Then one day, there was a commotion.
She only noticed because while she was out trying to scavenge some meat, she encountered very little competition from her fellow yatagarasu, and absolutely no yatagarasu her age. It struck her as odd. When she had finished eating what little meat she had gotten-- Chireiden's leadership was cutting down on imports, part of the increasing hostility towards Makai-- she crawled out of her tunnel and made her way to the yatagarasu nests up above.
It was surprisingly busy up on top of the ridge. It didn?t take her very long to see why. Over on the other side, youkai were coming up by a bridge to the yatagarasu nests. She might have had a hard time identifying them, until she saw those weird floating globe things by their chests, connected to them by thin, wavering veins, and immediately recognized them as satori youkai.
She knew who they were based on the description her father had given her... felt like ages ago. Her father, who had first gotten the idea to travel to another city underground because he felt that the satori exploited the yatagarasu too much, treating them like dirt except when they needed servants.
She paused in her walk for a moment, standing there as memories she didn?t know she had flooded back, and she remembered her mother?s lectures on how the satori thought they were being so generous and noble by taking in poor yatagarasu children as servants in the Palace of the Earth Spirits, when really, they were just taking advantage of free labor and the yatagarasu?s lack of social status. Sure, they admitted, there were some yatagarasu that did end up having some genuine influence in governance, but they were few and far between-- worse still, their rare successes were painted as the norm, and so now every yatagarasu family thought that if they sent their kids with the satori, eventually they too could become influential in Chireiden.
And if that wasn?t bad enough, it got worse. Most of the yatagarasu were genuinely excited by this opportunity-- they saw it as the best chance they had to advance in society. The more their children earned, the more they sent back, and the more perks their families could afford. As her parents put it, it was another social fabrication, meant to arouse the ambition in the yatagarasu families? mind, and make them willing and eager to send their children away.
She shuddered for a moment, seeing the satori from a distance. As soon as they had come up, they had been swarmed by yatagarasu who were all too willing to hand over their children to the noble youkai. She saw those bulbous, round things near their chests, and shivered. With that... Third Eye, as they called it, they could read her heart like an open book-- not that she knew how to read, she just heard the idiom once and thought it sounded good-- and her thoughts would be exposed. Even the seditious ones she had just been thinking of. She prayed to her ancestors that no one had been paying attention to her thoughts.
She stood there for a moment, gathering her resolve, and observing the situation. There were a few satori families over there, surrounded by hellcrows and their children in humanoid form-- about fifteen or sixteen satori in all. They were surrounded by almost a dozen families. Unfortunately, they were the (relatively) rich and influential families of the yatagarasu, who maintained their power over the community by handing over as many of their children as they could to the satori nobles. In this way, her father's voice echoed, the elite maintained their elite status, perpetuating the system and keeping the lower-status families oppressed and uneducated, without any opportunities to strike out on their own without having to hold on to a satori's coattails.
She looked at some of the potential servants strutting their stuff, walking around in pure humanoid forms, and suddenly felt something she hadn't felt in months-- self-consciousness. Even though they were her age, they were wearing clean, smooth clothes. She picked at the torn strands at the bottom of her ragged, stolen boy's shirt, looking down. And then the wings. She had missed out on her first growth spurt entirely due to undernourishment. If she made it to her second growth spurt, she would be lucky, and if she was unlucky, she wouldn't last long enough to see. And from how her life had turned out so far, she didn't think she was particularly lucky. Actually, no-- that was wrong. In fact, just surviving this long on her own had probably consumed every last bit of luck she would ever have. There was no way she had enough luck left to be chosen by a nice satori family--
She shook her head. No, she wasn't here to be picked out by satori! That would never happen. She would be no one's servant, no one's slave. Better to starve on her own than be degraded.
But she had no intention of dying, either. Unfortunately, the families that had left their large nests to go see the satori entrusted their homes? care to older relatives, or a group of males at their peak physical condition, ready to slam anyone who came by their families' land with the intent of stealing anything.
She sighed. There went another opportunity. She had been hoping to get a pair of shoes so that her feet wouldn't hurt as much. Sure, by now they had callused and worn rough like leather, but her left foot was more sensitive than the right, and she was still at risk of injury from sharp volcanic rock.
She winced, remembering the knife-like rock that had nearly taken off the front half of her left foot. She really did need shoes. She had to get a pair no matter what, even if she risked being beaten for them. She would die soon anyway. It was fight or die.
So for this reason, she wandered through the yatagarasu nests, away from the crowd-- and that's when her life changed forever.
The hellcrow was looking down, avoiding the curious stares of yatagarasu around her, and also checking out the area looking for prime targets without arousing suspicions. She wandered off a distance, mapping out her escape route in her head.
She grinned, realizing that no one had noticed her as she scouted the area.
?It's like I'm invisible...? she murmured to herself.
There was a small noise. Like a gasp of surprise, but very quiet. But she still noticed it. It was right behind her. Who did it come from? How had they snuck up behind her?!
She turned to look, and from there, her destiny was written out forever.
The most beautiful, delicate girl she had ever seen was standing before her. Pale pink hair, smooth, clear features, light green eyes.
Light green eyes the kind of which she had never seen before.
Light green eyes that were... not looking at her at all. Even though she had wanted to remain unseen, she felt a sudden stab of irritation that this girl wasn?t looking at her. She looked nice enough to talk to, and hadn?t stabbed her in the back yet, so perhaps she was friendly. The yatagarasu cleared her throat, and made an effort to use words, after she hadn't spoken aloud in so long. ?Hello? Down here.?
Those eyes turned down, following the source of her voice-- and suddenly she felt a clenching in her throat. She suddenly became aware of how slow her tongue was, how tangled her hair felt. She was short, shorter than this girl, who was already petite in the first place. Her clothing was in tatters, and she looked dirty and rough.
By all rights, the girl should have backed away. The yatagarasu didn't look trustworthy. She realized then just how awful she looked, and looked at the girl's unblemished hands. She wasn't worthy of being here. She could stain her with dirt just by being around her. She should have left, fled, before the other girl came to fear her.
There was something about her eyes, though... she wanted to stay. Those eyes were making her stay. She wanted to stay and maybe hold her hand and hug her tightly and talk to her--
?No, I'm not scared off by your appearance.?
What the-- what? How did she he--
Of course. How could she have been so blind? She looked up, and then she felt her heart sink. Before her was the girl's Third Eye.
No yatagarasu had hair like that, or eyes like that, or a frame like that. Somehow, she had willfully ignored that she was a satori. Third Eye or not, she still had two lovely green eyes that were so much more compelling.
But still... she was a satori. That meant that she wanted to take her home and degrade her by making her a virtual slave, and she was having none of that. No, not even with this, the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. She closed her eyes, mentally slapping herself in the face. Get a hold of yourself. She's a satori. You need to get out of here. Play it safe. Don't give her a reason to get nervous around you. Don't give her any reason to be suspicious--
?Va bene,? she stammered, and the words were out before she realized that they were--
It was flooding back some more. Her memories, provoked by her own voice. Her father. He had once been a satori's servant, but he had been set loose by his masters and met her mother later, and together they had her. He had picked her up and sat her on his knee back then, and she would laugh and point at objects, and in her ear, he would say the name of those objects in the language of the satori. He had learned it after working in Chireiden for years, and though he had no fondness for his taskmasters, he told her, ?I won't have them talking about you behind your back,? and taught her the language of their oppressors.
The girl was looking at her strangely. When she spoke again, there was some hesitation in her tone.
?Come ti chiami??
Chiami. Chiami, chi... ami. That meant... name. What was her name? Maybe it wouldn't do good to give her name?but what was her name, anyway? It had been so long since she had heard it... she did remember her nickname, though, since it was so much shorter.
?My name is Okuu.?
The girl raised an eyebrow, and Okuu was conflicted. She was scaring her! The girl would leave her alone soon, surely, and Okuu would be free to get out of there, and hide in her tunnel until the satori all left.
But at the same time-- she was scaring her! Oh, god, how could she bear it? She looked at those green eyes again, and she felt those strange desires swirl in her head and clench her heart. She wanted to stay with her, stay with her and protect those green eyes--
?That's your name? That sounds like a nickname to me. And how did you learn our language??
She was getting more and more suspicious! Oh god, oh god. It had to stop, she had to win her trust back again. Okuu had to get more suspicious, drive the girl away. She had to say something right, something that would make the girl reach out to her. She had to flee, get away before those green eyes held her captive once more.
?M-my parents taught me. But I don't speak it very well,? she added. Her parents. Dear god. If her father saw her now, he would be ashamed. If her mother saw her, she would have slapped her. Consorting with the enemy. No, more than that. Consorting was one thing, actively desiring to hug the enemy was quite another.
?And Mom used to call me Utsuho. But she doesn't do that anymore.?
She stammered as she said it. Somehow, she had not had to think, and her name had come to her lips unbidden. Utsuho was her name. Yes.
The girl smiled at her, and she felt her heart leap out of her throat.
?Utsuho sounds a bit better.?
Utsuho, Utsuho, Utsuho! That was her name, and she was the first person who had called her by name in months! The first person who had SPOKEN to her in months! If she could hear her say her name again, her life would feel complete.
But before she could say thank-you for the compliment, the girl went on. ?Quanti anni hai, Utsuho??
Her language again. Being aware of it now, Utsuho avoided lapsing into that language, even if it was easier on her thick, out-of-practice tongue. She hadn't spoken this much to any one person in several months.
She held out her fingers for the girl's benefit and counted out her age. ?One, two, three, four... four years old.? Maybe. Probably. Whatever her age was, she didn?t know any more. But four sounded like a good enough number.
?Four years old?? The satori girl seemed genuinely surprised at hearing this. ?So young??
She nodded, not knowing what else to do. She kicked her feet and closed her eyes, feeling conflicted inside and not knowing why. She wanted to-- she wanted to-- what did she want? She couldn?t leave, but she couldn?t stay here, either.
?Interessante...?
The girl was suspicious again! Maybe she would leave now. But no, wait, she couldn?t leave! Utsuho hadn?t even heard her name yet! She needed a name to put to that face with those eyes, or else she would kill herself trying to find out.
The girl opened her mouth to speak again, and Utsuho winced, waiting to hear the worst.
?Hai fratelli e sorelle??
She was asking about her... uh, her brothers or sisters. Why? Was she suspicious about her clothing, her unhealthy appearance, her lack of a family? Why should she care?
Still, there was a part of her that was warmed by the girl?s concern for her. So she shook her head and told her the truth. ?I don't have any brothers or sisters. I'm the only one.?
?An only child?? The satori girl seemed surprised. ?... Hai padre e madre??
Again, Utsuho shook her head. ?I told you I'm the only one.?
The girl did something strange then. She flinched. Utsuho was mystified. Why should she be flinching? It wasn?t her family that was all gone. She was probably just asking to be polite, yes.
?Hai zio e zia??
No aunt or uncle, no. Not anymore, anyway. She shook her head.
?Hai nipote? Cugino o cugina? Hai nonno e nonna?!?
There was a hint of audible panic now as the girl asked for nephews, cousins, grandparents, all of whom were dead. It confused Utsuho even more. Why should anyone else feel any pain or worry on her behalf? Why did this girl care at all? She could do nothing but stand there shaking her head every time, and wondered how the girl would react now.
?Tue famiglia... you don't have any family AT ALL?!?
That wasn?t a hint, it was outright panic. Utsuho nearly jumped. She was genuine... genuinely concerned for her. It had been so long since she had ever received any empathy from someone else... not even one of her own yatagarasu brethren showed her any sort of pity, but here, this stranger was really feeling something for her.
She felt a peculiar burning in her throat as she looked down at the ground, humbled, and now even more embarrassed at how badly she looked. She noticed Koishi?s shoes-- fine yet tough closed-toe sandals, built for walking in the Palace of the Earth Spirits-- and then looked at her feet, bruised and scarred and muddy and dirty, and felt shame for the first time in months.
?No one at all? Not even a distant relative??
Not even that-- at least, not any that she knew of. And if she had distant relatives, they should have taken her in months ago. She shook her head no.
She peeked up at her from beneath her tangled, dirty bangs, and the girl was looking around at their surroundings.
Then there was a gleam of an idea in her eyes, and she looked down to meet Utsuho?s red eyes with her flawless green. ?What's your last name??
Utsuho froze. For months she had lived without speaking more than a few grunts, without any interaction with another living being except to fight over food and clothes, and without hearing her name for so long that she nearly forgot it. But what was her last name? What was the name of the family that had been lost when the Hell of Blazing Fires overflowed and killed them all?
?R... Rei... something.? Utsuho hesitated. ?I... don't know.?
She wanted to beg for apology, but before she could say or do anything, the girl?s brow furrowed and she looked around at their surroundings again. ?I wonder,? she began, ?Would any of them know what happened to you??
Any of them? The last time she had seen them concerned for her had been when her family had died. They had clustered around her and moaned and pitied her, one putting a blanket on her shoulders while they tut-tutted and talked about the poor thing, how hard it would be to live on her own, how much of a tragedy that the death of the Reiuzi had been, such a fine upstanding old family--
?Reiuzi!? Utsuho cried out. ?Reiuzi!? Her last name! She remembered now. She was Utsuho Reiuzi, and it was a name that she promised then and there that she would never lose again.
?What a relief, you remembered,? the satori girl sighed. ?That should make things just a little bit easier.?
Utsuho smiled up at her, so grateful for helping her remember-- when something unexpected happened yet again. The satori extended her hand to her, and said ?come with me.?
And for the first time in months, she was able to make a decision without second-guessing, or without fearing for her life. It was like she had been trapped in a cage this entire time, and now, the key had been put in the lock, turned, and the door swung open, with a hand out there to pull her back into her life, if she chose to accept it. Would she accept it?
Why was that even a question?
?Okay,? she replied, taking her hand without hesitation and letting the satori girl lead her.
She didn?t know what she was planning at first, but she soon caught on. The girl would introduce her as Utsuho Reiuzi (an act which alone made her heart swell with joy) and ask what happened to the Reiuzi family. The yatagarasu parents they spoke to were nice enough, but they said didn?t know what happened to her family. It was a lie, even if the girl didn?t notice it; Utsuho remembered these people from months ago, when they had all swarmed her, trying to look like the ones who felt the most pity for the ?poor little darling?. She couldn?t help but clench her jaw as they went on to each new family, who each responded out of respect for the fact that it was a satori who was speaking to them. They were lying through their teeth. They knew what had happened to her, or better-- they just didn?t care.
It didn?t take long, though, before they found a yatagarasu mother who was a big enough gossip to blurt it out. ?Oh, it was a tragedy,? she said, not looking at all like she meant it. She had a daughter bouncing on her knee, and the girl looked at Utsuho. She tried to give the child a weary smile, but it must have looked like a grimace, because she began to cry.
?The Reiuzi family was one of the few remaining clans from Old Hell, back in the time that the Yamas used to control Chireiden. But they were dying out. A few weeks ago, the Reiuzi were traveling up to one of the other underground realms when a freak wave of lava from the Hell of Blazing Fires swept up onto the shore behind their backs. No one survived.?
Was that how her family?s story was being told? Well, fair enough. Short on the details, but still factual.
Then with mild astonishment, she realized that the satori girl was lifting her hand up into the air. ?This one did,? she replied.
?They must have left her behind for the trip,? the mother replied. ?Not that she got lucky. Now she's all alone. She doesn't have a family to take care of her.?
Utsuho winced, feeling the bitter sting of harsh truth in her words. She was right. Even though this girl was concerned for her, her concern would soon end, and Utsuho would go back to her dark tunnel, fending off death and losing an inch every day, eventually dying in some musty crevice shoved beneath some rocks, too weak to even say her own name once more or cry for help-- as if anyone would have come, anyway.
But then-- she noticed something odd yet again. There was a tightening of pressure on her hand. She looked up at the satori girl, and her eyes opened in shock as she saw nothing less than fury in her suddenly dangerous green eyes.
When she spoke, she said it with a hiss. ?You mean to say that this little girl has been foraging for herself for the past few weeks, unhealthy and in rags, while the rest of you protect only your families?!? she snapped. ?What good is it to protect your family if you don't try and help complete strangers?!?
Utsuho was stunned. Such ferocity... on behalf of someone she had never met before today?
She began to feel something different now from the wild devotion she had felt earlier. Now, with her head clear, she realized that her previous fanatical loyalty was no more than a desperate desire for company and warmth for the first person who had shown her any affection since her parents? death.
That was fine, acceptable. But now what she was doing went beyond simple affection-- it was righteous fury for someone she had taken an interest in, fire at realizing how she had been mistreated by those she called her people. It was the first clear indication of genuine feeling-- and seeing that, Utsuho felt a stinging feeling in her eyes. Making sure the girl-- now she HAD to know her name!-- could not see, she wiped the tears that she thought had dried up long ago.
The yatagarasu woman looked offended. ?Well, who's going to take care of her now? Without a family, she's doomed. She won't live for much longer.?
Utsuho felt her hand tighten again as the girl yelled, ?In that case, the?
?--then OUR family will take care of her.?
Both of them jumped as a pair of hands settled on the satori girl?s shoulders from behind. Utsuho looked up and behind her, to see-- twins? No, not twins, but awfully close. Sisters, probably. This satori?s hair was darker, looking almost purple, and her clothing was a different colour, if same design. Her eyes were open, so Utsuho was able to see that her eyes were a beautiful light purple-- though, she thought, not as beautiful as the other girl?s green.
Then the reality of her words broke through as the newcomer ruffled her sister?s hair. Had she said... family?
There was an exchange going on there, as she saw the two satoris? Third Eyes meet. Facial expressions passed over their faces as the sisters communicated in silence. Utsuho was too occupied by her own thoughts to care much. What did the newcomer mean? Were they going to take her in as a servant? If she was going to be a servant, then she would never accept it. But if she was going to be part of a family again... that might be a bit more tolerable.
The girls looked off in the distance together, and after a few moments that felt like an eternity to her, they bowed at the same time. Whatever had happened, the sisters were pleased at the outcome-- and she began to dare to hope that so would she.
Utsuho was still holding on to her friend?s hand. The newcomer, her sister, met her gaze, and smiled at her. Whatever had just happened between them, Utsuho knew that she owed her for it, and so she smiled back. The girl?s Third Eye turned in its socket, and so did the green-eyed girl?s-- there was another brief exchange that Utsuho wished she could hear, but then she felt her rough hand being squeezed, and looked up at her friend again.
?Hey, Okuu, did you hear that? We're going to take you home to live with us.?
For a moment, time stopped. Utsuho felt it as distinctly as a slap in the face. It was like everything around her ceased to move, and she stepped out of her own body and looked at her friend with quiet awe.
?Thank you. So much.? She mouthed something else, and then smiled, and walked back into herself. Time resumed its natural flow, and the only remainder of that experience was the wide grin on her face.
The girl smiled back at her, even as she spoke to her sister. ?... I just wanted to bring her into a family.?
That word again. Family. Not a servant. Not a slave. Instead, family.
Maybe it was family by name, and a servant in practice-- but still, to be called a member of a family... that alone made her heart feel so happy that it might burst.
Utsuho didn't see how the sister reacted, but she did feel her hand touch her own, and she took it in her own. Together, the two satori girls led her away, and for once, Utsuho was able to ignore the glares and the hisses and jealous cries from the crowd around her. It still hurt, but her friend squeezed her hand to comfort her.
And once they had descended from the ladder and were heading through private paths to the Palace of the Earth Spirits, she realized something. Utsuho was walking with her new family, with the sisters' father walking some distance ahead of them, but she realized that somehow, she had managed to avoid hearing even a single name.
?Ah,? the newcomer said, looking down at Utsuho. ?You're right, Utsuho. We communicate with our minds, so you didn't hear any of our names.?
?I forgot to introduce ourselves?!? The first satori asked, dumbfounded, those lovely green eyes wide with mild shock. ?Ahh, I'm sorry, Utsuho!?
Utsuho had to laugh. ?Don't be.?
?Ah, but I was being silly again,? her friend laughed at herself. ?Well, I'll correct that.? She pointed at their father up ahead. ?That is our dad, Komeiji Tetsuji.? She waved a hand at the other girl with her, who smiled and curtsied to Utsuho. ?That is my sister, Komeiji Satori.?
?And I,? she said, pointing to herself, ?am Komeiji Koishi. Nice to meet you, Reiuzi Utsuho.?
Utsuho hesitated. She had been waiting to hear her name so she could address Koishi with the proper respect she owed her now-- but she still had some resistance to the idea of being a servant to any satori.
But if anyone should command her respect, it would be Koishi Komeiji with the light green eyes and that warm smile that had given her a family and shelter and a life to live.
?Koishi-sam--? she began, but was interrupted by Koishi herself, who put a finger on her lips to keep her quiet.
?Don't call me that name.? She smiled straight at Utsuho again, and she could feel her heart racing again. ?You are not my servant, Okuu.?
?A-are you going to give me to someone else, then?!? the hellcrow realized, putting two and two together. But Satori behind her burst out laughing, and Koishi chuckled as well.
?No, you don't understand.? She reached out and held Utsuho's hand in her own.
The hellcrow held her breath.
?I don't need a servant. I need a friend.? Koishi's warm gaze met Utsuho's own. She felt like her heart was melting, but it was also exploding with joy at the same time.
?Can you be my friend, Reiuzi Utsuho?? She asked, a hint of worry in that tone. It was so ridiculous that Utsuho wanted to laugh now, and laugh she did. Koishi stammered, not used to being that flustered. Satori kept laughing.
?Of course I can, Koishi,? Utsuho replied, putting her other hand over Koishi's own. ?I will do anything for you. You saved my life. Thank you. I am more than happy to be your friend.?
It was a bit awkward-- speech still felt strange on her tongue. But it seemed to encourage Koishi, who let out a breath of relief.
?And I will be your friend as well,? she replied. ?Thank you.?
The party then went on, following the path to the Palace of the Earth Spirits, with Satori holding her hand on one side, Koishi on the other, and Utsuho felt she would die of happiness right there.
It was then that Utsuho remembered the words she had mouthed earlier, when Koishi had good and truly saved her life.
?I didn't know your name then, but I do now,? she thought to herself. ?Koishi Komeiji... I will be your friend, and I will be your servant, and I will help you every way I can. Everything I am belongs to you.
?You saved my life. Someday, I shall save yours. And from now until I die, my life is yours. You saved me, and I owe you my every breath. I will not forget this. I will never leave you, Komeiji Koishi, not until the day I die, and even then, I will protect you with all of my heart.?
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