~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
A New World: Book 1 Completed
Iced Fairy:
The talk turned to more mundane questions. After some time, Maribel and Renko finished their dinner, then magically donated a half pint of blood each, before Juri showed them to a guest room.
Marisa looked around the room now that their guests had cleared off. ?So what was that back there? No one who's shown up here has been able to refuse the long term contract before.?
Flandre shrugged. ?She just had strong willpower is all. It happens.?
?What about Remilia?? asked Alice.
?Hmph. You shouldn't trust big sisters power so implicitly. She was always overestimating her abilities. She's the weakest vampire in Gensoukyo today by far.?
?That's unlikely lady Flandre. You know your sister's power is vastly increased now that she's lying in torpor.? Dinah said. ?And it was her power that brought them here, I could sense that. If you're weak enough to be affected by Remilia's power, you shouldn't be able to break free later.?
Patchouli shook her head. ?That's not entirely true, Dinah. If you have a good reason to resist Remi's power you can break free far more easily then if you don't. However, resistance increases with the presence of fear, pride or other strong emotions. Not with logic and reason. If they were terrified of giving blood it would make sense. But that Renko girl simply ignored Remilia's power by thinking it through.?
Marisa's eyes narrowed. ?You lied to her about her power didn't you. Is she one of those people that enforces scientific reality??
?Hardly. I told the entire truth. She only has the ability to see where and when she is,? Patchouli stated. There was a long pause as everyone else tried to follow the logic.
?Ah!? Koakuma said. ?And she trusts her eyes implicitly!?
Patchouli nodded.
?I get it.? Marisa said. ?That's a pretty neat trick actually.?
Flandre frowned. ?And they won't be my maids. How sad....?
?Probably for the best,? Alice commented before finishing the hat for her a doll that looked suspiciously like Renko. ?If the rest of Gensoukyo knew we'd gotten someone with Yukari Yakumo's power as a servant it would probably start a war.?
?I know.? Flandre said with a wicked smile. ?I think that might be just the thing to make big sister wake up.?
?Leave Remi in peace!? Patchouli snapped. ?She's still dealing with loosing those two.?
?It's been 300 years! She needs to move on!? Flandre returned.
Marisa rubbed her eyes. ?You two both know she's probably staying in torpor so you have enough blood to stay in adult form Flan.? Marisa glared at the younger vampire. ?Which you continue to refuse to do.?
?Don't you prefer it that way?? Flandre retorted.
Marisa sighed. ?Not really. I don't approve, but if you're going to be together I'd prefer it be less creepy.?
There was another long pause around the table.
Finally Flandre said, ?Well I guess we'll just have to keep working on getting more contracts. If we can get enough blood without hunting she'll return. Or else I'll smack her through the floor!?
?In the meantime,? Alice stated, ?we should keep a close eye on those two. Right now my guess is that girl has no control, but if that ever changes, we'll want her to think of us as allies. And since it's in our best interests to have someone like that around, I think it would be good to aid her progress.?
Everyone at the table nodded. But it was Patchouli who raised the next point. ?And that may bring us to war too. Though it's less likely.?
?It doesn't matter,? Flandre stated proudly. ?Because we are the strongest house in Gensoukyo. In both power and allies.?
The other magicians seemed to consider the matter, but Alice returned Flandre's cold smile. ?I suppose that's true.?
***
Renko paced back and forth across the room that she and Mary had been led to. Much like the rest of the mansion, it was unnecessarily huge by any standard. It contained it's own wardrobe, closet, bathroom and table set. As well as a massive bed, which Mary was quite sensibly occupying.
Renko on the other hand couldn't sleep.
Her mind kept running over the events of today. And whenever she managed to get those out of her head, she started worrying about what the future would bring.
She was ashamed that she couldn't actually DO anything during this whole day, as people vastly more powerful then them bounced them about from place to place. She was excited to be here, in Gensoukyo, a land where magic was real. And on the other hand she was disappointed in how little magic she'd actually run into. The doll tricks were nice, but she'd expected a little more magic from a group of magicians, and she had a sneaking suspicion that the only magic she'd be seeing in this 'human village' would be little tricks to help plants grow.
And somewhere in the back of her mind she was realizing that she wasn't going to be sending a Christmas card home this year. Or any other.
She wondered what her family was thinking. When they'd even realize she was gone....
Two hands softly caught her by the shoulders and pulled her down to sit on the bed. ?I guess it's time for me to help you with your breakdown, Renko.?
Renko managed a weak smile. ?Thanks Mary.?
Renko sighed as Mary began massaging her shoulders. She was terrible at it, but it still helped take Renko's mind off of all the uncertainty that had been dumped on her today.
After a few minuted Maribel spoke. ?You know, your breakdown seems to be a lot less pathetic then mine.?
?Yeah but I bet it'll last a couple of weeks,? Renko said with a sigh.
Maribel just hugged her in response. Renko sighed again and tried to think on better times.
After a while she realized Mary had fallen asleep on her.
Smiling at her friend, she very cautiously moved Mary back to the top of the bed and tucked her under the covers, before finally trying to get to sleep herself.
It took a while, and her sleep was fitful, but having Mary beside her allowed Renko to pretend this was all just another club trip. At least enough to get some rest.
Kasu:
Well I sure wasn't expecting the whole "Remilia in a coma" thing.
Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin:
Yeah ... and I'm wondering who Flan is supposed to be "with" there ...
MysTeariousYukari:
Flandre seemed to me to be in the "I want Big Sis back, I miss her and I'm lonely without her, but I'm going to try and be though without her, I'm not gonna cry!" situation, which seems realistic, she lost her big sis, Remi. I'm going to guess that "those two" mentioned to have been lost were Sakuya and Meiling, cause we have Patchy, Koakuma and Flandre, but no direct mention of Sakuya or Meling yet.(that, or I missed it)
Iced Fairy:
These questions and more shall be answered, er mostly. But first we have an intermission to the moon. Also this should be the last of the OCs for a good long while.
***
Yorihime frowned as she entered Tsukiyomi's court. If there was undeniable sign to Yorihime's mind that the moon was becoming impure, it was the increase in politics. For the longest time kicking someone off the moon was just something she and her sister did, no questions asked. NOW there had to be an official report.
Thus a perfectly good chunk of her time was going to be spent telling Lord Tsukiyomi in public that the humans still didn't know how to break the barrier. Then if she was unlucky she'd have to listen to some big speeches from people who needed to feel important. At least Lord Tsukiyomi himself would just nod and let her do her job. But the public demanded he go through the motions of an inquiry, and as a wise ruler Lord Tsukiyomi knew better then to challenge the public unless necessary.
Toyohime giggled slightly beside her. ?You're worrying too much sister. This is just like the other briefings. Nothing will come of it except rumors from the rabbits.?
?Ah, lovely peach lady, I fear you may be underestimating how much worry there is in the capitol. My glorious bride is right to look so concerned.?
Yorihime blinked and turned towards the voice. ?Sareseno! When did you show up??
?Just now,? her husband replied. ?I thought it fitting to accompany my hard working wife today. For moral support.?
?How nice of you. If my husband isn't too busy with his experiments perhaps we could have a picnic later,? Toyohime said.
Yorihime just narrowed her eyes. While she'd first thought that her husband was a frivolous fool, she'd rapidly learned he was actually one of the moon's finest speakers. While he hid his manipulations behind a smile and poetry, he was always aware of the mood of the people. That he was here indicated he thought Yorihime needed the support.
Finally she asked. ?What's gotten everyone riled up? It can't be those kids. We checked to make sure they hadn't corrupted anything after we sent them out, and the rabbits are doing a full sweep to avoid any incidents like the last.?
?I'm afraid there are two things working against you today. The first, is this.? Her husband pulled out a beautiful jeweled branch. The Hourai tree, which only flowered when exposed to impurity. This one was a little duller then the ones that blossomed on earth, but it was still in bloom.
Toyohime frowned. ?That's not from anywhere near where we were.?
Sareseno nodded. ?Yes. The opposite side of the lunar capitol in fact. That makes it more frightening, since the barrier is weakening. Fortunately this was at the outskirts, beyond our serious protective wards. Still I expect a lot of people to be afraid.?
?And second?? Yorihime asked.
Her husband smiled sympathetically. ?That, I'm afraid I shouldn't tell you. Your reaction will seem more sincere if you're surprised by it's stupidity.?
?Oh wonderful.? Yorihime finally sighed. ?Well I suppose we should get this over with quickly then. So we can prepare for the next dumb idea.?
?Don't worry too much.? Yorihime relaxed slightly as her husband patted her shoulder. ?Lord Tsukiyomi still trusts you. And when he speaks the matter is over.?
Yorihime found some comfort in that. Still it meant that they'd have to sit and listen to the public's stupidity beforehand. As she entered the court and kneeled before the lord of the moon she took a moment to reflect on some of the oddities that had continued throughout the moons politics.
?We thank you for taking time from your schedule to speak with us. We have many questions we wish to be answered.? Lord Tsukiyomi began. ?Perhaps you could explain what happened with the incursion today??
This was the first oddity. She'd sent a full report in immediately, and she was sure that the rabbits had given their versions of the tale to anyone who would listen. However it was the lords duty to ask directly, in order to make it seem like this was an actual discussion, instead of a combination forum and public announcement of policy.
?I would be a bit arrogant to call this an incursion my Lord. Sometimes random events occur, and today one such random event brought two inhabitants of Earth to the moon. They have no connection to the world governments, and they were sent back without bloodshed or even much fuss.?
She was a little surprised when Toyohime continued. ?In addition because of current incidents we decided to send them to Gensoukyo instead of back to the scientific earth. That way there is no chance of further contamination.?
There was a muttering from the crowd at that point, which caused lord Tsukiyomi to raise an eyebrow. ?This answers my questions, especially in regards to the contamination in the other parts of the city. However, there is perhaps something I missed lord Tenshou??
Yorihime gave the man a calculating look as he stood. He was dressed as the head of a family, but he obviously wasn't one of the original Lunarians. In addition his eyes had a dangerous light. One that she hadn't seen since the last time she'd been to earth.
?While we appreciate the swift resolution of the incident of course, there are some things that seem to be missing. Firstly we heard that one of the Earthlings in question had the ability to move between the Earth and the Moon.? The sisters both twitched in surprise at that. ?Second we worry about the possibility of them joining forces with the youkai to again intrude on our home.?
?What?? Yorihime stared at the man. She couldn't believe the mans stupidity.
Toyohime laughed. ?Then I'm sure you shall be relieved to know that there's no chance of the youkai allying with each other these days, much less putting off eating a human long enough to figure out if she's actually got special boundary powers. Something she currently has no training or skill in.?
?Seriously,? Yorihime snorted. ?Now that there's no supply of human corpses coming in from the outside, the great houses of Gensoukyo are more likely to eat each other then invade us again. And it's not like they'd have a chance of success even if they tried.?
The man seemed undaunted by the sisters retorts. ?There's one person who could accomplish such a thing. Your old mentor and the traitor to the moon, Eirin Yagokoro!?
There was a deadly silence in the chambers.
?You idiot!? Yorihime exploded. ?Eirin Yagakoro doesn't NEED any help to bring us to ruin. Did you forget who created most of our technology, including our weapons? Do you think she somehow needs a human with strange powers to get to the moon? She knows that as soon as she tried to unify any significant group of youkai under her banner we'd have to destroy her, just like we SHOULD know that attacking her in her own home is likely a death sentence. Hell, Eirin is our best agent on the Earth just because she knows we can cause each other irreparable harm! I'm...?
?That is enough, Yorihime,? said Lord Tsukiyomi.
She fumed a bit more before returning to her seat. ?Sorry my Lord.?
Lord Tsukiyomi then returned his attention to the crowd. ?Still I feel my advisers words are correct. Eirin Yagokoro has worked on our behalf many times since her exile. Sometimes without us even asking for her assistance. While this does not forgive her actions, it makes me unwilling to make a threat out of someone who seems perfectly fine living in exile.?
The crowd quieted, though the man who had spoken out seemed to still be displeased. In the end though their Lords words were law. He had to sit around and wait for someone to suggest what he wanted done, in order to save face if the idea failed, but when he supported a plan, that plan would be put into practice.
Lord Tsukiyomi folded his fan shut. ?I see no reason not to trust my chosen generals, though I do wish for the both of you to make a plan for if the barrier continues to degrade.?
The sisters bowed. ?Yes my Lord.?
Yorihime maintained her composure until they'd exited the palace grounds. ?Alright Saresano, who are those idiots!??
Her husband frowned eloquently. ?A serious problem for the moon I fear. You remember the Tachibana family??
Yorihime nodded. The Tachibana had been the largest family on the moon for some time. In fact, they had caused one of the few crisis on the moon.
The source of that problem was simple. Lunarians lived forever, but they were still to some degree humans. Thus they had human birthrates.
One of the few things keeping the moon from being totally overrun by Lunarians was the fact that, as a race entirely of nobility, they'd stuck to the tradition of arranged marriages. Yorihime didn't hate her husband. But she didn't live in the same building as him either. For that matter, Toyohime's husband hadn't left his lab for over 43 years. This was true for a lot of marriages on the moon, and everyone was politely discreet about the ways they handled it.
Of course, as luck would have it, some arranged marriages did blossom into true love. That was always a nice thing. However when true love was combined with a lack of family planning, things got a little out of control.
For example the Tachibana family. The Tachibana had exploded into a huge clan within three centuries. There were fear if this continued they'd fill the moon entirely. ?Suggestions? on how many children were harmonious had to be loudly proclaimed. And in order to prevent the family from becoming far too powerful it was split into several branches.
The fix had been relatively painless and accepted by all, but it had left an indelible mark on lunar society.
Toyohime sighed. ?So they're one of the branch families. So they're powerful, but that doesn't explain their stupidity, or hatred.?
?I'm afraid they aren't as stupid as you think.? Sareseno shook his head sadly. ?You see, their goal is to exterminate Gensoukyo, and possibly most of humanity as well. So long as you two retain your positions that's... unlikely. So anything that weakens your authority is useful.?
?Why would they want to....? Yorihime paused as she realized the answer to her question. ?They lost their family head during the invasion didn't they??
?Worse. It was the old Tachibana head.?
Yorihime looked back at the court. ?So now that we've got more reason to consider a wipe of the Earth they'll be pushing their personal agenda won't they??
?I'm afraid so. Your plan had best include a purge of the youkai, or a very good reason not to start one. Otherwise you'll find a lot more political maneuverings in your future,? her husband stated.
?It's worse then that.? Yorihime and her husband looked over at Toyohime. ?I'm afraid that this is also a sign of corruption within us as a people. While killing youkai is the same as killing bugs, desiring such petty revenge on a species is an impure thought.?
Toyohime looked up at the starry sky. ?I fear we may soon need to leave the moon.?
There was a long pause as the three Lunarians considered those words.
Finally Sareseno managed a smile. ?Well we should enjoy the view while it lasts then. Perhaps you could both join me on that picnic??