Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned or used in this story, except for the one from whose point of view this story is told. Any and all of the other characters belong to Team Shanghai Alice.


Chapter 29: Call For A Master

"All troops, at attention!"

Two lines of fairies at the edges of the path leading up to the shrine stood erect, wings flapping furiously to keep them in form.

"Salute!"

Every fairy drew a sword and shield from their backs. All of them were identical to Momiji's; scimitars with black cross guards, and white shields emblazoned with a large orange maple leaf. Their blades pointed skyward, granting a hall of swords through which to pass.

"At ease!"

The swords were gone, and back into their sheathes. The welcome was finished.

I certainly hadn't expected to find out Momiji was captain of the Youkai Mountain guard. But I wasn't going to complain; this was actually pretty cool. But I understood that if anyone dared to trespass, they were going to get their ass kicked.

Momiji turned to us and bowed. "Shall we proceed?"

Three heads nodded in affirmation. And as one, the four of us walked.

The flight trip to and up the mountain had been much longer than I expected. Off in the distance, the sun was halfway past the horizon. In total, I would guess that the trip from the river to the mountain had taken no less than an hour and the trip up had been at least twice that. About half way up the mountain, we were greeted by an advance guard of fairies bursting out of the waterfall. It surprised me to the point that I nearly lost control and started plummeting towards the ground (Marisa wasn't at all fazed though).

During our time going up, we spoke little. I'm not sure why, but apparently silence was the mode we were going for, and none of us really wanted to break that silence. Marisa didn't mind at all, and Momiji didn't seem in much of a mood for talking anyhow. But I noticed Nitori had been eyeing Marisa rather strangely. I had half a mind to ask her what was up, but I didn't want to intrude upon her privacy, expecting it to have something to do with when I had given her the water at the river.

That definitely wasn't my place to ask.

But it was hard trying not to. I could barely get my mind off her freak-out back at the river the entire time we were flying. And it was made even more difficult by the fact that I had to consciously carry that same person up a mountain and make sure she didn't fall of my back.

I'd have to leave that to Marisa, and hopefully, things would get better with time.

The path up to the shrine was simple, and made of stone, much like the one for the Hakurei shrine. What made it different, however, was that alongside the fairies, it was lined with bunches of wooden pillars stretching at least two stories upwards. At the end of the path sat a gate, with stairs leading to a point just a little farther up a small hill, and the shrine itself sitting at the very peak of the mountain.

At the foot of the steps were two people. The first and most imposing one was a tall blue haired woman that looked to be in her early thirties or so, wearing an elaborately-decorated red shirt and a deep maroon dress with floral print on the hem. Upon her back was a large rope circle that seemed to float of its own accord, along with the white papers that hung from it.

The second was closer to the ages of Nitori and I (and I would guess Marisa as well), sporting bright green hair done up with two ornaments; a coiled snake, and the head of a frog. Her outfit was much like Reimu's, except color-shifted to a blue-lined white vest and detached sleeves, and an ocean blue dress with white polka dots. In one hand was a small stick of wood with a large piece of white paper attached to the end.

The four of us stopped a short distance from the two. The elder one, who I assumed was supposed to be Kanako, looked down on us (even me) in a stern, and maybe sort of motherly, fashion.

All of us bowed as one. Momiji was the only one who spoke. "Kanako-sama, I come bearing guests from the mountain's foot."

The woman nodded. "Thank you, captain. Let them speak."

Momiji stepped aside, and we stepped forward, with Nitori at our front.

"Good evening, Kanako-sama," she greeted, bowing again. "I bear news about the generator you requested from me."

"I see. You're quite late in coming with that. What happened? Do not worry; I do not believe your lateness to be intentional."

"That is quite a tale to tell, Kanako-sama. But I will first say that the generator is finished, and even as we speak, several of Momiji's guards have been sent out to retrieve it."

"Then all is well."

Then her gaze turned upon me. In that instant, something flashed past my mind's eye. It felt like some greater presence than just the woman standing before me. It was like part of nature itself had chosen to look at me with gentle yet unrelenting force. It took almost all my will not to be disrespectful and turn away, though I did flinch slightly.

"The boundary youkai Yukari told me of a young man by the name of Kaito that has been journeying around Gensokyo. Would I be correct in assuming that person is you?"

"You would be," I confirmed, stepping forward. Geez, if Yukari didn't stop telling people about me soon, I would be known across all of Gensokyo, though I was pretty sure that was already true. "If I may, I must inform you that I had a hand in both the production and hindrance of the generator, and for that, I apologize."

"It's no trouble." This time, it was the green haired girl who spoke. "You were able to help Kanako-sama's project along, so there is no trouble in having hindered it for a little while."

I bowed to her. "Thank you." And I stepped back.

Kanako breathed in, outstretching her arms. "Today is a good day, for in a short time, the blessings of electricity will be free for all of Gensokyo to enjoy. You four, rest your tired bodies, for you may find lodgings within the shrine tonight as honored guests."

I thought I could hear a very quiet "Yes!" behind me, and I was pretty sure it was Marisa who had said that.

"Yippee! Is it party time?"

The voice had come from above. All of us looked up to the gate, and saw two figures standing upon the top, shadowed by the setting sun. One had twin horns, and the other had what looked like a really large hat.

Suika and… who?

Wait, what? What was Suika doing here?

Without warning, the figure with a hat crouched down, as if preparing to leap a great distance.

And leapt off the gate, straight at me.

I had about a single second to process a Holy crap! just before impact.

PO-KSSSSH!

The breath was completely driven out of me; the living projectile had hit me right in the chest. Even though it looked to be no more than maybe a ten-year old, the force that hit me felt like it had the weight of a small hill. The hit drove me into the floor, and sent us sliding for several meters.

When the dust finally cleared, I looked up into the shadow of the little person kneeling on me.

It was a young girl with blond hair, and a large, brownish-yellow hat with googly eyes on the top. Her dress was purplish-blue, and the sleeves white. And she was smiling cheerfully.

I coughed. "O-ouch…." I could barely get the words out; the little girl made it feel like I had a piece of the world sitting on me.

"So you're Kaito, huh?" she greeted. "Well, I'm Suwako. I'm the second goddess of the Moriya shrine."

My brain was still a little frazzled from the impact, so I didn't really catch the 'second goddess' part. Then I processed it, and it struck me as odd. Two goddesses? Then who was the first?

But that didn't matter to me at that moment. All I cared about was the fact I was practically being crushed. "N-nice… to meet you… Suwako-sama… now… could you… get off… I can't breathe!" I gasped.

"Oh? Ahaha! Sorry about that!"

The moment she hopped off (as in, literally hopped off, like a frog), I sat up, gasping for air. Nitori was at my side, Momiji was standing there pinching the bridge of her nose, and Marisa was laughing her head off.

"I never thought," Marisa choked between spouts of laughter, "that I would ever see a shrine goddess do something like that!"

"You're okay, right?" Nitori asked, concerned.

"Yeah… I'll be fine."

"Suwako-sama," the teenager said, shaking her head. "Why did you have to go and tackle a guest like that?"

"What's wrong, Sanae?" the little goddess pouted. "Is it bad to have a little fun every once in a while?"

"No, that's not what I meant…."

"Aw, come on, lighten up!"

A burst of mist came out from behind the girl named Sanae, and Suika popped out, wrapping the shrine maiden in a head lock. "Your goddess just got told that an important project was finished, right? So why not loosen up a bit?"

"Well, I suppose so…."

Suika grinned widely, and took a long draw from her gourd. Then she released her unwilling target and strode right over to me, drunk as ever.

"Yo! Haven't seen you in a while, Kaito!"

"Yeah. Hey there, Suika-san."

"Been doing good, eh? I see you've made quite a few friends!"

"Ehehe, yeah, it's been good. Thanks."

"You up for a drink? My offer's still going, you know."

"No thank you. I still don't feel quite ready for a drink of sake."

She shrugged. "Alright then. Well, that doesn't matter. It's time to party!"

She raised her gourd triumphantly. A murmur of assent ran through the crowd of fairies. Apparently they were into the idea.

One of them was bold enough to actually fly right up to Momiji. "Can we, captain? Today is a good day for celebration!"

The wolf raised an eyebrow. Then her eyes narrowed, and she thought for a moment.

She smiled. "Very well then. Send out the order to the troops; tonight, we party!"

Cries of joy were thrown to the sky as the fairies cheered, hugging each other and making merry.

"Then we shall prepare a feast for our guests!" Kanako declared. "Sanae! Suwako! Let's go."

The three of them turned, and headed up the steps to the shrine, along with a few of the fairies. The rest of us were left to relax for the time being.

I smiled as I watched them go. So the deed was done; the generator would be delivered, and Nitori's task was finished. I couldn't have been happier.

"Um…."

I turned to Nitori. Her eyes weren't looking at me, and she was somewhat red in the face.

"I-if it's okay… I would like to go talk with Marisa now."

That threw me for a tailspin. Since when did Nitori ever have to ask me for permission for anything?

"Uh… sure," I said uncomfortably. "Go right ahead."

She nodded. "Thank you."

With that, she got up, and caught Marisa before the latter could take a drink with Suika. After a few words, the blond witch smiled goofily, and the two walked off to where they could be alone for a little while.

I watched them go. This was really starting to worry me. What was wrong?

"Oy, Kaito-san."

"Oh, Momiji-san." I stood up to face the white wolf. "What is it?"

"Something seems to be up with Nitori. You have any idea what it is?"

My face fell. I should have known she would try and consult me about this.

"I can't say I'm sure," I replied. "I think it may have something to do with the fact I was the one who gave her the water to revive her."

"Wait, you were the one who did that?" Momiji asked in disbelief. Now her eyes reflected concern. "I thought Marisa would've been the one to do that."

"No, it's was me."

She grabbed me by the shoulders. Now I was really scared.

"Tell me, how did you do it?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"How did you give Nitori the water?"

Talk about an uncomfortable topic! My face went bright red, and I started stuttering. "Uh… T-that's, er… I-I…."

"Just calm down," the captain said soothingly. "Just calm down, and tell me. How did you wake up Nitori?"

"Um… W-well…."

"Okay, I'll make this easier. Did you, or did you not, give her the water through mouth-to-mouth?"

I couldn't hide my guilt when she said that, and I stared down at the floor.

"Y… yes…."

She groaned. "Oh, for the love of…."

Her hands were gone, and she paced a bit, once again pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Why in the name of the daitengu did you do that?" she accused.

"I-I just… t-that was just the first thing that came to mind," I tried to explain. "I didn't think giving her water normally would have worked."

A loud, drawn out sigh.

Oh god… this was turning out worse than I expected. Even Momiji knew that what I had done was wrong. I should have at least tried to give her water normally before going straight to mouth-to-mouth. How could I have been so stupid?

When Momiji turned back to face me, she had an understanding but slightly threatening look.

"I'll assume that the reason you made such a stupid mistake was because you were inexperienced with the workings of Gensokyo, and I will not blame you too much."

Her last few words struck hard. How could she not blame me that much for such an idiotic move?

"But I'm afraid that if I do not make you understand the consequences of your actions, then I'll have to personally punish you."

"I understand. Just tell me. I need to know."

Not just because I felt like I was being completely left out in the dark amidst all this – Marisa and Momiji both knew exactly what was up – but because I felt entirely responsible.

Of course, it really was all my fault, and I needed to know exactly what I had done wrong.

"Okay, then listen well. There is an ancient, binding tradition of the kappa that concerns the replenishing of their water supply. The details of it are unclear to me, but I do know how it's supposed to work in the present time. When a kappa is left without water, and is about to die, refilling it normally by simply pouring the water down their throat does not do anything but bring them back from the brink of death. However, if a human is the one who revives them, and does so using the exact method you so carelessly used, the kappa is bound to servitude for that human for eternity."

She punched those words with extreme emphasis, as if to drive the point home as far as possible. She said she didn't blame me, but that hadn't stopped her from making sure I knew what the hell was going on.

She didn't even need to. The instant she said that, my eyes widened in horror.

My god… what did I just do…?

"The reason for this bind is because, since the kappa's home body of water has particular properties with that one kappa, it is essentially laced with magic. When a human gives mouth-to-mouth to a kappa and administers water at the same time, they're crossing magically enhanced water between the two of them. This makes the bind two-fold, because it also implies a certain level intimacy due to the swapping of body fluids alongside the magic. Your carelessness has forced Nitori into a contract from which she is unable to escape."

I took a single step back.

And another.

"No…."

Oh my god….

I dissolved into despair, shaking my head. "No… I…."

My breath caught in my chest as my heart felt ready to rip itself out.

The tears came then, and I couldn't take it anymore.

I fled.


Why….

Why did this have to happen…?

That was all I could think about as I cried quietly to myself. I had leapt off the mountain earlier, and chosen to fly a short distance down. When I got to a certain point, I pushed through the waterfall, and found a large, hollowed out cave behind it. I went all the way to the deepest, darkest, and most dank part of it, and curled up there, staring into the darkness.

There had been a couple fairies here when I first came in. But the moment I slogged into the cave, every single fairy seemed to get the message that I just wanted to be left alone, and promptly left.

How could I do this to her…? How… why…?

This was all wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. It was a perversion of everything I stood for. I had just accidentally, and essentially, enslaved Nitori, and I was her master. That was what I had turned our relationship into; we went from friends, to master-and-servant.

If anything, I wanted to just turn this all around. To make it like it never happened in the first place. A small part of me wanted to stick the blame on Marisa, because she had known what would happen, yet chose not to stop me. But I knew I couldn't. For some reason, in my heart, I knew that it was my fault. Because I had come up with that stupid idea in the first place. There was no one else to blame but me.

All of this was my own fault….

Then, out of the blue, I felt something coming from the entrance of the cave at the same time as I heard the footsteps. Someone had come out to find me.

"Kaito-kun…."

Damn it all. It was Nitori. She was the only one here who referred to me under that honorific.

I curled up a little tighter, feeling the weight of my guilt grow even larger in her presence. I didn't answer.

The steps grew closer, and the aura sense grew stronger. "Kaito-kun…."

I closed my eyes tightly, hoping to shut out the noise. It didn't help; her voice was echoing off the walls, and it was inescapable.

But this time, I answered, in a very strained fashion, like I was trying to strangle myself to death. "What is it?"

A few more steps, and it came to a stop. Then something hit the floor. She had knelt down behind me.

"Kaito-kun, I…."

I wanted her to stop. I didn't want to hear anymore; I already felt guilty enough. But I knew if I said anything, she would be compelled to obey, and I didn't want that either.

"No… I shouldn't call you that… I should be saying Kaito-sama…."

A change in honorific. And the second wall was raised.

"I… I'm sorry…."

I think I snapped there.

Why? Why was she the one apologizing? She wasn't at fault at all here! Why?

"I-I was careless… and I made you go through so much trouble because of it. I'm sor-"

"Don't say it," I interjected.

Silence.

"Don't say you're sorry," I uttered shakily. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing. The only one who needs to apologize to anyone is me."

"No, you don't have to. Please, if anyone, I sho-"

"No!" I nearly shouted.

The near-shout reverberated off the walls, carrying it all the way out.

"You shouldn't be the one saying that," I cried. My voice had marginally leveled out, and it was no longer that loud. "It wasn't your fault. The only one at fault here is me. I was far more careless than you. I was the one who revived you when we got to the river. I was the one who turned you into a servant! None of this was your fault at all!"

Now I was crying even harder, and I could no longer hide my silent sobs. They slowly began rattling out as I gave into anguish.

"And yet you're the one trying to apologize…."

I turned all the way around, so I was kneeling, facing her. My arms were locked in place, hands tightly gripping my knees practically to the point of breaking them.

"Why? Why are you trying and apologize? Why are you trying to take the blame when I'm the one who deserves all of it? WHY?"

I shouted that last word. Almost every single bit of my despair and self-loathing was belted out in that single word.

For what felt like an hour, I could hear nothing above the waterfall outside, and my quiet sobs echoing around the walls.

Then Nitori spoke. "Because you don't really deserve the blame."

I was so shocked by her answer, I almost stopped crying.

What in the world was she talking about?

"It wasn't your fault for not knowing the traditions of Gensokyo. I know you didn't intend on doing what you did, and I won't condemn you for being inexperienced. There is no shame in making a mistake that you know will not happen again."

She placed a single comforting hand on one of mine. I couldn't look at her, managing only to stare at her hand. But my arms loosened up a little. Just a little.

"You have to forgive yourself for this. It won't do for you to take the blame for something that was not your fault.

"But… even if you do not forgive yourself… then know that I forgive you."

My eyes widened.

Could she really mean that?

Very slowly, I looked up. The eyes I met were soothing. Understanding.

My insides turned to putty.

"Please… forgive yourself. And if you can't forgive, then please, forget. I will forgive you either way."

Tears were shed anew.

I couldn't believe it….

My lip began to tremble.

Without warning, I yanked Nitori into a tight hug. She gasped.

"Nitori-chan… I… I don't know what to say. But… the least I can do is… thank you…."

That was all I could manage before my voice began going hoarse. The sobs still came, but they were much more controlled now.

Then, I felt her arms on my back. "You don't need to thank me… Kaito-sama…."

That single name brought me back down to earth rather hard. I let go immediately. This was going to be difficult….

"Um… Nitori-chan," I choked slightly, rubbing away my tears. "Wait a second, I-"

"One moment!" she interrupted. "There's something I need to tell you first."

"H-huh?" My head was still spinning from my own stupid actions. If anything, the very tiny smile on Nitori's face threw me off even more.

"There's a small part of this pact that even Momiji and Marisa don't know about. It's a secret that is kept from anyone that is outside the pact."

"R-really? Oh…." That made me feel a little worse about forcing her into this, since now I was being divulged in a kappa secret. But I brought that around on myself. No point in trying to complain.

"Alright, well, what is it?"

"The pact isn't really eternal."

I blinked.

"W-what?"

She was kidding, right?

Her eyes darted away shamefully. "I'm sorry I didn't explain this earlier. I could have helped save a lot of pain. But the truth is, this contract, while binding, can be revoked. Once a whole week has passed since the contract was made, then the master can choose to call off the contract if they wish. It was a newly implemented system that came around only a few centuries ago."

My mouth just hung agape. What the heck?

"Please, don't be mad," she pleaded. "I-I just got caught up with how bad you must have felt doing something like this. I'm sorry!"

"No, you don't have to. Honestly, I don't think anyone would have been able to control themselves in the face of something like this."

"So… you're not mad?"

I shook my head. "Of course not. Why would I be mad?"

"But, I thou-"

"No, it's okay. Just drop it, alright?"

She opened her mouth to argue. But then she closed it, and nodded.

I was about to feel relieved, until I realized I had essentially just given her a command. That meant that she only stopped herself because she was supposed to obey me.

Oops.

I sighed. "Look, Nitori-chan… We're going to have to do something about this…."

She cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

I turned away in discomfort. "Well, you know… being in the… m-master-servant relationship…."

I didn't want to say that, but there was no other way to put it. And it put me beyond uncomfortable.

But it wasn't just because of the new relationship we were suddenly shoved into. It felt like something deeper than that. Overcoming these walls – now that I was calm and thinking much more clearly – would actually be relatively easy. But that wasn't all, for some reason.

"Oh… right."

I sighed. "Look, I just don't really feel comfortable with this whole 'master-servant' thing. It's just…."

"What is it?"

"Well, I've only known you for a week! How can I feel comfortable knowing your my servant? This is going to sound a little selfish, but couldn't you just be my friend instead?"

"What? You mean…."

"Yes. I don't want us to have to act any differently just because we're supposed to be master and servant. Please, I want you to treat me like you usually would. Just like before. Before… all this."

"But-"

"No!" I grabbed her by the arms, feeling desperate. I wasn't quite sure why I felt like this. All I knew was that I didn't want this wall to drive us too far apart. "Listen to me. What do you want to see me as? A master, or a friend?"

She looked at me with cautious eyes, as if seriously considering my question. "Um… Well…."

I pulled her a bit closer. "I don't want to see you as a servant. I want to see you as my friend. You get what I mean, don't you?"

She nodded numbly.

"Then why can't we?" I asked, smiling. "We can be that, can't we? Just Be Friends?"

For just a moment, Nitori's eyes stared into mine. I wasn't sure how she would respond, but it looked like she understood what I meant. This wasn't a command; it was a question for her to answer on her own.

And she nodded, and hugged me. "Yes. We can. I'm sorry… Kaito-kun."

And the honorific changed back. Thank god.

"Well, you two seem to be getting along!"

"Gah! W-what the- Marisa-san, where did you come from?"

The witch grinned at me as she came between Nitori and I. "What? You didn't think Nitori managed to get into this cave on her own, did you?"

Oh. I'd completely forgotten that Nitori couldn't fly on her own. Marisa was right; the only way she could have found me here was if she had help.

""Come on, you two! The party isn't going to start if its four honored guests aren't there, you know."

"Four?" I pointed out. "Then-"

"Yes, I'm here too." In walked the white wolf.

"I'm sorry for causing you to flee like that," she apologized. "I was too harsh on you. I was simply angered at the fact that your stupidity wound up enslaving one of my only friends throughout the entire Youkai Mountain range. Please, forgive me."

"No, it's fine," I assured, scratching my head. "Honestly, I think you should have scolded me more. I really did deserve it."

Momiji shook her head, a small smile on her face. "It doesn't matter; you understand the consequences of your actions. That is enough for me."

I nodded. "That's good."

I finally stood back up after so much time. "Well, it's time to go back. Shall we?" I offered a hand out to Nitori.

My friend.

She smiled, and took it. "Yes."


"Yeah! Party!"

It had been an hour since the four of us got back. The moment we returned, we were ushered into the shrine to sit at the head of the table near Kanako, and the party officially began. Food was consumed by the plateful. Drinks were passed around the table constantly, and many chose to partake in a drinking contest. Marisa and Momiji could both hold their liquor surprisingly well (or at least, they managed about three or four cups of sake before actually choosing to call it quits), and Sanae complained that Suwako shouldn't be drinking all that much – or better yet, not at all (despite her being a millennia-old goddess).

I excused myself from the festivities, wishing to have a little peace and quiet. I didn't want to sleep yet though, so I just sat myself on the top step of the shrine porch.

It felt good, looking out at the sky like this. We were at the top of a mountain right now, so all of the stars were even closer than before. The moon was a beautiful white globe in the sky, waxing past its gibbous stage and heading towards a full moon.

It was glorious. Though it felt a bit disappointing compared to the infinite space I had seen inside Eientei. But I felt fine with just this; staring out into the night from a porch almost felt just as good.

"Hey!"

I sighed. Just when I was getting a bit of quiet compared to the cacophony inside. I looked over my shoulder, and Marisa was there, glass of sake in hand.

"What's up? Something wrong with enjoying the festivities?" Her voice was slurred; she was obviously drunk. Yet she didn't seem to act any different. Weird.

"No, it's not that." I looked back to the stars. "I just wanted a bit of time to myself is all."

"Oh really?" She sat herself down next to me, sipping from her glass. "Well, misery loves company, right?"

"Who said I was miserable?"

"I did! You're hanging out here by yourself. That means you have something on your mind that's bothering you, right?"

"Well, not really…."

"Ah, come on! You can spill it!" She pulled me in closer. "If you won't, then I might have to force you." Her other hand raised the half-filled glass a little higher.

"I don't have anything to spill though," I resisted, trying to pull myself away.

"Seriously? Well, suit yourself, then."

She let go of me, and I reset myself. "I do have something to ask, though."

"Oh? Well, what is it?"

"It's about earlier, back at the river. When I… you know… k-kissed… Nitori-chan... you knew what was going to happen. Why didn't you tell me? About the whole 'pact' thing and all that? If you had, I would never have done something so hasty and idiotic."

"Ah, that's what you're wondering?"

She put down her glass and stared off into the sky.

"I'm not really sure," she laughed. "I just chose not to, I guess!"

"That's it?" I said, incredulous.

"Yeah, I suppose so!" she confirmed, smiling widely.

I sighed. Now that I was getting to know her a little better, I was actually getting slightly used to the fact that Marisa was the "do what I want" kind of person. She'd be hard to deal with, but I didn't really mind it that much. There wasn't anything I could do to really change her.

"You know, it's weird…."

"Eh?" I turned back to the magician. "What is?"

"You didn't seem at all disturbed by the fact I was teasing you about that kiss," she said a little dreamily. She looked ready to fall asleep soon. "Anyone else probably would have completely freaked out on me and refused to do it. Why not you? Are you just a carefree person like Reimu?"

I considered her words. Now that I thought about it a little more, I realized she was right. Despite all her teasing, I had just waved it off and gone ahead with the act anyhow.

"Hm… I guess I was just used to it."

"Huh?"

"As in, used to the teasing. It may have to do with my time with the outside world, but while I was bothered by what you were saying, I didn't care about it. Maybe I just learned to ignore stuff like that back outside."

I smiled a little. "Maybe it was because I had friends like you back outside. People that loved to tease me about various things. I'm not sure; it could be. Because as I listened to your joking, I felt something that was more like annoyance than anything. Maybe that was how I was outside as well."

Silence.

"Cool story, bro!"

"Eh?" Her offhanded answer caught me off guard.

"If that's how you really are," she said, throwing an arm over my shoulder and smiling at me, "then you and I are gonna get along just fine!"

After a quick moment, I responded with a smile. "Yeah. You're probably right."

"Alright!" She rose from her seat. "Well, I'm gonna go explore the shrine for a bit, see if there's anything good for taking home."

"So you're going to pilfer the place?"

"Not pilfer! Just borrow until I die!"

I sighed. Well, there was no stopping her. I waved a hand, indicating that I was just going to ignore it.

And I was alone once again. It didn't last very long.

"Hello, Kaito-san."

A fwump indicated a new guest in my presence, and I turned to see Momiji, her face bright red. Again, she was obviously drunk, yet her voice wasn't slurred. Weird.

"Hello, Momiji-san."

We sat there in silence, just looking up at the stars.

"The view's nice, isn't it?"

"Huh? Yeah, it is." Her personality didn't seem very different either (or at least, not from what I could tell). Maybe she just wasn't that drunk?

"Hey, why were you sneaking around the bushes down by the river before?" I asked, following along with her icebreaker. "If you had just come to greet us normally, you might not have gotten hit by my star bullets."

Her eyes narrowed, as if remembering and contemplating. She spoke only moments later.

"Have you ever been picked up by an oni and thrown at another one before?"

"Huh?"

Her question rang a bell in my head. Hadn't Yuugi mentioned something like that when I met her in Hell?

So Momiji had been that tiangou? Wow….

That must have sucked.

"Well… no, but… I can imagine it. Sort of."

Truthfully, I really could. And I could easily tell that something like that would not be fun.

"Well, I have," she confirmed. "And that was the most terrifying experience I've ever had. On top of being used as a human projectile to start the fight, I had been caught in a bit of the ensuing brawl. The scars left on my body were hardly a problem, but I was so scared that I was left shaking for three days afterward. Even now, I'm still somewhat frightened, and when I was wandering around the river, I heard voices. Now I understand that those voices had been you three, but I was still cautious at that time, so I decided to hide in the bushes for some time before confronting you.

"Oh, I see."

She sighed. "That was a stupid question. Of course a greenhorn to Gensokyo would never have experienced something like that."

"Well, that just proves that I'm still inexperienced, right?"

"I know…. That's the only reason why I haven't gutted you yet."

Whoa. This conversation was taking a rather negative turn.

Without warning, Momiji grabbed me by the collar and yanked me close. "I swear if I ever hear anything about you hurting Nitori, or abusing your power as her master, then I will not care in the slightest that you're a newbie in these parts. She's my friend, I will not hesitate to run you through with my scimitar if you dare touch her. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes… I understand completely!" I uttered shakily. Holy crap; I hadn't expected her to pull the "if you hurt her" card on me. And now that I was getting it, I was terrified, not just because of what she was trying to tell me, but because of what would happen if I didn't listen to her. I was pretty sure she wasn't dropping an empty threat.

She stared menacingly at me for another second. Then she said "Good," let go of me, and walked off.

I breathed a sigh of relief. God, this was going to be harder than I thought.

"Nya~"

"Oof!" Something jumped onto me from behind, securing a pair of strong arms around my neck. I didn't need to look back to know who it was, because I found out a single second later.

"Is something wrong, master?"

I could only think Oh god. It was Nitori. And she was drunk too. Geez, was I the only one who had refrained from drinking at all?

"N-no, nothing's wrong," I stuttered slightly. Her question had caught me off guard with the whole 'master' part. And judging from her sudden change in attitude, what with the sudden hug from behind, she was much more smashed than either Marisa or Momiji from before.

"Are you sure? You seem disturbed."

No, really, it's nothing." I definitely wasn't going to tell her about what Momiji had just done to me. One, because it was frightening, and two, because it concerned Nitori.

Her arms unlocked themselves from my neck. "Okay then!"

Gee, her current state reminded me a bit about Koishi.

"You'll… treat me well… right?"

I turned to look her straight in the face (it was hard not to, since she was leaning barely two inches away from me). Her eyes were glittering under the effects of intoxication, though I thought I saw something a bit deeper than that.

I think a small part of my brain fizzled out at that moment since she was so close, and under the effects of alcohol. Her expression was completely serious, meaning that this was a straight question.

My lips flattened out. They weren't smiling, but at least I didn't look like a total fool. "Of course I will. Don't worry."

On instinct, for whatever reason, I reached out a hand and patted her lightly on the head (her hat had gone off to who knows where). "I'll take care of you. I promise."

Between my words and the patting, she smiled again, this time rather goofily. "Okay."

Then, all of a sudden, she yawned loudly. And she dropped so her head and arms were lying in my exposed lap.

A tomato spattered itself over my face in less than three seconds. What the hell was Nitori doing? This was….

She looked up at me with the cheerful face of a young child. "You don't mind if I lay here, do you, master?"

At this point, my brain really started malfunctioning. My tongue tied itself up completely, and my palms started getting sweaty. I couldn't believe Nitori was doing this. And I thought the instance all the way back at Eientei had been bad!

But then, as my brain began rewiring itself into working condition, I thought, what was the problem? I didn't seem to mind this in the slightest. Here was Nitori, the girl I'd met barely a week ago, sleeping on my lap, and yet I was perfectly fine, aside from my sudden lack of motor control.

Maybe Marisa was right; maybe I was a carefree kind of person.

This time, I smiled gently. "No, I don't mind. Go ahead."

I looked away a bit awkwardly; I just hoped she didn't realize what else she was making my body do. And she was lying right on top of it.

She giggled, and lay back down. Her face assumed that of peaceful slumber, aside from the small smile she still wore.

Man, she looked really cute like that….

"Thank you… master…."

I knew she was just drunk, but her saying that still made me feel uncomfortable. Just a little.

With a single hand, I stroked her hair. "You don't have to call me that," I reminded her.

She shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. "Mmh… Kaito… kun…."


Author'sNotes:

I swear, this entire chapter was just forcing/begging me to write it. The initial urge was so strong, in fact, that I powered through more than half the chapter (upwards of 3500 words) in only half a day. This chapter would have come up yesterday, if not for the fact that it was 11:00 by the time I was done, and my mom was hounding me about going to bed. The fact that school restarted didn't help my case.

Whatever the case, here it is: the next chapter~

Shocking, no? Momiji wasn't lying about the 'eternal pact' in the slightest; look it up on Wikipedia, and you'll find it for yourself. I actually found that fact quite some time ago when I was doing some research for a different story, and I thought "Huh, that sounds kind of interesting. Might come in handy later..." Cue a time about two or three chapters ago, and I realized the perfect way to incorporate it into the story, and... well yeah, this was the result.

However, Wikipedia also states that "it is said" to be for eternity, so details are, of course, up in the air. I used that as a leverage point to throw in the 'revocable" part of the contract. To some, however, leaving it as eternal serves as a much higher wall to scale (as would be characteristic of love stories and such), and I agree, but that's not what I'm aiming for here, so if that comes off as a disappointment, I apologize, but I'm moving on regardless.

Okay, laying that to rest for now. On to other stuff...

From what I gather, Momiji is supposed to be the "driven guard dog" versus the "innocent puppy" the fandom generally seems to love. Obviously, I went with the "driven guard dog" version. The thing is, I believe I managed to get the "guard dog" part patted down rather flat, but I don't think I got enough of the "drive". Any takes on that? Any words of advice are appreciated.

Also, I'd like to point out a rather blatant shout-out. What can I say? I love Vocaloid songs, and that one is one of my favorites. When I saw the chance, I just had to take it!

No points for being able to guess what I'm talking about.

The next one coming is going to take a rather sharp swerve. Hope you enjoyed this chapter~