All he remember was falling flat footed against the ground before a sharp pain rid him of his stance. His head was cool and his body was heavy before the rest of his body was sent falling against the soft soil. The immense strength that surged his veins left as quickly as it had came. The only thing that remained was the empty vessel of his body holding one weak spirit. While his discipline left his mind strong, his heart could no longer pursue its goals. The rumbling laughter of the oni who once held his body prisoner faded off into the night along with the black aura that it carried with it.

The samurai stood up holding the fresh lacerations on his arms from trying to pry the evil soul out of him. Who knows if the demon will come back, or worse, with maniacal intentions. With renewed vigor, he was able to get up and start moving to the nearest shrine. He had to have a clear conscious of the demon completely gone from him down to the bone. He couldn't bare the thought of being slave to such a monster ever again. It didn't matter the length he had to cross as long as he was safe.

In the shallow edge of the forest laid a shrine tucked into the greenery. Having fallen not too far from here, the samurai was lucky to be so close before he bled out. His legs were still weak, but he managed to limp and crawl up the stairs to the top to speak with a shrine maiden. If there was one. Even if there wasn't, he would still feel safe within the holy sanctuary.

A Kitsune sat upon her pillow, eyes closed. It had been a relatively quiet day for her, but she could feel that something was amiss, something close to her little forest home but not enough for her to properly sense. She had built the place with the help of some... volunteers she had convinced long ago, modeling it after one of the many shrines that the mortals seem to love so much.

Her nose twitched, picking up a scent she knew well. Blood, fresh and plentiful, was on the wind. Getting to her feet, she made her way outside as she changed her form, causing her Kitsune features to vanish as she emerged from her home. The source of the scent was clear as she spotted the injured samurai that was currently dragging himself towards her home. For a moment she was almost tempted to simply take the man's soul and dispose of the remains, but decided against it. Moving quickly, she helped pull the man into her home, placing him upon a small straw mattress.

The Samurai's feet only grew heavier and heavier with each step he took up the many steps. He was determined to rest at the top, but only made it so far before he blacked out on the ground. The feeling was blurry and something grab a hold of him. The rest of it was history.
He didn't sleep for very long, at most about 5 minutes, before his body shook in a panic. He woke up and rubbed the side of his head, looking around to find himself inside of the sanctuary. "What?" he openly asked, not expecting an answer. With everything happening too quickly, he supposed that he crawled himself all the way up. That goes without question, he started to stand up as well before spotting a younger female standing near him. Keeping his guard, he held his shoulders tight and gripped the edge of his sword,"who are you?" Never mind the shrine maiden clothes, he only focused on her face.

Looking at the samurai, she could have laughed at his caution, as right now he likely would lose a fight against a kitten. Keeping a straight face, she motioned around them with our end hand as she spoke.
"I am the lady of my home, the one you are currently standing in. Which, by the way, is not a very smart idea in your condition. You are physically and spiritually weak right now and will recover in time, but not if your up and about, swinging a sword." She said, motioning to his blade.

"I must say if you are threatened by someone like me, you must have had a very rough day. How about the you sit down and I clean and wrap those injuries of yours, hmm?" She asked, now motioning to the lacerations on his arms, tilting her head a bit to one side.

Upon hearing her voice and assurance, he broke his stance and took his hands off his sword. She was right. Even if he was in danger, it's not like he could fight it. "It feels like I've had more than just a rough day," he took a deep breath, feeling all the aches and pains riddled throughout his body. The samurai listened to her advice and approached her a little closer in the light since he didn't find harm in her.
"I would be grateful if you did. I'll repay you whenever I gain my strength back," he promised.

Stepping forward and gently taking his hand in hers, she used her other to pull his sleeve out of the way so she could see the full extent of the damage. After a moment she gave a slight nod, releasing him and turning to the door.
"Let me grab a few things, I won't be long. For now just sit and try not to agitate the wounds too much." She said as she left the room before calling back one more time.
"And get your shirt off, I have no intention of fighting your sleeve while I bandage your arm, on top of the fact it will just get messier."

"I'll try not to," he responded. Feeling her small fingers touch near his open wounds made him flinch and shudder quite a bit. He's never felt so sore and weak in his life that the task of pulling off his shirt was almost a chore in itself. It was only so much before he was groaning in pain, letting the top fall limp around the tie of his hakama. "So are you the only one in the shrine or are the others out?" he tried to become familiar with the other.

It didn't take long for her to return, bandages and cloth over one arm, a bowl of water in the other hand. She knelt down in front of him and placed everything between them, picking up one of the cloths before making it damp and pulling his wounded arm to her.
"Oh, I am alone out here. Other then the occasional traveler that stays the night, it's rare to see anyone, really. By the way, it should go without saying that this will hurt a bit." She said before beginning to gently wipe down the wounds.

The samurai flinched whenever she touched his open wounds. It didn't faze him as much since it was for the better good. "Alone? That seems torturous... Unless you visit the town a lot," he moved around so it was easier for her to reach all of his wounds, revealing all the disgusting writings and markings that the other demon left on him," But I guess being a shrine maiden automatically means solitude."

Once the rest of the blood was washed off, she picked up the bandages and started to gently wrap his arm.
"I rarely go into town, only when I really need to. Most of my food comes from the surrounding area, as well as the generosity of any travelers that stop by. As for my solitude, I've always liked the peace and quiet." She said as she finished. After a moment, she looked up to his eyes.
"It was an Oni that gave you those, was it not?" She asked, even though it wasn't really a question, more of a statement.