(in which we're BACK SON WAHAHA)

The sun's high in the air space a' heaven. The good heaven, dude.

Quick recap: we ended up in heaven after getting shot out of an artillery! That's where we met a giant undying amazon woman wit' white hair named Mayu.

Also there's this prickly lunar bunny girl called Uchu wit' us! "Say hi, Uchu!" I turn on the midst of this bridge we're walkin' on!

"...Eeh." She gives me a puzzled look…! "Ta who. The fuck."

Genkan pivots to her softly, while floating next to us. "To me." She has the most neutral of looks…! "Will you say hi?" How cute…!

"As if." We made Uchu say 'er catchphrase! Mission success!

It's a bright, nearly blindingly so sunny day up here in sky land, yo.

Also, we're traveling into the proper celestial area of Heaven, dude.

Escorting us is some freakin' loser…! He's this guy with a gold staff, and the tip is styled like a viper. He's in super clean purple robes, which are actually kinda neat 'cause they're so clean and bright.

What was his name again? Did he even have a name.

I turn to Genkan, 'cause she's snuggly. "Pst-... Genkan!"

"...I don't think you need to whisper." She stares at me idly…!

"What's doofy purple boy's name…!?" I yell-whisper while pointing at the shifty purple guy!

"Hmh." He gives me the dour look, dude… "I am Yoshi. This is my third decade as a spotter for the higher echelons of celestial court."

"Third decade…" I echo! "Jesus! No wonder you're an asshole!"

...His frown intensifies! "I will say, it would do you well to speak to my face, about your inquiries."

"...I think yer an asshole!" I grin back at 'em, to his face!

"Your ass is hole." Ha-chan- I dunno what you meant by that, but good job!

"Tch." Aw, he does the 'tch' thing at me. "Mortals." What…!

"Dude-...!" I turn to Genkan, eyes wide! "Dude- he can't say that."

...Genkan purses her lips at how bewildered I am! "Where'd all this energy come from. Also-... say what."

"The M word!" Yeheha~h! Feels good to meme, son! Oh- shit- that's also an M word-

"...The M word." Yoshi gives me a sour pursin' of his own lips. "He~h. I'll say the M word whenever and however I please." Oo~h my god!

"Not if I have anything ta say about it." Mayu suddenly walks up behind him…! "And I do."

"Mmh?" He turns ta face her-

WHABAM! Holy shit! She just- rammed a peach into his mouth so fast an' hard- it made a small shockwave on impact…!

"It's the secret technique!" I exclaim, eyes wide! "The Civil Rights Peach!"

"Oh my fuckin' god." Uchu is taken aback by me…! "S'like the princess all over again."

Freakin' Yoshi only staggers back a little. "Ngh- nnh…" Rubbing his cheek, he chewed on the peach piece that was now in his mouth. "Fh- 'h ck." Ya said wat.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Mayu retorted…!

"...I'm gonna- say the M word." I confess.

Genkan snorts. "I- I thought you couldn't say the M word. Why would you."

"I'm gonna say it…!" I beam back at 'er! An' then-... "Maria~." It's the good M word, dude.

...Maria faces me all fluffy-like, after I call out her name. "Hi."

I speak back! "Hi." We're so fluffy, dude!

Also, where're we goin'...!?

"Also-... Mayu, that was yer name." Feels so weird sayin' people's names, sometimes. "Where're we goin'...!?"

Mayu grinned at me. "Don't you sweat it. We're pro'lly gonna just be checkin' out how the town looks an' shit. Not a lot to see over here in boring town."

Yoshi swallows his peach piece, finally. "Nh-... who- are you, to speak ill of our intricated arts? A mortal-wannabe such as yourself-"

Squelch! Mayu tossed a peach from Ha-chan's basket against his black hair, and it fuckin' exploded. Jesus, how strong're celestials…!?

"Would you cut that out!?" He barked back at her! "Shanty whore!"

"Feel lucky you got immunity, prick dick." Mayu fuckin' destroys him…! "I'd be seein' how far them skinny arms bend if you were just any old loser."

So basically, neither of them have any ideas! I turn to my friends, instead. "What do you noobs wanna do." I have no ideas either!

...Genkan looks lost. Maria chooses not to say anything.

"Dancing!" Ha-chan exclaims! "Let's dance…" Aw. She tries to wiggle in place, but the peach crate she holds interrupts her own momentum. "Awh."

"...Hmm." Genkan considers it legitimately! "We haven't danced, in some time. I mean-... I haven't. Also, proper dancing, I mean."

"Weren't we just at a club…?" I can't help but say this aloud! "We had a chance to dance!"

"That was honestly too much." Genkan shook her head. "As high energy that was-... it was good for fighting, but-... when I think dancing, I think of the piano, the koto, and gentle acoustics." Who made you so fluffy, dude. "Something that doesn't make my head throb after two minutes would be nice."

"Yeah." Maria joins in on that idea! "...I- I spent half the time on stage in trance. That-... it was fun, but not dancing. I… don't kn- know, how to dance either."

Bein' in trance was fun, huh. Y'know- maybe it would be. Imagine if I was the first noob to end up in trance, and just kept trying to throw myself on the other two girls…!

Genkan would probably be able to instantly push me into the earth. Help.

"Let's go dancing." Genkan declares! Actually- wait- hol' up now-

"I can't dance!" I confess!

"Too bad." Genkan verbally bulldozes me! "...I could teach you, maybe." Oo- oh.

"I am willing to learn!" I would like to dance with Genkan!

"...Hmm." Mayu wasn't sure about this, somehow! "We don't really-"

"We do have a parlor, for dancing!" Yoshi immediately barks out over her! "...I'll have you all know that I excel among the cello." I gotta reiterate that this edgy lookin' dude's name is Yoshi.

"I'll have you know my foot excels up your slit." Jesus, Mayu is creative!

...Yoshi just gives 'er a worried look, fer a moment! "Regardless…" Turnin' away, he continues forward, usin' his viper staff like a walkin' cane. "Come with me, rabble. If you wish to dance, I will see you into the parlor."

...Uchu just kinda gives us a vague look, so I look back at 'er! "We get to perform… the recon of dance, dude."

She looks mixed, dude. "Would be good t'see how the people here work, I guess."

...Mayu grins back at 'er. "Aw, c'mon. Dancin' ain't that bad."

Aw, now Uchu looks like she's changin' her mind!

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

So, we cross some bridges across a buncha sky islands. Most of them have like, little town fronts on each of them, and outside the buildings, you can see couples on benches and stuff. Couples with crazy ass rainbow-colored hair.

Also, there's a fuckin' ton of peach trees. Like- they seem like they get treated like weeds half the time, too! There's more foliage up here than you'd think!

boom, boom, boom. Aw. That's the sounds of the quiet dance parlor thumping in the distance!

...Genkan looks a little offset, which is cuddly. "This 'dance parlor' doesn't sound quiet."

"...You're right." Yoshi frowns. "It most decidedly does not."

Across the bridge we're moseying over now, a big, ivory palace stands on this new island. It's one of the furthest 'right' islands of the cone of sky islands.

From the top of the palace, we can see multi-colored skylights shine out of it. It's open-roof, dude!

Yoshi's gaze was narrow, dude. "There must be something unapproved of, going on in there. You all stay here."

...When he moves, we follow only a few steps later than usual!

Once we're all off the bridge, he notices! "What-... nngh. Look- when I say-"

"I'm a snow fluffle!" I yell, and bound past him! Maria and Ha-chan run with me, and we get up a good sprint!

Soon, we reach the front door, across the messy, snowy stone path up to it. The stairs were recently clean of ice, so we could walk on up 'em to the big, gold-red double doors.

Genkan drifts up aside us, next. "This dance parlor sounds neither quiet nor classical." It really don't!

I reach fer one of the big, gold ring doorknobs, and pull-

Crea~k. It's actually louder than the music inside-

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Nevermind, we found another disco!

This one's a more traditional looking disco club. A big, mostly square dance floor sits in the center, there's a DJ booth in the back, and rays of light splay down from the tiny slit that is the open skylight.

Ironically-... along the left an' right of the room, you can see unused classical instruments lying around near stone benches! It kinda all clashes super hard with the techy DJ booth and dance floor!

Also, there's some black-purple rafters around the dance floor, 'cause you need those for the multi-colored lights everywhere.

"Wh-..." Yoshi stomps in behind us, lookin' freakin' appalled! "Who did this!?"

"Me." I face him idly. "I did it."

...He gives me a blank look fer a moment, before disregardin' my opinion! "I'm getting to the bottom of-"

Suddenly, music blooms from the dance floor; actual music, not just thumps of noise!

Fwi~sh! From near the booth, someone I recognize runs out, slidin' on her knees!

It's Iku! With one arm on her right knee, and her left arm behind her head, she poses as she slides out onto the dance floor!

"Oo~h!" Celestials all around the shiny tile floor perk up!

Lyrics start from the music, too! "Get hot, hot and ask 'em out, boys... movin' on!"

...After lookin' around, I point at the left! "Aw- yo, they're makin' food!" Who wants peach pizza, yo…!?

Also- yeah, there's just a servin' counter over there, and some tables! The place ain't too full, either.

"Ooo." Maria seems interested in the food stuffs…

Sensing opportunity, Genkan starts to push me towards the food! After she harasses me enough, I face 'er… "I'm snuggly."

"We might as well get something in you now." She decides! "Before it's too late."

"Get hot, hot and seduce 'em, girls… shinin' on!" Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Iku moves between glowin', lighted squares!

Fwi- fwi- fwish! She spins around from highlighted square to highlighted square. It's-... really hard to keep up with how fast she's movin'!

"Ey, go get 'em drunk, go get 'em drunk, on something more intense…"

Spinning into center stage, electric orbs span out from Iku.

Fz- zap- zap- zap! She holds out dual flintlocks, an' fires lightning streams at 'em! Holy shit!

"...than the strongest alcohol; with a sweet ki~ss!"

Cla- cla- clack! Stompin' ahead, Iku drops down onto one knee, her opposite arm thrust out, pointing up an' out! "Ha~...!"

"I wanna play the leading part: the disco queen of love!"

WOOSH! Holy shit! Iku rolled back, sprung off the floor, onto her hands, and spun mid-handstand! Where'd the flintlocks go…!?

Genkan stops pushin' me, watching the spectacle. "Aa-... huh."

Fwish! Amethyst, vibrant pink smoke rolls off of Iku's form. Her heels are glowin' bright pink, leaving light trails where they travel...!

And 'cause she's holdin' both her legs out fully, she's makin' a huge, spirallin' cone in the air!

"As the clown, I'd be so sad. I'll kindly refuse a minor role."

Then, she freezes instantly while upside down, her whole body lighting up white, along with all the tiles of the dance floor. She's frozen in a pose, with both legs directly up in the air, twisted together.

WOO- WOO- WOOSH! Flipping back upright, Iku's legs near-instantly sweep three-sixty under herself "Nnn…!"

As they sweep rhythmically under her own pelvis, she's like, standin' on two arms, raising one at a time to let 'er legs pass.

"I wanna enter the dancefloor, and be only yours."

Once she's done pingulating her legs across the floor, Iku twirls back into standing, the colors of the dancefloor returning.

"Wanna be only your queen. Now, right now. Wow, dance with me tonight!"

Whiwhiwhiwhish! She snaps into an impossibly fast, bouncy spin on 'er left leg, trails of pink left in the air where her left arm repeatedly scrapes down.

CLICK! Her right heel stops herself on a dime, and she balls up her whole body aside from that leg, face hidden by her arms.

Thoo- thoo- thoom! Bright spotlights light up along the rafters, highlighting her in this moment!

"I wanna play the leading part! Koi no Disco Queen!"

THUMP! Iku snapped from her pose, onto her back, stood on her hands, and kicked one leg straight out, her other leg bending back the other way. "Hyea~h!"

"Oo~h!" The celestials all get hype again…!

"As a clown, I'd be so sad. I'll kindly refuse any favours."

CLI- CLICK! Flippin' back onto her legs, Iku began doin' her signature 'wave one arm back an' forth with the other on my hips' motion!

ZAP! ZAP! A star of pink lightning flourishes on her finger tip every time it's at its furthest!

"I wanna enter the dancefloor. I'm a girl, after all."

Spinning once, Iku leaps onto a red tile, before spinnin' in the opposite direction once reachin' it, and then-

Whish! She drops onto the floor, and spins three-sixty on her hip!

"I wanna be, forever the heroine. I'm begging, please."

"Hya~h!" Dude…! She freakin'- snaps off the floor into a cartwheel, rollin' back towards the DJ booth.

WOOSH! Then, spinnin' three sixty after she got back into standing, she backflips into the air!

"Wow, dance with me toni~ght!"

FWOA~SH! The whole disco palace turns electric blue, the tiles lighting up blue, cyan and white as Iku unleashes a revolving galaxy of electric orbs from herself, once she's at her highest amidst the rafters. Her intensity even drowns out the sun above…!

An' then, the music stops. Short song!

zap. Her orbs all die instantly. The floor goes dark, and Iku leaves her arms held out. Amethyst energy ripples along her form like heat, pulsing along with her heartbeat.

"Woohoo~!" The celestials cheer, dude…!

"Yea~h! Iku!" Aaw! Who was that, dude. I think I know!

...I turn to Genkan, who was just kinda watchin' all of that with her mouth agape. "Hello, snuggle friend."

...She makes eye contact wit' me again, and keeps pushin' me!

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

Oh my god they have ingredients here that aren't peaches.

This strappin' fuckin' dude with neon yellow hair sets down a cheese pizza on our table fer us! "Here ya go~."

...We're all displaced by his super fuckin' deep voice for a moment, before we focus on the pizza!

crunch. Ha-chan eats peaches in the background, 'cause she don't like pizza…!

I dunno where the other chucklefucks got off to, or what they're doin', but me an' Maria and Genkan are havin' a swell time just chillin' out by the food over here.

"You know…" Maria takes a slice of the good pizza, and looks fluffy. "That kinda dancing-... looks really fun. I don't think I'd be strong enough to do it."

"Me either!" Pretty sure Iku was on a whole 'nother level!

...We both face Genkan. "Nn-... maybe." Holy shit, she's actually middleground about it. "I'm sure that woman we saw practiced. I wouldn't wish to degrade myself by merely experimenting on a stage, like such. And- that looked more like martial performance, to me, to be honest."

"Well, well, well…" Oh, shit, yo.

We turn to the new chick at the table, yo. Tenshi saunters up from the young lookin' celestial people around us, and everyone kinda wades outta the way to stay away from her! "If it isn't Brett. I lost track of you, the other day!"

"That's Brad…!" I fix that real quick! "Also, my ass was empty, so I couldn't keep up with you."

...Tenshi double-takes real quick! "Wh- repeat that last sentence, I think the bozos around us were talkin' too loud."

"My ass is empty!" I say louder!

"The hell's that mean!" Tenshi yells back! "What's that got to do with-... whatever…!"

Fighting a grin, she looks around at my friends. "...Aa- and, who're these, now? Your mortal friends?"

"Brad." Genkan gives me a worried look…! "Don't just-... begin conversation by saying that your ass is empty." Wahaha! "That's- it's not cultured sounding…!" She has to fight laughin' just talkin' about it!

"Where's this stuff come from." Maria grins, too! "Really…!"

Aw, idea. Wait- if Tenshi's here-... Iku ain't far behind!

I lean towards Maria. "Mm- Maria! I want ya- when the next lady comes to this table-... Tell 'em your ass is empty!"

I almost said 'I want ya to tell them that' instead of 'tell 'em'. That phrasing could mean the difference between Maria wanting to do it and not wanting to do it!

"No~...!" Maria refuses anyway!

...Tenshi looks back, then at us, an' speaks quieter. "Aa- you totally should." She knows, dude.

Then, the time of action comes. Iku struts up to the table, lookin' down at our pizza. "...Th- there you are, eldest daughter. I'd thought you'd abandoned me here again, for a moment."

...When she looks at Tenshi, Tenshi just stares back at her in anticipation. "...Eldest daughter?" Iku's puzzled, dude.

"Mm-..." Maria- is she- "My ass-... is empty."

...Iku gives her the plainest look.

Genkan hides her own face in 'er palms…!

"You shouldn't do this to people, eldest daughter." For some reason, Iku starts to lecture Tenshi over this! "They look up to you as a role-"

"It wasn't even my fault!" Tenshi becomes bewildered, an' points at me! "It was his!"

...I shake my head at her. "Ass fuck has been canceled."

"Wh- what." Genkan jitters in her seat, suppressing a chuckle! She can't believe it, dude.

...Iku looks puzzled again! "I'll bite, eldest daughter. Who are these strange people?"

"Sora." I tap my end of the table. Then, I gesture ta Maria an' Genkan! "Donald, Goofy."

"You chose 'Goofy' because it started with a G." Genkan criticizes me…! An'- she's technically wrong, but I'm gonna pretend she was right!

...Iku gives Genkan a sympathetic look! "Your mother must have been a very unkind individual."

Genkan fluffs up! "My name's not Goofy…!"

Man, this pizza is good, dude. They make it fuckin' sweet up here…

"Don't you remember Brad?" Tenshi pointed at me! "He got a boner while I was throwing up." Yes, dude! "I remember you going off to jack it in a bathroom, too."

"Honestly, I don't." Iku gives me a drained look, before blinking! "Wait-... ah, yes. The human man we knew for all of about six hours."

SHOOF. A keystone erects from below the ground, and Tenshi sits on it, an' then she steals one of our pizza slices! "So! Any of you good at dancing…?"

...Maria shies into her seat, and I do too!

We both look at Genkan! She notices our stares, an' furrows her brows. "...None of us, no."

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO: GENKAN'S PERSPECTIVE ====

What is this obsession with everything pushing me towards dancing? Not even the kind of dance I'm acclimated to; this 'club' seems to feature this crazy, intricate but wild kind of dance style.

"None of you!?" This blue-haired womanchild barks at us. She seems to have known Brad briefly as an acquaintance. "...Iku, you gotta change that. This is too pitiful. Just pitiful."

Then, she traces Brad's form with her eyes. "Teach Brad to da~nce!"

"...I will do many things for you, eldest daughter." The elegant, purple-haired woman shook her head. "Teaching a human my kind of dance, is not in my job description. Nor do I believe it possible."

"Oof…!" Brad seems to relax, despite his statement.

This modern kind of dance I see everywhere… when did it get popularized? I've never really heard of it. Provided, us of the snow resist change quite fervently most times.

"Mmh…" The blue-haired 'eldest daughter' seems to calm down, as she eats the pizza. "Ghood- pishah 'ere."

...This purple-haired woman, with her black sun hat. She's staring down at me, tracing my form in interest. I'm doing the same with her, so I can't call her rude, really.

"You have no interest in dance, either?" She feels the need to ask me.

...I shake my head. "Nn-"

"You should, yo." Brad… "You do got that Rising Rotor attack!" That doesn't mean anything-

"Oh?" The purple-haired woman leans her head back. "You know Rising Rotor, yet, you do not dance? If you can perform that…"

"I-... didn't exactly learn it." I confess.

"Then, you re-invented it?" What? Oh, dear, no- "That kind of creativity and imagination would make you a powerful dancer." Hmm?

"...Truly?" I wonder, out of curiosity. "That reminds me. What is this style of dance, which you know? When was it popularized?"

"Yes, truly. And…" She pauses. "Hmm. The history of breakdancing and disco-... is not one I'm quite familiar with, ironically. I simply enjoy their practice."

...Is that so. She sounds-... quite reserved, for someone who practices something so flamboyant and vibrant.

"Even if you don't know the art…" The purple-haired woman gave me a small smile. "Would you like me to show you a few things, right now? That is… if you are interested at all, to begin with."

She'd-... show me, a few things?

...I look at Brad and Maria idly. They're still gouging on this messy pizza stuff.

Hana is eating peaches quietly, for now. One of those moments of hers. When I look at her, she fluffs up, and smiles big.

I mean-... I can't think of a reason to say no. I ought to be brave enough to fight through this embarrassment. In fact, Maria and Brad did so just a second ago, to-... inform people that their asses were empty.

"Nn-..." I hold back a chuckle. Brad, why must you be clairvoyant, in the art of saying the worst things imaginable…?

The purple-haired woman tilts her head, still smiling. "Are you okay?"

"I- I'm fine." I dissuade her worry. "...I- I think-... I'll take you up, on that offer." The dance floor, in some strange way, calls to me.

I'm not sure if it's a fleeting desire for the practices me and Shimokoa used to engage in. We had a very personal, intricate art of dance and companionship- and no, it was not lesbian sex, despite how much it sounds like it.

...Being around Brad has put me in an odd mindset. I don't mind it, I think. If I told him about me and my sister's companionship, he'd probably think it was lesbian sex.

"Before we begin…" The woman steps back from the table, and bows to me, her raiments billowing in the stagnant air. "I am Iku Nagae. Messenger of the Dragon Palace. You?"

"...Genkan." I stand, and stare. "Sister of the snow." Not an occupation, which hopefully no one points out.

Looking peaceful, Iku nods. "I see. Well..." She turned, and moved for the dark dance floor. "Come with me. I might teach you a thing, or two."

Very well.

...While we float towards the dance floor together, we pass that strange, sad man in the purple robes. Yoshi, that was his name. "Hey! Hey- you!"

"Hmm?" Me and Iku make the same noise at him in sync, which feels incredibly strange.

"Who is in charge of this!?" He points his viper-like staff at us. "None of this setup is legal!"

The 'eldest daughter' steps up before me, all of a sudden, passing between me and Iku.

Shing. She stabs some kind of blade into the floor-

Vrr- Vrrr~! She revs it full of magic, and-... it glows with truly remarkable, amber and crimson power. "Sup." She grins hard at 'Yoshi'. "This is my dig. Got a problem?"

...Yoshi steps back. "Ee- aa-... ee- eldest daughter! I- no, I'd never have a problem-"

"Good." She tilted her head back, nodding once. "We can always take it outside, if you think yer hard enough."

"Nn- what- I'd never!" He actually gets onto the floor, and bows. "Forgive me- for my insolence, eldest daughter!"

Brad comments in the background. "Freakin'-... aw, look, Maria. Level one crook versus level fifty mafia boss!" What does that mean…

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

We are now on the dance floor. It is still dark. Colors only wash across it as airy, vague shades; the blank floor sometimes bearing a hint of blue, green or red.

"So…" Iku strolls back from the DJ booth. Quiet, electric noise comes from all around us. "What do you want, out of dancing?"

"Hmm…?" Ah. Seems like a pre-instruction question, of sorts. "...To sate a desire, of body movement mastery. I'm more used to a slow, elegant pace, however."

...Iku nodded. "Alright. Unfortunately for you, this will be fast-paced. Of course, you can always go back to something slower later… but you will find it kilometers easier to perform after this."

"I'd imagine so." The way Iku dances seems… intimidating, by nature. "Why do you dance, Iku?"

"Mmm?" Iku smiled, at the question. "...It lets me cut loose. Do you too, feel pressured to maintain your elegance?"

Aa-... "You speak like you know me."

"You carry yourself in a near identical manner." Iku smiled wider, and warmer. "You're but a young yuki-onna, yes? It's truly quite something, that you remind me so much of myself."

"...I'd asked about you, not myself." I return. Let's not talk about me.

She snorted. "Defensive. Do you not surround yourself with such lively personalities, to keep yourself from sinking too deep into your mental shell?"

"Something like that." I admit. "There's more to it, than that."

"Indeed." Iku agreed with me. "But, that's none of my business, at heart."

Suddenly, the music speaks. "I'll endure, the exile…" How peculiar.

"And, do you not feel the pressure?" Iku ran her gaze up my form again. "To let loose. Anxiety. You're not sure if you want to embrace your liveliest friends and their lives, or totally shut yourself off. You want to relive the past, the present, and future all at once. You're looking for a thrill."

"Why-..." This is-... remarkable. "Who are you."

"I will ease your discomfort with your friends." Iku holds her arms out. "We will spend that energy of yours. And, today… you will learn the essence of fun." What is this feeling, that just met me…?

"I'll endure, the exile…" I'm not sure why this sort of music has vocalization to it. It's like a very… very dissonant form of folk songs.

"How grand." I automatically shrug off the sheer influential nature of her persuasion. "...Let us dance." I bow at her, but partially.

Iku bows back. "Yes. Let's."

At the moment, only some celestials are staring on, most defaulting to either the counter that serve drinks, or the one that serves food. Some simply return to regular tables. Just standing on the dance floor talking isn't a spectacle, I suppose.

"Allow me to show you the basics." Iku begins.

Whish! Immediately, she thrusts ahead, as if hooking the air with a great, greedy left arm swing.

Whiwhiwhish! With this, she immediately snaps into a spin, her left arm scraping down the air in four uniform motions.

CLICK! She stomps on her left heel, and balls the rest of her body up, hiding her face. The tile under her lights up just a little, and it's grey.

...Stopping, returning to regular standing, she turns to me. "It's important to be inventive. But, you may use my movements as inspiration. Try to do what I just did."

It looks like it will make me dizzy. "Won't that make me dizzy?"

"Yes." She smiles. "But, it's quick to pull off, and I have a follow-up move that eases it. This one."

Whiwhiwhish! This time, she spins five or more times in an instant, with no fancy accenting motions-

CLICK! Stopping on her left heel again, she balls the rest of her body up.

Woosh! Crouching down, she rolled onto her back, and stood on her hands. She kicked one leg straight out, and curled the other one back. "Ha~h…!"

Click! She quickly curled up, rolled back onto her legs, then stood again. "...Ye- yeah." She faced me, looking a little winded, but only briefly. "When you're like that, your body re-orients its balance."

"...How does your hat stay on?" Her skirt also refuses to fall over, when she's like that.

She snorts. "Static." Ah, right. She seems to control electricity, so this makes sense.

Myself, my kimono won't be as kind in covering my legs. Maybe I should make myself ice pants, or something. Or, stiffen the cloth. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Let's copy her motions.

Woosh! I thrust my body ahead, and do the great left hook with my arm, snapping myself into rotating as I do so. Just- one rotation is enough to overwhelm my head-

Whiwhi- whish! From here, I spring into the repeated claw-like swings of my left arm. Every time I spin, my right sandal meets the ground to keep the spin going; something Iku also did, I just never noticed-

CLACK! I stop on my left heel, and ball up my body. This-... helps a lot with how dizzy I am. It hides that my head is really spinning; the colors around the disco palace are everywhere.

I let myself drop, which feels good, and roll onto my back, then my arms.

"Hnn…" Handstanding- is harder than I'd imagined…!

Once on my hands, I kick my left leg out, and bend my right leg back. "Yah!" Now I feel it. I'm very dizzy, just in a different way.

Click! My front kick postured me to roll ahead onto both my legs.

My black hair spreads everywhere, whipping up when I finally stand. "Aah…" My balance takes another moment to stop being upside down, but when it comes back, all my previous dizziness is gone.

All in all-... that whole exchange was a little embarrassing. Aa- all that moving… and- everyone's watching-

"See?" Iku smiled at me again. "...Not all of my maneuvers are so apt. But, that one's a good re-orientation technique. It takes a bad situation, and turns it into a new beginning."

When she words it like that, it sounds technical, instead of foolish. And, since it does as she says it does-... I suppose it would be technical.

"I see…" My body's already all sorted after that, if also a little exerted. "What else would you recommend?"

...She tilted her head. "Most of my techniques follow a pattern. I have a string of standard moves that I repeat, but then I deviate from one to pull off a flashier one. Then, I freeze pose, and transition into another. I don't always follow this pattern, but I like consistency."

"Freeze pose?" I think I know what she means.

She balls up all her limbs except for her left leg, again. "Like this."

Click! She backflips into a handstand, then twists her legs together. "O- or this…"

Clack! She springs back onto her legs. "...You see?"

They're poses she strikes mid-dance move. They take all her momentum from her current move and completely do something new with it.

"I do." I nod. "...Will I simply repeat more of your motions, or…?"

"Now we dance." Iku decided. "Being inventive is part of it. Loose your restraints, and do what comes naturally. You will make mistakes. Appearing foolish simply makes the final mastery that much more appealing. Take risks."

...That- all goes against my nature very fiercely. In fact, it's about the opposite of the life a yuki-onna traditionally lives.

"Okay." I swallow. Everything's intimidated me. "...When does the dancing start?"

"Now." Iku nodded. "Don't wait for the music. It will follow us." ...I guess, I'll take her word for it.

...After a moment more of standing amidst the electronic white noise in the background, Iku moves.

"Hya~h!" She kicks her left leg out-

WOOSH! She does an entire backflip from the kick, gaining a meter of air in the process.

CLACK! She landed hard on her heels, and spun enough to cast her arms to me. "Don't let me outdo you, now."

Oh-... what do I- do, actually?

Let's start with what I know.

Whish! I perform the great left hook, twirling around. That's when I recall the performance I watched when we walked into the disco parlor…

"Aah-" I spin around one more time, and let myself drop to the floor, my dizziness aiding me-

Whish! I spin on my right thigh, doing a three-sixty sweep across the floor in the process.

Whi- whish! Next to me, Iku twirls twice, similar to me.

Click! Then, she flips off her heels, backwards onto her hands. "Hup…!" She twists her legs together-

Woo- woo- woosh! She swings them down into the floor. Her arms are still on the floor, but she swings both her legs under each, alternating so that she has at least one arm on the floor at all times. "Ye- yea~h!" Her voice…!

I stop just spinning on my thigh like a hooligan, and try to follow along. I swing my legs beneath myself into a circular revolution.

...Circular revolution. I should name it so.

Woo- woo- woosh! I have it easier- at first. Oo- oh, gods. Swinging my legs around like this- makes me feel my joints, which I haven't exerted like this in so long- or ever-

I seem to travel awkwardly across the floor while doing this, and the tiles beneath the both of us slowly come alive with faded colors.

The DJ girl exclaims something across the disco palace. "We got a real deal goin' on here tonight!"

The music booms to life.

"Ha-..." Iku stops her pendulum-like swing instantly, somehow holding both legs above the ground to her left. What absurd strength…!

Then, she roars them out with twice the speed, lifting herself with how hard she sweeps them into the air.

"Angh!" Now she's on her arms, which are behind her and being used as stands, both legs fully extended.

Cla- clack! She flicks her heels against the floor one after another, bouncing herself almost into a proper handstand. Her body fell back towards a sitting-esque position-

Cla- CLACK! She flicked her heels against the ground harder, springing into a backflip.

The music's voice aspect begins. "The darkness of night falls around my soul, and the hunter within loses control."

"Oh!" Iku lands crouched, and kicks her left leg out, spinning three-sixty, skidding her heel into the floor. "Yeah!"

Fwish! An odd, pink aura flares from her body. I can feel her life energy from here…!

"Hu- ah…" I stop my slowly depowering pendulum motion, my legs frozen in the air to my right. My arms are screaming at me, as I hold this pose…

"Gotta let it out- gotta let it out! Gotta let it out- gotta let it out!"

I can't quite do what she does, so I end up doing something different.

WOOSH! I fling my legs to the left with too much force, and I do an entire sideways flip back into standing. "Aa- aah…!"

"This demon inside has a hold of me, clenching its power, trying to break free."

CLACK! My sandals power into the floor, and I do something to keep the momentum going.

WOOSH! From here, my left leg roars up, and I do the meter-high backflip Iku did. "Hwah…!"

"Oh shit!" The DJ girl yells, and the music gets louder. "It's gettin' crazy!"

CLA- CLACK. I land on my sandals, and Iku's snapped into standing again, behind me.

"Move fast, baby- don't be slow!"

Whi- whiwhish! Iku traces my side, spinning three-sixty repeatedly, and I do the same along her side, the both of us doing identical motions.

Thu- thud! We drop onto our thighs, spinning around close enough to one another for my hair to collide with her pink-red raiment cloth over and over.

"Step aside- reload, time to go~!"

CLICK! "Ha~h!" Iku snaps from the floor, into a backwards cartwheel. How'd she do that!?

I don't have anything that equals that!

Bam! I thrust my right arm against the floor, and stand just on it, all my other limbs splaying upward. It looked like gravity was pulling me upward- but it felt quite the opposite...

"Uu- ah…!" I- I didn't think this through at all…! Ow...

"I can't seem to control- all this, rage that's inside me!"

ZA- ZA- ZAP! Iku snaps from the floor, still in her cartwheel posture, but she becomes a disc of pale electricity in the air. Her whole body's facing the floor as she whirls around insanely fast, her aura like an airborne, giant wheel of pink smoke splaying out all across the dance floor.

She's using her magic. Wait-...!

FWASH! Before I fall to the floor in a mess, my arm's strength running out, I freeze my pose. Literally. I froze myself solid.

The music outside is muffled by the ice. "Pullin' shots- aimin' dots- yeah, I don't miss!"

KRA- KROOM! I break from my statue, ice chunks exploding across the gently pulsing dance floor.

"Branded by fire, born in the abyss!"

"Hyah…!" Now I'm in a proper handstand, spinning around with both my legs outstretched, cold air billowing across the warm disco palace.

"Aa~h!" The DJ squeaks over the music. "Badass!"

Admittedly, I'm fairly proud of freezing my freeze pose. I'm not sure why it hadn't occurred to me sooner.

"Red hot temper, I just can't resist- all this, vengeance inside me!"

CLA- CLACK! Iku lands on both heels again, on the vibrant, flourishing blue and green tiles beneath us.

I twist my legs together, posing once my spinning handstand gets old. "Aa- aah…"

KLACK! Backflipping out of standing, Iku rotates mid-air, her left leg alive with electricity and pink, trailing light.

KRACK! She slams that leg down heel-first against the ground, hard enough to make it shake. A plume of static visibly flourishing out from her. The tiles beneath her suddenly flash a brighter, inconsistent blue.

Cli- click. Then, her right heel meets the floor with mysterious force, and she backflips again. This time, she's an impossible whirl, her whole body violet, electricity flourishing off her form.

KRAKOO~M! The top of her left foot meets the dance floor, when she lands on her right knee out of her backflip.

Fzz- fzzt! The whole dance floor blinks pink for a moment, before returning to its blue and green disposition. Wh- what was that kind of motion…!?

I can't just leave this sort of thing be. I should be able to do something she can't.

Whish! I spring from my handstand, leaving a pad of ice on the ground where I was.

I'd put enough power in it- that I soar over Iku, ready to land on my sandals-

KRI~NG! My glacier blade erects from the tiles beneath me, alive with the colors of the tiles beneath it, projecting light across the palace like a prism.

I stand atop it, looming down over the residents of Heaven around me. I can't stop myself from leering.

FWI- FWI- FWISH- SKRIKIKIKIK! Then, I rotate fast. I just keep spinning, my left sandal drilling into the ice, spreading chunks and frost everywhere amidst the colorful, airy void of the dance floor.

"Oo~h, ho~h!" The DJ girl leans over her booth, beholding the dance floor, as ice and slush spread across the jittery, electric mess. "It's an apocalypse down there…!"

Celestials gather around, beholding us two mere youkai, as we light up the dance floor.

KRA- KRA- KRA- KRACK! Soon, I'm near the end of my glacier blade, which is nothing more than a stump amidst the floor tiles now.

Rolling onto my back, I handstand, kicking my left leg forward. "Hah- yeah!" This satisfaction… it's familiar, but also distinct and different.

Iku slips up next to me, her right arm on her own hip, and her left arm pointed into the air.

THWASH- KRAKOO~M! She's struck by lightning in this moment, and the light from her form is blocked by my body, casting a shadow of my kicking my legs across the palace.

Fwish! I snap from my handstand- and instead of standing, I spin across the floor on my back.

"Eh- aa~h!" I unleash Rising Rotor, spinning around on my shoulders lightning-fast in the middle of the dance floor!

"Snow woman!" Iku yells. "Handstand, catch me!" What…!?

FWASH! I freeze in the midst of my Rising Rotor.

KRAKOOM! I explode from the ice, into a handstand, my legs thrusting straight up-

Iku flips up onto my sandals, and spreads her arms out.

FZZT- FRA~R! She becomes an electric beacon of light, illuminating the entire club.

The music pulses, the whole club shakes, and I feel myself slow. The dance floor fades out in this moment, and my eyes widen.

This spontaneity. This activity. There's more to this than just self-expression.

It's something personal, in a way. No one else can really say they've had this experience, or felt this exhilaration, or for the same reasons. Not Brad, not my sister.

In fact, the lyrics have reminded me of my sister. They've reminded me of everything she's missed out on, in her unfortunate disposition.

Going forward like this- all this energy, all this potential, the vigor I feel for the variety-...

What a revelation.

Fwish! Amethyst energy blooms along my form. The heat I've stored, and collected-... I feel it!

"Ho~ly shit!" The DJ girl exclaims.

The dance floor explodes with gold light. The music fades back in.

"All of these voices inside of my head!"

Whish! Iku soars up, into the palace's airspace.

CLACK! As I fall onto my back, I stop myself with my right leg and right arm, shooting my left arm and leg out instead, as if posing.

"Blinding my sight- in a curtain of red!"

Fwi- whi~sh! I snap off the floor into innumerable three-sixty spins on my left heel. "He- hehe~!"

"Frustration, is getting bigger!"

KRI~NG! A lopsided glacier blade erects before myself, and my right leg meets it, letting me stop myself.

Sk- kri~k! Springing away from it, letting it sink, I ice-skate across the blooming gold floor on my sandals, drawing ice in my wake as I sail.

"Bang, bang, bang! Pull my Devil Trigger!"

FWASH- WOA~SH! Iku unleashes her spreading galaxy of lightning orbs above, and they begin descending upon the stage.

I skate between the flickering, cyan orbs. I spin past one to my right, before-

Scra~tch! I drop onto my thigh to avoid one ahead of me that I couldn't dodge.

Fwash! I thrust a spike of ice into the floor, springing back onto my ice-... ice skates.

"Fuckin'-... slick skates!" The DJ girl exclaimed, again. "Everyone- you gotta see this!"

"Ha~h!" I spin around, and crouch down.

SCRA- SCRA- SCRATCH! Pink sparks fly around me! I'm spinning three-sixty along the floor, ice and light exploding out from my movements…!

"Embrace the darkness that's within me~!"

KABOOM! Iku snaps into being next to me-

I spring up, and lock onto her arms when she poses herself to accept mine.

Fwi- whiwhiwhish! We spin around, along the pulsing, explosive gold floor, ice and light everywhere, without direction.

"No hiding in the shadows anymo~re!"

I draw my pink fans telekinetically, and they spiral around me. "Iku! Let's go!"

"Aah…!" Iku feels the speed.

That's when we take off. We're accelerating.

WOO- WOO- WOO- WOO -WOOSH! We round the dance floor three times in two seconds, our legs pendulating around the floor once we've dropped down.

KRA- KRACK! Iku's black heels explode, the pointy bottoms snapping right off…!

"He- hehe~!" I can feel my sandals grind against the blooming gold tiles! "Woohoo~!"

"Who- hooa~h!" Iku slams her legs into the floor intentionally hard-

BOOM! We sail up and into the club airspace.

"Ooo- aaa~h!" The DJ girl bounces with energy, dancing in her booth. "Smokin' sexy style!" If- if you want to call what we're doing 'style'...

"All of these voices inside of my he- ead! Blinding my sight in a curtain of re- ed! Frustration is getting bigger! Bang, bang, bang, pull my Devil Trigger!"

FWIZAP- FWASH- WOOSH! We careen through the air over the rafters, clouds forming off of me, and lightning from Iku dotting the ceiling, and the rafters.

"When the night ends, it's not ove~r! I weave right through, to get clo~ser!"

Oo- aa- even now- her static- and my arms aren't enough! "He- hehe!" How much of a mess can we make!? We need to uproot the floor!

"Aaa-...!" Iku yelps, as we sail! "Oh my go~d!"

"Eeh- eheh- aaah!" I'm so damn dizzy! Wo~w! Oo- oh, gods! Let's break the rafters! Wait- I can't control- aaa- maybe that's why she's screaming-

"Like a silver bullet piercing through! I throw myself into yo~u!"

WOOSH! Iku- let go…! Oh- shit! I mean-

BOOM! Aaa~h!

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO: BRAD'S PERSPECTIVE ====

...Wow. This whole club thing-... it- it really turned out to be more than I expected!

I stare up at the pink, smoke cloud mist the girls have become. Our peach juice at the table bounces, threatening to just fuckin' hop off the edge from all the vibrating…!

"Like a silver bullet piercing through! I throw myself into yo~u!" It's so lou~d!

WOOSH! Genkan breaks from the giant air wheel they'd become, and just- fuckin' sails straight down for the table-

Maria grabs her drink. "Oo- god-"

KABOOM! Genkan hits the table dead on, her arms frozen to take the impact, smashing the thing into fuckin' two pieces- it was hard stone too-

Whump! "Oof!" Aa- she landed on me…!

Wham- bam! My chair tilts right the fuck back, and I sail outta it and onto my ass, Genkan had so much velocity…!

"Oo- oh, gods…!"I hear her exclaim, face buried in my chest! "Ehehe... wh- what'd I break!?"

She looks up, and our eyes meet.

...Hers are open way wider than usual, cyan light pulsing within, and- wow, she's hot! Like-... visually! "...Aa- aah. Br- Brad."

The crowd roars a little late! "Woa~h!" The celestials fuckin' love all this risky shit! Some of them are still jittering with electricity from a few of the stunts…!

The music pulses out. "I think that's a wrap! Hehahah!" The DJ girl's a freakin' loon…!

"...Oo- ow." My- torso hurts! So does my arms!

vhu~m. Aa- Seikatsu- makes the pain go away. Good thing she, or it, is just-... here.

"...Ha- hi." I awkwardly greet Genkan! I'm just- on the floor, and she's staring down at me-

"Mmh." She thrusts her face down onto mine, and kisses me.

Uu- uh… ah. Wow. "Mwah." Then, she brings her face back. "Th- there… co- consider that-... compensation." Her body actually is hot in the literal way, which is different…!

fwump. She collapses onto me, her body sinking into mine… and lemme tell ya, there's not alot of me to sink into! "Unf…"

"Spent-... so much-... energy." Genkan hugs me. "Sleep…"

...I- I hug her back. Comfy, she just rests her head in my neck. She smells like ice, fresh water and Iku's perfume!

This is bad, yo. I'm also full on pizza, so I'm loafish myself. And-... just-... oof.

I give up too, relaxing into being squished. "Nnh."

...Walkin' up from the table, Maria gives us a pitying look. "Wow. You guys got wiped out…" Party wipe, son…! Except fer Maria, but-... not a lot any of us can do, about fatiguing ourselves into submission…

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

fwump. Tenshi deposits us-... somewhere. I dunno, I closed my eyes…

We seem to be-... on a futon, or somethin'.

"There." Givin' us a confident nod, she pivots around an' saunters off… "Now, sleep it off." Yeah- don't gotta tell us twice!

We must be somewhere else in the disco palace, 'cause I can still hear people an' shit. We're just somewhere secluded, in a branching room fit with this futon. How clean is this futon. Actually-... does it matter, since we're in heaven? Aa~h!

Nnn. Considering the futon smells of peach and some kinda unique fabric softener, maybe we don't gotta worry…

Genkan looks up from my chest. "...A nap would be best-... for the both of us."

I'm full of pizza, so… "Ye- yeah." I'm really feelin' that myself!

The room itself is stone. Warmth emanates from softly glowing green tiles amidst the ceiling and floor, and the futon feels so good to just lie on. Especially with Genkan pressing me down into it.

Tenshi-... seems gone. So now, s'just us in here.

"...That was fun." Genkan spoke into my kimono cloth.

"Wa- was it, now…" S'the first time I've seen her be so… playful! Even more than in the snow!

"It was." She shifted to lie next to me and on her left side, on the futon. "The motion. The spectacle. It-... was not the kind of dancing, that I'd grown up with... but…"

While I keep starin' up at the ceiling, all tired, she hugs onto me from the side. "I realized I enjoy being active."

"Active, huh…" Not sure what 'active' is relative to!

Maybe the way she used to live, sitting in her cave nearly all hours of the day. S'different than with a computer; the computer's like a whole world in a box! When ya got just books and some other things, it's like locking yourself in a room with a gameboy, a top, and some plastic balls. Fun for like, five hours at the logical extreme, but then really suffocating…!

"Mmm." She confirmed. "Not that I'd dislike a comfortable, slow lifestyle even still… but, activity isn't something I should be resenting."

The way she phrases that. "...Have ya been resenting it?"

"...A little." She admits. "Only momentarily, but I tend to not mind. It's worth it… for these moments, where I get to lie down with you."

Oo- oh. "Lyin' down with me, huh…!?"

...She smiles a little! "You sure like that question format. And, yes. Haven't I said it before? You're desirable, to me."

"Wasn't the word ya used cute…?" I remember it not being as far as 'desirable'...!

"Do you expect me to be very forward?" Genkan smiles wider…! "The fact that I've been the one goading you at all, when normally I don't act…"

Well…! "I don't really-... get the urge to y'know, impose myself ever. Or, often, at least."

"And, I like that." Genkan pulls me in tighter. "But, you can be comfortable, around me. If you aren't already, that is."

Aah…

"Why don't you get undressed?" Genkan offers. "We'll nap under the blankets."

Aa- aah. I'd like to! But… wait, this room has heating. I was so tired I'd not noticed at first. Man, eating too much pizza does weird shit to you, dude…

Now I'm faced with getting naked again! Which-... y'know, at this point, it's not as intimidating, but it's still like… I dunno!

"...This is always a challenge for you, isn't it." She looks amused about it, this time.

No matter what, undressing with someone, even Genkan, makes me feel weird! It's kind of a good feelin', but...

I close my eyes, and focus.

Fwi- click! I magic my clothes off in bed! My racecar helmet was already removed at some point, but now my kimono's off too, and my toyosatomimi sandals. 'Cause, I mean, good luck eating pizza with a racecar helmet on.

"You can do that while lying down too, then." Genkan looks over my pale form… "You look very happy, just being hugged like this."

"Ye- yeah, go figure…!" To this day, scientists cannot ascertain why, son. "Aa-"

"Mmh." Genkan hugs me real tight, and lets out a snug noise. Her face is right next to my right cheek. "So warm. I used to despise the warmth blankets or heating provided. But, when it's run through you, it's not so bad."

"...S'that how it works." I feel like I'm unable to act, and that feels good.

"Mmm." She shifted her arms a little, and-... it's also pretty good, when she just shifts like that. It's so good just getting held, and-... I really had no idea, until I got held like this, and really wanted it.

"You see…" Oh, explanation! "Human heat is paired with their life energy, more often than not. I've spoken about how we yuki-onna can take from the soul as well as one's heat. While heat on its own, without life is insufferable… I'm sure you've noticed, how we pride ourselves on collecting what we seemingly despise. It's because we can feel the difference.

"Humans, who generate life by being, cannot."

...When she said that, it just kinda clicked. Like-... 'damn, that makes a lot of sense'.

It made a lotta sense, 'cause Genkan loved not moving, and not doing things. An' then came me, a fuckin' typhoon of mania and noobery. I generate the life by being, that she collects.

But, y'know. "Any human can generate life." I know I'm not that-

Genkan kisses me. "Mm-..." It's sudden, and overwhelming- for me. Not quite like the clumsy peck she gave me after she got offa' her disco high.

And, it feels so good, to be so tired, and to be able to do nothing but accept her. I've been bashful in describin' it before-... but, maybe I shouldn't be. Aside from when I get really surprised, maybe.

Our lips separate. We didn't get messy or anything! "...You should chew your lips less." She noticed…!? "Even when you've been healed recently, you somehow chewed through your upper lip in the past few hours."

...I can't say nothin' about that! What do you say 'bout-

She leans into my right ear. "You're my human." Oo- "I want life from only you." Wh- aoa-

I face her-

"Mhn." She presses her lips into mine again, pressing my head back into the futon. Ho- holy shit…

She rotates my body with her arms, so that my chest would be pressed against hers.

"Mwah." Breaking the kiss, she looks down, along my body. "I ought to scrub you soft, at some point. You were not thorough enough, at the hot springs, I can tell. Hana may know a thing or two, but… you didn't let her close, did you. Not that I can blame you." She knows too much…!

She holds me really tight for a moment, and-

Fwi~sh! The blanket beneath us telekinetically slides out, floats up, and covers us.

I close my eyes, as Genkan just-... nnh, squeezes onto me again.

"...Very happy, in fact." She notices how I just freakin' melt.

I twitch, a couple times. Freakin'... hypnic jerks.

After some moments of just lying here, getting hugged, my body understandably can't resist how soft everything is, and my eyes get heavy.

Clack. The door into the plainly-furnished-but-overall-fancy room swings open!

"He~y." Tenshi just freakin'... "Brought you another-... futon."

Nope. Too late, son. I'm about to go into a pizza-and-snuggle induced coma…!

...She just drops the stuff on the floor before our futon, and leaves! "The heck."

...Well. My mind does not... want to stay awake…

I twist my head to face Genkan, and just-... close my eyes.

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO: MARIA'S PERSPECTIVE ====

...This juice really helps like-... offset how thirsty that pizza stuff makes you. It must be really salty. I know when my mom made really salty bread for certain parties… yeah.

That blue-haired lady strolled back up to the table, where me and Hana sat. "They didn't want the second futon." I wonder why.

"...Why's this place have rooms anyway?" I ask. I mean, it is heaven, but…

"For when you want to sleep at a club." The blue-haired woman provided. "Or fuck." Oh.

"Eldest daughter…" Iku strolls up, looking casual. "Please, keep foul language to a tactful minimum. Tactful."

"Fuck." I- I think she declined. "...Anyway!" She faces me again. "The people here at the club, they use cleansing spells on the beds every so often. Not that you shouldn't cleanse them yourselves, too. I'd already cleansed the ones they were gonna use." Aah. Makes sense. I ought to learn something similar.

"We should be sniffing fluffles." Hana proposed…

Iku shook her head. "Don't be sniffing fluffles." Awh.

...This club is weird. Celestials all look so weird.

There seems to be a difference between the type of celestials one might see in the ruined part of town, and here. Both types are here in the disco palace, so…

For instance, the 'proper' types of celestials seem to only wear unassuming clothing, or robes. It looks like some youkai are here, who don't conform to any kind of outfit, and the improper celestials wear just really out there, neon-colored stuff. But-... they have this distinct style to them that at least makes picking them out in a crowd easy.

...I need more peach juice. Even after the energy high it gave me, the pizza stuff I ate is making it crash back down. Actually, I should learn how to make pizza. Maybe I can make it stop putting me into a coma after I eat it.

"Nnh…" When I get up, I feel like a tub. Wow… how'd Brad stomach more than half of it? Then again, he doesn't eat…

I haven't eaten much in awhile either, but I feel so full right now.

...Coming up to the counter slowly, I look over the people near me. It's kind of like a bar counter… but, it doesn't make sense, because you just order food here. The drink counter's across the room. It's probably repurposed, or something, then.

"Uu- um…" The big burly guys managing these counters make me nervous, for some reason. "Pe- peach juice, please."

The big blond man heard me, saw me, then nodded. "Comin' up."

To my left, is that purple guy- Yoshi. I almost forgot his name! ...He looks upset.

I haven't really thought too hard about how he looked. Which is-... not for no reason. He's oddly tan, and his black hair is just-... it's done up in a way no human would do it up, kind of. I guess he's… going for some kinda monk or samurai-esque look? The robes kinda make it-... not work, though.

Well, that's none of my business.

Click. I wanna know how these big celestial guys are like, ten feet tall, and why I only see them behind the bar counters. "Here y'go." Oh, he also sat down my peach juice.

"...Th- thank you." I thank him so quietly and so late that he's already run off to do something else.

They're kinda scary, to be honest. I mean… I'm gonna assume Heaven-... well, I'm not gonna assume anything. Heaven shouldn't have a crime rate, but that seems too idealistic.

To my right's this blue-haired girl. Not the 'eldest daughter', some other proper celestial in blue robes, with blue hair.

Maybe I can ask some questions, and stuff. If anything goes bad, I can just-... use my time stop staff. Stopping one person's time is really useful!

Anyway, um. Who-... who first?

...I don't wanna bother this blue-haired lady I don't know. So, I guess I'll bother this Yoshi guy.

"Hey." Let's stir him. "...Yoshi."

He perks up from looking at the counter, once I say his name. "...Hmm? Oh. It's you." He frowns at me. "Can't you see I'm busy? Go make a mess, or something."

Ah. "Well, no." I don't reply to anything specifically. "I wanted to ask you some questions."

He snorted. "...What could a mortal earth mage of your stature possibly inquire of me?"

"You work up here, right?" Let's ask about life up here, and stuff.

...He gave me a frown, but nodded. "Well, yes."

"Is there a crime rate?" My peach juice looks good…

As I hold it up to drink it, he seems to rub his forehead, leaning into the table a little. "Aah. That-... is not a question I get asked. I, personally, would say yes. With the amount of rapscallions crossing over into official heaven territory, on occasions like these-"

"But-..." Peach juice is good. Also, "that's like, governmental stuff. That's just disobeying orders. I'm thinking of like… murder. Rape. Theft."

Yoshi's eyes widen a little. "What? Oh, heavens, no. We've not had-... well, when we have crimes of such sort, they are exceptionally rare, and driven by complicated context. So, if you wanted a yearly report of such crimes, the number would sit at around zero. Mind you this is only among celestials, we do not consider loitering youkai amongst our citizenry."

You know. "...If a celestial dies, where do they go?"

He grins at me. "True celestials cannot die. For, they are already dead. At the same time, this doesn't mean there's no pain involved, and were we to meet our demise outside heaven, we would 'die', and be sent back to heaven. Sort of like a fairy. Ngeh."

I see. That's kinda interesting. I wonder if I can ask about the prerequisites for getting into heaven. Maybe I shouldn't be thinking about dying just yet…!

But, that's my curiosity settled.

"...Hey." One last thing. "Where'd you get that staff." As plant hangers are to Brad… ever since I got this new backpack, I've been kinda, you know…

He snorted. "...Ah. My gold SideViper staff, you mean." He felt beside himself, and it was leaning against the counter next to him. "I had it forged by decree of the celestial court. It is cast from gold, fortified with cobalt dust, as well as emerald gravel. Why do you ask?" He smirked at me. "Jealous?"

"Does it help with anything?" If it doesn't beat the Stop spell, then uh… enh.

...His smirk faded, and he raised a brow. "What do you mean, 'does it help with anything'? It is a pure focus of such calibre, that my spells flow like silk, my mana a velvet thread from which the universe heeds my command."

"I'm gonna need numbers." If I wanted a fancy staff, I'd just-... make my stuff glow, or something. I'm sure Brad would have some weird ideas.

He huffs. "...Fine. It allows the transitioning of one spell into another spell quicker, without as much fuss or spillage. This leads into concepts like spell-chaining…"

Leaning it across himself, he lets me look at the viper head part. "Stored magic may be safely conducted from the tip here, as well. Like such, I may call ambient elements at my leisure."

That all sounds fun, but he probably didn't need dusted emeralds and cobalt to get there. Now that I think about it-... I don't really have a good technical staff. I should push Brad and Genkan into fetching me one, or something. We have so much money, it probably wouldn't be hard to just get one made… or buy one from someone.

Actually. "Is your staff for sale?" I wanna talk numbers.

He snorted. "...Sale? Pftuh. Unless you have political clout amidst the celestial court, your mortal coin shines in vain, child."

It was worth a shot. I'll probably just hold onto those staff ideas, for now.

...Aa- ah. That blue woman is smiling at me, now.

"Are you sure you want to be talking to him?" Her smile was carefree, but her energy wasn't… "Those of the celestial court are not known for their care or kindness."

Yoshi leaned further into the counter. "Ha~h? And who are you? ...And, take me not as an example, for I am exemplar-... wait. I- I'm amazing, that's what I meant to say." Wow.

"I'm Tamiko. I'm from sector forty-eight." The blue-robed woman replied. "You're one of the accessories to sector… ten, isn't it? You really don't have a place to be so high and mighty..."

Oh, no. I'm in the middle of some kinda political argument, aren't I.

"This- from sector forty-eight…!?" Yoshi squeezes closer, looking past me, glaring at Tamiko. "Excuse me…!?"

"Excuse you." Tamiko delivered. "You're not even mayor of your sector. You really just ought to shut your mouth, some times."

"Oh, a mouth will be shut, alright!" Yoshi- actually, they're both leaning in really close…! "I dare you to disrespect me again!"

"Oh?" Tamiko's eyes widened. "I'm going to fucking murder-"

"Hehe~y!" Oo- oh!

Mayu saunters up to us, looking lazy. "Y'can't just have a club fight wit'out me in it!"

Tamiko looked like she died. "...O- oh. You."

Yoshi went back to resting on the counter, shutting up immediately.

...Mayu frowned at them. "Oh, come on, you fuckin' pussies."

"Mayor of sector thirty two…" Tamiko looked up Mayu's form. "Shouldn't you be more professional? You represent your sector island, you know."

"An' I represent 'em by kickin' ass." Mayu leered down at Tamiko. "Got anything else ta say?"

...I take my glass of peach juice, and get up. "Ex- excuse me." Let's get out of here…!

The others just kinda let me go. Phew…

Coming back to the table, I see that Hana's spread some peaches out on it, for no reason.

The 'eldest daughter' and Iku are here, looking calm.

"Hey, you!" The 'eldest daughter' immediately points at me. "What's the thing between that Brad guy and that yuki-onna?"

The 'thing'...? "Um?" What kinda response do I wanna go for. "They're boyfriend and girlfriend."

...She raised a brow. "What, seriously? How'd that even happen."

"...It's a long story." It really is. "What'd you think was going on, between them?"

She grinned. "I thought she was waitin' for a good moment to eat him!"

Iku snorted next. "...For some reason, considering how they traveled here and treated one another, I doubted such a scenario immensely."

Also. "What's your name...?" I point at 'the eldest daughter'.

...She blinked weirdly, before slowly telling me. "Tenshi~? How'd you not know."

How was I supposed to know. I almost say something to that, but I don't.

Hana speaks. "Maria's-..." I look at her. She looks at me, and begins to smile, her knees to her face 'cause she's kinda balled up in her seat. "Maria's been sniffing fluffles." What, no.

"Dusty." I comment, with no real intent or direction.

...Where're we gonna go after this? I've got this feeling, that the disco club here's gonna be the highlight of the field trip.

"Hey, Hana." I wonder… "You said you were hungry, earlier." I think… two days ago, about.

...Hana just stares at me.

"I never found out, what you were hungry for." She said it wasn't food, or cuddles. "...Is it dust."

Hana snorts. "Whah, no~. That's silly. But, I dunno."

Tenshi rested her arms on the table, and leaned forward. "Peaches. Water. Bread."

Hana reacts to none of these. I don't think Tenshi'd know anything useful… actually- Hana's already ate peaches. This is clearly nothing relating to the stomach…!

"So…" Iku looks peaceful, as she gazes at me. "Who are you?"

"...Maria." I answer. "I live on Earth."

Iku snorts. "How broad."

...I look down at our semi-broken table. It'd split in half when Genkan hit it earlier, but it's solid stone, so it can stand up despite technically being just… half. The stand part is really thick.

Time to ask some questions, and stuff… "Is there any kinda special magic that only celestials would usually know?"

...Iku pursed her lips. "That's-... hmh. Yes, and no. That's a really complicated answer. There's a lot of high-tier magic floating around up here, and high-powered low-tier magic. Then, there's court-regulated magic that is generally for identification purposes. It's not something that I think is worth investing time in."

Who was she, again? Messenger of… some dragon palace?

"What was your job again?" Let's see if I can make her explain.

...Iku reads my intent, and answers. "I am the envoy of the dragon palace. Or, a messenger. My job is to read the atmosphere. This has a double meaning, in that I read the mood of a place, and my job is to be in the atmosphere-... reading the mood of Gensokyo, therefore, the atmosphere. Get it?"

"Ye- yeah." Wow. "That's-... huh."

"...I wouldn't need my powers to tell you're a very curious type of person." Iku talks about me. "I draw much of my magic potential from the palace itself."

...I dunno how that works. Drawing magic-... from a place, and not yourself. It's the same reason I'm kinda stumped by shrine maidens, although at least their god can like, reach into them or something. Drawing it from something weird that isn't a god would be weird, and kinda-... I dunno.

"Huh." I don't have a lot to say in turn… "Electricity, huh."

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO: BRAD'S PERSPECTIVE ====

…Nnh.

I have no idea how long we've spent just lying here, like this. S'been-... like, a real dozing-in, dozin'-out kinda experience.

The temperature's just right, though.

Genkan is half-spread across me. Her head's nuzzled into the side of mine, and I'm just, lookin' up.

That pizza feels all digested! And-... I'm stuck. My right arm and leg are under Genkan…!

She's in her kimono, so my right hand's full of cloth and stuff. I start feeling around idly, as I kinda wake up… I dunno where the hand even really is. I think that's her thigh, the furthest one…

"Mmh…" Aa- oh shit-

Creak. She splays further across me, and-... Jesus, gettin' pressed down like this feels so good…!

I let my eyes close. Let's give up…

BOOM. Uh oh. That's the music-...! The club's startin' up again, or some shit!

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. You know- now the beds being clean makes sense…!

"Aa-..." Genkan's stirred, dude. She looks up, before looking down at me. "...Oh. Good morning."

"I- dunno if it's 'morning' exactly…!" S'probably like noon…!

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Oh, god…! We're gonna need ice earmuffs when we walk out there! Man, if only Toyota-Subaru no Miko gave me a pair of super ass fuck ear muffs.

"I need-..." I voice my concerns… "Super ass fuck ear muffs…"

...Genkan stops lookin' around, and looks down at me again, still just lying on me! "I'd tell you to go back to sleep, if that was an option."

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. They tryin'a break the fuckin' sound barrier!? Aa~h!

Alright, son, time to get up. I sit up-

Genkan's softness is in the way. "Nn- ah…" I just end up tucking myself under her more, and- wow…

...She looks down at me kinda amused-like for a moment, before moving! "Alright…"

woosh. She floats into standing in the air, and walks off on nothing at all! "Time to get up, I think." Goodbye, blanket…

Even though the room is warm- it's cold…! I close my eyes an' shit, and-

Fwi- Click! The~re we go. Helmet, check! Protein- or, well vitamin pills, check! Camou-mono, check!

I get outta bed- or, the futon, in my Subaru-brand sandals! "There's no noose like a Subaru, dude."

"No what now." Genkan gives me a look…!

"No news is good news!" It's time to be ginger friends, dude. I ya~wn. "...Actually, I wonder what the hell we're gonna do next."

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. Music, in the background…!

"...Dancing is fun." Genkan decides! "However-... I think that was enough of that, for now. Even if it ends well, I'll just tire myself out again. I'd like to apply what I've learned… outside the dance floor." What'd you learn on the dance floor. How ta dance…!?

Anyway, let's see~... I mean, we could sightsee. Walk up to the edge of a sky island, an' look down! Aw. That must be where people play the 'try not to piss yourself' game!

"We should play, 'try not to piss ourselves'." I suggest the good game.

...An' y'know, Genkan really doesn't know what ta say to that, at first! "...Nn- no. Firm denial."

Of course, this implies we ever use the bathroom, and defecation is not warped into the sun instantly before we can even think about it. Let's not think about the fourth wall that hard…!

"But-..." Lookin' at me, Genkan smiles. "I realized something about myself, today."

"You like ta not piss yourself." I raise my fist to the air. "Yes, dude!"

"I'll make you piss yourself." Genkan- is surprisingly forward, with that…! "But, I really should be more daring. I've spent too much of my life inactive."

...Lookin' satisfied, she moves fer the door out. "How much longer should we dwell in Heaven, Brad?"

Hmm. We hit the disco, a~nd that's honestly all I can say this place is that good for!

There's a reason I don't make a habit of visiting here, like I do the vampire mansion, or the village! It takes some work to get here, and all they've got is a lotta air…! Pretty air, but…

Actually, shit, we haven't gone to the Moriya Shrine like ever, have we. Both just myself, and my friends! Probably 'cause Youkai Mountain freakin'... likes to tear your dick off.

"I think not much longer!" I declare…!

"You thought at all?" Genkan- oof…!

So I clarify! "I think we won't be sittin' here that much longer!"

'Cause, like… "Often, I just end up stumblin' outta places. I think this is the first time in awhile that I'd be just done with a location." To be fair, this place would basically be Human Village two-point-oh if I had super free flight.

"Well, you live the life of a nomad, after all." Genkan looks peaceful, dude. "Your idea of complacency is refusing to sit in one place for too long." ...Man, she's really not wrong!

"But- Eientei held us in it fer like ten years." I consider!

"Eientei was also stupidly huge on the inside, and full of both amazing innovation as well as horrible nightmares." Genkan explains…! "It has a lot going for it in terms of both mystery and people. Heaven itself is largely laid out and certain… and, I can't really speak for the people, but..."

Hmh. Yeah, I dunno. It feels more like a collection of ROBLOX places than anything else! Time to take Genkan to 'work at a pizza place', the shitty ass, shallow ass pizza job simulator that has existed for over a fookin' decade.

"Aw, you ever climbed Youkai Mountain?" I ask 'er! "The few times I went on it, I got my dick torn off repeatedly!"

"It's not a place for humans to begin with." Genkan chides me…! "The fact you aren't dead is some strange miracle. ...Otherwise, it's rife with some troublesome types, but it can be pleasant. The straight from the kappa housing to the Moriya Shrine is the most peaceful. Too far to the left, and you get tengu. Too far to the right, and you get greedy animal youkai who aren't tengu."

I remember getting shat on by slime girls and shit. But, if there's a good straight-away… aw.

It's time to propose the plan! "...We're gonna jump offa' Heaven, onto the mountain, hit the shrine, then meander down into the kappa land!" Hoh hoh! "...An' after that, maybe we'll hit the mansion again-" Wait!

I reach into my bag, and pull out my wood key thing Brittany gave me! "I still have this shit! I'm gonna shove it up my ass!"

Genkan floats closer, as if to stop me! "Wa- wait, now. Perhaps you can ask-... ask Iku about it, maybe? She said she was a 'dragon palace messenger', or something of the sort."

"Aw…" Good idea, yo. "Yes, dude."

An' so, we put our plans into action, son.

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

I walk up to the table that Genkan annihilated by styling too hard.

"I'm gonna rub my ass all over this table." I preface the discussion to follow! "...Yo- Iku!" I turn to Iku! "You know where this key goes…!?" Hopefully not my ass- I would not prefer that, actually.

...Iku jerked her head back, when she saw the key! "Who gave you that?"

"Me." I'm not lying, even! "I did!"

...Iku jerks her head back further! "What is this energy. But-..." She stared at the key, for a moment. "You should take it to the airspace above the tip of Youkai Mountain. Not the Shining Needle Castle, if you know that. It will be a huge flower bulb, in the sky, made of stone."

The fuck. "...I'll take yer word for it!" Not sure what the hell's goin' on there, but I'll look out for giant stone flower bulbs!

"His energy surprises me, too." Genkan remarks fluffily. "Brad, you just woke up-"

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Why's the booming only occasionally happen!? We're right next to the DJ booth too! Oh, god, aaa~h!

"Stupid, DJ…" Tenshi gets up from her seat, and frowns! "Hardly knows how to use her thing…" Her thing, dude.

"Anyway…!" I look around!

I got no clue where Uchu went. Mayu's at the drink an' food counter, and uh…

"We're thinkin' of hittin' the tip of Youkai Mountain!" I propose to Iku! "...Y'got any tips, son…?"

Iku blinks once, then speaks to me. "...I wouldn't advise it, this time of the year?"

"Perfect!" I slap the table! "...You been startin' wars, Maria?"

"I've been sniffing fluffles." Maria, no!

Ha-chan romps up! "Peaches… are good."

"Splittin' already, huh." Tenshi gives me a lopsided smile, when I look over at her! "Heaven's boring, isn't it?"

"Yeah." ...I speak before anyone else does! "Well- not entirely! Now that we've hit the clubs, I kinda wanna go on a big explorathon down the mountain."

"...That sounds like fun!" Tenshi gets up! "I'm coming with you!"

"No you aren't, son!" Holy shit my party is too big! "Me an' the others are like-" Oh my god I have to count now-

Maria, Ha-chan, Genkan… we're already a like, full party.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! Oh, no. Ow, my ears.

"Freakin'...!" I begin to move for the door! "Genkan, run!"

"What…" Genkan watches me run off! "Ah."

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

We are now… outside the club! I like how we just completely abandoned that bunny Uchu and her amazoness friend.

So many peach trees, around the disco palace. Jesus…!

Me, Maria, Genkan, Ha-chan, Iku and Tenshi stand out here. Holy shit, we're a whole rave party!

"...What do you mean, six people's too much…?" She folds her arms at us! "Just drop the fairy off a cliff or something. Iku, you're gonna hafta sit this one out."

"What, no." Iku denies her! "I don't believe this is a situation you may so simply force yourself into, eldest daughter-"

"Eldest shmeldest." Tenshi shakes her head at her! "I'm following this Brad guy, 'cause he's a weirdo! Hey-..."

She points at Genkan, this time! "Go shopping, or something." Then she points at Maria! "...Go be short somewhere else."

"Tenshi." Iku speaks louder…! "That's not very mature of you."

...Maria looks more amused than put off!

"Still!" Tenshi doubles down! "I wanna run around with a loser for a few hours!"

Genkan met her gaze, and looked gentle about it. "You say that like you can't do both of those things already."

...Tilting her head, Tenshi blinked. "I mean-... yeah?"

"She both called you a loser and told you to take a hike, eldest daughter." Iku shook her head…! "Perhaps you should take her hint." ...Wait- yeah! I just got what Iku meant, holy shit!

"Who's she, then!?" Tenshi gets rowdy! "Hey, moron!"

"Hey, Tenshi." I stroll uncomfortably close to her, smiling gladly…

...She backs up a little! "He- hey, don't get close to me."

"You should make quicksand." I nod once. "Outta fluffles. You can call it fluff mix."

...She seems to seriously consider this! "That sounds kinda cute. But-..."

"You know what." Genkan gets even closer to us! "If she wants to shadow us for a few hours, she may." Ooh! "We reserve the right to ignore her entirely, however."

"Fruits of the earth!" Ha-chan- makes noise!

"Are you sure-" Iku-

"Hana- hey!" Maria gets ambushed by Ha-chan in the background-

"Hu~h…" Tenshi- oh my god too many noobs dude…! "Who're you to think you can just ignore-"

"I have an idea." Loudly, Iku spoke up! "...We split into two groups. Two joined, but separated groups."

She suddenly pivots into Tenshi's face! "Eldest daughter. It is up to us to cover the skies, lest the fairies bombard them during their journey. Are you up to the challenge?"

...Tenshi beams! "Oh- hell, yeah! I'll do all the fighting!" Then, she turns to us! "Leave it to me, morons!" An' then, she runs off! "Let's go, Iku!"

Huh. Aw, yes dude.

Iku gives us all a smile and a shrug, before drifting off.

"...That went better than I'd expected." Genkan supposed! "...Brad."

I turn ta her! "Hi." Ooh-

She gets closer to me! "Do we ever encumber you?"

"...I'd be frightened if you guys cucumbered me!" I cringe away…!

"Nn- I mean, do you ever want alone time." Genkan grins very slightly at me! "...If memory serves me correctly, you used to travel with many different people, other than us. Although, I must admit…"

"Mmh." Suddenly, she pecks me on the cheek, before darting back. "...I want to spend more time with you. And, I really don't hate following you to new places, and seeing new things. And-... if we were apart, I'd worry about you. Considering you."

"Aa- ah…" These words… "Yer into me that much?"

"Well, I really like how our collective party functions." Genkan admits! "...Both you and Maria, I'd be crushed if anything were to happen to either of you."

"Mm- me too." Maria suddenly joins in! "...I- I mean-... since my family's just gone, you guys… are basically all I have." Ho- holy shit…! What kinda band of misfits did I assemble!?

Although, yeah. If either of them died, it'd be time to TNT the entire village and call it a day.

"I, uh…" This feels so different. It's different, dude! "I really like this, too. An' I do kinda miss just running around with random assholes, but…"

I really like Genkan. And, Maria's pretty cool, too.

"I'm sure there'll be a time fer that." I smile. "...Freakin', I practically got all the time in the world. I'm in no rush. We'll take stuff as we go, yo."

...Genkan gets closer! "As long as you're happy. I wouldn't want to be a burden."

"When'd you guys even get this close." Maria suddenly wonders. "...Did you guys-... have se-... do something else, instead of napping?"

"Wh-... no." Genkan looks intimidated by the idea! "Maria~… calm your hormones. We just-... cuddled, more. And, I've realized… that, at this stage in my life, I shouldn't be so complacent, anymore. I want to be out here and alive. And-... Brad is part of my life." My heart…!

"...Aa- ah." Maria seems to be intimidated in turn, too! "...I- I-... I'm really connected to you guys, too."

Ha-chan suddenly hugs both me and Genkan from behind. "I love Brad! And, I love you guys too."

...Man. I didn't expect to find a group like this-... but holy shit.

As the midday sun sat in the sky above us, I felt… weirdly raw, as we stood close to one another.

I hug Genkan back. "...Ah." She seems a little surprised, and snuggly.

This is the best time of my damn life. It just-... it just feels so good. So fucking, fuckin' good...

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

So, we ditched the random people in the club, an' took off down the bridgeways, towards the capital! Tenshi and Iku seem ta be pavin' us a clear way, 'cause this whole walk, we've pretty much just been able to sightsee and stuff.

"It really is a long way down…" Maria's eyes were eternally squinted, 'cause sunlight.

"It's-... really, really too bright up here." Genkan's really feelin' it, too!

"Wa- aa-..." Uh oh. Ha-chan fell off the bridge, after walkin' on one of the sunny rails! "Woaaa~h…!" We slowly hear her voice trail off, as she falls…!

...A few moments after we step onto Generic Proper Town Island number five bajillion, she appears again, walkin' towards us from our destination. "Hi."

"You know…" Maria speaks up! "Why's Heaven separated into islands, anyway?"

"..." We turn to Genkan, as if expecting her to answer! "I have honestly no idea." Oh no…!

...When we eventually meet the gods on the mountain we should pro'lly be able to ask.

"Hey, Genkan." I got my own question! "...Do people ever hairdry their own- or eachother's- asses."

"Do what now." Genkan raises her brows! "No and no. I'm not sure what it means to 'hairdry', although I can guess, and no."

"What's with you and butts." Maria has noticed the trend! "Are all your jokes gonna be like this, now?"

"No, yo! Lemme explain!" There is a logic to this! "So- a hairdryer is a like, gun-lookin' thing that just expels hot air. People on the outside use it ta… dry their hair. Hoh hoh."

"So, you propose…" Genkan doesn't wanna say it herself!

"I propose people use guns to shoot their own asses with hot air." I nod, yo. "Yes, dude."

...Maria shook her head! "I- I don't think that'd go well at all." Wahaha!

As we move down the road, we pass this boy in armor with bright blue hair. He sees us, and looks interested! "...Oh? What kind of party is this?"

"We're racists." It's time to scare him away! "We practice zoophilia. We have a crockpot of dildos at home."

"Brad…" Genkan rubs her own face! "Are you trying to-... scare-..." She soon follows what I'm doing! "I hate all humans. Death to the mortals."

"Kill youka~i." Maria follows along with her own polarizing opinion! "Go go, hunters."

"...You know." Blue-haired boy smirked at us. "It's usually us celestials, who go to Earth to do the befuddling. Not the other way around."

"I did nine-eleven." I reveal to the world! "I'm afraid of gay people!"

...We all look over at Ha-chan one after another, to see she's got her hands over her own mouth!

"I did eight-twelve." Genkan- pftuh, wat. Freakin'...!

Grinnin', the blue-haired boy saunters off! "Well. You four keep… doing what you're doing, then." Woohoo! We did it!

...When he's gone, we look back at Ha-chan!

"I've been sniffing fluffles." Maria says the most polarizing thing of all.

"That's it, yo." Shakin' my head, dude, shakin' my freakin' head. "No more sniffing fluffles for you, dude."

"Just look at what became of Brad." Genkan- son…!

Maria smiles! "Ye- yeah…" Aw, yes. This is good, dude.

There's just somethin' about these friends, dude. They've got the good energy.

We reach the end of generic town number twenty billion, and begin walkin' over the next bridge.

Between the sun, the great gold-white stone design of these inner-Heaven bridges, and Maria an' Genkan here-... I feel like I'm experiencin' the freakin' essence of this era, dude.

Once I take my eyes off the bridge, an' look ahead, I see some shit, dude.

Suddenly, things look kinda different from the generic fantasy townfronts we've been bolting through. There are tall buildings of beige stone, and they look nothing like anything I've seen before.

"Oh my god." I stare up at the four-five story tall complexes here. "...They're made of triangles, the strongest shape."

"...Are they, now." Genkan seems skeptical! "Would a box not be the strongest shape?"

Hold on, now. "...I know triangles are really good for building bridges!" They support themselves and each other well!

Except, these buildings; they've got parts to them that just float, without reason. Structural integrity my ass…!

Suddenly, the composition of people we see is different, too. The celestials in this part of heaven look more like regular humans, wearing just floral crowns, and robes of varying dull colors. Some have more intricate, rainbow-accented outfits, which kinda remind me of Tenshi's.

Also, there's still freakin'... peach trees everywhere. Not that there's much open foliage, but at every little mid-city foliage stop that does exist, there's just at least one peach tree, if not like five.

"Who the hell decided that peaches were the good fruit." I really wanna know! "I'd kill for an orange, right about now…!"

As we move into the town-city-thing, the weird celestial dudes give us weird looks!

"Hmm?" Aw, yes dude. Middle-aged man: the celestial is here. "...It's not everyday, that we see mortals touring up here. To what do we owe the honor?"

I'm very tempted to inform him that my ass is empty, but I hold back, 'cause I'm not gonna make like ten ass jokes in one chapter…!

...When I don't say anything, no one else does, so I gotta say something! "We went bowling, and lost."

...He blinked! "I'm-... I'm sorry to hear that, I think."

Whelp. Conversation's dead, son. We're all loafish and fluffy.

"Well." Softly, Maria begins. "Don't be."

Idea. "Do you guys need to take shits."

...He furrows his brows, but shakes his head! "...No?"

"We got all we came here for." I start ta move past him! "Let's go home…!"

"Ya~y!" Ha-chan leaps!

...As we quietly file past him, the celestial guy just looks mixed!

This far into their development and stuff, there doesn't seem to be like, that much snow on the ground, even. Not on the buildings, nor even on the grass, except for ti~ny patches.

There's only a few bridge options now. I think we're either in sector two, or sector three!

...Actually, most celestials don't even use the roads around these parts. A lot of the storefronts seem built into the air, so… wow. Actually- now that I look up, there's more to the buildings! Wait-... are these buildings even adhering to the island form? Some of them are just in the air, floating.

This place is fuckin' weird…! Also- so bright, still! Install a goddamn shade dome or something! At least these buildings cast some good shadows… but, even the shadows are somehow still really bright.

We reach the bridge right near the capital island. Men and chicks in gold armor loaf about at either end, not really stopping us from getting further.

Let's listen in on the idle chit-chat! "...I'm bored."

"When's the next import of those 'green' types, again…?"

"You wouldn't believe what Tami-chan did the other day!"

"I hate playing the harp… but, learning other instruments is a hassle…"

"We need more aerial fountains. Like, come on."

How idle! There's really nothin' good to listen in on!

"So many-... celestials." Maria voices her awe at stuff. "But… isn't it strange?"

"This is all completely normal." I deny. "Aw, dude. Flying triangle buildings." Wait. Triangles have three sides. Illuminati confirmed!

"No." Maria retorts…! "But-... like-... even with all these islands… shouldn't heaven be bigger? Or, you know, different? Or is what we're seeing just-... a small part of some kind of greater infrastructure?"

"I've resolved to not think about it too hard." Genkan confesses! "I suppose we'll all find out when we die."

Maria snorted. "...We were just talking about how depressing dying would be, too."

"If it were to end up being a relocation like this, perhaps not so much." Genkan supposed. "...Not that I'd like to find out. I assume humans and youkai fear death together for a reason."

"Let's walk forward into die." I nod in a satisfied way, as we near the end of the big dick energy bridge.

An' we're here. The capital of Heaven.

This island is fuckin' huge. A sort of beige, white-ish fog or mist besets the island's surroundings once we're on it.

A massive, skyscraper-tier courthouse resides on the right edge of the island. As it goes up, it thins out, widens again, and thins out again. Light of all colors emanates from various surfaces on the outside. Not sure what those are!

All around it, there's all those big, geometrical messes of buildings, too. Despite everything being stone, there's not a trace of corrosion- or, erosion. Corrosion too!

Clack! Suddenly, Tenshi lands before us! "Hey, people. Follow me, keep your heads low. Place isn't that receptive ta tourists in this part of town."

"What is this place…?" Genkan wanted ta know! "Not that I can't guess… but-"

"Sector one." Tenshi began providing the good information. "All the boring government stuff happens here. Stiffest people live here, too. I can't stand it here. It's all formalities and boring, ass-kissing crap. We communicate with other heaven branches here, too."

Heaven branches. There is more to the sky than meets the eye!

"...Why're there tiers of heaven people?" Maria spoke up! "I know there's like-... hermits versus real celestials. But… the celestials here are super different from the ones at like, the disco palace."

...Slowing, Tenshi smiled back at her. "Aah. Well-... it's a little complicated. The inner circles of heaven here are managed by celestial families primarily, and a lot of real shallow social minds often end up living here. It's a circus, in the boring way. At least for me, after growing up with this crap."

"...From the hermit wastelands to here…" Genkan speaks next! "There is a huge disparity in architecture and building quality. Not to mention the way people seem to collect themselves…"

"Mmm." Tenshi begins ta move faster again! "Mosta' these inner islands are what the stiffs would call 'real heaven'. The rest might as well not exist, hermit lands or not. Everything political goes on in here, and that way of things generally doesn't change. Housing gets kinda competitive in here…"

Wow. I mean, Tenshi's probably biased against the place, but it does sound… not that good! I wonder if TNT'ing the shit outta Heaven would be as easy as it would be to TNT the shit out of the village. Would anyone care if someone TNT'd the shit outta Heaven…!?

We get mid-way into the town. There's a fountain with golden-tinted water in the middle here, emitting a strange, calming light. Just being near it feels like I'm takin' a bath.

"I bet there's somethin' real neat inside that fountain." I point at that fountain.

"...I think you just have a thing for playing in fountains." Genkan decides! "Why?"

"Fountains are cool!" I hate not being able to splash around in them! "...Tenshi! S'there anything weird 'bout that fountain!?"

...She faced me idly! "The water heals you. ...That's it. It's not illegal to touch or anything, like some people say it is. It doesn't even heal you that well. It can cure curses and stuff, but if you bottle it up and take it away, it just becomes normal water. Dad put a heal gem in the heart of the stone in the center, which is how it actually does anything like that."

I move for the fountain! "Sounds good!" As long as it doesn't turn me into a holy spirit or anything like that!

Wait. Maybe I should get my explorer kit on.

Fwi- Click! After closin' my eyes and focusing, I'm in my space suit now! "Genkan, we have liftoff!" I leap into the fountain-

Splash! Oh shit- I slipped-

Spla~sh! Ground control, to major Tom- I got my ass wet in holy water!

"Wait- hold on, the fuck're you doing…!?" Tenshi moves up to the edge of the fountain! "Dude! You're causing a huge scene! Holy shit!"

"I'm mamamia!" I retort! I'm gonna find this fountain treasure, son! Indiana Jones and the Legend of Gensokyo's Random Fountains!

Fwoa~sh! Oo- oh, no. My suit cast zero gravity on me…!

Me and the water start to float up from the fountain bed! "Oo- oh no, it's all going wrong…!" I start flailing amidst the water that leaves with me! "Genkan, help!"

"Wh- what do you want me to do…?" Genkan can't act! "How do you fix this?"

Tenshi held her hands to her own head! "You-...! Br- Brad, you freaking moron!"

The gravity runs out. Wait- before everything falls, I look down! Aha!

KASPLA~SH! We all land, and the healing water fuckin' explodes out of the thin edges of the fountain! "Woa~h!"

...I saw somethin' in the floor, under all the feel-good glowy water!

Meanwhile, celestial folk around us wander up! "What-... what is that?"

"Some new kind of youkai?"

"Ew. Youkai… in the fountain?"

"I bet the water'll boil their skin off."

"Is that skin…? It's like it's made of… cotton, or cloth."

Wow, a space man is a fuckin' anomoly up here. Yo…!

Dipping down towards the water nearest the center pole, I find a like-... there's a big square gap in the floor. What's inside it is obscured nearly entirely by how misty and healthy the water looks.

However, it's a big gap!

SPLASH! I poke my head in, 'cause I got this helmet on. Peek a boo, son, the fuck's in this hole…!?

Ooh, gold lights! Wait… oh, motherfucker, there's a riddle in Japanese down here. Oh, if only I was literate.

Spla~sh. I get my head outta the water. "Yo- Genkan! Help me get the water outta this hole, I need someone ta read me this riddle…!"

"...A- a riddle, you say." Genkan drifts up, looking a little self-conscious about the audience!

Tenshi comes up to me, next! "Wait-... there's a riddle there? I thought that was just dad's access door shit. Lemme see!"

Splash! Oh, she jumps in with me, and-

SPLASH. She just- plunges her head into the water, before me. Sure…!

...Splash! She brings her head out! "...Fucking riddles. But- uh, it said…"

She clears her throat. "I can buy lives. I can buy happiness. I can buy people. I value all that is replaceable, because money is replaceable. Yet, you cannot buy things in Heaven. Even yet, all in Heaven is both sacred, yet replaceable by nature! Show me something that too, is both irreplaceable yet replaceable, like the lives in Heaven."

Replaceable-... yet, irreplaceable? What the actual fuck do they want from us…!? Oh, man. I've never been that good at riddles! Unless they were video game riddles, which usually only needed simple intuition!

"...Fuck." Tenshi began to pull out her sword! "I'll just fuckin' dig if I have to."

"He- hey, hold on, now." Maria steps up, all of a sudden! "...Te- um, Tenshi, right?"

….Tenshi faces her plainly. "Yeah?"

Where'd Iku go, actually. She's probably floating around, doing some kinda damage control, or something. I assume us being here violates the world brassiere or some shit…!

"Celestials-... are really holy beings, right?" Maria supposed, becoming pensive. "What elements do you think are common, in a celestial's body?"

"Hu~h?" Tenshi gave her a wry look. "Common elements? Well, it's stupid to think we're just holy. Strong things in the world are made of a composition of things, y'know. Like-... really strong rocks, might be a bunch of really rigid shit. I don't know. I do know celestials have equal parts dark and light in them. We're not angels."

"Really…" Maria was somewhat impressed, dude. "I guess it makes sense, with the rainbows everywhere. In that case…" Maria looked up at me! "Um. Brad, get out a dark-ish hanger. And-... gimme the one with the holy one in it now."

I think I see where Maria's takin' this…

I take out One Million Revenants, an' hand it to her! And I also get out Fallen Comrade, which I think has a dark spell, but don't quote me on that…

...Maria sinks a little after picking up One Million Revenants, and-

Spla- splash. She steps into the water near me, and twitches a little. "It's- warm…" It actually only goes up to like, her ankles, but I got down and dirty and splashed around in it, necessitating needing my space suit.

Let's see, the hell kinda dark spell's this thing even got…!? Boy, I wish I had an inventory list right about now, or something!

Thunk. Maria shoves her stupid big hanger into the square hole, and I shove mine in too!

"Lumen!" Maria casts her spell!

Aa- uuh- "Pulse!" Ahah! That- is the spell!

Fwish- fwoam! Black and white flare amidst the fountain's crevice that we shot into. And- hoo, my mana…! Dark spells are kinda costly, too…!

CRI- CRACK. Whah was that.

KROOM- FWII~SH! Oh- holy shit! The entire center of the fountain's sinking down…!

"I can't believe another fountain held a secret in it." Genkan looks dry about all this…! "Apparently it wasn't as clever of a hiding spot as one might think."

"Hey, yo." I face 'er, while the fountain opens, and water splashes everywhere! "...Who the hell'd go crawling around in the water lookin' for it?"

"...You." Genkan grins at me! "Of course, you already knew the answer to that question." Wahaha!

...I face the sinkin' fountain center again. All the water's flowed into it, creating a shimmering depth that really isn't too deep! But, it's still wet!

Sploosh. I just fuckin' drop right on in! And-... it's actually crystal clear down here.

The fountain's cone-like center stone was now open, exposing the healing stone inside. I might leave that alone!

Bu~t.. around me, there's two doorways, full of crystal-clear water, too.

I meander down the one nearest me, into a small stone chamber, with a stone bed in the midst of it.

A weird lookin' sword rests on the stone bed, pulsing with light. It's made of the same crystal as the one in the midst of the fountain, and looks like it's vibrating with life.

Takin' the sword for no reason as of yet, I move across the rooms towards the last one…!

There's a gold, star-like crystal drifting amidst the water, in the center of the second room here. Reminds me kinda of the one I got earlier that I still didn't put on anything!

...Actually. The sword's got a star-shaped slot on the guard, which is kinda hard to see in the water, but…

With both the star and blade in either hand, I stomp into the main room, with the opening to the outside…

"Hup…" I jump in the water, and easily float towards the surface…

Spla- spla- splash- clack…! I clamber outta the holy liquid, shimmering blade of life in hand, and gold yellow star in the other! "Yo- ho ho! I found loot, dude…!"

...Tenshi's eyes widened! "Aa-... ho- holy shit! Dad's sword!" Aw, yes dude!

Outside the water, instead of pure white, it pulses with the same gold energy most of the water has. What a badass lookin' crystal club…!

"Yes dude!" I beam at the mighty, glowing stone! "Can't wait ta melt this shit down inta a plant hanger!"

...Tenshi's jaw drops! "Aa- but-... whah."

Aw, ho ho ho. Lemme just- stick this yellow star into the guard here, now that I'm outta the water…

"That's- dad's Aqueous Topaz Ageous…! Like hell yer just gonna melt it down…!" Tenshi yells at me, as I put the star into the slot!

Click. A really satisfying click comes from the interaction! Aw, yes…

FWI- ZAP- ZZ- ZAP! Oh, shit! Suddenly, the blade itself lights up with lightning-

CLA- CLA- CLACK! Its form starts to change. The hell is this sword…!

"Aa-..." Tenshi's eyes light up at the changing material! "It even shapeshifts like it used to. Wait-..."

FWICLACK- CLACK- CLACK. After loud shifting, flecking loose water drops all around, the weapon takes a final form.

...It's folded into an oversized version of the first plant hanger I wielded! "Yo ho ho!" Aw, yes dude! Despite the shape, it's still made of that yellowish-whiteish, crystal-like material.

Around us, we can hear the celestials bicker!

"That's-... that's the blade of Lord Nai!"

"It was hidden there…?"

"What-... what is that shape?"

"Lord Nai's blade-... takes the form that most suits its wielder."

Aw. So-... my most suited weapon is a plant hanger. Not like that was a surprise or anything; I was just lettin' it sink in…!

Whish. Oh, huh. When I swing it-... it's kinda like I can see a little of where it will be before I even swing, or before it gets there. It's-... fairly heavy, but not as heavy as I expected.

"...Are we sure we should be taking that." Genkan looks more than a little intimidated! "Weren't we supposed to keep our heads down."

Tenshi snorted! "...Oo- oh. Oh shit." Aah. Whah.

Splash. Ha-chan emerges from the deep water behind me! "Mmh…" Apparently the water's not bad for youkai, 'cause Ha-chan looks happy with it…

From the crowd around us, women with black, bobby hair and huge- like, fuckhuge shoes walk out of the crowd. They got weird markings under their eyes, which is how ya know they mean business!

KROO- KROO- KROOM. Oh. They brought some kind of big, square, gold monolith squadron with them. Holy fuck.

In the midst of each beige stone monolith, a huge, white-and-black eye opens, shifting around, looking over us. Oh my god, they're illuminati monoliths.

"Oh my, oh my…" One of the women, one with a pink streak in her black hair stalks forward, a hand on her own face. "I'd have not guessed, that myriad mortals would disrupt the peace, on a day like today…"

"Hey." Tenshi steps outta the fountain, and towards her. "You were Kaori, right?"

"Ri~ght." Kaori's got this weird, sickly smile… "What are you doing with these mortals, eldest daughter? And… it's not just 'Kaori' to you. What's my name?"

Fwishing! Tenshi brings up her big, scarlet-and-amber sword! "It's 'you better back off, 'fore my sword goes in your face'. Or how 'bout, 'some bitch with an over inflated sense of self-importance'?"

"...How cute." Kaori licked her own lips, which looked like a bad idea, 'cause she has black lipstick on. Don't eat your lipstick! "...Girls." She looked around at her similarly-modeled friends. "This one's mine."

Kroo- kroo- kroom. The spooky monoliths hide, and-

fwifwifwifwish. All the other black-haired weirdos leap so fast they're just gone instantly. Well, I can see them ascend to the sky, but…!

"I've been waiting for you to do something ugly here, eldest daughter." Kaori put her own arms on her own hips! "Lord Nai spoils you so, so hard. In the light of this… why don't you be a good girl, now? I'm sure your father will forgive your romping, here… but those mortals with you need to be tried. Especially he, with Lord Nai's holy blade."

Tenshi made a tsk-like noise! "...An' I want you to buzz off, just 'cause you're phrasing this like a jerk. I do what I want, and these random hobos are part of that."

"That's too bad." Kaori tilted her head back, and breathed in… "Ha~h. But, this is what I was hoping for." Her eyes slowly widening, she leaned forward. "I'll just have to apprehend all of you, then." Her face snapped into a huge smile.

Fwoom! Tenshi's sword suddenly grows a meter longer…! "Come get me!"

Fwish! Kaori breaks from the floor hard enough to crack it, leaping two stories into the air, flippin' around…

"It's a good thing assholes like you still exist…" Reeling her sword back, Tenshi leaned up slowly, watching Kaori flip around in the air. "People seem to forget why you shouldn't fuck with me pretty often."

WHISH! Kaori kicked down in an instant. "Hehehe-"

WHAM! Tenshi swung her sword wide, meeting Kaori at just the right angle, the moment the blade was able to…!

KRAK- BOOM! Her sword exploded into a huge, scarlet storm on impact-

Splash! I land in the fountain, 'cause the blast, not even hitting me, threw me on my ass! "Oof…!"

Whi- whi- whish! Kaori tries to flip around away, riding off the blast's momentum that rammed into her-

KRAKROOM! Tenshi ascends, but not by jumpin'.

A column of stone rises from the ground beneath her, carrying her up to Kaori's level.

"Aa-" Eyes wide, Kaori kicks towards Tenshi-

WHABOOM! Her heel meets Tenshi in the gut, and the line of air drawn through Tenshi's chest goes from the point of impact, to a building twenty meters behind…!

"Rr~agh!" Tenshi just kinda flails her sword at her in response!

WHACK! The blade swats Kaori away, and she rolls through the air. "Angh-"

Tenshi pivots to face her new direction, holding her blade forward, tip pointed at Kaori. "Now you pissed me o~ff! Sword of Karma!"

BOOM- FWAP- BAM- BOOM! Tenshi's sword became a fuckin' eruption, red magic stretching out and enveloping Kaori whole again and again.

KROO- KROO- KROOM! From the base of Tenshi's pillar, three gold monoliths rose from the ground, these ones tinted blue rather than gold.

VHI- VHI- VHIR! Their creepy eye things open, and scarlet lasers stretch forward, where Kaori would be!

KRA- KRA- KRA- KRACK! From the buildings all aroud, keystones break away from pre-defined, pre-broken slots in the sides of buildings, floating out to assist Tenshi.

VHIVHIVHIVHIVHIR! Holy shit that's a lot of tiny lasers.

"Haa~h…!" Tenshi leaps from her pillar, as it begins to sink into the ground…! "World Creation Press!" Holy shit.

Kaori's limp body is exposed, the lasers ending for a moment. "Aa-..." She looks up, clothes nearly entirely evaporated, gazing up as Tenshi readies to plunge her blade straight down.

SHINK- BOOM! Tenshi plunges it straight into Kaori's chest.

In the next instant, they meet the floor many meters ahead of us-

KRACK- BOOM- BAM- KRACKRAK- BLABOOM! My ears. What the actual fuck…!

The floor of the sky island cracks, huge damage spiderwebbing across the beige, ivory rock. A pillar of scarlet magic stretches to the sky, loose rock and shattered cobblestone thrown into the upper atmosphere from the raw magical force.

A huge, crescent-shaped crater holds the two girls.

Tenshi floats into the air, her whole body alive with rainbow-colored power. Smoke-like energy of all colors billows from her body, like steam…!

"When I ascend, to the sky…" Her voice comes out, and we hear it in stereo…! "It's the end of the line."

...Then, she stops glowing! "Aah. Done already, huh…"

Kaori's just lumpified, her nude body splayed out in the crater. Her boobs are huge…!

...Tenshi slowly drifts down to us, smiling. "These're my stomping grounds, y'know. I just haven't been active here in awhile, so idiots like that sometimes think they've made enough progress to fight me."

"...Ah." Genkan's brows are just raised! "...Well. Don't let us stop you."

"...Aa- ah." Maria grins a little! "Ge- geez. Celestials-... are strong…"

...Tenshi faces me! "I wasn't gonna let you keep the blade before, but you can keep it now, 'cause fuck it." Woohoo! "You gotta let me tag along, though."

"Consider it done." Genkan begins to drift ahead…! "Stick close, omega weapon. You shall be the team trash compactor, for the time being."

"...Trash compactor?" Tenshi pouted!

"Team hero, I mean." Genkan corrects herself! "Big hero."

...Tenshi beamed! "Big damn hero." Yes, dude!

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

We left behind the mess, the open fountain, the huge ass crater and the crowd of fairly pleased and entertained celestials. The citizens considered it a performance…!

I rub a snow fluff into Tenshi's face. "Hi, son."

"Wh- nnh." Tenshi raises her brows, as I bump its pudgy forehead against her lips and under her nose. "Mmh."

"...Aa- are you sure you should be-..." Genkan is kinda afraid of Tenshi, now!

I grin back at 'er! "Like Tenshi's gonna bother fightin' us. That'd be like expectin' to spar with freakin'... fluffles, or ants. Typically you don't bother, 'cause it's just gonna end one way, and not be very fun!"

"football" The fluffle reminds us all.

fwish. Tenshi grabbed the snow fluff's head too hard, and it died. "...Stepping on ants can be fun. But, I don't really have a reason to fight mortals, unless they're particularly strong. You three, combined even, don't count."

Ha-chan bounds forward! "What about me!?"

...Tenshi doesn't even respond to her!

We step forward onto the midst of the sky island. We're now on… sector zero.

There are no buildings here. It's empty. Grass, some rocks, and a couple plain everyday field flowers. You can see clouds and stuff nearby, which is kinda cool.

This is the very, very last sky island. When I look back, the entire megalopolis of sector one is hidden, only the bridge revealed. Otherwise, past this island looks like just Gensokyo overworld, and sky!

Ahead of us, the tip of Youkai Mountain sits some distance down from the edge of this sky island. About time we got up here…!

...Slowly, Iku gently bobs down from above. "...Eldest daughter." She looks distressed…!

"Yes, I know, I started a huge scene." Tenshi waves her off! "Get off my butt. What do you want me to do about it? It's not gonna be a 'sorry', if that's what yer lookin' for."

"I just-... you didn't have to-..." Iku rubs her temples… "Nnh. At-... at the least, you could have-... not let your father's sword get essentially stolen. What will I tell Lord Nai? What will you?"

"He doesn't even use it anymore." Tenshi justified! "Pretty sure he's got replicas and new ones, too. Like… we have it for tradition reasons, but so what? Just 'cause it's the first, doesn't mean it's that special."

...Lookin' me over, Tenshi faced Iku again. "Besides. Why would he put it in a fountain, behind a puzzle, when if he wanted to, he could've just-... hid it in the vault? When was the last time anyone robbed that? Oh, that's right, never, because we don't use money. All we've got in there is family photos and crap. Oh no, not dad's sticker collection, whatever will we do if that got stolen."

...Iku just looks cornered!

She seems to look to Genkan for help. An' Genkan's just like… "I, for one, support our new monolith-commanding overlord. All hail the trash compactor."

Tenshi 'the trash compactor' Hinanawi sounds too good off the tongue, now that I think about it…!

"I turned her dad's sword into a plant hanger!" I take out uh, Aqueous Topaz Ageous or whatever. Maybe just Aqueous Ageous would be better off the tongue.

"You-... what…" Iku doesn't know what ta think of what I did to it! "...Well. It does take a form most comfortable for the wielder. But-... plant hangers, you say…"

I nod! "Yeah, yo!"

"You-..." Iku slouches super hard! "You do realize, those aren't weapons? I'm pretty sure, those aren't even tools. They're-... I couldn't even call them furnishings. They're wall ornaments at best."

"I'm gonna whack wit' 'em!" I swing my crystal hanger at the air! "Whack!"

Genkan smiled, and put a hand on Iku's shoulder. "It will be fine."

...Iku gave her a dour look. "I- don't think you comprehend, what's exactly at stake here."

"I somewhat do." Genkan nodded… "But, I've learned to just accept this sort of thing. It's not as weird anymore. Provided, if push ever came to shove, me and Maria end up doing most of the damage in a fight, unless Brad here feels particularly violent and creative."

"...I-... hrm." Iku is just stumped, dude. "I know I told you to cut loose, but-"

"Practice what you preach." Genkan closed her eyes, and became peaceful. "...Myself, I said I'd be more forward, but I still prefer a somewhat medium-activity or low-activity role, most of the time. Brad is usually enough mania to make up for the rest of us."

Except for when inter-party discussions happen! Which is like, the one time I usually feel like shuttin' up.

...While Iku and Genkan have a battle of monotone wits over there, I'm gonna take quick inventory! And- maybe change outta this spaceman outfit-

Fwi- woa~sh! Yay, zero gravity!

"Wh- woah…!" Maria begins to float away with me! Goodbye, cruel world!

==== FREAKIN GENSOKYO ====

END OF CHAPTER 98

BRAD:

NEW EQUIPS:

Aqueous Ageous - A holy, crystal-looking hanger that resembles an utmost pure topaz-stained gem. Resists being dual-wielded by hand, and is difficult to craft with.

STATS:

Legendary boost to accuracy.

Transforms to a form that best suits the user.

GENKAN:

NEW SKILLS:

Breaker-onna Combo - A playful, goofy style of combat realized while dancing with Iku. Specializes in dealing with many close-up enemies, breaking grapples, and annihilating one's defenses, especially those of other youkai or yuki-onna.

Freeze Pose - Every combo finisher may transition into another combo finisher, as long as the user's body permits it. Genkan may also freeze herself during a Freeze Pose for additional versatility and defense, as well as healing, at the cost of speed.

Last Stand - Quick combo finisher where Genkan flails her arm into an enemy one to four times. Cures Genkan's dizziness and confusion.

The Breaker - Quick unarmed combo finisher, where Genkan rolls onto her back, handstands, and kicks a leg out. May launch foes. Breaks enemy guarding postures. Cures Genkan's dizziness and confusion.

Handstand Spin - Unarmed combo finisher, where Genkan spins while handstanding, assaulting opponents with her legs as they spin around up high. May break guarding postures.

Thigh Pendulum Sweep * Circular Revolution - Unwieldy combo finisher that takes a lot of setup to pull off. Sweeping her legs around, while barely standing with her arms, Genkan wreaks hell on an opponent's balance and guard.

Ice Shaver - Genkan chills the whole battlefield by spinning atop one of her glacier blades, getting ice and frosty mist everywhere. Chills everybody.

Rising Rotor - When Genkan's knocked down, she may spin around on her shoulders with her legs extended to try and launch or knock over nearby enemies. Defensive recovery option.

Joy Aura - If Genkan really has fun with it, her mana flares pink or amethyst, increasing speed and physical abilities until the battle's over.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

this was a pretty fun chapter to write - w -

the genkan dancing session may or may not have gone on longer than it should've but to me the pacing felt just right

and now im here ten years later after finishing so many things and proofreadin' this!

the dancing section wasn't that long, so it felt nice, and as a whole the chapter's pretty compelling and fun

not sure if the description for the dancing is too much but it doesn't go on for too too long

not sure if an description-heavy activity is wise after the matt chapter, where there was some description-heavy combat going on

my proofreader was like "people are probably getting tired of the genkan cuddles" and i was like "really tho"; this was a conversation we musta had like a month or two ago

the follow-up on that was kinda like "well maybe they feel like if they read it once they've read every following instance" and to that i'd say "well there's a progression in how they play out", and also you could say that about pretty much all of FG and- like, anything descriptive for the sake of illustration or happening

that would include any fight scene, any decoration for almost anything if it weren't for historical context, any realistic repetition, etc. and i dunno, for a large work like this that just wouldn't make sense in general and to do so suddenly

also ignoring the fact that i take a lot of pleasure in the genkan cuddle scenes for obvious reasons so if that ever became grating, despite it being a pacing issue i'd probably feel personally insulted no matter what ; w ; not that i'd do anything about it

wat else did i wanna say

guess NOTHIN ELSE

as always, see you all next time!