Chapter 17:

Of Rebellion and Acceptance

Author's Notes: I hate formatting in . I might not reply, but that depends on my mood, My apologizes.

Very very very very very very very very short chapter, am gonna update my other Fiction first.

Well, reviews are welcome and those who are interested in Beta-Reading, please send me a PM, I'll reply accordingly

Cheers!

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[ugh…]

Feeling the pain as Eirin's laser strike my ankle, I dived down into the void left by her attack and drew a spell card of my own for the fourth time.

[IMPOSSIBLE REQUEST: Robe of fire-rat –Patient Mind-!]

After declaring it, a burning robe covered my entire form and I charged straight through the next bursts of lasers that Eirin somehow managed to contain within the room.

The past 20 minutes or so have been an uphill battle and I barely, just barely broke Eirin's first spell card that sent lasers shooting around me like crazy. It was bedlam and I struck her finally by exploding my Buddha Bowl in point blank range but that had wasted three of mine to take down one of hers.

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For this spellcard, I had difficulty even surviving like the previous one as her streams of bullet of different colors just gathered around in a circle and exploded repeatedly. Interestingly however, there is a bag circle where all the bullets fail to converge in and I sought haven in there for a second before charging Eirin with my burning robe.

[Take this!]

Dodging the first attack with ease, Eirin just smiled slightly as from my back, I shot fireball after fireball that homed in on her.

[Pathetic, Princess. If this is all you can put out in your attempt, this shall be quicker then I imagined.]

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Diving between the gaps of the fireballs, which is just a fraction apart, Eirin ignored her clothes being singed as she shot lasers that homed in on my current position but I was confident in my robe and I just shrugged the attack off.

[Not enough, Eirin!]

[That might not be. But this is the final time.]

Grinning as she touched the floor, I was about to reply when streams of danmaku exploded and ripped through me.

[AHH!!]

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[…]

Lying defeated on the floor, I struggled to stand but my body felt like lead and so, I just weakly pulled myself up.

[E-Eirin…]

[Princess, this is futile… I suggest you cool your head for a while…]

[Eirin… answer me… a-am I just a burden to you…]

[… Princess, you are never a burden… maybe, sometimes I feel a little exasperated. But that is all…]

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Offering a smile, Eirin slid the door to the side to allow the moon to shine through as she remarked to me.

[Princess… when the time is right, I shall tell you why I do this… for now, it is not time yet.]

[… for an eternal life… why is it not time…]

Eirin paused as I said this but she never even bat an eyelid when my hand tugged at her sleeve.

[W-Who am I to you… Eirin…]

[My Princess of course… now sleep…]

Raising her bow coldly, the last I felt was of excruciating pain through my heart as my vision turned black.]

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[… what is it.]

Walking out of the room, I was greeted with the Half-beast teacher, Kamishirasawa Keine as she sat on the steps overlooking the garden. Her horns were showing, which meant she was at full-power and I kept my bow ready at all times as I bowed to her.

[Half-beast, what do you need?]

Bowing back to me, she shook her head and motioned for me to sit by her side, something which I did after consideration.

[… so, what is it.]

[Straight to the point today, Miss Eirin…]

[There has been some… misunderstandings.]

[So I've heard.]

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She was taking the news of Reimu being chased away and ridiculed by me very lightly and I allowed my hand to relax just a bit as she spoke.

[Regarding… the hourai elixir… the one that you offered me, so long ago.]

[ah… do you want to have a sip now… eternal life… and you'll be with that Immortal Bird forever.]

[…]

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Smiling as I looked at her, I felt a sense of accomplishment in tricking that Half-beast to drink the elixir. Now there will be another one like us, one damned to walk to the end of the world… but, half of me told me that it would be good to have a companion with that Immortal Bird. If one went crazy, the other can keep her in check.

Credit must be given to that bird for living for so long and still not being driven crazy… the princess too remain eternally youthful and her mind is hardly tainted, unlike mine.

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[… I've came to say that… I'll never need it.]

[!!]

[W-What did you say?]

[I will never need the hourai elixir. Not now, not ever.]

Standing up, the half-beast stood firm and strong in front of me as she explained.

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[Miss Eirin, I have found my reason to live in history… have you found yours?]

[…]

[What foolishness are you talking about.]

[Eternal life is fleeting, even though eternal. My place in history… is to record the life of Fujiwara no Mokou… my life and hers. Even with my passing, Fujiwara No Mokou will know of my existence… my life with her and so does the people.]

[…]

[That, is my purpose in life, my place in history.]

Preaching to me, the Half-beast smiled casually before challenging me.

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[What about you, Miss Eirin.]

Foolish human, to challenge the greatest intellect of the Lunar Capital.

[My life is dedicated to Princess Kaguya; that is all.]

[For all of eternity.]

[All of eternity.]

[…]

Falling silent, I thought I had rid myself of her when she spoke again.

[An eternity of service… only breed loyalty… and trusts… does it?]

[…Loyalty and trust, perhaps.]

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Surprised that she was so spot on in her analysis, I relaxed somewhat to be engaged in an intellectual duel with the Half-beast. Being the wisest of them all is not just a title I see as she masterfully reversed the question to me.

[… then, I suppose Mokou and Lady Kaguya are both on the other extremes of one another. One surrounded by love and one surrounded by hate…]

Looking at me, she continued as she paced around the courtyard looking amazingly silly.

[Mokou has distrust of people and lack of love… unlike Lady Kaguya, whose trust in you is unsurpassable, not to mention the love between her and the members of Eientei.]

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[…]

[Still, love can never be surpassed.]

Closing her eyes, she placed her hands on her chest and asked me.

[I love Mokou. That is one thing that will last for all of eternity. What about you? Do you… love your princess?]

[…]

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I…

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[Of course I do… I will serve her-]

[Serving, is the same as undying loyalty. To say that an eternity of loyalty breeds trust is true, but… does it breed love?… for one like Mokou, who has not been loved to learn how to love… the same feelings of love are eternal…]

[Is… loyalty all that you have… unlike the trust and love that your Princess have for you…]

Challenging my train of thought, the half-beast had me stunned for a moment as I complemented that.

[Of course I do… protecting the Princess, ensuring her well being and making sure that she lives her life out in happiness, that is how I love her.]

[Then, that is how you are wrong.]

[!]

[… loyalty from a subject, will never be the same as love from one.]

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Without noticing, I had stood up and my bow was aimed straight at her chest.

[… are you going to kill me?]

Calmly, the half-beast remarked as she walked ever so closer. Every step closer to her doom and I smiled at that little thought. Just like walking by yourself into the mouth of a lion…

Heh… it would be so easy to kill her..

Perhaps it will bring eternal grief to the Immortal Bird…

Slowly, my hands pulled on the string despite them shaking but I just, just could not release the arrow.

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[Why not kill me?]

[… you want me to kill you? Won't you be leaving her behind?]

Sneering at her, I ignored the nagging feeling in my mind and instead drew the string back further, challenging her to mock me more.

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[I will never leave her, not after I said those things to her… Love is eternal… me loving her… will exists for the rest of eternity in her eternal life. That is a fact.]

Strange, her smile brings so much pain to me and I momentarily allowed my hand to drop. It hurts to see her smile like that in happiness when all I have is pain and suffering…

[You are guilty… aren't you?]

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Narrowing her eyes, the Half-beast spoke again and I am going to make sure that is the last thing that she will say as I shot the arrow at her.

[…]

Taking a few strands of her with that shot, I growled warningly at her to stop as I drew another arrow.

[Consider that a warning shot, Half-beast…]

[… that just proves it more… you are guilty.]

[… Do not put words in my mouth.]

[Oh, does it not show in your actions? After all, actions speak louder than words.]

[…]

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[Yagokoro Eirin, if you love your princess… you should allow her more freedom. An eternity in a cage is not eternity at all.]

[… I had taken care of all her needs, all her wants and every desire she has is provided… what more can a person desire… that is proof of my love.]

[…]

Using a hand to lower my bow, the Half-beast never said anything more as she brushed past me and walked into the Princess's Room.

[W-why you insolent!]

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Rushing in behind her, I paused when I saw her pulling out the arrow lodged in the Princess's heart.

[… that is not her desire… to be kept in a leash…]

[What do you know.]

[… what do you think…]

That's right… she is the keeper of history.

[History will always repeat itself, it is a given fact… even for an eternity… no matter how long it takes… no matter how often it is repeated… History will repeat itself.]

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[That is a lie, the many complications and facts and effects of people will never make history repeat itself.]

[What is history in the face of eternity… it WILL repeat itself, it is just how long it will take…]

Whispering softly, she gently propped the Princess against a pillar before she turned and spoke.

[… to kill a person you love… it must be hard…]

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Another sentence, another shock and without me noticing, she was gone like the wind.

[W-why she…]

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[…!]

Reaching Miss Keine's home, I was both surprised and shocked to see a familiar small figure sitting in front of the door, drinking sake as she did so.

[S-SUIKA!!]

Diving down from the sky, I tackled her and the both of us rolled in the dirt, giggling and laughing like school girls with their best friends.

[Suika!! You're here!!]

[Yosh! I came! HA!]

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Laughing, Suika pushed me off her and did her best pose in her little Shrine Maiden outfit before haughtily patting her chest.

[Now that's Suika here! You don't need to fear!!]

Grinning happily, Suika punched the air a few times and drank a mouthful of sake after saying that.

[If youkai would DARE harm you, Reimu! I'll smash her like this!!]

Swinging her gourd in the air, Suika was about to slam it on the floor when it was caught by Mokou from mid-air.

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[hey hey, watch it, ya!]

[MOKOU! YOU IMMORTAL BIRD!]

Jumping up, Suika tackled Mokou and the both of them fell to the ground with a great big thud.

[How's zat!]

[Ahh you're heavy and fat ya big oni!!!]

Laughing, Mokou and Suika dusted themselves off and walked casually back to where I was sitting, beside the door of Miss Keine's Home.

Waving at them, I smiled together with my two companions and I bent down to wipe the sake off Suika's mouth.

[Suika…]

[Heh~ thanks, Reimu!!]

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Grinning as if it was nothing at all, I reprimanded Suika as we stepped into the house. What I was not expecting was seeing Miss Keine standing in front of the door and welcoming us.

[Welcome back, everyone!]

[…]

Shocked as we are, all of us recovered at the same time and responded in unison.

[Mm! We're home!