Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to Zun.
Y/N: Hmm... she sure is taking awhile for what should amount to only taking a few hours...
Early night, Youkai Forest, Hatate's PoV:
"Which direction?" I looked to the still nude bug, who I had requested check out heading; without the use of my wings, getting to shelter would be a bit tough, as the skys, last I saw them, looked like they were getting ready for a nice, long- Crakoom ...rain. Me, and my big mouth...
Rain had begun to shower the lands, gradually growing in strength, untill it had become a downpour, and began to steadily drip down from the thick canopy.
Dammit... while it's not like my kind can really catch our death of cold, I still don't want to risk getting sick!
"The mountain's in that direction!" She pointed towards the direction behind me, causing me to sigh; while we had only just started moving, we had been going in the exact wrong direction, it would seem...
I growled quietly to myself, and began to make my way towards the other direction, while the annoyingly unconcious form of Aya rested in my arms, now slick with the shine of rain water.
"...Thanks, bug." I hate to say it, but without her I'd be going in the exact wrong direction!
Wriggle landed, as she wasn't able to fly so great during the rain, followed by a short buzz of her wings, so as to shake them free of most of the water that was weighing them down; with her wings now only a bit damp, she let them slip back under her flesh coloured forewings, while her bare feet began to slowly get muddied by the ever moistening forest floor.
It's times like these that I'm glad for these silly geta, as they work wonders on keeping mud from reaching you, even if they sink rather quickly in the mud.
We continued on for what felt like hours in silence, before the storm finally passed. However, by this time, the three of us were already soaked to the bone.. ...Atleast the water cleaned my wounds for me, even if I'm likly going to catch a damn cold...
"I'll go check our heading, now that I can fly safely." Wriggle once again flew up to the dense canopy, and began to make her way through it. Like the Forest of Magic, Youkai Forest is very hard to get out of by going up; I'll be alone for awhile.
It's odd how quickly modesty fades, when you need to help your friend... I'm not sure what that bug sees in Aya, but she seems willing to go to great lengths just to help me help her.
It took another ten minutes untill I saw her trying her best to wiggle out of the folliage.
She pointed slightly to the left of the direction we were currently headed, before speaking, "There's a cave in the base of the mountain over this way. We should be able to wait out the storm there; it's actually still raining, it's just a great deal thicker up top around here..." Hmm... Why does she know where a cave is around these parts? Seems a bit fishy... Ohh, well. Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth untill the horse stops looking.
Once more, we continued on our way, making sure to go as strait as can be.
After another hour, the trees began to thin out, and the rain began to reach us yet again, while we kept on our intended route.
After another hour, we had left the forest, and Wriggle ran off towards where she was leading me.
Once I had caught up, as I'm not one for running, she showed me the hidden entrance of a cave. Huh... I didn't even know this was here!
"...Why do you know of such a cave...? I didn't even know it was here..." The antennae of the girl stiffened for a moment, before she began to respond.
"A-ahh... The uhh, the insects told me where it is." ...The way she said that doesn't really make me believe her, but I suppose that'll do for now...
We headed into the dark depths of the cave, where the tapping of my geta on the rough stone floor echoed a great deal. Odd... just how deep is this cave?
Once we had made it about fifty metres in, we decided that this would be a good enough spot to rest for the night.
"Brr... i-it's fr-freezing in here...!" Wriggle wasn't the best with cold, and her body being a bit damp didn't help in the least.
"Hey, turn away; I'm not about to let myself catch a cold, so I need to take off these clothes..." Wriggle rose a brow at this.
"...But, if you're going to be in the buff either way, why do you care if I see...?" Wriggle didn't particularly care either way, as she wasn't particularly interested in seeing, but she hated being forced to do pointless things.
"Just do it, dammit!" I frowed my brows in annoyance towards her pointless resistance.
"Fine, fine!" Wriggle begrudgingly turned around, and plopped herself down on the cool stone of the cavern.
In an instant, I removed everything save for my Tokin and Geta, as neither were cloth. I'm glad that my Tokin is hollow, as my camera saddly isn't water-proof. I should perhapse talk to Nitori about water-proofing it, some time...
I let out a sigh, before sitting down beside Wriggle, as I hated what I was going to suggest next. "Hey, bug... I'm sure the three of us'll get sick from this draft, so, and hear me out, the three of us are going to have to snuggle so as to share body heat." At my suggestion, Wriggle's face went bright pink.
"B-b-but... I-it'd be embarassing to be so close to you..." Ehh? Why only me...?
"...What's your relationship with my Cousin, bug?" Wriggle's eyes went wide at the question, which caused me to narrow my own.
"Aya's your cousin?" Dammit... I let that slight secret slip; very few outside of the Tengu know that the two of us are related.
"Well... yeah... Anyways, stop changing the subject! What. is. she. to. you." I gave the little bug a pierceing glare, while she averted her eyes.
"W-w-well... U-umm... She-" Wriggle found her lips sealed by a finger. I traced the finger with my eyes to an arm, and the arm to a body, and discovered the body to belong to my rival, who was now quite concious.
"Hatatatata! ?" I just about jumped out of my skin upon noticing the rather angry look upon her features.
"Ayayaya... What have we here? A little bird trying to make my little Wriggle get chatty on things she shouldn't? For shame, Hatate..." Aya had that grin on her face. That grin. The one she always makes when she's trying to irritate you, and knows that she will. And she's always right, dammit!
"W-what? ! It's a valid question!" I fumed while I stated my case, not being able to resist giving into her taunting.
"Hmhmhmm... Want to know what sort of relation we have, ehh?" Aya, as quick as a bolt of lightning, sat beside me and hooked an arm around my neck, so as to whisper. "She's my cute little love bug, Hatate!" However, she didn't whisper. She shouted this loudly into my ear, just because she could.
Wriggle's face lit up with a bright red blush, before she looked away, and skittered her way up the wall so as to hide her embarassment, proving Aya's words to be atleast partially true. ...And making me wonder if she's some kind of roach.
"W-what? ! B-but, you know that we aren't supposed to love outsiders!" Tengu are supposed to only love other Tengu! That's the way Tenma's predacessor declared it, and as Tenma never changed it, that's the way it'll stay!
"Ahh, and yet there's a technicality in that; I just have to convince ol' Tenma that she'd make a good Tengu, and then she'll be given a few challenges!" Aya's grin only widened, and grew with every bit of her planned out future she spoke of.
"That bug? She'd never pass such a thing!" While she seems dedicated to Aya, she was obviously not strong enough to even carry her, herself. I could imagine she'd atleast pass the test of speed, as not all Tengu even hold a candle to the speeds Aya and Tenma can hit without their Tokins on. The tests are meant to be passable by those that would be a good addition to the village in all aspects, so none of them would be particularly hard, even if that bug would never be able to pass the test of strength.
"Did I say It would be today? Give her a season or so, and I'll make a Tengu out of her yet!" ...Aya seems genuinely confident in the girls ability to improve... Hell, I've never seen Aya this determined in all my years! Though, seeing as we never really talk, I have next to nothing to go by.
"Well, I guess I'll just wish you luck; you'll need it." I let out an exasperated sigh, as I had given up on talking some sense into my elder.
"Thanks, little Hatata!" Ohh, I hate it when she calls me such things... "Anyways, what happened? You look pretty beat up!" That annoying grin returned to her face, with a hint of curiosity thrown in.
"Well, when you... bumped into me, that bug ended up in my arms... As I was heading for the forest at an alarming speed, I flipped over, so as to spare the poor thing a scraped... well, everything." As soon as I had retold the tale of my heroism, Aya patted me hard on the back, making sure to avoid my wings.
"Ya did good, kid! I can't thank you enough for saving my little firefly from that bit of pain, even if the cost to you was rather high! It's going to suck to be you for the next week, ehh?" Why must she be so obnoxious about such things...? Maybe other Tengu would hate her less if she was a bit less irritating...
"Ugh, whatever..." I sighed once more, and averted my gaze.
"So, what's the plan now?" Aya once more donned that grin, and began to pat the top of my head, to which I responded by batting away her hand.
"I guess we three huddle together for warmth, and get a good bit of rest...?" She says that as though there are options...
"Well, why don't we just go to my home? It's a bit comfier than this cave, you know?" ...That's an odd suggestion...
"There's too little light, and it's raining out; I'd rather wait till moring to head outside..." I'd love to be in a nice, warm bed right about now, but I don't see it happening...
"Let me ask you this; where do you think a cave that leads strait up goes?" Hmm... Strait up the inside of a mountain... wait...
"Don't tell me this cave leads strait to the top of the mountain..." It can't be, can it? How would such a thing have never been found?
"Fine, I won't!" Aya's chuckle annoyed me to no end, as it sounds so... smug.
"You're kidding, right?" There's no way!
"Well..." Aya skillfully snaked her arm around my waist, so as to pick up like she did back when I was but a chick. "Let's find out!" Aya had the most irritating of ways to say 'yes'.
With a single flap of her wings, she took off, and with a perfectly timed grab, Aya snatched up Wriggle half way up. It seems she had never stopped scurrying her way up the wall, and had actually made some pretty good progress. Odd. Where exactly could she have been headed? Was what Aya insinuated, the truth?
"Miss me, Wriggle?" Aya had only a vague idea that she'd been unconcious, which was mostly due to her splitting headache, and having woken up a distance from the last place she remembered.
"Like you wouldn't believe..." Wriggle began to snuggle her cheek just above Aya's left breast.
"So... not at all? Because that's all I wouldn't believe!" Aya chuckled, while Wriggle got a bit teary eyed and pouty.
"Th-that's not what I meant! I meant that I missed you more than you can imagine!" Wriggle began to verbally squirm in annoyed embarassment, as it'd be a bad time to do such things physically.
As we were about to go splat on cavern ceiling, Aya took a sharp turn, and we headed towards what seemed to be another form of rocky death!
When we didn't go splat, and instead simply passed through the rocks, I was quite surprised to say to least.