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ozzgin · 2 months

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Hello.

Do you think I can request headcanons for Nakamaro ?

Like in an alternate route, reader and him (he's in his twenties because... magic ?) are married and reader is pregnant.

But the funny thing is, Nakamaro can't bully the yokais because reader will exorcise him each time he tries.

Aaaaah I finished writing and only afterwards it occurred to me you might've wanted a modern day reader for this. 😭 I imagined the events in his own timeline. Oh well. I think it can work both ways. Just replace the ancient pouch with, I don't know, a visa card that he throws at your parents for wife payment.

Yandere! Onmyōji x Reader

Yokai Harem AU as the wife of Abe no Nakamaro, a legendary sorcerer and collector of yokai. Although you're not quite as powerless as to not keep his cruelty under control.

Content: female reader, arranged marriage, mentions of pregnancy

[Main Story] [Character Guide]

Your family had vehemently opposed the marriage. To think their one and only daughter would fall into the hands of such a cruel man. The famous Abe no Nakamaro, descendant of Abe no Seimei himself, has quite a contradicting reputation. He has saved many lives, cured countless illnesses, protected villages from monsters and brought peace to the land. Yet many have also witnessed his ruthless nature: the arrogance he has towards humans, the disdain and utter disgust he harbors towards demons. He is quick to punish, rarely forgives, and never forgets. The yokai he’s captured under a binding contract are kept on a leash, like cattle before slaughter.

It is this man who approached your parents one day, when you were still young, demanding your hand. He claimed you had special powers and a lot of potential under the right guidance. Such spiritual prowess would waste away in a family of plebeians. You don’t remember much of the discussion, only the expressions: the man’s mocking grin as he threw a pouch fattened with coins, the frown of your parents who wanted to refuse, the uneasy, grim eyes of the horned demons brought to intimidate. It was clear they were there against their will. One will find just how difficult it is to go against the wishes of the onmyōji, and you happened to be his most ardent desire. Thus, with a heavy heart, you’d been sent away with the stranger who promised you were to live a life of luxury. One your parents could never afford.

True to his word, you have not struggled since. In Akutagawa’s short masterpiece, Hell Screen, artist Yoshihide is wicked and vicious towards everything and everyone except his beloved daughter. Similarly, the sorcerer seems to have a soft spot for you in particular. He often praises your talent, and patiently caters to your whims without complaint. You once inquired about it yourself, as the idea weighed heavily on your mind: why is it that he does not show the same hostility towards you? He stared at you as if you just grew two more heads. "You're my wife. What else is there to question?"

This favoritism, however, is to the benefit of everyone. Especially to the yokai under his command. You've grown rather fond of the demons in your years spent alongside them, and they've quickly learned that your presence means safety from any punishment. Some need reassurance more than others. To these you've even begun to feel like a motherly figure, shielding them from the wrath of an unforgiving master. At last, an authority even Abe no Nakamaro himself can't disobey: the word of his wife.

And soon enough, as if your marriage wasn't already the ultimate argument, you welcome the return of your husband with the news he's always longed for: you are the soon-to-be mother of his child. His name has just been guaranteed to continue its course through time. To say he is elated is an understatement. You've only seen him smile so genuinely once before in your life, on your wedding day.

"Can you imagine the powers this child will command?" He muses, referring most likely to the fact you've both been blessed with an innate, unmatched talent in onmyōdō. You finish rolling the parchment paper and gently tap his head with the scroll in a scolding manner. "You better not burden the kid with your bizarre expectations!" The same man feared throughout the country is chuckling apologetically at your gesture. "As the Mother says."

#yandere #yandere yokai harem #yokai harem #yandere onmyoji #yandere x reader #yandere x darling #yandere x you #yandere male #yandere headcanons #yandere imagines #yandere scenarios #yandere oc x reader #yandere oc #female reader

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ireallylikejonouchi · 3 years

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𝙽𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚑𝚢𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘 𝙼𝚊𝚐𝚘 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

Written and drawn by Shiibashi Hiroshi, Nurarihyon no Mago is a manga series that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump with 210 chapters, 25 volumes. It’s about a Japan that has a massive Yokai underbelly, consisting mostly of yokai yakuza clans that run certain parts of Japan. The protagonist, Rikuo Nura, is the third heir of the Nura clan, kingpin of Kanto. His grandfather is the legendary Lord of Pandemonium, the yokai Nurarihyon, but Rikuo is only a quarter yokai, having a half-human father and a full human mother. As a child, Rikuo thinks yokai are the coolest thing, but his classmates mock him for this, not believing that they exist, and finding it even weirder that someone could admire them. Rikuo is told that it is his destiny to take on this role, and that he cannot live a human life. Hearing stories about evil yokai who enjoy making humans despair, Rikuo decides that yokai are terrible and he wants nothing to do with them. When Rikuo’s classmates are attacked by some rebellious yokai from the Nura clan, who are unhappy about their new leader being a quarter-human child, Rikuo awakens to his yokai blood and transforms in order to defeat them. He decides here that he will become the third heir in order to subdue yokai that would bring terror to humans with his “Fear,” the power system of the series.

With the synopsis out of the way, from this point on there will be spoilers. Be wary. I’ll try my best to spoil only what’s necessary in order to get my point across.

The beginning of this manga takes its time setting up character dynamics with short story arcs, as well as establishing what the yokai of the world are truly like with various examples of opinionated yokai antagonists. Some consider it boring, and I can understand why, but I think it pays off very well. The characters are incredibly likeable and fun. Even the ones that don’t have very much development are still a joy to see on the page when they show up. Rikuo himself is simultaneously a complicated character and a very easy character to follow. The first chapter takes place a couple of years before the second one, and his childish judgement to go from worshiping yokai to hating them is intentionally so. The story is about his growth. Rikuo is told that he must take on this role, he denies, but eventually accepts under his own terms, and for his own reasons. This ultimately sets up what his character arc will end up becoming, as one of his final conflicts at the end of the story sees him battling against another half-yokai, Abe no Yoshihira, who believes it is his duty to follow his evil father’s plan because of his "cursed” mixed blood. Rikuo doesn’t simply reject this title, but he also doesn’t accept out of obligation. He accepts this as an opportunity to bring about change. The change he wants slowly evolves from protecting humans to bridging the social gap between human and yokai so that they may find peace together. Fate shouldn’t be fought against or ignored, but you must make whatever you can out of it. Rikuo feels that connecting human and yokai is something only he can do as a half-yokai, so he feels a responsibility to carry this out, yet it is also what he truly believes in and wants. He is a leader because he was graced with the opportunity to bring about a better world. Your fate is only what you perceive it as. The final villain Abe no Seimei believes that human and yokai are fated to be at odds forever, and that influences his evil plan to purify the world. Both are believers of fate to some extent, the message isn’t something as simple as “defy fate” or “there is no fate,” which I appreciate. This manga is very good about exploring all facets of the themes it presents, which I will give more examples of shortly.

The power system is an interesting one. To quote the wiki, “ Osore (畏, Fear) is the term that denotes the unique skills and traits of each yōkai. It refers to the "fear" of the unknown, an emotional reaction produced when the yōkai represent themselves as "monsters". As yōkai first existed as creatures who induce fear in humankind, the general concept of "fear" revolves around being feared and respected by humans and making them feel small and weak. It involves exerting a wall of pressure to make one's presence feel larger than the actuality. When done correctly, this also creates a change in the mood and surrounding air - as seen whenever a dense fog appears when a Hyakki Yakō gathers in the series. Itaku states that Osore only applies to scaring humans.“ Fear is an inherently negative word, especially when associated with demons. However, Rikuo is proud of his fear, despite scolding yokai who scare humans. Fear in this manga is not quite so black and white. Rikuo’s form of fear is reverence, admiration. He considers this to be a form of fear, and he is indeed proud of the awe he is able to inspire within his followers as well as his enemies. Rikuo is able to use a power that comes only thanks to his human side, letting a yokai haunt his humanity while keeping control with his yokai half, performing Equip and gaining that yokai’s powers, but only if they entrust themselves to him. It is the ultimate representation of the Fear that Rikuo believes in. For the core power system of the series to have such a double meaning about it speaks to the coming complexities, and it is incredibly fitting for this story, as I hope to convey.

Fate, lineage and connection to history are the main themes of this manga. Many of the characters in the story are tied to tradition before it starts, and have to be brought out of that by Rikuo and his progressive mindset. One’s blood is used to portray this theme in an interesting way. Rikuo’s father, Rihan, describes him as a symbol of hope for the future. Rihan longed for a world where human and yokai could get along, yet he came into constant conflict with both evil yokai and evil humans, as his son Rikuo would soon come to do as well. Rikuo loved his father, and carries on his dreams. However, similar to his “fate” of leading the clan, his respect for his ancestors is well-informed by his individual beliefs, and not from any kind of feeling that he MUST do what his ancestors wished. Abe no Yoshihira failed here, becoming a slave to his perceived fate. Hagoromo-gitsune, the main antagonist of the Kyoto arc as well as Abe no Seimei’s mother, was tied to her blood relations as well. She did everything for her son, who was soon to be reborn again into this age. She had her own image of an ideal world, erasing humans and making a world full of yokai, but she didn’t consider her child’s ideals, which she could have presumed from Seimei’s suffering he received when both human and yokai betrayed him. Seimei is born and casts Hagoromo-gitsune into hell, declaring that he will purify all life from the world, as neither human nor yokai can be trusted. Abe no Seimei is the agent of fate, declaring that all living things on Earth have doomed themselves to a fate of death thanks to their own horrible and greedy nature. Abe no Seimei is a half-yokai himself and he has found solace from neither of those sides. Rikuo, however, does not give up. He equips himself with the true fear of this reality that places him in-between two worlds, unable to fully enjoy life as a human or a yokai, refusing to resign himself as Seimei did, and instead fighting against the fate Seimei enforces by bringing together humans and yokai, including Hagoromo-gitsune, in order to seal the final blow against him.

You may be wondering what it means that Rikuo was able to finish off Seimei by fusing with his mother. Well, you see, Hagoromo-gitsune is sort of, in a way, Rikuo’s mother as well. You see, before Rihan had a child with Rikuo’s mother, he was married to another woman, Yamabuki-otome. For context, Abe no Seimei is a man who reincarnates throughout generations, as does his mother, Hagoromo-gitsune. Some time after Yamabuki-otome’s death, Seimei used her to take revenge on Rihan for disrupting his plans, by reviving her as a child and turning her into the host of the yokai Hagoromo-gitsune, sending her with false memories and subliminal orders to kill the man she loved when she was alive. Once she had killed Rihan, her human self hid itself away in despair and Hagoromo-gitsune was able to take control of her body for good. In modern times, after being cast into hell by Abe no Seimei, she is revived by Nurarihyon in anticipation for the final battle. After encountering Rikuo and his burning feelings in Kyoto, she had regained her human memories before being struck down by Seimei. Upon her most recent revival, she found she had feelings for both Rikuo and Seimei, and considers both to be her children. She regrets that her feelings for Seimei had ended up being met with treachery, and she goes to confront him. When she hears his full plan, she decides to do kill him herself, though she fails. She feels it her duty as a mother to make up for not understanding his suffering earlier, as it’s now too late to reason with him. Hagoromo-gitsune’s progression comes from her ability to find love for her yokai followers, considering them to be her children all the same as Rikuo and Seimei, and learns that she should have seen this love all along rather than being blinded by her obsessions with her blood son. Once again, she values her children and the blood she shares with them, but she is only able to find happiness when she realizes that the feelings she has for them don’t have to be restricted to only them simply because they are her kin, and similarly she does not need to follow Seimei’s plan just because she thinks it’s what a mother “should” do. Fusing with Rikuo is the culmination of this. While Rikuo is technically her kin, as Seimei is, we see through her arc that she has matured and learned to spread her love. So even though without context it would seem that she simply went from one child to the other, we can see the complexities of this and see how it relates to Rikuo’s arc, accepting something not out of obligation, but from your own will.

By coming to a true understanding with the woman that Abe no Seimei had discarded, his mother, and her doing the same, an act that seemingly defies their fates (Rikuo’s fate to be a cold yokai ruler and Hagoromo’s fate to be a slave to her child’s whims), they’re able to defeat him and sever fate itself.

The Hundred Stories Clan Arc is one that I really appreciate for showing me how truly interesting Rikuo was as a character. I hadn’t realized it up to that point, and it’s clear why. His characterization and progression is subtle. The text doesn’t tell you how Rikuo grows, the art and his actions do. When humanity told of Rikuo’s half-yokai status is convinced that he must be killed for the safety of Japan, Rikuo is forced to face the fact that the humans he wants to protect are not perfect, and have as many imperfections as yokai do. Humans can be greedy, they can do horrible things when they’re afraid. In a backstory, the leader of the Hundred Stories Clan is shown to be a despicable human from Japanese history named Sanmoto Gorozaemon, who takes control of yokai to secure his political and social power, and turns himself into a yokai in order to secure that power. When a member of his clan is assaulted by humans who don’t care about the harm they’re causing, some of them even reveling in it, through facial expressions we can see him struggling with the thought of killing these humans to end the conflict, or out of revenge possibly. Shiibashi leaves this to the reader’s interpretation and it works wonders, he has no internal monologue relating to this feeling and nobody points out that he seems crazed or anything. It’s some panels that you could easily miss if you’re reading too fast.

In this panel, we are shown his reaction to a female yokai appearing and tormenting the humans that were tormenting him and his clanmate just moments ago. Even when he showed such rage at the humans, seemingly almost snapping, he decides he needs to stop the yokai from killing them. However, the expression on his face conveys perfectly how complex his emotions are over this. Despite how confidently he’s saying he needs to save them, his face almost looks like he doesn’t want to. Of course, he overcomes this and saves them for the sake of his dream.

It’s clear to see the moral dilemma he’s going through and it’s conveyed entirely through art and subtext. This is confident storytelling, and not to mention incredible artistry. Shiibashi has a certain maturity and respect for the reader that is hard to find in Shonen Jump manga sometimes.

Rikuo’s fight against the yokai artist Kyosai in this arc is notable for being similar to what I just described from the beginning of the arc.

Kyosai has an interest in turning human women into yokai using his painting techniques, including one of Rikuo’s classmates. Enraged, Rikuo engages him in combat with his newly acquired Attack Mode, which switches his Fear from a defensive technique to an offensive one, and changes his hair from white with black underneath it to having half of his hair being black on one side and the other being white. As the fight progresses, Rikuo is continuously injured and decomposed by Kyosai’s abilities, burning his flesh and scarring Rikuo black.

Rikuo’s deteriorating mental state during this arc is conveyed visually through his design, with both the way he is inked as well as his literally evolving design, his new transformation. He’s never had to confront these kinds of humans and yokai before. This leveling of suffering is new to our middle school-aged protagonist. After Kyosai is defeated, his momentary rage subsides but he is still scarred, physically and mentally. Encho, the acting leader of the Hundred Stories Clan, betrays Sanmoto’s reincarnated brain for personal gain, confusing Rikuo who is already in a fragile mental state. He struggles to comprehend the enemy, as he had been forced to face humans that he wanted to protect, yokai that despised those humans, and even his own best friends. Once again, exclusively visually conveyed and up to interpretation.

At the end of this arc, he accepts the help of his friends, his aide Yuki-Onna, and equips with her, washing himself of the stress he’s in and covering him in a beautiful veil of ice. His design goes back to normal in order to show this, and get across just how much his friends mean to him, in a truly impactful way that really strengthens the theme by giving real weight to his connection with both his yokai and human lives.

Every arc is strong in its own way, I simply wanted to discuss the few that best show what I’m trying to say. I hope you now understand why I love this manga so much and why I think you should read it. I promise the things I’ve spoiled here are only a fragment of the whole experience, and your appreciation will only grow as you experience the full context by reading the manga. If I got across what I wanted to, then you understand that this manga cannot be explained as much as it can be experienced. There are probably more things that I never noticed, maybe you’ll discover those before I do.

This manga is an ode to the future, to humanity. We can overcome our differences and coexist. Perhaps all it takes is for one person to take the fear that we as people feel in our daily lives onto themselves. The fear that there can never be change, the fear that our road only ends in sadness. The fear that our history defines us. The fear that we must conform to our duty. The fear that accepting a duty strips us of individuality. The fear that we can never bring these conflicting aspects of our mind together and find inner peace. The fear that we can never bring the conflicting aspects of people together and find true peace amongst ourselves. Not many people can overcome that fear, but he who is truly strong is he who equips that fear. He who takes that uncertainty of the future and uses it to empower himself and push for that change he wishes to see. This review is my ode to the man who was able to understand what makes people who they are and didn’t let that fear consume him. The man who equips true fear. Thank you for reading.

#nurarihyon no mago #nura: rise of the yokai clan #manga analysis #manga review #shonen #shounen #manga #manga art #rikuo nura #hagoromo-gitsune #abe no seimei #weekly shonen jump #review #i hope i didnt ramble too much

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hellsparadiseessays · 5 years

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To trick or be tricked - How certain literary concepts tie into Chôbe’s story arc

Disclaimer : This is a Chôbe rant an opinion piece more than essay, though I still use the many elements provided by the source material to justify my points. It’s also pretty spoilery so make sure you’re properly caught up before reading.

This write-up will be about the literary concepts of the trickster and the tricked character, based on the theme of the Faustian Bargain, a certain Japanese tale and how they tie into Chôbe’s character arc.

I. Faustian Bargain

First thing first: what is a Faustian Bargain, and where does it come from? Well, it comes from European stories involving a character who decides to bargain with the Devil to obtain what he or she desires in life. In exchange, their soul would be taken to Hell for eternal damnation. Initially a cautionary tale of a religious nature, its moral aspects still has a universal tone: it is all about sacrificing one’s personal morals and spiritual values in order to gain wealth or other benefits. The most famous literature works about it are Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical Story of Doctor Faustus (1592), Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606) and Goethe’s Faust (1808), though more modern literary works use this trope in the story: Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (1967), as well as comics, movies and video games, such as Hellblazer (1993), Death Note (2003), Sleepy Hollow (1999), The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), Skyrim DLC Dragonborn (2012/2013) or The Witcher 3 DLC Hearts of Stone (2015). In Europe, a lot of local legends about Devil’s Bridges are also tied into this idea: the architect asked the help of the Devil in exchange for the first soul to cross the bridge. The architect would then outsmart the Devil by sending a cat, and the Devil would refuse to add the last stone to the bridge in reaction.

And like I said, meddling with supernatural entities and getting punished for it as a form of cautionary tale isn’t a Europe-only thing, it’s a common form of storytelling at a universal level, and Japanese literature has both its own set of traditional tales in that matter (generally involving deities and people not paying their respects to shrines, as well as oni getting tricked by humans) and modern stories mixing various Western and Japanese writing concepts to end with a unique literary style.

Now how is this idea expressed with Chôbe’s story arc? Well, it’s played straight from the moment he gets taken to Hôrai, but there’s a major twist on it from the start. Indeed, as soon as we’re introduced to the Aza brothers and their past, in chapter 9, we learn something important: the path they end up following always starts by being forced onto them rather than willingly followed from the start. It all starts when they get stripped from their status as samurai because of their Lord’s mistake, then their life falls even more apart when they lose their mother to illness and their father to a failed revenge that only led to his execution. As we’re explained this, we also learn that Chôbe’s thing is to adapt and keeping his pride. The way Toma explains it is interesting because we can take it as Chôbe refusing to back down, but I also think there’s more than that. Chôbe had to deal with a lot of bad events and grow up very quickly in order to protect his little brother, so what better thing to stay a master of his own fate than taking what’s forced on them and lashing out at society in reaction? In other words, the Faustian Bargain starts as something forced on Chôbe, yet he decides to make full use of it as a reaction, because it’s the best way for him to maintain a form of control over what little he has left.

This pattern is further reinforced throughout Chôbe’s trip around the island: the Waitanhua growing in the Tan pit never asked for his opinion and simply invaded him like a parasite – he later realized he could make use of it and started teaching himself during the fight against the Doshi. Same thing with Lord Tensen: Chôbe is forcibly put down and taken to Hôrai against his will, even though his initial plan was to get back to his brother. He quickly understood he’d be powerless against Rien and the other Tensen, and thus decided to get along with their plans because it’s his best chance to both stay alive and keep his brother alive – that’s where his Faustian Bargain really start, when he negociates Toma’s life against everybody else’s. It’s terrible from our point of view, because as the readers we care about all the characters, but from Chôbe’s point of view that insane bargain makes sense, and he’s fully aware of the dangerous situation he’s in. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s planning to not only trick the other Asaemon and convicts to get rid of the competition for the Elixir of Life, but Lord Tensen as well. Why? Because of the only two nasty smiles he gave us while in Hôrai (when he decided on the path to follow with Rien and when he managed to block Ju Fa’s strike with a single hand – and didn’t miss the occasion to taunt him in the process because he’s a spiteful little shit), because he really dislikes the Tensen and told the readers so, because he’s openly been thinking about killing Rien himself – but not now, he needs more strength first and is fully aware of it, power is the key to be at the top. With that in mind, I wouldn’t surprised at all to see him backstabbing the (remaining?) Tensen left and right as soon as he can. Especially since the tricked bargainer can also become the trickster in a Faustian Bargain.

However, that image of the tricked/trickster can also be related to a certain story about a certain creature in Japanese folklore, whose fate isn’t the prettiest, yet gets an interesting interpretation.

II. The imagery of Shuten-dôji and the sad fate of an Oni

First thing first, who is Shuten-dôji? Well, he’s a famous oni (a demon) in Japanese folklore. Leader of a band of oni (one of them being named: Ibaraki-dôji, Shuten-dôji’s henchman) and acting during the reign of Emperor Ichijô (r. 986-1011), he would kidnap maidens from Kyoto with his band of oni and keep them as servants in his fortress – optionally slaughtering them to drink their blood and eat their flesh. Abe no Seimei, Onmyodô of the Imperial court, divined that the demon’s fortress was on Mount Ôe, and the Emperor sent a small party to save the women and put an end to the terror of the demon king. He sent Minamoto no Raikô and Fujiwara no Hôshô to exterminate the demon and his underlings. After Raikô’s party left Kyoto, they encountered three deities of transformation, after having paid homage to their shrine, that told them to disguise themselves as yamabushi priests to trick Shuten-dôji and gain his trust. The trick worked, Shuten-dôji offered them his hospitality and shared his sake as well as his personal story with them – he would do what he was doing near Kyoto because him and his people had been displaced from their mountains after the construction of a temple nearby. Raikô then offered some sake given by the deities in order to incapacitate Shuten-dôji and take his head. And that he did, once the oni was asleep, even though the head still tried to bit him and failed only because Raikô had taken the precaution to wear to helmets beforehand. The party returned to Kyoto and Shuten-dôji head was left in the Treasure House at Byôdô-in temple.

Now, without taking the entire story at face value, I’ve noticed a lot of curious patterns that paralleled with Chôbe’s own story. First, the most obvious, the likeness to an oni. For those of you who are on the Discord server [note: r/Jigokuraku’s server], remember how I’ve been joking about Chôbe and his most fitting oni axe? Boi, what an interesting coincidence. We even get to see him drink Soshin blood (because hydration is important for survival), even drink human blood once (to Toma’s horror, which seemed to amuse him) because liquid is liquid when you’re in a tough situation, we see him drink sake with the bandits in Toma’s flashback, we know he’s the leader of a gang of bandits and was causing enough problem to get the death penalty, Toma is clearly his right hand man, Chôbe has been described as wearing a monk outfit in the bonus pages of volume 2... And we even have some interesting things from a geographical point of view. As soon as I saw the names of the locations, I decided to google them out of curiosity. The Lord of Akô had his domain set in nowadays Hyôgo prefecture. Mount Ôe from Shuten-dôji’s story is located in Tanba province, nowadays an area that encompasses areas of both the central part of nowadays Kyoto prefecture and the east-central part of Hyôgo prefecture. Another funny thing is, Chôbe’s bandit village was set in Iyo Mountains, a group of peaks in nowadays Ehime prefecture, on Shikoku. He basically had his own fortress in the mountains, and originates from the place where it is said Shuten-dôji has been killed.

Interestingly enough, while oni have been feared, then mocked, they are now seen under another angle: one can feel sympathy towards them because they are tricked by humans, and they also make a perfect metaphor for the marginal who lives outside of a society that rejects them. And again, it fits with Chôbe’s life – though this part will be thoroughly explained in my next essay, so I’ll end this piece here so nobody will be spoiled. But let’s just say that society and its rules haven’t been kind to Chôbe, and he clearly decided to take it and throw it back as hard as he can in reaction – I get the thought process, having grown in a rather rough neighbourhood myself it’s the sort of thing I’ve personally witnessed. It doesn’t make his actions ok, but it explains them.

While I don’t necessarily expect him to meet the same fate as Shuten-dôji, I’m also not sure he’ll survive by the end of the story. Let’s just say I’m on the fence about that, because his story arc is about to move again now that Toma is in Hôrai, and I think his survival will depend on his future decisions. From a narrative point of view, he still has a possibility to live until the end. The question is, will he take it? Will he be able to set aside all of his hang-ups to save his skin from himself? I honestly hope he will, because he needs closure for himself. And I don’t want him to die, too.

Sources

Faustian Bargain: here, here, here (fun fact about this one : the picture of the Devil’s Bridge of Céret, in Southern France, is one I know *very well* because one of my grandmas lives there)

Shuten-dôji

Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present by Noriko T. Reider (2010)

#jigokuraku #hell's paradise #Aza Chôbe #aza chobe #murder bae #essay #my stuff

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lovingtimetravelexpert-blog1 · 7 years

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The Purity of White seems to be Red, Chapter 3

Have fun reading! And remember: R&R

Disclaimer: I don’t on Sousei no Onmyouji.

Chapter 3

The Heavenly Commanders were the strongest exorcists in the world, having inherited the titles and powers of Abe no Seimei's shikigami. In this moment and at one point, the best exorcists were gathered and with them was Mayura. Intimated did not quite catch the way Mayura felt. She had met most of them in the last months, separately and on meetings of the noble families. She had joined them at the ceremony that was held when she became an official Heavenly Commander (1). But being surrounded by all eleven made her so nervous, that her hands quivered. Holding both in front of her chest, she hoped nobody saw her anxiety. Swallowing harshly her eyes passed that of those strange people with their strange appearances and habits. She felt eyes on her and turned around. Her gaze came to rest on the fuchsia haired man with eyes as blue as the sky on a summer's day. Among those people he seemed rather normal and young. But if one looked into his eyes, you could see the power and strength held in them. She was feeling less nervous watching him, knowing a private side of him. A side that cared deeply for his sister, a side that adored her own father and was determined to fight to protect. But it would appear strange if she looked only at him the whole meeting. She couldn't do that, could she?

While she was still weighing the advantages and disadvantages of starring at Shimon the whole meeting, the head of the exorcists Tsuchimikado Arima entered the room. He seemed cheerful as most of the time she saw him but Mayura knew better than to trust that look. She had seen a very dark look in his face in the aftermath of the fight against the two Basaras. Since then she was careful about him, she had a natural dislike towards people who put on an act. He had saved her but had put the life of her friends on the line although he could have stopped the conflict.

The people around her started to move forming a circle leaving just enough space for her to enter. Shyly she walked to that spot when Tsuchimikado-sama rose his voice. "Mayura-chan, can you step forward for a second?"

She froze as the twelve pairs of eyes rested on her. Swallowing down her fears, she nodded quickly and crossed the circle so she stood in its middle before the Exorcists' Head.

Tsuchimikado-sama smiled at her rather friendly and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her around like he wanted to present her to the others. "Otomi Mayura is only 16 years old and the newest addition to the rank of the Heavenly Commanders. After two years Byakko demanded for a substitute and in the battle against number four and nine of the Basara he gave Otomi his powers. Otomi will therefore take the seat of her father. Congratulations again."

"Eh... Arigato." Hadn't they done that already at the Ceremony of Accession a few weeks ago?

"Welcome to the rank of the Heavenly Commanders, Byakko."

'That title still feels strange,' Mayura thought.

He leaned towards her and whispered with a much colder voice. "You may return to your spot."

Mayura turned around, questions ran through her head as her gaze was glued to the floor. 'What was that for?'

As she crossed the circle again, someone cleared his throat in a very obviously matter.

Her steps faulted only once. But still Mayura kept on walking to her spot which was between the blue haired Inanaki Arata (2) and the rather short Zeze Miku (3). When she looked up she saw last person mustering her. "I know she is Seigen-san's daughter but is she really powerful enough?"

That weird grinning guy with glasses – he was called Ujii Kengo (4), if she remembered correctly – voiced his opinion directly. "Agreed. Just because she is his daughter does not qualify her to be an Heavenly Commander."

Mayura felt the weight of being unworthy pressing on her shoulders as another voice shipped into the discussion. "She has developed a lot since she's here."

His voice rang in her eyes gaining her attention. "Don't forget it is neither our nor her choice. Byakko qualified her worthy and we have to respect his choice." Respect Byakko's decision... Not worthy herself, he meant. It felt like a knife being stabbed in an open wound with her closest confidant failing her.

"Shimon-san is right." Even Ioroi-san (5) who was always very nice to her jumped onto the same boat.

She had enough. They might be the most powerful exorcists and much more stronger than her but that didn't mean they were allowed to talk about her like that, these superstar ice villagers! Her anger gave birth to a new determination as she straightened her spine and rose her voice. "Excuse me, may I say something?"

Not one of the present people had looked at her through their discussion about whether she deserves being a Heavenly Commander or not. Now she was in everyone's focus again. She had to make a standing, now. "I know I am weak and I don't deserve the title as Heavenly Commander in the form I am now. I wasn't raised as exorcist like you all were. Otosan always wanted to protect me from that fate. He always said, that it's the adults fault children have to be made exorcists. But I'm not a child anymore and I make my own decisions. This is what I want because I won't give up on the people I care about. I am going to protect them and I'll be there when Rokuro and Adashino-san create a new future."

Silence – thick enough to cut through – filled the room. She took in deep, huffy breaths. Tears stuck to the corners of her eyes.

Again Zeze Miku began to speak first, this time one corner of her mouth was lifted very slightly, appearing like a trace of a smile. "Hmm... Maybe there is more of Seigen-san in you then I had thought."

Ioroi-san roared with laughter. "That sounded more like Yukari speaking."

Shimon having his arms folded, interfered in a very calm tone: "It's true she lacks in many points as an exorcist..." Really? He was still going at her weakness now? "... On the other hand it is a fact that nobody is more suited to represent Byakko. She shines were we other Heavenly Commanders have unlearned to be compassionate. Maybe she is the addition we needed." Shock, then happiness, then disbelief rushed through Mayura. This might be the nicest thing he'd ever said about her. She stared at him while he pointedly ignored her.

"Well said, Shimon." Tsuchimikado Arima who hadn't joined the discussion was smiling at Shimon in a very odd way. "With that said, I would like to discuss our first topic for this meeting."

She had to concentrate very badly to stop herself from groaning. She was exhausted and tired and they hadn't even started with the actual meeting. The people on the island loved to praise the fact that they were different from those from the Mainland but in politics they were the same.

At least she would be able to lean back for a bit since she was fairly new to this Heavenly Commander kind of thing. "First topic of today's meeting will be Otomi Mayura."

EEEEHH?! Haven't they done that just until now? Starring at the Head Exorcist who was grinning at her she was totally taken aback. Everyone else in the room seemed to be surprised about this topic, too.

Tilting his head Tsuchimikado-sama, observed her. "Mayura-chan, do you remember the day your father lost his arm?"

The day Otosan... She hadn't tried to remember back then. Her father had already been in the hospital when she came to. She had cried for him, watched over him. But she didn't know what had happened. Before she lost consciousness she talked to Rokuro and then... she didn't remember.

"On that day, the very day Adashino or rather Ijika Yuuto took Amawaka Seigen's arm you'd been marked with the sign of Douma Houshi."

Adashino...? Ijika Yuuto...? Douma Houshi...? "But-" And then she remembered the voice in the back of her head. The inhuman, mocking voice that had rumbled through her head. It had been familiar because she heard it before.

"Oh? So you do remember?" Taking a pause the tall, silver haired man changed the tone of his voice. It was now low and cold. "What happened to you, is a taboo among exorcists, a phenomena called Kegare ochi."

Mayura didn't understand. What was he saying? "Ke-gare ochi?" Did he mean she was an impurity? Or had been? If so then how was she alive?

"Kegare ochi aren't normal impurities born by negative emotions and thoughts gathering in Megano. They are exorcists turned artificially into impurities. Luckily for you the Twin Stars were able to cleanse you with a spell called Furu no koto."

'I was cleansed? By Rokuru?' Dread filled her. Too much, it was too much. She needed him to get to the point. Her eyes were twitching. "What are you-?"

"Kegare feed on the weaknesses of humans. Even if the Furu no koto was strong and exorcised the impurities within you, we don't know what could happen to you. It would be catastrophic if the yin aura from Megano would take over you."

All those information, they blurred, she couldn't grasp onto the core. Some devastating truth seemed to lurk behind all this. Should she call her mother a last time? Should she thank her father for everything he did to protect her? Tears were flooding her eyes, she bowed her head. Too much, too much. She felt like being trapped in a bubble where she could still hear the voice of the Head Exorcist who went on and on with his vague talking. "I see it's all new to you. Seigen-san didn't tell you what really happened at the Hiinatsuki dorm, did he?"

Suddenly another, angry voice penetrated the dark veil that lay upon her."Enough! Arima-sama, don't you see it's already to much for her to take in?" His voice, it was his voice again.

Barely registering the silence in the room, Mayura felt like she was slowly returning to reality only to see the Chief Exorcist smiling at her almost friendly. "Hmm... I think Shimon-kun is quite right. I make it short."

She noticed the people sitting around her, frowning and looking guilty. She herself felt like waking up from a nightmare just now, wondering how she could have forgot they were in a meeting.

"When you turned into a Kegare ochi, you were a potential danger. Although you were untrained, your spell power was enough for you to become a higher form of Kegare, able to defend against Seigen-san's Byakuren Kohou and pushing him into a corner. Imagine what would happen if you would now after two years of training with much more spell power, imagine what would happen if you as one of the Heavenly Commanders would turn into one again. We can't risk that now, can we?"

She frowned. So he meant she was a risk to exorcists but if so, what was the point of having her come to this meeting? She tried her best to throw him a look of resentment. Somehow she had the idea that he liked to tease and torment people.

"Ohaaa, what a scary look. Don't look at me like that. I am not the one you should hate." His tone had changed back into its cheerful singing way. But she didn't trust this spontaneous sense of reconciliation.

Carefully she asked: "What do you expect me to do?"

"Otomi Mayura, Byakku of the Heavenly Commanders, as the head of the exorcists I hereby order you to go-"

She heard one or two gasps, Ioroi-san barked out a quick "Oi!" but before anyone could interfere any further, Tsuchimikado Arima continued, "... on a VACATION!"

"H-U-H?" Mayura nearly fell over, her mouth was wide open in shock.

Tsuchimikado-sama held up a finger. "Balance is vital for an exorcist. Otherwise they are likely to be controlled by the miasma that gets into their system. Before you enter Megano again, you should regain some strength and train your control over your enchanted powers. Just to be on the safe side. Of course you're allowed to to school."

He drew something that looked like a colorful tube out of his sleeves and threw it into her direction. Just as Mayura read the title Tsuchikado island: Sightseeing and favorite spots he went on with his crazy order: "Take at least two weeks to regain your strength. Shimon-kun shall help you train and will watch out for you. If he feels you're strong enough, you can come see me again."

Was that guy serious? A vacation was the solution? Couldn't he have explained the situation in a normal way? And why did he punish Shimon of all people? It wasn't fair. Two weeks were enough to throw him back in his training. It was so not fair. "That's not fair."

Arima seemed unfazed. "Nevertheless, it's an order."

"Otomi, it's fine." Although he didn't seem to enjoy it, Shimon accepted the uncommon order. "If you're going to be a good exorcist both your body and soul should be at peace. I won't be able to rely on you in a fight if it isn't."

Across her that overbearing Unomiya Tenma (6) sighed. "Maaan, what do I have to do to get a vacation ordered like bird-man and kitten-chan?"

For the rest of the meeting Mayura tried to sort out everything she had learned so far. Actually, all she she knew for sure was that she had once turned into a Kegare ochi and was saved by Rokuro and Adashino-san. Seeing herself as an impurity was a very scary and ground-shaking thought. Hopefully Shimon could explain to her what really happened at the Hiinatsuki dorm four years ago after this meeting.

Shimon felt like this was the hardest meeting he had ever attended to by just watching Arima-sam wearing Mayura down. What was he thinking? Couldn't he have ordered her to take a vacation without throwing the truth at her face? Well, maybe it was for the best. If she knew about Kegare ochi and why she should be careful, maybe she won't risk her life in every fight. Grumbling he had his hands in his trouser pockets looking at the ground. Suddenly he remembered she was following him and had been awfully silent for a while now. He stopped and turned around.

She herself seemed to be carried away in thoughts because she almost ran into him. "I'm sorry, Shimon."

Unlike her cheerful self, she had her head bowed down. He didn't like this sight even a bit. "No problem, just follow me."

He directed them towards the Ikaruga estate. At this time of the day there shouldn't be too much commotion. Funnily Mayura seemed to take no notice of where they were heading until they were almost there. She looked at him in surprise when they entered the estate. He directly went to the garden and sat on the spot where he had sat with Chiiko (7) the day before waiting for Mayura to join him.

They sat for a while in silence. He wondered if the cold breeze of the beginning fall wasn't too cold for her to sit in a skirt on a bench. Mayura broke the silence. "Shimon, do you know what happened at Hiinatsuki?"

He nodded, but was hesitant with his reply. This world was cruel, Hiinatsuki was one of the most prominent examples when it came to cruelty. He remembered when Seigen-san had returned to the island as a broken man, having lost so many young students. It wasn't easy to stomach the truth. "Yes."

He mustered her, he took notice of the small rings under her eyes and the sickly paleness of her skin but he saw strength in her eyes, even though there was a lot of fear. "Please, tell me."

Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his legs. He looked away from her as images of the burnt down dorm raise to his inner eye. Back then he had just become Heavenly Commander. "You know four years ago all the pupils of the Hiinatsuki dorm died, all except for Enmadou Rokuro. What only a few people know is what really happened. Although the official report says otherwise, there were no impurities from Megano."

He stopped. This part of the story was still as tragic as it could be. Folding his hands he braced himself a little bit. "Kegare ochi. Adashino Yuuto or rather Ijika Yuuto turned the children of Hiinatsuki into Kegare ochi like he did with you. Enmadou had to exorcise all of them."

Patiently he waited for her reaction, when he heard a very low mumble. "Ro-ku... -ro." Looking at her, Shimon noticed how her face was turned away, how her fingers tightly grabbed onto her skirt, shivering in effort. Then there was a sob almost inaudible before she threw her hand to her face and stared crying.

Without much thinking he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. He let her cry and he held her. He held her as she cried for another one and for the children she'd known. She was a caring and compassionate person that shared pain of others. Shimon wondered how much she could take without breaking or if her honest and kind nature would be changed here on the isle. Arima was right, she needed a vacation. However, not only to regain her spell power. She needed some hope and some happiness.

She cried for a long time, sometimes whispering things like "Why didn't you tell me?" and "How cruel... Everyone..." and Shimon hold onto her until her sobs ebbed away.

After a while she finished crying. Dry sobs were leaving her body a few last times. She looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. Her expression turned from sadness to embarrassment in seconds and she jumped away from him. "S-sorry, Shimon, for overstepping my bounds. I've got carried away and -"

He felt the need to interrupt her. "I understand. It must be hard for you." It was the most natural thing to soothe her, like anyone would do, seeing someone else in such a pain. And why was it, that she saw herself to be less in comparison to him, he always wondered. Both had the same rank now and were both from respectable families. "You apologize too much."

With a still blushing face she smiled a little and held a protective hand in front of her chest. "It felt good to get that of my shoulders. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She now was less pale but still didn't look to be in her best shape. The new tragedy that had taken form in her life now added up to a fresh return from the hospital. He wondered what they could do the rest of the day without stressing her. Maybe Chiiko had an idea.

"Do you mind if we train a little bit together?" Mayura's smile didn't reach her eyes.

Seriously, that girl who looked a bit better than awful had to be mad. He understood her dedication but he wouldn't allow her to exhaust herself. He shook his head. "I do mind."

"You do?" Her hands grabbed the material of her skirt.

"What you need most is a day off. If you push yourself too hard too soon, you'll end up in the hospital again. It would be better if you take the fun part of the vacation more seriously." He didn't talk about impurities or Kegare ochi, they had enough of that already for one day.

"Oh, okay. I guess then I'll better leave so you can train. You probably have a full schedule." Rising she straightened her skirt and send him a last smile.

"Wait!" Grabbing her arm he stopped her. "Ugh, it's a pain but I was ordered to keep an eye on you and you might walk around exhausting yourself, sooo..."

"You don't have to do that." She winked her right eye at him. "I won't tell anyone if you skip the fun part to train."

She was making this extra hard on him. It's not like he loved to skip training and shaping up his skills on missions. Normally his dedication to change the world wouldn't allow such a behavior but today he had another duty. Also they could train their minds a little bit over some strategy games. „Chiiko also asked for you, I thought, maybe we could spend the day with her..."

Her big blue eyes widened in understanding. "Now I get it," Mayura smiled softly at him. "Let's do this then, shall we?" He wondered what she meant, when she said she got it as they entered the house together.

(1) In the sixth volume of the manga, there was a special in which Shimon's Ceremony of Accession was shown. Apparently it is an official event to which all exorcists are invited to when a new Heavenly Commander is announced in a big stadium.

(2) Inanaki Arata is the blue haired guy that went with Seigen and Arima to school.

(3) Zeze Miku is the pink haired woman with the large pony tails who didn't want Rokuro to join her family when he was introduced to the great exorcist families. She is also the oldest member among the Heavenly Commanders.

(4) Ujii Kengo is the one Heavenly Commander with the glasses and the abacus. His family is the one who maintains the shield at the Megano gates. He joined the Heavenly Commanders before Shimon.

(5)Ioroi Narumi is the blond bearded Heavenly Commander with the huge weapon who controls the earth. He also went with Seigen to school.

(6) Unomiya Tenma is the strongest among the Heavenly Commanders. He doesn't need talismans or to chant spells to purify impurities. Also he is a little bit older than Shimon and has two differently colored eyes.

(7) Shimon addresses Ikagura Sayo with Chiiko. Although they aren't siblings they have a very close relationship. I'd forgotten to explain that in the last chapter.

And chapter 6 is online, too: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12253034/6/The-Purity-of-White-seems-to-be-Red

#Shimayu #fanfic #the purity of white seems to be red

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