Hello again!
I apologize if it seems like I'm shitting these out too fast, I'm just writing in most if not all of my spare time.
Anyway, this one is significantly longer than the last chapter, should be a bit better written too.
EDIT: Your advice is appreciated. Please continue to be brutal, if you will. I told you, I only learn from being told what I did wrong.
Chapter 2: Reunion and Danmaku Training
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Fuck shit fuckity shitting FUCK I will strangle that kid..."
Bowen wasn't in a good mood, and he was making it KNOWN among...
...Still the middle of nowhere. Where else?
"I swear to god, if this is some rural area of france or some shit I'll just fucking EXPLODE."
He was lost. Lacking a sense of reason as keen as Ray's, bowen had simply decided to go west.
"If he dies before I can kill him, I'll kill the guy who killed him JUST TO BE FUCKING INVOLVED."
Bowen was getting nowhere at a moderate pace, so let's just ignore him awhile.
(If you're wondering why this bit wasn't in first person too, I'll only be doing that for when Ray's the focus.
And during fights. Just telling you so you don't get disconcerted or anything.)
Back at the shrine...
"...ugh..."
My neck is KILLING me... What the hell was I sleeping on last night?
A wooden floor? ...Oh right, I'm in some kinda shrine or something...
I slowly got off the floor, only half-aware of my surroundings...
...And Immediately scraped my shin on the only furnishing in the room.
What luck, the ONLY thing in the shrine and I scrape my knee on it FIRST THING.
Well, at least the shock woke me up.
Reimu didn't appear to be present, so I stretched for a couple seconds and decided to check outside.
"Hello? Reimu?"
She wasn't there either.
Where is she?
Quickly coming to my senses, I realized I'd be a fine pulp within seconds if I wandered too far, so I decided to go back inside.
"Great, I'm stuck in here..."
Hold on, do I hear a voice?..
Deciding to return outside to look for the source of the aforementioned voice, I made sure not to venture beyond the stone brick path in front of the shrine.
It's getting louder... Must be getting close. Maybe if I listen for a bit...
"...grumble grumble... Middle of nowhere... Grumble... Fucking Luke..."
Hold on...
"Bowen?"
"WHO'S THERE?!"
Bowen started looking around frantically.
"Bowen, it's me..."
I walked up from behind him and delivered a light tap on the shoulder...
...Which I immediately regretted.
Through my new face full of fist, I somehow managed to choke out the words "Bowen... Calm down..." as he slowly withdrew.
"Ray?"
"The very same. How're you doing?"
"Oh, I was a bit worried. I thought it had thrown us on different continents again."
"Still, I don't think we're in america anymore..."
"What do you mean?"
"Follow me, I'll explain once we get to shelter. Tell me, did you have any run-ins on your way here?.."
When we returned to the shrine, Reimu was back. She asked who Bowen was, they exchanged greetings, and we went inside.
That's when I realized I still didn't know where the hell we are.
"Hang on, you never told me. Just where are we?"
"Oh. Sorry. You're in Gensokyo. If you hadn't already guessed, a lot of things that outsiders have deemed fairy tales live here."
Bowen spoke up for the first time since we arrived.
"So, can you show us how to get out? I want to get back to my regular life as fast as possible, lady."
"First of all, my name's Reimu."
Bowen felt quick remorse to his snappy remark in the form of a wooden stick, which I now know is called a gohei, to the forehead.
"Secondly, there IS one problem. There's only one person who can get you out, and they're probably the only reason you're here in the first place..."
"What if I just beat them into doing it?"
"Bowen, no. Violence is not always the answer."
"Actually, she might let you out, or at least tell you why she brought you here if you beat her in a danmaku duel."
"A dan-whatnow?"
"Danmaku duel. It's fight in which the main form of attack is nonlethal energy bullets, called danmaku."
"Any violence sounds good to me! ...So, how do we use danmaku?"
"The first thing you should do is find your energy core. As the name suggests, it's essentially where all your spiritual energy is stored, produced, and transported from."
"So, do I just have to like, meditate or something?"
This was getting exciting.
"Yeah, I guess."
Bowen piped up again; "Is it possible to just cover a limb in it to punch harder?"
Oh, bonehead, always with the punching...
Reimu did a quick double take before replying "Yes, but it's not exactly safe to fight against a ranged attack with your fis-"
"Safe my ass, it doesn't matter how much I get hit if the other guy'll be down in two hits!"
"If you say so..."
We went outside before starting our practice, so we didn't damage the shrine.
"Now, you two, before you start: Danmaku has to take a form. With some people, it's predetermined, for instance, my danmaku is sutras and amulets because I'm the shrine maiden here. But outsiders can usually pick it for themselves."
"Just think of what you want it to be as you summon it the first time. But be careful, once you get something, you're stuck with it. No take-backs."
Soon after hearing this, Bowen adopted the traditional meditation pose, and went into what looked like deep concentration.
Hey, it looks like when he's praying...
In a few seconds, his eyes flashed open as he got up and charged for a nearby tree as a huge firey mass enveloped his right arm.
As his fist connected with the tree, A huge, resounding CRACK could be heard as it snapped just below where he had hit.
Shortly after the fire dissipated, he made a quick thumbs-up with the fist he had used to punch and cheerfully exclaimed "Cool huh?"
"Fire... Not exactly a creative type, are you?" Reimu remarked.
"If I weren't against hitting a girl, your face would be next."
Ignoring the previous statement, Reimu then turned to me. "So, your turn."
"Okay..." I said with an air of nervousness.
I got down on into a position that would allow a running start, closed my eyes, and began to focus...
...
...
...Thunder.
A mass of blue and green thunder, surrounding different parts of my body, and shooting off of it in bolts and spheres.
Pushing on command, flexing to my needs, and going where I command it on my body...
...
...
AH!
I opened my eyes and made a tiny hop, flipping halfway over in the process, and bracing for impact...
...Of course, impact never happened.
What am I saying?
I didn't hit the ground?!
What...?
...I was hovering just above the ground, spinning in a giant orb of thunder, only touching the ground with my danmaku...
Then I let go.
I bolted off, rolling at ludicrous speeds, making a lap around the shrine before impacting the tree next to the one Bowen split in half, firmly uprooting it from the ground with impact force.
A split second after the impact, I left the ground ever-so-slightly, releasing lightning in random directions as I uncurled into a standing position, landing shortly thereafter.
"Well?"
"Dude, fucking AWESOME!"
"Is there some sort of originality gap with you two? You could have picked something other than a basic element."
"I know, but the more basic something is, the more easy it is to manipulate. I'd like to see you try making a full body, perfectly fitting shield out of your amulets."
"Fair enough."
"Anyway, your energy cores seem to be a little below-average. Nothing a little work can't fix."
Somehow, it was getting dark already.
"It's getting dark... Let's get inside."
Captain obvious to the rescue.
As we were walking in, something felt wrong.
A portal opened right below me, and I quickly fell through.
"Ray!"
As quickly as it had opened, it closed with me on the opposite side.
As I fell through the void of what appeared to be eyes and blackness, something occurred to me.
This is the same portal as when we arrived...
Yet again with the "quickly", I found myself at the top of a hill somewhere.
"You're doing quite nicely."
I turned around to see another woman, this time with blonde hair, a big, lavender, poofy dress (think "old western movie"), and a parasol of the same shade of purple.
"Who the hell are you?"
"That doesn't concern you yet."
"Why did you bring me here?"
"Quick to jump to conclusions, aren't we?"
"Your portal was the same as the one in Luke's garage."
"And what makes you assume it was me?"
"Stop avoiding the question. Why. Bid. You. Bring. Me. Here?"
"You'll find out in due time."
"Alright, why did you bring me to this exact location then?"
"I wanted to present you with an opportunity."
This piqued my interest. "I'm listening..."
"You can get out of here safely... Alone. Leave it all behind like a bad dream. Never know why you're here."
"OR. You can go back there, letting you stay with your friends, and MAYBE get out alive. No guarantees."
"Is this supposed to be a choice or a one-way road? Of course I'm staying! I'd never leave my friends!"
"If you insist..."
A portal opened to my left.
"You can go there, and put yourself in potential danger. Just know that it was your decision, not mine..."
As I went through, she said something else with a little, smirkish smile.
"One last thing... Eggman does not approve."
Darn, didn't think anybody here would get that one.
Wait...
"How long were you watch-"
The opening behind me disappeared abruptly, and a new one in front. The shrine again. The sun had just set, and some light was still lingering. I fast-walked back to where I guessed I'd be staying for a long time.
Crickets were beginning their nighttime concert, and I heard what I could only hope was wildlife in the bushes.
I rushed inside for fear of being torn to shreds, and explained what had happened to the now half-asleep Bowen and Reimu.
Reimu just sighed and said "Guess you'll be stuck here quite awhile then..."
Bowen was just releived I didn't abandon him.
First of all, yes, that dialog with Yukari was specifically for the last line she said. And plot/character development, I guess... Heh.
Secondly, if you can't guess who Ray and Bowen are supposed to be based on yet then something's wrong with you.
So yeah. Review harshly, this is my first week of written work and the only time I gain from an experience is by crashing and burning if it's my first foray into said activity.