~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
Pure Lotus of the Sunken Stars (Complete)
FinnKaenbyou:
"OK, let me clear something up right now. This lake is not a parking space for your fancy-schmancy flying ship. If you're going to use it, at least have the decency to land the boat on the lake, not in it. Does that sound fair to you?"
"What, you think I picked out your little puddle to crash into on purpose? Damn, guess one of your grandparents annoyed me with his click click crap and I decided I'd drop a ton of wood onto his kid's lake for payback."
It was a relief that Sango and Murasa couldn't physically make contact with each other, because otherwise they would have come to blows some time ago. As it was, they had to settle for verbal conflict, but even then there was no love lost. If looks could kill, Murasa would have made history by successfully dying while already dead. Nazrin, Shou and Ichirin had seen the fight from a distance and had wisely chosen not to interrupt while things were still volatile.
"Well, you've got to get points for accuracy! All this land around, and even a mountain to crash into if you feel like it, but you somehow manage to crash this ship square in the middle of a lake. A perfect ten!"
"Look, shipwrecks are in my nature! Causing them is sort of what I do, even when I'm not really trying! Don't hate me for doing what comes naturally!"
She'd heard the story - apparently the captain had fallen asleep at the wheel and sent the ship crashing down into the lake - but Sango really hadn't cared about that. She knew it had been an accident, but she just wanted to see the culprit take some responsibility. All Murasa was offering her were excuses and shameless buck-passing.
"Besides, I didn't manage to get a wink of sleep the night before because Hijiri was having another one of her lousy festivals! You have any idea how loud drunken Buddhists are? They say that the empty vessel rattles loudest, don't they?"
"And don't you think there's a lesson in there somewhere? It's easier to not nearly kill all of your crewmates by sleeping in bed instead on the job!"
Sango was growing more and more frustrated as the conversation wore on. There was a light phweeing slipping out of her mouth as she let out a breath, almost as if she was letting out steam to avoid overheating on the spot.
"Now, now, you two. Play nice, okay?"
Byakuren returned from the little walk Koishi had taken her on, now clothed in an entirely different garb. This was the object she'd been carrying earlier - a simple black bikini, for use when making visits to the families of the local kappa. Koishi had been nearby when she'd changed, and had since walked off making muttered comments about 'those things on her chest that I don't have'. Byakuren walked over to the arguing pair, placing hands on both their shoulders like a mother breaking up her two daughters.
Murasa only reacted to her touch because of the link between the two, but she along with Sango glared at the monk with an accusatory glance. The pair cried out in unison.
""She started it!""
Byakuren couldn't help but chuckle at that one.
"I understand you may have differences to settle, but could they at least wait for another time? We have a slight issue that still needs resolving."
She looked out into the water - namely, at the upturned back end of the Palanquin ship. Murasa and Sango looked at the wreck with disgust, though they both did it for different reasons.
"I'm not asking for the two of you two kiss and make up. The fact is we all want to get that ship out of the water, and it'll be much faster if we all work together."
That was a fact neither of them really wanted to admit, because unfortunately neither of them could deny it. Byakuren could feel Sango's body relax a little, and even if she couldn't feel much from Murasa she could tell the captain felt the same.
"Freaky fish girl."
"Drunk driver."
One last immature exchange of insults, followed by Sango sticking her tongue out at Murasa. The captain responded with a gesture that will not be described for the sake of decency.
"Anyway. Murasa, what's the scale of the damage?"
Byakuren let go at last, and Sango could feel the circulation starting up in her arm again. Murasa let out a heaving sigh as she looked out onto the lake.
"Obviously, the outer construction isn't the issue - that, at least, I've got control of. After we get the thing out of the water, it should be possible to just order the planks to return to their old formation - they're pretty resilient like that. But the channelling device is completely outta whack - no lines, no Stone of Focus, nothing. We've pretty much gotta rebuild the propulsion system from scratch."
Byakuren's face shifted into a pout. Not a frown, it didn't quite reach that level of sadness. Sango's heart rose a little at the first half of the damage report, and promptly sank back down again as Murasa described the extent to which the ship was floundered.
"Question. What's a Stone of Focus?"
"Well, sardine-for-brains-"
Byakuren gave Murasa a quick glare for that one. She cleaned up her act pretty quickly.
"-I mean, Sango-san! Sorry, I suck with names. A Stone of Focus is basically a magical artifact that strengthens whatever magical energy flows through it. What this means is that to get the ship running, the power I use to control the ship goes through the stone, then travels through the ship to make sure the whole thing rises up."
"So you're saying you're too weak to lift it without help from a rock-phwee!"
A hand 'accidentally' hit Sango in the back of the head in response to that one.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose I must be in shock and not fully in control of myself."
Sango rubbed at her head, wincing from the blow. This Byakuren woman was frightening not because she was strong, but because she could somehow get angry without getting angry. Maybe it would be a good idea to cut down on the name-calling for now - she would live longer, if nothing else.
"...Anyway. Our Stone of Focus is more or less out of order. Kaput, kablooey, finished, broken, dead. Thing's lying on the floor in my room in about three dozen pieces, and no amount of work is gonna be enough to put it back together. We need to find a replacement, and for that we're gonna need to get in contact with a magician who'll have one in stock."
Murasa looked out into the water again, stepping out from the land and walking onto the lake's surface. Sango couldn't explain where the thought came from, but for some reason she felt that Byakuren was better suited to the whole walking on water deal.
"Not much point in getting a stone if we don't have a place to put it, though. First thing's first - we need to get the internal wiring back in action."
"And I assume that's where I come in?"
"Well, yeah, but it's a big job. I can give you guys instructions, but obviously I can't do any of the lifting because...yeah. Hijiri can go down there with you, I guess, but two people on the job is pretty much the bare minimum, and it'll take a while. If we could get the others to go down with you they'd be one hell of a help, but..."
Murasa pointed at her own chest. She didn't need to put the problem into words.
"Yeah, the bottle gimmick I used before isn't gonna work. That was pretty desperate, and it'd only be enough air for a few minutes anyway. That said..."
Sango cast her mind back to the events with her friends underground. There'd been a time when she and a friend from the underground needed to travel through a flooded tunnel. She had repressed a lot of memories of that escapade - mainly the ones that involved lips coming into contact with other lips - but one instant still remained fresh in her head. Now she was beginning to regret sending the three crewmates over to Nitori's store - there was more they could have picked up while they were at it.
"That kappa, the one who owes me? She came up with some sort of kooky invention for times like this. I don't remember the shiny fancy explanation she gave for how it worked, but long story short it's a gimmick that'll help out the people here who can't get over their breathing addiction."
Byakuren smiled at the sound of that. Apparently their new dolphin friend was knowledgeable in her field. She looked over to a nearby bush with a smile, staring at the light pink object poking out one of the sides.
"You three, does that sound like a good idea to you?"
The bush shook a little, until shortly afterwards three bodies fell out of it at once in a fumbled heap.
"Shou, I told you she could hear your stomach rumbling."
"But I haven't eaten all day! I couldn't stop it..."
"I'm pretty sure that translates into everyday language as 'we'd love to help you, Hijiri'."
Ichirin was the only one of the fallen three to actually answer Byakuren's question, while her companions went through the exchange of accusations that made up the bulk of their relationship. None of it was ever meant with any harsh intent, though, and the pair had apparently made quite a lot of noise the night before while the festivities raged on.
"Excellent to hear! Now, I'm sorry that you three have just come back from that walk, but is it too much to ask you to-"
"DUN DU-DUUUUUUUN!"
The sound that flew through the air couldn't be called a scream. It was a war cry, and its owner was headed right this way. Sango heard the sound of something being dragged along at high-speed, and immediately she knew exactly what was going on. Everyone else present, though, turned in the direction of the yell with looks ranging from confusion to aggression.
"Oh, these are tragic times indeed! A ship smashed, its scurvy scuttled sailors scattered ashore! But though men of the sea they may be, none of them are fish! How can they hope to restore their ship to its former glory?!"
As the self-proclaimed hero of the hour dashed towards the lakeside, there were no words from any of the youkai she was apparently saving. They simply watched, dumbfounded, as a girl in a plain white swimsuit leapt out in front of them, carrying a bag in one hand while pointing dramatically towards the shipwreck with the other.
"Worry not, my fearful fin-less friends! When the Black Claw sits down to play chess with Dolphin Rider Koishi, it's always a win for White!"
She landed in the middle of the crowd, posing with a dramatic flourish. The bag fell to her side, with four metallic tanks poking out from within.
The round of applause she was waiting for never arrived. Everyone present turned to Sango, who simply offered them a shrug.
"...Yeah. She's like that."
-----
"You two, careful with that pipe. It's pretty heavy. Lift with your knees, Shou! Naz, watch it, you're tipping that the wrong way! ...No, Ichirin, that's not where you want Unzan to punch it in. Take it out and start over."
It had been annoying enough beforehand listening to Murasa talk beforehand with that self-righteous tone of hers. Now the entire thing was worsened threefold. because it was literally the only voice in the room. Everyone else was either breathing from one of those mechanical contraptions or wasn't breathing at all - Murasa alone was the only one with the power to give out orders, and it was a power she abused for all its worth.
"Fishface! Quit staring at me! Those are eyes you should be using to slot that pipe into place!"
Busted. One moment away from the job, and the captain's eyes were on you like you'd just committed murder. Sango was glad to know she didn't serve on this ship.
As annoying as she was, Murasa's words were producing results. The pipeline was starting to resemble its old self rather than simply looking like a pile of discarded plumbing. Shou and Nazrin had been grouped together to take care of one end of the job, while Byakuren and Sango worked on the other side. Ichirin would walk around and have Unzan punch a pipe into place when it was set up right, and Koishi...well, she retained her position as team cheerleader, performing some sort of interpretive dance to raise morale. (There was no real place for her now that there were five people working on repairs, and there was a general belief that she was more likely to cause harm than good.)
"Alright, go pick up that pipe there and- godDAMMIT, Shou, stop breathing so loud! I can barely hear myself think over you!"
Shou flinched for a moment, then let out a little whine before she got back to work. From the look on Nazrin's face, it was a complaint she had wanted to make for a while. Listening to one of these things gurgle had been annoying with Orin, and being exposed to four of them at once did nothing new to win them Sango's approval. Either she got to focus on the four asthmatics, or she got to hear the captain yell at her for every wrong step she took. Joy.
"Mm?"
Or maybe there was a third option. An option that was barely audible, but just enough for Sango to make out from her side of the ship. There was a sound of movement in the water - something was approaching at high speed, and it was bringing some friends along with it.
In the back of her head, an ominous theme began to play.
"...!"
She ignored the pipe she was meant to be working to slide in, leaving it to Byakuren for the moment. Fortunately, the monk was more than strong enough to hold it herself while Sango's eyes suddenly looked through the hole in the wall.
"Oh, come on. Fishface, what are you even doing over there?"
Murasa muttered another complaint as she walked over to Sango, ready to whip out an anchor and try to smack her across the face with it now that she was back in her element.
As it turned out, Sango's distraction had been much more important than some measly pipe.
"Wait, those are..."
Sango had made a deal with them before to keep away from this lake, but rules, like ice on a lake surface, were made to be broken. There was a small army headed their way, each one looking hungry enough to swallow a youkai whole. And they were close - really close.
Murasa bit her lip.
"Uh, guys? You might want to put aside whatever you're working on. We've got company."
Sharks. It always had to be goddamn sharks.
-----
PLotSS Koishi is so fun to write she should be illegal.
Esifex:
Koishi is always fun to write with.
Alfred F. Jones:
--- Quote from: Esuprisefex on September 02, 2010, 02:59:20 AM ---Koishi is always fun to write with.
--- End quote ---
Seconding that statement.
FinnKaenbyou:
Immediately, several problems came to light. One - no-one had bothered to bring along anything resembling a weapon, because with everything else they were carrying around things like spears and dousing rods seemed a little excessive. Two - in addition to that, most of the crew hadn't brought spellcards either, mainly because these outfits didn't come with any pockets to hold them in. There'd been no consideration that anyone would attack them in the middle of repair duties, and now it was a decision they were seriously beginning to regret.
"Tch..."
Murasa pulled out a trio of spellcards; one was covered in a light green aura light that surrounding her body, but the other two were still made of regular paper. Sango looked over at them, reading a trio of strange-looking names. Maybe she wasn't kidding about shipwrecks being in her nature.
Murasa glared back at the body still floating around by the steering wheel.
"Dammit. Without that thing over there, these cards are useless. Guess one will have to do..."
Deep Vortex and Dragging Anchor would have to wait for a day when she wasn't dead. She placed them back in her pocket and held onto her third card like her life depended on it.
It didn't, but maybe everyone else's did.
There was no time for strategy or formation or any of the other intricacies they could have prepared to make the fight any easier. By now, the sharks were covering the exit, and they'd locked the door to the corridor so it wouldn't hang open and get in the way of reconstruction. If they made it inside, it was going to be a matter of everyone fending for themselves.
Murasa held her single card into the air. It shone for a moment as she made her declaration.
"Spirit of the seas, return from the abyss to bring forth a watery grave!
[Sinker Ghost]!"
The light green aura around her grew brighter, and Murasa quickly clicked her fingers. Another anchor emerged in her hand, but there was a key difference now - with the use of that spellcard, she could interact with the world in a limited number of ways.
Fortunately, these ways mainly involved inflicting pain upon the living. She glared at the oncoming hordes as she prepared to strike.
"Every good captain goes down with the ship! Bring it, losers!"
Sango tried to make her way out of the ship, holding her own card in tow, but Murasa put a hand out to stop her.
"Stay back, okay? Looking after this thing is my job."
Sango tried to start on an explanation, reaching into a pocket for her own card, but Murasa pushed her back inside before she could show it. Sango bit her lip - the card was useless in here, where it'd do more friendly fire than actual damage, so she was stuck trusting Murasa for now.
The sharks seemed to have been waiting for a moment of weakness, and upon finding none began charging in recklessly one after the other. They knew full well that it was a bad idea to attack Murasa, the only member of the crew who could properly be considered to have a defence, and so made to try and storm past her and feast on her less prepared companions. Murasa's method of defending the entrance was blunt - literally - but it was enough to hold off the initial wave as half a dozen sharks hobbled backwards with anchor-shaped bruises.
They circled the ship for a short while, looking for another way in. Thankfully the hole in the wall Murasa was covering was the only viable entrance - they could get to Shou and Nazrin's room, but they wouldn't be able to do much in the corridors after that. Eventually they came back around to her, injured but ready to take another shot.
Murasa beckoned them one with one hand. She knew that she could take them on, and unlike everyone else she didn't have to worry about injury. This was the best defense they could muster.
But every defense had a weakness, and the sharks had figured it out.
"Wha-!?"
The entire pack charged in at once, this time storming towards Murasa in pairs. She swore beneath her breath - no matter how well she could stop a shark in its tracks, two at a time was one too many for her. Even if she did nothing, there was still enough room in the gap for them both to get through.
Note to self: We're gonna need a smaller boat.
"...Alright, incoming! Watch out, guys!"
As the entire army of sharks charged towards, it was all Murasa could do to cut down their numbers. For every pair that came towards her, one of them was sent spiralling away with a well-placed anchor to the side, but its companion made it past her without a scratch. She cursed, but she was too busy holding the enemy off to do anything about the sharks that were already inside.
The first lucky infiltrator only had time for a quick glance of the insides of the ship, and quickly chose his target. That mouse there looked rather enticing, it decided, and it didn't look like it was in any state to defend itself. Dinner had just been served.
Shou and Nazrin both saw the attack coming, and glanced at one another for a moment. There was a nod of approval between then as they placed their hands on each other's shoulders, as if to make a final embrace.
It was anything but, because when the shark came for them they pushed against each other's shoulders, pushing each other out of the predator's path. It came to a quick stop between them, set to turn around and focus on Nazrin now that she'd been separated from her master.
It didn't get the chance, as from both sides a pair of elbow strikes slammed into its sides. Shou and Nazrin struck in perfect unison, and even if they weren't up-to-date on their marine anatomy they knew enough to determine that an elbow to the side hurt like hell. The creature promptly passed out, and above its limped body the pair exchanged congratulated one another.
Shark number 2 witnessed this turn of events, and decided that the mouse and tiger weren't worth going for. Now, this girl here, with the purple hair...she didn't look like she'd pose much of a threat. It pounced towards Ichirin, jaw gaping open to bite her in two-
Smash!
...and after a devastating punch from the ghost over her shoulder, the shark suddenly found its mouth a lot emptier. Its teeth floated around in the water, and it glanced at them blankly before fainting from both shock and blood loss.
The third shark was now very aware that these crewmates weren't as vulnerable and delectable as they'd looked before. Three of them had proven themselves capable, but that still left a few potential morsels. Third time was a charm, so the shark decided to take a risk and go for the largest of the group, the one with the strange gradient hair. She seemed totally distracted from the ordeal, busy trying to attach some sort of piping to the wall, so it had the perfect chance to strike her from behind. It opened wide, bringing its teeth slamming down around Byakuren's torso, waiting to savour the taste of fresh meat.
Much to its surprise, it didn't so much as pierce the skin.
"Mm?"
Byakuren looked away from her work momentarily, examining the shark that had just tried and failed to bite her in half. Its mouth was still hanging open around her, trying over and over again to bite into her, but all it gained for its efforts was a tired jaw.
My apologies. May you find better fortune in the next life, friend.
She gave up on the piping installation she had been working on, instead holding it in both hands. A few seconds were spent on preparing her swing, and after that Byakuren slammed the pipe square into the creature's nose, knocking it right back the way it came. It flew back out the hole in the wall, taking another infiltrator back out with it and removing them both from the equation.
"Nice shot, Hijiri!"
Murasa yelled out a quick congratulations as she continued to hold the attackers off. Byakuren gave the captain a bow, then simply returned to her handiwork.
The crew had defended itself effectively, but there were still two heads unaccounted for. The next shark to break through turned upon a familiar face - one it recalled being knocked out by a few months ago and keeping it away from a good meal.
Sango tried kicking away from the shark, but she didn't have the obscene methods of defending herself everyone else here had. All she had was her spellcard, but again that was more likely to hurt other people than it was to hurt the sharks in this enclosed space. She quickly found herself with her back against the wall, and the creature closing in at full speed. Sango winced, ready for it to start chomping down on her, until she heard something slam into it from the side.
The shark did all it could to burst free, but apparently Dolphin Rider Koishi was capable of some very strong hugs. Sango needed a moment to stare at the scene, before offering Koishi a puzzled thumbs up.
Screw what the ghost says, she needs some backup!
Sango made her way to the entrance again before the next wave could break through. Behind her, Ichirin ordered Unzan to punch out the shark in Koishi's grip, leaving the self-proclaimed heroine groaning about how she'd lost her new friend.
Sango had to duck around Murasa's swing as she made her way outside. This time the captain was too busy playing defense to stop her, and simply watched with a look of annoyance.
"What the hell is wrong with you, tuna-twerp?! Just get back in the ship already!"
Sango took pleasure in ignoring Murasa's complaint, pulling out the card she'd been trying to show her earlier. The ghost's eyes widened for a moment, before returning to her default emotion of frustration.
"You had a spellcard?! Why didn't you tell me earlier, dammit? I could have used the help!"
Sango resisted the urge to slam her free palm into her own face as she mentally declared the card. She'd had a little training with her underground companions, so she'd managed to make things a little more dangerous this time.
As the dirty waters are made pure, strike down my enemies with what remains!
Cleansing Sign [Purified Greywater]!
A long wave of pale grey bullets lined themselves up in front of Sango, ready to be fired forwards at will. Now there was no need to worry about hitting anyone behind her, she could let off an attack like this. It would only be enough to take out one wave, but it would have to do. She made to click her fingers and release the attack.
"Hey, outta the way! You're gonna hit me with those!"
Murasa called out to stop her, and in the time Sango needed to turn to her she'd already taken a swing at the wall of bullets with the anchor. They flew forward into the remaining sharks, still moving too slow to really pose a threat.
Sango's eyes glistened with understanding.
...Wait. That's brilliant.
Sango had to do something a little different, but she ordered the bullets to slowly travel forward, their pattern deviating only slightly from the straight line they had taken before. Murasa probably didn't even realise it, but she'd just given Sango a brilliant idea.
The sharks were aware of danmaku, and so they knew the grey spheres approaching them were a threat, but they responded simply by swimming over them. The bullets continued to trail on forgotten behind them as they stormed the entrance again.
Sango clicked her fingers.
The bullets burst apart, each one transforming into two distinct spheres. Moving forward, a wave of jet-black bullets continued to travel harmlessly into the distance, but another wave of bright blue bullets was quickly flying back the way they had come, towards the totally unaware sharks. Murasa only barely caught the sight in the corner of her eye as she fought them off, eyes wide open.
The sounds of the bullets colliding with the remaining sharks from behind were almost orchestral to Sango's ears. Each of them were knocked unconscious by the attack thanks to the non-fatal properties of danmaku, but they'd likely wake up in a lot of pain and with no more ambitions of eating the crewmates of this particular shipwreck.
The fight was over.
Murasa and Sango had needed to dodge the oncoming wave, but the crewmates inside were only aware of the loud 'pichuun' noises coming from outside. A few heads poked out the window, relieved at the sight of their aggressors well and truly defeated.
There was a tiny, miniscule, miniature fragment of a moment when Sango and Murasa looked at each other with something resembling respect. They made a good team, apparently.
"Great idea. Glad I thought of it. OK, people, back to work."
It didn't last long, as Sango found herself hauled back into the ship by Murasa's semi-corporeal form. They'd just fought off an army of ravenous man-eating sharks, and they weren't allowed so much as a tea break?
"Phweeblblbl..."
Just five minutes, please...
-----
The mental image of Koishi hugging a shark is possibly the strangest/greatest (delete as appropriate) thing this fic has produced so far.
Drake:
--- Quote ---The mental image of Koishi hugging a shark is possibly the strangest/greatest (delete as appropriate) thing this fic has produced so far.
--- End quote ---
Seriously where does this stuff come from.
Mainly? Sleep deprivation. Which means when university starts my writing will either get a lot better or a lot worse. :V