The Littlest Oni

Ayame was never the biggest oni in her tribe. Or the strongest. She wasn't good at hitting things hard like the other oni could. Sometimes the other kids would make fun of her, or call her mean words. They were bullies. Ayame hated bullies. But Daddy told her that it was okay. That being different was okay. Because Ayame was small, and fast, and that meant her enemies couldn't hit her. That always made Ayame feel better. She liked being good at something.

But even more than that, Ayame liked fighting. Every oni did. It was their favorite thing to do, and they were very good at it. Daddy told her that the oni were the best warriors in all of Makai, and nobody was stronger than them. Ayame wanted to be a warrior too someday. She wanted to fight for Makai like her Daddy. Ayame and the rest of her tribe loved Makai, because they were always finding new enemies for the oni to fight.

When he came home from war, Daddy would tell Ayame about all the fun enemies he had fought. She heard stories of the animal people. She always wished she could meet one. She wanted to try touching their fluffy tails. She didn't like the stories about the elves, though. The elves were mean, and were hard to get close to because they could throw fire and ice with their hands. That scared Ayame. She didn't like enemies that you couldn't hit. But Daddy told her that she would be okay, because she was faster than them, and her will-o'-the-wisps would keep her safe. That made Ayame feel better.

Daddy fought lots of different kinds of enemies. And he always won, because Daddy was the strongest oni in the world. Every time he came home, he would tell Ayame that the enemies got beaten, and that meant they were a part of Makai now. That made Ayame happy. She liked the thought of having new friends. She hoped that she would get to meet them someday, when she was old enough to leave the village and be a real warrior.

One day, Ayame was sparring with Daddy. Every time she sparred with him, she would always end up knocked to the ground. She didn't mind, because she knew he was helping her get better at fighting. But this time was different. For the first time, Ayame was the one to knock Daddy down. At first Ayame got scared. She was afraid that he would be angry at her for beating him. But then Daddy hugged her. He told her that she was a strong oni, and he was proud of her. And that made Ayame very happy.

Not long after that day, Daddy gave Ayame a present. A pair of swords. One long and black, and the other short and red. They were not as big as the swords and clubs that the other oni used. But Daddy told Ayame that they were good swords, because they were small and fast, just like her. He told her that she was a strong oni now, and a strong oni should have strong weapons. That made Ayame the happiest she had ever felt. Even happier than the day she had knocked Daddy down. Those swords meant that she was a warrior, just like she had always wanted to be. She named the big black sword "Rakshasa," and the little red sword "Asura." They were the names of two strong demons from the stories that the tribe elders would tell. They were strong names, and Ayame knew that giving them to her swords would make them strong too.

Rakshasa and Asura became Ayame's two most favorite things in the whole world. She wore them on her back so that she would never lose them. And she always kept them clean, and shiny, and sharp. Ayame liked swinging her swords. She liked using them to cut things into smaller things. She wanted to use them to fight for Makai, just like Daddy.

A pair of devils from Makai came to visit the tribe one day. Ayame liked the devils, because they knew everything. They were not as big and strong as the oni, but they were smart. They could read, and write, and do lots of other things that the oni could not do. But the devils always told the oni that it was okay that they could not do those things. Because the oni were good at being strong, and fighting. And the devils said that made Makai happy. Ayame was glad to make Makai happy. But sometimes she wished she could be smart, like the devils. She wanted to read, and write, and know lots of things.