Hello there readers. I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter.
The situation is getting out of hand in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Yukari has easily managed to get inside with Naru and Ran behind her. And now Yukari is duelling with Remilia.
Both won't stop until one of them falls. Naru is in a critical condition and only the return of Sakuya can help her. But Yukari won't hold back now and her power, as well Remilia's, are affecting the weak barrier which separates Ran and Naru from the furious battle between them. And no Spell Card rules are applied.
Stage 12
Your Heart is Where your Loved Ones are
『Your heart is a place where all emotions are stored.
It's also the home of those who you hold dear』
Scarlet Devil Mansion
Yukari pulled out her arm and, from it, a purple glow emerged, quickly turning into a barrier which blocked Remilia's Gungnir. Remilia gritted her teeth and jumped back, firing a volley of danmaku which covered the whole of Yukari body. Smoke rose from the ground and the explosion shook the mansion.
From the smoke, lasers like tentacles emerged, trying to grab Remilia. She quickly jumped away and started flying around, trying not to get caught. The smoke slowly fell, revealing Yukari who didn't have a single scratch from the volley. She pointed her free hand at Remilia and fired a wall of kunais, impossible to dodge. Remilia frowned angrily and waved her Gungnir, destroying the tentacles and turning into a swarm of bats.
Most of the bats survived, except a few which turned into black-red mist. Remilia reappeared high in the air, near the ceiling, with Gungnir in hand. Yukari's expression didn't change. She still had a cold, emotionless expression which was decorated with a slight frown. Yukari turned fully to Remilia and charged at her with her sword in hand, trying to slash Remilia in the stomach.
Remilia managed to move away but her dress now had a clean slash. But Yukari didn't stop there. She quickly turned to face Remilia and slash her from underneath her but Remilia stopped the katana with her Gungnir. But Yukari was really strong. Gritting her teeth, she pushed the attack forward and it passed close to Remilia's face. Not wasting time, Remilia tried to slam her fist at Yukari's face but her eyes widened when a gap opened, revealing another blade coming at her.
Remilia moved her head to the right, but she still got a slash mark at her chin, under her eye. She moved away and looked Yukari. Blood was coming down her chin. She chuckled.
"I see you aren't hold back. No, you are holding back. It doesn't matter. I won't let you hurt Sakuya ever AGAIN!" Remilia shouted and charged at Yukari with her Gungnir. She prepared to slash Yukari from top to bottom but her Gungnir met a purple barrier. Remilia gasped when she felt something hit her in the stomach. She slowly looked down to see an open gap with a blade sticking out of it and piercing her. Remilia looked at Yukari, who didn't blink.
Remilia, after a second chuckle, grabbed the sword and shattered it. Yukari eyes widened slightly but not enough to be visible. Remilia quickly threw her other hand at Yukari, hitting her in the face and making her fly at the floor. The collision threw a gust of dust into the air. Remilia took a deep breath and looked at her stomach. It was already healed.
Ran was looking at this with fear and shock. Her barrier was also breaking apart. She tried to reinforce it, but no matter how much energy she channelled, the barrier was breaking. She was only delaying what was inevitable. She looked at Naru with sweat on her chin. Naru was breathing rapidly. Her breathing was also shallow. If they wouldn't stop soon, Naru might be in more serious danger than she already was.
She needed to take Naru away from here, outside at least. But the power from the fight was too dangerous and the aura emanating from both Remilia and Yukari would be devastating, even for her. She also felt how the air was heavy, it made breathing diffiuclt. Right now she was kneeling with Naru resting in her hand, while she tried to maintain the barrier with the other hand.
"Dammit… My barrier won't hold for too long…" Ran said to herself. She looked back at the duel.
Yukari was standing where the cloud of dust was slightly more transparent, enough to see what was inside. There was a crater in the floor and Yukari was standing in the middle with her katana in her right hand. She wasn't fazed by Remilia's strike, even if it was strong enough to kill a mere human.
Remilia clenched her free hand a few times and looked at Yukari. But she didn't say anything. She just prepared to attack and fired at ton of bullets at Yukari. Yukari didn't wait and started dodging them, occasionally opening a small gap to consume a few bullets. After that, she disappeared in one of her gaps. Remilia saw this and started looking around.
She then slashed behind herself and her Gungnir collided with Yukari katana. Yukari used her free hand to open a gap near Remilia. Not a second later, bullets flew from it, but these were the bullets which Yukari had consumed earlier. Remilia couldn't dodge them and was forced to break contact with Yukari and cross her arms to protect herself. Yukari didn't waste time and slashed Remilia's arms, cutting them clean off.
Remilia eyes widened as she saw her arms cut off. But soon she felt something collide with her stomach. It was metal pipe with the sign "STOP" on it. Remilia couldn't even look at Yukari, because she was sent flying to the ground. When she collided, pieces of floor which was sent flying everywhere. Gusts of dust covered mostly everything, making seeing difficult.
Ran's eyes widened when she saw how pieces of rock where flying towards her position. She braced herself and covered Naru with her tails. When the pieces collided with her barrier it shattered like glass. Ran yelped from pain when a few smaller pieces, the size of footballs, collide with her side, breaking two of her ribs.
She slowly uncovered Naru and was glad no piece had hurt her. She grabbed by her side and hissed. It hurt but soon the ribs would be fine thanks to her healing power. She smiled tiredly.
"Don't worry… I… will protect you..." she said to Naru. Ran tried to calm her breathing. But her broken ribs make it slightly difficult. Not to mention the broken barrier. The aura started to affect both Ran and Naru. While Ran was not so affected but it, Naru was a different story. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. Sweat was gathering on her face. Her temperature had risen as well.
Ran panicked slightly, not knowing what to do. Then the sound of a door opening could be heard. Everybody looked at the first floor and saw Sakuya who looked like she had been running. She looked at the scene before her and froze. Remilia meanwhile managed to stand up and regenerate her cut off arms.
"Get out of here Sakuya! I won't let them hurt you more!" she shouted to Sakuya. She summoned her Gungnir and charged at Yukari. Sakuya looked around and spotted Ran and Naru. She felt how her heart missed beat. She couldn't say anything. Naru's look terrified her. How could this havhappen to her?
Sakuya covered her mouth in pure shock when she spotted Naru. Her eyes started pouring tears. She needed to rest on the ruined wall so she wouldn't fall on her knees. She hadn't expected to see Naru in such a state. She hadn't thought that leaving her would affect her so much. She was selfish and because of that, Naru had suffered.
The battle between Yukari and Remilia was raging. Bullets and pieces of mansion were flying everywhere. Some crashed near Ran and Naru. Sakuya's eyes widened when one bullet almost hit Naru in the head. Ran was trying to protect Naru, using herself as a shield.
Sakuya couldn't do anything. She felt powerless. She looked at Yukari and Remilia who were trying to overpower each other, looking at each other with hate from Remilia and indifference from Yukari. She felt how her heart was beating faster and faster. Her breathing started to become rapid. Her eyes were shaking as well as her body. She couldn't do anything, but she wanted to stop this.
One thought circulated her mind. To help Naru. She felt how her chest was burning from the inside with fire she couldn't stop from burning her heart. It was becoming unbearable.
"STOP IT!" Sakuya shouted suddenly. Her high-pitched scream could be heard across the whole area. She breathed heavily and looked at the floor below her.
"Please… Stop it..." she said again but this time it sounded almost like a whisper. Everyone looked in her direction. Sakuya sighed deeply a few times to calm down. She looked down, fixing her eyes on where Naru was.
"Sakuya..." Remilia said quietly. Yukari was looking at the whole scene without blinking.
Ran sighed with relief when the aura vanished after Sakuya's scream. She was glad someone had managed to stop both Remilia and Yukari. She then felt how Naru was moving in her arms. She looked down and saw Naru open her eyes. Ran smiled brightly.
"Naru-san are you ok? Do you feel alright?" she said. Ran couldn't help but smile. Seeing that Naru open her eyes for the first time in the mansion was a good sign. Naru looked around with her tired eyes and finally noticed Sakuya on the first level. She slowly turned her head to see her better. Ran tried to stop her, but Naru moved, ignoring Ran.
Naru tried to stand up but after taking three steps, she fell on her knees. Sakuya gasped and jumped down. She started running to Naru. Naru, on the other hands, keep moving on her knees torwards Sakuya. But even she couldn't move much before her arms and legs gave up. She almost hit the ground if not for Sakuya, who made a sideslip and caught Naru before she managed to touch the ground.
Sakuya's knees and legs were hurt but she didn't care. She held Naru in her arms, hugging her tightly. Tears started running down her cheeks. Sakuya started crying while repeating "I'm sorry". Yukari and Remilia landed on the ground and stared at the scene. Remilia couldn't come up with aresponse at such a scene. Yukari smiled slightly.
Sakuya kept patting Naru and crying. She was glad that she had seen Naru again. Patchouli was right, her place was with Naru. This was the place where her heart belonged.
Earlier
Sakuya was sitting in her room, on her bed, wondering what she should do. Even if she returned to Koumakan, she couldn't stop but feel empty inside. Her mood was visible, even if she tried to hide it. Remilia had tried to ask her what was going on, but she refused to say. And Remilia didn't want to force an answer from her.
Suddenly a shock wave went through her room. Everything started shaking violently. A vase with flowers fell on the ground and broke into pieces. Sakuya stood up and ran to the doors looking around. She saw a few Fairy Maids and she stopped one.
"What's going on?" she asked her.
"I-I-I don't know! B-But s-s-something powerful I-i-is here!" the Fairy then flew where the rest of the fairies were flying. She decided to see what was happening. And with each passing step the aura was getting heavier and heavier. She got a feeling this was something serious.
Soon another shockwave could be felt. The vases which were standing on the podium fell on the ground, breaking in the process. Sakuya also fell on her knees, because she couldn't keep her balance. She stood up and again kept running but she stopped when the doors opened. She looked and saw Patchouli. She was surprised to see her outside the library.
"Patchouli-sama? What's going on?" Sakuya asked. Patchouli turned to her.
"Remilia is fighting with Yukari. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later when you got back here," Patchouli said with an expressionless voice. Sakuya was shocked. It was her fault. She felt guilt building in her chest.
"But it's also not your fault. The situation is bit complicated," Patchouli quickly added with a stoic face. Sakuya raised her head and looked at Patchouli.
"The reason Yukari is here is because of you. But also because of her daughter Naru who is also here," Sakuya gasped and felt her heart clenched in her chest. Patchouli noticed.
"You miss her right? The emptiness in your heart was getting bigger and bigger with each passing day, from the moment you left her side. You wanted to get back to her but you couldn't. Because the guilt you are feeling for leaving her side. You miss her." Patchouli's voice softened. Sakuyakept clenching her fist in her chest. Patchouli studied Sakuya with her eyes.
"What do you want? What is your desire?" she asked. Sakuya jerked her head to look at Patchouli with surprise. Patchouli was looking at Sakuya with a soft smile and crossed her arms. On Sakuya's face doubt appeared. Another explosion happened.
"I...I want..." Sakuya whispered.
"Just don't lie to yourself Sakuya. You can feel Koumakan is not a place where you should be," Patchouli said with a stern voice. After that, Patchouli sighed with a small smile. Her voice also softened once more.
"Your heart is where your loved ones are. Koumakan has people close to you but not so close to satisfy the emptiness you're now feeling. Nobody will be angry at you if you want to be happy. Everyone has the right to be happy, to find their place where they truly belong. Where they can smile, be themselves without restriction. Koumakan was this place for you for a long time. Every memory was a happy one, except a few occasions," Patchouli said with a scowl, remembering the Red Mist incident and a few other minor incidents.
Sakuya looked at Patchouli and couldn't help but crack a smile. Patchouli smiled as well, seeing Sakuya was feeling slightly better. She hugged her and patted her back slowly. Patchouli and Sakuya felt another explosion.
"But that's in the past now. You want to be with Naru, right? Go to her. Go to where your heart belongs," Patchouli said with a smile. Patchouli and Sakuya broke the hug and Sakuya smiled honestly, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Thank you Patchouli-sama. I will be going!" Sakuya bowed with a smile and ran. Patchouli looked at her.
"Home is where your heart belongs, hmmm..." Patchouli muttered to herself with a smile and went back to her library. Koakuma was flying around, trying to put books back where they belonged; because of the explosions, some books had fallen from the shelves.
Present time
Sakuya kept hugging Naru. Remilia and Yukari moved closer to them but still left plenty of space between them. Remilia looked at Sakuya and Naru, and groaned, pinching the end of her nose.
"Can someone explain to me, what's going on. Because I'm now confused to no end," Remilia said. Yukari sighed.
"A lot happened in Konoha in a short period of time. Do you remember my conquest game?" Yukari tuned to Remilia. She nodded.
"Yeah, everything was done just because you wanted to break the curse of the Hakurei blood. But I fail to see, what this has to do with Naru and Sakuya," Remilia said.
"Maybe I will explain that," a voice said. Everyone looked to the source and saw Patchouli. Remilia was wondering what Patche knew. Yukari didn't say anything. Patchouli started walking down the stairs while explaining.
"I noticed Naru's behavior while she was visiting us. It was subtle and even I wasn't sure if I was correct. I could easily have missed it if not for a small conversation I had one time with Naru. It was short and I asked a simple question: 'For what do you will use your power?' She answered, 'To protect those who are close to me'. A normal person would just ignore it, but something was off when I heard it. Naru's voice was than strangely serious and slightly hollow. Like something had ordered her to say that," Patchouli said as she reached the bottom.
Everyone gathered around her except Sakuya and Naru. Patchouli continued to explain.
"It was so subtle that people would easily be deceived and I thought it was just her protective personality. But something told me it wasn't normal. After that, I started looking at the relation between personality and blood. I was quite surprised when I found out that personality can be heritage," Patchouli said, looking at Naru with her arms crossed.
"Appearance, personality, habits. Everything can be passed by blood. Perhaps that's why children look like their parents. What I want to say, is when the blood of two people who were ready to protect their friends and family mixed, that traits became stronger, twice if not three times as much. But I think Yukari managed to fix that, right?" Patchouli turned to Yukari who nodded with a sad look.
"Wait, wait, wait. I don't know if I caught that right. Patchouli, you're saying that because of Naru's blood, she was over protective to the point where she would throw away her friends and Yukari manage to fix that? How?" Remilia said.
Patchouli sighed.
"Yukari fixed that by beating the shit out of Naru, thanks to the help of the Oni, Suika. The same oni who helped lift the curse of the Hakurei blood from Reimu some time ago. But I guess not everything went as you planned, hmm Yukari," Patchouli said. Yukari didn't say anything. Patchouli shrugged and looked back at Naru and Sakuya.
"Well, half of the problem is fixed, now the second part." Patchouli walked away to her library. Remilia groaned and massaged her temple.
"This is much more complicated than I thought. It's giving me a headache," Remilia whined. She turned to Yukari.
"I won't get involved, Sakuya can leave if she wants, but next time I see her crying, you better be ready," Remilia threatened. Yukari only nodded slightly. Remilia kept looking for a few seconds at Yukari before she walked away. Ran walked to Yukari, wanting to say something but Yukari stopped her.
"Don't say anything… There is no need for words..." Yukari said calmly, but Ran noticed tears running down Yukari's face. Ran only sighed with a small smile and she looked at Sakuya and Naru who were still hugging each other. Well more like Sakuya was hugging Naru.
A Few days later, Yakumo household
Naru had been getting better for the past few days. Her skin was almost back to healthy color, she gained muscle. Her hair was softer and healthier. Her face showed life rather than death. But she still wasn't at her best. Yukari was glad that Naru was getting better. It lifted a stone from her heart.
But she was worried about Kurama. Her shikigami crows still hadn't found new leads on Kurama. The worst scenario would be that she was sealed again. Bad but not worse would be her death. But because she was a being made of chakra and magic, she couldn't die. Or rather she would die but after a few years, she would be back.
For now at least. Kurama body was still was made of chakra, but magic was slowly replacing it. But it would be a slow process because of how much chakra Kurama had in her. Right now, only 33% of Kurama's chakra reserves had turned into magic. It would still take a lot of time. Probably another 10 years.
Yukari sighed; she was tired. Also dealing with Remiu was a pain as well, trying to explain why both she and Remilia hadn't used spell cards rules. Yukari was holding herself from using too much power, but it could still be sensed in the whole of Gensokyo. But luckily Yukari managed to talk Reimu off back to the shrine by telling her that everything was under control.
Yukari heard a door opening. She turned her head and saw Naru yawning. She rubbed her eyes. With lazy feet, she walked in and sat on the chair saying good morning. Yukari smiled and responded with a good morning as well.
"I'm tired~..." Naru whined. Yukari chuckled at Naru.
"Well, you need to get back to Konoha. The school is important. I know you won't learn much from there, but you can see what others can do. Isn't that nice? Knowing your enemy without them knowing you are observing them?" Yukari asked with a glint. Naru looked at her mother lazily.
"I know… it's just… I feel like I could sleep a whole month and it wouldn't be enough..." Naru said and slammed her head on the table lightly. Yukari sighed.
"Found anything?" Naru asked. Yukari looked at Naru who was looking at her with one eye. She sighed.
"No, unfortunately. The last clue lead us to her old whereabouts, but the lead ends there. I just hope she hasn't been sealed. This would make our search more difficult," Yukari said with a heavy sigh.
"Maybe not. Wherever there is Jinchūriki, there is hate for them. At least there was in my case. Maybe you should look in such a place," Naru proposed.
"I can see your point. But we can't exclude the possibility that he or she will be locked up in secret somewhere," Yukari added. Naru nodded. She rose to sit straight.
"Anyway I will prepare myself to leave," she said. Naru stood up and prepared to leave when Yukari called.
"Naru! I'm..." Yukari couldn't bring her words out of her throat. Naru smiled.
"Don't worry about it. Just tell Suika… I need to drink with her if she wants me to forgive her," she said. And she disappeared. Yukari looked at Naru.
"You're still too young to drink, young lady," Yukari said to herself. She couldn't help but chuckle.
With Naru
Naru emerged from a gap near Koumakan and looked at it. The gate was repaired and Meiling was guarding it like always. She approached and waved to Meiling. She waved back with a smile.
"Go ahead. They're expecting you," Meiling said. Naru nodded.
"Just don't sleep to long. Marisa may try to get inside again," Naru chuckled. Meiling pouted.
"I'm not lazy!" she said.
"I never said you are," Naru said and ran inside, avoiding Meiling's small volley of bullet.
"Don't tease me!" Meiling shouted at Naru and after a short while, she started guarding the gate again. Naru saw in front of the main entrance everyone from SDM. Flandre was teasing her sister, Koakuma was standing beside Patchouli and was holding an umbrella above the two vampire sisters. Sakuya was trying to calm them down but without effect.
Naru moved closer to them and her presence made everyone look at her. Remilia let go of Flandre and she let go of Remilia.
"This is too similar to my first departure from Gensokyo. Only with less people," Naru said.
"Whatever. I know it wasn't your fault with this whole farce, but I'm still mad at you," Remilia responded. She crossed her arms and looked to the side, avoiding looking at Naru. She chuckled nervously and scratched her chin.
"Yeah, you could say it was partly my fault as well," Naru said. Remilia turned to Naru and her face softened a little.
"I will say this one more time. Take care of Sakuya, got it?" Remilia said. Naru nodded. Sakuya looked at rest.
"I'm sorry I brought you trouble," she said. She bowed. Remilia waved her off.
"Don't worry about that. Know that this place will always welcome you and we will wish the best for you," Remilia said. Sakuya couldn't stop the small blush appearing on her face, but she quickly smiled to hide it.
"Naru~! When we will play again!?" Flandre asked with a sad tone.
"Soon enough. I will appear when you least expect it," Naru said with a smile. Flandre only pouted but smiled too. Patchouli just smiled but didn't say anything. Her words weren't needed.
"Ready?" Naru asked Sakuya. Sakuya only nodded. Naru opened a gap but before they entered it they gave the SDM crew one last smile and a wave. The gap closed soon after. Remilia kept looking at the place where Sakuya and Naru were a few seconds ago before she smiled to herself and walked away.
"Fate is such an unpredictable thing," she said to herself. Nobody heard her words.
Konoha, Naru house, garden
A gap opened and from it Naru and Sakuya emerged. Naru stretched.
"Home at last. There is no school tomorrow at least so I can sleep all I want~" Naru said with a blissful smile. Sakuya sweatdropped and chuckled nervously.
"But what about explaining your absence? Don't you think people would be suspicious?" Sakuya asked. Naru waved that off.
"Don't worry, I will deal with that on Monday. Right now *yawn* I wanna go sleep. Sakuya, I will leave everything to you." Naru opened her gap and disappeared. Sakuya was looking at the place where Naru was and couldn't help but laugh.
"That sounds like Ojou-sama when I was working at the mansion." Sakuya continued to giggle healthy.
Meanwhile in Koumakan
Remilia was drinking her mediocre tea when she suddenly stopped. Meiling who had brought her tea looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know why, but I have the urge to punch someone in the head," Remilia said. Meiling was confused and didn't say anything to try to figure out what her Mistress was talking about.
Omake
Eiki Shiki was having a normal day when one of the spirits who was working in the Ministry brought her the paper of the souls brought to judgment. Eiki raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on. The spirit inform her that this was the amount of souls brought by her subordinate more than a decade ago.
"Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't I know about this earlier?" Eiki Shiki asked the ghost. The ghost responded that the bookkeeper had found this a few hours ago. Eiki Shiki looked at the paper again.
Riverbank of the Sansu River
Komachi was now lying on a large stone while she was napping with a long piece of grass in her mouth, arms behind her head and scythe resting next to her. After transporting a few souls, two actually, she had decided she needed a break.
"So you're slacking off again, huh Komachi?" A serious and angry voice could be heard near Komachi's head. Her eyes instantly opened and she flew into the air, just to land on her knees with sweat covering her face. She also had a small, nervous smile. Eiki was looking at her with a scowl and crossed arms.
"E-Eiki-sama, wh-what a surprise to see you here! I-I-I will g-get back to w-work immediately!" Komachi assured. Eiki raised an eyebrow, not losing the scowl on her face.
"I hope so. You're bringing less and less souls. Should I lecture you again?" Eiki Shiki asked, looking at Komachi with seriousness. Komachi shook her head rapidly.
"That's what I thought. Anyway I got this from Administration." Eiki showed the paper to Komachi. She grabbed it and looked at it.
"10th of October… hmmm..." Komachi muttered to herself.
"What happened that day? Back then you were bringing far more souls, but that day it was a rather low amount," Eiki Shiki said. Komachi tried to remind herself what had been doing that day. Then suddenly a thought appeared in her head.
"Ahhh, I remember now! I was doing that Batsu Game! A few days earlier I was playing with one of my friends from consuming Shinigami corps, who delivered souls of those who use forbidden techniques. He then asked me to do his job because he had something to do. Now that you mention it I remember a familiar feeling from the daughter of Yukari… hmmm..." Komachi started thinking. Eiki Shiki was looking at her curiously.
"OHHH! I remember now exactly!" Komachi shouted surprisingly. "It was in the city where Yukari's daughter was born. There was BIG FOX with Nine Tails destroying the city! I was in the costume I got from my friend back there. I think I even have a photo from that day! That's why I was feeling a familiar resonance from that Naru girl! I helped that guy seal the fox in her! Kurama was her name if I remember correctly from the party! Eiki-sama remember her, right?" Komachi said, excited.
It was hard to forget when Yukari revealed her daughter who had the same ability as her. It would be a surprise if someone could forget that easily.
"Ahhh, I've never felt as relaxed as back there. Maybe I should move to the corps? It's nice to do something like that from time to time," Komachi said with a smile. The cold aura struck her. She looked at Eiki who was gripping her rod with anger.
"Komachi..." Eiki said slowly. Komachi yelped, scared as hell.
"Not only did you gamble but you also left your duties and didn't inform me about it. Moreover you are talking about switching jobs, next to me with a happy face..." Eiki Shiki released killing intent at Komachi who was now as pale as a ghost. Eiki Shiki gave Komachi a glare before she fired avolley of bullets at her. Komachi shouted from the deepest part of her lungs:
"P-P-Please F-Forgive me E-E-Eiki-s-s-sama!"
End of Omake
Ok guys here is the chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope the scene in Koumakan was good enough. Anyway, stay tuned for more chapters in the future and also check my other stories.
See you guys later! :D