Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story except for Seido, Ayaka and any OCs that WILL be added into the story. All Touhou characters and the land of Gensokyo are property of Team Shanghai Alice/ZUN.
I'm not sure whether this disclaimer is necessary, but I'd rather use up space than have my story taken down.
Chapter 5: Lessons on "How to Spark"
After explaining my current predicament while barring the real reason I'm here, Keine, Akyuu and Asaka followed me back to the shrine. But not before Akyuu apologized for causing trouble and Keine "convincing" Ayaka to apologize for hitting me and jumping to conclusions. Teacher's got one heck of a headbutt.
I'm not sure that I made right decision by telling them I'm learning Danmaku. Keine seem worried, Akyuu merely said that it was my decision and Ayaka… well, she didn't quite believe me. She kept demanding proof and only shut up once I fired a few shots into the air. While I was grateful for the silence, it didn't last for long.
Along the way, Ayaka once again demanded that I tell her whether I had any martial arts training. When I confirmed it, she explained that she was taught martial arts by a strong fighter who lived near the village. Her "shi-fu" also taught her various forms of martial arts, including the use of ki, though the ki part is still on-going.
And… thanks to my brain, I pictured her Shi-Fu as Master Roshi and Ayaka as Goku. I need to cut down on watching anime for a while.
"I guess I was wrong, my shi-fu says anyone who trains diligently in Martial Arts can never be bad person! Sorry for attacking you!" Asaka said with her head down.
Since when do Martial Arts have to do with one's morals? I mean look at Roshi!
"By the way, is your Shi-Fu a human?" I asked.
Ayaka puffed out her chest, "Nope! My Shi-Fu's a yokai! And a dragon at that!"
"Oh."
…
What?
What?
WHAAAT?
A dragon yokai? As in big with long serpent-like body, large horns and breathing fire from the mouth? So instead of Roshi, Ayaka got Shenron himself to train her? Okay, now that doesn't even make any sense!
Damn you, Dragon Ball! Stop messing with my head!
Must... change... subject, "So... why did you attack me and call me a pervert all of a sudden?"
Ayaka scratched her head, "Oh! Yeah... well..." She turned to Keine and Akyuu, who looked somewhat uncomfortable with what I'm asking.
"It's cool, I'm not mad or anything. I just want to know why."
It was Keine who spoke, "Well... alright. You see the last batch of outsiders who came here weren't as... polite as you are."
"She means they are downright lecherous perverts." Ayaka deadpanned.
"A-Ayaka!"
"But Akyuu-sama, it's true!"
I got a feeling I won't like what I'm about to here but...
"What happened?"
Ayaka crossed her arms, looking indignant at the memory"Well, these men went to several places in Gensokyo and went harassing women. Commenting about their breasts, touching their butts, flirting with-"
"STOP! Okay, I get the idea! So what happened after that?"
"Well, the thing is, and get this." Ayaka grinned, "They not only ended making most of the major population of Gensokyo their enemies-"
"Stop for a moment. You mean they even sexually-harrased female yokai?"
Ayaka nodded and I face-palmed.
The servant continued, "They even pissed off some of the most powerful people in Gensokyo!"
I glanced at Keine, who looked away trying to hide the flush on the face.
Godammit, their level of stupidity and perversity knows no bounds.
I gotta keep them credit though, they got balls.
If those poor bastards still have them that is...
"But every time someone wants to teach them a lesson, they'd somehow slip away without anyone noticing! So every woman in Gensokyo, be they human or yokai banded together to hunt them down!"
... Well, they DID brought it upon themselves.
"When they managed to find those outsiders, they tied them up and inflicted the most painful, horrifying, ball-busting punishment they could ever think of. Apparently it was so horrible that it is said even the Celestials in Heaven could hear their screams!"
... Damn. Just Damn.
"And then Yukari showed up, and personally kicked them out of Gensokyo!"
... I have nothing say now.
"And that's how the incident known as "The History Nobody Wants to Remember" came to an end!"
Face palm. As ridiculous as the title sounds, I admit it fits perfectly.
And Ayaka? You were a bit TOO enthusiastic about re-telling this unwanted history.
"Now I know why everyone was so suspicious of me..."I groaned weakly.
Ayaka rubbed her head, "Yeah, but it's wrong of me to just attack you like that without confirming your intentions."
I shook my head, "Nah, it's cool. If it happened to me and I was female, I'd be suspicious of every male outsider too."
Ayaka nodded, "Yeah, but since you're male, you're in for some trouble while you're here. And there's no way to avoid it too."
Bang! Keine just Ayaka with karate chop to the head.
"Ayaka, there was no need for you to say such things!"
I smiled weakly, "It's the truth though... Sucks to be me, huh?"
Sucks to be me indeed.
... And thankfully, we decided to chat about minor things while walking to the shrine.
…
"Good afternoon. It has been a while, Reimu-san" Akyuu bowed her head.
"Oh, Akyuu-san! Keine sensei too! And you are?" Reimu glanced at Ayaka.
"This is Ayaka, she is one of my servants. Ayaka, this is Reimu Hakurei."
"Nice to meet you, Hakurei-sama." Ayaka bowed down respectfully.
"Hey, Reimu. Where do you want me to put these groceries?"
"You can put it in the kitchen- Hey, what happened to your face?"
Oh yeah, the part where Ayaka hit me.
"Oh nothing, I just had an accident that's all." I said casually before entering the kitchen.
After placing the groceries and returning to the living room with a tray and a tea set, I noticed that a certain oni was missing.
"Where's Suika?" I asked Reimu as set the tray on the table. I poured some tea into a cup and offered her some, "Tea?"
"Thanks. I think she said something about going to meet Yuugi."
There was a slight pause as I offered some tea to our guests.
"And this Yuugi is…?"
"Oh right, she's an oni just like Suika."
Another oni, huh? Come to think of it…
"I noticed that there was a lack of oni in town. Where are they anyway?"
Keine answered, "Underground. With the exception of Suika, most oni have made their home there."
"How come?"
"Well, it is said that many years ago, whenever an oni found a human they like, it would tempt that human into challenging them in any way they desired. This ranged from a simple fist fight to a drinking contest. And if the human were to lose, he or she would be abducted."
"Wait a minute-" I interrupted, "That's hardly what you can call fair! The oni are far superior to humans and can easily outclass any physical contest!"
Keine nodded her head, "Which is why humans then resorted to underhanded tactics in order to beat the oni. Needless to say, the oni did not take this well. Tired of being tricked and killed all the time, the oni swore off humans forever and left for a place beyond human reach, which would be the underground."
Heh, I guess the oni couldn't stand being beaten at their own game, or games in this matter. Then again, how stupid can one be to challenge an oni?
…
My kind of stupidity, right.
But with the Spell Card system, I can challenge the oni to a fair fight. No underhanded tricks, no unfair advantages. Just us, our Spell Cards and our drive to win!
But that's~ much too early as I am now.
As soon as I have a few more Spell Cards, I'd like to see how long I can at last against Suika or perhaps this Yuugi person.
"Hey Reimu! What are you doing ze?"
Marisa? Did she come to return my charm already? Or~ it's her daily routine to visit.
I called out, "Hey Marisa! Did you bring back my charm?"
"Oh! Err… I forgot." Marisa stuck her tongue sheepishly while scratching the back of her hat.
Yup, definitely the latter.
"Hello, Akyuu-chan! Hello, Keine-sensei! Who are you ze?"
Both Akyuu and Keine greeted the witch while Ayaka introduced herself.
Marisa then turned to me, "By the way, did you start training?"
"Yup!" I took out my Spell Card, "I even managed to create a Spell Card!"
"Already? That was fast. But why only one?"
I thought about it for a moment, "I guess because I don't have clear image on what type of Spell Card I want?"
Marisa grinned, "I don't get what you said, but I know what Spell Card you need!"
I raised an eyebrow, "You do?"
"Of course ze! It needs to be flashy! It ain't magic if it ain't flashy. Danmaku's all about firepower."
… While she does have a point, I doubt having firepower will mean anything if you can't hit your enemy with it. Then again, I only have a defensive Spell Card so an offensive one is just what I need.
"Say Marisa. Can you show me that Master Spark of yours again?"
"Sure. Are you going to copy it?"
I laughed, "I really doubt I could do that. Besides, I'd be ripping off you if I copied it."
She shrugged, "I don't mind. I copied the Master Spark anyway."
…
Wait, what?
"You copied the Master Spark?" I parroted.
"Yeah, I saw it once and thought it was pretty cool. So I copied it ze!" Marisa grinned at the memory.
"You saw it ONCE, decided to copy it and did it PERFECTLY?"
Marisa nodded her head as if it was obvious. "I really had to work to get it right though."
I am dumbfounded. Completely and utterly dumbfounded.
Ordinary Magician my ass, this girl is a genius!
"Okay! One Master Spark, coming right up!" Marisa stretched her hands and reached into her hat, pulling the same box she used to fire the laser yesterday.
Now that I can take a closer look, I noticed that the box has the shape of an octagonal block, made of wood, with the eight trigrams printed in a circle on its front.
If it wasn't for the fact that I saw her do it yesterday, I would have never believed that shot a giant laser using this little do-hicky.
"What is this thing?" I nodded at the box.
"This is my mini-Hakkero!" Marisa held it up proudly.
Well, I can see your quite fond of- Wait, this is a furnace?
"This is a furnace? This little dinky thing is a furnace?" I voiced out my thoughts as I pointed at the box.
Bang!
And I just got smacked on the head with a broom, wonderful. Why is it always with the head?
"Hey, don't insult my mini-Hakerro! This is my most treasured possession ze!"
I rubbed my head, "I wasn't insulting it. I just couldn't believe that-" I paused for moment, "Say Marisa? How big is the actual Hakkero compared to this mini version?"
"About 10 times as big."
T-Ten times? With that kind of firepower, you could blow any part of Gensokyo to kingdom come!
How? What?
I don't get-
Caution!
System Failure Imminent.
Commencing Emergency Shutdown In…
3…
2…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Emergency Shutdown Aborted.
Note to self:
Make sure to absolutely be mentally prepared lest you hear something that can potentially fry your brains.
And I am not going to miss a Master Spark show just because my brain gave out on me.
Damn it Gensokyo, at this rate you'll critically overload my cranium. I can't digest all of this information at once!
"Why did you hit your head against that post?" Marisa asked.
"I think I just realized why Yukari wanted to keep this place hidden from the outside world. I know a whole lot of people who are willing to kill or even sell their souls to get their hands on one of these." I groaned, one hand pointing at the mini-Hakkero and other rubbing my aching forehead.
How many more injuries must my skull endure?
"But enough about that, show me your Spark!"
"You got it ze!" Marisa placed her broom at the side and took out a Spell Card.
"Love Sign: Master Spark!" Aiming her Hakkero in the air, she fired off the rainbow-coloured laser into the sky. I noticed that there are large circles that surround the laser as well.
Okay… now let's try it out.
Placing both hands together, I conjured a large ball of my energy. For the heck of it, I even imitated the Kamehameha stance.
"Love Sign: Master-Graah!" Almost immediately, the ball dissipated into sparks and burned my hands. Fortunately, they are minor burns.
"That's too bad. I almost thought you had it." Marisa sighed. She looks pretty disappointed.
I think the problem here is what I associate the word "Spark" with, like lightning, thunder and electricity. Marisa's Spark is light… A rainbow-coloured light.
"Maybe you could teach me how to Spark?" I suggested.
Marisa blankly looked at me for a moment and then grinned, "Sure! But in return… I get to borrow your charm for another day!"
I sighed. Should have seen this coming.
"Alright, Marisa-sensei."
As expected, the witch giggled when I addressed her that way, "Very good! So… do you want the short and simple version or the long and complicated one?"
Face palm. You gotta to be kidding me!
"Give me the short version, please." I groaned
"Okay! There are 4 easy steps ze! First step: you have to concentrate your mind."
I nodded.
"Second step: tenderly say the spell to your mini-Hakkero."
"But Seido doesn't have a mini-Hakkero!' Reimu called out. Huh, I didn't think you'd be interested in- Wait, all of you are watching? Even Akyuu-san?
"Well… say it to your hands then!"
That makes no sense.
"Third step: Aim at the person you really dislike!"
I nod- Wait, what is that suppose to mean?
Marisa grinned "And finally, Step Four: Unleash your annihilation beam of love!"
Queue face plant to the ground. And by sounds of things, I wasn't the only one.
"What kind of half-assed lesson is that?" Reimu shouted.
Marisa pouted, "What? Seido's the one who asked for the short and simple lesson!"
I groaned, it seems that the Master Spark may be one spell I won't be learning anytime soon. And no offence, Marisa. But you failed as a teacher.
"Look, how about you just give me a tour of Gensokyo on your broom instead?"
Marisa glanced at me, "Are you sure?"
"VERY SURE." And since I am a simple person, the long explanation won't do me any good.
She shrugged, "If you say so." Raising one hand, her broom immediately flew into her grasp.
I soon noticed that Keine was walking towards us.
"Be careful! I know that you've learned how to use Danmaku, but don't let it cloud your judgement. Run way if you meet any yokai!" Keine said.
"Or… I can let Marisa blast them for me." I grinned as Marisa gave me a thumbs up.
The teacher sighed, "Children these days. Do what you will, just make sure to come back safely."
"It's cool, Keine. I have no intention on finding trouble if I can help it. It's a different story if trouble finds me though." I mounted on the broom.
"We are clear for lift-off!" I declared.
"Then hang on tight!" Marisa kicked off the ground and we shot off into the air. Waving goodbye, I couldn't resist shouting at the top of my voice.
"WOOOO HOOOOO!"
…..
"I'm surprised you're actually enjoying yourself ze. Most outsiders said they would rather take their chances with the yokai than ride with me."
"Meh, they don't know what they're missing. Besides, I'm too busy enjoying the view to worry about anything else." I said while looking at the village.
"You're pretty weird."
"Oh, so I'm the weird one? You're a witch that can shoot large lasers from a furnace the size of your palm, go around hunting yokai and have a monster of a shrine maiden as your friend and you're calling me weird?"
"Yes, I am ze."
I rolled my eyes, "Gee, thanks."
Looking around, I noticed that we are near the lake with the weird mist over it. It's already noon, but the mist isn't getting any lighter. And since we are at a higher angle, I noticed that there is a mansion right at the edge of the lake, partly hidden by the surrounding forest and the mist from the lake.
"Hey Marisa, what's that mansion over there?" I pointed.
Marisa followed my finger, "Oh, that's the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
I frowned at the name. With the exception of the shape-shifters, I don't think any of the yokai I know actually fits the name. Unless it's just another fancy title.
"So who owns the place?"
"Remilia Scarlet. She's a powerful vampire even though she looks and acts like a brat ze."
Oh, so that's why…
…
"Wait!" I shouted, causing Marisa to brake in the air.
"You scared me!" the witch glared at me.
"I'm sorry, but I have to make sure. When you say "vampire", do you mean the blood-sucking, bat-transforming, asleep-by-day and wake-by-night sort of vampire?"
"I don't know about the "bat-transforming" part but yeah, that's what I meant ze. Are there different types of vampires?"
Unfortunately, I was too busy freaking out to answer.
Vampires? Here?
That makes no sense! There aren't even any stories about vampires in Japan's mythology!
What the he-
WHOOSH!
And my thoughts are interrupted as Marisa started flying all over the place. I was just about to ask what she was doing, when Danmaku bullet flew past my head.
Looking at for the culprit, I noticed three figures with transparent wings, flying nearby.
… NO. WAY.
"Tsk, we got company." Marisa brought out her mini-Hakkero.
"Err… Marisa, are those… what I think they are?"
Marisa nodded her head, "Fairies."
…..
And done!
In the next chapter, Seido will experience his first Danmaku fight, in the sky alongside Marisa, the ordinary witch.
Lesson's on "How To Spark" is brought to you by Youtuber MabinogiReina.
Read and review, please and thank you.