Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to Zun.
A/N:And now, as I'm in the mood to continue the struggle of starting this up, let us begin! Once the start is over with, it should be smooth sailing, but for now it's a bit of a struggle... On with the show!
Noon?, Rundown old shrine:
It wasn't the grandest looking of places, in fact, it looked quite worn. So this was the shrine that we would be given, huh? In the front was an offering box which looked as though it had seen better days.
"This would be the shrine spoken of in the letter, correct?" I asked, making sure that my concerns were valid.
"Why, yes, it would be." Yukari smiled when she saw my sister grimace. Just as I had thought, there had been a catch of sorts. We would own the shrine, but it was in no condition to be lived in.
"Are you joking...? We don't have the money to fix this rickety old shrine!" My sister had a point.
"Ohh, don't you worry, little one! You'll have all the supplies you need! From food, to wood, to company, I'll supply it." Yukari looked like she was aiming to impress. Looking to my sister, she seemed rather enchanted by the prospect of free... well, everything. However, she still hadn't told us our exact job... There had to be some reason.
"And, what exactly would you have us do? Why have you hired us?" Yukari once more flipped the fan open, and in front of her face, hiding a grin.
"Why, all I ask of you is simple! For now, you should take your luggage inside." Still saying that, was she?
"And after that?" I could see the woman shaking lightly with laughter. Just what was funny about the question, or maybe, the answer?
"That's all, for now. Simply live here, fix the place up, and we'll talk more about this on the next full moon!" I knew it couldn't be so simple... But what was she hiding?
"Ohh, and watch out for that little Youkai who's taken up residence here. I doubt she would be fine with being kicked out, so I suppose you would just have to share! Be careful not to get eaten, alright...? I need you alive, you know?" When the fan snapped shut, I awoke with a start.
Midnight, Dark room:
I looked about, still half asleep. It was dark. Very dark. It had to be midnight still, but how had I gotten here...?
"Ugh... Where am I...?" I could hardly see, the room being as dark as it was.
"Ohh...? Why, hello there!" I looked to the source of the voice, seeing a blob of darkness in the corner of the room.
"Umm, hello..." It wasn't easy to talk to someone you can't see, one can't look them in the eyes.
"My eyes are up here..." I blushed and looked up slightly. Judging by the voice it had to be a small child, around age 9 or 10, but why had she spoken as though I was looking at her breasts?
"S-sorry..." The voice giggled at my apology, seeming to find it funny.
"Ohh, don't worry, I was only teasing you. I can't see you, either!" I sighed in relief. I wouldn't want to offend anyone, even a child. It's good to had good relations when one can.
"Umm... Could you step out of the dark? I can't see you..." It was really hard to talk to someone you can't see. The blob of darkness moved forwards slightly. ...What?
"I would, but as you can see, I'm sort of stuck in it..." How does one get... stuck in the dark? That doesn't even make sense!
"Ohh, okay... W-well... why not come sit over here?" I patted the surface of the Futon, hard enough to be heard.
"Ohh? I've never had anyone offer for me to come near them! Usually they simply run away..." Why would people run from a little girl? ...Something didn't seem right with the girl, other than the obvious, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Why would people run from you? You seem nice enough." The blob of darkness began to move closer, before swallowing me up. I couldn't see a thing, and it felt so... humid, all of a sudden.
"Because they taste so good, I can't help but want to taste them! That reminds me, are you the kind of person I can eat?" The way she asked that, while sickeningly sweet, sounded utterly serious. The dream I had just had was starting to come back to me.
"Ohh, and watch out for that little Youkai who's taken up residence here. I doubt she would be fine with being kicked out, so I suppose you would just have to share! Be careful not to get eaten, alright...? I need you alive, you know?"
Could it be that this... girl, was a Youkai? But, Youkai arn't real, right? There's no way!
"Well?" The girl was getting impatient, wanting to fill her empty belly with food.
"Nnnno, I'm the kind of person that you don't eat." My options were limited, so I went with the simple option. Using her words as a way out.
"Is that so~?" The tone she asked that both sounded slightly threatening. If she really was a Youkai, though, showing fear would be the last thing I would want to do.
"Yes?" The girl simply giggled at my answer. She seemed to not get much human interaction. ...Going by what she said, that was probably for the best.
"Is that so~?" She sounded even more threatening this time, as though she were provoking me. If she was, the last thing I wanted to do was to give into the odd taunt.
"I-is that so...?" If you can't beat 'em, join em. I'll just see where this option takes me.
"That is so~!" She sounded much happier now. Good, my idea seems to have payed off, oddly enough.
"Is that so~?" I counter with the same question she asked me, in a rather off key immitation of her own question.
"That is so~!" The girl happily giggled at my immitation.
"So... Umm... What now?" I was at an utter loss for what to do.
"I'm not sure! Usually I either eat the human, or they escape! This has never happened before." That tidbit of information was rather disturbing. Just what sort of horrible creature was I talking with...? She had to be a Youkai, there was just no way around it, but was she as cute as she sounded? Weren't Youkai supposed to look... scary?
"Well, anyways... I should get back to sleep... It's rather late." The Youkai simply laughed at me.
"You would go to sleep, with one such as I around? How foolish you are..." While she had a point, I'm sure she could have killed me several times over by now.
"Well, what else am I to do? I'm exausted, and you don't seem like you are going to eat me any time soon..." The Youkai giggled at my odd statement.
"I could still eat you, you know. It's not like you tricked me into seeing you as 'not food,' or anything like that. I just find you interesting to talk to, that's all." The girl had a point, but it fell of deaf, and tired, ears.
"But you arn't, and I'm tired. Can't we just talk more in the morning? I mean, it's not like I'm going anywhere, and it's not like you are, either." The Youkai chuckled at my bravery. Or was it stupidity? Either way, I had made her laugh.
"Fine, fine... I'm kind of tired, too, I guess... Been awake for a couple days now, I think. Can't tell, what with this damn bubble." Huh, so Youkai sleep, do they?
"Well, you could always share my Futon with me." I heard no reply for a few moment, she must have been mulling it over.
"Well... Okay, but try anything funny and I'm biting you!" Huh, an actual honest threat. I felt the Futon slip open, becoming slightly cramped from the second body being added. The girl was tiny, the size of perhapse a 7 year old. I had expected her to be cute, but that's plain adorable! I couldn't help but chuckle to myself some.
"...What's so funny...?" Oops, I hadn't meant to laugh out loud, like that.
"Ahh, well, you're so small, I find it rather cu-" My statement was interupted by a number of tiny daggers being pressed into my arm. "Ahh...! The hell...? What are you doing!" She seemed quite sensative about being called cute, it would seem.
"Bihtih yuh." Her voice was muffled by a mouth full of arm. So her mouth is full of tiny daggers, isn't that just lovely! I'm glad she didn't bite down, or I might have lost said mouth full of arm!
"Urgh... Anyways... Sweet dreams, Youkai." I felt her tiny arms wrap around my waist, and her face snuggle into my breasts. ...So I can't try anything funny, but she can...? Ohh well, it's not like I can really complain. I managed to not get eaten, after all!
And with that final though, I drifted off to sleep with a sleeping Youkai against my belly.