"Wake up!"
Dutch opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling.
The voice, coming from nowhere, echoed again.
"Come on! We got to help them!"
Dutch sat up. Looking around, he saw that he was in a corridor with a closed door with light peeking through at one end and darkness at the other.
"Come on!"
He got up and walked towards the door.
As he got closer, other voices start to echo around.
"It was worth it, wasn't it?"
"I think I stay."
"What ever it takes, we're here."
With the voices around him, Duch finally reached the door. He reached out to touch it.
The door cracked. It started to break up, light shining to it's rapidly opening cracks. As Dutch covered his eyes, one last voice echoed over all the rest.
"No turning back now."
MASTER! Vale yelled.
Dutch opened his eyes. He was on the ground, face first.
Master! You must get up! vale continued.
Stop yelling. I'm fine. Dutch returned.
Dutch checked around with his eyes. The feet of two people were down the alley.
Ah, the man and the old lady. He registered.
"Useless. All useless." The old lady said in a un old-ladyish voice. A more deeper voice.
"How was I supposed to know that the outsider could fight?" The scarred man complained.
The old lady growled in return."Why did I spare your life. You have not proven your worth to me."
She suddenly stabbed the scarred man. He choked and collapsed against the wall. Coldly, she ripped the knife out of him.
"Live your last moments knowing that you failed me." She said before leaving.
Dutch tried to get up. The back of his head was throbbing. Dutch felt the area. Good, no bleeding.
Standing up, he slowly walked to the scarred man.
"You...saw...that? The man whispered.
"Hold on, we need stop the bleeding." Dutch returned as he ripped off a part of his sleeves. Using the cloth, he applied pressure to the wound.
"It's...too late. I...can...see the...sanzu...river. Save...the old lady. She...cough...is...possessed." The man said before closing his eyes.
Dutch checked his pulse. Faint and fading.
An old memory surfaces.
"He's gone."
"Not this time." He said.
Gritting his teeth, he lifted the man fireman style and ran out of the alley.
"I need a doctor! This man is dying!" He yelled. The people around him looked at him.
"I am a doctor." A girl with bunny ears yelled back as she ran to him.. Dutch glanced at her ears and ignored them. There were more important things.
"This man was stabbed. He's dying." Dutch informed her as he laid the man down on the ground. The girl looked at the stab wound and swore. She formed a gun with her hand and fired a shot into the air.
"I need you to place a hemostatic dressing on him or he won't make it." the girl instructed.
She took out a dressing and gave it to Dutch. Dutch took the dressing and pressed it down on the man chest.
"Undonge! What the matter?" A tall woman ran through the crowd rapidly forming around them.
"Master! This man is dying!" The girl shouted back.
The woman looked at the man."We need to get him to Eientei now." She said.
As the two lift him, Reisen looks around for Dutch. He wasn't around.
She wonder where could he have gone then discarded the thought. She needed to save the man first.
Dutch watched the two carry the scarred man away. After they disappeared, he turned around and walked away. He had an appointment to catch.
Kasen Ibara opened her eyes.
She stood up from the spot where she had been meditating in the Hakurei Shrine.
She looked at the human village.
There was a vengeful spirit in there.
Time to use her ability.
The old lady walked along the street. She turned at a corner and kept walking until she was in a secluded spot at the edge of the town. Dutch followed behind her all the way, blending in with the crowd.
"Boy, how your stay in Gensokyo? She asked Dutch.
"Pretty good. How about you leave the body and we discuss it face to face." Dutch answered with a smile.
The old lady responded with a flick of her hands, sending a bolt of bright danmaku towards him. Dutch rolled out of the lethal shot.
Crap. Dutch thought. I can't shoot her without killing her and she's using Lethal danmaku.
The old lady laughed in her deep voice."Boy, you are out of your league. I have all the experience of this land at my finger tips. Witness the capabilities of my power, spell card duplication!" She yelled as she started glowing and rise up in the air.
On the other end of the village, Shizuha Aki looks around. She could have sworn she felt someone speaking to her.
The old lady smiled."Lets see you try to survive a spell card, outsider."
She took out a piece of paper and declared it.
Leaf Sign "Falling Leaves of Madness"
From behind her, bright leaf danmaku poured out from behind. They sprayed out in a random pattern, flying toward Dutch.
Shit! Dutch cursed as he dodged the leaves. While they were not fast, the leaves were almost everywhere, meaning that Dutch had to constantly avoid them, often dodging into other leaves. And they were lethal.
He dodged another leaf and discarded any thought of not fighting back.
Phasing out his grenade launcher, he fired a shot at her. The grenade flew beside her and detonated against the wall.
The old lady laughed."Trying to alert the village? Or trying to scare me? The fireworks hide our battle. You have no help, boy."
Well there goes that one. He thought.
After an eternity of dodging, the spell card finally breaks. The old lady applauds.
"For a first time, a human has impressed me. Managing to survive a spell card without flying is quite a feat." She grinned."But you WILL die."
She started glowing again.
In the village center, Sakuya Izayoi frowned. She could have sworn she felt someone talking to her. She looked around. The men around were drinking, not paying her any attention. She put down the items she was carrying and took off into the air. She had to find the source of this strange feeling.
The old lady grinned evilly."Now try this for size!" She yelled.
Conjuring "Misdirection"
Cone shaped spreads of knifes flew towards Dutch as random sprays of bright red danmaku flew out as well.
Dutch dodged the red danmaku. As he rolled out of the way, the cones of knifes flew towards him.
As he look at the blades flying towards him, he thought out a command.
Activate Fastsight. He thought.
...
/Ultra Fast reaction mode:Fastsight Activated/
...
In Dutch's view, his view was slowed down until the knifes were flying at walking speed. He simply moved in-between them, grazing the blades.
In normal view, Dutch appeared to speed around the knifes, effortlessly avoiding the lethal objects.
It continued like this, Dutch simply using his nanobot enhanced reaction speed to move in between the danmaku.
Just as the spell card was about to end, lines appeared in Dutch's view.
...
/Warning/
...
/Nervous system overloading/
...
/Shutting down/
...
Crap. Dutch simply thought.
Caught in mid-cone, Dutch watched as time sped back up to normal speed.
A knife flew straight for his head. As Dutch looked at the tip of the blade, another memory runs through his head.
A sharp needle flying for his head. Reaching for the needle, grabbing for the base and spinning around. Lifting the hand up and throwing it back.
In real life, Dutch grabbed the knife by the hilt and spun around. He spun the knife as well. When he was made a full circle, he threw back the knife. It struck the old lady on the head hilt first.
The danmaku blade dropped and disappeared.
Dutch looked around. He was back in real life.
The old lady snarled."That's enough! You have tormented me long enough."
She started to glow very brightly.
Reimu looked around. She thought she felt someone talking to her. She shook her head and went back to drinking sake with Suika.
The old lady laughed maniacally.
"You are gone."She stated.
Holy Relic "Yin-Yang Sanctifier..."
"You will not!" A voice yelled out.
Both combatants looked up onto the roof. A woman with red hair stared down on them.
The old lady cried out."You!"
The woman stared at the old lady with burning hate.
"Yes, me. You swore that if I did not destroy you that you will return back to old hell and repent. It seems that my trust was misplaced." The woman returned.
She raised her right hand. Ditch noticed that it was covered in bandages.
Then black smoke came out of the hand and the bandages collapsed. The bandages are the hand. Dutch realized.
The black smoke enveloped the old lady. She screamed and then slowly floated back onto the floor.
The smoke returned back to the woman's hand, with a spirit with a skull mask in it. The smoke formed the hand and the bandages tied themselves back into a hand. The spirit was gripped by her hand.
"Begone." She said coldly before crushing the spirit. It dissolved into nothing.
The battle was over.
Ditch ran up to the old lady and checked her pulse. It was strong.
Lifting her up, Dutch looked up for the woman that saved him. She was staring at her bandaged hand.
"Thanks." He said.
She looked down on him."That was reckless." She answered.
Dutch shrugged.
"What's your name?" The woman asked.
"Dutch. Dutch Kotozaki." Dutch returned.
"Kasen Ibara." The woman said.
Dutch nodded in answer."Thanks again." He said before leaving, carrying the old lady along with him.
Kasen looked at him as he returned back to the street.
Dutch carried the old lady back to the line of stalls. The other stallholders saw him carrying her and stopped what they were doing to help them.
"She's fine. Alcohol fumes." He said when they asked him.
He let he other swarm over the old lady and left.
Walking to the center of the town again, he looked at the fireworks still ongoing. Earlier it gave him joy to look at them but now it just reminded him about his past memories.
Sitting down on a bench, he looked up at the splashes of colour.
"It's nice, isn't it?"
Dutch glanced to the speaker. It was Kasen.
"Somewhat." He answered as Kasen sat down.
The two stared at the sky. Dutch looking with a thoughtful face.
"What are you thinking?" Kasen asked him when she saw his face.
"It's strange. Just a few modifications to them and instead of joy, they bring suffering." Dutch answered.
"You...are from the outside, aren't you." She stated.
Dutch smiled."Did you guess from my clothing?"
"That and your last sentence. It's very rare to find someone with that manner of thought here."
Dutch looked at his hands."It's because of your spell cards." He stated."It makes everyone follow the rules. Fighting becomes linear. Straightforward."
"But outside, fighting is not so linear. Everyone is fair game, even children. Families, loving innocent families who have done nothing wrong, get targeted for reasons that might not even relate to them. That brings down the rules, makes it easy for people to do whatever they want. Use whatever they choose."
Dutch looked again at the colorful sky.
"It is well that war is so terrible. Otherwise we would grow too fond of it." He whispered.
Kasen looked at him.
Dutch smiled."But that's another time. And another world."
He got up.
"Now's the time for joy. Not sadness."
He disappeared into the crowd. Kasen stared at him before flying off.
Late night
Dutch waited at the village entrance. It was where Yukari had instructed for them to wait when they wanted to return back to Mayohiga.
Yukari popped through a gap.
"Done really?" She asked him.
He nodded.
She smiled."I open the gap for you but first I want to ask you a question. During the fight with the possessed woman, very impressive by the way, you managed to dodge one of the spell cards by increasing your speed. How did you do it?"
Dutch looked at her with a blank face."You was watching?"
Nod.
"Why didn't you help?"
Yukari chuckled."You were not in any trouble. The hermit was there."
"It called Fastsight. It increases your reaction speed and your muscle response time. In short, you react and move so fast that time seems slower."Dutch explained.
Yukari smiled again at the information."You are really an interesting human. May I ask how you got this ability?"
Dutch shook his head.
Yukari sighed."The young this days, always keeping secrets from their elders."
She open a gap."It will get you back to the house. Now if you dont mind me, I got a shrine maiden to drink with." She disappeared into another gap.
Dutch stared at the gap then walked into it.
Back in the village, Yukari grabbed another bottle of sake.
Reimu looked at her."Where did you go?" She asked.
Yukari grinned."Just another human that went through the border. You meet him soon~" She took a gulp from the bottle.
Reimu frowned."If he is like the others that crossed over the border then no thanks."
Yukari pouted."Awwww~ Are you still angry about the last one?"
Reimu exploded."Yes! He ignored all my advice, pissed off the humans in this village and almost died by Rumia 9 times! I was about to sleep and then I have to go save an idiot that deserves whatever that happens to him. So YES, I am still angry."
Yukari lifted her hand in a peace gesture."Calm down. He's not like that."
Reimu breathed in."How would you know?"
"He got fighting experience from the outside world and he just survived a lethal danmaku duel. He is special. Very special." Yukari ticked off.
Reimu eyes opened in surprise."He survived a lethal duel? With no experience?"
Yukari nodded.
Reimu took a sip of sake."That's the most amazing thing I have heard this week. How did you get this person?"
Yukari laughed."He landed in front of my front porch."
"Hey all. How it's going,ze?" Marisa appeared behind."What's about this outsider that survived a lethal danmaku duel?"
Reimu glanced at her."Shouldn't you be managing the fireworks?"
"It's all done. The rest are set to fire in sequence ze."
The two repeat what was discussed. Marisa whistled at the information.
"Damn gappy. You get the strangest of outsiders ze. Can I meet this dude?" Marisa asked.
Yukari shook her head.
"Reimu first. I'm not taking the chance of having another 'borrower' in Gensokyo." Yukari answered.
Marisa sat down and the three drank through the night.
Sakuya flew back to the mansion, laden with goods.
The haul from this festival was good. Prices were always slashed during the festival so it was a great time to get stuff that would normally be expensive.
But her mind was on something else.
The match between the outsider and the possessed old lady. The outsider managed to get pass her spell card without being hurt. And at the last part, he plucked one of the knifes out of the air easily and threw it back.
And at the entrance of the village. He was talking to the gap youkai. And he used her gaps.
Her mistress would want to hear this.
DONE.
JUST VERY UNSATISFIED WITH WORD COUNT. COULD BE MORE!
My god, writing a spell card battle requires a lot of research.-_-
Seriously through, thanks for your reviews. it forms part of the fuel that drives my mind.
Since i am relatively new to fanfiction, I not sure how to get me a beta reader. any volunteers?
For storyline purposes, i will clearly indicate when lethal or non-lethal danmaku is used.
For example, 'Bright bolt of danmaku' will indicate lethal while 'bolt of danmaku' will indicate non-lethal.
Physical weapons, as earlier stated, are lethal in all forms.