~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore
A New World (book 2) Complete
Alfred F. Jones:
--- Quote from: Sect on December 22, 2010, 06:11:15 AM ---I'm still surprised that Aya's a millenium old, though.
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Really? I thought her being over 1000 years old was common knowledge.
Anyway, I am rather liking the Lunarian ethnocentrism here-- adds a nice touch of realism. Aya being Ran's ex-girlfriend made me snicker. Also, I dunno if I ever knew this, or I just forgot-- what's that Shashoku bit all about?
Iced Fairy:
--- Quote from: Sect on December 22, 2010, 06:11:15 AM ---Hm, it makes me feel like I'm missing something here. It's probably the fact that, for whatever reason, I keep putting this in the same canon as your other stories (God!Utsuho and the Mokou/Kaguya future story): kinda seems like Mokou's relationship with Kaguya is much more relaxed than in canon, even keeping the Inaba of the Moon/Earth manga in mind. Also makes me wonder why Eirin bothers keeping Mokou and Kaguya from "meeting", unless the meetings are more than the two of them murdering each other.
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I'm basing their relationship off of CiLR mostly. With Mokou being a little more friendly because her life is going well now, and Kaguya being a little more eager to fight because she's incredibly bored.
As for Eirin, I figure Eirin considers allowing Mokou to rip out the princesses internal organs to be a failure of duty at some point, so she probably interfered until Kaguya told her to stay out of it (and I'd bet she still keeps an eye on the matter).
--- Quote ---Also, I dunno if I ever knew this, or I just forgot-- what's that Shashoku bit all about?
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It's the first step in becoming a youkai magician.
Sect:
--- Quote from: Koishi Ruromeiji on December 22, 2010, 10:05:45 PM ---Really? I thought her being over 1000 years old was common knowledge.
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You misunderstand me: I know that Aya's over a thousand years old (it's one of the first things I found out about her) but, for some reason, she never struck me as being over a thousand years old.
Sefam:
--- Quote from: Sect on December 23, 2010, 02:45:35 AM ---You misunderstand me: I know that Aya's over a thousand years old (it's one of the first things I found out about her) but, for some reason, she never struck me as being over a thousand years old.
--- End quote ---
Aya is one of the only +1k years characters that is outgoing. Most of the others(Yukari, Yuyuko, Byakuren, Mokou, Kaguya, and Eirin are the ones that come to mind first) are more self-reserved and as a result, Aya seems more "immature" compared to them. That is more of a false impression, since immaturity has nothing to do with playing jokes, one can play jokes, be outgoing, while still being mature or/and wise.
Iced Fairy:
?So stand to your glasses steady,
This world is a web of lies?
Jiyuwon watched his son going through his forms, but his mind was elsewhere.
When he had been young he'd mastered the art of the sword. There were few people his equal, and none truly his better. He did not say that as a boast, simply as fact.
As he had wandered down the path of the swordsman, he came to realize the dangers his mastery created. With that power he could decide the fate of kingdoms, perhaps even bring entire nations to heel. It was a strength that humans should perhaps not possess.
Jiyuwon knew how easy it would for a man of his strength to become a monster. To believe that might made right. So he made a vow, he would never use his killing powers for his own desires. He would only draw his blade in service to another. Jiyuwon would become a weapon, focused only on his master's goals. This would keep his sword from corruption.
Still he shouldn't just serve any wandering warlord. So he had searched all of the lands of the east for a person worth of being called his master. A man who could hold a weapon that could shatter empires and use it only when needed.
He had found that man in Lord Tachibana. Lord Tachibana did not seek power, or even much comfort. He only sought a quiet life of contemplation. It took Jiyuwon some time to get the man to accept his service, but in the end he succeeded.
Because Lord Tachibana was so pure he was one of the nobles Lord Tsukiyomi brought to the lunar capitol. And Jiyuwon had remained pure enough to follow his lord in service. There was little need for his skill on the moon, but that was hardly a bad thing.
Jiyuwon had served Lord Tachibana until an accident had claimed the man's life, then his son until the invasion. Then his son's son. Never before had he questioned his duty.
Today was different. Today he would take an action that he knew would not serve either the interests of his Lord or the world.
Yet perhaps that thought was simply arrogance.
Jiyuwon took a deep breath and let it go. He'd said his piece. Now he would do his duty.
Turning his full attention to his son's forms he noticed a slight error. ?Do not put such force into the parry. Keep it light so you can move to the next block. An opponent wielding two weapons would have put you at a disadvantage there.?
His son stopped the kata and turned to him. ?But father, don't you use the heavy parry??
?You shouldn't stop your forms midway,? Jiyuwon chided. ?And yes, I use the heavy parry, but that's because I am a strong man. You inherited your mother's frame. You must adjust your sword style to fit your body, not hope your body fits your sword style.?
The young man nodded. ?I'll try father.?
Jiyuwon simply nodded in return. As the boy started the forms again he was filled with pride. In truth his son's only weakness was his desire to follow in his father's footsteps. There were errors here and there of course, but there was no such thing as a flawless style.
It was just too bad that his son would most likely learn about combat on the wrong side of the war.
After his son finished the kata Jiyuwon stood. ?You performed well Akiyoshi. Continue your training as you see fit. I have a mission to attend to.?
?Yes father.? After a pause the boy said, ?Father, do you think there will be war soon??
Jiyuwon nodded solemnly. ?Yes. There will be.?
Akiyoshi frowned. ?Forgive me father, but I worry. What if we are given impure orders during battle??
The old warrior closed his eyes, then placed his hand on Akiyoshi head. ?I can not speak for you my son, for you have not sworn allegiance to anyone, but I will fulfill my orders. In the most honorable way possible. Or die in service.?
Akiyoshi nodded seriously. ?I understand.?
Jiyuwon nodded and left. The boy didn't understand really. Hopefully he never would.
----
In the few centuries that Reisen had been a lunar emissary she'd learned that the hardest part of the job wasn't the magical training, or memorizing transient earth cultures, or even standing her ground against danger. It was keeping her mouth shut when she'd learned something interesting. Especially something that all the other rabbits would be interested in hearing. Like how the Lunarians were going to leave the moon! She'd almost had to tie her ears down to keep that in.
Still all thoughts of that flew away as Toyohime shifted them into the bamboo forest outside of Eientei.
The noise of the forest was different then that of home. The moon was largely lifeless. Here the whole forest crawled with life.
Still it was easy for Reisen to tune that out. Instead she shook her ears and started listening along the wavelengths only other moon rabbits could hear. After a few minutes she heard the other Reisen asking about them. Sort of a homing beacon for the Lunarians to help guide them through the forest.
Reisen pointed out the direction the signal was coming from. ?It's that way.?
?Thank you Reisen,? Toyohime said with her usual good natured smile as she began walking in that direction. Reisen followed along as quick as she could, occasionally remembering to look for youkai. Not that any of them could sneak up on the group given all the devices and wards they had up, but it was kinda her job.
As they traveled Reisen couldn't help but ask, ?Um, is there a reason Eirin has Eientei secured against your power Lady Toyohime? I thought she trusted you.?
Toyohime giggled at that, but fortunately Yorihime answered, ?She trusts us somewhat. I imagine she made that field to keep anyone from being able to teleport in. And given that, there's no way she'd not protect against powers similar to my sister's. Eirin doesn't believe in building obvious flaws into her work.?
Reisen mused on that for a second. ?Wait, she builds non obvious flaws??
Toyohime shook her head. ?'Flaw' is a bit strong. Everything she makes works perfectly as intended. But usually there's some way around her inventions, or there's a limitation on the user. Just in case someone tried to use her own devices against her.?
?In this case the work around is probably 'walk in'? Yorihime added. ?Eirin doesn't believe you should teleport into other people's homes.?
?Well, it is rude,? said a voice from above them.
The three travelers jumped at the unexpected voice. Yorihime was halfway through drawing her sword
when the earth rabbit Tewi dropped to the ground.
?It's also rude to sneak up on people,? Yorihime said, while resheathing her blade.
Tewi ignored the harsh tone and simply curtsied. ?Welcome honored guests, in the name of Princess Kaguya, allow me to escort you to Eientei.?
Yorihime's frown deepened at the rabbits reminder that the house was owned by the banished princess, but Toyohime's expression didn't change. ?Thank you very much for greeting us. Please take us to your masters.?
?Right this way.?
Reisen was always surprised by how collected Tewi was. She didn't seem strong, in any way, but she showed no concern about being surrounded by powerful people. She'd heard that Tewi would lose her cool if people actually started shooting at her from the other Reisen. But the ability to ignore the presence of the Lunarians seemed just strange to Reisen.
Eientei was surprisingly close, and it's well lit halls were a nice respite from the confusing maze of the bamboo forest. The rabbit servants gave them a proper welcome, and escorted then to a set of doors where the other Reisen was waiting. The one they usually called Udongein.
The taller moon rabbit bowed to the emissaries then opened the door. ?The Lunar Generals Watatsuki Yorihime and Watatsuki Toyohime, with emissary Reisen.?
The room revealed was set up very nicely, each object in the room chosen to show off the owner's wealth without looking ostentatious. The table was a bit large, but considering the number of people who would be sitting at it, and the importance of the affair, that was to be expected.
There was only one strange decoration. Something that immediately drew the eye. To the side was a single bonsai plant that looked different from everything else. Its dead branch and glittering jewels demanded attention. It was the jeweled branch of the hourai. A plant that could only blossom in impurity.
And it came as no surprise to Reisen that the exiled princess of the moon was sitting closest to that plant. Reisen wasn't a master of symbolism but figuring that out was within her limited abilities. Still it was fitting, as the Princess' beauty easily matched the splendor of any jewel on the tree.
Eirin of course sat next to the exiled moon princess. She was smiling, but the fact that this was a formal meeting instead of a causal one like they'd enjoyed before showed that she was obviously acting in the interests of Eientei first.
Yorihime chose to sit across from Kaguya, while Toyohime sat across from their old master. Reisen followed behind and sat in between them, at a proper distance from the table. As she did Tewi hopped over to Kaguya's side, while Udongein moved to Eirin's side. They too sat further back from the table. This matter would be a conversation between Lunarians. The rabbits were mostly here for support. Reisen was okay with that though. She really didn't need the future of the moon hanging over her.
?It's a pleasure to see you again,? Eirin said as Tewi moved to serve tea. ?I'm afraid your message didn't explain much, so I'm a little unprepared, but I hope you find everything to your liking.?
?Ah, please don't worry,? Toyohime said. ?It's our fault for asking for a meeting so quickly. Please don't concern yourself with it.?
?So how is the Lunar Capitol?? Kaguya asked with a smile.
Reisen couldn't keep her ears from twitching at that. She felt embarrassed as all the Eientei crew looked at her with varying degrees of surprise. Well at least they now knew how out of the loop the people on Earth were.
Yorihime sighed. ?The humans have continued their colonizing efforts. There's really no way to keep the capitol a secret anymore,? she admitted.
Eirin nodded at that. ?It was bound to happen eventually. I imagine human society has advanced enough that the normal methods won't keep them away, but they aren't pure beings either.?
?As expected, teacher,? Toyohime replied. ?That's exactly the what's happening.?
?Hm... I'm not sure why you came to speak with us though,? Eirin said. ?We aren't in a better position to handle things.?
?We came to ask you if the youkai were likely to interfere. With either a cleansing of the Earths surface, or with our flight to an alternate dimension,? Yorihime said.
Kaguya laughed lightly. ?The youkai aren't fighting as often, in fact in many cases they've become friendly again. But banding together just isn't something they do, it's not in their nature. Besides, I doubt they have any idea what's going on up there. We're the ones who know the most about the moon, and no one trusts us.?
Reisen had to admit that made sense. There weren't many people who could investigate the moon, and even fewer who could do so without being noticed by her masters. There were probably precognitives among the youkai who could see the moon's actions if it affected them, but if the moon attacked the humans the youkai of Gensoukyo would probably learn about it five minutes later.
Eirin nodded. ?Indeed. While a mass conflict would probably cause the youkai to move out of Gensoukyo and fill the world again, there'd really be no organization. As the princess said earlier it's not in the nature of most youkai to organize.? She sipped her tea before continuing, ?But you aren't going to take the mass conflict route. I can tell. Otherwise you'd have specified which countries would be taking the most damage.?
?So what is your real purpose here?? Eirin asked as she lifted her head to stare at her former students.
The two sisters shifted uncomfortably and looked at each other. Reisen's ears twitched again. There was silence around the table.
Thus Reisen turned her attention to the other two rabbits. Udongein seemed to be watching the events closely. In some cases it seemed she was reading the situation almost as well as her master. When Reisen looked from her namesake to Tewi she briefly caught the other rabbit's eyes. For a moment the Earth Rabbit was staring right at her.
Then Tewi's face reverted to its usual mixture of boredom and cheerfulness. Reisen worried briefly if the Earth rabbit might have somehow pranked her on the way in.
Further worries along that line were cut off by Toyohime speaking again. ?You're right. This is mostly just a formality. We need to put all our efforts into studying our options after all.?
?Indeed?? Eirin raised an eyebrow at that.
?So you'll be leaving the moon,? Kaguya asked. The princess' smile had faded to something that looked more appropriate for a farewell party.
?Yes,? Yorihime said. ?We fled to the moon before because it was a place we could live in purity, not because of the view. It will be sad to lose it, but we can start again.?
Eirin nodded. ?And I'm certain you will succeed.? She folded her hands. ?Assuming you're allowed to. Obviously there's more to it then that.?
This time Reisen kept her ears from twitching, but the silence was enough.
?Well allow me to make some wild guesses then,? Eirin said. ?My guess is that the arrival of the humans spread impurity faster then you expected. I'd further suspect that there are now factions within the nobility which Tsukiyomi doesn't believe he can control perfectly.?
Yorihime was frowning by this point.
?So your visit here is mostly theater. Which isn't that bad in itself of course...? Eirin rested her head on her hands. ?But if Lord Tsukiyomi thinks it's required, that means there are some people who you won't be able to take with you. And those people might be stupid enough to try your plans on their own.?
Toyohime had matched her sister's frown.
Eirin laughed. ?Ah, don't worry. You don't need to admit to anything. I wouldn't either in your situation.? She thought for a moment. ?In fact I think I can help you somewhat. I imagine I'm one of the boogymen of Earth that have appeared in the courts??
Toyohime managed a wry smirk. ?Well Yagokoro-sensei, you do have a way of surprising people. And since most of our best technology is still your design....?
?Ah. They fear the fail-safes...? Eirin nodded. ?Yes there are fail-safes, and yes they will eliminate most of your weapons if they're used against Earth. In addition attacking the humans first will only increase the power of the youkai.? Eirin returned to her tea. ?That I believe should be a sufficient threat to keep people in line.?
Reisen was kind of curious as to what the fail-safes were now, but unfortunately neither of the sisters seemed willing to ask.
?Thank you Yagokoro-sensei, that... should do nicely,? Toyohime finally said.
?Well, now that we've cleared that up should I send for dinner?? Kaguya asked. ?If this meeting is just theater we should enjoy it, should we not??
?That seems like a fine idea, Princess Kaguya,? said Toyohime.
The princess clapped her hands and a bunch of rabbit servants came into the room each carrying plates of food.
As Reisen moved herself forward to the table, she noticed Tewi looked strangely serious for a moment. But as soon as the moon rabbit blinked it was gone.
Still it would be best to keep an eye on the earth rabbit. She didn't want wasabi to magically appear in her food.