Disenchantment

Haruko was leniant of having her try to stand, seeing as she'd lost alot of bloood. Even for a god that had to be taxing. "Come on Kaguya," Maiko said offering to help her up with her brother. "What direction are we even headed?" Haruko asked, looking out into the snow that had already covered to path.

kaguya leaned against haruko taking a deep breath "west... so... that way" she mumbled looking in a direction off the mountain

Ohoyagi opened his eyes. The snow around him had melted into a little puddle beneath him. He strained to lift his head out of the small puddle below. His clothes were soaked, he wouldn't be able to wear them on the mountains until they dried. He was already freezing, and his last battle with the demons left him weak and weary. He tried to walk down the mountain a bit to where he thought he heard the others, but he stumbled from exhaustion and fell down into the snow again. It would take a while of contact with the earth before he was fully recovered. He was too proud to ask for help from the others, he just had to tough it out. These were his lands, and they would treat him well as he recovered his strength. As he staggered over to where the others were, he grabbed his red coat from his pack and removed the warm coat he had on; It would need to dry if he was going to wear it, or he'd freeze. He saw the others in front of him, and went to speak, but was too weak to even make a sound, and fell to his knee in front of them.

"ohoyagi you stubborn old goat let me help." ozean said coming to his aid and lifting him in her arms. "your pride will soon be the death of you." she laughed trying to coax a smile from him.

"I'm...I'm fine...really" he said, struggling with each word. "Ya don't need to help me, I'll manage fine on my own. Now what're we doing?" he went to lean against a nearby tree to put less strain on his weakened legs. "What's happened? I remember the beasts going down, and then nothing."

"We're still heading for the Imperial city, hopefully we'll still get there at the time we intended to." Haruko said and Maiko nodded. "We will, you just watch!" She chanted offering Kaguya help with walking.

kaguya gladely excepted the help "imperial city.... maybe we could make one break at the moutain village before going there. i think we all could use some hot food and somewhere to sit for a while." she saud squinting to try and see in the distance "ahh! just over this forest and up the side of the mountain. see the smoke? it has to be the village!" she said with weakened excitement

"good, ohoyagi are you able to travel without aid?" ozean asked with concern thick in her voice. she didnt want his hard headedness being the end of him. she looked at his form by the tree and thought he was going to just fall out any moment

"You make it sound like that's incredibly close." Maiko grumbled and shook some of the snow off her clothes. She was freezing, tired, and felt like she'd just rolled around in a puddle from all the snow melting on her. "Damn snow, here I thought this would be fun!" Haruko gave her a silencing look but she continued to groan and whine about the snow. He knew she was just tired but still things were already bad enough as it was without her complaining. "Can we just gag her and leave her for the yetti's or something?" He muttered and Maiko shot him a glare.

"she would be but a small morsel to them." ozean took the opportunity to laugh trying to comfort everyone with humor.

"Hey, I'll have you know I could take on a yetti!" Maiko growled and Haruko laughed, "Yeah, Mai you do know their not real right?" She shrugged. "I thought the same thing about gods and demons and look where we are now."

ozean guffawed at the last sentence, "true believer we have here no?"

kaguya frowned at maiko's sentence and pulled herself away from the twins "ahh... i can walk fine now" she mumbled and started limping down the moutain with them in tow

"Alright, enough debating on the existence of yetis or whatever, let's get moving. We should try to reach the mountain village soon, I'm sure they'll give us a warm welcome once we get there." He lifted himself off the tree and staggered ahead of the others towards the main road. "You guys comin' or what?"

"Coming!" Maiko chimmed and Haruko tried to stay behind with Kaguya but she snatched him by his arm. "Let's go, she says she's fine!" Maiko whispered to him and Haruko shook his head.
"Do you honestly believe that?" She frowned then sighed.
"Just let her be. The girls got to stand on her own two feet." Haruko looked down at the ground a little, feeling the guilt sink in for letting this happen to Kaguya. Not just because of Suijin's threat but also because he wasn't doing a very good job as her warrior. He looked positively morbid, something that Maiko didn't like. "Brother I'm tired! Carry me!" She leapt on his back and nearly caused him to topple into the snow.
"Maiko get off!"
"You're no fun!" The two argued with another, though not as loudly as they usually did. Maiko was internally smiling however, happy to see her brother wasn't down on himself anymore.
"So what's this village look like? Are they a bunch of snow men or something?"

"last time i was there... it was beautiful... and oasis in the snow... the temple to ohoyagi was the biggest attraction" she said with a smile

"Well, it had to be big, otherwise I wouldn't be able to fit. I haven't been back in ages, the whole place could've changed since I've been gone." He turned to Kaguya. "Have you been back recently? Has it changed much?"

"i havent seen it for some time as well always nice to visit an old home away from home no?" ozean said with a small smile. remembering festivals and all the celebrations she had attended.

"i was here a few hundred years ago. and it was beautiful. the cherry trees i planted must be so big!" she said with a smile as they drew closer

Maiko listened to them talk and started to feel her excitement building at the thought of the place. "Well then, lets get a move on!" She laughed and ran forward toward the village.

as kaguya entered the village she felt the pit of her stomach drop "w..what happened?" she said looking around at the rubbled homes.

"AAHHHH" she yelled in pain grabbing her side the veins in her arm and neck buldging with darkness

"w...what happened here?!?" she said through gritted teeth looking up to see the great temple was nearly destroyed

Haruko, though shocked at the destruction, took to Kaguya's side while Maiko came to a slamming halt infront of a home. "How did-" She looked at the rubble and found a small doll, she picked it up and caressed its worn face, with a slightly shaking hand. "Who would have done something like this?" Haruko murmured but Maiko shook her head. "No, there's got to be somebody here. Someone..." She ran towards the temple, leaving the others behind in the snow. She couldn't help small tears escape her eyes, as she ran and she was glad no one was seeing them. This place, it looked exactly like their village did the night the fire caught and destroyed everything. An entire village gone like that, it seemed so impossible but, it does happen and many lives go with it. She just hoped that wasn't the case here. She pushed against the large doors of the temple and got it open a crack. "Hello, anyone here?" She called, though the only thing she could see from that crack was pure pitch black darkness.

"theres gatta be someone here" kaguya said and then looked at haruko and blinked remembering what maiko had said and had an instant flash back

"no one even knows who we are yaya!" ama yelled at her and she winced frowning and looking at her feet nervously "but... brother, people have just lost their way... maybe if we-"

"NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND!" he yelled grabbing her shoulders and shaking her "they think of us as demons, freaks, lower then they are! they have lost their place and they dont deserve our presence... yaya-chan. they dont think your real, they think your just some stupid legend that cant do anything, a joke!" he yelled and she cried and he patted her back craddling her "dont worry yaya-chan... big brother will set everything right, remember to never trust the low life filth. if it doesnt benefit them, they wont help you. they dont even believe in you. but i do" he cooed

kaguya yanked herself away from haruko suddenly "NO" she yelled and blinked "i... um" she pulled herself up leaning agianst the side of a building away from haruko "just..." she mumbled and blinked looking towards the direction maiko disappeared in

the towns people, or those that where left, lay huddled in the back of the temple. the dead and sink lay mingled together with scared bodies and blood splattered on the floor. the terrified faces looked towards maiko with fear. a little girl ran up to maiko grabbing the doll from her hands "you saved my dolly from the demons! thank you so much!" she said cuddling it against her face. her mother pulled her close and away from maiko

"state your name and business!!" one of the older men yelled at her

Ohoyagi walked to his temple. He saw the destruction of his people around him, the homes destroyed, the wood burned, his temple desecrated. He walked in through the doors, still limping from weakness. He moved to the shrine at the back of the temple, broken and ruined. "Who has done this." He muttered it as if it was a statement, forcing an answer from the people in his temple.

Maiko stared for a moment, her eyes trying to adjust in the dark. She found the eyes of the people sitting there, the old and the young, dead and living, and the face of the person who asked her her name. "Maiko! I'm a-" She paused wondering if she should state that she is a warrior to any god. In a situation like this, people normally didn't want to hear anythying grandeour after losing their homes, after the pain is already met. What would they think if the gods and warriors showed up after everying was said and done? She drew in a breath and continued. "I promise no harm is meant-My friends and I are travelers, just looking for a place to rest and get out of the cold." When Ohoyagi came in and started asking them who did it, Maiko was almost relieved as well as worried. 'Isn't Ohoyagi the god here?' She thought and for a moment a bit of hurt flashed in her eyes. "Please, we need to know...maybe we can help?" She said, looking to the older man who seemed to be the only one with the strength to speak to them.