Oooh, Didn't know you were a farmer!”

“I'm not. Corn is the only thing I know how to grow.”

“Ha, I can tell.”

Luna bent down to inspect the corn growing in the corner, and Hana followed. Kino joined them, standing behind without a word.

“...... Is this what you call playing...?”

“It is. Something the matter?”

“... Nope. None at all.”

“We're gonna play now!” Was what Luna joyfully said just moments ago after they were done with practice. Curious to know what Hana did for fun, Kino decided to tag along. She had set her expectations a little low, but this was not a little anymore. It was an all time low.

“...... Is this fun for you, Lu?”

“Huh? Yeah. Anything I do together with mama is fun.”

Ugh, what innocence! Kino was going to suggest playing something with a little more running around, perhaps pull pranks, but dared not do so in the presence of Hana.

Still, when Kino discovered that Hana was raising a child, she had expected Luna to take after her, serious and devoted to her duties. But Luna turned out to be just the opposite. Hana herself had changed as well.

Back then, Kino tried multiple times to get Hana to open up, with no results. She used to be enclosed in her own shell, never letting herself out nor letting anyone in. But now, she treated Kino as if she were a friend. Kino could only conclude that something changed after the war, and that was most likely Luna's mother, the person Hana had called a friend.

“Hey, Hana. What was Luna's mother like?”

Worrying that it might be a sensitive topic for Luna, Kino whispered when Luna was looking the other way.

“If you're worried about crossing the line, don't bother asking in the first place.”

“Eheh... Sorry but I'm too curious. You really changed from what I remember, and I wanted to know what the person who changed you was like.”

Hana sighed. She had not talked about this to anyone else, not even to Luna. She would if she asked, but Luna never did, and so Hana never brought it up. All Luna knew about her real mother was her name.

“Her name was Noa. She was like a sister to me. Before she passed, she entrusted Luna to me,and here we are now.”

“...... That was, uh, informative.”

“It wasn't exactly eventful.”

“Uh-huh...”

“But...”

Hana stood up and walked over to the next bunch of crops that required inspection, and Kino followed closely.

“She did teach me many things. This was one of them.”

Kino watched Hana work. Whoever this Noa was, Kino felt a little gratitude and a little jealousy. She proved that Hana too, could open up to people.

*

“Unfortunately she forgot to teach you how to cook...”

Kino found it difficult to smile as she ate dinner together with Hana and Luna at the table. Hana had announced that she would be cooking tonight, while Kino and Luna cheered.

“Today we have rice and bamboo shoots! Dumplings filled with bamboo shoots! Vegetable soup with bamboo shoots, and a side dish of, wait for it, bamboo shoots!”

Kino wasn't exaggerating. The table was literally filled with only rice and bamboo shoots.

“Oh come now, they're good for you. Besides, bamboo shoots are the best.”

“Maybe in your opinion it is, but certainly not mine... I bet even Lu can make something better than this, right Lu?”

“Lu can make riceballs!”

“Never mind.”

When they had finished, Kino volunteered to wash the dishes, while Hana and Luna sat by a table. Everyday after dinner, Hana would go through with Luna what she learned at school, and occasionally if time permitted, teach her new things.

Luna was not a fast learner, nor did she have a great memory. But she had fun learning, and that was all she really cared for.

Today, Luna had something she wanted to ask for a long time. But when she tried to, Kino came running out of the kitchen, proclaiming that she had done a good job with the dishes, and to praise her.

“Good work. As thanks, you can sleep out in the living room today.”

“Eeeeh?!”

Whenever night came, the village would be silent. But tonight, a few groups remained on the street, discussing through the night about the plans for the harvest festival. It would take place three days from now, and preparations would start the next day. Tonight, the various leaders would plan, and as the village guard, Hana had to be present.

It was late at night when Hana tucked Luna into bed before she left, leaving Luna in Kino's care. Kino agreed to help Hana patrol during the festival in return for letting her stay until the festival, which divided the workload and allowed Hana more time to enjoy the festival with Luna.

Hana was at a noodle restaurant with a few of the villagers. The store owner kept the place open so they could have a place to gather, but no supper was provided, which disappointed Hana.

Hana listened as the villagers planned out the various schedules and guidelines for those who were planning to set up stalls, her mind wandering off every now and then.

“Hana, are you listening?”

“......”

“Hana?”

“Oh, yes, you were saying?”

“We'll have people patrolling during the festival, and they'll alert us only if something happens, so you can take it easy on that day. Alright?”

“Alright.”

“Why don't you go home for now? You don't look too well.”

“Just a little tired... But I think I'll be going anyways...”

As the villagers continued their discussion, Hana stood up and left for home. Before she left, Hana felt a part of her spiritual energy disappear. It wasn't uncommon, but it wasn't normal either.

Whenever Hana used her blood to fight demons, a small fraction of her spiritual energy would be used. Even then, her capacity was so large and the amount used so small that it did not matter. After all those years of fighting, Hana still had a considerable amount left.

However, Hana had not fought any demons since she arrived in the village. There was no reason for her to use her powers, and she never did. But she still lost energy, and Hana felt a little uncomfortable. She decided to ask Kino the next day.

“Hey.”

When Hana arrived home, she found Kino awake, sitting by the porch with a wine bottle in hand.

“That'll cost you extra work.”

“Eeh? Come on, don't be so stingy! Besides, you're the only one who drinks in this house, it's lonely without a drinking partner, ain't it?”

Hana sat down beside her and wordlessly reached out for one of the cups on the ground. Kino grinned and poured Hana's cup to the brim before refilling hers.

The two drank in silence, the half-moon shining without its maximum luminosity. The winds that blew were cool, but soon the weather would bring about cold winds and even storms.

“Kino.”

“Hmm?”

“My energy is lost.”

“Well, you better go to bed then. Snuggle up in that comfy bed with Lulu- ahh, I want to snuggle up too-”

“Spiritual energy.”

“Mmm.”

Kino drained her cup and set it down.

“I've lived for several decades, but it hasn't been a century. Hana, how old are you?”

“Older than you, and much older than you think.”

In truth, Hana was one of the oldest maidens around. Because maidens do not age, they appeared eternally youthful, and usually had generation of wisdom hidden beneath their fair faces. Hana was one of them.

“Mmm. Yeah, compared to you I'm still very young. Compared to ordinary people, I should have grandchildren by now. Yet, people still try their luck with me.”

“Hoh, so you do know?”

“Of course I d- …... Mmu... That's mean.”

“Apologies... continue.”

Kino sighed.

“What I'm saying is, you're old.”

“I know, don't rub it in.”

“A tortoise can live for a hundred years. Some even a couple hundred. But even with longevity, the healthiest of tortoises still grow old and weak.”

“......”

“All you've had to face have been bandits and thieves. They aren't even worth your time, but...”

Kino's expression became suddenly serious.

“When was the last time you've actually had to go all out?”

Kino stood up and turned to face Hana.

“It's been a long time. Shall we have a go at it?”

“...... If you wish. Not too loud, Lu's asleep.”

“Nope.”

Kino pointed her thumb at the living room, where Hana saw a groggy Luna walking towards them, yawning.

“Lu, did we wake you?”

Luna shook her head.

“Bathroom... Hmm?”

“Ooh, Lu, you're just in time. Mama and I are going to have a match. Wanna watch?”

“Hrmm... This... Hawaaaaaa... Late at night?”

“Lu, you should go back to bed.”

As Hana tried to push Luna back into the house, Luna shook her head again.

“Mmm, mama, I want to watch.”

“......”

“It's fine, isn't it? Besides, if you're teaching her martial arts, this should be a good match for her to see, won't it?”

“Ooh, I want to watch mama beat up Ponytail!”

“Pony- Don't give me names! Mmu... Like mother like daughter, eh?”

“... Hah... Alright. Let's finish this quickly, tomorrow's going to be a long day. Hmph.”

Hana adopted a defensive stance, bending her knees and raising her fists in front of her.

“Ooh!”

Luna was fully awake now, and was clapping in excitement.

“You want me to start, then? In that case-”

Kino dashed towards Hana, her cheery expression instantly changing to a deadly one, her eyes narrowed and her lips unsmiling.

“Here I come!”

“...!”

Kino was fast. Much faster than Hana expected. She used to spar with other maidens at the base, but it had been far too long ago for her to have much recollection about the strengths of her opponents back then.

In no more than a second, a chop from above came flying down, and Hana instinctively raised her arms to block it.

“Gah...!”

The blow was heavy, very heavy. Hana's knees bent under the force of Kino's attack, and the pressure pushed Hana a little into the ground.

Hana had not expected Kino to be so strong. Just as she was about to counter attack, a foot came flying from below. Leaving no room for Hana to strike back, Kino followed up her charge attack, and Hana stumbled backwards.

“Mama...?”

Luna always thought Hana was the strongest person alive. Even if she wasn't, she was the strongest person Luna knew. To think that Hana could possibly lose a fight was unimaginable for her.

“Kuh...”

Once again, Hana adopted a defensive stance. Hana rarely fought with other people. Bandits were not a problem for her, but another war maiden was different. She couldn't remember the last time she struggled against an opponent, and felt a little excitement stirring up from inside.

“... Hmm? What's wrong, Hana? Come on now, give it your all or this would all be meaningl- Woah!”

Hana retorted with a front kick powered by her momentum of running forwards. It was fast, but Kino managed to swerve to her right just in time to avoid the attack.

“Hmph!”

Predicting her move, Hana did not stop after she landed, but kicked off from the ground and twisted her body to the left while bringing her foot downwards, attempting to strike Kino right on her head-

But Kino was already behind Hana even before she finished her kick, and counterattacked with a kick of her own. Unable to dodge while in mid-air, Hana took the full force of the attack on her back and fell over forwards onto the ground.

“Tch... You're fast.”

“Hehe, surprised there was someone faster than you?”

“No, not at all.”

Hana slowly stood up, a small grin on her face.

“Because I have yet to meet that person.”

“That person is standing right here-”

Kino blinked. The Hana that was standing in front of her had simply vanished into thin air.

“Ooh...!”
Luna was engrossed in their fight, and was keenly leaning forwards, waiting for what comes next. Luna had seen Hana perform this trick before, so she knew what would come next.

Kino changed her stance to a defensive one. Hana had seemingly disappeared, but Kino knew better. No one could disappear just like that, it was simply a trick, an insane trick.

Kino had seen other maidens employ this tactic. It was the staple technique all maidens knew by heart, even Kino.

By focusing all their energy into one short burst, they could travel at a speed so fast it would seem as though they vanish. It was referred to during the war as attaining “Godspeed”.

In reality, this technique had many uses, but was most often used to get behind their opponents or to reach a place suitable for ambush, then focus their energy once again to strike their foe while he was still confused.

And Kino knew just where Hana would be.

“There!”

Kino jumped and swiped at tall branch of a tree with her hands. The leaves provided an excellent cover in the night, and it was a suitable location to lie in wait to strike when your opponent was least expecting it-

“Gwah...!”

Kino was confident that she had found Hana, but when she ripped the branch off the tree, there was no one to be found. Instead, she received a blow to her back, sending her flying down and landing face first on the ground.

“Ow.....”

Kino stood up, holding her face in pain.

“Go easy on me, Hana!”

“Hmm? And who was the one who said to give it my all?”

“Wha-”

Hearing the voice behind her, Kino instinctively jabbed with her elbow backwards. Instead of hitting Hana right in the face, all she could feel was air and a second later, a strike on the side of her abdomen, which sent her flying back into the ground again.

“Oohohoh... That's mean, Hana! Making me eat dirt over and over again...”

“Hehe... Ponytail is losing now.”

Luna sniggered softly.

“Ughh! Looks like I'll have to give it my all too!”

Hana still hadn't reappeared, and Kino knew why. It wasn't a trick, Hana was just simply too fast. Focusing her energy was like second nature to Hana, and at the very end of her speed burst, Hana would execute the same move again. When used consecutively, she may as well be invisible.

“Mmu...”

Kino was young for a maiden, but she was trained. She prided in being one of the fastest after Hana, sometimes even faster in certain scenarios.

Any untrained fighter would have never been able to tell where Hana was, and even decent ones would have a hard time.

However Kino could see a very faint figure appear very suddenly for a split moment, then disappear and reappear in another location. At the porch, in the front yard, amongst the trees, behind her, Kino could vaguely sense Hana, but she could not pinpoint her location fast enough to strike before she vanished again.

But Kino could hear her footsteps. Very faint, but they were definitely there. Kino closed her eyes. She knew Hana was simply too fast for her too see, and so if she relied only on her hearing, combined with the aggressive aura she felt-

“Hup...!”

When the footsteps were the loudest and the aggressive aura the strongest, Kino immediately opened her eyes and blocked Hana's fist, then grabbed hold of her wrist and held on tightly.

“...!”

Hana was genuinely surprised. Never once had anyone been able to stop her movement one she had attained absolute “Godspeed”. Kino was the first one, and now Hana was forced to settle this in the traditional way.

“Mama-!”

Luna too did not expect Kino to catch Hana like that, and she slowly began to feel a sense of admiration for her.

“Well now... I never thought this would be happening.”

“That so? Could it be that you've gotten slower...?”

“...... Let's get this over with.”

A straight punch to the face with Hana's free hand was parried outwards by Kino's arm. With the same arm, she struck Hana in the chest with her palm, forcing her backwards. Kino let go of Hana's wrist as she fell, but that very same hand grabbed onto Kino's wrist this time, and Hana pull herself forwards, striking Kino with the same move she used on her.

“Ow!”

Was all Kino could say as she fell down, but she knew Hana would not stop there. Predicting her charge, Kino bent her knees and kicked outwards, hitting an incoming Hana and sending her tumbling down on the ground. Kino took the opportunity to stand up, and so did Hana.

“Hyaa!”

Hana and Kino exchanged an array of punches and kicks, each one blocked and counterattacked by another move. They were fighting up close without tricks, and only traditional martial arts remained. Hana was stronger than Kino, but Kino was just as fast as Hana was. This ensured that no one scored a direct hit, pushing the fight into a stalemate.

Luna watched on, taking in every detail of their fight. Festa was peaceful, as Hana chased away the bandits before they could even set foot in the village. Thus, this was the first time Luna was witnessing a fight between two experts, and she took this opportunity to learn whatever she could.

Hana was getting tired. That shouldn't have been the case, and Kino knew it.

“What's this, Hana? You seem to be slowing down!”

“Kuh...”

Hana was finding it harder to hit Kino, and Kino's strikes felt harder with each passing moment. Hana was starting to feel annoyed. Not at Kino, but at herself.

“Come on, Hana! This isn't like you, what happened to that ferocity you once had? Don't you remember-”

“ENOUGH!”

Hana released energy in a burst. In the form of a fist that broke through her defense, Kino was blown backwards and collided with a tree.

“Owowowowow! Give! I give!”

Hana sighed deeply. She was almost out of energy and panted heavily, with sweat trickling down her neck. This battle had pushed her further than all the bandits combined together.

Hana walked over to Kino and lent her a hand as she stood up.

“Oooh, my back...”

“Who's the old woman now?”

“Still you... Still y- OWOWOW alright, alright!”

With a little forceful persuasion, Kino backed down, ending the fight.

“Mama won!”

Luna ran up and hugged Hana, her face filled with delight.

Patting her head, Hana said nothing. From the look on Kino's face, it would seem that she fully understood what was happening.

Years ago, Hana would have been able to win this fight easily. But now, Hana struggled to compete on even grounds with Kino.

“Even with longevity, the healthiest of tortoises still grow old and weak.”

As Hana remembered Kino's words, she knew. From just that battle alone, Hana knew that she had lost much of her old power. The several years of peace had made her grow soft, and now she weakened by the day.

“I'm going to bed now. Long day ahead tomorrow. Come on Luna, can't have you missing school tomorrow.”

“Okay!”

Still overjoyed over Hana's win, she skipped along by Hana's side for a moment, then turned around to face Kino.

“Ponytail's pretty strong too!”

Kino's face lit up.

“Oooh, Lu...!”

“But mama's still stronger!”

“Mmu...”

Kino watched as the two entered the house. She did not follow, but sat down on the porch and picked up the wine bottle. There was a little of it left, and Kino decided to finish it.

As she drained the bottle of wine, Kino sighed. She knew that one day she too, would grow old. What would she do then? If all her spiritual energy was lost, all she would be is just another ordinary human being. When she does become one, what would happen if she was already over a hundred, or two hundred years old?

War maidens were born solely to fight. What would happen to them if there was never a fight to win, and instead live out their days in peace?

Kino wondered, but she did not worry, for two hundred years was a very, very long time. But she knew that Hana did not have another two hundred years. Perhaps she might have enough to live her days out with Luna, but if the time came, would she still be able to fight? Would she be able to protect the village from what might come?

The moon was partly covered in darkness. Half of it hung in the sky, while the other half stayed hidden. Many thought after the war that the world was now peaceful,but Kino knew that to be untrue, and that the moon tonight reflected the state of their world as of now.

*

Hana tucked Luna into bed. As Luna closed her eyes, Hana thought of the days ahead of her. She wanted to watch Luna grow up to be an adult. She wanted to watch her have children of her own, and she knew that she would at least be able to live until then. However, Hana had a premonition. At this point she couldn't tell what it was, but she knew nothing good will come out of it.

“Mama.”

Luna opened her eyes and sat up on her bed with a tired expression on her face.

“What's the matter?”

Luna frowned a little, averting her eyes away from Hana.

“Mama.”

“Hmm?”

“Can you tell me... About my other mama?”

“......”

Hana was not reluctant, but after all this time, Hana thought that Luna had already forgotten. But she did not deny Luna, and went ahead to tell her their tale.

“Noa- Your mama and I took some time to get along. But after we did, we were like sisters. She taught me how to grow corn, and I learned how to take care of you by watching her take care of your sister.”

“I have a sister...?”

“You do. Her name was Fay. But when your mama passed away due to an illness, Fay too, caught it. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a cure in time...”

Fay never did die, and Hana knew that in her heart.

“What... What was my sister like?”

Luna was feeling drowsy, but she tried to stay awake and listen to Hana's story.

“Mmm... Let's see now. Fay was two years older than you are now when she passed away, so that would make her your older sister.”

“Big sis...?”

“She was quiet and reserved, quite the opposite from how you are now. But she was a good student, and a good daughter as well. She was very strong, and she started helping your mama work in the corn fields when she was just a little child...”

An image of Fay in her favorite clothes flashed through Hana's mind. She worked in the fields happily, with Noa standing by her side, laughing together. Hana sat by the porch and watched, a smile on her face.

“Mama... what's wrong?”

“...... Hmm? Nothing's wrong, Lu. Let's continue the story, shall we...?”

Luna was already nodding off to sleep. Just as well, Hana didn't know what she should say next, and she didn't want to ruin Luna's image of her as a strong, dependable mother.

“Zzz...”

Luna had fallen fast asleep. She wanted to hear more about her sister and her mother, but she was too tired. Hopefully, she would remember to ask again in the morning...

Hana watched as Luna slept peacefully, holding on to the blankets. It had been so long since Noa had passed, but even after all this time, Hana clearly remembered her face. Hana silently stood up and left the room. Kino was still lazing around at the porch, and Hana sat down beside her.

“Little Lu's asleep now?”

Hana nodded, staring at the sky and sighed.

“I think it's about time for me to resign, eh?”

“Huh?!”

Kino stared at Hana in surprise for a few seconds, before she too, sighed and laid down flat on her back.

“Is that your answer?”

“I've been fighting for so long. I want to at least be able to enjoy the remainder of my life with Luna.”

“Hah... You're right.”

“I'll stop being the village guard... After a couple years I guess.”

“A couple- You're being serious...”

“That I am. And I have a selfish request.”

“... I think I know where this is going.”

“When I retire from fighting, could you take over my role and be Festa's guard?”

Kino sat upright. After the war, she too, found little purpose in life. While she was popular, she never once tried to settle down, and instead lived like a nomad, traveling from place to place without end.

“So this was what happened to you? Traveling around the world in search of a place to live, then decide to settle down in a tiny village?”

“Mmm... More or less.”

“Hah... Must be nice. I don't have anything to pursue either, haven't had a good fight in years before tonight.”

“It's the simple things in life we enjoy the most, no?”

“... Ugh... I haven't seen you once for twenty years. And now that I have, I just can't refuse you for some reason.”

“I'm charming.”

“You're old. Ow!”

Hana had grabbed Kino's wrist and twisted hard upon hearing the word 'old'.

“Alright alright, I give!”

As Hana let go, Kino held her wrist and sighed.

“I'll stay, but only if you let me live here.”

“What, you don't want a place of your own?”

“Ehh? But I wanna play with Lu.”

“You can come visit.”

“Nay, I wanna stay here.”

Kino began rolling around on the wooden floor like a child.

“Hah... Fine, you can stay.”

“Alright! Oh, and another thing. Your cooking's pretty bad, so let me do it next time.”

“...... You can cook?”

“Sure I can. What, you don't think I can?”

“No... It's just, strange coming from you.”

“Oh come on!”

After a short conversation together, the two decided to turn in for the night.

That night, Hana drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Noa and Fay for the first time in a long while.

*

It was way past midnight. Not a soul could be seen on the street, leaving an eerie silence in the air.

They had sensed a strong power coming from the village, and came to check. However, the power was gone as quickly as it came, and they had no way to track it down. But the moment of power they felt was enough for them to discern what it was.

An entity that was trapped for a long, long time...

Taken over by another...
The two lived in one body...
The stronger sealed shut and sleeping...
Surrounded by a powerful force... It diminishes...
Another one appears...
The powers clash...

It was enough for them to know what was happening. It was also enough for them to know what they must do.

That night, the two black figures hid in the forest. Thy would lie in wait, and when the time comes, they would strike. They would destroy the one trapping the power, and they will let it loose upon the village. It will be the new beginning, and it will bring turmoil to the lands once more.
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Whiteblue
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Re: Original LN: Journey of Ours

Post by Whiteblue »

Chapter 6:
Spoiler! :
383 – Harvest Festival

“This can't be happening.”

It was morning. Today was the day of the harvest festival, and everyone was busy doing final preparations. Hana, Luna and Kino sat around the table filled with several dishes.

Kino had woken up early today, and went around the village gathering ingredients to make breakfast. Unlike Hana's cooking or Luna's riceballs, Kino's dishes looked just like those you would find in a restaurant.

“Tell me what you think!”

As Hana took a bite, her eyes widened in surprise.

“My god. You can actually cook.”

“That was what I said, remember?”

“I'm sorry but, I doubted you the entire time up till this moment.”

“......”

“Ponytail can cook!”

“... Yes Lu. Yes I can.”

After they had breakfast, the three left to help with the festival preparations. It was still early in the morning, but the street was bustling and lively.

“Hana, can you give us a hand here?”

“Kino, try out my new recipe, will ya?”

“Lulu, come try on this new outfit I made.”

As the three were called on to various tasks, they split up and left to assist the villagers.

The empty spaces in between houses were filled with various stalls and stands, and the center of the village was cleared to make way for the big pot.

During the festival, everyone would contribute a little of their crops and throw everything into the pot. They would cook it over a large fire into stew and everyone would eat from it. It usually tasted good but on a couple occasions, Hana was sure she tasted something bitter.

As Hana wasn't planning on selling anything or setting up a game stall, she did not bother making her own stand, very much preferring to look around instead. That meant Hana was free, and the villagers would often call her for help.

“Mmu... Why am I doing this for you again?”

Kino was tasked with delivering items from all over the village, and she had already run a good amount for the day.

“Ponytail is fast, right? So Ponytail is the best person for the job!”

“Mmu... Shouldn't have showed off...”

“Come now, Kino. A little exercise will be good for you.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Well, you are a bit on the, ahem, plump side.”

“...... You're not using that age old trick on me.”

“Darn.”

Hana helped to lift heavy loads whenever she wasn't on guard duty, and Kino was doing a great job delivering things to where they needed to be. Since she had to travel back and forth, Kino would pass Hana several times on her way. Luna helped the villagers perform little tasks, but often wandered off to play with the other children.

It was already late in the afternoon by the time all the preparations were complete. Hana and Luna had changed into their traditional clothing, dark blue for Hana and green for Luna, while Kino borrowed her yellow one from a clothing store.

“Well then, see ya later!”

Kino left to explore the village on her own. She was also patrolling the streets and keeping an eye out for trouble, and it was necessary to do so.

Many outsiders would travel to Festa to join in the festivities, and with unfamiliar faces comes possible thievery and rowdy visitors. Though uncommon, Hana had seen trouble makers at the harvest festival before, and it left an unpleasant mood hanging around for a while.

Hana sat by the porch with Luna as they watched villagers and visitors walk by. Even though she attended the harvest festival several times before, Luna never got tired of the festivities that followed. She looked forward to all festivals that Festa organized, but the one she loved most was the harvest festival.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah!”

The two stood up and hand in hand, they left for the village square. Though most of the outsiders were foreign to Hana, a few familiar faces greeted her casually.

“Ooh, if it isn't Hana and little Luna! Not so little anymore now, aren't you?”

“Old man Derrick!”

“I've got something candy here for you, pick however much you like!”

“Ooh, thanks old man Derrick!”

Derrick handed Luna a small sack filled with an assortment of sweets, then bent towards Hana and spoke in a whisper.

“Hana, there's been talks of strange occurrences in my town. Talks about... demons.”

“...... What?”

“Yes. I was hoping you would be able to come and investigate, the townspeople are afraid.”

“I see... I'll drop by some time soon. You'll have to tell me about it then. I'm sorry, today is the harvest festival, all I want to do is enjoy it with my girl.”

“Ah, of course, of course! Today is a day for having fun, what am I saying!”

After Luna had picked out a hard, brown piece of candy, Derrick left them, waving back as he walked.

“See you at the square later!”

“See ya, old man Derrick!”

Luna waved back enthusiastically, but Hana was too preoccupied in her thoughts.

Demon sightings had become very rare after the war ended. It did not stop them from appearing, but not many have been sighted, and those that did appear were usually weak and easily taken care of. Having seen a demon was not necessarily a reason to cause panic, but it wasn't to be overlooked either.

Hana would have to discuss this over with Kino, and one of them would probably have to take care of the problem as soon as possible. If the demon was harmless, they would leave it. But if it was aggressive...

“Mama? What's the matter?”

“Nothing, Lu. Come now, it's almost time for the big pot. Let's get going.”

After a nod from Luna, they continued on their way. Today was a day to spend together with Luna, and Hana didn't want anything to prevent that from happening. She decided to discuss the matter with Kino after the festival.

Kino's arrival at this time was extremely helpful. Hana was constantly losing her spiritual energy, and it was difficult to gauge how well she would fare against a demon now.

For the past two days, Hana detected an increase in energy loss. She would wake up to find a larger amount missing than the previous day, but it still wasn't enough to make a fuss over. However, what would happen in the long run? Hana didn't know. She would still be able to live long enough, but she won't be able to protect Festa like she had been all this while.

“Kino, perhaps...?”

Hana was still getting to know Kino. She had agreed to stay in Festa, but Kino didn't seem like the type who would settle down in a village. Hana did so as she was tired from having seen so much and simply wanted time away from the world. Kino was still young in a sense, and should have many things she wanted to accomplish before settling down.

“Ponytail?”

Luna had heard Hana talking to herself, and was curious as to what Hana was thinking of.

“Mmm, Lu, do you think Kino would want to stay in this village?”

“Huh? With us?”

“Hmm... It'll be a little cramped. It'll be better if she moved to a house of her own.”

“Lu doesn't mind! Lu likes cramped places. Everyone's more together that way.”

“More together- Ahaha! You're right, Lu. I'll have a talk with Kino later. Maybe she likes cramped places too. But for now, let's enjoy the festival, shall we?”

“Yeah! It'll be fun!”

It was already evening when the big pot was filled. Everyone was gathered in the village square, chattering away and holding bowls full of steaming stew.

“How is it?”

“Great!”

Hana thought the harvest was better than last year's. It wasn't bad back then, but there was a strange taste that Hana couldn't describe. The villagers had learned their lesson and this time, and the result was a delicious stew that left a pleasant after taste.

“Hana!”

Kino approached them from behind, empty bowl in hand.

“I'm going on patrol now. Switch with me later, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Lu will play with Ponytail later!”

“Ooh, make sure to show me where all the good food is!”

“Kino.”

“Yeah?”

“...... No, it's nothing. See you when you get back.”

Hana watched as Kino waved, then turn away from them and leave for the village entrance. The festival was only just starting, and she did not want to cause unnecessary alarm with talks of demons. If any demons were to appear near the village, Kino would sense them, and if any managed to sneak in, Hana would take care of them.

“Mama, it's starting!”

As the sun set, the festival kicked off. Stall owners hurried to their stands while the visitors talked to farmers about their trade. Soon, the small village was filled with merry chatter, marking the start of the festive night.

“Alright, tonight we shall have the time of our lives!”

“Ou!”

The night was illuminated not only by the many lamps placed by the street, but also by several little fireflies. Families walked together, some nibbling on various snacks, while some tried to scoop up fishes at one of the stalls.

“Mama, mama! Let's try that one!”

“Hmm?”

Luna was pointing towards a shooting stand. A small set of bow and arrows were placed on the counter, and several items were placed on a shelf behind. There were snacks, along with what looked like boxes of candy, stuffed toys and even sacks of, Hana guessed, seeds.

“Ooh, not a bad idea.”

As Hana approached, she noticed that the arrows had rounded edges. If someone were to get hit by it, it would only cause a minor bruise, so it was safe to use even for Luna. The bow was also small, making it usable even by children.

“Hey, hey! Hana and little Lulu! How're ya, enjoying yourselves?”

“Very much so. Can we try your game?”

“Sure ya can! Three coins for five tries! Knock em' over and they're yours, but simply hitting em' won't do! Ya gotta knock em' over I say!”

“Easy! Lu'll shoot them all down!”

“Hoh! It won't be as easy as ya think!”

The owner gave Luna the bow and five arrows. As Luna nocked and drew an arrow, Hana could see where she was aiming at. A large stuffed... thing was sitting at the top row of the shelf, right in the middle. It was placed in such a way that it cannot be shot straight on from where Luna stood, as the bow was a small, weak one and didn't allow for much power. It had to be shot at an angle. Even then, its body looked to be quite heavy, and it would prove difficult for Luna to be able to take the thing down- What exactly is that thing?

Hana squinted and peered at the toy. The animal, Hana assumed it was an animal of some sort, was completely round. It was a light purple in color and had a long tail attached to its back. Its eyes were simply two lines drawn across and its mouth was half opened, as though in the middle of a yawn. It didn't have a nose or ears, and Hana thought it looked extremely strange.

“There!”

As Luna released the arrow, it flew towards the round stuff toy, but fell low when it was halfway through, narrowing missing another one of those round animals-

“......”

Hana realized that all the stuffed toys on display were of the same round animal. They came in various colors, but most prominently in purple and white. Some had their eyes open, some looked as if they were sleeping, and some were squinting. There was one with its white eyes wide open, and its mouth stretching to a disproportionate size. It seemed as if it were trying to look fierce, but it was anything but that. One of them even had its tail gripping on to a mug of what appeared to be wine, and was about to drink it.

“Aww... One more time!”

Luna's shots all missed their mark and lost power whenever they reached the halfway point. By the time Luna fired her third shot, she was considering giving up and going for another target.

“Lu, try shooting a little higher.”

“Eh? …... Ooh!”

Luna understood what Hana was trying to tell her. Shoot at an angle, and the arrow will travel further.

This time, Luna did not aim right for her target, but a little higher above it. When she released the arrow, it flew higher than usual and when it came down, it went straight for the prize-

“Ooh!”

The arrow hit the round animal, which rolled backwards a little. But the force wasn't strong enough to kock it over, and it rolled back forwards into the exact same position from before.

“Ooh...”

“Woah, nice try there Lulu! Its too bad though... One more try left!”

“Mmm... Lu, can I have the last shot?”

“Eh? Ah! Here!”

As Luna happily handed over the bow and her last arrow, the stall owner walked up towards them.

“Woah there, if Hana's gonna to take a shot, I'll have to make it harder for her!”

“Sure thing. A more challenging target will make victory even sweeter.”

“Confident as ever, eh?”

The owner picked up two potatoes and placed them side by side in front of Hana's target, and hung a bunch of grapes in front of it.

“Ya gotta shoot through em'! And ya can't hit any of the other targets either!”

“Uuu... That's not fair!”

“Don't mind, Lu. Mama'll get that th- prize for you.”

Hana raised the bow to her eye level.

“Here goes.”

Hana nocked the arrow, but didn't draw. Instead, she focused on the target area, the small space between the potatoes and grapes. Hana took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She angled her shot a little lower than Luna did before, and steadied her grip. There was a slight wind, and Hana, now in position, waited for the perfect opportunity to shoot.

“... Hana? Anytime now-”

“Now!”

As the breeze died down, in one swift motion Hana drew the arrow back as much as she could and released immediately.

“Ooh!”

“Gah!”

Cheers of expectancy from Luna and dread from the store owner could be heard as the arrow sailed through the air, passing straight through the small exposed area between the potatoes and grapes. It struck the round animal right where the nose should have been, and it tumbled over backwards, dropping onto the ground.

“Eheheh...”

Hana watched as Luna played with the stuffed toy in her hands, pulling on its cheeks and squishing its body. Now that Hana could see it from up close, she realized that the head and the body were one, and it didn't have any limbs either. Simply just a ball of squish.

“Mama, how come you were able to knock it down when I couldn't?”

“Mmm, normally you would pull the arrow back and aim, then let go. But when I draw and release in one motion, I release all the energy in one burst, so it flies further.”

That was not the case however. The bow provided was simply not strong enough to knock over a target of that height and distance. The store owner had probably made it so that even children could play, but he had unknowingly made some of the prizes extremely difficult to hit.

Hana had simply push a little of her energy into the bow to give it some extra power, allowing the arrow to fly further and faster than it should have been able to.

“Guu...”

“It matters not, Lu. For now, just take good care of that doll, alright?”

“Yeah! Thanks, mama. Ooh, sweets!”

Hana sighed as Luna ran up to a snacks stall, where they sold sweetened corn and sweet potatoes. The stand just opposite it sold various drinks such as honeyed water and juice, making it the perfect spot to take a break and enjoy the festival food.

Luna was enjoying herself, and Hana was too. Soon, it'll be time for Hana to switch with Kino, but for now, Hana would make the most of her time.

“Woah... They're so pretty.”

Hana and Luna were at an accessory stall. There were all kinds of necklaces, bracelets and brooches, each one glittering with a different color from the rest.

“Mmm... Pick one, Lu.”

“Huh? Can I really?”

“Sure, you're old enough now. Just one though, or mama'll have to go hungry the next few days.”

“This one!”

“Eh?! That was fast!”

Luna had picked out a silver hairpin and was holding it in her hand. It consisted of a few curved strips fixed together, making it look like a miniature wing. Other than a large, sparkling blue crystal attached to the edge, it was the same color all round. It wasn't dull however, and shone a little, reflecting the light of its surface.

“Are you sure you're fine with that?”

Hana had thought Luna would have wanted something more colorful and shiny. The hairpin wasn't expensive either, in fact it was one of the cheapest accessories on display. But Luna simply nodded, then picked out another identical hairpin.

“Can Lu have two of these?”

“Two? Come now, one is enough for now... Hah... Alright, just this once.”

Luna grinned, holding on to her new hairpins as Hana paid the owner. When Hana turned back to Luna, she was struggling to put one on.

Hana sighed and knelt down on the ground, facing Luna at eye level. She helped Luna clip on her new hairpin, contrasting with her black hair.

“Mmm, looks good on you.”

“Mama too!”

“Eh?”

Luna, with the other hairpin in her hand, bent forwards and clipped it onto Hana's black hair. Surprised, Hana watched as Luna stepped back, who grinned from ear to ear.

“Now we match!”

“For me?”

Luna nodded, still smiling, and Hana couldn't help but smile back.

“... Thank you.”

The money had come out of Hana's pocket, but it didn't matter to her.

Hana was about to stand up, when suddenly a figure landed from above right beside her. In Festa, the only one with such a long ponytail was Kino, who looked flustered as she caught her breath.

“Kino? What's the matter, it isn't time for us to switch yet.”

“...... Trouble.”

That one word alone put Hana on high alert, and she immediately knew what 'trouble' was.

“There's no time. I sensed two of them, we need to move now.”

“Mama?”

“...... Fine then. Let us move.”

Hana turned to Luna, patting her on her head.

“Lu, stay here. I won't take long, so don't move away from this area until I return, alright?”

“Mama, where are you going? Lu will come too, Lu can help-”

“No. Stay here. I promise I'll be back soon, so just wait for me, okay?”

“Mama...”

Knowing that they didn't have time to waste, Hana quickly turned and walked with Kino, disappearing into the crowd.

“Where are they?”

“In the forest nearby. Why didn't you come find me when you sensed the demons? This is a dangerous situation!”

“Kino...”

Hana kept herself calm as they made their way into the forest edge before continuing.

“I can't sense demons anymore.”

“...!”

It would seem Hana's energy loss was beginning to directly affect her abilities as well, and Hana gritted her teeth in annoyance.

They haven't made their move yet, but I suspect...”

As Hana and Kino left, Luna frowned. Holding the stuffed toy in her hands, she began to make her way back to the house.

Luna had followed them a little from behind and heard parts of their conversation. She knew Hana was heading for the forest with Ponytail, and did not have time to bring along her weapons.

“Hmph. Lu can help too.”

Luna decided to be of use this time, and deliver Hana's sword to her.

*

“What's with the hairpin?”

“... Lu.”

“Heh... That so? Never thought I'd see you wearing something like that on your head.”

“Now's not the time for that... What happened?”

Hana and Kino were sprinting through the forest. With the loss of Hana's abilities, they could only rely on Kino to find the hiding demons.

There was no time for Hana to go back for her sword. Kino had hidden her blades in the forest in case of an emergency such as this one, and lent Hana one of hers. It was short and very light, not what Hana was used to, but it would have to do.

“While I as patrolling around outside, I sensed demonic energy close by, the malicious kind. I thought we should get rid of the problem before it comes to us.”

“Aye. It'll be better this way. We'll eliminate them without the village knowing. Telling them would only cause unnecessary panic.”

“Right. Still... During the festival of all times? Shame...”

Kino sighed. She had probably not expected to have to actually carry out her duty.

“Haha, sounds like you were looking forward to the festival, eh?”

“That's one thing. Then again, it has been too long since we got to fight together again. I'm kinda excited now.”

“Let's finish this quickly and go back to the festival. Lu's waiting.”

“Okay! Ah, this sure brings back memories.”

“You sound like an old lady.”

“Hah?! Who's the old one here!”

“We both are.”

“Mmu...”

It was as if they were back in the old days. Many times, comrades would hold idle chatter before a battle. Perhaps it was to keep their mind off things, or perhaps it was to calm their nerves. Hana never knew, for she never took part in those conversations, and simply watched. On rare occasions, Hana might exchange a few words with someone, but that was it.

“You sure have changed, Hana.”

“Hmm?”

“Never mind that, we can talk when this is over.”

“... Have you found the demons yet?”

“Not yet... They seem to be on the move just like us, possibly to avoid detect-”

“Kino, hold on.”

“What is it?”

“Why were you able to clearly sense them just now, but feel nothing moments before?”

“......”

“......”

“Dammit!”

Sometimes, specific demons had abilities such as regeneration. Some, had the ability to cloak their demonic energy, making it difficult for war maidens to sense them.

“Sorry! It's been so long since I had to actively search for demons... I can't believe my skills are turning rusty like yours- Hold up, they're nearby!”

“Alright then. Here we go!”

Kino jumped onto a tree branch while Hana stayed on the ground. With the sword, Hana made a small cut on her left hand, letting her blood drip onto the blade. A faint purple glow emitted out of the blade, then diminished all of a sudden.

“... What-”

“They're coming!”

Hana look up to see a demon charge at her with its arms stretched out. It looked just like the one she had faced ten years ago, except it looked more evolved. It still did not have a solid form, but it had long, scythe-like arms that were dripping with what looked like an acidic substance of some sort, its mouth wide open as if threatening to swallow her whole.

Hana rolled to the side, avoiding the demon's acidic embrace. She dripped a little more blood on her blade, but only yielded the same results.

“What's going on...?”

“Hana!”

The demon had come charging once again, only to be cut in half by Kino, who ambushed it from above.

“What're you doing?!”

“... My power, it isn't working.”

“Say what?”

Kino didn't have time to listen to Hana. Sensing the second demon flying at her from behind, Kino twisted her body and went as low as she could, raising her sword at the same time. The demon narrowly misses her body and instead sliced itself on Kino's blade, landing in a heap together with the other demon.

“Fuu... Well that takes care of that.”

“No, they regenerate!”

“Huh?”

When Kino turned back, the demons had already regained their form and were spitting acid.

“Oh, come on!”

Kino stood her ground, deflecting each of the demons' attacks. But her swords were not uniquely crafted like Hana's was, and the acid slowly chipped away at their durability.

“Hana?! Anytime now!”

“I'm trying...! Hold them off a little while longer!”

Hana decided to take a risk-

“Gwaah!”

And deeply cut her left palm. As blood shot out from her hand and landed on the sword, Hana could see the familiar, purple glow. When the blade was covered in blood, it at last glowed brightly, signaling that it was ready to destroy demons.

“Kuh...!”

Several battles worth of spiritual energy wasted just to activate her demon-killing powers, but there was no other choice. She would have to make them count.

“Hyah!”

Ignoring the pain in her hand, Hana vanished from behind Kino, who was still preoccupied with defending herself, and reappeared behind one of the demons, stabbing it in the back.

There was a hoarse shriek from the demon and it burned away to nothing. Before Hana could attack again, the other demon jumped backwards and onto a tree, disappearing from her sights.

“......”

Hana and Kino stood still, listening for any sounds.

“I can't sense it.”

The demon's energy had vanished, and Hana deduced that it had masked its energy, making it difficult for Kino to sense it. But the demon could not hide all traces of its energy, and in mere seconds, Kino had determined the demon's location.

“There!”

Kino threw her blade at one of the trees, and managed to slice through one of the demon's scythe-arms.

“This is it!”

“Mama!”

“...!”

Hana was just about to jump and deliver the finishing blow when she heard Luna's voice. From behind the trees, Luna emerged, panting heavily and holding onto Hana's sword and standing right below the demon.

“LU!”

The demon swooped down in one fluid motion. And raised its remaining arm.

When Hana started running, the demon had already struck, cutting Luna from her shoulder down to her waist.

“AHHH!”

Even when Hana's sword penetrated the demon's frame, she knew she was too late. Hana watched as the demon slowly burned away, revealing Luna's fallen figure on the ground, sword still clutched in her hands.

“Lu...!”

Hana threw the sword in her hand away and bent down beside Luna. Her chest was bleeding profusely, and the deep cut made by the demon proved to be beyond Hana's abilities to treat.

“Ma... ma...”

Luna was breathing heavily, her eyes clouded over.

All of a sudden, Hana felt a chill on the air. Luna's eyes began to glow, and slowly turned from brown into a blood-red color.

“GWAHH!”

Luna shouted, but the voice that came out wasn't hers. It had been ten years, but Hana recognized it well.

“... Fay.”

“Hana, what-”

Kino watched in amazement as Luna's wound slowly began to close, as if by magic. Luna gritted her teeth, which were lengthening into fangs. Luna's hair was in the process of turning greyish, then white when suddenly, Luna stopped changing. Kino and Hana could not believe what they saw.

Luna's wound was completely healed. Not even a trace of a scar could be seen, as if it was never there. But it wasn't their minds playing tricks on them, for Luna's clothes were still bloodied from her now non-existent wound.

Slowly, Luna began to change back. Her hair became darker, her fangs became normal, white teeth, and when she opened her eyes, they were no longer red, but brown.

Luna blinked.

“Mama? What happened? Why is Lu lying on the ground?”

“......”

“......”

“Hmm?”

“... Hana. What was that?”

“Kino... I-”

Hana stopped in mid-sentence. Out of the corner of her eye, Hana saw a small wisp of black fall from the sky, and watched as it landed on Luna's chest. It looked familiar, as if she had only just seen it before-

“...!”

It was the demon from before, most likely the part Kino had cut off before the main body burned away. Hana tried to grab hold on the black substance, but it had already disappeared, sinking into Luna's chest where Hana could not reach. At that moment, Luna closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.

“No...!”

“Hana!”

“Kino... Kuh...!”

Kino had her sword raised and pointed towards Hana's throat. Her face showed no signs of her usual cheerful smile, but a serious, mean-looking expression that told Hana she meant business.

“What, is all this...?”

“......”

Hana didn't reply. Kino had already seen Luna's transformation, and she knew she could not hide it anymore. As she was now, she may be able to take Luna and escape, but Kino would chase her down. With her powers constantly deteriorating, Hana knew it would only be a matter of time before they were caught.

Kino sighed and lowered her sword.

“Hana, I won't hurt the Lu nor you. I just want you to tell me what exactly is going on.”

“...... Will you help?”

“Not before I hear everything. Even then, I might not be willing. In the first place, I doubt I can do much... I don't know what's going on here, but it looks to me as though you're committing a great taboo. Now tell me.”

Hana never thought this day would come. She had raised Luna for a decade, only to have their peaceful lives interrupted by demons yet again.

“Hana. Please, tell me what's going on.”

Hana decided then that she had no choice but to trust Kino. In the event of another attack, Kino would be able to protect them if need be.

“...... Fine. We'll talk at my house.”
Chapter 7:
Spoiler! :
383 – Winter

Twelve days had passed since the demon attack. The last few leaves had fallen off the trees, and thus came the cold, winter season.

Ever since that day, Luna had been ill. Being stuck in bed, none of the villagers had seen her since the festival. The only ones who know the cause are Hana and Kino.

When Hana explained Luna's condition to Kino, she had expected her to leave, or even attack, but Kino did no such thing. True to her word, she listened to Hana as she told her story from the time she met Noa and Fay, how Noa had died and Fay sealed inside Luna, and how she left to raise Luna in Festa.

“I think I understand now. But this is all so unusual... I'm sorry, I need some time.”

Having said that, Kino would go out of the village from dawn till night, coming back only to sleep.

“Mama... How is it today...?”

Hana touched Luna's forehead. Her fever had gotten worse, despite Hana's efforts to lower her temperature.

“Mmm, let's see now... Its a little better than yesterday, but you'll need a lot more rest to fully recover.”

“But its been so long... Does Lu had some kind of disease...?”

“Hmm? Don't worry, Lu. Its just an ordinary cold. As long as you get plenty of rest, you'll be fine.”

But that was not the case. Hana was positive the demon fragment that entered Luna's body in the forest was the cause, and it was wrecking havoc inside. Hana could not deal with the demon fragment, as it was using Luna as a shield. Hana could not destroy the fragment without harming Luna.

To make matters worse, Hana realized that the seal she placed upon Fay had been destroyed. The harm to Luna's body during the fight with the demons in the forest had forced Fay to emerge to restore her body. Hana was unsure of what would happen should Fay become completely unsealed.

Luna was fighting both the demon fragment and Fay's awakening, both fighting for control over Luna's body. Luna was putting up a good fight, but it wasn't long before she succumbs to either side.

“Lu, I'll go prepare your medicine. Wait here, okay?”

Luna simply nodded, her body covered in sweat. Hana's medicine might make one vomit just from the taste itself. Hana mixed it in sweet corn soup, so it would be easier for Luna to consume.

Hana shut the door to the bedroom and headed for the kitchen, where she had already prepared a bowl of soup.

Hana had bandaged her left hand when the battle was over, as it was bleeding badly. Hana unwrapped the bandages to reveal several cuts on her palm, and threw the old bandage away. Picking up a knife from the counter, Hana pressed the blade to her hand, making a fresh wound and watched as blood began to ooze out. She let a few drops into the soup she had prepared, until it was a dull, dark red.

“What are you doing?”

“......”

Kino stood by the kitchen door, watching Hana as she worked.

“How long have you been there?”

“Right after you entered.”

“So you saw everything then.”

“Yes.”

Hana retrieved from the cupboard a fresh roll of bandages, and began to tend to her new wound.

“Hana. What do you think you're doing?”

“... Making medicine.”

“Medicine? How is that, medicine?!”

Kino pointed at the bowl of soup, which was now a dirty, reddish brown in color.

“My blood... It is full of spiritual energy. I can use it to-”

“Its not working now, is it?!”

“......”

“The demon's still inside, isn't it.”

“...... As long as there is malicious energy inside Lu, my blood will fight.”

Over the past week, Hana had secretly mixed her blood into Luna's medicine. The first few hours after she drank it, Hana's blood, which is filled with spiritual energy, would fight the demon fragment inside, and Luna's body temperature would drop. But soon after, the demon would prevail, and throw Luna into a critical state again.

Hana had not slept properly for over a week. Every time she made the medicine, she lost more and more of her power. Her strength was now less than half of what it was when she fought Kino.

But even so, Hana continued to use her blood, even when it seemed useless. And today too, she would proceed with the same procedure.

As Hana made her way wordlessly out of the kitchen, Kino stood in her way.

“Please move.”

“Hana, what you're doing now isn't going to destroy the demon inside Lu. All you're doing is building up its resistance to your blood! Why can't you see that?”

“... I know.”

“You what...?”

“I know. Even so... I have to do this.”

“Hana...!”

“Move.”

“...... Fine.”

Kino turned and left the house. Hana walked back into the bedroom, the bowl of soup in her hands.

“Mama... It hurts again...”

“There, there. Drink this bowl of soup. I mixed in some of the medicine, so you'll start to feel better in no time. Here, mama will help you.”

Hana propped Luna up against the wall, and slowly fed her the soup with a wooden spoon. It tasted awful, but Luna never complained even once.

“Mama... When I get better... Can we go eat dumplings again...?”

Hana smiled, setting the now empty bowl onto the bedside table.

“Of course. You can have all you want to eat then.”

“Promise...?”

“I promise.”

“Okay... Lu'll do her best... to get well soon...”

When Luna had drifted off to sleep, Hana silently left the room and shut the door behind her. She rummaged through the cupboards in the living room and retrieved two identical silver hairpins from inside. The one Luna wore had been stained with blood, and even after washing it, a faint hint of red could be seen on the shiny surface.

“Kuh...”

Hana closed her eyes. She focused most of her spiritual energy together in her hand, leaving a little left for herself. With the sharp edge of Luna's hairpin, she made a small cut on her hand. A single drop of blood trickled down the hairpin.

The drop of blood slowly spread throughout the hairpin, as if never running out. Soon, it covered the entire hairpin, turning it into a cool, metallic red in color. It glowed warmly for a moment, then returned to its normal state. Holding both the red hairpin and her silver one in hand, Hana collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

With that, Hana had lost most of her spiritual energy. She was almost human now.

“Its almost time... huh.”

All was going according to Hana's plan.

There was only one thing left to do. Hana walked out of the house, and visited the villagers in their homes and stores. It was evening by the time she went home, after exchanging words with all the villagers in Festa.

When Hana entered the bedroom, Luna was awake and sweating. Her eyes were turning red and her hair was starting to gray, showing signs that Fay was finally breaking through.

“Mama... What's happening... to me?”

“Hush, Lu. Mama'll make you another bowl of soup, so hang on for a while, okay?”

When Hana left for the kitchen, she knew that she would have to act soon. Everything had already been prepared, and soon she would execute her plan.

“Hang on, Lu. I'll save you soon.”

*

It did not take long for the demons to strike again. Only two days later, Kino stumbled back home, her left arm bleeding.

“Another one has come... I was careless handling it. It escaped into the forest, but I'm sure it'll be back...”

“Kino... how's your arm?”

“I'm fine, but we need to get Lu out of here. Seems like the demon is attracted to that demonic energy possessing her, and staying here will only put the other villagers in danger.”

“Alright. Kino, wait for us at the village entrance. We'll be there as soon as we can.”

Kino nodded and walked over towards Luna.

Luna's hair was completely white now, and her eyes were blood-red. She was also growing fangs and her ears were elongating, but that wasn't all. Luna was breathing heavily, a fierce look on her face. She held on tightly to the round, stuffed toy she obtained during the festival as if for comfort, but cloth was already ripping apart and Kino could see the stuffing inside.

“Hana-!”

“Go, Kino. There's no time to waste.”

Kino left reluctantly, looking back as she ran. Once Kino was out of sight, Hana changed into her war maiden's uniform. She tied her sword and a small sack to her waist, then lifted Luna onto her back.

“Hold on tight, Lu.”

Luna's half-grown claws sank into Hana's clothes, gripping tightly onto her shoulders. They dug into her flesh a little, but Hana ignored the pain and quickly made her way out of the house- through the back door and into the forest, where Kino was not waiting.

“Mama... Something's trying to come out... Hurts...”

“Hang on, Lu! I promise this'll all be over soon! Once I see that demon... Please, Fay.”

Hana gritted her teeth. She was now only a tiny fraction of what she was before, and possibly stood no chance against any demon now. She had even lost her Godspeed ability, which had been her specialty. In the dense forest, Hana couldn't see very far ahead. She couldn't sense demons either, so she had to rely on her human senses to find the demon.

When it appears, Kino would sense it, and she would have no choice but to go after it, thinking that Hana would be safe waiting at the village if she herself went to fight it. Hana would have to act fast.

How long she ran, Hana didn't know. She had soon lost track of time, and was getting tired. Not too long ago, she would have been able to carry a child on her back and run from one village to another without stopping, but she wasn't the same person she was back then.

Luna's condition was rapidly worsening now. Soon, Fay would take over Luna's body, and the demon would in turn try to control Fay, and cause her to wreck havoc on the village. Hana could not risk a demon awakening in the village nor in front of Kino, and so she decided to bring Fay to the forest.

The demon wanted to bring out the now unsealed Fay, and would surely follow them. Hana had guessed that was the reason why the demon fragment possessed Luna in the first place. It acted as a beacon for other demons. If it was not removed, Luna would forever be chased by demons.

Hana could not be sure that Kino won't try to kill Fay when she appears, and so she decided to handle things by herself.

“...!”

A claw slashed at Hana. Hana dodged, but was not able to completely avoid the attack.

“Gah...!”

A cut in her left arm was enough to send pain shooting up to her head, but Hana stood firm and drew her sword. Using whatever little energy she had left, Hana empowered her blade with her blood. The glow was very faint, and Hana knew she only had one attack left. She would have to attack carefully.

The demon charged again, and Hana blocked its claws with her sword. The blow knocked Hana backwards, sending her flying headfirst into a tree. She lost her grip on Luna, who fell over onto the ground.

“Lu...! Kuh!”

Hana began to bleed from her head, and her vision blurred for a moment. The demon did not wait for Hana to recover, and charged once again, this time at Luna instead. Hana had seen it coming, and threw herself between the demon and Luna-

“Guh...!”

The claw came down, and struck Hana on her back. Hana's felt a shockwave through her body, and everything seemed to slow down. She watched as Luna's face contorted with horror at seeing the blood spurting out of Hana's body, then anger.

Luna did not know what pushed her to jump forwards, nor did she know what the voice in her head was. What she did know was that she had a sword in her hand, and she was screaming in a voice that wasn't hers.

“AHHH!”

The demon froze as if intimidated by Luna's cry. Luna felt a huge power surging up from inside, and suddenly she could see every movement, every incoming danger, all dyed in red. She could sense every little thing around, the dark, demonic energy that was the demon, the vibrant life of the trees in the forest, the small diminishing life that was Hana-

“GRAHH!”

Shouting as she ran, Luna raised the sword and charged at the demon. The demon launched a volley of fast swipes with its claws, but not a single one connected with its target.

“Hyah!”

Luna's claws were now toughened, and she used them to cleanly slice through the demon's right arm, then its left. Luna bent down and swept the demon's legs with her feet, crushing and ripping them out from the demon's body.

The demon let out a hoarse cry. But Luna felt no emotion from it, unlike the fear she felt from hunting animals-

“...!”

Memories were flooding into Luna's mind. Memories that she did not know, memories of a girl who looked just like her, memories-

“AHHH!”

Luna sank her claws deep into the demon's chest, then pulled out and sliced its head off with the empowered sword, where it slowly burned away into the air.

“Uh... Guh...”

The sword fell from Luna's hand as she collapsed onto the ground. In the middle of the surge of memories, Luna felt a dark, demonic energy, and another one trapped in sadness. The demonic energy was trying to take over her body, and Luna was not able to stop it.

“Lu...”

“...!”

Hana coughed blood, and her vision was blurry. But she could feel Luna crawling up to her, and soon she sat by her side. Her war maiden's armor had already fully repaired itself, but the injuries Hana sustained looked to be fatal.

“Lu...”

“Mama... Mama!”

A drop of liquid fell onto Hana's face. Hana could not see very well, but she knew the source.

“Lu... Don't cry... Mama's here...”

Hearing Luna's sniffles, Hana raised her hand slowly, but she couldn't see her face. She wanted hold on to it...

A warm hand grabbed hold of Hana's and slowly brought it to

Luna's face, which she touched gently with her shaking hands.

“Ah... Kino... Is that you?”

“...... Yeah.”

“... I'm sorry... I leave the rest... to you...”

“... You can count on me.”

Kino stepped back, leaving Hana and Luna together. If only she had arrived sooner... Was what she thought. She cursed herself in her mind.

“Lu... Take this...”

With her left hand, Hana reached into the sack tied to her waist, and untied it, revealing a red hairpin and a silver one.

“Mama, this...?”

Hana nodded. She held out the two hairpins in her hands, waiting for Luna to take it.

“Wear them, Luna... I cannot protect you anymore... They will protect you... From now on...”

“Mama... mama!”

Luna desperately clung on to Hana's hand as she took the hairpins with her other. She would not be able to hang on any longer, the demon's force was too strong for her to hold back.

And Hana knew it too.

“Remember, Lu... Mama loves you.”

“MAMA!!”

There was a blinding flash of light where Luna sat.

“Mmu...!”

Where Luna was just moments before, Kino saw another girl in her place. She had demonic, red eyes, long ears, pure white hair and long fangs. The girl like Luna, was crying.

“... Is that you, Fay?”

“... Hana. Hana...!”

The girl called Fay embraced Hana.

“I'm sorry... I can't stop it... It's coming out... The demon is coming out...!”

“Fay... Drink...”

“... Huh...?”

“My blood... Will become your medicine... I am already dying. Now is... the right time... Have I not prepared you for this...?”

“...!”

Kino remembered the many sessions of 'medicine' Hana had given to Luna. She had warned her that all it did was build up the demon's resistance to her spiritual energy. Did she...?

“Drink now, Fay... Little time remains. My blood will cleanse the demon... But not you... nor my daughter.”

Spiritual energy destroys demons, that was knowledge most people knew. But spiritual energy was never meant to destroy demons specifically. It was meant to directly counter-

“Malicious energy. I see...”

Kino closed her eyes. It was all over now, and Fay knew that too.

The only source of malicious energy was the demon fragment inside her body. Drinking Hana's blood would cleanse her body, putting an end to this incident once and for all.

While trapped in Luna's body, Fay regularly felt spiritual energy clashing with demonic energy. She had wondered why she was never affected, why that spiritual energy never harmed her even once.

“Hana...!”

“You were the brightest student... I ever had. Fay, take care of your sister for me...”

“Uuu... Uwahh!”

As Fay sunk her fangs into Hana's neck, she felt her blood being drained. Her vision was lost now. The next to go was her hearing. Then, Hana couldn't smell anything anymore. She didn't feel any pain, nor could she sense anything.

Hana stood in a white, empty space. She closed her eyes. For generations she had lived, all for the purpose of battle. She had been there at the beginning, and at the end of the war. She lost her purpose at the end, then she found a new one. Compared to her entire life, that period was brief, but Hana felt it was good.

When Hana thought back to the times she spent together with her loved ones in that house on the hill, then the house in the festive village, she smiled. She had a sister, a student, and then she had a daughter, her most precious treasure. She had led a good life, and it was time for her to move on.

When Hana opened her eyes, Noa was waiting for her. A wooden door lay open behind her, showing another world not so different from the one she knew for so many years, but it was one that felt restful and without worry.

Hana smiled again. She pulled out a paper fan, and with a quick flick of her wrist, unfolded it with one swift motion. Hana made her way towards the door where Noa awaited, and in her heart, she wished them both well.
Epilogue:
Spoiler! :
384 – Spring

Two months after the incident passed, demons began to appear frequently around the world. Ever since their defeat so many years back, they had been taking their time to rebuild their forces, and another war was threatening to bring the lands into turmoil once again.

However in a certain village, few people cared much for the demons. They preferred to live their lives away from war, and took no part in the battles.

Ever since Hana's death, Kino had taken over her role as protector of the village. The villagers offered to help her build a new house, but Kino chose to stay at Hana's home.

“I got her kid's permission, no problem!”

A few days before her death, Hana had gone around visiting each and everyone of the villagers. That day, she told everyone of Luna's situation and what she truly was, and pleaded with the villagers to accept her for who she was.

Hana held on to the belief that in this world, there were still good people who would accept Luna as a person and not shun her as a demon. Her faith was rewarded when the villagers not only expressed their willingness to take care of her, but also their willingness to hide her from anyone who might threaten her safety.

But even then, Luna had decided she would leave the village, for just a little while. There was a place she wanted to visit. When the villagers saw Luna off at the entrance, they asked where she was going. The then white haired girl turned back, her red eyes glowing and her elongated ears twitching. She wore two hairpins, one a shiny, metallic red and the other a smooth silver in color. Her fangs could be seen when she smiled, and said that she would be back soon.

“I'm going home.”

Was what the girl said as the wind blew her brown coat to the side, revealing a small jar she held in her hands.

*

Fay stood in front of Noa's grave. She was back in the old village she used to live in, which was now almost empty. A few villagers remained, but Fay did not pay them a visit. Instead, she walked inside the house she had once lived in.

The place was not as dusty as Fay thought it would have been, as if someone had come to clean it regularly. The various furniture and kitchen tools were unused in over a decade. There were several rolls of fabric sitting in the corner of Noa's bedroom, and it brought back many memories.

When Fay drank Hana's blood, the demon fragment inside her was destroyed, and with it the wall that blocked Fay and Luna from one another. Unknown to them, the demon fragment had acted in a way similar to Hana's seal.

Fay began to clean up the place. Wiping the floorboards, cleaning the windows, everything felt familiar to Fay.

When she was done cleaning the house, Fay sighed and stood in the living room, admiring her work. But there was still one thing she had to do. Fay walked over to the shed and picked out a shovel. It was rusty and old, but Fay knew that it still had a bit of use left in it. She walked over to Noa's grave and set the small jar she brought with her down on the ground.

When Fay raised the shovel, she heard a voice in her head calling out to her.

“Wait, let me do it.”

“... If you insist.”

Fay's hair began turning black, and so did her eyes. Her ears and fangs shortened, until the person standing there was no longer a demon, but a human.

Luna swung the shovel down beside Noa's grave, digging her way through the earth. Hana's blood now flowed through her veins, and together with the red hairpin, provided Luna the strength she needed to do the job.

When Luna had dug a hole large enough to fit a a fully-grown man, she put the shovel down on the ground and picked up the jar, then carefully placed it into the hole.

“Did we really have to make it so big?”

The voice that came from her head was Fay's, and Luna replied with a cheerful voice.

“Mama was tall you know? Better to have it too big than to have it too small!”

Luna filled the hole with the dirt she had dug up, then flattened it nicely. Luna then ran into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. She found a small bottle of old wine and brought it back with her to Hana's and Noa's grave. There, she poured a little wine onto the earth in front of the graves, then bowed deeply.

“Mama. Lu is going now. Don't worry, I have sis and Ponytail with me, and the villagers will be there too. Lu will grow up to be a strong girl.”

“Mother, I have a sister now. I promise I'll try my hardest to make friends. Please rest now, and wait for me.”

When the two sisters had finished and placed the shovel back into the shed, the sun was already setting, and so they decided to spend the night there. Fay slept in her mother's room that night, remembering the good times they had together.

The next morning, Fay woke up to footsteps near the door. She opened it to find an unfamiliar woman staring at her in shock. Her clothes were familiar, Fay recognized them as common clothing that the villagers used to wear. The woman looked a little younger than twenty years old, and had her hair tied back in a ponytail.

“You are... Fay...?”

Fay's eyes widened in surprise, as she remembers a name.

“Are you Nina?”

The woman nodded, a blank expression on her face, then smiled.

“You look just like you did before... You haven't aged one bit!”

“... Things happened.”

Nina bowed deeply.

“I'm sorry for what happened all those years back. The villagers do regret what they had done... But some are still unforgiving over the incident, so I think it's best if you don't enter...”

“I see... Don't worry, I was just about to leave.”

“Oh... I was hoping we could talk for a bit. It's been so long.”

Nina hardly knew Fay, and Fay was still not used to interacting with other people. It would take time for her to open up again, just as it took time for Hana.

“I live in Festa now. Come visit whenever you like, you'll love it there. It's full of festivities.”

As Fay turned and was about to leave, she remembered one thing.

“... Thanks for those dumplings back then, they were good.”

When Nina heard that, she broke into a wide smile and waved to Fay, who was leaving the house and into the forest.

“I'll be sure to visit! Wait for me!”

Fay smiled when she heard Nina's reply, and began her journey to her new home.

The two sisters left for Festa again. Luna would be the dominant half whenever there were people around, and Fay would become the dominant half whenever they needed to hunt or find something. It was a long journey, but together the two sisters made their way back to Festa, where the villagers welcomed them back with open arms.

“Eh? Ponytail's going away for a while?”

“Yeap. I'll be running a quick errand, then I'll come straight back here and play with you, okay?”

“Mmm... Come back safely!”

“You stay safe too, look after the village while I'm gone!”

Kino had to leave right after Luna and Fay had come home. Luna was a little sad, but she could wait. She had all the time in the world now, as the spiritual blood in her body prevented her from aging. The red hairpin bestowed superhuman strength onto her, giving her the power she needed to fend off threats. This also meant that Luna had become a war maiden, the youngest there ever was, and many gave her the title of 'little war maiden'.

“Unfortunately, we'll never grow up either.”

Fay voiced her displeasure at the idea that their bodies were now stuck as how they were, as a growing child.

“Huhu... Don't worry, staying like that isn't too bad either!”

And Luna felt that she was right. Fay sighed, but she couldn't help agreeing. Together in one body, the two sisters took a deep breath, taking in the cool, spring breeze. They had been through a lot, and they knew there would be more to come in the future.

But for now, they thought that everything was alright, and whatever might come, they would face it together.

All was good.

This is the story of when the demon girl met the little war maiden, and their journey together thereafter.

But that, is a story for another day.
Afterword:
Spoiler! :
Afterword

Hello, Whiteblue here. This is my very first finished book, and I thank you for taking your time to read it. I'm now going to assume this is the part where I can rant for two pages. Here I go!

First off, this will be the last time I'm ever doing a project like this in such a time crunch. I don't recommend staying up till dawn everyday to meet your quota. Sleep is probably a better alternative. Mmm... I recommend sleep. Zzz...

This had been and still is, an experimental project. I have never done anything like it before, and was excited to see it through till the end, just so I could hold the final product in my hands. Needless to say, I enjoyed many sleepless nights and had fun watching as my deadline loomed closer and closer.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me to beta-read this work, constantly telling me to spell-check, and especially to Favour, who helped edit my numerous spelling errors and poor vocabulary.

This work was first conceived many months ago, but I placed it into storage to make way for other upcoming projects. About a couple months after Spring Doujima, I decided to retrieve this project from storage and finish it.

It has been quite a stressful process, and many changes had to be made to the final script, but it was a fun ride, despite me flailing around on the sofa and despairing over my no-game Saturdays. After all, there's always Sunday! Oh wait.

I never was one to edit my work. I would usually finish a raw script and then celebrate by gaming all night long, but this time I made sure to properly look through my work. Have you ever read through your previous writings and thought to yourself, “man, this is bad!”?

That was exactly what I felt when I read through my first raw draft. I even laughed at a few of my spelling errors.

The process of coming up with the plot and actually writing it out is fun, but when it's time to edit, I'm suddenly sitting up straight on the cushion(I sit on the ground, no chairs) with my eyes wide open, scanning the script for even the smallest of errors. Yup, editing is serious business.

During the illustrating period, I would sometimes get too absorbed and forget about the time. I had plans to take a break the next day, and go over to my friend's place to play. I ended up sleeping at his house instead.

I'll admit, I panicked on many occasions as the deadline drew closer. Towards the end, I was drawing illustrations without knowing if I would actually make the deadline or not. But everything worked out in the end.

Anyways, all in all it has been a fun experience, and one I hope to do more of in the future. I wanted to do an afterword where I can talk about pointless things and bread, but I thought I should reflect on the journey of creating this book during my first ever afterword. I like afterwords, they're fun.

Perhaps if I manage to get out another book, I'll be able to talk about those things.

I'm still pretty much an amateur when it comes to writing, and have lame illustrating skills for now, but I do hope that they were enough to have kept you entertained throughout.

Have fun.
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lindseynicole010
Astral Realm

Re: Original LN: Journey of Ours [COMPLETE]

Post by lindseynicole010 »

thanks
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