Marisa sat on her broom, lazily swinging her legs as she floated high above the forest of magic. She'd intended to head straight home after their match, but found herself flying aimlessly in circles instead. It wasn't that she was lost; she knew this forest like the back of her hand. Simply, her mind was fully focused on Alice. The last ten minutes of their conversation played on repeat in her head.
That sad look… Why did it hurt so much to see it?
Seeing sad faces wasn't unusual for her. Reimu wasn't one to hide when she was upset, and the youkai the two stopped weren't all that reserved either. Sure, it felt bad when that would happen, but the sting was different this time. Every time Alice's pained smile came to mind, a dull pang of both guilt and sorrow hit her. Marisa was desperately analyzing their conversation to find out what caused Alice's change in mood.
Okay, what was she like before that happened.
Marisa pictured Alice's mannerisms, the dainty way she set down their plates, the way she played with the bow on her dolls while she talked, the way she spoke.
"Hmmm…"
She remembered Alice staring at her, seeming lost in thought, then blushing and looking away when their eyes met. She remembered how happy Alice seemed when she was baking for her, and thought on each word she said. The spell card Alice was so eager to show her came to mind.
What were the words again? Did they have a hidden meaning? "Seven and two, praying to unite." Well seven must be her, she's the seven-colored puppeteer after all. What's the two mean then? Gah, poems like this are hard! Well, what else…
Marisa closed her eyes, concentrating deeply on each memory. An absurd explanation popped into her head, and she quickly banished it.
Nah, couldn't be. Youkai think different than humans. Best you can get is "friendly" with one, they'd never see a human as anything more.
Marisa tried clearing the thoughts from her head, telling herself it was impossible, but they kept coming back. She leaned back and looked up into the sky.
Never anything more… right?
Alice's face at the end of their battle came to mind, when Marisa grabbed her hands. The shocked, blushing, beautiful face of a flustered magician. Marisa's own heart began to race as pieces began to snap together and a picture formed in her head.
No way.
Marisa slapped her forehead in wonder.
"There's no way she likes me like that," she said to the empty air.
When did that happen?! How?! I told myself it could never happen, youkai don't think of humans like that! They-
The last piece locked into place.
"SHE USED TO BE HUMAN!"
Marisa practically shouted.
"I got so caught up in her being a youkai, I completely forgot! She was a human before she became a youkai! She totally CAN have feelings for me!"
Marisa was ecstatic. A happy ending she thought was out of her reach was suddenly possible. Then she remembered why she was thinking so deeply on this in the first place.
Oh no. What did I say to Alice?
She replayed their conversation again.
"I'm a human, I've gotta use every trick I can to take on someone like you"
Someone like you… If she really has feelings for me, then hearing that…
I messed up.
Marisa pointed her broom at Alice's house and flew faster than ever before.
Parsee stood in the sunlight and stretched, letting the cool wind pass over her.
"Ahhh, how nice~"
She couldn't remember the last time she'd left the underworld. She had no desire to do so until recently, when a meddling magician passed through and beat her in a danmaku battle. Her good mood is soured as soon as she recalls them.
"Ahhh, how terrible~
I've ruined my mood within mere minutes of lifting it. Oh well. "
She took off into the nearby woods at a brisk pace. Enjoying the atmosphere of the forest, the jealousy within her began to grow.
The people up above get to experience this every day, how is that fair? Why can't that be me? They have no clue how good they have it. And then they have the nerve to trample through my domain, the one place I have, and act like I'm not even there?!
The joys of the forest scenery faded from her mind. It had been only five minutes and her mind was back to where it always was: Envy. After trampling for some time, she came across a river. This wasn't particularly interesting to her, as they had rivers underground too, but colorful objects on the other side caught her attention. She bounded across the river to inspect.
What's this? Wood? Colored wood? Why are there shavings of colored wood here?
She spied a trail of similar debris leading deeper into the forest, and her curiosity led her to follow it. She heard noise from ahead and slowed her pace. As she approached, it became clear that someone was crying. The sounds of their voice were interrupted by the occasional sounds of chisel on wood. Parsee cautiously peeked around a tree to investigate. There she saw a girl in a blue dress with pink ribbons, leaning against a tree whittling. The girl was surrounded by discarded, half-finished wooden dolls of varying colors. Some were vibrantly colored, but most were a simple black and white design.
Parsee imagined what could have caused this girl's sorrow, and felt anger creeping up with each new thought.
Did she get into a fight with a friend? How lucky for her that she has friends to fight with! Did she lose her love to someone else? How fortunate for her that she was able to love in the first place! Did she accidentally break something she treasured? Absurd! Why should she have anything treasured in the first place, and not me?!
The girl dropped her chisel and held her head in her hands.
"Foolish," the girl whispered to herself.
Parsee jolted upright, her mind trying to place where she'd heard that voice before.
That magician! She was talking to someone remotely, I'm sure this was the voice I heard then! So this lady was helping the magician that DISRESPECTED ME LIKE THAT?!
Her jealousy had reached a boiling point, and began to leak outward. Her jealousy manipulation would normally only be able to harm humans. Alice however, in her vulnerable mental state, was extremely susceptible to emotional attacks. Alice stopped crying and slowly stood up. She looked down at her hands and spoke.
"It's so unfair. I just want Marisa to look at me with those kind eyes. I just want her to smile and laugh with me, and not have this feeling that it will never work because of our differences. But life doesn't work out so nicely, does it?"
"I just wish you could see me as a person, and not as a being on another level than you… How I wish I could be someone you confide in and see as your equal. Someone like… Reimu."
Parsee had heard this name before, but hadn't met her.
"Reimu! Those two get to spend time together freely, without caring about the boundary between human and youkai. Why can't that be me!"
Alice's raw and unrestrained jealousy caused Parsee to smile widely. Alice raised her head to the sky and several dolls from the pile around her began to take flight.
"I'm going to find her and… and…
And give her a piece of my mind!"
In the blink of an eye, Alice and the half-finished dolls were gone from the clearing, and Parsee was smiling contentedly at what she'd set in motion.
