How exactly did I get myself into this again?

[Utaku Kasumi]

"The story of how a Crane and Unicorn fell for each other... and more spicy details of their lives... "



Someone once said that...
... memories are just fractions of mind.

When we remember, we fiddle these fractions around in, what we think, the right way.
Therefore, memories are creations.
To remember means to dream...
... And memories themselves are nothing more than mere illusions.


This thread is for Kasumi and Sojiro only.
I hope you'll enjoy (if you want to read it) something like... a journal. Both me and Sojiro will be giving some hints of "our" past or maybe even the full story of the things that were important to our characters and helped to create them the way they are now.

[Utaku Kasumi]

[OCC: Sojiro has taken my idea... to mix journal and scenes together ;] So there we go... just from the begining - there is a chance for me mixing some names, as I can not find my notes for "real" Kasumi atm.]

"Kami save me... I am giving birth to a monster!" Utaku Amaya yelled with all her might.
Her mother, Utaku Midori, touched her forehead with a cloth to dry it from sweat.
"Calm down, my daughter. It's almost over." Midori whispered to Amaya's ear, trying to calm her down.
She has grabbed a hand of a pregnant woman and squeezed it. Even if she smiled, cautious eyes could see that she was really worried. No other woman of her kinfolk had such a long labor. And that weather outside...
"Utaku-sama... this is no good. It seems like... an umbilical cord is wrapped around the child's neck."
Utaku Midori frowned.
"This way or another. Do whatever you must to save my daughter. If you can, save the child too.
"Yes, Utaku-sama." An old woman bowed deeply to Midori.

Midori left her daughter for a minute just to let some fresh air in. When she opened shoji, all she could see was... a milky mist outside. She had a feeling that she could reach her hand out and grab it, or cut it. It was thick and it felt like it was muffling all the sounds. Like there was nothing outside but this house. She had a goosie bumps so she closed shoji and turned her back to the window. Looked at the pained expression of Amaya which caused her own heat to bleed.
"Your child will be really stubborn, my daughter. Stubborn and strong willed if it is already showing who's the one to have the last word in this... fight here..."

Not even a few seconds after she said that she could hear loud cry of a baby that was complaining about taking it from that warm and comfortable place.

"It is a girl, Utaku-sama. And she is having really strong lungs."
"Yes, I can hear it clearly." Midori petted Amaya's wet hair. "You did it. You are a mother now, my dear."

Midori was waiting with her tired daughter for other women to wash the baby and check if there are no signs of anything weird with its body. Some time later one of those women came in, holding a huge baby.
"No wonder you had it hard, Utaku-san" She said to Amaya "This girl is over 8 pounds"
The baby was handed to her mother who, even being exhausted so badly, started to check if her child has all 20 fingers.
"She will be having Sisera-san's hair. I can already see red piles of her first hair... "
Little girl that was sleeping, opened her eyes and looked at her mother and grandmother. Child's eyes were blue as a clearest ocean on a sunny day.
"And she has his eyes. Just like Kael. She is so perfect, mother!"

"Gaijin child... taking everything after its father... Good that she was born as one of Utaku children. Her life will be hard because of her look..."
Midori knew it, and she pittied her grandaughter.

"Kasumi. Her name will be Kasumi, because she was born on this day. I have a feeling that it was Kami herself giving us that mist, to keep us safe from everything that might disturb my child being born. It was like her taking us away to some distant and mysterious place. Like a protecting cocoon..." Amaya smiled softly while looking at her first-born daughter.


~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~

"She is beautiful" Utaku Tomoko, cousin of Amaya leaned a little to take a better look at a newborn child. "Just like an angel."
Amaya smirked.
"My dear, only when she sleeps. This daughter of mine is really temperamental. And she proves that everyday so we do not forget about it."
A tall, redhaired man entered the room and walked to Amaya. He smiled to her and nodded to Tomoko.
"Wife." That's all he said and it seems like it was enough. Amaya blushed and turned her head, so Tomoko couldn't see it. And Tomoko started to look at her nails suddenly.
Sisera touched his daughter's head and smiled.
Kasumi has opened her eyes, just like she could feel that he looked at her. Two pairs of the same, blue eyes, were looking at eachother.
"Oh my, she's smiling!" Tomoko whispered to Amaya surprised.
"Yes, she does that whenever she sees my husband." Amaya said to her cousin.


~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~


"Father, can I hold her?" Kael, Sisera's older son, has been looking at his younger sister carefully.
"Of course, but be careful"
Sisera picked Kasumi up and put her in Kael's arms. His son stiffened instantly when the baby got into his arms. He was even affraid to breath deeper, just been looking at sleeping face of the baby.
"She is heavy, father." His voice was close to the whisper.
"Because she is a healthy child, son. Someday she will be a great warrior, just like her mother and her grandmother..."
"And you?"
Sisera frowned a little and shaked his head.
"No. I've put my sword on a rack, son. I am happy with taking a good care of my wife's stable and her house. And both of you. Just like I do it now, when you grow up, you will have to support your sister till she find a husband. Even after she get one, you will be there to help her whenever she need you."

Kasumi woke up and she saw her older brother. At first it seemed as she would start crying - as it was the first time of both siblings meeting eachother. But after a few seconds she started to "gurgle" and wave her hands. Just like she was talking to him. Kael was so surprised that he almost let her fall down.

[Utaku Kasumi]

She was hiding in the bushes and been observing how one of Utaku males has been trying to tame a horse. It was one of her mother's horses - a battle steed, huge and totally black. Stallion's eyes were wild and he was rolling them like crazy. There was a white froth on its muzzle and she could also see drips of blood in it. Utaku has been trying to calm the horse down, but it seems he failed everytime he came close to it. All his tries ended up with making an animal going crazy more and more.

Toddler got herself out of the bushes and walked closer to the paddock. She started to watch the horse with more interest in her blue, round eyes.
"Horsie!" Clapped her hands and smiled, showing that she has yet to wait for some of her teeth to grow.
After that she crawled under the fence like a little ninja that the one who was trying to tame the horse couldn't see her. After he did... it was already too late.

"Horsie! Bow bow!" Little toddler reached her shot and fat arms to the horse that started to dance on its back legs.
Utaku Takashi almost fainted when he saw Utaku daimyo's grandaughter between the legs of a wild horse that started to hit the ground with its hoofs. His face went pale and he barely could breath.
"Kami, save this child..." he whispered and closed his eyes and he couldn't watch how the horse will trample on her.
"Horsie! Dancu!" The girl did not care that she she's in a great danger. Just laughed and reached her arms up.
And Takashi could never explain what happened after that. First that huge stallion has been rolling eyes and showing its teeth, hitting the ground with his hoofs. And a second later... it calmed down and started to poke that child with its muzzle. The girl been giggling and gurgling all the time, trying to reach it.
"Bad man! Bad! Horsie hurt!" Lookie! She got herself under the horse and showed his front right hoof." Bad thorn! See?"
She was right. There was a big thorn that must hurt that stallion badly.
"Horsie no move!" She said and pulled it gently out.

After her mother and grandmother heard about that accident they both went pale and then red. Amaya wanted to punish her daughter for what she has done, but then Midori stopped her.
"Nothing bad happened. Do not overreact, daughter. You can't punish her for helping with your own horse, even if she's less than a year and a half. I am not sure, but she might be blessed with a wonderful gift, Amaya. It seems she can understand the feelings of animals around her. And that they can understand her actions. We must watch her closely and if I am right, we must deepen her bond with horses at least. "


~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~ * ~~


"Child, come here." Midori hunkered down to get herself on the same level as her granddaughter. "Want to see some horses with me, child?"
The girl smiled, showing her chubby cheeks with holes.
"Un!"
Midori started to laugh and took small hand in her own.

"This is Mio, my horse. She is a battle steed that I ride into the battle. Do you know what a battle steed is, right?"
"Uh-uh! Big horsie. It dance and hit ground. And it is you."
Midori frowned on the last part of what the toddler said.
"What do you mean by saying that she is me?"
Little girl touched her chest with one hand, somewhere around her heart, and then showed her granny and her horse.
"You and horsie. Same here!" she said like it was something obvious. "Horsie like you. You like horsie. Horsie know."
At the same time Mio wagged her head and somehow sputtered. Midori could almost say that Mio understood what that little kid said and agreed with it.
"I see... So you say that we share the same feelings?"
"Un!" Toddler nodded and smiled again.

Midori was more than sure now, that her granddaughter recived a special gift. Not only that. It seems that animals responded to her words or her feelings. There was a deep bond between that little girl and horses. That's for sure. And for the Utaku that was a great gift indeed.
"Someday, child... you will take my place. I am sure of that. And I hope you can reach even higher - and that no one stop you till you reach what was fated for you." Midori patted girl's red hair gently.
"Un! I big! Grow big! Do big!" In return, she patted her granny's hand with her fingers that she has just taken out of her mouth.