The area of which Yukari decided to call her property in Gensokyo was surrounded by a barrier that was impassable to all, and gave the illusion of the land beyond being barren and desolate - to most people, this barrier was part of the Great Hakurei Barrier, so none tried to shatter it. However, the only people who were allowed to pass the barrier in any way were the members of the Yakumo Clan - and that meant Chen as well. Yukari's lands weren't big enough to call their own country or anything, but the Border Sage did have a sizable chunk to her and her shikigami. Chen never bothered to go past this barrier, seeing it as some sort of safety fence for her, yet that was not the case this particular time. No, this time, Chen continued to walk, somewhat quickly, out of the Yakumo estate, and into the rest of Gensokyo.
Chen had no direction, she only wished to walk. Walk very far, far away from all of everything. She couldn't stand being around a Ran that may hurt her, and she couldn't stand being in a home that was no longer safe to her. So, the girl walked, with a thousand thoughts running through her head.
Ran-sama...I thought you were a good person...Why am I so stupid? I...I just blindly believed in my master, like a...a tool. That's all a shikigami is, when it comes down to it...a tool. A stupid, mindless, tool. And I'm the most mindless tool of them all...To think, I'm serving such a...mean spirited...
Chen's eyes began to water as she thought of her master in a bad light. She clenched her fists and held her breath steady, only picking up her walking pace. The small girl was truly having a hard time thinking of her beloved master in such a harsh way, but she had never known Yukari to ever lie to her, especially on something so important. Yukari, to Chen, was an extremely nice lady, never doing anything wrong to her or Ran, only helping the two. However, with the new development of Ran's punishment running hot in her mind, as well as Yukari's explaination of the event, Chen had no other choice but to believe her.
I'm so scared, Yukari-sama...You're Ran's master for a reason, I know that, yet...yet I can't possibly...think of Ran-sama that way...but I have no choice...
Chen stopped slowly, staring at the ground.
Ran-sama...is...is a monster.
--
"Chen? Cheeeen!"
Ran had been searching the grounds for a small bit, having become worried about where her shikigami may have been. It had been quite a bit of time since the girl had left that morning, and she hadn't seen her since. Being spiritually connected with Chen, the kitsune felt that she wasn't in trouble, yet could feel a sense of uneasiness, as she had been feeling ever since the previous day. Still, Yukari had Ran overworked as it was, and she hardly had time to go looking for Chen, lest she be punished once again.
"I guess I'll just be forced to leave Chen up to her own devices...I'll act if I feel as if things are getting bad for her...She's strong enough to hold off some minor problems, anyway." The shikigami reasoned, feeling anxious about pausing in her daily duties.
It was one of her jobs every day to go over a large checklist of places around the edges of Gensokyo to check the Hakurei Barrier, making sure that everything was intact. She had, in interest of physical ability to work within the scope of time, devised a chart of rounds that would be checked, checking places of concern more often, and places of relative safety less often. It was in this fasion that each area of the barrier would be given the proportionally correct amount of attention required to keep the entire Hakurei Barrier strong. It was this job that Ran was neglecting at the time - something that if Yukari had figured out, would be punishable with extreme measures.
While preparing to go to the area where the barrier needed attention for the day, Ran came across a picture of Chen and herself, smiling on a sunny day, to a backdrop of a beautiful landscape. The kitsune picked up the photo slowly, and looked at her shikigami's smiling face, and sighed.
"I wish I could figure out how to help you, Chen..."
Putting the picture back where she found it, Ran finished her preperations, and was off.
--
It had been many hours since Chen had left the Yakumo household, and she had traveled across much land in Gensokyo. She had no real direction, but the breathtaking scenery surrounding her was doing an adequate job of keeping the girl at least somewhat calm. Chen had traveled over rolling green hills in a plain, and through a serene forest, passing where she knew the Hakurei Shrine was, and heading off into the forest once again. She had seen many assorted youkai, but none of which were dangerous to her - not only was Chen herself a youkai of sorts, but it is a true fact in Gensokyo that the stronger creatures come out at night. This, however, is important for one key fact.
The sun was slowly setting.
However, Chen didn't seem to notice, or care. She simply continued to walk, battling out thoughts in her own mind, trying to comprehend and overcome the extreme life changes that had been presented to her. In fact, in her blind mess of depressive confusion, the nekomata had made the mistake of wandering into what she thought was only a small bamboo thicket. By the time Chen fully realized where she was, it was far too late.
"I guess this is why they call it the Bamboo Forest of the Lost..."
The thought of being lost within the forest of bamboo trees was a bit frightening at first, but then the nekomata figured that it didn't matter - she wasn't quite done thinking things out as it was. She simply continued to walk, aimlessly, and endlessly. In fact, the poor girl had been walking nearly all day, without a moment's rest, or even without a break for food. But Chen didn't care.
There were, however, things in the forest that DID care.
The nekomata broke her trance-like train of thought as her ears perked up, and every hair on her body stood on end. A rustle had gone through the forest, very near her, yet she could see nothing.
"Who's there!?" Chen called out, attempting to be tough. "Show yourself!!!"
Small giggles and laughter echoed all around the small girl as the rustles seemed to come from every direction.
"You...You don't stand a chance against my black magic!!! I sugguest you run!!!" The nekomata dug her feet into the ground, attempting to find where the voices were coming from.
"Magic?"
"Oh, scary, scary~"
"You're worthless, cat!"
A thousand voices suddenly began to echo all around Chen, all mocking her, all poking fun at her obvious fear. Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, a mid-sized rock flew out and struck Chen in the back, causing the girl to scream out in suprise and pain.
"C-cowards!!! C-come out h-here!!!" Chen screamed, becoming extremely agitated at the situation at hand.
"Have it your way~" A distinct voice called out, meeting Chen's bluff. From all around, many, many rabbits suddenly swarmed Chen, each with a dark look in it's eye. Chen suddenly froze in fear at the sight of such a mass of creatures, causing her to hesitate just long enough for the rabbits to overtake her.
As Chen was pushed and forced to the ground, Tewi Inaba came waltzing out of the bamboo, wearing a smug grin, up to the pile of fur that was pinning the nekomata down.
"You. What are you doing in -my- forest~?" Tewi asked confidently from behind her power in numbers.
"TELL THEM TO GET OFF OF ME!!!" Chen screamed out, struggling to keep control of the situation, but being scratched, bitten, and pineed to the ground mercilessly.
"Ah, I would, except for the fact that you're trespassing on the grounds of a Rabbit Goddess - me." Tewi laughed, and bent down to look at Chen. "That means you're nothing but meat to me."
"CHEN!!!"
Suddenly, from above, a great figure gracefully landed on the ground next to the nekomata, and with a powerful sweep of an arm, knocked Tewi's head upward, causing her to fly back several feet in dazed confusion. At the sudden turn of events, many of the rabbits scattered, too cowardly to stick together. Those who attempted to stay behind even for a moment were scared stiff by what they saw, causing them to run even faster than those before them.
"Chen, are you ok!?" A very scared Ran asked, lifting the nekomata to her feet.
"R-r-ran-sama...!!" Chen stuttered out, fearing why her master may have come this far away from her home.
However, Ran's attention was guided off of Chen and onto Tewi, who was beginning to get up from being hit so hard. Ran rushed over to the youkai rabbit and grabbed her by her collar, staring into the girl's eyes with a cold, unmoving glare.
"What the HELL do you think you're doing!?" Ran barked out to the shivering rabbit.
"I-I was just playing a j-joke on-"
"A JOKE!?" Ran screamed out, throwing Tewi to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. "My Chen is scratched and bruised, scared out of her mind, and you call this a JOKE!?"
"L-let me explain...!!" Tewi stuttered out, cowering in fear from the angry kitsune in front of her.
"Shut up!!!" Ran screamed. "I don't care why you were insisting on torturing Chen, but I swear to the heavens above that if I catch you even NEAR her again, I will rip your throat out!!!"
Tewi, seeing the insane anger in Ran's eyes, decided to simply get up and run, not even bothering to acknowledge the kitsune. Besides, no answer given doesn't mean Tewi has to listen.
Ran calmed herself a bit, then turned around to face her shikigami. "Chen, why are you out here!? You know better than to just wander off of Yukari-sama's lands alone!"
Chen, seeing Ran so angered at Tewi only moments ago, mixed with her ideas of what may come based on Yukari's descriptions of the true Ran Yakumo, created a veil of fear that masked Ran's words, making them sound more hostile than worried to the poor girl. Chen, acting out of pure fear now, did the thing that made most sense to her.
"P-please Ran-sama!!! I'm sorry!!!" Chen screamed out, tears running out down her face, her small body shivering.
"You should be! I was worried sick about you, you were gone all day!!!"
"Please don't hit me, Ran-sama, I promise I'll be good...!!!"
At that moment, Ran's worried anger suddnely dropped, and she suddenly became very concerned.
"H-hit you?" the kitsune asked, genuinely suprised. "Since when have I ever hit you?"
"Please, please, please, please..." Chen muttered to herself, hiding her face in her arms, out of her mind in confused terror.
"Chen..." Ran started, to no avail. "CHEN!!!"
The nekomata stopped and stared at her master.
"I...I would never hit you..." Ran walked over to her shikigami slowly, who was shaking worse than the kitsune had ever seen. "Why would you say that?"
"I...I..." Chen stuttered out, confused on what to tell her master. To Chen, it was as if she was being tested - one wrong explaination could mean punishment to her.
"Chen...What's wrong?" Ran asked softly, trying to seem as calm as possible. "You need to tell me, Chen...I hate seeing you like this."
"N-no...I..."
Chen was cut off by a warm hug from her master, and a hand behind her head. Chen froze, not knowing what to make of the situation, fearing for Ran to turn the action into some sort of punishment. However, when Chen felt the warmth of the kitsune, and hesitated just long enough to see that Ran was indeed simply hugging her, her mindset was destroyed once again.
Chen began to cry, not knowing what else to do.
The two sat in the bamboo forest, alone, in the darkness, stewing in their own sorrow. Ran didn't know why Chen was crying, and yet knowing her shikigami was under such distress was causing emotional turmoil within her as well. Chen, on the otherhand, was so confused and overwhelemed with all the radical changes to her view on life that she couldn't do anything but cry from all of the pain she had witnessed, the suffering she had undergone, and the sorrow that accompanied her loss of a blissful outlook on the world.
"R-ran-sama..." the nekomata sobbed out after a while, clinging to her master.
"It's ok Chen...I'm here for you." Ran comforted her shikigami, holding her ever tighter.
"Y-Yukari-sama....t-told me..."
"Yes?" The kitsune asked, feeling as if she could finally make some headway in Chen's enigmatic problems.
"...Sh-she told me...you were a...m-m-monster..." The nekomata cringed, still somewhat believing that Ran may harbor evil intent, only hugging her for false comfort.
However, Ran's eyes widened and she gasped slightly. "She what!? Why would she do that!?"
"I...I..." Chen began to sob even harder, only becoming more distressed as time ticked on.
Ran sighed, seeing that her shikigami was in no condition to be answering her questions. "Come on Chen...Let's go home and get you cleaned up, ok?" The kitsune smiled warmly at the nekomata. Chen looked up at her master, slowly beginning to re-believe that she was safe with her, and slowly nodded.
Ran took Chen to where Yukari had left a border open for her, making her travel to the Hakurei Barrier easier. Travelling through the border space brought the two back to the Yakumo household instantly, and the gap in space closed behind them, having served its purpose. The pair entered the home, with Chen clinging to Ran's arm, still shivering in fear. Ran helped her shikigami to clean herself up, including calming her down quite a deal. Once Chen had a nice dinner, a warm bath, and was changed into her pajamas, she was feeling more confident that Ran wasn't the monster that Yukari had made her out to be - things felt as if they were back to normal, almost. But still, that left many questions for the nekomata...
Chen sat on her bed, her legs under her fluffy blanket, as Ran sat next to the bed with a warm smile. As Ran tucked in her shikigami, Chen decided to speak up.
"Ran-sama..." She began, to which Ran looked up in question. "I...I don't think you're a monster."
"Oh...Thank you, Chen. It makes me happy to hear that." The kitsune smiled, making Chen feel more secure in the situation.
"I...I saw something the other day that...that really, really scared me...and still does." The nekomata continued, looking down into her lap.
"Oh? What was it, Chen?"
The small girl stayed silent for a moment, trying to gather her courage and words, still afraid of what may happen if she admitted it. She looked up at her master, with her eyes beginning to well up in tears once more, and shakily began to speak.
"I...I saw...saw you being punished...b-by Yukari-sama..."
At hearing those words, Ran's heart began to race and a large wave of fear and worry struck over her. Things suddenly began to make sense on why her shikigami was acting so strange and frantic, and the idea of having such a pure, innocent soul witness such a horrid occurance was an absolutely terrible thought to have.
"O-oh my god...Chen..." She began, but was cut off, for her shikigami was not done talking.
"I saw it, Ran...I saw you being...punished...And it really, really scared me." The nekomata paused to calm her breathing, which was beginning to pick up, and continued when she felt ready. "I had never seen Yukari-sama so mad...And I've never seen you like that..."
"I'm so sorry you had to see that, Chen..." The elder shikigami leaned over and hugged the small girl, feeling absolute regret over the situation she could not control. "I feel awful..."
"Why would Yukari-sama do something like that?" Chen suddenly blurted out. "She's always been so nice..."
Ran sat and thought, trying to figure out a way to softly tell her shikigami the horrible truth of Yukari's attitude toward Ran's even slightest shortcomings in her work. Yet, no plausible way to tell her gently was showing itsself, so Ran only continued to hug her shikigami, unsure of what to do.
"I'm so scared, Ran-sama..." Chen continued, beginning to sob lightly again.
"Don't be, Chen..." Ran started, stroking the small girl's hair. "I won't let anything ever happen to you..."
"Yukari-sama...She..." Chen began again, fumbling with her own ideas on how to tell her master what Yukari had told her the day after. "She told me after...when..."
"Yes, Chen?"
The small girl couldn't quite figure it out, but all of her ideas on how to tell Ran were escaping her the more she tried to think about it. Any and all ideas of telling Ran about how Yukari had told her about the false stories including Ran's horrible deeds were slipping away into oblivion, and Chen simply became more and more confused as she thought of it, as if the boundaries of her mind were being slowly taken down, and a sudden rush of painful thoughts simply washed over the small girl. Chen simply buried her face into her master's shoulder and began to cry harshly, clinging to Ran's body in an attempt to feel even the slightest bit better.
"It's ok, Chen...You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to..." Ran comforted her shikigami, closing her eyes and putting her head behind Chen's shoulder. "You should get some rest...You'll feel better in the morning."
Chen slowly nodded, and kissed Ran's cheek. "I love you, Ran-sama..."
"I love you too, Chen..." The kitsune laid Chen down in her bed and tucked her in, giving the small girl a gentle kiss on the forehead before standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow...sweet dreams, Chen."
"Good night, Ran-sama..." The nekomata steadied her breathing and held onto the warmth of her blanket, feeling not exactly fine, yet certainly better than she had earlier in the day.
Ran exited Chen's room quietly, and closed the door behind her, then sighed slowly in sorrow. Seeing her Chen in such distress was terrible on Ran's heart, for she truly did care about the girl.
"Ran."
The kitsune's ears suddenly shot backwards, and her face changed from one of tiredness to one of fear as Yukari appeared out of a gap in space in front of her.
"Let's have a talk, Ran."
Yukari grabbed her shikigami's collar and drug her through the border, closing it behind her, as Ran's heart began to race to unhealthy levels, fearing for her life, as Yukari looked anything but pleased.
Little Chen slept quietly in her bed, slightly shivering slightly still from all of the trauma that had been pushed upon her. As Chen slept, Ran, however, was cowering yet again in the corner of a room, fearful of her master's wrath.
Yukari was not happy that Chen was beginning to talk.
