Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to Zun, and the only things that belong to myself would be Usagi the Mimic, and Moegi the Japanese Beetle. Everything else belongs to their rightful owner.

A/N: Here, have a long planned chapter that I can finally make!

Early night, road to Keine's class, Meiling's PoV:

It felt odd to be headed to the human village with such an intention.

Suika's in the clouds.

...Yuugi's underground, keeping the rest of the oni in check, as well as a good number of kappa who started living down there, too, of late. The kappa sure are more lively than one would expect, as the place as turned into party central, I hear.

Kasen's in hideing, pretending to be a hermit.

And the deva that's been missing for a long time is, well, still missing...

But I managed to bring an oni! Not a deva, but an oni, regardless!

I slid Keine's open, and walked in, greeted by a smiling Keine.

"Ahh, Meiling!" Keine looked behind me, expecting to see an oni.

"Hey, Keine." I had a grin on my face.

"I thought you said you'd bring an oni...? I have a class that needs teaching in only an hour...! What am I going to do, without an-" I placed a finger to her lips, silencing her panicked concerns. As I did that, the chains of the shackles on my wrist rattled, causing Keine's eyes to go wide.

"I brought one, just as I said I would..." I took off my hat, revealing a circular area of missing flesh, which went all the way to the bone. It was just past the brim of my hat, and in the upper middle of my forehead.

"...You... You're an oni?" I shook my head.

"I was, at one point, but that was long, long ago..." I smiled sadly.

"...no wonder you wanted to avoid this..." To Keine's statement, I could only nod.

"Yeah... I'm no longer an oni..." I put my hat back on, and sighed.

"I never would have expected you to be an oni..." Keine began to think on how she had seen me do things that most youkai aren't strong enough to, and yet how I never drank.

"Ohh, and I hope you don't mind, but I brought a boulder." I chuckled at the expression she made.

"And why exactly would you do that...?" Keine was clearly confused at my reasoning, which I had yet to state.

"Strength demonstration." I said as plain as day.

"...Ahh..." I grinned at her look of realisation. "That would make sense, actually..." From being caught as off guard as she had been, she wasn't connecting the dots all that well at this point.

And with that out of the way, we began to wait.

And wait...

And... wait...

I eventually ended up asleep, as Sakuya would put it. However, I could react to my surroundings quite well, being that I was still quite awake.

"...Are you... asleep...?" Keine moved to touch my shoulder, to try shaking me awake, but I caught ner hand.

"In a way, yeah..." I had little to say, and let go of her hand.

I sat there in silence, making use of my manipulation of ki much like one might use a radar. Neither of us spoke for the rest of the hour before class, as neither of us had anything to say.

Eventually, my radar picked up on several small human, all of which seemed to be converging on this location.

And then, when all the humans had arived, all of whom being used to being around me by this point, and thus making no attempt to run, Keine stood.

She cleared her throat, and said, "Welcome to another class on youkai econogy, class. I hope you are all prepared for the test?" In response, every student's eyes went wide with fear. "Kidding, kidding. It was just a joke - as I've already said, there will be no grades for this class. Now, I hope you all remember Meiling, as she's the example for todays class on... Well, I'll let her say"

Keine sat back down, which was as good of an indicator for me to start as any, and so I opened my eyes.

Like Keine before me, I cleared my throat, and said, "Hello, class. I know that you know who I am, or atleast hope so, but my name is Hong Meiling, not China, and very much so not Kurenai Misuzu. And I..." I took off my hat, and finished my sentance. "...was once an oni."

The eyes of the children went wide at the sight of my horn spot, and a loud collective gasp was heard, as I look nothing like what they expected an oni to.

"Now, are there any question?" Every single hand rose at the revelation that I require questions to answer.

I pointed to specks, who asked, "What is that hole in your skin for?" Right to the point; I like this kid!

"Well, it's where my horn was. If any of you've heard of the Deva, Yuugi, than I'll have you know that she was once was human, and beat myself for it... This spot would be what marks me as an outcast among oni..." I my head drooped slightly, and I couldn't help but frown.

Half the hands lowered, and the young man asked, "What are the shackles for?"

I gave a shrug. "...That's a good question, actually... I guess it's just tradition...? Maybe they had some meaning in the distant past, but I don't know of it, if there even is one. Any more questions? You seem to be the smart one..."

"Meiling, don't say such things!" Keine furrowed her brows at my blatant lableing.

Unfazed by the rather nice nickname, the man asked, "Is it true that oni can't lie?"

I let out a chuckle, as that was one of the more prominant questions I expected.

"Not at all. That's a common misconception, as we never, or atleast very rarely, lie. It's not that we can't, it's just that we don't, and most of us aren't about to go against such a nice compliment. ...Though, there has been an... exception to this stereotype..." I let out a sigh, and prepared myself for the story I was to tell.

I cleared my throat once more, in preparation for the oni folk-tale I was to tell.

The tale of Kongara, the blood drenched oni.