Steward Of Paradise At Work

by Tall-Gothic-Guy

I didn't come here to meet shrine maidens or monsters. I didn't come here to erect a cross. No one even told me about magic being a thing here. Actually, I didn't expect myself to be here at all. I was simply chasing a woman who created eye portals. But it beats being a runaway thief. I just wish I knew sooner, that this place will never give me a break, not even God...Bring it on.

12. Midday Addresses

Tasty, tasty, tasty meat~!

Eman happily sung a tune mentally as he bit down on the juicy meat. The grilled goodness, the saucy greatness, the overall tastiness of the dish brought back so many memories, so many old days, and so much nostalgia. The smoking grill, the sauces-stained plates, the amount of ketchup bottles and barbecue sauce used, and so much coal. Including the how many liters of coke and sprite drank. Such wonderful days. In this day as a former thieving poor man, he never thought he could go down on the most delicious foods like this ever again.

"Dude, use a spoon and fork-ze!"

"Should you be saying that, Kirisame Marisa?" Meiling frowned, swirling her soup.

Of course, the old days was before he moved out of the Country and lost it all. The way he ate now, eating with his bare hands, sanitized before he began, it was a reflection of his old culture. Now that the Lady of the House was at a state of sleep, there is no need for some dainty table manners. With his present company, a witch, a Chinese Youkai, and a purple sorceress, he can let loose. What's the point of holding back when they just fought each other not more than 30 minutes ago?

Wiping his mouth and swallowing the morsels, he addressed Marisa, [Sorry, but the Lady of the Building ain't here.]

"I'm technically a Lady of the Building, you see." Patchouli pointed out, looking at him with a flat stare, "My authority in this abode is second to Remi."

He scoffed lightly, [Not like Marisa's doing any better.]

"Hey!"

Eman smirked on one side of his lips. Marisa gulps too loudly, and some of her side dishes had fallen off her plate and into the sheets. At least it wasn't excessive to the point where he would have problems with her table manners. [Besides, it's my culture to eat barehanded, especially after doing a lot of muscle work and exercise. It's been a while since I did this so at least allow me this much.] He will add the defense that he has not spilled anything on the sheets if anybody is going to say something. Every food he ate, it always falls on his plate, never around it. A minimal mess.

"What culture is that, Eman?" The sorceress asked, holding a piece of toast in her hand dipped in her tea.

He cleared his throat, [Filipino. It's Pinoy Style.] He proudly informed, and he smiled stupidly on the inside. How he missed saying that one line, [From the Outside World's Philippines. A country below Japan.]

"Hm." Patchouli took a bite on her bread, chewing demurely as her eyes were deep in thought. After a few seconds, she looked at him again, "The last I've heard of such a country, it was the most primitive country, especially in terms of literacy."

[Yeah, you got that right.] Wiping his greasy hands with a towel, he took a cup of water and drank before he continued, [When Magellan came to our country in the 1600s, we were still wielding bows and spears while he carried swords and steel. He lost to Lapu Lapu and died anyway.] He smirked as he added that, [It's been a while since I've read my books so I could be wrong but….while we were colonized by the Spanish, we were denied from education so maybe that's why we were so…illiterate before. It was a big thank you to the Americans that we gained our education.] He held back from saying that Americans once considered Filipinos their 'Little Brown Brothers or Sisters'. It may be sounding affectionate, but it also implies that they're being called inferior.

Fixing his thoughtful look back to a simple smile, he said, [Get this: Education was once a big deal Outside. It's a standard that Educated men and women are polite, well-learned, and are well-mannered before. They're sometimes held in high regard by most who couldn't afford education or couldn't read and write at all. Today, in the new millennia, where the humans are getting advanced and far more rational than back in the 90s, being in school ain't no big deal anymore. Youths like me treat it like the most annoying existence.]

"So the outside world's youths demean education, despite the fact that their technology and science was wrought by the efforts of Education?"

He chuckled derisively, [Yep. A lotta kids don't get why we need to school. They think their fine as long as they could read, write, and could calculate basic mathematics. Me? I treat school like a necessity, but science and philosophy was kinda fascinating to me so at least there was something to like. Anyway, whether I like education or not, I treat it like a necessity, something I have to do go through just so I could get a job in society and contribute to it.] Like a normal person. He added cynically in his thoughts.

"How long've you been in school Outside, Eman?" This time it was Marisa who asked.

[Uh…] He frowned, counting with his fingers to recall correctly. [I started at the age of six, I think….then I graduated at the age of 17…..] Mentioning the word 'graduation' brought back an ugly memory. Damn it. I thought I got over it. [Ye-yeah! I graduated at age 17 and stopped there. 2 years later, I forgot all that I learned.] He informed jovially, chuckling mirthlessly.

Marisa seemed to buy his faux expression, asking more questions about the Outside World but Meiling and Patchouli caught his mask. It was almost easy to identify the implication of his words. Something must've happened to him at that 'graduation', whatever it was, it must have made a large impact on his life that he was forced to stop learning.

Looking down on their respective foods, they held down from commenting about it and instead continued eating.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

[Does she always do that?]

"What?"

[Y'know, using violent methods just to get a point across? When she said that the fight was to teach me, it actually did. So….does she do that often?]

The food on the table was now cleared: the fruit plate now bearing apple cores, banana peels, and naked grape branches; the venison plate that once carried a bountiful dish of deer meat glistening in delicious sauces that made Eman and Marisa drool heavily was now left with a skeleton (even the organs were gone); and the pie desserts almost seemed like they just disappeared into thin air whenever they arrived at the teen's reach.

Meiling put her hands together and thanked for the food, Marisa patted her fat and bloated belly contentedly after an absurdly loud burp, Eman and Patchouli engaged in conversation. The Sorceress held her chin in thought before she answered, "I….don't think so. This is practically the first time she had done such a thing. She usually gave no damn to an outsider whether he or she could win or lose in a spell card battle, live or die in Gensokyo, she would even care less if an Outsider was suffering culture shock that she had to impersonally lecture you about it."

[Huh.] Eman frowned, slightly perturbed at the answer, [Got any idea why?]

Patchouli simply sighed, "Among all the whims Remi had, whose reasons I could easily identify given time, this incident is….new. Quite new, so I cannot possibly figure out the reason unless I ask her, which I doubt she'll tell me."

It was his turn to sigh, [Fine. At least it was a win-win, right?] He attempted to be optimistic, [She gets to have a blast watching me get stabbed in the arm,] His voice got heated and loud as he said that before returning to a passive tone, [I get to learn that a lot of people throw out their violent sides when they play the Spell Card Battle.]

"Good for you."

He chuckled morbidly and spread out his hands, gesturing the entire table along with the people occupying it, [And now, look at us! We're eating together like we didn't even do anything in the past few hours! We were really trying to kill each other inside that library.]

The rant drew condescending stares, all three women looked at him as if he was a very naïve little boy who didn't know any better in the ways of adult life. Marisa chuckled as she rested her cheek on her hand, "Haha, you don't know nothin', Eman."

Meiling sighed good-naturedly, "I hate to admit it, Eman-dono, but she's right."

Patchouli sat up a little straighter, intending to enlighten the ignorant outsider, "Let me give you a little insight, Eman: since the creation of Gensokyo, Youkai were no strictly forbidden to eat or kill humans. Simply eating humans isn't the only way for Youkai to stay alive. They are particularly spiritual beings, therefore thrive on something metaphysical, like fear."

Eman blinked, "They simply sustain from fear?"

"Human fear." She pointed out, "Not only Youkai but also the gods of this place. Youkai will live through the fear of man, gods will live through the faith of their worshipers."

The teen pondered for a short few seconds before realizing, "I think I can see the picture here: Youkai and gods rely on humans to live. If there were no humans...there would be no more Youkai and gods. It's simply the end of Gensokyo."

Patchouli nodded, "Correct. If Gensokyo doesn't fall apart from such an event, then it will only be left to the hands of animals. One could say that the Humans of Gensokyo are protected, even by Youkai, and regularly frightened for their fear."

"Doesn't apply to Outsiders-ze." Marisa added, crossing her arms as she looked at Eman pointedly, "That sorta thing only covers humans native to Gensokyo. They see an outsidah, they kill 'em or eat 'em. They ain't gonna scare 'em good for the fear-ze. They got enough fear from the folks in the village already."

Eman visibly paled and gulped nervously. He finally realized that he actually had a near miss with death that time before he got into the mansion. He was literally alone that day, the sun was coming down, in a forest where potential killers could hide in all directions, and he was actually a target? He got lucky, he was so lucky that nobody made a jump on him.

"Oh and Eman?" Marisa's voice turned stiff, and her mien turned into a grimace.

"Ye-yes?" He was slightly caught off-guard by her face. She may show murder looks, crazy smiles, and psychotic eyes but he never saw her wear such a face before.

"What's said here...does not leave this room, a'right?" She warned, her eyes stone-cold and firm, "The villagers don't need to know this. If they get wind of this, bad stuff's gonna happen. If they stop fearin', how'll the Youkai live? Youkai-folk and human-folk gotta stay enemies-ze. If there're no Youkai, no Gensokyo eithah."

His eyes were wide, all this information was massive, supremely confidential as it looks, and it was handed to him like he was part of the affairs. The kind of order Gensokyo had was mind-blowing...and actually impressive. To think that he is given all this extremely deep stuff regarding the magical land he decided to call home because he was too involved with both races...

Youkai will scare the humans, they'll get scared and feed off it. Through that fear, they'll get influenced to turn to their gods for protection, thus sustaining the latter. And the cycle will repeat. And they don't even need to kill each other.

Wow. That's amazing. He appraised mentally. He felt like giving a hundred points for the whole concept.

"There's also this." Patchouli informed, clasping her fingers on the table sagely, "All Youkai have their natural instincts; their instinct to kill, their instinct to hunt, their most basic instinct to cause terror and attack. Considering that outsiders are quite rare to come by—or I think they are—and including the rule that protects Gensokyo natives, how will the Youkai satiate their general instincts if they do not want to lose their sense of identity and disappear?"

Realization clicked as Eman widened his eyes, knowing the answer, "The Spell Card System."

All three women nodded affirmatively as Patchouli continued, "With the spell card system, the Youkai can cause conflict to relieve their instincts without killing a human, and a human can fight back against a Youkai without exterminating it. It was a genius creation that kept the Youkai from losing their identity and to keep humans from being weak. It is the closest equivalent to a bloodless violence between two races."

"Fear and excitement." Marisa remarked, taking a chance to be the end of the exposition, "That's all the Youkai'll need-da ze."

"I would prefer the term 'Conflict', Kirisame, but 'Excitement' may not be a stretch." Meiling commented, giving an easy smile.

Eman was at awe, amazed at the genius of it all, and the fact that it benefits both races fairly just makes it even better. He asked, [So if you were a Youkai and say you'll eat me, then we fight by Spell Cards, you won't really mean it at all?]

Marisa snickered uncontrollably on the side, finding it funny that a bean sprout like Patchouli would go munching on humans. It was almost akin to cannibalism due to how human she looked. The sorceress snorted, "I may be a Youkai but that doesn't mean we cannot have standards. I don't need even need to eat. The magical energies in my body are all the nutrients I need."

It took a few seconds for the realization to click, and once it clicked, Eman sat up straighter on his chair, looking at Patchouli in shock, [You're a Youkai?]

Marisa nearly lost it. The outsider's obliviousness was actually hilarious in a weird way, even Meiling was starting to snicker, her fist covering her laughing mouth.

"I'm a magician, of course I am." Patchouli pointed out simply.

[Wha-what!?] Eman was now lost, [What does that even mean!? Isn't a magician a….profession? Like a knight or something?] He turned to Marisa and pointed at her, [What about her? She's a magician, and she told me she's totally human.]

"Yeah! Ordinary Human Magician right here!"

"Yes, yes, I understand your point." Patchouli insincerely replied, "There are certain rituals that makes an individual a complete magician. Abandon sleep, abandon food. Once you passed those rites, you have given up your humanity for the sake of magical enlightenment and knowledge, thus making you a complete magician." She then placed a hand to her chest, "I, however, am born a natural Magician. My magical prowess has been pure since my birth and I finished my rites at the age of 13 and became eternal." She finished with the pride of a magician filling the line of her voice, smirking smugly as she did.

[Huh….] Despite his calm exterior, he was still struck with disbelief. All these revelations were almost mind-breaking. He felt like he lived a lie, and, at the same time, enlightened. He then snidely smirked, [But even if you're forever young, your body's still feeling the age, eh?]

[PPHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!‼!‼!‼] Marisa had officially lost her shit and fell off her chair. The mere indirect mention of Patchouli's age as a century plus year old magician was too much, including the fact that her droopy, coughing, and physically inept body was something elderly humans commonly suffer from. Her sometimes cynical and derisive attitude just adds up to it. Meiling was no different, her chortles are heard all over the dining hall and her attempt to cover her mouth and not offend the Mistress's friend failed.

Patchouli was red from both embarrassment and anger, frowning heavily on the man across the table who so dared to reference her age to the ultimate bane of her life. "If you are going to blame my age for my physical constitution, you ignorant and idiotic human, I'll have you know that I could burn your entire body into cinders that not even a single ash of you would remain. Do you hear me?"

[Ehehe, I hear you….] Despite the threats from the clearly experienced and wise magician that possibly surpassed Marisa in terms of knowledge and magical power, he wasn't worried. He was greatly enjoying the reactions from the girl, it was like teasing a girl on high school.

"First of all, it is not my fault that I couldn't perform proper physical exercises like the three of you here. I'm born with asthma. How could you expect me to run a single mile with such a detriment inside my lungs!?"

This time, Eman's teasing smile faded. Meiling was able to calm down upon the mention of Patchouli's asthma, Marisa was still losing it on the floor.

"As a magician, I research and dabble with many raw materials and minerals, where certain side effects such as weakness, mercury poisoning, and others could easily affect me. But I have a pride as a Magician, who does everything according to the book, and I will not let my physic—" She stopped mid-sentence as a violent cough erupted out of her mouth. She quickly grabbed the nearest napkin and coughed into it, Meiling quickly stood up and went by her side to rub her back.

When the coughing finally stopped, Eman quickly raised an apologetic hand, [Sorry for what I said. Was just a speculation, honest.]

Patchouli grunted in response, waving her hand to tell that the apology wasn't necessary.

Eman grabbed the biggest venison bone on his plate and threw it to the monochrome figure on the floor. Marisa's reaction: she stopped laughing and she rolled to the side in a speed he did not expect from a person lying and laughing on the floor (and with eyes closed too). When the bone harmlessly landed on the carpeted floors where Marisa's head was supposed to be, she turned to him with a glare, "Dude, what the hell!?"

[Shut up and sit on your chair. You're bothering the hell outta me with ya laughin'.]

Expecting a retaliation, he grabbed a clean saucer plate that used to contain the apples and held it beside his face as quickly as he could like a shield . The result: there was a loud plak beside his left ear and his free hand shot up to catch the projectile before it fell to the floor. With a plate in his left hand, the thrown bone on his right, he placed the former on the table then laid the latter on top demurely.

With that done, he rested his elbow atop the armrest and laid his cheek on his fist as he smiled a big smug smile towards the Witch. Beat that! He was getting into this predicting-enemy-movement thing.

Marisa glared back at him as she stood, slowly pulling her chair back upright before sitting down without looking away, the smirk on her face was borderline insane and murderous. After a single minute of a murder-staring contest, the two humans broke out laughing, with varying degrees of mirth.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Marisa's mirth was plenty.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!] Eman's mirth was massive.

"You two are such an odd pair." Meiling commented, looking at the two with a smile.

"Shut up, Hypocrite."
[Shut up, Hypocrite.]

The two stared at each other in surprise, then they pointed at each to other playfully for the perfect sync, exclaiming nonsense.

"Aaaaaaah!"
[Aaaaaaah!]

This time, Meiling couldn't resist joining in the mirth as the two began laughing again. The two were so contradictive in terms of personality yet they were so in-sync with each other's mentality and mindset. The two were truly odd.

Slowly, the mirth disappeared and they settled down quietly. Meiling leaned back into her chair to relax, Marisa pushed her plate aside and rested her head on the table atop her crossed arms, Patchouli opened the Spell Book breaker on the table, Eman looked at the areas of his left arm where it was once stabbed.

Needless to say, he's in a dilemma.

He lived with constant injury. His habits guaranteed it. Sprained ankles, shredded knees and elbows, bruised wrists and the rarest of them all, broken bones, he went through most of these things so many times that he was starting to consider that they were part of his natural life. Calloused skin developed, numbness to pain grew, and a knack to avoid injury came.

He was already used to getting hurt, waving off concerns, seeing blood, dressing them with semi-primitive means, and watch them heal as time goes by. Seeing them heal so instantaneously was utterly shocking and unusual.

He thought he was already used to the very weirdness of Gensokyo's reality; magical influence, special powers, beings that are not even human yet able to think like one, and extreme brutalization of common sense. He was wrong: wounds closing up like a minor headache was not something he anticipated in his new life as a Gensokyo citizen.

When he thought about it, he felt conflicted. It was a great thing that his wounds are healed immediately, saving him the time of treating it, worrying over infection, and being bored due to being idle just to stabilize the wounds. But at the same time, he felt like he accomplished nothing. Successfully executing a stunt is indeed fulfilling, earning a scar or surviving any kind of injury that came afterwards adds up to the self-actualization of his life.

Lacking any injuries is the same as lacking any dignity. He felt like he earned nothing. Nothing but the achievement of beating the Devil's dog. It seemed like something worth bragging about, but with the lack of injuries he wouldn't think so.

'Least it's better than nothing. Not that I'll appreciate it. I still need those scars as a mark of my victory.

He sighed, lowering his hand to rest it on his lap, subconsciously feeling for the knife holster wrapped around his thigh inside his pants. Suddenly, I feel stabby. He should transfer that holster outside his pants, that way he could take the knife out easily without taking too long for the enemy to shiv him first. He's going to be needing this thing more often than usual, who knows if somebody's gonna pull the same thing Remilia did.

Just when he was about to lean back and close his eyes, Meiling spoke up, "You doing okay, Eman-dono?"

Sparing a glance to her direction, he closed his eyes once again as he spoke, [M'fine. Just thinkin' about what happened in the library, especially the beat down between me and Marisa.] He explained with a creeping smirk. The memory of just straight-up beating the petite blond woman was morbidly satisfying.

Meiling giggled, "I have to say: you have a funny style. You were both brutish and refined at the same time."

[Heh. There was water so I can't do the uh….finesse aspect right, since it kinda slows me down, and I might slip. I just had to go gorilla on her.]

"Ha ha! You got to hand it to her, eh?" She gestured to the dozing witch, "Even with every blow you hit her with, she couldn't stop getting back up!"

Eman nodded with a hum of agreement, [Question: What would happen if it was Reimu I was fighting?]

Meiling blanched on her seat, Marisa twitched in her sleep, Patchouli visibly flinched from her reading.

The man already got his answer, he never thought that he would be under the protection of somebody who was feared by these inhumans.

"Uh…it's best you do not find out." Meiling answered uneasily, the first time he ever saw the beautiful martial artist act so genuinely nervous; twiddling her thumbs.

"The extent of the Hakurei Red-White's wrath is something I am never eager to know." Patchouli supplied, her eyes were noticeably blinking more than a few times. Is some traumatic memory relapsing to the surface or something?

"Thank you for answering." He politely said in their tongue with an amused smile. Then the fun disappeared, his expression quickly switching to a grimace. [I need a Spell Card, and quick.]

"You have my agreement, Eman-dono." The Chinese Youkai nodded in agreement, crossing her arms, "You truly have not a Spell Card, yes?"

[Not one.]

"That meant you were lucky." The teen felt the 'Sensei' in Meiling coming to rise. "What you've pulled was both daring and equally foolish."

That brought a frown on Eman's pale forehead, [Which one are you talking about? Stopping Marisa or joining in?]

"Both. I commend you for such actions for it shows your nobility and your courage but getting involved without knowing what you were doing is immature."

[The entire thing was kinda straightforward, right?] He defended, [Stop Marisa. Simple as that. The reason why it took long was because a lot of people interrupted me, and you didn't do anything decisive except spectate while I had her busy.]

Meiling instantly wore the look of shame, clearly not any better in terms of progress about the entire ordeal inside that library, "I-I did put my trust in you…."

"Then don't lecture him, Meiling." Patchouli derisively told. "I never heard of a day where you could have stopped the Rat from entering my library."

[And besides,] Eman added, ignoring the sulky redhead. [Even if I was never gonna win against her, I did nick her uh...fortitude and stamina while I was at it. That way, you guys could have an easier time with her.] He turned an accusatory glance to the purple magician, [Someone here just doesn't know how to aim her saws.]

Patchouli raised her attention from the book to the man, frowning, "It would've been quick. I could've taken her out along with you."

Suddenly irritated, he leaned his head back in a groan, crumpling his hair, [Taking one for the team, yeah, I'm not that eager to die.] He dryly retorted, [I don't have a spell card, please remember that, Patch. You could've used a spell that would not have killed me instantly. Your water spells were relatively non-lethal.]

"If I were to use such spells, you would have lost a couple of limbs and likely drowned."

[Then that just means you can't fight together with teammates.] He retorted, then he just sighed, suddenly feeling tired and done with it, [Whatever. What's done is done. My main goal for the moment is getting a spell card.] His mental state quickly became clouded with grouchiness and suppressed rage at the next sentence, [I don't wanna be the only one bleeding in the next spell card battle. I'm not facing Sakuya again while I don't have one. Meiling's got a point. I got too lucky to survive that.]

"It is a wonder that you survived, Eman." Patchouli told. "You do not have any spell cards, and still managed to win. While I will not say that you are the first to achieve such a feat, but to duel against our cat and win is indeed a worthy mention."

"I'm impressed as well, Eman-dono." Meiling smiled, interlocking her fingers together on the table. Then in a soft voice, she asked, "May I know exactly what happened?"

That drew a big groan from him, the unpleasant memory already rolling in. All the fear, all the panic, and all the rage. All too unpleasant. Why did she have to bring this topic up? How he acted towards Sakuya in that library after the battle is pretty clear as to what happened, why does she need an elaboration on the entire thing?

"I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

[S'fine.] He waved her off irritably, [I'll just tell you the nutshell version of it.] He refilled his drinking cup with the pitcher of water and drank. This might take a while to finish, [Me 'n Marisa were getting it on again, and then Patchouli interrupted for the second time.] He turned a cranky stare to the girl, [Thanks a lot, Patch.]

"You're welcome."

Dammit. [Oy. Anyway: once she did, that's where Sakuya came in and tried to nail me. Good thing Marisa pushed me away before it did. And that's the part where she told me that she was sent there to keep me fighting, and she'll do what it takes, even if it kills me.] He sighed once again, slumping to his chair with a bothered expression. [Then I panicked and ran.]

He then left it there for a pause, trying to regain his composure. This was ridiculously new. He disclosed to a lot of people about his near-misses with death. How come this one was making him very uncomfortable? He was usually calm in this situations. In fact, he would always add a joke once in a while, how come his humor was missing at the moment?

Taking another drink of water, he continued, hoping he wouldn't taking another swig in the next dozen sentences. [I did manage to get my confidence back after running for a while. I got nicked several times though. See?] He tugged on his damaged shirt, exposing the numerous slits that showed his pale chest and shoulders, especially the long horizontal line on his stomach that implied a gutting maneuver. He gestured to his left shoulder, [Got me good on the shoulder too. When I fought back, I was gaining some ground. Just kicking and punching, I could'a used my knife on her—and I wouldn't feel bad afterwards—but she doesn't leave any openings.] The next one was going to be the big reveal. He quickly took his cup and downed it with vigor, failing his own expectations of refraining from taking it.

Once the cup was empty, he slammed it down on the table as loudly as he could, snapping Marisa out of her sleep, "What!? What the hell!?"

And then he let it out, [Then she fucking stabbed me! Right here, in the fucking arm!] He ranted, gesturing wildly to his left arm, including the one on his chest, the one crucial part of the body that should not be stabbed or shot at all costs if he wants to live. [She even got me in the fucking heart! She was clearly trying to kill me!] Then he slumped heavily on his chair, interlocking his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes to keep it together. Maybe it was because of Sakuya's direct killing intent that made this conversation uneasy. He had everything in control in his stunts and free-roams, it seemed he had no such privilege in this crazy land, where there is more antagonistic people than usual that he might possibly meet in one day.

Sighing once again, this time he hoped he doesn't start screaming in the next sentences, [And that's the part where I went into a rage. I was so pissed off that I ended up beating the absolute shit out of her. I nailed her skull, her gut, and her back so many times I'm pretty sure she would be having broken bones if not for the spell card system.] One last sigh, he reached for the pitcher; one last swig. Bringing the half-filled cup to his lips, he finished with a low voice, [When I threw her to the shelf, I tipped it on her….and won.] Then he drank.

Then everything became silent, the only audible sound being Eman's gulping throat. He laid the cup on the table softly, vying to never slam it and never touch it again as he could feel his stomach filled to the brim. [I need that fucking Spell Card.] He solemnly said. [And I need to improve in my fighting ability. I ain't gonna take chances next time, no telling if I could even win against the weakest Youkai.]

It was silent afterwards, but then Marisa spoke up, "That's good thinkin', Eman. You did win against Sakuya, yes, but it ain't no reason to feel mighty and stuff. One of these days, you could end up fightin' a god and it'd take only a second before yer down on the ground, brotha." She slid her chair back with the back of her knees and walk around the table till she was right beside him. Laying a hand on his shoulder, she flashed him a big smile full of friendliness, "I told ya before, I'm gonna train ya from the bottom of mah heart. Ya still up for it, dude?"

The offer was completely enthralling and the amount of sincerity heard from such words made it almost impossible to refuse, Eman couldn't stop himself from making a smile. He held up a hand, and his witchy friend took it with a slap, giving it a tight grip and a firm shake. [I'll be countin' on ya.]

"Sure! Just gimme a call and I'll show ya the ropes!" She promised, giving his silky head a rough and healthy ruffle, which lead to her side being pinched that made her jerk sideways. Marisa quickly conformed to using both hands and messed his silky hair even more, Eman saw the opening and struck: slipping his massagy fingers straight into her arm pits. When she yipped, he never that she could make such a noise.

Meiling and Patchouli watched demurely in their seats, oddly admiring the childish antics the two were having. In Youkai terms, these two are practically infants compared to them, who have lived past their first centuries, and the two humans present are acting like children. Fitting.

"Like a brother and sister." Meiling remarked with a warm smile.

"Hm." Patchouli couldn't help but agree, she was quite unfamiliar with this side of Marisa, so playful and active instead of being nosy and generally destructive besides the civil and annoying side of her whenever she would ask for tea.

Soon the two calmed down, as Marisa returned to her chair, Eman asked the ultimate question, the one thing that he so wanted to ask but was afraid to dare himself. This time, it was now or never, [Hey, Patch.]

"Hm?"

[Do you think it's possible for me to get innate abilities through study or training?] He then stiffened, awaiting the answer.

Patchouli raised her eyes from the book to stare back at him, Eman glanced to the side to see that Marisa's smile was getting bigger as she looked at him, the prospect of him getting powers and being compatible enough to kick Youkai butt very intriguing.

"It's not about 'can', it's about 'when'." The senior magician pointed out. "Every scent of magic in the outside world is transferred here since Gensokyo's creation. As long as someone is in Gensokyo, human or not, they are literally inhaling magic in and out like oxygen. Thanks to that, anyone could develop innate abilities with the right supervision or the right insight. If you are lucky, it might awaken without your knowing."

"Almost everyone in the village has an ability of their own." Meiling added. "We once invited a little human girl capable of reading any language written in a book to assist Patchouli-san in verifying some foreign text. From ancient and forgotten languages to lost lore, nothing escapes her range." Though she remembered one little rumor from the goblins that young little Kosuzu got a little too eager reading forbidden text behind Patchouli's back and ended up awakening a few books that had more teeth than a shark's maw and the appetite of a glutton which lead to utter chaos inside the library. Koakuma had a few bite marks on her arse in the aftermath. That was hilarious. It ended becoming something for the goblins to laugh about in their merry-go-moments.

At the end of their exposition, none of them could miss the sparkle in Eman's eyes. He was comparable to a little boy being promised a wonderful toy that will be given to him at a sooner than later date.

He looked down on his own hands, imagining the kind of power he would have sooner or later, but he dreadfully hoped that he will earn it soon. He hoped for a very cool-looking ability, the ability to control fire or maybe earth magic. [This is gonna be awesome.] He breathed with little to no control of his excitement, his smile broadening to his ears.

"Hey, Eman!" Marisa called out, "When ya got yer ability awakened, lemme know! I wanna see what kinda powers you'd get-da ze!"

[Yeah.] He nodded, smiling eagerly. [When I do, I'll call you.] Then his smile quickly vanished, a grimace forming once again. Meiling was starting to wonder if he was bipolar or a mood-swinger. [I hope it awakens soon. Once I do, I'm makin' me a spell card.] He turned to Marisa, giving her an easy smile, [Then you 'n I can train, Marisa.]

"Yeah, brah!" She exclaimed, pumping a fist to his direction. He returned the gesture, their flying punches bumping together.

Turning to Patchouli, he began, [Now for the main point of my visit.] Sitting up straighter, he politely asked, [Shall we go for the blood check-up, Patchouli?]

Patchouli frowned at first, then her eyes quickly widened in remembrance, "Ah yes, I completely forgot. It's best we proceed now, you are finished dining, yes?"

[Yeah, I'm good. Where we heading?]

"Back to my library. Given the amount of time we spent here, it's possible the goblins are through reorganizing the place."

That fast? Eman frowned at the presumption but made no intention to speak it out. He held up a finger, [Hold on a sec.] Taking a deep breath, opening the trachea of his throat, he patiently awaited the boom.

…..

…..….….

*BELCH!* A massive burp erupted out of the teen's mouth. There we go.

[Ah…] He sighed contentedly, slapping his stomach with a satisfied smile, [Excuse me.] He added before rising up from his chair and heading for the door. Patchouli floated upwards from her seat. Meiling stood up, Marisa was quick to be on his side as he reached the door to the halls.

Once he opened the door and walked past the door frame with his witchy friend, she elbowed his ribs, "Race ya to the library? I won't be usin' my broom-da ze." Marisa asked nonchalantly, her tone as similar to asking him to pass the salt. The challenging smile on her face, however, hid none of her competitive spirit to Eman.

A smirk quickly emerged on his lips, having no intention to decline a race that will give Mr. and Mrs. Crazy Legs a chance to work out. [Three….two…]

They instantly bolted off, Marisa never fell for the suddenness of the countdown and instead took off the sooner he moved his leg by a single inch. Not even two seconds and the two forms quickly shrunk as they got further and further away into the scarlet halls, their rapid footsteps are still perceptible by Meiling's trained ears, despite them reaching more than 300 meters away. Given the booming rhythm of feet being much further than the light and quick rhythm of feet being much closer, it's a clue that Eman was gaining the lead.

Has anybody ever competed in foot-racing while being capable of flying, I wonder? Meiling mused with a smile. She never knew if Marisa was ever fast in her feet as she was in her broom.

"Children." Patchouli's derisive voice commented beside her, "I'm dealing with children."

"But you can't help but admire the rambunctiousness of youth, hm?" Meiling asked brightly. "It makes me remember the olden days as my master's student."

"Whatever. I just hope they do not cause another ruckus once they reach my library. One spell card battle is enough."

In a leisurely pace, Patchouli levitated just a couple foot above the ground and floated onwards to her workspace, keeping the book in her grasp. Meiling walked beside her, matching her speed without trouble.

As the pair walked, passing by some goblins who worked diligently as usual in their respective areas, Meiling mulled over the next few weeks, if not months. She knew the type of man Eman was: he was bold, brave, and straightforward. A suicidal combination in a place like Gensokyo, especially if he was an outsider. He'd be willing to challenge a Youkai the sooner it provokes him, he'd be doing anything just to make sure his thirst for thrill is filled, even if it puts him in danger. If he was not so lucky, he'd be dead in a matter of weeks if he does not learn to control himself from submitting to his urges. If he develops power by his innate abilities awakening, a possible development of megalomania will be his downfall.

But she couldn't deny his skill. In Meiling's opinion, his life expectancy would last for a couple of months with that skill of his, acrobatic, nimble, brutish, and cunning. If he learns to play with danmaku, she believes that he will have the finesse aspect of the battle spot on. His talent to move as if he were dancing and to keep his body moving would make a stunning display. Hopefully, he lives long enough for her to challenge him and see for herself just how good he is once he learns to play Gensokyo's game.

Admittedly, it was a very ingenious thing to use goblins as a way of compensating his inability to shoot danmaku. While he handles the physical combat, the boys in his person would handle distant targets and magical combat. She could still remember him fighting against Marisa alone in that library, she couldn't deny how funny they fought and how hard they hit each other. They sure know how to take a hit, Eman-dono and Kirisame. She thought, recalling the amount of times the teen was struck in the groin and the amount of slaps the witch received, and yet still able to stand back up to ask for more.

Meiling wouldn't be lying if she assumes he would be praised by the other students trained from her previous Master because of his fighting style and eye-catching mobility. She'd bet even the Oni race would pour him a cup of sake if he showcases it to them. He would be like those black-clad, silent masters of death of japan called 'Ninjas'. Just some improvement on some areas and he'll be the perfect close-quarters combatant.

If he acquired his abilities, his performance in the physical aspect would become one with his danmaku abilities. The flaunting of his body along with the mesmerizing display of spell cards and danmaku, he will easily make his mark as a beautiful fighter.

"Patchouli-san, may I ask something?" She requested, inclined to know about a few things in her mind.

"What is it?" Patchouli acknowledged, not looking away from the direction she was floating to.

"About what you said, where all living beings, human or not, could develop their magical abilities over time, is that possible for outsiders like him?"

Only then did the purple magician turn to her, giving her an incredulous stare. "If you're asking me that, why did you even say all those things to him?"

"I-I just wasn't thinking!" She stuttered. "I didn't really think about it until now….."

Patchouli gave her a long stare before sighing and looked forward, speaking almost automatically. "Well, for your question: that depends, actually." She lightly frowned as she made a conclusion. "In my opinion, I'd say more than 60% of the outside world's population of humans would have their chances of developing them. But that isn't possible in the outside world anymore, though not impossible. The reason why: unbelief."

"Unbelief?"

Patchouli held up a finger to make a point, "Disbelief. Lack of evidence. Faithlessness. Void of Proof. Doubt. The outside world rejected the existence of the supernatural to simple arts of fiction or chimes of superstition without credibility. The more rejection one has to the aspects that contradict 'Common Logic' and 'Rational or Natural Law', the less likely an outsider would have his innate abilities awakening or magical capability at any moment of his life."

"But what of the….uh…air that seeps in to the body that grants them that?"

"That's the case. The more an outsider remains in the mindset of a skeptic humanist, he or she will never develop anything, much less of brain cells while being in Gensokyo." She pointed out, and it's insanely obvious to anybody that such individuals wouldn't even last 3 days in Gensokyo, even if he or she was protected by the village or the Hakurei red-white. Such people are better compared to uneducated ignorant idiots. She cynically remarked in her thoughts, frowning.

"I see…." Meiling said, pondering over the facts handed over. After several minutes, with the Chinese Youkai passing by the stairwell that led to the 1st floor of the mansion that lead to her post, which was the gate, she instead continued on and followed Patchouli, asking once again, "Do you think Eman-dono has developed some traces of it now, even if slightly? He did say he was fascinated of Gensokyo's existence. Surely, he acknowledges us and the supernatural."

Patchouli didn't need a reminder that the man acknowledged magic. He even declared just minutes ago that he was aiming to have his innate ability developed as soon as possible. There was even that 'clean' bloodstream that she felt when she healed him the first time. Despite how foreign it felt, it was the slightest sign of his powers developing in small trickles.

And to know how far it gotten, she will have to check up on him, and she's about to find that out in a matter of minutes. "It's possible, I've been witnessing signs already."

His blackened eyes in particular. She added silently in her thoughts. When she snuck a glance, when she witnessed Sakuya's defeat, she saw the darkest pits in the man's window to the soul. The wide and reveling sneer he wore as he struck the maid gave Patchouli the conclusion that there was indeed more to the man.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

[Haaaa….Haaaa….] Eman struggled to keep it together and not throw out all he ate to the carpeted floors he faced, heaving in deep breathes as he knelt on one foot.

"Haaaa….Haaaa….geez…" Marisa was leaning against the wall on her back, sweat rolling all over her face as she held her stomach, taking as much precious oxygen as possible.

[That…ugh…was a bad idea.]

"Really bad."

[We shouldn't have ran like that, especially after we just ate.]

"Yeah—ugh!" Marisa gagged, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, barely able to hold down the bile from rising out of her throat and into the floors, "Let's never do that again after eating, okay?"

[No need to ask.] He groaned loudly, crumpling his stomach to keep the aches from coming, [We'll get back on this in the future.]

"Gotcha-ze."

"I'd say it's well-deserved, considering the two of you had caused more damage than its worth inside my library." A dull voice snidely told them, the owner no other than Patchouli Knowledge as she floated passed Marisa and above Eman's kneeling/crumpling form, heading onwards to the library. "Come on, I'd hate to wait another minute of either of you doing useless competition instead of focusing on the task."

"Yes, Ma'am." Marisa sarcastically replied.

[Whatever.] Eman replied uncaringly, rising to his feet.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

I know that the library was big as all hell, and it seriously is, like the size of a football field, or even 4 football fields in a box formation, but seeing it the second time surely leaves a different impression on me.

I didn't actually have the mindset to acknowledge it the first time since I was in the moment of chasing a witch about a broom (and being a beast of war to goblins and stuff). I mean, look at this place! If this place is brought to the real world, it'll get the award from the Guinness World Records as the Largest Library in the World, along with the Most Books Written to Patchouli here.

Not to mention that the crazies had reached all the way here as well. There actually were a few windows over here and there, the ones in sight are found just a few floors above the main desk, presenting the outside and the clouds and all. It kinda looked like it was angled to give light towards the reading area, or Patchouli's desk, whenever she sits down and read there. I thought we were in the basement, and those windows are telling the story that we are not below the foundation of the mansion.

There's also the lighting of this place. Ignoring these scones, lamps, globes with a ball of (obviously) magical fire in them and the floating lights that seriously weren't here the first time, there were the chandeliers. These chandeliers were high up the ceiling, so high that a crane would suffice to reach the high dome ceiling, and yet despite that, there was an area of luminescence on the ground just below said chandelier, as if the hanging furniture was not more than a hundred ft. high.

Damn, the lack of common sense in this place is surely mind-blowing. My mind still hasn't lost all of its sanity yet to acknowledge these things as 'real' and 'natural'.

The library is fixed up though, as Patchouli said so. No more downed shelves and scattered books, everything's neat and organized. Not even a single book was out of place, it was as though everything was before it got trashed by Marisa's pocket destruction. To be honest, I wasn't really surprised on this one. Jergo could clean like a robot, I saw it firsthand when I fought Marisa. If you bring the entire band of goblins together to fix the place, well this is the result. And I admit, the Great Library sure looks awesome when it's clean. Even the scarlet carpets and the drapes look appealing. If I wanna read something here, I wouldn't know which one I'll pick.

"I will be careful not to take too much. Those bloodstains on your left arm tells me that you lost quite a lot, maybe 1.5 liters or 2.3 liters in quantity." Patchouli stated, holding a really sharp scalpel in her hand before setting it on the table, next to the bundles of cotton. Why do you need that scalpel for, Patchouli? Where's the tubes? You're scaring the hell out of me with that thing! That's not what you use for bloodletting!

With the blood testing is going on right now, we were at the very back of the library, past a door at the library wall containing Patchouli's research station (was a really long walk from the entrance to the other end). Looks more of a scientist's experimental lab, tubes and beakers and boiling lamps and other chemistry stuff. There's even those colored liquids in a vial that could either be acid or a serum that could turn ya into a horribly deformed monster.

[Thanks. What's the specific amount you're gonna take from me, actually?] I asked, looking at Patchouli's petite hands searching for a vein on my wrist as she kneaded it (they are soft as all hell, like a kid's).

"At least half a liter or 300 milliliters is fair." That much? Fair enough, it's much milder than the usual amount taken from me in my usual donations back in the real world. "Have you ever donated blood before?"

[Yep.] I nodded. [Something I do a lot before I came to Gensokyo so you don't have to worry about me screaming like a bitch in the process.] I chuckled nervously, regretting the curse word used there since I'm in the presence of a scholar here.

"That's one less concern to worry about." And Patchouli actually seems cool with it. Thank goodness. "Marisa, back away from that and come over here."

"Comin'!" Hollered the Witch as she lowered the boiling vial of red liquid back to the rack of other vials of varying colors before jogging over to us. Seriously, stop touching shit that could possibly be volatile! "What d'ya need?"

Patchouli picked up a beaker above the counter to her side, gently lowering it on the table in-between me and her, just next to that fuckin' scalpel…! "I'm going to need you to hold Eman's arm while I drain the blood out. He might suffer lightheadedness in the process and I would not like his blood spilling on the table and not on the beaker."

"Hm, easy 'nough." As I hovered my wrist over the beaker as implied, Marisa takes a hold of my hand and the forearm, just above the wrist. To be honest, I'm a little nervous. That fucking scalpel is making me sweat here.

"Now, listen, Eman. While I'm aware that my methods wouldn't match that of the physician in the bamboo forest and probably wouldn't match that of your outside world's methods, my approach is hardly any different. Plus it is much quicker."

"I have no complaint here, at least." I nervously replied, clenching and unclenching my fist. Marisa gave my hand a reassuring squeeze there. Thanks.

Taking the knife in hand, she faced me directly in the eyes, those cool purple eyes, for once, I was able to look at them in full detail. In contrast to her marshmallow body, her eyes were really full of life, and the rather foreign color of her irises makes her even prettier. "Ready?"

Yeah, go for it.

"Good. Now whatever you do, do not struggle." She neared the point to the wrist. I relaxed the tension there, letting the knife sink easily once contact is made. If she was using a needle, I wouldn't be so tense at all here. The point touching my skin—Ah!

That's too deep!

Blood instantly seeped out, dripping down on the knife and down to the side of my wrist. Slowly, Patchouli slid the knife downwards. Damn it, why'd you have to do it slow….!? This stings! You're tearing the fucking MUSCLE! I thought being used to needle stabs would give me cut tolerance. I guessed wrong!

Do you even know what you're doing, Patch!? ACK!

The drips finally falling into the beaker bit by bit, she finally lowered the knife to a small tray filled with water, the bloodstained point slightly spreading out blood. She then touched my left chest with two fingers before laying her second hand above my wound, her mouth moving in small mutters. …

….!

My heartbeat's…pacing up. A spell to make my heart-rate speed up. Can't believe even magic could go this far…!

My breathing automatically began to pace up as well. I kept careful not to move too much, but I let my arm sag, letting it be held up by Marisa, her grip on my hand tightening a little. I held her hand back with a small grip, careful not to increase the tension on my wrist.

The bleeds are starting to intensify.

My bleed is not dripping anymore, it's coming out in small streams like a hole on the lid of a coke bottle made by a construction nail. The tug in my wrist is not getting any gentler. I sharply took breath and exhaled, easing the uncomfortable feeling of being drained with a little too much force than what could be considered normal.

The beaker had a quarter of its contents loaded, and I'm feeling really lightheaded right now. I placed a free hand on my knee as a support to stay upright, letting my head sag down, my chin touching my chest. Patchouli's fingers still hasn't left my chest or my wrist. I didn't realize there was a green magical circle there the first time.

I'm getting sleepy….

"He-hey, Patchy, isn't this enough? I don't think he can take it anymore-ze." Marisa sounded worried.

"Just a little more." Patchouli pressed, "Be strong, Eman. You're almost there."

I could feel the reluctance from Marisa's hold on my hand. "Hold on, Eman. Almost there." I responded by tightening my grip on her hand, no longer caring about the wrist tension. I can't pass out here.

My heartbeat is getting really fast right now. I don't think my breathing could catch up to this, so hard to breathe…! Can't keep my eyes open anymore. Can't lean back and rest my head either, I'm sitting on a stool. Patchouli was the only one sitting with a backrest on her chair.

So cold…

Patchouli removed her fingers from my chest. "Okay, that is enough."

Oh, finally!

It seems I lost too much blood in my fight with Sakuya to even make this bloodletting milder than what I was used to. I was usually fine whenever the process is over before. I think I lost almost 5 pints in the fight.

Bloodletting might not have been a wise decision to do after all that. Too late it already passed.

Holy fucking hell am I so trippy right now. I instantly rested my other hand to the table and laid my head on it, finally letting my lightheadedness take me. But I'm careful not to fall asleep, this ain't the place for me to rest myself. If I wasn't exhausted from the fight, the run, and the pre-duel with Meiling, I feel ready to just sleep in bed, all snug and cozy. My heart can just restore the drained supply back over time. The Mansion's got nice bedrooms, I feel like borrowing one room for a little while.

As I felt my arm being laid to rest against the table, Marisa released my forearm, her other hand staying in my grasp. I then felt the familiar fuzzy feeling of cotton dabbing against my open wound, wiping off the bloodstains. When that stopped, a soft pair of finger points prodded the wound. Then a burning sensation!

[Gk!]

I hissed at the hard sting, tightening my grip on Marisa's hand, which she returned. That's Patchouli's healing magic again, at least this time it wasn't on my face anymore (it hurts there more than the arm). The burning feeling is kinda comfortable than it hurts, there was a feeling of warmth spreading over my arm. So soothing.

I guess this means I can't go run and tumble for a while now, as per usual afterwards. Anytime I feel this way, I get a chance to rest, and that means no running, no exercising, no working, and no playing. My new priority is to rest and regain my energy.

"Ya did good, dude." Marisa praised, rubbing my back in a rather soothing motion (it surprised me for how gentle she's being, really).

"You've done well, Eman. Impressive work for holding on till the end. To be honest, I doubted your efforts. Just a little. At least you succeeded."

[That was...unusual…and painful.] I admitted, raising my head up and sitting upright. Releasing Marisa's hand, my hand just sagged down to my side like a wet noodle (saw a scar there): it fell asleep. It'll pass. When I rubbed it, it was cool to the touch, and it felt numb. I smirked to myself, [I don't suppose I don't get a lollipop for my efforts?]

That made her huff through her nose, wiping her bloodstained hand with a napkin, "This is not the clinic, and the confectioneries are found in the kitchen."

"Wait, did he ask you for some candy? I want some candy." Marisa said, then grinned menacingly. "Oh, I'm goin' there after this-ze."

Oh Marisa. [Hm.] I just gave a playful jab to her side with my noodle arm. Feels weird: having no nerve receptors going in there when I did. Instead of sending a jab back, she simply gave me a push on my shoulder, probably holding back because of my current anemic condition.

As Patchouli stood up, she took the beaker containing my blood and walked over to the chemistry apparatus and equipment on the third table adjacent to the wall, she even had a microscope (looks modern). There was also some mystical objects along with them, particularly the black medium-sized crystal globe and the head-sized white diamond-shaped crystal held up by a metal tripod. Upon reaching, she placed the container on the wooden surface and an alcohol burner suddenly lit up without any exterior source, which pretty much jumpstarted the entire set. The clear liquid above the flame began to boil, steam began seeping out, the Magician-turned-Chemist is now set to work.

Wait a minute.

[Hey, Patch. Why'd you need that much if you're just gonna do a checkup?"

Patchouli halted in her work, the dropper in her fingers not lowering down to pick up a sizable amount. After a few seconds, she replied, "Remy."

Oh…

[….Right.] Should'a seen that coming. There are still vampires in this place after all.

"So what, she just told ya to fill a shot glass with his blood so she could drink it?" Marisa asked gruffly.

"Yes." She quickly replied, her voice very indifferent.

Sigh.

I don't know why I feel so pissed right now, I just don't get it. Every time, whenever that Draculina gets involved in something, it just ticks me the fuck off. It's so fucking confusing, I don't how am I supposed to feel about her. I'm thankful for giving me a hospitable welcome, I'm absolutely mad for nearly getting me killed, and I feel indignant for having my blood used this way. I mean—I did pay her with blood, literally, yesterday but to do it like this…..I…I hate it! I came here for a blood test and to take advantage of that….

Motherfucker. This is just ….too far. Fucking vampire. My blood is for people who needed it to live, it's not something to be relished like some fucking wine!

I feel droopy already with the blood-letting, add that with full-stomach sleepiness, include the stomach sickness due to stupidly running on a full stomach, now the extra-weight of emotional exhaustion triggered by the simple mention of Draculina's name is surely gonna put me down.

I stood up from the chair and held on to Marisa's shoulder for support due to my lack of balance. She placed a hand on my back just in case. [How long do you think you'll take before you finish, Patch?]

The magician paused, her fingers wrapped around the knobs of the microscope for a zoom in. After a few seconds, she told me, "Maybe five to six hours. I will manage the process with a thorough approach, which will take longer than the usual."

[Right. I can wait.] I guess I'll take the Draculina's offer for a bed to lie on and rest. I guess I can let this thing go, she did offer me a chance to rest, especially after what she just pulled in the library. Could be a form of apology. [I'll come over at night, is that good?]

"Of course." She turned the knob a few times clockwise, the lenses zooming closer. "What will you do now?"

[Sleep.] Me want bed. Those soft sheets and beautiful pillows are literally screaming my name. They're hungry for my body, and I will give it to them.

"I see. Remi did promise you a rest. Take the nearest quarters, you'd have the fastest route to the library from there."

[Thanks.] I bowed in thanks, even if she couldn't see me, then I turned to Marisa. [Could ya take me there, please?]

"Yeah, sure." We turned for the door, the broom flying to her grasp as we pushed the door open. Once she got the broom ready, I set myself near her so I could hold on to her tightly with my one good arm around her shoulder and not fall off. Then we took flight, taking the second floor door where we instantly entered the hallways of the mansion.

...…..

After a while, she poked my back.

"Quit talkin' Common, it just feels weird listenin' to ya all day while we just speak Japanese-da ze. It's like I'm talkin' to a freakin' jumbo around ya."

Ha Ha hahahahahahahahaha!

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

The black and blue cloud on Sakuya's abdomen soon disappeared, leaving absolutely no evidence that she had suffered a massive amount of punishment in the library, particularly the moment when a rock-hard fist struck her middle in great speeds and destroyed the table she was forced to lie on. Her crushed ankle was healed back to normal as well, shattered bones and fractured parts mended back to perfect condition.

"Is that all?" Remilia asked, caressing Sakuya's hair as her servant's head rested on her lap.

The second in rank hobgoblin nodded, standing in attention along with his brethren of 5 just before the end of Remilia's bed. Among all the goblins that are under the employment of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, these six along with Jergo were the only ones privileged to enter the private bed chambers of the Mistress besides Sakuya.

"Good, you may leave."

Nodding once again, the troop exited the room in a line, one goblin skittering forward to jump up and reach for the knob as the others passed through before closing it, leaving Sakuya and Remilia in a private isolation and silence.

Leaning down, she laid one kiss to the maid's forehead, "Sakuya, how are you?" She gently asked her.

"I am fine, Milady." Sakuya reached up to take a lock of pale blue hair in her fingers, "With you by my side, everything, no matter how severe, is nothing more than a pin prick."

"Don't say such things to make me feel better." The vampire told in a sad tone, taking a pillow behind her to place under the maid's head in the stead of her lap. Once she was done, she crawled beside her on the large four-posted bed and lied her head on Sakuya's recently healed abdomen, planting one kiss on the surface of pale perfect skin, "I still hurt you. Because of my orders, you got hurt in ways I haven't expected."

"Don't be. I am rather proud to be hurt for you, Milady." The Maid gently consoled, reaching forward to caress her hair, "I am your servant, I have given you my life since the day I became yours. I would even lay down my life for you if you had asked."

"No." She immediately shot it down, "Don't say such things. I don't want to hear it." Opening one eye, a firm and demanding light in her scarlet eyes as she told her, "Never say such words again, I don't want to lose you."

Silent from the reprimand for a few seconds, Sakuya continued to caress her head, "Of course, Mistress. Forgive me for saying such things."

"Hm." She curtly hummed, closing both eyes and laying her head comfortably back to her servant's belly. Both were still on the bed, reveling in the peaceful silence, Remilia's head rose and fell in unison with Sakuya's diaphragm. If it wasn't for Remilia's half-lidded eyes, the servant would have thought that the little vampire had fallen asleep.

After several long minutes that felt like 3 minutes, Sakuya spoke, "Milady, may I consult you on something?"

"Anything."

"Thank you." She bowed despite lying down, "While you were spectating earlier, have you seen Eman-sama's eyes?"

Raising one questioning eyebrow, Remilia asked, "What do you mean?"

Lips pursing at the memory, she continued, "When Eman-sama was starting to regain his edge and bested me, his eyes became pitch-black. As black as the night, as if his soul had left him."

Frowning, Remilia held herself up with one hand, looking down on her servant, "Are you certain that's what you saw?"

"I am not sure. The glimpse was brief but I swore that I saw it." She explained, "I could not confirm it at first considering that his black hair had overshadowed it, but when I was brought down to the floor and looked up to his face, that's when I saw it." She took a deep breath, the very memory of her helplessness unnerved her to no end. She could not fathom why she had not used her powers to escape. Why didn't she do it? "When he threw the table at me, he was faster, struck like an oni, and he dodged all of my knives." She met eye contact with Remilia, "Tell me, Mistress. Is he human?"

The look on Sakuya's eyes did more than just surprise the vampire. It was the look of fear, a fear that came after being unable to do anything. It was a stranger to Remilia's eyes. Her servant was the Perfect and Elegant Maid, there was nothing she couldn't do. How could this be?

"He is, my servant." She said, reaching to cup her cheek, "When I drank his blood yesterday, he was absolutely a human down to the very last particle. He is age 19, healthy, untouched by any defects, and he has Type O-negative blood." Remilia frowned at the memory of tasting such a flavor the day prior to now, "Disgusting."

"Ah." A tiny smile tugged at Sakuya's lips, replacing her unfamiliar fears for a rather fond story told to her when she was once corrected of which blood type suits her Mistress's fancy, "Such a blood type is so calloused for you, no? Like an omelet lacking the salt and left to stale for two weeks."

"What was missing is the egg, not the salt." Remilia dryly corrected.

That made Sakuya snicker, which was actually infectious when the vampire thought of what she said and instead found it funny as well.

Soon, the niceties faded, not another joke came as the silence came along with a stiff atmosphere. It grew even stiffer once the next set of words came, said with a grave tone, "Christian. Eman's Christian."

Then came another silence, Remilia imagined Sakuya having a shocked look on her face, having awareness of how much disdain the vampire has for such people. Instead, an understanding voice came, "I noticed. I heard him praying, and he wore a silver rosary as a necklace."

"It won't save him, not even his God." Remilia coldly commented, spatting the latter person's name like venom. "Not his prayers, not his black knife, not his blessings, or his forsaken faith. Nothing."

Sakuya made no reply or comment, merely nodding to her mistress's words. She wondered how much did Remilia come close to vomiting when she said such niceties to him in that library. It was a very convincing act, and a very elaborate ploy, so elaborate that even Patchouli was fooled.

An on-the-spot explanation of the first attempt of killing him just to torment him and tire him out, just to make sure nothing was given away.

An offer for a feast, to add up to his exhaustion, a possible effect of food coma to befall him, and also to process his blood ready for the 'Main Course'.

And finally, an offer for a rest to seal the deal. Once he sleeps, fate will guarantee that he will sleep until the evening nearing midnight. Under the dark of night, he will have no nerve to leave the mansion unless he wishes to die to the claws of even the weakest Youkai.

Under that night, the Little Sister will be acquainted with him, and soon his fear will win over him. His confidence will shatter, his courage will crumble, and it will make way for the younger Scarlet's opportunity to hunt. In that moment, Flandre's first successful feeding as a vampire on the hunt of the night will come to fruition.

Before the final tick towards the tock of midnight, Flandre's wishes for happiness will finally be granted.

"Sakuya, can you stand?" Remilia asked, her tone suggesting she expected an affirmative response.

"Yes, Milady. It is thanks to the goblins that I can."

"Good. I need you to come with me." Remilia told, "Just a short trip, and a few more orders. Only then can you give yourself a rest until dusk."

It seems they are going to give a heads-up to one more person left in the dark. The mistress was very eager to get this plan over with. It surely gave the Maid the clue that she had been waiting for this day for centuries, more than any other desire she had in her unlife.

Performing a mental curtsy and bow in her lying position, Sakuya closed her eyes, "Gladly, Mistress." Before she rose up to stand, she asked, "One more question, Milady."

"Speak."

"Does he truly have Holy Blood like you told me? Does Patchouli-sama know?"

"If I were to hazard a guess, she might have found out by now."

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

For the first time in so, so many decades since the day she abandoned food and sleep, since the day she created the perfect philosopher's stone, Patchouli Knowledge had just made a major discovery. From the blood of Eman Letitia, she had found the most groundbreaking results and so many opportunities presented themselves like a massive storm of ideas.

His blood yielded more than the possibility of him developing his innate abilities.

His blood type was O negative, a physician's miracle blood. Such a blood type was transferable to all blood types, and it was in fact the one of the rarest blood type among humans. He is practically a fountain of healing, in theory he could even supply the entire whole of Gensokyo's humans as long as he lives.

On another thing, his powers already had awakened. Or rather, his chances of having his innate ability fully awakening is already high, the evidence was found in his individual blood cells. They were ripe with Holy Energy, it was the magical equivalent of being the purest and cleanest magical energy that ever existed (since divine power and magic are not the same thing), similar to the blood of the Hakurei Red-White. Eman was far more compatible to manipulating divine power and manifesting the deific arts than the arcane.

Yet….why hasn't his powers awakened? This wasn't possible, not ever. Once a person's innate gifts had developed to a maturing point, that's the time where it will awaken. Eman's powers had already went past that point, in fact he had went past that long before he even arrived to the Scarlet Devil Mansion for the first time. If she were to guess what specific day did it happen, Patchouli's estimation is last Sunday. Yet the question still remained: why didn't it awaken?

Now for the final and the most astounding discovery of this checkup: Eman Letitia had Holy Blood. The ultimate cure of spiritual corruption and supernatural curses.

Remilia had been hunting this unique blood type for centuries, she once went through horrible lengths to find it back in the old days, centuries before Patchouli was even born, she even hunted the pope, believing that he, too, carried them in his veins. He didn't.

Eman was actually a Christian. There was no record that any other religion besides Christianity had a carrier amongst its subjects. Remilia Scarlet absolutely hated the entire Christian Race, she hated them so much that she would not let them go with a quick and painless death if she ever manages to find one (especially outsiders) on her hunting nights. She would kidnap them to the mansion, personally torture them in the dungeons, the session would last for days, maybe weeks before she was done with them, turning them into a delicious platter for the other vampire in the basement.

Eman Letitia could not be any more unlucky. He was a Christian and a host of Holy Blood. Once Remilia finds out about this, the boy would not even have the chance to breathe before he suffers a fate much worse than the ones before him had went through, and he is still inside the mansion, possibly sleeping, where he was most vulnerable.

Wait…Patchouli froze, coming to a realization. What if Remi already knew?

She remembered the moment yesterday when she had Eman Letitia pay his debt in the form of a blood offering to the vampire, willingly at that. That clued the magician that Remilia had indeed known who he is and what he carried once she fed on him. That explained her odd behavior once the Christian left, he unwittingly exposed to her that he was the person she had been looking for after so many centuries.

But if Patchouli were to let the Draculina have her way with him, the invaluable knowledge inside that bloodstream will be gone along with him, leaving the next time she will ever find such a specimen to chance. It was in her passion to seek knowledge and write it down on paper to ensure credibility and truth, as befitting her moniker and surname, but would she swallow her own pride for Remilia? Is she willing to sacrifice that much information for her friend?

She sympathized her friend, she truly did, even if she is not so vocal or expressive about it. The hunt for Holy Blood was never actually for Remilia in the first place, but for her little sister. All the immoralities and the troubles and the destruction she caused for that one blood was all for her flesh and blood. The Vampire wanted a way where she could fix all the damages Flandre had suffered, and there was nothing that could cure that except Consecrated Blood.

But all the opportunities and the possible results she could earn if she invested her time on discovering more about this blood, and about him as well. His blood was universally transferable, and it carried the blood of the Messiah within him to boot. How much of a breakthrough would Gensokyo earn from him? Concepts, theories, improvements, metaphysical advancements, so many possibilities, so many questions, so many outcomes, and so many answers. No doubt the Physician in the bamboo forest would definitely crave for a chance to research on his blood.

But there was a problem, one thing that prevented her from earning this knowledge: he was still a Christian. Remilia is out for his blood (literally and figuratively) and any chance of extracting that information in Eman's bloodstream is jeopardized as long as he's still alive.

She and Patchouli may be friends, but there are some lines that even the latter could not cross, and it was firmly agreed between them too. When it concerns knowledge, such responsibilities are left to the devices of the Unmoving Great Library and no other. Remilia's side of the agreement had almost no significance: When it concerns the lives of Christians, it is by the Scarlet Devil's whim whether they leave the Scarlet Devil Mansion alive or dead.

Just when she thought that the vampire's agreement couldn't affect anything, her side of the agreement was clashing against hers, it was impeding the magician's desire for enlightenment.

The Scarlet Devil's prejudice was both justified and petty. Patchouli may have an ugly history with Christian's, but it does not compare to the sufferings Remilia went through when she was below her first century that she ended up holding a powerful grudge that it burned even to this day, even after so many years. It was a given: even if the magician had the faintest memory of ever seeing a Christian after a century of being confined inside her library, it was entirely possible that such people had changed along with the times. Superstition faded, belief in the gods had diminished, rationality had reigned supreme, it could be entirely possible that even if the belief and faith in the God of Plagues in the Outside World had survived, the prejudice the past Christians bore could not have survived to this day with a generational mentality to deny the existence of the supernatural and the existence of demons that haunted the villages with fear. Him lashing out on Remilia was justified, he never called her out on that for being a vampire. His behavior was proof that his mentality as a Christian is far different from the ones Remilia had faced: he did not fear her, he acted around her as if she was just another human.

Could there be a possibility that Remilia could spare the human and let her prejudice rest for once to see that times have changed, to see that there is more benefit to letting him live than to just straight up killing him for something he has not done?

…..

…..…..

…..…..…..

That's it, Patchouli declared, she will have to settle a compromise. Both she and her friend wanted something from the carrier of the Holy Blood. One for a Cure, the other for Knowledge. If this works out right, then there will be no loss for either of them but a great gain on both sides.

"Remi," Patchouli told, unsurprised as she turned around and met eye contact with the once feared monster of old Europe, the demon who usurped the reputation of Count Dracula, the very name whose mere mention is enough to send even the most hardened soldier running and praying to his God, the Scarlet Devil. "We need to talk."

With a small glance towards the Maid that stood behind her mistress with a stone cold and heartless expression, the wicked grin on Remilia's face told everything the magician needed to know that her friend had something else in mind for the situation other than abiding to an agreement for the benefit of both sides.

~~~~~ « ҉ » ~~~~~

"~Beautiful is my Sweet Master's Garden~

~It gives me bliss and it feels like Heaven~

~So full of wonders is the world in my absence~"

The Queen Mother lowered her outstretched arms to her side, her soothing and melodic voice fading away in the distance, leaving the wind to whine in protest of the sudden pause of her song. Looking down, she gazed at her hands, regarding the slender and frail-looking structure of her human body with polite interest.

"Now the land will be graced in my presence." She forlornly finished, her choir that is the wind deciding to leave, knowing that their star has concluded her performance. "I sometimes wonder to myself if it was right for me to even be in the natural world."

Suddenly, a bump crashed into her legs and a tiny pair of arms wrapped around her knees. Beautiful blue eyes slightly widening in surprise of the sudden presence of two beings behind her, she looked behind her shoulder in a slow and graceful turn of her head, her pale yellow hair falling down from her shoulder to her back like slick cloth. Ran would have taken the action as an act of enticement, meant to lure her close if she hadn't known that her senior always moves like that.

"Hello, my cute little junior." She greeted lovingly as if she was greeting her favorite daughter, flashing the Kitsune a very beautiful smile. Ran could not stop her emotions from swelling into full warmth at the sight, but she refrained from showing it and forced herself to feel apathetic. When the Queen Mother looked down on the little thing hugging her long and lithe legs, her smile became wider. "Hello, Darling." She bent down, her slick and shiny hair sliding forward to her chest as she picked up Chen underneath her arms and held her close to her chest.

"Hi, sempai!" Chen quickly placed her head on her senior's ample bosom, wrapping her arms around her sides with her legs around her waist as the Queen Mother placed a hand on her rear to hold her up. "I missed you~"

"I missed you too, Little One." She replied, kneading the Nekomata's head softly. Without even knowing it, Chen was starting to feel like she was in a soft and fuzzy heaven, her head going hazy at the intoxicating touch and the soft pillow her head lied on.

Not even five seconds, Chen was fast asleep. She didn't even get to purr.

Amused, she gave the young Youkai a maternal kiss on the forehead before adjusting her position to a more comfortable one, holding her like a mother would. Turning her attention to the Kitsune, who seemed to be in a trance, she stepped closer and poked her nose playfully with a delicate index finger, which made Ran jump and flustered, "Anything on your mind, Darling?" She softly asked.

"No-nothing, sempai!" She uneasily replied, tails swishing agitatedly behind her. The Queen Mother found the behavior cute, "M-my head was just in the clouds. Please forget about it."

A warm smile crossed the Queen's face, "I won't do such a thing. The Fox before my eyes seemed to be troubled, and I could see that it is about me." She reached forward and took a few locks of blonde hair that slipped out of Ran's hat in her hand, "Please confess. Whenever around my presence, you avoid my gaze, you are always deep in thought, pondering nothings, and are not quite comfortable every time. Why is that? Hm?"

Such words were relayed with such warmth that Ran could've told her all of her darkest secrets if she had just asked, but the Shikigami stubbornly refused to give in. She was being bewitched, she knew that. Even though unintentional and harmless, she refused to be reined in, "Please forgive me but I can't say it."

"Do you refuse…or are you just uncomfortable?" She gently asked, her mien contorting to a worried look, which did nothing to remove the beautiful aspect on her face.

Lips quivering, she steeled herself and looked up to meet the tall woman's soft gaze with her own, "Either. I admit that it is about you, but I do not wish to disrespect you by saying it."

"Oh." The Ex-Shikigami chastised, stepping even closer and pulling her close with her free hand, putting Ran's head against the crook of her shoulder while giving her a comforting and tight embrace, just beside Chen. "If my junior thinks about my feelings, then I have no reason to feel that way. So, please, confess. Whatever you say, I shall bear with it."

Ran was a brilliant strategist, having supernatural mathematical ability that made her seven steps ahead of her enemy and magical power far above that of many, many Youkai, increased tenfold as Yukari's Shikigami, she was a force to be reckoned with in Gensokyo's midst.

But in the presence of a being that was beyond Youkai and animal, especially in such intimate contact, she was being reduced to a mere kit, so ignorant of the world and vulnerable and needing a mother. Her stubborn barriers were not being crumbled, they were being melted, slowly dissolving by the amount of comfort and love the Queen was giving her through her embrace. Being in her senior's touch, it was as if she was held close by her own mother, who so unconditionally loved her very much that not even a god could compare.

Ran's will was slowly giving in, she knew that she couldn't resist it. She couldn't, the only person who possibly could and could do so without problem is Yukari and Yukari alone, the one person who took her along with her mate as servants in their prime as a powerful pair of rulers that literally shook the earth.

Eyes glazing over in the euphoria, she found herself wrapping her arms around her senior's waist, around Chen, and answered, "Your presence….it unsettles me."

"Hmm?" Her senior rested her cheek on Ran's capped head, leaning closer to hear better, not that she needed to due to her powerful hearing but comforting the junior is a must.

"Your entire being, sempai." She admitted, having lost all will to be discreet due to the increased intimacy, "I could not help but be wary of you. I know that you mean no ill will but your bewitching mannerisms and maternal conduct makes me feel…insecure. It is as if you are working your way into our trust, only to take advantage of us. I knew many who'd do such things, and the fruits of their labor were nothing but horrors."

A gentle wind blew by as Ran finished, having no intention to part from the embrace. The contact was too good to just let go. No one said anything, everything was quite silent, which made the moment comforting, at least to Ran, which irked her. She has already been bewitched, and now she found out that from that comfort her senior could easily goad out the secrets, information, and revelations of anybody without even forcing it.

The Queen Mother was a seductress. A being who could entice her enemies into dropping their guard, who could lure her preys into a false sense of security, and could kill anyone she wished at point-blank range. Ran deduced grimly, momentarily forgetting about the soothing embrace due to the thought. How did Yukari-sama find such a creature before I was even born?

Her eyes shot open as she felt a hand smoothly rub her back, from up to down, a very slow and soothing motion, the amount of pressure used was just right, it hit Ran's buttons very accurately. Without even being aware of it, she moaned.

The Queen giggled, a beautiful melody that resembled jingling bells in a silent night.

Ran was able to snap out of it and found out that she just did something embarrassing towards her senior. Face flushing red, she jumped back, out of the embrace and struggled to speak, not noticing the pout on the ex-shikigami's face for the separation, "Please forgive me, sempai! I should not have made such a sound."

The taller woman was slightly confused for such behavior, only for her to realize that Ran was, in every sense of the word, an adult. She wasn't a child who was too innocent to care about such things, she was an alpha, far wiser and stronger than a Youkai kit, a predator that could kill and hunt, could defend herself and is now a more than capable servant of her Sweet Master.

Maybe her time alone in that void left her clinging on to her maternal instinct for too long that she forgot to respect the dignity of the ones who are younger than her and are old enough to be considered adults in their standards.

In that thought, instead of goading her to come over she gave a sweet smile and said, "You are the subject of my Sweet Master, it is within good reason and within her trust to have you as her own. Whoever belongs to my One and Only Yukari is a child of my own. And I love my children without any restrictions, without bounds, and I place them within my shield." For a short pause, she hugged Chen a little bit tighter to her chest, snuggling her cheek on her little head, black kitty ears brushing against her pale and perfect cheeks, "I understand your concerns, but be not afraid, Sweetheart. I may be a god among beasts, whose authority was challenged by many, whose beauty was lusted by even the dragons, and my might questioned by the proud men and women of the earth, but a warmonger I am not. I would rather spend my time playing with my children than begin overtaking kingdoms for my own." In a single second, the Queen Mother's face became stern. Despite it just a shift of her facial expressions, it was enough to remind Ran that the person talking was close to Yukari's age, powerful enough break Gensokyo if she wanted, and she was a force of nature, "Woe to all who touches my children."

Then that gentle smile returned, and she nonchalantly took Ran's left hand from her partially conjoined sleeves with her right one. "Take me to a place I have not been to? I wish to see more of this little wonderland."

Still caught off-guard by the sudden contact, she relented and allowed herself to interlock fingers with her…supposed mother. Taking the lead, she began to walk forward, "Of course."

The walk was quite tedious but leisurely, across a path that Ran took commonly whenever she wanted to spend some time for herself, away from being her master's shikigami or dealing with Chen. A dense forestry that was nearby the Hakurei barrier, just below Mayohiga. It was a more or less simple forest: the smell of nature was abundant, bird songs were sung in the air, the summer cicadas were heralding the new season, most of the trees had grown into exceptional heights, Ran smelt more than a couple of tree critters following her and the Queen (a new occurrence, they usually run away or mind their own business).

Looking to her side, the Queen's eyes were glittering with amazement and curiosity, looking over everything is if she was in a different plane of existence, far different than the one she was used to, even the ground her bare feet stepped on seemed to interest her. Could this be a reflection of her time in the void where she never once set foot in the natural world for how many novemdecillion years? Ran tried to imagine being alone in darkness and misery for so long to the point that she could have forgotten the smell of the air, the color of the sky, the feel of the grass on her feet, and even the company of another living thing…. she could not help but feel pitiful for her senior.

"How is Today's world, sempai?" Ran softly asked.

"It is beautiful beyond words." She sincerely answered, facing towards the heavens with a euphoric look, "I never imagined that everything would look this way if I ever had the chance to come back."

Ran smiled, "Did your husband not tell you stories of the outside?"

"Oh he did," She replied. "But to see and touch it so closely could not compare." Then she gave another kiss to Chen's head, "And I finally have the chance to hold another living being besides my husband's. I'm so happy." She then turned to Ran with a gentle smile that enamored the kitsune, "I'm glad that you and Darling Chen are the first beautiful creatures I've touched after such a long, long, long…..long time. You don't know how much that means to me after being so alone."

Ran was coming close to falling in love with her senior for the confession, more than the intimate sense, more than the maternal sense. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself into the Queen's arms and drown in all the love she seemed to exude like a cloud.

The ex-shikigami seemed to know exactly what she wanted. Removing her hold on Ran's hand, which made the kitsune reach for it without even realizing before she composed herself (albeit bitterly), she held the sleeping Chen out to her, "Hold her, please?"

The kitsune wordlessly complied, placing one arm below the nekomata's thighs and the other on her back. With Chen in her arms, Ran held her close, resting her little head on her shoulder. Thanks to the presence of the Queen Mother nearby her, her maternal instincts quickly took ahold of her and she rotated her upper body side to side in a slow and gentle sway, slightly bouncing, lulling the little Youkai to a comforting sway in her sleep.

Without warning, the Queen Mother placed both her delicate hands on both Ran's cheeks, leaned close and gave her a forehead kiss. The emotions that rushed inside the kitsune's head was beyond words, so powerful that she nearly dropped Chen, even her tails went fully erect. It was almost as if her senior had transmitted all the love she had for Ran directly to her through the contact, and the amount of affection she felt from her was massive, so massive that it overloaded her every thought with nothing but maternal love.

Eyes rolling to the top of her head, 9 tails drooping to the ground, she found herself reduced to a needy child demanding her mother's attention. She leaned her head forward, hoping that the Queen would enclose her in a loving embrace while she rests her head on her shoulder. The desired outcome came as she felt slender arms wrap themselves around her, placing Chen in-between them. One hand caressing the back of her head, the other kneading her spine in that oh-so-heavenly motion, Ran's senses were starting to disappear. She could no longer hear the birds, the clothing she wore, the taste of her own mouth, her entire body, she couldn't even feel herself breathe. She couldn't even tell if she was holding her shikigami at all. It was as if she was free from her mortal body and was ascending to a higher plane of existence that had nothing but blissful freedom.

Devoid of her internal receptions, she could only feel the entire being of her senior. Her heartbeat, her soft skin, her every inhale and exhale, her soul. It was as if she was one with her.

Ran could never describe the very thing except Heaven.

Yakumo Yukari was very amused. Looks like it's another prey claimed by the Almighty Queen of Beasts. It was practically two seconds before Chen was enamored by her, she didn't need to do much when Ran confessed her wariness and easily goaded her into a state of bliss. If I release her into Gensokyo, she might amass an entire Youkai army far greater than the Tengu. She thought morbidly in her head with a smile. If that were to happen, there would be so much discord and turmoil, it would even reduce the Tengu's pride into nothing.

The King beside her didn't show much expression upon seeing his wife's interactions with the juniors, but thanks to the shikigami link still binding him to Yukari, the latter could feel that his heart was melting at the sight. He's happy for her, what a good husband.

"They are getting along well, aren't they?" She asked to the giant of a man beside her.

When his hazardous words didn't come out to unwittingly cause a windstorm and reply, the winds in the forest began to shift, changing wind directions, causing a rather young tree to bend slightly forward to the ground before rising back up. The wind's calming.

Mother Nature answered for him with a nod.

She giggled, twirling her parasol over her head, "I wonder if she's going to take them away from me."

His mane of great red swished as he turned to look at his master, looking slightly down over the height difference. He was frowning and gave a rather disapproving look to her.

"I feel tempted to think that she might even bind them into her own shikigami."

The king's hands in his crossed arms twitched by a tiny bit, completely unnoticeable except to the keenest eyes that rival a god's.

"In fact, why don't I just let it happen and see how better can she do than me in terms of a relationship between Master and Servant?"

The King growled, and the aftermath of such vocal exertion: a small tremor shook the ground beneath them. More than a few birds escaped to the air, all the woodland critters scattered away, and even a lowly Youkai would have heard the sound from far away a tree uprooting itself from the ground for some reason.

He clearly doesn't like me handing out my personal belongings to anybody, does he? Even to his own wife, he wouldn't allow it. Yukari wasn't sure if that line of thought of his was genuine or was it her will being extended to his mentality that he was starting to think exactly like her, just like the perfect shikigami he prided himself as.

"You know me, I wouldn't allow it." Yukari returned his glance, meeting eye to eye with his fiery yellow eyes to her violets, "They are mine, first and foremost. So are you, King." The Youkai of boundaries exerted.

This time, the King of Nature expressively agreed to the statement without question in the form of a nod. He and his queen may be strong, powerful, eldritch creatures that may have once nearly destroyed the entire earth before and would do so again without trouble, despite the massive gap of years leaving their powers unused that could have made them rusty, he was, first and foremost, a shikigami, and the Queen Mother follows him wherever. He is no greater than Yakumo Yukari, his Master. Unless he hears a good reason, whatever is hers stays hers.

"Hello~!" A heavenly voice called out, bringing Yukari and the King's attention back to the Queen, "Please help me. The Sweetheart here has fallen asleep and it is becoming a little bit of a handful." She called, cradling Chen by one hand to her chest and grasping Ran close with the other hand around her waist, holding her up as she slept on her feet. It looked more like she was hugging them to herself than she was holding them up from falling to the floors.

Lie. Yukari didn't believe her one bit. The Queen Mother wouldn't need help to hold two people up. She's a transcendent being, carrying two people would have been like carrying dust to her. Heck, she could even lift them by her pinky finger.

Nonetheless, the King heard her and stepped closer, the footsteps of his big brown boots light and relaxed, making sure he doesn't churn the magma beneath the earth and cause Youkai Mountain to suddenly erupt. Gently, he peeled off Ran from her and held her the same way the Queen held Chen, cradling her and resting her head on his broad shoulder. From Yukari's view, her shikigami looked like a blonde little girl with nine bushy tails in the giant man's arms.

For a short moment as the two held their respective shikigamis, they stared eye to eye with each other. The two great authorities refrained from moving except for their hair being swept by the winds, pale yellow locks and a fiery red mane swishing in unison with the trees.

Then, they kissed.

The sight brought back a sad memory from the depth of Yukari's mind. A time when the two still walked the earth, very obedient, proud and powerful, a time when the Queen had conceived her very first young as a transcendent being. She held the infant exactly the same way she held Chen, the King held his own flesh and blood like it was the whole world. He loved the young one very much. Too much.

And the grief came too harshly on the both of them.

Will there ever be a time for them to move on? Yukari asked in her mind, the gloomy memory destroying her good mood. Gods they may be, powerful they may be, fearsome they may be, but they too harbor the feelings of a grieving parent. That fact that they are not compatible to each other is much worse. The King was far too advanced, the Queen was far too behind, and it would take her more than a century to be in the same level as him. If they ever mated and conceived another child, would it be the very gift they wanted or would it be the same abomination that broke their hearts?

Blinking once to destroy the ugly thoughts, she regarded them, "Come on, break it up." She reprimanded, turning around and heading back to the village of Mayohiga, where their 'employee' was waiting. "Let us head back."

"Yes, Sweet Master."

Opening a gap, she walked through and came to the wide spot in the middle of Mayohiga, not unlike the village's personal park. The two Great Authorities quickly caught up and stood on either side of her.

"One question," The Queen Mother requested, "What were you two discussing while I was gone?"

"Oh nothing." She easily answered, a cryptic grin crossing Yukari's perfect face, "We were just discussing the weather. Particularly the area around the Scarlet Devil Mansion tonight."

The Queen was quick to get the double meaning behind her master's words, she nodded understandingly, "I see. Will it be a rainy night or a foggy one?"

"You can ask your hubby, he's the weather expert here." Yukari easily diverted, she could already tell what kind of weather will be conjured on that Vampire Mansion. She was never specific when she talked to him about it, all she told him was to make sure that any chances of any vampire getting in or out of the mansion are snuffed out. All it needs is a little prompt and it will happen. "So, where is this...new recruit?" That was a lie. The shikigami link would always tell her where her servants are, anytime and anywhere.

"In hiding." The strange change in the Queen's voice suggested that she was now speaking in her husband's stead. "It is her specialty to be discreet."

Really? Yukari took that as a challenge and looked around her, over every nook and cranny she could see on the houses of Mayohiga without moving a single inch from her place. As an elder Youkai, she was particularly perceptive, much more than most of her kind, able to spot even the illusions that could even deceive gods. With the help of her gaps, she could even see through walls and even past the borders of reality.

And she couldn't see that employee.

Yukari's eyes narrowed slightly, her location was already verified by the link, she even calculated her position, yet she couldn't even find the target. Through her physical eyes, through her gaps, through ultra-perception, she couldn't even see her, not even in her mind's eye. Only by the shikigami link she could feel her and find her. The target didn't even move, only staying in the same position, quietly observing her.

What kind of shikigami did this lion take in?

"Impressive." The frustration in Yukari's voice was easily hidden, "Let's see her."

With a nod from the Queen Mother, she covered one of Chen's ears and Yukari nearly thought she was going to sing when she raised her chin upwards and opened her mouth. Instead of an aria that could lull a dragon to sleep, she was making a rather…throaty sound, reminiscent of a grating howl, long and dragged. The sound resonated all around Mayohiga, reaching far, filling the dead silence of the dead village. Yukari could actually see the Queen's throat vibrating at the vocal beckon. All of the familiar melody and tranquil river that the ex-shikigami was recognized by is no longer present, the most primitive side of her was showing, her wild and primal side.

The Lioness was calling her subject, and the servant answers.

There she is. Now Yukari could see her. Just right over there, in a dark alley between two buildings, 124 meters away. On the first glance, the shadowed outline of the employee was all that implied of her physical form...or the transcendent form she made herself into. This was another being that had advanced itself just like the Queen and King, and likely one of the fewest creatures that walked the earth and successfully managed to live long enough without succumbing to insanity. Such an outcome otherwise would have warranted its own death.

The creature didn't leave the darkness of the alley, leaving her entire form obscured and unknown. From Yukari's view, the outline of its body suggested that it had a rather well-toned body, a long spine, stood on four barbed legs, had very small horns next to round ears on its head, had rather small wings, a rather large tail, and it had glowing tears running down its face.

The creature's body was beginning to deform, shifting its shape into numerous proportions. At some second, the head was suddenly having 5 horns, found on the sides of the face, sometimes the wings kept alternating from a bat's to a birds and even a dragon's before disappearing entirely inside its back. There was a moment when its petite form suddenly grew to the size of a rhinoceros yet still managed to fit in the alley without touching the walls of either house.

After a single minute, the creature stopped shifting and the outline of its anatomy within the alley implied a leopard or a puma. But when Yukari saw the rather thick tail swishing behind it, she got one conclusion.

"A cheetah."

"Maybe, maybe not." The Queen said cryptically, "When she passed the test, she asked of us one request, and that is to destroy the very memory of her former species. We granted it, and we made the wish perfect. We do not even remember the reason why she wished for such a thing. Not I, not my husband, not even herself will ever know what she once was. I can confirm with my utmost confidence that not even you will know, my Sweet Master."

Yukari hummed in interest. That would mean that this new employee could have been anything, not just a big cat. She could've been an elephant, a human, a rat, or even a dragon, but no matter how hard she investigates, she'll never know?

Discreet and mysterious, synonymous to the mark of a phantom assassin. The Youkai sage thought, gazing at the creature as she stayed within the darkness of the alley, not moving an inch unless told to.

"You best come out now." She beckoned, not even bothering to raise her voice to the rather far-away shikigami. Transcendent beings are past relying on their physical and metaphysical senses. As a person to tame not just one but two, she knew that, "Let me see your beautiful self."

After one unified eye blink with the shikigami on either side of her (besides the sleeping Chen and Ran), the new servant stood right before the Youkai sage without the slightest evidence that she had just moved at nearly impossible speeds to her current position and instead implied that she had just materialized there.

Meeting eye to eye with the shikigami's orange gaze, Yukari was a little off-put by the display before her. If the presumed Cheetah interpreted the order 'let me see your beautiful self' as 'show me your human body', then it was not entirely a stretch at all to call her beautiful: her human body was indeed pretty. Her skin tone was slightly brown, and smooth surfaced.

And she was naked.

If these two forget to teach her that wearing clothes is a civilized ethic in the mortal realm, then this shikigami is not perfect.

Her figure was something to die for, athletic and fit, especially her supple legs that implied a supernatural capability of running. A well-toned abdomen, her slim waist is literally a model rarity, something that even with moderate-sized breasts it made her sexier. She seemed to be stood without letting her heels touch the ground, a mechanism to make her spring forward every time she takes a running step for faster speed, perhaps? Or was it to make her look tall? For one thing she's short, a mediocre 5'6". She looked like a child compared to the towering individuals that scrutinized her up and down. Not that height would mean much as a transcendent being.

Her face was incredibly sharp, almost in all aspects. Sharp eyes, sharp nose, sharp brows, sharp chin, sharp everything, even her chin-length black hair had a 'sharp' feel in them as they waved by the rogue winds of Mayohiga. Even the way she looks at me, her Master, is sharp. Is that intentional or is her facial structure meant to make it look that way? Yukari's thoughts couldn't go far into finding the answer when she regarded the marks on her face that seemed more like a war tattoo than anything else: from both her eyes, a black line ran down from the edge like tears until the chin where the line faded.

Honestly, is she really once a Cheetah or are those black tears there for the aesthetics? Questioning a transcendent being is sometimes absolutely annoying and tiring that it just makes her rather go to bed and sleep off mental exhaustion so she didn't put herself in the effort to ask.

In a seemingly-practiced ease of movement, the short girl placed one toe-standing foot back behind the other, placed one clawed hand on her bare chest while the other was placed behind her, leaned her upper body forward and bowed her head, expressing her humble and lowly position in the presence of superiors and Master, as a new recruit and as a servant.

In a soft-spoken voice, a very relaxed and confident flow of her vocal expression, she spoke in the language of humans for perhaps the very first time in her existence as a being that has went past the concept of evolution and into nigh-divinity.

"This One bows before the Great Sage of Gensokyo."