So~, a couple of things to say this time around.
Firstly, hooray for another swift chapter update! I've been getting some good encouragement lately so I've been a little more motivated than other times. :)
Secondly, along with this update I reformatted my first six chapters again, so they feel more like recent chapters. In my opinion they look SO much better!
With all of that said, let the shenanigans begin!
Touhou belongs to ZUN. His art style...well it's better than mine.
Chapter 10 – So this is Bullet Hell...
Today marks my second day living under the roof of the Hakurei Shrine. Like the two mornings in the past, the sunrise crept into my bedroom window to penetrate my eyelids, forcing me to wake from dreamland. Luckily this time I didn't wake to any odd circumstances, like finding myself in unfamiliar surroundings, or with a hangover and a girl. Honestly the last couple of days were kind of crazy.
This morning was different however. I didn't have any pressing matters to attend to this time. No party I had to entertain, no trips I had to make. Just relaxing in the shrine for the day with some company. That's how I spent my morning; sitting on the veranda behind the shrine next to Reimu Hakurei and Suika Ibuki, drinking tea and making light conversation with them.
Right now, I find myself resting up against the torii gate at the front of the shrine, holding onto Arashi and gazing out at the distance as I practice my music. Just because I can play Aura Songs now doesn't mean I should stop practicing.
"Ara ara, you seem to be enjoying yourself Dash-kun."
And there goes the peace... Why is she here so soon?
"Nice to see you too Yukari, got over that hangover yesterday?"
Said gap youkai slips through a gap besides me, resting on it like some kind of prop with all the nonchalance she can provide. Once she gets comfortable, she pulls out her fan from somewhere inside that rift in space to hide her face from me. "I did. I made sure to have Ran make me something to deal with it. So, how did you spend your day yesterday?"
"I went to the village with Alice-san and made arrangements for a place to stay. Nothing major." I explain offhandedly, not bothering to stop playing my music as I did. Yukari, much to my delight, looked like a child with her toy taken away from her at my statement.
"Ah~, you went ahead without me? I thought you were just going to lay about all day, and I was going to take you myself." She claims with a pout, but I know she isn't being serious. "Well then, what do I do then? My plans for today have been 'dashed', so to speak."
...Did she just try to make a pun with my name? Because I didn't think it was funny.
"Ah! I know what to do!" She exclaims suddenly, snapping her fan shut. "I think I'll explain to you the rules of living in Gensokyo. At least it will be productive."
"...Are you insinuating taking me to the village wouldn't have been productive?" I ask of her in an annoyed tone.
"Of course not, just that this will be something you will need to know, since you are staying here now." She replies halfheartedly. "For instance, do you know about the Spell Card Rules?" This inquiry finally makes me stop playing my guitar to look at Yukari.
Why does that sound like a trading card game kids play?
"I'll take your silence as a no. However, despite what you may be thinking, it's actually a very important thing to know. Even the humans in the village are expected to know it." To emphasize this, her face grows serious, far more serious than I have seen her before.
"What's going on over here?" A voice calls from the building up ahead, and from it comes Reimu, looking somewhat agitated once she spots the life-hacker next to me. "Yukari, I should have known. What is it you are up to?"
"Ah Reimu, perfect timing!" The gap youkai besides me exclaims, not bothering to look at the miko. "I was just about to explain to Dash-kun here about spell cards."
"Spell cards? You mean to tell me you were going to explain to him about the system that I invented without me?" The shrine maiden asks harshly, making me jump a little.
"Ahaha, of course not Reimu, I was just waiting for you to show up is all."
She says that, but she most certainly wasn't going to...I think.
"Well, might as well get this over with. The sooner he learns the better." The red and white girl turns to me with that look of hers that demands attention, which I promptly give in fear of getting hurt. "Listen up Dash, the Spell Card Rules are basically that, the rules for a Spell Card Battle."
You don't say!?
Unknowing of my internally backtalk, Reimu continued. "I created this method of battle back when I was much younger, when the youkai threat was a real problem. I came up with it so youkai can cause trouble safely, while humans can resolve these troubles, which we usually dub as 'incidents'."
"Wait, wait..." I interrupt her. "Why make these rules to promote trouble? Isn't it better to just make rules to stop fights and battles in the first place?"
"Not in this case Dash." Reimu says seriously, which actually takes me by surprise. "You see, a youkai's power only comes from the fears of humans and conflict with them; without it they would grow weak. And since Gensokyo was initially created for them, it would be redundant to punish them for doing what they do to stay strong. But on the other hand, it would be no good if they kept attacking humans. Thus I made a compromise."
From there Yukari jumps in. "Reimu created a way for youkai to conflict with humans without harming them, and so humans can fight back to defend themselves. Thus the use of spell cards began. Quite ingenious if I do say so myself."
"I suppose I get what you are saying... But seriously, what are spell cards? Does it have to do with danmaku?" The look of astonishment rests upon both my informants, apparently not expecting me to say something like that. "...What? I heard danmaku mentioned each day I've been here. And since it has something to do with magic, I just figured there was a connection...am I wrong?"
I'd rather not make a fool of myself with false assumptions right now. That's not what I need.
"That's...some good reasoning you did there Dash-kun." Yukari admits begrudgingly, which amuses me to no end. "Yes, danmaku has a hand in Spell Cards. You could say it is the basic form of them actually."
"But still, I don't know what either looks like. Could it be possible for a demonstration?" At my request, Reimu face lit with a wicked grin, one that greatly unnerves me.
Oh great, what have I done?
"I suppose that can be arranged. Suika! Suika come out here!" Reimu calls to the quirky oni, who after a moment of time, arrives from around the shrine.
"What is it Reimu~? Do you need something?" She takes a glance in our direction, spotting Yukari right next to me, in which the oni brightens up. "Hey~! It's Yukari! How you doing?"
"Focus Suika!" Reimu reprimands quite forcefully, causing Suika to lazily focus her attention on her. "Now, I need you to stand still for a moment, okay?"
"Hmm? Sure I guess, but what for?"
Wait a sec, she isn't going to...oh no! Suika!
"Just shut it and prepare yourself!" Reimu yells harshly, pulling out what looks like a card from her sleeve. "[Spirit Sign "Fantasy Seal -Spread-"]!"
What happens next will be engraved into my mind for a long time to come. Out of thin air around Reimu, a plethora of light balls and amulets appear, and just as suddenly as they arrive they shot out at Suika like a shotgun spread. The surprised little oni tries to bob and weave through the speedy onslaught, but in the end the blast sprays her. At the sign the target was hit, all the projectiles vanish, leaving Suika standing there looking a little worse for wear.
"Ow~..." Cries the poor oni who just got bombarded by who knows what that was, falling flat on her back. "Reimu~, that was mean!"
"That was a spell card Dash-kun. All those little shots that Reimu shot are the danmaku you've been hearing about, and the spell card was the slip of paper she used to unleash the mass collection of danmaku." Yukari explains to me nonchalantly, though I have a right of mind to question why.
"...Doesn't that hurt? I mean...it looks pretty painful to me..." I keep staring at Suika's crumpled form on the ground, contemplating if we should help her or not.
"Mmm, it depends. The one Reimu just used may sting a bit, but the actual damage is minimal. Where the actual damage resides in most danmaku is the victims energy. Getting hit a certain amount of times would weaken one enough to where they wouldn't be able to continue the battle."
I see, so in other words these battles are nonlethal in nature. But since they are still conflicts, youkai can get their power from the humans. It is pretty clever what Reimu came up with.
"Not all danmaku are like that though." Reimu calls to me while she puts her card away. "Some people's danmaku and spell cards are a little more harmful. While no danmaku is aloud to be lethal, that doesn't mean they still can't hurt. Like Marisa's Master Spark..."
"Master Spark? That doesn't sound very good..." I say stupidly, cringing at the naming of the spell card itself.
Nothing that has both 'Master' or 'Spark' in it could possibly be good.
"Dash, that would be the understatement of the year." The miko jokes lightly. "Trust me, you never want to be on the receiving end of that, even if it doesn't kill you."
Note to self, don't piss off Marisa, for I would severely regret it!
"Well, that pretty much covers it. Besides the actual rules of battle there isn't much else to tell. Besides, if you can't even use danmaku it won't matter." Reimu claims, strolling away from us to the downed oni. "Hey Suika, get up. I know you're just napping."
"...Aw~, but I don't wanna!" Remarkably Suika seems to be in perfect health as she gets up, despite the barrage she just endured.
"She brings up a good point." Yukari states as she puts her attention back on me. "Without danmaku in Gensokyo, you might as well claim defeat. Which is why I want to see if you can perform it."
"E-eh?! Me? How am I supposed to do that?" I stammer at her as if she grew a second head.
"True, normal humans shouldn't be able to perform danmaku, not to mention outsiders, but I have a feeling since you have an ability that may not be the case for you. Now please stand over there if you would." She motions to a spot far from our current location, and I comply to her wishes, placing Arashi back in it's case and closing it before I move to the designated spot.
"Now then, how would I go about doing this? I suppose it isn't as simple as waving my hand right?" To emphasize my question I do what I say, waving my hand like an idiot.
"Of course not, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Now, I want you to center yourself, and remain perfectly still-"
"Is this that meditation stuff?" I disrupt obnoxiously, causing my 'sensei' to grow frustrated.
"And be quiet!" The elder youkai snaps, promptly shutting me up. "...Now, when you feel you have closed yourself off from your surroundings, you need to look deep into your subconsciousness. Look for something that looks like a ball of energy floating in the void of space. That will be your life force."
This seems real stupid. She doesn't expect me to get this down so soon, does she?
For the next hour or so, I try to do what she asks of me. Just standing there, eyes closed, trying to do what is asked of me. However, I run into a bit of a snag...
How am I supposed to know when I've found it? All I can see is darkness, not even a speck of light...
"...This is taking too long." Yukari speaks up after what seems like an eternity. "Keep like that, I'm going to take a peek."
Eh? What does she mean by tha-AH! Yukari?!
Somehow, someway, Yukari just appears in my head in one of her damn gaps. The situation getting increasingly weird. "Hmm, that's odd. It should be around here somewhere..." The lady in my head ponders.
Yukari, what are you doing in here!? I scream in my head, no matter how odd that sounds...
"Ah, hello Dash-kun. Looks like this is the right place, since you're here. But where could it be, I wonder?"
"Now what's going on?" The shrine maiden appears again, this time holding her broom. "Where did Yukari go?"
"Reimu!" I exclaim to the surprised maiden, panic scribbled all over my face. "Please, you have to help me! Yukari's in my head! Please get her out!"
"W-w-what!?" Reimu must think I'm crazy, since she has the most amusing face I have seen on her yet. Too bad I can't enjoy it.
"No need to get worked up Dash-kun, I'm heading out now." Claims the voice in my head. In that instance a gap opens in front of us, and Yukari strolls out, parasol in tow. "There, that wasn't so bad was it?"
"I feel mentally violated..." I pretty much whine out, no longer caring for my image.
There is not too many things that would bring me to tears, but this could be one of them. Dammit Yukari!
Reimu herself looks similarly disturbed. "...Yukari, did you actually go in his head?"
"That can wait. Reimu, can you check his energy for me? I'm afraid I need a second opinion on a matter here."
Don't just change the subject, you damn gap hag! I fear my mental sanity because of that!
The shrine maiden sighs deeply before approaching me. "...Let's get this over with." She places a hand over my head, and begins focusing deeply. After a moment, she withdraws from me looking mildly surprised. "Well I can say this, I see why you are confused Yukari. I can feel his energy, but just barely. It seems off, almost like it's not even there."
"How very strange..." Yukari looks equally disturbed at this information, but seems to stride right from it. "Alright then. It seems what I thought was the opposite. You seem to have a weaker life force than the humans in the village. I almost feel sorry for you"
"So does this mean I can't use danmaku?" I ask worriedly, a solemn expression beginning to fall on my face.
"I'm not done trying yet." Yukari reaffirms her confident face. "We still haven't tried the method we discussed before. Using your ability to form danmaku."
"Yes, that could be one way to do it, assuming you can freely control aura." Reimu confirms with Yukari. "Just because your energy is weak, doesn't mean other's are."
My confusion is blatantly obvious. "So...what should I do then? I remember this topic from before, but I am unsure how I would go about doing it."
"Try pulling my aura like you would for an Aura Song, except just hold onto it instead." Explains the elder youkai, twirling her parasol as she talks.
"Um, okay then. Let's try it!" At that exclamation, I try going through the process of taking Yukari's aura like I have been growing accustomed to doing for an Aura Song. I gaze at her outline until I can see the massive life force she is putting off, something I missed noticing when I did her song before, and try visualizing what she represents in my head. Soon, the aura that is leaking from her shifts in the direction towards me, making it's way to me slower than normal, until it was nearly upon me.
Just when I feel like I have it however, the energy leaves me and dissipates into the air like it normally would, leaving Yukari and I standing dumbstruck at the site. "W-what just happened? I had it!" I yell frustratedly, shocking Reimu from her boredom.
"I don't know. It looked like you were taking control, but suddenly you lost it. How perplexing..." For once, Yukari looks as perplexed as I am.
"If something went wrong, just try again. Maybe you just lost focus." Reimu offers an explanation, to which we all agree upon.
"Alright then, why don't we try again Dash-kun?"
Following her statement, we try three more times to make the plan to work. Sadly each time we try, I lose control again, releasing the aura to let it disappear into the nothingness of the sky. After the latest attempt, Yukari gains an epiphany. "It seems the only way for you to take someone's aura is through your guitar Dash-kun. Perhaps you use it as a medium?"
"Yeah, it looks that way for me too." I say sadly, upset at the fact I can't take aura by myself.
"But then isn't it simple?" Reimu asks with boredom in her voice and looks alike. "Just grab your guitar and try again."
"Sorry, but this is where I'm going to have to stop." I announce to the two in front of me, shocking the both of them.
"Why is that? Don't you wish to learn how to use danmaku?" Yukari ask incredulously.
"I do, but not at the risk of losing my guitar in a fight. If I get hit, Arashi will be there right in front of me." I explain unhappily, giving my reasoning the best I could.
My way of thinking seems to fall on deaf ears unfortunately. "That's ridiculous. The Prismrivers use their instruments to fight all the time, and music is everything they are!" Reimu claims, but I'm not having it.
"Okay then, tell me; if their instruments are struck, do they break? Or are they worried about them being hit?" My interrogation is met with realization in the two's faces, in which I confirm my suspicions. "That's exactly what I mean. My guitar would break if it was hit, and then what? I would be screwed in fighting and in my profession."
"Tadashi." Yukari speaks to me earnestly, foregoing my nickname for the moment. "We are talking about your safety here. Without danmaku, you will be defenseless if someone ever attacks you. Would you honestly place that object's well being over your own life?"
"Without a second thought." I reply evenly, stunning her yet again today. "Arashi is my life Yukari, and there is no way in hell I would allow anything to happen to it!"
My answer shakes her will to continue trying to convince me, and Yukari finally let's out the mother of all sighs. "...I see I'm not changing your mind. Very well, I'll respect your wishes Dash-kun. I just hope you know what you are doing." With the argument over, the scheming youkai returns to her usual self as she opens another rift in front of her. "Well since that is over with, I'll be on my way. I'll come by tomorrow to drop you off at the village Dash-kun, as an apology of sorts. Will that be fine?" She asks, as if she was talking to a child.
Pfft, her apologizing? Yeah right... Ah well.
"...Sure, that would be reasonable." I relent exasperated, figuring to not turn down a free ride to the village.
After giving a wave to Reimu, the youkai of borders disappears through the hole in the air, leaving the two of us in front of the shrine. The shrine maiden looks at me bemusedly, no doubt about what I just said. "I can't believe how much you care for your guitar Dash. It's almost unreasonable."
"You know what it's like Reimu. I recall Yukari comparing my guitar to your donation box at one time." I mention lightly, recalling the fact I've learned of Reimu's love for donations.
"Point taken... I suppose I can understand a little." My host relents unwillingly, before she brings up another topic. "...Hey, did she really go into your mind Dash?"
"It was like having a little Yukari poking around in my head, it felt so weird..." I shiver involuntarily thinking of that mental image as I walk back to my guitar case.
The rest of the day passes by without further event, much to my relief. After I consume a generous amount of tea to wash my head from Yukari, I spend the evening practicing Aura Songs with the party crazed oni, who just can't seem to get enough of listening to me. By the time I finally finish playing, it is night time and I feel particularly drained from today's events. I spend the remaining time I have before I hit the futon making sure I have everything ready for my departure the next day. Once I am satisfied, I promptly give a good night to my host, before slumping off to sleep.
I awaken to this morning with far more energy than I have mornings past. For some reason I feel rejuvenated and ready for the world around me, despite the fact I can't defend myself from it. I clamber out of the guest room of the Hakurei Shrine with a pep in my step and head straight to the front of the shrine, looking out at the painted view before me, with the sunrise warming the valley that is Gensokyo with it's radiant light.
"You're up early." Reimu calls behind me, looking entertained if not still sleepy. "So, you think you're ready to go off on your own Dash?"
"Sure do. I feel like there is a whole world out there waiting for me!" I state with a grin on my face.
My once host chuckles at my behavior, before she gives a pat on the back. "It was pretty interesting having you here, I actually think I am going to miss you around."
"Miss me, or miss the music I've been providing?" I joke heartily to which she laughs lightly.
I was actually being half serious. Past neighbors and managers I had actually tell me the same thing whenever I move on to a new place. It's pretty funny really.
After preparing myself once again and eating a light meal, morning rolls on to day. As promised, Yukari arrives in front of the shrine, giving me her usual look.
"So, are you ready to go Dash-kun?" She asks amazingly straight foreword, to which I subconsciously shift the pack over my shoulders.
"Yep, I'm ready." I step foreword to meet her, before I turn to Reimu and the now awake Suika. "Thanks for everything Reimu, I'll pay you back someday. Later Suika!"
"I'll make sure to come visit sometime to make sure you're out of trouble. Keep safe Dash." Reimu replies honestly, which gives way for Suika to say farewells.
"I'll come by too Dash! And if not, just come see us here!" She yells loudly to me before she takes a swig from her gourd.
"I suppose it's time for you to go, Dash-kun." Yukari chuckles ominously as she begins to approach me.
"Eh?" With that one little noise I find Yukari pushing me with her parasol again, making me stumble back until I lose my footing into one of her gaps.
She did it to me again! AGAIN! Of all the...
My mind halts as I notice the gap closing, still showing the three at the shrine looking amused at my situation. Before I lose my chance, I decide to let my transport know my most heartfelt, deepest thoughts...
"DAMN YOU YUKARI!"
Shortly after my escapade through the empty space of gaps, I find myself falling through another hole in the air that drops me flatly on the ground.
"Ugh, damn her... Like hell that was supposed to be an apology!" I curse under my own breath, unknowing that someone witnessed my graceful entrance.
"Tadashi-kun? Where did you come from?" A familiar voice calls to me from behind, and when I turn around I see the surprised face of Keine.
I must have been dropped right in front of her. I wonder if Yukari planned that?
"Oh hey there! Well, I caught a ride from Yukari to get here. Big mistake." I explain as if just saying that explained everything. To which surprisingly it did.
"I see. Well you certainly made a commotion, it's not every day someone falls from a hole in the air." Confused by what she meant, I look around to find I was dropped right dab in the middle of the Human Village, with many onlookers astounded by my arrival.
"Heh, sorry about that Keine-san. Well since we're here, do you mind taking me to the elder again? I need to find out where I'm staying."
"Certainly. I was actually planning to head over there to meet with you two anyways, so this is perfect." She holds out a hand to me in which I gratefully take. Once I am now standing, the schoolteacher begins to lead me on the slowly increasingly familiar paths through the village.
And thus officially begins my new life in Gensokyo, the land that I will now come to know as home.
Phew, done! Please Review like usual.
Now things really get going for Dash! Who will he meet next? What are his plans? Will he survive? Only I know! (For now at least)