Chapter 12: The Tiny, Tiny Hero
Dashing through the forest, her heart filled with concern, Kokoro swung her head in all directions in search of Koishi. Her energy had returned after the illness she had suffered through, but the memories of that event were far behind her at this point. Those memories were consumed by concern for Koishi' state of being, and simultaneously gripped by the fear that the satori could cause trouble for others.
The imagery of her mother in particular came to the forefront, followed by her stopping and resting a hand against a tree to catch her breath. Even if the illness wasn't left in her system, her recently awakened self was not ready for any fervent sprinting.
"I can't just go blindly…There has to be some hint to her location." Kokoro rested up against the tree, using the cool breeze to calm her mind and give herself a better chance of figuring stuff out. She wasn't certain how far away from the temple she was, as there were no breaks in the forest as far as her eyes could see. At the very least, it would take Miko some time to find her once she realized her missing presence.
"…Haaaaaa…" A tired sigh permeated the air, mixing with the chirps of tiny birds that flew over the canopy. A deflating Kokoro slunk down until she her small body was tucked neatly between the two thick wooden roots. Once her legs were up and her arms held against the front of them, the menreiki looked to the sky, assuming coincidence would lead to Koishi suddenly flying by. After a minute, the closest thing that came by was the bug Youkai Wriggle.
Head hung with a sigh, Kokoro could only think of one possible thing "How can you find someone without a presence?" and then grumbled with some slight frustration in her voice. She cursed her overeagerness in this situation, and briefly pondered the idea of returning to ask Miko for help.
"…No, no I can't do that." There was a pause followed by a head shake, yet Kokoro had no clue as to why she did that. Miko was the smartest person she knew besides Mamizou…
"Oh!" A spark of inspiration struck Kokoro like a fist to the face, and she shot up onto her feet to exclaim "Mamizou could help me find her! She's got a good nose…and a good brain!" Her youthful choice of words came out with her usual stoicism, even though her heart was racing with excitement. She was about to break into a sprint when all of a sudden she realized something, and froze with a fist swung out.
"Oh wait, I don't know where she is either." Kokoro then forced herself back against the tree and let out another sigh, lamenting to anyone who might be listening "I have to find a person to find another…Isn't this what mommy called a game of Shou and Nazrin?"
If nothing else though, Kokoro had a smidgen of an idea where to find the wise tanuki. The Human Village was her best bet, and she had an idea of where to find it from here without having to fly. This time, with a more certain spring in her step, Kokoro dashed forward ready to make her way to the village when suddenly…
"Scram, dumbass!" A shrill and angry voice screamed out the second before the person in question rammed Kokoro's side, making her rotate around a couple times before she's able to stumble out a couple feet and look at the person, only seeing their spiky black hair and white dress before they slipped between the flurry of shadows from the branches.
"…That person looked familiar…" Kokoro was about ready to just shake the matter off and go back to her own business when suddenly she heard a sharp chirp coming from her back along with a tiny grunt and a peck against her clothes. Thus she turned around and her attention was immediately drawn to a blue bird that had fallen onto it's back.
"Oh…Sorry little bird." Kokoro bent down and tried to pick the bird up, but it fluttered it's wings around and let out a squack or two before it sprung back onto it's feet without looking the least bit injured. However, it flew up before Kokoro's face so quickly that she pulled back in shock, forced to listen as the bird madly chirped at her then took off out of the forest, the menreiki's eyes trailing it until it was a blip in the cloudy sky.
"Why was that bird chasing that person? Nature is weird…" Kokoro shrugged her shoulders, thinking nothing else of the event as she turned around and began to head off.
"He-! Wh-'s the bi- id-a?!"
Kokoro paused and looked around, trying to find the source of the voice she just heard. It wasn't the person who passed her by, it definitely couldn't have been the bird coming back for an undefined revenge.
"Lo-k at me! Y-u stu-d, stu-id head!" The voice came out more clearly this time, confirming to Kokoro that they weren't someone she knew at the least. But without a way to find the person she shook her head and readied to move on again. Someone or something must be very annoyed at Kokoro today though, as she was YET AGAIN impeded by a feeling of her left leg being grabbed from the front.
The menreiki didn't even get a chance to lift it up before a sharp poking sensation shot through her nerves and forced her to kick up with the speed of a slingshot. Something was launched off, a violet blur that knocked some leaves from the canopy as Kokoro looked down and saw a speck of blood below her kneecap. Before she could rub the sore spot, something fell on top of her head and made her budge slightly.
It weighed as much as a glass plate, but must have been some type of human-like creature because the skin felt similar to the touch of Kokoro's mother or father as it laid on her scalp. Once she stood upright, the menreiki lifted her eyes up but could only note a couple strands of violet hair until she plucked the strange creature by their clothes and held them out in front of her face.
The person was a flailing maniac with a tiny noodle bowl as their hat for their short hair, and they also had on a pink Kimono that was so big that only her tiny hands and feet poked out. In her left hand was a tiny sewing needle, and it didn't take long for Kokoro to figure out why she bled. Though the tiny person was madly flailing and saying things, the menreiki had been so distracted by how bizarre the inchling was that she hadn't heard a single word coming out clearly from their mouth until now.
"-and you think you can just pinch me like I'm a doll?! Bring me in closer, I can fell titans like you with my needle! Have at you, have at yooooou!" The person tried to thrust it's needle out at Kokoro's eyes, but a quick pull away stopped that nonsense swiftly. Befitting it's size, the person ran out of energy and was left panting, having no choice but to be suspended between Kokoro's fingers as the menreiki wondered just what to say next.
"Uhhh…Who are you?" The inquiry was met by the tiny person squealing out "Who am I?! Who are you you…big mean masked wall!" Their immature retort surprised Kokoro, not because of the words, but rather that for once someone didn't recognize her on first glance. It wasn't something she was used to, and thus left her stuttering to respond.
"I-I'm Hata no Kokoro…Why are you so tiny?" That probably wasn't the best thing to ask, as the person shook their fists and retorted with a tone more bitter than a grape "Why are YOU so big?! I'll have you know that I'm not usually this small! Now lemme go! I need to go stop Seija!" That spoken finally broke the awkwardness and brought a connection between the menreiki and the inchling.
"Seija…?" Kokoro's mind remembered the amanojaku from an encounter the two had, when the devilish Youkai used it's trickery to make it's way into the Myouren Temple and steal something precious to her mother. Though the Youkai was bested and the item was returned, it seems that was not enough to stop their mischief. The inchling was felt swaying back and forth between Kokoro's finger to try and slip out, an effort that was slowly working as they looked back to where Seija had sprinted off.
"Yeah yeah! I was flying after them when your big body got in the way! Now I have no way to catch up to her! Gaaaah, all those months of finding her wasted!" That last burst of frustration was enough to get Kokoro to let go, but not without catching the person with a flip of her hand. The inchling was surprised, and stood up to look Kokoro's stoic eyes straight on.
"E-Eh…? What, you're feeling pity now? Don't look down at us little folk!" The inchling swung her needle around, but before she could do any harm she was jolted by Kokoro lifting her hand up to put the inchling level with her eyes. With her mouth agape, the inchling's attitude did a complete reversal as she kicked a foot up with a cherry blush in her cheeks and murmured "W-Well…Hehehe, I didn't expect this." Their laugh was filled with child-like innocence, and they held their needle before their waist with a merry sway.
"Can I make it up to you by finding Seija?" Kokoro inquired after being enamored by the cutesy inchling for a while, followed by them letting out a prolonged gasp.
"Y-You mean it? But wait, why do you have a stake in my problems? Oh! Did that meanie hurt you too?!" The person pumped their fists and seemed almost ecstatic, and Kokoro replied with a quaint nod of the head.
"I stopped Seija once before." She looked aside, almost ashamedly, before continuing to say "But I didn't do a good enough job if she's still causing trouble." The inchling tilted her head in confusion, but perked it back up for a smile.
"Haha! So you're the one who got her to lose those items! Then that means you did a great job, cause now people like me can finally stop her!" Her proclamation was followed with a swift punch forward, and after a couple blinks Kokoro asked "What did she do to you?"
"That jerk faced jerk made me try to start a revolution! After that I tried to get a bounty on her but no one could defeat her even with unavoidable Danmaku! Curse those stupid items and whoever taught her how to use them!" As the inchling stamped her feet a couple times Kokoro recalled hearing about those events, and immediately had to put blame onto Mamizou for that last part.
"M-Maybe you aren't always smart, Granny Mammy…" Kokoro rubbed her forehead while the inchling looked at her in confusion. Once she was done the menreiki asked "N-Never mind, I'll help you out. What's your name?"
"Oh! I hadn't told you! My name is Shinmyoumaru, but you can call me Sukuna…Hero of the Small and Weak!"
"H-Hero? You're a hero…?" Kokoro's surprise was met with an innocent stare into the inchling's eyes as she proceeded to express her curiosity "Please, show me what a hero is like!" but almost blew Sukuna off with the force of her voice. The bracing inchling held her hat and lifted her head up with a smile.
"A-Alright…! I can do that! Come on, we might still have a chance to catch up to her!" Sukuna then leaped bravely onto Kokoro's head, using the hairs to keep herself stable as the menreiki began to glide through the forest, following the footsteps on the ground for a minute until they noticed a few claw marks on the trees that were getting increasingly lower down the bark. It didn't take long after for them to find their target halfway towards the ground, struggling to hold a low branch.
They looked absolutely pitiful with their white dress torn and cuts across their arms and legs, bruises prominent on their cheeks and elbows. Their hair was tattered and their tiny horns were chipped slightly. Their red eyes were filled with a primal frenzy as they shifted their head back to glare at the approaching Kokoro and Sukuna.
"You gnat, get away from me! Haven't you had enough?!" The amanojaku swung a claw back as the other fell to the ground, and Sukuna stood atop Kokoro's head and proclaimed with her needle held high "Not until you are stopped! Watch and learn Kokoro, I'll show you what the Little Hero can do!" With a leap unbefitting her size, Sukuna spun herself until landing on the ground, but her height didn't even reach Seija's knees as the amanojaku rose to her feet.
"Hehehe…You brought along that easily tricked putz? You're so desperate to stop me, but it's your own stupid naivety that caused your problems!" Seija's tongue was sharper than any knife even as she struggled to stand up, but after a gulp the inchling's retort was at the tip of her tongue.
"S-Shut up! You used me! You tried to take my proud heritage as an inchling and use it for your rebellion! You're a troublemaking meanie Seija, and your presence isn't welcome in Gensokyo!"
"GET! REAL!" Seija angrily swung her claws out and with a look of pure fury she glared down upon Sukuna and bluntly said "I don't care how much you hate me! I LOOOOOVE the idea of being hated! But if you're going to spout nonsense about unwelcome presences, then why not look to those Youkai who abuse loopholes in the Spell Card System to get away with their madness?! What about that vampire? The gap witch? Hell, look at that stupid set of masks behind you that calls itself a person! They caused an incident outside of the Spell Card Rules and didn't get punished at all! This whole system is flawed, broken…It needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, along with all of Gensokyo!"
"No! No it doesn't! You're just talking with your hated as an amanojaku, Seija!" Sukuna was unaware as she spoke, but Kokoro froze up once the amanojaku accused her. Yet that feeling would be flushed away once the inchling stood her ground with gritted teeth and spoke out "People like you, who sow chaos in their wake…Are the ones that need to go!"
"You can talk big inchling, but you're always going to be small…" Seija switched from angered to arrogant on the turn of a dime, leaning back against the tree and looking down upon Sukuna with a scowl. "Come on…You think you can stop me? What are you going to do? Bite me to death?" Kokoro stepped forward, but Sukuna held her right hand out to stop her. The menreiki barely noticed that, but stepped back once she did.
"A hero…CAN rely on others for help. But that's alright Kokoro, you did your job by bringing me here. Please, let me have the chance to make this right…For everyone who has been tricked and wronged by this amanojaku." Sukuna then pulled out from her sleeve a golden mallet with a fancy pattern on it. Seija took interest right away.
"Heh? The Miracle Mallet? Oh come on now…what good is that thing to you?" Sukuna glared, and then with sparkles flowing around the mallet that were filled with magic the inchling bonked herself on the head. A second later the namesake of the mallet occurred, as Sukuna became much bigger than she was before. She was still a foot shorter than the now in awe Kokoro at her full height, but her needle was now an actual weapon rather than a leg scratcher.
Swiping the needle in front of her face, Sukuna reached into her kimono and pulled out a couple slips of paper with a mythical vibe to them and slapped them around the needle, causing it to glow with a bright white light. For the first time, Seija's face contorted into a scowl of shock, while Kokoro's mind was filled with some slight familiarity.
"A-Aren't those…?"
"Reimu's Youkai banishing cards? Yeah, I swiped them from under her nose for just this occasion. Get ready…!" Sukuna swung her needle out, the peaceful energy cutting the top of the grass as the inchling proclaimed "Here I come Seija!" The amanojaku had two seconds to react as Sukuna leaped at her, but couldn't take advantage of that period of time fast enough and had part of her hair sliced clean off. Her scalp was singed by the holy energy around the needle, and then she let out a hallow scream before collapsing onto the ground.
Seija started crawling, dragging her nails into the dirt as she tried to rise back up, but as she was halfway there Sukuna sliced through the back of her dress to not only draw blood but leave a large tear in the cloth. Seija spun around and fell onto the ground, her very flesh sizzling from behind. Sukuna stood over her with the expression of a fierce warrior, her body trembling as she grabbed the needle in both hands and hoisted it over her head with it pointed straight down at the frenzied Seija.
With neither the strength nor drive to fight back, Seija could only weakly swing her claws at Sukuna while proclaiming "G-Get off me…!" But her words fell on deaf ears as the inchling glared into her eyes and said "Goodbye Seija…And g-good riddance!" Those tiny hands of hers trembled even as they firmly grasped the needle, and as she watched on in silence Kokoro felt that something wasn't right about this.
"I don't think a hero would do this…" There was no need for hesitation, the menreiki sprinted forward and before the needle went down like a guillotine Kokoro had her hands around the inchling's wrists. Thankfully, she didn't have to apply much force to get Sukuna to look back. The inchling didn't respond harshly, she just looked at Kokoro with a puzzled expression and shook her head a little.
"I-I don't know if I can actually do it…!" Her eyes were welling up with tears, her face taking on the demeanor of a child. There was certainly a harsh reality to accept when it came to taking someone's life. Reminded of the time she stood over Tenshi with similar rage on her mind, Kokoro had one thing to say to the inchling.
"She's not worth getting blood on your hands. You could never live with yourself if you did." Kokoro shook her head, feeling Sukuna's muscles easing in the time she looked away, and eventually the arms dropped to her sides as she stepped off of a panting mad Seija.
"Heh…Hehehe! You're a coward! You don't have what it takes to finish me off!" Sukuna turned away from the amanojaku just enough that she just had to glance a little over her shoulder to say "You're all alone, you're beaten and pathetic…Why do I need to kill you? Enjoy the rest of your life, Seija."
Sukuna holds Kokoro's hand and silently walked her away from the amanojaku, who was left weak on her back, cackling like a madwoman. Kokoro looked back with only pity on her mind until the sounds could no longer be heard, which then allowed Sukuna a chance to turn and look at the menreiki, their eyes meeting only for a moment before she hung her head down.
"T-That wasn't very heroic of me, was it?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm having trouble figuring out what it means to be a hero myself…I just know you shouldn't kill." Kokoro explained with some uncertainty, with Sukuna cracking a gentle grin and giggling.
"Heh, well…Thanks for being my conscience then. Uhhh, I didn't keep you away from anything, did I?" Sukuna swayed back and forth without making eye contact until Kokoro shook her head and replied "It's ok. I'm glad to have helped."
"Then can I help you out?!" Sukuna showed enthusiasm much bigger than her body could contain, making Kokoro stumble back slightly and wave her hands out with a stoic expression.
"O-Oh that's ok! This is something I have to do on my own, Sukuna."
"Well…" Sukuna leaped and put her needle behind her, saying with a smile "Good luck then! I'll try not to get in your way again!" And with that she was off. Kokoro didn't know what to make of the whole event, but it got her thinking as she then moved on to the Human Village once again…
Next Time: Concealed Phantasm