'Watching what you think is weird…' Hikari considers.
"I'd imagine." Satori voices.
The five all sat in Lumine Hall, marveling at the board as they considered the next plan of action.
'We should probably just relax more. I think we have one more sanctuary place left to find.'
Hiyori agrees. "I believe we should consider our actions carefully. Knowing that it will be the last sanctuary and all."
'At least, I think it's the last…' Hikari holds a hand to her chin…
...Her party members, after reading those words on the board, turn to her with sarcastic grins.
'...Stupid psychic board.'
Okuu walks into the sanctuary. "Satori-sama~! My arm's not attacking me anymore!"
Snorting, Satori turns to her pet. "I can see that."
...Then, she turns to Hiyori. "Mmm. A lot happened, in the short time you were gone. More than in the past sixty years, I'd hazard."
'Nuclear reactors.' Hikari can't get over that.
...Pausing, Satori turns to Hikari. "It's just one reactor."
"Just one." Osamu nods. "Mmm. Mmm! S'...s'good. Don't see a problem with that."
"...It's not as volatile as you all think." Shrugging, the mind reader moves towards the cave's exit. "...Okuu and I are heading back. I trust you four can make it back without being slaughtered by lone phantoms?"
Okuu pouts. "But, we just got he~re…!"
"...It's literally in our backyard." Satori monotones.
"...True." Okuu puts a finger to her lips. "...Al~right…"
With that, the two began leaving the cave…
'Where could the next sanctuary be?' Hikari made a pensive face… 'We've been miles underground, above the clouds, and across Gensokyo.'
"Enough backtracking and aimless wandering," Marigold grins. "and we could probably find anything we really needed to."
'...That's a good idea, actually. We should really stock up, now. Even with my best attack, it seems like everyone had to freeze that last boss.'
Osamu slowly struts towards the cave exit. "Yeah, some new duds'd be cool…" He looks down at his fairly abraded robes. "These ones already crapped out. Stupid caves 'n' shit…"
"Maybe something resistant to being ripped apart…" Hiyori considers aloud.
"Yeah, if only…" Osamu snorts… before eying Hiyori's gi, face slowly shifting in realization. "...Dude, that thing's hardly ripped. Who sells that?"
"Custom made." She explains. "In the oni city."
'...Can we go to the oni city?' Hikari wonders.
"...I'd rather you didn't, but at this point, it should be rebuilding." Hiyori consents. "It should be safe… enough."
'Safe enough is good enough for me.'
Marigold moves towards the cave exit. "...I'd make a quip about how we visit dangerous places all the time, but that city looked pretty brutal the other day."
It seems everyone has ceased paying attention to the mind board. 'Thank goodness…'
Hikari follows her party members out of the sanctuary, leaving a still scrolling board behind.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Back at the palace, the party considered their next steps.
They all sat around the table with a large, cookie-induced hole in it, Hikari being the first to speak. "Where should we go first?"
"The oni city's right next to us." Marigold provides. "We could get Osamu a new robe there."
"...I'm seeking some equipment myself." Hiyori adds, choosing her words carefully. "It's nothing that could be found in a store."
Hikari glanced at her, but Osamu chose to comment. "Y'lookin' for freakin' treasure or somethin'?"
...Hiyori nods. "Yes."
'If we were going to do any treasure hunting, now would definitely be the time…'
"I take it you four are leaving, then?"
Walking in from an open doorway, Satori's gaze washes over the party.
"Mmm." Hikari nods. "We got stuff to do."
Satori smiled. "Very well. Do come again, one of these days. You four will always be welcome within these walls…" She locks her eyes on Osamu. "Even you."
Osamu is pleased with that. "Damn right."
"We'll make sure to visit again." Hiyori smiles back.
Satori looks at her… "Good luck… Hiyori."
With that, the party began moving for the exit, passing by the various palace inhabitants.
"Bye~!" Ellen, the kitten person, waved at the party as they left.
Ashes poked her head out from inside Satori's office. "O-oh, hey… Sorry about the, uh…"
"No problem." Hikari waved it off as they passed.
'I wish I had some catnip, right now…'
The party walked down the steps in the main foyer…
Somebody appeared before them.
…
'It's her!' Memories flooded back into Hikari's head. 'She helped us during the fight with Satori… I think?'
On second thought, Hikari wasn't sure just what she did during that fight.
Osamu smiled. "Hehe~y, it's the champ!"
Then, the five were silent, as Satori caught up behind the party, having stopped to discuss things with the cats along the way.
Koishi smiled at the four. "...You're good people. You helped sister."
Osamu flexed. "Helpin' people's what I do best…"
"If you hit on her, you're being inserted into the cookie constructor." Satori warns.
Osamu turned to her hastily. "Dude- I wasn't even thinkin' that!"
Koishi giggled. "Aah, let'em off, Satori-chan! I know men can't get enough of the Koishinator!" She suddenly pumps out her chest, and attempts to look burly. "Hoh ho~h, helpin' people's what I do best!" She then proceeds to imitate Osamu's flexing.
'Wow.' Hikari chuckles. '...She's a wildcard, huh?'
Osamu simply snorts, looking defeated.
"Speakin' of helping people…" Koishi reaches into her pocket. "Here."
She pulls out a heart-shaped gem. Moving towards Hikari, she hands it to her, fitting it into the palm of her hand…
'Another shiny rock. I should become a rock collector.'
"...Th-thanks." Hikari wasn't sure how to reply.
Koishi smiled. "No… thank you."
With that, Koishi turned, and vanished.
'...That's a weird ability.' Hikari tilts her head. '...How did I forget about her that last time? I hope my memory's not getting worse, already. If anything, that should be happening to Mom.'
...Marigold looked around awkwardly. "Anyone else somehow forget about her until just now?"
Osamu, Hiyori, and Hikari raised their hands.
"...It's one of her abilities." Satori commentates. "She is able to manipulate the subconscious, and is thus able to hide her presence. Even down to the level of memory."
'...Wow.' Hikari nods in appreciation.
"If you still remember her, though, that means she doesn't mind you four remembering her." Satori smiles.
'That's cool.' Hikari looks down at the gem she received...
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
After saying their final goodbyes, the party hit the road to the oni city.
'I'm still kinda curious if they have snacks down there…' Hikari's appetite knew no bounds.
"Is the oni city normally a nice place?" Marigold glances at Hiyori.
"...Depends on your definition of 'nice'." Hiyori carefully states. "I mean, I think it's not so bad, between the brawls, but…"
They neared the fragmented remains of the oni city outskirts. From here, they could already see scaffolding raised high across the length of the city, towering into the sky.
Hikari blinked. "...We just got out of the sanctuary less than an hour ago."
Hiyori snorts. "Yeah. They work fast."
Once the four neared the oni city, they got to see the reconstruction up close…
Burly, shirtless men holding up entire stone pillars, some with one stone pillar in each arm. Others held entire stone slabs that would constitute floors or flooring. The ground rumbled with each block plopped down.
Nearby, oni with pickaxes sculpted massive chunks of rock brought in by teams of few oni, usually carried by one or two, three if it was absolutely gigantic.
'Holy…' Hikari's eyes widened at the process. 'Construction taken to its physical extreme.'
Osamu gaped. "...So, uh~... these're what the men from yer hometown're like, huh?"
Hiyori scans the populace, and notices the flame-haired oni woman from before, dipping her hands into flames that rest above magma to bend and sculpt the hot metal needed for their pickaxes.
"The girls are, too." Hiyori adds. "...I'm not quite as strong as most oni, but I could pretty much do everything they're doing right now."
Seemingly with a hint of caution, Hiyori leads the party deeper into the city. Surrounding oni spared glances at the party, which turned into stares at the strange nature of the company.
'You'd've thought they'd've seen a shrine maiden and a few mages before…'
Osamu looks intimidated. "Dude, they've all got like, six packs! Eight packs, even! They probably got pecs under their pecs!"
...Hiyori shrugs. "One of our strongest looks like a little girl. I don't think the muscles even matter."
'Suika.' Hikari noted to herself.
As the party walked deeper into the city, the structures got higher and higher…
"The hell're we even gonna buy robes, anyway?" Osamu realizes. "Are there even mages down here!?"
"I know a place." Hiyori silences his worries. "It should be in service, regardless of whether or not it's still standing."
After a few turns down the roads of the city, the party wound up in a crowded street, forcing the four to cling close to one another.
"Hold onto each other." Hiyori instructs them. "We don't want anyone getting any smart ideas, here. Not everyone has the exact same concept of honesty, here."
'I wonder how bad this street would become if someone just let off a mana bomb in the middle of it.' Hikari grinned. 'I don't think I'd wanna be here to find out.'
Eventually, Hiyori guided them towards a small, highly mangled structure…
Inside, a tall oni male with a moustache and absurdly spiky hair faced away them. "...Hey, kids, the shop's closed! Can't you see the walls!?"
Hikari winced at the loud voice. 'Geez.'
He seemed to be working on the walls behind the counter, slapping stone into place, before hastily slapping some magma onto them.
Hiyori sighed. "Hey, Gabora."
His eyes widened. "O-oh!? S'dat you, N-"
"Hiyori. Yes, it's me." Hiyori spoke over him.
...He guffawed. "Pfft-hahahaha~h! H-Hiyori, huh? Yeah, no one else but you. You finally rip that gi apart, or what?" He turns with a wide grin, only to blink. "...Oh?"
"This kid needs a robe. One that doesn't easily disintegrate." She points to Osamu.
Gabora looks at him. "...Who the hell's that? Holy shit is he short!" Snorting, he bends over to examine the short human mage. "Nor-"
"Hiyori." Hiyori stresses.
'...People keep trying to call her something else. Did she have a different name?'
The oni scoffs. "Hiyori. If this little shit's your husband, I'm gonna clock ya."
Hiyori shakes her head. "Just a friend. He needed some robes after climbing down all this way."
...The oni blinks. "He climbed down? Huh. Guess he's no shithead, at least. Damage resistant robe, yeah?"
Hiyori nods. "How much will it cost?"
Gabora waves his hand. "Aa~h… Depends. He want anything fancy?"
They both look to Osamu…
...He grins sheepishly. "A-auhm… Somethin' red?"
...Gabora nods. "Just red?"
Osamu nods back.
The oni smiles. "Good! Good. Last time, someone asked for gold embroidered shit. Had to put the guy in the roof, 'cause he was all fussy about it, and-... yeah." Scratching the back of his head, Gabora reached for a pile of cloth. "This'll only be a moment…"
Ri~p!
"And now, for the robe part…" The oni took a wooden cross with iron balls stuck to each end, and used it to fasten arm holes with his hands.
Ri-ri~p. Rip, rip, rip…
"Alright. It's pretty shitty 'cause I don't have my sewing machine or, uh… anything except for the cloth, right now, but it gets the job done. Fuck it, I won't even charge ya. Now…"
Holding his hands over the robe, he focuses…
…
Then, the robe glimmers a bright gold, before the light fades completely.
"There. Now, it'll take even an oni a little doin' before it rips. Seal runs out in like, a year, though, so come back if ya really care about that robe…" He hands it to Osamu...
Osamu looks down at what is essentially ripped cloth with arm holes and a head hole.
"...Y'probably won't." Gabora decides preemptively.
Osamu obtained Strong Red Cloth!
"...Truly your best effort." Hiyori monotones.
Gabora glares at her. "Honey, y'know I only make fancy shit when I feel like makin' fancy shit. Also, all my shit's broke."
"Mmm." Hiyori nods, turning for the door. "Let's get out of here."
'Not the friendliest place.' Hikari decides. 'Not that many places are, it seems.'
"...Have a good one!" Gabora calls out to the four as they leave.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The four slowly edged their way through the city's central hub.
'So many people at once…' Hikari had scarcely seen such population density, even in the human village.
As they slowly passed through the congested inner streets, conversation sparked.
"Big place." Marigold notes. "Big people."
"Dude, you see the chicks down here?" Osamu makes a note of his own. "Freakin' huge. In, like, the good way!"
'Good priorities.' Hikari sighs.
He points up. "Like, dude…"
Marigold turns to him, looking disdainful. "Are boobs the only thing you think about?"
"No, legit." He continues pointing. "That one's freakin' ginormous."
Marigold glances up at the towering blonde standing upon a large rock in the midst of the square.
"...If you keep this up, I'm going to have to hurt you." Marigold decides.
Osamu snorts. "I meant the muscles, einstein."
…
"I-I knew that!" Marigold blushes.
"...Her eyes." Hikari observes.
The party looks at her, then up at the oni…
She was indeed grinning down at them.
"...Ah, shit." Osamu slouches.
Hiyori takes a glance, before looking back at the party. "...I'd say we should hurry, but I understand that'd be a little hard."
'Moving at the speed of rocks.'
…
Though the tall woman stared down at them, she didn't act as the party slowly trudged their way through the crowd and into the street that lead back towards Hiyori's house.
The density of the road slowly lowered as the party progressed away from the center of the oni city.
Marigold speaks. "...I'm surprised there wasn't any fighting."
"Reconstruction's often the best time for tourists." Hiyori informs the party. "It's pretty rare that we get pissed enough during reconstruction to start anymore fights… even if it has happened before. Then you'd have that one week where the city was in rubble the entire time."
'This place is insane.' Hikari resolves. 'I couldn't imagine living down here, like that.'
As they continued towards the outskirts where Hiyori's house lied…
Thoo~m!
The blonde oni in the white, short-sleeved shirt stood ahead, grinning widely.
'...I don't think she just landed ahead of us for funsies.'
…
Hiyori turned back to the party. "...You guys can go around. I'll talk with her."
Osamu grinned. "Same plan as last time?"
...She shook her head. "Don't interfere."
His face fell as she walked to greet the red-horned oni ahead of them. "...What's her deal?"
"Honor." Marigold explains, looking tired. "Combat is a matter of pride among onis. As such, unfair advantages are typically frowned upon. Specifically, magic, but teaming up could also count."
...Osamu nods. "Aah. Yeah, I could see that."
…
"We should probably begin going around." Hikari decides, moving to the right to traverse through the rocklands.
"Mmm." Marigold follows.
"Dude, the last thing I see when I die's gonna be fuckin' rocks." Osamu expresses his increasing disdain for rocks.
"When you say something like that, it makes me think we're going to fall down a bottomless pit." Marigold sighs.
Osamu snaps his head towards her. "Well- we could! I don't trust rocks anymore, dudes…"
'Those dirty rocks. Stab us in the back, they will.' Hikari snorted.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIYORI'S VIEW ====
Hiyori stepped towards the tall oni in the middle of the path…
'Let's try to keep this short…'
The oni grinned widely. "No~ri…! How've ya been!? Not gonna stop by to give so much as a hello?"
Forcing a smile, Hiyori bobbed her head back and forth. "Yea~h… I've been kinda busy."
'This is going to get more involved than it should.'
She snorted. "Yeah, I can tell. You've got the Hakurei with you, and some other friends as well. Probably gettin' your faces smashed every night, am I right!? Hahaha~!" She arched her head back, laughing.
'Ri~ght…'
...Hiyori snorts. "Yeah. Good one."
...The oni scans her up and down. "...What brings ya down 'round these parts? Miss the booze? The big burly men?"
Hiyori shakes her head. "No, Yuugi. I just had some business to take care of."
...Nodding slowly, Yuugi closes her eyes. "...I see. In that case…" She pumps a fist into the air. "I'll make myself your business!"
...Hiyori brings up her shackle-clad arm.
Her eyes widen. "Is that…? Holy shit, no way!" At that, she grins widely. "Hahahaha~! Wo~w! Now I have to fight ya!"
Hiyori takes a fighting stance. 'Let's get this over with…'
"Ya'd have ta be some kinda badass to stop Kasen that easily…" Yuugi takes a fighting stance of her own. "This is gonna be great!"
If wind could blow ominously in the underground, this would be the opportune time for it. Unfortunately, it doesn't.
…
The two stare eachother down.
'I'd really rather not make the first move…'
…
Yuugi smirked. "Alright, then! Hraa~gh!"
With a yell that might have pushed back lesser beings, she leapt into the air, landing near Hiyori.
The ground rumbled as she landed, nearby scaffolding in the oni city behind them collapsing violently as the ground was thrown out from underneath them.
Hiyori sent a punch towards her, which Yuugi moved to block. She returned a punch of her own, which Hiyori dodged.
Then, Hiyori managed to slide her fist into Yuugi's gut.
Bam!
Unflinching, Yuugi moves to ward Hiyori off with a swipe, which was successful in its mission.
Leaping back, Hiyori guards as she anticipates an aggressive play from Yuugi…
Bam!
Yuugi had rocketed forward and slammed her fist into Hiyori's guard, sending her flying back.
'Woa~h!'
Hiyori only stopped once she slid into the side of a rock.
Bam!
"G-guh…" She broke from the rock and leaped.
Yuugi flies in under her, and strikes the rock, missing her.
Boo~m!
The boulder became gravel.
'Now!'
Taking her chance, Hiyori brought her fist down on the top of Yuugi's head.
Thwack!
Grinning, Yuugi did a flipping kick, clipping Hiyori's torso.
Wham!
"Guah!?"
Bam!
'...W-wow… she hits as hard as I remember.'
...Hiyori tore herself from her crater, sighing.
Yuugi floats down to the ground in front of her. "...Well, you didn't get any stronger, that's for damn sure."
'Not in your sense of the word…' Hiyori frowned.
The two stared at eachother, for a moment.
…
"Weren't you all into that magic crap before you left?" Yuugi smirks. "Where'd that go, huh? You still think you got what it takes to learn it?"
Hiyori snorts. "I know some spells."
"...Oh?" Yuugi blinks, surprised. "No shit, huh? Then, if that's what you've been doing…" She pumps herself up again. "Show me what you've learned. I bet whatever amateur level magic's up your sleeve ain't gonna be enough to stop me!"
'I didn't want to use magic to fight her, but…'
Yuugi began stomping towards her, the ground shaking with every step…
'...If she's okay with it… I'll show her these aren't just some amateur level spells!'
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
Hiyori was protected by the power shield of light!
"A shield!?" Yuugi's grin became wild as she began power walking with the force of an earthquake. "Hahaha~!"
Hiyori guarded as Yuugi punched forward.
Boom!
Hiyori was sent flying again, with what seemed to be the same force as last time.
'The-the shield! Did it do nothing!?'
A beam shot from the shield of light, moving towards Yuugi.
Yuugi moved to punch it…
The two forces connect with a violent blast of raw energy. Rock flies, and gravel trembles as Yuugi parries the beam.
"...Cute little thing, that. Damn good for what it is, and it returns fire? Not that it matters, anyway." Yuugi chuckles. "Breakin' a shield like that oughta be a piece of cake."
Hiyori locks eyes with her. 'Now…'
Hiyori tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKa-KaKaKoo~...
A snowflake pattern formed around Yuugi, and began freezing and thawing…
"Ooh?" Yuugi blinked.
Boom!
The blast of icy air didn't immediately seem to do anything.
Yuugi smiled, stretching. "Aa~h… That's a pretty badass spell for cooling off. Dunno why you used it just there, though, unless…" She readies herself again. "Tryin'a trick me, huh!?"
'Wow. That did nothing at all.' Hiyori stared at the other oni blankly.
"Well, I won't letcha!" Yuugi steps back. "Here I come!"
She stomps the floor for leverage-
Kraa~ck!
The stone plain under her bends to her will, tilting her forward. From there, she launches herself off of it, speeding towards Hiyori like a rocket.
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
'I'm gonna need a bigger shield!'
Hiyori leaps in order to dodge the approaching oni, but Yuugi simply tracks her as she nears…
Forced to block, Hiyori winces as Yuugi's fist lands against her arm.
'Wh-wooaa~h!'
Boo~m!
Hiyori found herself soaring through the air, spiralling across the underground's sky.
The shield of light which surrounded her faded, channeling itself completely into a thick, powerful beam of light.
FwChoo~m!
The mortar beam soared towards Yuugi, who puffed her chest out.
Ba~m!
Yuugi flew back in the air, the light beam exploding as it struck her directly. A simple flip in the air allowed her to right herself.
"Was that it!?" She leered down at the ground below herself, where Hiyori might be. "That better've been your first real strike! I felt that one!"
"...Uu~gh…" Hiyori pulled herself from another crater in the floor that she fell into.
'Just how strong are her punches!?'
...Holding a fist to her chest, she focused.
'I'm going to have to go all-out, then…'
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
'But first, safety.'
From above, Yuugi saw the gleam of her shield. "...Hahaha~! Here I co~me!"
'Now!'
Hiyori tried PK Starstorm α!
Bright stars descended from the cave's ceiling to intercept Yuugi's assault.
As the yellow stars moved for a bewildered Yuugi, she flipped around and flew towards them, legs-first.
Like that, she began kicking at all of the stars which were aimed for her.
Bam! Boom! Bam! Bang! Boom!
Still floating and undeterred, Yuugi grinned back down at Hiyori.
"That spell was some pretty good thinkin'!" She compliments. "Only real base I don't got covered… but it's still not enough!"
Hiyori's eyes widened. 'She's supposed to be weak to magic…!'
"Haaa~h…!" Yuugi prepares for an aerial assault.
Quickly, Hiyori took her canteen of water, and began downing it.
In seconds, she had dusted it off, only to look up and see Yuugi heading straight towards her with a flying kick.
'Quick!'
Leaping out of the way, Hiyori performed a dodge roll.
Yuugi struck the ground.
Boo~m!
Hiyori wobbled, finding it hard to keep her balance. 'Wo-woah…!'
...She looked over to Yuugi, who wasn't visible, having tunneled into the floor from the impact. She leapt out of it in Hiyori's general direction, landing again with a resounding tremor.
"You can't keep runnin' forever!" Yuugi boasted. "Don'cha have somethin' that'll hit me!?"
'...If those other spells didn't work, then there won't be much that will.' Hiyori figured. '...I didn't try fire yet, but that's just not going to work.'
Hiyori tried PK Fire α!
Fwoosh!
Flames liked Yuugi's body, but nothing productive happened.
"Woah!" Yuugi looked down at her clothes, which were slowly going out. "Spontaneous combustion… I'm intimidated."
Hiyori stared at her dryly, contemplating her options…
'I've only got one more canteen. I guess the most I can do is try to wait it out as long as possible…'
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
Her power shield of light became stronger!
Yuugi rolled her eyes. "Still tryn'a play it safe, huh? Didn't anyone ever tell ya…"
She began sprinting towards Hiyori, the floor wobbling with every bound.
"Offense is the best defense!?" Yuugi's wide smile cues Hiyori to attempt another roll-
Bam!
Yuugi intercepts the roll with a sweeping kick, sending Hiyori rolling in the other direction.
'Hrgh…'
The resulting beam from the power shield did little to phase Yuugi. "Come on!"
She raised her leg up for another powerful downward kick, which Hiyori scrambled out of the way of.
The floor behind her was smashed in, but a quick roll let her scramble across the increasingly uneven terrain.
Springing back to her feet, Hiyori tries again.
Hiyori tried PK Starstorm α!
Stars that weren't present before in the underground's faux sky suddenly made themselves apparent, roaring towards Yuugi from above.
"This crap again…?" Yuugi smirks.
As the stars spiralled towards her, she used the rock below her as a springboard-
Cra~ck!
-to launch herself up above most of the, punching through the few that were above her with an uppercut.
Hiyori pulled out her other canteen, and began chugging. 'Maybe I can get her if I cast it again…!'
Reaching the apex of her leap, Yuugi began kicking downwards. All of the homing stars that had changed trajectory to follow her ended up in a linear line beneath her, allowing her to easily smash through them all.
Hiyori tried PK Starstorm α!
'Sh-should still have room for one more…'
Boom!
Yuugi kicked into the floor, and quickly leaped from it. "Easy!"
The roar of twirling stars made itself apparent again, and Yuugi tensed up…
Turning, she punched a yellow star that was heading for her.
"Again!? Seriously!?" She began engaging the stars in fisticuffs.
She only had two arms, so a few of the stars got through and struck her being, but they only barely made her flinch at all.
Bam! Boom! Bam!
Hiyori tried PK Starstorm α!
'Th-this is it…' Hiyori was out of mana, after that.
This time, Yuugi scanned the sky for stars. "Ho~ly shit. Didn't know this was like, a danmaku fight." She chuckled.
Hiyori watched Yuugi, who turned away from her to grin up at the incoming stars…
'Wa-wait…' Hiyori began marching towards Yuugi…
The oni put a hand to her chin. "Let's see… I wonder if I can kick through all of-"
Hiyori snuck up on her, and gave her the most powerful sweeping kick she could muster.
"-them!?" Yuugi fell backwards onto her butt. Turning, she held her grin at Hiyori. "The hell was-"
The stars had caught up, bombarding Yuugi head-on.
Bam! Ba-bam! Blam! Boom!
Thundering blasts of raw magical energy echoed outward from Yuugi's form. Hiyori guarded with her arms, stepping back a bit…
When it was all over, she stared into the dust storm it kicked up, waiting for a rebuttal or jeer.
…
Hiyori grinned. "How'd you like that!?"
...As the dust cleared, Yuugi's form could be seen springing back up, doing a couple stretches.
"Not bad…" Yuugi cracked her neck. "First real combo y'got off, on me. Now, just do that all the time, and you'll be good!"
'The amount of mana required to do that would be unreal. I'd have to drink a whole water reservoir…'
Yuugi moves to engage her again, and Hiyori backpedals…
Two punches fall short of her, and when she tries to punch back-
Bam!
"Hgugh…"
'Huaaa~gh!'
A powerful uppercut sends her flying across the rocky plain…
…
'Ho-how far did-'
Landing, Hiyori feels herself slide against the rock.
'Uu~gh…'
A beam shoots from her power shield, but Hiyori doesn't get to see whether it did anything or not.
...Yuugi steps up to her, looking down at her as she lies on the jagged floor.
'Considering she's standing over me right now, I don't think it did.'
"...S'that it, then?" Yuugi tilts her head, staring evenly down at Hiyori.
"...Ye-yes." Hiyori decides.
'There's really nothing more I can do without mana…'
...Yuugi nods. "...We~ll, I guess it was a longshot to think your little 'peace and love' trip woulda made an oni outta you. Then again, there's not a whole lotta oni I really consider oni..." She scratches her cheek. "Ya actually learned some badass lookin' magic, though, even if that shield's totally a crutch. Reminds me of that witch…"
'I suppose it was a bit of a longshot thinking I could beat her after these years…'
...Yuugi held out her hand. "C'mon, this round's on me."
'A-ah?'
...Smiling, Yuugi jeers. "Don't just stare at me like someone drowned yer goldfish. Get up here."
...Accepting Yuugi's hand, Hiyori feels herself get pulled up onto her feet.
'...This is new.'
Idly, she walks along with Yuugi for a few feet, before turning to her with a curious glance.
...Reading her curious stare, Yuugi snorts. "Truth be told, that was hell more fight than most oni put out. Hell more of a fight than I was expectin'. Provided, ya used magic… but none of the others got the drive to learn the difference between shit 'n' stones, so…" Grinning, she shakes her head. "That puts ya ahead of, like, half of them."
...Nodding, Hiyori numbly replies. "I~ learned about the star attack from Konngara…"
Yuugi jerks her head back. "Wha~t!? You got her to teach you shit? Didja sneak off and become butt buddies behind my back!?"
Hiyori grins back. "Not quite… I managed to draw with her in combat."
"Wha~t?" Grinning wider, Yuugi punches her in the shoulder-
Thwack!
"Hey…" Hiyori stumbles to the side, rubbing her arm.
-"Wo~w! Beat the crap outta Kasen and drew with Konngara!? I mean… Damn. They must be gettin' sloppy if you somehow fucked 'em up."
"About that…" Hiyori sheepishly smiled. "Kasen just kinda gave me her… treasure."
…
"Oh. Damn." Yuugi sighed. "She would."
'Mmm… Apparently.'
…
"Still, some good shit. 'Specially if you out-thought Konngara. Sneaky bitch always overthinks everything." Yuugi chuckles. "Y'know!? All that crap about 'leylines' and 'the flow of magic'... I don't see any of that helpin' her not get her ass kicked!"
'...Yeah.' Hiyori didn't particularly agree with that sentiment. '...Wait.'
"Where're we going?" Hiyori questions.
"The pub. Gonna get smashed." Yuugi grins. "I said s'on me."
...Sighing, Hiyori shakes her head. "No. No alcohol."
...Yuugi slouches. "The fuck'd that nun do to you? You used to love drinking!"
"I'm not entirely proud of that fact, either." Hiyori resolves. "I like being in control of myself, thank you."
"C'mo~n…" Yuugi walks up to her. "I'm sure just one couldn't hurt. A nice, big keg. Whaddaya say?"
'An entire keg.' Staring at her dryly, Hiyori shakes her head once more. "No. You're talking like some sort of drunkard."
...Jaw dropping, Yuugi spreads her arms. "I am a drunkard!"
'I should've seen that coming…'
"...Alright." Folding her arms, she gives Hiyori a tired stare. "What do you want, then? I wanna give you somethin' for the road…"
…
'I might as well just ask her for it…'
"I need your treasure." Hiyori bluntly demands.
Yuugi snorts. "Aha. You don't even have Konngara's."
"Because Konngara doesn't have one to give." Hiyori counters.
Pausing, Yuugi considers this. "Huh. If you know, then she was gonna give it to you…"
…
Scratching her chin for a moment, Yuugi comes to a decision. "Gimme some good reasons."
"World in peril?" Hiyori tries.
"How much peril?" Yuugi counters.
"...The 'devour the world' kind." Hiyori guesses.
Yuugi shrugs. "Ah. Whatever, then. I'll just deal with it when it becomes my problem."
Hiyori realizes what would really grind her gears. "The 'brainwash everyone in Gensokyo' kind."
...At this, Yuugi frowns. "That's shit."
"Yeah. It is." Hiyori nods.
"In that case, sure." With more purpose, Yuugi marches towards the oni city, the ground rumbling with every powerful step. "I got like, ten of the stupid things in my closet."
'Wait, really?'
"C'mon." Yuugi beckons her to follow.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Rubble tumbled down a large stone pile, as Yuugi dug through it. "My closet's 'round here somewhere…"
The building the deva had lived in was demolished in the action, having become little more than a tall pile of loose stones. There was also furniture pieces mixed in, squished between large rocks.
"I still can't get over why you chose to live in the city." Hiyori makes small talk. "This place is a warzone."
"Exactly." Yuugi smugly replies. "There's a shitton of action! The rebuilding… yeah, that sucks, but otherwise, it's pretty happenin'!"
After a moment, Yuugi grunts. "Alright, come on, now…"
She punches into the pile.
…
The pile of large stones became a gravel mound.
"There." Reaching into the pebbles, she dug a bit. Before long, she perked up. "Got it!"
She dug her feet into the pebbles, and began sinking.
"...Shit." Tugging on her closet again, she sank completely, becoming buried.
...
'Good job.'
Yuugi leapt from the pebbles, rocketing up from the bottom of the pile, before landing behind Hiyori.
Boo~m!
… Nearby scaffolds folded inward, and fell, taking the oni on top with them.
"Ah, fuck!"
"Graa~h!"
"Huaaargh!"
'...Again, good job.'
...Yuugi sat a large, iron rectangle down. "This is my closet. I keep a lot more than clothes in it, 'cause yeah. Shit breakin' on a routine basis."
With that, she reaches for the door, and tugs on it.
Cla~ng!
The door breaks off.
"...Forgot I locked it." She sighed. "Damn. Gonna need to fight for a new one."
"As if that would be hard." Hiyori comments.
...Turning to her, Yuugi grins. "The hard part's not breakin' the new one in the process! Then I gotta like, defend it and shit, 'cause other people're gonna want it…" She scratches the back of her head. "Guess that's another thing that kinda sucks in the city…"
Reaching in, Yuugi searched for a moment. A stack of sake dishes flowed out from inside the 'closet'...
'How did those not break?' That's something that always mystified Hiyori. 'Do we just keep making sake dishes on demand?'
"Ah, here…"
Yuugi pulls out a flowery kimono, one where the dominant colors were blue and white. Simple art of flowers were present on one half of the white kimono.
"I know it looks flowery and crap," Yuugi begins, "but it'll never rip. Not unless you really try."
'...I see.'
Hiyori accepts the kimono from Yuugi, staring down at it...
"It should be a little better than that flimsy thing ya got on now." She folds her arms.
Hiyori obtained Kimono of Devas!
'Not as hard as I thought it would be…' Hiyori cracked her neck a bit, still stiff from the previous fight.
"...Wanna hit the pub now?" Yuugi turns to her. "...Nori?"
...Folding her arms, Hiyori decided to make her case. "Hiyori."
"Nope." Yuugi denied outright. "Not callin' ya that. If I didn't kick your ass already, I'd've kicked your ass just then."
'Went about as well as I expected.'
"In any case, no." Hiyori declined the offer to drink. "I have to get back to my house, and prepare to set out again."
Yuugi rolls her eyes. "Aa~h, whatever… When ya come back around, we gotta hang again sometime. And, when you do, we gotta drink!"
Smiling awkwardly, Hiyori steps away, waving. '...I'll remember that.'
With that, Hiyori began making her way out of the oni city…
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
"...There!"
Marigold claps her hands together at her handy work. She had rearranged Hiyori's room after the previous earthquakes threw everything about.
'Not that there was much to rearrange.' Hikari considered.
Osamu nods. "...Dude, you should do this for my house."
"Your house is empty." Marigold counters. "There's nothing to even clean."
Osamu snorts. "Well, this place only has one room…"
"And more things than yours." Marigold props her arms on her hips.
'I hope she doesn't miss that end table. It kinda slid into the lava pool she had along the wall…'
The front door to the house swings open, and the oni of the day walked in.
"...I see you were considerate enough to go through my things." Hiyori snarks.
"Dude, there was like, a big ass earthquake!" With haste, Osamu began describing the events. "I like, slid around on my ass, and Hikari was doin' flips and shit, and your end table slid into the lava…"
'...I figured jumping around would be better than sliding around on the floor.'
...Hiyori glanced at the lava, before shrugging. "Ah."
Marigold caught sight of the kimono in her arms. "Oo~h! Did you pick that up from the stores?"
...Smirking, Hiyori explains. "Have any of you three heard about the Devas of the Mountain?"
'I know Suika's one of them… but that's about it.'
Marigold nods. "Mmm. They used to live on Youkai Mountain before they were cast under the ground. Considering how powerful the oni were, I have no idea who could've done it."
...Stepping towards the pool of water, Hiyori bent over it and dunked her whole head in.
…
"Pfft…" Osamu grinned. "Du~de…"
"Someone was thirsty." Marigold annotates.
Hiyori pulls her head from the water. "Hua~h…!"
Hiyori tried Lifeup ß!
She felt the bruises and aches on her body heal, as she stood up straight…
Cr-cr-crack…!
"Oo~h…" She moaned aloud. "There…"
"Pfthahaha~!" Osamu openly laughed. "That's awesome, dude!"
Hikari gave Osamu a humorously concerned glance, before shrugging.
"...Now…" Hiyori looked down at the kimono. "I'm going to change."
…
Everyone twisted their heads to gaze at Osamu, enforcing a silent command.
...After some idle looking around, he got the message. "Yeah, yeah. I getcha, I getcha…"
He steps outside the house, closing the door.
Hiyori begins removing her gi…
"What's the big deal with that kimono again?" Marigold tilted her head.
"Ah, right…" She began slipping it on. "It is one of the treasures of the four devas. Each deva technically has a couple, but most are known for specific ones. That oni you saw before was Yuugi Hoshiguma."
'...Suika mentioned her, sometimes.'
"She's mostly known for her unspillable sake dish." Hiyori continues. "...I'm not sure how you even drink from that."
'Unspillable cups must become a thing.'
"This shackle," Hiyori holds up the relevant arm. "It seems to block thunder. I'm assuming the kimono has some sort of other perk to it."
Marigold hums. "Mmm... I wish you let us meet her. I really wanna know the science behind unspillable things…"
At that, Hiyori scoffs. "As if she'd know. She's probably just had it for the longest time. It's likely she wonders about it herself."
...In a few moments, Hiyori is examining her kimono, which is now fully fastened.
Marigold gives a thumbs up. "Looking good."
Hikari nods idly. '...I was never really into fashion. Then again, I only have about ten pairs of shrine maiden outfits which look like Mom's, and then there's this...' She looks down at her leotard and hakama combo. '...I like it.'
...Turning to the door, Marigold yells. "You can come in, now!"
The door swings open, Osamu falling inside. "Oof…"
Hiyori sighs. "I had to do a lot of readjusting. This kimono was made for someone… fuller."
Osamu perked up. "Oh, yeah?"
He scanned his eyes across Hiyori's chest, before his expression became neutral again. "...Oh."
...Marigold stomped towards him. "I have decided that I have to hurt you."
...Grinning, Osamu stood up, and ran outside. "Yer gonna have ta catch me first!"
Marigold sprinted out after him, as fast as one could sprint with a backpack her size.
'Woah.' Hikari marveled at the way the backpack jiggled. 'How does she even manage that?'
...Hiyori and her moved to meet up with the other two, the former messing with her kimono on the way.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The four stood in the midst of the underworld's rocky plains, discussing their next plan of action.
"I say we go home and relax." Hikari proposes.
"And by home, you mean your shrine." Marigold grins.
"Yeah." Nodding, Hikari turns to Hiyori. "You know about my shrine, right?"
Hiyori snorts. "Who hasn't?"
"...You'd be surprised." Hikari thinks back to the human village…
Walking ahead of the party, Hiyori stares back at them. "Grab onto me."
Hikari complies, holding onto the edges of her kimono…
'This is gonna be weird…'
Marigold and Osamu grab onto Hikari.
Hiyori tried Teleport ß!
The four begin spinning gradually, the oni being pulled along by her own mana.
As they began speeding up, Hiyori clutched her kimono. "He-hey!"
Hikari's heart jumped as she felt her grip loosen for a second. "A-ah…!"
The speed kept increasing, until-
KraKoo~m!
With a bright flash of light, the four departed from Old Hell…
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
KraKoo~m!
The four touched down outside the Hakurei Shrine steps, skidding to a halt.
Hikari felt herself get smooshed against Hiyori and Marigold…
'I need to remind myself to not be the second in line…'
...Everyone stumbled from Hiyori's back, slightly dazed…
"Aa~h…" Marigold felt at her backpack. "My stuff dug into me…"
...While the party stumbles in discourse, Reimu floats down from above…
"...You're back, I see." She observes.
Hikari looks up at her mother. "Hey, Mom."
"...I see you brought an oni with you." Reimu notes.
"Mmm."
Hiyori turns to her. "...Reimu Hakurei, I take it?"
Reimu touches down in front of them. "That's me."
"Hiyori Hashimoto." Hiyori bows.
...Reimu blinks. Then, she turns to Hikari… "Is she someone I should know about…?"
Hikari shakes her head. "...Kinda?"
...Raising from her bow, Hiyori smiles. "Not particularly."
"Ah." Reimu nods. "Well, come on in. I've got a friend for you."
At that, Hiyori freezes, as her other party members begin climbing the stairs behind a floating Reimu. Shaking her head, she continues after them…
'After all of that rock climbing, these stairs seem easy by comparison.'
Osamu groaned. "Holy crapoley…"
'Relatively.'
...Looking to the side, she sees Hiyori quickly step up the stairs past everyone, keeping up with Reimu's steady floating.
Osamu snorted. "Hey, hey! Gimme a hand, here!"
...Pausing, Hiyori turns, and grabs his hand. "Sure."
Climbing the stairs, she dragged him along faster than he could climb, forcing him to outright jump just to keep up.
"Oh- hey, hey! Slow down! Hey!"
Marigold shook her head. "One cannot simply cheat the Hakurei stairs."
'So it seems.'
…
At the top, the party sans Hiyori took the moment to catch their breath…
Hiyori turned to Osamu, letting go of his hand.
He flopped over. "Fu-fucking…"
Reimu turned to them. "...Still getting winded by the stairs?"
Hikari shrugged. 'I moved a little faster than I should have.'
Slowly, Marigold proceeded towards the shrine. "Must secure kotatsu spot…!"
'Yeah, that's a good idea…' Hikari followed her example, casually walking towards the shrine…
Hiyori dragged Osamu along, before he scrambled to his feet. "Woah, woah, I got it, I got it!"
Inside the shrine, one kotatsu space was already occupied by a passed out Suika. Another space was also occupied.
"Hey, Mari!" Marisa beamed.
Marigold froze, with an awkward smile on her face. "A-ah… You."
'Oh, boy.'
...Hikari quickly ran up to the kotatsu, and slid under the last open spot.
Snapping out of her moment, Marigold noticed Hikari's move. "Oh, darn it all."
Osamu took one look at the kotatsu, before making for the bar counter. "Yeah, nope. Got any soda left?"
Reimu shook her head. "I didn't bother to buy any more. I don't even drink it myself."
He furrowed his brows. "What? C'mon, Hikari's gotta drink the stuff! I'm sure she loves it!"
...Hikari shakes her head. "No."
Osamu deflates.
Hiyori hunches a bit so that her horns would fit under the door frame of the shrine, before moving inside.
Her eyes lock on Suika.
Marisa whistles. "Them's some horns! You finally come to take Suika back, or what?"
...Hiyori blinks, staring at Marisa.
Marigold sighs. "Don't mind her. She's just… diplomatically challenged."
Her gaze shifts to Marigold. "I think that describes nearly everyone here."
Marisa chuckles.
'She's not wrong.'
Marigold and Hiyori awkwardly stood around the kotatsu as Reimu moved to the bar counter, filling a tray with glasses and a large jug…
"How're them rockets workin' out fer ya?" Marisa asks her daughter.
...Fidgeting, Marigold responds. "Pretty well. They hit things pretty hard."
Reimu arrives with the drinks, setting them down on that kotatsu. "...Just what are you shooting them at?'
...Marigold stares down at Hikari for confirmation to continue.
...Taking a breath, Hikari elaborates. "Well, there was that time we went to Heaven, and fought those fairies…"
...Reimu furrowed her brows. "When was this?"
Marigold snapped her fingers. "I shot one of them at that youkai in frilly ribbons!"
...Marisa and Reimu turned to each other.
"Then there was the robot factory." Hikari considered. "That kinda got blown up."
"That time I shot one of those spaceman things." Marigold recalls. "...I still have one left, so that's it."
"We went to Old Hell after that." Hikari finishes. "...I kinda skipped over our stay at the Kappa Village, and that visit to the mountain god place…"
…
"They really get around, ze!" Marisa grinned. "No wonder she came back with an oni!"
"...I figured they were adventurous, but not that adventurous." Reimu scratched the back of her head.
"Dude!" Osamu suddenly looked over from the bar counter. "Reimu! Didja know there was a fuckin' nuclear reactor under the ground!?"
Reimu sighed. "Ye~s. My question is how you guys found out. Just how far off the trail did you have to go to end up underground?"
"Hey, hey…" Marisa drew her attention. "I remember seein' you runnin' around in Makai in your trainin' days. I dunno 'bout you, but that's about as off trail as you can get."
...Reimu shrugs. "I guess. I just don't know how they do the things they do with so little power."
Hikari smiles. "Teamwork."
"...And her." Marigold gestures to Hiyori. "She's good at the whole 'not dying' thing."
...The elder shrine maiden gives the oni a neutral gaze. "You better not be teaching any of them about alcohol."
Hiyori shook her head. "I don't drink."
…
"You're sure about this." Reimu states flatly.
Marisa raises a brow. "Ha~h…? An oni, who doesn't drink? Whaddaya think we look like, idiots?"
Furrowing her brows, Hiyori insists. "I don't drink. I've taken up Buddhism."
Cautiously, Reimu stands. "I'm not really sure about that."
Hikari stands up, taking Hiyori's side. "I am sure about that."
Smirking, Marigold folds her arms. "Miss Hakurei, I can assure you that Hiyori is clean as can be."
"We oughta fix that, ah!?"
Suddenly, Suika springs up from the floor, scanning Hiyori's figure. "Hehe~y! You're that… hmm." She pauses, looking down at the kimono, then at the shackle, then at her horns. "...I'm drunker than I thought."
"Just call me Hiyori." The oni tries to cement her preferred name…
Suika's eyes widen in realization. "Aa~h! Nori! Why the hell've ya got Yuugi's shit!?"
Hiyori facepalms, her effort in vain.
"You know her?" Reimu questions the stout one.
"Ah, yeah. One 'a the mates from down under. Outta all of us, I, uh…" Suika pauses. "...Was it you, or tha' other dude? One 'a you was great when y'were drunk…"
Blushing, Hiyori answered. "It must have been someone else. You're probably mistaken."
...Leaning towards her, Suika closed one eye, as if examining her. "...Nope. S'definitely you."
Marisa smirks. "Y'got somethin' you're not tellin' us, tall horns?"
Hiyori huffed. "Nothing of importance…"
Suika put a hand on Hiyori's shoulder. "Lass, if yer not drinkin', then somethin's definitely up."
Feeling like her personal space was being encroached upon, Hikari moves to defend Hiyori by pushing Suika.
…
The attempt was wholly unsuccessful and ignored.
'Wow.' Hikari was taken aback by Suika's strength. 'I knew she was strong, but…'
"I'm fine." Hiyori ensures. "I don't want to be a stupid drunk, like the rest of oni-kind is known for." She glares at Suika.
Suika jerks her head back. "Stupid drunk?... Yeah, that's pretty much 'bout right. But bein' drunk's fun!" Holding up her gourd, she tries to pass it to Hiyori. "C'mon!"
"No!" Hiyori slides back to avoid it.
"Wha's the use 'a bein' smart if it just makes ya all mopey!?" With slight irritation, Suika begins downing alcohol from her gourd.
Reimu continues to stand, looking standoffish.
'Mom's tense.' Hikari deduces. '...Considering how oni fights go down underground, I can see why.'
"It's about being in control." Hiyori argues.
"And?" Suika counters, tilted her head.
Marigold leaps out of the way, nearly being poked by her horn. "Wo-woah!"
"Hey, watch the merchandise!" Marisa shakes her fist from the table, but is ignored.
"I like being in control." Hiyori bickers. "I hate who I am when I'm not in control."
Suika scoffs. "Oh, waa~h, waa~h! Cry some more!" Reeling her head back again, she downs more sake from her gourd. After a moment, she pulls it back out, spilling fluid on the shrine floor. "Y'see, this is why I liked ya better when ya were drunk."
...Taking a deep breath, Hiyori continued. "I hate being the one everyone laughs at because I got drunk off my ass and did something stupid. I hate being unable to remember anything that was fun because I was too drunk! I hate being unable to improve myself!"
…
Rolling her eyes, Suika chugs from her gourd again…
…
"Haa~h." She takes a moment to stare at Hiyori, before continuing. "All I hear is a buncha yellow-bellyin' from some ass who don't know how to hold her liquor."
Hikari decided to assess the situation before her…
Both Marisa and Reimu were at the ready on the other end of the room, looking tense.
Marigold had her Spectrum Shotgun out, looking innocent.
Osamu was on the other end of the bar counter, snickering in incredulation.
'Wow. This got real really fast.'
...Discreetly, Hikari sidestepped over to where Marigold was…
"All I hear is rambling from an ignorant, stubborn, drunk." Hiyori shoots back. "One who hardly knows what she's talking about."
Suika shot her head up from her gourd, locking her eyes with Hiyori's.
"Wha' was that?" She scowled.
...Hiyori folded her arms.
"...What was that!?" Suika bellowed, the shrine's wood rumbling from the force of the yell.
Reimu drew her ofuda in one hand, looking ready to act at a moment's notice.
Marisa drew her Mini-Hakkero. "Ho~h, shit, ze…"
"Was tha' supposed to be an insult!?" Stomping forward-
Crack!
-fell straight through the shrine's floor.
...Taking a moment to give the floor her best death glare, Suika stepped out of it, and proceeded towards Hiyori more carefully. "'Cause that weren't no insult I ever felt…"
Hiyori backed towards the shrine door, hunching over to retreat outside as she did so…
"Lemme show ya how an oni insults another oni!"
Reimu's eyes widened. "Suika, don't-!"
Directing her weight into the floor, the shrine's wood cracked and creaked as it tilted on an angle, allowing for Suika to leap out.
Boo~m!
As she did so, the wood she tilted roared back, taking all of the floor behind it, and the kotatsu, too.
It slammed into the bar counter, stopping. Osamu ducked under it to avoid being smacked in the face by a wave of wood plank fragments.
…
"Suu~ikaa~!" Reimu roared, her yin-yang orbs generating around herself as she darted after the two outside.
…
Marisa chuckled. "Wow. Can't remember the last time I saw Suika that pissed."
'Me either.' Hikari cautiously, gingerly stepped towards the new ravene in the floor. '...Hiyori was really angry, there.'
…
"Should, we, like…" Osamu climbed over the counter clumsily. "...Do something?"
Marisa turns to him. "Hahah. If anyone's doin' anything here, it'd be me. Oni are no joke. I'm thinkin' the same thing, too…"
...Meandering towards the front door, Marisa stretches. "Aa~h… Can't just leave Reimu out alone with them oni, ze. You kids stay in here. I'm'onna come back with 'em both slung over my shoulder!"
With that, Marisa hopped on her broom, zooming outside after her friend.
…
"I'd volunteer to go out there, but I'd probably be vaporized." Marigold voices.
"Yea~h…" Hikari nods slowly. "...Let's raid the orange juice stash instead."
'As much as I want to help Hiyori, Mom and Marisa are kinda… out of my league.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIYORI'S VIEW ====
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
Hiyori was protected by the power shield of light!
'Uh- woah!'
Rolling onto her back, she watched Suika soar over her, zooming across the Hakurei courtyard like a missile, before gravity kicked in and pulled her down into the woods, all the way across the stone steps and pathway ahead of the shrine.
Boo~m!
Trees toppled, and the meager sum of remaining snow became a fine dust from the impact.
...Rolling onto her feet, Hiyori gazed into the woods ahead, where Suika was storming out of…
"Suu~ikaa~!"
She tensed up as she heard Reimu's scream from behind her. Moving on impulse-
Thwack-thwa-thwa-thwa-
-and on the growing pain from being slapped by amulet danmaku, she leaped onto the Hakurei hillside, and began sliding away. Suika began moving to intercept her, until she saw Reimu.
"Oi!" Suika raised her fist. "This is my fight, girlie! Y'may be the boss of Gensokyo, but y'ain't the boss of me!"
"I'm the boss of whoever fights on shrine grounds!" Reimu yells back. "Go rumble in the woods!"
Suika huffed. "Y'no what? 'Cause y'asked nicely… No!"
'Yo~u moron.' Hiyori dreaded how messy the fight was about to get…
Turning back to Hiyori, who had reached the bottom of the hillside, she reeled her arm back, and grabbed at something…
Amulets began raining down from above, forcing Hiyori to begin dancing out of the way of them.
"Here!"
Suika tossed a black orb forward, which flew into the floor, and expanded.
...Snow, sticks, dead leaves, and amulets began getting pulled into the black orb. Reimu flew in the opposite direction, and Hiyori followed her example, beginning to run in the opposite direction along with her.
'Is that a black hole!?'
Reimu stopped firing to cease feeding it.
After a moment, the black hole collapsed inward, and-
Fwoo~m!
A torrent of flames flowed outward. They didn't go far from the initial radius of the black hole, however. Suika began stepping through it, her chains jangling as she slowly waltzed through the flames. "Oh? Wha' was that? Are y'not oni enough to be able to bark back?"
Hiyori glared at her.
Hiyori tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
The tried and true snowflake shaped pattern of ice crystals generated once again, only to freeze and thaw rapidly as if the force of winter were being particularly indecisive that day.
Boom!
The blast of icy air didn't visibly do anything.
...Amulets began pelting Suika from above.
"Grrrh…" She glares up at Reimu. "Piss off!"
Generating an orb of light in her left hand, she reels back and tosses it upwards.
Reimu spins out of the way, the light orb traveling at an insane, constant speed as it soared through the air, and into the ground near Hiyori-
Boom!
It bounced off the floor, creating a shockwave that nearly threw Hiyori off balance. It then continued to bounce down the path…
Boom! Boom! Boom…
...It dissipated in the distance.
"Dream Sign!" Reimu announced, drifting closer. "Evil Sealing Circle!"
Amulets whirled from her outfit; beneath her sleeves, and from ever other exposure on her costume. They then began surrounding Suika, forming a large circle around her.
At that, Suika grinned, shaking her head. "The hell's all this, now? Y'testin' just how drunk I am!?"
Tilting her head back, she begins drinking from her gourd…
'I'm half hoping Reimu doesn't really interfere much, but knowing the Hakurei's power…'
Then, Suika rips the gourd from her mouth, and leans forward, sticking her head out.
Fwoo~m!
Fire spurted from her mouth, out towards the amulets, catching them ablaze.
Reimu bared her teeth. "Gh…"
The fire soon spread to the other amulets, creating a circle of holy flames, which soon vaporized the amulets themselves.
'Really wishing I had magic shielding about now…'
Suika continued towards Hiyori… "Oo~h, I'm gonna beat the sober outta ya!"
Leaping into the air, Suika lifted her gourd up, as if preparing to smack down with it.
Hiyori furrowed her brows. 'Is she going to smack me with…'
Suddenly, the gourd grew to ten times its normal size.
'That!?'
Hiyori braced herself, leaping into the air-
Bam!
She was sent flying, her light shield flaring from the powerful strike.
Smashing into a tree, she winced.
'Wo-wow…'
The forest rumbled as Suika's gourd crushed the ground under it. It began retracting into its former shape…
"Look out below, ze!"
Suika jerked her head to lock her gaze upon a newcomer, when she saw a welcoming gift coming her way…
Boom!
The magical bomb engulfed Suika, staggering her.
"Grrh…" Suika growled. "Don'cha bitches know that it's rude ta interrupt an oni's quarrel!?"
"I ain't just about to let Reimu go it alone!" Marisa counters. "I'm gonna blow ya both away!"
'This witch… She looks versed in magic.' Hiyori eyed her warily. 'I really, really need a magic shield!'
A beam of light shot from Hiyori's shield, in retaliation of the former gourd hit.
It homed in on Suika, and struck her in the face.
'Hehe~y!" She spun around for a moment, before coming to a stop. "Wh' even was that…?"
"I've got Suika!" Marisa exclaims. "You get tall horns!"
"Hey!" Reimu objects to this. "Suika's the one I'm pissed at! You take care of the other oni!"
"Pffft…" Marisa shakes her head as she circles the battlefield. "Alright, Reimu. You get the harder one."
'Here we go…'
Suika looks up at Reimu. "I'm tellin' ya, shriney, if ya don't leave me alone, I'll-"
"Holy Relic!" Reimu holds out her arms, a magical circle forming around her. "Yin-Yang Demon God Orb!"
A large, blue ball flew from her, and began descending on Suika.
"Hey, woah!" Suika stumbled out of the way, and fell to the floor.
Boom!
The mere impact of her falling was enough to up-end a nearby tree with a shockwave.
'I feel severely outclassed, here…'
Marisa hovers threateningly overhead, but before Hiyori can focus on her, the blue orb Reimu dropped became a blindingly bright mass of light.
'Ghh…'
Then, star shaped danmaku began bombarding Hiyori.
"Gah…!" She felt herself be pushed back by the lime green and yellow stars.
"Eyes on me, ze!" Marisa shouts down at her from above. "Today you'll be flyin' Marisa Airlines! Thank you, and goodbye!"
Hiyori considers her options. 'Surely she's not as powerful as Suika, so…'
Hiyori tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
The freezing and thawing snowflake tracked Marisa, harassing her as she tried to fly away from it.
"A-ah, wh-what the hell…!?" She grimaced down at the pattern…
Boom!
"Huaa~h!" She was sent flying off her broom, which doubled back and caught her, changing her direction drastically. "...I-ice magic, ze…?"
Hiyori smirked up at her. "This fight is mine."
Pausing in the air, Marisa aimed her Mini-Hakkero down at Hiyori. "Na~h."
'Hmm? Is that a gun of hers?' Hiyori braced herself.
Suddenly, Reimu popped in behind her.
Whack!
'Where'd she come from…?' Hiyori rubbed the back of her head, when Reimu popped away again-
Bam!
Suika landed a solid punch straight into Hiyori's back.
"Guah!?" Hiyori was sent flying forward, her shield sending out two beams to compensate for the blows Reimu and Suika gave her.
Suika was staggered by the counter-beam, while Reimu outright blocked hers with a barrier.
"Love Sign…" The Mini-Hakkero began glowing. "Master Spaaa~rk!"
Vrrrrrrr~!
From it, came a massive, love-fueled magical laser of cataclysmic proportions, the hum of it dominating the battlefield by large. Due to being launched by Suika, Hiyori managed to escape with her arm being clipped…
'That burns that burns…!' Hiyori couldn't recall the last time she was burned like that…
"Huaaa~gh!" Suika was caught dead-center in the blast.
'No!' She grimaced. 'This was supposed to be my fight…!'
...Glaring, she decided to engage the witch.
Hiyori tried PK Starstorm α!
From the midday sky, stars loudly descend to home in on the witch.
Hearing the incoming violence, she looks up…
"Wh-whah!?"
Bolting out of the way, Marisa is trailed by a series of homing stars. "Oh, I know your game…!"
She draws a mana bomb from under her hat, and begins flying straight up. The stars follow her, all bunched together in one yellow mass, moving vertically after her.
Dropping the mana bomb, she grins to herself.
…
Boom!
A large orb of mana hung in the sky, obliterating the stars that followed her.
'No way…'
Suika slowly edges towards Hiyori, as she punches back giant yin-yang orbs that bounced across the ground.
"Oi, Nori…" She faces the other oni once the orbs dissipate. "Whaddaya say we put that brawl on hold, ah? Th' shrine maiden 'n' her lackey're bein' shitheads today."
"...I guess." Hiyori sighs.
'My mana is running low…'
Brandishing her only canteen of water, Hiyori chugs it.
Suika's eyes widen. "...Wha~h!? You do drink!?"
...Hiyori stares at her blankly. "It's water."
"Like hell it is!" Grinning, Suika moves to approach Hiyori for a hug. "You stupid clown! Hahaha~!"
"Divine Arts! Sky Conquering Wind God Kick!"
Rolling her eyes, Suika turned around. "Whaddaya-"
Bam!
Reimu's sandal collided with Suika's face, to little effect. Suika moved to grapple her, but Reimu vanished in a torrent of wind.
Looking around-
Bam!
Hiyori was staggered by a sandal to the back of her head from Reimu. A beam shot out in retaliation, but flew straight into a tree, since Reimu was gone.
'How hard does she hit…?'
"Black Magic! Event Horizon!" Marisa floats over the two oni, casting her spell card.
Seven magic circles formed around her, and slowly spread out, generating a spiral of rainbow colored, star shaped bullets, all of which surrounded the party.
Suika blinked rapidly. "A-ah, Nori, hit the deck!" Suika threw her arm upward, sending four tiny caricatures of herself up at Marisa.
"Ah- get off!" Marisa began punching them, but they were too persistent.
Reimu suddenly appeared from the air around Marisa, kicking into one of the Suikas.
"Guaa~h!"
The tiny Suika fell to her doom, plopping down on the dirt next to the two oni.
Leaping up, Marisa took her broom, and smashed it into Reimu's thigh by accident, when aiming for her foot.
"He-hey!" Reimu spun once in the air, and glared at her.
"Sorry, Reimu-ze!" From there, the mage picked the mini-Suika's from her broom. "Had ta remove some ticks!"
Each one that hit the floor turned to mist, returning to Suika's being.
The magic circles Marisa generated revolved around her, homing back towards her being, spirals of non-elemental star magic spreading out from her being.
'Uh oh…' Hiyori gritted her teeth as the stars bombarded her arms. "T-too many…"
Suika frowned. "Graa~h!"
With a toss, another black hole flew forward, and began sucking in the stars that were coming for the two.
Hiyori tried Lifeup α!
She felt the fatigue from the danmaku bombardment ease…
'There we go.'
...The black hole began fading out, but the spell card was still going.
"Damn…" Suika began looking around for Reimu. "Where's that maiden!?"
Hiyori tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
Once again, Marisa was assaulted by winter.
"No-not again…!"
Boom!
Partially frozen, Marisa's spell card dissipated as she spiralled to the floor. "U-uhm…!"
Reimu darted out from behind the trees. "Marisa~!"
Holding up her gohei as she neared her, she cast some glowing, golden ofuda towards her.
The ofuda struck the ice, vaporizing it on contact. Violent sparks of holy energy were produced as the ice was blasted away.
Before she hit the ground, Marisa righted herself, taking off again. "Thanks, Reimu-ze! Here!"
From her hat, she pulled out a blue potion, and tossed it to Reimu.
Greedily accepting it, Reimu took a moment to stare at it… "I'm not even low on mana!"
"I know! Save it for a rainy day!" Her witch friend shouted back.
...Glancing down at the two oni, Reimu prepares again… "Spirit Sign! Fantasy Orb!"
...Hiyori turned to Suika, only to find she vanished into mist. 'Wh-what?'
Rainbow colored orbs of energy shot from Reimu, and homed in on Hiyori.
'That's enough!'
Hiyori moves to parry the orbs-
Boom!
'Owch!'
Bam, boom!
'Ho-holy…'
Boom, bam, bam, boom!
...Left dazed, Hiyori stumbled towards the woods after the magic rocked her body.
'Wow…Th-that...'
"Marisa, now!"
"Two onis for the price of one!" Marisa grins wildly. "Loving Heart, Double Spaaa~rk!"
'Double!?'
VRRRRR~!
Two immense lasers of lovely, rainbow energy split down the dirt path ahead, cleaving through trees, brush, and everything else in their wake.
Including Hiyori, and presumably Suika, somewhere.
"Aaaa~h!"
'Ev-everything…!' Hiyori began recalling what she went through to get magic in the first place…
RRRrrrr~...
The beams eventually died out, leaving a half-dead Hiyori lying in a pile of fallen trees.
…
Hiyori tried Lifeup ß!
'Ow, ow, ow, ow…'
She clambered from the trees, only to find Reimu there.
"Youkai Buster!" She true three, sharp red ofuda, and shot them at Hiyori.
Slap, slap, slap!
"Guh…" Hiyori kneeled, the red ofuda suddenly linking to the floor with pulsating red lines.
"Wahaha~!" Suika laughed in the distance, splitting up to dodge multiple large, exploding star-shaped projectiles. "Yowza~! Wow, wow, wow…!"
...Reimu sighed. "This looks to be about over." She turned to Hiyori. "Still proud about what you did?"
...Hiyori glared at her. 'It-it's hard to reply when you're being violently assaulted by magical energy!'
Receiving no response, Reimu lifted her gohei. "I'll give you some time to cool off, then."
SMAAAA~SH!
…
Thud.
…
"Ru~n in circles!" A horde of tiny Suikas exclaimed, scuffling about on the forest floor.
"Uu~h…" Marisa stared down at them, awkwardly. "...I don't think Suika's pissed anymore, ze."
...Reimu floats over them menacingly. "I am."
She held her gohei high in the air. "Omnidirectional Demon Binding Circle!"
Reimu said 'let there be ofuda'.
And there was ofuda.
"Uwaaaa~h!" The mini-Suikas all let out exaggerated cries.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 22
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Miracle Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Adds an increased chance to deal critical hits.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Combat Miko Outfit - A black leotard and hakama combination worn by the previous-previous Hakurei miko. Designed to be suitable for excessive physical activity and close combat, it slightly improves physical combat prowess. Now with less sideboob!
Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α, β, γ - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier. Third tier forms a barrier, which breaks upon moderate damage.
PK Flash α, ß - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry. Higher tiers increase chances, and introduce possibilities of fainting or dispel.
Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.
Shield α, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.
Lifeup α, ß, γ - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß, γ - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
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Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Dated Village Magician Robes - An old robe from the days when the village respected the medium of magic. Now actually looks navy blue, instead of black!
Misc: Yukkuri Beanie - Resembles a really tacky tablecloth, made in the Yukkuri theme. Lime green and has tons of fun yukkuri decals!
-Skills-
PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.
PK Hydro α, β, γ - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ, Ω - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones. Highest tier has a near-guaranteed freeze chance and immense ice damage, at the cost of being very taxing.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
PSI Shield α, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.
PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.
Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.
Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.
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Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: Spectrum Shotgun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo. The addition of a battery and a prism allow it to fire seven rainbow colored beams at a wide spread, which deal non-elemental damage. Firing long enough allows them to focus and deal incredible damage, at the cost of insane recoil and instability.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows freer movement with a shorter skirt, and a more flexible material.
Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.
Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.
Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…
Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!
Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.
Scotch Tape - Transparent adhesive from the outside world. Weak, but handy!
Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?
Shield Killer - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Fires electrical projectiles, of unknown Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.
Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.
Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.
Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.
Charm of Sleep - Grants immunity to sleep while equipped. Can be equipped to Arms or Misc.
Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.
Lotion Dispenser - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Made of a broom, a showerhead, some magnets, and uses jars of water as ammo. Slapped together with ofuda, giving it unknown holy properties. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for no discernible reason. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion, as a result of the above.
-Skills-
Member of the Hakurei Sobriety Patrol - They call her Marigold Neverdrink, yo. Her partner in crime is Hiyori S. Sober.
Enjoys Gummy Bears - Sometimes...!
Will Help You out of Her Town with an Iron Fist - Your life's in danger, every enemy's a stranger...!
Can Laydown a Sick Flute Solo - The manor is sadly lacking in flutes, she realized.
Found Out Kingdom Hearts was Light - She was rather disappointed.
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Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Shackle of Devas - The first of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to sleep-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to wind and thunder magic.
Body: Kimono of Devas - The second of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to paralyzing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to fire magic. Insanely durable. Has a floral design to it…!
Misc: Nothing
-Skills-
PK Starstorm α - Summons forth the stars from the night's sky to rain down upon enemies. Hits all enemies, and deals high magical damage, at the cost of being highly mentally taxing. Can hit allies if they're in the effective area, as the white stars don't have homing properties. Power proportional to amount of enemies, as well.
PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. More impact comes with higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.
Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.
Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.
Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
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Author's Note:
another chapter of ONI VIOLENCE
kinda marks the end of the ONI TO HUNT DOWN though, but not the end of the SIDEQUEST
reimu and marisa also kinda hijacked the fight . w .
kimono grants paralyzing immunity, yo…!
hiyori is very much more agile than poo was, because she's a freakin' oni. this is kinda why i'm not givin' her brainshock, 'cause an oni with debuff ability is just TOO MUCH POWER FOR ONE WOMAN…
or, at least, for a typical oni
...suika also wasn't fighting 100%, or else she'd be going attack on titan on their asses and would probably break the shrine in the process, and get even more of an ass whooping from reimu in the end
hiyori is not well equipped to deal with the main incident resolvers on her own, unfortunately; even a powerful attack like starstorm is kinda MEH in comparison to just about ANY of marisa's standard moves
this is why hikari's team is a TEAM, YO
POWER OF FRIENDSHIP and strategy and lifeup (a severely hacky spell all jrpg protagonists get for no explicit reason in-universe which throws off the balance of the entire planet)
then again i'd say there SHOULD be natural trade-offs to getting something so POWERFUL
...as always, see you all next time!
oh wow i had this done for like a week but forgot to upload it; sorry about that! XD