[MillietheWarrior]

The forest floor was speckled with shadows from the rays of the sun as it filtered in through the canopy. Yukina hummed to herself, walking demurely along an old, worn out path that led down the mountainside from the temple, to a fresh patch of wild herbs she’d been meaning to gather for some time. Her teal colored hair shone brightly in the mottled sunlight, and her humming was soft, lilting, and serene and gentle enough to lure a few of the animals she passed by out of hiding. As a youngster, she’d played with the forest animals near her home until it was time for them to sleep or migrate for the winter. She loved being here, in this forest, where it hardly ever got too cold for the animals, and where a safe haven and food was in no short supply. She clutched an expertly woven basket in her hands, one that was already filling up with wildflowers and herbs she’d gathered on her route to the fresh patch.

There were a few different herbs she’d been meaning to try using in her tea. Genkai was gone for the day, having ventured into town to do a bit of shopping for herself, something she usually left to Yukina. But the older woman had insisted that she needed a break from the temple and wanted to do it herself. Yukina suspected she just wanted to visit Kirin, but it wasn’t in the ice apparition’s nature to question or pry, and she had placidly accepted Genkai’s request and reasoning with a sweet smile and a nod of her head. A soft scrabbling came from near her feet, and she looked down to see a pair of wild rabbits hopping along the trail after her. The sparrows overhead were whistling a merry tune, and Yukina giggled, leaning down to be closer to the animals at her feet. The rabbits weren’t afraid; very few animals in this forest were. They had little to no human contact, and Genkai kept all poachers and hunters off her land with ease.

Yukina extended a hand, and one of the rabbits sniffed it curiously. She giggled again and straightened, taking off slowly down the path until she reached a grove of trees just beside a babbling brook. She’d discovered this place one evening as she went for one of her customary strolls, and she found it very charming and peaceful. She’d returned later, only to find that it grew wild herbs that she’d never been able to grow on her own before, and she’d been quite ecstatic to take some back to the temple and use them in her teas. Settling down on a patch of soft moss to gather and pick the herb leaves, Yukina hummed quietly to herself, the rabbits, a few squirrels, and even a curious deer wandering close by, as undisturbed by the presence of the gentle ice apparition as she was by theirs.

[ToxicShadow]

Unbeknownst to Yukina, she wasn't the other one that had decided a walk in the forest would do a great amount of good. With the rest of his clan still gone from the night before, Kajiame, a slayer of wicked demons, had grown restless in awaiting their return. His mother had denied his want to go along with them, for some reason that she didn't care to explain, which certainly annoyed the young man. However, he trusted them to be safe on their own, so there was no need to worry or wait up. As beautiful as the day was, there was no option that said not to enjoy it. The sun was bright, warm, but the air was cool enough to make it the perfect weather. How could he pass that up?

He had stopped to enjoy the song of a small chorus of birds, and the breeze that blew back his dark, somewhat messy hair. His dress didn't particularly fit the scenery, consisting of blacks, silvers, and even metals, but Kajiame had always admired the wilderness, nature, more than anything. Amongst the trees, he felt more at home than he had in a long time. Much to his dismay, the pleasantries were abruptly interrupted when something had drawn the young man's attention. 'A demon, in these parts?' He didn't want to believe that his walk was going to turn into work, but he had no choice in the matter. Ignoring a demon was something he could not do.

So he'd taken to traveling toward it, moving stealthy through the trees and shrubs when incredibly trained ease, as if he belonged there. When he had thought he had reached his destination, the monster he was to vanquish, he peered around the trunk of a tree cautiously some yards away from where Yukina stood. Yellow and blue eyes couldn't take in what they were seeing, couldn't accept it. This woman, this lovely woman, couldn't have been the demon he had sensed!

He leaned back into his cover, attempting to think over his options, as he sucked in a deep breath. She hadn't seen him, or heard him, had she? That would have been bad. In this position, he seemed like some stalker creep.

"Uh, excuse me...?" Kajiame called out to her, stepping out from behind the tree that concealed him. Yet, aside from those words, he had absolutely no idea what to say.

[MillietheWarrior]

Yukina hummed happily to herself, clipping a few of the herbal leaves with ease and gently placing them in her basket. She observed the steadily growing pile of herbs and flowers, thinking that the foxglove and snap-dragons she’d picked earlier would look lovely sitting on the kitchen windowsill. It would give her something pretty to look at while she made cookies for Genkai’s return. The woman probably wouldn’t be home until late in the evening, but Yukina knew she enjoyed a bit of tea on the veranda at night and some cookies to go with it. It would be a pleasant surprise for the generous old woman. Smiling to herself, Yukina observed another of the herbs she picked with a critical eye, before her humming continued. The rabbits had cautiously begun to graze around her feet, and the deer that had once been on the other side of the bank of the stream had carefully moved in closer, lulled in by her gently humming.

Yukina laughed lightly, her eyes crinkling with her smile. “Don’t be afraid,” she told the creature sweetly, holding out a hand for it to sniff as it craned it’s neck towards her. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe here.” The deer seemed to relax, marginally, but in the next instant, it’s ears had had straightened, it’s tail raising in alarm as it tensed and sprang away. Confused, Yukina glanced down at the two rabbits, who were in similar states of alarm. Their little noses were quivering horribly fast, and she wondered what she’d done to put them all on edge. When the sound of a voice came from behind one of the trees, Yukina herself was so startled that she dropped the herb she held in her hand with a gasp, clutching frantically at the spot above her heart as her eyes darted towards the ‘intruder.’

The deer had bounded off a safe distance, and the rabbits and squirrels had all quickly scurried away, leaving her alone to face a very strange man in very strange garb in the middle of a forest. Not one to be overly worried or suspicious, Yukina smiled kindly, tilting her head to the side. “Oh, hello there!” she called gently. “I’m sorry; you startled me! I had no idea anyone else was out here? I’m Yukina.” Her wide, ruby red eyes glowed with her smile as she fixed her gaze on him. “Are you out here to collect herbs as well? Or are you just passing though. This really is a lovely place to visit.” She had absolutely no idea who or what she was speaking to, and that any wrong move could, quite possibly, put him on edge, and turn him against her; a demon hunter and a demon conversing civilly, even pleasantly? It was unheard of, wasn’t it?

[ToxicShadow]

A faint frown had crossed the man's face, well aware that he had been the cause of the animal's fear. 'But it is better if they get out now, if a fight breaks out. I suppose they know what's better for them.' Their behavior had been predictable, but that much couldn't be said for the woman that he had abruptly confronted. He had startled her? A demon? Then again, he couldn't believe his eyes. The wild animals were behaving so calmly around her and nothing about this woman could hint toward being a demon, save for the red signals going off somewhere in the back of his head. For God's sake, she wasn't even acting like one in the slightest!

"Ah, I apologize for startling you. I'm just passing through. Lost, I suppose you could say," he replied, brushing a hand idly through his hair, the strands reaching just passed his pierced ears. By speaking, it gave him time to evaluate the situation. "The name's Kajiame. You could say my mother had an interesting naming taste." Once, he had been told that his name meant specific words in another language, but hell if he recalled what.

'Did I sense something else?' He was doubting himself, second guessing himself, something that he had never done before. Never had his senses led him astray, but right now, his sniffer wasn't doing so well. It must have been why his mother had told him to remain home. Still, even with a handicap, there was no way that he could let a demon run loose!

"I don't suppose... you've seen anything peculiar around here?"

[MillietheWarrior]

Yukina observed the man with shrewd red eyes. Her expression of placidity did not change, but she was watching him with something akin to curiosity, perhaps wondering why he seemed so ill at ease. She could practically feel the confusion radiating off of him. She glanced at the deer, who stubbornly refused to return, and looked off down the path the rabbits had taken. She was disappointed her little friends had all run off, but perhaps this man was dangerous. It was better that they weren’t close enough to be harmed. A frown marred her pretty features just briefly, and she lifted ruby eyes to the man again.

“Oh, it’s quite all right. I just didn’t expect to see anyone else out here. Master Genkai told me that not many people ventured so close to her temple.” She smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling at the edges. “My, that is a different name. I have never heard one quite like it. But it is unique, and unique things are often the most special.” She picked up the herbal leaves she’d dropped, carefully placing them in her basket. She rose to her feet calmly and gracefully, holding her basket in the crook of her arm. “Peculiar?” she appeared genuinely confused as she spoke. “No…Not that I can recall. But….”

As a healer, Yukina was quite aware of the injuries, internal, external or otherwise that ailed most people. She could tell this man wasn’t quite up to snuff, so to speak. “Mister Kajiame, would you like to walk with me to the temple?” If he was of impure intentions, or an impure heart, the seals would stop him in his tracks. “I am going to make some tea this afternoon, and if I’m not mistaken…you have the beginnings of a cold, don’t you?” She tilted her head as she smiled, eyes closing with the gesture. “I have a remedy for that. And I’ve been told I bake very good cookies. I would be glad to make some for you, if you don’t have anything pressing to tend.”

[ToxicShadow]

Needless to say, the woman's sweetness and gentle nature had only furthered to stab more and more doubt into the man's mind with each word she spoke, with each minor movement. Try as he might try to see a monstrous demon within her, Kajiame just couldn't believe it. It very well could have been that he had never witnessed a deceptive demon, one that had taken on the form of an innocent maiden to later eat her betrothed or something akin to that. He'd heard stories about such things from his mother, and she ought to know, given her time enslaved in hell, but most demons he had laid ones on behaved like demons. Which, to him, Yukina didn't. Quite possibly, he was just too ignorant and easily fooled by a good looks. Hopefully, for his sake, that just wasn't the case.

"A walk?" he repeated her question, dumbfounded by it. 'I could swear that I sense something here, but she can't be it.' Kajiame seemed to convince himself of that, once he'd repeated those words over and over in his head. With a nod, he agreed. "Sure, I would... love to." He could sense nothing wicked about Yukina, and she was so sweet and beautiful. Though the day was just a lovely, he could spend any day outside, but it wasn't every day that he got to spend his time with a lovely lady. Let alone one that was willing to feed him. Besides, if she did wind up being a monster, then he would know for sure. "You're pretty perceptive - it's impressive, especially since my cold has only started coming on, but are you sure I won't be intruding?" Growing up, he had at least some manners driven into him. He didn't particularly want to be rude or cause the woman any trouble. "I couldn't possibly ask you to go out of your way for me, a mere stranger."

[MillietheWarrior]

“Yes, a walk,” Yukina said with a bright smile. She held back a giggle, believing that he might not take her laughter too well and think she was giggling at him. Some people, she’d found, could be a bit sensitive when it came to laughter. She glanced over at the deer, who gave her one last, long look, and bounded off into the forest. Humming to herself, Yukina dusted off her kimono, careful to pick any moss from the pale, teal fabric, and brushed a bit of stray hair over her shoulder. “I am glad then,” she told him as she started towards him, back along the path. “Follow me please, mister Kajiame. The temple is just down this path. I think you’ll enjoy it; it’s very peaceful."

She briefly wondered if Genkai would be angry that she’d entertained a guest., but if he was a good person, then the old psychic probably wouldn’t have a problem. Considering the seals would immediately reject him if he truly meant her harm or hard darkness lurking in his heart, she wasn’t too worried. Not to mention the fact that, as an ice apparition, she could defend herself quite well. As she passed Kajiame, the air seemed to grow colder, though her smile remained as warm as it had been before. “Oh, you won’t be intruding at all, mister Kajiame. I was planning on making some cookies this afternoon anyway, and if you don’t mind, I think you can be my first taste tester for a new tea I’m working on to help with colds. You see, many of my friends tend to get them if they stay with me at the temple too long.”

She smiled, almost apologetically, her head tilted to the sides as her eyes crinkled and her brows furrowed. “It’s all my fault really. I’m just not made for this climate, so it has to be cold at the temple as often as possible. Master Genkai, the kind woman who owns it, doesn’t seem to mind though. I think she’s impervious to the cold by now.” She blinked up at him, being nearly two feet shorter, and walked amicably alongside him. She was a petite woman, very small and fragile, but she didn’t seem frightened of this strange man. “And what about you, mister Kajiame? Where do you live? I’ve never seen you before, and I had no idea anyone lived so close to the temple. I’d have made an effort to meet you and make friends earlier, had I known.”

[ToxicShadow]

"Yes, of course." With a brief hesitance, the demon slayer joined Yukina's side. All sorts of alarms were going off in his head, but his better judgment ignored them all or, perhaps, it was his poor judgment that had made that decision. Either way, he wasn't going back on his choice now, not after she had offered one of those beautiful smiles toward him.

"Oh, so you'll be putting me to work, will you?" He asked in an amused voice, knowing that if his tail was visible now that it would be wagging. Thank all the gods for his ability to dismiss his ears and tail most of the time. What did stay, and were now in plain sight for Yukina, were his varying wings. To one side, there was a feathered wing in likeness of an angel, while the other was something more like a dragon, typical of some demons. "That's much better than just me intruding. I shall do my best as a taste tester for you, then. If it's for a good cause, then I'll have at it, no fear!" A shiver ran down his spine, feeling a chill in the air, but Kajiame didn't think much of it, in and of itself. He did have to wonder why everyone would get colds while in a temple, but he went ahead and assumed that such a place probably wasn't the best in means of heating.

His thoughts were shut down when Yukina actually explained. "Not built for this climate? I guess you're a cold weather sort of gal, then?" Within their chatter, he was already letting his guard down and beginning to enjoy himself. "My family travels around a lot, so we've sort of made up camp in the middle of this forest. We've been looking to make a proper settlement somewhere, but haven't had any luck with that. Today, they went out, and my mother refused to let me go along, which is how I ended up here. Even as an adult, she still treats me like a child from time to time." Speaking about his mother, it was obvious that he loved her, but he found it ridiculous that she wouldn't let him go on their hunt because of a little, harmless cold. "It's not too bad, though, since I got to meet you."

[MillietheWarrior]

“Of course,” Yukina responded with a bright smile. It seemed this little ice apparition could do nothing but smile; it was a far cry from her earlier days, when a smile seemed so hard to dredge up and feeling even the remotest glimmer of happiness was difficult. She didn’t want to think about it; all it did was bring up terrible memories. She shook her head, a shiver running down her spine that had absolutely nothing to do with the chill that had seeped into the air with her presence, and refocused on the happier thoughts. “I do hope you don’t mind. I’ve had enough…er, failed attempts to warrant my friends staying far away from my tea experimentations. But, well, the remedies don’t work on me. I don’t get sick, really, so I can’t exactly try them out myself. But I assure you, this batch will be much better than the others! I’ve added a new blend of barley honey, and it does give it a rather sweet flavor.”

She didn’t seem bothered by the fact that this man could be a demon; why worry? She was a demon herself, and she’d met enough of them to know that not all of them were killers. Lister Mister Kurohi, and her dear friend Kina. Yukina suppressed a giggle. “Oh yes, I’m most certainly a cold weather girl. Where I used to live, it was cold all year round! The sun was shining all the time, but it never melted any of the ice and snow. But of course, I do love the winter weather, so it was all right for me. And I miss my home sometimes; it doesn’t get nearly as cold here. But it gets cool enough for me to enjoy in the winter. The trees here turn to ice and snow, and it reminds me so much of my home.” Her smile faded slightly, and she looked a little abashed, turning her head away to stare at the basket in her hands.

“I am sorry you haven’t found any place suitable yet. I know what it’s like to wander around, looking for some place to stay. Master Genkai was kind enough to give me one of her rooms. I cook and clean for her in return, and I do so enjoy her company. I hope you find your home soon, Mister Kajiame. Homes are very important.” Her cheeks pinked slightly as she turned along a bend in the path, reaching the steps of what seemed to be endless stairs leading up to a temple. “Mistier Kajiame, you are too kind,” she giggled, waving her free hand with slightly pink cheeks. “Follow me. The temple is just up these stairs.”

[ToxicShadow]

"I could never turn down a pretty lady." Regardless of what the tea tasted like in the end, as long as it didn't kill him, he would survive just fine. During his travels, the access to food could become scarce when far away from regularly inhabited areas, in which case his family took to eating obscure things. He'd eaten his share of awfully bitter, overly spice, too chewy, and just about any 'bad,' thing one could think of when it came to food. One glass of tea on top of that couldn't hurt, especially not if it helped Yukina perfect her remedy. "So of course I will taste it." He said he would and he would.

"That sounds amazing." A place covered in everlasting snow and ice? He had never heard of such a thing before. "Winter is my favorite season, though, at some point, even winter needs to end to bring spring." After the snow melted and all new life began to bloom, the world, any of the worlds, was such a breathtaking place.

"Thank you, Yukina. You're much kinder then I think I ever could be." The walk was relatively short, but Kajiame had all but forgotten why he had run off to find Yukina, rather, a malicious demon. As far from malicious as she was, he couldn't think to hurt her. She was a beautiful, tiny little thing, and he already felt himself reaching out to her kind ways.  He didn't miss a step, following the woman carefully. "My family is new around these parts, I suppose you could say, which is why we have yet to settle. Everyone has different opinions, too, but we refuse to be separated." His aunt preferred the snow, since she had been born in a colder climate, while his mother preferred heat, after surviving in the fiery pits of hell, that was no surprise. His uncle didn't have many opinions, as long as an area wasn't too crowded, while Kajiame was more inclined to forests. Bottom line, however, was to remain a close family.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Your words are very kind, Mister Kajiame,” Yukina replied with a tempered smile. “I will pray that this batch is much better than the others.” She laughed this time, genuinely amused by the memory of the past batches she’d tested out on her friends. They’d been so unsuspecting, and it had taken then all by surprise. Yukina had quite honestly not known the tea would be so bitter or sour when she’d given it to them the first time, and she had intended to taste it herself. But after their horrified and disgusted expressions, hidden behind wavering smiles as they tried not to hurt her feelings (Which was completely unnecessary, she thought) Yukina had promptly dumped her tea over the balcony. The others had done the same after a laugh from the gentle ice apparition. Needless to say, after that, they were always wary of her ‘tea experimentations.’

She glanced down at her pale hands, resting atop the flowers and herbs she’d gathered in her basket as she folded her arms demurely across her stomach and held the basket tightly. “I have always loved winter,” She explained softly, reaching up to touch a hand gently to her heart. “It has always been a part of me, and a part of my life. Up until I came here, I had never seen spring. Or summer. Or fall. I had never seen trees, or the leaves that fell in the autumn, nor had I ever seen such rich vegetation and beautiful flowers. I’d never grown my own garden, or built a fire and spent the night on a beach. My home is a world of ice, and cold, and desolate, barren people, who’s hearts are as frozen as their lands.” Her words were tinged with bitterness near the end, and she studiously kept her ruby eyes on the ground in front of her. With a frown, she realized she was starting to sound rather desolate, and quickly changed the subject.

Her smile returned, but it did not quite reach her eyes this time. “Yes, I suppose family is important. I am lucky enough to have my friends here with me. I don’t have family here, but my friends are enough, and Master Genkai has been like a mother to me. I couldn’t ask for more.” As she ascended the steps, her footsteps dainty and light, she smiled again, and this time, it was as genuine as it had been before. “You could always live in this forest, I am sure. Master Genkai would be glad to welcome people as good as you into her lands. You are very kind; I can only imagine your family is as kind as well.” She finally reached the top step, and paused to survey the temple, which was relatively old, but very well kept. The outside was shrouded in shrubs, a pond sitting primly in the court yard.

The wooden decks looked polished and clean, and the sliding, paper doors were all shut tightly, save for one, which seemed to lead into a kitchen. “Follow me, please,” she instructed as she turned and padded quietly towards the open door, clambering somewhat gracefully onto the deck after removing her shoes at the steps. She slid the door open further, revealing a quaint kitchen, which led to what appeared to be a dining room, with a low table with cushions set around it for seats. “Please, come in, and have a seat. I’ll get you some tea, and start on the cookies.” She placed her basket on the cabinet, and smiled sweetly, beckoning him inside.

((This...girl...is gonna give me diabetes. I swear I get a caivty just writing for her. She's too damn sweet. XD))

[ToxicShadow]

The bitterness that came across in Yukina's voiced surprised Kajiame, causing him to shoot a worried glance in her direction. He'd known her only a few moments in the grand scheme of things, yet her tone had never marginally wavered to anything but kindness and gentleness in that time. "You don't seem to have a frozen heart," he offered, giving her an encouraging smile. "That has to be a step in the right direction, even if it is only one of you." He tried to imagine what it would be like without the change of seasons, but in all of his years, the changing of seasons was something consistent that he could always rely on. It was the one thing that never changed, regardless of where his travels took him.

"Friends and family can be one in the same. The woman that I call my aunt is not related to me by blood, nor to anyone else, but my mother grew to see her dear friend as a sister and so I've called her my aunt my whole life. It's not the blood that really matters, it's the relationship." Blood didn't mean a single thing. Family members by blood could treat one another horribly, which, in his opinion, wasn't family at all.

With each step Yukina took, Kajiame followed, more graceful about it than his larger form would let on. Each of his wings loosened away from his back just a bit, he enjoying the breeze that touched them on their journey up the temple stairway. Upon reaching the top, however, the man seemed awestruck. It was simple, but sturdy, and well taken care of. "This is just like a place I would want to live!" As the woman had done, he removed his own shoes, lingering a few moments longer outside, before entering the house. It wasn't a custom he was familiar with, but he didn't want to run the risk of offend Yukina. If it was traditional and proper to remove his shoes, then he would.

When beckoned, given permission to enter, he did so, seemingly without much of a hitch. "I think I may attempt to convince my family to stay around here. That is, if we get the permission to do it. I couldn't possibly move onto someone else's land, or even too near it, if it would be troublesome to them. I do, however, like what I have seen of this forest."

[MillietheWarrior]

Yukina led him to the low table, and indicated the cushion that would allow him to sit and face the kitchen, so they could continue talking. “Yes, well,” she replied, sounding cheerful. “I suppose I’m a bit different from the rest of my people. I refuse to let my heart freeze over like theirs, and I refuse to shut out the world. I am happy with the decisions I made, and I am happy where I am. But sometimes…I do miss my old home.” She moved back into the kitchen, and had begun to take out ingredients from the cabinet. She stopped when she spoke, her fingers resting on the shortening as she gazed out the window almost wistfully.

“But I don’t dwell on it. I’ve found my place here, amongst my friends. And they’ve become my new family. Your home is, after all, where you feel most content. I think the saying was… ‘Home is where the heart is’? Right? I’m not too good with things like that; most of the customs and such here are a bit new to me.” She pulled the shortening from the cabinet, turning an flashing him with a serene smile as she moved about to make the tea. The basket was set on the counter, and she pulled a few herbs out of it, filling a kettle with water and dropping a few of the herbs into it, along with some honey from a jar nearby, and a few other sprigs of something that had been dried from another pot beside the stove. “So you like the temple?” she asked conversationally, hoping to distract from the more depressing subject of her home.

“I felt the same way when I first arrived here. I’d never seen anything like this place before. So full of life, and so calm and serene. It’s really a beautiful place.” She turned back around, pulling a large bowl from a bottom cupboard and beginning to mix her ingredients, pausing only to grab the eggs from the refrigerator. “I am sure Master Genkai would be happy to make an exception for you and your family. Although it doesn’t look inhabited, there are many spirits, and demons on these lands that are looking for homes and a safe place to stay, just like I was once. She doesn’t bother them as long as they don’t cause trouble, so I’m certain that if your family means no harm, she would be glad to allow you to stay here. And then you could visit the temple as often as you like! It would be very nice to have someone to talk to. Master Genkai is a lovely woman, but she’s not the best at conversation.”

As she spoke, she worked at churning the batter for the cookies, which was quickly turning into dough. She didn’t seem to realize that it was the first time she’d spoken of demons, nor did she think it was anything to be concerned about. This man obviously wasn’t human, so he knew all about demons, right? He’d probably be happy to know his family would be allowed to stay in a land that was full of their kind. She didn't seem to know, or realize, that he and his family weren't what she believed.

[ToxicShadow]

"Yeah, I believe that is how the saying goes." Kajiame took his offered seat without fuss or fight and, despite his strange appearance, seemed to fit right in. "It's good to know that you're different." His mind had wandered back to what brought him in the direction toward Yukina in the first place and, really, his ability to sense demons had never lead him astray before. He began to develop a theory that, maybe, she had a similar signature to one, which caused him to make a mistake through the cold that was coming on. His second theory, however, was that he was right and merely being blinded by her kindness. If what she said was true, however, with her being different, that put him at ease.

He watched her work, the best he could, with quite a bit of interest. "Oh, yes, the temple seems, well... wonderful. I will be the first to admit, in my original home, I didn't particularly live inside... anything, as far as buildings go. We lived under the stars." While being stuck in the form of a wolfish creature, living in the wilderness had made perfect sense. Since their  time in this world, however, his entirely family had the capability to have these human forms, though their ears and tails would show up on occasion. They were living life from an entirely new perspective and, rather than 'hunting,' for food and such, they were adapting to using stores and things. "I like how... natural it seems to be here. It's calm and relaxing."

What Yukina said about demons and spirits, and herself, though, made the magic of the strange man's ears work. With his interest immediately peaked, two black and silver fluffy wolf ears popped up on top of his head, held upright to display how he felt. Like his human ears, both ears had piercings lining up the edges that looked to have something like barbed wire wrapped through them. "I-I would like to visit again..." His words were a little unsure, but seemed sincere enough. He had already grown fond of this woman, and at least wanted to spend more time to get to know her. "I should be honest with you, Yukina, I..." His brow furrowed, trying to think of how to tell her. Normally, it wasn't in his style to reveal anything about himself to people that he just met, but...

"My family, though I'm sure you've noticed my... oddities, probably are not what we seem. Myself, my aunt, my mother, and my uncle, we're demon... hunters. Three of us, myself included, have... demon blood within us, but I was the only one born with it. We hunt wicked demons and monstrous creatures, whatever form they take..." If his words sent him packing, then Kajiame could easily understand, but if Yukina really was a demon, he didn't feel it best to hide the truth from her. She was too kind to fool.

[MillietheWarrior]

“Oh good,” Yukina replied, breathing a faint sigh of relief. “I sometimes feel so out of place when I try to use human phrases and saying. I can get them so very wrong sometimes that, well, it’s just embarrassing.” Her cheeks are faintly pink, as though she is embarrassed just thinking about it. The last time she’d tried to use a human saying, she’d been aiming for ‘that’s like the pot calling the kettle black,’ and ended up saying, instead ‘that’s like the frying pan being like the stew pot.’ And no one had any idea what she was talking about. “I imagine-” she began, pulling out a cookie sheet and rolling wax paper across it. “-that living under the stars is rather rustic, and lovely. I’ve never had the opportunity to camp out or spend the night outside, but it sounds like an enjoyable experience.”

Her hands neatly roll the dough into little spheres, plopping them down with the spoon onto the pan. “The grounds are always very peaceful. But I am told that I should not stray too deeply into the forest. There are lower level demons here that aren’t all that nice, but they do live here, so it is their home as well. I wouldn’t want to intrude on their territory. Master Genkai has outlined all the safe places for me to visit.” She smiled faintly, gazing out the window at the pale sunlight. “I’ll admit, I’m always very curious about what lies out there in the wilderness, but I’m nowhere near brave enough to see for myself.” Yukina turned to him partially, as if to say more, but her attention is suddenly diverted by the appearance of two shapely little canine ears atop his head. She is instantly fascinated, and like all girls must do, she resists the overwhelming urge to investigate the ears closer and to feel for herself if they are really as soft and adorable as they look.

“You have…” she wipes her hand on a towel, and points vaguely to his head, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. “Very cute ears on your head…did you know?” Of course he’d know, but Yukina feels it’s her duty to point out the obvious anyway. She is about to say more, but his next words divert her thoughts, and she feels a horrible creeping feeling crawling down her spine. A small part of her is frantically crying out to get away from him; she’s heard about hunters. She knows they show no mercy to demons of any kind, and she’s heard stories about many of her own kind slaughtered at their ruthless, merciless hands. They gave no quarter, no matter who or what kind of demon they were after. Like the human world and the hunters had their demon bogeymen, so too did the demons have their own ‘monster in the closet,‘ and here she had invited the monster into her home. She holds up a hand, as if to shield herself from him, and backs away. She can’t help but feel a little betrayed that he wouldn’t have shared the information sooner, but then again, why would he? Why should he? He was under no obligation to, and it was her own foolish pursuit at making friends that led him here, into the temple, with no one else around to help her or fight her battles for her.

“I-I…” She wants to say ‘I understand,’ but really, she doesn’t. How can someone with such a kind face and voice be such an evil thing? “I have…I have heard about hunters. You are ruthless murderers! Horrible monsters who prey on demon kind! Have you come to slay me, then? I haven’t done anything wrong.” If he is a hunter, then he wouldn’t care if she’d done anything wrong or not. The room grows colder as her fear spikes, and tiny shares of icicles begin to form on the furniture as the temperature drops drastically. She is afraid, and it shows in the trembling of her hands and the glistening of her eyes as she backs away from him. “I didn’t mean to cause anyone harm. I-I only came to the human world to-to find someone I lost. I’ll leave as soon as possible, I promise.” Her voice shakes as much as her hands, and her knees feel like jelly, prompting her to catch herself on the counter before she falls to the ground. “Just give me a few days, and I’ll l-leave. Please...”