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 35: Will Of The Ghost

"Hmph!"

"Eh? Kaito-san, is something wrong?"

I couldn't respond. My hand was clamped over my mouth and nose, trying not to breath in the horrid stench. My knees felt weak, and I almost fell face first. At the very least, I collapsed to my knees.

What the… was this….

"Kaito-san, what's wrong?"

"Ngh… th… this…."

I couldn't hold back anymore; I vomited.

"Kaito-san! Are you sick? Do you need help?"

My breathing was heavy, ragged. Even if I could make out a response, I wouldn't have said it, with my throat burning. But I could control myself a little better. The smell was going away. It wasn't so disgusting, so overpowering, anymore. I tried to breathe more normally. It was working… somewhat. I desperately wanted to leave now, but my legs simply didn't feel like they had the strength.

One of my eyes was still shut in pain as I tried to speak. It was difficult doing so; I was still gagging heavily due to the smell.

"I… I'll… be fine. Something… just… came over me."

I stared down at my own vomit in shame. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'll… find something to clean this up."

"No, don't," Youmu denied. "Stand aside."

She pulled me a bit, and dragged me over to kneel a short ways away. Then she took a couple steps back, facing out the door. She knelt, drawing and slashing with her katana in a single fluid movement. An iaijutsu technique.

I practically felt the wind pass by, and I was pretty sure that if I had stood in the way of it, the wind probably would have nearly cut me in two. Even without looking, I could already tell that she had probably blown away all the vomit with that single sword slash. Damn, talk about mundane utility.

She resheathed her blade, and came to me. "Do you need rest?"

I shook my head. "No. I'll be fine."

"Very well then."

She stood back up, and that was when I heard it. It sounded like… clapping? Applause?

I turned to the source, and there was a person sitting with her legs underneath a futon. Her kimono was sky blue, with little cloud patterns printed along the front. A matching hat was worn over bright pink hair, with a ghost headband – or rather, a hitaikakushi, I should say – encircling it. She looked to be in her late twenties or so, with a couple of tiny ghost bobbing back and forth around her. The aura she had was a deep shade of pink – much darker than Kaguya's. But unlike every other identifiable aura I'd felt up to this point, her's was obvious, yet had some kind of dark vibe around it. Something that felt like it was underneath all the normality on the surface. What was it?

"Nicely done, Youmu~" she cooed. "I haven't seen you do something like that in quite a while."

"O-ojou-sama, what are you saying!" The swordsman girl looked down in embarrassment.

"Oh nothing~" the woman giggled. "Run along now. I'd like to speak with Kaito alone."

"If you say so, ojou-sama."

Youmu bowed to both of us, and left the room, sliding the door shut. A few loud steps on the wood later, she was gone.

I moved from my spot so I was kneeling next to the futon, and I bowed from there. "Greetings, um… ojou-sama."

I had no other way of addressing her, so I thought it safer to just use the same honorific as Youmu.

"Oh you don't have to call me that," the woman replied, smiling gently. "Please, just call me Yuyuko."

Then her smile grew wider. "Or if you'd like, you can call me Yuyu-chan~"

"Er…." My eyes glanced away awkwardly. Was that really any way to refer to an older woman? "No thank you. I'll just… call you Yuyuko-sama."

"Aw, but that still sounds so formal," Yuyuko whined, putting on a pouting face.

Geez, why was she acting like this? Was she some kind of adult child?

"Oh, I'm just kidding," she teased, resuming her usual cheery smile. "You can call me whatever you want!"

Man, it was goin to be hard, dealing with someone as whimsical as that.

"But enough of that."

I perked up. Yuyuko looked almost exactly the same as before, but something different was reflected in her eyes. It held some kind of seriousness that I couldn't quite catch.

Nor comprehend; it felt powerful enough to knock me off balance with minor confusion. This was the same whimsical ghost that had joked about her name just a few seconds ago?

"You can feel it, can't you?"

"E-eh?" Feel what?

"Yukari explained to me your power to see the auras of those around you. A peculiar power for a human to have, but an interesting one, nonetheless. And from what she said, your reign over this ability is almost absolute. You can see that which even those with similar power cannot. So what do you see?"

"Uh…."

Truthfully, I couldn't tell. It was something that felt nestled into the back of my mind, where I could barely see it. I could tell it was there, but itendtifying it felt impossible.

"Here."

Yuyuko reached over, placing two fingers on my eyelids. Being so close, my senses were filled with an overpowering scent of fresh cherry blossoms. "Look not with your eyes, Kaito. Look with your mind. Your heart and soul. And tell me what you see."

She pulled down, closing my eyes for me, and lifted her hand away.

I breathed slowly, calming myself from the terrifying wave of darkness that had washed over me earlier. And I focused, on the very point.

In my mind's eye, I could see Yuyuko. Her aura had shrunk, adapting to the shape of her person, all the way down to her legs under the futon. I could almost feel myself blush, since the way it revealed her figure left me mentally staring at someone with one of the most beautiful bodies I'd ever seen. Put simply, I was sure that out of everyone I'd ever met, Yuyuko would be the only one – besides maybe Kaguya – to fit the 'hourglass body'.

It was pretty embarrassing seeing her like this, to say the least.

"Now now, don't stare too much~"

I winced. Damnit, she wasn't helping.

I did my best to divert my attention, focusing on the point I was supposed to be looking for. Something that had felt off in my initial scan.

Then I felt it. Something that very nearly escaped my notice. It seemed to be centered around Yuyuko's heart. It felt heavy, foreboding. Like some kind of cancer that had latched itself onto her very being.

"You can see it, right?"

"Um… well, yes." I opened my eyes once more. "I see something. Or, not really see it, but I know it's there."

"Then I shall explain…

"Long ago, when I was still alive, I had the power to control spirits. I couldn't quite see them, but I knew they were there. With a simple thought, I could make someone do anything I wanted. I could make them dance. Do a cartwheel. Eat a dumpling as large as a dog. Anything at all, as long as it was possible for the person in question."

Her eyes grew somber. "But this power frightened me. I didn't enjoy being able to control others like this. I tried my absolute best to keep from using it, but at some times, it was inevitable. I would wind up using my power, whether on accident, or sometimes, even for my own selfish desires.

"However, my power did not regress in strength. It only grew stronger, to the point where, on a whim, I would instantly bring death to any person. I wouldno longer only control them; if I wished it, they would simply die. This power remains with me even now; if I wished it, I could cut the ties between your current soul and your physical body, and you would stay here in Hakugyokoro until you reached enlightenment, or were sent to Hell."

The power to cause death?

I stared at Yuyuko with a look that held two things: fear and awe. This was just incredible.

"Because of my power, I didn't want to live anymore, and one day, on a cold winter day, I killed myself under a cherry blossom tree. The people of the village, seeing an opportunity, used my body as a seal, in order to lock away a great evil that was terrorizing the land. Now, if you would please…."

She slipped off the futon and held out a hand, asking me to help her get up.

"Wait a moment, if you were resting in bed, shouldn't you stay? I can ask Youmu-san to-"

"No. Even Youmu doesn't know of this. I fear what she may do once she hears of it. Please, help me."

I didn't feel very comfortable doing this. If even Yuyuko's assistant didn't know about something like this, then what right did I have? But I couldn't just turn her down, could I?

I gave her my hand and stood, pulling her up with me. She stumbled a bit then righted herself. It turned out she wasn't much shorter than I was.

"Thank you. Please, take me outside."

She wasn't expecting me to actually lead her out, was she?

I couldn't believe how long the walk was to get out of the main house. Even the shortest way out took a couple minutes, involving at least two other hallways, and passing through three rooms. I'd have to get a better look at the house from above later. It seemed pretty ridiculous to have such a big house when there were only two occupants most of the time.

Still, at least I got to get a good look outside. For the most part, it looked pretty much exactly the same as any other place in Gensokyo; green fields stretching off as far as the eye could see, with a couple of paved paths for the residents of Hakugyokoro. Trees were everywhere, along with various other fauna. Spirits floated around in groups, or alone, flitting back and forth between trees, plants, and even circling around me on occasion. Sometimes, a spirit woul join Yuyuko, and another would leave.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. A clear blue sky and gentle sun bathed the field in a comforting light. Cherry blossom petals dropped off the trees on occasion, filling the air with a tantalizing smell.

Truthfully, I could have said it felt downright romantic, even in the day.

Too bad I felt uncomfortable as hell with Yuyuko on my arm like this.

"You seem antsy. Is something wrong?"

"Er…." I looked away in embarrassment. "No, of course not."

"Ufufufu~ You don't have to sound so bashful, you know. I'm only holding onto you because I need the support.

"Unless of course…." She clung a little tighter, and I swore I could feel my arm press a bit more against her chest. "There's something else that you want."

"No no, that's fine, Yuyuko-sama!" I was having a hard enough time as it was!

The ghost giggled. "Okay then~"

"A-anyway…" I continued. "Where are we supposed to be going?"

"It's just a little further. Keep going."

We kept walking for a minute, and I could see a clearing up ahead where the path widened out. And there was something big.

Something big that I didn't like. It felt like I was hitting the main source of some of the troubles that had been plaguing me all this time. It was crawling at the back of my mind, somehow, and it refused to let me leave it alone.

Finally, we reached the clearing.

And in the middle of it was the largest tree I'd ever seen.

Trying to measure how tall it was would be an impossible task worthy of Kaguya. Even just one of its roots, which all remained above the surface, punching their way into the ground, had to be at least three times my own height. The bark was a dirty burnt black with flecks of brown. And spawning on almost every branch on the entire tree were cherry blossoms. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of them, all sitting there unopened, waiting for the right time. Seeing it hit full bloom would be incredible.

And yet seeing the blossoms only brought to me a sense of apprehension. The tree wasn't all that it seemed to be. Something was behind it.

It felt like an evil presence inside the tree.

"You can feel it?"

"Eh? Yes, Yuyuko-sama. I can."

At this, Yuyuko let go of my arm and slowly made her way over to one of the roots. A single hand touched it, and I could feel something pass between the two. She drifted silently upward, touching back down on the top of the root, and she continued walking over to the base of the tree. I followed along, remaining a short distance behind.

What was that thing that had passed between Yuyuko and the tree? It felt like the two were somehow connected to one another; the thing that had passed felt exactly the same as the presences hanging behind both.

Then, Yuyuko stopped, and turned back to me. Even now, she was still smiling that same smile she had when I first saw her.

"This… this is the Saigyou Ayakashi. It is a curses tree, for within it sleeps a demon of immense strength. For eight hundred years, it has slept, attempting to use its power to coax the living under its branches so it may sap away their spirit. It has never succeeded in gaining enough power so it may free itself, for this is the world of the dead. While the dead have some power, they are not sufficient for the ayakashi under the tree. And for all the years it's been under there, it has never awoken, nor has the tree ever bloomed.

"At least… not until a year ago."

"A year ago?" Whoa. This was incredible. But the sinister sense was coming back. What did she mean?

"You see… I forgot about my past life. For many years, I lived without a fragment of very important knowledge concerning the Saigyou Ayakashi. For almost all the time I've been alive, this three has never bloomed a single cherry blossom. And I knew that there had been a body sealed, buried within the tree for some reason. So I hatched a plan to have Youmu gather the essence of spring from the outside of Hakugyokoro so the tree would bloom fully, releasing the body that was sealed within. My actions delayed the coming of spring itself, and for this reason, Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya all came to Hakugyokoro to stop me. Unbeknownst to them, however, with them came the last essences of spring I needed to make the tree reach full bloom. In a one-on-three battle, I managed to defeat them, and from them I took the spring I needed and gave it to the Saigyou Ayakashi. The tree reached full bloom for the first time in eight hundred years. It was glorious…."

A tiny bit of Yuyuko's smile shrunk away. "But everything went wrong. The body was released from its slumber, but so too was the ayakashi sealed within. And I realized who was sealed then. It was the part of my memory that was missing."

She remained silent, as if reminiscing about the incident. My mind worked out the rest.

"The one sealed under the tree was you, wasn't it, Yuyuko-sama?"

The ghost nodded. "My power over spirits and death gave me a powerful connection with spirits. Using this knowledge, the humans from eight hundred years ago took my body and used it to lock away the ayakashi that had terrorized them for so long. But since my body was sealed in such a way, my spirit could not move on towards enlightenment, Heaven, or Hell. I was reincarnated here, as you see me now, and under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Yama Judge of Gensokyo, I was appointed the queen of the Netherworld. A fitting title for one who would remain here for the rest of eternity."

She turned back to face the Saigyou Ayakashi. I found myself staring at her in complete awe. She had to suffer through so much just so she could be used to lock away a monstrous tree with her own body.

But that meant….

"But… the tree is gaining power again… isn't it?"

Her head dropped. For some time she said nothing. But when she spoke, I could tell she was trying to keep her voice as level as possible. I didn't know if it was because she was crying, or some other factor.

"That's right. That day, more than a year ago, the seal was broken. I lost control of my body as the ayakashi attempted to completely break free of its prison. But through the efforts of Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya, it was resealed. For the time being after that, the crisis was averted. But the initial break had left cracks in the seal, and I believe the ayakashi is able to steadily gain back its power through those. Even now, it is still feeding, biding its time as it continues to make its way back to full power. The evidence is in the cherry blossoms blooming. I believe it will reach its peak by the end of the week, when the full moon comes out."

She raised her head to look up at the destructively beautiful cherry blossoms spawning on the branches. "And once that happens, I will cease to exist. And all of Gensokyo will be in grave danger."

In a single fluid motion, Yuyuko turned away from the tree, striding back over to look up at me.

"For now, there is no stopping it. No matter what we do, the ayakashi will break out by the end of the week. Perhaps one day, the people of Gensokyo will find a way to seal it away once more, or even destroy it. All I ask of you is that you don't tell Youmu of any of this. She has been my servant for so long and, if you don't mind the joke, I love her to death. Please, say not a word of this to her. Not until you deem it absolutely necessary to do so, or you cannot hide the secret any longer. Promise me."

Staring into her maroon eyes, I wanted to say no. Everything was wrong with this. I was just some person Yukari had thrown into Gensokyo for whatever reasons she had. I had no right to hear about any of this at all. Yet Yuyuko had just confided in me everything she could not bear to tell even her closest servant.

What else could I do?

As disgusted as I felt in doing so, I slowly nodded my head. "Okay."

Her smile returned. "Thank you."

She walked past me. "Come, Kaito. We should go back. You're going to have a hard time explaining to Youmu why we went out for a walk like this, you know?"

Yeah….

Wait a second….

"Hey, why do I have to be the one that explains!"

Was she asking for me to get cut in half again?

What the hell am I going to do…?

That question had been bouncing around my head for the entire day since Yuyuko and I got back form visiting the Saigyou Ayakashi. Explaining to Youmu the whole situation while keeping up my promise to Yuyuko was… difficult, to say the very least. I was pretty sure it took at least fifteen minutes to shake off all of her inquiries despite how much I insisted that nothing happened there (she seemed really intent on making me out as some kind of criminal). Once that was done, and a couple more hours passed uneventfully, the three of us joined Nitori at the table for a rather large dinner – most of which was eaten, as odd as it was to watch, by Yuyuko herself, who had an appetite large enough for maybe three people (admittedly, all that food had to go somewhere).

Now, however, it was night, and there wasn't much else to do. Yuyuko had excused herself early from the dinner table (an action that outright shocked Youmu for some reason), and once everyone was finished with their food, we all took our dishes to the kitchen, where Youmu said she would wash them herself.

"Why don't you take a bath for the time being?" Youmu had suggested. "There's a bath house behind here, and there are lots of supplies for washing up there."

"Sure, why not? Nitori-chan do you-"

I turned towards the door, but she was already gone.

"-want… to go first?" I finished, saying it to open air. Wow, she certainly left in a hurry. Though I couldn't quite blame her; it must have been awkward sitting at the table with me and Youmu. Thankfully Yuyuko had no idea what transpired, otherwise she probably would have teased all three of us about it.

"If your girlfriend does not wish to bathe yet, then-"

"Hey, since when was she my girlfriend?"

"Wasn't that the reason she was hugging you in the middle of the hall like that?"

"No! I thought I explained that nothing was going on between the two of us."

That was only a half-truth; we were in a relationship, sure, but not a romantic one. Not that Youmu knew that, but still….

Geez, where were people getting these ideas?

"I… see," she said in a tone I couldn't quite identify. It seemed caught between confusion and something else. "Well, if your… ahem, friend, doesn't wish to bathe yet, then why don't you go on ahead first?"

"Um… alright then."

And that was that.

The bath house was puny in comparison to the main house itself, but was still fairly big compared to the bath house I had gone to the night Nitori and I had stayed at Rinnosuke's place. I was in the guy's side of the house, gathering the things I would take in with me; a towel, some liquid I could only assume was shampoo, and a spare robe I would change into once I was done. After that, I made my way down the halls, and stepped outside into the open air bath.

I could only assume that half the size of the house was comprised of the actual bathing area. There was one huge hot spring pool right smack in the center of the giant rock complex that made up the bathing area, with one or two smaller pools off to the side. Copious amounts of steam wafted out of the pool, draping the entire place with a semi-thick blanket of white that reduced visibility to maybe ten feet before everything started getting blurry.

It was pretty amazing, to say the least. The one back outside had been nothing like this.

With careful steps, I slowly walked over to the largest pool in the entire complex, making sure not to slip and crack my head open on the rocks. It was pretty slow going, even though the rocks weren't the most slippery ones I'd ever treaded on, but I wasn't taking any chances, being barefoot.

But then I saw something odd. Through the mists, I saw a shadow. What was that? Or rather, who was that, maybe?

Something in the back of my head was telling me that something was wrong. That getting closer was a very bad idea. I wanted to obey it. But my curiosity was getting the better of me.

Against all my better judgement, I kept walking, my eyes squinting to get a better view. The shadow began adapting to a form, and I could see little details.

Wait a moment… was that…

Pink hair?

Oh shit!

My feet pulled the brakes, ready to start running back before I was seen. Unfortunately, I stopped to fast, and I slipped on the well-lubricated rocks.

"Whoa!"

The instant I regained my footing, I clapped my hand over my mouth. Oh god, please tell me she didn't hear me.

My prayers weren't heard. The head of pink hair turned, and a pair of maroon eyes saw me.

"Oh!" the voice called out, as if pleasantly surprised. "Is that you, Kaito?"

Crap, crap, crap! Just start backing away slowly. Now!

"No no, don't go~" Yuyuko said. "You were bold enough to come out here while I was in the bath, so why not stay?"

"T-th-that's not how it is at all!" I denied vehemently, my hand now pressed tightly against my eyes. I had expected her to just scream at me. I had no idea if this reaction terrified me more or not. "I-I just happened to walk in here, I'm sorry! I-I'll be leaving now."

"No, please, stay. I can wash your back for you~" she said in a singsong voice.

"No, i-it's quite alright. I can do it myself la-"

Foomp.

I couldn't back up any further; I had hit some kind of big fluffy wall.

The hand that wasn't held over my eyes tried pressing backwards, and felt the fluff all the way out beyond my arms length. What the….

As quickly as possible, I whipped away my hand and snapped my head over to try and see what was behind me.

It was a wall of spirits blocking my way.

Oh no….

"Please, I insist," Yuyuko called out past the steam. "I've taken baths with Youmu's grandfather before, you know. I don't mind taking a bath with a man."

For just a second, I was confused. Youmu's grandfather?

But that didn't matter. I shook my head vigorously. "I-it's fine, really! I can ju-yah!"

The wall of spirits suddenly moved, shoving me along. I tried to get decent footing to push back, but the rocks were too slippery.

"No no no, please don-WAAAAAA-"

PWA-SHOOM!

"Grgle… glub… blah!"

My breathing was heavy, having been dumped into the water so unceremoniously. The wall didn't pick up any speed; instead, it decided to pick me up and fling me into the pool face first. The water was fairly deep, so I didn't hit the bottom or anything, but the impact was enough to knock the breath out of me.

God, what was Yuyuko thinking? This was no place for me to be!

But before I could catch enough of my breath to start making my way out of the pool, something large and soft pressed against my back and a pair of arms wrapped around my neck.

"Come now, Kaito, don't be so shy~" came the playful voice right next to my ear as waves of red crashed around my cheeks. "No one else is here, so it's quite alright."

That was exactly what I was worried about. No one else was here, which meant it was the perfect opportunity for someone to walk in and completely misinterpret everything. And I had a nagging feeling that the misinterpretation would end with me getting either slapped or slashed to bits.

Goddamnit, I should have just backed away when I saw Yuyuko's shadow!

But now that I was here, there was no escape. I was in no state to try and break free of Yuyuko's grip.

My lip trembled for a bit. God, this was horrible.

I sighed, resigning myself to my fate. "Fine… let's just get it over with."

If someone came in here, I was so screwed.

"Splendid!" Yuyuko cheered. "Honestly, ever since Youki left, it's been awfully dull without a man around that I can tease. Teasing Youmu is fine, but it's just not the same~"

I refused to open my eyes, so Yuyuko had to take me by the hand and guide me all the way back to the far edge of the pool. Once we got there, she made me sit on the edge of the pool, feet dangling into the water, so she could wash my back for me.

"So how does it feel?" she asked candidly as her hands and a towel rapped back and forth across my bare back.

"I-it's… o-okay, I guess…" I answered shakily. It was a fairly honest answer, given that she was helping me get clean, and was being gentle about it. The thing was, my aura sense refused to leave me alone, and I was continuously being assaulted by a mental image of Yuyuko's aura behind me. I was thankful for the fact my back was turned towards her; I didn't want her to see what the hell my hormones were making me do.

"That's good. Please, Kaito, yukkuri shiteitte ne~ If this is the way you're going to act around the women you meet, then how will you ever find a girlfriend?"

"W-wh-what the hell! What are you talking about?"

"Lift your arms," she commanded, and I did so. "I'm saying that if you don't start being a little more confident, you'll never be able to get the girl you like. One day, you might have something like this happen again, and you might have to take a much more dominant role then."

I had an aching feeling that she was right about that, given my luck.

"You do have someone you like, don't you?"

"W-well… not in particular, no…."

"Really now…" she jabbed in a suspicious tone. I felt the need to groan.

"Is it that kappa girl?"

"W-what!" I exclaimed at her inquiry. It took quite a bit of my willpower to not snap my head backwards in disbelief. "N-n-no, of course not!"

"Oh you don't have to sound so flustered~" she teased, her hands removing themselves from my person before coming back a moment later, scrubbing shampoo into my hair. "There's some kind of relationship between the two of you already. I can tell~"

"Th-that's because… well…." My voice failed me.

"Because of what?"

"Because…."

As much as it hurt, I gave her the answer she seemed to want. In the middle of the explanation, Yuyuko finished helping me wash and – to my great embarrassment – said that now it was my turn to wash her.

"My, what an impressive story," Yuyuko cooed as I scrubbed her back. I insisted that while I felt at least comfortable enough to help wash her back and hair (and I still wasn't very comfortable, period), I was not going to wash her sides because of where my hands were going end up if I wasn't careful. To my surprise and extreme relief, she complied.

"You know…." The ghost turned to look at me with a face I couldn't read. "This sounds so much like a plot for an aspiring love drama~"

I just grumbled at that, refusing to speak further.

"But I can't exactly blame you. Nitori really is a nice girl isn't she?"

I made no indication I heard her at all this time. Yet she was right. Or, as 'right' as I would let her be, since I still felt that she was just teasing me, and that if I said anything, she would instantly tease me more.

"It must be nice… to have someone you can care for like that."

I almost stopped scrubbing her back at that. It sounded so sorrowful.

"I was… never really able to bond with anyone when I was still alive. Anyone except Yukari, actually. When I was alive, I was resting under an old cherry blossom tre, when Yukari suddenly came out to greet me. The two of us became friends very quickly. We talked often, chatting about various things; my life in Japan, and Gensokyo. Even though she was ancient, she loved talking with me, calling it an 'excursion from her daily boredom'. After I commited suicide and became the queen of the Netherworld, Yukari was one of the first people to meet me."

Her eyes glowed in a way I couldn't identify as she looked down in reminiscence. "I never really had to care for Yukari that much, since she was a powerful youkai even then. I wonder how she felt when she found out I had died….

"And now, it's almost the same as it was eight hundred years ago. I'm about to die, and Yukari will live on."

I didn't even noticed that my hands had stopped moving. I think I lost the will to do so, with such a depressing story falling on my ears.

Then, before I could react, a pair of arms took my head and pressed it against something soft. When I realized it was Yuyuko doing it, and that my head was being pressed into her chest, I was ready to freak out. But I knew I couldn't. Not without disrespect. So I quieted myself, refraining from attempting to break her grip.

"Thank you for listening to me Kaito," she said quietly. "I'm sorry for forcing myself upon you like this. These are the ramblings of an old ghost. A ghost that is about to die. I'm glad I was able to tell someone about this. Something too painful for me to even tell Youmu. Please, forgive me."

Then she released me. I sucked in a bit of air hungrily, not realizing that in order to keep from being disrespectful, I had heald my breath.

"I will be going now. Please, relax and enjoy the hot spring."

Her hand briefly brushed mine as she took back the towel she had given me. The rythymic tapping of feet against rocks, and Yuyuko was gone.

I didn't move very much for a few moments. Then, a little numbly, I folded up my own towel, which had been lying crumpled up on the floor, and silently slipped myself back into the hot spring pool, submerging myself all the way up to my neck. And again, the same question came back.

What the hell am I going to do…?

This was just too much for me to take in all at once. I was basically told, over the course of a day, the fate of all of Gensokyo, and a small portion of a centuries-old ghost's past. I was being dumped with the responsibility of keeping all of this a secret from the servant who was supposed to be the one and only confidant of that same ghost, and I was left with a bad taste in my mouth not just because of that but because of how horribly bad the situation was growing. Now I knew that – horrible pun aside – the root of the problem rest inside and beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi. But what good did that do me? What good did it do anyone? And who else knew about this besides me? No one?

Why was I the one being dumped with all this?

I sighed, sinking into the water a little more so my nose was nearly under. I realized that the sides were high enough for me to sit on while the pool got deeper as it got closer to the center.

For maybe a minute, I wallowed in my own thoughts, pondering my potential courses of action. But of course, as was standard for a situation like this, the more I thought, the less I got.

Then, suddenly, something hit my mind, and then my ears. What was that?

Were those…?

Oh hell no!

I dove beneath the surface and pushed off the wall, swimming with a skillful breaststroke across the pool. Once I'd gone as far as I could without coming up for air, I resurfaced. I was a good distance down. More than far enough so that the person there would not be able to see me for the steam.

Geez, why did I have to be here when Nitori was coming in?

No doubt that by now, she was already in the opposite end of the pool, completely unaware of my presence.

Completely unaware that I could….

As hard as I could without making it so loud as to reveal my presence, I slapped myself. Damnit, this aura sense wasn't a blessing anymore!

But despite everything, I couldn't quite stop staring at her, even if it was only mentally. Something about her just felt alluring for some reason. Some reason that felt different from the way I looked at the other girls of Gensokyo. Her looks were rather different from the other denizens that would be considered 'beautiful' by most any other boy. Undoubtedly, concerning some people like Yuyuko and Kaguya, I could never agree more. Yet Nitori held around her something that didn't feel nearly the same. It was more of the feeling that she was 'cute' and that it held some greater attraction for me than the more 'beautiful' people.

God, my mind was playing tricks on me again.

Making as little noise as possible, I dove beneath the water, swimming diagonally to reach a side of the pool where it would still be difficult for me to be seen, and I could escape without her ever knowing I was there.

I was lucky enough to actually make it to my destination instead of accidentally going off course and crashing right into the kappa. Once I was out of the pool and making my way back to the main bath house, where I would be safe from all form of assault, I stole a glance back to the edge where Yuyuko and I had been sitting only moments before. I could tell Nitori was still there.

Suddenly, as if to comply with some heaven-sent wish or something, the steam began thinning out. Through the steam, I could see Nitori. She was using her aquamancy abilities, picking up water and washing it over herself.

My teeth clenched as my cheeks flushed. And I turned to walk away.

It was going to be really hard talking to her for a while after this. I could just tell.

Author's Notes:

Well... here it is. The next chapter.

I'm... actually not very sure what I can say about this one. I mean, there's a lot to try and report about, I stuck so much in. Yet I don't really feel the need to really say anything. Guess the urge to try and find something to talk about has died for a while.

However, I will say something concerning a couple of reviews I received for the previous chapter (yes, I'm looking at you, Wrathkal and Ashley3wl). I have two counterarguments as to why 'Kaito's' thoughts are running the way they are, even in this chapter. One: we know what's supposed to be going on in terms of the love story plot, but 'he' does not, so being a hormone-filled guy, it's only natural (in my opinion) that 'he' would be thinking about things along those lines. Two: due to certain experiences from about five months ago concerning my current-but-back-then-not-my-girlfriend, I found out that when it comes to romantic situations or picking up the signs I may like someone or vice versa, I'm actually rather dense. So yeah.

Don't worry; slowly but surely, it will be coming, alright?

...Commenting on the statement above, I can practically hear SomeBITGamer crying out in rage at that.

But anyways, I'm actually going to be setting this story aside for a whole week after this weekend due to a week-long summer camp I'll be attending. Maybe I'll bring a notebook along so I can load it up with ideas and come back ready to power-write for a few hours straight. We'll see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter~