o-ren ishida was born blind, but that was'nt to say that she had no vision, her view of the world, of course, was darker then even her sightless eyes. a foundling child, abandoned by her family for her uncanny ability to communicate with ghosts and other supernatural entities.months passed, after barely surviving for months on the streets,she began to lose all hope, being blind, and without someone to guide her, she would remain forever "lost" then,as she layed in an ally,her young body, weak, tired, and malnourished, she awaited for deaths merciful embrace. then, in what appeared to be an instant, she awoke to find herself in a warm futon,and felt a gentle hand on her forhead,"hello." a gentle voice spoke, breaking the deafening silence."my name is reina, i'm an itako in this shrine.i found you lying in that ally, half-dead, your lucky you survived." o-ren said nothing, she merely sat up, and listened for any danger. "oh, theres nothing to be afraid of, you see, i'm also blind.so you can rest easy,child."then reina realized something important."oh i'm very sorry, but i don't know your name." o-ren was completely conflicted by this, she's was 'going' to die,she was'ready'to die, and leave this horrid existence,then this woman suddenly 'saved' her, she had no idea whether to be greatful, or enraged! but still, she might as well answer her," its o-ren, o-ren ishida."she replied,plainly."oh, such a pretty, strong name. and what a fierce voice. it suites you indeed."reina chuckled,cheerfuly.o-ren blushed slightly, feeling a bit insulted,although she knew it was obviously not reina's intention. then, almost instantly, and completely unannounced! reina grabbed o-ren's tiny arm! o-ren jumped in suprize at the intrusion,"oh my! your basically nothing but skin and bones! when was the last time you had a decent meal?!" reina asked, shocked. o-ren's face went blank, " i don't remember." she replied darkly. reina understood that it was not something that o-ren wanted to discuss, so she dicided to leave it as it was."i opologize for my rudeness."reina spoke politly while bowing her head, "for now, o-ren-san, you may rest" reina said, as she stood up and walked out of the room. save for the faint footsteps of her savior,the romm fell deathly silent. o-ren was beside herself with guilt for ever thinking of feeling rage toward this kindly woman. o-ren layed her head down, resting her tired body, for now, she 'would' rest, and regain her former strength, then, she would set her new goal in motion...to repay reina for her kindness. an so, she was taken in by a shrine of itako's, traditional female shamans that are usually blind,and can communicate with the dead,(just as o-ren)and can expel evil spirits.so she was an obvious canidate to become one and there she recieved the the torturous training of an itako's initiation. first, she had to wear a white kimono 100 days before the ceromony, then, in order to achieve an extreme state of mind,rites where she must pour cold water over herself,usually in the dead of winter, occur. and she is required to practice chanting, three weeks before the ceromony, she is not permitted to consume grain, salt, or meat, and must avoid artificial heat. but o-ren endured it, so she could join with reina, and finally repay her for her kindness, being an outcast in society, no one was even aware of her existence, let alone showed her kindness, then reina appeared before her, in the everlasting hell that was her life. and she was'nt going to put it to waste! toward everyone else at the shrine,o-ren maintained a cold and(but never outright rude) aloof demeanor,only to reina did she truly feel safe enough to be more open, more free, for the first time in so long, she was no longer lost,she was home. then, o-ren's initiation ceromony, o-ren was dressed in a bride's kimono, to indicate that she was to wed a 'god' the ceromony was accompanied by the faint sound of drumming and bells, in order to help her reach the concentration required to enter a trance, reina sat beside o-ren to assist her in her chanting, these ceromonys are known for going on for days untill the trainee enters the said trance, and the master itako determines which god has possessed the trainee, but not for o-ren, no, o-ren's chanting lasted only seconds, untill a great, and terrifying presence swept over her, and with a dark, hoarse laughter, the world appeared to slip away from her, just like dying,but this time, instead of readily resigning to her fate, this time she thought of only one person as she fell into her subconcious, reina.......
o-ren layed face-down, spraled out on the cold hard, stone floor of the outside of the shrine, a fierce aching shooting thoughout her body, and the faint smell of, what is that, iron? she managed scramble to her feet, "god, was 'that' what happens when we get possessed?" o-ren asked the master itako, if her eyes possessed sight, she could see the horror all around her, the master was'nt going to answer her question, she would merely continue to lay headless, with a look of terror on her elderly face, "master?" no reply. then o-ren was beggining to worry, "reina?! anyone, please! answer me!!" she yelled into the silent night. "that smell....it, it can't be, its.....-"
'blood?' said a dreadfully familiar voice, that voice again! o-ren thought. 'who are you? what did you do?! where is everyone?!?!" she demanded furiously!! then she stepped back a ways, and her bare foot bumped something, she knelt down, and felt what it was, it was a hand! just a severed, bloody hand!! normally, o-ren would have probably dropped it in fright, but this time, she did'nt have the strength, she could only feel, and 'reconize' its touch, the words subcouniously escaped her throat as her dread began to build up, "reina?" then a terrible laugh filled her sensitive ears, "what have i done? what have i- what have YOU done?!" o-ren demanded! tears trailing down her face, and a severe rage in her fierce voice!
the laughter subsided, and the voice replied,"i'm the spirit in which you have wed, o-ren." he answered, with an amused tone. "YOUR LYING!!!" o-ren protested angerly!!! still clutching the hand, holding it tightly to her bloody white kimono. "am i?" said the spirit,mockingly. "yes, you are! we are to 'wed' a god, not a demon!!" he chuckled lightly,"i AM a god, a god of destruction! and with me, you just slaughtered the entire shrine! they all died at your hands!!" his evil laughter started up once again as o-ren fell into deeper despair, reina, i'm sorry! i'm so,so sorry!! she thought as she founded the rest of her mangled corpse, and clutched it like a desperate man drowning, and wept endlessly into the night......
the naxt morning, she finally broke from her desperation, and regained her senses, she let go of reina's corpes, and stood up to greet the dawn. she would love very much to give reina and the others a proper burial, but she knew that the towns people would never believe her, they never did before, so why would they now? so she had to run, and run faraway, as far as she could, into the forrest, into complete isolation, so she would not risk the spirit harming anyone else. and so, once again, she was lost....
six years past, o-ren lived in complete isolation, voices became like a fleeting dream, hands were distant lullubys, love, was non-existant. her only company, was the very spirit, that caused her misery. he would talk endlessly,trying everying he could to either get o-ren's attention, or to get her into contact with the outside world, so that he might satisfy his bloodlust, but o-ren never spoke to him, nor had she uttered a word since those events six years earlier. she had no reason to, not anymore. then, for the first time in years, her supernatural powers acted up once again,urging her to set out on a journey, a journey beyond the stars..... and so, trusting her insticts, she sought a way to expel the evil spirit inside her body, and she would, at any cost, so as she left her home deep in the forest, she took a deep breath, god knows what untold horrors awaited her, but she knew she had nothing more she couls lose, and so, trusting herself, she disappeared, leaveing behind only the gentle sound of the wind.
