Senjo I

Faye flitted about the wild flowers that grew deep in the woods of Nai Keisei Mori; when translated into the tongue of man creatures, it came out as The Deathly Beautiful Forest. Faye hated the name, and the stories behind it. None of them were true, except for the wild pig that had demons within their bodies. They were what the man creatures truly feared. She could not blame them, she feared them too. Though, she was far smaller than any man creature, she could get away easily, they could not.

Faye sighed as she smelt the sweet pollen that hung from the flowers. She then sneezed and looked around. No one else was here, no creatures lived here and no humans had game trails. Faye had no one to follow out of curiosity, and maybe even help. She would have helped, if any hunters came to her forest at all. But of course, none did, none would, and never will.

The little wood nymph sunk down on a toad stool that sat attached to a tree up high. She slouched and sighed a heavy sigh of loneliness. Faye’s long sky blue hair fell over her shoulders and then covered, slightly, her bare body. She flicked her dragonfly wings a few times and frowned. She disliked being a fairy, how boring and useless it was. Her deep sea blue eyes surveyed the tiny clearing at the foot of the tree. Why was she even looking for something, it would never come. Unless she was, she would, yes, yes, she would!

Faye flitted down the tree and increased her speed as she headed deeper and deeper into the forest. She grinned. “Ah I will end this bore of a life, and see you, sir Buta.” Faye promised to herself. While she traveled she glanced around her. The trees became darker, she could barely pick out shrubs, grass, saplings, no flowers though. She grimaced to the fact that where she would meet sir Buta was a sad and dank place, yet she had never actually ventured into such a hostile territory before. Should she not be careful? No, why should she? It would be wasteful and slow her down from meeting sir Buta.

Sir Buta was the demon pig of her forest. How sad, Faye figured, that she be a nymph--a happy nymph, and she live in a cursed forested where there was no one to enjoy the company of, even if she did not allow them to see her.

She arrived, Faye was at the territory within the forest of sir Buta. After she landed on the dark earth, Faye scaled her tiny nymph body, that would be ignored by a demon pig, to the size of a man creatures female. After she had brought herself to a reasonable height to be spotted at, she looked around. “Oh how amusing at this height! So much more enjoyable to be bigger than a flower.” Faye mused as she looked forward to her destiny. It was sad, almost too dark for her to continue, yet she must. Little light made it through the thickly black trees that grew, or she thought they grew, in the land. Faye looked over her shoulder and then huffed as she began walking forward.

The wood nymph was enjoying her new height and the feel of earth under her soft feet when a squeal echoed through the trees. Nothing scattered from the trees, like she knew should have happened. Nothing rustled to hide, as it should have been, she was probably the only thing that was naive enough to stay in a damned forest to think that there was hope that human man creatures might come and destroy the creature that plagued her lovely forest. And perhaps even the Nai part of her forests name would be removed. Faye shook her head and frowned. No, it would not happen, no nothing would change. Man creatures are far too cowardly to think to risk a cherished life to remove a demon and its herd from such a place. After all, did they bother the demons? No, did the demons bother them? Somewhat, she assumed. Demons enjoy the blood of mortals, creatures. Of course, Faye assumed and recalled, they enjoy maiden the best--or so tales were woven around.

Again the squeal shivered down her spine as he came closer. “Will this demon just kill me? Speak to me maybe?” Faye wondered to herself.

Thundering hooves of many demon Butas came clearly into her ears. They were almost here! Faye felt adrenaline race through her little nymph body as she allowed the nature of fear to cascade down the nerves in her body. This was different, this was strange. Fear, she had never felt it, only known the fact of it. “So this is how it feels to be a cowardly animal being hunted, or pursued perhaps.” Faye said aloud as she caught red and yellow eyes trotting her direction. “Do Buta’s hunt?” Faye asked aloud, wondering if the demons heard her voice. Her voice sounded strange to her, was it real? Or was her voice raspy from the fear she was newly experiencing. Faye was naive, to do this, a smart creature would stay far away knowing the fate that awaited them, but not Faye, no, she decided that her lacking would make it easier.

In front of her stood four massive boars, large gray, black and white pigs. The great demons that cursed this forests grounds. Faye stood in front of them as a foolish nymph. She eyed them curiously, looking at them with no fear, but feeling it with in her frail body that this was fear she was experiencing. “You are the Buta, yes?” Faye asked in a whispery breath.

“Buta? Is that what they have named us?” the head, a large black boar asked her.

“I think so.” Faye admitted timidly. “Are you demons.” She asked the large Buta.

“Demons? Ah, is that another word that the man creatures have for us?” the black boar asked her again.

“Yes, it is.” Faye replied stilling her voice smooth and calm, she was no longer fearing, something with in her body seemed to cancel the fear with a calming potion, she liked it.

“Hmm, then this description of us being demon is because of our birthing from Naraku?” the black Buta asked her in return.

Fear that a mortal knew even mentioning a Buta shot straight through her spine and then came back for a second run. “Y--es, you were born from Naraku, then?” Faye choked slightly.

“Yes, we were. What is a damn nymph doing in our territory. It is beyond comprehinsion that you exist in this forest or even touch our lands!” the Buta growled at her. “We do eat every other day, and today is that one.” the pig snarled.

Faye lifted her hand to her mouth and gently bit her curled finger. Was this what she wanted? She supposed so, why not? “I assumed as much.” Faye admitted timid.

“Then, what are you here for little nymph?” the pig squealed. “Are you a tribute to our clan as an offering by the man creatures?”

What if she lied? Would they believe her? She had never seen or heard offerings walking through the forest, if she had she would have saved their lives some how. What if she started an offering now, then she would be endangering many lives, she should tell him no. She would. “No, sir Buta, I am not.” Faye spoke hoarsely. She began to speak again, but something had snagged her and thrown her over its shoulder. Faye bounced on the creature that had lightly picked her up and began running so easily with her added weight and its own.

“Return that nymph to us at once!” The black boar screamed.

Faye closed her eyes as she thought. I do not understand, at all. Oh, that’s right, I am a simple nymph, how could I. As well I am foolish enough to walk face to face with a great demon Buta.

The creature beneath her began to lessen its stride, it was weakening in strength and speed. Her creature slowed its pace and slipped her from its shoulder. Faye stood in front of her, savior she supposed, and let out a soft gasp. She stood in front of a man creature! He stood taller than her by many measurements. His dark brown hair escaped a leather thong that had tried to hold it back. Beautiful brown eyes stared at her, they seemed mesmerized, entranced somehow. That puzzled Faye terribly. “Oh did I do something to trouble you?” Faye asked the human man creature.

He looked at her even more bewildered than before. “Trouble me?” he choked. This seemed to toy with his mind and tie it into more complex knots, Faye wished she had not said anything. “Miss, I was in trouble the moment I was born, and why are you naked, and also, why the damn hell are you conversing with Buta! Are you their crazed little nymph or something!” he yelped. Trotting hooves were catching up to them. How fast had this man creature run, or, did these Buta fear something in this man creature?

Faye looked at him puzzled. “I don’t know.” she said quietly. “I’m sorry, please do leave this horrid place, I had no intentions of involving a man creature.” she told him smiling softly. “Please, I will distract the Buta while you leave. Please go.”

“Leave?” the man seemed amused. “No, I was chased into here, or rather I chose to take my chances dieing by the hooves of a Buta than them.” he laughed slightly at the mention of who he had evaded.

“I will say man creature, you puzzle me, yet you interest me greatly.” she said smiling gently.

“Man creature? Is that what your kind calls me?” he said twisting his face up at her. Faye looked at him amused. “How about you address me by my name and I’ll address you by your own, say you have one.” he suggested as he grabbed Faye’s hand and began leading her the direction he hoped would take them from the cursed forests borders.

“Oh, yes.” Faye said as she followed him through the forest. “I am Faye.” she told him soothingly.

“That’s beautiful.” he murmured, Faye felt emotion when he said beautiful, it made her blush. “I am Takeshi.” he supplied with a trained voice, it was handsome.

“Its attractive.” she replied and returned the complement. How did she know to do that? She had no contact with life. Faye realized she had spent her entire life alone. How did she do that? Why? “Takeshi….” Faye said as he pulled branches apart to let her through and onto green grass, they had managed their way out of the damned forest.

“Yes?” he said as he surveyed the forest they had emerged from.

“Why was I alone?” she said staring at the meadows and gatherings of trees that stretched in front of them. “I mean, why was I the only living creature that existed in that cursed forest. I know those demons…were…I..” Faye choked herself on her own words as she let her gaze continue to look at land and view she had never seen or began to imagine.

“You were alone?” he asked her surprised. “How strange, I thought nymphs clung in clusters.” he told her as he pulled off his tunic and handed it to her. “You might wish to cloth your lovely curves if we are to make it anywhere.” he said blushing as he handed it to her.

“I don’t know, I’ve been alone, so I don’t know.” she said as her voice got caught in a soft breeze that scattered her lovely blue hair behind her wings. Her wings! Faye twisted around her back, they were gone! She gasped, tears trickled down her cheeks. “Oh no!” she cried in soft cries.

“Huh?” Takeshi said confused. “What’s wrong?”

“My wings, they are gone!” Faye cried. She fell down into the soft meadow grass and sobbed. “Now what am I, I’m not alone anymore, but I am no creature of the forest either.” she said cursing herself. “I have now wronged my creator and reason for existence. What have I done wrong!” she said displeased with herself.

“I think, when nymphs stay in the form of a human far too long, their wings are forfeit and they become human, somewhat.” Takeshi told her.

“Human?” Faye sobbed. “Is that why I weep, feel? Blush, my heart thud? My mind whirl around more than a simple nymphs reason to exist?” she looked up at the man creature. “Is that why I feel something for a man creature that I have never met, but I feel as if it is right, as if something is meant to be?” she asked him, her eyes flooding full of tears.