Disclaimer: Touhou is property of Team Shanghai Alice; I do not profit from this work in any way
Chapter 1 – Hunted
"Eek!" came the scream of a female throughout the small cave. The scream was followed quickly by many others. Soon after came shrieks of pain and the sound of metal carving through flesh.
"Die, youkai scum!" a man shouted, his voice rolling over those of the screaming girls.
Within the chamber of a cave was the home of a small group of earth element fairies, born from the magic that had been gathered there at some point in the past. Most of the fairies were fairly small, looking like five year olds, most with deep brown hair and tan dresses. All of them were barefoot. There was another fairy, the one who took up the role of "leader," wearing a similar outfit. Unlike the others, she was larger, taking on the appearance of a ten year old. Normally, the group would be spending their time thinking of some prank to pull on travelers who happened to enter the network of caves they called home. On that day, they were looking on in horror as their leader was given the run through with a sword. The lead fairy coughed blood on the one who had injured her.
"Disgusting little freak!" the man shouted, before pulling his sword out and up the length of the fairy's body, cleaving her clothes and flesh. The broken body of the fairy hit the ground, dead. After a few moments, the body dissolved into magic sparks that spread out before fading. The man grinned with satisfaction, knowing with the leader dead, the others would not be willing to put up a fight.
"Ah!" shouted one of the fairies, who fled in fear, trying to do her best to get past the man before her. The others huddled together against the wall behind them. They looked on at the features of the man. He had shoulder length blond hair and green eyes. He was wearing a green, skin tight suit, with white plated armor over his chest, back, and shoulders, along with matching arm and shin guards and armored shoes. The armor had green trim to match the color of the suit beneath. The skin tight suit ended in fingerless gloves. In the man's right hand was a sword with a white handle to match his armor's color. The sword was dripping with the blood of the fairy he had just killed.
The man looked on at the fairy that tried to get away, moving to block her path. Before reaching the man, the fairy conjured up a small rock and threw it at the man's face as hard as she could, causing the man to scream in pain while stumbling back. The little fairy used the chance to make her escape.
"You little wench! Hunt Sign 'Earth Blast!'" the man shouted after pulling out a small slip of paper. The paper glowed for a moment before burning up. A second later, the ground beneath the fleeing fairy exploded, a shriek coming from the fairy as a result.
"That'll teach her!" the man shouted, a bruise forming on his left cheek where the rock had hit him.
"Now then, time to pick the next target..." the man said, while moving his sword back and forth. He pointed at a small fairy on the right of the group.
"Say 'bye bye!'" the man shouted, as he charged forward. The little fairies scattered at seeing the man's approach. The one he targeted tried to run as well, only to end up getting pinned to the wall by her shoulder. The fairy screamed in pain, too stunned to even think of trying to fight back. The little fairy started to cry, scared of her seemingly imminent death.
"Oh, what's wrong? Don't want to die? Well, too bad!" the man shouted, while pulling his sword out. He pulled his weapon back, ready to cleave the girl's head off.
"Earth Sign 'Rising Boulder!'" came the shout of another man. The ground crumbled apart into boulders that soon filled the air. The boulder's eclipsed the view of the newcomer, blocking out the light that came into the tunnel.
"What the! Who are you!" the armored man shouted. His answer came in the form of the boulders smashing into him into the wall. The force of the impact caused him to drop his sword. The front of his armor was dented and torn from the hits, resulting in the man screaming out in pain. After a few moments, the boulders stopped moving around, falling back to the ground from whence they came. The man stood up to look at his attacker eye to eye.
The man before him had long, black hair, black eyes, and tanned skin. He was about five foot-ten in height, and was wearing dark pants with a stone gray shirt with collar and mid-arm length sleeves, with black ties going up the middle. The man was wearing a pair of geta sandals with black tabi socks. The man's right hand and forearm was bandaged. On the palm of the man's left hand was the kanji 刀, meaning sword.
The armored man's expression quickly turned to one of horror.
"Y-you... y-you're... you're Kurome Jowa!" the hunter shouted.
"Oh, so even low level filth like yourself knows my name, huh? I guess I should feel honored, or something. Now then get out of my sight, and don't ever let me catch you hurting another youkai again!" the man named Jowa shouted.
The armored man slowly got up, and walked past Jowa. Before passing him, he pulled out a small knife he had hidden under his arm guard, and aimed for the back of Jowa's neck. A split second later, Jowa had a sword in his left hand, hanging off to the side of the armored man. The man looked on in shock for a moment, not sure what had just taken place.
"I warned you," Jowa said.
The man in armor gurgled blood as a red line formed around his neck. The man's head fell to the ground, along with his body. Jowa turned around and sighed, before the sword in his left hand disappeared into magic sparks. Jowa looked down at the one holding onto his leg. It was the fairy who had escaped. Her wings were torn and her back was burned from the explosion, but she managed to survive. Her state caught Jowa's attention as he was passing by, prompting him to enter the cave and see what was going on. The other fairies were still frightened of the man, not knowing what to think. They stayed huddled together in fear, not sure how to respond.
"It's okay, little ones, that hunter is gone now. He won't hurt you anymore," Jowa said, in a calm, relaxed voice. The other fairies calmed down a little, then they saw their friend from before, who ran out to rejoin her friends.
"You're okay!" one of the fairies shouted.
The fairy nodded, enjoying the embrace of her friends. The fairy who had been stabbed stood quietly and watched, in too much pain to do anything. She was still sobbing from nearly being killed. Jowa quietly approached the fairy.
"Are you okay?" Jowa asked.
The fairy stood still. She didn't try to run away, but she didn't try to approach Jowa, either.
"My name is Jowa, what's your name?"
"T-Tsuchiko," the injured fairy replied.
"Looks like that man did something to you before I could stop him. Could you let me see your shoulder?" Jowa asked.
Tsuchiko hesitated for a moment, but then showed Jowa her shoulder. Jowa reached into one of the pockets in his pants and pulled out a small box. He opened up up, revealing some first aid supplies within.
"This is going to hurt a little, okay?" Jowa said, while opening up a small container. Tsuchiko nodded. Jowa took a small cloth, placed some of the liquid in the container on the cloth, and used it to clean the wound. Tsuchiko winced at the pain of the cleaning salve, but got used to it after a few moments. Jowa then applied a bandage to her shoulder.
"Don't take this off until that heals, okay? Youkai or not, you're still susceptible to disease and infection, okay?" Jowa asked.
Tsuchiko nodded before joining her friends. The fairies were chatting away about what had taken place, not fully sure of what to do next. Jowa could pick out from their conversation that their leader had been killed before he could arrive. He frowned at hearing this, the thought justifying his killing the man from before.
"Be careful, okay? Try not to pull any pranks on anyone for a little while, alright?" Jowa asked.
"We'll try," Tsuchiko replied, now acting as the leader of the group.
Jowa nodded. He raised his bandaged right hand and pointed it towards the body of the man from before. Jowa focused to bring forth a fire spell to incinerate the body, leaving nothing but some pieces of the armor behind.
"Good riddance," Jowa muttered, as he made his way out of the cave.
"It's a shame they won't heed my advice. Fairies will be fairies, though. It's almost as though they live to cause pranks on others, just as a mosquito lives by sucking on the blood of others. I hope they at least try to be careful about who they prank, though, I suppose that's a wasted thought, as well. Ozore's hunters have been more active as of late. I can't keep stopping them like this," Jowa thought to himself. Jowa looked up above to the forest canopy, looking at the bright light shining down through the gaps in the leaves.
"I guess I better get going, before Hikaru starts to worry about me," Jowa said to himself as he made his way through the place referred to as the Forest of Magic. Jowa walked through the area for an hour on his way to his destination, looking out of any sign of wild youkai and fairies. He managed to avoid them as he made his way to a small house in the middle of a small clearing. The house was two levels. It was only big enough for a few rooms. The house was made of wood, painted a deep green to blend in with the colors of the forest. The house had a pitched roof with brown shingles, a chimney popping out from the stove in the kitchen below it. There were a few wood frame windows with a door in the center. Jowa unlocked the door and made his way to the kitchen. He was greeted by the smell of a roast cooking in the stove.
"Ah, that smells nice, after a long day of moving out and about," Jowa said.
"Where have you been! You should have been here a half-hour ago!" came a shout from a female.
Jowa rolled his eyes in response.
"Geez, Hikaru, you'd think you were my wife, or something," Jowa muttered.
"Hey, someone has to look after you!" shouted the one identified as Hikaru. Hikaru herself entered the kitchen. Her translucent, yellow wings gave her away as a fairy. She stood with the height of a ten year old, but her body was developed more like that of an older teenager, complete with a small pair of breasts. She had long, bright golden hair, currently tied up in a ponytail and matching yellow eyes with creamy, white skin. She was wearing a bright yellow, short sleeved dress, currently with a white apron over it. Under her dress was a pair of white trousers ending with a pair of yellow slipper shoes.
"Some hunter was killing off a group of fairies. I couldn't just leave them be," Jowa replied.
"Oh, I see. Were you able to save them?" Hikaru asked.
"Most of them, I was unable to save their leader. Seems she was killed before I got there."
"I see... that could make things hard for them, but I'm sure they'll bounce back. What kind of fairies were they?"
"From what I could tell, young earth elemental fairies. They already picked a new leader after I left. It's just a matter of them finding a way to move on."
"I hope they can. Uh... why do they keep doing this, anyway? What did we ever do to you humans, anyway?"
"I don't know, Hikaru. Some humans just don't like youkai, and it always seems to be the ones in power that hold such opinions."
"Yeah... well, at least you were able to stop that hunter, right?"
"I did. He won't be threatening anyone ever again."
"I see. Thank you for continuing to look out for us... oh, I better get the roast out!" Hikaru shouted, remembering why she came into the kitchen to begin with. Hikaru grabbed a pair of thermal mits and opened the stove door. She pulled out the roast, then gently set it down on the kitchen counter. The kitchen itself had wooden cabinets with stone counters and a matching stone floor and a black, iron stove. Hikaru put out the stove and closed the door to it, not wanting to heat up the house too much. Jowa went to one of the cabinets to get some plates and utensils, and the pair enjoyed the meal together. After their evening meal, Jowa helped Hikaru clean up, though the fairy eventually sent Jowa away, so she could move about in the small kitchen easier.
"Goodness, she really does like taking care of things, even after so long. I guess she got used to it. Even if she owes me her life, she doesn't have to clean up all the time," Jowa muttered to himself.
Hikaru herself came to live with Jowa several years ago. It was during a raid similar to the one Jowa had broken up earlier. Several youkai hunters from Ozore Village heard about a group of fairies causing problems for some of the travelers in the area. And were sent to kill the fairies off. Jowa had caught wind of what had taken place, and did his best to try and stop the group from their act. Hikaru was the only survivor. The pair remember the events of the day often, but never discuss it, doing their best to avoid bringing up the tragic events that took place that day.
Jowa decided to play a small game of cards with Hikaru before the pair retired for the night. The house was built with only two bedrooms. Each room had a small closet and bed, along with a pair of windows, one to a wall. Each room was on a corner of the house. There was a door between the two rooms, put in place in case of an emergency where one would have to go from one room to the next in a hurry. The door had no lock on it.
Jowa prepared to turn in for the night. He took a look out his window, and stopped when he saw a light in the forest nearby.
"A group of fairies?" Jowa muttered to himself. He was about to undress when he could faintly make out a scream.
"Another hunt!" Jowa shouted, as he made his way down the stairs and out of the house, hoping he could stop the hunters before it was too late.
Out in the forest past Jowa's house, a group of youkai hunters were chasing after a single youkai. The youkai herself was tall woman with long, blond hair and blood red eyes. She was wearing a long black skirt with a matching black vest over a white, long sleeved blouse. At the collar hung a small red ribbon with a round, red jewel on either side. In her hair was a small, red ribbon. She had on brown shoes over white, knee length socks. She had a large, black sword in her possession, currently attached to her back.
"Well, look at what we have here!" a hunter shouted.
"You really think numbers are going to change anything for you?" the youkai asked.
"Numbers can do a little, combined with my ability, they can do quite a lot," replied the lead hunter. The hunter had tanned skin, with red hair that was long on the left side and short on the right, along with blue eyes. The hunter was wearing a black, skin tight suit. He had red, armored plates over his chest, back, and shoulders, along with matching arm and shin guards and armored shoes. His armored plates had black trim, and he was carrying a pair of swords with handles to match the color of his armor. The rest of the hunters with him wore the standard hunter outfit, with dark green armor over black, skin tight suits, each equipped with a single sword. There were a total of ten hunters, including their leader.
"You seem to be quite the cocky one!" the youkai shouted.
"Oh, I can be. I know all about you. Rumia of the darkness, able to manipulate darkness in any way conceivable, right?" the lead hunter asked.
"Is that so? My reputation and ability aren't a secret," the youkai replied, "So, before I kill you, at least let me know the name of my midnight snack."
"And I'm the cocky one, hm? Shin Takashi is my name; the last name you'll ever know," the hunter answered.
"Very well, Takashi. Prepare yourself!" Rumia shouted, while throwing a ball of dark energy at the group. Takashi and most of the hunters split off, with one taking the orb head on. The foolish man attempted to swat it away with his sword, only to have the sphere envelop him and explode, blowing away the front of his armor and ripping his chest wide open. The man was dead before he hit the ground.
"I would advise the rest of you to not try doing that," Takashi said, frowning in disappointment of the fallen hunter's foolish actions.
The other hunters nodded, spreading themselves out and surrounding Rumia.
"You think that's going to work? Darkness Sign 'Shockwave!'" Rumia shouted, her spell sending out a wave of dark energy around her. The hunters surrounding Rumia were knocked back. Takashi was the only one able to get out of the radius of the blast. Rumia saw one of the hunters in front of her, and drew her sword, preparing to strike the man down. The hunter attempted to pull his sword to black, barely managing to get it out in time to block Rumia's sword swing. He noticed it seemed as though Rumia's sword and gone straight through him. He was horrified to see his sword break in two, while a line formed around his body before it fell into two pieces. The man coughed up blood as his life faded from him. Rumia gave him mercy in the form of a dark energy sphere to the face, smashing the man's head.
"What kind of nightmare is this!" one of the other hunters shouted.
The group kept a good distance from Rumia, not wanting to try to engage her in close combat. Rumia picked her next target, ready to do away with the those troubling her.
"Midnight 'Total Eclipse!'" Rumia shouted. Rumia cast a large laser formed of dark energy from her sword, pointing it at one of the hunters before her.
"Hunt Sign 'Light Shield!'" the hunter shouted, a barrier of light forming before him. Rumia's laser smashed into the hunter's barrier, quickly smashing through it like a rock smashing through a window. The laser went straight through the hunter, burning away the middle of his body. He hit the ground dead, burnt blood dribbling out his mouth.
"So you have some power, do you? Alright then, I'll skip the warm up and go straight for the main course! Fear Sign 'Deadly Storm!'" Takashi shouted, the spell card in his hand glowing for a moment before burning up. Moments later, a barrage of lasers came down around Rumia, forcing her to switch to being on the defensive. Rumia was careful to dodge the lasers, seeing one have enough power to burn through her clothing with a near miss. Rumia lost sight of Takashi by the end of the spell, but was able to sense his approach, quickly pulling up her sword to block his.
"So, your sword is better reinforced, is it?" Rumia asked.
"It helps when dealing with powerful monsters such as yourself," Takashi replied before jumping back. Takashi brought his sword to bear upon Rumia, who was quick to block again. Rumia pulled back and prepared to cleave Takashi in two, only to have him block, the hunter proving his weapons would not be broken so easily. Rumia smirked and pulled her blade back, blocking a strike aimed for her midsection. Rumia reversed her swing and took aim for Takashi's head, prompting the man to roll to the side, while while swinging for Rumia's side. Rumia shifted back to avoid the strike, and brought her sword down upon Takashi. Takashi rolled away, and jumped back to his feet, looking to hit Rumia in the back. Rumia ducked the blow, and swung around, aiming for Takashi's mid section. Rumia left a scratch in Takashi's armor, but didn't make it through to his body. Takashi pulled back to block, attempting to knock Rumia's blade away. Then he went to send his sword into her side again. Rumia side stepped, and attempted to hit Takashi on the head with the handle of her weapon. Takashi moved forward, letting his back armor take the blow. The strike had enough power to put a dent in Takashi's armor. Takashi turned around, a spell card in his free hand.
"Malice 'Blast Kill!'" Takashi shouted. Takashi let the card hang in the air, the card burning more slowly than usual for a spell. Takashi quickly rolled away from the card. As soon as it completed burning, it exploded, knocking Rumia back.
"Guh!" Rumia grunted in pain.
Takashi rushed Rumia, looking to get her while she was vulnerable. Takashi brought both his swords to bear on Rumia, only for Rumia to regain her footing at the last second, and make a powerful swing with her sword, knocking Takashi back, and fracturing one of his swords. Another of the hunters attempted to give Rumia the run through from behind, only to find Rumia's sword going through his body.
"Guf!" the hunter shouted, before he started coughing on his own blood. Rumia ripped her sword through the man, pulling it out through his neck. The man hit the ground dead, blood still spurting out of his neck wound. The other hunters backed down again, quickly realizing just how out classed they were.
"Wonderful! Now this is what I call a fight!" Takashi shouted, before discarding his damaged sword. "Round two!"
Takashi charged at Rumia again. This time, Rumia channeled her magic into her sword, giving it more power than it had before. Takashi aimed for Rumia's neck, only to have his strike blocked. Rumia answered back by going for Takashi's midsection. Takashi was able to block, but his sword took some damage, a small chip appearing where Rumia's blade hit it. Takashi managed to avoid Rumia's next swing, looking to deliver one to the youkai's back. Rumia dodged forward, while swinging her blade against Takashi's. The force of the strike shattered his blade, sending the top half flying off behind him. One of the shards managed to scratch his cheek, drawing a small drop of blood. Takashi went to dodging Rumia's strikes, pulling out another spell card.
"Malice 'Blast Kill!'" Takashi shouted, attempting to get Rumia with the same spell as before.
"Not this time!" Rumia shouted, rushing past the card towards Takashi. Takashi smiled as he jumped over Rumia, towards the card. Rumia was surprised until she saw the card was a fake, simply burning away.
"Wicked Sign 'Power Constrictor!'" Takashi shouted. Takashi placed the card on Rumia's hair ribbon. When the spell activated, it caused the ribbon to glow. Within moments, tentacles of magical energy appeared, taking the form of lightning. The magical energy attacked Rumia, sapping out her power.
"Gah!" Rumia shouted, dropping her sword as a result of the pain she was in. The sword disappeared, Rumia losing the power needed to sustain it's form.
"Excellent. That should take care of that. You underestimated me, youkai. You will not get the chance to make that mistake again!" Takashi shouted. Takashi walked over to the body of one of his fallen hunters, and took his sword. Takashi walked over to Rumia, who's body was starting to change to that of a child. All the while, Rumia was screaming out in pain.
"I'm going to make your death nice and slow, and painful!" Takashi shouted, pulling back his sword to swing at Rumia's arm, intending to sever it.
"Die!" Takashi shouted.
"Fire Sign: 'Blast!'" a voice shouted from the distance. Following the shout, a series of fireballs appeared, knocking back one of the other hunters, and forcing Takashi to jump back from Rumia. A few moments later, someone rushed over top of Rumia, landing just past her. The lightning coming from the ribbon turned sealing amulet ceased, the ribbon splitting in half and falling to the ground. Rumia's childish body quickly returned to its proper form.
"Still attacking the innocent, huh, Takashi?" the man who appeared asked.
"Jowa!" Takashi shouted, "Meddling again, I see."
"And I'll keep doing so until you and Baku call off these hunts!" Jowa shouted.
"I don't have time for this. Get him! Take them both out before that youkai can regain her strength!" Takashi shouted.
"I would advise not listening to him. I don't want to kill any of you, but I will if I have to," Jowa stated.
As Jowa expected, the group of hunters ignored him, under the firm belief that their numbers would give them an advantage against a human and a weakened youkai. The hunter nearest to Jowa pulled out a spell card.
"Hunt Sign 'Pointed Barrage!'" the hunter shouted. The card quickly burnt up. In it's place, numerous arrows appeared, heading straight for Jowa. The 刀 on Jowa's left hand glowed, before a staff appeared in it. Jowa spun the staff around, deflecting the entire barrage of arrows aimed for him. The hunter then charged at Jowa, with his sword drawn. He struck at Jowa under the assumption the staff he was using was made of wood. He was surprised to find it was made of steel when his sword hit it. Jowa quickly knocked the sword out of the hunter's hand and pinned him to the ground. Jowa aimed for the man's throat and crushed it under his staff. The hunter was killed as soon as his neck was broken.
Next to Jowa, Rumia was still shaking, a lot of power having been drained by the constrictor charm. Rumia saw the hunter hit by Jowa's fireballs attempt to get up and strike out at her. Rumia summoned forth what remained of her energy, and used it to deliver a crushing blow to the hunter, blowing his chest open and sending him crashing into one of the other hunters. Rumia watched as the other hunter pushed the body of his dead comrade aside. Rumia jumped on top of him. Out of magic to use, Rumia settled for smashing his face in with her bare hands. The man's head was reduced to crushed, bloody pile. Rumia pulled back her blood soaked hand, and looked back to Jowa.
Jowa had the last pair of lesser hunters right in front of him. Both of them had spell cards in their hands, ready to attack.
"I would stop if I were you. You forfeit your lives the moment you use those," Jowa said.
"Drop dead! Power Sign 'Wind Crusher!" the first hunter shouted.
"Power Sign 'Fire Storm!'" the other hunter shouted.
Jowa sighed out loud, looking at what was sent at him. The first hunter sent out a large ball of compressed wind, while the other sent out a streaming barrage of small fireball danmaku.
"Lightning Sign 'Thunder Strike!'" Jowa shouted, a 雷 glowing through the bandages on his right palm. A series of lasers emerged before Jowa. Jowa was able to duck and weave through the projectiles sent in his direction, while the lasers he sent out pierced through the bodies of the pair of hunters before him. The second hunter took a laser to his face, blowing his head off, leaving the rest of his body to be torn apart by the other lasers. The first hunter attempted to dodge through the lasers, managing to get away with only losing an arm. The area around his arm socket went numb from the elemental nature of the laser. The hunter looked up at Jowa, a look of contempt in his eyes.
"I warned you," Jowa said.
The other hunter charged forward in rage, hoping to avenge his partner, only to get a sword going through his neck. The hunter coughed up blood in surprise, forgetting Jowa also used swords to attack.
"You had a chance to retire from the life of being a hunter and live out the rest of your days in peace. A shame you wasted that chance. May you find peace in the afterlife," Jowa stated, watching as the hunter fell before him.
Takashi wasn't surprised to see the rest of his men fall as quickly as they did. He was actually expecting it. He saw the others distracted Jowa long enough for him to rush at the weakened Rumia. He grabbed her quickly, pulling up a sword to her throat. Jowa saw the move, but couldn't respond fast enough.
"Too bad, Jowa! Looks like you failed! All that effort, all for nothing!" Takashi shouted, as he prepared to sever Rumia's head.
Jowa knew he had to act fast. A 速 symbol glowed on the bottom of his foot as he did a lightning fast dash towards Rumia and Takashi. Jowa was able to get Rumia out of Takashi's grasp, but took a strike to his side, leaving a gash in his gut.
"Oh ho, that's a new one. Haven't seen you use that one before," Takashi said.
"Yeah... I'm full of surprises," Jowa gasped, feeling the pain of his wound. He gripped the side of his body, feeling the blood coming out and and staining his clothes.
"Well, as fun as that was, I believe it's time to send you two on your way to the afterlife!" Takashi shouted.
"Not quite, Ice Sign 'Blinding Blizzard!'" Jowa shouted, a 水 and 風 symbol glowing in turn through the bandages on his right palm. Within seconds, a dense barrage of snow danmaku appeared, obscuring Jowa and Rumia from view. Takashi stood back, knowing he couldn't dodge through it. Within a few moments, the spell ended. There was no sign of Jowa and Rumia afterward.
"Escaping again, eh Jowa? That's fine, then. Just gives me more time to think of how I'll torture you when I finally get my hands on you," Takashi said, sheathing his sword. Takashi made his way through the forest, leaving the bodies of his comrades behind. As he walked along, he caught sight of a fairy. She had the body of a small child, green hair and green eyes with a dress made of leaves. She was looking around, curious to see what had been going on. Takashi quickly drew his sword, slashing the wings off the fairy and watching her fall to the ground.
"Wahh!" the fairy shouted, crying tears from the pain she was in, blood dripping out of her back.
"At least I get a consolation prize!" Takashi shouted, before plowing his blade through the fairies shoulder, resulting in her shrieking.
"Did you happen to see anything?" Takashi asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.
"I-I didn't see anything! I just wanted to see what the loud noise was all about!" shouted the fairy.
"You didn't happen to see a man and a woman come by through here, then?" asked Takashi.
"N-no. Please, let me go!" shouted the fairy, "I promise I won't..."
The fairy was cut off as Takashi smashed her head in with a stomp. The fairy's body went limp before dissolving into sparks of magic and fading away.
"And here I was hoping to have my luck against him change," Takashi muttered to himself as he continued along. The other fairies and youkai that saw the act made sure to give Takashi plenty of room to himself, not wanting to meet the same fate as the fairy from before.
Jowa and Rumia were hiding in a small grove nearby. Jowa was panting heavily from his injury, his continued use of magic wearing him out further.
"Are you okay?" Jowa asked of Rumia.
"I... I'm fine. Tired but fine. You, on the other hand... we need to get you help right away," Rumia replied.
"No... need... hold on a second..." Jowa muttered. Jowa took off his shirt, exposing his gash to the night air. Jowa then took his right hand, a 火 symbol glowing in his palm. Jowa cast his hand over the wound. He grunted in pain as a fire spell cauterized the wound, preventing further blood loss while killing off any bacteria that may have entered.
"That... should do for now..." Jowa said, while standing himself back up. He stumbled a bit, but was still able to walk. He looked around for any sign of Takashi. After seeing none, he dropped back down beneath the brush.
"We should wait here for a while, just in case. That man is rather stubborn when it comes to going after his targets. He might still be around," Jowa said.
"If you insist. In my current state, I can't fight him off. Tell me, though, are you a youkai, or a human?" Rumia asked.
"I'm a human."
"Then why? Why did you save me?"
"Why not? I don't like it when the innocent are pushed around."
"Even though we sometimes eat humans, and kill off your innocent?"
"I've never met a youkai that killed someone who was truly innocent. I've seen youkai scare children before. I've seen youkai start skirmishes with those they wanted to test their strength on. I've seen youkai eat a human after that human lost a challenge, a challenge the human started. I've seen, and been a victim of many pranks pulled by youkai before, but I've never seen a youkai attack just for the sake of attacking."
"I've razed villages before, you know. Tell me, how innocent is that?"
"You did it after you were attacked, right? After your friends were killed? Did you really do it unprovoked?"
"Yes, I did it as a form of retaliation. You're right, I've never attacked just because. Even I enjoy pulling the occasional prank on a traveler, and find great fun in fighting a strong person, but I've never just attacked for no reason."
"Then you're innocent, as far as I'm concerned."
"You're a strange person."
"Yeah, I guess."
"So, you always go around like this, saving people?"
"Something like that. I keep an ear open for what those hunters are doing. They come from Ozore Village. Have you heard of that place?"
"That place, huh? I've been near the village before, but I've never entered it. They won't let any youkai in, and often kill any who try on the spot. I've seen the occasional fairy sneak in by flying over the wall around the village, but I've yet to see any return. That's about all I know of the village."
"I see. That village has one of the strongest hunter groups around. I lived there some time ago, before the hunters started to take charge of it. It used to be a nice place to live, a nice place to meet people, a nice place to start a family... well, anyway, it's not like that now. Ever since their current leader, Utsugizaki Baku, came to power, the village has been run by the hunters. Nothing changed for the human population, of course. But all the youkai living in the village were either thrown out or executed, most without any kind of notice. Even half-breeds were killed off as abominations. Youkai don't even wander close to there now. I fear for any that do."
"So why do you care, anyway? It's good for humans, isn't it?"
"I've seen their methods before. I wouldn't wish such a thing on anyone, human or youkai."
"Is that what motivates you, then?"
"I have my reasons."
"And just how long have you been doing this?"
"For several years now. As you can see, I've made some 'friends' along the way."
"Yes, that Takashi individual. You appeared to know each other."
"We do, unfortunately. I generally avoid having hatred for others, but that man might just be one of the few exceptions. I can't even call him a man, more like a monster disguised as a human. The way he attacks youkai on his hunts... he actually enjoys the torture of others. I've tried to stop him several times, but every time I get a chance, something like this happens to me," Jowa explained, while pointing to the gash in his side. Jowa slipped his shirt back on, now that the wound on his side was properly sealed. His clothes were still bloody, but they were better than wearing nothing at all.
"I guess you do have a bad history with him, then. Well, I wish you luck in dealing with him. I believe it's been long enough now, I don't think that man is coming back," Rumia said as she got up.
"Thank you for before," Rumia said, before starting off. She didn't get too far before she tripped and fell, appearing to be completely exhausted.
"You played it off pretty well, but I knew from the start you were completely worn out. That was no ordinary spell he had you under. I've seen him use it several times. It's a very powerful sealing spell. He uses it on the strong youkai he meets to weaken them for torture. It's not something you can just walk off easily."
"Uh... figures as much..."
"My home is here in the forest. It's not too far from here. You can stay the night, if you wish. It'll give you some time to recover," Jowa said as he walked over to Rumia. He ended up stumbling himself, the strain of the fight catching up to him.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who needs help."
"We can help each other along, then. We should get going, before another hunter squad comes out here."
Rumia hesitated for a moment. She knew it would be unwise to stay out in the open in her current state. She also knew she couldn't just go and trust someone she had only met a short time ago. Rumia reflected on what she would do for a few moments, before deciding she would go with Jowa.
"Alright, I'll go with you, but if you try to do something to me, don't think I won't hesitate to kill you. Even if you lead me into a trap, you're guaranteed to die before I do," Rumia said.
"If that's how it is, then. Don't worry, though, I promise you, no harm will come to use under my care."
Rumia humphed, while getting herself back up. She felt a little dizzy and disoriented, but was able to stay on her feet. Jowa was in the same situation. Jowa led the way through the forest, keeping, an eye out for any other hunters. After walking for a little while, Jowa nearly stumbled, Rumia catching him.
"You humans are so weak; that wound took a lot out of you," Rumia said.
"Weak or not, a group of us were about to kill you. You shouldn't underestimate the power of us. We can do a lot when we put our minds to it," Jowa replied.
"If you say so. Come on, just tell me where to go," Rumia said, before guiding Jowa's arm over her neck.
"Being carried back to my house by the youkai I just saved... what a world this is."
"Don't read into it too much. Just look at it as my thanks for saving me, okay?"
Jowa nodded and lead the pair to his house. A worried Hikaru was waiting out front, pacing around and wondering where Jowa went off to.
"Jowa!" Hikaru shouted upon seeing the pair.
"Oh, hey Hikaru," Jowa replied.
The fairy ran up to Jowa and Rumia, ignoring the presence of the other youkai.
"I was worried sick about you! Why did you go and run off like that!" Hikaru shouted.
"You know me, always poking into the business of others. Couldn't sleep while a hunt was going on nearby," Jowa replied.
"You need to sleep! Look at you! You got yourself hurt again, didn't you? Gah! What am I going to do with you!" Hikaru shouted.
"Is she your wife, or something?" Rumia asked with a deadpan look on her face.
"She certainly acts like it," Jowa replied, bearing the same expression. Hikaru continued rambling on about why Jowa should be more careful before she finally took note of Rumia.
"And you could have died and... oh, wait, who are you?" Hikaru asked.
"A little slow, aren't you?" Rumia asked, still bearing the same expression as before.
"Hey, just because I'm a fairy doesn't mean I'm slow! I just get so caught up worrying about Jowa; I sometimes forget to notice things!" Hikaru shouted in response.
"Uh... Hikaru, this is Rumia, Rumia, this is Hikaru," Jowa said.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Rumia. Thank you for helping Jowa along. He can be rather hopeless sometimes," Hikaru said.
"That one hurt..." Jowa muttered.
"Not as much as this!" Hikaru shouted, before hitting Jowa on his injured side.
"Gah!" Jowa shouted.
"Geez, you really did get yourself hurt again. Was it that Takashi guy again?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah, it was," Jowa replied.
"That guy... if I ever see him again, I'll roast him!" Hikaru shouted. Her eyes started to glow a faint blue, with sparks of electricity arching from her fingertips.
"Easy, now, don't use your powers when under emotional stress. You remember what happened the last time, right?" Jowa asked.
"I rebuilt the kitchen, and we're outside, anyway, but alright," Hikaru said, calming down a little, her eyes returning to normal as a result.
"Huh, a fairy the controls electric current, eh?" Rumia asked.
"Yep! I'm pretty good with it, but sometimes accidents happen," Hikaru replied.
"Like your kitchen?" Rumia asked.
"That only happened once," Hikaru replied, while bearing a deadpan look of her own.
"Let's go inside, now. I think a good night's rest would do good for us all," Jowa stated.
"I am tired; you gave me a scare when I found you weren't there. Let's get inside, then. And get you patched up a little. Is, uh... Rumia, right? Is Rumia staying?" Hikaru asked.
"She's staying. She needs to rest, too. Those hunters really did a number on her," Jowa answered.
"Just for the night. I don't need that long to recover. It was just some humans," Rumia said, while looking away from the others.
Hikaru led the group inside. Rumia set Jowa down on a chair, while Hikaru gathered some bandages and soaps to clean the wound. The little fairy quickly took care of Jowa, patching him as quickly as possible.
"You seem rather capable," Rumia said.
"As many times as he's come home with some kind of terrible injury, I've gotten much practice. If it wasn't for that fire spell, he probably would have died of blood loss or infection long before now," Hikaru said.
"I see. So, you really do go and do this kind of thing often, don't you?" Rumia asked.
"Not often enough, given all the times I've been too late. There are times when I wonder if the world would be better off if I just razed that village to the ground," Jowa said.
"You won't though, will you? Can't kill all those families you used to live with, right?" Rumia asked.
"Yeah. Honestly, I don't like killing. It's something I do only as a last resort. I've given so many of those hunters a chance to get away and leave, but they always have to try one more time to get to their targets," Jowa replied.
"That's what hatred does to people. I've seen it happen many times in my life. Some people will do anything to satisfy the desires born from it. That's something else you humans have a problem with; you're too weak to emotions," Rumia said.
"Maybe, but I've met plenty of youkai that were the same. Anyway, I suppose we should try and get some sleep tonight. Hikaru, could you get the spare futon for Rumia?" Jowa asked.
Hikaru nodded before heading off.
"My house isn't too big, as you can see, but there's plenty of room for you to sleep in here," Jowa said.
"Thank you," Rumia replied.
Hikaru came back and set the futon out on the floor for Rumia.
"The bathroom is over there if you need it, okay?" Jowa said, while pointing over to a door near the kitchen.
"Sleep well, Rumia," Hikaru said.
"Rest well," Jowa added.
"Goodnight to you both," Rumia replied.
The group of three set off on a night of peaceful rest, wondering what the next day would bring, while being oblivious to what took place elsewhere.
In Ozore Village, Takashi had returned from his night. He didn't run into any other youkai while away. The pair of guards, both in the standard green armored hunter outfit, allowed Takashi passage into the village. Takashi made his way to the center of the village, towards a larger building that served as the Town Hall. The building was finished with white wooden panels on the exterior. The building itself was laid out as three separate buildings combined into one. The main building was the meeting hall, the second building was the personal chambers for the village leader and his staff. The third building was the meeting place for the youkai hunters. The section was a more recent addition to the town hall building, being added on after the current leader came to power. Takashi was greeted by another pair of guards before being allowed to enter the hunter building. Takashi continued further along to the leader's personal chambers. Within sat the leader of the village, Utsugizaki Baku. Baku had long, platinum blond hair with blue eyes and tanned skin. His hair was tied back in a ponytail. He was wearing a black kimono with stone gray hakama pants and straw sandals with white tabi socks. Baku turned to face Takashi upon his entry. Takashi knelt down before Baku, before looking him straight in the eyes.
"Did you succeed in killing Rumia of the Darkness?" Baku asked.
"I did not; Jowa appeared at the last moment, just as I had used the sealing spell," Takashi replied.
"Jowa, hm? That man is rather relentless, isn't he? Did you at least kill him?"
"I only wounded him; he managed to escape me again."
"And he's just as slippery as ever, I see," Baku said, before walking up to Takashi. Baku delivered a kick to Takashi's face, knocking him back across the floor and bloodying his face.
"I am tired of hearing of Jowa's exploits! I just got finished hearing about how he killed another hunter while he was going after a den of fairies! Does this man exist everywhere? Is he a phantom? He bleeds, doesn't he? So why can't you kill him!" Baku shouted.
"My apologies, Lord Baku, I am trying my best," Takashi replied as he set himself back to his previous position. Baku sat himself back down, though he continued to bear a scowl.
"Do not forget what we're trying to achieve, Takashi. I will not let my plan fall apart due to the actions of a single man," Baku said.
"He will be dealt with, my lord. He is only human. He will slip up eventually, and when he does, I'll be there to gut him myself," Takashi replied.
"So you've said, many a time. Do well to avoid failing again."
"Yes, my lord."
Baku dismissed Takashi, sending him on his way before returning to his own work.
"Soon, very soon, I'll have all that I need, and then my plan will finally come to fruition," Baku said to himself, while looking over a scroll he was working on, a scroll with the details for what he had in mind for the region known as Gensokyo.