Prologue: Rain

"Speak your name!" A thundering voice called out in the dark room, the man's voice echoing in a way that made it nearly impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"Mika Kurosawa," the woman who sat in the middle of the room spoke firmly, grasping tightly to the sheathed katana that rested in her lap. Her gaze was fixed forward, never moving to look around the room.

"And what duty has been bestowed upon you?!" The thundering voice asked, the tone becoming louder as though it was becoming angry.

"I am a keeper of the covenant," Mika responded, her voice refusing to waver, speaking in the same firm tone she had last time.

"What does that duty entail?" The voice asked, a bit softer but still yelling.

"I am to punish those who break the covenant," She said, trying to stay calm.

"What is the punishment for those who would break the covenant?" The voice asked, speaking in an indoor level voice, the anger being replaced with a coldness that engulfed the room.

Mika steeled her nerves, closing her eyes for only a moment as she took in a deep breath before opening them again and speaking in a voice that conveyed the same icy chill as the one that had spoken to her, "Death."

She suddenly flew up from her resting position on her bed, her breaths quick and labored. When she realized she was in her bed, she calmed herself, placing a hand over her heart to keep it from racing. She shook away the thought of the dream as she rolled up her futon, placing it up on a shelf in her closet before changing into her uniform. Putting on her glasses, she jumped when she checked her watch to see that it was a bit later in the day than she had hoped to wake up. She quickly finished getting ready and hurried to the shrine where she conducted her morning prayer. Afterward, she ran toward the exit, turning once she reached the Torri gates to bow. When she turned around she noticed a large tomcat sitting on the steps that led down from the Shrine Maiden guild to the town below. She nodded to the cat, "I'm heading to the village so make sure to stay out of trouble, Tenma," Mika said as she began to hurry down the steps.

Mika made her way through the small village and down to the market where she began to pick out a variety of vegetables that she would use later to make soup for dinner. She hummed quietly as she walked down the streets past the several food stalls filled with farmers and other business owners wanting to sell their products. "Looks like it's going to rain later, " the voice of a man that sounded like he had spent the first twenty years of his life smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The voice startled her, interrupting her wandering mind, she turned to see a large, bearded, middle-aged man sitting in on of the small stalls, reading a newspaper.

Mika couldn't help but laugh at herself for not recognizing the voice of the man, "Mr. Moji, it's good to see you. I must admit you startled me quite a bit," she says, moving closer to the stall. "But I agree, it does look like there's a strong possibility of rain today."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the man said as he sat his newspaper down to speak to her. "I don't like the rain, no one wants to go shopping while it's wet outside so I end up losing business."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I personally like the rain. It makes everything smell fresher once it's over like it is the world's natural way of cleansing things." She explained.

"I suppose I never really thought about it like that," Moji said, stroking his beard. Mika glanced down at the paper he had been reading. Her eyes narrowed, becoming solemn as she stared down at the first article.

"The killings, there's been another one?" She asked, her eyes moving to meet his again.

Moji seemed a bit surprised by her sudden change of demeanor but said nothing about it as he looked back down as his newspaper, "Yeah, fourth one this month. Three people last month, and the Rune knights still don't have a suspect. I really hope they catch whoever it is soon." Moji said as his eyes scanned over the details of the article before looking up to Mika, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sure they'll catch this guy soon so don't you go worrying about it too much. That being said, I don't think you or the other girls up at the guild should go walking around at night by yourselves. I know you're mages and all, but you should still be careful."

Mika nodded, "I'll be sure to tell them." She said before she felt the first few sprinkles of rain hit the top of her head. "Well, I'm afraid I must be going now. It was nice talking to you," She says as she begins to walk away.

"Always a pleasure," Moji says with a wave before going back to reading his paper.

Soon the rain had stopped and night had fallen as Mika sat quietly in the empty shrine room. She waited until the others had gone to bed before coming, knowing she couldn't risk getting them involved with what she was about to do. When the clock struck midnight she rolled up her prayer mat, lifting up one of the floorboards to reveal a red and black katana in the hidden compartment. She replaced the board before sitting with the katana in her lap, "You're going out? You truly believe it is one of them?" a male voice asked from behind her. Mika turned to see the tomcat from earlier that day staring back at her.

She nodded her head, "I do, and it is my job to see to it that they are punished for their crimes. It is my duty as a keeper of the covenant and as the head of the Kurosawa clan," Mika explained, unsheathing the katana so that she could see her own reflection in the cold steel. She stood up, resheathing the blade and strapping it to her side.

"As is your duty," the cat said with a slight bow of his head. Mika nodded, bowing in return before walking past him and out of the shine. She made her way back into town, the streets were utterly deserted, the streetlights having turned on hours ago. She stopped under one of the few streetlights that ran along the twisting roads of the small town, taking in a deep breath through her nose. That's when she was hit with the overwhelming smell of copper, she began to savor the smell for a moment. It was fresh, the smell was divine and made her mouth water a bit. She quickly threw away the thoughts as she realized that such a powerful smell meant that there was a body nearby, this would also mean that she was too late to save the person. She grit her teeth and followed her nose until it led down a dark alleyway devoid of any of the light that bathed the streets. This mattered little to her as her eyes began to glow a deep shade of red, allowing her to see in the darkness. The body lied ten feet into the alleyway, though, she was hesitant to enter it as it would mean she couldn't swing her katana freely in such a cramped area. She swallowed her fear and entered anyway, studying the body for any signs of movement as she approached. Suddenly she felt a presence from above, looking up just in time to see and react to the soles of someone's shoes flying toward her.

She threw up her arms to block, the kick sending her back several feet. It was at that moment that what she believed was confirmed as no human kick could possibly be strong enough to kick her back that far. She looked up to see the glowing red eyes staring back at her, the same eyes she wore now. She drew her sword and readied herself for another attack, "you're in violation of the covenant. I have come to see to it that you are punished for your crimes." Her eyes widening when she realized she recognized the face of the man that stood before her now, lowering her sword just a bit before tightening her grip on it again. The man stared at her quizzically for a moment as if trying to understand something very important.

He began to back up slowly, "Go away," he said in a non-threatening way which once again caught Mika off guard. "Don't make me kill you too," he said before bolting up a building to try to make his escape on the rooftops.

She didn't hesitate to follow, though, thoughts began to bombard her as she chased after him. ''How? There's no way I wouldn't have noticed.'' She thought as the sound of thunder above her snapped er out of her thoughts and allowed her to focus on the task at hand. She caught up to the man quickly cutting across his back before tackling him off of the roof and onto the ground below them, "You're the baker that went missing three months ago. Your wife thought you'd left her, and was the first to die when these killings started. You killed her? " Mika said, quickly getting to her feet and readying to cut the man down if she needed to.

"Hungry, I'm so hungry. Nothing else works, only blood," The former baker said, struggling to his feet.

"You're not a natural born Bairn, I would have noticed another one in town. That means someone changed you, changing a human into a Barin in a violation of the covenant. Who did this to you?" Mika asked, the sound of thunder getting louder and beginning to echo.

"I need to drink more, it hurts, I won't let you stop me!" The baker yelled, suddenly charging toward her at full speed. She side stepped him, bringing her katana up in a diagonal motion, completely cutting him in half entering his side, through his chest and heart and out his shoulder. The sound of thunder boomed again, this time, accompanied by lightning followed by a sudden downpour of rain. She turned to watch the man beginning to turn to dust, the rain sweeping him away into a nearby drainage pipe. She then turns to look at her sword, stained black by the creatures blood which began oozing off as the rain hit it.

"I don't like the rain," Tenma said from behind her, hiding beneath a bench as to not get soaked.

Mika sheathed her sword and looked up at the dark sky, allowing the rain to pour down on her. Her mind raced with the thoughts of what had just happened, worried that something bigger was going on. The baker hadn't been a Barin from birth, meaning someone had turned him, but why? She stood there like that for several moments, pondering what it could possibly mean. Perhaps the backer had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It didn't matter anymore, he was dead now and she had completed her mission. She again looked down at the very small pile of ashes that was slowly being brought closer and closer to the drain pipe where they would be lost forever before lowering her face to look at the tomcat, "I like the rain, it's the world's way of cleansing things."