The Best Replacement
Shinki paced up and down the pews of the church corridor. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, illuminating her from behind. The goddess?s silver hair shone even as the rest of her body became shadowed, giving her a slightly sinister appearance.
"Shinki-sama, Alice-sama has disappeared! I can't find her!"Shinki closed her eyes. A few days prior, the shrine maiden of Gensokyo had barged into Makai, along with three other companions. The group had destroyed nearly half of Makai, although Shinki had to admit that a good percentage of the devastation had been caused by her own hubris. She regreted not reinforcing the entrance to Makai.
Then again, it wasn?t like she couldn?t repair the damage. And no one had died in the Gensokyans? invasion, thank the gods. So Shinki wasn?t particularly upset about the intrusion.
What did upset her was the fact that her beloved daughter had left Makai without telling anyone.
Shinki sighed and ran her fingers through her silver hair. Perhaps it was for the better that Alice had left without telling her. Shinki knew for certain that she would probably have done anything to make Alice stay. And she understood that if she had tried to do so, Alice would never have forgiven her. Shinki knew that what Alice had done was for the best, but?
It still hurt.
Not many people knew, but Makai?s goddess always went to churches when she became troubled. Shinki often had to dodge crowds of adoring demons and devils to reach the few churches near Pandemonium, but she always went whenever she became disturbed, regardless of how long she would have to wait in order to get the church to herself.
Shinki breathed in and exhaled, before collapsing into one of the pews. She bent forwards and rested her elbows on her knees, covering her face with her hands.
It was a little embarrassing really, how precious Alice was to her. Alice was nothing more than a young human who had stumbled into the demon realm, but Shinki had taken her in without a second thought. After all, adopting one human ward would not drain Shinki in the slightest, and as a bonus, the goddess could use taking care of the girl as an excuse to escape Yumeko and the dreaded tortures of paperwork!
Shinki sighed and smiled as nostalgia washed over her. Alice had unexpectedly wormed herself into the goddess?s affections in a manner that no one else ever had. Alice had made Shinki want to protect her, to love her, and to watch her grow. It had been a truly wonderful mother-daughter relationship.
But now it was over. The little daughter had grown up and left, and now the mother was left alone.
Shinki?s smile turned bitter, and she looked up, expecting to see the plain wooden beams that held up the church ceiling.
What she saw instead made her leap into the air, a good nine yards away from the pew she had been sitting on.
The thing that had shocked the goddess so was no inanimate object; rather, it was a woman. She was floating upside down and had long, disheveled green hair and eyes of the same color. For some reason, the lower half of the woman?s body was made out of mist, and the mist itself formed a blue skirt.
Shinki knew her. Well, knew a little bit about her, at least.
?? Ah. If it isn?t one of the humans? eight million gods? Didn?t I tell you to leave Makai, miss?? Shinki gave the woman a plastic smile. The woman smirked right back and quickly righted herself.
?You did. But I don?t see why I should have to obey you.? said the woman.
?Really now? Even though I could probably blow you to bits? Right here, right now?? Shinki couldn?t help but grin a bit as the spirit woman raised a brow.
?You didn?t do it when Reimu attacked you. You didn?t do it when Yuuka wrecked half of Makai. You didn?t do it when Marisa beat up your subjects; hell, you didn?t even try to blow me up when I put your daughter in a maid outfit! If you didn?t do it then, you wouldn?t do it now.? laughed the woman.
Shinki?s face stiffened at the mention of her daughter, but she hid it as best she could. ?Well, Alice had disobeyed my direct orders to stay away from the fighting. Disobedient children must be shown the consequences of their actions.?
The spirit smirked and floated closer. The goddess tensed slightly, ready to attack should the spirit become aggressive.
?Well,? the Gensokyan drawled. ?Aren?t you quite the disciplinarian? Maybe that?s the reason your girl ran away.?
Shinki stiffened, and irritation washed over her. ?Ah? So you know?? The green haired woman gave her another cocky smile and shrugged.
?Maybe I do, maybe I don?t.? said the spirit. ?Oh, hell, who am I kidding? Of course I know.?
?Hm.? Shinki?s voice became slightly uneasy. ?And how did you find out? Did you see her leave? Is she alright??
?Oh?? the woman grinned. ?And here I thought you let her leave. Did you not know??
Shinki bit back a small sigh of annoyance. This spirit certainly knew how to aggravate people. She was almost as bad as the other green-haired Gensokyan, the playful one who destroyed half of Makai.
?Miss? Oh, I?m sorry. What?s your name?? Despite her irritation, Shinki still felt impolite for not asking the other woman?s name.
?Mima, the Evil Spirit and goddess of Gensokyo.?
That was probably a lie, Shinki thought. Still, she humored the spirit. ?I see? Well Miss Mima, I did not know that my daughter had left Makai until my maid, Yumeko, informed me that Alice had gone missing. We searched Pandemonium together until we found her goodbye letter.?
?And here I thought you knew everything that goes down in Makai,? Mima said, her tone slightly mocking. "You can't even sense the departure of one little girl?"
?That would be creepy, to see and comprehend every little thing someone does,? muttered Shinki. ?So Miss Mima, are you going to tell me what has become of my daughter, or will I have to wring that information out of you??
Mima frowned, and floated closer to the goddess. This time Shinki did not react, and let the Gensokyan approach. Only when they were face to face did the spirit speak.
?No need for any wringing, thank you very much. Your kid is fine; she snuck into Gensokyo at night, when Reimu was asleep.?
?I would have thought that the guardian of the Barrier would be more vigilant.? sighed Shinki. Knowing Alice was safe had lifted a great load off of her shoulders and made her more amicable to her guest.
?
Nein, Reimu?s a lazy bum outside of Incidents or life-threatening situations.? Mima said as she slowly drifted down towards the church pews. She touched down and sat down on a bench. Shinki followed her and settled onto the pew just in front of her, sitting so that she was facing Mima.
And then the goddess voiced her suspicion. ?Miss Mima, about Alice.?
?What about her? I already told you that she was safe in Gensokyo, right??
?Yes, you did, and I thank you for that. But it seems to me that you are the type of person to have a bad habit of lying. And I really don?t appreciate it when people lie while giving me important news.? Shinki?s perpetual smile disappeared, only to be replaced by a cold, stoic poker face.
?Why would I lie to you? What could I possibly gain from doing that? I don?t give a damn about the Incident you caused. I could care less about Makai or its residents, and believe me, if I had wanted something I would have taken it after I beat you and your daughter,? Mima said, slightly unnerved by the sudden change in the goddess. ?Trust me, I have no ulterior motives; I only came to Makai because your demons were overrunning my territory. Your girl is fine.?
Despite the spirit?s assurances, the silver-haired woman still shot her a disbelieving stare.
?
Mein Gott,? Mima sighed. ?C?mere, I?ve got proof.?
Shinki warily flipped over the back of the bench and landed onto Mima?s pew, right next to the spirit. Mima lifted her hand, palm-up, and summoned a ball of magic. Shinki?s senses tingled as they registered and recognized Mima?s signature sense of power, something she had a taste of a few days ago when the spirit and her fellow Gensokyans invaded Makai.
The ball stretched and flattened itself out into a smooth, light blue screen, which flashed white and made Shinki blink. Once the light died away, the goddess could see that the monitor displayed Alice?s figure. Her daughter looked very different, and her background was unfamiliar. Alice now had the body of a girl in her late teens, and her blonde hair was a bit longer and wavier. Her clothes were more varied now, although her main color scheme still remained blue and white. The goddess was pleasantly surprised to see that her daughter was wearing a caplet. Alice had always hated them, despite how often Shinki encouraged her to wear one. Shinki hoped that it was a sign that she missed her mother?after all, the goddess was the only one who wore a caplet in the demon realm.
The Alice on the screen seemed to be sitting inside a run-down cottage, carving a doll and frowning intensely. Shinki smiled a bit at that. Alice had always loved dolls. She vaguely remembered her sleeping with one named Hourai, always using it as a security blanket of a sort.
?She?s alright?? whispered the goddess.
?Huh? That?s your daughter? I thought I got the wrong person! I saw her right after the Incident was resolved, and she was just a little kid then! When did she get so big?? asked Mima.
?By using the power of the grimoire. I guess that Alice couldn?t wait to grow up, and aged herself using its full power. Or she changed her species with it.?
?Ah. And you aren?t upset about that?? Mima seemed a bit surprised.
?If Alice were still in my care, I would have been absolutely furious. But now that?s she?s off in Gensokyo, away from my influence? Her decisions are her own.? The goddess smiled demurely and ran her fingers through her silver hair.
Mima stared at her intensely, her face blank and unreadable. Shinki was a bit unnerved.
?So, ah? Miss Mima!? said the goddess. ?Why have you returned to Makai?? The spirit did not respond at first, but slowly snapped back to reality.
?Huh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something.?
?If I may ask, what were you thinking about?? asked Shinki.
?I was thinking about
sie. But don?t ask me about what I was thinking about, I?d rather you find out yourself.? Mima said. Her pale cheeks turned a bit pink. ?As for why I returned to Makai??
A sie? Was that an object or a person? Was that even in Japanese? Questions flitted through the goddess?s mind, but she decided to ignore them, as the spirit had specifically told her not to ask. ?Yes? Why did you return to Makai??
?I met someone while I was here. That person was very interesting, so I thought I?d come back and see he?I mean ?that person?.? Mima?s face grew a bit redder as she spoke.
?Is that so? Did you find that person?? Shinki asked curiously.
?
Ja, I did.? Mima clamped her mouth shut and looked down at her ghostly lap, obviously not wanting to speak about such a subject anymore. ?Hey, can you let me stay at your place for a while? I don?t really feel like going back to Gensokyo for a while.?
?Why? Is it because of this person in Makai?? teased Shinki.
??
Ja?? Mima grinned sheepishly.
?Hmm.? The silver-haired goddess pursed her lips and pretended to think about it. ?Well, since it seems like your motives are? relatively pure, I?ll let you bum off of me??
?
Danke very much??
?Under one condition.? Mima stopped halfway through her sentence as Shinki revealed her catch. The spirit swallowed.
?What is it??
?I want you to ask me while using my name. You haven?t said it at all, you know?? Shinki grinned childishly and leaned closer to Mima. She stopped when their faces were only a few inches away from each other.
Mima?s face grew very red, almost as red as Shinki?s caplet. The goddess laughed inwardly. She liked Mima, she was fun!
?? Fine. Shinki,? Mima?s emerald eyes stood out against her red face, making them sparkle brilliantly. ?Can I stay at your place for a while??
Shinki smiled, and suddenly jerked away from Mima, tilting her head back as she did so, her side ponytail brushing her shoulders. The goddess burst out laughing.
?Oi, shut up! Aw, damn it. And this is after all the information I gave you on your daughter too!? cursed Mima.
?Ah, well, I already said thank you for that, yes?? Shinki stopped laughing, but the mirth never left her voice. ?If you had asked me to take you in before talking to me about Alice, I would probably have beaten you to pieces and let Yumeko turn you into stew. Now though??
Mima turned away. ?Damn it, I guess it?s no use talking to such an ungrateful goddess. I?m leaving!? Despite Mima?s words, Shinki noticed that a distinctly teasing tone colored her threat.
?Ah, my apologies, Madam Mima. This humble goddess will escort you to your new quarters~!? Shinki said in a singsong tone. The spirit?s face turned a bit red as the silver-haired woman grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the church.
Alice might have left her, Shinki reflected, but when she did, at least she left someone to keep her mother company.
Shinki let out one more laugh, and then spirit and demon took to the air.
.......
I ship them. I totally do. Oh, and German Mima? No real basis, I just thought it'd be awesome.
At any rate, did you think I wouldn't update for a while? Too bad, I lied! Here's to spring break and free time, people!
Google-Translated German: ( Tell me if it's wrong )
Nein: No
Ja: Yes
Mein Gott: My God
Sie: You
Danke: Thanks
