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I feel kinda bad not posting something completely new to the internet here, but I decided this was better then flooding the board with my stuff later when I needed two or three side stories to explain some of the stuff in Three Days Bright. Besides I might get a random idea that isn't drawn into the black hole that is my other side project, and it'll be good to have a thread here for that.
Anyway I'll start out where I began:
What Winter Left Behind
The snow maiden happily floated along the edge of the Misty Lake. There wasn't a blizzard going, but it was noon, and the unnatural mist that gave the lake it's name had formed a massive freezing cloud. Letty loved every second of the deadly cold, which is why she had decided to make her home here. The mist also served to keep the area cooler during the less pleasant months.
In fact, today the air seemed even more cold then usual. Perhaps spring would come late this year. Letty smiled at this thought, which quickly turned to a grimace as someone hit her in the back of the head with a iceball. Only a fairy would be so stupid as to pull that sort of prank on a youkai like her at the height of winter. She turned and focused her killing cold on the area, to teach the spirit a lesson.
To her surprise, the tiny blue haired figure just giggled. Letty had enough time to see the tiny icicle wings flutter in the frozen air before the ice fairy ran off.
The snow maiden's annoyance quickly turned to mild pity. Fairies were unkillable by normal means, but they only lived as long as the natural force that kept them alive lasted. Those that represented the moonlight through the trees, or the winds over the lake, would last for centuries. Ice fairies, on the other hand, usually lasted only though the winter outside of the mountains. Ice had no memory, unlike flowers, and the world didn't remember ice like the accursed spring.
Letty quickly forgot the matter and spent the rest of her winter wandering about searching out the fiercest snowstorms. She'd seen to many of those fairies come and go to dwell on it too much.
----
Cirno floated over the lake. It had gotten nice and cold again, so Cirno could go out and play. There had been a big stretch where she had done nothing but use her powers to keep her home from melting. She had shrunk to almost half size before the weather had cooled down again. But now she was bigger and stronger then ever, so she could go out and play with all the other youkai.
As she passed by the part of the lake that hid her home she saw a figure moving through the heavy snow. At first she was worried. Perhaps it was a human, or bad youkai who wanted to hurt her house. So she flew towards the figure in order to scare it off.
Then the icy fairy noticed that things had become even colder. It was that odd feeling she had felt about the nice lady who had made things real cold in thanks for playing with her. She decided she would play with the nice lady again. So she rolled up a ball of snow and smoothed it out with her ice powers (to make it fly better) then smacked the nice lady right in the back of the head.
The lady said some words Cirno didn't understand and turned to her. Once again, that wave of wonderful cold rolled over her. Then the lady looked real surprised. More surprised then normal for people who Cirno had just hit with an iceball. Cirno took a quick glance behind her to make sure nothing was sneaking up on her. There wasn't anything there, but then the lady put her hands around her neck. That felt less comfortable.
"You shouldn't hit people with ice chunks little fairy," the lady said. "They tend to get mad."
Cirno found the pressure on her neck wasn't enough to prevent her from talking. "But you thanked me last time. And could you stop holding my neck? It hurts." She began to squirm to get out of the hold, and the Lady let her escape.
"So you were the fairy from last time. Did you come down from the mountain to play here?"
"Nope! I live here."
The lady frowned. "Hm... Well try not to be too noisy." And then she proceeded to walk away. Cirno floated after.
"Hey. I'm Cirno. We should play. What's your name?" The little fairy rambled.
The lady just sighed. "So troublesome. Shouldn't you check on your home to make sure no one's disturbed it?"
Cirno got worried at the thought. "Oh yeah! You're right. Thanks miss." She flew off, thinking of ways she could make sure no one would disturb the small ice cave. Perhaps if she got stronger she could chase dangerous things away from the area....
----
Letty sighed and reached out with her power. She could decrease how cold an area was in addition to increasing it. That was how the Yuki-onna drew humans to them, after all. This time, however, she used her powers to counter that of the little ice fairy, preventing her from making the icicles on the tree too large. "Cirno. If you keep that up you'll make the branches snap."
Cirno pouted, "I know! That's the fun part. Then the snow on the branches falls down." Fortunately, she stopped using her powers allowing Letty to relax as well.
Letty sighed again. For creatures created by nature, fairies seemed completely oblivious to the damage they caused to the natural world. Something that annoyed her to no end. Cirno was worse then most, as ice could deal a lot of damage, especially now that she had grown. Fortunately the little one had taken a liking to Letty for some reason, and either listened with a minimum of whining or stomped
off, leaving Letty some peace and quiet.
Still... "Why don't you play with the other ice fairies as often?" Letty asked.
Cirno shrugged. "They never remember my name. Except the mountain ones occasionally. And usually they're different every year. They're fun but it's always a little weird."
"Well, fairies aren't all that good at remembering things. In fact Youkai all have weak memory." Letty commented.
Cirno looked over at the yuki-onna. "Nuh uh. I'm a fairy and I remember everything. At least now that I'm grown up. I remember the flower festival, the demon explosion, the time I froze a fish on that fisherman's hook...." The fairy began to ramble on, leaving Letty to think.
That was odd. Letty knew that even the strongest Youkai let most events, especially repetitive ones, fade into the background of their memories. It took something like a spectacular defeat, or a passionate love, to leave a lasting mark. That was how they kept track of things over such a long life. She tried to
remember if the ice fairies of the highest mountains had been different, but her tendency to avoid them and her own memory worked against her.
"So yeah. My memory is great." Cirno finished with a beaming smile.
"Hmm... Is that so? Didn't you say you had a match with that Darkness Youkai right about now?" Letty replied looking at the approach of twilight.
"What? Then I have to go beat her down! Bye Letty!" Cirno quickly flew off.
Letty felt odd about tricking the ice fairy like that. She actually couldn't recall at all when Cirno had said she was going to have that match. But it was just so easy to get the flighty girl to wander off. She only wondered why she didn't use those tricks more often.
----
Cirno picked herself off the snow of the forest floor. "Gah! You stupid humans! I'll make you cry next time!" She wiped the tears from her own eyes as she screamed her fury. This was the second time that those stupid humans had made fun of her, and she wouldn't forget it. She was going to be the strongest and she would make them pay.
She fluttered her wings to make sure they had healed and then took to the sky. She had made it a little way into the air when the flash of a spellcard breaking came from along her assailants path. Cirno winced in sympathy for the poor youkai caught by that storm. On a whim she went to check on the person they had defeated. Most Youkai didn't like this weather either, so she was curious as to who it was.
When she arrived at the battle site she saw a familiar hat and translucent cape half buried in snow. "Letty!" The figure in the snow muttered something unintelligible, so Cirno grabbed an arm and pulled her out. "Are you okay?"
The tall woman brushed the snow off her face with one hand while clutching her side with the other. "I'm fine Cirno. I can't revive from death, but this isn't much of a wound." She tried to stand, grimaced at the pain, and settled for sitting. "Ah, but it looks like this winter will end soon. Well, I suppose I was getting a little tired."
Cirno offered her hand to the yuki-onna, and after a pause Letty allowed Cirno to pull her up. The two began slowly walking back towards the lake. After a few moments Cirno spoke up again. "I'll miss the winter." She brightened up again. "But then I guess I'll get to see the flowers. And freeze frogs again!"
Letty frowned and sighed. "You shouldn't mess with nature like that, Cirno."
Cirno felt an odd twinge inside at Letty's disapproving words. "I'm just giving them hibernation training, that's all. I'm not messing with them." Normally fairies didn't bother giving excuses, but Cirno didn't like that look from Letty.
Letty merely shook her head then stood up straighter. "Well in any case, I should be going home to sleep now. You probably should go home too, Cirno." Letty ascended into the air and flew ahead, while Cirno began her own trip back.
After a few moments Letty sped up a bit, so Cirno sped up too. Letty increased her speed little by little with Cirno matching her every step of the way. Cirno found the exercise fun, though she wondered why Letty was sticking around to play when she said she was going home.
Finally on the banks of the misty lake Letty turned to face Cirno. She looked angry. "Why are you following me?"
Cirno thought it over for a moment. "Uh, I wasn't following you. I was going home. Why are you going this way? Weren't you playing with me?"
Letty looked confused for a moment. Then looked around to see if there were any observers. "Cirno. Where exactly is your home?"
Cirno felt fairly nervous about pointing out her home to anyone, but she trusted Letty naturally. So after a quick check of her own, she pointed to a hidden overhang by the lake.
For some reason Letty put her head in her hands. "I'm too tired for this. I'll see you at the end of fall, Cirno." She then moved to a pile of snow covering a dead fall, carefully removed the branches, and stepped into the hole revealed, covering it up behind her. Cirno noticed the hole wasn't all the far from her own home.
After a bit Cirno smiled. "Oh cool! We're neighbors." Well she'd do her best to keep everyone away from both of their homes then. An easy task for the strongest fairy.
----
The last year Letty had been dreading the inevitable recap story from Cirno, but it was almost fun hearing about what happened during her long sleep. She wouldn't want to be out and about in that heat, but the tales were interesting. Especially since the late fall rarely had any good snowstorms to dance
through.
Cirno gave another exaggerated gesture. "And then I saw Lilly White flying around during the festival and I shot her down. Boom! It was great."
Letty tried to give a look of disapproval, "Now now. Even if she is a horrid bringer of pollen and warmth you shouldn't be messing too much with nature."
Cirno pouted. "But she shot at me first!"
Letty smiled widely and patted the fairy on the head. "Well that's okay then. Good job putting her in her place." Cirno beamed back at the praise. She was sorry she had missed THAT show.
"Yep!" Cirno continued. "Daiyousei said that I was the strongest fairy for sure now that I beat Lilly! And Daiyousei should know, cause she's the smartest fairy."
"I see. That's impressive Cirno, you should keep up the good work." Letty wondered if this Daiyousei was the rumored 'fairy of fairies' or if she was just the longest lived one in the area.
"But that one Lady was kinda annoying. She said I was too powerful." Letty looked down to see Cirno frowning.
"Who said that?"
"The Yama. She said I was too powerful and that I might die. But fairies die all the time right? And then we come back." From her expression Cirno had tossed the idea aside.
Letty felt that odd feeling again. "You shouldn't be so careless, Cirno. A fairy who dies to far from their home won't return. And a fairy who's home is destroyed will vanish forever. Gensokyo is a small place, but it's best to be careful."
Cirno looked almost humbled for a few seconds. "Okay Letty. I promise I'll be careful."
Letty patted Cirno on the head again. "Good girl." Most fairies were annoying and burdensome, but this one made up for it somehow. Maybe the increase in maturity explained it.
----
Cirno stopped Mystia from flipping past the recipe. "Why don't you use this one? It looks pretty good."
"What?" The night sparrows wings flapped violently and Cirno had to quickly grab the book so that page wouldn't be lost. "How could you suggest using a recipe that requires bird meat!?"
"You idiot! That word doesn't have anything to do with birds!" Cirno pointed at the preceding sentence. "See! 'Seikin.' It says you have to capture the eels live and keep them that way." The fairy folded her arms and gave Mystia a stern look. "The only reason you asked me to help is because I can read, so let me read before getting worked up about things."
"Fine. Fine." Mystia replied with a huff. "Still that's not fair. I've never even heard that word before. Did you get it off Tewi?"
"Well, yeah." Cirno muttered. "At least I got something useful out of her. Stupid rabbit and her tricks. If I ever caught her in a fair fight.... Hey that's an idea. You could add rabbit to your menu."
Mystia gave Cirno an incredulous look. "That wouldn't really fit with the rest of the menu. Though it's better then your idea of selling popsicles in winter."
Cirno sniffed. "I still think it's a great idea. They won't melt, and youkai would buy them."
Mystia sighed. "I told you, the only youkai who would be willing to eat frozen foods outdoors in winter would be fairies. And YOU are the only fairy that uses money. And it's stolen money at that. You stick to reading, I'll handle business."
Cirno was about to reply when a figure moved through the woods. "Letty!" Cirno flew towards the woman in blue and white that had just entered the clearing, and hugged the woman tightly. Letty accepted the treatment for a while before disengaging from the fairy and giving Mystia a nod. The two usually had little to do with each other, but the Night Sparrow appreciated the business winter sent her
way.
"Hello Cirno. It's been a while. You seem taller then ever."
"Yep!" Cirno tried to strike a more mature pose. "You're up early, Letty. I wasn't expecting you for another week."
"There's going to be a lovely snowstorm soon. It should bury the lower mountains. With that autumn will be over." Letty explained.
Mystia started to fire up her grill and began absently singing to herself as the two ice youkai chatted. Cirno went recounting the events of the past year, and Letty sat alternately praising or chiding the fairy, and occasionally even asking for more detail.
"... So the gate guard rushed straight into the "weak spot" of my spellcard and slammed straight into my bullets. It was great. So with the gate guard beaten I was able to wander into the mansion to challenge the mistress herself."
Letty seemed to be unsure if she was proud, worried or just found the whole thing funny. "And what happened then."
Cirno looked chagrined. "Uh, then I got blasted. A lot. The witches were having tea together that day and, well...."
Letty used her hand to hide a grin before adopting a serious air. "That's what happens when you get overconfident. You shouldn't pick a fight unless you're also willing to lose it."
"Hm... I would say that you shouldn't start a fight unless you're determined not to lose it." A dry voice interrupted.
Two more figures entered the clearing. Both were easily recognizable to the three youkai. All of them knew the Hakutaku that guarded the village, and Mokou was an oddity even in Gensokyo.
Mokou continued. "If you refuse to accept a loss, you'll go further then if you just give up. That's why I beat Kaguya whenever she doesn't cheat enough."
Letty frowned. "That seems like dangerous advice to people who can die."
Mokou shrugged and let the matter be. She turned her full attention to Mystia, who was puffing up and glaring daggers at her rival in business, though likely the night sparrow's anger was mostly over Mokou's willingness to cook bird. Keine smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I needed to ask a question of you. If you could just spare a moment?"
Letty looked over at Cirno, who also seemed to have no idea what was going on. "I suppose I could try, but Youkai like you who can memorize histories are rare. I probably won't remember what you want to know."
Keine nodded. "I expected that. Which is why I'm asking Cirno. If that's alright, of course."
"Me?" Cirno looked incredulous then puffed out her chest in self praise. "But of course. I can remember anything I've seen. What do you need to know?"
"How old are you?"
Cirno blinked. "Uh. Let me think." The ice fairy closed her eyes. "This will be two hundred and thirteen, no two hundred and fourteen winters. Told you I could remember anything!"
Letty gave the historian a questioning look of her own. "Why such an interest, Ms Kamishirasawa?"
Keine turned away. "I think you already figured out the answer, Miss Whiterock."
Cirno glanced over at Letty. "What did she mean by that?"
Letty looked over at the Youkai Mountain. "Hm... Well I should hurry if I want to make that snowstorm. Besides I'm sure Ms Lorelai will want me away from her shop so the customers won't be cold. Do you want to come with me?" She stood.
Cirno narrowed her eyes slightly. "That's not an answer."
Letty laughed. "You're growing up, Cirno. You used to miss those all the time." She waved to the three still by the food cart and began heading towards the mountain. Cirno flew quickly after.
"That's not an answer either."
As they left Mokou shook her head. "That's an odd pair. You see such strange things as time passes."
Keine smiled. "Indeed." She looked towards the cart. "Well since we're here, I could buy you diner, Mokou."
Moukou looked to where Mystia had gone from violent looks to pretending to ignore them. "I don't think that would work well. Besides, it looks bad when you eat at the competition's shop."
Keine waved the comment off. "Don't worry, I'll erase the history of this meal so no one will remember."
Mystia grimaced but pulled out a few dishes. "I'll serve anyone with money, stupid human or not. And after tasting this lamprey, only the most stupid wouldn't swear off bird for life."
----
~ And so the years passed ~
"Hey Letty! Guess what happened!"
"Hm... Did you finally beat the giant frog?"
~ and passed ~
"Cirno! Why was the door to my house frozen over?"
"Uh.... I wanted to wake you up early so I dropped the temperature.... I'm sorry!"
~ though the two would only meet one season out of four ~
"I found this near the boarder. I thought you might like it, Letty."
"It's very pretty Cirno. It almost looks like real snow."
~ they enjoyed their time together to the fullest ~
"I hear you've gotten a name for yourself in the village."
"Yeah. Humans are weird. You'd think that leading them into snow drifts would remind them I'm a fairy."
~ but all things of nature, seasons, years, and centuries must end.
----
The sound of someone entering her home awoke Letty from a light doze. It was still odd to spend so much time here awake, but she really didn't have the strength to go outside anymore. Shifting slightly, she raised her head and smiled at the woman who had entered, her sole visitor. "Hello Cirno. Come in."
Cirno gave a weak smile and moved next to the bed. "Hey Letty. How are you?"
Letty took a long breath. "I'm fine. Just tired." There was a long silence. "Hey Cirno, when will spring come?"
The fairy looked away, feigning interest in the snowglobe by the bed. "In another week or so."
Letty chuckled lightly. "You said that last week, Cirno. And the week before." Her tired smile widened just a bit. "You shouldn't mess with nature, Cirno."
"It's *sniff* it's just around your home, Letty. I... I... I don't want you to go away, Letty!" Cirno finally broke down and started sobbing.
Letty mustered her strength to pull the girl closer. "It's okay. Let it all out. Fairies are supposed to let all their feelings out, even if they are the strongest."
Cirno tried to speak, but in the end just hiccuped and cried some more. The two sat like that for a long time, until Cirno's crying had lapsed to an occasional sob.
"Cirno, I have something to tell you." Letty raised a finger to shush the girl when she looked up. "I'm the one responsible for your birth."
She paused to take a deep breath. "The mist over the lake may have offered a little protection for the ice that is your focus, but me lowering the temperature for my hideaway was really why it wouldn't melt. I'm sorry I didn't take responsibility for that even after I figured it out." She brushed some hair off Cirno's face. "But now you can keep your home safe yourself. I'm glad."
Cirno almost managed a smile. "Letty. I already knew. I've known ever since I saw your face when Keine asked my age. And you were always there for me. Even when I was really annoying."
Letty closed her eyes. "Thank you Cirno. I'm glad you were there too. Even if you were sometimes really annoying." There was another long silence. "Cirno. I'm really tired. It hurts to be awake. Could you let me sleep?"
Cirno gripped Letty tighter, but managed to simply say. "Yes."
The air started to get warmer, and Letty began to drift off. She felt a certain pride for the girl, no, the woman, she had spent so much time with. It was rare when winter got to leave something behind. Especially something so full of life.
----
Epilogue
Cirno floated above the lake, her face still marked by tears, but with most of her crying done. She moved to wipe away a few tears when a hand presented a handkerchief. "Here," said Mokou. "Use this."
Cirno wiped her eyes, and shook the kerchief to unfreeze it before blowing her nose. She offered it back, but Mokou simply waved it off. "Consider it my donation to the 'ice goddess of the lake'," the immortal replied with a smirk.
Cirno frowned. "You of all humans should know I'm not a goddess. And that's a terrible donation."
Mokou laughed. "Good point. How about this." She raised a bottle of sake and two cups. "You'll have to chill it yourself though."
Cirno managed a grin. "Thanks again. But I'm still not a goddess. I have no intention of letting the faith of idiots bind me."
Mokou handed over a cup. "Then a wake. To our mothers."
Cirno started at the words. Then choked back a sob. Perhaps Letty had been something of a mother. At least as close to a mother as a fairy would have. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose again, but she was smiling along with the tears.
She took the cup from Mokou and they each filled the others glass. They raised their cups in unison and each drank. The two began reminiscing on the past. Tales of old matches, interesting times, and past friends. After a while Mokou sighed. "It's nice being able to talk with someone else who remembers. You, Keine, and HER are the only people who seem to remember things around here. At least things that weren't huge incidents."
Cirno refilled her cup. "Ice doesn't forget." Seeing Mokou's odd look she explained. "When it melts, ice turns to water. If that water refreezes, it's new ice. But until it melts the ice doesn't change. It remembers everything. Since my focus doesn't melt much anymore...."
Mokou nodded. "You remember everything. Not a bad skill. And I guess that's why you're smarter and stronger then most fairies too then."
Cirno shrugged. That was enough introspection for one day, in her mind. Even with the wine.
Mokou stretched a bit. "Well, I imagine soon even the most sleepy youkai will start remembering things. I hear the new shrine maiden has got a lot of talent. And there's another witch girl making a name for herself down at the village."
A thought fluttered across Cirno's mind. "Hm... That sounds familiar. I take it the shrine maiden is very laid back?"
Mokou nodded. "Some would say lazy."
"And the witch is almost certainly insane. Trained by the black white?" Cirno said with a grin.
Mokou shrugged. "Probably insane, though she's training under the puppeteer. But that one was pretty warped too."
Cirno rubbed her hands together in expectation. "Well it would be untoward if they didn't have something to do. Maybe it'll wake up that mountain miko too." An idea had definitely formed. "Hey, what do you say? I could use a stage 5 boss."
Mokou laughed. "Sorry, I do EX stages only. Besides, Keine would have a fit if I caused an incident. But if they do fly out my way I'll be sure to set them straight." The immortal picked up her bottle and flew off. "Have fun Ms Ice Fairy. Do keep the damage down."
Cirno waved the comment off. Of course she'd keep the damage down. Letty would be sad if her big send off hurt nature. The Hakurei Shrine, on the other hand....
She raised her arms to the heavens and a vortex of ice and snow formed at her command. With careful aim she split it and dropped one on the forest of magic and the other on the shrine. After that it was merely a matter of making a proper trail back. She smiled as the other fairies started fluttering about the lake, each looking to take advantage of the fun. Now she just had to prepare her spellcards and wait.
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That, so cute.
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Thank you so much for bringing in actual Yuki-onna mythology into this one. So much of Gensokyo draws from Japanese myths. It's a real treat to see it brought to the surface.
Also, this Cirno is adorable. She can't help being her, and she was very much the engine of the story here.
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I read this when it was in one of the AD series packs, and I knew straightaway this is one of the most awesome stuffs that I would ever read in fanworks.
it is a beautiful, and most of all, touching tale.
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I read this when it was in one of the AD series packs, and I knew straightaway this is one of the most awesome stuffs that I would ever read in fanworks.
it is a beautiful, and most of all, touching tale.
Hm? Huh, actually that was a different story with the same name in the AD service pack. Didn't know about that one. I shall claim the name however, for I published first! No, don't look at the very clear date stamps showing they beat me to the name by 3 months. Just trust me.
I'm glad that you all enjoyed it, however.
And since I'm posting anyway I'll toss in another work that may have use later. Less serious this time.
-------
Godhood
Satori turned towards her pet as the hell crow walked into the room. ?You aren't feeling well? Did something happen, Utsuho??
Utsuho thought about denying it, but realized that was a futile gesture. ?Yeah. I feel tired, and hungry, and there's kinda a buzzing. It's been going on for a couple days.?
?And you're worried that you won't be able to keep helping me? You shouldn't push yourself like that.? Satori walked forward to pat the girl on the head. ?But it's good that you came to see me. We'll see about getting you back to normal.?
?Hey sis. Hey Okuu.? The voice caused both of them to jump, meaning it could belong only to one person. Koishi Komeji. She was staring a little at Utsuho, like a child stares at a puzzle. ?Okuu, why have your thoughts changed? You've got the normal ones, but there's some other ones I don't understand.?
?Unyuu?? The hell crow shook her head in confusion. She may not be as stupid as Orin occasionally said, but the workings of the unconscious were still beyond her.
Satori frowned. ?That sounds dangerous. Maybe you should see someone about that. I think Orin spoke of a vet aboveground. I'll go find her.?
--
?See. Every time you don't tell me something you get in big trouble. We're best friends right? You have to tell me these things.? Orin shook her finger to emphasize her point.
?But it was onl~ cyah!? Utsuho's response was cut off by Eirin placing a very cold instrument on her bare back.
?Now take a deep breath. Then let it out slowly.? The doctor said, all the while scribbling notes.
Utsuho tried to convey her apologetic excuses to Orin with just a look while the doctor forced her through various breaths, coughs and yawns. But, unlike Satori, Orin didn't read hearts. Or perhaps her scolding was just her revenge.
At this point however the kassha was frowning and thinking about something. ?Hey, Okuu. Did your bust get bigger??
The hell crow blinked. ?Uh, about 2cm? I think. Maybe it's all the boiled eggs.?
Eirin looked up. ?Oh that's good to know. I'll have to take measurements.?
Orin looked at the doctor. ?Wait. How will that help you identify her problem??
Dr. Yagakoro blinked at the question. ?Oh, of course it can't help with identifying the problem. I'm just taking down notes for future reference material and research.?
The two youkai looked at each other then whirled on the Lunarian. ?What!?? ?You mean you don't know the problem??
Eirin shook her head. ?Oh I know the problem. It's just that, your condition cannot be cured by modern medicine!?
?Don't say that while smiling!? Orin yelled.
Eirin waved the kassha's anger off. ?Don't worry. I can't fix it. But I know who can. The same people who gave you the problem. They should be easy to find too.?
--
The doors to the Moriya shrine flew open. Kanako sat up straighter. ?You should show more respect little kassha. Especially since I have acquiesced to see you on such short notice. Normally you'd have to fight past my miko.?
?I'd have worn her down eventually. I don't give up. Now fix whatever you did to Okuu!? Orin strode boldly into the chamber only to stop and look back when she realized her friend hadn't followed.
Utsuho was kneeling at the entryway, panting heavily. ?So... tired... Voices...?
Orin rushed to her friends side and lifted her up. ?Hey Okuu. Utsuho! Pull it together!? She began to shake the girl when a small hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Suwako put her other hand on the fallen hell raven. Utsuho immediately sat up. ?Uh, I feel a lot better. Was that it??
Suwako smiled but shook her head. ?No, but we can fix it. Give us a little while to explain how Kanako screwed things up.?
The larger goddess stood up and yelled at the other. ?Oi! You were the one who let the secret slip to the kappa. It's your fault too!?
Orin and Utsuho looked at each other. Then Utsuho spoke up, ?Could you just tell us what's going on??
Kanako recovered her composure and sat down, while Suwako took a seat behind the two youkai. All the while the frog goddess kept a hand on the hell crow's shoulder.
Kanako began to speak. ?The issue came about due to some unforeseeable events. When you consumed the Yagatarasu you gained it's power, and with that gave us the ability to give Gensoukyo the ultimate power. From that action we gained a great deal of faith.?
Kanako paused to glower at her fellow goddess. ?However, some people learned the process involved, and placed their faith in you, the source of the power.?
Suwako continued the explanation. ?Normally it takes a whole lot of faith to make an item a god. Making a Youkai is easy, but gods require more time and reverence. You however are different, because you've consumed a god and possess it's power.?
Both the yokai's mouths were open in shock as Kanako concluded. ?That is the problem you have Utsuho Reiuji. You are becoming a god because of the faith of humans and youkai in your power. However that faith is yet weak and scattered. It is not enough to support a god of the Yagatarasu's stature. Without enough faith you will obtain godhood only to perish as the Yagatarasu did before you.?
Orin recovered first. ?Does that mean we have to set up temples to Okuu? There's no way we could gather enough faith in time!?
Suwako chuckled. ?Nah, don't worry about it. I said we can fix it.?
Kanako nodded. ?Since the hell crow is acting on our behalf we will gladly share our own faith. We've gathered a lot of faith from your actions, so it's only right we support you ?
?It's a better deal then mine, since you can opt out whenever.? Suwako stuck her tongue out at Kanako, who smirked and adjusted her rope ornament.
All eyes turned to the hell crow, who had just managed to find her voice. ?Wait. I'm going to be a real god??
?Okuu, you're such a birdbrain.?
--
A few more detailed explanations later, the two denizens of hell began their long trip home to the underground.
As they flew along Utsuho suddenly turned to her friend. ?Hey Orin. I figured out what the voices are. They're prayers.?
?Well don't go overboard and try to fulfill all of them.? The kassha warned.
Utsuho shrugged, ?Well most of them seem to be 'Please make this work,' or 'Please don't blow up,' so I really can't help. But it's weird knowing those people are thinking of me. I wonder if this is how Ms. Satori feels sometimes.?
?Huh. Maybe.? The two flew on a bit.
?Hey Okuu. I know you don't need a shrine and all, but wouldn't it be cool if you got a miko anyway??
?Uh, I guess. Maybe? Why do you ask??
?Well I figure if I've got miko powers and kassha powers I'll totally be able to show up the Hakurei maiden! And that would be awesome wouldn't it?? Orin looked over at her friend. ?So can I be a miko? Huh??
Utsuho smiled ?Sure. But if you're my miko, you can't call me birdbrain anymore. That's the rules.?
?Hey that's cheating!?
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Oh, is that so?
I am sorry, must have been confused, both had the same name and I was sorta sure it was you who wrote that one as well.
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Officially the first stories I have read in PSL, And enjoyed them both. Thanks for the great intro into this section for me! :D
ps... keep writing. please!
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Chain Reaction
Patchouli was very observant for someone who had her head stuck in a book all the time. In fact she was almost too observant sometimes. That had caused her some troubles during the Scarlet Weather incident, but had saved her from no end of trouble in many other instances.
Right now she was noticing that Remilia's gaze was lingering on her a bit too much. For that matter Sakuya and Meiling had been suffering from wandering eyes recently. And the Oni from underground had been a little grabby at the last party (much to the bridge princesses' jealousy). All these were signs that something was going very wrong. That her greatest work as Gensoukyo's most knowledgeable magician was falling apart.
Thus Patchouli had prepared an experiment. Finishing her dinner she leaned back and stretched, deliberately pushing her chest forward.
Remi blushed and turned away.
Quickly excusing herself Patchouli ran back to her library. "How could my precautions have failed? Especially on this level. Remi's far too high level to be affected by anything short of a catastrophe." Flying into the rows of bookshelves she called out to the person she had working on the problem full time. "Koakuma! Get here this instant!"
Koakuma peered out from behind one of the shelves. She wanted to run and hide from the fear and anger in her masters voice, but that wouldn't end well. "I didn't do it!"
"Exactly! You didn't tell me that the situation has changed with the puppeteer and the black white. Somethings causing the resonance to go insane!" Patchouli began coughing violently.
The small demon ran up to her master both to help Patchouli stand and proclaim her innocence. "But nothings happened, either between them or anyone else. Marisa's either been in her workshop or youkai hunting and Alice has been..."
"... working on a secret project." The two residents of the mansion looked up to find Alice standing behind them. "Now can you explain why you were spying on me and if that has anything to do with everyone acting so weird?"
Patchouli sighed and waved Alice over to a table. "I suppose at this point it would be futile to try to conceal it more. However it would be more efficient if you explained what has been different. Then I could analyze how big the problem is."
Alice looked disgruntled but took a seat. "Well just on the way here I had to evade a strangely clingy Reimu, then that night sparrow asked that I come by her cart later for some 'special service,' and your gate guard turned crimson when I flew over her." She sighed. "Oh and your familiar seems to be trying to hide in my skirt."
Patchouli practiced swearing in several languages. "That's far beyond expected parameters. Even a relationship with you the Black White and the Red White wouldn't cause this much distortion." Patchouli began scribbling on several scattered pieces of paper. "Oh, right. Anyway that last part's normal. Ignore it."
"It's not something you can easily ignore." Alice said while trying to detach Koakuma from her legs. In the end she wound up with the devil clinging to her waist and just called that a victory. "The explanation please..."
"Magicians are creatures that absorb magic to fuel themselves. As a side effect it tends to draw mystical beings towards them physically and mentally. Humans turned youkai of course absorb more magic and thus create a larger draw. In addition high level human magicians who use their powers often also tend to create massive localized magical draws. Normally it's a non issue, so most magicians don't even know about it. However when large numbers of powerful magicians are present in a small area, along with many magical beings, a resonance effect occurs multiplying the attractions."
Alice sat for a moment internally translating the explanation. "Are you saying that magicians unconsciously seduce other youkai? And that it's worse when there are more of them?"
"A crude summary, but mostly correct. Magically inclined humans are affected as well." Patchouli coughed again. "Humans with less strength then Sakuya are fine. However, the only youkai immune are those with a fixed libido such as succubi" The two magicians both looked at Koakuma, who pretended to be innocent. "I had set up a series of countermeasures to prevent the problem from becoming widespread but they required constant tweaking because Marisa seems to be a natural player. That doesn't help matters. Koa was supposed to make sure you two didn't cross any lines before I could set up more wards." Patchouli grumbled
"We aren't that close."
"That's because Marisa's kind of tsundere." Koakuma helpfully added. Alice flushed. Patchouli pulled up her book to keep her disgruntled look hidden.
"You're so young, you never look right in front of your own..." Patchouli shook her head to clear it and resumed scribbling. "Tch. See. This is what happens when the resonance gets too high. Your emotions start jumping about and you lose all sense and inhibitions." Patchouli finished her calculations. "There. For a disturbance of this magnitude a magician more powerful then any of us would have to have come into Gensoukyo and then began close relations with several youkai."
Alice's eyes opened wide. "Wait. The recent incident. Marisa said that they brought back a youkai from Makai."
Patchouli's pen stopped writing. "The one who set up a temple? She's a Magician? I'm a fool! We have to get there before the incident makes action impossible."
The two magicians turned to rush for the door, but Patchouli hit her chair causing Alice to shift sideways and trip over Koakuma.
--
Sanae looked at the ship turned temple. She had felt a little strange recently, so she decided to get some air, and drop in on Gensoukyo's newest residents. Once again Sanae noted that temples just seemed more somber then shrines. Perhaps it was the quiet. The gods of her shrine kept things bustling, and even Reimu's lazy shrine had youkai visitors often. This temple always seemed deserted even when there were people there.
Sanae rapped on the door. There was a long pause before a voice, Byakuren's, called out "Just a moment." There was a long pause. Sanae was beginning to wonder if something had come up when Byakuren finally opened the door. "Ah. Sorry, it's just me running things right now. What is it you wanted?" The woman seemed a little disheveled, and was breathing heavily.
"Ah you didn't have to run. I was just making a social call." Sanae's head felt a bit stranger. Maybe it was the incense. Well she couldn't just leave right away. It would be rude.
"Well perhaps I could get you some tea." The youkai magician's voice seemed nervous, as if she was hoping Sanae would leave soon.
Sanae immediately became suspicious. "Sure I'd love that," she said with a smile. A voice in the back of her brain was commenting on how this was an invasion of privacy, but then, she was supposed to keep an eye on these people.
"Ah. Of course. Please come this way." Byakuren began to lead Sanae through the former ship.
"Isn't the guest quarters that room?" Sanae asked.
"Oh! Yes, well, that nice Nue girl came by and we gave her the room. She's still sleeping so I don't want to disturb her."
For some reason that sounded off to Sanae. "Oh, that's very kind of you. Especially considering how much she put you through." She began moving towards the room.
"Well she was very apologetic. She was very determined to show her regret." Byakuren stepped in front of the door. "So anyway it would be bad form to disturb her so..."
Sanae smiled, then used her power of miracles to have the door swing open. Both the ladies gasped in shock, Byakuren at the door opening, Sanae at the sight within.
Nue was admittedly on a futon, but her clothes were scattered about in a fashion that suggested sleep hadn't been her original purpose. Minamitsu and Ichirin were draped limply across another futon. Shou apparently had enough strength and consciousness left to pull a sheet over her and Nazarin when the door opened, but she too obviously had been part of the preceding events.
Sanae's head throbbed for a moment before clarity hit like a sudden squall. "I see. So that was your scheme all along."
Byakuren looked incredibly embarrassed. "It's not like that. Nue just attempted to show her apology in a more direct form then Shou said I looked too cute, and Minamitsu claimed captains privilege and Ichirin did her Onee-sama bit and then..."
Sanae smiled widely before advancing. "It looks like I'll have to seal you away after all. With a _special_ ritual."
Shou watched the some of the following events before going back to her half-nap, assured that Byakuren wasn't in any mortal danger. It was surprising how much rope that shrine maiden had on her though.
--
There was a set of soft thumps as the two magicians landed on a surprisingly yielding floor. "Hey! I haven't stolen anything yet. You don't need to tackle me. And why are you helping, Alice?"
Alice jumped off immediately, followed quickly by Patchouli. "Oh no," Patchouli muttered. This was quite possibly the worst thing that could happen.
Alice recovered fairly well all things considered. "Sorry Marisa. We have to run. There's an incident that needs dealing with."
Marisa jumped up and smirked pulling the brim of her hat down. "What? Trying to run off and have all the fun without me? And right after jumping me like that? I'm afraid I can't let you do that. I'll just have to beat you and solve the incident myself."
Patchouli sighed in relief. A danmaku duel would be nice and safe probably.
Sadly for Patchy, a danmaku duel was not to be.
"And how are you going to do that? You don't even know what the incident is! You can't solve everything just by taking the easy path and hoping things work out. Especially if you're in denial about your problems!" Alice punctuated her remarks with a finger poke to the chest. "That's why our relationship is stuck in the same place it was three years ago!" Marisa was stunned. Patchouli was caught by a sudden coughing fit.
"I ~ I don't know what you're talking about. I'm still normal." Marisa protested feebly.
"Sure you are." Alice sneered, while advancing on the shorter witch. "That's why you're always startled when you hear my voice unexpectedly, and why you get all flustered when I turn your flirtatious ways back on you."
"That's not... I don't..."
"Well I'm tired of waiting for you to figure things out on your own Marisa." Alice cupped Marisa's chin in her hand and began leaning forward. "So I'm going to try it your way. Let's see if love is really about power~." With that their lips met. Marisa hesitated for a fraction of a second before returning the kiss full force.
Patchouli's brain was telling her to run to stop the incident as fast as possible. However her body just wouldn't move. *It's just the magical draw that's making me jealous and bothered.* She tried to shake her head but all she managed was a blink. She only had one card left to play. "Koa... Help...."
The little demon came up behind her. "Sure." Then she wrapped her arms around Patchouli and pressed her body close. "I'll help make sure Patchouli-sama doesn't lose to either of them," she said in a sultry whisper. Then, with a well timed push, she sent Patchouli stumbling into the other two magicians just as they began to break their kiss. Once again the three found themselves on the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Koakuma smiled and stretched as she watched her master cut off Alice's angry outburst with a deep kiss. This disaster was far more interesting then she could have hoped for, especially since she hadn't helped start it at all. Of course she'd have to fix everything... eventually. But for right now she'd enjoy herself. Besides it was safest if these three were hidden in a secure, well furnished room, away from the rest of Gensoukyo. For a couple of weeks say.
Koa grinned wider as she started to slink towards the currently oblivious magicians. That temple was too close to the village to draw in too many youkai anyway. It's not like things could get too bad if they were left alone for a while.
--
Kogasa 'snuck' into the temple ignoring the clacking that her wood sandals made on the wooden floor.. She'd been planing to visit ever since her meeting with Nue and Byakuren after that incident a while back. She especially was looking forward to spending more time with Byakuren. Her face flushed just at the thought.
Of course she'd have to surprise them with her visit. It was her nature after all.
Kogasa threw the door of the temple's guest room open. "Urashiiiiiii..." Her normal greeting yell died in her throat as she viewed the contents of the room.
Sanae looked up at the stunned youkai. "Oh my. What a pleasant surprise...."
Kogasa found herself drawn into the madness before she could even scream.
----------------
In most stories I try to stick as close as possible to what I consider canon, while filling out the more vague areas.
This story here? Not so much.
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Didn't you write this one back when you were high off of cold medication?
And I suggested that you get sick more often?
Yeah, reiterating that :3 Byakuren harem rocks my socks off, especially Byakuren x Sanae~ Comedy is great fun to write, and you do very well at it. I like your dramas, but I'd like to see more comedy from you every now and again.
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... Ahahahahahahaha.
(That is all I shall say.)
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So I'm almost done with Makai Shopping Trip, and I figure I should post something as an apology for being so slow with things, and DEAR LORD I HAVEN'T POSTED THIS YET?
These mistakes will be fixed.
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The Devil's Due
In the depths of the Scarlet Devil Mansion there is a library which contains thousands of books, on subjects magical and mundane. Some speculate that it contains enough books to have attached itself to the universal library, explaining why books from outside the barrier (and occasionally from outside reality) appear on a regular basis. It is also a restricted library, only available to the residents of the mansion.
Or at least it was restricted until the Scarlet Mist incident. After that some of Gensoukyo's more active residents had decided knowledge wanted to be free. Or at least free for them. And they were quite willing to use Spell Cards instead of Library Cards. Patchouli had eventually given up on barring the Library at all times. Thus she found herself frequently visited by two of Gensoukyo's youngest magicians, Alice Margatroid and Marisa Kirisame. Today both were present.
The three witches sat around an oddly shaped table, lightly conversing while practicing their own preferred activities. Alice was reading a book on magic, Patchouli was writing a book on magic, and Marisa was eating more then her share of the snacks while trying to feed Shanghai a cookie. This last one was actually far more cerebral then it sounds, as Shanghai had no mouth, and Marisa had actually almost solved that issue. Shanghai, however, was convinced that Marisa was a total idiot.
Their various studies were interrupted when Koakuma walked in and placed a book next to her mistress. "I went and got the book you needed back Patchouli-sama. I also took back 10 other books from Marisa."
Marisa looked up from where she had been bending reality. "Hey! You should ask before entering other people's homes."
Alice glanced towards her fellow caster. "That's right. You should." Shanghai added her disapproving look. Marisa steadfastly ignored both.
Patchouli simply nodded her thanks to the devil, then flipped open the book to compare formula. "If you actually returned my books I wouldn't have to waste Koa's time sending her after them. Be glad I don't charge a late fee."
Koakuma placed her fist in her palm. "Oh, right. I knew I forgot something." She fished out a small pouch and emptied a few coins out onto the table. " Here you go Patchouli-sama."
All the witches looked at the coins with surprise. "Oi! Don't tell me you actually took money from me!" Marisa did not look pleased at the prospect. Alice and Patchouli just looked dumbfounded. It somehow seemed like stealing, even though Marisa was the real thief.
Koakuma looked shocked. "Oh no, of course not! I wouldn't do something so crass. If Remilia-sama heard of me being so low class as to steal cash she'd order me out of the mansion, and that would cause trouble for Patchouli-sama." The tension seemed to fade a bit from the air.
Then the demon smiled broadly. "I got it from selling some of your undergarments to interested parties." Marisa proceeded to choke on a cookie. Patchouli dropped her pen. Alice went back to sipping tea, while Shanghai made snide comments no one else heard. "Except for the really good stuff. I dropped those off at your place Alice." That caused Alice to choke. Taking advantage of everyone else's lack of breath Koa leaned in next to Patchy. "Don't worry though master. I saved the best for our collection."
Regaining her breath Marisa gave the demon a dangerous glare. "What the hell? You shouldn't joke about those sort of things."
Koa giggled. "But I'm telling the truth. Otherwise how would I have this?"
The demon held up a bra. Alice, having regained her voice, stated calmly. "Hm.... That does look right." Of course, the casualness of her tone belied the quickness she showed in leaving the line of fire. And the wisdom in that move was apparent as a laser flew through the area soon after. Koakuma flitted quickly away to dodge through the bookshelves and Marisa flipped up her broom and followed within seconds.
"I'll send you to Hell! I'll charbroil you and summon the Kassha to drag you there!"
"Kyaa! Forgive me Marisa! It's my love for you that makes me do such things."
"Gah! Don't start that joke again either! Master SPARK!"
The two remaining witches kept their seats. Patchouli cleaned off the ink spill, before looking up at Alice. "What exactly was Shinki trying to do when she created those demons?"
Alice smiled. "I won't tell you."
Patchy frowned. "And if I were to ask her myself?"
Alice shrugged. "Mother would probably lie. Probably."
Patchouli took a piece of scrap paper. "Note: Citizens of Makai seem to possess a universally perverse sense of humor."
Alice frowned. "Hey!"
Patchouli just kept scribbling.
***Extra: Alice.***
Alice looked down at the small package. "She really did give me some. And added perfume. That's going to be hard to explain when I return them."
She looked at Shanghai as the doll swayed a bit. "No we will not sell them to interested people. I don't care what the profit margin is." The doll stared back. "No, I'm not saying that because I want to keep them to myself. We're returning them." The doll bobbed up and down a bit. "I don't care what price you think Aya or Nitori would give for them. That's not an option."
She sighed and placed the items in a spare box. "If you really want to help Shanghai you should tell me what to do about Koakuma. She seems to have gotten over being starstruck. Which means I'm part of her jokes. This is worrisome." The doll pulled out a miniature sword and waved it around. "That's true. I should only worry if she survives Marisa's wrath."
***Extra Patchy:***
Patchouli looked down at the items sitting on her bed. "The bloomers I'm willing to believe. The panties I will accept as possible. The cat ears and tail I refuse to believe."
Koakuma, who had recently healed from her wounds, clapped her hands together. "Then I guess you can keep them Patchouli-sama. I think they'd look wonderful on you. Here, try them on."
Patchouli blinked as her familiar proceeded to place the accessory on her and take pictures. She began to wonder if it was possible this whole event had been an excuse to buy her these.
***Extra Marisa:***
Marisa looked at the piles of undergarments, a icy combination of respect and annoyance flowing through her.
Her count being off by one would have been attributed to an error.
Her count being off by two or three would be suspicious and would gnaw at her for some time.
Her count being off by 6 was a sure sign of tampering. And what's worse it was 6 MORE pieces then she should have. Including some duplicates. Which meant Marisa had no idea if the demon had bought matches and handed those out, or if she had actually stolen things and left the duplicates.
Marisa grabbed her Mini ? Hakkero. This problem would be solved best with fire. Lots of fire.
***Extra Koa:***
The heavily bandaged devil pulled out her diary with her good hand, carefully flipped it open and began making an entry:
April 12, 2XXX
Executed plan today. Got severely burned. Worth it.
Have to remember to talk to Remila/Koishi about romantic standings after today. Will adjust relationship web and point totals after the rest of my limbs heal.
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'kay Koakuma is super awesome. That last line made me laugh. :3
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I think the absolute best part of the last story is that Koa has rendered it down to a science/creepy real-life eroge (well, Gensokyo, not real life, but).
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Okay, that is just ... awesome.
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Marisa grabbed her Mini ? Hakkero. This problem would be solved best with fire. Lots of fire.
I'd have to say this was probably my favorite line in this. So Marisa. :D
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I found this bloody brilliant. I lol'd heartedly. :D
-
Sorry for my sudden and poorly timed dissapearence. But after spending two weeks trying to handle finding a job, taxes, and getting out of my old job all while still having enough money to pay rent, I've managed to solve most of those problems, so it really worked out for the best. So now that I'm free I'll toss out the last of my stories that needed to migrate here.
(And now that I'm out I'll have to make more. But I've got time for that now.)
April Showers
Sanae sighed, then stopped her sweeping to take a small amulet from her sleeve and fling it across the yard. It zipped merrily through the air, until it sailed straight into a purple umbrella which had been sticking out from behind a rock. The youkai girl crashed from behind her "cover" at the impact.
"Ah! Ow Ow Ow!" Kogasa Tatara rubbed the impact spot on the 'umbrella' part of her body. "How did you see me?"
Sanae shook her head. "Your umbrella was over the rock the entire time. And it's that horrible eggplant color. It's really hard to miss."
"Urameshiya!" Yelled the youkai, jumping to her feat. After an awkward pause Kogasa asked, "Aren't you surprised at my recovery?"
Sanae shook her head. "No. Not really." Kogasa hung her head. "Listen," the shrine maiden continued, "I really don't have a problem with you, but if you keep messing around here, I'll have to actually exterminate you. This isn't like that run down shrine down below. Yasaka-sama and Moriya-sama have standards to uphold."
Kogasa shook off her despair. "But a youkai who doesn't use their powers is nothing at all. And my power is to surprise humans. So I'm going to surprise you at least once."
Sanae sighed again. "Shouldn't you try the village or something? They've got some new people in. Or maybe you could take lessons form the faeries?"
Kogasa shook her head. "That Were-Hakutaku keeps the new arrivals sheltered until they're used to the strangeness, and the fairies all cheat. That's why the best person to surprise is you!"
"I'm a miracle worker who has known two gods since childhood, in a world where almost no one else can see spirits. I'm a terrible person to try to surprise." Sanae pointed out with unconcealed annoyance.
Kogasa stood up tall. "That's okay I'll just..."
Suddenly she felt light headed, and her surroundings spun. Everything turned to a grey blur, and her ears began ringing. She wondered what spellcard had just hit her. It seemed unfair to attack without declaring.
"... are you..."
Ah, good. Her hearing was coming back.
"... can... stand... you hear..."
And her vision too. She saw the blue green shrine maiden right in front of her.
"Can you hear me? Are you all right?" Sanae asked.
"'s not fair using spellcards without announcing them," Kogasa complained.
"I didn't use a spell card. You just collapsed. And your body got really pale." Sanae helped pull her off the ground into a sitting position. "Are you sick or something? You should rest then instead of running about and playing. You really surprised me there! I was worried!"
Kogasa blinked at those words. She'd been a little dizzy before but...
*A youkai who doesn't use their power is nothing at all.*
She burst into tears and fled into the woods, leaving the stunned shrine maiden standing in confusion.
"Oh dear. I always seem to say the wrong thing to her." Sanae muttered. She considered running down to help the youkai, but she had work to do. And every time she'd tried that before, she'd made things worse. She merely prayed briefly for better luck to find the girl, before returning guiltily to her sweeping.
-
Kogasa fled across the whole breadth of Gensokyo, a despair deep in her heart. Deeper then it had ever pierced before. She flew until she couldn't stand moving any more, and then collapsed to the ground. Her tears took much longer to stop, and when they did her eyes were burning. She lay on the ground, barely noticing the world around her.
Finally a voice broke into her private world of despair. "Hm, you're right Su-san. We do have a visitor. Who are you miss?"
Kogasa sat up and quickly wiped her eyes. Looking for the speaker she found a large doll girl in a red dress looking curiously at her. She sniffed. "I'm just a failure. Not even good enough to be thrown away."
Medicine blinked at the depressed words, then her face twisted into a frown. "What? Did those stupid humans abandon you too!" Kogasa sniffed and nodded. "That's terrible!" Medicine crossed her arms. "Very well. I Medicine Melancholy offer you the aid of the Doll Liberation Front to aid you in your time of crisis. And Su-san will help too."
Kogasa looked up at the determined doll and managed a smile. "Thanks Medicine. I'm Kogasa Tatara." Her face fell again. "But I don't think you can help me. I really am a failure. And that's why I'm going to disappear."
"Hey don't talk like that. It's not your fault the humans abandoned you. And something made you a youkai, just like how Su-san made me into a youkai. So you'll be able to live without them." Kogasa merely smiled sadly and let the tongue of her umbrella twist a bit in the wind. Medicine decided to keep talking. "Um, actually it's kind of nice to meet someone like me. Most of the other youkai don't understand me, and why I'm so annoyed by humans. In fact some youkai are just as careless with things as humans. It's really kind of annoying."
There was a bit more silence.
Medicine sat down next to the youkai. "Um. I was kind of hoping. That, maybe we could become friends."
Kogasa's smile became a little wider. "Uh. Thank you Medicine. But I..." She wiped her eyes briefly. "I really can't ignore humans."
Medicine frowned again. "Why not? They abandoned you. You don't owe them anything."
Kogasa looked at the ground. "My power is to surprise people. Well, that's supposed to be my power. And I'm a normal youkai, at least I think I am. Which means if I don't use my powers, I'll fade away." Medicine looked in confusion as Kogasa began to cry again. "I can't surprise anyone! I'm terrible at it! The only reason I didn't fade away today was because my death surprised the girl nearby!" Her sobs began to make her body shake. "Do you know how pathetic that is!"
The poison doll stared at the crying Youkai for a moment, then awkwardly put her arm around the other girls shoulders. After a while the crying subsided, and Kogasa began to speak again. "I failed as an umbrella, and I failed as a youkai. And I'll fail as a friend. Soon I'll just turn back into a old torn umbrella no one wants."
Medicine couldn't find anything to say.
The two sat in silence for a long while, Kogasa occasionally wiping her tears away. The Sun set and the Moon began it's track through the sky. And over the Forest of Magic a brilliant light show erupted, as two of Gensokyou's residents began their usual festivities. At which point Medicine jumped up.
"Of course! I bet she'll know how to fix this!"
-
Alice's home was, as always, in almost perfect order. However right now it was also in a state of chaos. Dozens of dolls floated about, each carrying out some small task at high speed, and weaving among the vases, pictures and other dolls.
Shanghai floated by Alice staring at the doll that always floated by Medicine, while Medicine's larger body stared with irritation at Marisa, who was trying to join the Doll Liberation Front for some reason. Alice steadfastly ignored them both while having her dolls set out tea. She spoke softly to her final guest. "So, Kogasa. Are you sure you want my help? You know what that means, even if the young doll doesn't."
Kogasa nodded. "Yes." She made a quick glance back at Medicine to make sure the doll wasn't paying attention. "The truth is, I really didn't care about the details. I just wanted to do my job."
Alice kept her bland expression and nodded. "Very well. It goes against the grain of my research, but maybe it will give me some ideas for future products. So I'll help." She turned towards the other two guests. "Alright. I agree to help in exchange for you not flooding my dolls with poison anymore. Marisa, give me a hand."
Marisa looked up with surprise. "I don't even know what you're doing. And what makes you think I'll work for free?"
Alice smiled. "You don't need to know what I'm doing, you just need to be there. And you'll get to hear one of the spells in my grimoire as reward."
The human magician's eyes opened wide. "You're using the grimoire?"
Alice nodded. "Yeah I need raw power for this one. And it's not a battle, so there's no reason to hold back." She nodded to where her dolls had started drawing a mystic circle on the ground. "Just stand opposite me and think about your meetings with Kogasa."
Marisa moved off to the other side quickly, her eyes closely inspecting every line of the circle trying to add as much as she could to her knowledge. Kogasa moved to the center of the circle at a wave from Alice's hand, while Medicine looked confused. "Hey. What exactly are you doing?"
Alice shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm going to make sure Kogasa Tatara doesn't disappear from existence." She carefully unlocked the bindings on her grimoire as the last chalk line was completed, and the power of the mystic book flowed through her and into the symbol, causing it to glow brightly. Alice closed her eyes, it had been some time since she had accessed her full power, and the last time most of it had become quickly tied up stopping the night.
Kogasa looked out past the glowing runes to the doll that had cared enough to escort her here. Who had sacrificed one of her goals for someone who she had just met. "I'm sorry I wasn't a good friend Medicine. But, I hope afterwards I can be useful to you."
Medicine looked even more confused. "What are you talking about? What's going on?"
Alice raised her hand. "Now Marisa! Think of the girl, not the spell!" Power flowed into the magician youkai and the circle twisted, expanding and reforming until it shattered in a burst of light.
As the light cleared Medicine looked into the circle. "Kogasa? Hey, Kogasa." She blinked a few more times. "Kogasa!" She ran forward and fell to her knees, her trembling hands picking up the purple umbrella that was all that remained in the circle. Her eyes turned to Alice. "What did you do to her?" the doll youkai shrieked.
Alice smiled gently. "I can't recreate a youkai, but I could return one to it's original form." She softly closed the book in her hands. "And this time she'll be with someone who won't abandon her. Someone who cares. So she'll never be in danger again. Right Medicine?"
Medicine nodded as she held the umbrella close, not trusting her voice.
In the silence she almost imagined she could hear a "Thank you."
Medicine stood, bowed to the two magicians, and left with unsteady flight, her new treasured possession carefully held in both hands.
Marisa watched the two leave before turning to Alice. "So why did you need me? And wasn't the spirit in that umbrella unusually awake?"
Alice carefully locked her grimoire. "That's why I needed you. The easiest way of making a Youkai is through human faith or belief. I could do the reversion, but I wanted the girl to have a choice to become a youkai again when she regained her confidence. So I needed a human who believed in her to focus on her existence."
Marisa blinked. "But you already know all of that. That would mean this whole thing was worthless for your research." Marisa smiled. "Which means you did this all out of the goodness of your heart then. That's kind of cute there Alice."
Alice flushed. "I don't want to hear that from you of all people. You're supposed to make some comment about 'trying to raise your karma meter' or something."
Marisa smiled wider. "Wait, I know. I'm supposed to say 'You're acting like a Mother, Alice,' aren't I?"
"Well I guess that makes you the father," Alice snapped back.
Marisa flushed in return "H, hey! Wait a minute now you..."
The two looked away for a moment.
"Let's drop it."
"Yeah, let's."
Extra:
Sanae looked out onto the rain and sighed. There was little chance the Tengu would show up, but she had to be ready in case any Kappa decided to take advantage of the weather to pray.
She sighed again when she heard the bells above the donation box ring. "I guess I'll have to go see who it is," she said to herself. Then she quickly got to her feet and made her way to the shrine front. There was no way she was going to end up as lazy as the Hakurei maiden.
The youkai praying however wasn't a kappa at all. In fact it looked like a large doll, carrying an umbrella to shield it and a smaller doll from the rain. She was pretty certain she hadn't seen that youkai before, but the umbrella looked familiar for some reason. Maybe it was the horrible eggplant color scheme.
"Can I help you?" Sanae asked the youkai when it opened it's eyes.
"Oh, you already have," said the youkai with a cheerful grin. Then Sanae shrieked as a massive tongue slid out from beneath the umbrella's brim and licked her. She tumbled back and rapidly pulled out her ofuda to counter attack, but the youkai was gone leaving two sets of laughter on the wind.
"What was that about?" yelled the confused shrine maiden.
There was a chuckling from behind her. Turning she found the elder of the two gods had been watching the scene. "You should be more careful with your power Sanae," Suwako said with a grin.
-
Awww~
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So once again I'm feeling bad about not writing anything (or rather not writing anything that other people can see yet...), since that combined with my terrible posting habits means I post once a never. Fortunately I've got a deep pocket of stuff I wrote before apparently. These stories are weaker, but it's always interesting to go over old works and see how my opinions on the characters and writing style have changed.
Anyways, I forget if this was the second or first Touhou fic I did. It's far from my best, but it holds a certain place in my heart still. And I figure I'd dust it off and let it shine for a bit before the VN completely overrides it as my big Marisa work.
---
"Oi. Alice. It's me, Marisa." I called out as I entered her home.
"I know. You're the only one who doesn't knock." Came her cool reply. Since that was as close to a welcome I could expect, I entered the cottage.
As I leaned my broom I took a quick look around to see if anything had changed since I was last here. Not much had shifted about, except against the wall there was a chest.
Well random chests in houses are meant to be opened. However, as I went for the latch, I noticed one of Alice's most disturbingly cute dolls looking plaintively from on top of the chest. "Why is this doll sitting here? It's not like you to leave your dolls scattered about."
"The one on the chest?" Alice, asked as she wandered into the room. "I decided that would be her chest. That way any wandering heroes taking something from it would lose karma."
I frowned. "I always hate those chests. I mean you can steal everything else without penalty, but then one random unmarked chest beats you up for doing something you're supposed to everywhere else. Seems like bad design to me."
Alice shrugged, while sending her dolls to straighten up the room. "Well in some games you aren't supposed to steal things. Anyway why did you drop by? I can have tea ready if you're staying."
"No thanks. I just needed to borrow some century old yucca root. I ran out, and taking the time to search it out would force me to start over again." My eyes flicked over some of the other items on display as I made the request. Alice isn't nearly as awesome a collector as I am, but she does well in her limited fashion. Not that I'm impressed by that sort of thing.
The doll otaku gave me a despairing look. "Are you working on that potion of immortality again? I thought you gave that up after the trial of guts. Why don't you just become a Youkai?" Her voice was faking casual disinterest.
"Why do you keep trying to make self aware dolls instead of just making doll like youkai? I know you have the power for that." I began to look over the book shelves for any writings I hadn't seen yet. "Actually I'm not really sure I know the difference between the two."
Alice shrugged. "What's the difference between an immortal human and a youkai? A few different rules. In fact if you become a magician youkai there won't even be that."
I frowned and flipped open a book that I'd only manage to skim once. That reasoning seemed wrong somehow, but I couldn't think of why. "Hm... Hey, I was reading that." One of Alice's dolls had snatched up the book and replaced it in the shelf.
"I'm already giving you this, you can't have the book as well." Alice coldly replied handing over the components personally. I thought for a moment about pushing the matter to see if I could get her to be angry for a second, but I really did need to get back to my experiment. "Thanks, Alice."
As I started out the door Alice went back to having her dolls clean the house. "Hey," she called out as I opened the door, "Don't do something stupid and poison yourself." As usual she was engrossed in her work, though Shanghai was just floating looking at me with her normal disparaging expression.
I grinned, "It's me. When do I ever make mistakes?"
-----
Sadly the experiment evaporated, so I took notes on it and started to think on how to improve. But the question kept coming back to me. What was the difference between a Youkai and a Human? I knew the difference between specific Youkai and humans of course, but I couldn't say what made the two different in general. It annoyed me. So I decided it was time to have the question annoy someone else.
-----
"I see the cats are being lazy again." Patchouli gave me an annoyed glance.
"So cold Patchy. This is why you don't get many guests."
"You aren't a guest. You're a thief."
"Thieves can be great guests."
"I wouldn't know. What do you want? If you were just here to steal books you would have been reading by now." The sickly magician turned her full attention on to me.
"Huh, is that type of paranoia one of the differences between Youkai and humans? Reimu never accuses me of stealing from her." I asked casually while looking over the various half written documents on the tables. Sadly nothing I could use.
Patchouli snorted, "The Red White knows she doesn't own anything worth taking. Youkai and humans are the same in that regard."
"Really? Then other then power and lifespan what is the difference?" I doubted Patchouli had an answer, but maybe she could give me an idea, hopefully something better then these notes.
"In addition to lifespan and power, youkai feed on Spiritual and Conceptual Energy, while humans use conventional chemical energy." Patchouli returned her gaze to her book. "Everything else is within standard margin of error."
'Is this the same margin of error as between cats and humans?' I wondered to myself. "Then I guess you don't really need that sandwich half."
Years of training allowed me to leap back dodging a set of bullets. I noted that they had all been aimed at where my feet had been. A nice theatrical touch if poor tactics. The background music that had suddenly turned on was also pretty impressive.
"I'm afraid touching that sandwich, which I spent a lot of time on, started a boss fight," said the small demon librarian hovering over the area.
I smiled and readjusted my hat. "Boss fight? Hm... You look more like a treasure box mid boss. Which means that must be some great treasure!"
"Mid Boss?!?" The little demon formed a stream of magic kunai that shot in my direction. "I'll blast you back to your last save point for that!"
As I weaved through the pattern up towards my battle, I thought I heard Patchouli mutter something about 'gaining strength through the chaos of fighting' while looking satisfied. She was so difficult to understand at times.
-----
Sadly, Patchouli had finished the sandwich by the time I knocked Koakuma out of the sky. I hadn't really wanted it, but it seemed lame that I won the battle and lost the prize. Cut scenes like that are always annoying. So I borrowed a book on my way out as a consolation.
I was halfway though it when inspiration struck. It took me two days of pawing though my old notes and another week of side experiments but I was able to pull together a formula. It was simple, efficient (though requiring immense power), and in the end something completely different from the immortality potion I was expecting. I stared at the formula and decided to put it aside for now.
I decided it would be good to take a break from all my work. And the best place to relax would be Reimu's.
-----
I took the familiar route to the shrine and gave my normal greeting for this time of day. "Oi, Reimu! What's for dinner?"
Two faces looked out at me from the house. "Oh. The Black White one came. That's why you cooked so much food isn't it?" said Gensoukyo's resident Oni.
"Well it's usually someone. Though you should donate something to the shrine before just mooching off me." The miko said with her usual look.
As I landed I noticed a familiar two tailed cat there as well. Orin rarely assumed human form though, unless the hell crow was there too, but I imagined she'd be grabbing her share of the pot as well. "I didn't bring any money but I brought sake. That should do right?"
Reimu shrugged in her usual noncommittal fashion and went back to finishing the dinner. It looked like curry this time. "I suppose that'll cover things." She tasted the concoction nodded and then placed it on the table. "It's been a while since you dropped by. Big experiment?"
"Yeah. Turned out weird though." Those two sets of far too perceptive eyes were turned on me so I changed the subject. "By the way, why are you down here Suika? I thought you'd set up a home in the Celestial Realms?"
Suika smiled and made a bicep. A gesture that looked ridiculous even if you knew she could break mountains. "I was getting bored, so I figured I'd go punch a god. Maybe go drinking with the Kappa and Tengu too for old times sake. But it seemed rude to do that at dinner so I figured I'd sleep over here and then bust up the mountain in the morning."
As the dinner began I looked over at Reimu. "Not that I care, but she's threatening a god. Shouldn't you be doing something as a miko?"
Reimu just sipped her soup. "I figure their shrine maiden can handle it. It'll be good practice."
I shrugged. "I'm not sure if an Oni counts as practice, so much as being tossed into the deep end." I looked a Suika. "Why are Oni so much more powerful then most youkai anyway?"
Suika finished off her sake saucer. "Because we're Oni that's why." She poured herself another cup. "Some of it is because we're weak to fried beans of course. Most of it comes because were straight forward youkai. Not liars." She smiled at me. "So you won't be able to copy that. Magicians don't get weaknesses, and you aren't likely to become honest any time soon."
"Hey." I was about to make a retort when I noticed Orin switching to human form.
"Are you going to become a Youkai sis? That would be a little sad." The kassha's tail twitched. "You'd probably outlive me then, and I wouldn't get your corpse when you died."
"Hey! You shouldn't take my corpse even if you do outlive me." I tried my best to wave away the comments and my nervousness. "And who said I was going to become a Youkai? I'm a perfectly Ordinary Magician already."
Suika chuckled. "The Tengu set up a betting pool since you busted through the mountain. I guess they figured someone with that kind of drive for power is bound to try for more."
"Of course I am, but becoming a Youkai is hardly the way to do it. I'm stronger then most Youkai already anyway." I looked over at Reimu, who was sitting as unreadable as ever. Maybe she was a little more quiet then normal. Still I couldn't ask my question after that bit. It would seem too suspicious. Annoying little Oni.
Rin decided to interrupt again. "Are you certain I can't get your corpse sis? It's a really strong corpse so I'll bet you'd make an awesome Evil spirit."
"Hm... You always used to say you 'wanted to be like Mima-sama,' Marisa." Reimu added helpfully.
-----
I spent the rest of the dinner convincing the kassha I didn't want to be carted off to hell, and trying to keep all my sake from going down Suika's throat. At least the meal was pretty hearty, which made up for a lot of that. After the dinner I hung around a bit more and then left for home. I hadn't gotten my question answered, but I had gotten a good meal out of it. When I really focus on experiments I don't focus on cooking.
-----
I was just about halfway home when a voice disturbed me. "Ara Ara. I'm a little sad." Turning I saw her. Yukari, popping up whenever you least expected it. "You went and asked all those people but didn't think to ask me. And with us neighbors and all."
I frowned. "You still haven't told me where you live. Even though you complain every time there's a party I didn't send an invite."
"Well of course I haven't told you where I live. You'd steal everything if you knew." She casually proceeded to use one of her gaps as a chair.
"Hey I wouldn't borrow everything." Just the good stuff. "Besides like I keep telling you youkai: you'll live longer so you can take it back when I die." There was no use in pressing Yukari on why she was here. She'd either explain things or she more likely wouldn't and only Satori could tell the difference.
"You know people might believe that line if you weren't working on immortality potions," Yukari replied with a half smile.
"So then what is the difference?"
The gap Youkai giggled. "You've been spending so much time with the shrine maiden. Don't you know? Well there's a simple answer. Youkai cause incidents, humans fix incidents."
Normally I'd accept that and just wander away, but now I couldn't just let that pass. "That's not the right answer though." I stated. "Because humans can cause incidents, and youkai can solve incidents. Even more so in the outside world from what Kourin occasionally lets slip. Youkai are just more likely to be selfish."
"Are you calling me selfish? How cruel Miss Thief." The gap youkai pretended to be hurt very briefly. "Well then I'll give you another answer for free to disprove such lies. Youkai exist to trouble humanity."
I thought about that one for a moment then shook my head. "Except that's a lie too. That Hakutaku girl is helpful to humans and occasionally even someone like you will help." Though I'm not sure if now would count. "And the Oni don't need humans at all otherwise they'd have never run off."
Yukari's half smile briefly became something more and she paused for a bit. "Very well little magician. I'll tell you the difference between a youkai and a human, if you tell me why you want to know."
She knew why I was asking. She just wanted to make me say it myself.
"..."
Knowing that didn't make it any easier.
"Because I need to decide if I want to become one."
Yukari blinked for a moment. "Hm.... I see it's possible for people to still surprise me. I'm tempted to answer now."
I palmed my Mini Hakkero just in case she decided against the matter. People who mess with others like that should be charbroiled.
She giggled. "Oh don't worry. We'll have time for danmaku play later. Watching your reaction here is so much more fun. It's so hard to get you this serious." The bitch folded her arms and rested her head on them. "The answer to your question is: nothing."
I blinked. "What?"
"Youkai is just a term thrown about for many different beings. There are as many types of Youkai as you can dream of. The type Magicians turn into are just humans who feed on magic instead of food. There are some physical changes because of that, but you know all those already. It's all the same so long as you are willing to accept the changes."
"I thought you said it was the same. What do you mean by changes?" As usual she was talking in circles. I was barely suppressing the urge to blast her, futile as it might be.
Yukari opened her fan to 'hide' her smile. "Simple really. You are who you are because of your frailties. Perhaps you don't realize it, because of how human you are. The shortness of your life drives you to live. Your weakness drives you to seek strength. You, who stated with no power and who faces those who are naturally talented all the time, should know this better then anyone. The weakness of your form has driven you your whole life."
"If you change, that will be gone. Your body will be suffused with power. Spells will just form at your will. You can put anything off until tomorrow, because tomorrow will always come. Do you think Mokou is the same as the rest of you humans? That is the price you pay. The irrevocable change of being."
She fixed her eyes to mine. "And now human, you must decide. Will you cast aside that humanity and become something more, or will you stay human and follow your drive to wherever it leads?"
I was kind of annoyed. That was a big long speech for something so simple. "That's obvious isn't it? If the big thing about humans is they're supposed to improve themselves I should obviously seek out my goals, regardless of the changes."
The gap Youkai's smile faded a bit. "I see. Well it will be interesting having you for a neighbor miss future Magician."
"What are you talking about? I'm already a perfectly ordinary magician." I smiled at her look of confusion. "Though I imagine you will be seeing me for a long while after I perfect my immortality potion."
Yukari just stared at me for a bit, then she began to laugh. "Even though it doesn't change anything you still pursue your own path. How wonderfully human. Perhaps your journey will end differently after all. It'll be interesting. If you survive of course." She rolled backward into her gap and left to who knows where, her laughter hanging in the air.
I on the other hand was already getting ideas for my next experiment. Maybe if I could combine the shrinking mushrooms with the potion I made previously....
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My insides are squirming with much much joy~
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If your fics are this good I really can't wait until the release of the VN
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Yeah, that was pretty much a whole bunch of distilled awesome there.
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I just read the entire thing and O.O Wow that is awesome! Koakuma was awesome, 1st by selling the ladies undergarments, and 2nd by sending Patchy into a massive love-filled mess XD
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This set of works occurs near the end of Three Days Bright. It was my attempt at writing a "game" as it were. I figured I'd revive it to help keep the library stocked. With luck I'll even finish the thing...
~Intro~
Aoi Kaenbyou flew through the streets of the Underground towards her home, occasionally pausing to wave at passersby and exchange greetings. Chireiden was, if anything, doing better then Gensoukyo village above. It was safe from most threats naturally, and during the long years after the barrier fell all sorts of interesting people had been banished down here. From youkai born of new fears, to sentient experiments fleeing harsh masters, Chireiden had accepted them all.
And in the center of their underground world lay the greatest source of energy that remained on Earth. The black sun of hell, second only to the true sun.
Of course the sun wasn't actually visible. The youkai wouldn't have liked that. It was locked within a massive reactor. One with thousands of tubes and glowing smokestacks that spewed steam day and night. In truth it looked more like an 'evil factory' from a steampunk RPG then a real reactor. Strangest of all were the tori gates at the entrance, that signaled the building was the home of the Goddess Utsuho Reiuji.
In that too Chireiden surpassed the surface, for while in the past the goddesses of the mountain had given Utsuho some of their faith, these days it was lady Reiuji who gained the most faith. Kanako and Suwako had to make frequent appearances to try and guide their followers, and nothing destroyed faith like familiarity. Utsuho was a distant figure, who appeared rarely, yet one who affected the lives of those underground every time they turned on the lights.
Which was really for the best, because that faith would drop off severely if they learned their goddess had short term memory issues, a disposition for melodrama, and was terrible at karaoke. Aoi's job as a miko was mostly to keep her goddess entertained while Utsuho wasn't working on the reactor. As such she was probably the least faithful person in the underworld. Fortunately her goddess didn't seem to care.
?I'm home boss? the youkai miko exclaimed as she flew into the inner reactor/shrine.
?Oh great. Come here and help me with this,? returned the voice of the ascended hell crow. Aoi curiously peaked into the room to find Utsuho fiddling with the detached sleeves of her own miko outfit. ?I never did get how to work these sleeves.?
Aoi blinked while her cat ears and tail twitched in confusion. Utsuho only wore that disguise when she was going out to talk to the surface gods, or when she wandered the festivals. However her soul aura wasn't the normal boring blue flame that indicated a meeting but a pulsating red bonfire of excitement. ?Has something come up Reiuji-sama??
Utsuho gave her a look. ?I told you to call me Okuu when I'm in this outfit Aoi.?
?Ah ha ha ha. Sorry. I'll get the sleeves too.?
Okuu smiled brightly as her miko began adjusting the sleeves. ?But yeah, something fun might be happening soon. I got a letter from a friend up above. And you'll get to play too Aoi.?
?Eh?? Aoi's ears twitched again. ?Will I get to fight that stuffy mountain miko again??
?Maybe.? Utsuho's grin widened. ?So make sure to bring plenty of spell cards and a change of clothes...?
****
Ina Kochiya paused in her sweeping to look across the lake. Currently it's surface was covered in leaves, making the lake a riot of color. As Ina stared the motion of the drifting leaves only enhanced the confusion of the lakes normal dance. Lady Yasaka might joke that Ina stared at the lake to train, but the truth was for all the miko's seriousness she loved the beauty of Gensoukyo.
In fact that was the cause of most of her seriousness. To protect this land was one of her duties as a shrine maiden and a living god. And while Lady Moriya told her to take it easy more often, Ina knew that Lady Yasaka rested easier knowing Ina was on guard. And that was all the relaxation the shrine maiden needed.
With that thought she returned to the sweeping. After all, most intruders came at night. The most she had to worry about during the day was someone coming to the shrine to pray. Today was shaping up into a peaceful autumn day.
A peace that was shattered by a piercing shriek.
Ina's ears flattened from the noise even as she turned to look at what caused it. In the sky a mass of flame writhed and crackled. The flames seemed to form the shape of a bird briefly before diving towards the ground....
Straight into the donation box.
There was an explosion of moderate (for Gensoukyo) size as the wooden box shattered into kindling. Flames sprang up all about from the burning splinters. Ina ran to stomp out the flames.
The next hour was composed of rudimentary firefighting, a bit of disorganized yelling and finally an in depth search for the culprit. Sadly it seemed the one responsible had cast the spell from a distance. They only caught 5 part time reporters looking for a scoop (full time reporting being a luxury that the most of the population couldn't quite justify).
Thus Ina found herself kneeling before her goddesses.
?Ina Kochiya,? Kanako's voice boomed, ?this vandal has not only inconvenienced us, but has made a strike against our faith. If this incident were to go unpunished, we would lose the respect of our followers as a war god.? Ina nodded in understanding. ?Thus we require you to hunt down and punish those responsible for this outrage.?
?Of course Yasaka-sama!? Ina was ready to jump straight into action when Kanako raised a hand.
Suwako however was the one that spoke. ?You should grab some spell cards on the way out. We don't know how dangerous the culprit is, but we should plan for non lethal interference as well. It's been a while since we've had an incident, but I'm sure that everyone will jump at the chance to get a fight in. Besides you're going to have to question people about suspects.?
?Ah. You're right Moriya-sama. I'll go prepare for that.? Ina slipped out of the shrine to collect what she'd need for a good old fashioned Gensoukyo investigation.
Back inside Suwako turned to Kanako. ?We both know who's responsible for this. The 'awesome face' burn marks pretty much give it away. Why'd you give her the serious talk??
Kanako smiled. ?You know she wouldn't be able to enjoy it if she realized this was all just a play fight. The girl's had the whole weight of the mountain on her because she's far too eager to help. This incident might trick her into relaxing for a bit.?
Suwako shook her head. ?You war gods have a weird idea of relaxation.?
?Weren't you the one who ran around Gensoukyo getting into fights all the time when we first arrived??
?That was different!?
*Girls are preparing for random accusations and poorly justified dueling. Please wait patiently for completion..*
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This is awesome. I'm pretty sure you're the only one I've seen who has used the idea of making Utsuho a goddess. Also that ending line was hilarious.
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it's good to see this series continue. A bit on the downer side, it's always good when something manages to improve their spirits.
Also, "ears flattened"? I like when you put little things like that
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Good stories, all of them. Now that I think about it Medicine and Kogasa were made for each other, though I'll admit to being a Kogasanae fan, myself.
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I like the implication that Utsuho burnt 'awesome faces' into the Moriya shrine.
[nsfw]http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/584953/4chan-awesome_face-beatrice-bomb-dan_kim-lowres-me[/nsfw]
danbooru ads blah blah
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I like the implication that Utsuho burnt 'awesome faces' into the Moriya shrine.
This. |3
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Well, while I wait for the writing challenge to exit it's slump I'll move on with this....
[shameless plug?] All bosses save the stage 4 boss make an appearence in Three Days Bright or official canon. [/shameless plug]
Stage 1: The Other Princess.
~A new verse to an old song~
~Can something eternal change?
Or are things eternal because they constantly change?~
Ina sighed as she dodged the wind gusts shot out at her. The sudden increase in fairies had been annoying enough, but for her fellow tengu to get in the way was a serious pain. ?We have no comment on the matter! Now please clear the way,? she called out, sending a flight of amulets to punctuate her remarks.
The reporter dodged the light danmaku easily. ?The public has a need to know Ms. Kochiya! Is it true this is an internal matter? Or is this a threat from outside the area?? The tengu fired off a wind tunnel to try to keep Ina penned in.
Ina read the tengu's set up halfway through the swing and flew straight through the eye of the storm. The reporters eyes opened in shock as Ina appeared straight in front of her and fired off several amulets at point blank range.
Ina sped up as the crow tengu crashed into the ground. Fights like these weren't even mildly interesting.
?Hm... Isn't that a little cruel. Not even a word in passing??
Ina stopped at the voice. Her eyes quickly caught sight of the speaker as the woman floated to the same height as the shrine maiden. She was middle aged in appearance, wearing an archaic kimono in very dull colors. Ina felt a certain amount of spiritual power. Stranger still was the woman looked completely human. As far as Ina knew her ancestors were the only humans who had been allowed to live on the mountain, before they inevitably intermarried with the tengu.
Ina's eye's narrowed. ?Are you responsible for this??
The woman pretended to look hurt. ?So quick to accuse. And you a priestess and all. That's terrible. Those two need to teach their servants better.?
?You're obviously preparing to pull out those spell cards in your sleeve. You're spoiling for a fight. Which means you obviously know about the incident.? Ina prepared her own cards. ?And who are you to judge Yasaka-sama??
?Ah! That's true. I did forget introductions.? The woman bowed ?Greetings Shrine Maiden, I am Iwanaga, Goddess of Immortality.?
Ina blinked at that. ?Eh? But don't gods require shrines and faith??
?I'm immortal,? the woman said. ?I don't need such trappings. Though I did scare up a little faith just for this.?
Ina was curious, but she was also losing time. ?Well perhaps instead of attacking me, you could visit our shrine and speak with Yasaka-sama and Moriya-sama. Because, if you oppose me I'll have to shoot you down!?
Iwanaga feigned surprise. ?A shrine maiden raising her hand against a god? Should you really be doing such a thing.?
Ina openly brandished her amulets, ?It's okay, because I'm a living god myself!?
Iwanaga smiled brightly. ?Oh my. I guess it's a spellcard duel then. Allow me to start!?
Ina easily dodged the bullets. The pattern was pretty, but sparse and weak. But Ina felt something was different about this fight, something that she couldn't quite place. She tossed that thought aside, it was impolite to ignore her opponent.
Once again Ina used her eyes to read her opponents moves and slipped through the barrage to 'shotgun' a spread of amulets. Iwanaga flew back, her spell shattering.
?Not quite yet miss shrine maiden!? She called out. ?~Abandoned Gift ~ Lifespan of the Stones.?
Sure enough several large stones began to circle the goddess. Ina nearly collided into one as it formed in front of her. Even more surprisingly her own attacks couldn't even scratch the stone.
Sadly the pattern wasn't quite dense enough or fast moving enough to catch someone of Ina's skill. It took a bit of dodging to find a clear shot, but once she did Iwanaga's spellcard shattered.
?And now tell me what you know of the incident,? Ina demanded.
?Ah... and it was my first duel too,? Iwanaga sighed. ?Very well, on the opposite shore of the icy lake you'll find one of those responsible.?
Ina nodded and began to fly off to the lake. However before she exited she turned. ?Um. We'd still be glad if you could visit our shrine Goddess. Just after things have calmed a bit.?
The Goddess of Immortality smiled as the shrine maiden hurried off. ?Ah, so that's the type of person she is. Very interesting. It was a good idea to come out of seclusion for a little bit.?
?Yep. Sitting around at home is no fun, auntie. Even being a 1st stage boss is better then that.?
Iwanaga spun to find another miko floating in the sky, this one with cat ears. ?Ara? Are you the underground miko? What are you doing here??
?Oh hey people up here know me? Cool! Anyway I'm solving an incident. The boss said I gotta beat up everyone I run across until the incident is over.? Aoi seemed utterly content with this course of events.
?Um, don't you want to know what the incident is?? queried Iwanaga.
?The boss said that'd only get in the way.? Aoi lowered her voice to a whisper, ?Though I'm gonna pump that stuffy mountain miko for info when I catch her. I'm actually really curious.? She resumed her normal chatter. ?Anyway I guess that means your the 1st stage boss, so I'm going to have to shoot you down, auntie.?
Iwanaga adopted a concerned air. ?Um, I'm a goddess you know. Should you really be attacking me? You aren't a deity like the other miko so you don't really have an excuse.?
Aoi paused to think about that. ?Well I have Yakumo blood. Does that count?? She then smiled. ?Besides you're looking for a fight anyway, so I'd be fulfilling your wish as well?
Iwanaga frowned ?You too. Am I that transparent??
?I'm pretty good at seeing these kinda things. It's a talent.? Aoi winked. With a casual gesture she tossed down four amulets which began glowing ominously. ?Well, since you're the god you should go first.?
Calling on her powers once again Iwanaga unleashed what little strength she still possessed. Almost immediately she was on the defensive, dodging fire from the amulets. The pattern was almost exactly the opposite of the first miko's style, one that forced the opponent to make a mistake instead of searching for an opening. Two spellbreaks later Iwanaga found herself resorting to her Last Word once again.
The dueling area was suddenly calm. No bullet could break the boulders, and Aoi had been hanging back meaning there wasn't an open lane of fire. Iwanaga smiled and waited to see what her opponents response would be.
Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder. Turning she saw a tiny fairy in zombie makeup. As soon as she faced it the little creature shouted ?Brains!? in a happy, high pitched voice, and the magic powering her spell card collapsed as the ritual recognized her loss. It's mission accomplished the tiny creature giggled then began 'shambling' back towards it's master.
?That was fun auntie. It's cool seeing new spells.? Aoi waved and began to fly off. ?I gotta run before I fall too far behind, but I'll be sure to come back and chat Ms. Goddess.?
Iwanaga blinked as the girl flew straight away without another word.
?My my. And she didn't even ask for my name.? She turned towards the other presence. ?You too need to work on your miko's training, young lady.?
Utsuho looked embarrassed as she came out from her hiding place. ?Ah sorry. I've kinda had to change up the whole god/worshiper thing.?
The older deity sighed. ?I suppose I have no right to be chastising a deity with more faith then me. I've heard much of you from my niece. It is good to see the Yagatarasu's flame still around, even if it is in different hands.?
?Ah it's nothing special.? Utsuho waved off the comment. ?Actually, I'd really like to chat with you about the business. I don't know that much about the old Yagatarasu, and I'd like to do something to honor it.?
Iwanaga smiled brightly. ?Hm, that would be nice... Well perhaps I could visit after this 'incident' is over.?
The hell raven nodded. ?I'd stay and chat now but....? She looked towards where her miko had flow off. ?I have a feeling I may have to intervene at some point. No point in having power if you don't use it.?
?Well don't let me keep you.? Iwanaga waved at the hell raven as she zoomed off towards the lake. She then sat down and began to wait again. The pain of faithlessness gnawed at her a little more, but she ignored it.
She turned at a tap on the shoulder. The 'zombie' fairy from before was floating there. ?Waiting here. Guide friend back,? it explained, while sticking to it's persona.
Iwanaga patted the little fairy on the head. ?Maybe I judged your mistress a little too harshly.? The fairy just giggled and sat on her lap. ?Though it's a little strange to leave a 'zombie' with the goddess of Immortality.?
-
Authors note: Jichou is an obscure term for Raven. (Assuming anyone gets the REST of the reference)
Stage 2: The Frozen Lake
~In the Mist a fearsome opponent waits
But is this meaningful battle or a distraction?~
~Nature is Unnatural~
Ina squinted as the mist surrounded her. It was just her luck to arrive over the lake at noon. One of the Kappa had tried to explain exactly how the mist appeared every day regardless of the prevailing weather, but no one else had been able to understand the explanation.
Whatever the reason for it's existence, for Ina the mist meant poor viability, bone chilling cold and lots of fairies trying to ambush her. One particular green haired fairy had persistently teleported about her while spraying bullets for a bit before fleeing.
She sighed, ?Was the lake always this big? I know I'm traveling in the right direction...?
?When you lose your way it's because of the fairies.?
?I know it's because of the fairies.? Ina's eyes narrowed. ?And why are you here? Don't tell me you've been commanding those fairies to attack me??
?Hey! It's you jerks that make fairies slaves! I just let them do whatever they want.? The mists parted revealing the master of the lake. The blue haired fairy floated proudly, hovering slightly above the shrine maiden. Perhaps she was trying to make up for her lack of height. ?Besides shouldn't you be worrying about the enemy in front of you??
?Aren't we on the same side? I expect the stupid lesser fairies to mess around, but why are you interfering??
?Don't call me stupid!? Cirno yelled at the shrine maiden. The fairy took a moment to compose herself before continuing. ?It's not about sides. When there's an incident fairies are supposed to play. That's our reason for existence. Just like how tengu are supposed to write newspapers.?
Ina frowned at the smaller girls antics. ?No it's not. I'm certain fairies can play without interrupting my work. And I know tengu don't have some inherent newspaper affinity.?
Cirno smiled wickedly. ?Oh really?? The fairy reached into her dress and pulled out a suspiciously newspaper like object ?So what about this 'Monthly Shrine Report,' hmm? I suppose I'm just imagining it??
Ina blushed in embarrassment ?That's different! It's an important method of getting information to the community. And where were you keeping that anyway??
Cirno looked confused by the question. ?Same place I keep my spellcards of course.?
Ina took a deep breath. She couldn't let herself be distracted by this. ?Well if you're going to attack me get on with it. I've got an incident to solve, and no one's going to stop me.?
?Eh? That's it? Usually the shrine maidens think up something better then that.? Cirno shrugged. ?Ah, whatever.? She smiled fiercely. ?Your quest stops here. You can't get past my attacks.? The ice fairy raised one hand and an array of icicles began to form around her. Ina narrowed her eyes to focus.
Then with a quick downward swing of her hand Cirno sent the waves of ice forward.
Ina adopted her defensive strategy again. She had always known Cirno was abnormally strong for a fairy, but this danmaku was something else. Simple patterns with easy weak spots suddenly turned into death traps, requiring perfect movement as follow up patterns washed over the field. However there was still always a tiny weakness. ?Your danmaku is too precise. Someone like me can't be hit by this type of attack!? Ina punctuated her remarks with a curving amulet shot that shattered Cirno's blizzard.
Cirno smiled. ?But you can't pass by me either. And now I've seen your style. Lets see how well you do against a completely random barrage.?
Ina grimaced. She knew the answer to that question and it was 'poorly.' She could track a lot of random movements, but Cirno had already shown the ability to throw out more individual bullets then Ina could watch at any given time. Instead she'd have to resort to a different tactic.
So as Cirno began her spell Ina closed her eyes and reached for her personal trump card. Just as the fairy finished her declaration, Ina opened her eyes and unleashed her own spell.
There was a breeze, the sound of fabric tearing, and then Ina was on the other side of Cirno who was staring in shock at a broken spell card and a tear in her dress.
?Eh? A bomb already. Well it won't save you from...?
?Well now I'm past you, so I'll go on my way.? Ina flew off with a speed only exceeded by jet engines and crow Tengu.
?Hey! I still have cards! That was just the start! Dammit take me seriously!? Cirno yelled futilely at the rapidly disappearing figure.
Cirno's rant was disturbed by a loud cry of, ?Helloooo stage two boss!? from behind. Turning she saw another miko, this one in the more traditional red fly out of the mist.
?Stage two boss?? Cirno asked slightly dazed.
Aoi nodded. ?Yeah. I mean, that green haired girl can't count, she has to be a midboss. So that means with auntie back there being stage one, you must be stage two.?
?Muki!!!!? Aoi's tail bristled in shock as the ice fairy screamed. ?Stage 2? What's wrong with you people! There was supposed to be a whole mountain worth of bosses before me! This should have been stage 5! The mountain used to be able to have a full 6 stages and an extra, with a couple of bosses left over for the fighting games! How could this have happened??
?Uh... I got no idea sis.? Aoi was wondering about this stage two thing herself. The fairy looked like an idiot, but her soul was burning incredibly bright. It was different then anything she'd seen before. ?Anyway I guess we gotta fight? I've gotta go beat up that mountain miko, find out what the incident is, and solve it.?
Cirno took a few breaths. Her equilibrium restored she smiled at the miko. ?I can respect that goal kid, but I'm no ordinary stage two boss. You should just hide under the kotatsu now before my cold freezes you solid.?
Aoi wondered if she was missing some reference. ?Kotatsu? The nuclear reactor puts off enough heat we don't need something like that.?
?What? What kind of shrine has a nuclear reactor?? Cirno's eyes suddenly narrowed. ?Wait. You're HER miko aren't you? That overgrown crow!?
Aoi's tail began to lash about. This was getting interesting. Not many people above ground knew about the boss, and most of those were very old and powerful youkai. She dropped her slave amulets and bowed to her opponent. ?Aoi Kaenbyou, of the Reiuji shrine.?
?As I thought. Well then, for you I'll be the last boss!? Cirno flung her hand forward and a mass of snowballs, icicles and ice lasers (ice lasers?) flew towards the underground miko, who began to spin away from the shots as her amulets returned fire.
The next few minutes for Aoi were a constant series of close calls and frantic dodging all while pouring as much magic into her ghost slaves as possible to keep up their rate of fire.
Suddenly the air was still. Aoi glanced around the field. The orb bullets that her opponent had been firing were sitting in the air, frozen, and Cirno held what looked like a marble in one hand. The Ice fairy tossed the marble into the air, then flicked it towards a orb with a simple declaration. ?~Perfect Freeze~?
The shot hit the bullet dead center and shattered it sending shrapnel everywhere, those bits struck more bullets which either shattered or began to ricochet into other bullets. It seemed like a horrible game of pool with exploding balls. Aoi scrambled madly backwards hoping to avoid having bullets in her blind spots.
She wasn't fast enough. The crack of ice shattering behind her forced her to spin around and dodge forwards and sideways. She dodged that bullet, and the one after it, but a shard that was hidden behind another bullet when she began her dive swooped past and tore straight through one of her sleeves before hitting her personal wards. One of her spell cards shattered at her 'cheating,' reflecting her loss. Fortunately the bullets all evaporated before her wards dropped again. Aoi noticed one of her amulets falling away from an ice shield next to the fairy. She must have gotten in a spell break of her own.
Cirno nodded. ?All right. That's it for warm ups. I've seen your weakness and...?
?That's enough from a stage two boss! Nanto Jichou Ken: Yatagarasu Tobikomi!? A massive bird of fire swept down at the ice fairy causing an explosion as it impacted the area. Aoi stared in disbelief as the steam cleared to reveal Utsuho in her full regalia adopting a cool pose over the battlefield, while Cirno recovered her balance.
With a flick of her wings Utsuho sent her star cape fluttering to properly frame her next pose. ?That's right little one. The Master of the Black Sun of Chireidan shall be your opponent now. Know that you once again stand against a god!?
?Oh dear.? Aoi muttered to herself. ?She's on a roll this time...? She looked to see if Cirno had been angered by the sudden (and technically illegal) attack.
But the ice fairy seemed to have lost all interest in her former opponent. The mist behind her began to snap and crystallize into ice as Cirno adopted her own cross armed pose. ?Heh heh heh. HA HA HA HA. At last... the main event. This time I'll beat you so bad even a birdbrain like YOU won't be able to forget it!?
Utsuho sneered, ?Every time we've fought you've either been knocked out or vaporized. What makes you think this time will be different??
?I've never been vaporized! You've just refused to admit I knocked you senseless and left you on the ground! But this time I'll freeze you solid!?
?Ha! Taste the ultimate power of fusion!?
Aoi, watched the two for a bit before heading on her way. She had an different incident to solve after all. ?It's good to see the boss having such fun with her friends,? she remarked to herself as she left. With luck they wouldn't blow up anything valuable.
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I'm just going to assume it was a Fist of the North Star reference.
But yeah, another good chapter. |3
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"Nanto Jichou Ken: Yatagarasu Tobikomi"
No clue what Nanto or Tobikomi mean(What do they mean anyway), but Jichou being Raven and Ken being Blade/Fang, I was assuming something like the Tales move Razing Pheonix/Burning Pheonix. But sadly, that's Hiou Zetsunshou. And this, summed Utsuho to be epicherself.
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Renko looked up at the sky and frowned. "Hm... It's just not right."
"What isn't right?" Mary asked while fanning herself.
"The stars," Renko replied. "I always feel they should be brighter. Especially on Tanabata."
Maribel shrugged slightly. "I know, but with all the light pollution..." She carefully began to walk up the steps to the Hakurei shrine. She still hadn't grasped all the intricacies of the yukata/geta combo so she wanted to take her time and avoid tripping. Renko spared one last glance to the heavens before following her friend. There was a decent crowd today, but it wasn't as busy as the shrines closer to the city would be so they didn't need to worry too much about getting lost.
Neither of them could really explain why they'd started going to the Hakurei shrine for festivals. But ever since their first visit they both agreed to keep coming back. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Or maybe it was because, despite Renko's complaint, both their eyes seemed to work a little better here.
The two ladies stood in line to toss their donations in the shrine box before ringing the bell then moving over to the bamboo polls where the slips of paper were being tied up.
"Hey Renko, over there!" Maribel pointed towards the far side of the bamboo poles. "That one looks real."
Renko moved up and inspected it. It did seem like a real bamboo tree. There were a couple of other real plants as well back here, or so it seemed. "Huh. Well that is interesting." She smiled. "Well it's gotta be better to put you wishes on real bamboo, right?"
"Of course," Mary replied with her own smile. The two girls tied their paper slips to the branches.
Renko looked at her friend. "So, um... What did you write?"
Maribel was about to answer when her eyes saw the boundarys of the place twist. Puzzled she leaned forward to look at her wish again. "Huh? This isn't mine..."
"What?"
Maribel checked to make sure she hadn't missed her own paper somewhere in the branches, then pulled the slip off the bamboo and inspected the paper closely. "I want to see the stars of the outside world once. ~Marisa Kirisame"
Renko looked over Maribel's shoulder at the slip. "'The outside world?' Could it be from there? What's the paper like?"
Mary rubbed the paper. "It feels different. Rougher. And the color is slightly different too."
"I wonder if mine changed as well?" Renko excitedly reached for her slip. Sure enough the paper felt different and when she flipped it towards her the writing was in a far steadier hand then Renko's.
"What's it say?" Maribel asked excitedly.
Renko glanced at the paper and blushed slightly. "I think we should let 'Alice' keep her wish secret."
Maribel frowned. "What? Come on you've already read it! Let me see too!"
***
Marisa frowned at the paper in her hand. It was incredibly smooth, and more importantly, despite repeated searching she was sure it wasn't hers, despite being in the exact same place she'd tied her wish up. "'I want to see the sky of Gensoukyo someday?' Why would someone write that? Maybe this Maribel girl's blind or something? And where'd my wish get to?"
Alice frowned as she inpected it. "That doesn't look like the paper slips that Reimu's selling. Maybe it dropped across the barrier?"
Marisa pondered that for a moment. "Maybe it did. Hey, check yours Alice."
Alice sent Shanghai over to where she'd tied her wish and retrieved it. She carefully looked at the altered paper.
"Is yours different too?"
Alice nodded. "Yes. How odd."
"So what's it say?" Marisa asked.
Alice smiled and sent Shanghai to tie up the . "I think 'Renko' would want to keep this wish a secret."
Marisa frowned. "Oh come on..." She sighed.
"Still," Alice said. "if those wishes can sail across the milky way and end up here, it should be easy for them to become true."
Marisa thought about it for a moment. "Maybe that means our wishes will become true too, eh?"
"Maybe."
The two stood in silence for a bit longer.
Then Marisa jumped up and zoomed over to where Shanghai had tied the wish. "You saw the one I got. Fair's, fair right?"
"Dammit Marisa! Are you five!?"
On the slip of paper was a simple message. "I want to be with Mary, wherever she goes. ~Renko"
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Day late, dollar short, and totally out of tune with the lunar calender. Oh well, a tanabata fic none the less.
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Awwwwww~
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cute :)
More Maribel and Renko is always appreciated.
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Well between looking for a job, stressing over not finding a job, and trying to clean up ESR my brain is too fried to get something good out. Maybe the weekend will help me get back into shape an allow me to finish another chapter of a New World. Until then I offer this explination for my mech/ fighter choices for the weekly writing challenge. (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5084.msg382541#msg382541) Mainly because doing random stuff helps my brain relax.
The pilots were all chosen to mimic SA. Yukari got placed in support because I felt she should be a jumpship pilot, what with her normal space warping powers. Utsuho sadly also became support both for plot reasons and because I couldn't find a broken enough mech. Kanako got billing because the scenario was her fault, and Sanae joined the fun because I needed to balance the teams a little.
The weakest mech setups were the Sulla' (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=808&Itemid=1112)s for Koishi and Satori. Satori and Koishi were made Clan areospace pilots because of their ZUN art. I picked those planes to demonstrate to those unfamiliar with the setting how broken the Clan advantage is. Of course the two sisters fighting styles come stroght from the game, with Satori reading her opponents like a book, and Koishi moving to catch them off guard.
Likewise Patchouli's Stingray (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=231) is also kind of weakly connected. I mainly chose it for the Sunspot PPC, representing her royal flare. It is a very nice craft though.
Nitori's Rogue (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=108) comes from her super youkai warhead status. It combines a whole lot of missiles with... not much else. But then with that many missiles you don't need much. Nitori of course turned her old stealth gear into the ability to look harmless until it's too late.
On the ground, Alice's modified Archer (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=416&Itemid=675) comes from her tendency to work with her dolls, or in this universe, her friendly infantry units. The Arrow IV system takes up most of the mechs weapon room, so most of her power relies on the doll squads getting a target.
Of course in this scenario Aya also helped. The Raven (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=385&Itemid=642) is a perfect mech for everyone's favorite paparazzi. It's fast, great at finding out things you don't want it to know, and with it's NARC pod, it can tell everyone else in the world where you are too.
Reimu's Albatross (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=697&Itemid=958) sadly isn't as well connected. It's kinda a jack of all trades Assault mech, but unlike most main characters Reimu isn't a jack of all trades. The Exterminator (http://"http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=258&Itemid=303") would have fit her job better, but it also would have blown up way too easy. It's not something a commander should have.
Similarly Sanae's Shugenja (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1387&Itemid=1824) is kind of an odd fit. The name works, since Sanae's a wind priestess, but it's status as a command mech doesn't really work for Sanae. Still it's unguided missile launcher gives plent of room for divine intervention.
Suika's Akuma (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1490&Itemid=1953) is also slightly a stretch, but it's pretty close. It's big, has a sorta Oni like mask, and is designed to walk up into your face and blow you up. Sadly there's no real way of duping the mini Suikas.
Anyone who can't figure out why Marisa's piloting an Assault mech with 3 Particle Projection Cannons needs to go replay any of the windows games. The fact that it's actually called an Awesome (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=436&Itemid=696) is just icing on the cake. I feel bad about blowing it up, and I'm certain the whims of the universe will give her a new one.
Similarly the Behemoth (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=723&Itemid=1006) was the only real choice for Yuugi (who of course has Elemental blood befitting her stature). With another gauss rifle replacing the large pulse lasers I think I was able to decently recreate her "knock out in three steps." Too bad it doesn't work as well in the MW universe.
Orin got the souped up Mad Cat (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=461&Itemid=725) of course. Both for the name, and because the Varient D madcat is a serious pain to fight. And because that doesn't fully represent how much Orin can make people cry I upgraded it beyond that.
Parsee was granted the Loki (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=460&Itemid=724), which kinda makes sense, in a loose fashion. Since it's the Hellbringer in Clan terms it's name fits her well both for her jealous nature and as the bridge keeper to hell. It's load out is also kind of a sprinkling of random stuff, making it a decent fit for a girl who wants what everyone else has.
Yamame's Stalking Spider (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1424&Itemid=1872) was mostly given to her because of the name and because it's a four legged mech. It's also totally out of it's element in this kind of fight, so alas, it fared poorly.
Lastly the bucket loli's Solitaire (http://www.mechground.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1532&Itemid=2010) was a much better fit then I expected to get. The Solitare is designed to drop out of nowhere and blow up your stuff. Kisume is designed to drop out of nowhere and bucket you in the face. It was a perfect match.
And thus ends my useless info dump. I'd feel bad about it, but I'm sure someone out there will understand it. And I hope that one person enjoys it.
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It was nice to see this because although I enjoyed the fic, I had absolutely no clue what the various mechs looked like. :3
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I'm so glad I spat up this challenge for the WWC. This is a true gem of a story.
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I'm so glad I spat up this challenge for the WWC. This is a true gem of a story.
Heh, makes me glad I didn't take the cheap way out and do the Mokou/Kaguya redo of the G Gundam ending.
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So tommorrow's installment of A New World isn't in the Christmas spirit. Neither is this either, but it's more uplifting so enjoy.
Note: This is so very not Erebus safe.
---
Alice was surprised by the figure when she opened the door. ?Oh. Hello, Meiling. I thought you would have been getting ready for the party.?
Meiling laughed as she readjusted her grip on the packages she was holding. ?Actually I have the day off, but I'm doing this as a favor to Sakuya. She wanted me to deliver these presents to you.?
?Well thank you,? Alice waved the gate guard inside so she could set the presents down. ?But I'm planning on coming to the party later. You didn't need to come all the way out here to give them to me.?
?Actually these are pretty heavy. The mistress was worried that you might have a hard time with them, even with all your dolls.? Shanghai moved to watch as Meiling set the bottom three packages down on the floor, then placed the other two on the table.
Alice looked them over. The three bottom packages seemed fairly long and wide, but not all that high. Yet as she stared at them she realized they all contained some kind of magic. ?Did Sakuya alter the space in those boxes?? she asked with interest. She'd never had a good chance to study the maids powers directly. These boxes might be more interesting then their contents!
Meiling shook her head. ?It's Patchouli's design apparently. They're just a little bigger on the inside then the outside.? She pointed out each package. ?That one's from Miss Patchouli, the next one is from Koakuma, and the third large package is from the Mistress.? She then motioned towards the ones on the table. ?And since I was bringing those already, I brought my gift and Sakuya's as well.?
Alice supposed Sakuya was enough of a mage to keep an eye on her spells. ?Thank you again Meiling. Should I give you my gifts for the mansion? It'll take me a little while to gather them but I could get you some tea while you wait.? She set her dolls to preparing the tea.
?No, but thank you. I'd better make sure Sakuya isn't swamped.? The gatekeeper bowed again. ?I'll take my leave.?
?Very well then. I'll see you later, Meiling.? Alice had Shanghai wave to the gatekeeper as the woman left, then used her doll to close the door. Then she turned to the presents.
?Well, we might as well open them up!? Alice said, while Shanghai and Hourai nodded eagerly. ?Let's see what Meiling and Sakuya got us first. There's one each, so go right ahead.?
The two dolls fluttered to the packages and deftly opened them. Shaghai revealed a very nice looking cake from Sakuya, while Hourai held up a very nice blue Cheongsam with flower embroidery from Meiling. Alice smiled. ?Hm... Looks like Meiling appreciated the turret dolls. I'll have to drop by and repair them some time.?
Then she turned to the other boxes. She was kind of curious as to why Patchouli and Koakuma were sending her such large things. Remilia she understood. Remilia always bought something far too expensive. But Patchouli and Koakuma knew that she preferred small, useful things.
Well there was only one way to satisfy her curiosity. She untied the ribbon and opened the box from Patchouli.
As she lifted the lid off the package began to shake and she heard a muffled muttering. She tossed the lid aside to find Marisa stuffed in the box.
Whoever had placed the magician there had obviously been in a festive mood, as Marisa usual outfit had been replaced by a santa hat and a large number of ribbons. There were two bands of nearly paste on red fabric which could, if one was particularly generous, be called a top and a skirt and the whole ensemble was topped off by a bow gag, which is why the brilliantly blushing magician was currently only making muffled protests.
Alice felt her face flush, and she took a step back wards away from the box. Inside she heard Marisa making some sort of protest again, but she needed to regain her composure. Seriously, what was Patchouli thinking!?
She took a few breaths so her cheeks didn't feel like molten lava. She had to remain calm. Treating this as anything more then a joke would only make the next month or so awkward. Well, more awkward.
She shook of her feelings and looked up again only to blush furiously again when she saw Shanghai hanging around the box with a pair of scissors. ?What are you saying,? she hissed quietly as grabbed the doll and put her on the table.
The fact that the dolls were working off her own subconscious was even more embarrassing.
She took a few more breaths until she was fairly certain that her cheeks were merely 'rosy' instead of 'glowing like Rudolph's nose.'
She looked into the box again. The embarrassed glare Marisa was giving her sent her internal temperature up another few degrees, but she kept her calm this time. ?So how did you manage to get yourself into this mess Marisa??
?Mrph,? Marisa replied while failing to look innocent.
Alice sighed. ?I see. And this was Patchouli's idea? Not one of your cunning plans??
?Mmmph! Mrph!? Marisa shook her head violently at that. Her movements helped push a piece of paper out from where it was hidden behind her. Alice forced herself to focus on that instead of the other magician's figure. She waved her hand at the paper and one of her dolls swooped down and delivered it to her hands.
Written on it in Patchouli's scrawled script was the a simple note.
I know this may seem a little extravagant, but we had too many of the little book thieves in our library, so Koakuma suggested we send you one, since your home is better built for it. I hope you can find some use for it.
I also have acquired a set of notes from the doll maker Rozen. If you're interested I'll be happy to give you the works in question. I've already made a copy, and I know you enjoy collecting originals.
Merry Christmas,
Patchouli
Alice rolled her eyes at the note. Why did Patchouli's sense of humor revive itself at the worst possible times? ?So you finally annoyed Patchouli enough for her to think up some revenge for you, eh??
Marisa muttered something again, but Alice noticed Marisa was looking very guilty. Or maybe the other magician was still embarrassed about being seen in such a revealing outfit.
Still Alice had to admit it was amusing revenge, in a very twisted way. Served Marisa right for looting other people's books all the time. She didn't know why she had to be embarrassed as well.
After a few moments Alice smirked. She should get some enjoyment out of this after all, right?
She looked back down on Marisa, who seemed somewhat distressed that she wasn't out of the box yet. Alice waved her hands and a platoon of dolls carefully lifted Marisa up and put her in a seat. Marisa tried to look behind her to where Alice was sitting, but with all the ribbons the other blonde magician couldn't turn around without losing one of the two pieces of 'clothing' she still possessed.
?Now now Marisa, you just sit there politely and I'll give you a change of clothes to go home in.? Alice smiled mercilessly. ?I might even let you have some cake too. And if you're real good, I promise not to take pictures.?
Marisa straightened up considerably at the threat of pictures. Alice grinned then turned to the next box. She figured a bit of cake and a set of clothes (which she'd probably never see again) would make up for letting Marisa stew for a bit. Then they could plot revenge against Patchouli.
As she pulled up the lid on this one there was a thump and a muffled ?Mmky!? Alice's hands froze.
It couldn't be. Koakuma wouldn't have....
Alice carefully moved the box lid aside.
The little devil had.
Patchouli was lying at the bottom of this box, also wrapped in ribbons.
Koakuma had apparently decided that Patchouli's pale skin didn't match the red fabric as well so she'd made the 'skirt' and 'top' out of velvet with white fluff at the hem. Of course she 'fixed' the fact that this concealed more flash by using a segment that was too small for the top and using laces to tie it. In the front of course.
Once again Alice had to step back. Her face had to be beet red. It was a good thing Marisa was facing away from her. She did not need people to see that reaction!
Deep breaths. Deep breaths would keep her from focusing on Patchouli's generous cleavage or Marisa's pert... Ah! Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
After a few moments she managed to calm down enough to look back in the box. The other magician usually never showed embarrassment, but right now Patchouli actually looked somewhat flushed. Alice wondered if it was the outfit, or the humiliation of being stuffed in a box by her familiar.
She felt her blush returning a little as she realized a great way to test that theory. She almost discarded it, but then she remembered Patchouli owed her for the stunt with the last package.
Alice sent Shanghai down to hover over the laces holding Patchouli's top on. The purple haired woman looked straight at Alice in shock and blushed deeply, before starting as the doll suddenly moved past her and grabbed the note at the bottom of the box.
Alice ignored Patchouli's ?Hmmmm? of annoyance and read the paper.
Miss Patchouli's a little too embarrassed to send this to you, so I thought I'd do it in her stead. I hope the colors match well, but if not I'm sure you've got something that will work.
I encourage you to take this gift to the bath. It should be lots of fun.
Happy Hanukah,
Koakuma
PS: Don't worry about showing up late to the party. I'll cover for you.
Alice looked up from the letter at Patchouli. ?Well, it looks like I'll need to punish your familiar. After I get through embarrassing you of course. What were you thinking??
Patcchouli had the decency to turn away from Alice's questioning, though Alice had to admit her face was probably more amused then angry.
Again Alice called on her doll army. The little ones flew down, picked up Patchouli and placed her lightly in the seat opposite of Marisa. ?There. Now Marisa can enjoy the view as much as you did when you boxed her up.?
Both the magicians attempted to protest, but Patchouli's soft muttering sounded more like and excuse then utter mortification, while Marisa's seemed more incensed. That was good. She didn't want to accidentally take this too far. Okay, it had gone way past too far before she'd even gotten the packages, but she didn't want to overdo her revenge.
?Now you two sit there quietly and think about what you've done, while I finish opening up the last box,? Alice said heading to the third one.
As she pulled off the lid of this box there was just the jingling of bells. Relieved that this time she wasn't greeted by someone trying to escape she opened the box.
And found Koakuma inside.
Whoever had wrapped the little devil had decided to skip the top and skirt in favor of more ribbons. They'd also added bells to the devil's wings, which jingled as she flapped them helplessly.
This time Alice just stared down into the box. She knew she shouldn't be surprised. After all it had already happened twice. But she was. She hadn't expected Remilia of all people to do something this... blatant. As she stared she wondered if it would be more creepy if Sakuya had helped her, or if the tiny vampire had done it herself.
Koakuma of course looked only mildly embarrassed at her predicament. In fact Alice was almost certain that most of the wing fluttering and eyelash batting were for Alice's entertainment.
After a few more seconds of staring Alice had her dolls sweep the devil up and dropped her into a seat at the table with the other two magicians. The little devil was unfazed by the glares Patchouli and Marisa gave her. She was probably appreciating the more appraising looks she was getting as well.
Alice turned away from that mess for now and grabbed the note that had been in Koakuma's box.
I overheard you asking about a research assistant, so I found you one. I hope she serves you well. I considered sending a few maid outfits with her, but I imagine you have better ones at your disposal, given your skill with a needle.
Have a Merry Christmas. And do make sure to boost your home wards, so we don't have a repeat of last incident.
Remilia Scarlet
?Repeat of Last incident? What's she talking about,? Alice muttered.
She put the note down. Well now she had to figure out what to do with the three.
Patchouli and Koakuma still owed her for this stunt of course. And Marisa... well she was guilty of something. Probably several somethings.
And somewhere in the back of Alice's brain a small bit of her was admitting that she really enjoyed the current view of her table and it's occupants.
Well, she was a doll master. Perhaps she should have a tea party. She'd keep her promise to Marisa, and hand them some clothes after she was finished ribbing them about the matter.
With that thought she had Shanghai go pull over a pot of tea, as she sat down at the table.
?I'm so glad you could join me for this little tea party,? she said as Shanghai poured a cup of tea for each 'guest.' ?I also want to say I appreciate you choices in clothing. It's very... festive.? Alice waved her hands and removed the gags from Patchouli and Marisa.
?Very funny Alice. I'd like a coat now.? Marisa stated.
?Perhaps you could free our hands as well?? Patchouli asked.
?Mph hmm mm hgm hmmyg?? Koakuma mumbled through her bow.
?Oh no, I couldn't let all the work you did go to waste so quickly Patchouli,? Alice said with an evil smile. ?And Marisa, you remember that little event in our childhood right? It's my turn to return the favor there.?
?You had your clothes on then,? Marisa protested.
?You have clothes on,? Alice replied. For certain definitions of clothing. ?And Koakuma you get to keep the gag for a bit more because I just know you'll be making suggestions in poor taste.?
?Because keeping us tied up in ribbons and lace is in good taste?? Patchouli asked.
?No...? Alice admitted, ?But it was your idea first, and given the looks you're still giving each other everyone is enjoying it to some degree.?
The bells on Koakuma's wings jingled again as she tried, and failed, to add what was likely a cheery, 'helpful' and totally inappropriate comment.
?Well if we are having a tea party we'll need our hands free,? Marisa said.
?Oh no that won't be necessary,? Alice said as a doll carefully sliced the cake and dolled out half the slices. ?Say 'ah'?
?Wah!? Marisa's question was cut off by a doll carefully placing a bite of cake in her mouth. She got over her surprise fairly quickly however and ruefully accepted the cake.
?Now your turn, Patchouli,? Alice said looking over at the other magician. Patchouli frowned for a few seconds before looking away and opening her mouth. ?Ah.?
?Very good. Now...? Alice turned to Koakuma, ?I'm guess I'll have to remove that gag so you can eat, but do try to be good.?
Koakuma's wings jingled in acknowledgment. But the first thing out of her mouth when the gag came off was ?If you want, you can remove the rest of the ribomph,? Alice cut her off with a chunk of cake while taking a bite of her own slice. It was very good, a little heavy on the chocolate frosting, but the strawberries inside made up for that.
Patchouli just shook her head. Marisa on the other hand looked down and said, ?Um, Alice... I'd like some tea, please.?
Alice felt strangely warm again when she looked at Marisa acting so helpless. She quickly covered by sending one of her dolls to bring the teacup to Marisa's lips. Seeing Patchouli giving her a needy glace as well and sent another doll to give the other magician some tea.
And in the back of her head a tiny voice warned Alice that she was enjoying this juuuust a little too much. She'd probably better bring this to a close.
?So, what do you all think?? Alice asked sweetly.
?I think Koakuma's in for a lecture when we get back,? Patchouli said.
?I think we should never speak of this in public,? Marisa replied.
?I think you're overdressed, Alice,? Koakuma said with a grin.
Patchouli turned slightly towards the puppeteer. ?Indeed.?
Marisa opened her mouth a couple of times then finally said, ?Yeah. Overdressed.?
Alice shivered as she found herself the focus of three pairs of appreciative eyes. Maybe she'd gone overboard. She could let them get the last word in. ?Hm... So what would you suggest I change into??
Patchouli looked down at the other gift box. ?You should wear Meiling's gift.?
Marisa coughed, ?Um, you should wear the cat outfit.?
Alice stared at Marisa. ?How do you know that I own that??
Koakuma smiled widely. ?You should wear Sakuya's present.?
The three magicians all turned to the devil. Then looked at the cake in the middle of the table. Then all eyes went to Alice.
The puppeteer sat there for a few moments then, very slowly, stood up and picked up the cake. Then she walked back to her room.
After a minute of shocked silence, the three women each felt a doll untie their hands and legs. Alice's voice came out from the bedroom, ?I... think I need some help putting it on. If you three would be so kind...?
There was another moment of silence, then Koakuma jumped to her feet with the ringing of bells and fluttered to the door, quickly slipping inside.
Marisa and Patchouli looked at the door. Then at each other. Finally Marisa turned walked into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle, and took a swig off of it. Then she handed it to Patchouli. ?Plausible deniability,? she said.
Patchouli inspected the bottle. It seemed to be sherry.
She took a pull, coughed a little, then followed Marisa through the bedroom door.
-
?Repeat of Last incident? What's she talking about,? Alice muttered.
This one puzzled me, then I realized that this must be a sequel to "Chain Reaction".
-
That was too damn amusing. I had to stifle some laughter from the rest of the house. :3
-
In the immortal words of Cirno in the picture that inspired "Down On The Corner," "What is this!? What is this!? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
-
i wanna a Yuri Doujin Alice x Marisa x Patchouli x Koakuma
Oh... what a pervert i am :ohdear:
-
*Slap*
Remilia shook her head to clear the pain, then forced herself to stand up perfectly straight. She stared past her father's angry visage doing her best to hide her pain.
?I've given you years to fix this! So what's your excuse for this farce!??
She knew that there was no answer that could satisfy him. She simply gritted her teeth and replied, ?I don't have one, father.?
?You don't have one?? The second slap was lighter then the first, though it still sent her small body flying. She thought she heard Flandre whimper in fear. Or maybe that was her own voice.
Her father dragged her upright, glaring down at his wayward daughter with fury in his eyes. ?You disgust me, Remilia. How could someone of the Scarlet bloodline be so pathetic?? He sneered at her. ?A noble of house Scarlet who can't even correctly transform to and from bat form? Pathetic! And what's worse is that you failed in the most egregious manner possible. Now every time I look at these,? Remilia trembled in fear as he placed his hands on her wings, ?I'm reminded that my daughter is inferior to a commoner!?
Remilia couldn't help but scream as he ripped the wings from her back with his monstrous strength. She collapsed to the ground, desperately fighting back sobs. He'd stop hurting her if she didn't cry.
Her father tossed her broken wings aside and walked away in disgust.
Her mother walked over and looked down upon Remilia as she tried to stand. ?I should toss you out into the sun and start over. Give Flandre someone worthy to compete against.?
Remilia gritted her teeth. ?But you won't.?
Her mother smiled at that. ?Yes, I suppose it's hard to threaten you since you know the results. So long as you keep that power you are of some use. Maybe your sister will keep you alive if she proves herself worthy of the Scarlet name.?
Remilia grunted in reply and stood. Most vampires had powers, but normally they simply gained greater strength in one of the vampire's traditional skills. She on the other hand was weaker, physically and magically, then the norm for her race. But her power was unique. She possessed the ability to see fate, and plan around it.
She wondered if her parents would be more or less impressed if they realized she'd been lying to them all this time. Because the one thing she could not see was her own fate.
Her father had moved to stand before Flandre, the lesser daughter forgotten. Remilia could sense her sister's fear, but it didn't show on her pale countenance.
Her father looked down at the girl. ?Bat form.? Flandre immediately transformed into a bat at his command. ?Vampire form.? Flandre switched again, quickly resuming her true form. Unlike Remilia no wings marred her form. Of course their father wouldn't be satisfied with just that.
?Wolf form.? In Flandre's place sat a night black wolf with blood red eyes. ?Mist.? Now there was just a haze where Flandre once was. ?Vampire.? Then Flandre was back, whole again.
?Mist, Wolf, Vampire, Bat, Mist, Vampire, Wolf, Vampire,? her father rattled off. Flandre immediately began shifting, trying to keep up with the commands as they came. She of course fell behind, but she did all the transformations, in the correct order.
Her test complete, Flandre stood there awaiting judgment.
?Acceptable,? was her father's final verdict. ?Your mist transformations are still slow though. Work on them.?
?Yes father!? Flandre replied quickly.
?Well then, shall we have dinner Flandre?? Mother asked.
Flandre glanced back at Remilia for a moment, but the young girl quickly turned back. ?Yes Mother.?
Father nodded as well, and the three left towards the dining room. Remilia didn't follow. She knew she'd been dismissed for her poor showing. She would get no dinner tonight. Her stomach and body would complain, but she wouldn't cry about it. That would only show she was less worthy then she already was. She would stand there until the massive doors to the dining hall slammed shut.
Then she could collapse to the floor and try to wrap her arms around herself.
She wouldn't cry about it, when they could see.
As her choked sobs slowly subsided, she smelled something sweet. Her hunger drove her towards the smell, and she found herself looking down at the blood she'd lost when her father had ripped off her wings.
She pushed herself off the ground in disgust. She was a vampire. She wouldn't resort to licking her own blood off the floor like a wounded beast!
Or that's what she wanted to say. She hadn't eaten in two days, and the scent of blood, even her own, was distracting to the point of madness.
Remilia stared at the puddle of blood for a long time, before running off to her room to escape the enticing smell.
---
?Big sister, can I come in??
Remilia nearly jumped from her bed at the voice. ?Of course. Hurry.?
The door opened and Flandre slipped through. ?You don't need to worry Remilia. Mother caught a priest. They'll be gone the rest of the night.?
Remilia stood and hugged her sister. ?That's good.? She almost felt some pity for the priest, but considering the fact that the way Mother hunted was seduction, it was obvious he wasn't a very pious man.
Flandre hugged Remilia back, then loosened her collar. ?Here big sis. I ate too much at dinner, so you can have some.?
Remilia stared at her sister's neck. Kin feeding was possible, but frowned upon. ?It's okay Flandre. I'm a light eater, I don't need much food. Besides they might notice.?
?They won't notice if you don't spill anything.? Flandre paused, then said in a meek whisper, ?Besides, they're going to take me to the village tomorrow. I'll get more blood then.?
?Eh! Tomorrow?? Remilia started at that. She was only 17, and Flandre had just turned 13. To go on an active hunt so soon...
Then Remilia understood. ?It's because of me isn't it.?
Flandre didn't say anything, but Remilia could tell by her sister's silence she'd hit the mark.
Soon after little Flandre had mastered speech the two sisters had learned the reason their parents had gone through the effort of having two children so quickly. They were only going to let one of them inherit the Scarlet family name. One of them was going to become one of the rulers of the night, the other was simply to be a challenge for the true vampire to overcome. A tool to be discarded.
Thus for the next three years the sisters had been at each others throats. Both knew only one of them would survive. Remilia had the advantage in age and her ability to see fate. Flandre however quickly started beating Remilia in strength and magical aptitude.
Then shape changing lessons had come, and everything fell apart.
Remilia's failure had made it impossible for her to pretend to be human. She'd been terrified her parents would have killed her right then, but her ability to see the future convinced them to spare her.
But that meant Flandre had no 'worthy' competition.
Which meant their father had come down twice as hard on her.
The two sisters had slowly banded together after that. Flandre needed Remilia to help tutor her. There was no way someone her age could understand the subjects being thrown at her with simple self study. And Remilia...
Remilia needed a friend. Someone who thought she had the right to exist. Especially since most of her life these days was being used as an object lesson in the penalties for failure.
Remilia sighed and shook off her reminiscence. ?Well, I guess feeding should help you calm down a bit. I'll be careful not to take much.?
That brought some of Flandre's color back. ?Yeah, and no bloodstains, alright,? Flandre said in an imperious tone. ?It's bad enough you've ruined your own dresses like that.?
Remilia smiled weakly before slowly biting into her sister's throat, her hunger allowing her to ignore the terrible taste of vampire blood. Flandre sighed and relaxed as the tranquilizing agents in Remilia's vampiric saliva helped remove her fear and tension.
After a few seconds Remilia stopped drinking and very carefully drew back. To her immense relief she hadn't spilled any blood this time. And despite the foul taste, she wasn't starving anymore. ?Thank you sister.?
?Hm, well sisters are supposed to look after each other.? Flandre crossed her arms and turned away. ?Though you're supposed to be helping more, big sister. When are you going to stop slacking??
Remilia smiled weakly. ?One day you'll be able to rely on me for everything you need. Just you see.?
Flandre's voice seemed to shift as she said, ?I know.?
Remilia shuddered at that. Only she had seen it happen, but Flandre sometimes knew things. Things that even Remilia couldn't see.
Flandre started walking for the door. ?I should go to bed early.?
?Yeah. Take care Flandre.?
Flandre opened the door, then stopped. ?Remilia??
?Yes, Flan?? Remilia replied.
Flandre hesitated a little longer. ?I know it won't matter, since you can't change fate, but I need to know. Does everything go okay tomorrow??
Remilia stood up and called upon her ability. She stared at Flandre, and the rest of the world seemed to fade away, leaving her sister in a darkened field. Then the scene changed. There was a village full of fire. Blood. A broken cross. And mad laughter ringing through the air.
Remilia closed her eyes. ?Yeah. It'll all turn out okay Flandre,? she lied.
?Thank you sister.?
Remilia waited until the door latched before burying her face in the pillow to contain her new tears. ?I'm sorry Flandre. I didn't want to lie. But you should have one good night's sleep. It's all I can give you.?
-----
The waiting was interminable.
Flandre and their father had left after lunch. Remilia had been ordered to her room at the same time. She hadn't even been able to say goodbye to Flandre. Not while their parents watched.
And so Remilia was left to pace. Thirty seven short steps one way. Thirty seven short steps the other. A mindless exercise to keep her body occupied while her mind wandered.
She'd often wondered why she hadn't aged from her current state. Perhaps it was because she felt she was still a child. Her parents had beaten that into her enough. Or perhaps it was because she felt more like Flandre's little sister then her big sister. She hoped Flandre didn't have the same problem. It would be sad if both of them were trapped at this age forever.
She hoped that her worries about Flandre would actually matter.
The vision once again flashed through her mind and she shook it off. It didn't matter. It was a vampire's job to cause pain and suffering to humans. If there wasn't blood and fire after an attack from Flandre her father would be disappointed, right? All that mattered was keeping the fact that they were actual vampires hidden.
Remilia started as the door opened. She quickly snapped to attention and found her mother standing there looking displeased. ?Follow me,? her mother said curtly.
Remilia followed.
Mother led her to the sitting room. Father was already there, staring at his painting while growling. His clothes were torn slightly, and he smelled of smoke.
When Remilia entered he turned his glare on her. Remilia couldn't help but flinch back at the hate in his eyes. ?You! Prove you're still useful and tell us where we'll be in two days time!?
Remilia desperately wanted to ask why, but she didn't dare anger her father further. She quickly concentrated on her parents. She saw a manor, similarly decorated, but not the same. She saw mother and father sitting there, looking annoyed but relieved. And a place entered her mind, 'Bavaria.'
?You'll be in the Germanys, Father. Bavaria.? Remilia paused for a moment. ?I... don't see Flandre, Father.?
?That's not of your concern wretch,? her Mother said. ?You've proven useful enough to let live again. Now go to your room until we call for you.?
Once again Remilia desperately wanted to know what happened, but she didn't dare refuse. ?Yes mother.? Remilia turned around and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her.
Remilia walked halfway down the hall towards her room, then stopped and turned into a bat. She might never be able to get the bats wings off her back, but she could still make the transformation. And she needed the bat's hearing now.
She focused her ears at the crack in the door and listened in on the conversation.
?Are you sure we need to flee?? mother asked. ?The Church isn't usually so quick.?
?Normally they don't trust some random villagers claims. After all who cares if a few peasants die to vampire attacks. But that little thing revealed a power no one should possess. The church will be here in force to kill her.? Her Father's voice almost sounded worried.
?Is it really that bad dear? Power is power,? Mother replied.
?Power is fine, but the little child went mad!? Her father's exclamation was followed by a loud thump. ?She killed one human, then just went utterly mad. She broke the church while hovering in the moonlight for all to see, then started attacking people at random to see if 'they all broke the same way!' She even attacked me! I was lucky that a strong slap brought some semblance of sense back to her. But she was giggling even then and muttering things in tongues.?
?Hrm, that is bad.? Mother sighed. ?How foolish, to break over some human. I guess we'll have to start over then. We can't have madness in the family, no matter the power.?
Her father grunted. ?Especially with that power. I swear half the time she just looked at something and it would explode. I feel lucky that she tried to kill me in a conventional fashion.?
?You think she's that dangerous dear?? Mother seemed shocked. ?Is that why you let her live??
?Yes. Tomorrow night we just pack up and leave. Don't even bother with the seal on her door. Let the church handle this mess.?
Remilia had heard enough. She flew away towards her sister's room.
-----
The doors to Flandre's room had been sealed with a powerful spell. One far beyond her skills. Remilia could admittedly tunnel through the walls, but the door itself was impassable.
Perhaps that was for the best. After all, she had lied to her sister.
Remilia hesitated then knocked on the door. ?Flandre. It's me.?
?Big sister!? Flandre's voice rang out. ?One sec! Lemee open the door!? There was a few steps from inside, then a thump as Flandre hit the warded portal.
?Flandre, it's sealed,? Remilia said. ?You can't....?
The mystical seal cracked, then the doorway shattered into a million pieces, revealing Flandre. ?Kyuu!? Flandre said. Then she started giggling.
Remilia could only stand and stare at the altered form of the girl who was her sister. ?Flandre, what... what have you done to your back??
?Oh! The wings!? Flandre laughed again. A strange painful laugh that caused fear to shoot up Remilia's spine. ?Well I'm a failure now, just like you Remilia! So that means I can get pretty wings like you too, right?? Flandre turned around, causing the strange crystals attached to the 'wings' to chime. Flandre's back was a mass of blood and Remilia could see where the iron bars had been jammed into her skin. ?Do you like them big sis??
Remilia was terrified. The girl that she had spent so much time with, who she'd fought against, who she'd tried desperately to support, had obviously broken. But she forced herself to step forward and hug her sister, ?They're beautiful. They must hurt a lot, but they're beautiful.?
Flandre stiffened at her embrace, then slumped into Remilia's arms. ?I can see it big sister. Why did you lie to me? I can see it all. Killing people made me understand. Everything is so fragile. That door.? Flandre kicked a piece of the ruined wood. ?My bed.? Flandre made a fist and it exploded into fragments. ?Even you big sister.? Remilia froze in fear as something in her chest tightened. It felt like she could pop at any moment. She wanted to scream. To run away.
But she'd had years of practice fighting back those emotions. She forced herself to hug her sister tighter. ?I'm sorry. I didn't want to believe what I saw was real. I didn't want to know.?
The tightness vanished. ?I understand,? Flandre said mournfully. ?Sometimes not knowing is safer. Sometimes not knowing is the only thing that makes it stop hurting.?
Flandre leaned back into her. ?Big sister. What will happen to me??
Remilia closed her eyes. She didn't want to see. But she couldn't escape the visions. A head with blond hair lying on the floor. A silver knife. Broken crystals atop the shattered fragments of Flandre's bed.
?Do I die, big sister??
Remilia bit her lip. Finally she said, ?Your bed's broken. Do you want to sleep in my room tonight, Flandre??
Flandre started. ?Ah! It is broken.? She giggled again. ?I'm starting to forget whether things are broken or waiting to be broken.? Flandre paused and thought. ?Well, normally I'd get in trouble, but that doesn't matter, so sure!?
Remilia sighed and closed her eyes again. The vision flashed in front of her. Her sisters broken form. A silver knife. A ruined room.
Her ruined room.
And then she understood.
?Let's go to sleep early, Flandre. I think we'll have a long day tomorrow.?
------
Remilia was always a light eater, which was great if you wanted to keep a low profile as a vampire. But she had another quality that was of great use for survival. She was a light sleeper.
Incredibly light for a vampire. Most vampires couldn't move at all once they retreated to their beds and the sun rose. However some, like her mother and her sister, could act normally while the sun was up. And Remilia alone could wake when the sun was high in the sky without stumbling about in lethargy for a while.
Which was a good thing. She knew what she needed to do, but her mind fought against it tooth and nail. She'd been trapped in a cycle of helplessness for so long she could barely believe she could escape it. It took her a full hour to pull herself out of bed. Another to get the items she needed. Then a third hour to push open the door to her parents room.
She thanked whatever dark forces might listen to a devils prayers that her parents didn't sleep in coffins, otherwise she might have lost another hour, and she didn't have that time.
She walked up next to her mother first. The tall elegant silver haired woman hadn't shifted at all. Remilia stood there for a while, trying to summon her courage. Then the woman's eyes fluttered open.
The shock and fear in her mother's eyes gave her the courage to raise the oak stake above the woman's breast and drive it home with preternatural force.
Her mother spasmed and jerked as blood splattered about. Remilia had hit the heart, but not pierced it. But the young vampires fear was gone, replaced by rage. ?It figures your breasts would save you, fucking cow!? Remilia swore as she slamed her hand down on the stake again. ?After all, that's all you ever used to hunt! Well they aren't big enough to keep you alive forever you stupid bitch!?
Remilia slammed her hand down one more time, and her mother jerked and was still.
She whirled around towards her father's bed. The elder vampire's eyes were open, but unlike his wife and daughters, he couldn't even begin to move while the sun was up. Remilia took her time walking to his side. ?Well well well. Who's weak now!? She carefully put the tip of the second stake over his heart, reveling in his fear.
?Before I kill you father, I want you to know something. I lied to you every time I said you wouldn't kill me. I can't see my own fate.? She paused and smiled even wider. ?Because I don't have one. I can change the future as I see fit! I am Remilia Scarlet, and fate is mine to command! Am I worthy now, Father?!?
She looked down at her old man's face, and she froze. He was smiling. Weakly, but he was smiling.
?NO!? she screamed as she hammered in the stake with her fist. ?NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! You don't get to approve of me now! I don't want your approval! I don't need your approval! I'm murdering you God dammit! Scream! Beg! Cry! Plead for your life! Say you were sorry. That I was always worthy of being your daughter! DON'T JUST LIE THERE AND SMILE LIKE THAT YOU BASTARD!?
But her words were futile. Her father wouldn't be doing anything anymore.
----
Remilia wiped her eyes again before stepping into her room. ?Hey Flandre, wake up.? She held out a bowl with some soup in it. ?Breakfast. Sorta.?
Flandre yawned and turned to look at the bowl. ?Good morning.? Flandre took the soup and started slurping it down. Remilia should probably complain, but that was faster. And faster was better right now.
?When you're done, pack your clothes sister. We're going on a trip.? Remilia started gathering her own belongings.
?Where to?? Flandre asked quietly.
Remilia paused for a moment, then smiled weakly. ?Bavaria. There's a mansion there for us.?
?What about Mother and Father?? Flandre asked quietly. ?Won't they be mad??
Remilia's hands started to tremble. She took a deep breath. ?They don't care about us anymore, Flandre. We can go where we wish.? She waited until her hands stopped shaking, then went back to packing her clothes.
Flandre looked over at Remilia, then back down at her soup. ?Big sister, what's going to happen to us??
Remilia shook her head. ?I don't know Flandre. I can't see our fate anymore.? She turned around and hugged Flandre tightly. ?But I promise you, I'll do my best to take care of you. Because you're my sister.?
Flandre sniffed, then hugged her sister back. ?I knew you would.?
------
To His Grace, Cardinal Borgia,
Our inquiries into the matter in the village of ____ have turned up more questions then answers I'm afraid. Two of the devils were found slain by our crew, but there is evidence of more that escaped.
Further complicating matters is evidence that the Silver Witch is also hunting the creatures. Once again the woman evaded capture, and I fear she took the evidence we'd need to pursue the creatures with her. Then again this may be the work of the Lord in disguise. If nothing else the two groups meeting should eliminate one of our problems.
The bodies we did claim are enough to soothe the townspeople, and tithes are up in the area. I suggest a commendation for Brother Mark on keeping the matter local with a minimum of bloodshed, and I will report when our hunters have more news on where the other devils may have fled.
In Humble Service,
Brother Mikael.
=================
So I've always wanted to twist the whole Flandre murdered her parents story. And now I have.
I had this in the back of my mind for a while, but Squidtentacle's excellent WWC entry sorta kickstarted it in my brain. Thanks to him for starting the ball rolling, Anathe, Rou and Ryuu for looking it over, and all you readers.
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That was quite the interesting short! I liked it a lot.
Also I assume this took place in Italy?
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More a generic Europe. It chose the Cardinal's name because I knew the Borgia family had power within the Church at the time, and vampire extermination notices don't just get sent to any old monk.
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More a generic Europe. It chose the Cardinal's name because I knew the Borgia family had power within the Church at the time, and vampire extermination notices don't just get sent to any old monk.
Ah good point. I just thought it was Italy due to the name and what little history I know related to the family.
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Alright, I threatened myself with this on IRC before, and since my brain is fuzzy I'll go through with it now.
While this isn't the FIRST fanfiction I've written, it's the first one I tried to take seriously. Still it's hardly a masterpiece.
However I find I don't totally hate it. And it covers several principles of early writing I consider very important. Write what you want to write, start small, and edit for style before tone. Maybe it can be of some learning value.
Anyway if you don't want to see how I wasted my life at a much younger age, or have no interest in Gundam Wing fanfiction (due to sanity say), just ignore this post.
Edit: This is the only editing this story has had. I left it in 'pristine' condition.
-----------------------
AC 197
Quatre sighed as he watched the numbers in the elevator slowly count to five. His appointment with Mr. Juni was going to be difficult. Juni ran most of the mass media on the L-4 colony, and he was decidedly unhappy that Quatre had assisted two rival start up stations. If he had simply attacked Quatre through normal business channels it wouldn't have been a problem, but Juni had decided to expand the conflict into the media by using his stations to attack the Winner family itself.
Quatre knew how effective such tactics could be. When he saw the first series of attacks on the news the memories of his father and sister's deaths rose like a bloody specter. But this time he couldn't use Wing 0 to escape. He wasn't a Gundam pilot anymore, he was head of the Winner family.
The doors slid open. A uniformed man waved him down the hall.
"This way, Mr. Winner."
***
Dorothy stepped off the shuttle into the artificial world of the colony. She had no idea why she had returned to space. Ever since the affair with Libra she had traveled aimlessly. The whole affair had given her back her will to live, but removed her clear sense of purpose. It wasn't as if she had to work, as she was a member of one of the richer families of the Romefeler foundation. Maybe she was just looking for something to do.
"So which floating hunk of steel did I end up on this time?" she asked herself. She looked around then froze when she saw the number.
L-4...
...that's the home of...
"Quatre Raberba Winner."
How strange she would end up here, she thought as she walked down the streets of L-4 colony. She smirked and wondered if she should drop by the estate. She could almost see it. "Oh hello Quatre. Sorry about stabbing you and everything. Mind if I drop in for tea?"
The guards would never let her in of course.
She sighed and continued to walk down the street.
At that very moment the five story building a block down decided to burst into a spray of glass and fire.
***
Mr. Tenma had been a faithful employee of Juni broadcasting. He had stood by them through thick and thin. He had even been a personal friend of Mr. Juni himself. However as a result of recent scandals a scapegoat had to be found. Tenma was chosen. The resulting black mark on his career caused him to sink into debt and depression. When his wife left him, he snapped.
This, at least, is the story the investigators of the bombing put together. Mr. Tenma was unable to comment as he had been driving the truck full of homemade explosives. No one questioned, however, that the results were catastrophic.
Dorothy was the first person on the street to snap out of shock. She immediately began to run towards the mangled wreckage. "Strange," the voice in her head muttered, "I thought I was done with running towards explosions." She reached the edge of what had been the building in moments.
Dorothy was used to the damage left by wars, but the carnage was still unsettling. She began looking through the rubble for survivors. Then her eyes fell on a blond kid lying unconscious under some loose rubble.
Her eyes opened wide in shock.
It couldn't be... It was too unlikely... but it was....
"Quatre Raberba Winner," she whispered.
Dorothy ran over and furiously pushed aside the rubble covering him, then assessed his injuries. Her studies of war had given her a good notion of first aid. Broken ribs, legs and probably a concussion. Didn't look like she'd kill him by moving him. She lifted him carefully on her shoulder and dragged him over to a taxi that had stopped.
She gently put Quatre in the back seat, then ran around and jumped in the other side. The driver had, all this time, sat staring at the ruined building with a dumb look on his face.
"The nearest hospital!" She snapped. "Now!"
"But Miss-"
"Do it you fool!" Dorothy yelled in her best command voice.
The driver snapped into "work" mode and immediately sped off. Dorothy tried to keep Quatre stable through the ride.
"Haven't used that tone since Libra," she muttered as the taxi screeched to a halt in front of the Winner Mercy Hospital.
"Figures" Dorothy muttered. She threw the driver twenty credits, ran out, then began to carry Quatre in.
"At least they won't need him to give proof of insurance."
***
Dorothy sat outside the ICU. Getting past the initial secretaries had been mildly difficult, but it had been easy once she told them who the patient was. After that she simply had to wait. Not that waiting wasn't difficult enough.
The door opened and a man in surgical scrubs stepped out.
"Hello miss. I'm Dr. Z," the man said. "You're the one who brought Mr. Winner here, correct?"
"Yes," Dorothy replied.
"I figure you should hear this first then," Dr Z said. "Mr. Winner's legs and 3 of his ribs were broken. Actually that damage isn't too severe, however he suffered massive head trauma. As far as we can tell he's in a coma. We stabilized everything but he still hasn't woken up yet. In this case the only thing we can do is wait and hope he comes out of it."
Dorothy looked surprised. "Just wait?" she asked. "You make it sound as if he might not wake up."
Dr. Z sighed. "That's a possibility."
Dorothy quickly cut off any emotions. "May I see him?" she asked in her eerily polite tone.
Dr. Z waved a hand. "Of course, just don't tire him if he does wake."
"Thank you so very much."
***
Dorothy looked down at Quatre's still form. Even two years after they first met he still looked like a child.
"It seems so strange for me to be here," she whispered to the comatose Quatre. "I nearly killed you what, twice?"
She gave a slight smile. "Hardly a good impression was it?"
"Why am I here anyway? I don't even know myself... Maybe because it was you and your friend Trowa who put my life back into place during Libra's death. Maybe because of that speech you gave. Perhaps because you could have finished me during that duel, but you didn't, and got stabbed as a result." She looked towards his side, where the rapier's mark would be.
"Damn it! Anyone who survives me shouldn't be stopped by something as weak as an exploding building!"
"Sorry, it's just that, well... remember on Libra... after I stabbed you... you said that I was kind... kinder then you. But the truth is, it was you who fought for the people of the colonies, even though they had forsaken you. You always put yourself at risk to help others, even your enemies, like me..."
"You said I was kinder then you. But really... the reverse is true..."
"You can't die Quatre. The world needs someone as kind as you..."
***
Quatre's mind was cluttered. He remembered the meeting hadn't been going well. Then he heard the explosion, felt the ground giving way.
His mind wandered. He saw the first meeting with Trowa played out again. He saw the argument he had with his father over Operation Meteor. Then he saw his father's death. Then it was the fight with Dorothy on Libra. He could swear he could almost hear Dorothy's voice. Something was different, but his mind was too scattered to pin it down. Then the full blackness of sleep claimed him.
***
Dorothy sat and waited. Sitting was another skill she had picked up over the course of the war. She looked around the large hospital room again.
"Dorothy?"
Dorothy's eyes snapped back to the bed. Quatre was still lying there, but this time his eyes were open.
Dorothy showed surprise for a brief second then snapped back into her eerily polite mode.
"It's good to see that a hero like yourself hasn't slipped," Dorothy said. "The great Heero Yue managed to survive self-detonation. I'd be disappointed if a mere building exploding did you in."
"What are you doing here Dorothy?" Quatre murmured.
"I was in the area when the building exploded. I thought it would be a waste if you were to up and die right then," Dorothy replied.
Quatre smiled weakly. "Thank you."
Dorothy looked away. "Why am I being so cold?" her inner voice asked. "Is it that hard to admit I have emotions?"
She stood and walked to the door, then paused. She looked back at Quatre and said quietly, "You should get some rest. Most people wouldn't have recovered at all, much less in one day."
She turned and stepped out the door. "Take care" was all she said before the door closed behind her.
"You too, Dorothy."
***
The door opened again. For a second Quatre thought Dorothy had returned but it was a man in a doctor's coat.
"Really Mr. Winner, you should stop being so paranoid. The brain wave scanner didn't even blip. The young lady who brought you in had to tell us you woke up."
Quatre smiled. "Sorry, force of habit."
"I suppose it doesn't matter now. I'm Dr. Z. I'm going to have to handle the press soon so I'll try to be brief. Aside from the head wound your injuries aren't serious. You'll have to stay a couple weeks so we can monitor you, and you'll have several casts for a while, but you should be OK. Any questions?"
"Yes," Quatre said, his smile growing. "Why does every doctor I know use a single letter for their name?"
Dr. Z laughed. "My name is Zacharias. It's just no one on staff can pronounce it right."
"I see. Thanks."
"No problem. Now get some sleep. And stop faking out the instruments!"
***
Quatre awoke to the smell of flowers. Lots of flowers.
"Well, well. You're finally awake. You gave us a little scare."
"Duo!" Quatre immediately looked up. "And Trowa! I'm so glad to see you."
"I convinced the ringmaster to drop by L-4 on our tours," Trowa stated. "It wasn't too hard to find out where you were staying from there."
"It was so nice of you to come out here," Quatre said. "Dr. Z told you about everything right?"
"Yeah." Duo nodded. "It seems you just got unlucky. He said you could leave in about a week, but considering the number of reporters outside you may want to stay."
Quatre laughed. "That's okay. I'll just send for my hellicopter."
Duo smirked. "Just as long as you stay inside the chopper instead of jumping out around the fifty story mark."
Trowa and Quatre stared blankly.
Trowa shook his head. "By the way, would you know who sent that flower?"
Quatre looked at what Trowa was pointing to. It was a single pink rose right next to his bed.
"Relena?" Quatre guessed.
"No," Duo replied, "Her's are there, next to Heero's card. Sally's are there, and I think Wufei signed the card. Those are from me and Hilde. That set's from Trowa and Catherine. Those are from Noin, and your sisters and the Maganac's all got sent to your estates because there wasn't enough room."
Quatre looked over. The rose and its vase sat atop a small paper. On the corner was an elegantly hand-written D.
Quatre smiled. "I see."
Duo blinked. Trowa looked up.
"Quatre?" Trowa queried.
Duo looked in astonishment. "You're hiding something aren't you?"
Quatre's grin got wider. "I don't know what your talking about."
-
Ice forms on the glass
Now pacing without footsteps
Lost or forgotten
She wipes clean the window pane
Looking for a new friend
The lily opens
Butterflies flee their cocoons
An empty mansion
Watching the blossoms falling
A warm fleeting memory
Fireworks ascend
A brutal dancing contest
She still stands alone
Brief darkness turns into light
A dance for two begins now
Sweet potatoes bake
A strange new blue sky above
Feelings of desire
A purple pinky string now
She carries the tea to her
=========
A pseudo renga. This one sort of tells a Touhou game story.
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This is sort of cheating in that it isn't my work, but my sisters. Also it's non Touhou. However I think it's a great short, and some books reminded me I've been wanting to get it some views outside the small site she posted it on, so I'm gonna cheat and place it here.
Lily
In his home, there were tales told of Koschei the Deathless.
There were tales told elsewhere, of course. They told of an immortal sorcerer and his emerald heart, set apart from his body so that he might never die. Some spoke of his death at the hands of a brave and noble hero. Others said he had been trampled by horses. Some, speaking in whispers as if afraid he would hear them, claimed him to still be alive, haunting the woods to this very day. Many called him a man. But none told the story as he did, and so he told it now, as he had been told by his mother, and his grandmother before her. This is the story he told.
A long time ago, when the world was still young, and magic was practiced by the good and evil alike, there lived a beautiful sorceress in a city of wonders. She had golden hair that shone like the stars, and pale skin as white as milk, and eyes as blue as the clear sky. She wore a long-sleeved gown of the purest white silk, and all that looked upon her praised her beauty. There were many young men who asked for her hand, but she loved none of them, and refused their advances.
One of her suitors, who was a powerful enchanter, cut his own shadow from his body and sent it into her chambers while she slept. From her pillow the shadow stole a single strand of hair, which the enchanter worked his magic over. By the time the maiden had awakened, the spell had taken its effect, and she fell madly in love with the enchanter. Within a week the two were wed, and lived happily for several years, though at times the woman felt a great sadness upon her that she could not explain.
But one day a great rival of the enchanter saw the pair. Realizing what had been done, he flew forth to the woman and snatched her away to his tower. There he broke the enchantment upon her, and comforted her, and spoke such honey sweet words of love to her that she gave her heart to him. Together they set about creating the ruin of the enchanter. They unveiled every one of his secrets until his life was in shambles, and no one of any standing would be seen speaking with him. This having been done, the woman confessed her love to the rival, but he rejected her, saying,
?What want would I have for you, who bears the touch of my enemy? Just a month ago you would have given your life for him, and yet I won you away in less than a week. I have no need for a woman who?s heart is so easily swayed.?
At these words the woman wept, and begged him to reconsider, but his heart was hard and cold, and he turned away from her. And so she spat at him, and cursed him as only a woman spurned could, and flew away from him in a great rage. With her magic she wove a dark spell over him, for she was a great master of changing the forms of all things and creatures. His limbs stiffened, and his blood slowed, and in time he had turned to a stone statue, standing for all eternity in his lonely tower.
But this revenge did not sate her grief, nor her burning anger. With a knife of purest darkness the woman carved out her own heart, so that she might never again be led astray by it. Day and night she cast her enchantments over it, until it had become an empty locket of silver. She took it and hid it away on a far away island, placing it within an unlaid egg inside a duck, which she placed inside an great iron chest, which she buried under a tree. Without her heart, the woman forgot her grief and anger, and with it her kindness and joy, and the locket beneath the tree turned black as soot.
And so it was that there was no use in begging to Koschei the Deathless. No tearful plea nor tragic tale could move the heart that was not there. Yet it was said by some that any man who held her locket could command her every move, for she would have no choice but to love them...
Stranger
He lived in a village far to the north, where the trees were green in the summer, and red as flame in the fall, and black and dead in the winter. The winters were long and cold in that place, with bitter winds that sapped the joy from the air. The land produced little to eat, and had to be worked hard, which made the farmers weary and sullen. The nearby forest was a great one, pristine and majestic, with the singing of birds from the lofty branches, but the village took no pleasure in it. It was whispered that dark and strange things dwelled within it, and even Koschei?s minions dared not enter it.
The village itself was a small one, and the people within it kept to themselves. It was a rare chance to find one laughing or celebrating. They lived in fear, and not a single one would set foot outside after dark, for at night Koschei?s minions moved throughout the village freely, despite the village walls, and it was said Koschei herself would sometimes fly overhead.
Children were rare, and strangers rarer still, so Alexander remembered clearly the day the Doctor had come to town. Even now Alexander marveled at how different that man had appeared. Where the villagers were dark, the Doctor had hair the color of dark honey, where they were tanned and weathered, his skin was pale and smooth. A pair of thin-framed spectacles sat upon his nose, bespeaking wealth and education beyond what any of the townsfolk could ever aspire to. He looked as a man of five and twenty years, though he gave his age at seven and thirty. His clothes were of an unknown fashion, with a strangely cut coat, and silken vest, and a frilled collar at his neck, all made of pure black cloth. The villagers whispered that the color was to hide the blood, and the Doctor, when asked, which was rarely so, would agree with them.
No one had asked his name, and so he had never given it. To them he was simply ?the Doctor.? He spoke little of himself, and nothing of his past, and would secret himself away for days at a time, and allowed no one to know what he was doing. And there was something about his gaze and movements that unnerved those who spoke to him, for he always wore a slight smile upon his face, even when gazing upon the most stricken and pitiable of souls. He was an alchemist of some note, and a master at his craft, mending those that all others thought lost. Yet many wondered why one patient under his care might die, and yet another in the same condition would live. Some who visited him were wracked with nightmares for weeks afterwards. It would have been a lie to say that he was trusted, but Alexander knew that many who condemned him in health would secretly visit him in sickness. The village had no priests to turn to for healing, for the harsh land and dark nights had leeched the faith from even the most devout.
It was to the house of the Doctor that Alexander went now. Alexander himself was a younger man, one and twenty, with dark hair and a full mustache. He wore his uncle?s sword at his side, and his uncle?s shield upon his back, and the insignia of the head guardsman upon his tunic. There were few times when Alexander regretted his profession, but he was considering making this one of them. He took the knocker of the front door, dusty and stiff from lack of use, and rapped it three times upon the metal plate. Even without looking Alexander could feel the furtive glances of the townsfolk, watching the man audacious enough to enter the Doctor?s lair in plain sight.
The knock went unanswered. Alexander took the knocker again and had drawn it back when the door opened with an abruptness that startled him. He found that he had pulled his sword free from his sheath, and made no moves to replace it, for now that he was in the presence of the Doctor he found himself unnerved.
?Greetings,? the tall man said in a clear, deep voice. ?I apologize for the wait. I do not receive many callers.? Smiling, he gestured for Alexander to enter, and held the door, quite unfazed by the four feet of naked steel that the guard held in his hand. Alexander did as he was bidden, but since the Doctor made no mention of the sword, he left it unsheathed.
?I have come on behalf of the gravedigger,? Alexander said.
?The good Mr. Machitov? I cannot fathom why,? said the Doctor.
?Then he is a dead man,? Alexander replied. He searched the Doctor?s face for any change of expression, but he found none.
?Is he ill, then?? the Doctor asked. ?He did not tell me of it when I last visited him.?
?He has been accused of grave robbing and desecration. Quite serious crimes, you must agree. We have witnesses who saw him digging up the graves in broad daylight, and they are quite certain that it was him. Not that I am surprised he would not wish to dig at night.? Alexander paused for a second, then continued, ?We also found many gold coins in his possession, far more than he could ever have made with his work as a gravedigger.?
The guard left it unsaid that the coins had borne the strange stampings that had only been seen upon the Doctor?s currency. No one knew where they had come from, but they were gold, and they were plentiful, and so they had bought the doctor some measure of tolerance when he had first arrived. ?Until now,? thought the guardsman, as he awaited the Doctor?s response.
He had been hoping for some reaction, and found himself disappointed. ?And the penalty for such crimes is death?? the Doctor inquired, still wearing his infuriating smile.
?More than death,? said Alexander, who hoped to impose the graveness of the situation upon the other man. ?By the laws of our land, he will be stripped of all his status. He will not even be considered human. He will be dragged to his execution, and buried without rights, like a common beast.?
?This is the fate of all criminals?? asked the Doctor.
?All who commit crimes punishable by death,? Alexander answered.
The Doctor broke out into a broad grin, catching the guardsman completely by surprise. ?But that is wonderful!? he said, triumphantly.
At this, Alexander quite lost his temper. ?You call such a thing wonderful? You laugh at another man?s misfortune?? he yelled. ?We know him to have been selling the bodies to you, and you will burn alongside of him!?
The Doctor chuckled at this, fueling Alexander?s considerable ire. ?I hadn?t meant it like that, My apologies if you construed it as such,? he said, not sounding sorry at all to Alexander. ?But if what you said is true, there has been no crime committed. I can name the two bodies that the gravedigger exhumed, and they were both criminals that had been just recently put to death. Since they had no rights as humans, there are no laws against what was done to them.?
For a second, Alexander was too shocked to say anything. When he regained his speech he stammered, ?But what was it you did with the bodies??
?I did not say I did anything with the bodies,? the Doctor responded. ?And even if I had, I should hardly think it?s any of your business. You would not ask me what I had done with the body of a dog, or a stag.?
?Even though these criminals may not have had human rights, you might still have used them for black magic, or other crimes,? the guardsman countered.
?You are free to examine the bodies, then,? the Doctor said. ?You will find no sign of it.?
Alexander responded that he would do just that, and they both went out into the graveyard, along with Mikhail, another guardsman, who was skilled in detecting the signs of black magic. After an hour of digging both bodies were retrieved, encased in fine coffins that the Doctor claimed to have provided them. The coffins were opened, and Alexander grunted in disgust, for he could see the thin lines of scalpel marks across both corpses, and the stretching of skin where it had been pulled back from the muscle. And he knew that it was the Doctor?s handwork, who had cut them open with his slender knives. But search as he might, Mikhail could find no mark of the black arts, and the pair were criminals, as the Doctor had claimed them. The guardsmen had to re-bury the two men, with nothing to show for their efforts.
Alexander turned to the Doctor and, in an attempt to remove the smile from his face, said to him, ?If I were to tell the town of this, it would not matter that these men had no rights. You would be hung by sundown, and left out for Koschei to take you.?
?I do not doubt it would be so,? the Doctor said, ?if you were willing to so condemn a man outside of the law.?
And it was here that Alexander knew that he was trapped, for the law was everything to him, the only thing that brought order to his life, and he could not break it. For years he had stood against the vigilante justice of his fellow villagers, which had unfairly and irrationally sent many an innocent man to his death. To throw the Doctor to the mob would be undeniably just, and yet to do so would be to deny all that he was, and undo everything that he had worked for.
?You are a monster,? the guardsman spat.
?I? I have done nothing more than dissect a dog, by your own assertion. I even granted them the proper burial rights... for a dog, of course. I knew that old mastiff of yours was treated rather well, when it passed on.? The Doctor?s eyes glinted with humor, and it took all of Alexander?s strength not to strike him.
The Doctor seemed to see his struggle, for he smiled widely and said, ?I am glad I could straighten this matter out for you, Mr. Pesovich. You can see that there is no one at all to blame, and I?m sure you must be satisfied with that.?
As it happened, Alexander was not at all satisfied with that, but there was nothing in the world he could do about it.
Lost
Children often vanished from his town. In truth, anyone who was too careless would vanish, but children were the most common, for anyone who lived to a certain age would rarely stray far from their home. The townsfolk would take great pains to keep their children safely locked away, but it only fueled their desire to stray, and they would pay little mind to the dire warnings their parents had told to them. Sometimes, even those children who stayed inside would go missing, vanishing from their beds without a trace. There was no laughter or sounds of childish games in that town, and the women would often wear the colors of mourning.
On one day, like many others before it, a child vanished. Her name was Isabella, and she had been loved by all who knew her. It was on that day that Alexander was faced with the embarrassment of learning the goings-on in his own town from the Doctor. The guardsman had taken to the Doctor like a hound to its quarry, for he neither liked nor trusted him, and would constantly follow him, waiting for the other man to break some law that he might be arrested on. The Doctor himself was unperturbed by all of this. Whenever he spied the guardsman upon the street he would invite him in, and treat him as though he were a cherished friend. This behavior only increased Alexander?s dislike of the other man, and so he was quite irate when the Doctor informed him, with no sign of concern, of the child?s unfortunate fate.
?Well then, if you know so much, be useful,? said Alexander, ?and tell me what has been done about it.?
?I was told,? said the Doctor, ?that you would do something about it.?
?Me?? said Alexander, quite surprised by this.
?So I was told,? replied the Doctor. ?For you are, after all, the nephew of the great hero Piotr?? But here he was interrupted.
?Do not speak his name!? the guardsman shouted, and had he not been so angry he might have been surprised that the Doctor complied.
The two men stood in silence for a time, and then Alexander spoke again. ?Tell them that I will go make the rounds,? he said, and turned to leave.
The rounds were little more than a sham, and everyone knew it. The guards would not ride out of sight of the village, so any child that had gotten lost would never be found by them. It was a rare day that a child ever returned to the village, alive or dead. But the rounds were all that anyone expected. Sham that it was, it was a ride that only a brave man could make.
The mastiff at his side whined as they passed by Koschei?s minions, the half-rotted remains of those people who had been lost to the night. The creatures had never been known to attack during the daytime, unless attacked first, but it did little to soften the cold, blank stares that followed them as they rode onward. Alexander pressed on, carefully keeping his gaze straight ahead, for fear that he might recognize someone among that sea of faces. Mikhail rode close beside him, nervously scanning the area.
The guards rarely spoke on those somber journeys, which left Alexander alone with his thoughts. The mention of his uncle burned upon his mind. There had been little love lost between Alexander and his father. His father had been an ill-tempered man, and he had ruled Alexander?s life with an iron fist. He had refused to allow his son to enter the town guard, and became furious at any talk of the old heroes. When he was growing up, Alexander?s uncle Piotr had been his stalwart champion. But Piotr had ridden out to fight the darkness, and had been carried home by his companions.
The village had called Piotr a fool, and Alexander himself could not help but feel some resentment, for he was now all alone in the world. He took his uncle?s sword, and he took his uncle?s shield, and he joined the town guard against the wishes of his father, but he swore that he would never cast away his life so foolishly. Under his watch the villagers huddled behind the village walls, and locked their doors at night, and would not go out even for their own children, and the only people who went missing were the careless and naive. The villagers had praised Alexander for his good sense. And yet he could not help but wonder when it was that cowardice had become more valued than courage.
Simargl, the mastiff, caught wind of a scent, and was half-way to the forest before Alexander called him back. The two guardsmen looked at each other uneasily. The child had gone into the Black Woods, where the guards would not dare go, for even the minions of Koschei the Deathless did not set foot in that dark forest. Mikhail shook his head sadly, and turned his mount around, preparing to return to the village. Alexander was about to do the same when, by accident, he caught the mindless gaze of one of the walking-dead. Shuddering, he turned away, struck with the sudden thought that he might see young Isabella when he next made the rounds, staring out from among that silent throng.
Suddenly making a decision, Alexander spurred his horse forward, galloping into the Black Woods. He could hear Mikhail shouting at him, but knew the other guardsman would do nothing to stop him, for that would involve riding closer to that dread forest, and Mikhail was not that brave a man. Alexander slowed as he approached the tree line, letting his eyes adjust to the murky light. The great trees stretched into the sky, and it seemed to the guard that he could not see the tips of them. The ground crunching beneath the horse?s hooves cut through the unnatural silence. He could not shake the feeling that something was following him, but he could see no sign of his pursuer. The mastiff whined beside him.
Suddenly, the horse reared up, screaming. Alexander only caught a glimpse of what had startled it before his mount pitched backward, sending him to the ground. The horse landed upon him, lashing out wildly with its hooves, before it stumbled to its feet and ran off. Alexander tried to stand and chase after it, but the pain in his chest was too great. He sunk to the forest floor, his breaths coming in short, wheezing gasps.
It was the faithful mastiff, Simargl, that brought Alexander out of those shadowed woods. The guard himself remembered little of the journey, only the pain, and attempting to crawl, and something large pulling at him. He awoke within a familiar home, with Mikhail standing worriedly above him. The other guard seemed shocked to see him stir.
?He?s awake!? Mikhail exclaimed. ?He?s alive!?
?Yes, I did say he would be.? Although Alexander could not see him, he recognized the voice of the Doctor.
?The Doctor is a worker of miracles,? Mikhail whispered to Alexander. ?For I know of no man who could have blamed him if you had not survived.?
The Doctor, who had not heard this, continued, ?He will have to stay here for a while. I do not think it will be too great a bother to him, for he is a frequent visitor to my house.?
And so Alexander found himself under the Doctor?s care. In time, his wounds had healed completely, and he had not become a monster, or a murderer, or compelled to follow the Doctor?s will, as many had claimed he would. Yet he could not help but feel that something that had been burning within him had been snuffed out.
There was one night, the night before he went home, that Alexander asked the Doctor, ?Why is it that one as skilled as you has come to such a place as this??
The Doctor smiled wider and replied, ?I will tell you that the day you tell me of your uncle.?
That night Alexander dreamt of children, crying out in fear as the darkness swallowed them.
Lamplight
In that village children were often guarded fiercely by their parents, and so it was rare for many children to go missing at one time. But the young Isabella, who had gone missing before, had a brother, who was rash and headstrong, and said loudly that he would retrieve her, although this got him punished. It was of little surprise when that boy, Dimitri, went missing right before sunset. His parents were greatly bereaved, for they had now lost both their children, and a black shadow hung over the town.
Alexander had been about to order everyone to their houses, for it would be dark soon, when he spied the Doctor slip away from the village, and head out into the fields. Ordering Mikhail to take care of the villagers, Alexander followed him at a distance. When he had gotten far enough out, the doctor pulled from under his coat a small lantern. He took a little bit of tallow, whiter than bleached bones, and placed it in the lamp, and then took a flask of oil to fill it, and finally lit it. The light was stronger than it ought to have been, and it seemed that even from a distance Alexander could smell the oil burning. With these preparations completed, the Doctor began to walk towards the forest, halting only when Alexander called out to him.
?You are a stranger in this town,? the guard said, ?but you must have some knowledge of the walking-dead that plague us. When the last light of the sun leaves us they will attack all of those who are not safely locked within their homes. I have no great like of you, but I would be failing in my duty if I allowed you to walk to your death.?
The Doctor was calm, for Alexander had not told him anything he did not already know, and said, ?If what you have said is true, then it is all the more reason that I must go now, for the boy will have little time left. But do not fear, for I do not go blindly to my demise. You know me to be an alchemist of some skill, and I have just tonight finished a formula of mine. Look here!?
And as he said it, he swung the lantern forward, so that it cast its light over one of Koschei?s minions. With a great moan, the creature shambled away from the light, seemingly unable to bear it.
?Why, that is wondrous!? Alexander exclaimed. ?Give it to me, and I might yet bring the boy back home.?
?I should hardly think so, for it is my lantern, and my oil,? the Doctor said. ?But I suppose you may be of some use to me. Fetch that great dog of yours, and we shall go together.?
So Alexander returned to his home, and brought Simargl back with him, and the two men set forth. As the sun slipped below the horizon, the monstrous zombies sprung to life, shambling towards them with murderous intent in their eyes. But the Doctor?s lantern held, and the corpses could do little more than press around the circle of light, unable to approach any closer. So passed an hour for the Doctor and Alexander, surrounded by gleaming eyes in the darkness. There were many times when the light would gutter and dim, and Alexander was sure that it would plunge them into darkness, surrounded by those villagers whom he had abandoned and failed. The Doctor simply walked onward, following Simargl and sheltering his little lamp from the wind, and if he felt any fear he showed no sign of it.
?And now,? said the Doctor, gesturing to the lantern, ?you see what it was I did with them.?
?Did with who?? Alexander asked.
?Ah, never mind. It is of no import, if you do not remember.? And they traveled on to the forest.
Alexander felt no little anxiety upon entering that place, for the forest seemed much larger in the darkness, and he remembered keenly the injury it had inflicted upon him. What had been so silent in the day now echoed with strange sounds, and he could again feel the invisible eyes upon his back. Though the minions of Koschei had departed when the pair had reached the tree line, the guard still felt as if he were surrounded, only now by creatures he could not see. He started when he heard the Doctor call out the child?s name.
?Look!? Alexander hissed suddenly, grabbing the Doctor?s arm. He had spotted a figure in the trees. The light was too poor for the guard to see its face, but he could see by the shape of the ears that it was not human. ?Elves!? he whispered fearfully, and the Doctor cautiously nodded.
?We have come looking for a child,? the Doctor said to the figure in the trees. ?Or perhaps, I might guess, for several children.?
?They are ours, now,? the figure replied. Its voice was soft and melodious, and Alexander could not tell if it was male or female. He wondered how many others were hidden in the shadows, with their bows pulled taunt and knives ready.
?By what right are these children yours?? Alexander asked the figure, covering his great fear with anger.
?They have been abandoned by you, and so they are ours,? the figure replied.
?We have come here in search of the children,? the Doctor said in a patient voice. ?So you can see for yourself that we have not abandoned them.?
?You have come in search of one child, and so we will return him to you,? said the elf. ?But the others will be left behind.?
?Left behind!? cried Alexander, forgetting his fear. ?I bear the scars from that day, when I followed a child into this forest. Do you call it abandoning her, that I could not find her when half-dead??
There was a long pause at this, and Alexander began to fear that he had said too much, and had called the wrath of the forest down upon his head. But after a while, the figure spoke again.
?Very well,? it said. ?The child you seek today, and the child you sought before, one more for the scars you carry, which were unjustly given to you, and the horse you lost in these forests.? With those words, the figure melted back into the shadows, and Alexander could hear the sound of his horse trotting towards him. They found the three children asleep on its saddle? Isabella, Dimitri, and one other, Tanya, who had vanished over a year ago.
?How many more do you think are here?? Alexander whispered.
The Doctor did not answer.
The town did not often celebrate, but it did so the next day, when the weary travelers returned the children to their parents. Though the celebration would have been considered a quiet one by most standards, there had never been as much cheering and laughing among the townsfolk as that night. Many a glass was raised and toasted to Alexander, the brave guardsman who had rescued he children thought lost forever. But Alexander himself took little part of the celebrations, for he thought of other children, still lost within the Black Woods, and he remembered the day that Simargl had pulled him home, when the village had called him the most foolish of men.
Of the Doctor, there was no sign, and no one spoke of him.
Snowfall
In a land far from his village there had once been a young man of power, wealth, and learning, and all the world had been laid out before him. Had he just asked for it, he could have had anything he had desired. And yet he threw away all that he had known, and traveled to a far off land, where he was neither wanted nor loved. It was something Alexander could not understand, despite the time he had spent with the Doctor. Where he once watched the Doctor in hopes of bringing about his downfall, he now watched him in hopes of understanding.
The snow fell softly about him as he entered the Doctor?s house, closing the door behind him as he brushed the ice from his coat. He found the Doctor sitting at a table in the back, with a silver locket in his hands, that he had carefully cleaned and polished until it shone in the candlelight. At the sight of it Alexander gasped, for he had been told the tales of Koschei the Deathless by his mother, and his grandmother before her, and though he did not know how he knew it to be her silver heart. He turned to the Doctor, his eyes filled with wonder, and a thousand questions upon his lips.
The Doctor spoke, seemingly to no one, and said, ?Now that I hold it in my hands, I know everything that I have done to have been worth it.?
?It is the silver heart, then,? Alexander said. ?Think of the good you could do with it! Koschei would obey your every command, and you could make this village a prosperous one.?
But the Doctor shook his head.
?Then you must destroy it!? Alexander said. ?You must rid the land of Koschei and her minions, and let the village live at last without fear.?
But the Doctor shook his head again.
?Then you must give it to me,? Alexander said, now angry. ?For I will not let you use it for ill, and if you will not destroy it, that I shall.? And with that he snatched up the silver pendant.
The Doctor said to him, ?I am sorry, for you were a fine companion, but for that pendant I paid thirteen years of my life, and most of my fortune, and all of my prospects in society. And I will not let you interfere.?
At these words Alexander realized that he had taken his eyes off the other man. He reached for his sword too late, for the Doctor suddenly clasped a rag over the guard?s face. Alexander?s legs fell out from under him, feeling as if the bones within them had turned to jelly. Blackness welled up around him, and he could not fight free of it.
Now his horse thundered across the snow, following the crisp tracks that the Doctor had left behind, and he cared little at how low the sun was in the sky, or what he intended to do when he reached his quarry. He followed the footprints to a great tower of white marble, with iron gates that hung open. Cautiously, he ventured inside.
The entrance hall was thin and cold, and Alexander hurried across it, climbing up the black stairs.
On the first floor he found a hall lined with stone statues, each with an expression of terrible agony, and Alexander turned his gaze away from them, for he thought he could recognize some of their faces.
On the second floor the hall was lined with skeletons, and it seemed out of the corner of his eye that they would turn to watch him as he walked by, but when he looked straight at them he found they had not moved.
On the third floor the hall was lined with books, and fine red tapestries, and other regalia that could make a man rich, but Alexander did not touch them, for he knew their owner to be a powerful enchantress.
On the fourth floor there was nothing, save the Doctor and Koschei herself.
Alexander stopped in the doorway, unable to move, for no tale told by his grandmother could prepare him for her beauty. Her golden hair shone like the stars, and her pale skin was as white as milk, and her eyes were as blue as the clear sky. He likened her to a lily, a thing of great beauty, but a harbinger of death. She wept a thousand bitter tears, for with her heart so close by she remembered her grief, and her loneliness, and the many evil deeds she had committed, and every tear that fell from her cheek threatened to shatter Alexander?s heart with sadness.
She said to the Doctor, ?Who are you, who so easily found what I had hidden away so long ago??
For once, the Doctor did not smile, and he said, ?I am no one, just the spoiled child of a rich noble. When I was young I went forth into the world, for I had no fear of the darkness, as I knew that the light of reason could overcome it. In my travels I came across a village ruled by three witches, who hated me for the knowledge and hope I brought to their subjects. They told me to leave, but I refused them. The first witch turned herself into horrible monster, but I soaked my cloak in the most bitter herbs I could find, and when it set upon me it could not swallow me, for it was seized by retching. The second witch turned herself into a plague, but I am a skilled physician, and I found an antidote for even her black presence. But the third witch gave me your picture, and told me your story, and left without another word. From that day on I could not close my eyes without seeing you.
It took me five years and one-third of my fortune to find the iron key. It took me another five years and another third of my fortune to find the island. I dug the iron chest from beneath the great tree, and opened it with the iron key. There was a duck inside that flew away, and I chased it for weeks before I caught it. Inside it I found an egg, and inside that I found a little locket, black as soot. I cleaned the tarnish from it until it gleamed silver, and then traveled for three more years, searching for its owner.?
?You have found me,? said she, ?and since you hold my heart I love you with all of it, and whatever you desire you shall have.?
But the Doctor just shook his head. ?I desire you to have this,? he said, and stepped forward, placing the locket within her hands. Then he turned and left, without another word.
Alexander shook himself free from his spell as the other man passed by him, and caught him on the stairs, drawing his sword. ?What have you done?? he cried. ?You have thrown away our only chance to destroy her, and rid the village of her presence! Or you could have held on to her heart, and prevented her from doing harm. No one could have blamed you for doing so.?
?When I became a doctor I swore an oath to give what aid I could, and never to do harm,? the Doctor. ?Even to those such as her. Especially to those such as her.?
?You are a fool if you think such monsters can be helped,? Alexander said.
?Perhaps they cannot,? the Doctor replied. ?But I have found it takes far more strength to try.?
?It is not you who will pay for your delusions!? Alexander yelled. He shoved the other man to the floor and raised his sword, but his conscience stayed his hand. He thought of his uncle, who had died saving those who scorned him, and the tears that had streamed down Koschei?s face. He wanted to ask the Doctor if he realized the risk he had taken, and if he understood the damage he might have caused, and most of all if he loved that women. But he said nothing, for he could read all the answers in the Doctor?s sad smile.
?Well,? said Alexander gruffly, ?I do owe you my life, and so I guess can?t kill you.? He helped the Doctor back to his feet, and the two walked home. Although it was well past sunset, the dead did not bother them on the way back.
Beginnings
On the first day, the restless dead walked into town. Shambling into the graveyard, the corpses clawed their way into the ground, burying themselves in the cold earth.
On the second day, a throng of people returned to the village, claiming to have lived there many years ago. It seemed to Alexander that he recognized some of their faces, but he said nothing.
On the third day, there was a sudden crack, like rolling thunder, and Alexander rode out to find the marble tower shattered.
On the fourth day there was a great festival in the town, and for once the people celebrated without fear. But though Alexander searched, he could not find the Doctor among the crowd. The guardsman found him within his house, paying little heed to the revelry outside.
?The festival is in honor of your deeds,? Alexander said. ?Would you not take part in it??
?You know of the great risk I took,? replied the Doctor. ?Had it not turned out so well, I would be cursed as the greatest of fools by the very people who celebrate now.?
?Perhaps,? said Alexander. ?But that is not what happened.?
?It was not my actions that made that so,? said the Doctor. ?So I am hardly to be celebrated for it.?
?A festival of lilies, then?? Alexander suggested. The Doctor did not smile.
On the fifth day Alexander rode out from his small town, determined to bring light and hope to the land, as his uncle had sought to do before him. In his many travels he became a great hero, and his name was praised throughout the land, and he met many other great people, all who fought against the darkness. And every year, on the Festival of Lilies, he returns home to visit the friend he honors most, the stranger who defeated Koschei the deathless, not with fire or sword, but with a great act of kindness.
And it is whispered by a few that sometimes a woman in all white would knock upon the Doctor?s door, but the Doctor, when asked, which was rarely so, would just smile, and not answer.
-
This is a follow up of sorts to A New World, though as usual I'm hopping 3+ centuries. I wanted to get some thoughts on youkai into the field so.....
-----
The spider youkai ran through the trees.
She knew someone was there. Someone was hunting her. She could feel it's presence lurking in the darkness of the forest.
She changed her course, running deeper into the youkai infested woods. Perhaps the fear of some stronger predator would get the hunter off her tail.
Her hopes were dashed when the song began. A terrifying melody that youkai and human alike had come to fear. As the wordless tune echoed through her mind the shadows seemed to deepen, leaving only the light of the moon as a piercing lance of illumination to her blurred vision.
Lorleili
She stumbled on through the woods. She could escape if she made it to the canyon. The bird youkai couldn't chase her beneath the ground, and the residents of Chireiden wouldn't ask questions. She just had to get there.
Her hopes shattered as the melody changed to a triumphant tone. She barely dodged the blurred spear that flew from the air in front of her. She turned to run again, not caring about direction anymore, just trying to get away. To escape the deadly melody.
She realized her mistake when she hit the first tree. With the moon now behind her, she couldn't see anything. She tried to sidestep the barrier, only to run into another tree.
The light crunch of leaves told her that the hunter was close.
She desperately put her back to the tree and threw her web all over the area. ?Why, why are you here?!? she screamed. ?It was just an old drunk! An old rude drunk! What was I supposed to do when he blundered into my web? No one would miss him! Why? Who called you??
The moon darkened as a figure stepped in front of this, then there was pain, terrible pain, as the next spear tore through her heart.
As her consciousness faded she heard her killer say, ?The wind itself calls for justice.?
---
Mystia looked up from her meal when she heard the girl approach. There was only one person who combined such innate grace and careless clumsiness. ?Hello Kanon.?
The kassha miko popped out of the bushes and bowed her head to the young bird youkai. ?Heya Misuchi.? Kanon looked over at the youkai Mystia had killed. ?I see you got her first.?
Mystia nodded. ?So then he did have a family. I wondered if she was lying.? Mystia delicately tore off a bit of leg, then looked back to Kanon. ?You can have some if you want. I'm not that hungry, though spider doesn't taste that great, even if she wasn't an earth spider.?
?No thanks.? Kanon sat down. ?I'll just be carting off that corpse when you're done. Though you might want to hurry if you don't want to wind up sharing with my sisters.?
?Hm? She must have annoyed someone important.? Mystia went back to her meal, focusing on the tastier organs and meats.
?No, we're just kinda bored. Lady Reiuji's wandering around on vacation, so we don't have much to do.? Kanon stretched and started combing her hair. ?Sanso was talking about raising every corpse in the cemetery for a musical number if something didn't pop up.?
Mystia thought about what that might look like for a bit. ?That might be fun to watch.?
The two continued their various activities for a while. Kanon grooming, Mystia eating. Finally Mystia wiped her hand and turned to the kassha. ?Hey, Kanon, um...?
Kanon's eyes flickered over. ?Yeah??
Mystia took a deep breath. ?Uh, I heard you were around during the war. And, well, I was wondering... if you knew the first Mystia??
Kanon's ears twitched at that. ?The first Mystia...? Kanon's tails swished mournfully as she thought. ?I was still young, even for a human, back then. I know she had an eel stand just like you.? Kanon frowned as she tried to think back across the years. ?I'm pretty sure she was a night sparrow though. That's why she had the blinding song.?
?Night Sparrow?? Mystia felt mildly insulted. Sure sparrows were okay, but she was a shrike. A proud hunting bird, not a seed eater.
?I'm pretty sure about that.? Kanon suddenly gave a catlike grin. ?Why don't you ask Mokou. She'd know.?
Mystia flushed. ?That! I... er, don't want to bother her with that kinda-?
Her response was stopped by a sudden impact that sent her into a rolling tumble across the clearing. When the world stopped spinning she found herself pinned under a much more feral looking kassha with fiery red hair. ?Well, the criminal's already been apprehended, but I caught a birdie!?
Mystia fluttered her wings uselessly against the ground. ?Very funny Hiso. Get off me.?
?I don't think so. You ate all the good parts of the corpse so you'll have to pay up!? Hiso said cheerily.
?Augh, Kanon help me here!? Mystia pressed futilely against her captor.
?Sorry Misuchi. Gave you fair warning, so now the corpse is mine.? Kanon whistled as she summoned up a wheelbarrow. Then cried out as another kassha entered the fray with a pounce.
?Not so fast sis! This corpse is mine.? Sanso yelled as she landed on Kanon.
Mystia groaned the turned her attention back to Hiso. ?So aren't you gonna go for the corpse too??
?Nah, I'm fine with what I caught,? Hiso said brightly.
There was another impact form the side, and when the whirling stopped Mystia was unsurprised to find Io there on top of both her and Hiso. ?Heya sis. Were you gonna share your catch??
Mystia groaned and started trying to flee again. Cats were such infuriating creatures!
---------
?Another beer please miss.?
?Sure thing,? Mystia replied before grabbing a bottle out of her ice bucket and placing it down in front of the man. ?Though you shouldn't stay up too much longer. The streets can be dangerous at night.?
The man tapped his pistols and smiled. ?Thanks for the warning miss, but I think I can take care of myself. Otherwise I wouldn't have come from the Shogunate? He took a long drink before continuing. ?Still I should be heading back soon anyway. Don't wanna get locked out of the hotel.?
?A good idea sir.? Mystia placed a slip of paper down next to the empty plates. ?I'll leave the bill here so you can go whenever you need to.?
Mystia tossed a few more skewers onto the grill as the traveler finished his drink and left the tab. Normally she'd close up about now, but it was the night after a full moon.
She always showed up on the night after the full moon.
Sure enough the lamprey was done when a slim figure landed next to her cart. Mokou winced at her landing, then slowly slid into the chair. ?Heya. The usual.?
Mystia let her eyes wander over Mokou's wounds as she dished out the rice. The immortal's eyes were surrounded by blood like someone had gouged them out, her shirt was burned all on the left side, and her pants were caked with blood around a spear sized hole. Mokou must have done well tonight Mystia thought to herself. She expertly flipped the skewered lamprey onto a plate and placed it and the rice before the immortal. ?Here you go.?
?Thanks kid.? Mokou dug into the meal like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Which might be true now that Mystia thought about it. She rapidly discarded that idea though. Keine would never let Mokou go that long without eating.
?Something on your mind??
Mystia jumped at the question. ?Ah no! Nothing important!? She turned to start washing the dishes, hoping the warmth in her cheeks wasn't obvious.
?Really?? Mokou raised an eyebrow at that.
?I was just thinking about something that happened earlier this week. For my other job.? Mystia let her wings flutter a bit before bringing them back under control.
?Ah I see.? Mokou's posture slumped just a little, and her gaze flickered to the statue down the street.
Mystia found her own gaze wander to the statue. It was hard to see in the dark, but she knew it by heart. After all it looked a lot like her. A statue to the first youkai to bear her name. The hunting youkai that helped save the village during the war.
?Hey Mokou. Can you tell me about my predecessor??
The question seemed to burst from her. The second after she said that she cringed, knowing both how tactless and foolish it sounded. She looked at Mokou to see if she'd offended the immortal.
Instead Mokou was looking at her with an appraising air. Like a parent who is trying to decide what they'll tell a child about some serious matter. ?That's a dangerous question to ask for a youkai. Are you sure you want to hear the answer??
Mystia bristled at the accusation. ?I'm not a child, Mokou! I can handle hearing a story.?
?It's not that simple kid.? Mokou waved her hand in annoyance. ?You were born from her legend.?
Mokou's voice grew distant as she repeated the tale Mystia had known from the moment of her birth. ?'The youkai of vengeance, who secretly hunted down those who betrayed the village. She lived among humans as a simple food stand worker, singing songs that made the children laugh. When the Lunarians came she led the youkai to save the village, fighting alongside Keine even to the point of death until rescue arrived. Then she passed away from her wounds before she could be saved.'?
Mokou looked back at her. ?That story is the basis of your entire being, the truth of your existence. The history can never live up to that myth.?
?So? You think I don't know that?? Mystia glared down at Mokou. ?I know the story's got to be different from the truth. But that doesn't matter anymore. We youkai aren't slaves to people's imaginations anymore. We're born from legend but we are what we believe we are.? Mystia pointed to the celestial dragon in the sky. ?That was the victory of the youkai sage.?
?Don't you get it?? Mokou sighed much to Mystia's annoyance. ?Think about what you said. You are what you believe you are. And what if what I tell you changes all your beliefs. What if what I say leaves you wondering what to believe?? Mystia froze as Mokou's glare pierced through her. ?I can't hurt you, but you can destroy yourself.?
Mokou's gaze fell. ?But... I think she would have wanted the person bearing her name to know her real story.?
The immortal sighed. ?So yeah. If you think you can handle having your world turned upside down, I'll tell you kid. But don't think it'll be everything in the stories but better.?
Mystia hesitated. She wanted to know now, more then ever. But Mokou's words ran through her mind. The what ifs cascaded through her thoughts, each worse then the last. She had to take a deep breath to steady herself.
She looked up at Mokou. ?Tell me this. She was still a hero right??
Mokou looked towards the statue again. ?She was.?
?Then tell me.?
Mokou turned back to her, then smiled sadly. ?Very well, then.?
?First you have to know her business was mostly a scam....?
The sun was rising when Mokou's tales finished. And Mystia had to admit the immortal had been right. The story had changed her. Changed what she was. Who she wanted to be.
But as Mystia sang to welcome the dawn she felt happier then ever. Perhaps her namesake hadn't loved the village like she did. Perhaps the little night sparrow had fought for her own sake instead of the lives of the villagers. Perhaps her heroism had come from a fear of losing, instead of a need to protect.
No one could say that her predecessor hadn't stood for herself.
As the sun rose Mystia swore she would make this tale part of her. She would not be a creature of blind loyalty or servitude. She would follow her own path, even to her death.
And perhaps that path would be the path of justice that everyone thought she should follow. But it would be her choice. The one thing that was hers and hers alone.
-
Aya frowned as she went over her pictures of Utsuho. Had she used this one yet? It was so hard to tell, since the pictures all looked the same. There weren't many different angles you could get on "giant sun."
She briefly considered scrapping this article and focusing on another rumor, but in the end that was a bad idea. Even if Utsuho wasn't a tengu she was at least a crow, and it was important to have a certain amount of corvids present in any issue to keep the local readers interest.
"I'll just have to get more photos," Aya said "Ones without danmaku."
The trip to find the hell crow took no time whatsoever for the fastest reporter in Gensoukyo. Unfortunately there was a problem already there.
Aya glared at Hatate. "What are you doing here kid?"
"Get lost, this is my interview," Hatate snapped.
Utsuho looked back and forth between the two in her normal state of confusion. "Unyuu?"
Aya sighed. She was tempted to beat the little kid into the ground but that would mean she'd only get pictures of danmaku again. "Alright, look, you can waste your time however you want kid. I'll just take some pictures and leave, 'kay?"
Hatate flipped her off and rolled her eyes. "Sure whatever. Just don't screw up any of my shots with your flash." She turned back towards the hell raven. "So anyway, ignore the fastest slut in Gensoukyo and tell me about what it's like being the pet of a mind reader?"
Aya tuned out Utsuho's cheerful reply and started working on getting a good shot. She decided against the flash, no matter how much she wanted to spite the other tengu and instead turned on the fixed light on her camera. She shuffled a little to the left, then back to the right a bit trying to set up a pseudo candid shot.
And then something caught her eye. A strange glimmer that called to her.
Aya blinked and shook her head. When she looked up again the glittering was gone. Muttering curses at whatever god thought it would be funny to give crow tengu an attraction to shiny object she returned to setting up the shot.
Right as she was about to get the lighting perfect the glitter appeared again. Aya instinctively looked towards it, but it vanished.
"Damnit, Aya. What the hell are you doing?" Hatate yelled.
Aya looked away, flushing slightly. "Shut up. The lighting in here is terrible without a flash."
"Oh you need light?" Utsuho smiled at that. "I can fix that!" With a snap of her fingers the hell crow tossed up a miniature sun shedding light through the cavern.
Both Aya and Hatate froze. The shining object had returned, and now it was clear to both of the tengu what that object was.
The brooch on Utsuho's chest.
Aya tried to focus on her camera. The camera was safe. She was a intelligent tengu. A genius even. She wasn't going to be distracted by a simply shiny gem!
As she fiddled with exposure times she heard Hatate rapidly putting information into her phone. "So... uh... where did you get that necklace?"
"Necklace?" Utsuho cocked her head. "Oh you mean this?" She tapped the gem, causing both Aya and Hatate to shudder. "It kinda came with the Yatagarasu's power, along with some of my other wardrobe pieces."
"Ah I see...." Hatate obviously realized she'd made a mistake asking about it. "So what other wardrobe pieces did you get?"
"The cape, cannon and boot of course." Aya twitched again as Utsuho continued fiddling with the gem. "It's odd though. I figured out what all those other tools do, but not what this one is for."
Aya was sweating now. Utsuho's movements were causing the gem to glitter even more then before. The only reason she hadn't dropped her camera was because of the strap on it. The gem sparkled yet again and she flinched. She was stronger then this! She wasn't just a bird!
Then Okuu leaned forward a bit causing the gem to glow with light and Aya gave in. "Screw it, that shiny is mine!"
"Not a chance grandma! It's mine!" Hatate yelled. They both sprung for the gem as fast as they could, before Okuu even had time to blink.
Aya didn't bother with finesse. She just reached for a handful of dress and tried to scoop up the gem along with it. Her heart raced as she saw she was beating Hatate. She'd grabbed a nice chunk of shirt and she was going to have the better grip on the brooch for sure. The gem was as good as hers!
Then her fingers glanced off the bottom of the brooch and glided right across the surface. She'd missed.
There was the sound of ripping fabric and Aya despaired. Hatate must have gotten the prize, and soon she'd be left here with an angry (and topless) hellcrow, without the gem that had so captured her mind.
Then the gleam caught her eye once again. Her heart soared. Had Hatate missed too?
Sure enough Hatate was standing next to her equally dumbfounded holding the other half of Utsuho's shirt. And before them gleamed the sparkling prize they both desired. The gem was no brooch. It was fused to Utusho's chest.
Aya snapped out of her shiny induced trance mere seconds before a strong arm put her in a headlock. She found her head firmly caught just above Utsuho's breasts facing Hatate, who'd suffered a similar fate. In between them the gem continued to glimmer with light.
"Ah, I think I've found out what this gem is for now," Ustuho said cheerfully. "It's to help pick up chicks."
Aya's face turned bright red, and she could see Hatate turning crimson as well. She was well and truly caught.
But she had to admit the gem was really shiny.
--------
Orin caught her oldest friend's familiar smell when she entered the Palace of the Earth Spirits and she smiled. It'd been a while since Okuu had been home. She shifted out of her cat form and headed towards her friends room.
When she got a little closer though she noticed the presence of some other people. Animals but not animals. When she reached Utsuho's door she knocked. "Hey Okuu. We have guests?"
"Something like that," Okuu replied. "Come on in Orin."
Orin opened the door. "Should I get you some snack or-" Then her jaw dropped.
The three figures in the room were all unclothed. Okuu was sitting in the middle of the rooms couch with one of the tengu reporters under each arm. They each seemed content to rest on her shoulders and stare longingly at the gem on her chest. Orin pointed at the trio then waved her hands about, but she couldn't find any question to ask.
As Orin stood there searching for words Utsuho smiled at her. "I don't think we need any snacks, but thanks Orin." The kassha froze as Utsuho's grin became just a little wider. "But I'm sure we'd all be happy to have you sit on our lap."
Orin finally let out a hiss. "What the hell Okuu? Are you letting the Yatagarasu's power go to your head again? Seriously here, this is no joking matter."
Utsuho pouted. "Ah come on Orin. I'm not plotting to blow up the world or anything again. I'm just having a little fun."
"That what you said the second time. And we all know how that turned out!" Orin turned away from her friend tails lashing. "Well you aren't pulling me into this mess this time!"
Orin stared at the ground. She knew she had to challenge her friend in order to slap some sense back into her. Maybe she could tell Satori about this issue, since it wasn't as big as the last? Her mind raced over possibilities, and then crashed to a halt as she saw something scurrying out of the corner of her eye.
Her tails and ears froze as she turned to look at what had caught her attention. It was a small dot of light, but the way it skittered and dashed around the floor.... She wanted to pounce!
And so pounce she did. Restraint was not a virtue for cats.
Of course she could catch the light. It was light after all, but she gleefully chased it anyway, across the floors, on the walls, under the furniture. She leaped and pounced... and on the final jump ended up landing right in Utsuho's lap.
When she looked up and saw the mini laser shining from the gem she realized just how she'd ben tricked. But then Okuu was scratching behind her ears now... and she did have to admit lying across the three girls laps was kinda nice.....
Orin sighed then relaxed. "Alright, you win. But when Satori find out it's on your head."
Utsuho just smiled magnanimously, but Hatate snickered. "Well Aya, we now have a better headline for when we finally write this up."
"If it involves the that gem being able to attract pussy I'm going to eat your eyes, birdbrain."
-
These puns are splendid~
-
Is Utsuho Reiuji cute? The answer seems like such an obvious yes. But then what would we say if someone who had not been exposed to the entirety of Utsuho Reiuji questioned her cuteness? An opinion left unresearched withers in the light of evidence, even if that evidence is fanart of questionable merit. It is not enough to simply look at a character and know she is cute, we as people of science must prove to the best of our ability that she is cute. With facts and reason on our side we can banish the false light of misinformation under the brilliant light of truth. Of course I would make no grandiose claim that we can give an exact measure of cuteness with our current level of knowledge, but measurement is not certainty. We cannot say how moist something must be to qualify as wet, but we know what is wet and what is dry. Similarly we cannot state how cute Utsuho is, but I feel confident in my ability to prove she is cute. In appearance, demeanor and abilities, Utsuho Reiuji possesses a number of unique factors that are cute. I'm certain that armed with the knowledge I will impart you shortly, you too will feel unshakable in this truth.
The primary proof of cuteness comes from physical appearance. When considering if something is cute appearance can completely override personality or powers. After all a kitten is cute, even as it toys with it's prey before killing it. Thus, if we can prove Utsuho looks cute, we can state she is cute. I put forth that Okuu has four physical factors that make her cute; her wings, and because of her wings her cape, her overall figure, and her hair and bow. I also will set aside some space to debunk the assertion that her accessories make her less cute.
We start with her wings, which are a huge factor in cuteness. Wings exaggerate emotions, specifically emotions like embarrassment, happiness, excitement and fear. The primary expression of this cuteness is of course the flutter. While there are many non cute reactions to the above emotions the helpless flutter of wings or the happy quiver of feathers is always cute, thus a character with wings will always have cute reactions. As an added bonus Utsuho?s wings are bird wings which, unlike bat wings, are soft and fluffy. While white wings are the ultimate in fluffiness, black wings suffer only a slight loss in comparison leaving Utsuho?s wings comfortably in the ?fuwa fuwa? range. And since they are full bodied wings they can completely encircle someone, granting a threefold increase in softness factor. Softness, of course, is widely recognized as major boost to cuteness, as evidenced by plush toys everywhere. This also adds to her personal softness, which we will speak about later.
Alone, these wings would be a massive boost to our case that Utsuho is cute. However, Utsuho Reiuji adds even more layers of cuteness to this matter by wearing a cape over her wings. A combination of cape and wings is, in general somewhat ridiculous. The cape, while impressive under normal circumstances, can only get in the way of the wings proper function and generally trip Utsuho up. The addition of a cape and subsequent rapid shifts from imposing to comedic misfortune leads to Utsuho moving squarely into incompetence moe. Specifically Utusho can inconvenience herself, but won't inconvenience others that much, an important factor in incompetence based cuteness. The cape also increases Utsuho's natural softness. The fabric itself increases the warmth of any wing hug, and the softness of her wings, while the switch to white coloration helps add to visual fluffiness as explained earlier.
Continuing in the vein of softness, Utsuho's physical dimensions contribute greatly to her cuteness. As it is commonly known, there are three main types of cute figures; boyish, childish, and soft. While Okuu is too tall to qualify for childish, and her hair is too long for the classic boyish, she fits quite comfortably within the soft category. The soft category draws it's cuteness from being pleasantly squishy without being too yielding or drawing too much attention to sexiness. Utsuho avoids these extremes easily. Her clothing and demeanor isn't designed to draw particular attention to her sexiness, and her body is fairly well toned. In fact the main worry would be her waist and hips are too narrow for full body softness. In order to check that matter we need to compare her measurements to a known soft quantity, Iku Nagae. A quick reference in associated media shows that their measurements are similar across waist, bust and hip. Utusho however is slightly taller. Still even adjusting for height Utsuho ends up being almost as soft as Iku, and given how cute Iku's soft style is, we can state that Utsuho is close enough to also be considered cute in that department as well.
Finally we get to Utsuho's hair and bow ensemble. Hair strongly factors in to physical appearance, and various fair styles can add great greatly to cuteness, though a character can be cute without such attention to detail. At first glance Utusho's hair seems to be a simple black long haired with a bow. Bows are of course cute as they emphasize an interest in personal care as well as a certain amount of childishness, but not too far beyond the norm. However, on further research it becomes obvious that Utusho has a ponytail as well. A combination hairstyle like that is uncommon and requires attention, and the volume of hair required must add to softness as well.
It is here I must set aside a moment to answer some counterarguments. Some people point to Utusho's boot and arm cannon as items that detract from her cuteness. They claim that the ability to destroy a city in an atomic fireball isn't cute. While this is a shortsighted view that is currently under further investigation, I can skip that matter entirely, as it holds little bearing to Utusho's cuteness. These are combat accessories, with no general use, and our interest is whether Utusho is cute in general, not whether she is cute in a fight. While some claim these accessories are permanent we have visual evidence she can remove them and does so during day to day activities. I would thus further go on to claim that these accessories increase Utusho Reiuji's cuteness factor slightly. Weapons, especially big dangerous looking weapons, can increase a person's cuteness if they cause the person to suffer amusing inconveniences with those weapons either in or out of battle. For example it would be cute if a girl who has a sword larger then her got stuck in a doorway, or was buried under the weight. And while Utsuho is a skilled and tenacious fighter, we can state clearly that her accessories do impede general performance. Her 'third leg,' in addition to allowing jokes that will emphasize her cluelessness, obviously interferes with her dominant hand, and will almost certainly lead to amusing situations where Utusho realizes too late she doesn't have enough hands for the job. Meanwhile we have recorded data showing her cement foot unbalances her, even in combat, occasionally leaving her sprawling on the ground with an ?Unyu.? These here are prime examples of grade B (possibly inconveniencing but easily remedied) incompetence moe. Thus you can see how these accessories can only be a net positive towards Utusho's cuteness if factored in.
With that we can conclude the physical inspection of Utusho's cuteness. It would be tempting to stop here. All of the factors of her person, wings, cape, build, hair and accessories only add to her cuteness. It is obvious Utsuho looks cute, from a scientific standpoint. However, it would still be premature to claim victory. While Utsuho is physically cute she sadly hasn't overstepped the kitten mark, the point at which no act of ugliness could get people to look past her innate cuteness. She lies close, but close is not enough in these studies. With that in mind we must examine Utsuho's personality and powers in order to make a final confirmation on her cuteness. The trial is simple. If her personality contains cute elements, and her powers are not utterly revolting, we can stand confident in the knowledge that Utsuho's cuteness can not be denied.
We see two sides of Utusho's character in her appearances, belligerent, which is not cute, and laid back airheadedness, which can be cute. We will compare both to try to get a feel for the whole. Her combative mode is highly dangerous, and she presses her attacks a little strongly. Even in Gensoukyo, where a bullet to the face is a common greeting, Utusho is more bluntly aggressive then most. Fortunately she doesn't really persist in this mode. Utsuho's combat desires vanish quickly after the battle, and she's able to chat pleasantly with people she fought only recently. As an animal youkai she doesn't fight when the outcome is already known and there's nothing to gain. So the bad parts of her personality don't appear often. This leads us with her default personality, which is nuanced but has clear themes. She is unabashedly 'bird brained,' forgetting details that don't seem important to her, and not thinking through her actions as well as she could. This airheadedness is a staple of cute characters, but it is also incredibly annoying. Most characters that use it either have redeeming features or just get by on cute appearance alone. In this case, Utsuho's bird brain is redeemed by her intelligence in every other field. While she fails to recognize people or remember specific events well, her conversations show that she's able to reason decently well, and that her mastery of certain elements, such as her powers is very solid. It is this intelligence that makes her occasional ?Unyu? and forgetfulness cute instead of annoying. With that taken into consideration we can place Utsuho's personality as cute, satisfying the first of our requirements.
Finally we reach her powers. Utsuho has powers from two sources, her god powers and her hell raven powers. Her god powers fall into the grey area of neither cute nor uncute. Laser beams and bullets are pretty generic and while Okuu's are bigger, they aren't seriously different. Meanwhile nuclear power does have radiation issues, but with the power of a god Okuu can avoid that nasty spot. Her powers as a hell raven however have massive cuteness potential. Her ability to eat corpses is a negative, but it's common to all youkai, so it shouldn't garner much attention. However, the shape-shifting power of a hengayoukai unlocks a wide variety of cuteness. Okuu's raven form is small, fluffy and cute to begin with, and with her additional intelligence she's far more playful and cuddly then a normal raven will ever be, as evidenced in her Grimoire of Marisa appearance where she is pictured cuddling Satori in bird form. In addition as a youkai she has access to the ability to accessorize while in raven form. Though sadly it is unreasonable to believe she can shape-change into the puffball ravens that fill the fanart, she almost certainly can keep her bow or cape in bird form, something sure to bring a smile to any face. Her powers are far from revolting, thus satisfying the second part of our requirements.
And there we have it. Utusho has the physical base for cuteness, as evidenced by her body and style, while possessing none of the drawbacks that would force a discerning researcher to take that status away from her. True none of her features are flawless. Even her wing and cape combination have slight flaws that prevent her from being perfectly cute in any area. But these flaws are in no way sufficient to steal her cute status from her. And perhaps it could be said that those flaws enhance her character's cuteness. If a character is only cute, without anything else to support their persona they fall into moeblob status, undeniably cute, but uninteresting. This robust cuteness that Utsuho has, one with flaws and definition is perhaps a better cuteness. Still, that is for future research. For now we can rest our paper, confident in our ability to prove, Utusho Reiuji is cute.
---------------
Why did I write this again, Anathe?
-
You have done this world a wonderful service, FOR GREAT SCIENCE!
You are truly a top notch cuteologist, I was surprised to learn you did not have a doctorate in kawaii uguu~!
-
I don't think we can argue anymore about Utsuho's Cuteness.
We got scientific proof of it!
-
Thank you. I was becoming concerned for the future generations, but this new curriculum looks promising.
Keep it up!
-
I knew it. Utsuho is a moe hell raven, and no scientist will contradict that!
-
Merry Christmas all. Now go play PoDD and come back. :P
-------------------------------
Chiyuri stared blankly at the other girl. ?You can't possibly be serious. There's no way Yumemi would fall for that. It's too ridiculous.?
Her Gensoukyo counterpart smirked. ?Please. We both know Yumemi's smarter then us, but more observant? Hardly. The setup will put her off balance enough that she'll miss the signs. She gets really overenthusiastic when something catches her fancy.?
Chiyuri sighed remembering the planet destroying bomb bit. ?Fine. But why should I do this in the first place??
The other Chiyuri sighed as well. It was very strange, talking with someone who was for all intents and purposes, herself. It was like discovering an identical twin, except instead of spending their childhood trying to make themselves different from each other, they'd been shaped by their separate realities to be as similar as possible.
The other woman pushed herself back upright. ?Look, you like her right??
Chiyuri opened her mouth to deny it, then closed it. It would be stupid to argue with her. ?Yeah. And you like her too.?
The other Chiyuri smiled weakly. ?Damn straight. But unfortunately we're idiots who believe in fair play, which means you get the first shot.?
Chiyuri felt her own mouth curling into a frown. ?You know I don't like being rushed.?
?Rushed?? Her counterpart rolled her eyes. ?You've had years! And you know I don't like waiting.?
She had a point, Chiyuri mused. That was one of the worst parts of arguing with her other self. Unless she started the argument she usually lost.
Chiyuri threw up her hands. ?Alright fine.? Chiyuri slumped back into her chair and looked her counterpart in the eyes. ?So great magical me, how does this harebrained scheme help either of us? Why should I pretend to be you on this date, instead of, you know, asking her out as myself??
?Because you worry that Yumemi only sees you as an assistant, and that so long as you're the 'non magical Chiyuri' you'll never match up,? the other Chiyuri said.
Chiyuri thought for a moment. ?And you're afraid she only sees you as a research specimen and that you'll never match up to the 'real Chiyuri,'? she replied in as even a tone as she could manage.
Her counterpart grimaced, but didn't argue. ?So now you get it.?
Chiyuri sat and thought. It still seemed like a stupid idea, but as she went over it in her mind over and over she found herself unsurprisingly agreeing with her counterpart. It was dangerous but she couldn't think of any other way. Well she could think of several other ways but she was pretty sure she'd lose her nerve if she tried any of them.
She wasn't sure she wanted to go through with this plan either, but then the other Chiyuri would probably set the plan in motion whether she wanted her to or not. It was something she would do after all.
?Fine. I'll do it,? Chiyuri muttered. ?When does this brilliant plan take place??
?Christmas of course.?
Chiyuri looked at her Gensoukyo counterpart. ?What?!?
----
Chiyuri tried to focus on the neon lights around her to keep herself from pacing. The butchered Arabic on the marquees didn't make her feel any less nervous, but it occupied her at least. Phrases like "Peace be upon all rocks" made her wonder who exactly had done the conversion. Even internet translators should have been able to get that right.
"Ah, Chiyuri. Did I keep you waiting?"
Chiyuri felt her heart skitter about as she whirled around. Yumemi stood out easily from the crowd, even though she wasn't wearing her normal attire. The older woman had settled for a half mantle over a crimson jacket that went down to her knees, along with some ruby red shoes. The attire was simple, but far more dressed up then the professor normally wore and better yet, there seemed to be a faint
blush on Yumemi's cheeks. Chiyuri would have been really happy, if it weren't for the fact that Yumemi'd dressed up for the wrong Chiyuri.
"It's fine. I just got here," Chiyuri lied. In truth she'd arrived an hour beforehand. Both her and her Gensoukyo counterpart had used the excuse of buying Christmas presents to get out of the house and perform the switch before the meeting. It was hard pulling off stuff like this when all of you lived in the same complex. "You look nice, Yumemi."
Yumemi's blush became more visible. "Thanks. You too, Chiyuri."
Chiyuri smoothed her own long jacket a bit. "Ahaha, the other Chiyuri let me borrow it." Or I would have if it wasn't actually me going on the date, Chiyuri thought.
Yumemi laughed lightly. "Well I'd say she picked well, but you already knew that." Yumemi stepped towards the main sidewalk, Chiyuri following behind. "So, um, where did you plan on going?"
"Ah, I've got reservations at a restaurant a couple of blocks down," Chiyuri said, moving to take the lead. She considered trying to take Yumemi?s hand, but the other woman had her hands clasped together, so Chiyuri dropped the idea.
Instead she tried to focus on the scenery around them. ?So, um, is it usual for there to be this much snow??
Yumemi seemed to jump at the question. ?Ah, no. You wouldn?t know this but the weather people messed up a little this year, so we got more snow then usual.?
Chiyuri looked up at the sky. ?Huh. It might be nice to get regular weather, but it still seems weird. The random snow in Genoukyo feels more right.?
?Maybe.? Yumemi looked up as well. ?Still even with all that planning there?s sometimes fortunate little accidents like this. Though I imagine the street sweepers aren?t pleased.?
?Ahaha, I imagine not.? Chiyuri smiled. They chatted a little more about the snow before arriving at the restaurant. The heating inside quickly banished both the winter chill and their conversation.
The waiter led them to their seats, a small table next to the window. Chiyuri was kind of glad it wasn?t candlelit. She was already feeling very weird about this date, she didn?t need to worry that she was overplaying her hand (the other Chiyuri?s hand?) more then she should for a first date.
That was why she was extra nervous as they took off their jackets. Her white backless dress was a little more risqu? then she would have liked, but everything else she had wasn?t fancy enough. Maybe she shouldn?t worry though. Her knotted shirts had started pushing limits now that she?d gotten three years worth of growth in.
Yumemi of course was still in red. A short sleeved dress with a short skirt, simple, but still capable of showing her figure off. Chiyuri didn?t think Yumemi owned anything like that. She preferred business attire when trying to separate grant people from their research money. Together they had quite the Christmas theme going.
The waiter quickly took their drink orders and vanished into the background. They sat in silence for a bit, looking over the snow covered sidewalks below. The silence seemed to form in layers between them, filled with the quiet sounds of the other diners. Finally Yumemi broke the quiet. ?So, I? was kind of surprised that you asked me out, Chiyuri. And, well, kind of surprised my Chiyuri was willing to go along with it.
Chiyuri coughed and drank a little to cool the burning that crept across her cheeks. ?My Chiyuri? she said? ?Well we talked it over a bit. As for me well, I was interested you from the moment we met. And when I learned how you were working to prove your theories on magic despite how your peers dismissed you out of hand, well?? The two women both blushed and turned to their water glasses.
?I?m happy to hear that.? Yumemi smiled a little. ?And I?m happy that I didn?t scare you away with my obsession with work. I was a little worried you?d see me as using you as a guinea pig or a replacement assistant.?
?Well I have to admit I was a little worried about those things,? Chiyuri replied. She nervously fiddled with her napkin as she cursed her other self. She was stuck between seducing Yumemi for someone else or backstabbing the person who helped set this up. Wonderful.
She started as Yumemi gently placed a hand on hers. ?I know I?m really bad at expressing myself sometimes. And my jokes might be a bit off to most people, but I want you to know you?re very important to me Chiyuri. Not only have you shared your magic with us, but you?ve added a lot to our lives.? Yumemi?s smile turned down a bit. ?Part of what you added being a constant fear of the police?.?
Chiyuri winced at that. ?Er, yeah. Sorry about that.? Well it wasn?t her fault, but she understood the sentiment.
Yumemi?s smile flickered back. ?But more importantly you added a lot of life to the household. Your unique viewpoint, your carefree attitude, and your cooking.? Her smile widened. ?Especially your cooking. My Chiyuri is okay but her recipes are really limited.?
?Ahaha, it?s nothing,? Chiyuri looked around to try to hide her blush. Her heart had taken flight again at Yumemi?s words again, even if it was hidden in praise for someone else. ?Speaking of that I wonder where the food is.?
?I?m sure it?ll be around soon enough,? Yumemi said, squeezing her hand slightly. ?So, tell me Chiyuri, what were you doing before you decided to stowaway on our ship??
Chiyuri was glad Yumemi was being vague. Her life was actually pretty close match to her counterparts before the dimension hop. ?Well, not much, really. I?d just gotten out of school, er, private tutoring that is, and I really didn?t have any direction. That?s one of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity.?
Yumemi smiled encouragingly. ?I see. Well I?m happy it worked out for you. After everything calmed down I became a little worried you might find life in a large city not to your liking.?
And now the hard part, acting as if she?d grown up in Gensoukyo. Fortunately, their food arrived right then, giving her time to think. Sadly it also meant Yumemi was no longer holding her hand, but she would just have to live with that.
?Well, Gensoukyo village is small, but not that small. I mean we have room for noble houses?? Chiyuri took a bite of her eel dish in order to try to remember some of the names the other her had mentioned. ??like the Heida. And we have several shops and restaurants. Just nothing like this,? Chiyuri finished with a wave to the city skyline.
?We never really looked over the village,? Yumemi mused for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. ?But I shouldn?t think shop tonight, right??
?Nope,? Chiyuri replied with a smile of her own.
The two focused on their dinners again, chatting about minor recent events. Fortunately Yumemi had been working solo recently so neither her nor her counterpart had any idea about recent events in Yumemi?s life. This switch was actually going well. Except for the part where Yumemi thought she was seducing the wrong person.
As the meal began to wind down and the dessert forks were being placed down for the last time, Yumemi asked, ?So, you never met a Yumemi in your world??
?No,? Chiyuri shook her head sadly. ?I?ve never met anyone quite like you, Yumemi.? She felt heat creeping back into her face but she forced herself to continue. ?You?re unique. I?ve never met anyone like you, whether human or youkai.?
Yumemi sipped at her nearly empty glass. ?Ah. That?s quite a compliment. Though maybe you just didn?t meet your world?s Yumemi.? Yumemi?s eyes grew distant for a moment, then her lips twitched upwards. ?Well too bad for that Yumemi then! I?m not giving you back.?
A giggle escaped Chiyuri?s lips. ?Just don?t threaten to blow up the planet okay??
?Tch.? Yumemi crossed her arms in a huff. ?You shouldn?t listen to everything the other Chiyuri tells you. It was just a joke. I wasn?t really going to blow up the planet just because I lost to that shrine maiden.?
?So I should ignore her story about the time you dumped the punchbowl on the dean of theology?s head?? Chiyuri asked innocently. ?Or the time you flew to the Amazon when you heard about a new book of magical rites that no one had seen before??
?Yes!? Yumemi waved her hands to cut off the questions. ?She exaggerates all the time. The curse of having a post doc who knows you too well.?
?Yes?? Chiyuri felt odd as Yumemi?s good cheer turned into a sigh. ?We?ve known each other a long time. I guess my Chiyuri was scared off by our professional relationship though. Or perhaps we?re just too familiar.?
Chiyuri couldn?t take it anymore. ?You keep saying ?my Chiyuri???
Yumemi jerked upright, then drooped a bit. ?Ah sorry, that has to be a little discouraging for you. But I have to be honest. I?ve come to rely on this world?s Chiyuri a lot. I?.? Yumemi hesitated pursing her lips.
?Please keep talking!? Chiyuri?s heart was wobbling all over the place now. ?I want? I want to know your feelings. All of them about both of us, not just the ones you think I want to hear. I need to know!?
Yumemi took a deep breath. ?You know me Chiyuri, even if you?ve only been with me for three years. You know I?m not some starry-eyed girl who knows instantly that she?s in love. But I do know what I want. And what I want is for both of you to stay by my side not just professionally or personally.? Yumemi looked away and sighed. ?I?m, not sure what I?d do if either of you decided to leave.?
Her smile returned a little. ?I was kind of worried about this date actually, until my, er, this world?s Chiyuri said she was fine with it. I was afraid that choosing one of you might drive the other away. And after all it?s Christmas. The day you?re supposed to spend with the one you love.?
Chiyuri sat there in shock. This was all going wrong, but Yumemi kept barreling ahead. ?As for romance, well, I find you attractive. And while it would be wrong to abuse my position as a researcher here, I think that we?re past that stage in the relationship.? Yumemi blushed a little and fiddled with the silverware. ?So, I?m very willing to? research? a more intimate relationship.?
It was too much for her brain. Chiyuri put her face in her hands as she blushed wildly. ?Only you could make that cheesy line sound halfway seductive professor.?
?Professor?!!? Chiyuri froze. She felt Yumemi?s hand cup her chin, and her face was slowly forced up to meet the older woman?s steely gaze. ?Chiyuri. Explain. Now.?
?Ah, I must have picked it up from?? Chiyuri?s explanation was cut off by Yumemi shaking her head. ?That?s not gonna work, is it??
?Explain.?
Chiyuri considered her options. She didn?t have her laser pistol, lies were probably not going to cut it, the chance of a distracting explosion were minimal, so her best option seemed to be to tell the whole truth as if it made sense.
?So we both like you, and we were both worried about you just thinking of us as friends, so we planned this switch so we could muster up the courage to figure out which one of us you liked, and well it worked. Kinda.? Chiyuri tried to smile to make the story sound a little less stupid.
Yumemi?s head fell to the table with a thud. ?I don?t know who?s dumber. You for thinking up this ridiculous childish nonsense or me for falling for it!?
Chiyuri gulped. ?Well, I meant everything I said. It?s just sometimes I was speaking for the other Chiyuri.?
Yumemi looked up, and for the first time in a long while Chiyuri couldn?t tell what mood the woman was in. ?You have a way of contacting her right??
Chiyuri nodded and tapped a button. ?Subvocal mike and ear bud if you asked any questions about specifics. I just turned it on, so she can hear us now.?
?Wait, what?!? her alternate cried out. ?How much does she know?!?
Yumemi glared right at the button. ?Alright you. This Chiyuri is going to take me to see you. And then you?re both going to spill your stories again. And then we are going to have a long long talk. I hope you picked a place where we can have a long talk, or am I dragging you two home first??
Chiyuri blushed a bit. ?She?s at an arcade next to a hotel.?
?You know what kind of hotel that is,? hissed her Gensoukyo counterpart.
Yumemi blushed but her expression didn?t change. ?I see. She felt confident did she? Well tell her to get a full night, because you two have a lot of explaining to do.?
Yumemi stood and reached down to pull Chiyuri up before lightly gripping her hand. ?And then I?m going to explain that you two are both my Chiyuris and nothing is going to change that. Not even if some other world?s Yumemi comes for one of you.?
Chiyuri felt like her face was on fire, but she happily followed her love out of the restaurant. She had no idea how she was going to get along with her other self, but she was willing to make an effort for Yumemi.
And if she had to share her love sharing with herself really wasn?t so bad.
Still she should take some precautions. She coughed lightly to get her counterpart?s attention then subvocalized, ?Get the room for the night.?
?And make sure there?s a folding chair in it, in case Yumemi decides she needs more of us.?
-
Some of the lines near the beginning of the story have weird indentations (maybe because of Windows 2000?) Might want to fix those.
So, does hitting a Chiyuri with a folding chair cause it to multiply?
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Some of the lines near the beginning of the story have weird indentations (maybe because of Windows 2000?) Might want to fix those.
It's the curse of writing on three different machines with three different editors. Something will go wrong.
So, does hitting a Chiyuri with a folding chair cause it to multiply?
No but hitting a Yumemi with a folding chair convinces her that kidnapping more Chiyuri's from alternate dimensions should take backseat to the Chiyuris she has now. :V
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kidnapping more Chiyuri's from alternate dimensions
That really should be one of those terrible harem comedy animes.
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No but hitting a Yumemi with a folding chair convinces her that kidnapping more Chiyuri's from alternate dimensions should take backseat to the Chiyuris she has now. :V
Oh, and here I was thinking that Chiyuris were like Mogwai, except with folding chairs instead of water.
This was a fun Christmas read. :)
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Hee hee, nice little read. I wouldn't have thought Yumemi would be so forward in a relationship...
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Thanks. I needed that giggle. :3
-
Marin hated the cold.
The darkness was bad, but she'd gotten used to the darkness. There really wasn't much around her to see anyway. It would be nice to have light, but she could find her way around by keeping a hand on the wall and moving slowly.
The cold however didn't fade away. It didn't even settle into a single form of misery. Sometimes it was damp and cold. Other times it was just freezing. Usually it was both on different parts of her body. It changed as she moved through the cave complex. Part of her body would dry, and then she'd step in a pool or water would drop on her from above.
But the worst was when she had to collapse and rest. Half her body froze against the rocks, while the other was chilled by the cavern's air. The only reason she was able to sleep at all was pure exhaustion. Soon her body would recover enough to start complaining again, and she'd awaken, still tired, hungry and sore. And cold. Always cold.
She didn't know how long it had been since she'd fallen into the caves. She knew it had been at least three days, because she'd had to go find water. That was the only reason she'd left the site of the cave in. She knew that moving would make it harder for her family to find her, but it wouldn't help if she died before they could get to her. So she'd started walking. And once she'd found water she'd been so lost she just kept walking. Walking and searching for a way out.
She knew her family had to be worried sick about her. And it was all her fault too. They'd told her not to go playing around the base of youkai mountain, but she didn't listen. She'd wandered off to go catch fish, and fallen into a sinkhole for her pains.
Fish. What she would do for a nice fish now. Her stomach had been empty for so long it felt like it had shriveled up.
Marin focused on the hunger. It was better then remembering how much she missed her family.
She choked back a sob and kept moving. Step after step in the darkness and the cold.
Finally her legs couldn't hold out anymore. She allowed herself to collapse to the freezing hard ground. She wanted to pull herself upright, to sit, but she knew by now it would only make it harder to get up later. Especially since the flickering in her eyes told her she was probably going to fall asleep soon.
Then Marin heard the voice.
It had to have been a voice. Water didn't sound like that, right? Her mind frantically tried to force itself awake despite the crushing fatigue. She stared ahead and tried to hone all her senses, and she heard, ever so faintly, someone saying ?...all the time.?
She had heard a voice! And the flickering was real. There was light! Firelight!
Marin tried to stand but her legs gave out. She whimpered as she hit the floor again, then she started to crawl. It hurt, but the light was growing brighter. The cold was fading!
She half crawled half collapsed around the tunnel's final bend. Light stabbed into her eyes from all over, blinding her with their power. She heard a gasp from the voice, the wonderful voice.
And then her body could no longer take it and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
----
Marin felt strange as she awoke. Her body was sore, but less then normal. Her eyes were filled with more light than the fading lights of dreams.
And she was warm.
She slowly opened her eyes to find herself on a futon. She had to blink a few times to adjust her eyes to the light, but as her vision began to return she saw she was in a shack, with a warm fire blazing away in the center.
"Oh, you're awake."
Marin groggily turned towards the voice. A short woman Marin didn't recognize was staring down at her with an inquisitive expression. Her clothes were a little weird, and her hair was blond, but she might be an outsider. An outsider with... pointed ears?
The woman must have seen Marin's reasoning before her addled mind could put it all together. "Oh. Huh. Yes I am a youkai, but no I'm not going to eat someone like you. I'm not the that kind of youkai."
Marin thought she heard some bitterness in the woman's voice, but she wasn't thinking well. She did believe the youkai's explanation though. After all, why would a youkai nurse her back to health if it was going to eat her?
"Can you sit up?" the youkai asked. "I have some soup if you can eat."
"I... I think I can eat," Marin said. There was a wave of dizziness as she sat up but she forced herself to stay upright.
"Hmph." The youkai woman gave her another once over, then sighed and grabbed a bowl from the table. "I don't think you should be eating anything solid just yet. And I don't have anything that goes with soup anyway, so you'll just have to make do."
Marin didn't care about the extras. It was food. She grabbed the bowl and spoon the woman offered and immediately dug in. It didn't have much of a smell and whatever was in it was mostly covered up by miso, but after so long without it was wonderful. The warmth of the soup spread through her body, taking away some of her pains and making her feel light and airy.
She'd made it through half the bowl before she remembered the youkai woman was staring at her. She gulped down another mouthful and said, "Thank you very much miss...?"
"Parsee. Mizuhashi Parsee," the woman said flatly. "And you are?"
"My name is Marin, of Gensoukyo village," Marin replied.
Parsee raised an eyebrow for a moment, then she frowned. "So you're that old?" she muttered to herself. Then the woman shrugged and gazed down at the bowl of soup. "Well, it looks like you're enjoying the food."
Marin swallowed uneasily. Had she done something wrong? "Um, yes. It's good. I forgot when the last time I ate was."
Parsee sniffed dismissively and looked away for a moment. But her disinterested look returned quickly. "Well you should finish it, then get back to sleep. You don't want to strain your body."
Marin opened her mouth to protest, but she had to admit she did feel weaker then normal. Instead she asked, "Um, so, can you get word back to the village that I'm alright? My family is probably really really worried about me, and I don't want to cause them any more trouble."
Parsee looked blankly at her for a moment, before returning to a sour frown. "It seems you and your family are really close, aren't you?" Before she could reply the youkai's expression softened. "Well, your family will know where you are. I promise."
"Thank you again Miss Mizuhashi." Marin finished the soup then laid down as Parsee took the bowl. "You seem like a really good youkai."
Parsee looked surprised again, then muttered something. But Marin couldn't hear the words as her strength left her.
-------
When Marin awoke again, the shack was empty.
The realization hit her like a bucket of ice water. She immediately sat up, her fatigue mostly gone. She looked around, but Parsee was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing but the slowly cooling embers of the fire.
Maybe the youkai woman had only gone outside for a bit? Marin immediately hopped off the bed and headed out the door. She didn't want to be alone right now.
The chilly air of the outside hit her as she opened the door of the shack. Marin gaped at the panorama that opened before her.
She was in a massive cave. Scattered ghost fires brought light to the area, but the ceiling was still shrouded in darkness. Water pools were scattered about, and there was a small stream running under a massive bridge that was in horrible repair.
Beneath that bridge a solitary figure sat looking up at the ruin.
Marin felt a little weak from relief as she moved towards the figure. Sure enough it turned out to be Parsee, staring up at the bridge with her usual annoyed expression. Still, no matter how strange the youkai woman was, it was better then being alone again.
"Hello Miss Parsee!" she called out as she approached.
Parsee looked up at her, then quickly turned away. "Hello."
Marin blinked at the dismissal but carried on. "Um, so did you speak with my family? Are they doing well?"
Parsee heaved out a huge sigh. After a moment she said, "They know where you are." Parsee looked up at the bridge for a bit before continuing. "I'll tell you everything after you wash up. You can use the stream. It's clean."
"Uh, okay." She probably did need to clean herself off a bit. She had to be pretty grimy from wandering around the caves. She walked over to the stream and splashed some of the water on her face, shivering at how cold it was.
She rubbed her face vigerously to get the dirt off, then tried to get a reflection in the stream to see any spots she'd missed. She frowned when she saw the state of her hair. Then she froze.
Where her eyes were supposed to be there were only two dark holes.
Marin screamed and pushed herself away from the stream. She scrambled backwards frantically until she hit Parsee then turned and clung to the woman's leg. "Y-youkai! There's a youkai in the water with my face!"
Parsee simply sighed and rested a hand on her head. "It must be nice to be that blissfully ignorant." Marin looked up at her in confusion.
Parsee sighed again, then bit her lip for a few moments. "Marin, the youkai you saw in the water was you."
Marin blinked at the woman. "W~what? You mean, it's some trick of the water?"
"No," Parsee said finally looking her straight in the eyes. "You are a youkai. You fell in that sinkhole over two hundred years ago. You died in these caves and were reborn as a youkai, like me."
Marin began to shiver. Two hundred years? She had been a youkai for two hundred years? "No. No it can't be!" She pushed herself away from Parsee. "You're lying! You're trying to trick me! I'm going to go home to mommy and daddy and big brother and big sister and you aren't going to stop me!"
Parsee gave a surprised cry as Marin hopped up and dashed away. She splashed through the chill stream, past the old rotting bridge pillars, towards the cavern walls.
She expected Parsee to chase after her, but there was no sound from behind her. Apparently the youkai didn't care enough to chase after her. Fine!
As she got closer to the cliffs she began to slow. Not just because she was out of breath, but because she couldn't see a good way up. It wasn't sheer rock, but Marin had no skill climbing. Maybe there was an easier way up. A trail perhaps? She began looking around.
She'd been looking for a good three minutes without success when a low rumble echoed out from behind her. Marin jumped and whirled.
There, hanging from the ceiling, was a massive spider twice her size.
Marin screamed. She turned to run only to find herself facing the cliff side. The was no escape.
There was a massive crash as the spider dropped to the ground. Marin sank to the floor whimpering, trying to sink into the earth itself. The spider waved its horrific legs and mandibles with a roar that sounded like a rockslide. Marin's blood turned to ice. She was going to die alone here.
"She can't understand you Yamame. She still thinks she's human."
Parsee floated down from the sky next to the giant spider. The spider turned towards her, curled up into a ball. And then suddenly there was a girl in a puffy dress standing there. "Oh really? My bad. I didn't realize they were still tossing youkai down here." The girl looked towards her and waved. "Sorry about the scare. I didn't know you couldn't speak to transformed youkai." Marin just stared in shock.
Yamame gave a weak chuckle and took a step back. "Well I was gonna offer you a lift up if you couldn't fly, but I don't think you'd be up for it today." Marin shook her head weakly. She didn't understand anything anymore.
Parsee glared at the transformed girl. "Probably for the best you didn't. She's a loneliness youkai."
"Oh, really?" Yamame turned towards Marin with a look of regret. "Well, you'll learn to fly soon enough I guess. And if you want to talk you can come find me." The girl smiled again. "Anyway good to meet you. And good seeing you again Parsee. Later!"
Yamame rose into the air gracefully, then sped off over the lip of the cliff. Parsee gave the earth spider one final disdainful glance, then walked over to Marin and silently held out her hand.
After a few minutes Marin shakily took Parsee's hand and let the woman pull her to her feet. Parsee turned and began walking back towards where she'd been sitting before.
Marin followed. Where else could she go?
After a bit Parsee began speaking. "That was an earth spider. I've told her before she should stick to her human form, but she still insists on using her real form in the deeper caves." Parsee started chewing on her thumb. "It's annoying. She has a human form that's cuter then mine and she doesn't even use it."
"And of course she's the one who gets to swing around wherever she wants. She can just wander off to the ancient city and party with the oni, or even wander around the surface. It must be nice," the woman snarled.
They walked in silence for a little more before Marin finally got enough together to ask, "So... what am I?"
Parsee seemed to twitch slightly. Then she replied, "You're a youkai formed from loneliness. Your existence is tied to your desire to escape the caves and return home."
To a home that didn't exist.
"So, um, Miss Mizuhashi, what are you?" Marin asked meekly.
Parsee stopped for a moment. "I'm a Hashihime. Or something like that." Parsee started walking back towards the spot where she looked at the bridge. "I feed off jealousy."
Marin nodded slowly. That explained a lot of things.
The two walked back to Parsee's spot and sat down in silence. After a few minutes Marin went back to the cold stream and finished washing her face. Then she returned to sit by Parsee's side.
Finally Parsee spoke up. "You'd do better back at the house. And I bet it's warmer there."
Marin shook her head. "I want to stay here."
"Tch." Parsee looked away. "You know if you hang around people you'll never get your full power."
"I don't want power," Marin replied. She hugged her knees.
"Well whatever." Parsee sighed. "You can hang around if you want. Just don't expect me to look after you. I've got a bridge to watch over."
They sat in silence for a bit longer before Marin asked, "Do you enjoy that?"
Parsee shook her head. "I hate it. But it's what I am."
Marin looked down at her feet. What Parsee was....
What she was...
What was she? A youkai, forgotten in the past. Not even a proper ghost.
She wanted to eat her mother's food again. The dishes that were always just a little too spicy for her. She wanted to feel her father's rough stubble as he hugged her again. She wanted to hear her sister complaining that she'd stolen the last mochi cake. She wanted to hear her brother whining about girls again.
She realized she was sobbing, her lungs hiccuping and gasping. She wiped her eyes and tears black as tar smeared over her hands.
A handkerchief was pressed into her hands and she used it to wipe away the tears and blow her nose. When the tears subsided she found the cloth peice had been irreparably stained. "Sorry I ruined your handkerchief."
"It's fine," Parsee said. The two were silent again for a moment. "You must have really been close with your family. You were really lucky."
Parsee stiffened as Marin moved over and hugged the woman. "Thank you Parsee."
"You know you're going to get weak if you hang off me too much," Parsee snapped. But she didn't push Marin away.
Marin felt a little weaker but she didn't care. She nuzzled closer to Parsee. The woman's words were cold, but Marin felt so warm beside her. "You've been trying to drive me away for my sake haven't you Miss Mizuhashi?"
"Hmph!" Marin giggled as the woman flushed and looked away. "I don't exactly enjoy company either you know. It's much better to be jealous just at people."
Marin just closed her eyes and curled up on Parsee's lap. She was feeling tired again, with all the heat around her. It wasn't the same warmth as her family, but it was pleasant all the same.
She gave in to her feelings and went to sleep in Parsee's warm embrace.
----
Parsee watched the young girl's form slowly fade away as the youkai's existence dissipated. In the end all that remained was a small skull, the focus the creature had built herself around.
She picked up the skull and looked into the eye sockets. She'd warned the girl repeatedly, but it had come to nothing. Still the girl had made her choice willingly.
And Marin had seemed so happy.
Parsee hugged the skull to her chest. She smiled, the first real smile that had crossed her face in a long time. "I think I'm a little jealous."
-
This is heartwarming and sad at the same time. Good work and I hope wherever Marin is now she is happy.
-
The riotous sounds of a full Prismriver Concerto was blaring out from beneath the paper lanterns. Dinner was over, the snacks were out and youkai and humans alike were starting some serious drinking. Which is why Sanae was in hiding.
She'd come to love Gensoukyo since her tumultuous arrival here. She loved the people, the magic and even the parties. But there was one thing she'd never gotten used to: the drinking. She just didn't have the tolerance. Reimu and Marisa had started on sake when they were in their early teens. Meanwhile Sanae had just barely broken drinking age. And the youkai drank a lot. Simply put if she didn't hide for an hour when the drinking started some tengu or kappa would grab her by the arm and drag her over to a group and within half an hour the trees would be spinning and she'd wake up tomorrow with a hangover. It wasn't her idea of fun.
"You really do need to work on your alcohol tolerance, Sanae." Sanae cringed as Kanako's voice came from the shadows behind her. "Our followers will think less of us if you have to hide in the middle of every festival."
Caught, she turned to face her goddess. "There's got to be a better way to gain tolerance thn me just throwing back drinks until I pass out Lady Kanako. Is there a miracle for not getting drunk or something?"
Kanako chuckled as she steped out of her hiding place. "There is, but we won't be needing it tonight. You see, the newcomers have started up a drinking contest. I think you'll enjoy that more than hiding in the bushes."
"A drinking contest?" Sanae's heart dropped out from under her. "I won't last ten minutes in a drinking contest with youkai!"
"Have some faith, Sanae." Kanako took her by the arm and Sanae followed along. "This isn't a plebeian contest, designed to get everyone drunk. This is a court contest. And most of the players were human, at one point."
"A court contest?" Sanae's worries were replaced by confusion. "They had drinking contests in court?"
"Of course," Kanako's smirk grew. "It was an important contest to test the wits of the courtiers, and to try to ferret out who wanted to sleep with you."
Sanae blinked at that. "Wait what?"
"You'll figure it out as you go along. The people who go first will show you how it's done." Kanako led Sanae around the back of the shrine, where the noises from the big party out front were muffled. A single slow moving stream cut through the grounds, leading to the turtle pond. Next to the stream were several ladies. Suwako she recognized at once, as well as Miko, Futo, and Tojiko from the recent incident. The Lunarians, Kaguya, Eirin, and Reisen, she knew more from their reputation. The group looked up at their approach and Sanae couldn't help feeling a little out of place, despite the smiles. Right here and now she couldn't help noticing she was one of the two people here who wasn't actual nobility.
"We're glad you two could join us," Kaguya said. "I think we still need a few more, however."
"They should be along shortly," Kanako said. "After all what tengu could miss figuring out the story behind the Goddess and her High Priestess sneaking behind the shrine."
There was a muttered curse, then Hatate, Aya and Momiji stepped out from behind the trees. "Looks like we've been caught."
"I just wanted to speak with Sanae," Momiji stated simply. "Though this looks like an interesting setup. If you want me to join..."
"We could use some more members yes, especially since we have to alter the rules a little to suit our current environs." Miko said. "Of course I should warn you, this game is somewhat... flirtatious. Some things should be left out of the papers."
Momiji raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "I would be honored to join." Sanae had to admit she felt better when the wolf tengu moved to join the group. Momiji seemed down to earth. She didn't think anything too weird could happen while the wolf tengu was standing guard.
Aya looked over the group then sighed and shook her head. "No interest. I'm here for the drinking and a story, and those little cups you've got sitting there don't seem like fun. I'll pass." The reporter took off and headed back towards what Sanae guessed was Komachi and Suika's drinking contest.
"Um..." Hatate flipped her cellphone open and closed for a bit, then blushed and turned it off. "I'll play, if you'll let me join."
"That's the spirit," Suwako said. Then she frowned. "Still we should get a few more people."
"I could get some of the rabbits maybe," Reisen asked nervously.
"They wouldn't be able to keep up with the contest," Eirin replied. "I trust you can as an emissary, and I bet Tewi could if she tried. But the rest of the rabbits would flub the poetry."
Momiji's ears twitched. "Well three more people are coming back here. Perhaps some of them will work?"
The smiles on Eintei's contingent faded when Keine and Mokou stepped around the temple. Even Youmu's appearance from the other side didn't seem to warm their expressions. However the newcomers didn't seem to notice it. "Ah, Fujiwara no Mokou, did you spend enough time in the court to learn this fine game?" Futo asked.
"I did," Mokou replied dryly.
Sanae saw something flash in Keine's eyes. Then the schoolteacher gave a dangerous smile. "Ah, I've heard of this! It would be fun to try wouldn't it?"
"Feel free to join us." Kaguya and Mokou both started as Eirin accepted Keine's request. "Though this does make our groups somewhat imbalanced if I guess right."
"Perhaps you would want to join, lady samurai," Tojiko said, turning to Youmu.
The half ghost looked surprised then nodded. "I suppose I could play."
Mokou brow furrowed, then she sighed. "I suppose I should join too then. You need an anchor after all."
"Do you think you're up for that?" Kaguya asked. Her tone lacked her usual sweetness, but there wasn't any bite to the words either.
"My family was obsessed with calligraphy in addition to being the shadow government. I know poetry," Mokou replied.
Kaguya nodded. "Well then, we have a full group. Shall we be seated?"
Sanae looked around for guidance as the older members moved towards the stream. Mokou sat down right in front of the pond, while Kaguya and Suwako sat at the far end, where the stream broke the tree line. Kanako and Miko moved to the middle, sitting right after a point where the waters pooled and slowed. Eirin sat slightly further downstream from Miko, while Tojiko and Futo positioned themselves across from each other slightly downstream of Kaguya.
Sanae stood there in confusion for a bit more before Suwako waved her over. She hesitantly moved over then sat a little further down the stream as the two noblewomen. Apparently she'd gotten that right because no one moved to correct her.
She started to get a feel for the seating order when Keine took her seat a little downstream of her, Reisen sat next to Keine, and Youmu moved to sit downstream of Eirin. This probably was based on some kind of hierarchy. As Hatate and Momiji moved to take seats just upstream of Kanako and Mokou respectively Sanae guessed she'd gotten it right. The only person who might be considered out of place was Mokou, as even a concubine's daughter had to rate higher than a patrol Tengu. But maybe Mokou's position had some significance.
When they were all seated Kaguya waved her hand and a couple of rabbits hopped into the clearing carrying boxes. Starting with Kaguya they quickly distributed little boats, sake cups and six sake bottles to each person going down the line, stopping at Hatate. Eirin gave a light cough and said, "I had the rabbits spike the sake with certain other chemicals, so the tengu, deities and ghosts should be affected equally. After all it's no fun if only the humans are tipsy."
"Indeed." Kanako nodded. "And I assume we're ignoring the more restrictive rules for the poems?"
"If it pleases you," Futo said. "We are still a little behind the times. It would be foolish if we started getting our epochs more confused than they already are."
"That sounds good," Kaguya agreed. "Then with that shall we begin?"
Silence fell across the group. Sanae fidgeted nervously as she waited for, well whatever was going to happen. She saw Hatate flexing her hands nervously as well, and the two shared a bit of a smile. Camaraderie in nervousness.
The 'clink' of porcelain drew Sanae's attention up towards where Suwako was sitting. The goddess had filled a cup with wine. She then drank from the cup, and placed it on a boat. "Wind stirs the branches, the frogs wake from their slumber, a new game begins." With that haiku, she sent the boat down the stream.
Sanae watched the boat as it gently drifted down. The water was calm and slow, but the boat still moved at a fair pace. As it passed her she saw that the cup was still half full of sake. It passed by Reisen, Keine and Hatate, then hit the widened pool and slowed a bit before gliding in front of Kanako.
The Goddess reached out and grabbed the the boat. "Frog croaks fill the warm moist air, the snake rises to dance again." She turned the cup 180 degrees, then drank the rest of the sake, before putting the boat down to her side.
There was a clink from the far end as Kaguya filled her cup, then drank. "The moon shines alone, through the thicket of bamboo, crickets chirp sadly." As the princess sent her boat downstream Sanae noticed all the more experienced people turned to look at where Miko and Kanako were sitting. Now that she thought about it, none of the people past Hatate had access to any sake....
Her suspicions were confirmed when Eirin picked up the boat. "The moon shuns the earth's lush life, so they mourn the moon's lost joy." The Lunarian twisted the cup, then finished off the contents.
Sanae started to feel more confident as Futo poured and drank. "The nightingale sings, an auspicious star rises, but the quiet world sleeps." Miko caught this one, saying "Sunrise the star fades away, but it remembers rising," before turning the cup and drinking from it.
Tojiko's movements were the quietest of the four, as befitted her ghostly nature. She filled the cup, drank from it and said, "The mists burn away , to greet the morning sun's light, petals now unfold." She smiled as she set the cup down on the boat.
It drifted down, past Kanako, then Miko picked it up. "The hummingbird flies quickly, to kiss them before they fade." This time Miko carefully picked up the cup and drank from it without turning it, before setting it down. 'Indirect kiss!' squealed the part of Sanae's mind that hadn't quite gotten out of highschool yet. Sanae was about to toss that idea aside when she saw the looks on the faces of the two. It had been an indirect kiss! And an intentional one at that.
Sanae blushed. So that's what they had meant by flirting. And it was her turn too! Did she want to offer one of the women downstream an indirect kiss? How would it feel if they didn't consider her a woman they were interested in? She forced herself to try to focus as she poured the liquid. This was just the first round. She'd play it normally while she tried to figure out what she was doing.
When the cup was full she took a slight sip. The fumes quickly filled her mouth and almost choked her. This was a very strong sake. She quickly swallowed the bitter drink and tried to pull together the haiku she'd been thinking of. "Maple leaves change shade, falling spinning and dancing, one last flight of life." She forced her hands to stop shaking, then carefully placed the cup on the boat and sent it down stream.
Her heart seemed to be racing as she watched the little boat's progress. She barely noticed as it passed Kanako, but the little butterfly of fear in her stomach grew as it passed by Miko and Eirin without either moving from their seats. It was stupid, but she didn't want a pity poem for her first try. She forced herself to remain outwardly calm when Youmu hesitantly moved to pick up the boat, but the half ghost remained seated when the crisp rustling of cloth broke the silence.
Momiji gracefully picked up the boat and recited, "The maple stands in silence, awaiting the new leaves' dance." Then she turned the cup a quarter turn and drank. Sanae felt heat rising to her cheeks. Did Momiji just sense Sanae's nervousness? Or maybe the wolf tengu didn't know if Sanae was flirting? Did Sanae want to flirt with Momiji. Or rather, how much did she want to flirt with the wolf tengu?
Sanae tried to compose herself by watching Keine's first play. The Hakutaku filled her cup and drank from it. "The plum blossoms fall, The screen door silently shuts, a homecoming meal." She then sent the boat downstream with a smile. This time Sanae noticed the small interplays between the people downstream. It was harder to read Eirin, Miko and Kanako, but she did notice Kanako and Miko didn't look around at all, as if they expected other people to handle it. Eirin's eyes flickered backwards, but only for a second. Momiji and Youmu were a little more obvious in their movements, and for some reason Mokou wasn't looking at the boat at all.
The little craft sailed past the first three when Youmu picked it up. "A final evening chat, the day comes to its ending." She gave it a full turn, then drank. Keine's smile didn't falter though.
Reisen was next. The moon rabbit's ears twitched as she filled the cup. She closed her eyes for a moment then said, "Rain hides the sun's gaze. The candles are burning low. A mournful lullaby."
The boat left her hands and floated down the stream slowly. It passed Kanako and Miko, but Eirin caught it. "It rains in my dreams as well, two beneath the umbrella." Reisen's ears twitched again as Eirin twisted it a quarter turn, then drank.
Hatate shuffled nervously as all eyes turned to her. Sanae noticed the crow tengu's wings were showing. Perhaps Hatate's nervousness was throwing her shapeshifting prowess off? The tengu poured perhaps a bit too quickly before taking a quick swig of the contents. But her voice was strong as she sent the boat on down the water. "The wind rushes through, but it speaks to no one , the sky is empty."
The boat started its journey, lingering a while in the pond before passing Kanako. Then to Sanae's surprise Miko reached out and grabbed it. The prince smiled and said, "Mountains sit before the wind, guiding before it flies on." Hatate blushed furiously as Miko twisted the cup only a fraction before drinking. Sanae felt a little jealous. Sure Miko was a little strange, but she had been a 'prince' and a famous one at that. No wonder even a tengu would get a little flustered.
Now that Sanae thought about it, it wouldn't feel good to know only one person was interested in you. Even if you had your eyes set on them. Mokou probably wasn't supposed to get any boats the first round. But there were six bottles of sake for each presenter. The game was obviously going to last a long while.
This round Suwako's cup was caught by Eirin, and Miko picked up Kaguya's. Both turned the cups, though Miko only turned her's a quarter turn. When Kanako caught Futo's boat Sanae realized none of the people had picked up the same persons boat. This too must be part of the rules. Sanae felt that there was even more beneath the surface that she didn't get, but that was becoming part of the appeal.
Mokou got her first cup from a boat by Tojiko. It was Sanae's turn again. And she hadn't thought up a haiku yet! She blinked, then did her best to patch together a poem using verses from her school days while she poured the sake. ?Butterflies break free, dancing about the flowers, no thought of the past.? She set the boat downstream, hoping no one caught how hastily she'd constructed the verse.
Strangely enough only Suwako seemed to notice, and she just smiled a little wider. Everyone except Hatate seemed to looking at Youmu, with varying degrees of subtlety. Hatate was just as confused as Sanae was.
Sure enough Youmu caught the boat. ?Butterflies fall one by one, wings float to the netherworld.? Youmu looked up at Sanae sizing her up for a few moments, then turned the boat just a little over a quarter turn, and drank.
Keine's boat was picked up by Mokou, the immortal hesitating a moment before drinking without turning the cup. When everyone turned to Youmu again after Reisen referenced swords, Sanae figured the other part of it out. The poems themselves were code as well. Hatate glanced her way and the two shared a tiny nod. The tengu girl put their guess into practice by incorporating tengu into her poem. Sure enough Momiji picked up the boat, and after a few lines about perception, did a quarter turn and a drink. Sanae frowned a little at that. Still Hatate had confirmed their suspicions. She should find a good word for her next haiku. Maybe 'shield'...
As the rounds began to pass Sanae found herself enjoying the challenge. Playing these subtle games on a regular basis seemed like it would be maddening, but right now untangle the web of actual flirting from jokes and politeness. Momiji had started drinking her cups without the turn, which was both embarrassing and cute. Kanako had shared an indirect kiss with Suwako, much to Sanae's shock. And Mokou had gotten Kaguya to sputter briefly by pretending to take one of the princesses' poems as a proposition, to the amusement of both Eirin and Keine. The game was so engrossing that Sanae's was surprised when her first bottle ran empty. Apparently the rounds moved quicker then they seemed. It was a good thing they were using such small containers Sanae thought as she picked up the second bottle to finish filling the cup.
When the second bottle started getting empty Sanae was feeling a little light headed. It wasn't the sickening dizziness she'd suffered through while drinking before, which was nice, but she made a mental note to moderate how much she was drinking out of the cup before sending it downstream.
"A hint," Sanae started at the soft voice beside her. She turned to see Tojiko giving her a wink. "If someone catches half of your boats, that means they want to meet you afterwards."
Sanae felt heat blaze across her cheeks when she realized she'd sent exactly half of her cups so far to Momiji. Did the wolf tengu know? No, there was no way. Sanae shook her head. But Kanako and Suwako had to know. Sanae looked over at the two Godesses while Tojiko giggled quietly. Kanako just nodded, as if the older goddess hadn't noticed anything. Suwako on the other hand gave her a wink and a smile. Sanae quickly turned to look at the ground. At least nothing there would embarrass her.
When she'd recovered a bit of her composure, Sanae started considering what the other people had been doing. Hatate had sent about half of her cups towards Miko, but the lady prince had let some of them slip past. The tengu girl had split the rest between Momiji and Youmu with a few exceptions. Reisen was more varied, with about a third to Eirin, a third to Youmu and a third to everyone else. Keine had sent almost half of hers to Mokou, and Sanae made a note to see how the immortal would handle it if that number went up. Tojiko... Sanae blinked and counted it out again before turning to the ghost and whispering, "You've sent half of yours to Miko!"
Tojiko smirked at her. "I didn't become her concubine just for show," the ghost whispered.
Sanae turned her attention back towards the boats to keep from burning up with embarrassment. Thinking on it further Futo had almost sent half of her boats to Miko as well. Suwako and Kaguya had both spread their poems out more, though Kaguya was favoring Eirin.
Once again Sanae wished she was sitting next to Hatate. While the tengu would never admit it they were the closest in age. Well, relative age. She looked over at the tengu and saw Hatate glancing back. They shared a shrug. She'd have to speak to the other tengu after the game. Sanae looked down and saw Momiji looking back towards her. Both of the other tengu, Sanae amended.
Around the fourth bottle Sanae was floating happily in her brain, and giggling at the stupidest things. But it didn't matter because it was fun right? Everyone was just having fun, laughing at their mistakes and showing off when they could. Futo and Tojiko had sent boats down at the same time, with Miko using her powers to answer both poems at once. Kaguya and Eirin had spoken with words that had seemed to pierce the soul and brought tears to everyone's eyes. And then Suwako and Kanako had shown them all up by speaking with the earth and wind for their poem.
The younger members had been forced to turn to more down to earth fun. Sanae's had broken out her lipstick and managed to transfer a fair amount over to Momiji via sake cup, then she'd handed over the lipstick to Keine so the Hakutaku could teach Mokou about makeup via correspondence course. Reisen had used her eyes to cause Eirin to completely miss a grab at a boat, and Hatate had summoned up a wind to leave a boat sitting in front of Miko until the prince claimed it.
Sanae was starting to get sleepy when the fifth bottle emptied, and for once everyone else at the party was drooping as well. Miko and Momiji both looked like they were about to collapse, which kind of made sense, given how much sake had been thrown at them.
There was a sharp clink and Sanae looked to the front of the group as Suwako poured a cup. The frog goddess held it up, and after Kaguya gave a tiny nod, she placed it on a boat without drinking from it. "Ice covers the lake, a warm room beckons us, a game is ending." She set the boat on the river, and everyone watched as it slowly floated downstream, past each one in turn. And for the first time this evening Mokou stayed silent, allowing the boat to sail on into the Hakurei Shrine's pond.
The group sat in silence for a little longer, reveling in the silence. Then they each began to stand. Keine bowed to the group then collected Mokou and headed for the front of the shrine, while Youmu took some time to find her balance before saying "I should find Lady Yuyuko" and heading off. The Eintei people all gathered for a moment, before Eirin and Kaguya shooed Reisen off to the party. Kanako and Suwako waved to Sanae before heading to the main party as well, while Miko, Futo, and Tojiko all met up and began chatting amongst themselves.
So Sanae found herself slowly moving over to where Hatate was figiting. She was pleasantly surprised when Momiji joined the two. "That was fun but kinda confusing," she said, realizing just a second later just how dumb she sounded.
Hatate just chuckled. "Yeah, I thought about texting you so we could chat but it seemed kinda rude." She looked between her and Momiji. "So I have you two at fifty one percent. Should I go?" Sanae's head started spinning even more then it did before. And Momiji flushed. The tengu did know!
Momiji however dodged the question. "So Hatate, why did you stick around? There's no story here."
"What and miss this?" Hatate gestured wildly and stumbled a bit before continuing. "This is a once in a lifetime chance! You don't give those up just because you can't make a story out of it! Aya was a fool. She taught me you can't be a well rounded reporter just sitting around." Hatate shook her head. "Anyway I've got another once in a lifetime chance I gotta try for." The tengu girl pointed to where the Taoists were wandering off. "I'm going to get shot down, so I'll leave you two to your private meeting." Hatate took to the air and began a wobbly flight after the three other women. Sanae watched the crow tengu leave, then realized Kanako and Suwako had wandered off as well. She was alone with Momiji.
The wind priestess hesitantly moved over to lean on Momiji's shoulder. "Sorry," she said, "I'm still tipsy."
Momiji swayed a bit, then put her arm around Sanae. She slowly turned and led the wind priestess to the back of the shrine. "I'm a little dizzy too. I don't think the crowds would be good. Do you mind if we sit back here and talk?"
Sanae's heart was racing. "Not at all!" She coughed then lowered her voice. "I'd be happy to stay with you."
The two sat on the back porch and leaned against each other. Momiji's warmth was pleasantly different from the chill night air and the heat of the sake. As they pretended to look at the stars Sanae wondered if Momiji was trying to feel Sanae's breathing, like Sanae was trying to feel hers.
The moment was shattered by a beeping. Sanae's eyes widened as she realized she'd just gotten a text. How was that... She gave Momiji a sheepish grin as she flipped open her phone.
*Protip: Tengu are monogamous but they expect people to have a little fun before getting hitched. Go for it! XD.* -- Hata-tan
Sanae blushed as she snapped the phone shut. "The nerve-!" Just because some part of her brain had been considering....
She froze as a warm voice whispered into her ear. "I'd never propose such a thing on the first date."
Sanae's brain swirled for a little longer, then she slowly moved to sit on Momiji's lap. She sighed as the wolf tengu hesitantly embraced her. "So then, we should make this date count." She nuzzled up against Momiji, reaching up to lightly touch the tengu's fuzzy ears. "So tell me about yourself..."
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Author's Notes:
I've wanted to do something with this court drinking game for a long time. I heard about it during the tour of the imperial palace, and I thought it was an interesting ritual. So I finally pulled myself together and used it to ship Sanae and Momiji. I'm sure Murasa will be by with a ladle soon enough.
If you read through it again you might catch a few more references in the poems. Most of them don't require knowledge of Japanese, though there are a couple of cultural / language references in there.
Anyways thanks to Ruro for proofing. Hopefully it's an amusing enough fluff piece.
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Hee, that was cute and funny. I generally approve of crack-shipping on general principles, too :3
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Perfectly good crackfluff! And I got to learn something about government culture! :D
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not bad these story are well written and aren't all clomped together into giant paragraphs
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I carefully looked all around the cavern before dashing to the next stalagmite. I froze, then scanned the dark shadows between the pillars for trouble. I'd perfected this route a long time ago, back when I'd followed Aya down here to learn her secrets, but I just didn't feel at ease. There was something in the flickering shadows that promised malice for the unwary. It didn't help that while I'd been here before, and everyone knew I'd been here before, it was still super duper illegal for me to be here.
Fortunately I didn't have much further to go.
The Palace of the Earth Spirits was a massive building, bigger then any human castle, with windows of masterfully worked stained glass. I could probably do a whole article just on the windows, but right now I only cared about one of them. The one window that could never close.
I crouched, then leaped through the opening. The stone floors made me cough with pain when I hit, but a quick roll brought me to my feet. I couldn't help but smile as I surveyed the massive corridors. Expert entry by a prodigy reporter. Now I didn't need to bother to hide.
"I told you I don't like having my picture taken. Why are you down here again?"
Lucky! I had to swallow a laugh at how fortunate I was. I'd been hoping to talk to the head lady herself and here she was! I'd expected to have to fight through waves of angry cats to meet with her. I ignored her three eyed glare and pulled out my cellphone so I could take notes. “Hiya! Hatate Himekaidou, Kikashi Spirit News. I'd like an interview, Satori Komeiji, or should I say, Ms. Eureka Heart!"
This time I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing when she reeled back "What?! How did you? Writing lessons? Think slower!" Her sudden outburst startled away my smile. This didn't seem like how Satori normally acted. Admittedly normally she'd just start shooting at me-
Her words interrupted my thoughts. "Hm... 'Normally you just start shooting danmaku.' Well yes, because normally you're here for pictures. But now you're here for blackmail?"
I felt a little embarrassed having my plan so openly stated. I mean, I was more tasteful then that right? "Hey now, I'm not here for blackmail, I'm here to improve my writing."
Satori sighed at my reply. "You'll just release my true identity to the public if I don't help. Well, I can't help you, but since you leave me no choice, I'll try."
That seemed wrong to me somehow. "Hey now, you're really good at writing! You have to have some tricks for me. Your manga brought the great tengu himself to tears you know.” And me as well, though I'd never say that. “Anyone who can do that's gotta have skill!"
Satori ignored my words and just turned around and walked away. Not having any other ideas, I just followed after her. It was a little unnerving how our footsteps echoed dissonantly through the empty halls. Finally after a few corridors she spoke again. "My skill comes from years of experience.” I felt my wings twitching beneath my skin at that. I'd gotten real tired of hearing people repeat experience over and over to me. Satori continued on. “I learned what to write by experiencing the reality of the world, experiencing each of life's blows and cuts. I learned how to write by reading the desires in people's hearts. Seeing their hopes and despairs written out before me. I can't teach you that."
I had to admit, while I didn't like the 'experience' cop out, she had a point. But it also didn't fit right in my head. "It's more then that though right? I mean all, well most satori can read minds and they aren't writers like you. You've got something else, you know." And she did. Her books were great. Okay admittedly I liked her simpler manga works more then her critically acclaimed literary works, but you know, we all have our favorite styles.
She walked on in silence. I started wondering if Satori was disagreeing with my explanation but just giving me the silent treatment. She quickly shook her head when I thought that. “No no. I'm merely a little taken aback at your praise. Perhaps you are correct.” Satori sighed. “Still I am uncertain how I can teach you.”
“Well, it's obvious, you just...” I stopped. I didn't have a clue how she was going to teach me. I mean wasn't that the point and all? If I know what I needed to learn from her I wouldn't need to learn it. “Well, I mean, how did you learn how to write?”
“I read a lot of books and minds, then I started writing.” Satori's expression didn't change as she continued. “Then I wrote things and showed them to people while reading their hearts. It's good feedback, if painful.”
“Oh.” Yeah that was something I couldn't do. I wasn't sure what I should suggest now. Heck I didn't even know where I was going. The tiled floors and stained glass windows of the giant palace all looked the same. If it weren't for the breath of wind from that one open window I wouldn't even know which way the exit was.
“Ah, that's how you navigate around this place.” Satori said in response to my thoughts. “I'll have to remember that. As to where we're going, isn't it obvious?” Satori opened another door. “My library.”
Satori's words rebounded on themselves in the stone halls, like the pounding of a gavel to sentence the condemned. Which was fitting because the place looked like a courtroom. The bookshelves loomed over me as I forced myself to step in. This place wasn't anything like Voile. Voile was crowded and stuffy, with books just lying about in a clutter of information. The shelves here stood on their own against the wall. Each stretched up to the ceiling, a monument to the knowledge they contained, and that I had yet to learn. The atmosphere was made even heavier by the complete and utter lack of other furnishings. The only thing in the room other then the shelves was a single table with a lamp at the far end. It almost looked like a defendant's table.
“Hm... A rather lurid imagination, but you're somewhat correct. This place used to be a courtroom for the yamas back when this was still hell.” Satori gently touched off the floor and floated silently over towards the desk like this was all totally normal. I forced myself to try to ignore the feelings the room inspired in me and just fly along like everything was normal. Still, I wondered how the other woman could be so blind to the atmosphere here. “It's a lot easier to ignore the atmosphere when you've seen the court in session,” Satori said as she pulled out a chair and dropped into it. “So then, let's start this exercise in futility. What exactly are you trying to write?”
That question banished the gloomy atmosphere from my mind. “Why my newspaper of course! Isn't it obvious? I mean a newspaper is a crow tengu's pride and joy.” And with the writing skills I could gain here I'd be finally able to beat that Bunbunmaru rag!
Satori nodded. “So you think you need an edge to beat Aya. After all she has more experience, since you're only three hundred twenty two years old.”
I flinched as my winds wriggled again. I hated that word. “Experience isn't everything ya know! I've got skills that even Aya is jealous of. Don't write me off so easily! It's not polite!” She should have known that was a sore spot from last time!
Satori sighed, her two normal eyes closing. “Hm... 'Why's she bringing up stuff like that? I was entirely wrong about her.' Well, five encounters before you learned why my power is hated. That's better then normal.”
I flushed as I slammed the table. That was just being rude. “Seriously, why are you being so, so, bitchy about that? You didn't need to bring that up!”
Satori opened her eyes and pressed forward. A wave of pressure seemed to roll off her and I'm ashamed to say it stopped me cold. It was completely different from her basic persona. “Yes I did. It's what I am,” she said in cold clipped sentences. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to sit straight despite her presence. I was a tengu! I wasn't going to back down to a satori, no matter how famous.
After a moment Satori leaned back and the pressure faded. I slowly relaxed as the challenge faded away. “Yes, you do still have your pride as a youkai.” The woman's shoulders shrugged as she sighed deeply. “And you still have that blackmail information, so I'll see what I can find.” She carefully stood then floated towards one of the upper shelves.
As my unwilling host drifted out of sight I looked over the writing implements scattered across the table and frowned. When I'd started out on this it'd seemed like the best plan ever! Now I was starting to have doubts and regrets. Maybe Satori was right and she really couldn't help me with writing as a reporter? Maybe my failure wasn't in my writing? And if it was could I stand working with her long enough to learn?
I shook those thoughts from my head then grabbed a piece of paper and started scribbling a quick account of my journey here. I'm not the type to get bogged down in what if and maybes. That never helped anyone right? Best to keep moving and find the brighter side of life. Or at least make bitching about things fun.
“That does make your mind more fun to read then most.” My pen slipped as the Satori's sudden comment caused me to totally lose my train of thought. “Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I forget sometimes how much better my pets senses are then even most youkai.” Satori softly landed, then shattered the graceful silence by dropping the books onto the table with an echoing thud. “Here's what I have on the matter. Perhaps they will help.”
I looked down at the stack of dusty tomes and thin magazines. Somehow they didn't seem to leak mastery of the written word. As I skimmed the titles my opinion of the stack dropped lower. “Aren't all of these fiction works?” What the hell was I going to learn from that?
“Yes. Fiction is the essence of things in Gensoukyo.” Satori sat down as she continued answering the question I hadn't asked. “Books on how to write as a reporter will teach you one person's style of writing. A story about a reporter can tell you what a reporter should be.”
I couldn't even feel insulted at that nonsensical statement. I just raised an eyebrow and replied, “I'm a crow tengu, I know what a reporter should be.”
“No, you know how to be a gossip.” I couldn't help but growl at that, but she ignored me. “You crow tengu innately desire to spread information and speculation quickly. There is, apparently, supposed to be a difference between that and a reporter.” Satori tapped the stack. “And that difference is somewhere in here.”
“That's...” My protest died on my lips. There might be something to what Satori had said. When I'd followed Aya around I learned that news was more then just simply reporting what her pictures showed. It might be possible that I'd missed something else. In fact, it might be better if I'd missed something! If there was a facet of true reporting that I could learn from this I'd be sure to pull ahead of Aya, no ahead of all the other crow tengu! I grabbed the top book and flipped it open. “That's a good idea! Alright, let's do this.”
A small smile inched across Satori's face. “I'm glad to see you're happy with the idea.” She stood and began walking away. “I have to go tell my pets to prepare a larger meal then normal. I'll return in a bit to hear any questions you might have.”
I gave the woman a distracted wave before turning my full attention to the book. I skimmed through the story itself, trying to find the nuggets of knowledge hidden within.
But that didn't last.
My energy slowly leached out of me as I flipped through one book after another. I felt myself slowly being drawn down into my chair, the quicksand of boredom refusing to release it's hold on me. Every one of these cookie cutter reporters were the same. They all cried about bringing “the truth” and then cut through red tape or something and learned the big secret and exposed it. I could do that! Exposing secrets is easy! But that couldn't be the difference between a gossip and a reporter.
The door opening was a welcome reprieve. Finally I could take a break from this waste of time. Satori was there, along with a dog girl that I'd never seen before. Or maybe it was that dog that tried to bite me the last time I came in. It didn't matter really. The important thing was the tray of sandwiches the dog girl was carrying.
“Lunch is served,” Satori said as she sat back down.
“Thanks” I replied. I put the book aside with no small relief and grabbed one of the sandwiches. Satori sat down opposite to me and grabbed one of her own. The dog girl gave me a mean look and left. Oh well, reporters were often misunderstood. Even these books got that much right.
“I take it then your search hasn't gone well?” Satori stated
“Ugh!” I couldn't help but flop down on the table. “These books all have the same plot! Or at least the reporting part of the story does. 'Find the big scoop! Stick it to those in power!'” I took out my frustrations on the sandwich. “None of them have anything to do with day to day reporting other then to bitch about it.”
“Hm... Yes, that's sometimes a problem when doing research like this.” Satori nibbled at her food a bit before continuing. “There are certain areas where people are uninterested in the reality compared with the fantasy. Often this works in the writers favor, like in combat or erotica. In other fields it makes things more difficult.”
I blinked at the explanation. “Wait, are you telling me people don't like sex? Somehow I don't think that's a common sentiment, ya know.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, like I was the one who'd said something strange. “I said people prefer fantasy in erotica. Erotica isn't sex. If nothing else it's missing the parts most people enjoy. I know some writers claim there's no limit to what can be done with words, but I'd have to disagree.”
I wondered how she would know that, then winced. She could read that right out of my head of course. Satori's smirk only made me feel more awkward. I turned back to the books and started skimming again before my mind gave away more stupid questions. And before Satori started giving answers.
The reading took my mind off that little bit of stupidity, but only because it was painfully boring. It was the same story again and again. At least it was when reporting was the focus. Some of the books read more like an action manga. Reporting was barely touched on. I felt the chair slowly trying to consume my body again and wondered if chairs fed on boredom. If so this chair was getting a feast.
Finally I tossed the last hard bound book down. “Nothing. None of these have anything new.”
Satori frowned "I see. That's unfortunate. Perhaps I'll have to search again.” She sighed, then pointed down at the last set of writing she'd pulled out at the start. “What about those books there?"
I looked down at the brightly covered manga tomes Satori indicated. Somehow the thought that something so garish might hold what I was looking for seemed ridiculous. Still I was stuck here anyway right? I flipped it open.
I was greeted by yet another reporter who hated reporting. 'The City' was a real eye opener, filled with gratuitous sex imagery that would put the Fisherman's wife to shame, but the first volume was just more sound and fury about the truth. At least the pictures made the story move faster. I got through the first book and tossed it aside before grabbing the next.
Satori sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Unfortunate. I'd hoped that you'd find something worthwhile." It seemed she really had been trying to help me. It was nice of her, given I'd kinda strong-armed her into it. I shrugged and turned back to the reading. As I said, it was fast paced, so I might as well finish it. This volume started off with more needless cursing and yammering about the truth.
And then something changed. Something that triggered my reporter's senses. A little voice that said 'Hey, something big is here!' I sat up and started reading closely.
It wasn't the assistant that the reporter got, though the explanations he gave to them made something click. It wasn't the story. The story was still the same search for 'truth.' It wasn't the setting, as weird and shocking as it was. No there was something else different. Something that seeped out around the story. Something that made the articles, even though they were fake articles, stand out more then any article I'd ever read before.
I finished the story, but I still couldn't find exactly what is was the drew me in. I cursed and started in again at the second volume, flipping through to find the articles, searching for the meaningful ones. Satori leaned forward as I searched, occasionally parsing through my cast offs, and organizing the piles to make my research easier.
In the end I found it in a meaningless article about a woman who barely featured in the story. It wasn't a special story. Something similar had happened to thousands in this world. It wasn't a magical telling that united everyone to step up and fix the problem. In the end no one really cared. But it was her story. A story that, as similar as it was to everyone else's, was still unique. And that was when I figured out what I needed to learn. Or perhaps unlearn.
"What is truth?"
I realized how stupid the question sounded as soon as I said it, but that was the difference. That was what made these stories stand out. What gave them meaning all on their own. Truth was more then just facts. Or perhaps I should say, the truth that a reporter must hunt for are the facts with the least value.
When Heida no Akyuu was born, any Tengu could report the facts of her birth. The time, her weight, the name of the midwife attending. That was simple. And anyone could wax poetic about how totally awesome it was to see the new Child of Miare and what it meant for Gensoukyo. Truths, yes. Even important truths.
But who would ask her mother what it was like to see her child for the first time? The joy and pain of having a kid. The hope and pride knowing that her girl was one of the most important humans in the village.
Who would ask that woman, forgotten by history, what it feels like to know she will live to bury that child she just bore?
Satori just nodded in agreement. Of course. She could see what I had just realized. You could understand After all, you saw these truths all the time. Perhaps that was what defined her as a youkai.
Her eyes opened wide, then she chuckled slightly. “A youkai of truth? Perhaps.” Her eyes slowly dropped away from mine. “But I see them differently. You can see them as parts of a whole. You can understand both their hearts and their rational mind. That there is something a satori can't see.” Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes focused on nothing in particular. “I don't know what it's like for someone to bite their tongue, at least not like you. I always see the words the spiteful part of them wants to say.”
She started and looked back at me, while managing to force a smile. “Some people are better to be around then others of course. People like you, who think of strangers as interesting subjects aren't bad to be around in passing. Monks are tolerable, at least the good ones. But as soon as someone starts to get to know me, to spend time with me....” Her eyes drifted away again.
For the first time I looked at her. Not as a story or a resource to be used, but as a youkai. I don't know what changed within me, but I felt like the world had more color and depth especially her. Perhaps my revelation had opened my eyes, forced me to start seeing people as people instead of just facts. Perhaps it was because her armor of pride had fallen away. Perhaps it was both or neither or something else entirely. But I knew, then, that I needed to interview you. To learn what it meant to be Satori. Not just a satori, but Satori Komeiji, the most famous of her race.
She looked up at me with widened eyes. I think this was the first time I surprised you as well. “Interview... me?” She pulled away, the pride of a youkai starting to slip over her expression again. “Why interview me?”
That was a good question. Opportunity, interest, desire? I couldn't give a single answer. But if anyone needed to have their story told, it was someone like you. Someone who people didn't want to speak to, who people avoided. Someone who understood a truth no one else could.
As she read my thoughts, she slowly relaxed. A small smile formed on her lips, but her violet eyes were dull. “I suppose someone who has stolen the truth from so many others should repay the favor in kind.” She sighed and leaned forward. I leaned back, trying to give her space. “I'll start at the beginning, with our birth, because that I think is what made us different from other satori.”
She sat there for a few moments, collecting her thoughts before taking a deep breath and starting. “You know that satori breed true right? Like yuki-no-onna. And that most of us have a human parent.” I nodded silently. I'd learned that much. “Our mother was lucky. She fell in love with a messenger for the shogunate. He was happy to marry a 'woman' who would put up with his constant absences, and they were never around each other long enough for our race's... idiosyncrasies to become a problem.” Satori's eyes grew a little brighter. “They were only together for fifteen years before he died, and they saw each other for less then a month each year. But they were happy. That's better then most.”
I briefly wished I could have seen such a unique union, maybe talked to Satori's mother, but I let the thought slip away as she continued. “Koishi and I were born from that union. Myself three years after they met, and her two years before father died.”
I saw Satori's third eye close a little as she looked into the past. “Koishi and I were always together. We weren't inseparable, no we satori value time alone too much for that, but we were close.” She snapped back to the present and stared at me. “You have to understand most satori can't even stand each other. But because Koishi and I were together so often we learned something most satori didn't. We learned how to ignore the momentary flashes of anger and disappointment that flash across the hearts of most people, because we always knew we loved each other, even when our hearts said something cruel.”
As I scribbled down her words I wondered if that applied to people like me as well. I mean, I didn't really mean some of the nastier things I thought about you.
Satori's smile twisted a little. “You meant them when you thought them.” I winced at the reprimand, but your words didn't really sting. “Still you weren't that insulting. And you feel bad about them now so I don't see a reason to press the matter.”
I felt the good cheer in the room drain away as she sighed and her smile faded.. “However, that was our problem. We loved each other, but the world didn't love us. It was... difficult.” She began tracing patterns on the table as she thought up how to explain herself. “I weathered the storm better. Perhaps because I was older. Still I find I don't trust people as much. Too often the words in their heart become reality. Koishi...”
She had closed her third eye to escape. It had taken me a while to find that out. I still wasn't fully sure what it meant either, but the younger Komeiji was a strange being.
Satori slumped onto the table. “Yes. Koishi couldn't take how much people hated her. She tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. She hoped that their friendliness and respect were stronger then the fear and hate that welled up within their hearts. But that was so rarely true. In the end she sealed her heart partially.
My pen stopped and I looked up at Satori. Partially sealed? I'd never heard that.
“Yes. Partially sealed.” Satori's own third eye closed a little. “The proof of that is you remember her. If her eye was fully sealed she wouldn't show up at all in your mind. She has thrown away all her thoughts, all her emotions, except for the bond that connects us. Our love as sisters is why those who know me can remember her.”
It sounded like a miracle, a bond that people had spent their lives search for, but the dead way you said those words....
She turned even further, turning her face to hide her expression from me. That was when I realized it. You're afraid you're holding your sister back. You think that your love is chaining her conscious mind.
She shivered at my words, but she didn't deny anything. I saw your eyes begin to glisten with tears and I found myself pulling out the handkerchief I use to wipe my camera lens. She hesitated a moment, then took it with a nod before gently wiping her eyes. Then she took a deep breath and pushed herself back up off the table. “Thank you.” she said as she handed me back the handkerchief. Her eyes were sharp again, but her touch was light. I couldn't help but blush as you smirked at me for my errant thoughts. My mind searched for another topic.
I wondered if you had ever considered closing your third eye. Sacrificing happiness and pain for contentment. Her smile softened, but there was none of the pain that was there before. “I did a few times. Back when my sister first closed her eye I considered following her, and again when I realized our connection was keeping her from totally losing her conscious identity. But both times I rejected it.” She sighed. “I can't force my sister to follow my path, but I think she's wrong. I think the Buddhists are wrong.”
Was it your pets that made you think that?
“No.” You shake your head. “No I love my pets, and they love me. But they think differently. They'd be a little sad if my heart wasn't open, but they'd still be able to have fun with me. I didn't change for another reason.”
You fell silent, but somehow I knew the truth you carried. The tilt of your head. The look you have in your eyes. The way your heartbeat changes as it pumps through your third eye. These are the keys to the existence of Satori Komeiji that you have given me, and I know, without a doubt, that you kept your powers because you had hope. A hope that one day you would meet someone who would care for you despite your power. A hope that you could find someone you could trust other then your sister.
That was why you wrote so many books. You wanted to let your voice be heard without hate or prejudice changing the meaning. You wanted to bring others laughter, and tears, and hope. And maybe, just maybe, someone would find you through your words.
You don't reply to my realizations, but they way you blush and turn ever so slightly away is enough for me to know the truth. And I am humbled by it.
Then it's my turn to blush in shame as I realize I've once again treated you like a resource. I took one of your truths, something personal, that was once yours alone all to satisfy my need for a new story. I took and I took and I offered nothing in return.
A soft presence falls upon my arm, and I see your hand on my wrist. “That's not true,” you say quietly. “You listened to me. You gave me your full attention, and you did everything you could to make me comfortable. To respect me and my existence.”
I opened my mouth to ask how she knew that, and then I froze again my wings near bursting out at the realization. You giggled at my surprise. A strange sound coming from you. “That's right Hatate. You haven't said a word since you started interviewing me. You let me see your thoughts directly, and spoke from your heart without malice.”
I considered replying, then closed my mouth. I'd gotten this far without words, perhaps I could keep going. Though I didn't really have a clue what to do now.
You did though. Your smile faded, and your eyes swept over me like they did when we first met. Assessing me, body and mind. You hesitate, then leaned forward and asked, “Do you find me attractive Hatate?”
The shock sends my heart racing. The first thing my mind does of course is try to answer your question. Your clothes are wrinkled and you haven't spent much time getting the cowlicks out of your hair. But your body's presence, your mind and that hopeful spirit all draw me in ways I can't explain.
And then I looked away, because I felt like this was all taking advantage of you yet again. Playing off your emotions and need for understanding. Then I felt your hand gently forcing me to face you, and I saw in your eyes the strength that had guided you here. “You won't be taking advantage of me Hatate. To be honest, I might be taking advantage of you.”
I wondered if this was too fast, but I knew on some level you couldn't wait. You couldn't trust me to feel the same towards you tomorrow. It's easy to find sympathy for the devil, but harder to keep it.
You nodded. “And I don't trust myself. You say I have hope and strength, but well...” Your eyes softened once again. You can't trust yourself to have it tomorrow. Then you smiled brilliantly. “But, I do love reading happy minds like yours, Hatate.”
That settles it. I cover your warm hand with my own as I try to find my voice. I know you've already heard the words in my heart, but I want to say them aloud so you hear them in my words as well. “I think you're beautiful, Satori.”
We stood and you slid in alongside me. Somehow your eyes switched again, to a smoking gaze and the press of your body against mine made all the minor nitpicks in my mind fade away. For the first time the difference in our age and experience really hit me, but I didn't feel angry or cheated, just awkward.
“My room is this way,” you say as you guide me out.
-
That end was kind of pretty. A bit odd, though, what with the shift to second-person when talking with Satori. The other thing bugging me is the fact that it started with blackmail ...
-
A bit odd, though, what with the shift to second-person when talking with Satori.
I'm pretty sure that's deliberate, to represent how Hatate starts viewing Satori as a person rather than a source of information.
Anyway, like I said to you before, I really enjoyed this piece.
-
A bit odd, though, what with the shift to second-person when talking with Satori.
As Rou said, it was intentional. I have a feeling it's going to be hit or miss since it's the first time I've done something like that, but I hope it's more hit then miss.
The other thing bugging me is the fact that it started with blackmail ...
I figure when crow tengu get juicy gossip they actually don't want to spread (for some reason) they turn to blackmail as a way to curb their instinctual desire to tell everyone everything they know. Unlike actual blackmailers they aim low and only ask for payoff once.
-
It's that time of the year again. When Iced ignores even his own canon.
--------------------
Utsuho stretched as she landed on the floor of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. She'd been busy regulating the reactor for some time. In fact she'd kinda lost track of the day. Orin had been too good at bringing over food while she was working. But the reactor was running smoothly now, and her new senses were telling her that she could leave the place alone for a month without directly interfering. It was time to take a break and go see her mistress.
The odd mismatched echos of her footsteps as she walked down the long corridors reminded Utusho to unsummon her godly regalia. The items helped her channel the Yatagarasu's power, but they were a little clunky just to have around. She kept the third eye as a shiny ornament of course. Shiny things were always nice. Besides the hole it left in her shirt when dismissed was a little.... big.
She found Satori in the library as usual, though instead of reading or writing Satori was pouring over some hand-held item.. The master of the underground palace gave Utsuho a polite nod before returning her attention to the device. Whatever it was it must be quite interesting for Satori to be so focused on it. Utsuho floated over to look over Satori's shoulder.
The think looked a little like the camera that one tengu had brought, but it was larger and it wasn't showing what was in front of it, it was showing a small moving picture. Satori seemed to be controlling the picture by tapping various buttons and the lower screen. Utsuho wondered where Satori had gotten the item. Things from the outside world didn't drop into the hells often.
"Ah, I got it from... an admirer of my literary work." For some reason Satori leaned closer to the screen when she said that. "She thought it would help me if I was more up to date on current trends, so she gave me this device. The kappa modified it to work off magic. Though it needs some calibration."
"Unyu?" Utsuho peered at the device. She could feel the flow of power through it with her connection to the Yatagarasu, but it was too far removed from nuclear power for her to sense anything wrong with it. "Well if you say so Miss Satori. So what does the device do?"
"It's a tool for presenting interactive stories," Satori replied. "Apparently this is replacing books among some people in the outside world."
"Really?" Utsuho looked at the screen again. She wasn't well read, but she couldn't see how these pictures could replace a book. Though she did like how bright the screen was. "So what's this story about?"
Satori hummed in thought for a second. "It seems to be about a human who trains lesser youkai to participate in danmaku duels. This is a big event in the world of this story. Of course the human also faces and defeats villains who misuse the powers of the lesser youkai, but the main goal seems to be to win a dueling tournament."
Utsuho was considering the intricacies of that idea when Satori started. Then she smiled. "Ah. Finally. I left those two in the daycare center for so long I was beginning to think they were incompatible. Now to see what the egg hatches into."
"Egg?" Utsuho blinked.
"Yes. You can leave two of these lesser youkai together and they might produce a child combining their strengths. Pairing off my stronger youkai is an interesting exercise." Satori nodded as she cycled through some screens, then closed the device and stood up. "Well that doesn't matter right now. It's nice to have you home Utsuho."
Utsuho leaned down to catch Satori in a wing enfolding hug. It was good to be back for a bit. Satori threw her own small arms around Okuu's waist and patted Utsuho on the back.
"Ah, you're wondering about Orin are you?" Satori said as Utsuho loosened her hug. "I sent her up to give a message to the Yakumos, which means she's probably fighting with Chen. She should be back in time for dinner."
Utsuho smiled happily. Today was a good day.
-------------------
Orin showed up late, scratched up and smug. To Utsuho's surprise Ran was accompanying her friend. Ran wandered off to talk to Satori about political matters, leaving Utsuho and Orin to chat and make dinner. To Utsuho's surprise the kitsune was still there when they brought the meal to the dining room.
Satori nodded in thanks as she took the plates. "Yes, Ran is here to discuss the details of our surface trip. I felt it best to go through proper channels this time."
"A surface trip?" Utsuho tilted her head as she tried to think why they'd need to go to the surface.
"Come on Okuu, we talked about this before. Since you're a god now those two punks up on top of the moutain need to start telling you how to use your powers better," Orin replied. "And I need some miko lessons. 'Specially since that girl shot down the human sacrifice idea."
"Mmm. That'd be hard, since there aren't that many humans," Utsuho replied. "But why do you need to go too Miss Satori?"
Satori looked away for a moment. "I... need to get the device I was using earlier fixed. And I should speak to those gods as well."
Utsuho peered more intently at her mistress. Satori was obviously hiding something, but Utsuho couldn't figure out what. Maybe Orin would know. Then again maybe not. Satori rarely hid things from anyone, but she was really really good at it.
Ran seemed curious as well, but seeing no answer was forthcoming the kitsune continued with her message. "Unfortunately due to some recent incidents, we can't let you all come above ground together. One or two lone youkai are to be expected, but one of the pact holders and her two strongest servants heading to the surface at the same time will draw far too much attention. Especially if you travel through tengu territory. My master agrees with the necessity of this meeting though, so she'll sneak you into the mountain. She's making arrangements with the Moriya gods right now, so matters should be ready in the morning."
"Thank you, Ran." Satori turned back to her meal. "We'll leave at ten then, just to make sure everything is settled."
Utsuho nodded and returned to her meal. Tomorrow was going to be a fun day as well it seemed.
-------------
The place Ran led them too was almost a perfect example of a newly abandoned village. The homes were just starting to show signs of wear and moss growth, and the streets had only an occational weed or sprig of grass breaking the rock paths. The only thing it was missing was animals. While the cold marble and glass edifice of the palace of the earth spirits was filled with spirits and animals of all sorts, Mayohiga was still.
"This place ain't so bad," Orin said looking around. "The kid has a nice home."
Utusho nodded. Less powerful creatures might be scared off, but youkai liker her had nothing to fear. "Lots of good places to roost." The Palace of the Earth spirits could be a little barren at some points. Fortunately, it had a number of cozy rooms too.
A tear opened up in space and a woman with a parasol and a sour expression walked out. The woman frowned even deeper as she saw Satori, Orin and Utsuho standing looking around. Ran bowed to the woman. "The delegation from Chireiden is here."
"So I see. Welcome to Mayohiga and all that." Yukari sighed. "There's been a slight change in plans."
Utsuho watched as Satori leaned forward. It was something her mistress did when she wanted to focus on a particular person's heart. "I see. The Moriya gods want us to wait a day before seeing them. And they insist that we wait outside of hell. How annoying." Satori then smirked. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem. I can leave Utsuho and Orin in your care while handling my personal matters then."
"That will work. Ran can lead you all to a guest house while I get ready." Yukari quickly turned and walked away.
Ran's ears twitched beneath her hat. "Sorry about that."
Satori politely waved it off. "I'm well aware that Yukari hates having her actual feelings known." Utsuho was always impressed at how quickly Miss Satori was willing to forgive people's stupid complaints about her powers.
Ran began walking into the center of the village. "Well then, let's get you two settled. Do you have any preferences?"
"A place with an internal bath'd be nice," Orin said. "So we don't get cold walking outside."
Utsuho nodded. "Ah, and a house with a large closet would be good too." She prefered small areas to roost in. Above ground crows might like more open areas, but hell crows tried to get caves for their nests.
Ran considered the requests. "That shouldn't be a problem. The house is a little small, but you two have no issue sleeping in the same room right?"
"Nyahaha, shouldn't be an issue no," Orin said with a wave.
"Then this should do nicely." Ran walked up to a small house and opened the door. Utsuho peered inside, Orin right behind her. It was a single main room, with a bath and pantry in the back, and a large futon closet to the side. It looked like there was only the one door, but the place was clean and had a few lanterns to keep it bright.
"Ah! This will be great." Utsuho let her wings flutter in appreciation. She preferred her own nest with it's array of shiny objects of course, but this would do nicely.
Orin simply nodded. "It'll do fine. Thanks." Cats were less openly attached to spaces, even when they obviously really liked them. Utsuho never really understood it, but she'd learned to work around a lot of Orin's eccentricities.
"This does look like a good place." Satori bowed to Ran. "Thank you for providing so well for my pets."
"It's no problem," Ran replied. "In any case please feel free to make yourselves at home. Chen will be by to bring you meals." Ran and Satori both gave Orin a dark look as the kassha's tails started twitching in anticipation.
Utsuho internally sighed and moved to scratch Orin behind her cat ears. Her friend pouted
a little, but deflated as her thoughts of mischief slowly vanished. Utsuho didn't know how her feline friend managed when she wasn't around to stop the kassha's more feral moments.
The matter settled Ran continued on as if nothing had happened. "While I know it's a bit much to ask, it would be best if you stayed inside the village, and preferably inside this house."
Utsuho blinked. "Eh? Why?"
Ran looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, uh, the border around this area isn't entirely secure, and it would be a big problem if you two were spotted. After all that's sort of the point of all this...."
"Just trust Ran on this you two." Satori said. "I'm sure you two can find ways to pass the time together."
"Hm... I suppose." Orin's tails swayed a little, but she shrugged then smiled at Utsuho. "It's been a while since we sat down and had a good long heart to heart right?"
"Yeah." Utsuho smiled in return. Her time in the reactor wasn't going to be that interesting to Orin, but she could at least talk with her friend about all the interesting oddities above ground. And maybe she could give Orin a bit of below ground gossip too.
Satori nodded and patted them both on the head. Utsuho leaned in to rub against her master's hand. "I have to go now, so be good girls while I'm out. You can spend some time with each other, then we'll all go see the gods tomorrow, okay?"
"Mhm!" Utsuho and Orin replied.
Satori petted the two for a few more minutes before finally pulling away and waving goodbye. Utsuho returned the wave as Satori and Ran walked away. As they did Satori turned to Ran and said, "Thank you again for the accommodations. I'm sure those two will enjoy this little daycare center while I'm out and about."
"Unyu~?" Something about Satori's sentence started rattling around in Utsuho's head. She couldn't quite place it though. Maybe if she thought about it-
"Hey, Okuu!" Utsuho jumped and fluttered in surprise as Orin waved a hand in front of her face. "Don't space out on me here."
"Ah sorry, Orin." Utsuho tossed the thought into the back of her mind and shut the door. She turned to her friend with a smile. "So anything interesting happening that you forgot to tell me last night?"
"Hm? Not really," Orin moved to the closet and pulled out a kotatsu. Utsuho moved to help her friend set it up. "I told you all the really interesting stuff before."
"Is that so?" Utsuho thought for a moment as they set up positions opposite each other. "Then I don't suppose you know what Miss Satori is really doing on the mountain?"
"Eh, so you think that machine's a cover story too?" Orin stretched. "I dunno. I'm really curious though. I heard some interesting rumors about the mountain from Momiji, but the only thing that's happening up there is one of the young reporter's gone kinda crazy. She's been swapping between getting really drunk and asking weird philosophical questions and conducting really strange interviews. But I don't really think that's got anything to do with Satori."
Utsuho considered the matter. "Unyu... I remember hearing Miss Satori had a visitor and then got really drunk after they left, but she does that whenever someone gets really mean about her powers." Utsuho had considered heading aboveground to beat up the person responsible, but she'd been distracted by other matters. She made a note to remember it again when she was less busy.
Orin seemed to think on that for a moment then shook her head. "Nah. No way a tengu would..." The kassha's ears twitched as she dismissed the idea. "Well maybe we can figure out more tomorrow. Anyway Okuu, why don't you tell your 'priestess' what's been happening on the god front will ya?"
Utsuho smiled at that. "Maybe if you prayed to me I'd be able to answer that." She sighed and started preening her wings. "Honestly, I'm still having trouble with it. Especially the being in two places at the same time thing. I just don't understand it."
Orin yawned. "Hm... Normally I'd call you a birdbrain, but that kinda makes my head hurt too. Maybe it's like dream walking or whatever they call it...."
The two chattered back and forth for some time about dozens of inconsequential things. Orin usually led the conversation, but neither of them were bored. It really had been too long since she'd spent a day with her closest friend.
Their conversation was finally interrupted by a loud rapping followed by the door sliding open abruptly. Chen stood frowning in the doorway, holding a platter of various meats. "Here's dinner," the nekomata said, all but dropping the plate on the table.
Utsuho gave Orin a worried glance, but while Orin's tails were lashing about she seemed to be smiling in sadistic pleasure. "Thanks for the service kid. We'll take it from here." Chen simply grunted in reply and quickly left the house, slamming the door behind her. Orin chuckled. "Oh that kid's too easy to rile up."
"Just don't do it too often," Utsuho chided. She didn't understand Orin's need to tease other cats. Crows were usually friendly with one another. Well unless the other crow was a jerk.
"Sure sure. Anyway let's eat!" Orin tore into the meat with her usual abandon. Utsuho was more picky, carefully using her fingers to pick at the foods, grabbing the softest parts first.
They'd just finished up the meal when the atmosphere in the room shifted. Both of them stiffened as the power of a minor seal flowed through the room.
Orin hopped up and leaped towards the door. "A seal? Is that stupid kitten playing around?"
"That doesn't seem right..." After all there was no way a minor seal could hold a youkai like Orin, much less her own god powers. There had to be another reason right?
Utsuho tilted her head and thought about the matter. She knew she'd set something aside previously. Something that might be important. She'd always had problems with her memory, but if she worked really hard at thinking things through sometimes...
Then that thought she'd put away finally rattled back to the front of her head. Satori had called it a daycare center. Just like in her story. Satori's words came to her. ?Pairing off my stronger youkai is an interesting exercise.?
The more Utusho thought about it the more things lined up. Satori had also been awfully evasive about how exactly they would pass the time. The daycare center comment. Finally someone had put up a seal to ensure they would have privacy. And it made sense too. After all, weren't Orin and her Satori's strongest pets.
Orin and her's child~!
It was a little scary to think about. After all she was breaking several hell raven taboos. But part of being a pet was suppressing your animal instincts to help your master, right? And she really really liked Orin. In fact it was almost a relief to not have to worry about such matters. Perhaps that was part of Satori's plan too. Satori was such a wonderful owner.
Orin was still picking at the door. Obviously her friend hadn't realized Satori's intentions. "Bah. That stupid kitten is way too good at black magic seals. I'm gonna have to summon up a ghost or two. Or I suppose you could just vaporize the door Okuu?"
Utsuho unfastened her top two buttons and dismissed her third eye gem, allowing her shirt to fall open. "We don't need to do that Orin. After all it's better if the door is sealed for this."
She felt another surge of fear and excitement as Orin's jaw dropped. Her feline friends ears twitched and tails stood up in shock, but there was no sign of panic. "W-what are you doing Okuu?"
Utsuho slowly stepped forward, making sure not to spook her dearest companion. "What we've both wanted to do for a long time Orin. Miss Satori thinks it's best for us too, so we shouldn't fight it anymore."
Orin blinked but she didn't move back. "Wait, you actually... but what about the whole mating thing? That's- And it's not the right season?"
And now the kassha was right where Okuu wanted her. She threw a wing around the kassha and drew Orin close before starting to scratch behind the cat ears. "It's all okay. Your goddess gives you permission, Orin~<3"
As her friend started to purr Utsuho knew she had Orin in the palm of her hand.
-----------
"What were you thinking?!"
"But Raaaaan-"
"Don't you 'but Ran' me! These two are unique guests! We're on strained enough relations with the underground as it is!" Ran dragged her shikigami by the scruff of her neck to the house. Normally she overlooked Chen's childishness, but this was going to far. "I don't care how much that Orin girl pesters you, when she's a guest you have to be acting as a diplomat!"
She stopped in front of the small house and planted Chen in front of the seal on the door. "Now I want you to-"
A loud thump from inside stopped her mid rant. "Fine then 'my goddess'! But I won't hold back!"
"Ahn~! Orin, don't nibble my wings like that!"
Ran clapped her hands over Chen's ears. "We'll discuss this further later young lady. Now let's go back to your chores." She quickly turned and walked away. This seemed like something that demanded privacy.
-----------
Satori carefully composed herself as she stepped through the gap. It wouldn't do to have her true intentions known to all of Gensoukyo. She was pretty sure Yukari had figured it out, but the gap youkai knew better then to engage in a blackmail war with a Satori. Besides while Yukari hated her and her kind, it was an impersonal dislike.
To her surprise Yukari was waiting for her on the other side of the gap. Normally she simply opened the portal and let Ran close it. Satori's third eye focused as she tried to figure out why the gap youkai was here to greet her.
The answer left her open mouthed in shock.
She watched robotically as Yukari began her deadpan recitation. "Ah there you are. We were raising your youkai and boy were we surprised. Your youkai had an egg." Yukari reached into a gap and pulled out a foot long egg. "We don't know how it got there, but your youkai had it. You want it, yes?"
Satori could only nod weakly. Fortunately she had enough presence of mind to carefully grab the egg from Yukari and hold it to her.
"Take good care of it." Her speech over Yukari's eyes and voice both sharpened considerably. "And now please take that walking bomb of yours and get those damn stupid gods to teach her how to control her miraculous power before she does something dangerous instead of ridiculous!"
Satori blinked and nodded again. She had so many questions, but for some reason the only thing that formed into a coherent sentence was, ?I wonder how many steps it will take to hatch.?
----------
Remember kids, don't read pokemon stuff and aoshima comics at the same time.
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you know i was gonna call out how satori seemed to have missed the fact that the two pokemon in the daycare have to be opposite genders to produce an egg
but then it happened anyway
now i dont even know :derp:
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silly utsuho that is not how science works
you are a silly raven
So, in the author's opinion, what WOULD their child look like?
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So, in the author's opinion, what WOULD their child look like?
Catwings.
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...
...
...That was... interesting.
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pfffffahahahahaha
*deadpan* I call shenanigans, this pairing isn't nearly crack enough.
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Remember kids, don't read pokemon stuff and aoshima comics at the same time.
That...that explains a lot, actually. :wat:
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I love Yukari's reaction towards the end, it's like she understands what they thought would happen, and is not at all surprised that against all odds it DID happen, and just wants them gone now xD
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Since Utsuho is likely the 'mother' and Orin the 'father' the result should be a hell raven with necromancer powers.
Awesome.
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hell raven with necromancer powers.
Correction, Hell-Raven demigod with necromancer powers.
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Since Utsuho is likely the 'mother' and Orin the 'father' the result should be a hell raven with necromancer powers..
Bad Okashii, making assumptions by who was more forward. Okuu is the blue yin yang and Orin is the red one.
That means it'll be a cat with fight and nuclear fire powers. Or as I said to Rou.
Catwings.
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Catwings.
(http://i.imgur.com/bTtzf.png)
I, uh.... I feel like I missed something somewhere...
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I, uh.... I feel like I missed something somewhere...
Dammit Ruro. >.<
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Bad Okashii, making assumptions by who was more forward. Okuu is the blue yin yang and Orin is the red one.
That means it'll be a cat with fight and nuclear fire powers. Or as I said to Rou.
But how do cats lay eggs? :ohdear:
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I think in that one chapter where the three fairies of light find an egg, wasn't it a cat youkai egg?
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I think in that one chapter where the three fairies of light find an egg, wasn't it a cat youkai egg?
I thought it was a Tengu egg that they thought was a cat youkai's. Then again, my memory's kinda spotty at times.
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I thought it was a Tengu egg that they thought was a cat youkai's. Then again, my memory's kinda spotty at times.
Re-reading Eastern and Bright Nature Deity chapter 5, the egg in question is specifically not a tengu egg. That's when the possibility of it being a cat youkai egg is brought up.
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Via commentary from Ammy and Ruro, I'm taking a little time to organize a link set for my shorts. A good number of them are somewhat connected, and I thought that a list of some of those story threads might show a little more of my view of Gensouyko. This post'll probably be edited a number of times, but right now I wanted to put together the main story sets.
Marisa's Story
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg351975.html#msg351975
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,4961.0.html
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg379287.html#msg379287
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,12780.msg841548.html#msg841548
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg290855.html#msg290855
Mokou's Story
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5043.0.html
Orin/Okuu's Story
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg249706.html#msg249706
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5784.0.html
Sanae's Story
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg312420.html#msg312420
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg704037.html#msg704037
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg811310.html#msg811310
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg354335.html#msg354335
Hatate's Story
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg556437.html#msg556437
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg474787.html#msg474787
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg866397.html#msg866397
Uncategorized:
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg512437.html#msg512437
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg283156.html#msg283156
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.0.html
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg312557.html#msg312557
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg616453.html#msg616453
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5014.msg782159.html#msg782159
http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg824555.html#msg824555
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[This story happens after the events of A New World. If you haven't read that, you'll probably end up lost.
Also it'll be somewhat bloodier then anything I've written before.]
----------------
Remilia gazed up at the crimson moon from the balcony of her mansion. It had been some time... centuries in fact, since she'd last seen the moon in all it's splendour and madness. The crisp autumn air cooled her body with each breath. The wind shifted causing the leaves to rustle in the same familiar way. Yes, tonight was like that one endless night. A night of wonder, and excitement, anger, and above all else....
She shook her head sharply to clear the memories. There were some things she didn't want to remember. Not yet.
"Did a mosquito bite you, big sister?"
Remilia looked across the small table to where her younger sister was sitting. Flandre seemed utterly unconcerned with all the little details that were dragging Remilia into the past. Then again, Flandre's situation had changed a lot since those happy days. In her case though, it was all for the better. Perhaps it was telling that as the world went to hell Flandre found her place in it.
She shook her head again. "It's nothing," she replied. "I merely find myself somewhat nostalgic now and then. I think it's a side effect of torpor." She grinned. "Some snacks should wake me up just fine."
Flandre's smile grew. "Ah right! Snacks! Juri should bring some by soon. And Flopsy should be making some as well."
"That moon rabbit?" Remilia raised an eyebrow. "Has she stopped shivering at the sight of blood?"
"I have no idea!" Flandre giggled. "I really wanna see what she makes!"
"Hmph," Remilia leaned back in her chair. "I hope she provides something of worth. Juri cooks to your tastes. Not mine."
Flandre giggled again. "Because she's my maid." Remilia did her best to ignore the sting those words caused. "Ah, but I did remind her that you liked rare stuff, so she'll probably make some special sweets for you."
"Good." Remilia looked away, out into the gardens. The colors of the leaves weren't visible in the moonlight, but the moon itself glowed pleasantly in the fountain, and several small plants glowed with their own light. After a few minutes tracing the patterns she decided Huian had planted them, though probably at Marisa or Alice's request. While the young girl had Meiling's prejudice towards Chinese herbalism, she was more willing to bow to the magicians' requests. She tried to figure out what Feng Shui pattern Huian was creating with the plants, but she gave up after a while. She'd learned a lot from Meiling about form, but her vampiric heritage kept her mastering chi where blood wasn't concerned.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the clatter of china. Remilia looked back towards the door to see Juri standing there, with Flopsy standing behind her. Apparently Flopsy hadn't mastered the art of walking silently with silverware. "Lady Flandre, Lady Remilia. The tea is ready."
Remilia raised an eyebrow as two tea kettles were placed on the table. "You let her make tea?"
Juri smiled as Flopsy shuffled nervously. "Just the tea itself. I added your normal mixers." Remilia nodded in understanding. Tea preparation was one of the hardest jobs in the kitchen. Adding the blood properly was a fine art. However before that stage, it was just normal tea.
Still, she grabbed the kettle Juri indicated as her own. She'd let Flandre test the rabbit girls cooking.
Her little sister, on the other hand, happily poured herself a cup from the rabbit's pot, and grabbed one cookie from each of the piles of sweets on the table. Remilia watched carefully as Flandre sipped the tea.
Remilia carefully concealed her smile as Flandre grimaced. "Ugh. This is bad." Flandre casually flung the cup off the balcony. Flopsy held the serving tray against herself as a shield as Flandre's smile twitched dangerously. "Juri, you need to teach Flopsy better. Otherwise she's good for nothing but stew." Remilia was about to comment on the cup when she realized there'd been no sound of it breaking. Juri had probably caught it with her doll.
She decided to adopt an air of disdain. The little moon rabbit's terror was amusing, but she didn't want to break the girl. "I told you the moon rabbits were only one step above fairies. You shouldn't leave anything more important then cleaning to them." She carefully sipped her own tea.
As the flavors hit her tongue she was struck with a wave of nostalgia. The tea was so very close to perfect. She remembered the years spent refining this taste. How they'd tried method after method to get the flavor just the way she wanted it. Tweaking the timing, the leaves, the temperature, even the china it was served in and the spoon it was stirred with. Juri's tea was so close to the perfection they had created together. It was just a touch too salty. The way Flandre liked it.
Remilia set the cup aside and grabbed a third cup from the tray. "What are you doing big sis?" Flandre asked as she began to pour from Flopsy's pot.
Remilia ignored the gazes of the other three women. "I'm trying this tea to see what the fuss is about." When she was finished pouring she sniffed the liquid, then sipped.
It was bad, just like Flandre said. It would be passable for some destitute family on the streets, but a noblewoman expected more from her tea. She could taste only the faintest hint of her old recipe for red tea in it. It was possibly as far away from what Sakuya had once made as you could get while still having drinkable tea.
"Terrible," she commented. "You used boiling water instead of near boiling water, and you didn't clean the pot well enough. In addition you let it cool too much afterwards, and your whisk use is terrible." Flopsy seemed to shrink even more at the commentary. "Given how bad this is I'll leave Juri to test the baking." She grabbed a cookie and began nibbling on it, grimacing every time she sipped the tea. At least she was getting some pleasure off the stupefied looks on the faces of the others.
"Are you okay there sis?" Flandre waved her hand back and forth across Remilia's vision.
Remilia ignored her sister's antics. "Perfectly fine." She sat up a little more as a thought occurred to her. "Though I do think we need more maids. Perhaps start recruiting the fairies once again."
Flandre grimaced. "Those fairies are no fun anymore. I don't want any of em." She wrapped an arm around Juri's waist. "I have the best maid right here anyway!" Juri smiled and patted the vampire girls head.
"Feh," Remilia sipped her tea and frowned again. "Well, I need some servants of my own. I'm willing to share the mansion, but I refuse to share a maid."
"But fairies are useless, sis." Flandre pointed out. "Even the smart ones don't care about serving anyone other than themselves."
Remilia sighed. "True." Then she smiled. "So give me that one." She pointed at Flopsy, who jumped and squeaked again.
Flandre pouted. "The rabbit? But I caught her first!"
"Huian caught her," Remilia stated. "And besides, don't you already have the best maid?"
"Hm..." Flandre closed her eyes and frowned deeply, before looking at Remilia again. "Fine. But you can't break her permanently. If you can't train her I want her back. And Juri's head mead no matter what!"
"A fair deal, sister." Remilia smiled broadly. She drained her cup, chockign a bit on the dregs before turning to the little rabbit girl. "Alright then little girl. We're going to teach you how to make tea properly from the very beginning. Screw this up and I'll have your ears again."
The moon rabbit looked like she was about to faint, but she managed something like a bow. "Y-y-y-yes lady Remilia."
Remilai chuckled. This would prove to be amusing. "Right. Follow me, quickly now. If I get hungry again before you cook me a real meal I'll have to settle for something else."
"Yes mistress!" Flopsy replied as she almost ran towards the kitchen.
--------------
Remilia finished the last page of the manga novel and set it aside with a sigh. It had been one of Koakuma's collection, a ridiculous harem comedy of little merit. Normally she'd have dismissed the entire concept as beneath her, but to be honest the story wasn't utterly terrible. She'd found herself drawn more and more to different things these days. Besides she wanted something to distract her from how poorly Flopsy was doing in the kitchen, despite her guidance.
She stood and began walking towards the shelf to grab the next volume. Ever since her waking she'd found herself lingering more and more in the library. Flandre preferred the halls quiet and still, with only Juri at her side. Remilia had always enjoyed the bustle of a full mansion, and the library had become the closest thing to that. Voile was still quieter then her mansion had ever been, but Patchouli and her family lent it a feeling of presence. And the occasional visits of that Renko girl really brought the place to life. She could almost forgive Koakuma for stealing away her best friend.
"Oi, Remi. Didn't think you'd be looking at these books," came a familiar voice from her left.
Remilia turned to face Marisa. The magician girl still had her carefree air about her, though her smile was less mocking then it had been back when she was an intruder instead of a resident of the mansion. Of all the three Marisa had changed the least outwardly. It both annoyed and amused Remilia, which was also par for the course with Marisa.
"I wanted to see if they'd improved in the three hundred years since I went into torpor. They didn't but I find myself very bored these days." Remilia replied. "I'm surprised you aren't bored out of your mind as well, since the world seems to treat your little thefts much more harshly than they did back when we first met."
"Yeah, people are so touchy these days," Marisa replied cheerily. "Still I've gotta lot more land to roam around now. And a buncha new targets that deserve what they get. You should go out and have some fun too Remi. It's a whole new world for mankind, witches, and underaged vampires."
"Hm..." Remilia felt a strange tug inside at those words. She felt her eyes warm as she called on her oldest power. "Speak ye of beginnings, youngest of the Norns? Whose fate doth lie on the path ye see?"
Marisa's golden eyes sharpened until they almost reflected the light, while her visage darkened. "You know I hate it when you call me that Remilia. And that's your power. Not mine."
"You called upon that aspect Marisa," Remilia pointed out softly. "It's not my fault you three trigger my ability now."
"Doesn't mean you have to bring it up all the time," Marisa retorted. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. "Anyway, you know no one can see your fate except Flandre, so that should answer your question. You want more, you'll have to go bounce your power off Alice. I've done my part, which means I don't have to play puppet anymore."
Remilia shrugged as she put the book away. "You're too much of a do gooder to not give me hints like that anyway, Marisa." She smiled. "Still I owe you some thanks. Remind me to tell you where I hid some old items in the outside world. It should be little trouble for you to acquire those treasures with your current skills."
Marisa's face lit up at that. "Hm? Must be some interesting things if you didn't bring them with you. I'll hold you to that." The black white witch waved as she headed out. "Anyway I gotta look into something for a friend so I'm out. Try not to kill too many people, Remi."
Remilia waved the comment away. "Of course, of course." She turned and headed deeper into the library. It was time to talk to Alice.
----------------------
She found Alice in one of the studies that had popped up in the ever expanding library. As usual, she was stitching together another set of dolls. The puppeteer gave her a polite nod before returning to her needlework.
Remilia had always looked favourably on Alice. While she'd questioned Patchouli's other suitors, Alice had seemed like a perfect choice. Not only was Alice's handiwork impressive to Remilia's refined tastes, the woman's skill in her chosen field was something that Remilia admired. For a human to surpass a vampire in anything deserved respect. Alice's masterful dexterity was something that even Remilia looked on with wonder. She'd even decided to learn something of the art of puppeteering herself in her free time, though she was only a dabbler.
In addition the woman had a pleasant temperament. While someone close like Marisa or Patchouli (or much as she hated to admit it, Koakuma) could rile her up and cause her passions to hail down on those unfortunate enough to be around her, normally the woman was polite and refined. Thus, they got along swimmingly. And while both of them had issues with people who were stronger than them, neither of them really felt a need to clash. Remilia was well aware Alice was manipulating the mansion politically, and she was perfectly happy to let the girl do so, so long as Alice acted behind the scenes. That was one of the reasons she felt safe leaving things to Flandre.
She sat down on one of the soft couches and watched Alice work until the magician reached a stopping point. "That?s a very nice doll. It looks like you might be able to animate it fully. I heard that you'd stopped doing that though."
Alice nodded again. "Yes. After Shanghai and Hourai left the nest again I decided I wanted to focus on my biological children for a while. When they finally decide to set up their own families I'll look into making more children."
"Hmph. That may take a while with Juri," Remilia noted with a frown. She'd agreed entirely with Marisa that the Juri's obsession with the head maid position and Flandre was a poor choice.
"Kirisame family curse," Alice replied with a resigned shrug. "Best not to fight it." Remilia snorted but didn't press the point. "In any case," Alice continued, "Gensoukyo wasn't really the best place for children until recently anyway. Now that things are improving maybe I'll reconsider. Still, I have time."
"True. Time is a wonderful luxury." Remilia hesitated as the memory of that last letter flashed through her mind. Shaking her head she quashed the rebellious thought. "In any case! Something is afoot." She felt her eyes heat up again. "I seek that which ye know weaver. The patterns that form and warp."
Alice raised an eyebrow, then closed her eyes. "You are the master of two things. One more then the other. When they align, you shall find your path in this world again, little dead princess."
Remilia chewed her lip at the magician's words trying to figure out the meaning behind them. "That rabbit Flopsy? How could that stupid rabbit teach me anything?"
Alice shrugged and picked up her needle and thread again. "Sorry. This is your power, not mine. I hope you figure it out though. I've overheard your sister thinking up ideas to break you out of your introspection."
Remilia winced at that. Flandre's help usually ended in missing limbs. "Thank you for the warning." She stood and curtsied. "And for the advice. Though I do wonder why you take this matter much better than Marisa and Patchy do?"
Alice smiled and looked up from her needlework. "Sometimes it's fun to pretend not to be Alice."
Remilia curtsied again and left. She knew what it meant to be someone beyond yourself. It would be nice to have a break.
She wandered towards the heart of the library. Patchy would understand her.
------------------
Remilia had nearly slumped all the way out of her chair. Patchouli was her oldest and closest friend now, but the magician girl was her own woman, as always. Never one to leave an experiment she hadn't even given Remilia a nod of recognition when she'd entered. The only sign that Patchouli had noticed Remilia's presence at all was that she started summoning Koakuma to do the parts of the experiment that required leaving the small work area.
It was comfortably familiar, yet boring. She had half a mind to just bust up whatever Patchy was doing. Unfortunately she needed Patchouli in an understanding mood.
Finally Patchouli stoppered the beaker she was working with, coughed a bit, then looked over at her. "How nice to see you Remi. Did you want to talk about something in particular, or just chat?"
"Yes" Remilia replied shortly. She forced herself to sit upright in her chair. "I came to ask you about an ending, and then annoy you for three times as long as you left me waiting."
"Very well. I can accept that." Patchouli sat down in the chair across from her. "So what ending."
Remilia?s eyes burned again. "I seek an ending to the current tale of myself and my servant. Tell me where the thread ends, eldest of the Norns."
"The thread ends in blood, as it always does for you vampire." Patchouli said shortly. "It is your choice whose blood it shall be."
Remilia slumped again. "Damn. This is useless!" She sighed. "I should have known better than to try using my power on myself."
Patchouli blinked. "Do you even know what you're trying to do? Or why Flopsy matters?"
"That was the point of me asking," Remilia whined. "I don't even know anything about the girl other then she was sent here as the worst messenger ever."
"I see." Patchouli picked up a book from a stack next to her and began pretending to read. Remilia sat up. This was when Patchy did her best thinking. "Remi... this really isn't about Flopsy, is it?"
Remilia closed her eyes slowly. She didn't want to say it aloud, but since it was Patchouli... "No."
Patchouli's eyes floated up over the spine of the book. "Remi... you can't change the past. They're gone. You have to rebuild your life without them."
"Rebuild my life...." Remilia opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know if I have a life to rebuild."
Patchouli lowered her book. "Remi..."
Remilia's gaze fell to the polished floors. "I won, you know. I broke the chains of fate. The chains only Flandre could see. You know, we were all supposed to die." Patchouli nodded quietly. Remilia had never told her best friend straight out the fate that had helped drive Flandre mad, but everyone had guessed it eventually.
Her eyes closed again and she slumped back. "And now I don't know what to do. What path does the All Father have with Loki redeemed and sitting atop Asgard? What truth is there in a world without Ragnarok? Where do I go when the sagas are cut off, when what I had driving me is gone?" She looked straight at Patchouli. "You're the only one left Patchy. And even you have changed. But I'm still the same girl I was before."
They sat there in silence for a while. Remilia felt the gloom between them slowly churn and thicken.
Finally Patchouli hid behind her book again. "Do you have to be the same girl?"
Remilia stood. It seemed there were no answers here either. "I don't know what else to be." She turned to walk away.
"Remi." She stopped. "I don't know what to say about this," Patchouli replied slowly. "But I do have one piece of advice. Talk to that rabbit girl. You're training her all wrong currently."
Remilia shifted her wings and took to the air. "I'll think about it."
--------------------
"What is this nonsense?! These are worse then you made before!"
Remilia looked down at the confections with disgust. The ratio of jam to blood was all wrong. Even Flandre would find the pastries too bloody. What's worse was that the bread had been made perfectly. The stupid rabbit obviously knew how to cook. She just was messing up on the details.
Even Flopsy's cowering didn't improve her mood, which only angered her further. If she couldn't enjoy bullying lesser youkai what was the point of being awake?!
"I- I'm sorry," Flopsy was out and out shaking now. Tears were starting to form in the rabbit girl's eyes.
Remilia couldn't stand it. This wouldn't be fun even if she was in a good mood. "Oh be quiet." She hopped on one of the stools and sat down. "Pull yourself together and make me some tea. You've at least become passable at that. Nothing like Sakuya, but it's drinkable."
"Y-y-y-y-yes, mistress." Flopsy staggered over to the stove and started shakily reaching for the pot.
Remilia shook her head and groaned. "Never mind, you idiot. You'll only burn yourself like that." She hopped off the stool and started towards the liquor cabinet. She needed something stronger then tea. "I don't understand you. If you're that afraid of us killing you why don't you just run away? I sure that so called prince-"
Remilia froze when she saw Flopsy had fell to the floor. The little rabbit girl was clutching her legs to her chest rocking back and forth while tears streamed down her eyes. Her mouth moved but only tiny whimpers escaped. Her mismatched ears twisted and turned on her head, listening for sounds only she could hear.
As Remilia stepped forward the girl froze, eyes looking down at the floor, like a condemned man refusing to face his executioner. Remilia shuddered at the sight. She saw it again. The broken room. The puddles and streams of blood. That one's silver hair, and the light reflecting off tears of rage, helplessness, and betrayal.
The vision passed, and Remilia found herself in the kitchen again. Flopsy's tears had stopped. Perhaps because she was too frightened to cry, perhaps because there were no more tears to be shed. "I see." Remilia blinked as tears started to form in her own eyes. Now she knew where her anger had come from.
Remilia slowly and carefully moved over to Flopsy. The rabbit girl flinched away once as Remilia reached over to lift up her chin, but she was too exhausted to resist.
Remilia wished she could do this properly. To say the words that this girl needed to hear. Ask the questions properly so she could understand what was eating away at Flopsy's mind. But she couldn't. A devil could manage sympathy, but understanding.... Understanding weakness was not something a vampire did. So she called upon her eyes again to hypnotize the girl.
It was surprisingly painful. Her own scarlet eyes were opposed by the lunar rabbit's crimson eyes. Reisen's eyes were much stronger, but Remilia still found herself with a headache by the time Flopsy's arms finally relaxed and ears stopped twitching.
When Flopsy had the presence of mind to look away from her in embarrassment, Remilia stepped back. She did her best to control her voice as much as possible, keeping it even. "Tell me about it."
Flopsy sniffed and clutched her legs again. Remilia was afraid for a second the girl had relapsed when she muttered. "I don't want to die."
Remilia looked down at the moon rabbit with pity. "Then why not run away? You know we won't chase you. You should know Huian at least would help you escape."
"Where?" Flopsy sobbed. "Where can I run?"
"My parents ran. They didn't want to kill people so they ran. And, and, and the other rabbits turned them in! They were executed for not following orders." Remilia could only watch helplessly as Flopsy sniffed and panted for breath. "Why? They didn't warn the humans? They didn't try to stop the other messengers. They just didn't want to kill people! Why did they have to die for that?"
"Why?" Flopsy wailed. "And it didn't change anything! They tried to do what was right, and they got killed and no one cares! No one changed their mind, or learned to stand up for themselves or anything! The other rabbits just turned away and went back to following their masters!"
"And here I am, stuck on earth slowly losing my purity and dying because my parents were too pure to kill billions." Flopsy sniffed and wiped her eyes. "So I don't care anymore. I don't care about justice, or truth, or self-respect. I just don't want to die. That's all. That's all I want."
Remilia stood there awkwardly. What was she supposed to do? Her instincts told her to drain the little girl dry right here to take away the pain and make a useful servant out of the rabbit, but she smothered those. Her heart told her to pet the girl and promise that everything would be okay, but that was a lie. She was a devil, and there was no way she could keep from terrifying someone as broken as Flopsy was.
With Sakuya there had been hate. A rage against the injustice of the universe and the people that named her a monster no matter what she did. Here there was nothing but fear. Flopsy knew she was powerless, both against the whims of fate and those around her.
Nothing but fear.... The whims of fate....
An idea came to Remilia. A very dangerous idea, but one that fit her nature perfectly.
She felt her eyes begin to glow again, and she smiled even though her headache increased. "Very well then. We'll get back to your training later. For now take a rest. We'll meet again at midnight to talk."
Flopsy just looked up at her in confusion. Remilia sighed, then reached out with her magic and poked at a familiar mind. Dinah appeared in the room a moment later, the half devil reacting to Remilia's mini summoning. "Yes, Lady Remilia?"
"Flopsy's had a long day," Remilia said. "Could you or Huian tend to her for a bit?"
Dinah blinked at the request, but nodded. "Sure. I don't have any experiments right now so I can handle it." She walked over and lifted the little rabbit girl into her arms. "Come on. I'll teleport you to your room, so you can tell me all about it there, okay?"
Remilia sighed in relief as Dinah teleported out. The only redeeming quality of succubi was their ability to give people the companionship they required. As a half succubi, Dinah was by far the most empathetic of the SDM, meaning Flopsy was in good hands. Now Remilia could relax.
She turned back to the liquor cabinet and grabbed one of the bottles without blood in it. She didn't need to eat that badly, but hopefully alcohol could cure her headache so she could nap before the night's festivities.
------------------
Remilia flapped her wings in the moonlight. It was a wonderful night to be out and flying. The moon was nearly full, the wind was pleasantly chill, and the rustling of the leaves made the whole world seem alive, even as it was dying. Even the weight in her arms couldn't take away from her enjoyment.
"Um, mistress, I can fly on my own if it pleases you," Flopsy said. The bunny girl wriggled a little in Remilia's grip, but Remilia ignored that.
"You don't move fast enough to keep up with me," Remilia replied simply. "I wish to handle this quickly."
"Yes mistress...." Remilia could see that Flopsy desperately wanted to know what was gong on, but was too scared to ask. Well soon, Remilia would fix that.
As she cleared the next hill the target of her hunt came into view. Six figures on an overgrown trail. "Excellent." Remilia murmured. She dropped down to near the ground so they wouldn't see her arrival, then landed about a thousand feet ahead of them, near a bend in the road. She let Flopsy go, then moved to the treeline.
"What are we doing, Lady Remilia?" Flopsy whispered.
Remilia pulled the rabbit girl into the darkness of the forest before answering. "These six here are bandits. Survivors of the war who heard about a land of rich fields and beautiful women surrounded by monsters. They're here to try to demand some protection money. And probably a bit more."
Flopsy blinked. "And...?"
Remilia smirked. "I am here to hunt. You are here to watch."
Remilia saw a flash of metal as the six rounded the bend. The time for waiting was over. She grabbed Flopsy by the wrist and dragged the young girl to the center of the road.
The six men of course stopped dead in their tracks. Two of them leveled rifles at her, while the rest fumbled with their weapons. Flopsy of course shrieked and dropped to the ground. "Who are you?" One of the men shouted.
"I am the Scarlet Devil." She replied cheerily. "And I've decided this road is mine. You'll have to pay the toll if you want to cross."
"Where's your parents, little girls?" one of the fools in the back laughed.
"Dead." Remilia replied sweetly as she stretched her wings out in the moonlight. "I murdered them about a thousand years ago."
"She's one of those monsters!" The man in front yelled. "Grenade!"
Remilia snickered as the fool next to the leader shakily pulled out a grenade, twisted the cap and threw it at her. She easily dashed forward and slapped the missile up into the sky. "Too easy."
"Shit!" The men all ducked as the bomb exploded in the air. The wind rushed around her as she hopped forward amongst them. Tensing her palm just like Meiling taught her, she aimed a palm trust at the closest victim. She smiled as her hand plunged into his soft belly. With a whirl she brought her other hand around, slamming her hammer fist into his ribs. There was a crack, as if she'd struck a rotting branch, and the man went flying into a tree, leaving his warm steaming entrails behind.
With a laugh she turned and tossed the stinking greasy handful into the arms of one of the man's friends. The bandit froze in horror, giving her plenty of time to reach up, grab his throat, and rip off his head. Sweet blood splashed on her face, causing her heart to beat even faster.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the leader move towards Flopsy's form. Perhaps to grab a hostage. Remilia hefted the skull she'd just acquired like a ball then threw it at her new target. The grisly missile struck the man in the back with another satisfying crunch, and he collapsed like a wet rag.
Suddenly pain seared through her body in a lightning flash. Looking down, she saw one of those thrice damned swords the Japanese loved so. This one had been awakened, giving it the power to injure creatures such as herself.
But it was no more than a papercut was to a human. She reached around and ripped the blade out, then turned. The swordsman staggered back, and Remilia's nose stung with the acrid scent of his fear. She tossed the sword through his foot, then stretched both arms as far back as they could go before letting loose with a flurry of blows that left her arms stinging. The swordsman's upper body disappeared into a fine mist.
The other two bandits dropped their weapons and ran. Remilia considered them for a moment, then drew some blood off her face and flicked the droplets at them. At the touch of her power the droplets formed into spears that raced across the path, cutting the two down.
The wind gusted, sending a rustling hail of leaves over the path. Remilia nodded in satisfaction at her work, then turned and walked to where Flopsy was staring at her in shock. "Do you understand now? The power that a devil has at their command?"
She stood before the trembling rabbit girl, covered with blood and gore. "This is the world we live in. A hell of death and bloodshed. Each day we kill others to live on. God demands we follow justice and honor, then turn his back on those that do, while the corrupt rise to the top."
Once again she reached out to lift Flopsy's eyes to her face. "But we devils offer what the divine will not. We can rip apart the fabric of this tainted world and reform it to our whims. And we give our power to those who are willing to give us what we desire.?
?So tell me little rabbit. What is your wish? What do you want most of all?"
Flopsy sank to her knees. "I want-" She closed her eyes tightly. "I want to live! I just want to live! I'll do anything you ask if you keep me alive!"
Remilia nodded. She reached into her mind and called up the power, shaping words and lines into her mind as Patchouli had taught her how long ago to speed up the ritual. As the spell began to form she carefully patted back the young girls hair. "Is that your wish? Will you sacrifice your soul to the devil for it? Are you willing to cast aside the purity of the moon and embrace the taint of the earth to get it? To become a monster for all time? This is your choice. I shall not penalize you either way."
Flopsy sniffed, then looked up at Remilia with the closest thing to determination that the vampire had seen on her face. "If you protect me I promise to serve you with all that I have. Even if it costs me my soul. Even if I become a monster."
Remilia closed her eyes as memories flooded in again. Silver hair, blue eyes. And a simple reply, "I offer you my body. But my soul is my own. I will become a human in death at least." Remilia smiled sadly.
"You two really are nothing alike, are you?"
"Mistress?"
Remilia turned her thoughts back to the present. With the swipe of a claw she opened up a cut on her hand, then held it over the rabbit's mouth. "Drink this, in service to me." Flopsy shuddered, but obediently caught the few drops that fell.
The young girl cried out and convulsed, but Remilia knew the spell had worked correctly. "That's my blood binding with yours. So long as I live you will share my regenerative powers. In return you must do everything I demand of you, or your blood will turn against you."
Remilia embraced her new servant. "Your first command, above all others, is to serve me as best you see fit, even if it means disobeying my other commands."
Flopsy blinked then rose and curtsied. "As you wish, my mistress."
"Good." Remilia smiled. She felt more alive than she had since that fateful day long ago, when she'd lost Sakuya.
She straightened up. It was time to get to work building her new life. "Now Flopsy, I'm going to teach you how to clean a carcass."
"Um, won?t I need a knife for that Mistress?"
"You don't have a knife on you? What were you thinking? A proper servant should have a knife on them at all times!"
"Ah, I'm sorry mistress!"
---------------------
Remilia sipped the tea as Flopsy stood next to her. "Hm... Acceptable. It seems to have a certain sharpness I'm not used to."
Flopsy bowed. "Should I change the recipe again milady?"
"Hm...." Remilia considered the matter. "No, this is fine. Though I think I would not want this more than once or twice a week."
Across from her Flandre frowned. "Really sis? It's not bad, but this isn't anything like what Sakuya would ever make."
Remilia closed her eyes. "Exactly."
Sakuya. Dear, irreplaceable, Sakuya. The perfect maid. Her perfect maid. Remilia understood now. She would never find that perfection again.
But she could build a new perfection. So long as she was willing to break with her past and forge ahead.
She opened her eyes again. "I let that stupid ghost borrow Sakuya for a bit, after all. I'll need a maid of my own for the next four hundred years or so until I can get her back." She smirked. "Along with Meiling and that naive little gardener. After all, that ghost girl owes me."
She saw Flopsy's eyes darken a bit at that and she smiled wider. The little rabbit was getting jealous already was she? Well the girl had sold her soul to serve as Remilia's personal maid. Talking about other servants around her would annoy her.
She looked back at Flandre. "I think Flopsy here will need some leadership training for then. Why not take in a few fairy maids. Just two or three will do."
"Hm... Wouldn't other rabbits be better?" Flandre smiled at Flopsy. "You can call in some if you want right?"
"Um, I would prefer to remain the only rabbit here, Lady Flandre," Flopsy replied.
Juri nodded. "Fairies would be better for me as well, mistress. I know several charms to handle them. Devils would be best but..."
"No way." Remilia and Flandre replied in unison. The sisters exchanged a nod. Three devils under one room was enough.
Flandre sighed. "Alright. Three fairies. And Juri has to approve all of them. And if they annoy me I make them go kyuu~!" Flandre said, squeezing her hand and making a tree pop behind Remilia.
Flopsy shivered at that, but Remilia was happy to note the little rabbit recovered almost instantly. "Good. Flopsy, make three rooms for our new servants."
The bunny girl bowed. "Yes Lady Remilia."
"Ah, and take this." Remilia reached into her pockets and handed the bemused rabbit girl a silver pocketwatch. "A badge of your office."
"Thank you, mistress!" Flopsy smiled and bowed again before bounding away.
When Flopsy was gone, Juri cleared her throat. "She seems a strange choice for that gift Lady Remilia. While the idea of a white rabbit with a pocketwatch bounding around my mother amuses me, she's hardly a spiritual successor for Miss Sakuya."
Remilia sipped her tea again happily. "You're right. She's utterly unlike Sakuya. Except for the most important point." She looked up at Juri. "She's mine."
Juri smiled at the reply. "Ah. A perfect answer. As expected from Lady Flandre's sister."
Flandre shrugged. "I don't get it sis. But whatever makes you happy."
"Indeed." Remilia looked out into the garden, unburdened by times weight. Once again the eternal child, looking for her place in the world. ?Whatever makes me happy.?
-
I'm ignoring you Keine!
Anyways I've been doing a bit of writing, and I'll have a chapterish thing to post sometime in the nearish future. But until then I offer this bit of doggerel, to completely mislead you from the actual plot, while still giving you a hint.
What do you do with a drunken witch girl?
What do you do with a drunken witch girl?
What do you do with a drunken witch girl?
Early in the morning?
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Tickle her belly with a tengu feather.
Tickle her belly with a tengu feather.
Tickle her belly with a tengu feather.
Early in the morning.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Dunk her in the lake 'til she's sober
Dunk her in the lake 'til she's sober
Dunk her in the lake 'til she's sober
Early in the morning.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Stick her in a cauldron with a mushroom ball gag.
Stick her in a cauldron with a mushroom ball gag.
Stick her in a cauldron with a mushroom ball gag.
Early in the morning.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning.
Put her in the bed with the vampires sister.
Put her in the bed with the vampires sister.
Put her in the bed with the vampires sister.
Early in the morning.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning.
That's what we do with with a drunken witch girl.
That's what we do with with a drunken witch girl.
That's what we do with with a drunken witch girl.
Early in the morning.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Way hey and up she rises.
Early in the morning. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_RWtdm81WU)
-
I thought you were gonna use the Dishonored version and make something far darker. :V
-
I thought you were gonna use the Dishonored version and make something far darker. :V
Nah, that would indicate it had something to do with the story!
Anyways stuff now:
----------------------------------------
Alice stretched before returning her attention to the tome. Shanghai leaned over her shoulder, following her mental interest in the words. Being a puppeteer required more than just studying magical tomes. In order to be a performer one had to learn storytelling as well. Alice's skill in that field was... mediocre. Still she was passable at ad libbing, which meant that if she studied a story well she could use that as a basis for her own performances.
She was currently reading through a tale about a princess who escaped her captors before the various princes looking for her ever found the castle, and the various issues that sprang up from it. There were a few edits she already had in mind, specifically the princess? disposition and competence. But overall it was a good piece for a festival.
She sighed as a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Shanghai flailed in annoyance as she stood to deal with the intrusion. Who could be visiting her anyway? Marisa would have already walked inside. She waved her hand and a doll levitated over to open the door.
To her surprise a demon with flame red hair in a librarian's outfit was standing there. "Ah, sorry to interrupt you Lady Alice, but something's come up."
"Something stranger than you being out of the library without Patchouli?" Alice replied. Shanghai waved the little devil in, and Alice mimicked the gesture. "Well it must be important then. Come in. Do you want some tea?" Alice sent a few dolls out to the pot just in case.
Koakuma gingerly entered her house and sat on one of the couches. "Ah, tea might be nice, but I'm not sure how long we'll be staying. You see, there's a problem at Marisa's."
Alice raised an eyebrow at that. "What kind of problem?" she asked as Shanghai bobbed about in agitation.
Koakuma's head wings twitched. "Well, Miss Patchouli sent me to get back some books.... So I decided to stake out Marisa's house and break in while she was out."
"A good plan," Alice stated. "So what's the problem? If you want me to act as a decoy I'm afraid I'll have to refuse."
"It's not that. Breaking in would be too easy." Koakuma frowned. "The problem is Marisa's been moping about during the day and drinking herself senseless at night for the last three days!"
"What?!" Alice bit her lip and stared down at the table. What could cause Marisa to mope like that? It wasn't romance, since Alice was... decently certain she knew who Marisa was interested in. No one in the village had died recently. And Marisa never let herself get this obsessed over spell research.
Shanghai's agitated pacing brought her back to reality. She looked up at Koakuma. "So you want me to help break Marisa out of her funk?"
Koakuma nodded, her wings drooping slightly. "Yes. I'm afraid I'm not the best person to cheer up Marisa when she's down. If she were her normal self I could help I think, but right now," Koakuma looked away, "she doesn't need me making her question her romantic inclinations."
Something in the little devil's tone caught Alice's attention. She looked closer at Koakuma, trying her best to read the tiny movements of the woman's true emotions. Finally the truth struck her.
Shanghai covered her little doll mouth as Alice stated "You like her, don't you."
Koakuma drooped some more. "Not the same way I like Miss Patchouli, but...."
Alice sighed. Devils were apparently complicated. "We'll have to have a talk later I see." Shanghai zoomed upward as she stood. "But first let's deal with a drunken witch."
Koakuma's recovery to her cheery self was remarkably fast. "Right! Please lead the way Lady Alice."
"Hmph. You're the one who asked me to go." Shanghai shook her head as Alice floated out the door. "Still, I guess I am the one who will be doing all the work. Come along then, and try not to interfere too much."
She flew along doing her best to ignore Koakuma singing "What do you do with a drunken witch girl," as they traveled. Though she had to admit the woman had a fine mastery of doggerel. It had to be all the books.
------
Marisa's house was, as always, a wreck. Strange metalwork, discarded items stolen from Kourindou and other assorted junk filled the girl?s yard. The grass itself was poorly kept as well, with strange (and poisonous) mushrooms growing in the shade and odd vines wrapped all over.
Alice put aside her annoyance at how messy Marisa was and landed straight in front of the door. She considered being circuitous for a moment, then discarded the idea. Marisa could be subtle, but usually the direct route was best. She knocked on the door. "Marisa, it's me, Alice."
There was a rustling from inside followed by the dull clank of a bottle hitting the floor and a series of curses. Shanghai and Koakuma flinched as another dull clank indicated someone had kicked the bottle. "I'm busy. Go'home."
Alice felt her lip curling in disgust. What could have driven Marisa to such a sorry state? "Sorry Marisa, I'm here to beat you in a magician's duel and enslave you for a year and a day. Today the forest will be mine."
Koakuma's mouth dropped open. "What?! What are you saying?! That's not part of the plan!" Alice ignored the little devil. Her panic helped with verisimilitude after all.
There was another curse from inside and the clattering crash of a table being violently swept clean. There was another clunk as a bottle was kicked again, then several stomping footsteps before the door was flung open and Marisa pointed a hakkero right in Alice's face. ?I told ya to get lost.?
Alice's eyes flew open at Marisa's appearance. The witch was disheveled and reeked of far more than three days worth of boozing. Dark rings encircled her narrowed golden eyes, and her hair was matted and ratty. She'd been sleeping in her outfit as well, given the creases, smudges, and missing hat.
And to further Alice's surprise there was an aura of power around the black white witch that Alice hadn't expected to feel for some time.
Shanghai bobbed forward as Alice stared. ?You've become a magician.?
?What?? Koakuma's voice helped pull Alice back to reality. ?You're a magician now, Marisa?? The little devil moved up next to Alice, ignoring the danger posed by Marisa's hakkero. ?Why didn?t you tell us? This is impressive!?
Marisa's eyes and arm dropped at Koakuma's praise. ?Yeah. I'm a youkai now.? She turned and kicked a basket full of umbrellas over. ?The worst magician in Gensoukyo!? she spat as Alice flinched. ?Can't even cast my own spells right!?
Alice could only stare in shock as Marisa carelessly threw her hakkero to the side and stomped back to her table, pausing only to grab a bottle from a shelf on the way. ?So whatever. Do your damned magician's contest or whatever then go away. I want to be alone.?
?Marisa....? Koakuma looked at the newly born magician with sympathy in her eyes. Alice understood the little devil?s feelings. Something had gone very wrong to get Marisa this out of sorts. On the other hand, Alice was also angry at how blas? Marisa was being about something she'd worked damn hard to accomplish.
Shanghai straightened up as Alice decided on her course of action. First things first. She needed to get past Marisa's refusal to admit her problems to find out what was actually going on. And the best way to handle that was to put Marisa off balance.
She marched up to one of the other chairs, righted it, then sat down. ?Very well then. I challenge you to an endurance contest. Whoever can withstand Koakuma's back rub the longest wins.?
?What?? The two other women stared at her incredulously. After a few moments Marisa started rubbing her eyes to check that she was still awake. Koakuma on the other hand started smiling wider and wider. ?You're joking, right?? Marisa muttered incredulously.
?Nope,? Alice replied. She waved Koakuma forward. ?You go first Marisa.?
Marisa just stared at Alice stupidly as Koakuma skipped over behind her. She finally snapped out of her stupor as the little devil rested her hand on her shoulders. ?Wait! What are you- But I thought-?
?Now now Marisa, this is a formal challenge,? Koakuma cooed. Marisa sat bolt upright as the succubus started massaging her shoulders while pressing against her back. ?But don't worry,? Koakuma said in a false conspiratorial whisper. ?I'll take it easy on you.?
Marisa sat there mouthing words soundlessly as Koakuma went to work on her. Alice did her best to pretend to be uninterested in the proceedings, though the fact that Shanghai was fuming next to the wall probably belied her calm a bit. Finally Marisa sighed and relaxed a little. ?You just set this up to try to get me to talk didn't you??
Alice took a deep breath. ?Yeah,? she admitted. ?It was the only way I could think of that would work on someone as hard headed as you.?
Marisa grunted, then gasped as Koakuma somehow made her shoulders pop. ?Yeah, that figures.? She sighed and sat there for a few moments with her eyes closed.
?The immortality potion wasn't supposed to make me a magician youkai,? Marisa finally said.
?Huh?? Alice blinked at Marisa's statement. ?It wasn't supposed to make you a youkai?? Shanghai started hovering forward as the full meaning of Marisa's words hit her. ?You mean you turned yourself into a youkai by accident?!?
?Ha! That's right!? Koakuma hopped back as Marisa slammed the table, then slouched forward. ?I created a potion that absolutely, positively, one hundred percent could not turn a human into a youkai. And here I am! A fucking youkai magician!? Marisa slapped the half full sake bottle to the floor then buried her face in her arms.
Alice ground her teeth while sending one of her dolls to right the bottle. How dare Marisa just brush off the effort it took to become a magician. How could she....
She shook her head and forced herself to take deep breaths. Obviously there was something else at play. She did her best to calm herself. Fortunately Koakuma had gone back to giving Marisa a back rub, so the other magician wouldn't notice Alice's annoyance.
When she'd gathered some control over her temper she asked carefully, ?Why didn't you want to become a youkai magician? Isn't that the normal result of an immortality technique using magic??
Marisa snorted. ?You wouldn't understand. You're from Makai. Humanity doesn't mean much there. Here...? Marisa managed to push herself somewhat upright with Koakuma's help. ?Here it's different. Now I'm on the other team. Forever. Even if I solve an incident I can only make things worse.?
?Ah...? Shanghai sat down on Alice's shoulder as she thought. Marisa did have a point. She didn't completely understand the details here in Gensoukyo. And she didn't think much about what it meant to be human one way or another. She was Alice, raised by the demon goddess Shinki. The concept of ?humanity? didn't mean much there.
After a while she decided to return to facts. ?So, you created an immortality potion in order to become immortal without ending up as a magician, lich or hermit. And after taking it you ended up as a magician.? Alice frowned. ?That seems wildly improbable. Especially since you're so good with potions. Perhaps you ran afoul of some magical law that isn't in the literature??
?I shouldn't have,? Marisa muttered. ?I made extra sure the potion was inimical to youkai power. Hell the damn thing should have killed me when I became a youkai. There were three different allergens in there.?
Alice sighed. ?I see...? She turned her attention to the table for a while, trying to think of what to do. She couldn't understand this. Koakuma couldn't understand it. She had a feeling talking to Reimu was out of the question. So who could they turn to?
?You don't need to keep twisting my shoulders Koa,? Marisa muttered.
Shnaghai took to the air. That was the solution. ?Marisa, go get cleaned up. We have someone to meet.?
Marisa glared over at her. ?I don't recall saying I wanted to go anywhere.?
Alice rolled her eyes. ?Think for a moment. You want answers to two questions. Why did your potion fail, and how to be a human that isn't fully human.? Alice tapped on the table. ?And the obvious people to answer those questions are Patchouli and Sakuya.?
Marisa blinked a few times. Then nodded. Alice was pleased to see a spark returning to those golden eyes. ?Sakuya. Yeah, she'd understand.? Marisa sighed then slowly stood as Koakuma stepped back. ?I guess I?ll have to take a bath.? She sighed again, then slowly walked over and picked up her hakkero. ?Oh, and if you peek Koa, I'll blast you.? She walked out towards her bathroom.
?Don't worry Marisa,? Koakuma called after her.
Alice closed her eyes as Marisa entered the bathroom. ?Well, we're getting somewhere.?
?Yes. That was very clever Lady Alice. I'm glad you came to help.? Alice started as a softness pressed into her back. Then two hands fell on her shoulders. ?Still, I'm afraid I'm still favoring Marisa in the contest.?
?That was a joke and you know it,? Alice sputtered in protest.
?You said it was an official challenge~? Koakuma replied. Alice's retort was cut off as Koakuma somehow managed to make both shoulders and her breastbone pop. ?And besides, as a succubus my pride demands I prove that I did go easy on Marisa....?
-
Nah, that would indicate it had something to do with the story!
Good thing too: I don't want to slice Marisa's throat with a rusty cleaver :qq:
On topic: Veeeery interesting idea for exploring Marisa as a character. :3 This isn't going to be a one-shot, is it? Please don't tell me it's a one shot, or else you've just written one of the biggest c**kblocks I've ever read. :ohdear:
-
Good thing too: I don't want to slice Marisa's throat with a rusty cleaver :qq:
On topic: Veeeery interesting idea for exploring Marisa as a character. :3 This isn't going to be a one-shot, is it? Please don't tell me it's a one shot, or else you've just written one of the biggest c**kblocks I've ever read. :ohdear:
I promise it won't be over until the shrine maiden complains.
-
Alice sighed as her spine seemed to lose its strength. ?Alright alright you win.?
Koakuma giggle. ?Actually I believe Marisa wins.? Alice shuddered as Koakuma breathed into her ear. ?Servitude for a year and a day was it??
Shanghai whapped the little demon upside the head. ?Don?t you dare,? Alice muttered.
?Aww...? Koakuma pouted, then she smiled. ?Well then I guess I could take Marisa for that time.?
Alice slowly pushed herself upright. ?Drop the matter and I?ll help you surprise Patchouli.?
Koakuma thought for a moment, ?Alright, it?s a deal. Three for one is best anyway~?
Alice?s retort was cut off by Marisa exiting her bathroom. ?Let?s go before I think of a way out of this,? the witch muttered.
Alice groaned and stood. ?Yes. Let?s get out of here.?
----
As their little group walked through the shelves in silence Alice once again noted how Voile was very obviously Patchouli?s space, not Remilia?s.
The most obvious indicator was the bookshelves themselves. Remilia would have compromised ease of use with aesthetics on some level. Patchouli just had Koakuma put the books into the correct shelf with no concern as to whether it stuck out past its fellows or was half the size of it?s neighbors.
The furniture was another strong indicator. While everything was of similar make to Remilia?s, it was all scattered and oddly placed here in the library. Sakuya probably had given up at some point. Chairs were placed as bookstops, tables were overturned to create makeshift pens, and several of the ubiquitous flower lamps had been reconfigured to stands for magical artifacts.
Finally they arrived where Patchouli was working. Shanghai and Koakuma both waved, while Alice nodded politely. Marisa on the other hand did her best to disappear. Alice moved behind the woman so she couldn?t run away as easily. She was just glad they?d gotten to Marisa before she?d gotten seriously drunk.
?I?m back Miss Patchouli!? Koakuma chirped.
Patchouli gave the group one of her long stares that would look so much better with glasses. ?I asked you to bring back the stolen books, not the thief responsible, Koakuma. Though since Alice is here I....? Patchouli suddenly started then stared directly at Marisa. Alice put her hand lightly on the witch?s shoulder to keep her from backing up more.
Despite how serious the matter was, seeing Patchouli totally and utterly dumbstruck was one of Alice?s secret pleasures. The way realization slowly dawned across the elder magician?s face was somehow priceless. It started out as simple suspicion, turned to inspection, then shock, curiosity and bitter annoyance before finally settling on pure disbelief. ?You. How did you do it?!?? Patchouli choked out.
Marisa flinched at the question. ?I don?t know. I fucked up somehow.?
Patchouli started to tremble. ?You. You. You. You completed both magician rituals? By accident?!?
Patchouli started rapidly whispering and a magic symbol formed around her feet. Marisa yelped and ducked under a nearby table, while Koakuma teleported away. Alice simply snarled and flicked her wrist to drop one of her suicide dolls on Patchouli's arm. ?You can kill her later! Right now I want to find out what's going on.?
A fit of coughing seized Patchouli and the magical runes faded. Marisa poked her head out as the elder wizard sat down. ?Fine,? Patchy muttered. ?I suppose this is something that needs study, no matter how much it insults me.?
?Wait a second Patchy,? Marisa said as she moved back up next to Alice. ?You said I completed both rituals? Shashoku and Shachuu??
?Yes.? Patchouli replied sharply. ?Something that should be impossible.?
?Yeah well I should be dead too,? Marisa muttered as she pulled out some papers and tossed them on the table. Alice could help but lean forward as Patchouli moved to get a look at them. ?My notes. I used all the ingredients as written.?
The three all crowded around the table, previous threats forgotten as they poured over the papers. Alice had to admit Marisa's mastery of potion craft was impressive. It was vastly better than hers, and judging by the way Patchouli was occasionally referencing another book, it was probably better than Patchouli's as well. Alice had always suspected Patchouli was an alchemist who worked better with non organic compounds.
Still the basics were easy enough even for Alice to figure out. ?You?re right, Marisa. That much hemlock would kill a human, and sakaki berries are deadly to us youkai. I have no idea how you?re still breathing.?
?But I'm not dead,? Marisa pointed out.
?I can fix that if you want,? Patchouli muttered.
?Ah, it seems matters weren't as bad as you suggested, Koakuma.?
The trio looked up to see Sakuya floating down, with the little devil behind her. The maid had a serving tray with a pot of tea held in one hand, while she idly flipped a knife in the other. ?I brought tea if you aren?t actually planning on killing each other right now. It was also suggested I might wish to stick around for the conversation??
Alice and Shanghai both turned to look at Marisa, the doll folding her arms as she did. Marisa looked away and pursed her lips. Alice wondered if Marisa had finally realized how insulting complaining about being a youkai was to a bunch of youkai, or if she was still just angry about her weakness.
Sakuya just put down the tray and poured the tea silently. She was an expert in waiting people out, much better than Yumeko. Of course their masters were quite different as well, Alice reflected.
Finally Marisa sighed and hung her head. ?So yeah. I wanted to chat with you Sakuya.?
Sakuya blinked at that. ?Well I suppose I could take a short break. Please feel free to speak what?s on your mind.?
?Well...? Marisa looked over to Alice and Patchouli before quickly looking away. ?Mind if we walk and talk a bit??
Sakuya nodded. ?Of course not.? She bowed to Patchouli. ?With your leave?? Patchouli waved the two away before turning back to Marisa?s notes. Alice gave the two a polite nod as they wandered off.
As soon as Marisa rounded the corner Koakuma pulled out another book. ?Ah. I brought you the encyclopedia of eastern potion making as well Miss Patchouli. I figured you might want it around now.?
Patchouli gave a sigh of relief. ?Thank you Koakuma. I have no idea why the hydrangeas had to be blue, but Marisa was specific about it.?
Shanghai hid a grin while Alice raised an eyebrow. ?So you admit she?s better than you at potions??
Patchouli grunted. ?And other item enchantments. I knew I should have studied those more, but it was so time consuming and alchemy seemed like a better use of my resources.?
?The perils of being a magician without a specialty.? Alice replied.
Patchouli flipped the book open harshly. ?It would be easier to accept if her magical studies weren?t all over the place. I?d never met someone so deserving of the term hedge magician before. It stings my pride, even if Marisa is a master at it.?
Alice smiled. ?Well perhaps you could use some stress reduction.? She quickly dropped a silence rune on the elder magician. ?Koakuma maybe a backrub will help your mistress.?
Patchouli?s eye?s opened wide, but Koakuma was already in motion. ?A fine idea~! Now don?t worry Miss Patchouli. I promise you I won?t use my full power.?
It took Patchouli half a second to dispel the rune preventing the magician from ordering Koakuma to stop. By then of course Koakuma already had her hands on Patchouli?s shoulders and chest against the magician?s back. ?Koakuma that?s no- ah!?
Alice sat down and tried not to look too smug at Patchouli?s expression as she melted into the table. ?I really must get you to teach me how to do that someday, Koakuma.?
-----
Marisa walked silently along Sakuya. Every now and then she found herself glancing over at the maid. She knew what she wanted to say, but how could she put her feelings into words?
Finally Sakuya stopped walking and turned to look directly at her. Marisa couldn?t help but flinch away from the older woman?s gaze. ?I see. So you became a magician.? Sakuya said. ?I thought I was just sensing one of Patchouli?s experiments, but I guess I was wrong.?
?For a dabbler you?re pretty good.? Marisa couldn?t bring herself to look at Sakuya?s eyes to see the maid?s emotions. ?It?s... well... I didn?t want to become a magician. The potion was supposed to make me immortal, but not a magician.?
?Hm?? Sakuya?s sound of surprise helped banish some of the butterflies in Marisa?s stomach. She looked over to see Sakuya tapping her knife belt and looking up in contemplation. ?That seems strange, but I suppose stranger things have happened.?
The maid?s eyes opened wide for a bit, then she looked back at Marisa in sympathy. ?Ah I see. You understood what it meant to be human. That?s why you were trying to avoid becoming a youkai.?
Marisa let out a long sigh and sank down next to one of the shelves. ?Human? I dunno. But, well, I wanted to give other people who were weak a goal to aim for.? Sakuya sat down next to her as she continued. ?When I was a kid, when I was with Mima or even just when I was flying around on my own I never realized how big a deal it was. I mean, here I was, a kid with a little more magic power than average, and I was flying around Gensoukyo beating up master youkai right alongside the Hakurei maiden.?
Marisa stared up at the crimson ceiling. ?I think it was Byakuren who finally made me figure it out. When she told me youkai were oppressed, I thought of all the humans who spent
their lives completely at the mercy of youkai. Sure it?s not a big a deal if you?ve got the special magic bloodline or you?re a god, but to those of us who have to train for years to be able to fight and survive it means a lot!?
?I imagine people with the ability to master time would fall into the ?not that big a deal category,? Sakuya stated.
Marisa winced. She accepted the maid?s cold stare with her own eyes. ?Sorry Sakuya. I didn?t mean to hit that.?.
She sighed. ?That?s actually why I wanted to talk to you before Reimu.? She matched her gold eyes to Sakuya?s blue ones. ?You know what it means to lose part of your humanity against your will.?
Sakuya nodded, then closed her eyes. ?Yes... I do know that.? The maid?s eyes flickered open again. ?But I?m afraid Marisa my advice won?t help you much. Because the humanity I lost was the one part you were going to throw away. I don?t hate you for it, but you must understand, a human who doesn?t die naturally is barely a human at all.?
?Well, you?re still a human,? Marisa protested. ?You just work for a devil. That?s why the villagers can?t relate.?
?It?s much more than that, Marisa,? Sakuya replied. ?Mokou is human. Keine is half human. Even Meiling was once human. In fact she said at one point that any children she has will naturally be human as well.?
Marisa blinked at that. ?Really? Meiling? Isn?t she older than China itself??
?Not quite. But she knew the immortals who left to become the first Lunarians,? Sakuya stated with a smile. ?Still, you can see how time changes someone. As the centuries pass it?s impossible to not become distant from humanity.?
Marisa let her head flop back against the shelves. ?So you?re saying I was pursuing something impossible to begin with.?
?I?m afraid so.?
Marisa groaned. It figured. She never should have trusted a youkai?s word on the matter. Even if that youkai was Yukari. Then again it was nice knowing the youkai sage could be so uninformed on humans.
She drummed her fingers on the floor. ?I still would have liked to stay a human. Now it looks like I switched teams because humans aren?t good enough.?
Sakuya nodded, then leaned back herself. ?To be honest, I?m one of the few humans who would think like that. I?m afraid that within a century no one will remember you as a human Marisa.?
Marisa turned to face the maid as Sakuya put her hand on her shoulder. ?However you can still make a difference if you want. Weren?t you trained by a youkai yourself? One with hatred for humans no less. Why not take that role up??
?That?s boring nonsense. Where?s the fun if you can?t blow people up yourself?? Marisa muttered.
Sakuya laughed. ?Ah that?s our Marisa.? The maid stood and dusted herself off. ?Well, you?ll have plenty of time to figure out where you stand in Gensoukyo now. If it?s a big deal for now, remember, you can just lie. Reimu?s the only other human you spend time with who will notice.?
Marisa pulled herself up as well. ?I?m not looking forward to that either,? she said.
?Hm, I think you should worry more about Patchouli killing you in a fit of jealousy,? Sakuya replied with a grin. ?She takes pride in her magical abilities, and she hates being shown up by ?a country witch? as she so delicately puts it. She had enough trouble coming to terms with my ability.?
?Huh. I figured she?d be laughing at me.? Marisa dusted off her hat. ?At least there?s some silver lining to this cloud. I should get back and annoy Patchy more.?
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Hee. That last bit was pure Marisa, right there. X3
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Patchouli groaned and shifted in her seat to try to get her spine to return to a solid state. Koakuma?s backrubs were... intense. It didn?t help that the little devil had decided to hang onto her back. She turned her eyes on Alice, who looked far too smug. ?Treachery on all sides.?
Alice chuckled lightly as Shanghai stuck out her tongue. ?Sorry Patchouli. I had to make a deal with the devil earlier. And I?m afraid you were the only acceptable sacrifice.?
?You didn?t like it Miss Patchouli?? Koakuma asked. Patchouli idly wondered how Koakuma managed to sound sultry and hurt at the same time. Perhaps it was an innate skill for her kind. Fortunately over eighty years of living with the little devil had allowed Patchouli to gain the skill to keep a straight face.
?It distracted me from the papers,? Patchouli replied. She pushed herself somewhat upright, then moved one of Marisa?s formula notes to the center of the table. ?I still want to understand this nonsense after all.?
Alice nodded. ?You?re right.? She leaned over to peer at the paper Patchouli had selected out. ?Do you think the answer is here??
?Yes.? Patchouli tapped the intricate circular design that took up most of the middle of the paper. ?This is the spell Marisa cast to enchant the potion. The one truth of potion crafting and alchemy is that without magic, the results are just a slurry. If magic isn?t required it?s mere herbalism.?
?Really?? Shanghai folded her arms as Alice blinked. ?Odd that none of my books mention this.?
Patchouli felt Koakuma?s nod of assent from behind her. ?The terms are a little unofficial. It was more important back when the church was around. That way you knew which potions you could make without revealing yourself as a witch.?
?Ah that explains it.? Alice turned back to the paper as Shanghai grinned. ?Being a witch in Makai is a sign of power, as opposed to a trip to the stake. You wouldn?t want to advertise what you could do without having magic of your own.?
?That makes good sense.? Patchouli shifted again to try to get Koakuma to stop pressing so closely against her back. Fortunately Koakuma took the hint and found herself a chair.
?In any case I think if we untangle the central spell I think we can figure out what happened.? Patchouli looked down at the runes with a hiss of distaste. ?Though I can?t stand what she does to the Hebrew language. It?s nearly blasphemy.?
?Actually a lot of the time it is blasphemy,? Koakuma said cheerily. ?It?s one of her good points.?
?Ah, I didn?t know you had it in you Marisa. I thought you were rather agnostic.? Patchouli looked up at Sakuya?s voice to see the maid and Marisa walking back towards them. A certain amount of spring had returned to the young witch?s step Patchouli noted, along with the normal mischievous gleam in the eye.
?I figure if any god cares they?ll complain. That?s what Kanako did after all.? Marisa dropped into a chair. ?Anyway that?s a double spell there Patchy. I used numerology and the syllable ordering in Japanese to get two stanzas into one.?
Patchoui stared in disbelief at Marisa?s smug expression. That girl really had no idea what she was doing did she? Yes you could pack more spell into a smaller area that way, and admittedly it would be quite helpful for a number of the more complex youkai spells she was researching but... Patchouli shook her head to clear the idea out. Mixing alphabets and numerological systems was a recipe for disaster.
Sakuya gave the group a bow. ?Well I fear the conversation will be too complex for me to contribute, so I?ll take my leave. Farewell.?
?Thank you for the tea, Sakuya,? Alice said. Marisa and Koakuma just waved. Patchouli simply returned to looking at the paper. Perhaps Marisa?s odd spellcraft had something to do with it...
?I?m curious Marisa, why do you use Hebrew?? Koakuma asked. ?You have no faith at all in the God of the plagues, and you don?t use a Makai style of magic.?
?I could ask the same of you ya know,? Marisa said. ?Why do you Makai people use it? Latin?s easier, and you?re more eastern than western in the end.?
Patchouli looked up over at Alice. "I have to admit, that is a good question Marisa.?
Shanghai hid behind her owner as Marisa and Koakuma also turned their gaze to Alice. The puppeteer blinked a few times, then closed her eyes to think. ?Hm... Why use Hebrew... Ah! Now I remember.? Alice pointed at Koakuma. ?Mother said it was easier to create demons like her with Hebrew. The language just works better for them, and they have an easier time in the outside world. She uses Chinese for the more eastern demons.?
Patchouli nodded. That made sense. She turned to Koakuma. ?So that?s why you claim to be Jewish.?
Koakuma turned her head, sniffed and put on a pair of prop glasses. ?I do not pretend to be Jewish. I am a practicing demon of the Jewish faith. I don?t commit sins on Yom Kippur just for fun you know.?
?You do seem to have a lot of fun doing it though,? Patchouli replied. Patchouli remembered some of those attempts at sinning well. Admittedly it was much more amusing now that Koakuma could split her attention between multiple victims.
?Was that when you had the pork banquet?? Marisa asked suspiciously.
Alice nodded while Shanghai moved to inspect Koakuma?s new glasses look. ?Don?t forget those cheeseburgers specifically made with the mothers milk.?
Marisa shuddered. Apparently she still hadn?t gotten over the accident with the bacon grease that had happened afterwards. It hadn?t actually been Koakuma?s fault that time but.... ?So Patchy, what did you find.?
Patchouli looked back to the spell ring. ?I found that your numerology gives me headaches.? She scanned over the Hebrew a few more times before shaking her head. ?You should just write out your secondary spell. It will save us time.?
Marisa smirked, but the expression rapidly faded. ?Point. Should I put it in the hirigana or kanji??
?Both please,? Alice said. ?If this was a side effect then it could be from either system.?
?Right.? Marisa wrote out the two lines in her ?art? penmanship. Patchouli had heard that it was terrible calligraphy from Reimu, but it was a damn sight more readable in Patchouli?s mind. And far better than Marisa?s normal scrawl.
The four moved in to peer at the paper. ?Hm...? Alice cocked her head. ?That?s a pretty good limitation. You specifically prevented the spell from performing Shashoku while leaving alternative paths open. Weren?t you a little worried about burning yourself out though??
Marisa pointed at the outer ring. ?First rule Mima taught me, always keep your spells from pulling more power than you got. Doesn?t always work but it?s a good safety tip.?
Patchouli raised an eyebrow. ?That is good advice. I admit to skipping it sometimes for more complex spells due to the interactions, but-?
?But you should use it all the time Miss Patchouli,? Koakuma?s stated sternly. ?You remember what happened in Makai.?
?That wasn?t a mistake in the spell limitation. It was a mistake in the results,? Patchouli lied. She really hated being reminded of that error. To be fair that specific limiter wouldn?t have helped. After all it was more a matter of numbers but-
?Ah!?
Patchouli stared down at the kanji line. Of course. ?Koakuma, please figure out the numerology of the stroke count in Marisa?s little sub spell here.?
Marisa looked confused, while Alice and Shanghai both started in surprise. ?You don?t mean...?
?It?s one. Wait!? Koakuma gasped then snatched up the paper, eyes running back and forth over the lines. ?It?s... exactly one hundred.?
Patchouli nodded. ?And that explains everything.?
Marisa and Alice both stared at her in confusion. Patchouli stretched a little in victory. It was good to put the youngsters in their place every now and then. ?This is the danger of working with multiple systems. If you use numerology one way there?s a chance it will work backwards as well.? Patchouli tapped the circle. ?Normally if you ask a spell to do something impossible it simply fails. This spell should have failed, since it?s impossible to become immortal via normal magic without becoming a magician. However you gave the spell a loophole.?
?A loophole?? Marisa shook her head. ?How? What does having exactly one hundred strokes mean??
Patchouli scrawled 100 onto the paper. ?In numerology pure exponentials of ten have greater meaning. They are both one and more than one. In this case you have a one going through two transitions. Thus....?
The other three women (and one doll) looked at each other then back to her. ?Could you perhaps explain that again?? Alice asked.
?Perhaps a picture will suffice.? Patchouli tapped her hand on the table and an illusion of the magician card popped up. ?Card number one, transformed twice.?
Patchouli enjoyed the silence as her reasoning slowly set in. Alice was first to realize it, as Shanghai?s hand went slack. Koakuma and Marisa went slack jawed seconds later. ?You mean I made it magically impossible to complete the spell as I intended, so it abused numerology to justify skipping up straight to full ageless magician?? Marisa sputtered.
?Yes.? Patchouli tapped the number again. ?Highly improbable. Near impossible I?d say. But with magic anything is technically possible. The sudden shift probably cured the poisons in your bloodstream. That must be how you survived the process.?
There was another round of silence as everyone considered the matter.
?You are the luckiest person I?ve ever met, Marisa,? Alice said. ?It?s the only way you aren?t dead.?
?Apparently so.? Marisa sighed. ?I was hoping this was because of the position of the stars or some other power beyond my control. Not because of some magical nonsense buried in my spell.?
?To be fair, I don?t think anyone could have seen that coming Marisa,? Koakuma said. ?I mean, it is something of a stretch.?
Patchouli looked down at the spell again. While it rankled her traditional aesthetics it was a masterwork of potion craft and spell design. Marisa had to have spent years tweaking it over and over. Especially the rune placement. It was a dedication to the craft that most magicians just didn?t have.
She looked up from the notes to Gensoukyo?s newest magician. It was time to come to a decision. She had an idea where Alice stood, and she knew Koakuma had a very strong interest in the thief as well. At this point the only thing standing in her way was pride.
She nodded to herself. She wasn?t Remilia. She could take some hits to her pride.
She turned her chair so she could face both Alice and Marisa. ?Well then. Now that you?ve become a full magician Marisa I have an offer to make.?
?Eh?? The Alice and Marisa spun to face her. ?An offer??
Koakuma?s eyes widened and her headwings started flapping happily. ?You mean-!?
?Yes.? Patchouli steepled her hands. ?I think it would be to our mutual benefit if we formed a coven.?
The two younger magicians stared at her a bit in surprise. ?Seriously?? Alice asked. ?Ritual pact and everything??
?Do people even do that anymore?? Marisa shook her head. ?Sure I?m not exactly a magical history scholar, but haven?t damn near all the covens broken up by now??
Patchouli sniffed. ?The best witches actually did things. Performed experiments and altered the destiny of nations. Unfortunately doing things instead of hiding in the far realms tends to have a higher attrition rate. Most magicians over a thousand years are barely worthy of the name. That Byakuren woman outdoes them, and she?s quit researching the arts.?
Alice raised an eyebrow at that. ?So we should join you because it increases our chances of being killed??
?If either of you two was that worried about being offed by a mob of angry villagers you?d have kept a much lower profile.? Patchouli stated. ?The only one of us who could disappear at this point is you Alice, and I imagine you would find that incredibly dull.?
?I suppose...? Alice leaned back in her chair. ?So what would this entail then??
Patchouli nodded to Koakuma. ?The contract if you would??
?Of course!? Koakuma sprang to her feet and pulled three sheets of magical writings from her pocket and placed them down on the table. Apparently she?d been keeping it on her at all times, Patchouli mused. The little devil obviously liked the idea.
As Marisa and Alice inspected their copies, Koakuma dragged over a blackboard and pulled a pointer from her pocket. ?As you can see this is a very weak contract. It doesn?t disallow combat between the members, though it reinforces the spell card rules. Gensoukyo is no fun without a little action after all. Even if it?s not my kind of action. I mean it would be so much better if...?
The three magicians sighed as one. ?Get on with it,? Patchouli muttered.
Koakuma coughed. ?The main points of the compact are as follows. Research materials are shared between the members, though spells can be kept secret. That means you two can borrow books, but we get to take them back whenever we want.?
?That does sound superior to the normal method,? Alice replied.
Marisa folded her arms behind her head. ?I dunno. I kinda like the shooting part of borrowing. Though I suppose I can pick a fight whenever.?
?If you want to blast off Koakuma?s clothes I?m sure she?d be willing to oblige you,? Patchouli commented. She smirked as Marisa broke into sputtered protests. Fortunately Marisa was behind her so the younger witch couldn?t see the expression. But since Shanghai was altering between amusement and annoyance she signalled Koakuma to continue.
Koakuma winked then tapped another point. ?Since it?s a ritual binding you?ll also be able to combine your magics more efficiently. If you want to that is. You?ll also find it easier to call upon energy sources that one of you is familiar with. So Alice and Marisa will find elemental magics slightly easier, while Miss Patchouli will have a better time with emotion based magics.
?That does sound useful,? Alice said. ?I?ve had issues with elemental spirits in the past.?
?Also as part of the spell you three will be able to locate each other at any time with concentration. Of course it?s not exact, and it won?t pass your normal scrying wards, so no worries about anyone looking in at a bad time.?
Koakuma stood up straight and tall and grinned widely. ?And finally you all get me~!?
Patchouli coughed and spun to face the other two magicians. ?I?d best explain it before Koakuma finds the proper double entendres.?
?Aw, Miss Patchouli,? Koakuma pouted. ?I promise none of it will be proper.? Patchouli ignored her.
?What that means is you?ll be sharing the familiar bond with me,? Patchouli stated. ?It?s something Mai worked out with Yuki. We used it to maintain my bond with Koakuma?s sister Elle while still giving those two the status as her master.?
Alice and Marisa nodded in understanding. ?Seems like Mai really knows her demons.? Marisa said. ?Too bad she didn?t have any slave types when I went against her in Makai. Fight was kinda dull with her just sticking to ice chunks.?
?Anyway I?m not giving you Master status over Koakuma, just a link.? Patchouli narrowed her eyes to make the matter clear. Koakuma was hers first until the little devil complained otherwise. ?Still that does mean she?ll be disposed to aid you, and have the innate mental connection to know how best to go about it.?
She turned to Marisa. ?Though it also means she?ll know exactly how far she can push her jokes before you get really mad. You?d best be prepared for that.?
?Hmph.? Marisa rolled her eyes. She wasn?t aware of Koakuma?s true power. Oh well. Patchouli wasn?t going to tell her.
Marisa tapped the table a few times. ?Right, so why us?? Alice rested her head on her hands, obviously interested in the answer as well.
Patchouli first nodded towards the puppeteer. ?Alice?s choice should be obvious. You possibly have the most raw power among the magicians of Gensoukyo, if you ever decided to actually cut loose. In addition you have a unique magical talent in doll creation and manipulation. I don?t think any other magician possesses your artistry. Finally I enjoy your presence.?
She turned to Marisa. ?Meanwhile you have a staggering array of skills for someone as haphazardly taught as yourself. Your ability to create new magics and steal other people?s spells is both infuriating and terrifying. And your mastery of danmaku combat is comparable to the shrine maiden?s.? Patchouli sighed. ?Finally this is the only way I?m getting my books back now that you?re immortal.?
Marisa laughed. ?Really? I figured you?d be threatening to kill me.?
?Koakuma would pout at me if I actually killed you,? Patchouli replied.
Koakuma nodded. ?For weeks. Months even.?
?Well we can?t have that,? Alice commented. ?So then, why only us??
Patchouli nodded. ?Well partially because there?s no one else really worth inviting in. Byakuren has abandoned worldly concerns. Mai and Yuki aren?t leaving their mansion in Makai. Ellen isn?t the type to bind herself to a group, even lightly. Marisa?s tutor Mima remains dead, which sadly disqualifies her even if she was moving about. And no one else we?ve met is worthy of the invitation.?
?But primarily because we are uncommonly well suited for it.? Patchouli looked both the other magicians in the eye. ?We are all active in Gensoukyo?s affairs to some degree. We have similar styles of magic, but different focuses. And we form an auspicious grouping.?
Koakuma smiled. ?Three ladies. The spinner, the weaver and the cutter,? Koakuma pointed to Marisa, Alice and Patchouli in turn.
Shanghai fluttered around as Alice lowered her head in thought. ?I see. This does make sense....?
Marisa rocked back and forth on her chair chewing her lip. Patchouli turned towards her. If Marisa agreed Alice was sure to follow.
Finally Marisa allowed her chair to fall to the ground with a thump. She looked up and Patchouli was surprised to see the young witches eyes glowing brightly. ?I agree on one condition. My apprentices get access to the library too.?
?You?re planning on taking apprentices, Marisa?? Alice asked. Shanghai moved to flutter around the gold eyed witch. ?What brought this on??
Marisa pulled her hat brim down a bit. ?It?s just a thought for now. I?m not planning it soon. And don?t worry about me starting a school or anything. But I wanna keep my options open.?
Patchouli nodded. Well it?s not like someone could do more damage than Marisa. ?I?d agree to that. Alice? Your thoughts??
Alice closed her eyes while Shanghai paced. ?I think.... I want to talk to someone first.?
?Eh?? Patchouli blinked in surprise.
Marisa looked equally confused. ?You?re gonna ask Shinki??
?No.? Alice looked over at Koakuma. ?I think we need to have a long talk Koakuma.?
?EH!?? Koakuma flinched away as Alice?s gaze fell upon her. ?Why??
Alice raised an eyebrow as Shanghai put her hands on her hips. ?I believe I told you we?d have to have a talk earlier, yes??
Koakuma?s eyes opened wide. ?Ah! You?re right.? The little devil hopped to her feet. ?Lead on Lady Alice.?
Seeing that her familiar was no longer in panic mode Patchouli relaxed a little as well. ?Then I guess we?ll wait for you here.?
Marisa seemed just as confused as Patchouli felt, but the witch just waved. ?Have fun you two.?
Alice gave them both a nod. As the two left Alice said over her shoulder. ?You two might consider talking to each other while we?re out. Especially given you?ll be seeing even more of each other. And of us.?
Patchouli blinked and looked at Marisa. The other witch blinked then leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Patchouli sighed. This was going to be an... interesting chat.
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Spinner, weaver, and cutter... a less contentious choice than maiden, mother, and... the other one. Interesting read. I'm looking forward to more.
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Spinner, weaver, and cutter... a less contentious choice than maiden, mother, and... the other one. Interesting read. I'm looking forward to more.
Actually Maiden (Maiden Thief), Mother (Mother of Dolls) and Crone (Crone of Knowledge) actually fit better. My Patchouli wouldn't be too annoyed by the term, but Koa knew if she put it that way Marisa would laugh, and then a fight would start. And danmaku makes conversation hard.
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Hm, yeah, Patchouli is ... probably older than Marisa or Alice, too~
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Koakuma followed after Alice into the library. She tried to stay calm, but Shanghai?s stare from over Alice?s shoulder made it felt like she was being escorted to prison. Imagining all the fun things that could be done with handcuffs helped, but only a little.
Finally they reached another lounge area. The two sat down in chairs across from each other, Koakuma taking the one with holes for her wings.
A few moments passed as Shanghai flitted back and forth across the area. Koakuma wasn?t really sure what Alice wanted to ask. Or perhaps it was more she didn?t know what Alice wanted to ask first.
Finally Alice sighed. ?Well let?s start with the basics. I always assumed your interest in Marisa was more... work related.?
Koakuma blinked. ?Well there?s some of that. As the Librarian demon I?m attracted to everyone who seeks knowledge. But it?s more than that. She?s got so many great qualities. She?s fun to tease, and wonderfully clever in hilarious ways. She?s an irreverent thief, and a general nuisance.? Koakuma smiled at Alice. ?You like her for those qualities too right??
Alice frowned at the litany. ?Somehow I don?t think that?s why I?m attracted to her. In fact those seem like a lot of her more annoying qualities.?
Koakuma shrugged. ?Well I suppose you?d say you liked her determined attitude and carefree nature, but they?re the same thing right??
?That?s...? Alice?s frown turned into a sigh. ?Well that?s arguable. Still I see what you?re saying.? Alice smiled a little. ?And it is fun to sweep the rug out from under her.?
?See. I knew you had fine taste Lady Alice.? Koakuma replied.
Alice tapped her fingers against the table. ?And I imagine you have an attraction towards Patchouli for the same reason. You enjoy trying to break her cool.?
Koakuma felt a warmth run up her wings. ?Well yes, that?s fun. But well...? Koakuma couldn?t help but grin foolishly. ?She?s also the only person who called upon me for my work skills, instead of just eye candy that could help around the mansion.?
Alice?s expression softened into a smile. ?I see.? Shanghai covered her cheeks and fluttered back and forth a bit as the puppeteer hummed in thought. ?Yes Patchouli is uniquely romantic. Not always in a good way, but always unique.?
Koakuma?s headwings twitched a bit at that. ?Yeah, the dragon heart was entirely her idea. Er, as was the tome of chocolate summoning. I sometimes wish she?d ask me for hints.?
?I think it?s a certain part of her charm,? Alice replied. ?It at least helps her stand out. Besides you?d have suggested a book on seduction spells.?
Koakuma crossed her arms. ?That?s nonsense! I?d have told her to give you a book on binding spells.?
Alice shook her head. ?As if that was any better.? Alice leaned back. ?Still I think I see it now. Neither of them care about our status, for good or ill. They don?t care that you?re a lowly succubi, and they don?t care that I?m Alice, The Girl of Death.?
The puppeteer looked out into the distance while Shanghai paced, then turned towards Koakuma. The little devil fought to keep from squirming as Alice?s gaze focused in on her. ?And with that we come to the big problem. Where do we stand, Koakuma??
Koakuma tried to focus on Shanghai. ?What do you mean?
?You know very well what I mean.? Alice put her hands on the table. ?I?m quite aware you?re trying to set up a group relationship between the four of us. And while setting up this coven isn?t going to make that a certainty, the four of us being in close proximity will mean we?ll have to start facing our personal issues sooner rather than later.? Alice held up two fingers. ?The first issue of course is the fact that Marisa and Patchouli don?t exactly mesh well.? Koakuma fought to keep from flinching as Alice pointed at her. ?The second issue is that you are afraid of me.?
Koakuma felt her wings twitching she tried not to let it show. ?That?s not...? As Alice?s face fell the little devil could tell her lies weren?t working. Koakuma felt herself shrink a little. ?I?m not afraid of you exactly Lady Alice.? Koakuma tried to avoid cringing at Alice?s frown. ?It?s just... well you call my creator goddess ?Mom.? It?s a little unnerving.?
Alice?s expression didn?t improve, so Koakuma pressed on. ?No honestly. I?m not worried that you?ll kill me personally. It?s just hard for me not worry about the in laws.? Which was completely the truth. If Alice could stand Marisa?s schizophrenic attention anything Koakuma could throw at her would be fine. Angering Lady Shinki on the other hand usually involved waking up with a sword in your head.
Koakuma sat and sweated as Alice stared into her soul. Possibly literally, given the magician?s focus on creating life. Shanghai?s glare muted the seriousness a little, and Koakuma was used to annoying people vastly more powerful than her. The stakes were rarely this high however.
Koakuma jumped as Alice slapped herself on the forehead then slumped onto the table. ?Oh dear lord, I?m becoming my mother.?
?Well that?s not entirely true Alice. I mean, you?d need to go up a cup size at least before that.? Koakuma ducked under the bullet that Shanghai fired at her, then smiled at Alice?s glare. ?You could also smile more.?
Alice glared at her a bit more, than smiled. ?I suppose I?ll accept that for now.? The puppeteer straightened up in her chair. ?It still doesn?t exactly fix things you know.?
Now it was Koakuma?s turn to sigh. ?I know.? The little devil looked up at Alice with her best puppy dog eyes. ?But we can try to work things out right? I mean, we both share the same loves. And I know you?re dying to learn the many ways doll strings can be used for-mph!? Koakuma flinched back as a plush doll smacked her right in the mouth.
?Yes, yes, thank you for showing me you?re trying not to treat me that much differently from anyone else,? Alice muttered. The puppeteer shook her head. ?Well I suppose we?ll see where we stand later. After all I?m still undecided on how much idiocy my mind can take.? Alice mentally retrieved her doll while brushing off her mantle. Koakuma smiled to herself. Maybe she?d never fully get over the differences in their status, but Alice was still plenty of fun to tease.
Then she sobered up. ?Ah, there?s still the big problem. Do you think we should go back and make sure they aren?t fighting??
Alice looked down at the ground and raised her hands in supplication. ?Mother might have to personally intervene to stop those two from fighting. If they can just keep it to words instead of danmaku I?ll consider it a victory.?
?Yeah...? Koakuma tried to gain some semblance of hope from the fact that at least the two liked fighting.
----
Today was turning out to be an odd day, Marisa thought as she stared up at Voile?s ceiling. Better than the last couple of days, but still something of a mess.
?So I take it you?re going to pretend I?m not here while we wait for them to return??
Marisa looked down to see Patchouli frowning at her. ?In case you hadn?t noticed, I haven?t had the best of days. I figured you weren?t looking for a fight, but if you want me to bug you Patchy....?
Marisa?s eyebrows shot up as Patchouli grimaced and nodded. ?As Alice pointed out, we will be speaking with each other more frequently. Which means we should clear the air between us a little now.?
?There?s not exactly much to clear is there?? Marisa shrugged and leaned back in her chair. ?You don?t like how I borrow your books. I like reading. Won?t this pact stop most of it??
Marisa sat up straighter as Patchouli put down the book she was carrying and stared directly at her. ?Marisa Kirisame. I have toiled for over one hundred years to build the greatest personal library of knowledge in the physical world. As one of the few magicians alive from the outside world I personally created entire tomes of spells by myself. At great personal cost I mastered the spells to stop my aging before my thirtieth birthday.? Patchouli stood up. ?Meanwhile you stole my books and spells. Then slapped together a magic potion that surpassed my achievements by accident!?
Marisa got the feeling Patchouli?s issues with her might be a little bigger than what she previously thought.
?Er, well... I can kinda see where you?d be a little annoyed by that.? Marisa shrugged and frowned. ?But I won?t apologize for doing everything I can to become a better magician. Especially since I started behind to begin with. I suppose not giving your stuff back when you asked for it might?ve been a little too far, but I?m not gonna hold back just because you don?t wanna lose.?
Marisa locked her eyes to Patchouli?s as they glared at each other across the table. Fortunately for Marisa, Patchouli had the physical presence of a wet beach towel. Unfortunately Patchouli was used to having Flandre use her vampire intimidation tricks on her. Neither budged.
In the end Patchouli smirked. ?Well I suppose we are similar in that one way. Whatever it takes to become the greatest magician alive. Though I imagine we have rather different ideas on what that means.? Patchouli relaxed back into her chair, and Marisa followed suit. ?But you understand my pride as a youkai demands I humble you at least once.?
?Ha!? Marisa smirked back. This was more her style. ?Sure, anytime. But you?d better be okay with the results, no matter how it ends.?
?Hm? You think I?m planning to lose?? Patchouli replied.
Marisa wagged her finger at the elder magician. ?You might know more about magical theory, but I know more about fighting and losing.? She sighed. ?If you fight Reimu a lot you gotta get used to losing after all.?
Marisa shrugged. ?Anyway it?s okay to hate losing, but you gotta be able to take a loss.? She frowned at Patchouli. ?That?s why Alice never goes all out anymore. She can?t take a loss like that again. So if you do wanna go at it fine. But don?t pick a fight in any field where you?ll regret losing forever. I ain?t gonna hold back no matter what?s on the line.?
Patchouli snorted. ?I?ve bargained with devils Marisa Kirisame. Don?t tell me how to hedge my bets.? The elder magician sighed. ?The only place I couldn?t stand losing is the one thing that isn?t a competition.?
?Huh?? Marisa started then gave Patchouli a long look. They were in a contest right now? What could that be?
A few seconds later her cheeks flushed as the answer came to her. ?Hey now! You aren?t after Alice just because-?
?Don?t even insinuate that nonsense,? Patchouli snapped. ?My appreciation for Alice is purely unrelated to you.? Marisa shivered a bit as an evil smile spread over Patchouli?s face. ?However I would be remiss to not state that I find the idea of forcing you to beg me to join a more... intimate coven to be a source of great personal amusement.?
Marisa felt her face getting even warmer. There was- This was- Alice wouldn?t let- Well no she might.... And what would Marisa do if Patchouli did....
?Well, you two haven?t started a danmaku battle. I suppose that means your talk went well.?
Marisa spun around, putting those thoughts out of her brain. It wasn?t gonna happen, so she wasn?t going to think about it! ?Alice! You?re back. Fun chat??
----
Alice felt her eyebrow raising in surprise as Marisa turned to greet her. The black white witch had that unique expression that suggested someone had just embarrassed her. Meanwhile Patchouli was looking mildly amused. Perhaps there was some hope for this coven, if nothing else.
She dropped down into the chair while Koakuma moved to sit next to her master. ?Well, I?ve made my decision. If we are all still agreed??
Patchouli nodded. ?Marisa??
Marisa shook her head, then picked up her copy of the deal. ?So we just sign then??
?Sign your True Name.? Patchouli frowned. ?On that note you should probably look into getting yourself a real title or something Marisa, since your name is somewhat well known.?
Alice looked askance at the document. ?True name? I hope there?s some sort of concealment spell on the papers.?
?Of course.? Patchouli sniffed. ?The spell will alter our signatures to fit our pseudonyms afterwards. I won?t even get to see them. Anything else would be far too dangerous.?
?Darn. I was hoping to hear what name would make ?Patchouli Knowledge?, seem like a reasonable pseudonym,? Marisa commented. ?Well then, if that?s it...? The black white witch quickly scrawled some kanji on the paper followed by an arcane rune Alice had never seen before.
Patchouli blinked then nodded. ?It seems I underestimated you again.? The elder magician looked down and scrawled her own signature on the paper.
Alice stretched before picking up the pen and quickly writing out her own true name. First, the name she?d once had as a little girl, then her title from Makai, ?The girl of death?. As she finished the words glowed then shifted into ?Alice Margatroid.?
As the final glow faded Alice felt a strange tingle flow through her. It wasn?t much, but she could feel her abilities being enhanced. It was a very strange feeling because it didn?t come with any sense of increased power, just greater skill. She also somehow knew that Marisa, Koakuma and Patchouli were not only close, but in good health.
?Whoa.? Marisa shook her head. ?That?s gonna take some getting used to.?
?Hm... It?s not too different from gaining a familiar,? Patchouli remarked offhand. ?On that note, I take it that the spell worked for you Koakuma??
Koakuma smiled broadly. ?Yep! I can tell you want to get a book to record the spell?s effects down, Alice wants to start researching how to better flameproof your dolls, and Marisa wants me not to notice the interesting thoughts she was having right when we entered the room.?
?What!? Marisa flushed crimson as everyone turned to look at her. ?That?s not what I was thinking at all! I was worrying about how I was gonna explain this to Reimu, not that nonsense Patchy was going on about!?
?Aha! So I was right!? Koakuma crowed. Marisa blinked then put her forehead against the table. Patchouli just coughed and hid behind her book.
Alice shook her head and sighed. ?I see Patchouli?s warning was perhaps not as explicit as it could have been.? Maybe it was a good thing Koakuma was a little afraid of her. Still she could sympathize with Marisa?s plight. ?Well I shall leave you to thinking up your excuses to Reimu for a bit. Koakuma, could you show me to where the elemental enhancement treatises are??
?Sure!? Koakuma replied sweetly. Patchouli waved as they walked away. Alice was pleased to note that her new power wasn?t affected by distance.
They were about halfway across the library when Koakuma said, ?I also noticed you really wanted to know what Marisa was fantasizing about. Would you like me to use some of my special spells to find out??
Alice kept walking as Shanghai whapped the little devil upside the head with a book. It was probably safest to set limits quickly. Especially since they were now connected.
Still this was going to be an interesting couple of years dealing with everything. She was going to have a lot to write home to mother about.
-----
Marisa landed just outside the shrine entrance and paused. She?d spent the flight over from the library trying to think up how to start the conversation, and in the end she?d thought up nothing.
?Hm??
Reimu appeared under the torii, broom in hand. ?So, what are you doing here today??
Marisa forced a smile. ?Nothing much. Just felt like dropping by. You actually sweeping today??
?I was, but I?m done with it.? Reimu sighed. ?I suppose you?ll want tea then??
?Yep!? Marisa nodded. Tea was a good idea. It?d give her more time to think up a response.
As she followed Reimu up through the torii gates she felt an odd tingling, but as she passed through it faded. It seemed the shrine still had some elements of holiness about it. Still that was the only oddity. She followed Reimu around back and plopped herself on the porch just as always. Reimu went inside to get the tea kettle, while the shrine?s black and white cat wandered over and plopped down on top of her feet.
Reimu wandered back out and put down two cups of tea. ?So, that?s really you Marisa. For a little while I thought it was a tanuki playing tricks on me again. I didn?t think you?d go the youkai magician route.?
Marisa groaned and leaned back. Of course she couldn?t hide it from Reimu. ?Yeah.... It wasn?t really my idea, but mistakes happen.? She picked up the tea and took a sip. ?My immortality potion was all that and more.?
Reimu sipped her tea before giving Marisa a sidelong glance. ?I really don?t understand why you think humanity and immortality can coexist.?
?Yeah, yeah. I got that lecture from Sakuya already,? Marisa slumped forward and looked out over the shrine gardens. ?So, I guess things will be different, huh??
Reimu opened her mouth, then closed it again. The miko actually seemed deep in thought. It wasn?t a side of Reimu that Marisa was used to seeing.
Finally Reimu sighed and rolled her eyes. ?How so? Incidents? You?re still going to bust into my investigations because you?re a thief. The shrine? My shrine is already infested with youkai, and I never let you near the holy items because, again, you?re a thief. Donations?? Marisa chuckled as Reimu fixed her with a death glare. ?You never give me those anyway.?
Reimu tossed her hands in the air. ?So what?s the difference? Nothing?s really changed.?
Marisa laughed again before turning towards the gardens. ?I suppose that?ll do for now won?t it.?
?Just don?t get too youkai like or I?ll tell Sanae to exterminate you,? Reimu said.
Marisa thought about that. ?More youkai like then I was before? I wonder what I?d have to do. Hibernate maybe??
?Or only drop by at night.?
?Remilia been bothering you again?? Marisa asked.
?You have no idea,? Reimu groaned. ?Just two days ago...?
The two friends sat and talked together like always, on a perfectly normal day.
-
Oh, Marisa. Never change.
... that's actually almost literal now, isn't it...
Anyway, I wanna know Marisa's titles~ :p
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Well, I guess it did end when the shrine maiden complained. Nice job with that.
On another note, I've gone and turned your A New World series into MOBI-format e-books. It's excellent reading on a kindle. :)
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On another note, I've gone and turned your A New World series into MOBI-format e-books. It's excellent reading on a kindle. :)
Is there any way you can upload them so that other people with kindles can read it, too? :3c
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I kinda wanted to get Iced's approval first, before I go about distributing it.
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I kinda wanted to get Iced's approval first, before I go about distributing it.
:* You have it and then some. Just so long as I'm listed as the author I'm cool with it.
Well I suppose you can't sell it but you knew that. :P
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Well then, here you go: http://www.mediafire.com/?of818lky76excd1
;)
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Tokiko looked up at her foe, determination burning in her soul. ?I will have that book, and nothing?s gonna stop me. Not the entire forces of Makai.?
Rinnousuke sighed as he looked down on the bird youkai. ?Look, I said it?s not for sale. Getting a Japanese copy of The Red Book is near impossible. There?s no way you got enough money to make it worthwhile without stealing.?
?Is that so?? Tokiko smiled in triumph as she held up her trump card. ?Then I guess you aren?t interested in this??
Rinnousuke stared at the manga volume held in Tokiko?s clawed hands. ?The eighth volume of Kareshi to Kanojou no Jijou. That?s-!?
?The last volume you need to complete the series.? Tokiko stated smugly, while pointing at the self containing the shopkeepers manga stores. ?Of course if that book isn?t for sale...?
Rinnousuke swore, then grimly readjusted his glasses. ?Alright. It?s a fair trade.? He turned and grabbed the book off the shelf then placed it on the counter. ?One day I?ll figure out where you get your supply.?
Tokiko placed the manga volume down before snatching up the copy of The Red Book. ?Perhaps, but until then you?ll just have to handle trading with me.?
?Hmph.? Rinnosuke shook his head then picked up the manga to verify it was authentic. ?Well, do you have any other business here??
?That?s it. Unless you?re going to give me back the book the shrine maiden stole.? Tokiko gave the man a piercing glare, which Rinnousuke ignored. The half youkai had learned the Kirisame family?s lessons too well. ?All sales are final, even if it wasn?t the seller?s property.?
After a bit more glaring Tokiko turned and left. Fortunately, there was little chance that Rinnosuke would find her hunting grounds. They were in the deeper forests where the youkai were more feral. He wouldn?t dare go there.
Her first mission accomplished she took to wing and headed towards the human village. The day was grey and overcast, but no snow was falling. A few fields of winter wheat and radishes littered the farmlands outside the village proper, but only a few bundled up humans were wandering about. In fact the only parts of the village that was really active were the marketplaces. After all everyone needed food right?
As Tokiko landed in the square a good number of the humans turned glowering faces to look at her. The little youkai crouched, ready to spring away. She thought she?d picked the more youkai friendly part of the city but....
A even voice cut through the silence. ?It?s impolite to fly into town. The proper etiquette is to walk.?
Tokiko turned to see the infamous maid of the scarlet devil mansion standing behind her, arms filled with several bags. Tokiko nodded in understanding, then bowed to the assembled humans. ?Ah, I?m sorry. This is my first time here.?
The shoppers nodded in response to her apology then returned to their business. At least those that hadn?t ignored the matter already. Tokiko breathed a sigh of relief. She didn?t want to lose her chance to buy the things she needed. While it wasn?t necessary for her trip, she?d look bad if she couldn?t finish her mission.
As she began looking around the stalls Sakuya walked up next to her. ?You don?t look like the type of youkai to visit town. Perhaps I could point you to what you?re looking for??
Tokiko nodded meekly as the devilish servant adjusted her bags. ?Um. I need paper for wrapping, a ribbon, and uh some pastries??
?Ah, a simple request. For the first two you wish to see that lady there.? Tokiko turned to see a woman at a cart selling origami paper and charms. ?As for the pastries, I doubt that you will find a vendor of such items. Perhaps you should follow me. I need to speak to a western style baker myself.?
Tokiko considered the matter. The dog of the devil wasn?t a figure most youkai of her status wanted to be hanging around, but it would be better to have a human guide. And the devil?s maid wouldn?t actively hate youkai. ?Thank you. Do you mind if I make my purchases here first??
?That won?t be a problem,? The maid replied.
Tokiko nodded in appreciation and hurried over to where the paper seller was waiting. ?Excuse me Miss Shopkeeper. Do you have some paper capable of covering this?? She pulled out the book to show it to the lady. ?And some ribbon to tie it off??
?Yes I do in fact. Would this be good?? The woman pulled out a heavy yellow sheet and some blue ribbon.
Tokiko nodded happily. ?That would be great!? She fished out two blank scrolls from her dress. ?Do you mind if I pay in barter? These are blank papyrus. Egyptian reeds.?
The shopkeeper peered curiously at her, but accepted one of the scrolls to look over. ?Hm... I don?t care much about it?s origin, but it?s a fine paper.? She nodded and bowed. ?I accept.?
?Thank you!? Tokiko handed over the other scroll before picking up her purchases. She quickly turned and hurried over, so as not to keep Sakuya waiting. ?Thank you for that.?
?Think nothing of it.? Sakuya turned and began walking down one of the streets with long purposeful steps. Tokiko hurried after, trying to match the maid?s pace. ?I do admit to some curiosity. I don?t recall you being on milady?s Christmas guest list. Nor are you a demon of my homeland. Yet you seem to be acquiring a present for the holiday.?
Tokiko blinked. ?Ah, well... My friend Koishi is having a party in the underground.? The bird youkai frowned. ?Um, though I don?t know how I know that, or how she learned about the holiday.?
Sakuya gave a ?Hm...? of consideration, but kept walking. ?How interesting. I wonder if the green shrine maiden is responsible, or she learned it from us.?
They continued on in silence for a bit before arriving next to a small stone building with thick glass windows. The columns of smoke rising from twin chimneys quickly indicated why. Open fires were always a danger in a traditional village, and those businesses that required long term fires usually had switched to western stone construction to protect their neighbors. Sakuya knocked twice, then opened the door. A bell sounded as a wave of warmth and wonderful smells flooded over Tokiko. For a moment the inside seemed to be simply a halo of light.
A few blinks later however her eyes adjusted enough to see a simple bakery. The shopkeeper wore a strange combination of outsider pants and a traditional top, but her bow and accent seemed to be that of a pure Gensoukyo native. ?Hello Miss Izayoi. Are you here for more oil??
?Yes,? the maid replied. ?Olive oil. The same as last time. Three bottles worth.?
The woman shook her head. ?So much. Do you have a lot of lamps burning during the winter??
Sakuya sighed. ?No. I fear Koakuma insists on burning a weeks worth of oil in her menorah each night of Chanukah.? The maid stood aside, letting Tokiko approach the counter. ?In any case I also have a referral for you.?
Tokiko hesitated a bit as the woman turned towards her. The baker?s expression had closed up when she?d realized Tokiko wasn?t just there to aid Sakuya, but the youkai stepped forward anyway. ?Yes. I?m looking for two dozen cookies, if you have them. Other pastries will do as well.?
The woman seemed to relax a little at the request. ?Well, we have many types of cookies here. This is a bakery after all. Is there a particular kind you might be interested in??
Tokiko desperately wracked her mind for some confectionery that might be appropriate for winter. ?Um, pepperkaker??
The woman blinked. ?Ah, I fear I don?t know those.?
?The English term would be Ginger Biscuits,? Sakuya stated. ?Your gingerbread men should be similar enough I believe.?
?I see!? The woman turned around and pulled up a tray of browned cookies that were vaguely humanoid with icing features. ?Will these suffice??
Tokiko smiled broadly ?They?ll be great!? She rummaged around to grab the small pouch that contained a coins she had scrounged up. ?Will this do??
The woman looked over the coins then nodded. ?I?ll get a basket for you then.? Tokiko handed over the coins, then the woman headed to the back. A few moments later she returned with three bottles and a basket that she quickly filed with the confectioneries. Then she put both of them on the table. ?Here you are honored customers. Two dozen gingerbread men and three bottles of olive oil respectively. Please come by again.?
?Thank you!? Tokiko couldn?t keep herself from flying up to the counter and grabbing the basket. When both Sakuya and the shopkeeper chuckled at her enthusiasm, she sank back down to the ground.
?And a good evening to you,? Sakuya said as she put the olive oil into one of her bags. To Tokiko?s surprise the bottles didn?t seem to increase the bags size at all. The maid turned and opened the door with another jingle before heading outside. Tokiko gave the shopkeeper one last bow before flitting off herself.
The cold struck the bird youkai as the door swung shut behind her. Tokiko clutched the precious cargo to her like an egg to help keep them warm. Sakuya chuckled again and started levitating. ?Given the weather I don?t believe anyone would complain if we floated out of the city before taking flight. Shall we be on our way??
Tokiko took to the air immediately. ?Yes, please.? Sakuya nodded then began gliding over the snowy road at a rapid pace. Tokiko followed, wings occasionally flapping as she changed direction.
In almost no time the two flitted out of the gates of the village. Tokiko bowed to the maid. ?Um, thank you again for the help.?
Sakuya smiled at her. ?No problem little youkai. And... Merry Christmas.? And then the maid was gone, leaving behind only a single playing card drifting in the wind.
?Merry Christmas?? Tokiko replied. The bird youkai stood there for a bit, then shrugged and started flying for home. She needed to wrap the present and get to the underground before the cookies got cold.
----
One quick experiment in gift wrapping later Tokiko began her journey to the underground. She?d heard rumors of an elevator near a geyser that could take the traveler right below the Palace of Earth Spirits, but she wasn?t willing to risk it. Instead she took the tried and true path, down the cliff drop at the base of youkai mountain.
The pitch black tunnels worried Tokiko a bit, but she kept her head and let the sound of the water guide her path. While this tunnel required an instinctive understanding of flight to navigate, it was still fairly wide, and the earth spiders didn?t spin webs along it. While Tokiko had read enough to learn earth spiders were pretty friendly creatures to fellow youkai, she didn?t want to waste time hanging upside down in a trap.
Finally the rush of wind and water was drowned out by a roaring torrent. Tokiko folded her wings in and accelerated as a light appeared before her. The light slowly expanded, then rapidly washed across her vision as she zipped over the roaring waterfall. Tokiko allowed herself to drop a hundred feet or so before snapping open her wings and slowly rising into the vast skies of the cavern.
Right beneath her was the warped and rotting bridge to the old hell, the massive waterfall filling the gorge with it?s life giving waters. Further ahead of her past the slight plateau that had allowed the canyon within a cavern to form the cave sloped down to where the river and the cave that it had cut through once again reunited. It was there that the Ancient City stood, and there at the bottom of that cave the Palace of the Earth Spirits stood. The edifice that once housed the judges of all living creatures rising from the deepest part of the cave to tower over the oni?s small buildings.
A scattering of clouds currently hung over the cavern, lightly dusting the city and the palace with snow. Tokiko glided a bit, considering how the weather would affect her flight. Fortunately the snow was light enough that Tokiko would have no trouble flying through it. In fact it might be good as a cloud cover for when she passed over the oni city. She thought about that for a moment, then shook her head and flew lower. The precious cookies she was carrying were wrapped well, but there was no way they?d be able to handle the freezing air of the clouds. Since she was an animal youkai it was safer to take the back alleys of the oni city and hope no one cared enough to question her.
As Tokiko approached she saw this city was far more active than the human village above. Red and blue figures wandered about the streets, heading towards the larger buildings. It seemed the oni cared little for the weather, which meant they were probably all performing their usual duties: drinking.
With this in mind Tokiko glided away from the lights over the darker areas of the village. Some of the mansions here looked fairly big, but most of them looked unoccupied as well. This should keep her away from the crowds.
As Tokiko flew low over the village the Palace stood out even more. It?s strange stained glass and gothic architecture made it seem vastly out of place compared to the city around it. Tokiko wondered if the building had been deliberately designed to stand out. After all once the Yamas had stood in judgement there, passing their sentences upon all who died. They probably wanted people to be in the proper mood to confess their misdeeds instead of try to make excuses and get themselves in further trouble.
?HEY THERE!?
Tokiko shrieked and flapped her wings frantically as turbulence washed over her. She could feel her body tumble at least three times as she desperately tried to both keep ahold of her possessions and stay in the air. Finally she managed to recover her ears ringing with the force of the roar.
?Hah! Looks like I got a little too enthusiastic there!? Tokiko drifted back as a large oni woman drifted up in front of her. The woman was obviously one of the friendlier youkai, as she was using a more humanoid appearance, but she?d nearly taken Tokiko out of the sky just by yelling.
The oni grinned and took a drink from a huge sake dish. ?So you know you aren?t supposed to be here little youkai. Why?d you come down??
?Uh, I?m headed to the Palace of the Earth Spirits. I have to give a gift to my friend there,? Tokiko replied shakily.
The oni girl laughed. ?Going to see the satori? Not many people can stand to be around them. They?re too honest even for us oni.? Tokiko shrank away as the oni leaned forward. ?So whatcha bringing??
Tokiko started considering escape paths. She wasn?t giving up any of her cookies, not even to an oni. ?Just a book and some small gifts for the rest of the house.?
?C?mon, back off Yuugi. The kid?s like forty. You don?t need to keep grilling her.? Tokiko started then turned to see a Tengu fly up from behind one of the giant mushrooms. ?I?m the one who you?re supposed to be stopping. Not that you actually care or anything, since you?ve let me interview you like three times already..?
Tokiko relaxed a little as the oni leaned back and laughed. ?Ah, there you are. I thought this little one was just a distraction, but I guess you two aren?t connected.? Yuugi shrugged. ?Well you?re right, I don?t really care. I just figure I better keep all you surface people honest.? Tokiko squawked as the oni reached out and gave Tokiko a brain rattling hair ruffling.
?And since you were so honest let me give you a present.? Yuugi tossed a bottle underhand to the tengu girl, who caught the missile. ?Give the satori my regards. Anyway now that I?ve reminded you who runs the place I?ve got to get back to the party. Later.?
Tokiko sighed in relief as the oni dropped to the ground and began wandering away. As she checked to make sure she hadn?t dropped anything the young tengu flew over. ?Heya. I?m Hatate Himekaidou.? The woman flipped out a cell phone camera and took a quick picture. ?So who are you and why are you going to see Satori? You one of her new pets??
Tokiko frowned. ?I?m called Tokiko, and I?m going to see Koishi, not Satori. And why are you going? Are you this Satori?s pet??
The tengu blushed. ?Something like that,? she muttered. ?Anyway! There?s apparently some sorta party or something so let?s get to it.? Hatate took off towards the Palace of the Earth Spirits, leaving Tokiko to trail in her wake.
Now that she wasn?t trying to hide the journey through the city was much quicker. Within a couple of minutes the two youkai stood before the great gates of the Palace of Earth Spirits. As Tokiko inspected the engraved steel doors, she realized they didn?t have handles, or even hinges.
?Yeah apparently the Yama liked the whole imposing magically opening doors shtick. Or at least the old ones did. It?s so pre barrier, but there?s no real way to fix the doors now..? Tokiko turned to see Hatate opening a window and hopping in. ?There?s actually a servant entrance around, but this way is faster.? Tokiko blinked a few times, then shrugged and followed the tengu reporter. She had been invited after all.
As she entered the Palace of the earth spirits the air suddenly became pleasantly warm. The checkerboard floor beneath her was perfect for walking, despite being marble. Apparently the heat of hell below was keeping the building safe from the chilling winds and snow outside.
?You came!?
Tokiko yelped as Koishi seemed to appear out of nowhere to grab her in a hug. ?I wondered if you?d gotten my invitation,? the yellow clad satori said. Tokiko found herself being dragged along as Koishi grabbed her hand and flew off into the building. ?Hurry, hurry. We?ve almost finished setting up.? Koishi dragged her down several twisting corridors before finally bursting into a large room. Unlike the darkened halls outside, this room was brightly lit by hovering spirits and several large fireplaces. A few tables stood scattered about covered with foodstuffs, while a tree covered in small glowing mushrooms and colored glass orbs sat to the side.
A great number of heads turned towards the two as they entered. Most of them were some sort of animal. Cats, birds and dogs were the most common, though there were several stranger species as well. The only humanoids in the room were a pink haired satori, a crow youkai, a kassha, and about a dozen fairies in various forms of ?holiday? attire.
?Did you get a new pet Koishi?? The pink haired woman asked with a smile.
Tokiko shook her head violently. ?Hey! I?m a friend, not a pet!? She figured that was best to get out quickly.
?I see. My apologies.? The woman?s eyes widened a little more and her smile softened. ?And I see Hatate is right behind you. Well then. My name is Satori Komeiji, and I?m pleased you could come to my humble abode. Thank you for your gifts. Those cookies sound delicious. I?ll let Koishi do the rest of the introductions.?
Koishi giggled. ?So you can flirt with Hatate, right? Well have fun sis!? Tokiko blinked as Satori blushed redder than her hair, then squawked at Koishi dragged her over towards the tree. ?A lot of sister?s pets never really leave animal form, even though they?re youkai. I?ll introduce you as they shift.?
The first went over to the tree, where the hell raven was peering intently at the glass orbs. Tokiko had to admit they were very very shiny.... She caught herself staring and shook her head just in time to hear Koishi?s introduction. ?Tokiko, this is Utsuho. She?s something like a god now? Also a hell crow.?
?Unyu!? The crow blinked then whirled around. ?Oh hi! Sorry I was looking at the pretty lights. It?s nice to meet you.?
?Nice to meet you.? Tokiko bowed. ?And yes, the orbs are pretty.?
Utsuho nodded happily. ?Ah you understand too! Orin keeps thinking they?re just to play with but you can see their real purpose.?
Koishi pulled her along to where the kassha was trying to teach the fairies how to sing. ?And this here is Rin. She does all the organization around here.?
?Call me Orin,? the kassha replied with a wave. ?Sorry to be so brief. I?ve gotta get this crew in order.? Orin turned back to the fairy mob. ?Alright you lot, it?s 'Merry Christmas', not 'Fairy Christmas.' Get it straight!?
?But I like fairies!? said one of the smaller fairies that still had on zombie makeup under the santa hat.
?Me too!? replied one that was wearing reindeer horns like an oni?s horns.
?I?ll leave you to that then,? Tokiko said as she backed away from the ensuing argument. She headed over to one of the food tables, while Koishi giggled at the display.
Tokiko pulled out the basket of cookies she brought and set them down. ?Is it okay to leave them here?? she asked her host.
?Sure!? Koishi replied ?We?ll get to the eating later. First let me show you where the good drinks are!?
The next hour or so was a blur of action. Tokiko managed to avoid the harder alcohols Koishi suggested, but she was a little tipsy by the time they made it through the drinks. By then Orin had gotten her fairy chorus into something resembling order, and had dragged Utsuho away from the tree in order to join the conversation. The party had developed something of a pattern. Okuu and Orin were the center of the group, and Tokiko, Koishi, Satori, Hatate and the more social pets would move in and out of the discussion circle as their whims or difficulty coping with large numbers of people dictated.
Finally Satori coughed lightly. ?Hm... I think it?s a good time to start eating. Orin could you let your fairies help the pets that want to stay in animal form??
?Sure thing miss Satori,? the kassha replied.
As the fairies began moving some of the more raw dishes down to ground level, Tokiko slowly drifted over towards the higher table. She didn?t want to seem pushy about being first in line, but...
?You want to be first in line. I see, I see.?
Tokiko whirled in surprise to find the two Komeiji sisters staring at her with smirks. ?Ooh. You?re subconsciously moving back towards the table even though we?re watching. I?m impressed!? Koishi said.
?Well someone has to be first,? Tokiko protested.
?Ufufufu. How honest.? Satori replied. ?Well you are Koishi?s friend, so feel free to go first. She turned to look over at Hatate. ?And of course you should go second, as my guest.?
?Thanks,? Hatate muttered. Tokiko just bowed her head and made for the foodstuffs. This was a better meal than she?d had in years. Admittedly some of the dishes contained bird meat, which was a little weird, but she noticed they were all on red plates, so she avoided those. Hatate did the same, but the others, including Utsuho didn?t. Tokiko guessed crow youkai were willing to eat anything, just like their normal cousins.
As she grabbed one of the gingerbread cookies Orin?s ears perked up. ?Oh, hey! Those cookies are human shaped sis? I didn?t think humans would make foods like that.?
Hatate nodded and took a snapshot, ?Yeah that?s a good point. Those skull candy thingies were for a death ceremony. Isn?t this supposed to be some religious holiday??
?Perhaps they didn?t think about the symbolism.? Satori said as she grabbed one for herself. ?Sometimes people just do things for their own amusement after all.?
?Ahaha, that?s true, sis!? Koishi said. ?Still it?s kinda fun to make stuff up after the fact.?
?Ah!? Utsuho stopped scooping up potatoes as a thought struck her. ?Now that I think about it, I got my powers around this time of the year. Maybe we can steal the holiday.?
?Ooh! That?d be sweet!? Orin?s tails lashed. ?And ?lo a goddess dropped in from above and said to her, ?Take, eat, and be blessed with the power of the sun...?
?That sounds kinda cool, but doesn?t it end with you getting beat up by that shrine maiden and the witch?? Hatate pointed out.
Orin?s smile turned to a frown. ?Yeah that time did kinda suck.?
Okuu laughed nervously. ?Yeah, I?m sorry about that.?
?Ah, on that note you should try some of this.? Tokiko looked over as Koishi put two slices of dried meat on her plate. ?It?s Orin?s special human jerky.?
?With real human?? Tokiko looked at the dish with newfound awe. A youkai like her had never tasted the delicacy before.
Koishi nodded. ?Yep. We get a lot of corpses because of the river. They aren?t really useful for normal dishes, but you can make jerky with it. Orin?s the best at it.?
Tokiko couldn?t wait anymore. She grabbed a piece and started to chew. The flavors were mostly spices, but she got a hint of the meat as she slowly worked over the jerky. ?Kinda like pork.?
The two wandered off to sample the various delicacies near the fire. Tokiko was pleased that the gingerbread was every bit as good as promised, and the rest of the underground dishes were as good if not better than the human meat.
As the meal wound down Tokiko found herself drowsing off a little. It was night outside, and unlike a lot of youkai, she still had diurnal habits. Not to mention the good food and warmth were calling to her.
?Hm... You can?t fall asleep yet.? Tokiko snapped out of her reverie and looked over to see Koishi smiling and holding out a package. ?You haven?t opened your present yet.?
?Ah! That?s right!? Tokiko reached into her pockets and pulled out the wrapped present. ?This time I have one for you as well.?
?Ah? Thank you!? Koishi smiled widely as they exchanged the gifts. ?Shall we open them then??
?Of course!?
Tokiko waited for Koishi to unwrap her present first. The satori girl smiled as she saw the book inside. ?The Red Book? Well it is red. Ah, it?s in Japanese too. What?s it about??
?It?s what the outside world people think about some of your powers,? Tokiko said.
?Oh!? Koishi giggled. ?That?s always good for a laugh or two. And sometimes they?re even right!? The other girl looked over at Tokiko. ?Now open yours!?
Tokiko opened the paper carefully. She blinked when she saw the brightly colored covers that had been hidden away. ?Hatoful Boyfriend??
?I know you?re an ibis youkai, well part ibis anyway, but I figured a manga about pigeons would be fine!? Koishi replied with her usual wide grin. Tokiko shrugged and smiled in return. Any reading was good reading to her.
?Thank you, Koishi.? Tokiko put the books away for now. She?d have plenty of time to read more in depth later. ?So, what should we do now??
?Hm... Let?s relax by the fire a little more. I think Orin has marshmellows somewhere, so everyone will be joining us in a little bit.?
?That sounds good.? Tokiko yawned then moved some pillows over to lay in front of the merry blaze. Koishi lay down beside her, humming a tune that only the satori could follow. Soon one of Satori?s hedgehogs and a two tailed fox youkai came over and nestled next to them.
All in all it was a wonderful evening Tokiko thought.
?Yes it is,? Koishi replied.
The two slowly fell asleep there. The others would wake them when they were needed again.
-
... Both of those presents are the best thing ever. XD
(I had to look up the Red Book, but ...)
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The fic I will never write:
So when Rou posted this short (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,1681.msg882547.html#msg882547) I'd had the idea for something floating around in my head. Patchouli decides she wants to have an alternate form for each day of the week, and gets Mai to send her a book on demons to get some transformation ideas in. Unfortunately her clothing doesn't withstand the transformation very well, so she has to ask Alice for sewing help and Marisa for enchantment help. They of course insist on getting in on the spellcasting fun and things progress from there.
In the end I didn't end up writing it because it wasn't a good story. It's a series of skits focusing on visual cues that just aren't that interesting in print form. Also I STILL can't think up a good set for Sun (and the moon set kinda sucks).
However Stuffman has created a wonderful picture of one of the transformations, and added a good chunk of character to it as well. I'm pretty sure I'm going to ask for the water variants, and I find myself drawn to writing out skits to go along with each set, pic present or not.
(http://i.imgur.com/0MLInjE.jpg)
Full size link (http://stuffman.tumblr.com/image/44582539732)
M: "This is Awesome! Fire at will, no spell required!"
A : "Damn it, be careful with that, Marisa! I'm fire resistant not fire immune."
P : "Hm... You're awfully scaly for a amphibian there Marisa."
M: "What do you mean by that? And how'd you get to be a dragon anyway? You aren't THAT powerful."
A: "We keep telling you western dragons are different Marisa. And I imagine Patchouli is a dragon because of her book hoard."
P: "It's not a horde. It's a library."
M: "If you wanna call it a library you should let more people read the books."
A: "Indeed."
P: "Hmph."
[Water: Mermaid, Scyla, Slime]
P: "Ah, this is more fitting. Now you're a slimy thief in truth."
A: "Ahahaha~"
M: "Hey! I'm not... well I'm not normally slimy. Anyway what's up with your transformation? Isn't that form useless on land?"
P: "... Mukyu."
M: "And Alice, what's with all the tentacles?"
A: "I kind of like them. I can hold eight more dolls now!"
P: "Very versatile. I suppose water does mirror our natures well."
A: "However slimy they may be."
M: "Rrrrgh, That's it! Slime geyser!"
[Wood: Dryad, Alrune, Myconid]
A: "Jeeze Marisa. Your obsession with Mushrooms goes too far sometimes."
M: "No such thing. And you seem to be picking up tentacles a lot. Something you ain't telling us?"
A: "Ugh. Well at least Patchouli's form makes sense. If a little dull."
P: "Indeed. I find myself slower but definitely hardier. I just hope I'm not bound to one of the trees around here."
M: "Why's that? Gensoukyo's not really big enough for you to be that far away from it, and it's not like someone's going to go logging in the forest of magic."
P: "No but you two might blow it up."
A: "Wait! Why am I part of this?"
M: "I suppose we do tend to fight a lot here..."
[Metal Dullahan, Mecha(Aigis style), Mimic]
A: "Oh dear. It seems Patchouli has... lost her head."
M: "Ouch."
P: "What would your mother say about that level of punnery?"
A: "I give it a 98.76 percent probability that she would laugh."
M: "That does sound like Shinki."
P: "And how did you end up in that form Marisa? I would expect you to be plundering dungeons. Not lying it wait to ambush the plunderers."
M: "Dungeons? Why'd I hide there? People take stuff out of dungeon chests. I'm gonna go hide in shops and wait for people to throw stuff in!"
P: "Ah. Silly me."
A: "Ah, and here I thought it was the only way you were going to get a larger chest size."
M: "WHAT?!"
P: "Is there a kappa nearby? Our Alice seems to need adjustments."
[Earth: Mud Golem, Medusa, Gargoyle]
M: "Ahahaha, who's the slimy one now?"
P: "Irksome. While this form is hardy, it's bad for the books."
M: "Or the floor. There's no way Sakuya's letting you back inside the mansion like that!"
P: "I'm sure she'd be happy to have you as a lawn ornament however. As soon as she stops you from flitting about."
A: "You're enjoying this far too much Marisa."
M: "Oooh. That glare makes me all tingly, Alice"
A: "Figures. The one time I get an ability to make you less annoying you develop a resistance."
M: "You wouldn't really turn me to stone would you Alice?"
A: "Only for a week. Or two."
P: "I'm wondering how you ended up as something that wards off evil."
M: "One master spark and any youkai will go running right?"
P: "I suppose that makes some sense."
[Moon: Werebat, Werecat, Wererat]
P: "At last the rat shows her true colors."
M: "Hey, the only difference between you and me is wings."
P: "Ha! How plebeian. Alice understands the difference at least."
M: "Is that so? What do you think Alice?"
A: "I think you both look delicious~"
M: "What? Wait, put the puppet wires down!"
A: "Nyahahahaha~"
P: "Ack! Are you high, Alice?"
M: "Oh right, my catnip plants...."
---
phoenix marisa, winged serpent alice, yatagarasu patchy
And there you go. Useless writing with no purpose.
-
This actually would be interesting to see in a full story, but I can imagine that's easier said than done. It indeed sounds like it would rely more on visual gags. Never the less, I like the idea. You picked out very fitting forms for the girls, and they correspond well with each element. I find Mimic!Marisa particularly clever. :V I look forward to the rest of the drawn designs. Stuffs did great work~
As for Sun forms, perhaps these suggestions will help?
- Yatagarasu (obvious choice)
- Phoenixes (ditto)
- Scarabs (Egyptian myth associated them with the sun, as the dung balls they make had the same shape)
- Cats (Also Egyptian myth. A cat's big eyes shined like the sun. For this reason cats were worshiped)
- Snakes/Naga (Egyptian sun god Ra clashes with the snake demon Apep every single day. If Apep wins, the sun won't rise again. Cherokee myth has snakes almost destroying the sun too)
- Wolves (Similar to the above myth, the demon wolf Sk?ll chases the Norse sun goddess Sol to eat her, but never succeeds (until Ragnarok that is))
- Hummingbirds (There is an Aztec sun god that often manifests as a hummingbird)
- Quetzalcoatls (Among other things, Quetzalcoatl was the god of dawn)
- Sun-devouring demons and dragons (This is the explanation for solar eclipses in Chinese myth (http://www.livescience.com/23028-fiery-folklore-5-dazzling-sun-myths.html))
- Angels (since sun > light/sky > heaven > angels)
- Aliens/cosmic entities (Since the sun is a star, and stars = spaaaaaaaace)
- Stuff like Pyron (http://darkstalkers.wikia.com/wiki/Pyron) (Because why the hell not?)
- EDIT: Kaiju (since the sun is basically a big ol' nuclear reactor anyway. Nuclear Master Spark breath!)
Maybe mythological creatures from desert areas work too. They're searing under the sun anyway. Stuff like djinn and rocs.
I hope this will help you along the way. A lot of them are a bit silly, but maybe they'll give you ideas. :derp:
EDIT: I just realized you could use the animals and creatures from the Western or Eastern Zodiacs too. They're made up of stars after all.
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There's also Mesopotamian myths you can look into as well!
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So I commissioned Stuffman for the water version and he has delivered some excellent work. Labeling this one just to be super extra safe though nothing is showing except slime.
[nsfw]http://i.imgur.com/iFGazbX.png[/nsfw]
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It's the day Iced feeds Keine again. All history in the chapter is a lie.
----
Miko took a sip of her sake as the slow dance Kokoro was performing reached its end. The crown prince couldn?t call it a good performance without the music, however Kokoro was a masterful performer. And Miko had to admit she shared a certain nostalgia for the old forms. After all, she?d created most of them.
It helped that the mask youkai could stir the emotions of her audience just by changing her expression. Though the young girl had been good about keeping her power under control after that last battle.
She politely clapped along with the other two occupants of the shrine. While Kokoro?s dances had drawn in many people to start, the novelty had worn thin quickly. Especially since Kokoro wasn?t using her full power to influence people. Now the only viewers were herself, the shrine maiden, and the leader of the Myouren temple. Probably because each of them felt a responsibility towards the young youkai.
Kokoro bowed. ?Thank you.? The mask youkai moved over to where her cup had been set aside and held it out. ?Can I get a drink before the next act??
?Of course,? Miko replied. She?d already heard Kokoro?s desire, so she?d gotten the bottle ready in advance. She carefully filled the girl?s cup, then emptied the last of the bottle into her own. ?Ah, and it seems we?re out.?
?Again? Stupid Suika running in here to grab some extras.? Reimu looked around to find a survivor of the one youkai horde, but the oni had managed to clear out the whole shrine interior. Reimu sighed and picked up the empty bottle. ?I?ll go grab another.?
?Thank you,? Kokoro and Miko both replied.
Byakuren nodded her head. ?If it wouldn?t be too much trouble could you get some water as well for me??
Reimu waved over her shoulder as she walked out. ?Right, right.?
?Hm?? Kokoro tilted her head at the nun. ?Um, I?m somewhat curious.?
Byakuren blinked. ?About what??
?Since you?re a magician, can?t you cure alcohol poisoning? Why don?t you just do that so you can drink with others?? Kokoro asked.
?It?s not about drinking with others.? Byakuren raised a finger to emphasize the point. ?It?s about maintaining certain standards and holding to them. The goal is not to get stuck within the details of the world.?
?I see,? Kokoro nodded before drinking her own sake and returning to the stage.
Miko couldn?t pass up the opportunity. ?It?s too bad though. It would be a lot easier to gain converts among the youkai if you could join them in their revelry. Drinking is such a big part of Gensoukyo. Perhaps if you picked a different sect to work with for a while you could join the fun??
Byakuren pouted and turned back towards the stage. ?I would prefer it if you refrained from teasing me about my vows.? Miko chuckled. She still didn?t think much of Buddhism, but she had to admit flustering her religious rival was good fun.
Still it was probably best to not press her on and off foe. She returned her attention to Kokoro?s preparations. The youkai girl didn?t need to change her masks, but her other props required a little more finesse, especially props more complex than the fans and naginata. Miko had made a game of figuring out which dance Kokoro was likely to perform based on the props. Currently Kokoro was knotting a rope which meant....
Miko blushed as she remembered which dance required that. ?Ah. Well I suppose for completeness? sake that dance has to be included.?
Byakuren turned back at Miko?s statement. ?Hm? Is this not a good one? I didn?t think you?d be so critical of one of your own creations.?
?Well it is not a bad dance per se just...? Miko coughed and threw back her last cup of sake. ?Each of the dances was to call upon and placate a certain emotion. The obvious ones are joy, hatred, anger and pride. But it would be foolish to ignore some of the baser emotions.?
?This dance is to placate the emotion of lust,? Kokoro stated bluntly, before hiking up her skirts and beginning a wildly spinning dance. Miko mentally noted that the young woman?s skirt made the motions a great deal more flashy than the traditional costume that was normally used for these performances.
Byakuren flushed deeply and shifted in her seat. ?Toyosatomimi no Miko, what have you been teaching that young girl? I understand that some instruction in carnal matters is important, but this is...?
?The rituals needed to cover all the strongest emotions,? Miko protested. ?And while I admit the dance is somewhat cruder than is widely accepted these days, at the time it was totally reasonable.?
Byakuren raised an eyebrow as Kokoro shifted roles to the drunk?s part and began to use the rope prop. ?Really? That there was reasonable??
Miko coughed in embarrassment. ?Well I might have been pushing the envelope a bit at the time.? She fanned herself to cool her cheeks. ?At the time I thought it might be a good idea to assure the public it was a farce as opposed to leaving it questionable. I thought overacting would be the best way of doing that.?
Byakuren sniffed. ?Really? I find that excuse hard to believe from someone who never got married, while taking so many concubines.?
?What!? Miko started at the accusation. ?It would have been rather difficult to keep my gender hidden if I had gotten married. And I didn?t have many concubines! Just Tojiko and-?
?Ha!? Miko couldn?t help but flinch as Byakuren jabbed a finger at her. ?And what about seducing one of your most fervent supporter?s wives??
Miko?s retort faded on her lips as a stray desire wandered to her ears. *Teasing her really is fun. I want to see her blush even more.* She slowly smiled as the pieces fell into place. If that was how the game was going to be played?.
?That is an unfair accusation. I seduced Futo long before she was married. Do I sense some jealousy, Lady Hijiri?? Miko fought to keep from laughing as Byakuren?s disapproval shifted to surprise.
?Jealousy?? Byakuren shook her head. ?You think rather highly of yourself oh crown prince.?
?I cannot deny I am somewhat prideful.? Miko smiled and leaned forward, causing Byakuren to lean back slightly. ?But I know your true desires. You?re jealous of our ability to enjoy our relationship.?
Byakuren turned away, blushing. ?I, I don?t know what you?re talking about.?
?No?? Miko shrugged lightly. ?You?re surrounded by a number of beautiful supporters, all of whom seem to have great interest in you personally. But your personal rules prevent you from accepting their affections.?
Miko?s smile widened as Byakuren blushed more. For some reason she really wanted to tease the gradient haired beauty before her. ?Of course I would never question the strength of your convictions. Even though that Ichirin does have quite the fine figure. A pity that you?ve never been able to-?
A flash of desire was the only warning Miko had before she found herself on her back, her monologue cut off. Byakuren loomed above her, the magician?s distraught grimace replaced by a predatory smile. ?You seem to be making a few mistakes crown prince. You see, I have in the past gotten much closer to my admirers. I was a witch after all. Even today I consider myself more of a practitioner then a nun.? Miko shuddered as Byakuren?s hot breath whispered in her ear, ?And I prefer handsome girls.?
It seemed she had lost this round. Still she was smiling as she took off her earmuffs. ?My my. Such interesting desires you have hidden in your mind. Are practitioners of Buddhism allowed to do such things??
?Technically no.? Byakuren leaned against her. ?But I have to make sure you?re embarrassed enough to not spread rumors later.?
?How conniving,? Miko sighed as she leaned up to kiss the magician.
?Crown prince!?
?Lady Hijiri!?
The two started and turned their heads to see what the commotion was. Standing there in the doorway looking shocked were Tojiko and Shou. Miko felt her heart sink to her stomach. There was no way to explain this, but she had to try. ?Um. Tojiko, you see-?
Lighting began to crackle around Tojiko as the ghost woman?s anger rose. ?I see all right!? She jabbed a finger at them. ?I see you letting that large breasted Buddhist woman have her way with you, without having the common decency to tell me about it first!? Miko and Byakuren blinked as Tojiko?s tone suddenly shifted. ?How dare you go off and have this kind of fun without me. I?m your only, surviving-er, remaining concubine am I not?!?
?Indeed. And Lady Hijiri, how could you jeopardize the temple?s standing like that? While I can?t begrudge you your choice in partners, given the status between our two sects it is important for you to have someone trustworthy nearby.?
Miko felt her cheeks flushing again as she felt another wave of desires hit her. Shou?s were new to her, but she knew Tojiko?s very well. ?I believe we?re about to be punished for our errors, Byakuren.?
?Yes. Yes, you are,? Tojiko said sweetly.
The magician woman shivered. ?Oh. My.?
?It?s for your own good,? Shou said as the two approached with gleaming eyes. There was no escape. Not that either of them wanted to, of course.
Still Miko couldn?t help feeling they had forgotten something in the moment.
---
?Why are you sealing off my shrine?? Reimu yelled.
Patchouli spared the angry miko a quick glance to make sure violence wasn?t going to erupt before turning back to her wards. ?To save Gensoukyo from a disaster the likes that has never been seen before.?
Marisa frowned at that. ?Is that the magician thing you told me about? Because I kinda remember?.?
?HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!? Patchouli?s glare caused the black white witch to hop back in shock. That matter covered she turned towards Koakuma. ?Are the seals working properly??
Koakuma sighed. ?Yes, sadly. You should be able to reinforce them as well, though with mages of that caliber it?ll be at least a day before we can do a cleansing ritual.?
?I hope the participants don?t have to stay away for that,? Yukari said. ?It would really cut into Ran?s sleep.? The kitsune grumbled from where she was helping Koakuma fix up the barriers.
?Okay, big incident. Sure. Why don?t I just beat it up?? Reimu asked while swinging her gohei about.
Patchouli sighed. ?This incident is mental in nature. Violence would be of no use.?
?The bean sprout is correct,? Yukari said as Reimu?s expression soured. ?I?m afraid we?ll have to solve this the long way.?
?What about the other people that were in the shrine? Shou and that crazy ghost girl went in right before you started yelling about seals,? Nazrin asked sharply. ?How do we get them out??
?It?s too late for them! No escape~!? Koakuma replied with a dazzling smile. ?We?ll just have to let them-koah!? Patchouli whapped her familiar on the head with a book.
She turned to the mouse youkai. ?They should survive. Keine should be able to handle any other issues.?
The mouse youkai looked unconvinced. ?How will that schoolteacher help??
?The less people know the better.? Patchouli replied, giving Marisa a sharp glare to keep the other magician from opening her mouth again. Marisa grimaced, but kept quiet for once.
?I?m still not sure how it happened.? Ran muttered as she finished up a rune. ?Given the two people in question it seems highly improbable a resonance would occur.?
Patchouli shrugged. ?Not my department I?m afraid.? She turned her attention back to the runes around the shrine. The crowds still lingered, but the way their conversation was going it seemed they would soon break up and get back to drinking.
Still it was a good question. Patchouli pondered it a bit.
?Oi, Marisa.? Her thoughts interrupted, Patchouli turned to see the kassha from the hot springs incident approaching the black white witch. ?You seen Koishi anywhere??
-----
Kokoro fanned herself as she tiptoed towards the back exit of the shrine. Using her emotion powers to stir up the passion in the room had been intended just as a bit of petty revenge. But things had snowballed far beyond what she?d intended. She?d expected a bit of blushing and maybe a few sparks. Not? what was currently loudly occurring in the front of the shrine.
Still she?d only inflamed the passion. They?d done the acting. She might have stayed around to watch a little too long, but that was perfectly normal wasn?t it? After all she was still getting used to these emotions. Given what she?d seen it was natural to be hot and bothered.
Very hot and bothered.
Kokoro fanned herself again and quickened her pace. She needed to get out before her influence was noticed. She would escape, find somewhere nice quiet and secluded and? and?.
?Wha?!? Kokoro yelped as a green and yellow blur appeared out of nowhere and struck her. She found herself looking up at the face of her eternally smiling nemesis as the young satori straddled her waist.
Koishi waved down at her. ?Hi~. You look really cute right now.?
Kokoro briefly wondered what she?d accidentally unleashed. But those thoughts quickly faded as the two youkai kissed.
-
IT'S ALWAYS ROPE WITH YOU FOR THESE KINDS OF STORIES, ISN'T IT ICED
Approved, of course.
-
Miho absently swept the leaves from the shrine grounds, watching as the wind blew them back in.
Honestly there was no way she could clean the grounds in this weather. There were going to be leaves, and no human could stop that. But that was really the only task she could perform for the shrine. The torii needed paint, and the bells should be polished, but tasks like those required money. And money was one thing this distant shrine didn?t have.
Other things the shrine lacked were a priest, any worshippers, and an active deity. All it really had to its name were the rolls of a small farming community that had dried up and moved to a slightly larger village years ago. Miho had no idea why she bothered keeping the place running really.
Sighing, she returned to sweeping the leaves away. No use reminiscing on matters; best just to do her duties. Focusing on the leaves helped the day pass.
The piercing cry of a baby snapped her out of her reverie. Travelers? Or perhaps even supplicants? Miho wanted to rush out to greet them, but that would ruin the shrine?s image. Instead she moved her sweeping closer to the entrance, watching the top of the stairs for the visitors. And her patience was soon rewarded.
A cloaked figure of a woman slowly ascended the stairs, the crying baby bundled in her arms. The dust on the hem of her cloak told a story of many miles traveled on foot. The sight of a poor woman carrying their child on the roads was hardly unprecedented, but the woman?s gold hair and eyes told a different story. The woman was obviously a youkai.
Miho reached into her sleeves for ofuda, but there was honestly little she could do with her limited spiritual powers. She decided to wait and see what the woman wanted.
The youkai bowed properly before stepping into the shrine grounds, then approached Miho slowly. To her surprise the youkai woman bowed again, before holding the crying child out to her. ?I?m sorry to disturb you, but I have a need of a priest. This little one?s family perished in a plague. They asked me to have her name recorded by a shrine for her. Would you perform this one request for me??
Miho looked at the child. The little figure seemed healthy, if unhappy, and there were no signs of inhuman lineage. She hesitantly took a few steps closer and confirmed, the child seemed as human as any baby she?d seen.
Shrugging, she pointed towards the dusty offertory box. ?Donate.?
?Huh?? The youkai woman looked shocked at her statement. ?I?m sorry, what did you say??
?I said donate.? Miho waved at the box again. ?It?s only proper to give something to the shrine that records a child's name, right??
The youkai slowly smiled, then chuckled. ?Yes that is true. I apologize for my foolishness.? The youkai woman walked over the the box and pressed her hands together as best she could with the child in her arms before tossing in a bill.
Miho nodded, then moved towards the shrine?s entrance. As she reached the doors she paused. ?What?s the kid's name??
The youkai opened her mouth to answer, blinked, then tilted her head in thought. ?... Kuroko. Her name is Kuroko.?
?Right.? Miho walked back into the shrine. It took her a little time to grind the ink, and a little longer to find the right scroll and write in the name, and then she finished off with a prayer for the souls of the other ujigami to watch over the child. There was probably more ritual she was forgetting, but she could fix that later. The important work was finished.
Exiting the shrine she was surprised to find the youkai was still there. The blonde youkai had even managed to calm the child in her arms. She'd expected the woman to run off with her donation box or something. It was empty of course but youkai weren't likely to let something like that stop them from playing a prank. "It's done," she told the woman.
The youkai smiled. "Thank you."
Miho hesitated for a moment, then stated, "You know, you can't raise that kid. You're a youkai. She's a human."
The youkai's smile turned predatory, but there was still a friendly gleam in her eyes. "Oh? And are you going to try to take her from me?"
"No. That's not my place." Not to mention she had no chance of succeeding at it, Miho mentally added.
The youkai chuckled again. "You. What's your name."
Miho hesitated. Giving a youkai your full name could be dangerous, but not telling the woman would be impolite. "Hakurei. I'm from the Hakurei family."
"And I am Yakumo. Yakumo Yukari." The youkai stood a little taller as she proclaimed her name. "Little Hakurei, I have visited over fifty shrines with this child, searching for someone who would perform the smallest of favors for a youkai. All of them have either turned me away or attacked me with no care for the child's life. You alone were willing to not only help a youkai, but speak up for the child without resorting to threats."
The youkai stepped forward and carefully held the baby out towards her. "I don't know why you've abandoned the ideal of purity, but you have compassion. Thus I will entrust this child to you."
It was a ridiculous offer. Miho barely could support herself here at this shrine. But she found herself accepting the tiny bundle anyway. "Thank you, I guess?"
The youkai pulled a fan out of her sleeve and opened it to conceal her face. "I think you'll be seeing me in the future, Miss Hakurei. I look forward to interesting things from you and your descendants." With that a strange opening appeared behind the youkai. The woman bowed then fell backwards through the gap before it sealed up and disappeared.
Miho blinked at the display, then looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms. It seemed she'd gained a new burden in addition to this dilapidated shrine. Still she didn't feel any remorse. "Well then Kuroko. Let's see how much that youkai donated."
Hopefully the woman had been generous. After all, they'd be needing a lot more in the way of supplies.
----
Finally I finish something. I have to admit it wrote this just to write SOMETHING. But I'm not dissatisfied with it, so here we are.
-
You know, I've always liked how the characters in your writing so neatly walk the tense tightrope of youkai-human relations. That's something I've wanted to say for some time, but couldn't express very well, and I still feel like I'm leaving something out.
-
Rinnosuke looked all over the hot pink object. He could tell with his eyes that it was used as an ornament in a religious ceremony, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how. For that matter he couldn't figure out how any religion could survive having this as an ornament. Then again, perhaps that's why the objects were falling through the boundary. Whatever fad had caused them to be created had passed, and now they were a relic of another time.
Sighing he accepted that the tacky tree shaped object would have to sully his store for a little while. He'd collected about seven of them, and while they were terrible aesthetically, they were apparently made of some super metal "aluminum." The kappa were willing to pay good money for any objects made of the rare metal. If he left the thing up in his store someone would be sure to buy it soon.
A bell rung as the shops front door slid open. "Welcome!" He called out automatically. He worked his way to the counter, wondering what kind of customer had shown up.
His curiosity vaporized as a familiar serious looking blue haired bird youkai came into view. "I'm not giving you that book," he said instinctively.
Tokiko's frown deepened. "I'm not here to ask about that!" the young girl snapped. "Though you should give it back anyway!"
Rinnosuke repeated the first magical spell old man Kirisame had taught him to ward off complaints. "All sales are final." He sat down on the stool behind the counter. "So then what do you intend on buying?"
"I just need to look around a bit!" Tokiko stomped her foot. "This is a shop right! Let me browse!"
"Hm..." Rinnosuke gave the young bird girl a long look. He didn't really trust her around his wares, both because the girl was holding a grudge, and because her ability allowed her to make use of some of the items he had no intention of actually selling. Tokiko returned his glare with equal fervor.
"Now now Rinnosuke. You shouldn't be so harsh."
Rinnosuke's jaw fell open at the voice. He jumped off his stool and stared at the doorway. There a tall elegant woman with solid blue hair stood. Her skin seemed to glow slightly, and her hair formed the image of wings behind her as she moved.
"Mother!" Tokiko and Rinnosuke exclaimed at once.
The two feuding youkai blinked then looked away from the radiant woman to face each other again. "What?" Tokiko asked. Rinnosuke just blinked repeatedly. He knew the obvious answer but his mind refused to accept it.
"Oh dear." The graceful woman's aura faded as she frowned in concentration. "I did remember to tell you about your half sister right?"
"No you didn't mother," Rinnosuke replied with a sigh."
Tokiko shook her head. "You didn't tell me I had a brother either."
"Whoops!" The woman smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. It just slipped my mind."
Rinnosuke sighed, then turned and headed towards the back room. "I'll get some tea."
When Rinnosuke returned with the kettle he found his mother sitting in front of the heater, Tokiko's head on her lap. The young youkai girl was reading a book she'd grabbed from somewhere while his mother stroked her hair. He walked over and put down a small table next to the two. Tokiko sat up and set her book behind her as he poured the tea. "So when did you remarry, mother?"
"Hm, I wouldn't call it remarrying." She reached down and blew on the tea to cool it off before continuing. "I just happened to find a nice gentleman a couple of years after your father passed away." She sighed. "It's too bad he was afraid of commitment. He left a few years after Tokiko here was born." She patted the bird girl on the head. "Not that we couldn't handle things on our own of course dear?"
"Yep!" Tokiko smiled up at his mother. Rinnosuke couldn't help his eyebrow from twitching. Seeing that girl, his half sister apparently, chatting so freely with his mother made his chest tighten up.
He tried to focus on his tea instead. "So, is that why you haven't visited in the past thirty years mom??
"Thirty?" His mother blinked. "It hasn't been thirty years has it?"
"I'm forty mom," Tokiko said. "And you haven't visited my since I left ten years ago."
"You're forty, Tokiko?" The silver haired woman looked at her fingers as she started counting out years. Rinnousuke found himself sighing in unison with Tokiko. Tsubame Morichika was a youkai, and thus was never truly welcome in the village, but she'd managed to convince the villagers she was mostly safe enough to be around. And she'd done that by having the memory of a fish.
Seeing Tsubame was still working out the math he instead turned to Tokiko. "You're only forty? You seemed older then that."
"I'm part beast youkai. We mature faster," Tokiko replied.
Rinnosuke smirked. "I thought you were around eighty. After all you act a lot like a human I know did back when they were sixteen."
"Hey!" He forced himself not to chuckle as Tokiko's cheeks puffed in anger.
"Don't taunt your sister Rinnosuke," Tsubame scolded. Rinnosuke frowned as his mother patted Tokiko's head again. "In any case I am sorry I haven't been around as much as I could have. You know how things slip my mind dear."
Rinnosuke shrugged. It was something he'd gotten used to. His mom was a youkai, and while he knew she loved him, she was her own being. "It's alright. After all I am an adult now. Still, I'm curious why you stopped by right now."
His mother smiled. "Why, because now was the right time to stop by. At least that's what my intuition told me."
"That's odd." Rinnosuke mused. His mother's ability was to instinctively know proper etiquette and style. "I don't know of any holidays other then New Years, and that's still a while away."
"Maybe it's because you put up a Christmas tree," Tokiko said before flipping a page.
Rinnosuke looked over to the aluminum oddity in the corner. "That's a Christmas tree?"
"Hm..." Tsubame looked at the silver tree. "I think she might be right." She frowned. "Though it's terribly out of fashion and tacky. What were you thinking putting it out Rinnosuke?"
"I was going to sell it to the kappa," he replied dryly. "And how did you know what it was? They've just started falling into Gensoukyo."
"It was in the Charlie Brown Christmas book," Tokiko replied. "Though the drawing was a little different."
His mother looked surprised. "My my. You're getting into all sorts of strange books these days Tokiko dear. Why the interest in that Christmas holiday? It's something from that western religion after all."
Tokiko shrugged and frowned. "I don't care. It's the day I met my best friend, so it means something special to me."
?Ah? A thought struck Rinnosuke. ?That satori girl you bought the book for last year??
?Yeah, Koishi.? Tokiko pouted. ?She said her big sister wanted to have a family event this year, so we're meeting up tomorrow.? The little bird youkai's face brightened. ?Though she said she'd introduce me to a new friend! Or enemy. She was kinda unclear on that.?
Tsubame smiled. ?Hm... Well then, I have an idea! Let's have a family meet-up of our own for Christmas Eve then. You don't mind do you Rinnousuke??
Rinnosuke blinked. ?Um... Well, I don't mind but...? He looked around the crowded store. ?I can't really make a festive atmosphere on demand.?
?Don't worry about that Rinnosuke. All you need to do is show me where the kitchen is.? His mother stood up. ?Why don't you two catch up while I go make something to eat??
?Is that really alright?? he asked, but it was too late. His mother was already heading to the back. He sighed and turned his attention to Tokiko. He could at least trust his mother not to take anything too irreplaceable.
He hesitated a moment. The idea that he had a half sister still seemed odd. That the girl in front of him was his sister was even more strange to his mind. But still... ?Hey.?
?What?? The bird youkai looked up at him suspiciously.
?How... how has mom been doing?? he asked quietly.
Tokiko blinked, her hostility vanishing. ?Ah!? The girl thought over it for a minute, then shrugged. ?She seemed happy. At least she was until we moved apart. She was a little annoyed when dad left, but she said she knew hawk guys were flighty.?
Rinnosuke winced. ?Did you ever figure out if she does those puns on purpose??
?I have no idea,? Tokiko said shaking her head. The two sighed in mirrored suffering, then smiled.
?There we are!? Rinnosuke looked up to see his mother walking in with a large bowl of soup and a kettle. ?Rinnosuke dear could you grab some bowls and cups??
?Sure.? He went and grabbed the guest utensils that he used whenever Reimu and Marisa barged their way in. When he got back he saw his mother had placed the small table nearer the aluminum tree.
He sat down and set out the places for everyone. ?Why here??
His mother smiled. ?Well this is a holiday dinner. Even if the tree is tacky.?
Rinnosuke looked at Tokiko, who shrugged. Resigning himself to his mom's eccentricities, he set the places, then dished out the meal. ?What is it mom??
?Spiced cider and fish stew.? Tsubame waved a finger at him. ?Your trout was spoiling you know. You can't heat your house like this and expect fish to keep like it normally would in the winter.?
?Sorry mother.? He glared at Tokiko's smirk, then took a bite of the stew. ?It's good.?
Tokiko nodded. ?It's been a while since you've cooked for us, mom.?
?It has hasn't it.? His mother smiled at them. ?Well then, why don't you two tell me about your respective businesses while we eat??
The three chatted about their various jobs and hobbies. Rinnosuke blew of some steam complaining about the poor quality of his customers. Tokiko's reading list was impressive even to him. And listening to the odd situations his mother managed to get into was interesting as well.
Finally the meal drew to a close. "I'll take the plates," Rinnosuke said.
"Ah, I can handle it," his mother said.
"No no. You and Tokiko can just relax. I'll get some more water too." He waved his mother back to her seat, then took the dishes to the back. His mother was an excellent cook so none of the stew had burnt to the pot making cleaning quick and easy. He was back with another pot of water in only a few minutes.
After his mother poured the tea he settled down with one of the newer clocks he'd found from the outside world. He'd found that dismantling the complex device and looking at each of the pieces gave him a much better understanding of the item as a whole.
Tokiko had acquired a stack of books and was reading through them one by one. His half sister's talent was impressive on it's own, but her reading speed was also incredible. He idly wondered if the girl naturally understood the concepts she read.
His mother on the other hand just pulled out a bit of sewing and started working on it while humming. She rarely used the items she made. She just liked needlepoint.
The three of them each doing their own thing didn't seem like an celebration of any sort, much less a holiday. But Rinnosuke couldn't help feeling an odd sense of nostalgia. How many evenings had he spent looking over ledgers or items while his mother hummed that same tune?
He looked down at the little youkai girl that had been added to the picture. Seeing her here, just as comfortable as he was with their mother's song, made it actually feel like she was his sister.
"Oh my." The two siblings looked up at their mother's exclamation. "It's snowing."
Rinnosuke moved over to look out the window. Sure enough a light snow was falling down outside, the flakes glistening from the light of his store. With the tree next to it, Rinnosuke couldn't help but imagine it as a fantasy tableau.
"It's pretty," Tokiko said quietly.
"It is," he replied.
The three of them sat and took in the sight for a while, ignoring the practical in favor of enjoying the moment.
After a bit his mother said, "Though your tree really is tacky."
"It sucks," Tokiko added.
"Stop complaining. It was free," Rinnosuke replied.
The two women sighed, but he crossed his arms and ignored them. The 3rd magic spell of the Kirisame family could not be defeated by mere aesthetics.
As his family muttered to each other about his lack of artistic sense, Rinnosuke noticed the snow starting to get heavier. He wished he could check the weather with some of the magic devices of the outside world, but lacking those he had to assume the storm would only get stronger. "It looks like it's going to be bad tonight, so why don't you two stay here instead of going home in a blizzard?"
"Ah!" His mother looked outside in surprise, then awkwardly brushed at her hair. "My my. I didn't expect that. Thank you Rinnosuke. You're a good son to think of your mother's comfort."
Tokiko looked a bit confused but nodded. "If that's alright then... sure."
"Just don't make a habit of it," he muttered to the youkai.
"Well then. Let's all get set up for tonight. Where are the futons Rinnosuke?" his mother asked.
"Just up here. Let me set the space heater then we can shuffle things around."
The three moved furniture around in the upper room until there was enough space for three futons, then he showed his guests where the spare yukata were. Soon enough Tokiko was tripping over her oversized clothes while his mom was making sure the sheets were perfectly arranged. Rinnosuke shook his head at the sight, then moved down to the store to lock everything up for the night.
The room was already starting to warm up from both the heater and the occupants as he walked back up. Tokiko was asleep on one of the futon and his mom gave him a hushing gesture and a smile as he walked in. That was fine with him though. He was ready for sleep himself.
As the snow fell outside he curled up in his bed and closed his eyes for the night.
----
The morning sun shone off the fallen snow, making the day brighter then it really had any right to be. Rinnosuke had opened his store early, even though he wasn't likely to get any more customers.
"Good morning, Rinnosuke dear."
He turned to see his mother and sister coming down the back stairs, both back in their traveling attire. He wasn't surprised. They were all at least part youkai, and most youkai liked to move about. "Do either of you want breakfast?"
"Koishi was going to buy breakfast for us," Tokiko said.
"And I shouldn't take any more of my son's food stores," his mother replied. "No, I think I should be off. Thank you for everything dear."
Rinnosuke nodded. "It was good to see you again mother."
Tokiko hugged their mom. "Goodbye!"
Their mother patted Tokiko on the head before waving goodbye. "Take care dears. I promise to try to visit more. And try not to fight too much while I'm out."
"Bye bye!" Tokiko called out as the two waved. Rinnosuke felt a twinge as his mother stepped out of the shop then took to the air. His family was strange, but still better then most.
As his mom left he looked down at his newly discovered half sister. Rinnosuke hesitated then handed over a book. "The Illiad, in Greek. Merry Christmas."
Tokiko looked up at him in astonishment, then slowly took the book. The youkai girl flipped open the front cover and eagerly scanned the front page before looking up at him with sparkling eyes. "Thanks!"
She flipped through the book a bit humming hapily before blinking. "Ah!" She looked up at him again. "I still need to get a present for Koishi too."
He pointed her towards the book section. "I can also sell you wrapping paper and bows as well for five more coins."
Tokiko glared at him "But-"
He summoned the fifth Kirisame magic. "This is a business not a charity." He adjusted his glasses. "Besides you owe me a present. A sale today will do nicely."
"Cheapskate." The little bird youkai stalked towards the books while he smiled. After all, holiday or no, it was important for the older siblings to torment their younger ones a bit. Right?
He turned and went back to his work with a lighter heart.
-
~WalpurgisNacht~
Alice smiled at the results of her work. It had taken several weeks, three different pacts with demons, five duels, and a dash of outright divine intervention, but she’d succeeded in her quest. And the results were more impressive then she’d dared to imagine.
Before her stood the other four most powerful magicians in Gensoukyo, all dressed in the finest formal attire. Admittedly Byakuren’s evening dress was similar to her usual clothing, and Ellen’s dress screamed generic Disney princess, but Marisa’s strapless black cocktail dress and Patchouli’s purple ball gown both fit them quite well. Alice was a little biased of course, since she’d created both of the dresses, as well as the simpler blue dress she had picked out for herself. Sadly the people in question didn’t seem to appreciate the effort that had gone into her work.
“This is all your fault Patchouli,” Marisa muttered as she smoothed out her dress.
“I simply said we should go to Walpurgisnacht,” Patchouli muttered taking another dark look at her ball gown. “I said nothing about formal attire.”
Byakuren shifted awkwardly as the other magicians complained. “I’m still not sure why you needed me to come. I know I visited once, but I stopped being a magician in favor of the path of a monk.”
“What’s the matter? Don’t you like balls?” Ellen chirped. “I mean, they’re so exciting and romantic. Maybe we could even meet a prince!”
Alice considered briefly correcting Ellen, but kept her thoughts to herself. The cheery magician was the only one of the crew that actually wanted to be here AND was willing to dress up for the event. Instead she turned to speak to the more reluctant members of the expedition. “Marisa’s cluelessness I can understand, but you of all people should know better Patchouli. This is a bicentennial Walpurgisnacht. Our appearances will be judged, no matter how unreasonable it is. And since none of us are the type to flaunt our power in ostentatious displays of wasted magic, we have to do things the old fashioned way.” Four pairs of eyes focused on Shanghai, but Alice ignored the implied comments and continued. “In addition given we’re the largest group of mages from Gensoukyo arriving, our appearance will reflect on our homeland as well.”
“I was witchy enough before you stole my hat,” Marisa muttered. “And I don’t see why I should care if the people here think badly of the Scarlet Devil Mansion or whatever they’re going to associate us with.”
Alice sniffed in annoyance. “If you want to annoy Remilia that’s your problem. But don’t forget you’re also in a coven with me. Which means your slovenly dress will reflect poorly not just on Gensoukyo, but on Makai and mother as well. And given there will be a lot of Makai magicians there....”
Patchouli and Marisa frowned, but didn’t contest the issue. Byakuren however stepped forward. “While I admit that your reasoning is sound, I’m still not sure why I need to be here. This is going to be a party with drinking, politicking and flirting with demons. Three things I’m specifically not supposed to be doing.”
Ellen frowned at that. “Demons? Are any of the demons princes? Maybe enchanted ones?”
“You’re here because...” Alice paused. She had no idea why Patchouli had been insistent on inviting Byakuren. “...we need someone to keep Marisa from looting the place clean?”
“Good luck with that!” Marisa snapped. “After all this nonsense, I’m not leaving without stealing a full dinner set.”
Patchouli coughed, then took over. “My apologies. We need you here for two reasons Miss Hijiri. One, to settle any fights that might arise nonviolently. You have a small amount of fame, even if most of it has been lost to time, so you’ll be able to convince older and more arrogant magicians that ‘youngsters’ such us are not to be trifled with. Second, and most importantly however, as someone who has attended a Walpugisnacht before you can vouch for someone as a witch without being in a coven with them. I can only vouch for Yuki or Mai. I need you to get the other one in without the stupid magic trial nonsense.”
“Ah. Well that’s fair enough.” Byakuren sighed and relaxed a bit. “You’ll understand I’ll probably leave early however. This really isn’t my place anymore.”
Patchouli nodded. “Fair enough.”
Alice frowned. “Technically the cost of you losing the duel was to stay the whole evening.” Alice sighed. “But if you really want to leave in the middle I would not be so uncouth as to stop you.”
“Ah! And how are you going to convince me to come along?” Ellen asked.
“Didn’t you come to us asking for a ride?” Alice asked.
“Yeah, but Socrates and I were feeling left out of the whole complaining thing,” Ellen responded. “I mean, I suppose I could complain about there being demons instead of princes, but I’m pretty sure I was supposed to remember that on my own.”
Alice wasn’t sure how to respond to that so instead she turned to Patchouli. “So where are Mai and Yuki anyway? And why did Koakuma need to go with them?”
“They’re getting our escorts together,” Patchouli replied.
“Escorts?” Alice felt her eyes narrow. Marisa and Byakuren looked equally offput by the idea.
“This is a witches’ ball, yes?” Patchouli waved her hand. “We’re supposed to go there, exchange spells, start petty feuds, get drunk, and most importantly connect with demons. Back when devils were less concentrated and more dangerous to summon, Walpurgisnacht was the night when a witch got to meet and greet those demons who were actually interested in working with a mage. In fact that’s still one of its primary purposes, since a large number of magicians hide away in ‘magician only’ realms. The only difference is the demons and witches tend to be more interested in companionship then the old world shattering relationships.” Patchouli sighed. “Thus why I asked for escorts for everyone. So we wouldn’t get pestered by an endless parade of lonely incubi.”
“Ya know, I don’t really consider being attached to a succubus for the night to be that much better. Especially since I’m sure you’re claiming Koa as your escort,” Marisa pointed out dryly.
Byakuren crossed her arms. “I must agree. I have my position within the temple to consider. Especially with those Taoists complicating matters. I can’t allow myself such impropriety, even if I was interested.”
Patchouli coughed a few times before replying. “That’s why I had Koakuma go. So they’d pick devils that wouldn’t actually try to seduce you. Elle, my other familiar, will be serving as your escort Byakuren, so you don’t need to worry at all. She’ll walk with you to show you aren’t interested in hookups then wander off to let you enjoy the party in peace. And I know I can trust Koakuma to find proper matches for everyone else. Though I’m afraid I didn’t tell her to find someone for you Ellen, given I didn’t know you’d be joining us.”
“That’s okay, I have Socrates!” Ellen said, holding her cat high. The black feline gave a long suffering meow. Alice had to admit, against that kind of defense even the most persistent demons would probably back off. Ellen wasn’t axe crazy, but the demons here wouldn’t know that.
Still, Alice considered hiding behind a ‘beard’ to be insulting to her position. “And I have my Grimoire. You can have my ‘date’ if you wish Ellen. I will be attending solo.” She brushed her hair back over her ears as she turned her gaze on Patchouli and Marisa.
Patchouli frowned, but Marisa just snorted. “Sure thing. Just don’t complain when a fight starts because of it. Patchy might not want to start a scene, but I totally want to fry someone.”
“Now now Marisa, it’s bad karma to incite violence purely because you don’t like the dress you’ve been given,” Byakuren scolded.
“Told you it would end up like this Mai.”
Alice turned to see Yuki and Mai stepping out of a dimensional rift, followed by Koakuma and four other devils. The two Makai magicians had decided on matching sleeveless dresses along with gloves, though Yuki’s hat and Mai’s wings broke their symmetry. Still Alice thought that suited them better. Koakuma and her siblings simply wore suits, though the cuts were slightly different for each, and one of the devils had added a short sword to their attire.
Yuki smoothed back her hair while Mai smirked. “So since Alice doesn’t want an escort we’re all here.” The fire mage turned to Ellen. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Yuki.”
Alice politely joined in as introductions were passed around. Ellen greeted everyone with her usual cheer, while Koakuma seemed almost as bored as Patchouli. The other demons, Elle, Ruby, Shotglass and Elspeth, seemed more enthusiastic about the matter.
When introductions were over Alice turned towards the path leading up the mountain. “Well then, shall we enter before the line gets too long?”
Patchouli nodded. “Indeed. Even if we get to use the returning members entrance it would be best to start now. After all we have to walk.”
Alice began her ascent. Soon she’d figure out why Patchouli’d been so insistent about going here.
---
Marisa had been annoyed at this nonsense ever since Patchouli had suggested it. True the idea of dropping in and showing off to the greatest witches had flitted through her mind a couple of times, but the fact that most of the people attending would be older than Patchouli made that fantasy unlikely. She’d also tossed around the idea of stealing some nice magical artifacts, but given more traditional witches usually had great skill with curses, she’d tossed out that idea as well. That left her with stealing spells, in exchange for sitting through some formal event where she didn’t know the rules, with a date she’d never met before, while Patchouli got to flirt with Koa and Alice politicked. Not her idea of a fun time.
However as their group ascended the mountain she couldn’t help feeling a certain electricity in the air. There was magic here, and lots of it. The crackling energy of thousands of spells designed to create the ball and hide it from the outside world. The inaudible hum of thousands of witches all in one place, each one resonating with personal power on their own unique wavelength. And below that mad chorus the deep beat of the power of this location, a power that had been here before the first witch and might linger after the last. The magic of winter changing into spring.
The gate that appeared before them as they passed over the final rise was just as impressive. It was a set of doubled swinging gates, made with rods of ebony and silver. At least that’s what Marisa guessed. The party could be seen beyond, but only hazy flashing glimpses of it. Before the gates three somber hooded figures stood, a massive guestbook on a table next to each. A crowd of younger witches queued around the two on either side. Most were dressed up, though some were in normal clothes. As their group passed the queues several of the magicians turned to look at the crowd. Marisa waved and smiled, but it was obvious there was a lot more attention on Alice, Yuki and Mai. At a guess those were Makai magicians then.
When they reached the middle figure it held out a pen. “Patchouli Knowledge, Byakuren Hijiri, and Ellen Fuwafuwaatama Aureus. You are Welcomed. Do you wish to sponsor a witch?”
Patchouli nodded. “I bring those bonded to me by the contract of a coven, and one guest. Mai.”
The figure shook its head. “I’m sorry, however the rules have changed since last you joined us. The heads have decreed that one may only bring in new coven members or guests. Not both.”
Marisa took an involuntary step back as Patchouli’s expression twisted into the snarl she wore right before committing great bodily harm upon someone. “Damned arrogant, incompetent, lazy do nothings. What purpose does forcing more people to jump through hoops serve?”
“Oooh! I can help!” Ellen waved her arm happily. “I’ll sponsor. Me and Socrates think Mai’s a good enough magician.”
“Do you wish to give reasoning for this sponsorship?” The figure asked.
Ellen nodded. “Her wings are fluffy! That’s an important witch feature!”
Marisa chuckled as the robed figure seemed to pause. Trust Ellen to confuse a highly sophisticated magical construct. Mai on the other hand seemed to take it in stride, flapping her wings once or twice for effect.
“So noted,” the figure finally said. “Do you have a sponsorship, Byakuren Hijiri?”
“Yes,” Byakuren smiled. “I will be sponsoring Yuki here for her work with other youkai.”
“I suppose that works,” Yuki muttered.
The figure held out the pen again. “You are all Welcomed. Sign your names, so that you may be remembered, then enter.”
Marisa tried to remain nonchalant as she followed Patchy and Alice up to the giant tome. Still she couldn’t help but linger over the book as she prepared to sign her own name in. This tome contained the names of the greatest witches to ever live. It had the names of thousands of lesser witches who all pulled on history one way or another. It was a relic surpassing the Gensoukyo Chronicles.
She really really wanted to steal it.
In the end she settled for simply signing her name, and as an afterthought putting Mima down as her master. She was certain the green haired spirit hadn’t lived long enough to visit, so she figured a mention of her first magic tutor was something the crazy ghost would like. She then stepped aside so the rest of the group could sign in. Marisa noticed the others seemed to have similar reverence for the artifact. Except Ellen of course.
When Byakuren finally put her name into the tome and stepped forward the gates swung open revealing a bright light. “Proceed,” the hooded figure stated.
The light intensified as Marisa stepped through. Normally she’d dismiss it as pretentiousness but she had to admit that she was excited about the party part.
As the light faded however her excitement drained away. While the open air clearing was impressive, the party itself just looked like one of Remilia’s larger affairs. Perhaps even less interesting. While devils replaced the fairy maids, there were no interesting youkai standing around, just other magicians. And unlike the magicians Marisa was used to, the average physical age around here seemed to be sixty. And that was with the makai crew skewing it hard. She could kinda understand not changing your appearance with magic, but when age was starting to affect your ability to move it seemed foolish to not deal with that.
She turned to the rest of the group. “So what’s there for entertainment?”
“The ball itself will be in a couple of hours, if you care to dance.” Patchouli replied. “Until then the tradition is to sample the buffet and insult your peers. I trust everyone here is good at that?” Marisa and Mai chuckled, while Alice tried to look innocent.
“That doesn’t sound quite right,” Ellen said.
Byakuren patted the other magician on the back. “I believe her views are mildly skewed. I’m sure we can have fun without such crudeness.”
“To each their own. Still it’s considered proper form to wander separately for a while at the start. Otherwise the covens would just stand around and give each other dark looks all night. Shall we meet up when the dance starts?” Patchouli asked.
“Sounds good to me.” Marisa waved to the others and started heading towards the food tables. She could get a good idea on what was what from there.
As she walked across the field she decided now was a good time to get to know the devil that had been quietly shadowing her for some time. “So Ruby, huh? What’s your job? And how’d you get picked for this shindig?”
“I’m the adventuring succubus. I do random jobs for my mistresses and generally look for interesting things.” The red headed devil smiled at her. “As for how I got picked, I volunteered. Koakuma’s told us devils a lot about you after all. It’s always nice to get to chat with someone who understands how useful fire is for settling diplomatic disputes.”
Marisa raised an eyebrow. “Surprised she told you about those, since she was usually the person being set on fire. Then again I suppose she doesn’t take it too personally either.” Marisa shrugged. “I imagine you get into those situations more often than me. Incidents are more about trash talk then real diplomacy.”
“Hm... It would be interesting to see one of those incidents. They sound like a lot of fun.” Ruby patted her sword. “I love my work as an adventurer, but it would be nice to have a few contests that are both unscripted and friendly.”
“I dunno. I’d kinda like to get out more. Gensoukyo’s full of cool things, but the occasional adventure outside would be nice.” Marisa looked around at the ball surrounding her and frowned. “So long as they were actual adventures.”
As they reached the table the group of witches already there looked Marisa up and down and rather dismissively turned away. Marisa considered picking a fight right then and there, but she reconsidered when her stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten recently. Instead she started looking over the platters on the table for anything good. Unfortunately it seemed proper Japanese cuisine was in short supply. She picked over the foods she knew from Remilia’s parties, while turning to Ruby. “Any suggestions food wise?”
“Grab an eclair fast,” the devil said as she swiped one for herself. “Can’t say much for the rest. Maybe get some the artichokes? Looks pretty bland right now. Probably because these are just the appetizers.”
“Maybe you’d find something more to your liking at the kids table,” one of the women muttered just loud enough so she could be overheard. The group snickered as Marisa turned towards them. Her hand twitched towards where her explosive potions were stored, but a certain innate perversity held her back. Instead she looked around. Sure enough in the far corner there were six or seven kids standing around a table. Marisa had assumed they were just witches who wanted to look young, but given true magicians were born as youkai she should have guessed there would be some actual children around.
A smirk grew across her face. “Thanks! I was hoping there were gonna be some interesting people to chat with other than Ruby. Later.” She tossed the surprised looking women a wave that even Satori would have a hard time doubting the sincerity of and started walking towards the distant table. Ruby hurried along after her with a confused look.
“Are we really going to the kids table?” The devil asked.
“Yep! What’s wrong? I thought devils liked corrupting impressionable youth,” Marisa replied.
“My preferred corruptions are not recommended for summoners below seventeen years of age.” Ruby grimaced. “I’m not good with kids! I rescue them, dump them somewhere kinda safe then go on to shoot the people who kidnapped them in the face. This isn’t my specialty!”
Marisa laughed. It seemed she’d already managed to confound the mighty adventurer. It was nice being the one in charge of the conversation for once. “Just follow my lead. If you blank tell them a story. Age appropriate.”
Ruby’s sputtered protests fell silent as they reached the small table. There were eight girls there, ranging from seven to fourteen from Marisa’s guess. The younger kids looked bored, while the young teenagers looked bored and sullen. One of the older kids gave her a dark look as she wandered over. “I don’t know who you are, but none of us are dumb enough to agree to be some random witch's apprentice, even if those contracts were binding tonight.”
Marisa tipped her hat to the girl. “Heh, you’re a sharp tongued kid aren’t you? I’m Marisa Kirisame, Ordinary Magician. And I don’t take apprentices that aren’t motivated enough to run away from home and ask me for power.” Marisa winked. “But I ain’t here for that kinda nonsense. I’m here to steal your spells. After all you girls have to have thought up something interesting, unlike those old fuddie duddies wandering around pretending they’re cool.”
The girl that had challenged her just stood there in slack jawed disbelief at her insane pronouncement, but one of the younger girls clutched a book close. “You aren’t going to steal my spell old lady!”
Marisa held herself back from commenting on the ‘old lady’ line, even though Ruby was snickering behind her. Instead she waited for more pieces to fall into play. Sure enough a slightly older girl wheeled on the child. “What? You don’t have a unique spell Kseniya! Mom hasn’t let you even see the mid level grimoires yet. Don’t lie to strangers like that.”
Kseniya whirled on her sister, Marisa’s ultimatum forgotten. “I do too have a spell, Lyudmila! Watch!” The young girl whipped out a wand and waved it at a blueberry tart sitting on the table. “Клубника магию вспышка!” There was a stream of pink sparkles, a puff of smoke, and then the pastry reappeared as a strawberry tart. “See! My spell can turn any berry into strawberries!”
“Oooh. Not bad not bad.” Marisa gave light applause at the transformation. Kseniya grinned widely and bowed while Lyudmila poked at the crimson sweet. “So how strong is the transformation? Does it change the magical powers of the fruit?”
Kseniya’s smile faded at that. “No. The magic stays the same. I tried really hard, but it only makes them taste and look like strawberries. I got a stomach ache using that on gooseberries.”
“Of course. There’s no way you could alter something’s real nature like that.” Lyudmila muttered. “That takes alchemy.”
The teenage girl recovered enough to sniff in disdain at that. “Hardly. You can do real transmutation with pure magic. Especially if you’re just working with berries. It’s not like you’re transforming elements. I can change the type of wood in the fireplace for my own rituals. It’s not hard.”
Marisa chuckled. “You can do that, but it’s always better to get the real thing. Mixing magic is dangerous, if fun.” She walked forward and patted the girl on the head. “And you shouldn’t look so down about the spell working the way it does. I’d say it’s almost better that way. I bet you could do all kinds of clever things with that.”
“Really?” the girl asked. She looked up at Marisa with sparkles in her eyes. “Like what?”
“I’d love to hear how strawberries that aren’t strawberries are going to help you out,” the teenager sneered.
Lyudmila crossed her arms. “I’m with Helena. That seems kind of weak.”
“Oh? Come on now kids,” Marisa carefully adjusted her hat to give the proper arrogant pose. “Haven’t you read any stories where someone was vulnerable to a certain substance? Imagine if you could get a monster to eat a mistletoe tart thinking it was strawberry.” Marisa’s grin widened as she saw comprehension dawn over the faces of the young witches. “I’m sure Ruby would have liked a spell like that at some point, right?”
Marisa turned to the devil who blanched as the rest of the kids followed Marisa’s gaze. “Well, ah, I suppose...” The succubus thought for a moment. “Oh right! There was this one lycanthrope hunt where that could have been really useful. You see....”
The kids moved closer as Ruby started telling the story, while Marisa stepped back and sent a wink back towards the table she’d vacated. She wasn’t sure if they noticed, but it was important to gloat. She wasn’t sure if it was better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, but she was sure it was more fun to reign over the playground than deal with sophomoric sniping from her ‘peers.’ Especially since she liked kids.
As she turned back to help Ruby’s story her eye caught an owl looking down at the group. Normally the night creature wouldn’t have stood out, but there weren’t many trees for the bird to hide behind. It seemed that some of the parents were smart enough to keep an eye on their kids. Marisa gave the spy a polite nod, then moved into the group to take control of the conversation again. “And let me show you girls another spell that’s more useful than you might think....”
-----
Yuki plowed through the party, ignoring both the questioning looks and the dismissive ones. She had a mission to accomplish and she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her. Mai had come because she’d wanted to try to pry secrets out of people and chat with Alice. Yuki had come because there was something here she couldn’t get anywhere else.
Her hopes rose as she approached the first table, bottles glistening in the light of the moon. She forced herself to take small steps, not wanting to trip in her dress. Then as the labels on the bottles became visible she stopped and swore. This table’s promise had been a dark illusion.
A small imp servant blanched at Yuki’s anger. “We are very sorry miss. Are these wines not to your likings?”
Yuki whirled on the creature. “Of course not. I’m looking for alcohol, not grape flavored kids drinks. Point me towards the real liquor.”
“Ah...” The imp stared at Yuki for a moment then pointed at another table further down. “We think that may be what you desire?”
“I hope so. I didn’t cross dimensions for sour water.” Yuki turned and stalked towards the indicated table. Hopefully this one wouldn’t disappoint.
As she walked the demon girl she’d brought to the party hurried up to stand beside her. “Uh, isn’t it a little early to get into the hard liquors, boss?”
Yuki gave the succubus a sidelong glance. “The hard liquors are the entire point of coming here, Shotglass. You didn’t think I asked you along just because you look good in a suit, did you?”
“Well I was kinda hoping....” Shotglass sighed. “So why do you think the liquors here are going to be better than what we get in Makai? I mean you’re a baroness now. We don’t exactly lack for supply.”
“We have supplies from everywhere in Makai,” Yuki replied. “But Faerie, the wizard realms, or the new world?” Yuki gave the bartending demon a pointed glance. “There’s a lot of alcohol in the world, and we’ve only scratched the surface.”
Shotglass nodded in agreement. “True, mistress.” The devil sniffed the air then slowly smiled. “And I think that your plan has come to fruition. Unless Dragons Breath is a common spirit in the outside world.”
“Dragons Breath?!” Yuki’s heart flipped in her chest, and she half leaped, half flew to the table. There in the middle of the table sat the rumored drink, surrounded by yellow caution tape like sacred ropes surrounded a holy relic. The glorious sight was only magnified by the many other bottles surrounding it, secondary shrines to the splendor that was the main temple. She could almost hear a choir of oni in the background as she surveyed the wonders before her.
Eventually though she snapped back to reality. There was drinking to be done. She turned towards her demonic servant. “We start with the Dragons Breath. I don’t want my senses dulled for this.”
“Good idea.” Shotglass grabbed two mugs and flipped the flagon into her off hand. With a carefully practiced motion she filled both glasses, then cautiously handed one to Yuki. Yuki raised her drink to the succubus, then carefully began drinking the potent mixture.
The first gulp was painfully hot. Dragons Breath was actually made from the breath of dragons, and the mystical flames suffused the brew. If Yuki hadn’t been incredibly resistant to fire she’d have died right there. As it was it felt like she was drinking tea right off the stove. She forced herself to ignore the pain and continue on.
Two gulps later her mouth had adjusted to the magical flames and she was able to taste the liquid itself. Her first impression was a metallic tang, copper, or perhaps gold, surrounded by the spicy sweet taste that good hot ciders had. She closed her eyes as the flavors started to build so that she could better recognize them.
Soon the full body of the liquor revealed itself to her. Beyond the heat, beyond the tang of metal and the sweetness of the brew itself was a sort of hum. It was the magic itself in the drought, a pulsing flow that suffused her whole being. And the sweetness and spiciness pulsed with it, rising and falling according to the whims of the drink, not her drinking speed.
Finally the drought ended. Yuki opened her eyes and took a deep breath before huffing out a small cloud of flame. The aftertaste was a little harsh she had to say. Her tongue felt like she’d drunk the dragon’s horde instead of its breath. But overall Yuki had to say it had lived up to the hype.
“Phew.” Yuki looked up to see Shotglass smiling back at her. “So. What would you suggest next?”
“Obviously we need a palate cleanser. I’m thinking something sweet.” The bartending demon started grabbing bottles and various fruits from the table. “Let me whip something up. Alcohol light.”
“Don’t make it too light,” Yuki said as she summoned up a chair. “I don’t want to be wasting time on fruit juice here.”
“Have I ever disappointed?” Shotglass asked as she started to juggle the ingredients.
Yuki sat back and relaxed. This was going to be a great outing.
---------
It tweaked her pride to admit it, but Byakuren was slowly starting to realize age was definitely in the mind. While her body hadn’t changed in the centuries since her transformation her mind was, well not old per say, but more mature. Her youkai friends had helped keep her youngish, and escaping to Gensoukyo had taken years off her age. However her status as a religious leader and a teacher always made her feel like the adult in the room.
That was probably why she found herself wandering towards a group of the older looking ladies. The ones that had decided if they were going to be immortal witches they might as well go the distance, age to ninety or so, and get a few warts to help drum up business.
She’d had another reason to speak with them though. Which is why she’d left Ellen and her escort behind.
The group of elder witches turned to face her as they reached the crowd. “Good evening,” Byakuren said simply with a polite bow. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Well now. I don’t think anyone would mind such a polite lady joining their group at a party like this,” one of the elders said with a wheezing chuckle. “I can’t recall seeing you before dearie. Are you new to this little ball?”
“Ah, I visited once before, but I fear I’ve been... away for some time.” Byakuren grimaced at the memory of her long imprisonment. “I was never much of a real witch for that matter. This is something of a western tradition. The first time I was mostly visiting to learn about your customs.”
“Hm...? An eastern witch you say?” Another one of the women squinted at her. “We have been getting a lot of you eastern witches drop by recently I suppose, but if you were far enough back one of us old gals might recognize you. About when did you visit us?”
Byakuren thought for a bit. “Hm... What was it in western years? I’d been a witch for a bit, so it was... a little after 1100 AD? I think?”
Several eyes opened wide in respect at that. Apparently even among these witches that was a long time. However one of the ladies chuckled. “My my. That was a fair bit back. Aye, I was one of those know it all witches that ran things back then. Hm…” The witch gave her another once over and nodded her head. “Aye I remember a lady from the orient that looked like you dropping by around then, though you’ll forgive me if I forget your name. After all, you never sent a yuletide card.”
“How thoughtless of me,” Byakuren replied with a smile. “I hope I didn’t offend. I am Byakuren Hijiri, youkai witch of Japan. Though I’ve retired.”
“Retired?” One of the other ladies chuckled at that. “You can’t retire from meddling. It’s in the blood.”
Byakuren shrugged. Attempting to argue the point wouldn’t go well so she merely replied, “Well I did become a priest again, so it’s more meddling in a different way.”
The group laughed at that. “It’s too bad we can’t mix our meddling here,” the eldest said. “It would bring a fine bit of variety to life.”
Byakuren smiled, then coughed lightly. She enjoyed the company but she had something she needed to accomplish before she could fully relax. “If I might, I was wondering if you knew someone from that time? Eirene Arbantene she called herself. A witch of the Romaioi.”
“Ah.” The elder witch’s smile faded. “I’m sorry there child, but she fell afoul of the Church I fear. She was never one of the quiet types after all. And with all the religious wars...”
Byakuren stiffened at the news. She gave the group a bow, “Thank you for your time. I’m sorry to bother you over such trivial matters.”
The old witch nodded in return. “It’s no big deal dearie. Good to remember the old movers and shakers once in a while.
A few more meaningless pleasantries were exchanged before Byakuren retreated to the edge of the barrier. She shouldn’t have been surprised really. Being a witch was always a dangerous proposition after all. Byakuren had barely survived herself. And as a proper Buddhist she shouldn’t be distraught by the cycle of death and rebirth.
But she found herself wiping her eyes anyway. After all it had been one of the most important events in her life.
She’d had to run from her home country for a bit. People were starting to suspect she was living too long to be human, so she took a vacation.
Still it was a good time. She’d managed to travel all the way to India, meeting fantastic youkai along the way. Then on to the fabled city of Baghdad, a place where magic was openly practiced in the streets, though always with a proper religious screen.
It was there when she met Eirene. The western mage was of a similar age, and interested in the many stories that Byakuren had from her homeland. In return the western witch had told her of the demons in her own lands, and invited Byakuren to visit the great witches’ conclave.
Byakuren had been well into her wine cups by the end of the ball, and she’d ended up blurting out the truth behind her work.
“It’s not that I really like youkai. But our power is tied to theirs. So I save them whenever I can.”
The other witch had looked surprised at that. But then Eirene had smiled. “Well, I imagine they don’t care, so long as they’re saved.”
It was something her brother might have said.
Byakuren sighed and shook off the lingering memories. “It seems I have a ways to go as a monk. I keep getting trapped in illusions.”
Still she found herself smiling at the memory.
She brushed her hair back and headed back towards the group of elder witches. It would be impolite to simply sit in the corner all night. And she was sure their conversation, if simple, would be interesting.
----
Alice slipped through the crowds effortlessly, her only pauses coming when she had to smile and reveal her grimoire to a devil who looked like they were going to proposition her. It had been quite successful so far. She’d managed to get to the refreshment table, grab a drink and some snacks, then escape to the outer circles of the party without any issue. She had to admit this was kind of defeating the whole point of going to a ball, but that was just the kind of person she was. She prefered to spend time with friends rather than mingle.
Fortunately Mai had shadowed her, along with the demon butler Mai had brought as her escort. The quietly smiling magician was hardly the most gregarious of people, but the company was still appreciated.
As the trio stood together and sampled the refreshments Alice’s eyes scanned over the crowd. It was strange. The movement was instinctive enough to be automatic, but new enough for it to seem strange to her. In Gensoukyo she’d been something of an afterthought to the big powers. When she’d joined the coven with Patchouli and Marisa however things had changed suddenly. Pretty much every major power had dropped by to visit after that, with expressions very similar to the polite smiles of the magi that had fought over her when she’d first dropped into Makai.
She didn’t want to admit it, but the sudden attention had panicked her. She’d considered escaping to the SDM or Makai for a bit before her mother had made an unannounced appearance. Shinki’s guileless smile, accompanied by pointed praise and Yumeko’s icy glare helped calm things down.
After that she’d started paying more attention to who was saying and doing what. Patchouli and Marisa were useless when it came to understanding people in power, and Remilia was actively working to get the three magus to support her own ambitions. So it fell upon her to see how the wind was blowing. And now that she’d trained herself to keep an open eye, it was hard to turn it off.
What she was seeing right now were groups forming based upon apparent age. There were exceptions of course, but in general the patterns fit. The most ancient witches had formed their little huddles and were actually treating the party like a social event, catching up with old friends and sharing minor magics.
The other two groups were less casual. One was mostly composed of middle aged looking casters in more conservative garb. That’s not to say they were drab however. All of them seemed to carry magical artifacts and familiars of some sort, and most of them were showing off spells as well. Alice wasn’t impressed with the variety of magics being tossed about, but there were some interesting variants every now and then. “I wonder how many of those Marisa will steal?” Alice muttered. Mai rolled her eyes and sniffed, but Alice could see the ice magician’s mouth turn up slightly.
The third group was the most natural looking to Alice. Young, well dressed for a night on the town, and possessing more nonhuman attributes then the older witches. Most of those were just entering the hall, probably because most had to go through the proving process outside. As they came in they split up and began to circulate, talking with other mages in the group and the demons who were standing around.
Those two groups of younger magicians didn’t seem to interact much. In fact they seemed to be alternating between actively glaring at each other and pretending the other side didn’t exist. Alice was impressed. There had to be a fairly deep rift in the community for that animosity to coalesce. Magi were innately self-absorbed to some degree. Usually petty disagreements and infighting amongst close peers prevented witches from forming huge social groups. The witches that were in magical schools had their rivalries of course, but most schools were small.
Alice pondered the problem for a bit before vocalizing her guesses to Mai. “So, us Makai magicians versus the older holdouts?”
Mai nodded. “Not just Makai. Look.”
Alice looked at the gathering that Mai was pointing at. She almost missed it, but eventually she realized the oddity. The witches’ garb and mystical implements showed they were from the rebuilt City of Wonders, where the djinn and other related creatures had fled. “Ah. It’s other realms as well. I’m so used to people picking clothes from random countries I missed the difference in magical styles. So it’s a generational divide after all. The witches who were big names in the outside world and fled to hidden realms, versus those of us who were born in magical spaces.”
Mai crossed her arms and smiled slightly. The devil behind her added, “It’s mostly those witches who are from mixed realms as opposed to wizard only realms. People who actively live side by side with devils, fey or other legendary creatures. The witches from pure magical realms and the European witches who don’t engage in their realm’s social activities compose most of the old guard.”
“Wait,” Alice blinked. “Does that mean we are the sociable, reasonable witches, and that there are people more stuck up and removed from reality than us?”
“Um….” For once Mai looked startled at the comment. “I guess?”
Alice shook her head and sighed. What was wrong with the world?
----
Patchouli sipped the wine lightly. It was a fairly strong jug, probably an older vintage meant to be cut with water, but Patchouli hadn’t bothered. While her constitution was terrible, years of living with a vampire had built up her tolerance to alcohol even before she ended up in Gensoukyo.
“Um… Miss Patchouli, what are we actually doing here?” Koakuma asked. The little devil had been fiddling with her suit for most of the evening. Patchouli wasn’t sure why her familiar hated suits, but the little devil had fought tooth and nail over that part of the plan. That was probably why Koa had sold her out to Alice, not that the devil girl would have held back even if Patchouli had acquiesced. Maybe it was the pants.
She blinked, realizing her mind had wandered. “Ah. Why do you think we’re here for anything in particular Koakuma?”
“Because if it’s a party you wanted you could have just gone to any one of the parties in Gensoukyo. Or asked Remilia to throw one. Instead we’re here with a bunch of witches you either aren’t interested in, or people you hate because of the last Walpurgisnacht we went to.” Koakuma sighed. “I mean, maybe you could have shown up to flaunt off your hot girlfriends, but then you’d have just asked Alice, Marisa and me. And you’d have gotten me and Marisa to wear skimpy outfits and cling to you and Alice.”
Patchouli shook her head. “That’s your fantasy, not mine Koakuma.”
Koakuma stomped her foot. “Please Miss Patchouli. My fantasy has ALL of us wearing skimpy outfits.” The little devil smiled. “Though you aren’t fighting the girlfriends bit, so does that mean…?”
“That means I know some things are beyond even the power of magic.” Patchouli rolled her eyes. “Still I suppose I should explain what we’re doing. We’re going to start a war.”
Koakuma twitched. “Again?”
“Ah, the ‘Lunar War’ was unintentional. And also something of a farce.” Patchouli finished the glass of wine and set it down. “This one might be more involved.”
Patchouli couldn’t help but smile as Koakuma blinked at her. It was always fun to confuse the girl. “Um, you aren’t serious Patchouli right? I mean, it’s not like we have an army or anything and well….”
“I’m as serious as I am about killing Marisa to get my books back,” Patchouli replied.
Koakuma’s eyes narrowed as the devil tried to decide how bad that was. Patchouli considered explaining the matter to her in full, but a familiar face moving through the crowd caught her eye. It seemed it was time. “I should mention that you look good in a suit Koakuma.”
“Eh?!” Koakuma started in surprise. Patchouli took the opening to begin moving in towards her prey, the little devil having to dash to catch up.
Patchouli reached her target just as the woman joined a group of other witches. Some looked older than they had before but Patchouli recognized most. She approached the group calmly and coughed to draw attention to herself.
The little group mostly just gave her a dismissive look and turned away with a sneer, but the woman she’d picked out first looked surprised. “Hmm?” The witch turned to look at Patchouli. “Is that really you Heather Verlinden? I would have thought you’d be too ashamed to show your face here again,” she asked with a vicious smirk.
“It’s Patchouli Knowledge now, Marie Leclerc.” Patchouli shrugged. “And why would I be ashamed? After all I’m one of the few true witches here, as opposed to spellcasting secretaries.”
That got the group’s full attention. She heard some angry mutterings from the women, but Marie stepped forward to confront her directly. “Oh is that so Miss Knowledge?” the woman spat. “Big talk from a child. I forget, are you even a hundred years old?”
Patchouli raised an eyebrow. “Bringing age into it, Leclerc? You’re only thirty years older than me, otherwise we wouldn’t have run into each other.”
“Much to my misfortune,” Marie waved her hand as if dismissing a foul smell. “I don’t know why you earth born magicians even bothered to show up. Didnt you learn last time that no one’s going to be impressed that you studied with a whopping four magician families? Or with your second rate familiar?” The woman smiled viciously. “Though I suppose you’ve only got the second rate familiar now that your little ‘conclave’ is dead.”
Patchouli had been prepared for the taunt, but it still caused her to flinch. Koakuma took it less well. “How dare you! Miss Patchouli’s family-”
Patchouli put an arm on her familiar’s shoulder to stop her. She was grateful for Koakuma’s support, but letting the little devil take a swing at her foe would be a mistake right now. Instead she forced a disinterested look and replied, “Second rate? I see your masters still haven’t gotten around to teaching you the basics of demonology. Probably for the best, really. A simple rote spellcaster who can’t see the strengths and weaknesses of demons at a glance really shouldn’t be allowed to summon them.”
“Tch.” Marie grimaced unable to fully refute the accusation. Patchouli had always suspected part of the older girl’s insults had come from jealousy. “More like you don’t have the power to summon up anything really dangerous. Real magicians know they must understand the seven great mysteries before binding a useful familiar.”
Patchouli sniffed. “Great mysteries? Ha!” She allowed her own sneer to show. “Meaningless babble for dabblers who need benchmarks to prove to themselves they’re really learning magic. There’s only one mastery for a witch! The true secret of immortality. Everything else is just a means to an end. Knowledge is without limit. A witch proves herself by using her knowledge.”
“Oh? And how do you use it? Curing warts? Blessing cows?” Marie laughed harshly. “Tell me the grand experiments the peasant daughter of an accountant and a housewife has accomplished.”
“My parents mastered magic in a world where mana was all but gone,” Patchouli hissed. “While you were repeating basic charms, I learned how to scrape power from the tiniest of hiding holes. While you hid from the church in far realms, I practiced right next to them. While you sat in classes having simple knowledge handed to you I constructed spells from whole cloth, learning everything I could to master the world around me.”
Patchouli began to shake as she shouted at the woman before her. “My family was the longest living branch of witches on Earth. We were not killed by the church, or by the demons we summoned, or even by wars that covered the entire world, and we only left when the magic in the world was too small to keep any youkai alive.” She cut off the other woman’s rebuttal. “I have bargained with vampire lords. I’ve fought gods to a standstill. I’ve sent a rocket to the moon! That is the legacy of my family! What have you done?”
Marie rocked back before returning with her own tirade. “What, am I supposed to be impressed with your playing around? I’ve worked to master techniques you fools lost centuries ago. While you’ve been playing with humans I’ve been studying magic every day. I’m researching spells you peasants can’t even comprehend. A half taught wizard like you has no right to judge me! You and your little country coven should stick to telling fortunes to your village like the dabblers you are.”
“Dabblers is it?” Patchouli turned to see Alice and Marisa stride into the widening circle of mages. Alice had a disinterested air around her while Marisa was smiling. But the little Shanghai doll next to Alice was holding a razor, and Marisa was idly flipping her mini-hakkero. Patchouli’s unease faded away as her allies moved to stand beside her. Alice looked Marie up and down before continuing, “And who are you to judge anyone’s skill in magic? Your kind seem to love waving around artifacts, but you don’t possess any. Patchouli on the other hand is capable of standing with the master of the Hakkero and the holder of the Book of Alice.”
Marie flinched as her coterie of hangers on slowly edged away. Patchouli couldn’t help but smirk. That was the problem with living in a realm filled only with immortal magicians. No room for advancement. Still given what had happened last time….
“She is one of the finest students at the University of the Silent Pine, and a descendant of Niviane” stated an older witch as she strode into the circle. Patchouli recognized her as Brenda, the headmistress of the so called university. Just like last time the woman was in a severe black dress with a floating shawl and intricately carved staff. Marie flushed with relief and stepped aside to let the older witch handle matters. “And while I’m certain your accomplishments are quite distinguished in your own realm, in the realms of magic I fear they aren’t that impressive, even if they could be confirmed. Perhaps if you had an organization of some sort…”
Patchouli’s eyes narrowed. This was the final step. Last time Brenda had hid Marie under a bundle of rules and organizational runarounds. She had to unsettle this woman.
“Alice is lady Shinki’s daughter. You will show some respect.”
Patchouli started as Mai stalked into the circle, her demon familiars dragging in an annoyed looking Yuki as well. The ice magician’s wings had shifted to their devilish form, and her usual smile was replaced by a scowl. “She was recognized as a worthy member of the goddess’ court. If you insult her you insult our whole realm.” She walked up to stand next to Alice, glaring at the opposing magicians.
“Damn it Mai, why’d you have to drag me over for this?” Yuki muttered as she adjusted her dress. The fire witch moved to stand next to Marisa as their demon friends attended Koakuma. “I was having fun at the bar. Alice doesn’t need us to cover for her. You just want front row seats for the carnage when they kick the crap out of those puffed up posers.” The magicians behind Patchouli laughed at the display. The Makai crew was out for blood.
Brenda gave an exaggerated shrug. “I suppose that is somewhat of note, but we are magicians. Not politicians. The title of ‘greatest mage in Makai’ means as little as the title ‘greatest mage in Belgium.’” She waved her finger to chide the crowd. “You have no real standing here. If you were part of a recognized college of course you could offer more standardized proof of your status but…”
“She’s part of a barony,” Yuki interrupted. “We’re part of a magocracy, which counts under the rules. They’re all nobility.” She pointed to where Elle, the office lady succubus, was standing among the demons. “Give her the paperwork. She’ll have it done.” Yuki’s eyes narrowed. “So now what?”
Patchouli looked over at Brenda with a smirk. “Shall I make a formal challenge now?”
The older mage looked nonplussed at Yuki’s declaration, but quickly recovered. “You can’t,” she replied shortly. “No challenges are allowed on Walpurgisnacht.”
“It was a little impolite of you to start a fight tonight.”
Patchouli sighed as Byakuren entered into the fray. While it was nice that someone was there to keep actual violence from occurring, unfortunately she was starting on the wrong side.
Bykauren stepped between the two groups and turned to face Patchouli. “This is a meeting for us witches to enjoy. While I can understand some animosity over certain rules, tonight isn’t the time to argue over it. You should instead look to enjoying your time with those you like.”
Patchouli seethed as Brenda grinned in triumph. “Thank you. It’s good to see some wisdom and reason among the delegations from the demon realms. The ability to reasonably resolve disputes like this is one of the things that separates us from the lesser demons and beasts after all.”
Patchouli could almost hear the air freeze around Byakuren. Patchouli raised an eyebrow to the Buddhist witch, while Marisa let out a low whistle. It seemed the one good thing about having utterly reprehensible enemies is they were skilled at annoying everyone else as well.
A patently false smile forced itself onto Byakuren’s face before she turned around. “Yes. We should resolve this with a simple contest instead of all this petty bickering. That should appease everyone’s pride and entertain the others.”
“A contest?” Brenda stepped back at Byakuren’s sudden shift in character. “But that’s…”
“A great idea.” The crowd parted to reveal a striking woman in a business suit, with Ellen standing behind. “However it would be far too hasty to do it right now, don’t you agree Ellen?”
Ellen nodded happily. “That’s right, Kirke! We need invitations and rules and confetti and stuff!”
Patchouli found herself instinctively reaching for her spell cards before she stopped herself. Somehow she knew, instinctively, that this woman was the Kirke, the witch of Greek legend.
The two casually walked next to the two groups, before Ellen branched off to stare at Mai. “Would the evening of the midnight sun be reasonable to both parties?”
Byakuren hesitated, probably realizing she wasn’t supposed to be engaging in witch duels. So Patchouli stepped forward to help. “Yes, that sounds fair.”
Brenda hesitated as well. “Contracts signed on this day can’t be enforced….”
“I trust both sides would be unwilling to hurt their reputations by not showing up,” Kirke replied cheerily. “After all that would almost be the same as admitting defeat.” She raised a hand to silence Brenda’s next objection. “And don’t worry about the rules or other details. I’ll handle that matter myself. You trust me to do that, right?”
The college witch’s eyes hardened. “Fair enough. Well then I guess we shall meet again later to discuss the details. Come along Marie.” The two gave Patchouli a withering glance before turning and heading back into the party.
Kirke stretched. “Well then, that’s that. Try to enjoy the rest of the party.” The ancient witch chuckled. “I’d say don’t do anything you wouldn’t do at home, but I’ve heard about Gensoukyo, so instead I ask you to not shoot anyone tonight.” Kirke waved and walked away. “I trust you to see to the rest Ellen.”
-------
As Kirke walked away Ellen took it upon herself to handle the most important problem remaining. She pointed at Mai. “You! Fluffy wings! Now!”
The white clad witch immediately switched her wings back to their proper angelic appearance. Ellen patted the wings to make sure it wasn’t just an illusion then nodded in approval. Fluffiness was an important quality in a witch after all.
When she turned around sh
-
Mai sipped the blood orange juice that was part of her lavish breakfast setting. She was exhausted from the all-night party, but any Makai mage worth their salt learned how to handle lack of sleep. Though most Makai magicians didn?t have a staff of trained demons helping out around the house.
The dance had turned out well for her. She?d managed to get everyone on the floor at some point. Even Byakuren. Patchouli had managed some of the slower waltzes with both Mai and her own companions. And Ellen had proved surprisingly adept at all styles of dancing. She made a note to learn more about the mysterious forest magician at some point.
As she started in on the pancakes Yuki stumbled out of the second floor hallway and oozed down the banister. ?Mornin,? the fire mage said, before throwing back a mug of coffee. Mai gave her friend a look at the display. ?I don?t want you complaining about my drinking. This was a once a decade chance here,? Yuki replied.
Mai just shrugged and went back to her breakfast. She couldn?t complain too much. Yuki had given her several dances before becoming too inebriated to continue. Besides the drinks had been good. Just not as good as the hash browns here were.
Yuki worked her way through three more mugs before pausing. ?Hey Mai. Did I actually challenge a mage college to a ritual duel last night or was that a dream??
?We did,? Mai stated.
Yuki groaned. ?Ugh. You at least have an excuse, since you?re trying to get into Alice?s skirt. I should have known better damn it!?
Mai shrugged. It wasn?t that big a deal, right?
?You think any fight where Alice is one of the competitors is going to be small?? Yuki sighed. ?We?re in such trouble.?
Mai winced. Yuki had a point. Still she did want to show up those out realm magicians herself.
She turned her mind to more immediate matters. ?I?m still trying to get in your skirt too.?
Yuki merely grabbed another mug of coffee in response. The girl was so old fashioned about certain things.
-----
Marisa looked down at the message in her hands. The fact that an owl had delivered it was weird enough, but the paper and seal were all of a make that was completely unfamiliar to Marisa. The contents were even more ridiculous.
?A summer camp?? Marisa muttered, reading over the words again. ?Here? In Gensoukyo?? The idea seemed ludicrous in her mind. Even more confusing was the suggestion inherent to the letter. ?Run by me??
She had to admit Gensoukyo was a great place for a crash course in magic. But Marisa had no idea how to be responsible for kids. She wasn?t all that great at being responsible in general. But somehow two parents were willing to entrust their child to her. This was a recipe for disaster. Marisa considered just throwing the paper away, but she read on, just in case there was some semblance of sanity hidden away.
Then she reached the ?payment? section of the letter.
?Maybe I should start talking to Keine about how to run a class,? Marisa muttered thoughtfully as her eyes ran over the list of magical artifacts being offered her.
------
Alice shivered as a magical tone went off in her mind. She?d been trying to pretend it wasn?t going to happen, but she knew there were forces that even the Hakurei barrier couldn?t stop.
Sighing she stood and put aside the sewing she?d been using to calm her nerves. Gripping her book tightly she walked to a large standing mirror and cast the spell she needed to complete the magic circuit.
As the red clad figure of the goddess of Makai appeared in place of her own reflection, Alice nervously raised a hand. ?Hello mother.?
?Hello Alice dear,? Shinki said. The woman?s worried expression told Alice everything she needed to know about the conversation that was about to happen. ?I hear you?ve gotten yourself in something of a contest.?
-----
Patchouli bowed her head to Remilia as the vampire wandered into her corner of the library. ?Thanks again for the help.?
?It wasn?t that hard. The fates were demanding something like this happen for a while.? Remilia flopped down in a chair, then glared at Koakuma briefly before grabbing a book at random. Patchouli idly wondered if her friend could read the grimoire or was just holding it to look refined. ?I can?t fiddle with the contest itself though. Not with a goddess or two looking over the event.?
?Ms Patchouli will win,? Koakuma stated simply. The little devil frowned. ?Though I?m a little worried about the others...?
?They have the skills. It will come down to the design of the contest itself,? Patchouli stated simply.
Remilia chuckled. ?It sounds like you?re going to be having fun Patchy. Just remember to invite me when it begins.?
?I wouldn?t think of leaving you out of it,? Patchouli said, returning her attention to her book. ?After all, I want you and Sakuya around to kill them messily if they cheat too much.?
?Don?t get my hopes up Patchy,? Remilia said as she smiled. ?It?s been so long since I?ve been able to have some ?messy? fun.?
Patchouli made a mental note to talk to Sakuya about slaughtering a village full of cultists or something in the near future. If Remilia was in a violent mood, Flandre probably was too.
---
?I can?t believe you did that,? Ichirin said. Unzan nodded behind her.
?Yeah! That sounds super cool!? Nue added happily.
Byakuren hid her face in her hands. ?I?m being such a bad example.? She shook her head. How did she let herself get involved with this.
?Well, it?s not too different from the religious fight we had recently,? Nazrin said helpfully.
Shou winced. ?Only in the eyes of Gensoukyo. You of all people know how big the difference is spiritually Nazrin.?
?Well there?s no backing out now, so you might as well crush them!? Murasa stated, with a broad smile. ?Don?t worry! We?ll all be cheering you on.?
Byakuren just shook her head again. Such a big mistake. ?At least no one else knows.?
-----
?And then Byakuren was like, ?Oh no you didn?t,? and challenged them to a duel. So Kirke stepped in and we set up the fight and then I made Mai?s wings fluffy again,? Ellen waved her arms to try to convey the importance of this statement before picking up her tea and sipping it again. ?So that?s how that went.?
?That is interesting,? her guest said. ?Can you tell me when the contest is??
?Midsummer night,? Ellen replied. She caught herself then looked over the woman who had been interviewing her. ?Um, sorry, but who are you again? I forgot.?
The tengu stopped writing notes long enough to wave and smile. ?No worries! I?m the pure and honest reporter Aya Shameimaru, at your service!?
Ellen nodded. ?Thanks! Anyway then the dancing started??
-
Please tell me that you do plan on writting the duel. This was excellent. Your shorts are always great, but this one really picked my interest.
was totally expecting some Mima though :V
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Please tell me that you do plan on writting the duel. This was excellent. Your shorts are always great, but this one rellay picked my interest.
Oh yes. I was originally planning to have the duel in the middle, but it just didn't fit right. Hopefully as a standalone I can work it better.
was totally expecting some Mima though :V
I apparently need to write out my Mima head canon at some point because you're the second person to comment on it. For now I'll simply mention Mima isn't there because she's indisposed.
-
Oh yes. I was originally planning to have the duel in the middle, but it just didn't fit right. Hopefully as a standalone I can work it better.
Waiting anxiously for it!
I apparently need to write out my Mima head canon at some point because you're the second person to comment on it. For now I'll simply mention Mima isn't there because she's indisposed.
I remember she needed to be summoned by... pouring blood on her tombstone? In your "New World" fic. I always wondered what was up with that. Seems like it has an interesting story behind it.
-
That was interesting.
And worth staying up late for
psst, there was at least one instance of referring to an individual as a "succubi". The singular is "succubus" unless she's meant to be a reference to Rogers the Bulls
-
The whispers came from far away. The cries of a people in anguish. "Oh great one, save us! Spare us from the death of fire. Save us from the horrors of the sky and earth." And the raven heard their pleas.
She arose from her nest beneath the earth and stretched out her wings. With a single beat she arose from her hell, with another she flew away from her home, and with a third she reached the world.
Before her stood the ruins of a great nation, a nation the power of the sun had built and destroyed. Its cities had once reached to the sky, but now they were simply rubble across the earth, like all the works of man. She sensed youkai and demons wandering the broken streets, and sneaking through the regrowing jungles.
Beneath her wings people stood atop the crumbling ruins of pyramids and offered their faith up to her. They asked her to protect them from the demons, to spare them from her wrath. But they called her by the name of another.
She shook the doubt from her feathers. She was not one to worry about names. They had faith, and faith was what she ate. A raven did not refuse food. She reached down to take the streams of power into herself.
"Stop black bird of the east. This offering is not for you."
The raven turned to see a man in bright clothes, decorated with feathers. A black mirror sat upon his chest, and to her surprise his right foot was merely bones. She could tell he was an old god, if weak. Still he had challenged her right to feed. "The people below call for the sun, for the god of flame who took away the old world. That is me. Who are you to claim these offerings?"
"I am Tezcatlipoca. I am the Smoking Mirror. I am the one who is master of all humans. They call upon my name," the god proclaimed boldly.
The raven cocked her head. That was the name the people called upon. But they called upon her aspect. Still it was strange. If it was his name they called, then he should have taken the aspect for his own in this land. Cautiously she walked around the god, looking at his true self.
Finally she reached a conclusion. "You are a dead god. They abandoned you. You are trying to revive with their prayers."
"They did not abandon me!" The god swung his fist, and the winds roared. The raven twisted in the air to keep aflight. "They were stolen from me! And now that the tongueless god can not protect them, I shall return! So be gone from this place, eater of carrion."
The raven preened at her feathers and thought some more. The ways of the gods were strange to her, and there were many possibilities to consider. Her head filled with scenarios and worries.
But in the end, she was a raven. And the god was weak.
"They call upon my aspects. They worship my attributes. They speak of my actions." The raven's eyes began to glow, and the flames of the sun fell upon her like a mantle. "If they call your name, then I shall consume you and take your name for my own."
"You will eat me? I am Tezcatlipoca! I shall consume you, and take your faith to aid my rebirth," the god roared.
The god's body twisted and shifted as he transformed into a great jaguar large enough to slap the sun from the heavens. The sleek feline pounced upon the raven, but she was quick and wise to the ways of cats. She flew forward under the jaguar's body and pulled at his tail as she passed.
The jaguar god spun around as only a cat could do and tried to crush her beneath its claws. Her wings beat and she flew into the sky above the stars. She hovered just out of range as the god leaped up at her and laughed cruelly at her foe's attacks.
Tezcatlipoca roared his rage and the winds came at his commands. The air itself turned into razor sharp talons that ripped through the air. Even with her agility, there would be no escaping the attack.
She closed her eyes and reached inside herself. To the core of her being where molten fire curled and roiled. Her mind removed the barriers keeping her powers in check, and the gem on her chest flared as the power of nuclear fusion roared to life.
The blades of wind bent and warped as the sun within her heart pulled the air itself to its core. Her body was lacerated. Her blood soaked her clothes. But the plasma in her soul slowly expanded as the winds fed her true essence.
Howling, the jaguar flung a hurricane into the sky, then another. The raven's skin was flayed again and again, and her blood began to glow, then ignite as the power in her body grew and grew.
With a raucous cry of victory she flung her wings open, and disturbed the massive magnetic fields that were constraining her godly essence. A flare of power tore free from her body and slammed into the jaguar god. Tezcatlipoca was slammed through the ground, into the darkness of hell.
The raven glided down after her prey. First through dark caverns of earth, then of shattered bone, then of screaming fire. But she knew the ways of hell, and the hells recognized her. There was nothing that stood in her way.
Finally she reached a cavern of smoke where the fumes billowed and swayed like curtains in the wind. It reminded her of the caverns back home, the ones that led to the mystical surface world that she so rarely saw, even as a god. Here she had found her best friend hidden in the smoke and fog, lying so close yet so far to the corpse she needed to eat to survive. Was that a corpse in the mist? The raven's mind swirled and spun in the smoke and fog, the corpse before her giving a rigid grin as she fluttered over it.
Why was she here?
She did her best to remember the past moments, to think through the haze. Did she need to eat someone?
"You came here to eat someone, but you could not," the corpse replied.
That did not seem right to her. "I can eat anything now. I am the sun," she replied.
The corpse lay before her and said, "You are the sun of your realm, but you are not the black sun of this realm. The black sun of this realm lost his foot and rebuilt it with bones."
She cocked her head to consider this. "I lost my foot to the fires humans unleashed. And I rebuilt it with their bones."
"The stars are at the sun's mercy," the corpse protested.
She held out her cape. "The stars are my raiment."
"The sun died and was replaced by other suns, but now rises again in new form," the corpse said softly.
"I have died and been reborn, both as myself and as a god," she replied confidently. "I am the returned sun."
"Then you have already eaten Tezcatlipoca," the corpse said mournfully. "Go little raven. There is nothing for you here."
The raven nodded. "That is right. I am Tezcatlipoca. I am the Yatagarasu. I am Utsuho Reiuji."
And with that she absently ate the dying god's heart.
---
Orin shifted uncomfortably in her sleep. The furnace of the underground was ebbing, but her body was hot. Her dreams flickered and shifted, the strange fever twisting about in her mind. Jaguars and serpents rose from the flames, chasing hummingbirds and butterflies before returning to the flames again. Suns rose and were extinguished. Temples were built and were crushed. The scent of blood wafted across her nose, and was pushed aside by screams and fire. And in the background the horrific clouds that had soared over the land during the night of destruction slowly gathered in their malignant beauty.
"Orin."
The kassha's eyes opened, but she knew she did not wake. Sleep and waking had no meaning to a youkai in this state. She was not in her room. Time and space were an illusion that had no use right now. She was inside her true self, a broken and cracked cavern filled with corpses and ghosts, the only light the glow of magma from below. Right now the magma was pulsing, roiling, while the ghosts seemed to hum with power. And in the darkness beyond she began to see different shapes shifting and moving.
Utsuho stood before her. Her best friend. Her goddess. A three legged crow with eyes burning like lava. A striking black winged humanoid with an intricately etched arm cannon and the finest machined clothing. A whirlwind of fire and death with a smoky mirror at its center. The black sun of hell. All of those stood before her, the goddess unbound by form in this realm.
Orin squinted as Utsuho held out a hand. "Come Orin. We must speak with our supplicants. There is much to teach them."
As Orin reached up pain flashed through her body. Her skin seemed to peel away from her body as it expanded, her inner flesh slower to fit her new form. She could feel it now. The warping and shifting forces of chaos that were altering her very nature as a youkai. She knew if she followed Okuu her very existence as a youkai might change.
She held her breath and took her goddess' hand. The pain was less sharp this time. "Goddess, I fear you must speak, for I do not know the words these people will hear," she said as they started heading back to the human world.
"Trust in my divine power, for I have seen their hearts and know their ways," Utsuho replied. "You need but act on my will."
---
Kanako shivered as she looked at herself in the mirror. It had been centuries since she'd prepared to do something like she had today. And she had never gone through with it.
To absorb a god was not something to do lightly.
"Are you still hanging around?" Suwako asked as the frog goddess entered the room. "That raven has already finished her part and then some. If you don't get a move on you're going to be late."
Kanako whirled on the smaller goddess. "Well forgive me if I'm not as quick to throw away my sense of self." She frowned and looked back at the history books she'd been reading ever since she'd felt the disturbance. "These gods are old and powerful. Far greater than we ever were. Even with their faith destroyed and scattered to the wind they still had the force of legend behind them."
Which meant if she consumed one, their legend would be as strong as her own. And legends were the essence of gods.
"You always were squeamish about this kinda thing weren't you," Suwako said. The little goddess then smiled. "Not that I should complain too much. After all if you weren't such a scaredy cat you might have eaten me." The little blond goddess laughed at Kanako's growl.
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Kanako muttered.
Suwako shook her head. "It will. But it'll be fine Kanako." The little goddess smiled. "It doesn't matter what the humans say, in the end, your true form is the goddess of change. Always moving towards the future. You'll end up in charge no matter what."
Kanako blinked at her fellow goddess' encouragement then smiled. "Thank you."
With that she took a deep breath and summoned the winds to her. Her mind split and she entered the realm of the gods as a great white snake. With a flick of her tail her form soared through the skies towards the lands east of the easternmost islands. She was an ancient goddess, and she had learned much about the world before retreating to Gensoukyo. Unlike the raven it was easy for her to find the person she was seeking.
As she flew into the other god's realm the spirit whirled to face her. "Who are you who comes to the lands of Quetzalcoatl? Tell me your name intruder! And tell me why do you have the smell of the one who has taken the place of my enemy, the one who slew my brother?" The god stood before her, proud and tall in his warrior's regalia. As he spoke his wings rippled with the colors of the rainbow. This god was weak, but not dead.
Kanako stopped before the god and respectfully bowed, never letting her eyes off the warrior's face. "I am Kanako Yasaka. I am the god of Suwa. I am the patron of the new empire of the rising sun. The one who took Tezcatlipoca's name and place is of my pantheon and my making. I come to stand in balance to her in this world." She drew her sword, but did not raise it. "I come to take your place oh great feathered serpent."
Quetzalcoatl raised his blade, but as she had so many years before she lifted her free hand and called upon her divine powers. There was a piercing shriek and a wave of sound washed over the winged serpent's obsidian sword, shattering the blade. Quetzalcoatl cursed and stepped back, staggered by Kanako's display of godly might.
"As you can see my powers as a god are greater," Kanako stated. "I offer you a bargain. Surrender and I shall let you aid me as a subordinate god. With your aid I shall lead your people to a even greater future."
The native god looked at his shattered sword, then tossed it aside. "I refuse." He looked Kanako in the eyes, and this time she was forced to take a step back. "I can see now to fight is futile. You are a very strong god now. But a strong god is not enough!"
The sky turned dark as the god continued speaking. "These people do not need just a god. They need Quetzalcoatl! They need the winged serpent! They need the god who has stood over these lands since humans first walked upon it."
"And Quetzalcoatl is a god of sacrifice!" the native god's voice boomed like thunder through the heavens. "I will not give up my place to a foreigner. I will not give up my people to strange new gods. Only Quetzalcoatl will rule." The winged serpent called forth another weapon to his hand. "If you wish to be that god, you shall have to sacrifice yourself and absorb my person."
Kanako blinked, then bowed again. "I apologize. You are right. Quetzalcoatl is the god of this land." She took a breath to steady herself, then opened her soul up. Her clothing shifted and warped to the warrior's dress of this country, and her sword changed from her old Japanese blade to a shining maquahuitl. "And I shall be Quetzalcoatl, even if it costs me myself!"
To offer anything less would be unworthy of a ruler.
The two eyed each other with respect, then ran forward to clash in battle.
---
Sylvia shivered as the extravagantly dressed priests began their ritual.
To say she had misgivings about the ceremony was a grave understatement. The ritual was horrid, barbaric and cruel. Her heart twisted within her every time the priests kicked the sacrifice to force the man to run further.
But it was the only way.
When the apocalypse had come their city had been spared by chance. It had been right at the outskirts of Mexico City proper, and the deadly neutron rays that had wiped all life from the city hadn't quite reached. It had been a terrible and agonizing day which had turned everyone's lives upside down, but they had been lucky. There was food and water in storage in the towns warehouses. Enough for everyone and all the refugees that had arrived. So while they lacked electricity and gas, they had what they needed to begin the slow transferal back to a farming lifestyle. Many people lit candles for that small miracle.
The first three years had been mostly shock. Everyone was just trying to survive. Without the communications they had all taken for granted, the world was both larger and smaller then it had ever been before, and it took time to cope. The struggle had forced their community together and no one had dared to start a big fight. There had been arguments and crimes of course, but a makeshift police service had helped keep the problems to a minimum, just as the makeshift defense force helped keep the mutants and creatures of the night away.
This year however the troubles began. One moonless night, a great howl and cry had erupted from the north. A noise so terrifying that the guards had turned on the generators to shine lights out from the city. Lights that revealed a jungle, fresh and reborn from the ground, like no humans had ever lived there.
Panic spread throughout the town, but the leaders quickly quelled it. However calm and unity did not return. One of the leaders, Miguel Quezada, had proclaimed that the old gods had returned. That it was time to throw off the trappings of the Spanish invaders and reclaim the ways of the Nahua. He said only by returning to the worship of the city's god Tezcatlipoca could they stave off the monsters of the jungle.
At first people had laughed. When Miguel had shown the power to call fire from his hands the laughter faded. Father Rodriguez of course dismissed the claims as madness, and all but openly called Miguel a witch. The town became tense and conflicted. It seemed likely the two camps would erupt into open violence.
Then the jaguar people attacked and the matter had been settled.
The guns of the people and the prayers of the holy were equally useless against the monsters. But the flames of Tezcatlipoca drove the monsters back to the jungle. His loudest critics dead, and his followers the only hope of their small city, Miguel had demanded a day of celebration and sacrifice to the gods. With the last surviving Catholic priest as the chosen sacrifice.
What could they do? She had been an atheist before, but there really wasn't a question any more. Miguel had produced results. The gods had spoken, and they had spoken with fire. No matter what she thought of the brutality.
Sylvia winced again as the victim stumbled on the last staircase. The priests of Tezcatlipoca had run the poor man ragged until he could barely stand. The man tried to push himself upright but his arms gave out again, and his body fell onto the stone pyramid's steps.
This was enough for the priests apparently. Miguel and his assistant grabbed the sacrifice by the arms and dragged him to the top, where they had set out their alter. Another priest of Tezcatlipoca carried forth a heavy stone bowl, while Miguel raised his obsidian knife. "Oh great Tezcatlipoca, he who gives us life! Lord of near and far! Enemy of both sides! We who are all your slaves give thanks for your works and offer you this sacrifice!"
The knife descended, and Sylvia closed her eyes. She had hoped that the poor victim at least had lost the power to scream, but the man's death wail cut through the crowd's gasp. She forced herself to open her eyes as Miguel pulled out the heart and raised it up. The priest held the bloody organ for all to see, then cast it down to the waiting bowl. "For Tezcatlipoca!"
Sylvia cried out in shock as a burst of flame roared to life on the stage. The priests too screamed and fell back as a dark figure strode from the blast onto the pyramid. A hand lazily reached out and plucked the sacrificial heart from the air. "Behold my people! I am Tezcatlipoca!"
The crowd fell to their knees. Sylvia knew she should bow, but the sight was too stunning. The god before her was both everything and nothing like the tales.
The most obvious truth was the figure was a goddess. A dusky beauty beyond mortal comparison. The woman was dressed in great finery, clothing as ornate as the priests' vestments, but made of the most modern fabrics. Her right arm was covered in a power armor gauntlet that turned it into a claw, and her right leg was a cast of bone, recreated after the great monster that formed the earth had bitten it off. Smokey black wings fluttered behind her, while a cape that seemed to be formed from the night sky itself both concealed and was concealed by the black feathers. A black jaguar covered in red spots slowly prowled around the goddess' legs, and in the center of the woman's chest a obsidian mirror glowed and smoldered, as if the magma of the earth's core had slipped inside it.
Tezcatlipoca looked out over the people and raised her arms. "Oh my people! By your faith I return to you! I have heard your cries and I have answered!"
"F-f-false god! Who are you!" Sylvia gasped along with the crowd as Miguel stood and pointed a shaky hand at the goddess. "Tezcatlipoca is no woman!"
The goddess turned to face Miguel and sneered before snapping her fingers. The priest that had accompanied Miguel threw his head back and howled, then his body twisted and churned into the form of a Jaguar man. "False priest, though your words brought my return you never had faith in me, only yourself. You made a pact with the monsters to secure your power, and used witchcraft to fake my blessing. For this I give you death."
Tezcatlipoca snapped her fingers again and the black jaguar behind her pounced. Miguel managed to scream only once before the mighty cat tore out his throat. The jaguar man yelped then turned and fled before suddenly exploding in flames. The priest who had carried the stone bowl up to receive the sacrifice prostrated himself on the ground before the goddess shivering in terror.
The woman casually gnawed on the heart a bit before tossing it into the bowl and standing before the last priest. "Rise boy. I have seen your heart and fed on your faith. You stand true to me, and in time will be one of my servants here." The man slowly stood and then followed the black and red jaguar in stunned silence as the great cat led him to stand behind the goddess.
Tezcatlipoca raised her hands, and power seemed to wash over Sylvia. "Hear my words. I Tezcatlipoca shall give you power. I shall protect you from the demons, and give you strength against your enemies. So long as you praise and give sacrifice to me, your city shall be strong and unassailable!"
"You never see the long path sister." Sylvia shivered as another powerful voice boomed over the crowd. There was a rush of wind and then two goddesses stood upon the temple heights.
This goddess was white to Tezcatlipoca's black. The woman was fair skinned, and the robes she wore were something that could have appeared in a fashion show back before the apocalypse. Based on old traditions, but still modern. The woman kept her hair short, and most tellingly her wings shimmered and gleamed with every color under the sun. Sylvia did not need an introduction to know who this goddess was. "Quetzalcoatl," Sylvia whispered, and the people nearby seemed to agree.
"Who are you to interrupt me, sister?" Tezcatlipoca said angrily. "These are my people. They gave me faith! I am the ruler of the west, just as you are ruler of the east. Keep to your own kingdom. I will give my power to these people."
Quetzalcoatl shook her head. "You have power yes, but remember it was I who gave you that power to begin with. A people with only power will never become an empire. They will crumble before others, betrayed from within like a poorly built house." She raised her hands. "I am the goddess of the east, and the east stretches forever. The poets and builders shall receive my blessing, and my people will become prosperous."
Tezcatlipoca laughed shortly. "The west stretches forever as well sister. You can talk about poets and builders, but in the end, they too crave my power. Just a more subtle form. The east has the empire of the rising sun, but this shall be my empire, and they shall guard the setting sun!" The dusky woman snapped her fingers and then turned back to the crowd. "But your words do not matter. We shall let faith decide! Give praise unto me, and you all shall have power. The power to crush your foes. The power to lift up your friends. The power of the future!"
The rainbow serpent turned to the people as well. "And if you give your faith to me you shall have the innovation and skill to not just rebuild, but to create a new world. To rise above the past to a greater future. You shall teach others the arts. You shall show others the way to live. This I offer you for your worship."
The two goddesses turned to face each other again. "Hmph. We shall speak more on this," Tezcatlipoca said. "First though we must remind the star goddesses who rules these lands."
"Indeed," Quetzalcoatl replied. "We will set the world aright. Then we can teach the people how to praise us properly." The black jaguar leaped inside the dusky woman's form, and then the two goddesses vanished. One in smoke, the other in light.
A silence fell over the crowd, then the surviving priest of Tezcatlipoca moved over to where Miguel's corpse was. The priest lifted the body over his head, then cast it down the stairs. The shattered body bounced all the way down, leaving a trail of blood behind. "Thus is the fate of all who abuse her mighty name for their own ends!" the man cried. Those closest to the bottom of the temple, those who had accepted the miracles of Tezcatlipoca first, cheered at the pronouncement.
Sylvia though simply nodded at the poetic justice and turned away. She could not oppose those who served the smoking mirror but she had another plan.
It was time to fix up the temple to Quetzalcoatl.
----
The world has had six suns.
The first five suns were created by the gods. Each time a god created a sun through their own sacrifice, but each time the god's faults and failures caused that sun to fall. It was only the fifth sun, noble and brave Nanahuatzin that stood up.
But the humans of the fifth sun were not as strong. The followers of the tongueless god brought their war to the world, and when the battles ended, they tore down the temples and ceased the prayers of the people. The sun became stale and dead and the stars fell silent.
In the silence humans built their cities of steel and glass. They picked up the tools of the gods and learned secrets that once only the stars understood. In time they tossed aside even the tongueless god in their power and reached up to touch the face of the lifeless moon.
And in their power, they turned to folly.
By their own hands they called forth the end of their world. Their weapons turned the skies black, and the lifeless sun could sustain them no more.
But from the ashes two gods awoke from their slumber. Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca. Long had they struggled against each other, often had they worked together.
Seeing there was no sun in the sky the two each considered how to bring forth a new sun. Both had tried before, and both had failed before. Finally Quetzalcoatl found a flock of crows who had eaten pieces of the old suns. He said to Tezcatlipoca "if we eat these birds we can create a new sun, but whoever does so will lose their old self and become a crow."
Tezcatlipoca replied, "What old self do I have to lose? You were remembered, but most have forgotten me." And so Tezcatlipoca ate the crows and became one of them, shedding his own self and becoming the goddess of the black sun.
Quetzalcoatl, jealous of his newly reborn sister's power shed his skin and let the human's world seep in. He transformed himself into the goddess of the ivory tower.
And so reborn they came down to the people who had once forgotten them. Our people. With their guidance and strength our empire rises. Our cities spread from California to Panama, and our ships sail to across both oceans. The spirits recognize us, and do not harm us, and in return we treat them with respect.
This is the era of the sixth sun. The second black sun. It is our golden age. May it last as long as all the eras before.
- Sylvia, High Priestess of Quetzalcoatl
-
Oh my god, Touhou meets Aztec mythology. You have no idea how many years I have wanted this. :*
I love love love all the attention you paid to the little details. Tezcatlipoca having lost his foot to Cipactli fit in really well with Utsuho's elephant's foot, in particular, was an excellent comparison you seized on. At some points it got pretty metaphorical, but that's fitting for gods and the concepts and legends that surround them. A fine story!
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The best part was when Okuu tugged his tail.
Also this is hella Digital Devil Saga, and I like that.
Edit: Also, I feel I should mention this is probably one of the few times I can see "Touhou blended with Aztec Mythology" and not be left furious by the end. It takes a lot of skill to do that without fucking it up. My only pondering is why Orin didn't question it, given what happened last time Utsuho went nuts.
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I really like your stories set in the world after the apocalypse that happened in your "New World" fics. Utsuho's confrontation with Tezcatlipoca was awesome, specially the way it ended.
Just to be sure, the "tongueless god" mentioned is the abrahamic god, right? Whatever happened to him after the nuclear war?
Edit: Also, I feel I should mention this is probably one of the few times I can see "Touhou blended with Aztec Mythology" and not be left furious by the end. It takes a lot of skill to do that without fucking it up. My only pondering is why Orin didn't question it, given what happened last time Utsuho went nuts.
Well, Orin's only worry back then was Satori getting angry at Okuu, not really anything else, so since that's not a problem here...
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Edit: Also, I feel I should mention this is probably one of the few times I can see "Touhou blended with Aztec Mythology" and not be left furious by the end. It takes a lot of skill to do that without fucking it up. My only pondering is why Orin didn't question it, given what happened last time Utsuho went nuts.
Thanks. I was worried about fucking it up, and honestly my first idea had a bunch of screwups that I'm glad I fixed before it came to print as it were.
As to the Orin situation... the short form is she's the one getting a little weird in the head because of god power. Okuu's been down this rodeo before, and honestly Tezcatlipoca isn't bringing a lot of power to the table. Especially in her post nuclear apocalypse state. Meanwhile because Tezcatlipoca is the god of jaguars, who is attended by four wives in the story, Orin's getting made into something of a demigod. I figure the details of the legend are going to change, but since Orin's right there she's gonna get caught up too.
(Yet another edit : Satori's totally gonna yell at them though.)
Just to be sure, the "tongueless god" mentioned is the abrahamic god, right? Whatever happened to him after the nuclear war?
This is kinda another complex thing, but I figured that the modern "abrahamic god" kinda isn't a god, in the Touhou sense. The modern "God" is everything to everyone, and thus nothing to no one. In thinking on it, as the world drifts farther apart there probably will be several "Jesus" and "God" gods pop up as local groups make their god concept more refined and able to form into a coherent being.
-
Hatate shivered beneath the glare of the mighty youkai. She was almost regretting her choices, but she had to stand strong. She was a tengu! She would fight on no matter what.
"So great youkai sage, I need your help getting to the outside world for a bit," she managed to spit out.
Yukari slowly fanned herself while looking down at her. "So, just so I'm clear as to your insanity, you want me to go out of my way to punch a hole in my perfectly maintained barrier, so that you may take Komeiji Satori on a date?" The gap youkai snapped her fan shut and began tapping it against the palm of her hand.
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Hatate admitted.
The purple clad woman just sat there for a minute, gazing down on Hatate with golden eyes. Finally she spoke. "I'm almost impressed. You have to know I despise Satori. And before today I assumed you were bright enough to realize I usually considered you a minor annoyance, if I bothered to consider you at all. But you seem actually convinced that somehow I'll listen to this ridiculous request. Why is that?"
Hatate took a deep breath. "Because if you do I'll owe you a favor. A big one."
"Hm?" Yukari's eyes widened a little at that. "Oh my. Do you know what you're saying little tengu? That's the type of talk that will get you killed in a few hundred years."
"Maybe." Hatate glared back at the ancient youkai. She hated how people that age questioned her determination and knowledge. "But maybe I care enough about the trip to take that chance."
Yukari opened her fan again to conceal her face and looked down at Hatate again. This time however the judgment was a little more curious. "Hm... Did Ran tell you how to bargain with me? No, she wouldn't have known it would work. Perhaps that little wolf tengu? But no, she's too straightforward."
The gold eyed youkai chuckled. "Well I suppose it doesn't matter in the end. Alright I'll do it." Hatate's heart leaped up into her chest, but flopped back down immediately as Yukari raised a finger. "But! You will perform three small favors for me, and answer a question."
Hatate hesitated, then nodded. "Agreed." Technically Yukari was asking for more than what she offered, but small favors were much easier to refuse.
"First the question. Why?" Yukari folded her fan. "Why go all this way for a date?"
"Huh?" Hatate looked at the youkai sage. She had no idea why Yukari was asking that. But since she was bound to answer? "Well..." She blushed and looked away as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "I mean, well our relationship isn't really going anywhere." Hatate sighed and slumped at the words. "It's not like I'm bored or anything, and really given we annoy each other all the time we're doing great but... we're always just hanging out at her place. I like being with her and all, but it's always the same thing." Hatate began flipping her phone open and closed in frustration. "Like, she can't go wandering out on the surface because of your stupid rules, and I can't officially be seen with her in the underground so that's out. So we need to do something big to like shake things up!"
Yukari blinked a few times then slowly brought her fan up to her brow. "That explanation was both terrible and made no sense. I should have known." Hatate fumed at the youkai sage's condescension, but there was little she could say right now.
After a while Yukari opened her eyes again. "Oh well, a deal is a deal. In any case I'll tell you the first favor you must perform." The fan snapped down to point at Hatate. "You must publish a story about your date."
Hatate froze. "What?"
"Sorry, was I not clear?" Yukari rolled her eyes. "Your date, write it up. Make it a travel piece or a personal piece or an art piece or whatever, but I want you to make it clear to all Gensoukyo you are going out with Satori Komeiji."
The enormity of the request hit her like a boulder. Tengu were allowed to have affairs with other races when they were young, but Hatate was around the age when she was supposed to be settling down with another tengu. Openly dating someone who wasn't a Tengu was a sure way to draw odd looks. Not to mention satori were nearly universally loathed and despised for their powers. Admitting her girlfriend could rip surface thoughts right out of people's heads would not only make her look extra weird, it could forever taint her reputation as a reporter.
"Fine whatever," Hatate snapped. She wasn't going to hide her feelings just for a bit of status.
"Hm..." A faint smile appeared on Yukari's lips. "My, you really do love her. This is far more entertaining."
The purple clad youkai idly grabbed a book and threw it at Hatate. She easily caught the missile then looked at the front cover in confusion. "Learning French volumes one and two? The hell is this?"
"I'm not stupid enough to send a satori to a country where the populace will understand her usual speech," Yukari replied bluntly. "She'll spew out whatever's in their heart, and this little farce will end up in a fight. So instead you're going to Paris. Lucky you. Hope you can learn the language fast."
Hatate rolled her eyes and pocketed the book. "I'm a crow tengu. Don't insult me."
---
"You really didn't need to do this," Satori said again as the two of them waited for Yukari to arrive.
The diminutive youkai had worked to straighten out her hair better, and had changed to boots that were more appropriate to the season up top. Most importantly Satori had added a modern style jacket to hide away her third eye. Hatate thought she looked cute in the outfit, though it helped that she was blushing. It was really hard to make Satori flustered enough to blush.
"I still think I did," Hatate said. "You can say you don't mind sitting around in your house and uh... talking every date, but I don't believe it."
"Well, I'm not sure if I'd ever get bored with having long personal talks followed by kinky sex," Satori replied, "but I can see you feel a little differently. And I have to admit, I like the idea myself."
Hatate blushed and just shook her head. She'd slowly gotten used to Satori reading her unspoken words and answering them, but some things were still embarrassing to hear out loud.
"That's part of what makes you cute," Satori whispered as she moved to kiss Hatate's cheek.
"Alright lovebirds, your train is here." Yukari plopped out of a gap causing Hatate to squawk and mentally curse. "You've got forty eight hours, and a thousand euros." The gap youkai held out one of the 'debt' cards that had replaced money in the outside world. "Don't spend either all in one place."
Hatate recovered herself enough to snatch the card. "Don't you usually send Ran for these little excursions?"
Yukari just opened the boundary. "Don't question, just go."
Satori nodded. "Ah, you're trying to make Aya jealous so she'll make a move at Ran. It won't work, but I understand the effort." Yukari snarled as Satori took Hatate by the hand. "Thank you for this."
Hatate recovered enough to start through the portal. "Yeah, thanks and later."
She was rewarded with one last sigh from the boundary youkai before the gap swallowed her up and spat her out into a weakly lit stone passageway, Satori at her side. The strange flow of air told the tengu they were underground. The fact that the walls were niches filled to the brim with bones told them they were in a catacomb. "What the heck? Why here?"
"Ah, I don't think this is actually an insult," Satori said. "It must be easier to link the old hell to places where death is revered. And down here we're unlikely to bump into anyone when we enter and leave."
Hatate frowned, but conceded the point. It still wasn't the first place she'd expected to see in Paris though.
Letting her mind calm down a bit though she started to see the charm of the place. Sure bones were bones, but the effort and ritual the humans spent to build this resting place for their bodies was interesting. And the little touches here and there showed that the workers had a sense of humor as well. A heart made out of skulls looked at them from across the way.
"A fitting start for a date among youkai," Satori said as she moved to stand next to Hatate.
"Yeah," Hatate agreed. She reached out and took the other woman's arm. "Still there's a lot more to see."
"Yes there is," Satori replied with a smile. "We're going to... the Louvre first?"
Hatate nodded as she pulled out a map. "Let's see if we can figure out where we are then use this metro nonsense. Man, not being able to fly is such a pain."
---
As the two youkai emerged from the catacombs the other reason Yukari probably dropped them down there became evident. The noise of the city was like a open hand slap to Hatate. It wasn't the people really, though there were more people wandering around then anywhere in Gensoukyo that wasn't having a festival. It was those strange cars that the humans were driving around. The noise of their engines and the rattling of the larger ones made the city loud indeed.
Next to her Satori winced a little and rubbed her eyes. Hatate mentally kicked herself. This was the first time in two years the other woman had been above ground, and she knew that Satori avoided both loud noises and crowds.
"It's fine," Satori said with a weak smile. "I don't hate the sun. And I should be able to handle crowds for a little bit. I'll be fine." Satori patted her on the arm. "Let's go. We can find someplace quiet for lunch." She blushed. "Ah and if I start replying to people's hearts under my breath just ignore me."
Hatate hesitated a bit, but eventually gave in. "Alright. But don't push yourself too much, okay."
It turned out that the metro system wasn't that hard to figure out at all. The tickets were a little difficult, but Hatate's experience with Kappa technology allowed her to piece it together after a few faulty starts.
The ride over was slow, but not as slow as walking. And the short trip did show them an interesting view of the city, both old and new. Hatate was surprised at how different European architecture was to Japanese design. And the random switching from generally clean streets of boutiques to generic blocky apartments with graffiti was an odd sight.
"It's always easy to forget these cities are real," Satori said quietly beside her. "I've read so many stories, but the reality is always different."
"I wonder if there's a mythical Paris out there? Like our Gensoukyo, or Baghdad the City of Wonders?" Hatate mused.
Satori glance at her in surprise, then smiled. "I wonder." Satori turned back towards the city. "But I'd rather visit the real one first."
Hatate's further musing was cut short as the rail line dipped below the ground. Instead she turned her attention to the metro maps. "Ah. It's the next stop."
As they reached the metro stop Hatate reached down and took hold of Satori's hand again. Both of them were fairly short, and the station here looked a lot more crowded than the sparse platforms where they had got on.
"I'll make sure not to get lost," Satori replied with a smirk. Hatate blushed again but didn't release her grip.
They made it out of the metro station with little incident, other than Satori muttering to some old guy chattering on his phone that he really shouldn't be lying to his mistress. Fortunately the guy didn't know Japanese. After that it was a pretty simple walk out of the station and across the street.
"Whoa," Hatate said as they rounded the corner and found the front of the building. Her hand instinctively fished up her cell phone camera and took a picture. The entry plaza was pretty, but even more than that, it was a beautiful anachronism. The pyramid of glass and light in front of a very formal european palace made for an interesting juxtaposition.
"A little like having a Meiji era village with cellphones?" Satori asked.
Hatate winced. "Well, I mean, honestly I have to say this is cooler. I mean cellphones are easy. This takes work." She thought for a moment. "Maybe if the kappa actually made that Hisoutensoku robot or something?"
"I think you might have spent a bit too much time chatting with that Sanae girl," Satori replied.
Hatate's retort was cut off as a tour bus stopped next to them. Seeing Satori's grimace the tengu hurried over to the lines.
It took them a good five minutes to work through the queue. Satori spent most of the time with her eyes closed and muttering to herself, while Hatate did her best to flutter around without actually fluttering. Finally they made it to the front where Hatate managed to compose herself enough to ask for the tickets in French before dragging Satori over to a quieter corner, mentally kicking herself all the while.
"I should have known this was dangerous," she muttered to herself as she rubbed the shorter woman's back.
"It's not your fault," Satori replied weakly. "It's no worse then when all my pets come to see me. I just need a breather."
Anger washed over Hatate. "Don't lie to me! This isn't like when your pets all visit at once." She turned away. "Damn it Satori, I need you to tell me the truth about your feelings. I can't read your heart." Sometimes she wondered what the hell she was thinking.
"I don't know. Did you think dating a satori was going to be easier?" Satori snapped.
Hatate fumed at the constant refrain. She hated it when Satori pulled that card on her. It was so-
"Sorry."
Hatate slumped and took a deep breath. She wondered again if this was the right choice.
She felt Satori's arm fall on her shoulder. "That's why I was afraid to speak my own mind. I don't want you worrying about this. I want to be here."
Hatate lightly covered Satori's hand. "Are you sure?" This wasn't what she'd planned.
"I'm sure." Satori squeezed her shoulder. "Reality will never be as perfect as your dreams. But I want to see it anyway."
She gave Satori's hand a return squeeze, then wiped her eyes before turning to face her lover. "Alright. Let's start off in the smaller exhibits then. We can visit the bigger exhibits right before we leave."
"And you've got a quieter place we can visit afterwards? Good idea." Satori nodded, then pointed towards the stairwell. "Why don't we start with the Egyptian relics then?"
---
Hatate broke off a piece of the local bread and used it to scoop up some jam before eating it. "This is pretty good," she said. "I wonder how hard it is to bake?"
"Getting the wheat might be hard," Satori said lightly as she nursed a cold coffee drink.
The rest of the Louvre tour had turned out pretty well, aside from their rush through the most famous exhibits. Hatate had taken tons of pictures of the artifacts and paintings. Meanwhile Satori had regaled her of the various histories behind each of the works, either from the many books she'd read or by stealing the info out of other people's hearts. It was amazing how much more interesting art was when you knew the stories.
"It's a lot like reporting and writing isn't it?" Satori said as she smeared butter on her own half of the baguette. "It's not just the facts. It's the story. A record of the lives and emotions of others."
Hatate thought over it for a moment. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I mean, no one's gonna care about a picture of some woman who's kinda smiling. I can get those anywhere. It's the story that makes the picture important."
The two walked on in silence for a bit more, enjoying the view. The streets here were much quieter, along the banks of the Seine, and the river itself was gorgeous. Hatate could understand why there were so many amateur painters on the riverside.
"So why Notre Dame as a quieter place?" Satori asked.
"Eh?" Hatate looked over to her date. "Ah! Well uh, I figure it's gotta be kinda quiet because it's a church. And well, the pictures I got... well you'll see when you get there."
"It looks like my palace?" Satori raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Well, that does sound interesting. And the streets around here are nice."
They finished their lunch as they crossed the bridge to the island. Now that they were close enough Hatate didn't need the map. The giant cathedral stood out, its intricately carved grey walls and minarets looming over the rest of the city. It was the second biggest building Hatate had seen, barring the palace of the earth spirits, and she could tell it was taller than Satori's home by a few stories.
The crowds picked up a little here in front of the tourist attraction, but the part in front of the building was sizeable, and youkai had better eyesight than humans. Hatate led Satori to a spot a decent distance away so they could look over the saints and angels carved into the front. Hatate flipped out her phone as Satori began explaining the imagery. "Those there are the apostles-"
Suddenly Hatate felt a chill wash over her. She instinctively raised her camera and looked up towards the rooftop. There, peering down at her were several twisted stone statues, with grotesque faces and odd bodies. They looked more like demons then angels.
"Gargoyles," Satori said quietly. "They were made as wards against evil creatures. Strange, I didn't expect them to react to us."
Hatate snapped a picture of them just in case, but there was no reaction from her camera's spiritual energy stealing function. "They just there to creep us out or something?"
"Probably that's all they can do. They have no hearts or minds," Satori said.
"Hmph," Hatate stuck her tongue out at the statues then took some pictures of the front. "Let's get inside. They won't be able to glare at us there."
Satori chuckled lightly and led the way towards the chapel.
Once they entered the dimly lit cathedral Hatate felt the pressure leave her mind. At her side Satori seemed to brighten up a bit more as well. "I see what you meant when you said it looked like home," the other woman said as she looked up at the rose patterned stained glass window.
"Yep!" Hatate allowed herself to preen a bit. Finally something that had actually gone as planned! Sure Satori was right that plans didn't always work, but she had her pride. She refused to accept that nothing would go right!
Satori laughed. "You do always have your pride. I can trust your tengu blood to give you that." The other woman leaned against her arm, taking the sting out of the words. "Still, I like it."
The two grabbed a pew and sat down to rest. Hatate hated to admit it, but this was a lot more walking then she was used to. She had wings for a reason after all.
"It's a good thing we both can depend on youkai endurance," Satori said quietly.
Hatate nodded, then let her eyes and camera wander. "Huh, my spirit photography still works here," she noticed as she snapped a few photos.
"Probably the same reason the blessing didn't affect us. The priests can't accept that we exist, so they can't protect against us. One of the many species of devils on the other hand would probably have a hard time." Satori leaned back against the hardwood bench. "The faith in the gargoyles is a little more broad."
Hatate frowned. "That reminds me. How come there are so many different hells worth of devils? I mean I know why we don't count but..."
"Hm... Well from what I've read off Kanako that's related to how all this came about," Satori said, gesturing to the cathedral. "The war god of a pantheon decided they were going to take over the position of all the gods and get rid of all their competition. And he sort of did."
"Sort of did?" Hatate blinked in confusion. "How do you sorta become head god?"
"He killed most of the other gods, and the surviving gods and demigods either accepted his rule or were cast into hells." Satori sighed. "And then he found that it's easy to convince people to believe in a creator with your name, but that doesn't actually make you the one true god."
Hatate thought about it for a moment. "Huh. I don't really get it, but that does explain the devil bit." She looked over at Satori again. "Why'd Kanako tell you all that anyway?"
Satori opened her eyes. "Well it was part of her lessons on the care and feeding of gods. Since Utsuho occasionally gets a little overconfident."
"You know, it's still kinda weird knowing you keep the sun god as a pet," Hatate said, turning her gaze back to the cathedral's architecture.
"It's still weird keeping a sun god as a pet," Satori muttered. "Especially a sun god who hasn't really learned much from the experience other than nuclear physics."
Honestly Hatate still wondered how Satori managed to keep sentient youkai as pets to begin with, but they'd had that conversation before and in the end it just seemed to be another satori thing. The best Hatate could hope for was corvid solidarity.
"Hm, well my definition of pet is a little different from what you consider as well, but as you said, we had this conversation before." Satori stretched and stood. "I'm feeling better now. Why don't we finish looking over the interior before walking through the city a little more?"
"Sure thing," Hatate said as she hopped to her feet.
----
Hatate stretched as they left the restaurant. They'd spent a fair amount of time wandering the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter before hunting down a nice quiet and dark restaurant. Hatate had managed to get a seafood platter, while Satori had ordered a thick stew like dish called cassoulet. Hatate suspected the dish had chicken in it, but kept her peace. Well as much as possible with someone who could read your heart.
"So the next stop is the Eiffel Tower," Satori said. "That's a good choice. It appears so often in books, but they never visit it. I'm curious."
"Yeah! I figured we should go at night to see the city all lit up. It's gotta be cooler that way, ya know?" Hatate replied.
Satori nodded. "So how are we getting there? Oh, the street is just around the corner?"
Hatate turned and pointed. "It looks like it."
The tower was just as impressive as she imagined, glowing brightly in the sky, standing taller than any tree. Past it stood the Arc de Triomphe, glowing under its own light, but dwarfed beneath the tower. Hatate wondered how much power it took to light up the whole structure.
"Quite a bit I imagine, though from what I've read off of Kanako, less than a single reactor," Satori said.
Hatate blinked. "A reactor can make that much power, huh? It's hard to believe."
As they slowly strolled through the park to the monument Satori looked over the structure. "So I take it we'll visit all three of the decks?"
"Of course," Hatate replied. "Yukari's card has plenty of money, and we have to go to the highest floor. I mean, it's the closest we'll get to flying right?"
"I see. Then it looks like we'll have to wait until tomorrow," Satori said, pointing at a sign.
Hatate peered at it. "Observation deck closes at four for maintenance? The heck is that!" The brightly lit tower seemed to be mocking her now. "We won't be able to see the city at night then!"
Satori shrugged. "So it seems. We can always visit tomorrow."
"To hell with that," Hatate muttered. She looked around at the other tourists to make sure none of them were watching, then pulled out her cellphone and punched in some commands that the kappa had shown her.
Satori's eyes widened. "Camera blinding? What? But- Ah-!" Satori gasped as Hatate pulled her close then lept into the sky at speeds only a crow tengu could reach. The brightly lit edifice became a wall of light as she flew upwards, then cut out as she opened her wings and lightly flitted to the top of the observation deck.
"There we are!" Hatate relaxed her grip on Satori slightly, but she kept her arm around the other woman. Being rapidly dragged somewhere by a tengu was a little disorienting.
Satori took a few breaths before shaking her head. "Yukari's going to have a fit. What was that about camera blinding as well?"
"Ah well," Hatate rubbed her head. "I figure the only things that could see us would be cameras and stuff, so I used my own camera to make them blurry."
"Something the kappa probably made to mess with us reporters, hm?" Satori sighed. "Well I suppose it worked for us."
Hatate pouted. "Come on, look at the view!" Turning to look over the city she found herself stunned by her own suggestion. A sea of lights, some moving down the roads, most glimmering in the darkness spread out before her. It was a scene unlike anything in Gensoukyo. Even the bright lights of a festival in the oni city were nothing in comparison.
"It is beautiful," Satori said quietly as she snuggled closer to her.
The two stood there on top of the tower for several minutes, slowly turning around to see all the skyline. "It really is the City of Lights," Hatate said softly.
"Hm," Satori nodded. "Perhaps one day we'll be able to compare it to another city."
Hatate silently agreed, though she wondered if that day would ever come. It would take a lot of blackmail to get the youkai sage to allow them to do something like this again.
"Ah!" Hatate started as she remembered something. "That's right! I've gotta take a photo of us!"
Satori's eyes opened wide and she blushed. "Ah, well, but I don't like photos and..."
Hatate pouted as she looked down at her girlfriend. This was a once in a lifetime photo!
"Well. Since you need a photo for the article." Satori straightened up a bit and pulled at her hair to try to straighten it.
"Right! On three then!" Hatate smiled widely and aimed the camera at the two of them. This one was for great memories!
----
Hatate groaned as there was another knock on her door. "No comment," she yelled at the visitor.
"I'm not a journalist," Momiji's voice called back.
The table creaked as Hatate pushed herself to her feet, then quickly threw the door open. "Come in fast, before the rest of the vultures see their opening."
The wolf tengu smiled mercilessly, but stepped inside. "So, how's it feel being the one whose relationship is currently under intense scrutiny?"
"I said I was sorry for that Valentine's Day mistake," Hatate cried raising her hands to the uncaring heavens. "Besides this is like a thousand times worse!"
"I thought you'd be proudly proclaiming how love conquers all," Momiji asked, her smile widening.
Hatate slumped back in her chair. "Yeah love conquers all and stuff. It doesn't make all this nonsense suck any less."
?It was somewhat brave of you though,? Momiji said as she took a seat. ?As a wolf tengu I?m mildly impressed.?
?What you don?t think I?m just doing this for the attention?? Hatate replied with a roll of her eyes.
Momiji shook her head. ?If you were doing it for attention you?d have printed it immediately, like you did when the Taoist trio shot down your drunken advances.? Hatate blushed deeply at that reminder. The wolf tengu?s harsh smile faded into a serious expression. ?No, I think you mean it. Which is why I wanted to congratulate you, sincerely.?
?Um, thanks.? Hatate idly flipped out her cell phone. ?It?s easier for me though. I mean, this will blow over eventually.?
Momiji?s expression grew grim. ?No, it won?t.? The wolf tengu sighed and closed her eyes. ?You don?t spend a lot of time with the older tengu. They remember the youkai of the underground, and they hate them. Even if our generations don?t care, the elders will always view someone with ties to the underground as suspect.? Momiji pulled out a small sake bottle from her sleeve. ?You should drink to your political career, because it?s dead.?
Hatate sighed and grabbed the bottle. ?Yeah whatever.? She poured a cup and handed it to Momiji before scrounging for another one for herself. ?My career died when I decided to be a chronicling journalist instead of a reporter.?
Momiji gave a light chuckle. ?Well that might be true.? She sipped the wine. ?Though I have to admit, I think I like your new paper more. If nothing else it?s different.?
?Thanks. That means a lot.? Hatate bowed slightly in return. Praise like that did mean a lot to a crow tengu.
?Ah, one more thing,? Momiji tossed an odd key onto the table. ?A? mutual friend was so moved by your story she? stole this key. It should get you through the wards on the reactor elevator.?
Hatate picked up the gift. There was no way it was stolen, given the only people who used the elevator didn?t have to worry about wards, but that just meant no one would complain. ?Tell her thanks for me. I?d text her myself but she?s being all cloak and dagger about it so??
Momiji rolled her eyes. ?I told her no one would believe that story, but she insisted.?
Hatate giggled, than smiled as a thought hit her. ?Hey that?s right! Now that the stories out we can totally chat about our romances! Come on, I want to hear all the details.?
?What!? Momiji?s tail bristled. ?Not a chance! Especially not while you?ve got your cell phone out!?
?Come on Momiji. This?ll be totally off the record. I promise-?
?No!?
And so the two friends talked and fought well into the night.
-
Good story. :) It's always interesting to see nonstandard parings and youkai learning about the Outside. One thing that confuses me though:
"I'm almost impressed. You have to know I despise Satori."
Since when?
-
Since when?
If you check Reimu A's route for SA, she's pretty insistent that Reimu beat the snot out of Satori. Toss in the fact that Yukari of all people would not want her true feelings read and, well...
-
(I should've set the message to notify me of replies, but by the time I thought about it it was in pending-moderator-approval limbo.)
If you check Reimu A's route for SA, she's pretty insistent that Reimu beat the snot out of Satori. Toss in the fact that Yukari of all people would not want her true feelings read and, well...
I checked it out but didn't see anything hateful in Yukari's tone, her insistence seeming more "focus on the job" than " I hate satori." I'm also pretty sure that Yukari can block mind-reading with boundary powers (if she thinks to do it).
Of course, Yukari being a bitch would be in-character.
-
While not breaking the libraries NSFW policy, if your mother is reading over your shoulder, scroll to a different story segment to avoid interesting questions.
This is Ruro's fault. Well her and the two cosplayers who gave her the idea.
---
I carefully gave the fairies my best glare without actually resorting to scowling. "Now return to your duties. And stop juggling the axes."
"Yes ma'am," the unrepentant maids replied before scattering to the winds. I sighed, then allowed my expression to return to my usual expressionless mask. I really wasn't too upset at the fairies, but it was important that they thought I was. Showing that their antics were mildly amusing would only encourage them in the future.
As my counterpart consistently proved time and time again.
"I see you're done, miss Izayoi. Great work."
I found myself sighing again. Turning I found my other self smiling. It was disconcerting to see such a carefree smile on my own face.
"You of all people can refer to me by my first name you know," I replied.
"Ah, but I wouldn't want to confuse the fairy maids," Sakuya said.
I frowned, but held my peace. It was a good excuse, but I knew the smiling maid across from me had no issue with confusing the fairy maids whenever the mood struck. Sakuya had no issue confusing anyone if the mood struck her. The blue clad maid had done it for months after the incident a year ago.
It had in fact been a full year since that day. The day I had been ripped from my world just as I was about to punish Yukari Yakumo for her role in the second "Koumajou" incident. I had somehow tumbled through time and space to this Gensoukyo. A Gensoukyo of brighter colors and more distant dueling, though one that was still just as hectic at times as my own.
I had been lucky. The residents of the mansion had been kind to me. They had even worked to send me home at first, until they learned the truth. I had been ripped from my correct timeline, but I wasn't the true Sakuya Izayoi of that world. I was a time double, an accident of the strange power that I wielded. It was impossible for me to return to the timestream that I remembered as my own without destroying my individuality.
And so the residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion had taken me in, again. Sure there were differences between the worlds. Patchouli was a little more openly sarcastic, Meiling slightly more competent, the mistress more playful, and the little sister slightly less insane. But I recognized them all.
It was my other self that confused me the most. The constantly smiling maid Sakuya. A carefree woman in light blue and white in stark contrast to my own deadpan mask and black pinstriped uniform.
I shook off my ruminations and turned my attention fully to the other maid. "Do you need my help for something? My duties for the day are mostly done."
"Yes actually. There's a small problem that you can help with." Sakuya's smile widened as an explosion rattled through the mansion. "Marisa's broken into the library again, but it's the Mistress' tea time. Could you handle it?"
I felt my eye twitch. In the time it took for Sakuya to find Marisa breaking in then find me and tell me, she could have solved the matter herself. Or at least made an attempt. Still there was nothing to be done about it now. "I see. I'll take care of it then."
Sakuya nodded. "Thank you so much."
I stopped time and began walking towards the library. As I left I felt Sakuya activate her own ability and begin moving towards Remilia's room. It was amazing how often Sakuya came to me with an emergency. And even more amazing how often the other woman coincidentally couldn't help, or for some reason forgot the obvious solution to the problem.
At least the mansion was easy to navigate. We had discovered that for all our differences our powers were exactly the same. Thus we both instinctively understood each other's time manipulations and could work with or around them. I reached the library within a minute of stopped time.
As I walked through the door I took stock of the situation. Patchouli was down, already beaten, one of the bookcases was slightly blackened by what was most likely the spell that defeated Patchouli, an end table was overturned and its lamp was broken. Minor damage then. Looking at the perpetrator I found Marisa was standing on the ground today. That was a bit strange. Usually the young magician prefered to start her battles in the air, indicating she wanted to use danmaku primarily. Starting a fight while on the ground signaled you wanted to use physical attacks as well.
Well I wasn't one to question my foe's errors. I allowed myself to phase back into normal time as I readied my weapons. "I'm sorry, but the library is closed today for repairs. Could you come back later?"
"Ack! Sakuya!" Marisa hopped back at her sudden entrance. It was so pleasant surprising people like that. "Oh great, and the serious one at that. Why couldn't I get the smiley maid?"
"Probably your bad karma." I moved to Patchouli's side. "Lady Patchouli, should I escort this ruffian out?"
Patchouli coughed and gave me a dark look. "Yes," she wheezed.
"Well you can try," Marisa cried out as she spun her broom. Taking that as the invitation to start the fight, I turned around, then somersaulted backwards to land next to Marisa.
As the magician staggered away from my sudden advance I drew my favorite sword and slashed at her. The enchantments to prevent it from killing slowed the cut a little, but the silver blade still had the hungry sheen that drew me to it back when I first acquired it.
Marisa barely parried the blade with her broom, getting dumped on the floor for her efforts. "Holy shit! The hell is that? Yumeko's supposed to be the crazy sword nut, not you Sakuya!"
"Oh? Has my counterpart put away the sword? Strange," I mused. It had been a long time since I'd seriously considered giving up my vampire hunting blade. Of course my knives were my best weapon but...
I realized my carelessness as Marisa flung herself into the air. "Well if we're gonna play rough, take these!" The Magician tossed out several bottles from her hat, ones that I knew packed quite an explosive punch.
A wave of my hand summoned several silver knives, then a thought stopped time. I carefully judged where each bottle would end up, then threw knives at those locations. Then as an after thought I tossed a blade straight at Marisa's face. With that handled I restarted time.
"Wah-!" Marisa fell to the ground as explosions ripped through the library again. I was mildly disappointed the blade hadn't hit Marisa, but at least her attack had been stopped.
"Would you like to go home now?" I asked as I retrieved another brace of knives. The young magician girl had to realize the fight was no longer going her way.
Marisa growled and pulled out her Hakkero. Apparently the witch was in a fighting mood. "It ain't over yet! Let's see you handle my Master Spark!"
I prepared myself to escape the blast when the sensation of time stopping washed over me. Sakuya waved to me as she stepped into the library, then casually threw a batch of knives at the magician. I took the time the other maid gave me to grab Patchouli and leave the area of Marisa's attack.
Honestly I didn't really need to bother. As time resumed Sakuya's knives struck Marisa dead on. The magician yelped as the enchanted blades tore her clothes and sent her sprawling, her own attack lost. "Please avoid damaging the library more. It would be a shame if we had to spend more time repairing it," Sakuya said.
Marisa slowly wobbled to her feet, her frown deepening. "Hey, two on one is cheating you know."
Sakuya curtsied. "Ah, but you only faced Sakuya Izayoi."
I nodded. "Indeed. Surely Marisa Kirisame is match for a simple maid."
"Augh, you two make my head hurt sometimes," Marisa adjusted her hat then hopped on her broom. "You win this time Sakuya. I guess we'll have to finish up later Patchy." And with that the black white mage flitted out of the library.
As soon as Marisa was out the window we both stopped time, almost simultaneously. I moved to the entry window to close and lock it, while Sakuya moved to the end table and righted it before sweeping up the lamp shards to be fixed later. I did a bit of light dusting on the shelves while my other self got another lamp to replace the old one. When the room had been mostly returned to order we moved back to our original positions before allowing time to restart.
"Are you alright, Lady Patchouli?" I asked.
"Are you alright, Miss Patchouli?" Sakuya asked.
Patchouli glared at us as she stood up. "If you insist in speaking on unison please at least say the same line," she muttered.
"Sorry, that wasn't our intention, Miss Patchouli," Sakuya said.
"My apologies, but that was not our intention, Lady Patchouli," I said.
Patchouli closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before just shaking her head and glaring at both of us. "Well, in any case, I am fine now. I would appreciate it if you dealt with intruders a little faster."
I did my best to keep a straight face as I replied, "You insisted we should be more catlike Lady Patchouli, so it seemed proper to play with our catch."
"Ah!" Sakuya giggled. "That is rather catlike."
Patchouli rubbed her forehead. "In this case I'll accept more human behavior." She floated over to her chair and plopped down. "Thanks for removing the rat. Please make sure she does not disturb me again."
"Of course, Miss Patchouli," Sakuya said. I nodded my head in agreement.
I turned to head back to the main part of the mansion, Sakuya moving to my side as we exited the library. "You arrived quickly. Did the mistress decide to skip tea?" I asked.
"Ah!" Sakuya clasped her hands together as her eyes widened. "I forgot, she told me Tupai escaped again." She turned up to face me, her smile returning. "We should go find it."
I raised an eyebrow at that. She forgot that the mansion's pet chupacabra had escaped? In less than ten minutes? Still, there was nothing I could do about that. "I suppose we should."
Stopping time I moved to the window, brushed aside the thick curtains, and hopped out. Our first job was to make sure it didn't get outside. Apparently the last time it broke out it had made it all the way to the village. That would make searching more difficult.
Sakuya followed me out the window landing gracefully next to me. As she looked over to me I pointed back towards the window. "Shouldn't we shut that?"
"Oh! Of course." I shook my head as she flew up to the window to close it. Somehow she'd remembered to draw the curtains behind her, so no sunlight could bother our mistress, but forgotten the window itself.
As she returned to my side I allowed time to resume. It was too easy to miss hiding creatures in the still world outside time. I began walking alongside the mansion, making sure all the other windows were closed.
Sakuya moved to walk beside me, humming a light tune. After a bit I raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be better if we split up?"
"Two searchers are better than one," she replied. "And splitting up never works well on a hunt."
"We preferred to work alone," I commented as we rounded the corner.
She giggled. "Well Sakuya's the only one here, no?"
I shrugged. "I suppose that's true." Seeing there was no use arguing I continued the rounds, keeping an eye out for movement. The furtive dashing of small animals was the best sign something was moving in the area. However the squirrels and sparrows only seemed to be fleeing from her.
Finally we finished our circuit. It seemed that the mansion was still secured, and that Tupai hadn't escaped onto the grounds. "Hm... Well its still inside. I guess we'll have to search there." I closed my eyes and began to consider where a blood drinking youkai might be.
I needn't have bothered. A scream, followed by the crash of a fairy dashing through a window without bothering to open it. Fortunately for my sanity, the latch was weaker than the frame, meaning that the window merely burst open instead of breaking. The fairy flew past us screaming "Monster! Monster! Sharp pointy death has come for us!"
"Oh dear," Sakuya said.
I stopped time and hopped through the window. This time Sakuya shut it behind her as she followed me. When I was certain the window was at least partially secured I restarted time.
I was rewarded by the skittering dash of an escaping chupacabra to my right. I nodded then started to stop time again when Sakuya grabbed my arm. "This way," she cried.
"Ah-!" My concentration broken, I found myself dragged along as Sakuya ran after Tupai. The little chupacabra ricocheted through the halls like the superball Flandre had bought once, with Sakuya dragging us in hot pursuit. Vases wavered dangerously and fairy maids screamed and ran away as we scrambled through the mansion.
Finally the creature hopped into a room, forcing Sakuya to slow down and kick open the door fully. With a grimace I stopped time, bringing the other woman's run to a halt. "Oh. Right," Sakuya said with a grin.
Sighing I untangled my arm from hers, then walked into the room and grabbed the offending pet by the scruff of its neck before restarting time. The creature briefly struggled, then went limp like a cat would. A strange reaction for a bloodsucker, but one that served me well. "There. Now to get the cage."
"It's with the mistress," Sakuya replied. "Shall we join her."
I nodded. "Yes." It would be good to see Lady Remilia today.
We both stopped time again to escort Tupai back to Remilia's tea room. The mistress was enjoying a book along with her tea it seemed. That was good. While Lady Remilia's antics when bored could be amusing, they were also usually quite demanding. A good book could keep her for a week, reading and rereading.
I carefully placed Tupai into its cage while Sakuya took up a place opposite Remilia. After I made sure the chupacabra's home was secured, I moved to Sakuya's side and let time resume. "The situation is solved my lady," we said in unison.
"Ah, Sakuya and Sakuya," Remilia smiled and looked up from her book. "Good work. I hope there wasn't too much damage. I heard an explosion."
Sakuya shook her head. "That was Marisa's fault, Lady Remilia. Tupai here just messed up one of the rooms a little."
Remilia blinked in surprise. "Marisa? You did properly scold her, yes?" Apparently Sakuya had somehow failed to inform our mistress of the other intrusion.
"She was repelled with the proper amount of humiliation, though I focused more on making sure Lady Patchouli was unharmed," I stated.
"Ah, yes we wouldn't want Patchy to be too annoyed," Remilia replied magnanimously. She was probably fully aware that Patchouli was annoyed anyway, but the mistress secretly enjoyed that.
"Do you need anything else, Lady Remilia?" Sakuya asked.
Remilia turned her attention back to her book. "No, thank you. Please continue turning guests away for the rest of the day."
"As you will Lady Remilia," we replied before stepping out.
Several feet down the corridor I realized we were walking in the same direction at the same pace. It was something that happened occasionally, and it was always disconcerting. "I'm capable of cleaning up the room Tupai messed up. You should probably calm the fairies."
"Calming the fairies is most likely a job for two people," Sakuya replied with a wink. "We should finish the cleaning first."
The explanation was nonsense, but I suppose it might be for the best. I hesitated to imagine the stories she'd feed the little fairy maids. Instead I turned my attention to the room as we entered. It seemed there was little physical damage, other than to the bedsheets that the creature had punctured. It was barely noticeable, but almost perfect wasn't good enough for the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
I pulled the sheets off the bed, then pulled out a new set from the rooms closet before starting to make the bed. "What did you have in mind for handling the fairies?" I asked idly as I tucked in the covers.
"I was thinking perhaps we could use the good cop, bad cop routine. Perhaps I could be the bad cop," Sakuya replied as she pulled out a clashing set of pillow covers.
I stopped and turned to face the woman. "You have to know that I know you're doing this deliberately. Why?"
Her grin widened. "It's important not to take life so seriously, right?"
Something snapped within me at those words. I reached out and cupped her chin, forcing her to look me in the eyes. "It's not proper for someone who wants to die to smile like that."
Sakuya's eyes flew open wide at that, her smile vanishing in shock. When it returned there was a sorrow there she'd never shown me before. "Even if my life is an aberration, I made a promise long ago to enjoy the presence of those I love." She reached up and stroked my cheek. "Even if my smile is hollow, it has to hurt less then your mask. When will you smile, Sakuya Izayoi?"
"When you finally smile for yourself instead of just for everyone else," I replied softly.
Her hand froze for a second, then slowly moved behind my head. She moved forward slightly, her lips inviting me without a word. And suddenly I understood what she, no what we both needed.
I let my own hand slip from her chin to her shoulder before drawing her into my embrace. I started to take her lips, but she was faster, kissing me deeply, her tongue already searching inside my mouth. She pushed me back to the bed, and I resisted only long enough to slam the door shut with a thrown knife. It wouldn't be right to mar this by stopping time.
We clung to each other, kissing desperately, pausing only to gasp for breath. Her hand found its way to my thigh. Mine slipped beneath her collar. I felt her soft back, marred only by the scar we both carried.
It wasn't enough. We needed to be closer. I tore off her kerchief and started on her buttons as she pulled off my skirt. We pulled away each others clothing baring our true selves. Our hands explored our bodies, rediscovering ourselves. Examining every soft curve and jagged scar. Showing each other that there was someone out there who understood and accepted who we were without reservation or explanation.
The climax was almost an intrusion into our desperate joining, but neither of us could pull away. We were one in a way no other two people could be, and right now we were together. The experience peaked, sending electricity through our bodies for what seemed like forever. And then it was done.
I collapsed next to her. The powerful need that had driven me was gone, though I felt relaxed. Calm. Sakuya slipped her arm beneath my neck and pulled herself next to me, but there was just simple closeness in the action, not desire. I slowly exhaled then lightly brushed her hair away so I could see her eyes. They were open, and while they weren't shining like they normally were, I could see there was no falsehoods. I wondered what she saw in my eyes.
Whatever it was her smile returned. She caressed my cheek and said quietly. "Well, when people said learning to love yourself was a rewarding experience I didn't realize how right they were."
I groaned and flopped back onto the pillow. Sakuya hummed in concern. "Hm? Was the joke really that bad?"
"No," I replied. "It's just I wanted to use that joke. Now I have to think up something else."
Her happy laughter rang sweetly through the room, and I allowed myself, ever so slightly, to smile.
-
Selfcest is wincest?
-
...would that count as yuri, or selfcest, or...?
That did NOT go where I expected it to from the first part at all.
-
Something for Tanabata. Perhaps my wish will make it into a basket somewhere...
--------
"Hinanawi Chikio! Your actions are utterly unforgivable."
Tenshi snarled at the use of her old name, but she couldn't interrupt. The person chewing her out was her dad's boss after all. As meaningless as the term was for a group of people who didn't DO anything.
The old man stood and began to pace slowly as he listed off her faults. "You've been using the Sword of Hisou for personal entertainment. You have allowed the number of earthquakes to drop below their required number. You've been out fighting and sometimes even LOSING to earthly beings. And worst of all you allowed an oni to reside in heaven without even trying to remove her." The man stopped and looked down at her. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"I'm sorry about losing," she replied before muttering under her breath. "The yama's lectures were way more impressive though."
The man's eyes shot open as he overheard her muttering, but he didn't say anything. Invoking the Yamaxanadu's name was bad luck to those superstitious cowards, so he had to settle for scowling down at her. Her parents were of course mortified, but that was a standard occurrence.
After a few awkward moments he folded his courtier's fan and struck up his 'magnanimous ruler' pose. "I am a reasonable man however, and I believe I have decided on a fitting punishment for your transgressions." He waved, and two servants came forward with a basket filled with paper slips. "As you know tanabata was just a few days ago, and we celestials have a tradition of granting a few worthy people their wishes." The man's smile widened. "Since you've spent so much time with the earthly creatures, granting three of these wishes shouldn't be hard at all right?"
Tenshi groaned. She tried to think of something worse than trying to play matchmaker to the residents of Gensoukyo and found herself struggling. Still one of the things on that list was sitting here and listening to her dad's boss chew her out more. "Sure, I'll do it."
The man blinked at her easy acceptance. "Um, very well then." He motioned the two attendants to bring her the basket. "Make sure you do this properly. The dragon palace will be evaluating the results this year."
She winced at the thought of another lecture if she screwed this up. At least she didn't need to worry about being the worst performer. There were plenty of lazy celestials who found 'no worthy wishes.' Sighing she started looking through the paper slips. There was a lot of the usual crap about 'finding a girl/boyfriend,' and 'making lots of money.'
At the next slip she paused, then slowly started to smile. She'd forgotten something very important. Maybe this work wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Alright! Gotta go! There are wishes to fill!"
----
Mokou looked over at her eternal rival. She was honestly tempted to start a fight right then and there, but the bamboo forest was dry from the summer heat, and while the rabbits that had accompanied the princess out on her walk were already running away, they'd be back with reinforcements soon.
Instead she settled for distant politeness. "Hello, princess. It's not like you to go out without a guard or ten."
"Eirin was getting a little stifling. I wanted to get out on my own for a bit." Kaguya sniffed. "So if it's all the same to you could we skip the usual festivities? I'd really rather not have her think of more reasons to stay inside."
"So long as you keep her from shooting me when she shows up sure," Mokou replied.
The two stood there glaring at each other awkwardly. Mokou had come to suspect that Kaguya enjoyed their violent murder fests as much as she did. And she had to admit to herself that the long grudge that had motivated her wasn't burning as brightly as before. But she really couldn't communicate with the princess per say.
Mokou's ruminations were cut short by a sudden downpour. She sputtered as the foul tasting liquid drenched her from head to toe. Across the way she heard Kaguya squawk in protest as a similar fate befell her. Mokou looked up to see a smug looking woman in celestial raiments smiling down at them.
"Two wishes, fulfilled," the woman said gleefully as she struck a match.
Mokou had just enough time to register that the liquid covering her smelled suspiciously like gasoline before the woman dropped the flame.
The fumes ignited immediately setting both of them on fire. In the part of her brain that wasn't screaming about burning to death, Mokou came to the sneaking suspicion that wishing that Kaguya die in a fire might not have been the best Tanabata wish. Then again apparently her foe had similar ideas.
She was pondering what that meant from a moral standpoint when she finally managed to die.
----
Marisa ducked the sweeping laser from Patchouli's spell. "Come on Patchy, don't get so worked up. You have two of these anyway."
"It's the principle you thieving rat," Patchouli muttered darkly before sending more homing bullets towards her.
Marisa weaved through those and over a laser before raining down some magic missiles at the older witch. "Sorry sorry. It's just this one spell. I'll return it when..."
Strong hands grabbed her from behind. Marisa yelped, then flailed as someone pulled her off her broom. "What the heck Sakuya, this is cheating!"
"Not Sakuya," Tenshi replied. Marisa froze up. She had no idea why the celestial was here, but she knew one thing: This was going to suck.
Sure enough she was soon hurtling through the air towards a rapidly expanding purple figure. She hit a soft object that "Mukyuu"ed rather loudly before the two of them slammed into the ground. Physical wards were a very good thing she idly mused as her brain attempted to reboot from impact.
She'd just managed to recover enough to realize her face was buried in Patchouli's cleavage and begin to blush when the horrific snap of a camera shutter sounded through the library. There was an excited flutter of bat wings, as a familiar familiar's voice calle out, "Excuse me Miss Patchouli, but I need to run an errand to Alice's~. I'll be back in a jiffy."
Her face was burning as she pushed herself off of Patchouli to flop on the floor. She managed to glance at the other magician long enough to confirm that Patchouli was blushing slightly as well, though probably not as bad as she was. "Uh... truce until we stop Koakuma?"
"Truce until we stop Koakuma and kill that Celestial," Patchouli replied quietly.
"Deal."
----
Kotohime jumped as a bound youkai slammed into the ground next to her. "Wha-!" The self proclaimed police officer spun around looking for the culprit of this heinous crime. "Who did this!"
Unfortunately the guilty party did not immediately come forward. A shameful act that only added to their crimes, Kotohime mused. Sighing Kotohime turned to the victim. "Well I suppose we should free you."
The black and white haired woman who had been tied up muttered something into her gag and glared at her. Kotohime frowned at the disrespect. "Hey now, I'm trying to help." She wondered if there was a law allowing her to arrest people for not properly thanking their rescuers.
Her response was only another muttering and an increase in thrashing from the bound woman. "Hm..." As the woman struggled in her bonds a thread of memory slowly began to surface. "Ah!"
Kotohime looked over the woman again then scrambled over to where the bounties were listed. There pinned to the wall was the face of the 'victim' framed by the words "Wanted : Alive but roughed up. Seija Kijin."
It was too good to be true. She grabbed the poster then ran over to place it next to the woman's face. A perfect match! "Aha!" She jumped for joy, then realized that was improper for the face of justice. "Ahem!" She stood up straight then crossed her arms. "You've been a bad girl haven't you Seiji Kijin! I'm placing you under arrest!"
For some reason the figure looked slightly happier at her declaration. Still that wasn't going to stop a true policewoman like Kotohime! She slung the criminal over her shoulder and began heading to the main office. This was going to be her biggest bust yet!
-----
Yuugi took a deep drink from her sake dish before looking over at the small woman who was challenging her. "You really want to go one on one with me kid? This isn't actually Gensoukyo you know. If you want to go one on one with an oni for real there are consequences. You lose and I get to abduct you." Yuugi cracked her knuckles. "Been a while since I abducted a celestial too. I might get a little enthusiastic."
The girl hesitated at that and Yuugi let out a small sigh. Too bad. Yuugi had almost been looking forward for an all out drag out duel. Still she waited. Maybe the girl would have something to entertain her.
"Uh, well, I kinda know Suika, and she'd get mad if I killed you. And I'm preeeety sure it'd be violating the spirit of the wish. At least that's what the high ups would say." Tenshi coughed. "Also I have something I need to do after this. Which I can't do if I'm abducted."
"Well that's kinda the point of abducting people," Yuugi said. "But let's compromise. I win you're mine for a week after a couple of days. You win you get to brag about it forever and demand any one thing from me."
Tenshi bit her lip, then looked down at the slip and back to Yuugi. Yuugi could almost see the gears spinning in the young celestial's head. 'The bet isn't that big. And I can take an oni right? Besides I can't back down from this...' Yuugi had seen that kind of self deception over and over through the years. Still her foe was a celestial this time. If nothing else she knew the woman was tough.
Finally Tenshi smiled. "Alright! I accept. Let's do this!"
Yuugi finished her drink then set her dish aside. It would be terrible if the artifact got chipped after all. "All right. Let's see what you got." Yuugi slammed down her foot, and the ground trembled. "This cavern can take a lot of shaking, so let's cut loose!
---
Tenshi groaned as the water splashed on her face. "What happened?"
"I punched you. Repeatedly."
She groaned again as she recognized the voice. Her eyes flickered open to see Yuugi looking down at her with a big smile. The woman's shirt was dirty and there was a slight cut on her cheek, but from the pounding in Tenshi's head it was obvious who'd gotten the worst of the fight.
Tenshi pushed herself upright and looked around. She was in the underground city, on a rooftop near the castle. There was a party going on downstairs of course, but up here was sorta quiet. The pounding in her head was even starting to recede. Celestial healing was a nice thing to have.
She looked over at Yuugi and sighed. "I don't suppose my great efforts mean you'll let me off without paying my end of the bargain?"
"Nope!" Yuugi replied happily. "It's no fun if nothing's on the line." The oni tossed her a small pouch. "But I'll give you these to finish your job properly."
Tenchi tentatively opened the pouch to find two uncooked beans. Shrugging she ate them. To her surprise her aches and pains started fading away. "Wow. They're like the peaches of heaven."
Yuugi laughed. "Ah, so that's why you carry one. Next time we fight you might wanna actually use it." The oni's smile widened. "For that matter you might wanna bring down a sack or two when you drop by to pay your debt. Maybe we can make a proper drink out of them."
"Right." Tenshi sighed and stretched as she attempted to get her bearings. Her body was feeling better, which meant she could complete the final phase of her plan, which was...
She groaned again as she remembered what her final plan was. "Why do all my plans involve me getting beaten up? Maybe Iku was right when she said I was becoming a masochist."
"Sounds like you think you need some karmic retribution? Try doing less evil. Or caring less about being evil," Yuugi said.
"Hmph. I'd rather be out and out evil then incompetent like the do nothings at the top," Tenshi muttered. Shrugging she hopped into the air. "Well anyway, I better do this fast before that crazy sun bird heads home. She might be able to beat me in my current state."
Yuugi laughed. "She might indeed. That girl's tough enough to make me try a little in my fights." The oni pulled out a sake bottle and started pouring. "Have fun with your job. And remember, be here ready to drink four days from now at sunset, or I'll go hunting for you with Suika."
"Nice to know I warrant you bringing backup," Tenshi sighed before flying towards the palace.
As she approached the building she tried to guess what would be the best way to break in. The palace was huge, and filled with informants who'd reveal her arrival to the master of the place. Worse as soon as she found her target a fight would break out.
In the end she decided on the brazen approach. After all only the bird and the cat could possibly stop her. She went to the front door, and knocked.
There was a long pause before the door opened revealing one of the two people she didn't want to see. "Yeah, what is it sis?" Orin asked coldly.
"Greetings denizen of hell," Tenshi said in her best official voice. "I'm here as a representative of the heavens to grant the wishes of honest people."
Orin slammed the door shut.
Tenshi blinked for a moment before hammering on the door again. "Wait damn it. I'm here to help your master, not kill her. No one cares enough to make those kind of wishes about satori anymore."
There was a pause, then the door opened a creak again. "Alright sis, I suppose I can let you in. Especially since there's no way a mind like yours can actually kill a satori."
"Thanks," Tenshi replied with a roll of her eyes. She didn't mention to the kassha that her sword probably could kill youkai protected with limited invulnerability. It would give the wrong ideas about the visit.
The wisdom in her choice was quickly made evident by the twisting and turning path Orin took them to get through the castle. There was no way Tenshi could have figured out where to look on her own. In fact it took Orin ten minutes to locate Satori herself. The underground youkai was in a sitting room reading when they walked in.
Of course as soon as Satori saw her the youkai's three eyes widened. "Hm...? Tanabata wish? Perfect setup. Wait- KIDNAPPING ME?"
Tenshi took this as her cue to blast the cat and grab her target. With luck she'd have bought enough time to make it to the surface.
---
Hatate was busy looking through her camera for the best photos for her paper when a dark red catgirl burst through the door.
"That stupid celestial's kidnapped Satori and broken into the shrine and I don't know what she's doing but you better help out damn it!" Orin yelled at her while waving her arms fantically.
Hatate was out the door and halfway up the mountain before she realized she didn't have the foggiest clue what was actually going on. Slowing down she turned to the kassha. "Wait, WHO kidnapped Satori? And which shrine?"
A white blur that she barely was able to recognize as Momiji flew past her towards the Moriya shrine. Orin pointed after the wolf tengu. "Tenshi and that shrine."
"Right." Hatate returned to flying blindly into danger. She'd beat the answers out of that blue haired nitwit.
----
Iku floated down before the masses of celestials. She felt slightly nervous speaking to them, especially given she was lower ranked. Still she was acting on behalf of the dragon palace, which meant they couldn't attack her for her words. Probably.
"I have been sent to announce the findings of the dragon palace in respect to the Tanabata wishes," she stated to the crowd. Most of them just nodded in boredom. "This year we had more Celestials participate than ever before, due to the larger number of celebrants. However the number of wishes granted was less than ever before."
She cleared her throat and the whispers began. Usually that pronouncement was followed by a short disclaimer that the Dragon Palace didn't blame those responsible for not finding enough worthy celebrants. The lack of that face saving statement was apparently noticed.
Iku continued. "This year there was one person who's actions stood out more than others. The dragon palace would require Hinanawi Tenshi step forward."
At this point the murmuring turned into a dull rumble. Tenshi's family was not well regarded in heaven, and the eldest daughter's antics were starting to become famous. The sneering grin Tenshi wore as she moved to the front of the crowd only intensified the muttering.
Iku coughed again and took a deep breath before continuing. "Hinanawi Tenshi, your actions were some of the most shameful that the dragon palace has ever seen. You killed two of your wishers, got involved in seven fights, started two major diplomatic incidents, and caused incalculable havoc in heaven's name. Never before has someone brought so much chaos and mayhem to these proceedings. The stain you've given to the reputation of the heavens will linger for decades." Tenshi shrugged at Iku's pronouncements while the crowd began to either laugh or sneer at the young celestial.
"We find ourselves furious at your actions, and would punish you with our full might," Iku paused before finishing, "were it not for the fact you granted more wishes and spread more happiness than all the other Celestials combined."
Dumbstruck silence fell at Iku's pronouncement. Even Tenshi seemed confused. "Wow. You guys were really that dull?"
Iku fought to keep from smirking as she finished the proclamation. "Thus we are forced to, grudgingly, give you some manner of commendation. Or in this case, pardon for your actions. We merely demand that you pay your debt to the oni."
"That is all." Iku closed the scroll.
Tenshi turned to the crowd. "Ha! I might be a failure, but you're all bigger losers." She stuck out her tongue and then dropped through the clouds of heaven towards earth.
Iku took the chaos at Tenshi's passing to beat her own retreat, shaking her head all the way. "What will we do with you eldest daughter?"
Still she found she was smiling as well.
---
Eirin finished writing down the medical data before looking over at her houseguest. "I have to thank you for the help you've given me. Reisen's a fine assistant, but I need her for my work. Having her stay and help here would have set me back days."
"No no no. I have to thank you. After all it's not like you had a lot of reasons to trust me," Keine replied.
"Well given the circumstances I think we have the same goals for once," Eirin said. "In fact I'd say there's no one in Gensoukyo I could trust more with this task."
Keine's response was interrupted by a pounding on the plastic tank. Eirin turned to see Mokou and Kaguya both glaring angrily at them. "Eirin Yagokoro! As your princess I ORDER you to let us out!" Kaguya yelled.
Eirin shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't let you out until I'm certain you've been cured of your terminal stupidity. Don't worry. I think it should be past in about a week."
"Come on Keine! I told you the forest fire wasn't our fault! You have to believe me," Mokou said.
"Actually it was your fault," Keine replied primly. "Which is why I'm here to force you children to learn to play nicely together."
The two imprisoned hourai immortals growled then turned to plot together in the corner of their enclosure. Eirin nodded happily and made a checkmark. It seemed they were finally starting to learn how to work together.
It wasn't exactly how she'd hoped her Tanabata wish to go, but results were what mattered right?
---
Alice sipped her tea as the devil sitting before her sweated. Finally she set the cup down and addressed Koakuma directly. "I admit I'm mildly happy that Marisa and Patchouli are back on friendly terms after their last fight. But I don't know why you think I'd pay you for the pictures you're using to annoy them."
Koakuma smiled. "Well, I mean, I know that Shanghai occasionally pulls out a camera when one of my pranks goes really right and I based on that outside world manga you keep beneath your-" Alice ended the statement with a bullet to the demon's face.
After another sip of tea while Koakuma dragged herself upright, Alice said, "Once again, I don't know why you think I'd pay you for the pictures you're using to annoy them."
"I suppose you do have your own film," Koakuma sighed.
Alice sighed, but kept to her tea. There were some battles that just couldn't be won against a devil.
---
Hatate shuffled the deck of cards as she looked around the 'safe house.' "Wait, what do you mean you're stuck here for another week?"
Satori sighed. "Apparently this whole mess officially broke the treaty the aboveground and belowground youkai have, so Yukari needs to gather all the youkai leaders together to sign it again." Satori shrugged. "The bickering shouldn't be too bad. It just will take a while to get all the head youkai to admit its not a trap and gather together."
"Which also means I have to stand guard," Momiji said.
"Hm, I suppose it might be a nice vacation for you, especially since your girlfriend is also guarding us as a representative of the temple," Satori said with a smile. Hatate also smirked as Sanae blushed.
Orin on the other hand was still frowning as her tails lashed. "And me and Okuu are staying here as well." Her eyes turned to Momiji. "Not that I don't like you sis, but you're loyal to the tengu first."
Momiji nodded calmly. "Absolutely correct. I understand that your loyalty requires you stand guard as well."
"Unyuu," Okuu shook her head. "All this guarding stuff is annoying. Can't I just blow up the bad guys?"
Orin groaned. "It's not that simple, birdbrain. Just consider it a trip to the surface."
"Okay!" Okuu said.
Hatate started dealing the cards. "Oh right. Thanks for dropping by to warn me Rin. I know you don't think highly of me so...."
Orin's tails lashed again. "I still don't. But I can at least trust you with Lady Satori."
Satori smiled as she looked between the two. "Ah, it's good to see you two finally getting along."
Orin flushed a little, but her embarrassment was cut off as Sanae looked over at them. "Wait, are you three really playing card games with a Satori? How does that even work?"
---
Tenshi slammed down the rock before looking down at the little ghost. "There. That's high enough." She frowned as the ghost seemed to waver. "What? Don't you trust me? Come on kid this rock pile's taller than most trees! Any taller and it'll start being a nuisance."
"It's sinful to ignore charity like that. You should accept the woman's words."
Tenshi and the little ghost child turned to see Shiki Eiki hovering next to the Sanzu. The ghost panicked and fled towards the shores where the ferrymen waited while Tenshi grimaced. There was sure to be a lecture coming. "Why'd you wander all the way out here, Yamaxanadu?"
"I was looking to encourage my subordinates to bring more souls, but when I saw you I decided I could spare a few moments to speak to you." The yama gently landed on the ground before walking over. "I've seen your recent exploits, and I'm not amused. Why can't your acts of charity be more selfless, like what you're doing here?"
Tenshi rolled her eyes. "Hey the work got done right? I'm apparently better than the rest of those losers."
"Don't get too full of yourself." Shiki slapped her rod into her palm. "There are plenty of celestials who perform their jobs well, in addition to covering for the incompetence of their colleagues. You just don't see them because you spend your time with the lazy layabouts. Those who I have expressed my disapproval towards."
"Really?" Tenshi asked. She'd never seen so much as a strongly worded letter.
Shiki glared at her. "I don't send people up to heaven to collect your souls for my personal amusement. I also don't triple the number of shinigami assigned to that task when I'm pleased with performance."
Tenshi winced. "Oh." She shrugged. "Well most of them are total losers. Getting rid of a couple hundred might be a good thing."
"Perhaps. But I'm here to talk about you!" Shiki Eiki poked her in the chest. "While I find some relief that you're starting to develop a sense of responsibility, you still don't understand why your work is so important. It is not enough that you perform good deeds for the earth. The means with which you accomplish your actions are even more important!"
"I don't see why. So long as it gets done right?" Tenshi sniffed. "Why should I do things the boring way if I can get the same results by having fun?"
"Then what is the difference between you and a youkai?" Eiki demanded.
Tenshi blinked. "Uh.... I'm a pure being of the heavens and they're a demon?"
"Wrong!" Eiki smacked her upside the head. "The difference is you are the embodiment of the Celestial Order while they are embodiments of chaos and whim! The entire point of the celestial kingdom is to keep things running while serving as an example to the realms below!"
The yama began pacing. "And that is the problem. The heavens are still running, but it is a cold clinical effectiveness. The people responsible for making the system good instead of merely competent are doing nothing."
Eiki sighed. "Except for you. You are defying the system, while performing its duties."
Tenshi blinked. She had a feeling there was a lot more to this lecture, and it probably involved things that she was supposed to have learned a while ago.
But honestly, she didn't care. "Yeah well if no one in the system can make it work maybe the system sucks."
Shiki Eiki, Yamaxanadu of Paradise glared at her. "You know, you may become the first celestial who goes to hell after they die instead of just losing their self. And the worst thing is I think you might be proud of that."
Tenshi turned away from the yama's judging gaze. This nonsense was too much thinking for her. "Yeah I am going to hell. I owe Yuugi a week's worth of partying. And since she wanted me to bring peaches I should start gathering them now. Later."
"I'm sure we will meet again, Fallen Celestial Hinanawi Tenshi. Quite certain. Please try not to pain me too much with your actions," Eiki said as Tenshi flew off.
"Fallen Celestial," Tenshi muttered as she flew away. "Well at least that sounds kinda cool."
She mulled it over a bit before tossing it from her mind. She had more important things to worry about after all. Like hangover cures. There was no way she'd wind up sober during this week.
-
Nicely written! This short made me chuckle. It's nice to see Tenshi putting her prankster skills to good use. I also fully endorse the Kotohime appearance. :D
-
Catching up on things! Cute, silly, and the ending was kind of, "HMM ..."
-
Judas Kiss
Yuki leaped over a wagon full of cabbages before ducking under a stall's overhang. A horse headed demon followed quickly after her screaming "Stop her!" Yuki flicked her fingers and sent a mote of white flame at him before dashing down an alley. A dull explosion echoed behind her, but Yuki didn't stop to gloat. There had been five of the bastards after her, and she was only certain she'd killed one.
'How the hell had her life come to this?' she wondered as she continued her zig zag escape down the back alleys of the city.
Ever since she was twelve she'd studied in secret the dark magic that she'd need to teleport to Makai. Her home realm might talk about how it was a 'city of magic' but they banned any spells that manipulated the soul, and ruthlessly purged any magicians who learned the secrets of becoming a true magician. Especially amongst the commoners.
Yuki had beaten the 'master magicians' and the odds. She'd learned how to transmute souls, turned herself into an immortal magician, and fled to the welcoming world of Makai before anyone caught her.
Except Makai hadn't exactly turned out to be welcoming. Apparently lesser demons were terrified of powerful magicians, since the greatest mages would occasionally use demons as labor or experimental materials. And the more violent lesser demons retaliated by taking out their frustrations on weak mages.
Like Yuki.
She stopped as she turned down another alley. The crowd had cleared out. There were only a few cloaked figures, and they were all down the other branch of the junction. This was a great place to use her better spells. She began scribbling runes in the dirt.
She finished just as three demons whirled around the bend. "There she is!" screamed the singed horse demon.
"Here I am," Yuki replied. "And all of you lose."
The trio of demons hesitated. "What?"
Yuki pointed to the ground. "Well you're on the floor. And the floor," she snapped her fingers triggering her spell, "is lava."
Heat washed over the area as the transmutation finished. The three demons screamed as they sank into the glowing mass, one of them actually catching fire.
Yuki stepped back as the magma rapidly cooled. Her summoned lava didn't last as long as the real thing, but when it came to killing people off it worked quick enough. It left some nice obsidian too, but she didn't have time to harvest it. She'd probably gotten them all, but she didn't want to answer questions about the lava flow in city limits. Yuki turned and walked away.
As soon as she turned the corner she stopped and cursed. This alley had been a dead end, and flying over the five story apartments would draw attention. She'd have to backtrack.
"Well, well." Yuki turned to see a boar headed demon step into the alley behind her. "Seems you're trapped and out of tricks. How about you surrender and I'll only torture you up a little for killing my friends?"
"No thanks. How about I turn you to bacon!" Yuki flung both her hands forward and snapped out her strongest spell. Flames seared forth from her soul, coursing through her body to roar towards the pig headed monster.
The demon snapped its fingers and a pentagram of blood seemed to smear itself in the air between them. Yuki's fire slammed into the barrier, and just stopped.
The young mage's mouth flopped open. That was impossible! Her flames should have done something. She couldn't be that weak compared to the monster, could she? Was she completely powerless here?
"And now our hunt ends, magician," the demon said as it stepped forward. Yuki flinched backwards, bumping up against the solid wall behind her. She was trapped.
As Yuki raised her hands futilely to defend herself as the demon closed there was a sharp crack. The demon rocked forward, then collapsed on its face, bloody shards of ice jutting from its back. The robed figure that Yuki had briefly seen was standing behind the dead creature, lowering their hand.
"Whoa. Damn." Yuki took a shaky breath and adjusted her hat. "Thanks for the save. That was some deep shit there. That shield was insane."
The figure shrugged in reply. Yuki frowned. "Uh, sorry do you not speak Japanese? Uh, maybe Latin? Greek? Atlantean?"
"Japanese is fine," the figure whispered in a soft voice. The woman tugged her hood down lower immediately after.
Yuki smiled. "Ah great! Anyway that ice spell's gotta be something else! How'd you break that shield?" She paused. "Oh yeah, no need to worry about me stealing it. I'm a fire specialist through and through. Though I do transmutation as well." She caught herself and winced. "Oh sorry. I'm called Yuki."
The woman hesitated, then whispered, "Mai." It seemed Mai wasn't a big talker.
"Mai, huh?" Yuki started to hold out her hand, then stopped and bowed. "Well, I owe you a favor for the help. I don't got much to my name though."
Mai hesitated a moment, then stepped forward, her palm open face up. "Sanctuary."
"Eh?" Yuki looked at the woman. "You running from someone?" Mai shook her head, and Yuki felt embarrassed. "Oh of course. I forgot not everyone gets here with money people will accept. Yeah sure, you can crash at my place."
"Debt repaid," Mai sighed.
----
The walk back to Yuki's apartment was quiet. Mai hadn't seen fit to talk more, and Yuki was trying to avoid more attention. This neighborhood was under the control of a magician, but her encounter this morning had left her more cautious than usual.
When they reached the building Yuki headed up to the third floor landing and unlocked the door. "Here we are." She stepped in and pointed out the rooms. "Guest area's up front, kitchen's behind it. Two bedrooms and the bathroom are off that hallway there. You can have the front one while you're here. Haven't had the time to dirty the place up yet."
Mai's lifted her hood slightly to look around. "Big."
Yuki shrugged. "The Lost Underground city of Dalmasure is a boring shithole filled with scum who can't understand true magic, but it does have a lot of gold. And even better, rubies. I'm doing pretty good for myself."
"Should have asked for money," Mai said as she stepped in.
"Hey, I'm not super rich now," Yuki protested. "Magical research is expensive!" She walked over to the kitchen and began unpacking her purchases. "But having a roommate for a bit shouldn't be too bad." Yuki looked at her new friend's ragged wardrobe. "You might wanna wash that cloak though." She didn't say it out loud but the garment was pretty ratty and Yuki didn't want it around the furniture for too long.
Mai hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded and for the first time, pulled back her hood.
Once Mai had probably been a fairly plain woman. The jagged claw scars that ran down her face however had changed that. From the way the old wounds widened, the veil-like air filter she wore probably covered the worst of the damage.. Yuki forced herself to not stare, allowing her eyes to flicker over the woman's dark eyes and short black hair, before returning her attention to the food she was putting away. "Sorry. Didn't realize you were still human. That air filtration stuff has got to be super expensive."
"Yes," Mai agreed. "But worth it." Since the alternative was death from Makai's toxic vapors Yuki didn't doubt the statement. Magicians and demons were actually empowered by the air, but pure blooded humans would slowly deteriorate over a couple of months.
"Oh hey," Yuki looked up again at her guess. "I don't hear it muffling your voice. That your own charm or built in?"
Mai pointed to herself, then looked around. "Laundry?"
Yuki blinked. "Oh sorry. Laundry basket is next to the tub. Tap actually works too so feel free to fill up there."
Mai nodded then hurried off to the bathroom. Yuki shook her head. What exactly had she gotten herself into?
-----
Yuki had put away all her shopping and started dinner when Mai returned, once again wrapped in her now cleaner cloak. The woman hesitantly moved to sit at the table. Yuki gave her a quick nod to tell her everything was fine, then turned back to her cooking. "Glad to see you knew the quick drying charm. Suppose you have to be a pretty hot hand at magic to get here at all as a human. Not sure why you came to Makai before transforming though."
"Demonologist," Mai replied. Yuki winced. Demonology was frowned upon in... well every realm Yuki knew of. Non demonic realms tended to kill demonologists to keep demons out. Demonic realms looked upon people who could summon and control them as innately dangerous. The later was usually safer for the mage, but only in a statistical sense.
"Wow. Yeah I suppose that'd be a problem," Yuki gave the pan a final toss then set it aside to finish cooking. "I thought Makai would be safer myself when the priests caught on to the fact that I'd transformed into a youkai, but it seems we were both wrong." Yuki sighed. "Well still better than being burned at the stake, I guess. Even if I don't know why those demons are after me."
Mai shifted in her seat. "Soulfire is dangerous to fallen angels. Bounty."
Yuki blinked at the woman's statement. "Eh? You mean those assholes were trying to kill me because I have a magic that's slightly more effective against a fallen angel?" Mai nodded, leading Yuki to groan. "Just my luck. Bet this is the only damn town with this problem too." Mai shrugged. "Well at least you were there to bail me out." Yuki dished out two portions of her mushroom stir fry then walked over to the table. "Thanks again."
Mai reached up to adjust her air filter then started eating. Yuki frowned a bit. "You don't have to hide yourself from me if you don't want. I mean, I worked with fire a lot, I've seen a lot of burns. Caused them too. I'm not gonna judge you or anything."
It was hard to see through the shadows of the woman's cloak, but Yuki thought she saw a sad smile pass over Mai's face. "I prefer it."
Yuki shrugged. "'kay. Anyway you never told me about that spell you used. How'd you get it past that shield?"
"Single direction," Mai replied, leaving Yuki to smack her forehead. Of course a directional shield would be stronger than an omnidirectional one.
The meal progressed along similar lines. Yuki asked a question, and Mai gave a simple answer with as few words as possible. Still Yuki found she liked it. After two months of having no one to chat with in this strange realm, Mai's presence was still fun.
Still Yuki locked her bedroom door that night. She couldn't trust her new roommate completely, no matter how polite the woman seemed.
-----
Yuki had been both curious and suspicious when Mai said that she should follow the other witch. But the cloaked demonologist had stuck to the magician's quarters, and fairly busy streets. Sure the buildings were run down messes, but that was common in poor areas of the city.
"Can you give me a hint about where we're going at least?" Yuki asked.
Mai held up three fingers, leaving Yuki to wonder what that meant. Was it three minutes? Three miles? Some strange sign language symbol?
Three blocks later Yuki found out. The dilapidated streeted opened up into a roomy square. From a distance it might look like a quiet market, but in reality the stalls were just open fire pits with cauldrons and desks. And the people walking around weren't merchants, but magicians, each working on their own experiments. Yuki didn't see anyone really strong here. After all strong magicians had their own labs to work in, but for someone like her this was a lucky find.
"How the heck did you find this place?" she asked Mai. "This is great!"
"Luck," Mai admitted. The cloaked witch began walking to where a couple of open spots sat, and Yuki followed along.
A few other magicians gave them looks as they moved to claim spaces, but it was mostly wary looks from people who didn't want trouble, rather than appraising glares. Yuki did her best to keep her own eyes open, while avoiding glaring at any single magician too long. "Wonder who set this place up," she muttered.
Mai pointed up at the wizard towers overlooking the place. Yuki thought about it for a moment, then nodded in understanding. The stronger wizards could keep an eye out for interesting spells, or possible threats if all the young mages worked here. In addition it helped keep the wildly disparate group magicians as an equal force to the demon races.
Yuki shrugged. "Eh. Details don't matter so long as I can get my experiments going." She pulled out her notebook and began looking over some of the spells she couldn't let loose in her apartment. "Hey Mai, you have any salamander skins?"
Mai shuffled over from where she'd been working and pulled out a small pouch.
"Thanks." Yuki smiled at her friend. "You're a lifesaver twice over."
"No problem," Mai replied quietly before returning to her own work.
Yuki stretched and started her work. It seemed like things were really looking up!
----
With a place to get her researching in gear Yuki found herself making great strides. While she still couldn't test out some of her more explosive spells, she was making progress on her general transmutation efforts.
Mai became a near constant presence over the weeks. The woman never said more than a single word if she could help it, and she occasionally vanished for a day here and there, but every night she'd arrive back before 10. Even after Yuki gave the woman her own key.
It was about two months in that Yuki decided to give her new roommate her initial housewarming gift. She waited until breakfast was finishing up then pulled a wrapped box out of the closet. "Hey, Mai." The other witch looked at her quizzically. "Here. Something for you."
Mai hesitantly took the box and opened it. Yuki shrugged weakly as the ice witch pulled out a brand new air filtration veil. "Sorry it's kinda generic, but I don't really know what other stuff you like. Figure your old one's gotta be wearing kinda thin too so..."
With a small smile and a shake of her head Mai brushed off the apology. "Thank you," she said. Mai turned away for a moment as she changed her garb. When she'd finished transfering the enchantments Mai took a deep breath, then smiled at Yuki. "It's wonderful."
Yuki grinned in return. "Awesome. I knew I remembered the spells right. That one should let you get a little more of the ambient magic, in addition to keeping out the poisons."
Mai nodded in response. Then she stood. "Back at five," she said.
"Eh?" Yuki blinked at the strange statement. "What are you gonna be doing?"
"Secret," Mai replied with a chastising wave of her finger. And with that she slipped out the door.
"The heck does that mean," Yuki muttered before sighing and turning her attention to her runework.
As the day continued Yuki found herself looking at the clock more and more. By four she had to force herself to stop counting the minutes and accomplish work.
When the door unlocked and Mai scurried in it was a relief. "So how'd your day go?"
Mai shrugged, then walked over to the kitchen. Yuki stood up and followed. She really wanted to know what was going on!
The ice witch set a sack on the counter and started pulling out ingredients. That wasn't too unusual. Mai occasionally chipped in for supplies. But the woman continued to pull out ingredients Yuki noticed something different about this set. "Wyvern steak? Sea salt?" Her jaw dropped at the bottle Mai pulled out. "Wha-! Gold Mushroom Whiskey?!" Yuki stared at the expensive drink. "Where the hell did you get the money for this?!"
"Stolen," Mai replied as she finished emptying the bag and started sorting the ingredients.
Yuki shook her head at the feast. "That's a heck of a risk to take." The bottle drew her eyes again. "But damn impressive. Nice work Mai!"
Mai smiled, then shooed Yuki away from the kitchen. "One hour."
"Alright alright." Yuki stepped away and sat at the dinner table to wait. As Mai began preparing the meal, Yuki pulled out a book. "Thanks Mai."
Mai paused for a moment and shook her head. "My thanks. For everything."
Yuki felt herself blushing and hid behind her book.
----
Two weeks later things seemed to be back into their old routine. Yuki was working on one of her experiments at the magician grounds, while Mai seemed to be working on some numerology formulas.
Yuki frowned at the grey powder that had settled at the bottom of the flask. It was the right consistency and volume, but it was supposed to be blue. "How the heck did that happen?" she muttered.
"In the name of Lady Shinki!" Yuki jumped bolt upright at the proclamation. Turning she saw several armed demons bearing the governor's seal pour into the area. Magicians cursed and hurriedly brought their experiments under control as the demons began a sweep of the area. Several looked as if they wanted to flee, but running was certain to draw attention.
"Who the hell are they looking for?" Yuki wondered. They obviously weren't doing anything actually in the name of Lady Shinki, which meant they had to be working for the governor.
A blue haired woman in ash grey robes with wings of flame strode into the clearing and the guards snapped to attention. "Did you find the culprit?" The woman asked.
"No, Lady Uzaiel." A demon replied. "Perhaps if you could pick the woman out?"
Yuki slowly moved next to Mai and leaned over to whisper, "Who do you think they're looking for?"
Mai slowly shook her head. Then she lifted her breathing mask, leaned over, and kissed Yuki on the cheek.
"Huh, what?!" Yuki stumbled back in surprise. Why had Mai done that?!
As Yuki's thought's spiraled around, Uzaiel pointed straight at her. "That one."
Yuki could only gasp in confusion as everyone in the square wheeled towards her. "Wait. What's going on now?! I didn't do anything!"
"Capture that assassin, in the name of Lady Shinki," the lead guard shouted. With that Yuki's mind recovered enough to move. She threw a cloud of flame before her then turned to run.
She made it all of five feet before a bolt of lightning slammed her to the ground. The last thing she saw before darkness took her was a robed figure looking down at her guiltily.
-----
Consciousness returned slowly to Yuki. At first she thought she might still be dreaming. Her body refused to move at all. Even her eyes seemed locked straight ahead.
Figuring out where she was with such limited vision was difficult, but the symbol of Makai gave her a good guess. She was in the governor's palace, probably taken there by the soldiers.
Soldiers Mai had betrayed her to.
Yuki tried to look around for the treacherous witch, but her eyes refused again. She couldn't even scream at her frustration. All she could do was wait.
Fortunately her wait wasn't long. Voices approached, along with many feet. Her view wasn't the best, but she could tell armored soldiers had moved to flank her, before the fat form of the governor and the fiery winged demon that accused her came to stand before her. "You're sure this is the one?" the governor asked.
Uzaiel sighed. "Yes, I'm very sure." The woman's words were accompanied by a small bag changing hands.
The fat governor grunted in happiness at the bribe, then turned to Yuki. "Well then. I guess I must begin the trial. If you could give your accusation again Uzaiel?"
"This witch Yuki has been gathering power inimical to us demons in order to assassinate me and claim this city for magicians," Uzaiel stated. "She seeks to establish a magocracy here in the heart of Makai."
"A terrible crime," the governor said with mock solemnity. "Well then little mage, how do you plead? Are you attempting to become queen of this realm?"
The icy grip of the mind control spell on her forced Yuki to speak. "It is as you say."
"Well then," the governor shrugged. "That was simple. You are to be sentenced to death."
"By crucifixion," Uzaiel said.
The governor stepped back in shock. "Wait now. Aren't we taking the act a bit far? People will talk...."
Uzaiel whirled on the man, her wings flaring. "The act is the only part of this that matters little man. You have your money. Let me handle the rest."
It was nice to know the city was so corrupt they'd admit to bribery in public Yuki thought bitterly.
"Fine." The governor threw his hands up and walked away. "You are free to do as you wish. Keep the blood on your own grounds."
Yuki felt chains slammed on her wrists, and she staggered forward as the magic binding her in place vanished. "You sick fucks," she screamed as she twisted in the binds. "I'll burn you all!"
Of course her flames didn't respond. They'd obviously used magic dampening binds. All her impassioned struggles got was a painful kick in the ribs.
"Come now," Uzaiel said gesturing to the two red scaled demons next to her. "We've got much work to do." The woman turned and opened up a portal before stepping through.
Yuki thrashed as they picked her up and dragged her along into the swirling darkness.
----
After three hours Yuki had run out of curse words.
Honestly she'd probably ran out of curses around two hours, but every now and then a gem she'd forgotten would pop up, so she'd kept up a storm of invectives to give herself time to think. But the well had run dry, and her voice was hoarse.
The red scaled demons that had been guarding her didn't seem to care. Yuki was honestly wondering if they were even sentient. They looked too generic and seemed utterly uninterested in anything around them. She expected creatures with intelligence to get bored or something.
She tugged experimentally at the chains fastening her to the stone altar. Yuki had no idea why they'd chained her to this thing. Maybe that's just where the chains where. Unfortunately, they'd apparently had a lot of practice with chaining people here, because she couldn't find a single weak link.
After what seemed like an eternity, her captor finally returned to the room. The flame winged demon waved her hands at the two demons who moved to flank Yuki. "Good evening. Yuki was it?"
"If you want to know my name, I'll be happy to burn it into your face," Yuki snarled. One of the demons raised its fist and she leaned back glaring at the woman.
"Still spirited, that's good." Uzaiel swiveled around a chair and took a seat. "So Yuki, I must apologize for being such an... archaic villain here, but my colleagues inform me the ritual works much better when the victim knows what they're being used for."
Yuki spat. "Is that so? Then let me tell you exactly what I think of you and your shitty plans you pompous slimy arrogant-"
Pain exploded in her head as the demon slapped her. "Gag her please," Uzaiel said, and the demons obeyed. Yuki snarled at the cloth ball in her mouth, but she couldn't drown the other woman's voice out anymore.
"You see Yuki, I'm not one of the pathetic demons you're used to." Uzaiel stood and began to pace. "I'm a true devil. A fallen angel, thrown out with that fool Samael." She snarled and looked over her shoulder at her burning wings. "And because of that I am cursed to forever have my beautiful wings engulfed in flame. It is... VERY... painful."
"Normally this would be no problem. Curing curses is easy," Uzaiel sighed. "But we angels, fallen or otherwise have a problem. For us there is no body and soul. Our bodies are our souls. It makes us hard to kill, and nearly impossible to eliminate. But it means that this curse... this flame, is part of my soul."
The fallen angel walked over and placed her fingertips lightly on Yuki's chest, the touch making the magician's skin crawl. "But, we true devils have found a way to get rid of our curse. Your soul, little fire mage, is an eternal pyre. Just like my wings. Which means I can bind you to my curse for just a little bit by giving you a tiny fragment of my soul."
Uzaiel smiled and stepped back. "Normally of course that would mean nothing. You'd burn out and my wings would relight. But if we had you play the part of Christ in a little blasphemous ritual, now... well your soul would carry my curse to heaven!" The devil's grin grew cold. "Where those sniveling angels would snuff it out for eternity. Unless I've vastly underestimated your piety."
She turned away. "A bit rough on your soul I'll admit, but we all have to make sacrifices for progress. You sacrifice your soul, I sacrifice some money. It all works out in the end." Yuki bit down on the gag in rage desperately trying to break something. Anything.
A knock on the door caused Uzaiel to snap out of her gleeful spiel. "Who the hell could that be," the woman muttered. She waved over a demon servitor to open the door.
Yuki froze in shock as the demon opened the door to reveal a familiar cloaked figure. Mai.
-------
Mai did her best to appear bold and confident as she walked into the fallen angel's alter room. Sure she was afraid. Sure she was in pain. But fear and pain had been her life for all her life. Today that would change.
The beautiful demon woman sneered at her as she walked in. "Oh, yes. The little Judas in this play. What are you here for?"
"Reward," Mai said coldly, holding out her hand. The deal had been for Yuki's soul.
"Reward? Ha!" The fallen angel strode up to her. It took all of Mai's effort not to flinch back. "You've got your reward. Thirty coins, and you should be glad I gave you platinum, not silver."
Mai shook her head. "That wasn't the deal."
Uzaiel snatched Mai's purse and threw it in her face. Stars exploded in her head as the heavy coins hit. She collapsed to the ground, whimpering as the platinum spilled on the floor. "Deal? You should be happy to be alive little demonologist. If you have a problem go hang yourself. It will help my ritual." The demon snapped her fingers. "Escort her out."
Mai pulled herself to her knees, a cough ripping itself through her aching throat. She looked up, trying to regain her focus as her vision blurred in and out of focus. The pain subsided and her vision cleared, and she found herself looking into the burning eyes of Yuki. The one person who had trusted her.
And the one person she had betrayed.
She met Yuki's eyes without regret or apology. This was what she'd struggled for ever since she'd learned how to enter Makai. She would sacrifice anything and anyone for it.
The servant demon reached down to pick her up and Mai grabbed its wrist. There was a sickening black glow as Mai used her demonic magic to steal the magic that enslaved it from Uzaiel. She looked up at the fallen angel. "If you won't give, I will take."
Uzaiel shrieked and dodged away as the demon servant Mai had touched swung at her. "Damn you! You'll pay for this!"
Mai closed her eyes and sent out her consciousness from her body. It was easier than usual, what with the preparatory rituals she'd completed. Her will shattered the second servitor demon's and she took possession of its body. With a thought she enslaved this one as well, then she leaned over where Yuki was imprisoned. With a quick twist she broke the chain binding Yuki to the altar and scratched out the runes suppressing the fire mage's magic.
Yuki gaped in amazement as her right hand came free. Mai took a moment to lean next to the other magician and whisper, "Her wings are her weakness." Then she returned her consciousness to her body.
Mai's vision returned just in time to see her first stolen minion cut in half by a flaming sword. The second barrelled into the fray, but Mai was certain it wouldn't last long either against Uzaiel. Mai pointed at the demon woman and summoned her Stygian frost daggers, but Uzaiel waved through Mai's precise attacks without stopping.
Sure enough, in three strokes the fallen angel decapitated her servant. With the crack of flaming wings Uzaiel flitted right before Mai, grabbing the witch by the neck. "I'm not sure what you wanted with that girl's soul, but now you've lost your own. You should have taken the money."
Mai's eyes began to blur again as the fallen angel choked her. The pain in her head and her chest was starting to sap her strength. She tried to lift an arm but failed. All she could do was gasp for breath. Had she made a mistake? Did she guess wrong?
There was a wave of heat and the pain in her neck faded. Her feet hit the ground but she forced herself to stay upright. Blindly she triggered her master spell. The spell she'd been working on for five long years. She felt the dagger of energy appear in her hand and she swung it blindly forward.
Then the pain was gone. She was looking down on the strange tableau like an impartial observer. Uzaiel's face was open in an 'o' of surprise, while Mai's body had plunged a black dagger that shimmered like an oil slick into the demon woman's chest. Staring at the scene from across the room Yuki stood stunned, residual fire clinging to her hands.
The dagger vanished, and with a wet tearing sound the fallen angel's bloody black heart slipped out of the wound. At the same time Mai's heart emerged with a spurt of blood from the wound she'd given herself before she came.
The two hearts glowed, their beats slowly falling into unison. Then in a movement swifter than sight Mai's heart plunged into the fallen angel's body, while Uzaiel's heart moved to her body.
Mai gasped and fell backwards. To her dismay she saw her body fall backwards as well, screaming. Then exaltation filled her. She'd done it!
Her old body flailed around as flame started to creep over its back. Not surprising. After all the curse was part of Uzaiel's soul, and Uzaiel's soul was now in that body. Her old body however was significantly less sturdy. The ritual she'd performed before coming here had only partially mixed body and soul. Just enough so Mai could change bodies.
Mai made sure to watch the dying angel just enough to make sure there would be no last minute heroics, then put the screaming woman out of her mind and walked towards the mirror. She caught a look at herself and smiled. "Beautiful."
Her new face looked back out at her, unmarked by any blemish. In fact she looked prettier than she'd ever had before. Her skin was inhumanly perfect, her features freed from the mistakes of genetics. There had been some changes from Uzaiel's form, just because the souls were different. She'd lost some height, and a small amount from the other dimensions, but she'd kept the blue hair, and her wings were feathery and white, untouched by hell's flame.
"Hey!"
Mai started out of her reverie at the voice. She turned to find Yuki glaring at her, flames flickering in and out of existence around the fire mage. The woman was furious, and Mai honestly couldn't blame her.
"Why?" Yuki asked.
"Fallen angels are rare," Mai said with a shrug. She brushed her hair back, the smooth feel against her hand an exquisite bliss. "I needed her weakened and off balance. Then I could get my new body and become a true magician."
Yuki glared at her. "So you used me to become a magician. Was that always your plan?" The flames swirled. "Was it!?!"
Mai shook her head. "We met by chance." She stretched her new wings experimentally. "But when I learned your powers, and why Uzaiel was after you... it was too good to pass up." She felt her sentimental emotions welling up, and she crushed them. "You were a good friend Yuki. My only friend. But I'm afraid I'm a bad friend." Mai looked Yuki in the eyes. "And I decided I would sacrifice everything to accomplish this."
"Sacrifice everything is it?"
A maid in a bloody red dress stepped through the wall. Mai began to tremble as she recognized Yumeko, Lady Shinki's personal maid and enforcer. "That's very noble," the maid. "I know when I have to sacrifice my time around Lady Shinki I get ever so emotional." Yumeko glared at her with murderous eyes and Mai froze in fear. "For example when I have to scold a governor for taking bribes I find it just so hard to keep from murdering everyone responsible. You must understand Uzaiel, don't you?"
The maid raised her hand and Mai watched in horror as swords began to form above Yumeko, all pointed at her. She'd spent all this time, all this work, sacrificed everything that had meant anything to her, and here she was, still helpless at the hands of demons.
A blast of flame caused both her and Yumeko to snap out of their death trance. "Sorry about that," Yuki said. "But Uzaiel's dead. Mai here stole her body. And while she's a backstabbing treacherous witch, she's not actually guilty of any crimes against Lady Shinki."
"Oh I see." Yumeko's rage and her swords vanished instantly. "Well then, that means my work is done." Yumeko looked around for any other victims, then brushed off her dress. "Since Uzaiel was a criminal, you can keep all her stuff. Though I suggest moving to Pandemonium. Some of the more paranoid demons seem to think all magicians are out to get them, and this little farce does look like a magician set up a couple of demons for their own advancement. Ignoring the fact that murder and bribery is technically illegal." Yumeko sighed. "I keep trying to fix people's attitudes, but it's such a difficult process."
The maid turned and began walking back out, ignoring the walls. Just before she vanished she added, "You're lucky to have such a truthful friend Ms Mai. Otherwise you'd have suffered an unfortunate end."
This time the words did sting.
Yuki walked over to her. "Looks like this time you owe me. Two, no three times over."
Mai looked at her with surprise. "You still want me around? Knowing what I am?"
"Like I said, you owe me," Yuki said. "And yeah, while your treacherous little plan did nearly get me killed, you were planning on having me survive all along weren't you."
"Yes..." Mai looked at the fire mage. Was the woman setting her up for revenge? Trying to steal the power she'd just acquired?
"Which means there's something resembling morals in your cold black heart." Yuki pointed at her. "And since everyone's going to hear that I was the bait in this little farce, I'm gonna need a bodyguard for a bit. So you're going to do the job. Three favors. Three years and three days. Swear it."
Mai relaxed. For some reason being ordered to be good made her feel better about the whole deal. "I'll stay until I've saved your life three times."
Yuki glared, then nodded. "Fine. Done."
Yuki reached out her hand, but Mai simply stepped up to the woman and kissed her on the cheek. "So I swear."
---
'Shotglass' stared down at the inebriated ice witch. She'd known for years that Mai would occasionally become talkative when drunk, but this was the first time the witch had ever spilled some of her history. "Wait THAT'S how you got together?! That's insane! But, how..."
"How are we now good friends?" Mai asked. "I dunno. Yuki's too nice." She drained her glass again. "And I guess I fell in love. Or maybe she did. A lot of stuff happened, it's complicated."
The demon bartender shook her head to try to clear it. "So, why'd you ask for Yuki's soul anyway? What were you going to do with it?"
Mai shrugged. "Just asked because I knew Uzaiel would refuse."
'Shotglass' poured another drink. "So... do you still owe Yuki?"
"Five now," Mai replied. "She's so much stronger these days. Honestly I wasn't that much better a magician. Just more skilled at picking my fights."
"I see..." 'Shotglass' grabbed her own bottle. Revelations like this required a drink. "Do you ever regret it? The betrayal that is?"
Mai hesitated. "No." She tossed back the glass again. "I guess I'm still not a good friend." The ice mage rested her head on the counter.
After a long pause she said, "But now I think I'd be willing to fail in my plan to make sure she survived."
'Shotglass' shook her head and filled the cup with something less alcoholic. Magicians were as strange as any youkai. Perhaps stranger. Maybe it was because they were once human.
--------------------------
So getting a novel written is a lot easier then getting it edited properly. Between that and trying to advance ESR I've been behind writing wise in everything. But this idea bloomed in my mind, and in a fit of madness I managed to write it. It's nice to be back in the game as it were.
-
Why not turn this into a rough draft of a novel? I've been wanting to put myself as a beginner editor for a looooong time in dojinshi novel writing!
-
Like I said before, I really like how your Mai ended up working out. She's a traitorous jerk but one who I can't help but enjoy. Great work as usual!
-
"Well you're on the floor. And the floor," she snapped her fingers triggering her spell, "is lava."
You deserve praise for that line alone, but the rest of Yuki and Mai's origin story shows that you're still the best Touhou fanfic writer. :)
-
Momiji knew something was amiss as soon as she cleared the rise between her home and the armory where the Black Wolves trained. Normally Crow tengu flitted around the building looking for a quick training story to put in their papers. Today however there wasn't a single tengu lurking. Instead crow familiars fluttered around the grounds like a cartload of bread had spilled.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the door. Normally the other Black Wolves would be meeting here to get assignments for the day. Now only Saya, the eldest warrior, was sitting formally at the audience chamber. She motioned Momiji over, and Momiji swiftly moved to sit before her leader. She bowed deeply to Saya. "Are we needed?"
Saya bowed slightly in return. "Yes. One of the crow tengu has violated the laws and broken our pact with the human village. The Great Tengu has decreed the offender will be put to death by beheading." Momiji froze at the news. She had heard a man of high status had been killed by a youkai, but she'd never even considered that a tengu could be responsible. Saya nodded in understanding. "The arrest was made last night, as soon as the truth was found out. Given the highly charged political issues, the execution will take place in two days."
The elder tengu's eyes hardened. "As per ancient tradition, all executions ordered by the Great Tengu are carried out by our unit. As the newest member, you are the first in line for this duty." Momiji felt her throat dry. "Do you have any bond with the Satomidake family that would cause you to break oath?"
Momiji slowly shook her head. "No. I have no bond other than to the tengu people and my own family."
Saya nodded. "Then the day after tomorrow at one hour past noon you shall perform the duty. You will be given a sword for the task. Until then you are excused from your other duties to prepare."
"Thank you," Momiji replied with a bow. She took a moment to make sure her legs were steady before slowly standing.
As she moved to leave Saya raised a hand. "I suggest you take the hidden tunnels out. It will make getting back to your house easier."
Momiji grimaced in understanding. "I will do so then." She moved to the armory, then shifted a set of armor to the side and headed down the trap door revealed. Saya would seal the passage behind her.
The tunnels beneath the mountain were shallow, and didn't lead many places. However they did have a straight route to the woods where Momiji and her fellows practiced their forestry skills. Momiji trod down the rough dirt tunnel, her shuffling steps the only sign of life.
The trapdoor at the end of the tunnel creaked and groaned as Momiji pushed it through the layer of dirt that had formed above it. She spent a moment letting her eyes adjust to the light and brushing the fallen dust off her uniform before hopping up and closing the door again. She spent another moment to tighten her shield's buckles before starting to head home. While no crow tengu would stake out the barracks directly, her house would be fair game. And she didn't want reporters yelling questions at her.
As she reached the edge of the hamlet where her house was she realized she was too late. A whole contingent of reporters was already outside. Momiji snarled as she saw they'd even staked out the back entrance.
Seeing there was no escape she allowed her anger to show. The bristling of her ears and tail was dangerously liberating, so she focused on her strides.
When she reached the back of the horde of reporters they instinctively parted, driven away by her killing spirit. That bought her a precious few steps towards her doorway. But it wasn't enough. The pack of reporters quickly recovered and remembered that there was absolutely nothing Momiji could do to them. Cameras flashed on every side as they started to call out questions.
"Ms Inubashiri, what are your thoughts on the execution?" "Ms Inubashiri, is this the first time you've been called upon to kill a tengu?" "Ms Inubashiri, what are your opinions on the spell card system?" Momiji ground her teeth and desperately tried to push her way through the mob. "Ms Inubashiri, is it true this will include a sword test?" "Ms Inubashiri, is it true you were given the position due to your relationship with the wind priestess?" "Ms Inubashiri, do you believe in the rumors that someone will attempt a jailbreak?"
"Momiji! We need to talk!"
She looked up to see Hatate hovering over the crowd, furiously flipping her cell phone. The other reporters were occasionally glaring at her for this horrible breach of protocol.
Momiji nodded. "I have no comment at this time! Hatate come in."
The declaration stunned the surrounding tengu long enough for Momiji to grab Hatate's hand and rush through the door. She quickly slammed the portal shut then moved to shutter the windows. Muted questions still slipped in through the cracks, but Momiji could at least hear herself think.
"Thanks," Hatate said moving to stand next to the table. The young woman was still flipping her phone open and closed. "I was afraid you'd consider me just another reporter."
"I'm somewhat surprised you aren't here as one," Momiji replied.
"This isn't your story," Hatate snapped, then flinched as Momiji glared at her. "Look, sorry! It's just she's only a kid!"
Momiji blinked. "Who?"
Hatate took a deep breath. "Mihoshi Satomidake. The girl they're going to have you kill."
Momiji grabbed the teapot and poured two cups before sitting down. Hatate eventually took the hint and sat down as well, though the tengu girl kept fiddling with her phone absentmindedly. Momiji had no idea how she managed to not break the thing. After Hatate managed to calm herself enough to take a sip of the tea Momiji said, "Explain."
"Alright. I'll try. Don't interrupt when I ramble though because I've gotten no sleep." Hatate tossed several pictures and three newspapers onto the table. The first picture she pushed forward was a tengu girl with long hair in a ponytail. "Mihoshi Satomidake, all of fifty six and a half. As low class as you can get while still being a tengu. Still puts her articles in her parent's paper."
Hatate pushed forward the first paper. It had an article circled in red. "Three months ago she wrote an article about Kentaro Echigoya. Second son of one of the biggest rice sellers in the village, pious Buddhist, noted philanthropist... and wife beater." Hatate's voice dripped with scorn as she opened the paper and pointed to a picture. Momiji's ears lay flat and she growled. It seemed the evidence was fairly clear.
"Of course no one gave a shit." Hatate sighed. "It's not like the paper has much circulation, and it's a youkai paper so even the village wouldn't care. Hell I bet the humans wouldn't care much even if it wasn't a youkai paper. He was established, and his wife had no living family to watch after her. But she wouldn't drop it." Hatate pushed the second paper forward. "Nice scandal expose on the human village's farce of a justice system. Flew like a drunk tsuchinoko." Hatate pushed forward the final paper. "She gets one more piece in before mom and dad tell her to stop trying." She slumped back. "It was the last article she wrote."
Momiji looked down at the articles. The first one was the usual lurid expose, with the sharp language of an angry teen who was certain they were bringing someone to justice. The second was just pure scathing rhetoric. The third...
She shook her head slowly as a familiar melancholy slipped over her. "So did she kill him?"
Hatate looked down. "Yes." Her wings slumped as she pushed forward another picture, one taken with her spirit photography. The image was blurry, but it still captured the moment of the murder in enough detail to fill in the blanks. "She snapped his neck with her hands. Stupid kid didn't even realize only the strongest humans can do that without a lot of skill. They picked up her scent within the day."
Momiji closed her eyes. She knew where this was going. "And so the Great Tengu had her arrested, to avoid having a youkai hunt on the mountain."
"Within a minute of learning the truth." Hatate began to pace.
"So, Hatate," Momiji said. "What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know," Hatate wailed. She spun around and slammed her hands on the desk. "But there has to be something right? We can take this evidence to the miko, or maybe...."
Momiji sighed. "Or maybe have her escape to the old hell?" Momiji began collecting the photos Hatate had thrown down. "You know that won't work. And on some level you know why too."
"She's fifty six, Momiji! She's a little girl! Gods..." Hatate had tears in her eyes now. "A girl who saved a human from a lifetime of misery at that!"
"Hatate..." Momiji took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep her composure. "She's a woman. A young woman, but a woman. One who murdered one of the most important members of the village in his very house. And sure he was filth, but the village apparently didn't care."
Momiji stared into her tea. "If the tengu protect her, Gensokyo will rise against us. If someone else intervenes, we will be honor bound to attack them. The rules are simple. Kill a human in the village, get exterminated. If not by the shrine maiden, then by other youkai."
"What? That's it?" Hatate leaned forward. "You aren't going to do anything?!"
"What am I supposed to do, Hatate?" Momiji sighed. "I'm just a sword. You should have gone to Aya."
Momiji jumped in surprise as Hatate slammed down on the table. "Bullshit! I'm not stupid!" She jabbed a finger at Momiji. "Maybe you can fool the people outside with that, but I know you Momiji. You might have bought in to all that samurai stuff, but deep down inside you want a happy ending. You want justice to win out, and you're willing to go off on your own to make sure it happens!"
Momiji felt her whole body trembling. She clenched her teeth so hard they hurt and forced herself to take deep breaths.
After several moments she managed to regain her voice. "Hatate." She stared the crow tengu right in the eyes. "Never, ever, use that against me again."
Hatate looked down at the ground and let her hands fall to her lap. "I'm sorry."
Momiji closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing even. "Your best bet is still to talk to Aya. Aya knows Ran. And Yukari's the only one who can do anything."
"But she won't," Hatate said.
"No," Momiji agreed.
Hatate slumped down on the table. "Damn."
Momiji refilled their teacups. Not that they'd drank much.
"I wish I had been paying attention," Hatate whispered. "I should have taught her how to be a reporter. She understood, at the end."
Momiji stared at her tea, then sighed. "Fine. Give me your cell phone."
"Huh?!" Hatate clutched the phone close. "Why do you need my camera?"
Momiji said. "I need to make a call. I can't do much. But I can do this."
----
Momiji knelt down next to the heavy door, then pulled out the tape recorder Hatate had given her for this and set it down on the ground. A single button press caused it to beep, then start recording.
From within the cell she heard the rustling of wings. "I thought the wolf tengu would at least keep me from having to answer stupid questions before I'm killed." Momiji's ears flicked at the bitterness and pain in the words.
She forced her own voice to be calm and free of judgement. "I have no questions. I am here because someone wanted to know your story."
"My story?" Mihoshi laughed bitterly. "I don't have a story. I can't even tell someone else's story."
There was a long silence. Momiji did her best to meditate as she sat in the quiet. Only as the light began to dim did she hear the woman slide next to the door.
"Did you read my articles?"
Momiji hesitated, then replied, "Yes."
"I see." There was another shuffling on the other side of the door. "That makes me happy."
Another long pause passed. "What did you think?"
"The first two were terrible." Momiji said. She closed her eyes. "The third was better than anything in the Great Tengu's paper."
"Thanks."
"You know... it was hard to get Chou to open up. Even when I had the pictures." Mihoshi sniffed. "It wasn't just the fear of youkai. No, it ran deeper than that. She knew what would happen when the truth came out. Better than me."
"I didn't listen though. I thought I was going to be a big hit." Momiji heard a thump against the door. "I was such an ass. I didn't even think about Chou's feelings."
"It was after the second article, I finally saw. Chou had always known what would happen. But that fat asshole didn't. Just like she'd always held out hope that someone would care, he'd always secretly feared that. When the truth came out, and the village looked the other way, he became even worse."
Momiji closed her eyes as she heard the young woman wiping tears. "And yet, when I came to talk to her that evening, she thanked me. Thanked me for listening to her story. For trying to help. But I hadn't listened to her story. I'd only tried to help myself. And I'd made her life so much worse..."
"That was why I wrote that article. I wanted to listen to her. I wanted to be the person she said I was. To write her story. About her parents work in printing. Her childhood on the farms. Her wood block paintings. To hear about her, instead of about a headline."
Mihoshi sniffed again, but her voice grew stronger. "And then, after that article... I decided I was going to kill Chou's husband. Kill him for what he'd done to her."
"We're youkai aren't we? That's our purpose. To bring fear and terror to those humans who have nothing to fear." Momiji heard Mihoshi stand. "I couldn't help her. I still can't help her. I know it didn't do anything but leave her stuck with parents who hate her instead of a husband who hated her. But I could hurt someone. To remind them what it means to fear."
"And I won't admit it's wrong. Even if it gives me a more honorable death. He deserved it." The woman's footsteps moved away from the door.
Momiji turned off the recorder, then stood and left. She had to clear her heart now.
----
The sun was weak, but the white gravel of the grounds reflected the light, making the summer courtyard bright. It added to how surreal the event felt.
There weren't many spectators. Momiji's grandmother and father. Some of the younger wolf tengu. A few political leaders, making sure they were around if the Great Tengu made any proclamations. Aya, Hatate, and the bravest reporters. Hatate had been crying. Aya looked somber, if detached.
The Great Tengu himself sat at the far end, with Saya standing guard behind him. To Momiji's surprise Kanako was sitting towards the left entrance. She hadn't expected the goddess to show. To the right sat the family, along with Sanae. The wind priestess was sitting between the older couple and a young woman in black that must have been the widow, Chou. Momiji wasn't surprised Sanae had come, though she had hoped in vain the priestess would stay away.
The parents looked like they'd been crying. On the other hand the young widow simply looked like an empty shell. Sanae was trying to comfort her, or at least shield her from the angry glares from her in laws, but the woman showed no reaction.
Momiji's attention was torn away as someone walked into the chamber where she was waiting. One of the Saburo family entered and presented her with a sword. "This is the blade to be used."
"Thank you." Momiji accepted the blade with a bow then placed it in her obi. The blade was the only thing that seemed to have any weight.
The rustling of feathers caused her to turn back. The condemned had arrived.
They had given Mihoshi a plain white robe and put her hair up. Her hands and wings were bound magically, a simple slip of rope the only sign of her confinement. She blinked around the bright square for a moment, then froze as her eyes fell upon Chou. Chou's eyes finally seemed to focus. She looked up and across the way at Mihoshi and leaned forward, as if she was trying to somehow reach the tengu woman.
The two young women stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Chou's eyes fell. Mihoshi looked down as well, then walked forward to the execution grounds. The wolf tengu leading her offered a paper blindfold, but Mihoshi simple shook her head.
A signal from Saya caused Momiji to walk onto the field. She kept her stride even, the rhythmic crunch of the gravel becoming a hypnotic mantra.
And then she was there, standing next to the woman she was going to kill.
The sword whispered lightly as it was drawn from the sheath. It had a good heft. It seemed thicker than a normal katana, designed to break through armor rather than just cut, but given the purpose set for it, that was a benefit. The blade reflected the light as it approached the sky.
The cut was perfect.
Momiji ritually flicked the blood from the blade, then handed the sword to the tengu assistant to be properly cleaned and given back to its owner. Then she took a deep breath and broke from the terrible script they had all been forced to play.
Leaning down she picked up the head. It had fallen onto the sheet below properly, so there was no dirt or excess blood. As the onlookers gasped she stepped forward and presented it to the widow, as if she was a general presenting the head of an enemy to her lord. Chou blinked as she stared at the grisly trophy. "Justice was done," Momiji said simply.
Chou nodded slowly. Tears began to form in the woman's eyes, but she smiled weakly. "Thank you."
Momiji bowed, then turned away and began to walk to the back of the courtyard. She'd done what she could.
----
Momiji poured Aya a drink, then filled her own glass. "What brings you here?"
"Figured I should check up on you," Aya replied. "Especially since Hatate went down to the old hell to sulk."
"I'm fine," Momiji replied. And she mostly meant it. "The other Black Wolves and I stayed up telling war stories."
Aya nodded. "That's good. I know you wolves like being in groups." She sipped her sake. "Didn't realize you knew the old rituals though. You're younger than that right?"
"I'm not that young," Momiji replied. She didn't point out that Aya should have known that. The older tengu was already detached enough from tengu society. "Are you going to go chat with Ran again?"
"Nah." Aya shook her head. "Probably go see if the fairies are doing anything fun. We could use some fun after all."
"I see." Momiji lifted the glass but Aya waved it off. "Well good luck on finding your story."
Aya smiled. "Thanks." The crow tengu stood. "You take it easy as well Momiji."
The wolf tengu sniffed. "I'll try."
Aya waved and headed for the door. The crow tengu opened it then jumped back in surprise when she found Kanako Yasaka standing there. "Wha-?!"
"Good evening." Kanako gave her trademark smirk and stepped aside. "I'm here to visit Inubashiri. Don't let me keep you."
Aya shook her head. "Sure," she remarked before flying off.
Momiji glared at the goddess as Kanako walked in and shut the door. "Why are you here?"
"Hm. That's a question with a number of different answers." Kanako wandered along the wall looking over Momiji's keepsakes. Momiji just stood and continued to stare. After a few moments Kanako chuckled. "Ah. I see how you managed to catch the eye of our little Sanae." Momiji's frown twisted into a snarl. "I suppose it's partially because I was impressed."
"Impressed? Why?" Momiji pulled out a chair for her uninvited guest then sat down. "I failed to do anything of merit. A girl is still dead. Nothing changed."
Kanako sat down quietly. "Something did change. One girl is dead. Another girl is alive."
Momiji drained her glass. "Is that so?"
"It is." Kanako refilled the cup. "And that's why you broke the promise you made to yourself and called Sanae. Because you knew it could make a difference."
Momiji stared at the sake. "Was it enough of a difference, in the end?"
"Who can say? Even gods don't know the answer to that." Kanako looked towards the shogi board sitting on a side table. "I can say though that the young woman is receiving reparations from the tengu, via the Moriya shrine. She won't be dependant on that family anymore."
"I... see." Momiji blinked a few times, then reached out and poured some sake for Kanako. The goddess accepted it with a nod of thanks.
They sat in silence for a while then. Finally Kanako drained her cup. "You didn't have to break all contact with Sanae just because she got married you know. I don't really mind. In fact it might be healthier for her if you talked some."
"No." Momiji drained her own glass. "It wouldn't. Not until she decides for herself." Momiji filled both cups. "And she won't want to hear that from you either."
"Maybe not." Kanako sighed. She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose we'll have to get by without your donations."
Momiji accepted the offer to switch subjects. "It's not like I'd donate anyway. Even if I needed help from a god, I'd only offer real aid in return."
Kanako laughed, then smiled and stared out the window. "Hm... You remind me of one of my generals. Always troublesome that one. Maybe I should have listened to Suwako."
There was obviously something she was missing, but Momiji let the goddess keep her secrets. Instead she asked. "Was there anything else you wanted to say to me? Or did you just want to drink a bit?"
"Ah." Kanako turned back to her. "I have no issue with drinking. But there was something I wanted to give you."
The goddess held out her hand and a sword appeared in it. Momiji studied the blade a bit before starting in surprise. "That sword? Why do you have it?!"
"I would have thought it obvious. I was the one who wanted a sword tested." Kanako offered it again, and Momiji hesitantly took the blade. "It cost a fair amount of money, especially since I added the bequest to the widow on top of the bid, but the Moriya shrine is not a poor one."
Momiji instinctively bowed to the blade, before drawing it. In the artificial light of her house the shine of the blade was more distinct, revealing more of its design. It was obviously a battle sword, designed in the human style, though it was tengu forged. The blade felt reflective, but peaceful. An odd soul for a sword of its type.
Then again, Momiji understood why that was.
"Its name is Oniboucho," Kanako said. "I have a fondness for forgotten blades so I collect them. This one sadly was broken in its final battle, but your tengu smiths are excellent at reforging swords."
Momiji slowly sheathed the blade. "Why?"
Kanako shrugged. "The original owner of the blade was an executioner for the Tokugawa. He often looked into the pasts of those he was forced to kill, and always did his best to bring what justice he could in that era. I think his sword will fit well in your hands."
"Thank you." Momiji moved towards the her sword rack, then hesitated. After a moment's consideration she swapped the sword at her hip for Onibouchou and placed her old sword on the stand. The tengu souled blade seemed natural by her side.
Kanako stood. "I should be reminding you what a blessing this is, but that doesn't fit you. Instead I'll simply hope it serves you well."
"I'm sure it will," Momiji replied. The goddess nodded, then vanished.
Now that she was alone, Momiji again carefully drew the blade. The glow of the blade in the light was nothing she'd ever seen before. Darkness and light intermingling without any malice. Acceptance of death, without abandoning life. She bowed to the blade once more, before returning it to its scabbard.
This wasn't her story. The story of Mihoshi and Chou was over, and no one would ever see it in full. But she would carry a piece with her.
That was something like justice for a youkai, right?
-
Note : This story is slightly more mature then most of my others though still "R" rated.
----
Kokoro looked down at her masks as they swirled around her. They were part of her, yet not all of her, not anymore. She was still a menreiki, but as she'd learned the emotions, allowed them to carve themselves into her youkai face, the masks had one by one become symbols of her emotion, instead of containers. In that first summer she'd learned joy, frustration, sorrow, anger, and finally hope.
Over the years since she'd learned many more emotions. From surprise to boredom. But there were so many more she had yet to master. The mask she was looking at now was one of them. The bright smile of a young woman looked back at her. This was supposed to be the mask of Love.
And yet whenever she held it and let it fill her, the masks of anger and lust awoke as well. She didn't understand why.
"Maybe it's broken," she muttered, flipping over the mask and looking at it from the inside. Kokoro pored over the mask from every angle, looking for smudges or cracks.
In the end she found nothing.
With a sigh she released the mask, allowing it to join the others circling around her. The mask had been surfacing more regularly, and it never made any sense.
Finally she stood up. She had an idea on how to master the mask. Now she just had to convince the person to help her.
----
Koishi skipped along the path. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go today, so she was just going places. Eventually she'd find a place she wanted to be.
"Hey!"
Koishi turned to see Kokoro pointing at her. Koishi blinked at the menreiki and then hopped into the air. "Oh, did you want to fight again? You'll just lose you know." Koishi found taunting the other woman fun.
Kokoro summoned a spear. "You won't be so confident after I-" The woman paused then shook her head. "Wait, no. I'm not here for a fight this time." She put away her spear and casually floated closer. "I want your help with something."
"Hm? What?" Koishi shifted back and forth. She was curious now.
"I'll let you borrow this mask," Kokoro said holding up a mask of a young woman, "and in return I get to follow you for the rest of the day."
Koishi looked at the mask. It was simple, but something about it drew her in. She moved closer to look more closely at the artifact. "I might not give it back," Koishi said as she poked the mask. It felt warm, and made her heart beat a little faster. She definitely wasn't going to give this back!
"I'll just take it back if you try," Kokoro said. "Anyway will you let me follow you today?"
Koishi dismissed the threat and considered the offer. She wasn't really big on having to stick near people. She liked being able to do her own thing whenever she wanted. But the mask was really nice. And now that she was holding it she felt like it might be fun to spend some time with Kokoro. "Okay. It's a deal!"
"Good." Kokoro released the mask into Koishi's hand. Koishi smiled and slipped the mask into her sleeve. Her heartbeat slowed, but she felt happy now. And since she wanted to spend time with Kokoro, it was a really good bargain!
Kokoro on the other hand looked confused. Koishi briefly wondered if she'd done something wrong. Or had her rival made a mistake?
A spark of hunger drove that thought from Koishi's mind. "Okay. Let's get some food." She grabbed Kokoro's hand and started skipping through the air, dragging the menreiki behind her. "There's a good place underground."
"Okay. But why are you holding my hand?" Kokoro asked. "I can follow you." The other woman seemed embarrassed for some reason.
"Because I feel like it," Koishi replied simply. And since she felt like teasing the other woman she added, "Besides if I didn't you might get lost in Hell. The big scary oni might eat you."
Kokoro glared at her as they skipped along. "I'm not afraid of oni, and you live in the old hell. You won't scare me like that."
"I'll just have to find a better way to scare you then," Koishi said as they started down into the darkness. "So how do you feel about spiders?"
"I've met Yamame and I know she's a nice person," Kokoro countered.
"Drat," Koishi started to consider other pranks. "Hrm then let's see..."
Sadly Koishi only managed to scare Kokoro once, with the lava waterfall. Still it had been fun trying. And Kokoro had tried to scare her in return using her masks, which was funny.
Finally they arrived in the old hell. Koishi skipped up to a restaurant she liked and waved for the attendant. "Table for two please."
The lesser oni jumped in surprise like she always did, then pulled out a menu. "Oh. The other satori. Well I suppose we do have a table for you and your guest." The oni shook her head, probably wondering who would be crazy enough to travel with a satori.
Kokoro looked around the crowded bar as the server lead them towards the back. "It looks crowded. How did you get a place so easily?"
"Because they're afraid of letting me drive off the customers by waiting." The server flinched at the blunt explanation. "After all everyone hates satori for our powers. And they hate a satori like me even though I don't have those powers."
Kokoro frowned and looked up at the serving woman. "Which is why we're being hidden away in the back."
"Yeah, it's great! I can get in anywhere like this," Koishi replied. Sure it was unfair, but she could use the unfairness to her advantage.
"Your table," the oni woman said as she opened up the back room. Koishi was a little impressed that the woman had ignored their causal dissection of her bigotry. Then again the woman was a oni, and they didn't lie, even when they should.
Koishi sat down, with Kokoro taking the seat opposite her. The server handed them both menus, and Koishi let her eyes flicker over it before deciding on one. "The kassha style ramen with an extra egg please." She then turned her gaze onto Kokoro and smiled.
The menreiki looked startled at the sudden attention. Kokoro scanned the menu desperately before sighing and saying "The same, and a bottle of Meifumado sake."
"Good choice," the oni said sincerely before collecting the payment and scurrying out.
"How do you know about the underground sake?" Koishi asked.
Kokoro waved her hand and her masks spun a bit. "That tanuki lady who occasionally bothers me knows a lot about sake. And tobacco."
Koishi grimaced. She hated the smell of tobacco.
The two sat in silence for a bit. As time passed Koishi noticed her companion seemed lost in thought, angry and confused masks spinning around her head. "Hm? What are you thinking?"
"It seems wrong. Don't people want to communicate with each other? They go through all this trouble to communicate their emotions," Kokoro held up one of her masks. "They create things like me, and then when they find someone who knows what they want to say, they get angry."
Koishi laughed. "They used you to communicate, but then they threw you away right? Humans and youkai do all sorts of things they regret later." She shrugged. "But that's fine. I don't want to hear them anymore anyway."
"Oh." Kokoro considered the thought.
The oni server came back with a bottle and two bowls of steaming soup. "Two kassha style ramen, with extra egg. The human's stock is a little fresher than usual, so I hope you enjoy it."
"Thanks," Koishi said automatically as the woman quickly put down the plates before running away. The ramen smelled very good. Koishi started blowing on the soup to cool it.
Kokoro opened the bottle, then hesitated before pouring Koishi's cup first. It was funny how the menreiki girl was having a harder and harder time remembering they were enemies. Koishi wanted to see the girl more flustered.
That thought on her mind, she picked up some of the hot peppers the oni had started stocking. "Here. You should add some of these to the meal. It'll really give it a kick!"
"Ah!" Kokoro hastily put down the sake bottle and covered her ramen. "Human meat shouldn't be spiced so heavily! Besides that thing isn't a real spice. Just burning."
"Don't be such a baby," Koishi replied as she waved her hands over Kokoro's soup. "It's the newest thing! You should try it!"
Kokoro did her best to shield her meal from the fiery destruction in Koishi's hands. "No! Not a chance!"
"Too late~" Koishi said before opening her hands wide. "Sploosh!"
"Ah!" Kokoro looked in shock at her soup, then the angry fox mask spun up as she realized Koishi hadn't dropped the peppers at all. "You're mean."
"You're funny," Koishi replied as she put down the offending spices. She pulled out her chopsticks and started on the noodles, now that they'd cooled a bit. The freshness actually did help the ramen. "The sake you picked is nice too."
Kokoro's anger flickered back to confusion at that. "Oh. Thank you." The menreiki began eating her own ramen. "Ah, this is better than most surface places."
"Yeah the oni can be great cooks when they try. Most just don't," Koishi said.
They ate together sharing the sake as the noise from the bar outside rose and fell. Occasionally the servers poked a head back, but they left quickly when they saw food still present.
As the meal wound down, Koishi noticed Kokoro giving her odd looks again. "What?"
Kokoro shook her head. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go meet someone else?"
"Hm?" Koishi considered the idea. "No." Kokoro seemed relieved at her statement. "I think I want to go to the gardens."
"Why the gardens?" Kokoro asked.
"Because I feel like it," Koishi replied. She drained the last bit of broth then stood. "Come on."
Kokoro finished off the sake. "Alright."
Koishi grabbed Kokoro's hand, smiling at the other girl's continued confusion and skipped out the back. The gardens were only a short distance away from the restaurant, around a few more bars, and through a tunnel.
She could tell Kokoro was beginning to wonder if this was another trick when they finally entered into the cavern. The oni village was lit with thousands of lanterns. Here things were different. Brilliant lichens, glowing pools and floating souls of the damned filled this closed cavern with light, and painted the millions of stalactites and stalagmites in a dazzling array of light and shadows.
"It's pretty," Kokoro said quietly.
"I know, I know!" Koishi replied as she gestured around. "Orin showed it to me! A lot of people get scared off by the dead souls, but we're immune to evil spirits so we can enjoy it!" Koishi started down the path further in, keeping a firm grip on Kokoro's hand. "Come on, come on. The view's even better in the next cavern."
"Don't rush," Kokoro chastised her. "I don't want to miss this part, even if it's 'better' later."
Koishi slowed her pace. "Alright." She really wanted Kokoro to see the inner cavern, but it wouldn't be any fun if the menreiki was sulking.
Besides Koishi had to admit, the view here was still very nice. Their own shadows joined the mix of light and dark as they slowly walked through through the cavern.
"Ah, that pool is bubbling," Kokoro said, pointing to a roiling greenish puddle. "Are these geysers?"
"Just hot springs," Koishi replied. "The whole area has a lot of water. That's how all these formations are made. If you listen quietly you can hear it dripping."
Kokoro nodded and quieted down. Slowly the drop of water became louder, drowning the murmur of their hearts. It was arrhythmic and originless, but it was mesmerizing all in its own.
After listening for a while Kokoro finally murmured, "It reminds me of the crowd when I'm dancing. It fits the scene despite just being background noise."
"Hm, you like dancing a lot," Koishi said. "But I don't understand how you can enjoy the kind of dancing you do. It's all formal and ritualized." Koishi tried to ape some of the motions while Kokoro muttered about how she was doing it wrong. "Why don't you perform more natural dances?"
"Those dances are natural to me," Kokoro said as they started down the path again. "I was born knowing them." The menreiki stretched. "But they're also my relaxation dances. I know other dance styles too. I even know outside world dances."
"Really?" Koishi spun to look at the other woman. "That's so cool! You'll have to show me sometime."
Kokoro blushed and looked away. "Well maybe some of them." Apparently some of her dances weren't something she wanted leaking out to the general public. Koishi resolved to trick Kokoro into showing them later.
But right now they were entering the second chamber. Koishi turned around to make sure she saw Kokoro's face when she entered.
It was everything Koishi had hoped for. Kokoro's mouth opened every so slightly and her eyes went wide. The surprised mask that appeared just served to crown Koishi's success. She could hear the menreiki's unspoken words.
"It's like being inside a gemstone."
"It kind of is," Koishi replied as she looked out over the cavern. This part of the cavern was like a giant geode. Amethyst, quartz, and citrine lined the walls, while lines of gold snaked through the crystals. And all of it gleamed in the light of the glowing pools and spirits.
Kokoro slowly hovered into the air, peering all around as the changing shadows altered the faces of the jeweled walls. "This would be a good stage to dance on."
"Hm, but you wouldn't be able to bring an audience in here," Koishi mused. "Even if we could get youkai who weren't afraid, they'd mess up the lighting."
"I'd just have to pick a small group then," Kokoro said. "One or two people should be fine."
Koishi smiled. "Oh?" She sat down in the air. "So why don't you dance for me?"
"Wha?" Kokoro backpedaled before thrusting a fan at her. "You're still my nemesis you know! Just because we're working together today doesn't mean I want to perform for you!" Even if it might be fun.
"You suuuure?" Koishi's smirk widened. "I mean I'm the only person other than Orin and Okuu who ever comes here. I suppose you could dance all by yourself, but that defeats the purpose of a stage doesn't it?"
Kokoro hesitated, then nodded. "Fine, you're right." The mercurial youkai pulled out her fans. "But it will be a traditional dance."
"That's fine~ that's fine~." Koishi moved a bit back to get a better view of the cavern. "Do whatever you want."
"Very well." Kokoro thought for a moment, then put away the fans and pulled out her naginata. This dance would be best.
The menreiki took a few cautious steps, her mind summoning up a song, then slowly moving to the inaudible beats. It started slow, gems slowly dulling as her blade covered the light, but as the menreiki slowly relaxed she started to move faster.
Soon Koishi was the one watching in stunned silence as the other woman danced. The cavern really was the perfect stage. Kokoro's movements were so quick the flicker of shadow and light across the walls created shimmering ripples. The naginata and her pink hair swirled around her body, and Koishi could tell that Kokoro was completely absorbed in her dance. The only sound from the woman, conscious or unconscious was the music in her heart.
All too soon though the music ended, and with it Kokoro's movements. After a pause, the menreiki unsummoned her naginata. "That was everything I'd hoped for." I wonder if I will have a performance like that again? Probably not.
"Hm. It was beautiful," Koishi said. "I'd like to see it again some day."
Kokoro blushed very faintly. Why does hearing that make me happy? "I'll consider it."
Koishi felt the mask she'd put in her sleeve tug a little, so she stuffed it back. "Hm... why don't we go look at my pets?"
"Why?" Kokoro asked.
"Because that's what I want to do," Koishi replied. She grabbed Kokoro's hand. "Come on, let's go!"
Kokoro's confused mask hung around her head as they flew out of the glittering cavern towards the palace of the earth spirits. I don't understand. Her or myself.
"What's to understand?" Koishi said as she slipped in through a window. "Emotions are about experiencing them right?"
"I know. But I don't understand the experience. I don't know what makes me feel things," Kokoro said. And I don't understand what you're feeling either.
"What I'm feeling?" Koishi pulled out the mask and looked at it. It didn't seem to give her the same feel as the mask of hope had. "What do you mean by that? Were you trying to understand the emotion by watching me?"
"Yes," Kokoro admitted. "I wanted to give you the mask to see how it affected you." Like with the mask of hope.
"Hrm?" Koishi frowned at that. For some reason that annoyed her. The good feelings from the mask seemed to dim as well. "Why me? And what mask is this anyway?"
Kokoro shook her head. "I... don't know why I picked you." It was because you appeared in my mind every time that mask activated. "And that mask is... the mask of Love."
Koishi blinked, then laughed and continued down the corridor. "Mask of love? Well that was a mistake. I can't love. My heart is closed after all."
Oh. That's right. Kokoro's sad face hovered around her head. "I guess this was all a waste of time then." Thought it's kind of sad that you can't feel that emotion.
"I suppose I miss love a bit," Koishi admitted. "But I couldn't stand all those other emotions. Best to just stick with the fun emotions that live in your subconscious! Those emotions can do all the work!"
Koishi stopped as Kokoro put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait. Koishi."
Koishi turned around. "What?"
Kokoro looked down at Koishi's chest. Your eye is open.
For a moment all Koishi could hear was her own heartbeat. Panic seized her. She turned and ran through the corridors, past her pet's room to her own small bedroom. She slammed open the door, then moved to her mirror. Her reflection faced her, heaving for breath and trembling, but Koishi managed to pull herself together and really look.
Three eyes looked back at her. The one on her chest was barely open, but she could see the pupil moving around.
"Koishi! What happened?" Kokoro asked as the she glided into the room. You're worrying me. Why am I worried about you?
Koishi whirled to face the menreiki. "I DON'T WANT THIS!" She hurled the mask of love back towards Kokoro, who caught it with shaky hands. "Take it back! The deal is off!"
Kokoro's masks whirled around her, the returned mask of love joining the frenzy. Did she refuse my love? No wait that's not it. But it hurts. "Why don't you want this mask?" Is it because you don't want to be hurt by the words from other people's hearts?
"Because I chose this!" Koishi shouted. She took a few breaths to recover. "I hate the voices, yes. But more than that I hate the weakness. My closed eye gives me power. The power to ignore others, to take care of myself. The power to hurt those who hate me. The power to do what I want when I want. I won't give that up!"
Koishi took a shaky step forward, reached up and grabbed one of the swirling masks. It looked like a drunken man with bulging eyes and his tongue sticking out. Heat filled her body from the inside as she looked at it. "I want this mask."
"That's the mask of lust," Kokoro said quietly. Do you think it will help you close your eye?
"It will help me ignore my eye until it closes on its own." Koishi took another step towards Kokoro, her heart tendrils unwrapping and moving to encircle the other woman. "Will you let me have it?"
Kokoro sighed slowly then stepped forward and reached to unbutton Koishi's shirt. I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but it's what we both want. "We'll share it."
"Okay."
Koishi embraced Kokoro, kissing the menreiki girl. She ran her hands over Kokoro's back and hair while her heart tendrils slipped under the other woman's clothes. Kokoro shivered at the touch, then began unbuttoning both of their shirts.
As Kokoro finally peeled off their clothes Koishi pulled her onto the bed. Why did I fall in love with her? Kokoro's heart asked.
Koishi felt pain ripple through her own heart. "Because I'm your nemesis. The one person you can't overcome. And you're mine." Koishi rested her head on Kokoro's shoulder.
Kokoro placed a hand on Koishi's chest. "Would you love me if you could love?"
"I do," Koishi admitted.
And then she let the power of Kokoro's mask take control of her.
The feelings were powerful. Almost overwhelming. Her lips brushed against Kokoro's neck while her hands explored the other woman's body. Koishi's tendrils rubbed against Kokoro's entrance and she wanted to jam them in right now. But her fading consciousness held her back.
Kokoro gasped and pawed at Koishi's chest as the passion flowed over her. Ah! Her eye is closing. She managed to regain enough control to catch Koishi in a kiss. Koishi I-
And then the only sound was only the beating of their real hearts, the rustling of sheets and the murmurs of passion. The bliss Koishi had hoped for.
The next morning she awoke and carefully slipped out of the covers before quietly putting on her clothes. She pretended not to see Kokoro's masks shift as she pulled on her shoes and headed for the doorway. However when she reached the door she paused. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do.
Finally she said, "Thank you. I hope you understand."
And with that she skipped out of the room. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go today, but she didn't want to be here. So she'd go places until she found one she wanted to be.
-----
Kokoro looked down at the mask of love. It was unblemished, but the masks of anger and lust no longer awoke when she held it. Now sorrow and confusion were its friends.
There was no use lingering on it though. She left the now empty room behind, aimlessly walking the halls looking for an exit.
"Kokoro."
She froze at the voice. Turning she found Satori Komeiji waving her over from what looked to be a kitchen and dining area. Kokoro hesitated, then nodded and walked in.
Surprise and irritation hit her when she saw Mamizou was in the room as well, reading paper and drinking tea. "What are you doing here?!"
Mamizou smiled and waved. "Well I figure this is one of those times you need an adult mentor to talk with. And since that Buddhist witch and Taoist prince are too busy being important leader types the job falls to crazy aunt Mami."
"I don't need you following me," Kokoro snapped. "And I don't-"
Satori sighed and put a plate with omelette rice in front of Kokoro. "Don't worry about it. Here have some breakfast."
The food seemed like a much better option than arguing with a tanuki. Kokoro took the place and sat down. "Thank you." Satori followed suit.
"So you remember," Satori stated.
Kokoro let her mask of embarrassment hide her face. "Should I not?"
"Well your next partner's going to have a hard time living up to it, if the rumors about satori are true," Mamizou chuckled.
"Shut up." Kokoro sighed then started in on breakfast.
Satori shook her head, then looked at Kokoro. "If she had fully closed her heart again you would have forgotten. If she had sealed her heart back to the way it was before, then your memory would be fuzzy. That means you hurt her. Gave her heart a wound she didn't close."
Kokoro flinched. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be kid," Mamizou said. "Love is a lot of things, as you're learning. But the one truth about love, is that it's vulnerability. If you can't give enough of yourself that they can hurt you, then it isn't much of a relationship."
Kokoro gave the tanuki a look but Satori nodded. "It's true. Especially with satori romances. Our race tends to have short and painful relationships."
"Is that so?" Kokoro stirred at her breakfast, taking occasional bites. Finally she looked up at Mamizou. "So what's your advice?"
Mamizou smirked. "Be young, make mistakes, get hurt, complain to crazy aunt Mamizou about it. Or better yet keep bothering Miko so I can have a laugh."
"But..." Kokoro looked down at the plate, remembering the fear in Koishi's eyes.
"If my sister didn't want some kind of connection, she wouldn't have let you keep a link to her heart," Satori said softly. "I admit, I don't understand my sister's choices. But I at least know she made that choice of her own will." Satori looked up at Kokoro. "She'll hurt you again and again if you try. And if you walk away that will be fine. But so long as you let her make her choices, I won't judge you for the outcomes."
Kokoro looked down at the plate, her emotions roiling again. What did she want? What did Koishi want? What did love even mean?
Finally she stood. "Thank you for the meal." She bowed to Satori and then turned to walk away. Kokoro didn't understand her emotions, but she understood one thing. Koishi had opened her heart to her, just a little.
"Kokoro, what does it mean when you don't have a mask?" Satori asked quietly.
Kokoro turned to face the two other women again and pointed to her face. "This is my strongest mask. Hope."
Mamizou nodded. "It's a good mask. Suits you well."
"Thank you," Kokoro said, before turning and walking out the door.
She wasn't sure about the details. But she was going to figure out her own emotions. And then she was going to face her nemesis again. With that thought she boldly strode out into the palace.
A moment later she turned back. "Um, which way is out?"
"I'll help," Mamizou said with a chuckle.
-
So, I am actually a big lurking fan of your works. I've stalked your forum game when I first joined and liked mostly everything you've writed. Particularly I was really closely following marisas summer camp like a year ago and was really sad it got terminated :(
As always, I loved the koishi/kokoro cp, and definitely hope you will keep on writing more great stories in the future!
-
I had an idea. I'm never gonna finish it, because I've got better things to write but the start was fun so I made that!
------------------------------------------
"Eirin!" Rabbits scattered out of Kaguya's way as she stormed towards the elder Lunarian's workshop. "What have you done?!"
There was a rustling from within, and Eirin poked her head out. "I'm just helping you with your latest project princess."
"Helping?" Kaguya thrust out a leaflet. In strong print it stated 'To All Magicians. A Once In A Lifetime Chance : Claim The Holy Grail.' "You started this nonsense without informing me!" She waved the paper in Eirin's face. "I spent years collecting the notes on that Holy Grail in order to add it to my collection!"
"I know," Eirin replied. "But if you had used your original plan based on the notes Reisen uncovered you'd have summoned that half baked grail. I've fixed the spell to avoid the impurities the humans added. Also, I'm certain you would have entered the contest yourself. That just wouldn't do."
Kaguya stomped her foot. "That's the point! If I wanted my servants to gather artifacts I'd just throw money at it."
Eirin frowned. "The Grail War is a bit different than your previous artifact hunts, Princess. The summoners are sometimes in just as much danger as their summons." The woman's expression softened. "Besides, I enjoy doing favors for you."
The lunar princess sniffed in annoyance, but her rage seemed to cool. "Fine then. I suppose you've already plotted out how you're going to win."
"Plan?" Eirin chuckled. "I've already summoned my servant." Eirin opened the door completely. Within the room was a complex magical circle, and sitting on a cushion in the middle was a chinese man in fine robes. Kaguya could sense the divinity of man, but strangely he seemed to have only a rusty iron bar as a weapon. "Behold, Servant Saber. The strongest servant."
Kaguya nodded, then her eyes opened wide as she recognized the man. "Ah! You were the one chosen by heaven to replace the Qin. I remember that."
The regal man nodded his head. "Indeed. I created the Han. Acquiring a simple cup should be a simple matter."
"Hm. Well," Kaguya turned and walked away. "I suppose I can let you handle this one Eirin. I'll go talk to the shrine maiden about the details."
"I suppose that would be best," Eirin said.
----
Miko had years upon years of practice concentrating while other people's conversations happened around her, so she casually listened to Tojiko and Fuuto chat behind her, while completing her ritual.
"Why do we need some Christian cup anyway?" Futo asked. "The power to grant a wish is nice, but the Crown Prince surely can do that on her own?"
"Not any wish," Tojiko snapped. "Besides, do you want someone other than Miko gaining the power of the Grail? You had to deal with the monkey's paw after all. Not to mention that fallen Buddhist nun is almost certain to be after the grail as well."
"Ah! That would be a terrible thing!" Miko smiled to herself at Futo's panic. Trust the fearful woman to only understand the threat instead of the potential.
Miko felt the spell slowly fall into place and turned her full attention to her incantation. "Accept my will and appear before me!"
The room exploded with light as Miko completed her spell. Futo cried out in surprise as she shielded her eyes. Miko also was forced to look away, but the sudden flood of desires brought joy to her heart. The summoning had been successful!
As her vision cleared a samurai in gleaming armor with a daikyuu knelt before her. "I am servant Archer. I look forward to battling by your side, Crown Prince."
"And I look forward to working with you, Heroic Spirit Archer," Miko replied. She wanted to show her Servant respect. After all he was one of the reasons her family was the imperial family.
"Great work, Crown Prince!" Futo cheered. "With Tawara Toda as your Servant we are sure to be victorious!"
Tojiko elbowed Futo in the ribs. "Stop giving away Archer's name."
Miko his her smile behind her rod. "Don't worry too much about it Tojiko. After all, many of our competitors have seen Archer here in action. And the rest will understand after the first arrow strikes true."
"Though that may be the last thing they realize," the Heroic Servant added calmly.
---
Remilia slammed open the door to the library. "Patchouli!"
The young vampire strode through the library looking around. Eventually she found where her friend was currently lairing. "Patchouli! Aren't you going to summon your Servant?! You'd better hurry!"
Patchouli looked over at her old friend. "Hm? Why are you so worried about that? I'm the one competing. From the preliminary rules Reimu's putting together you won't even be able to help. Other than giving me supplies."
"The reputation of the Scarlet Devil Mansion is still riding on your performance!" Remilia snapped. "What will people think if you get a lame Servant? I'm sure everyone's rushing to snap up the knight classes!"
"Oh, Eirin probably grabbed the Saber class before announcing the contest. She'd cheat like that," Patchouli said. "But in any case you don't need to worry Remilia. I've already summoned my Servant."
Remilia blinked. "Huh?"
The young vampire spun around as she suddenly noticed a presence behind her. A plain looking man in a modern military uniform was leaning against the bookcases. Now that he wasn't concealing his presence, Remilia could feel the strange life force of a summoned Heroic Spirit. The man raised a hand in greeting. "Paivaa."
Remilia turned back to Patchouli. "Who is he? Didn't you use the artifact I gave you?"
"He is Servant Assassin," Patchouli replied. "And no I didn't. Firstly because he is my servant. Secondly because this is my fight. And thirdly, because Marisa stole the artifact the day you gave it to me."
"What?!" Remilia fumed for a second before slumping down in a chair. "Ugh. Fine Patchouli." She snapped her fingers and Sakuya appeared with tea. "Explain why you decided to summon the weakest Servant in a ritual where killing the other summoners is at best frowned upon and at worst useless."
Patchouli nodded in thanks as she took a teacup. "I summoned Assassin here to prove a point. Remember, our group is the youngest in the mess by several centuries, baring Marisa. And I am the youngest member of our mansion."
"Thank you," Assassin said as Sakuya handed him a cup as well.
Patchouli continued. "And so I want to remind these people of the power of those of us who have advanced. Who have learned from the outside world." Patchouli's eyes narrowed. "Which is why I've summoned a modern heroic spirit, with the weakest class. We're going to cut a bloody swath through those great heroes using only my magical power, and his skill."
"It will be an interesting time," Assassin said.
"Hm..." Remilia considered it for a minute, then shrugged. "Well that sounds fine then. What do you need?"
"A Pystykorva would be nice," Assassin said. Sakuya appeared holding a rifle. "Many thanks."
Patchouli nodded. "Also I'm going to make it snow around the mansion for a bit."
"I'm fine so long as it isn't rain, but why do you need snow?" Remilia asked.
"The White Death needs a proper battlefield," Patchouli replied with a smirk.
------------
Marisa smiled as she looked down at the bloodstained cloth. It looked like a washrag, but given how much effort Remilia had taken hiding the thing it had to be so much more than that.
She'd had a few second thoughts about this whole mess. This was a dangerous ritual, one with a lot of big name players. And the rules of Gensoukyo were getting bent, if not outright broken for it. But the rewards were big. Fame, fortune, and a wish granted by an actual artifact. Most of all it was a contest that Reimu couldn't even enter.
Which meant it was up to her to represent the old guard right?
"So if you wanna help me, come on out!" she yelled as the spell finished.
There was a crack in the air, then a thump as a girl in a frilly dress landed in the middle of Marisa's circle.
Marisa looked at the girl. She seemed like a youkai. "Uh, did I screw this up?"
"What? Don't you recognize your own Servant?" The woman hopped to her feet and pointed angrily at Marisa. "I'm Servant Lancer! You summoned me using my washcloth, right?"
"Wait, this is a washcloth?" Marisa stared down at the bloody rag. "Did you get murdered in the bathtub or something?"
Lancer glared at her. "Of course not! I used it to bathe." The girl's eyes narrowed. "You did know you were summoning me, right? The great Elizabeth Bathory?"
Marisa choked at the name. "Of course I didn't!"
"Then why did you use my washcloth for the summoning?" Elizabeth snapped.
"I stole it from Remilia. Figured it had to be good." Marisa sighed. "Ah man, what a mistake. I wanna do over."
"You pathetic excuse for a master!" Elizabeth summoned a oddly shaped lance and jabbed it at her. "I'm gonna show you what I can do, and then I'm going to take the Grail and become an idol, with or without you!"
Marisa hopped towards the door and pulled out her Hakkero. "Alright then. We'll do the usual greeting. If you can make it through three cards we'll talk."
---
Seija looked down at her Servant. Stealing the magical items required to pull this off had earned her quite a few bruises. But in the end it was all worth it.
"You're bigger than I thought you'd be, though the fashion's at least right," she said.
Her Servant just growled at her. To be expected really. After all he was a Berserker class.
"We're gonna have a lot of fun together," Seija said. "Starting fights, sowing chaos. Maybe even get a bit of betrayal in there. And finally if we're lucky, we're gonna overthrow the whole order of Gensoukyo. How does that sound?"
The tall man growled again, and slammed his spear against the ground.
Seija chuckled. "I'm glad you approve, Lu Bu."
----
Sanae looked at the ritual circle uncomfortably. She had faith it would work out in the end, but this was more magician magic. It was strange to her. She was worried she might miscast the spell and summon the wrong person.
"I know you're worried Sanae, but waiting will only make it more difficult," Kanako said quietly. "Eirin's sure to have already summoned Saber, and the other contestants will be aiming for the more powerful classes as well. I think Byakuren Hijiri will summon a Caster, but the others will not be so accommodating to our plans."
"Right." Sanae took a deep breath and started the ritual. At least she could trust in the authenticity of the sword she was using for the ritual.
As her power reached its height, Sanae called out, "Spirit of old, the gods request your service again!"
Wind whipped through the summoning grounds. Sanae stared in amazement at the warrior standing before her.
Then her heart fell as the warrior took off their helmet. "I am servant Rider, here to serve," the woman in the armor said. "Together, may both our wishes come to pass."
"Kanako... I..." Sanae looked back at her goddess with tear in her eyes. She'd screwed up!
"You did just fine," Kanako replied.
"But I was supposed to summon Minamoto no Yoshitsune!" Sanae cried.
Rider looked surprised, then laughed. "Ah, my apologies. You seem to be confused by my appearance. Rest assured you have not failed. I am the one you sought. The swordsman trained by the tengu, who defeated and befriended the warrior monk Benkei, and who fought many battles to bring this country to a better era."
"But-" Sanae blinked then rubbed her temples. This was all so confusing.
"Come now Sanae," Kanako said with a smile. "Summoning a tengu trained warrior on Tengu mountain with their sword has got to be fairly easy right?"
Sanae just raised her hands to the sky in exasperation. "Was ANYONE in Japanese history actually a guy?!?!"
------
Byakuren focused on her breathing. She couldn't allow distractions. Not since she was altering the spell.
When she'd first seen the fliers she'd had her doubts about entering. Everyone else at the temple had been excited, but this seemed like magic she really shouldn't be trifling with.
However the 'reward' was too dangerous to ignore. A wish without limitations was a recipe for disaster, which meant someone had to take the Grail into safekeeping. The realization that the Taoists were sure to enter only made her decision easier.
The only problem was she had no item with which to summon a Heroic Spirit. Then again perhaps that was an opportunity. Without an item she wouldn't be blinded by the obvious choices. The universe could give her the Servant she needed.
Thus she was being extra careful with the ritual. She had to make sure everything was in harmony.
When she felt perfectly in tune with her meditations, she began the ritual.
She did not remember the words she used. Words were illusion. But she knew she was performing the ritual correctly. Indeed it felt like her very blood was calling out. She was completely confident in her summoning.
And then her Servant was there.
"I am Servant Caster and-" the man froze. "Byakuren?"
Byakuren stared at the apparition before her, more shaken than she had ever been in her life.
"Brother..."
-----
In order to maintain the balance of Gensoukyo, incidents must be allowed. However the Holy Grail War is an incident with rules of its own. To handle the conflict between these two rituals, the Hakurei Shrine will be observing the contest. In addition the following rules will be obeyed.
Servants will follow spell card rules for all battles against non Servants. All non Servants must follow spell card rules against Servants, except as below. Servants may kill each other without repercussion.
Masters cannot be targeted directly by Servants. A Master who chooses to battle alongside their Servant loses this protection. A Servant or Master will not be condemned for killing a Master who fights directly.
To allow fair battle, Servants must remain in corporeal forms at all times, barring summons from their Master or Noble Phantasm use. This should not cause undue strain due to the magical nature of Gensoukyo. Any magician unable to provide that level of magic is unfit to participate.
The Holy Grail War is a ritual just like the Spellcard Duel. Anyone, youkai or human, who interferes with the ritual for their own gain will be treated the same as if they broke the Spellcard rules.
Lastly, remember win or lose, you will have to deal with these people and their friends.
Hakurei Reimu.
-
Alice frowned at the knock on her door. She hadn't been expecting visitors, and while she hadn't been busy right now, there was always time for more doll work. Still she composed herself and headed to the front door. It was possible this visitor had something to offer.
"How can I help?" she asked coolly as she opened the door. Then she froze mouth gaping.
Patchouli Knowledge was standing there on her front porch, wearing only a very large bath towel and her hat. If that weren't strange enough the elder magicians body seemed to be lightly dusted with scales, there were fins behind her ears, and she'd acquired a lizard tail from somewhere.
Alice quickly recovered and threw out a few probing spells with a flick of her fingers. There were a lot of shapechangers in Gensoukyo. But that theory quickly evaporated. No shapechanger would have the layers of wards that Patchouli habitually carried around.
"A reasonable assumption, but this is me," Patchouli said in her normal dry tone. "Could you let me in? Remilia's towels are big enough for something resembling modesty, but it's still drafty."
Alice shook her head to clear it. "Very well. If you promise to explain what's going on of course."
"Acceptable." Patchouli nodded as she carefully walked in. The purple haired magician sat down in the kitchen, doing her best to keep the amount of leg that inevitably showed to something decent.
Alice caught Shanghai bringing over a camera and redirected the doll to get tea instead before sitting down opposite Patchouli. "So how did Koakuma talk you into this?"
"Why do believe Koakuma is involved?" asked Patchouli as she fiddled with the towel.
"She's normally the person to blame when you appear half naked at my doorstep. Her attempts at playing matchmaker are rather obvious." Shanghai set the tea down on the table and Alice began to pour. "Or perhaps in this case I should say harem maker."
Patchouli nodded. "I suppose that is obvious, yes. However this time it isn't Koakuma's fault. It's partially mine, and partially my other familiar's."
Alice frowned for a moment. "Other familiar? Ah! You mean Elle? I thought you transferred her over to Yuki and Mai already."
"Mai has rather cleverly figured out a way to share contract status with a demon. While I don't think we're friends per se, our research sharing has turned out profitable." Patchouli slowly picked up her teacup and sipped. Alice noticed Patchouli's clawed hands didn't seem to mind the heat of the cup.
"I still haven't gotten a reason why you're a here as a dragon girl, showing off your legs," Alice noted.
Alice allowed herself a slight smile as Patchouli blushed a little. "I assure you this was the best I could do on short notice." She coughed then continued. "You may have noticed I don't have the best of health."
"That's one way of stating it," Alice replied. Patchouli existed on a diet of Remilia's desserts and whatever food or diet she was studying for magical reasons. In addition she prefered not to move unless someone was shooting at her. That happened fairly often in Gensoukyo, so Patchouli was much stronger now than she was when they'd first met, but the purple haired woman was still incredibly frail without her spells. "So how does this lead to you being covered in scales?"
Patchouli sighed. "I'm sure we've spent enough time together for you to know my magical style. I'm an alchemist, kabbalist, and elementalist first. Personal shapeshifting is not my forte." She waggled her clawed fingers. "However Yuki is a transmutational master, and Mai is a studied demonologist. Using some of their research I was able to learn about demons who have strong elemental ties."
The pieces all lined up in Alice's head. "And since that matches your strengths you tried shapeshifting into one of those." Alice sipped her tea. "However I'm still wondering why it requires you to brave the tengu reporters to visit me in your current state of dress."
Patchouli blinked, then smirked. "Ah, I don't worry about tengu reporters. Tengu are actually weaker than humans against curses. And they just give away fetishes with which to target them in their newspapers. After the first dozen tengu to cross a line with me got piles for a month they've learned their lesson."
"I see!" Alice slowly smiled as she considered that new information. She had a few old debts to repay. However, Patchouli tugging the towel back into place refocused her on the current incident. "Still, that doesn't answer my question."
"Right." Patchouli sighed and set her teacup down carefully before looking at Alice's wall for a bit. "I need you to make me clothes for these forms."
Alice stared at Patchouli. "What."
Patchouli grimaced. "The spells work surprisingly well. However there are three issues. One the spell damages any clothing worn when it is cast. Two my body goes through physical alterations. For example in this form I'm gained about four centimeters in all my dimensions in addition to this tail. Three these forms are suited to extreme environments. For example in this form I find myself warm despite the spring chill. Normal clothing wouldn't survive longer than a week."
Patchouli's face returned to her normal placid expression. "You're the best in Gensoukyo at creating magical clothes. Thus I turn to you."
Alice sighed. "Well that explains why you can't just have Sakuya do it." She leveled her gaze at Patchouli. "It doesn't explain why you're just in a towel."
Patchouli flushed again. "It was this or attempting to squeeze into one of my outfits. I thought this would be the lesser of two evils."
"Why not ask Sakuya to make you some temporary clothes first?" Patchouli blinked at Alice's suggestion, then pretended to become interested in the wall again. Alice just smirked and shook her head. "I'll pretend that's Koakuma's fault. In any case, you have to understand I won't do this for free."
That caused Patchouli to sober up. "I'm aware. After all I'm taking your precious time. I'm willing to pay double your materials expenses, and a tome or spell of your choosing."
Alice considered the offer. It was an interesting project, even if it wasn't directly benefiting her. If it hadn't been something she'd enjoy she'd have dumped it out of hand. "One tome and one spell, in addition to the polymorph spell you're using or something similar." Alice replied.
"One tome, a copy of the tome I used to construct this spell and the polymorph spells for each variant," Patchouli counter offered.
"Ah. I should have expected you'd have one spell for each element." Alice noded then traced a rune in the air. "Done. I swear on the throne of Makai to abide by this deal."
"So I swear, by the Word and my true name," Patchouli said tracing her own symbol.
Alice nodded as she felt the pact take effect. In all honesty she trusted Patchouli to keep her word, but the older magician liked the rituals. Alice had to admit she was fond of them too. "So do you have designs, or are you letting me play dress up?"
Patchouli pulled some notes out of her hat. "I left most of the fine details to your discretion. However I fear I have strict requirements for the materials and attributes."
"I see." Alice looked over the figures while sending Shanghai and a few other dolls to collect her sewing kit and tape measurer.
It was surprising how used to Patchouli's notes she'd become over the years. While the scribblings and lines weren't any neater, the magical theories they contained made more and more sense to Alice's mind. The three of them had stolen and traded so many spells from each other that their schools had almost blended. Patchouli's assumptions, power sources and limitations were almost second nature to her now.
Unfortunately their spell masteries still were different. Some things required a lot of prior knowledge and skill to work with. Alice sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do it by myself. There's no way I can make the clothes like you specified."
"Really?" Patchouli seemed more surprised than disappointed. "But you're a master at enchanting clothing."
"Yes. I'm a master enchanter. NOT a master elementalist." Alice pointed out the offending formulas. "I can make a spell to do what you want, and enchant the clothes with that spell, but I can't make the clothing passively have these magical properties. It'll always be an active spell. You'll need an elemental alchemist who's also an artificer to do what you want."
"Damn," Patchouli muttered. "I can't have those attributes messing with my other spells." She tapped the table a few times before deflating slightly. "I suppose I'll have to call Marisa."
"She's the best for this," Alice agreed. "She has more experience binding power to items than either of us, and she's less likely to gouge you price wise than anyone else who can do it."
"I know. I just hate being shown up in my own fields," Patchouli muttered softly. Alice could understand the disappointment. Marisa was, for all her impressive skill, a hedge magician at heart. To come in second to her in an entire field of magic was grating for an academic like Patchouli, even if it was a field that most youkai magicians didn't use. Alice knew as an artisan she'd be incensed if either Patchouli or Marisa came close to her in doll work, even though she respected the other two magicians.
Finally Patchouli flopped down on the table. Alice turned to the side and focused on her tea as the purple haired woman's towel loosened. "Well I suppose organic alchemical enchantments really is her field. I'll have Koakuma drop by and bring her over along with your payment."
Alice took a long sip before replying. "Very Good. I suppose I should do the measurements while we wait for them to arrive. After all your knot's come undone."
Alice closed her eyes as Patchouli started. Sure enough she heard the sound of a chair falling backwards, followed by the *thwump* of the towel hitting the floor. She let Shanghai hand her a tape measurer as she carefully stood. "Now turn around and raise your arms."
She heard Patchouli shuffle around and she opened her eyes. The woman was blushing furiously, but she'd followed Alice's orders. The woman's spine was more heavily scaled, and more importantly the robe had been hiding a pair of decently sized wings. "Well. I see we've got another challenge to work around," Alice remarked as she pulled out her measuring tape. "You'll need to extend your wings as well so I know how big the hole in your shirt will need to be."
"Remilia has this so much easier," Patchouli muttered as she stretched her wings. "Maybe I should look how those animal youkai do it..."
"I think most of them just materialize the clothes, barring a few items," Alice said as she checked the distance between the wings, then the arm length. "Alright, relax the wings please." Patchouli complied and Alice checked the woman's bust, stomach, and hip sizes with little issue other then more blushing. "Now, lower your arms please." She did a check of neck and shoulder, then height.
Alice took the list from the doll she'd had scribbling down her measurements and shook her head. "You really did just grow four inches proportionally. That's somewhat impressive."
"Dragons are supposed to be big, so that comes through." Patchouli recovered her towel and began the impossible task of tying the knot properly and still having enough towel to cover herself. "So what do we do while we wait for Marisa and Koakuma to show up and shame me for the rest of my life?"
"I'm going to design something that will last until we finish your new clothes. You sit here and think of all the suggestions Koakuma will have for you so I can enjoy your blush more," Alice replied as she pulled out some fabric.
Patchouli's face turned even darker. "You've spent too much time around my familiar. She's corrupting you."
Alice shrugged. "She makes taunting you look like so much fun. And since you and Marisa both seem to insist on being flustered and glaring at each other instead of making a move on me I have to find my enjoyment elsewhere." Alice smirked as Patchouli buried her face in the table. "Try not to light the upholstery with your sighs by the way. My fireproofing isn't designed for dragon breath." Patchouli glared at her as she started sewing the makeshift skirt. It was going to be a rough work, but hopefully serviceable.
About ten minutes later Alice tossed over the skirt and a makeshift top. "It's not much but it should keep you decent while we work."
Patchouli looked at the work. "It looks like something Koakuma would ask me to wear, but I guess this is quick notice."
"The wings make things difficult," Alice said with a grimace. "You can grab a blanket as well if you want."
"Best to just live with it," Patchouli sighed as she moved to the closet to change. Alice took the time to reinforce her wards against scrying and people peering into her windows.
Patchouli walked out a little later, and Alice nodded at her handiwork. It was crude, but actually looked like clothing. "Does it fit well?"
Patchouli nodded and stretched her arms and wings out again. "Very well. My compliments on your technique. I knew you were skilled with sewing, but I didn't realized you were so accomplished as a tailor. Dolls rarely complain if a dress is too tight after all."
Both women started in surprise as the door banged open. "Heya," Marisa called out as she started walking in. "Koa's told me you two have an interesting project you need my help wi-..." The younger mage froze at the scene she'd barged into, while Patchouli quickly folded her arms and wings and turned away from the open door.
Alice glared at Marisa. "Will you ever learn to knock?"
Koakuma's eye glimmered as she spun happily behind the black white magician. "Oh no! Patchouli's made her move Marisa! You'll need to stri-Ah!" Koakuma stopped as Shanghai hit the little devil with a pan.
Marisa pulled the stunned familiar in behind her and shut the door before locking it. "Right. My bad. You were looking into clothing. Sorry." Marisa looked over Patchouli then shook her head. "Still I'm kinda impressed. I knew you have a book horde but still being able to transform into a dragon's gotta be tough."
"And has a large number of side benefits," Patchouli said as she grabbed Koakuma and dropped the devil into a seat. "Which I assume you'll be stealing within the week."
"Well, might not go dragon, but pretty much!" Marisa said as she flopped down on the couch. "And I was hoping to have the spell done today. After all Alice is going to have to take my measurements as well. I'm not going to run around naked after learning this spell."
"Drat," Koakuma muttered.
Alice blinked. "Well, you're actually thinking ahead for once. I'm surprised." She didn't mention she'd forgotten those details herself. "Of course if you want me to make clothes for you, you'll have to enchant my clothing as well. And give me some notes to help me with Patchy's spell."
Marisa nodded. "Done."
"And what will you be stealing from me?" Patchouli asked.
"Your spell, your clothing notes, and that ritual of yours that makes peridot," Marisa replied.
Patchouli grimaced then nodded. "Well, let's start with the clothing notes. What can you do with this?" she said as she handed over the list she'd given to Alice before.
Marisa looked over the notes for a while as Alice picked out another set of fabric. "Hrm. Doable, but difficult. It would be easier if Alice just sewed the spell runes into the clothing directly. It'd also be better to put some of these enchantments on the caster themselves, but I'm not interested in tattoos."
"There might be a workaround for that, since we're already using transformation magic. But we can look into it later," Alice said. "What patterns should I be using on the clothes?"
"Let me sketch them out," Marisa said as she grabbed a piece of paper. "Patchy double check me will ya?" Patchouli nodded, then walked over to look over Marisa's shoulder.
Alice looked over at Koakuma as she began pulling out cloth for another makeshift outfit. "So did you forget to warn Patchouli about this part of transformation magics?"
Koakuma sighed. "I wish I was so devious. I kinda forgot myself. Back when I was hiding my true nature I had to transform in private." Koakuma shrugged. "I usually used glamors. Easier on the wardrobe, and my back."
"Fair enough." Alice began stitching based on Marisa's old size. She'd use her size changing magics to alter it to fit, so to speak. "So, have you two agreed on the runes? Or will I be designing clothing based on random guesses?"
Patchouli looked up. "No, but we've agreed on the base design. The clothing should be plain other than the runic enhancement. Pleating should be avoided obviously, except on the fringes and accessories."
Marisa nodded. "We'll want to enchant the base fabric first, before putting on the runes, so you can make the outfits before we start throwing all the expensive stuff at it."
"I'll still need to know the rune placements and sizes to know what to make," Alice pointed out.
"Yeah, I know," Marisa said. "We'll need to figure out the placement as well. Like this damage protection rune here should probably be on an armband or something," Marisa said tapping a ornate squid like rune. "That way we can tweak it if needed."
Patchouli rolled her eyes. "Tweak it with what? We know what element it will need to resist. I think you are being overly cautious here."
"Marisa the conservative one? That's a rarity," Alice said.
"Yeah, well I'm thinking ahead for myself," Marisa said. "Patchy here might be a dragon, but I'll bet we'll end up as different hybrids. Locking ourselves into a generic spell is a bad plan."
Koakuma stretched. "Why not do your transformation then, Marisa? Alice can make Patchouli's outfit, while you see what you'll transform into, then you can design your own rune set."
"Hrm, while I still think it's unnecessary, that sounds like a good plan," Patchouli mused. "Let's get together the runes I'll need, then I'll help you through the spell."
Alice moved to look over as Marisa sketched out several runes. "These two sets need to be separate, so it'll have to be a two piece outfit."
"Right," Alice pulled out a sheet of paper for herself. "I'll make a few designs then. You can pick the one you like Patchouli."
As she began creating the outlines for a few outfits, she listened in on Marisa and Patchouli as the elder mage showed Marisa the transformation spell.
"Alright this looks like Mai's stuff, but where's the demon name?" Marisa asked as she tapped on the parchment.
Patchouli tapped another part of the paper lightly with her claws. "This part of the ritual matches the demonic form closest suited to your personality and desires."
"And what if that changes? People aren't exactly consistent you know," Marisa asked.
Patchouli shrugged. "Unless you really despise the form, it will become part of your self image, meaning even if you change, you'll still transform into that entity. Even assuming you change a lot you should get a good fifty years out of the clothing."
"I'm more interested in what demon Marisa will become," Koakuma said. It seemed the familiar had recovered from being stunned earlier. "That spell's fire based so it won't be the really interesting transformations, but there's still so many fun options!"
Marisa gave the devil a look, before turning back to Patchouli. "Koakuma didn't help with this rune that reads what you want right?"
"No," Patchouli said. "It's an old spell that the Norse developed. So you don't need to worry about ending up a succubus yourself due to an 'accident'."
"Unfortunately," Koakuma sighed.
Alice finished her first design and grabbed another piece of paper. "As hilarious as your efforts to get Marisa and Patchouli to turn red are Koakuma, is there something I can do to keep you occupied while we work?"
"Ah! That's right!" Alice started as Koakuma rushed over to her. "Do you have grey ash berries?!"
"Of course. They're the best component for boosting the explosions of gunpowder-" Alice's eyes grew wide. "Wait! Ash berry pie!"
Koakuma grabbed her hands and pumped them up and down while Shanghai spun around the two sprinkling confetti. "Exactly! I knew you'd understand, Alice! Let's make some!"
"Pie?" Patchouli blinked in confusion.
Marisa shook her head in confusion. "The way they're acting it's the secret to eternal bliss instead of a dessert."
"Not eternal bliss, but temporary bliss," Alice replied. Shanghai put on some glasses as she continued. "While ash berries are on their own woody and bitter, when properly heated they gain a sweet and sour taste, with a creamy texture. It's one of the greatest delicacies of Makai, and is traditionally eaten during the creation day ceremonies."
Koakuma nodded happily along. "It keeps well too, so there's usually enough even for lesser devils like me and my sisters."
"While interesting, I fail to see what this pie has to do with our current endeavors," Patchouli said.
"Because properly heating them requires dragon breath," Alice replied. Shanghai pointed at Patchouli as three more dolls brought in a bowl of the berries. "And you are a dragon."
Patchouli looked at the bowl. "Well, I suppose I can help."
"Anything that makes both Alice and Koakuma that excited has to be pretty interesting," Marisa said peering at the berries.
"I can think of something else that would excite us both," Koakuma purred.
Shanghai whacked the devil with a book. "It really is a unique experience," Alice said.
Patchouli shrugged, then breathed on the bowl. Alice's dolls moved back as blue white flames engulfed the ash berries. Alice winced as the cheap pottery deformed, but that was the reason she chose the bowl. More importantly the small round grey berries turned gold and grew small bumps.
"Thank you," Alice said as she had her dolls cart the delicacy over to the kitchen. "Koakuma do you know where the flour is?"
"Yes you showed me last time. And the eggs as well." Koakuma stepped into the kitchen to begin cooking. Alice sent a few helper dolls over to make sure the devil didn't get in over her head, then started the next design.
"Well that was interesting." Marisa said as she stood up and walked towards the back room. "Anyway, let's give this spell a shot. You have a spare towel Alice?"
"I do, but if you've improved your size alteration magics you can use this," Alice said as she tossed the makeshift top and skirt she'd sewn up.
"Hrm," Marisa considered the matter a bit before picking up the clothing. "A foot or less shouldn't be a problem."
Koakuma poked her head out. "I can help with the fitting!"
"Weren't you baking?" Marisa said, causing the devil to pout and retreat. "Anyway I'll be transformed and out in a bit." She walked into the side room and shut the door.
Alice looked over at her designs then at Patchouli. "Actually... how much do you care about clothing Patchouli?"
Patchouli looked surprised by the question. "What do you mean? Obviously it's useful for keeping me covered."
"Yes. I've noticed you prefer to just a pull on nightgown normally. Which is good for being covered, but hardly the pinnacle of fashion or function," Alice pointed out. "What I'm asking is, do you want clothing that looks good or provides function but requires some time to put on, or just something you can throw on so you aren't walking around naked? There's no point to me designing something intricate if you're just going to wear it once then give up on the spell because you're too lazy to deal with all the laces and buckles."
Patchouli frowned at the comment, but actually seemed to consider the matter. "While I admit I don't pay much attention to dressing up normally, I do recognize the importance of proper clothing in some situations. So long as there's a functional reasoning I'll just consider the dress part of the spell ritual."
"Right." Alice made some notes. "I'll try to keep it easy to put on or take off. And on that note, what level of exposure are you willing to accept? Nineteenth century prude, modern makai, beachwear or something Koakuma might suggest."
Koakuma popped her head out again. "I'm willing to help with that!"
Patchouli flicked a harmless firebolt into her familiar's forehead. "Nothing worse then the third, unless the perversity of the universe demands it."
Alice smirked. "I doubt it, but I needed to make sure you were paying attention. I'll do my best to keep it reasonable."
"What the hell?!" Everyone jumped at Marisa's outburst. Shanghai moved to peer at the door, while Koakuma looked out from the kitchen.
"What's happened Marisa?" Alice asked. She hoped nothing had gone wrong with the spell.
There was a creak as Marisa poked her head out, revealing her hair had gained a crimson tint. Her skin also seemed a little more ruddy, and had a sheen to it. She'd also gotten some fins behind her ears but they looked different then Patchouli's. "This spell of yours is a mess, Patchy! What the heck did you end up turning me into? This isn't even a fire form!"
Patchouli blinked at the accusation. "What are you talking about. It looks like you received a similar transformation to me."
"Similar my ass. I'm covered in slime!" Marisa pushed open the door. While her transformation looked similar to Patchouli's there was a soft look to the red and yellow scale patches, and her skin shimmered with the liquid that had soaked through the clothes Alice had given her. The witch woman did her best to gesture angrily at Patchouli while covering her chest. "What nonsense did you hand me?"
"My spell isn't nonsense," Patchouli huffed. "It worked perfectly. You just seem to have turned into a Salamander." Her mouth twitched into a smile. "A perfect form for a slimy thief like you."
"How is an amphibian a fire creature?" Marisa snapped.
Alice shook her head in exasperation while Marisa fumed. "Westerners assumed that Salamanders were creatures of fire for a variety of weird reasons. I'm guessing that because you don't see a need to produce fire, you wanted a form that was immune to fire and had a number of other abilities. That mucus covering you can probably swap between healing properties, poison and a number of other abilities."
Marisa picked up a spare towel and draped it over her chest. "Well isn't that wonderful. Too bad it also means I'm covered in slime."
"Very useful and expensive slime," Patchouli said. "You've found a form you can use to make money without waiting for your scales to fall of. Very Marisa."
"If the stuff is so wonderful, I'm sure you won't mind a hug," Marisa shot back.
"You can hug me~!" Koakuma called from the kitchen. All the magicians shook their head at that.
Alice handed over a sheaf of papers. "Either way, you'll want waterproofing runes."
"I guess so." Marisa started scribbling notes down. "Hope you can live with slime on your seats."
Alice pointed to the door. "It looks like the mucus mostly sticks to you. Cleaning should be easy. Just don't think poisonous."
"I suppose it will have some uses," Marisa mused as she continued work.
"Uses I'll regret you figuring out later," Patchouli sighed. "Since this form is the one you'll want the most. Eventually."
"Seems more like the form Koakuma would want the most," Marisa muttered. But the initial annoyance was gone.
Seeing that problem was dealt with Alice looked back towards the kitchen. "How's the pie coming Koakuma?"
"Almost ready to start baking," Koakuma replied. "Just need to finish getting the crust ready."
"So another half hour then?" Alice asked.
Marisa looked up from her notes. "An hour? Is that with cooling?"
"Five seconds to cook, the rest to cool," Koakuma said. "The berries were heated with dragon's breath, remember."
"I'm not sure if I should give the recipe to Sakuya or use it as a way to keep Koakuma busy," Patchouli muttered.
Alice stifled a laugh, then stood. "Well while you two play with runes, I should practice the spell myself. Marisa can I see your runework?"
"I'm not done with...." Marisa frowned then nodded in understanding. "Oh you mean the notes for the spell itself. Sure here you are."
"Thank you." Alice looked down at the scrawl. It worried her that Marisa's messy notes made almost as much sense as Patchouli's, but given the number of spells the trio had shared it was almost inevitable. "I guess we really are a coven," she muttered to herself.
"Hm?" Patchouli looked over. "Did you say something?"
Shanghai ducked down behind her. "Nothing. Just figuring out this spell." She stood. "I suppose it's time for my transformation."
"So quickly?" Patchouli asked.
Alice nodded. "Between you and Marisa it's easy to pick out the spell from the insanity. Now I just need to roll the dice for what form I get."
"Try for succubus!" yelled Koakuma from the kitchen. Alice rolled her eyes while Shanghai waved a golf club menacingly.
"Hope you get something better then me," Marisa said. "I'm done with my runes, so we can move on to picking designs when we get your runes together. Maybe even get to making the cloth."
Koakuma walked in from the kitchen. "The pie's baking, so I'll just sit here and draw my own designs for the clothes you should wear. Maybe watch Miss Patchouli and Marisa gawk at your new and improved body."
"Of course. Well I'd best transform quickly so they can recover by the time the pie cools," Alice smirked and walked into her room as the other two magicians sputtered.
The door safely closed, she took off her clothes before looking over the notes again. The spell was complex, but she'd learned most of its components already. She focused on the intricate runework of the unfamiliar parts for a bit, then began the incantation.
The spell took a bit of time to form, but it snapped together nicely halfway through. There was a moment of disorientation, and a darkness over her eyes as it completed, but that was normal with transmutations. As Alice's sight recovered she saw herself in the dressing room mirror, but there wasn't any huge changes to her visible form.
Alice blinked and stretched, then froze as she realized there was a lot of stretch there. Slowly she looked down. She was bigger, but more obviously her legs had fused together into a snake tail with red scales and a white underbelly. She followed her new body back around one, then two loops. Her snake half was at least twenty feet long, and only slightly slimmer than her hips for most of it.
"Well then," Alice muttered. "I guess it'll be a dress for me."
She magically increased the size of the skirt and top she'd brought in and put them on. Her frown deepened as she realized her new clothing did nothing to keep her warm. "Stupid cold blood." Shanghai picked up a cardigan, but Alice waved her away. She didn't want to damage the expensive sweater.
With a sigh she slithered out of the room. "Well. I think I've got some designs to rework."
Alice took some comfort in how the entire room just stopped and stared. She took advantage of their stunned silence to slither over to the table and put aside her chair. "So, apparently naga are fire related."
Marisa blinked. "Uh. Wow. Yeah."
Patchouli shook her head, then smirked. "Well. It seems I'm not the only one who gained a few pounds."
Alice's tail lashed out and lightly tapped Patchouli on the back of the head. "Ha ha ha. Keep that up and I'll take Koakuma's design for your outfit."
"Oh! Oh!" Koakuma waved a sheaf of papers over her head. "I've already got some great ones! Especially since Marisa reminded me that you can add magic tattoos during transformations!"
"I'll be good," Patchouli replied with a glare at her familiar.
Marisa gave the devil a sidelong glance. "This is all part of your plan to have Makai rule the magical world isn't it?"
Koakuma pouted. "Marisa, please. I'm doing this because it's fun!"
All three magicians sighed. "Devils."
Alice coiled up to preserve her heat, and was pleased at how natural the movement was. She had been a little worried about acclimating to the new form's movements, though that meant there might be some problems with instinctual reactions. She'd have to keep an eye out for that. "So now that we've all transformed, what do we need to start on? Other than finding a kotatsu?"
Marisa started scribbling out runes. "Your form shouldn't require anything too different from what Patchy and I need, so we can work off the old material plans. Just need a few heating runes on it."
Patchouli looked over the pages of calculations. "Very well then. The first thing we'll need is silk."
"You mean spider silk," Marisa pointed out.
"Spider silk?" Patchouli glared at the other magician. "That seems like an extravagance worthy of Remilia. Why would we need spider silk?"
Alice grimaced. "It would be costly."
"Yeah but if you want some heating on your clothing you're gonna need it," Marisa said. "And I want some water proofing so I'm not in sopping wet rags all the time."
Patchouli glared at Marisa, "There's no way that spell needs spider silk instead of regular silk!"
"Well we could use regular silk, but then you'd have to use powdered diamond for the runes, which means we might as well ask Koakuma to design the outfits, since we won't be able to afford anything larger," Marisa snapped.
Alice sighed as Patchouli snatched Marisa's notes. "Let me see those calculations! There's no way that's right!"
Marisa slammed the notes in front of the other witch. "Well if you find a way past the bad reaction between cyclical runes and normal silk I'll-"
As the two magicians fought, Koakuma wandered over behind Alice. "They're at it again," the devil said.
"Hm? What are you acting so serious about?" Alice replied. "This is them getting along rather well. You know Patchouli loves fighting over magical minutia, and Marisa enjoys showing up Patchouli when she's right. It's good to see them having fun together."
"I guess that's true," Koakuma gave the fight a long look. Currently they were pulling out books to cite their arguments. Alice gave them about fifteen more minutes of that before they started trying to attack each other's sources. The little devil cheered up. "I guess that's step one of my grand plan finished! One third of the way there!"
Alice reached out with her tail and grabbed Koakuma. As the little devil yelped Alice drew her in close. "I'd say you're almost halfway there. Though I'm a little hurt you forgot that you needed to convince me."
Koakuma stared at her, then over at where Patchouli and Marisa were still arguing. Neither of the two magicians had noticed. A smile slowly grew on Koakuma's face. "Does that mean I can fondle your boobs then, Alice?"
"Later," Alice said, looked down at the devil. "Right now I need you to be a good devil for once, and do something that isn't trying to embarrass and arouse one of us magicians. Also provide me with heat so I stop being so lethargic."
Alice could see Koakuma's mind racing over all the things she wanted to say, but finally she decided to actually listen to Alice's unspoken advice. The little devil was far more clever than she sometimes seemed. "What can I help with?"
"I want your assistance with designs," Alice said. "Legitimate designs that Marisa and Patchouli would feel comfortable wearing all the time. We both know you're capable of making something that looks good without cutting chunks out for blatant sex appeal. Prove it to Marisa. She might have forgotten."
Koakuma took the paper and pencil Shanghai handed her. "Alice, are you trying to manipulate a demon?"
Alice smirked. "I've been manipulating demons since I was five."
"Sorry, princess," Koakuma replied, but for once there wasn't any reverence attached to the title. Alice was pleased.
It helped that the little devil was pretty warm. Alice really did need the body heat.
The two worked together while Patchouli and Marisa argued the merits of various spells, reagents and clothes, occasionally diverging into rants about the basics of magic or attacks on the character of dead wizards.
Finally the complaints got serious. "Damn it Patchy, if we don't use ruby dust there's no point in making the clothes at all!"
"Cinnabar should work just as well, if not better," Patchouli snapped.
Marisa jabbed her finger at Patchouli. "You might not care about your body getting weaker but I-!"
Alice let go of Koakuma and reached out with her tail to grab the two other magicians. The two yelped in surprise as they were pulled together. "Alright you two, play nice. What have you agreed on?"
The two women squirmed a bit in Alice's grasp as Shanghai waved around a paper fan. Patchouli spoke first. "We agree on everything except the primary ingredient of the dye."
"I want super expensive ruby dust, Patchy wants cheap deadly poison," Marisa said.
"I have access to cheap rubies," Alice admitted. "Let's go with that."
"Very well," Patchouli said. "Now will you let us go before Marisa's slime soaks through my clothes?"
Alice smirked. "Kiss and make up first."
The two turned bright red. Patchouli seemed to be considering it, but Marisa squirmed in her coils. "Alice...."
"Sorry." Alice pulled her tail back over to her side of the table. Maybe she had been hanging around Koakuma too much.
"The pie's done!" Koakuma said, saving everyone from awkward silence.
Shanghai spun in excitement, as Alice sent dolls to grab plates. "Thank you Koakuma. Shall we have tea as well?"
Marisa resettled into her seat. "Sure."
"Me as well," Patchouli said.
Alice got a nod from Koakuma, so she sent her dolls to grab four cups of tea. As they set about the task, Alice organized her papers so they wouldn't get too damaged from eating. "Here's the designs we have. Look them over to see if Koakuma and I missed any required runes."
"Wait Koakuma actually made some of these?!" Marisa looked at the sketches nervously.
"I'm sure one of my cousins could have done better, but I think you'll like the designs," Koakuma said as she handed out slices of pie.
As Marisa stared at the sketches, Alice took a bite from her pie. Memories of home surfaced as the creamy sweet and sour mix hit her tongue. She'd really missed this pie. And surprisingly it was every bit as good as she remembered it. "Good work, Koakuma."
Koakuma looked like she'd been selected for the Makai founding day ball. "Ah~. It's even better fresh." She spun around then latched onto Patchouli's shoulder. "What do you think?"
"More sour than Remilia's dishes," Patchouli said as she finished a bite. "But still sweet. I wouldn't mind using this transformation to make more."
Marisa shook her head after taking a big bite of the pie. "Alright, 'fess up you two. When did you switch bodies?"
Alice felt her tail twitch at that. "What?"
Marisa jabbed her fork at Alice. "Koakuma's been playing happy homemaker and drawing fairly reasonable outfits, while you've been flirting shamelessly and have given Patchouli something that looks like one of the outfits from Sanae's seinen manga. And looking at the second outfit you made for me, the anti dampness charm will fail leaving me in a wet shirt and shorts." Marisa looked suspiciously between the two. "The only explanation that makes sense is you and Koakuma switched bodies."
Alice and Koakuma looked at each other. Then Alice folded her hands beside her head. "Kyaa~, Marisa found out! The gig is up!"
Koakuma rolled her eyes while Alice had Shanghai shrug next to her. "Ha ha ha. You've had your fun, Alice. Marisa I'm not that out of character am I?"
Now both of the other women were staring at them. Patchouli narrowed her eyes. "That is terrifying. Please stop."
Both Koakuma and Alice burst into giggles. The expressions on their faces were too good. Even Alice couldn't keep her composure. Patchouli and Marisa glowering with surprisingly similar faces was something inherently ridiculous.
Finally Marisa sighed and went back to the pie. "We're doomed."
"Yes," Patchouli agreed with a resigned shake of her head. "You should just confess to both of them so we can get on with our eternal suffering."
Marisa turned bright crimson, but managed not to choke on her tea. "Maybe when I'm not covered in slime."
Alice felt warmth filling her own cheeks and she turned back to her pie. The magician froze though as Koakuma sidled up next to her and whispered into her ear. "Too bad. That slime might be fun. Maybe next time~"
She burst out coughing at that while Koakuma grinned happily. Alice considered using her tail to enact some revenge on the familiar, but it seemed a bad long term plan. Instead she ignored the other two magicians' glances and grabbed the design Marisa had called out.
Sure enough she'd made a simple mistake. She mentally kicked herself before noticing her penmanship was faltering as well. "This cold is getting to me," she muttered.
There was a clatter as Marisa placed her hakkero on the table, and then the air began to warm. "Should have handled that earlier. You know new spells can be dangerous."
"It's hard to tell. This body just seems to treat it as normal." Alice replied. She held her hands out towards the warmth and she swore she could feel her mind speeding up. "I wonder if it was trying to get me to hibernate?"
Marisa and Patchouli looked at each other then both sidled around the table to sit next to her. "Well, we can't have that," Patchouli said.
"It'd be bad if you were sleeping on the job," Marisa muttered.
Koakuma hopped on her back. "Ooh! Can I strip down and snuggle too~?"
Alice had Shanghai whap her with a paper fan while sending some of her other dolls for a blanket. "Finish your pie." She followed her own advice, savoring the treat. It really was better than her memories. "We should get together again on Founding Day to make this."
"Maybe in the Mansion?" Patchouli said. "It sounds like one of the few holidays Remilia wouldn't complain about. We might be able to get Sakuya to cater a larger meal."
Marisa leaned a little more against her. "I kinda like the homey feel. The mansion's a little big."
Koakuma poked the short witch with a wing. "Oooh, you prefer a more intimate meeting place~? Someplace where you can sneakily rest on cute girls' shoulders without anyone else noticing~?"
"Alright. Fine. Enough of this," Alice started as Marisa dispelled her transformation. She felt Marisa's arms circle around her, then her mouth was caught in a fierce kiss.
For such a huge tsundere, Marisa was an accomplished kisser. She pressed her body fully against Alice, allowing Alice to feel the smaller woman's body, while at the same time distracting Alice with her tongue. Alice had to fight down the urge to wrap around her and keep squeezing Marisa close.
When they finally broke apart Alice smiled. "About time." She squeezed Marisa close to her for a long second before letting go and letting her eyes flicker over to where Koakuma was staring open mouthed. "Well, finish the job."
Marisa's blush deepened, but she nodded before flinging herself onto the succubus girl. Koakuma let off a happy "Mpmh~!" as Marisa claimed her lips in a kiss.
Alice turned from the two to lean towards Patchouli who was radiating heat like Marisa's hakkero at this point. "So, ready for your own confession?"
Patchouli hesitated a moment before leaning forward. "I'll stay transformed so my clothes stay on," she murmured before closing her eyes.
"Yes. We can fix that later tonight," Alice whispered before finishing the kiss.
Patchouli's kiss was light and breathless, lips and tongue reaching for each other. Not as passionate as Marisa's, but surprisingly romantic for the bookish magician. Alice made a note to switch styles between the two girls later.
When they finished Marisa had managed to extract herself from Koakuma's grabby arms. Patchouli moved to pin the familiar again, while Marisa slipped back to Alice's side, still blushing bright red. Alice put an arm around the other woman's shoulder. "Well now. That wasn't too hard was it?"
"I'm going to catch fire and die of embarrassment," Marisa muttered.
Alice caught Shanghai bringing over a glass of water to dump on Marisa and had the doll set it down on the table instead. "I thought you did just fine. You did well enough that Patchouli is trying to one up you with Koakuma at least," she said, tapping the purple haired magician's back to make the point. "You don't have any regrets right?"
"No," Marisa said quickly and clearly. She rested on Alice's arm. "None at all."
Patchouli and Koakuma pulled themselves upright and moved to let Koakuma place a wing around Marisa and her master. As Koakuma sat there beaming, Patchouli coughed and said, "So should we finish the clothing discussion tomorrow?"
"Of course," Alice replied. "You can all stay the night."
-
For a moment there I thought Alice's form was a monster musume reference
-
The teacher slowly wrote a character on the board, making sure to separate out each stroke. "This is the kanji for alliance or oaths, mei. Here are a few example words."
Izuna carefully wrote down everything as the teacher continued. Learning the human language was becoming easier and easier. Ever since she'd started getting those notebooks from Suzunaan she'd been able to learn all about the human's culture. It was a treasure trove of valuable knowledge for a no name two tailed kitsune like her. In fact once she'd passed the language barrier, she'd started outpacing all the humans in the class. She'd had to start deliberately making mistakes to not stand out. Still she was comfortably 6th in the class.
The bell rang as the teacher was halfway through another kanji. "Ah. It seems that's it for today." He finished the kanji and wrote the reading next to it. "We'll start here tomorrow. After all, we have another ten to master in the next month." The man smiled. "Soon you'll be graduating into fine adults, so study hard while you can."
"Graduation." Izuna's heart sank a little at that.
She'd learned that in the outside world, children went to school until they were eighteen, or sometimes twenty two in human years. Not long for a fox, but a massive amount of a human's lifespan.
Here in Gensoukyo though children were needed to help work the farms and run stores. School went until children were thirteen or fourteen, and even then most dropped out at twelve. The rich got private tutors after that, while the poor had their own jobs.
This was Izuna's last year. The last year of learning with the humans.
"Hey, Izuna!"
She looked up to see the smiling face of Sumire. The violet eyed girl was smiling down at her like always. "You were spacing out. Is something wrong?"
Izuna put away her notebook quickly. "No. I'm fine." She quickly changed the subject. "You have the afternoon off?"
Sumire nodded. "Yeah. Father's out hunting so there's nothing to do really." The girl offered Izuna a hand up. "So can you stay a bit?"
"Well..." Izuna hesitated. She really shouldn't stay too long with the students. She'd become a master at deflecting questions about where her house was, and her parents, but eventually she'd get caught in a lie if she talked too much. "I don't really have anything, but it is a long walk home..."
"Please?" Sumire leaned over and whispered, "Matsu's spreading that stupid rumor about me being his girlfriend. I need someone to help me snub him without making it look like I'm snubbing him. I'll bring you some tofu tomorrow if you help!"
Izuna felt her scalp itch as her hidden ears tried to twitch. "Well... I suppose I could stay for an hour."
"Thanks! You're the best!" Sumire clapped her hands together in excitement. "Let's go grab one of the benches next to the camellias."
Izuna followed the young girl out into the school courtyard, mentally kicking her weakness for fried tofu.
----------
Fortunately Sumire was happy to just chat about her home life, and about the other villagers. Izuna returned with slightly edited stories about her own family, which Sumire always seemed to love for some reason. The one hour she'd planned on staying quickly turned to two.
"Hey Izuna? What are you going to do after you graduate?" Sumire asked suddenly.
"Huh?" Izuna blinked at the question. "Probably go back to helping my family."
Sumire nodded. "Yeah..." The girl sighed. "Wouldn't it be nice if our school was like the outside world's?"
Izuna looked at the other girl. "Hm?"
"Don't you think it would be fun?" Sumire looked into Izuna's eyes. "Getting to meet all sorts of different people. Growing up with your friends. All the clubs and activities. Doesn't it sound grand?"
"Hm..." Izuna considered it for a moment and internally shuddered. Even without trying to keep her disguise that seemed like it would get stifling fast. Perhaps the growing up with friends... but that seemed like a fairy tale. "I would have thought you'd enjoy the learning more. You're top of the class after all." Izuna shook her head. "It seems like a waste to just become a maid or fisher with your talents."
Sumire looked surprised, then laughed. "I'm not that good Izuna. Besides I think you enjoy the lessons more than anyone else. You're the only one who can stay awake through Ms Kamishirasawa's class."
"That's not the joy of learning, that's fear." Izuna shuddered at the thought of the were hakutaku's headbutt breaking her disguise.
Sumire giggled again. "Fair enough!" The girl looked up at the sky again and sighed. "Oh, it's this late?"
Izuna looked up and saw the beginnings of dusk as well. "Ah! I have to hurry back." She jumped up and bowed in apology to Sumire. "Sorry! I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you, Izuna." Sumire waved as Izuna dashed off.
As soon as she was far enough away Izuna slipped into an alley and transformed into a farmer. That way no one could track her back to her lair nearby. She adjusted her basket, then headed out into the field.
Still as she walked her mind went over that conversation. It really was a waste, that people like Sumire would end up just graduating and going into simple labor.
The idea gnawed at her a bit until she put it aside. It didn't matter. Soon she'd graduate herself. And then there would be nothing for her to learn in the human village anymore.
It was sad, but life was about changes, right?
------------
Izuna closed her notebook as the bell for the end of classes rang. She'd filled this one. This would be the last notebook she'd fill as well. Her last trip to Suzunaan. Well unless she wanted to buy a youkai book.
"Hey, Izuna." She looked up to see Sumire standing there. "Can you stay today?"
"Sorry," Izuna said. "I've got an errand to run." Sumire's face fell, so she added, "Maybe I can swing by on the way back?"
"It would be nice if you did," Sumire said.
Izuna hopped up. "I'll see what I can do. Later Sumire." She rushed out towards the bookstore.
Suzunaan was as strange as always, a heart of youkai energy in the rich quarters of the city. It had been easy to find, even when she'd been younger. She was surprised something terrible hadn't happened here, but perhaps the fact that it was a bastion of youkai energy protected it. The shrine maiden, the witch, and powerful youkai were often around. Which meant any trouble was quickly found, and quickly stamped out.
Fortunately none of them were here when she entered. Only the proprietor herself, sitting reading another youma book.
Izuna walked up and placed her notebook on the table. "Thank you for the notebook."
Kosuzu looked up from her reading and adjusted her glasses. "Ah! Is it time for a new book already? Let me grab one..."
"I won't need a new one," Izuna said. "It's only the last tests now. I'm graduating soon."
"Really?!" Kosuzu blinked and took off her glasses. "I'm growing old," she muttered before picking up the notebook and looking it over. "Our last notebook, huh? I'm going to miss your visits."
Izuna bowed low. "Thank you again for helping me with my studies. I'm very grateful for your services."
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Kosuzu said. The bookseller hesitated then asked, "So what's your plan after graduating?"
"I'll probably return to the foxes," Izuna said. "I know enough to be more than a child to them."
"I see." Kosuzu's face fell a bit. "You don't feel any connection to the village?"
Izuna hesitated. She'd guessed Kosuzu's intentions for a while now, but never said anything. But now that their business was concluded, she felt like she should explain. "Miss Kosuzu, what would you say if you heard someone was trying to turn you into a youkai?"
Kosuzu blanched and looked around in alarm. "What?! Again?!"
"Um, that was a hypothetical!" Izuna said quickly.
"Oh. Uh," Kosuzu chuckled. "Well it'd be a problem."
Izuna bowed. "That's what a youkai feels like when someone tries to make them a human."
"Ah." Kosuzu looked surprised, then sad. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I know you meant well," Izuna said. "And I know you won't betray me. That's why I'm willing to tell you that."
Kosuzu nodded. "Thank you." Her expression became more cheerful. "And if you need any books, or if you want to sell any, come by please!"
"Sure," Izuna said as she left.
Izuna began walking down the streets. She'd gone several blocks before she realized she was heading towards the school instead of the city gates. She frowned then shrugged. "I'll be leaving forever soon. It won't matter." With that affirmation she started heading to the schoolhouse.
The distant crash of wood and screams made her freeze for a moment. Her ears, weakened as they were by human form still could pick out where they were coming from.
Straight ahead.
Izuna put on a burst of speed and leaped onto the roof before zipping as fast as she could across the line of houses. Her glamour burnt away, revealing her silver ears and two tails as she dashed through the air.
As she flew across the last street to the school she saw students running away. There was a hole in the middle of the courtyard, and the side of the school building had been shattered by huge claws. Then the smell hit her.
Badger.
Her instincts told her to flee. She was a two tailed kitsune, and a badger youkai was more than a match for her. But at the same time something pushed her forward as well.
There was another crash and a scream. A familiar voice's scream.
Sumire.
Izuna rushed forward, flying through the broken hole in the school building. She saw the wiry form of the badger youkai. The smashed desks and torn cushions. And a young girl with red hair and purple eyes, lying in a pool of her own blood.
With a high pitched howl she rushed at the badger, letting her jaw extend as she let more of her fox form come through. The badger started to turn, but she was too fast. She latched onto his neck and bit down hard, while her claws dug into his sides and belly.
The badger youkai roared in rage and fell backwards onto her slamming her hard against the tatami. "Kill! Kill those that stole my future! Kill their future! Kill you too!" The badger twisted and turned, trying to break Izuna's hold while slashing at her with his own claws. She felt pain as he tore at her sides, but she didn't let up her own attack.
They fought for what seemed like ages. Thrashing and slamming against the walls and floors while scrabbling at each other, searching for a deadly blow. And all the while more blood seeped into Izuna's mouth from the bite.
Then there was a snap. The resistance in her mouth lessened and blood gushed into her throat. She coughed instinctually and the badger threw her aside.
Izuna rushed to her feet, but the badger didn't attack. The man thrashed and staggered about holding his neck. The carotid. She'd pierced his artery. And her magic enhanced fangs would make the wound lethal.
But badgers were tough, and even with all the other blood he'd lost the youkai managed to stagger about for another half a minute before falling down.
When Izuna was certain he wasn't faking she rushed to Sumire's side. There was blood. A lot of blood. But the girl was breathing. Izuna reached over and summoned what little healing magic she could. If she could keep Sumire from bleeding to death the village doctors should be able to save her.
Izuna breathed a sigh of relief as the wounds slowly stopped leaking. Then she froze as Sumire's eyes opened. The purple irises flickered over her ears, then tail...
Then Sumire's eyes closed again and Izuna nearly fainted in relief. If she'd was seen here she'd be in trouble. A youkai had just attacked the school! Merely the threat of that had brought in the shrine maiden. Now that someone was hurt, the hunters would be out for blood.
She shivered. That meant she needed to leave. Now. Anyone coming here wouldn't wait to hear her explanation.
Izuna grabbed the corpse and took to the skies. She'd speak with the fox elders. They'd know what to do.
-------
Izuna shivered beneath the glare of Tamamo no Rei. The kitsune matriarch's gaze was cold and pitiless. The hours of waiting before she'd been sent into the room didn't help at all.
After a moment Tamamo no Rei's gaze softened a bit, and the nine tailed fox sighed. "Don't cower so much. I'm not angry with you. You were Izuna yes? No family yet."
"Yes," Izuna replied.
"Well Izuna, as I said I'm not angry with you. You did not act outside the boundaries of the law. While abandoning the humans might have been a smarter course of action, I can't reprimand you for saving the lives of children." Rei's tails twitched. "In fact considering your own age, your actions were surprisingly brave. You're lucky to have won."
Rei's eyes narrowed again. "However, the humans are unlikely to believe your actions were benign. Merely infiltrating their school might cost you your life."
Izuna felt a pit in her stomach, but she nodded in understanding. That had always been the risk. She'd never actually believed she'd get caught, but she'd known what would happen if she was.
"Fortunately," Rei continued, "you brought the corpse back to us. We can use this. The human girl you saved didn't see you, which means they're searching for the killer instead of a kitsune infiltrator. That means we can hide your involvement in the matter." Izuna's ears perked up, but Rei raised a hand in warning. "Still it will be costly."
Rei looked down at her. "So Izuna, are you willing to accept responsibility for your actions? Will you pay the price needed to soothe the humans' fears? Even if that price is your life?"
Izuna was trembling again, but in the end she managed to nod. After all what choice did she really have?
"Good." Tamamo no Rei turned her attention away from her. "Well such drastic measures are likely unnecessary. Let's see if we can't handle matters a different way." She turned to one of her retainers. "Have we contacted the witch?"
"She's on her way," the seven tailed fox replied.
"Very well." Rei signaled a servant. "Bring some food for our young supplicant would you? Children need to eat more often after all."
Izuna bowed in thanks as the servant ran off. She didn't feel hungry, but refusing would be poor manners. When the simple meal appeared in front of her however she managed to eat the whole set.
She'd finished and the remnants had been taken away when a retainer walked in leading a small woman in a strange witch's outfit. Tamamo no Rai bowed her head slightly. "Helena, the Witch of Thebes. It is an honor to have you visit."
Izuna peered more closely at the witch. She'd seen the three visiting magicians from the western realms before, but she'd always made herself scarce quickly before they found her out. Aside from the woman's strange dress, she looked not too different from some of the other magicians.
The young witch shrugged. "I couldn't exactly refuse the offer. Besides you said you knew something about the attack that's ruining my summer vacation. Every youkai hunter is hunting for the bastard who attacked the school. In fact half the youkai are looking too from what I heard."
"Not surprising," Rei said with a smile. "The civilized youkai would love to prove they are loyal to the spirit of Gensoukyo." The woman's countenance darkened. "I do in fact know about what happened. Unfortunately, the situation is more complicated." Tamamo no Rei looked at Izuna. "Why don't you explain?"
Izuna swallowed the lump in her throat as everyone's gaze fell on her, and she did her best to explain what happened. She stumbled over the first bits, but as the witch looked more and more impressed, she found it easier to continue. When she finally got to the end when she fled she felt confident that things would turn out okay.
Helena turned to Rei. "Do you know why he was attacking the school?"
"It seemed he had several failed romances behind him," Rei said. "He was carrying items stolen from the family of his last obsession, possibly in an attempt to implicate them." Rei waved her fan dismissively. "We've already handled that matter."
"What's the rest of your plan?" the witch asked.
"Simple," Rei pointed to the body. "You act as if you caught the thief, and turn in the body as proof."
Helena nodded. Izuna shifted uneasily as the witch summoned a curse to her hand then slammed it into the corpse, causing wounds to appear all over the body. "Done. But you have to know Marisa and Reimu will know I'm lying."
"True, but Marisa's a youkai now, and the shrine maiden is far more reasonable than most," Rei replied.
Helena summoned a mystical disk to carry the body before turning back to Rei. "You know that there's no real chance of the village asking for her head."
Rei folded her hands into her sleeves. "The probability of that happening is two percent. But while that's lower than any time in history, when you have lived as long as I have you stop being surprised when the odds betray you." The fox matriarch smiled. "With you handling it, the probability of something bad happening to my foxes drops to a number mathematically indistinguishable from zero."
"You foxes and your math." Helena shook her head. "Well I'd better hurry. Anything to get my 'teacher' to calm down and let us start some proper research. I'll send a note later Lady Tamamo."
"We will be glad to receive it," Rei said. The witch waved then walked out the door.
Izuna sat up straight as Rei looked back at her. The kitsune matriarch nodded. "With that you should be safe to return to the village as your fake self. In fact I suggest it. People will notice if a second child is missing."
"I will!" Izuna replied happily.
"As for your service, well, normally I wouldn't have real work for a two tailed child," Rei said. "But you're about to get your third tail aren't you? And more importantly you've been visiting Suzunaan without drawing the attention of that damned tanuki woman." Rei's expression darkened for a bit before she smiled. "So, do you think you can continue being our eyes and ears there?"
"Gladly!"
--------
The joy that her escape had brought was all gone when she returned to the village a day later. The attack, and the short hunt afterwards, was the talk of the town. Classes had been canceled of course, and the graduation ceremony delayed.
The delay in the graduation ceremony was a good thing though. It would be wrong to hold it when the best student in the class couldn't attend.
Sumire's house was outside the village walls. Not into the farms, but definitely not a rich home. Still it looked sturdy, and it had two rooms it seemed. Izuna walked to the side and called out, "Excuse me. Is Sumire seeing people?"
The door opened revealing Sumire's father. "Ah. You were... Izuna? Yes, she's awake. She's been resting all morning so seeing someone might do her good. Come in."
"Thank you." Izuna let him lead her into the side room.
Sumire was there sitting on a futon, bandages covering her many wounds. When they walked into the room however the purple eyed girl perked up immediately. "Izuna! You came to see me!"
Izuna smiled weakly. "Of course. After... well... that mess, I had to see if you were okay in person."
"Well," Sumire's father stepped back. "I should do some of my work. Call out if you need anything."
The two girls waited until he left before Izuna said, "Well... um, how are your injuries?"
"They aren't actually that bad," Sumire said with a smile. "Someone healed me before I lost too much blood. And then one of the new doctors saw me. They said I won't even have many scars."
Izuna sighed in relief. "That's good!" She relaxed a bit, then said, "So who else has been by?"
"About half the village," Sumire said with a laugh. "Ms Kamishirasawa even came by in Hakutaku form!"
"Really!" Izuna shivered in both fear and eagerness. "Tell me, tell me!"
The two chatted happily for a bit, recounting Sumire's meetings and misadventures since the incident. Izuna talked about the big meetup of all the youkai hunters after Helena had dropped off the culprit as well. After that they sat in silence for a bit.
Then Sumire looked hesitantly over at Izuna. "Hey, Izuna?"
"Yes?" Izuna asked.
The purple eyed girl took a deep breath. "I remember. I remember what really happened at the school."
Izuna froze. She felt goosebumps all over her body.
"I didn't tell anyone!" Sumire quickly said. "No one else knows!"
It was still too much. A human knew about her. A human who had lived with her normally for a long while. Izuna started to stand. "I should go."
As she started out the door Sumire lunged out to grab at her and whimpered in pain.
Izuna froze again, then found herself leaning down to help the girl back onto the futon. "You're hurt!" Izuna said. "Don't push yourself."
Sumire squirmed a bit then relaxed as Izuna helped her get comfortable. The girl took a few moments to recover then forced a smile. "Your real form is pretty."
"I..." Izuna closed her eyes. "Thank you."
There was a silence, then Sumire asked quietly, "Are you going to leave still?"
Izuna nodded slowly. "Yes. We're graduating after all."
"Ah." Sumire sniffed, then sighed. "That's right isn't it? Graduation."
"Yeah." Izuna stood.
"Izuna."
"Yes?"
"I'm glad I saw the real you."
Izuna wiped her eyes, then turned to the door. "I'll see you at the ceremony."
-----
Izuna was glad the tanuki smoked. It was a foul stench, but it made tracking the woman easy. She wasn't sure how the other kitsune hadn't managed to figure out that trick. But the fact that they hadn't meant she'd been able to keep her job as a spy on Suzunaan for years now. It'd been eight years since she'd graduated, and Mamizou still hadn't caught her.
Today though she was on personal business. She slipped into the store and waved to the owner. "Kosuzu. I have something for you."
"Oh, Izuna!" Kosuzu smiled. "Great timing! We've had a number of purchases and need to restock. What did you bring?"
"Some books written in the oni language, by Eureka Heart herself," Izuna said placing the tomes on the counter.
Kosuzu snatched the books up. "That's the famous novelist, right?! The one who's written a bestseller in every literary field! I thought she was a tengu?"
"Apparently her books appear in the underground at the same time as they do up above," Izuna said. "There are rumors she's an oni, or even one of the Komeiji sisters' pets."
"Wow!" Kosuzu was flipping through them eyes already looking over the writings. "I'll take them! Your usual fee?"
Izuna nodded. "Though I'll be visiting Kourindou for some of his math books, so anything he'd like will do as well."
"We've got the money so I'll save us all the haggling," Kosuzu said, pulling out several coins. "Thank you again! This will be a great addition to my collection."
"And it won't try to kill you or eat you," Izuna said with a smile.
Kosuzu pouted at her. "That doesn't happen that often!"
"I make a koban off you each year you don't turn into a youkai," Izuna said. "My odds are that good."
"At least you're betting on me," Kosuzu muttered.
"I suppose that's true," Izuna said. "I'll bring by more books when I find them."
Kosuzu smiled. "See that you do!"
Izuna pocketed the money and walked out into the village. She was actually doing pretty well for herself after that haul. Maybe she could go get some inarizushi as a treat before heading off to Kourindou.
"Izuna?!"
Izuna looked up into two violet eyes. The woman before her had grown considerably in the last eight years, and her bright red hair was in a orderly braid instead of just hanging loose, but Izuna knew her immediately. "Sumire?"
"It's been so long!" Sumire stepped close to Izuna and clasped her hands. "I haven't seen you since school! Oh, we simply must have lunch together and catch up!"
"Well..." Izuna looked for an escape route. "I did have some errands to get to..."
"I know a place that has wonderful fried tofu," Sumire said.
Izuna bit her lip. Well it wasn't a problem if she talked with Sumire, right? After all the woman already knew her secret. "Alright. I suppose my errands can wait. Books don't spoil."
Sumire started leading her towards the north market. "So you're still studying? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You liked learning the most of all of us. You were holding back all the time in school weren't you?"
"I was," Izuna admitted. "But only a little. It's hard to make deliberate mistakes and not get caught." She looked over at Sumire. "So what are you doing these days?"
"I fish," Sumire said. "It's not the most exciting work, but it's the best way for an unmarried woman to make a living."
Izuna nodded slowly. "True. I didn't expect you to go that route though. You liked being around people..."
"Oh you remembered?" Sumire grinned. "But it's okay. I've become friends with all the people at the market now. I've got plenty of people to talk with."
"That's good," Izuna said. She was glad her old friend was doing well.
Sumire paused thinking for a moment. "I suppose there is one thing that worries me though."
"Oh?" Izuna looked at the other woman. "What is it?"
"Well, my house is a good ways from the village," Sumire said. "It's helpful as a fisherwoman, but there are youkai about. It can get a little scary at times."
Izuna's eyes flashed to the woman's scars, faded but still visible on the back of her left hand. "I've heard there are youkai in the village as well," she said quietly.
Sumire laughed. "I suppose there are!" She looked up at Izuna. "But those are mostly good youkai I feel. Youkai that would protect humans. I'd feel safe if one of those youkai was with me."
"I see." Izuna felt slightly embarrassed at the woman's praise. "I don't know what they'd think about you calling them good youkai though. After all even good youkai are tricksters."
"They can't be worse than the fairies," Sumire replied. A gleam appeared in the woman's eyes. "Well, I can't ask for a youkai to help me, but if you needed a place to stay Izuna I'd be happy to make some room for you. It's not too close to the village, but if you're running to the forest of magic it might be a good location for you. And we can switch off cooking and cleaning."
Izuna felt her tails trying to twitch. It was a terrible idea. An idea sure to get her in trouble. But on the other hand, Sumire did already know her secret. And two women living at the edge of town would draw less suspicion than a woman whose address wasn't known.
The help cooking and cleaning sounded nice too. Even maintaining a simple den for her fox form was a fair amount of effort.
"I'll think about it over lunch," she said.
Sumire took her hand. "Sure. Now, why don't you tell me all the grand things you've learned while I've been scooping ayu out of the rivers?"
------
Izuna banished her foxfire as the sun came out from behind the clouds. The rain was still falling, but it was light enough to read without magical aid. But at the light footsteps behind her she set down her book.
"I didn't mean to interrupt you," Sumire said as she placed down a tray with tea.
"It's fine," Izuna said. "I was only rereading it because there's no point in going outside."
"Is that so?" Sumire sat down next to her.
The two looked out over their small yard, out into the border of the forest. It was a pretty view, one that they'd enjoyed working on together in between their jobs and keeping the house in order.
After a bit of silence Sumire chuckled. "So, who's getting married?"
"Eh?" Izuna frowned at the random comment, before finally getting the connection. "Ah, of course. Sunshowers. A fox's wedding." Izuna smiled. "Well if someone is getting married they're eloping."
"My! How scandalously romantic," Sumire cooed, before sidling up to Izuna. "So I take it things are going well in your mysterious kitsune court?"
Izuna sniffed. "I wouldn't know. I'm just a messenger." Izuna grinned. "Besides they wouldn't trust me with important secrets anyway. They know you might bribe me with some fried tofu."
"A terrifying weak point." Sumire giggled. "Though that puts some of our conversations when we were children in a different light. People might think I'd been planning this from the start."
"You mean you weren't?" Izuna asked.
Sumire pouted. "Do you really think I'm that cunning, Izuna?"
"You hide all the pens in the house when I get a math book you want to read so I can't write answers in the margins," Izuna pointed out.
"That's a required survival skill," Sumire retorted. "You're too good at the problems."
Izuna stretched. "I'd get scratch paper, but then you wouldn't have any competition."
"Hmph." Sumire turned back to her tea.
Izuna chuckled and sipped her own cup. "It's good."
"Thank you."
The two sat, side by side, watching the rain fall through sunny skies.
"Hey..." Izuna hesitated.
"Yes?" Sumire looked at her.
Izuna paused to gather her thoughts. This question had been burning inside her, but she didn't quite know how to ask it.
Finally she simply asked, "Were you planning this all from the start?"
"Hm?" Izuna felt warm as Sumire rested her head on Izuna's shoulder. "I don't know. We were both just foolish girls at the time. But I can't say I'm unhappy."
Izuna let her ears and tail appear. "Even though I'm a fox?"
Sumire wrapped an arm around her. "I told you didn't I?" Sumire moved up and whispered in Izuna's ear, "Your true form is beautiful."
Slowly, Izuna turned to face Sumire. The woman's beautiful violet eyes met hers, and she had her answer. She let her tails wrap around the other woman's waist, and they both leaned forward and kissed.
When they both broke apart for air, Sumire breathlessly said, "Izuna... do you want to be the fox that elopes today?"
Izuna answered with another kiss.
------
Izuna handed over the scroll she'd tricked Kosuzu out of to the retainer. Tamamo no Rei took it, checked it briefly, then nodded. "Thank you, Izuna. This will save us a great deal of trouble later on." The kitsune matriarch handed it off to another retainer for storage.
"Is there anything else you need?" Izuna asked.
Rei paused for a moment, tapping her chin. "While there are a few things I need, I fear I will have to find someone else to handle them. You've paid your debt to the Tamamo family in full." Rei smiled. "An auspicious start to your next century, three tailed fox Izuna. Congratulations by the way."
Izuna smiled and absentmindedly stroked her new tail. "Thank you."
"Tell me Izuna," Tamamo no Rei said, "what are your plans now? Do you plan on joining a family? Or perhaps taking up service to the gods?" Rei looked down at her. "Perhaps you'd like to keep working for the kitsune court?"
"Thank you again, but I think I want to work for myself for a little bit," Izuna replied. "I've made a fair amount of money on my own."
Rei sighed and tapped her fan against her palm. "And I suppose that human woman you're seeing has nothing to do with it?"
Izuna felt her face heating up at the matriarch's statement. "Maybe."
"It's always the bright ones," Rei muttered to herself. She sighed then sat up straight. "I have a gift for you Izuna. As head of the Tamamo family, I grant you the name Kuzu. From henceforth you shall be known as Kuzu no Izuna."
"Kuzu..." Izuna let the name sink in. The surname of the fox that had married into the Abe family. The fox that had followed her love into death. She bowed her head. "It is an honor."
------
Izuna slowly combed Sumire's ash grey hair. The years had faded its brilliant colors, but the woman's violet eyes had stayed bright.
But soon even that would change.
Izuna finished the braid then moved to sit beside Sumire. The two women clasped hands, one smooth, the other wrinkled and trembling. Sumire gave a light squeeze. "You should go out today."
"It's fine," Izuna replied. "I want to be here."
Sumire sighed. "You're holding on to me too much you know. I'm worried you might do something foolish and follow me."
Izuna closed her eyes. "You don't want me to?"
"Of course not." Sumire rested back. "I fell in love with a fox. A beautiful noble fox. I knew you would outlive me." She slowly grinned. "But I'm selfish so I decided to take what time from you I could."
"Hm." Izuna managed her own smile. "Then you shouldn't be trying to send me out so often. Time is something you should be rationing."
Sumire patted Izuna's hand. "Time in this life yes. But you've forgotten Izuna, we humans have our own powers. I'll reincarnate. And I'll find you again for sure."
Izuna leaned down and kissed Sumire's cheek. "Promise?"
"I promise."
-----
There was a legend in the human village. "In the rainy months a fox spirit would appear, and leave a single bouquet of violets on a timeworn grave." No one knows why the fox does so, or who the grave belonged to, but children would occasionally dare each other to try to get a peek at the fox as she went about her business.
Honestly, it was starting to become a pain for Izuna. She'd had to drive off at least five fools looking for her in the last ten years, and one of those times she'd had to save the child from angry spirits. That wasn't how she wanted to be spending her time.
Still at least this boy was young. Getting him out of the way would be easy. She transformed, put on her best scowl, and boldly stomped down the path towards the boy's hiding place. "Just what are you doing here?!"
The boy leaped nearly a foot in the air before whirling around to cower before her. "I- I was just trying to see the fox, Ms Kamishirasawa."
"And what were you going to do if you did see her? Kitsune can be dangerous youkai, especially if you spy on them." Izuna glared down at the child with the stare that had cowed many a rebellious student. "I'm taking you back to the village right this instant. Come along now."
She grabbed the boy by the shoulder and began hurrying him back down the path to the village. He squawked in protest, but he didn't complain too much. He was probably dreading the headbutt the often followed one of Keine's lectures. Today he'd get lucky, but the fear would make Izuna's job easier.
"Masahara!"
The boy looked over towards the source of the voice. "Mother?"
A dark haired woman wearing the rough clothes of a farmer was running down the path, a mixture of worry and annoyance on her face. "I told you not to go to the graveyard at night! Kogasa isn't the only youkai about!"
The woman looked up and Izuna froze.
Violet eyes.
Masahara used her surprise to flee to the relative safety of his mother's arms. "But moooom! I wanted to see the woman who puts the flowers across from dad's grave."
That's right. There had been another grave the last time she'd visited. She had paid little attention to it.
The woman firmly grabbed the young boy's arm. "That doesn't give you the right to disturb them. You're lucky they're so reasonable." She then bowed to Izuna. "I'm sorry honorable youkai for disturbing you this night. We'll get out of your way."
Izuna blinked. She considered lying, but she could tell from the woman's expression that her disguise had failed. "How did you know?"
The woman gave a familiar giggle. "It's a full moon, miss youkai."
A quick look at the sky showed that the woman had spoken true. Izuna smacked her forehead. Such an amateur mistake. She was tired apparently. "It seems I'm caught Miss...?"
"Kiriko," the woman replied.
Izuna nodded then banished her own glamor. She took some satisfaction that Kiriko seemed just as speechless as she had been before. She carefully pulled a single violet from the bundle she'd hidden, then presented it to Kiriko. "Kuzu no Izuna. Perhaps we could both visit those who've gone on before us?"
The violet eyed woman hesitated a moment, then took the flower. "Thank you miss."
The young boy tugged on Kiriko's arm. "Mom, she's the kitsune!" he hissed.
Both Inzuna and Kiriko chuckled at the obvious observation. "Yes," Kiriko said. "And since she said it was alright, we can follow her."
As they walked along the stone path, Izuna turned to Kiriko. "So, you're raising the boy alone?"
The other woman nodded solemnly. "His father passed away in the plague two years ago. Along with his parents."
"It must be hard," Izuna said.
"We still have some money," Kiriko said. "And the farm is paid off. We'll manage."
Izuna gave the woman a smile. "Well, I'm sure the heavens will look favorably on a clever woman who does her best for her family."
"Are you a messenger of the gods?" Masahara asked with wide eyes.
"No," Izuna replied. "But I know a few kitsune who are." She leaned down and whispered loudly, "And they said an outsider might stumble onto your farm to help you and your mother out. As long as you're a good boy that is."
Masahara nodded eagerly. "I will be!"
"But-" Kiriko looked shocked at the offer, but Izuna just winked. Sometimes youkai unpredictability helped.
"We're here," she said as they reached the section of the graveyard.
Kiriko nodded. "Come, Masahara." She led the boy to the plot across the way.
Izuna turned to Sumire's grave, and knelt down beside it. "Well, you kept your promise. But you haven't made it easy for me," she whispered as she placed the violets on the grave. Financially supporting a farm was simple, but she hadn't the slightest idea how to help with a child.
She turned back to Kiriko and Masahara as they stepped away from the grave opposite. "I'll see you safely back home tonight."
"Thank you," Kiriko replied. Then the woman smiled. "And if an outsider were to appear tomorrow, there might be fried tofu for lunch."
----
And so we test how few Touhou characters we can put in a Touhou fanfiction while still having it be Touhou. Izuna is the unnamed fox spirit that torments Reimu in the Suzunaan manga, Kosuzu is of course herself, and the rest are all my own creation.
I used the Tamamo name for the leader of Gensoukyo's foxes because Tamamo no Mae is considered the "Ur-kitsune" as it were. She's supposedly the origin of all fox demons from China to Japan. However since she's slightly dead I have another family member taking the position.
----
Kuzu no Ha is the name of Abe no Seimei's mother. I chose to use Kuzu as the name instead of Kuzunoha because Raidou's got that name taken.
Omake:
As Izuna waited in the lobby she pulled out her phone and texted Kosuzu, "Did you find the books I needed?"
After a moment Kosuzu replied, "Yes. They should be there in two days."
"I'm still surprised you're leaving Gensoukyo though. Even with the world opened up," Kosuzu added.
Izuna snorted. "You have it easy. You know where the Child of Miare will appear. I have to be more proactive."
"They're both due to show up soon, aren't they?" Kosuzu said. "Well good luck! And good luck with the job too."
"Thanks." Izuna sent the last message then pocketed her phone. Admittedly, she didn't need luck for this job. She was vastly overqualified for it, but even in the new Shogunate "Years of experience as a youkai" wasn't acceptable on a resume, so she was starting at the bottom.
A woman walked out and bowed to her. "Izuna Kuzu? I'm Mai Watanabe."
Izuna bowed in return. "A pleasure."
"We're really excited to have you join our faculty," Mai said. "I'm sure you already know this, but with the Shogunate working to restore Tokyo quickly, the number of students has skyrocketed. Having a youkai like yourself as a teacher will help them learn both basic knowledge, and proper etiquette between species."
"How the tables have turned," Izuna said. When Mai glanced at her curiously she explained. "When I was just a two tailed fox I went to school in the village for much the same reasons."
"Oh? That sounds like an interesting story. You'll have to tell it to the rest of the staff some day." Mai led her up the stairs. "Speaking of, I'm sure it was mentioned before, but we haven't quite finished constructing all the staff rooms. You'll have to share for a bit."
"Yes. The director mentioned that when he hired me," Izuna replied.
Mai motioned to an open door. "Well here we are."
The area was a bit small for two people, but not too cramped. There was a red haired woman working behind the far desk. Izuna politely rapped on the door to announce her entrance. "Hello. I'm Izuna Kuzu, the new math and youkai language teacher."
The woman stood up from behind the desk and bowed. "Ah, you must be my new roommate. I'm Chihiro Taotaka, history."
As Chihiro stood up again Izuna froze. Familiar violet eyes met hers again.
Finally Izuna sighed. "It's not fair if you keep matching my age when we meet."
"Hm? What did you say?" Chihiro asked.
Izuna laughed. "Nothing. A pleasure to meet you Chihiro. I'm sure we'll get along perfectly."
-
Oh hey Helena's here. Now I'm wondering if this is the same summer vacation as the first or if she's made a habit of visiting Gensokyo over time.
-
Oh hey Helena's here. Now I'm wondering if this is the same summer vacation as the first or if she's made a habit of visiting Gensokyo over time.
This is a later vacation, when she's grown up a bit and learned to stop worrying and enjoy causing damage in Gensoukyo.
-
Ellen Fuwafuwaatama Aureus smiled happily as she dusted her store. Or maybe this was her house. She forgot sometimes which was which. Fortunately her store was also her house so if she forgot one she was still right!
Today was another slow day though. Not many people came to her shop. She wasn't quite sure why. She'd asked Marisa once and got told it was because of her location. But she couldn't move or she'd forget where her house was. Being a store owner was really tough.
A scratchy meow told Ellen her pet cat Socrates wanted to go outside. A quick look out the window told her the weather was nice, so she decided to go out for a small walk. "Alright Socrates. But remember to stay close. And no bothering the birds." Socrates replied with another bored meow, which Ellen took as agreement. Of course Socrates was a terrible liar, but if he knew Ellen was watching he was usually good.
She grabbed a money pouch just in case she ran across a food cart, then opened the door and stepped out into the world, Socrates at her heels. It really was a nice day outside. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and there was a corpse on her front porch.
Ellen blinked. That last part didn't seem to fit. She frowned at the corpse. "You are ruining the atmosphere."
The grim reality hit her a second later. There was a body on her porch. Ellen yelped and leaped into the air, looking around for the youkai that might have done this. Instead all she saw was her garden, like usual.
"Hm..." She decided to inspect the corpse more clearly. It was a man. Middle aged and wearing fine silk clothes from the village. However the clothes were muddy and torn. There were a few wounds on his body, but nothing that should have killed him. "A mystery," she muttered to herself.
"Alright." She nodded. "I'm on the case." She'd hunt down the murderer responsible for this crime! "Let's begin Socrates."
She looked down to see Socrates dragging the body towards the forest. "Hey! Stop that. I need that evidence." She tried to shoo Socrates away, but the red and black cat hopped back and forth, doing everything it could to keep slowly moving the corpse.
A meow from behind her caused her to look over. Socrates was sitting on the porch, looking annoyed at everything. "Ah." As Ellen blinked at her cat, she remembered Socrates was white, and only had one tail.
Ellen quickly reached out and grabbed the corpse's ankle before the kassha could spirit it away. "No you don't! This body is vital evidence! Also you shouldn't steal its soul."
The kassha ignored her and tried pulling the corpse a different way while shooting danmaku at her. Ellen slapped the bullets aside and flicked one of her fluffy spells into the cat. This wasn't a formal duel so she could cheat a bit. The kassha was flung away, and while it hissed in annoyance it wasn't trying to steal the body anymore.
With that distraction handled Ellen went back to trying to figure out what had killed the man. He was overweight, but other than an enlarged stomach there was nothing wrong with him internally. His eyes bulged out, but there was no other sign of poison.
Ellen turned her attention to spiritual damage. She cast a spell to see what had happened to the soul, then frowned. There was nothing there, other than a few wispy traces of life energy. Someone had blasted the man's soul right out of his body. "Celtic magic," she said after a bit of checking. "Very rare."
She turned to Socrates. "The murderer is obviously a magician. One trained in western magic." She picked up her cat and pointed to the sky. "Let's start the investigation! To the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
The fluffy magician took to the air, off to determine who could have committed the crime.
Ten seconds after she left, the kassha grabbed the corpse and hauled it off.
---
Ellen skipped through the library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, pausing to occasionally look at some of the books. It was a very nice library. And she was very glad she'd found it after getting lost a few times. She'd started doing research here after the fun Walpurgisnacht a while back.
This time however she had an important mission. She needed to find out what spell had killed the murder victim outside her home. And for that... well she didn't really know what she needed for that but it was probably here.
"What exactly are you doing?"
Ellen turned to see the owner of the library hovering next to her. "Ah!" She turned then paused. "Lilac?"
"Patchouli Knowledge," Patchouli replied. The other magician sighed. "So, do you remember why you're here?"
"I'm searching for a spell so I can catch a murderer," Ellen replied.
"Murderer?" Patchouli raised an eyebrow at that. "Well that's interesting. Explain."
Ellen nodded. "Well Socrates wanted to go out," she lifted Socrates up as a visual aid, "and I opened the door, but there was a corpse there, and since corpses aren't naturally occuring I figured it was a murder. So I checked and someone had shoved his soul out, so it was probably a witch who murdered them."
"I see." Patchouli tapped the spine of the book she was carrying. "That's remarkably easy to follow for you Ellen. So, what type of spell was it?"
"It was a Celtic soul tearing curse. One that mimicked a banshee's cry," Ellen thought for a moment. "Oh! I think it's from the 1300s."
Patchouli blinked for a few moments. "If you know all that, why do you need my help?"
"That's..." Ellen looked at Socrates, who as always failed to offer an answer. "Um, because you know what type of witches could cast it?"
There was a long silence as Patchouli stood there frowning. Finally Patchouli said, "Ellen, as far as I know you are the only magician in Gensoukyo who could cast that spell."
Ellen blinked. "But I don't know that spell."
"You described it perfectly Ellen," Patchouli said. "And you apparently figured all that out just from looking at the body. Only Marisa and myself would be knowledgeable enough about curses to reconstruct a spell like that, and both of us are decidedly more modern in our spellcasting styles. You're the only one with the knowledge to even begin to develop that spell."
"Oh." Ellen looked at Socrates. "I didn't kill anyone right?" Socrates meowed in reply. She took that as a no. She would remember murdering someone. That was important after all.
"I'll go inspect the scene of the crime again," she said. "Thanks Patchouli." She waved and flew towards the exit.
----
Ellen returned to her home to think. The body was gone, which was nice, but that meant clues were harder to find. Worse yet there were dents on her door. "Who did this?" she muttered. It was going to take a lot of work to buff those out.
She tried looking around the area spiritually, but the occasional danmaku battle made it nearly impossible to figure out what spells had been used in the area. "This is a real pickle."
A chill passed through Ellen and she looked to the sky. There, rapidly descending, was the Hakurei Shrine Maiden. Reimu had four yin yang orbs circling her, and was openly brandishing her gohei. Ellen wondered why the woman was so well armed. "Reimu! What's happening?"
"Ellen Aureus, I'd like to talk to you about the murder of Yagi Imagawa," Reimu said quietly.
"Uh, who's that?" Ellen asked.
"The corpse that was here this morning, before Orin dragged it away," Reimu said.
Ellen didn't like the way Reimu sounded. "Oh. Well I found out he got killed by a magic spell. A very old type of magic spell. And um, I don't really know more then that."
"Your magic is all over the body, Ellen." Reimu raised her gohei. "Or are you even Ellen? I suppose we're going to have to find out the hard way."
Reimu swooped forward and Ellen just barely had time to dodge away. "But I didn't kill anyone!" Socrates yowled as she ducked another swing.
Then there was a loud crack and smoke appeared all around her. As Ellen stepped back from Reimu's cursing a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Follow," a woman said, and Ellen took that advice. They flew out of the smoke cloud, the other magician quickly tossing a concealment spell on them.
As they flew away, Ellen looked over the woman. Her rescuer was around her height with short dark blue hair and thick glasses for her grey eyes. The woman's witch outfit was made of modern fabrics, and a light grey instead of the usual black, but otherwise very traditional.
"Have we met before?" she asked.
"Friends," the woman replied. That was good enough for Ellen. She was a little sad she didn't remember the woman's name though.
They flew close to the village before stopping. This was probably far enough from Reimu that Ellen could figure out what was going on.
First things first. She turned to the woman who had saved her. "So, what's your name again?"
"Magdalena," the woman said while poking Ellen's nose.
In a flash Ellen remembered the woman. Magdalena Nightshade. A collegiate witch who had dueled her in the contest a while back. Liked marshmallows and mice. A few scenes of their following meetings flitted through her head as well. "Wow! That doesn't usually happen."
"Hypnotized," Magdalena said.
"Oh! Clever." Ellen nodded in approval. Apparently her friend had hidden the memories away in Ellen's mind for later use. It was even more helpful than Kirke's habit of dumping all the memories in Ellen's brain. "So why'd you come here?"
Magdalena held up some tarot cards. The Tower was prominent. "Rescue."
"Thanks!" Ellen hugged the woman, though she had to pull away before Socrates slipped over and started chasing Magdelena's mice. The weight of her current problems quickly crashed back down on her. "But I can't run forever. I need to get back to my store. And my house. How am I going to figure out this mystery..."
"Investigation." Magdalena pointed at the village. Then she gestured to herself. "Assistant."
Ellen beamed with happiness. "An assistant? I'm a real detective now!" She smiled and looked down at the village. "All right. Let's crack this case."
"Lead," Magdalena said, gesturing towards the town.
----
The best place to search for clues was at the victim's house. Ellen had to use a bit of fortune telling to find it, but soon they were standing inside the estate. It was moderately sized, though only a rich person could afford an estate in the village to start. The place was in mourning, with servants moving quietly to clean and prepare the place for their new owner. Probably a brother or cousin. Fortunately with the invisibility spell no one noticed Ellen or Magdalena.
Which was a problem. "How am I going to interrogate people if I can't let them see me?" Ellen muttered.
She looked over to Magdalena but the other witch had buried her nose in a book again. It looked like a mystery novel, but that probably wasn't going to help them in the short term.
So Ellen decided to just walk around. Maybe she could learn something that way.
After ten minutes she learned several things: The man had digestion problems. The chrysanthemums had been recently pruned. An uncle of the family had died two months prior. The house had to drive out a non magical tanuki recently(she'd checked and the tanuki really was just an animal.) The lady of the house had been trying lots of different recipes. The futons needed dusting. The lord had gone hunting the day before he died.
None of this really shed light on how he died though. Ellen scratched behind Socrates' ears as she tried to figure out what to do next.
"Bedroom?" Magdalena asked from behind her book.
"No, there are too many people there," Ellen replied. "Someone would bump into us." The only places they hadn't searched yet were the larder and the lavatory.
Ellen decided to search the larder.
The place smelled of salt and spices, which reminded Ellen she hadn't eaten in awhile. "I wonder if I could grab a sausage or something?" Ellen muttered. Four lines of sausage were hanging among the salted fish and vegetables. Surely they wouldn't miss one?
"Don't," Magdalena warned.
Ellen sighed and just stared at the sausages mournfully. They looked really good, even if a few had bite marks. Each one was a different meat too and-
And now that Ellen thought about it, this was really strange. Why have so many different meats? It would be very expensive to have that kind of variety just hanging around the larder. Why have sausages at all? Sausages were uncommon here in Gensoukyo. And why were there little bites out of all of them? Like someone had been sampling them.
She cast a spell at the offending food stuffs, trying to see if there was something supernatural there, but she got only a faint response. The mark of death was in the area, but that was to be expected since someone had died. Magdalena looked up from her book for a moment, then shrugged and shook her head.
"So you've returned to the scene of the crime."
"Ah-!" Ellen whirled and Socrates hissed at the accusation from behind her.
Standing at the rear entrance to the storehouse was a woman in a fabulous cape. Her pose radiated confidence and command, though it was a little rehearsed.
It also didn't give the woman a good line of attack. "Sorry you must be looking for someone else bye," Ellen said as she grabbed Magdalena's hand and ran out the front.
"Wait a moment!" the woman yelled as they dashed into the garden. Ellen looked around to find a place to escape to, when a black clad figure landed right in front of them.
"I'm sorry Ellen, but I need you to stay and talk to me a bit," Byakuren said. "I'm sure you had a reason for what you did, so if you just come with me we can hide you away for-"
"Trying to just hide away problems again?" Ellen looked back to see the woman who had challenged them before was standing at the exit of the storehouse. "You Buddhists just bury your problems instead of dealing with them. Especially you Byakuren. Even though it never works."
Byakuren turned her attention away from Ellen. "As opposed to just murdering youkai for existing, Miko? I won't let you hurt poor Ellen just because her youkai blood acted up."
Miko rolled her eyes. "Ellen is a magician, not a hungry ghost. She should be able to control herself. Unless you're saying all magicians are a danger to humans in which case I'll be happy to stop you right here and now!"
"You're far more dangerous to humanity than I ever was," Byakuren snapped back.
Ellen looked between the two. "Oh! Is she your girlfriend Byakuren?"
Both of the women seemed stunned at that. "WHAT?!"
"Well I mean normally if people complain that much without fighting," Ellen mused.
"Lovers," Magdalena said.
Miko choked then started jabbing her finger at Ellen. "Now look here, even if I was interested I'd never cheat on Tojiko."
"As if I'd violate my vows for such a petty woman," Byakuren huffed.
"You said differently after the Kokoro incident."
"No that was entirely you imagining things."
Ellen watched the two argue back and forth until Magdalena tapped on her shoulder. "Escape," the woman suggested.
"Right." Ellen turned her back to the argument and took to the skies.
----
They flew to the nameless hill. It seemed like a good hiding place. Especially since the sunflowers were getting ready to bloom.
"I think we lost them," Ellen said as she floated down towards the ground. Magdalena nodded behind her book.
There was a loud rustling, then a karakasa burst out of the brush. "Urashimeya!" Socrates scrambled behind Ellen's head.
Ellen looked over the girl as the karakasa stuck her tongue out. "Cute!" She rushed forward and hugged the umbrella close. "Aww, you're trying to be scary."
The karakasa girl pouted, which was even cuter. "Medicine... it didn't work..."
A doll youkai flew out of hiding, hands on her hips. "It's because you drew too much attention before your entrance. You need to yell as you jump out Kogasa! Like this. Urashimeya!"
Magdalena blinked, closed her book, then patted Medicine on the head. "Cute."
"I know I know!" Ellen swung Kogasa back and forth while Socrates complained. "Let's take them home."
"Grr... Don't look down on me just because you're a youkai!" Medicine gnashed her teeth at Magdalena. "And you can't take Kogasa! She's part of the doll liberation front!"
"Aww." Ellen released her newly found umbrella while Magdalena stepped back.
Medicine glared at them while pulling Kogasa to her side. "What are you doing here anyway?"
Ellen considered that. What were they doing here? "Well you see, I found someone who had been murdered, and then people thought I was the murderer, so I'm trying to find the real murderer but not in that order. So I ran here because if people catch me I won't find the real murderer."
"Um... what?" Medicine said.
Kogasa recovered her footing and said, "Why don't you use magic to see who the real murderer is?"
There was a long pause. Ellen looked at Magdalena who hid behind her book. It was a very good question. After all Ellen was really good at seeing the future, so seeing the past shouldn't be hard right?
"Okay!" She pulled out a crystal ball and started casting a spell that would reveal the truth of the event. The other girls all crowded around to get a look as well.
When the orb cleared it showed Ellen's front yard. It was night, but lights were on inside.
A man stumbled into the crystal. He was muddy and his eyes bulged out strangely. He swayed for a bit, then stumbled over to the door and hammered on it.
"Hey, it's that guy the lazy shinigami took away a week ago," Medicine said. Ellen blinked at that, but before she could connect the dots the scene in the orb moved on. Within the crystal Ellen opened the door, Socrates in hand.
She couldn't hear what was said, but the man swung a fist at her past self. In the vision Socrates scrambled away while her past self ducked. Orb Ellen shot the man with a blast of danmaku, but it just pushed the man back. Within seconds the man attacked again.
Then her past self seemed to stand up straight. Orb Ellen raised her hand, and a wave of dark energy washed over the man. The face twisted in a final grimace, then his soul was torn out killing him.
Ellen stared at the orb as the scene faded. "Oh." Ellen frowned. "I guess I was the murderer after all."
"Well it was only a human," Medicine said with a shrug.
Kogasa was shivering. "But doesn't that mean the shrine maiden will be looking for her?"
Magdalena shut her book. "Objection."
"Huh?" Ellen looked at her friend. "What is it?"
"You did not kill Yagi Imagawa," Magdalena said. "You killed someone else."
Ellen pondered this. "Ooooh. I think I get it!" She paused. "But this will be hard to explain if I'm getting shot."
Magdalena held up a finger. "Marisa."
"Right! Marisa will listen to me!" Ellen nodded happily. "Let's call her over!"
-----
Marisa wasn't as happy as usual, but fortunately she'd been willing to come over and listen to the explanation. "Alright. This better be good." Kogasa and Medicine waited nearby, whispering between each other.
Ellen opened her mouth to explain, then paused. "Um, I know why I'm not guilty, but I don't understand how he actually died. Magdalena?"
"Elementary." Magdalena closed her book again. But this time she put it away. "I'll explain.
"You saw the man's soul a week ago." Magdalena pointed to Medicine and Kogasa who both nodded. "So he was already dead. How? He had an uncle."
Marisa spun her broom absently. "Yeah. Total jerk. Always was pissed he got passed up for inheritance."
"Jealousy." Magdalena opened her arms. "Jealous souls become gaki."
"Ah!" Ellen clapped her hands. "He was possessed by a gaki! That's why there were so many sausages. The gaki was trying to sate its cravings."
"By hunting," Magdalena said.
Marisa's eyes opened wide. "Of course. It must have needed something weird, but it didn't know what. Either that or it was just in denial. But it was smart enough to look for the food it needed outside the village. Pretty strong spirit to be able to pull that off."
"Human flesh," Magdalena said.
"So that's why he attacked me," Ellen said. "But then why don't I remember killing him?"
Her friend tapped her nose. "Hypnosis."
Marisa chuckled grimly. "So that's how you survive out in the woods. Hypnotized yourself to be a brutal killer if you were in serious danger."
"Uh..." Ellen wracked her memories. Had she done that? Her head spun and some memories returned. "Oh. I did do that. Huh. I should have a talk with past me."
Kogasa and Medicine's eyes were wide open. "Whoa. That's hardcore..."
"Still, that settles the incident," Marisa said. "Or it will once I get Reimu to go hunt down the gaki responsible. No way your spell finished it off there, Ellen."
"Well I suppose that's a good thing." Ellen shook her head. "Does that mean I can go back to my shop?"
"Yeah," Marisa nodded. "Once Reimu's been handled the problem should go away. Suppose I'll tell Sanae too just in case." The other witch hopped on her broom. "I should start now though. Best to nip these mistakes in the bud. Good seeing you again Magdalena. I'll tell Patchy you were by so she can go on a rant about 'real witches.'"
Ellen waved as Marisa took off. "Bye!" Magdalena briefly held up a hand as well.
That handled she turned to the two youkai girls. "Do you want to get tea with me?"
"I have to practice my surprises," Kogasa said. "But thanks."
"Maybe we'll come by your shop for a tea party later," Medicine said.
"Okay! Remind me when you do," Ellen replied. She then turned to Magdalena. "Thanks for helping me out. I was a little confused there for a while. Socrates was getting worried I think." Socrates washed his paw, as if to deny any worry.
Magdalena shook her head. "Don't worry." She then held up a bag of marshmallows. "Smores?"
"Sure thing!" Ellen took her friends hands then started flying back home. "The fire should be great for cooking them right now."
It looked like today was going to be a nice fluffy day.
-
I love your stories and I'm certain that any stories I write are going to draw from your characterizations (I hope you don't mind). My favorite stories probably have to be "Walpurgisnacht", "Witches' Duel" and "Marisa's Summer Camp." (I hope any writer's block you might have resolves itself soon.)
I personally think that the Lunarians would make perfect as Al-Hazardian Ancient Astronauts for the Lyrical Nanoha World. Along with the Lunar Capital being Al-Hazard. Yes, I am trying to merge Lyrical Nanoha and Touhou (why aren't there more Lyrical Nanoha/Touhou crossovers).