"When faced with injustice and cruelty, you mustn't allow yourself to be overwhelmed by anger. Calm yourself, maintain your focus–or you may miss something important."The priest said, staff in hand. Cyril remembered how he and Rashomaru sat before their instructor while dressed in training garb, practice swords beside them. "But how will I be able to do that?" He asked, to which the priest answered: "You must practice. Time and time again, you must repeat the action. Take yourself by the hand and learn to endure. Do so decisively, and with time it will become a part of you."



The moment they found the girls, Effie and Sapphire were surrounded and Nui was nowhere to be seen. Effie was injured, holding up a sword in defense while Sapphire was on the ground. When he saw Sapphire hurt, Cyril could feel his blood rushing through his veins. His eyes widened, his expression became neutral, and his senses opened. These were no ordinary hunters; he could detect magic coming off of them from concealed objects in their possession. With lightning speed the silver-haired boy ran forward and drew the attention of the remaining men. They had their weapons ready, but he wasn't targeting them–instead he systematically disarmed them and they were a second too slow to realize Cyril's plan. One of them cried out after glancing at his empty hand. "The amulet–it's gone! Thief!" The man roared and swung but missed as the half-fey slipped into his shadow. Reappearing behind, Cyril sent him flying with a kick and then ripped the talisman to pieces.

The sight of Effie bleeding was the spark that lit the fuse. Anger began to well up inside of Rashomaru to where it felt like his blood was burning. They dared to attack two young women when they were alone and vulnerable–Arahabaki was too good for them. When the man rolled at his feet, he grabbed him by the front of his clothes. Golden eyes glowered down at the hunter as he raised the screaming man above his head and hurled him like a stone, sailing high and far into Menomori. Terror spread through the rest as the towering Ataiyan turned his gaze to them, his massive odachi in hand. Cyril threw the rest of the holy objects over and Rashomaru brought the sheathed sword down, smashing them to splinters.

Meanwhile, Nui was running through the trees at a breakneck pace. When the hunters showed up, she took the chance to run, feeling guiltier by the minute. She didn't mean to leave Effie and Sapphire behind, but there was no way they could escape without help. The fox didn't know how close the boys were, so she went to find the head priest. For once she was glad that she wasn't human or else she wouldn't have made it. Out of breath, she staggered into the monastery and yanked open a sliding door. "Gramps, we need help!" Through short breaths she told the head priest that demon hunters had come to the village and were going to kill the girl who was staying at her house. Though she was a troublemaker, the old priest knew the fox well enough to know she wasn't lying and arose from meditation. Taking a decorative metal ringed staff, the older man spoke quietly: "It appears I must break my vow of peace once more." Not long after Cyril and Rashomaru's combined assault, the loud clang of a ringed staff echoed as the hunters slammed into the ground in kneeling positions by an unseen force. Surrounding the hunters were twice as many priests, with rosaries and staves in hand. Nui peered out from behind with a look of worry on her face.

“Cyril,” Sapphire whimpered just loud enough. She knew he would protect her like he had promised her so long ago.

Before long they watched as the boys systematically destroyed the men around them. Sapphire was able to finally move from her paralyzed state. She was almost ashamed of how afraid she had been but she currently realized the situation that Effie was in.

The demon-touched girl was breathing harshly. She could tell just by the labored breaths and Effie was deeply in pain. Suddenly the hunters got forced down and Effie could relax a bit. The sword slipped out of her hand and she staggered.

“EFFIE!” Sapphire cried out as she scrambled to catch her. “This isn’t good Cyril.” She laid Effie down and looked her over. “Her wounds haven’t fully healed from the other day and she blocked them from hitting me.” There were tears in her eyes as she ran her thoughts through her head.

Finally, there was a bright look on her face. “MOTHER. MOTHER IF YOU CAN HEAR ME PLEASE!” She yelled loudly. Sapphire was sure that everyone but Cyril was looking at her weird.

That was when the magic in the area picked up. Her skinned pricked up from the energy. The winds blew just a bit different and the petals from the trees and flowers began to swarm. “I am not a summon item.” There was a stern voice as the redhead appeared. Beautiful and graceful Angela held onto an obsidian staff that was etched with gold. Her green eyes looked around and finally looked upon her daughter. “I see.”

Angela strolled through. “I’m leaving the responsible ones to you.” She was nonviolent for the most part. She bent down to Effie and Sapphire to look them over. “They are both hurt.” It was odd because as Angela spoke it was almost duel languages for everyone to hear her. It was almost clear that Angela wasn’t speaking of Sapphire and Effie but Effie and her demon. “I will now heal you all.” Green magic began to leak from the ground like rain droplets as it came up and hazed the area in a warm light.

Wounds began to close on everyone but the hunters. After a few minutes, Effie’s breaths returned to normal and she fluttered her eyes a bit. “Effie!” Sapphire hugged her and Angela moved her hand to feel the girl’s forehead.

“Who are you?” Effie was confused. There was so much magic energy that it was drowning her.

“Just a healer.” It was a lie. The magic faded and Effie found it even easier to breathe. “Cyril, your mother just fell from a ladder… Can you please tell her not to worry me so?”

"EFFIE!" All the fire in his body cooled the moment he saw her fall. While the boys and Nui were checking on Sapphire and Effie, the priests rounded up the hunters. Rashomaru then felt an immense amount of power in the air, something that shook him to his core. He had no idea what was going on when Sapphire called out, and his skin broke out in goosebumps when a woman manifested before them. Everything he felt before was washed away by a stunned silence as he beheld her in awe. What amazed him too was that he could understand her words, despite her clearly not being from Ataiyo. The silver-haired boy's face was relieved when this fiery-haired saint began to draw forth power from the land itself, washing over them. The cuts Sapphire and Effie had healed faster than what he or his friend could do, it was almost instantaneous. The color came back into Effie's face and Nui looked like she was going to cry. Unable to hold back anymore, the fox threw herself onto the other girls in a hug. "I'm sorry!! I'm so, so sorry…" Sniffling she kept apologizing and apologizing for running, even if she had managed to bring the monastery's priests just in time. 

While they had their heartfelt reunion, Cyril nodded with a smile when the healer asked him to chide his mother on not getting injured. Rashomaru bowed low to the woman, a noticeable display of gratitude and humility for someone with his frame. "Thank you, thank you so much." The head priest watched on and gave a nod to the goddess in thanks. Then, he spoke to the hunters who were now restrained. "Whatever your reasons may be, my brothers and I will see to it that you are reported to the local authorities. We are no stranger to the dangers of the spirit world, however an attempt at murder of a young girl is unforgivable. You have not only shamed yourselves, but all practitioners of your art. I hope you will seriously reflect on your conduct." As an additional precaution, the hunters were placed under a Vow of Silence to neutralize those capable of using verbal casting. Insults to the priests were useless as they were taken away. 

Effie could hear Rashomaru’s call to her but she had lost so much blood and energy again. She shouldn’t have summoned Aelos. She knew right then it wasn’t him who needed the rest but her. Her body was far too young to control the mass output of strength the demon had and he had been trying to protect her by lying. The goddess quickly healed everyone who deserved it and Sapphire felt relief watching Effie become lively again.

Effie and Sapphire took Nui’s hug as gracefully as they could. “It’s okay Nui. You did good getting the priests.” Effie patted Nui’s head and hugged her tightly. The sword disappeared that she had as she embraced the girls tightly to her.

Angela looked over Rashomaru. “It’s not an issue. Sapphire is among my youngest in my brood. I would be a poor mother if I allowed even one of my children to suffer… Or her friends.” In this instance, another smaller girl phased in. She had scruffy black hair and grey eyes. She was yelling at up at her mother. There was a dumpling in her hand. “MYRRA I TOLD YOU NO STEALING.” Angela grabbed her by her free hand. “Where did you get this.”

“Town,” the little girl spoke so innocently.

“…How did you pay for it?” Angela narrowed her eyes. “Monkey does as it sees.” She dragged the younger child behind her and Sapphire snorted with a laugh. “We will be having a long talk with your father when we get home.”

“But Mooommmm I’m good at it,” the girl flailed a bit but the goddess just lifted her up with ease.

“And I am good at a great number of terrible things… Should I be doing them?”

“No,” the girl squeaked.

“We will be repaying whoever she took this dumpling from… In the mean time, thank you for taking care of my daughter.” She bowed to the boys and slapped the back of Myrra’s head until she bowed too. She took a bite of the dumpling when her mother wasn’t looking. “YOU LITTLE,” She grabbed Myrra by her scruff and carried her into town. “Of all the things that Adraejen could have taught you.” There was ungodly screaming as Myrra tried to get away Angela. “Oh no you don’t.”

Sapphire palmed her forehead and stood up. “I’m so… SO sorry. My mother is going to handle the little terror… She is one of my youngest siblings. She is highly gifted in magic. She’s tormented Cyril before… and his brother.”

Effie chuckled a little bit. “How many siblings do you have.”

“Over one hundred,” as soon as it left her mouth Effie’s about hit the ground.

“HOW OLD IS YOUR MOTHER?!”

“Over fifteen hundred I think.” Sapphire thought about it. “She’s really important on the other continent. Almost all of us have different fathers but the youngest five.” She was counting them all on her fingers. “Rohan, Poppy, Lark, Myrra, and Wisteria. Yes, five. Wis is only a few months old now!”

Effie was still so flabbergasted. She didn’t understand or want to understand how someone could remember so many names.

The months went by after that and Effie was well into learning how to speak Ayaitian and she could write a bit of it too now. It was one morning that she was acting rather weird. “Rashomaru.” She almost cornered him. She was so small compared to him but her eyes were serious. “I have to leave for a while. I need to go get something for my father.” She reached up and grabbed onto him so she could pull him down to her level. There she kissed him gently. "I'll be back… I don't know when though. He says it will be long."

He wasn't sure what was more shocking–the sheer number of siblings Sapphire had or that this woman with immense power was her mother. Cyril didn't seem surprised which meant he was aware of both, but it was still difficult for a boy used to a small, tight-knit family to grasp. He had many cousins and family members on his mother's side, but here it was just his parents and his brother. When Sapphire's mother caught one of her younger sisters, the words exchanged brought back fond memories of his mother chastising Genjiro. When he was old enough, he took over keeping the younger boy out of trouble for their mother.

With the worst finally over, he and Nui began to teach Effie how to read, speak, and write Ataiyan. Nui eagerly showed off her calligraphy skills, while he taught her conversational phrasing. Effie was a fast learner, and soon his mother offered to each her more during the slower hours at the restaurant. Months passed and the rainy season had come and gone when she surprised him. There was a serious look in Effie's eyes when she threw her arms around him and pulled him down into a kiss. Expecting something else entirely, Rashomaru was thrown off guard. Even though it wasn't his first, it was still a surprise every time. "You're leaving? Where are you going?" He asked. From what she was saying, she was referring to her adoptive father. "Will you be alright?" As accepting as their little town was, he knew the outside world was not always the same. "Have you told Nui? My parents would also like to send you off as well."

He then realized she hadn't met his brother yet, though he had been trying to keep them from meeting for a while. Eventually it would have to happen, but there was still that hesitation. Normally he said very little about Genjiro to others, even Nui. Subconsciously he would choose his words to avoid being asked. As he and Effie grew closer he felt he needed to be open with her just as she had been with him. She had told him about her past and her stigma, something that wasn't easy for anyone in her position. But the timing didn't feel right, and he didn't want to dampen her spirits right before she was preparing to set out into the world again. "Mother might give you a protective charm to keep. When I went to train with the priests, she gave me one."

Effie spent long months learning how to speak and communicate with everyone. There were many times that she got ink everywhere on her when learning calligraphy and this entertained Nui to no end. She took his hands in hers after the kiss and looked sad for a moment. “Somewhere far.” She couldn’t tell him just yet. She was worried at the very most he would try to come with her. “I’ll tell you when I get back.” She put her forehead to his just so they could talk on even ground. “I’ll be fine. I’m almost always fine.” She offered a shaky smile. “If I’m not… You can heal me right? I’ll make it back and you can heal me again.” She put her fingers in-between his and webbed them together. “I wouldn’t tell anyone other than you first.” It was a tiny bit of a whisper as her brown eyes fluttered up to him once more. “You know I will say my byes for now to them. I would never disappear on them like that.”

There was a smile on her face as she nodded. “Okay, I’ll let your mother make me a charm.” They had been rather intimate in the last few months. Nothing overly extreme but enough that it gained Nui’s attention. “You can’t let Nui tease you too hard while I’m gone. You know she’s going to try.” She giggled a bit. “But… most importantly… Will you wait for me to get back?” They were young and she understood if someone else came along. She kissed his forehead and held his hand as they did what felt like the long walk back to his parent’s… She figured they could tell Nui last.

He did his best to smile, even if he would miss her terribly. "Will you wait for me to get back?" Her dark eyes looked up at him as she asked. Without haste or hesitation, Rashomaru gave a nod and said: "Yes, I will. I will be here, so you can find me again." Although the separation would be difficult, he would wait as long as it took for her to return safely. The walk was longer than usual. Normally they would stop at his family's restaurant than his house. It was a common practice for people to open businesses out of their own home, but they chose to have a separate location out of necessity. The faint echo of wind chimes told him they were almost there, and he held her hand as it came into view. It was a small family house, a single building with a small yard before the path led out into the main road. Large smoothed flat stones made a walkway up to the front door. His mother, Yukari, was outside hanging the bedding to dry and set her basket down as the approached. "Welcome, Effie. What a pleasant surprise! Rashomaru, if you had told me she would be coming sooner I would have made some tea first." 

She was a woman with dark hair and faint red lips. Her eyes were a faint shade of purple like wisteria, unlike the eyes of her son and husband. To most, it was easy to mistake her for a human and for his father as the oni. His father was a man of few words with an intense face, but he was an earnest man. Yukari knew how to conceal her horns well, and although Rashomaru never developed them he was unable to hide the color of his eyes. He gave a polite bow as a greeting. "Mother, Effie is planning to go on a journey. She came to tell us before leaving." Yukari smiled, then motioned for them to wait. "I see, please wait a moment for me to call your father and brother. We will gladly send you off on your way." There was a moment of silence and tension as he stood with Effie. "I…I have a brother. His name is Genjiro. I wasn't sure when would be the best time to have you meet since Nui kept stirring things up. He's a bit of a busybody, so I didn't want him to start spreading rumors."

Footsteps drew close as three people came out: his mother, a man a few inches taller than Yukari with wild dark hair and an intense glare, and a young man about Rashomaru's age. "Here we are, this is for you dear. Make sure to keep this on you. This is a charm especially made for travelers." The woman pressed a small cloth satchel into the girl's hand, made of a soft violet fabric. There was something inside. "Oy oy oy, what do we have here?" The young man with loose black hair and blue eyes said, leaning out from behind their mother. "Genjiro…this is Effie. She was living with Nui for the past few months. She's going to be leaving for a while, so let's give her a proper send-off." Rashomaru was quick to interrupt before he could say anything, trying to control how much he would start fantasizing. The stern-faced man said nothing while he folded his arms, watching them all. "Father, this is a new friend who came to stay a few months ago. You've likely seen her a few times already in the past weeks during midday." The man nodded with a grunt, his brow furrowing more. Not exactly the best first impression, but this was his family.

Then, Nui emerged from nowhere. Pretending like she had just met Effie for the first time, she waved with a fox's grin. "Hiiii Effie! Or should I say, 'Mrs. Nekoma–" A large hand clamped over her mouth as Rashomaru flicked her forehead with the other. "OOWWW!" That little fox–she just let it slip, right in front of his brother no less! Already he knew there was no taking back what had happened as everyone heard it. "She's so cute! Hey bro, where'd you find her?" Whirling around, he was prepared to deny his brother's wild accusations when he saw Genjiro hoisting Effie up in the air! "Genjiro! Stop that! Put her down!"

“Just stand tall and I’ll never overlook you.” She chuckled a bit towards him.

They let the soft breeze speak for them as they walked to his home. She held his hand a bit tighter and she sucked in her breath as they reached the house. “Good morning Yukari!” She wasn’t familiar at all with the formalities of things so she did what was easiest for her at the moment. Effie proceeded put her hands behind her back as Rashomaru told her about his brother. “You don’t have to be so nervous about it… if he was like Nui I would understand.” She offered a smile.

She smiled again once she seen his family coming. She eagerly bounced on the heel of her feet before receiving the charm. “Thank you so much.” She bowed lightly. Slipping it into one of her pockets she took a look at his brother. She had seen his father before at the restaurant but never Genjiro. She held her hands behind her back again as she got nervous. “Hello.” She bowed again to his father. She wasn’t scared of his father despite his appearance since Rashomaru told her he was nice.

Then Nui came out of no where and Effie turned on her heel with a shocked face. Mrs.?! Rashomaru’s Mrs.?! Her face went red and she shyly looked away. Rashomaru dealt with her swiftly. “It’s not like that… yet…” She squeaked a little as she rubbed the back of her neck. Suddenly she was up in the air as Genjiro was holding her up like a puppy. Her little heart was probably heard by everyone as she struggled.

Suddenly she burst into flames that didn’t harm Genjiro. A sparrow made of flames flew behind Rashomaru and she grabbed his back. She reformed and shyly looked around at Genjiro. “He is like Nui.” Maybe having both of them was too much. Her brown eyes slid over to Nui. She was suddenly very sad as she let go of Rashomaru.

“I’m leaving for the North today.” Her voice went from shy to more direct as she looked at her friends. “It will be long and dangerous but I will come back.” A man appeared seemingly out of no where. He was pale skinned with shaggy long blonde hair and horns. Two wings stuck out of his back. He had his hands in his pocket. Effie sucked in her breath. “It’s almost time. That’s him~”

He was so far away it was clear that he wasn’t quite ready to meet everyone just yet. Effie trembled just a bit as her fingers took Rashomaru’s hand lightly. “I’m going into a demon den. To get something that was once mine… I don’t know what it is… but he says it will help tame this power so I can use it better. That I’ve slowly losing control since I entered womanhood.” Her eyes went up to Rashomaru. “He says not to worry too much since that will only make it worse.”

When it was clear it was only getting harder for her to want to leave she let go of Rashomaru. "I need to go…" Or I won't want to. "I'll be back in a year… Come hell or high water." Without saying much else and with it clearly hurting her by the look on her face she took off towards the man. She stopped half way before turning on her heel full tilt and practically jumping onto Rashomaru. She kissed him tenderly. "Make sure to stand really tall when I get back so I can find you okay?" She didn't wait for an answer as she sprinted back off towards Aelos.

The man transformed into the sword that they had seen her use. This time it was within an ornate sheath as she put it on her hip. She waved as she walked and then she just kept walking… All the way north.

Sometimes the wait is more difficult than anything else. The days seemed to crawl by, though Nui and Genjiro's constant teasing made things bearable. When snow fell and the crackle of firewood broke the still silence of the morning, he would wonder how she was doing. The bare trees grew tender leaves, the air warmed, and soon he was sweeping away fallen flowers off the path. She will be back soon, he thought to himself. Any day now. Cyril was busy with training so he and Sapphire didn't visit as often, leaving him with his thoughts during the slow hours. The days became a routine as he would begin by preparing the noodles before sunrise and open shop once it was light. Father would heat up the broth while he swept the seating area clean, Mother would greet the elderly fishermen returning from their boats. Children with their parents would come in at noon and the tables would clear out within a few hours. Then, after a short hour-long rest it was time for the evening batch of customers. They would close an hour after dark, turning over the sign outside. The dishes would be washed, dried, and stacked for another busy day. 

One afternoon he was just cleaning up with the last set of lunch orders when he heard the soft ring of the door's bell signalling it was opened. "Welcome, please have a seat–" He nearly dropped the stack of bowls in his hand when he saw who it was. The bowls clattered on a table as a six-foot blur rushed over. Long arms scooped her up and spun her around as Rashomaru could hardly believe his eyes. "Effie!" Gold eyes were wide, shining and bewildered that this wasn't a dream. At the sound of the commotion, Yukari poked her head out from the kitchen to see a familiar face they hadn't seen in a while. Her husband emerged behind, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Is that her?" The wild-haired, stern-faced man asked. "Yes, Masashi. It feels like yesterday she was at our door when we wished her a safe trip." The woman smiled, watching the joyful reunion. News spread quickly as Nui and Genjiro arrived to join the welcoming party.

The battles were rough but she was learning more control. However, the greater access to her powers also put her at a constant strain. The six months were long. They were hard. She fought the demons either one on one or in a group. Sometimes she couldn’t remember how she finished the fights because it felt like she was sleeping. Aelos told her it was a result of her losing consciousness while fighting. She didn’t know the truth but soon she shoved her sword into the throat of a massive demon. There was a moon pendant around his neck.

”This belongs to you Effie. Wear it and it will help.”

“But… I’ve never seen it before.”

”It is a very long story.”

It was a gold crescent moon with pearls on the outside and diamonds lining the inside. It was gorgeous and it felt so weird in her hands. It was nostalgic. “Tell me someday?”

”I promise.”

“Can I go home now?” Home… That’s what she referred to it now.

”Of course. It’s where you belong.”

Effie came into town with a half cloak on. She was covered in mud from getting through the wetlands. Her brown hair had grown so much that she had it braided and pinned up. Something about coming into her powers had made… a bunch of features grew on her… BUT HER HEIGHT. She was still rather salty about it. It amused Aelos to no end.

The sword was on her side as she slid the door open. Her brown eyes looked a bit tired but she had gone all throughout the night to get to the small town. She wanted to see Rashomaru now and not later. There was a tiny squeal out of her as he pulled her up and spun her around. “Rashomaru!” She held onto him and kissed him. It felt so much like a dream.

Effie waved to everyone and took off the cloak. It was clear she had matured as she showed Nui just how much. It was a girl thing that they had after all. “When we got all my magic… I MATURED!…” Then there was a not amused look on her face. “But I didn’t get any taller. Apparently, I’m done. LOOK AT MY HAIR.” She let it out of her braid and it was down to almost her knees. “Do… Do you think you can cut it?” She looked up at Yukari. “It’s heavy now.” Not that she didn’t like it but it was a LOT of hair.

The necklace glittered about on her neck with strange magic power. “And… this is what we retrieved… He says its mine but I don’t remember it but I know it.” She showed Rashomaru now as she held it up.