Hakugyokurou

Youmu finished serving tea to her mistress, and sat down next to her. She placed her blades beside her and asked once again, putting even Yuyuko's patience to the test.

"So who are these guests, again?"

"They're a trio of performers. They come quite highly recommended, and they were able to find their way here without any difficulty, which is rather unusual, so if they're good enough, they could become somewhat regular faces around here."

The three poltergeists seemed to be doing something. some noise was coming from their direction. If they were tuning, it was unlike any other performers Youmu had seen. Yuurei filled the room as well, curious just what was going on as they always were. Unable to speak or listen, they sort of meandered around, tending to gather around Youmu, as one of the few able to communicate with them at all by using her ghost half, strained though that communication was.

Each of the three seemed content, and the noise stopped. They opened into a short, simple musical loop, and when one of them came forward to play, their instrument would stop, and they would give a story, doubtless made up, of how they had obtained it. Oddly, Youmu noticed that the yuurei which surrounded her seemed to notice it. She could swear they were paying attention to the music, despite lacking ears with which to hear it.

"This violin is the yuurei of a violin cruelly broken over its owner's knee for failing to live up to his impossible standards. While the heartless master master has faded into obscurity, this violin will find redemption in my care." The one in black said. The tall one in blue went next.

"This trumpet is the yuurei of one which, when played, was so energizing, the dead would rise from their graves just to dance. Here in the Netherworld, in my tender care, it's sure to bring you to life, if only for a brief while." Youmu looked apprehensive at this claim, but Yuyuko seemed unconcerned. Well, if things did end up going that way, they'd have little difficulty fixing the situation. Youmu did bring her blades a bit closer though, just in case she did need to fix that situation. The short one in red stepped forward next, as the trumpet resumed its jaunty part, and the keyboard ceased, though it remained suspended in the air.

"And this keyboard, so recently torn from the world of the living, was shunned for lacking the grand design of its predecessors. I think you'll soon agree though, that it was never given a fair chance." The short one returned to the other two, and they spoke in unison... (somehow, even the trumpeter managed to, while continuing to play.)

"And now, we begin."

With that, dozens more instruments started up. Youmu looked for them, but saw none in the few moments she was even fully aware. Before she knew it, she was lost in the music. No... it was more than music. She could hear it, but never before had her spirit half and her human half been so in tune with eachother. She had heard good music, but her spirit half never had. Not only did it reach the... ears? of her spirit, but it sounded just as glorious to it as it did to her human half. She heard sounds she had never even imagined, and through teary eyes, she saw even Yuyuko, normally so composed, crying earnestly after just a few moments of their song.

Youmu felt her emotions run, not wild, but carefully and lovingly guided by caring masters that would lead her to true fulfillment. She was filled to the brim with vigor, only to be filled even more with the world's weights. They brought her down, but she knew that no matter how heavy her burden became, she would have the energy to explore this new, unknown world that was unfolding into her ears and mind.

Youmu was completely overtaken by the sound soon thereafter, and when she finally managed to wrest control back from her overwhelmed mind, it was only because the three were finishing up, and had gone back to their original three instruments. Youmu's body and mind were exhausted, though she was sitting in much the same place as she had been, and there were no real signs of movement, though the yuurei scattered about were similarly emitting signs of fatigue and joy.

"And now, our time is almost done, but first... we have some very special guests here, don't we? So it's time for our closing piece. Played at the deathbed of someone very important to us, though we never met him." The trio began to play a song, somber, but with a twinkle of hope for something better. Youmu couldn't help but acknowledge their skill, as even with just the three sounds, they managed to tell without words the sad tale of a dying man, about to abandon his poor daughters. Though she'd never met him, she could feel his sadness and concern. It made her feel distant, though the distance seemed irrelevant, tying together the subjects of the song, and bringing them together, no matter where they were.

And though most of the yuurei around them had tired out (Youmu didn't even think that possible, but realized that for the first time ever, her spirit half was as exhausted as she was), three approached the poltergeists. One each went to a different performer, feeling some sort of attachment to them, though Youmu could only guess what. Timidly, a fourth stood a bit away, and a fifth looked on from a distance. As the music played, she could sense through her spirit, that they wished to join, so she nudged them towards the musicians, who smiled in thanks as she did so.

The song came to a climax as the five yuurei hovered around the poltergeists, who bent down and embraced them all. The music quieted, then stopped, as the eight huddled together, and the three poltergeists whispered together.

"We can only hope we live up to your name." And Youmu felt that she had just witnessed some sort of reunion. The yuurei gathered on stage were giving off vibes of contentedness, and she half wondered if they would ascend then and there. This moment hung in the air, seeming it would never end.

Youmu heard some clapping, and turned to see Yuyuko, tears in her eyes, a wide smile on her face, applauding as heartily as she could. After a moment, Youmu couldn't help but join, and though yuurei couldn't applaud, the hall still seemed full of the sound, as they emitted joy and increased the feeling behind the applause even more, in their own strange way of showing appreciation.

The netherworld had found some entertainment at last.

Author's notes: I thought I'd try writing something a little different. And back when I wrote the Prismriver scene in Satori Tale, I had a good time with it and wrote this not too long after. I've several more smallish one-shots like this, and I'm still not cure which my next main project will be; I'm juggling three or four possibilities right now; it's almost certainly going to be a one-shot, though.