She was the first to speak.
"My, a visitor this late in the day? You don't look very strong, so I'm guessing you're not here to help me look after these children... You look terribly lost - are you looking for someone?"
I shook my head a bit, not quite ready to meet her gaze head-on. I could feel her eyes staring straight through even my glances, right into my soul. It was uncomfortable, but the longer she stared, the more used to it I become. I gave a weak response.
"... Uhn... No."
Her laughter was more refined than I expected, low and elegant like the sinuous tones of her voice. I heard her feet rustle against the soil as she steps closer, her smile becoming slightly cruel. Time was running out. I better respond properly, even if I was not ready. I met her gaze and she paused for a moment. Was she surprised? Either way it was now or never.
"Sorry. It's been a long day - the place I was living in seems to have disappeared, and I *am* lost; my feet led me here by accident, to this land of Gensokyo, which I know only a little about. I didn't go to the village... Because I don't like crowds. I was watching the flowers and decided to see if someone was here, perhaps someone who could give me advice - Flower Master of the Four Seasons, Kazami Yuuka."
…Wow, that sounded way more convoluted outloud than it did in my head. However, I saw her face light up like a beam, although It was hard to tell if was from amusement, courtesy - perhaps even respect. Regardless, she stopped her advancement, although she was already close enough that I could almost feel her breath - and it became harder not to shift your eyes from hers, to watching those breaths.
"... You're very polite, aren't you? Much more than red-white and that dreadful thief she travels with. And blunt, too! I can respect that - As it stands, I'm not particularly fond of crowds either, especially people - which is why I mulch visitors who take achene from my precious sunflowers, and feed the fertilizer ripped from their intestines to the children who are struggling."
Moments passed, the cicadas from earlier cried out even louder than normal. I stared at her and she stared back, neither of us moving an inch. Did…did I fail? ... There's a chance...
Suddenly she laughed, clapping my shoulder and letting the dirt from her glove stain my skin. "That was a lie, of course! Haha, you were so serious- did you really think I'd kill the first polite visitor I'd had in ages?... You haven't pissed me off, yet. And you look hungry. We can decide whether you live or die over something to eat - I'm almost done with these little ones, anyway."
She motioned to where she had been transplanting the weeds to make room for slightly unhealthy-looking sunflowers; the weeds must have been stealing nutrients from them. Surprisingly she returned to her usual workload as if I was not there, and began placing the sunflowers in the soil, covering them with a light bed and gently hemming them in with the trowel. I watched for a little while, then went on my knees to give it a try as well to support her. Feeling the soil directly in my palms just confirmed how fresh it was: a good mix of moist and roughness with a smell that could put hair down my chest. She turned to me and I got a look of a smile more radiant than the sun itself.
The sun beat down on the both of us, but the work eventually wrapped up quick enough, and Yuuka lead me through the sunflowers to a small log cabin; the logs were overgrown with a thick kudzu of vines, and it looked like it might be growing out of the very earth itself. She giggled as if my reaction to her abode amused her, opened the door, and curtsied.
"Gentlemen first-"
I didn't try to challenge her, instead gratefully accepted it and headed inside. The cottage was much smaller than it looked - a simple wooden table and kitchen swim into view, as well as a stairway up, and another room which had a small wooden bed that looked incredibly uncomfortable for someone my size.
Wait.
Didn't Yuuka have a manor, or something? I thought to myself trying to remember. I heard a foot tapping against the floor - and then felt a hand gently plant itself on my shoulder.
"You're zoning out - don't tell me you've never seen a house before? Ah, perhaps where you come from, such an elegant kitchen is owned only by the strongest and most beautiful?"
Her prideful words made me forget my trail of thought. "Nah. Where I come from, the nice houses tend to be owned by the weakest with the most cash." A wry grin planted itself on my face.
Her expression went blank; she obviously understood what I meant but seemed to be having trouble believing it. "That's ridiculous; only people like that vain shrine maiden would cater to such a philosophy."
Yep. Better not tell her of my old fortune and stocks back home. I rolled my eyes and looked for a way to curve the subject. "Let me guess, a real Darwinian survival of the fittest type?... Uh, hey, since you're treating me, how about I cook?"
She already headed towards the kitchen; a small fire had been lit under the stove, although with what fuel I could not tell. A dinged-up kettle hung above it, rattling as Yuuka filled it with water.
"Aaah? No, no. It's my pleasure - rarely do I have company who is so verbose. If wrong!" She smirked to herself, then continues. "Only vainglorious dandelions depend entirely on themselves - the mighty birch to the humble paintbrush all need interaction with others to survive, whether it be an animal that speeds it along its way, or another flower that helps it build its future."
From where I am at the small table, I could see her shoulders rise and fall as she threshed something into a bowl; the kettle hissed and she left the bowl, pouring hot water into two ceramic cups, which she then brought over to you. Inside the cup was a deep, red liquid that smells of huckleberries and rosewater. Blacktea?
She sat next to me with her chin perched against her palm, taking a sip of her tea without waiting for it to cool. Her smile returned to her face at you. "But with that exception... Yes. The strongest will always survive - and it is their job to look after the weak, as the sunflower guards the bees that dance amongst it - and as I am looking after you. Do you object to this, the order of nature?"
I expected some kind of hidden menace in her tone, but instead she seemed genuinely interested in the topic. Oh well, at least this discussion looked like it would lead to somewhere interesting. Taking a sip of the tea - which is remarkably refreshing, making my heat-battered body feel good once more – I thought of an answer from my experience.
"That's not how I know things. Where I come from, the strongest exploit the weak, and take what they have. Sucks, but that's the way it is. There isn't anything I can do about it, so why care?" Another sip from the tea passed my lips, and I saw her grin widen.
"Is that so- what strange flowers must grow in your land, not to need any pollination; and what powerful creatures you humans must be, if the other side of the barrier has become so apathetic." With quiet laughter that sent the ringlets of her green hair shaking, she rose to her feet and brought the bowl to the table.
It was nothing much - just a tossed salad, and I couldn't hide the disappointment on my face quick enough. Yuuka, in return, did not hide her offended expression. "I would apologize, but there's no meat to be had- the last time an Eientei rabbit was brave enough to come to my gardens was some time ago. Come to think of it, she looked a lot like you…"
I blanched at her words "a-are you- " but was interrupted when she burst into laughter again, slamming the table with her fist.
"Kidding, kidding!... You should really learn to spot a lie. You were probably taken advantage of a-l-l the time in your world, weren't you?"
Ouch, she struck me right where it hurt. Unpleasant memories began coming back to me. Maybe her words are more accurate than I'd like "Heh... Yeah, yeah, guess I was. Uh, bon appetite and all that."
The two of us ate in silence; there were no utensils, and Yuuka simply grabbed clumps of tossed greens and tore into them with wild abandon, bits of torn lettuce staining her elegant face and clinging to her teeth. She finished first, wiping the sleeve of her blouse against her lips, she folded her arms and leaned across the table as I finished my serving.
"You're pretty interesting, for a human. Since it seems you don't believe in the glory of nature, it only seems -natural- that I'll take you in for a little bit. You've already helped out in the garden, so the children here like you. In fact, they seem to think you aren't as worthless as you think you are. They have terrible bad judgment, those children!"
Her laughter was not unkind, however, and there was a trace of something unexplainable in those burgundy eyes. After a while, I joined the laughter too, and both of us finished the tea. Yuuka stuck her head out the door and looked up at the sky. Muttering a quiet "aahaa, rain~" she placed the bowls and cups outside near the door, and gingerly closed it.
"Well, that's that!... So, little bud. Where will you sleep, I wonder..?" She smiled, stretching in a way that gave me a glimpse of her curves without warning. That was definitely a way to get me to blush, though it is best I try not to show it.
"Eh, wherever. You've only got one bed in this place, right?" Yet again, my comment seemed to strike her as unintentionally funny. "What's so funny? You can't just, uh... Move, like that and not expect a guy like me to not say something!" I was a bit more crass, but Yuuka laughed harder, with tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.
"No... Stop, you're too much! You honestly thought I slept here? Well, you're close, so half a point for trying. But we'll have to work hard about your intelligence. Come with me."
That was a command, not an option, so I follow her upstairs. It was quite strange how she could go from nonchalant to commanding like that. The attic - if it can even called that with the cramped room up the staircase - had many windows that let the sun stream in from all directions, and a single rocking chair that seemed carved by a very amateur hand. Yuuka plopped down into it, and motioned to look out the window.
"What do you see?"
The first thing I saw were obviously the flowers; from all around that's all I could see outside, an explosion of color that managed to look even more beautiful in the dim twilight.
"... So, you sleep here? You must get worse backaches than I do."
She shook her head, expression pensive.
"No. This is where I am when I want to... Think about things. Remember them. Even here, though, I can hear those children - if the flowers cry out, if some unwanted intruder comes in looking to steal my power and cruelly trampling them over... Then I can leave at a moments notice."
All the playfulness in her voice disappeared for a few chilling seconds. Again it reminded me of what kind of woman I was talking to - the gorgeous, well-spoken woman with the sultry voice - was powerful enough to kill in microseconds, and ageless enough that a single death must seem like a drop in the river of time.
Again, the menacing tone disappeared almost as quickly as it appears, and Yuuka stretched again - this time, obviously tired. She had been working hard, after all. "... Anyway. I sleep outside. The dirt is a good enough place to rest for me, and I like being with my children. You're free to join me, if you like."
Her words were chiding, as if she was belittling me just for choosing a house of wood to the open earth – I ignored her tell. "No thanks - I'll take wood to bugs, anyway. Besides, I don't know if you snore yet." She laughed again - but not before flashing me an expression I couldn't read.
"Sounds good, sounds good- you just better be up early! I have a history of sleeping in, so don't worry if you need to wake me up~" She went downstairs, and I followed her again. A part of me made a mention to probably stay put, but it just seemed natural. Ugh, her words, not mine.
She stepped into the tiny bedroom, the only other furniture there being a small cabinet that was soon to be revealed as full of clothes as Yuuka tipped it open, and an even tinier bookshelf. I caught a few titles I recognized, and wonder if Yuuka's ever read the stories by Daniel Quinn or Richard Adams, or if they're just for show.
Not likely. Who comes here, anyway?
As my attention left the books, I heard a soft whistling sound. Yuuka, who had already slid off her jacket and unbuttoned her shirt, was in the process of changing into a ridiculous set of pink pajamas. I'd snicker, if not for the sight of a simple black bra cupping the just visible curves of her supple breasts stealing my voice, which left me unable to say much of anything.
Yuuka did not seem to notice - or if she did, she doesn't care. In fact, it almost seemed like she did not mind what I thought of her, at all. She continued speaking, even as she unlocked the flower-shaped buckle to her skirt and slid it to the ground with her leggings, revealing two long and luscious legs adorned with unassuming teal panties.
"You can take the bed then - it's not much, because I made it myself. Perhaps someone pampered, like yourself, will be unable to appreciate the care I've put into it... Aaaah? Are you staring?... You really shouldn't, you know."
She said this sarcastically, without doing anything to stop you as she finished buttoning up her pajamas. Then, placing an equally-silly pink hat upon her head, Yuuka pushed past me and stepped outside. My fingers clenched and unclench, trying to find the words I wanted to say long after she's gone. My mind was fuzzy with shock of what I had seen, both in awe, arousal, and confusion. I eventually gave up on thinking too hard, dressed down and prepare to get in the bed.
As I bent over with my jeans around my ankles, the door shot wide open and Yuuka stepped back in. I couldn't help but let out a rather high-pitched gasp. She looked tired, as if she had been keeping herself up for this very moment - but it was obviously worth it, as she laughed at me, all while my skin is beet red from the compromising position
"Just came back to get a little something for sweet dreams~ My, what a lovely sight. I should really have guests over my often!" Still laughing, she closed the door and left me alone once more, feeling incredibly embarrassed- but the hint of a smile having formed on your lips.
Yup, she got me back good.