Once, long ago, four mighty oni united under the command of one leader, named Shuten-doji. These oni were called the Four Devas of the Mountain. They were called Ibaraki-doji, Hoshikuma-doji, Torakuma-doji, and Kanakuma-doji. They rampaged for centuries before they were finally eliminated. Or were they...? Recent times have shown that Shuten-doji, Ibaraki-doji, and Hoshikuma-doji have already arisen to significant fame in Gensokyo. Now it's Torakuma-doji's turn. An independent Touhou RP blog for the OC Sun Toraguma, newly arrived in Gensokyo and with some butt to kick.
"Well, well. One of the tengu from the old days, eh?" Not that Sun particularly expected to see many familiar faces on the mountain. It still shocked him how humanoid the tengu had gotten, though... some of them barely even looked like crows anymore!
"…I’d rather you not loudly exclaim my clan’s name in such a manner, Tora." Reflecting on past events, Kasen recalled not having a close relationship with this bearded Oni - she considered him a mutual companion through a friend, at most. His words implied an encounter with Suika or Yuugi had yet to occur, much to her interest. "You haven’t met up with them yet, so I’ll explain my situation; I ascended and left for the mountain shortly before the migration, which is where I’m currently residing."
"...Ascended, huh?" That couldn't mean good news. True, the five of them had started out as monks, but Sun didn't think any of them would actually go back to that path... "So what the hell is that supposed to mean, then? You an ascetic? Sittin' at Buddha's right hand and all?" At least he hadn't gotten to mocking Kasen. "Jeesh, and you used to be such a fun person to be around..."
"Yup yup, the very same. She’s down in the Ancient City if ya didn’t already know. As fer my name, if ya wanna keep callin’ me Shuten, that’s fine, but here I’m called Suika. Use whatever works for ya." Though she preferred being called Suika, she could make an exception for one of her old friends. "What about you, Tora? Got a new name I should know about?"
"Seems like everyone has a new name now, haha!" Sun laughed, moving to set the smaller oni down now. It was rude to keep them lifted up, after all. "I gained the name Sun after a little romp in China a few centuries ago. Don't ask me why, I never asked. Still, I like it, so I've taken to calling myself Sun Toraguma. Tora's just fine, though, obviously." Now that introductions were out of the way, the oni lord found the nearest nice place to sit and simply collapsed with a loud thud onto the ground. "C'mon, share that sake, Shuten. I need someone I know to talk about this damned fantasy world."
Suika let herself be picked up, somehow still finding it a good time to take a long drink from her gourd. At his question, she could do nothing but simply shrug. “I dunno, it just happened when I got here. You should see Yuugi,” she said with a grin. “It’s good ta see ya again.”
"Yuugi is... Hoshikuma-doji, right?" Sun had to ask. All these new names were a little confusing. It's easier when they keep their old names, but still... "So what in the nine hells am I supposed to call you now, O Great Leader? Or did you keep your name?"
"I had heard that Shuten was a little kid, but this is ridiculous..." Showing the utter lack of tact that has led him through life for the last thousand years, Sun will reach out to pick Suika up by her collar, inspecting the oni carefully. At least he wasn't pulling her up hard. "How the hell did you even get like this?"
Hmm. now that I think about it, I don’t think I have anything on her uploaded here. I made her quite a long time ago, so right now I really don’t have anything.
And yeah, that’s what I was thinking, too. I’ll probably see if I can find time to work on them some day, and I can keep you updated when that happens, I guess.
"The spell cards actually look pretty cool... not my style, though. They really can't expect a guy to do something like that, can they? ...I'll just stick to punching things. Hard."
"Iba!" Well, this is certainly a familiar face to the old oni. And one of the first he sees upon venturing up to the surface. Always a curious place, Gensokyo, and so it's good to see someone he recognizes. "Glad to see someone I know, haha. The hell are you doin' up here, though? All the rest of the oni're under!"
Remember Sun Toraguma? The reckless tiger of the underworld? Well, I'm pulling him officially out of hiatus. Please follow, send starters, asks, anything to help me get this blog up to speed.
Tightening the bandages of her arm, she readied herself for his next attack. Reading the flow of energy around Sun and herself, Kasen could see he was building up for something big. His spiritual power should still be out of sync thanks to her bizarre arm.
"Big words from the brat who couldn’t cut it as a human." She moved towards him, dropping to the ground and sliding under his punch. Kasen sweeps the leg, but she miscalculated her maneuver and hit her head on the ground. The two oni should both be out of commission after that.
It wasn't surprising, really, that she miscalculated. It would take a lot more effort than even an oni would think to muster to sweep Sun off his feet. Her reckless maneuver did succeed, though, and while the deva did manage to break his fall somewhat, the damage was done, and there was no way he could continue this fight either. They'd have to declare it a draw.
"Damn... oni traitor..." he gasped, staring up into the air as he felt consciousness slowly begin to fade. "Y-you... you'd better hope you wake up first, or I'll pummel ya to bits..." And then he was out, the injuries from their battle finally pushing him into unconsciousness.
"You know what it’d be like if I were Tenma? Well those goddesses might still be there, but they’d show us respect, damn it! And so would the lowlanders. Aye! All those lesser youkai. And we’d do it without the oni."
"I'm sure you could do so much without the oni. Like listen to the wind, right? Or have any pretense of civilization at all.": Seems Sun took slight offense at Tengu that overstep the boundaries a little. At least he's still jovial.
"I am not a coward!" Kasen clenched her teeth in anger. She pulled at Sun’s grip, but it was too strong to break free. Her own strength would be enough to get out of a normal grapple, but Sun had her at a disadvantage in both size and weight. A basic mistake. However she had other tricks to use.
"I’m not a coward… You are!" Kasen’s black smoke hit Sun’s face, sending a jolt of lightning-like energy into him. Unleashed and unfocused, it wouldn’t have the spirit-killing power it normally had. Instead it would pour into his soul, attempting to alter his very youkai nature. Such a thing would not be possible, not with someone as strong an ego as Sun, or his strength, but it would make him shaken enough for Kasen to get free. Re-wrapping her arm, she readied into a fighting pose again, but it was clear this would be her last attack.
Sun didn't have any words to say in reply to Kasen's statement, and it didn't matter besides. The momentary stun was enough to disorient him, and by the time he'd gotten himself back in focus, Kasen had broken herself free. Standing up, Sun cracked his neck back and forth, giving Kasen the grimmest of glares. "It's pathetic just how much in denial you are, you know," the oni told the hermit, settling into a fighting stance Kasen could probably recognize as his most aggressive.
"One of the most pure and honest oni, falling into a pathetic web of her own lies. I'll enjoy fighting you especially, apostate." Though he was already moving, it was obvious Sun was just as tired as Kasen was, and shaken from her mental assault to boot. Still, he'd put all his remaining strength into this last attack, doing a half-turn forward as his fist swung through the air, carrying all his momentum with it. If Kasen didn't block, a spinning haymaker like that should win the day easily.
Kasen hadn’t anticipated for her light orbs to have worked so quickly. Or at all. If he closed his eyes, Kasen wouldn’t have the advantage she got right now. Though it won’t last long. Not against Sun.
Jumping to the side, narrowly avoiding his fist, Kasen’s focus wasn’t as clear as it should be. The oni-hermit grit her teeth, fighting the urge to retort to his accusations. It was a short-lived fight. “I ran away? I was no match for the onmyouji who were there among the samurai. When Hoshiguma went down I couldn’t fight against that! I was trying to get help!”
Kasen’s bandaged arm shot out, wrapping the cloth around Sun’s arm, in an attempt to force him down. A mistake she wouldn’t have made had she not already been angry before. Kasen pulled the bandage tight, hoping to pull in forward and ready a spiritually-charged punch in the face.
"I’m not a coward!" Kasen left herself open for a counterattack.
It was rather surprising, really. Sun had never expected Kasen to not only get close, but leave herself open in the process. But it wasn't an opportunity the oni was about to miss. For all his rash personality and tendency to go wild in battle, the oni, like every one of the Four Devas, was a master of the art of fighting.
"You ran away after Hoshikuma went down, admit it!" This likely-stinging sentence was delivered in combination with a mighty full-power punch right into Kasen's diaphragm, Sun tanking the punch to his face admirably, though it hurt deeply with how much power Kasen had put into it. "You... are... a coward!" It was sad, really. Such a simple misunderstanding, and now the two were literally at blows.
It was time to end this, Sun was sure. Taking advantage of the fact that her bandaged arm was bound so tightly with his, Sun made his best attempt to grab Kasen's other arm and hook his feet behind her ankles, trying to push her to the ground. "And you dare to call me coward, who fought until I was unconscious, and only woke up after it was too late? Pathetic!"
Kasen gave up more than just an arm to save her own life. She lost even her chance to avenge herself and the Four Devas.
"It’s a price I’m willing to pay if it means punishing the traitor among us." Kasen’s detached hand floated about, the strange black smoke pouring out from it and her shoulder joint. "A true oni would have chosen to die in that battle! You escaped injured? You’re either a coward or a liar. Perhaps even both." And from her left hand, she threw several orbs of light. Brighter than even the mid-day sun itself.
"You know nothing of which you speak!" Sun didn't even attempt to dodge. He never did, preferring to tank through the hits. He wasn't used to danmaku, though, and these shots went right into his eyes, causing the large oni deva to cover them with his hands, cursing under his breath. "You ran away before the fight barely began. I fought with all I could under I was thrown off the bridge to die!" He was flailing around a bit now, trying to get his eyes to see again, before throwing a powerful haymaker towards where Kasen had stood. "If anyone's the coward, it's you!"