All I Need;; [Open]

[Tsuzuki]

[/i][/color]

A soft sigh escaped the little demoness's lips as she gazed out over the fields. The spring morning was cool, bright, and clear-- even without the aid of demon senses, one would be able to see Mount Fuji rising up over the horizon, framed by small snow caps on either side and rolling hills hiding its base. Which was just fine for Tsuzuki, considering the fact that she was just a little bit nearsighted.

In all honesty, she could have lived without all the sunshine-- it wasn't that she preferred dark, depressing, rainy days, but there was only so much her poor eyes could take.

The wolf padding at her heels seemed to be enjoying herself as well-- though full grown now, Yuki still acted quite a lot like a puppy. Snapping at butterflies and dragon flies as she darted forward into the grasses, Yukiko didn't even notice the slight smile that crossed her mistress's face.

Running a slim-fingered hand through her white hair, Tzuki started forward after her companion, her pace brisk and controlled before breaking out into a full run after Yuki-- Tsu was a tiny little thing, but she was fast. You had to be, if you wanted to avoid larger demons snapping you like a twig. (Though it's debatable weather she or the twig would have the higher IQ).

Zuki wasn't much the sentimental type, but as a wild demon, she had a strong appreciation for the land's natural beauty. Besides-- snow capped mountains always made her feel more at home... not that home was really a place she wanted to be reminded of.

Even in her small pack, there had always been too many people-- too many siblings, it was too crowded, too many demons to not get along with. Single life was simpler. Her rules went, and that was the end of it-- no hierarchy to follow, no bastard father to ask permission of... She wasn't a normal wolf, by any means. Albino-ness aside, Tsuzuki was also quite comfortable living without the security of a pack. Yukiko tried to get them company at any possible chance-- Tsuki would rather stay in the background than risk her lone lifestyle. There was no mate or family in her foreseeable future either-- besides, what male or pack would have use for a little albino freak who was probably more than just a little messed up in the head?

Tsuzuki came to a stop by one of the very few trees that dotted the plains, waiting Yuki to catch up. And she did, tail wagging, tounge lolling, staring up at Tsu with her chocolate eyes and yellow canid smile.

And her mistress smiled back down at her, matching with her own fanged grin. This was the kind of freedom Tsu wanted to keep; and she intended to keep it.
[/size][/font][/ul][/blockquote]

[Zoe]

This environment, this era, this everything had taken its toll on Zoe. How could everything be this green, blue and brown? A glance to the right, she could see the beautiful view of a mountain, the name which she could not recall. Then, on her left were nothing but lined with trees brewing darkness, beckoned with treasures and dangers that lurked beyond.

The young woman stood there, dumbfounded by the sheer beauty of nature surrounding her. For miles she trekked further from her temporary home, the more she realized that there was not a big civilization in sight except for small villages. Unlike other demons, she could easily walk straight into the human civilization without causing turmoil for she remained her humanoid form and her scent masked as well. She investigated these villages, surprised by the sheer simplicity they lived with and the minimal essentials they lived by. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how she took everything for granted.

Her mind riddled with idle thoughts and questions, she soon lost focus of her surroundings and her footing. How typical and a great way to start her journey even if it was already well into her third hour of trekking. If that irritating demon lord saw her like this, he would have either rolled his eyes or berate her again.

“That iron-faced puppy lord!” She exasperated in a low murmur and pushed herself to stand; ignoring the new patches of dirt she just created on her clothes. Ah, her clothes; she sneakily changed these annoying traditional kimonos to her preference of clothing when she left the castle. How comfortable it was, but not even her clumsiness could be prevented with just this option.

Just before she took another step, she quickly decided to float above the ground instead. This way, her constant falling could be prevented and she could admire the view around her with ease like driving in a car per say. It was only several minutes later she picked up a scent, prompting her to follow, led by her d**nable curiosity.

Out in the plain, she spotted a tiny figure of a woman with a dog. No, wait, it’s a wolf. So far, she hadn’t met a demon in all during her trek, only humans until now. She wondered what other demons were like in different territories. With an eyebrow arched, she raised two fingers, placed them inside and blew a whistle.

With this announcement, she wondered how they’d react to it.

[Tsuzuki]

[/i].

Pink eyes, slitted against the harsh sunlight, glared up at the floating figure. Her scent was strange. Her apperance, stranger. Then it hit her...
Who in all the hells does she think she is?! Whistling as if to call a dog![/color]

The boiling anger twisted itself into fanged grin. Tzuki's hands found their way onto her hips, and her gaze stayed focused on the woman.

"Why hello there! And who might we be?"

The tone of her voice was sweet, almost venomously so-- though the fact that she was shouting up to the other female took a little bit of the edge off it.

Yukiko had come to place herself at her mistress's side, tail wrapped neatly around her paws. The wolf tried to look up to the floating woman as well, but she lowered her head almost periodically to blink away the sun that was causing her sensitive eyes to water. Tsuzuki resisted the urge to do the same.

Pale little hands brushed the white bangs off her forehead, giving her very sensitive eyes a moment of protection. Honestly, her glare was almost more of a squint at this point, and she was trying very hard not to let the water drip from her eyes-- she didn't cry. She hadn't since she was a pup. And she wasn't about to make anyone think she was now, stranger or not. But the smile still stayed.
[/ul][/blockquote][/font][/size]

[Zoe]

A simple, loud piercing whistle did its job. Zoe got the attention she wanted and wagered a bet on if the demon was going to attack, scamper away or just stare like a stumbling fool. It seemed that the individual she spotted did neither of these, only trying to make out her location and what was going on.

Of course, it was quite foolhardy in her case, calling attention to herself, knowing full well that people around here aren’t nice to say the least. Her nose wiggled slightly out of curiosity, head perched forward to further investigate this female demon and a canine. Zoe had always been a curious type, wanting to see who the person was, what an object can or cannot do, find out the whys and find out the whats. Curiosity as usual did not bring fortunate news and often wound her up in a dilemma.

Not realizing that the sun behind her could render her audience blind momentarily, she continued to float but only drifted closer to them after a quick analysis that danger may not be brought unless she pressed the red button, somehow. Sporting a grin, she clicked her tongue, “a pleasure meetin’ ya. I’m Zoe. Who’s your companion?” She had keen interest in animals, a direct result of her maternal instinct. For a moment there, she was tempted to drop herself to the ground and immediately pet the wolf, now having realized what species it was after a closer look. But her temptation did not last long ‘til her reasoning power kicked in; only enabling her to lower to the ground without conscious realization of reducing the sun’s glare behind her and just stand with both hands clutched together behind her back.

“And what demon are you?” She bluntly asked, wondering what type of demons roam around these parts. Of course, if this said demon asked her the same question, she’d probably give her a different answer than what truth dictates.

[Tsuzuki]

[/i] this other female... it triggered something in the back of Tsu's mind, an instinct either wolf or demon that created a sense of inferiority in the little demoness-- something that told her the more dominant one should be looking down on the others. That was how her mind worked, thought process fueled by primitive instinct. But the only problem there was the fact that Tsuzuki, with her god complex (or napolean complex, whichever was more fitting for her) couldn't even fathorm the idea that she might be less to any being, ningen, youkai, or otherwise.

Yukiko let out a strangled whine-growl, sensing Tsuzuki's sudden defensiveness. Her tail thumped once against the ground, and she cast a wary glance sideways at her mistress-- she was still smiling. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Tsuzuki only started to speak as the zasshu began to come down-- it put the tense demoness a little more at ease. But aside from her eyes and, obviously, slightly tense stance, it wasn't easy to determine her true feelings. "Well, Zoe, her name is Yuki--... Yuki."

Tsuki's hesitation was due to a slight internal debate of whether to refer to her companion as Yuki or Yukiko-- she wasn't a puppy anymore, and Tzuki usually saved the latter as a pet name for her. She knew the wolf prefered the shorter 'Yuki' anyway. So Yuki it was.

"And I'm a wolf demon-- yourouzoku."
The honey in her voice was accented with a slight chuckle though in her mind she was wondering how the female hadn't figured that out earlier, between her garb, the wolf at her side, and the fact that she had a tail. But in Tsuzuki's line of thinking, everybody should have heard of her, and be able to recognize her people on site. In her world, her people were more important than any of the other demons running around. Her world was just a little bit deluded.

[/ul][/blockquote][/font][/size]

[Zoe]

The tensed atmosphere did not loosen much as this particular demon hadn’t softened her stance. It was expected, the warring era was filled with unforeseen troubles. The minute one put its guard down; it becomes a perfect opportunity to spill blood. How tiresome it must be to walk around with eyes and ears open to all surroundings 24/7. Zoe was only glad that she wasn’t born into to this era.

“Ah, Yuki?” Shooting a soft grin at the wolf, “nice meeting you as well, Yuki.” And did that demon just emphasized her name? Is this the type of woman who was easily riled up by trivial means? “A wolf demon?” Ah, she should have known. The answer was obvious; there’s wolf at the woman’s side, and there’s that tail. A slight sign of blush appeared on Zoe’s cheeks, “Ah, that was quiet obvious.”

It seemed that her mind wasn’t cleared as she was led to believe. It was by miracle she hadn’t wound up in a battle yet. She could only hope that this one wouldn’t initiate a battle. Not that she feared herself to be weak by any means; she would rather have a clear set of mind when engaged in a battle, this allowing for room of creativity.

“Do you live around here?” She questioned, unaware that she just may be pressing the wrong buttons. “Pardon my questions, I don’t live around here.” She promptly raised both hands in meek defense with a grin, “not that I mean to be rude. Just curiosity,” she said to clear up any misunderstandings if there were one.

[Tsuzuki]

[/b][/color]

Tsuzuki didn't think she could honestly say she lived around... anywhere. Sure, she refered to the North in general as her homelands-- but her father's territory, where she'd grown up, was certainly no longer her home. If her father were to learn that she were still living; if she were to set a foot into or near his territory, he probably wouldn't hesitate to have her killed. As far as the packs were concerned, she was a deserter and a heretic. And so she wandered, usually avoiding yourouzoku territories at all costs.

Her lone wolf life suited her just fine. Tsuki had always been a little different then the other pups she grew up with-- and not just because she was a freak of nature in the physical sense, but there were certain instincts that just weren't as strong with her-- they were there, but she never really bonded with her pack. And she had the maternal instinct of a rock.She was loyal to her people, just so long as she didn't ever actually need to deal with them.

"So, where are you from then? The tone in her voice actually held a sense of genuine curiosity-- something that reflected much like the malicious glint in her eyes.Though she really didn't know the land herself, foreigners were usually fairly amusing to mess with...
[/ul][/blockquote][/font][/size]

[Zoe]

The sight of an adorable little wolf thumping her tail was almost enough for Zoe to bend down and pet Yuki. Yet, out of courtesy, she chose not to. After all, she didn’t want to cross anyone during her supposedly short trip around the area. She managed to avoid troublesome battles so far, that is, something pops out of the blue as it usually occurred when it come down to her. It couldn’t be helped if she was a troublemaker herself and for once, she’s trying not to cause troubles.

Arching an eyebrow at the sarcastic behavior from the wolf demon, she wondered if this little woman had social issues. Well, so far, she hadn’t pressed the wrong button. Is this how demons and humans refer themselves around here? It was quite intriguing to her; realizing that civilizations had not developed a need for surnames. The people she met in her trips all referred their name plus with ‘of the’ whatever territory and land they hailed from or lived at currently. It was a smart decision she made not introducing herself as Zoe with her last name, otherwise, she would’ve aroused suspicious on her part.

The more she watched the little demon, the more she realized who this little demon reminded her of. Why did she have to visualize Lord Sesshoumaru in her mind? It had to be appearance-wise; that white-silver hair with pale skin and amber eyes. It had to be. Is this common everywhere? So far, this is the first demon she met since her arrival and could only hope that it is uncommon. Otherwise, she doesn’t think she could stand seeing white-haired demons everywhere she looked. At the very least, the demons back home were all different.

“Hm?” Now here was the question she had been waiting for. Now that this little demon suspected of her living elsewhere other than the land of Japan, she might as well sprout some white-lies. Actually, blatant lies. “Ah, I’m from the European country. I am a fire demon.” She grinned innocently; at least there was one thing that was not a lie.

She can wield fire.

However, she was truly unaware of the threat she could pose to the little demon. What she was mindful of is to ensure she doesn’t use any other of her skills; otherwise, she would’ve just blown her cover in a breeze. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a pack?” She genuinely inquired, suspecting that wolves generally live in a pack.

[Tsuzuki]

[/color][/b] Her unblinking eyes didn't once leave Zoe's face as Tsuzuki spoke. It also took to wolf demoness a second to process the other question. Something about...?

"Right. My pack... Supposed to be in one, yes, I suppose you can say that. I used to have a pack."

Her pack. A rather sore subject. They had been a small group of demons, consisting of her family -- parents, siblings, and a few cousins-- as well as a number of single wolves. Not the happiest times of her life, for sure. Twin brothers with the powers of hynosis, a pyromanic little sister, an assortment of annoying cousins, a pair of kniving, evil parents, and a recluse oldest brother... quite the interesting combination. But she survived that with... some of her sanity still intact, at least, and made her own life for herself elsewhere. With elsewhere meaning everywhere else aside from her homelands.

[/ul][/blockquote][/font][/size]

[Zoe]

The mild transformation of the little person’s expression intrigued the female zasshu. The atmosphere, now decidedly tensed and she wondered what went wrong. It was obvious to her that she caused telltale sign of discomforts in the little demon. Wait, little demon? Blinking at her shocking revelation for not noticing it at first glance, she just now realized just how tiny the little demon was and how tall she was.

Are there such creatures that tiny? For some reason, this little one makes me feel like an old woman…towering over a kid.

Though, she did not judge if the little demon was actually a younger demon or not. What could she know? How can she know? This was the first time she met her first demon acquaintance. Or at least, she’s trying to make an acquaintance which obviously did not appear to be so.

Ice? That made sense now. The little wolf companion of hers was named Yuki for snow. She at first, thought it was the fact that this wolf was pure white, signifying the ‘snow’ for whiteness. And then her thinking process led her back to the tensed situation with the obvious strained grin on Tsuzuki’s face. Wait a minute, ice and fire? The light went off in her head, now recognizing the situation at hand. No wonder the little demon would be this tensed. Is it really that bad in this era, for people to be so overly conscious of others? It was all kill or to be killed?

Maybe she should take this little lesson and not so recklessly call out any strangers that come within her line of sight. So far, this little demon hadn’t struck a move and considered it lucky. She didn’t think she could hurt this tiny woman, not when she resembled a kid. “We could be a team, fire and ice.” She laughed lightly, trying to elevate the tensed atmosphere, “if somebody messes with you with their fire, I can come and defend.”

Her laughter died when Tsuzuki revealed tidbits about her pack. Oops, she touched a sore subject, taking notice of the word used in her statement. “I see.” Raising a hand, a single, but tiny spark of fire sprouted to life on the tip of her finger, “I suppose my family is considered normal if you can ignore having an overly-strict, argumentative mother who takes pride in picking everything apart about a person.” The mere thought of her horrendous mother only served to make the fire grow slightly bigger out of mild annoyance.

[Mucamutara]

It had been a tiring, seven days of travel. Who would have thought that traveling among the forests and open plains would be a bit trickier than it is over back home with sand dunes? Sure, the deserts with sand dunes and scorching heat and sun high in the vast orange sky would be a surefire way to die an excruciating death. Yet, it is equally the same way here.

Mucamutara was stupefied by the vast number of demons sprawling over the places. In those seven days alone, she managed to hunt more than ten demons down with her Shen alone. It was by miracle that she recognized few of those demons, having that they were similar in term of species. But that’s not important right now. She’s hungry and she feared that her stomach will growl any moments. None of the men she was acquaintance with had oranges on them which she craved the most. So, meat it is.

Who would have thought that it’s hard to hunt with all those annoying rocks lying hidden in the ground, covered with bushes and number of trees? Seriously, Mucamutara was not used to this. With her lips curled into a grim pout, she continued her awkward trek until she stumbled on a certain spot, realizing it was a small cliff.

“Ah, that was close.” She muttered lightly to herself, pushing the bushes aside to get a closer look. At this point, she was trying to find any game to hunt, roast and eat. And then, have her usual little snuggle with one of the handsome men back in the group she had just left just only two hours ago. Sure, it would be stupid for anyone to travel without a group for more than five hours.

The short-haired woman blinked, feeling the world around her shifted somewhat. In that split second, she realized that the cliff was giving away. Before she could grab handle of a nearby branches, she rolled straight down the cliff. Luckily, it was a soft tumble with only light scratches as she landed on the lower ground.

Hmm..I better get used to this…awkward lands before I am killed first.

Hearing the voices nearby, she angled her face, realizing there were two other women just over a short distance. Upon a closer inspection, she spotted a tiny woman with tail sprouted from her butt. Her eyes widened and jerked her body to her defensive stance, “Ah, my next victims!”

She wasn’t sure if the woman beside the tiny one was a youaki as well. She looked, well, too human whereas the other, tiny woman was clearly a youkai; possibly a wolf youkai as far as she could tell, since there was a wolf beside her.

[Tsuzuki]

[/color][/b]
Tsuzuki's eyes narrowed dangerously as she gave the fire-user a scrutinous up and down glance-- better asses the danger now than get stuck in a hopeless situation later. She wasn't the smartest, but almost two centuries of living on your own taught you how to survive. And to survive in this world, you had to be able to hold your own in a fight. (Or know when to bail out of one-- but being the proud, thingyy creature that she was, Tsuki rarely did this).

And of course, the whole lone wolf I-don't-have-a-pack-thing tied in with that perfectally-- Tsu didn't play nice with most others. Simple as that.

A low growl escaped her lips at the sight of the fire spark-- anyone standing close to her might also have noticed the slight drop in temperature in the air around the demoness-- Yuki picked up on it, and half cowered behind her mistress.
"Try a vain, ditsy, negligent mother, a power-hungry bastard father, a recluse oldest brother, telekinetic twin brother, a pyromanic little sister, and a spoiled littlest sister with the same name as you. Plus a random assortment of crazed, irritating cousins and packmates."

It was a Tzuki thing-- always having to outdo her opponent, even if it meant proving she had the crappier childhood. Though really her voice had dropped back into a wary growl with the last scentence, so it probably sounded something more like, "Plus a random assortment of grrrrrrr cou-hmph-sins rrrrr packmates grrr."

The growl was only for the fire in part. The other part was for the new aura she was sensing-- and the voice that went along with it. She wasn't sure what she had said, but she was sure this one was mortal, at least. Hmph. At least she shouldn't be to hard to take care of. I could use a good meal....

The grin slowly creeping back to her face, Tsuzuki tilted her head in the direction from which she sensed the woman-- warily watching Zoe's flaming hand from the corner of her eye. Yuki, taking advantage of her mistress's being preoccupied, looked up at Zoe again and wagged her tail with that funny canid 'smile' on her face, pink tounge lolling.

Hmmmm~ Come out, come out, where ever you are....
[/ul][/blockquote][/font][/size]

[Zoe]

A rather obvious assessment on her part signaled that the lone wolf did not appreciate the showmanship of sprouting a fire off the tip of her finger. This also tells Zoe that the little woman did not trust easily and nor will she offer the trust willingly for a long time. It was no wonder, really, after having been separated from a pack or intentionally done so as in accordance to Tsuzuki’s claim.

Did that little woman just tried to size me up for who has the best crappiness?

The mere thought of it almost compelled Zoe to laugh. Just almost, a flickering a subtle sign of her lip twitching slightly into a grin. Nevertheless, she felt sympathy for her for someone being stuck in an extremely dysfunctional family. Perhaps extremely was a bit harsh, but the way Tsuzuki said it, it did sounded like it. Slowly, but surely, the tiny sprout of fire elongated and encircled her finger. It was a thin strip of fire, almost resembling a snake as it settled around her wrist and spun slowly. She was merely playing with it, and testing the little wolf to see just how far she would go if she just stood there and played with it instead. She hadn’t made any threatening moves and curiosity tempted her to push those buttons…

Sure, the little wolfy woman was tiny and cute, but the way she growled each time she spoke, tempted her to fully press that button. Will be fun? Or will it be dangerous? Either way, Zoe knew she would get the excitement out of it, even if she meant no harm whatsoever. In the meantime, she was already well into her playful mood, though she long since sensed another human being. Yes, a human being who posed no threat whatsoever. After all, her scythe did not drone in warning.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are, miss little human being.” Out of the blue, Zoe hollered with a grin plastered to her face. Maybe she’ll just sit back and watch the fight. She’ll use the excuse to protect the cute, little wolf that took the advantage of her mistress’s reoccupied mind and crept closer to her. Unable to help it, the fire died out and kneeled to raise a hand, signaling that she’s willing to pet the cute canine.

Just in time, the hidden human being decided to come out and play.

And Zoe might as well just sit back and watch. She was curious to see how human and demon fight each other. It was only ‘til today did she realized that there was a war going on; though, it was not blatant as one would think. This was a war where humans and demons bided their time; trying to take each other out one by one and through subtle means and sometime, in a big bang.

[Mucamutara]

Okay. Mucamutara was wrong. That seemly human woman was definitely another youkai after witnessing the strand of fire emerging from the tip of her finger and around her wrist like a spinning, fiery bangle. How surprising it was that she assumed this creature was a human being. She looked human and did not act all demonic as she expected from other demons, just like that little—no, tiny youkai.

Startled by a vociferous voice coming directly from the tall woman, Mucamutara, straight away, recognized that the voice was directed at her. She had been found out and she thought she was perfectly concealed with her surrounding environment. Apparently, it didn’t work and perhaps she had the smell of oranges on her just several hours ago before her hunger pang hit, signaling that it was time to eat.

In an inaudible tone, she cursed in her own language; calling herself several crude names for not covering up her tracks more effectively and efficiently. Perhaps this is the reason why she met with so many youkais who fell to their demises during her trek around the area. Wait; could it be that these youkais have better sense of smell than the ones back home?

It would make sense.

After all, they live in heavily wooded lands where keen sense of smell is crucial to their survivals. Indeed, that must be the answer. How else could that tall woman detect that she was a human being? She began to wonder if the little youkai noticed her as well. And it would seem so, when Mucamutara thoroughly watched the expression on her face. She was wary of the woman beside her and actually looked hungry.

She better not eat me. I haven’t gotten all the men for fun yet…

It was now or never.

Releasing a slight sigh, Mucamutara raised both hands, placing one atop another facing her chest. Calming her mind, she focused her inner will and rammed both hands out, still atop each other, now facing the ground, “Shen!” The Egyptian symbol of Udjat, the sound eye of Horus appeared, blinking until its lines contorted into the shape of the Shen mark; a simple circle symbolizing no beginning, no end; an eternity.


It was not the time to talk and play. With fluent moves, now aware of her surroundings, the human woman stepped out from behind the bushes, flexing her fingers with wry grin. “You found me.” She purred seductively, a pair of liquid amber eyes drilled onto the two women.