Chapter 3: Subterranean Influence

Somewhere near the Yakumo house, after Yukari and Ran both come back to the house after obtaining Chen, two characters are seen observing the house.

"Is this the place?" Says one of the people and another responds with a, "yes, this is the place. This is where I saw her being brought to." The other person questions the other, wondering why they are here. " Why are we here, if you don't mind my asking?" He says asks. The other person denies giving a proper answer, saying "never you mind. Never you mind." In response.

The other person winks and smiles at the other. "Oh, I see," he/she says, "you want another pet, don't you?" The person to whom he/she asked the question to does not say anything and stays silent. "You have me as well as Okuu," the person says, "why ask for anymore? Come on, do not be so cold."

The other person sniggers a little bit and seeing the irony behind the said words, he/she comments with, "coming from you, that is quite funny." "Aww, you know you love us, really. You are just too embarrassed to admit it," says the person, trying to act cute and assume that the person is caring inside. The other person looks at him/her in annoyance, "Oh, shut up, kitten!", he/she says. The other person smiles and closes his/her eyes and mocks the person, "you are so cute when you get mad like this!"

"I will leave you to it, then, "the other person says as he/she begins to walk off. The other person wonders, "where are you going?" He/she asks. The other person stops moving and says this, "Home. I was going to be the one to bring our little friend back with us, but I had a little… change of plan. I think it would be much more interesting if a cat does it instead." The other person, presumed to be a cat, opens his/her eyes wide in a shocked expression and says, "Are you serious? But why? Oh, you aren't mad at me, are you? "

"Mad? At you? Please, you are just my play thing." Says the person, implying that there is nothing wrong at all, to which to person replies, " And yet I am the only thing you get to play with! Going into your arms and feeling warm," taking the mick out of the person and then begins to laugh, continuing with, "you just love touching me."

This annoys the person in question and he/she sighs and thinks to him/herself, "I swear, I am going to murder that cat one day…," and then says, "just remember what you need to do, Orin."

The other person, Orin, says, "alright, you want me to bring her with us to the Palace of Earth Spirits. Only because I made you sad." She then starts to feel sad, but in a joking sense, "but I would still want to make this one mine," as she thinks to herself. The other person somehow knew what she was thinking and then says, "do not even dare, Orin!" This causes Orin to start sweating and thinks to herself again, "she read my mind."

"I know you too well. But I suppose that it must be in your nature," the person says as he/she begins to shrug, "when you are a cat you are gentle, but as soon as you change back, you act like this. It is always the same with you." Orin tilts her head to a side, closes her eyes and then smiles, "And I plan to keep it that way," she says as she sticks her tongue out, "nya."

"Do not "nya" me!" The person says, implying that she did not want to hear that. Orin then begins to look cute towards the person and says "aww!". The person responds with, "and you can stop with the 'acting cute' coy. Doing that is not going to change my mind. Not at all, not with you." Orin gives the person a devilish look and thinks, "Whoops, I think I might have annoyed her." Assuming that you might have done something wrong.

Caught by surprise yet again, the person, who is revealed to be Satori, says, "and Satori thinks that you should not have done that." Orin begins to look scared by this. "But do not worry…," she says as she gives Orin a smirk, "... you will get your punishment back at the Palace. She then begins to move. Orin tries to persuade the person to stay, saying that she will be good, "bo, don't leave me! I promise I will be good."

Satori then walks off and leaves Orin.

Orin begins to move her mouth a bit to her left and thinks to herself, "now I am all on my own. She then looks at the Yakumo house and thinks again, "I suppose I will wait here until I get a chance to get in and grab that person." She then begins to lick her lips slowly.

Meanwhile, in the Yakumo house, Chen has just woken up after falling unconscious in her battle with Ran.

Chen pulls the blanket over and looks at her body, part of her face covered in a tear. "I really am alive," she says as she then puts her hand against her forehead in a forceful manner and then cries even more, but in a sense of relief. "I really am alive!" she says, emotionally. She continues, "these feelings… What are these feelings that I have? Is this "happiness"? Is this what happiness feels like? Am I relieved? It feels… feels so strange. It does not feel happy at all. It feels like pain." She starts to get up and then starts to ache because of her shoulder. "Ah!" She says, as she then puts her hand against her shoulder. What happened? Am I… hurting? She notices that she had pain in her shoulder, the area that was shot by Ran's laser. She begins to fall down to the bed slowly. "Oh, that's right. I was in a fight. A fight with… my master? How strange, do I really have a master?" She says.

Chen then notices someone in the room. Ran happens to be in the room with her.

"Yes, Chen, you have a master. I am your master. And I created you." Ran says. Chen responds with, "you…," then takes her hands out and looks at them and continues, "... created me?" "Yes, I am your master, your creator. Well, technically I am your "mistress" rather than your master. I am a female after all. But you are not alone. You will not be alone," Ran explains.

This puzzles Chen, "But... Bu-but you tried to kill me." She grips her hands and begins to cringe and continues, "how can I believe you after what you did?"

Ran sighs and says, "you can choose whether to believe me or not." applying that she does not care whether Chen believes her or not. "The fact is…," she says, as she then brings to turn her head to her side, "... I was being reckless." She closes her eyes and continues, "I… I never wanted to kill you." This causes Chen to wonder, "Really?" She asks.

Ran confirms something to Chen, "Yes, that is the truth." She then brings some food in. "Here, I want you to eat this. You must be really weak by now. It is teriyaki chicken and soup. This is the least I can do for you." She says, as she wants to do something right. Chen takes the food and thanks Ran, "Th-thank you, er, Ran?"

Ran responds with, "so you do know who I am," smiling a little bit as she seems happy somehow that Chen knew her name. "Well, I will leave you to it. Eat up and stay well. Don't go running off again," she says as she then leaves the room.

Chen begins to wonder something, "so Ran is my master? The name of my master… is Ran? And this Yukari… She is my master's master? So then, Ran is… is like me? We are the same?" She then notices something on her ear, the earring that was placed by Yukari and says, "something just moved. What was that?" She begins to put her hand on her ear. But as she was doing that, she felt a shock in her hand. "Ah, what was that!?" She says suddenly as she tries to put her hand on her ear again but finds out that she cannot bring her hand any closer. "What is happening? Is there some sort of protection here? A barrier? Why can't I touch my ear?" This causes Chen to become worried. "What did she do to me?, she says, wondering what Ran actually did to her. "Did she put something on my ear? And if she did, why? Why would she do that? This is so strange."

Chen then decides to forget about that and goes to eat the teriyaki chicken that Ran left.

Chen, eating the food, begins to think to herself and thinks about Yukari and Ran begins to make a choice, "I think I will have to stay here and find out why I was made and why I am here. Yukari said I had a Master and Ran said that she was my Master. I must be here to serve her, but why? What happened?" It was at this moment that she stops eating whilst thinking, "I am such a mess. I really, really am such a mess. Is this my torture? Is this my punishment? My existence only to serve someone?" She then goes to have some of the soup, "then I am nothing more than a puppet, something with no free will of its own. I have no life and I can never be loved. And just what am I exactly? I am sure I am a cat, but a cat with two tails?" She thinks, to which she is then sad. She believes her existence is only to serve people and that she does not have a life of her own. She think thinks this about herself, "I was right, I am a monster." Believing again, that she is a monster.

Just then, Orin enters the room.

Orin is seen smiling at Chen. "Enjoying your feast, kitty?" She says. This alarms Chen as she then questions her, "Who are you?" She asks. "Me? Oh, I'm just someone." Says Orin. Chen examines Orin and sees her as being another version of herself and says, "you look a lot like me".

Orin then opens her eyes wide and then closes them a bit, as what Chen said caught her attention. " Do I, now?" She says as she then giggles a bit, "you are funny. But I suppose I do look like you in a way. Chen replies with, "you have ears that stick out and two tails. Are we really the same?

This amuses Orin even more, "You really are funny. I will let you decide for yourself. But this is not why I came. I came…," she says as she begins to get closer to Chen, "... to pick you up." Chen gets concern and does not understand what Orin is saying, "pick me up? What do you mean, "pick you up"? I thought…" She says.

"That is what my master wants…" Orin says as she puts her hand against Chen's cheek, "... and you are going to come with me since that is what my master wishes. "Your master?" A curious Chen asks. She thinks to herself, "then we really are the same."

Orin informs Chen about it, "yes. But she just calls me her "pet"." She then asks Chen a similar question, "that fox girl that I saw before. I'm guessing she is your master?" Chen hears Orin say "fox girl", referring to Ran as that, and questions her, "fox girl? As in Ran? You were there?

"Oh, yes. Oh, you are so innocent," says Orin as she takes her hand away and then moves away from Chen a little bit. "Both me and my Master were there." She continues.

Chen begins to get out of bed, "and she wants me?" She asks. Orin replies back, "yes. I don't know why, but she is really keen on you. She sees her type as "pets". But don't take it as an insult. She means no harm by it." She then notices that Chen's clothes are unappealing to her and comments about them, "and your dress… You really do need a change of clothing. I am sure my my master has some clothes for you."

Chen comments with, "this master of yours. Who is she?" And Orin responds with, "her name is Satori Komeiji. She is a satori, a type of youkai. From looking at you right now, I would say that you are also a youkai." So, Orin's Master is confirmed to be a youkai like Chen's Master.

This puzzles Chen and you wants answers, "I am a youkai? Me? But I am a cat. How can I really be a youkai?" This causes Orin to become stumped. She puts her hand again her chin and starts to think and then says, "maybe Satori can explain it better." She goes up to Chen again. "When you do come…," she says, as she goes closer to Chen and then closes her eyes a bit and begins to smile, "... we can start to have some fun."

Chen becomes worried due to what Orin said and says, "wh-wh-what are you doing? You aren't going to eat me, are you?" She says, not understanding what Orin meant.

Orin begins to laugh hysterically and then tries to stop herself and says, "oops, I mustn't draw attention." How ever she continues to laugh, but with muffled laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Chen wonders, "is that happiness that you have? Or is that a suffering?"

Orin thinks to herself, "she really doesn't know, does she? She is like an infant. Is this really the type of youkai that Satori is after? She seems… inexperienced. And what is with her mood? It is like that of a lost child." She then begins to talk to Chen, "Oh, me? Just forget that! I just thought of something funny from before, really. But anyway, what will it be? What will you do?"

Chen has a choice, either she comes with Orin or stays where she is. She begins to reply, "OK, I will come with you. But if this is my home, I want to be able to stay here." Orin protests, "what, stay here with a ball and chain, with the purpose of being wrapped around someone's finger?"

In Orin's protest and way to get her to persuade her to come with her, she responds with, "er, well…," she then begins to continually touch her digit fingers with one another and continues, "only if it makes her happy."

"Listen, you come with me and I promise you will be happy," says Orin. This causes Chen to feel happy and she says, "do you mean it? Do you..," she then suddenly starts to cry and continues, "... really mean it?"

Orin tries to comfort her, "hey, shh… No need to cry," she then goes to give Chen a cuddle, "no need to cry. " Chen stops crying after a few sniffles and then says, "OK. OK, I will come with you."

They both start to leave the house.

Outside the Yakumo house however, there is a person nearby.

The person is seen overlooking the house and sees Orin leaving the building with Chen and says this, "ah, I see the dear Shikigami has left the safe haven. How careless of you, Ran." The mysterious figure begins to smirk and continues to talk. "You are making it far too easy for me. All I have to do now is follow her tail. Thank you so much, my sweet, little vixen."

Meanwhile, at Myouren Temple, Mamizou is sleeping at her residence.

Yashima is seen trying to wake up a sleeping Mamizou, "Mamizou… Mamizou… Hey, Teakettle! Wake up!"

Mamizou then begins to wake up, after hearing Yashima, and says, "how many times do I have to tell people? I am not a Bunbu…," she begins to open her eyes and looks at the person in wonder, "... ku. Who are you?

Yashima closes his eyes, giving Mamizou a mischievous look, "Hehe!" He says. He then opens his eyes and continues, having a bit of fun, "Teakettle! Teakettle! Teakettle! Teakettle"!

Mamizou starts to get irritated, "that's enough!", She says as she fires a bullet at Yashima, which Yashima then dodged.

"Wow, that was close," Yashima says after dodging the bullet. Mamizou questions Yashima, not realising who he is, "tell me, just who are you? Yashima giggles a bit. "I'm Yashima, silly," he says. Mamizou begins to wonder, "Yashima?" She says, "as in Yashima Hogo? Stop playing games with me! You do not look that person." She then says, in disbelief. "But it's true," says Yashima.

Mamizou then examines Yashima and says, "you look different and you look… smaller. No, you're not him. You can't be." It was then that Yashima confirms something. Who he is currently was not what he was before when he met Mamizou. "This is my "Child form". What you saw before was my "Adult form"," he says.

A confused Mamizou has this to say, "child and adult forms? So you are saying that you really can transform? You said you couldn't. Are you messing with me?"

Yashima laughs childishly and confesses, "I'm not. I really can't transform."

Mamizou starts to get out of bed, turning to her side and then continues talking, "then what do you call this?"

Yashima ignores the question, "I'm like you! I'm a raccoon dog just like you."

This is when Mamizou starts to get annoyed, so she says, "you aren't listening, dear. I asked…"

Yashima interrupts and becomes rude in the process, "I heard you already, old lady."

Mamizou begins to get agitated and thinks, "Old lady!?" She, furious at this stage, begins to talk, "listen, you… You should not even be here. This is my room. I don't know how you knew I was here, but you need to leave… NOW!"

Yashima begins to wonder and thinks to himself, "did I say something I shouldn't have said? How touchy." He then takes the sake bottle that is wrapped around his body and starts to drink from it.

"You aren't going to leave? Fine," Mamizou says as she then starts to walk towards the door. "If you aren't out of here by the time I get back, I swear I'll kill you, whoever you are."

Yashima begins to stop drinking and tries to convince a sceptical Mamizou, "I told you, I'm..."

Mamizou stops walking, interrupts Yashima and begins to shout, "What you said was just a big lie!" She quietens down a bit, "you aren't Yashima Hogo. Yashima, apart from being a bake-danuki, was slightly taller than you and wore different clothing. The only thing that reminds me of him is that thing that you are wearing on your back." Mamizou then begins to shout again, "also… ALSO, his voice was not the same as yours!" And she then begins to pant.

Yashima, after hearing what Mamizou just said, thinking now that she really does not believe what he is the Yashima that she saw before. But that is when he thinks of something to say, "oh? So you never did examine me properly?"

Mamizou says, "I told you, you are not…," she then notices something, "... Wait… that tail. The look on that tail. It looks the same as his… It looks exactly like Yashima's!"

Yashima closes his eyes and smiles, Mamizou now realising who he really is, and says, "hehe, so you are no longer sceptical? Mamizou starts to get really confused. "But... Bu-bu-bu-bu…," she says.

Yashima begins to take the mick out of Mamizou "Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-Bunbuku!" He then begins to laugh and say more, "Choo-choo!" Acting quite childish. An unamused Mamizou has this to say, "you're really getting on my nerves.

But Yashima did not mean any harm by it and so he says to Mamizou, "I'm only playing with you," and then smiles. .

"So hun, you're Yashima? You are really him? But how?" Mamizou says, questioning him.

Yashima then talks, "and all it took was one look at my tail?" He then looks at his own tail and continues, "yes, it looks nice, doesn't it?" He turns to look at Mamizou, closes his eyes and grins, "I like it, it suits me quite nicely" he says.

But is still confused, even after what Yashima said, since Yashima was not being very clear with her, "but your appearance… I still do not understand your appearance." It was then that Yashima says, "do you like it? It's a little trick of mine."

Mamizou, for some peculiar reason, becomes confused by this. Trick? What do you mean, "trick"?" She questions.

Yashima goes silent for a bit and then starts to talk again, "remember what I told you before?"

"What you told me?" Mamizou asks, to which she then realises something and then starts to remember a moment after encountering Yashima, "from Yashima, "I cannot transform like a bake-danuki should. But to make up for it, I have an ability to create illusions."". "No… No… So this is your…," thinking that she might have realised something.

Yashima begins to laugh for a bit and says, "it looks like you figured it out! 'Bout time."

"I need to think about this," says Mamizou, as she then starts to go outside, "I am going to leave you to it. Just remember to… " She suddenly loses consciousness and falls to the ground.

Yashima then goes to sit on Mamizou's bed and starts moving his legs about in delight, "ha! She fell for it. Quite literally as well," he says, giggling. He then gets off of the bed and starts to walk towards the door. "I think I will go and see how the Umbrella Lady is doing," he says as he nearly bumps nearly bumps into Mamizou and has something to add, "oops! Gotta mind my step."

Yashima then gets out of the building and then picks up the sword that he left outside, next to the door and then starts to walk off.

Yashima then says this, "I better do this quick or I'll get in trouble. Not like it matters anyway. I have LOADS of free time," and begins to smile impishly. A moment later, he is seen arriving at the graveyard. "Well, there it is. I wonder how she is doing?" He comments and then starts to go into the graveyard.

Meanwhile, at the Yakumo house.

Ran is outside at this moment in time, drinking tea whilst thinking about what Yukari was saying, "from Yukari: "... now that you have your own shikigami, you must protect it. Your life will never be the same again."" She stops drinking and then sighs, "so this is what she meant when she said that my life would no longer be the same. Why is this happening to me now? Does Yukari really trust me that much?, She says, wondering if Yukari made the right choice in trusting Ran. She starts remembering more of Yukari's words yes again, "from Yukari: "with this, you and the shikigami become one and the shikigami's pain becomes your pain but not the other way around."" She starts to get back up and then begins to decide on something, "I think I know what I must do now. I need to go to Yukari.""

End of Chapter

Next Chapter: A Heartfelt Youkai