The sound of footsteps tapping on pavement filled the quiet morning air. A small breeze rustled the leaves in the trees above, causing some loose leaves to fall underfoot and cover the paved path being taken by a lone person. Cream colored blonde hair was tied back, ending mid back. A pair of reddish orange antennae like hairs sprang over her head, barely missing big touched by the red oil paper parasol the young woman was holding. Her face hidden by a mask, tied on her face by a red and white string. The young woman kept walking, no words spilled from her lips as she passed an old statue of a beast that guarded the gate she walked through. She stopped at the two oni statues before the main gate.
The hidden eyes looked up to the two, the ferocious stone eyes stared back. Once again. The young woman looked ahead to walk to the shrine that lay before her. The shrine her family had taken care of for many years. The young woman walked up to the shrine and bowed to the wrinkled old man that was sitting on a rock and sipping tea. Beside the old man was a plate of botamochi. The rice cakes seemed to have been freshly made.
"Good morning grandfather. Didn't your doctor tell you to stop eating so many sweets?," the girl asked.
The man set his cup down and looked to his granddaughter, "Oh now, I can't just ignore the tradition of partaking in the Oni's favorite snack! Plus the doctor is a quack."

"Granpa, are you sure that you are just not wanting to give up your teatime snacks?," the girl inquired and crossed her arms over her chest.
Her grandfather scratched his head with nails that seemed to be more akin to claws, the two circular scars on his forehead were pale and smooth compared to his wrinkled and tan skin. The man grinned with his wizened face. That gave the young woman her answer.
"The oni never gave up his love of sweets.," the old man said, "You just need to relax."
"Didn't the oni supposedly curse our ancestor?," the blonde teen girl asked, "Isn't the curse why we have these unnatural features?"
The old man laughed, "Curses depend on what they are. It could be a blessing in disguise."
The old man hopped off of the stone and took the unoccupied hand of the young woman. He pulled her into the large building. The white statue of the oni sat in a kneeling position in the shrine. Candles and incense were lit around the statue. Mochis and other sweets lined the altar.
"The story is synonymous with both our family and this shrine.," the old man smiled as he looked up to the gentle looking statue gazing down to the two, "I once thought he was trying to reincarnate using your father. But it just turns out my son had a bit of a rebellious streak during his teenage years."
The girl looked at the statue. The supposed oni looked more like a human or heavenly being instead of a mischievous and mysterious horned supernatural creature. She stuck her tongue out at the statue. If he was the reason her family had these afflictions, that's all he's going to get from her.

"Hoshi, come here.," her grandfather spoke and beckoned her to follow, "grandma and I want to give you something."
The cream haired young woman followed her grandfather to where his wife sat, next to her was an ancient looking box with a rope and tag on it. The old woman picked up the box and held it out to her granddaughter. Hoshi sat on the pillow before her grandmother and took the box. She opened the box and looked at the item inside. It was a mask. It was carved to resemble an Oni's face. Painted beautifully. It looked to be an antique. Of course it had to be an oni.
"Grandpa, this mask looks old.," Hoshi said, "Where did you get it?"
"It's one of our family's treasures, we've been keeping it for you., " Her grandmother answered, "The mask is sturdy ironwood, so you don't have to worry about it."
Grandfather chuckled as well, "It's said that our ancestor herself had that mask comissioned to wear before the great oni. So you should have it to carry on our family tradition."
The masked girl took the mask from its confines. She brushed over the horns that seemed to be some sort of stone. The teeth also looked to be made of a strange stone. The eyes looked tp be a type of carved gemstone. The mask itself looked so real, like the snarling oni it depicted was going to snap at her hand to feast on her.
"Thank you.," the young woman said and bowed to the elderly couple.
"Go ahead and try it on!," the cheerful elderly woman chimed, "I've been waiting to see someone wear it."
Hoshi took her own mask that depicted a pretty lady face off, her own face felt bare and exposed without a covering. She placed the old mask on her face and tied the string behind her head. The decorative bells and ties on the mask chimed.

"Oh! You look just like a great and kind kijo!," the old woman cheered.
The grandfather laughed as his granddaughter took an old bronze mirror from one of the altars to look at herself. The blonde gagged internally. The mask fit her too well. Ugly and cursed. What was so special about this accursed mask? She wanted to take it off and put her other one back on, but that would upset her grandparents. So she would have to wear the oni mask at the shrine.
"I came to pay respects as well.," the young woman spoke.
"Of course, go ahead.," the old man said, "Then you're going to the school to interview for your college application, right?"
"Yes. I found one that seems to suit me.," the girl smiled under her mask.
"Then, we celebrate tonight with a traditional feast! I'll invite everyone!," the old man cheered.
His wife made him sit down and calm down, "I'll just have some of your favorite snacks ready, we don't have to have a big party."
"I'd like to have a small party. Maybe then we all can be together and celebrate as a family.", the masked young woman offered.
Her grandfather's face fell, "You know that may not happen. Your mother is very busy as a medical professional and your father just took a job to help with costs around the house. It may just be us if we are not called for another celebration."

So, she would have to have a party alone again if grandpa did not try and invite other shrine workers. Life as an accursed person was filled of disappointments, it was best to not have too many hopes.
"It's okay. I don't need a party.," Hoshi stood and picked up her purse, "I'll just leave the offering for the ones in the woods and go take my interview."
Her grandparents did not stop her as she walked out of the temple and to the woods. She thought she heard the whinny of a horse for a second. She walked before coming across a tree where a small, crude altar was set up. She set a tray of sweets out and a happi coat she had gotten a long time ago to give to a friend. She clapped her hands together and knelt at the tree after backing up.
"You can rest now. I promise to carry out a life I know that you would want.," the girl said to nobody.
She opened her eyes and thought she saw a shadow on the tree, like someone was sitting in front of her. She sprang up again. Something was not right. The sound of a horse could be heard once more. And the clopping of hooves. The distinctive squealing of a pulled object. Hoshi wanted to run. She wanted to get her grandparents. Somehow she was frozen in place. She felt something in her hand and looked down. It was a piece of paper that said she was accepted to a college. The name was barely visible as the air around her got darker. She dropped her purse as a carriage appeared before her. She did not know what to do as her clothes started to feel different. Like she was no longer in her own clothes. Her eyes stayed locked on the carriage. The door to the cabin opened and inside was a coffin.
Even though she was internally screaming for this to stop, she felt her body walk forward. As if she was in a trance. As if she was not in control of her own body. She felt she was being beckoned.

(Y/n) climbed into the carriage and lay in the coffin. She found it to be surprisingly comfortable. The clothes she was in started to feel better on her. Her eyes closed and she felt pulled to trust wherever she was going. From there, it turned black for her. Her sense of panic faded away as the trance set more into her. She was being spirited away by a strange carriage. Just like the old stories of supernatural being would sometimes do.  The masked girl hoped she fared better than her ancestor did.
'I hope it's that damn oni. Then I have a chance to punch him.,' she thought to herself.
The sound of the carriage continued on, the forest sounds faded away. She could not tell were she was going as the lid of coffin had closed and she shut her eyes. All she could do now was rest and prepare for what was next.

-----

A man walked in the forest holding a lit paper lantern, his colorful traditional clothes offset the dark woods. His long hip-length blond hair followed behind him.
"Hoshi!," he called, "Where are you? Answer me! You're making daddy worry!"
He scoffed, he had gotten a day off of his job just to celebrate and spoil his daughter before she went to college. Now she disappeared. A thought crossed his mind, the altar she made for the dead out there. He ran to it and found her purse and former mask laying on the ground. Next to the tree were horse hoofprints.
The candy package was open and the happi coat was gone.
"Son! Did you find her?," the old man asked the tall man.
The heterochromic eyes of the younger man cast down to his father, saddened, before setting on her purse.
"No. She's not out here.," the man said and picked up her purse, "All I found were horse tracks."
"Do you think the great oni took her?," The elderly woman asked, "Oh dear."
The hotheaded man punched the tree before him, shaking it with the impact.
"DAMMIT!," The dual-colored eyed man roared, "Some son of a bitch has my daughter and I'm gonna make him pay when I find him! I don't care if it is the oni or a kami, I'm gonna beat them to a pulp!"

The elderly shrine couple tried to calm their son as a sound of a horse got further and further away. The angered father knelt by the altar in his hakama and clasped his hands together.
"Please, be safe, Hoshi. Daddy will turn this entire country on its head to find you.," the long haired man said. This parents let him pray for a second before he picked the lantern up again to try and find clues as to where his daughter had gone. The grandfather picked up her purse and mask the young woman had worn before.
"She's a good girl, son. She won't do anything too dangerous.," the aold man said and took the paper lantern to help his wife back to their home near the shrine.
Hoshi's father kept running through the forest, searching for her. He saw the image of a black carriage seemingly fading into a reflective surface. His heart dropped as his instincts told him that was where his daughter was.