"…I just turned away for a moment…" The maiden deadpans when she looks into the living room after heading to the storage house to take some flour for the food. "Marisa…"
"Hey, it's not my fault, okay? My broom suddenly acted weirdly!"
Thanks to the witch's 'grand' arrival, now the shrine has a new hole on the roof, with dust flying around. Looking up at the new 'addition' in her shrine, Reimu's eyes twitch in annoyance. But… given by the fact that a cursed Youkai is in her shrine, it's something to be expected. Taking a deep breath, she walks through the damaged room (the kotatsu thankfully survived) and heads into the kitchen. "Hey, Marisa, get off Yukari. She's having enough bad time already."
Entering the kitchen, she starts making some food while hearing the noise outside of the living room. After Marisa sits up and lets the Youkai Sage sit up properly as well, Patchouli explains the situation that Yukari got herself in. Based on the shouting right after it, Reimu expects the witch to be shocked as well. She decides to ignore for a moment and focuses on working on some food for the party…
"You need some help, Reimu?" Turning to the door, the maiden sees Alice Margatroid with her dolls carrying their own items.
"Ah, Alice. It would be great." The maiden thanks the other mage, as the two continue the preparation. During it, Reimu asks: "So, you know what happened to Yukari?"
"Ah, Marisa lost control and landed on her." Alice replies. "I don't understand how that happened, though. Usually Yukari would just hide herself in her gap or so…"
"Because the alternative could leave even a bigger mess." The maiden sighs. "Patchouli and Nitori are trying to see if they could lift the curse out…"
"No wonder." Alice is not very surprised. "I did feel something odd coming from her. So, who did it to her? Shikieiki? Tenshi… though I didn't expect the Celestial to know any curses…"
"An Outsider." Reimu reveals. "Yukari's old habit. She picked the wrong one this time, though."
"That's… surprisingly unexpected." While not being shown on the face, Reimu can tell that the girl hasn't thought about the possibility. "But, given by the newspaper that Yukari gapped into Kourindou…"
"The Outside World is slowly accepting magic…" Reimu knows what the girl is talking about. "However, that doesn't mean the barrier should be taken down. Gensokyo has different life styles, its own rules. Letting the outside interference…"
"I can understand your feelings." Alice nods. "Since you also have some 'history' about the Outside World…" Seeing the maiden's expression darken, the Dollmaker quickly fixes her words: "My apology for bringing it up…"
"It's…alright. I don't remember much about them anyway…" Reimu sighs, trying to get the feeling be in the corner of her mind for the moment. Alice nods apologetically, and the two continue in silence.
While it's true Reimu doesn't remember much of her parents, she did find out a few things: His father is an Outsider, and he has met her mother during one of her Youkai Exterminations. During the time, Hakurei bloodline was nearly in extinction. Her father somewhat agreed to her 'reason' and 'got down' with her mother and gave birth to her, despite both of them didn't have any feelings towards in the beginning. But, from what some of the old villagers have told her, the two did their best in balancing their works (her father did his work as one of the guards protecting the human village) and giving her a good life. Then, when she was four, one large Youkai wave rose and attacked everyone… and from that day, nobody knows where they are now. Even the elder beings like Shikieiki who even told her that her mother's name somehow got blackened with no reasons.
Fourteen years later, and now she has followed her mother's work, but she has made some adjusts so that peaceful Youkai and human could live together. Of course, there are arguments from a minority inside human village, but most stay neutral about it. And… somewhat, even though it's not very visible, she could feel some respects towards her father when they talked about him.
"Hey, Reimu~" A tiny Suika walks into the kitchen. "We're out of sake!"
"I'm sure the others would bring some." Reimu is not very worried…
"Speaking of sake." Alice remembers something. "Rinnosuke said that he's going to join the party."
"Hm? He will? I don't remember him being cozy around parties."
"He said that Yukari invited him."
"…Well, it's not like I'm going to stop him. He's one of the few friends who are close to my parents. Just as long as he didn't bring that pink armor with him. Seriously, what's with that?"
That's also one thing she doesn't understand about the shopkeeper. For some reasons he built himself a suit of armor… that he never used. When asked about it, he never answered directly…
"No idea. But he built it with Kappas' help, so it must be somewhat advanced." Alice shrugs it off, as Shanghai hands her one of the ingredients. "About the sake, I think the Scarlet sisters would bring some…"
"They have wine, not sake." Reimu reminds her. "Still, it's better than nothing…Yuugi would bring some…"
"Sake, Reimu! SAKE!" More tiny versions of Suika appear and start bickering the poor maiden.
"Grr…" Said maiden is gritting her teeth in annoyance…
And then, somehow, a bottle of sake suddenly drops from a familiar gap and right on one of Suika's heads. The other clones quickly dismiss, and the one left immediately brings the bottle of sake back right at the living room to enjoy it.
The two girls look out of the door, then Alice asks: "Is that… Yukari's gap?"
"It is. I thought she said she couldn't use it?"
"Well, we could ask her later…"
…
"…Where's the last place you dropped him?" Reimu asks Yukari menacingly. "He's too dangerous to be left alone."
After finding out that the gap is NOT her work, but instead of the Outsider, the maiden loses more patient and orders the Youkai to spill the bean.
"…Palace of the Earth Spirit." Deciding to be enough, the Gap Youkai reveals.
"Wow, that deep underground?" Marisa whistles. "No wonder he cursed you so hard."
"Not only he cursed you with one of the possibly strongest curses…" Patchouli states. "But he did it even WITHOUT proper preparations. If that didn't indicate him to be too powerful, then I don't know what is."
"Someone stronger than even Yukari? That's something worth to investigate!" Aya grins ear-to-ear.
"How are you doing with your work, Sanae?" Reimu turns her head and asks the 'rival' maiden.
"Nothing works!" The girl whines. "Shion is fighting me!"
Somehow the mini figure has a gohei in her hand as she sits on Yukari's mob cap and swings it aimlessly in the air, mocking the desperate maiden.
"…I will leave the shrine to you all." Reimu sighs and stands up. "And I expect it to NOT collapse, like the last time…"
"HEY! That's not our fault!"
"I'm not saying that, Marisa." Shaking her head, Reimu walks out of her home and flies up, heading to where the new Outsider could be.
…
Bridge to the Underworld
"Thanks for stepping aside." Reimu says to the bridge guard Parsee, who's a little curious at the maiden's expression. "By the way, have you seen an Outsider around?"
"Hm… yeah, he's being accompanied by the Komeiji sisters."
"Do you know when he came here?"
"Last night… I think. I only heard the rumors this morning…"
"Well, thanks for that. By the way… you should join the party."
"Ah, thanks for the invitation."
After that, she heads into the street of Ancient City and looks for any clues that could lead to the person…
"For a human from the Outside World, you're quite strong!"
"Thanks for the compliment. I had to work in different environments, so I need some strength to have them done."
Turning from another section, Reimu finds her target talking to Yuugi Hoshiguma, with Koishi following them. The person is very stand-out among the citizens here, with his outfit being a black hoodie and black fingerless leather gloves, grey jeans and black shoes. The hood's down, so she could see the person's short black hair. Currently he and the Oni each is carrying a big pot of sake on their shoulder.
Not wanting to wait any further, Reimu walks up to the trio, and the younger Komeiji notices her and greets: "Good morning Reimu! It's nice to…"
"You're coming with me." Not wanting to wait anymore, Reimu immediately reaches the person's arm and pulls him towards him.
"Wha…wait wait! Let me just… hey!" The person tries to balance himself while trying not to accidentally loose his grip on the pot.
Thankfully Yuugi grabs the person's another shoulder and places him firmly on the floor, stopping Reimu from pulling him away. "Hey Reimu, just relax! Sake is going to bring to your party, I promise!"
"That's not the issue." Reimu throws away what's in the Oni's mind. "I'm getting him back to my shrine so he would lift the curse out of Yukari."
"Curse… he's just a human, Reimu. He couldn't do something like that to her, right?" Koishi asks curiously.
Though, upon hearing it, the person gives the maiden a blank stare, causing her to ask back: "What?"
"May I tell you the reason for that before you order me to lift the curse?" The person replies, indirectly admitting his actions.
"…Wait, you cursed Yukari?" Yuugi asks in surprise. "A person like Yukari, getting cursed?"
"Um… was it because of what happened last night?" Koishi asks the person in concern.
"Obviously." The person's face heats up. "If she dropped me into Misty Lake or so, then I wouldn't have gone that far."
Hearing that makes Reimu stop using force to pull him, but her grip is still there. "Well, I know her habits of dropping people in…"
"And I do, as well." The person continues. "But I didn't expect her to drop me into the wrong place at the wrong time."
"…You know her?" Reimu asks in surprise. The Outside World couldn't have found out about Gensokyo, right? How could this person know about the Youkai Sage?
"We have some business in the past before. Me being here is also one of them." The person puts down the pot. "About the reason I got here… miss Koishi, can you tell her?"
"Don't need to call me miss, Kuro." Koishi giggles. She then starts: "Well, last night…"
"Wait a second." Reimu interrupts, and her focus shifts back to the person. "Your name is Kuro?"
"Yes… is there a problem?" The Outsider, Kuro, asks in confusion.
"…Never mind. Koishi, continue." The maiden has some questions in her mind, but she decides to ask later.
"Ah, right. Last night, my sister and I were having a bath together, and then Utsuho and Rin joined in with us. Moments later… a person suddenly got dropped from a gap in the air and into the middle of the pool… and, well, you can guess who that was."
Reimu slowly turns to Kuro, who's blushing after remembering it. "She dropped me in her gap right when I just finished my own shower."
Yuugi laughs, as she pats the person's back. "Hey, it's just an accident. Don't work yourself up so bad."
"I wouldn't say that when Utsuho and Rin are still aiming for my head." Kuro grimaces.
"You did apologize, so we don't mind…" Koishi giggles again.
"…Well, I can see why you cursed her." If she gets into the same situation, she would get mad at Yukari too. "But, about the curse…"
"I will do so once I meet her, but I need some answers from her first." Kuro confirms.
She then rethinks about the story… "Then, where's the clothes from?"
"Pocket dimension, if you know what that means."
"That's…right, you can use magic…You're off the hook, for now." Releasing the grip, Reimu walks to the exit bridge where Parsee is. "Can you ease the curse? Yukari looked like she's got rejected by me months ago, but worse."
"…Wait, she did what?" Kuro asks back in surprise.
"None of your concern." Quickly dropping the matter, Reimu flies out of the city and heads back to the surface.
"…" Turning to the two girls, Kuro asks in both confusion and annoyance: "Do you two know something between the maiden of Hakurei and the Youkai Sage?"
…
Kuro… not exactly an unusual name for a person.
However… she is hoping that it's just a coincidence…
If what she's thinking is what Yukari and that Kuro person is doing…
She's SO going to hit Yukari in the face with a Fantasy Seal, and kick Kuro in the face for joining her plan.
Chapter 2 end!
Now I notice something: other than SKOOLATOON, I haven't seen any stories about the previous generation of Hakurei, and even rarer to see the 'father' side. Yes, I know, 'Touhou is a girl-centered world' or something similar, that doesn't mean to not open Gensokyo's world without any males. And no, not just 'generic NPCs', okay? I mean someone important, even if it's an OC. And that's what I'm doing here.
Other than that, I think anything I could say now could be spoiler, so I will stop. See you all in the future!