~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
Eternal Border - a Touhou Reimagining - Part 2 In Progress!
Hawk:
No excuses. This took way too long. Soz to anyone who cares.
Chapter 8 ? People
Marisa pressed her back against the side of a large cherry blossom, taking in several deep breaths. Her heart was racing furiously; it wasn't often she had to run this far this fast. She curved her head around the trunk and sighed at the scene before her. Alice was throwing volley after volley of an unknown white orb at Youmu, who simply stood there and took it.
"That's gotta be it," she muttered. "Looks like Reimu was right. Hope she's okay." She took one more large breath, and bolted to the next tree. Whatever happened, she couldn't let Alice see her. In short bursts, she circled her way around the area. When she reached the far side, she ran to the center, keeping the largest tree in the area between her and the battle.
Okay, that's it. I'm learning the invisibility spell after this no matter how hard it is.
Tiiiiiiiing.
She smashed into the barrier surrounding the Saigyou Ayakashi violently, throwing her onto her back. She clutched her face in pain, shaking in an effort to stop from crying out.
"Eh?"
Marisa looked up to see Yuyuko staring at her intently. The witch held up one hand in greetings, the other still covering her mouth. The ghost queen tilted her head slightly.
"The witch, Marisa Kirisame...right?"
"I'm famous?" she asked, pushing herself to her feet, the pain now mostly gone. She looked straight at Yuyuko and pushed a finger to her lips. "I'd like to ask you to trust me."
"On what grounds?"
The witch smirked. "I'm not Alice."
Yuyuko paused a moment, grimacing, then sighed. "What would you like me to do?"
"Absolutely nothing," she said, reaching into one of her many pockets. She pulled out a small, wooden, octagonal device. "We don't know how to destroy the grimoire, or if it even can be." On the border of the front of the device were eight collections of three lines. Some lines were whole, and some were broken down the middle. Surrounded by these trigrams was a single yinyang.
"So we're gonna see if we can...borrow it with this hakkero."
In front of the Saigyou Ayakashi was the glowing white book, forgotten amidst Alice's rage. Marisa pointed the wooden device towards it, sending it a bit of her own magical power to begin the absorption process. The trigrams began shimmering an unearthly light. Slowly, the light of the grimoire began moving, spiraling, collecting to a single point in the middle of the yinyang. The witch grinned.
Yes! Should probably take about five mi...
Her eyes opened wide, her breath caught in her throat.
"What the fuck."
A pair of human arms, separate from a corresponding body, had flown?no, jumped?into the air, grasping the grimoire tightly. From their severed ends were spilling small streams of blood.
"What the fuck!?" she repeated, staring at the scene in exasperation. She looked at the hakkero, then the grimoire, and back and forth a few times more. Her mouth was hanging open dumbly. "Ahhhhh..."
The grimoire began glowing more brilliantly than it had before. The hands were activating its power. Marisa was forced to squint her eyes, but even then, she saw it. From out of nowhere, all manner of bodily material popped into existence, swirling and convulsing violently. The smell of blood reached her, and began to feel sick to her stomach. Slowly, the mess began to take form, shaping a torso, legs, and finally a head, accompanied by all sorts of popping and cracking sounds. Skin began traveling over the muscle tissue, followed by hair, nails, and a pair of excited eyes.
"Alice?" Marisa whispered, almost dropping the hakkero. She looked to the side, catching a glimpse of the ongoing battle between Youmu and whom she thought was Alice.
"Wow," the new Alice said, staring ecstatically at her hands. She flexed her fingers and alternately raised each leg in place. She ran her hands through her hair. "It's been a really long time. A really, really long time." Satisfied, she walked over to Marisa, who was staring blankly at the awe inspiring scene. She laid a hand gently on top of the hakkero, pushing it down, breaking the flow of absorption.
"It's a good plan," she said softly to the witch, "and I'll let you do whatever you want with it later, but right now I need the grimoire, okay?" She stared directly into Marisa's eyes. She seemed so...honest.
"You were the one crying, weren't you?" the witch said.
"That was a long time ago," she said, turning toward the ensuing battle.
"Wait!" Yuyuko, who had remained silent all this time, rushed forward and grabbed Alice's arm. "You know about me! You can tell me! Please tell me!"
"After this is all over."
"No!" she screamed, refusing to let up on her grip. "No! I can't wait any longer! Please!"
"Later!" Alice growled, ripping her arm away and pushing her down roughly.
"My Lady, run!"
"Unbelievable," Alice muttered, turning to face the oncoming blaze that was Youmu. The half ghost's eyes were red with fury. She had her sword pointed at the new Alice, running forward as fast as she could. Alice stood there, unfazed, a bored, irritated look on her face. Waiting until the absolute last moment, when Youmu's sword was mere inches away from her unprotected breast, Alice dodged at a speed invisible to normal eyes. She ducked under the blade and lurched forward to where, at the end of each of Youmu's sheaths, was tied a flower by the name of Eternal Princess. With all the speed of a god, she ripped one free. She extended her other hand backward, grabbing Youmu's hair and pulling her down to the ground. She held the flower just in front of the half ghost's nose.
"Sleep for a while."
"Wha?" Youmu managed before her eyes rolled back into her head, falling into a deep slumber.
She threw the flower away carelessly. "You know, I kind of have to agree with my uglier half. You're a bit of a nuisance." She looked up to see the other Alice staring at her, laughing crazily.
"It's like looking into a mirror, if it was a mirror that made everything...creepy," she said, staring with disgust at the body she used to inhabit.
"Oh ho!" the original Alice said. "I get why I was feeling so good. Tell me, what should we call you?"
She brushed her hair back over her ear. "Alice, naturally. After all, you won't be needing it much longer."
"Well then," the original Alice said, licking her lips, "shall we celebrate?"
"Oh, absolutely," the new Alice said. "Any last words?"
"If it turns out I die here," the old Alice said. "If I...poof?you know??then I just want to say what a pleasure it was crushing you."
"As long as we're talking," the new Alice said, "I'd like to tell you why you're going to lose."
The old Alice smiled like a devil, her eyes wide with excitement. "Hit me."
"I've spent millennia as the second you," she said, beginning to walk forward. The warm spring winds blew her short hair around. "I never knew if I would be able to escape, but I swore, that if I ever did, I would spend my entire life..." She stopped, holding her hands at ready, allowing the other Alice to make the first move.
"...being a badass."
Youmu stepped out of the house. She'd scoured every corner of the building. If she had to make a guess, Lady Yuyuko was at the Saigyou Ayakashi.
"Wait!"
She turned her head to see Reimu and Marisa running toward her in the distance. No matter; she couldn't wait while Lady Yuyuko might be in danger. She took a single step before falling to one knee, shaking violently. She felt like her entire existence was being violated. It was just like before; she was being ripped in two.
All it once the feeling was gone, and she was able to stand. Reimu and Marisa were next to her.
"Sorry," the shrine maiden said, "but you need to wait."
"Make it quick!" the half ghost growled.
"We need a plan," Reimu said, "or we're all going to die very fast."
"I can dodge anything she throws at me," Youmu said.
"Probably not," Marisa said. "She'll probably try to destroy your existence with the grimoire. We don't know how good she is at controlling the grimoire's power yet. If she's learned everything there is to know, then...we lose, plain and simple. She'd be able to exterminate anything from any distance instantaneously."
"So what do we do?" Youmu said.
"Well," the witch continued, "there's a disproportionately high chance that she doesn't know everything there is to know, considering the breadth of the grimoire?at least as it's described in the myths. This means she'll probably have to materialize the destruction magic in the form of object 'A' which has to travel to point 'B'."
"As I said," the half ghost said, clearly losing patience, "I can dodge anything."
"But," Marisa said, "Alice isn't dumb. She'll definitely make these shots home in on their target. And these shots are purely magical creations. They don't have mass, so they don't have momentum. No matter how fast you move, you won't be able to shake it. And they won't stop moving until they've hit a target. You could run them into trees, but then how are you gonna fight her?"
Youmu gritted her teeth. "Okay, fine. What's your plan?"
Reimu held out a small, orange piece of paper with some markings on it. "Take this and make sure it's on you at all times. Just keep it in a pocket or something." Youmu took it and stuffed it somewhere inside her dress. "That'll project a border around you as long as you have it. Any magical objects that touch it will be sent across the boundary, to inside me."
"What?" the half ghost said.
Reimu reached down her dress and pulled out Suika's chain. "This will protect me. Maybe. Probably. We don't have any other choice."
"Reimu," Marisa said, "what if Alice throws, say, a fireball?"
"That's why I've placed the entrance in my pinky toe," she said, looking down at the ground.
"Still hurt like a mother fucker," the witch said, patting Reimu on the shoulder. She turned to the half ghost. "You can go now. Be careful."
Youmu nodded once, and shot off toward her target, the Saigyou Ayakashi. Marisa gave a quick salute to the shrine maiden.
"I'll be off then, too."
Reimu watched the witch run off, boosting her speed a bit with magic. She found a tree and sat down against it, taking in several large breaths. She clenched her fists in an effort to stop herself from shaking. It would be fine, she assured herself. Alice would use existence magic first, then get angry and do things physically. She wasn't that smart.
"I really don't want to lose my toe," she whispered to herself. Her heart was beating furiously and one minute...two minutes passed. Her fingers gripped Suika's cube tightly.
"There are two types of people in this world."
Reimu stood up instantly, senses on edge, gazing around for the possessor of the unknown voice. She looked up.
A woman with long, blonde hair, wearing a simple purple dress, was sitting in the branches of the tree she'd been resting against. With both hands she held a small parasol. She looked...fancy.
And then she was gone. Just like that, she had popped away, leaving the branches empty. Reimu heard a rustle behind her, and turned to find the woman had reappeared only a few yards away.
"Who are you?" the shrine maiden said.
"You may not think it to begin with," the woman said, beginning a slow walk, circling around Reimu, spinning her parasol. Her face was like an animated corpse's, filled with dead interest. "You may look around and believe the number and types of humans to be endless, but this is na?ve."
Reimu kept her front to the woman, spinning with her. Her normally quick senses were failing her now. She felt like a mere child in this woman's presence. All she could do was watch.
"Humans have separated themselves into these two groups for eternity after eternity, and they don't even know it." The woman stopped, and stared directly into Reimu's eyes. "Isn't that funny?"
The shrine maiden tried to speak, but all she managed was a loud exhale.
"Indeed," the woman continued, beginning to walk again. "Funny isn't the right word. I apologize. On the contrary, it's..."
She began walking directly toward Reimu. The shrine maiden's feet were planted in place. Her eyes were open wide. Her body was shaking. The woman extended a single gloved hand and touched Reimu's cheek lightly.
"So. Very. Annoying."
She lowered her head and kissed the shrine maiden's forehead. At that point, Reimu's legs gave out, and she crumpled to the grass in sheer terror. The woman looked down on her, smiling.
"My name is Yukari, and I'm here to tell you that there are people who go home, and people who are home."
Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin:
Hmm. This is getting intense ...
Well, okay, it was intense, but it's managing to keep it there.
Esifex:
I would play this if it were a game. I would watch this if it were animated. I would draw this if I could.
Epic win.
Hawk:
Chapter 9 ? A Series of Fortunate Events
"You know," the woman called Yukari said, spinning her parasol elegantly, "things aren't going to go too well if you just sit there."
"Who...are you?" Reimu stammered, finally finding her voice. She pushed herself off the ground and stared as defiantly as she could.
"Odd," Yukari said. "I could've sworn I just told you that."
"You've said your piece, so why are you still here?" the shrine maiden said.
"Alice will win."
Reimu's eyes opened wide for a moment, inhaling sharply. Quickly, the emotion was hidden away again. "Why?"
"It's not a bad plan," Yukari said, "but this is the Grimoire of God's Gap. Do you know what God's Gap is?"
The shrine maiden remained silent.
"You are not the grass. You are not the wind. You are not the sky. You are not the sun. You are not me. You are not the witch. You are not Alice. You are not anything but you."
"I know that much," Reimu said.
"Naturally," Yukari said. "The Hakurei would. But even then...rarely do they appreciate what it actually means. It seems like so simple a concept, but couldn't you imagine a world where the concept of separation didn't exist?"
The shrine maiden thinned her eyes. "That would be..."
"A singularity. A world where language is unnecessary, thoughts are unnecessary, all is one, and all is I."
Neither one spoke for a while.
"There have been worlds like that, you know," Yukari continued. "But it is forbidden all the same."
"And these separations are God's Gap?"
"Not quite," Yukari said. "Of the infinite I-am-not's, there is one in particular that is exceptionally important. Most important."
Reimu finally understood. "I am not God," she said.
"And from God's Gap?the eternal border between God and Man?the grimoire was crafted."
"Shit!" Marisa shouted, throwing herself to the ground. A giant white orb flew over her, eating whatever it touched, including a section from the brim of the witch's hat. It dug itself into the ground, hollowing out a large ditch, before fading into nothingness.
"Those two are going to fuck everything over!" she grunted, pushing herself up. She looked up at the two Alices squaring off in midair, throwing volley after volley of nothingness orbs at each other. Each had a demented look of ecstasy plastered on her face; she couldn't tell which was which.
She saw Yuyuko a few feet away. The ghost queen was resting on her knees, arms limp at her sides, staring dumbly at the spectacle before her.
"Hey!" the witch shouted, grabbing her arm.
"Uh?" Yuyuko moaned.
"How strong is that?" she said, pointing toward the Saigyou Ayakashi. Yuyuko turned to stare at it, deep in thought.
"The barrier!" Marisa said. "The barrier! How strong is it?"
"Stronger than anything else I know," the ghost queen whispered nonchalantly.
Without waiting for anything else, Marisa tugged at Yuyuko's arm, pulling her to her feet. She began dragging her around to the far side of the great cherry blossom.
"Stay here," Marisa said, setting her down. "Probably your best chance. I'm gonna go pick up Youmu, okay?"
"Mmm," she replied, staring off into nothingness.
Marisa dashed away toward the prone body of the gardener a few yards away.
"I would appreciate your assistance," Yukari said, staring at her with a grim expression.
"Why would I do that?"
"In repayment."
"Eh?" the shrine maiden said, cocking an eyebrow.
Yukari smirked. "Talking to you has caused you to stop being worried about losing a toe."
Reimu's eyes opened wide for a moment before once again being replaced by skepticism. "What would I be doing if I accepted?"
Yukari began spinning her parasol again, facing the top toward Reimu so all she saw were intricate patterns flowing in a circle. "Alice has been stealing souls coming into Hakugyokurou for the past two days. She's using them like water in a waterwheel to augment the grimoire's power."
Reimu thought for a moment. "It's only possible because souls are invincible, right? The grimoire would annihilate any other fuel source."
"Clever," Yukari said, raising the parasol over her head again. "Despite my...awe-inspiring appearance," she said, closing her eyes and basking in her own beauty for a moment, sighing, "I am not all-powerful."
"Uh-huh," Reimu said.
"I need you to get those souls out of the grimoire," she said. "Should be an easy task for the Maiden of the Border, hmm?"
"And what are you doing while I'm risking my life?" the shrine maiden said.
"Stopping the Alices."
Alices...
...
Alice will win...
...
"Explain it later," Reimu said. "Let's go."
"Glad to hear it," Yukari said, smiling.
"C'mon," Marisa said, cradling Youmu in her arms. "Good thing you're tiny."
"Mmmrgh?" the gardener groaned, opening her eyes. "Where...oh, Marisa. What's going on?"
"Mmm..." Marisa said, huffing a bit as she ran. "Little o' this, little o' that."
Much to Marisa's surprise, Youmu reached around and grabbed one her sheathes, bereft of blade, wrenched it free from its tie to her belt, and forced it between the witch's legs. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground, Youmu sent flying forward, rolling a few feet awkwardly. Just over both of them, a giant white orb flew, carving out a section of the ground in front of them.
"Sorry," Youmu said, pushing herself up unsteadily.
"Y'know," Marisa said, doing likewise, brushing the dirt off her dress, "I think I'll forgive you this time. Can you walk?"
She reached down to pick up her sheath. "I think...Reimu!?"
"Eh?" the witch said, turning to look.
Reimu and Yukari popped into reality above the ensuing battle between the Alices. The shrine maiden gasped slightly at the sight of two of them, but that was all. She was floating in the air.
"How are you doing that?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Yukari saw that Reimu was looking at her feet. "Come now, Maiden of the Border. Flight should be easy for you." She pointed her finger. "There's the grimoire. Now, go!"
Only a little ways away, the Grimoire of God's Gap was floating as it always had. Every other moment, it would flash as its power was being invoked by one of the Alices.
Yukari closed her eyes and held her arms out at her sides. The parasol fell lazily toward the ground. Reimu watched, fascinated, as the Alices were each covered by borders of swirling purple and black. Suddenly, the battlefield was silent, with only two little pill shapes remaining.
"They're a lot like that thing around your neck," Yukari grunted as elegantly as she could, cutting off Reimu's imminent question. "Now, go already!"
The shrine maiden felt herself being pushed toward the grimoire.
"They're getting...trapped?" Marisa said, staring dumbly at the odd spectacle. The two Alices were being engulfed by something. Perhaps it had to do with the woman Reimu was with.
Before being completely encased, one of the Alices?she couldn't tell which?threw her arm out one final time. The grimoire flashed, and a giant white orb flew straight at Marisa.
And...for some odd reason, she couldn't move. The shot was fast, sure, but it came from pretty far away. Her legs just wouldn't go. She felt her whole body was tensing, like the moment before a climax. Her fists and legs were shaking; she was ready to burst. She wanted to inhale. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. It was coming closer. Closer.
She was going to die.
And then it curved away. As if it dodged her.
A sound pierced the air. She held her ears and screamed.
Reimu held out her arms as she floated steadily closer to the glowing book. The fascination of flight was now lost to her as she got her first good look into the swirling radiance of the grimoire. Her hands touched down on the light. She wasn't sure what exactly she was feeling, but she could definitely hold herself to it, and that's all that mattered.
She had to be quick. She concentrated. It was just like ripping out Youmu's ghost half. There were just...lots of souls. A whole lot.
One at a time...
A soul popped out. And then another. Then several all at once. The floodgates now opened, a horde began gushing out, like blood out of a wound. The grimoire's light dimmed, flickering darker and darker as each small source of power left it.
And then it was empty.
She saw she was holding on to a small white ball, no bigger than a child's fist. Her heart leapt for joy.
That wasn't so hard.
She gazed toward the ground and inhaled sharply, eyes opening wide. A nothingness orb was headed straight for Marisa. Before she could even call out, it had suddenly shifted directions, missing the witch completely...
...and ramming straight into the Saigyou Ayakashi's border.
A high pitched squeal emanated throughout Hakugyokurou, deafening all in the vicinity. Reimu covered her ears as tightly as she could, gritting her teeth together. The sound was overpowering. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she pushed her knees up toward her chest, crunching her body together. Her mother's death, Marisa's betrayal, Chen's fury...nothing was as painful as this.
Finally, after an eternity of a few seconds, it subsided. Reimu wiped away her tears, shaking, and looked at the outcome.
The Saigyou Ayakashi was free.
I'm not quite sure who I am.
I'm really sad.
Everything. I hate it all.
I want to find others and make them like me. If I could just do that...everything would be wonderful.
We can all hate together.
My vision's kind of blurry and dark.
This world should die.
There!
I'm touching you, precious one. I'm giving myself to you.
Let us hate together.
Let us become nothing together.
This is love.
It's another one.
Do my caresses stimulate you?
I know they do.
You don't need to say anything.
I love you.
I hate you.
Love me back.
Hate me back.
And another one!
Oh god, yes.
It's ecstasy.
It's brilliance.
Love me.
Hate me.
Wait.
...
...
...
I don't want Youmu to hate me.
"That is satisfactory."
Yuyuko's hand, hesitating inches away from Youmu's breast, was now held firm by another hand. Youmu stood there, shivering, unable to move at the prospect of her Lady attacking her. Reimu and Marisa were nowhere to be seen.
The hand was small, but filled with the strength of a supernatural being. Yuyuko slowly returned to her senses as her soul was cleansed of the dark power of the Zero. She saw all around her that the other ghosts that had been infected were being purified as well. She saw the owner of the hand, a small girl in ceremonial garb. Her outfit was emblazoned with many gold medals and emblems, seeming to give her a high rank in whatever it was she did. Her hat held another golden emblem, cementing this assumption.
"I'm proud of you," she said, nodding. She let go of Yuyuko's hand and walked over to the Saigyou Ayakashi, pressing a hand to its trunk. "I'll free you now. Your work was also satisfactory."
She turned and waved her arm out. Immediately, everyone appeared before her. Reimu, Marisa, Yukari, Youmu, Yuyuko, and both Alices?all in a line.
"Reimu," she said, and the shrine maiden listened, "Good work freeing the souls. Spring's coming." She moved onto the next person. "Marisa, you only absorbed a bit of the grimoire, but even that bit is incredibly powerful. Use it with care. Yukari."
"At your service," she responded, somewhat dryly.
"A soldier following orders is not free from responsibility. Remember that."
"I'll be sure to."
"Youmu." The half ghost stood straighter than she was normally capably of. "Don't be consumed by rage or blame." She continued on without waiting for a response. "Yuyuko. You've earned your right to heaven."
"How?" she asked.
"A Zero is emptied of all emotions and thoughts other than to love, to hate, and to spread," she said. Everyone knew she was right, that she could speak no wrong. "But your pure feelings caused your strike to hesitate against Youmu. You couldn't have stopped it forever, but a moment was enough to prove your change of heart."
The ghost queen looked down at the ground and fidgeted a bit. "Can...I stay?"
The girl cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"As a Warden...of Hakugyokurou." Her voice cracked as she talked.
"I don't have a problem with it," she said. "But do note that you won't regain your memories until you enter the afterdeath, one way or another."
Yuyuko smiled. "I'm dead. I can't...I can't imagine memories of life would make me happy."
"No, I don't believe they would," the girl said, smiling back. "In that case, you may remain Warden as long as you like. If ever you wish to pass on, call for me. I'm always watching."
"Who do I call for?"
"Eiki Shiki, the Yama of Xanadu," she replied. "And be careful of your power. You can lose your right to heaven just as quick as you got it if you go murdering people haphazardly."
"Duly...noted."
"Alice," she said, immediately moving onto the next person. "You've been given a gift. A rule was broken for you. Legally...you shouldn't exist. I'll also be taking the grimoire, leaving you powerless. You'll have to learn to cope."
"I look forward to it," she said, grinning.
"As do I. Now then, you," she seethed, making no attempt to cover up her distaste.
"Uh huh?" the original Alice said. "Gonna cart me off to hell now?"
"Of course," Eiki said. "Your crimes are too numerous to count, and too heinous to recount. Hell is only suitable for..."
"Wait!" the new Alice shouted, staring intently at the Yama. "Give her soul to me!"
"For what purpose?" she said, tilting her head.
"Your goal is the redemption of souls, right?" she said, excitement written all over her face. "You don't believe she can change, which is why you're sending her to hell, right? So give her to me. Give me complete control over her soul. Let me manipulate it in any way I see fit. Let me punish it. If anyone can make her cry for mercy, it'll be me."
Eiki hummed and looked back and forth between the two Alices. "It's a bit unorthodox, but I like the idea."
"Yes!" the new Alice shouted in joy, pumping both fists into the air.
"And somehow," Eiki said, rubbing her chin, "I don't think hell could do your torture justice."
"Count on it," she said.
"But before that," the Yama said, turning to the original Alice once again, "I have something for you."
"Yeah?" she said, seemingly unperturbed by the deal the other two had just made.
"I make it a point not to make things personal," she said, thinning her eyes. "I judge the dead. I deal with murderers, rapists, and all manner of horrible people.
"But you," she said, pointing her finger accusingly at Alice, "you collected souls. When I get back, there's going to be a huge backlog of things to do. You've made my work harder. You've hurt me personally."
"So?"
"So," she said. She wound her fist up and punched forward as hard as she could, connecting with the center of Alice's face. Infused with the power of the Yama, the head immediately disconnected from the body at the neck, flying hundreds of feet across the grass. The body crumpled to the floor, fresh streams of blood floating out. Eiki sighed in satisfaction. She held her hand toward the body. A small white wisp flew to her.
"There's the soul," she said, smiling. "Sorry about the mess."
Hawk:
Epilogue ? The Boundary of Page and Thought
Marisa closed the book with a soft thump. On its cover was the title Eternal Border ? Zero Plus Six Equals Six in gold letters.
"I saw it," she said, "and I still can't believe she did that."
A girl sat in a chair across from her. "I felt it was a good way to end it."
"Yeah," the witch said, "but then you miss what happens after. You know, after everything settled down, and there was no more fear of danger?and Yukari gapped away old Alice's corpse?Youmu popped out her ghost half just like that, and began bawling right there on the grass. She kept shouting...you know...'Daddy. Daddy.' I couldn't watch it."
"What about the rest?"
"Okay, I guess," Marisa said, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, I read a lot of books, but they're all for reference. Not much of a story person myself, so I probably wouldn't know good from bad."
"Ah."
"But still," she said, "you're going to explain all that other shit, right? There seems to be a couple things that stand out as...weird, and aren't really explained. I mean, I know most of it, but other people..."
"That'll be taken care of," the girl said, smiling.
"But man," Marisa said, staring up at the ceiling and grinning. "I can't believe she just slugged off Alice's head. That was so fucking awesome."
"I hope you won't mind me asking you for details about my next book," the girl said.
"Sure. Which one'll that be?"
"The tale of the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
"Oh..." the witch said, smile gone. "That makes sense, I guess. Uh, sure. Yeah. Whatever you need. I'm your girl." She tapped her fingers along the chair's armrest for a few seconds. "Hey, why're you writing these anyway?"
"It's...important to me," the girl said. "I want everyone to know what really happened."
"Okay. Hey, I'm gonna go get something to eat. Wanna come?"
"No, thank you," the girl said.
"Ah, okay. See you, then."
"Goodbye."
And that's it! Part one completed. It was a fun ride. All comments and critiques are welcome, as they always have been.