Yōkai (Open)

[Deleted]

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'How many had it been now?
Five.
No....Ten?
Fifteen. Fifteen sounds about right.'

In the middle of a sparse verdant forest there was a small wooden bridge that crossed a fast running creek teaming with fish. Its water was cold and fresh, the perfect balm for a Monster to sooth it's aching throat. The Creature looked as if it was once a man, clad in vibrant green robes and hakama now stained with filth, dirt and blood. Some of it his own, most of it from others who had the misfortune of crossing the Monsters path. It's flesh, exposed at the arms, chest and belly were bronzed by the shining sun above in the cloudless sky. It's unkempt hair covering it's Feverish green eyes.

It's name was Kamaitachi and it was once a man. A Man named Yoritomo Tetsuo. A Man who once had his entire world lined up just perfectly for him.
A man who had lost everything. Family, wealth, a home, his pride and honor and now he was losing his sanity.
He had lost everything until only the monster remained. Therefore a Monster he would be.

His name was Kamaitachi.

In the monsters hands were a pair of Sickles stained dripping red. Weapons that had seen recent use. His breath stank of Booze as he stumbled to his feet, only to take two steps towards the bridge and topple back down to the ground with a wet thud, forcing him to crawl on his fists and knees until he could rest with his back against the bridge post, trying in vain to make the pounding in his head stop. Cursing the fates for sending such Piss poor samurai to challenge him.
He had severed his fifteenth head from another fools neck not but a half an hour ago. Just one more death in a long murderous line of death and pain in a damn fools hope that one, just ONE of those Preening Samurai would finally end his misery and his life and once and for all Free him from his Grief and shame.

The monster let it's head droop down as it began to shudder with a quiet desperate sob and not for the first time today as tears streaked down his filthy face. Painful memories so vivid and fresh playing in his minds eye. Death. Death and Sake were his only respite from the pain. His death, others death, it didn't matter. Of all the things in the world, Death was the only constant. Everything died. Love, people, places, things. Nothing lasted.

Nothing mattered.

Suddenly the Monster named Kamaitachi, Murderer now, Scion of a strong family once upon a time, jerked his head back and let loose with a ragged Wail of despair. One moment of lucidity to lament the many lives it had taken in anger and hate.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Rumor had been circulating the countryside of a man in green who'd murdered countless Samurai left and right, with his trademark sickles. The monster's reputation only grew as the days passed, many bringing him up in conversation, seeing as he was a current trend. Many spoke of him fearfully, weak-willed Samurai bringing up how they did not wish to do battle with the man, others stating they wanted to find him and break him to prove their might. Then there was Takehiro who was interested in the man, and who'd taken up a contract to eliminate him.

Takehiro found himself wandering the country, this time happening upon a forest, just another one of many locations he'd be tearing apart to find his target. He was less interested in the actual contract, and more in the fact that something about the guy seemed familiar. How often did you find people who used sickles as weapons? Last he'd checked, the people who were known to we slain.

In his travels, Takehiro finally happened upon a bridge in the forest. It was nothing particularly interesting itself, no. But what was interesting was what he would find on it; he proceeding along the bridge to find a dirty man, all in green, with sickles at his sides, moping about something. He didn't need to know what, but he did know this had to be the man. This sickles. The green. The stains on his weapons. No doubt about it.

"I've finally found you, Kamaitachi."

The mercenary raised his spear, pointing it at the man on the bridge. He was still a good few feet away, but he was sure the challenge was issued clearly.

[Deleted]

The drunken mans head lolled on his shoulders as he tried to pinpoint the source of this new annoyance.
"Who...."
He croaked with slurred words as his eyes found a blurred shape on the other side of the bridge, grimacing as he fought to focus. The effort nearly made him nauseous.
"You...should speak with more...urf...that's Kamaitachi SAMA to YOU you little shit!"

Looks like his nap would have to wait. Not that he ever deserved rest. He was a cursed thing, and the damned were never to rest. What number would make this man? The sixteenth? It sounded right. A good number. Much more than yesterday. He didn't kill so many fools yesterday.
With a growl of effort, the young man would unsteadily rise to his feet. A small piece of his old pride forcing him to at least brush himself off before adding another head to his tally.

Slowly his vision focused, and what Kamaitachi saw made him spit off the side of the bridge in disgust.
"Let me...guess."
He sneered.
"Your the.....what? Half brothers second cousins fuck buddy of a man I killed and promptly forgotten about huh?"

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro smirked as the man stood to his feet. He was dirty, he was foul, and yet he still demanded respect, as though it could be given to a drunken murderer. He spit insults in quick succession, as if to deter or taunt the warrior before him, but it would not aid him. His words had no affect on the mercenary.

"I am the man who's been hired to kill you."

The spear was pulled back, falling atop Takehiro's shoulder, as if he did not deem the man before him a threat. His body was relaxed, his demeanor taunting. He'd found the monster the folk of the country spoke of, and what he saw was, admittedly, disappointing. Hopefully he'd redeem himself through combat.

"I'll tell you what - you put up a good fight, I won't kill you."

His eyes never left those sickles.

[Deleted]

"Hired to kill me?"
Kamaitachi asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Then your employers should have hired more men." 

Slowly he would begin to walk towards his soon to be opponent, lazily spinning his right Sickle in a slow vertical arc. His eyes narrowed angrily when the man mentioned sparring his life if he fought well.
he did NOT want to BE spared! Death was his goal, either his own or this mans! He would finally stop upon the exact middle point of the bridge. His senses were beginning to sharpen. He could vividly smell the blood on his blades and clothes, feel the breeze blow by across his face. His body quickened with adrenaline, his mouth suddenly filled with a hungry tang of copper.

"You know what? When self righteous little fucks start talking like that..... IT REALLY PISSES ME OFF!"

Suddenly the man would raise his arm, the sickle now spinning over his head like a lasso before letting fly with a arcing strike.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

"From the look of you, they should've hired a woman."

Takehiro grinned devilishly as the man was taunted into action. As the sickle went into the air, the spear left Takehiro's shoulder, and he would hold it vertically in front of him, pushing it against the chain as the sickle would come his way. This would cause the sickle to serve as a weight, and wrap around the spear. From there, Takehiro would place one hand against the chain and pull, intent on catching the man off balance and pulling him toward the mercenary.

If the pull worked, Takehiro would charge forward and thrust the spear at his target, aiming to run it through the man's shoulder.

[Deleted]

Not bad. Mabey this one had what it took to slay the monster?
Only one way to find out!

Normally the Monsters sea legs and experience fighting on thunderously rocking ships ensured that he had a magnificent sense of balance. Unfortunately, drunk as he was, he could not stop himself from being yanked forward into an ungainly stumble. Suddenly white hot agony would seize him as the mans spear punched clean through the meat of his right shoulder, sending a roar of pain to rip through Kamaitachi's throat as his hot crimson blood began to drip onto the old wooden planks of the bridge.

"B-......BASTARD!"

Reaching up and Gripping the spears shaft tightly, Kamaitachi would raise his left Sickle high and send it screaming down in a diagonal strike through the mans neck. Hoping to decapitate him right then and there.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

As it worked, Takehiro would have dug the spear through deeply, twisting it to insure maximum damage would be dealt to the man. As he reacted rather quickly, so too would the man hired to kill him; Takehiro's arm shot up in defense, his own forearm sent to collide with this Kamaitachi's to stop the advance of the sickle, though it would put the two in a sort of stalemate.

"Who was it you murdered? Small children?!"

The mercenary would laugh, raising his right foot and aiming to slam it into the man's thigh, which would, in turn, shoot his leg out from under him and cause him to fall. Were the strike successful, he would rip the spear clean from the man's shoulder, but keep the chain wrapped around it.

[Deleted]

With his strike blocked, it was beginning to look like the end for Kamaitachi. He could already feel his strength begin to ebb and wane as his blood continued to pool to the ground. A part of him was relieved. Relieved that the nightmare would soon end and his Honor soon regained and cleansed. That part of him would be quickly pushed to the back corner of his mind. He wasn't dead yet. Therefore, he would still fight!

"They might as well have been."
He would simply say as he collected the saliva and blood that was pooling in his mouth and spat, aiming for his opponents eyes. What dignity did he have? Already as lowly as a dog in the eyes of true samurai. He would fight with what he had available to him. If his Long haired opponent was properly distracted, he would then surge forward and twist, hoping to Unbalance Amakusa and drive him into the Bridges wooden rails that ran along either side and pin him there with the shaft of his Spear long enough to try for another strike, using the chain wrapped around the spear as additional leverage.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The forward push was unexpected for Takehiro, especially with the spear having been an obstacle for his opponent. So, when the spit came, even though he would turn his head and it would hit his cheek, he was caught off guard, stumbling back a little as Kamaitachi pushed. He would find his back slamming against the railing of the bridge, and the "murderer" making what seemed like a last ditch effort.

As Kamaitachi went for another strike, Takehiro would lean toward the man, making the striking distance for the sickle uncomfortable. In doing so as well, he would bring his right arm of Kamaitachi's striking arm, intent on wrapping his arm around the man's elbow. If successful, he would pull up at the join, causing Kamaitachi's arm to shoot straight and tense, likely resulting in dropping the sickle. On top of this, Takehiro would push the spear into the man's shoulder even further, aiming on tackling him to the floor and shoving the blade all the way through.

[Deleted]

Oho! This man was a FIGHTER! Easily a match for him. The monster had almost forgotten what it felt like to fight someone his equal like this. If this kept up, Kamaitachi might even begin to respect this man. He still had to kill him though. This was a duel and to Kamaitachi, EVERY duel was one to the death.

"You're not.....Urk...Like the others."
He would gasp, his breath comming in ragged and wet.

His opponent would try to grapple with him, grabbing for his free arm. Kamaitachi would respond by sticking out a foot and hooking his heel against the back of Amakusa's leading knee, pulling it in and twisting with his arms to bring the man down with a judo throw.

"Others were...weak. Letting just....Anyone be Samurai....These days."

His feet were slipping on the deck of the bridge. Unable to hold his own weight, Kamaitachi would simply slump and topple to the ground beside Amakusa if his throw had been successful.  

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Kamaitachi's throw would have been successful, bringing Takehiro to the ground by his feet. The mercenary would have preferred this, though, having gotten out of the close quarters with a drunk, raging man. He would stagger back along the ground, getting back to his feet as Kamaitachi would fall himself. The man had no particular style, and yet it seemed he knew what he was doing. If he were sober, maybe he would have been a perfect fight.

"Why do you fight?"

A philosophical question? Maybe. Takehiro would have put his hand against the spear, pushing down on it to keep his opponent in his place. He was interested in the guy long before he found him. Those damn sickles. Sure, they were a small thing, but they were a key thing, and he recognized them. The fighting, the weapon choice.

[Deleted]

"Why.....do I fight?"
What an absurd question! Why else would he fight? He was samurai. Samurai lived to fight and die for their lord did they not?
'But no. I am not Samurai. I am Ronin. I have no Lord. No people. No purpose.'
He thought grimly to himself as he felt his life slowly flowing from his body, his blood pooling beneath him. Why should this man even care in the first place? He was hired to kill him wasn't he? Unless this was just another wave of mockery about to wash over him. He tried to move, tried to sit up but found himself pinned securely to the ground by the spear in his shoulder. Finally he would simply give up and slump in place, eyes closed and silent for a few minutes before suddenly taking a deep breath.

"I am a cup, of grief overflowed.
Surrounded in my travels by darkness and shame.
I am no man, a Yokai you see before you.
Kamaitachi.
A Beast who follows it's nature.
I kill and I eat until I myself am Killed in turn."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro grinned. Finally, the man seemed to be changing up his act, speaking with something other than curses and insults. Now, words of poetry left his lips, and the mercenary knelt beside him, observing him. He seemed kinder now, but the firm grip never left the spear, and if he tried anything funny, Takehiro was going to twist it and cause him some terrible pain.

"Your style is familiar. The sickles, uncommon. I recognize this." He put a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment. "The man who hired me to kill you - Hojo Ujiyasu."

If the name rang any bells, Takehiro wagered he had fought the man in the past. If it meant anything other than "just another daimyo" of course. An emotional trigger... that's what Takehiro was looking for.

[Deleted]

That was supposed to have been his Death Poem. Spoken aloud at the moment just before his passing as the final insight of his life flashed before his eyes. Yet still he lived? Something inside him, something stubborn still clung to life. Upon hearing the name of Hojo spoken allowed, the man let out a hiss of fury that slowly morphed into a dry chuckle like the crunch of autumn leaves.

"So....That Bastard wanted to...... finish the job huh?"
He spat up some blood to the side before taking another shuddered breath.
"Should have known....coward too. Hired man to kill my....Family. Hired man to kill....me." 

[Amakusa Takehiro]

He knew it. He was part of that clan - Yoritomo - the ones Takehiro led an attack on, long ago. It seemed he didn't finish his job, but, seeing how it left this man, he felt like maybe he couldn't finish it. He'd wiped out every single member of the family, but one, and now the one who escaped was here before him. The Kamaitachi could be dead, here and now.

"My name is Amakusa Takehiro."

The spear would be pulled from the Yoritomo man's shoulder and tossed to the side. Takehiro would rip sleeves off his kimono, folding one and placing it against the wound on the shoulder. The other sleev would be pulled apart and wrapped around the Kamaitachi's shoulder, serving as a tourniquet for the wound to stop the bleeding.

"If your family name means anything to you, you are going to live."

[Deleted]

The man spat out a gout of blood from his mouth and let out a ragged gasp as Amakusa Pulled the spear from his body. He then began to speak, but by now his conciousness was beginning to grow hazy. His wound was blazing hot with pain and soaken wet with blood and sweat. He wanted to just let go right then and there, and accept the peace of oblivion, but STILL he felt a tug, a stubborn thread that kept him hanging onto life. Suddenly he felt somthing soft press down against his wound, the pressure sending more pain into his shoulder.

"No...."
Kamaitachi's eyes widened in horror when he realized what the man was doing.
"No.....You can't!"
It was his very love for his family which WAS the reason he should die! His death would wipe the stain clean after all! It was what he wanted!

Wasn't it?

He tried to fight, only serving to flail weakly and waste his strength before finally the monster passed out and fell unconscious.

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro refused to acknowledge the man's protest. The wrapping of the tourniquet was his priority, and as the man's identity was confirmed, the mercenary felt partly responsible for his current state of mind. Because of this, he made it his personal mission to restore the Kamaitachi's sanity.

Takehiro would lift the unconscious man over his shoulder and would take him out of the forest. There were villages not too far down the road in either direction, so this wasn't going to be such a long trek.

When Kamaitachi awoke, he would find himself on a mat, head resting on folded robes, and a kimono covering his body as a blanket. His wounds would be properly bandaged. In the opposite corner of the hut he was in, Takehiro was sitting, sharpening his spear.

[Deleted]

The monster felt....heavy.
He was laying on his back, that much was clear. He tried to push off the ground only to find it wet, grainy and yielding within his clenching hands. Grabbing a handful of the substance, the monster raised his hand to his face and flinched as wet sand began to trickle down from his fist. Defiantly sand. The tide provided a comforting white noise in the background as it slowly swooped in as far up as the top of his head before rushing back out to sea. Confused, he summoned up his strength to break the silence around him.

"Where....."
Shielding his eyes with one hand from the glaring sun above, Kamaitachi slowly and stiffly pulled himself up to a sitting position and waited for his eyes to adjust. His suspicions were correct. He was on a beach, though HOW he got there was unclear. The water was warm, but swimming with debris and flotsam and further out to sea, the shattered husks of wooden behemoths stuck out from the water like the carcasses of long dead beasts. The beach itself was littered with planks of wood and much to his horror, the bodies of dead men wearing the livery of clan Mantis. Suddenly it dawned on Kamaitachi. He knew exactly where he was.

He was home.
Already he could imagine rows upon rows of buildings behind him that made up Konoko Village.

Suddenly a shadow could be seen stretching along the sand. The shadow of a man and from the angle, the man was directly behind the Monster. Kamaitachi wanted nothing more than to turn and face this stranger but some unknown force compelled him to keep perfectly still as he viewed the tableau of painful memories before him.

"Hello Father."
If the shadow noticed him sitting there with one knee pulled up to his chest as the tide spread around him, it did not show. A Low droning began to buzz within the monsters skull, unnoticed until now, having grown into a dull ache. He began to get the impression that his father was speaking to him, but whatever he was saying was drowned out by the rushing tide and the droning hum.
"I have failed Father."
As the Droning reached a feverish peak, the sun had blazed so hot in the sky as to scorch everything below in a searing white light
"But."
Already Kamaitachi could feel the true pull towards consciousness as the sea began to fade into a shimmering nothing. The searing light chasing away his fathers shadow.
"Next time I will try alittle harder."


Back in the here and now, the monster stirred and slowly awoken to a world of pain. There was nothing worse than suffering a mortal wound than suffering one while also nursing the mother of all hangovers. Eyes clenched tightly as his skull throbbed, Kamaitachi somehow managed to croak a single word.
"Water." 

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Takehiro's head raised as the man woke, and he figured he would have that single request upon regaining consciousness. The mercenary had a cup of water prepared, took it in his hand, and headed over to the man. He wasn't going to hand him the cup, seeing as his arm was destroyed, so he would pour the water himself.

"Drink," Takehiro muttered, slowly pouring the liquid to the man's lips. He wouldn't pour too much at one time, just enough for Kamaitachi to lubricate his throat and manage to talk again. Once the man's thirst was sated, or the cup was empty, whichever came first, Takehiro would set the cup to his side and grin. "You're finally awake."

[Deleted]

To his parched lips, the water was sweet ambrosia as the monster nearly choked in his haste to slate his thirst. Images of his dream played across his mind in bits and pieces like a jumbled slideshow. It was strange, of all the times he found himself back in Konoko village during his slumber, not once had his fathers presence approached him before.

What did it mean?

All attempts to think only served to make him feel worse than he already did. So instead he simply relaxed as best he could, resting the back of a hand against his cold sweat drenched forehead. His eyes remaining clenched closed.
"Between you and me, I'd prefer the alternative."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

Standing to his feet, the mercenary stretched. Whether or not this Kamaitachi realized it, he needed to start thinking with some sense. If all that was left of the Amakusa family was some drunkard talking about how he'd wished he was dead, Takehiro was sure the rest of the family would be tossing and turning in their graves.

"So you'd rather be dead with the rest of your clan, than live with the chance for redemption?"

Takehiro shrugged. He'd let that sink in for a while, if the guy refused to respond.

[Deleted]

The monster would glare hot and fierce at the man. How DARE he speak of things he knew NOTHING about! He, who was a simple sellsword who had FAILED in his mission by choice it would seem.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind. A thought that sent him into a fit of raucus laughter that did absolutely nothing to help the ache in his skull or shoulder. Finaly after a few moments, his glee would subside as his laughter pittered off to a wet chuckle before he took a deep breath and finally calmed himself.

He would look back at Amakusa with a mischevious glint in his now bright green eyes.
"Are we growing tired of being a soldier of fortune now? Will you become a sage? Enter a buddist temple and spend the rest of your life passing wisdom to the poor? What is there left to redeem oh wise sage? I am a monster!"
Kamaitachi then turned his head away, hoping the man would take it as his cue to leave.
"Monsters don't get redeemed. They don't deserve to."

[Amakusa Takehiro]

The "monster" seemed like he wasn't much of a monster at all. He was bitter, yes, and defeated, and it seemed this was something that plagued him. A tragic event in his past that could not be undone, one that Takehiro, himself, was responsible for.

"Yoritomo?"

He figured the man would react to the name, since he reacted to the mention of Hojo previously. "You're the last one. I kill you, here and now, and I finish the job I was hired to do years ago." He turned, facing the man, but leaning against the wall. "You really want your family name to go out like that?"

[Deleted]

The monster simply shook his head. This man was a fool. A Meddlesome fool at that.
"It is too late. Far too late. You see, you have already succeeded yet you did not know. Yoritomo Tetsuo died when I was born out of blood and shit. I am Kamaitachi. A Body with no soul, no honor, no hope, no future but death."
He was beginning to grow tired of what he felt was pointless arguing with the stoic mercenary. The last thing he wanted to talk about right now was his life. He had given up any claim to the Yoritomo name when he failed to Commit to his final duty after losing his home and family.

Seppuku. A Samurai's last chance at keeping his honor, his name and his Family's future free from shame.

Still, to have the very man who orchestrated his downfall right before him. What was he to do? His chances of killing him were slim to nil now that he was injured like this and what if he DID kill him. What then? Wage a one man war against the Hojo clan?  His feeling of impotence would have been enraging had he the energy to express it.

Turning back to Amakusa, the Monster fixed the man with a pointed expression.
"Now, that's enough picking through whats left of my brain if that's alright with you. How about you answer this for me. Where the FUCK did you take me?"