This is the Cirno News Networkwith a breaking news story: Shocking, Author does not own Touhou. Or Pokémon. Or any other brand that may or may not have been mentioned in this fic. Also, it's too late to bother thinking up a good joke for this, so this will have to do. Perhaps the fact that the Cirno News Network reported something accurate is funny enough for you.
Thank you, and enjoy the show. This has been THE STRONGEST! Now back to your irregularly scheduled fic.
Touhoumon: Gray Version
Chapter 1: The Most Dangerous Game
The ringing of a rusty alarm clock slams into my ears. Annoyed, I reach out a hand and slap the table, eventually finding the trigger of the noisemaker. I languish in silence as the minutes tick by, the blanket warm against the cold of the dark night. Eventually, ticking of the clock, loud and obnoxious with nothing to wash it out, drives me to toss the blanket off of me and swing up from bed.
As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I grabbed a shirt from the pile that laid in the corner of my room. With the shortest of sniffs, I determined that it was good enough to use and draped it over me. Acquiring a pair of jeans from the nearby chair, I pulled them on before walking out the door.
I was met with the worn wood floor before me, a noticeable sag in its structure. The walls were the same as always, paint flaking off and covered with scratches. A few more flakes floated down to the floor as I guided myself along. The sight was rather sad compared to what it had been. I didn't remember too much from back then, but I knew that everything had once been much, much better than it is now.
Still, nothing I could do about it. Paint is a luxury that we don't have, nor need. However, as a smell finally wafted over me, I realized that there was a necessity that I needed at this juncture. And that was some vittles. Grub. Food, or whatever you want to call it.
I followed my nose to the nearest room, where my family was already hustling about. The door was open, and under the roof outside a merry wood fire was crackling. My face twisted into a grimace as I received a full blast of the scents wafting in. There was meal warming on the stove, thick as anything. A few cakes were lying in the pan, too, frying to get to a golden brown. But the most important smell was the smell of meat. Not exactly rare these days, but not common, either. Most of the time, it was kept for special occasions. However, it was not one of those. It was a simple, or ordinary day. It could only mean one thing.
It was time to go hunting.
Still, I knew not to mind it too much. Real meat, whether from a domesticated pig or wild boar or deer, was not something to be mourned for any reason. So, finally jarred awake by the smell, I turned and muttered, "Hello," to the nearest person. My sister.
Hardly a young woman, she was. Still, she was more than a few years elder than my eighteen odd years. Old enough that she remembered the explosion. Or the Razing Light, or whatever fancy name they had given it now. Still, the explosion worked well enough for me.
I'm not too sure why, but mom has always said that the explosion… changed her, somehow. Before, she had apparently been a wonderful, carefree child. Who seemed to love taking me on adventures, as she called them. But after the explosion, and what came after… She was affected by it. More than the rest of the family. She's cold now. Quiet. Always trying to be in control.
Her response to my greeting was just the shortest glance, followed by a curt nod. Just an acknowledgement that I am alive, and ready to face this new day. She returned back to whatever she was doing, reading up on some manual she had found somewhere. Wasn't like I could understand what she was attempting to decipher, anyways.
Still, nothing to be done about it. That's just the way she is. So I turned away from her, and pulled out a chair from the table and took my seat. Before I could even think of what to ask, my father cut me off. "So, ready to be heading out hunting today, boy?"
I nodded to him. "Yup. Frying up the last of the deer we killed a while back?"
"Aye, boy. We've been saving it long enough, anyways. We'll need to be getting us another kill soon enough, help us through the winter. Had to sell a lot more this year to get those items, and we'll need to be selling a good portion of the harvest this year to pay it off. So even if we have a good one…"
"…We'll need a lot more kills than before." I sighed, as this wasn't good news. "Still, though, why did we have to sell so much of our crop? Corn will last a lot longer than whatever else, and it's not like hunting is getting any easier. With them out there…"
My father just shook his head at me. "That is why I went out to buy those things! Those balls are damn expensive, and it's not like they're getting any rarer. Hell, it seems to me that those things are breeding, whatever they are."
I shivered at the thought. It wasn't exactly something I'd want to imagine, much less see. "I don't doubt that. A few of them even tried to swoop down and steal my last kill. The ones in pink dresses, I believe"
Nodding to himself, he said, "Damned sparrows is what they are. Looking at you innocent one minute, next minute stealing half of your kill. Plus your hand, if you're not careful." Standing up from the table, he walked over to the locked cabinet, where at one time liquor had been stored. Reaching down, he grasped an object, pulling out a small ball. With a deft throw, I caught it in my hand.
Smooth brass and cold iron met it. Looking over it carefully, it pulsated with a soft light, reminiscent of the electricity that had been long gone from our land. I stared at it for a few seconds, thumb drifting across an activation key. "So, why give this to me now?"
"Just in case you run across something too strong to be stopped." Hey gave a long glance at sister, still reading her book, before turning back to face me. "And I'd rather have that wasted and you back, instead of you not coming back at all." Shaking the mood off, he clapped a hand on my shoulder. "So bring us back another carcass. I know your sister will enjoy skinning it for us."
I grinned wryly at that. "You know, she only does it because you won't let her practice on us."
"Do you think I'm an idiot, boy?" He stared at me for a few seconds, before busting out laughing. "Whatever. Still, Damn good thing we have her around, isn't it? We'd all be in multiple pieces at best, if it wasn't for her."
"Definitely." After waiting a few moments to see if she'll react, I shake my head. "Still, wish she would… Never mind. So, we're gonna get started eating here, or something?" With a smirk on his face, he stood up while grabbing his plate. "You should know by now that while she may cook for us, we always have to come get it ourselves." Not to mention that we would have to clean up after ourselves. Mom always knows that she can threaten to pull food, and we'd do anything to get back on her good side.
Dad may say that he wears the pants in the family, but we know who rules this roost. Not like there'd be any change.
Still, after rushing to the griddle and back with our food, we ate in relative silence. The night was still upon us, but the glow of a few old oil lamps. Plus a odd one that was new. We didn't bother with the talking, as I knew there would be plenty of work to be done.
The sun was just kissing the land as I walked out the door, hands nearly rubbed raw from scrubbing my dishes clean. Said sore hands were clinging to the strap of my shotgun keeping it secure to my back. I squinted around in the sun as I searched for the old contraption that we had rigged together.
Eventually, the gleam of the sun caught the edge of its mish-mashed construction. A trike assembly, made from the remnants of a few old bikes. Nothing particularly special, to be honest. We couldn't use the old diesel, considering how expensive the stuff was. We ever got a great kill, or more than one; sure, it'd work fine. But all things considered, it was a waste unless we had to haul a large load into town.
Horses… well, everyone knew not to raise horses, unless you had the resources to protect them. Would end up attacked real easy. They knew what a horse meant.
So, instead, we simply used our own two feet to power us. Not that it was too much of a burden. We had a nice little setup going on, as we'd taken the gears off of an old abandoned racing bike. Not enough torque for what we needed, so we geared it on down. It wouldn't go particularly fast, but the trike was good and stable enough to two a nice large trailer made of chicken wire. Perfect for hauling in a kill.
I simply shook my head, and tossed a satchel in the front of the trailer. All that I might need while out and about. A small meal, unappetizing as all get out. Don't want the deer to smell you eating, now do we? Or for that matter, the sparrows. Still, that, a canteen of water, and a few spare shells. Plus that ball.
Giving no more than a moment's glance at the satchel, I turned back and pulled myself into the seat. Forcing the old chain to start spinning once more, I set out towards the nearest woods.
The trip there was, fortunately, uneventful. While the sparrows may be nocturnal creatures, and it was still technically night, they were hopefully too tired to bother with something else. Most had probably gone off to sleep, or still were gnawing on some meal they had stolen. Still, as the birds crept out and began singing, my hair rose and I couldn't help but to shudder. Singing birds was always bad news. Always.
Still, it didn't take long for the cracked concrete to give way to dirt. We were far enough out that the state didn't bother to keep up with the roads. They still had enough to take care of, keeping the cities in one piece, and keeping them connected. The railways were arguably more successful at connecting the towns, especially for cargo. Unless you were going less than thirty miles, best bet was by steam.
Pulling up to an old turnoff, I dismount just as quickly. Hesitating for a moment, I decide the trike is just fine where it is. No need to hide it, really. I can't remember the last time anyone else has been down this road. And it's never walked off before.
Unslinging my gun, I lean it against the trike before strapping the satchel on in its place. Giving it a tug, I grimaced as I felt it sag. It would need to be repaired… And probably soon. Last thing that'd be needed would it to fall off when I least need it to. Or for a thieving sparrow to grab it away from me.
Still, wants are wants, and needs are needs. I wanted it to be in better shape, but I need it right now. So I ignored it and picked up my gun. Good old thing that it is. Ancient weapon, too. Probably not an original production run by far, but even if it isn't it runs near on a century in years, if not a score more. Good old model eighteen ninety-seven. Granted, it isn't necessarily the best of our collection. But it gets the job done.
Plus, the bayonet always gives the right impression to the sparrows. It's bigger than their claws are, by far.
Still, no time was to be wasted. The sun was just coming up, so I had to skedaddle on over to the blind that we had set up. At that point, it was just a waiting game. By my reckoning, it might have been about six o'clock, perhaps five thirty if I was lucky. That gave me a few hours that the deer were out and about, which hopefully would give me a good shot at a buck. Not that even we are desperate enough to take a doe. Enough of the females die to the sparrows, so I just go out of my way to avoid taking them. Even if it means no kill.
Still, the hours ticked by, with nothing for me to do other than be silent and wait. I couldn't help but to fidget around, but I tried to keep myself from rustling the leaves more than I did.
After a good thirty minutes or so, my hopes proved me right. Out in front of me stood a grand ol' buck, tall and proud. It gazed around cautiously, before stepping into the clearing in front of the blind. Patiently, I waited as it entered my sights and stepped closer. It would shoot at fifty feet, but I had him in sight. If he tried to bolt, he would be shot down. But he crept closer, slowly but surely. Once I had felt I had a good shot, I fired.
The loud report from the shotgun thundered across the forest, as the deer fell to its feet. Waiting a few seconds to make sure it wouldn't get up again and bolt, I slung my shotgun once again and made a dash for the carcass.
The deer had settled down, barely twitching. The shot was good, a clean kill. Still, I noticed the animal look at me once before breathing its last. That same pang of regret hit me, as always. Still, one does what one must. And at least it didn't suffer.
Any further introspection was interrupted by a short twitter. Freezing, I slowly turned around, raising my shotgun to the ready. There before me, staring, was one of them. The damned sparrows.
It's amusing how human they look. Short, no higher than my waist, wearing a pink dress. Cute face too, like an innocent child. But then you take everything in. The bare feet, with slight claws curling forward. The clawed hands. The wings back, gently puffing up and down. And the smile, which reveals a row of sharpened teeth.
Again, the damned sparrows. Monsters, is what they are.
Still, they're intelligent enough to know to let self-preservation guide their ways. Pumping the gun to cycle the next round in, I raise it at the sparrow. It watches me for a few moments, seeming to decide if it wants to try and take me down to get to my kill. Or possibly me instead. Either way, it slowly backs away, still giving me that stare the entire time.
As it leaves the vicinity, I give a quiet sigh of relief. I'd not have to kill one of them. Not again. It was hard. They look human, but when they talk… they sound human too. Always crying the same name too. Mistia. At least, I believe it's that. Is it the name of some other creature? Is it their own name? Too bad I've never stopped to ask one.
But I had to hurry. If one was still out, when I thought they should still be asleep, there would be more soon. Sad thing about the gun, considering how effective it is otherwise. Sighing, I sling the gun once more, before grabbing the antlers of the buck. With a heave, I begin the long process of dragging it back to the trike.
However, on the way, I encountered something. Something odd. A book laid on the path I had trod towards the blind. Odd. Very odd. There was no reason for it to be there. I surely didn't carry one, nor had I packed one. So someone was here, and must have dropped it. My hand went to the trigger. Was it a human? Or was it one of them?
He's cautious. Does he suspect something? No, not he, it. It. Must remember, he is food. Just a stupid human, that doesn't know better. Not at all. Needs to learn his place.
No red-white hear, or black-white, or blue-white. Nobody here to beat me. Nobody to take what is mine. Far away from that. Yes, yes, very far. Now, must survive to eat. Must eat to survive. Would love for some books, but now isn't time.
Wish I could have made it to the sea from here. Was so close back at home, but here, everything is so far. And had to feed. Too hungry… It's been too long. Still, sorry human.
No, don't be sorry! Mustn't be sorry. Just a human, waiting to be culled. After all, he's going after my book? The last book that I have? The one I placed there as bait.
Yes, see, he's picking it up. He's going to take it away from me. Just like the others. Must be angry with him. Must show the human that he isn't all-powerful. A quick burst of danmaku, and he'll be down. Ripe for the taking. And eating. Nasty, but necessary. Still, will make the most of it that I can.
Sorry human.
I hear the rustle from behind me, but I was unable to turn fast enough. A ball of light flew out of the middle of somewhere and slammed into my back. The force of the impact flung me across the ground, nearly numbing my entire left arm. My right hand had grasped the strap, not wanting to lose my only protection. The satchel, on the other hand, had broken free, and now lay near where I had originally stood. Once I had stopped flailing about, I rolled over and stared at the one assaulting me.
She looked rather similar to the monsters that attacked everything around here. Yet, different, at the same time. Gray and purple hair stood out, unlike the pink hair of the monsters earlier. At least, I assumed then it was hair. Two tiny horns grew out from the top of her head, yet no noticeable ears were to be seen. And the oddest thing was the red wing growing from her head. A singular red wing.
Still, I had little time to concentrate, as she had leapt at me, hands brandished forward. As I attempted to roll to my right, I idly noticed that they didn't seem as clawed as the other monsters I know of.
Somehow, I managed to move quickly enough, and her hand struck dirt. From the ground, I attempted to raise the shotgun to face her. Once it was close enough, I pulled the trigger.
To my utter dismay, she managed to dodge out of the way of the blast of lead. My hands pumped the slide, as time seemed to slow down to a crawl. The surprised glance on her face at my actions, followed by a return to the rage that had fueled her before.
Before I could manage to get my shotgun to cycle through, I was caught in an open palmed slap from her. I flew through the air, gun lost as it was ripped away by the sheer acceleration I experienced.
When I landed, I watched helpless as the shotgun bounced of the nearest tree, before falling to the ground with a clatter. She seemed to watch me with that same hating expression, before slowly moving towards me. One step at a time. Her steps were almost robotic, dragging them out yet maintaining such a steady pace. As she did, I scrambled back, knowing that I couldn't reach the gun in time.
In the process of doing so, my hand grasped onto the frayed strap of the satchel.
Suddenly realizing the only choice I had, I reached into the satchel, bypassing all of the other contents, until I located it. As iron and brass met my hand, I quickly pulled it back out and just threw.
Caught up in her act, whatever it may have been, she barely blinked as the ball conked her in the nose. Still, no visible damage was done. We both watched the ball, as the seconds drifted by as an eternity might. One second, it had touched her. The next, everything just hovered. And the third… On the third, something happened.
She disappeared. The ball fell down onto the ground, flashing blue. It slowly began flashing and faster, before doing so quickly that I gained a headache just by looking at it.
Finally, it clicked, and settled into a base color. I sighed in relief, glad that it was over and done with.
That is, until she popped right back out.
What? What was that? Was this human so determined as to resort to throw garbage at me as I… as I…
Eyes. Eyes. Everyone, I see eyes. Staring at me. Why are you here. Why are you LOOKING AT ME? Stop it! It's just… it's not right! I can feel the eyes, creeping, crawling, all over me. All looking at me. Judging me.
Another eye. Different this time. Just the one. Staring at me. Staring at my soul… It's judging me. Looking for something. Why is it looking? Why is it judging? And now it's closing. Changing color, warm to cool. That's a good thing, right? Do I pass?
Why does my mind suddenly feel wro-
Fortunately for me, she seemed disoriented enough upon emerging from the ball that I was able to gather my gun again. Pointing it directly at her, I slowly waited for her to come to her senses. She eventually did, recognizing me for who I was. With yet another cry, she brought her arm up, as if to strike at me. Yet, it never came down. Befuddled with herself, she tried to strike again and again. Yet her arms would not move forward.
After a few minutes, she eventually gave it up. Somewhat shocked that the contraption worked, I cautiously picked it up and beckoned her forward, towards me. She ignored me, preferring to turn her nose up. Shrugging, I placed the ball in my pocket, before doing the same with the book I had found. Shaking my head at the satchel once more, I grabbed the loose ends before tying them together. Tossing it over the shotgun, I grabbed the edge of the carcass and began dragging it off again.
All the while leaving the monster in the forest.
It wasn't a minute later that she came following me. She wasn't being as cautious as I was, eagerly breaking every stick and twig we came across. We merely walked in silence for a few minutes, me struggling along with the deer. Tired of the silence, I turned to her, wanting to ask something, or anything. "So, what were you trying to do there, with me?" Not that I honestly expected an answer, but still I tried.
She turned her head, halfway caught between shame and stubbornness. "I… set up a trap. Was hungry. Still hungry. Oh so hungry." As if to emphasize her point, her stomach growled, nearly as loud as my shotgun.
Somewhat surprised that I got any reply from her, I asked, "So, why me? Why eat me, instead of catching a deer?"
"I hate red meat. Terrible. Like frogs better. Or clams. Shellfish. Seafood. Nothing like that here. Had to do next best thing, for me."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "So, still, why didn't you just hunt for a frog? Not like they're rare."
She shrugged. Apparently, she was a slave to her needs just the same as the other monsters. "No clue. Just needed food. But now, can't even make you food."
I was sure she didn't mean to make me a meal, by that remark.
As much as I hated to even put a modicum of trust in one of these creatures, I wanted to strike a deal. Especially if having one of them tied to this ball means I'm stuck with them. "Well, how about this. Help me carry this back, and I'll help you find something. Something that isn't human."
Hesitating, she glanced at my pocket and then back at me. "And that book. I want my book back."
"Your book back? I didn't think your kind was capable of reading." This was certainly odd. I hadn't realized that any of them had the intelligence to do something like this. Were they forming their own civilization? If that was a case, we were in a heap of trouble.
Still, she nodded with the closest equivalent of happiness on her face. "Yes, yes. The book is mine. Not all of my kind can read, and certainly not any of those abominations." Now that was odd. Did the different species not like each other, or was there something more? "I just love to read. It's the only thing I care about. But I had to set a trap… and needed bait."
While I was still averse to doing this, I didn't see how this would hurt. If she wanted me dead already, and was able to do so, I'd be dead. "Alright, it's a deal. Let's get going."
With but a nod, she fluttered into her air, her wings lazily flapping as she flew over to the carcass. With naught more than a shrug, she lifted the deer carcass off the ground, and began to fly along. I couldn't help but shake my head. This creature was able to do my job, but better, without even breaking a sweat.
As we walked back, there was one thing I realized I hadn't asked yet. It would hardly be appropriate to just call it 'she'. Even if it was just to make conversation easier, and I didn't really care what one of them were called. "So, I don't suppose you have a name?"
She paused in midair. "Tokiko. That is what they called me." She shook her head, before floating onwards. "It's been a long time. A long time since I've used it."
Any further prodding by me was rebuffed, and we soon made it back to the trike. Lifting the carcass into the trailer, she wiped herself off on the hem of her dress. With an expectant look at me, I was prodded into action, procuring her book for her. She gave a barely constrained shout of glee, before snatching it from my hands. Almost smiling, I tossed the satchel into the back once more, and began riding down the road. This time with an oddly grinning monster floating by my side.
A/N Howdy all. This here is a story that was in Repository until recently, and I thought I'd move it on over to its own file. I said that I'd wait a bit... but when three chapters of one storyline are taking up over half of a oneshot series, it's time for its own story. I have the next two chapters heading up soon, and the fourth should be finished soon.
Story notes here. Yes, this is a Touhoumon, but truly in name only. I've stripped the majority of the Pokemon elements out of the storyline in totality, and only some legacy elements will be used. There is a reason why this story is not in the crossover category, as I believe it fits better in AU, as it is almost completely non-canon. In fact, I might say that it has closer resemblances to the Tales series than the Pokemon series, aside from the holdovers from the later setting.
If you want more specifics about said AU, and you haven't already, check out Sublime Soliloquy. The Tokiko in this story is very similar to that one. But enough rambling, as I'll have probably posted the next chapter of this by the time you read it.
