Shin Igami Forest ~ Iga Village

Ogen walked without skipping a beat. She was graceful, elegant, and smooth. How did the Iga come to existence? This was question that none really bothered to ask for fear of retribution from Ogen. Then again, in Ogen's mind, the same and horrifying scenes always play... like a psychotic memory, they keep repeating. It was a war. A war whose cause vanished, or rather, was forced to disappear out of the minds of everyone who witnessed it. The only fragments of the war were kept sealed within a set of boxes found beneath the rattan desk that belonged to Ogen... Should those be uncovered... then, the foulest of Igan history would be discovered. These documents contain assassinations, prostitution, and even massacres. Those boxes are guarded by the Akahime, an elite group of female assassins who do Ogen's bidding from the shadows. They never question her words, they merely carry out the mission, even if it means killing their own families. One can guess what sort of training the Akahime would actually go through.

Ogen walks with grace, elegance, and smoothness. Her gracefulness hides a festering scar that consumes her conscience, her elegance shrouds sins that no man should discover, and her smoothness masks a rough journey equaled only by the screams of the children whose blood painted the Kanzashi river with crimson stains.

The small party arrives at the temple, steady and strong. Ogen, Darian, Tarou, and Tama stood there, waiting for the spy... 

Shin Igami Forest ~ Kouga Village

Danjo's strides were mixed, unsteady, and inconsistent. His cane only made it more bearable by adding a humorous beat. Danjo's wrinkly arms tell a tale about a group of kougans who tried to escape the village. A group of Maous, Kouga's elite force, were dispatched to take down the traitors. However, the refugees were good in escaping, and as such, they managed to elude their assailants. The group of assassins were lost, and fatigued. They were already ready to accept their demise, until they saw a cottage in a forest yonder. The group went forth to seek aid, and without delay, the family did help them. 

It was at night when the assassins left the family to return to the village, however, one of the assassins saw a very familiar trace... It was the kimono of one of the refugees. This fact was immediately reported, and without a thought of the hospitality they received, the assassins plotted revenge although in a gentle way.

They already knew that the family was good in hunting, and it would only be a matter of time before they would go out and hunt. As such, the assassins left a little present for them... one that would leave them in... stitches. 

After a week, Danjo received reports of a group of people killed in the forests. He knew the deed was done. However, he didn't expect a haunting vision to appear before him on a very specific day... the day a boy who was wearing a mask appeared in the village. The boy bore a striking resemblance to the family that the assassins had trifled with. He immediately knew that this boy would be the retribution... However, all of these were considered as rumors... nothing more than fallacy and fiction. On the other hand, Danjo knows that the death of Hache's family wasn't just an accident.

Danjo and his party arrived at the other side of the shrine... For a split second, the group seemed to be unable to comprehend this chance meeting. "Isn't this interesting? It's good to see you again, Ogen-chan."