"I wanted to play with Yoshika more…why did we have to do so early China?" Flandre whined as she looked towards Meiling with a questioning look.
"Yeah...You big stick in the mud…" Koishi muttered in agreement as she looked towards the ground sadly.
Meiling let out an aggravated sigh, massaging her temples as she tried to think of an explanation the two childish youkai girls would understand. "Let me put it this way you two…Yoshika's master, Seiga Kaku, isn't someone to be trusted or someone you'd want to call a friend. She uses others for her gain; she isn't someone I want either of you to be around." She said to the two. But both Flandre and Koishi looked befuddled by her explanation.
"So…Seiga is a naughty lady?" Flandre asked.
"Urrr…Yes, she is a naughty person." Meiling confirmed. Just thinking of the wicked hermit renewed Meiling's rage and hatred towards her. She had only spoken with Seiga for a few minutes, and the gatekeeper already detested her entire being. She dearly hoped their paths would never cross again.
"How's she naughty?" Koishi asked curiously, looking for clarification about the hermit's misdeeds.
Meiling sighed sadly; she didn't want to reveal to the pair the things Seiga Kaku has done in her short time in Gensokyo. Seiga hadn't even resurfaced as a hermit until recently, and she has already become the object of quite a few people's contempt. It was rumored that even the human saint Miko Toyosatomimi didn't see her as an ally of any sort, regardless of the fact that Seiga had been one of the beings to guard the mausoleum she had rested within until her resurrection was completed. Meiling was reluctant to reveal the sins of the hermit, but she finally decided that it was best to tell the truth and leave no doubt in their minds that Seiga Kaku was not a person that could be trusted.
"Well…For one, she abandoned her family for the life of a hermit, and did so without a twinge of guilt…Someone who has no remorse for deceiving her family and friends is already someone who you should be wary of…and that's not even the worst thing she's done." Meiling shuddered at the thought of what she had heard the hermit do in her lifetime. She took a moment to clear her mind before continuing her explanation, "She's also broken into people's homes under the shadow of night and stolen their possessions just to sell them off just because she finds it to be humorous."
"But Mary does that too, is she a bad person too?" Flandre asked innocent curiosity.
Despite Marisa's annoying quality to take anything and everything she sees from just about anyone in Gensokyo, she wasn't as bad as Seiga. The witch does make good on her word, she's assured the owners of the belongings she's stolen from several times that she's only 'borrowing' their possesions, and are welcome to retake them once she's succumbed to death. Meiling couldn't find any holes to poke into her reasoning, as she hasn't known her to steal anything from her fellow humans, only plundering the homes of youkai. Youkai who would easily outlive her short mortal lifespan. It was somewhat frustrating, for someone to have such a simple excuse yet not being able to argue against it.
"No, Marisa could help to not steal every shiny object she sees, but she isn't as bad as Seiga. Seiga's much worse…much, much worse." Meiling replied.
"Like what?" Koishi questioned.
Meiling was hoping to avoid telling the two the worst crime she had known Seiga to have commit, but she suspected it was the only way the two would be convinced of Seiga's nature. "She did one of the most unforgiveable crimes you could ever commit…she brought back the deceased." Meiling said, as Flandre and Koishi took on looks of mild surprise. "She disturbed the eternal rest of an innocent person, and is using her body and soul only to further her own goals…it's one of the most despicable things anyone could ever do. It's little wonder the Yama is after her head."
"You mean that grumpy green haired lady with the funny hat?" Flandre asked, Meiling recognized the description of that of Shikeiki Yamaxanadu and simply nodded in response. Meiling couldn't help but feel relieved that the time they had interacted with the judge was brief, if Komachi's words held any truth in them; they had narrowly dodged one long lecture. "But she didn't seem like the type of person to go around kyuuing people…"
"Huh? Grumpy green haired lady with a funny hat? Kyuuing? I'm confused…" Koshi said, looking a little lost in the conversation.
"Never mind Koishi, Flandre was just talking about someone we very briefly met before you joined our little group here. By kyuuing, she means destroying, or killing people." Meiling explained. Koishi put the pieces together and looked content with her explanation. "Anyways, back at the subject at hand…the Yama isn't the type of person to just go around killing any random person she pleases; she has a reason for ending the lives of those she wants dead. Seiga has earned the Yama's wrath, and then some…"
"Oh…well, what kind of reasons?" Flandre asked, with Koishi looking to be wondering the answer to that question as well.
The gatekeeper was beginning to believe she would end up explaining a lot things to the pair before she actually got around to finally getting to the main point. "Well, the main reason is that humans try to outlive their lifespans, and become hermits. Being a hermit is essentially the same as trying to cheat death, and the Yama looks down upon that, it goes against the laws of nature. So the Yamas will send something to end their lives if they believe a hermit is living much longer than they should be."
"Does that mean all hermits are bad people then?" Koishi asked, causing Meiling to internally groan at how long an originally short and simple explanation was drawing out to be from all the questions she was receiving.
"No, just because someone has decided to follow the path of a hermit, doesn't mean they're morally bad people. Now getting back to the main point here…Seiga brought back Yoshika from death, turning her into a Jiang Shi. Yoshika's life ended, she should have crossed over the Sanzu, and had the Yama decide her fate. But Seiga disrupted this flow of nature, and resurrected her from beyond the grave. Do you now see why she's someone I don't want you two being associated with?"
Flandre and Koishi nodded, letting the revelation sink in as they continued to travel onwards in silence. A few moments passed before anyone dared to speak again, with the silence finally being disrupted by Koishi.
"China, is Yoshika a bad person for being friends with Seiga?" she asked, looking to Meiling with large curious eyes for an answer.
"Of course not. She's just a victim of Seiga's selfishness." Meiling answered.
"Oh…Can we see her again sometime then?" the satori asked.
Meiling smiled and replied, "I don't see why not."
Both Flandre and Koishi were overjoyed by her answer as both literally jumped for joy, giggling happily. Meiling was relieved that this subject was done and over with, just talking about the hermit made her feel disgusted. Now all she would have to worry about is exploring Gensokyo with Flandre and Koishi, and protecting them from any potential bounty hunters looking to collect the large sum of money that was placed on their heads. Luckily enough the only ones they've had to deal with due to the bounty were the Lunarians of Eientei, with any luck, they would remain as their only hindrance in this adventure…though considering her small amount of luck thus far, she wasn't going to hold her breath.
The trio eventually made it out of the thick woods they had been traversing through, and were now out in the open fields of Gensokyo. Though to their misfortune, there was a heavy fog there to meet them. The darkness of night and the thickness of fog served to conceal almost everything from their line of sight. The only landmark that the fog failed to hide was Youkai Mountain, the largest mountain within Gensokyo and the home to both the Kappa and Tengu.
"Hrmmmmm…This is some thick fog…I can hardly see a thing…" Meiling muttered to herself as she began to dig through her belongings. "Oh where is that old thing…Aha! There it is!" She succeeded to find what she was searching for and quickly pulled out a Chinese styled lantern. It looked to be quite old, as it had several marks on it, and the bright crimson color it once was had begun to fade.
Meiling began to try lighting it, but soon found that she had nothing to start a fire with. Meiling groaned in frustration as the realization hit her. "What's wrong China?" Flandre asked her frustrated companion, as the colorful crystals that hung from her wings glowed lightly, shedding a little light through the darkness, just as they had done during the pair's adventure to the Sanzu River.
"It's nothing; it's just that I seem to have lost the matches I brought along. I must have forgotten them back at Myouren Temple…" Meiling replied, "It's not a huge issue, we'll just be having a rougher time getting through this fog now…"
"Oh…Let me light it China! I'll make it nice and bright!" Flandre exclaimed happily.
Meiling looked at her with obvious confusion, "And how will you be doing that?"
"Just hold on for a second and I'll show you silly!" Flandre replied with her usual enthusiasm, looking excited to assist her.
"Well alright then…" Meiling said quietly as she began to wait for whatever Flandre had in mind to light the lantern.
Flandre held her hand out before the lantern, squinting her eyes as she focused solely on the badly beaten lantern. Her hand slowly began to glow a light hue of red, as the small vampire began to clench her hand. As her hand formed a fist, a small burst of red light was seen, accompanied by a small popping noise. Meiling examined her lantern with surprise as she found that it was now lit.
"Wow! I never realized you could do that with your power Flandre! Great job!" Meiling exclaimed in excitement.
"Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh…That was really pretty Flanny! I wish I could do that..." Koishi said with awe, looking at the small flame within the lantern with wonder.
"Heehee, thanks…it was nothing special though…" Flandre replied, looking happy from the compliments she was receiving from the two of them.
"Well, let's get going now you two, I'd like to find a nice place to set up camp for the night." Meiling said as she began to turn back towards the path, only to knock into someone as soon as she began to continue along the beaten path. Meiling fell flat on her backside, groaning in pain as she rubbed her sore behind. "Oh, sorry about that…some fog out, eh?" Meiling said to the stranger as she got up from the ground, and began to dust herself off. The gatekeeper gasped as she saw the familiar, deathly pale face from earlier. Yoshika stood before her, with her arms still hanging out in front of her. Her eyes seemed to be devoid of any of what little life were in them before, as she simply stared blankly at the three of them.
"Yoshika!" Flandre and Koishi cried together in unison, completely oblivious to the Jiang Shi's change in liveliness. The only sign that she was actually alive was the almost rhythmic light breaths of air she took.
Meiling, unlike her two companions wasn't happy to see her; rather she was quite unhinged by her sudden appearance. "Y-Yoshika…What a surprise…What are you doing out here?" Meiling asked as she nervously stared at the animated corpse. Though Meiling hadn't known Yoshika for more than few minutes, she felt that something was…off about her.
Yoshika didn't answer; she kept standing stiffly in place. Not moving a muscle as her eyes remained blankly focused on the group before her. "Hey, what're you staring at Yoshika? Why aren't you saying anything?" Flandre asked as she stared back into her eyes, slightly tilting her head in curiosity.
Koishi began to tentatively poke her on the face, yet still received no response. "I think she's sleeping…"
"I think we should keep moving you two…I'm starting to feel a little uneasy here…" Meiling said as she looked at her surroundings cautiously, fearing that something bad may occur if they decided to linger in the area.
"Huh? What're you talking about China?" Koishi asked as she continued to poke Yoshika's face, turning away from the corpse to face Meiling. As she faced away from Yoshika, her jaw slowly began to open. Meiling gasped and quickly pulled the pair away from the Jiang Shi just as she snapped her jaw closed with great force, with Koishi's finger nearly being crushed by her powerful maw.
"That's what I'm talking about…" Meiling muttered. She slowly pulled the two of them behind her, taking up a defensive stance against the Jiang Shi. Meiling quickly jabbed a finger towards the Jiang Shi, "If you don't leave right now, I will use force to remove you." Meiling warned.
"I can't…I can't disappoint Master Seiga…" Yoshika muttered sadly, her eyes downcast in apparent sadness.
"Wait, Seiga? What about her?"
"Master Seiga told me to fight you…I can't disappoint her…not the master…" Yoshika mumbled, ignoring the question. "Master said I can eat the soul of anyone I beat…and I'm hungry…" she stated, licking her lips as she looked at a Meiling longingly.
Meiling turned pale at her last sentence, becoming unnerved by both Yoshika's words and the odd grin she was displaying, which revealed her sharp white row of teeth. Meiling took a deep breath of air to calm herself, "Flandre, Koishi, step back. I'll handle this." She commanded.
"B-But China! What if you get hurt!?" Flandre cried with concern.
"Flandre, do as I say." Meiling said sternly, "I'll be fine. I'll defeat Yoshika and come back safe, I promise." Meiling reassured, giving her a warm smile and a confident grin.
"Well…okay…But be careful!"
"And don't beat Yoshika up too much!" Koishi added as both she and Flandre took roost on top of a nearby tree to spectate the fight.
"I'll try to go easy on her, but I can't promise anything…"
Meiling sighed in relief as she saw the two of them retreat to a safe distance, she no longer had to worry about them getting injured in the crossfire of the inevitable fight that was about to occur. Though she was confident that both Flandre and Koishi could easily handle Yoshika by themselves considering the number they had done on the lunarians, but she felt that it was her job as a guard to protect. Even if the ones she protected didn't need her protection.
"I am Hong Meiling, gate guard of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and I shall defeat you!" Meiling proclaimed, with her fist beginning to glow with a rainbow colored aura. She let out a mighty battle cry as she charged towards her opponent.
Meiling thrust her chi powered fist right at Yoshika, but surprisingly, the Jiang Shi managed to avoid what would have been a devastating blow by ducking backwards. Meiling then sent a low kick aimed at the Jiang Shi's knees, causing her opponent to yelp as she fell to the ground. The gatekeeper kept her momentum against Yoshika going, as she jumped gracefully in the air, doing several flips in the air as she strengthened her fist with chi once again, preparing to send a downward punch right into the fallen Jiang Shi's gut.
But just as Meiling was about to land her attack, Yoshika jumped up from the ground, avoiding Meiling's attack all together. A small, fist sized crater formed on the ground as Meiling's fist pounded into the ground, sending small clumps of dirt to go flying in all directions from the impact.
Meiling growled in frustration as the Jiang Shi landed back on to the ground, not looking at all fazed by the attacks Meiling had sent her way. Yoshika slumped her body over, with drool dripping down from her mouth as she stared at Meiling. Meiling raised her guard as Yoshika continued to stare at her. The look Yoshika was giving her combined with the atmosphere was beginning to make the gatekeeper feel uneasy…
Without warning, Yoshika began a mad dash towards Meiling, with her arms hanging stiffly at her sides as she rushed at her. Meiling tried to avoid her on coming charge, but Yoshika's speed was too great for her. The undead corpse crashed right into her, pinning the gatekeeper down onto the ground.
Meiling flailed around under the Jiang Shi's grip, trying to escape from her clutches, but it was to no avail. Yoshika looked down at the youkai she kept pinned to the ground curiously as she struggled to free herself. "Why're you struggling…?" Yoshika asked as she simply observed Meiling's unsuccessful attempts to loosen her hold, "All I want is a little taste of your soul…just a little itty-bitty bite…don't be so greedy with your soul…I'm really hungry…Now just hold still…" Yoshika slowly opened her jaw, giving Meiling a great view of her row of razor sharp teeth, and the slivers of flesh still stuck between them. Seiga obviously didn't assist her minion with her dental care…
Meiling twitched her nose as the smell of Yoshika's rancid breath entered her nose, causing small tears to form in her eyes from the stench. It smelled of blood and human flesh. The scent combined with the drops of saliva that dripped from her mouth and onto her completely disgusted Meiling, strengthening her resolve to if anything, get away from that horrible scent.
Meiling kicked Yoshika up off from her using both of her feet, causing the undead girl to soar in the air for a short moment before landing back on the ground with a soft thud. Meiling gasped for air, that situation was much too close for comfort. If Yoshika had managed to even take a single bite out of her, she would have become a Jiang Shi and found herself being Seiga's undead minion…just the thought chilled Meiling to her core.
Yoshika slowly got up from the ground, with her rigid arms looking like they were trying to move, but were stuck in the same position as they had been since meeting the Jiang Shi. "Ouchie…That was mean Meiling…All I wanted was a little taste…no need to be so rough and beat me up…" Yoshika whined, her expression looking pained.
"I don't want to hurt you Yoshika, but if you continue to keep attacking, I won't be going easy on you." Meiling warned.
"B-But Master said…Master said to fight Meiling…I can't disobey Master…Master is all I have in the world…I-I can't fail her!" Yoshika cried, beginning another attack against Meiling as she ran towards the gatekeeper at great speed, speeds that by all rights shouldn't have been possible for a Jiang Shi.
Yoshika twisted her body to the right, smacking Meiling in the face with both of her arms. The strength and momentum behind the attack managed to cause Meiling to stumble backwards and draw blood. Meiling gingerly touched the wound Yoshika had given her to the face, wiping the blood off from her lips.
Keeping her attack up, Yoshika began to chase after Meiling once more, this time attempting to bite Meiling with her sharp teeth. Meiling jumped away from the Jiang Shi gracefully to avoid the contagious bite Yoshika attempted to infect her with.
Just as she landed though, Yoshika was there to meet her, sending a powerful blow down to her head, following up with a stiff kick to her gut. Meiling staggered back from the attack, with blood dripping from her forehead the Jiang Shi's strike.
Meiling's breath began to grow heavier as she burned up most of her energy trying to avoid Yoshika's attacks…she couldn't believe she was beginning to tire out already…as a youkai, she should be able to keep up a fight like this for at least a full week…it felt almost as if the very life was being sucked out of her…
Though Yoshika's attacks may have been slow and sluggish, each time she managed land a hit on her, it was like being struck by an oncoming train. At this rate, she would run out of energy and wouldn't even be able to avoid her attacks, much less put up a fight… Even more disheartening was that Yoshika looked like she hasn't even broken a sweat, it didn't even appear that the fight had tired her out at all…if anything it looked like she had even more energy than she originally had before the fight even started… Things weren't looking good her…
"Man…China looks like she's taking a beating…" Koishi said nervously as she watched the fight closely.
"She'll win! China's the toughest person I know! Yoshika doesn't stand a chance!" Flandre said reassuringly.
"Are you so certain about that, child?"
"Huh?"
Flandre turned to her side, gasping in surprise to find that Seiga was sitting next to her. The hermit was idly spectating the battle with a smug expression on her face, particularly keeping her eyes focused on the weakened Meiling. Koishi looked equally surprised by the hermit's appearance, as she stared at her with a bewildered expression.
"My little Yoshika-poo isn't anyone to scoff at girls, that little gatekeeper friend of yours will be hard-pressed to defeat her, that I'm certain of…" Seiga said with an air of arrogance in her voice.
"Meiling will win! She promised she would!" Flandre persisted.
Seiga let out a hearty laugh at Flandre's response, as if she had just told her a good joke. Sega took out a handkerchief from her dress pocket and began to wipe newly formed tears from her eyes. "Oh little vampire…that was one of the most humorous things I've heard in a great while…sure, that gatekeeper may be a strong youkai, being able to use chi is no small feat after all…but a technique like that is rendered completely and utterly useless by my cute little Jiang Shi."
"What do you mean?" Koishi asked.
The hermit looked at them with amusement before speaking once again. "You see, Jiang Shi can't be sustained by normal food like the rest of us creatures of the earth can, they must eat the life force from living things to keep themselves alive…Right now, my adorable little Yoshika is slowly eating the life away from her, it's like an all you can eat buffet of chi for my adorable little minion! Soon enough, Ms. Meiling will tire out and will be nothing but a corpse…Perhaps once Yoshika finishes off her meal, I'll turn Meiling into a Jiang Shi as well. Then I'll have a matching set!" Seiga chirped happily, making the two youkai beside her turn pale.
Flandre slowly scooted away from the laughing hermit, taking a spot right next to Koishi. Flandre glared at the hermit with hate in her eyes, pouting at the blue haired woman as she kept on cackling at her own words. "Don't worry Flanny, China'll be fine…She can do it." Koishi reassured.
Flandre managed to put on a small smile and nodded in agreement, but after the hermit's words, she couldn't help but fear for her friend of over a hundred year's chances of survival…she silently began to pray for her victory over Yoshika.
For an opponent with rigor mortis, Yoshika was quite an impressive fighter. Her attacks may have been sloppy, but the strength behind them was something to be feared. Meiling never felt such excitement battling an opponent, such adrenaline! It was a feeling that a spell-card duel could never emulate, the shear feeling that your life was truly at risk. She had felt this same feeling during the short battle she had with Kaguya and Eirin in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, but not to this extent! It had been so long since Meiling had dueled a worthy opponent outside of the spell-card system, and despite the situation she was in, she couldn't help but enjoy herself.
Meiling formed a small grin on her face, "Well, I must say I'm quite impressed by your skill Yoshika…your form may be lacking, but that strength of yours…that last hit felt like I was just hit by a mountain…I must commend your skill. Now, it's time to step my game up a bit here." Meiling said as her entire body began to glow as a bright rainbow colored aura formed around her. "Let's see what you're really made of!" Meiling shouted, sprinting back into the fray with renewed confidence.
"Yeah! Go get her Meiling! Show her what you're made of!" Flandre cheered.
"Hmmmmm, still think she has a chance child?" Seiga asked, looking to be suppressing a smile, "That fancy light show is pretty and all, but my Yoshika will still trample her beneath her adowable wittle feet! Oh, my Yoshika is just too cuuuuuuuuuuute!" Seiga gushed, as she looked down at Yoshika from her perch affectionately.
"…What a weirdo…" Koishi whispered to Flandre. The vampire silently nodded in agreement as she and her satori friend slowly inched away from over-affectionate hermit.
Meiling pounced at the Jiang Shi, striking at her with a flurry of punches. Her movements were so quick that they appeared to be a blur of green. Yoshika, being slow and sluggish, was unable to dodge her attacks at the speed they were coming at, forcing her to take each and every hit from the gatekeeper.
Yoshika stumbled back a bit from each powerful hit Meiling landed, with saliva flying from her face each time her face made contact with Meiling's fists. The undead girl tried to get a grasp on the situation, but Meiling refused to let up on her attack, keeping Yoshika struggling to keep up with her. The tables have begun to turn…
"Time to finish this…" Meiling's fist began to fill with chi, slowly glowing brighter and brighter as she kept on gathering energy into her hand. Soon her fist grew to be so bright that it was almost blinding, illuminating the immediate area with a great rainbow colored light.
"Wow…It's so bright…" Flandre said in awe of the spectacle as she shielded her eyes from the bright light emanating from her friend.
"Finish her!" Koishi cheered enthusiastically as she shielded her eyes as well. The satori was much more confident of the gatekeeper's success than she was only just a few moments ago.
Seiga kept her cocky smile as she stared directly into the brilliant light, the blinding amount of light didn't seem to bother the hermit in the slightest, "Ha! This is very impressive and all, but my darling little Yoshika will hardly flinch at this pretty little light display Ms. Meilig's putting on." Seiga remarked smugly. Flandre and Koishi both stuck their tongues out at the hermit's comment. Seiga however, didn't seem to care at the least, as she didn't pay them any mind and remained focused on the quarrel.
Once Meiling was satisfied by the amount of chi she had gathered, she let out a mighty battle cry, and began to dash forward. She was determined to end this battle before she lost her strength once again; this attack was draining much of what little energy she had left. The gatekeeper usually tried limiting the amount of chi she packed into her attacks, as using too much at a time would leave her completely drained, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
As Meiling reached her target, she pulled her fist back and prepared to swing it right into Yoshika's gut, hopefully ending this pointless battle in the process. However, Yoshika seemed to have a different idea in mind. The Jiang Shi suddenly began to take a deep breath of air, this in itself was not too strange, but its effects were. As Yoshika inhaled, Meiling noticed that the plant life in the immediate area slowly began to wither and die. The leaves of trees that were once a bright green color slowly turned into a dark shade of brown before coming off from its branches and into Yoshika's mouth. Meiling finally came to the realization of why she had felt so drained…The Jiang Shi was slowly sucking her very essence away…
Meiling's face went pale as she watched her surroundings slowly perish. Even her chi powered fist wasn't spared by Yoshika's life stealing inhalation, as Meiling's once radiantly glowing fist slowly began to dim. Meiling gasped as the realization and quickly threw a punch before Yoshika sapped away all of its power.
The blow sent Yoshika flying through the air, when she finally fell back onto the earth; she skidded painfully on the hard ground, ripping her clothes in the process. Though despite the mighty blow she had received, Yoshika still managed to get back up. The attack still left her body battered and bruised, striking the Jiang Shi hard enough to draw blood, as a small amount of crimson liquid was slowly trickling from the wound on her gut Meiling had given her with her last punch. But despite her injuries, Yoshika still didn't look fatigued at all, she looked like she could keep this up all night…Meiling on the other hand, was dead tired. She panted for air as she stared at the Jiang Shi with disbelief. There was no way she could defeat the Chinese vampire at this rate…
"That hurt you know…That wasn't very nice…not at all…" Yoshika whined, "But…I'll forgive you if you let me take the smallest of bites from you…I'm starving…" the undead girl said as she slowly began to march towards Meiling.
Meiling grit her teeth in frustration, she had to think of something quick, lest she become the Jiang Shi's next meal...the gatekeeper finally decided on a course of action. Hopefully this would work…she hadn't completely mastered the technique she was about to use, but this was the last trick she had up her sleeve. If this didn't work, then she would have to get used to calling Seiga, 'master'…Meiling refused to let that happen.
The gatekeeper put her hands together and began to focus, putting all of her thoughts aside into the back of her mind. All of her thoughts slowly dissolved until her mind was completely empty…Slowly, the chi of every living creature surrounding her slowly began to condense around her. From plants, to the earth beneath her, and even from her companions…chi from each of them began to gather around Meiling.
Soon a light even brighter than the one from Meiling's last attack began to glow around Meiling's entire body, it was so bright it could be seen from even the human village. The onlookers of the battle all had to cover their eyes from the intensity of the light; even Seiga couldn't bear to look into it. Yoshika just blankly stared at the gatekeeper, despite the blinding aura around her, and halted her slow march.
Meiling grinned as more and more chi condensed into her being, her energy had begun to return to her thanks to the life energy. This was her chance to finally put this battle to an end. Without any warning, Meiling swiftly charged towards Yoshika, appearing in front of Yoshika in an instant, surprising the Jiang Shi in the process.
Meiling threw a powerful blow to Yoshikas's gut; the strength behind it caused Yoshika to spit up what little blood was in her body and knock the wind out of her. Meiling followed up with a flurry of punches, her movements were barely visible they were so fast. The gatekeeper ended her barrage of punches and aimed a high kick right into Yoshika's face, sending the undead girl flying up into the air. Meiling jumped up into the air in pursuit of her now airborne opponent, soon passing her by. As Yoshika's body reached Meiling, the gatekeeper gave her a fierce drop kick to the stomach, sending her soaring back down to the earth below.
Yoshika crashed back down into the earth with great momentum, sending dirt and dust flying everywhere. Yoshika's eyes struggled to remain conscious, as she slowly watched Meiling fly down towards her, with her fist glowing brightly with a colorful aura surrounding it. Meiling landed her fist right into the Jiang Shi's stomach, causing Yoshika to let out a scream from the shear amount of pain the attack inflicted her with. The impact of the hit caused dust to go soaring in its wake.
Meiling crouched before her now unconscious foe, panting for air. Meiling slowly began to rise, and thrust her fist into the air victoriously. "Ahahahaha! I-I did it! I won! I won! Woo…oh man that was a close one…think I might need to sit down for a second…"
"Meiling! Meiling! You did it!" Flandre cheered as she flew towards the exhausted gatekeeper, tackling her with an affectionate hug causing Both Flandre and Meiling fell over on to the ground. "I was so worried China…you better not scare me like that again!"
"Y-Yeah alright…I'll be a little more cautious from now on…now could you let me go Flandre…I…I can't…breath…"
"Way to go Meiling! That was amazing!" Koishi exclaimed as she too joined in the hug. "I was a little worried though…you better be more careful from now on, or I'll have to punish you!"
"O-Okay…I-I get it…I'm…I'm alright now…you can both let go now…" Meiling groaned as she struggled for air. Flandre and Koishi began to erupt into cheerful laughter, overjoyed that their friend had survived the fight in one piece; Meiling couldn't help but join in their laughter.
The group's laughter was suddenly interrupted by a slow applause from Seiga, who had a smug grin on her face, "Well done Ms. Meiling! Well done! I must say, I'm duly impressed by your power! I was beginning to think you were going to join the ranks of the dead for a moment there…A truly spectacular performance!"
"Kaku…" Meiling growled, "Leave. Now."
"No need to be so hostile dear…I'm just trying to give you a compliment…"
"I'm serious, hermit. Leave my sight this instant! I'm in no mood to see that despicable face of yours right now…Not after you sent your minion after us…" Meiling shakily got up from the ground, with Flandre and Koishi quickly got off of her. The pair of girls looked frightened by the uncharacteristic hostility behind Meiling's voice.
"Oh…Well I suppose I did do that…didn't I? But everything turned out alright in the end, didn't they? You got to play with my little Yoshika, and I got some entertainment, everyone wins!" Seiga said happily, "Though I'm a little peeved that you hurt my precious little Yoshika…Though she's a tough girl, she'll be running around good as new in no time."
"Just…Just get out of here!" Meiling shouted.
"Alright, alright…calm down…I'm leaving now…" Seiga said dismissively as she walked towards Yoshika and hefted her up on to her back. "Oh, and Ms. Scarlet!" Flandre looked up in surprise from suddenly being addressed, "Best of luck with your travels! I do hope you and your friends enjoy yourselves in your travels~!"
"Ah…Ermm…Th-thanks…" Flandre mumbled back as she hid behind Meiling as she waited for the hermit to make her departure.
"Ta-ta for now! I hope we may meet again someday!" Seiga chirped as she lifted off from the ground, flying away to only god knows where with Yoshika in tow. Her silhouette could be seen in the moon briefly before she disappeared into the darkness of the night.
"Hrmph, what an annoyance…" Meiling spat in disgust, "Well…with that done and over with, it's time to make camp for the night…I wanted to make more ground before calling it a night but…" Meiling let herself fall back onto the grassy ground below, surprising both of her cohorts. "I'm dead-tired…" she groaned in exhaustion.
Though they weren't quite as exhausted as Meiling, Flandre and Koishi both agreed with the gatekeeper, it had been a long day…both of them were ready to turn in for the night.
Consciousness came back to Yoshika as her eyes slowly began to open. She found herself lying on a soft futon in a brightly lit room. The room at had several antiques looking to be of eastern origin. It was one of the few places her slowly rotting brain could ever remember; it was the home of her master.
"Oh, Yoshika dear! You've finally awakened!"
Yoshika turned her head towards the voice, and found Seiga entering the room, with her usual cheerful smile on her face. "Master!" Yoshika cried happily, overjoyed to see her master. Though her mood quickly soured as she remembered her failure, she had failed her master… "M-Master…" Yoshika whimpered sadly as tears formed in her eyes.
"What's wrong my dear? Why're you crying?" Seiga asked.
"I…I failed you…Master…I couldn't beat her…I c-couldn't beat that green lady…I-I'm s-sorry…Master…" Yoshika cried, with tears now freely flowing from her eyes. "I-I'm the worst underling ever! I'm so sorry mast-"
Yoshika's words were cut off as Seiga embraced her undead underling, "Hush now…It's alright my little Yoshika…You did your very best…I'm so proud of you…" Seiga whispered.
"R-Really? Y- You…aren't mad…?" Yoshika asked.
"Of course not my silly little Yoshika! I could never be angry with you!" Seiga said happily. "Now you get some rest now, my cute little Jiang Shi, you've had a long day…" Seiga planted a small kiss on her underling's forehead, making Yoshika grow a small smile on her face.
"Y-Yes master…" Yoshika said in a whisper as she laid back and slowly drifted off back to slumber.
"Sweet dreams, my little Yoshika…" Seiga smiled to herself as she took one last glance at her peacefully sleeping underling before heading off to bed herself.
A/N: Boy, it sure has been a while since the last chapter...Really sorry about that. I've been busy with lots of things lately, had to be writing for my other story that's currently in the works, and had a bit of writer's block on this...But at least I finally posted another chapter eh? Finally hit the big twenty!
Nothing else to say really...Aside from thank you for your patience, and thanks for all the support given to this story thus far! It truly means a lot to me! Well, until next time!