XI

The tea was the best one she ever tasted, even in her thousands of memories she never tasted tea like this. So many aromas and perfumes in a single cup of tea, and by the looks of it Yuuka considered this her cheap tea. She was no idiot, Yuuka just sipped the cup and poured the rest onto her clay wolf, this was worth only for the pet not for herself.

Yuuka dropped the leaves after that brew, the infusion was already overdone. "It is rare for you Duncan's show up at my doorstep"

Misaka 10256 she was one those who remained in Academy City, unlike the others she found herself a part time job and managed to amass some fortune for herself. It was hardly something to brag about but at least she could buy her own books. Among those, Dune, Yuuka was making fun of how Misakas were clones with death memories just like the character Duncan Idaho. This Misaka imagined that if Duncan Idaho could become a chosen one by the end of the books, perhaps there was something special in for her.

"You are still afraid of me" Yuuka could get the scent of fear very clearly.

The Misaka tried to think why Yuuka spoke so much about Dune, after all when fighting the wizard she even quoted Dune before breaking her sword. She loved the books, Misaka thought they were fun but she was a bigger fan of Game of Thrones and Neuromancer.

Why would Yuuka love Dune so much… Of course she had to find herself in a situation those books could explain, and now with the smell of fear Misaka could tell who. It was in the first chapters of God Emperor. Even the way she treated Aleister Crowley, like a servant who brings her toys, someone who she trusts but is aware of his own limitations.

The long life, the awareness of her surroundings, and of course the utter boredom of immortality, the immunity to everything that could be tossed at her, even attempting to get killed by Misaki, attempt that did not work. Unlike Accelerator Yuuka was not god-like or she did not carry the power of god… She is God. Still the God Emperor was a scared little child with power to take an entire empire, even below that worm skin Leto was just the little kid who mourned his mother, who yearned for human contact. Yuuka quoting Dune was not her playing, it was a cry for help. And here she was, Misaka trying to get something from her.

She got up, and bowed down "Misaka apologizes" and began to leave.

"I have more tea!" Yuuka said "I grow this one myself, aged white tea, or a chai masala if you do not like mild tastes"

Misaka felt like this was wrong, she figured out what Yuuka yearned for, it was not power, it was companionship. This explained why she came here, she was tired of the zealots around her, she wants someone new to talk to.

"Misaka came asking for power, but Misaka now finds a lonely sandworm" She sighed "Misaka cannot feign companionship. Misaka would just be like the rest of people around you, perhaps worse"

"Power comes with suffering" Yuuka said

"Another Dune reference Misaka asks as Misaka tries to remember the water of life"

"Yes, but power does come from suffering. There was a war between we fey and the moon, I captured the daughter of their leader and made her wish for death. I got captured, and in an attempt to seal what I can do they did to me what Aleister did to you"

Misaka tilted her head.

"They gave me the capacity to control entropy… But my real strength is in magic, now magic hurts my insides, they did not seal a thing since a sword that can cut you is used with a better technique" Yuuka laughed "In fact I could have done that before, then again the most unfortunate tend to become the strong, don't them?"

She remained quiet, this was a monologue, let her tire herself out.

"The problem comes when you try to do that to those who cannot agree… Aleister blames the Gods, but he wanted his daughter to be strong. She had to suffer to attain that power. Are you sure you want that?"

Misaka nodded

"Why?"

"Misaka knows what death feels like, Misaka doesn't want to experience that, Misaka is aware of the suffering that will be required"

"You will not fear death, you will yearn for it, death is an easy way out, those who outwit death had experienced things worse than it. The reapers leave them alone because nothing they can do will affect them" Yuuka sighed "So you came here for power… You will no longer be human, by the end of it you will see yourself as something else. The road will be tougher for you, Accelerator has the natural strength, you will need to evolve to get it. Slow and painful"

"Misaka is aware of those things, Misaka says as she reiterates the fact that she wants this, Misaka is tired of being an inconsequential clone in a pale blue dot, Misaka wants to trascend and see what else the universe has to offer"

Yuuka held her finger up, she divided into two. "Follow me" Said the one who remained in her place "Our time here has run out. If you want this then it is better to begin as soon as possible. If you want to become another zealot who came for power then so be it… I see no issue"

The other put back her old clothes, and left, leaving behind the small garden in her dorm, and the tea set. Earthly attachments, things she will let Maribel collect and add to her menagerie.

Kaori walked into academy city with more confidence than before, youkai love fear, even fairies, Yuuka loved causing awe and fear, she wanted people do admire her, she became a monster to be a hero to the fairies.

As she walked into downtown square flocks of fairies, invisible to most humans, flew all around the place, they carried banners, they had their faces painted red and green. All of them cheering for their hero.

On the other side, the tengu, unexpectedly they were on Kaori's side, they loved that a Moriya had seen the wickedness of their own family, and denounced them. That Kaori had detached herself from Shintoism, she was not a Moriya begging for faith, she was a hero coming to save even those who were not pure.

The town square was empty now, she had managed to prepare the spells to get the place empty, the clock at the tower marked 11:59am, fairies and tengu hiding on top of the buildings expecting to see the showdown.

Yuuka arrived just at noon.

"It is time for you to go home" Said Kaori

Yuuka gave her a mocking smile, she could go whenever she wanted, just for that she could leave this version of herself in the city just to mess with Kaori. While the other returned to Gensokyo, no need to re-assimilate her copy.

"I can bring in you in warm… Or I can bring you in cold" Kaori touched the hilt of her nodachi. Play into the game of the youkai, they crave entertainment, this isn't just a duel, it is a game, a play and you are welcome to play the part of characters you like.

"It would be wise to surrender" Yuuka shook her umbrella, it became a sheathed sword. A spell hiding the true form of the actual object.

"No" Kaori said, she unsheathed her sword and launched towards Yuuka, another one of her weaknesses. Kaori had time to ask the fairies, to learn that her sword was crafted from a piece of a primordial sun. This meant the sword was extremely heavy, even when walking Yuuka was actually floating slightly, to avoid the ground below her cracking. This gave the sword a lot of momentum when swung, an unstoppable object, but this also meant Yuuka was constantly carrying tons of weight on her arm. This made her slow.

Fighting against youkai with that much power made the duel a game, and one set the rules by the beginning. Kaori had made this a western duel where magic was allowed in some regard, previously Kaori treated this like a hunt, and she was beaten like an animal.

Yuuka unsheathed her blade and attempted to block Kaori's blade. It did stop, but not because Yuuka had tried, the nodachi was just a fer milimeters from her neck. Yuuka noticed her sword became light the moment she unsheathed it, she was just holding the grip, the blade laid on the ground, cut in small pieces. They cracked the ground and were slowly sinking down.

A duel against a youkai ends before it even begins, one needs to prepare, to play their game, and Kaori had planned this for days. Her wire was now almost undetectable, thinner than a strand of hair. When Kaori threatened Yuuka she set up the wires to constrain and cut the sword as soon as it was out. You do not overpower people like Yuuka, it is impossible, you outsmart them.

Kaori looked at Yuuka right in the eye "In this world exists two type of people… Those who listen and those with swords in one piece" Kaori pressed the blade against Yuuka's neck.

Of course Yuuka could beat her without her head, but they had already agreed to the rules, the moment a fatal injury was dealt the other had to accept lost.

"You listen" Said Kaori

Yuuka began to laugh, she nodded and lowered her arms. Kaori sheathed her sword again, and watched how Yuuka picked up the pieces of her sword and stored them in the hilt. She waved goodbye at Aleister, who was watching from the clock tower.

Kaori really had come here not to save the city, the city was not in danger, not the anglicans either, they deserved whatever Yuuka planned. She had come here to save Yuuka from this world, everyone around her in this place either feared her or wanted something from her. Aleister was no different, he would manipulate the fairy hero into his schemes.

Yuuka deserved to go back home, she deserved to have a duel where her rival treated her like an actual person and not just a monster worth hunting. Maybe Kaori would one day return to Gensokyo, and just as the rules of Gensokyo have it, she will share a drink with her former enemy. Except for Sanae, fuck Sanae.