𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐌

➢ 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄

Japan had changed a lot since the Edo Period. I remembered the last time that I had visited my home land that not even electricity had come to be invented and the streets would be adorned with candle lit lanterns at night. However, now as I gazed past my beloved Yasaka Pagoda in Kyoto, electric lanterns and gas lamps illuminated nightly vendor stalls under the blanket of the night sky.

Coming home always gave me a bittersweet feeling. Nobody was designed to live forever, and seeing the world change so much from the time of my childhood weighed on me. I can still remember when me and my family came to the opening ceremony of the original Yasaka Pagoda in 613.

Somehow, while I was making my way through Korea, I had managed to befriend some sailors who had contracted a trade route to Japan. And even though desperate men could be quite foul, I managed to gain their respect through some traditional games and a few Bojutsu matches. After that the sail went swimmingly and the captain even gave me a solid black Yukata as a parting gift.

During the voyage, I asked some of the crew including \ the captain about the rumors I had heard back in Shenyang China and they turned out to be quite true.

"On our last visit to Japan, a man had begged us to take him in as a stowaway. Apparently he was being chased by his cannibalistic late wife, but when we turned our attention back to the man to tell him to get lost, he was already gone. The only thing left behind was a bloody footprint. We asked a few locals about the incident before setting sail and one old lady just muttered about it being the work of demons." I remembered the captain telling me one late night as we drank ale in the crew quarters. He spoke in fluent Korean, which was one of the languages that I was most experienced in.

Demons weren't fully unheard of for me, but up until recently I hadn't thought of them as a big problem. Every continent around the world has their legends, and each legend has their truths to them. After being bitten by three different vampires in Eastern Europe and coming face to face with an American Werewolf, I can say that nowhere is truly safe, but what comes with monsters are the heroes who hunt them and cover up their tracks.

I would never call myself personally a hero, but I'm a woman of many trades and monster hunting just so happens to be one of them. Over my lifespan I've fought for and played a hand in many wars, both supernatural and not.

However, now that I was back in Japan my first order of business was to find a good traditional meal. Gleefully I strolled past a few stalls (whose sellers called out to me but I kindly denied) until I found a small shop adorning privacy curtains. The Japanese characters on the stall sign read "Hot Ramen" and by the delicious aroma that taunted me I knew I had found where I'd be getting my dinner for tonight.

When I pushed the curtain gently to the side and walked in, I was greeted warmly by a large man who was working away behind the dining bar.

"Welcome Miss! Please, take a seat! I'll be with you shortly!"

A small smile grew onto my face from the atmosphere and familiar language that reminded me that I was home. Carefully, I set my luggage down beside a seat and sat, folding my arms on top of the smooth countertop. Other than the cook and myself there was only one other person in the shop and that was another man who sat on my side of the counter silently waiting.

His appearance was not like that of a typical young man during these days. His dark hair was tied up into an uneven ponytail in the back that sprouted out in many directions and he had bangs that covered most of his forehead. I found his two patterned haori and hidden sword to be an even more interesting touch to him. His build appeared to be mildly muscular, telling me he wasn't just some run of the mill swordsman.