Quest Flag
Nothing made any sense.
Everything had been so strange all week. Everyone had been acting so weird. The servants spoke in hushed whispers, Umakai and Maro were avoiding her and Father was barely around. And Mother…she didn't know what was wrong with her. Something must have made her extra tired, because all she did was sleep.
And to make things even more frustrating, every time she tried to ask something about it they always looked at her weird and changed the subject. And when she demanded that they answer her, they would just start talking to her like she was a little baby. It wasn't fair. She was ten years old already! Why couldn't they just tell her what was wrong?
And so one evening she decided to find out. She crept from her room, careful to slide the door shut behind her, and tip-toed through the mansion.
She slowed even further as she approached Mother's room. Even so late at night there were people inside. She could hear them talking in low murmurs through the thin paper door.
"…can't be long now, I'm surprised she's lasted as…"
"Shhh! Don't say such things!"
It was Father's voice. She leaned in closer.
"But still, you'll have to tell your daughter sooner or later."
"I know. Just not now."
"Fuhito, you cannot-"
"Please. You'll wake her."
"Then perhaps we should speak…Wait, who's there?"
Her heart leapt in her throat as the door started to slide open. She whirled on her ankle to flee, but her feet slipped from under her and she fell to the floor with a cry of alarm.
Then she looked up to see Father staring down at her. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Why are you out of bed? How long have you been listening? Answer me!"
"I…uh…"
He reached down and grabbed her by the elbow. "I thought I told you to go to bed!" he shouted as he started to pull her down the hall. She scrambled to get her feet under her, and as she did she caught a glimpse of the interior of Mother's room.
There were several adults standing inside, all staring at her. She recognized family members: aunts and uncles and cousins. There were also some of Father's friends, two of Mother's maidservants and the town doctor. But she did not take notice of any of these. Her eyes were focused on her Mother.
She lay upon her futon with several blankets piled on top of her. A damp towel was folded up and laid across her forehead. And her face…
It was ravaged. A spiderweb of purple veins was covering cheeks that had been swollen to almost twice their natural size. Her eyes were shut tight and crusted with mucus. Her breathing was shallow and labored.
"Mother?"
Father grimaced and pulled harder, practically dragging her away.
"Mother? Wait, what's wrong with her? Father, what are you-Mother! Wait, Mother!"
He ignored her cries and continued to pull her away from Mother's room. She struggled, stretching out her free hand to those gathered but receiving only pitying looks in return. What was going on? What had happened to Mother? Was she sick? Why didn't they want her to see? It was all so confusing…
Nothing made any sense.
Of course, what did these days? A few short minutes ago, Mokou had found herself falling through the sky of some sort of bizarre world with glitching abilities and no respect for the laws of reality to be found. And right after experiencing a real-life enactment of one of her most unpleasant recurring nightmares, she ended up joining forces with none other than Princess Kaguya Houraisan, something that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that if there was a God beyond the greedy little deities that wandered Gensokyo, then He or She had a very sick sense of humor and desperately needed to be punched in His or Her smug prick face.
At the moment, she was sitting cross-legged in the sand, listening as the strange girl who had risen from the sea holding a sword and introducing herself as Rumia did her best to explain the situation. Unfortunately the explanation Mokou was getting was only making things even more unbelievable.
The girl herself was leaning against a wave-smoothed rock with Kaguya's robe thrown around her like a blanket. Even if what she was saying was absolute bullshit (a position that Mokou was seriously considering), it was still obvious that Rumia had been through a rough time. Her blond hair was plastered to her skull in stringy wet ribbons and she was shivering violently.
In addition, Kaguya herself stood next to Mokou. That in itself was proof enough that things were horribly wrong.
"Okay, so let me see if I got this right," Kaguya said. "All three of us were eaten by a monster…"
"Well, 'absorbed' would be more accurate, but yeah," Rumia said.
"Don't interrupt me," Kaguya snapped. "And fine. Absorbed. Whatever. We got absorbed by a monster that had our consciousnesses floating around in its head, and that eventually got so awkward that it blocked off part of our memories and sent us…here?"
"That's more or less accurate."
"Which one is it?" Kaguya said. "More or less?"
Rumia sighed. "More."
"So…we're not in the Dream World?" Mokou asked.
"The Dream World?" Rumia shook her head. "Not really. I suppose the same principles apply though. This is an entirely independent dreamspace constructed by the monster using the part of your minds that normally interacts with the Dream World's essence. Also, your entire consciousness is here, which is why…"
She was stopped by a fit of coughing. Mokou and Kaguya waited for her to get it under control.
"Sorry," she said in a weak voice. "Had a hard time getting here."
"Yeah, okay," Kaguya said. "I'm seeing that. But in the meantime…prove it."
"Eh?"
Mokou unfolded her legs, stretching them out before her. "For once I actually agree with the Moonbitch. If you-"
"Will you stop calling me that?" Kaguya growled.
"You don't get to interrupt either," Mokou said. To Rumia, she said, "And as for you, okay, so your little rising from the ocean thing was all very dramatic. But still, you haven't done much to prove it. And it's true: there's some very freaky going on-"
"Now who's overstating the obvious?" Kaguya sneered.
Annoyed, Mokou ignited a white-hot flame at the end of her fingertip. She shot Kaguya a meaningful look.
The Lunarian princess was unimpressed. "Oh, so scary. We've got a truce, remember?" She turned back to Rumia. "So, how about it? What proof do you-"
Kaguya swayed from one side to the other as she talked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. It was an insignificant movement, nothing more than an unconscious bit of fidgeting. However, to her immense surprise, she suddenly slipped and fell to her side, kicking up a small cloud of sand. Kaguya spat out grit and stared with horrified eyes at her leg, which now ended in a cauterized stump. Her foot remained standing in place, smoke rising from the charred ring above the ankle. She twisted around to look at Mokou, who was smirking in satisfaction.
"Hey," Mokou shrugged. "You only said we can't kill each other. There was nothing about dismemberment. Not my fault if you can't-"
"You treacherous beast!" Kaguya screeched. She heaved herself onto to her knees and lunged for Mokou's throat.
Mokou easily caught her by the wrists and held her back. "Whine, whine, whine," she said, sounding bored. "If you can't be specific about your terms of ceasefire, then you have no one to blame for yourself."
"Yeah?" Kaguya snarled. "Well, ceasefire this!"
Suddenly she twisted her wrists out of Mokou's grasp and seized onto Mokou's right arm with both hands. Electricity crackled, and the next thing Mokou knew her sleeve was burned away and the flesh cooked down to the bone, leaving a limp arm that was nearly skeletal.
"There," Kaguya said as she pushed herself away. "Now we're ev-Ooof!"
Mokou's kick caught her in the stomach. "Even?" Mokou yelled as she leapt onto Kaguya. "That was my whole freaking arm! I only took your foot!"
She wrapped her legs around Kaguya's torso and shoved her good arm against her rival's throat, pressing Kaguya's head into the sand. Kaguya grimaced as she groped at Mokou's own throat, trying to sink her fingers into Mokou's neck.
Suddenly strong fingers seized Mokou by the back of her shirt and yanked her off. Kaguya was likewise seized by the collar and hoisted up.
Rumia stood between the two combatants, holding them a safe distance from each other. Her eyes were still tired but determined. "Okay," she said. "Not saying that wasn't hilarious. But I we're going to get anywhere-"
Almost as if on cue, Mokou and Kaguya both turned and slammed their fists into her face. Rumia's eyes bulged and she flew backward to land in an untidy heap.
"Don't ever interrupt us," Mokou and Kaguya said in unison.
Rumia shook her head. She gingerly touched her fingers to her nose. There was a small spot of blood on the tips when she brought them away.
"Okay," she said. "Message received. Wow, it's been a long time since that happened."
"Too long, if you ask me," Kaguya muttered. She hopped over to crouch over the prone Rumia. At the end of her leg, a new foot was already starting to form. "And believe me: I'd love an excuse to do it again. Only this time, I'm thinking I send it all the way through your brain."
"Back off, Kaguya," Mokou said. Her own arm was starting to regenerate as well. It itched, but in the grand scheme of things a simple itch wasn't worthy of her attention. "We still need to pump her for more information."
"Don't tell me what to do," Kaguya muttered, but she straightened up and hopped back a couple of steps.
Rumia looked from one questioner to the other. "Okay, you guys call the shots. Fine, I get that. One question though."
Kaguya's gaze darkened. "Make it a good one."
"How the hell did you not notice that she was cutting off your foot?"
Kaguya blinked. It was evident that this was not the question she had been expecting. She looked over to Mokou, who just sighed and shook her head.
Kaguya rolled her eyes. "I've been getting burned alive by Mokou here for more than a millennium. Getting pieces of you burned off loses its novelty after awhile."
"Well, that's interesting," Rumia said. "And a little disgusting." She started to push herself back up, but Kaguya pressed the still-forming blob of her foot against her chest and pushed her back down.
"Nuh-uh," Kaguya said. "If you're strong enough to pull us apart, you're strong enough to answer questions. And you still haven't given me the proof I asked for."
Rumia glowered up at her, but she said, "Okay, fine. You want proof? I've got two words full of it."
Kaguya folded her arms and glowered.
"Rin," Rumia said. "Satsuki."
Mokou frowned. It sounded like a name, but it wasn't one she was familiar with. She glanced over to Kaguya, who also looked confused.
"What?" Kaguya said. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Despite having a very irritated and very unkillable Princess Kaguya shoving her down into the sand, Rumia didn't look very intimidated. Quite the contrary, she was grinning like she was having the time of her life. "What, that name don't ring any bells? It should. Think, Kaguya. Think real hard."
Kaguya's frown twisted even further as she thought. "Wait, now that you mention it." She rubbed her chin. "There was something…"
"About nine years ago?" Rumia prodded. "Wiped out most of Eientei?"
Kaguya stared at her. Then, slowly but surely, her eyes began to widen. "Wait, wait are you…" She snapped her fingers. "Holy shit, that's right! Eirin's crazy monster! The one that kept eating my people and getting bigger and bigger! We had to call in a psychotic vampire to stop it!"
"That's the one," Rumia said.
Mokou scratched her head. "Wow," she said. "Yeah, I'm really glad you guys are on the same page. But how do you two feel about making something that even resembles sense?"
Kaguya's hands were trembling, but she managed to keep her voice under control. "Rin Satsuki was a pet of Eirin's that she started experimenting on. It went crazy, destroyed most of my home, and started to devour my people and absorb their strength."
Mokou stared. "You're kidding me."
"No, I'm not. We eventually had to use that crazy vampire Flandre Scarlet to stop it. We locked it up in a box and shoved it away where it couldn't hurt anyone anymore. Lousy week, all around."
"And where was I during all this?"
"I don't know, where were you?" Kaguya turned back to Rumia, who was still lying under the pressure of her now fully regenerated foot. "And how do you even know about Rin Satsuki in the first place?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Rumia said. "I was the first person she sucked up after getting loose. Then she came upon the two of you dancing your usual dance and nabbed you too. I guess she got sick of having us acting as angry voices in her head, because after that she triggered out subconscious or whatever it is and sent us all into this dream world to shut us up."
"Oh, for the love of…" Mokou muttered. "Kaguya, tell me you don't actually buy into this bullshit?"
Kaguya glanced at her. "As someone who was actually there the last time Rin Satsuki made a mess, I'm kind of inclined to."
"But it's ridiculous! I've gotten more believable stories out of fairies!"
Kaguya ignored her. "Can you tell me how Rin got loose?" she asked Rumia.
"Sure," Rumia said. "Can you let me up first? I think sand-gnats are starting to crawl into my hair."
Kaguya moved her foot, allowing Rumia to sit up. Rumia furiously shook out her hair, dislodging as many grains of sand as she could.
"That's gonna itch like a bitch later," Rumia muttered. She took a deep breath. "Okay, so here's the thing: you put Satsuki in a box, right? And gave her to the vampires?"
"Right," said Kaguya. "And they specifically told me that there was no way she could escape."
"Yeah, well, technically she didn't. She was set loose."
Kaguya's jaw dropped. "She swah?"
"Somebody stole the box right under Remilia Scarlet's nose. That's how Satsuki got out."
"Who?" Kaguya demanded. "Who would be so stupid as to steal that?"
"A human teenager," Rumia answered.
Mokou sighed. "Of course it was," she muttered. "It always is." She sat down and crossed her legs.
"To be specific, it was a witch-girl," Rumia continued. "One by the name of Marisa Kirisame. She's a recluse who lives in-"
"Marisa?" Kaguya screeched. "That little creep?"
"Oh," Rumia said. "You know her?"
For her part, Mokou wasn't surprised in the slightest. Marisa and thievery went together like married celebrities and scandal. It was simply inevitable.
"Know her?" Kaguya said. "Yeah, I know her! Do you realize how hard it is to keep her thieving ass out of Eientei?"
"Pretty hard?"
"Oh, you have no idea. Sometimes it seems like no matter how many times we up the security, the next week she's made off with a painting or a box of jewelry or something. And now she's gone and stolen a fucking freak of nature!"
"Sure seems to be the case," Rumia said. "Though in her defense, she didn't know what was inside. She said it just looked interesting."
"How do you know all this?" Mokou broke in. "Where do you figure into this story?"
Kaguya glared at her from over her shoulder. "I'll ask the questions, if you don't-"
"Shut up, Kaguya. And you, answer the question."
Rumia shrugged. "Well, after she got the box, she found that she couldn't get it open. Makes sense, as that really wasn't the sort of box you want people opening. Still, she wanted it open, so she hired me."
"You?" Kaguya said. "Why you?"
"Because getting into things is what I do. Ain't nothing in the world I can't squeeze through.
"That's what he said," Kaguya muttered. She was ignored.
Rumia continued. "Though boy-howdy did it backfire this time. I opened that thing up and found the weirdest looking thing I've ever seen in my life. It was like…a bubble, a clear water droplet or something, but a tough one."
Kaguya slapped a palm across her face and groaned out loud. "Sun, moon, and stars, that's her all right."
"Right. And like the idiot I am, I starting poking at the damned thing. I guess you can figure out what happened next."
"Yes," Kaguya said.
"No," said Mokou.
"It swallowed her," Kaguya told her. "Dissolved her body, absorbed her mind and stole her powers. And then it went after us."
"Pleasant. So why does she remember all this and we don't? Why didn't this monster wipe her memories?"
Rumia grinned. "Because of who I am. Or what I am. Let's just say that my talent for getting into things works both ways. This old mind of mine has so many failsafes that if anyone tried to break in, they'd quickly become very, very frustrated."
"What are you, some kind of lockbox youkai?" Mokou asked.
"A skeleton key, actually. One that got left in the master's desk too long."
"Seriously?" Kaguya asked.
"Hey, it happens. Once met a girl who used to be frying pan. So anyway, I found myself in my own little dream world as well. Didn't much care for it, so I dug myself out and went looking for you guys. And now here we are."
Mokou's brow furrowed. She looked over to the ornate sword Rumia had been carrying with her when she had risen from the sea, which was now lying against a rock.
"And the sword?" she asked.
"Oh, that's mine," Rumia said. "Had it on me when I got eaten. Found myself with it I woke up in Wonderland."
"Where'd you get it?"
"What is this, twenty questions? Wait for the autobiography like everyone else."
Mokou's eyes started to glow. She stood to her feet and started to walk toward the self-proclaimed lockbreaker. She flexed her right hand, which instantly burst into flame.
Predictably enough, Kaguya got in the way. "No, not happening. Sit down, you idiot. No scorching people until we've learned everything."
"So I can scorch her afterward?" Mokou said. "Very well, I accept your terms."
"No. No scorching anyone. Not her, and definitely not me."
"I didn't say anything about scorching you!"
"No, but you were thinking it."
"Of course I was. I always am. That doesn't mean I was going to do it. At least not right this minute."
Rumia raised her hand. "Far be it from me to interrupt your flirting, but this conversation is starting to get a little long. Can we get to the reason why I sought you guys out?"
"Now?" Mokou said. "Now can I scorch her?"
"Shut up already." Kaguya turned to Rumia. "All right, what's up?"
Rumia smoothed her dress out, though given that it was still damp and caked with mud the improvement was unnoticeable. "Well, the way I see it our dream worlds are connected. After all, I was able to dig my way out of mine to find yours. And based upon what I saw back at mine, these dream worlds are closely tied to our subconscious minds, to the extent that I believe we can actually find the center of our subconscious minds here."
"This is getting stupid again," Mokou muttered.
Kaguya's eyes narrowed. "No, it's not. Rumia, keep talking."
Rumia grinned. "What I'm saying here is that if we can travel from one subconscious mind to the other, who's to say we can't break our way into Rin Satsuki's?"
A stunned silence reigned over the beach. Mokou's mouth hung open as the significance of what Rumia was suggesting dawned on her. For her part, Kaguya seemed more contemplative than surprised. She rubbed her chin as she stared down at the sand.
Then Mokou spoke. "Okay. That's…interesting. Now, let's just say what you're proposing is even possible…"
"No reason it shouldn't be," Rumia said.
"Yes, there is. But let's just say it's possible. What…exactly would we do once we get there?"
"Oh, that's obvious. Bitch sucked us up and screwed with our minds. I'd say we're overdue for some payback. So once we get there…" Rumia snatched up her sword as a wide grin split her features. "We redecorate."
Kaguya put her hands on her hips. "Sounds good to me."
"Whoa, hold up," Mokou said. "You're just going to go along with this? We don't even know this girl! And now you're going to let her tag along? She has a freaking sword, for Christ's sake! I mean, at the very least we should put it to a vote."
"Good point. Let's do that." Kaguya looked over to Rumia. "So, what do you think? Should we let Mokou tag along?"
"I meant vote about her!" Mokou shouted. "And I was here first!"
"Hey, if this has to be a duo, then I'd rather have her than you," Kaguya said.
"You don't even know her!"
"But I know you. So I'll take her."
"Thanks," Rumia said. "I'm flattered."
"Shut up!" Mokou shouted. "You don't get a say!"
Rumia sighed. She glanced over to Kaguya. "Sounds like you made her jealous."
"If that's it, then it would certainly explain a lot," Kaguya said.
Mokou's face twisted into a grimace of fury. Her hands curled into claws and burst into flames. "If you think you two are just going to go off and leave me here, then you've got-"
"Calm down, fire bird," Rumia said. "You're coming too."
"I am?"
"She is?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "I don't recall agreeing to that."
"She has to," Rumia said. "We need her when we get to her subconscious's focal point. Can't dig out without her help. Why do you think I came looking for you guys instead of taking it on my own?"
"Because one-man raids more often than not end in failure," Kaguya said.
Rumia tilted her chin. "Believe me when I say I can handle myself in a fight. But I need help in this. So do you. Hers."
"I don't need your validation," Mokou hissed.
"Hey. Fire bird. Make up your mind. Do you want in on this or not?"
If looks could kill, then Rumia would have been reduced to nothing more than bones and ash. In fact, Mokou was sorely tempted to turn her into just that. Instead, good sense managed to win and she let the small suns she held flare out of existence.
"Fine," she said. "But talk down to me again and you'll find that spontaneous combustion is more than an urban legend."
"You're going to blow yourself up at me? A bit dramatic, don't you think?"
Mokou's palms ignited anew.
Kaguya sighed and pinched her nose. "Okay, knock it off already. You're both driving me nuts. If Mokou's coming, fine. But please don't make this more unbearable than it is already."
Mokou exchanged an angry glance with Rumia, but nodded and extinguished the flame. For her part, the newcomer just looked smug. Mokou made a mental note to melt the little prick's face at the earliest opportunity.
"So," Kaguya said. "Now that we're all best friends, there's still a couple things to work out. Rumia, you seem to know a fair bit of what's going on. What do we need to do next?"
Rumia shrugged. "Oh, that's easy. First we need to figure out whose subconscious we're in-"
Kaguya pointed to Mokou. "Hers."
"Mine," Mokou said as the exact same time."
"Well, that was easy," Rumia muttered. "Though it doesn't explain why Princess Kaguya's here and not in a world of her own."
"I don't know, maybe this world is a hybrid," Kaguya said. The Lunarian princess knelt down to pick up her robe from where Rumia dropped it. She started to brush the sand off. "Or maybe Satsuki wanted us to keep each other company. She is completely insane, you know."
"Fair enough. Okay Mokou, here's the deal: the best place for us to break out of here is the center of your little world. The heart. The focal point."
"How do you know that?" Mokou demanded.
"Hey, I'm a skeleton key. It's my job to know how to get in and out of things. How do you turn yourself into a walking forest fire? You just do."
"What is the focal point, exactly?" Kaguya asked. "I mean, how would we identify it?"
"Eh, that's simple enough. Some place that means something to you. Some place that's emotionally significant, that whole thing."
"Oh, that's easy then," Kaguya said. "Eientei."
Mokou's eyes boggled. "Wait, the hell? What are you talking about?"
Rumia seemed to be just as confused. "Uh, yeah. Isn't that where you live? Why would your home be her focal point?"
"Simple," Kaguya said with a smug smile. "Little Mokou here has spent the better part of a thousand years obsessing over me. Even when she's in that little peasant's hovel she calls a home, she's still thinking about me. Her entire life revolves around annoying me, so it only makes sense that her subconscious would be focused around my home."
"Oh, come on!" Mokou protested. "I do have other interests you know!"
"No, you really don't."
"Okay, okay, stop it," Rumia said. "It's worth checking out at least. How do we get there from here?"
"Look, it's not Eientei," Mokou said.
"Huh." Kaguya frowned and folded her arms. "Well, this is the Saltlick Sea, right? So the Bamboo Forest of the Lost should be to the southeast from here."
"That's assuming the geography here is the same as back home," Rumia said. "This is a dream, after all. For all we know things could be completely random."
"Except that it's not Eientei," Mokou said. "You're wasting your time."
"Good point," Kaguya grumbled. "So we could end up wandering forever without ever finding it."
"I don't think so," Rumia said. "I was able to find mine without much problem. I think that wherever it is, it'll draw the fire bird here like a magnet."
"Huh, so Mokou might be useful after all. This day is just full of surprises. So when we find Eientei, what then?"
"It's not freaking Eientei already!" Mokou shouted.
Finally Kaguya took notice. "Would you stop that, please?" she said icily. "If you have nothing to contribute except for whining, then go sit in the corner and be silent."
"You guys have known each other way too freaking long," Rumia said.
"Thank you, I had figured that out," Kaguya said. "So, we're to just keep walking until the little matchstick girl here finds something, Eientei or otherwise, that makes her feel overcome with an excessive amount of emotion?"
"Actually, I was thinking we set her wandering about until she finds something that makes her feel overcome with an excessive amount of emotion, while we follow."
"That's almost exactly the same thing. And while I'm definitely in support of the 'Do unto Rin as she has done unto us' plan, I'd really like us to come up with something more concrete."
Mokou, it should be noted, had ceased to take part in the conversation. Her attention was focused on the landscape around them. She wasn't sure, but it looked like it was changing. The beach itself remained more-or-less the same, and about a mile away the seaside town of Kamakura was still in place, with ships coming and going. But there still seemed to be something strange going on.
Mokou looked around. She wasn't going to figure it out from here. Without a word she crouched down low and leapt into the air, sailing high above her irritating companion's heads.
Once she was a good distance above the ground, Mokou surveyed the area surrounding the town. Her lips pressed into a thin line. It was as she had thought. Things had just become much more complicated.
…
Kaguya stared up at the sky. "That was surprising. What set her off?"
Frowning, Rumia shielded her eyes as she glared at the floating immortal. "Probably just throwing a temper tantrum. Damn it, now we have to go after her."
"I really rather that we didn't. Chasing Mokou just makes her shoot these fireballs out of her feet. They're surprisingly accurate and can't be smothered easily."
"I told you, we need her help. If she's going to take off, then we have to-"
Mokou fell to the ground like a blazing meteor, kicking up an explosion of sand and creating a small crater.
"-never mind, problem solved."
Kaguya folded her arms as her surly rival pulled herself out of the crater. "And what was that all about? Feel the need to stretch your legs?"
Mokou shot her an acid look, but she declined to retort. "Okay, look. I still think what this freak here's been saying is bullshit-"
"Freak, huh?" Rumia muttered. "You're the one to talk."
"-but if it'll get us moving faster, then fine. Let's play along with her stupid game. There's just one problem though."
Kaguya glowered. "Oh? And what might that be?"
"This place has become an island. Most of the land around Kamakura is gone, and the stuff that's left is quickly disappearing. In about an hour this whole place will be nothing but water."
Kaguya gaped at her rival. "Wait, seriously?"
"Shit," Rumia muttered. "Should've figured it wouldn't be that easy."
"Yes, seriously!" Mokou said. "I saw it with my own eyes! You would have too, if you weren't so busy-"
Kaguya didn't even give her the chance to finish. Instead, she flew into the air, much as Mokou had just done. She went up and up and up, until she was high enough to see for kilometers around.
To her worry and utter annoyance, Mokou was right. Though Kamakura was still in place, all that remained of the landscape was a couple of kilometers of hillside in either direction and about a third of the field Kaguya had traveled through on the old man's cart. Furthermore, if she fixated her eyes on the land's edge, she could literally wasting away, bringing the water's edge closer and closer to the town's borders.
Well now, that presented a problem.
"See? I told you so."
Kaguya moved her body around to see Mokou floating next to her with her arms folded.
"Did you come up here just to say that?" Kaguya asked.
"I'm having a bad day. I'll take my satisfaction where I can find it."
Kaguya sighed but she didn't fire back. She just inclined her head and said, "Come on."
The two of them swooped back down toward the beach, where Rumia was sitting on a rock, waiting for them.
"Mokou was right," Kaguya said as she slowed down to land. "This whole place is-"
She was interrupted by a loud boom and a wave of sand that splashed all over her. She stood stock-still for a moment. Then she reached up with one hand and brushed the grit from her face and cleaned it from her eyes to see Mokou climbing out of a second crater.
"Why," Kaguya began "did you do that again?"
"Do what?"
"Are you two going to be doing this the whole trip?" Rumia asked.
"Why, would you rather I go back to trying to murder you?" Mokou said.
"Uh, no. That's quite all right," Rumia said hastily. "Carry on."
While they spoke, Kaguya was busy brushing herself off. If this sort of behavior was what she could expect from working with Mokou, then she was almost tempted to just forget the whole quest and learn to enjoy living in Wonderland. Almost.
"Anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, this place is disappearing fast," Kaguya said.
"Which is exactly what I told you about a minute ago," Mokou said.
"Good for you. What do you want, a cookie? But yeah, we need to leave now. Rumia, can you fly?"
"Of course. Still a little shaky, but I can manage."
"Good. Then we'd better-"
"No, wait. Bad idea," Mokou said.
Kaguya glared at her. "Really, Mokou? Really? Are you going to argue with everything I say?"
Mokou returned the look. "Why break the habit of a lifetime? But beyond my desire to make your life miserable, flying's still a bad idea. Our powers are really wonky right now. I've lost my flight twice already, and I don't fancy doing an Icarus impression over open water."
"I…" Kaguya closed her eyes. "Damn it, you're right."
"So what do you suggest we do, swim?" Rumia said. "We're not exactly overburdened with an abundance of options here."
"I know, I know, I'm thinking," Kaguya muttered.
"My congratulations," Mokou said. "Though can I offer a suggestion?"
Kaguya opened one eye. "What?" she snapped.
In answer, Mokou gestured over to the town. Specifically, the harbor, where several boats were coming and going.
"If we need to cross the sea, then there are several vessels over there designed to do just that."
Rumia scratched her chin. "I don't know. Seems kind of risky to me. Who's to say they won't disappear as well."
"Then we try our hand at flying. And if that doesn't work, we swim."
"Long way to swim."
Mokou smiled. "You wanna know one of the best things about being immortal? Those sorts of things stop being an obstacle."
"So, you're suggesting that we try to convince one of the dream-people to take us across?" Kaguya said. "Hire a ferry?"
By this point, Mokou's hands were trembling at her sides, though her voice was calm and steady. "Oh, I said nothing about convincing anyone. Great thing about us being the only real people around is that we suddenly have more options then you'd think."
Rumia grinned. "So we play the pirates and commandeer ourselves a ship? I like it!"
"What? No, wait!" Kaguya shouted. "Are you out of your minds? We can't just…Did you just say pirates?"
"It's pretty much what it is, ain't it?" Rumia said. "Invade a ship and steal it."
"Huh." Kaguya pondered that for a moment longer. As much as she hated to admit it, Mokou did have a point. If this was a dream world (as the evidence vehemently supported), then all those people were no more than extremely convincing illusions. They had no real sentience to speak of. And as Rumia had just pointed out, what Mokou had suggested was, for all intents and purposes, piracy.
Kaguya felt a very silly grin split her features. She couldn't help it; it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
"Well then," she said. "Yo-ho-ho."
…
At a glance, the Kobayashi Maru was nothing out the ordinary. Just a simple trade vessel: small, built for speed and in possession of a small crew. There were dozens more like it.
However, if someone were to examine it closely they would notice several things that just didn't seem quite right. While the crew certainly performed their duties with rigorous enthusiasm, all of their running around and climbing on things didn't seem to serve any actual nautical purpose. Furthermore, the ship itself seemed to be in possession of more than its fair share of ropes and sails, and the body was oddly shaped. It was as if the whole setup had been designed by someone who had seen such ships on several occasions but had never taken the time to examine them closely.
Still, the crew diligently went about their business, and the ship itself seemed to sail well enough, so in the end a few odd traits didn't seem to matter. Of course, that all changed when a dark-haired girl in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt flew out of the sky to land right in the middle of the deck.
Kaguya cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "All right fake people, listen up! We're taking control of this ship, and to be quite frank we don't want you with it! So all of you clear out now, and we won't have to get violent!" As an afterthought she added, "Arrrr."
No one did as she said. No one even glanced at her. They all continued about their business, stepping around her if she was in the way.
Kaguya scowled. "Oh, come on! This again? What do I have to do to get your attention, flash you? Because that isn't going to happen."
A second girl touched down on the deck opposite of her. "I told you, you don't exist to them anymore," Mokou said. "Neither of us do."
"Try burning off their faces," Kaguya suggested.
"When did you get so bloodthirsty?" Mokou muttered. But she reached over to grab a passing sailor by the collar. He tried to shrug her off and go about his way, but got a face full of Mokou's burning hand for his troubles.
Kaguya and Mokou watched as his flesh melted away like wax. He sank to his knees, his body jerking and convulsing. "Huh," Kaguya said. "Almost like a robot."
"What's a robot?" Mokou asked.
"Something that acts like that if you break it." Kaguya looked around. None of the other sailors seemed to care, or even notice that their companion was being murdered right in front of their eyes.
"This is getting boring," Kaguya grumbled.
Mokou kicked her flaming victim over the side and sent him tumbling to the waters. "Makes our job easier though. No fighting back."
"Like I said. Boring."
"I'm with Kaguya," Rumia said. The self-proclaimed skeleton key hoisted herself up over the boat's side and landed next to the other two girls. "It's no fun if they don't fight back."
"And what would an overglorified locksmith know about that?" Mokou sneered.
"Hey, it's a risky business," Rumia said. "Sometimes you get caught, and when you do, things can become very…Wait, what are they doing?"
Almost as if on cue, every single one of the apathetic sailors stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Rumia with hostile eyes. They didn't say anything, they didn't make any overtly threatening movements, they just stared. Kaguya found it to be surprisingly chilling.
"Uh," Rumia said as she looked from one face to the next. "Wow. Something tells me that they don't like me."
Mokou reached up to scratch her head. "Yeah, no kidding. Is there something you want to tell us?"
"Hey, I don't know what this is about. Maybe they just really hate swords."
The crew of the Kobayashi Maru drew their weapons. Sun flashed off of steel as several swords, knives, and other wicked looking instruments of death were bared.
"Okay, never mind," Rumia said. "Looks like they're just fine with swords."
"Maybe it's because you don't belong here," Kaguya suggested. "Rin Satsuki sent us here, but you forced your way in, right?"
"That could be it." Rumia started to grin.
"Glad we got that settled," Mokou said. She raised her arms over her head and stretched. "So, now that's out of the way, any suggestions-"
With a whoop of absolute glee, Rumia tore past them and threw herself at the nearest crewman. He reacted instantly, bringing up his sword to block her attack. It ended up being a pointless motion, as Rumia's blade slashed through his like a knife through butter and nearly cut him in two. Laughing, Rumia yanked her sword free and decapitated him.
That seemed to set off the rest of the crew. Fueled by a sudden desire to avenge their fallen comrade that had been absent a few short minutes ago, they rushed forward as one to overwhelm her. Rumia met their charge with obvious gusto, diving headlong into the mob and started hacking away merrily.
Mokou raised an eyebrow. "Well, looks like she's feeling better."
"Yeah, no kidding," Kaguya said. "Maybe a little too much better."
"I'm telling you, Kaguya, there's something not right about her, and I don't just mean turning into a bloodthirsty living blender."
"Oh, she's just the token chaotic evil teammate," Kaguya said dismissively. "Every adventuring party has one. The trick is to keep her aimed at the other guys and away from us."
Mokou leaned back against the railing. "And you would be the expert on that, of course."
"Of course. I once ran this campaign where Tewi insisted on playing this blood demon from hell that kept eating the faces off of every NPC we found. Finally I had to-"
Kaguya's explanation of her adventuring credentials was interrupted when she felt something warm dripping down her shoulder. She blinked in surprise and looked down to see the handle of a small throwing-dagger, the blade of which was now completely enveloped by her flesh.
"Huh," she said as she pulled it out. "Weird.
"Where'd that come from?" Mokou asked.
The two of them looked up. Five of Rumia's combatants had broken off from the main brawl and were now approaching the pair, weapons at the ready.
"Well, would you look at that," Mokou said. "They finally noticed us."
"Looks like. Guess they don't like the company we keep."
"I hate riding other people's coattails." Mokou sighed and stood up straight. "Well, we might as well get this over with." She flexed her fingers, ignited her palms.
"You say it like it's a bad thing." Kaguya raised a single fist. Pink and yellow energy swirled around it, ready to be released. "As for me, I'd say it's time for a these punks to be boarded."
"We're already on the boat," Mokou pointed out.
"I…never mind. Let's kill things."
…
About five minutes into the fight, Mokou began to realize a couple interesting facts. Number one, her opponents were not skillful fighters. Certainly they threw themselves into the fray with little heed for their own personal safety, and there was no denying that they went about things with the same enthusiasm that they had put into their pointless imitation of sailormanship, but it was clear that they simply did not know what they were doing. There was no finesse to their movements, no grace, no strategy.
Granted, a lack of technique could be made up for by sheer overwhelming numbers. After all, Mokou had been killed by that very concept only a short while ago. Which led to the second thing she had noticed. Despite the fact that the three of them were dispatching them by the dozen, their numbers were not depleting. Quite the contrary, there seemed to be more of them. Where they had come from, whether from within the ship or simply materializing into existence, was not something Mokou could discern. But she was certain of one thing: it was very annoying.
However, there was one very important different between that incident and the one she currently found herself in: she was now in full possession of her powers. As such, the fight couldn't even be properly described as easy. By this point it was just plain unfair.
Liquid fire spat from her palm, washing over three sweaty crewmen. They ignited instantly, burning like torches until they were reduced to something that only vaguely resembled human beings. But before they even hit the deck, Mokou snatched up one and threw him into a tight gaggle of his friends, knocking them back. Then she quickly ducked to avoid a slashing blade intended to take off her head. She stiffened her fingers and thrust her hand forward right into the sword's owner's stomach, pushing through guts and muscles under she touched the hard column of his spine. This she grabbed and, in one deft movement, snapped in half.
"Too easy," she muttered as she withdrew her arm. Slime coated it up to the elbow. Flames washed over her forearm, burning it clean.
Next to her, Kaguya seemed to be enjoying herself. The Lunarian princess had relieved two of the sailors of their swords and was using them with great zest, ducking and chopping away in delight. "Avast maties!" she shouted as she hacked off one of her enemies' arms. "Arrr, ye be a scurvy lot, ye are!"
"What in the world is she saying?"
Mokou briefly glanced to her other side. Rumia had appeared, holding onto one of the sailors from behind and using him as a puppet to fight off his fellows.
"I have no idea," Mokou answered. She quickly ducked another thrust and seized the offending arm, giving it a quick twist. There was a crunching sound and its owner staggered back. "It's probably something out of that shit she reads."
Rumia braced her arms on the rail along the ship's side and slammed her feet into her meatshield's back, throwing him right into the mob and knocking a good number of them back. "What, does she read stuff by dyslexic four-year-olds?"
"Bad form, ye filthy dogs!" Kaguya cried. Rainbow energy poured from her fingertips to annihilate at least twelve men. "Davy Jones has a place picked out fer ye in his locker, arrr!"
Mokou rolled her eyes. "Believe me, that would not…" A pair of meaty fists swung at her face. She reflexively bent her spine backwards until her upper body was almost horizontal to the ground, causing the sailor's arms to pass right over her.
Her eyes flitted to that of the sailor's. Despite the fact that he was not much more than an illusionary construct created to irritated her, Mokou could have sworn she saw the briefest twinge of dawning fear in the dream's eyes as he realized what was about to happen. Appropriate, as Mokou slammed her palms against the ship's deck and, using her them as a brace, swung her legs up so the heel of each foot rested on the sailor's cheeks. She gave his head a sudden twist, and his body slumped to the ground.
Mokou flipped up to her feet with a grunt. "…surprise me one bit," she finished.
"Yer mothers were all hamsters, and yer fathers smelled of boysenberries!" Kaguya cried. "No, wait, was it raspberries? I can never remember."
Mokou sighed. "Okay, this is getting stupid. Time to end this." She thrust her arm forward, sending out a gout of flame that incinerated anyone unlucky enough to be standing directly in front of her.
"Careful, you'll burn down the whole boat!" Rumia shouted.
Mokou ignored her. She leapt through the breach she had created and started running toward the stern. Several of the sailors pushed their way through their burning comrades to intercept her. These were dealt with in a similar manner.
The door to what had to be the captain's quarters was near. Mokou leapt into the air and met it with both feet and smashed right through. She landed in a crouch and warily looked around.
The way she saw it, having the crew of the Kobayashi Maru constantly regenerate as fast as they could dispatch them was a problem. It didn't matter if they were easy to kill, sooner or later the three girls would be overrun. And seeing how Mokou and Kaguya and presumably Rumia (if she was indeed a full youkai) could also come back from the dead, then the brawl would be never-ending.
Therefore, Mokou intended to end it by cutting off the opposition's head. Kill the captain, and there was the chance that he would take the crew with him. Of course, there was still the possibility that he could resurrect as well, meaning that Mokou and company would have to find a different ship with friendlier sailors, but it was worth a shot.
There was something odd about the captain's quarters though. Mokou had not been on many ships in her long, long lifetime, but she did read a fair bit. And she was reasonably sure that the captain's quarters of merchant vessels were not supposed to look the way the room she was in now did. Rather than the plain hard wood of the ship's frame, the walls of the room were made from soft and expensive looking red panels. In the center of the room was a white futon, neatly made. On the walls hung several tapestries depicting great battles from Japanese legends. At one end stood a full suit of ceremonial armor, with a curving sword sitting on a wood stand in front of it. All in all, it looked more like the bedroom of a family member of a great house than the quarters of a hardworking sea man.
Mokou found herself staring in wonder. Not just because of the strangeness of the room, but because of how familiar it looked. She wasn't sure where it was from, but something about it was jogging a very old memory.
She glanced over her shoulder. Outside, the battle continued to rage, with Rumia and Kaguya making short work of the ship's crew. Kaguya was still yelling those ridiculous phrases of hers, but at least she was keeping the sailors busy.
Mokou stood to her feet and cautiously walked over toward the suit of armor. She stopped in front of the sword's display stand and knelt down. Out of all the things in the room, this seemed the most familiar. She moved her hand over the curving blade and leather-bound handle, her fingers lightly brushing the oiled steel. Then, almost on impulse, she seized the handle and picked it up.
As soon as the blade was in her hands, Mokou suddenly began to remember. Not only did she know this sword, she owned this sword. The armor itself had been lost for centuries, but the sword sat enshrined in her home back in Gensokyo. Of course by now the actual sword was unusable, as the blade had been snapped in half a long time ago and the handle partially rotted away. It now only served as an antique, but a very important antique at that. After all, it had already been in her family for generations, passed down from father to son.
This sword though, the one Mokou now held in her hands…there was no denying that it was the same blade. But the blade, while still nicked and pocked from use, was whole and sharp, as was the handle. She hefted it in her hand and gave it an experimental swung. The tip whistled as it cleanly cut through the air.
A voice spoke. "So, it is not enough that you dishonor our family's name, but you must pillage its treasures as well?"
Mokou spun on her heel sword at the ready. Standing before her was a young man. He was tall and handsome, with oiled dark hair tied back in a topknot and a simple grey silk tunic over the lean muscles of his body. His dark eyes were strong and proud, and they regarded Mokou with utter contempt.
Mokou recognized him instantly. Though it had been over a thousand years since she had seen him last, she had not allowed herself to forget his face.
"Umakai," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Who else did you expect?" her brother demanded. "Or were you hoping to find Father so you could piss all over him?"
Mokou shook her head. The room felt like it was starting to spin. Or was that just her head? "No," she said. "This isn't real. You're not real."
Umakai gave an angry roll of his eyes. "Of course I'm not. I suppose to you, all of us mere mortals don't exist."
"No. That's not…I mean, you can't be here. You're dead. You were killed centuries ago. That pirate attack…"
Bile suddenly rose in her throat as realization hit her. Mokou ran to the door and stared at the carnage outside. "Pirate attack…" she whispered. "Did we just…?" She turned around to see her long dead brother shaking with fury.
"Yes," he growled. "It seems to be that way. You've already taken our family's honor, now you intend to end its line by killing the heir. What's next, Mokou? Binding our souls and preventing us from entering the other life? Razing our home as you did Kamakura?"
Mokou turned around to point. "But Kamakura's right-"
The words caught in her throat. The town of Kamakura, alive and bustling only a few short minutes ago, had been set ablaze. Fire consumed everything that could burn as its inhabitants ran screaming through the streets. The smoke billowed upward, thick enough to blot out the sun.
Mokou swayed on her feet. She started to feel sick. Had she done that? No, she couldn't have. She had been here the whole time. Maybe one of her fireballs had flown wild and struck…But no, that made no sense whatsoever. Even if she had hit one of the buildings by accident, there was no way the whole place could have gone up in flames so quickly. But who else could have done it?
She felt her brother's presence as her drew close. "You see?" Umakai said, his lips almost brushing her ear. "You see what you've done? Everything you touch gets destroyed. You're a cancer, Mokou. A disease, rotting away at our family."
Mokou shuddered. She nodded once.
"And what does one do with cancers?" Umakai asked.
"Cut them out," Mokou muttered. She felt so strange.
"And are you a cancer?"
Mokou tried to fight the answer that rose up within her, but she might as well have been trying to stop the sun from rising. "Yes," she gasped out.
"So what are you going to do about that?"
That answer was clear enough. Mokou looked down at the sword still clutched in her hand, shining with a sharpness that was almost visible. She held it up and grasped the handle with both hands. She placed the tip of the blade against her left breast.
"Good," Umakai murmured. He reached around her to place his hands over hers. "Now, plunge it-"
Then he screamed, a high piercing sound that sounded absolutely inhumane. It was enough to shock Mokou out of her stupor. She shoved him off and leapt away.
Umakai felt to his knees, his mouth still stretched open and shrieking. Two curving blades protruded from his chest, and blood poured down to stain his tunic.
Behind him, Kaguya placed her foot against his back and pushed him off her swords. "Gods, that guy was creepy," she muttered.
Mokou stared in shock.
Kaguya looked up at her. Her face was filled with annoyance. "Hey moron, word of advice: don't listen to these people. Because before you know it they'll get into your mind with their deep seductive voices and you'll be committing hara-kiri. They know how to mess with your head. So don't be an idiot, okay? That sort of thing can really screw up the rest of the party."
"I…" Mokou shook her head. Everything was spinning around and around. It was all she could do to remain upright.
When she opened her eyes again, Umakai's room was gone, replaced by a plain room with a desk of papers, several chests. and a hammock strung up near the far wall. Where the body of her brother had fallen was the corpse of a man she had never seen before, with greasy hair and a thick beard. A blue silk hat inlaid with gold thread, likely taken from some nobleman, lay on the deck next to his head.
Kaguya grinned. "Hey, cool." She snatched the hat off of the ground and put it on her head. Then she walked around Mokou to head back outside.
Mokou blinked at her. "You're…just going to take his hat? Just like that?"
"Why not? It's not like he's going to complain. Besides, you heard what Rumia said. These people aren't real. And given how they've spent the whole damned fight acting like a bunch of robot zombies, I'm inclined to…Where'd everybody go?"
Mokou looked out to the deck. Save for Rumia, who was looking around with a very disappointed look on her face, it was empty. All of the crew, both living and dead, had vanished completely.
That wasn't all. The flames that had been consuming Kamakura were gone as well, leaving the skies clear and blue. However, it seemed that they had taken the town with them, along with what land had been left. The swiftly disappearing island, the town and its people, all of the other ships, all gone. There was nothing on the sea other than the Kobayashi Maru and its three passengers.
She glanced back inside. The body of the man who had masqueraded as Umakai had disappeared too, though Kaguya's new hat remained. She looked down at her hands. Her family's sword also remained, as did the pair of blades that Kaguya had claimed for herself.
"Hey!" Rumia shouted as she jogged toward them. "What the hell did you do? It was just starting to get fun!"
Mokou didn't have an answer, nor could she have spoken it if she did. Instead, she pushed her way past Rumia and Kaguya and ran over to the side of the ship. Then she threw her upper body over the railing and threw up.
…
All things considered, the invasion could have gone a lot worse. In fact, Mokou's unsurprising display of weak-mindedness aside, it had gone damned near perfectly. Certainly, the whole bit of the mobs constantly respawning was a surprise, but it hadn't been anything Kaguya was unable to handle. In such cases, the solution was always clear: find the leader and kill them. Works every time. Though it was a bit annoying that Mokou had apparently thought of it first, even if she had fallen to his manipulations quicker than you could say "The Force is weak with this one."
Still, things had worked out all right in the end. The boss had been easily defeated and the party had taken no losses. And they had gotten some mad loot out of the deal.
Kaguya grinned as she gripped the helm. Most of the time you got a few potions, some money, maybe a new set of shoulder-pads and a dagger. It wasn't often you got an entire boat out the deal. And for such an easy fight as well! She couldn't wait to see what the full dungeons had in store for them.
At the moment, they were sailing forward, riding the wind currents. They didn't have a specific destination in mind, but it didn't matter. According to Rumia, the heart of the world would draw them to it. Sooner or later, they'd find something.
In the meantime, Kaguya had appointed herself captain. It was only fitting. She had killed the boss, she had taken his hat, so it was her ship. If the others wanted to complain about fair distribution of loot, then they should have contributed more.
Though to be honest, she really didn't know much about actually commanding a ship. But seeing how those sailors didn't seem to know what they were doing either, she supposed that it didn't really matter. After all, this was a dream, lifelike as it may appear. All she had to do was act like she knew what she was doing and the rest would fall into place.
"Yo ho, yo ho," she sang and she gave the wheel a slight nudge. She breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh, salty breeze. Illusion or not, it was amazingly convincing. "It's a pirate's life for me."
Kaguya heard footsteps. She glanced down to see Mokou marching up the steps towards her.
"Oh, hey," Kaguya said. "It's the useless one herself."
Mokou shot her a glare that would normally be followed up by a murder attempt, but this time she just said, "You kept the hat, I see."
With a grin, Kaguya reached up to flick the brim. "Of course I did. I kill it, I keep it. Captain on deck."
"I hope you don't expect me to follow orders."
"I don't expect you to do anything except be incredibly annoying most of the time, only to interrupt it with unbelievable displays of stupidity. Whether or not you want to do the smart thing for once is entirely up to you."
Mokou smiled without humor. "You just aren't going to let me forget about that, are you?"
"I had to save your useless ass from a boss who took control of your mind without so much as a fight. No, I'm not going to let you forget that."
Mokou shrugged. "You may have a point. He did get into my mind pretty quickly. But…"
Mokou leaned in uncomfortably close, bringing her face mere inches away from Kaguya's. Kaguya grimaced and pulled back.
"Don't forget, we still have your little world to crawl through," Mokou murmured. "And you have more than your fair share of skeletons in the closet. Just wait until they get up and start dancing for you."
She patted Kaguya on the back, causing the Lunarian to involuntarily cringe, and headed back down the stairs to disappear into the ship's hold.
Kaguya growled. Stupid little tart. If it weren't for the fact that they needed Mokou's help, she would be perfectly happy to toss her right overboard and be done with it.
Rumia climbed out of the hold, her sword strapped to her side. A half-eaten plum was in her hand. She wandered up to the helm.
"Hey," she said. "I just passed Mokou. She looked pissed about something."
Kaguya shook her head. "Get used to it. She's going to be pissed this whole trip. And where did you find that?"
"This?" Rumia grimaced and tossed the piece of fruit overboard. "Down below. There's a whole bunch of random food. Tastes disgusting though, like someone soaked it in alcohol and covered it with salt or something."
"Eh, dream food never tastes right for me either. So tell me something, Rumia: when exactly are you planning to betray us?"
Kaguya doubted she could have gotten a better reaction if she had walked up to the youkai and jammed a letter-opener up her nose. "W-what?" Rumia gaped. "Where the hell…Who says I'm gonna…"
Kaguya kept her eyes on the sea before them as she talked. "Well, you're a lockbreaker for hire with dubious morals and a preference of speed over strength. That makes you the Rogue of the group, and they're not exactly known for their loyalty. You are also in possession of a surprising amount of bloodlust, even for a youkai. You also strike me as the sort of the person who's more than willing to stir up trouble for your own amusement." She shrugged. "Hey, no offense, but all signs point to you selling us out and stabbing us in the back once we've fulfilled our purpose."
Rumia scowled. "Mokou's right. You read way too much."
A ghost of a smile curled the end of Kaguya's lip. "Perhaps. But don't think that just because I've got my hands full with my murderous rival it doesn't mean I'm not keeping my eye on you."
"Look, I'm not planning to turn on you guys, okay? I want to get out of here as much as you do. Stabbing you in the back would be kinda counter to those desires, wouldn't you think?"
"Mmmm-hmmm. If you say so. Just remember to stick to that, and we should get along fine."
Rumia shook her head. "Yeah, this is going to go really well," she muttered. Then her frown deepened. She leaned in closer.
Kaguya leaned back. "What the hell do you want?"
"Why'd you cut off your hair for?"
"My…what?" Kaguya's hand instinctively went to her hair. "What are you talking about? I didn't-"
Then she froze. Her hair, which once flowed down past her knees, now ended only a few short inches from her scalp.
Kaguya slowly pulled her hand away from her head and stared at her fingers. They were coated in a thin layer of black soot. She whirled around. There, on the deck, was a small pile of ash.
Kaguya's jaw dropped. "What in the world-" Then realization struck her. "No. No, she couldn't have. There's no way I couldn't have noticed. How…"
Then she began to growl. Her fingers curled into claws. "Mokou!" she screamed as she vaulted onto the main deck. "Get your ass up here! Mokou!"
…
Oh my freaking God, that stupid conversation on the beach would not end! Seriously, I kept trying to move on the next scene, but then I'd realize "Wait, they haven't covered such-and-such yet". And so it just kept getting longer and longer. That's part of the reason I ended it on the girls going all piratey, to give me a break from all the talking.
Speaking of which, it's, uh, a pretty good thing those sailors weren't any more real than the people we blow away in our video games, right? Otherwise, Kaguya and Mokou would be guilty of mass murder, and that scene would be really uncomfortable. So…good thing, huh? Right? It's all good, right? *nervous laugh* So…yeah.
Anyway, if anyone's worried that Ex-Rumia's presence means she's going to end up hijacking the plot (and I'll admit: she has a bad habit of doing that), don't worry. She's just there to give Kaguya and Mokou something to do and keep them from wandering aimlessly. Those two are still going to be the main focus of the story.
Oh! And before I forget, there is a frustrating lack of information on the state of ships during feudal Japan during my Google searching, forcing me to make the descriptions rather vague. The closest thing I found were junks, and those are more Chinese in origin. So if anyone's got any information they could send me so I can retroactively fix the story, I'd really appreciate it.
Until next time, everyone!
