Foreword: Not sure what to say this time... Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. Reading break coming soon.
Again, comments and suggestions always welcome!
Touhou Duel Masters Café
Chapter 10 – Maiden's Capriccio
The spacious room was illuminated from the light outside of the building, along with the warm fire of the fireplace, cackling slowly as the wood burned.
The Second, sitting on a large, ancient-looking armchair, gazed lazily at the flickering flames, as his body rested from all the hard work that burdened him for
the last few days. The fire entranced him, as it lured him into drowsiness. The fatigue that had accumulated inside him had taken its toll, and he struggled to stay awake. To his left, on another armchair that resembled the one The Second was on, was The First. Having a much weaker body, he stumbled into the room after dinner, and the coziness of the flames and the armchair soon drowned him in his dreams.
Huddling himself, The First turned to one side, mumbling something. The Second refocused on the fire, and the memories flooded him.
When he and The First met, and their unwavering friendship formed after a duel.
When they were a part of the Pleiades, when they made many friends, and solved so many cases that brought them closer together.
When they both found someone they hoped to be together with, though alas, not one of them mentioned anything about it to those people, until the end.
When they were a part of the Constellations, and together with the new Pleiades, saved their world.
When everything suddenly changed, and Subaru turned against everyone.
Then, when it all turned to nothing, except for the two of them.
A defeated and weary sigh escaped his lips. The wavering fire seemed to understand him, as its intensity died down in the slightest.
To think that so many things can happen in one's lifetime, and that some things can change people forever.
Lost hopes, lost opportunities, lost dreams.
Now that the pressure has been taken off his shoulders for the moment, he can relax for a little.
And then, tomorrow, there is work again.
Although, not to save the world, but to help a friend in need.
That was what they were doing from the start of their dueling career, no?
As Pleiades, and as Constellation members.
It was only natural that they would turn back to their root reason for fighting. Even in a different place, a different world. To help those in need, and to stand up for their friends.
As he gazed more into the dancing flames, he found his eyelids getting increasingly heavier.
This time, he did not bother to fight against the pressure.
His sight faded into black as his closed his eyes.
Then, he was whisked into his dreams.
Morning came once again, and the sky was dyed a light blue as the sun rose, a bright orb slowly climbing up into the heavnes.
Reimu, in pajamas, opened her eyes as the sunlight peered into her room, waking her up against her wishes to stay asleep for a longer period.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the shrine maiden threw off her blanket, and stretched her stiff muscles, causing a few audible cricks.
She looked out of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and letting off a yawn, surveyed the room Remilia had provided her for the night and found her usual garments on top of the desk beside her table, which Sakuya had kindly washed for her.
As she changed into her shrine maiden outfit, she glanced at the piece of paper Yukari had given to her yesterday.
"…"
She mouth twitched unhappily as she remembered how Yukari had taken those two guys away. They were so close to getting them… and they slipped right out of their fingers.
Her curiosity was itching, telling her to know more about those two people.
However, considering the circumstances, that would have to be put off till later.
"Chi…" She scratched her head in annoyance. Taking the paper with her, she headed for the mansion's library.
"So, we'll be taking care of these places." Reimu pointed to some spots of the map. "Marisa and I will go together. Sakuya can come with us if she wishes."
"I will first inform the others to assist us with locating Shangri-La. Only after that I will join you." Sakuya said.
Reimu nodded, and turned to Remilia. "So, Remilia, will you finally move your lazy butt and help us now?"
"That's quite rude of you!" The vampire loli frowned and crossed her arms as her wigs flapped in annoyance behind her. "Of course I will, considering that Gensokyo is on the verge of destruction. I don't want my home being reduced to nothing, after all."
"Very well them, make sure you actually do something. Come one Marisa, we're heading out."
With the black-white following behind her, Reimu left the mansion and took off into the distance.
"Not in a good mood, I see." Remilia sighed and sipped her tea.
"Considering the two café masters getting away like that, I can understand her emotions." Sakuya explained.
"Heh… Those two people, I'm taking an interest in them." Remilia smiled.
"Well then, I must be going, mistress." With a bow, Sakuya disappeared after clicking her fingers.
"Well... Shall I be moving then?"
There was a short pause as Remilia reconsidered her situation.
"…Wait a second. How am I supposed to go out in the sun like this? Sakuya? Bring me my parasol…"
There was no response.
Patchouli continued to read.
"Uu…"
Cirno sat cross-legged on the grassy fields, a half-eaten sandwich in front of her, eyes shut tight, as she pondered.
"Cirno… what are you going to do?" Her creature inquired. Kiriko Cubic's lay on her lap, separate from Cirno's other cards, and glowed faintly.
Daiyousei, along with Rumia, Mystia and Wriggle, sat afar as they enjoyed their meal, though they sneaked glances at the Ice Fairy from time to time, who was vastly differently than who she was before.
"I'm thinking of this incident… You, and other cards, suddenly being conscious, and this creature…Shangri-La… There must be some connection, I believe." The fairy stroked her chin. "…I might go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion and discuss this with the witch there. Although Reimu and Marisa should be taking care of this now, more information would not be bad."
"Hmph… I have no qualms with that. Though, you should be careful." Kiriko Cubic fell silent after that.
"…" Cirno continued to chew on her sandwich half-mindedly. "Shangri-La…"
"…Somebody's bound to take him down…"
"That person and their faction would probably gain unparalleled popularity and faith… if they really manage to defeat the Climax of Cruelty…"
"This is a good chance to gather faith…"
"There are so many factions that are willing to go to great lengths for that."
"But who will defeat him? That's the question…"
Cirno looked up at the sky, wondering if Gensokyo would be thrown into even greater turmoil.
For now, the creature has not made any big moves, and there a few who grasp the actual threat of the Zenith.
Gensokyo remains peaceful, like most of the time.
For how long, no one knows.
"Fwaaah…" The First let out a yawn, and stumbled into bathroom drowsily. Quickly taking off his clothes, he stepped into the shower to wash away his fatigue. Sighing in comfort, he savored the sensation of being covered in warmth, and he let his body relax as the water cleansed his soul.
Meanwhile, his friend had just opened his eyes, the sound of running water waking him up from his sleep.
The Second rubbed his face, and moved his body a little, getting rid of the stiffness that gripped him. "Urf…"
A rap on the door nearly made his heart skip a beat, and he sat up straight at the sound.
"Er…yes?" He inquired.
"Breakfast is going to be ready soon." The voice of a young female echoed in his ears. "Please do come and eat. There is business to attend, after all."
"Oh…right, thank you." The Second replied hastily, and the footsteps that faded away signaled the departure of the girl.
The Second sank back into the armchair, and it was only when The First came out of the bathroom that he moved again.
"Breakfast is probably ready. We'll go after my shower." He told The First, who gave a "Un" in reply. Stretching a little, The Second closed the bathroom's door behind him.
"Oh well…time to get to work…" The First mumbled as he prepared his stuff.
"…So that's what we're going against huh…" The Second tapped his chin. "At this point, it's not surprising really."
The First shrugged. "What we gonna do is what we gonna do. Let's make this fast."
The both of them trudged down the corridor, fulfilled after their breakfast.
"Now that we have the energy, I suppose it won't be too hard on us?"
"Maybe..."
The owner stood by the entrance to the dining hall, watching as their forms disappeared from sight.
"…"
"Bolmeteus Crimson, todomeda!" Mystia gave the order for the final attack, and the evolution Armored Dragon aimed his guns at Rumia, barraging her with a rain of bullets.
"Gyaaaa!" The darkness youkai fell on her back and lay there, and complained as she got up a moment later. "Uhh…Mystia is so mean…"
"Heheh! How is it, my new power!" Mystia proudly exclaimed as she helped her friend up. "My Fire Birds aren't to be taken lightly!"
"Hmph… You won't stand a chance against my insects!" Wriggle taunted as she took out her deck. "I'll beat you up fast!"
"Challenge accepted!" Mystia declared as she expanded her shields, as did Wriggle. "Duema Start!"
"Ha…" Daiyousei could only watch as her companions engaged in dueling right after breakfast, like always during the morning and afternoon.
She turned to stare off into the far distance, the Scarlet Devil Mansion that stood on the edge of the lake, where Cirno had set off to after their picnic.
"Cirno-chan…"
I hope she's going to be fine… Daiyousei thought, her green wings trembling slightly from anxiety and worry for her dear friend.
The Great Elf, and the other three, did not notice a green aura emitting from under her dress, faintly shimmering and dimming down in the blink of an eye.
With their hoods on, The First and Second kept a low profile, making their way through the hustling and bustling streets of the Former Capital.
"Take this with you… This will help you hide your scent." The voice of the girl resonated in their minds as they remembered the hour before.
She handed them two pendants. Two tiny red crystals, reflecting what little light there was to offer, hanging from thin crimson strings.
"…" They took the pendants, and hung them around their necks, and they felt a strange energy course through their bodies. They stared at their hands, examining them to see if there was anything different.
"These will overwrite your presence as humans, so to those youkai out there, you are one of them as far as they're concerned." The girl explained, and gave them a map.
"Head there…" She pointed to a spot on the small piece of paper. "You'll know what to do next from there on."
Both of the duelists nodded, and headed outside the large mansion.
Now, they were headed for their destination that they have been given. Although they have those crystals, drawing much attention wouldn't be beneficial to them. Ignoring everything else that might be of interest, they finally stood on the doorstep of a house with a size larger than that of the average house in Old Hell.
"…Anyone here?" The Second knocked on the rim of the door, being careful not to break the thin veil that separated the house from the outside world.
"Yeah….coming!" A voice that sounded slightly drunk answered their call, and soon thereafter a tall blonde woman with a horn on her forehead, cheeks a small hue of red from consuming large quantities of sake.
"Yo… Been a long time." The Second greeted her, and The First waved his hand slightly behind him.
"Heh…" Yuugi smiled and opened the door wide for the two boys. "Come in. Make yourselves comfortable."
They stepped into the large house, and Yuugi showed them to the living room. "Wanna have some sake?"
"Er… We'll pass." They shook their heads. Who knows how strong that sake is…
"Aw…" Yuugi looked a little dejected at their refusal, but instantly cheered up. "Well. Since you're here, shall we get to business then?"
"Oh, Reimu has left?" The Ice Fairy looked left and right, confirming that the shrine maiden has indeed set off on her task. "Well, that doesn't change much."
"I'm here to find you, The Great Unmoving Library." She directed her attention to the book-reading sorceress, who looked up with bored interest.
"Hm? Find me? What for?"
"I believe that there is no living being without flaws and weaknesses. I am here to request admission to your library." Cirno explained her reason for being here. "So that I can find out what can be used against him. There must be something."
"Do you think that I, the master of this library, cannot find a book or magic than can seal away that Zenith, fairy?"
"Would you be sitting idly here if you really did have a plan to get rid of him other than a duel?" Cirno calmly refuted. "If you did, you'd be actually be reading a lot more and might be doing experiments already."
"…Hmph… Do as you please." Patchouli resumed her reading. "Though I doubt you would find anything to suppress a near-omnipotent being…"
"Near. Near." Cirno answered nonchalantly, and floated towards Koakuma for directions.
"…Unbelievable. A mere fairy trying to defeat Shangri-La…"
"…" Reimu and Marisa wandered around Muenzuka, the Nameless Mound, as they searched for any signs of the Climax of Cruelty.
"You sure Yukari's map said he might be here?" Marisa looked at their surroundings. Higan flowers that sported a deep red dotted the ground, and trees that blossomed proudly reinforced the presence of summer. A little breeze picked up, the flowers and leaves of trees swayed in the wind.
"…" Marisa didn't look too enthusiastic about being in the woods, and her expression told Reimu that she wanted to be out of this place as soon as possible. "…We should get out of here soon…"
Reimu could understand how Marisa felt. Carefully winding around the poisonous flowers, they continued to search for the creature.
Muenzuka… The place were the nameless dead are laid to rest. People without family or relatives to claim them, outsiders who happen to stumble in and lose their lives… All of these people cremated, their ashes scattered around the area.
Though, many souls are supposed to still linger here…
It is also where items from the outside world end up, so Nazurin from the Myouren Temple Rinnosuke show up occasionally to look for valuables.
"Can we go back now…?" Marisa asked. She felt the air getting colder, and she was quite sure it wasn't just the temperature. "At this rate we'll be going into the Netherworld… No one's going to be here anyway."
"Just a little more… Don't you think that exactly because that virtually no one comes, it is a perfect hiding spot?" Reimu answered, quite determined to thoroughly inspect the area.
"Uu…" Marisa mumbled reluctantly, and quickly caught up to Reimu.
Then there they stood, in front of a purple cherry blossom tree, the landmark of Muenzuka. Its purple flowers stood out, a stark contrast from the other trees surrounding it.
They looked around, but couldn't find any traces of the Zenith being here. Everything was peaceful and calm. It's the resting place for the dead, after all.
"It seems that there really isn't much here… Hm?" Something caught Reimu's eye, and she crouched down, inspecting the items in from of her. Marisa peeked from behind her.
"…Cards?" The girls picked them up and examined them.
"Heh… They seem like pretty good stuff." Marisa smiled and pocketed the ones she held.
"It appears that they might be of some use…" Reimu agreed. "We'll figure that out once we get back."
"Now I don't regret coming here!" The black-white girl said with a large grin on her face as she mounted her broom. "Let's go to the next place then!"
"Haa… Marisa as always." Reimu shook her head and took off after the magician.
The First and Second stood by Yuugi's side as they walked out of the entrance to the Underground.
"So we're back up here again now…" The First shielded his eyes against the rays of the sun.
"…This might be more of a hassle than we thought." The Second said. "This matter seems to be quite complicated… Everything seems to be chaining themselves together."
"I know right?" The oni shrugged. "If someone says that this is all a monkey show to achieve a grand plan and stuff, I'd believe that."
"Hm… I suppose that the possibility is there…" The First pondered. "It all seems too strange… One thing after another. They don't seem to have direct connections, but…"
"That's why we're here, right?" The Second concluded it for him.
"Correct." Yuugi replied. "We gotta be careful with this. On top of that, we have some people to help. Without them, Old Hell's energy management won't be going smooth."
"Right… So where were we headed to again?"
"The Hall of Dream's Great Mausoleum. But first, we should head for the Human Village."
"...What the…" The trio stood in front of the remains of the destroyed door, in shambles and neglected for the past two days.
The First massaged his forehead, and The Second let out a deep sigh at the sight.
"I suppose it's them alright…" The First grumbled. "But we'll leave this for now…"
"You called?" He almost jumped at the voice that rose up behind him.
"Wha…"
They turned to find Reimu, Marisa and Sakuya standing by the entrance, glaring at them.
"I heard that that the two café masters have returned. Such a…surprise to find you back here."
"Kuh…"
"You have nowhere to hide this time." Reimu narrowed her eyes at The First and Second. "Yuugi, I suggest you stay out of this."
"Can't do." Yuugi refused instantly. "We have stuff to take care of."
"….So we have to solve this the way we usually do eh?" The shrine maiden took out her deck. "I'm looking forward to this already!"
"…Chi… We don't have time for this…" The Second clicked his tongue. "Why don't you focus on finding Shangri-La? We've got our own business to mind to now. If you will just kindly leave us…"
"We'll get all the info out of your mouths first." Marisa cut him off. "Let's duel!"
"…Kuh…" The First reluctantly brandished a deck. "So its three on three… We'll end this quickly then!"
"With our victory, of course!" Reimu declared. "Marisa, Sakuya, let's go!"
"Heh…you two, don't get too careless!" Yuugi told the two, and they nodded in response.
"Duema, Start!"
BGM:Gekisen Arrange - Maiden's Capriccio ~ Rise Up Against The Stronger
"I cast Faerie Miracle!" The First declared.
"I summon Jenny and discard Prometheus from your hand!" Reimu summoned the Death Puppet and sent said card to The First's graveyard.
"…I cast Faerie Miracle! Then I cast Seventh Tower!" The top five cards of The First's deck went into his mana zone.
"You won't be needing that many mana soon!" Reimu said. "I summon Triple Mouth! I discard that last card from your hand and boost my deck top into my mana!" The summoned Beast Folk and Ghost hybrid snapped away at The First's hand, forcing him to discard Counterattacking Silent Spark from his hand.
"Draw… I summon Codeking Wilhelm! I destroy Triple Mouth and Kiryu Jilves in your mana. Then for each card put into your graveyard, I boost one mana." The King Command Dragon smashed Triple Mouth into light and sent the Lost Crusader from Reimu's mana to her grave.
"Chi… I cast Lifeplan Charger! I add Glenmolt to my hand, and Lifeplan goes into my mana." Reimu ended her turn.
"I summon Cyber N World!" The blue Cyber Command materialized, and letting off a cerulean light, he created a new world, and five new cards replaced both duelists' current hand and cleared their graveyards. Then I cast Hyperdimensional Dravita Hole! I put Victorious Prin into the battle zone, and Jenny cannot attack nor block until my next turn!"
"Kuh…Then I summon Glenmolt! I equip him with Gaial, Leader Dragon Sword and force Prin to battle him!"
The Alien Princess tried to defend herself, but was easily slashed into light by the sword wielding Humanoid.
"Then I cast Wild Dragon Alert! If I have a Fire Draguner in my battle zone I can cast it for free." Reimu continued. "With this spell's effect, Glenmolt gets Speed Attacker and gains Gaial Command Dragon as an additional race!"
"Battle! I attack with Glemolt!" Reimu declared. "Gaial's ability! Whenever one of my Gaial Command Dragons attack, he Ryuukais into Gaiburn!"
"Furious Dragon of Fire! Lend me your power of destruction! Furious Dragon Leader, Gaiburn!"
Glenmolt's weapon let off a bright crimson light, and from it, the Gaial Command Dragon emerged, letting off a ferocious howl that shook the Duel Zone.
"Glenmolt, break that first shield!" In response to her orders, Glenmolt smashed through the first crystalline shield with his bare fists.
"No triggers." The First confirmed. "My turn."
"…Let's end this here, shall we?" The First brandished card. "I summon Bolbalzark Ex."
The Armored Dragon Hunter appeared alongside The First's other creatures, a blazing X mark on his chest, equipped with the legendary sword and shield of Bolbalzark.
"With his effect, I untap all cards in my mana zone. Then I evolve Cyber N World! Grateful Life, the Earth Breaker!" The insect-like Gaia Command emerged from the evolution sphere that enveloped Cyber N World.
"Grateful Life's effect. I put Galaxy, Temporal Immortal from my hyperdimensional zone to my battle zone!"
"This is the last!" The First declared. "I cast Mother's Sanctuary! I send Galaxy to my mana, but he Awakens instead! Then I evolve him into this guy!"
The Destruction Awakened was bathed in a white light so blinding that forced Reimu to look away. "…!"
"The ultimate Lord of Spirits! Fragment of my soul! Cleanse all with your holy light under the guidance of God!" The First chanted, and as the light faded, the six-armed Angel Command wielding six swords stood in Galaxy's place, his presence alone stunning Reimu, whose awed expression was even greater than the moment she saw Alcadeias.
"Alphadios…!"
"As long as he is on the field, no one can summon non-light creatures and cast non-light spells!" The First explained, although he didn't feel that it was necessary.
"Battle! Wilhelm! Triple Break! Grateful Life! Double Break!"
All of Reimu shields vanished in an instant.
"Uu…!"
"Alphadios! Todomeda! Sanctuary Extinction!"
"…It seems that my partner is doing well. Then, shall we carry on?" The Second fixed his gaze on Marisa.
"Heh…! I'll pummel you this time for sure!" Marisa promised. "My turn, draw!"
Decks:
Reimu: Darigaaz Shoegazer Molt
The First: 5c Big Mana (Alpha+Kiriko Moon)