2 weeks since my last update. Not too bad an improvement from last time.


My hands move steadily across the paper, drawing symbols onto its surface, and giving form to the runic structure that would eventually go onto my body. Despite the fact that this was only a design, I'm focusing extremely hard on ensuring that every single stroke goes where it should be, as the slightest error could result in unwanted effects. Next to me is a long list of the places where I've made errors before, keeping track of them would help me know which parts to be careful at, and on the other side of me is a small pile of papers all filled with repeated runes, a testament to the practice I put into this so far.

I completed the final layout just two hours ago, and I immediately started working on my current project. Of course, the one who would be doing the task of tattooing the design into my body isn't me, but according to my studies, having a clear mental image of the runic array would increase the link between it and me, thus enhancing the overall effectiveness of the runes.

The ones on the palms is made up of eighty-eight runes in five concentric rings, with the size of the runes making up each ring shrinking in size the closer the ring is to the center; the smallest runes are approximately one millimeter in length, barely visible to the naked eye. The outer rings convert the magic I run through them into energy with the affinity for wood, or wind, and the next set directs the energy into a spin, an effect that is beneficial to gathering and thus increasing the overall conversion efficiency. The next two rings help to regulate or dissipate the flow according to my needs so I can control the output, or else I'd be shooting everywhere at full speed, and be more likely to collide into things at breakneck velocity. As for the smallest ring, that one is the spark plug, to ignite the collected energy in the right direction, and the one that requires the most attention to detail.

The ones that go around my ankles are pretty similar; magic conversion, energy focus and directing, but less emphasis on energy dissipation in exchange for stabilizing runes to balance my body against the output. Legs for the hard power, hands for the softer, finer control.

Patchy approved the design when I brought it to her, after multiple revisions from previous rejected attempts. Since I was going to have the thing tattooed onto my body, the ink that made up the tattoo had to have something in common... and the best medium was of course, blood. So the library was locked to Flan while I bled myself into a bowl that Koa would use to make up the ink, which would contain certain herbs and crystals that I had no idea of.

Still, it takes a lot of trust to let someone else do the tattooing, even though I know that it's impossible for me to do the job by myself. I try to imagine using my left hand to tattoo my right, and shudder at how much propensity it had for going wrong. That, and there's no way for me to do any simulation testing. I'm taking a HUGE risk here by trying it out with less than half a year's worth of studying runes. Least I could do is try to lessen it somehow in whatever way I can.

"Ikuto, you should take a break."

I jump slightly when I hear Sakuya's voice, and give her a pained look. "You gave me a shock... again."

The maid smiles. "That just shows you need to pay more attention to your surroundings."

I raise an eyebrow at her, and her smile widens slightly.

After all, we both know very well there's no way to detect her sneaking up on me when she does it in a time-stopped world.

I return her smile and push my seat back from the table. "Alright then, I guess I'll go spend some time with Meiling. No, I'm not going to train," I add hastily, seeing her change in expression, "I'm just going to talk, nothing more."

"Make sure you do that."

I nod, putting away my notes while disposing of the trash into the respective bin.

Just as I'm leaving, Sakuya stops me. "Ikuto."

"Yes?"

"I accept your invitation to visit the village." Her cheeks color slightly. "Will this evening be okay?"

I blink in surprise. "Y-yeah, sure... no problem."

"After dinner then."

I nod once more and head out of the library. Once I'm past the doors, my feet stop as my brain is hit with the full comprehension of what had just happened. Sakuya said yes to me asking her out for a date! I can hardly believe it! With that thought encouraging me, I continue down the corridor, and out of the mansion, a slight skip in my step.

I find Meiling dozing against the side of the gate as usual, and sit next to her legs on the ground waiting for her to wake up and notice me.

After a short while, she twitches and stirs. "Snrrrk... huh? Wha? Oh, Ikuto..."

"Good afternoon." I remark cheerfully. "Slept well?"

"Hah!" She immediately springs to full wakefulness. "Ahaha... you caught me sleeping again."

I grin at the redhead as she finger-combs her hair self-consciously. "Pretty boring, I know. But it's your duty, so you're out of luck."

"Stop teasing me." Meiling prods me with her foot, sighing. "Are we going to train?"

I shake my head. "Not today." Raising my arm to show the place where Patchy drew my blood, I explain, "I gave quite a bit of blood for some important piece of magic later, so it's not safe for me to exercise too much right now."

"Oh, okay." She seems slightly disappointed.

"Still, want to talk a little?"

This time, she grins. "Sure."

Meiling explains about the plants and flowers she always looks after in her free time, explaining how some of them can be used in herbal remedies. My scholarly side is only too willing to learn more interesting tidbits of information, and I question her more about the ways to care for plants and how to harvest the useful parts. As she continues to teach me another area of what she knows, I take another look at my impression of Hong Meiling.

The gate guard of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she stands against those who would attempt to enter without leave, using her prodigious fighting skills and fierce Ki ability to defeat those who tried. Yet there is another side to her, a softer, kindlier one. A big sister-type that is always willing to talk to those who don't mind conversing with her, big-hearted just like her chest indicates, with a tendency to attract cats to her when she's sleeping. And now I find out that her Oriental knowledge is far wider than just her martial arts.

"Have you ever tried talking to Eirin about these?" I suggest.

"The Lunarian pharmacist? She already knows these uses."

Figures. "Yeah," I nod," She's a genius in her field, after all."

We sit there staring at the scenery colored by the orange setting sun, with a few errant fairies playing some odd game of danmaku tag. The peacefulness of the view makes it all too clear that summer is finally ending to let autumn take its place. Thinking about it, I've been staying her for nearly six months already...

"Are you thinking of leaving?" Meiling asks suddenly.

"What? How did you know?"

"You have that look about you."

"What sort of look is that?"

"It's..." Meiling trails off, her expression showing her thinking hard, "I don't know how to describe it. If I had to put it somehow, I'd say it's like Lady Remilia's when she feels the urge to go out. Except yours is more... final."

"And here I thought Remi was the only perceptive one..." I mutter.

"Hey! I'm pretty perceptive myself, you know! How do you think I can detect intruders long before they come?"

"Uhh... isn't that your Ki sensing ability?"

She proceeds to give me a lecture about how a master of Ki can read his opponent's Ki flow once his senses have been so attuned with nature that he can perceive the ebbs and flow of life energy around him, which gives him an insight into what intentions other people may have.

"That would make you some kind of super empathic person." I blurt out with a bit of disbelief in my voice.

"I don't do it all the time, Ikuto. And I can't do it on everyone." Meiling patiently explains, "It takes lots of practice to understand how each person's Ki reacts based on their own emotions."

"And you understand mine because of how long we've been with each other?" I ask, and get a nod in response. "Hmm, alright."

"Aren't you going to get mad at me for that?"

"Why would I?" I ask frankly. "Besides, I'm kind of used to people knowing my secrets... Yukari made sure of that." My flat tone makes it clear just what I think of that gap hag.

"Actually, I don't really know the Yakumo lady that well."

"But-" Oh yeah, when Yukari wants to enter, she just gaps straight in. No point wasting time going past the gate guard. "Ah, I guess you're lucky then. Even Reimu knows how frustrating it is to have Yukari as a part of one's life."

"Poor you." Meiling tells me sympathetically, patting my shoulder.

The feeling of her hand leaves my shoulder feeling oddly warm and nice, and my heart beats slightly faster. I recall how a new chip appeared on the bracelet after the dance we shared during the ball, and wonder if I should just go for it. Then I meet her eyes and see the worry in them, and realize with a blush that she could tell how I was feeling.

"Don't be so worried about leaving here. You can come back at any time, right?"

She misunderstood. "It's not that..."

"You're worrying about something else now? Would you like to tell your Onee-san?"

I smirk. "Calling yourself an Onee-san now?"

Meiling snickers and shoves me lightly. "Is that a comment about my age? Don't make me hurt you now~"

"But you know what? I agree totally."

"Eh?" Her snickering dies off and she looks at me in surprise, as if she didn't expect me to admit it.

As Meiling listens, I give her the usual story about my broken sense of emotions, and how I'm holding up with each girl in my harem. And with her, I add a level of honesty that I've only shared with Suika before; I tell her about the ring and the chips on the bracelet, explaining how a blank one appeared after my dance with her, and the possible implications it carried.

"Anyway, I figure that eventually some girl won't want to share, and then I'll have to reject her..." I trail off, having never actually imagined the possible outcome of that scenario. Thought about, yes, but not followed it through fully.

"You..." Meiling's mouth open and closes slowly over and over, clearly flabbergasted by what I just told her. "You like me? I mean, as in like like me?" She recovers enough to ask.

"Of course I do!" It's unreasonable, but the way she's asking somehow makes me feel a little irritated.

"That's..." She suddenly blushes deeply.

"At the very least, I don't want to leave letting this chance to grow closer to you pass." I hold up my left wrist to let her know what I'm talking about.

Meiling's head droops slightly, and she doesn't say a word. Feeling worried, I approach slightly and make to take her hand.

She slaps it away, and I step back in shock, feeling the sting of her blow. "Meiling?"

"I'm a guard." She tells me seriously. "I'm not supposed to let anyone pass unless they are strong enough to beat me."

"What?"

A small smirk appears on her lips. "Actually, I'm not sure what to think either. But Ikuto, if you're really serious about me, then you've got to prove it."

I stare at her, then facepalm. When did this suddenly turn into 'you have to beat the girl to get her'?

"Ikuto?"

"Erm... how do I say this... I'd take you up on it right now... but I'm going out to the village with Sakuya tonight." I try not to sound slightly hopeful that she will accept this.

"Oh, no worries! The offer stays open..." Meiling frowns to show her seriousness on the matter. "Until you leave, of course."

"That's great. Thanks." I reply mechanically. "Have to go now, be seeing you."

As I walk back into the mansion, thoughts swirl through my head furiously. Fighting Meiling... at my level, it'll take a while, but she'll eventually wipe the floor with me. I might be able to win if I try some of my tricks, but something tells me that's not what she's after... GAAAH! I can't think of anything!

Feeling grumpy, I head back into my room to just take a nap.


After I wake up, I spend the rest of the afternoon just killing time, playing chess with Remi, practicing my knife and needle throwing at a more relaxed pace, or simply walking around watching the fairy maids mess around in the course of trying to do their work... I'm not sure if they even try or not, sometimes.

"YAAA!"

I duck and counter with an uppercut, then add a roundhouse kick that sends my attacker crashing into the wall and vanishing into motes of light.

And then recently, there are some mischievous ones that actually try to attack me, despite me being a guest of the place for so many months already. One on one, they are no problem, of course. Plus, they keep me on my feet. There's only one small thing...

The rest of the fairies in the corridor freeze and turn in my direction, their eyes coming alight.

Mob mentality, I think it's called. When one initiates, and I retaliate, somehow that action triggers EVERY fairy within eyesight into launching an attack.

Oh fuck... I was supposed to take a rest todayayayayay-! I dive and roll under the dozens of danmaku spraying around the place. They'll keep coming since the noise attracts more fairies, but I'm not sure if I can do it in my current condition!

"Get him!" One fairy yells, brandishing her dusting tool like a regiment captain directing her troops with a saber.

"UOOHHHH!" As one, the rest of the fairies charge.

Alright, alright, keep cool. Just watch the pattern... I take a few quick steps to the side of the corridor as the fairies divide themselves into two lines and fly towards me, releasing straight bullets before turning to retreat back to a safer distance. Right, now just slowly step over towards to the other side as each bullet passes through my previous position. Step, step, step, step...

"Next!"

Two higher-level fairies come next, and release arrow-shaped waves of bullets. Meanwhile, the two lines curve around to move in a sideways manner, this time dropping straight bullets down the length of the corridor.

Did I just get the overhead view on this? I raise an eyebrow as I weave from side to side, advancing and retreating in turn to dodge around and through the waves.

"All together now!"

I frown slightly, then open my eyes wide and duck as quickly as I can. Not a moment too soon, as bullets pass overhead from behind me. When did they get behind me? Uh oh, whoa, too close! Not good, I'm feeling light-headed...

"YOU were supposed to be resting." A voice breaks through the din, making everyone there hesitate.

The words that follow afterwards aren't in any language that I recognize, but their inherent power is certainly unmistakable, as elemental danmaku rushes through the air around me, decimating the fairies with fire, water, wind, and metal before they can beat a retreat. By the time the storm ends, there's nothing left of the fairies but a great deal of superficial structural damage. And even that disappears quickly when the voice chants something different, repairing the floor, walls, and ceiling until it's as if they were never damaged in the first place, if not for the dust lying around.

I look up to see my savior, Patchy, standing at the end of the corridor. "Thanks, Patchy." I pant out.

"Save your thanks. I gave you clear instructions to-" The sorceress suddenly breaks down coughing.

Feeling worried, I approach her, only to see her fall to her knees. Instantly, I rush over to her side and barely manage to catch her before she collapses to the ground.

"Mukyuuu~..."

Huh, that's one odd way of groaning. "Patchy, are you okay?"

"Today's... condition... not good..." She croaks out.

"Just like me, huh." I comment. "Need any help?"

Patchy shakes her head and tries to stand, only to fall to another bout of coughing once more. Sighing at her stubbornness, I pick her body up in my arms and start walking, ignoring her attempts to make me put her down. With her ability to argue or chant any spells gone due to her coughing, Patchy eventually gives up on trying to stop me and lets me carry her back to the library, looking rather put out over the entire thing.

For all her firepower, Patchy really is kind of small... feels like she lost a little weight though. I open the door by turning the handle with my knee and pushing it open, taking care not to knock Patchy into anything. Still big... I eye the telltale wobble in her chest area.

Thankfully, Koa finds us almost immediately. "...Patchouli-sama? What's the matter?"

"Her illness has been acting up." I explain to the succubus. "Is there anywhere she can rest?"

"...'m fine." Patchy rasps, but both of us ignore her.

It's my first time entering Patchy's room, and I'm not surprised to see books everywhere, even on the four-poster bed. Following Koa's path, I navigate through the stacks without disturbing them, until I can put the sickly patient into her own bed. It takes a bit of willpower to resist Koa's allure when I approach the bed with her holding the covers up so I can slide Patchy in, but I manage the task just fine.

"Does she have any medicine?" I ask after retreating to a comfortable distance.

"She does," Koa confirms while Patchy just frowns at us, "But we're getting a bit low."

"Hm, then it's good that I'm going to the village tonight. Isn't it, Patchy?" I smile widely at the person in the bed.

She just flaps her hand at me in a resigned manner, clearly understanding the difference in our positions. Koa nods towards me, and starts fussing over her mistress, fluffing up pillows, bringing some of the other books closer to the bed, and basically acting like a servant instead of an assistant librarian.

I've never seen her this bad... then again, I've never saw such a display of power before either. Perhaps the two are related? She didn't use fully constructed magic like her spell cards, but a slightly rougher one instead, and that affected her health adversely? Hmmm... her condition really is a problem...

As I walk away, I realize that the cut on my arm is bleeding from the earlier scuffle, and heal it by materializing a mini version of Blaze Revive. Then I realize something... I could have used the mini Keyblades when I was fighting against the fairies, but I had totally forgotten about them. What a waste; I could have used them when I...

My eyes grow wide as I realize I might have a way to take on Meiling after all. Have to practice with them then.

However, my plans have to be put on hold, as the call for dinner soon arrives. I head to the dining room and join Remi and Flan for the meal, with Sakuya doing the serving this time. Both sisters sniff the air when I enter, and look at me with slightly hungry expressions. Luckily, neither of them make any mention of their actions.

Flan insists on playing a game with me later, but I decline, saying I have an errand to run.

"What errand would that be?" Remi asks, in apparent disinterest.

...why do I get the feeling she's not as uninterested as she appears? "Patchy had a relapse today, and I volunteered to go pick up some more from Eirin."

Sakuya glances questioningly at me, and I shoot her a quick smile to reassure the maid.

"I see." Remilia takes another bite of food from her fork. "Take your time enjoying yourself then."

"Want me to buy anything for you?" I inquire, wondering if she knew.

Her fork stops halfway down for a moment. "Just do what you want."

Yeah, she definitely knows. Wonder why she seems a little grumpy about it...? There's no way she can like me anyway... I finish my food and help Sakuya clear away the dishes.

"She knows, doesn't she?" I whisper to her as we walk out of the room.

"Milady knows nearly everything that happens in her realm."

I glance around nervously, but I don't see any of Remi's bats. Then again, I'm not sure I can even spot it. I didn't notice it the first time she planted one on me, so it's not like I'm any likely to... On a whim, I try the detect magic spell, but I fail to pick up anything in particular.

Is vampire magic different from Patchy's one? Or can it even be called magic in the first place?

Once the dishes are done, I head back to my room to change, and meet Sakuya out at the front gate, where she's busy chastising Meiling for falling asleep again. Despite the scolding, the redhead happily sees us off, slowly waving her hand at chest level.

As we walk down the path to the village in the cooling night air, I start noticing more about the place than I ever have before. It makes me realize just how rare it is for me to venture outside in Gensokyo when night falls. Thinking back, I went out once with Alice to eat at Mystia's stall, another time to go from Mokou's place to the village in order to see... damn, I forgot, and the last time was when I was returning home with the people from the Mansion after the party, but then I was flying up in the air with Flan.

"How often do you go to the village at night?" I ask Sakuya.

"..." Sakuya closes her eyes, thinking, but her steps are sure. "Rarely. I usually go during the day, since that's when the shops are open."

"Going only when the need calls for it, huh." I chuckle. "That means you haven't really seen the village nightlife."

"Is there a festival tonight?"

I shake my head. "Nah, but there are certain places that only open late in the evening, since they cater to the youkai who are more active at night."

"Like Mystia?"

"Like Mystia." I confirm.

"What about Mystia?"

The two of us stop and look at the person who had just spoken. It takes me a while to place him? Her? But eventually I recognize the youkai... especially since she (the majority of characters in Touhou are girls, so let's go with that) has two bug-like feelers growing out from her head of green hair. I don't even have to scrutinize her clothes, since they're just a long-sleeved shirt, a cape and puffy short pants, and after seeing so many fairies like Cirno, the sight of her wings already tell me that she isn't another fairy, but a bug youkai.

Wriggle Nightbug.

It's my first time seeing her.

"Good evening, how can I help you?" I ask respectfully.

"Why were you talking about Mystia?"

I exchange a glance with Sakuya, who silently tells me to go ahead. "Because it's night time, and she's a night sparrow?"

The firefly youkai considers what I just said, turning it over in her head, but finds nothing wrong or insulting about what I just said. Meanwhile, Sakuya just crosses her arms and waits.

"Well, if you'll just excuse us, we're going to the village."

"Not so fast." Wriggle stops me. "If you come out at night, you have to be prepared to be attacked."

I give Sakuya a helpless glance, and the maid sighs.

"Wriggle-san. I'm going to ask only once. Let the two of us pass." She speaks softly but clearly.

The youkai frowns at Sakuya. "You... you're that vampire's dog, aren't you?"

"I am." Sakuya admits. "Will you let us pass, or do we need to have a spell card duel?"

Wriggle grins toothily, and Sakuya arms herself with a handful of blades. Then they both take to the air.

Sakuya goes first, throwing out some knives that Wriggle dodges. The youkai retaliates with two waves of spread danmaku that she throws out like left-right hooks, then follows up with three spread-out straight beam danmaku, the middle one aimed directly at Sakuya while the other two goes to either side of the maid.

Sakuya retreats slightly so the spread creates enough space for her to go between them. "Have you forgotten how we met on that night?"

That night?

"Ha! That was only a lucky win! It's not going to happen this time!" Wriggle raises her hands, and two tiny orbs of light dart up from the grass bordering the path.

I recognize what Patchy taught me as familiar magic, as the two orbs suddenly expand greatly, becoming glowing balls the size of my head. With a flick of her hands, Wriggle sends them soaring around her, releasing danmaku of her own from them.

Familiars... they act to supplement their master's magic. A fire spell cast through a familiar with a fire affinity will be stronger than if the caster did so directly, but the cost is also higher, just not as much as if the caster powered his own spell to reach the same level. I eye the seemingly random pattern, then take a few steps aside into a safe spot. Then again, since everybody here is so powerful, efficiency doesn't really matter to them. It's just a matter of being able to sustain the larger output with the spell card rules.

Sakuya swoops out of the way of the bullets, and throws out a series of knives. Then between one moment and the next, the number of them multiplies, three waves of blades aimed directly at Wriggle from three separate angles. But that's not all Sakuya does; in each hand she carries a knife, and they are starting to glow with a familiar purple light.

"Light Speed, -C. Ricochet!-"

Damn... if she pulled that tactic on me during our spars, I'd be dead! And so is Wriggle. My head turns repeatedly as I try to keep track of how they bounce around the place defying the laws of physics.

Wriggle swerves around the normal knives, dipping and twisting, but the attention it requires prevents her from reacting to the ricocheting knives until it's too late. As it is, the two missiles strike Wriggle with the penetrative force of a drill, and break through her hastily erected guard.

"KYAAAAH!" Her scream as she falls is surprisingly girlish, and Wriggle Nightbug crashes into the bushes and out of sight.

Sakuya lands next to me and pats down her clothes. "There."

"Sorry for having you walk with me. I don't think we would have been attacked if you were flying instead." I apologize.

"No need for that. It was my choice to go along with you."

I perform a slight bow, extending my hand as though asking for a dance. "Well then, my lady, shall we?"

In the dim light, it's hard to tell whether she blushed or not, but there's a small strain in her voice as she replies, "Let's."

She puts her hand in mine, and we continue on our way, ignoring the moan of pain from someone lying somewhere off the path.

We make our way to Eientei first to get the matter of Patchy's medicine out of the way, and luckily run into Reisen, who greets me warmly before helping us get the stuff we need. She's managing quite well without seeing me that often, though she confides to me that Eirin has been making her do a lot more work to distract her from thinking of me... which is only partially successful. Then she proceeds to pull on my ear and nag me about going after EVEN more girls; it's really hard to hide relationships when you wear a certain piece of jewelry that reveals the number of them. Thankfully, Reisen lets me off with just a light tongue-lashing, and I manage to leave without encountering Eirin. God knows what she'll drug me with if she finds out that I'm on a date with Sakuya.

Our time in the village passes by smoothly, as I show Sakuya some of the shops that open only to the customers at night. Certainly, her presence draws some attention from the youkais who recognize her, but when they see she's with me, they just smirk knowingly and tell me to show her a good time. I'm not entirely sure, but I think my reputation is still going strong.

Boss certainly seems to think so, as he offers the two of us sake on the house, as well as inquiring whether I intend to make use of one of his rooms. Judging from the look Sakuya gives me, she knows what those rooms are used for, so I hastily decline.

There are shops that sell odd items that only youkais would value, of course run by the same... I don't think you can call it a species, let's just say class- as those who buy them. For a brief moment, I recall Rinnosuke, who hardly sells anything since what he stocks are items that people centuries later would buy... that and most of them won't work without electricity.

When we come across a jeweler, I decide to spend a bit of the savings I have to buy a silver pendant for Sakuya... and a small ring with a tiny ruby that I judge to be around Remi's size. Alright, I'm practically broke now. I really need to find out how people like Reimu or Marisa get their meals around here... I know I can gather stuff from the forests to sell, but I don't really know how to go about the selling part.

"Thank you for this gift, Ikuto." Sakuya caresses the sculpted piece tenderly. "Put it on for me?"

She turns around and lifts up the back of hair, inviting me. I reach around and transfer one end of the chain to my other hand, and draw both ends around to the back of her neck before locking them together. That done, she turns around and looks at me expectantly.

"It looks really good on you, but I should have bought you one with a red jewel, since blue wouldn't stand out enou-"

Sakuya shakes her head, stopping me mid-sentence. "It's enough for me. You didn't have to spend your own money-"

This time I'm the one who stops her. "I wanted to."

Then we both stop and just stare at each other, since the argument would just go in a continuous loop.

"Just kiss her already, young man." The seller tells me dryly.

That's... ah, screw it. I lean in and press my lips to hers lightly. One second later, I feel her press back.

A gasp makes us spring apart, and we both turn to see who had made that sound. There, stood Keine Kamishirasawa, her hand covering her mouth but doing nothing to conceal her shock.

"Uh... hi, Keine...?"

What I did NOT expect was for her to suddenly turn and run away. And why did I feel this strange ache in my chest? I'm not even in a relationship with her, like I am with Mokou and the others.

"Huh?" is all I could say.

"Ikuto... was she crying?" Sakuya asks me, with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I don't know... WHOA!" I suddenly duck down as a stone flies as me, missing my head due to my dodge. "Who threw that?" The sound of running feet answers me, but with the night youkais out, the trail soon vanishes.

My companion peers in the direction where it came from, then shakes her head. "It's too dark already, we won't be able to tell who threw it."

"If it wasn't nighttime, we would have to consider children too." Those kids really like Keine as a teacher... if they find out about how I made her cry, they're gonna lynch me. But who was that guy?

In the end, with the mood spoiled, we decide to end our date right there, and still feeling confused and rather negative, I leave the village with Sakuya. Even later, when I give Remi her ring (she extended her right hand and told me to put it on her, and I placed it on her middle finger), the dark aura still remains with me.

Thoughts continue to run through my head even as I lie in my bed waiting for sleep to claim me. Why did Keine react like that? It's not like she has a crush on me... okay, that MIGHT be a possibility since she cried when I left the village, at least it looked like she did, but then she did a really good job of holding it in. I bite my lower lip worriedly. Damn, did I hurt her or something like that? Gaaaaaah...

Wanting to get away from that subject, my mind moves on to that man, and then I recall that Keine said she had a lover. So that means she couldn't have had a crush on me... then what exactly IS going on? Was that man the one Keine told me about? If so, then it might explain why he attacked me from afar, since he must not have dared to approach with Sakuya by my side. But then why didn't he just approach Keine? Did he have some reason not to, or was it just some stalker who didn't like the fact that I made the lady cry? I mess up my hair in frustration, then roll over in my bed and forced myself to think about something else entirely.

Damn it...


"Oh, you're here." Komachi waves from her position on the floor. "Somebody knocked just now, mind going to see who it is?"

"Might as well. Who would visit this place anyway? Suika's still up there, and Iku's probably got another task to do." Shrugging, I head out of the room and go to the front door.

Just as I reach the door, another knock sounds from the other side of it. "Yes? Who is it?" I say as I slide it open.

"Iku-" There's a short pause. "TOOOOOOOOO~"

As I go flying from the impact, I thank whatever higher entity that is out there that Suika didn't use more of her strength when she tackled me. Still, she hits me hard enough that we travel down the entire length of the corridor, which is at least ten meters.

"Hey there! Miss me?" The oni grins from her position on top of me.

"Very much, actually." My voice is dry as I answer her. A smile forms on my face, and I reach up to pat her head. "Welcome back, Suika."

"I'm back, Ikuto." Her toothy grin shrinks down to a smile, but I can see the loving emotion in it.

Actually, it's only been like six days since I last saw Suika, but we like joking around like this.

"Oooi~" Our personal moment is interrupted by the third member's demanding call. "Could somebody break out the sake? Since we've got an oni back, let's celebrate..."

Hardly sounds like you want to celebrate. I grab Suika around her body and toss her up into the air with a bit of Ki, then hop to my feet and catch her on the way down. Still as light as I recall.

"Whoo! Nice move, Ikuto! Where did you learn that?"

"I've been training quite a bit at the Mansion, remember?" I move her body around to in front of me, and she latches onto my neck, her face in mine. "But anyway, here's a starter before we get to actually celebrating our reunion." I give her a smooch on her sake-flavored mouth.

"Hehehe..." The little oni giggles, her legs clamping around my waist. "It'd better be a good one."

"Still waiting here~" Komachi complains.

"We're coming!"

Over a few bowls of sake from Suika's endless gourd, she tells us about what's going on up in Heaven. As I pretty much expected of a simple soul like my little oni, she just lazes around, drinks, and eats the peaches, partying with the Celestials up there and irritating the Eldest Daughter of the Hinanawi clan with her presence.

"Did she try to fight you?" I ask, taking another gulp of sake.

"Mmm..." Red-cheeked, Suika looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I think she did... can't recall."

"You know..." I swirl the remaining liquor in my dish around in contemplation, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think I miss her annoying personality."

"Huuuh~?" Suika leans against me, a teasing look on her face. "You thinking of something naughty, Ikuto?"

"Maybe." I admit shamelessly, slipping one hand into her top.

"Mmm... ah..." She wriggles in my arm. "You know, the Celestials have some really nice liquor, but they didn't have my newest favorite flavor..." I lean my head out of the way of her horn as she turns to give me a sultry look.

Well, what else could I do but oblige? Within moments, clothes get tossed aside, and we get down to 'reuniting', and Komachi joins in after a while. Like the last time, both of them really appreciate my longer staying power.

Man, I really love those two.


When I wake up the next morning feeling refreshed, it's to find Flan in my bed again, hugging my side like I'm some big teddy bear, her legs wrapped around one of mine. Then I recall what Sakuya told me about the fate Flan's previous teddy bears and other assorted stuffed toys met.

Ahh, just give it a rest already. You've spent all this time with her without anything of that sort of happening to you, My mind tells me, Besides, Flan's hardly going to kill her Onii-chan, right?

As if she's privy to my thoughts, the little vampire girl lets out a happy murmur.

Of course Flan's not going to kill her Onii-chan, but that's a totally different matter from letting her Onii-chan get out of bed so he can go and train. I'm not sure how I didn't manage to wake up while she did it, but she's got one arm under me in the small arch of my back. The other one is tightly holding on to the front of my shirt. Both arms may be slender, but the force that lies sleeping inside them is like steel, even to my enhanced abilities. And unless I can turn myself into mist like Suika, there's no way I can wriggle my leg out from her controlling wrap.

"Mmblemmble... Onii-chan..."

I pat her shoulder, feeling the urge to pamper her a little.

I suddenly feel her body starting to move up and down against mine. "Mfufufu... play with me... down there more... Onii-chan..." She mutters in a seductive tone.

All of a sudden, I sense another presence in my room. Thinking it's Meiling, I turn my head to look in its direction and ask for help-

Only to see Remi standing there, her palm-up hand raised in front of her face with her absurdly sharp-looking crimson nails twitching slightly, and a decidedly blank expression.

"Ikuto? I know you've slept with my sister already, and I told you that I didn't hold anything against you for that." Remi starts off tonelessly. "But it's odd. Because when I see the two of you in bed like that, I have this urge to..." She trails off, working her fingers in an unnerving manner.

"Onee-sama too?" Flan suddenly says, and we both look at her only to realize that she's still sleeping. "That's okay... let's all feel really really good together..." She coos out loud.

There's my damn screwed up luck again. This shit always happens to me. I voice out my emotions with a single word. "Crap." Of all times for Flan to have a naughty dream...

"Say, Ikuto. What do you think I should do now?"

The word 'Doom' keeps repeating itself in my head, and I can barely form a coherent reply. "Errrrr... I dunno?"

That shows how bad I can be under pressure sometimes.

Remi starts playing with the ring I gave her last night, turning it on her finger. "Surely you must have some experience with this sort of thing?" The vampire asks mildly.

Let's see... Aya stumbling across the results of my time with Youmu and Yuyuko... sleeping my way through Eientei in a drug-hazed night... Nearly being caught by Reimu during my first time with Suika doesn't count... so only twice. "I usually... follow my emotions... in these situations..." I say slowly. "Or the first suggestion I come across."

Once again, Flan interrupts, "...sleep together with Onee-sama too, Onii-chan..."

WHY? WHY ME?

"Hm. I suppose I will think about it. For now, I'll send Meiling to help get Flan off you." Remi turns and exits the room.

I stay stock-still for a moment, still aware of Flan rubbing her body against me. Did she just spare my life?

After an indeterminate amount of time later, Meiling shows up to coax the loli vampire off me, and I go to wash up, feeling the moistness on my thigh. I'm not sure if this counts as a good morning or not, but I keep having the feeling that my day is already screwed. When I meet Sakuya in the kitchen as I'm cooking my breakfast, she thanks me for letting her enjoy herself last night, omitting any mention of the event of Keine seeing us kiss each other.

Just as she's about to leave, she seems to recall something, and asks me, "Did something happen between you and Milady?"

"Errr... I got caught in a compromising position." A technically true statement that does not go into too much detail...

Sakuya gives me a hard look, before nodding and going on her way.

"Whew." I exhale explosively in relief.

But of course, just because I dodged one bullet- that seems like a remarkably apt description, since Gensokyo, which is where the spell card duels are held, is all about dodging bullets!- doesn't mean that I'm free from worries. There's still the matter of Meiling, and I haven't gotten the runic sigil inscribed onto my body yet; the latter one promises to be rather uncomfortable.

Alright, let's start planning. I want to win against Meiling, because I'm not going to just give up just because she wants me to beat her. But how? Physical ability-wise, I'm slightly slower than her, and no need to even mention who's better in terms of techniques. Sitting at my desk, I start tapping my finger as I think. Besides, what does beating her really entail? I think I can win if I bluff and stuff, but really, that doesn't feel right. And with the way she can read me, my chances of winning are just low.

My brainstorming goes on and on... but it's only until an hour of image training later that I remember I got my mini-Keyblades... again. As well as my ring. If I recall correctly, I used a different subset of its power when I was fighting against Yuuka... I never really explored that ability, since I gave up the key in order to stay here, and I also forgot about it entirely since I started training. Geez... now I'm feeling like I made a mistake somewhere in my training.

Technically, it stands to reason. The key and the ring are related... but it's quite risky trying to play something entirely new as a trump card... I stand up from my chair and leave my room. That decides it... I'll just charge forward. Zenryoku Zenkai! I use the phrase of the White Devil.

However, my enthusiasm starts to wane when Meiling matches it. "Really? That's great! So when do you want to challenge me? I'm fine with right here and now."

"Uhhh... I think maybe later."

"Alright, so when?"

...

"As if I didn't have enough to do already..." Patchy mutters a complaint as she sets up a dueling ward in the entrance hall. "It's difficult enough trying to prepare the ritual to implant the sigils into your body without having to create an arena as well."

"Sorry, but it kind of happened..." Another weak excuse.

"..." Patchy gives me a look that says volumes before continuing with her casting.

At least she's better now that I got her her medicine. I know there's no point in lamenting my current situation of having to fight tonight, so I just go through a bit of warming up and practicing my moves a bit more.

Of course, I didn't go into this without any thought; one thing I took into account was that Meiling tends to weaken when she's hungry, while going on that errand for Yukari taught me how to channel my hunger into battle strength, which is why I suggested that we fight as dinner entertainment for the others.

For some reason, I'm reminded of the time when I faced off against Aya... a multiple-step plan... has it really been that long? I finish stretching and run Ki through my body's channels a few times to ensure a smooth flow. This is going to be another hard fight... breathe in... breathe out... I... am calm.

"Meiling, Ikuto, it's ready. Come to where I am." Sakuya calls the two of us from where she's standing in the center of the glowing red design.

As I pass Remi, I hear her say, "I'm supporting my gate guard. As her mistress, and in consideration of this morning's event."

Oh yay.

"Meiling is going to play with Onii-chan? Wow!" Flan claps her hands excitedly. "Do your best, Onii-chan, Meiling!" She cheers.

My stomach rumbles slightly as the smell of the food wafts past my nose, and I grin on noticing Meiling cast the dishes a longing look as I walk up to where she's standing on Sakuya's right.

"Alright, I think I know just what sort of arrangement you two have going on here," The maid looks at me pointedly as she speaks in a dry tone, "But I'm not going to interfere. This business stays between the two of you, and it will be settled here. Understood?"

Does that mean there's no chance of a threesome? The insane voice in my head asks petulantly, and I facepalm.

"Is there something wrong, Ikuto?"

"No... no, just lost focus for a bit." I mutter. Can't get distracted now!

"If you're okay." Sakuya takes a few steps back and lifts her hand. "Ready!"

Both Meiling and I settle into our stances, hers is defensive, mine is offensive. Our eyes scan each other, trying to identify any possible openings that we can exploit.

The hand drops. "START!"

She blurs into motion, but I know where she's intending to go, and react accordingly; my raised left hand blocks her thrusting foot, the imbued Ki colliding heavily with each other.

It tells me just how serious she is about this match; despite all my training, my left is still the slightly weaker side, and she went for it without hesitation.

I attempt a jab; she slaps it aside. Roundhouse kick, spinning back kick, straight punch, thrusting elbow, low sweep, stabbing finger at an arm nerve; Meiling manages to avoid them all.

NOW! I thrust out my left palm, aiming at where she dodged to.

She draws back slightly, just out of range.

I release the Blue Ki through my palm, firing a weak Ki blast at her face, and she bats it aside.

But the opening has been created; my Ki channels explode into full activity, running hot with Red and Indigo, destruction and speed.

My fist rams into her block explosively, and I feel her cringe a little. The rest of the chain pours out from my body in a constant stream, the results of constant practice and training, a veritable bombardment on her fortress. Each blow can be switched around slightly to create a random, but free-flowing, combination, and they all have their purpose; forcing the opponent to maintain a constantly shifting guard, adjusting her position to prevent movement, or simply breaking down the defenses before me.

I fire off an uppercut laced with Green Ki, and knock her arm out of the way. "HAAAAH!"

As I step into the heavy striking move, I remember how I struck Meiling with the same move when I first asked for training all those months ago. The fruits of my training have caused a difference though; when my foot makes contact with the floor, it creates a web of cracks, and the impact created by my elbow hitting her in the body doesn't send her sliding back, but throws her clear across the arena.

"Magnificent." I hear from the audience.

No. She jumped back to lessen the force. What's magnificent is how she managed to do it with such a small window after all I did to lock her down.

"Tchtchtch..." Meiling covers the spot I hit with one hand. "That was a good hit, Ikuto!"

I acknowledge it with a nod. Calm down... never let your spirit waver. I breathe in and out, regaining my stance.

"So that's your Blast style? Then let's see your Flow style this time!"

And here she comes... without seeming to be affected at all!

Meiling dashes in, and begins her own series of attacks. I clear my mind and let my Purple Ki take the lead; every time she attacks, I'm slipping out of the way, moving around like a feather that reacts to the buffeting wind of the hand trying to catch it. Once she tries to do a rainbow spin that releases danmaku, but I get around it by jumping up above her for an aerial attack at her head. She tries to get into a chain like I did, but I keep interrupting her flow, and thus manage to stay safe. Relatively speaking.

Parry to the side, destabilize her leg with my knee, push her backfist upwards and over my head, twist and roll! Meiling flips to avoid getting her wrist locked, and snatches her hand free. Duck under, roll over to her left side, spin down the length of her punch- This time, I return with a back slam, sending Meiling stumbling forward. Honestly didn't expect that to hit.

She recovers and attacks again. Duck under the kick, jump over the sweep, counter with a Yellow Ki slash, follow up with two more slashes and a knee strike!

Meiling blocks it squarely with her palms, cushioning it in a blue glow.

That's the move that... I duck slightly, then drop down into a split as she kicks out again, lashing back with her heel after missing my head. Damn!

Bracing my hands on the floor behind me, I extend my legs, and scissor her support leg from beneath her, sending the redhead to the floor. She stops her fall with her hands, and kicks out at me with the leg that missed earlier.

I parry the thrust with mine, then drive my heel down at her other thigh. She twists and moves it out of the way, but that leg is still pinned beneath my right one, and I quickly switch, this time using my left to hold it down while I scythe at another part of her body with the right.

Our palms move in a furious quickstep, carrying our bodies in a dance around the floor as we use our legs to fence against each other, until a chance occurrence results in our ankles locking around each other.

"HAH!"

"HYAH!"

In a synchronized motion, we attempt to twist each other off balance, but do so in the same way, sending our respective bodies spinning up into the air. I tuck my arms and legs in for the start, then fling them out to alter my body's momentum, and come back down to land on my feet. Facing me, Meiling does the same.

We exchange a brief smile, and charge at each other once more.

I snap my fingers on both hands, calling to the energy stored in my ring. Two rods of ice materialize in my hands, growing to a set length and reinforcing themselves to be harder than any normal ice.

Meiling's eyes widen when she sees my new weapons, but doesn't slow down. Since my range is now longer than hers, I get the first attack. Blue blurs lash at her body, forcing her to dodge and defend as I pummel at critical areas. But she knows my weakness with weapons, and pushes forward to take the fight into a close-range battle. Still, I manage to score a few good hits on sensitive muscle spots.

And I'm not that weak anymore; when she tries to jab at my body, I flick my wrist to knock it aside with the end of one rod, before countering with another. Similarly, I use the point or the butt to deflect her blows off course, sometimes even punching with the weapons still in my hand.

But it's not working! I think furiously, stepping back as I continue to wail away at the red and green powerhouse. Need to stop her from moving- There!

Between one footstep and the next, I drop and spin, bringing both rods together and slipping them behind her forward foot, and jerking it out from under her using both hands to pull, sending Meiling falling back.

Got her! Now to- Whatever my plan was, it goes down the drain when Meiling recovers in a way I did not expect.

As the redhead fell back, her hands went up over her shoulders, and she lands on her palms and muscular upper back, her lower body bending to absorb and dissipate the force. Then she pushes back, jumping back up onto her feet, and launches an attack that takes me by surprise.

SHIT! I cross the ice rods together in its path, but her fist shatters both of them easily, making me squint to prevent splinters from getting into my eyes. Even so, I feel some cuts on my face.

Thankfully, I manage to escape by rolling away before she can land an actual hit on me. But I come away from that exchange with the realization that trying to use my relatively rusty Arnis skills doesn't work, and a decision to just continue hitting away until I win.

Despite the successes I've had, the differences between us start to show more clearly as time goes on, as her inhuman stamina helps to keep her functioning at a high level of ability while mine is already starting to flag with all the apparently ineffectual hits I'm landing on her. She even manages to hit me a few times, and defending against her Ki drains my own even more. Luckily, I'm able to avoid the more serious ones, like her ground stomp or her Fierce Tiger's Inner Strength mode.

Just what... does it take... to put her down! I stagger away from another kick, and retaliate with a weak palm strike to her thigh.

"Feel like giving up yet?" Meiling pants, only breathing slightly hard.

"Never... gonna give..." I wheeze, my stance wavering.

She suddenly pulls her right fist in, lowering her stance as rainbow energy collects around the fist to create a glowing white light.

Oh shit. This isn't good... My eyes flick around to check the condition of the arena.

Most of Patchy's wards are meant to protect the audience from stray shots, so the one on the floor isn't really that strong; moves like Meiling's heel drop or my hit-powering stomps have left large swathes of destruction on the red design. But what I care about is where the audience are... just a few degrees off to my left.

"HIIIYAAAAAH!" There's the sound of ground cracking as Meiling blasts off towards me with a powerful Ki punch. "Spiral Light Step!"

Seeing the move come towards me suddenly makes me think about the time I got Master Sparked, but I force myself to move instead of freezing up; jumping back with Green Ki, layering explosive Red over defensive Orange to create blast armor, and then... IMPACT.

I fly through the air, and my back crashes painfully against the edge of the arena, the intense burning filling my vision with blurring. Even as I bounce off it, I realize that it's not over yet, as she jumps up to intercept my body.

It's like trying to block a blizzard; Meiling uses hammerfists, chops, palms, kicks, heels, all infused with Ki as she juggles me in the air.

"Guh!" I feel gravity start to take over, but maintain my guard even as Meiling lands first.

"Sky Dragon Kick!" She performs a comet kick, coming straight for me.

The spear of light hits me straight on my crossed arms, sending me to crash against the barrier once more.

"Onii-chan!"

Flan's behind me... Good. "I'm fine... Flan... Haven't... lost yet..."

Glancing up, I see that Meiling is shaking her right hand out; my counter-defense had an effect on her at least.

"Still up for it?"

I give her my best 'Not going to go down' look. Guess it's time. "Flan, who do you want to win?" I ask the vampire who's somewhere behind me.

"Hmm... I like Meiling and Onii-chan both!"

"Onii-chan might lose, you know..." I say, watching Meiling approach.

Flan reacts to that instantly. "No, you can't lose, Onii-chan!" She pleads.

That's what I needed to hear. Trump card number one, activate! It's a risk trying to Awaken based on guesswork, but it pays off as energy fills my body to answer Flan's interpreted desire.

Meiling notices and stops. "Ikuto... you actually..."

"...did it..." Sakuya's voice completes what her colleague was about to say, and gives me the clue to her location.

Trump card number two! I extend my left hand in Sakuya's direction, knowing that she'll have my key... the thing I require to make the mini-Keyblades. Burst Needle, Healing, Enhancing! Two things appear in my fingers, and I jab them into my body.

"Oho..." I hear Remi murmur in what sounds like approval.

It worked! I think gleefully as my body powers up even more.

This trump card, while more likely to succeed compared to the previous one, wasn't something I was really expecting. Still, I planned for what I was going to do in the event that it did. Wavebreaker would be useless unless I got off a point-blank shot in the mouth or eye, Life Eater would be too extreme, Eternal Inheritance is useless since Meiling doesn't use any of the five elements, Blaze Revive won't fix bruises... which leaves only Burst Needle and Reaper's Toll.

Or does it?

As I was thinking about which mini-Keyblades I could use, I wondered why I couldn't bring out a version of Phantom Blossom. Then I got into thinking about what the Keyblade itself represented besides a physical manifestation of the bond between me and Youmu. In the end, I came to the conclusion that Phantom Blossom is, and always will be, a sword, a thing that I never felt the use for enough to want a mini-version of it.

Please work, please work, please work... Discarding the used doses of Burst Needle, I execute a running jump with a spin incorporated into it, this time aiming both hands towards Sakuya as I twist my body around. Yellow and Blue Ki! SLASH!

Taking a risk with my low reserves, I release a arc of Ki from my heel, sending the wave flying towards Meiling, who ducks to avoid it, letting the energy cut a deep groove into the ground behind her.

"So this is round two, huh?" She asks, straightening up.

"No..." The small keys in my hands morph into two straight short swords. "This is the end!"

I trigger the magic in my ring once more, trying to replicate the effect that I had observed during my fight with Yuuka. Need more speed! Ice coats the blades and gives them a mystical blue sheen, and my body feels even lighter, if that were possible.

I'm not sure just how long I can maintain the power-up, but at this point, I hardly think it matters; Ki, Awakening, Burst Needle, Phantom Blossom, and now the ring boost, all their physical enhancements have compounded to make me REALLY fast, maybe nearly reaching Aya's level. With all my energy, Meiling is moving sluggishly compared to me. So I gather it up...

And I unleash it all in one furious assault.

"Scarred Petal Blizzard!" Another simple name, but whatever works...

My blades flicker back and forth so quickly that it looks like there are dozens of them even to my enhanced eyes, cutting away the energy from Meiling's body so rapidly that I can barely make out where I'm aiming at. But I know where my body would aim, and that is enough; head, neck, arms, vital organs, thighs, legs, working down and up, moving around her to cover every single spot, no need to brace my feet on the ground like Sakuya does since my blades can cut without any resistance.

"HAAAA!" Finish! My feet skid on the ground as I end the flurry with a double horizontal strike through the abdomen, which carries me a great distance away.

In my hands, first the icy sheen, then the small swords, vanish, leaving them empty. I turn around...

Meiling is still standing.

Hunched and gasping, but still standing.

"That was... incre...dible..." She collects herself, and raises her fists again. "But! I'm not... going to lose!"

Fuck. I don't have much more energy... I draw in great breaths of air, trying to recover from the exertion that has left my body feeling at least three times as worse as she looks. One more... one more hit... My fist clenches, and I start compacting the Ki inside it, in spite of swaying on my unsteady feet. Can't lose... Flan told me not to... I purposely use the Awakening again, knowing the toll it would take on my battered body.

Both of us can tell that the fight was going to end with the next exchange.

"Here I come! HIYAAAAAAAAAAH!" Meiling rushes in with a battle cry.

A enticing scent wafts past my nose, and my stomach growls. Ah... trump card... number three... I remember.

"I..." My voice mutters, sounding as though it's coming from very far away.

All those times, beating down those who would compete with me for food. Fending off the hungry beasts that wanted the treasure box for themselves. Fighting and fighting, until only I stand above the rest with the meal I want in my hands. Mine.

"I'm..." Compact it more! Increase the charge!

That's right. I entered this fight to prove my emotions, but that's just the final purpose. What motivates me isn't only that. Fighting for pride, for honor, all those can be empowering reasons not to lose. Strong emotions will draw out strength... and what I've got is one of the strongest emotions.

The primal instinct of wanting to eat.

"I'M HUNGRYYYYYY!" is the roar I meet Meiling's shout with.

Breaking into a dash, I sacrifice all defense, ducking under Meiling's blow, and hurl my energy-packed fist into her body. GO!

She gasps as the force blasts her back, but the attack is more than just a single punch. A soundless explosion bursts from her body even as she's in the air, accelerating her even further until she crashes into the barrier.

Then a third one happens, cracking the ground around her with the force of it hitting her into it.

3-hit Nail Punch! (1) I can barely muster the emotional strength to celebrate my success at pulling off that technique, collapsing to my knees in exhaustion. Stay down, stay down, stay down, stay down... I chant in my mind as I focus what's left of my vision on that streak of red.

I'm not sure how much time passes, but eventually Sakuya comes out and announces me the winner. Hearing her do so seems to trigger a switch within me, and I let out all the repressed feelings in a single cry.

"UUUOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" I howl at the ceiling, pumping my fists (my left one, since my right is totally numb) in victory.

Then I finally pass out.


When I finally come to, it's to find myself back in bed. Looking around, I notice a bandaged Meiling sitting on a chair next to me, dozing on her arms.

I did it! I won! I beat Meiling! I open my mouth to say something, but my throat is too dry to make any sound.

"Mmm~? Oh, Ikuto! You're awake!" Meiling bolts up straight.

"Wa...ter..."

"Ah, yes! Here!" She grabs the pitcher on the bedside table and fills a cup, handing it to me.

I gulp it down, and another two more before I can finally speak.

"How are you?" I ask, giving her a look over.

I know for sure I haven't broken any of her bones, and she made sure to prevent my cutting Yellow Ki from breaking her skin, so the only injuries she has are aches and bruises. Doesn't look that way seeing how she's got bandages on all her limbs. I eye the white covering through the slit of her dress with a brief feeling of disappointment.

"A little banged up, but don't worry! I'll be just fine before you realize it!" She strikes a pose, but winces. "Ow..."

"Hahaha..." I laugh softly. "I can't believe you need bandages, though."

Meiling lifts up her left arm and looks at it. "Oh, these have herbal paste that's meant to help me recover faster. Can't have the gate guard gone from her duties, right?"

I nod. "How long was I out?"

"Quite long, actually. In fact, we both missed dinner."

At the sound of the word 'dinner', both our stomachs emit a loud growl. We look down at our respective bellies, then at each other. And we laugh.

I stop laughing first, and look at Meiling seriously. "I like you, Meiling."

She smiles. "I accept your feelings, Ikuto."

But we put off any physical display of affection in favor of eating our fill.


(1) Toriko's up to 18 hits already... but Ikuto doesn't know that. 3 hits is all he can manage, but it's quite effective in its own way.

Finally, I've completed another chapter! Distractions upon distractions... but I finally feel like I've gotten back some of my previous flow, especially with the combat scene. Hopefully it's what my readers have been expecting.

I'm sure most of you know what's coming up next, and believe me when I say it's going to be a really difficult chapter to write... damn inspiration just doesn't come so easily for those. Anime, games, books, fanfics, all of those just pull me away from writing. And with a new story to work on... well, let's just say I need to prioritize how much of my time I spend writing.

Honestly, my random style really comes up with such weird stuff. I originally intended for the 'fight the girl to get her' to apply to someone like Yuugi, but I guess this works too. Anyway, Ikuto can be said to have gotten every girl in the SDM except for Remi and Patchy, but that just remains to be seen... As for Keine, well, that WILL be settled eventually. I like making people wonder where I'm going to go with future chapters like this.

Okay, I don't know, or can't remember, what else I should talk about, so let's just end this here. If anything, please check out my FSN-HP crossover. Oh, and review this too.