Sixth Day ~ Goddess of the Mountain, Goddess of the Lake
Daiyousei was true to her word. I was the only one woken up the next morning by a tickling on her nose, scratching it away only to find their hand rather liberally smeared with pond muck.
One predictable chase scene later, we were out on the mountain again, Nitori accompanying us this time. Utsuho had gone back to the reactor to put Nitori's new device to work, and the kappa herself had offered to come along in case any of the other tengu questioned why we were "trespassing" on the mountain.
After a long walk up the misty slope, we finally came out of the trees and into a small clearing. At the top of a small rise, the pathway up flanked by the usual Shinto gate and by several large pillars wound with shrine streamers, sat the shrine.
"It's really well-kept," I remarked, hesitating as I stepped onto the start of the stone path leading up between the pillars. "Is that Sanae's doing?"
Nitori smiled a little, fidgeting still around me. "Yeah... Sanae's usually up here doing chores and things like that," she said softly. "When she's not busy with incidents, I guess..."
Daiyousei nodded quietly. "I'd like to meet her," she said, glancing to the side. "She sounds a lot different from Reimu..."
Nitori snickered a bit. "Yeah, yeah... she is," she said. "Sanae's nice to just about everyone." She paused, and fidgeted. "This is really the first time she's been out helping to resolve an incident, though," she added. "I hope she's doing okay..."
Sakan smiled. "I bet she is," he said. "I wanna meet her too, though... you think she's back yet?"
I blinked. "Oh, that's right... I met you after the festival, didn't I...? So you wouldn't have met some of the people I did..." I looked up as we reached the gate. "I wonder how Sanae's doing now..."
"You needn't worry about Sanae... she's fine, and on her way back." A voice echoed down from above. As I looked up, its owner flew down from one of the pillars in front of us and landed quietly.
The woman was tall, incredibly so; my first impression was seven feet tall at least. She certainly towered over me, my face level with the small mirror she wore on her chest. Clothed in dark red with an even darker burgundy skirt that reached the ground, she was an imposing sight despite the simple nature of her dress. Dark eyes regarded me quietly from under her short, pale-blue hair, and oddly she wore a great circle of braided shrine rope on her back, balanced perfectly despite towering well above her head.
I could tell even from that brief moment that the woman standing before me now was a goddess. Power radiated from every inch of her being. This was not like the Aki twins, simple goddesses with a worn and seldom-visited shrine. The woman before me was the goddess of a well-kept shrine and commanded a stunning amount of faith... surely this was Sanae's goddess.
Nitori blinked. "L-lady Kanako... y-you're sure?" she asked, fidgeting as she looked up at the tall goddess.
Kanako nodded slowly. "She is borrowing my power for this incident," she said quietly. "I contacted her when I heard you speaking... the incident has concluded, and she is on her way back." She frowned lightly. "She will be some time in returning, however... apparently the ship took off while they were still inside... and ended up in Makai of all places..."
Nitori nodded. "B-but she's all right... that's good..."
Kanako nodded, and then looked to me. "Nitori, you've brought visitors, I see..." she said, her voice never rising above that quiet, even tone. "We don't often see people from the Human Village so far up on the mountain..."
I bowed deeply to the goddess. "M-my name is Chitose Izumo," I began quietly. "I'm not from the village, actually... I was spirited away. This is only my sixth day in Gensokyo... so I don't really live anywhere."
Kanako nodded quietly, tugging her skirt out barely an inch in a hint of a curtsy. "Kanako Yasaka, goddess of the Moriya Shrine," she introduced herself. "Most humans go looking for the Hakurei Shrine if they wish to return to their own world... I'm afraid that strong as I am, I have no power to breach the barrier to return."
I shook my head. "That's not why I came to your shrine... besides, Reimu has already said she's not willing to do it so close to an incident..."
Kanako nodded again. "Then, why are you here?" she asked.
I paused. "Sanae... wanted me to come up and visit," I explained. "We met briefly at the spring festival... she was pretty excited to meet someone else who'd come from the outside world."
Kanako smiled slightly. "Ah, I see..." she murmured. "She would be excited by that... well, as I said, she's unfortunately not back yet." She paused, crossing her arms. "I would guess she won't be back until nightfall, or shortly before. You may visit the shrine if you wish, but I would recommend finding something to entertain yourself with until she returns..."
I nodded quietly. "I think I'll visit it later... I have a feeling Sanae would want to show me around herself."
Kanako nodded again. "Yes, that sounds like her," she said, hovering lightly upwards. "Though if you wish to come in and worship, well..." She smirked, just a tiny twitch of her lip. "I certainly wouldn't prohibit such a thing..."
There were a pair of squeals behind me, so like each other they almost sounded like one. I found myself suddenly caught in a tight grip on both sides of me, and as I looked to my left I saw Shizuha clinging to me, practically for dear life. "N-no way, Lady Kanako!" she called out. "Chitose's our worshipper..."
Minoriko, on my right, nodded. "Th-that's right, she is..." She paused, and looked me pleadingly in the eyes. "R-right?"
I blinked. "Er... well... I'm certainly giving faith to you two... I think..."
Shizuha cheered. "Oh! And before we forget..."
Minoriko giggled. "Yeah... ready sis?"
The two goddesses counted quickly to three, and suddenly I felt a rather firm kiss on each cheek, leaving me sitting there dumbstruck and blushing like a cloud at sunset. Nitori blinked, then giggled softly, blushing, and Daiyousei burst into such hard laughter she had trouble staying in the air.
Kanako raised an eyebrow. "You two are certainly energetic today... what on earth is all this about?"
Shizuha giggled right in my ear. "Just thanking the mortals for a good deed," she intoned in a passable imitation of Kanako's voice.
Nitori blinked. "Oh, right... this is about your shrine, isn't it?"
Minoriko beamed. "Yes, it looks great!"
I blinked. "R-really? I haven't even half-finished it, though..." I shifted in their hold. "A-and the pond still has to be cleaned... I have no idea with what, though..."
Minoriko kissed my cheek again. "But you actually made an effort," she said softly. "That's worth a lot to a pair of small-time goddesses like us..."
Shizuha smiled. "And you're gonna come back and help clean it up more, right?" she asked.
I nodded, squirming a little now, and the goddesses released me with a giggle. "I don't plan on leaving the job unfinished," I said softly. Then I glanced to Nitori. "You... wouldn't happen to have any neat devices laying around that I could use to clean up a pond? The one behind the Aki Shrine is really choked up with dead leaves..."
Nitori tilted her head. "Hm... I'll think about that one..." she said, slipping off her cap and scratching her head. "Lemme think... pond cleaning..."
Kanako chuckled softly. "Well, well... a human from the outside world cleaning a shrine... no wonder Sanae was so eager to meet you..." She paused. "And no wonder the kyoukai took an interest..." she murmured, though I barely caught the words.
I shivered a little and nodded. Kanako turned her eyes to Daiyousei. "I see you have traveling companions, Chitose," she said quietly.
Daiyousei curtsied in midair, still stifling her giggles at the sisters' antics. "Daiyousei, of the Misty Lake," she said breathlessly.
Kanako nodded, crossing her arms lightly. "A fairy, then... I imagine if Chitose tolerates your presence, you aren't likely to, but I feel it bears repeating..." Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Cause any sort of ruckus at my shrine and I'll atomize you, understand?"
Daiyousei's giggles stopped instantly, and she quickly bowed, cowed by the goddess' sheer presence. "Y-yes ma'am!"
Kanako nodded. "As long as you understand," she said softly. She looked back to me, frowning. "I can sense one more, but I don't see them..." she said quietly. "Did another kappa come with you...?"
I blinked, looking down at the book in my arms. "Oh, you're probably sensing Sakan..." I murmured, tapping the cover. "Come on out..."
Kanako tilted her head, and watched, but the book remained closed. "Where is he?" she asked softly.
I blinked, and shifted my grip, opening the book. "H-he's shy... maybe he's just a little frightened..." I explained, flipping rapidly through the pages, until at last I found those two blank pages near the middle, Sakan's cute face peeking up at me over the bottom margin. "It's okay... Kanako's not dangerous..."
Nitori nodded. "I've never once seen her actually lose her cool," she said, peeking curiously over my shoulder. "She won't hurt you..."
Sakan slowly rose out of the book, sweeping his arm across his waist in a more Western bow. "Aneechan, I can't open myself while you're holding me," he said. "If you want me to come out, you have to open the book... or let go of my body..."
Kanako blinked and leaned in a bit, Sakan looking up at her. "A tsukumogami... Sanae mentioned running into one while chasing the ship, but I've never actually seen one before." She gave a very slight smile. "I imagine you heard my name already, but what is yours?"
Sakan bowed again. "Sakan Irori, Miss Yasaka," he said politely. "I'm traveling with Chitose-aneechan."
Kanako nodded silently. I looked around, taking in the pillars high above. "What do you plan to do now?" Kanako's voice broke in suddenly on my thoughts.
I looked up at her. "I'm not really sure," I said hesitantly. "You said yourself Sanae won't be back until nightfall... and I don't want to go walking around the shrine without her..."
Nitori nodded, and then suddenly lit up. "Well, why not go visit the lake?" she offered. "I'd be happy to take you there..."
Kanako blinked. "Lake Suwa?" she asked. "Mm, well, you'd certainly find plenty there to amuse yourselves..." She glanced at Sakan with a smile. "Although..."
I looked back to see Sakan fidgeting, and belatedly remembered that his original, "true" body was the grimoire... not something that agrees well with water. He gave me a pout. "I-I really don't wanna go near water, aneechan..."
I nodded. "Yeah... um... guess we can't go then..."
Kanako lifted the tome gently from my arms into hers. "Unless you leave him here in my care... would you be more happy that way, Sakan?" she asked softly. "Besides, if you haven't gone there already, you should go to the lake, Chitose... in the meantime, Sakan, I would enjoy it if you would remain here and tell me about your travels..."
I blinked, looking at the little youkai fidgeting in Kanako's arms. "Are you okay with that, Sakan...?"
Sakan nodded hesitantly. "Y-yeah, that's okay... I trust you when you say I'll be safe..." He looked up at the goddess. "I can't tell you all of it, though... Chitose only found me a few nights in. I was in Marisa's possession before that... up until I tumbled out of her bag in the forest..."
Kanako smiled softly. "That's fine... but I'd like to know more about this girl that Sanae is so interested in, and from someone other than herself... and you seem best suited for that..." I heard her say all of this as she turned and floated back up to her pillar, carrying Sakan gently with her.
Nitori turned to me, smiling. "So... um..." She paused, blushing. "You don't have a swimsuit, do you...?"
I shook my head. "Yukari wasn't kind enough to bring through anything besides what I was wearing, so... no," I said quietly. "Everything I'm wearing was either bought in the village or made for me at Eientei..."
Nitori nodded, blushing again. "Well... you'll need one... Daiyousei too, but I don't think anything of mine would fit you..." She fidgeted. "I guess... you could borrow one of mine..." She pointed. "Just head down this path and you'll reach Suwa Lake... I'll catch up to you once I get a suit for you."
The twins nodded softly. "We're going to go get ours too," Shizuha said. "See you all at the lake, okay?"
I nodded, giving both goddesses a quick hug. "And I'll be sure to drop by with some more faith and cleaning soon, okay?"
The goddesses giggled and slipped off, followed by Nitori. I sighed lightly, smiling at Daiyousei, and started down the path. "Hasn't been just us two in a while, huh?" I murmured.
Daiyousei nodded, smiling. "It's nice..." She smiled softly. "It's been quite an adventure, hm? And it's been an even longer one for you, after all..."
I nodded quietly, thinking back. "Yeah..." I murmured. "I remember being surprised at seeing just one youkai, back when Suika welcomed me... and now look at all the ones I've met..."
Daiyousei nodded, her voice becoming much softer suddenly. "You've even taken one in as a little brother," she pointed out, looking back up towards the shrine. "Chitose... are you going to stay here?"
I lapsed into silence, unable to answer, and after a while Daiyousei nodded and flew on. The trees rustled softly above us, and I found myself looking up as the morning sun stole in through the canopy, turning the leaves a bright green as shafts of light broke through and dappled the path. Daiyousei hummed happily to herself. "I like this place... feels like home," she said softly.
I nodded. "Are you feeling better after yesterday's little... run-in?" I asked.
Daiyousei smiled and twirled softly in the air, tugging aside the shoulder of her dress to show me her shoulder. The red line from yesterday had vanished, leaving her unblemished. "Completely," she said.
I smiled a little. "It's so... odd how you can do that... I mean, what's it like, being able to come back from anything?"
Daiyousei chuckled a little, tapping my nose gently. "It does make for a more carefree life," she said. "Of course, that can be a double-edged sword sometimes, one even I'm touched by now and again..."
I blinked. "What's bad about always coming back?"
Daiyousei rolled her eyes. "Well, for starters, it tends to lower others' inhibitions on attacking us if we annoy them..." she said lightly.
I thought back, remembering Reimu blasting Cirno, Mokou literally incinerating Sunny, and nearly everything Yuuka had done, and nodded rather quickly. "Good point..."
Daiyousei nodded a little. "And it also affects us, a bit indirectly... think back; remember the fairies at the sunflower field? And what I was doing there?"
I blinked, thinking back... "So it makes you... more reckless?"
Daiyousei nodded. "What's the point in learning how to avoid attack if you can't die?" she asked. "For most fairies it's a momentary inconvenience, even if it's someone like Reimu striking them down."
I nodded. "So... that explains Cirno then..."
Daiyousei lasted about half a second before bursting into laughter. "Cirno's a little harder to figure out just by that," she gasped out, barrel-rolling several times in the air. "Cirno is far more reckless than any normal fairy... unfortunately, she's also a lot more powerful... She's constantly declaring herself the strongest fighter in Gensokyo, and after taking down the three pranksters three-on-one last year, her ego's only gotten bigger."
I nodded, laughing a little myself. "You two are pretty good friends, huh?"
Daiyousei nodded. "We do both live on the Misty Lake, after all," she said quietly. "She's much more impulsive than I am, though... usually I end up having to try and keep her from getting into too much trouble." She paused. "Impossible as that usually is..."
I nodded. Daiyousei had, in her wild spinning and swooping, ended up among the branches of one of the taller trees, and now she floated down towards me. "I really should try teaching you, huh?" she asked, pulling one of her wings forward and fiddling with it. "Hm, how to start..."
I blinked. "Teach me what...?"
Daiyousei blinked, and then giggled softly, turning and fluttering her wings so close they brushed my nose. "How to fly, silly..." She rubbed her chin again, hovering lightly as she pondered.
I blinked. "But... I'm not a fairy, or a youkai... I can't fly..."
Daiyousei shook her head. "Doesn't stop Reimu or Marisa," she pointed out. "Both of them have been flying since they were very little... and since you're starting to develop powers of your own, you should be able to." She grinned. "Come on, you manipulated that contraption of Nitori's while it was zooming around far overhead... flying is totally simple compared to that."
I nodded hesitantly. "Okay... so... how do I...?"
Daiyousei rubbed her chin. "The trouble is, it's literally instinctual to a fairy. You might as well ask a spider to teach you how to weave a web..." She smiled a bit. "All it really is, though, is using magic to lift yourself... hmm..."
I paused, and closed my eyes. "Patchouli said... I was sensitive to magic," I murmured softly. "I could tell that spell she used on me was trying to analyze me... So... try flying, and maybe I'll be able to see how you do it..."
Daiyousei nodded, and a moment later I heard the soft fluttering of her wings. I focused, remembering the way I had concentrated last night to release the parachute. Slowly, the outline of those wings appeared in my mind, fluttering softly. Remembering Cirno's ice-crystal wings, though, I knew there had to be more to it than simple air displacement like a bird's wing.
I focused further. Magic seemed to be playing about each wing, magic unrelated to that which made up my yousei friend. I focused in further on it, trying to understand what that magic was being used to do, and how it might be replicated.
After a minute or two, my image was disrupted as Daiyousei giggled. "What're you doing with your arms, Chitose?"
Confused, I opened my eyes to see my arms raised out to the sides and high over my head. I blinked and lowered them, meeting some strange resistance. "I don't know..." I murmured.
Daiyousei blinked, pushing down on my arm and then chuckling a little. "You're not pushing back on me, are you?"
I shook my head, and she smiled. "It's a good start, but you can't fly using magic on just your arms..." She smiled and floated forward again, my eyes falling closed as I pondered. Had I been using magic just then without realizing it? My focus returned to those wings, and after a moment, this time I could feel my arms being buoyed up by magic as well.
It was a pretty surprising thought. Just by focusing and visualizing the magic holding Daiyousei up, I was able to somehow replicate it myself... nevertheless, I clearly wasn't flying yet, and I continued focusing even more closely. Soon enough, though, I realized my mistake. Daiyousei's wings weren't the only part of her being held up by magic. A thin veneer of magic held all around her body, every bit of it devoted to buoying her up in the air. The wings, or my arms, alone wouldn't do it.
I finally came to a stop as I focused on the magic surrounding my friend, concentrating and slowly trying to shape it around my own form as well. Nothing seemed to happen, but then Daiyousei giggled softly and floated over to me. With a deft movement, she plucked off my sandals and socks. Thinking she was aiming for another prank, I started to run after her... only to discover that my feet were pedaling rather uselessly and I wasn't moving at all. Then I felt a breeze curling around my toes, and realized I could no longer feel the grass beneath them, and I opened my eyes to see myself hovering perhaps an inch off of the ground.
I looked up, dumbfounded. "D-daiyousei... I-I'm flying..."
Daiyousei glanced back at me and beamed. "Feels nice, doesn't it?"
I grinned, leaning forward and letting the magic gather more strongly at my back, flying slowly towards her. "Yeah, it does," I said. "Besides..." My hand shot out and grabbed my socks back. "Makes it just a little harder for you to run after your pranks, doesn't it?"
Daiyousei giggled, handing back my sandals as well. "Yes, but take it easy at first, silly," she said, fluttering over and remaining by my side as we slowly floated down the path. "Try anything too fancy at this stage and you'll just end up crashing into a tree..."
Laughing and slowly learning, I finally reached the lake with Daiyousei still by my side. Nitori had already arrived, hovering over the lake and dipping her toes into the water. "You made it," she said with a grin, blinking at the space between my feet and the ground. "... And you're flying now?"
Daiyousei bowed lightly. "She has a good teacher," she teased lightly, flitting out over the lake happily, dipping her feet in here and there to send ripples across the quiet surface.
Nitori giggled a little at the fairy, then blushed slightly and held out a simple pitch-black suit to me. "H-here... it's probably going to be a little tight on you, but it'll have to do until you can get one from Kourindou or somewhere..."
I nodded, slipping into a stand of cat-tails to change quickly. "What about you?" I asked, peeking out. Nitori was still wearing the same long green dress she'd had when I first saw her.
Nitori smiled a bit. "I'm a kappa, Chitose... I'm always prepared for water." She blushed slightly and shimmered into camoflague once again, reappearing a few minutes later clad in a teal one-piece with her dress folded neatly over one arm. "See?"
I nodded, chuckling a little as I stepped out of the reeds, folding Reisen's kimono gently on the shoreline. "You were wearing that under your dress, huh? Should've guessed..." The water was clear, amazingly so, and I could see the tiny clouds of silt my feet kicked up as I stepped in. I could even see the tiny fish that swam up and began to nose at my ankles when I held still for a few minutes.
Nitori smiled. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked softly, floating beside me.
I nodded, shivering slightly. "It's a little cold..." Spring had only just begun, and even in the warmer climate the water still clung to winter's chill.
Nitori tilted her head, smiling widely. "I never really got that about humans. Water is water, whether hot or cold!" She giggled, and took off suddenly, landing with a huge splash in the middle of the lake and vanishing beneath the surface.
Daiyousei rolled her eyes. "It's no wonder humans concocted that crazy idea about kappas..." She paused. "You know, the one about making them bow to defeat them...?"
I shrugged. "Most images about kappa also make them look like turtles, not cute girls," I pointed out. "I do get what you're saying though.." I stepped further in, the water lapping softly at my waist, and shivered again.
Daiyousei flitted up behind me. "Is it really that cold?"
I shook my head. "No... I just need a minute to get used to it..."
Daiyousei floated a little closer, and I heard her giggling softly in my ear. "You know, I hear the best thing to do when you're trying to get into cold water... is to just jump right in!"
I knew what she was up to almost before she spoke, and a moment later I felt her hands on my back; I grinned at her and leaned into it as she pushed me. I flopped into the lake with an even bigger splash than Nitori's and shot along, eyes tightly closed against the water as the bottom flew by beneath me.
Eventually, I came to a deeper part of the lake and surfaced, gasping for breath and wiping the water from my lids. When I finally got my eyes clear, I opened them to see a strange sight, even for Gensokyo. Floating directly in front of my face, not even a foot before me, was an enormous tan hat with a wide brim. It almost looked more like a giant tan bucket than a hat, except for the two round eyes goggling at me on the top.
The eyes didn't blink, and they reminded me of the calm, unbroken stare of a frog. I lifted the hat carefully and looked around for signs of someone who might have dropped it, but saw nobody besides my two companions.
Nitori surfaced behind me and leaned in to look at the hat, then giggled softly. "You might wanna put that back down," she said.
I looked back at her, surprised. "Do you know whose this is?" I asked as I set it down.
Nitori giggled again and nodded. "Yep..." The hat suddenly began to float away from me, moving almost stealthily around behind Daiyousei. "And right on schedule..."
A dark shape suddenly burst from the water and grabbed Daiyousei from behind, splashing down into the water with her. I shouted and swam towards her, but Nitori caught my hand. "It's okay," she said softly, as Daiyousei surfaced again, wiggling wildly as the hat poked up again. "She's just playing around..."
The hat suddenly lifted out of the water, Daiyousei firmly held in the grip of the girl who had been wearing it. "Heehee... I gotcha!" she declared happily, practically squeezing Daiyousei.
Daiyousei suddenly released a three-turn spiral of green kunai, and warped away as the mystery girl let go in surprise, reappearing by my side and clinging to my arm. The other girl pouted and hovered over the water's surface, hands on her hips, giving me my first good look at her.
Like many of the people I'd met in Gensokyo, her dress and sleeves were a distinctly different color; in this case, the sleeves were white, and wide stitches around the join between arm and shoulder made me wonder if they had originally been two different garments. The dress itself was a soft violet color, patterned with several frogs in various states of sitting, jumping, and trying to capture flies. The face above the ruffled, scarf-like collar was almost as childish as Remilia's had been, with blonde hair past her shoulders and calm grey eyes that seemed to bely her childish appearance. The hat I had seen before, of course, was settled neatly atop her head.
One of the first things I noticed, though, was the simple fact that this was also a goddess. She showed no outward signs of her power like the tall, imposing Kanako, and looked frankly even cuter than Sakan, but there was a quiet grace behind her silly actions and a calm force in those grey eyes. Somehow, I could feel the divine nature of the young-looking girl, who in fact was likely older than all of us combined.
Nitori rose out of the water and bowed deeply, confirming my thoughts. "Lady Suwako," she said softly. "Sorry if we disturbed you..."
Suwako grinned. "Nah, I don't mind in the least... 'sides, it was getting kinda boring without anyone around..." she said. "Sanae's still not back yet... although..." She floated down, black shoes touching the water's surface but resting suspended atop the still lake. "Looks like there's still a human hanging around up here, eh...?" Her grin widened. "So who's this? Must be someone pretty special to get Nitori to come out of her workshop and hang with a human..."
I bowed as best as I could while mostly submerged. "My name is Chitose Izumo, Lady Suwako," I said quietly. "I'm a human who was spirited away a few days ago... I met Sanae at the spring festival and she asked me to visit her up here."
Suwako nodded. "Suwako Moriya," she said with a grin. "That sounds like Sanae all right... she was born in the outside world, after all... she'd definitely want to hear news from it..." She scratched her head. "I mean, it's been, what, two years since we moved here? Lots can change in that time..."
I nodded, looking around. "Well, we'll probably have a while to chat..." I murmured, and then grinned, carefully floating up out of the water, giggling as Daiyousei scrambled around and clung to my back. "This is certainly an interesting gathering, though..." As I spoke, I pointed to myself, Nitori, Daiyousei, and Suwako in turn. "A human, a youkai, a yousei, and a goddess, all in the same place..."
Suwako grinned. "Yep... and it'll be three goddesses in a couple of minutes, if my senses aren't goin' screwy on me..."
Nitori nodded. "The Aki sisters were going to join us," she said. "They're still pretty happy about the clean-up job Chitose started at their shrine..." I blushed as I remembered the scene at the shrine, and Nitori giggled. "Make that very happy..."
I tilted my head. "So... what shrine are you goddess of, Suwako...? I remember Sanae mentioning your name..."
Suwako laughed, spinning her hat on one finger. "Yeah, that's 'cause I used to be the goddess of the Moriya Shrine. S'my last name, after all..." She paused. "Kanako loves telling the story, so might as well... you'll hear it eventually, either from her or Sanae..."
Daiyousei blinked, peeking out, and Nitori floated down and seated herself on the water's surface, looking up at the goddess. "One thing you have to understand, you two," she said softly. "Chitose, you had it right about her being a goddess, but it's not just that... Lady Suwako is a native goddess of Japan..."
Suwako grinned, plopping her hat back onto her head. "Got that right," she said. "One of the originals, that's me. Heck, I'm even older than the Amazon hag... might even be older than that crazy kyoukai..." Those last few words were spoken in an almost conspiratorial whisper.
I looked up at her. "So, then... what does that make Lady Kanako?"
Suwako smiled. "Kanako's a member of the Yamato, the gods that united the various kingdoms under the pantheon that eventually gave rise to what modern humans call Shinto." She laughed. "And, well... she wanted to 'unify' my kingdom into theirs. And I refused."
Daiyousei blinked. "So you two fought...?" she murmured. "That must have been a sight to see..."
Suwako rubbed the back of her head, grinning broadly. "Eh... not really," she said. "To be honest, well... by the time the conflict now known as the Great Suwa War was over, I was forced to concede to the superior goddess..." She shook her head. "I brought out my strongest servants, the mishaguji, and arrayed my followers in the finest of steel... and this over two thousand years ago, mind. I felt sure that Kanako would balk just at seeing my kingdom's unleashed might."
She pulled off her hat and spun it lightly on her finger. "Instead, she held out a single vine, and her divine power proved so strong that the armor and weapons I'd made for my people rusted away in an instant." She paused. "After that... well, after seeing her power I knew that I had to concede... and so I became the former goddess of the Moriya Shrine, and Kanako took over."
I shivered lightly as she finished her tale. "I didn't know gods went to war like that..."
Suwako shrugged lightly, smiling again now. "It was over two thousand years ago now. It doesn't really happen much anymore... well..." She paused. "Other than the whole... takeover thing we tried with Reimu's shrine, but that was back when we'd first gotten here and didn't realize how vital she is to Gensoyo..." She tipped her hat back a little. "Besides, that was Kanako's idea. I just gave those two a bit of a fight the second time they visited the shrine... I was feelin' left out, y'know?"
I was silent as I listened to the tale. Something seemed strange to me, though... Suwako hadn't mentioned any sort of combat between Kanako and the native goddess herself... It was Daiyousei that raised the question eventually, though. "Have you... ever thought about trying to take it back?"
Suwako blinked, and then shrugged, grinning. "What, me beat Kanako? I lost, remember?"
I rose out of the water hesitantly to stand eye-to-eye with her. "But... in all those thousands of years, couldn't you have gotten stronger?" I suggested. "Without even trying to show it, it was obvious to me from the start that you were a goddess..."
Suwako smiled. "Eh, well... maybe I could beat Kanako, maybe I couldn't," she said with a shrug. "But really... it doesn't matter so much these days... Think about it, ne? My kingdom slowly fell away after Kanako took over. And you're from the outside world yourself... you know what kinda state faith is in out there..." She paused. "Truth be told, I was pretty much forgotten by everyone except Sanae... even her parents were growing a lot more towards the scientific than the mystical by the time she was born. So really... Kanako and I were fading away before we arrived in Gensokyo. Probably would have faded completely if it weren't for Sanae being able to hear our voices, and bring us faith and care..." She smiled. "I've got life... a cute miko hanging around the shrine to play with, even if she's technically Kanako's... I even still have the mishaguji-sama still..." She grinned, raising her hand, and the air seemed to darken for a moment as a massive white snake, ruby-like eyes regarding me calmly, rose from the lake, Suwako perched frog-like on its head. "So you see," she said, giggling a little as the vision faded and she splashed back down into the water. "Honestly, I'm pretty content with the way things are..."
I nodded, still shivering a little. The "curse god" that Suwako had called upon was clearly only a minor deity, one totally under the frog-like girl's control... and yet it too had exuded power as it watched me, enough to make me tremble before it. Then I paused. "I understand..." I said quietly. "By the way, I was wondering something... What exactly is 'tensoku'?"
Suwako and Nitori both blanched, and the goddess treated the kappa to a pout that somehow scared me even more than Yuuka's smile. "Nitoriiii," she whined playfully. "You didn't go blabbing to the new girl, did you?"
Nitori squeaked and turned invisible, a splash heralding her diving under the water. I shook my head quickly. "She didn't say a word," I protested. "Utsuho mentioned the name, that's all... nothing else. Momiji wouldn't say anything either, when I asked... just said that I'd have to ask you if I wanted to know..."
Suwako perched atop a lily pad with her knees bent almost double, her hands resting lightly on the surface in that posture that once again reminded me of a frog. "And well she should have," she said lightly. "Tensoku's top secret... people aren't really supposed to even know the name..."
Nitori poked her head out of the water. She was still camouflaged, but I could tell from the ripples where she was. "U-um... Suwako-sama..." she murmured. "I think... we might be able to trust Chitose... she might even be able to help..."
Suwako tilted her head, staring directly at Nitori as if she could see through the kappa's "cloak". "Hmm...? What do you think she could help with?"
Nitori fidgeted, and poked me lightly. "U-um... Chitose... could you tell her? I-I'm really nervous..."
I paused. "Well... it's still pretty fledgling, but... apparently I'm developing the power to manipulate machines..." I thought for a moment. "I'm pretty good with my hands, too... I was studying to be an engineer when I was spirited away. Nitori even might be willing to teach me as her apprentice..."
Suwako gave me a long look. "Nitori... you think we could trust her to keep the secret?" she asked.
Nitori nodded quickly. "Y-yeah... I think so..."
I bowed quietly. "If a goddess entrusts me with her secret, how could I betray that trust?" I asked softly. "... Unless it was a plan to get Gensokyo blown up or something, I guess..."
Suwako giggled. "Nah, nah, we already caused two incidents for Reimu to clean up, I'm not gonna cause anything bad to happen!" She grinned. "If anything, it's gonna be awesome..." She eyed Daiyousei. "Well... I'll think about it, okay? I mean, no offense, but I don't totally trust fairies with a secret this big..."
Daiyousei curtsied lightly. "I can't blame you," she said lightly. "I'm an exception, but considering any of the other fairies I know would spread it throughout the entire realm, I don't expect you to believe that on my word alone..."
Suwako grinned. "Well, then, it's settled!" she said, quite literally hopping off of the pad and splashing into the pond, poking her head up near me. "I'll give you the details in private later, if we end up deciding to let you help out."
I nodded, dropping into the water, and then blinked as two figures shot by me from behind and landed lightly on the surface. "Oh.. hello, you two," I said softly.
The Aki sisters giggled, looking down. "Hi, Suwako-sama," Shizuha said, twirling a bit in a long suit that slowly shaded from deep red to bright yellow, a perfect spectrum of autumn's colors. "You came out to play too, huh?"
Minoriko was dressed in deep burgundy, a design of crossed wheat-ears on her back. "It's nice to see you again," the harvest goddess said softly. "Are we going to have some fun today with the goddess of the lake, then?"
Suwako grinned, jumping up to grab both girls and pull them down in with her. "You bet!" she crowed, bouncing back up and perching on the lily pad again, and I noticed for the first time that her clothes and hat had remained stubbornly dry.
The goddesses hugged me lightly as they splashed back up, smiling. "So, what do we play...?"
I smiled. "Why not just swim around and have fun together, huh?" I suggested. "Three goddesses and three mortals... this'll be kinda fun, huh?"
The sisters giggled and kissed my cheeks again, leaving me beet-red. "Sounds good!"
Suwako grinned and hopped into the water again, emerging with a huge wave of water that splashed over all of us. "Hey, I'm always up for visitors..."
Nitori giggled. "Yeah!"
Daiyousei blinked. "Do I count as 'mortal'...?" she murmured.
I laughed and caught her by the ankle, tugging her down into a brief hug. "Who cares... let's play!" I called, diving down into the water once more.
(The shrine's pillars are known as onbashira; hexagonal pillars of a dark stone wound around with sacred rope and paper streamers. Fans tend to make note of them because a) they look really cool and b) Kanako appears to attach them to her back somehow during her final spellcard. They're also unique to the Moriya Shrine; neither Aki nor Hakurei has them.)
(On that subject, Kanako is imposing. While not my favorite, she's easily among the most intimidating of end bosses, up there with Mima and Yuuka. (Shinki is certainly intimidating power-wise, but she's also adorable; when I say imposing, I'm referring also to presence.) For a goddess in Gensokyo, how much faith you have determines how much power you have. Kanako is the goddess of a shrine that receives faith from nearly every being living on the mountain, and a number outside of it as well, and has a miko second in power only to Reimu. So yes, she is very powerful. To correct what Chitose said, she is indeed dangerous. She simply doesn't use her power flippantly like Yuuka, or even Suwako.)
(Speaking of goddesses, just thought I'd note that I'm very fond of the Aki sisters, and don't get why the fanbase seems to, well, not be...)
(The flying lesson scene is another one I had a lot of fun writing, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. Though I do wonder if I'm over-using the "minds-eye visualization" style of sensing magic with my characters...)
(Japanese folk stories tell that kappa have a hollow in the top of their head kept filled with water, and that to defeat one, you must trick it into bowing, thus making the water in the hollow drain out along with their strength. Obviously Nitori has no such hollow; Chitose is more commenting on how the kappa's extreme love for water may have eventually become transmuted into that human conception.)
(And, finally we meet Suwako... Frankly, I remain of the opinion that Suwako could defeat Kanako if she put her mind to it... as for the Suwa War that Kanako supposedly won, my own belief on that account is simply this. After Kanako's display of power, Suwako's followers were left completely unarmed. Suwako may have been able to defeat Kanako, but even with her curse gods at her back, there's no way her side would have avoided taking serious casualties. Unwilling to let her whole kingdom basically be slaughtered at the hands of Kanako and her troops, Suwako relented.)
(Of course, that's only my interpretation. ZUN has left the idea intentionally vague, and barring Chitose noticing one or two things about the narrative I've done my best to leave it that way as well. As for the "native goddess" thing, I don't fully understand the distinction myself, but I think it's somewhat akin to Suwako being a spirit of nature (like Haku from Spirited Away) and Kanako being a member of an actual pantheon like Amaterasu and Susano'o. It does definitely mean that she is extremely ancient and powerful, though. She's much too carefree (and fond of being carefree) to go after someone intentionally though.)
(... also, the mishaguji-sama scare the bajeesus out of me, just as a side note. Look up Suwako's player spell cards from Hisoutensoku and I think you'll see why... The penultimate chapter is coming up Wednesday night, so keep your eyes peeled... we're almost at the end now...)
