Feast
It is said that in an old village at the bottom of a snowy mountain, there lived a beautiful biwa player woman with long dark hair and her eyes were hidden by her bangs. Her music was well known throughout the village as every man, woman and child would gather just to hear her play. She was always attracting the company of many during the day, especially travelers passing through.
That also meant many male suitors coming up to her and asking for her hand.
She never said a word to them. No one has ever heard the young woman's voice or seen her ever step into the sunlight. Some suitors left at her lack of answer. Others would get offended and just storm off to the local vendors and drink away their hurt pride.
Then the son of the village's chief had returned home from the war. All of the village was proud of him for his bravery, the young women swooning over him and his muscles and riches that he brought home from defeating the enemy. He was the pride and joy of his parents as he strutted through the village and showed himself off like a pet peacock. Now all he wanted was a wife to come home to who would have the dinner ready and so his sights were set on the unattainable Biwa player.
Hence his father went to speak with her mother one crisp morning when she was sitting quietly on the porch.
The chief was a well known man, and well liked amongst the villagers. No one would dare refuse him or his son, that much he knew.
"Good morning, Mochizuki-san," he said to the elderly woman who had been sewing quietly, "Do you have a moment?"
She blinked softly and looked up at him before she bowed politely, "Good morning Uehara-sama. What is it that you need?"
From the porch in the shaded area out of the sun, the biwa woman appeared more engrossed in her practicing, his music sounding almost far away as she carefully tuned it. She looked mysterious and intriguing in the morning sun's light glimmering off some freshly fallen snow in front of her. The chief took a moment to admire the scene before turning to the old woman before him.
"My son wishes to marry your daughter."
The mother of the girl goes very quiet as she blinked in what could be seen as confusion, "I...I am not sure I understand Uehara-sama. You're son wishes to marry my Nakime?"
"Yes. He has had his eyes on her for a long time. And seeing as she has rejected many men in and away from our village, I think she would do well with my son as her husband. What do you say Mochizuki-san? The joining of our two families would work out well for you would it not? Your daughter would be taken good care of," he smiled at her as he waited for an answer.
However when she turned to look at her daughter, a strange look came over her face. She has always been a talkative one for as long as anyone has known Mochizuki-san. She could talk for hours and hours when she got going and she was always seen talking her daughter's ear off, though said daughter never seemed bothered by it. The unusual silence though was very off putting. After all this woman once talked the ear off a fur trader who was scamming the elderly years ago.
"..I am sorry, Uehara-sama. Though your son is a very lucky young man to have survived when he did, my Nakime cannot marry him ever," She answered him very calmly, still not looking at him.
The chief was rather stunned at hearing that, frowning at her, "What do you mean? Is she already promised to someone else?"
The old woman sighed, "In a sense, yes she is. Someone in the mountain. She goes up to see her special one every night now matter how cold or horrible it is. She loves her one and only who lives up there. Therefore your son cannot marry my Nakime," she then turns and bows to the chief again, "May the gods smile on you this day. Goodbye," before he could say anything else, she had gone back into her house.
Nakime had now turned her head in his direction as she now was standing. For the first time in forever she gave him a toothy smile that came off rather vicious before she too disappeared into the house.
...
The son was not happy.
In fact, like the men before him, he went to the tavern to drink away his ruined pride at being rejected like he was a common man. Many of the villagers sympathized with him as the owner gave him more and more sake while the girls massage his shoulders and arms in an attempt to soothe him.
He took in another deep swig of sake and then huffed, "..Who does she think she is? Does she get off on rejecting good men who want to give her comfort and security knowing she is already promised to someone else? Who even is it? He probably can't provide for her since she has to travel through all that wind and snow to see the bastard!"
"It truly is a shake, isn't it?" The owner sighed, "She could have any man here and yet she chooses a poor man in the mountains..."
"Tch," the son puts down his cup before shrugging off the girls touching his back, "I should follow her and see who he is. Then I'll fight him myself and kill him. I bet he's a weakling more than anything!"
The other men, scorned lovers, fathers, friends and traders raised their glasses in solidarity to the Chief's son. After all, it would make more sense to marry someone who can provide and give a stable home as well as have a good dowry to pass on. How the Chief himself didn't try to convince the mother that marrying his son would be a better option?
"Then why don't you?"
The son, in his drunken state, turns to the one who spoke. A woman with a pretty pink haori that had a hood covering her head spoke up. She smiles as the hood hides her eyes from view. She had beautiful long nails and red lips as she was holding a glass of wine.
"You poor boy...rejected by a beautiful woman in poverty? That won't do now will it?" she reached up and lightly pinched his cheek, "You shouldn't let that stop you. If she's yours then why don't you fight that man and put his head at her feet? Wouldn't it serve her right?"
He looked thoughtful at this strange woman's words...then he started to nod in agreement.
"Then it's decided...I will follow that wench up to the mountains...and I will remind her that I am just as worthy as that mountain hermit is of her!"
When the woman smiled again amongst the cheers, no one noticed the little sharp fangs appearing over her bottom lip.
...
It wasn't hard to spot Nakime as she was slowly walking through the snow. She had her biwa on her back as she wore a heavy shall over her dark haori with purple lilies on it. She carried a basket with food in it as she made her way up further and further with each crunch of snow under her feet.
Her lips were painted for once as her hair blew out behind her like a perfect curtain of black.
The chief's son was more sober as he quietly followed her, his sword at his side and dressed for a fight. Though as he followed her such sinful thoughts filled his head the more he followed after her, his eyes roaming over her curves as she moved further and further up. Unaware she is being followed by one of the men scorned by her.
A house soon comes into view. By the door a soft red lantern is lit by it as Nakime approached with a smile. It was one no one had ever seen on her face before; so soft, so loving as she carefully knocked on said door.
The son chose then to sneak up behind her and wait quietly for the door to open. He wanted to look into that hermit's face as he killed him right there and then he would take her back and have her as his own. As his wife, as his bed warmer, as the mother of his future children...!
The door opened very quietly...but there was no man that stepped out from the house.
No instead the hooded woman stepped out and carefully pulled off her hood. She was beyond any human beauty the moment he lays his eyes on her. She had unusual white, long hair that gave way to a light green color. Her eyes were a shade of yellow with her irises shaped like kanji written in a number. Gently she held Nakime's face and her beautiful pale was was so soft.
What was going on here?!
"Nakime...you brought a feast for us tonight?" She asked her, gently brushing her bangs back from her face.
Nakime then turned to face the one who was following her...and the son saw what was under this woman's bands: one large eye that seemed to pear right into his soul. She stared at him before tilting her head slightly. The beautiful woman behind her giggled, showing her beautiful sharp fangs at him as she pushed her hair back and dropped her haori and hood off.
"It looks like I get to meet the whiny little mutts who keep troubling you for your hand."
The last thing he sees is what looks like a ribbon coming for his head. He tried to raise his blade to cut through it...only it broke said blade. Then next thing he knew his head went next and rolled down to the two demon's feet.
Nakime hummed before slowly picking up his head, "..Hmm. He always did have a little too much meat on him..I thought he might be good for sharing since this is the night I will finally leave to assist our master..."
Daki gently took her hand and kissed it softly, "Did you say your farewells?"
"Indeed. I feel more at ease knowing my mother still loves me and will die knowing I will continue on..." she then pulled off an ear from the son's head and ate it with a happy hum, "Hmmm~ I'll make a delicious dinner out of him tonight...He's full of clean, fresh blood and he's tender from being beaten in battle...I will cut this up and serve it like I would sushi.."
Daki could only drool a bit before she followed after her.
As the two walked in, the snow came down as if hiding away the evidence of the chief's son's death.
Ah but not to worry. His meat made for a delicious meal between the two lover tonight as they laughed over how he believed he could go up against a demon.