The Oni

It started as distant thunder. A vague noise that was easily dismissable. The first to notice were the children, who ceased playing with their wooden swords to stop and listen. They looked up at the sky that was vague and white, wondering if there was a storm above what they could see. The thunder did not cease and only grew louder. The adults began to take note as well, everyone halting. Suddenly a red flare flew up into the sky, painting a streak of red. Stomachs dropped, and panic began to set in. Chaos was here. It was coming. 

Kaminoko had run to Kaeru once the thunder came. She was out of breath, her eyes wide with fear. Her usual grace had been twisted into a beautiful panic. 

"Kaeruko… It is coming. And fast. Our scouts to the west barely had time to run back and set the flares off. What should we do? My barriers will only last so long and--" She took a harsh breath, forcing herself to calm down. "That is to say, are we going to fight or try and run? We haven't had a lot of time to prepare." 

Kaeru sipped her tea calmly, placing the cup down and pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She stood up and walked towards Kami, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear. Get those who cannot fight to gather. Dispel the barrier and create a smaller one, so it is more concentrated. Those who can fight will come with me." She said, pulling her sleeves up and tying them back. "We will survive this fight. Please trust in me." Kami nodded and ran out of the yurta then. Kaeru took a deep breath. "Inga, are you ready? We will likely need a lot of support from you here." 

"Of course~" Inga hummed, clapping his hands together. 

Kaminoko gathered everyone that she could, calling them all together. Kaeru in turn gathered those who were fit to fight, each one taking a sword or bow, pending on what they trained with. Himeko held a nagana, her sleeves tied back along with her hair. Hitsugaiya stood by her side with a sword. Renatsu looked at Kaeru once everyone was together. There were only about 8 people in total. 

"The scouts said there is a group of about 5 oni charging towards us. Even if everyone was prepared to fight I doubt…" Renatsu let his voice fade out. Kaeruko smiled at him, calmly pulling her bow out. 

"What color?" She asked, the scout named Taika moving forward to answer. 

"Red, Priestess Kaeruko. There were no blue oni in sight." He bowed his head as if he were addressing a military leader. Inga thought for a second before he nodded. 

"I see. Then… We will need a blue oni." Inga said, raising his hand. "Of course it will be an illusion, however the red oni feel a great deal of guilt over their friend, the blue oni. They are emotional creatures, and likely are being compelled by a leader. If we can play to this weakness, they will bend to our command. This could be beneficial if we play our cards right." Inga giggled with excitement. "We just need someone who is going to be brave enough to play the role of the blue oni." 

"We need someone who is willing to play the role of a blue oni. The red oni feel guilt over the loss of their friend. If they see a blue oni, they will likely slow down. This is critical. If we can convince them to join us, the battle is over. If not, we must use the guilt they feel to attack. They will be slow and distracted, and we can use that to kill them. If the blue oni attacks them first, they are going to be obligated out of shame to let it happen." Kaeru explained. Hitsugaiya stepped forward. 

"I will play the role, if you will allow me to." He said, bowing his head. Kaeru wanted to say no, however… In truth he was best suited to it. His big frame would be much easier to disguise and be effective. 

"Very well. I will transform your appearance.. You must be prepared to attack first if things go wrong. Are you prepared for that?" Kaeruko asked calmly, her eyes steadily staring at him. 

"I am prepared to lay down my life to protect our people. Whatever must be done, I will accept." He paused, turning back to Himeko. "So long as you guarantee that Himeko and Chihiro will be taken care of should I pass." His wife did not stop him. She did not cry, holding firm and biting her lip to avoid allowing her emotions to spill over. 

"I promise we will take care of your family. Thank you. This will not hurt." Kaeruko leaned forward and hugged him. "Thank you, Hitsugaiya. We will do our best to ensure you are safe." 

"Thank you." Hitsugaiya smiled down at her. "You truly have become strong. I am proud of you, Kaeruko, and proud to be fighting at your side." He then knelt as Kaeru raised her hand. Through her, Inga began to mutter a spell. Butterflies swarmed around him, and the purple marks on Kaeru's skin began to glow bright. Suddenly the butterflies began to attach themselves to him. HE was covered entirely with purple and black butterflies, the fluttering wings making it impossible for them to see him. Suddenly one of the creatures stopped moving and fell. Each one took its turn, until there was a pile around Hitsugaiya. He however no longer looked like himself. His skin was a bright blue, and a horn twisted itself out of his skin on his head. He was larger, his muscles enlarged and red marks carved into his skin as was typical. 

"I will do my best to solve this without bloodshed." Hitsugaiya spoke in a voice that was far deeper and broken than his own. The magic was impressive. There was little that could be pinned as human on him now. 

"Everyone else, hide close. We will strike if necessary." Kaeru ordered. Thus began the first battle of Hourou, a test to Kaeruko's new leadership and the tenacity of the hourou tribe. 

Oni were vicious creatures born from those who were hateful and violent. Their malice was so strong it did not die with them, and from that oni were born. Red oni were special, as they were considered to be descendants from the friendly oni. The friendly oni was a red oni who wanted desperately to befriend humanity, and it succeeded with the help of the blue oni. Of course, the blue oni helped him by making himself into the evil one who attacked the village, so that the red oni could be their hero. The blue oni was cast out, and the guilt that the red oni felt was said to be inherited by all those who followed him. It was a classic tale that the hourou had been told since they were young. It was a favorite of Kaeruko's to tell. 

The group of eight sat and waited. The thundering noise of the oni marching in got louder until it was booming in their ears. The 10 oni can running towards the village, clubs and swords raised. Hitsugaiya stood silently, his arms crossed as he stared at the wall of red coming towards him. 

They stopped once Hitsugaiya came into view. The largest one walked forward. Scars were scattered on his chest. He walked up close to Hitsugaiya, breathing in his face. Neither moved for a moment, staring at each other. 

"Blue." The large oni muttered, his voice cracked and broken. "Why are you here?" He asked, not moving an inch. 

"This is my home." Hitsugaiya responded, puffing his chest up. "Mine." The red oni looked back at the seemingly empty village, scoffing. 

"Yours? A human village?" he asked, pushing against Hitsugaiya. "I don't believe. Since when has blue joined with humans?" 

"That is your fault. Red ruined my home. Is red trying to take my home again?" Hitsugaiya tried his best to match his speaking patterns, though it wasn't easy. He had never heard an oni speak until today. It was hard to say how much human speak they used, since the stories were never really specific. To the accusation the red oni took a step back. A flash of guilt went through his eyes. It was not his own, and yet it was a strong biological guilt. 

"Have to.. We have to." The red oni was pleading, almost. He was fighting against something from within. He looked hurt. 

"Why?" Hitsugaiya asked, stepping forward. It was working. "You could stay here too." The red oni behind the main one began to mutter, looking at each other as if debating what to do next. Kaeru held her breath as she watched. Inga made a sudden face. 

"Something is pushing them. It's not going to work." He said, looking at the oni. Kaeru looked surprised at Inga. She wanted to ask what he meant, and he seemed to pick up on that at least. "He is fighting with himself, which tells me that there is a spirit or something controlling him. He won't win. Oni aren't smart enough to fight back like that mentally." Kaeru looked back at Hitsugaiya, praying that he would pick up on that as well. She somewhat doubted it, but speaking would certainly doom him. 

The red oni stumbled back, holding his head in his hands before he screamed. It shook the ground itself, and Hitsugaiya almost stumbled. The oni lurched forward, raising its weapon to swing at Hitsugaiya. Kaeruko stood up and raised her bow and arrow, letting it go loose before she could think. It embedded itself within the large oni's right eye. The oni stopped in its tracks, stumbling back and forth before it fell. A pool of blood began to redden the snow underneath him. The other oni yelled and began to rush forward. Kaeru yelled an order out, though she had little time to process what she said. She began to shoot arrows fast, desperately trying to protect Hitsugaiya from harm's way. The others tried to rush forward as well. Taika got thrown to the side by one of the oni's clubs, falling limp to the ground. Kaeru began to feel panic setting in. They were too strong, even if there was only 9 of them left. Hitsugaiya was wrestling with one, trying to keep it from stabbing him with great effort. It felt lost… Her first battle and it was all for nothing. 

"Inga--" Kaeru began in desperation, however Inga just smiled. 

Suddenly the oni began to fall. It was hard to see why. A flash of white and a brilliant burst of light cut through red. The oni began to fall, one by one. After a few blinks of her eyes the oni that had been such a threat were gone, now on the ground. In the middle was a large bear, pure white like freshly fallen snow. Kaeru felt her eyes begin to water before tears fell without her consent. She dropped her bow and ran forward through the bloodied field. She ran as fast as she could, slipping on the wet ground but pushing through regardless. 

"Kuma!!"