Godzilla's roars were the only sound that broke the confused silence before Suwako shrugged and broke it again.
"Sanae, didn't I tell you to move the kappa fridge to another room? I figured this sort of thing might happen."
Kappa... Suddenly Mami kind of wished Keine were here to explain in detail, rather than discussing their plans with Kanako.
"Kappa have pretty odd tastes. I'll go fetch you the food you wanted." Suwako paused the movie and left the room. As soon as she did, the girls found themselves free of the trance they'd fallen into. Homura spoke first, clearly upset.
"Explain. Quickly." Homura may have been wearing only her bathrobe, but she still managed to seem intimidating. Sanae obeyed her command.
"Sometimes we entertain... you know... not humans. Kappa."
Homura had heard all she needed to, and with a brief flash, was wearing her Magical Girl outfit, and in but another moment, had Sanae in a surprisingly effective pin.
"I knew it. You and your goddesses... you're nothing more than these wraiths yourselves, aren't you? My Soul Gem wouldn't react like this, otherwise."
Mami found herself confused. Was Homura referring to the melodies Mami had noticed? She couldn't be... it would be like mistaking classical music for heavy metal.
Kyouko stared at the discarded food as she directed a question towards Sanae, who looked rather terrifed.
"Sanae... what are those?"
"The 'soda' is cucumber flavored beer... it grows on you after a while. The others are... oh, hm. I guess that'd explain why you're so upset. Let Sanae go already, would you?" Suwako's voice entered from the doorway in response.
Sanae nodded in desperate agreement, but Homura simply tightened her hold more, putting Sanae's neck a single motion from being snapped before she replied.
"Oh? Mind telling us exactly why we should be upset or will you keep trying to hide behind lies?"
"I don't mind at all, but really, you should probably let her go. Shirikodama are a spiritual organ fatally extracted by kappa through a human's..." Suwako merely pointed to her own behind to finish the sentence. "So I suppose it's close enough to cannibalism to offend?"
Mami was dumbstruck, and Kyouko looked at the bag she held in her lap. It had about a hundred of the shirikodama, and she'd seen several such bags in the refrigerator... and each one was a life stolen. Mami looked over to see her red haired comrade burning with fury, and soon she, too was sporting her magical girl uniform instead of the comfortable bathrobe.
Kyouko looked between Suwako and Sanae, and her venomous glares made it clear she was on Homura's side, here. Still, Suwako seemed more bothered than threatened. Sanae was almost paralyzed with fear... she knew her life hung in the balance, and it seemed when the stakes were that high, even she knew how to remain quiet. The only contribution she made were some pitiful squeaks and the like to remind others of her predicament.
"Well, no one's making you eat them. Just run them back to the refrigerator if you don't want them." Suwako mildly suggested as she walked back to the couch. Mami heard the tones from her Soul Gem change subtly in key. Something was... different.
"We're more concerned with your alliance with wraiths. Tell me why I shouldn't break Sanae's neck right now? "
Mami was torn... Fighting wraiths was one thing, but to kill another human? Sanae may be something more as well, but right now she was little more than a terrified girl... and Mami couldn't just let Homura kill her... She too transformed, but when she aimed her rifle, it was at Homura.
"Let her go, Homura. She's still a human, and I won't let you kill her."
Homura looked to Mami and let out a dry laugh. "So it always is. Mami Tomoe, always willing to turn on her friends once her fragile illusions are shattered. But you lack the conviction this time... if you were sure what side you were on, I would already be dead." Homura seemed completely confident in her assessment. Mami's aim held steady, but for all she had just threatened Homura, she was no more eager to kill Homura than she was to let Sanae die.
Now it was Kyouko who looked confused. Somehow this had escalated wildly beyond her initial disgust towards the shirikodama.
"Homura, let Sanae go now, before it's too late." Suwako said from the couch that she had laid back into.
"Well, a threat pretty well tells me what to do." Homura jolted suddenly, but not in the way she'd been planning. She had taken a step to reposition herself slightly, but tripped and reflexively caught herself, releasing Sanae to do so. She immediately realized her mistake, but before she could move, she found herself bound in a trio of tight iron rings and fell to the ground. Curiously, Suwako was holding all three... another Suwako remaining in the doorway. Far more concerning than Suwakos odd displacement were the sinister white shadows that loomed over Homura.
"And that you took a warning as a threat tells me just about everything I need to know." Suwako sighed from the couch. Mami watched as the seven or so enormous, white, shadowy snakes that surrounded Homura hissed, each with a pair of glowing red eyes glaring at her.
Mami was paralyzed with fear. The snakes looming over Homura triggered something within her. She could do nothing as the snakes hung over Homura like a blade suspended over her head... waiting to fall...
"This is what I was trying to avoid. They want to curse you, and now I'm not certain I should stop them. Isn't it funny how just a little bit of bad luck can change a situation so drastically?" Suwako sat up from the couch and peered over the back towards the crowd, which still included another Suwako holding firm the restraining iron bands. Sanae was busy catching her breath.
"Look, all we want is an explanation. How can we trust you? You work with the very enemies we're trying to fight against!" Kyouko explained Homura's stance. Suwako sighed and slid back behind the couch, though it was a different voice that offered the explanation from the doorway.
"We encourage them to worship us because humans no longer do." Kanako's majestic presence was accompanied by Keine, who gave a deep sigh as she saw the Mishaguji looming over Homura, Mami still pointing her gun in that direction and trembling with a consuming fear, and Sanae still gasping and coughing as she clutched her throat.
"Really, girls?" Keine took in the scene of chaos. "This is how you repay hospitality? I thought we'd moved beyond this. Mami, Kyouko, Homura, stand down." The scene remained unchanged until Kanako gave her own command.
"Suwako, command the Mishaguji to let her go. This is not how we treat guests." Kanako seemed equally annoyed.
Suwako made no noise from behind the couch, but the looming white snakes retreated into the ground. Mami felt a wave of relief as they vanished. Even Keine's glare felt like a warm welcome after that... though Mami got the point easily enough, and returned to her normal form. Kyouko followed suit, and Homura reluctantly did as well, her eyes darting nervously between Kanako, Suwako, and Sanae as she did so.
"You want an explanation? Fine. If it will stop you all from killing each other for five minutes."
"We gods depend on people's faith to continue existing. Their belief gives us strength, and we use that strength to aid them as they wish." Kanako's explanation seemed simple enough, but Keine didn't seem to think it had sunk in, so she elaborated.
"Imagine a man who needs to move a boulder that is too heavy to move himself. He recruits 100 others and they make a rope from their hair to allow them all to grip it. With all of them lending their strength to the rope, they move the boulder. The next time the man finds a boulder, he may well reuse that rope once again, weaving the hair of new folk into it to replace those which have frayed. But nowadays, everyone likes their hair too much to donate it to create a rope. These strands of hair are what Kanako refers to as 'faith', and the ropes made are what we know as 'gods'. If not continually remade and maintained, these ropes rot, and these gods decay."
Kyouko nodded in understanding, and Mami found the explanation sufficient, but Homura had some issues.
"So what? Ropes can be used just as well to hang a man."
"You speak truth, of course. The Mishaguji- those snakelike gods- that serve Suwako could serve as a 'noose'. They are curse gods. A rope that can move a boulder or hang a man can also restrain a wild beast... just as gods like the Mishaguji restrain and keep under control curses and such. What's more, not all faiths are helpful to mankind as a whole. I was initially a goddess of war, and the blessings of victory in combat I bestowed on my worshipers weren't appreciated by their foes. People guide our actions through determining what we can do."
"You said people, but you You said you're getting your faith from wraiths. So you mean monsters, don't you?" Homura accused Kanako.
"I mean people. Whether or not others consider them monsters is of no interest to me. The hair of a murderous cannibal makes rope just as sturdy as that of a vegetarian scholar. How many cultures have branded their foes as monstrous demons? Have you considered that you may be doing the same?"
All of the Magical Girls fell silent, though Homura remained unconvinced. Sanae handed Mami a newspaper with an image of Keine carrying a still-mostly-devoured Kyouko through the air.
"Read that. I'm curious what you think of Aya Shameimaru's writing." Sanae prompted, and Mami began reading aloud.
Magical Girl Injured in Fight Against Youkai of Darkness!
Just three days ago, Kyouko Sakura, one of the outsiders recently arrived in Gensokyo, was ambushed and attacked by Rumia, self-proclaimed youkai of darkness. When Rumia was later asked about the reason behind the assault, she said she was hungry. Realizing there was more to the story behind this uncharacteristically persistent attack that consisted of several days of stalking beforehand, further investigation ensued.
Through various sources, it came to light that the Hakurei Shrine's shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, had bet Rumia three days offerings that Rumia would be unable to attack the outsiders before someone else claimed their lives. She was successful in this, though not in realizing the worthlessness of her prize, nor in remembering to try and claim it. Although Alice Margatroid had a run in with them as well, that was nearly a day later. Details on that encounter are still unavailable, as Miss Margatroid has refused to speak of the event.
Neither Reimu Hakurei nor Kyouko Sakura were available for commentary, but Kyouko Sakura is expected to make a complete recovery. Rumia's injuries are more severe, but Eirin Yagokoro has lined up several experimental treatments in hopes of
see DARK, pg. 22
Mami flipped through the paper looking for the rest of the article, but found that there simply was no page 22. Sanae noticed her frustration and seemed to suddenly remember something.
"Oh, right. There wasn't a followup page. The tengu haven't realized they're supposed to actually write more of a front page article than the front page part..."
"Rumia's wounds were more severe? I hardly even scratched her! I think the picture should show you who got the worse deal there." Kyouko seemed rather unconvinced.
"Yes, they are. And I use the present tense because they still haven't healed. You recovered within, what, a day?" Sanae seemed rather confident... probably another newspaper had filled her in.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt!" Kyouko replied.
"And you think Rumia's having a great time with her arm slashed open? Her condition has only worsened, and that's under the constant attentions of Eirin. You may recall she's the one who solved that little limitation of your magic you told me has been plaguing your entire existence as magical girls as an afterthought ." Sanae pulled out another newspaper, with a picture of a young girl with a horrific arm wound.
"So monsters can feel pain. What of it? It doesn't mean they aren't monsters. It just means they can be fought and defeated, and I'm still convinced that's exactly what's to be done with them." Homura was at least giving a chance for them to explain themselves, Mami supposed.
"Oh, and how many humans will you kill to hunt them? You were willing to kill me with hardly a thought. Did you forget I happen to be a human? I've fought these monsters, myself, Homura Akemi."
Mami thought back to the youkai she'd met here. Nazrin seemed pleasant enough, helping up Mami after she had lost. Aya and Suika had helped repair the damage they'd cause to Reimu's shrine. Rumia had attacked Kyouko, yes, but only because Reimu, seriously or not, egged her on. Alice had seemed genuinely repentant about what she'd done...
Keine had mentioned that youkai often helped the human village, like that medicine vendor, for instance. Yes, they were the same sorts of wraiths they had been fighting, but they seemed far less monstrous here. If not for their frequent assaults on Mami's world, she really wouldn't be terribly bothered... as it was, though, she had to ask.
"Sanae? How can you live around these people... how can you work with them when you know they hunt and kill people?"
"Simple... I don't think about it." Sanae shook her head. "Do you think of the people that make your clothes, or grow your food, or build your house?"
"No, but they aren't...murderers." Mami just couldn't ignore it.
"How do you know that? You've never seen them kill someone? How, exactly, would you know if they had? I've seen the kappa sell shirikodama, but its not like I go with them to get the damned things!"
Mami paused. She had faith that most people weren't murderers... would never commit so extreme a sin.
"So yes, the legends say shirikodama are fatally extracted from drowned humans. For all I know, they make the things by rolling up balls of dung and painting them. Legends have been wrong before, you know." Sanae shrugged.
"And it never occurred to you to find out for sure?" Homura asked incredulously.
"The thought occurred to me, yes. Soon followed by the thought that if they were killers that had kept that point secret, then they were probably willing to kill to keep it that way. Trust me when I say there are a lot of kappa on the mountain. If they wanted me dead, they could manage it."
"So you're afraid, then?" Homura's tone was rather mocking.
"Yes, because I'm not an idiot. I'm not about to try and disarm an bomb that's been sitting all quiet like for a decade. Would you?"
"I wouldn't keep it in my living room, either." Homura countered.
"Yeah, well, we didn't know it was built into the foundation when we bought the place, you know."
"So what, you just... ignore all the people they kill? Just because you ignore their deaths doesn't keep their blood from spilling onto you." Homura said.
"I'm not doing nothing. I've done my fair share of exterminations. I've kept the kappa and tengu busy with themselves as much as possible. I don't know if I've saved any lives through my actions, but I do know I'm doing what I can to limit their damage."
Homura was silent for a few moments. It was clear Sanae had come to terms with her situation, and it was equally clear Homura didn't fully trust her.
"No, you're right. Of course. How could I have ever doubted whose side you were on? I mean, if you didn't offer them human sacrifices, they might get angry. And then people might die and wouldn't that be a shame." Homura rolled her eyes as she seemed to all but ignore Sanae's points.
"Well, like me or not, Yukari tied us together, so you're stuck with me. You can trust we of the Moriya shrine as least as much as you can trust Keine."
Homura looked towards their mentor, who caught her gaze and seemed to excuse herself from the animated and quiet conversation she had been having with Suwako. Keine moved over to join Homura and the others.
"So, have you come to see where they stand, yet?"
"Yeah. They side with the monsters, but not against us. Somehow. Whatever. I won't attack them unless they try to pull something on us first. Is that good enough for you, Keine?" Homura nearly spat out Keine's name.
"Yes. Now, there is a little matter of punishment for causing such a ruckus for our generous hosts." Keine stood right in front of Homura.
"Well, pardon me for having trouble sympathizing with them."
"Trying to murder someone is a little more severe than just not seeing their side." Keine gently grasped the sides of Homura's head as she looked the black-haired magical girl directly in the eyes.
"This is going to hurt me a lot more than its going to hurt you." Keine said, before taking a breath and pulling back her head. Homura merely rolled her eyes at Keine, preparing herself for another lecture. Keine didn't deliver a lecture, though.
Instead, Mami cringed at the sound of their heads colliding as Keine whipped her head forward. Homura was out cold, and Mami wouldn't be surprised if a concussion or skull fracture had happened. A normal human might suffer permanent injury from such a wound, and Mami had no doubt Homura would have a headache. Keine was clearly in pain and held her head as she turned to Mami.
"Please, try to make sure none of you girls give me any more headaches."
Mami got the point.
The Next Morning
Mami awoke early... Half asleep, she went through the familiar routine... brushing her teeth, taking a morning shower, dressing herself and doing her hair...
It was around then she finished waking up, and remembered she was in Gensokyo rather than Mitakihara. Their hosts were really going out of their way to make the trio feel at home, weren't they?
Well, that was perfectly fine with her. Mami checked her Soul Gem and found it cast a warm yellow light. Satisfied with its appearance, she started downstairs to see how the others were. Kanako was in the kitchen, prompting Mami to ask...
"Where's Sanae? I thought she cooked the food."
"She cooks dinner usually. I tend to handle breakfast. She likes to get a morning swim in before the day really gets going."
"I guess I'm not surprised she's a morning person. Do you mind if I go talk with her?"
"Not at all." Kanako nodded and returned to cooking as Mami slipped outside.
Mami saw some people swimming in the lake and peered into it to try and recognize them. The light and distance made it difficult enough that she gave up and just called out Sanae's name. One of the figures in the lake paused a bit, before it and another started swimming towards Mami.
It was hard to see them for all the water they were spraying into the air, but as they drew closer, Sanae was clearly one of the two. The slower one by a considerable margin, though Mami was amazed with the speed they swam at... the faster one was swimming as fast as most people could sprint on dry land, it seemed.
The faster swimmer had pulled herself out onto the shore and laughed as Sanae struggled to shore. Her turquoise hair was done up in short pigtails and matched the color of her outfit, a matching shirt and skirt, with the skirt sporting over a dozen pockets. Perhaps most strangely, considering she had just been swimming, she was wearing a large backpack and a baseball cap.
Sanae finally reached the shore and pulled herself out, breathing heavily. Her companion taunted her.
"Pretty good, but it'll take more than that to outswim a kappa!"
Sanae nodded between breaths. Mami noticed she was once again wearing her shrine maiden outfit.
"That doesn't really seem like a good outfit for swimming..." Mami pointed out.
"Kappa... made... it... Nitori?" Sanae gestured to the person standing beside her to explain as she caught her breath.
"We made it for her. It's made like our own clothes, so it won't interfere with swimming. It's actually even better than wearing nothing, since it makes the water actually help the swimmer along."
Sanae nodded in agreement, having caught her breath.. "It feels weird at first, but once you get the hang of swimming in it, it's amazing how much of a help it is. They breathe nice, too, but... whew, swimming's still... tiring." Sanae said as she stretched.
Mami laughed in agreement. "Yeah. Hey, you're both pretty good swimmers."
"Well thank-" Sanae was about to take the compliment, but Nitori interrupted.
"Oh, are you a swimmer yourself? Up for a race?"
Mami shook her head, grinning. "I'm alright, but watching you two just now... I'm nowhere near that level." Mami honestly admitted. Perhaps using her magic she could make do, but Mami was a little reluctant to use more than needed, especially when she might need so much of it soon.
"Darn. Hardly anybody 'round here can swim apart from us Kappa."
"There's little reason to learn, Nitori. There's not a lot of water here to begin with, and even less that's suitable for a human to swim in." Sanae started wringing out her hair... she still wore the frong clip and snake coil yet. Mami wondered if she ever removed them.
"Well, If you ever want to come for a swim, you're welcome to join us! Just... ah... give some warning. So we can prepare and make sure you'll have a good time." Nitori invited Mami.
Sanae laughed. "You mean so you have some time to try and convince them to let her join you, right?" Nitori pouted a bit but didn't deny the statement, instead leaving and swimming back out into the lake to avoid giving herself entirely away. Sanae waved goodbye and then turned to Mami.
"So you came out here to find me, I take it?"
"Yes... I had a couple questions for you about the spellcard rules."
"Huh?" Sanae looked confuse. "Why not ask Keine?"
"Well, because she's not an outsider. Just... ok, first, what do you think of them?"
"Oh, I love them. They super fun... I tell you, you haven't lived until you fly around and resolve an incident by dueling everyone you come across." Sanae laughed. "It's a good way to meet people, too."
"See, that's what I figured too, but I had a thought... see, I just had my first duel a while back..."
"With Nazrin, right."
Mami nodded, and continued. "Well, what would happen if some died during a duel? Like, from a heart attack or something. Would the survivor be unable to stop fighting?"
"Huh... I'm not sure. I know duels against jiangshi can go on pretty much forever, but they're already dead. Maybe? It's pretty unlikely... someone would need to have a heart attack or something during the duel for it to happen, and the whole system is only some twenty years old, so it probably hasn't come up yet. I should hope not."
"I see. Well, I had another question..." Mami began, and upon seeing Sanae's nod to continue, did just that. "Can the duel... change how people think? Or their needs?"
"How do you mean?"
"Like... if the winner's prize was something like 'Now you don't need to eat.' Or 'Now we're friends'. Would that... work?"
Sanae considered. "That's risky to play with, alright? Gods can change their natures easily enough, but if you tell a fish that now it can survive on land and it hops up onto the ground and does it, is it really a fish anymore?"
Mami shrugged, and Sanae returned the gesture.
"Until that answer is as clear as day, you probably shouldn't push that limit. As outsiders, we're on thin ice already. I mean... ok, here, you want to hear something about Satori?"
"Any information you have would be appreciated."
"Everyone is all hush hush about her, but you know what, I wonder if its even her that they fear, exactly. She lives in Chireiden... and I think it's the spirits that give the palace its name that they fear."
"Why? What are they?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I know Lady Kanako mentioned that youkai are truly terrified of them. And see, I think what scares them about Satori is that she lives where like all of these things come from, right? So she must control them or something, and that has people scared witless."
"So you don't really think Satori is going to be bad to meet with?"
"Well, this was just a guess. If I weren't already sure I was going, I wouldn't exactly be eager to stick my head in the lion's mouth."
"Kanako said that she had a rough meeting with one, though."
"Yeah... Well, like I said, it was just an idea. Anyway, where I was going with this is that what you just proposed doing is just what the spirits of Chireiden are rumored to do... change who someone is and how they think. So they might start treating you like they treat her if you tried pulling something like that."
Mami shuddered. Satori was so isolated that even the mere thought of meeting her was considered insane... Mami wasn't looking forward to that degree of forced solitude... but she did have one more question.
"Do you know if spellcard duels are equally binding between two outsiders?"
Sanae shrugged. "I'm not sure. I suppose whatever clause keeps us from being protected in general from ambushes and the like might cause something to break, but you three are the first outsiders apart from myself that I know to have enough magic to partake in spellcard duels. You'd probably have to ask whoever came up with them, and even they might not know. This is the sort of thing lawyers in the outside world would love to delve into."
"Thanks for all of your help. There's still so much for me to learn..."
"Sorry I couldn't be of more help." Sanae shrugged.
Author's Note: Yeah, it was time for a bit of exposition.
See this thing? It's called Chekov's gun. Oh, sure, it -looks- like some sort of small red fish. No, I don't have it confused with that rifle over there. That's my baby, 'red herring'. Used it to shoot Chekov's gun, see?
A lot of metaphors this chapter. I think I like metaphors too much, but darn it, I'm proud of the rope/faith metaphor.
Shirikodama brand jawbreakers. Smell like feces and taste nearly as good! Made with Genuine© Human Atrocities! Goes Great with Cucumbers!
Also, geez, following Sanae's train of thought RE: Satori at the end there was way more dizzying than I remembered.
Just a quick note: yes, fear can paralyze. A lot of people I know believe that it doesn't; that fight or flight always kicks in and triggers some sort of action. I speak from firsthand experience when I say that sometimes the fear is simply too much, and your mind just freezes. When I'm like that, I still pick up sensory input, but until the object of my phobia is removed from my presence, breathing is about the limit of my physical activity. Talking isn't usually possible, but sometimes I can get out a grunt or murmur to indicate my panic.
As for why Mami had that sort of response, well...