Sureiyazu

Episode 1: Hikari

The cloaked teen slunk through the crowds of the market, avoiding the gazes of buyers and shopkeepers as she passed. Her mouth watered for many of the foods as their scents wafted into her nose, but she forced herself to ignore them. She didn't have the money to be craving fresh fruit or sweets. 

A mother and two children in front of her caught her attention. One of the children, a girl, was struggling to carry her bag of apples home. As she knew would happen, the child dropped one of the fruits and it rolled over to the cloaked girl. Any other time, she told herself, she would have given it back to the family. But she needed it more than they did. She took a bite of the apple and it juice rushed into her mouth. She was feeling too guilty to even enjoy the flavor.

The cloaked girl hoped the child had loving parents who would forgive her for dropping the fruit, unlike her own parents.

Pushing those thoughts away, the girl continued down the street. She was nearing her house, which was actually so small it could be considered a shack, and there weren't as many people here. Regardless, there were still signs everywhere. Signs she knew all too well. She didn't have to read them to know what they said.

As she moved onward, she tried not to think about the sign. But she could feel her lip beginning to tremble the way it always did when she was about to cry. She stepped aside from the road and took deep breaths until the feeling went away. Fully composed, she kept moving.

When she finally reached her village, she was greeted by the familiar calls of the men who lived there.

"Look, the princess is back!" they shouted. "Welcome home, Hikari!"

The girl - Hikari - smiled. She wasn't royalty, or anything close to it, but the men in the village liked to joke that she was a runaway princess from a faraway land. In a sense, she almost was. She smiled at them and walked by without saying anything. She had a habit of staying silent, not liking to be reminded of how she looked or sounded.

"Why do you wear that cloak?" one of the men asked from the roof of his house, which he was repairing. "Then no one can see your pretty face."

Hikari tensed. But she forced herself to keep walking past, showing no reaction. She couldn't have anyone find out her secret. They would never trust her again. She arrived at her tiny, dilapidated shack she called home and finally felt safe for the first time that day.

After removing her cloak, Hiakri sat down in front of the mirror. She winced at her reflection, but didn't allow herself to look away. She stared strait into the eyes of the girl in the glass.

Her complexion was paler than most, since her skin rarely ever saw sunlight and was hidden in the folds of her cloak. But she could clearly see how the men found her beautiful. Her short black hair framed her perfectly sculpted face. In fact, her entire body might as well have been a statue in a noble's garden and crafted by a master artisan. She somehow even managed to make a tattered shirt and pants and dirt on her face look attractive.

Every teenage girl would have dreamed of being as beautiful as Hikari. But she wished she could look ugly, or at least average. She didn't want to be attractive. She didn't want any attention from the men in the village.

"Hikari," she said to the reflection. It was the first time she had used her voice that day. She took a deep breath before adding what she told herself every day.

"I will keep my promise."

~~~

"Is everyone ready?" asked Aya. She stood with her two teammates, Yuri and Kasai, who each carried a bag of supplies for their adventure. As the most skilled demonslayers in Sekai, the Sureiyazu, it was their duty to protect the world from evil, and the demons that invaded the world of humans.

"Yep," said Yuri enthusiastically. Her blond hair, braided to keep it out of her eyes, shone in the sunlight just outside the old castle the Sureiyazu lived in. Her brown eyes sparkled with happiness that never seemed to leave her. She could always see the bright side and her teammates had never seen her feel anything but happiness. Her brown leather armor looked too warm for the season and didn't fit her personality, but it was what she always wore on missions and was her favorite outfit. Only her pink undergarments that stuck out slightly matched her happy-go-lucky attitude. Even stranger was her weapon, a tetsubo, which was a club with spikes covering it, stored away with what little magic Yuri knew how to use.

Kasai nodded and grinned, resting her left had on the hilt of her katana, Inochi. She held the sword very dear and was never without it, even when she slept. Her flame-colored hair almost matched the color of the red dress she wore under her armor, which was strangely designed and only covered her torso with pictures of fire climbing up it. Her green eyes were full of excitement and confidence, but had a layer of sadness and longing underneath the surface that only someone who looked close enough could see. She turned and gave Aya a thumbs-up.

Aya smiled back at her two companions. The most reserved and responsible of the three, she was the most qualified to lead the Surieyazu, but never took the role. Her chocolate brown hair blew in the slight breeze and her blue eyes held the knowledge of a warrior. Her short blue dress was loose enough that she could move around easily in it, and her bo staff was in its sling over her shoulder, ready to use at a moment's notice. She wore traditional sandals, but had no trouble walking or slaying demons in them.

With confirmation that the team was ready, Aya led them down the path that would take them to town. She sighed that they still hadn't found a fourth person with enough devotion and skill to join the Sureiyazu. Only when there were four demonslayers on the team would it be truly complete. But for now, they made do with three, and had yet to be defeated in battle.

The door opening behind them disrupted Aya from her thoughts. The Sureiyazu turned to see their master, Master Shi, standing in the doorway.

Master Shi was not someone anyone, including the Sureiyazu, wanted to mess with. His strong build and determined face would have been enough to scare any demon away, even if he wasn't the teacher of the current Sureiyazu and the most famous and revered demonslayer in the world. His lack of a shirt under his long coat made his large muscles stand out and his white hair fell over one eye. He wasn't carrying his scythe currently, but if he was it would only have made him look more grim and terrifying. His silent ways didn't do much to make him any more friendly-looking.

"Another will be joining your team," announced the master. The Sureiyazu exchanged glances, wondering who it would be.

"Can you tell who it will be?" asked Aya.

The master shook his head. "There are too many faces appearing when I press deeper into the image." He rarely had a vision, but when he did it was usually startlingly accurate and greatly important. The team of demonslayers nodded.

"When?" asked Kasai.

"Soon," answered the master. "Today or tomorrow. So I thought I should warn you. I sense a darkness around this person. Tread with caution."

"Oh, don't worry master!" Yuri replied perkily. "We'll be careful!"

"I'm sure you will," he said. "though - I also wanted to remind you to bring me back a wagashi."

"We always do," said Kasai. "We won't forget." The master nodded and smiled slightly. Even if he was the most skilled demonslayer in Sekai, he had the biggest sweet tooth too, and always had the Sureiyazu bring him back his favorite sweets from their travels.

The door closed again and the Sureiyazu set out on their mission. This time, they would slay a demon named Tsugu.