Chapter Four
Even as the Ancient City was covered in an inky blackness the caverns did not become totally dark. There were some places that were constantly lit by the gentle glow of magic and these were places that no spirits dared to go, they represented bastions of sanity where people did not have to hide and were blissfully unaware of the dangers that beset the lesser youkai who were left outside. This place did not seem as crowded as the market was during the day but with every passing second more and more youkai were pouring into this place. All throughout this fairy-lit district the festival would take place.
The sound of flutes carved from animal bones and those made from dried reeds drifted lazily down the pavement into the side streets, where Koishi wandered, gazing up at the windows of the houses. This district had more life than most places in the Ancient City and its inhabitants had somehow managed to acquire glass windows and colour them through some strange art. In the soft glow of fairy fire, she could make out brilliant reds mixing with oranges and yellows, standing in strange contrast to the greens and blues that were inserted into the middle of the collage. It reminded her of a magical duel she had seen between two youkai in the air. They had flown around at top speed, hurling a storm of bullets at each other in an attempt to force their opponent to concede. Koishi had marveled at the strength and beauty of their barrages and wondered if someday she could do something like that. It would be fun to play with Satori if they could create their own beautiful danmaku, she decided.
"Aha...so this was where you were", a kind voice drifted into her thoughts. Her older sister walked into view, smiling in that sad way.
Satori moved to stand next to her sister for a moment and looked in the same direction. As soon as she saw the stained glass windows she understood, this was a very pretty place. It reminded both of them of the dream that they indulged in night after night, and yet here they were standing right in the middle of it...but at the same time it was a fake. This wasn't their home. It was someone else's and they were just staring through the window from the outside. Then it was Satori who smiled.
"Why do you look so sad? There's a festival going on and then there will be a feast. We should go and see what is going on at least, since the oni invited us right?" she extended a hand to Koishi. Her smile was all the more radiant as she took the offer and the two sisters rejoined the crowds making their way down the main street.
The music got more lively as they advanced further and the sound of drums could slowly be heard over the talking and laughing. Eventually the path widened until a large open square was visible, lined with tables and well-stocked with food and drink. There were all sorts of strange fruits from the farthest reaches of the underground and the meat of animals that lived in the caves not too far from the Ancient City. Satori was sure she saw a hell raven among the delicacies, but before she could get a closer look it was gone, consumed by a group of very, very hungry youkai. A number of dance circles with musicians had formed and in these places the sake began to flow like water, while the dancers performed a strange impromptu routine that involved standing on one leg and clapping their hands above their head. Some of the dancers, evidently in a different stage of the dance than others, were sprawled on the ground and moving their arms forwards and backwards, though Satori had no idea what the significance of these moves was.
Nonetheless the atmosphere here was very lively. Being close to people, being surrounded by companions even if they didn't know her or even realise that they were helping her out. Simply being around so many open hearts made Satori and Koishi happy.
"Ooooh! It's you two!" the small oni from before grinned at them from the middle of one of the dance circles. With a powerful leap she somersaulted over the dancers and landed right in front of them, swaying slightly as she looked them over, "I'm sho glad you deshided to show up! C'mon, drink some sake and have fun!" she pulled out a small purple gourd and raised it to the sisters, before drinking deeply.
"Eh?" another strong voice came from the right, "so, you're the ones that Suika was talking about earlier. Not bad! No one can catch Suika when she really sets her mind to it. Well...no one except for me", the stranger grinned. The single horn on her forehead caught the light and drew the attention of more than a few onlookers.
"He~ey, no fair Yuugi", Suika protested, "that was a fluke. My horns got caught in the doorway."
"Ahahahaha!" the oni called Yuugi let out a loud and raucous laugh, "even if you had a century's head start you would never be able to outrun Yuugi the Strong!"
"Ohoooo...that sounds like fighting talk!" suddenly, a grin split Suika's face from ear to ear.
"Hey now..." Satori began but a small hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the fight. She turned to see Koishi standing behind her, "sis...if you stand too close you'll be killed. That's common sense right?"
But before anything serious could begin, a collective gasp fell over the crowd and even the oni paused in their dispute. Looking up, everyone could see another light descending from above, a pure white that was even brighter than the fairy fire used in the festival. But it was different somehow, where normal light is used to accentuate the mood this new light obliterated everything around it, and replaced it with a white fire. Or so it seemed. Lesser youkai were forced to turn away at the sight of it, for fear of being blinded, but others continued to look on in wonder. Satori could feel a palpable sense of tranquility washing over the guests, quelling the chaos of the festival.
"Now then, why are you fighting each other?" the light asked gently, "that won't do at all."
[Author's Note: My apologies for being so incredibly late with this chapter. For awhile I was at a loss for how to continue but I've got it all sorted out now. Please look forward to the next one.)