Normally, I wouldn't do a double update and write a little more ahead before I posted this and chapter 7...but...um...I don't know. I'm doing it anyway. It's almost been a whole month since I finished this chapter (I finished it on valentines' day)

I hope you all don't mind the quality of this chapter...it...just did not want to work with me and gah...mid-writing slumps are never fun and always...not-fun.

So, with that, With all the love in the air when I wrote it, let's see if there's some love in the air for our young Shinigami. Maybe he'll be lucky today and find the girl of his dreams.

Chapter 6 - The welcome wagon part 3

...

...ahhh

...

Fluffy.

...yes...fluffy.

These clouds are fluffy.

Not as fluffy the ones back at the afterlife, but still, pretty fluffy.

...I really could get use to resting here, wherever I am.

...granted, I should probably figure out how Yukamo-san sent me here with that...um, thing. If this keeps up my body might as well be a shinigami volleyball.

...surprisingly, that really didn't hurt as much as one would expect it to...

Either way, dang it, that Yukari woman is really weird. Noone in their right mind does what she did. I suppose sempai was right saying how she was...very odd.

I suppose Sempai was right when she said it's easiest just to meet her myself.

Shaking that off I looked around me, my back still on the solid clouds of what must be the celestia here. What did Yukamo-san and Yuyuko-sempai call it? Yes, Bhava-Agra.

...this place is nice. No wonder why they consider this place heaven. Heh-heh. This is nothing compared to the real thing...but it's still very...

"Yaaaawwwwwnnn"

Yea...I think I'll just relax here. I'm...pretty sure I'm gonna get lost if I go out. Yukamo-san must know where she sent me...

...

...right?

Oh god I hope so. At least Komachi-sempai should be able to. Granted, the way today's been going, they probably don't.

...

...oh comeon Liam, just because some phantom something whatever train just rammed you into a freaky portal and out here, you shouldn't be all so negative.

Really, all in all this isn't all too bad sofar. Yuyuko-sempai, Komachi-sempai and Eiki-sama all seem very nice to be around and they seem to be the types I can turn to for help.

Everyone ha-

"What type of shinigami are you who doesn't want to fight?"

"You know what I think? I think if you really think that, you might as well quit right now, because the world don't work like that at all you idiot."

Ju-just...just shake it off. Don't think like that.

Stop it Liam. Stop thinking that way.

She was doing that on purpose. Sempai said so. Stop thinking about it.

Sofar, everyone you've met here has been pretty nice, and flat out pretty anyway. Just focus on something else, ok?

...like those voices...

...hmm

...

I keep hearing those voices going around. Seems like a bunch of people looking to find whatever that commotion, aka me, was. They've spent at least 15 minutes searching. There's this one guy who seems to be sending out informal orders to the others and getting more frustrated that whatever came here cannot be found. He's clearly their leader. And if he's their leader that says alot. Probably weaker then those he commands. They lack organization, I don't need to look to tell they're not any form of organized or trained forces. They sound youthful, but figuring if this is a celestia, those celestials could sound like children and be centuries old. If I guessed, I've heard at least 6 voices or so. There might be more of these people, but the way they seem to be acting there's probably more elsewhere.

I'm pretty snug here, laying down in this little cloud crevice, pretty much unable to really look around and all I get to see is the very beautiful sky above.

I probably should just go introduce myself...

...But...

...the way my body feels...I...yea, I'd rather just lay here right now. I'm pretty sure my appendix, spleen, and my ribs haven't finished growing back from that job Nightbug-san did to me...and landing on my folded up scythe hasn't helped my lower back either.

Komachi-sempai told me whatever accident that occurred happened up here...yea...I'm just gonna chill here a little longer and wait for evac.

And as soon as I decide I'm gonna relax, the universe decides to once again do the very opposite in the form of a cute girl. I see a head pop up over the cloud crevice.

"Hello." The head said.

I looked up, and saw a beautiful girl pop her head into my view

She has an amazing voice. Very pretty red eyes that glistened. She had long azure hair that flowed all the way down, I'd judge down to her back. She had a sweet white collared blouse with a nice red bowtie. I couldn't see much else. Not even if she was wearing pants or a skirt.

She had a very slender figure, she haven't been eating all too much. She's thin, and definitely not as filled out as the other women I had encountered today.

But still...very pretty.

"You alive down there?" She asked me.

Oh yes. Stop staring and answer.

"For the most part. Just resting." I told her.

She had a little nod to that.

"These clouds are a nice place to rest, aren't they?"

"Yea, they really are." I said back.

"So tell me mister mysterious. How'd you get your butt stuck in our clouds?"

Ahh, so she's a celestial. Huh.

"Well..."

And so, I closed my eyes, and thought about what to say.

Komachi-sempai and I had taken our time getting to Eiki-sama's house sometime after I woke up from Nightbug-san's beatdown. Seems like she wanted me to remember the path.

Probably for the best.

Sempai led the way, I just followed as I usually do. My body was still healing up from my injuries dealt by Nightbug-san. I told her it was ok to leave as soon as my ability to walk returned.

In retrospect, that wasn't a smart choice. It's a struggle to keep up and the stress is keeping the rest of me from healing properly as fast as it should.

We got through into a clearing in the forest of magic, a small little cottage that seemed completely disconnected from the rest of the area.

Yes, I could sense it. Eiki-sama was inside. Komachi moved to the door. "Let me go get her."

She opened the door and with flare Komachi began to shout out "HEL-" before she suddenly silenced herself with one hand and grabbed the door with the other to keep it from slamming.

Right after this, Sempai turned to me and give me a single finger "shhhh" as she gently and slowly popped her head inside, examining the insides of Eiki-sama's cottage a little more before exiting and closing the door.

Sempai told me she was sleeping. "Girl must have plum tired herself out" or something.

I asked her what to do next. She told me that Fukakusa, Fuka-chan as she puts it, had an appointment with the celestials above in the local Celestia which I was going to have to keep. She seemed very adamant on that this appointment needed to be kept, and that she would be going with me to ensure that everything "goes as it should". I could tell by the look she gave me that I wasn't going to have a choice in this matter. I wasn't going to protest, I could because it's not her place,, but It's not like I'd mind having a sempai help me out. Any help is good help too.

She was going to say more but something caught sempai's attention.

I turned to our side and we saw a portal open up. It was weird, it looked like the ends of the portal were tired together with bowties and two women walk out. One was in a purple dress, the other in a blue kimono.

"Hello!" I heard a voice "Yama-sama! We decided to pay you a visit! We even got some delicious apples! Take a break with us and we'll catch up!"

Seems like that didn't wake Eiki-sama up.

Sempai was quick to silence them and informed them that Eiki-sama was tired and was sleeping. The girls apologized and then took notice to me, to which sempai quickly informed that I was "fuka-chan's" sub.

Both of the women came my way like a doctor to a new patient.

The girls looked at me, scanned me, and both smiled.

I felt a little nudge from Komachi-sempai, prodding me and giving me the cue to introduce myself.

...which...I was about to do it anyway .I always hate it when that happens.

"I am Liam Albius" I said giving a greeting bow to the two ladies." I will be here replacing Fukakusa-san and reaping souls in your friend's stead until your friend is all better and I am no longer needed. It is an pleasure to meet you."

A little forced...I had practiced it last night before I left.

"Ahh, so you are replacing Fuka-chan." Said the ghost in the blue with short pink hair, smiling at me. "I think we're gonna get along great!"

I think so too.

After she said that, a light turned on inside her and she made a big "oh!" moment.

I guess she remembered something.

"Oh! Koma-chan, before I forget again, how is Fuka?" The lovely ghost asked Komachi-sempai

Sempai quickly answered and began to talk. "Oh, you know Fuka-chan, hanging in there like a rock. Most of the soul's regenerated and about half the torso, at least outside wise. Still too squishy to touch and Fuka-chan has had a few bursts of consciousness but for the most part been out of it. The doctor said the hard part's almost over, and Fuka-chan should be awake soon then back in action in about two to three more months."

"At least, that's what the doctor said." Finished Sempai.

"Though knowing Fuka-chan it shouldn't be that long." replied the ghost in blue.

"You can say that again." Said sempai.

I wonder when I'll meet this Fukakusa-san

"Oh! Where are our manners? We haven't introduced ourselves." The youkai in purple said, speaking with a body language that said otherwise.

The ghost in blue introduced herself first.

"My name is Saigyouji Yuyuko. I manage Gensokyo's netherworld. It's a pleasure to meet you Liam-san." Said Yuyuko-san, giving me a courteous bow.

She's cute.

...Heck, every girl I've met today is attractive. From running into Alicia-san as she headed off to her first assignment too this morning to the celestial above me. I suppose I should be lucky that I'm surrounded by such beautiful women.

"Likewise" I said before my mind spiked and I spat out. "Wait, you're on of us?"

"Yep. She's one of us, mostly. You see, unlike us" Sempai begain "Yuyu here works for the afterlife, yet she hasn't completely crossed over like you or me, despite her being a ghost. She's Non-inducted afterlife personal".

So she is my sempai then. Hmmm.

Lots of times nobody manages netherworlds like the one that's suppose to be connected here. They are capable of running themselves and being so small I thought that'd be the case here, but I suppose if Gensokyo's got such powerful entities like Sempai said earlier there probably is a need for powerful people managing it too, even if they're not offically inducted into the afterlife.

"You see, after I died Komachi-san tried to ferry me over, but well, my I was one of those cases that couldn't completely cross over into the afterlife. Eiki-sama took notice of my situation, and of my abilities and how I could actually control and influence them. As well as the fact that I was dead yet stable as a ghost. I died pretty young, and Eiki-sama asked if I would be willing to stay in the mortal world and help out the dead. I gladly accepted Eiki-sama's offer and be loving being dead ever since."

"Though, you won't be seeing much of me. I usually don't spend my time in the world of the living. I stay in the netherworld in my mansion, Hakugyokurou, and do most of my work from there."

That I was curious about.

"A mansion in the netherworld?" I asked.

"Yep!" Said the woman in purple. "Shortly after Yuyu-chan got the job of a lifetime, I decided it was time to give her a great housewarming gift."

The woman in purple brought both her hands together by the side of her face. "But then I realized a problem! Yuyu-chan didn't have much of a home she could call her own...well, aside from the home she lived in as a mortal, but we didn't want that to turn into one of those haunted places you hear so much about. So, I roped a few carpenter youkai together and with my own powers, we created a home for my greatest friend in the whole wide world. A big old fancy mansion just like she use to live in as a kid."

"She was so happy to see it, but, since I spent so much time getting her home ready, I couldn't find where I put her housewarming gift. So I ran to a shopkeeper and got a baby apple tree for her courtyard.

...

"Oh, and a bottle of shampoo."

...

If I wasn't there, I wouldn't have believed someone such as her would have said that.

I saw Yuyuko-sempai turn to her odd friend. "That was one very nice bottle of shampoo." She said.

"Only the best for you Yuyu."

This purple lady sure was strange. It's amazing to think this was the woman Komachi informed me about earlier.

"Oh, by the way Liam," Komachi said to me, "I haven't said it yet, but this fine lady here is Yukari Yakumo, the Youkai of a thousand talents whom I told you about earlier, who also clearly has no intention of introducing herself to you, because she could never do such a normal, sane thing like normal, sane people do."

And to that my mind went "Wait, what?" That was her? was what I was thinking.

"Agreed Komachi-san. And why should I? After all, you just did it for me and saved me the trouble."

Sempai took a inch back. Thought, and laughed a little.

"Ya got a point there. You really are one of a kind, aren't you?" Sempai responded back.

Now that I think about this, I had assumed this was just jesting between two friends...though part of me says that Komachi-sempai really doesn't like how confusing Yakumo-san is. At least...troublesome. Maybe it was just her saying what she thought.

Neither lady showed any signs of annoyance. They just kept going back and forth like friends.

"Always is and always will be one of a kind. There isn't someone quite like me."

I saw Yuyuko-sempai have a little giggle to that too.

"You can say that again. Yukari, you really are, well... a little... Abbynormal"

And with that a metaphorical questionmark popped over my head as the girls had a little laugh to themselves.

Noticing I didn't get the joke, Sempai whispered to me "I'll show you the movie later."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Substitute Shinigami. And I for one welcome to our fair Gensokyo. We do hope you're enjoying yourself."

Hmm...thinking back, I'd ask if how good sofar or what I'm thinking it's gonna be. Cause currently those two are very different things at the moment.

Of course, I'd never say that. "I am. It's a pleasure to be here." I said instead.

"So, now that we've introduced ourselves to you, what do you think about us? And well about Gensokyo as well, we do hope you've been enjoying your stay here" Said Yakumo-san.

I should have seen her move her finger, a little bit of magic or something as her left index finger limb by her side made a little circle, invoking a magic, or as they told me, a boundary and flipping said boundary on its head.

Said boundary was important, because what I was suppose to say in response to Yakumo-san's question was "That I think you're both very quite nice and aside from being a little banged up, I'm doing quite alright."

Of course, because of Yakumo-san's machinations, that's not what I actually said.

What actually came out of my mouth was...

"Well, alright for the most part. Aside from being a living sonic boom and crunched by a giant blood fist and having all the bones in my body crushed twice within 2 hours, I'm say I'm doing ok, aside from all those very not-ok things happening to me all in the span of said morning. I kinda feel like it's a really bad omen... Like I'm gonna get my ass kicked all day. But I'm worrying about that much more then I should, so I shouldn't say that when everyone I have met is encouraging me to do my best and I really don't want to let Elly down. I guess on the lighter side of things, It does help that I've been surrounded by beautiful ladies the whole day too. I'm usually not into, or see things like Sempai's volup-!"

And it was at that moment I realized I was not thinking the above, but actually saying that. Out loud.

And this was when I freaked.

I made a "Ack!" thought, but said "What the heck?"

I tried then saying "What the heck", but instead ironically said what I was thinking "I can't talk!"

"Wait a second, I think, I can!" I tried to say, but instead, "I can't say what I'm trying to say?" I uncontrollably said both confused and frantically.

I tried to process the situation, and from it I only spoke more. "I tried to process my situation, trying to figure out what the heck just happened and why I'm saying all these things. Looking around, what the heck is going on?"

"It was clear they knew what was going on. I tried to silence myself again" I uncontrollably spoke out loud "and Crap! It's-not-working-I-still-am!"

"Ahhhhhhh-" I began to fret until I realized a solution to my uncontrollable talking. Hand on mouth. And I did such, covering my uncontrollable motor mouth. But not before explaining it in detail to the beautiful Youkai, Ghost, and Soul Reaper surrounding me, because once again, uncontrollable talking.

Once I had managed to muffle my precious innermost thoughts I gave a sigh of relief, despite said mouth continuing to muffle.

As I now freaked out (silently), Sempai seemed to understand what was going on.

"Real adult-like Yukari." Komachi-sempai said to Yukari-san

I don't know what passed me, but I tried to be normal again for once and took off my hand off my mouth.

"So she really did this to me?" I uncontrollably said and thought at the same time. "What the heck did she do?"

Yakumo-san took it all in stride. "Oh come on, it's just a little joke. It's always so much fun to flip the boundaries of inner thought and spoken word. It's always amusing."

"I looked at Sempai and saw her fidget responding, I suppose it kinda is but damnit not when it's happening to me!" I fretfully and uncontrollably said.

We all had a moment of silence (well, aside from me remuffling myself))

"Umm...what he said." Said Sempai. "As much as I'd like to play around, we really don't have time for all this today."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, we got a few places to visit today. It is Liam's fist day here afterall."

"True...Liam-san has been through alot today already. Come on Yukarin, we should be at least a little easy on him."

"Alright." With that, Yakumo-san snapped her fingers.

"Consider it undone. You can take your hand off your mouth now Liam-san, you're done narrating your life to us." She told me.

I finally took my mouth off my hand, seeing if something would happen as they did prior.

...and it did not.

In response to whatever this was being lifted, I made a big ahhh and sigh for relief.

"Though I must say, it was fun listening to your little narrations. I did enjoy it." Yakumo-san said to me.

Granted, the feeling wasn't all mutual.

"Me too" I heard Yuyuko-sempai say to me, "Iit was fun hearing you narrate what was going on like that."

Yakumo-san turned to Yuyuko-sempai "Yep Yuyu, It very much can be. Infact, you should try it sometimes. I've done it, I know Komachi-san and even the Yama herself has done it on occasion."

"Yea... I feel like I'm the only one among us who hasn't." Yuyuko-sempai commented while she was in thought.

Heh...I suppose when you think back upon events you either play it like a memory or like a stage play...

I was looking at Sempai. Something tells me she didn't want this to keep on going either. "So, with um, this out of the way, we need to get going." She said taking my hand.

"So you really can't stay? Where are you headed?" Yakumo-san questioned

"To Bhava-Agra." Komachi-sempai said.

"I see. Well, I won't stop you." Yakumo-san said to me "Enjoy your trip."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Let me let me make this up to you, I'll get you there in a giffy..."

Yakumo-san snapped her fingers once again, and I felt something subtle behind me open. Quickly looking, it was another one of her strange portals.

"Another gap of yours? You're sending us there by your portals?" Asked sempai

...I saw a grin in the corner of Yakumo-san's mouth.

oh boy...

"No. By train."

"Train?" I asked naively "There's a train that takes us to the sky? Huh?"

"No, it's more like a phantom train..." Yakumo-san said.

"Huh? What type of train is that?"

"This one."

And before I know it, I see a bowtied portal appear infront of me and Sempai. As I look inside I see a bright flashing light and a roaring sound of what seems to be well...

"Ahhh!"

...well, A train.

And that was I froze up as the bright lights of the train blinded me, then hit me.

And the I wound up here in the clouds...

Hmmmm...

...yeeeeaaaahhh...

...I probably shouldn't tell this celestial girl any of that. Yep, probably not.

Instead...

"It's a long story." I said.

"Huh" she began "I really don't have time for one of those. Can you sum up how you got here?"

Ummm...

"Phantom train"

From the look in her eyes...

"Aaaaa..."

...yea... not what she was expecting. I could see her eyebrow lift as confusion set in her face, she looked down, to her sides, the celestial racking her brain trying to process "phantom train" as an answer.

After a minute of going "aaaaaa" and trying to process it, she answered back with a "-Ahhhh...whatever..."

I guess she gave up.

Then I began to speak what was on my mind. "You know, when you expect to have a first day, you never really expect it to be consisting of one's body beaten around like a tetherball constantly. I really wish it'd stop, but my gut's kinda telling me that this is how things are gonna be. "

"Oh, first day? Well, congrats on becoming a celestial. I'll introduce you to the rest of our..."

"Oh no, I'm not a celestial." I corrected.

...umm...should I say this?

The girl wanted to know more "Wha? Then why are you here?"

"Um...well, of well, I'm well, suppose to be the new reaper shinigami here for a few months."

And as soon as I said that, I mostly regretted it.

"Shinigami?! Ooohhhh, oh my. There's a new shinigami to replace the dead shinigami?"

And now I fully regret it.

"I see, I see...I'm surprised they sent another into meat-grinder so fast. I thought they would have wised up."

I...don't like that euphuism very much.

"Really, they should have. This is our land, you
shouldn't be coming taking our people. But on the bright side, it's guilt-free fun, if you know what I mean. You know what they say, you gotta make your own fun right? Guilt-free fun sounds like a pretty good choice."

...

...my gut sank...

"...something tells me your definition of fun, is not what my definition of fun is..."

"And that" She said in a sing-songy voice." Is correct."

Within a second the little stick thing she held grew a red blade that jammed down inches from my head.

"Welcome to Bhava-Agra Shinigam-Me. Now get the hell out, or you're gonna wind up like that other shinigami: Dead."

...

She smiled a venomous smile "Ok?"

"BABE!" I heard the shout from that singular male. "WE'RE LEAVING!"

Seems like he's recalling...well, whatever their relationship is.

"Coming!" the hot and venomous celestial shouted back in a very playful voice. It seemed like the opposite of how she was speaking to me.

Turning back to me, she leaned in once more as she recalled her blade.

"You see, I could call the others here, but since you're new and I'm a nice girl, I'll let you run away today."

She stood up.

"Consider this your only warning. Goodbye Shinigam-me."

With that, she left.

...

...and...

...and once again I was left alone in this little cloud crevice. My thoughts of this girl. Beautiful, she's really really cute and sounds like an angel (technically, she can even be considered one) ...but...damnit, why does she have to be such an asshole?

I know that people don't like death, they're scared of it and fight it. I understand...it's not like everyone is like me and accepts our deaths right after it happens. I know people will try to fight it, their attachments to the mortal world...it's something we all have. But the world must have finality and ending. We're a fundamental cog in the function of how existence works. Things begin, but too must they end. I feel for all those people who try to break life and death just to save someone they love...and I-

"Liam. What the hell are you talking about?" I thought to myself, interrupting my own little speech in my head.

"Do you really think this girl cares about anything you just said? Guilt-free fun, remember?"

"She doesn't. Stop trying to talk to someone who isn't there, who wouldn't listen even if she was."

...

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that something had wrapped it's tentidrills around me. Now that I was paying attention, I also could feel something appear below me, from the corner of my eye I could see that this is the same type of portal Yakumo-san used earlier.

From them, the tentacles of salvation pulled me into the portal and away from this crazy place and dragged into...whatever the hell this is...

...man...this is weird...wherever I am, there's these weird eyes staring at me. I suppose this is how a movie feels when watched in the theater.

Are these eyes even real?

Before I had time to ponder the subject more, I fell out of whatever space I had been pulled into, and wound up back at Eiki-sama's house. Landing flat on my back with a "omph!".

"About time you found him." Komachi-sempai commented. "You should be glad that didn't wake Eiki-sama."

"Again, I'm sorry. I don't go to Bhava-Agra often...or really ever. I kinda figured since you were in a hurry I'd send you there the fast way, and have some fun along the way...seemed like a good idea at the time." I noticed Yakumo-san rubbed a corner of her head. Did she have a bump there on her head earlier?

"So let me try that one again. Since now I know where you're suppose to be going up there, I'll bridge a gap to get you where you actually need to be."

With that, Yakumo-san snapped her fingers and opened up a portal gap thingy above us.

...

...Huh, so that's what it looks like. Weird.

"Thanks, but we'll pass Yukari." I heard sempai say. "We'll be sticking with just normal travel today. Eiki-sama's orders, she won't let me use my fast travel tricks either."

"Really? Well, if you say so..." She said, clicking her fingers again and the thing she had created fell back into the non-existence.

Sempai walked up to me and extended her hand to help me up. I took it.

"Welcome back kid" Sempai said to me. "Enjoy your trip?"

I was uneasy to answer at first...looking at Yuyuko-sempai and Yakumo-san...I didn't want to cause anything. I'll talk to sempai later about this celestial problem.

"Yea." I lied.

"Glad you enjoyed your preview of the place. We need to get there right now." Sempai turned to the boundary youkai and the ghost princess. "I'd love to stay and talk girls, but we gotta head out. We got an appointment in about.."

Komachi reached into her pocket and took out her afterlife communication device. Looking like a small little block, she seemed to be checking the time on it before putting it back.

"...about 20 minutes with Lord Nai and some of the celestials up there, and I am not going to be late to Fuka-chan's appointment."

...why don't I like the sound of this?

Oh, right. A unkillable shinigami who's a thousand times more experienced then me was nearly murdered there and I'm going right into that hotzone with no clue but bad clues on what to expect.

Yay.

"Alright girls, I'll see you two later." Komachi-sempai said to the two "Oh, and keep me informed with what's going on with little Youmu-chan ok? I Wanna make sure I-"

Yakumo-san cut her off. "We'll talk to you about that later. You go have fun now, ok?"

"You know I will." Sempai said before grabbing my hand and taking off, taking me with her out of the forest and into the sky.

"Next stop! Heaven!"

Chapter 6 - The Welcome Wagon Part 3 - End

AN: This chapter...was kinda a pain. I really liked the whole boundary of inner thought and spoken word thing. That really is such a troll move that I really could see Yukari doing to people for kicks. And I couldn't resist the narration joke. I hope you got a kick out of it too.

And also, we meet a new touhou girl. Tenshi, the troublesome Celestial. (Clearly, that's who the Celestial is. Conservation of character, after all), isn't as we remember her. And she really didn't have any friends in SWR? I wonder what happened?

This chapter wasn't all too fun to write, after scrapping it once it just slogged on and I had to keep on forcing myself to write it. Urgh, I really hope it was ok for you people.

I hope you guys and gals reading like what I'm writing. C+C I really appreciate, and I hope you guys keep on reading.

Click next chapter and let's move on to the next part of Liam's journey in Touhou's heaven.