~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
hungrybookworm's Tasty One Shots - Warmth (Fluffy Reimu/Marisa)
hungrybookworm:
--- Quote from: Kilgamayan on December 25, 2014, 04:34:17 PM ---If you really liked Seija so much, you would hate her. =P
Great read, as always!
--- End quote ---
I express love for my favourite characters by making them suffer in my fanfiction! The more I love Seija, the more pain she's gonna feel. (Poor Seija...)
Thanks for reading too, as always!
hungrybookworm:
Orin and Okuu underground! Based on the request "Rin/Utsuho - Through the Fire (89)" from tumblr user rabbiteclair. (I got lazy with the title, shhh...)
Through the Fire
(AO3 Mirror)
The heat gave everything away. Rin woke up from her catnap to find the palace?s chequered tiles burning hot. She leapt up in the air with shock, and scooted over to a nearby chair before her paws blistered. Blinding white light poured up from the stained glass windows set in the floor, and projected a kaleidoscope of colours onto the ceiling.
The air was thick and humid, and hard to breathe. Rin closed her eyes and let herself morph into her human form. Much better. She immediately felt cooler without fur, and she took a deep breath, making full use of her greater lung capacity. Her palms and soles throbbed, but at least her feet were covered with shoes. She could walk across the corridor now.
?Orin? Where are you??
Satori spoke to her left. She was shielding her eyes with one hand. Rin noticed a heat haze at the far end of the corridor.
?I?m here, Satori-sama.? Rin slipped off the chair, and stepped onto the floor.
Satori looked at her, frowning slightly. ?So you don?t know anything about this either.? She sighed after a moment, disappointed. Rin rarely had to say anything back, thanks to her mistress? mind-reading ability. It made things convenient. ?Can you talk to the other pets and see if they know where all this heat is coming from??
?Of course.?
?Thank you.? Satori walked past her. ?I?ll be in the bath, if you need me.?
?Okay.?
?You?re welcome to join me after you?ve talked to the others.?
?Thank you, Satori-sama.?
Once Satori was out of sight, Rin began her search for the other pets. She wandered down the corridor, looking through every room and cupboard she passed. There were hundreds of animals living in the palace, but today none of them seemed to be around. They were probably sheltering somewhere cooler, like in the ice house or near the roof. But before Rin could turn around and head for the nearest flight of stairs, a stray thought drifted through her mind.
Wasn?t Utsuho in charge of the Hell of Blazing Fires? The Palace of the Earth Spirits was built over it. If the heat was radiating from the floor, then wouldn?t that mean it was coming from there? Rin had been friends with Utsuho for a long time. She wasn?t exactly the brightest bird, even among hell ravens, but she always did her job.
Had something happened to her?
Rin wiped the sweat off her brow. It was probably just something stupid, like Utsuho tossing in too many corpses at once. But the palace hadn?t been this hot since they were cut off from Hell. Rin needed to see what?d happened for herself, before any of the other pets did. She stepped out into the corridor, and walked towards the courtyard.
It wasn?t much cooler outside. She could feel the heat radiating out of the ground. Her wheelbarrow sat near the backdoor, and Rin reached for it out of habit. But she stopped herself just in time. The metal would burn her, and it?d just get in the way. There was no point bringing it. Instead she walked over to the hole in the centre of the courtyard, and floated down through it. Seconds later, Rin covered her eyes with her arms.
The Hell of Blazing Fires was in operation.
The bright white light was scorching hot. Molten lava floated below her, robbing the air of oxygen. Her eyes hurt, and she felt her clothes grow heavy with sweat. She had to make it quick. Rin floated as close to the ceiling as she could, occasionally knocking into stalactites and sending them plummeting into the lava. Her head hurt. She was thirsty. Once upon a time she?d carted corpses through this heat, hadn?t she? Back then she?d barely noticed the temperature. Rin didn?t have time to be nostalgic though, not while she had an objective.
She saw a figure up ahead, dancing through the heat haze. Black hair, black wings? it had to be Utsuho. She was safe at least. ?Okuu!? Rin yelled, trying to catch her attention. ?Okuu, what?s going on??
Utsuho glanced in her direction, smiled, then continued dancing. Rin moved as fast as the heat would let her. As she got closer, she noticed odd things about Utsuho?s clothes. She was wearing a cape now, a huge white sheet that barely covered her wings. One of her shoes was covered in odd, grey rock, and her right arm now boasted a long, sleek cannon.
?Orin!? shouted Utsuho. ?Look, look at this!? She pointed her cannon up at the ceiling. Rin instinctively ducked, but what shot out wasn?t a danmaku bullet, but a ball of flame the size of a melon. Rin couldn?t look at it directly, but she could sense it pulsating as it hovered above them.
?I can make things like this now!? cried Utsuho. ?All thanks to nuclear fusion!?
Rin didn?t like the sound of those words. ?Nuclear fusion??
?Yeah, someone from the surface came down and showed me how to use it! I don?t really understand it, but apparently it?s a godly, mythical energy source they can?t do in the outside world.?
?Someone from the surface? Who??
?I don?t know her name, but she said she was a god.? Utsuho pointed her cannon back at the lava. ?Watch, Orin! Watch me do it. It?s amazing!?
Rin backed up to the cave wall, nervous, and observed Utsuho from a slight distance. She could barely understand what was going on, honestly. Utsuho would shoot little balls of flame out of her cannon. The lava would roar, and fly up in little bursts. There?d be steam, noise, sometimes smoke, it was all very theatrical. But Utsuho looked delighted, like a child playing with a new toy. Rin hadn?t seen her look so happy in decades.
But, there was something fishy about it. This nuclear fusion thing seemed too strong, too convenient. There had to be a catch. When Utsuho was finally done, she turned back to Rin with a smile as bright as the sun, and said:
?Maybe now, we can finally show the surface who?s boss.?
There was a wicked look in her eyes. Her smile seemed too confident. Despite the extreme heat, Rin shivered.
If she didn?t do something, all hell would break loose.
hungrybookworm:
At last! After mumbling about SeiMari on my Tumblr for months, I finally wrote a SeiMari story! It's rated 'M'. A light M, but an M none-the-less, and things do get pretty racy in places soooo...!
[nsfw]https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158771[/nsfw]
There's nothing extreme or upsetting in it, but you might want to glance over the tags before reading, just in case.
hungrybookworm:
I need a Seija detox... Based on the request "SeiShin, 44 (Two Roads)" from tumblr user amemenojaku. Nearly done with my outstanding meme requests.
Arrangement
(AO3 Mirror)
There were no sunrises in the world of oni, and no sunsets. Only the lamplight glowing through the townscape gave a hint to the time of day. Oni were active at all hours, but at night the lights were brightest, and the yells and jeers and endless chatter nigh deafening.
The inchlings were more active at night too, as a necessity. Night was the most plentiful; when they best gathered resources, and scavenged food. The oni were often too drunk or otherwise occupied to notice a plate of party food suddenly disappear under their noses, or a few articles of clothing go missing from their drawers. The timing had to be impeccable; inchlings were considered pests, and one wrong move could result in casualties.
Shinmyoumaru didn?t have to worry about all that, for now. She had never left the castle grounds, and wasn?t allowed on scavenger missions. She had only glimpsed an oni once or twice in her life, and saw the rest in picture books and paintings. Her tutors would wrinkle their noses when she asked about oni, and declare that the princess need not worry about such things. She reached adulthood without once leaving the grounds, even for special events or parades. Her only hint to life beyond was the echoes that bounced off the cavern?s endlessly high ceiling: shouts and laughter of far away parties.
Her life was heading in one direction, like a mine cart being gently rolled along its track. The surrounding people pushed her along, ensuring there was no chance of her slipping backwards, or otherwise falling off the rails. And Shinmyoumaru was fine with that. Her future lay in leading her people. She would be fed, clothed, waited on and always get the best of everything. She had no reason to long for anything else.
Then one day, her mother requested her presence. Shinmyoumaru dressed in her finest clothes, and was led to her mother?s study. There was an unfamiliar man with her ? an inchling old enough to be her father.
Her mother, the queen, introduced them. ?Shinmyoumaru, this is your fianc?.?
Shinmyoumaru tilted her head, confused. The man smiled gently, and bowed.
The wedding was set for three months later.
*****
Shinmyoumaru couldn?t understand why it bothered her so much. Her fianc? was gentle, and a highly intelligent man. He would talk for hours about politics and the inner workings of the palace. He was a noble, and well suited to aid her future role as queen. The servants spoke highly of him, saying that he would take good care of her and any future children they had.
She had known for many years that her husband would be picked for her, and trusted her mother?s judge of character. Shinmyoumaru had never felt interested in any of the men in the palace, nor understood why her female servants gossiped about boys so much. If she had no preference for one herself, then what was the harm in letting someone else pick for her? That way she could focus on her studies, and spend her free time swinging her sword in the grounds.
But now, as the days drew closer to her wedding, she found herself feeling sicker and sicker. She couldn?t concentrate on anything ? books, lessons, even her fencing technique. Nightmares of being trapped or locked away haunted her as she slept. She was restless, and keen to keep moving. Her mother scolded her for fidgeting at important dinners, and took her aside afterwards. ?I know you?re excited, but you must remain on your best behaviour,? she snapped.
It was the week before the rehearsal that something changed. Shinmyoumaru woke up after only three hours of sleep, and knew that she had to leave the palace. Her servants were asleep; there was no one to stop her. She dressed herself the best she could, grabbed her needle sword and her bowl helmet, and escaped through the window, carefully climbing down the palace wall until she dropped into the bushes.
Getting out was effortless. No one was guarding the gates. The further she got from the grounds, the more at ease she felt. And soon her anxiety changed to excitement.
For the first time in her life, she was outside.
What would she do first? Most of the inchlings were asleep, so there was barely anyone around. She walked through settlements, investigating houses made from all kinds of materials ? from tin boxes to dirt piles ? and peeked in through the windows. She ran up and down the road, imagining merchants selling their wares in market stalls. And then up ahead she saw a bright white hill, just begging to be explored. She dashed forward, resisting the urge to giggle, and turned a corner.
She yelped, and staggered to a halt. The bright white hill was a person. A big person! Shinmyoumaru immediately grabbed her needle sword, trying to remember her training. The person was lying down, their back to her. She hadn?t been noticed yet. Shinmyoumaru had to run away, but her feet wouldn?t move. Her legs weren?t listening to her.
The big person groaned, and moved. Shinmyoumaru squealed, her needle sword slippery in her hands from sweat. She glimpsed messy black hair, horns, red and black patterns on the white cloth? it was an oni. It had to be. This was her first time seeing one up close.
The oni looked at her, and frowned. She was an idiot. She hadn?t run away in time, and now it was all over for her. One slap and she?d be crushed. But Shinmyoumaru wasn?t going down that easily. ?Stay back!? she snapped, as authoritatively as she could. ?State your name.?
The oni grinned at her, amused. They sat up, and crossed their arms, looking down at Shinmyoumaru. ?You can relax, I won?t crush you.? Their voice was a whisper, but to tiny Shinmyoumaru it rumbled like thunder. ?In fact, I?m looking for someone. Perhaps you can help me find them??
?Are you an oni?? asked Shinmyoumaru, somewhat bothered by their politeness. Weren?t oni meant to be loud and rowdy?
The big person paused. Their smile flickered. For a second they looked annoyed. ?No, I?m? I?m not an oni. I?m looking for her Royal Highness Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. I have vital information to deliver to her, which I can only give in person. Perhaps you can tell me how I can make contact with her??
?That?s me.? Shinmyoumaru wasn?t sure if this was the right thing to say, but it was the truth, and she valued being honest. ?I?m Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. Tell me your business.?
The big person looked surprised. Then they laughed. Laughed and laughed until they clutched their stomach. ?Are you serious??
?Of course I?m serious!? Shinmyoumaru felt annoyed. ?Do I need to prove it??
?It?s fine, I have a way of knowing for sure.? The big person regained their composure, and bowed. ?My name is Seija Kijin. Excuse my impoliteness, princess. I have vital information to give to you, and in turn, an offer. I would be honoured if you would consider it.?
Shinmyoumaru listened.
And her mouth fell open.
*****
Nobody questioned why Shinmyoumaru was so quiet the next day. Most assume it was nerves due to the upcoming wedding. Her tutors reassured her that everything would go fine, that a happy life awaited her. Her servants giggled and tried to speculate what the wedding outfits would look like. Her mother smiled at her at mealtimes.
Shinmyoumaru couldn?t stop thinking about Seija. About her offer of a revolution in Gensokyo, about the true history of the inchlings, about the Miracle Mallet, the Miracle Mallet! It really existed. Seija had held it up in the air to show her, letting its intricate patterns shine in the lamplight. And Seija was so polite, so patient, and answered all of Shinmyoumaru?s questions perfectly. She showed far more insight than any of her tutors.
And she was beautiful.
Shinmyoumaru felt resentful of her small size. She wished Seija was an inchling too, who could become her friend and teach her all kinds of things. Imagining them chatting every day in the grounds made her face blush bright red.
And it made the wedding seem even more horrible. The thought of her fianc? holding her hand in the future, and not Seija, made her want to cry.
It made the decision easy. Almost effortless. Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing, but she would go mad if she stayed there any longer. That night she wrote three letters: one addressed to her servants, one to her mother, and one to her fianc?. She placed them under her pillow, then gathered as many things she could find. And just like the night before, she slipped through the window, out of the gates and into the world beyond.
Shinmyoumaru wasn?t stupid. She knew this could all be a trap; a ruse to lure her away from the safety of the palace. To kidnap her and hold her for ransom, or far worse. But she didn?t care anymore. She just wanted to see Seija again, and hear more about the truth.
Seija was waiting for her. It took everything she had to not run over.
?So you?ve decided to accept my offer?? Seija smiled.
?I have,? said Shinmyoumaru. ?Take me to Gensokyo. Let me avenge the shame and humiliation my people have suffered at the hands of its youkai. I command you.?
Seija bowed. ?Of course. Allow me to carry you; it will be faster that way.?
Shinmyoumaru paused, frightened by the concept, but she had to be brave. ?Please.? She braced herself as Seija?s hands curls around her, and lifted her off her feet.
Lifting her off the tracks of her old life, to somewhere new.
?Stop her!?
Shinmyoumaru squeaked. Wasn?t that her fianc??s voice? Through the gaps between Seija?s fingers, she saw him lead a group of twenty inchling men along the road, heading straight towards them. Fear rushed through her. She couldn?t go back now; they had to get away.
But Seija was moving. Shinmyoumaru was bounced up and down with each stride. There was no need to run. The inchlings were sprinting as fast as they could, needle swords unsheathed, but Seija was a giant to them. There was no contest.
And the palms of Seija?s hands were warm. Shinmyoumaru clung to a finger, and watched her fianc? fade out of sight. He was still shouting as he disappeared, and Shinmyoumaru felt sorry for him. Maybe they would marry him off to a different girl while she was gone.
Inchlings were weak. They were powerless against someone bigger than them. If Seija was a bad person, she could?ve massacred the whole army with a few kicks. The reality hit Shinmyoumaru hard, and the importance of their upcoming revolution was clearer than ever.
There was no going back.
Notes:
1) I tried a different writing style for this one. No idea if it really works or not, but it was fun. Posh narrative voices fit the upper classes quite well, I think.
2) The plot is based off a dream I had a few nights ago, about Shinmyoumaru having a fianc?, but meeting up with Seija in secret. In the dream they plotted to get rid of the fianc? and his men, and complete their revolution by themselves. Including that would've made the fic even longer though! So it just ends with Seija carrying Shinmyoumaru off. This isn't how I personally headcanon Seija and Shinmyoumaru's first meeting going, but it's fun to play around with what ifs and stuff.
3) The prompt is 'two roads' but the big metaphor was about mine carts instead. Oops! Well there's still a road in the story, so I guess it's okay!
Thanks for reading!
hungrybookworm:
After reading Chapter 25 of Forbidden Scrollery, I just... had to write this. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry in the slightest. Be warned that this fic is really grim, and contains character death and suicide threats. It also kinda relies on you knowing what happens in Chapter 25, and while you can probably still enjoy it without reading it, some things might seem a bit odd. I made a write up of FS Chapters 24 and 25 on tumblr if you're interested.
No Way Back
(AO3 Mirror)
Youma books were amazing.
Kosuzu loved them; had loved them ever since she first laid eyes on one, when she touched its crisp parchment with her fingertips, and admired the way the calligraphy looped and curled with inhuman scripture. She?d longed to read them for years and years and years, and when her eyes finally focused, and saw meaning behind the scribbles and indecipherable patterns, it was like a gift she?d been waiting all her life for.
She read through her entire collection within a week. She devoured the contents, eyes tearing across the pages, barely stopping to breathe. Kosuzu learnt ancient youkai secrets, tales long forgotten in modern Gensokyo, a hundred million little details about the world, and things even the most educated youkai scholar would never uncover. And in the best youma books - the scrolls and tomes with the creepiest, darkest aura - she encountered lost youkai, curled up fast asleep between the pages. She took great pleasure in unsealing the harmless ones and watching them curl around her desk like smoke, basking in their relief and gratitude. She was a goddess to them, a saviour freeing them from years of captivity.
The power gave her a kick.
Kosuzu collected more books. Her present collection was never enough, and she craved new additions. Her parents didn?t seem to mind her odd new hobby, but if she gushed about the books for too long Kosuzu noticed their expressions grow sour. If they suspected anything, they might confiscate her library, so she learnt to bite her tongue. Akyuu, her closest, most dearest friend, became her confidant. Together they would pore over the best books, Kosuzu reading the contents out loud, and Akyuu taking notes of her own, for possible later use in the Gensokyo Chronicle. They spend many happy afternoons like that, when business was slow or the nights drew in too early.
Every day was wonderful. There were happy things from beginning to end, and every morning brought newer, more wonderful events than the day before. Kosuzu had never been so content in all her life. She never wanted it to end. She prayed for her happiness to last forever.
Her euphoria drove her onwards, across all borders and barriers, and above her own limits. She could do anything, absolutely anything in the world. All she had to do was open a book.
And just like that, Kosuzu surpassed herself, and lost her humanity.
*****
The Human Village was completely silent. A chilly blue mist lurked around the canal, and the grass on the bank glittered with morning dew. Reimu?s breath came out in tiny puffs of steam as she kicked against Suzunaan?s shutters. Once, twice, three times. Marisa was hunched over beside her, mini-Hakkero in hand and the sweat chilly against her skin. They had flown to the village as fast as they could, and they couldn?t afford to stop and catch their breath. Not if they wanted to finish this in time. Neither exterminator had any idea if Kosuzu was still in Suzunaan, or if her parents were awake or asleep, but the crash of boots against wood would attract attention sooner or later.
And if they rested, they might start thinking, and then the whole miserable business would become ten times harder.
Finally, with one well timed strike, the shutters broke in half. There was a shriek inside the shop. ?Now!? The debris was kicked aside and the two women rushed inside. There was no sign of Kosuzu ? or her parents, or even, thankfully, Mamizou ? but Hieda no Akyuu was standing in front of the desk, shaking violently, her hairpiece askew and her eyes wide with terror.
?Stay away!? There was a small, sharp knife in Akyuu?s hands. ?Don?t come any closer!?
?Akyuu, what are you doing here?? Marisa dashed further forward, but was suddenly yanked to a stop. Reimu had grabbed her shoulder. ?Hey!?
?Stand still.? Reimu?s voice was calm; her expression firm. ?Akyuu, don?t.?
?I won?t let you kill Kosuzu!?
?Akyuu, put the knife down.?
?Never!? Akyuu sobbed. She held the knife up to her own neck, the edge catching in the light. ?Come any closer and I?ll kill myself!?
?Come on!? Marisa couldn?t believe this. As if things weren?t horrible enough already. ?Don?t even joke about that, you?re the Child of Miare!?
?You know the rules, Akyuu,? said Reimu. ?This isn?t your place to meddle.?
?Of course I know the rules!? Akyuu almost laughed. ?I?m the Child of Miare. I?ve seen this happen hundreds, no thousands of times, and I?m not going to let it happen again! Not to Kosuzu, not to my best friend. Not to the best friend I?ve ever had!?
?Then put the knife down.? It occurred to Reimu, then, that this was a stalling tactic. That Kosuzu might be far away from Suzunaan by now, and gaining distance with every second they wasted. The thought gave her hope. ?Killing yourself won?t save Kosuzu.?
?Gensokyo needs me! If I die you?ll have to deal with the consequences, won?t you?? Tears ran down Akyuu?s cheeks. Her breath came out in sharp gasps. ?But Gensokyo doesn?t need Kosuzu. She?s your friend, isn?t she, Reimu-san? Marisa-san? But here you are, ready to kill her, like she was never anyone important in the first place. Just another victim in Gensokyo?s perfect society!?
?Your job is to chronicle life in Gensokyo and its residents,? said Reimu, ?and mine is to keep the peace. I?m the Hakurei shrine maiden. This is my duty. Now please.? Her expression softened. ?Put the knife down, and step out of the way.?
?No!? Akyuu pressed the edge against her skin. A thin line of blood ran down her neck. ?I?m serious!?
Marisa couldn?t stand and watch anymore. She panicked, lunged at Akyuu, and tackled her to the floor. Akyuu screamed, and the knife clattered to one side. ?Reimu, quick!?
But Reimu was already sprinting behind the desk. She shoved the chair aside, and just as she feared, saw Kosuzu curled up beneath it like a cat.
There is nothing crueller than gaining hope, only for it to be snatched away moments later. Kosuzu hadn?t run away. She was right there, dressed as she always was, looking up at Reimu with a blank expression. The newborn youkai, Kosuzu Motoori, who had committed the greatest sin a human could imagine, now had to pay the price for it. Reimu felt cold despair wash over her. She wanted to grab Kosuzu by the shoulders and scream at her. Why didn?t you run away? If you?d escaped from Gensokyo I wouldn?t need to do this!
This is your punishment, said a voice in the back of her head. Because you were too soft with her all this time.
?Reimu-san?? Kosuzu?s voice was barely audible. She lowered her head, and began to cry.
Reimu moved aside, to give her room to climb out. I am not Reimu Hakurei right now, she thought. I am the Hakurei shrine maiden, and I am here to do my job. ?Come on,? she said, holding a hand out. ?I won?t let it hurt, I promise.?
It was the least she could do.
*****
They left Suzunaan that afternoon, once everything calmed down. The sun was high in the sky, and Reimu and Marisa walked alongside each other in silence. Neither knew what to say, nor wanted to say anything in particular. There?d been a lot of things to do once the hardest part was over. Kosuzu?s parents had to be informed and comforted. Akyuu needed escorting home, and the situation explained to her servants. Reimu gave a written statement to the village police, and the crowd that gathered around the shop had to be dispersed. But now, finally, there was nothing left to do, so they walked back to the shrine with slow, heavy steps. The crunch of the gravel felt loud. The birds overhead were shrill and annoying. Spring was fast approaching, and the sky was a bright, endless blue. The seasons didn?t care much for Kosuzu.
Reimu sped up when they reached the torii gate. She marched over to the main room, and slid the door open. ?Hey, slow down.? Marisa jogged a little to catch up, but Reimu didn?t look back at her. She stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. ?Reimu, come on. Don?t be like that.?
?I want to be alone,? said Reimu. Her voice was the same level tone as before. ?Leave me be.? Marisa heard her walk away from the door, further into the room. If this was any other day, Marisa would?ve followed her inside anyway, demanding to know what the matter was.
But Kosuzu Motoori was dead. Reimu had killed her with her own hands. It was clear as day what the problem was. Youkai didn?t leave corpses ? they crumbled away and disappeared. Marisa had seen Kosuzu crumble. Even the tiny bells on her head had faded into thin air. She?d felt Akyuu weaken in her arms at that moment, and a tiny whimper escape from her lips.
Kosuzu had just stood there, and accepted her fate. Maybe she was aware of just how deep her sin ran. Maybe she?d never wanted to be a youkai in the first place.
The thought made Marisa light-headed. She turned her back to the main room and sat down on the porch. The air felt cold, suddenly, and she shivered. There was no point staying here. She knew she should pick up her broom and fly home, and try and get some rest. Anyone would need time to recover from this. But her body refused to move. She sat still, trembling with her head in her hands, hoping that no one would see her, and that no one would interfere.
She was going to remember that scene in Suzunaan forever, over and over, in her waking dreams and nightmares. Even now, when she closed her eyes, she could see Kosuzu?s tear-stained face as Reimu-
?Good afternoon.?
Marisa clenched her fists. She could hear the smug smile in Yukari?s voice as she stepped onto the porch. ?A beautiful day, isn?t it??
??What do you want??
?Nothing in particular.? She felt Yukari sit down, to her left. ?I simply felt like paying a visit to the Hakurei Shrine.?
?Why don?t you go bother Reimu then?? Marisa quickly wiped her face with a sleeve, and looked up at Yukari. Just as she thought, the gap youkai was smiling. Marisa returned it with a glare. She wasn?t in the mood for playing around.
?And why would I want to bother Reimu after all her hard work this morning? She did her duty as the Hakurei shrine maiden. I have no reason to scold or admonish her.?
Anger flashed through her. ?Don?t give me that bullshit. You?re the boss around here. You made up that rule about punishing humans who turned into youkai.?
?Maybe I did.? Yukari put a gloved finger to her chin, in contemplation. ?Or maybe I didn?t. It was quite a while ago.?
?You forced Reimu to kill Kosuzu.? Marisa stood up, wanting to put distance between them. She was shaking again, this time with fury. Kosuzu?s face flashed through her mind once more. ?One extra youkai in Gensokyo wouldn?t have made a difference, you know!?
?I wouldn?t expect someone uninvolved in the management side to understand.?
?And I wouldn?t expect you to understand what it?s like to have friends!?
?Temper temper.? Yukari was clearly amused. ?Why are you so angry? Reimu always had the option of turning a blind eye. If anything she?s more pro-active about enforcing this particular rule than her predecessors.?
?I don?t believe for a minute she wanted to kill Kosuzu!? Marisa knew Reimu too well. ?Those two got on really well, they were like sisters sometimes, how could you-?
?Goodness, you really are worked up this afternoon. Can I recommend some soothing tea??
?Yukari!?
?All right, in that case, let me share my opinion with you.? Yukari spoke as though reciting from a book. ?Perhaps Reimu feels concerned that, should someone closer to her turn into a youkai, she wouldn?t have the courage to exterminate them. If she can?t exterminate little Kosuzu Motoori, then how would she deal with, well, bigger game??
Marisa didn?t like the way she phrased that. ??What do you mean??
Yukari tilted her head, and gazed into her eyes. ?Who do you think I?m talking about, ordinary human magician Marisa Kirisame??
A chill ran down her spine. ??No way.?
?It would be quite embarrassing if the Hakurei shrine maiden?s close friend stopped being human. Right under her nose too. She would certainly have to take responsibility.?
?I don?t plan to become a youkai magician!?
?I believe you attempted to make an immortality potion??
?Yeah, and? I just wanted to see if I could!? Marisa hated this. ?God, I touch a magic book and everyone thinks I?m gonna eat them. It?s the same all over Gensokyo.?
?Is that why you ran away from home??
?That?s none of your business!?
?Your parents were afraid you?d become a youkai, and be exterminated by the Hakurei shrine maiden. And it would ruin their business, of course, if word got out about it, so they tried to stop you pursuing your interest in magic??
?Shut up.?
??But you were too stubborn, and ran away to the forest to bask in sin.?
?I said shut up!?
?Now now.? Yukari was unperturbed. ?I admire your gall, spending every day at a youkai extermination shrine when you?re dabbling in youkai arts yourself. You say you want to stay human, but being human will only take your studies so far. Eventually you?ll grow tempted, maybe consider fleeing to Makai. Most of the magicians there were originally seeking asylum from Gensokyo, you know.?
?I told you I?m not interested in becoming a youkai.?
?A good thing you seem so fascinated by Reimu then. She can keep an eye on you every day of the week.? Yukari leant forward, and lowered her voice to a whisper. ?I wonder what her face will look like, when the time comes to kill you??
Marisa didn?t want to imagine it. ?Are you done yet? I?m not in the mood to play around today.?
?Oh, of course.? Yukari leant back again, a teasing smile on her lips. ?Go home whenever you wish. Don?t let me keep you.?
Marisa wasted no time. She had to get out of here, before her knees gave way or she punched Yukari in the face. She grabbed her broom, and set off for home immediately. Yukari watched her leave, letting her smile fade once the magician was out of sight.
Reimu would have to kill her. Marisa had known that from the very beginning. And that was exactly why she never planned to become a youkai magician. No matter how great the temptation or how necessary it was for her studies, she would never, ever cross that line.
She thought of Akyuu then, how she shook and trembled and whispered Kosuzu?s name so helplessly, and how Kosuzu had kept her gaze locked on Reimu the entire time, not glancing in their direction once. Marisa wanted to be sick. Cold sweat made her palms slippery against her broom.
She didn?t want the last thing she?d ever see in her short, foolish life, to be the moment her best friend broke.