Up in the skies of Gensokyo…Particularly, the skies of the ever stretching Bamboo Forest of the lost, a beautiful show of multiple bullets of light, varying in shapes and colors, as if the sky is currently occupied by a rainbow of ever changing colors. Amongst those bullets of light were four people. Two of which was the source of the beautiful specter up in the sky. While the other two are nothing more than…some unfortunate passerby. To be specific, the two of them consists of a young man named Ryuuji Kuzunoha, an outsider, and Kyouko Kasodani, a yamabiko living somewhere in youkai mountain.
Music Cue: "Fire Shaman" from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST
"Oh my GAWD! Where do all these bullets come from?! It's like I'm in a virtual reality gaming console playing a bullet hell game! With carefully added features for a fool-proof sheer heart attack! In FPS!" Feeling the heat of a fireball graze his left foot, Ryuuji clings hard unto Kyouko's hands for dear life, unwilling to fall down unto his imminent death. Meanwhile, the yamabiko, feeling the force of the grip on her hands, decides to speak to the outsider holding unto her.
"Don't worry, Ryuuji-san! We're going to make it out!" Kyouko gives assurance to Ryuuji, also strengthening her own grip on her hands, "We'll just have to pass through the gaps in the phoenix lady's bullet pattern, and we'll be okay!"
Ryuuji heard Kyouko's words, and decided to look at the ridiculous barrage of gigantic 'bullets', and saw…little to no gaps in the said barrage. Only bullets, bullets, and more bullets followed after one another, leaving little to no gaps at all. Ryuuji's jaw only dropped as Kyouko caused her altitude to get lower, aiming to dive straight unto the bullet barrage below.
"That thing has gaps?! Are you frigging kidding me?!" Ryuuji complains in vain, as his voice did not stop Kyouko's dive, and thus, together, they down through the barrage of beautiful bullets. Currently, the bullets are flying in a pentagon shaped formation, facing the sky, with random bullets circling around inside it.
"There! On that tip over there!" Kyouko says as she finally changes the direction of her dive, going for the southern tip of the pentagon, where there were only a few layers of bullets set horizontally, leaving a slightly large, triangular shaped opening. Meanwhile, Ryuuji could only scream in terror as he realizes Kyouko's plan…
"HOLY SHIIIIT!"
With great speed, Kyouko and Ryuuji dives through the gap, slipping through the first layer of fireball bullets, which then revealed a safe area below where there were little to no bullets flying around, except for a very few straying ones. Seeing the opportunity to hide, Ryuuji slightly shakes the arm that he's using to hold unto Kyouko's own to get her attention, and proceeds to tell her of what he saw.
"Kyouko-san," Ryuuji calls out, making Kyouko turn her eyes towards the outsider, before he continued to speak, "Let's seek shelter down there for a bit and wait for an opportunity to get out of here. I don't really think it's a good idea to fly it off while flamethrower chick and folktale princess get it on up there!" Ryuuji declared with a tone that barely hid his fear.
"Huh?" Putting a thought on the outsider's words, Kyouko tried to see the brewing fight above, and saw a lot of bullets, with one side mostly consisting of fireballs, signifying Mokou, another side has varying colors and shapes, signifying the princess of Eientei, Kaguya. At the same time, a stray group of purple bullets headed from Kaguya's side, and went towards the yamabiko, who quickly dodges the said stray attack with ease.
"Ryuuji-san has a point…I guess trying to leave here through the air would be dangerous, for now. Normally, I'd still fly it off anyway, but, I'm currently carrying a normal human with me…And not only that it's dangerous for the both of us, but, our combined weights are already making things hard for us, much less dodge more danmaku!" Kyouko thinks as she watches the ensuing fight from above, only to be called out again.
"Hey, hey, what are you spacing out for?! Let's go hide down the bamboos already!" Ryuuji calls out again, causing Kyouko to return her attention to what the outsider had advised her earlier: Using the bamboo trees as shelters against danmaku, and hide behind said trees till the fight's over. Without wasting time, Kyouko proceeds to look for a safe spot to land, and in a few moments, found herself a clearing that's safe for landing. Without wasting time, Kyouko dives in the said spot, with Ryuuji on tow.
-A moment later-
"That…was so much everything…" Ryuuji said between breaths, with sweat sliding throughout his face like bullets. Surprise, panic, and tiredness are what appears to be the painted expression on his face. To think that he'd experience something like that right after leaving the hospital, Ryuuji did not expect it. What was wrong with this place?
Meanwhile, Kyouko was rather calm, composed, and still energetic, with her state much more better than Ryuuji's. The former even appears to be glowing for some reason, Ryuuji noted. Were the people in here just as…bizarre as well? The human boy only took a sigh. He really wanted to get home soon, cook dinner, sleep on his own bed, wake up the next morning, and go on another date with Reika…
"Well, looks like we've got no other choice but to rest for a bit, Ryuuji-san. You just got out of the hospital, after all, so we can't go flying you around a little too much." Kyouko tells the human boy, prompting him to snap out of his daze, and turn his attention to the yamabiko in front of him. Taking a glance at the occurring fight above and then looking back at Kyouko, Ryuuji gives a nod and a reply to the yamabiko.
"Yeah, you're right on that. Let's withdraw coolly and hide under the trees or something…"
Meanwhile, back to Mokou and Kaguya…
"Tch! Stay dead already!" Mokou complained as she summoned three large phoenix shaped flames, and sends it flying towards Kaguya. In turn, the moon princess proceeds to take out a card from inside her left sleeve, all before giving Mokou a confident smirk. She wouldn't use a card for a simple attack from an enemy, but, if it means riling up the foe in front of her, Kaguya was willing to throw away a single spell card.
"Are you trying to make a joke, Mokou? Too bad, for the attempt was so horrible, I forgot how to laugh! 5 Sacred Treasures: "Robe of the Fire Rat"! " Kaguya declares aloud, albeit with a neatly maintained elegance. Crimson colored energy then proceeds to burst out of the card Kaguya pulled out from her sleeve earlier, resembling flames, which then proceeded to coat the moon princess around the body, in the same exact way a robe would be worn around one's body.
The three burning phoenixes summoned by Mokou proceeds to fly at high speeds towards Kaguya, aiming for her vitals. However, the moon princess only gave another wry smirk as the phoenixes close in on her, confusing Mokou.
And explosion occurs as the three phoenixes collided with Kaguya in mid-air, sending smoke all around. Mokou gave a victorious sigh, and turns her back to leave as soon as possible, with the intent to avoid getting caught by the moon princess' cohorts, like her doctor, Yagokoro, for example. However, as Mokou was about to dash off, a red colored beam blasted out from the smoke where Kaguya was, hitting Mokou straight to the right side of her back, leaving a hole of melted clothing on the said back, complete with searing pain and her screams of pain. A haughty cackle resounded from behind Mokou, causing her to look back…
…And saw Kaguya, unharmed, with her right hand holding an oval-shaped stone, which was as red as blood, glowing brightly. The sight of the stone somewhat irritates Mokou. Seeing her reaction, Kaguya proceeds to speak.
"Ohohoho, looks like it's not my time yet…It will never be, anyway. Now then…" Her face taking on a blood thirsty grin that made even Mokou cringe a bit, Kaguya voices her tranquil fury at the white haired woman's deeds from earlier, "It's time for my turn to pay the favor, Mokou…And being the magnanimous princess that I am, I, Kaguya, shall pay you back the pain ten folds! Be honored, lowly scum!" Raising the red stone in her right hand, Kaguya elegantly declares aloud once more, "New Impossible Request: "Red Stone of Aja"! "
"Oh, shit!" Mokou shouts as she proceeds to dodge away gigantic, homing lasers that fired off from the Red Stone of Aja in Kaguya's hand. However, without the latter noticing, Mokou makes sure to come closer after each dodge she makes, slowly but steadily going in melee range towards the moon princess. Three lasers come in from the left, right, and below, forcing Mokou to fly upwards to the front, causing the lasers to follow up en suite. However, one more laser fires of from Kaguya, which Mokou dodges off quickly with a sudden dash to her left, while slightly proceeding towards Kaguya's direction. Mokou told herself; She'll beat up the crap out of Kaguya today, even if it means resorting to the dirtiest tricks she never knew she can do.
It didn't take too long, and now, Mokou is only a few feet away from Kaguya. The latter, however, full confidence in her attack, didn't move at all from spot and kept firing her spell. Meanwhile, seeing this as the case, Mokou silently proceeds onward, with a slightly irritated expression on her face. A few more didges, and suddenly, Mokou bolts at an extremely fast speed in the air, quickly reaching a surprised Kaguya who tries to back pedal, only find Mokou appearing in the direction she tried to fly onto. With a smirk, Mokou summons flames on her fists, and charges towards the moon princess in full throttle.
"Here's some totally hot makeover for your face, ya spoiled bitch! ORA! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAAAAA!" Mokou roars as she lands a barrage of lightning fast punches with her fire-lit fists, all hits landing on all over Kaguya's body, but with some more extra hits on the moon princess' face. The punches continue till the point where Kaguya had bruises and burns all over, before Mokou finally finishes the attack with an extremely powerful left hook, sending Kaguya spinning down towards the grounds. A few seconds later, a loud boom sound echoes throughout the forest as Kaguya finally crashed somewhere, much to Mokou's amusement and happiness.
"And that…is the Fujiwara Style South Paw! Be honored to have tasted my legendary left hook, your highness! Kyahahaha!" With a big smile, Mokou declares her victory, her earlier stress now having disappeared after having her stress relief session…with Kaguya's face. This is evidenced by the fact that compared to her rage filled state earlier, Mokou now appears to be glowing in happiness, similar to a high school girl who just received a love letter in her shoe locker.
"Phew, that felt good! This calls for a celebration!" Now in a good mood, Mokou proceeds to fly off, heading for somewhere…For her, now may be a good time to visit a friend, since it's going to be celebration…
"…Perhaps I could pass by the village and ask Keine for dinner or something. It's been a while since I last ate, anyway…"
-Music Fades-
Meanwhile, after watching the whole thing from below, Ryuuji and Kyouko only express shock via dropped jaws. The former might have seen all sorts of fights after watching anime and playing too much F*nal Fant*sy and Dev*l M*y Cry, but he's never seen a fight just as much as intense in real life. The latter was also very surprised, having never seen a spell card duel turning into a one sided boxing match, since melee attacks are ever rarely used in duels…
"Wow…didn't think they'd include boxing in a magic bullet fight…" Ryuuji states, expressing his surprise. Is this how they solve things around here? If so, then, it sure might as well be more effective than how people settle things back in the outside world. And more amusing to watch, too. Moreover, are everyone else in the place able do the same thing? Can he also do something like that?
"Well, people who do spell card duels rarely use short range attacks, so this is a first for me too…" Kyouko commented. The only other person she saw fighting in close range was Byakuren. And it was quite the scary sight. Imagine, being able to send someone flying straight from the temple to the other side of the Youkai mountain. The smile on the monk's face was scary, too…
"Say, Kyouko-san, these spell card duels…" Ryuuji speaks, his curiousity taking over him, "…Are only a few people able to do them?"
"Not really. Anyone can do spell card duels. It's just that very few people choose to do so." Kyouko replies, before remembering something important concerning the subject that she was talking about, "Oh, and you need to learn a specific kind of magic as a requirement. Something like "your own style" of fighting or something like that. To put it bluntly, Ryuuji-san, you need to have a specialty of sorts!" Kyouko cheerfully explains, earning the ears of the outsider in front of her.
A specialty…Ryuuji somewhat understood what the yamabiko meant. If in RPG terms, it would refer to the unique special skills or techniques that are unique to a certain character, like for example: Their primary skills, their equipment affinity, and finally, their magic type and magic element affinity. For some reason, Ryuuji can't take his mind off the last one. If each person has a special kind of magic unique for their own use, what could his be? What kind of magic can he be capable of?
However, before his thoughts could fly away further, Ryuuji lightly shook his head. No, he doesn't have the time for learning something like magic or spell cards. He doesn't have the time for such things. He knows that he's not gonna be in Gensokyo for long. He never really had a reason to go on this little accidental adventure of his to begin with. He really just wanted to go home. To go back to his house. To cook for his hardworking uncle. To go to school. To meet with Reika again…
"Well, since we're in the clear now, we might as well go to the shrine, Ryuuji-san." Kyouko kindly reminds the outsider, who looks at her and gives a small nod. Considering the bizarre event they just experienced, there's a large chance that they might encounter another one should they dawdle too much and stay in one place. So, in order to be on the safe side, the human and the yamabiko decides to head off as soon as possible, with Kyouko carrying Ryuuji in bridal style, much to the outsider's chagrin and protests.
In a few moments, both of them are already up in the air. As they flew, Ryuuji took a glance at the area around him. It appears that they are already out of the bamboo forests, and are already high above from the forests and mountains. A few birds that Ryuuji has never seen also passed through around him and Kyouko after every few minutes. Moreover, at the corner of Ryuuji's eye, a black winged figure would sometimes slip in sight, only to disappear as soon as it appeared. Despite noticing, Ryuuji stayed quiet, knowing that he can't afford to bother Kyouko with any more pointless detours, believing that the yamabiko has a home and some matters to attend to.
Now, that reminded something on Ryuuji. Back then, he always thought of youkai and mythology as nothing more than a fairy tale that the people of old times made up while being high on all varieties of drugs and alcohol. But now, at this very moment, a real youkai herself is carrying him in her very arms. Ryuuji had always wondered what it felt like to meet one, believing it might be something extraordinarily amazing or frightening. But after meeting Kyouko, he found himself wrong. These youkai…are mostly just like humans. There are good ones, like Kyouko, and possibly evil ones, the latter which Ryuuji hasn't met yet, and he doesn't wish to do so.
Meanwhile, Kyouko herself was deep in thoughts as she flew. Is this really alright? Does this help the goal of her master? Does helping the outsider and protecting him will truly help the Myouren Temple gain a good image at least from the human's side? For Kyouko, it was indeed an important question. However, her master's words rang in her mind before anymore doubt seeded within her.
'What's important is that we help others, regardless of race. That is the point: To reach out to each other, one must be willing to forsake differences, and stand by each other's side, even if you won't get anything back from that deed. Kindness, compassion, and selflessness are the three keys to understanding, Kyouko.'
Clearing her mind after remembering those words, Kyouko resolved to focus on her current goal: To make sure that the outsider in her arms arrives at the Hakurei Shrine without a single hair unharmed…
Reimu sighed as the gust of wind blew away and scattered all the leaves she just swept and gathered for so many times already, indicating that the red white miko will have to do the job all over again. Normally, she would have really stopped by now, but, due to having already done all the day's other chores and the insistent bothering of boredom, Reimu doesn't have anything else to do other than sweep the scattered leaves over and over again, till she finally gets bored of doing it and actually disposes of the trash later.
"So, today is the day that the outsider, Ryuuji-san, will start to stay here, huh…Well, at least I'd finally get a helping hand around here…" Reimu mentally commented as she returned to sweeping the leaves once more, aiming to gather them once again, and probably finally dispose of them this time. At least, she'll rinse and repeat the whole thing until Ryuuji arrives and they will need to start discussing important things, most especially the jobs the outsider will take during his one month stay. After all, he can't just be free loading for an entire month, now, can he?
That reminded Reimu of how things usually occurred when outsiders would arrive in Gensokyo. First, they'd arrive in her shrine, like someone from high above dictated it. Then, the outsider will start panicking and ask Reimu questions about where did he or she is right now, which in turn will force the miko to discuss what Gensokyo is like some person made to all the expository work. And third, the outsider will start asking for things that didn't actually exist in Gensokyo, like a mysterious magic they call an 'internet', a 'computer', an 'air-conditioner', a place called 'Seven-Eleven', a show called 'Anime', a thing called a 'Car', a flying contraption called a 'Helicopter', and so many other things Reimu hasn't heard of. And fourth, the outsider would do either one of the two following things:
Laze around in her shrine all day, whining about the convenience of technology in Gensokyo, which often infuriated Reimu. If it wasn't for the fact that they're 'guests' that would disappear in a couple of days, Reimu would've happily blew them away with a spell card.
If this doesn't happen, the outsider would go around Gensokyo by himself or herself, get in trouble and get his or herself saved by Reimu right before getting eaten by a random youkai. This often causes stress for Reimu all the time.
Remembering those things, Reimu sighed again. This time, she hoped, that her recent guest would at least be someone who knows how to work and is polite with people, since most outsiders she had to take care of were pretty rude, with no restraint when it comes to flapping their mouths and making unpleasant comments on everything they dislike, which is mostly everything they see in Gensokyo. Reimu wished that they could at least close their mouths when they're not helping her.
"Heeey! Reimu! Where's the visitor? I can't wait for my next drinking buddy! And the Shrine's sake is run dry already. We should go buy some!" A loud voice, appearing to belong to a young girl, echoed from inside the temple of the shrine, which made Reimu palm her face, sighing once again as she remembered that another 'guest' arrived yesterday, apparently a 'regular' at her shrine. Footsteps come closer from inside the shrine, causing Reimu to look towards the source, and saw the said guest emerge from the shrine…
The guest has long, ginger colored hair, with a large red ribbon attached at the back of her head, and a white cloth that held the lower part of her hair. She also has a long straight horn on the left and right on her head, decorated with ribbons. She wears a tattered pale pink blouse, a long purple and pink skirt, and three chain accessories tied to her belt. Her eyes are colored golden-brown. Basing on her appearance, she's obviously an Oni; of the powerful kind, no doubt. Her name is Suika Ibuki.
"Ah, Suika, good morning. Or rather, noon in this case." Reimu replies, before returning her attention to sweeping the leaves on the ground. After that, Reimu kept on talking, without having to look back at Suika, "You do realize that you have that Gourd of yours for a life-time's worth of drinking supply, right? And besides, the new guest looks like he's underage, so I don't think you'll be gaining a new 'drinking buddy' anytime soon." Reimu comments as she kept on sweeping, much to the pouting of the oni behind her. Apparently, even if the new guest wasn't underage, the idea of simply letting them drink with an oni like Suika usually results in hilariously disastrous results.
Like that one time where one of the mature outsiders ended up getting roped into a drinking session with Suika during his stay, which was two weeks. By the time he went out of Gensokyo, he was already a Bona fide 'Drunken Master', and was even being cheered on proudly by Suika as he left through the portal leading out of Gensokyo, much to Reimu's surprise and confusion.
But, even then, Reimu told herself; She still must keep an eye on Suika. It's not that she doesn't trust the overly honest oni, but, it's just that…
…Having to pick up a guest from a pile of even more drunk onis is really bothersome, since Reimu really just can't deal with the stench. Worse, one of the onis might take the outsider home. Worst case scenario being that when Reimu goes to the residence of the said oni the next morning, she finds the guest and the oni both…and they're also naked. And then, they get married the next day, with Reimu as the priestess. Yes, believe or not, this really did happen to about two previous male guests, who got their fates tangled with their respective female oni wife, which was a seriously rare case. And Reimu's jaw dropped to the ground in great shock every time it happens. And after that, the now married human-oni couple would visit the still shocked miko sometimes, giving her gifts of gratitude. That was one of the few times where Reimu was thankful of the guest outsider's disobedience.
"Nah, so what if he's underage or whatever? That doesn't mean he'll die from taking a sip!" Suika declares, raising her gourd up into the sky in drunken determination. There was no way she won't get a new drinking buddy today, Suika thought. Especially since outsiders are pretty funny when heavily drunk, getting all emotional and the like. Reimu just gave an annoyed look at the oni and replied in a dry tone.
"Anyone who 'takes a sip' with you around ends up drinking a whole river's worth of sake 5 minutes later, Suika. Don't even think of inviting the guest. I will have to stop you, you know? And moreover, I'll need him in good condition so that he'll be able to listen properly when we'll discuss his problem and his work later." Reimu explains in a tone that seems to plead, causing Suika to sigh in defeat, and lay down on the wooden floor on the frontal part of the shrine.
"Okay, okay, I got it. I won't invite him during week days, right? Sheesh, you humans are way too uptight." Suika replies in a sulking tone, while turning her back at Reimu and pouting whilst murmuring on how 'boring' Reimu can get during the peaceful days. Reimu doesn't seem to have heard as she just pays the oni no mind and kept on sweeping the shrine grounds. After this, Reimu decided that she really will dispose of the leaves she will gather…
…Now that she thought about it, why don't she just have him sent out by the gap youkai? As the idea planted in her mind, Reimu thought hard on how effective the method will be, putting Ryuuji's safety as the first of priorities in the said method. It seems that the one month stay will have to serve as a back-up plan for now…
Meanwhile, back at the Human Village, particularly in the job bulletin board found in the main town square…
Beside the board, is a small cottage, inside of which sits an old man, around 65 to 70 years of age, wearing a blue hakama over a blue kimono, sits on a chair beside a table, which was stacked with two rows and columns of papers, with the descriptions "Jobs taken" and "Jobs finished." The old man seems to be the one stamping the words on the paper. He was about to continue with about a lot more of the stamping, when a figure approached him…
The said figure was a young woman, around 20 to 24 years old. She has slightly long silver hair, slightly reaching the upper area of her back and worn in long braids on both sides of her face with green bows at the ends, and a white maid headband on top of her head. She wears a white and dark blue French maid's outfit with an apron, short sleeves and a green ribbon. On her feet she wears a pair of red shoes. She also appears to be carrying an envelope and a large piece of paper with her. This young maid goes by the name of Sakuya Izayoi.
"Salutations, Shiobana-san." The silver haired maid bowed, with elegance and grace accompanying her every movement, as if she truly was the living definition of the perfect maid. The old man in the cottage, seeing the action, quickly stood up, and proceeds to greet Sakuya outside. With a smile on his face, the old man called Shiobana speaks in a slightly tired tone, a trait not uncommon among people his age.
"Ah, a good day to you too, Izayoi-san. Are you here for another job request?" Shiobana asks, prompting the silver haired maid to hand over the envelope and the large piece of paper to the old man. After letting go of the papers, Sakuya begins to speak in a polite tone.
"Yes, and it's a job request specifically for humans. For those with skills in cleaning and some small household chores." Sakuya explains her aim, allowing the old man to give an understanding nod, and proceed to the stack of papers inside his cottage. Without wasting time, the old man proceeds to take out some thumb taxes from a small jar on his table, and goes to stick the large paper he received from Sakuya to the large bulletin board beside the cottage.
Meanwhile, as she watched the old man perform do his duties, Sakuya remembered the reason why her master, the vampire known as Remilia Scarlet, had finally told her to send a recruitment ad for an extra hand at the place where Sakuya works at, the place known as the Scarlet Devil mansion…
-10 Minutes ago-
In the darkness of the bedroom, a single candle was lit, placed on a table, apparently made of metal and lacks any elegant tablecloth. Five steps away at the left side of the table was a large bed, on which a figure sat, with the darkness obscuring any possible sight of her. Meanwhile, a few walks away from the front of the bed was the door, beside of which Sakuya stood.
An annoyed sigh escaped from the lips of the figure sitting on the bed. After hearing the progress of the work done by the fairies the last week, it seems that the paychecks they gave those winged idiots were truly going nowhere its worth. No matter how hard Sakuya simplified and made the instructions clear to the fairies, they would always mess things up, like when they flooded an entire garden when they were told to water the plants, broke the glass windows when they were told to clean them up, and when they accidentally 'murdered' Remilia's teddy bear when the fairies were instructed to clean it. The vampire was greatly infuriated at the last one.
"So, as it appears, we are indeed in need of a more…effective helping hand around here. Not just those bumbling idiots with dust for brains." Carrying a wine glass filled with red liquid with her right hand, Remilia explains her current objective. Having no choice, she will need more than one effective helper, so that Sakuya's work not only will be divided, but the maid could get herself some rest, as she does not only have stress from the house work, but from handling the fairies' idiocy as well. Despite being surprised and impressed by her head maid's tenacity, Remilia knew that she can't rely on just that forever, as Sakuya is only human, and humans have limits. As the master, Remilia believed she needs to lend a hand to her servants.
"As such, Sakuya, I now shall give permission to have more than one human worker in this mansion. I, Remilia Scarlet, the master of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, now declare the increase of human workers. There shall be now space for two more human helpers." Remilia declares with a tone of great authority, showing off her power as the lord of the mansion. Sakuya could only listen as her master kept on talking. "Now, Sakuya, you are to recruit the two human workers, from the village. What we need are, of course, two people with average to above average skills in housework, especially cleaning. The duty of cooking, however, shall remain monopolized by you, Sakuya, and as such, the two new workers are not allowed to enter the kitchen without your presence. And I believe that I do not need to explain the reason. Do you understand?" Remilia commands, prompting Sakuya to politely bow down, and give a curt reply in an elegant fashion.
"As you wish, Milady."
"Then go. Now." Remilia declares, prompting Sakuya to turn her back to her master and leave through the door. The vampire took a sip from her wine glass as she thought about how much of a relief it would be for Sakuya now that the work will be properly divided. Remilia praised herself at how she is being a magnificent master to her servants…
-Back to the present-
"I've posted the ad, Izayoi-san. You could expect about three to five recruits at the end of the week!" The old man, Shiobana, happily states with a contented smile on his face as he returned to the front of his cottage beside the bulletin board, where Sakuya was waiting. "I'll also try to talk it out with some of the jobless young ones when I see 'em. They might be fit for the job, too. So I hope you'll get along with the ones you'll choose for the job, Izayoi-san." Shiobana adds, earning him a small smile and a nod from Sakuya. With her job now done, Sakuya proceeds to give her farewells, not wanting to waste any more of the old man's time.
"Thank you for the help, Shiobana-san. Now, if you may excuse me, I still have some other business to do." Sakuya curtly says before turning her back, and walks away from Shiobana's cottage after the old man said his goodbyes as well. Now, with the recruitment ad done, it's time to buy tonight's dinner, Sakuya thought. Maybe her mistress would like some poultry based cuisine tonight…
With that in mind, the elegant maid proceeds to head for the human village's bustling market, wanting to look for the freshest chicken and other ingredients possible. After all, the mistress, despite being a vampire, has acquired taste for human cooking, and is quite the gourmet about it. To put it bluntly, she's the picky type. Something that Sakuya considers a challenge for her cooking skills.
A few minutes later, Sakuya enters the markets, and begins her search for the ingredients. Hopefully, she thought, that she'd be done at around before sundown. A lot of people, especially housewives, are quite the enemy when it comes to shopping in the market…
…For those without the control of time, anyway.
"Alright, we're here!" Kyouko declared as she landed on the ground of the Hakurei Shrine, with Ryuuji getting of her arms as soon as Kyouko reached the ground. In response to the yamabiko's call from earlier, Reimu comes out of from behind the shrine, looking like she got bored somehow.
"Ah, good job out there. Thanks for delivering this guy. You may leave now." Reimu plainly points a thumb at Ryuuji as she spoke, earning her a raised eyebrow from the outsider, who was slightly confused at her attitude. He didn't do anything to piss her off today, did he? Meanwhile, Kyouko just gave a bow along with a small smile.
"No problem, Hakurei-san. I'll leave now." Kyouko declares to the red white shrine maiden, before turning her attention to Ryuuji, who gives a small, grateful smile.
Wasting no time, Ryuuji began to speak first before the yamabiko could say anything. Gratitude drips from every word that came out of Ryuuji's mouth as he spoke, "Thank you, for the last three days, and for today as well, Kyouko-san. I hope we could meet again sometime." Ryuuji bows as he said those words, earning him a smile from the yamabiko, who proceeds to give her own reply and farewell.
"You're welcome, Ryuuji-san. Please visit me in the Temple of Myouren when you have the time. I'll be there cleaning the steps! Until then, Ryuuji-san!" Kyouko says with a big smile on her face, before bowing and turning her back to take to the skies, with Ryuuji and Reimu watching. A few seconds passed, and Kyouko is nothing more than a dot in the sky. With the yamabiko gone, Reimu turns her attention to Ryuuji.
"And as for you, we have a LOT of things to talk about. And yes, that includes about your way of going home." Reimu sternly states, reminding Ryuuji of what he was supposed to do since the last three days. Yes, it was to go home. Which was sabotaged after he got the wind knocked out of him by some random…black and white flash in the middle of the forest, during the first time he met Kyouko…
And then Ryuuji remembered. Didn't Reimu say that he's only able to go home during the full moon?
"Umm, Reimu-san…"
"Let's go inside the living room first, alright? I did just say we were going to talk about you going home." Reimu interrupted the outsider, before turning her back on him and going into the house behind the shrine, while beckoning Ryuuji to follow. Without hesitation, the outsider quickly follows. He really needs to know another way to get home now…
Opening the sliding door of the living room, Reimu enters, and proceeds to sit beside the table in the middle of the room. As soon as Ryuuji enters, Reimu also beckons him to do the same. For some reason, Ryuuji swore that he could hear light snoring from somewhere, but Reimu in doesn't seem to notice anything at all. Must be some cat napping it off in the ceiling, Ryuuji thought.
"So, right now, you must know that the next full moon is going to be around after the next thirty days, right?" The red white shrine maiden asks, which in turn, caused Ryuuji to jump in surprise and quickly reply out of shock.
"Wait, a whole month?! Isn't there another way to get out of here?!" Ryuuji asks in a panicked manner, his breathing rhythm going irregular. However, as if expecting this, Reimu doesn't change her expression nor tone, remaining calm as she proceeds to calm the panicking outsider. Taking a deep breath, Reimu begins to speak.
"Now, now, calm the hell down. That was what exactly what I was going to explain to you. You see, there's this alternative method of going home that is possible for use, but, the problem is…" For second, Reimu hesitated. Will this method be effective? Normally, it would, but, Reimu really doesn't like to deal with that person. Under normal circumstances, Reimu would just recommend to wait for a month, but, since it's her fault that the outsider's homecoming was interrupted this time, she will have to resort to using all possible methods…
…Like dealing with the gap youkai, for example.
"…Well, the problem is the person who'll transfer you. It's just that, well…she's a very, very annoying person to deal with. To be honest, I'd rather wait for a whole month, but, we've got no choice." Reimu sighed as she finished her explanation, which confused Ryuuji. An annoying person? Ryuuji doesn't really know Reimu that much, so he couldn't really be sure of what defines as 'annoying' for her, much less give an effective insight. So instead, Ryuuji decided to ask something that might be helpful on the long run instead.
"So, uh, this person of yours…Can she really send me home?" Ryuuji asked, causing Reimu to look away for a bit, before turning her attention back to Ryuuji, and replied in a confident tone.
"Yep, she might be an annoying old hag, but, she's one of the most effective person you'll find here in Gensokyo when it comes to sending home accidental visitors." Reimu declares with confidence, showing that she wasn't joking when she said that she had an effective alternate method. Now, all that's left is to wait and see if Reimu is truly right. With that, Ryuuji's problem has been…partially solved.
"Now, then, since we're done with the planning and all, can I ask you a question?" Reimu suddenly says out of the blue, causing Ryuuji to twitch in surprise. Without wasting time, the shrine maiden voices out her question.
"Say, Ryuuji-san, do you know how to do any household chores?" Reimu asks while tilting her head to the side a bit, which in turn, prompted Ryuuji to give an answer quite quickly.
"Well, yes, I do. I can cook, clean, wash the laundry, washing the dishes, and many other household related works. You could say they're my forte!" Ryuuji says with confidence, pumping his chest with pride in the process. Living with a single relative can really teach one a lot of things, Ryuuji thought. Reimu only let out a small grin at her guest's actions, as it was like looking at a little kid showing off something great he found to his parents.
"Your parents must be proud of you. Especially your mom, since I'm sure that she's the one who had to do all that before and after you were born, right…?" Reimu trailed off when she saw Ryuuji's face slightly turned down for a split second, especially at the mention of parents. Apparently, she stepped on the wrong ground with her slippery mouth…
Suddenly, Ryuuji also began to talk, "Well, I…never really knew my parents… You see, ever since I was born, my uncle, who was my father's older brother, took care of me. My mother died during child birth, and my jerkass dad…well…he disappeared before I was born. Mother's house was caught in a fire, too, so any evidence of what she and father looked like were gone. I…don't even know what they looked like…The only thing I discovered was my mother's name…" Ryuuji would have wanted to continue, but, sensed that he was already talking too much, and decided to cut off the conversation as fast as possible.
"Ah…I'm sorry. I was talking non-stop, aren't I? Please forget whatever I said…" Ryuuji quickly cuts in his own talk. To think that he slipped and revealed a little bit of his own past to someone he just met…Ryuuji swore he could bury himself right now. Not to mention that he ended up dampening the bright mood of the day, too. He really wanted to jump off a building at this very moment…
"…I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't say things recklessly like that next time." Reimu apologized as well, surprising Ryuuji. He had always thought of Reimu as someone a little colder when it comes to people, but, it appears that he stands wrong. Reimu, she…seems really kind. Ryuuji can't help but feel a little guilt, since he was the one who started the gloomy talk.
"Well, since you can cook, mind helping me out for lunch? It's almost noon anyway, so we should probably start right now. Don't you agree, Ryuuji-san?" Reimu spoke in a tone that signified slight cheeriness, showing that she have somewhat moved on from the gloomy air earlier. Ryuuji, seeing this, decided to go along, and prove his skills in the kitchen. He could at least show some appreciation to his host with his cooking.
"Ok, I'll help out, Reimu-san. Leave it to me!" Ryuuji cheerfully states, much to a now eager Reimu, who herself is excited to cook. Before they could start, however…
"Say, Reimu-san, what recipes have you cooked?" Out of curiousity, Ryuuji asks the shrine maiden of her cooking arsenal, to which the Reimu happily replied with gusto.
"Well, I can cook rice, miso soup, grill fish, fry eggs, and make tea!"
"…And anything else?" The outsider added, hoping to hear more. However, his question was met with silence, causing Ryuuji to look at the shrine maiden…
…Whose face was sweating like bullets and quickly averts her eyes from Ryuuji, who, by now, has guessed the shrine maiden's answer, judging from her reaction. With a slightly teasing smirk on his face, Ryuuji begins to speak out…
"…Reimu-san, I can teach you many other recipes-"
"S-shut it and let's cook something already!"
"Yes, yes, we will."
Not wanting to get kicked out of the shrine, Ryuuji complies and proceeds to the kitchen with a red faced, fuming Reimu…
Meanwhile, back in the outside world…
Reika, having discovered the location of where Ryuuji was last seen, decided to go and talk to the elder Hakurei Shrine Maiden about the area, as the area is under Hakurei jurisdiction. Believing that she can get help this way, Reika hypothesized that if she asked permission from the elder miko, she can get inside the mysterious area in the northern forests, but, alas, the elder shrine maiden's answer was not what she expected…
"You are not to approach the northern forests, child, as it is decreed by the will of our predecessors from 130 years ago to have made that area a forbidden place for us Hakurei mikos. We were ordered to protect it, not go inside it! If someone indeed was lost in there, that simply means another failure in our duty, and that we must learn from it and prevent anymore similar disasters." The elder shrine maiden, whose name is known as Kikyo Hakurei, gave the order of no entry to the young successor, Reika. Despite her protests, Kikyo only continued to give more orders, and explained the reason behind them, "Even if you are the powerful Holy Executioner and even the Heir, I cannot risk the breaking of our tradition simply for the life of one worthless child!" Kikyo half-screamed, her age catching up to her in many ways, especially her breathing and capacity to talk properly. Reika, naturally, tried to protest…
"But still, it's a life that we're talking about here!"
"Then, one life for the sake of protecting many others! I will not take any more petty protests from you, child. You may leave!"
"Worthless…child?! One life for the sake of many?! How could she…say that?!" Reika mentally despaired, being unable to understand the true reasoning behind the defying of her request. She wanted to save someone's life, and it was not just some random person she met; it was the person whom she knew for so many years, ever since they were quite young, someone who stuck with her through thick and thin, and the one who showed honest love to her. That person…was Ryuuji, one of her two precious childhood friends.
Reika couldn't believe it. To think that, even with everything she has, and everything she can do, she can't do anything to save her precious person, even with her strength as the Holy Executioner, and her privilege as the Heir, she couldn't do anything to save him. If those two things couldn't even save anyone precious to her, why did she work hard to gain them in the first place?
Without wasting time, Reika angrily left the temple, with her steps being heavy. She couldn't take it anymore. Why are all of her clan so damn clingy on some tradition her ancestors cooked up a long time ago? For what reason should they keep these traditions if they'll just result in lives being taken away like the petals of a flower in the middle of a horrible storm? Reika refuses to understand. She just can't understand at all. If only, her mother was here…she would have at least explain all the reason for these 'tradition' nonsense.
At this rate, Ryuuji will get stuck into that place, Reika thought. However, she just can't keep on begging for someone else's permission to do things now. It is time for her to make her own move. Now that she thought about it, she never knew what that mysterious sealed place in the northern forests was called. At that point, an idea popped up in Reika's head.
She will need to do research. A lot of research. And Reika knew she couldn't do it alone. And thus, she decided to call for help from her other childhood friend, who also knew and is close to Ryuuji, and is also an expert when it comes to the supernatural and the occult…
Taking out her cell phone, Reika searches for a certain a name from her phone book, and after a few seconds of searching, her heart jumped in joy when she found the name she was looking for, and without hesitation…
…She dialed the number under the name "Usami Sumireko".
The sun has set. The darkness of the night now surrounds the human village, its streets now only visible under the light provided by the lit lamps around the streets, as well as only a few people around. In the middle of one empty street, walked a young man with short black hair, black eyes, wears a sleeveless white shirt, a pair of black pants, and wears a pair of slippers. The evening wind was cold, and combined with the dimly lit streets, it was the perfect sight for a horrifying story. The young man hurried up his pace, with the cold air causing his heart to increase its speed every time his body gets brushed by the said air.
As he walked, the young felt his fear strengthen, as if his every step was a walk to doom. He starts to slowly run, as if escaping from something. He felt like, it was as if something was following him. He started to actually run, and when he reached a spot with an alley, he quickly turns towards there, taking advantage of the street's darkness to get out of the sight of whoever was following him.
Finally feeling like he lost his stalker, the young released a sigh of relief. Now, he's free to go home without a hitch…
-Music Cue: "Fierce Battle" from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne-
"…You there…Young man…!"
…If it wasn't for a distorted, deep voice that rang from somewhere he did not know. The young man looked around, looking for the source as could sweat coated his body, his breathing getting irregular, and his heartbeat faster than the steps of a speeding horse. However, no matter where he looked from all sides except above, he couldn't find the source. Despite his state, the voice kept speaking…
"Art thou worthy? Tell me, art thou worthy?"
The voice asked, causing him to panic even more, his body now sweating bullets. He looks around, and this time, he makes the decision of looking upwards…
…A decision that he came to regret.
Floating high in the air was a person, all covered in black a robe with a hood, with a pair of golden wings on its back, and its metallic right hand sticking out, carrying a glowing, golden spear, with a beautiful elegant design to it. It was as if it was a well done, oversized, golden arrow, something that's worth only the use of the celestials and the divine. Even the shaking young man lost all his fear as he look at awe on the golden spear. However, this awe did last long, as the hooded figure spoke with its distorted voice once again…
"Tell me, art thou worthy? I shall find out…"
With those words, the winged figure dives towards the young man, aiming to stab him with the spear. The latter, seeing no escape, can only scream in fear as the figure closed in on him…
A few moments after that, the young man's screams stopped, suddenly replaced by the gory sound of metal piecing through flesh and bones…
The distorted voice of the figure rang around the alley, disappointment and deep regret emanating from his tone…
"Thou…art not worthy. May thou return to the Lord's embrace in Heaven."
-Music Fades-
Welp, there it is! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Please don't forget to tell me what you think in the reviews! Constructive Criticism is openly welcomed as well!
And also, sorry about the slow updates. Summer class really just loves assaulting my schedule from behind, and is very brutal about it, I barely have breaks for planning and writing…
Till next time!
