What's up.

Was really cutting it close with that whole "by the end of the week" release, huh? Sorry about that.

Unfortunately, I basically had to rewrite this entire chapter as I disliked the original, so this took a while to make.

I still haven't completely come to a decision on Six's face, though I hope to make a final choice soon.

And just for those who didn't see the question earlier: Do I keep Six's appearance up to the imagination or do I describe what he looks like, be it through other character's perspectives or having Six himself talk about it?

Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

[Human Village]

Courier Six POV

Yuuka approached me from the flower shop's entrance. "How did that delivery of yours go?"

"...Pretty shit, if I'm being honest." I sighed.

"Really?" She looked kinda surprised. "What happened?"

I sighed again. "Didja hear that explosion in the forest a couple days ago?" I pointed my thumb behind me.

She laughed. "I doubt anyone didn't. I was tending to my garden at the time, and I almost went out to go teach the culprit a lesson myself." She smiled.

"Yeah, well... That was me." I shrugged.

"...Really now?" Her smile faded a bit before turning to a look of curiosity. "How could you have created something so... disrupting?"

"I detonated a Mini-nuke."

"A 'Mini-nuke'?" She looked even more curious.

"Yep. It's like a Nuke, but..." I waved my arms around, trying to think of a way to explain. "...Mini."

"What an amazing description." She sighed. "Anyhow, what might you be doing out here?" Her smile returned.

"Walking? I dunno, I was just passing time while I thought about what to do." I shrugged again.

"Why don't you walk with me? I'm sure that talking to a friend will be more entertaining than simply doing nothing." She put a hand on my shoulder.

"Miss Kazami, we-"

She laughed a bit, interrupting me. "Oh, please, just call me Yuuka."

"...Yuuka, we aren't friends." I tried to pull away, but like most women here, she had an iron grip.

"Oh, I believe we are." Her smile grew wider. I tried to pull away again, but she held strong. After, she moved her hand across my shoulder and settled it dangerously close to my throat. Despite her smile not changing, it felt much more sinister.

"...Oh- Yeah, yeah- we're uh... great friends, yep." I chose to just go along with it. I didn't want to start a scene in public, and I definitely didn't want to start a fight.

"Great!" She released her hold on my shoulder and her smile returned to normal. "Come on, then." She began walking down the street, away from the flower shop. I jogged over and began walking next to her.

"So, uh, where are we going?" I questioned her.

"I just have a few errands to run. Why do you ask? Does destination matter when we're just talking?" She smiled at me.

"No, I suppose not." I sighed.

We walked in silence for a moment before I spoke up. "Say, are you...well, familiar with the locations and all that of Gensokyo?"

"I've been here for quite a while, so I assume I am. Why?" Yuuka looked at me quizzically.

"I've got a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead." She nodded.

"Ok, first off, what's with that mountain?" I pointed to the massive mountain that jutted out over the landscape. "It's huge, and it's basically the only one around."

Yuuka raised an eyebrow at me before gasping. "Oh, right! I almost forgot you were an outsider." She chuckled. "That is what everyone calls the Youkai Mountain. It is, as the name suggests, mostly inhabited by youkai. Among those youkai, you're most likely going to find either tengu or kappa. I wouldn't recommend going there, as they don't take kindly to intruders. However, there is a shrine somewhere near the peak, inhabited by two gods and a shrine maiden." She thought to herself for a moment. "Unfortunately, that's really all I can tell you. I've never been there myself, and I suggest you don't try going either."

I took a moment to process what she said. "Wait, gods? As in, god gods?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, you probably don't know. Gensokyo is home to quite a few gods. An outsider like yourself must have never seen one." She laughed. "I hope this doesn't dwindle any faith you may have."

I looked over at the mountain for a long while. "Yeah...I think I'll be fine..."

I am going to climb that mountain.

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page." Yuuka sighed. She looked around a bit before tapping my shoulder. "We're at my first stop. Do you mind waiting outside for a moment?"

"Yeah, but why do I have to-" I looked at the shop we were standing in front of and saw an assortment of women's clothing through the display window. "Oh. Yeah, I can wait."

"Thank you." She flashed a smile before walking into the establishment.

I chose to go and sit on a nearby bench not too far from the building. As I waited, I watched many people passing by, and in turn, some of them watched me. It's not like I could fault them, since I stick out like a sore thumb.

Eventually I just settled on flipping through my Pip-Boy with no real purpose in mind. While doing so, I noticed something...odd.

When I flicked past the "Quests" section, which had been empty for the past two years, I swear that I saw something that wasn't there before. When I flicked back, my suspicions were confirmed.

Above the many grayed out jobs and tasks sat 6 brand new quests.

Enjoy Your Stay:

- Find out where you are. (Complete)

- Escape Gensokyo.

Bridging The Gap:

- Find out how you got here. (Complete)

- Confront "Yukari".

Muscle Memory:

- Deliver Keine's package to Mokou. (Complete)

- Receive an analysis from a doctor. (Complete)

- Return to Keine.

No Honor Among Thieves:

- Steal books from Marisa Kirisame. (0/10)

- (Optional) Steal extra books to get a cash payment.

Force Of Nature:

- Find the source of the wasteland's creatures.

- (Optional) Capture more creatures to study.

A Really Bad Idea:

- Climb Youkai Mountain.

As I read through them, I was almost brought to tears. I realized that I had done nothing of any significance for the past 2 years. I had just been sitting on my ass up in that fucking tower, rarely leaving to do anything.

I finally had something to do. I finally had direction. I finally had a purpose.

My thoughts were interrupted when somebody shook my shoulder. I looked up to see Yuuka standing in front of me, with a bag in her left hand. Peering inside, I could see a set of clothes that were exactly the same as the ones she was wearing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. If you don't mind, I have another stop to make a little way from here." She smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Let's get going." I stood up and stretched before looking around. "...Where to?"

"Just follow me." Yuuka began walking down the street once again. I quickly began walking next to her.

I decided to continue my questioning, since we were interrupted. "...I know this might be a bit of a random question, but do you know someone named Marisa Kirisame?"

Yuuka looked at me and frowned. "Ugh, the little pest. What could you possibly have to do with her?"

"I've been hired to rob her."

Yuuka almost immediately brightened up again. "Really? Oh, I hope she finally gets what she deserves." She unnerved me a bit with that last sentence, but I ignored it.

"Yeah, anyways, I'm asking because I want to know what I should be wary of in case we get into a fight- er, duel,or whatever. Think you could help?"

"Master Spark." She quickly responded.

"Uh, what?"

"Master Spark. If you hear her say those words, you run." She had a serious look on her face.

"Why? What happens if she says it?" I was very confused.

"It's a spell card. It used to be my spell card, before she copied it. It's basically just a very large laser, and for someone who's never been hit by it before, you'll be out of commission instantly."

"Wait, so how do I avoid it?" This seemed like it could be a problem.

"Well, one of the spell's main weaknesses is its lack of precision and control. My advice would be to try and make her aim it ahead of you, and then run the opposite direction after it fires. She won't be able to redirect it without risking losing control and falling." She shrugged. "Other than that, I can only say that you should try to beat her before she uses it."

"Huh..." I thought for a moment. "Well, it's not like I'm a stranger to dodging lasers..." I muttered.

"What was that?" Yuuka raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing. By the way, how far are we from the next place you need to be?" I looked around at the buildings that surrounded us. I mostly saw places selling fruits and vegetables.

"It's... right here!" Yuuka began walking towards a stand set up on the side of the street. Like most of the others, it had an assortment of raw vegetables for sale. However, it also had a small section on the side seemingly dedicated to what looked like seed packets. Yuuka went and picked out a few while chatting with the woman behind the stand. I couldn't hear what they were saying, as I was standing a good distance away.

Before long, she walked back over to where I was. "Well, that's everything."

"Seeds? Do you grow your own food or something?" I questioned her.

"I do. However, some odd-looking animals trampled my garden recently. I've had to buy new seeds to replace everything that was destroyed." She sighed.

"Wait, animals? Could you describe them?" This could be linked to the wasteland.

"Well, there was quite a large group of them. They looked very similar to... goats, I guess? There were all kinds of sizes of them, and they had some very large horns coming from each side of their head." She rested her chin in her hand. "I can't recall much else. I didn't have much time to examine them before blasting them to pieces." She smiled.

"...Bighorners..." I sighed. "Thank you."

She nodded. "Well, I'm done here in the village. Would you mind walking to the gate with me?"

I considered my options for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, I don't see why not." We both began walking towards the southern entrance of the village.

We walked in silence for a while before Yuuka spoke up. "You know, you're quite an entertaining person, Mister Six."

"Really? The only thing I've done is ask you questions." I scratched the back of my neck.

"Yes, but you're entertaining for...different reasons." She smiled at me.

"Uh, okay? I don't really-" I was cut off when a cough escaped me.

"Hm? Are you okay?" Yuuka stopped walking.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I-" I couldn't finish my sentence before coughing a few more times. My throat began burning and it became difficult to stand. "I-I don't-" It became impossible to speak between the bouts of coughing. I clutched at my throat and fell to my knees. Yuuka kneeled in front of me and grabbed my shoulders. I saw her mouth moving, but I couldn't hear her. My body forcefully made a jerking motion, which caused me to fall over on my side.

I tried to stand, but my arms and legs disobeyed me. My mouth tasted like copper, and my vision started to blur. The edges of my vision began turning into a deep orange, and it slowly spread across my eyes.

The last thing I saw before my vision was overtaken was the crowd of people that had gathered around me on the street.

[?]

I awoke to darkness.

My body ached as I tried to move. I groaned when I rolled onto my side, putting pressure onto my shoulder. My vision was blurry, and I could hardly see anything.

Slowly but surely, I forced myself onto my knees. A familiar wet feeling made itself present on my legs.

"...God damn it..."

As I stood and my vision began to clear, I let out an exasperated sigh.

I found myself once again standing in the infinite void, with water at my feet. Feeling my own body, I confirmed that I was still wearing my Elite Riot Gear.

**CRACK**

A sound broke the silence behind me. I instantly whipped around and backed up.

In front of me sat a mass of...something. It had no shape, color, or form. However, I could tell that it was huge.

"W-What the fuck?" I began backing away from it.

It pulsated, as if reacting to my voice. A hum emanated from it, like the mass was trying to speak.

The ground vibrated, and I almost fell back down. Afterwards, an immense pressure filled the air.

The thing extended something that looked like a tendril from its front. It moved about, constantly being pointed towards me, as if it was examining me.

Before I could even think about what was happening, it reared back and shot forward, piercing my chest.

[Human Village]

"FUCK!" I shot into a sitting position and clutched my chest. I gasped for air, as it felt like I had been drowning.

Quickly examining my surroundings, I deduced that I was back in my room in Keine's place. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed I was sitting in and put my head in my hands.

I found myself hyperventilating and was struggling to calm down.

Just when I began to steady my breathing, Keine barged in through the door.

"Six!?" She looked ready to fight somebody.

I looked at her but didn't say anything. Keine then dropped her guard after seeing that nothing else was up. "I heard you yell. Did something happen?"

"Had a nightmare, nothing special." I got off the bed and walked toward the door. Keine then blocked my path.

"Hey, stop right there! That flower youkai just showed up at my door holding your unconscious body, and I expect an explanation." She had a serious look on her face.

"I coughed myself to unconsciousness, not that big a deal." I tried to walk around her, but she blocked me again.

"Not that big a- Six! That is not something normal people do!" She crossed her arms. "I seriously don't understand how you're so unconcerned about this, what if-"

"What if I die?" I cut her off. "That's the fucking question, isn't it? Why don't you answer my question instead: Why do you even care? What does my life even mean to you? You've known me for less than a fucking WEEK and you're so damn determined to keep me alive. Why? What does it matter? I've been living with this shit for TWO YEARS, and you act like you can magically change my situation." I clenched my fists. "But guess what the doctor said? She said there's nothing she can do at the moment. You know what that means?" My breathing became erratic. "It means I'm rotting from the INSIDE FUCKING OUT, and there's JACK SHIT I CAN DO ABOUT IT! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS? KNOWING THAT YOU CAN DIE AT ANY FUCKING MOMENT, AND THERE'S NO WAY TO STOP IT? I HAD EVERYTHING TAKEN FROM ME, AND NOW I CAN'T EVEN GET IT BACK! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS? DO YOU!?"

After I finished yelling, I noticed the look on Keine's face.

She looked afraid.

I quickly realized what I just did. "I-I...Fuck, I'm-" I was unable to form words. "Shit- I'm- I'm sorry I-I didn't mean to yell-" Keine cut me off by putting a hand on my chest.

"Calm down. I know how you feel. I know that you're angry about your situation, and personally, I couldn't possibly comprehend what you're going through, but there's no need to lash out at me when I only want to help." The determined look returned to her face. "Will you let me help you?"

I looked down at her for a while. "...If you can." I sighed.

She smiled. "Good!" She brought her hand back down to her side and stepped out of the room. "Have you eaten today?"

I thought for a moment. "Uh, no, actually."

"Well, come on then! There's no school today, so I actually have time to cook something." She began walking down the hallway.

"...Yeah, sure." I don't think I've ever really eaten somebody else's cooking. Well, willingly, anyways. I then exited the room and followed her down the hallway.

We eventually came back into the main lounge room that I exited from previously.

"The kitchen is right over here." Keine walked over to a door that led to an adjacent room. "Would you mind waiting out here? I like to cook without distractions, no offense." She smiled.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll just sit over here." I went and sat down next to the short table near the center of the room.

"Thank you." She promptly vanished into the room.

I could hear a few noises coming from the room, but I began to tune them out after a while. Soon, I began zoning out. It's a strategy that I'd use when waiting for things, since it always felt like time was passing by faster when I was.

Before long, Keine exited the room with two bowls, one in each hand.

She set one down in front of me, along with a pair of...sticks? She then kneeled on the other side of the table with her own.

"I hope you enjoy it!" She smiled at me.

"I-Uh, yeah, but what are these?" I picked up the two sticks she set next to the bowl.

"Um, chopsticks?" She raised an eyebrow.

I stared at her blankly.

"...Have you never used them before?"

"...No..." I answered, sort of embarrassed.

"Oh, well, that's fine. I can get you a fork, if you'd like." She stood.

"That would be much appreciated." I sighed. "Guess this is a Japan thing." I muttered.

Keine entered the kitchen and returned with a fork, which she promptly handed to me.

"Thank you kindly." I nodded.

"You're welcome." She smiled again before kneeling back in her original position. "Now, you better eat before the food gets col-" She stopped when she noticed my empty bowl, which had small remnants of food sticking to the inside. "...Huh?"

"That was pretty good. You're a great cook, Miss Keine." I set the fork down next to the empty bowl.

"I-What?" She looked confused. "What did you do?"

"I ate it?" I shrugged.

"B-But... I stopped looking at you for two seconds!?"

"I work in mysterious ways." I shrugged again.

"...Ugh..." Keine sighed. "You are certainly unique." She began eating the food from her own bowl, while I grabbed my empty one and stood.

"Where do ya' want me to put this?" I gestured to the dirty bowl and fork in my hand.

Keine pointed to the kitchen. She couldn't speak due to the fact that she was eating.

I walked into the kitchen and rinsed the bowl and fork before setting them next to the sink. When I returned to the main room, Keine was still eating, so I just walked around and examined the room itself.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. There were a few paintings, but they weren't anything special. I settled on once again fiddling with my Pip-Boy.

That didn't last long, however, as a sudden pounding on the door surprised both me and Keine. She set her chopsticks down and rushed to go answer the desperate pounding.

"You don't have to be so-" Keine was cut off by the person on the other side, who was revealed to be a male villager.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kamishirasawa, but it's bad! A monster destroyed the southern gate!" The man was panting, as if he had been running. Peering behind him, I could see a large number of people sprinting through the streets.

"Wait, a youkai?" Keine instantly got serious.

"No, a monster! It's like nothing we've ever seen before, and it's killing people!" The man backed away from the door. "You have to help!"

"I'm on it!" She turned around. "Six, you need to-"

"I'm coming with you." I had already stood from my original position and was warming up. "It's been a boring day, and this could be fun." I stretched my arms and legs.

"Are you sure? This could be dangerous." She looked concerned.

"Ma'am, I live for danger." I finished stretching. "Now, let's go."

She sighed. "I suppose I can't stop you." She stepped outside. "Alright, come on!"

I quickly followed behind her as we ran down to the southern gate. It was difficult pushing past the horde of people running away, but we made do.

Before we even arrived, the sounds of shouting and crashing emanated from our destination.

"It sounds bad, we need to hurry!" Keine began floating off the ground and flying above the crowd.

"Hey, wait up!" I couldn't just stay in this crowd. I looked around and saw an opportunity.

Running to the edge of the horde, I clambered my way up to the top of a one-story shop. "Now, we're talkin'!" I began jumping between buildings, significantly improving my travel time.

Keine looked over to me. "Wow, you're actually keeping up!"

"I can be fast when I need to!" I grunted as I landed from a particularly long drop.

***ROAAAAAAAAAAR***

A deafening roar echoed from the direction of the gate we were running to. However, that wasn't the part that scared me.

The problem was that I recognized it.

"Oh shit! We have gotta pick up the pace!" I paused for a moment and took some Turbo out of storage. I quickly inhaled it before time itself seemed to slow, even if not by much. "Oooh, that hit the spot." I continued running, now significantly faster.

With my newfound speed, and Keine's flight, we were now just around the corner from our destination. I jumped down from the rooftops, as the crowd had thinned out to almost nothing.

Keine rounded the corner first, and I could see her eyes widen in shock. I was quick to follow, sliding along the ground to halt my momentum. Just in time, too, as the Turbo had begun to wear off.

I could now see why Keine was shocked.

In front of the now-destroyed gate stood a massive reptile-like creature. It stood on two legs and had two massive horns on each side of its head. At the end of its bulky arms, it had hands with claws as long as a grown man's arm.

Around it sat the corpses of many people. Guards, villagers, and animals alike lay at its feet. A large number of soldiers were scattered about, holding spears and swords, trying to keep the beast away from them.

"W-What in the hell is that!?" Keine shouted.

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. I knew it, but I just didn't wish it to be true. I knew it from the moment I heard that roar. It's been years since I've seen one, and I suppose that today is the day I'll be tested on whether I can still hold my own or not.

"That, ma'am..." I looked over at Keine.

"...Is what wastelanders like to call an Alpha Deathclaw."

Oooooh, things are about to get spicy!

Hope you guys enjoyed this one, as I spent quite a while on it.

As said before, I still haven't decided how I'll handle Six's appearance, but be on the lookout for my decision once chapter 10 releases.

As with other chapters, I will come back later to fix any mistakes in grammar or spelling.

That's all I've got to say, so I'll see you next time.

La revedere.