Entry 7: Guardian
(Trigger warning in place)
Komano Aunn, at this point in time, really didn't know what to do. She was, after all, staring down a Lunarian, and one of the strongest at that.
Whether Watatsuki no Toyohime realised her apprehension or not, she couldn't say. The Lunarian merely continued to smile neighbourly, as if everything was right in the world.
Although, Aunn could see a great emptiness in Toyohime's eyes. Eyes that seemed unable to see the present for what it was.
Toyohime tilted her head quizzingly. "Hello?" she asked. "By chance, did you not hear me?"
"I heard," Aunn answered coldly. "You will not find any 'pet' of yours anywhere."
"Is that so?" Toyohime asked. "Then, could you point me in the direction of Reimu-san? Perhaps she could help find my dear..."
"I feel you may have misheard me, Toyohime-san," Aunn interrupted. "I believe I said that there are 'no pets of the Watatsuki family in Gensokyo'. Kindly return home."
"Aw, are you sure?" Toyohime asked. "I just want to find my darling little Reisen, though. Are you sure..."
To say Toyohime dodged Aunn's strike 'by a narrow margin' would be giving Aunn's abilities too much credit. It would be like saying a mosquito's bite could do damage to a dragon. By the time Aunn had swung her fist down, Toyohime had already gotten out of the way, leaving the Komainu to strike the ground hard.
That being said, Aunn hadn't expect to lash out like that, but she knew why she did. It was the way she said that name. On paper, it was easier to tell the difference between the two Reisens by the simple inclusion of an apostrophe. With spoken words, though, it was technically impossible to tell the difference, unless you said something like 'Reisen the Second', or found a way to fully enunciate that apostrophe.
Aunn wouldn't say she had Reimu intuition, but she did have a keen insight on how people spoke. One of the many things you can pick up when you're capable of observing every location with regular religious visitors that make offerings to wish for something.
It wasn't an 'ability' per se; more an acquired skill from having been a Komainu all her life. She could tell, just from the tone of her voice, that Watatsuki no Toyohime wasn't thinking of 'two' Reisens, and never had.
"Now that's just rude, miss," Toyohime said casually. "I just wish to find my dear Reisen before she gets hurt."
"Well, you're too late," Aunn said darkly. "Far, far too late for that. They've already been hurt, because of you."
Toyohime tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I haven't done anything to hurt my dear Reisen. And... what's this 'they' business you're talking about?"
Aunn unleashed a barrage of danmaku. Completely ineffective, maybe, but let it never be said that anger made for good judgement calls.
Aunn wasn't one to get angry, most days. Especially angry enough to lash out at someone. But this woman- nay, this harlot, was insulting her new friend in the worst way imaginable. She used and abused Rei'sen, and now had the audacity to act like she didn't even exist? Aunn had a right to be pissed off at this point.
An opening presented itself when Toyohime had her back towards one of the Komainu statues. Firing a shot into the ground to kick up as much dust as she could, Aunn used the smokescreen to quickly teleport to the Komainu statue, and before she could react, managed to land a punch on her cheek, knocking the Lunarian back a few paces.
Generally, Lunarians had power comparable to that of the strongest youkai in Gensokyo. The likes of Hijiri Byakuren, Toyosatomimi no Miko, Yakumo Yukari, Ibaraki Kasen, and Matara Okina, would have a hard time fighting one in a fair fight. In fact, the gap in power between Toyohime and Aunn was so large, there wasn't even a red mark on the Lunarian's cheek.
However, a fact was a fact, and the fact remained that Aunn had scored first hit in this battle.
Toyohime placed a hand on her struck cheek in shock. "Oh my," she muttered. "I hadn't expected that."
"... Unforgivable," Aunn muttered. "You hurt, and hurt, and hurt them, and you don't even realise it. I will not, cannot, shall not forgive you!" Aunn's power, miniscule though it was, flared brightly, and an illusionary copy of herself appeared beside her. "Koma Sign: Solitary A-Un Breathing!"
It wasn't much of an advantage, but it would have to do. Aunn highly doubted she would be able to get a strike like that in again, but she was going to try anyway.
This was for her new friend, after all, and anyone who hurts one of Aunn's friends would pay dearly, one way or another.
When Reimu and Rei'sen arrived at the foot of the stairs to the Hakurei Shrine, they could see immediately that something was wrong.
The area looked as if a tornado had ripped through it; branches had been torn from trees, dirt flung everywhere, and cobblestone chipped, cracked, or otherwise ripped from the ground.
"What the hell?" Reimu muttered. "What happened here?"
Rei'sen felt something. She wasn't sure what, but it made her afraid. Very afraid. Enough for Reimu to notice it.
At that moment, a bright red ball of energy shot into the air from the top of the stairs, and exploded. It was an often unused type of magic that just about everyone knew, but were too proud to use. It was, after all, an emergency flare.
Reasons to not use such a spell were plentiful, to say the least; pride, for one, as well as the general safety that came from the Spell Card System that Gensokyo used, just to name the most common reasons.
So, someone at the Hakurei Shrine, using an oft forgotten emergency signal. The possibilities were very limited, to say the least.
The duo rushed up the stairs, to see the courtyard a complete mess. Statues, and even the tori gate, laid in tatters on the ground.
As for Aunn, the Komainu was currently being held up by the neck, in the hand of the one they dreaded running into the most.
And, regretfully, she took this moment to notice them.
"Ah! Reisen-chan!" Toyohime exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad to see you again!"
Rei'sen staggered back, and Reimu quickly placed herself between them. Aunn gasped for breath, struggling to break out of Toyohime's vice-grip. "Rei'...sen-san... Run..." she wheezed.
Toyohime glanced at Aunn, as if only just now realising she was holding her. "I have to say, Reimu-san, you keep some rather rude company," she commented. "This young lady kept saying she wouldn't let me see my dear Reisen."
"O...f course I wouldn't..." Aunn struggled to say. "You... hurt my friends... Won't... forgive..."
An amulet shot out, striking Toyohime on the wrist, and releasing her grip on Aunn. The Komainu collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, as the Lunarian looked over at Reimu in surprise. "Are you... siding with her, too?" she asked. "Are you... stealing my darling little Reisen, too?"
"Are you really that daft?" Reimu asked. "She ran away from you! How can you not see that?!"
"Ran away? My Reisen?" Toyohime asked. "Impossible. After all, I love her too much."
A series of runes appeared beneath Toyohime's feet, and she leapt into the sky before an array of talismans shot out, attempting to seal her movements. "You know what? That's it," Reimu stated darkly. "I'm going to be some damn sense into you, you blind bitch!"
Reimu shot forward like a comet, firing off a wave of needles and talismans in a bid to strike Toyohime. The Lunarian dodged gracefully, as if she were weaving through slow traffic.
While Reimu had her attention, Rei'sen forced herself out of her fearful stupor, and ran up to Aunn. "Aunn-san, are you alright?!" she cried out, attempting to lift the Komainu. "Please, please keep it together!"
Aunn desperately gasped for breath, coughing as she did. "S... sorry, Rei'sen-san," she gasped. "I... tried to keep the shrine safe for you, but..."
"It's fine, really!" Rei'sen shouted. "Just focus on not passing out!"
Putting all her strength into it, Rei'sen picked Aunn up, and hefted her over her shoulders. Of course, being a youkai, this was an easy feet to achieve, only made harder by the stress of the given situation.
The hairs on the back of Rei'sen's neck quickly stood up, and she forced all her energy into her legs, leaping out of the way as Toyohime effectively materialised behind her, and attempted to wrap her arms around the Lunar Rabbit in a bear-hug.
"Ah, I missed," Toyohime said, in a tone of voice that could only be described as 'fake-sad'. "But, I'm very good at tag!"
Toyohime charged forward once more. Rei'sen could feel her legs locking up in fear. What could she do now? Even if she could move, there was little chance she could dodge a second time.
So, what more could she do, but shout in fear?
"Get away from me, you monster!" she screamed.
Then, nothing. There was no tight embrace, no sickening coddling, just... nothing. Were it not for the sound of the wind, you'd have thought time had frozen completely.
Rei'sen slowly opened one eye, and saw Toyohime half a meter away, frozen with a shocked expression on her face, as if she was still processing what her ears had just heard.
"Mon...ster?" she repeated. "That's not... I'm just... what do you mean?"
Several amulets struck the ground. Using the dust cloud, Rei'sen fled into the forest that surrounded the shrine, leaving Toyohime alone with Reimu.
"Do you see it now, you twisted Lunarian?" Reimu said. "She's completely afraid of you because of what you've done to her, and to many more Lunar Rabbits. You're not some loving saint; your a horny succubus."
"That's..." Toyohime muttered in shock. "That's not true... I'm just... showering Reisen-chan with my love..."
"You really can't see it, can you?" Reimu asked, sounding either sad or disappointed. "Then, let me spell it out for you! That is not the Reisen your heart is set on! She left you years ago, for the exact same reasons Rei'sen called you a monster!"
The shock on Toyohime's face grew greater. "No... you're wrong..." she muttered in disbelief. "That... can't be right..."
"If you still don't get it..." Reimu muttered, flourishing her gohei, "then I'll just beat it into you!"
Throughout Gensokyo, all eyes fell towards the Hakurei Shrine, as the sound of explosions echoed. For those unaware of the battle that currently raged on, it seemed to be just another ordinary occurrence.
To those that were familiar with the issues of recent days, however, drawing a conclusion was very easy.
From the Forest of Magic, a single figure shot to the sky, and from the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, two did the same.
High in the skies, heading towards the shrine, Kirisame Marisa wound up meeting with Ibuki Suika and Reisen Udongein Inaba.
"Guess shit's going down now, huh?" Marisa commented. "Kinda sooner than I expected."
"Not soon enough, I think," Suika commented, juggling a plain looking gourd that was clearly not her usual. "Still, glad we got this grog ready for it."
"I thought it was weird, you mixing that stuff up," Marisa said. "So, what's our plan?"
"Beat up, disorient, and deliver proper karmic justice," Reisen answered flatly, so as to hide how nervous she felt.
"How do ya plan to do the last part?" Marisa asked.
Reisen tapped the side of her head, gesturing at her eyes. "Leave that to me. You two beat her down to your hearts content, just see to sending her through the trees when you're done."
"Oh, we got the good orders," Marisa muttered, pleased.
Reisen broke off from the two, flying through the treeline, as Marisa and Suika quickly did rock-paper-scissors to see who got the first strike.
By the time they were directly above the shrine, and in clear sight of the battle, Marisa had won the rights.
Marisa flew higher into the air, before flipping around to aim herself at the Lunarian in the distance. Then, after charging herself full of magical energy, she shot forth like a shooting star, invoking one of her most powerful spell cards.
"BLAZING STAR!" she shouted.
Toyohime barely had a second to register the oncoming attack before she was struck with a force not unlike that of a small supernova, and sent flying into the ground.
Reimu looked momentarily surprised. "Took your time, didn't you?" she commented. "Where the hell were you?"
"Nursing a hangover, where else?" Marisa replied. "Where's Rei'sen?"
"Escaped into the forest," Reimu answered. "Aunn took quite the beating earlier, so she's being gotten to safety. We got a plan?"
As Toyohime got up and brushed the dirt off her clothes, something crashed into the ground at high speed in front of her.
"Yup," Marisa responded, "and it's name is 'Suika'."
The dust settled, and Ibuki Suika looked the Lunarian up and down for a moment. "So," she said, "you're the Moon Bitch that's been fucking my new friend against her will, eh? Gotta say, not impressed."
From the looks of it, Watatsuki no Toyohime seemed to not be in full possession of her faculties, looking rather haggard.
"I..." she muttered, feebly trying to deny the accusation. "I'm not... a monster... I just love..."
Suika took a single step, and the earth shook. "Yeah, you ain't fooling anyone with that shit," she said, tossing the gourd into the air. Drawing back her first, Suika struck the gourd with a powerful punch, sending it flying towards the Lunarian. "How about you stop fooling yourself!?"
The gourd seemed to defy logic and physics. The strike had enough force that it should have shattered on impact with the Oni's fist, yet instead, the gourd flew at break-neck speeds before effectively exploding five centimetres away from Toyohime's face.
The method behind this was actually rather simple, however; Suika could manipulate density. It was a simple matter of making the gourd dense enough to survive the punch, then subtracting it again and then some, so that the air resistance would cause it to break.
The next question, however; what was in that gourd, which Toyohime is now completely drenched in, to the point where a good deal of it had gotten in her eyes, mouth, and nose?
Well, considering there was a very strong, lingering scent that could be casually described as 'an Oni's bloodstream on a very good Saturday night', Reimu could hazard a very accurate guess.
Hell, she could smell it from her position in the sky.
"Isn't that... that thing she brewed last night?" she asked. "The same stuff that could have killed us?"
"Yup!" Suika called back. "Made sure to water it down a little, but we're giving it to her mostly straight; ain't none of those amnesiacs in there."
Toyohime would have said something, but very quickly found that her perception of the world was spinning out of control. When did three more Oni's show up? Why were there suddenly six versions of Hakurei Reimu in the sky?
Before any more words could be said, Suika charged forth, and punched Toyohime square in the face, throwing her into the forest surrounding the shrine.
"Right, our part's done," Suika muttered. "It's all on her, now."
Toyohime didn't lose consciousness when she finally came to a proper stop deep in the forest. Right now, however, she was kind of wishing it did. Not just because of the pain in her heart, but also because of the pain of being punched and having some of the most potent, stinking alcohol splashed all over her face, causing her woulds to sting something fierce.
She felt... odd. Lunarians weren't ones to get drunk, so there was that, but she also felt... hollowed out. Like someone had taken an ice cream scoop and just cleaved a giant chunk of her heart out.
She could barely get her thoughts in order anymore. She could barely tell her left hand from her right, let along right from wrong.
Footsteps echoed from the side. Toyohime tilted her head to the side, and through her hazy gaze, she saw a familiar figure.
"Rei...sen?" she muttered weakly, feeling a sense of hope well up inside of her. "Is that... you?"
As she drew closer, though, she noticed something was off. She seemed... taller, than when she ran away. Her hair was longer, ears were slimmer, and she was ever so bustier. Had it really only been a few days since she'd left the Capital?
No. That wasn't the problem. She had literally seen Reisen minutes ago, right? A person couldn't change that much, that quickly.
So, who was this? Or that... who was the Lunar Rabbit from earlier?
She looked up, into the strange eyes of this Rabbit. Those deep, sinking eyes that the brain could only comprehend as 'red'.
The world began to warp around her. Her senses had been overridden by some kind of illusion.
She tried to move, yet felt nothing but pain, as if liquid fire was pouring through her skin, muscles, and veins.
Then, through her blurred vision, she saw a shadow loom over her. It felt familiar, somehow.
Then, there was a pair of hands, tender and invasive, moving up and down her body. They caressed her waist, massaged her breasts, rubbing her crotch.
She tried to squirm out of it, but the pain from the wounds was too much, and the person too persistent.
She felt a sensation similar to biting on one of her nipples, and let out a small scream that died before it could pass her lips. The finger down below slid into her, and she bit back a painful, erotic moan.
"St... stop..." she muttered, as the shadow's hand began to pinch and tug on one of her nipples. "Please..."
A second finger slid in, and began rubbing up and down, up and down. Breathing was becoming hard.
Then, for a moment, the shadow pulled away. For the briefest of moments, she had a chance to catch her breath. As she raised her hand up to her head, she felt something wet and sticky.
In the darkness she wasn't sure what was on her hand, but the single drop that fell into her mouth tasted somewhat like diluted blood.
Then, the shadow tenderly wrapped its hand around hers, interlocking fingers.
She felt her breath hitch, before the shadow laid claim to her lips, and its free hand once again caressing her clit once again.
She didn't have the strength to fight back. She couldn't do anything to stop this.
She could only hate her powerless self.
Toyohime snapped back to reality, turned to the side, and immediately threw up the contents of her stomach, little though it was.
She could vaguely recall those nights, but not that perspective. To call that 'unpleasant' would be a gross understatement.
Hesitantly, she looked up, and saw Reisen standing a few feet away, her hair falling in such a way that it covered her eyes.
That... that was too real to be an illusion. Too personal. Too detailed.
A look of abject terror, as if she were staring down a cosmic horror far beyond her comprehension, etched itself on Toyohime's face. Realisation came to her as surely as the sun rose and set.
Reisen took a step forward, and Toyohime crawled back in fear. There was only one thing that vision could have been; a memory. Reisen's memory.
And, conversely, that left only one option for the identity of that shadow.
"That..." she muttered, terrified by the words she was about to say. "That was... me, wasn't it?"
Reisen nodded, the shadows continuing to obscure her eyes.
A new feeling twisted and coiled it way through Toyohime's gut. Those feelings, that fear, that was what Reisen had felt back then, wasn't it? Then, that meant...
They were right.
Then, Toyohime screamed. A drained, howling wail, that told more than what any words could.
They were right; she was a monster. And worst of all, she was too disillusioned to remember how many lives she ruined.
And so, all she could do now, was scream.
A/N:
This was... actually rather uncomfortable to write, I must admit.
But, then again, that's kinda what it needs to be. Gotta show the pain somehow.
I think I'd best leave this part here, and see y'all in the next one.