"She's covered war's y'know, (not that she does it well or anything)" ~ Momiji Inubashiri
"Yes, she's covered wars. She also makes incidents happen." ~ Hatate Himekaidou
"She begged us to teach her our trade. Now she prints off her newspaper without any finesse. She should stick to what she knows, and let us do the printing"~ Unnamed Yamabushi Tengu
~.o.~
KAKASHI SPIRIT NEWS EXTRA ISSUE #1
UNPROFESSIONAL REPORTER MISSING
[old picture of Aya]
Aya Shameimaru, self-proclaimed "reporter extraordinaire" has
gone missing over the past week. Her irregular print work the
Bunbunmaru at first seemed only to increase is bad reputation
by missing delivery dates as far as 6 days ago. There was a half
finished draft found within the offices of [Continued on page 5]
~.o.o.o.~
Aya was quite annoyed.
Thanks to the meddling of Louise and Kirche, instead of being able to use her speed to capture the thief quickly and cleanly, a "hunting party" was made. Trapped together with a rag-tag team of three mages and a secretary, Aya hated the rickety cart and its low speed. She wasn't a Hakurou Tengu, she wasn't good at full-out assault. How did they expect her to work like one? As a Karasu Tengu she specialized in information gathering and above all speed. This wasn't a scenario for speed anymore. In this situation she needed to be mindful of bystanders and allies, instead of just flying around at top speed spamming bullets.
When she voiced her complaints to her master before leaving, Louise just cited her overwhelming victory over Guiche, clearly proving her dominance in mage-to-mage combat.
Maybe her show of dominance over the blonde fop earlier wasn't a good thing after all.
~ /A few days Earlier \~
"If... If he wins, he'll kill you! You aren't human, so they won't see it as murder! Even in the legends Tengu lost against commoners! Please, reconsider!" Siesta was frantic as Louise and Aya went off to the Challenge Match. Getting only a pat on her head and reassuring smile from the crow-spirit, she turned to its master. "Please Louise, reconsider! I appreciate the two of you coming to my defense... but"
Louise stopped and turned to the maid. "We both know Aya is strong. It's ok. That... That cheating pervert called you a liar and temptress. I... I won't have anyone call m...my... my... fri... friend ... *blush*"
The Maid didn't know what to say. Over the past week the two girls bonded over their shared acquaintance the Crow Tengu, but she never thought a noble of such an influential house would ever consider her a friend.
"T...thanks... Ithinkofyouasafriendtoo..."
Aya stopped and backtracked until she reached the blushing girls. Seeing such a touching moment, there was only one thing to do.
"Hey-" *Eeep!* "-you two. Less flirting, more walking. You don't want us to be late, right?" With that, she set off once again.
The noble and the maid slowly unscrambled their minds and "FAMILIAR!/AYA!"
When they caught up to the Tengu near the Vestri Court she was still giggling.
~.o.~
Aya was ready. The totality of the Vestri Court was filled with young mages and inquisitive servants except for a good sized ring in the middle. She just stepped into the space when Guiche interrupted her.
"Halt! You are no noble! Put away that wand! I will graciously provide you with your weapon, as I can clearly see your master is too much of a zeroto properly outfit you for this occasion"
Louise almost screamed at the gall Guiche displayed, but was cut off by Aya's wings flaring up and blocking the earth mage from her view. She looked at her familiar who only shook her head and whispered to her about calming down.
Aya turned back to face her opponent and looked down. In her hands were her pen, paper, and fan. The blonde playboy obviously thought that any one of these would give her an unfair advantage. Pity. If he only let her keep it then she could have just dodged, doing a pacifist run. But now? Without the tools of the trade there was no reason not to fight back.
"Louise. Hold these for me." With that, she unburdened herself and picked up the flimsy saber provided by the overbearing casanova. Looking it over and noting that it would not hold up to her speed, she made a decision.
"Please give me a moment, boy" Guiche bristled at that comment.
"Stalling will not make this a victory, sub-human!" the cat-calls and jeers of the surrounding children filled the air, as Aya could hear her master's head starting to steam.
Aya just ignored him and closed her eyes, willing her wings back into her body. Arcing her back, a sensuous moan escaped her lips as her body slowly reformed. Gasps of wonder filled the courtyard as where an elf-eared winged humanoid was, a strangely dressed completely human-looking girl in a funny hat remained. Now that she no longer looked "sub-human", many males in the audience noted how attractive the short hair, long legs, and thin waist made her look. The short skirt fluttered that above her knees tantalized those who watched as an unseen wind toyed with the hemline.
Testing the heft of the sword in her new form, she leaned forward and balanced precariously on her red shoes.
"When are we going to begin, boy?" Aya taunted towards a flushed Guiche, currently being berated by his girlfriend.
"Shut up Familiar! It was you who was late!"
Ignoring the comment, Aya let herself relax and lean back a bit all while holding the sword like a cane, planted in the ground before her.
"Do you know what they call a flock of birds that happens to be all crows?" She seemingly questioned rhetorically, not paying attention to the noble who just raised his wand.
Interrupting his spellcasting, Guiche scoffed at the question. "Hah. Flying dinner?"
Red eyes seemed to glow as a grin that spoke of only predation crept over the Tengu's face.
"A Murder of Crows."
~\o.o.o/~
"HAHAHA, partner! Didya hear that?"
Breaking her reminiscence, the sentient sword spoke up from her waist. Just before yesterday's scare with the golem, Louise decided to bring her to the nearby town as a prize. There, for a pittance, Aya discovered a sentientsword. It was interesting, and she kept brought it with her today as having a physical weapon would be wise. Blindly using her fan with a flying mage and flame mage would only spell disaster after all.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that"
It seems that the Tengu missed a couple of Kirche's tales that Derflinger enjoyed. Everyone just ignored the talking sword, and went back to their discussion.
Yet something nagged in the back of the crow's mind.
"It... seems... off."
The rest of the cart sans the secretary turned towards her, as they sent inquisitive looks at the reporter.
She began to elaborate. "Fouquet... well... In all the interviews I conducted and the rumors I gathered, Fouquet seemed to target boasters, or people with great wealth and a symbol of excess..."
"And..?" it seemed that her master was also intrigued.
"The Staff of Destruction. There were no rumors of it. It is merely an artifact for study, not even symbolic of wealth. Yes, it is rare, but even on the black market it would be easy to find, as there is only one. It is a legendary weapon, something that cannot be melted down into ingots or even easily be sold."
Even Tabitha had a thought-filled scowl as Aya continued her observations.
"Also, there was a good lull in Fouquet's activity before this theft, from what I gathered. Something else is going on."
"Ah. So, Familiar, you think that we should be wary?" Kirche surmised. "There truly may be more happening here."
At the front of the cart, the green-haired woman sweated. "And where did you get all of this information?"
Aya turned to the familiar voice and responded. "I was a reporter before I was summoned. Writing articles and investigating about interesting news is second nature to me, even if I have no papers to publish in," She paused a bit before continuing. "Which reminds me… Miss Longueville, your story-"
"Familiar! We been through this before-"
The cart abruptly stopped barely inside a forest. Miss Longueville turned and remarked, "Miss Valliere, it is fine. I'll answer your questions as we walk. Unfortunately the carriage will not be able to go much further."
~.o.~
The clearing in the forest smelled. Not of earthy or floral notes, it smelled. Sickening sweet decay of leaves mixed with rotting carrion perverted by pleasant aromas. The nobles were gagging as they followed the beaten path to the empty house. Aya, however, reveled in the pure savageryof the scent. Flying back from her quick reconnaissance, she reported the details to Louise before floating back in front of Miss Longueville to continue her questioning. Showing off her Tengu superiority, the reporter floated in front of the secretary, flying backwards as she shot off quickfire questions.
"When did you first become Osmond's secretary? How did he hire you? What do you actually do?"
"Just before this semester started, about a month and a half ago I came across Headmaster Osmond in an Inn, and was introduced to him through the owner as he was looking for an extra set of hands to help him with his paperwork."
Aya nodded before dodging a low-hanging beam and and making a small notation on her notepad, much to the amazement and irritation of her audience. The crow tengu then opened the door and led everyone into the dilapidated house. The three academy students split up to search for clues while the reporter turned back to her prey.
"You are a disposed noble, yet are a triangle class mage. Your mannerisms show that you've either grown up as or with very high class nobles. How did this happen?"
That question stopped the secretary in her tracks. She looked around and responded. "Sh... shouldn't we focus on apprehending Fouquet and searching for the Staff of Destruction? This is the building, after all-"
Aya merely looked at her. "Miss Longueville, I can guarantee that our little search party is the only group of living humanoids in a good 500 foot radius. Now, how did this happen?"
The girls regrouped around her and stared at the shocked woman, putting her on the spot.
"I... I..." She looked down. "The... King of Albion went on a crusade... He excecuted the Archduke of Albion-"
Kirche gasped in recognition. "You mean the biggest scandal in the history of the Albion royal family?"
Miss Longueville could only nod.
Even Tabitha made a noise of surprise as they all saw the peasant mage in a new light. Aya was so interested she stopped floating. Longueville felt like a mouse before an eagle as the tengu's eyes took in every detail. Frantic clicking of her ballpoint pen (Nitori brand, based off of newer models from the Moriya, modified to survive Tengu use) filled the room with a chattering like a field of cicadas on a summer eve.
Drawing ever closer, the way the self-proclaimed reporter smiled only served to discomfort the secretary further.
"Oh? do tell..."
Seeing that she was trapped, the earth mage sighed and acquiesced.
Taking a deep breath, she began her story...
~.o.~
I was the daughter of the Viceroy to the Archduke of Albion. It... was a different time. The Archduke, if you did not know, was a very kind and gentle man. He often asked me to call him by his name, James, instead of by his title. He found no fault in any being, be it human or not, until they proved themselves otherwise. He started with no office, and no power. He was the younger half-brother of the King, and would inherit the throne if the king's line died off, not that he was interested in it at all, or that it had much of a chance going to him.
He devoted his life to traveling around like a free spirit both in Albion and beyond. His explorations became famous and the public and academics waited for each of his travel journals to be released. Yet once the current king ascended to the throne, twenty five years ago, he named James as the Archduke out of spite, knowing that such a large piece of land would tie him down. He furthered the insult by demanding his half-brother to marry their second cousin, Irene.
The newly made Archduke protested this but could not go against the King, so he hatched a cunning plan. All he needed was a man to run the country and take care of legal matters when he was away, so he called upon his best friend from the Academy: My father.
Given all the duties and powers of the Archduke, my father went from a poor fourth-son noble to the Viceroy of Saxe-gotha. He happily governed the lands while the Archduke went about his adventures. He had a... dutiful wife, though their marriage was... complex, to say the least. There were various strains on the relationship due to my father's sudden ascent to power.
On the other hand, the Archduke wasn't without marital problems himself. The Archduchess stayed behind during all his adventures and many said that James went on so many adventures just to avoid Irene.
As I grew up, the archduchess doted on me quite a bit, often inserting herself into my family's celebrations and meals. Out of lonliness, she used to tell me, during our private teatimes.
One day, rumors reached my father and I about the Archduke being seen with a woman of stunning beauty, able to enchant any man she came across. We feared for the worst until one day, James came home.
And then, we realized that it was even more horrible than we thought.
I couldn't understand the horror and fear the whole castle felt. Being only five, I thought that the woman looked so beautiful, with her long blonde hair drifting in a non-existent wind, and clear blue eyes constantly twinkling with laughter and happiness.
As I ran up to greet her, she stooped down and patted my head, only for her hooded robe to slip off.
And then I saw the pointed ears and I knew.
For the Archduke's kindness knew no bound nor limits. He brought home an Elf.
Afterwards, the servants and other nobles were all sworn to secrecy. The elf was kept deep in the castle, only allowed out into the courtyard under heavy supervision and secrecy.
What happened later didn't matter. All I know is that during a visit from the King, the Archduchess had too much wine to drink and let slip there was an elf of incomprehensible beauty in the castle. The King demanded to have her, to take her away from the Archduke, but for the first, and last, time in his life James refused to abide by his brother's wishes.
~.o.~
The girls all listened to the secretary in rapt attention. Even Tabitha seemed to be tearing up, as Aya furiously scribbled down notes. Voice carefully level and distant, Longueville kept her eyes closed as she concluded the story.
"Less than a year later, the King notified the Church and together the executed all the nobles and servants that lived together in that castle. I was left alive, but stripped of my status, expelled from Albion's magical academy, and exiled. And here I am today..."
"How... how horrible!" Kirche cried as she wiped her eyes, "Such...such a tragic romance!"
Then, thinking it over, the busty redhead gasped. "Oh… oh no! We shan't tell anyone of this, right girls?"
To the side of the Zerbst, Aya's master nodded, yet seemed subdued. "Yes… Let's ... Let's return to looking for the staff now..."
With Tabita's nod of assent, the three students restarted their search.
Noting that any more people searching would be a waste, the secretary declared that she would look around the perimeter to see if Fouquet left anything behind. Aya quickly followed.
~.o.~
"You shouldn't run off so fast, Miss Longueville." The tengu said, perched above the bespectacled secretary's head. "You should always have someone to watch your back."
The other woman could only chuckle. "Do you have more questions? I already told you my life story."
Longueville's eyes caught the sickening smirk on the reporter's face as she once again flew in front of her. "Just one. Have you noticed that you forgot something?"
Confused at the strange query, the secretary could only stare blankly at Aya. What on earth was she talking about?
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. "Wait... how did you know I was a Triangle class mage?"
That damned smirk again. Longueville could swear she heard the cawing of crows in the background.
"I didn't. You're overlooking that fact confirmed who you really are... Fouquet." Aya's smile was predatory.
The thief whipped out her wand to evoke a golem or spell but before anything could happen, it was shorn in twain.
It was a speed that she could not perceive.
Red eyes bore into the Thief's own fear-filled brown ones.
"I'm not interested in "bringing you to justice" or anything like that." the Tengu continued, as if Fouquet didn't just try to kill her. "That's Louise's wish. What I want to know... is your story... Matilda... the whole story"
AN: End of chapter two. Chapter 1 has been modified too. Those of you who know the Light novels, don't spoil it too much. (I just know someone's going to say "you got yer canon wrong!" at which I can only headdesk because that person cannot see the implications of the final scene.
Oh yes, for those Touhou fans that see Aya as a ditz: I'm going with a more canon interpretation of Aya, being a very good reporter, but she sucks at running, editing, and printing a paper. She's a genius investigator and muckraker, but when it comes to actually putting the paper together she's kind of lost.
Also, there are some backstory things with Aya that'll come into play later. The relevant omakes will be released in Zero Patience if you are interested.
