CHAPTER 02
A STRANGE OCCULT
Note: Usami Renko and Maribel Han are ZUN's original characters from the music CD 'Touhou Aozora Majutsu ~ Magical Astronomy'.
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It was well past rush hour, and commuters were nowhere to be seen, leaving the building complex empty but not entirely deserted. It was late evening, and already the sun was setting in the horizon, enveloping everything in the glory of its reddish orange ray.
And he was outside the building complex, doing nothing more than sitting on the bench and enjoying the scenery he stretched and shook his arms, occasionally flexing to refresh his tired body. Sometimes he would stand up and perform simple exercises before sitting down again, and he would occasionally wave to the unsuspecting bystanders and commuters.
What was he doing in such place? He should have been in the Northern Frontier hunting the bounty right now, and he was aware of it. As a matter of fact, the prospect of getting his hand on the hefty reward was very enticing, almost as much as the temptation of a gorgeous lady in the so-called "Absolute Territory" dress, complete with thigh-high socks and garter belt. He knew; the shrine maiden who frequently addressed him as Oniichan had high regards for such dressing code she even went as far as designing shrine uniform in such style (with the help of Princess Tomoyo, on top of that). He could still remember how he wanted to admire those slender legs, how he wanted to explore the 'off-limit area' and touch the silky smooth skins, how he wanted to be within the vicinity of the delicious thighs-
Ahem.
He killed the thought. He wasn't here to fantasize over his little sister. He had an appointment with some friends, and they were not showing up yet. So while waiting for the girls to show up he killed some time and rewound his memory to the night before…
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Location: Hanasaka Shrine
"You're leaving again, Oniichan," Yuu said with detected tone.
He nodded. "Won't be home for another two weeks; a month if situation changes. The good thing is that I have another two free days to spend." He dismantled the P90 and inspected its barrel before cleaning it. "The bad news is they may call me at any time."
She frowned. "When I thought I could spend more quality time with Oniichan…" She blushed, shyly fiddling with her fingers, her lips moving to form words. "But I understand. Oniichan does this for a living, so I cannot object."
He sighed. "Sorry."
She shook her head lightly. "It's alright. Say, Oniichan?"
"Hmm?"
She moved closer until her elbow touched his. The gesture didn't make him flinch, and he stayed still as Yuu rested her head upon his shoulder. "Can I… sleep with Oniichan tonight? Like we always do?"
He said nothing, and she held her breath for rejection. Then, with a long sigh he put down the components and hauled her in his arms, positioning her so she was sitting on his lap. "There. Happy now?" he asked.
She shyly smiled. "…yes. Very much so…" She nestled comfortably beneath the arms and clung onto him. "Thank you, Oniichan…"
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He sighed. He should still have those two days to spend with the girl but his work prevented him from staying at a place for a fixed amount of time. With reports that the bounty had already begun to move, he realized time was not with him.
He looked at his wristband chronograph. "Where the hell are they? They said they'd be here in 30 minutes." He looked around, and noticed he was the only person left, everyone having had left the railway station in the quiet hours. "Well, if they don't show up-"
"Sorry for being late!" He turned to the source of the voice, and could only shake his head as he saw two girls running downstairs.
"You just wasted my precious half an hour, ladies" he jeered.
"Sorry, Mister Kokurabuji, so sorry," one of them apologized and bowed to him. "Renko was at fault for being late. She said we could reach this place in time but we got side-tracked by her endless commentaries."
"Hey!" the other girl moaned in protest. "That was because you asked me about that book!"
He shrugged and checked his pager, as if expecting a message of sort. "Since I still got time here, why don't we go have some meal?" he suggested. "I'll pay."
"So, what made you guys want to see me today?" he asked as the trio was having dishes of ice-cream and pancakes at the café. "You know I have very little time for social activity, let alone going out with girls."
"Oh, come on Mister Kokurabuji-"
"Hikki. Just Hikki," he reminded Renko.
"Right. Mister… Hikki, right?" Renko made a silly smile as she pronounced the name. "I mean, come on! Who else is willing to share our passion for occult and paranormal? I know nobody else is, and most of the people here will think of us as a weird couple."
"I can see that. More importantly." He placed the backpack and asked the girls to open it. "I've brought every piece of material I can gather to help you with the… research."
The pair examined the materials he had provided. "We highly appreciate it, Mister Hikki," Maribel said. "Thank you very much."
"If I'm allowed ask." He put down the ice-cream cup and stared at them. "What's up with your obsession for 'the world beyond the accepted boundary'?"
Renko snickered. "Even if we tell you, would you even believe us?"
"I would," he answered and sipped the milk tea. "But then again, what am I?"
"Oh, yes. That reminds me." Renko took out a newspaper and gave it to him. "I thought you'd be interested."
He took the newspaper and read the headline. "Soviet and European Leaders Express Concern Over the Existence of Boundary Cult? Now this is something I'm definitely curious over; can't be sure if this is good or not."
"Well, everyone back at the university has been talking about it a lot, and we can't help prying over it."
"Curiosity kills the cat." Renko giggled at the proverb.
The conversation lasted for a healthy thirty minutes. This time the two friends asked him about Yuu's welfare, and he chided that the girls should've visited the shrine and gave some donation. Renko had to decline, saying that their commitment to the studies of paranormal and supernatural phenomenon prevented them from going out for a field trip, and again he pointed that with their focus on such studies he found it ironic that they didn't give the Hanasaka Shrine a shot.
"Well, look at the time," Renko said and turned to Maribel, who in turn nodded. "Hate to kill the mood, but we have an investigation to do."
"Suit yourself then, Renko, Mary," he said.
The pair left the table and headed back to the railway station just across the road. "Bye-bye! It was fun spending the time with you," Renko shouted. "Hope we can have teatime again!"
"Thank you for the materials again, Mister Hikki," Maribel said. "We'll pay the deed whenever we can."
The girls were gone, and once again he was alone. He sat down for a few minutes more, finishing the tea before the pager buzzed. He read the message. He nodded. "Right. Time to get going." He called the waitress to pay the meal and left the café. Only he knew where he was headed to, and only he how long it would take to reach his destination, but it didn't matter.
He arrived at the destination. Once again, he was on his own, a strange figure in the equally strange area. The isolation lasted for a while, however, as he saw a black SUV approaching him in slow speed. He stayed still, as a female agent in black outfit walked out of the vehicle and approached him. "Silver Wind?"
He nodded. "Thought you wouldn't come."
"There's a slight change of plan, but we don't have time for that." The agent opened the door, allowing him to go in. The SUV left the area, speeding towards the road that linked the city to the airport with speed in excess of fifty-miles-per-hour, passing through the unsuspecting traffic. "We have received information regarding the rogue automaton, and at such we're ready to assist."
"Hey, I'm a bounty hunter, and I'm not about to let my prize escape," he shrugged. "But I thought the information's supposed to be classified."
"The Agency has been granted unrestricted access to 'hot zones'," the agent spoke. "Be glad you're free to do whatever you want once you get there."
"I can see that." He leaned into the comfort of the backseat, making himself as comfortable as he could. "What's the situation?"
"The automaton – or robot, if you like - has been eluding detection for two weeks," the agent answered as she was reviewing some paper-works. "It hasn't shown any sign of aggression, as far as the agency is concerned." The SUV made a U-turn at a junction and passed by an 18-wheeler. "But we are paying attention in case it decides to let itself loose."
"I can see that." He remembered the headline he read on the newspapers, and couldn't help asking: "hey, you read the news today?"
"Regarding the boundary cult, right? We have put the cult under close observation ever since their inception half a year ago," the agent answered.
"I didn't know that. Tell me anything about it."
"It hasn't been confirmed yet, but Intel suggests the cult has gathered followers from among Soviet and, possibly, AEU military officers."
"I don't see any connection between the cult and this mission but fire it away."
"According to our agents in Moscow, the cult is reportedly supplying the Spetsnaz with high-tech military equipment unlike anything the world has seen. If, and I emphasize IF, the report is to be believed, the cult is using the Soviet's political and military influence to expand their own."
"Alright, I can see that, but why telling me?"
"We currently have our hands full monitoring the war between the GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod in Africa. Plus, we aren't able to determine the potential threat of this cult, or do we know their actual intention. I'm sure the Nihon Memorial Kingdom is aware of this issue as well."
He scratched his chin. "I'll have to consult the empress regarding this matter, but if the agency wants me to investigate I have to charge you people extra money. You know me."
"Don't worry. I'll have that covered."
The SUV reached its destination. As soon as it approached the parked C-130 the passengers wasted no time and disembarked from the vehicle. "Heads up: you will be assisted by the Ukrainian special task force throughout this mission. They have been deployed to the area earlier to help the agency monitoring the automaton."
"Huh? I thought the Ukrainians are still a part of the Soviet Union?" he asked.
"I hope you don't forget that Ukraine is now an independent republic," the agent reminded while correcting her slipping glasses. "Have you skipped your history lessons, Silver Wind?"
He glanced at the agent. "I don't find the answer very… encouraging," he answered even as he was handed over the parachuting gears.
"Well, you've been missing your lessons a lot," the agent sighed. "And don't think you can handle the mission by yourself just because you have the skills. You aren't a certain legendary demon hunter, mind you."
(At the office, Dante was having the usual snack of pizza with the company of Lady and Trish when he sneezed. "Well, well, looks like Dante's got some health problem," Trish teased.
"Hey, it must be the kid," Dante shrugged and rested his legs upon the table. "Who knows?"
Nero sneezed. "Are you cold, Nero?" Kyrie asked.
Nero shivered. "I think someone's badmouthing me.")
He had to laugh. "Oh, come on. Do I look like anyone of them?" he asked.
"Anyway, the special forces have reported that the area is unsafe for any landing attempt to be done," the agent continued. "That means you have to parachute over the area."
"Para-dropping, eh? Haven't done that in a while," he said as he was helped donning the gears by ground crew.
"Words of caution:" the agent continued as she signalled at the aircrew to start the engines. "Expect resistance to be fierce. Local people aren't very happy over foreign presence in their backyard."
"Duly noted."
"And don't worry about the payment. The Memorial Kingdom and the agency have come upon agreement to settle it accordingly," the agent assured.
He stopped climbing the ladder and looked at the agent. "I appreciate that. Thanks."
