Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

RBomber Omake: "Kanna's sorry"

Lord K said:
This is a oak hunting bow. All craftwolfship is of the highest quality. It is studded with copper, decorated with bone, and encircled with bands of leather. On the item is an image of the okami, Ryoshimaru the Hunter. The okami is meeting Hasinaw-uk-kamuy, the Ainu godess of the hunt. On the item is an image of Ryoshimaru making a plaintive gesture in copper. Hasinaw-uk-kamuy, the Ainu goddess of the hunt, has been revealed to be Kenas-unarpe, the Ainu shapeshifting goddess who preys upon hunters, in disguise.
kinglugia said:
Man, a shame that Ainu shapeshifter goddess is probably still roaming around the land, though considering she's still in the terrestrial world, methinks she's on a level similar to mizuchi and other "lesser" kami, like the Shipgirls.

... Hope that she doesn't try to screw with Tatsuya or Harry and co though; deicide, for some reason, is a big no no in all cultures, no matter the killer's intent.​

*-*-*-*-*-*
...No, I wouldn't worry too much about that.

****

Most people considering getting hugged by several pretty girls at once as "Goddamn Lucky Bastard".

Tatsuya didn't felt that much lucky, especially when the girls hugging you had done so because of utter terror. Even more so if the one hugging you is IJN Akebono.

15 m near her, a... woman with long hair and... inhuman face, being bound and restrained by several tentacles and slowly being dragged to the water canal. More closer to the group, is a young girl with purple hair and horn-shaped hair ornaments, that somehow looked apologetic despite her poker face.

"We are really, really sorry about that."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Slowly in the deepening evening, Harry's electric bicycle coasted to a stop in front of the Light Cruiser Dormitories. Once it came fully to a stop, the canopy lifted upwards and Harry got out of his seat and the vehicle before folding his seat forward. "Give me just a second, Niiyodo-Chan. I'll help you out."

Lightly blushing, Niiyodo gave a nod while softly smiling. "Thank you, Harry-Chan."

A small smile of his own on his face, Harry helped the Light Cruiser to stand and waited for her to put her arms around his neck. Then placing his arms against her back and behind her knee, the nearly thirteen year old lifted her out of the electric bicycle and gently set her on her feet. "There we go."

Running her hands along her yukata to straighten it, Niiyodo had a bright smile on her face. "Thank you, Harry-Chan. And we got home before Onee-San's time."

Only shrugging, the black haired boy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I did promise her, didn't I?"

Just giggling, Niiyodo hummed some. "That you did, Harry-Chan." Looking out towards where the ocean was, she gave a small sigh. "At least I enjoyed the dinner and ice cream after."

Leaning against the electric bike now that the canopy was closed, Harry hummed some and looked up at the sky. "You deserve it, Niiyodo-Chan. After all, you work pretty hard when all is said and done. And with the wedding coming up..."

Niiyodo gave a hum as she leaned against him some and smiled as his arm came up and wrapped around her waist. "Hai, but it is the sort of work that I enjoy. Though Rose-San and Haruna-San both look frazzled." Frowning thoughtfully, she tilted her head. "Though there is also the typhoon tomorrow as well."

With a nod, Harry sighed some. "Tell me about it, though hopefully the cleanup won't be too bad." Both of them stayed like that for a few moments before he began to lead her towards the dormitory. "We should probably get you home fully before Ooyodo-Oba starts wondering about things."

There was a light blush on Niiyodo's face as she looked towards Harry. "You walking me to my door, Harry-Chan?" At his nod, she ducked her head some. "L-like it was a date?"

Scratching his cheek, Harry gave it some thought before shrugging. "Um, yes? I mean..." He then gestured around them. "This was a date after all, right? I mean... dressing up nice and going for dinner at a nice restaurant?"

If anything, that made Niiyodo's blush deepen though she nodded before softly whispering. "Hai, I suppose that it was a date of sorts." Meanwhile, the smile on her face grew. "And I really enjoyed myself, Harry-Chan. It was... nice. Maybe we could do it again?"

For several moments Harry was quiet before he gave a nod. "That sounds good, though, uh... maybe not to somewhere as fancy. And with it planned before hand, I guess." Snickers then escaped the wizard. "Though I guess it was funny to see Kaga-Oba as well as Akagi-Oba there at Komatsu with Taichi-San."

Giggling, Niiyodo nodded with a grin. "Well, Akagi-San and Kaga-San noticed us even if Taichi-San didn't. I never saw Kaga-San blush like that before..." Unsaid was that Harry and Niiyodo had also blushed. "I wonder why those three were there though?"

Harry considered that before frowning. "Maybe they were on a date?"

That made Niiyodo blink before she furrowed her eyebrows. "On a date? All three of them?" At Harry's nod, she frowned as she thought it over. 'What would that be like...' With that thought, an image came to her mind. Mainly of her and Natsumi on a date with Harry somewhere. Then it changed to one of her and Shinano, and from that to one with her and Verniy accompanying Harry. Snapping out of it due to Harry giving her waist a squeeze, she turned to her companion. "Um, something wrong, Harry-Chan?"

Eyebrow raised, Harry gave a small nod. "I could ask the same of you since you looked deep in thought there, Niiyodo-Chan. Is there something wrong?"

Rapidly, the Light Cruiser shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face. "No, no! Nothing's wrong, Harry-Chan I was just... thinking about something."

Even though some of the disbelief leaked into his expression, Harry didn't say anything and the two continued to chat while they headed for the apartment that her and Ooyodo shared. Finally coming to it, Harry stopped and looked up at Niiyodo who was chewing her lip as she played with her Yukata's sleeve. "Thanks for this, Niiyodo-Chan, I enjoyed it."

Only nodding, Niiyodo hummed as she took his hands in hers. "You're welcome, Harry-Chan. And like I said, I enjoyed it too and..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Maybe do something like this another time?"

Lips twitching, Harry gave a small nod. "I'd, um, like that."

Silence descended on them as they stood there not sure what to do. But then Niiyodo looked around to see if anyone was watching and straightened her back. "W-well, only one thing left to do."

Confused, Harry looked up at her. "There is? Wha-"

He was cut off as Niiyodo leaned down and gently pressed her lips against his for several seconds. Pulling back, her face was red and some steam leaked out from her ears. "I-I-Good night, Harry-Chan."

Before she could reach the door, Harry squeezed her hand, his own face as red as hers. "Good night, Niiyodo-Chan." Waiting until she got inside and closed the door, the black haired boy glanced around and then let himself gain a goofy grin. "Wow..."

When he walked off, it was with a small spring in his step.

Inside the apartment, Niiyodo had a similar grin on her face. "Wow, I... wow..." Then a shadow fell over her and she looked up to find Ooyodo silhouetted against the light. "Um, Onee-San...?"

Chuckling in a way that sent chills down Niiyodo's keel, Ooyodo leaned in towards her younger sister. "You look happy, Niiyodo-Chan. Now come on..." Reaching up, she adjusted her glasses in a way that meant the light reflected off them as she grinned. "Tell Onee-San everything..."

Eyes wide, Niiyodo flushed and leaned back more against the door. "Um..."

An hour later elsewhere on base found the Submarines gathered in their own area of the base looking around. All of them, that is, except for RO. Frowning, Hachi glanced at her watch. "Does anyone know what RO-Chan wanted when she asked for us to be here?"

Suddenly, said blonde Submarine popped up with a grin. "Because RO-Chan saw something happen! Something that involves The Plan."

Blinking, Shioi frowned and looked down at said UBoat. "The Plan? Really?" At the big grin and nod, she raised an eyebrow. "What sort of something?"

In reply, the tanned Subgirl raised a finger and closed her eyes. "Well, RO-Chan was out walking around when she noticed that Harry-Chan and Niiyodo-San were getting into his electric bike. More then that, he was wearing nice clothing and she was in a Yukata... And they were heading for Komatsu." Opening one eye, her grin widened. "It was a date that the two went on organized by Ooyodo-San."

Mutters escaped the others as they looked at one another. Finally, Imuya placed her hands together in a "T" shape. "Hold on for one moment." Turning to RO, the red head continued. "Are you positive that it was a date?"

Arms crossed, RO snorted and leaned forward. "Ja, I am sure that it was a date. I followed them without anyone knowing. And at the end the two admitted it and also Niiyodo-Chan gave him a kiss." Then her grin widened. "They also came across Kaga-San and Akagi-San on a date with Natsumi-Chan's Nii-San."

Hachi frowned for a few moments before smiling. "This... could work out well." At the looks, she waved one of her hands. "Think about it? Harry-Chan has already had one real date, and a lot of sort of dates with us. Like when Hacchan and him went for ice cream after he bought his bike! And he also saw Akagi-San and Kaga-San on a date, together, with someone else! So it would not be as odd for him!"

For her part, Iku pouted. "And here I was hoping to go on the first real date with Harry-Chan..."

Gently, Imuya patted her on the shoulder. "Its okay, Iku-Chan. Besides, we all sort of figured that it would be Natsumi-Chan, Shinano-Chan, or Verniy-Chan who would be on the first real date with him. Not Niiyodo-Chan..." She then frowned thoughtfully. "Though Cruisers are supposed to head out ahead of everyone else..."

Each of them considered that before nodding with RO pointed a finger at her friend. "That is very true." Tapping her chin, they looked at each other. "So what next?"

Chuckling, Hachi just put her arms under her chest. "We continue with our plan, of course! Hacchan doesn't think that things have changed enough to modify it yet."

The other Submarines only nodded about that before turning and grilling RO about exactly what happened.
____________________________________________________________

Around Yokosuka, rain lashed at the buildings and high winds whipped everywhere as pounding surf crashed against the shore. Above, dark clouds broiled and lightning flashed though the thunder was hard to be heard over the wind. In her home, Natsumi was doing homework. Elsewhere, various shipgirls and personnel were doing what they could as they passed the time until the storm passed. Within the various tunnels, people walked to and fro, with the odd cleaner grumbling as they cleaned up from one leak or another.

In the Nagato household, Harry was making some snacks while glancing out the window. Said pane shook with the wind, but easily held. Shaking his head, Harry began to walk towards the table where Hoppou as well as Aeroprin and her Destroyers were gathered. A smile on his face, Harry set the plate down with chuckle. "Here you go."

Brightly smiling, Aeroprin looked up at him. "Thank you, Uncle Harry!"

With a chuckle, Harry patted her head while the other Abyssal Destroyers also thanked him. "You're very welcome, Blackie Smokie. Same with the rest of you."

The black haired boy then walked over to the sink and began to wash what he had used. While he did so, Hoppou looked over her shoulder at him. "Does Big brother want to join us and play?"

Lips twitching, Harry shook his head as he glanced where they were playing snakes and ladders. "Not right now, Hoppou, maybe later though?" When the small Abyssal nodded, the nearly thirteen year old turned back to his work. Eventually though, Harry did frown some as he looked at the time on the clock. "Hmm..."

Noticing her "Uncle" walking towards his room, Nighty Moon blinked. "Uncle Harry? What's wrong?"

Upon reaching the door to his bedroom, Harry glanced at her. "Just checking on Shiromizu. I haven't seen her for a few hours." Opening the door, he blinked as he didn't see his friend anywhere. "Shiromizu? You in here?"

For several moments there was nothing until Shiromizu poked her head out from under her castle. "{Harry? Is something... wrong?}"

Eyebrow raising, Harry frowned at her. "{I could ask the same of you, Shiromizu. Are you feeling okay? Because...}"

Shiromizu slithered out from her castle and then out of her terrarium. As soon as she did, the snake transformed into her hybrid form. "I... don't know?" Seeing the confusion, she shrugged and shook her head helplessly. "I feel a bit odd, but... I don't know why."

However, that was when Harry noticed something and walked over to her. Bringing up his hand, he then pointed at Shiromizu's lower half. "What's that? There's something there..."

Blinking, the Mizuchi turned and looked herself. Eyebrows furrowing, Shiromizu leaned in and blinked. "They look like... markings? Almost pink ones?" Both her and Harry shared a confused look. "What in the world...?"

At the same time, the typhoon was affecting much more then Yokosuka as it slammed into Japan. Many miles away, the mountain where Shiromizu's spring was located was also being lashed by the storm. Unlike a lot of Japan though, the rain had started before the storm had hit as the warm, humid air was pushed up by the slopes. As it had done so, it first became a mist that reduced visibility even as the various investigators tied down the site. Soon the mist became a drizzle and then a light rain as the various Yokai went into shelter. By the time the storm fully unleashed its might, everyone was away from the outside.

Or, rather, almost everyone.

Making her way along a path, Akitsu Maru was barely bothered by the wind or rain. Even the odd stick falling from a tree did not draw much more then a grunt from her as she walked. It did not take her long to reach her destination which was where Shiromizu's spring tumbled down the mountainside into the pool beside the lake. Said lake was currently sloshing around from the wind while Misa stood beside it with her eyes closed. Reaching her, Akitsu Maru was silent for several seconds before speaking up. "Shouldn't you be in shelter right now?"

Yet again, several moments passed before Misa opened her eyes and gave a chuckle. "The storm doesn't bother me too much, Akitsu-San. Quite the opposite..." Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back and smiled as the water ran off her skin and hair. "It's quite invigorating, almost like being underwater and yet not. There is an energy here."

With a frown, Akitsu looked at her and noticed a twig flying through the air that was deflected by the rain. 'Perhaps... she is much safer then I thought.'

Chuckling, the Unagi hime opened her eyes again. "But I am not here to enjoy the storm. I'm here for another reason... look right there."

Interested, the shipgirl turned to where Shiromizu's spring came down the mountain. However, it was gushing currently down the mountainside along with smaller streams from the rain. The pool it ended at roiled under the amount of water coming into and Akitsu could see some of the water in it now starting to spill over the side. "It's overflowing..."

Only nodding, Misa turned to the pool and chuckled. "Hai, the pool is overflowing." As both her and Akitsu watched, water began to trickle out of the pool and down the dam it was behind. The trickle soon became a stream of water which joined the water already heading down the channel that Akitsu had made. Inside the channel, the water slowly raised from the spring water entering it. Not long after, the water reached the end of the channel several hundred feet away and began to tumble down the mountainside, at one point going over a small cliff. Even when the rain would stop, there would still be a small stream which would increase bit by bit.

At the same time in Yokosuka, Shiromizu paused and twitched before glancing at the markings on her body. Said markings had become more clear and a pinkish color. Then the Mizuchi scratched at her ear just missing the two bumps that were there.

 

[darthcourt10]

NotHimAgain

Well, time to get to building.
Things to Talk About

-----

Benio watched the door slide open, Tatsuya stepping through and shutting it behind him. She looked up from where she was sitting on the futon, and he returned her gaze quietly. Slowly, he sunk to the floor. His hands came up to cover his face.

"Oh my God," he groaned. "Oh my God."

"In your own defense," she replied, reaching over and gripping his shoulder reassuringly, "Usually an itachi running around means that someone is about to start trying to kill us again."

"She was a kid! I could have hurt a kid!"

"But you didn't," Benio reminded him. "So you can calm down at least a little bit."

"And I suppose it's not like I was going for a kill shot, either," Tatsuya shot back bitterly. "Do you think that Mamiya would have sent us here if she knew what we do outside of school?"

"Who knows? Maybe she would have made it you and her, to help you get over your… shall we call them issues?" Benio folded her hands in her lap and smiled. Tatsuya lowered his hands, attempting one of his own but failing.

"That would have been worse," he sighed. "So, so much worse."

Benio frowned, looking away. That could have been any five incidents, but it was all but a certainty which one he was talking about. He had declared the memory of her being kidnapped the single most frightening moment of his life, and she could imagine it was so, but there had been worse in other ways over the years. Wounds that they didn't know how to heal, or couldn't because how do you walk up to a psychiatrist and ask for help with the trauma of battling serial killer gnomes?

"Maybe you should talk to Harry," she said, almost an afterthought. Tatsuya glanced up at her.

"Huh?" he asked, incredulous.

"Just a thought," she admitted. "But… he's seen some pretty crazy stuff too. And things are different now. We…" she jumped forward onto her hands and knees, face inches from Tatsuya's. "We're not the only ones out there anymore! The world is changing around this, I… We don't need to stay like this anymore!"

Tatsuya pushed her away, looking to his side. "Benio, he's killed what. Two people? And it eats at him. I've done so much worse. So much worse."

She pushed forward again, hugging him tight. He exhaled a long sigh, but didn't push her away. "You didn't mean it," she said.

"Because she was a kid—which I didn't know yet—or because it wouldn't be right?" Tatsuya's voice was bitingly sarcastic, and his face pulled taught trying to keep his composure. "Because I think we both know that neither option was exactly on my mind."

"I mean that you don't kill out of hand," Benio replied firmly.

"Because that makes me a good person."

"It means that you're a little better than you're willing to see yourself as," she replied, trying to smile humorously. "But really, just try talking to him. I've got a good feeling about that kid."

"You've been wrong before," Tatsuya pointed out.

"I've been right before, too!" Benio said indignantly. "Tatsuya… you know how you called me your lifeline that once?"

Tatsuya's hands tightened into fists. "That house was burning down," he said insistently, teeth grit, "I almost lost you."

"I know," Benio confirmed, releasing him from the hug and leaning back into a sitting position. "But since we met Harry and… he helped with this," she raised her right hand. The light was still on, and the jade ring shone softly. "I've been thinking. Humans—normal humans—don't have lifelines. They have safety nets."
-----

Reiko stared at the door to the room. Maeda-sensei had even decided to set her up in a room with Benio, ostensibly because of the "unofficial tour guide" gig that she had been set up with. While she wasn't entirely certain what her teacher was thinking, it was time away from her mother so she wasn't complaining.

… Huh. It used to be that she would have jumped at the chance to fight with her mother. What had changed in the past weeks?

"Are you having a problem?" Someone spoke up behind her. Reiko turned to see a boy of her own age and slightly taller, with dark hair that fell over his eyes slightly. Tsuboi Kyouya, from her class.

"Not at all, Tsuboi-san," she said reassuringly. "Just a little bit of introspection—"

The door slid open, and Tatsuya stepped out. Reiko squeaked, jumping back, and nearly tripped over her own feet. Tatsuya caught her by the arm, halting her fall and pulling her back upright. "Sorry about that," he said quietly, then turned and walked down the hall towards his own room. Tsuboi watched him go.

"Hey!" he called out, "this is a family establishment!" Tatsuya waved back at him, walking into his room and closing the door. Tsuboi huffed, and Reiko gave him a bemused look.

"Shouldn't you be more formal with customers?" she asked.

"He knows what he did," Tsuboi growled, turning to walk away. Reiko felt her stomach drop a little.

"Are you going to just stand there?" Reiko turned to see Benio standing with her arms crossed. While she looked the same as ever, Reiko thought that she was drooping a little. "Or are you going to come in?" the hanyou continued.

"I…" Reiko stepped hesitantly in the door. "What exactly happened?" Benio flopped down into a sitting position on top of an already rumpled futon.

"We had a conversation," she said lightly. "Or I guess we started one. This is probably going to be one of those running things." She rubbed her forehead with a groan. "That idiot probably thinks he's being noble or something." Reiko blinked.

"Excuse me, Kagamine-san… but about earlier?" she asked hesitantly. The moment seemed to have burnt itself into her mind—watching Tatsuya's eyes widen slightly, then harden. His arm snap out and suddenly Emi was struggling in his hand. Benio sighed.

"Tatsuya wasn't trying to kill her," she said placatingly. "He was going to ask what she was doing, what was going on—he was just really, really scary about it." Reiko looked at her. Hope was rising in her chest, but she still wasn't entirely certain.

"You're sure?" she asked. Benio nodded.

"Trust me," she replied. "If he was trying to kill her, he would have gone for her head."

What.

Reiko stared at Benio—somehow, that comfort wasn't comforting. Benio looked her in the eye. "That didn't help as much as I thought it would, did it," she sighed. Reiko shook her head, still staring in horror. "I am way too used to this… Look."

"Tatsuya… he's not like a yokai. Yokai—or at least the ones that we've run into—they're… They can live with death, they're… I don't know, they're wired better for it, I guess. I'm a little like that myself, I'm… on some level, stuff like kill or be killed and living in a desperate struggle fall into some kind of order for me. Humans aren't meant to live like that, though, and Tatsuya… at the end of the day, that's what he is."

Reiko sank down to sit on the floor. "I don't understand," she admitted. Benio smiled, leaning forward and resting her hand on Reiko's knee.

"Just hang out with us a little more," she said. "You'll figure it out."

Reiko wasn't sure what she meant. On some level, though, it felt kind of like an offer. The thought comforted her greatly, though she didn't know how or why.
-----

"You're a Shipgirl, aren't you?" Mamiya asked. The brown-haired girl sitting before a plate with half the buffet's selection of cakes in front of her, looked up.

"You're not with the press, are you?" she asked. "This place was recommended to me, so I thought I'd check it out! I'm not on duty right now or anything!"

"I'm sure," Mamiya replied. "I went to Yokosuka on a club trip years ago, and I thought I saw you there. I'm an old friend of Ushio's, my name is Haneda Mamiya." The Shipgirl paused at her surname, then reached out and pushed a chair out with her foot.

"Miyuki," she said by way of introduction. "You related to Haneda Tatsuya?" Mamiya smiled, taking the offered seat.

"He's my younger brother," she confirmed. "I'm… actually not that surprised that he would know a Shipgirl." Miyuki blinked.

"Really?" she asked. "So you know about his, ah… stuff?"

Mamiya sighed wistfully. "There's a bit of a tradition within my mother's family," she admitted. "They would try to have a son and a daughter—the daughter would take over the dojo, while her brother would be… well, we have an interesting family history." She brought up her hands and rested her chin on her knuckles. "Tatsuya is not the most forthcoming person, but I would not be surprised if he is having some sort of adventures."

Miyuki was silent, mulling over and digesting the new information. "Your mother?" she asked.

"An only child. Grandfather died when she was still a young girl."

"Huh…" Miyuki scooped up a forkful of cake, scrutinizing it silently. "When did he start acting…" her breath caught briefly. "Off?" That, Mamiya considered, was a strange direction to take the conversation—though she supposed that, in regards to strange…

"Whatever he's going through," she admitted, looking at the mountain of cake thoughtfully, "I guess it started around when he was nine. He was jumpy for a while then, suddenly running off and making bad excuses. No one thought to call him out on it because, well…" she shrugged. "Family history. But then…" Ah.

"When he turned eleven," Mamiya continued, leaning forward. "That was when he really changed. He had trouble being in the same room as me, was always looking for an excuse to be somewhere else. I…" she sighed, suddenly realizing that a lump was forming in her throat as she recalled the time. "There's a song that… that was special to us, and I was able to use it to get through to him, but… But that was when he really closed himself off." Once, the two of them had been as close as the fingers on a hand, she reminisced. They were better than they had been, but the closeness was gone and her heart broke every time she remembered. "Miyuki-san, I'm sorry, but why are you asking this?"

Miyuki swallowed, which was interesting because she hadn't had any cake yet. "I'm… It's just that he said something to me, and I was worried, and I wanted to do something. I mean… I was scared for him. If there's anything I can do to help, I want to."

Mamiya regarded her a few seconds, trying to judge her sincerity. Wait, no, that was a lie. This girl had her heart on her sleeve. What was she judging, then?

"I'm truly sorry," she said finally, "but Tatsuya already has a girl that he likes." Miyuki fell backwards off of her chair. Mamiya smiled.
-----

Tonight's going to go late, I feel like I'm falling asleep in the middle of the day, we had an active shooter drill during one of my classes... and I take time that I set aside for homework and write a lot. Go me, I suppose.

Well what do you think, sirs?

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K Omake: "Don't say it like that!"

Harry Leferts said:
This is honestly interesting on several levels. Well, besides the fact that for one of them, they attracted the attentions of a goddess... even if not the attentions one would want. Another fought and died against Musashi himself. But one thing that seems to come out is not one of them, besides Daimaru perhaps, seems to have died of old age. Even Ezomaru seems to have died more from the sheer stress, grief, guilt, and the like he was suffering at the end. Because otherwise that means that they live at most a hundred and fifty years. There is something... interesting about that.

As well, it sounds like Jiroumaru was involved in the same group as what Aso ran across. Now, the question of which part of that horrified him to that extent, the use of the reanimated dead to build war machines or the experimentation to transform humans into Oni... is up in the air.​

Yeah, the Hokubu have not exactly had the best luck when it comes to the longevity of their clan heads over the centuries. Ezomaru was actually the longest lived and longest reigning out of all of them, and he kicked it at the age of 173. Meanwhile, some of the more venerable members of the clan have historically been known to reach the higher 300s and lower 400s.

Also, I was initially just trying to get ideas of things Ryoshimaru could hunt or the reasons why he could be acclaimed for his skill in the first place, and then I stumbled upon the Ainu story of how Kenas-unarpe often disguises herself as Hasinaw-uk-kamuy, the goddess of the hunt. It just seemed too morbidly ironic not to have the guy who was famed for being a legendary hunter, fall prey to a literal manifestation of the theme of "The Hunter becomes the Hunted".

Sanmaru dying to Musashi was inspired by reading the conflicting and sometimes contradictory accounts of his presence at the battle of Sekigahara as a teenager. Maybe they're contradictory in this universe, because the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy led to some rather botched attempts to edit out the fact that he fought an okami. Some people simply removed the references to Sanmaru, while others outright removed mentions that Musashi was there at all. Also, like with Ryoshimaru, irony and thematic fittingness decided his fate. It just seemed perfect to have the guy who was the most acclaimed swordsman(/swordswolf) and warrior of his clan, be a forgotten footnote in the story of the greatest swordsman in ancient Japan.

And yep, that was the Unit 731 branch that Aso found, which Jiroumaru got roped into. There was supposed to be something of an echo of what happened with Regulus Black going on with him. The younger son who follows the family line in an effort to step out of his rebellious brother's shadow, then feels the weight of the family pressure to shape up when the elder falls out of favor. Only to end up in over his head, and horrified by the true nature of what he has been brought up to believe in.

Also, Daimaru, Shioriko and Ezomaru hold the unique claims to fame of being the only three Koshaku to actually die in Yamainutaira. Everybody was elsewhere for various reasons. (Dying in battle, hunting trip gone wrong, hunting trip gone wrong again, Execution in Tokyo, Blood Week in Tokyo)

Record the Recording said:
That's the last time he ever tries to cook by himself.​

The funny thing is that that's not the only time the town had a major fire.

They didn't call him Daimaru the Builder for nothing. Also because I like to imagine that what killed him, was a simple cold or something, thanks to curmudgeonly overseeing a construction project when he was old and should have been inside or and out of the rain.

Record the Recording said:
He forgot that people only give their rulers power over them in exchange of said rulers looking out for their best interests.
Haiku said:
Unworthy of a title. Kogamaru could be reuniter or liberator.​

Yep. And now he's paying for it (or at least his memory is). For one who was so driven by power and his own twisted honor, now he is barely accorded even the basic funerary honors and death rights, not even kept in the same part of the Shrine as the branch members, or even given a title.

Even Taigokumaru the Kinslayer, who went Cain and Abel on his brother and pulled a Bleda and Attila/William II and Henry I, was eventually given a post-death title by Shioriko, even if it isn't exactly most auspicious among the dead of the Main Family.

Ezomaru, for all his faults and vilification, got added to the Main Family shrine by Tsumemaru.

And Kogamaru has openly said that an Emperor will go back to Yasukuni Shrine, before he'll even consider tabling a discussion of his grandfather being enshrined in the Main Family shrine at a clan meeting under his rule (It wouldn't be a long discussion).

jgkitarel said:
It's things like this which do a great job in fleshing out a family's history. As for Jiromaru... imagine if he was still alive, and the only reason he hasn't died from his wounds or other things... is because he refuses to let himself die until the stains of his involvement with Unit 731 are finally erased. And if it was the bit Aso stumbled on, and he learns that she thoroughly destroyed it and gave its victims back their lives as best she could... I can see him learning of it, smiling, and finally closing his eyes for the last time. And yeah, I see that most of them died before old age set in.
Harry Leferts said:
Jiromaru is still alive actually, it mentions him at the very end of the snip as someone to contact.​

He's actually still around and doing well enough, at least for a guy who's missing an eye and partly paralyzed on one side. He's still very tight lipped and doesn't like to speak about his time in the war, or what exactly Royomaru dropped him into that was so psyche-breakingly horrifying.

Unlike Tsumemaru who always tried to avoid staying in Yamainutaira if he could, Jiroumaru pretty much doesn't leave Yamainutaira unless he needs to, due to hating being thought of as a cripple by strangers, or assumed as being slightly mentally impaired due to the paralysis' effects on his speech. Mentally everything still works (mostly) fine, and the magical community in Yamainutaira recognize him and know that. Kogamaru generally lets him and his wife have run of the Main Family manor and compound while he's away, since Ryougamaru has his own house in town, somebody needs to look after the place, and Jiroumaru mostly fills his time with scholarly pursuits alongside his wife these days, for which the library is a great aid.

It occurs to me though, that those forgotten files and folders the Hokubu only really have because they are pack rats and obsessive about their clan's deeds and history, are things people in the SDF are really going to want to get copies of, once they realize the Hokubu have them. Even in their incomplete, partly destroyed, and fragmented states, those Sub-Unit 942 documents and Jiroumaru's himself, are probably some of the only easily accessible evidence, and living witness testimony to what was going on behind the scenes for the short time he was involved in the Unit 731 magical off-shoot, and the various other things Royomaru had him checking in on.

Haiku said:
Unworthy of a title. Kogamaru could be reuniter or liberator.
Harry Leferts said:
Actually... I think "Redeemer" would be better there.​

Alternately, they just give him everything, resulting in something really long, that looks more akin to a monarch's hereditary title. Maybe they'll even just call him "The Old" if he can actually mange to be the first Clan Head since Shoumaru the Little to make it past two centuries. A boring title to any other ruler, but something the Hokubu perceive as being even more impressive than anything else he racks up on the list.

9th Koshauku of the Hokubu Okami, Kogamaru the Old, Redemeer of the Northern Wolves, Liberator of Daisetsuzan, the Reuniter, Son of Tsumemaru the Peacebound, Last Scion of the Higashiyoshino Okami Bloodline, Lord of Yamainutaira, Master of Santsume Manor, Co-Founder of the Japanese Non-Human Rights Organisation, ect, etc.

Harry Leferts said:
-snip-​

*-*-*-*-*
Shriomizu: "Sempai, what's happening to meeee!!!"

Jin: "Hmm....Looks like horns. Definitely the horns coming in."

Shiromizu: "Horns?!"

Jin: "Looks like you're making the change from River Serpent to River Dragon."

Shiromizu: "I'm changing from a snake to a dragon?! Why now?"

Jin: "Well, there comes a very special time in every Mizuchi's life as they get bigger when-"

Shiromizu: "Sh-Shut up! Don't say it like that!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

A bit of a shorter one, but...
________________________________________________________________________________________________

The witch raised an eyebrow at the shipgirl in front of her, various others around them. "Okay, I got to ask, are you sure about this? I mean, really sure about this? Because to use magic for something like this..." Grimacing, she shook her head. "We could get in trouble for this."

Snorting, HMS Dragon smirked. "You know exactly why I am doing this." Clenching her fist, she hissed. "That bastard is fucking going down and I am the shipgirl to do that!"

A hand came down on her shoulder and Soryuu smiled at her friend and fellow lover of spicy food. "You mean we are the shipgirls to do that." Reaching up, she tied a bandana to her forehead and put on a stern expression. "Now cast the spell! And I hope that the rest of you are ready!"

New Mexico raised a hand and gave them all a thumbs up. "We're ready, Soryu! We're about to get down and get spicy!"

Rubbing her belly, HMS Delhi nodded. "Yeah, same here. Though I am surprised at how serious you're taking this. I mean, you would think that this place insulted you personally."

Only turning, Dragon growled in a manner more befitting the animal she was named for. "Oh, it has. See, my little brother came to this place about a month back. Of course, there is a sign there stating that if one finishes their special curry, the whole group gets to eat free. But..." As she continued her tale, the other shipgirls boggled at her before getting angrier and angrier. "So you see..."

It was then that the witch glared and shook her head. "Okay, never mind me getting in trouble. After hearing that? This asshole is going down." Raising her wand, she moved it in various motions before tapping the shipgirls on the head. "There we go, each one of you bunch now has it. They'll be able to see you, but won't be able to make the connection with who exactly you are. Now are you ready?"

With a nod, New Mexico tapped her head. "One of my crew has my cellphone recording. We're doing this properly as I know this bastard will complain no doubt if he is pulling this shit." She then gestured at the curry house. "Now let's move!"

Fist shooting into the air, Souryu yelled out into the night air. "SPICE LOVER'S BRIGADE, BANZAI!"

Several minutes later, the owner of the curry house was looking down at the pot of curry. "Almost done?" When his cook grimaced and nodded, he gave a chuckle and clapped him on the shoulder. "Then just one last ingredient." Reaching up, the owner grabbed a small, black bottle with a gold skull on it. From it, he placed a number of drops into the curry being made. "And there we go."

Once the plate of curry was set down in front of her, with a second in front of Souryuu, Dragon took a scoop and bit down on it. After chewing it, she blinked some tears and looked up at the smiling owner. "What did you put in this..."

In reply, the owner reached into his pocket and pulled out the bottle. "This."

Glaring, Dragon scowled. "You utter bastard... So the rumors are true."

All the owner did though was shrug. "Yes? I'm a business owner after all, I'm not going to give food away for free. But as the challenge says, eat it and you and your group can eat as much as you want for free."

Suddenly, he got a chill down his back as Dragon grinned and looked over at Souryuu who looked similarly vicious. "Hear that, Fluffy Dragon? All we can eat if we eat this."

Tightening her bandanna, Souryuu picked up her eating implements. "HAI! BANZAI!"

Over the next few minutes the group devoured the curry to the shock of those watching. Eyes watered, taste buds screamed in pure agony, noses expelled scalding air as they were cleared, throats felt like molten metal was poured down them. But the group continued on eating the curry. At some point, a group of Royal Marines as well as US Marines showed up to watch and cheer them on.

It was at this point that the owner started feeling like there was something going on.

Finally though, the Spice Brigade, as they called themselves, finished their meal and held up their hands while people cheered and clapped them. Unsure, the owner looked at them and coughed. "Well then, I... suppose that I will just go and get your orders?"

Huffing and puffing, Delhi wiped at her eyes with one sleeve. "Yeah, you best do that. First up is a beer tower though... for each of us."

For the rest of the night the group continued to eat and it was not until an hour later that the spell faded away and the owner realized who he was serving. By closing, there was barely anything left at all in the establishment and the shipgirls patted their stomachs before New Mexico nodded. "Thanks for the meal, we enjoyed it." With that, they left with various goodbyes into the night and gave each other high fives due to their grand mission being accomplished. No one had expected their quiet, sneaky counter attack for the strike on one of their own! And they left victorious.

Oddly, when the owner went to the local base, the commander showed him the footage of what he admitted to putting into his "Contest curry" and suddenly, there was no need for paying.

At all.

The Spice Brigade were told though not to do it a second time. But they all felt it was worth every bit. Though others did not when said shipgirls placed orders for Blair's 5AM Special Reserve. But that is another story...

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 16: Lord K

Barricade said:
"Dammit Tenryuu, that isn't funny!"

"Awww, but Harry, its awesome...."

"Tenryuu-sama, if you want to think of me as a pokemon, do remember something. I am a dragon. That means I have Hyper-Beam."

"Oh. Oh crap."

"Do not test me."​

If Shiromizu is Dragon-Water typing, I wonder what Jin would be.

Dragon-Poison? Dragon-Ghost?

The latter especially, would create some hilarious feast-or-famine weakness/resist/immunity combos.

Also the ability to make a completely troll moveset with access to Curse, Grudge, and Hex, if one just wanted to play like a pain in the ass.

Harry Leferts said:
-snip-​

*-*-*-*-
Looking down at the curry that is on offer for dinner, Jin pushes her food around her plate despondently.

"What's the matter?" askes Kiba as he takes a seat beside her. "Something wrong with the cooking?"

The mizuchi just sighs glumly. "It's fine.... it's just.... something stupid. I was just remembering this really awesome chili mom used to make."

"Why do look you so down about it then, if you say it's awesome?"

Jin slumps with resignation. "It's a dragon and reptile yokai thing. But none of the others get it."

Curious, Kiba raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Aren't you guys naturally immune to the worst of the heat from spicy-foods?"

"Exactly!" Cries out the mizuchi in despondent anguish. "Thanks to my brief stint as a human, I have tasted the pepper perfection of pleasure and pain!"

"Wat."

"How can you possibly understand chili without that crisp sharpness! That eye-watering heat! That clarity of pain! The subtleties of spicy beyond just intensity!!!"

"I don't even-"

"I FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON'D MY TASTEBUDS!!!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Jaegerkin

Inspired by songdog. Have a short snippet:

Excerpt From the newspaper verdens gang,
Translated.

ABYSSAL RAID:

Yesterday, abyssal forces launched a raid up the Oslo fjord.

They were first detected as they attacked the decommissioned naval base at Melsomvik at dawn.

Razing the former main anchorage point of the Norwegian navy with sustained shelling, before making their way further north towards Oslo.

Air raid sirens were sounded along the coast, as evacuation was begun, and the home guard was mobilized.

As the abyssal forces were passing Drøbak, they were taken under fire from the coastal fortress of Oscarsborg, as the old 28cm guns and the underwater torpedo battery opened up on them.

Witnesses describe how the cannons held a blistering rate of fire even as the fortress was ground down by sustained bombardment by the invaders. They also tell of how once the attack was underway. The air raid siren fell quiet, and the fortress loud hailers began playing the national anthem.

Search and rescue crews are picking over the ruins of the fortress as we write this, and our reporter on the scene relates to us how the only part of the fortress still standing relatively unscathed is the mustering ground loud hailer still playing "ja vi elsker" on repeat.

So far no survivors have been recovered.

The abyssal raiders then proceeded to make landing in Oslo, where they were met with fierce resistance from the home guard and Air Force.

Both the central train station and opera house, as well as numerous other buildings were heavily damaged in the fighting before the abyssals withdrew from the battle.

And the outer walls of akershus fortress received light shelling, but no significant damage was inflicted

——

Melsomvik was until the Second World War the anchorage of the Norwegian navy, and many of the old buildings still stand.
Poor abyssal princess had some rather outdated information when she started her attack there

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Alright, I promised a snippet, and here it is. Since it is far away from anyone's areas of interest, I'm assuming I won't tread on any toes. This is happening right around the time shipgirls are first turning up, roughly eight months after the Blood Week. If I did manage to upset any plans, just tell me, and I'll make the necessary changes.

***

Warspite's head shot up at her sister's exclamation of "They did what!?".

Eyebrows rising, she looked up from where she was working on some reports to her sister's desk, where the first ship of the Queen Elizabeth class was looking through the reports from the Mediterranean front in preparation for her return. She got up and quickly walked to her sister when Queen Elizabeth started laughing, ignoring the small stab of pain as the old battleship's laugh became slightly manic.

On top of the stack of reports, was one that came from the Turkish Navy Northern Sea Area Command, through NATO. It was titled "The Action of March 18th, the Abyssal Attempt to Force the Dardanelles".

Warspite was starting to consider drastic action when her sister calmed down, taking a few deep breaths. Upon the questioning and worried look of her younger sister, Queen Elizabeth chuckled again. "You weren't there, Warspite, but you surely remember. It was just ten days after your commissioning. They sent me there straight from my working up, along with a lot of older ships. It was, well..." She leaned back. "Turks have a saying. 'Dardanelles is impassable'. That is not a boast. That is a simple fact. We learned that very well. It seems Abyssals needed that lesson too."

---

They were coming.

Frigates and corvettes of the Southern Sea Area Command died protecting the Mediterranean coast. Rushing to their defense, their sisters of the Northern Sea Area Command fought a running battle among the many islands of the Aegean to cover the cities on the coast, alongside the Greek Navy. Now the Greek Navy was licking its wounds in Piraeus. The cities on the Anatolian coast were either evacuated, or secured as much as possible, with the grounded wreck of TCG Barbaros glaring across the water at the mouth of Izmir Bay, her hull torn to shreds but her gun and missile launchers intact.

However, the Sirens, it seems, were after a grander prize. They bypassed the large islands and coastal cities as they drew north. When beautiful Gökçeada and tiny Bozcaada fell silent, alongside Greek islands of Samothrace and Limnos, everyone knew what was coming.

The Sirens were coming for the Dardanelles. They were going to force the straits, try to do what the British and French fleets couldn't back in 1915, and then strike at the City of World's Desire. Istanbul was going to burn.

Turkish Army stationed every single gun, rocket and missile battery on the former sites of the Seddulbahir and Kumkale forts at the mouth of the strait. Behind them, more than 100 thousand people calling the city of Çanakkale and the surrounding towns were waiting anxiously. Airfields around the Marmara prepared whatever aircraft the battered Turkish Air Force had left.

On February 25th, the Abyssals finally appeared at the mouth of the straits. A Battleship Princess, leading a mixed force of battleships, heavy and light cruisers, screened by a force of destroyers, drew close to the two forts. Abyssal ships opened fire at 30 kilometers, firing as they come. At first, there was no response from the Turkish side.

As the range closed to 10 kilometers, the shells started hitting close to the old fort's carcass. At that moment, every piece of artillery that could be spared opened up. Mostly army howitzers and self propelled guns, they are not the right choice for anti-shipping work. They were aided by salvos of guided and unguided rockets fired by the MLRS batteries stationed on the hills. Abyssals seemed staggered at first, yet the gunfire offered by the Turkish artillery, while fierce, was not the right kind to really draw blood. Cruisers and destroyers pulled back, while the eight battleships and the Princess leading them moved forward. Soon, massive shells the hills around Dardanelles did not see since 1915 started falling among the defenders. Abyssals, scarred, bloodied and in flames, slowly and methodically went through the entire force of defenders.

As the sun set over the smoking battlefield, Abyssals had lost a light cruiser and two destroyers hit early on, and got badly bloodied by the fierce fire of the Turkish artillery. However, the combined artillery strength of the First Army and the Aegean Army of the Turkish Armed Forces has been wiped out almost to a man. As the ragged survivors pulled back, they knew they have traded their lives for some more time, some more time to prepare further defenses, to evacuate people. But they also knew that the Abyssals would be back.

They had indeed bloodied the Abyssal fleet, because the monstrous ships did not appear again for almost three weeks. Over those three weeks, settlements on both sides of the strait were evacuated inland, and whatever additional guns that can be scrounged from the depleted stores, including tanks and armored fighting vehicles, were brought in and camouflaged along the shores of the strait, among the houses and scrub covered hills. It was a paltry force, compared to the orchestra of guns that greeted the fleet of monsters on the first day.

On the night of March 17th, the sentries manning the posts along the coast of the southern curve of the strait, known as "Karanlık Liman", swore they heard a song over the waves. Nobody could discern the melody, but it felt familiar to every single man on that coast that night.

However, there was nobody on the evacuated waterfront in the city of Çanakkale to see a little girl step off the pier and onto the water, with a large, heavy sack seemingly filled with spherical objects slung over her shoulder. She hummed softly as she moved across the waves, heading down the strait, every single light on her minimal rigging extinguished. And she did not notice two pairs of eyes follow her progress on the water, one belonging to another young girl, with a fierce scowl on her face, the other belonging to an older looking woman with black hair and old looking eyes, dressed in a long, flowing dress.

On the next morning, the soldiers manning the posts woke up to the expected nightmare. Eight battleships, in two lines, were moving towards the entrance to the straits, with a line of four heavy cruisers following. As the first ship on the port side of the first line, the Battleship Princess had a smug look on her face. Her fleet was followed by a swarm of destroyers and light cruisers, that seemed hesitant to follow the larger hulls into the storm of fire that they faced just three weeks ago. It seemed that the day would belong to the heavies. Battleship Princess had reason to be confident. She had ships more modern and powerful than the ones that forced the straits on that day almost a hundred years ago. She herself almost represented more firepower than that collected fleet. And her fleet of Ru and Ta class battleships mirrored her. And the fortifications that lined the strait on that day were absent on this day. All she had to fear was some ineffectual fire from defenders that had nothing left to lose. As her forces moved through the strait, she held her fire, waiting for her entire fleet to enter the straits and take up positions for maximum effect.

As her forces reached the village of Güzelyalı, almost three fourths of the distance between the mouth of the strait and the first narrows at Cape Kepez, she raised her hand. The guns of her battleships turned towards the coasts as her gunners prepared to fire.

But the first shot did not come from the guns of her children. On top the hill at Cape Kepez, the ruins of the old fort of Dardanos , briefly, flickered. Behind the defenders on her shores, the old fortification turned from a ruin into a fully functional battery, with five 15cm naval guns. The shadows around the guns wavered for one moment, then one of the shapes nodded. And the five guns of the old fort spat fire.

The report of the Dardanos startled the Battleship Princess. She did not expect heavy artillery at this junction. She shook her head as she saw the splashes, however. Those did not look like guns that could hurt her, nor her demons. She ordered one of the Ta-class battleships to turn her attention to the fort, while her demons started opening fire on the coasts.

Her confident march down the strait faltered when another gun opened up further down the strait. 27cm guns of German Krupp make in the Rumeli Mecidiye battery were not lightweights she so far faced, proving their mettle when one shell speared through the number one turret of the Ta on her starboard side. The fast battleship, less armored than her Ru-class compatriots on the outer edges of the formation, doubled over in pain as her arm shattered along with her turret. A moment later, two more heavy naval guns joined in the fray from the Rumeli Hamidiye and Namazgah batteries, focusing on the wounded battleship. Meanwhile, the coasts of the strait came alive with gun flashes, and fire poured on the invaders.

The colonel in command of the ragtag bunch of guns scraped together for the defense looked up at the Dardanos fort, five guns spitting fire, with undisguised awe. He closed his eyes, and opened them, but the fantastical sight was still there – the old forts were no longer bare ruins, studded with commemorative plates and rusted cannons. They were fully operational, with oiled black barrels unleashing a torrent of fire on the demons. He turned to his soldiers, who were just as awestruck. "God is with us today, my sons. And he has sent his angels to put their hands on our shoulders. Back to your guns. It would not do for us to sit idle while our forefathers fought. Gazanız mübarek olsun."

In the middle of the strait, Battleship Princess was starting to feel the first pangs of uncertainty. The first Ta to get hit just disintegrated when the 27cm guns of the Rumeli Mecidiye brought her under concentrated fire. Those guns shouldn't have been there! And even if they were, they shouldn't have been tearing through the armor of her battleships like they were tissue paper.

Then her rangefinders locked onto a figure a few kilometers away, a black haired woman standing on top of the castle that gave the city of Çanakkale its name. The woman's face was in a resolute frown, her arms crossed over her chest. Those eyes gave her a momentary feeling of dread, but the Battleship Princess snarled. She was a Princess of the Abyss! She owned these shores! She would not be denied. She ordered her demons to close to the coasts, just as one of the heavy cruisers behind her rolled over under the attentions of the Dardanos battery. Close in, direct fire, she was going to annihilate the bastards! Her first line surged ahead, as she started to put on speed to come closer to the forts behind Cape Kepez and tangle with them directly.

A young girl, looking barely elementary school age, watching from the battlements below the black haired woman, smiled when she saw the Abyssals move.

Then ships started to explode.

The Princess snarled in rage, her beastial rigging adding its roar to her anger. Mines? There wasn't supposed to be any mines! This was one of the lifeblood straits of the world. Her submarines and floatplanes had checked just the day before! There shouldn't have been any mines in this strait!

But reality – and one tiny minelayer girl dressed in black pants and a black shirt – denied her. It seemed the only safe place from the mines was the absolute center line of the strait, which was the killing ground of the guns. As the panicking Abyssals turned, mines burst from under their feet, holing their hulls and breaking their keels. Raging fires soon covered the strait with smoke, hiding the Abyssal fleet from the fury of the guns. However, mines continued their bloody harvest, the main minefields across the strait at Kepez taking down the front line that pushed ahead.

A few minutes later, the guns of the strait fell silent. They could not see any more targets to shoot at in the smoke, and no gunfire came from the haze covering the waters either. However, just as the colonel reached to his radio to call in a recon flight, a shape burst out of the smoke clouds right at Cape Kepez. The Princess, bleeding from a thousand cuts, one leg almost blown off by a mine, face twisted and bloody eyes wide with unthinking rage, surged ahead.

She would not be denied! She owned these coasts. This was her triumph, her day! And if she were to die, she was going to die with her teeth in the throat of that bitch!

But she suddenly stopped. Because right at the narrowest point of the strait, between the forts of Çimenlik and Kilitbahir, stood a lone girl. A tiny girl child, with a cheerful looking face and green eyes, her brown hair tied back in a single braid down her back. She stood with a posture of uncaring relaxation, looking up to the Princess towering over her with an irrepressible grin.

"Password?"

The Princess, halfway through raising her hand to smack the child aside, stopped in puzzlement. "Password?"

Then she blew up as three German made torpedoes hit her.

***

No, Dardanelles did not manifest fully. She just... encouraged her old fortifications to do their duty once more.

As for the other two... well, I think you can find out who they are without much fuss

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Poking his head into the kitchen, Haku raised an eyebrow as Kiyohime was wrapping up another item. Slowly, he snuck up beside her before putting his arms around her waist and making her jump some. "Still busy at work, I see?"

Flustered at both his actions and being caught, Kiyohime pouted a bit as she looked over her shoulder at him. The glare she gave her boyfriend slid right off him unfortunately and he just smirked which made her pout. "Hai, I'm just finishing putting away what I've made so far." Chewing her lip, Kiyohime shifted a bit as she looked down at the large basket. "I'm just..."

Gently squeezing her waist, Haku smiled slightly when he felt her lean more into him. "Relax, Kiyohime. You're going to do just fine at the market, I know it."

Closing her eyes, Kiyohime took more then a little comfort in the arms wrapped around her and the warm body pressed into her back. The two of them had become only closer since that night after the Yokai attacks. At least part of it being due to waking up in the same bed, though clothed in the same items that they had been wearing before they knocked out from sheer exhaustion. Neither has slept in the same bed since then, but they had talked about it and Kiyohime was sure that soon they might do so again.

Not that she minded the thought in the slightest.

After a few moments of just enjoying the embrace, she opened her eyes and turned her head to look into his eyes with her own golden ones. "You really think so, Haku-Kun? That I'll do fine?"

Reaching up with one hand, Haku brushed some hair away from her face before leaning down and giving her a kiss at the base of one of her horns. Something that never failed to provoke a smile and shudder from her. Both because it did feel nice to her and also because it showed he accepted her despite what she had become so long ago. "I'm sure, Kiyohime." Still holding her, he considered the basket. "Never knew that they had cheese back then though."

Head tilted to the side, Kiyohime shrugged. "I... don't know if So could be considered cheese? But it was something that we made then that the Imperial Court would eat. They used to come and gather it for taxes from the village and I learned how to make it as my Otou-San considered it of importance. Daigo was another item we made from milk..." Frowning, she furrowed her eyebrows and huffed. "It did take some time for me to figure out how to make it in this day and age."

Eyebrow raised, Haku looked down at her and shook his head. "I remember when I brought back some of what they said is So from Nara. The look on your face..."

Pouting again, his girlfriend gave a huff. "They call it that, but... it is not the same. They're missing something from however they made it while this is closer."

Now looking down at the basket, Haku considered the question before humming. "Maybe your village just made it a different way? When I looked it up I know that various towns in Europe and such have different cheeses even though they are called the same name. Or something like that..." He then shook his head. "Not that you just have one kind here."

Kiyohime gave a shrug at that. "We sometimes took the cheese we made and... changed it to different kinds." Frowning in thought, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Not sure why Akira-San gave me such an odd look when I gave her some and explained how I knew how to make it. And she was muttering about money makers afterwards for some reason..."

Even though he had an idea as to why the female Tanuki had reacted like that, Haku kept his peace. Part of him did wonder how the government would react to someone who actually knew how to make an authentic form of Japanese cheese, or cheeses as the case would be. Granted, he did not want her to be selling all of it, though he was thankful that the "Raku" she made, which was some sort of yoghurt, was kept here. It was something that Haku found himself enjoying. Shaking off those thoughts, he gave her hand a pat. "We should get a move on if we're to meet Akira-San anyways. She is taking us to market so that you can sell what you've made."

Lightly blushing as she was brought out of her own thoughts, Kiyohime gave him a small nod. "Hai, that is true enough." Placing the cloth over the cheeses she had made, Kiyohime closed the basket and picked it up easily. Before she moved too far though, she turned and gave Haku a soft kiss which lasted for a minute. When Kiyohime finally pulled away, she had a pleased flush on her cheeks from the dazed expression on Haku's face. "Thank you, Haku-Kun."

As she walked towards the front door, Haku finally snapped out of it. "Um, you're very welcome, Kiyohime." Watching as she gave him a smile, the young man smiled back though his eyes kept trailing to the jeans she wore. 'Thank whatever Kami is listening that one of the local second hand clothing stores is Yokai owned. And to whoever invented jeans.'

Unknown to him, Kiyohime knew exactly where his eyes were going and she had a twinkle in her eyes. After all, there was a reason why she bought said jeans after all. Another part of her was thankful for such things in the modern day. "Come on, Haku-Kun, you can stare at my legs another time."

Blushing at being caught, Haku hurried over and grabbed the backpack that was beside the door as well as the large basket he knew contained various jars filled with herbs and the like. "I-it's not..." At her raised eyebrow, he sighed and then shook his head. "Okay, I was staring at your legs. But can you really blame me?"

Softly giggling, Kiyohime grinned despite the small blush. "Well, I'm not sure about that. But perhaps I should instead start wearing shorts..." Her giggles only increased as Haku had a stunned look on his face. Not that Kiyohime really minded so much even though it was still a bit odd considering things back when she was human. "Now come on, I think that Akira-San is waiting outside."

Only nodding even as he kept one eye on his girlfriend, Haku only nodded. "Uh, right then." Quickly walking outside, the two were met by the sight of Akira inside of her car waving. "Good morning, Akira-San."

A small smile on her face, the tanuki gave a nod. "Good morning, Haku-San, Kiyohime-San. Do you have everything for the market?" When they gave their confirmations, she popped the back car door open and watched as the two placed their items into the boot of the car. When they got into the backseat though so they could sit beside each other, Akira had hold back a coo. 'Ah, young love.'

Not knowing what was going through the driver's head, Haku buckled himself in and then helped Kiyohime do the same. Once that was done, the car began to leave and he looked up at the front. "Akira-San? How long until we reach the market?"

Humming, Akira considered the question for several seconds. "Hmm... it won't be too long. The market is located in an old, abandoned hotel on the coast. And it's not too far from here to be honest, just a short drive."

Blinking, Kiyohime tilted her head to the side. "A coastal hotel? Wouldn't the Abyssals be an issue then? I mean... they wouldn't ignore people there..."

Haku placed one arm around Kiyohime and gave him a smile which she returned. "Not that we should be worried. After all, you can kill any Abyssal that bothers us."

Lightly blushing, though pleased, Kiyohime gave him a look. "Haku-Kun!" Looking away, she smiled some as she shook her head. "Still..."

Chuckling, Akira grinned at the two before tapping a finger on the steering wheel. "As a matter of fact, the hotel was abandoned before Blood Week. It is also just one of the places where we hold the markets each week, though we have some help." Glancing at the mirror, she smiled. "We know a number of wizards and witches who help out. They put up spells that normally cause those who are non-magical to suddenly find a reason that they need to turn around. Which is also why we only do it that often. There's a school up in the mountains which is where the other market happens every other week and we just switch between the two."

Eyebrows furrowing, Kiyohime nodded some. "I remember you mentioning that. And... you also stated that the hotel still has power for some reason."

With a hum, Akira gave a nod. "It does, which means that the air conditioning still works and so do the lights and such. Mostly though we use it because it helps with perishable food and items needed to be kept cold as we can plug in fridges and such. I know that one Kitsune has a shaved ice maker there as well." Looking in the mirror, she smiled. "We do pay for the electricity through a small fund..."

Roughly in an hour, the car pulled up into a parking lot and Haku felt the spells against his skin. But at the same time, the necklace he was given warmed a bit which made them ineffective in regards to him. "We're here?"

Just glancing out the window, Akira gave a nod. "We're here." Turning off the ignition, she got out of her seat with a sigh. "Welcome to the Wakayama Yokai Market, Haku-San, Kiyohime-San." She gave a small nod and smile to Kiyohime. "You can leave your hoodie in the car, dear."

Pulling off said hoodie, Kiyohime placed the hoodie into the backseat as she pretended not to see Haku give her a look over. Once more, she was rather glad that she bought some modern clothing, second hand it may have been. Within less then a minute, the two had their items and were walking up to the front of the hotel with the overgrown lawn and garden around them. Looking at the parking lot which had a number of vans and the like, Haku shook his head. "I'm still surprised that no one sees that."

Lips curling upwards, Akira chuckled before giving him a wink as she let her disguise fall enough for her ears and tail to appear. "Magic, my friend."

Then they were inside and they stopped at the sight of all the various Yokai out of their disguises. Here and there though there were normal humans though some dressed in robes or Yukatas. Moving to the front desk, they met a woman there with a laptop who gave them a smile. "Hello Akira-San..." Her eyes widened slightly at Kiyohime who blinked back. "Ah, I have your stand right here as a matter of fact. It's just-"

Before she got much further, Haku handed over some money. "Um, here's the seller's fee."

Only taking it, the woman gave a small bow. "Thank you, I hope that you enjoy the day here at the Wakayama Yokai Market. Also, Kiyohime-Sama, thank you. My Otouto was in Hidakagawa during one of the attacks and you saved his life."

As she bowed, the flustered Kiyohime bowed back. "U-um, you're welcome?"

Grasping Haku's hand, she pulled him along. As they were passing where the hotel bar was though, the teenaged boy stopped and stared. "What the..."

Eyebrow raising, Akira looked at him with a frown. "Is something wrong?"

Rapidly blinking, Haku looked at the bar again and shook his head. "Um, right there at the bar? Recognize him?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, the tanuki shared a look with a similarly confused Kiyohime before replying. "Who is at the bar? You mean Hiroka-San? He is a rather nice Sarugami, Haku-San, and a master brewer. He's been making beer since the Meiji Restoration, so it is quite good..." A glimmer of amusement entered her eyes. "Though you are somewhat too young for drinking at the moment."

Blushing, the teenaged boy shook his head. "Um, I didn't mean him though that does explain some things. I was talking about the guy at the bar drinking beer, the one with the glasses." As one, the other two noticed who he was talking about. "That's ZUN there, the guy who makes the Touhou games!"

Now knowing who he was talking about, Akira gave a chuckle. "Yes, he often does show up at Yokai markets and such which have bars. He rather does like our brews it seems and was introduced to them some time ago, though no one bothers him." Gently, she placed a hand on both Haku's and Kiyohime's shoulders. "Now then, we should be going, perhaps later you can talk with him as I am sure you have at least one thing in common..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking over to the couch, Haku slumped down onto it before turning towards Kiyohime who made a note after rolling up some bills. "So how well did we do today, Kiyohime?"

Just humming, she placed the money into a small lockbox and then closed it. Securing it, Kiyohime gave Haku a small smile before looking back at the notepad. "Give me just one moment, Haku-Kun." As he nodded, she furrowed her eyebrows and began to do the math. Finally, a number was written down and the demoness slid it over. "I think that this is correct."

Now looking down himself, Haku eventually nodded and chuckled. "We didn't do too badly for ourselves I guess. I mean, I'll have to declare this for tax purposes of sorts, but still." Lips curling, he shook his head. "When combined with how our food costs have gone down, we're well in the black. And it's all thanks to you, Kiyohime."

Blushing, Kiyohime looked down at the floor. "I have not done that much, Haku-Kun."

At the feel of the teenaged boy's arms around her, she turned and looked at him giving her a serious expression. "Kiyohime, I'm being serious right now. Who is it that once a week heads out to sea to go and bring in fish? You. Who has been taking care of our garden here? You. Who has been taking care of the quail we have and making sure that they're well taken care of? Once more, that would be you." Reaching over, Haku grasped her chin before gently kissing his girlfriend's lips. When he pulled back, he had a small smile. "You work so hard every day to make sure that we have enough, even with the money that my parents send me. Meanwhile, I'm just studying and stuff while you work your butt off."

For several moments, Kiyohime looked at him before she pushed him. With a blink, Haku found himself on his back with his girlfriend on top of him with her body held up by her hands on either side of his own. "Haku-Kun, you baka. I work hard like that because I want to. Because... because I want us to have a good life together and for that, I handle the work so that you can go to school and have an education. Something..."

Reaching up, Haku cupped her cheek and rubbed one thumb under her eye. "Something that you never got the chance for and were denied."

Eyes closing, Kiyohime stayed like that for almost a minute before opening them once more. "Hai, that is true. But I don't mind that, Haku-Kun. While back in my day, both of us would be working... I like how things are now. I want you to succeed, so I bring in what food and help make sure that we do not go without."

Softly smiling, Haku leaned up and kissed her. "I know that, Kiyohime, and believe me when I say that I'm thankful for that. But I only got one more year of high school left and then it's off to university, though I'm trying to see if I cannot get some correspondence courses."

That made Kiyohime blink in confusion as she looked down at him. "Correspondence courses? Why?"

Raising one eyebrow, Haku shook his head. "Because the sort of courses I want means that I would need to go to a university outside of Wakayama Prefecture. Which means leaving this house for who knows how long? But... If I was to get the correspondence courses? Then I'll be able to do it from here. Do you remember what I told you way back when I was just ten? When I found you out in the backyard?"

Kiyohime frowned as she thought back to that night. It was shortly after she had awakened in this strange, new world she found herself in. One so different from the Japan that she had known that she might as well have been in another country. That night, Kiyohime had spoken to the ten year old boy, who even then she had cared for. A ten year old who was, in some ways, the only one who had cared for her. During that talk, she had mentioned something...

A gasp tore from Kiyohime's throat as she remembered. "You told me that you would never leave me. That... that you would always be here and by my side."

Gently rubbing her cheek, Haku nodded. "Hai, and that is even more true now that we're together, Kiyohime. I won't leave you, not for nothing in this world. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. If I was to leave Hidakagawa, chances are that I would not be able to find a place for both of us which means that you would need to stay here. And I refuse to leave you alone for even a few months. This just gives us a way for us to stay together."

Moments later, he had the wind knocked out of him as Kiyohime dropped and buried her face in his chest. "You baka. Making promises like that and keeping them."

Lips twitching, Haku gave a chuckle. "Maybe I am a baka, but I'm your baka." That got him a snort and nod from her. Leaning down, the almost eighteen year old kissed her where one of her horns met skin as he stroked Kiyohime's long, silver hair. "But I did mean that back then when we were just friends. And now that we're more? That's even more true." Leaning back his head, Haku tried to ignore the feeling of Kiyohime on top of him. Kiyohime meanwhile had her eyes closed as she laid there and heard Haku's heart beat inside of his chest. It was then that Haku softly whispered to her the words that always made her tear up a bit. "I love you, Kiyohime, and I am never going to leave you."

Sniffling, Kiyohime looked up at him into his eyes which met her own golden own. "And I love you, Haku-Kun." With a small shift, she pushed up and kissed him again but this time Haku wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her close as the two deepened the kiss. Eventually, they pulled back with blushes on their faces. "I love you so much, Haku-Kun. Thank you to whoever allowed me to meet you."

His hands on the curve of her hip, Haku gave a low chuckle. "I say the same thing every day." Grabbing her leg, Haku shifted so that the two were still facing each other on their sides with his girlfriend giving a small squeak. Due to the amount of room available on the old couch, the two were pressed up against each other and the teen could feel the amount of heat that Kiyohime was giving off. It was odd, but for some reason it never harmed him no matter how hot it got. She could be on fire, and holding him, and yet Haku would be perfectly fine with the flames not harming him at all. "Though I do consider myself lucky to have you."

Burying her face in his chest with Haku's chin on the top of her head, Kiyohime chuckled. "And I'm truly lucky to even know you." His hand still on her leg, something that often happened, Kiyohime wrapped her arms around his neck before resuming one of the aspects she loved about their relationship, mainly kissing and enjoying being embraced. Sighing as they broke off, she hummed a bit and laid her head against his chest. "Hmm, you know Haku-Kun, I'm not the only one who is bringing in some money. The books of yours were also selling well."

With a blink, Haku had an odd look on his face before sighing. "Maybe. But that ties back into you as well, Kiyohime. I mean, all I did was write down various stories that you were told into the books. The most I did was write them in a way that people would understand and go to the local book printing shop."

Just snorting, Kiyohime smiled some and shook her head. "You did a lot more then that, Haku-Kun. But we sold about a dozen of those and everyone that bought one seemed to enjoy it..." Glancing at the computer desk in the room, she tilted her head. "Maybe you should print the story that you've been working on?"

That caused Haku to blush some as he remembered what story she was talking about. In fact, there was two different stories that he had been working on since he was fifteen and had taken a literature class and joined a club about it. The first one could be considered "Historical fiction" about the daily life of a village boy during the Heian Period. It involved various adventures and such he had with Yokai around his village and in particular a nearby river dragon.

When she had read it a few weeks back, Kiyohime had smiled and kissed him as she understood what was unsaid.

However, the other such story was set in the modern day and was the older of the two. It was based a lot on his own experiences with Kiyohime once she woke up and was mainly about a young boy meeting a young girl somehow flung out of her time of Ancient Japan and into the modern era. And the two going through life as her old life clashed with the new while the boy was there the whole time. Various misadventures and the like while the two bonded and became true friends. Kiyohime had enjoyed reading said stories once she had learned enough to do so and asked him if he was going to publish them. His reply then was the same as it was now. "I'm pretty sure that no one would want to read something like what I wrote."

Yet again, Kiyohime snorted with some smoke drifting out of her nostrils. "Haku-Kun, consider the stories that you wrote and sold at the market today. You didn't think that they would sell and yet they did, really well at that."
Glancing at the computer, Haku considered her words before sighing. "Well, that is true, but this is a bit different. I mean, I would love if I could sell them as it is. But... I can't really support us on what I write, or I'm pretty sure that I can't."

Just rolling her eyes, Kiyohime shook her head. "And I am sure that you could. Even when I was a young girl, storytellers were well thought of. Now in the modern day? From what I can tell they are even more so." Careful of her horns, she leaned her forehead against his as she looked into his eyes. "You told me once, Haku-Kun. When you were younger that you wanted to become a writer. I... do not have much experience in such things, but you do seem to be a good writer. And I am sure that you would do well as well. Even if I am unable to be your wife due to how things are now, I will support you as if it was true."

With a sigh, Haku closed his eyes and pulled her close. He did love writing and it was something that he did often, usually short stories that were based on things that Kiyohime told him about. Stuff that no one else seemed to know in the modern day which he enjoyed listening to as she went about her business. But Haku also never told her one of the reasons why he wanted to become a writer.

His parents.

Thanks with how they were always away and left most of his being raised to his grandmother, he had grown distant from them. At the same time, Haku also made a promise to himself before meeting Kiyohime. If he ever got married and had children, he would not be his parents. He would raise his children himself with his wife, or do the very best that he could. Even after Kiyohime appeared and he found himself thinking of her, and more recently that they became boyfriend and girlfriend, Haku had silently promised himself that again. With that in mind, Haku opened his eyes and looked down at her before tilting his head and kissing her brow. "I'll think about it. Now... how about we just enjoy the evening?"

A smile on her face, Kiyohime pulled him close and giggled. "I don't mind that and I think that is a very good idea, Haku-Kun..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord Khuzdul

Hmm... a little bit of a continuation. These two might be considered the first two shipgirls of the Turkish fleet, I suppose.

---

"You just have to pull that, didn't you? Seriously, 'Password'?" The little girl in black said as she pulled her compatriot off the water at the end of the pier.

The other girl laughed. "Well, when you have a gimmick, you use that gimmick." She groaned. "And now I'm hungry. And there is nothing to eat around here."

The black-clad girl shook her head. "So am I. But well, that might be solved soon." She pointed at the street along the waterfront. An army truck was driving down the street like hell's hounds were following it.

The truck soon pulled in front of the two girls, who by then settled on a park bench. A colonel hopped off the cabin, with the driver coming out of the other side and a few soldiers hopping off the back. The colonel quickly approached the girls, and after examining them for a moment, saluted.

"Thank you for coming back. You are Muavenet-i Milliye, right?" He said to the first girl. The destroyer named smiled and nodded. He then turned to the other. "And you are?"

The girl calmly pointed behind herself, at the replica museum ship. The colonel straigtened and nodded. "Nusret. It is an honor, ma'am."

Nusret smiled at the man and the soldiers behind him, who were watching the two with awe. "Thank you. But..." her stomach growled. "We didn't have anything to eat... do you have any food around here?"

The colonel hesitated for a moment, then looked around. "Sergeant, there should be a cafe or supermarket around here. I think some breaking and entering would not be a problem in these circumstances. Go and find us a working kitchen, while I call in some support." He said.

Ten minutes later, thanks to a resourceful sergeant and a couple of skillful soldiers, a nearby cafe and supermarket were broken into, and still working freezers and canned food in the supermarkets were raided. As a few of the soldiers started preparing the staple quick and dirty dish of every bachelor's kitchen in Turkey, the ever-reliable menemen, others dumped armloads of snack foods raided from nearby supermarkets. As the two newly summoned shipgirls started to gorge themselves, the colonel sat across from them. "You saved us, and Istanbul, back there. But the forts... do you know how the forts came back? The moment that Siren died, the forts got back to their ruined state."

Nusret swallowed the chocolate bar she shoved in her mouth and answered. "Well, she doesn't like when someone tries to force the issue."

"She?"

The minelayer pointed across the street, towards the waters of the strait. "She."

The colonel looked at the sea without comprehension for a moment, then blinked. "She... as in the strait?"

Nusret nodded. "Yep. 'Çanakkale geçilmez'. Simple as that."

Her tone, not full of conviction, but like stating a simple fact of life, like how sky was blue, got the old colonel chuckling. "Of course. You can't get past the Dardanelles. Why did we ever doubt that." He leaned back and looked at the two girls, and past them to the old forts lining the strait. Legends were coming back just like that. What a time to be alive.

 

[darthcourt10]

It_Agn02

Rocking in his chair and looking over the assignment file, Joseph Harlen looked at the man lighting up a cigarette in the office. Internally, he thanked the numerous and highly effective ventilation spells in the complex. "Boss, you sure the rookie is gonna be okay? It's his first solo assignment. And well…it's Pearl we're talking about here. That hothead is gonna get himself killed."

Taking a puff of his cigarette, which the ventilation spell sucked up right away, the man turned to Harlen with one hand in his pocket. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's fine. The god and goddess duo over there aren't the type to snuff a man out. It's not in their nature. Odds are, they would get to him before the military does."

Hearing the familiar whoosh of an apparition in the corridor, the two looked at the ajar door, where a man with a black eye and missing teeth subsequently collapsed into the room.

"Welcome back, Gregorios. Did you enjoy you little Hawaiian vacation?" the boss mused as he looked at the man lying on the floor.

"Fucking…brown-skinned…inhuman…bitch…" Gregorios groaned. "She broke all my fucking limbs!"

The boss shrugged. "Well that's what you get for messing with one of the protective deities of Pearl Harbor, you idiot!" Putting out his cigarette in the ashtray, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the rookie Auror. Lifting the rookie up to eye level with a levitation spell, the man glared at his subordinate. "I thought I told you to do your damn research before you bolt off!"

"It…It was just a manananggal, sir…"

"A mananangnal, yes. But it was in Hawaii. There's a reason us Aurors stay damn well away from there!"

"But…but sir…we must uphold the Statute…"

"That was not your assignment! Your assignment was to get the corpse of that manananggal and properly dispose of it before the military turns it over to civilian authorities! Uphold the Statute, yes, but what is going on in Hawaii also falls within jurisdiction of the Pacific Flame Ring and the Polynesian Sorcerer's Alliance as well! What's more, there are so many gods on that one archipelago that practice the old ways, you could have been killed! Imagine if it was a Nightmarcher! If you so much as look at them, they will kill you where you stand, no exceptions! The last thing we need is an Auror that becomes a Nightmarcher! You're only lucky the god or goddess you encountered was not the killing type!"

"That…that bitch was an actual goddess?"

"YES. EXACTLY. Do you have any idea what kind of a clusterfuck in the magical community that Hawaii even is?!"

"I…I…"

"Picture, if you will, numerous local Hawaiian and Polynesian monsters, creatures, and the like. Then, throw in almost all the mythical creatures and wizards of Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and China into the mix as well! If you think Japan was bad, you haven't seen Hawaii behind the scenes! The only reason why it hasn't descended into chaos was that local wizards had more brains in their head than you do!

Moreover, Hawaii is the northernmost point in the Polynesian Triangle, meaning the Polynesian Sorcerer's Alliance has stakes in the island chain. Then there's the Pacific Flame Ring, an international magical association consisting of all magical communities within the Pacific. ALL OF THEM. Do you want our organization to start an underground war here, rookie? That place is a political landmine!

Even more, the wizards on the island are promoting the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement specifically because of hotheads like you! If they are successful, we could lose any and all influence in the islands as a whole, which leaves the Native Hawaiian wizards able to break the Statute with no consequences! That. Cannot. Be. Allowed. Do you understand that?!"

Hastily, the levitating man nodded.

Disappointed, the boss signaled to Harlen, who immediately stood up and pointed his own wand at the doorway. From the open doorway, the space seemed to distort as a hospital gurney was wheeled in and placed behind the man with broken limbs.

With a scoff, the boss released Gregorios from the levitation spell and let him gently fall to a groaning heap on the gurney. "Harlen, get the rookie to medical. I'll make the report."

"Y-yes, sir."



Turning around, Bowfin spotted Tsushima Maru holding the hand of the young kitsune girl, ears and tail now hidden from view. "Ah, Tsushima Maru. Everything okay with your little friend?"

The kitsune girl nodded. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken."

Bowfin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. We'll arrange for a ride to take you home."

The kitsune girl nodded, then ran up to Bowfin to give her a warm hug. "Thanks Bowfin. That manananggal was super scary."

Hesitantly, Bowfin returned the embrace. "Hey, it's my job to protect you kids from scary things."

The girl nodded, letting go of the submarine. "Yeah, but you can be super scary too."

Blushing, Bowfin looked away in embarrassment. "P-Please don't remind me of that…I'm sorry I pointed my gun at you."

"It's okay. You killed the manananggal with it, so I'm happy."

As the group approached the sidewalk, a Navy Security Forces car pulls up alongside them, with a red-haired woman getting out of the car. "Hey all, the ride's here."

"…Wow, that was fast," Bowfin commented.

"I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't escort the girl home, now would I? Now come on, I contacted your parents already and they're worried sick."

Nodding, the kitsune opened the car door and waved at the two ship girls that helped her. "Bye! Thanks for everything!"

Tsushima Maru waved both hands in the air while the car sped off, Bowfin waving gently with one hand as well.


A/N: Yes, the shark goddess Ka'ahupahau is incognito in the USN as a Master-at-Arms (Navy Security Forces). Her brother Kahi'uka is the one in the Coast Guard. Either way, both of them are permanently assigned to Pearl Harbor.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 15: S0ngD0g13

"Grandma Gin-ya, could you read Boromir an' me a poem? Please?" asked Faramir one evening.

"Yeah, Grandma, please?" asked Boromir.

Kaylee smiled warmly; Charlotte was moulting again so the youngest acromantula were in her care. "You both finished your meals?"

"Uh-huh; we each had a whole pig," they responded in unison.

"You cleaned up your webs and put your toys away?"

"Yup," said Boromir. "Me an' Faramir both."

Kaylee rubbed her chin in thought. "You behaved for Uncle James and Aunt Houshou while I was running errands?"

Faramir nodded. "We was on our best be-have-yer."

Kaylee grinned. "Then gather round close, my darling little arachnids, and I'll read you a poem. Which one would you like to hear?"

Boromir piped up, "I wanna hear bout 'Ray-shus at the bridge!"

Faramir called at the same time, "I wanna hear bout the Grave o' the Hunnerd-Ed!"

Needless to say, the twins fell to squabbling over which poem to hear, until Kaylee reached out and lightly tapped them both with her knuckles reprovingly. "Here now; I won't have you two scamps owlin' and growlin' over it. So here's the deal, I'm not going to read either of your poems, neither Horatius at the Bridge, nor Grave of the Hundred Head. Instead, I'll read you a poem of my choosing, and afterward, Faramir, I'll be having words with whoever introduced you to that particular piece of Kipling. For now, listen close to the Pipes at Lucknow..."

"Pipes of the misty moorlands,
Voice of the glens and hills;
The droning of the torrents,
The treble of the rills!
Not the braes of broom and heather,
Nor the mountains dark with rain,
Nor maiden bower, nor border tower,
Have heard your sweetest strain!

Dear to the Lowland reaper,
And plaided mountaineer -
To the cottage and the castle
The Scottish pipes are dear -
Sweet sounds the ancient pibroch
O'er mountain, loch, and glade;
But the sweetest of all music
The pipes at Lucknow played."

The twins leaned close, paying rapt attention...

"Day by day the Indian tiger
Louder yelled, and nearer crept;
Round and round the jungle-serpent
Near and nearer circles swept.
"Pray to-day!" the soldier said;
"To-morrow, death's between us
And the wrong and shame we dread..."

Kaylee could see the tension in the sixteen eyes that watched her, could see the spiderlings quivering...

"Oh, they listened, looked, and waited,
Till their hope became despair;
And the sobs of low bewailing
Filled the pauses of their prayer.
Then up spake a Scottish maiden,
With her ear unto the ground:
"Dinna ye hear it?-dinna ye hear it"
The pipes o' Havelock sound!"

Hushed the wounded man his groaning;
Hushed the wife her little ones;
Alone they heard the drum-roll
And the roar of Sepoy guns,
But to sounds of home and childhood
The Highland ear was true -
As her mother's cradle crooning
The mountain pipes she knew.

Like the march of soundless music
Through the vision of the seer,
More of feeling than of hearing,
Of the heart than of the ear,
She knew the droning pibroch,
She knew the Campbell's call:
"Hark! Hear ye no' MacGregor's -
The grandest of o' them all!"

Oh, they listened, dumb and breathless,
And they caught the sound at last;
Faint and far beyond the Goomtee
Rose and fell the piper's blast!
Then a burst of wild thanksgiving
Mingled woman's voice and man's;
"God be praised!-the march of Havelock!
The piping of the clans!"

Kaylee turned the volume up slightly on her phone, the YouTube app playing a pipe tune...
Spoiler: The Tune

"Louder, nearer, fierce as vengeance,
Sharp and shrill as swords at strife,
Came the wild MacGregor's clan-call,
Stinging all the air to life.
But when the far-off dust-cloud
To plaided legions grew,
Full tenderly and blithesomely
The pipes of rescue blew!

Round the silver domes of Lucknow,
Moslem mosque and Pagan shrine,
Breathed the air to Britons dearest,
The air of "Auld Lang Syne."
O'er the cruel roll of war-drums
Rose that sweet and homelike strain;
And the tartan clove the turban,
As the Goomtee cleaves the plain.

Dear to the corn-land reaper
And plaided mountaineer -
To the cottage and the castle
The piper's song is dear.
Sweet sounds the Gaelic pibroch
O'er mountain, glen, and glade;
But the sweetest of all music
The pipes at Lucknow played!"

........................................................

Three days later, Kaylee was hunting for her phone and Bluetooth speaker, when she heard drumming from the back yard. Stepping out to look, she saw her phone and speaker on the rail and the twins walking, no... Marching, back-and-forth as they sang along to the Gin Lane version of O'er the Hills and Far Away...

"Hark the drums beat up again,
For all true soldiers, gentle-men;
To 'list to fight then march I say,
Over the Hills and Far Away!
Over the Hills and O'er the Main,
To Flanders, Por-chu-gull and Spain!
Our Mom commands and we obey,
Over the Hills and Far Away!"

Kaylee chuckled to herself when she realized they were making up their own lyrics, and listened as Boromir sang the next verse solo...

"No more from sound of drum retreat;
'Cept for Bad Guys; y'all beat feet,
Cause we will whup you night and day,
Over the Hills and Far Away!"

Faramir joined in the chorus, then sang the next verse...

"Soldiers all who have a mind,
Follow us; don't fall behind,
Cause Ranger-Spiders Lead the Way,
Over the Hills and Far Away!"

Boromir sang another verse and Kaylee almost had to bite her knuckles to keep from giving herself away laughing...

"We'll jump from planes and swim the creek,
To bite you in your left butt-cheek;
Bad Guys we will make you pay,
Over the Hills and Far Away!"

"Over the Hills and O'er the Main,
To Flanders, Por-chu-gull and Spain;
Our Mom commands and we obey,
Over the Hills and Far Away!
Cause Ranger-Spiders Lead the Way,
Over the Hills and Far Away!"

Kaylee slipped inside, and saw James wink as he put his phone away...

........................................................

A/N: Here's the song the Spider Twins were making up lyrics to...

 

[darthcourt10]

It_agn02 Omake: "About that Coastie, Indianapolis..."

gaea said:
I'm sorry that I didn't reply to this the first time around, but I realize that with those two deities (and maybe others) employed by the US Government that means they get paid. If they get paid, they have to deal with taxes, and the IRS. Now I'm imagining this scene but with a deity instead of The Joker
Spoiler: Everyone fears the IRS

We then cut to one accountant looking at another and asking if they really are that scary that gods walk carefully around them.
Maes said:
Look at it this way.

In some universes, a certain individual with possibly less-than-above-board employment has all the first-impression appearance and demeanor of a mild mannered accountant.

In other universes, where said less-than-above-board employment doesn't exist, said same individual is an apparently mild-mannered accountant, who due to skill and tenacity often gets assigned 'unusual' cases.

Do you really want to risk potentially getting audited by one P. Coulson, IRS?​

*-*-*-*
Pretty much. They deal with it out of duty, though. MACUSA forcing them into hiding makes it very difficult to protect Oahu from the man-eating sharks that lay out at sea. Pearl Harbor being a military base makes it so much more harder for them to do it in human form. Joining the military and being forced to pay taxes is a small price to pay in order to be given the freedom to actually protect Pearl and ensure that no man-eating sharks enter.

That, and Kahi'uka specializes in Maritime Search and Rescue in the Coast Guard. These days, people are scared shitless when a shark approaches, so he decided to go another way. So when the Statute falls, something like this may or may not be plausible:

Portland: Hey, you know how you got saved from sinking last month?

Indianapolis: Yeah, that Coastie picked me up. I never got to thank him for it. Maybe I should...I don't know...treat him to dinner or something?

Portland: Well...uh...turns out he's a shark.

Indianapolis: What.

Portland: Well, a shark deity to be precise.

Indianapolis: WHAT.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Entering the Shrine, Harry gave a small glance around at it. For a moment, he was taken back to when the area was mostly brush and the like and the shrine itself was just a small building. But years of work on the part of Haru and the others had taken it and transformed it into a small, though visited often, Shrine. Going through the motions that he was well used to, Harry performed a quick prayer and thanks for surviving the year before he turned to where Haru was sweeping the path. "Um, Haru-San? I have a question..."

Only nodding, Haru gave a chuckle. "Natsumi-Chan will be able to see you once she gets home from Cram School, Harry-Chan."

With a blink, the black haired boy stared at her for a few moments before shaking it off. "Um, that wasn't what I was going to ask, but thanks?" At her raised eyebrow, Harry scratched the back of his neck. "I was wondering about offerings to the Shrine? Food offerings?"

Somewhat interested now, Haru let go of her broom which stayed upright. "I see. And what sort of questions do you have?"

Chewing his lip, Harry pulled off his backpack and unzipped it. Then he reached in and pulled out two objects wrapped in towels which he unwrapped to show Haru. "I know that it's a bit odd, but... I have a bottle of Perry here and one of Plum Jerkum? Would these be good offerings as thanks for us surviving everything that has happened?"

Gently taking the bottle of Perry, Haru looked through the glass at the contents. "Hmm... you wish to thank them for surviving?"

Harry just gave a nod to that. "Well, between the Basilisk, Riddle, and Kuroshi... Someone was looking out for us. Is that okay?"

Turning the bottle over, the Kitsune tilted her head some as she considered the question. "Perry is a form of pear cidre, correct? And Plum jerkum is a type of fruit wine made from plums? Or that was how it sounded when Junyou told me about them last year?"

A small frown on his face, Harry tilted his head some. "Kind of? I mean, Perry is a type of cidre made from pears. And Plum Jerkum is kind of a fruit wine? Though it could be a plum cidre as well..."

Slightly smiling, Haru looked over at him. "Tell me about them, Harry-Chan."

Becoming thoughtful, Harry thought back over what he had been told and read up. "Well, both are drinks made in the area were Godric's Hollow is, where my family has lived for nearly a thousand years. The drinks in both are made from trees on my family's property in a manner my family developed. In fact, the pears and plums are both breeds that were bred by my family over the past thousand years... Oh! And the trees for both are over a century old and I think that the pear tree is nearly two hundred?"

With a nod, Haru chuckled a bit. "And they were brewed by Rose-San and Haruna-San, correct? A tsukumogami and a shipgirl with help from Junyou, another shipgirl?" At the confused nod, she handed the bottle back. "I believe that the Kami would accept the thought behind such an offering even if it was not the usual type of offering, Harry-Chan."

Relieved, Harry took the bottle back and soon set it with the other offerings before leaving and giving a wave to Haru. "Bye, Haru-San! I'll see you later!"

Chuckling, the Kitsune waved back at him. "I hope that you have a good day, Harry-Chan!" With a shake of her head, she went back to sweeping only to pause as she felt a tingle spread over her. Slowly, she turned to where the offerings were and blinked as the bottles, and the other offerings, were now gone as a breeze brushed past her with the scent of flowers, such as cherry blossoms. For several moments Haru stood there before tilting her head back and looking up at the sky where the odd cloud was drifting with a sigh. "Really? You could not have allowed me to try some?" The Sun poked out from behind a cloud at that point and made her squint before a sound made her turn to where the offerings had been.

And where two small, stone cups filled with Perry and Plum Jerkum now sat.

Lips twitching, Haru set the broom aside and walked over. "Never mind. And thank you for this."

Hands now in his pockets as he walked around, Harry frowned some in thought. 'What should I do now? It'll be a few hours until Natsumi-Chan gets out. All my homework for Hogwarts is done and most of my work for normal school is as well. Shinano-Chan, Louisiana, and the others are out on patrol. Maybe I could go see Mum-' It was then that Harry spotted someone and smiled. "Hibiki-Chan?"

Said shipgirl looked over with surprise at her name being called and gave him a smile as their eyes met. "Hello, Harry-Chan."

Now grinning as he had something to do, Harry jogged up to her. "You doing anything right now?" At the shake of her head, he grinned. "So, mind spending some time together?"

Lightly blushing, Verniy smiled a bit more. "Nyet, I would not mind spending some time with you, Harry-Chan. You should know this by now."

Walking beside her, the black haired boy shrugged some. "Well, you know, just wondering. Besides, I got nothing to do right now and I was starting to get bored." Quickly spotting the expression on her face, he blinked. "What's with that expression?"

Only humming as she looked away, Verniy held back a giggle. "You being bored is a very dangerous thing, Harry-Chan."

Needless to say that made Harry huff a bit. "I'm not that bad, Hibiki-Chan." When she looked at him and raised an eyebrow though, he looked away. "I'm really not."

All Verniy did though was smirk. "So you say, Harry-Chan."

Scratching his cheek, Harry blinked as he tried to think of something to change the subject when he snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! What were you thinking about just now?" When Verniy tilted her head, the wizard gestured with one hand. "When I walked up just now, you seemed really deep in thought for some reason."

Eyes widening some, Verniy gave a nod at that. "Ah, I was just thinking of something that Inazuma-Chan, Ikazuchi-Chan, Akatsuki-Chan, and myself have been talking about, Harry-Chan. About Kaa-San."

With a frown on his face, Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Tenryuu-Oba? What about her, Hibiki-Chan? Is there something wrong?"

However, he relaxed as she shook her head. "Nyet, nothing is really wrong to be honest. But we noticed that she seems to be a bit tired recently." Looking around, she leaned in towards Harry who did the same. "So a few months ago we started gathering some money and spoke with Ooyodo-San for some time off. There are now enough Light Cruisers and Destroyers that we can do that. We even spoke with Obaa-San and Ojii-San and they got a small vacation in September. All of us are going to spend a week at an Onsen, just the family.'

Lips twitching, Harry could just imagine what sort of reaction Tenryuu might well have to what they were pulling. "That actually sounds pretty nice. And she doesn't know at all?"

Verniy's eyes sparkled some as she shook her head. "Nyet, Tatsuta-Oba has been keeping her busy while we made plans. Hopefully it helps Kaa-San relax and unwind. We have enough between all four of us as well as Oba-San, Obaa-San, and Ojii-San that we can afford a really nice place for a week. Kaa-San is going to be shocked."

In reply, Harry gave a nod to that. "Tenryuu-Oba deserves that, she works really hard." He almost asked if he could help, but something told him that it was best left to the Matsuda family. "Kind of wish that I could see her face when you all present it to her..."

A smirk on her face, Verniy nodded. "Da, I might take a picture." Several moments later, she grabbed his hand and smiled some. "Harry-Chan? If you have nothing else to do maybe we could go to Mamiya's?"

With a blink, Harry thought it over before nodding. "That actually sounds pretty good, it's been a while since I had one of her parfaits..."

Sometime later, Harry was sitting in one of the booths of Mamiya's looking out the window across the base. He could just hear some of the music from the Jukebox that was set up in a corner where sometimes you got shipgirls dancing. Granted, said Jukebox used CDs instead of actual records, but it was familiar enough to a lot of summoned shipgirls. Right now though, the restaurant was pretty much empty due to it being just past lunch. Suddenly, Harry was brought out of his thoughts as Mamiya set down one of her shipgirl parfaits in front of him and Verniy. Giving a smile, the Food Ship nodded. "Enjoy you two."

Raising his finger, the black haired boy did not get a chance to reply before Mamiya was gone. Slowly, he gave the parfait a glance and blinked. "Um... is this for both of us? I thought that you ordered for both of us?"

Cheeks dusted a light red, Verniy wouldn't look Harry in the eyes. "Da, but perhaps Mamiya-San was busy at the time and might have misunderstood. Still, we cannot waste food, it would not be Khorosho."

Harry considered that before giving a nod. "That's true enough, I guess..." Swallowing, he looked up at the massive parfait. "Isn't this one of those designed for the smaller Light Cruisers though?"

Glancing at Harry, Verniy gave him a small nod. "It seems so, but I know that we can finish it, Harry-Chan. And look we have two spoons as well." She then took off her hat to the side and picked up her spoon as Harry did the same beside her. "Itadakimasu."

With a nod, the black haired boy smiled. "Itadakimasu." By the time that they finished the dessert, Harry was softly groaning and sat back as he clapped his hands together as he spoke alongside Verniy. "Gochisosama." Leaning back, Harry let out a soft sigh as he patted his stomach. "That was good, a lot of it, but good."

A small smile on her face, Verniy gave a hum as she leaned into him, Harry's arm going around her waist. "Da, it was very good." For several minutes they sat there before the Destroyer got up and began to pull Harry out of the booth. "Perhaps we should work it off though. I think that they got some new songs on the Jukebox..."

Leaning out of her kitchen, Mamiya only softly giggled as she watched the two young teens dancing together.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Lips twitching, Harry waited while the connection started up. It took a few minutes, but eventually it did fully connect and the black haired boy smiled at the two who were there. "Guten Abend, Marie, Johann."

Softly smiling, Marie sat in a chair with her hands in her lap while her brother gave a nod. Tilting her head, she shook her head some. "Guten Morgen, Junger Herr. And how are you today."

Chuckling, Harry thought over what had been happening recently. "Things are... sort of exciting recently, but good."

Eyebrow raising, the wizard could see the amusement in the two siblings' eyes before Johann pulled out his pipe and put the end into his mouth. "Exciting you say? Hopefully not as exciting as what you told us regarding the end of the school year. Or what happened afterwards."

A light blush appeared on Harry's cheeks as he rubbed his head. "Um, nothing like that. But with Rose and Haruna-Oba's wedding coming up with some other events? It's starting to be a bit of a rush around here."

Marie only shook her head. "I can imagine, Junger Herr. Planning a wedding can often be a lot of work. And doing so at such a speed? It is even more so." Holding out one hand, she chuckled. "I speak of course from experience."

Confused, the nearly thirteen year old tilted his head. "Really? Did some of my ancestors need to plan weddings quickly?"

He could see Johann grin and lightly laugh. But before Harry could ask, Marie reached over and whacked her brother in the arm and mutter something to him before turning back to Harry. "There were a few such cases, Junger Herr. But it is nothing to worry over right now. It is good to hear that Fraulein Rose will soon have her nuptials. Please, pass on from us our congratulations onto her."

Beside her, Johann gave a nod. "If we can, we'll try and send something as a wedding gift. I can think of a few things that might do it..."

As he became thoughtful, Marie only shook her head. While neither her nor her brother quite knew what to make of what was going on, they simply accepted it. After all, Rose like them were servants of the family and the current head had given his blessings. And that was that.

Meanwhile, Harry was silent for a few moments before he shook his head. "Oh! Right, so how are things on your hand? Are they...?"

Johann gave a small nod. "The Veela who arrived have been doing quite well, Junger Herr. The doktors that the military sent to look them over? They did an excellent job and the group has settled in. At times they are a bit skittish, but such things are to be expected though they hope to meet you one day."

Confused, Harry pointed at himself. "They want to meet me? Really? But why?" The two on the other end of the connection shared a look. One that was an odd mix of amusement and fond exasperation for some odd reason. "Um..."

However, Marie only shook her head. "It is nothing, Junger Herr. The older ones, they remember the Potters who lived here before and some had met a few of the British branch before that awful war. But more then that, they wish to show their thanks for all that you've done for them. None of them had expected what you did once you found out upon our contacting you after their arrival."

Frowning, the wizard shook his head and waved his hands some. "They don't have anything to thank me for. My family is supposed to take care of them, right?"

Once more, there was that odd expression on the two before Johann chuckled. "If one was unsure if you were a Potter or not, that response would put it to rest. Of that, I am sure." Nodding, there was a twinkle in his eye as he continued. "I know that the rest of your family, God bless them, are looking down on you with pride."

A blush on his cheeks, Harry gave them both a smile before his expression became one of concern. "But they do have everything that they need, right? I mean..."

Chuckling, Marie gave a small nod. "Ja, they have everything that they need. That... pre-paid credit card I believe you called it? It made sure that they could get everything that they needed, which was quite a bit unfortunately."

Eyes narrowed slightly, Johann grunted a bit. "They came here with little but the clothes on their backs." Shaking his head, he sighed. "Some of the shipgirls? They arrived and brought them to one of the local towns to gather what they needed. As well, there were some women who were in the Army who also went with them..." The woodsman's eyes darkened. "They were uncomfortable being around men."

Harry also had a scowl on his face as he remembered the email that Hanna had sent him. After all, from what he knew of Veela, he had a very good idea why that might have been. "Hanna was telling me, apparently more then a few of the shipgirls decided to help out in whatever way that they could. Or that was what she was telling me."

Expression brightening, Johann let out a laugh at that. "Ja! I suppose that one could say that, Junger Herr. Those poor girls, I do not think that when they came back they knew what to think. Especially as some of the shipgirls brought furniture and such with them! All of them seemed shocked at what they now had."

On Marie's face, her eyes narrowed slightly and she jabbed her brother in the ribs before turning back to Harry. "As we said though, they are grateful for all that you have done, Junger Herr. It does me good to see the young ones happy and to once more hear laughter in the village." She then frowned a bit in thought. "Though I am unsure about this... psychologist that was brought here? I remember when Alphonse Potter stayed for a time with his wife who was... Muggleborn, I believe you might call it? One dinner she brought up someone who sounded like he was such..."

Tilting his head to the side, Harry frowned as he tried to think what sort of person would make her unsure about psychologists. "Did a name come up?"

All Marie did was grimace. "Ja, his name was Freud, Sigmund Freud. He lived somewhere in Austria, but the things that was talked about! How boys wish to have relations with their mothers and daughters with their fathers? Such things..."

With a wince, Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, they've come a long way from that nowadays. Anyways, they're trying to help best that they could."

Even though she was still unsure, Marie simply nodded while Johann hummed. "Speaking of things being done, Junger Herr, the water wheel has been completed. Some of the shipgirls, their fairies are helping to set up the homes with electricity. And one of the buildings will serve as a school for the young ones. They mentioned teachers a long ways travel teaching through these computers to help them learn."

Clapping her hands, Marie gave a bright smile. "Ja, that is something that we are all glad about. As well, we have gotten word that the Church will send some people soon with... Roma, I believe her name is?" At Harry's nod, she continued. "With Roma coming as well. They will have a look at the materials that you wish to return as they bring with them a historian. Though I suspect that they may also be coming for another reason."

Johann hummed with a sigh. "From what we have been told, they are going to try and clear that place soon. So perhaps they might wish to cleanse it as well, though I am unsure if they aim to do so or not..."

For the next hour or so, Harry as well as Marie and Johann talked with each other. Not just about happenings involving them, but also with the older two telling Harry various stories. If there was one thing that Harry enjoyed, it was hearing about members of his family from those who knew them. And both had a lot of stories to tell, which brought smiles to all three faces. Eventually though, the call ended and they disconnected. With a sigh, Harry closed his laptop and chuckled before they trailed off. Mainly due to what he could see on his desk.

Juuchi Yosamu.

The blade just sat there on his desk with the light shining off the sheath. Now, the issue with that was that said blade had been left with the others, again. And yet, here it was, in his room. For several moments, Harry was silent as he glanced around before narrowing his eyes as he spotted that his bedroom window was open slightly. It gave the wizard a very good idea how the sword got into his room. Huffing some, Harry gave the sword a look. "You're going to keep doing this, aren't you? This is what, the third time this week?"

And, as always, the sword just sat there silently. But all the same, Harry had the feeling that it was smirking at him. He was not sure how or why that was, but he just knew that it was extremely amused by his actions which made the nearly thirteen year old grumble.

If anything though, the feeling of amusement only increased.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 16: S0ngD0g13

"Boromir, please recite Shylock's lines from Act One, Scene Three, speaking to Antonio," said Houshou, helping teach the twins while cutting vegetables for supper.

Boromir bobbed his head in a nod and started speaking.

"Signior Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances:
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit upon my Jewish gab-er-dine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.
Well then, it now appears you need my help:
Go to, then; you come to me, and you say
'Shylock, we would have moneys:' you say so;
You, that did void your rheum upon my beard
And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
Over your threshold: moneys is your suit
What should I say to you? Should I not say
'Hath a dog money? is it possible
A cur can lend three thousand ducats?' Or
Shall I bend low and in a bondman's key,
With bated breath and whispering humbleness, Say this;
'Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last;
You spurn'd me such a day; another time
You call'd me dog; and for these courtesies
I'll lend you thus much moneys'?"

"Good job, Boromir-kun, bravo. Faramir, can you tell me what Shylock was saying to Antonio, essentially?"

Faramir brought his two front legs together in his 'thinking pose', and marshalled his thoughts. "Shylock said 'tonio 'rated' him; what's that mean, Aunt Houshou?"

The Mother of Japanese Carriers smiled at him. "Use the context, Faramir, and you'll figure it out. Go on," she said encouragingly.

"Shylock said 'tonio called him a dog and spit on him, which ain't nice, but Shylock's just took it all... But now 'tonio needs to borrow money... Shylock's saying 'Why should I lend you all this money when you keep being a meanie to me?', right, Aunt Houshou?"

Houshou beamed. "Precisely, Faramir-kun. What do you think Shylock should do now, since Antonio's trying to borrow three-thousand ducats from him, boys?"

Boromir piped up, "I wouldn't loan him one red cent; someone kicks me and calls me a dog, and I'd prob'ly bite his leg for being a fu-" he cut himself off at Houshou's disapproving look. "...furry butt-nugget."

Houshou nodded. "Part of your homework for tonight is to listen to the rest of Act One, and we'll discuss it tomorrow. Now, Faramir, please recite a piece of poetry or prose for us to discuss." Faramir, being more studiously-inclined than his brother, was given slightly more latitude in recitations during lessons; Boromir, if given his druthers, would recite nothing but Kipling's 'Barrack-Room Ballads'.

"All that is gold does not glitter;
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither-
Deep roots are not touched by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken;
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed be the blade that was broken;
The crownless again shall be king."

As they began to discuss the verse, James walked in, his expression tight. "Boys, hold that thought, please; I'll be right back." She stepped out onto the back porch with her husband. "James, what's wrong?"

James flexed his hands before speaking. "Kaylee and the Patrol Group were investigating a lead from that op on Iron Island, and traced it back to a phantom island further out past the Kanmon Strait. Their last radio message said they were going ashore to recon further, but there's not been any word from them since, and they've missed their last two scheduled check-ins. Admiral Shimada's putting a group together to find them."

.........................................................

Kaylee stood still, staring at the field in front of her and the Smokey Mountains beyond...

She felt the warm summer sun on her face...

She smelled the new-mown hay in the field, and heard the birds singing in the trees...

Kaylee heard Lick Creek burbling and babbling as it ran near her great-granddad's farm...

Kaylee knew it was an illusion, this vision of Tennessee...

But she didn't want it to end...

 

[darthcourt10]

U.N.Spacy000

Barricade said:
Harry should threaten her with starting to add cellphone charms to her sheath if she doesn't leave him alone.

And if she really annoys him, to her tsuba (the handguard).​

Or she could secretly enjoy it instead. You never know with those sorts.

And yes, this is crack for comedic purposes. Given that this is a Karasuba-type character, it probably qualifies as refuge in audacity.

*****

"I'm home," Harry called out as he kicked off his shoes. He heard the T.V. faintly from the living room, but no one responded.

He just shook his head and listened to Nichijou's second season opening as he crept to where the television was so he could stealthily ambush Hoppou with a tickle attack.

There was only one problem with his plan.

Hoppou was not home.

Instead, he found Juuchi Yosamu propped up on the couch.

Harry stared at the sword, and he had the distinct feeling it was too busy being enthralled by the show to have noticed he was there at all. So, Harry did the only sensible thing he could. He poked the sword. He had not been aware swords could jump or look so utterly embarrassed as though they knew a hard earned reputation built upon centuries of hard work was falling flat and being demolished like the walls of Jericho.

Harry chuckled, shook his head, and went to make popcorn. When he returned, he discovered that Juuchi Yosamu had fled.

At least the sword had taken the time to turn the television off. There were days when Nagato would come home, turn on something incredibly cute after a long day of work, fall asleep on the couch, and then protest when Harry or Hoppou tried to turn the T.V. off when it was their bed time. Protests came in the form of being used as a teddy bear.

Still, there was only so many places the blade could retreat, and Harry knew the residence better than the most recent addition to the household. It only took him ten minutes to find the sword. The blade had an oppressive air of resignation hanging around it when it was discovered rather than the perpetual smugness that radiated from the sword. This lasted up until Harry got both him and Juuchi Yosamu back to the couch with the bowl of popcorn between them. At that point, the sword became confused and tentatively hopeful.

Then Harry turned on Nichijou, and he felt the sword hold its nonexistent breath. Harry began to eat the popcorn while the episode played, and he felt his companion relax. When the first episode ended, the popcorn had run out. Harry frowned at this revelation since he had only had a couple handfuls and wondered where it had all gone. It took him some time to make more, but he let the next episode play while he left Juuchi Yosamu on the couch. He had seen them all before and decided not to stall the sword's obvious enjoyment of the show.

Shortly after he returned with a full bowl, it was emptied again. Harry frowned and thought about what was happening before he turned to the blade and noted the popcorn crumbs and detritus on the couch surrounding the blade before he used readied the baleful Look to be unleashed upon his target.

Juuchi Yosamu weathered The Look and had a returned air of smugness that only seemed to intensify the longer he Looked.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Right, so I was going over some of my notes when I came across an idea. It sort of... stuck in my head especially after reading some stuff. Just as a warning, this does get a bit dark.
________________________________________________________
Walking along the worn pathway, Harry was happy for wearing the heavy boots his mother had gotten him for hiking. After all, he was unsure what would happen on the sharp, volcanic rock anyways. Just giving Junyou who was in front of him a glance, Harry looked around the slopes of the volcano around them. Not far off, the black haired boy could see the stone torii, no paint on it from the volcanic gasses. In a different direction, Harry could see the far off Oshima town, with the airport that he had arrived at with Nagato.

But nearly as soon as they had arrived via helicopter at the JASDF's airstrip there, Junyou had grabbed Harry and told Nagato that she was taking him on a quick training trip. Sure, it had raised the Battleship's eyebrow, but in the end she had allowed it. After all, she was there to inspect the newly built base on the island. One that was due to receive some shipgirls to help with keeping the area clear of Abyssals. At the time, Harry didn't mind too much, after all the base was still being finished.

However now he was not so sure as they climbed up the volcano.

Putting a hand over his eyes, Harry frowned as he could almost swear that he could see mist here and there among the rocks. Mist that for some odd reason sent chills down his spine. "Um, Junyou-Sensei? What are we doing here?"

With a look over her shoulder, Junyou frowned and looked up at the sky. "A bit of training, Kiddo. Trust me, this is something that I've been planning for some time now."

Eyebrow raised at the nearly empty answer, Harry simply internally shrugged. He would find out when it was time it looked like and not before. Besides, it was not like Junyou would bring him into a dangerous situation for training. The Light Carrier was not like the various magical trainers in manga and anime in that way, after all. It did not take them long to reach the rim of the crater and the two stood there for several minutes just looking around. Harry could see almost the entirety of Izu Oshima from where they were.

And then he looked into the crater and felt a small chill despite the sun beating down on them on a summer day.

The bottom of said crater was practically unable to be seen due to the sheer amount of volcanic mist that filled it. Right then, a cloud passed over the Sun and in the shade, Harry could just spot an orange glow lighting up the mist from deep below where the lava lake churned and frothed. Just like it had since Blood Week when the volcano underwent a small eruption.

No one was sure what had happened, but a flyby had shown the area littered with Abyssal corpses. Some were burned, as if by a great heat. But others were just torn apart viciously. At some point though the Abyssals managed to take the island itself, and a Demon set itself up. But said Abyssal only lasted a year during which the mountain that they were on erupted, keeping them from advancing up the flank. By the end of the year, the Demon in question was targeted by the newly formed Shipgirl Corps and her forces wiped out. It was an important victory.

For the next three years though, the island became a well known battleground as Abyssals would try and gain a foothold on it. Each time, the JSDF would arrive to fight them off. The whole time, the volcano would have a plume rising above it, as if angered by the presence of the Abyssals. It was only in the past two years though that things had become safe enough for residents to return to the island, though not many had. Harry had always heard murmurs about the mountain and had been unsure of their truth.

Standing there now though, Harry could only feel in his bones that they were a bit more true then what people might have claimed.

It was then that Junyou spoke up, her tone serious and making Harry jump as the only sound was that of the wind which caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. "Mount Mihara, the volcano that forms Izu Oshima. Did you know, Kiddo? The islanders believe that there is a fire Kami that lives deep inside the mountain?"

Once more looking down into the crater, Harry blinked and gave her a look. "Is that true? Is there a Kami down there?"

Not answering right away, Junyou hummed in thought and looked up at the sky. "Hmm... That is a very interesting question. It is a place of power after all, so I would not be too surprised if there was one. But if they are here? They don't make themselves that known." Oddly, the Light Carrier did not bring out a sake bottle which told Harry she was being serious. "That however does not make this place any less dangerous, in fact perhaps it is more so besides one other spot in Japan."

This time, Harry really did feel a chill. "You don't mean..."

Spreading her arms wide, it was almost as if Junyou was trying to encompass the entire mountain. "The spiritual aspect of places plays an important part in Onmyoudo, Kiddo. It can be pure as snow and help boost those spells that help. Or it can be tainted and be twisted to dark means. Knowing how to sense such places is important in our art." Turning, she gave Harry a frown. "Now, I know that you already have a sort of feel. And that is something good, it shows that your training is progressing nicely. But!"

Nervous, even though he tried not to show it, Harry gave her an even stare. "But..."

With one finger, Junyou made a gesture around them. "I've taught you how to get a sense for places. A feel... Despite everything, this place is safe for you. Now, I want you to feel, not feel, your surroundings. And also to look with your sight and not your eyes."

Just nodding, Harry swallowed before closing his eyes. Slowly, he slipped into a nearly meditative state as his breathing evened out. It would never be able to be used in combat, that had been drilled into him by Junyou, Ryuujou, and Haru. At the same time though, such a sense, a feel, for his surroundings would help him with some aspects when it came to the spiritual side of things.

It was then that he felt it.

His breathing becoming more labored, Harry furrowed his eyebrows as he kept his eyes closed. Then he could sense Junyou beside him, her presence helping him center and push what he was feeling aside. It was hard to do so though. When she whispered into his ear, Harry could almost imagine the Light Carrier leaning close. "What do you sense? What is it that is here?"

Shaking his head, Harry took a shuddering breath. "A... heaviness in the air. As if it is pushing me downwards and forwards. There is also... a lot of negative feelings here. Great sadness, emptiness, and a lot of despair." The black haired boy could feel the tear that slipped down his cheek. "So much despair that it's heartbreaking. Its seeped into the very stone of the volcano.."

Voice nearly a whisper in his ear, Junyou spoke at that moment. "Hai, this whole place has been marked by what has happened. And will happen... Now open your eyes... open your eyes to the Other World and look into the crater. Tell me what you see?"

Moments later, Harry did so with his eyes aglow and froze. He could still see the crater as it was in reality, but overlapped with that image was something else. "An Abyss... I see an abyss in the crater. But one with lights deep inside. Hi-no-Tama, fireballs."

Beside him, Junyou could also see the same thing. "You also feel a pull, don't you?"

Even as he kept track of the balls of fire deep in the shadow that filled the crater, Harry nodded. "Hai, but I won't let it control me." At that moment, he snapped his iron will down and narrowed his eyes. "What is that?"

Just standing there, Junyou sighed some before running a hand through his hair. "This mountain that we stand on, Mount Mihara, shares something. Something with one other place in Japan, do you know which place?"

Harry gave a nod at that. "Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees."

With a hum, Junyou shook her head. "Hai, this is a place of suicides. While it may have started well before, it really started when a school girl back in the 1930s, who was said to be in love with another girl, leapt to her death within the crater. Her body immolated by the fiery heart of the mountain. Within one year, she was joined by more then nine hundred more. By the time of the war, some say more then two thousand leapt to their deaths. A fence was put up to stop them and it was made illegal to buy a one way trip to the island."

Frowning, Harry looked at Junyou and could see her hull wrapped around her. "That's... why bring me here though? I don't understand?"

Despite wishing for a drink, Junyou sat down on lava bomb. "Because part of being an Onmyouji is being able to recognize such places. There are places like this all over the world that call to people to end their lives there. Around them is an aura that can affect people, one that must be recognized. For example, when I was in Canada, Niagara Falls is one such place. They will try to affect you and, so, you must be able to recognize and push back. I chose this place for a reason though. That being so that you will be able to get a feel for when such happens and be able to stop it. In a way, one can look at this being the whole of Aokigahara concentrated into one spot, but without the dangerous Yokai and Yuurei that may harm the unwary."

A thoughtful look on his face, Harry sat beside Junyou. "Is that why the mountain was in eruption after Blood Week and for however long the Abyssals were here?"

Leaning back, Junyou sighed some. "Hai, the spirits here were disturbed by the Abyssals and thus fought back. But the first battle was the most important as an Onmyouji, an old one who was in the war, was on the island. I've only been able to piece together what happened, but he was able to buy time for as many people to get off the island via the airport and boats. He made his way up to the mountain and called to the spirits here to help."

Head tilted to the side, Harry blinked. "What happened next?"

Simply sighing, Junyou shook her head. "He allowed for them, all of them, to possess him. In the end it killed him, but he was able to use all that spiritual energy and channel it into his spells and magic, slaughtering the Abyssals for however long his body was able to hold out. It had to be pure agony to channel that much, but he did so for his fellow islanders. Perhaps he was trying to find some redemption for something he had done. Or maybe he just loved his fellows that much... But for whatever reason he did what he did, he held the line. One of the Japanese Aurors described him, before fleeing the island, as burning in a spiritual and magical flame as bright as the Sun as he immolated a Ta-Class, the volcano in full eruption behind him as lava bombs struck the Abyssals."

Blinking, Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "I know that you said that Onmyouji can channel spirits, but that? That's just..."

Just clapping him on the back, the shipgirl chuckled, though it was not out of anything light. "A true Onmyouji can do so, but also knows the risks of channeling. It's a very specific subset of magic that one can learn. But you are far from learning how to channel in such a way. And well before then I know that myself, Ryuujou, and Haru will all hammer into your head the dangers of such." Several minutes of letting him think, Junyou nodded and stood up. "Anyways, time to go. We need to get you back to your mother after all..."

Quietly and deep in thought, Harry nodded as the two walked back down the mountain, leaving the crater behind.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 2: jgkitarel

Harry Leferts said:
Yeah, no one knows what happened. The best witness accounts are he vanished in the slopes of the mountain, which soon went into full blown eruption. Then he reappeared enveloped in a supernatural flame while flinging spells that killed Abyssals left and right. A few days later, an overflight showed dead Abyssals everywhere and no sign of the man.​

And yet a legend arises of him, along with the legends of others. Those who made that ultimate sacrifice, sacrificing everything they were and, as is the wont of legends, grows in the telling until it takes a life of its own.

Ixenathier said:
Could the old onmiyoji become a guardian ghost for that?

Between this fellow and the old wizard that went down getting a school bus out, it sounds like there could be several around the world that might qualify.
SoftRogue said:
The thing about what said onmiyoji did? Chances are that his soul was burned out completely. There's always a price for even the more common kinds of thing he pulled; but on the sheer scale of what he did? I honestly doubt that there was anything left of him to pass on to the afterlife, let alone leaving behind something that could become a guardian ghost.

On the other hand, it is possible that something could be "born" there that could be considered his "child". After all, said onmiyoji left a mark on the world there that could dictate the shape of whatever comes into being.​

And this gave me an idea. No! Stop praying! It's not that bad!
*-*-*-*

I don't know who I am or from where I came. I don't even know my name.

My first memories were of this island when much of it was nothing but cooling volcanic glass. The untouched parts? Why would they be touched? The darkness never came there, never climbed the slopes there. But I remember that day, and the memory of a purpose. One that I had, always had. To fight against the darkness.

A strange thing, the darkness, for while I came about to fight it, it was not against its totality. Only against that darkness that would consume. The darkness that always hungered for the light. For there were parts of the darkness that sought to embrace the light. Like a lover? Like a protector? I do not know. But those aspects of darkness were not my enemy. No, it was the darkness that consumed, that tried to subsume the light. That darkness was my enemy.

And so I fought it. With fire and earth. With the power of the uncounted ages that built this mountain, even as the ages wear at it and weather it away.

A darkness that seeks to be eternal. That is my enemy.

And so I fight against it. To give that which still exists and is unconsumed by it that chance to continue. I fight against the inevitability of ending. Not because I have to. It may be my purpose, one I came about for, but it is a purpose I freely choose to make my own. For while I may eventually fail. It is a battle worth fighting.

For in fighting the darkness, I give life and light more time. For in fighting the darkness, those who can't fight do not have to.

I fight the darkness because it is a battle worth fighting. It is a purpose worth existing for. My goal of complete victory may be impossible, but as whatever gods exist out there as my witnesses, I choose to fight.

For this is a fight worth fighting.

- From and unnamed spirit met on the slopes of Mount Mihara.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

The Bentley Blower rolled to a stop in front of two large, wrought iron grates as the driver of the vehicle hummed. Looking through the gates, she gave a small nod at the country estate that she could see through the bars. "Impressive."

Beside her, Monarch gave a small nod. "It is a rather impressive estate. And this is where you say that young man, Neville Longbottom lives?" After hearing that said boy had faced down a Re-Class in defence of a young girl, not one of the Orions would hear him called a 'Boy' after all. "I must admit that it is a lovely place."

Leaning against her fist, Orion gave a hum as her eyes glinted while taking in the view. "That is where he lives under the watch of his grandmother." After a few moments, the gates opened and she drove their car through them and up the drive. One hand on the steering wheel, Orion took a deep breath. "It rather reminds me of how things were when we were ships."

With a hum as she looked over the immaculate grounds, Thunderer gave a small nod. "Quite. Though this does remind me of something that I have been hearing."

Interested, Conqueror looked at her sister with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? And what sort of thing have you been hearing?"

The others listened in as Thunderer waved a hand. "I'm sure that you all know about how the old manors were torn down. Even in our day such things happened after all." There were nods and she smiled some. "Apparently, a rather large number of magicals instead went and bought a large number of them. After which, they hid them from non-magicals with magic."

Frowning, Orion gave a small nod. "That is rather interesting, but I suspect that there is more to it then just that?"

Now smirking, Thunderer chuckled. "Apparently a large number are now on the magical market. From what I have heard Hood and Bismarck went in on one near the Scottish border. A few of the others are also looking into buying their own such as Warspite and Duke going for one themselves. Though why those two would be joining forces..."

While the rest of her sisters chuckled as they could easily guess why, Orion shook her head. "That does sound like the Grand Old Lady. I think that I know why, especially since Warspite is now healed of her issues. Though I heard that Hermione also came into a possession of such a manor herself."

Eyebrow raised, Conqueror blinked. "Hermione now has a manor herself? May I ask how?"

Bringing the car to a stop, Orion gave her a small smile. "As it turned out, Hermione is descended from one of these 'Pureblooded' houses with her great-grandfather having been born without magic. Lady Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, apparently helped her claim the titles as the rest of the family is dead. Along which came a manor house."

Only shaking their heads, the other Orion sisters followed her out of the car and were greeted by the small creature that they knew to be a house elf. Said house elf gave them a small bow. "I's being Jonesy, one of Mistress Augusta's elves. She sent me to see if'n Misses Orions needed anything while waiting?"

Lips curling upwards, Orion gave a small shake of the head. "We don't need anything at the moment, Mister Jonesy. But thank you for offering."

The little being gave them all a smile which made them smile back. After a few moments, Monarch hummed some. "If I may ask a question ?" Getting an nod, she gestured at the nearly toga like item that Jonesy was wearing. "Why ever would you not be wearing a proper butler uniform?"

It took a moment, but the house elf shook his head. "Is beings too close to being given clothes it is. Some house elves wear them, but is uncomfortable with being given such. These beings just as good."

Somewhat intrigued, Monarch continued to ask various questions even as she knew that her, and her sisters', crews were writing down the responses. Considering their jobs, one never knew what sort of use knowledge like what they were getting would be used for. It was also one more thing that could be used by her Majesty's government in regards to getting a better picture of the magical world. One thing that they did note though was that apparently the Longbottoms, or at least Neville and his grandmother, treated their elves nicely.

A fact that each of the Battleships approved greatly of.

When the front door to the manor opened though, all the shipgirls turned and bowed slightly as Augusta Longbottom strode out. The elderly woman looked every inch the Lady she was considered by her peers. However, the Battleships each noted that there was something about her which stated that her steel was not just for show. Here was a woman that one did not want as an enemy. Reaching them, Augusta gave a small bow herself. "A good day to all of you and thank you for accepting the invite to tea."

Thunderer only chuckled and shook her head some. "It would be beneath us not to accept a lovely bit of tea in surroundings such as these."

Chuckling, Augusta gave a small smile to them while giving them a look over and nodding internally. She approved of the casual wear that each of them had, it was both semi-formal in a way while being comfortable. A far cry from what she had seen some of the Pureblooded ladies of a similar apparent age. Far too many of them felt the need to show off after all, it was because of that she felt that both her daughter-in-law as well as Lily Potter herself carried themselves far better.

It always amused her greatly that Lily, for all that she was a Muggleborn, carried herself far more as a Lady then many who tried for such a title from families such as the Notts and others.

From what she could see, the Orions were much the same way. Each of them extruded confidence without coming across as arrogant. Something that she hoped could perhaps rub off on her grandson given such time. It helped that Augusta would freely note that each of the Battleships were quite beautiful in their own way and she would not be against such a match considering how the world was changing... though that was in the future. Putting such thoughts into the back of her mind, she gave a sigh. "I am afraid and sorry to say that the tea is not quite done yet as we did not expect your arrival for a further half hour."

On Orion's face was a somewhat sheepish expression. "Our apologies, we felt it better to chance coming rather early then arriving late in case we had trouble finding your estate."

However, Augusta only waved them off and was about to say something when she remembered a fact. Internally, she chuckled at what might happen next and outwardly smiled. "Perhaps you would like to speak with my grandson until then. He was rather excited to be able to see you again and decided to spend the time in his greenhouse."

Eyebrow raising, Monarch hummed. "A greenhouse? Young Neville has a greenhouse to himself?"

Lips twitching as she fought to hold back a smirk, Augusta gave a small nod. "More then one. Neville's mother, Alice, was very good at herbology and so my son had them put into place for her. Myself, I am not so very good at it though I am proud to say that Neville is quite... I believe some call it having green thumbs? Well, he is his mother's son in that case."

Voice low, Conqueror shook her head. "We had wondered in regards to that, but..."

Augusta gave a sigh before closing her eyes. Opening them, she waved off their apologies. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Miss Conqueror. While Neville does not like speaking of it, the fact is that both of his parents were victims of the Death Eaters. A week after he was defeated by the Potters, four of his followers managed to get inside. One of them was Bartemius Crouch Sr's son and thus used the fact there was an open invite to his father to get themselves inside the Wards around the manor. By the time anyone arrived, it was too late and they had tortured Neville's parents until they broke in a way. Both of them now lie in Saint Mungo's permanent spell damage ward. Sometimes I think that Alice might have some awareness as she seems to almost recognize Neville, but..."

Head bowed some, Orion sighed. "A terrible thing to have happened to them. And nothing has been able to be done for them?"

In return, Augusta shook her head. "Sadly not, I'm afraid. The Healers have done their best and Alice does give me some... hope in a way, that perhaps one day they might at least fully recognize Neville." Eyes distant, she frowned. "I have been keeping an eye on the non-magical side of things. They've come far in treating things like dementia and such from what I have been able to see and I have... been slipping some funds into such research as well as seeing if a combination of things could work. There is a few treatments that may have an effect, but I would need to convince the healers first and, well..."

Chuckling sadly, Thunderer shook her head. "We've been told of how healers in the magical world see our doctors and such. It's fully understandable I'm sorry to say, even if we feel it is wrong."

Upon reaching the greenhouse door, Augusta gave them all a weak smile. "So very true. Now then, I must be off to supervise the house elves but I trust my grandson to take care of all of you."

With that, she walked off as the four Battleships watched, Monarch chuckling. "Do you think that she might be...?"

Smiling, Orion shook her head. "Perhaps, but then she seems like the type to have a stern way of doing things even though she greatly cares." With a chuckle herself, she opened the greenhouse door and all of them felt warm, humid air hit them before they stepped inside. Glancing around, the lead of her class of Battleships gave a nod at the plant life around them. "Impressive by any standard."

All of them walked along the path and looked around. It was as if a small jungle was transplanted into a section of England. Being from when they were, each of them approved greatly of the work that must have went into such. When they reached Neville though, they found him planting and they watched for a short while. However, they were surprised when Neville turned and his eyes widened before they hardened. His hand then came up. "Stop right there and back up, right now!"

The Battleships were taken aback by his words and Orion was about to comment on his rudeness when she and her sisters realized he was pointing just beside them and they turned. Within inches of Conqueror's face, unnoticed by any of them, was a group of vines. Each vine had long thorns on them that had droplets of something on them. 'Well, that explains it...'

Neville got up and walked over before gesturing at the vines. "I said, get back right now. You know better then to attack guests." Much to the amusement of the shipgirls, the vines rustled some as if arguing only for the nearly thirteen year old to growl. "Don't give me that, now move."

Slowly, as if sulking, the vines slid back into the underbrush while Monarch gave a chuckle. "Well now, that was unexpected."

Blushing, Neville grimaced a bit. "Sorry about that, some of the plants here... well, they act up. One needs to be a bit firm with them."

If anything though, that only amused Orion more though there was a glint of something in her eyes as she chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Neville. But thank you all the same." Seeing him smile, she hummed some and looked around. "Though I think that we're all interested in the plants that you seem to have here..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 17: S0ngD0g13

Bandit Princess surveyed her small domain with a grin; the island wasn't any manner of large, but it was located perfectly to act as a staging-area for raids into the Seto Sea, and her fleet was always ready to sail in search of plunder.

"Our coffer's getting empty," she growled to her second. "Go, hit a few villages."

Bandit Princess was happy she'd managed to escape pursuit and find her way to her little island...

.....................................................

Kaylee held Polly in her arms and swayed along to the sound of fiddles, smiling. "Polly, Polly m' love, I feel like I'm dreamin', I'm so happy..."

Polly leaned in and kissed Kaylee gently. "You are, Kaylee; this is a dream and you have to wake up."

"Don't want to; I'm happy here."

"Kaylee, this ain't real; wake up... Please, wake up..."

....................................................

The village headman knelt, overlooking the beach from atop a small rise, and gazed down at the unmoving figures on the sand...

The island had been settled in his great-grandfather's day, not willingly, nor gently. The island, which some Western Wizard who thought he was smart had named 'Lotus Island', had been settled and warded as a Magical Prison-Colony; the name came from the strongest of the wards, an Illusion Ward that caused anyone who set foot on the shore to see visions of whatever made them most happy. Only a very few guards, or, now that the island was long-abandoned by the government, descendants of guards, were gifted with pendants that kept the ward from affecting them.

It was a kindly trap, being ensnared by the ward, being wrapped in happy illusion; but trap it still was, and many were the people who had fallen victim to it, and died with smiling faces as their minds saw wonders while their bodies wasted away of thirst or starvation...

The village headman wished there were something he could do for the Shipgirls trapped in the ward; he wished even moreso that he could simply get rid of the Abyssal ensnared alongside the Shipgirls. But he couldn't; without a guard's pendant the only way to break free was force-of-will...

...................................................

Aso listened to the radio report from one of her bombers; the scout had drawn near to the island and seen the Patrol Group...

"What's the word, Aso-san?" asked Naganami. "Have your scouts spotted anything?"

"They have. Azuma's group are on the beach, in the open. They're... They're just standing there. No movement, no signals, nothing. There's a village on the island, and movement, there, though."

"Do we have a plan?"

Aso drew in a deep breath. "Caution, first and foremost; we can't help if we fall victim to the same thing the others have. Let's see if the locals can provide a solution."

Aso transmitted in the clear, "This is JMSDF Aircraft-Carrier Shipgirl Aso, broadcasting in the clear to any receiving station on the island ahead of me. Please respond, over."

"JMSDF Carrier Aso, this is Hiraga Benkei, transmitting from Lotus Island; I can see you and your fleet approaching. Do not, I repeat, do not come ashore; the wards here will trap you like the others. Over."

Aso frowned. "Wards? What are their effect, and their purpose, Hiraga-san?"

"Anyone who comes ashore is trapped in an illusion; they see and experience visions of whatever makes them happiest. Most can't, or don't want to, break free of the illusion. They just waste away with smiles on their lips..."

"Why would anyone-?"

"The island was a prison-colony, and the Illusion Ward was part of the security. Put a prisoner in a boat, under Imperius or other magic to make them more compliant, and make them row ashore and step out, get trapped in the illusion, and they'd never escape. Those of us descended from guards have nullifying amulets, but they're blood-keyed and won't work for anyone else."

Aso rubbed her chin in thought. "How do we recover the others without falling victim to the ward? Hmm..."

Makinami pursed her lips, then nodded as if to herself. "If one of us, someone with a shallow draft, could sail in close, maybe we could toss a rope over them and tow them out?"

Aso nodded. "That seems like a reasonable plan."

As Naganami and Makinami started approaching the shoreline, Aso returned to her conversation with Hiraga. "Hiraga-san, the Shipgirls currently trapped in the wards were investigating a lead on Abyssal activity in the area; what can you tell me of the matter?"

"There's an Abyssal trapped in the wards; six months ago a Princess anchored briefly offshore and sent the one on the beach onto the island with a message. There are iron-ore deposits on the island, and she gave us the choice of paying tribute in ore and ingots, or being shelled into dust. To demonstrate that she was serious, she walked a salvo from north-to-south across the outskirts of the village."

"And the Abyssal on the beach?"

"According to the message, disloyal and thus expendable."

Aso took the information in, watching as the Destroyers threw looped lines over Alabama and Monitor, then carefully dragged the ironclad and sloop off the sand and into the water. Both girls seemed to revive after a few moments, disoriented but otherwise alright.

Makinami went back in and retrieved Azuma next, while Naganami roped Virginia and towed her out of the ward's area of effect.

...................................................

When the Patrol Group came alongside the others, Aso noticed but didn't comment on the unshed tears in Kaylee's eyes. "Are you...?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Aso; not right now, at least. Come on, we'll head for where Polly's anchored and head back to base."

"You'll have to speak of it eventually, Kaylee; James won't let you keep it bottled up." Aso's tone was neutral.

"I know. Suffice to say for now, that as much as I was happy in the illusion I'm happier deep-down with the reality."

Aso nodded. It wasn't a full answer, but it was an answer. "I haven't heard you sing in a while, Kaylee."

Kaylee smiled a bit, then smiled wider as Polly's hull came into view, the ghostly girl standing at the rail. Kaylee drew a breath and her clear soprano chimed over the water...

"Dry your eyes;
It's no cause to weep.
The weather is fine,
And the road isn't steep.
The world is still round,
And my compass is true;
Each step is a step back to you,
Each step is a step back to you..."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Stretching some, Iku gave a soft sigh as she felt several pops. It was not that she minded the odd patrol through Tokyo Bay as it meant that she was not far from the base itself. But said patrols were also boring in a number of ways. Which always left Iku happier when she returned to Yokosuka.

Which meant that having given her report on things, Iku was looking forward to a bit of relaxation. 'Wonder what I should do? Hachi-Chan might be around somewhere and so should most of the others. Maybe go and look up Harry-Chan, or...' Suddenly, for a split second, the world froze and Iku crouched down. While she was within sight of the door to the Submarine Pens, her instincts told her that something was not quite right.

Eyes darting to various places in the open area, Iku frowned. 'What was that?' Still scanning her surroundings, she made her way slowly towards the door, caution in every movement. After all, the Submarine had been the victim of pranks far too often to simply dismiss what her instincts were telling her. Granted, they did not tell her that she was in danger, per say. But still, the shipgirl knew that something was set up.

Eventually, she did reach the door and relaxed slightly. With a frown on her face, Iku turned to the door and swiped her card before punching in the code. Not noticing, of course, the arms that appeared out of nowhere until they grabbed her around the waist. Something that caused her to give a squeak of surprise. Moments later though, Harry appeared as he pulled off his invisibility cloak as he straddled the surprised girl. "Got you, Iku-Chan!"

Sputtering, Iku stared up at him from where she laid with wide eyes. "H-H-Harry-Chan!? What are you..." It was then that she realized their positions and blushed some. 'Bad brain! Bad!'

Unaware of what was going through his friend's mind, Harry gave a small shrug with a smirk. "What can I say, Iku-Chan? You need to work on your not being caught unaware." His next words caused some steam to leak from the Submarine's ears as he leaned over her. "And now, Iku-Chan, I got you at my mercy..."

Her eyes widening as steam began to leak from her ears, those words echoed through her mind. 'Got you at my mercy... got you at my mercy... H-Harry-Chan... Close, too close!'

Before she could react, Harry's hand snaked out and suddenly she was squealing as he tickled her. "And now you're going to regret it, Iku-Chan!"

Laughing as she wiggled under him, Iku tried to escape again and again, but never managed it. Sure, she could have used her strength to toss him off her, but even the thought never entered her mind. Not that Iku would have anyway if it had. Finally, the boy on top of her stopped his assault and she gave him a huff even as she gasped. "Harry-Chan!"

A smirk on his face, Harry just crossed his arms. "So? You give up?" Getting a pout and a nod, his smirk grew into a grin and he thrust both hands into the air. "Victory!"

Despite the pout on her face though, Iku was extremely amused by his actions. The way he could lighten her mood was one of the reasons she cared so much for him after all. Chest still heaving as she tried to get her breathing under control, Iku gave him a glare though there was a playfulness there. "Mou, that was mean, Harry-Chan."

Grinning, the black haired boy raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? And how many times did you surprise attack me, Iku-Chan?"

Iku looked away with a small blush on her face while grumbling. She could have called him out on using his invisibility cloak, but far too often her and the others had used how they could hide underwater to "Attack" him at the beach and such. Turning back to him, she sighed only to blink as she was reminded of their positions. Just as Iku was about to ask Harry to get up, she had a thought and internally grinned. "Um, Harry-Chan?"

Confused, Harry blinked some and tilted his head to the side. "Yes? What is it, Iku-Chan?"

Moving until she was reclining back on her arms, Iku hummed a bit. "Well, are you comfortable?"

That, if anything confused Harry as he looked down into the twinkling eyes set in a flushed face. In fact, he could see her oddly shaped pupils which always fascinated him every time he paid attention to them. 'Comfortable? Why would she...' At that moment Iku decided to shift and Harry was reminded of their positions. "Um..."

Even though she was disappointed when he leapt up, Iku shoved that down and got to her feet with a giggle. "Not bad, Harry-Chan, not bad at all." Stretching, she gave a small sigh. "You know, I was thinking of about going to look for you?"

His expression brightening, Harry smiled a bit. "You were?"

Nodding, Iku grinned some. "Hai! I was going to go and look for you once I had a quick shower from coming back. Otherwise I got nothing else to do."

With a hum, Harry looked up at the sky and smiled a bit. "It is a pretty nice day and I don't mind spending it with you. Anywhere you want to go, Iku-Chan? My treat."

Rapidly blinking, the Submarine looked down at him. 'That sounds almost like he's... nah, he couldn't be.' Her expression then turned thoughtful. 'Then again, he did have that date with Niiyodo-San... maybe...' Turning back to him, Iku raised an eyebrow. "It almost sounds like you're asking me out on a date, Harry-Chan."

Now it was Harry's turn to blink as the question struck him and he went over his words. 'I guess it does sound like that? But, would it be that sort of thing?' Eventually, he just shrugged and looked at her with his next words stunning the shipgirl. "Well, if that's what you want..."

Stunned, Iku stared at him before swallowing as she snapped out of her shock. Out of everything, that was something that she did not expect. It took Iku a few moments before giving a weak shrug. "Um, maybe?" When Harry looked at her, she chewed her lip some. "A-as to where, there's this new Yakitori stand outside the base that I've been meaning to try. Shioi-Chan had some good things to say about it..."

Humming, the nearly thirteen year old put his hands behind his head. "Yakitori, huh? Sounds good."

After that, Iku was almost on autopilot as Harry followed her into the Submarine pens. In fact, when she took her shower, it was nearly on automatic itself while Harry chatted with RO in the common room. Then the Submarine snapped out of it and panicked a little as she rushed through it and then began to get dressed. Once she was done and came out, Iku took a deep breath. "Okay, Harry-Chan, I'm ready to go."

When Harry turned though, he had to blink at the sight that met him. Unlike what many would expect considering her reputation, Iku was dressed nearly conservatively in a sundress. A smile crossed his face as he gave her a look over. "Looking good, Iku-Chan."

Behind Harry, RO gave Iku a grin and a thumb's up. Even as she blushed some, the blue haired Subgirl walked over to the wizard and took his hand in hers. "We'll see you later, RO-Chan."

Grinning even wider, RO nodded at both of them before raising her bottle of soda in a salute. "Enjoy your time out, Iku-Chan, Harry-Chan. We'll see you both later." Once they were gone, the German chuckled as she sipped her drink. "And you better enjoy it, Iku-Chan. Because we are so going to grill you."

Outside, Iku had a bright smile on her face as both her and Harry walked around. Part of that, of course, was due to having the hand of the boy next to her in hers. Noticing Harry glancing at her before looking away, Iku gave him an amused look. "Something wrong, Harry-Chan?"

Sheepish at having gotten caught, Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... not often that I see you wearing something like that." A small blush came to Iku's face with his next words. "It looks good on you."

Bashfully smiling, Iku gave his hand a small squeeze. "Thank you, Harry-Chan. I don't often wear things like this, not much reason to do so. But... it is nice to do so every once in a while."

All Harry did though was shake his head and shrug. "Well, you look nice anyways." Glancing around, the black haired boy gave a nod. "Anyways, we should head to the parkade so that we can use my bike to get to this Yakitori stand. Otherwise we'd have to walk the whole way there."

Lightly giggling, Iku shook her head. "I wouldn't mind that too much, Harry-Chan. But I agree that we should take it there." Internally, she was practically skipping. 'Maybe Hachi-Chan's plan will work!'

The two of them continued to talk as they made their way to where the various shipgirls in the Dormitories kept their vehicles, the whole while Iku was smiling happily.

 

[darthcourt10]

Snippet 18: S0ngD0g13

Letters from Kure...
........................................................

Dear Ginny;

How've you been, Little Red? Still shooting? It's been... It's been interesting, out here in Japan. Lots of stuff happening. My patrol group's got a few new members; I told you about how Azuma, Monitor and I summoned Alabama, right? Well, the last official Summoning wound up calling in the original Shoukaku, who's a sister-ship to Aunt Houshou, and she patrols with us some.

Bonaparte's growing like a weed, and he's already almost ten feet wingtip-to-wingtip. He's gotten so big now that Azuma can't keep him on-base so he's moved out to Spider Island. Charlotte's not gotten any bigger, but Boromir and Faramir are growing by leaps and bounds. Aso got a dog, a little Akita-Shepherd cross puppy she named 'Gekko', or 'Moonlight'.

Jaw's off to school in the States, and Zuikaku misses him fiercely; she was so blue over him going away to Maryland that she never even reacted when Kaga called her 'Turkey', and believe me, the only person she ever lets get away with that nickname is Jaw.

And, perceptive young lady that you are, I'd bet you're shaking your head about how I've dodged talking about how I'm doing, aren't you, Ginny? Truth is it's been rough going for me. Not as many nightmares about... You know... but I still haven't been sleeping real well. My inner demons have been real loud here of late, and I got into a really bad headspace for a while. I'm doing better, at least a little, but a little better's still better than not better at all, right? I'm still not talking to a shrink, but I am talking to Aunt Houshou and Uncle James more. Hell, they even made me take the pledge; I'm off the liquor and stone-cold sober now for three weeks. Gods' Honest, I needed to dry out, but going cold-turkey sucks hard. I'd rather get in a boxing match with a Ta-Class than go through a case of the shakes like that again...

Hey, I gotta go, Ginny; I've got a patrol to do. I'll write again once I'm back in.

Keep your powder dry, Little Red,

Kaylee

...........................................................

Professor Snape;

I hope this letter finds you well; in truth I hope this letter finds you, given I sent it care of Headmaster Dumbledore at Hogwarts, lacking your home address.

I've taken your advice from your last letter to heart, and while I haven't solicited the services of a professional Mind-Healer, I have opened up more to my aunt and uncle. I won't insult your intelligence by saying I'm free of my demons, but I'm on the mend. I'm also three weeks into a state of enforced sobriety, Gods Help Me; I dried out cold-turkey and the resulting delirium tremens were a nightmare all their own.

Thank you again for the loan of your Occlumency texts; I think I'm making progress, but the end-goal hasn't yet been achieved. I hope you enjoyed the bottles I sent with my last letter, since as it turns out they were the last bottles from the last run my still ever made.

I'm afraid I must end this letter shortly; Uncle James is calling me to supper. Charlotte wished me to pass on her greetings to you, 'Professor Snake', and I'd like to extend an invitation for you to visit us here at any time, Severus.

Sincerely,
Kaylee McAmis

........................................................

Jaw, You Wingless Dodo,

Why the Hell ain't you wrote us yet? We're all missing you, Zui especially-so, and we ain't heard word-one from you. I know you're busy at Canoe-U, but how damned long does it take to write a letter, Cousin? It doesn't have to be a long one; at this point we'd settle for a simple "I ain't dead yet" scribbled on the back of a gas-station receipt.

In short: WRITE TO US YOU DOLT!!!

Otherwise I will get Akizuki to lean on the Tin-Can Mafia to make you write.

Love you, and write to us,

Kaylee

P.S.,
I wasn't bluffing about setting the Destroyers on you. Write Us.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Carrying the rather large tray of yakitori, Harry breathed deeply and sighed. Beside him, Iku gave a small smile as the two of them walked through some of the crowds. "Enjoying yourself, Harry-Chan?"

Said boy smiled back at her before shrugging. "Its a pretty nice day, Iku-Chan. " Tilting his head back, Harry looked at the sky even as he kept an eye on where he was going. "There's just the right amount of clouds and the breeze off the ocean is keeping things from getting too hot. Like I said, a pretty nice day right now." He then gave Iku a searching look. "Though I am wondering why you don't have issues with that hat of yours going anywhere with some of the gusts every once in a while."

Unable to help herself, Iku grinned as she leaned in. "I actually have an old shell casing inside of it, Harry-Chan. Stops it from going anywhere when I wear it." Adjusting the hat, she blushed a bit. "It does look alright, doesn't it"
All Harry did was tilt his head to the side and nod some. "Looks very Khorosho, Dess."

Iku suddenly pointed at a spot nearby with a smile. "There's a bench, Harry-Chan! How about we go over there and sit down to have our Yakitori."

With a nod, Harry followed her lead as he glanced to the side, his tone becoming sardonic. "Right, best to do that before the flying rats try something."

Blinking, the Submarine followed his gaze and then growled at the seagulls that were hanging around. "They're not touching my yakitori! Not today!"

Sharply nodding, Harry frowned. "You tell them, Iku-Chan!" Once they sat down, the black haired boy placed the tray across his lap and nodded. "Okay... let's see what we got here. Four hasami yakitori, four torikawa, four toriniku, four yotsumi... All for you. And four tsukune for me!"

Only nodding, Iku opened the two ramune she had and gave one to Harry. With that done, she took one of the torikawa and hummed as she bit into the crunchy treat. Part of her was still amused by the reaction of the vendor at their order before he simply shrugged and gave them it. None of his business. Glancing to the side, Iku smiled a bit. "You really like tsukune, don't you?"

Chewing the meatball, Harry gave a nod before swallowing. "I do, they're pretty good." A small smile on his face, he chuckled some. "You know, the first real Japanese food I had was some tsukune that Mum bought for me when we arrived at the airstrip. There was a small Yatai just outside of the airbase that made them." Waving a hand around, the wizard continued. "I was really tired, but also sort of hungry and not sure what was good or not. I couldn't read the language or anything. But Mum walked right up to this one vendor and got me a stick as something to tie me over until we got to Yokosuka."

Eyebrow raised, Iku blinked. "And did it? Tie you over, I mean?"

Softly snickering, the nearly thirteen year old shook his head. "It did, after all I fell asleep in the car with it in my stomach as Mum and Mutsu-Oba talked. Guess that's why I like them, it reminds me of when I realized that I had a home now."

Head tilted to the side, Iku gave a small nod. Thoughtfully chewing her own food, she considered what she had just been told. Oddly, it did make quite a bit of sense to her even though it saddened her. 'So his first real taste of Japan was a Yakitori stand...' Shaking it off, she glanced and noticed that Harry's gaze was looking at one of the nearby seagulls as her eyes narrowed. 'Hmm...'

Meanwhile, Harry was glaring at said bird as he knew it was eyeing the food and felt Iku shift beside him. Just as he turned though, it was to the sight of Iku leaning down and chomping one of his meatballs. "Hey!"

A smirk on her face, Iku gave him a smug look. "You should know better then to let your gaze wonder, Harry-Chan. Someone might snatch that food from you." His eyes narrowed to slits, Harry glared at her before he grabbed her hand. "Hey, what are-That's mine!"

Now it was Harry's turn to have a smirk of victory on his face as he chewed the yakitori that he has stolen from the Submarine's skewer. Swallowing, his smirk grew into a grin as he winked at her. "You should be more observant, Iku-Chan, someone might steal some~"

Both of them stared at the other with glares before they were unable to help it and burst into laughter. Leaning back into the bench as she giggled, Iku shook her head and looked up at the sky. "Thanks, Harry-Chan. I really needed that."

Playfully bowing, Harry nodded some. "My pleasure, Iku-Chan." After a few snickers, he shook his own head. "Though I needed that myself as well."

Curious, the blue haired shipgirl looked over at her friend. "Oh? Why did you need that, Harry-Chan? Did something happen?"

Harry hummed for a moment before placing the ramune bottle beside him. "Not really? It's sort of everything going on at the moment, you know? Haruna-Oba and Rose are getting married in about a little more then a week. Ron and the others will be coming by in a couple of days ahead of the wedding. So I got to do things there... Not to mention the stuff about the swords from my family. Lots of stuff really."

Reaching over, Iku gave him a poke. "Don't overwork yourself, Harry-Chan."

Just smiling, Harry placed one arm over the Submarine's shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Iku-Chan. I'm doing fine, and Mum would mke sure that I don't overwork myself." Frowning thoughtfully as he finished off his first skewer, he shrugged. "And I'm pretty sure that Natsumi-Chan, you, and the others would be much the same way as well and stop me from overworking myself."

After a few moments of thought, Iku gave a small smile before snuggling closer to him as she continued to eat her own yakitori. "Hai, that is true enough. None of us would let you overwork yourself." Closing her eyes, Iku grabbed another one of her own skewers before sighing. "Now this is the sort of thing that I enjoy."

Looking over at her, Harry let his arm drop from her shoulder to her hip. "Really? What do you mean about that?"

Eyes opening, Iku turned towards him for several moments. "What we're doing now, Harry-Chan. Just hanging out, enjoying ourselves for the most part. Even just eating skewers of yakitori at the oceanfront. I don't know about the others outside us Submarines, but Hachi-Chan and the others? We came back to defend Japan and it's people, and we'll lay our lives down for them, but these moments of peace when we can just be... girls, and when we can enjoy our new lives? It's what we really live for." Her eyes darkening, Iku stared down at the water. "Its what keeps us going when we're in the deep, cold ocean depths fighting. So that one day, when the war ends? We'll have as many days like this as we want."

Simply chewing his tsukune as Iku leaned into him, Harry thought over the answer that she gave him. It was one that he had heard more then once from the Submarines after all and it was oddly thought provoking. While all the summoned shipgirls he met had a zest for the new lives that they were given once they got used to their new existence, the Submarines had the most of them all. Something as simple as sitting down together to watch a movie had Iku and the others smiling brightly and was something that they approached with pure joy. A simple thing as that brought them so much joy because it was a chance to unwind and enjoy just being at peace.

Which was not to say that much the same was true of the other shipgirls, but the Submarines seemed to just enjoy life.

As he continued to think, Harry remembered something that made him look towards Iku. "By the way... how are things going with your plans for the future?"

Lightly blushing, Iku for brief moment wondered if he meant about the two of them before realizing what he was asking about. "You mean the courses that I'm taking?" At Harry's nod, she smiled. "I'm doing pretty good actually, Willie-Chan said that I'm a natural at teaching." With a happy sigh, the Submarine looked out at the waves as the breeze played with what hair poked out from her sunhat. "I know that some might think it's bad luck, Harry-Chan, but... when this is all over? When the fighting is finished? We're going to retire, Hachi-Chan, Imuya-Chan, Shioi-Chan, RO-Chan, Maruyu-Chan... as well as Taigei-Nee-Chan and Ryuuhou-Nee-Chan. All of us and then we'll be able to enjoy life."

Harry gave a small nod and chuckled softly. "Yeah, you're going to become a swimming and diving instructor, Hachi-Chan wants to become a librarian, Imuya-Chan wants to become someone who makes programs and games for cellphones. I know that Shioi-Chan wants to become a teacher and RO-Chan wants to do the same..." Tapping his chin, Harry gave a nod. "And Maruyu-Chan wants to eiither become a police officer or transport owner."

Softly giggling, Iku nodded. "That's right, Harry-Chan. Though to be honest... with how long it seems like we'll live maybe Maruyu-Chan will be able to become both. Taigei-Nee-Chan and Ryuuhou-Nee-Chan just want to open a restaurant with some of the others like Mamiya-San. I know that Imuya-Chan already has a few small games to her name."

With his lips twitching, Harry had a twinkle in his eye. "Her Submarine bullet hell game is pretty popular." Then he pouted some. "It's also pretty hard."

Unable to help herself, the Submarine next to him snorted. "Hai, the rest of us find it pretty hard too. Not only are you dodging torpedo spreads from enemies, but also depth charges and hedgehogs coming down from 'Above' even as you fire back." Frowning, Iku furrowed her eyebrows. "Though from what I heard one of the American girls downloaded it onto a tablet and made it into an arcade game or some such."

Eyes widening, Harry blinked at her. "Really? An arcade game?"

Nodding, Iku gave him an smile. "Hai, she did ask permission and I think that she's sending one to Imuya-Chan. It's basically an old tablet recycled with a game put on it and put into an small arcade machine. I guess that some of the older Natural Borns love them for some reason? Not sure why... I know that Tenryuu-San was muttering about getting one with something called 'Space Invaders' on it."

Bemused, Harry had the image of Tenryuu playing one while muttering about beating the high score and snorted at it. 'I get the feeling that Inazuma-Chan and Ikazuchi-Chan will be getting very exasperated with their Mum.' Then Harry shook his head free of such images and gave Iku a grin. "But you'll wait until I'm your Admiral, right?"

A small blush on her face as well as a smile, Iku reached over and hugged him with one arm. "Of course, Harry-Chan! All of us want you to be our Admiral after all...' She continued the rest of her thought in her head. 'And maybe more.' Outside, Iku gave him a wink. "After all, we know that you'll take care of us."

Expression turning serious, Harry gave her a nod. "Of course I'll take care of you all, Iku-Chan. I promise you that!"

It went without saying that Iku's blush deepened some even as she was touched by it. That sort of thing is why all the Yokosuka Submarines cared for him after all and looked forward to him entering the JMSDF. "Hai, we know that, Harry-Chan. And all of us believe it as well as you will be the best Admiral that we could have outside of Goto-San."

They continued the small talk as they ate, mostly of the future and what the Submarines were doing in regards to that. Not that Iku told Harry about all their plans though. It was when they were nearly done though that Harry blinked at one bit. "You're all trying to summon your hulls?"

Lips curled upwards, the blue haired Subgirl nodded as she swallowed the last bit of Yakitori. "That's right, Harry-Chan all of us." Glancing around, she nodded to herself as they got up and placed the tray and used skewers in the proper trash receptacle. "How about we walk and talk, Harry-Chan? It's still a nice day."

Patting himself down, Harry gave a nod to that. "True enough, and I know that there's a dango stand around." At her blink, he pointed at her stomach. "Pretty sure that the yakitori was just enough as a snack."

Rather pleased, Iku giggled some. "You spoil us, Harry-Chan. But sure, I could go for some dango." As they began walking, once more holding hands, she gathered her thoughts. "As for our hulls... Since Verniy-Chan proved that it was possible, a lot of us shipgirls have been working on it. I know that Haruna-San is able to do so and I'm pretty sure that the rest of the Kongous are able to as well. Though Hiei-San made jokes about showing Richardson-Teitoku all around her hull."

A laugh escaped Harry as he shook his head. "I know that Jane told me about Hiei-Oba stating that if she ever summoned her hull, that she was going to take him on a tour of it. Something about having him stand on her bridge and command her... Jane seemed happy."

Unnoticed by Harry, Iku had a small blush on her face before she turned thoughtful. While she knew that the black haired boy did not know, and suspected that John Richardson also did not know, she knew that Jane had realized one fact. Such an action for a shipgirl, to invite someone she cared for who was not part of her actual crew onto her bridge on her hull to command had meaning. Part of it was the sheer trust in a person it showed, but there was far more to it then that. Yes, only a few shipgirls were able to summon their hulls so far. But really, that did not matter in the end. In fact, hearing that Iku suspected that Jinstuu as well as Arizona would do the same thing, Mutsu as well once she gave birth and could give time to it. Part of her suspected that they would also all have John and Jane sign their crew manifests as well...

Iku put such thoughts into their own compartment to visit later before turning to Harry and smiling. "Well, Harry-Chan, I know that we want to do the same but with you. When we manage to summon our hulls, we want you to stand upon our bridges and command as well. And maybe sign our crew manifests?"

Frowning, Harry tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure about that, Iku-Chan?"

Her expression becoming serious, Iku squeezed his hand. "Hai, I'm more sure of that then many other things, Harry-Chan. And I know that the others are the same. We all want that."

Expression softening, Harry gave a nod. "I'd like that, Iku-Chan."

The smile he got from her was nearly blinding in how much happiness it contained.
________________________________________________________________

Coming to a stop by the door to the Submarine Pens, Harry looked up at Iku who was playing with the hem of her sundress. Briefly chewing her lip, the Subgirl looked down at Harry with a small smile. "Thank you for spending some time with me, Harry-Chan. I really appreciate it and enjoyed myself." Her smile became somewhat amused. "Though from the amount of yakitori and dango, maybe your wallet less so."

All Harry did though was shrug a bit. "I don't think that my wallet minded much. Besides, I enjoyed spending some time with you as well."

On Iku's face was a thoughtful look and she bent down some before stopping. "I... um..."

Remembering with Niiyodo as well as some of the others, Harry internally shrugged. They seemed to enjoy it, so... Before Iku could react, Harry leaned the rest of the way and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Internally, Harry was snickering at the expression on Iku's face at what happened before she turned red with a happily dazed look. "See you later, Iku-Chan."

Only waving, Iku found her voice. "U-um, thank you, Harry-Chan. And I'll see you around..." Moments later found her inside the Submarine Pen leaning against the door for several seconds. Then Iku leapt up and pumped her fist into the air and began to twirl around. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Still giggling madly, she rushed off for the common area, skipping the whole way. "Guys! I got great news!"

If anyone was around the Sub Pens less then a minute later, they would have heard loud squeals of happiness.

Meanwhile, Harry was walking along deep in thought as he headed back to the apartment he shared with the others. Mainly, his thoughts were turned over to what had happened the past few days. 'What is going on? I mean first there was Niiyodo-Chan, then Hibiki-Chan, and now Iku-Chan? Also, dates? Maybe friendly dates? Close friends go on dates too, right?' For some odd reason he couldn't fathom, that rang hollow. 'There's no way that they could feel like that, right? Not for me, so... friendly dates then I guess... That makes sense.'

A small voice inside his head then piped up some. 'If the dates were so friendly, then why kisses? And why would they enjoy them so much?'

Chewing his lip, Harry shook his head some. 'No way, they were just friendly dates between two friends. Just us going out to enjoy some time together, that's all they wanted after all. And kisses can be friendly too! Look at Hibiki-Chan for instance when Verniy came out after some vodka those times...' Before that other voice spoke up, the wizard internally sighed. 'Even if they were nice...'

Back and forth, his thoughts warred with each other inside of his head. It still was not settled by the time he reached the apartment and walked inside. Harry did pause though and take a sniff before frowning. "Citrus...? Why am I..." Coming to a stop outside the kitchen, Harry sighed a bit because there was Juuchi on the countertop.

Along with a number of orange peels and blood oranges.

For several moments he stared down the sword which sat there. Part of him wondered if she had a human form as he expected, if she would be whistling innocently if it was visible. He was getting the feel of fake innocence coming from it. A quick glance also showed Harry an empty berry basket with the tell tale signs of having been filled with strawberries. Eyes narrowing, he let out a sigh. "I'm not going to clean you after this. That is up to you, not me in this case."

He could almost swear that the sheath was a bit redder, but chose to ignore it while shaking his head and walking to his room. When he entered his bedroom to continue to think, Harry was struck by an odd thought which made him sigh. What the heck did it say about his life that it barely registered that he was making such comments to a sword?

Of course, he would not change it for the world, but still...

 

[darthcourt10]

Barricade Omake: "Harry's Legend"

Record the Recording said:
Harry, you're a freaking wizard with riches in foreign lands with a lot of girls who are also ships interested in you. You room with a small child who is of the race that said girls who are also ships are fighting against. You got rescued from durance vile by one of the girls who are also ships. You slew a legendary monster and the sorcerer controlling it, and helped put an end to a batshit insane monster serial killer spider. You are in with actual Yokai, one of whom is a spring goddess.

You have literal strings of fate tying yourself to both Voldemort and unborn girls who used to be not-quite-complete ships.

Release your autobiography to an anime studio and make sure you claim a sizable portion of the revenue, dude. Your savings will practically double.​

*-*-*-*-*
Lets keep going...

Born to parents who fought a dark lord, protected by the final act of love from his mother - an unawakened goddess, and marked by the power of a Dark Lord to be his equal through the signs of prophecy. Initially raised in abusive poverty by unloving relatives, found by two goddesses of warand raised as the son of one of the first of these goddesses to have heeded Man's anguished prayers. The rest of his middle childhood is spent in a foreign land learning a foreign tongue surrounded by yet more gods and spirits while slowly learning the Arts of War at the very feet of some of its greatest warriors & soldiers.

Beloved of over a dozen war goddeses, several of whom he directly took part in summoning, including a dark goddess as well - three of these dark goddesses, major gods in their own right, see themselves as an oldet sister, his beloved younger sister, and niece respectively, granting him command over their armies second only to themselves. Beloved by a trickster spirit with a hidden legacy of her own who revealed herself to him in order to protect him, protector of an adolescent dragon before she came into her heritage and whom views him as her blood kin younger sibling, wielder of a cursed magic sentient sword who knows no equal within the land of its creation, liege lord of a living castle that he raised from near death to new heights through sheer force of will, by his own free will and command gave back priceless treasures and artifacts of power thought lost to the ages to the world. Landholder thrice over within three realms, one bound by covenant with spirits both natural and Fae within the realm of his birth, another secretly protected by kin to the Satyr God within the realm of a lost branch of his kin, and lastly to lands in his adopted home granted by the young dragon near the very heart of her power to which he has been granted free passage at will to enter. Finder and explorer of a lost island, poisoned by dark tragedy, later to be purified by his own hands, thus both raising and saving a hidden fleet within it's harbor and the goddesses of each ship, whilst releasing the trapped souls held in bondage upon the isle in the same moment. The two sisters bound eternal to the island he did comfort even in their darkest visage, declaring friendship even then, and thus became beloved by them.

Discovered his magical legacy, traveling back to the realm of his birth during the last half of his childhood to be raised in wisdom from the very school of magic which had trained the one who marked him. Faced and banished the wraith of this Dark Lord and the traitor bound to it before a year had gone by, and part-way through his second year slew a monster of legend through cunning even though he was struck down in the process. Saved by a legendary magical creature, yet marked forever by the beast he had slain, he helped a spirit face the wraith of her murderer and banish it. Immediately following this, was kidnapped by an insane jorogumo to lure out the young dragon, and was part of the battle that ended with her death, along with an abomination that has never before been successfully banished in history.

Humble even before all this, he took it upon himself to feed those around him with offerings of food, growing with prowess and skill over the years until these culinary dishes crafted from his own hands, are relished to the last drop and bite by said gods and spirits alike. Then, rather than take power by his own hands, he placed himself at the service of his adopted realm as one of its defenders, climbing the halls of power through his acts of devotion and by acclamation, until in time, standing as undisputed master of his own ship, followed shortly as the commander of not only a fleet from this realm, but a true pantheon of allies entrusted to him, many being those goddesses of war both light and dark that are his beloved.

-=-

Someone roll out the Conan: The Barbarian OST, because Harry flat out has earned it.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K

A.N./ Thank god it's Friday.

This would have originally been all one post, but unfortunately the image limit is a thing.

Edit: Spoilered the different parts, because holy hell that ended up bigger than I intended, and I'd rather not inconvenience everyone on mobile.


A Visitor and Migrant's Guide to Yamainutaira

Written by Hokubu Kariudoko for circulation by the Yamainutaira War Migrant Support Program and Yamainutaira Town Council


Welcome to Yamainutaira, a place steeped in history, lore and home to a richly unique community of Muggles, Magicals and Yokai all gathered on one plateau.

Whether you are visiting someone you know, temporarily passing through, or looking to settle down, this Guide Book is a basic introduction to Yamainutaira, it's history and it's people. The information within these pages should hopefully serve as a useful source of common knowledge regarding the different areas of the township, it's geography, points of interest, helpful tips, advice regarding local culture and nuances, and maybe even a few neat historical tidbits.
Spoiler: Part 1
Spoiler

"The Thirteen Neighborhoods and Major Areas of Yamainutaira"

As with any township with a long history behind it, while Yamainutaira's geography may be relatively straight forward, the layout of civilization by it's creators is not without it's nuances and oddities thanks to just over 540 years of incremental and evolving settlement. Over these nearly five hundred years, influence by both magical and muggle developments, outside events, and the fortunes of the times have all left their touch on the landscape. Archaeology and oral records suggest habitation of the plateau and it's surrounding forests, goes back even further, but much of the town and it's current layout are the work of two of the first Hokubu Clan heads to settle the area - Shoumaru the Little and Daimaru the Builder.

The Hokubu are a name that you will see regularly throughout this leaflet, and likely hear just as much when out in town, especially in the older neighborhoods. Since the arrival of Shoumaru the Little in 1468, the Hokubo Okami clan have been intrinsically linked with the history and development of Yamainutaira, and still are in the present day.

The majority of the town is centralized around the northern end of the plateau, east of the Inuogawa Stream, and south of the highest and eastern most point of the Okamiryosen ridge line, a trio of hills known as Santsume after the old fort that once stood there, and which the current manor and walled compound are named after. Most people however, will simply refer to the area as "The Shrine" or "the Manor" after the two most notable landmarks that are visible from most of the town. To the east, Yamainutaira's border is stopped by the walls of the canyon that the Shirakawa river runs through, while the the western side spills down into the valley of Tani-no-Su, and then up the side of the Betsutoriyama ridge line. Where the two canyons meet at the south is the Forest of the Matangi-Ken, although most of the muggle in town these days, know it for the Lumber Yard and Juice Bottling Plant. Keep going south, and eventually you'll see Ansokukanyama, and then of course, the lower slopes of Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group.

On closer inspection however, it should become apparent that even on a map, Yamaintaira is a very decentralized town. This is in fact because many of it's neighborhoods owe their origins to either reconstruction and community reorganization after fires destroyed successive iterations of the original settlement, or are the result of farming villages and communities surrounding the homes of local retainers, expanding and growing to loosely border one another. Population fluctuations over the decades is also a large part of what has caused the community to retain a very rural density and feel.

For those feeling the call of the big cities though, Yamainutaira is far from isolated in this day and age. The Old Town Hall in Kabeoka functions as a Floo Transit Point and Port Key Office, with connections to most major cities in Hokkaido and Honshu. For those seeking more mundane or scenic methods of travel, once an hour, a bus does a circuit of Kabeoka, Ichibahomen, and Settoshyugoba, before heading to north Kamikawa. From there, trains can be caught to Ashikawa, and then on to Sapporo

Helpful Tip: When using the two as a guide, always remember that the Shrine has a north-south orientation, while the walls of the Hokubu Clan Manor are actually slightly deceptive, being more of a Northeast-Southwest orientation thanks to the gardens.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some may also spot the obvious presence of Tenmakuyama some six kilometers to the southeast of Yamainutaira's borders. Especially for those of yokai race or descent, it is ill advised to get within more than four kilometers of the mountain. A further arbitrary line is generally drawn between Ansokukanyama and Tenmakuyama, beyond which most locals will also advise you not to pass.
Spoiler

"Unknown Wolf - Artist Unknown Circa 1645"
Spoiler

Hokubu Clan Estate

One of the first things many people swiftly learn about Yamainutaira, is that among the magical community, "Private Property" is a very flexible term, and even many muggle "Public Spaces" are often built upon clan lands or areas where there is a given understanding that within certain boundaries, visitors may roam or do business freely. No greater example of this is there, than the Hokubu Clan Estate, and it's private holdings for the Hokubu Main Family, running almost the length of the Okamiryosen ridge line north of the town.

As a general rule of thumb, if it's north of the properties following the Western Approach Road, it's probably Main Family lands, but publicly accessible. The woods in the immediate vicinity of the Shrine or north of the town proper however, are private land where it is considered good form to ask permission to enter first. This is not due to any particular animosity to visitors however, but merely that the Main Family often carry out minor logging operations, and have magical gardens hidden within the tree line surrounding their property and the Hokubu Shrine.

The majority of the northwestern portions of their lands are freely open to visitors, and are a great place for a variety of leisurely or nature-dependant activities; Walk with the family and have a picnic during the day. Watch the sunset, or carry out summoning rituals in secluded groves at the evening. Find the perfect spot to stargaze or study astronomy in a spot that is beyond the touch of light pollution. Listen to the morning birdsong and brew solar or lunar stage sensitive potions in huts hidden throughout the wood.

Please do be aware however, that if you do find evidence of magical regents or herbology specimens, they are likely not as "wild" as they initially seem, and it is considered bad form to harvest someone else's work or cultivar. Many of these "wild" plants are actually purposely placed, being of species that do not do well indoors or without room, and so are usually donated or kept in rented plots by somebody who does not have the room or expenses to grow it themselves, and are intend to use them for personal consumption rather than commercial sale.

If you have a similar situation, and find yourself in the ownership of a magical cultivar you believe could handle the environmental conditions of Yamainutaira, and would like inquire about renting a temporary garden or plot within the woods of Okamiryosen, please feel free to enquire with the head of the Santsume Grounds Keepers, Hokubu Hachimaru.

Helpful Tip: If you wish to play quidditch or quadpot, there is a field available, just behind the properties bordering the northern side of the Western Approach Road, and halfway down Okamimamotte Iriguchi. From the road, it looks like a large farm plot, squeezed between the Setto Clan Property by a line of spruce trees. This is an illusion, and should currently be in the form of rows of cabbages this year. Please note however, that Yamainutaira does not offer any play or teams beyond the recreational level for either sport. For those looking for a more competitive or amateur club scene, try getting in touch with the Kamikawa Broomsticks Pitch and Sporting Club.
Spoiler

"Santsume-Shoen - Circa 1889 by Hokubu Fumiko"
Spoiler

"Santsume Manor Today - Hokubu Kariudoko on Instagram"

Santsume Manor and the Hokubo Clan Compound

Do note that the eastern lands of the Hokubu Clan Estate, and even Santsume Manor itself, are not entirely inaccessible to the public either.

Portions of the Clan Library are actually open for public visitation and pursual, and are a great resource for studying or checking magical texts among those wishing to homeschool their children, have their own further academics they need to acquire research or materials for, or simply wish to locate some magical literature and have a taste for historical texts and curios. Please note however, that the Clan does not allow books and artifacts to be leave the premise of the Library.

Once a month, the Hokubu also have an open session Clan meeting. While most clan gatherings are usually behind closed doors and relate to internal affairs of the Hokubu Main and Branch Families, or occasionally the other wolf clans the okami have married into over the centuries, the current Main Branch Family recognize the influence the Hokubu have over affairs of the town, and so chair an open floor meeting on the second Saturday of every even numbered month, to allow other members of the magical community to voice their considerations and concerns in the community.

These meetings aren't just a chance to talk politics and float community ideas however. While not a requirement, people will usually bring a long a plate of food, or excess produce, leading to a metamorphosis of these events to often have some good food, good drink, in a recent addition, good music in good company.

Helpful Tip: For those interested in ancient architecture and ruins, or just want to check out a place with a view, pedestrian access is provided by paths up to the ruins of the original Santsume Castle foundations. Feel free to check out the remains of one of the oldest and largest ever to dominate Yamainutaira's skyline, or soak in the views that made it such a commanding position to watch over the surrounding valleys and plateaus, while also defending the Eastern Pass Road below. A great location to finish off a day in town, and perfect for that ultimate selfie or group picture.

Historical Trivia: Santsume Manor and it's grounds actually sit upon the site of three previous iterations of Yamainutaira. After the original settlement was burned by bandits in 1529, Daimaru the Build then rebuilt the town as a fortress, made up of a walled town with a small castle with three towers at the highest point. After a fire destroyed the entire settlement in 1561, Daimaru the Build then rebuilt Santsume Fortress with many of the merchants and retainers moved into a new walled town on a neighboring hill, providing better defenses for the Eastern Pass Road and the foundations for what would become Kabeoka, while many tradecraft workshops moved outside the walls to what would become Ichibahomen. After a sequence of minor fires throughout the remainder of his reign and then that f his successors, when a third great fire destroyed the Fortress and Castle in 1637, Ryoshimaru the Hunter, the clan head at the time, rebuilt Santsume in much the shape that it appears today. With relative peace under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and with a much more proactive view towards tracking down and dealing with threats to his fief, Ryoshimaru the Hunter moved the last of the non-Hokubu populace and structures off the hill to lessen the risks of any future fires destroying the new Manor and clan compound he had built in place of the castle and it's supporting structures.

Ryoshimaru the Hunter's Shoen actually partly burnt down in the early 1800s, and so much of the interior and many buildings in the grounds were either redesigned and renovated, or torn down during the reign of Ezomaru and Clan Head.


Spoiler

"The Jingu-ji style entrance to Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro - Hokubu Kariudoko"
Spoiler

"The Haiden of Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro - Hokubu Kariudoko"
Spoiler

Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro - A Town's History in a Family Shrine

Ask any of the wolves, dog yokai, old onmyoji, and even a few of the older muggles in town, what the most historically significant area in Yamainutaira is, and the answer may surprise you. For many, especially those of Hokubu bloodlines or service, the place that holds that intrinsic feeling of origin and belonging, is not Kabeoka, or even Santsume Manor, but the shrine of Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro. For while Santsume may have once upon a time been the most heavily fortified and built up area of the town, it is the hill to the west of the three eastern most peaks of the Okamiryosen ridge line that carries a multitude of different close relationships and meanings with the town, and it's various clans and dynasties.

It was on the very spot where the Shrine Honden now stands, that Shoumaru the Little first made permanent camp after many days of travel. What was at first a camping site, soon became a hunting lodge, and eventually, was the location where the Ezo Wolves that would eventually become the Setto Clan, first swore their oaths of fealty to the Honshu Okami after the southern wolf brought down numerous feared beast of the hunt, and defeated a variety of wen-kamuy that had been harassing those in the area. With the knowledge of magic and technology that Shoumaru brought with him, within two decades, Shoumaru hard carved out a fiefdom for himself, one primarily backed by the discovery and exploitation of the copper reserves surrounding the volcanic plateau.

While the prosperity of the growing village eventually prompted the moving of the town to the much more defensible position atop the triple-peaked hill of Santsume, his first years of eking out a living remained close to Shoumaru's heart, eventually forming the impetus for the location to become the stage in three major genealogical events for the Hokubu Clan and it's allies.

When Shoumaru was wed to his wife, the ceremony took place at the fire side of the original camping site-turned-hunting lodge, for a lack of any building large enough to fit all those present. Later, a young Daimaru the Builder emulated his father and set the begins of a trend by also carrying out the ceremony at the fireside, in one of the final events before the old village was torn down, and rebuilt as the first iteration of the town atop Santsume. However, when Shoumaru decided to fully affirm his alliance to the Setto, with what would begin the first of the Branch Family bloodlines by marrying his eldest daughter into their clan, both clan heads decided that rather than taking place in the town hall, the rites would be symbolically carried out around that same fire pit where as young hunters, they had come to an agreement to aid each other in the future season's endeavors. And then finally, when the Matangi-ken were eventually brought into Shoumaru the Little's growing circle of cooperating clans, though they had never shared the campsite as the Hokubu and the Setto had, a bond of marriage to solidify and honor the fealty of the Matangi-Ken was once more sworn on the grounds of the old lodge and it's fire pit.

Eventually when Shoumaru the Little died, it fell to his son, Daimaru the Builder, to see to the organisation of his father's funeral. At this point in time however, the burgeoning village of Yamainutaira still had no true place of worship or community shrine beyond whatever small household stands people might have. To that end, Daimaru the Builder then set about killing two birds with one stone, constructing the first and longest lasting of the many great projects in the town that would eventually garner him his title.

With the Honden itself built upon the location of that first fire pit, Daimaru the Builder then began the long standing tradition of enshrining the remains of past clan heads, members of the Main Family, and those of great deed and merit within the inner sanctuary. A practice that with a sole exception, has carried through to today.

It is more than just a place of remembrance and reverence however. For many of the wolf and dog yokai in town, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro is the true heart of this town. For four hundred years, successive generations have been buried or enshrined, married on the steps, and blessed after their birth by the miko (and knowing some people, the gardens bordering the premise to have witnessed more than a few romantces and conceptions as well).

Even to many muggles in the community, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro symbolizes the place not just ourselves, but our ancestors came from. It is where, no matter how far we roam, we shall always belong. And eventually, it is to where we can always return.

Historical Trivia: Since the time of Daimaru the Builder, the Head Shrine Maiden or Priest of the Hokubu Shrine has always been of both Hokubu and Setto bloodlines. A tradition originating from both of those positions being filled by Daimaru the Builder's nephew and niece, in order to honor the ties between the Hokubu, it's branch house, and the Setto. This continues through to the current Head Shrine Maiden, Hokubu Sakurako, and with luck, will also hold true with yours truly as well.
Spoiler

"Hokubu Sakurako, Current Miko and Caretaker for Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro"

Shinto, Magic, Yokai and You

So, where does this cornerstone of Yamainutaira's magical and yokai influenced history fit in a great many of you are probably pondering? The answer is a very catch-all one.

Being primarily farming (and originally martial) inclined folk, as people were historically often too busy working the fields, this has left the Hokubu Shrine Priest/Maiden's role a rather wide one. Which is good, because like most old magical towns, Yamainutaira occasionally has a lot of weird things going on that will even have most of the local muggles shrugging and brushing it off as something mundane because that's just always been a thing here. If you ever have an issue of a more supernaturally inclined nature, don't hesitate to contact the Head Shrine Maiden, or even just a random member of the clan in the streets.

The magical community of Yamainutaira have never been of the sort to suffer truly beings of dangerous or malicious, so most entities that might cause trouble are usually harmless and can be easily be identified and rectified by the Head Shrine Maiden, or various members of the Hokubu clan depending on the nature and location. For those seeking to learn how to handle things themselves, those of the Hokubu Shrine are also usually perfectly happy to elucidate people in the ways of handling more managable problems.

In recent years, the Shrine has also at times doubled as a classroom and repository of teaching aids and tutors. A useful resource like the Hokubu Clan Library, for those wanting to learn basic protective charm marking, entry-level protective seals, or that just wish to brush up on aspects of onmyoudo that would normally be covered at Mahoutokoro.

And finally, for those who don't have an issue with something going bump in the night, or aren't interested in learning how to bump back, there is also the fact that Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro is always hiring. Have a kid who needs to work on their disguise; wants a part time job in the security of a primarily yokai and onmyouji area, or is simply interested in shrine life? Well, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro is ever in need of mikos-in-training or helpers to manage its great, ancient grounds.

For those wanting a more leisurely experience of the Shrine and it's grounds, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro does not disappoint, being just as much a place of recreation, as it is one of history, spirituality and learning.

On top of all the usual Matsuri one can find of a shrine's calendar such as Setsubun, Obon, and Tanabata, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro has adopted number of festivals of Yamainutaira's own local flavor and influence over the centuries. In particular, there are three big one every year. In the generally accepted order of importance, the first is to initiate the start of the grain harvest and varies in date from year to year, the second is a festival to celebrate the beginning of the Hunting Season on October 1st, and the biggest of all is the anniversary of the Shrine's on April 26th.

The Kami of Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro

While the Hokubu Family Shrine is known primarily for being that fact, rememberance and veneration of those who came before in the clan, is not the only purpose the shrine exists for. In fact, Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro's lower precinct contains branch shrines and small shrines to a variety of different kami for those who wish to make offerings and prayer to more familiar entities.

The largest one aside from the shrines to the Main Family and the Branch Family, is the sessha shrine to Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami; A respectful acknowledgement of the kami who, long before the time of Shoumaru the Little's forefather's, the Hokubu's ancestors were supposedly once servants and messengers of according to clan legends. The majority of the people who visit the shrine and aren't related to the Hokubu, are usually here because of this branch shrine and the hope of success and productivity in their fields and endeavors.

Further down, there is then a sequence of small massha shrines to Ishikori-dome no Mikoto and Kagu-tsuchi due to the town's history with metal working, and Ojizo-sama due to the shrine's connection to the dead and the Yamainutaira's history of taking in refugees, exiles and distant travelers who have come so far, with no where else to go. Also present are a massha shrine to Ebisu of the Seven Lucky Gods, and as an accommodation of the Ezo wolves of the Setto Clan and the Matangi-Ken of the forest back when Daimaru the Builder first constructed and consecrated the shrine, there is a small massha shrine to Horkew-Kamuy, the Ainu Wolf God.

Historical Trivia: As most visitors may eventually notice and ponder, what is with all the oddly shaped Komainu around the Shrine? Why are so many of these statues depicted as with weapons by their sides or feet you may ask? In particular, why does that one have a rifle of all things? The answer to that is another of Yamainutaira's odd little traditions. Due to the rather costly expenses of the Imjin War, Sanmaru of the 100 Duels could not afford to honor many of his fallen cousins and comrades in arms as extravagantly as he wished, so instead he set about hewing from stone a set of unique Komainu statues, each armed or accompanied by the regalia of his most acclaimed fallen party members. Since then, it has been tradition that those who are of such great martial merit and heroic deeds that they are deemed worthy to be enshrined along side the Clan Heads and Main Family in the Hoden, are also commemorated with a Komainu donated by the Main Family and carved from the granite of the plateau and placed on the borders or pathways of the shrine.

Important Note: As unfortunate as it is, there has been regular confusion as to the identity of the "Rifle Komainu" by visitors and out-of-towners, often leading to his unfortunate confusion with a much less prestigious member of the Main Family, who is known to have been rejected from enshrinement in the Honden, inadvertently resulting in the periodic defacement of the Komainu. The one memorialized by the "Rifle Komainu", is actually not even a direct member of the Hokubu at all, but a member of the Setto-Hokubu Branch Family. Setto Ensoumaru was a veteran and local hero of the Boshin War, who took enough of a liking to muggle firearms, to the degree that even in his old age, he was renowned for his skill as a hunter and sharpshooter, despite being a poor bowman. In 1935, he died fighting an onikuma, ineffectually harrying but still leading the beast on a wild chase into the mountains for over an hour, after attracting it's attention in order to allow a group of children to escape and warn those properly trained and equipped to deal with such a beast.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K

Spoiler: Part 2
Spoiler

"Setting up for Obon 2013 - Hokubu Kariudoko"
Spoiler

Kabeoka - The Old Walled Town

Now that two most historical areas of Yamainutaira have been covered, it's now time to start getting into all the neighborhoods that have sprung up thanks to interactions with the two and their existence. First, and easily the oldest of all, is Kabeoka. While it largely owes much of it's current layout and character to Daimaru the Builder's reconstruction and reorganization of the town after the fire of 1529, Kaeboka is home to many buildings that are easily among the most historic structures in the town, with some particularly lucky and notable examples even predating Santsume Manor. Up until the 1790s, it was actually Kabeoka that was the administrative center of Yamainutaira's common people. The Old Town Hall, Old Mayor's House, the town's first School, and many retainers's houses were all set upon the walled hill and it's climbing streets.

Unfortunately two factors eventually did Kaeboka in. The first was that the same ancient walls and inclines that made it such a valuable position for it's commanding overview of the surrounding area, proved the eventual bane of it's further development. Streets were often too narrow, tightly packed or filled with stairs and steep slopes for motor vehicles to reliably enter the area. By this same dint, it also became a nightmare to demolish and rebuild structures via muggle means thanks to the Statute of Secrecy eliminating spellwork and yokai assistance as options. Issues with the Statute also created a nightmare for bureaucratic, business and personal life in the community, as for three hundred years, magical and muggle official offices, centers of commerce and even apartments, operated not just side by side, but sometimes even in the same building due to being the previously single job, now divided into two.

To resolve both of these problems, overtime the muggle centers of bureaucracy were all eventually migrated to the more easily modernized neighborhood of Ichibahomen, which in turn took the muggle markets and relevancy of many of the side streets and back roads with it. Today, while Kabeoka is still primarily a muggle community, it is now easily the largest and most centralized magical neighborhood in Yamainutaira, particularly around the triangle formed by Chouyakuba Road and Shoen Street, Yokutouri Street and Jinja Lane, and then Onmyouji Court and Saiheki Street by the western walls. As the side of Kabeoka closest to Santsume and Ichibahomen, these blocks are the ones which have eventually evolved to be the magical shopping centers of Yamainutaira.

While it's not Tokyo or Kyoto, there are few stores that can't meet your needs in some way, and most will usually have some form of owl order or courier service with store chains or suppliers elsewhere in Japan. Shopping in Kaeboka is also far from a boring or standard activity too. Thanks to the countless displaced and war migrants the community has already taken in over the years, as more and more people get back on their feet, the variety of stores and goods to purse is constantly ever changing, with something new to see almost every other week.

As the oldest magical neighborhood in town though, Kabeoka also has more than it's fair share of landmarks and institutions worth seeing.

Helpful Tip: Bring a map. Seriously, I've lived here for almost 80 years, and I still get lost sometimes.

Important Note: The Koi Pond in the park on Jinja Lane should not be looked at. In general, you should not approach the Koi Pond. The Koi Pond is not for Koi. The Koi Pond is not for humans or yokai either. If possible, try to avoid looking at the Koi Pond when in the area. Preferably, try to avoid thinking about the Koi Pond as well. As long as you follow these rules though, things will be perfectly fine, and the Koi pond will not disturb you.
Spoiler

"Walk, don't run when navigating the illusioned and concealed back alleys for navigating between Kabeoka's magical streets. Otherwise you could miss some great moments - Hokubu Kariudoko"

Kabeoka - Places of Interest

First and foremost, is obviously the Magical Town Hall and magical Mayoral Office, which can be found at the highest most point of Kabeoka, up on Chouyakuba Road. As a word of forewarning however, please note that it will only have a basic staff more often than not, with Mayor Hokubu Ryougamaru and most of the town council normally elsewhere for much of the day. This is because many of them also hold positions in the muggle town and district administration, and can usually be located at the Yamainutaira Town Hall in Ichibahomen if the matter is a personal issue. As a bit of clarification before hand, when most locals refer to "The Town Hall", they're usually referring to the one in Ichibahomen. Even to the magical populace, the magical Mayoral Office in Kabeoka is "The Old Town Hall", and most people in general, deal with the majority of their paperwork, taxes and civic grievances through the muggle administration.

Speaking of things Yamainutaira does slightly different, do you have children? Are they still at Elementary School age? Or are they older and you still wish for them to pursue and acquire muggle educational credentials? Do you want some ideas or pointers for homeschooling them? And most importantly of all, do you wish for our child to learn in an environment where they don't have to hide what they are? Well, whether human or yokai, the Hokubu Tamiko Academy sounds like it might be a place worth looking into. While officially presented to the muggles as an educational institution that specializes in tutoring and cramming, and does occasional cooperate with the nearby muggle Elementary and Junior Highs, and more recently, Kamikawa High School, Tamiko Academy as it is locally referred to, offers a variety of unique and flexible education opportunities. Kids can either take small group classes together, get one-to-one tutoring to accompany magical home-schooled or magical school educations, or engage in correspondence courses with the Academy. For adults looking to verify muggle credentials, or purse muggle higher education, night classes and primer courses are also offered and available to help get up to date with anything their muggle counterparts and teachers might already know or expect to have been covered in a previous education.

The Market Next up is the Hana-Tono Street Market. A misleading names, since the market is more of a magical shopping center, and one which is actually based inside the very same mansion the street is named after. Within, you can find everything from foreign potions ingredients, to hat shops and farmcare products, with a whole variety of boutiques and stores spread though out the three floors of the great house for a uniquely exploratory shopping experience. Of particular interest is the branch store of Shitateya Tailors, who can also be found outside on Onmyouji Court, and have been making formal garments for the Hokubu Main Family for over 350 years. Modern muggle, business suits, white tie, dress robes, yakutas or kimono, Shitateya Tailors can fit you out for every occasion from weddings, right down to dinner with that special someone you want to dress to the nines for.

Important Note: The "Abandoned Property" facade you see from Hana-Tono Street is exactly that, and not an illusion. The muggles on Hana-Tono Street will probably look at you funny if you try and fail to enter the door from that side, as the entrance is actually via the Mahou no Hana flower shop on Onmyouji Court. Also arachnophobes are advised to book ahead of time with Shitateya Tailors, as Ms Kin has a habit of working the store and with clients untransformed.

For those looking for a more entertaining or leisurely time in Kabeoka, the community is also not without it's own ability to entertain. Please note though, that most venues in Kabeoka normally cater to more formal or classy expectations. For those looking for wilder or more modern thrills, see the section of Ichibahomen.

If you're in a particularly theatrical mood, there's always the Shibai Ukie Stage Theater on the northern end of Chouyakuba Road. A theater of many faces and genres, every Friday and Saturday, Shibai Ukie will almost always have something going on to cater to everyone's tastes. For those interested in more of a dining experience, try a more recent addition to Yamainutaira's culinary magical nightlife, in form of the Shiisaa Bar and Grill. A surprisingly formal and high class setting in spite of the name and decor, that replicates the previous iteration which once graced the tables of Okinawa's magical tourists and aurors on leave with both traditional Ryukan cuisine, and unique takes on American Southern Barbecue.

And finally when all is said and done for the evening, Kabeoka is also where those more unfamiliar or less sure of themselves in muggle interactions can always book in to a room for the evening. Checkout the Bourou Ryokan on Onmyouji Court, distinctively placed due to being just below the watchtower on the old wall. The staff are friendly, the food is great, and while there may not be an osen, Bourou Ryokan is located right at the heart of Kabeoka's magical district, and only a short walk from both the muggle and magical transport hubs available from the Old Town Hall on Chouyakuba Road.

Historical Trivia: While Santsume rarely goes for more than a century without some kind of conflagration, Kabeoka and it's distinctive walls have repeatedly been escaped from demolition, destruction and and reorganization through out the neighborhoods history. Most recently was in the 1970s, when the effect of the town's shrinking population was so great, serious consideration was put forward by both the magical and muggle town councils, to buying up many of the empty properties by the southern walls, and then demolishing everything to improve the street layout, add more road connections to the main town, and free up the empty space for more farmland.

Historical Trivia: Of Yamainutaira's neighborhoods, it is Kabeoka that has the highest population of human magicals, and and also the highest density of magical peoples in the township in general. Contrary to popular belief, this is not due to war migrants filling up older properties that were once abandoned, but due to Kabeoka's historical nature as the home of the Hokubu's many retainers and higher ranked officials, after Ryoshimaru the Hunter disallowed everyone not of the Hokubu Clan from building on Santsume Hill after the fire of 1637.


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"The Main Street of Ichibahomen, Shuryo-do Road. Once upon a time, this was "The Hunters' Trail" - Hokubu Kariudoko on Twitter"
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Ichibahomen - The Town Center

Next on our list of neighborhoods, is the last of the "original three" trifecta of Santsume, Kabeoka, and finally Ichibahomen.

Ichibahomen has it's proper founding how Daimaru the Builder Went about rebuilding the town in 1561, but it's real roots lie in Shoumaru the Little's very first forays into farming, when his little hunting lodge and alliance with the Setto first began to move to something a little bit more permanent than just an agreement to share a campsite and bring down game with a few of the local Ezo Wolves every year. Many of the more observant will note how while the road up to the Hokubu Family Shrine zig-zags, the steps to the shrine descend in a straight line right down to where the intersecting roads of the Western Approach and Eastern Pass both Shuryo-do Road, which runs straight down the middle of Yamainutaira plateau. it is this path, that was initially carved out as a hunting trail to allow easier access deeper into Matangi-Ken no Shiren, off of which Shoumaru's first attempts at farming began. By the time of Daimaru the builder, the forest had already been cleared all the way back to Inunojotaira, so it was these original fields just outside the fortress walls, that became home to many of the trade workshops and crafters, and markets that were fingered at the time for the fire.

Out of these muddy fields and paddocks, where draft beasts were kept and overworked fields were allowed to go fallow, the industrious, innovative, and primarily muggle heart of Yamainutaira eventually arose.

While Kabeoka was traditionally the center of bureaucracy, administration and the local retainers, most of the lower classes interacted with, Ichibahomen became the "market town" of Yamainutaira. Produce grown in the fields of Noukamura and Inunojotaira, would be sold in Ichibahomen to merchants or the families of copper miners from the pits in Tani-no-Su. They in turn sell their goods into the wagons of traders or the furnaces of local smiths, who would complete the chain by producing the equipment that would inevitably be sold to the land owners and villagers who grew much of the local produce, or felled the timber that kept their furnaces lit. Today, Ichibahomen has a slightly more commercial nature, but the blue collar roots of the neighborhood are still there, ever as in the last 100 years, it has gradually risen in importance and level of development over Kabeoka. Being primarily populated by middle class magicals in the old days, only Settoshugyoba suffered a worse population drop off in the aftermath of World War Two and the ensuing decades, compared to Ichibahomen. Now only a few of the old or historical magical properties remain, in the form of manors and family compounds on the borders of Ichibahomen and the surrounding fields owned and worked by their remaining masters.

Despite being the most centralized neighborhood of the core township, those with little experience with muggles should definitely be ready for a big culture-shock, even for a place as small as Yamainutaira. Arguably even more uncanny because it isn't as completely shiny and modern as newer suburbs like Settoshugyoba or Settokanshiba, Ichibahomen is the kind of place where in a single line of stores, you'll find a modern Bank of Japan sandwiched between a chic furniture store and a place that sells farming equipment on one side, with a computer store next to an insurance agency that doubles as a magical book store on the other. Meanwhile across the road, will be a Super Market, a KFC and a disguised purveyor of Herbology equipment right next to each other. And then to top the oddities off, a muggle kid wanders into town to pick up a up some groceries for mom on a horse, and the wizard farmer takes up two parking spaces because he stops by the book store with his tractor and tailor unit after dropping produce off at the market. Ichibahomen is a fun town like that.

Notable landmarks are of course predominantly of the muggle variety. On the Okamiryosen side of the intersection where the Western Approach and Eastern Pass both meet the start of Shuryo-do Road, is where the Yamainutaira Town Hall can be found. On the eastern side of the neighborhood, just opposite Kabeoka's southern wall, is Ichibahomen Elementary School and Yamainutaira Junior High. On the westernmost side of Ichibahomen's stretch of the Western Approach, a Junes Department Store recently opened. Meanwhile to the southwest, is Ichibahomen's Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic.

Important Note: The staff of Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic are knowledgeable and prepared to deal with almost any kind of medical condition or emergency, muggle or magical. The majority of the doctors and nursing staff are actually medi-wizards and medi-witches, along with a variety onmyouji and yokai healers. Most are pediatricians, family doctors and geriatricians, but by dint of being in a area where the predominant industries involve farming equipment and felling trees, many of the staff are also trained and qualified surgeons, certified in either magical or muggle means.

Historical Trivia: Hokubu Shioriko Medical Clinic was established by Ezomaru the Marquis of the Northern Wolves as Hokubu Shioriko Apothecary and Lazaretto in 1802, named in honor of his mother and previous clan head, Shioriko of the Metered Justice.
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"I wish I got to go to Yamainutaira Junior High. The Uniform is cute. - Hokubu Kariudoko on Twitter"

The Town of Weirdness by Osmosis

When you get down to it, Yamainutaira can be a funny place at times, and as the most central location in the township, all the oddness gravitates to the point that what spills out of the surrounding muggle and magical neighborhoods, eventually mixes, and returns back. Often the original context is lost or misread thanks to the Statute of secrecy or differences between worlds, but invariably the osmosis succeeds.

No greater is this wired, silent melding of the communities obvious, than on Shuryo-do Road, where the Hunter's Trail crosses the border between Ichibahomen and Noukamura, where something akin to an entertainment district exists. Those looking for a fun night out on the town should be careful of what bars they enter, lest they inadvertently find themselves in the company of muggles, rather than the magical-farming folk who often dress rather similarly by dint of necessity or convenience. Or alternately, a muggle bar or eatery might actually be what you are looking for, for those who want to take a dip into the world of muggle culture.

For those looking to mingle with the actual community flavor, the Gate kid Sake House is always a great place to start the night, before tongues and brains get too loose from the alcohol. Supposedly charting it's history all the way back to a kid who's father used to tell her to hawk bottles of sake to Matangi-Ken hunters and lumberers heading back up the road each evening after selling their furs and wood in town, so the story goes, the kid eventually went from haggling over armfuls of bottles, to a small stall, to a yakatori stand, to an Izakaya, and eventually the modern bar you see today. The atmosphere is great, the age groups are varied, the sake is perfect, and Hyakushou Mishako, the current proprietress of the establishment, makes just as great a yakatori as her great-great-great-grandmother according to the old timers. Also helpful, is that with a third of the staff made up of wizards, witches and yokai, there's almost always someone keeping an eye out for any patrons who look like they might be getting close to revealing anything they shouldn't.

For those who want a more relaxed and wizarding night out, try the Golden Ofuda. While it doesn't quite have the traditional style and set up of the Gate Kid Sake House, and the numerous televisions lining the walls might be a bit confusing at first, there's something to be said about the ability to wander around without a care about being overheard while discussing International Qudditch results, or having the freedom to let your ears out and your tail down while catching a live baseball game with a group of friends. The Golden Ofuda also has some neat and fun inducing options in the way of food as well. As well as the typical bar fare, there are also the "Nine Clan Heads" Challenges. Complete all nine within ninety minutes, and eat free at the Golden Ofuda for 90 years. Can you conqueror "The Little Burger", "The Die-maru", "Steakmaru of the 100 Pounds", "The Hunted", "The Nigiri-tiator", "The Meter of Just This", "Marbling of the Northern Cows", and finally "The Parfait Bound", all within the allotted time?

For those looking for a less gastronomically comical and herculean way to add excitement to their evenings, instead look to Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar. This is less of a bar though, and more akin to being one of Yamainutaira's only two night clubs, of which Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar is the only one that is magical exclusive. Technically, it's actually the back end of the same venue due to both sharing the same building, which makes for a fun and interesting way to start off the night before transitioning into the Bar. Be forewarned, this is a club for those that really want to let their hair down. The drinks are hard, the sound is harder, and people play at their hardest. This is not a establishment for those of more conservative decorum or wizarding tastes. If you're new in town, and missing the muggle club and bar scene of the big cities, then this is the place for you. Retaruseta Kamuy's Lonely Hearts Club Bar's other claim to fame is that on Saturdays, and occasionally Fridays as well, there is live talent on stage. Adding to the fact, best selling J-Wrock band, Three Wolf Knight, are well known for putting on surprise shows for their old haunt.

And then finally, if you're looking for something wholesome and family friendly to do for your evening entertainment while still going for the muggle Ichibahomen experience, there is always the Inuike Road Cinema. Established in the 1930s and proudly still sporting the now fashionably retro look, Inuike Road Cinema offers a fun and entertaining way to expose yourself to muggle pop culture and media. Just be sure to double check the genre of what you're about to watch and it's "historical" accuracy.

Historical Trivia: "What's with all the muggles asking if you're a wolf, or dressing up like wolves at certain times of the year?", is a question that inevitably pops up every now and again. To that, you have to blame the effects of the Statute of Secrecy on the local culture. Half the things in this town, are named after wolves or dogs in some fashion, or people who's names reference wolves or dogs, but the muggles don't realize that a quarter of the town's population really are wolves or dogs in disguise. The muggles also think that the Ezo and Honshu wolves died out over a century ago (which is true for our non-magical counterparts). And so they took that theme and ran with it, naming the local Junior High Baseball Team "The Wolves".
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"Looking southeast from Noukamura to the Daisetsuzan Ranges - Hokubu Kariudoko on Instagram"
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Noukamura - That Comfy Farming Town

Noukamura is a somewhat different place from Ichibahomen, despite only being a few kilometers down the road from Yamainutaira's most central neighborhood. This can be traced back to the roots of the much more rural and farming oriented suburbs. While Ichibahomen was populated by the merchant and tradecraft classes of the medieval era, Noukamura saw much less investment from the Hokubu Clan, who owned all of the land right up until the Meiji Restoration. This in fact, is the origin of Noukamura. A peasant village for the landless serfs employed to work the fields and forests of the Hokubu clan in not just Noukamura's immediate vicinity, but also in Inunojotaira, Omonohata, Tani-no-Su and Matangi-Ken no Shirin.

Despite this rather inauspicious start however, Noukamura is a burgeoning community with it's own fun and unique flavor. While still predominately based on farming the surrounding fields, and less densely built up than Ichibahomen or Kabeoka, Noukamura just barely edges in beneath the two in terms of population. Demographically, the village-turned-suburb is also predominately muggle like Ichibahomen, but lacks as much of the out-of-context melding seen in the two larger neighborhoods. The spread of the population age however, sheds some light on the reason for this. Currently Noukamura's looks like an hour glass. What was once a neighborhood looking at the impending apocalypse of an aging population with few local youth to replace them, is now being stabilized by the initial wave of refugees and war migrants that Yamainutaira opened it's doors to almost eight years ago.

Many first arrived with few options and little choice, but over time, some did come to love the place or simply couldn't think of leaving the safety of it's isolation, and decided to stay permanently. And now, eight years on, many of those of the younger generation and smaller families that stayed after that initial wave have begun to truly settle down. Some who were teens are now getting married and having kids, while those who were just married or just had kids, now have children within the kindergarten to upper Elementary School age ranges. Noukamura is rapidly becoming Yamainutaira's suburb of youth and families. A strangely heartening place to look upon, considering how long, even among the magical populace, Yamainutaira was facing an issue with youth flight for the cities and the issues of an aging populace.

So, some of you may be asking at this point. What does Noukamura have to offer to a new settler or a passing visitor?

Well, unfortunately, there's little in the way of entertainment value in Noukamura, since most of that is based in Kabeoka and Ichibahomen. That lack of such major attractions though, are just the opportunities that might be of interest to any prospective entrepreneur. Even with the focus of resettlement moving to Settoshugyoba, and construction focusing on the new neighborhood and development of Settokanshiba, Noukamura is a growing and evolving place. All that's needed, is the right idea, to add a spark or service to a community that is currently without due to it's previously older populace.

Helpful Tip: If you want to go fishing, fish the Shirakawa during the correct season. The Inuogawa doesn't actually contain anything big enough worth catching, and if the muggle law enforcement spot you fishing the Shirakawa for certain fish outside their allowed season, you will be fined. You also won't earn any sympathy from the locals either, as fixing the local waterways and rebuilding the natural fishing stocks have been something of both a magical and muggle community goal and point of pride for the last 20 years.

Historical Trivia: The first deer Shoumaru the Little ever brought down after his arrival at Yamainutaira, was supposedly struck down by bow somewhere just south of Noukamura proper, along Shuryo-do Road.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K

Spoiler: Part 3
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"Up on Suigmon's Hill for the sunrise over Inunojotaira with the cousins - Hokubu Kariudoko on Instagram"
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"A Good Haul - Photo Taken By Ifukube Chufsanma for a 2011 article in the Ayaayamaru Shinbun on muggle farming practices, adapted for magical agriculture"
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Inunojotaira - The Breadbasket of Yamainutaira

Inunojotaira is a place steeped in it's own interesting history, despite the relative lack of population and it's shrinking size over the last century. Traditionally, Inunojotaira ws regarded as covering a much greater area to the north and south, but over time, the growth of Noukamura has lead many fields and homesteads to be regarded as part of the growing suburb, while to the south, the properties that the Yamainutaira Lumber Yard and HOWLING juice factory came to be built on were eventually considered part of Matangi-Ken no Shirin.

Speaking of the Matangi-Ken, despite the forest to the south being named after them, it is Inunojotaira that is the seat of the clan, although they are much less centralized than the Hokubu, and the majority of their families are spread out between the more rural magical farmsteads of Inunojotaira, Noukamura and Omonohata.

Once great hunters and guardians of the wilds, while many take great pride in preserving their old ways, the last two centuries have brought much change for the Matangi-Ken, who have been forced to adapt with the times. In response to increasing restrictions on areas considered ancestral hunting grounds, the gradual loss of traditional game to muggle over-hunting, the Statute of Secrecy making many previous methods or areas for hunting unavailable, and constant comparisons to and treatment similar to the Ainu people by outsiders, the Matangi-Ken were eventually forced the from their homes and livelihoods in the forest. Historic allies and trade partner with the Hokubu and Setto, they were granted land by Ezomaru the Marquis of the Northern Wolves, and eventually settled in an estate in Inunojotaira and a small neighborhood in Noukamura. Turning their natural attunement to nature towards agriculture, through decades of hard work and careful planning, the Matangi-Ken have now come to own what is easily the largest greenhouse complex in Yamainutaira.

If herbology or farmwork is the kind of job that appeals to you, then the Matangi-Ken Greenhouses are probably the place for you. While they grow a great deal of muggle produce, many of the Matangi-Ken Greenhouses are massively expanded in their interior size, and are a bountiful source of various magical crops all year around. Within their modern forest of glass and plastic bound islands of vegetation, you can find just about everything from rare, carefully cultivated fruit delicacies, to potion ingredients grown on an industrial sale. One of the primary exports of Yamainutaira and a common sight in the local magical markets, is actually Wild Rice. For those who looking for something a little more interesting than your standard agricultural experience, Matangi-Ken Greenhouses is always looking for shepherds willing keep an eye on their herds, as well as a number of other Walking Plant-type crops.

For those interested in breaking through into the future of magical agriculture, the Matangi-Ken also offers classes and courses for those who wish to establish their own farms with a basis in adapting muggle agricultural sciences for magical crops. Their courses will cover everything from hydroponics, to agroecology, to bioremediation, to theoretical production ecology.

Helpful Tip: Want cheap produce at a low price, and don't mind doing a little work to obtain it? Do you like knowing you food has directly gone from vine to table in only a few hours, under the gaze of your own eye? Or are you the kind of person that takes pride in providing their meals with their own two hands? Well, at a number of both the muggle and magical Matangi-Ken Greenhouses, you can pick your own produce and then buy it by the punnet or weight depending on the crop, at a cheaper price than any wholesaler or market price.

Important Note: If you see anything at all that looks like a small Western European Snargaluff, do not approach it! It is in fact, likely an young Madagascar Maneating Tree. Instead, please note it's position, and alert a local. If only muggles are around, please just tell them you have discovered a Ya-Te-Veo sapling. They'll know who to contact, even if they think it is a non-magical pest, which the plants are magically as well. First accidentally introduced as spores that arrived among a load of improperly transported Angolan Sauntering Tree saplings in 1896, the Yamainutaira council has been attempting to exterminate the Madagascar Maneating Trees in Inunojotaira for most of the last century. There's nothing to truly fear when you encounter one though, as long as you don't purposely aggravate it. Due to the climate, most of them are badly stunted in their growth, and lethargic year round, to the point where you practically have to force-feed yourself to them, to come to any harm.
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"Sunrise and morning practice at Settoshugyoba Dojo - Hokubu Kariudoko on Instagram"
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Settoshugyoba - The Field, The Dojo, The Town

Now moving to the west of central Yamainutaira, one then arrives at Settoshugyoba. Like Noukamura, Settoshugyoba owes much of it's history to events and growth as a side effect of Daimaru the Builder's various projects, rather than his direct hand. Originally just a set of open fields in the hands of the Ezo Wolves of the Setto Clan, during his rein, Daimaru the Builder constructed an earthwork wall running from the hills and high ground of Okamiryosen, southwest across Okamimamotte Iriguchi, to the cliffs that dropped down into the forest of Tani-no-Su. Naturally, the break in the earthworks that would become the western entrance to Yamainutaira would need a watch post, and likely a barracks for any guards to accompany it and so that was it.

For the longest time, the area was actually just referred to as still being part of Okamimamotte Iriguchi, with the gate being colloquially referred to as the Setto Gate, due to normally being manned by Ezo wolves and human guards in service of the Setto Clan.

But then, came Sanmaru of the 100 Duels. With a glory seeking a jovially combat loving nature ever since childhood, it is said that Sanmaru of the 100 Duels frustrated his father with his determination and focus on learning how to fight rather than any of his other studies, that Daimaru the Builder forbade his warriors and the guards of Santsume and Kabeoka from entertaining the young clan heir outside of certain days, without his express permission. And so Sanmaru proceeded to sneak off, going incognito through the streets of Ichibahomen and the fields of Noukamura to find teachers elsewhere. Setto Gate was one such place.

Predominately manned by young wolves and old men either given the thin pickings for guard duty due to their youth, or a cushy posting due to their age, it was in the Setto Gate barracks and upon it's small training field that Sanmaru found what he was looking for. Young, bored hot-heads barely older than him and easily enticed into fights, and old men easily amused enough to give pointers to the youthful heir alongside the new-meat they were supposed to be training. Sanmaru came to love both the place, and consider many of the Setto who maned the gate his friends, and so even after he became Clan Head upon the death of Daimaru the Builder, Setto Gate and it's barracks remained a common haunt for the increasingly acclaimed swordswolf. Many of the duels that would eventually earn him his title, happened on the very spot where the modern Western Approach road now passes through what's left of the old embankment.

Settoshugyoba itself, owes it's modern name and existence to two factors. The first is that after their service to him in a number of the late campaigns of the Sengoku Period, and then the two campaigns of the Imjin War, Sanmaru of the 100 Duels awarded lands and titles to a number of the Setto who had fought under his command. The second, is that shortly before his death, Sanmaru of the 100 Duels constructed a training hall to accompany the old barracks and formalize the hard packed field of dirt he and his comrades once trained on. Though he would meet his hands in the Battle of Sekigahara, the legacy of Sanmaru of the 100 Duels lives on through the Settoshugyoba Dojo, which has outlasted and survived the eventual demise of the historic training camp that was eventually established around it.

Primarily known for it's school of modern muggle kendo in the original building and training field that Sanmaru of the 100 Duels formerly established, Settoshugyoba Dojo accommodates more than just kenjustsu disciples, and also teaches a variety of other martial arts as well, with other electives based in the successive buildings that replaced the original barracks. Drawing from both magical and muggle disciplines, Settoshugyoba Dojo also teaches Kyujutsu, Jujutsu, Naginatajutsu, Bojutsu. Those looking for more western based martial arts, will also find accommodation for modern boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, Freestyle wrestling, fencing, and Western-style wizard dueling.

Settoshugyoba's reputation for sports also extends beyond that of the martial kind. In the heart of the neighborhood is also Setto Field, the local sport center that doubles as the home venues and training facilities for Yamainutaira Junior High. There you can find the track and field circuit that also doubles as the local soccer pitch, and the baseball field that is home to the our local Junior High Team. Go The Wolves!

The Setto Question

So at this point, anybody who has wandered around town a fair bit before reading this, will have noticed the prevalence of the Setto Clan. Streets and landmarks honor various members or deeds, almost every major event of the Hokubu's history since first arriving in Yamanutaira has involved them in some way, and two entire neighborhoods draw their names from the sheer influence and association the Setto Clan had with those areas. Which of course then begs the question;

Where are all the Setto?

There are two different answers to that question.

The first and overly simple one, is that they're all dead. Due to historically being the "martial" side of the power-trifecta involving the "administrative and political" Hokubu, and the "hunters and harvesters of the land" that were the Matangi-Ken, the Setto Clan were among those who lost the most during the Meiji Restoration, and then had the most to gain for promises made to them by Hokubu Royomaru in return for their services and prowess that they had traditionally always prided themselves on. The end result was that by the end of World War Two, all the male bloodlines, and even a great many of the female ones were extinguished. Few Setto under the age of 200 remained, and it's practically a part of the town mythos, that a domino effect of Broken Heart Syndrome and Widow Hood Effect eventually completed the tragedy and the extinction of the Setto Clan.

The more complicated and accurate answer, is that the Setto do actually still exist. It's just that most of them are either not in Yamainutaira, or are not called Setto anymore and are technically branch members of the Hokubu Clan after the extinction of the Setto Main Family. While the direct line of the family name has disappeared, the bloodline of the Ezo Wolves of the Setto Clan continues on through many of those in the Hokubu-Setto Branch Family, including your's truly.

Settoshugyoba - A Community of Reinvention

Of all the communities in Yamainutaira, Settoshugyoba fared the worst from 1937 through to the end of the 20th century. Setto Field actually owes it's existence to the fact that between the death toll of the war, the failure of the town economy to recover post-war, and then the decades of urbanization draining the remaining populace, Settoshugyoba was almost a ghost town for much of the late '70s, '80s, and early '90s.

Out of the ashes though, is from where the new and modern Settoshugyoba has arisen. Thanks to the Hokubu Main Family and Branch Families of Setto descent, the Yamainutaira council was able to buy out many of the properties when they were at their cheapest during the muggle Japanese Asset Price Bubble's Collapse. Since then Settoshugyoba has been an ever changing vision and test bed for Yamainutaira's recovery over the last twenty years.

The greatest cause of this turn around though, has been the Abyssal War. What was once a plan that necessitated enticing businesses to Yamainutaira that would then bring people, then turned on it's head when Yamainutaira found itself fulfilling Shoumaru the Little's vow to never turn away the unjustly displaced and in need of aid.

This is ironically the reason for Setto Field's somewhat out of place nature in the middle of a burgeoning suburb. Initial town plans called for the area to be incrementally redeveloped as a commercial center focused on the field, with plans for three small food processing and agricultural sites nearby. A juice bottling factory that later moved to the current location in Matangi-Ken no Shinrin, a pie factory that never finalized after the events of blood week, and a third location that was still in the process of securing interest from a developer. The influx of refugees and war migrants threw most of these original plans out the window.

Instead of outright tearing down the old village, the focus then turned to modernizing it.

Today, Settoshugyoba is a strange mix of the factors that make up the characteristic feels of Kabeoka and Ichibahomen. Rows of town houses and two story homes fill the area, but almost every block will have it's own homestead that was once the sole residence in that now developed field. Meanwhile, interspersed among the modern rooftops will also be the occasional wall of trees or the tingle of wards, demarcating the new borders of once empty manors and clan properties that have been subdivided from their previously sprawling lawns and driveways. It is this hurried, mix and match rebirth that now lends Settoshugyoba it's new character, one that can be surprising confusing and comforting at times for any newcomer looking for a place to stay.

It is a community where muggles and the amenities of their modern world are everywhere, but where magic and traces of the old can be found on almost every block. Where almost everyone is equally new, but where you can find friendly locals and long time faces in almost equal measure. More than anywhere else in Yamainutaira, Settoshugyoba is where the past is complemented by the future.
Spoiler

"Once the lands of a lost line, Settokanshiba is a home to numerous families once more - Hokubu Kariudoko on Twitter"
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Settokanshiba - The Neighborhood of New Beginnings

If Settoshugyoba is that reinvention and new take on something classic and fondly remembered, Settokanshiba is the thing with the new car smell and that neat plastic film you sometimes have to peel off when first taking it out of the box. Once actually part of Settoshugyoba, Settokanshiba arose as a project to succeed and rectify many of the minor issues faced by the Yamainutaira War Migrant Support Program and Yamainutaira Town Council in the nascent years of the war.

There were two primary factors that caused a lot of road blocks with the early efforts to accommodate and aid refugees, and then the later migrants. The first was that in the early years, before Yamainutaira built up it's current core of construction, redevelopment, and renovation expertise, Noukamura and Settoshugyoba were old settlements. More than that, more than a few buildings were also dilapidated, lacking for maintenance, and occasionally outright abandoned. The second problem, was the prevalence of magic structures and flora. With almost 1-in-4 properties having some form of magical history, or even enchantments that had previously gone unnoticed or unremoved since the buildings were first sold on or left empty, the restoration of many residences was even further delayed to bring them up to muggle code.

So in the end, with the amount that was already being funneled into building restoration projects, the Yamainutaira War Migrant Support Program and Yamainutaira Town Council decided to circumvent both problems entirely, by building an entirely new subdivision from the ground up.

Settokanshiba has it's beginnings in some of the original fields the Setto were allowed to exclusively work during the reigns of Shoumaru the Little and Daimaru the Builder. Later, Sanmaru of the 100 Duels outright awarded the lands to them, and for generations they remained in the hands of the Setto Main Family, until they finally fell into ownership of the Setto descended members of the Hokubu Branch Family after the death of the last Setto in 1989. For decades, the fields were simply used for agriculture, much as they always had, but now this location right next to the heart of Yamainutaira is taking on a new shape and purpose.
Spoiler

"Moving Day for two of Yamainutaira's newest residents - Yamainutaira War Migrant Support Program Website"

Build your Own Home

If you're wanting somewhere to move into and find Noukamura is too rural, Kabeoka too old fashioned and Ichibahomen too muggle, Settokanshiba is the new option to provide more readily available options along side the middle ground offered by Settoshugyoba. More than that, Settokanshiba's "per-order" nature, allows for much more personalization and options compared to Settoshugyoba, when construction often has to accommodate working around pre-existing properties and services.

Options in Settokanshiba come in two flavors. For those wanting to move in immediately, Omoi Property Developers owns a number of apartment blocks with both muggle and magical dwellings to rent. While not the most glamorous of locales, OPD is flexible and forgiving with their bonds and contracts, knowing that most people are usually there in the short term until they can find more permanent housing in Yamainutaira. And once more Omoi Property Developers comes to the rescue as well, as for those looking to buy their own land a rebuild their own homes, OPD is also outfitted and ready to serve.

For those interested, their offices can be found in the Umeko Building at 35 Shuryo-do Road, in Ichibahomen, or you can get in contact with them and inquire as to the process of building you own home via the Yamainutaira War Migrant Support Program and Yamainutaira Magical Town Council.

Important Note: Periodically, one might hear rumors among the muggles of a "ghostly wolf" or "the apparition of a soldier" that can sometimes be seen in the streets of Settoshugyoba and Settokanshiba. This is not actually somebody risking the Statute of Secrecy and exposing their true nature on purpose, but a true ghost of an unfortunate Okami. If you do come across a Ezo Wolf in the vicinity of the old Setto Clan Compound, or a young man in military uniform who alternately asks you "where Lady Setto Kana is?" or boasts of "the most beautiful girl in the world he plans to marry", please politely humor him and tell Hokubu Riichimaru that she is waiting for him at Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro and give him directions to the Shrine. Unfortunately he seems unable to ever remember the changes to the streets, and periodically appears every few months in search of his fiance, likely because his bones are still somewhere in Okinawa. In spite of his pervasiveness and the inability of anyone to lay him to rest permanently, he's completely harmless and even the local muggles consider it a quirk of the town to play along with. Telling him he's dead, and that so has Setto Kana for the last 68 years, is just mean and cruel, even if he never remembers the next time he appears.
Spoiler

"Feeding time under the watchful eyes of the brothers Ninsei and Inejiro at Karafuto Estate. Inejiro was once a prefect in Mahoutokoro's fateful Class of 2005, and Inejiro was a Junior Auror retired due to injuries after Blood Week. Today they help run the family holdings, employing numerous refugees and war migrants on both their property, and in their various businesses in town - Photo Taken By Ifukube Chufsanma for a 2013 article in the Ayaayamaru Shinbun"
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Okamimamotte Iriguchi - The Call to Magical Agriculture

Okamimamotte as it is often called by the locals, is one of the last traces of unbroken clan presence and power in Yamainutaira. And that's probably because it is all actually owned by various members of the Hokubu Branch Families and the descendants of Hokubu's magical retainers.

Historically, living on the western spear tip of the plateau was a sign of trust and a respected duty given to the servants of the Hokubu Main family. While the Western Approach had some of the most fertile fields in the entirety of the plateau, being granted land there was not without it's risk. Being so far away from Santsume, and even the defensive outpost at what would later become the Setto Gate and eventually Settoshugyoba, those on the Western Approach were most at risk to surprise attack from raiders or bandits. Though their advantageous positioning allowed Santsume and Kabeoka to loom over the major natural choke point to the plateau from the east, it would be up to the wolves of the branch family to remain vigilant if they wished to have any forewarning of foes attempting to bear down on Yamaintaira via the passes and ridge lines to the west, thus eventually leading to the area's name; The Guarding Wolf Approach.

Over time though, and especially with the relative era of peace brought about by the Tokugawa Shogunate, Okamimamotte Iriguchi gradually lost it's role as a defensive outpost at the end of a long road of farms, and instead became home to numerous estates and manors granted by the Hokubu Clan to their most favored or trusted retainers and servants, in particular to human Onmyouji, as their comparatively sorter lifespan allowed for the properties to be more easily circulated as political conveniences necessitated. Many of those in the area however, lost much of their status and power with the advent of the Meiji Restoration, and today most of those living in Okamimamotte Iriguchi are descendants and heirs of those original families. Still working the lands that were left in their care for the last 150 years.

Unfortunately, due to the closely bound ties of blood and historical status that connect many of these properties to their owners, land in Okamimamotte Iriguchi essentially never comes up for sale and is continuously passed down through family lines, but on the other hand, almost every single property in lining the Western Approach is magically owned and operated. If even Kabeoka is too muggle filled and confusing for you, this is probably the place you want to find a job. Regrettably however, Okamimamotte Iriguchi is not a place swimming with openings for particularly high flying occupations or roles with any particular regularity. If you love working with or have experiance with animals though, and especially with magical livestock and creatures, but aren't quite comfortable or secure with the muggleness of Omonohata, then Okamimamotte is the place for you.

Helpful Tip: For those wanting something fun for the kids, to help acclimatize and make rural life seem more fun, Karafuto Estate has a small petting zoo for magical animals, and also offers day passes for horses to ride around the property or through the hill trails in Okamiryosen just north of the estate.

 

[darthcourt10]

Lord K

Spoiler: Part 4
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"An evening in the hidden world of the Valley of Dens - Hokubu Kariudoko"
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Tani-no-Su - The Valley of Dens

You wouldn't think it now, but Tani-no-Su was once home to yet another village, and great swathes of terraces and farmland to once rival the fields of Noukamura and Inunojotaira. Now from the plateau above, it looks to be only a sea of trees. But it one looks past the canopy and leaves, it is possible to see the spark of metamorphosis and new purpose in the valley once more.

Historically Tani-no-Su served much the same role as the two farming areas to the east. It was largely a realm of the peasantry, without great houses, manors or estates due to being unfashionably low lying, or difficult to build on due to the terrain or distance. But the biggest divergence between Tani-no-Su and Noukamura or Inunojotaira, was that while the plateau farmlands were predominately worked by humans, canids, or yokai with ties to the Hokubu, Setto and Matangi-Ken, Tani-no-Su was a realm of those who fell outside those categories. Foxes and cats who did not get along with the wolves and dogs above, more bestial yokai that would have had issue navigating the streets and stores of Ichibahomen and Kabeoka, and finally those who simply preferred more natural or simpler existences in their true forms or animal states.

Many of those in Tani-no-Su didn't just work the terraces of their masters from the plateau above however. A good portion of those who lived in the village that once sat where the four main roads of Tani-no-Su still intersect, were also involved in the various copper mines that were once scattered through out the valley, exploiting the natural copper deposits Yamainutaira was once acclaimed for.

However, Tani-no-Su's long history of making up almost a third of Yamainutaira's farming production and being a site for centuries of based magical mining, all abruptly came to an end with the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy. Due to the lower social and economic status of many of those living in the Valley of Dens, as well as the fact that it was an area known for those of more bestial and undisguised natures, Tani-no-Su was eventually one of the last yokai communities to be broken up and moved to the Yokai Reserves, in spite of the best efforts by the Clans of Yamainutaira to retain their neighbors on the grounds of the effects such an uprooting could have on the local economy and work forces.

Over the next few decades, the terraces crumbled and nature reclaimed the Valley of the Dens, but that does not mean they have been forgotten or fallen out of use.

Today, Tani-no-Su is home to countless fruit orchards, tree plantations practicing even-aged timber management, and forest farms using agroforestry to grow high-value specialty crops that require tree canopies for optimal conditions. Though no where near what it once was, Tani-no-Su is also once more home to a budding yokai community, albeit a small one predominately made up of those working the orchards around their homes.

Predominately however, while there are outliers and properties do still work the land by magical means or produce magical words or fruits, the vast majority of jobs and properties in Tani-no-Su are are muggle based these days. A status that the area reached out of necessity, first thanks to the resettlement of over 85% of the Valley of Den's community between the 1770s and 1880s, followed by death tolls inflicted during the war, and then finally the loss of local population to urbanization in the mid-to-late 20th century. These conditions also caused a similar state to be reached with the current Doukouzan Mining Facility, and it's more recently added Doukouzan Metal Works.

Important Note: Tani-no-Su was once home to a small village by the name of Yotsukado, which once sat at the four-way crossroads just passed the Nekosu Bridge. During final wave of yokai evictions and resettlements in 1880, the village was burned down by it's remaining residents before they left. Those unfamiliar to the town are advised to avoid leaving the road or entering these ruins, especially the ones cordoned off by muggle hazard tape and unsafe structure signs, or marked with sealing ofuda.

Historical Trivia: Not all the ruined structures in Tani-no-Su are from this time period or closed off. Due to the combination of it's long history of farming development and migrating copper mining sites, crossing paths with the area's modern usage for orchards and forestry, the hills of Tani-no-Su are filled with forgotten buildings, walls and ancient foot prints going back centuries. Among the more interesting structures to look at are the remains of the old forge up on Betsutoriyama, where you can also pick and buy your own apples and dirigible plums.
Spoiler

"Doukouzan Copper Extraction and Refinement Facility - Doukouzan Mining and Metal Works Website"
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Doukouzan Mining Facility and Copper Metal Works

Since time immemorial, the hills and valleys surrounding the modern site of Doukouzan have been the site of various forms of copper mining.

So the town legend goes, it was Shoumaru the Little who established the first permanent copper exploitation operation, but archaeological evidence suggests a history of mining and copper working by the local Ainu, Ezo Wolves and Matangi-Ken dating back centuries. Most likely what Shoumaru the Little really brought with him, were the knowledge and contacts to import or hire the actual people capable of bringing new techniques and technology to Yamainutaira. Regardless, it was first under his rule that working the veins of ore and natural copper that could be found in the hillsides of Tani-No-Su and the ridge lines of Betsutoriyama and Ansokukanyama, truly began in any form of permanance. For hundreds of years since, Yamainutaira copper has been a small but not insubstantial source of the town's wealth through the centuries.

Much of northern Tani-no-Su and the regions to the west of Yamainutaira are pock-marked and littered with the scattered traces of centuries of this mining, especially from the time period of the early industrial period. Many of the great clearings, vales and caves in the area, are actually the remnants of depleted mining sites, or the slag heaps left behind when the rest of the buildings and their equipment were packed up and shifted to a new site. Since the Meiji Restoration when the mines were rapidly industrialized though, mining operations in Tani-no-Su have been largely restricted to the current ridge line and hillsides of Doukouzan.

The Meiji Restoration and the implementation of the Statute of Secrecy actually almost spelled the end of Yamainutaira's mining history. So much of the original mining workforce and operations relied on a combination of yokai labor and magical methods of ore extraction, smelting, and copper refining, that it very nearly left the entire mine inoperable. Eventually though, Doukouzan was reorganized and envisioned as a almost entirely new, western style operation, relying on mechanization, technology and science where there had once been yokai and magic. While the original refinery never reopened, Doukouzan survived into the 20th century, and even weathered the tumultuous misfortune that gripped the town for much of it's later decades. Since the early 2000s however, Doukouzan has seen a slow reversal of fortunes.

The Doukouzan of today is a world apart from what it was one hundred years ago, or even just twenty. From an industry that was once infamous for it's dirty and back-breakingly laborious nature, modern muggle copper mining is almost more of a science, than a job of task or toil. In fact, most of the mining that takes place these days has little resemblance to the classic images of excavation pits in the ground, or tunneling deep beneath the earth. Utilizing modern muggle technology and techniques such as froth-flotation, the solvent extraction and electrowinning process (SX/EW), Outokumpu flash-smelting, and poling process fire refining, almost all of Doukouzan's current copper production comes from reprocessing old slag heaps and tailings dumps left over from older sites and historic mines. What was once considered ore of too poor a quality to smelt, or slag that was past the point of being further refined, is now exploitable through newer and more efficient means.

For this reason, the core of Doukouzan's modern facilities is no longer the mining operation itself, but the Copper Extraction and Refinement Facility. Already an idea on the town's table of brainstorms for economic turn around, having much of the groundwork already laid out before Blood Week, allowed the planned construction of the facility to be rapidly pushed forwards, and the costs offset with the aid of a government grant for businesses establishing or upgrading crucial domestic war industries. Thanks to this and further developments of the site and extraction operations since opening in 2009, by 2012 Doukouzan had almost tripled it's copper production compared to what it was in 2002.

Important Note: It can not be impressed how much Doukouzan is NOT a location to treat as a place full of fancy muggle machinery that one can just waltz past and take a gander at. The whole area surrounding the various slag reprocessing operations, different outlying plants, and the Copper Extraction and Refinement Facility, are regarded by the muggles as one singular industrial property. This is not overly fancy blacksmithing or metal working in any traditional sense, but chemistry on a factory scale. You wouldn't just wander into a potion maker's workplace or an alchemist's laboratory when they are brewing something potentially dangerous, so don't go poking around the Copper Extraction and Refinement Facility just because it looks interesting.

Due to it's rather technical and scientific nature, those looking to apply for jobs there should also either know how to drive a truck and operate heavy machinery, or be able to display sufficiently comparably knowledge to having various muggle degrees in chemistry, metallurgy, geology, or engineering.

Historical Trivia: Doukouzan hasn't just produced copper though out it's history. Occasionally over the decades, gold veins have been discovered, but usually only ever in very trace amounts. The most common byproduct usually produced is sulfur.
Spoiler

"Hokubu Sakiko, one of the last masters of her art making a full time living via traditional methods, in a once thriving ancient craft - Hokubu Kariudoko"

The Riddle of Copper

Three things, there have always been in the hills of Yamainutaira, and upon which it's founding was based; The game to hunt, the earth to sow, and the metal to wield.

Doukouzan may now be a place of muggle science and technology, but Yamainutaira's connection and history with magical mining and metal working is not entirely extinct. It has survived past the Meiji Restoration, and still exists in the form of the Ken-gitsune master-apprentice line, of which Hokubu Sakiko is the current master and keeper of the forge. Since ancient times, smiths under the guidance of the master of the Ken-gitsune school, have done more than just process and beat Tani-no-Su's copper into shape for sale. They also made and maintained the tools of Yamainutaira, from the plowshares of peace time, to the swords of war in times of conflict. Many of Yamainutaira's greatest warriors used blades forged by the Ken-gitsune masters of their respective eras, with the longest lasting and most renowned of all being the enchanted blade made by Ken-gitsune himself, Shisashikon, "the Messenger's Tooth" wielded by Clan Heads of the Hokubu for the last ten generations.

Iconic thanks to their use of copper, bronze and brass, in their decorative work, Ken-gitsune blades never reached the kind of acclaim their contemporaries had, but a tradition of proud sword making was maintained even through the relative peace of Tokugawa rule, when most orders to the school were for jewelry and ceremonial pieces, rather than functional and enchanted examples like Shisashikon. Swords and jewelry, accompanied copper ingots as part of Yamainut

Now in a modern forge and metal workshop in Ichibahomen, on the site of where Daimaru the Builder moved the original Ken-gitsune Master's workshop to after the fire of 1561, Hokubu Sakiko still keeps a traditional forge set up in the back lot, and caters to orders for magical clientele. Got an old family heirloom you want checked out? Or do you want a piece of your very own? Is it a sword you are thinking about when it comes to that sentence, or jewelry? Mundane or magical, Hokubu Sakiko can usually at the very least identify what needs to be done, or who to put you in touch with for the best result.

Alternately if you are interested, Hokubu Sakiko is always willing to accept an extra pair of hands in her shop, if they have the previous experience to be of use. Do note however, that working under her is not an offer of the traditional style apprenticeship, or a promise of learning the magical teachings of the Ken-gitsune sword making and jewlery crafting schools, just employment at her metal working shop and jewelry store.

The Tale of Shoumaru the Little and the Three Gifts of Ken-gitsune

"So who was Ken-gitsune?" I'm sure most of you are asking. How does a guy who's name means "Sword Fox" relate to a family sword, a master-apprentice line, and copper mining in a small outpost village, in the middle of Hokkaido, far removed from the happening places of Sengoku Japan?

Well, that can be answered with a fun little tale (and an admittedly likely embellished-by-time history lesson) that even the local muggles all know, albeit with certain details removed, or viewed as metaphorical and myth due to the Statue of Secrecy.

When Shoumaru the Little first left Honshu (either in disgraced exile or in search of destiny and fortune depending on the version), it is said that one of the first things he witnessed upon arrival in Hokkaido was, a group of brigands harassing a young kitsune messenger boy. Taking issue with their treatment of the fox youth who they unjustly accused of being a thief and a trickster, and seeing how they cowed the rest of the townsfolk, Shoumaru the Little stepped in. Being smaller than the Ezo wolves due to his Honshu stature, at first they mocked him for his hieght, and in their arrogance tried to rob him as well. In the ensuing fight, Shoumaru the Little lost his sword, but he was never the less victorious thanks to his use of an old iron shield. An artifact born of an era before the prominence of two-handed blades and the katana.

Immensely thankful for being saved, the messenger boy could only apologized for causing Shoumaru the Little such inconvenience and the loss of his sword. With little to his name, all the kitsune youth could afford to give the Honshu Okami was a stone magatama, which would allow him to enter and receive aid from a village on his path through the north. And so onward he traveled, until eventually Shoumaru the Little arrived in the village the young fox had spoken to him of.

There, Shoumaru the Little met another kitsune, a priestess and guardian of the village's crops. Encountering her in a field, he found the priestess laboring to perform her duties due to her water pail being stolen. And so Shoumaru the Little handed her his great shield, and using the concave shape, they brought water to the fields. The priestess was thankfully for his service, but was regretful she could not repay him in any meaningful way, especially after the shield became scratched and discolored through their task. Instead she could only provide the location of a forested plateau that she had heard far-ranging hunters speaking of with wonder and bountiful acclaim, and handed him a stone magatama. A new one that would allow him to pass among the peoples of those lands as a friend.

Some time later, Shoumaru the Little eventually made his way to the forests of what would eventually be called Yamainutaira. It was during one of his first winters there however, that in the middle of a most terrible chilling storm, Shoumaru the Little and his Ezo hunting partners found themselves with a guest. An old kitsune came upon the hunting lodge, and begged to be allowed inside until the blizzard had subsided. Shoumaru the Little's hunting partners were against the idea, fearing that with the ferocity of the cold and wind, this was a trick by a yuki-onna or some other spirit of frost that was determined to get to them inside. Proving the kitsune's trustworthiness and innocence through a series of simple tests using warding magics and a string of prayer beads though, Shoumaru the Little eventually assuaged their fears enough that the elderly traveler was allowed into the refuge, and given a place by their fire side. When the storm finally passed, the old kitsune was filled with thanks and gratitude for the shelter and food he had been given, as he would most likely have perished otherwise. As with those before however, the traveler had naught he could give Shoumaru the Little, aside from yet another simple stone magatama.

Time went on though, with winter turning to spring, and then spring to summer, with half a year passing and the old kitsune traveler almost forgotten. Then one day, Shoumaru the Little found himself with a new visitor; A Zenko, a kitsune sworn to the service of Inari Okami, and bearing the name of Ken-gitsune. All three of the kitsune Shoumaru the Little had aided over the course of his travels in Hokkaido had been family to the Zenko, and so Ken-gitsune had come to repay the Honshu Okami as those in their hour of need could not. A master of not just sword making, but a guide in the arts of the forge and metal normally sent to aid those with Inari Okami's favor and blessing, Ken-gitsune then put his talents to work crafting three gifts of repayment.

To replace Shoumaru the Little's lost sword that he had originally borne from Honshu, and lost in the defense of one who could not fight back, when no one else would do what was right, from metals found beneath the earth of the okami's new home in Yamainutaira, Ken-gitsune forged an enchanted blade. One that would never break or decay, and would always return to the hands of the blood of his line. Furnished with wood, leather and copper, all procured from the plateau, and made by the hands of one kami's messenger for the descendant of another, the sword was named Shisashikon, "The Messenger's Tooth".

For Shoumaru the Little's aid to the priestess, and his altruism in ensuring the bounty of others, when there was no pressing need to or any advantage for himself, Ken-gitsune next repaired the okami's shield. Removing the damage and scars of his battles since leaving Honshu, Ken-gitsune polished the shield until it could reflect it's surroundings like the water had carried. Upon this surface, he then placed enchantments that would allow it to forever show the truth of all things, reflect more than just light, and never mar or break, no matter what it encountered. And so Ken-gitsune created the Kawaakari no Shinju-kyo, the "moonlight reflecting off the river" deity and beast shield.

As his final gift to Shoumaru the Little, Ken-gitsune then took the three magatama the okami had received for each of his deeds, and fashioned them upon a necklace of obsidian beads. Turning each of the three magatama thrice in his hand, they then became not of common stone, but of agate, coral and ivory, and were imbibed with special powers. One bead would heat in the presence of danger to it's owner or nearby kin. The second would enable the necklace to separate, bind and wound beings of evil nature, regardless of their state in the physical or spiritual world. And the third would grant luck and fortune to the kin of those who wore it, but not the bearer them self. For proving the innocence of one in need, and providing shelter and breaking bread with a traveler with naught to offer in return, Ken-gitsune's final gift became the Omotenashi no Magatama, "the Beads of Hospitality".

Upon the completion of his work, and as one final gift of his own to Shoumaru the Little, Ken-gitsune took on an apprentice, teaching him much of what he knew and was allowed to pass on for many years, before eventually leaving his graduated student in Shoumaru the Little's service. Upon the completion of this task, he at last returned to his duties as a servant of Inari Okami, and slowly faded from the annuals of history.

Each of these three gifts still exists within the ownership of the Hokubu Clan, having been passed down for the last five centuries till today.

Traditionally in peace time, the Shisashikon is always carried by the clan head as a symbol of their leadership of the bloodline. The Kawaakari no Shinju-kyo is normally held by the Clan Heir as a metaphor of the clan's future to be protected, and a reminder for their need to deflect and see through the illusions of power or politics others might cast over them. And finally, the Omotenashi no Magatama is entrusted to the Hokubu-Setto Head Priest or Priestess of Hokubu-no-Okami Shokonsha Yashiro, as a sign of the trust and value the Hokubu place on the ties between the two clans.

In war and times of crisis however, all three gifts are carried by the Clan Head. For example, if one looks closely at photos of the current Koshaku and Hokubu Clan Head, Kogamaru, one can often see all three gifts somewhere on his person since Blood Week, usually with the Shisashikon at his hip, and the Kawaakari no Shinju-kyo shrunk down for ease of transport.

Historical Trivia; It is interesting to note that of the three gifts, only the Omotenashi no Magatama seems to work as per the original tale, rather than being an embellishment of it's characteristics.

While the blade of the Shisashikon has never shown any signs of wear or damage in it's long history, the tsuba, tsuka, saya and everything else that is not the sword itself, is known to take damage, and have even been destroyed at times over the course of the Shisashikon's history.

The Kawaakari no Shinju-kyo meanwhile, is infamous for the fact that while it will reflect magic and most projectiles, it is actually relatively ineffective against area-of-effect type attacks. More than one Clan Head and Heir has has also been injured dealing with the shock of blocking things, and even the back-blast of spells or projectiles they have unintentionally reflected.

Even the Omotenashi no Magatama is not without flaw either, as while it does apparently perform functions to the tune of the legend, it will only work at all, when worn by someone descended of Shoumaru the Little's bloodline.

Historical Trivia; While never proven or confirmed by the Main Family, it is rumored that Hokubu Royomaru's dairies suggested that he was unable to wear the Omotenashi no Magatama for many of his final years as clan head, and never told anyone for the security of his status as Clan Head. It was also initially thought that he lost the Shisashikon, as upon his arrest at the end of World War II, the Shisashikon was was confiscated and feared to be among many of those blades either destroyed in furnaces or dumped into Tokyo Bay by ICW Occupation Forces. Upon his death though, the Shisashikon appeared in the hands of Tsumemaru the Peacebound, bereft of it's koshirae and fixings, just as it always had whenever a Clan Heir succeeded upon the death of a Clan Head who died beyond the borders of Yamainutaira.
Spoiler

"Forestry by magical means, in the hills of Matangi-Ken no Shinrin - Hokubu Kariudoko"
Spoiler

Matangi-Ken no Shinrin - The Nature of Industry and the Industries of Nature

Travel down the Shuryo-do Road long enough, and eventually you might be surprised to at last come across a curve in the kilometers long straight. Keep following those curves, but don't go around the big one, and eventually you will arrive at Matangi-Ken no Shinrin. Or at least what used to be it's borders.

Today on official maps, Matangi-Ken no Shinrin is an area deemed to fall within the boundaries of the Shirakawa river to the east, the old grounds of the Yamainutaira Lumber Mill to the north, to a trio of survey markers in the west and south. Once long ago however, Matangi-Ken no Shinrin was considered a great forest, stretching as far to the southwest as the southern facing slopes of the Ansokukanyama ridge line and the Murasame no Taki river. Following the opposite side of the Shirakawa canyon, it's borders once stretched as far north as the hills of Makunbetsu, while it's eastern reaches were dominated by the highland of Tenmakuyama in a time when it was a forest of bounty, rather than a place of dread.

In it's own way though, Matangi-Ken no Shinrin, even in it's reduced state on government papers and official survey maps, has survived through to the modern day with it's own Yamainutaira blend of the magical past, with the muggle world of today.

Just as Okamiryosen and most of Okamimamotte Iriguchi is owned by the Hokubu Clan, and Settoshugyoba and Settokanshiba were once predominately the properties of the Setto Clan, the woodlands of Matangi-Ken no Shinrin were, and still are the realm of their namesake Clan. While most of the yokai that make up the Matangi-Ken today, live in Inunojotaira and Noukamura, the vast majority of the titles and deeds that make up the modern area and a few properties beyond Yamainutaira's border, are owned by the descendants of the forest's original inhabitants.

Out of necessity and a desire to remain relevant, much of the Matangi-Ken's territory that falls within the borders of Yamainutaira's borders, is not actually a true forest. Decades of muggle logging until the Matangi-Ken finally acquired all the deeds after first be forced off the land during the Meiji Restoration, due to a combination of muggle land law rulings and magical legislation cracking down on those still living more naturalistic ways, resulted in a great portion of the original wood being cleared for farm land, and many older trees and forest giants felled. With the power and balance of this area ruined by these events, since the 1920s the Matangi-Ken have continued to selectively rotate tree farms and logging projects around this destroyed border of their old lands, and the original territories the Hokubu and Setto first first negotiated for permission to clear for their medieval lumber supplies.

An industry that still continues to be the primary economy in Matangi-Ken no Shinrin to this day. While the current lumber mill has been around and occupied it's current site since the early 20th century, much like the Matangi-Ken's greenhouses in Inunojotaira and the reinvented mining operations in Doukouzan, forestry in not just Matangi-Ken, but all of Yamainutaira, is a modern blend of the magical past and modern muggle thinking. Sustainable forest management is one of the core schools of thought behind Yamainutaira's industry, preserving what few natural old-growth groves and primeval forest remains. Agroforestry, silviculture, arboriculture, community forestry, even-aged timber management, have all been the buzz-words of forest farming and the lumber industry in this town for the last 30 years.

Thanks to being more spaced out and divided in areas of operation, it is a industry that is also easier to insert yokai into. Combined with the general simplicity of many tasks when aided by magic or natural abilities, forestry work and laboring under the supervision of the Matangi-Ken, is currently one of the best jobs for those who arrive in town without much in the way of muggle or magical qualifications, are lacking in their disguises or capability to assume human forms, and are in need of a quick way to get back on their feet. Roles are not just limited to manual work cutting down trees, buckering limbs and moving logs either. The modern world of forestry requires a wide range of jobs such as aborists, ecologists, log scalers, nursery gardeners, timber cruisers, tree planters, and even people licensed to be muggle truck drivers.

Historical Trivia; The main lumber exports of Yamainutaira are native woods such as Jezo Spruce, Hinoki Cypress, Sawara Cypress, Sakhalin Fir. Traditionally, much of it was used for firewood and in local buildings, but for most of the 20th century, Yamainutaira's lumber industry was a shrinking business as most of the wood was used in paper, which eventually began to be supplanted by digital mediums. Today Yamainutaira's lumber industry is experiencing an explosion of growth, as the difficulty and cost in importing materials for plastics and metals in non-war industry related construction, has caused many to re-examine and explore the use of timber plywoods and laminates in modern construction once more.

HOWLING Juice - Unleash the Beast

Just typing that tagline makes me want to facepalm, and yes the brand name is officially written in all caps, but if one is going to talk about the modern Matanegi-no-Shinrin, it would be impossible to leave out the juice bottling factory.

HOWLING Juice first had it's start in an idea bandied about in the late 90s to help out not just Yamainutaira, but also a number of other yokai and magical communities in the area that were looking for a entrepreneurial opportunity, after a number of years of regionally successful harvests lead to both an overabundance of produce that went to waste, and the sales price for various fruits falling. For this reason, though most people think of HOWLING Juice as being a recent thing due to it's opening in 2007, the solidification of plans for the juice factory were officiated as far back as 2004. Unfortunately though, the advent of the war first led to a delay in breaking ground, followed by a change of the entire factory's scale and location, due to the redevelopment of Settoshugyoba as a residential are for refugees, and the loss of a separately branded facility by the original investors.

Today, HOWLING Juice makes a wide range of fruit based drink products, utilizing produce from innumerable farms across Yamainutaira and the surrounding Kawakami District. In particular, HOWLING Juice takes great pride in being a Golden Heart Sticker business and consumer product, thanks to employing refugees and war migrants throughout it's production and bottling facility, as well as buying much of it's raw fruit and ingredients from farms and business that themselves, employ refugees and war migrants.

In recent years, HOWLING Juice has also branched out into two sub-lines of products. While HOWLING is still it's primary fruit drink product line and source of earnings, RABID (Go Nuts) was first put on shelves in 2010 as a line of fruit based energy drinks. More recently, as of January 2013, HOWLING Juice has been proud to announce it's new fruit and cocktail syrup line, LUPUS (Feel the Change). Since 2011, HOWLING Juice has also had a deal with the SDF to supply HOWLING and RABID for the cafeterias and vending machines of various bases and facilities.

Employment at HOWLING Juice is definitely one of those things not for the easily cultured shocked or magicals unfamiliar with muggle technology. The vast majority of both the juicing plant and the bottling factory are automated production lines, with most entry level jobs being either system management, machinery maintenance, or various quality checking and inspection roles. That's not to say it's impossible though, as almost 30 percent of the management staff, administrative office workers, and floor crews are yokai and human magicals

Helpful Tip: Want to see something neat and take an interactive trip with the family? Visit HOWLING Juice's juicing and bottling plant, and take a tour around the premise. Even better, they give a free (non-alcoholic) drink with every tour, and the gift shop has specials and discounts on many of their more unique and interesting products. For those who regularly burn the midnight oil due to schooling or work, and are looking for something that is both little more pleasant than your normal energy drink or caffeine shot, and with a little bit more kick, they also sell RABID in bulk boxes at wholesaler prices.
Spoiler

"Few remain who know how to hunt via the old ways, and fewer still have their own licences to do so in this day and age. Matangi-Ken heiress, Ifukube Chufsanma, shoots more than photos in her spare time, accompanied by long time hunting partner, Hokubu Hanzomaru - Hokubu Kariudoko"

Hunting with the Hunting Dogs of Winter

Before Shoumaru the Little of the Hokubu Okami, there was the Setto of the Ezo Wolves. But even before them, there were the Matangi-Ken. While the Hokubu may have once ruled Yamainutaira for almost half a millennium, and the Setto repeatedly warred, hunted and migrated across the plateau, and through the surrounding hills and valleys, it is the Hunting Dogs of Winter who have walked the forests to the south and the foothills of Daisetsuzan longest. Hunting has long held a special place and role for life in Yamainutaira, in spite of the area's main trait being that of an agricultural farming town for the last five centuries. Even today, the activity still has an importantance, but not quite as heavily or for the same reasons as in previous centuries, when it was an important source of food for the town's largely meat loving demographics.

Today, non-magical mundane deer and boar are a massive problem. This is not the complaint of somebody from a farming community, with more than a few experiences of fields planted with her own two hands being torn up, but a reliably calculated and evidence based conclusion, backed up by multiple studies. While a balanced ecosystem is important, the system is already irrevocably unbalanced due to the rarity of any mundane predators to keep numbers in check. Bears are a rarity, and wolves are technically "extinct", so there is little way to keep the populations of the district in check, except to rely on people getting hunting licences and going out whenever they have time during the open season.

Obviously this has it's issues. For one thing, going off into the woods for most of a day is admittedly not a productive task by most modern standards. And then there's the "humaneness" question. Considering most people who still hunt in town are magically capable, and only really own muggle firearms for show and as muggle covers, humaneness of the kill is thankfully not an issue for most meats procured by Yamainutaira hunters. Thankfully in that aspect, the value of hunting has also increased over the last few years, as people have turned to the land for sources of food rather than the sea.

Where once hunting was a deficit expenditure due to licencing and gun registration, today you can easily break even after only a few kills. As an added incentive to further entice help culling pest deer and boar numbers, and to bring in hunters from out of town, the Yamainutaira Council may occasionally even announce bounty periods.

Important Note: While these culls are considered useful tools for controlling pest numbers that may destroy not just farmland, but also the primary and preserved areas of woodland surrounding Yamainutaira and in the Old Forest of Matangi-Ken no Shinrin, this is NOT an every man free for all. Hunting in this community is very strictly regulated, controlled and organized, especially due to the increasing numbers of intelligent boar and deer yokai who have joined the township or taken up residence elsewhere in Kamokawa District in recent years. Because of this, there are a number of responsible standards the community always adheres to;

1 - NEVER hunt alone; Always travel with at least four people minimum, and never split into groups of less than two.
2 - NEVER hunt unannounced. All trips must be announced either to the town council office, or to the Matangi-Ken at least two days in advance.
3 - ALWAYS check with the Matangi-Ken's Forest Guards if there is anybody else in the woods, before you enter the Old Forest of Matangi-Ken no Shinrin.
4 - ALWAYS confirm what you are looking at with a spotter, before you fire/loose your arrow/cast/attack.
5 - CLEAN KILLS and sanitary carcasses are the only ones that will be approved for bounties or purchased for commercial sale by local butchers.
6 - RESPECT the Old Forest and it's wildlife, even if you are there to kill something mundane.

Break or attempt to circumvent any of these rules, and the Matangi-Ken will know, even before you leave the forest.

Important Note: Please do not be disparaging towards the town's opinions on hunting activities, especially that of the Matangi-Ken. For one thing, it's a tired old (often uninformed) argument many of us have all heard before. For a second, the Matangi-Ken hunt more than anyone else because the act of it and the methods of gathering certain materials are an important aspect of their clan, and a component of their magics of more ancient and animistic natures.