Uh-oh…
TOUHOU PROJECT
A Danmakuverse Fanfic
Tenguesque
PART II
"Look alive, ladies," an inmate shouted. "We have a real pretty one coming into the slammer today!"
A wolf-whistle followed. "Ooh! Look at the legs on her! They're to die for!"
"Throw her in here with me, warden," another tengu woman said. "She'll be just fine living with me! I'll take gooood care of her!"
Hatate shuddered. She hasn't even been put in a cell yet and she was already scared. The tengu that were cat-calling her were all tall and imposing. The prisoners certainly didn't lack femininity though. They were all attractive girls bearing similar hairstyles similar to Hatate's own. Yet, their cuteness is not to be taken for granted…
They're tengu after all…
"Stop dragging your feet," a prison guard commanded, pricking Hatate's butt with the blade of a naginata.
"H-hey! That hurt!" Hatate winced.
"Walk faster," the guard pricked the young tengu's backside again.
"Oww!"
"Aww, don't do that, warden! You'll deflate her nice ass!"
Suffering Shanghai! Hatate thought in horror. These girls are just as perverted as Aya! I can't live here! They'll eat me alive!
Hatate forced herself to drown out the sounds of prison obscenities. It was all she can do. The warden continued to lead Hatate to her cell. When they arrived near the end of the hallway, someone reached out and grabbed her left ponytail. The inmate yanked Hatate's locks so fiercely that it brought tears to her eyes.
"KYAAAH!" Hatate sobbed. "Let go of my hair!"
The inmate, a plain white-haired tengu with bags under her eyes, pulled Hatate against the bars with frightening strength. She laid her face on the young tengu's ponytail and sniffed it. "Ohh… so good! Your hair smells so good!" Her voice was maniacal – devoid of sanity due to uncivil degeneracy. "Can I eat you? Please let me eat you!"
Hatate struggled against the older prisoner. "No!"
"You're so beautiful – very beautiful," the madwoman continued. "So beautiful that you'll even look great inside my stomach!"
The warden struck the inmate's hand, freeing Hatate.
WAP!
The deranged tengu hissed, nursing her aching hand.
"That's enough out of you, Fujiko," the warden said.
"Burn in hell you fool!" The white haired monster cursed. "I've been rotting in this damned cell for over four hundred years! I deserve a little liberty! How dare you torture me with all the young twin-tailed girls you've been imprisoning lately!"
The warden helped Hatate off the floor and pushed her inside a nearby cell.
"Welcome home," said the warden.
CHOOM!
At the sound of the slammed door, Hatate knew that her life as a free bird was over. She turned around and grabbed the bars, shouting furiously. "Wait! This is a terrible mistake!"
"That's what they all say," the warden remarked as she left the dungeons.
Hatate's heart fell. Her fate has been sealed. "Uuuu! This isn't fair! What do I do now?" She looked down her soaked blouse, noting a serial number written on it. Seeing that number pissed her off. "Argh! I'm not just another statistic! What the hell is wrong with this society!?"
"It's not so bad," a blasé voice said from the darkness of the cell. "You'll get used to living here in no time."
Hatate gasped, crossing her arms over her half-visible breasts and pressing her butt against the bars. She didn't notice the inmate at all. "Don't come any closer!"
"Relax," the inmate said, emerging from the darkness. "I won't hurt you."
Hatate took a good look at her cellmate. "Koakuma…?"
Red eyes, slit pupils, and long red hair framing a heart-shaped face, the stranger indeed look like the succubus that lives in the Scarlet Devil Manor. She was wearing wearing a white blouse along with a black mid-length skirt. The only difference between Koa and the cellmate was the fact that she was much taller. She was bigger than Koa, too.
"Little devil?" She wondered. "I'm think you got me confused with someone else. As a matter of fact, I'm not even a tengu."
Hatate's fear faded, but it didn't vanished completely. The redhead was taller than her, but her voice was cute. The stranger spoke with a nonchalant and weary tone. "You're not?"
"The name's O'Hara," she curtsied. "That's my family name, though. For some odd reason, my parents never gave me a first name."
Hatate wanted to laugh but she decided against. For all she knew, O'Hara could be batshit insane. On the plus side, she was fairly attractive. And the garters on her thighs were a nice touch, too. "Hello… my name's Hatate."
O'Hara tilted her head in curiosity. "Hatate… who?..."
"Just Hatate," the brunette lied. "I'm an orphan."
"Okay!" O'Hara chirped. Then she gasped suddenly while pointing near Hatate's right foot. "Uwah! Watch out!"
"Huh?" Hatate looked down and turned pale at the sight of a cockroach. "Aiiiiiieeee!"
The brunette raised her leg, intent on squashing the bug, but she was lifted off the ground. O'Hara was holding her high in the air in the palm of her right hand! The redhead snatched the roach from the floor and devoured it.
CRUNCH!
"Hmm… not bad," O'Hara licked her fingers. "Needs salt, though…"
Hatate hopped off of her cellmate's hand, grimacing. "Did you just eat a cockroach?"
O'Hara beamed. "Yah-huh! You should try one! They're delicious!"
"Umm… no thanks, O'Hara," Hatate hesitated. "I'll pass."
"Your loss," the Koakuma lookalike shrugged.
Then there was a clamor among the prisoners. An irritatingly familiar person appeared before their cell. "Well-well, if it isn't Hatate Himekaidou," Aya taunted, taking a snapshot of her incarcerated rival. Her hair was permed, making her look like a black-haired more mature version of Youmu. "The only person in all of Gensokyou that sounds better with her mouth shut…"
"What do you want?" Hatate growled, shaking a fist. "You behind all this, aren't you?"
"Nope, blame that on bad luck," Aya remarked. A few pairs of panties were thrown at her feet, followed by catcalls. "Ayayaya… how lewd," she exclaimed playfully. "There are a lot of savages down here!"
The younger tengu gripped the bars again while glaring at her nemesis. "You should be in here instead!"
Aya feigned innocence. "Why? I haven't committed any crime. Besides…" she slid her hand between the bars and squeezed one of Hatate's breasts. "It looks like you've put on weight. I guess sitting at home while eating snacks all day worked wonders for your figure."
Hatate swiped at Aya's face, her nails missing the older crow by inches. "Bitch!"
The yellow journalist back away while laughing darkly. "Hahahaha… save your energy, Hatate. You're going to need it for the other inmates."
"You stupid crow," Hatate swore. "If you were in here, I'll cook your goose!"
"Aww, that was terrible," O'Hara scoffed.
Aya agreed with the redhead. "It damn sure was…"
Hatate sighed, and hopped on the top bunk bed. "Why are you here, Aya?"
"What else? I came here to see you," Aya remarked, taking another snapshot. "Your pain and suffering are for my amusement."
"Amusement, huh?" Hatate removed her damp sandals and thigh-highs. "I kinda figured that much…"
O'Hara shook her head. "There is nothing amusing about this."
Hatate crossed her now bare broad thighs. "Preach…"
"Well, considering that you're repaying your debts to society, it isn't," Aya said serious… before a grin split her face again. "But it is hella funny to see karma getting back at a renowned criminal."
Hatate's brows flattened. "What the hell do you mean by 'renowned criminal'? I haven't done a damn thing!"
Aya crossed her arms and gave her rival an all-knowing look. "Don't you play dumb with me, kid. You've been busy filling innocence people with lead."
The brunette picked up one of her sandals. The urge to shatter Aya's grill with it was overwhelming. "I don't have time for none of your games, Aya! You and I both know that I haven't shot anyone!"
Aya laughed bitterly. "And I'm Betty Boop… You better come clean while you still have the chance, Hatate. Or… shall I call you… the Sniper Tengu?"
"Aya, go away. Please – like, vanish into thin air," the younger tengu growled. Just looking at that straight-haired bitch had Hatate's nerves on edge. "You're the last person that I want to see right now."
The bob-haired reporter blew a kiss. "Aww, don't be like that. I thought you love me. Be thankful that you are getting visitors in the first place."
"You're not a visitor – you're a nuisance!"
"Ooh… temper-temper, Hatate. It's bad for your blood pressure."
Hatate hopped off the bed. "I'll show you blood pressure, you silly cuckoo!"
"Ayayaya…" Aya took out her notepad and scribbled in it. "Resorting to bad temperament and epithets, eh? Who would have ever thought that the seemingly innocent Hatate Himekaidou was such a barbarian? This is definitely first page material!" She pocketed the notepad in her skirt and lolled her tongue at her rival. "Bleeeeeeh! Eat shit, seashell head!"
Aya left the hall and huge black wings sprouted from Hatate's back. "I'm going to freaking murder you someday!"
"Hmm. So you are a murderer?" O'Hara said, looking oddly nervous.
"No," sighed Hatate. "I'm not. I haven't killed anybody." She hopped back on the top bunk. "Even though it was a figure of speech, I have contemplated murdering her before."
"Oh…" O'Hara sat on the edge of the bottom bunk in an unladylike way – her legs apart. "Then that means you're here for the same reason as I am…"
Hatate's brow rose. "What's that?"
O'Hara closed her eyes and held her long hair in double ponytails. "Being a young female bird-type youkai with a twin-tailed hairstyle…" she released her hair and plopped on her bed. "Thing is, I'm not even a tengu…"
Hatate shared her cellmate's grief. They were facing a common enemy. "Guilty until proven innocent…"
TENMA'S ROOM
Tenma returned to her room once again, nursing a headache. The people were still wary of the Mystery Tengu, and more young women were being incarcerated. The enigmatic sniper had an entire civilization in dubious anxiety – like a bad politician. Someone had to be blamed. She didn't want it this way but she has to continue this endeavor. Even if it did put the weight of the world on her small shoulders…
She wanted to cry. Tenma wanted the whole village to feel her pain. Life was unfair and it was even more so for the suspected girls.
The beautiful daitengu sat at her study and picked up a kiseru pipe off of it. After hovering the pipe over an incense pot, she began to puff on it. Normally, Tenma didn't smoke but the past few days have been injurious to her psyche. The poor girl was stressed.
"How odd," Aya said as she appeared at the window again. "You haven't smoked in years, Lady Tenma. The last time you did drugs was when the oni inhabited the mountains – long before you were elected daitengu."
Tenma exhaled a steam of tobacco, bouncing her legs pitifully. Despite her mental anguish, she smiled. "Yes… and you and I were soldiers back then," the memories were apparently pleasant to her. "Gathering information, teaching humans how to fight, and helping them ward off invaders… those were the days…"
Aya shared the daitengu's nostalgia. "We've come a long way…"
Tenma cocked her head to the side, exhaling more smoke. Her solid white eyes had a watery sheen to them. "We sure did, Aya. Who would have ever thought that two scared karasu girls will become the greatest warriors our society had ever produced? We were legendary."
Aya humbled. "We… only did what was needed to be done. Even though, we didn't want too…"
The regal woman saw the faraway look on her friend's face. "Many youkai were killed…"
"And many more were gravely injured," said Aya. "We became heroines."
Tenma puffed the kiseru again. "Glorified barbarians…"
Aya entered the room, picking up a daruma doll (round ball-like doll with a hallow face – typically a good luck charm) from a nearby shelf. "That is the dark side of being heroic."
Tenma bounced her legs more intensely than before. "It's happening again, Aya – to me. I can't bear it."
Aya bounced the doll in her hand. "You've been through worse."
"No," Tenma contended. "This is… much worse. At least the enemies that we've dealt with back in the days were cold-blooded killers, but this is different."
"Everything will be okay, Lady Tenma…"
"You think so?" Tenma scoffed. "Then why is the devil gnawing at my conscience? Why must those innocent girls suffer in the dungeons below?"
Aya didn't like the situation either (besides Hatate's incarceration). It was rare for Tenma to get emotional. She just hoped that the identity of the Mysterious Tengu will be revealed so this will be all over. "Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this."
"The girl in purple – Hatate," Tenma reminded. "Is she the one?"
Aya turned away. "I don't know…"
"Aya!" Tenma yelled. "Don't tell me that was a lie!"
"I said I don't know yet," said Aya. "Still, it is likely that-"
Her defense was cut off by Tenma's left hand.
WAP!
The younger tengu gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She slowly put her hand to the stinging sensation on her right cheek. Gazing at her leader in disbelief, Aya said "You slapped me…"
"You've lied to me," Tenma rebutted. "I don't need any of that at a time like this!"
Aya grew angry. "I'm the liar here? That's rich, coming from you!"
Tenma narrowed her eyes. More drama for her mental torment… "What do you mean?"
The reporter laughed bitterly. "Oh, you know what I mean… my old friend. I know why you're behaving like a scared little girl right now." The harshness in her tone made Tenma clench her fists. "You are in no position to cast stones – even with your status… Tenma-chan…"
The pipe snapped in two between her fingers. "Aya, don't play with me…"
"Or what – suspect me as well?" Aya stepped up to face her longtime friend with a bitter smile. "You're going to get the wolf guards to apprehend me? You know that they don't stand a chance against me…"
Tenma glared. "Don't… do… this…"
"Look what we have here: a possible friendship-ending scenario," scoffed Aya. "Don't you hate it when the pot calls the kettle black, Tenma-chan? Those sorts of situations can even break up happy homes, you know."
"I never would have expected such emotional backlash from you, Aya." Tenma said. "All of this because I slapped you? You've gotten soft."
Aya didn't miss a beat. "That may be true, but I know the reason why you're carrying out misguided justice." Her beautiful face was ugly now – tainted by an all-knowing evil grin. And it unnerved her longtime comrade and leader. "You can deceive everyone else, but not me."
Tenma took a deep breath. "Aya… I'm afraid that I have to ask you to leave. Do it before I do something that I will regret."
"Just like what you're doing to the young suspects, right? You're only following orders, after all…"
"Aya…"
"She's going to punish you, isn't she?" Aya leered. "If you fail her, that is…"
The violet-white haired ruler raised her hand threateningly. "How dare you use her against me!" She attempted to slap Aya again but the younger crow caught her hand. "Ngh!"
"Ooh… did I struck a nerve there?" Aya laughed while Tengu struggled to break free. "I knew that you were being used. That god has you wrapped around her finger! There's nothing that you and the other daitengu can do, is there?"
Tenma cried then. It was a very rare occurrence. "You don't know what it's like, Aya," she whimpered. "She threatened to kill me!"
"WHAT!?"
Aya gasped, softening at the revelation. She didn't believe it at first, but Tenma's fear was very real. Never in her life had Aya seen the daitengu so frightened. Tenma was no coward. In fact, she welcomed danger. She's usually the first person to face tribulations head-on. But the wrath of a god presented a new type of danger to her – one that she should be afraid of.
Aya lead her back to her desk. "Ayaya… this is bad," she said. "What are we going to do?"
Tenma sat with a fetal posture, shaking. Her wings spanned nearly half the length of the room. "I'm scared… so scared…"
"Calm down, please," Aya grabbed Tenma's shoulder. "I'll go over to the shrine and talk to her. If that doesn't work, I'll get Reimu to help us."
"She's angry, Aya," said Tenma. "Please don't go up there and upset her any more than she already is! It will mean the end of our city! Don't go! I beg of you!"
"But I have to do something," Aya insisted. "Don't the other daitengu know about this?"
"No," Tenma shook her head fervently. "No one should know about this."
Aya stomped her feet in frustration. "Got-damn it! Now I'm getting stressed over this."
And then, Aya felt a slight weight on her head.
Tenma gasped, pointing at an odd large hat that appeared on her friend's head through the window. In her current predicament, she couldn't help but scream.
"KYAAAAAAAH!"
"Holy Hourai," the hat said. "Not so loud! What are you, a banshee?"
Aya froze at the familiar high-pitched voice. "Oh… shit…"
"Language, baby," a pair of small thigh-high clad legs appeared on Aya's shoulder. "Don't you know cussing takes seconds away from your lifespan?"
A small girl sprouted out of the weird hat on Aya's head. She giggled as if there were no troubles in the world. Aya felt her neck turn and the next thing she knew, she was forced into looking at pair of wide dark eyes. Eyes widening in fear due to the apparent discomfort in her neck, Aya said "H-how n-nice of you to j-join us? P-please… don't b-b-break m-my… neck."
The girl applied more pressure to Aya's neck, emitting a 'crick' sound. It was just enough for her to feel a little more pain… "Why should I, baby? I heard what you said. You were being downright mean to your leader. I do believe that you owe her an apology."
Aya now knew why Tenma was deathly afraid. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be a dick to her! Please forgive me!"
There was disapproval to the girl's voice. "Your bladder's weak…"
"Really," Aya said pitifully. "I should go to the doctor and see about that. Just… don't kill me."
"Please spare her, Lady Suwako!" Tenma implored. "You've done enough to her!"
Suwako guffawed. "Don't worry; killing's not my thing anyway. But I did wanted to give you two a good scare and it looks like succeeded." She reached down and groped Aya's left breast. "Poor girl's heart about to jump out her chest…"
At that moment, Tenma saw a hallucination as she looked at Aya. Right now, the reporter appeared as a donkey to her… along with 'jackass' written in kanji on her armband.
"Now," Suwako hopped off of Aya. "What's this I hear about an angry god hell-bent on destroying the tengu village?"
END OF EPISODE TWO
JAN 11, 2013
An awesome mountain goddess appears! The plot thickens! Tenma is really going to kill me for making her look like a crybaby. Oh, and I've totally scrapped the idea of Hatate's cellmate looking like that chick from Million Dollar Baby – or even funnier, a Cho-Marisa character.
I hafta admit though, O'Hara resembling Koakuma is a nice surprise. Maybe she will be a valuable friend to Hatate? Wink-wink…
Next time: Gratuitous Bathhouse Scene!
Till next episode!
