The bright orange autumn leaves that fell across the temple grounds were hastily swept by a passing broom. A lone figure was seen standing on the middle of the grounds, humming a pleasant to herself as she continued her task of keeping the path clean. Gathering the leaves around her, she soon had a large pile of dead leaves sitting near the tree from where they fell from.
Kyouko Kasodani leaned her broom against the trunk of the tree and examined her handy work. After hours of sweeping, sweeping, and sweeping, she had finally finished cleaning the temple's front making it presentable to any visitor's eyes. It was almost evening, and Shou would have probably made dinner by then. The yamabiko girl flapped her ears in anticipation. Nothing could hit the spot other than a well-earned supper before going to bed.
Working for hours was tiring, and seeing that she had training tomorrow only gave her more reasons to eat as much as she could. It was already autumn but Kyouko could still remember the first day she went to work in the temple and how she got beaten up by a rampaging shrine maiden.
It was to be expected, after all. Getting off the wrong foot with the Red-White was a common occurrence among both humans and youkai alike in Gensokyo. Kyouko sighed and a strand of her bright teal hair fell across her face. Irritated, she quickly blew it back into place.
She was bored, and she still had no idea on when their next gig will be.
It was understandable for Mystia since she had a business to run, but sometimes Kyouko just want to grab the sparrow by her arm and force her to play with her. Then again, doing such a thing would be selfish. And Byakuren would be severely disappointed with her; something Kyouko didn't want. But still, it didn't get rid of the fact that she was bored as hell.
"Maybe I could go exploring for awhile," she muttered to herself as she gazed at the path leading to the Human Village, "I'm not really neglecting my duties here since I've already fulfilled them. I wonder what kind of food they have for sale!"
But that's when she remembered that supper was going to be served, and that she already planned to go to sleep once it was all over. Not only that but her body chose the time to feel all sore, especially her arms. Sweeping all day with such enthusiasm came with its annoying consequences
Gently massaging her arms to soothe the pain, Kyouko didn't notice the cold tingling sensation behind the back of her neck.
"Nue is as flat as board!" yelled a voice behind her.
"NUE IS AS FLAT AS BOARD!" echoed the yamabiko only five times louder. The poor girl felt chills run down her spine as a familiar Ghost Captain passed through her body.
"I HEARD THAT MINAMITSU!" screamed another voice from the back of the temple, yet made no attempt on apprehending the culprit herself.
A young woman wearing a white sailor's outfit succumbed to a fit of laughter while she floated in the air. Kyouko was anything but happy to see that person after what she just did. The person before her seemed human at the first sight but upon closer inspection, it was clear that she was anything but that. Minamitsu Murasa, a Funa Yuurei or Ship Phantom she was known for capsizing ships back in her past days as a vengeful spirit until the High Priestess of the temple, Byakuren Hijiri subdued and saved her.
Murasa's eyes were the same teal color as Kyouko's, but her hair was as black as night. The Ghost Captain used her red neckerchief to wipe the tears from her eyes after laughing so hard. Kyouko wondered how ghosts could have tears, but she never really had the courage or patience to ask Murasa since they weren't exactly the best of friends. Murasa had a bright youthful face despite her semi-transparent skin and ghostly aura; one would never guess that she was a ghost at all because of her upbeat nature.
Kyouko herself was also known for her cheery nature, but her mood tended to make a one-hundred eighty degree turn whenever the Captain was around.
"How ya doin' newbie? Everything okay?" asked Murasa with a wide Cheshire grin on her face.
"Everything was fine until you came along, thank you very much," huffed Kyouko, crossing her arms on her chest. "And you know what Lady Byakuren said about pulling pranks on me!"
"Aww, shucks, I'm just havin' a bit of fun, aye?" said Murasa as she floated around Kyouko as if she were swimming. "Now don't be so uptight and strict, we all know of 'em gigs ya have with the sparrow girl. Ya aren't as disciplined ya' self lassie, so why should good 'ol me be any different, savvy?"
"But still! You weren't allowed to pull pranks on me anymore!" fumed Kyouko, stomping her foot on the ground. Murasa on the other hand chose to ignore this and continued grinning.
The Phantom was about to reply with witty remark when a hand holding a golden ring smacked her hard on the head, sending her down to the ground.
"Dammit Ichi…" cursed Murasa before passing out.
A woman as tall as Murasa had her right hand raised as she held a golden ring all while looking absolutely irritated. She quickly stepped over Murasa and approached Kyouko, giving the yamabiko a pat on the head while asking, "Are you okay? Did she hurt you anywhere?"
"No I'm fine. It's just one of those things I have to get used to," replied Kyouko, wiping the tears filling up her eyes and forcing out a smile.
Ichirin Kumoi gave the girl a worried look as she said, "Okay then, I just wanted to make sure that you're fine. You wouldn't want some stray ectoplasm on your dress."
Kyouko raised her eyebrows at the nun's new hairstyle. Her headdress was lowered on her back, giving space for her light purple hair tied to a side pony-tail to her right. Ichirin brushed away her fringe that was covering her left eye as she glanced at the pink mass of clouds behind her back.
Kyouko wasn't surprised to see the cloud morphed in resemblance of the face of an old, bald, bearded man who seemed to be looking at Murasa's unconscious form in disgust before catching Ichirin's eye and nodding.
"Byakuren should be here at any moment," explained Ichirin while turning her gaze at the temple doors, "Funny how she's taking so long."
"Why? Is something the matter?" asked Kyouko, "Are you guys going somewhere?"
"Actually, yes. There's this festival being held at the Hakurei Shrine to celebrate the harvest," replied the nun with a smile, "The folks of the Moriya transferred it there much to Reimu's annoyance. And you know what? Byakuren and us are going there too, you can come with us if you like."
Kyouko thought about it for a moment and grimaced. She wouldn't be able to go since she needed rest for her training tomorrow. A sigh escaped her lips as she lowered her head in disappointment. Going to the festival would be nice, but then she would lack the energy for tomorrow's work.
Maybe it would be wise to stay behind and sleep, she thought.
"Sorry but Shou wouldn't like it if I was too tired for tomorrow's training," said Kyouko trying as hard she could to maintain the smile on her lips. "You guys go on ahead and have fun."
"But dear is that what you really want?"" asked a newcomer's voice. This time Kyouko felt a warm familiar sensation as she faced the direction of the voice.
"Lady Byakuren!" said Kyouko in her unnaturally loud voice. She yelped, clamped a hand on her mouth and smiled sheepishly at the nun beside her. Ichirin looked a bit dizzy being so near to someone so loud. The Yamabiko couldn't help it. Her voice gets loud whenever she's excited or happy, or feeling any other strong emotion. Nevertheless, Byakuren seemed to find it amusing as Kyouko ran towards her and embraced her in a tight hug.
Byakuren smiled as the teal haired Yamabiko rubber her cheek upon the magician's black dress. Kyouko lifted her head and seized up the kind monk's appearance. As always, Byakuren had her long cape behind her back which danced along with the wind's rhythm as it blew by. Like Murasa, Byakuren's appearance was similar to a young beautiful human at first sight, however she was far older than what she appeared and much, much more wise. The kind monk's hazel eyes were the same color as her long wavy hair which slowly faded into purple at the top.
"I'm also glad to see you, Kyouko," greeted Byakuren as she ruffled the Yamabiko's hair.
Kyouko immediately broke away, her face a bit red. Behind her, Ichirin was giggling while Unzan went to stare at something else. Murasa was… Still knocked out if it were possible.
The elder magician then examined Kyouko with concerned eyes, "Now, would you kindly answer my question? I'm sure you'll have more fun if you come with us. No alcohol of course."
"Ah, well you see Miss. I-I can't really neglect my duties here at the temple. Shou-san will need all the help she can get since Nazrin's gone somewhere. She'll need someone to look after her so that's why I'll stay," explained Kyouko as she shuffled her feet. "After that I'll have to study those sutras that I have to recite tomorrow and after that I—"
"There, there, it's alright. But make sure that you don't push yourself too hard now, okay?" said Byakuren, her warm smile. "Oh and by the way, Shou's having a big headache so she's staying in her room for now. I don't think that she'll be able to eat dinner with you, can you eat all alone tonight?"
"Yes!" replied Kyouko with much enthusiasm. "I'll take care of Shou-san so she'll be back on her feet by tomorrow!"
"Well, then we'll leave the temple in your hands now, Kyouko-chan," said Ichirin, "We know we can't put Nue in charge because of, uh, you know one thing or another. And with Shou out of business, you're the only one we can really rely on. Be sure to eat well or Big sister Ichirin will have to cook for you again~."
Both Kyouko and Unzan chuckled nervously while Byakuren sighed as she made a gesture to ward off evil.
"Uh, o-o-okay," said Kyouko, her face a bit blue.
"Alrighty then let's go!" exclaimed Murasa before ascending into the air. Ichirin released a sigh before waving Kyouko goodbye and following suit.
Byakuren allowed herself a couple of seconds with the Yamabiko as she patted Kyouko's hair, "We'll be back, I promise."
With that, the kindly monk kicked off the ground and followed her companions. Kyouko watched as they disappeared across the setting sun.
Night descended in the Myouren temple and everyone was asleep. Well ,except maybe for one person.
When she was finally satisfied, Kyouko rose out of her wooden bath tub and reached for her towel. Wrapping it around her body, she grabbed a smaller one and began wiping her dog-like ears dry along with her hair. Her footsteps were light and gentle so as not to awaken the sleeping tiger youkai in one of the rooms. Kyouko slid Shou Toramaru's door open and peeked inside. The blonde haired tiger youkai with black highlights was sleeping soundly.
Kyouko smiled and carefully closed the door. She then proceeded to go to her room which was at the far end of the hall. Sliding it open, she then threw her smaller towel on futon as she went to her wardrobe for some clothes. Putting on her light brown pajamas decorated with paw prints, Kyouko sat on her desk and turned on her lamp.
Kyouko's room wasn't anything grand, just a humble single room with a wardrobe, tatami flooring, her futon, and her desk. Maybe this was because she was a new addition to the temple, but hey! It was already a year past since she got there. So maybe she was falling behind the decorations department, but at least she was trying.
Kyouko turned her gaze to the poster of Choujuu Gigaku, her and Mystia's band. If only the night sparrow wasn't so busy with her eel cart they could be at the Hakurei Shrine now singing their hearts out,and show Byakuren the joys of music and prove their haters wrong.
Her head hit her table with a thud before rolling from left to right. "I wanna go to the festival!" she whined, then remembered to keep her voice down.
Her heart sank as angry footsteps were making to her room followed by her door sliding open with a bang.
An angry pajama clad Shou stood at the door with groggy eyes and bed hair sticking out of her head, though the icy cold glare that came from her eyes were more than enough to send the Yamabiko hiding in the corner. "I-I-I'm sorry Shou-san, I didn't mean to wake you or anything!"
If looks could kill, then Kyouko would've been nothing but a bloody mess by now the moment Shou growled, "Kyouko… I'm very tired and I am sick of this head ache, having you cause noise in the middle of the night isn't going to help me feel any better! Now if you don't have anything better to do then lights out, young lady!" The tiger youkai raised a drunken finger at Kyouko, "One more noise. Seriously…one… more…Noizzzzzzz…."
As Shou drifted off to sleep, Kyouko had enough sense in her to catch the tiger before she hit the floor. Grunting under Shou's weight, Kyouko released a shaky breath.
"Oh well, it could've been worst."
Kyouko suppressed a yelp as Shou uttered a growl before mumbling off to sleep again. With a sigh of relief Kyouko supported Shou on her shoulder as she went to place the youkai back into her own room. Kyouko had to use her feet to slide the door open without allowing Shou to fall from her arms. With the last remains of the Yamabiko's strength, Kyouko allowed Shou to fall on her futon with her arm above her head and her belly button exposed.
Kyouko pondered if it was okay to leave her teacher in an indecent position. With another sigh, she fixed Shou's position before tucking the tiger behind a snow white blanket. Closing the room's door behind her Kyouko was about to go back to her room when she heard a noise.
Kyouko's ears floppy ears swung up in surprise. She stood frozen as she heard the sound of footsteps come from the temple grounds.
Soon, she broke into a sprint towards her room. Slamming the sliding door open, she quickly made her way towards her wardrobe and hastily changed. Once she was dressed in her usual clothes, she thundered down the hall to check up on Shou. Thankfully the tiger youkai was still there and asleep. Pulling a pair of mufflers she received as a gift from the Taoists, she gently placed them on the tiger's ears to muffle the sounds.
After that, Kyouko made her way to the temple grounds. The cold evening air went to greet her as soon as she was out. She grabbed her bamboo broom that stood at the side and went to investigate the source of the noise.
What Kyouko saw surprised at the temple's storehouse surprised her. She was met with the back of a young woman with pale lavender hair filled with red paper charms. She had a pair of baggy pants filled with the same paper charms on her hair, and an ash white buttoned shirt filled with burn marks. This girl struck Kyouko as an imposing figure, a head taller than her and radiating great yet mysterious power.
Kyouko's heard of this girl before. Why was she here in the temple, of all places?! Shouldn't she be a long way from here at that creepy bamboo forest?
Her fears were confirmed as Fujiwara no Mokou turned to face her.
The immortal's face was emotionless, and merely raised her eye brows at Kyouko's presence. "Oh, you… Didn't expect you to show up that fast."
Huh? What is she talking about, thought Kyouko but aloud she said, "Uh, hey! You're not allowed to be there! Don't you know that store house is Myouren Temple's property?"
"Yeah, so? And here I was thinking that I had to burn the place down to flush you out," said Mokou dispassionately.
Kyouko cringed at the immortal's tone. She didn't know if taking Mokou alone would be enough to stop her, and with Shou's headache, she doubted that the tiger youkai would be of any help. Nue and Mamizou were surely at the festival, so Kyouko couldn't count on them for help. As much as it sucked, she was all alone.
"Well, uh, what you're doing is bad! Don't you know that stealing is bad?!" yelled Kyouko in a defiant tone, in contrast with what she was experiencing within her.
"Hmph, I'm not here for this junk," said Mokou tossing the antique in her hand back into the store house. "I'm here for you…"
The immortal's hands burst into flames.
AH,AH,AH,AHHHHHHH! I'M GONNA DIE!Wait no, focus Kyouko. Focus! Now keep calm and run like—No! I have to resolve this in a peaceful manner. Just like Byakuren. I may not know why she's so angry with me but I could at least try asking, keeping her panic under control, Kyouko said, "Wh-what do you want with me? What did I ever do to you? I've been a loyal priest in training here in Myouren temple and I haven't hurt anyone in my life! Well maybe except for those fairies at the concert, but still! They were fairies! Please, can't—can't we settle this in a peaceful manner?"
The Yamabiko's heart skipped a beat as the flames in Mokou's hands grew smaller and smaller till nothing remained. A wave of relief washed over Kyouko, she couldn't wait to tell this to Mystia. Then Mokou's hands reignited in new fury causing Kyouko's blood to freeze in fear.
This time, Mokou's eyes were filled with irritation and in a cold voice in contrast to her flames, said, "You're annoying."
With that, the immortal leapt towards the Yamabiko girl with her flaming hands.
The Strongest Music Cue's presents: Welcome to the youkai temple~ by monochrome coat -looped-
Kyouko yelped as she kicked off the ground to avoid Mokou's flaming fists only to dodge the fireballs the immortal sent as a follow up. It only seemed that the immortal was indeed annoyed with her and bore no intention to kill, so Kyouko responded in kind by spraying her with Danmaku. Mokou side stepped the first wave and ascended in a fiery pillar, summoning blue and purple amulets to attack.
"Aiiee!" Kyouko had to back flip in mid-air to dodge the incoming amulet aimed for her head. She's serious…
Mokou was closing in, her goal to be in pointblank range so she could end the fight quickly. The Yamabiko girl dodged a second wave of amulets and peppered Mokou with more Danmaku. The immortal flew past her like a blazing star, causing her to shield her eyes from the embers that Mokou left behind.
The Yamabiko girl and the immortal were now on the same altitude. Kyouko with her broom and Mokou sprouting two flaming wings behind her back, her eyes filled with irritation as if Kyouko were an eyesore. The Yamabiko girl was trying to convince her to stop this battle, convinced that it'd work this time!
"Look, I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry okay?" she amended in her loud voice, "Please, I don't want to fight. So why don't we just go home and get some good night's sleep—"
A fireball missed her by a hairsbreadth. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
The next moment Mokou was grabbing her by the collar, lifting Kyouko up. "Geez, you just like hearing yourself talk don't cha'? How can I get myself a good night's sleep with all the racket you've been making the past months, huh?!"
The immortal vigorously tossed Kyouko to the side; fortunately the Yamabiko was still in flight, feeling her throat.
"Look here kid, I'm old. Very old and my patience is near endless. But you and your stupid bird friend have to go wrecking the serenity of my night with all of your…your…NOISE!" Mokou pulled a spellcard from her pocket. "Congratulations, you and your bird friend are the first two people to annoy me to this extent other than Kaguya."
Calm down Kyouko, don't lose your cool. But Kyouko couldn't find her peace of mind. That person came to the temple in the middle of the night proceeded to harass her all for a stupid reason. She couldn't let that person get away with this, couldn't she? But then that would be going against Byakuren's words of avoiding violence.
"Why are you doing this?! It doesn't have to be this way you know, you big bully!" yelled Kyouko as the immortal raised her spellcard.
"Shut your trap, kiddo'. Let's settle this with a good old fashioned duel!" the spellcard in Mokou's hand began to shine, "I hope this fight will finally make you shut up. Fujiwara~Flaw of Forgiving Shrine!"
And then it rained amulets.
Kyouko gritted her teeth and with a determined look, charged head first to the immortal. She dodged the blue and purple amulets by alternately flying left to right before shooting off east. Mokou moved her body so that her spell was aimed at Kyouko, but the Yamabiko was simply too fast. After forcing Mokou to spin around, destroying and creating craters on the temple grounds, Kyouko flew high up into the air, almost as high as the temple itself.
Spreading her arms beside her she broke into a dive. Passing by all of the amulets at a great speed while being aided by gravity, Kyouko had the briefest moment to see Mokou's body still facing the sky. With a smirk, the Yamabiko landed on her feet a few feet behind Mokou's open back. Fewer amulets were aimed behind the immortal so Kyouko was smart enough to consider it as a safe spot.
Before Mokou could even realize what happened, Kyouko released an volley of red Danmaku, allowing them to float in the air before with shouting with all of her might. The Danmaku, even those of Mokou's spellcards suddenly changed directions and went for the immortal.
Miniature fireworks blew up in the place as the Danmaku hit Mokou all over. Kyouko using her power of reflecting sound waves prevented the Danmaku from going too far and kept them aimed and bouncing towards Mokou.
The Yamabiko girl had enough sense in her to know that this was far from over. Mokou was an immortal, as frail as her boy seemed to be, she would resurrect. And sure enough, moments later Mokou took to the air once more, glaring at the Yamabiko flying above her.
But before she can even declare as spellcard, Kyouko was way ahead of her. "Echo sign~ Power Resonance!"
Red Danmaku began to bop within a closed invisible space before Kyouko, bouncing on and off the invisible walls before launching themselves at high speeds in random directions. Mokou had a split second to analyze the situation before she started dodging. Kyouko began charging her attack once more, leaving her open. Or at least that was what Mokou thought.
"Hey kid, eat this!" said the immortal as she launched a stream of flames towards Kyouko.
The Yamabiko girl opened her eyes and launched her bullets. The red Danmaku collided with the flaming pillar, cancelling each other out. Mokou was far from finished as she lifted her arms into the air, causing a swirl of flames to circle on the ground below Kyouko.
Kyouko yelped and tried escape when she was blocked off by a firewall. She then realized that she was in the heart of a flaming tornado with nowhere to run. Mokou was just outside the tornado as it roared to life, brief gaps appearing among the flames and she saw Kyouko floating in mid-air while still holding her broom.
Caged and trapped, Kyouko didn't know what to do. A few moments later, purple and blue Danmaku launched from the tornado's walls, forcing Kyouko to dodge while avoid the walls themselves. Outside, Mokou was hurling her amulets at the tornado, which transformed into balls of light the moment they hit.
"Hmph, it's over. Suzaku's funeral ~ Flaming Romance," she muttered while glaring at the tornado she created.
The flaming pillar dissipated and Kyouko fell to the ground barely conscious. Mokou glided her way towards her fallen opponent, her wings disappearing as she stared down at Kyouko. "I hope you learn your lesson kid. Not everyone likes music. Heck, I don't even know if the things you shout about are music. Suffice to say I've seen—guk!"
The wooden end of Kyouko's broom buried itself into Mokou's stomach, causing the immortal to double over. With one swift and fluid motion, the immortal was swept of her feet, literally. Mokou hit the ground with a jarring force applied to her back.
"Why you—gah!" Mokou was sent sliding on the floor where she used the momentum to stand up again.
"Mountain Echo~ Amplify Echo," screamed Kyouko. Thrusting her palm forward, waves of Danmaku shot from Kyouko's back and sides, startling Mokou a bit. She watched as Kyouko's Danmaku disappearing into the distance only to return as big red orbs of death in neat vertical and horizontal lines closing on her.
Panic caused Mokou to stomp on the ground and fly out of the lines of fire. Looking around her, she realized that the orbs materialized around her and were flying towards her once more. This time she kept her cool as she recognized both the bullets and the pattern. She allowed the bullets to graze her as they approached. Mokou felt the slight rush of energy fill her as the bullets neared her.
Once the bullets were away and as Kyouko was firing the next wave, Mokou raised a spellcard and declared it:
"Immortal~ Fire Bird -Flying Phoenix-!"
The immortal swung her free arm at Kyouko and a blazing phoenix formed out of thin air, flying towards her opponent. Plowing down the giant orbs as if they were nothing. Kyouko immediately zipped to her right to dodge. However it seemed that the phoenix it grew bigger in every second that passed, causing its wings to burn Kyouko's sleeve while passing by.
Mokou thrust another arm out and another phoenix was summoned. It found the time to utter a haunting melody as Kyouko flew to evade it. Another phoenix flew and the Yamabiko girl saw the immortal curl her body into a ball, all before spreading her arms and releasing three phoenixes at once accompanied by fireballs.
"Grrr, you just love making my life miserable, huh!?" screamed Kyouko, as she grazed a fireball and a phoenix wing.
It hurt. Kyouko had never experienced an intense battle like that before; not even if her fight with the Red-White and her cronies was that harsh. Kyouko kept dodging and dodging and dodging through all the fire balls. She didn't care if she got burned. She didn't care if she got hit. All she wanted was to show that crazy woman above her that she and Mystia could make good music. Good music that everyone liked.
Kyouko performed a barrel roll as a bullet passed her by. Smoke and wind, coming from the blazing fires that surrounded her caused the Yamabiko girl's eyes to sting and water. A phoenix was headed her way and yet Kyouko refused to slow down.
Mokou's eyes widened as the teal haired girl collided with the immortal bird. Did she push the girl too far?
The immortal's breath was taken from her as a smoking figure burst from the phoenix's body. Kyouko gripped her broom with both hands and with one mighty swing to the midsection, launched Mokou back first into Myouren temple. Kyouko's clothes were blackened and her long pink blouse was now seared off her left shoulder, revealing her charcoaled white dress under it. Kyouko wasted no time waiting and charged at the hole the immortal made on the building.
There she saw Mokou rising to her feet while rubbing the back of her head. Watching the immortals eyes widen, Kyouko peppered her with Danmaku that sent her flying through the temple once more. Lowering her head for a moment, Kyouko took her time to catch her breath. She was going to be in so much trouble for this. Kyouko tensed as she heard a noise nearby. Glancing to her side she saw Shou's peaceful sleeping face, completely unaware of the battle around her, thanks to the muffles on her ears. At least Kyouko didn't have to deal with an angry tiger youkai.
Kyouko ran through the holes Mokou made and headed for the ominous orange light at the far end. When she reached the final hole she saw Mokou standing on the graves, absolutely ticked off. Surrounding the immortal were…dragons?
Two fiery serpents fifty meters long snaked their way to the sky in a corkscrew pattern. The two of them straightened their flaming bodies up before glaring down at Kyouko with their fury filled gaze as their maws opened. Below them, Mokou had her hands in her pockets as a smirk decorated her face. She enjoyed to see the look of terror on the little upstart's face.
"This kid…" muttered Mokou over the roaring winds and hot air around her, "Has some potential…"
The immortal merely watched as Kyouko stepped back a few paces into the temple, all before jumping off the hole and flying straight for her. "Get her!" she commanded and the two serpents obliged.
Kyouko swallowed all of her fears and flew at the immortal at breakneck speed. She saw the dragons loop and head towards her at the speed of a moving truck. These guys… Are nothing more than leaves in the temple grounds… They… They just want to ruin its beauty!
The dragons roared and opened their maws as they let loose a jet of orange fire. Kyouko narrowed her eyes and flew around the flames, looping around them and flying on. Kyouko shot up into the air, just in time for a dragon's jaw to snap on the area on where she was a few seconds ago. The dragons were hot on her tail. The Yamabiko breathed in a shaky breath before deactivating her ability to fly. From above she looked like a wingless angel, whose silhouette was captured by the moon.
With her head now facing the ground and the dragons, let her body fall towards them.. Kyouko passed by the dragons with the speed of a Danmaku bullet, and the second dragon made the mistake of attempting to chomp her only to result to biting the first dragon's body.
Miss Byakuren told me to take good care of the temple while she was out and…. In her mind, she imagined the kind monk cheering her on, I'm not going to let anyone ruin it! I'm going to sweep you all away like the leaves you are!
Mokou took five steps back as Kyouko landed in front of her, the ground cracking under the Yamabiko's feet. Kyouko swung her broom only to miss as Mokou dodged. Mokou retaliated with a burning fist which was caught Kyouko's broom, causing her to slide back a few feet. Not allowing Kyouko to recover, Mokou closed in on her and took the air once more allowing her wings to spread while sending a powerful kick to the Yamabiko's head.
Kyouko made an attempt to block, but her broom could only take so much strain and shattered within her grasp. Landing on her feet, Mokou sent another burning fist at Kyouko, which connected with her cheek sending her flying.
Mokou watched as the Yamabiko crashed against a grave stone.
Kyouko's head was spinning. She's losing badly. She wanted to cry out for Byakuren, only to remember that the monk was nowhere near her. She was on her own. She couldn't even rely on Nue, Ichirin, or even Murasa.
No one was coming to help her. Sure she had her fair share of beatings in the past. But that was then. She expected a whole lot more from herself now that she was older. True that she didn't like fighting, but she at least expected herself to be stronger. But no, she was weak. And weak youkais get beaten by stronger beings. That's what she was…Weak…
The Yamabiko girl forced an arm under her and made an attempt to push herself off the ground. But then a foot connected with her back, causing her to taste the soil once more.
"You sure are one tough nut to crack. I came here for a massacre but then it ended up turning into a brawl," said Mokou's voice.
With her head facing the side, Kyouko could see Mokou's lavender hair hanging at the edge of her vision.
"You should be proud, girly," the immortal went on, "You managed to come this far, but then again you weren't strong enough. But it was a good match nonetheless, the second behind Reimu's."
Kyouko groaned as the forced behind her back increased, threatening to crush her spine.
"Actually I don't have against you personally, it's just that your 'music' as you call it is just plain annoying," continued Mokou, "I know that you're going to act all stubborn while saying 'My music isn't annoying' but this fight would've happened anyway. This situation was just a foregone conclusion."
The Strongest Music fades out! Replace it with: One Winged Angel-looped
Kyouko was breathing heavily now. Her eyes were welling up in tears. She started to shake all over.
"Hmph, it's bad enough that Kaguya enjoys your 'music'. Or maybe she just has poor taste in the stuff. Well whatever, your constant racket has been disturbing the Human Village the past nights so consider yourself lucky that I'm the one who came for you and not Reimu. If it was her, then you'd be exterminated right here, right now," Mokou put her entire weight on Kyouko's back, "Ah, one last thing… Your song sucked…."
Kyouko stopped trembling. Mokou raised her eyebrows at the reaction but then scowled as Kyouko asked in a low voice, "What did you say..?"
"I said your music sucked, so?"
Kyouko inhaled a deep breath before asking once more, "What did you say..?"
"Oi, don't play deaf, I said your music sucked, what part of that can't you understand?"
"I…can't hear you…"
"I said Your Music Sucked!"
"I!"
Mokou was lifted into the air as Kyouko shot up from the ground. The immortal's crimson eyes had enough time to see Kyouko's body twist in mid-air to face her.
"Said!" screamed the Yamabiko girl through tear filled eyes. Her voice was so powerful that the force of it caused Mokou's body to dig three feet into the ground. The immortal grunted and gritted her teeth as she forced her legs and arms to move in order to get up, but found out that Kyouko was far from finished.
Inhaling a lungful of air, Kyouko scream with all of her might, "YOUR. MUSIC. SUCKED!"
Mokou was met with three consecutive blasts of sound waves, causing her body to press against the ground from the force and her ears to bleed from the noise. Still it didn't hurt her in anyway other than causing her some difficulty in breathing and being restricted from moving away from the ground due to the titanic force.
Kyouko landed on her feet, breathing heavily as she watched Mokou get up from the crater.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, that was…freaky," whimpered Mokou as she clutched her bleeding ears. Her eyes then met with Kyouko's feet, until her gaze slowly view the Yamabiko's form. "huh?"
Kyouko lifted a Spellcard in front of her and whispered, "Choujuu Gigaku~ Dance of Bird and beast."
The Spellcard glowed and Mokou found herself trapped within an invisible barrier, Kyouko just outside watching her. She placed a hand on the barrier and shouted, "Hey!"
HEY
HEY
HEY
HEY
Mokou clamped her palms at the sides of her head, her own voice resonating in her ears. "What the—?"
And then the inside of the barrier was filled with Danmaku. Mokou was pushed against the barrier's edge with nothing to do than take the random hits that were around her. It stung, it hurt, and lights were all around! Yellow, orange, red, blue, colors filled her vision till she was numb from the pain. And yet Kyouko still didn't command the barrier to disappear. It was too much. More than she could take. It was like an endless assault of the Black-White's beam of love, only much more concentrated.
And then everything was quiet. Kyouko moved towards Mokou's smoking form as she lied on her back, staring at the purple sky above.
She's immortal; she'll live, thought Kyouko as she knelt down to move the strand of hair across the immortal's face.
With a sigh, Kyouko said, "You are banned from coming to the temple. You broke eighteen temple rules during your stay as a guest, which is more than enough reason for me to ban you. Please leave now."
Kyouko watched as Mokou slowly got up on her feet, rubbing her head and dusting her pants. Kyouko stood up likewise her eyes never breaking eye contact.
"You're pretty strong, kiddo," commented Mokou while putting her hands in her pockets. "You said that you don't like fighting, but I think all of that was bull. You're pretty good at it, and your song was too."
Kyouko's face flushed red.
"When you shouted to prove me wrong, I heard a soothing voice under all of that rage," continued the immortal, "I found you annoying maybe because you were just off key, but girl, you have some deep potential."
The person who fought with her carrying all that spite against her music was now praising her. Maybe this crazy human was just a hypocrite, thought Kyouko.
"Deep inside, there's a spark in you waiting to be unleashed. Like I said you have potential, and I have all time in the world to see that spark in you burst into flames and become a raging fire," Mokou's face broke into a grin, "Well, I'll be very disappointed if you happen to die without knowing what you have hidden in you. This battle we had is nothing compared to the fights I have with Kaguya, usually it has more craters and blood on the ground but you get the point."
"Which is?" asked Kyouko, her throat unexpectedly sore so her voice came out hoarse.
"I'm immortal and I'll be remembering this fight for eternity," replied Mokou as she turned to leave, "Don't want others to hear about it? A Yamabiko facing against a Hourai Immortal and standing victorious? Now isn't that a story for your kind to remember? Well, I wouldn't tell it to Kaguya, but hey, it's my shame and you should be proud of this."
"I-I never really thought about it that way…."
"What's your name kid?"
"Kyouko, Kyouko Kasodani,"
"Well then Kyouko. Since you've banned me here, I guess this is good bye. Take care kid it was good battle!"
Kyouko could only stare and wave back as the firebird flew towards the direction of the Bamboo of the Lost. Two words escaped her lips before she went inside the temple, "Crazy Human."
"Well now Ran, wasn't that fantastic?"
"I don't know lady Yukari, the two of them looked pretty banged up. Are you sure that they'll be okay?"
"The Human's an immortal and the other girl is a Youkai. Now Ran dear, pay up."
High above the Myouren temple, two individuals were spying on the aftermath of the battle. These individuals were behind a dimensional rift known as a gap, and were currently handing each other money as if they had made a bet.
The first seemed to be a woman in her early thirties and had a long flowing blonde hair decorated with red ribbons. Her violet Chinese-style tabard matched perfectly with the purple world behind her, although the background seemed to contrast itself from her western styled dress. A thin white mop cap with a thin red ribbon sat on her head.
The second individual was a woman between the ages of twenty to twenty five, with nine golden tails swaying behind her back. Her golden eyes and her short yellow hair were almost identical to the person beside her, almost making her look like the older one's daughter if not for her tails. On her head was what seemed to be a two tailed jester's hat filled with amulets. Her face expressed nothing but disappointment as she handed her purse to the other woman who laughed gleefully behind a white fan.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Ran dear," said the purple woman while weighing the purse in her hands. "hmm, I wonder how much you saved up here."
"Umm, Yukari-sama? Shouldn't we do something about that?" asked Ran while pointing at the damage and wreckage scattered across Myouren Temple.
"About what, Ran?" asked Yukari in turn , and with a wave of her hand the damages disappeared. Holes were repaired, craters were filled, and broken objects were put back to place, Ran could only sigh at her master's behavior.
"Hmm ,I think we've stayed here long enough. Come now Ran time to go," she said with a smile on her face.
"Yes, master….Ouch!" Ran quickly shut the gap close after receiving a hit from the back with an umbrella. It was as if they weren't there in the first place.
Kyouko landed face first into her futon. She didn't care anymore. She was too tired to worry about the damages; maybe she could make up an excuse for what happened last night just to shut the incoming complaints off. Shou's going to be pissed. Still Kyouko needed sleep, and sleep is what she would do.
The soft fabric of her blanket brushing against her cheek, Kyouko slowly drifted into sleep. She couldn't wait to tell Nazrin and the others about that night.
"Kyouko wake up!" yelled Shou barging into the Yamabiko's room and pulling her blanket away. Kyouko stared at her teacher who said, "Come on, you're up all night doing stupid things again didn't you? Well nothing like a morning stretch and meditation to clear your wits of sleep. Now double time, chop chop, get your butt of there and get changed! Let's start the morning right!"
In contrast to the tiger youkai's energetic wake up call, Kyouko slumped back into her futon as the tiger youkai disappeared. She hated her life….
And so another day began in the Myouren Temple.
Nicolas Notes:
I'm back from the deaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!
And I present you this pet project I've been working on. This baby here was born while listening to the first song presented in this fic. I just thought to myself "So, freaking badass" And then I went to imagine some fight scenes with little Kyouko her and then this was born!
I had trouble on finding out who was going to be her first opponent and ended up with Mokou. Seriously, don't ask how she got there... I still ask myself that question up to now. If you're waiting for the Laevateinn chapter to update, I apologize for the wait, but just a few more days and it'll be up and running. I already have two more chapters waiting so maybe I can update regularly for three weeks?
Anyhow, the reason that I made this fic was for shits and giggles.
I just wanted to see how a character like Kyouko could adapt to the battle field. Heh.
Yes I have a plot, and I think this fic will be running up to six chapters. The second chapter is still in the works. In my head.
Those who are waiting for the 4:95 to update would be glad since I finally got the second chapter out! All I have to do is clean it a bit. Heh.
Many many many thanks to KaiserDude and Winged Ikaros for proof reading.
See ya all next time, YAHOO~!