On The Boundary ~ Illusionary Festival for the Dawn

[Oldmansour]

The broom Kohaku had been holding falls out of her hands, landing with a clatter. "The Net... The netherworld?" she stammers out. "As... NETHERworld? So that... Does that..."

Hyozan, for his part, seems to be taking the revelation in much greater stride than his friend. He regards the kimono-clad woman with his big blue eyes, taking her measure. If he senses her otherworldly nature, he shows no outward sign of it. He looks at her outstretched hand and sniffs it casually, sticking his cold nose into her palm. Kohaku was half-expecting his nose to go right through the woman's hand, and is somewhat surprised when it does not. The malamute whuufs once, sounding somewhat satisfied, and promptly deposits his big head in the Saigyoji's lap.

Kohaku blushes and starts at her friends' outright boldness, but when her jaw works, she can't quite make any sounds come out. Poor girl seems a touch... overwhelmed? And, perhaps, just a TOUCH jealous of Hyozan. Netherworld resident or not, she's still very beautiful. That thought, however, manages to bring her whirling mind at least partly back under control, and she asks again, in a much smaller voice, "Netherworld? Like... the afterlife?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Well, that's not suspicious at all, now, is it? "Actually, I think that tells me quite a bit. And while the gathering earlier was not a feast, it seems as though there is going to be a feast. This was announced in the latest edition of the Bunbunmaru, which I doubt you've had a chance to find a copy of, but... well, according to Aya, the Hakurei Shrine's got a new miko. There's going to be a feast to celebrate.

"Now, it occurs to me that the timing on this is very suspicious. I think the events are connected, and if the past gathering incident involved feasts, then that's an additional reason to think that it's the same culprit. If you know the name of that individual, I'd like to hear it, although after reading Aya's article, I do have a place to start even if you don't know the name. Does the name 'Suika Ibuki' mean anything to you? See, Aya's article mentions her by name. She's an oni, apparently, and according to the article, Suika's the one who told Aya that the person in the shrine was a new miko."

[Marokuu]

Sanaya's walk from the village had been uneventful and she arrived at her house within a matter of minutes.

The house was nothing impressive, a two room cabin divided into a kitchen and a sleeping room  with a small tub for washing herself up after training. There was a sign hanging above the front door that said: Furuika Sanaya: Youkai Exterminator. with another smaller sign hanging under it that said At home.

"Oops forgot to flip the sign." She thought as she reached up and flipped the smaller sign so that a side that said Busy became visible.

As she went inside she headed straight through the kitchen into the sleeping room to clean herself up after the excercise she had gotten.

*Girl is washing up, don't watch warmly unless she is ready.*

A few minutes later she steps out into her back yard wrapped in a simple robe. She glances at the sun for a moment before deciding to head towards the back of the yard where she sits down on the same rock that she had been sitting on this morning.

"I'll be able to meditate for a few minutes before I head off."

She fills up a mug with water and it starts trickling out through a hole at the bottom, giving her an audible way to gague time. She puts the mug down and as the water keeps emptying she closes her eyes and clears her mind. Suddenly she can hear every facet of the sound of trickling water, she can feel every change in the wind and every one of the impressions that enters her mind leaves just as quickly as it is interpreted by it. She enters the state that she always aims to hit during her meditation sessions. Her heartbeat hastens. Her breathing, though hard to notice, speeds up and her body is just overall doing everything it is supposed to do much faster than is normal. As the final dropplets of water run out of the mug she opens her eyes. Only five minutes have passed but she felt like she had been sitting there for 20.

"It certainly is more relaxing when I'm not trying to push the limits for how long I can do that."

With that thought she went inside her bedroom again and changed into her usual kimono, lacking any sort of fancy dress to put on for the feast.

"Well" She says as she pokes her head out the back door. "I guess I should better get going, I might have to look a bit for that shrine."

She heads through the house yet again and checks that the sign is turned the right way before heading back towards the village center, planning to find the trail that the old woman mentioned before.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(I apologise for the shitty writing. Incredibly tired. Also written with Trance going "YES WRITE IT" and etc.)

Nanaya didn't want to flee. She was confused, afraid, and angry. Both at herself and at the laws of the world that her parents and old friends had taught her. The world apparently ran on money, and skill. As her father taught her, people with skills far better then the normal folk will go incredibly far in life, and people will money will go even further. Running towards the southmost exit of the village, Nanaya cried, afraid of the consequences of what she had just done - But she thought she had no choice. She had no more money. No more family.

"Aw, hey! Don't run off like that!" She had heard while running. That waitress was chasing her down. To shun her and shame her in front of the whole village.

"Come back, you haven't paid!" Nanaya heard once more. Emotions flooded her heart and soul. Her brain only told her to run. Or more precisely, Run, and never stop. Never return. Nanaya thought that she was from then on, labeled as a thief. A bandit, maybe, or a lunatic, judging from her weird outfit and weaponry. Her skirt fluttered in the wind, and her gauntlets jingled, like the time she was up on the mountain. That was the only good memory she had in the chaos happening within her very mind.

Fear caused her to turn from her original course. Nanaya continued running south, before taking a sharp turn towards the right, heading towards a desolate alley of sorts. Almost ramming herself into the stone wall, Nanaya halted. Her nose was touching the wall and she was standing erect. Craning her neck, she saw the waitress from earlier. Senri.

"There you are."

"...S-Senri... I-I don't... I..."

Nanaya eyes the ribbon-wrapped item that the waitress wields, her already overflowing heart being poured with even more fear. And at that instant, Nanaya raised her own weapon. The katana she was always dragging around. It was a family heirloom, the Arasoi no Ion. It was incredibly disrespectful to be dragging a precious item on the rocks and the dirt all the while, but the katana showed no signs of wear. It was as good as new. Slightly shorter then the average katana, but still able to be classified as one, the sword was unique as it was unable to hurt someone at all with the back of the blade. The back of designed just for parrying and blocking other weapons. The front of razor sharp, a single full-power slash would probably mortally wound a youkai - That is, if the user had the skill to even do that. And in this case, nope.

Nanaya pulls the rope that attached her gauntlets to the katana. Stabbing the blade into the ground for a moment to put on her gauntlets, Nanaya was ready. From a far distance or even from a meter away, the gauntlets would just resemble normal gloves. On closer inspection, it was indeed a glove. A fingerless glove, covered in a spiked gauntlet, the metal and other materials having beasts of Gensokyo inscribed on them. A gem laid in the center of each gauntlet.

Senri unwrapped his own, a blade that looked just like a normal katana. Maybe a little longer, maybe a little heavier, Nanaya didn't know. It didn't matter.

"I-I'm sorry, S-Senri... But... But, I do-don't want to be s-shunned! I n-never wanted to do t-this!"

"...Why would you even do this?!"

Nanaya charged forward, holding the sword in a weird position, which would be much more suitable for an assassin or someone using a dagger. Nanaya brought the blade down, with all the strength she could. Senri retaliates by thrusting his own weapon forward, parrying the Arasoi no Ion rather easily. The force sends Nanaya staggering for just a moment, before she swings the sword towards Senri's side. By just moving his own sword in the direction of Nanaya's attack, Senri's weapon blocks the blade. Senri forces Nanaya's blade back, making her have to begin to move back as Senri continues pushing forward with the momentum of his first block.

Senri delivers a blow using the back of his blade. Nanaya almost throws her own to block it, only to find her sword fly out of her hand and behind her. Taking this advantageous moment, Senri delivers another blow down.

A loud clash of metal is heard.

Nanaya had punched the blade with her fist - Her gauntlet. Jammed in between the spikes was Senri's blade. And in Nanaya's mind, two words echoed.

I won.

Nanaya pulled her arm towards her chest, as if doing a chest-bump. But to her surprise. her arm didn't move. It could not move. The realization dawned on her.

She could not break the sword.

Senri forced himself forward, the sword still stuck to the gauntlet. Getting closer to Nanaya, she essentially just gave up. Releasing her strength she put in her gauntlet, Senri pushed her down. And as every action has a reaction, Senri fell on Nanaya. The duo fell like twin pillars, Nanaya hit the ground first, the sword finally released from her gauntlet. Senri released his hand on instinct, and the sword jammed into the ground beside Nanaya's head. Senri promptly fell on Nanaya.

Shine on me your light of rapture,
As you touch my soul with a warm gesture.
You and I, yet far apart,
Our journey has yet to start.
Trust each other till the abyss,
The end will return with a kiss.

The two's lips met. Tears flowed from Nanaya's face, and her face blushes heavily, even with the chaos happening.

[trancehime]

Senri's eyes were wide open as he fell down, feeling himself come down on this girl, feigning vulnerability, but in the end tried to resist what could only be termed as cold justice; in the end it backfired horribly and it ended up feeling incredibly awkward too. He felt his lips touch Nanaya's, but as soon as he felt it, he lurched back and propped himself up, ending up sitting next to Nanaya in a wariza position, eyeing the fallen girl as his own unwrapped sword was jammed right next to her head. "Why? why did you let that happen?" Senri sighed and had a faint blush plastered along his face, and he felt a strange ringing in his head. Senri could see that Nanaya was crying, and could not help but feel pity, and sorrow, for this girl, he could feel that Nanaya was not around these parts after all.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you off... I mean, you're clearly not from around here. Is there anything I can do to get you to stop crying...? Please?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

Nanaya cried, both inside and out, She had given up all hope on winning once she could'nt break the sword. Her gauntlet could break any normal weapon, and being unable to do so meant the sword was either made to be unbreakable, or that she didn't have enough strength. After the fight, awkward things had happened. But still, even after that, she was crying inside, She had also lost something quite important to a girl. Not her precious thing, but something almost as precious. Nanaya had also gained knowledge of something else.

The waitress was not a girl at all.

But now wasn't the time of that. After the madness settled, Nanaya only heard three words. "Let you off."

Nanaya looked up, tears still flowing from her face. She whimpered.

"I-I h-have no home... C-Can... I... rest?"

[trancehime]

"You're homeless?" Senri sighed and looked back at the direction of his house. Senri sighed and wondered what this meant. He wanted to offer Nanaya a place to stay, but his sister and his mother and his father would wonder what the hell he would be doing bringing another girl to the house like this. At the same time, Senri just couldn't LEAVE Nanaya here. She was clearly unfamiliar with the social norms of the time; she definitely gave him Hermit vibes, he could tell it from the way she acted and how nervous she looked when she first entered the teahouse (which was a common place for social gatherings). "If you want, I'll try and talk to my parents about setting you up with my place, alright?" Senri sighed and looked at Nanaya with much concern, retrieving his sword and wrapping it with the cloth which was tightly tied to his right wrist the entire time.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

Nanaya sniffed, before wiping her tears from her face. Pulling over her gauntlet from the ground, she begins to attach it to the Arasoi no Ion and remove the other she wields. The sword and gauntlets show no sign of damage. They still seem brand new. Nanaya soon smiled, a blush still lingering on her face. After Senri was done tying his sword, Nanaya nodded to his words from earlier.

"Y-Yeah... T-That'll be good..." Nanaya stood up, and soon, pulled Senri up too. Nanaya, looked up at Senri's face for a moment, before turning away. The boy seemed to notice, and faced her. As soon as he did that, Nanaya turned back, smiling.

"C-Could y-you... uhh... show me y-your...um...s-sword?" Nanaya blushed harder for some reason.

[trancehime]

"Alright, so, shall we go?" Senri nodded and soon began to lead Nanaya to his household, the Yamagishi household, which was a fair distance away from their current locale. It wasn't that far but it certainly wasn't close either. Eventually, Senri and Nanaya found themselves at the front door of the house, which was reasonably sized, and of traditional architecture; nothing new, nothing particularly fancy either, though it looked quite sturdy and resilient. Nanaya could see the fence that obscured the onsen. Senri opened the door to the house and went inside, gesturing for Nanaya to follow. "I'm home..." Senri called out and soon was greeted by a shocked face from his sister Aika and a rather bemused expression from Youko. "Who's this you brought with you, dear?" Youko giggled, trying to hide her malicious grin with her hand.

"She needs a place to stay and I couldn't just leave her there..."

"Well, I don't really care as long as she doesn't stay in my room. Or your sister's. She can stay anywhere else though."

Senri suddenly walked up to Youko and whispered something into her ear. "Hahaha, oh wow, really?!" Youko giggled. "Man, sometime you have to let me watch!" Senri sighed and looked at Nanaya. "Well, you heard her. You can stay here as long as it's either the rest of the house or my room... Just don't wreck the place or anything."

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

The house wasn't marvelous. It could'nt compare to her old home. Or to be precise, her first home. The cave was nice still, but living in an actual house after all this time was still an amazing thing to Nanaya. It had an onsen that was blocked off by a fence, sturdy walls and everything traditional. It wasn't a rich man's house. It was one much like the middle classes. Curiously looking around with her sword dangling beside her, Nanaya began to like her new home - Even if it was ultimately going to be temporary. She had met another girl, and Senri's mother. The two seemed like average people at first glance.

Senri sighed and looked at Nanaya. "Well, you heard her. You can stay here as long as it's either the rest of the house or my room... Just don't wreck the place or anything."

Nanaya nodded silently, before exploring the house. It was neat and tidy, like how all houses would presumably be. It also looked as traditional and alright on the inside as the outside was. Soon after her little exploring mission, Nanaya walked over to Senri.

"W-Will you bring me to your room? I-I... um... Want to see... um...  Y-your s-sword..."

[Hanzo K.]

---CONTINUED FROM LAST POST---

---Boys Are Traveling Now(Again), please be patient.---

After a short while, he made it to the village center (which oddly felt like it took less time than last time, likely because he'd gotten something more to eat.), and noted that everyone else was abuzz about something too. Probably that party the newspaper talked about, going by how a lot of people had one. Something about a new Hakurei Miko?
He wondered if she was any good at fighting. He made a mental note to challenge her sometime once he'd figured out danmaku and stuff. In the meantime though, he'd busy himself with looking for Keine, so he'd know where the heck the shrine was so he could go enjoy himself at a party.
It had been ages since he'd actually been able to attend a party, and not act as security, or food delivery, or some other job of some sort.
Out of the corner of his eye, he'd noticed someone he somewhat recognized by way of having at least seen them before. 'That's the girl who was on the ground earlier today.' He couldn't help but grin.
Perhaps he'd be able to have some fun sooner than he expected...Even though it wasn't usually his style to pick a fight with a girl who looked like she should be home eating dinner by now. But he was bored from the walk, She was eating something, he had no clue what though. Probably some kind of fruit.
Maybe he'd see her again at the party, since odds are everyone in the village was gonna be going too. But that won't happen for him if he doesn't find Keine.
He also noted some sort of commotion and clamor coming from another sidestreet. Someone did a dine-n-dash? Heh, it'd been a while since someone tried that. Last person who tried that ended up running afoul of the teahouse's enforcer-slash-top server. He didn't know too much about that person though, other than they were good in a fight when the chips were down.



OOC: Trance, YJ, Takin' it a little fast ain't ya? They only just met y'know. :V

[Sonae]

---Sonae

The red haired youkai keeps a quick pace as she hurries down the long corridor towards the Mistress?s room.

As she turns the corner, she spots the one she?s looking for.
?Ah, Mistress? Meiling says as she rushes over to the girl.
The small girl raises her hand to her mouth and yawns sleepily, her massive wings twitching slightly.
?What is it Meiling?? She asks dully as she rubs her tired eyes.
?Are you still tired??wait no, that?s not it? Meiling says as she walks alongside the mistress. ?Someone is here to see you? She says as the pair turn around the corner and head down the long hall once more.
?And?? What did they want?? the Mistress says, sounding a hint annoyed.
?She said she?s here to apply for a job as a maid? Meiling says as she lags behind the mistress a bit.
The girl stops in her tracks, silent.
Meiling stops and glances around, feeling the awkward silence push against her.
?Um?Mistress???
Just then as if time had resumed, the girl keeps on going.
?Ah?!? Meiling catches up to her and speaks again.
?Mistress is somethi-?
?Meiling, have the fairies prepare some tea?
?Ah- Yes!? Meiling stands straight for a moment before calling over two fairies, passing the orders onto them. The fairies hurriedly fly off the way the pair had come. With s slight sigh, Meiling turns back to see that the Mistress is far ahead of her. She quickly catches up with her just in time to here her Mistress?s next order.
?Meiling, fetch her for me? She says bluntly.
?Yes!? Meiling responds, picking up speed and heading past the girl.
As the Mistress continues into the large room set with a single chair and table, she takes a seat in a very ladylike fashion before stretching her arms forward.
As if in succession, the girl?s large wings stretch wide before giving a single flap and returning to their default position.
The Mistress sits silently, awaiting her visitor, a devious smirk on her childish face.

---------

---Sourfang

Youmu blinks a few times, startled by the girl?s sudden outburst. After many seconds pass, Youmu opens her mouth to speak. However, before she can make a sound, Yuyuko promptly interrupts her.
?Yup!? She chirps happily as she gently pets the dog?s head.
Youmu nods silently before speaking up.
?Though I?m not completely a ghost?? She says as she turns slightly to look at the white blob floating about her.
With a short pause, she continues to speak.
?Lady Yuyuko is a ghost though.?
Yuyuko cheerfully nods without speaking, still petting the malamute.

---------

---Dorakyura

?Hmm?? Kanako mumbles, raising her hand to her chin in a gesture of thought. ?I don?t remember any humans on the mountain?After all the tengu drive all who venture near away.? She says as she shrugs it off, slouching back a bit into a more comfortable postion. ?Let alone any as young as you Amaya? She says.
Suwako is fiddling with a page of gossip taken from the newspaper, apparently in her own world.
As Amaya asks her question about the past, Kanako raises her gaze slightly, as if recalling events from many years ago.
?Well, ignoring the magician and that miko?? She starts slowly before finishing her sentence. ?There have never been any human visitors here. Though we do get some faith from the hokora? She says with a look of disinterest.
Suwako holds something up slightly near her face.
In her palm is a newspaper frog.
She sets it down and presses down on the back of it, producing an acrobatic flip from the paper amphibian.

Just then, the trio hears the shrine?s front door open and slam shut. Before they get the chance to think anything of it, they hear an all too familiar voice call out from inside the shrine.
?I?m home!?
?Ah!? Suwako says, dropping her paper toy, ?It?s Sanae! It?s Sanae!?  She shouts happily as she leaps to her feet and dashes out of the room to meet her.
Kanako gets up and follows silently, lacking the same energy as Suwako.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline

?Oh there is?? Keine says, intrigued. ?It seems I?ll have to pick up a copy on my way home? She says, glancing to the right for a moment. She then turns her gaze skyward, looking at the quickly darkening sky.
As Laresa mentions a new Hakurei miko, Keine spins around, ending her reverie and turning her full attention to Laresa. Her mouth opens slightly, as if to speak, but the woman stops herself. Keine hesitates for a moment before closing her mouth and allowing a faint but pleased smile to slip across her face.

As Laresa asks about the name, Keine nods.
?Yes I?ve heard of her. She?s the only oni living in Gensokyo. Fortunately she doesn?t kidnap humans, which relieves me of worry?
As if finally cluing in, Keine snaps her fingers.
?Oh, you don?t know how to get to the shrine do you? Did you want directions?? Keine asks in a friendly tone.

[Oldmansour]

A ghost. Two ghosts. Well, one ghost, one.... not-quite-ghost? What does that even MEAN....
Confidant that her eyes had turned into swirls, Kohaku tries to focus on something solid, so she settles on Hyozan again, something Haine mentioned to her years ago surfacing. "Bu' I thought... I thought dogs didn't like gh...." She swallows. "Ghosts."
The concept of a youkai, something related to a human but more, somehow, had fascinated Kohaku for years. But a ghost, that's something else entirely. This is new, to say the very least, and completely unexpected. The simple human's obviously a touch overwhelmed.

"Then again," she presses on "Hyozan's always been a bit different than other dogs. But a good judge of character. But, uh... Do you two... Haunt, this place?" she asks carefully.

[Marokuu]

Sanaya thought she heard something that sounded vaguely like metal striking metal causing her to snap her head around and grabbing for her back before realizing she left her weapon at home. Dismissing it as coming from the blacksmith's place she continues on.

"I really am on edge today."

She shakes her head before altering her route through the village, leading her towards the school building rather than straight through to the east side of it. As she rounds a corner, bringing the building into view she sees that the teacher is already standing outside talking to a person that Sanaya is not familiar with. Violet hair, carrying a pack and several scars, not an appearance you'd forget anytime soon. However there did not seem to exist any sort of hostility between Keine and the person so she continued walking until she was within speaking distance where she bowed towards Keine as a greeting.

"Good evening miss Keine."

She instantly realized that she was being rather rude by bursting into an active conversation and turned to the unknown woman that Keine had been talking to before Sanaya had interrupted.

"Oh, I apologize it seems you were in the middle of a conversation."

She lowered her head towards the woman.

"I'll be on my way momentarilly, I only need to confirm my directions."

She was about to straighten up again before realizing another thing that made her lower her head again.

"Oh where are my manners? My name is Furuika Sanaya, miss...?"

She let her sentence trail off as to allow the woman before her to answer.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Yes," Laresa said, "where are they? Please allow me to finish my business; it will only take a moment."

Laresa turned back to Keine. "YEs, please do give me directions." The shrine was the obvious place to investigate next. She'd need to be careful, though. She'd heard the stories of how strong oni were, and although stories did tend to have reliability issues, there was usually at least some truth to such things. Hopefully this wouldn't end up turning into a fight, but it could. And an oni was not an opponent to approach lightly. I'll only fight if I have to, though.

"Thank you, Keine," Laresa said. "Hopefully I'll see you at the feast; if things turn ugly, having backup present would be most assuring."

[Amraphenson]

"I'm home, otou-sama."

"Ah, good. The gathering?"

"Well enough. A little more than usual."

"Good, good, come in. Always glad to hear that."

Tetsumaru raised an eyebrow at that statement. His father wasn't usually this...excited. "Otou-sama? Is something the issue?" he asked as he set down the wood.

Jin grinned at his adopted son. "Well, you see son, there's this thing going on..."

----
"Haaaa...," the apprentice sighed out after sliding the door to his house shut once more. "Of all the things...?"

A celebration. A massive party. And his father wanted him to go advertise their wares there, while of course having 'fun' of his own. Tetsumaru wasn't antisocial, but...a large party like that...

He frowned at the pouch of money Jin had given him. A new kimono too, just for the party? What was the old codger planning?

[CrowCakes]

OOC: I will invoke a title drop, but unfortunately it's not on behalf of Sonae. And this post states my intention to go the feast. :V

Tsutomu caught his daughter hanging by the other bystanders, eating an apple. No doubt it was stolen, and she was probably going to steal something else again. Not on my watch. Newspaper in hand, he nonchalantly strode her way, bringing down the paper on the back of her head.

The redhead prematurely swallowed, making her hack and cough the apple bits back into her mouth, which ended back down her gut. She whirled about-face, catching a glimpse of her father walking past her.

Before she could voice her complaints, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her along with him. "Hmmm, don't get carried away with gathering information, please? I don't want my name tarnished by yours."

"Then, I want a better alternative to staring at a curtain." This exchange never led anywhere new. In fact, Tsutomu wondered if Kisei had really matured at all, or was taking her actions seriously.

"Well, have I got news for you! Tonight..."
"...we'll be going somewhere!" Tsutomu placed the newspaper across the table, handing it to Shinsui. As she took it, her eyes scanned through the words rapidly, and soon the three of them were on the same page. No pun intended.

She said nothing, Truth to be told, she didn't exactly have any objections or thoughts on her husband's decision. She looked at the article again. "How long has it been since we've ever attended a feast? At the Hakurei Shrine, no less."

"The shrine was bound to have a new resident, but I don't think either of us expected it."

Kisei cut in right after. "What shrine are we talking about?"

A silence followed, with Shinsui breaking it shortly after. "When we were still children, and every year before, I should believe, there would be a shrine maiden taking care of the Hakurei Shrine. The shrine grounds are on the boundary of Gensokyo, but no one could really explain the significance of that. To us, anyway."

Another silence followed. "Well, who cares. At least there'll be food!" Kisei declared.

Laughter ensued.

[trancehime]

"Can you hold on a moment, Nanaya-san?" Senri sighed and recalled that he had to close down the teahouse. He had forgotten to in his haste to chase down nanaya herself, but in the end, he had let her off, so he was to improvise an explanation for his blatant tardiness today. "I'll be back, I need to close up the teahouse for the day." Senri huffed out before he quickly dashed out of the house, running in the direction of the teahouse, which was now empty, save for two people who worked there; one being the owner. The owner and Senri had a bit of a quick and rushed discussion about the commotion earlier, and Senri procured some money (his own money) and feigned that Nanaya had come up with some money in the end, even if in reality she didn't. He could sense the owner saw through the ruse, but in the end, the damage was done and well, the owner knew that if Senri was paying out of his own pocket that would serve as a minor punishment.

Senri had quickly cleaned up and gotten about to shutting down the doors and checking that the windows were properly secured, and finally shut for the day. Quickly, Senri made his way back to the house, now promptly panting and sweating a little bit. He had remembered what Nanaya asked him - "W-Will you bring me to your room? I-I... um... Want to see... um...  Y-your s-sword..."

"My... My sword." Senri sighed and weakly nodded, lowering the sword hanging on his back. Senri ushered Nanaya into his room which was close by to the entrance; it was the smallest of the rooms but still a little spacious. There was a clever use of space incorporated into the house and it showed. Senri placed his blade on the ground after unwrapping the cloth and putting it aside.

"Okay. Here is my sword. Unless you meant something else?" Senri tilted his head sounding incredibly oblivious.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

Senri had left, went back to close the tea house after a day of work. Work and unexpected events. Nanaya took this chance to explore more of the house. Like the individual rooms. One in particular, closer to the entrance, was slightly smaller then the others. It was a bedroom, and would suit a smaller sized person. Perfect. Nanaya thought. Se also had some suspicions about who could be the one that stayed in it. At first, it was clear that it should belong to Senri's sister.

After a bit of walking around the house, both inside and out, Nanaya settled down in the main room, Right as Senri returned. He was sweating, and panting too. It was clear that he either did not have much stamina, or closing the tea house was really that exhausting.

"My... my sword..." Senri had said, before showing Nanaya into his room. Now, she knew that the room in fact did not belong to his sister's. Senri promptly unwrapped the sword before placing it on the floor. Nanaya curiously examined it, poking it and running her hand down it's length. It felt like a normal blade, and yet, it also felt like it was unnatural. Nanaya pulled one of her gauntlet's out, wearing it.

Placing the blade in between the spikes, Nanaya Held on the blade with one hand and pulled as hard as she could with the other. The blade would not break. It would not even bend. It was not made with normal metal.

Nanaya sighed in relief. For a moment there, she actually thought she lost because this boy overpowered her. ...To think of it, she didn't want to fight him earlier. And she could not use her str- A blush ran over her face as images of their earlier... Event came back. Nanaya looked away for a moment, before facing Senri.

"Um... Uhh... Thanks..." She said with her face red. Nanaya looks over to the bed. It looks comfy. And it would sure beat sleeping on rocks... Nanaya walked over to the bed, pressing her hand on it experimentally.

[trancehime]

Senri looked at Nanaya, who started to blush a little, and in turn she looked at Senri's bed and pressed her hand on it. Senri's family was one of those who had beds rather than futons, it was part of Senri's father's engineering genius, even though he was more of a smithy than anything, he still had knowledge of carpentry to some degree, and made these beds. Senri tilted his head and fixed his hair, as he plopped his back on the bed and took some deep breaths. "That would be my bed," Senri said casually. "Apparently, mom says you're either to stay outside this room or stay in this room with me, but it's really up to you what you want to do." Senri stretched out before someone burst into the room; it was Youko. His mom.

"HEY! Did you hear the news? Of that festival or some feast or some of that hogwash goin' on at the Hakurei Shrine?" Youko blasted out quite loudly, she certainly didn't seem to have that motherly touch about her as she giggled uncontrollably. Senri weakly nodded in response. "You totally HAVE to go there and cause a stir! Maybe you'll find someone who fancies ya! Haw haw!" Youko giggled and strolled out casually, laughing and calling out for someone, most likely Aika, to help with dinner.

Senri groaned. "There will be a feast at the Hakurei Shrine at some time. I was already planning to go but I guess mother also wants me to go."

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

"HEY! Did you hear the news? Of that festival or some feast or some of that hogwash goin' on at the Hakurei Shrine?" Youko blasted out quite loudly, she certainly didn't seem to have that motherly touch about her as she giggled uncontrollably. Senri weakly nodded in response. "You totally HAVE to go there and cause a stir! Maybe you'll find someone who fancies ya! Haw haw!" Youko giggled and strolled out casually.

Senri groaned. "There will be a feast at the Hakurei Shrine at some time. I was already planning to go but I guess mother also wants me to go."

Nanaya listened intently. The shrine was right in front of her home. I mean, her cave. A feast? That was the first time someone would mention the shrine. So far, it was just a desolate, old building that nature had reclaimed. This was... New. After the commotion  had settled, Nanaya arranged her blade and gauntlets on the floor beside the blade. Looking over to Senri on the bed, Nanaya too, went over and laid down on it. The comfy, warm fluffyish feeling overtook her mind, body and soul... And eventually, Nanaya fell asleep, making satisfied moans and Mmms.

[trancehime]

Senri yawned but was slightly startled to notice that Nanaya had stripped her own weapons off her person and proceeded to promptly lay down on his bed (right next to him, mind) and fall asleep. She began to make rather satisfied moans and started making some strange "Mmm" sounds which veritably disturbed the hell out of Senri but all he was doing at the moment was blushing and shuddering. He had not ever been this close to someone else before that wasn't family; certainly not someone of the opposite gender, yet he knew that she most likely meant nothing so big of it... After all, she certainly had not been a part of human civilization for most likely a long time. Senri sighed and yawned once more, starting to feel sleepy himself. "Hmm... maybe I'll nap a little..." Senri murmured softly, closing his eyes and then promptly napping himself.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

Floating in a sea of memories, the girl opens her eyes in her mind. Images of her past. Both of the happiness she had enjoyed and of the suffering she had endured. Flashing past the eyes of her mind, Nanaya dreamt of the future as she went by the constant, fast-paced movement of her past. Would there by happiness? Or would there be nothingness forevermore?

If I stretch my hand countless times in this repeating world,
will my ephemeral tears melt this dark heart?

Nanaya mumbled in her sleep, turning over to the right to sleep on her side. Soon, her body curled up into a ball of some kind. Almost like in fetal position, just with her arms not around her legs and her legs not as close to her chest. Her head turned a little more, moans escaping her mouth.

If I pick up this fallen hope and join it with tomorrow,
this entwined and distorted wish can also be set free.

Nanaya muttered to herself, falling deeper into her sleep. She's almost like a philosopher in her sleep. But, just then, Youko had stuck her head in the room. Grinning, she still didn't have all that motherly things a mother should have. She giggled for a moment, before bursting in, smiling. She crept over to the bed, staring at the duo, laughing and giggling all the while. The noise soon woke even the deepest sleeper. Nanaya pulled her head off the bed, looking around.

But surprisingly, nobody was around her. All she heard was something like a voice in her head.

"What would you do when this innocent, cute boy is vulnerable." The voice said. At first, Nanaya was amazed that she even had a voice in her head. She thought to herself, "Hello there, voice! What is your name?" But it came back with no reply. Eventually, Nanaya actually remembered what the voice said... And proceeded to ruffle Senri's hair. It felt nice, for Nanaya, to be actually touching a person after such a long time. It made her feel... Happy.

Nanaya smiled, and closed her eyes, continuing to ruffle Senri's hair.

[trancehime]

The entire time, Youko had cloaked herself and retreated outside, using her mischievous sorcery to project a voice into Nanaya's head, for her own design. She had indeed walked in on the two sleeping in the same bed, which, while it would have served as an awkward moment for your typical mother, Youko Did Not Give A Damn, and instead took the moment to have some fun of her own. Youko had already prepared dinner with Aika, but left Senri alone knowing that he was tired. Meanwhile, Nanaya had begun to ruffle Senri's hair, who in turn started softly groaning and squirming about like a little vulnerable girl. He could feel the soft touch of somebody stroking his hair, and while he tried to continue napping, his eyes slowly began to open and when his eyes finally opened, he could see Nanaya, now awake, stroking his hair.

Senri blushed madly.

"Uh...? Nanaya-san???"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

The girl was enjoying her time ruffling Senri's soft hair. His squirming was... Cute, too. A tiny, harmless gir- Well, guy, in a big world. Senri actually reminded Nanaya of herself. Her happy self. Nanaya opened her eyes as she heard Senri's voice. However, the smile remained on her face. It indicated that she thought nothing was wrong. It was further justified when Nanaya said just one word.

"What?"

Then, Nanaya noticed Senri's flushed face, and seeing that, immediately triggered a chain reaction in her mind and body which made her blush profusely - Almost as much as Senri himself. And hell, she didn't even know why.

"...I... Um... Uhh... I..." Nanaya looked away, her hand still on his head. "...I-I'm sorry..." Nanaya pulled her hand off.

[trancehime]

Senri shook his head as he simply continued to lay down on the bed, looking back at Nanaya, who was also blushing at this site. "Aww, don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong!" Senri squeaked out as he still idly squirmed occasionally, taking some form of comfort from Nanaya's hand on his head, but at the same time, he wasn't so sure if this was okay. Then again, Youko didn't seem to care very much. In fact, it almost seemed like his mother was making fun of him for it, teasing him idly or trying to take advantage of the situation - on his expense. Furthermore, how would Aika react to all this? Senri barely even knew Nanaya. Just that she just randomly visited the town and went into the teahouse. Then this all happened because Nanaya dined and dashed. Senri was still blushing, but then he mustered up the courage to try and actually talk.

"Aw... so... um... Nanaya-san, where... where did you come from? Like... you don't seem to be from here..."

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

"M-Me...?" Nanaya stuttered, looking back at Senri. "Um... I-I'm from somewhere f-far from here..." Nanaya pointed towards the east. "S-Somewhere there... I think... Long ago I was in a mansion and stuff. Rich people. Then I ran away and lived behind the Hakurei Shrine. L-Like in a cave... Then I met some people and then I stopped meeting anyone for a really long time so I was lonely." Nanaya frowned. She could hardly even remember her father's name, yet alone remember the name of the place where she was from.(Do note that it IS in Gensokyo)

Nanaya pointed at her sword. "That's the Arasoi no Ion. My father's sword. I stole it before I left my old home. A-And the gauntlets... They were from somewhere near my cave. Kasen once said that they were from Makai... But I don't know if that's true or not because I don't think I have ever been to Makai..." Soon after, the blush from Nanaya's face settled. She proceeded to stand up, looking around.

"I-I heard a voice in my head and when I tried to talk to it, it would'nt talk back! But before that it said what would I do if you were sleeping. So, I remembered... somebody used to do that  to me when I slept so I thought I would do it on you... Um... I-I didn't mean anything wrong... Like, um..."

Nanaya looked away, shaking her head. "I-I'm sorry a-about earlier... Y-You know, that..." Nanaya placed her index and middle fingers on her mouth, looking away for a moment, before putting them down.

"T-To be honest, you're the first boy that I-I've ever met..." Nanaya smiles gently. "...N-Not like I met any other people besides you and Amaya..." Nanaya mumbles.

[Marokuu]

Sanaya raised an eyebrow, partially because the woman had brushed her off without even returning a name of her own, rather rude, but also in response to what she had said after doing so. "A feast at a shrine and directions, could she be...?"

She squirmed for a moment before her curiosity took over and she spoke up again.

"I'm sorry miss... eeh, yes... no introduction, right." She shook her head before continuing. "You said you were going to a feast. Would this be the feast at the Hakurei shrine by any chance?" She paused awkwardly, trying to formulate her next sentence properly. "I just so happen to be heading to the very same feast and I simply took a detour past here to confirm my directions with Miss Keine." She turned her head towards the teacher. "The shrine is located in the mountains to the east correct?"

[Dorakyura]

'When no one ever appeared here, why does a human appear on the mountain so suddenly...'
Still in thoughts, Amaya pushes Vin's little head down. "You just wait here ~♥" she says to him. Amaya stands up and follows Kanako and Suwako to the entrance. She follows Kanako elegant.
"Okaasan, welcome back." She says with a smile as they approaches Sanae. "Can I help you?" she asks before she can see what Sanae brought with her.

[Sonae]

---Sourfang

?Who would tell you such a silly thing?? Yuyuko says as she raises her sleeve to her mouth and laughs.
As Kohaku asks her next question, Yuyuko replies immediately.
?Of course we do? She says with a smile.
?Ah?Lady Yuyuko?? Youmu says with a sigh, a worried expression across her face. ?Please don?t tease those you?ve only just met?
?But Youmu, you need to make a real impression when meeting someone? Yuyuko says taking out her folding fan and waving it slightly in Youmu?s direction.
?Um?I don?t think that?s quite right?? Youmu mumbles with another sigh.
?Youmu~? Yuyuko calls, her voice seeming more distant now.
?Yes milady?? Youmu responds, opening her eyes and looking for the Saigyouji mistress.
?Youmu~ I?m hungry~? Yuyuko says.
?Ah! Lady Yuyuko! Those are for the Feast! You can?t eat them now!? Youmu says, rushing over to the ghost princess.

---------

---GuyYouMetOnline and Marou

Keine turns her gaze to the approaching woman, greeting her with a smile.
As the woman finishes introducing herself, Laresa retorts to a comment the girl had made, casuing Keine to frown, disappointed by her former student?s rudeness.
Reluctantly, Keine sighs and speaks.
?Give me a moment to write them down? She says as she takes out a small notepad and a pencil and begins to write down the directions.
She hands Laresa the directions, receiving a thank you before she begins to depart. However, upon hearing her words, she speaks up.
?I hope you?re not planning on attacking that oni Laresa? She says with an untrusting, almost faintly hostile, tone. Her voice resounds strongly, stopping Laresa from leaving without responding.

As Sanaya speaks up, breaking the awkward silence surrounding them, Keine glances at her and nods, trying not to give Laresa an opportunity to slink away.

---------

---Dorakyura

?Ah, Hello Amaya? Sanae responds with a warm smile. ?How was your day??
?Some weirdo came by? Suwako pipes up, followed by Kanako entering the discussion.
?She apparently knew about you and I? Kanako says, not seeming to worry too much about it.
?Oh?? Sanae says, trying to recall any such weirdos and having no luck.
?So Sanae, what?d you get?? Suwako asks in an excited tone.
?Oh, just some groceries. Bread, tea, rice, vegetables, things like that? She says as she sets the bags she was carrying on the nearby counter.
?Oh! I also came across? this!? She says as she digs into the bag and retrieves a familiar bundle of papers. ?Did you guys hear?? Sanae says with an all too energetic smile.