A/N:
For review responses, I will do select ones and not all of them. Right now I'm only responding to one
Guest: The leftover dragons coming out will play a role at some point; one of them may be earlier than you think. As for Angel... they're preoccupied in canon, but he might reappear here. Who Knows!
Disclaimer: To Aru Majutsu No Index belongs to Kazuma Kamachi, and Touhou Project belongs to ZUN. I don't own either of these properties.
Arriving in Gensokyo with a BANG II
Stuck within the sky is a giant, gaping vortex. This blackened vortex is a gateway to the Netherworld. A land separated from the living by the Barrier of Life and Death. The barrier itself is a massive door with four wooden pillars emerging from the clouds. This barrier should've prevented the living and dead from interacting with one another.
'Should've' is the keyword here.
Back then, during one of Gensokyo's springs, an incident occurred where the barrier was weakened to absorb spring itself and extending the expiration date of winter. Now that incident had already been resolved, the barrier was left as a means for phantoms to leak into Gensokyo and the living entering by flying into the vortex.
Inside the Netherworld itself is a Pure Land [1] where time does not flow and things do not decay as a result.
Right now, the Netherworld is experiencing rainfall.
Its inhabitants are comprised of the dead which includes the aforementioned phantoms, ghosts, and spirits.
One particular abode inside is Hakugyokurou. A shrine that overlooks the entirety of the Netherworld.
One woman with a slightly tall and mature figure resting at 162cm is residing in Hakugyokurou. Maroon eyes decorated her pretty face under short wavy pink hair. A blue mob cap adorned her head with a hitaikakushi [2] that has a red ghost inscription in front of it. Covering her body is a loose, blue and white kimono with a ghost design all over it. This woman is the ghost "princess" of the shrine, Yuyuko Saigyouji.
Attending to her needs is a young half-human, half-phantom gardener and her personal fencing instructor (a failing one). Reaching up to 150cm is a petite girl bearing dark blue eyes on her solemn face. Her short, silver hair is worn in a bob cut with a black ribbon tied upon it. Her dark green and white dress with short sleeves is designed with ghost insignias along the edges of the skirt and breast pocket. This young swordswoman is Youmu Konpaku.
Presently, the duo is out in the courtyard viewing the rain as it pours. Yuyuko is sitting with her legs dangling over the floor's edges while the servant is sitting in seiza [3] to the right of her master. Her long katana, Roukanken, and wakizashi [4], Hakurouken are placed beside her.
"The rain tonight won't last long. I would say it might letup by midnight." Stated by Youma in complete confidence.
"How naive. You must never underestimate any rain. Who knows, the Dragon God might come out right now to prolong the misery. Now, who would be to blame then?" The advice seemed amiable, but its nature was more inclined to tease and play with her open seriousness.
"I wouldn't call a regular drizzle worth the attention of a dragon Yuyuko-sama…"
"My, my... Youma-chan has become so disrespectful… if I must, then I'll offer her to the Dragon God as appeasement. Maybe then I might avoid the flood…"
Yuyuko wore a wounded expression as she covered herself with one of her sleeves like a mother finding out her rebellious child had run from home. Youmu could only sweatdrop in exasperation to her antics.
"While we're on the topic, what exactly is Dragon God? I've only ever known him to be Gensokyo's High God, but there's barely anything known about him."
"Oh? Now Youmu-chan is interested in Dragon? There is hope after all."
"Mou~, please answer the question Yuyuko-sama!"
"It's not like I'm the most informed about him. That would probably go to Yukari I suppose."
Yuyuko scrunched her face up in thought.
"Dragon God… his existence is questionable. There is little doubt however that he's not Ryūjin who lives at the bottom of the sea. He is also neither the Watatsumi the Lunarians worship."
"Then he doesn't exist?"
"Oh, no…now Youma-chan is in doubt with Dragon. If anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me." Yuyuko practically gasped in horror. The tongue on this girl was unacceptable.
"Mou! Yuyuko-sama!" Indignation in response was the only excuse to use for the swordswoman.
"Well…unlike most gods here in Gensokyo, he bears the power of a monotheistic deity from Yukari's words. She would place him in the leagues of other gods I've heard from her like Zeus and Odin."
"Those are gods I never heard of."
"I wouldn't be surprised, Gensokyo manages itself to stay within the boundaries of the east. Western influence is sparse here."
"Then…how would you say about the gods you just mentioned?"
"Hmm…if trusting in Yukari's words, then they are below Dragon. That much she had confidence in."
Suddenly-
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
The growling rain was overshadowed by the heaven-shattering roar that erupted in the sky. The duo shot their eyes towards the source. Being higher up in the atmosphere from their vantage point, they could see portions of scaly bodies slithering under on the edges of the clouds.
Youmu bolted in reflex and grabbed her long katana, placing one of her hands on the hilt while she stood up in a drawing stance. Yuyuko however, simply extended her arm to hold off Youmu. Ordering her to stay down. Standing up as well, she took her time to observe the airborne bodies.
A body that's in blazes and others with their own unique features. Eight she counted. If Youmu had sent off any hostility, they might have decided to turn their attention here. The night deformed into a haunting, ominous nightmare in a flash.
The feeling they gave to her was…otherworldly. Their presence crept her body uncomfortably. Though their bodies didn't look out of place, they still sent off signals in her mind of how wrong they were. And she was a phantom for crying out loud. She didn't dare to use her power over death. Right now, she felt it worthless in the face of such beings.
Standing there and waiting for the abnormal, the dragons remained in constant motion as they circled around something in the clouds.
"Y-Yuyuko-sama, stand behind me…!"
She could hear her servant's clattering teeth barely in the drowning of rain. The rain wept and bellowed, like a chorus announcing the height of bliss.
Yuyuko had her eyebrows furrowed with a frown. Keeping her eyes locked at the dragon, she ignored Youmu.
Agonizing seconds were carried away by the weeping rain in response to the appearance of the dragons.
The next thing she saw were two new additions being manifested deep within the bowels of water and air.
Enough time flew by and they dispersed into the air, their destinations being unknown. The last to stay however stopped its movements to keeping its sights on whatever it was in the center.
*KSSSSSSSSH-!*
A noise resounded out to every direction. What became of next was total darkness forcing the to rain stop their chorus.
Gazing up into the endless dusk, she saw a giant dragon's head. There were no pupils in its eyes, but an endless nebula instead.
"Dragon God…"
Yuyuko muttered out without her input. A Freudian slip despite the possibility it wasn't the real deal.
Youmu had dropped her sword to cling onto Yuyuko's back. She felt it too, the hopelessness and insignificance of her being next to Dragon God. Whimpering because of the dark, she had tears running down.
After some time, the shadow of the Dragon God vanished, and the sky returned to normal. Only a single dragon that had the same head as Dragon God remained. She couldn't see the thing it was staring at because its body is in the way. The next it done was chomping down whatever it was focused on and disappeared into thin air.
"Hic...Hic..."
"…It's alright now, he is gone."
Youmu picked her head up to look at the sky, trusting Yuyuko's words. Her words were true as the night sky was back with a few clouds hanging. It was a euphoric emotion surveying the normalcy of the sky.
Noticing where her hands were, Youmu promptly backed off in bashfulness. Waving her hands all over her face as she wiped away her tears.
"Aww~, Youmu, you were so cute just now~! " Returning back to her previous demeanor, Yuyuko squealed and clasped her hands together to the side with one foot raised like a ditsy girl.
Youmu went bright red from Yuyuko mercilessly pointing out her embarrassing performance in front of possible danger, especially because of the danger it presented to Yuyuko. The master she was supposed to protect.
"Uuu...!"
"But how are you going to protect me at this rate...? If you can't handle the pressure, then I don't have a choice but to..." Stopping her herself from her current acting, she went on to questioning Youmu's capacity and value.
"Wah! Wah! Please don't fire me! I promise I'll work myself off to correct this disgrace! Even to the point of my death!" Youmu went back to trembling on her spot, Her eyes threatening to cry once more. How ironic for a half-phantom to speak of dying.
"No~pe, this can't be amended with just hard work. I suppose I'll do the protecting now. From now on, you can look up to this Onee-chan, Youmu-chan!" Yuyuko smiled to herself with pride. Youmu went on to prostrate before her to retract her decision. The master shouldn't be responsible for the safety of the servant. A servant that can't perform decently for her master is worthless.
"Please don't throw me AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Going back to crying as the floor became a victim to the flood, Youmu begged for another chance.
"Then I want 20 pieces of jam dumplings, 50 pieces of sweet soy-glazed dumplings, 30 pieces green soybean dumplings, and 10 pickled daikons, on the double. I also want you to clean up the mess you just made. After that, sweep the entirety of Hakugyokurou while you're at it too." Without mercy, Yuyuko ordered Youmu to do a harsh list of tasks.
"Right away!" Picking herself and Flashing away from the ground, she went off to the kitchen.
Sighing in relief the moment Youmu was gone from her sight, Yuyuko collapsed down on the floor. Embracing herself to ward off the chills all over her body, she stayed there for a while.
Looking back into the horizon, her thoughts drifted to how Gensokyo will live through this. An incident, unlike the rest, will arrive, and with possible enemies beyond them in spades.
"And just how long do you plan on staying here?"
"Gulp, gulp, Bwuhah~! Aw, don't like that! You know you're lonely without Iku or me."
"As if. If I had known about this, then I would've never agreed to this arrangement!"
"Ah really? If you're so unsatisfied then how about fighting me?"
"It's wearisome enough for other celestials to come and attack me because of you!"
"No way, no way, no way! It's raining, so I'm staying!"
"Insufferable…"
"Gulp, gulp, hwey… whuoy ar ye back in hhheaveen aanniway?"
"Aah? Well…"
"…?"
"…wai…f…Iku…"
"Pfft-Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! I knew it!"
"So you aren't drunk after all!"
The first voice was angelic and soothing to the ear. It belonged to a long, blue-haired girl of 150cm with her hair reaching her elbows. Her deep blue eyes reflected the clear ocean. Wearing a black hat adorning two peaches and leaves, white button-up blouse with a red bow tied to the collar, blue dress with a light blue bow on the back and the skirt designed with the imagery of the open sky, finished with brown lace-up boots. Linked around her apron is a rainbow-patterned shard link: Tenshi Hinanawi, a (Fallen) celestial of heaven.
Her conversational partner, whose drunken voice belonged to was 140cm in height. Her brown eyes were dropping because of her excessive drinking and her ginger hair tied in a thick ponytail down her bottom with side bangs the length of her arms. She was by no means human with two long straight horns protruding out of the sides of her head being lavished with ribbons. A tattered pink blouse, a long purple, and pink skirt, and three chain accessories gripped to her belt made up her clothing: Suika Ibuki, an oni.
The two were hanging together (with aggravation from the celestial) on a floating island. This island was special as it was a territory of heaven. Buddhist heaven specifically. Suika won this piece of land as she bested Tenshi in combat at one point and the celestial gave it away, ignoring the protest and ire of her fellow Celestials.
"Go on! Shoo! Shoo!"
"Nwoooo~!"
The tiny girl clung to a boot of the celestial's as she tried to boot the oni off her and heaven.
Their banter was cut short with the rumbling air. Both froze in place with their eyes wide.
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
The roar of a dragon, one that reminded Suika of someone. Sobering up immediately, Suika's pupils turned crimson with yellow slits. She walked to the very edge of her territory and overlooked the clouds below. All she could see were dark shadows shrouded in gloomy clouds.
Sensing Suika being so solemn for the first-ever, Tenshi was astonished and walked to where she was, following her line of sight.
Grinning with her eyes glaring in intensity, Suika crackled her fingers, curling them in anticipation. Her face was captured in rapture.
"So you'll leave after all?"
"Yeah…this is something I can never miss out on."
"Where are you planning to go?
"Worrying about me? You? Aw~, I knew you'd come around with your true feelings eventually~."
"Quit playing your jokes; I wasn't asking in consideration for you, you know. What's so special about this thing down there?"
Suika could only shake her head in amusement with her eyes closed.
"I'm going to see an old pal of mine. If this one really is him, then," Suika paused, unsure of what she was going to do if the one below was the person she spoke of just now, "we'll see how things turn out."
Tenshi raised her eyebrows in inquisitiveness. Because of Suika acting really hesitant, she too grinned as well.
"An old pal is it? Heh~, if this person is capable enough to earn your recognition, then he must strong right? You're hesitating quite a bit, so that must mean he's stronger than you, right?"
Whipping out her Sword of Hisou in hand, she attempted to jump down the ledge and challenge the beasts swarming below.
"Yeah, he's strong all right. Definitely more than I am, he's a dragon, of course, he would be." She admitted bluntly, surprising Tenshi. "You're just asking to die with your meager power against him. He probably won't kill you, but…" The oni taunted her after to placate the celestial from doing something stupid.
"Hmph…"
Tenshi flummoxed from the jab. She wouldn't back down if someone questioned her battle prowess. However, this was Suika. Recognizing her strength, she knew, this was far more serious than one could solve just by tackling the problem head-on.
"I'm waiting for the big guy to show up any second now…"
And waited they did.
Something shot out of the clouds below and sprung into the heavens at a staggering speed. It was the Branch Horn dragon.
"Tch…! Not him this time."
Grabbing Tenshi by the wrist, Suika jumped off the landmass and dived downwards, dragging the grouchy celestial along for the ride.
"Whoa hold up! Where are you taking me!?"
"You want to be a part of the coming incident, don't you? Then the ground is where we're headed. We need to be more prepared."
"And just ignore the enemy in front of us right now!? I thought you onis were more honest!" Tenshi felt like she misjudged Suika. Since when was she this docile?
"Heh…not this oni, not entirely at least. I've been humbled pleeen~ty of times in the past. This one isn't any different."
Smirking to herself, they continued to dive-bomb somewhere Suika was leading to. It was in the general field for where the swarm was and not directly above it.
"Well, how are we to do it? Is it ancient magic? A legendary weapon? What's it going to take to fight him?" She questioned Suika on her method to solve this incident.
"Fight him? Who said that?" Suika looked at Tenshi like she grew another head. Fight with just the two of them? She may be an oni who loved the thrill and ecstasy of the battlefield, but she was well aware enough to know her limits.
"Wait, then how come we'll falling towards that spot the dragon popped out of thing then!?" Confusion ran all over Tenshi's face. If the oni wanted to avoid direct confrontation, why walk into the lion's den in the first place?
"For a little research, that's all."
Branch Horn was speeding up above the sky, the air trying to catch up to its speed. Leaving Heaven already and entering Gensokyo, the moment of impact for the two is imminent.
The wind picked up out of nowhere and enveloped Branch Horn like a membrane all over its body. Layers and layers of sonic booms centered in front of its face.
Tenshi being the cavalier she is had other plans in store.
"If it's research you want then what better chance to do it than in battle!?"
She swatted away Suika's hand off her and swiped the sword around herself. She slowed her descent and beckoned for the dragon to near towards her direction.
(Idiot…! That one can't be defeated in the sky! Weather and earth won't have any effect! It's the most horrible matchup for her!)
Continuing her descent uninterrupted, the oni could only look back at the dragon brushing by her.
The celestial positioned herself right inside the path of the dragon. She swung her sword down at the head of the dragon when it approached her, feeling confident that her sword can take in the spirit belonging to the dragon and transform it into the dragon's responding weakness. The sky and weather were aiding the power behind the Sword of Hisou.
*BANG!*
Branch Horn didn't miss a step as it rammed right on her sword and overpowered it and her. Her sword failed to gather the spirit of the dragon and its weakness. No, it did gather its spirit but failed to translate it into the dragon's weakness. It was like an undecipherable code, and the sword which was the translating program just caved in. The surrounding weather aiding the sword also failed to make a difference when dispersing itself in close proximity with the dragon.
Ascending with enormous force, the celestial had her wind knocked out and was promptly blown away to the side. The impact made her eyes dilate as she spat out saliva, falling from grace to her destination, dream world.
Lacking any apparent awareness of the unfortunate individual who blocked its path and crashing into it, Branch Horn continued on its merry way.
The oni caught the celestial and her sword when she fell to her height. Gently handling her body, she floated in place.
(You've still got some learning to do…)
Looking at the Branch Horn's path in the heavens, she saw it flying towards the moon.
The moon.
THE MOON.
THE MOON.
(they're dead.)
They're gonna die.
Snickering to herself and grinning with regret from turning away from something that's about to be awesome, she caught a portion of the enormous body of Dragon God in her eye. Him phasing into reality when she wasn't paying attention.
"Wow~, just where did you come from?"
Hiding behind a convenient cloud, she observed from there. A second after, it was gone. In its place was a miniature version of itself staring at a human.
"Hohoho~, so he's the one~."
Gears in her head turned as she concocted her scheme when the sight of that human entered her view.
The dragon enclosed him inside its mouth and promptly vanished.
"Human…you and I are gonna have such a good time together!"
Laying the celestial beside her, she plucked out a gourd from her skirt. Downing in alcohol to celebrate an intoxicating future that's to come in the horizon. She sat down on the cloud, grinning madly in her normal eyes. She had captured the general direction of its path. She planned on forming a bond between her and the human in a very oni way.
"Is the tea to your liking, Kaguya?"
"Yes, it's well done as usual."
Sitting down on the tatami floors on two opposite sides of a table, a refined duo conversed with one another — a single light hanging from the ceiling between them.
The one asking is Eirin Yagakoro. An intellectual and professional pharmacist at the height of 165cm. Dark gray eyes reinforced her intelligence, topped with long silver hair tied into a large braid behind her back. A nurse's cap designed with an outer space motif, hinting to her origins, and a giant red medical cross in the center. Her clothing article...was unique. Its upper half was colored red on her right and blue to her left, split evenly in the center. The bottom portion was reversed instead, completing her clothes in a checkered pattern. It was also covered in a constellation pattern.
And the one she was speaking to is Kaguya Houraisan. A former princess stopping short under the height of 155cm with dark brown eyes and very long black hair cut smoothly in a hime style cut [5]. Her shirt with many white bows and her long, dark burgundy skirt decorated in yellow with bamboo and flower shapes accented her nobility. Her otherworldly beauty was undeniable, a femme fatale known to send men falling in depravity the moment they saw her.
"And how goes the preparations for this year's Moon festival?"
"The inaba have finished in advance. The dumplings you requested have also been completed."
"Oh, how wonderful." Kaguya beamed with exhilaration. "They're resting themselves inside right? It won't do for them to get wet under this soft rain."
"I made sure in advance to slip in sleeping pills in their food, so they're influenced enough to come back inside after work."
The night of the full moon is approaching. In celebration for it every month, the residents of Eientei pound up medicinal herbs into round mochi to offer them to the moon.
"This marks another successful month as we proceed."
"I'm happy to hear that. Now, where has Reisen run off to?" The princess searched the room for an individual.
"I'm back! And with your requested dumplings too." A new voice had made herself apparent, entering in with a plate of dumplings.
The voice entering the duo's room was the aforementioned Reisen. Reisen Udonge Inaba. A girl with the body and height of a teenager at 160cm. Red eyes that conceal a strange power beneath. Her hair was light purple and long, reaching past her legs. She wears a short-sleeved white shirt tucked in using a red belt. Her light red skirt has white a white horizontal stripe near the edge. A carrot-shaped necktie clip hangs from the red tie. She was definitely not human, the long rumpled rabbit ears standing up straight and clipped on her head with two accouterment-like buttons certainly didn't lend her any credibility together with her large rabbit tail. She is one the legendary moon rabbits after all.
"Thank you, Reisen, you're such a dearest." When Reisen bent down to set the plate of dumplings on the table, Kaguya pinched her cheeks.
Surprised and troubled by the rough handling of her cheeks by the princess, Reisen pleaded her to stop.
"Pweassou~ nwooo~" Mumbled the moon rabbit as she suffered under the hands of the affectionate princess. "Ppwenseess~ lweet ~guooo~!"
"Be gentle with her now Kaguya. I'm going to need her in top condition for her next round dispatching medical care in the Human Village." The pharmacist admonished Kaguya lightly.
"We'll play together another time it is. Make sure to respond when the next time I call for you." Yielding her fingers off Reisen, Kaguya began scooping out dumplings on the plate for consumption.
"Uuuh~" Rubbing her hands on her cheek, they were bright red and swelling.
"Udonge."
"Y-yes, master!" Reisen forced out while she straightened herself for complete attention.
"Go back into the storage department and bring back futons for the rabbits tucked inside," Eirin ordered out while she sipped in some tea.
That's right. The inaba were spread out all over Eintei. Some were being cozy and snoozing off right now inside the room where the trio was at.
"Yes, it will be done." Reisen bowed and made her exit from the room.
With that person gone, the duo on the table passed their time in idle talk.
"It is considerate of you to ask Reisen to prepare bedding for the inaba, but what about me? Have you already forgotten about me recently?" Kaguya giggled as she teased her best friend.
"My, how little of you to think of such from me, your caretaker. I've already prepared your bed myself earlier today." Eirin smiled in amusement from Kaguya's failing attempt at teasing her.
"Hmph." Pouting in response to the jab for doubting her, Kaguya crossed her arm.
It was the usual occasion in Eintei. The two masters of the house ordering their subordinate for their needs and wants. An unchanging, uninterrupted, peaceful lifestyle the residents lived by.
Forever eternal, that was the motif being performed here. This was the established status quo.
Crashing their lovely night supper, the ear-piercing roar reached them as well.
"...!"
"...!"
The light bulb on top shook and ceased activity as its final flicker died out. Fortunately, the dim light of the moon gave the room a slight blue coloring, so their vision wasn't obstructed.
The inaba inside jumped from the loud roar. The medicine's effect was useless as their instincts forced them to huddle together in a corner. The remaining inaba outside marched into the rooms of the house and did the same in every corner. Their eyes terrified to the core and their hair sticking out high on alertment.
Dropping all of their previous laid-back poise, Kaguya stayed rooted and rotated her head to look outside at the round window in the room in a slight sweat. Eirin turned serious as she too looked out into the sky available from her vantage point. She was calculating the trajectory and distance of the source of the loud roar.
(These vibrations...I can't calculate them!? The only thing I know is its general direction Northwest from here, and it belongs to some monster over 10km big! My ears aren't feeling any pressure from the vibrations, and yet my body can't help reclining its activity in sending information to my brain! Nothing about them can be explained scientifically even when using magical formulas!)
Being more knowledgeable than Kaguya, Eirin was breaking into a mad sweat compared to her light dripping. They traveled down her forehead and her clothes hugged slightly tighter on her back.
"Eirin, what can you find about that just now?" Kaguya asked quietly.
"It... might belong to a dragon." Eirin answered slowly.
"A real dragon? No, what do you mean 'might?'" Kaguya's eyes widened from the hesitation coming from Eirin.
"I don't have enough information to formulate a proper response this early (It would be too shameful of me to answer that I don't have any knowledge about this...)." Eirin wore a forced smile to ease her friend.
"Princess Kaguya! Master!" The door was slammed open by Reisen as she returned early. She came back in a mad rush drenched by the rapid rain and standing there in front of the room.
"Cease your unsightly display now, Udonge. You're in front of the princess." Coldly answered Eirin with her eyes sharpened together in a frown, acting far more harshly partly to hide the embarrassment from her inability to gather information earlier.
"Y-yes, my apologies princess Kaguya and master..." Reisen meekly replied from her pathetic display, bowing slightly in shame.
Silence, the trio remained there stuck in their spots, awkwardness pervaded the room. The rabbits in the corner stopped all moving from the coldness permeating in the room.
"N-now wait, Reisen hasn't done anything inexcusable just now. She's just her normal, timid self like always." Kaguya awkwardly laughed away to dissipate the stagnating air.
"You are right Kaguya. It's just Reisen acting like her usual self." Eirin smiled slightly in having the dense atmosphere lifted a little making Reisen visibly relax as well. "Reisen," Jumping in response, "fetch me my airless sonar, will you?"
"I-I'm on it! Excuse me!" And then she dashed away into the storage department.
As she left the room a second time, the duo sighed deeply, calming their nerves. When that wasn't enough they picked up their teacups and tried to sip the tea inside.
They tried that is.
The world became bleak as harmony was disrupted. Armageddon descended upon their room and the stars outside died out. Not a cry was heard when their light was consumed.
Both dropped their teacups, and the contents spilled on the table traveling to the edges.
They sensed it on their skin. They sensed an absolute being high above them. They couldn't even begin to adjust themselves to its sheer depth.
Hands on their lap, mouths open, head tilted down, numb eyes aimed at the surface of the table, and sweating profusely.
They stayed frozen in time like that during and after the darkness was uplifted. The moon's lunar veil gently flowing to their rooms.
No reaction to be observed from the masters of the house and the inaba who fainted long ago. The minutes went by in still silence.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Reisen!?"
"Udonge!?"
A shrill scream entered their ears. Shaken up and unfreezing in time, the two stood up and out the room dashing down the corridor, their goal is the storage room.
When they reached the room, they witnessed Reisen on the floor, grabbing her ears and tucking her legs close to her chest. The moon rabbit trembling like she was at the Arctic continents naked. A pool of tears below her head laying to the side horizontally on the floor with her back facing them.
"Get a hold of yourself, Reisen!" Shouted Eirin. She went down and placated her by placing a hand on one of her shoulders and rubbing it.
"Hic, hic, hic, T-t-the moon rabbits on the moon!" She cried out without turning around. Her voice edging towards the tips of hysteria.
"What!?"
"What!?"
"The moon rabbits! their crying! Their screaming! Their thoughts are entering me! The enemy!"
"An invader on the moon!?"
"Speak more clearly! Who is it!?"
"T-The Watatsuki sisters have f-f-fallen in battle! The Lunar Capital is being invaded!"
In the quiet of the night, a field of gold is in a peaceful time from the absence of the sun.
Activity here was nonexistent tonight. The fairies and yokai here are placid right now.
The wind was gentle as the flowers swayed softly.
The Garden of the Sun.
A beautiful field of sunflowers located up northwest of the Human Village. The area was cool under the night autumn season.
Sitting in a remote area of the field is a mansion made of wood. Its appearance is polished and refined from the hands of its owner.
The mansion itself had its lighting inside done by a hanging chandelier in the main room on the bottom floor and candles for the hallways and room at night. Shelves were positioned neatly in every room. Flowers are placed in the corners to give life to the rather empty estate. The clean and tidy beds in the guest rooms are untouched. And the wooden windows are shut to prevent the air from entering.
Upstairs on the top floor and in the main room was a mature woman sitting down on a chair drinking a cup of tea on the table.
Her expression was light and harmonious, an appearance entirely in contrast to the public image of hers.
This lady of the mansion was the Flower Master of the Four Seasons, Yuuka Kazami.
Short wavy green hair reached to her shoulders and powerful red eyes. If she were standing, she'd be at the height of 166cm. Her peaceful and mild-mannered body was enhanced by her simple and old-fashioned clothing. Red plaid vest over a white buttoned-down shirt and a red plaid skirt extending below her knees. Her legs are crossed in stockings and her feet covered in red shoes.
(It's been a good, long day...)
She had just come back from the Human Village in a visit to the local florist that's available.
During her visit, she ran into the guardian and history teacher of the village. They shared some small pleasantries, and she was on her way again.
Down the street, a yokai with a unique umbrella popped in front of her path to scare her. Not knowing who she was before, the yokai gave her a stupid face with its tongue sticking out. Yuuka gave her trademark smile in amusement for the yokai's action. The response she received was for the small yokai to run away in fear promptly.
The next person Yuuka ran into was a green-white (and red?) shrine maiden together with the same yokai she saw earlier. Yuuka heard her complaining about her luck not being on the bright side today by ear-shot, so she decided to increase her karma by exterminating some yokai or challenge them to danmaku. Feeling rather interested in the agitated girl and having been a nonparticipant for a long time, Yuuka approached the shrine maiden behind her back and sent a greeting by whispering into her ear. The girl froze and was almost on the verge of pissing herself, promptly backing off in a flash. Being in a jumpy state, she attacked Yuuka without the Spell Card Systems (She didn't have any Spell Cards on hand). Being the victim in this exchange, Yuuka used self-defense by slamming her parasol to the green-white's stomach and sent her flying in the distance.
And the final one today was the doll magician. She was practicing her magic by showcasing them to the children running in the streets with a puppet show. Not having been satisfied with the earlier person, Yuuka approached the magician for danmaku. Accepting the invitation, the new combatants moved outside the village for the duel.
Finishing her visit to the village, she went back home, and on her way back to the estate, she obliterated a few annoying fairies in her path.
(Perhaps I should pay the shrine maiden a visit tomorrow. After that, I could visit that loud magician who stole my Master Spark. Just to see how well adjusted she is in using my spell.)
She lightly smiled at her plans for tomorrow.
(There's also the matter of visiting the sister goddesses over autumn. They're going to sleep soon, so I need to visit them early tomorrow to ask for the area where the autumn flowers will bloom this season)
Continuing to drink her tea, she raised the cup to her lips and took in the pleasant aroma. Everything was perfect tonight.
A beautiful afternoon, a fancy home to return to, and an atmospheric room to pass a wonderful time before bed.
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
Eyes wide open and her hand stopped moving with the teacup touching her lips. She removed it from her lips and tilted her head slightly to the only glass window in the room.
Nothing had happened yet other than the giant noise. The view of the window outside was the Forest of Magic. She couldn't pinpoint the origin of the sound, unfortunately (or is that fortunate?).
"My... now, who is it do I have to shut up this time?"
Yuuka's eyes were sharp now with her eyebrows arched. Her current mood plummeted with her quiet time being interrupted.
Nothing had happened afterwards for a few moments.
Then, the rain started to fall all over the field of sunflowers. With the damning splashes of the raindrops on her roof and window, the peace wasn't planning to return soon.
This rain wasn't forecasted to spread into her area. The dragon statue in the Human Village had its eyes glow blue, yes, but the area to be affected only was supposed to be around Yokai Mountain.
The Master of the mansion smiled. Inwardly she wasn't pissed like expected; she was honestly pleased right now.
(Someone is manipulating this rain. With the rain like this, the flowers here will have more than enough nutrition to last the winter even before they get to hibernation.)
She let the noise slide from her mind and went back to drinking tea with the candle illuminating the room on the table.
Bringing out a newspaper she scanned the contents for something interesting. She skimmed around the midsummer section seeing nothing interesting had caught her eyes.
The light outside was snuffed out. Total darkness lied outside, and the atmosphere became cold.
(Oh my... that didn't last long enough.)
She wasn't bothered by the darkness, but she was disappointed the rain had stopped. Shaking her head to wave it off, she continued to spend her time in her own pace.
The lights running in her mansion stayed the same. No disturbances were running amok in the mansion. She can still enjoy the night.
Yuuka inside her room had gone to grab a book to spend away the night in reading.
Planting herself back on to her wooden seat, she opened the book and turned to page-
*CRASH* *RUMBLE* *BOOM* *BANG* *CRASH*
When the total darkness outside disappeared, she heard loud crashes outside the door of her room. Wooden planks were either crushed or snapped into bits. The loudest was definitely her distinct chandelier crashing to the floor. That much she grasped.
Getting up from her chair to go downstairs and check to see the intruder in her estate, she opened the door. She stopped short from going any further out of her room. That would happen to anybody when there was a lack of a stable hallway to take a step.
Taking in what she saw, it was the field of sunflowers in her eyes out front. And that was already a sign of worry.
She bent down her head and thought to herself. The view was completely destitute. She saw the rubble of wood and stone on the ground piled together. It was on fire because of the broken chandelier buried under. Smoke rose into the air, ruining the once beautiful scenery.
Half her mansion was destroyed.
No, it can't even be called that anymore. It was a bonfire now.
The plants that were used to live in the rooms are screaming in anguish.
She heard the crackling of fire ringing in her ears and the smell of charcoal and smoke pervading her nose.
More wood fell down into ash much to her chagrin. She was ticked off even more by the rain refusing to put out the flames.
The sunflowers themselves shirked away from the mansion. Not wanting to have anything to do with the possible disaster that could kill them.
Taking in the sight of her former home on the top floor, she could only smile with her eyes closed.
Smiling for her home.
Smiling for the rain getting her hopes up.
Smiling within the burning woods of hellfire in the juxtaposing paradise of yellow.
In short, she was looking pretty demonic right now.
If a person were to see it, they would faint and froth from the sight of the haunting smile belonging to a devilish woman standing on top of a burning pile of rubble and in the shadows behind the smoke.
(Whoever you are... I want your necks to be washed when we meet.)
Such misfortune.
Unbeknowest to Yuuka, the culprit had managed to ram into the mansion without detection of its true body and vanished into the shadows behind the Forest of Magic. One would say that it couldn't be helped. For the culprit lacked eyes and could have destroyed the property without meaning to.
They were half right.
It didn't mean to for it never cared for the destruction it can cause. They were mistaken if this monster wasn't capable of sight despite lacking eyes.
"So how's our little Sanae doing?"
"She's tucked in right now. She had a rough day and passed out the instant she got in the futon."
"No mercy from the red-white, huh?"
"I hesitate to even call her a shrine maiden anymore..."
"Slow down; she was a shrine maiden?"
A strange duo of a tall woman and a small child were conversing with each other on the rooftops of a shrine like old women who aged like spoiled milk.
(I feel like killing someone just now.)
... The strange duo of a tall woman and a small child were conversing like mature adults. An unlikely image belonging to the small child.
The tall and well-built woman of 170cm consists of dark red eyes and poofy blue hair. Her clothing consists of a redshirt stitched together with white sleeves down to her wrists. On the center of her chest was a round mirror with an unknown purpose. Below her upper body is a long black skirt past her thighs and right on her shins. They were designed quite intricately with red flower prints along the hem. A rope circlet adorned her head with a red leaf tied to the side. And the biggest, most noticeable decoration on her person is a large twisting rope circle of shimenawa [6] with shide [7] right behind her.
The small child with the 142cm body is facing the tall woman with grayish golden eyes and medium length blond hair with two red ribbons tied to both sides. Her attire is a short, simple purplish-blue dress and a skirt having three frog print designs on them, and both features are stitched on top of a large white sleeve shirt and a white collar. Her most unique feature is her hat - a light brown wide-brimmed hat with two frog eyes on the top of the edges. Finishing it off are white knee highs and black shoes.
These women are a pair of goddesses residing in the Moriya Shrine on top of Yokai Mountain.
The Avatar of Mountains and Lakes, Kanako Yasaka. An ambitious goddess who advertises the shrine.
The Highest of Native Gods, Suwako Moriya. A mischievous goddess who provides the shrine's blessings.
The two were taking their time under the moonlight and rain to speak about their own shrine maiden.
"I'm guessing there's more to the story than just that, right? Start from the beginning." Suwako asked.
"Earlier this morning, Sanae went to visit the red-white shrine maiden for pleasantries. One thing led to another she challenged the Hakurei maiden to danmaku. And that was when everything turned for the worse. Both sides were getting ready to duel until-"
Kanako complied and was listing off all the misfortune this Sanae person had experienced today to Suwako.
"-Her manipulation of wind was too excessive, and the red leaves moved to a corner of the shrine forced her back. She tripped down the stairs leading to the shrine which resulted in breaking her gohei [8] and losing her spell cards when a bunch of fairies stole them under her nose. The two were ready to duel until Sanae got blown away from the shrine and into a mud pile. So then Sanae went to the Human Village to find a certain yokai with exceptional blacksmith skills to fix her gohei. By accident, the yokai ran into her and sent her flying right into a tomato cart. She complained soon after and declared her intentions to exterminate yokai. That was when she encountered that Master of the Four Seasons, and by mistake, she attacked without any spell cards on hand. She was sent flying to the Misty Lake and tried to enter the mountain to find that misfortune goddess until a patrolman stopped her. He said she was suspicious considering her skirt was missing when she didn't notice it somehow. With her disheveled hair and wet torn clothes, the patrolman tried to apprehend her, and so she tried to escape from custody. She became headline news soon after that by that tengu."
Kanako heaved a heavy sigh in concern for the poor soul. Meanwhile, Suwako could only whistle in amusement from the story.
"That's pretty unfortunate, or should I say, miraculous?" She chuckled from her horrible joke. Kanako felt slightly annoyed by the unsympathetic attitude coming off of the tiny goddess.
"That's pretty low of you, you know." Kanako deadpanned at her. Making sure she received the message correctly.
"Oh lighten up now, will you? Anyways, this might have been because of her miracles in the first place. Using them excessively will bite her back sooner or later." Suwako ignored her warning.
"That's not possible, her powers shouldn't be related to good or bad fortune, but for events with low probability." Kanako denied the horrible events of today to be the fault of Sanae's divine powers.
"Bah, fortune is nothing but probabilities. If there is a probability of something happening, it will happen eventually."
They argued back and forth for what was responsible for these happenings for Sanae until Suwako was reminded of something.
"Say, doesn't this talk of fortune and misfortune remind you of someone?" She started grinning with the thought of something funny. There was a kid who experienced situations similar to Sanae, only on a daily basis in comparison.
"Oh? Why, now that you mentioned it, I do happen to remember someone just now." Kanako was grinning too.
The both of them stood up on the roof and coughed their throats on their fists. They breathed in and tried mimicking a boy's voice.
"The manhole broke apart when I stepped on it! And now I'm covered in sewage in my only set of clothes I brought... such misfortune!"
"What is with the countryside anyway!? Why are there so many thugs after my skin anyway, HUH!?"
"Why is the elevator not working!? Why do I have to miss out on dinner!?"
"If they're the security guards then why are they handcuffing me!?"
"I take one look away, and I get sent down into the lake!"
"If you are a god, then how about a blessing for me so that I can at least have lunch for the entire week!?"
"Frog? Snake? I don't get what you mean. What I do know is that my pants have been stolen!"
"Noooooooooooooooo! Why are you hitting me with your stick!?"
"I take a single step in this shrine, and now I'm under the floor!"
"The wind stole my wallet and passports! And most importantly, my eggs!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha... there is nothing miraculous about this one's misfortune... this one's misfortune is so potent, it can make me fail my class by virtue of my lack of attendance..."
"The apartment I'm staying at caught on fire... and our next residence doesn't have enough room, so I'm supposed to stay out here in this tent..."
"I prefer the ground; thank you very much!"
"Why are the wildlife here chasing me!? What did I ever do to you!?"
"How can I be under house arrest in a tent!?"
The two goddesses howled under the moonlight. Their sides were close to collapsing from reminiscing and acting out fond times when their shrine sheltered a guest staying over for a limited time.
"Pffft-ha ha ha ha! And remember the times he interacted with Sanae?" Kanako spoke in a very breathless voice. She was heaving in her attempts to catch her breath slowly.
The topic slowly switched to a new direction.
"Wait, wait, wait! Follow my lead!" Suwako was in a very similar situation as she continued to destroy her sides recklessly. Coughing in her fist once more, she adjusted her throat to sound out a girl's voice.
"Y-you saw them didn't you!?" Suwako dramatically pointed an accusing finger at Kanako while holding her body. Her acting was rather top-notch despite her size.
Catching the queue, Kanako responds using the boy's voice.
"Oh, your panties? Yeah, I saw them, but I don't mind. I'll soon forget about them for both our sakes." Her mouth was twitching uncontrollably. Her acting was of high quality itself.
"What do you mean I can't do it!? I'm a shrine maiden! The very dream boys always chased after!" Suwako switched to another scene as she played out the actress.
"Haaah? Just because you think you're a shrine maiden you've got the power to control the male populace? Quit dreaming. You don't have the first clue on how to be sexy. Come back once you expose your armpits, then we can talk." Not wanting to be outdone, Kanako turned up the quality by putting her hands to her hips for added effect.
"Um...thanks for saving me from drowning in the lake. But ah...why am I in my pajamas?" Suwako went all meek and embarrassed.
"No problem. Oh, and if you're curious, then yes, I had to strip off your clothing. But don't worry okay, your body didn't excite me one bit, so you don't have to worry abo-gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Kanako placed both hands to her cheeks and twisted her body around with a yell.
The two stopped to catch their breaths. They were panting quite heavily in fact. Smiling at one another, they sat back down.
"Whew, that was a nice change of pace, been a while since I had something that fulfilling," Suwako admitted.
"Yeah... I feel like a youngster again. Ah, youth. You create the most absurd situations." Kanako had calmed down to reflect the joyous mood she was in.
"Yeah, not like you can speak for yourself, heh." Suwako snickered out, but Kanako was sharp enough to have caught it.
"What was that? I'm sorry, I couldn't hear so well from the rotting fish carcass beside me." Kanako did not take the jab from earlier lightly.
"Same, my ears are a bit wet from the bubbling coming from the expired milk brand no one notices." Suwako had started the challenge and wasn't planning on backing down.
"Heh, no wonder. Living for so long has dulled your senses, hasn't it?" Kanako had a very smug expression. She was no longer facing her directly and opted for giving her a sidelong glance.
"Right back at you. Over two millennia and no experience to speak of in the arts of romance. Must be shameful having to act so innocent with those creaking bones." Suwako chose to do the same as Kanako, wearing an equally smug expression.
Sparks are dancing in-between the duo's glares. Their fingers were twitching wildly, and their feet were tapping the ceramic roof tiles producing a rocky noise like a pachinko ball bouncing in a bamboo shoot. The both of them stood right back up.
"I can have any man I want. My purity is unspoiled, and my heart is that of a gentle mother. My body is well-built and exudes the airs of a onee-san! Boys are always flocking towards their big sisters for advice and comfort under our embrace!" Kanako's yelled out in crossed arms.
"Such confidence, but being stubborn on choosing a man will waste your youthful opportunity, and by the time its too late no man will seek the hands of a sour chicken wing. People call those type of women cakes. My body, on the other hand, embodies youth and dreams! A man's heart is incapable of ignoring the sweetness and charm I possess! Men since ancient times preferred a young woman's body full of hope!" Suwako placed a hand to her hips, and the other's fingers were touching her chest.
The staring intensified with the air sizzling under pressure despite the temperature dropping.
"It would seem our argument won't be concluded so easily." Kanako's voice gained a slight edge. She was now glaring at her partner goddess with both eyes in crimson slits belonging to a snake.
"Heh, it's been a while... you want to fight?" Suwako's voice remained soft but had a threatening intention underlining it. Her eyes changed completely into gold with the slits of a frog.
Before the fight could escalate, Kanako held a palm to signal Suwako to cease.
"Danmaku nor our words alone will merit anything concerning this topic. But why don't we use another person to settle the score?" Kanako said.
"Oh? So you want a man to be the judge between us? Well, who is it?" Suwako asked.
"Naturally, this boy is fully capable of judging us. Unfortunately, he's not here in Gensokyo." Kanako admitted.
"The boy? You want to end our argument using the words he used on us, eh? That's... not half bad." Suwako relented to her genius.
"Of course, the terms we each use is strictly the time he spent interacting with our respective selves. And only one." Kanako said to lay out the ground rules.
"The terms are agreeable. I accept these conditions." Suwako agreed instantly, feeling confident of her victory.
The two took a few moments to make themselves prepared in their one, final decision. The rain in the background was ignored the whole time. But it did enhance the atmosphere with the rain dripping down their bodies in epic proportions.
Time dilated from the illusion of raindrops being stationary in the air and their shapes perfectly visible.
Sizing up one another, they glared in bated breaths for the signal. Their pride as women on the line.
*KRAKOOOM*
A lightning bolt dropped off in the background, and all hell was loose.
"That moment I had offered to shelter him at our shrine, he took my hands into his on one knee and declared me to match his perfect type! A dorm manager onee-san! My character is sought out by men in the world! An undeveloped body like yours has no hope of attracting men or being anywhere near acceptable within society!" Kanako voice was booming with determination, thoroughly convinced that she was the ideal women. Her crossed arms gave her the image of a charismatic general.
"Hah! That only proves my point. You can be satisfied alone by the slightest touch of your fingers connecting. But that isn't enough. That was the last time he ever touched you. Did anything progress any further beyond that? If you really were his ideal type, then why didn't he bother to push forward? Who cares about what society believes in? Why must it restrain the romance burning in men!? I, on the other hand, knew of his true nature. He may seem like the type of boy to prefer girls older than him, but his heart seeks the finest grade in girls like me. I can still feel his handprint on my butt!" Suwako finished without shame nor hesitation. As an added measure, she puffed up her nonexistent chest.
"He was disciplining you!"
"He was pitying you!"
"You were a mischievous brat!"
"And you were just hopeless!"
"He called me a spring maiden!"
"He spanked me!"
"HHRAAG-gaAaaAAAaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHK!"
The sovereign had descended, covered in the clouds above and the rain welcomed him. Albeit poorly since none could see him.
The heated debate ended unceremoniously when the two's faces have been really close together turned to the source.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
Their hotheaded interaction just now left their minds occupied. They were too slow to feel proper emotion the instant that roar was let out.
Their heads were cleared out by the change in the weather instead. The drizzle became a flood. Backing off from each other, they took to the skies from the top of the mountain to reach an almost equal elevation with the mysterious shadow behind the heavens and peered inside.
"What the..."
"Hell..."
Suwako muttered, and Kanako finished for her. Their minds blanked out when they had taken in the sight above.
As gods, they can be in tune with nature. Kanako being a goddess of rain, wind, and mountains could tell distinctively that the cloud and rain above were unnatural. Suwako was a native god making it possible for her to sense the trace amount of spirit belonging to the entity within.
"That thing... it doesn't conform to nature, nature is conforming to it! It's not something part of the natural order!" Suwako shouted, wearing an incredulous face.
Reality couldn't stabilize itself or reach a conclusion to what the hell the entity was.
Kanako shook her head and stayed silent to prove a suspicion she had. She realized soon after something very much more monstrous and frightening.
"Look closely, it's not just one, but eight of them!" She revealed the ghastly truth with the point of her finger tracing the shadows of eight individuals.
Paling at the abominable forces slithering in the clouds, the two stayed put in the air and allowed for the wind and rain to sail across their bodies.
If that wasn't enough, two more bodies manifested out of nowhere and joined the circle of abominations.
Sweat mixed in with the rain on their bodies. Grim faces were made at the possibility of those ten monsters being aggressive. That itself was a high tell to their apprehension of the beasts and the possible threats they pose.
They were goddesses who lived for over two thousand years and engaged in war against each other. They experienced far more difficulties in life than a regular person; they were of the divine, a class beyond ordinary humanity. They carried wisdom in their respective adventures through life.
But something like this escaped their scope of understanding.
Gensokyo itself has its share of strange beings inhabiting paradise. They ranged from supernatural yokai who wield bizarre powers, fairies who won't die as long as nature existed, phantoms interacting with the dead, immortals and many, many more to list.
But the cold atmosphere shifting from their eeriness alone simply dwarfed everything that was living here. And the fight hadn't even started yet.
All but one of them sped off into different directions leaving the two goddesses to react involuntarily by tensing their muscles to respond to any form of attacks.
Nothing happened for a while with the storm remaining steady. The one monster staying behind hasn't left its hiding spot.
Static noise filled their ears the moment a curtain of darkness enclosed the whole of Gensokyo. The light of the moon failed to pierce this darkness.
Their breaths were caught in their throats. Inhaling a sharp amount of air to their nostrils, they studied the vast body above.
Suwako summoned iron rings to her hand, and Kanako summoned her Onbashira. Wooden pillars with circlets of shimenawa tied to them.
They planned on engaging the giant malice on top using Spell Card rules. If it didn't accept the rules of the land, then they'll die fighting with their actual abilities.
Luck was looking up to them when the dark body dissipated. No explanation to say why it appeared and disappeared as quickly. Like an illusion meant to be forgotten. They didn't even sense a tangible form despite the rain flowing down its body.
The worries didn't end with just that; there was still the monster no longer hidden in the shadows. And when they saw it, they shook.
The monstrosity was a dragon.
Pausing in awe from the majestic creature, the weapons on their hands dropped.
"Seriously...a dragon of that size?" Kanako couldn't believe it the moment the words left her mouth softly.
"Could this be the rumored Dragon God of Gensokyo?" Suwako gave out the thought she had on the surface of her mind.
Staring hard, the two noticed its attention on something, but they were prevented from viewing it with a portion of its body in the way.
After the few precious seconds of staring at it, the dragon brought its jaw down onto something and flashed out of existence.
Silence returned to the both of them as they contemplated what they just witnessed. What is the purpose for Dragon God appearing today? Does it have to do with that something it just ate? And other such questions fluctuated in their minds.
"Heh, I didn't expect a prime opportunity like this could show up in front of me." The tall one broke the silence with the tips of her mouth curling upwards.
"Opportunity? Have you finally gone senile? That is a dragon we're dealing with here. And you want to advertise our merchandise to it?" The tiny one sent a surprised look at her business partner.
"Of course. Think about it, who really rules Gensokyo? Is it the Hakurei shrine maiden that enforces the laws of this land? Is it the sages who maintains the status quo behind the backstage? Or is it one of the religions in competition for procuring faith within the human village? Is it the Buddhist who proclaims equality between Yokai and Humans? The laid-back Taoist who rivals her in convincing humans to submit to her? Or us, the gods who try to modernize Gensokyo? Gensokyo may be peaceful on the surface, but with a single move, it will crumble, and order will be overturned by an instant. And the Dragon God has immense influence with its name and presence alone. Nobody in Gensokyo can ignore it. He is the hidden player that can affect everything on the board with each move he makes. I ask you, who can stop him?" Kanako finished her explanation, imploring Suwako to try and answer her questions.
And the answer she received back was silence. Taking this as confirmation for to continue, Kanako resumed illustrating her point.
"For over a century, people have been worshipping this god with just creating Gensokyo alone. I don't need to illustrate what kind of power he possesses if he can command nine other dragons in a legion. Forgetting about that... thing, what is he doing in Gensokyo in the first place? He's the one who created it, so there isn't anything important here in the first place to him. What can we offer him that isn't so infantile to him? The purpose he created Gensokyo for has always been a mystery. I'll tell you the reason. Gensokyo was meant to cultivate something important to him." Kanako explained with a heavy voice full of gravity. Her theory being put into play.
"And you want to find this something before he does? No, since when were you a fan of conspiracy theories? Do you smoke?" Suwako said with a doubtful tone. Her skeptical face was appropriate for the nonsense Kanako tried to make.
Kanako wasn't discouraged by it, shaking her head lightly. She continued.
"What I mean is, why don't we help him find this something? It's not like the rest of Gensokyo is important to him. Look, the nine dragons that flew off could be in search for that it. If we can get into his good graces, then our Moriya Shrine will advance into a new era together with Dragon God." Kanako had laid out her true goal to Suwako. "Gensokyo is about to change for good, and we must be a part of the group who survives to see it."
"So our new home we moved to must be given back to its owner?" Suwako asked in hesitation.
She found Kanako's explanation to be sound, but there was a complicated feeling inside her.
"Why not? We were unknowingly living on his grounds without paying rent. Who could blame him? What can we do about it?" Kanako said.
She could see the point Suwako was trying to make, but there was nothing in their power to oppose the Highest God of Gensokyo.
"We have the Spell Card System that allows the weak to play on equal grounds with the strong and have a chance to win." Suwako reminded her.
Kanako could only scoff at the naivety Suwako was displaying. "So you want to leave this up to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden again? I thought you didn't believe we had one. This incident is unlike anything that has happened before. He could very well have complete control of the Hakurei Barrier for all we know."
"I know that, but... must we comply with his rule when this is our last home? If what you say is true, then Gensokyo will have no more purpose to him, and he might take it down. There's no saying he is a true ally of Gensokyo."
Their argument was cut short by a new, younger voice yelling at them.
"HEY! WHAT HAPPENED JUST NOW!? ARE YOU TWO ARGUING AGAIN!?"
The two turned their heads back down and saw a young girl waving at them by the entrance of the Moriya Shrine.
"Oh shit! I forgot about Sanae!" Kanako said aloud. She flew down towards Sanae before stopping and turning her head around to glance at Suwako.
"Well don't let me stop you, go ahead and attend to the kid, that's more important than what we're having." Suwako told her to do the responsible thing.
"We're not finished here. We can continue this tomorrow." Kanako nodded at her words and parted her last for today.
Leaving with that, Kanako was no longer in the air, and now Suwako was by herself in thought.
"Sigh... I'm too old for this." That was all she could say.
Looking back at the horizon of the night growing old with the rain returning a lighter beat than before, she wasn't looking forward to tomorrow morning.
"...? What's that now?" She muttered with a strange item in her eye.
A white folded piece of paper flew right in front of her. She grasped it in her hand and inspected it.
"A shikigami?" [9]
[1]: A concept of Buddhism that was conflated into Shinto religion. They are realms where the impurities of Shintoism do not exist. In the Touhou setting, Pure Lands do not have a concept of time so seasons are unnecessary and there is no day cycle.
[2]: White pieces of triangular cloth or paper worn on the head of yūrei - analogous to ghosts in Japanese mythology.
[3]: One of the traditional ways of sitting in Japanese culture. The form is kneeling on the floor with the legs folded underneath the thighs with the buttocks placed on the heels.
[4]: A traditionally 30 to 60cm blade worn together with a katana. An official sign of a full-fledged samurai.
[5]: A princess hairstyle that's common in anime.
[6]: Strands of rice straw rope used for purification rituals in Shinto. It's believed that something adorned or surrounded by shimenawa to be a sacred location or item.
[7]: White, zig-zag shaped paper streamers used for decoration on shimenawa.
[8]: A stick used by shrine maidens that are elaborately decorated with folded paper.
[9]: Shikigamis are summoned spirits utilized by practitioners for onmyouji - Japanese sorcery. They are analogous to a witch's familiar and are most commonly seen as folded origami.
A/N: I was really deliberating on whether or not I want to incorporate the Moriya gang together with a backstory involving Touma. I had a different backstory planned for Touma to be involved with and they were related to the first. I'll give you a not so subtle hint and potential spoiler; it involves an important deity enshrined in Izumo that's related to Kanako.
Please call out any grammar errors in my fic. They are very much appreciated.