Collapse of Eastern Fantasy
Chapter 9
A bright beam of light shot out of whatever she's holding in her hands, heading directly towards Touma. Instead of dodging as Marisa said Touma stood his ground and thrown open the windows, then placed his right hand in front of him to defend himself. The beam of light clashed onto his right hand and wind pressures blew out, but not enough to push Touma back. The various star-shaped danmaku started to rip through the building, but none managed to scratch Touma.
As the light faded Kamijou Touma stood there defiantly against the magician who tried to blow them all away. The room he is in are reduced to ruins and sunlight bathed the place. Various other rooms on this side of the mansion have holes here and there that one could throw a large fairy through.
"WHAT the HELL do you think you're doing? ! You could've killed me!" Touma roared. "Who shoots at people when they're just standing right there? !"
"It's your own damn fault for not getting out of the way!" The girl in black retorted as she descended from the sky and stepped off her broom.
"MAAAAARISSAAAA! Why did you do this to my mansion!" Remilia screeched out.
Touma looked back, and found a cloud of crimson mist rising up. Remilia Scarlet has sent it up to protect her and her sister from the sunlight that threatens to burn them up.
"I'm thinking that chances are if I enter during this time I'll be discovered anyway, I might as well enter in a dramatic fashion." Marisa shrugged.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Kirisame Marisa, a magician. And you are?" Marisa looked at the unfamiliar boy in front of her.
"Kamijou Touma, one very annoyed guy from all this craziness." Touma replied. Why is it that wherever he goes anyone who calls themselves magicians are either crazy or bloodthirsty?
"Don't ignore me! I've heard of 'breaking and entering', but this has gone too far you petty thief!" Remilia continued to shout in her rage. It's actually amazing that she hasn't charged in and try to disembowel the magician yet.
"Marisa!" Another voice shouted out. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer who flew in, and found it's a shrine maiden dressed in a red-white dress with detached sleeves, and wields a rod with many paper seals. Her black hair is around shoulder length, and she also has slightly reddish eyes.
The shrine maiden then slapped a ofuda onto Marisa's forehead.
"Hey, ow! What is this for?" Marisa objected and ripped the paper charm off while the girl in red was still chanting a mantra.
"What else? I'm getting rid of whatever could possess you to pull such a ridiculous act. I know we solve incidents and all, but to actively blow a portion of the house up when entering? This is a new low for you." Reimu seethed.
"Look, I'm not possessed, okay? I mean, come on, it'll only be a matter of time before we get discovered if we try to sneak in, that happens every time we solve incidents. If that's the case we might as well just announce our entrance." Marisa defended herself. "Besides, nobody in the Scarlet Devil Mansion could be hurt seriously by something that minor."
"Excuse me? Have you ever thought of the fact this place might have guests that aren't as resilient to magic attacks? !" Touma butted in on their conversation.
"You blocked off my attack with your bare hands, and you call yourself not resilient? What are you anyway, an oni?" Marisa questioned.
"… Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you in Gensōkyō before." Reimu took a moment to look at Touma – who's still in the pyjamas.
"I'm Kamijou Touma – and don't look at me like that, I didn't choose to wear this." Touma said at the pointed look Reimu's directing at him. "And I'm human, not youkai."
"I'm Hakurei Reimu, the shrine maiden at the Hakurei Shrine." Reimu also introduced herself.
"Back up, why are you people here at my place? And what's my gatekeeper doing?" Remilia interrupted.
"I've been blocked off by your gatekeeper when I tried to enter, and only just finished a Spell-Card Battle with her." Reimu told Remilia. "And Marisa decided to use me as a distraction to try and sneak – never mind, break into this place."
"We're investigating what's causing all this commotion in Gensōkyō – Reimu said something's wrong, so I tagged along." Marisa shrugged. "It's been the same as usual, just fighting random youkai until we really get into it. Shame that Alice had to get involved as the first victim of this aggressive shrine maiden though."
"Though was that ice fairy at the lake that powerful before? She seemed to have gotten stronger since the last time we fought." Reimu mused, ignoring Marisa's snide comments.
"Alright, you've investigated; now get OUT of my mansion. I'm in a good mood today, so leave before I get serious." Remilia said through clenched teeth; if they interfere with her plans with Kamijou Touma then she'll show no mercy.
"I'm not done yet. So, Kamijou Touma, you're a newcomer in Gensōkyō?" Reimu asked.
"You could say that. And you said you're from the Hakurei Shrine right? I think I'm supposed to wait there until that woman named Yukari come and get me." Touma said, recalling what Dragon said to him - though with all the wind swepting him up back then he's not quite sure.
Then again, this shrine maiden can't possibly be worse than the vampires here.
"Yukari? As in Yakumo Yukari? Why did she bring you here?" Reimu started to get suspicious. Her instinct is telling her that this boy in front of her could be the key to all this commotion.
"Dunno about the 'Yakumo' bit, she didn't introduce herself. But if the person you're talking about is the kind that loves to mess with people's minds, I'd say she's the right one." Touma grimaced.
"That's her alright." Reimu also grimaced. More trouble from that particular youkai.
"Why are you here in the Scarlet Devil Mansion anyway?" Marisa inquired.
"I was injured, and that maid brought me here to care for me." Touma answered. "And it turns out the mistress of this place is a vampire and wants to keep me here for life."
"…" Both Reimu and Marisa looked towards Remilia, who only shrugged.
"He's not a resident of Gensōkyō, so our contract doesn't apply here. He's fair game." Remilia replied loftily. "Besides, I didn't get a hold of him for food." She then snapped her fingers.
"Wha-" Touma felt his arm being twisted back. The maid called Sakuya have appeared behind him suddenly and restrained him.
"Hey!" Reimu and Marisa pulled out a ofuda and the mini-hakkero respectively and pointed them at Remilia.
"This person is now under my protection. Whatever trouble he brings to Gensōkyō I will get him to solve it. This is no longer your business. So I'll ask you to leave. Now." Remilia said pointedly; she's getting impatient, and the urges she have right now to 'subjugate' Touma, so to speak, isn't helping her temper.
"Not a chance. It's my job to make sure humans aren't oppressed by youkai, even if the human in question isn't a resident here." Reimu said flatly. "Besides, he doesn't seem interested in staying here with you; or am I mistaken?" Reimu asked Touma.
"You're not – I have something to do here and I have to leave before tomorrow dawns." Touma said as he tries to break out of Sakuya's hold.
"Stop struggling." Sakuya cautioned. Touma ignored her and continued to try and break free.
Then, in the space of an instant Touma got restrained in a headlock instead of only having his arms immobilised. He didn't even have time to blink.
"It seems you don't mind having your arm broken if it means to get free – I don't think the same applies to your neck." Sakuya said emotionlessly.
"Let him go Sakuya." Reimu warned her. "Unless you want this place to be torn up even further than it already is."
"You know that I control time and space, so even if you raze this mansion to the ground I can repair it easily." Sakuya said indifferently, focusing more attention on Kamijou Touma who is still struggling despite in a headlock. Little did she know it's for a different reason this time.
Touma is reminded of the time back in the Daihasei festival where he's in the same position, being restrained by Fukiyose Seiri as she tried to force energy food down his throat. His face is starting to feel hot as the softness from that time is being repeated again.
[Hmm? Wait a moment…] Touma feels something isn't quite right. He had (accidently – this point needed to be stressed) his face plunged into other girls' bust before, and the softness this time didn't feel quite the same.
"… Padding?" Touma said the first thing that came to his mind, without thinking of the catastrophic effects it could have.
o
o
Time seemed to have stopped in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Of course, emphasis on the 'seemed' as Sakuya can really stop time and she felt this isn't quite the same; normally when time is stopped most people don't have a look of extreme shock on their faces.
"… No way." Marisa finally said in a small voice. "No WAY, AhahAHAHA!" The Ordinary Magician proceeded to then collapse in laughter.
"You poor thing… to be forced to use something like that." Reimu sympathized. Not that it stops her from trembling in trying to hold her smile back.
Sakuya Izayoi's face has gone completely pale. Guess the 'Perfect and Elegant Maid' isn't quite so perfect after all.
"… Seriously, Sakuya? I was suspicious why that place have grown noticeably a while back, but I never would have guessed this was the reason." Remilia remarked. "Why would you bother? A flat chest is a status symbol, you know?"
"Oh, oh my… I can see the Sanzu River… there's Komachi beckoning me to her boat… hahaha…" Marisa is still laughing weakly, and from her heavy breathing it wouldn't be surprising that if she does die laughing.
"… Ah. I guess that wasn't a good thing to blurt out, is it?" Touma gulped.
"You…" Sakuya started to say something. Her pale face has gotten some colour back, her eyes are started to tear up and her lips is starting to tremble.
Touma strangely felt the word 'moe' is suitable to describe the maid that loosened her grip on him in her shock. Then he berated himself for even thinking that way when he is the one that forced her onto the verge of tears.
(I really need to keep away from Aogami.) Touma thought as he took this chance to break free and stepped back. For some reason, he has a bad feeling about this.
"YOOOOOOUUU!" Sakuya screamed. Space started to distort around her and a thousand knives started to ripple through her surroundings. Touma is not unfamiliar with people's abilities going out of control - it's something Komoe-Sensei have brought up in class once - something like when espers go berserk and lose control of their powers in times of emotional upheaval.
"Oh, my." Flandre appreciated the raw emotions and bloodlust the maid have – finally, some action instead of just bickering away.
"Sakuya!" Remilia shouted in an attempt to get her to stop, but the knives fired out regardless towards Kamijou Touma – and everyone else in the room.
o
Touma felt chains crept up behind him and pulled him back by circling around him in such a way he can no longer move or negate the chains with his right hand. A barrier of metal and earth then blocked the knives coming towards his direction. Everyone else appeared to have let loose a dazzling display of magical energy that blocked off the knives.
"Can't believe I had to waste a bomb for this…" Reimu Hakurei groaned, as she had to protect Marisa as well who was still incapacitated from all her laughing before. "Oi, get up already!" Reimu proceeded to slap Marisa across her face several times until the magician managed to be able to stand upright by herself.
Sakuya Izayoi seemed to have calmed down for the time being, though she still held several knives in her hands and is glaring at the wall that protected Touma. As the wall crumbled it revealed a girl wearing something looking like lavender pyjamas, with many ribbons tied to her dark violet.
The girl in question directed her purple eyes disapprovingly towards the scene in front of her.
"Can you people keep it down? I almost messed up in one of my experiments because of you people." She said in an annoyed voice.
"Sorry, miss Patchouli Knowledge, but you can blame that on your magician friend for blasting her Master Spark at us unprovoked." Sakuya inclined her head slightly. "Now would you please return him to us? I have several issues I want to point out to him."
"That's enough, Sakuya." Remilia scowled. "Go set up a barrier and secure the perimeter of the mansion. From all this explosions someone else might come and investigate. If anyone else does come I want to deal with them after we're down with these two here."
Remilia cuts off Sakuya's objections before the maid could respond. "And if you have issues with Kamijou Touma, we'll take care of it later – you can do as you like to him as long it involves no permanent harm and no knives."
"Very well." Sakuya bowed stiffly at her mistress' command. "Then after the uninvited guests are driven off I would like to borrow the room Flandre-sama especially set up to convert him to our cause in the basement; I for one would like to test out if this thing called 'bondage' really work."
"Say WHAT? !" Touma almost lost control of his bowels. Now, being involved in S&M by a girl out for his blood such as Sakuya would be very nice for a masochist - but unfortunately Touma doesn't see himself as one.
"In the meantime, you can have him Patchouli. Take care of him while we play with our guests for a while." Remilia smiled.
"I suppose that's alright, seeing as I won't be able to get much work done with them around." The 'Girl of Knowledge and Shadow' agreed in an uninterested voice, then proceeded to drag Touma away back to her library in chains, with his scream for help echoing through the corridors.
o
"Now then… do you people want a Spell-Card Battle?" Remilia grinned, and the crimson mist above them spread out even more, blocking out the sky around the mansion.
"Not right now – if I stay and fight with you who knows what she might do to him in the meantime. I'll get him back first, then deal with you." Reimu responded, and then moved off in high speed into the mansion chasing after Patchouli.
"Wha- hey, get back here!" Remilia flew off after Reimu. Sounds of danmaku and things breaking can be heard from the direction they went.
Flandre and Marisa stood face-to-face with each other.
"Guess it's just us now huh." Flandre also smiled. "This should be fun."
Marisa laughed in a forced manner with a sweat drop showing on her head. She has a bad feeling about this…
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you; do try not to die too early, 'kay?"
o
o
[End Chapter 9]