The sun glazed across Kairi's eyes as she pulled herself from the moss covered well sitting in the center of what appeared to be a forest. Blinking for a moment, the girl pulled her weight up and over the rail, groaning as a sharp pain hit her stomach before toppling over onto the lush green grass beside the stone structure. She took a moment to look around.

Kairi had never seen such a blue sky before. It was amazing! For as far as the eye could see, brilliant baby blue colored the distance up above. The only clouds in the sky were soft, drifting puffs that did little but to dance shadows across the grass and trees. Near the well, there was a large area of nothing but super lush, green grass. Sitting on it now, her fingers danced along the blades beneath and beside her legs. It was so soft.. so undisturbed.

About ten or so feet beyond the little clearing trees stretched as far as the sky seemed to. The only difference was in the distance dark mountains shot from the earth, as if reaching out to grab the sky itself. All of the trees were so thick and healthy. So many shades of green danced around the branches as a gentle breeze blew through the ara.

Kairi's long pink hair wrapped around her floating on the wind as she stood, dusting herself off. She wore a black and yellow skirt and top. Black and gold boots came up her calves and tightly tied in the front. Functional, yet fashionable combat boots of some sort. On her head, she wore a red and gold wireless headset with a blue gem around her neck attached to a blue lace necklace that nearly appeared to be a part of her outfit. Crystal blue eyes glistened as she turned in a circle slowly as she took in the sight.

Panic sunk in for a moment as she froze. "Oh my god! Where am I?! This isn't Japan.. Wh-Where are all the buildings? Where is my family home?" She started to scream out for help when a movement caught her attention. She blinked looking at the girl that seemed to be dropped into a bush all tangled up. She had headphones on and clothes not much different from her own... maybe she wasn't alone after all.

Kasai made an 'oof' noise as she dropped into a bush. She didn't understand what was going on, but she was in a bush. She looked up at the girl she was going to help and smiled sheepishly. "So... do you know where we are...?" She untangled herself from the bush and shook the leaves out of her hair. "I mean, this is obviously not the bottom of a well..." She looked around curiously.

Deep in the forest near Demon Slayer village someone was tredding lightly not making a sound. There had been rumors going around a new type of demon was stalking and terrorizing the land once more. The slayer had been tasked with slaying it for a decent amount of pay.

"Ok where are you hiding.." The slayer said. She was a young girl of 18 and a well known slayer and mercinary named Asuka. Drawing her weopon which was a sword she kept her focus on the sudden rustling of a bush. "Come out!"

As soon as she said this a creature stepped out of the bush. It was slightly small and resembled a shadowy cat of some sort. Upon seeing what it looked like Asuka was surprised sience the way it was described made it sound more dangerous and fearsome. The cat sprang at her with its claws ready to slice her and a demonic yowl echoed. However before it could even make her it's next meal Asuka had already stabbed it cleanly and it fell.

"Man not another low pay easy hunt. I was hoping for more of a challange." Sighing she picked up the corpse and carried it out of the forest and over to the nearby village to collect her reward. Demon activity seemed to be growing slowely she assumed.

A lone young man walked along a deserted stretch of trodden path. Dressed in kimono and hakama with a paddy hat on his head concealing the upper part of his head, he seemed to be the very quintessence of a wandering samurai-type that one would see in a jidaigeki film or some kind of anime. The two blades on his hip definitely added to the effect. The samurai stopped in his tracks and turned his head either way, hand resting at the hilt of one of his blades. He could've sworn he had heard some type of scream in the distance, over deep in the forest nearby. The activity of the youkai was rising as of late, his increasingly bloodied blades were a testament to that notion. Perhaps there was a person who requires assistance....

To be completely honest with himself, the wandering warrior wasn't really cut out for the 'hero business'. Takezo Shinmen cracked a light smile at the thought of being a ironic thought of being hero. He was violent and didn't fight with honorable tactics, not to mention he was a hanyo of all things, the child of a youkai and human. He wouldn't be accepted in either society, and the people were few and far between that knew of his lineage.

Takezo took a deep breath and off the trodden path he went, entering the forest and getting deeper and deeper in the wilds with every step. The crunch of his sandals against grass and twigs was the only sound, his two blades his only companions as he walked in the direction of what he could make out was some type of cry.

Asuka began to emerge from the forest. She knew which path to take as she lived in the villlage so it was not far. Of course she had secured the corpse by pausing to bind it with some twine making a makeshift package. Holding it in her free hand her other hand sheathed her sword.

However she paused as she heard...some footsteps heading in her direction. "Another one? Just how many of these demons are in this forest." Setting down the corpse carefully and reunsheathing her blade she rushed to meet whoever or whatever was coming...

Kairi cleared her throat hoping to clear out some of the panic she was expressing a moment ago. She rubbed her arms a bit glancing around the area as her eyes settled on the girl standing near her. She straightened as she brushed her hair back into place before taking a deep breath.

"Clearly this isn't the bottom! And do you really expect me to know where we are? That.. That THING just opened up and the next thing I knew I was sitting on grass.. Who are you anyway? Why were you I'm the restricted area of the shrine?" She paused, "My name is Kairi..."

Kasai shrugged the branches off her clothes and said "I'm Kasai and I was in the restricted part because... well, I usually hang out in the tree near there. This has been the first time that has happened, though." She looked strangely calm, but on the inside she was a panicking wreck. Her nerves were on high alert. Although, she really had nothing to go back too; Kasai wanted to go back home. That was the place she knew. She hadn't known this place.

Takezo continued to walk onward, listening to the sounds all around him; from the song of the birds to his very own footsteps. Really, it would actually be pretty soothing if this was just some casual walk in the woods he was doing. But nope, he was going to 'save' someone in a forest that was probably full of bloodthirsty youkai or something of that ilk. Hell, if he wanted to be realistic about it, the person he had intended to find was probably dead. Well, at the very least he could do his best to avenge his or her memory. And so the sound of his footsteps began to drown out his thoughts...

...Those weren't his footsteps.

The wanderer stopped in his tracks and drew his short sword, the wakizashi. The much longer katana wouldn't be as effective within the confines of the forest without being in a clearing, and from what he could hear of those footsteps, he wouldn't have time to find a clearing before the mystery assailant arrived.

Asuka leaped at the supposed intruder her sword raised. "Demon!" She shouted before seeing Takezo. Quickly she leaped back. This new arrival looked like a human but demons were also known to disguise themselves as humans.

"Are you a demon or human?" She asked him not sure if he was a true human or a disguised demon. Her sword was still armed just incase.

Well that was an interesting quandary, given Takezo's hereditary situation. He had often asked himself that question, but had never gotten to a satisfying answer, unfortunately. He lifted his short blade and pointed it at the girl in kind as he moved his other hand to the katana's hilt. Offer one hand and prepare the other, after all. "Human," he lied, sort of. He could probably take the girl in a fight, since he technically had the mobility advantage, but he'd prefer to avoid wasting his energy before he'd probably have to get into another fight.

"And yourself?"

"My apologys. It is just there have been rumors of demons roaming this forest and in my hastyness I did not think. I am human. Name's Asuka...demon slayer." Asuka introduced. It was then she noticed he had his weopon pointed at her. She sighed. "I mean you no harm. I have to claim the reward for slaying this so called dangerous demon." She added gesturing to the demon corpse by her.

Kairi nodded slightly and moved over closer to the girl, extending her hand for a handshake. "I don't know why you tresspassed on my family's property... but I'm glad I didn't get pulled out here all by myself." She offered a light smile, trying to make the most of the situation.

"I somehow don't think that we're all that far from where we were... but uh--" She paused looking around once more. "..we're literally a world away.. I think.."

Frowning she turned towards the distant trees to the south. She heard something, whatever it was made a soft rustling sound. She gulped.

"So um, do you think.. that whatever the thing was that pulled me into the well is still here?" She looked to Kasai and stepped a bit closer, her panic starting to resurface. "We're kind of out any form of cover or shelter.. we're sitting ducks in the open like this!"

Takezo's eyes were directed downwards at the young lady's hunting trophy, the corpse of a recently slain demon. Slowly but surely, he lowered his blade, but didn't sheathe it. He wasn't an idiot after all. He pushed the paddy hat off his head with the end of his katana to reveal his entire face. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady," he said with a bow, "I am Takezo Shinmen, just a humble wandering swordsman wishing to be the greatest." Well he wasn't really lying at least, he was just... sugarcoating his intentions for travelling.

"I had heard something similar to a cry for help within the area and came to investigate," he explained, "I was heading towards the source when you arrived." He pointed in the direction he had been heading towards. "Unless you wish to accompany me, I believe this is where we part ways," he said, pulling up his hat once more and walking.

"Nice to meet you Takezo. Unfortunatily I have to finish my job. We will meet again I am sure.." Asuka said bowing respectfully back to him as she picked up her corpse and jumping up in the trees from branch to branch she was soon out of his view and off to the village.

This was bad. Really, really bad. Kin wanted to hit himself; he couldn't believe he let that stupid crow Youkai get his grubby talons on his Advent Deck. Sure, he managed to shoot it out of the sky, but he didn't see where the Advent Deck landed "please let me find it before anyone else, please." Had this simply been in the middle of nowhere he wouldn't be as panicked. However there was a nearby human village. If some Youkai hating human got a hold of his Advent Deck, then he was screwed.

Kasai shook her hand and then said "if we start walking, maybe we'll find someone. We'll have to look, though. I don't think good shelter from that creature are leaves and vines. We've just got to get moving." She smiled at Kairi. "Otherwise, I'd say 'nice to meet you. How was you're day?' and go into a full-blown conversation."

Kasai shook her hand and then said "if we start walking, maybe we'll find someone. We'll have to look, though. I don't think good shelter from that creature are leaves and vines. We've just got to get moving." She smiled at Kairi. "Otherwise, I'd say 'nice to meet you. How was you're day?' and go into a full-blown conversation."

Kairi nodded and turned in a slow circle. There seemed to be a pathway worn into the grass not far from where they were standing. Might as well follow the closest thing to a road that they had, she thought. "Well I couldn't agree with you more. As it is, whatever that thing was looked a lot like a snake..person...thing.. So the forest like area that we just happened to be trapped in does seem like a great spot to wait in and hide. Might as well follow that.." She pointed to the pathway as she started walking towards it.

The path topped a hill and lead down a winding dirt road, in the distance it looked like a group of farm plots, on the other side a village of some kind. Kairi smiled. "Hey look, a town! Maybe we're not that lost after all." Feeling better than she had before, she started down the road walking at a fair click. Her eyes moved to the sky, it was about 4 o'clock or so, and she didn't fancy being stuck out in the forest at night.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Down in the village of the bone eater's well, people were running from small building to building. From the far end of the area something exploded. Laughter could be heard as something slid from place to place, destroying properties as it went. Someone in the village screamed, a woman cried out "DEMON!! Panic took over and people scattered to all directions as a massive snake demon crept out from a shadowed over hang of the local eatery.



Her scales were a stunning emerald green. From the torso that stretched up to form a woman, pale white skin stretched taunt. The creature was beautiful. She had ebony hair piled up on her head dressed in gold hairpeices. She wore a tunic that matched her scales and dangling earrings that had some form of ancient writing on them.

"Oh come now.. Where isss your hosspitalty?" She asked, golden eyes moving to watch the townsfolk scatter. "Thisss is no way to treat your guessst!" With a swipe of her tail, the pillars in the front of a merchant store were snapped and crumpled the front end of the building to the ground in a cloud of smoke. Off behind her, a couple buildings had caught fire from the lanterns being knocked down inside. "Now, now... No challengersss for me to devour?"

A sudden commotion caught Kin's attention. He could see smoke rising in the distance. Normally, he wouldn't have hesitated to run, however this was far from normal. With his Advent Deck still missing, there was a high risk that someone could find it. And if there really was some kind of fight going on over there...well, knowing his luck, someone would pick it up and bind it to themselves. Then he would be deep trouble. Running as fast as he could, he made his way to the source of the smoke

Asuka finally reached the village. It had been a eventful day to say the least. The Slayer Village was bustiling with activity as the Slayers were training and doing daily village tasks. Upon seeing Asuka return she was greeted by the person who gave her the job. He examined the corpse and grinned. "Nice work Asuka." Asuka shook her head. "Hard to believe this little thing caused so much trouble."

"Never judge a demon by its size.." The man said tossing her a few sacs of gold. Asuka picked them up and walked along the sand roads to her place which was not far off. She needed to clean her weopon. However before that someone approached her.

"Sorry I do not plan on taking on another job.." She said politely. The person sighed. "There is some demonic activity in another village. Would you not help?" This man said.

Asuka grumbled. "I am sure someone in the village can handle things." She said as she ran off and towards her home. The man walked off shaking his head.