~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
A New World: Book 1 Completed
MysTeariousYukari:
I love this :* I want A New Update for A new World :V
Iced Fairy:
(Thanks to all the readers and commenters, and an extra thanks to Roukan for helping clean out my more blatent errors by proofreading the last bunch of releases.)
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As she stepped out of the gap Maribel found herself at the top of a long stone stairway. Before her was the Hakurei Shrine of Gensoukyo. Maribel had actually visited the Hakurei shrine in the outside world once. And this place had the same general layout. It had a large open ground surrounded by cherry trees, designed for gatherings and festivals. A central shrine building dominated the grounds, while a smaller storage building sat to the side. There was obviously a garden in the back, and Maribel thought she could see a glimpse of the pool back there.
However it was definitely a different shrine. This shrine was far more run down. It was clean, but it hadn't seen paint in at least 40 years, and the repairs that were keeping the shrine intact and weatherproof were obviously made from local woods taken at random.
And of course instead of a group of people at the shrine there was only a single young miko, probably 7ish, carrying a broom. Right now she was looking at them strangely, but as Ran stepped through the young girl smiled. ?Oh, you brought them, Miss Yakumo??
Maribel saw Ran's ear twitch at 'Miss Yakumo', but the kitsune was smiling. ?Hello Kanon. Could you get your mother? These ladies want to speak to her.?
?Sure!? The young girl rested her broom on a nearby tree, then dashed off behind the shrine. Maribel looked around for a few more seconds before Ran jerked her head towards the shrine. ?Well, pay your respects.?
Maribel considered sniping back, but Renko just shrugged and moved to toss in the coins Shou had handed her. After a moment, Maribel decided that the god of the shrine really wasn't responsible for Ran being a pain and moved up to drop her own money in.
The donations thudded dully against dry wood. The two friends winced at the sound. A shrine like this was always kind of sad. ?Well, might as well ring the bell,? Renko said, and pulled on the shrine rope three times.
The bells sounded cheerfully, right before a woman sped around the corner. She too was dressed as a miko, though she was old enough to be the young miko's mother (and probably was).
She paused and looked at the two girls for a long moment, then over to Ran. She very pointedly ignored the fox youkai and then put on a smile for the two girls. ?Welcome to the Hakurei Shrine. Is there anything I can get for you??
?Yes, uh....? Maribel thought about how exactly to phrase this. ?I'm from the outside world you see, and I, um, heard you could help me mastering boundary manipulation.?
The woman blinked at her, then pulled out a small orb from her sleeve. After another moment she frowned. ?You aren't of my bloodline. How did you come across those powers??
Maribel hesitated. She was still angry about that particular detail.
?She's the reincarnation of Yukari Yakumo,? Renko stated simply from next to her.
Renko held up a placating hand as Maribel turned towards her, ?Yeah I know, but it's the best way to explain things. Don't worry about it so much. You're still Mary.?
Maribel sighed. Renko was right. ?Yeah, I guess that is the short version.?
The woman's eyes narrowed. ?I see.? Ran bowed in acknowledgment. ?Trying to avoid getting Shanghaied into becoming a youkai, eh??
?Huh?? Maribel and Renko replied in unison.
Ran stepped forward. ?Actually she wanted to speak to you before hearing my offer.?
The woman looked disdainfully at Ran then nodded once. ?Very well.? She turned and yelled towards the back, ?Kanon! Please make some tea for our guests!?
The little girl's voice shouted back, ?Okay!?
?Then please finish the sweeping, Kanon!? The woman turned back to her guests. ?I am Hitomi Hakurei, preistess of the Hakurei shrine. If you two would follow me...??
Ran turned away. ?I'll wait for you here,? she said.
Not wanting to question her good fortune Maribel simply followed Hitomi to the back of the shrine where there was a small house. The three women sat around the small table inside, and the young miko, Kanon, cheerfully came poured them all some tea before jumping back outside.
The three sat and sipped their tea while Maribel gave the summary of their journeys again. She was getting fairly good at it, given all the practice.
Then Renko spoke up. ?So, can you help Mary??
Hitomi tapped her foot a few times before speaking, ?Hm... I'm not exactly sure what to say on that matter. First, why me instead of Ran??
Maribel considered being polite for a moment, then decided against it. ?Because I don't like her.?
Hitomi smirked at the comment, ?I can understand that, but then I want to ask, why do you want to master boundary manipulation? I hate my job, but it's the only one I can do in addition to my other duties so, I don't need another youkai hunter in competition with me. And it doesn't have much other use.?
Maribel opened her mouth then shut it again. That was a good question.
Byakuren insinuated she could have world shattering power, and while that was nice in an abstract sort of way, it really wasn't something Maribel was looking for. What did she really want to do?
She had her answer the second she looked outside and caught a glimpse of the barrier that gave the shrine it's name. ?I want to be able to visit home.?
Hitomi looked startled at her statement, but Renko nodded her approval. They'd both searched for Gensoukyo for years, and Maribel was certain Renko wanted to live here, even if the plumbing was terrible and there was no cable. But they'd always imagined there would be a way back. That their family would hear about their lives in this new world, and that they could pop out for Christmas, or maybe a bite of pizza.
And while Maribel could live without the pizza, she didn't want her family wondering where she'd disappeared to for the rest of their lives.
Hitomi recovered then shook her head sadly. ?I... understand that desire. But I'm afraid I can't help you there. Even when the border was weak, my family's power was unable to move through the barrier. Our power is the power of sealing, of stability. That's why Yukari Yakumo needed our help in the first place, to create the seal, along with the power of a dragon to pull the whole thing off. Her power is the power of defining, of chaos. Without our work the barrier would collapse under the weight of the paradox it bears. Without Yukari, well... I imagine as outsiders you've been told what happened without her.?
Maribel's heart sank. ?So, you can't help me then??
?I'm very sorry.? Hitomi said, ?I could teach you how to use your powers to a minor degree, but I can't teach you how to move through the border.?
Renko patted her hand, and Maribel smiled at her friend. They hadn't used up all their options yet.
Renko then turned to Hitomi, ?So what was that about Ran wanting to turn Maribel into a youkai? Do you know what she's planning??
A shadow fell over Hitomi's face. ?Because she needs your friend alive, as long as possible. A human lifespan won't do. And what Ran needs, she'll do anything to get.?
After a long pause Hitomi said, ?Still... She might have a way to help you. I know both Ran and her Shikigami used to be able to cross the border.?
Hitomi continued staring into her teacup. Eventually Maribel asked, ?So what would you suggest I do??
Hitomi seemed to deflate. ?I... can't answer you fairly. I don't like the idea of a human becoming a youkai. I hate them too much for that. But... soon I'll have to retire.? She looked up at Maribel with haunted eyes. ?I don't want my daughter to have to go through that.?
She took a deep breath. ?So while I hate youkai, if you could bring back the peace of my ancestors times I would be grateful.?
Maribel rubbed her forehead. ?I seems like every time I look for a better solution there isn't one. I don't really have a choice do I??
?No.? Hitomi's voice sharpened a little. ?You always have a choice. And you always have more choices then the ones you see at first glance.?
Maribel sighed. Renko gripped her hand again. ?Don't worry Mary. I'll help think of something too.?
Maribel smiled but her worry only faded a little. This was turning out to be a long day.
***
Kanon wished she could have stayed with the new girls and her mommy and listened to their conversation, but mommy was really strict about Kanon staying away from business until she was older. And Kanon was almost 7 now! Surely she'd be able to hear those conversations soon.
Still there was something else for her to do, even if she couldn't listen to the grown up conversation. She could talk to her fluffy aunt!
She worked her way over to where the kitsune was pacing. ?How have you been doing Miss Yakumo??
Ran smiled a Kanon and patted her on the head. ?I've been busy, but it's a good kind of busy.? She then looked at Kanon seriously. ?And have you been good and keeping up with your studies??
?Uh huh!? Kanon nodded eagerly. Admittedly she might have kinda skipped that history session, and she hadn't tried too hard with all those exercises. But she'd been mostly good so she could say she was good right?
Ran smiled again. ?Then you can have a treat.? The fox woman held out a small hard candy which Kanon graciously accepted.
?Thank you!?
As she popped the candy in her mouth she once again wondered if mommy and Ran were fighting. They did that a lot, especially since daddy had died. She didn't like how they fought but neither of them would tell her why so she could fix it. They kept telling her to wait until she was older.
That gave her an idea. ?Hey Miss Yakumo, when will I be older??
Ran blinked in surprise then laughed. ?Sorry Kanon, I don't know human ages that well. Maybe when you're thirteen??
Kanon frowned as she finished off the candy. Getting to thirteen was going to take forever!
Ran laughed again. ?Now now don't make that face, it'll be sooner then you think I'm sure. Anyway it looks like you have a guest, you don't want to show your guest such a pouty face?
?Eh!?? Kanon looked back to where Ran was pointing and saw the cat that always came around. ?Kitty!?
Kanon ran over to the cat and dropped to the ground in front of it, so they could touch noses. She laughed when the twin tailed black cat licked her face. ?Ahahaha! Silly girl, my nose doesn't need a bath.? She giggled again and fell on her back as the cat pounced on her. ?Did you bring the kittens?? she asked hopefully, but the cat just yawned and purred.
Still one cat was fine too. She managed to get the cat off her chest and chasing a cattail when it suddenly paused, gave her a final head rub while purring, then ran into the forest. Kanon was a little disappointed, but she knew what that meant. Sure enough her mom and the guests came out a second later.
Kanon quickly grabbed a broom and pretended to be sweeping again as they spoke.
Miss Ran said, ?So do you still wish to hear my offer??
The blond woman nodded, ?Yes, unless you want to call it a day first Renko.?
The woman with the cool hat shook her head. ?Nah, it's still early. Might as well get it done with right Mary??
?Good,? Ran said. ?Then let's adjourn to Mayohiga to finish discussing the matter.? She bowed to mommy, ?Thank you for allowing us to visit.?
Mommy just gave Ran a nod, which wasn't very polite, but she bowed more deeply to the other guests. ?Please come visit the Hakurei Shrine again.?
?Well will, thank you.? The two women bowed in return then they followed Miss Ran through one of her gap things.
Mommy looked at the place where the gap was for a long time, then walked over and hugged Kanon tightly. A little too tightly, but she relaxed a little when Kanon squirmed.
Now that she wasn't being squeezed Kanon returned the hug, but she couldn't help but ask, ?Why are you hugging me Mommy??
?Just because darling,? was mommy's reply.
After a few seconds mommy slowly released her. ?Alright, do you want to check the donation box??
?Hooray!? Kanon ran for the box to see what treasures were hidden inside this time.
nolrai2:
Gulp.
Tengukami:
Kanon is positively adorable. The pace of this knocks along really well, too; keeps you interested and engaged.
Dan-Heron:
nice bits of background story you gave, enough to get an idea of what happened, but pretty sure you're going to pull the rug off our feet once you actually get to show it.
And as Tsukiko already said, Kanon is luff.