~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
Pure Lotus of the Sunken Stars (Complete)
FinnKaenbyou:
--- Quote from: Kasunagi-no-Tsurugi on October 03, 2010, 12:14:31 AM ---And so, Koishi continued her quest to convert all of the EX bosses into magical girls of the White Pearl.
--- End quote ---
Flandre and Mokou had been easy enough, and Suwako would likely pose no threat either. Ran, though...
Anyway, have a finale.
-----
Sango needed to hang around for a little while so that Koishi could properly introduce her to her apprentice. Flandre seemed starstruck in her presence, but she seemed to be particularly obsessive over what she called ?that phwee thing you always do?. Koishi had needed to remind Sango to get her to realise exactly what the vampire meant, and as she offered her a 'phwee~' on performance Flandre just about collapsed. Her arms wrapped around the dolphin, and as she squealed about how Sango was acting adorable she was unaware that she?d cut off her new friend?s ability to breathe. She only caught on when Sango started turning blue in the face.
Sakuya had begrudgingly handed her back her old clothes from the wardrobe in the changing room, her loyalty to her mistress overriding her personal grudges. Sango had offered an apology, but if it had any effect the maid certainly didn?t let it show. The last Sango saw of her, she had simply disappeared in the corridor, leaving only a single silver knife to signify her former presence. On Remilia?s advice, Sango had taken it as a memento of the occasion.
Patchouli would need a while longer to recover from her injuries, but she was still fit enough to yell orders at Koakuma. The devil responded with surprising obedience - when there was no room for mischief in her duties, she was wholly devoted to her master?s will. She disappeared into the labyrinth of the library, reemerging a few minutes later with a glowing amber stone about the size of Sango?s head. The much sought after Stone of Focus had been obtained at last, and it had only come after two near-death experiences and one narrow escape from slavery on Sango?s part.
Exhilarating, but not an experience she wanted to repeat again any time soon.
?Come back soon, okay? Those Black Claw bad guys could come out any time, you know!?
Flandre stood in the main gateway, waving the pair goodbye as they walked towards the main entrance. Sango and Koishi gave her a goodbye wave in return as they opened the door, letting the setting sun into the mansion the tiniest amount.
Of course, the anxious party hanging around at the mansion?s entrance had been informed of the unfolding events as soon as they could be told. Sighs of relief had passed around as they became aware that neither Koishi or Sango were in trouble after all, and as they emerged from the mansion?s gate a sea of greetings enveloped them.
?So you both made it? Shou was crying about it, you know.?
?Hey! Did you need to tell them that?!?
?It?s not like I?m lying, is it??
?B-But...?
?Ah, don?t mind those two, Tororetsu-san. They have a rather strange way of displaying affection. Unzan, you know what I mean, don?t you??
Byakuren was the last to respond, and unlike her disciples she offered no verbal response. She cut the middleman out entirely, and wrapped her arms around Koishi and Sango with an all-consuming hug.
?...Both of you, you have my thanks. You have done my people a favour we cannot hope to repay.?
Koishi didn?t even skip a beat in response to that.
?No problem, ma?am. As two of Gensokyo?s local heroes, your happiness is its own reward. Right, Sango-chan??
Sango nodded. It was the most sensible thing Koishi had said all day.
-----
Murasa had been walking around impatiently, waiting for the search party to return. As she saw the group appearing on the horizon, she quickly tried to twist the look of concern on her face to one of irritation, snapping at them in an attempt to hide her worries.
?Took you guys long enough, didn?t it? I swear, if you?d brought me along, things would?ve been so much faster.?
No-one responded or even took offense to Murasa?s words, simply hanging back as Sango came forward with the Stone of Focus. Murasa looked down at it with a connoisseur?s eye, nodding in approval.
?...Yup. This is a damn high-quality stone. Better than our last one, even. Maybe you take your sweet time, Sango-san, but apparently you deliver the goods.?
The difference in her register towards Sango didn?t go unnoticed, and the dolphin smiled lightly in response. She took a step towards the lake edge, ready to jump in.
?Alright, let?s get this thing installed. You guys have caused me enough trouble for one day.?
Despite her frustrated words, she kept smiling as she looked towards Murasa. Looking away so only the dolphin could see her, Murasa offered her a smile in return.
The pair dived down alone this time, in the final step of the plan to release the ship from its resting place. Swimming back into the captain?s cabin, Sango brushed aside the last fragments of the ship?s old stone, carefully lodging in the replacement in its stead. It fit the groove with a satisfying click, and she gave the captain a thumbs-up for the go-ahead.
Murasa let the old, confident grin rise back to her face, and this time Sango knew she meant it. She placed her hands on the steering wheel, gripping tightly not out of necessity, but out of passion.
?Alright, Sango-san. Now you get to see what Captain Murasa Minamitsu is REALLY capable of!?
Once again, she channeled her energy through the pipeline the crew had assembled earlier. The same pale white line ran along the path, reaching the Stone of Focus in its new lodging. The light bounced around inside the jewel, reflecting off its many surfaces dozens of times over until finally it burst out the other side in a brilliant white ray. Sango was stunned for a moment by the sudden intensity of the light, watching it run along the pipeline and out of the room.
Beneath her, the ship began to let out an almighty creak as it began to shift.
?Yeeeeeeeeah! The Captain is BACK IN BUSINESS!?
The first thing Murasa did was right the ship, bringing it back to parallel with the ground above them. Sango hung on to a nearby pipe for dear life as the ship began to spin around, lifting itself slowly out of the water. The Captain grew more and more excited by the moment, lifting the ship higher and higher until the surface was in sight.
Then, at last, the ship burst out from the lake and took to the air once again. The water that had flooded it drained quickly, making its way out the various holes in the walls where the planks had broken off. Even from this high up, Sango could make out the oohs and ahs of the disciples at the lakeside as their home was brought back to life.
?You think that?s good? Watch this!?
Murasa closed her eyes again, picturing the structure of the Palanquin Ship in her head. Every plank, every pane of glass, every piece of furniture - all of it took shape in her mind, coming together to form the ship she knew and loved. That mental projection had power in and of itself, and with the power she was pushing into it the ship had no choice but to reshape itself to fit that projection. The planks floating in the water began to rise upward, reforming and slotting in neatly where they had once been. The rooms inside righted themselves, and the window in front of Murasa reformed as if it had never been shattered. The entire thing had come apart in a matter of seconds, and Murasa had reconstructed it almost as quickly.
And for the big finish, she looked down to the body on the floor, the corpse that had once been hers. She let go of the wheel, lying down on the floor until her spectral form merged with her corporeal one. A second later, the body rose up, inhabited by its original owner once again.
?...Phew. Not bad, huh??
Her form slumped down slightly, as the fatigue finally started to take its toll on Murasa. To avoid another painful repeat of today, she took care to bring the ship to rest at the lakeside, sitting beside the wall for a moment. She pulled her cap down slightly, trying to use it to cover her face. Sango looked over at her, remembering the fears that had been plaguing her earlier.
?...It?s scary. I know you said it?d be fine, but...?
Sango sighed at the sight of Murasa doubting herself again, walking over and sitting alongside her. This time, at least, she could offer Murasa a hand over her shoulder in terms of support.
?Look, I went through a lot today. I saved a friend from a rockslide, rescued two people from a shipwreck, fought off an army of sharks, infiltrated the lair of a high-ranking vampire, and managed to fluke a victory against one of her best friends. And I?m not even a Captain, so surely you should be good enough to handle one little apology??
Murasa took a moment to respond to that. When she finally pulled her head up, Sango could see a glint in her eye as a single tear dropped down.
?...Yeah, of course. Gotta show those people how to accept mistakes in style, right??
She got to her feet, straightening her cap again. Sango didn?t bother to follow her out - this wasn?t her time. Murasa would have to face her crewmates on her own, and as she stepped out onto the deck of the ship she did exactly that.
The welcome that Murasa got wasn?t quite friendly, but it wasn?t outright aggressive either. Nazrin was definitely the most irritated, giving Murasa a harsh glare, and from there the scale went Unzan, Ichirin, Shou, Byakuren. Even though she was the lowest in the scale, even Byakuren seemed more upset than usual, her expression barely above neutral.
?...Huh. You guys are mad, aren?t you??
Nazrin, of course, wasted no time in getting to the point.
?You crashed our home into a lake, nearly got us killed twice over, and spent the whole time acting like a self-righteous jerk. I think we have a reason to be pretty mad.?
Byakuren didn?t outright stop Nazrin from ranting, but she placed a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. She looked Murasa in the eye, seeing that the ghost was already trembling in fear of her own friends.
No use prolonging it, then - it was clear she had learned her lesson.
?Now then, Murasa. I?ll be giving you a strict sleeping schedule so that this doesn?t happen again. If I catch you awake when you aren?t supposed to be, you?ll earn yourself a few hours in the cargo hold. Do I make myself clear??
Murasa nodded, still feeling the aggression in the air regardless of Byakuren?s words.
Fortunately, Byakuren had a plan to deal with that.
?Everyone? You can have one free punch. Nazrin, you first.?
Murasa stood to attention quickly in response to that one. The mouse cracked her knuckles, walking up to the captain with a look of satisfaction on her face.
?You earned this, okay??
Nazrin slammed a fist into Murasa?s gut, leaving the captain reeling for a second. By the time she?d brought herself back up, Ichirin was looming over her for the second blow.
?...No, Unzan, you can?t. You might kill her with a punch like yours. But you can choose where, if you want.?
She nodded towards the cloud, looking over various points on Murasa?s body.
?...The face? Alright.?
Following Unzan?s request, Ichirin brought her fist down on Murasa?s forehead. The captain staggered back again, hurt but not bleeding. Shou was last - Byakuren wasn?t going to take a punch either, mainly because if Unzan?s punch risked killing her, Byakuren?s risked killing her twice.
?Y-You...made me look like an idiot. Nazrin and I...we weren?t...?
Shou?s muttered words came out half-hearted, but the punch she sent to Murasa?s chest definitely wasn?t. Murasa could practically feel her ribcage rattling in recoil as she fell over, winded and struggling to breathe. The tiger pulled her hand back, sighing in relief.
?...Sorry, Murasa. I just...needed to let it out.?
The rest of the crew gathered around Murasa, each offering her their hand to help her up. After Murasa?s lungs decided to work again, she looked up incredulously at the sea of hands hanging over her.
The look turned into one of utter joy as she saw the smiling faces that accompanied them.
?You...you guys...?
She hesitated, as if unable to believe what she was seeing was real. It defied every belief she held about her friends, and about herself. Trying to convince her entirely, the crew offered her their last-minute words of comfort.
?Murasa. You?re an single-minded, brain-dead moron sometimes. Hell, today you proved that on a bad day you can even give Shou a run for her money.?
Nazrin?s words weren?t much more gentle than they had been before, but the tone had changed entirely. Ichirin picked up where she had left off.
?But that?s not all you are. When it comes down to it, you?re devoted, and when your friends are in need you?re always there to give everything you have to protect them.?
Shou, after she?d finished glaring at Nazrin for her earlier comment, spoke up next.
?We know you?re not the best at everything, Murasa. No-one is. But that doesn?t change how we feel about you one bit. We may get mad, and you gave us plenty of reason to be mad, but in the end we?ve been through too much together to stop caring about you.?
Murasa?s eyes watered more and more with every word from the mouths of her companions. Byakuren looked down on her, finishing the sentiment that all of them wanted to offer.
?They say that love is seeing an imperfect person for what they are, and thinking they?re perfect anyway. And we love you, Murasa, flaws and all. If you were perfect, then you wouldn?t be the Murasa we all care about so much, so please stop beating yourself up over it. We don?t care, and neither should you.?
Murasa could barely see now, the tears were flooding her eyes that badly. She held a hand up in the air, and four hands quickly reached out to pull it up. The moment she was standing, all of them wrapped their arms around her at once, passing on their feelings in the best way they knew how.
Murasa was crying. She was tearing up now, worse than she ever had before. She looked fragile, vulnerable, weak like she?d never let her crewmates see her before.
And as she croaked out a tearful response, she realised that for the first time she didn?t care.
?Th...Thanks, guys...you?re making your captain all sentimental, here...?
Of course, it wasn?t a full confession. That wasn?t her style.
But that was just the way they liked her.
-----
Sango had made her way off the ship during the crew?s embrace, smiling with relief as she saw them accept Murasa wholeheartedly. The crew came down a few minutes after, to offer Sango and Koishi their last farewells. Sango found herself being goaded into promising that she?d find time off from her duties to visit the temple, because apparently it was a beautiful place when it wasn?t trashed and half-flooded. Sango took a note of it, making sure to visit whenever other things weren?t holding her attention.
Murasa didn?t say goodbye with any words, simply offering Sango a handshake. The dolphin accepted, offering as strong a handshake as she could muster while the pair looked each other in the eyes. Sango could see the captain was still a little emotional, sniffling slightly as she pulled a brave face, but she let Murasa hold onto her dignity by leaving it unmentioned. With that, they offered a few final waves before making their way back onto the fully-functional Palanquin Ship. Sango and Koishi sat by the lakeside, watching as it took off and slowly made its way into the distance.
Sango?s first response was a heaving sigh of relief.
?Well. That was a new way to spend my time off, I guess.?
?C?mon, you know you enjoyed it! I had a great time, Sango-chan!?
?You weren?t the one who got chased through the mansion by a bloodthirsty maid. Or got made to fight a high-ranking magician. Or nearly spent the rest of her life serving a bratty vampire.?
?Hey, what?d I tell you before? I didn?t die, you didn?t die, so there?s no problem!?
Sango grit her teeth a little at that one. It was the same immature laissez-faire attitude that had nearly gotten her killed earlier. It was selfish, thoughtless, ridiculous.
And it was part of why Sango liked her so much.
?...So. Victory lap??
?It?d be my pleasure.?
Sango slipped down into the water again, rising again in dolphin form. Koishi sat carefully on her back, pointing off in the direction of the setting sun.
?Let?s go, Sango-chan! It?s time for Dolphin Rider Koishi to ride triumphantly into the sunset!?
And on her rider?s orders, Sango Tororetsu darted across the lake. For the second time, she?d earned the respect of some of Gensokyo?s most iconic youkai; for the second time, she had gone beyond the call of duty without the promise of a reward or fame. This time, however, she turned it down willingly, glad to simply know that she had done her part.
Koishi had said it best, in the end. The smiling faces that had waved farewell to her from on board the ship were all the payment she could ever have asked for.
---
PURE LOTUS OF THE SUNKEN STARS
FIN
---
Almost twice as long as TEiPW. Took nearly four times as long to write, all things considered.
And in my opinion, a markedly more polished piece. It's strange what twelve months of writing can do, I guess.
Anyway, it's good to finally put a lid on this one. And it was great to bring Sango out of retirement as well - it seems like now that I've made a name for myself around here, she's getting a much larger reception. :V
Thanks to everyone who commented/contributed/had the patience to read the whole damn thing. Until next time, phwee. :P
Kasu:
Something tells me there is going to be more Sango even after Dolphin Rider Koishi is finished~
:3
Alfred F. Jones:
Oh god yes Koishi coming in to save the day. <33333333
Though, I found myself empathizing with Murasa more than even Sango. Odd, but not altogether unpleasant-- she was redeemed by her friends in the end, so yay for that.
And yes, my hunch about the sketches and doodles always being there was right. :3 Koishi and Flandre together made me grin for that reason. Though, I didn't expect LOVE AND JUSTICE Flandre! That was nice~
A wonderful read. And now I'm gonna be jealous of your ability to finish stories. Again. :P
FinnKaenbyou:
Eh, guess I may as well post this as a bonus, since it's the closest I've got to a relevant thread.
Next Time on Sango-chan's Phwee Phwee Adventures...