CelestialMochi

The crackling fire filled the chamber, its rhythm broken now and then by a low, rolling boom that echoed like distant thunder. The Purple Butterfly Onna Musha worked in steady silence, her hands practiced and reverent as she wrapped each body in white silk. Under her breath she murmured soft mantras, flicking drops of sage-oil that glimmered briefly before sinking into the cloth. When she finally laid the shrouded forms side by side before the flames, the room had already begun to fill with people. She greeted them quietly, handing each a slip of white paper and writing tools. Once everyone had gathered, she stepped to the front, the fire’s light dancing over the armor at her shoulders. “This is the funeral of Shizuka and Hyoka,” she said. “They fled abuse and cruelty—fled Ehiba—and struggled to build a new life. These papers are for your thoughts, your wishes, your final words. Share them aloud if you wish, or cast them into the fire so they may walk with the departed. Prepare your words while I begin the rites.” Ichika lifted a bowl of holy water and swept droplets around the fire. Every drop that touched the flames hissed sharply, curling upward in a sudden flare of white smoke. She sprinkled the bodies as well, purifying what remained. Then she set the bowl aside and took up a copper vessel. A gentle tap on its rim sent a deep, resonant THUMMM through the air—so heavy it vibrated low in the gut. As she walked the perimeter, tapping in slow intervals, the sound folded into the roar of the fire and the distant thunder outside until the room felt as though the world itself were holding its breath. “What they endured in this life,” she said, “may they be spared in the next. They died with honor. Two bodies, one heart. Two lovers, one fate.” She lifted the larger body with a strength softened by grief, holding him the way a mother holds her child for the first time—except her expression was weighted with sorrow rather than wonder. With a trembling exhale, she laid him into the flames. “As the smoke rises,” she murmured, “so shall our goodbyes—whether whispered, spoken, or kept within.” Then she gathered the smaller body into her arms, pressing her cheek briefly to the silk before laying her beside him. One by one, the mourners stepped forward. They touched their letters to the fire, letting their words ignite and curl away with the smoke. A soft chorus of “Sayonara” threaded through the room, grief and love mingling in every voice. When they had all returned to their places, Ichika bowed her head to them. “Arigatou…for coming here, and for wishing these two peace on their path ahead. If Yasu-Tori has nothing to add, I will close the rites.” Honma Botsugo straightened, placed his hands together, and spoke: “Namu Myōhō Kani Kyō.” Voices rose to repeat it. The ritual ended. As the mourners drifted out, Ichika remained, putting away her tools with slow, aching movements. Under her breath, bitterness cracked through her composure. “If Ehiba had healed you when you were attacked…you would not have suffered so long. If she had not abused you…if she had not broken you…your lives could have been joy instead of pain. Gomenasai. I should have saved you sooner.” She gathered the ashes with meticulous care and placed them into a Haganeki box carved with two birds, one an owl and the other a kite nestled together beneath a single shared leaf. The wood was stained black; the owls were painted white with tiny black flecks, the leaf a soft green. Carrying the box, she traveled into the snowy red forest until she found the tree where the lovers had last stood together while alive. There, she dug a resting place beneath its roots and lined it with linen and silk. She lowered the box gently, covering it with earth as the snow fell in quiet spirals around her. When she finished, she rested her hand on the fresh mound. “Ano…Hyoka, take good care of her. Make sure she eats plenty. And Shizuka…be strong for him. May we find one another again in another life.” She stood, brushed the snow from her palms, and walked back toward the red-leaved forest as the wind carried the last of the smoke into the sky. @usercultist@D0MINEER

Ichika would pray for the two daily, wanting nothing but peace and love for them. She loved them like they were her own children and she sent them off like any loving Oyashiman family member would...

"Siding with Azdrazis, taking in fugitives, and protecting Draoi..." Ichika shakes her head. "Sonna was my Guide...and this just makes me disappointed."

You are like family to me and thank you for all that you do and for the friendship we have grown over the many months/years. @Islamadon@Reckless Banzai Screamer@milksoda@Dyl@wowj@Benleft@sarahbarah@krispeechips@Fishy@femurlord@Drusus@DragonofTaters@LupinCrystal@TwilightWolf@FloralHedgehog@DistantCryptid@Star Whale@ChaosDeceived@mielofficial@kruurk@sujilicious@latte@HugoAntero@Randoomer@ArcaneChicken@wulfric_borr @Shorsand@Dargrind @Tentoa@SoftestMallow @Abeam1@Crunchiest_Leaf@Apotolofo@megavoltar@Gustando@ProcaPro@breeni @tasty_cheesecake @Barbarus and to those who I forgot to list, but you know who you are, thank you! <3

I hear they have Grububus...

I am a millennial too. And it is fun to RP with you ^^

Will they realize what they have done is wrong? Nah. Will they remove the team that is stepping on the toes of another team that does this job? Probably not. Will they continue to allow people who abuse their pex that got kicked out cause they got caught only to just to go on a pointless team and would likely further abuse their pex just cause they are friends with the admins? Heck yeah. Will the players be happy about this? Nope. What have we learned so far?

After leaving Angernost, Ichika pauses he gazes to the dark shadow which was the building. A bubbling bittersweet feeling rest in the pit of her stomach. "He will be safe with them, hai? May the Kami watch over him...he is with a good home....Choumi-chan's wish is fulfilled and honored." She says to Hiemon, the fae creature that nudged her back to head home. She sobbed a sigh and headed off knowing what she did was the right choice.

On behalf of the Okaasan of Hanzo, I, Tōshu of the Kato Clan, shall honor Kato Choumi’s wish. Her wish was to be disowned and I shall honor that. Her and her child will be hereby disowned and therefore will not be able to inherit the Clan as per the Constitution of Kurai Kuni under 第四章 21. They will not be a part of the family registry or be known as a citizen of Kurai Kuni and will not be harassed or chastised by the Oyashimans. They are free to live their lives as they see fit and prosper. The Purple Butterfly Onna Musha, Tōshi-Ga of Kurai Kuni, Tōshu of Kato Clan, Nichi Jin Sōhei, Solar Kō Shisai of Senritsu Grove, and Barrel Princess

The storm on Yorumachi was heavy that day as Ichika slowly rose from the ground at the Senritsu Grove. Another sleepless night praying to the Kamis begging for wellness for her daughter as she tried everything to contact her. To console her. To love her with all her heart. But the door remained closed. She did not know that her daughter had died until she finally made her way to the Kato compound. Drenched and filled with turmoil she finally entered the quiet main building. The lightning struck nearby and illuminated the hall showing the letter that was left on a table. Ichika went to it only to read it. She clutched the paper tightly as her eyes scanned the words. Eventually it was just scribbles to her as she was trying to process everything. The Onna Musha fell to the ground trembling as she re-read the words over and over. Wailing of violent sobs filled the hall. Her child was gone. She failed as an Okaasan. She failed as a Tōshu. The memories of the morning that Choumi was delivered by the Stork Kami filled Ichika and Ryuma with great joy. Choumi’s first words. Her first steps. Educating her. Laughter and love. Then the disagreements. The lies. The betrayal. Choumi begged Ichika to leave the Clan after her loss of her lover. She just wanted to teach her daughter to love herself as it broke her heart hearing how little she thought of herself. She tried to fill Choumi’s heart and mind that her family loved her with so much desperation and determination. But that was all lost. The mother wept until she couldn’t cry anymore and when she couldn’t she dragged herself into the rain once more. To the Grove once more praying to Aristuki to bring her child eternal peace. To make all her pain go away. She prayed until the next following day. Then she dragged herself up once more. She had to put another mask up. She had to hide her true self. The Onna Musha then went to do her duties while silently mourning for it was a great loss to the Kato Clan.

Once Ichika got ahold of this letter from @Harvest, she merely grinned and muttered, "Ah, I shall alert the Samurai and go on a hunt."