Youkai
"Well. That is a loaded question...So let me start by properly introducing myself..." The white of his hair fluttered in the light breeze blowing through their fire lit camp and he tilted his head in imitation of another bow. "You may call me Mizuki." There was a pause as he let her digest the name. She mumbled the word out, slightly off pronunciation and Mizuki felt the smallest corner of his lip twitch. She shook her head and quickly remembered the manners her mother had taught her as a child, bowing her head as well.
"I'm Evelyn..." Mizuki tilted his head. What an odd, yet delicate, name. Just like the woman attached to it. He repeated it back to her and was obviously wrong from the response her companion had made from across the fire. It was a sort of choking laugh. He watched the man as he repeated it again, thus causing him to cough violently and Ryō to catch on to what he was playing at. The devious little crinkle behind the mask was the only sign of enjoyment the two mortals could see, but Mizuki knew his friend well enough to feel his entertainment from where he was sitting.
One last attempt had the golden eyed man almost growling in frustration, however the hacking coming from the other side erased the emotion quickly. He flicked his eye towards the female and stiffened. Her expression was a mix of confusion, anger and laughter but it wasn't directed at him, rather the concoction of emotions had been aimed specifically at her keeled over brother. At this point he was just happy she hadn't seen the over exaggerated movements of his mouth while he attempted to pronounce her name.
"Mmm...Evi might sound too much like prawn, and I don't want to be called a fish..." All three men listened to her waffle on, and Michael quirked a knowing smile her way. Rambling had always been a coping mechanism when her brain was having a hard time catching up with what she had heard. He remembered the first time she had developed such a thing, right after their parent's death, and the fond smile melted into something full of sorrow. Unbeknownst to him, Ryō had taken up observing the man from the corner of his eye. It was curious to say the least, that such an expression could cross any humans features and not leave a lasting impression.
"Ah!" Michael jumped out of his skin, hissing a warning through his teeth at his sister as he'd jostled a few freshly healed wounds and sent a none too threatening glare her way. She only looked mildly apologetic, but that was enough. "Lyn. Try Lyn."
Mizuki and Ryō shared a glance and the white-haired male tried one last time. "Rin?" In turn Evelyn gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, which held no meaning and confused not only the golden eyed man but his companion too. Michael had a front row seat to the train wreck for he could see that the wheels had already started turning in her head. "The complexity of sounds from your name is intriguing. Rin will suffice for now. As for your companio---"
"Brother!! He's my brother..." She blurted out the words before she could stop them and for once, didn't know why she had felt the need to do so. Mizuki, on the other hand, felt a pressure lighten from his chest and shoulders. He also could not understand why he felt the way he did now, perhaps knowing that they were family meant they would be strong enough to live in a world not their own? He did not know and did not reach further into it. He snapped back to attention when he heard her hum. "Sorry for...interrupting."
"Quite alright. My friend, Ryō, will be sure to figure out his name. You and I have some important matters to discuss." The wheels in Evelyn's head picked up speed, and her brain [finally] caught up with the moment. Her eyes widened and her fingers trembled, but soft fur beneath their tips and a soothing purr made the tremors diminish. Her fear was still there, however, at least for the moment she was calm. "Let me tell you a story."
[Long, long ago there was a little boy with the blackest of hair and abnormally violet eyes. He was born to mortal parents under the darkness of the blood moon, where all energy becomes its strongest form. As the boy grew older, he noticed his parents had begun to distance themselves, always watching and murmuring between themselves. He was a normal boy, or so he thought, and he played with the other boys in their small little village.
One day, while out with those very same boys, a group of men wearing old armour rags and carrying rusted blades, rushed into the village. They swung and maimed, stole and slaughtered, all the while laughing in glee. The young boy, frightened, fled to his home as the others scattered and found his mother and father hiding as many things as possible. Though they kept their distance in the beginning, the boy's mother tugged him towards her and enveloped him in her arms. Just in time, it would seem, as their sliding door flew to the side with a great crack!
The men goaded his father, inching closer while all three backed away in fear. It was only when his father jumped in the way of an oncoming blade to protect them, that all hell broke loose, and the boy screamed. There was no warning when his eyes began to glow, and beautiful patterns began to scrawl themselves across his skin. And the air. Oh, the air around him trembled and whistled. The men with their rusted weapons and false bravado screamed too, but it was wet and gargled, almost as if they were choking on water. The mother held her son tighter and whispered shaky words into his ears, pointed now at the tip. The boys scream had died down by this time and tears ran down his flushed and decorated cheeks. The wind broke, the air settled and there was no more noise. Both collapsed, both cradled the man half alive in his attempt to protect them, yet it was not over. The boy's tears were not drying, they fell like waterfalls and when they touched the ruined frame of his father, something impossible happened. They glowed an iridescent white, blanketing the wound and everything damaged inside. His skin felt warm, the father said. He said he was so sorry to the boy, that they were wrong to have kept him so far away and that he was proud of his one and only son.
When the light vanished, the mother gasped in shock as her very eyes could not deceive her from the truth. The truth that her little boy had just given his father his life back. The wound was no more.
The parents cherished their son from then on, but no longer lived at the village and instead isolated themselves for fear of someone hurting their sweet boy. They were afraid at first of being so far from civilisation, yet over time they could see love for life and the land. They grew older as he did, but his face remained young and youthful, and eventually when old age tore them away the boy, now man, left his isolation and began to wander the lands.
The years did not only preserve his youthfulness but granted him access to more power than ever before and an entirely new form to explore. In place of pointed ears, he awakened his inner self and took the guise of a fox. Many humans feared his new appearance, and so with a heavy heart his feet had taken him towards the nearest shrine for guidance. The monks there were already waiting, having predicted his coming many years before he had been born. They guided him, taught him the skills needed to blend in with mortal humans. He left with no markings or tell-tale signs of difference, promising the monks he would repay them one day. Little did he know that that very day would come only a month after his departure.
It seemed that there were more like the man in the world, however what made them different was their thirst for blood and pleasure for violence. Villages, towns, small cities...none were exempt in the monster's reign of terror. So, the monks tracked him down and beseeched him to help combat this new evil. The man agreed without question, for his last promise to his parents had been to protect those who cannot be protected.
When the monks and man found the beings responsible for so much blood and death, they acted immediately. The man was much more powerful than the young boy he had once been and ripped the beasts from their feet in a blast of wind. As he incapacitated them, the monks went to work in trapping them in wards. It was a long and tiring battle, however when all calmed down the man suggested creating a veil over humanity to prevent such horrors from returning and scarring them for life. Though it would not prevent more attacks, it would however protect the well-being of the people. The monks agreed. They would pass the information on to the rest of the shrines surrounding Nippon, and they would only appear to those of special quality and resistance.
It would be years before the man would part ways again with his friends, leaving them with a promise that whatever family he would have will carry his power and continue to give them support when they need it. The monks were protected under this promise, and they separated to go down their own paths, destined one day to meet again.
Generations pass and once more they meet, yet the man now returned with offspring. His own son, born by another of the man's kind, began to learn from the monks and gave his word to never forget his father's promise to them. His mother had, unfortunately, passed during childbirth, so the man had invested his whole life into his son. Always guiding, always teaching and always loving him. He hoped that one day when he would no longer be around that the boy would be able to live a full and happy life.
Thousands of years later, the man and his son were known under the name Youkai. Demons. Stories would be told about the viciousness of these creatures and humanity would begin to believe it to be mythology. They knew not the storm brewing around them, their neighbour, though sweet and kind, in true form would frighten the mortals to death. For what they see is not what is there, and the Asuka clan would be sure to stop all and any corruption of their beloved world. Beyond the shadows and hidden behind starlight.]