I winced and shaded my eyes with my hand as I stepped out of the rundown shack and into the shining moonlight. Despite the dreary state of affairs in the village, the clear night sky gave it a sort of eerie beauty. High above our heads was a veritable sea of stars and celestial bodies, and a brightly shining crescent moon that clearly illuminated the dirt path we traveled on. Something equally beautiful, if not terrifying, was the glinting eyes belonging to the cats perched on the roofs of the rundown buildings, every single one of them staring directly at us as we walked. It was as if there was another night sky below the genuine article. Sadly, the dim light shining down was still bright enough to trigger the pounding headache I had only just managed to distract myself from.
"So," I drawled, "You live here then?" I never thought of myself as spoiled, but as I walked through this decrepit village with stray cats everywhere I looked, it was hard not to wonder if this is what goes for a 'rough neighborhood' around these parts. I really hoped she didn't actually live here. This was no place for a girl like Chen, possibly terrifying youkai or not! "Now that I mention it, where exactly is 'here'?" I wondered aloud. Chen perked up at being addressed and pulled herself away from glaring at Suika, who was totally unbothered by Chen's ire. "Oh, and uh, my name is Hikigaya Hachiman." I tacked on at the end of my question. Truly I am the pinnacle of manners.
"Chen is Chen! And no way!" She giggled, "My home is way nicer! This is just Mayohiga. People that get really lost just sort of end up here. Yukari-sama tried to explain it to me once, but I didn't really get it. Oh, but Ran-sama lets me keep my minions here!" She expansively gestured with her arm at the cats lining the buildings, "There used to be merchants and travelers that came through here, but lately it's mostly been drunks. Suika keeps ending up here because she's dumb, and then I get stuck dealing with her until Ran has to come and save me." I thought of her situation in the building. It makes sense she'd have no luck getting out of that grabby oni's arms.
"It's not my fault!" Suika cried, "Let's see you try getting through that stupid forest after drinking all night! I swear that it's alive!" Why is it that everything new I hear about that forest just scares me more?!
"I wouldn't be in that situation in the first place because I'm not stupid!" Chen very maturely pointed out.
"Are you calling me stupid, shrimp?" Suika seemed to actually take notice of Chen's insults for the first time.
"Chen is not a shrimp, idiot!" You really are, though. Not that Suika is any better off in the height department.
"I'm not an idiot, shorty!" Alright, that's enough of this.
"Could you guys keep it down? My head is killing me here…" I had no idea how old these two actually were, but they sure as hell looked and acted like children. Suika laughed and said something about 'newbies' under her breath, but Chen lifted off of the ground and hovered directly in front of my face while staring me down with a concerned look on her face.
"Are you OK? Were you hurt?" She darted around while inspecting my head for any visible wounds. "I don't see anything wrong… Oh, I know what to do!" She floated up until she was just above me, then softly both her hands palms-down on my forehead. "Pain, pain, fly away~!" She sang and tossed her hands up in the air. "All done! Do you feel better?" Then she gave me a blinding smile that hurt to look directly at. Of course, there's only one possible answer I can give here.
"Yep. The pain's all gone. Thank you, Chen." I said with as much sincerity as I could inject while turning my head away from her to hide my flushing face. Chen proudly puffed her chest out and her smile took on a satisfied edge. How could a girl this pure exist?! Unfortunately, this gave Suika a clear look at my face. The sight of what was likely a truly impressive blush drove her into a fit of giggles. I cleared my throat and attempted to change the subject. "Back to what you were talking about, though. I've never heard of 'Mayohiga' before. Where in Japan are we, exactly?" At least I hoped we were in Japan. Sure, everyone I met spoke Japanese, but I hadn't completely ruled out that this was an isekai.
"Ugh… I'm really no good at explaining that stuff." Suika grimaced, "Easier to just let Reimu handle that part, ya know?" She explained. Chen however, had a growing look of excitement that only seemed to amplify after hearing that Suika wasn't able to help.
"You're an Outsider?!" She exclaimed, "That's so cool!" It was hard not to find her excitement infectious. "I've never met a youkai from the Outside before!" Just like that, my excitement was replaced with disappointed resignation. Next to me, Suika was clutching her stomach from laughing so hard. "What's so funny?! Ran-sama said that existing on the outside is difficult for youkai, so Hachiman must be a super strong youkai!" Chen defended me with all her might, not understanding why her words drove Suika into further hilarity and me into further despair.
"Ahahaha! I thought you were kidding when you said this keeps happening! Ahaha, oh no, my stomach, ahahaha!" Tears were running down her face as she clutched her stomach in genuine pain. Do me a favor and suffocate on your laughter, would you? Finish the job that I started!
"Look, about that… I'm actually a human." I explained. Chen eyed me up and down, hummed to herself a bit, and then smiled at me. While I was satisfied that I had cleared up another misunderstanding before it could take root, Chen ruthlessly shattered my hopes with her next words.
"Come on, stop teasing me. I mean, your disguise is pretty good, but the eyes are way off!" Wow, I thought I was numb to those kinds of remarks but hearing it from Chen actually stings quite a bit! "Besides, you don't even smell human. You can't fool me! My nose is pretty good, you know?" Her ears and tails flicked as if to draw attention to them. Wait, something was off about that remark. What was it? I tried to think about it, but the hangover was making thinking rather difficult. Well, whatever. I tried, moving on now. Meanwhile, Suika was still wheezing with laughter.
"Can you please explain what you mean by 'Outside'? People keep saying that like I should know what it means." I grumbled. Chen looked practically scandalized.
"That's because you should!" Chen responds, "How did you even get here without knowing where you are?" I opened my mouth to respond, but Chen cut me off, "Anyways, you're in Gensokyo! The 'Outside' is anything that's outside the barrier that surrounds Gensokyo. Supposedly it's way easier for youkai and gods and stuff to live here than it is out there, so that's why everyone all moved here. That was before I was born though, so I've been here my whole life." Wait, so that means… this isn't an isekai! Technically, anyways. I'm just in some weird hidden society. The relief of that thought left me feeling lighter than I had felt in years. "The barrier keeps people from getting into Gensokyo, and it keeps people from getting out too." Annnnd the relief was gone once I realized I was still stuck here. Noticing my growing distress, Suika chose that moment to finally stop laughing and chime in.
"Don't worry, that's why we're heading to Reimu's place after this. She gets Outsiders through the barrier all the time!" She paused, "Well, not really 'all the time', since you guys usually die, but she's definitely done it a few times!" Right, I almost forgot. Not only am I stuck in some weird hidden society, it's also an insane death world. Thank you for the reminder!
"Eh? You're leaving?" Chen asked, "But why? It's way better here! At least, that's what Ran-sama says, and she's always right!"
"I've got family out there that will worry if I just disappear. Well, a sister anyways." I'd be surprised if my parents even noticed. Chen smiled sadly at that.
"Ah, I understand. Family is important." I nodded at that, and our walk continued in silence. Right up until Suika opened her mouth again.
"Yeah, your youkai family is really important." She said and then broke into continued laughter. I groaned and Chen just stared confused at her.
Even looking back, I'm unable to pinpoint when exactly we left the village and entered… wherever this place was. One moment I was walking down an open-air dirt path, the next I found myself in a room that wouldn't feel out of place in your typical Japanese home. There was a sharp chill to the place that contrasted with the stifling warmth that I had been walking in just moments before. The floors were an expensive looking hardwood, and the walls were decorated in a warm brown. To the right of where we came in, there was a spot where you could place your shoes before proceeding further into the building. You could be fooled into thinking this was a normal home, so long as you didn't look out the way you came in from. Through the doorway leading outside, there was what appeared to be an inky black void that the light from the room failed to penetrate. Worse than the feeling of fear at being trapped in the void forever was the sensation of something out there watching me. For a moment, it threatened to overwhelm me. However, Suika and Chen were completely unfazed by the change in scenery. The moment we entered the room, Chen dropped to all fours, and sprinted past the corner at the end of the room and out of sight before I could even muster up a reaction. The quickly fading cries of 'Ran-sama' reaching me from the entrance was the only thing breaking the silence, until Suika spoke up from beside me.
"Geez… Such a kid." Suika shook her head with a smirk. That smirk fell when she noticed my deadpan glance. "Don't give me that look! How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a kid!" She pouted, "I'll have you know that I am…" She stopped to count on her fingers for a moment, but quickly ran out of fingers to use. Really not helping showcase your maturity here, Suika. "OK, so I don't remember. But it's been centuries, at least!" Ohoho, centuries hm? Could this be a rare case of a 1,000-year-old loli? Sorry Suika, but even if that's the case, that kind of trope is just no good.
"This is the first time you've brought it up, actually." I say instead of voicing my actual thoughts aloud.
"What are you- Oh. Ohhh!" A strange mix of understanding, amusement, and sadness showed on her face. "You forgot! How could you forget?!" She points a tiny finger at my face that likely holds the power to crush my skull, "Ugh! This is why newbies are the worst! Just when you think they can hold their liquor, they go and pull this crap. Unbelievable!" She glared at me, "I'll let it slide this time, but it better not happen again!" She stomped ahead with her arms folded, the ground shaking underneath my feet with every step she took. I rolled my eyes while following a good distance behind her. I can't believe I ever thought she was scary.
She turned the corner and I followed… and once again found myself experiencing more magical bullshit. I found myself alone in dimly lit hallway that stretched on without an end in sight. The walls on either side were plain and featureless, save for the dim lights illuminating the area. Just looking at the area evoked a feeling of dread in me, as if I would be doomed to wander forever if I was careless enough to intrude. Demonstrating my incredible trope-savviness, I immediately gave up that hallway as a lost cause and turned back towards the entrance. Like hell I'm ignoring those glaring red flags. To my luck, Chen had returned at some point and was worriedly looking around the entrance. As I approached, her ears perked up and she spun around and beamed at me with utter relief.
"Oh thank goodness! I forgot to tell you to wait here for me!" She looked around a bit more. "Where did Suika go? Did she leave?" She rushed up to me and grabbed my arm. "Anyways, that doesn't matter. Come on, Ran-sama says it's OK for you to eat with us!" Without any further warning, she took off and nearly pulled my arm out of its socket. We turned the same corner that I was nearly lost in moments ago, but this time I found myself in a homey living room. The room was tastefully decorated with a mishmash of items from different cultures and time periods that somehow managed to blend chaos together into perfect harmony. In the center of the room, there was a large kotatsu set with plates and silverware for five people on the edges.
Chen let go of me and shot under the kotatsu. Moments later, her face stuck out of the other end, with a content look on her face. Cute~. Moments later, a woman came through the doorway at the other end of the room with steaming dishes of food in her hands. Trailing behind her were nine luxuriously fluffy blonde tails, each one balancing another dish. The telltale twitches from underneath her hat caused me to raise an eyebrow. Fox ears, probably. Wow, I really was getting numb to this place's nonsense! The woman placed the dishes on top of the kotatsu and gained a look of fond exasperation when she noticed Chen by her feet.
"Chen, what I have said about- Oh." She noticed me and her face slipped into an expression that was purely professional. She folded her arms into her sleeves and gave me a shallow nod. "Hello. Welcome to the Yakumo household. I am Yakumo Ran, shikigami of Yakumo Yukari." Hoh, a family name? Suika was the only one other person I had met so far that gave me a family name, and she had laughed in my face when I tried to call her Ibuki-san. I very quickly realized that manners were wasted on her in many ways.
"Ah, Hikigaya Hachiman. Pleasure to meet you, Yakumo-san." My deeply ingrained Japanese manners kicked in without me realizing and I bowed just a bit deeper than her and referred to her with her family name. This was a good thing, because the rhythmic sway of her tails was making it rather hard to focus on anything else. She politely smiled, seeming not at all bothered by my wandering eyes. I thought for sure she was going to hit me with a 'My eyes are up here.'
"'Ran' is fine. Chen tells me that you are to thank for freeing her from the 'drunk muscle-head'." She spoke with a hint of dry humor. As she looked around the room, her smile evaporated into a more thoughtful look. "Speaking of, would you happen to know where she went? She is not one to walk away from the promise of free food." I don't think she was promised that at all, actually. Chen seemed perfectly happy to see her disappear.
"That… I'm not sure, to be honest. I followed her around a corner and the next thing I knew I was alone in some spooky endless hallway. I decided discretion was the better part of valor and turned back." I shrugged. I've played PT. I know better than to wander strange hallways. Ran sighed and covered her face with a palm.
"Not again… Just once, you would think she would learn her lesson." She sighed. Sorry Ran, but I can safely say that I would never think that about Suika. "At least you had enough sense not to wander the danmaku hallway." The what now? "I suppose I must fetch her before she starts breaking down the walls." A faint tremor shook the room and nearly sent a dish sliding off the kotatsu, until Ran caught it with one of her tails and placed it back. Ran sighed again. It's impressive how expressive she is with those. "Breaking down more walls, I suppose. Please excuse me." Without waiting for a response, she strode off at a brisk pace through the door she came from and left me alone with Chen, the ensuing silence accompanied by additional faint tremors every few seconds.
There's a specific feeling that everyone has experienced at least once in their lifetimes. It's that feeling you get when you're a guest in someone else's home and they leave you to your own devices. Presumably they expect you to wait patiently, or perhaps they never actually considered what you're supposed to do in the first place. I looked over at Chen, but she was perfectly content to soak in the kotatsu's warmth in blissful silence. No help there. That means I was truly alone. In an effort to save myself from boredom, I looked around the room and pretended to be intrigued by the decorations. Wow, a rug. Wonder what it's made out of. Polyester, maybe? Truly a mystery for the ages. Isn't that fucking fascinating? Finally, Chen benevolently deigned to save me from myself.
"You can sit down if you want!" She said with a smile. She patted the floor near her and smiled at the confused look I sent at the kotatsu. "Yukari-sama said it was a waste to have a kotatsu and a table for meals, so now we eat out here! But then it got too hot to use so Yukari-sama made it so that it's always cold enough here to use it year-round. Ran-sama always gets this really distant look when I talk to her about it." Amazing. I somehow found myself relating to both this Yukari person and Ran in this scenario. As I moved towards the kotatsu, I decided to ask for clarification on something Ran said before.
"By the way, what's a 'danmaku hallway'? Besides creepy, I mean." Because honestly, that hallway was sending up more death flags than the death trap forest.
"Oh! That's for intruders! Anybody who gets in without Ran-sama's or Yukari-sama's permission gets stuck in there so we can kick them out. I asked Ran-sama why we didn't just make it so people can't come in, but she got this distant look on her face and said, 'I wish I knew, Chen.'" Her face turned sheepish, "I was supposed to make you wait until I could ask Ran-sama, but I forgot. I'm sorry!" She clapped her hands together and bowed her head to me. Chen, what are you doing? You don't have to apologize to someone like me. You would have to do much worse things for me to request an apology from someone as adorable as you. I'm not even certain I have it in me to be angry at you in the first place. I plopped down and moved to get comfortable under the kotatsu.
"It's fine. Not like I…" As I lifted the blanket of the kotatsu to seat myself under it, my brain ceased all activity at what I saw. A pair of legs in a frilly lilac dress sticking out of what appeared to be a crack in reality, which in turn was filled with eyes floating in a featureless black void. After a moment of staring in shock, the eyes in the gap swiveled to me and stared me down. Slowly, I lowered the blanket and decided to give the kotatsu up as a lost cause. It wasn't nearly cold enough in here that I was willing to deal with that. For a moment I simply stared off into space as I once more questioned my new place in reality.
"What's wrong, Hachiman?" Chen asked, looking genuinely curious. Before I could pull an answer out of my ass, the sound of approaching footsteps caught both our attention.
"Oh, is there a problem?" Ran had entered the room with Suika walking shortly behind her. Suika cheerily waved at me and then plopped down on the ground across from Chen and began drinking. "Is this about the kotatsu? I keep telling Yukari-sama that it's not suitable for meals, but she never listens to me." Sorry Ran, but that doesn't even register on my newfound scale of weirdness.
"So long as a problem doesn't cause problems, it can't be called a problem." I wisely stated instead of answering her question. In response, Ran simply raised an eyebrow. Time for a subject change. "You know, Suika… When you talked about breaking down the walls between us, I didn't think you meant that literally." Suika snorted at my dry remark and then immediately brightened up.
"So you do remember!" She grinned happily at me, "The important parts, anyways. What's the last thing you…?" She started to ask but she trailed off when she noticed Chen muttering to herself.
"'-doesn't cause problems, it can't be called a problem.'" Chen spoke in a low voice, likely trying to imitate me. "So cool~!" She praised, with no regards to me writhing in embarrassment. Suika nodded in agreement but Ran slowly turned her head towards me while giving me a cool stare that made me feel like the scum of the earth. After a moment of coldly staring me down, she delivered her question.
"Do you… have any idea how hard it is for me to prevent Yukari-sama from filling Chen's head with ideas?" Ran asks, a tinge of frost coating her words. "No, of course not. In less than a day, you risk undoing all of my efforts by filling her head with idiocy like this?" How was I supposed to know she would imitate me? Nobody imitates me, and for good reason! She stared me down for a moment longer, leaving me too afraid to even fidget, before sighing and putting her face in her hands. The tension evaporated like mist in the morning sun. "Oh, who am I kidding? I was never going to succeed in that endeavor." She complained.
"Mmmm, you know, you could stand to relax a little. Listen to our young human friend here. He's quite wise beyond his years!" A mysterious voice came from next to my ear as a strange weight settled on my shoulder. I looked to my left, and once again found myself stunned into silence. Well… It appears that I found that the other half. In a stunning reversal of my previous situation, I now find myself staring at the upper half of a woman sticking out of a crack in reality, this time resting her weight on my shoulder. "Hmm… At least I think he's human. He does have a rather inhuman aura surrounding him. You may be on to something about not having him around Chen." Her purple eyes swiveled to meet mine, and I found myself feeling distinctly uncomfortable as she searched for something in my gaze without an ounce of subtlety.
"Haa~, someone needs to do work around here." Ran groused, "I've long given up hope on that person being you." The strange woman turned away from studying me so as to properly laugh at Ran, but not quickly enough for me to miss the spark of interest in her eyes. I must have forgotten to look away, because moments later she turned to me with a mischievous smile.
"Kyaa~, this vile man is undressing me with his eyes! Protect my innocence, Ran!" The woman clasped her hands together and wriggled her body in place. The only reaction she received from the room was a look of tired resignation from Ran. The woman hung her head in disappointment, while Chen pat her legs sympathetically from under the kotatsu. "You're all no fun." She looked back at me. "Yakumo Yukari. Pleasure, etc." She greeted me in what was possibly the most half-assed manner I had ever experienced.
"Hikigaya Hachiman. Same." I spoke without decorum. If she's not going to bother, then I don't see why I should. Rather than be offended, Yukari instead looked delighted.
"Perfect! There's no need for something as silly as 'manners' here. Save it for those stuffy old youkai with nothing better to do than dabble in politics." She laughed. I very carefully did not point out the fact that she was likely far older than me. "So! What brings you here, Hachi-chan?" Annnd we've already skipped straight to nicknames.
"Well, Yukari, I-" A scandalized gasp interrupted me mid-sentence.
"How rude! I don't remember giving you permission to call me by my given name!" She spoke with false shock on her face. Oh, but 'Hachi-chan' is OK? Ah well, I guess that's fair. I suppose I had gotten used to the informality of this place, even if I didn't particularly care how people called me.
"Apologies. Then, Yakumo-sa-" I was interrupted once more.
"Oh, please, call me Yukari. We're all friends here!" She beamed happily at me.
"…I'm here for breakfast." I stated simply. It's best not to give any ammunition to people like this. God, I just woke up and I already feel exhausted dealing with her.
"That's right! I brought him here!" Chen said, finally managing to escape from the warmth of the kotatsu and form something resembling proper posture.
"Ah, bringing in strays. It's nice to see Chen upholding such a time-honored Yakumo tradition." She smiled at Chen, who puffed her chest out in pride. Rather than be mad, I was actually impressed that she managed to insult me, Chen, and Ran all in the same sentence.
"Hachiman was passed out in Mayohiga with Suika and my minions! He helped me!" Chen babbled in the same way all children do when trying and failing to tell a story. Yukari smiled dotingly and ruffled her hair, to my jealousy. Judging by the smug look Yukari sent me, she knew it too. Suika chimed in from her one-woman debauchery.
"Heh, yeah, I found him drunk and ranting over at Mystia's stand. It seemed like fun, so I joined him. He's a total rookie, though! Never had a single drink! Can you believe that?" She laughed, "Anyways, turns out he's an Outsider, so I was gonna swing by Reimu's with him so he could get home. I guess we got a little sidetracked, though." She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Any continued form of conversation was cut off though, as between one breath and the next, Yukari had slipped into her gap and popped up from another one that formed in front of me.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing, woman?!" I bit off another retort when she met my eyes without a trace of humor.
"Quiet." She ordered. My mouth clicked shut, and she continued her silent inspection for several long seconds. "…Hmm. How strange." She spoke this more to herself than anyone in the room. A moment later, she was back where she sat earlier with the same thoughtful look on her face. "How long have you been in Gensokyo? How did you get here?" She addressed me with no nonsense in her tone.
"Gensokyo? Um, I think I woke up here yesterday morning… Or maybe it was this morning. I'm not really sure. I uh, had a lot to drink." I admitted, almost rambling by this point. It was becoming increasingly difficult to think through the pain in my head. Suika laughed at that comment, but Yukari simply hummed in acknowledgment. "As for how I got here… I'm not sure. I just woke up in a forest I've never been to before." There was a longer moment of silence as Yukari thoughtfully tapped a fan against her chin.
"I see. How interesting!" Yukari laughed and gave me a close-eyed smile. "You're not one of mine!" She opened her eyes to look at me, and this time the spark of interest I noticed before had multiplied by a concerning amount.
"Ugh, he's one of those, huh? These are always messy." Suika grimaced, seemingly not caring about how ominous such a statement was. "Any clue how he even got here?" She pulled out her gourd and occupied herself with her drinking.
"I have no idea!" Yukari laughed, sounding legitimately pleased at the thought. "Well, I suppose that's not true. I have some ideas, but nothing conclusive. Nothing I particularly feel in the mood for dealing with, either." She hummed thoughtfully, "I suppose I can't just leave it alone, though. Tell you what, Hachi-chan. I'll open up a gap and send you home, right here and now. You'll be home and I'll no longer have to deal with whatever problems you brought with you. Everybody wins. It's a good deal for everybody. Now, where are you from?" She continued on, not at all caring for my input in the matter.
"Chiba." I said, just wanting to be done with all of this as quickly as possible.
"Ah, nice place. Rather boring, but quite nice and clean. I'd say it's your polar opposite, now that I think about it." Wow, OK, sitting right here! She sliced an index finger in the air, and another crack in reality formed directly in front of me, this time lacking the multitude of eyes that filled her previous examples. "Step through my gap there and you'll be… er, somewhere near Chiba. The specifics don't matter." said the spider to the fly.
"I'm really feeling like the specifics matter." I muttered petulantly. A fresh wave of annoyance precipitated another spike of pain into my brain, this time forcing me to grit my teeth.
"Oh, man up, would you? Ah! I never get to say that anymore. Too many women in Gensokyo these days." She tittered, then shot me an annoyed look. "Are you still here? Please leave. I am a busy woman." She made a shooing motion with her right hand. Suika simply waved happily from her spot. Ugh, the annoyance of dealing with Yukari any longer was beginning to outweigh my fear. I stood up and cautiously took a step towards the gap, but I paused as I heard an ominous creaking sound. "Ran!" Yukari's voice snapped across the room, and suddenly I found myself pulled backwards by several fluffy fox tails and neatly deposited several feet away. Not even a second later, the gap shattered into several shards of void that cut through the floor like a knife through butter before disappearing entirely. A groan pulled my attention to Yukari. She looked rather pale as she massaged her forehead.
"That… was rather a good deal more violent than expected." Yukari stated, "Well. I suppose this one is on me. Theory confirmed, I suppose." She grimaced, then looked up at me once more, "You woke up in the forest, you said. How long were you there for?" She was back in interrogation mode.
"Um… a few hours?" I was staring at the perforations in the floor, still in shock at how close I had just come to dying. The thought sent several fresh lances of pain through my brain. "Rumia gave me directions." I grit out, trying to mask how badly the pain was getting to me. Yukari studied my face for several moments and then gave a distinctly unladylike snort.
"'Rumia' he says!" She shook her head in exasperation, "Hm… A few hours. Please correct me if I am wrong, but you don't strike me as much of an outdoors type." My silence seemed to confirm her assumption, "And yet, after hours of bumbling your way around a dangerous magical forest, you don't have even a single smudge of dirt on you." She hummed. I looked down to verify this, not seeing a single mark from my time in the woods. "Even your outfit shows no signs of wear and tear. Minus some wrinkles, you look as if you just threw on a fresh set of clothes." I pat myself down, only to see that she was correct. There weren't even any signs of the sweat on my undershirt that had soaked through after leaving the forest. Why didn't I notice? Another spike of pain in my head, this time less severe than before. No, well, there was a lot going on. Little details like that weren't really on the forefront of my mind. It's only natural I missed some things. "Have you had anything to eat since you arrived?" She continued onto another tangent while my mind spun from trying to keep up.
"I had a lamprey skewer?" I stated it more as a question, "I'm not… not actually sure what's up with that. I don't really remember that well, but I think Suika stole us some snacks from Mystia's stand?" I shot a questioning look at Suika, but she simply gave me a confused look in return.
"Uhh, don't you remember? No, I guess you wouldn't. So that was when…" She trailed off into indistinct mumbles before shaking her head and speaking up. "Nah, I didn't find any snacks. Just a bunch of stuff that had to be cooked, and neither of us wanted to do it." She said. That does sound like me… "You said you were fine, so I didn't worry too much about it at the time." Suika spoke this part hesitantly, seemingly realizing there was more to that than she first thought. Receiving the confirmation she sought, Yukari continued on once more.
"So you had a single skewer of lamprey after walking around all day, yet you don't appear to be hungry in the slightest." My stomach chose that moment to let out a truly impressive growl, to everyone's amusement but my own. "I stand corrected! Although, it is strange that your appetite only made itself known after having attention called to it. Were you even aware of your hunger?" I wasn't. Until I had the thought 'I should be hungry', I didn't feel hungry at all. "What of drink?" Yukari asked. Suika opened her mouth, but Yukari silenced her with a wry look. "And no, I don't mean sake." Suika closed her mouth. "The weather has begun to cool a bit, but it's still quite warm. Hydration is important in this weather. Did you have any water, or anything at all besides sake to drink?" I hadn't. I had passed a few streams in the forest, but I was too wary of any possible bacteria in it to actually drink any.
"Where are you going with all of this?" I asked in lieu of answering her. A knot had been forming in the pit of my stomach the longer she talked, while the pain in my head was actually lowering in intensity.
"Oh~, I believe you already know quite well where this is leading up to. Subconsciously, that is." She smiled once more at me, but at some point her smile had gone from teasing to openly cruel and mocking. "I suppose I've danced around the issue long enough. One last question, then; Tell me of your life outside of Gensokyo. Do you feel fulfilled with daily life? Would you say you are satisfied?"
"I-" I tried to answer, but it was hard to speak around the sudden lump in my throat. I wanted to say I was, just to shut her up. Sure, life sucks, but who cares? It sucks for everybody, right? Besides, I had the Service Club now. I had two friends who were willing to work with me to grant my request. I wasn't sure how to bridge the ever-widening gap between us that only I could feel, but I just needed more time! I also had a wonderful little sister waiting for me to come home. Sure, she's been at home less frequently due to her expanding social life, but she still needs me… right? I can handle anything life throws at me so long as I have them. Right? "I-" If so, then why can't I answer her?! Damn her and damn that knowing smirk!
"Can't give me a straight answer? Then allow me to fill in the blanks!" She leaned out of her gap at the kotatsu and leered in my direction. "I think I can make a pretty accurate assessment of your social life. Let's see… I think I'll go with… unpopular at school, distant family, annoying teachers, and peers who just don't understand you. Am I close?" Damn her. Damn her! "Still nothing to say to me? What of your dreams and aspirations?" My teeth were clenched so hard I could hear them creaking. "Ah, you don't have any, do you? Likely just hoping things will work themselves out, then. You're not going to be a child forever, you know." She scoffed, "Face it. You're too cowardly to even take your fate into your own hands. When are you planning to stop running away? Ha. Chi. Man." I finally felt what little restraint I had left escape me completely as my vision turned red from her mocking tone.
"Shut the fuck up." I felt my face twist into a harsh sneer, and I refused to look away from Yukari's cold mocking eyes. In the face of my anger, she merely laughed.
"Oh my, so you do have a spine! I suppose you had to have at least one remarkable feature." She mused.
"You're wrong!" My hands spasmodically clenched and my sides. She just continued looking amused.
"Wrong about the spine, or the other stuff?" She joked, "It's all true, though. Face it, even you know it. You ran from society's expectations. You ran from your family's expectations. You ran from your peer's expectations. You ran and ran and ran and ran, until eventually you chose to flee from reality itself!" My head recoiled back from the near-physical force of those words. There was a sound of something snapping in my head. Something clicked into place that I hadn't been aware existed until now. With the sensation came a cold form of clarity. "Rejecting the world and being rejected by it in turn," Stop it. "you found yourself with nowhere else to go but here." Stop it. "Not satisfied with the ordinary life of a coward, you fled once more to the extraordinary life of a coward. You ran away to Gensokyo." Stop it! "It's fitting in a way, I suppose. This land of fantasies is perfect for one as deluded as yourself." She laughed harshly, the sound like nails on a chalkboard to me.
"Knock it off!" I raised my voice and slammed my hands on the table, jostling the several plates and silverware. At some point, without realizing I had crossed the room to be right in her face. The part of me that was afraid to anger this dangerous woman was ruthlessly stomped down by the cold fury in my head. How dare she pull this shit on me? On me, of all people! A distant part of my brain wondered at everyone else's reactions, but I was hyper focused on the clear derision on Yukari's face.
"Ohhh~? What's wrong, Hachi-chan? Are you running away again?" She laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh. "Face reality, for once in your life! Rather than confront your problems, you chose to run away. Nobody kidnapped you, nobody forced you to come here, you're only in this situation because of your cowardice! In the end, you're nothing but a sad, pathetic, useless human that became so good at running away from their problems that they gained actual magic out of it!" She laughed in my face.
"I said stop it, god damn it!" I yelled, resisting the urge to say or do more. That wouldn't help in this situation. Even after figuring out what was going on, I still wanted to reach over and throttle this woman.
"Stop what, Hachi-chan?" Her smile twisted even further, seeming to find a sick joy at my displeasure. "I'm only telling you the truth! Isn't that what you want? Would you rather I tell you a pleasant lie? A fanciful bedtime story of how you tried your best and that nothing was your fau-" I spoke over her before she could keep going.
"That's not what I meant." I spoke with ice in my voice. "What I want is for you to quit trying to trick me into hating you. I don't know what your game is, but it's not going to work. So stop it." Yukari's cruel smile slid off her face like raindrops down a window. For a moment, there was crushing silence in the room, only interrupted by the sounds of clinking silverware. Ran and Suika had begun eating totally unbothered at some point during our conversation, while Chen was nibbling on some fish while staring wide-eyed at us. Finally, after a long and uncomfortable moment of thick tension, Yukari sighed and collapsed into a boneless heap on the table top.
"This is why I hate clever humans… " She grumbled, "Never quite clever enough to see the big picture, but still clever enough to muck it all up." As she spoke, several small gaps opened underneath several items of food and stacked them neatly onto her plate. "Are you quite certain? I don't particularly mind. It truly is in your best interests, I'll have you know." She offered, her casual tone completely at odds with the sheer menace in her tone she had shown just moments ago. I took a deep breath, held it in, then let it out, feeling the last of the tension go with it.
"If I don't get to do it anymore, then neither do you." I spoke with good humor that I didn't quite feel. She chuckled anyways.
"'Anymore', hm? You'll have to share that story with me at some point." She sighed, and then tucked into her food without another word. Feeling more awkward than angry at that point, I seated myself and loaded my own plate up with food. It really did smell delicious. Chen looked worriedly between Yukari and I as we silently ate our meal, but she eventually smiled brightly and proceeded to grab even more fish. Moments later, Ran slid some vegetables her way, the silent reprimand on her face making her intent clear. Suika just tore through plate after plate, pausing only to take a hearty drink from her gourd, looking as totally unbothered as she always did. The meal continued on in much the same manner under the unspoken agreement to save any further conversation for afterwards.
All in all, not the worst meal I've ever had.
"Alright, I'll be the one to start. What was the point of all that?" I asked after everyone had finished their food. I was maybe a bit cranky over not being able to try the fried tofu. Ran actually growled at me when I tried to grab some!
"Mmm… Well, everything I said was true to some degree." She adopted a thoughtful look from where she sat. She had gone from hanging out of her gap to submersing herself under the kotatsu until only her head was sticking out. "I suppose my guesses on your personal life were assumptions on my part, but I doubt I was too far off. I have a good eye for these things." Yes yes, I'm a creepy loner, I've heard it before. "After seeing your reaction to one of my gaps, I can all but guarantee you came here through your own ability. Admittedly, this is no small feat for a human of this day and age." She admitted with reluctant admiration, "It's likely you have some variant of a negation ability. Denial, maybe?" She looked in my eyes, "No, that's not it. Rejection, perhaps?" I flinched minutely as another minor twinge ran through my head. "Bingo~! We have a winner~!"
"Rejection, huh…" The feeling of rightness at the word further confirmed the theory. I guess it could be worse… I could have some chuuni ability like black flames that are destined to turn the world to ash or something. "Does this have anything to do with the migraines?" I wondered aloud.
"Migraines? Interesting. I suppose it's not unexpected, especially if this has only recently manifested. You were leaning on it rather heavily, whether you knew it or not." She sighed again, "Truthfully, your ability is rather inconvenient for your situation. Normally I would simply send you on your way back through the border, but it won't work in this case."
"Ah, yeah, I'd like to avoid being skewered by your spooky eldritch portal if that's alright with you." I said only half-jokingly. Yukari glared at me.
"How rude! And besides, that's not what I meant at all. Don't take me for a rank amateur. The only reason you received such a violent reaction is because I had you pegged for a simple negation ability and adjusted my gap accordingly. Believe me, it will not happen again." She stated confidently, "No, the reason why it won't work in your case is because you'll simply end up right back here again. If it's happened once, then it will certainly happen again; only this time it will be easier since a connection has now been established between you and Gensokyo."
"I see." I grimaced, "Then what options does that leave me with?" Pushing my freak outs for later had done me well so far, so it would continue to do so. A quick twinge in my head left me wondering if that was truly the case.
"Well, you could choose to live here in Gensokyo-" She started.
"Pass." I interrupted her. "Loner or not, I do have people that are going to be worried about me if I just disappear like that." Probably.
"Hmph." She pouted. "Then in that case, I'm afraid there are no simple answers to your dilemma. Your abilities are raw and well beyond your control and will likely remain as such for the foreseeable future. If any youkai decide to take a bite out of you, then there is remarkably little you could do to stop them." I gulped at that. I really had been lucky to not run into any problems so far. How long would that luck hold up? "It seems you understand the situation. Next time, you may not be so fortunate. Gensokyo may be a paradise for those who have nowhere else they can live, but it is dangerous to those too weak to defend themselves. Gensokyo has welcomed you, for better or worse. So long as you continue not to reject it, then it shall always welcome you." And suddenly, it all made sense.
"Is that why you were being such a bitch? To try and get me to 'reject Gensokyo'? That's a terrible plan!" I accused. At that, she looked annoyed with me.
"It would have worked! What else was I to do? Ask you to stop to rejecting the Outside? No, I know better than to ask such a thing of you, or anyone else." Her eyes turned a bit unfocused at that, and I had the distinct feeling I was witnessing something I wasn't supposed to see. Assuming that wasn't her plan, of course. These Haruno types are tricky like that. Eventually, I decided that this conversation was over, and it was time to get going.
"Well, thanks for-" I paused as I stood up. Breakfast? Dinner? What do you call this? "…the food." I finished lamely. Ran simply nodded and Yukari smiled magnanimously. Chen had run off somewhere the instant she was dismissed from the table. Suika was content with stress testing her liver while watching our little byplay. "I guess… I guess I'll keep heading for the shrine then. I know that it's a risk, but I don't have much of a choice. I'll be in serious shit if my parents noticed I'm gone." I winced at that thought. Komachi in particular has always made it a point to wait up for me if I'm going to be out late. She must be worried sick. The worst part is I couldn't even tell her truthfully that I wasn't in danger. My head was still a mess from the revelations of tonight, but that's no excuse to drag other people down with my problems. "Suika, I give you the dubious honor of being my escort." Except for Suika, that is. Suika laughed and nodded, then hopped to her feet to follow after me, but we both paused when Yukari held a hand up.
"Now hold on just one moment." Yukari started with a false authoritative tone that nobody was buying for a second. "I believe we need to speak about your behavior before you go cutting another swath of terror throughout Gensokyo. I may not be an administrator in any official manner, but I still consider protecting this land as one of my most sacred and important duties." Suika snorted loudly at that, and Yukari continued on as if she heard nothing. "You have been here for a day, and in that time you have managed to deceive several poor young youkai, terrorized the humans in the human village, disturbed the residents of this land with your drunken debauchery, shown up on my doorstep to eat my food, corrupted sweet young Chen, made life difficult for poor Ran, and even caused damage to my property!" I stared deadpan at her waiting to see where this was leading up to, but it seemed she had no plans to continue without me humoring her first.
"OK. Disregarding how you intentionally phrased every single one of those things to paint me in the worst possible light, what do you want?" I asked, completely done with Yukari's nonsense. She instantly dropped the phony serious look and adopted a wide smile.
"You have my honest admiration! Normally it takes much longer for new residents to accrue a record like yours. Would you like to stay here? I assure you it's no trouble for me." Ran sighed loudly. "Quiet, Ran. You're being rude." She chided half-heartedly. Truthfully, I wanted to sigh as well.
"That's… 'nice' of you, but I told you that I'm not really looking to stay in Gensokyo." I declined. Besides that, I know a deal with the devil when I see one.
"Let me finish! Since you won't let me trick you into staying out of Gensokyo, the only option open to you is gaining some form of control over your abilities to prevent yourself from sliding back here. That is something I can help you with." My eyebrows shot up. "And by that, I mean that is something Ran can help you with." Ran sighed loudly. "Quiet, Ran. You're being rude." She chided once more. How does Ran live with this woman?
"Again, that… seems nice of you, which is suspicious all by itself." I narrowed my eyes at her, "That still doesn't address the immediate concern of keeping my friends and family from worrying about where I went, though. Hell, I can't even remember what I was doing before I came here, so for all I know a bunch of people watched me fade into thin air in broad daylight." It'd be nice to have that ability for real, though. Usually I have to settle for hiding in the bathroom.
"Oh, there's nothing to worry about there. Modern humans are rather blind to those sorts of things. As for reassuring your loved ones, I believe I have an idea that can solve all your problems!" She gave me a sharp smile that sent goosebumps down my spine. "Did you know that fox youkai are famous for their abilities with transformation?" In that moment, I felt that my look of resignation was rather similar to Ran's.
Next to me, Suika began to cackle.
A/N - Hi everyone! Holy hell this chapter was hard to write, but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. The ending was scrapped and rewritten at least 3 times. Anyways, what did you think of Hachiman's ability? I think it's rather fitting! Anyways, that's all for now. Next chapter will likely be a good bit more peaceful as Hachiman adjusts to life in Gensokyo and his newfound abilities.