You may think Touhou Project isn't that big, but it is. Blizzard paid homage to it in a game called World of Warcraft. You might have heard of it. :) Anyway, in Loch Modan, you can get a quest called "A Tiny, Clever Commander", where you have to slay a Kobold named "Commander Nazrim". "Nazrin" is the name of a mouse youkai who is a boss in Touhou 12: Unidentified Fantastic Object. The name of her theme is "A Tiny, Clever Commander".
Just a little trivia.
Gensokyo will welcome the S.O.S. Brigade.
And welcome back to you too, people! It's great to be back!
I never knew that about L space, yomanyo, until I Googled it. Interesting concept. Something you'd expect from a place like Gensokyo. Too bad I didn't know about it before the story.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is owned by Nagaru Tanigawa. Touhou Project is owned by ZUN and Team Shanghai Alice. I own neither. This is a fan fiction of those works.
Beta Readers for this Episode:
Another Duck
werewolf2005
She came from the stacks of bookcases, a few rows down from the Library's central table. All of us watched as she took the steps into view and turned to face us, although her eyes were on Sakuya.
Oh my God. It's Nagato.
The S.O.S. Brigade's resident alien/data entity, Yuki Nagato, was standing, down one of the aisles of the bookcases, staring down Sakuya. The maid's arms lowered, but she still had her knives. Sakuya glanced at us, still unsure of what to say or do.
"Meiling...Sakuya..." Remilia said softly. "...stand down."
The two did as such, Sakuya slowly sheathing her knives and Meiling casually jumping down off of the book case, as much as anyone can casually jump off of a book case I suppose. With Sakuya no longer armed, and apparently no longer a threat, Nagato then turned to us. Everyone was silent. On the faces of everyone, there was an uneasiness, an unsure look on how to proceed.
Nagato was staring at the whole scene before her. The residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, who were all paranormal, and myself. Her small unsure look told the tale - she didn't know what to make of this. Again, I inwardly cursed her superiors for keeping information from her. She obviously did not know of Gensokyo.
Then again, I had to curse at myself for not sharing the knowledge of Gensokyo's existence with her. Even though she had an idea that something happened back in January, and I never told her - never got to tell her.
I was going to tell her that night, but instead we both ended up in Gensokyo. Just my luck, right? You know what, that little nekomata figurine doesn't do a damn thing. So much for bringing good luck.
I had to come up with something, however. There I was, standing in the middle of a group of rather unusual people, leaving Nagato to wonder what was going on.
Remilia stepped forward, before I could say anything, a smirk forming on her face.
"You look familiar. Let me guess...Nagato Yuki, correct?"
Nagato simply gave a small nod to the vampire. Patchouli's eyebrows rose as she smiled. She took a few steps toward Nagato before bowing a bit.
"Ah, Nagato. Pleasure to meet you. I've been told we have a lot in common."
What the hell is Nagato doing here? Why is she in Gensokyo as well?
The way Nagato was staring at me...I knew right then and there I had a lot of explaining to do.
Nagato...please forgive me.
And then from around the corner, near Nagato, came Yuyuko Saigyouji and Youmu Konpaku. Yuyuko's eyes widened when she saw me.
"Ah...so, Nagato isn't the only one to appear before me today. Kyon is here as well."
When it rains, it pours.
What the heck is going on?!
Perishable Night
Episode 2
["Imposed"]
"In this place there are a lot of youkai. It doesn't matter if it's night or day, one can't be at ease. Such is this place.
If something were to attack you, there would be no one to help you. If you can't protect yourself with your own power, it's better to not be alone here.
What's more, walking outside during the night of the full moon is suicide.
Such is this place.
If you're going you live here by yourself, only you can protect yourself."
-Reimu Hakurei, to Marisa Kirisame, from the Doujin "An Old Secret Diary", by: KokonoCoco
Yuyuko and Youmu were indeed researching something in the Library, and were among the aisles of bookcases, when Nagato appeared before them. The two ghosts, not knowing what to make of the situation, went right to the center of the library to see Patchouli about that event, which brought them to see me there.
Suffice to say, they were surprised to meet two S.O.S. Brigade members.
We all exchanged greetings and pleasantries before we got to the pressing issue. While it was good to see the two ghosts, I was thankful that they knew the importance of giving an explanation to Nagato, since she was in a new situation.
However, I wasn't thankful that the Gensokyo girls took control of the conversation. I didn't have a chance to get much in edge-wise.
I was worried that Nagato would react defensively, especially against Sakuya when she had her knives out. Thankfully, Nagato didn't. Unthankfully, however, she was rather quiet - even more so than she should have been in that situation.
That being said, I think Myon, Youmu's ghost half, was really excited to see me. It twirled around me a few times. When it rubbed up against me, I shot Youmu a raised eyebrow; to which she blushed in response. Did she just feel me up with Myon? I got felt up by a ghost. Interesting.
Nagato, besides giving her name to everyone, and confirming some facts, was silent throughout it all. She declined to sit down, and stood there at the end of the table, where Patchouli, Remilia, Yuyuko, and I sat around.
Just like the last time I was there, we had one long hour of explaining what was going on; however, this time it was all for Nagato to catch up to speed. During it, some of the fairy maids I became accustomed to during my previous stay all said hello to me every now and then, before going back to work. Youmu, Yuyuko, Sakuya, Koakuma, Patchouli, Flandre, and Remilia stayed, all of them explaining things, asking Nagato some questions, all that.
As time went on, I noticed that Nagato had not looked in my direction at all.
She had to feel betrayed. Frankly, I wouldn't blame her. I'd be pissed off with myself if I was in her position. She must have felt betrayed for me keeping a secret this big. Also, for her to give me the "silent, and not even looking at you" treatment did hurt a lot. But I guess it was refreshing for Nagato to know that kind of social response. It hurt, to tell the truth, but I had it coming.
The conversation went from filling in Nagato on what was going on, to some of the exploits that the S.O.S. Brigade experienced. When the Mistress of the Mansion eventually got around to the Endless Summer, Remilia sat there, rubbing her chin.
"So, in total, it was about 595 years worth of time in that Endless Summer then, correct? More than enough time to attain a 'youkai' status, I gather. And thus are older than me as a result. Very interesting, Miss Nagato. Interesting indeed."
Would Nagato attain a youkai status? Is it possible for a data entity to become a youkai? Those were good questions...that I never get an answer to.
Yet, technically, isn't Nagato one? Wouldn't she be a youkai? She's paranormal, in the definition of the word. Then again, the youkai I know of eat people, so Nagato can't be one, right?
Right?
That's just silly. Nagato eating people. Back to Remilia's musings.
"Thankfully it happened a month after my Scarlet Mist, and not during that time." Remilia leaned back in her chair. "If it did, I would have possibly been beaten..." Remilia tapped her finger on her chin, thinking. "...well over 15,000 times, I suppose. I doubt I could take that."
Patchouli let out a chuckle after taking a sip of tea. "Though I suppose it means that the Black-White would have stolen from us a total of 1,258,092 times. I lost eighty-one books in that time period."
I just shot Patchouli a worried glance for coming up with such a number. And she came up with it quick - quicker than I could have done even when armed with a calculator. Patchouli really is smart.
Also, 81 books over that time period? That's a lot. Marisa was doing a lot of thieving...
Marisa...
Marisa...
Damn it. There I go again thinking about her.
Remilia thoughtfully swirled her wine glass of blood, doing the math, I suppose.
"Hmmmm...that...yes, that seems about right. Though the question is why did you do the math on that? That's scary, Patchi. Look. Even Kyon and Yuyuko think so."
I noticed that Yuyuko had a raised eyebrow, apparently unnerved by that number as well.
"That is a lot, Miss Patchouli. Why do you allow her to steal so many from you?"
"For one thing, she's fast. Faster than Meiling or any of our guards."
I had to cut into this conversation. They were talking of Marisa again, and it was filling my head with thoughts of her.
I couldn't afford to dwell on her. Over the prior seven months, it's been difficult to not think of her. I mean, yeah, I thought of her when I thought of the time in Gensokyo, but not...not in the way of being with her, you know? I had come to terms that I would never see her again, and here I was, back where I could. It would essentially undo my personal progress. Not fair, you know? Then again, I had come to terms of never coming back to Gensokyo again as well, so there you go.
"I do have a question, Patchouli...Yuyuko... Sorry for butting in, but...I just need to know. You see...since the third of this month..." Everyone went silent, turning to me. I took a deep breath, and glanced over at Nagato. "I'm sorry, Nagato, this is actually what I was going to talk to you about. I'm sorry. But since the third of this month, I've been having these vivid...I guess 'visions', if you could call them that."
I told them the 'dreams' I'd been having, barring the Meiling one, of course. I didn't know if Remilia would have liked it to come out (or Meiling, for that matter). I told them how it went into such detail, where they were so vivid that it felt like I was actually there. When I told of the time I dreamt of Patchouli meeting Remilia, the vampire's jaw dropped, and she was wide-eyed.
"Good Lord. We've never told anyone about that. How were you able to know such details?"
Interesting that a vampire just said "Good Lord."
"It was in a dream." I turned to Nagato. "I should have told you, Nagato. I'm just...I'm just an idiot."
Patchouli rubbed her chin, her brow furrowing.
"That's interesting. I've heard reports of people who managed to get out of Gensokyo still had...some sort of 'ties' to it. Dreams, thoughts, and the like, similar to what you've experienced...but the reality is, I don't trust those reports." Koakuma refilled Patchouli's cup, and the librarian took a few sips before continuing. She waved her left had around. "This is all conjecture - hearsay. I've never seen it happen firsthand myself, so I'm only relying on the rumor mill of Gensokyo. Rumors have a tendency to hold some truth here in Gensokyo, but one shouldn't rely on them." Patchouli used her hand to tap her chin, as if going over that. "However, the fact that you had accurate dreams and thoughts regarding us during events that we've never told you, well, that tells me something. There might be something to those reports. Your case is unusual though, since you told us of events that didn't happen in Gensokyo. Something definitely is amiss here, and I intend to find out."
The librarian's eyes wandered over to me and Nagato.
"However, that isn't the pressing issue here, now, is it? What we need to figure out is why the two of you are here. Why and how two members of the famous S.O.S. Brigade are here. Let's work on that first before get to the dreams."
I did have to agree with Patchouli. If Haruhi, Koizumi, or Asahina tried to call me or Nagato, and found out we weren't out there any more, there would be trouble. Especially with Haruhi.
However...
"What do you mean famous?" I asked.
I think I already knew. She did just go over the Endless Summer. Remilia confirmed it.
"We've been watching some of your events, of course. Some of us took Yukari up on her offer to see the events of your life." Remilia chirped. She obviously enjoyed saying that.
I paused, staring at her. She just smiled back.
"You guys were watching us?!"
Remilia grinned and winked. "Yes, Kyon. Also, interesting to know that you have a hidden file of Asahina pictures on the computer for your personal viewing pleasure. Then again, I can't blame you. She is a beautiful girl, and a guy your age would be insane not to like her."
I shot a glance over at Nagato, who slightly pursed her lips.
"And before your face gets any redder than it can," Remilia chided, "I'll add this: I stayed for the entire show. Everything. The kidnapping incident, the baseball game, Nagato freezing you and Asahina in her bedroom...all of it." The vampire beamed, loving the way what she was saying was making me uncomfortable.
Good to know I was still a source of amusement for her.
I had to cover my bright red face. Did you really have to blurt out that I have pictures of Asahina on the computer at school, Remilia?! Was that really necessary?! I wanted to shout that out at her, but I didn't.
Patchouli thankfully kept things rolling along.
"First off, I don't think any of us brought you in here. It looks like that, since you're here in the SDM, but I know I didn't do any teleportation spells." Patchouli raised an almost accusatory eyebrow at Remilia.
Remilia slightly raised both her hands. "I did no such thing."
Too bad. I had pegged her to be the one to bring me back. She said she would, after all.
After going around the table, and receiving similar answers, Patchouli frowned.
"Then this is a bit of a puzzle, isn't it? Normally when you teleport someone, you teleport them to your proximity. To teleport them elsewhere suggests an abnormal motive. In fact, this whole thing is abnormal in and of itself, even for Gensokyo. And since there were no gaps used, we can rule out that Yakumo, correct?"
"Yeah. No gaps. No realm of purple eyes."
"Then we are really at a loss," Patchouli said with an inscrutable look on her face. "This is new, and I don't like it."
"I wonder..."
We turned to Yuyuko, who said that. She looked like she was in deep thought.
"It's just that Yukari has said that Gensokyo sometimes pulls people, things, and whatnot in by itself. Yukari does do a lot of spiriting away, but this land can do it automatically as well. It can reach anywhere around the world, and take things that are unwanted. I've seen it. Yukari has shown me such things." Yuyuko took a sip of tea, and then her eyes widened, as if realizing something. She raised a hand and appeared apologetic, glancing at Nagato and I, blushing a bit. "Ah, not that I think you two are unwanted. Nothing like that. Forgive me. I should have worded that better. It's just that... I think Yukari said it once. Youmu, you know what I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes, Lady Yuyuko." Standing behind the seated Yuyuko, Youmu, with her arms crossed, nodded, with her usual seriousness. "Lady Yukari has said that she has a theory that Gensokyo may be sentient itself. To some degree, of course, and might be able to act on its own 'will'. However, as I do not hail from Gensokyo, I do not know if such a thing is true."
"But we also can't discount that in this world, anything is possible, right?" I asked.
After all, that's what I'm constantly told.
Yuyuko smiled. "Ah, yes. So very true."
A grandfather clock rung, signaling it was six.
"Ah. Of course." Remilia stood up and clasped her hands. "While I am beyond thrilled to have two members of the S.O.S. Brigade here in my home, I have business to attend to. I need to see to the finalization of the construction of my mansion."
"That's still going on?"
Well, for me it's been seven months. For them, it's been, what, three? This time travel stuff can really mess with one's sense of time.
"The Kappa is almost finished, and she has made a lot of improvements. I now have electrical wiring across my mansion, and some other niceties. It's going to be a lot better, Kyon."
"And we must be getting back." Yuyuko stood up and bowed. "It shall be dark soon.""
As everyone got up, I moved over to Nagato.
"Nagato...you going to be okay?"
She still wouldn't look at me. She had averted her eyes from my general direction.
I can't say "I'm sorry" enough times to her.
For some reason, I found myself going with Sakuya to the Human Village to pick up supplies. Nagato went with us, although she wouldn't look at me. I tried explaining myself to her, but it appeared she didn't want me to explain anything.
I know that doesn't sound like her, but that's the best way I can put it.
Since I wasn't getting anywhere with that (and I decided I needed to give Nagato some time), I spent the time catching up with Sakuya. It was as if we picked right up where we left off. I felt so at ease with her.
I had found out that Sakuya hadn't been up to much since April, (other than her regular maid duties and training the new fairy maids). She had also made an acquaintance with Alice, the puppeteer. Alice apparently goes to the SDM's library on a regular basis now.
But I didn't get the chance to tell Sakuya how my life went since leaving. Sadly, I found out that she had watched all of my exploits at the request of Remilia, so she already knew. While the maid didn't rib me on anything, she did ask me if I was really going to smack Haruhi when she was bullying Asahina during the movie shoot.
You know what? That's not fair. Not fair at all. My cheeks reddened over that.
"That wasn't my proudest moment."
"So..." Sakuya slowed her walk, tilting her head. "Were you going to?"
I came to a stop, my head lowered. I was very uncomfortable in speaking about that.
I mean, I don't think people should lay their hands on a woman, unless it's in a romantic way. I told her as such.
"I just...I just lost control for a second. You've ever had it happen to you? You just get so angry you do something that you end up not being proud of?"
Sakuya nodded, the corner of her mouth grimacing.
"Yeah. That's why I got my ribs broken by Reimu." Sakuya glanced at Nagato, and then at me. "I...I guess I understand. It was just horrific watching you almost do that, even though...I thought she somewhat deserved it."
I'm uncomfortable looking for any justification for it. Yeah, it was to protect Asahina, but I still shouldn't have done that, thinking back on it.
"Thankfully Koizumi was there to stop me."
"He looked pissed."
I took a second to think on that. In fact, yeah, yeah he did. However, since I saw how far he was willing to go to protect Haruhi, I wondered what he would have done to me if I did strike her. I contemplated that as I looked over the mansion we stopped in front of as I heard a piano being played.
Mansion?
Wait. This is new.
You ever get that feeling of disorientation when seeing a new building pop up in a place that didn't have one? That you didn't see its construction or whatnot and one day you pass by that place and bam - a building? That was what I was going through.
Upon further review it was much smaller than the Scarlet Devil Mansion, yet bigger than most houses I've seen, and it was along the path to the Human Village from the SDM...about halfway, I think.
My eyes wandered to the source of the piano. It was Lyrica Prismriver, playing with her Keyboard outside.
I'll be damned. The Prismrivers have a place to live down here.
She noticed us before I could say anything. Her eyes widened as she saw me.
"Oh expletive!" No, I'm not repeating that here. "Kyon!"
After the greetings and quick explanation of what was going on, Lyrica stood there, arms crossed, grinning, as she was sizing up Nagato.
"Well I'll be. Two members of the S.O.S. Brigade here in Gensokyo. Something must be going on." The phantom keyboardist moved closer to Nagato. "Ah...so this is the one who can control data." Lyrica stuck out her hand to Nagato, but didn't get a handshake. Lyrica's grin faded as she raised an eyebrow. "What, not going to shake?"
Nagato just blinked, staring at the Prismriver.
What happened next was rather unexpected.
Lyrica said the following in English and with an Irish accent:
"Well, you're a shy lass now, aren't you?"
Wait what?! It struck me like lightning as I blurted out: "You're Irish?"
I never would have guessed it, especially since they don't have any accent I could tell. They were fluent in Japanese. In a way, it made sense - the Prismrivers had fair hair and fair skin. I told Lyrica as such.
The poltergeist just shrugged, as she went back to japanese.
"You never knew?" She went up to me and lightly knocked on my forehead, which I did not appreciate. "Uh, hello? 'Lunasa'?"
"Your sister?" I said as I rubbed my forehead. "What about her?"
"It's the Irish name for the month of August, and also the name of an old Ireland harvest festival." She grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "That's right, Kyon! Not only are the Prismrivers perfect, but we're Irish too!"
At the edge of my vision, I saw Sakuya roll her eyes. I wanted to as well.
"As for the accent, well, we adapt quickly." Lyrica gave a slight shrug. "We'd stick out like a sore thumb if we have our Irish accents while speaking Japanese."
I never pegged the Prismriver sisters to be Irish. I mean, yeah, they appeared to be from Europe, but I would have never guessed their nationality.
Shows what I know. And I would later learn that she was right about the "Lunasa" bit.
"As if being ghosts isn't strange enough?"
"In Gensokyo? Nah, we blend right in."
Very true.
Lyrica then turned to Sakuya. "Anyways, maid! Tell your lady that we'll be ready tomorrow!"
Ready for what?
Whatever it was, Sakuya just nodded and we continued to the human village without any further conversation.
Again, there seemed to be things where I had no idea what was going on.
Smoker girl was there again. She was fixing a fence, with that cigarette in the corner of her mouth, and glanced up as we neared her - I could smell the menthol of her cigarettes. She didn't smell of Tobacco, however, but just of smoke. Her eyes widened slightly, then she sort of grimaced when she saw us. She continued her work as we passed her, so I'm guessing her priority was fixing that fence, and not following us again.
Seeing her up close is a huge difference in seeing her from a distance. Seeing her from afar doesn't do her justice. This girl really is beautiful.
Again, thumbs up.
Sakuya, Nagato and I made our way to the marketplace, where I acted as a mule of sorts, just carrying the wicker baskets while the maid filled them.
I found myself wondering why I was relegated as the "mule". Was it just because I was male?
Also, Nagato actually paused when we got in the village. She took it all in, her eyes slightly widening. That was pretty much my reaction to it as well.
Just like stepping back in time.
We went from store to store, stall to stall, and rather quickly, we were almost done. The last place had a line, so Sakuya stood in it, while I took a few steps away from it to sit down on a bench. The baskets weren't particularly heavy, it's just that holding something for a period of time gets tiring. Nagato sat with me, still silent. She still wouldn't look at me.
She's mad at me. She has to be mad at me.
Reality was, I didn't even have a good chance to talk to her. Part of me, however, wanted to avoid doing so, but I knew I had to. I owed her as such. I turned my head towards her, determined to speak to her, but without any plan of how to go about it.
"Nagato..."
And then she spoke. Staring straight ahead, but she spoke.
"This is Gensokyo. A world where the fantasies of Haruhi Suzumiya gather. Established in its current form in 1885 by a Yukari Yakumo and the Hakurei family. Humans only know that the Hakurei family established the barrier, they did not know about the demon sage doing so. Order given by the 122nd Emperor of Japan Meiji, as a hidden effect of the Meiji Restoration. Emperor Meiji initiated an accelerated industrial revolution for Japan so it could keep up with the rest of the world, and an area such as Gensokyo had no place in his new Japan."
Okay, that caught me off guard. But what Nagato seemingly blurted out piqued my interest a bit.
It actually made perfect sense - the Meiji Restoration helped bring Japan up to speed with the rest of the world. And a plot of land in Japan that had a lot of fantasy going on in it would only be detrimental to that Restoration. Gensokyo had no place in the new Japan.
It made sense.
Nagato kept at it, as I processed what she said.
"My superiors have sent me data on Gensokyo. Everything that I have been told that regards to your slight disappearance in January is true. They have known about Gensokyo ever since the data explosion. The files on Gensokyo are massive. I am still processing them. However, they are incomplete. I have been ordered to verify most of them."
I wanted to say something, to give my opinion on it, when I realized that I didn't even have any opinion on that.
Well, why not? If Gensokyo was an extension of Haruhi, and Nagato was to observe Haruhi, then shouldn't Nagato also see to Gensokyo?
Yeah, except that she really can't observe Haruhi while in here. We need to get her out. Shouldn't be too hard to do so, for her at least. Thing is...
I told her what I just thought.
"Thing is, shouldn't you be out there? Out of Gensokyo? Both of us?"
"As I said, I have been ordered to observe this unique closed space."
"That's what it's been classified as?"
Nagato gave a single nod.
"Yes. And do not worry about my objective concerning the observation of Haruhi Suzumiya. Emiri Kimidori will take the initiative of observing Haruhi Suzumiya in this timeframe until we can use time travel to undo our absence."
I slowly nodded, taking note that Sakuya was halfway through the line.
I saw Nagato slightly purse her lips.
"The existence of Gensokyo is rather overwhelming. Such a place existing is...unique."
It wasn't like Nagato to have a pause like that. This place may have really put her off balance, not to mention that I was there beforehand.
I sighed.
"Are you mad at me, Nagato? You have every right to be."
Nagato slightly lowered her head, going silent again. I don't know if she was looking for words to use, or whatnot. I hoped it was that case, and that it wasn't her not talking to me.
The fact that she still wouldn't look at me was killing me, to tell the truth.
I was about to ask her another question, just to get her talking, when I overheard the following. From behind us, a group of kids were gathered, a teenager the eldest of the group, sitting down and speaking.
"'In this sad world, a dense, austere forest.
In this happy world, a bird breaks out in song.
'Whither went the little girl?'
Turn back, turn back, cute little girl.
This place is the dark night's trap.
Duck, dodge, flee, don't get caught.
Lurk, creep, hide, don't be seen.
'Who is that behind you?'
Run away, run away, cute little girl.
This place is the dark night's web.
The Dark Jail of Shadows.
Flee, dodge, duck, don't get caught!
Hide, creep, lurk, don't be seen!
A pale visage breaking into a smile.
Crimson eyes, glinting in the dark.
'Gotcha!'
-Whither went the little girl?'"
The girl sat back, a somber look on her face.
"And that children's folk tale, little ones, is why we don't go outside the village at night."
"And what was that about?"
She turned to me.
"Hmm?"
"What was that 'children's folk tale'-" If you can call it that. "-about?"
The girl tilted her head, a sad, knowing look in her eyes.
"It's about the little youkai of shadows out there. The one named Rumia. She'll eat children."
Can I take that question back?
After that little tidbit, and me wishing I didn't hear about that, nothing else happened (other than smoker-girl showing up as we finished shopping and "escorting" us out of the village). Sakuya got her supplies, and we made our way to the mansion. Night fell rather quickly - it becoming nearly pitch black midway back.
Sakuya told us to hurry. I asked why, especially since she's a powerful warrior. I mean, it shouldn't be a problem for her, right? Sakuya, rolled her eyes at me.
"I can stop time, kill powerful monsters, and was a professional hunter...yet I was still beaten by Milady and Reimu. What does that say, Kyon?"
It says that I should shut up and trust in your judgement in here.
The maid had a point. Gensokyo was quite unforgiving and full of amazingly powerful people. People who could take down a time-stopping maid (let alone normal me) existed there.
Sakuya stopped time to get us to the mansion. Even while time was stopped, she moved quickly, motioning for us to do the same. Nagato appeared a bit taken back by that ability, as she had her jaw slightly open, as if in surprise again. She really was unprepared for Gensokyo, it seemed.
We rushed through the frozen, gray world. I had noticed near the pathway, that there were things in the foliage. I don't know what they were, but they were there, eyes on the path. It wasn't until we were on the grounds of the Mansion that Sakuya relaxed.
Just as well, too. I had gotten antsy being out there. After hearing about Rumia eating children...well, the thought disturbed me.
That little youkai of shadows is still out there. I thought that as I stared into the darkness beyond the grounds of the SDM. The iron gate gave me a feeling of security.
Of course, she could just fly over and get me right now.
...
...I think I'll head inside.
I did a near-run for the front door.
After dropping off the baskets, Sakuya led us to the balcony. Meiling was up there, and she smiled as we approached.
"Hey kid."
I noticed that there were a few maids up here as well, and most were just relaxing, leaning up against the railing. There was a single table with an umbrella, and a small chair. I'm guessing it belonged to Remilia. There was a large teapot there, which the maids were getting drinks from. I asked Meiling what was going on.
"Well, you see, this is a rare treat for us servants to have this balcony. Usually the mistress has this all to herself, but she's busy with overseeing the construction, so we have this place to ourselves, kid."
Sakuya poured out the tea, and we all stood there at the end of the balcony, looking over the lake. The moon had risen, and was reflecting off, giving such an amazing light. The moon was almost full, so it lit up the night.
It was beautiful. One of the things I missed about Gensokyo, barring...
...her.
Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!
"Ah yes, the Gods truly love Gensokyo. They live here, after all."
At that point, I had begun to take the time to come up with something to say to Nagato in an effort to avoid thoughts on Marisa, as the interface had not looked at me since coming to Gensokyo, but what Meiling said caught my complete attention.
I mean, how could it not?
"Uh, what? There are Gods in here?"
"Mmmm, yeah." said Sakuya. "From what I can tell, there are supposed to be a number of Gods living on Youkai mountain, along with the Tengu and the Kappa. I myself never believed it until I saw two of them."
I glanced over at Nagato, and then back at the maid. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Okay, it's one thing to have Koizumi tell me that Haruhi is "God", but for actual Gods to exist? That I might actually see one?
I'm gonna say it. It perked my interest.
"They go around Gensokyo when fall rolls around. Well, actually, they bring fall with them. I suppose you could say they're like Lilly White, in a way. The twin Goddesses of Autumn - the Aki sisters. Shizuha is the Goddess of changing the color of leaves, while Minoriko is the Goddess of Harvest."
"Actual Gods..."
"Well, they're not too different from you or me, actually. They have human form, and they are very friendly. They have to be."
"Why's that?"
Sakuya poured herself a cup and joined Meiling at the railing. "From what I can gather, they are not unlike youkai. You see, in my time in Gensokyo, I learned something about youkai, actually. I think you know the conditions of becoming a youkai."
"Living for a long time. That's the main one, right?"
"Right."
"But then you also have Alice, Remilia, and the ones who were turned."
Sakuya took a sip and nodded. "Yeah. But they're special cases. What I can gather, however, is that youkai and Gods have something in common."
"What's that?"
Meiling interrupted, after taking a swig of her drink.
"We need someone to believe in us, kid."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"That's what they have in common." Sakuya looked up at the almost-full moon, the light illuminating her beautiful face. She had a coy look, for some reason. "What's different is how they are believed. Gods run on the faith of man. Without it, they whither away from existence and cease to be. Like I said, there are a few Gods here in Gensokyo that were forgotten out there. They live on in here, because the people in here know that Gods exist."
"On the other hand, kid, we youkai run on the fear of man." Meiling raised a finger. "Stories told, actual fear, or even respect. If we are put into legend, like in a book, and are remembered, we will live."
My mind did a flash of memories, of when I was in the Library earlier that day. Not the SDM's Library, but the one in my world. "The youkai live on in those tales", as said by that librarian with purple eyes.
Purple eyes...I'll be damned. Yukari.
It hit me. That was Yukari. That had to be Yukari in some sort of disguise.
I'm sorry - I've gotten ahead of myself. You see, in the days since coming back from Gensokyo the first time, I have inexplicably come across many books and whatnot of youkai, folklore, and folktales. And of course, seeing as I had developed a newfound interest in youkai and the paranormal, I read them. Until that point of standing there with Sakuya, Nagato, and Meiling, I never really gave it much thought.
Yukari was making me know and remember youkai.
"That is why they cause incidents. That is why some 'stage' attacks on the Human Village. It isn't them being evil, even though some of them are." Sakuya glanced back at the mansion, and then turned back to us. "They are doing this to stay alive. Belief and faith were being pushed back out there, which...which I suppose makes sense. Yukari, I mean. What she did - making this place. She saved her kind with what she did. The more powerful and wiser youkai in here aren't necessarily evil - they just want to see the next day, same as you and me."
"So there is something in common between us all."
We stared at Nagato, who interjected that.
"Haruhi Suzumiya believes in aliens, time travelers, and espers. We exist because she believes in us. It's theorized that if she ceased to believe, we would cease to exist as a result."
That's a good question, actually. If Haruhi gave up on her beliefs, would my friends just disappear? That's a scary thought.
Again, I had to respect my Brigade associates for being in such a delicate situation and dealing with it. I can't even imagine how scared they must have been when Haruhi and I were at the end of the world. Everything they knew was on the cusp of being undone.
Sakuya slowly nodded at that, as did Meiling.
"Yeah...yeah that's true." Meiling took another drink. "We aren't all much different, are we?" The gate guard then slowly raised an eyebrow at Nagato. "But, I doubt you'd go around eating humans. You aren't that kind of alien or paranormal being, are you?"
Thankfully she isn't.
"I can be classified as a paranormal being, but I am not a youkai."
"Aren't you? I mean, look at you." The guard started to slowly circle Nagato, sizing her up. "Look at you. You're an alien. A something that has taken the form of a human girl." Meiling then referenced to her own body, smirking. "Like me, barring being an alien."
I don't know if I could take Nagato having Meiling's super-hot body. Suffice to say, such an image popped into my head. Amusing as it was to fathom, it didn't look right. Then again, I've known Nagato to be the way she is, so such a rapid and drastic physical difference put me off.
I'm not saying I didn't like such an image, I'm just saying that it didn't look right.
*Ahem*
"But most youkai would still attack and eat us if given the chance, right?" I asked, in an attempt to get around that thought.
"Oh, yeah," said Sakuya." No doubt about that. Humanity should also thank Yukari for doing her part in herding most of the youkai in here. Because let's face it - youkai are above humans in the food chain. With less youkai out there, humanity has become the apex predator. In here, in Gensokyo, we are the delicacies - we are that random pig in a field that looks appetizing."
"She's right you know." said Meiling with a nod. "You humans get caught by a youkai and you can't defend yourselves, that's it. You die. Alone, screaming, and violently. And that's if you're lucky to be caught by a youkai in human form. Those will have the courtesy to kill you before cooking you up for a meal. The lesser youkai will eat you alive and raw."
"Meiling, I would appreciate it if you didn't give me nightmares for tonight."
"I'm just telling you how it is, kid."
"I know how it is. I was almost killed by Rumia, remember?"
"Rumia? Oh. Oh yeah, her. And again, no need to thank me."
"I just think you'd find it funny." Sakuya said.
"Find what funny?"
Sakuya winked at me as she took another sip of tea.
"Well, it's about the Aki sisters. It seems that even Gods need money. You see, the Aki sisters run a Sweet Potato stand during the fall. Make no mistake - their quality is the best; they are made by the Gods after all, but still, I just find the whole thing a bit amusing."
"What I find amusing is that you're still an atheist."
Sakuya quickly stood up, fists clenched, glaring at Meiling, who said that. Without saying anything, Sakuya turned and left. I stood there stunned, because there was this pang of fury that formed on Sakuya's face, and it unnerved me.
The rest of the maids all looked at each other. It was as that thing had killed the mood, as they started to leave the balcony. Soon, it was just me, Meiling and Nagato up there. The guard hung her head, sighing.
"Crap," Meiling muttered, after a moment of silence. "Shouldn't have done that."
"What?"
Meiling had her head lowered, as she turned to me. "Well, you've heard about Sakuya, right? About what she used to be?"
"A vampire hunter."
"From what I heard, vampires out there are sensitive to items of the church. Vampire hunters were holy warriors."
Meiling looked towards the gate, a faraway look in her eyes.
"You should have seen her. Fourteen years old, armed with a plethora of silver knives, wearing her jeans, fingerless gloves, leather boots and a gray hooded sweater...and her cross." The guard scratched her head under her beret. "She wore a cross, silver, I think. It was simple, but it just struck me, you know? She was obviously proud to wear it into battle. Proud to be a warrior of the Christian God. But that's the thing, though...you've heard it, right? Lady Remilia and Lady Flan are two unique vampires. They aren't affected by items of the church."
I do recall Remilia saying something like that.
"Holy water, crosses, prayers - none of that does anything to them. Sakuya found that out the hard way. I think...I think it broke Sakuya's heart to not have that cross do any good. She...she may have felt abandoned by her God. Because when she started working for us, she hid her cross. She still kept it, but she hid it."
Meiling rubbed the back of her head.
"I, uh...I kinda snuck into her room one night a number of years ago, and looked for it. She has it in a box stuck in the back of her armoire. And...she has been a bit hostile to anyone who has brought it up, namely me." Meiling let out a sigh. "If you were to ask me, I think she's lost faith in her God. Like I said, she may have felt abandoned by her God in her time of greatest need. She must have initially thought that working for Lady Remilia would have been the worst thing ever. Thankfully it isn't, but..."
"But she still doesn't believe in God anymore, right?"
"Yeah. Once you lose your faith, it's hard to get it back. It's not some faucet you can turn on or off." Meiling finished her drink, and stared into the empty cup. "It just, you know, it just kind of hurts me to see that. I know that it's none of my business, but seeing how Sakuya is now...how she is without any faith...I can't explain it. Why it bothers me, I mean. Maybe...maybe because she's my friend...and it hurts to see her 'hurt' like that."
In a way, I kind of knew that feeling. I had lost faith in the paranormal, and for a long time, I desperately clung to the rules of normalcy, because that's all I could do. Why be disappointed in things that wouldn't happen?
Or so I thought.
But of course, I had nothing on what happened to Sakuya. To lose faith in one's own religion? To feel abandoned by the higher power you believe in? That's heavy. Especially if you know there is an afterlife.
Which the two of us did know.
"Should I go talk to her?" I asked as I looked towards the doorway back inside.
"Only if you want a knife in the forehead." I turned to Meiling, half-expecting her to be smirking or something, but she looked dead-serious. "You think I'm kidding? She's very defensive about it. She'll stab you if you try to bring it up."
"I've been stabbed enough times in my life already, thank you. Once is enou-"
I shut my mouth, as I came to my senses. Hello, idiot? Nagato is right there! The one who pulled you into that situation and felt guilty about it! You're doing swell at getting on her good side today, aren't you?
I slapped my forehead, both in frustration, and to also shut up that little voice in my mind. I turned to Nagato.
"Ah, Nagato, I'm sorry."
She still wouldn't look at me.
I needed to talk to Nagato. One on one, without any interruptions. I had been putting it off, everyone else monopolized Nagato, and Nagato herself seemed betrayed enough to not want to talk to me about it.
And call me crazy, but it felt as if there was some invisible force keeping us from talking, just drawing out this whole drama of me not sitting down with Nagato and attempt to set things straight. Like if someone was writing a story and was too inept a writer to have a real reason to keep a character from talking with another character.
Hang on, why did I come up with that analogy? Ah, doesn't matter.
I quickly said my goodnights to Meiling, and got a passing fairy maid inside to lead us to the room I used the last time I was in Gensokyo. After the maid bowed and closed the door, there I was, alone with Nagato.
Barring the usual guy thoughts that happen when they are alone with a pretty girl in a room with a bed, I had to quickly come up with something. I had to know what I was going to say, otherwise I'd look like an even bigger idiot than I must have appeared to be.
Nagato moved to the window, looking out at Gensokyo. I moved near her, stopping a few meters. This is it, dumbass. Say something!
And like the idiot I was, I started talking without knowing what I was going to say.
"So...this is Gensokyo. My...little secret that I've kept for seven months."
I felt bad for saying it that way. I really wanted to slap myself for that. Nagato still wouldn't turn to me as I spoke.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know why I didn't tell you, actually. Maybe because it was a secret just for me, you know?
"I have requested on several occasions to my superiors to find out what happened to you seven months ago. I had yet to receive an answer until this afternoon."
Her superiors again. Interesting to know that they considered Gensokyo to be so important as to keep it a secret from the rest of the Data Society. To keep it from her, even.
The superiors...
I had a card to play. Again that distrust that Nagato's superiors had with her.
"They didn't want you to find out about that alternate timeline, and maybe you shouldn't."
She blankly stared outside, but I noticed her head perk up a bit. I caught her attention with that.
"No, I'm not being mean or anything, Nagato...it's just that..."
What good is it going to do? Yukari said that the Data Society was going to delete Nagato in that timeline where I didn't go back. What good is it going to do other than strain the relationship Nagato has with her superiors?
Still, she deserved to know. I was laying it all out on the table then. I had to, to earn her trust.
"Okay. I'll come out and say it. You know how I went down that timeline where I wasn't out of Gensokyo? Well, according to Yukari, in that timeline, without me there to blackmail them, your superiors would have gone ahead and deleted you."
Nagato finally turned to me, jaw slightly dropped. Moved a few millimeters, but it was noticeable by me. She stared into my eyes.
Well that got her attention.
"I couldn't let them do that, Nagato. Especially since it was too close to those events...the snow mansion and...and when you remade the world. I had considered staying in Gensokyo, but I couldn't let them do that. I couldn't let them do that to you." I swallowed hard. "You were one of the reasons why I went back."
I took a step towards her. Keep it up, man! You're doing great!
"Nagato, I owe you a lot. I should have told you, but...well, there is no other explanation than me just being an idiot. You deserved to know. It's just that...it made me so angry that they would even think of deleting you again. Maybe...I don't know."
I was stumbling over myself, thinking of what to say next, what to give to Nagato as an explanation. I really had none. I lowered my head, accepting defeat in this situation.
Damn it all. I had all day to plan on how I should explain it to her, and here I am unable to really display how sorry I am.
"I owe you an apology."
I looked up at her.
"Huh?"
Nagato had taken a few steps closer to me. She no longer avoided my gaze.
"I should have revealed the existence of the afterlife to you. I noticed your reaction. There was a subtle tic on your face when I said 'Classified Information' in response to your inquiry."
"No. No, it's not the same. The afterlife thing was done for my own good, I guess. I mean," I rubbed the back of my head. "Being told that there really is something behind it all is just...kind of big for a human." I gave her a shrug. "It was a spur of the moment question at that time. I actually didn't think about my being in the afterlife before I asked that question. It's just...at that time, it popped into my mind. I should have told you about Gensokyo. There was no reason for me to keep it a secret. You had a reason to keep your secret."
"No, I didn't. The 'classified information' tag was my doing. It was my decision to not reveal it to you, and it was wrong." Nagato turned back to the window. I saw her body take a deep breath. "We were both betrayed. The signature on the files regarding your time in Gensokyo belong to Emiri Kimidori. She watched your entire excursion."
That idiot! She watched and didn't do a damn thing to help me out!
I really did feel betrayed. The data society really did sit on their hands.
Damn them.
We stood there in silence for a bit, me unsure of what to say about Emiri (although I felt some relief and anger knowing who it was who watched me), and Nagato apparently processing what I told her.
"Thank you."
"For what?" I asked.
She turned back to me. "Thank you for coming back for me."
I was finally able to allow myself to smile. Inwardly I congratulated myself, for managing to get through this, to get through to Nagato.
"...not a problem. I'd always come back for you, Nagato. I may not be able to do much, but I'll always come back for you."
Nagato no longer appeared betrayed. Well, it wasn't as tactful as I wanted it to be, but it seemed to work - she was no longer angry. I really wish it could have gone smoother, however.
Now that I was no longer worried about that situation, my guy thoughts came back. Rushing back, coming to the forefront of my mind with a vengeance.
I'm all alone with Yuki Nagato in a bedroom. As if in automated response, my eyes fell on the bed. And certain thoughts of what that could lead to also filled my mind. My male mind even went into detail over what could happen. Really went into detail.
I know, I know. Damn you, hormones!
I had to get those thoughts out of my mind, and the best way would be to go the gentleman's route by offering her my room while I got another for the night.
I did as such, and it wasn't until I was out of the room that I realized that I had no idea of any other room I could sleep in. I walked down the darkened hallway, wondering how quickly I would get lost if I just wandered around.
I really did need Sakuya or a maid or somebody to guide me from my room. The mansion was a labyrinth in the dark, and I would have needed a map. Granted, I could just go from room to room, but it would be rude of me, just in case some of the fairy maids were in those rooms, and I would have liked to avoid that classic scenario of a guy walking into a room as a girl is changing. It would be awesome, but also embarrassing as hell.
But to do that scenario with a fairy? That's a thought. Could a human and a fairy be a couple? I'd have to leave that thought aside.
Logically, however, servants quarters are supposed to be away from the guest quarters. Then again, I'm not considered a guest, am I? Remilia regards me as a servant of hers.
Also, I didn't want to be out in the dark hallways and run into Flandre, should she be wandering around. The mere thought of me running into the little vampire solo sent chills down my spine, causing me to stop in my tracks. Who knows what she might do to me. Hell, with her being certifiably insane, she might not even know what she would do to me.
I looked back to the door that I had come out of, wondering if I should just go back.
Come on, don't be chicken. The chances that she's out here-
I heard her giggling. Somewhere from within the darkness. The way the sound reverberated in the hallway made it difficult to tell where she was, but there was no mistake - Flandre was nearby, possibly in the same hallway I was standing in. I lost all of my courage - I quickly ran back to my room, closed the door, and spun around, facing Nagato. She hadn't moved much from when I left the room, and slightly raised an eyebrow at my abrupt return.
I took a deep breath.
"You know what? Uhm...I'll just sleep on the chair. Take the bed."
Fear trumps male libido.
This time.
Also, I had to take measures to lock the door when Nagato wasn't looking. I didn't want to give her any wrong impressions. It's just that I was being a coward.
July 15th, 1004
Yuyuko. She exists. She still exists.
Yukari Yakumo opened her eyes, her body in throbbing pain. Every part of her hurt. She clenched her teeth and struggled to breathe, her body tensing up. She knew this was bad. It took her a while to realize she had to manage her pain before she could do anything else.
Thankfully, I'm in a reclined bed of some sort. Okay...what's the next thing...focus. Focus on a point. Slow down the heart rate. Relax the muscles. Focus on that word. Relax. Relax.
Re...
She took in a breath.
...lax...
She let it out.
This continued for a few minutes, until the pain became tolerable.
Okay okay...Every part of my body hurts. Going to have to do something...okay...my mind and my body are separate. My mind and my body are separate. What is hurting my body has nothing to do with my mind.
Yukari kept telling herself that, and after a few more minutes, she actually could move her limbs. Shaking, she ever-so-slowly sat up.
She found that she was in a bed of some sort, in a wooden room. Still shaking, she turned her head to study her surroundings. It was a room on a ship, much to her surprise. A single porthole allowed daylight into the simple room. A bed, which she occupied, a small dresser, and a table with two chairs made it up.
Where in the name of all the Gods am I?
She tilted her head, focusing her sense of hearing. She heard no water, which was puzzling, because she was sure that she could feel the movement of the ship - the sway a ship makes while in transit.
Shifting, she found that her body was covered only in bandages. Wrapping the sheet of the bed around her, she managed to stand up and limp to the porthole.
Doesn't hurt to walk doesn't hurt to walk.
It did, but she kept telling herself that it didn't. Her body kept moving to the porthole. What she saw outside surprised her.
By the Gods. I'm in the air. This ship is flying in the air.
Which only meant one thing to the demon.
The Palanquin. Yukari was on the Palanquin. She had heard of this ship.
The ship of the buddhist. The buddhist "youkai hunter".
As if on cue to coincide with that realization, there was a knock on the door. The door opened a creak, and Yukari saw hazel eyes staring into the room.
"Ah. You're awake. Is now a good time for me to see how you are doing?"
It was a woman's voice, a very soothing voice. It reminded the demon of another soothing voice. Yukari blinked, before struggling a smile.
"I suppose." Yukari then slowly sat down at the table. "Although I must say...I am at a disadvantage here. I am really in a foreign situation."
"You have no need to worry. I have no hostile intentions towards you."
Yukari could feel it. Whomever it was did not seem to be an enemy.
The door opened, and in walked a beautiful woman who had to be in her late twenties. Long, wavy brown hair with a purple gradient at the top, hazel eyes. A white dress with a black coat and cape. She was carrying a platter, and smiled at Yukari.
"How are you feeling, Miss Yakumo?"
"Ah. You already know my name."
The woman set the tray down at the table. A simple, light meal of a vegetable soup, bread, and water. The woman motioned for Yakumo to eat. Yakumo stared into the calm eyes of that woman, feeling a bit of calmness herself.
"Of course I know the name of one of the more infamous youkai of our time. Last I heard, you were supposed to have been killed off by the Saigyou monks."
Yukari slowly nodded as she dipped the bread into the soup, and brought it up to eat. Even chewing this soggy bread hurts.
"Death...death can not take me. However, all things considered," said Yukari, referencing her bandages, "I suppose I should be grateful. But what you have done is not necessary. I would have recovered just fine."
"We found you in a horrific state, Miss Yakumo. We all thought you were dead."
"We?"
"Me and my followers."
Yukari heard a shifting, from behind the door. We're not alone here. We're being eavesdropped. The demon made a mental note that there were several youkai outside, possibly there ready to defend this woman should Yukari be hostile.
I understand their loyalty. Wasted, however. Even if I was hostile, I am currently in no condition to fight in any way shape or form.
"Interesting that people still remember me, and consider me infamous. You are somewhat infamous in my circle as well, human." Yukari's eyes referenced to the porthole. "After all, this is the Palanquin, isn't it? Which means that you can only be one person, human...a human who poses as a youkai hunter, but instead saves them. Miss Byakuren Hijiri." Yukari got a nod in response. Then the demon looked towards the door. "I can sense a few of them outside the door, listening in on our conversation. Your followers, correct? Is that a tiger youkai I sense?"
"Yes. I'm sorry if you feel threatened, Miss Yakumo, but they do care about my safety."
Yukari cracked a smile. Even moving the muscles for that hurt.
"It's okay. I'm actually in no position to defend myself anyways, sadly."
"We found your body, tortured almost beyond recognition. Amazing that you've healed this quickly, even though you've been out for over a week. What happened, if I may ask?"
Yukari debated on whether she should tell this woman what really happened, but decided to tell only the truth that needed to be told.
The truth that everyone had to hear. Not necessarily what really happened.
"I was tortured by Lunarians for a failed invasion. 1,002 youkai went to the moon, and only three of us came back. The rest are dead. 999 youkai executed in front of me by my Lunarian captors, and then they tortured me for a full week."
Yukari held back on telling how much those captors enjoyed inflicting pain. Sick Lunarian sadistic bastards. Their entire society is sick. Even sicker is their superiority complex. Yukari's thoughts went untold. Byakuren there didn't need to know.
"Were the other two tortured as well? We didn't find anyone else."
"No. They made their escape long before we were routed. I have to assume they made it back to earth safely. I was the only prisoner the Lunarians had."
The only one they had fun with.
The woman sighed, a sadness coming over her face.
"Was it worth it, Miss Yakumo? Invasion? I've been fighting for peace. Instead of impure motives such as invasion, why not put forth your efforts to achieve my dream, as it should be the dream of all?" Byakuren smiled, clasping her hands together. "A world where youkai and humanity can co-exist. They need each other, after all."
That's true. Youkai need the faith of mankind, and mankind needs that faith to take shape.
Yukari blinked, as a thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. Something became clear in her mind, as if she finally understood something important. An idea began to form in Yukari's head. An actual goal for the future. She let it stew while she made the effort to eat some more. Actually...Gensokyo would be perfect for that. To pull it off, however...it'll take me time. A lot of time...but it's possible. This can work.
I think I can make this work.
It was an attainable goal, to set aside a place where youkai and humanity could be together indefinitely. Youkai needed humanity, sadly. But there had to be rules...and there should be a balance, where youkai couldn't eradicate the humans in the area and vice versa.
"That...that doesn't sound like a bad idea, actually." Yakumo, however, was a bit miffed at being called 'impure'. She decided to take a jab at Hijiri, on what she knew about her. "But your pure motives are actually impure, Miss Hijiri. You yourself are greedy. You have used youkai magic to ensure that you will not age, that you can not die. You have put yourself in an interesting situation - if humanity eliminates the youkai of the world, the spell you cast on yourself will break. You will lose your youth, and you will wither and die."
You put yourself, by choice, in the same situation all youkai are in. On that thought, the idea of a fully contained Gensokyo was getting more appealing to Yukari.
The woman closed her eyes, apparently ashamed.
"It is as you said. But it is not greed that drives me, Miss Yakumo. It is fear. Petty fear of death and aging. My brother was taken from me...and...and I couldn't face it. So...so I've become eternally young."
Satisfied with that, Yukari smirked.
"Well, regardless, you are the second human I've met in the past year that is not willing to kill me on sight."
The dream was fading. I couldn't see anything, but I still heard Yukari's voice.
I've had a dream, Miss Hijiri...
A vivid dream or a vision. My friend Yuyuko...who had to sacrifice herself...
Yuyuko is out there. I was tortured and left on the border of death...and I saw her.
I saw Yuyuko. She has become a ghost. A youkai.
I can't wait to meet her again...
I'll find her.
I'll do anything to meet her again...
Anything to be with her.
Anything.
July 15th, 2004.
7:26 AM
I would go into how weird that dream was, and ask questions about a "Hijiri" (wasn't that the name of a famous 10th century monk or someone?), but what I saw when I opened my eyes kind of put that on the backburner.
Flandre was on the bed, straddling Nagato, just staring the human interface down. Nagato laid there, wide-eyed at the vampire. The curtains were closed, so the sunlight wasn't in the room to hurt Flandre, but she just stared down at Nagato. Various thoughts of Nagato being dead flashed through my mind, but Nagato's eyes darted towards me, and back at the vampire on top of her.
Okay...let's assess the situation. Nagato is alive, and sitting on top of her is Flandre. Nothing is happening. Still, this is very peculiar. And that was putting it mildly. Also, the door was wide open - the doorknob just hanging. Flandre must have broken into the room. How did I not wake up to that?
It was a while before Flandre spoke.
"Kyon...you changed overnight. What happened?"
Flandre said that to Nagato. I cleared my throat before speaking.
"Uhm, nothing changed."
Flandre whipped her head around to face me, her eyes wide.
"Oh! Oh! There you are! Didn't see you there. For a minute, I thought you turned into this girl."
I had to raise my eyebrow at that insanity.
Flandre then turned to Nagato, as if studying her facial features. "Oh, okay. You're that girl from yesterday. Yuki, right? Sorry about that. Thought you were Kyon."
You know, I've never felt so glad to be sleeping on a chair. Because I doubt my heart could have taken waking up to Flandre sitting on me. Screw that.
I just can't get over the fear I have of her. Even after seven months away from Gensokyo, I found myself glad over the fact that I never spent too much time with that little vampire.
Beaming as if she had solved a great mystery, Flandre hopped off the bed, and skipped out of the room, humming "Ten Little Indians" to herself. Nagato laid there blinking a few times, before slowly sitting up, her eyes on me.
"That was..."
"Unique? Yeah, a lot of unique things happen here."
Especially since Flandre thinks that me turning into a girl is a viable scenario.
That's just silly.
Then again, she's crazy, and that's just one of her crazy thoughts.
-entry-
-On the evening of July 14th, 2004, this entity was "spirited away" into Gensokyo. Made contact with numerous entities in a mansion owned by a vampire. Entities not hostile. Discovered [NAME REDACTED] "Kyon" in their presence, and he appeared to know a great deal about these entities.
-This entity then received packet of data regarding Gensokyo and its history, as well as an incident that centered around [NAME REDACTED] "Kyon".
-This entity engaged in conversation with [NAME REDACTED] "Kyon" in the matter of Gensokyo and the incident in which he was involved in.
-Personal Note: This entity does not appreciate the secrecy regarding [NAME REDACTED] "Kyon" in his disappearance in an alternate timeline. As he is vital to the stability of subject Haruhi Suzumiya, this entity should have been informed of what transpired.
-Entities encountered:
-Yuyuko Saigyouji, Ghost
-Youmu Konpaku, Half-Ghost Half-Human
-Remilia Scarlet, Vampire
-Flandre Scarlet, Vampire
-Patchouli Knowledge, Magician
-Koakuma, Lesser Devil
-Sakuya Izayoi, Human (?)
-Hong Meiling, [REDACTED] Youkai
-Lyrica Prismriver, Poltergeist
-Various fairies, employed by Remilia Scarlet.
-Various humans at the Human Village
-Entities cataloged.
-File upload detected from Admin 612:
-Displaying file:
"Scarlet Mist Incident"
- In early July of 2003, a red (scarlet) mist began to envelope Gensokyo, blocking out the sun. Since the crops were not getting their sunlight, fifteen year olds Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame joined forces to see where the source was. On July 15th, 2003, they fought various youkai and fairies before they came across the place where the mist was obviously pouring out of - the Scarlet Devil Mansion. The two fought the guards and their Chief, Hong Meiling, in the yard, but they could not get in. Marisa Kirisame blasted a hole in the wall, and the two entered via the library, where they fought Patchouli Knowledge and Koakuma. After defeating them, they then entered the Mansion proper and took on the entire staff of maids, lead by Sakuya Izayoi. Sakuya Izayoi refused to stay down after being beaten in Danmaku, and Reimu Hakurei broke her ribs. Reimu Hakurei then took on Remilia Scarlet in the sky above the mansion, and emerged victorious. The mist was ended, and the sun was able to come out again.
- Remilia Scarlet pledged allegience to the two.
- July 20th, 2003: Marisa Kirisame and Reimu Hakurei took on (and defeated) Flandre Scarlet, at the manipulated request of Remilia Scarlet.
=Status: RESOLVED=
-File Catelogued by Emiri Kimidori.
-end file-
-File received and read.
-Requesting all files regarding Gensokyo to be displayed for this individual entity.
-[ADMIN 612] : Request acknowledged and limited access has been granted. Will upload files deemed important to entity "N. Yuki".
-N. Yuki
-end entry-
-logoff-
Children's Folk Tale - by: Asatsuki Dou
It's from a doujin called "Rumiac World", which is a gigantic doujin collaboration featuring many short stories from many different artists and authors about everyone's favorite youkai of shadows, Rumia. From my understanding, it's almost 500 pages big.
Yes, that is so.
Byakuren's dream was quite close to the vision of Gensokyo, so I always wondered, did Yukari and Byakuren meet ages ago? It's possible. And of course, as a story teller using Gensokyo as a backdrop, one can get away with embellishments concerning the history between characters. I do try to keep it as realistic as possible, as realistic as it can be for a place where the impossible is possible. It's so easy to forget what the characters are when you read about them in fan fictions, especially in slice of life stories.
They're not human. Most of them have a form of insanity. And most of them aren't that nice at all.