Enjoying her well earned rest after a long night of scaring and terrorising the local populace; Gensokyo's resident rokurobi lay in her bed, relaxing peacefully alongside the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops. With no plans for the day other than sleeping off her feast, she cradled her severed head between her arms much like a child would hold a teddy, and slept through the morn-
Knock, knock, knock
Her eyelids fluttered and her voice formed in an irritated grumble. Nobody liked to be disturbed during an important and busy schedule of nothing, and Sekibanki was no exception. Faced with two options; greeting the sorry soul who would face her sleep-deprived wrath, or staying underneath her warm, comfortable quilt. She instead chose a third option, which was aptly dubbed "Reimu Protocol". The details of which could be described as simply ignoring an issue until it becomes too much of a bother.
Knock, knock, knock!
And a bother this determined door-knocker was being.
Knock, knock, knock!
In a fit of frustration, the roused redhead took grasp of the closest thing to her hands and flung the sorry object haphazardly in the direction of her front door. A gentle feeling of relaxation washed over her as she felt herself soaring through the clouds and back into slumber.
Bang!
Pain! So much pain! She cursed herself for her own idiocy as she opened her eyes and confirmed that yes, she was the sorry object that she threw.
"Um, Sekibanki, are you okay in there?" Called a concerned voice from the other side of the door, a familiar voice that belonged to a certain umbrella youkai who had, rather insistently, placed herself as Sekibanki's student.
"Just…Fine…" She groaned in response as her head rocked around on the doormat. Her body clambered out of bed and donned her crimson capelet, before walking over to her stinging skull and fixing it back in place atop her shoulders.
"Wonderful! Then would you like to come out outside and have some fun?"
"No."
"But why not? The weather is perfect!"
A quick glance outside showed that the weather was indeed perfect, perfect for staying indoors. To say the sky was unclear would be an understatement, as rain clouds obscured even the sun behind their dark grayness, and the constant downpour was only the icing on the cake. "It's raining." Was all she could muster in response.
"Exactly, silly!" She replied simply, as if Sekibanki was the crazy one. "All the humans will be holed up in their houses, so we can go shopping and discuss scare tactics. You can't say you don't have an umbrella either, because I'm here for you!"
Sekibanki was almost certain that she could physically see Kogasa's rainbow of optimism radiate through her door, along with her big, beaming smile. "Kogasa, stop. As much as I'm enjoying this conversation with you and the door; I'm tired after hunting last night, and this is far too early for a youkai to be awake."
She could easily envision the frown forming on her pupil's face, her smile blown away by the howling gales that had quickly picked up and followed her stern words. "Head back home, Kogasa, before you get swept away in the storm." She called out dismissively as she turned around and walked back to her bed.
No response.
"...Kogasa?"
Only the freezing winds that rattled the door within its frame responded to her call.
Sekibanki froze in place as the faintest hint of concern ate away at her resolve. The concern wormed its way deeper into her mind until, before she knew it; she had retraced her steps and clenched her hand tightly over the doorknob. "Respond to me when I call you, Kogasa." She said with a scowl as she turned the metal ball and pulled.
Nothing. Nothing other than a chilly embrace greeted her as she peered outside the safe confines of her own home and into the waterlogged streets of the human village. Sadly this didn't raise Sekibanki's spirits, and only served to worry her more. She would have much preferred to have seen a sniffling umbrella than an empty entrance, and with a frustrated sigh, she walked out into the freezing downpour.
Her crimson capelet danced in the wind as she scoured the street for a glimpse of a purple umbrella or a pair of eyes that glowed ruby and sapphire. However all she saw was her own reflection in the rippling puddles, a drowned weather doll draped in red.
As she continued her fruitless search; she was concerned about whether she would find Kogasa first, or drown from her raised collar performing as an inconvenient bowl. However as the time went by, she failed to notice the lack of rain dripping in her hair, at least until an unknown hand took hold of her soggy shoulder and a warm puff of air brushed over her left ear.
"Boo!"
Sekibanki shrieked - it wasn't her finest moment. The tense atmosphere that built up around her had swept away in the breeze as her wide eyes caught sight of her assailant; an aqua haired girl a few inches shorter than herself carrying one large, purple umbrella and an even larger smile. "K-Kogasa?! But you…. I thought…. You surprised me! You actually surprised me!"
"Well, I am learning from the best!" Kogasa replied, beaming as brightly as the sun with her trademark cheeky wink. "And now that you're outside, we can go shopping!"
Sekibanki sighed defeatedly, then returned Kogasa's smile with her own. "I guess you got me there." She said as she shook her head and took hold of the umbrella before they both began to walk together cheerfully in the rain. "First things first, I heard Kosuzu obtained some more modern horror stories for us to read. I hope you don't faint this time!