~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
The Fall [Complete] - A Gensokyo Collapses ReiMari Story
hungrybookworm:
Chapter 6: Arcadia
(AO3 Mirror)
They walked to the Human Village after that, so close their shoulders bumped together. A thin crescent moon was out, and it cast precious light over the darkening landscape.
It was almost pitch black in the village. Normally there would be a few houses lit up here and there, with gas lanterns glowing softly in the windows even in the earliest hours of the morning. But tonight the village was an empty husk of its former self.
?I guess all the villagers left after all,? said Marisa.
?They did, the leader told me.? Reimu had asked him herself. ?They had to force a few.?
?So it really is just us.? Marisa gave a thin smile. Their upper arms brushed as she turned. ?I was hoping there?d be a few food stalls open or something.?
Reimu couldn?t tell if she was joking or not. ?If you?re hungry then we?ll have to forage for food. We ate the last of my rice crackers earlier.?
?Nah, I have a better idea,? said Marisa, glancing at the houses around them. ?Let?s go raiding.?
?What, stealing?? Reimu wasn?t exactly against it. There was no one around to care, and the houses were probably packed full of abandoned dry goods. ?Well, I suppose. Breaking in will be a pain though.?
?Don?t worry, I know the perfect place.?
Marisa led the way, and after two left turns they found themselves in front of a large shop. Reimu couldn?t make out its name in the moonlight, but Marisa was already clambering up the side like a monkey. Her hands found a ridge, and she hoisted herself up. Soon she was standing perilously on a window ledge, fiddling with the latch. The window swung open soundlessly, and Marisa gave a thumbs up.
Reimu sighed. ?A true professional, I see.?
?What can I say? I?ve had a lot of practice with this one.? Marisa moved inside. ?Coming??
Reimu floated up to the roof. Marisa held out her hand, and Reimu took it as she stepped through the window. Suddenly she was in a large, bare room. The moonlight lit up the furniture marks on the walls, and the mats looked worn with use.
Marisa didn?t let go of her hand. She looked around the room, wistful.
Reimu put two and two together. ?Is this your old house??
?This used to be my room, yeah.? Marisa pointed to the right. ?Look, you can still see the marks from my wardrobe.?
Reimu could just about make them out. She had a hard time imagining the room full of furniture. She felt Marisa tug at her hand. ?Come on,? she said. ?I?ll lead the way. I know where everything?s kept.?
They walked blindly through the house. Marisa seemed to know where she was going, so Reimu let herself be led down a flight of stairs and through a short hallway. They entered another room, and Marisa turned on a gas light. The room brightened, and Reimu immediately noticed a large round table.
?Big place you?ve got here,? she said.
?Yeah, my dad made a killing in his business, somehow.? She shrugged, and finally let go of Reimu?s hand. ?You stay here. I?ll go search the kitchen.?
She disappeared before Reimu could protest. The house felt cold and unwelcome, and she didn?t want to be left alone. She stared at her hand for a moment, her mind fixated on Marisa?s lingering warmth. Then she sighed, and sat down at the table.
Marisa rarely talked about her family situation. All Reimu knew was that things were bad and they weren?t talking. She tried asking Rinnosuke about it once, a long time ago, but he wouldn?t tell her anything. Did Marisa want to see her old home one last time before the end? No, it probably really was because she knew where the food was kept, and it was easier to break into for some reason.
Reimu tried to imagine a young Marisa sitting at the table, eating dinner with her parents and laughing. She?d always felt a bit jealous of the happy families in the human village, and it was hard to believe that Marisa had been part of one, once. It was from a completely different era, a time before they knew each other.
Reimu got up and paced around the room, trying to ignore the insecurity being apart from Marisa now brought. The room was clearly missing half of its contents, but there was a piece of furniture or a stay book here and there. The bare cupboards were still wide open. They had packed in a hurry, it seemed. Sitting conspicuously on a cardboard box was a large scrapbook. Reimu went to look at it, unable to contain her curiosity.
It was a photo album.
Reimu hesitated, unsure if she should pry. But it couldn?t have been that important if they?d left it behind. She flicked through the pages, spending a few seconds on each.
The first few pictures were blurry ? the photographer was clearly getting used to things. Then finally the subjects were in focus, and there was Rinnosuke and a woman, smiling awkwardly at the camera. That was Marisa?s mother, wasn?t it? Reimu assumed so. There were several group shots, all in front of the shop at first. Then there were a few of the interior, one of Marisa?s mother smiling at the till, and another of some teenagers titled ?new employees?. Then a third of the way in, her mother?s stomach started to swell.
Oh.
A few pages later there was a baby. Then the baby grew into a toddler, crawling around on the floor and laughing. There were more pictures of Marisa?s father ? clearly her parents took turns taking the photographs now ? and even one of Rinnosuke looking terrified as he held up a nappy. Soon the toddler was a girl, and she stood outside the village school in a neat skirt and top, looking nervous about her first day.
It was an album packed full of precious memories. There was the girl ? Marisa, it had to be ? surrounded by friends at a birthday party. There she was dressed up for Hinamatsuri. There were a few of her taken at the Hakurei Shrine festival one year. It felt weird to Reimu that she?d visited the shrine before they met. And then...
Suddenly, there were no more photos of Marisa. The last third of the album was packed with pictures of the sky, abstract photographs of random antiques, and blurry messes. Then finally, right near the end was Marisa again, clearly several years older and not happy to be there at all.
The photographs stopped a few pages before the end.
?Having fun??
She jumped. Marisa was right behind her, staring over her shoulder. ?How long were you there for?? Reimu asked.
?A few minutes.? Marisa looked unhappy. ?So they left that one behind, did they? Not surprised.?
?They left it behind?? She stared back at the album. Reimu had been so wrapped up in the photos she?d forgotten why it was there in the first place. ?Isn?t it all about you though??
?Well, you know. I?m disowned and stuff. They probably don?t want to be reminded of my ugly mug in their new life. Anyway, I couldn?t find any food so I got this instead.? She pulled a bottle of expensive sake out from under her arm. ?That should keep us going until midnight.?
Reimu was pleased with the alcohol, but didn?t want to change the subject. ?Are you all right with that, Marisa??
?With drinking booze? Course I am.?
?No, with them leaving this behind.? Reimu picked up the album, planning to ask her about a few specific pictures, but Marisa snatched it out of her hands.
?It?s fine, that stuff?s ancient history.? She looked annoyed as she tossed it onto the table. ?We need to head back anyway. It?s getting late.? And to Reimu?s surprise, Marisa took her hand again. Her palm felt cold and clammy. ?Come on.?
Reimu didn?t want to push it, but the thought of Marisa?s parents deliberately removing that album from their luggage broke her heart. ?Are you sure-??
?I?m sure. Really.?
They turned off the lights and left through the front door. They walked back to the shrine hand-in-hand, their footsteps unnaturally loud in the silent scenery. Marisa?s grip felt tighter than before, and Reimu couldn?t help but worry a little.
?I should probably mention,? said Marisa after ten minutes had passed. ?They didn?t kick me out or anything. I left by myself.?
?Really??
?Yeah. They hated magic, and I wanted to be a magician. So I left.? Marisa shrugged. ?I don?t want pity or anything. I brought it all on myself.?
?I wasn?t pitying you. It?s your life, after all.? She knew Marisa was serious about being a magician. She?d lied to Reimu as part of some convoluted plan to force herself into Makai, after all. Running away from home was probably just the start of it.
What else had Marisa sacrificed over the years? Reimu wasn?t sure if she wanted to know. Her friend was glaring at the ground with a sullen expression.
Reimu was terrible at comforting people, so she stayed silent and squeezed Marisa?s hand, hoping that would convey everything.
Marisa squeezed her hand back, and they continued walking.
*****
They arrived at the shrine and wasted no time uncorking the sake. Half a bottle wasn?t enough for either of them to get drunk, but Reimu felt the stress of the day?s events flow away as the alcohol kicked in. She strode into the main room, and picked up the clock from the side table. Then she brought it out onto the porch, and placed it in view.
?There,? she said. ?Now we won?t lose track of time.?
?We?re out of booze,? said Marisa, waving the bottle. She?d finished it off while Reimu was gone. ?Oh well, it was good while it lasted. What time is it??
?Turn around and look for yourself.? Reimu sat down, to Marisa?s right. ?I?m exhausted.?
?Eleven-fifty? Woah.?
?It?s been a long day.? This morning felt like forever ago. Reimu wondered if it?d all been a dream. ?And we did travel all over Gensokyo.?
?Yeah.? Marisa paused for a moment, contemplating something. They still had ten minutes to kill. Ten minutes of life left in Gensokyo. ?So,? she said at last. ?Any regrets??
?Regrets?? Reimu glanced at the clock again. She didn?t feel afraid yet. ?Not really. I suppose I would?ve liked to exterminate more youkai. Maybe expanded the shrine a bit. And if I?d known this was going to happen, I would?ve eaten more expensive food during spring...?
Marisa wasn?t impressed. ?Come on, there must?ve been something else you wanted to do in your life. What about getting married and having kids or something??
?I suppose I thought about it, but I never felt the urge to.?
?Me neither.? Marisa sighed. ?I guess you didn?t have time to date anyone either. We all kind of monopolised you.?
?If I wanted to date someone, I would?ve found the time. Anyway, what about you? Do you regret anything??
A shadow fell over Marisa?s face. ?Yeah, one or two things.?
?Like what??
?Well... you know.?
?No I don?t.? Reimu moved closer to her. ?Come on.?
Marisa didn?t move away. She looked down at her hands, the alcohol robbing her of her usual bluster. ?Isn?t it obvious? I wanted to be a really badass magician.? She flexed her fingers. ?I was kinda hoping I?d still be writing magic books in my eighties and stuff, dying with a wand in my hand and whatever. And I wanted to turn Alice into a toad.?
?Alice, a toad??
?Yeah. She said I wouldn?t be able to manage it without becoming a youkai magician, so I was gonna show her.?
Reimu laughed. She leant sideways and rested her head on Marisa?s shoulder, overcome with affection. ?If you went around turning people into animals then I?d have to exterminate you.?
Marisa rested her head against hers. ?Not if I turned you into one first.?
They stayed like that for a few minutes, enjoying the moment.
?Are you shivering?? asked Reimu. She could feel Marisa shaking.
?It?s a bit cold out here.?
That was a lie. It had been a warm autumn so far, and the night air felt comfortably cool. ?Should we move indoors??
?Nah, I can put up with it.? Marisa sat up and rubbed her forearms. Reimu glanced at the clock. Eleven-fifty-five.
She shivered too. The cold touch of fear brushed over her skin. ?You?re right. It is kind of cold.?
?Isn?t it? And it was so warm earlier too.?
Reimu, slowly, put her arm around Marisa. ?Any better??
?A bit.? Marisa went limp, and leant against her. Her hair tickled Reimu?s cheek. ?Damn, I guess it?s gonna end like this, huh??
Reimu hesitated for a moment, but she couldn?t turn back now. She wrapped her other arm around Marisa, and held her close. Marisa was real. Marisa was right here. Reimu wasn?t alone. ?You said we might not disappear earlier. What happened to all that confidence??
?Oh, I?m still confident.? She didn?t sound it. ?I mean, it?s kind of exciting. In a way.?
Reimu looked at the clock again. Three minutes to go. She?d known the last few moments would be the worst, but she?d always imagined them passing serenely as she sat alone on the porch, drinking tea and looking at the sky, full of love for Gensokyo.
But right now, all she could think about was the girl right in front of her, so warm and real in her arms, and trembling like a terrified animal. Marisa?s arms were squeezing her, hugging her so tight it hurt, and her face was pressed against Reimu?s shoulder. Reimu put a hand to her head, and gently stroked her hair.
They were the most powerful humans in Gensokyo, but Reimu couldn?t call herself a shrine maiden anymore, and Marisa?s dream of becoming a great magician would never come true. Everything that defined them and drove them forward was long gone, and now they were just two lonely human beings at the mercy of time, savouring every second as they clung to each other.
Reimu couldn?t think about her resolve, couldn?t think about everything she had worked towards over the last month. She could only press her lips against Marisa?s skin; just above her ear, her temple, the side of her cheek? Reimu?s fingers slid through her hair, and touched the base of her neck.
And finally, Marisa lifted her head, and allowed their lips to touch.
The kiss was shallow, chaste. Reimu tightened her embrace. She didn?t want to disappear anymore, not if it meant being torn away from Marisa. Why hadn?t they at least tried to make a hole in the border earlier? Why couldn?t they have held each other in the field, and spent more time loving each other? Why did they have to be so stupid, so proud, and pretend not to care? She could do anything with Marisa. She could even live in the outside world if Marisa was there to support her, to kiss her when everything became too much, and to remember Gensokyo with her. They could?ve protected each other, made love in the early hours, and held hands as they grew old. What a wonderful life they could have lived. And they wrecked the possibility of it all by themselves.
Reimu felt Marisa?s lips move against hers. She was saying her name. Reimu cupped the back of her neck, and their kiss deepened.
Around them the air chilled with fear. The minute hand moved. Two minutes to go. Reimu?s hands couldn?t stop shaking. The only warmth left in the world was pressed against her. Marisa tasted of alcohol, and her breath, her tongue, the softness of her lips intoxicated her. It wasn?t enough. Reimu wanted Marisa so close even the end of the world wouldn?t tear them apart.
Finally, they broke away. They pressed their foreheads together, and Marisa?s breath shuddered. ?I love you,? she whispered.
?I love you too.? Reimu felt tears run down her cheek, and couldn?t tell who they belonged to.
Marisa kissed her again. Once, twice, three times, whispering her name over and over. Forty seconds left.
Then Marisa pulled away. ??I should?ve told you earlier,? she said. ?I?m an idiot.?
Reimu reached up and touched her cheek. She?d never felt so in love with anything before, not even Gensokyo. ?I?m an idiot too,? she said. ?I?ll die if I lose you again, Marisa.?
?You won?t.? Marisa covered Reimu?s hand, and held it in place. She smiled, determination showing through her terror. ?I?ll find you again. No matter where we end up, I?ll find you and drag you back to me, kicking and screaming. I promise.?
Their lips touched one more time. Five seconds.
??Not if I find you first,? said Reimu. At the very last moment, she was fearless.
The clock struck midnight.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then darkness cascaded over them, and Reimu lost her ability to see. An invisible force tugged at her.
It tugged, and tugged, slowly wrenching her away from Marisa.
?No!? Reimu clung on. She could hear Marisa yelling too. ?Please!?
They were ripped apart. Reimu reached out, and felt their hands brush for an instant. ?Marisa!? But they couldn?t grasp each other. ?Marisa!? Reimu?s stomach lurched, and she screamed as she tumbled backwards, her fingers combing through cold air.
hungrybookworm:
Epilogue: They Say Falling is Just Another Kind of Flying
(AO3 Mirror)
The noise was devastating. There were cars, motorbikes, towering adverts playing the latest pop hits as they screamed slogans, and an endless sea of people standing beside the road. Their eyes were trained at the signal, waiting for the cue to swarm across the world?s largest crossing.
A woman stood amongst them, bored. She checked the time on her phone, then crossed her arms impatiently. The noise put her on edge. She fiddled with the cuff of her suit ? a typical office lady uniform ? and considered taking a different route. Reimu Hakurei had finished work for the day, and was supposed to be heading home.
But she couldn?t focus today. Ever since that fateful night several years ago, Reimu had found herself constantly distracted. Tokyo was a familiar city. She was sure she?d been born and raised there, and yet it terrified her. The noise, the rush of people, the skyscrapers and the stench of exhaust fumes were overwhelming. Some days she wanted to crawl somewhere dark and tight, and cower like a child.
Ever since that night, when she woke up in bed with a sense of panic and unreality, and found a neat, violet envelope on her bedside table, addressed to her in cursive letters. Even now she could remember its contents, so burned into her memory they were from reading the letter over and over:
I?m sorry. I know this isn?t what you wanted, but your magician friend was right. The shrine?s location saved you both. You might be confused for a few days as you adjust to things, but this is for the best. Unlike the residents who left through the border, the outside world has accepted you, so you don?t have to suffer as they do. You can enjoy your new life to the fullest.
M. Hearn
She almost threw it away, thinking it was a prank, but something deep in her subconscious told her to treasure it.
After that, nothing was the same. She went about her daily life, as always, but she would find herself in parks, walking aimlessly around shrines and temples with a lump in her throat. And then there were the dreams: bright, vivid dreams of flying through the sky, dodging bright lights that bloomed like fireworks across a stunning mountain landscape. And in her dreams there was another girl, sometimes sitting with her as they drank tea, or flying alongside her.
Getting through the day was always difficult after one of those dreams. There would be a gaping hole in her heart, and Reimu would be plagued by the thought that there was something important missing from her life. She would stare out the window, unable to focus. After work, she would catch a train and walk through a random part of Tokyo, staring at stranger?s faces in the hope that they held some kind of answer.
Today?s wander had brought her to Shibuya crossing. It was five-thirty in the afternoon, the peak of rush hour. Reimu felt sick, but she didn?t want to go home just yet. Her dream last night involved facing the other girl in the dead of night, a huge fake moon hanging behind them, and it had tormented her all day.
Finally the traffic stopped. The signal changed, and the crowd spilled into the road. Reimu walked briskly, turning her head left and right as she went.
A woman in a large black coat walked passed her. Reimu glimpsed her face for only a moment, and froze. Her mouth opened. The shock smashed into her like a lead hammer.
There was no time to lose. Reimu spun around and chased after her before she even knew what she was doing. ?Excuse me!? She pushed through the crowd. Angry yells followed behind her. ?Marisa! Marisa!?
She?d never heard the name before, yet it fell from her lips naturally. The woman in the coat stopped, and Reimu nearly collided with her. ?Marisa!?
The woman gawped at her. There was a dress poking out from beneath her coat, and Reimu could see what looked like a lanyard. The coat displayed the logo of a well known pharmaceutical company. The woman?s hair was black and straight, but not naturally so.
The woman tilted her head, and stared at her. Around them the crowd rushed by.
?...Reimu??
The End
Hello, and thanks for reading until the end! This is hungrybookworm.
I thought I?d take this opportunity to talk about this fic a bit, since the epilogue?s so short. This is the longest fanfic I?ve written in ten years. How crazy is that? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an ask on tumblr telling me what you thought of it.
Now to give credit where credit?s due. This fic grew out of a different story ? a one shot about Reimu getting hit by lightning and dying. Unsurprisingly I got really depressed writing it so I had to stop (I?ll probably have another shot at it someday), and a few days after that I read a short story on my favourite Japanese doujin novel circle?s website: Gensokyo Will Collapse Next Weekend (only available in Japanese sorry). It?s an extremely short, extremely sad story about Gensokyo shutting down with one week?s notice, and Reimu and Marisa drinking tea on the porch one last time. Unlike most stories about Gensokyo going down, there was no gory violence or explosive battle or anything. It was gentle, simple, and effective. Afterwards I was dying to try writing my own gentle Gensokyo apocalypse story. I borrowed the ?advanced notice? idea, but expanded it to a month instead of a week, and went from there.
This story was supposed to be around 5,000 to 8,000 words long. The part that makes up chapters one to four was supposed to be around 1,500 words long, and the stuff in chapters five and six was going to be the bulk of the story. But I had way too much fun thinking about how everyone would react to Gensokyo shutting down, and how Reimu especially would take it, and before I knew it the story just grew and grew. Chapter 3 was by far the hardest to write ? making Reimu?s decision to stay in Gensokyo plausible was insanely difficult, and I rewrote the scene with Sanae a ridiculous number of times. I was tweaking lines up until the moment I posted it. Sanae was originally going to confess her love to Reimu in the scene too, but I cut it to keep things simple. Sorry ReiSana fans!
I feel like doing some one shots featuring people being happy next, so expect a handful of those over the next few weeks. I?m keen to do another long chaptered Touhou story, and I have a few ideas lined up. Not sure which to go for first though. I am writing a lot of notes for a Double Dealing Character retelling/what-if story at the moment, so it?ll probably be that.
Anyway, feel free to ask me any questions and leave feedback! Again, thanks for reading the story right until the end! See you next time!
Kilgamayan:
Thank you for this wonderful piece.
hungrybookworm:
--- Quote from: Kilgamayan on September 21, 2014, 03:54:08 PM ---Thank you for this wonderful piece.
--- End quote ---
I'm happy you like it. Thank you!
an unmatched sock:
I really like it. I like touching stories like this. Although, I did expect the one loophole to work since it was brought up.
A very good story, nonetheless! Thanks for writing it.