FicWad

It’s a tough life being the Shinto priestess of the village. You have many responsibilities: performing rituals, creating protection spells, and praying for the favor of the Kami for the people. In the Shinto religion, Kami are the little spirits that reside in everything. I am Lady Enna, priestess of my village. Lately, the village has been moderately peaceful. Most of the time, an uproar occurs when a demon or half demon loses control over his actions. That’s when Shadow steps in with his blade in hand. Shadow, will take care of the issue. When a demon loses control, there’s no going back. It’s better for the demon and the village if the problem is immediately taken care of.
Shadow and I have been very good friends since we were only children. So, we’ve been close for quite some time now, I am 16 and he is 18 years old. We used to run around in the open fields all day and play. Shadow, is a half demon. Half dog demon to be precise. He has long dark hair with red tips and dog ears instead of human ears. He has his blade on him at all times.
Back when we were kids he always was amazed at my long black hair and bright blue eyes. I used to run around in my Hina, priestess in training, clothing. The pants were baggy and red for protection, and the shirt was baggy and white for purity. Whenever the wind would blow my hair and clothing would blow with it.
So, we’ve known each other for quite a while. I’ve been living at the temple for quite some time now, and Shadow has come by as often as he can to visit me. I try go back home to my family in the village as much as I can, but I’m always busy. Which reminds me, I should change into some peasant clothing so I can teach my new student. For a few days now, I’ve been teaching a young demon named Sythe. Sythe has been hanging around the temple for a few months now asking Shadow and I to teach him some of our abilities. Finally, after realizing he really was dedicated enough; we decided to teach him once my duties were done for the day.
I am going to teach him minor healing and protection, and Shadow is teaching him how to wield a blade properly. Sythe seems like he will be a good help to The Alliance one day. The Alliance is the demon/human political party of the Japanese Feudal Era.
So, I dress and go out to the steps of the temple where Sythe will meet me. It’s almost dusk and the air is warm. The temple is almost like its own little world. We have a forest surrounding us and a pond, not to mention the vast gardens we have. I decide to go down by the pond to wait for him. There’s a scent of cherry blossoms in the air, and I smile. Cherry blossoms are my favorite flower. There’s a rock I sit down upon and I watch the coy swim around in mindless little circles. As I’m doing this I hear voices not so far away, yelling.
“You’re never going to add up to anything as a demon! You’re pathetic! If you can’t learn how to wield a katana how will you ever be able to use the weapon you were named after?! You sicken me, go home!”
I rose up and could see that across the pond Shadow and Sythe had been training. I saw Sythe throw down the katana he held, and heard him scream, “I HATE YOU SHADOW!!!” He then left the open area where they had been training in an angry rush. I sighed and began to walk around the pond to where Shadow was picking up the katana and polishing it with a cloth.
Where he was it was an open grassy area where he trained a lot. His ears were turned back in a disapproving way. I smiled and walked up to him and rubbed his ears.
He dropped the katana and stood up to hug me. “Little demon brat…” he began. I stopped him though.
“You’ve barely given him a chance, Shadow.” I could see myself reflected in his eyes. He crossed his arms, “So, you’re taking the brat’s side?” he asked. I sighed, “I’m not taking anyone’s side.” His ears were folded back again. “It sounds like it.” “Only because you’re making it sound like it, Shadow.” I said. He dropped to the ground to retrieve the katana and re-sheathed it. There was a metallic ‘click’ when he did so. His back was turned to me and I knew that was his own way of saying ‘leave me alone.’ So I did, walked to the cattails on the waters edge and compared their height to mine. Waiting for him to cool off enough where he would talk to me with some sense of sensibility.
“Are you going out tonight with that new guy?” Shadow asked. I turned to face him, “Who, Youko?” I asked. He nodded.
Youko was a fox demon I had just recently started hanging-out with. He was tall and muscular, the type that would scare off any man, human or demon. He also had these bright golden eyes I liked, and true to his kind, he had fox ears and a tail. My sister had introduced us. I knew Youko had taken a liking to me, but I wasn’t completely sure about him. Youko was a well renounced leader of a circle of demon thieves. It was always hard to be myself around him too. It was like I was faking my own personality just to please him.
“No, not tonight he’s going to be with his group.” I replied. Shadow nodded in approval. “Then,” he asked, “Can I be with you? I mean, lately we’ve been sort of distant.” I walked over to Shadow and gave him a hug. “Sure, maybe we can just…” I was lost on words. I had looked into Shadow’s eyes and seen a glimmer of something I’ve never seen before. My heart was racing, what was happening to me?
Shadow smiled something I never saw much of anymore, and lifted me up onto his strong back. Suddenly I knew what he was doing. “SHADOW! DON’T YOU DARE!!!” I screamed and tried to jump off his back, but he had a good hold on me.
He dared.
Suddenly, colors blurred and the wind was pounding on my face. Shadow had taken off in a dead run with me on his back, just like he used to do when we were kids. It used to scare me when he ran so fast. Oh, who am I kidding, it still does.
I would open my mouth to complain, but when you’re on a demon going god knows how fast, you tend not to. Why, because you could end up eating all sorts of bugs that fly past. If you’re wondering, I learned this the hard way. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he stopped running. And I let out a sigh of relief.
My head throbbed for a moment, my body was getting used to being on solid ground again. After my vision stopped going blurry, I looked around. He had brought us to the open field where we used to play in as kids. It was late spring, so the flowers were in radiant bloom.
“Do you like it?” he asked while brushing stay locks of hair out of his face with his hand. “I love it.” I replied. The sun was now setting. It was really pretty; shades of pink and purple filled the Western sky like watercolors. Shadow took a hold of my arm and leads me to a patch of grass and we lay down and watched the sun set and the first stars rise.
I sat up some time after the North Star rose into our view. “Come on,” I say, “let’s go back to the temple. We need to talk about our new student.” I knew it was risky bringing up Sythe again but I had to try. “You’re so stubborn.” He said, “You never let things drop.” I gave him a curious look, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” He shrugged and stood up and offered his hand to me, I took it. “It depends.”
The walk back to the temple was fairly quiet, we really didn’t speak much. I listened to the cricket’s song. Shadow, I could tell was lost in his thoughts like he always was. Finally after a long walk we were back at the temple where we had started off. I sat down on the steps and motioned for Shadow to sit down by me.
“He’s only a child, Shadow.” I started, “We must try to be patient with him.” Shadow looked down at the cold stone steps below him. “Yeah, I know, but he’s not going to be any good unless he really applies himself to the good of our village.” I sighed and stood up and walked a short distance into the gardens. I could hear him follow behind me. I sat on a bench and slouched in aggravation. He came up behind me and put a cherry blossom in my hair.
“Listen, I’ll try again. I really will, if it will make you happy.” I nodded, “Yes, it would it really would.” I smiled softly as he played with my hair for a moment or so.
“I do want to know something though.” He said as he sat down on the bench next to me. “What do you think of Youko?” I looked down at the green grass below my feet. “I… I don’t know, he’s a bit…” I sighed. It was true I liked being with Youko, but something just didn’t feel right. I just didn’t belong with him. Youko was a ‘for now’ not a ‘forever’. Youko was also very promiscuous and sneaky about which woman, human or demon, he was with.
“You don’t love him, do you?” Shadow asked. My eyes widened, I did not love Youko. In fact all this time, I had been hiding from the one I truly loved. My thoughts ran though my head and I made a sour face. “What?” Shadow had noticed the look on my face. “My mind works in odd ways, and most of the time my life sounds more like a book than anything.” I explained, “Almost like a fairy tale princess kind of way.”
Shadow chuckled, “More like a fairy tale priestess.” I rolled my eyes, and laughed along with him. But I got serious, “Truthfully, I love someone else.” I said, I was wringing my hands in nervousness. “It’s always been right here.” I looked up at Shadow and gave him a faint smile. He locked his eyes with mine and he tilted his head and kissed me.
Suddenly, everything was right in the world. I was happy, Shadow was happy, and Youko…
I pulled away, “What about Youko?” I asked. Shadow shrugged, “Does it really matter right now?” he asked, I shook my head no, and he kissed me again.
“YOU SLIMY LITTLE HALF BREED!!!”
Shadow and I shot apart and before I could barely blink, there was Youko. “What are you doing here?” I gasped. “I thought you were with your friends tonight!”
Youko gave me a stone cold stare, before grabbing my left arm and throwing me to the ground. “Yeah, and I thought you were training that kid.” He spat. “Not being a slut and messing around with a dirty little half mutt.” He kicked me in the side and I cried out in pain. He grabbed my long black hair and used it to pull me aside. Tears were forming in my eyes as he did this. “Why are you doing this?” I whimpered. I got no verbal answer, just a hard slap across the face. I raised my foot and kicked him in the gut, and he stumbled for a moment. Yet, soon he was back on his feet with a look of pure hatred and rage distorting his face. He yelled curses I had never even heard of. I was totally shaken with grief and pain.
I could hear the metallic noise of a blade being unsheathed. I shut my eyes and wished to be dead. Only after a moment or so did I open my eyes I found that Shadow had Youko pinned to a tree. Shadow had his blade pointed at Youko’s heart.
“Keep her out of this.” Shadow barked. “Fine!” Youko said coldly, “I will.” And Youko drew a blade out of nowhere and began to pursue Shadow with it. The two demons kept taking swings at one another. I closed my eyes once more, scared to watch the outcome. Finally, they were in the middle of the garden in fighting stances. I could tell by the aura that this fight would only lead to death.
“NO!” I screamed, I put myself in the middle of the two, “Don’t, please. I’m begging you two.” I pleaded, tears rolling down my face.
Youko took the open shot and put his blade at my throat, “this has nothing to do with you anymore, you lousy wretch.” He slapped me so hard it threw me back against a tree. Where the fingertips would had been there was blood. I cried out in pain. Shadow bounded over to where Youko only a few moments ago, had me captive, and sliced a good portion of Youko’s arm with his blade. He had a look of absolute hatred on his face. He must have hit an artery, because blood shot out in bursts. Youko grabbed the wound in shock, and fled the scene leaving with blood and a long string of colorful curses trailing him. I heard Shadow re-sheath his blade and soon after he was bent down nursing my face.
“I’m so sorry, Enna…”
“What’s to be sorry for?” I asked weakly, I was barely conscious. “He was a bastard, and you got him good, I should be thanking you.” I could feel him kiss me on my forehead, and he lifted me up onto his back protectively. I yawned, “I’m so tired.” I moaned. Shadow let out a cool laugh as he began to walk, “you’ve been through a lot tonight.” He said. I was growing sleepier and sleepier by the moment. Soon he put me down; I could tell I was leaned up against one of the stone columns of the temple. I was barely conscious when I felt him put another cherry blossom in my hair. He put something around my neck as I was going to sleep. “I’ll be back soon.” He whispered into my ear and I blurrily watched him walk off. What he put around my neck was his beloved ankh necklace.
He would be back, but with demons you never can tell how long. So, I’ll be here, waiting. Just patiently waiting for my half demon to return.