I am the owner of exactly two and a half hours of sleep. The Touhou Project series of games belongs to ZUN and Team Shanghai Alice.
Shuten groggily got up from the futon. He had enough dreams for a full month last night, and wasn't having any more. He appreciated the girl's gesture of tucking him in, even if she destroyed any semblance of his on his shrine grounds. Live and let live, most people would say. He didn't like that phrase, though.
It was quite early in the morning, the sun barely showing itself. He noticed the creases in his clothes, but completely ignored it. He prepared the shoots he had brought earlier, and made some soup with them. He cooked up some rice, and started eating. He then vented some frustrations kicking those gods' symbols to the ground.
By the time he was done, it was around 6:30. He walked to Yuugi's home with a couple gourds in tow, woke her up, shared the soup that was in the gourds with her, asked for her permission after she'd heard his conditions, and...
"Come back by evening, or else."
She did drive a hard bargain, but it was more than enough time to kick verbal ass.
He had picked up some sake gourds, too, but they were to discuss with the gods over drinks. Bettering your image immediately is essential, after all. Wouldn't want them to think he was a brute. And he could credit Yuugi, who had given him the idea earlier, while she scolded him for just trying to do her a favour in exchange for the troubles. "Geez, that woman."
He passed through the bridge again, Parsee looking much sweeter than the first time he saw her.
"Something good happen?"
"Well, now that I'm not being a prick to everyone around me, I'm getting a bit popular with people here. They're even starting to call me cute! Can you believe that?"
"You can bet your money that my blessings can and WILL make your life better instantly. Go and spread the word. Tell the crowds that you can owe a better personality to me."
He puffed his chest. A swift punch to the face was delivered.
"Don't start inflating your ego like a balloon now."
'What a swing. Both ways.'
"Sorry."
The little boy crossed the bridge, gourds in his arms.
After making his way through the rest of the cave, he once again found himself at the base of Youkai Mountain. He had a destination this time, though.
He travelled through the road uphill. Climbing was not an option right now, as his arms were quite busy.
He left the gourds on the ground, and started whistling in an unusual form.
The sound of wings flapping down came after a loud blast.
"Shameimaru Services~ A scoop for a favour! Most honourable Crow-Tengu reporter in Gensokyo~...
What do you want, ojī-san?"
"Could you guide me to the Moriya Shrine? I have business there."
"If you can guarantee me something to write an article about. For example, telling me, your trusted, millenia-old friend, what exactly is your 'business there'."
"They decided to take over my shrine, and I'm going to beat the gods down for it."
"Old story, already happened over at the Hakurei Shrine."
"Fuck's the Hakurei Shrine?"
"You don't have to worry just yet."
"I'll spice it up a bit; I beat their shrine maiden to the ground mercilessly. Actually, I have a photo I took of myself nursing her back to health. Because I'm a fair and just God. Ask the Underground residents. Tell the bridgekeeper you come in my stead, if that's a problem for you."
"Newcomer oni god destroys and defiles the Moriya shrine maiden, says he was fair and just after bringing her to his home, and doing unspeakable things to her. Underground residents say it was undeserved brutality. Newcomer oni god bends the Underground bridgekeeper to his will using violence."
"What'cha writin' there buddy?" he picks up the crow-girl by the collar of her shirt.
"Newcomer oni god tries to delve into Tengu secrets by force, -A god's influence and bias in the Bunbunmaru newspaper?"
"I recommend you put instead of secrets, "high-class private information", because fancy rules. Put "Divine" instead of "A god's", it rolls off the tongue more smoothly. I recommend you put an apology for writing the two first articles at the start of the third's. Say that you were held hostage, that I forced you to lie to your readers and that this article may be your last. It's all technically true, anyways." Luckily for Aya, he was quite familiar with attention-calling and exaggerated news reports.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, like that."
"Thanks for the advice, ojī-san."
"Anything for an old friend. Now let's go to the Moriya Shrine."
"Aye, aye sir! I owe you a total of 2 more favours!"
"At this rate I'll be able to exchange those for that camera I sealed. Actually, do you want me to unseal it? Owing you favours makes me uncomfortable."
She pulled out the box, wrapped in bandages.
"Yes, thank you."
"Hand that to me."
It flies into his hands. He pulls out the ominous black and purple talisman. As soon as it touches the box, the seals come undone, and the whispers from inside the camera grow louder. Somehow, the camera had gained the ability to make videos, had photo and video filters, and an even higher resolution. Some credit to the Kappa was due, given even the Oni King would have shit himself trying to work with an eldritch abomination inside a camera at his peak. He stuck the curse seal to the side of the camera, which probably accelerated it's process of becoming a Tsukumogami by at least a couple decades. Though, whatever monstrosity hid inside the camera would most likely prevent it for ages to come, or destroy it's other half the moment it became one.
"Neat..." said Aya.
"Don't listen to it for too long. It might drive you nuts, after all."
"Alright, got it. I now owe you 3 favours, and 1 big one. It's not every day you see a regular god make a curse seal this absolutely terrifying. You yourself are more frightening, though. You're in my top 5, just after some really scary people who live around here."
"That curse seal is able to drive a dragon insane in a matter of seconds. Do not ask if any of us both can handle it. The beast that lives in your camera is taking the full brunt of it."
"Top 3. Take it or leave it."
"We have a deal." said the god, whose presence would soon by itself form an incident, not unlike what the Moriya did previously.
"Let us head to the shrine."
"Yes, that is why I called you here, after all."
As orange leaves fell down, in the year-round fall of the Tengu Village, the god took in the ambience of his friend's birthplace.
-Tengu Village, Youkai Mountain.-
"Nice place."
"You are more than welcome to praise it."
She stood proud of her Tengu lineage.
"Now, what are we doing here?"
"I guessed we could take a pit-stop mid-hike on our way, and thought I could use that time to show you around my home town."
"I'm on a strict schedule here; Mom told me to be back by evening or else I'm grounded!" said the god in a faux dramatic tone.
"Yuugi-san has always been like that, has she not? She played Mama Bear for everyone in the group, though her hugs were something to fear. She needs some strength management." the crow replied.
"Yeah, I knew I should've expected that when I set out to do this."
"You can visit me later, then. I'll show you where my office is. Drop in whenever you feel like it, but remember to drop the horns. Most other tengu are quite merciless when it comes to other races, and while they'll let a human into the village, the oni are right out. Feel lucky you have connections with the best Crow Tengu around~"
They walked around the place. What stuck out to Shizumu was the ludicrous amount of long-nosed masks with super thick eyebrows, and the fall leaf imagery that was practically everywhere. This is not how he remembered the tengu. Well, he didn't remember any tengu apart from Aya, whom he had met while on his path home after raiding a small village with his men. She was practically a baby when he first met her, looking like a little crow chick. He reminisced about his memories with Aya.
'If I'm not proud of her as a friend, then I could say I hated my daughter like I did not having fun.'