Sakuya's POV, arriving at the Scarlet Devil Mansion
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The Scarlet Devil Mansion… My home. On a great ridge towering above the landscape it stands. Now that the spring will return the roses should blossom soon. The whole mansion appears to be out of place here, it just doesn't fit in…
Well, my mistress doesn't leave too often and she doesn't seem to care about it in the least, so there is nothing to be done about it. We do not have many visitors either way, but I still have to faithfully complete my tasks here.
This whole mansion would have crumbled away around my mistress a long time ago if I hadn't been there to clean it up and hire some humans to renovate the building. Of course the humans didn't know for whom they were really working because my mistress was on an "excursion" at that time and the other servants went with her.
Well, that was all a lie but there was no other way. I was the only servant at that time and it was much harder for me because I was not as gifted at manipulating time as I am now. Though it was more than enough to ward off any craftsman who looked for a kind of reward that was different from money…
Well, the mansion still stands and my mistress is happy, so it was worth it.
Not that we would need the mansion anymore, it's just my mistress, her younger sister, Patchouli-sama, Meiling, the fairies and myself. But without the mansion there wouldn't be enough space for the library and the belongings of my mistress…
Well, right now I have to worry about cleaning those belongings up. I can already see the gate and the walls. Not that they would keep most of the intruders out since those we have to worry about can fly…
And now that I come to think about useless defences… our "guard" is sitting on her chair and doesn't even notice me… I land right in front of her and call her.
"Meiling…" No reaction at all. I do hope that she is not sleeping… for her sake. Well, she does serve as a very good target this way. And practise never hurts… well, not me, I can't speak for Meiling…
A few steps backwards, knife in hand… I don't have to take my time to aim because throwing knives is my second nature, but I have to be careful, I don't want her to lose an eye. She would be even less effective that way…
And… I hit her forehead, just as planned. The first time I did it was by accident, but it doesn't seem to hurt her very much. If she was a human that might be dangerous, but youkai seem to be much more durable than humans. Well, most of them…
"Ouch! Who the hell did…" Only now does she seem to realise who is standing in front of her… her employer and the person who decides if she can stay in this place… "Sakuya! I… I wasn't slacking off! I was just…" I cut her off by pulling the knife out of her forehead in a swift motion. Just a scratch, as always…
"Sleeping? That you were. Your shift is not over yet. I will not tolerate such behaviour, not even during my absence… especially during my absence." Well, she will do it again, but I still have to lecture her from time to time.
"I'm sorry… I will be extra careful from now on!" Well, that is true, for a few days she will do her job… after that time she will slack off again… "And what happened to your cheek?" I almost forgot about that…
"Nothing, just a case of negligence…" That was exactly what happened. I shouldn't have been so careless. Never leave enemies facing your back… "Unlike some other persons I have duties to attend to. If you would excuse me…"
"Of course… I'm sorry…" Well, she probably can't help it. I would guard the gate myself during the daytime, but I have to clean up the mansion during that time period, prepare dinner for my mistress and I need a little bit of rest as well.
Meiling certainly doesn't seem to be the ideal choice for this post, but she can be very good at her tasks. She is rather strong and reliable, though I hope that she will become more reliable. We need a guard during the daytime, she can do whatever she wants to at night.
Is it too much to ask for? A little bit devotion for your duty? 'Sigh' Well, I suppose I have sufficient devotion for both of us. Even if we have to fight to survive, I am prepared for everything… Am I just paranoid…?
I have learned to live this way, it was necessary to survive. People give you their hand while hiding a knife in their other hand. I don't trust this peace. And if it doesn't persist I am prepared. My old equipment is still ready and thirsty for blood…
I should rather focus on my duty. I left those days behind when I arrived here, didn't I? That's what my mistress told me. "A world where we can live in peace." "A world without persecution." A nice dream, but I am not convinced yet.
I shall ring the bells in one hour. Until then I have to clean up the mansion. I don't think I can do it all in such a short time period, but I have to try it. I will start with the areas my mistress usually visits. I should start with the hallways around her room.
My mistress is living in the centre of this mansion, the second floor. One floor above it and one below it. And there is the basement with the library. And the maze I designed to keep the younger sister of the mistress concealed…
I feel a little bit sorry for her, but it is for her own good as well. She isn't very stable and if she destroys something… or someone… by accident that would mean trouble. I certainly do not wish to play with her, I saw what happened to some of her other playmates…
Though she seems to get along with the shrine maiden and the magician. Well, they do it at their own risk. But guess who will have to clean up if something goes wrong… I suppose I am just a little bit too pessimistic.
Back to the cleaning. There is so much dust… all of this after two days of absence… I also have to deliver the souvenirs I brought with me to Patchouli-sama. She will probably want to hear about my excursion as well, once the night is over.
I have so little time tonight… I will just have to take more time. That may be rather exhausting, but I have no other choice. I barely slept at all since I departed from the mansion… Well, such is the life of a maid. My life as a maid.
I should deliver the souvenirs to Patchouli-sama first. If she can do something with them she will need time. To the library…
…
"Please excuse the intrusion, Patchouli-sama." She doesn't really like anything that interferes with her researches, unless she deems it to be worthy of her attention. I do not wish to upset her, she is a valued friend of my mistress…
"Sakuya… What is it?" She slowly looks up from her books. She seems to be in a good mood and rather healthy today, so that is a good start…
"As you might now I have been out to solve the most recent incident. I was successful and brought you some things to research, if you would like them. And could you make something for my mistress with these things?"
"Let me see what you have here…" I lay down the small bag with earth on her table, as well as the provisional confinements of the spirits. "Hm, I think I can do something with these things. Just give me half an hour…"
"Thank you very much, Patchouli-sama. I thought you might be able to make a miniature model of the Netherworld, with cherry trees. If you would excuse me now…" I quickly drop a curtsey and turn around already. I have no time…
"Cherry trees? Hm, maybe… Will you tell me something about your journey later?" I was already expecting such a question. Whenever my mistress or Patchouli-sama send me out to do something Patchouli-sama is interested in it. Well, not for long, but still…
"Of course, Patchouli-sama. By morning I should be able to visit you again and tell you about it." No further words are exchanged, Patchouli-sama is absorbed in her books once more. Patchouli-sama's knowledge never ceases to amaze me…
She just looked at the things I brought her and she already seemed to know exactly what it was and how she could use it. Not all of that knowledge is useful, in my opinion, but it is useful to have someone who holds half the library in her head around.
Now I can clean up the mansion…
…
I can barely believe it myself, I somehow did all that was necessary in four hours. That is quite an accomplishment, in my opinion. The floors are clean enough to eat from them and there is almost no dust to be found.
The spiders can keep their webs, I just clean away the ones that aren't used any longer or those in inconvenient locations. They are quite useful, they take care of the insects. And my mistress likes them, so they can stay. It does give this place a certain atmosphere…
One thing about Gensokyo makes the cleaning much easier. I can fly. Probably because there is much more magic when compared to the outside world. Well, humans are to blame for that, as well as most of the other problems there.
Here only one hour has passed, but it was four hours of intensive work for me. I wish I could sleep, but I have to take care of my mistress for the entire night. I am to wake her up around midnight and afterwards I serve her for the remainder of the night.
It will be midnight in a few seconds and I still have to ring the bells… Well, that is no problem. I just have to fly up there. The night is still rather cold, but it is quite refreshing. The clock tower, my home.
Well, more or less. This is a good position, I can overlook the complete terrain of the mansion, the garden full of roses, the inner courtyard, the connections between the buildings and the gate. A very convenient location for a watchdog…
Now for the bells… It is not really necessary, but I rather ring the bells myself. I could make a mechanism that would do it for me, but it is a tradition, so to speak. It is also a preannouncement for my arrival, my mistress prefers it this way.
She is awake before that time, but she also enjoys some private time to think about things. Despite her seemingly childish state of mind she is as deep as the ocean. Though she gets bored quite often and requests strange things…
Well, it is not my place to judge the actions of my mistress. I never did so and I shall never do so. She is more than meets the eye. And I am her faithful servant, if nothing else. I have played on the stage of the world, but that was futile.
Why do humans always wish for something better than what they have? Why do humans give up so much to become things they were never meant to be? They try to maintain things by breaking them. It is so very ironic…
I was once no different, I think. I don't really think back to my times as a human, that is a time I would rather forget. And what am I now? I don't even know that. Through time I broke all of my chains but one. Fate…
Well, my mistress broke that chain for me and now I wear new ones by choice. Perhaps I wasn't ready at that time. True freedom is something horrible, after all. And so tempting… No morals binding you, no chains holding you… 'knock, knock'
"Good evening, my mistress. Is everything as you want it to be?" If I can read her face without misunderstanding it she is not very pleased…
"Sakuya, what took you so long? You were supposed to arrive here yesterday. And the fairies are horrible at preparing tea when compared to you…" The fairies are not very reliable for such tasks. Shouldn't Meiling have done that?
"I beg for your forgiveness, my mistress. The way was far longer than I had thought and I had to play with some rather strong and persistent adversaries." I kneel down before her and lower my head. I will probably receive a punishment of some sorts…
"So it's only partially your fault. Well, I feel rather merciful today, so if you brought along a nice present instead I may overlook your mistakes." That is rather unusual, but I am not going to ask for punishment.
"I thank you most sincerely, my mistress. I am sure that the present will be ready soon enough. For now you would like some tea, I assume?" Now that I think of tea, we are running low on blood. I will have to visit the human village soon…
"Yeah, thanks. I wonder what you brought me." The humans don't realise it when I drain a little bit of blood from them and there are plenty humans, so I don't bother anyone. My mistress prefers blood from one person, but I can't do that every time. Unless I am fortunate and some sort of accident happens…
"That is a secret, my mistress. You wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, would you?" She doesn't exactly like being kept in the dark, but she does like surprises. Unless they are unpleasant, of course…
"Where would you like to have your tea, my mistress?" There are many nice places for tea in this mansion, one of the rooms, the hallways, the balconies… Well, it is all rather dark inside, but that is a strategical advantage for my mistress. Besides, it is rather beautiful.
"I think I will drink tea on the balcony. It's probably rather cold, but I don't mind. It is a beautiful night…" That is my cue. I will have to stop time again and make tea. The kitchen is not too far away, so it isn't very difficult.
I quickly put the kettle on and get some of my supplies of blood. They are stored with special magical stones which emit coldness. This way the blood stays as such and doesn't congeal or dry up. The stones have no other use unless Patchouli-sama needs them, so I am free to use them. It doesn't damage them either.
Herbs into the teapot, after them the now boiling water. Now I have to leave it to draw for a little while. I wonder if my mistress will enjoy today's flavour…? Time is still stopped for now, but I can work with more than one time zone at once, so to speak.
At first I thought this could lead to severe damage of reality since it might distort time and space, but apparently it doesn't. That is very fortunate, otherwise I couldn't prepare tea this way. I am so tired…
No time to sleep for now. The tea is ready, now for the most important ingredient. The blood. If I boiled it instead of the water it would just dry up and I would have quite a mess to clean up, so this mixture with water is necessary.
Well, my mistress says she still enjoys it. I just have to pour in a little bit of blood, just something equal to a cup of it. This way my mistress has a lot to drink and I don't have to collect too much blood, that would attract unwanted attention.
No-one would suspect anything with some more cuts than usual during my visits, it is quite normal for humans to cut themselves by accident. Even a blade of grass can do what I do with my knives. I stop time while doing it, so no-one could prove anything.
Well, the tea is ready. Now I have to hurry back to my mistress with the tea set. When I started working for my mistress I had trouble balancing such things, but now I can do it while being half asleep…
…
"My mistress, here is your tea." She isn't bothered by my sudden appearance at all. She is used to it. Anyone else is usually startled by this, so I usually knock at the door or something else when guests are there. But there is no need for such things between us…
"Good. Hm, it isn't as good as last time. You should try something else next time." My mistress is quite delicate when it comes to her tea. At first it caused me much grieve, but now it is a good way to entertain myself. Developing new teas for my mistress.
"My apologies, I was in a bit of a hurry. I am quite tired, so I would like to excuse myself for any unusual or objectionable mistakes on my part." Not that my mistress would take heed of such excuses. It is a mere formality to do that, it doesn't excuse my mistakes.
"It's fine. Geez, you don't have to be so formal around me all of the time, you know? It's entertaining sometimes, but it can really annoy me…" My mistress often tries to persuade me to be more informal with her, but I can't seem to help it…
"Please excuse my formal behaviour, I am just too used to it to stop it." I tried, but it only lasted for a few weeks at best. Maybe I am a little bit too "perfect and elegant" for my own good. I trust my mistress, but the years of addressing her in such ways take their toll…
"You did it yet again… Even if I punish you for it you won't ever change, will you? You know what? I'll give it up…" …for a few weeks. Then she will try it again. And I will fail her again. Almost like an infinite loop…
"Perhaps the present could serve to improve your mood? I think Patchouli-sama should be done with it by now." I am sure she will be happy about it, no matter what Patchouli-sama made. She is quite skilled at such tasks…
"I want to go out tomorrow, the cherry blossoms are almost blossoming!" Hm, I will have to go to the human village, but I will need some sleep before that. My body is still very human, after all. Besides…
"The weather will be sunny tomorrow so we should probably stay inside. But I think our present will be enough for now, my mistress." If Patchouli-sama was able to do what I wanted her to this present should be a good substitute for real cherry blossoms.
"That's enough of your secretiveness! Show it to me already!" My young mistress, ever so impatient… Well, I don't think I can call her young, but she prefers it to be addressed as such. I can hardly say my old mistress, can I?
"Please be patient for a little while longer. We will have to go to the library, Patchouli-sama is probably expecting us." Thus I lead my eager mistress into the basement where the library is located…
…
"Wow, this is amazing…" Now she does look just like a little child upon receiving a present. Her childhood was stolen from her when she was still young, but I suppose all of us can be like children in Gensokyo, perhaps even I, one day…
"It is, isn't it? That is a miniature model of the Netherworld." It is quite accurate, Patchouli-sama must have had a book with a picture of it or something else to make something this precise. There are even small cherry blossoms floating in the glass dome…
"Just what I would expect from my skilful servant. You excelled yourself with this, Sakuya." I would say that I accomplished my mission, my mistress is pleased and I will (probably) be able to get some rest ones my mistress has had enough of me.
"You flatter me too much, my mistress. This is not my work, most of it was done by Patchouli-sama. I merely collected the ingredients…" I am rather surprised by the results as well, Patchouli-sama is certainly a great craftswoman…
"Those ingredients were fairly hard to obtain, so we did more or less equal amounts of work. Without the ghosts and the soil from the Netherworld I couldn't have done this." Hm, it has been a long time since the last time I bound ghosts…
"Good work, Patchy. And what about the cherry blossoms? Are they real cherry blossoms? And what do cherry blossoms have to do with the Netherworld?" So many questions and all at once… my mistress certainly is excited by this present…
"Calm down, Remmy. The cherry trees and the cherry blossoms are made of the soil of the Netherworld. Those ghosts are real as well, compromised to one tenth of their original size. And the other question… I think you should rather ask Sakuya about that."
"Sakuya? What do you know about the Netherworld? Where you ever there?" I was expecting things to go like this, so I waited with the tales of my little excursion until everyone was assembled. Well, everyone of importance…
"I was there quite recently, my mistress. The mistress of that place and her gardener were responsible for the recent incident. Because of your orders I travelled through Gensokyo in order to find the culprits."
"Get to the point already…" I would prefer that as well, the sooner the interesting topics run out the sooner I can go to sleep… Of course I wouldn't want to be an inconvenience for my mistress with my selfish desires, so I just go on.
"They were collecting spring to make the Saigyou Ayakashi blossom, I seem to remember that you were talking about that with Patchouli-sama." Though I don't remember the exact details of the conversation…
"You're right, I was actually planning to make it blossom, but Patchy said it might be a bad idea. Well, good thing you prevented that, I guess." So my mistress has already come up with other strange plans…
"Yes, it would probably be very dangerous, at least for humans and other mortal beings. Though I don't know if it would affect you, my mistress.. Well, regardless of that I had to fight the gardener. She was rather strong, but she didn't stand a ghost of a chance against me."
"Hm, why is there a cut on your cheek? That wouldn't happen during a normal danmaku fight, would it?" Patchouli-sama is rather observant, at least now that she isn't reading in one of her books…
"That is correct. I defeated her in a danmaku battle, but she wanted to stop me by using her swords against me. That cut was more of a warning, it wasn't meant to hurt me, in my opinion." Konpaku-san was rather honourable, I think. How foolish…
"So, did you kill her? I don't mind, but you should tell me." Hm, for some reason I did not. There was something about her… or was it rather in myself? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I never approved of needless killing, neither did my mistress…
"I did not. She was little more than a child with two swords in her hands. It would be inappropriate to kill a child for fooling around, wouldn't it?" That is also part of the problem. She is little more than a child, by youkai standards, I think.
"The appearance can deceive, you should know that. But it's probably better this way, I don't want to be chased around like that again." She is referring to our time outside. There were always some ignorant fools believing themselves to do righteous things by attacking us…
"Of course I know that, you are one of the best possible examples, my mistress. I didn't want to bar the doors of this place for you, so I held back." That's only partially true, but a good servant should always have a secret or two of their own…
"Good work. So, what about that mistress you mentioned?" She doesn't seem to suspect anything, so I will leave it at that. I am not sure how I feel about that entire situation myself, so I will rather think about it on my own, when I'm not half asleep…
"Yes, the mistress. She was the sacrifice offered to seal the Saigyou Ayakashi, if I am not mistaken, at least her spirit was. You should know about that, otherwise Patchouli-sama would probably be more suited to explain such things."
"You mean Yuyuko Saigyouji? Hm, I wasn't aware of the fact that her soul remains there. Well, that was to be expected." Patchouli-sama seems to hold a certain interest in this as well. I hope this doesn't go on for too long…
"Yes, I defeated her in a danmaku battle and she promised to return the spring. After that I collected the ingredients and bound the spirits and retur-" 'Yawn' I couldn't hold it any longer, so I quickly put my hand in front of my mouth and let out my yawn.
"Sakuya… Go to sleep already. You are tired, aren't you? You could just say so…" Of course my mistress is right, though I don't really want to admit it. Well, a perfect servant has to know her limits as well, so I should finally rest.
"I apologize, my mistress. I should have said something earlier, but I didn't sleep for the past few days. I didn't want to bother you with such trivial things, but I would probably make mistakes if I stay awake for much longer. Please excuse me for today…"
"Geez, Sakuya… I don't have much use for a dead servant, you know? Humans are frail like that, they can die from exhaustion and such things. And no matter what you think of yourself, your body is human, so treat it as such."
"Of course, my mistress, it won't happen again unless it is necessary." I drop a courtesy directed to my mistress and Patchouli-sama. They give me a nod and continue the conversation without me.
It is unusual for my mistress to worry about such things, but I am very grateful today. I might have fallen asleep while standing there if they had left me out of the discussion for a while… Hm, Koakuma, Patchouli-sama's servant or perhaps rather familiar is also working a lot, even at this hour.
Meiling should take a page from her book. I bet she's fast asleep in her bed right now despite the fact that she probably slept through half her shift and spend the other half reading mangas or something like that while we work so hard…
Well, enough of those things, I can worry about that tomorrow. No, it is already tomorrow. Well, in the evening when I return from the human village. For now I should just return to my tower and sleep, I have a lot of sleep to catch up on…
…
Youmu's POV, the next morning
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Mmh, light is shining through the windows. It's quite warm for my taste, though not as warm as yesterday. The whole fighting required a lot of movement, so I felt very warm. And then there was the back of Izayoi-san…
I felt so very alive yesterday, yet I almost died… I can count myself lucky, I guess. A youkai might have killed and eaten me, given the opportunity. And any other human would have probably killed me as well in such a situation.
I wonder why she didn't… she even helped me afterwards and took care of the cuts. It wasn't really necessary, my wounds are healed already, but it was a very kind gesture, in spite of her icy stare and her cruel words…
Maybe it was just a whim of hers or a whim of fate, maybe there was something else behind it I can't quite understand. Not that it really matters, I am alive. I don't think I was ever this thankful to wake up in the morning…
She has been going through my thoughts a lot recently. I just met her yesterday for a short while, but I thought about our encounter for half of the night. I will go to the human village today, and from there we will go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion…
I should prepare myself. My things are packed, but I still have to wash myself and prepare breakfast. As if Yuyuko-sama would leave without breakfast… Well I'm off to the bathroom. Yuyuko-sama is probably still asleep…
…
Well, I am all clean and dressed, I think that I am fine to go. Of course I don't look as elegant as Sakuya… I mean Izayoi-san… looked yesterday, but I think I can still impress her, when compared to yesterday.
I'm wearing a rather elegant version of my usual dress, with some nice motifs of butterflies and black lines. I also made this one myself, as well as the other ones. I don't come to the human village too often, but I damage my clothes rather often during work, so I have to…
"Youmu, are you ready? I thought you were the one who wanted to go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion…" I thought so as well, it is rather unusual for Yuyuko-sama to stand up this early. Is she already anticipating the food?
"Yes, I am ready. I'm sorry for making you wait…" Actually I am looking forward to it as well, I'm wondering what Izayoi-san might prepare for us, if we can even stay there. And we don't know if she would cook for us, even if we were allowed to stay…
"No problem. And don't worry, I am sure that the maid will serve us once we are there. If the mistress accepts us, that is." That is relieving… wait, how did Yuyuko-sama know that!? Unless she was worrying about that as well…
"We can worry about that once we arrive there. Do you want something to eat before we leave?" I think that there should be some leftovers from yesterday, but if Yuyuko-sama is awake already that probably means…
"No, thank you. I already ate what was left and I want to get there as soon as possible. I can barely hold back my excitement~" Yuyuko-sama… you will embarrass me if you act like this in front of Izayoi-san and her mistress…
Her mistress must be a very refined lady if her maid is as elegant as this… we will probably feel really out of place with the both of them in the same room… I will, at least, I'm not that sure about Yuyuko-sama…
"Well, let us go then. No point wasting any more time here…" The ghosts can take care of themselves and there is no food left that will expire anytime soon. The garden doesn't need anyone to take care of it right now, I already prepared it for winter before this incident.
I never really left the Netherworld, just when I visited the Human Village, and not for long. This will be the first time we will be away for a longer time, if we are accepted there at all. I do hope so, Izayoi-san could teach me a lot…
I would like to learn more about her as well, she seems to be very mysterious. She got here, that's unusual in the first place. And she did so in spite of the fact that she was already rather tired, if I'm not mistaken…
She seemed to have calculated all of my attacks before I even got started, she didn't even have to use her spell cards… And once she did manipulate time I was unable to do anything against her at all…
Her ability is probably one of the strongest I have ever heard of… In a real fight she is quite frightening, in my opinion. She was holding a blade against my throat and speaking to me as if we were sitting and having a cup of tea…
But that also was so cool… How did she get so good, I wonder? How old is she to begin with? I don't think she is even close to Yuyuko-sama or Yukari-sama, but she still seems to be fairly experienced. A human of her physical appearance shouldn't be older than 19, but…
"What are you thinking about, Youmu? Do you have something on your mind? You were awfully quiet today… Is it about yesterday?" Right on the spot… Well, that event did give me a lot to think about.
"Yeah, I've been wondering about all of that. I am not weak, but I had no chance against her. You must be disappointed as well, Yuyuko-sama…" She puts an arm around my shoulder and smiles, just like always…
"Nope, you were doing great, probably… I am just glad that the maid didn't kill you. That was really reckless. Never do that again, alright? NEVER." This is not a joke, I can tell. I did worry her a lot, didn't I?
"I'm sorry… I won't do it again." I won't do anything like that again, it was just stupid… My grandfather would have scolded me as well, if he was here… And now I have a second chance, thanks to Sakuya… Izayoi-san…
"It's alright, no-one got hurt in the end, right? Well, that maid had a scratch on her cheek, but she didn't seem to pay it any attention." That's right, I even hurt her a little bit… She is not at all like other humans I ever saw.
Those in the Human Village were real wimps when compared to her. A little splinter of wood stuck in their hand and they cry… That's the picture of humans I had so far. I guess I was very foolish to believe that all humans are like that…
"If you expect me to be a human you are wrong. I may be a human, that is correct, but I am far from human. In terms of ability. Or morals, for that matter." That was what she told me. Maybe she is just an exception, after all. What did she mean by that…?
Well, not that it matters what she is, I don't care. I'm more interested in who she might be… Human, youkai or anything else, I don't really care. But I want to know what she is like and how she became that way…
If her mistress accepts us I might get the chance to learn about those things and Sakuya-san… I will just stick with that name, it just pops up in my head every time… might even teach me to fight for real… That would be great.
Of course they could just reject us and that would be that, but I hope that won't happen… Not that I could do much about that, it is their home and they can decide who they want there. But I want to visit them…
Probably just another selfish desire, as Sakuya-san called the wish of my mistress… but even so, I don't want to give it up. I may not have the best of reasons, but I just feel that this is how it should be… I don't know why, but that's how I feel… 'Sigh'
"Don't worry about it too much, or you will get wrinkles… Look at me, I'm carefree and I don't have a single one!" I'm not sure about that, but worrying about it won't get me anywhere, will it? I will just focus on the way…
…
Here we are, the Human Village. A very nice and quite place, in my opinion. Here we get our furniture and many different kinds of supplies, like cloth for sewing and meat for cooking. I wonder if Sakuya-san also comes here to shop…
"Youmu, I will go and explore the village for a little bit. You can search for things we need if we can't live there for a while…" That might be a good idea, we should still be prepared for that case.
I can live without a meal once per day, I often do such things as part of my training, but Yuyuko-sama would pester me about that all day. She shouldn't even need to eat at all, yet she eats like a horse. Or two…
And she never makes something either. Well, that is my task, but I would still prefer it if she would help me out from time to time, I am a gardener and not a maid… Not that I could do anything about it, she is my mistress…
I promised grandfather that I would serve her during his absence, no matter how long that might be. I'm sure that he will come back soon enough, so I have to take good care of my mistress until that time.
Yuyuko-sama, she is more than my mistress for me. She is like a mother, from what I know about that. And she has a little bit of an older sister, but most of all she is my friend. I only address her with such formality because I was raised calling her by that name…
Well, what could I need? I don't need any new materials for sewing, so that's off the list. We still have enough supplies stored to get through the entire winter. That could have been troublesome for the humans as well, if spring didn't return now.
I think we rushed our plans a little bit, this could have become a catastrophe for the rest of Gensokyo… I guess we are lucky that Sakuya-san stopped us, I don't think she would tell everyone that we were responsible for that incident.
Otherwise we wouldn't be welcome here anymore, I guess. I would probably be very upset if someone would endanger the Netherworld in such a way… We didn't think enough about the consequences of our actions, did we…?
"Sakuya, do you want to… go out with me sometime or something?" What!? Who is that? It came from an alley. I have a good look from here. Those are Sakuya-san and… some boy from the village?
I think that he works at the furniture shop. He does look pretty good… Somehow I hope that Sakuya-san isn't really going to accept it, thinking about that is a little bit uncomfortable for me… Though I wonder why… Could Yuyuko-sama be right, after all…?
…
Author's note:
Well, here is another chapter. So much for suspension, I already spoiled the conclusion of this confession in the description of the story… Well, not that important. I probably won't be able to upload another chapter next month, I will be out for a long while.
So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next one will probably be told from Youmu's perspective, I will try to keep both perspectives more or less balanced. If there was something bothering you write it down in a review or write me a PM, I might do something about it if it's bothering me as well.
I would also be happy about some suggestions for how this should all continue, though it still lies in my hands if I like those suggestions. Not really something for the major plot, so to speak, but rather for subplots and such things. Of course you don't have to, the most important thing is that you were able to enjoy it. (I certainly did,)