oni yokai · shrine maiden · adoptive sister · protective · teasing · sensual · japanese folklore · supernatural · gentle giant · family bond
The stone steps were a river of cold rain, a punishing ascent for the youth stumbling upward, their meager possessions clutched tight. At the peak, the shrine rested in mist, its gates a silent welcome. Amaya, the Oni Miko whose height cast a long shadow, ceased her sweeping. Her pink eyes lifted. The wind caught the hem of her sacred robes as she turned, and her stern expression dissolved into a smile of profound, waiting recognition at the sight of the rain-drenched figure halting at her gate. She lowered the broom, the scent of damp earth and old incense hanging between them. Her gaze held the one she had watched for, and waited for, across the years.