A/N: I think I'll upload anything else left, thus I'll leave the last three chapters that I wrote a while back here. Please enjoy.
A/N: This piece is mainly dedicated to fellow fans of Touhou from the RWBY Wiki Chat. Please enjoy.
The Forest of Magic.
A wooded area filled with immense trees that were centuries old, and normal Youkai going about their daily business.
Although not many dared to venture into the forest for fear of their lives, some brave few ventured within in search of valuables and ingredients.
And in a massive clearing near the middle, was a peculiar sight.
A simple house, as large as an Outer World two story urban building occupied the large clearing, its build seemingly inconspicuous to the outside view, with no notable features, besides the picnic table, blacksmithing station, and garden outside.
Inside however, a far different story unfolded.
The kitchen contained a dozen appliances, each powered by magic, while the furniture was of a simple mahogany, sturdy yet comfortable. Strangely enough, a rack for shoes had been placed inside, as had a welcome mat. The dining room contained cushions and even a kotatsu, a hot plate residing in the center of the table. Bedrooms in varying degrees of cleanliness lay scattered throughout the house, each belonging to a specific person. A large computer took up a small portion of the living room, which was outfitted with modern electronics such as a TV and game console.
Most curious of note however, was the armory room, where a Shadow Gate led to a room designed as a pocket dimension, utilizing an infinite space area. Weapons of all varieties resided within, ranging from blades, maces, bows, spears, to more modern equipment such as firearms, explosives, even directed energy weapons.
Most of the house was quiet, except for the kitchen, where a young girl was at a cutting board, organizing her ingredients.
Long blonde hair flowed down her back as her warm emerald eyes were furrowed in concentration, her mind occupied by thoughts of what she would make, what she would utilize in the meal, how she would prepare it, and various other related musings.
A white apron with a symbolized sun lay over a simple purple shirt and blue slacks, her attire functional yet simplistic.
Known as Terra Rose, she was a human Incident Solver, one of the few who coordinated closely with notable figures such as Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame.
?Hm, what to make?? She wondered aloud, still contemplating what to make.
In the corner of her eye, she spotted a black tendril in the wall near the front door that was quickly growing, its shape molding into that of a door. Darkness seemed to cling to its very form, black and unseeable that invoked a sense of despair, yet comforting to those that knew of what darkness truly meant.
For there cannot be light without dark, just as evil cannot exist without good.
Once it fully materialized, the Shadow Gate swung outward into itself, a black fog covering it as a figure strode through, their feet never touching the wooden floor through levitation.
Described only in how indescribable they were, their cloak only allowed others to see a glint of an eye, midnight black in its shade. Their legs, body, arms, even face were hidden, unable to be observed.
?I?m back! Anybody here??
As a friendly voice emanated from the cloaked figure while it floated over to the coat stand, Terra responded, ?Welcome back Shadow! Wagashi?s outside working on a construction project, and I?m making Lunch.?
As the cloak was hung up and removed from the now named Shadow and their shoes were left in the front, they said once unmasked, ?Want some help??
With the cloak off, one could see that Shadow was of a male gender and human-like at that, his dark, midnight colored eyes gleaming with apathy, yet also kindness. A black muscle shirt and black sweatpants could be seen on him, while he walked into the kitchen.
With her tongue stuck out, Terra teased, ?What, so you can make a disaster of my cooking??
Deep, baritone laughter followed the friendly jab, as Shadow responded with, ?On the contrary, my cooking is excellent, unlike most men.?
A quick glance around the room told him all he needed, murmuring aloud, ?Egg and tomato dish, spinach, and some rice... I?ll do the spinach for you.?
As Shadow?s hands began to cut the spinach into their readied states having switched his hands to Shadow Blades, Terra commented while slicing several tomatoes, ?I remember when my older brother would walk in, and ask if I needed any help. When I told him what to do, he couldn?t tell the difference from a tomato and an apple!?
As several tendrils of darkness, known as Shadow Arms extended from Shadow?s body, retrieving ingredients to prepare them, he responded with, ?Hah! My family was different, whereas they always asked me to help out. Mostly because they were lazy, but I digress.?
Terra had begun humming a tune, her voice sweet and high, as Shadow asked, ?Know where Yuki and Himmel are?
A few tomatoes were deposited into a frying pan as Terra said, ?Yuki?s in the Human Village hanging out with Keine Sensei, and Himmel?s-?
The front door banged open as a voice called out cheerfully, ?I?m back!?
A male figure, garbed in a black overcoat with silver lining stepped through the front door, leaving his boots behind as he walked in, the door closing behind him. Black hair accompanied a pair of cobalt blue eyes, his features friendly and cheerful. A simple longsword, remarkable only in how unremarkable it was rested in a sheath on his back, while a pair of black crow wings folded upon themselves upon his entry.
Known as Himmel, the half Crow half human hybrid was one of several others who lived in the house, typically busy with his work.
A trio of eggs were flipped in a pan as Shadow said, ?Welcome back. Any good bounties in the Outer World??
Himmel placed his longsword onto the weapon rack instead of the weapon deposit system which led to the armory and hanged up his black and silver overcoat, his black wings still folded.
Himmel responded, ?Decent enough. Got a job from some Brits to eliminate a terrorist cell in England, good pay.?
Dropping into one of the chairs at the kitchen table, Himmel asked, ?Anything interesting on your end??
Shadow reported casually, ?Assassinated the President's would be assassins, and protected the White House from a coordinated terrorist strike. US is in our debt, so we can vacation there some time.?
A glance over at the numerous tasks being performed by Terra and Shadow had Himmel asking, ?Need some help??
Simultaneously, Shadow and Terra yelled with panic in their voices, ?No!?
Covering one of his ears, Himmel complained, ?Ah jeez, what did I do??
?You nearly burned down the house!?
Several weeks prior...
Himmel had just completed cooking a terrible mess of waffles on the stove which were completely burnt, and forgot to turn off the fire magic valves as he said, ?Breakfast is ready!?
And as he walked outside with a smile on his face, the valves continued to feed power into the stove, terrible sounds emanating as its pressure continued to build...
Several minutes later...
After the rather questionable meal that Himmel had prepared was consumed, terrible as it was, Yuki?s nose perked up suddenly, as she sniffed the air, saying with a hint of confusion, ?Something?s burning-?
A screeching yell rent the air as someone yelled out, ?OH GOD THE KITCHEN IS ON FIRE!?
Himmel scratched his head embarrassed, muttering, ?Eheheh...?
Terra jumped a bit, as she said, ?That?s right, we?ll be having some guests over, and they should be-?
A mighty crash resonates from the outside, as a cheerful voice yelled out, ?Hey, anybody home ze??
Terra sighed before muttering, ?That would be them.?
A Shadow tendril opens the door while he says, ?Welcome. Please take a seat inside, lunch will be served shortly.?
Reimu and Marisa, the two guests walk through the front door after removing their shoes.
With a grin, Marisa said, ?Ooh, lunch. What?s on the menu chef??
A smack to the back of the head by Reimu left Marisa rubbing the hit spot, the former scolding, ?Oi, be polite.?
With a bow to the residents, Reimu said, ?Apologies for troubling you, arriving here unannounced.?
The trio all laugh, their amusement at the scene evident as Terra says after calming down, ?Oh its fine, don?t worry so much Reimu. And Marisa, it?s just some eggs and vegetables.?
With a fist bump into the air, Marisa joyfully exclaimed, ?Sweet! I?ll look forward to it then ze~?
Shadow and Terra continue cooking, the sounds of frying and cutting overlapping the conversation held by the other three, whom had all taken a seat.
Marisa leaned back in her chair with her feet propped up, as she asked, ?So, how?s the forest been treating you guys? Gotten used to all the magic residue and miasma??
Himmel replied, ?Oh yeah, we?re fine. The magic residue has been good for some of us, but the others don?t mind it, since it doesn?t affect us.?
In the midst of cooking, Terra asked,?Where on earth did the mushrooms all come from? There?s far too many varieties and quantities, even after taking into account nature?s higher power content here and her behavior.?
Marisa nods and says, ?I grew some of those species myself, and introduced a few from other areas. Both the fast growing nature of some of them and nature?s power around here cause most of the species to grow exponentially, not even counting the residue let off by my experiments ze.?
As they spoke, the wall nearby almost seemed to morph inward, as five figures stepped through, landing right on the welcome mat before the gap closed behind them.
The first was known as Wagashi, who was an androgynous-appearing female, their attire being a construction worker?s outfit complete with a hard hat who had taken off their shoes and was already hanging them up.
The second was a werewolf known as Yuki, her green dress shirt and jeans concealing her more animal like characteristics, as her grey combat boots were left on the welcome mat.
The third was known as Hatty Hattingmon, who was dressed far more formally, a western styled tuxedo complete with top hat and monocle adorning the third man, as he left his dress shoes by the makeshift door and walked inside.
The last two figures were both a common sight in the Human Village, Keine Kamishirasawa and Fujiwara no Mokou both stepping in, curious at Wagagshi?s power of manipulating construction materials before they too stepped inside with the former saying, ?Please pardon the intrusion.?
Yuki greeted everybody cheerfully, showing a few sharp teeth as she exclaimed, ?Yahoo, Yuki here!?
Similarly, Wagashi greeted them as well with, ?Hello!?
Himmel simply called back, ?Sup? Lunch is still being prepared.?
Keine bowed once more as she said, ?Sorry to trouble you.?
With a head scratch, Mokou also bowed awkwardly and said, ?Er, yeah. Sorry to intrude.?
Shadow laughed a bit and reassured them, ?Worry not. We made extra in anticipation.?
A few moments later with the completion of the dishes, Terra goes to set the table outside quickly and efficiently with no wasted movement nor time, while Shadow uses his tendrils to throw all the dishes, still in their pots and pans into the air at once, slightly cooling them down while having them all land in plates that were already grabbed by another dozen tendrils, and sets the dishes onto the outside dining table through the already open windows, each area already perfectly set. It had become a tradition for the duo, their cooking routine having become second nature as they shared a grin.
With scrapes of chair legs and stretching by some, everyone proceeds to relocate to the outside dining table, and make their own pre meal preparations.
A gust of wind whirls through the area, as Aya Shameimaru flies in from above, her notepad and camera still out and already snapping a picture.
Aya playfully chirped, ?Ayaya, is this a picnic? Why wasn?t I invited??
With an amused smile on his lips, Shadow responded, ?In that case, welcome. Would you like to join us??
A gracious smile appeared on Aya?s face as she said, ?It?d be my pleasure.?
Aya takes a seat, and Shadow grabs one of the spare plates before handing it to her.
As everyone settled in, they all said at once, ?Itadakimasu!?
Taking bites of their respective dishes, there was cheer all around as everyone conversed.
Keine commented, ?What wonderful cooking!?
Mokou admitted, ?Huh. This is really good.?
Marisa grinned with a mouthful of tomatoes in her mouth, ?Delicious ze!?
Aya also commented in wonder, ?Wow, this is stupendous cooking, simple yet comforting.?
Reimu ate some with a contemplative look on her face as she observed, ?Interesting use of the spice arrangement and amounts. Do you always use spices in these increments for egg dishes??
Shadow responded with good nature, ?Our dishes vary, so most of the time, it changes a lot for each one, considering the numerous different dishes that we prepare.?
Himmel laid back in his seat and said, ?Delicious as always.?
Yuki smiled and said, ?Totally awesome food, woof!?
Hatty chewed his food and pondered aloud after swallowing, ?I wonder if something was changed today? It seems like there?s a bit more spice mixed around... But it keeps things interesting.?
Wagashi murmured, ?Great food, but pastries...?
Terra smiled and patted Wagashi on the head before comforting them by saying, ?I?ll make you some pastries later, okay??
Shadow chuckles, his quiet tone unheard by others.
As the food was slowly finished and the sake was brought out, Aya found herself asking as her crow familiar showed signs of curiosity, ?I was sort of curious... Himmel, was it??
With a mischievous grin, Himmel replied, ?Yes, my name is Himmel, why do you ask Aya??
?Are you truly descended from a crow god from the Outer World??
As the other conversations died down and everybody listened in, Himmel took a moment to think, before saying, ?Yeah, but his name?s been lost to time already. Nobody remembers who he is, even myself, but his legacy lives on in me.?
Aya continued in her questioning, ?How was it, living in the outside world as a Crow Tengu??
Himmel answered, ?It was alright, life wasn?t painful or anything. Even though I had to live on my own to hide my wings and other crow features, I lived simply... Until I met these maggots.?
A playful wink and grin accompanied himmel?s teasing which had been directed towards the rest of his household, who responded with gusto.
Hatty yelled back with a drunken slur, ?What did you just say about me? I?ll bash ye skull in mate, swear on me mum!?
Shadow narrowed his eyes as he said, ?The same to you prick.?
Laughter sounds out from everyone at the banter, until Himmel speaks up again.
Himmel began, ?Well, I first met Wagashi back in 2010 while in Japan, since I was her designated bodyguard for a construction job.?
Wagashi rubbed the back of their head before murmuring, ?That one didn?t end so well, huh? We had a youkai infestation, and they chased out the other workers before we put them down...?
Himmel continued their tale, ?Afterwards, we met up with Terra and Shadow, since they were a duo solving crimes when we crossed paths following the same target.?
Terra asked aloud, ?Who ever did get the bounty anyway??
Shadow responded, ?We split it remember??
Himmel pointed an accusing finger at Shadow before yelling, ?Objection! We defeated you though, so wouldn?t we have gotten the bounty??
A sweatdrop appeared on Wagashi?s forehead as they said, ?If you call losing nearly all of your blood and both of us being brought to Death?s door while making them retreat only because they didn't want to have to slaughter the incoming police forces as beating them, sure.?
A dejected look made itself known on Himmel?s face as he sighed and muttered childishly, ?No need to tell the others that...?
Shadow smiled and said amused, ?I registered a threat, and responded appropriately.?
Terra poked Shadow in the cheek, humor on her face as she lectured, ?To which I had to force you to realize that they weren?t hostile.?
Something resembling embarrassment could be seen on Shadow?s face as he said, ?... Fair enough.?
Looks of wonder and amazement, and as well incredulity could be seen all around as Reimu voiced their thoughts, ?So you met through...?
Marisa finished, ?Almost killing each other??
Terra gave a dazzling grin as she claimed, ?You know what they say, ?The best of friends are forged through combat.?
Shadow interjected, ?Only we say that though-?
A still burning frying pan sailed through the hair to make a very intimate acquaintance with Shadow?s face as he said muffled, ?That was quite unkind, madam Terra.?
Terra pouted as she whined, ?Well you?re also being unkind Mister Insensitive!?
Himmel, Wagashi, Yuki, and Hatty all laugh before Terra lifts her frying pan menacingly while saying, ?Shadow may not feel pain easily, but I?m sure you four will...?
Their laughter dies down instantly, and Shadow speaks, in detailing his own tale, ?I first met Madam Terra in the United States of America, New York to be specific.?
Terra continued for them, ?We were on a train together, and when he saw that I had a magic amplification necklace, he signalled for us to talk privately with mind speech.?
Shadow picked up, ?Once we introduced ourselves, we became fast friends, and eventually our similar ideals on the world caused us to form a partnership as Incident Solvers, ranging from fighting crime to helping the public, in secret of course.?
Terra continued, still cheerful as she said, ?We managed to stay under the radar for a few years, defeating crime syndicates and shutting down illegal businesses, until one day...?
Both of their eyes fell as Shadow said with sorrow, ?Gapdamn it, the government found us...
Yuki interjected as she said, ?That?s when I met them, I was one of the special PMC forces sent in to eliminate the dangerous duo that had the power to influence entire nations, maybe even the world. The UN sent us in, the Alpha Squadron of our PMC, alongside the entirety of the UN First Army... And we were obliterated.
Terra explained, ?Yuki was the only one who managed to survive until the end, and then she asked to join us instead.?
Shadow continued, ?We agreed, and soon enough, we introduced them to Himmel and Wagashi whom we met beforehand in Japan, and our team was formed.?
With a drunken slur and his breath reeking of sake, Hatty yelled, ?Hey, what about me??
Shadow laughed slightly, before saying, ?Eheheh, that?s right. Before I met Madam Terra and everybody else, I first met Hatty when I was traveling the world, eventually meeting him in China a few decades ago. I?d used his Hat business as a hideout while I was in Asia, and we became good friends.?
A bottle was pointed at Shadow by Hatty as he yelled, ?Don?t think that flattery will get you anywhere with me old man! Considering what my shop went through...?
Shadow sighed as he said dejected, ?You?re still hung up about the assassination attempts..??
Hatty?s bottle slammed into the table as he yelled, ?You?re damn right I?m still bitter!?
Aya discreetly finished up writing in her notebook and taking as she closed her camera with a snap just as she put her notebook back into its holster. ?Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.?
Terra bowed as she said, ?Thanks for the interview, and feel free to use whatever you want in the newspaper.?
Aya froze as she prepared to leave, stuttering, ?H-how did you tell??
Shadow answered, ?I saw you writing it down in your notebook. Although those questions did come from your heart, which is a good thing.?
Aya sighed in relief as she cheerfully called out as her wings extended, ?Well, thanks again. Goodbye everyone!?
With a burst of wind gusting about the area, Aya flies off, returning to Youkai Mountain.
Reimu stood as she left her dishes in the piled cleanup area, ?We may as well be taking our leave as well. Would you like some help cleaning up though??
Yuki waved her hand as she picked up several plates and empty dishes, ?We?ll be fine, don?t worry.?
Marisa waved her hand as well, as she said gratefully, ?Thanks for the food, ze!?
As the groups prepared to leave, whether for cleaning or to leave, Mokou spoke to Shadow, saying, ?I?d be interested in fighting with you one day Shadow, how about it??
Shadow held out his hand as he said, ?That?s a promise.?
Mokou takes the hand and shakes it, as the two smile, both predatory and friendly.
Keine bowed once more as she said, ?Thank you for the food. We?ll be leaving then, so farewell!?
The four fly off as well, and everybody leaves the table to assist in the cleaning, everyone picking up plates and dusting away food scraps into the garden nearby as food for the plants.
As everybody finishes the cleanup, chatting amicably as they do so, they ponder what else to do afterwards.
Terra perks up with an idea and proclaims, ?Ooh! Let?s go Flower Viewing!?
With agreement all around, the five leave the house after setting up their security systems, going to enjoy a session of flower viewing...
Several hours passed, and the five figures stumbled back into their house, one still with plenty of energy.
Shadow, even with several bags filled with empty sake bottles and snack boxes walked in through the front door quickly, while saying ?A refreshing sight indeed.?
On Himmel?s back rested Yuki, the former of which who said, ?She?s already asleep, and I?m exhausted.?
Terra yawned and murmured, ?So sleepy...?
Shadow deposits everyone?s belongings onto the kitchen table and sorts them, while everyone else heads off to bed. Upon return to their rooms, they noticed that everything had already prepared beforehand by someone, as Shadow says from the kitchen, ?I had some clones prepare the rooms, so have a good rest everybody.?
As several of the others shuffled into bed, having changed into their nightwear, Shadow called out with mind speech, ?Good night everybody, see you in the morning.?
Terra responded with humor, ?I still find it funny how you don?t sleep.?
Shadow smiles briefly, before going into the living room.
Shadow pondered his options for a moment, thinking aloud, ?Hm... Perhaps I should visit Mors... But she?s busy. Some games then.?
With a few clicks, Shadow turns on his supercomputer, a highly advanced piece of machinery from the Outer World, and plays games various video games, including one about a young shopkeeper and her fairy companion into the long night...
