Kochiya Sanae, a demigod, a saint, a friend, family. She was thinking that while the alcohol clouded her mind, she was never drunk before, not even when she tried, her condition made it impossible, though this alcohol was made for youkai. Sanae warned her about drinking from the same bottle tanuki did, she accidentally did though. It kicked hard, she wondered if a normal human could resist such concentrations of alcohol, though the tanuki had told her that ogres drank way stronger things.
She had heard about tengu and tanuki, even how they loved the full moon. But now she understood them, it was a chance to relax and play. A tanuki had taken particular interest in her, she had lived in the outside world as well, though it had been a long time since she visited it. Kaori saw that they treated that girl with the same respect and love many humans did with herself, that tanuki was a leader, a kind one too. –I'd recommend you to stop drinking dear. Have some water before you pass out –she gave Kaori a cup –Nice to meet you. I'm Futatsuiwa but my friends call me Mamizou –How do humans call you? –Kaori was being a bit rude, she didn't want to though, it was the alcohol –Hahaha! Danzaburou Danuki… Though please refrain from calling me that, it's not a name I like much.
–Alright Miss Futatsu –Mamizou please… –Mamizou, I'm Kanzaki Kaori. I like you, you are nice –Thanks Kaori, perhaps I should get you home. These guys will keep this up until the moon is down and you look tired –I'm alright I'm alright! –You are very drunk missy –I had less than you! –But I'm used to it. It's your first time drinking our sake isn't it? –She nodded –No wonder you are related to Sanae, most humans would be knocked out by now –Don't worry I'm stroooong! –Sure thing Kaori but please drink some water… Eat something –Mamizou handed her some meat, what else would wolves and racoons prefer at a party?
Sanae relaxed a bit and went to talk with other tengu, she had to keep good relationships with them, they gave some faith to her gods anyway. She didn't mind leaving Kaori alone now that Mamizou seemed to be taking care of her, though she should have warned her cousin about the alcohol. –Aya! One of the few times I want you to take a picture! –Mamizou waved at a girl with dark short hair and wings. Most likely a crow tengu –Ayayayaya! Is she your girlfriend Mamizou? –Nevermind… go away –No way! I want an interview! She is not from around, hello girl! Shameimaru Aya, reporter and chief editor of the Bumbummaru newspaper! –Chief? You are the only one Aya –Shush tanuki! I'm working –Eh? I'm Kanzaki Kaori, a magician from the outside world, and no I'm not romantically involved with Mami –You call her Mami though! A secret affair! –She is related to Sanae you silly! –Sanae's got a wife?! –Kaori blushed –No! I'm Kanako's descendant.
–You should have started there! Don't say I write lies when you don't give me the full truth –You never ask for it Sanae… Like that time you said I was an alien –You do look like one! –Kaori spoke, she saw how Mamizou was trying to keep herself together with Aya asking so many questions –I am here to get my sword fixed –Then it must be a good sword! Youkai blacksmiths are the best in the world! Though why did it break? I'm sure there is a good answer –Please Aya don't think of any crazy theories again –She is right Mamizou… The sleeping terror broke it.
–You faced her while in the outside?! –Unfortunately I did –Now that is some story! –I'd like not to talk about it –Mou… Hardly anyone does, though her danmaku fights are great! Though she doesn't fight much… The best one so far is when she beat Yama –Yama? Please tell me there is a youkai with that name –Well she is more like a god than a youkai… –The judge of judges? –Wow that is a new one! –Mamizou spoke –Usually we call her lecturing brat –Aya and Mamizou both laughed.
Kaori was starting to feel a bit freshened –So you fought against Yuuka… Want a piece of advice? She is slow just don't let her catch you and you are good… Don't taunt her too much though or she will warp next to you –I didn't know she was slow… She barely moved when we fought –Maybe Sanae has to teach you a few things in fighting… –Aya was starting to realize what happened –Say cheese! –Mamizou and Kaori both smiled for the picture.
Kaori only remembered until she had her picture taken. The next morning she magically appeared in the Moriya shrine with a great headache –Morning Kaori, don't worry I felt the same way I tasted tanuki sake for the first time –Sanae held a cup of tea for Kaori –Oww! Speak a bit lower please –Oh sorry –she giggled and whispered –Drink up, this will make you feel better. Today we have many things to do –the tea held some medicine for her to feel better, also her body started to metabolize the acetaldehyde, in about an hour she was going to feel like nothing happened. Youkai drank in such amounts for the same reason, their alcohol allowed them to get drunk easy, their bodies could handle a hangover very quickly compared to humans. –What happened? –After you spoke with Aya, you started to drink more with Mamizou… Do you remember when she started to make impressions of others? –I have a faint memory… She is a pretty fun person.
–We are technically rivals though –What do you mean? She was very nice to me –Because she is nice to everyone, but she is part of the buddhist temple –A monk? No way! She drinks a lot –Of course not a monk… But an ally, Danzaburou is her birth name, Futatsuiwa is her buddhist name –That makes sense –Kaori drank more of the tea –Is she related to the Stone Monkey by any chance? –She won't tell… But most likely she was one of her 64 generals, she seems to be very old –Kaori was gathering lots of information, though she would not give it to the Catholic church, she was going to stay neutral, Sanae knew that, that's why she didn't mind telling her the truth.
Now clean and wide awake after breakfast Kaori was ready for the day, Sanae, Kanako and Suwako were extremely kind to her –So what are the plans for today? You told me we have many things to do –Sanae nodded –Mhm, first we need to go to Myouren temple to meet with the Buddhists, they will tell us where we can find Tatara Kogasa –Who is she? –The blacksmith, she is a karakasa with good skills for metals –Suwako indeed liked the way Kogasa worked by how she spoke about her –Then we need to go to Hakugyoukurou and meet with Lady Saigyouji for a favor –Wait what? –Don't worry, its a land of dead but Yuyuko is a kind ghost –Kanako was patting Kaori's shoulder trying to calm her down –You mean the lady of that world? –Yes, we think her servant will be the perfect person to give you further education in fighting –A swordsman? –Sanae nodded –Don't worry cousin we have it all figured out!
–Kanako was uneasy about the idea –I still say it'd be better to have Momiji training her. I don't want to deal much with Yuyuko –Suwako answered –Momiji is a swordsman indeed but not of the same kind. In the other hand Youmu even knows how to fight with a nodachi –Sanae grabbed Kaori's arm and dragged her out –We will go meet both… Those two will be at it for hours –Momiji… I heard that name –Yesterday, she is one of the guardians of the mountain, a wolf tengu –Who will we see first? –Youmu, right now Momiji is working and she will now answer.
Lady Saigyouji Yuyuko, the kind yuurei, was someone Kaori never dreamed would be the lady of one of the underworlds. A glutton, gaudy and kind human ghost, she was sweet and respectful to both of them, also held a bit of a personal atmosphere with them, she was a good host too, she had prepared a table for them, or that's what Kaori thought.
–Gensokyo was a small world, and flying was common so it wasn't a long trip to Hakugyoukurou, Kaori had her doubts about why the day would be long, until she met Lady Saigyouji, she thought Kanako and Suwako dealt with her with such calmness because she was family, but the ways of diplomacy in Gensokyo were like those in ancient Japan. If it wasn't tea it was sake, for what was on the table Kaori thought Yuyuko wanted to kill them with food. –So you want Youmu to train this girl? –Yes Lady Moriya thinks she will be the best one to make her a good warrior –Why so? –She was beaten by Lady Kazami… Twice, each time more humiliating than the last one –Everyone does dears, why should my Youmu teach your relative? –Kaori saw the newspaper next to the table, Aya probably had written the article already.
–She is as strong as I am Lady Saigyouji –Yuyuko drank some sake –Yuuka is strong enough to defeat you both together –You know she likes to hold back to taunt her opponent… unless –The opponent is knocked out before. I am very familiar with her ways Sanae –Sorry… –No worry I was just bothering you –she drank a bit more, Sanae hadn't touched her drink, Kaori was doing the same –I will help you, it's a shame someone that strong wastes her power –Yuyuko ate some rice, she hadn't stopped eating since they met, Kaori was starting to see that the table only had tea for them, the other things were food for Yuyuko.
–Youmu is outside in the garden, let me go get her –Yuyuko floated up and left the room. In a while she came back with a gray haired girl in a green uniform, she looked around 12. –Youmu, Sanae here wants you to teach some fighting skills to her relative, I agreed with them. Figure out what course of action you will take, let me know anything you need, alright dear? –Youmu was a sweet and nice kid, indeed a fitting servant for a ghost like Yuyuko, those two gave a calm atmosphere to Hakugyoukurou, after a while anyone would get why Yuyuko was its ruler.
Konpaku Youmu prove to be just as cold as Kaori when she tried to. She was sitting in front of her new teacher, she held her head down but could not help it but stare at the ghost following her, she thought it was a spirit sticking around for heat, now she started to wonder what it was –I guess you already know the basics, what do you want to learn from me? –Kaori still stared at the ghost –How to defend myself from stronger foes –… Stop staring at me… Look me in the eye if you want –Kaori had a chill on her back –Sorry Miss Konpaku! –Thanks for being respectful… most people call me Youmu… Stop staring at Myon! –Myon? –My ghost half! –Kaori now looked Youmu in the eye.
–Most of times you will lose a fight against someone stronger than you… If that person knows how to fight that is –I know… –Oh good! When you said you knew the basics you really knew them. Then maybe what I can give you are only things that could be taught with practice… You don't have a sword do you? –Lady Kazami broke my nodachi… –Now I get why they want me to teach you! First I would wait for you to get your sword fixed, and your spirit to be calmed, you are still afraid. –Youmu bowed at her and sat down –Then do I have to leave? –if you want to stay and help me with gardenind, but I guess you'd prefer to stay at the Moriya Shrine with your relatives –Kaori nodded and left after bowing to Youmu.
So far they had done anything but get permission from Yuyuko to train under her servant, Kaori had the bad idea of drinking in the end some of the alcohol given to her, again youkai sake proved to be more than enough to get her tipsy. Sanae had drunk a bit too but she was used to it by now. –Now we have to go see Momiji? –Yes I hope you like shogi? –Do they always deal with everything like this? –I thought the same when I first came here, but when you live as long as they do time stops being something you care about. –But we are not immortal –If you want something to be fixed quickly Mamizou is the only one who can deal with problems that way, in the outside world she had some business –yes, she remembered how tanuki still held the mining business for themselves. She now saw that Mamizou was the CEO of the company before she retired to Gensokyo, if she looked deep enough she could even find registries of her in the outside world.
The only way they could get Momiji to talk was playing shogi with her, according to Sanae, Kanako and Tenma (the lord of tengu) held some alliance together, so they didn't need Tenma's permission to get a favor from Momiji, rather than that they had to convince her. The good part was that Momiji was not drinking, she showed signs of a hangover from the last night. At the moment she had a pair of glasses and she played sluggishly.
–What could I possibly teach to this girl? –Kaori was sitting in the middle of Sanae and Momiji, she wasn't playing –Don't say that Momiji, you are known for being pretty good at fighting yourself –I am not, I think you should better ask Miss Aya –Kaori saw the big sword behind Momiji, she knew what to say –The way I fight is much alike yours… –Because I have a sword? Hehe things are never that simple –Kaori smiled –That is a baguazhang sword… It means you probably know how to fight with your bare hands –Sanae you had been outsmarted by two people! –Momiji made her move winning the game.
–I like your friend, she is nice. I do know baguazhang… You are the first person to see that wolf tengu follow that way of fighting –I had to read some basis of fighting… Kazami prove to be very good at hand to hand combat –Of course, her "Eternal Spring" is something formidable! But I think you could defend yourself pretty good with bagua… if you are used to the use of a blade –Well I mist say Kaori is pretty good with it –Hehe I know silly. I may be a wolf but I can get why she wants to learn from me –Why didn't you want to help us in the beginning then? –Sanae pouted –Why else? I don't want to slack off in shogi to get to teach her… But alright I will do it, she is nice I can deal with that.
–Thanks Momiji, we owe you one! –Momiji moved her ears –Don't thank me, it's alright –Kaori started to relax and realize her stay in Gensokyo was not going to be short. She didn't have to worry much about her friends, they were after all, under Yuuka's protection, it wasn't the best option, but she was reliable.
They left a little while after Momiji accepted to teach some martial arts to Kaori, they still had to do some errands, first get the Buddhists to tell them where Kogasa was at the moment and go at Kourindou to get some hihi'irokane, if anyone he would have it. There was a girl with a strange set of wings sleeping by the entrance, Sanae gave her a shake –Nue? Nue… NUE! –Kaori thought if that was her name or her species–She woke up –I didn't do it! Oh wait it's you… Why do you wake me up at this ungodly hour? –Sorry Miss Nue –Kaori was respectful as always –But do you happen to know where Tatara Kogasa is located? –No idea, let me sleep please… Wait who is the girl with you Sanae? –Kanzaki Kaori… relative of mine –Nice to meet you! Houjuu Nue, at your service… At nights preferably.
–Nocturnal are you? –Of course Miss Kaori only few youkai thrive during the day… I could count them with my fingers –We apologize for the discomfort, but do you know where Tatara Kogasa is? –Ahh! Go look in the Hakurei shrine, you know she has few places to go –Nue went back to sleep, they both had to leave silently to keep the dark haired Nue sleep.
–What an odd girl… –Mamizou's best friend, she is a shape shifter too… –Pranksters? –In extreme… Well Reimu might be home yet we should look around –Kaori nodded, she wanted to meet the other shrine maiden in Gensokyo.
She already knew the way, the same shrine she visited when she came to Gensokyo a day ago, it was already afternoon. There was a lamp turned on inside of the shrine, so they approached –Reimu? Are you home? I brought a friend –Sanae I just got here, let me rest please! –Have you seen Koga… What happened to your hair?! –Sanae was scared to see Reimu's hair turned purple as she walked in –A boy touched it and broke the spell that made it brown… I have to go see Kourin tomorrow to get this fixed –How was your trip? –Actually pretty fun! Yuuka is fine if you ask. I lost my powers for a while, they are not at its fullest by now but they are coming back.
–Kaori waked in as well now –Wait were you in Academy City?! –That was the name of the place! Sorry Sanae I didn't remember it when you asked me before I left… –Reimu flopped on the ground and rolled a bit –Ruukoto make some te… wait I will do it last time you nearly burned down the shrine –Right! This is Kanzaki Kaori, she is going to be here for a while –I hope you like tea Kaori! –she looked at Reimu –You know Yuuka? –What's up with the Yuuka obsession? –Sanae spoke now getting a hang of explaining a short version of the story –She tried to fight Yuuka and lost miserably, she is here so she can get her sword fixed –Go get Kogasa then. I'm glad you came here to present her but I'm no blacksmith.
–She isn't at Myouren… and we tried luck here –Reimu served some tea –Serve yourselves… If she isn't here or there it means she is already at the Moriya shrine. I really hate this color –She was looking at her hair again –Anything interesting during the trip? –Well I met a really cute boy! –Kaori ground her teeth –The one I said that turned my hair purple… Hehe I managed to kiss his cheek –Reimu was blushing –Sanae look out your friend has fainted!