Gensokyo: Treasure Battles
Year One: The Miko Miko Games
Emerald Vs. Crimson
By: R.X. Hurdle
Copyright: All places, references, and characters are rights of Team Shanghai Alice.
Chapter 1- A Game Worthy of Playing
Kourindou- 3:00 PM, Overcast, 5th day of Spring
Kourindou was moving slow today. With no customers outside of a single human, the owner of Kourindou decided to take his first break all day. He was a slim man, at least living for a few decades and looked a bit on the grim side this day. His name, Rinnosuke Morichika, a human/youkai half breed.
"Man, oh man. Another slow day and only that maid living at the Scarlet Mansion came by to purchase anything. Well, I guess it time that I looked at this weird chest that came in a few days ago." Rinnosuke quietly mumbled as he dragged a huge chest from out the back room.
It was the 1st day of Spring that he came to obtain this chest. A familiar annoyance entered his store and was as usual, screwing with the merchandise when she fell through the floor revealing a tunnel that hasn't been used in at least three centuries. The annoyance climbed out and was help out the store. Rinnosuke quickly closed shop and no sooner than he realized, he was exploring a tunnel and found a chest close by the entrance. Luckily, the annoyance in question left in pain and didn't realize it on first glance. Since then, Rinnosuke has made the back room off limits to everyone but himself.
"I wonder what to do with this chest." Rinnosuke continued as he opened the chest to reveal a note.
"What's this?" Rinnosuke pondered as he began to read the note.
"To whom may read this,
This artifact is known as the Fortune Chest. It only answers to the one who wills it. But, it comes with a major setback: Before he or she can prosper from the contents, he or she will first need to identify a desire and then a contest will present itself. Although you may glance at your desires, you will not achieve this desire without a contest presenting itself. If you're the first one to read this, you may share this with whoever you see fit as you will profit from this, regardless if you compete or not. Though you won't receive as much as those competing, you'll still be rewarded by being the "Presenter of the Contest".
In good faith, make good use of this item and let it work for everyone. There is a divine forcefield that only you can break. Not even gods like Kanako and Suwako or Oni like Yuugi and Suika will be able to open it without your consent. In addition to that, every time someone wants to achieve their desire, you must present the contest to them. You can set only one contest or many contests, but only you can dictate whether or not they earned the right to use this chest.
So, with your blood, leave your print on this note, like many before you and welcome yourself to years of prosperity that not even the gods can forecast.
Spirit of the Fortune Chest"
Rinnosuke couldn't believe it. By him reading the note and opening the Fortune Chest, he became its custodian and its avatar. With nothing to lose, Rinnosuke quickly pricked himself with one if his pins, placed the blood-tipped finger onto the note and with that, he closed the chest and with it, he dragged it back to the back. Upon returning to the front end of the store, he saw three small bags of coin that wasn't there an hour ago.
"It must be the spirit's way of saying, 'Welcome. Here's a signing bonus for doing your part.' Looks like I'll need to present some sort of contest. Rinnosuke, time to bring out the brew and get ready for a late night." Rinnosuke beamed as he got out some paper and began to figure out contests and contestants.
Hakurei Shrine- 6:44 PM, Overcast, 5th Night of Spring
It wasn't a typical night at the shrine. Instead of one person, there were four occupants this night. Around the kotatsu this brisk evening, a boisterous girl was already getting antsy about food going into her stomach.
"REIMU! How much longer will it be before that rice is done? I want my curry!" the girl cried as one of the blondes stared hard at her.
"Suika, the rice just got into the pot. It's going to be a minute. Drink some sake while you wait." The other blonde rationalized as Suika got out her gourd and pour her first drink of the night.
"Well now, look who is being productive this evening." The first blonde teased as the second blonde got puffy.
"Marisa, stop being so damn mean." The other blonde retorted as Reimu finally came from the kitchen with tea.
"Alice, Marisa, and Suika, would you please shut up? Here's some tea for you two and an extra bowl for your drunken butt, Suika." Reimu distastefully presented as all of them were tensed after a tough day dealing with some, pessimistic guests.
"Reimu, I know you don't get many followers, but you've managed from far worse." Marisa commented as Reimu wasn't trying to hear any of that.
"Look you, it wasn't the fact that those, BITCHES came to visit, but the least they can do is leave a fucking donation. For once, I would like to have enough to at least pay for some fucking food." Reimu vented as Alice stood up and backed away quietly.
"Reimu, are you sure it's cool for all of us to stay the night? I can fly home to my dolls and such." Alice asked as Reimu gave her the thumbs up.
Reimu Hakurei, the local Miko for the Hakurei Shrine and the priestess to resolving conflicts. Reimu's reputation of being one of the strongest that Gensokyo has to offer is never in question. But to her, strength wasn't enough. She wanted followers to visit the shrine and leave a donation (whether it be food or money, though she prefers the money) for her to continue her operations (Though, since she isn't getting charged a cent for her home and property, the donations is for her to stay healthy and fund feasts and parties at the shrine.)
Alice Marigold, a magician and expert at Danmaku Doll Arts. Normally living in solitude in the Forest of Magic, Alice is a bit brisk when it comes to being social. Unlike Marisa, she doesn't get around as much and usually gets out only when chasing Marisa or convinced by Marisa to come out of her "Dollhouse". Never one to be open with others, she has gotten better with her social status over this year's Winter.
Marisa Kirisame, a magician and Reimu's partner in conflicts. Marisa is outgoing, but also blunt when it comes to her words. Never a dull moment with her around, she hangs around the Hakurei shrine daily and is a frequent guest of the shrine (Though, she is one of the reasons why Reimu never has money.). Whenever she isn't with Reimu, she's at the Scarlet Devil Mansion "borrowing" books from Patchouli's grand library. Despite all this, she is always known to be useful in any situation.
Suika Ibuki, one of the Four Devas of the Mountains and Gensokyo's only overworld Oni. After leaving the Ancient City to explore the Gensokyo overworld, Suika got to see places and then just ended up with Reimu at the shrine. Most often than not, she's there between the Spring through the Autumn seasons. This Winter though, she ended up there after finding out the hard way how cruel Winter can be. She's been staying there since.
"Why no drinking yet? I gots ya a bowl. Drink up!" Suika rambled as her usual drunken self got started earlier than before. Marisa just looked on with that "Are you Serious?" look on her face.
"Alice, make sure that the kotatsu is heated nicely." Reimu commented as she went back into the kitchen. The night was as usual, dinner was served, Suika got too drunk to stay awake and ended up sleeping in the kotatsu and Alice turned in early, seeing as she was planning to leave in the morning.
Reimu and Marisa almost as scheduled sad outside and looked up at the cloud cover.
"Reimu, Rinnosuke closed up early today. I didn't get my mushrooms yet." Marisa sulked as Reimu didn't give two shits about that. She was still on about the so-called "Bitches" of the Moriya shrine. Sanae Kochiya visited her today with Suwako Moriya in tow and they made a big deal about followers and as usual, Reimu got butt-hurt over the lack of donations. Luckily for her, Alice and Suika were there today to keep her in check, though Marisa was itching to get some too.
"I don't know what to do about them. Most times they seem nice. But today, they were just, rude in the comments." Reimu commented as Marisa shrugged it off.
"Well, Sanae is still new here. Suwako probably was looking to get in on some action. Suwako and Kanako are easily bored with Sanae cleaning and cooking all day. Maybe we should visit them tomorrow." Marisa suggested as Reimu was digging the idea.
They continued to idly talk until they were ready to retire for the night. But, as the saying goes, "In Gensokyo, when many sleep, some are wide awake looking for mischief."
Scarlet Devil Mansion- 11:32 PM, Light Rain, 5th night of Spring
The mansion was quiet tonight. Beyond the usual tussle of the maid working her butt off, the mistress, librarian, and the mistress's sister were at the table. The gate guard was also present this night.
"Meiling, did you double chained the gate tonight?" The mistress asked as her tea was presented to her by the maid.
"Meiling did good. She triple chained the gate. I saw to it when it was done." The maid answered as Meiling sat there without words.
"Sis, what are we going to do for fun tonight? Are we going to do Danmaku?" The sister asked as the mistress shook her head.
"Flan, we're going to do Danmaku later. For right now, I have something to present to you, thanks to Sakuya." The mistress commented as Sakuya (AKA the maid).
"Remi, what's in the box?" Patchouli asked as Remilia (to Patchouli, Remi) began to lose her patience.
"Didn't I mention that we're going to find out." Remilia responded as they got to finally opening the box.
Remilia Scarlet, owner and mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Despite being five hundred years old, this girl looks as if she's still maybe twelve. Her attitude is child-like at best and is often making decision on a whim. Not to be taken lightly, she's incredibly strong and almost everyone that doesn't know her steers clear of her and the mansion. This Winter hit hard for many at the mansion as she just recovered from the flu just a week before.
Flandre Scarlet (Flan in short), sister of Remilia Scarlet and resident of the mansion. Due to her insatiable thirst for fighting and killing things (at times, unwittingly); she was banished to the basement for quite some time. It wasn't until Summer of last year that she was able to get around the mansion and enjoy some of the adventures that the rest experience. Despite being free, she's still getting lessons on the basic overview of Gensokyo by Keine Kamishirasawa. This Winter treated Flan great as she was the only one in the mansion who didn't get sick. But, that also meant that she had to assist the maids and Sakuya in nursing the rest to health.
Sakuya Izayoi, chief maid of the mansion and 2nd in command of the mansion. Sakuya is the only human in the mansion with authority and as such, unless Remilia herself is giving her an order (though Patchouli has also been known to request assistance on occasion); she runs the mansion, especially when Remilia is out and about during her nightly escapades. Winter for her has been a roller coaster for her as she was the first to get sick over the Winter and was the cause of everyone else getting sick. Reimu made a visit there (which she confused them being sick as a conflict in of itself) and helped for a day or so get Sakuya back to at least 50% health.
Patchouli Knowledge, the librarian and master magician of the mansion. Patchouli (AKA Patchy to Remilia and Flan) was invited to stay after a fateful encounter with Remilia in person. Always known for reading, she developed some wicked allergies and is often times weak to a point that if you see her outside the mansion (let alone the library), something must be wrong. This Winter was her worse yet. She almost died during the first thirty days of this harsh Winter and she has been in and out of Eirin's clinic at the Eientei for a good two weeks.
Hong Meiling, the gate guard and master martial artist of the mansion. Usually found sleeping on the job (literally), she's an excellent martial artist and with the only exceptions being Remilia and the Four Devas of the Mountain, she is unmatched in hand-to-hand combat. Often the butt of Sakuya's knives, it's very seldom that you'll see Meiling away from the gate (But it's known from time to time to see her gardening or being lazy overall.). This Winter has been at least kinder to her than most of the inhabitants of the mansion, only suffering with a mild cold and being outside most of the time has trained her to be resistant of the extreme cold.
Remilia opened the box to see an orb. Patchouli knew that orb and almost pushed Remilia away so she can activate it quickly.
"My, my. I would never see the day that Patchy is excited about this." Remilia teased as Patchouli didn't pay her no mind and continued to work diligently on making this orb work.
"Sis, what's with this orb?" Flan asked as even Remilia couldn't find the correct answer to her question. She passed the question off to Sakuya.
"Well, Miss Flan, it's a communication orb, from what I can tell. It's said that if you can activate the orb, you can communicate with anyone on with the same orb design." Sakuya answered as both sisters were amazed. They began to look on as Patchouli got the orb to connect to what would be, Rinnosuke.
"*Yawns* Oh! Hey there, Scarlet Devil Mansion!" Rinnosuke commented from the orb.
"Heya!" Everyone answered.
"Are you really Mister Rinnosuke from the human village?" Flan asked as Remilia and Patchouli simply facepalmed at the notion of the question.
"Yes, young lady. It's Rinnosuke. I see that Sakuya made it back with the box in one piece." Rinnosuke commented as Remilia smiled. For her, this was a new thing and she was wondering in her mind if it would be possible to mass produce this.
"Mister Rinnosuke, I would like to know what's the deal with this, private meeting." Remilia immediately diffused as Rinnosuke got serious.
"Ok, everyone who is listening, I have some big news for you. I found a chest known only as the 'Fortune Chest'. The content of the chest is empty on first glance, but in essence, it's a chest that fills up with anything you can desire within reason." Rinnosuke started as Meiling and Flan got excited.
"So, I can get all the food I want and even some heated clothes for outside!?" Meiling commented before one of Sakuya's knives connected on her hand. Meiling quickly and quietly withdrew from further discussion.
"To answer that, yes and no. Yes, because when you open it, it will fulfill your desires as best as it can. No, because to obtain your 'desire' you'll need to compete in a contest to be worthy of that desire." Rinnosuke continued as questions formed in the girls minds.
"Well, what does this have to do with us?" Sakuya asked as Rinnosuke snickered a bit.
"I have an idea that can save my store and have many of us in Gensokyo enjoying the Spring and Summer this year. Do you know of the Hakurei/Moriya rivalry?" Rinnosuke commented as many of them didn't know much about the rivalry going on between to two shrines.
"Well, here's what I can tell you from overhearing both Reimu and Sanae: Both shrines are hitting hard times. The Hakurei shrine is not receiving donating followers due to them just not donating to the box and the Moriya shrine isn't getting many visitors due to its location on the mountain. Both Reimu and Sanae are getting miffed by those facts and since then, Sanae and her gods on the mountain have done everything possible to make Reimu miserable, for the most part." Rinnosuke added as Remilia was mildly enraged at this point.
"So, again, WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH US!?" Remilia raged as Rinnosuke was ready to reveal his plan.
"Calm down, mistress. First off, I'm going to put an end to the rivalry and on the side, make a killing for doing so. Second, for this to be successful, I'll need everyone to participate as everyone will get opportunities to get what they desire. Here's the plan:
We're going to have two teams: Team Crimson (Reimu's Team) and Team Emerald (Sanae's Team).
They will have their starting three members at all times. In Reimu's case, I'm going to automatically put Marisa and Alice on her team. Sanae has Kanako and Suwako already.
Everyone else will be place in the seats to be "drafted" by Reimu and Sanae. Once drafted, you will have to either put on their shrine maiden outfits or don their colors in your clothing you wear.
After each day, the winning team will be able to select one member to indulge the Fortune Chest and receive a portion of their desire. That right will only go for the MVP of the day.
We will conduct trades during the 30th and 60th day of Spring and Summer. More on that if and when we start.
Finally, I would like to use the Scarlet Devil Mansion as a mediation/orientation place for both teams. You won't go unrewarded for your assistance.
You all are invited to compete as everyone there has some desire that they want. The chest is non-bias, so please show your support." Rinnosuke finished as the mansion got quiet. Meiling was the first to break the silence after ten minutes.
"Shopkeeper, I'll join. If nothing else, to get those clothes!" Meiling beamed as she prepared for knives from Sakuya. To her surprise, no knives.
"Mister Rinnosuke, I'll join, if my sister will let me." Flan added as Remilia looked on with a smile on her face. She wanted in.
"Well, if everyone is interested for some reason or another, then, I'll represent everyone in saying, we're all in. Also, the mansion will be rented to you and you alone for the course of these, games. I hope if this is successful, we make this a yearly thing." Remilia smiled as she was unusually supportive. Maybe because the idea of fun entered her mind.
"Oh, if this works, we would have many people begging to get in during the offseason. Also, I'll let you in on a secret. If this gets off the ground, next spring, the Scarlet Devil Mansion will host the next games at the estate with you as team captain." Rinnosuke added as Remilia got really excited now.
"Well then, Sakuya, prepare for a drafting party! Rinnosuke, how long will it take for everyone to make it here?" Remilia asked.
"Three days is all I need to set up shop and send the invited to everyone. From the shrines to the forest, from the mountains and even into the private estates. I'll even send the invites to Old Hell if I must. This will be a season to remember." Rinnosuke finished as everyone got excited.
"I must be going. I have to set up the contest for each day and breaks in between. Please keep me informed on how you guys are doing." Rinnosuke finished as his communication with the mansion disconnected.
"Wow, are we all going to do this, Remi?" Patchouli asked with a worried look on her face.
"Why so worried? Are you not excited?" Remilia pondered.
"No, no. It's just, I'm not very good at athletics and any team I join up will be at a disadvantage with me on the team." Patchouli condescended as Remilia smiled.
"You'll be fine. Besides, Rinnosuke is rather creative when it comes to contests. Remember two years ago when he had Gensokyo's field day. It was priceless. You did well and you didn't need to compete in those events. So, maybe Reimu or "her" will see that and find some events that you can do." Remilia rationalized as Patchouli got the picture.
"Well then, may I begin the preparations, mistress?" Sakuya asked as Remilia waved her away to get started. Sakuya bowed and left immediately.
(This will be a Spring and Summer to remember. Rinnosuke, entertain me and you may use this mansion every time you see fit for your, games!)
Author Notes: It's been a long while since I've been excited to write again. Life happens and with this and my other four (two of which that I'm not going to post just yet) works, this will be a roller coaster ride to work off of. So, I'm back and hopefully, you'll enjoy this work.
R.X. Hurdle