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Ch. 23: Rainy

"So… uh… You feeling better?" Ibuki Suika nervously asked a downcast, albeit much calmer and tranquil Tatara Kogasa walking next to her. The two were still one-sidedly linked by the arms, Kogasa's brinjal of an umbrella wedged in between them, shielding them from the light, warm summer rain as they walked in the gardens of Myouren temple under the already starry evening sky.

"Um… ah, yeah…" Kogasa was looking away. One could tell that she was still upset about something, although she seemed to be a lot more relaxed.

"Hah… Well, as long as you're calm and feeling fine, that's alright," Suika eased up herself. Just a moment ago, Kogasa nearly went lunatic, but now she was just quietly walking by her side. Maybe taking a walk was the right thing to do…

But still, it left a lot of things unanswered. Like why Kogasa went lunatic. Suika's hand absentmindedly moved towards her gourd usually hanging at her side, before she realized she had left it with Nazrin back in the temple. For some apparent reason, Kogasa really hated the gourd… But why…? Suika glanced towards Kogasa just as Kogasa's eyes had shifted away from Suika's side back to staring out at the gardens. Suika's movement towards her gourd had not gone unnoticed.

"… You saw that huh?" That's it. Suika decided to confront this straight up front. "Me reaching for my gourd that is," Suika clarified herself. After all, she could not simply just not take her gourd with her every time Kogasa was around, right? That would be extremely unfair to me, Suika thought.

"Ah…! Ah… yeah…" Kogasa shifted her arms a little uneasily in Suika's. "Hey uh… Suika-sama-"

"I already told you, didn't I? It's Suika," Suika lightly chastised Kogasa.

"R-Right. S-Suika… Um, about that gourd…" Kogasa kept staring away from Suika. "I… You've always had it by your side haven't you?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess?" Suika stuck out her head a little to be able to better see Kogasa's expression. It almost sounded like Kogasa was remorseful about something.

"I see…" Kogasa was biting her lower lip. "And… What's its story?" Kogasa finally turned towards Suika, her face trying its best to maintain a neutral look.

"S-Story?" Suika asked a little confused at the way Kogasa referred to her gourd like some sort of living, experiencing person.

"I've told you mine," Kogasa said. "Now tell me your gourd's story. Its experiences, how it's come to know you… stuff like that," Kogasa smiled a little, "Nostalgic stuff."

"Ah… well…" Suika closed her eyes. That's right… her gourd and her went back a long way…"Where do I begin…?"

"I still don't really understand though, Byakuren-sama," Nazrin raised a question. "What did you mean when you said Kogasa was jealous of Suika's gourd?"

The Myouren trio were still seated around the dinner table, except this time it had been cleared of dinner and replaced with simple cups of tea. Nazrin, Byakuren and Shou were still at their original positions though, mulling over the recently concluded events, Nazrin still hugging on to Suika's gourd lest harm should come to it.

"Hmmm… Isn't it obvious?" Byakuren breezily pointed out.

"It is Baykuren-sama, but that's not the question," Nazrin looked down at Suika's gourd in her clutches. "Anyone can see that Kogasa was ready to tear it to pieces…" she said with a slight chill up her spine.

"I agree," Shou said. "I think the question we're all asking is why Kogasa would be jealous of a gourd?"

"But my dear Shou," Byakuren smiled, "Isn't it because Kogasa's an umbrella?"

"… Huh?" Shou was lost, Nazrin next to her wearing a similar look of being perplexed. "What does being an umbrella have to do with anything? We already know she's an umbrella-"

"Umbrella youkai, or umbrella?" Byakuren asked mysteriously. "The two are highly different! "

"… Huh?" Shou and Nazrin repeated, their understanding not yet improved.

"Simply put," Byakuren sipped her tea, before sighing satisfactorily with her eyes closed. "Well… simply put," Byakuren reiterated, "Kogasa sees herself in the same capacity as Suika's gourd. She's vying for Suika's attention as another possession."

"… Possession?" something struck a wrong chord with Nazrin, Shou looking as if she agreed next to her. "But Byakuren-sama, she's not-"

"In other words," Byakuren half-opened her eyes to stare at her tea with a serious expression, "Kogasa sees herself not as a person, but an object."

Nazrin and Shou were shocked. "…! B-But that's just-"

"And to her," Byakuren continued on, not giving heed to her disciple's reactions. "That gourd is taking up her master's attention."

"But…!"

"Hasn't she always described herself as 'a lost umbrella'?" Byakuren turned to Nazrin and Shou a little sadly.

"But, that's just wrong!" Nazrin stood up, still clutching Suika's gourd. "She's not an object, she's a person!"

"… That is very nice of you Nazrin, but it's always a little difficult with recently born youkai, is it not?" Byakuren mused. "They tend to forget they have acquired a completely new nature… I seem to recall it was the same way with you Nazrin," Byakuren gave Nazrin a small smile. Nazrin slowly sat back down, but her face was still one of indignation.

"To Kogasa, who firmly thinks of herself as an umbrella," Byakuren went on, "Nothing is more important than being constantly utilized, being constantly the centre of attention. The pain of being forgotten and thrown out is probably something she is keen to avoid," Byakuren explained. "And if I were to be so daring as to venture a guess, she was probably thrown out over another object," her eyes turned towards the gourd in Nazrin's arms.

Nazrin and Shou followed Byakuren's eyes to look at the gourd as well. Well… if that were the case, chances are Kogasa would extremely hate it if yet another object were to get her thrown out and forgotten all over again.

Shou turned to look out the window. It was still drizzling. Somewhere out in the gardens, Kogasa was carrying out her original duty as an umbrella, happily sheltering her new master.

"And… I guess that's about it," Suika finished her tale of her gourd. All the way from the ancient lands of the Oni, following the migration of the Oni down to the Old Hells, up to the surface world of Reimu and Marisa, up further still to Youkai mountain and the heavens, and all the way back down again. "Now that I think about it, my gourd and I really are inseparable huh?" Suika grinned. "It's almost as old as I am, give or take a few decades, and it's been everywhere I've ever been-" Suika stopped short and turned to look at Kogasa, afraid she might have tripped something again.

"Inseparable…" Kogasa was… smiling? "That's nice…"

"Uh… Kogasa?" Suika asked apprehensively.

"Huh uh, it's nothing," Kogasa shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm not mad or anything. I…" Kogasa stopped in her tracks and for some time stared quietly at the ground.

Suika, still linked with Kogasa by the arm, followed suit and took a moment to look around at the sky around her. The soft, warm rain around them kept a steady, gentle beat, each drop falling to the ground with a muffled splash, evenly glazing the ground in a sheet of pleasant smelling moisture. The dreariness of rain mixed with the dull heat of summer somehow produced something entirely lovely. Such weather easily compels one to want to take things easy, relax and just enjoy the moment, things close to Suika's heart.

Suika looked down at the glazed ground. Her reflection, wearing a rather heavy expression, shone off it rather clearly. There was some guilt in it, for Suika could tell that Kogasa was upset because of her, or specifically because of something she owned. Because of Suika, Kogasa was upset. She was not able to relax, she was not able to be happy and enjoy the moment, and that was something Suika felt rather guilty about.

It suddenly came to Suika's notice that Kogasa was studying her own reflection in the ground just as Kogasa noticed Suika doing the same thing; guilt too was written in her face. The two locked eyes with each other's reflection, then looked up to look at the real thing.

"…I-"

"…I-"

"A-Ah…!"

"A-Ah…!"

"U-Um, no you-"

"W-Wait, you-"

Suika and Kogasa stopped and broke glances. Well this was awkward.

"U-Um…" Suika started first. "You know, I- Huh?"

Kogasa had suddenly unlinked her arms with Suika's walked ahead a bit before turning around to face Suika. Her umbrella had fallen to the side, leaving both girls standing exposed in the rain. Placing her arms together at her front, Kogasa took one hard look at Suika's eyes, before bowing deeply before her.

"K-Kogasa…" Suika eyes widened with shock, "What are you-"

"I am very sorry for my previous behaviour!" Kogasa said loudly, almost with urgency, her little body remaining bowed, her face hidden behind her blue hair which was starting to get glazed over by the light rain as well. "Please forgive me!" Kogasa's voice cracked a little, rain drops dripping off the sides of her body, her hair, her clothes, her cheeks…

"…! What are you doing? !" Suika took one swift step forward and deftly grabbed Kogasa by her shoulders, dragging Kogasa out of her bow and inevitably closer to herself. "Why are doing this? !" Suika demanded, her heart nearly drowning in guilt at the little Karakasa suddenly apologizing so formerly and- Oh god…

Kogasa's eyes were red and puffy, the moisture under them much too salty for any sort of rain.

"Hey…! Hey!" Suika found herself shaking Kogasa by the shoulders, even though she had absolutely no desire to hurt her further… Why was she doing this now…? "Wh-Why are you apologizing? I don't-"

"I was acting so weirdly just now," Kogasa's weeped, "I must have caused needless worry to you."

Yeah… you were… Suika could not help but mentally agree with Kogasa, but decided to say otherwise. "No you weren't Kogasa," Suika gently said. "I mean, I may really understand your problem, but I can see that you have one, it's understandable-"

"I even forced you to walk out here with me in the rain, when you said you didn't want to," Kogasa sniffed.

"I-It's… It's fine Kogasa. This sort of light rain-"

"And to tell you the truth, I was harbouring so many bad thoughts about your precious, precious gourd," Kogasa painfully and remorsefully admitted.

"I… huh? What are you talking…? What sort of thoughts-"

"Like how I could possibly steal it and throw it away when you weren't aware," Kogasa bit her trembling lip, "Or how I could find some way to break it," Kogasa started tearing most apologetically.

"I uh… It's ah… Okay, that's not fine, Kogasa! This is my gourd we're talking abou-"

"I'm so sorry Suika! I'm so sorry!" Kogasa collapsed into Suika's front and cried.

"-About…" Suika glanced down at the truly sorry Karakasa and sighed. Damn, can't get mad over someone in such a state… Suika awkwardly embraced Kogasa with one arm and petted her head a little hesitantly with the other as she turned to look at the rainy sky once again. Rain drops were starting to drench her own ginger-brown hair, the water accumulating into bigger drops and splashing down from the ends of her fringes onto her forehead.

Guess this is one situation sake could not solve, huh?