Chapter 7: Face to Faith
Leaving the Bamboo Forest far behind them, Alex and Shina fly straight for the tallest mountain in all of Gensokyo, which housed the popular Moriya Shrine on its peak. Alex wanted to bolt straight for the top, but Shina insisted on the scenic route up the mountainside. Her repeated squeaks of 'please!' wore him down in seconds.
Starting at the base of the mountain, they kept flight a hundred feet off the ground so they could best take in the sights. The trees were in a perpetual state of autumn, their leaves lively but also as crips and red as honeydew apples.
The winds climbing up the mountain were cold like winter but with the fresh fragrance of spring blossoms. A small, green-haired Youkai in a red doll-like sequin dress twirled amongst the breeze, her body light and easily carried around by the slightest movements she made.
"Isn't that pretty the way she dances like a butterly in the breeze, Alex?" Shina smiled at her companion, whose expression suggested his mind was trapped in another world entirely.
"H-Huh?" He sputtered, giving a rather bland response of, "Oh yeah, its nice...I guess."
"You aren't even paying attention!" She furiously puffed her cheeks and thrust her fists down beside her chest, "Ya can't expand your world flyin' around blind as a bat Alex!"
"I don't think anyone'll fault me for ignoring a few trees..." He swung his hand out beside the face and groaned before attempting to turn away.
Shina quickly wrestled control of Alex's head with one hand and forced him to look straight up, but yelled at him gently, "Well, how about that then?!"
Cascading down the side of the mountain was a towering waterfall with liquid so pristine and white that it was as though it gushed forth from the heavens. The trees strewn about had leaves that were golden-red, while plenty of rock formations diverted and widened its flow.
As they scaled up it, water splashed against their bodies in a clean, barely visible mist. Being in contact with the waterfall's blessing left Alex feeling refreshed and focused. Thus Shina let go, her mission complete.
"See?" She nudged him twice with her right elbow, "Ain't THAT a scenic view?"
He began to close his eyes and hum like a meditating monk, worrying Shina, "Ummm...Alex? Helloooo? Earth to A-L-E-X?"
All he's ever seen of waterfalls were in games and movies, and none of them clearly did a good job expressing how great seeing one in person was. The constant exposure to the sparkling flurry of dew eroded away at any stress and awakening a sense of enlightenment. This infinitely repeating wonder could've given Alex a lifetime of pleasure. But alas, while its cycle is neverending, its height was not.
The moment he had passed its peak, his eyelids popped open fluttering in confusion, and he froze in place. He turned back and looked at the waterfall's edge, longing for more time with it. Behind him, struggling and failing not to giggle, Shina asked, "Should I give you two more alone ooor...?"
"Ahem...n-not at all!" He spun around, crossed his arms, and squirmed in his face attempts to look uncaring, "Its just a dumb waterfall! There are p-plenty of those out there..."
"If ya say so..." Her smile was as wide as her face as she twirled on a dime and kept flying higher up the mountain. Alex budged forward, but then gave the waterfall one last saddened look and stretch of the arm back. He then spend up after her, both of them now halfway up the mountain.
There was only one other noticeable sight along the way, and that was a secluded village within the mountain's lone pocket.
Many red wood bridges and Feudal castle-like homes made this village look like the living place for loyalty. The truth, however, was that it was simply a choice of preference of living for the grandiose Tengu. The Tengu are a group of Youkai with wings and hair like crows. They're a dangerous, nasty group, and Gensokyo's equivalent of a Yakuza. So naturally in spite of the dangers, Shina was very interested to go and meet them.
"Ok no, I'm nipping this in the bud before you get us jailed and/or killed." Alex grabbed her by the shirt collar and dragged her away until the village was far gone. Shina put up little resistance beyond some unsavory whimpers.
After that the top was just a stone's throw away. The peak was greener thanks to moss and grass build-up on the stone ground, but the true beauty of this place came from its view of the landscape. All of Gensokyo was visible, even the Hakurei Shrine on the complete opposite side of the world.
Capturing this view in a picture frame would be an insult to its beauty. A sight like this deserved to be treasured in the vault of one's memories, looked with a diamond key. The sad thing about this gorgeous view, however, is that the luscious winds were at their coldest here, meaning they had to move quickly.
Immediately after turning around they crossed under the shrine's golden-brown torii and headed up a short, winding flight of stairs to the very, very top. There lied a shrine built very similarly to Reimu's, but much bigger. The grounds also looked cleaner with the stone on the walkway freshly laid out. And the denizen deities had one girl to thank for that.
Toiling away with a rectangular broom swept to-and-fro, this simple-minded light green haired girl wore a blue and white traditional shrine maiden's outfit, with the blue on her skirt and sleeves having polka dots and stripes. Coiled on the left side of her hair was a snake-shaped accessory, while above that was a blue headband with a frog's head. Her eyes were emerald green and full of joy, and she hummed to pass the time. Right as Alex and Shina finished climbing, however, she perked up in surprise and dropped her broom.
"Oh! Visitors..." She murmured with barely contained excitement. From the confines of her dress she pulled out a rod with a single paper atop and quickly whispered a greeting to herself twice. She then nodded and rushed over to it aloud.
"Hello! Welcome to our shrine! Have you come all this way to offer your prayers to our patron goddess?" She gave a firm, proud nod of the head, but then quickly turned her head and grumbled in frustration, "Shoot...you needed to say 'travel' not 'come'..."
"We CAN hear you, you know?" Alex remarked with a brow raised. The girl then shot up so fast it was a miracle her heart didn't leap out of her mouth.
"Its not nice to snoop in on other people's conversations!" She boldly proclaimed with her fists swung up beside her chest.
Alex closed his eyes and was beside himself with disbelief, "With yourself? Weirdo..."
"Oooh, I get it..." The girl's expression changed from anger to pity in an instant, "You must be one of those delinquents that can't help being rude..."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you..." His forehead began to throb in pain, "I think you just said 'I'm ready to die now!'"
The girl grabbed her gohei in both hands and with amazing discipline waved it to-and-fro while saying, "Do not worry...As soon as you offer your prayers to Lady Kanako, your soul will achieve salvation!"
"Get bent!" Is what Alex tried to say, but Shina quickly slapped his mouth shut and held off all his groans and growls while reprimanding him, "Alex, we're not trying to spark a religious war here!"
She then turned and smiled with seemingly no pause at all, and held that hand towards the girl. But she exchanged it right out when she saw that Alex had slobered on it a bit by accident, "Sorry about that...My name's Shina, Shina Aurora!"
The girl had a moment of gasping awe as she stared into the eyes of this mysterious girl. Something strong, invisible and unexplainable, bonded the two's gaze together and filled their irises with sparkles. Then in one easily missable second, the two's handed snapped together like magnets and they began to giggle like a female highschool clique, all while the girl eagerly introduced herself, "Sanae Kochiya! Its a pleasure to meet you Shina!"
Sanae Kochiya ~ Gensokyo's Very Eager Miracle Girl
Alex stared in the background while rubbing his eyes a couple times. It was like he was looking at Shina's reflection in the mirror the longer he stared at Sanae, and this trouble him immensely, "For god's sakes both their eyes are twinkling like disco balls..."
As he sighed deeply inside his body, Sanae parted hands with her new friend and set her sights back on Alex. Feeling an intense pressure to do good from her pure eyes, Alex unconsciously began to relent on an introduction, "...My name's Alex Whiter. Sorry for the rough start there."
He wanted to gag, but only stuck his tongue out and tucked his hands into his pants' pockets, sinking into a depressing slump.
"I get it!" Sanae giggled and swiped her fingers down a couple times, "You're probably nervous professing your faith for the first time."
"I will have you know that I am an atheist..." He grumbled just loud enough for her to hear.
"You...are?" She went wide-eyed and puzzlingly bobbed her head around as her suspicions arose, "Then...why are you here?"
Luckily, a third party would soon arrive to cleave right through the growing wall of tension with a calm and virtuous voice blessed with divine authority that carried itself all the way from the shrine, "Ah, I knew you'd have no trouble finding your way here."
Coming straight off the shrine with a casual stroll was a woman about as tall as Eirin, though with a leaner, more fit appearance befitting her role as the Moriya Shrine's patron goddess. Her clothes consists of a red shirt with long white sleeves and a round mirror over the center of the chest. A long black skirt with a red leaf/flower print hem was tied to her waist by a thin rope, and thin white stockings stretched from hip to feet, protected by low heeled sandals. Her poofy blue hair had the sleekness of velvet, while her dark red eyes had all the commanding presence of a thousand military generals.
She walked with utter confidence, wasting not even a single step. Her head remained perfectly upright and even with her guests to make them understand that she was devoting 100% of her attention on them and nothing else. Strengthening that indomitable iron wall of confidence was the circular rope known as shimenawa levitating behind her, covered in zigzag shaped paper streamers called shide. This symbol of holiness let all evil-doers know that she was not to be approached, while simultaneously gracing any mortal worshippers with the certainty of her protection.
There was no faking this kind of power, which spread from her feet and rippled across her sanctuary. There was no denying her existence, for her visage was a perfect reflection of what humanity strived for. Bathed in the purest breeze, the woman stopped just a foot beside Sanae and looked straight into Alex's eyes. With just a single, relaxed gaze, she caused his non-believing heart to thump like a taiko drum paying holy tribute.
"I knew there were goddesses in Gensokyo...But seeing one of them face-to-face like this..." There was slight trembling in his knees as his face stiffened in silence, "Is more than I could've ever anticipated..."
"You are a lot younger than I was expecting. Thinner too..." She started off with a curt yet soothing sounding assessment, before proceeding to narrow her eyes and look even deeper, "And yet...every bone in your body quakes with his power."
He tried to remain calm, and his patience in that matter was rewarded. The goddess flinched for a moment and laid a hand softly against the side of her face, humbling herself with an apologetic tone, "Oh, please forgive me. I haven't even introduced myself."
She laid one hand atop the mirror on her chest and extended the other one flipped around, "I am Kanako Yasaka, the goddess of this shrine."
Kanako Yasaka ~ The Iron-Willed Deity
Alex raised his hand up, but Shina jolted at the opportunity first and shook Kanako's hand three times in rapid succession, "The name's Shina! Shina Aurora!"
Her eyes lit up while her cheeks filled with a translucent blush, "I-I can't believe I'm speakin' to an actual goddess..."
"There's no reason to be intimidated dear, we're all on equal footing here." Kanako closed her eyes and let out a deep chuckle, then let go of Shina's hand and faced Alex.
His desire to be courteous swindled by Shina's interjection, he tucked his hands into his pockets and murmured, "And for future reference on any letters you want to send, my name's Alex Whiter."
"Alex Whiter and Shina Aurora?" Kanako crossed her arms under the chest and nodded her head halfway, "I will be sure to remember that next time."
Sanae stared wide-eyed between her beloved goddess and the supposed strangers she was being so chummy with for a good minute. When the opportunity revealed itself for her to strike, the maiden blurted out while maintaining respect towards the deity, "L-Lady Kanako...Who are these two?"
"I will not blame you for failing to recognize his power Sanae...But you did help write a letter to this person less than an hour ago."
Sanae faced Alex and squinted her eyes, and in a little bit they popped wide open. She spun towards Kanako and pointed a finger at the boy, the goddess' nod making her maiden's eyes look ready to bulge out of her head. Sanae dropped to her knees and laid her palms down in front, frantically apologizing, "I-I'm sorry sir Elemental Overlord, sir! I-I had no idea it was you!"
Alex's forehead scrunched up as he glared down at this girl paying tribute so eagerly. Kanako looked at the boy's face for just a moment and then brought her hand down upon Sanae's scalp in a swift but delicate chop. The maiden stood right up rubbing the sore spot with both hands while her goddess quietly scolded her.
"Sanae, you shouldn't be professing your faith to other deities."
"Not to mention I'm not even a damn god." Alex grumbled his own complaint into the mix, but his voice was gravely and harsh.
Sanae tucked her hands down before the waist and gave the boy a quick bow, "Sorry again..."
"...Apology accepted." He eased up, bringing delight to Kanako's face.
"Well then, why don't we head inside?" Kanako turned around and walked back with Sanae at her side.
Before he felt safe following, Alex leaned towards Shina and whispered in her ear, "What do you think? Can we trust them?"
"Are ya kidding? Of course we can!" Her ability to respond without thinking was commendable if not misplaced in times like this.
Alex laid a hand on his chin and stared at Kanako's backside. Even without direct eye contact her power radiated like sunshine, warm but nothing to fear unless you gaze at it for too long.
"Maybe...I'm just being paranoid."
Shina leaned her body out so Alex'd see her smile from the corner of his eyes as she said, "Just don't get like ya usually do, ok?"
"...I'll try not to," He replied with sincerity as he laid his arms to rest at the hips, "Besides...I'm actually interested to see what Kanako has to say."
He started walking, leaving Shina with her brows perked up in surprise for a brief moment before she headed after him. As Kanako and Sanae were about to scale the steps of their shrine, a chipper, youthful voice yelled out, trying to give them mild grief.
"Hey hey hey, who said you could just bring people into my shrine?"
Teetering off the edge of the shrine's roof was a young grey-eyed girl wearing a short purplish-blue dress with a frog print design and large white sleeves stitched onto the torso. Her medium length blonde hair was tucked under a light-brown wide-brimmed hat with frog eyes glued up top. The rest of her dress consisted of white kneehigh socks and black shoes, which made her look even more youthful.
She didn't command the presence Kanako did, but still had the purity of a goddess surrounding the body. She must have purposefully wanted to be perceived this, for her demeanor was so carefree that it was like a child going to a park for the first time. As she attracted the attention of her friends and guests, the girl leaned diagonally off the edge of the roof and frightened Sanae.
"Lady Suwako! Watch out!"
The girl sprung off and rolled through the air, landing safe on her feet behind with an arm swung before the waist. She winked the eye on the same side and playfully introduced herself to her guests, "Hello! Hello! Isn't it a wonderful day today?"
The girl barely stood up to the two's stomach, even if you included the hat. So she leaned right back and laid her hands flat against her neck, swaying around with one foot tipped up at a time.
Her boundless energy then came through in every word she spoke, "The shrine's called the Moriya Shrine. Mo-Ri-Ya...Not the Yasaka Shrine. So I am the real goddess of the shrine, Suwako Moriya!"
Suwako Moriya ~ Happily Splashing Mother Nature
Kanako turned around and narrowed her eyes, unleashing the tranquil fury of a storm's beginning upon her fellow goddess, "Suwako...what on earth do you think you're doing?"
Suwako spun around and avoided looking into Kanako's eyes with a mischievous smile, "I'm just telling it like it is."
"This is why you weren't invited to this meeting." Kanako began fiddling her fingers across her elbows like there were piano keys on them.
"Oh? Because otherwise it'd be all business and no pleasure?" Suwako's smirk stretched across the entirety of her face as she brushed the tip of her right sleeve under her lips and began to chuckle. After taking in Kanako's grief she spun around and more pleasantly spoke with her guests.
"As guests in my shrine you should be allowed to have fun, fun, fun! So lets head on in and do just that!" She leapt off the ground with her arms swung high and used them to flutter her way over Kanako and Sanae. She then got on all fours and bounced like a frog through the open shrine doors.
All Kanako could do was release her stress with a deflating hiss and mutter "Honestly..." before heading inside herself. Sanae stayed back and followed the guests inside to make sure there'd be no further surprises before she shut the doors.
The entrance of the shrine, naturally, had an altar of worship dedicated to Kanako in the very back. Two wood pillars, called onbashira, stood beside a cushion surrounded by unlit candles with the faint scent of the mountain air surrounding them. Squarely attached to the wall between the onbashira was a rusted steel snake biting its own tail to make an infinity sign, the eyes compromised of dark rubies while the scales looked sharp enough to cut someone just by looking at them.
The floorboards were smooth but had enough graininess to them to prevent slipping. The east and west walls were kept simple, having just one barred up window each. There was a hallway on the east going further back into the shrine, no doubt to Sanae's room.
Heck, take out the altar, and this place would feel right at home for Alex and Shina. No wonder their muscles loosened the moment they stepped foot in the shrine. Despite having a place to seat befitting her absolute dominion over the shrine, Kanako had prepared a separate cushion in front of it. There was another on the opposite side of a table that would be knee high for a kneeling man, no doubt meant for Alex. But that was the only other one.
Shina stared at the table and then looked up at Kanako, who made her way around it and looked back only to gesture towards Alex's seat and say, "Please, make yourself at home."
Alex stopped with his toes against the laced rim of the cushion and looked at Shina. He swung his right thumb up and asked Kanako, "And what about Shina? Where's her cushion?"
Kanako sat down with her sandals clicking heels together and hands resting atop the knees. She closed her eyes and appeared regretful as she spoke, "I don't mean this to come across as rude, but-"
"But like I said, its all about what Kanako wants here at the Moriya Shrine. So in spite of my best efforts she doesn't see you as a worthy conversational partner." Suwako happily interjected, all while in the midst of throwing and taking a seat down on a lily-pad patterned blue cushion beside Kanako.
The goddess' gripped her knees to their breaking point while the side of her mouth squirmed with every word she forced through, "That's not it at ALL...Suwako."
"Then what's the problem, if ya don't mind answering..." Shina inquired, not at all insulted.
Kanako calmed down with a quick breath then waved her hand out to reply sincerely, "I just don't know anything about you. So I didn't wish to offend or bore you with my droning."
Alex voiced some doubts without hesitation, "The fact you didn't mention that in the letter is pretty telling though."
"It was a spur of the moment decision to make that letter in the first place."
"Why?" Alex raised his brows and paid close attention to Kanako, who regained her divine composure and spoke up.
"Because I wanted to make contact with you before the others did..." She stressed her point with mild disdain in her voice, not knowing that Alex would've been able to decipher what that meant.
He raised his brows and nodded a couple times, then knelt down at the table and said, "Fine, lets get down to the knitty-gritty then."
He nudged over his shoulder and said, "Sorry Shina, I'll be tackling this on my own. Why don't you hang out with Sanae in the meantime?"
"Sure!" Both her AND Sanae proclaimed in scaringly perfect unison, right down to the pitch of their voices.
Alex just widened his eyes in fright and turned away slowly. Suwako swung her right sleeve up and sent them off with just a regular old blessing, "Remember to have lotsa fun! I'll just be right here...you know..."
Her face twisted into a snickering grin, "Keepin' Kanako from droning for hours."
"Just as I will be keeping you in line, Suwako." She replied with the firm gravitas her title entitled her to.
Sanae snatched Shina up by the hand and bound for the door, her voice gushing with delight, "Come on! I'll show you around the shrine!"
Shina was dragged outside and only had a second to look back and smile and wave Alex farewell for now. The boy then laid his hands atop the legs and looked at the goddesses. For him it was a welcome change of pace to be in the company of "people" not looking to screw around like he's Gensokyo's court jester. Though the goddesses did still seem oblivious to what kind of person he was, as Suwako tipped her hat off and pulled out a small hidden clay jug of sake and bobbed it towards the boy.
"Lets start off with a drink or two to get ourselves merry!"
"Hey, there may not be any laws prohibiting it in Gensokyo, but I'm not about to start underage drinking!" Alex put his foot down.
"Well then ain't you a drip?" Suwako's head tilted as she stuck her tongue out, partially to mock his young naivety but also to give the sake a spot to drip onto as she tipped the jug. Kanako reached under the table and got a porcelain cup for herself and Suwako, who happily filled them up to the rim.
"Are you sure?" She wiggled the cup, being careful not to waste a drop.
"Positive." Alex crossed his arms and patiently tapped his fingers as the two took their first drinks, downing the entire cup in one swill. The goddess care package must've come with the ability to have strong bladders, cause they didn't look the least bit wasted afterwards.
Once their cups were down, Alex decided to start the conversation with a blunt question, figuring they'd be more upfront than Eirin was, "So how do you two even know about the Element Overlord?"
Kanako took the lead in answering, hunching over and pinching the edges of her mirror between finger and thumb, as though opening a gateway to the past, "He showed up in a time when faith in the gods were at its strongest. We never directly spoke with the man, but word of his feats reverbed throughout the land, striking fear into the hearts of Youkai and ill-spoken deities alike."
"He was...feared?" Alex was taken by surprise, but doubled-down on his interest in the tale and leaned in closer to better hear it.
"Legends say that he was like the Hachiman, the Shinto God of War. His blade of steel met with the flesh of those unfortunate to cross him, drenching it thick and red with blood. Under the shadows of the pale moon, the dripping of flesh off his blade's tip symbolized a hunger for battle. Yet he traveled the land with weary eyes and feet as firm as stone. In such a short time that it was a blink of an eye for us gods, that mortal man carved his name into history eternal as the Godslayer."
Alex closed his eyes and dug his fingernails into the rivets of his jeans. He'd heard a few tales of the Overlord on other worlds, but this was the first one to paint him in such a barbaric light. His mind felt disjointed, and he didn't know what to believe.
"He never told you any of this in the time he's inhabited your body?" Kanako murmured curiously, twisting her head down to look into the boy's eyes the moment he opened them.
Alex perked his head up and sighed his griefs plain as could be, "That old man was silent about his past even when-"
He blinked a couple times then looked the goddess straight in the eyes, "Wait say that again."
But it was Suwako who replied as she gulped down her third cup of sake, "Don't be too surprised. We gods know a thing or two about putting souls inside another living being."
As she swung her head back and embraced gluttonous indulgence, Kanako took over the explanation with a little less vagueness and a lot more tact, "What Suwako meant to say is that we're familiar with your predicament. Though your condition is a little different than what we're used to..."
"How so?"
Suwako slammed her cup down to rock the table, then after wiping her mouth clean she stared at him with her slightly glazed over eyes and started sounding like an adult, "Gods and Divine Spirits have the ability to enshrine a portion of their souls in order to take on a different appearance. In my case, I become a small, loveable frog!"
She narrowed her brows and nudged at Kanako with little care, "While she becomes a greasy white snake..."
"...Aaaanyways," Kanako puffed her chest to contain her hot air, then further elaborated on her comrade's point, "A god can afford to do this because of their divine power, so its surprising to hear of a mortal who can put his entire soul inside of another."
"Well, I know for a fact there was some divine foul-play involved for the original Overlord." Alex crossed his arms and tried to recollect what he was told.
Kanako pressed on him with sultry intrigue, "Fascinating. I'd love to know more."
"I don't remember all the details but...The old man got mixed up fighting his evil counterpart the Dark King for control of the universe or some nonsense like that, but his bosses told him 'that's no bueno' when he tried to kill the Dark King. So in exchange for ensuring the Dark King's demise, the old man had his own soul sealed away so a successor could take up his powers at a later time."
"And that successor was you?" Suwako smirked with a doubtful raise of the brows.
Though Alex didn't put any effort into denying it and rolled his shoulders as he said, "For whatever reason yeah..."
"But because his soul is complete instead of a fragment, you have perfect control over his powers." Kanako interjected.
"Never thought about it like that, but it would explain why my powers've never backfired on me...Guess you're good for something after all besides occupying my body like its a damn Best Western."
"So hey..." Alex lifted his head up and got a little bothered, "Would anyone be looking for vengeance against the original Overlord for...whatever the hell it is he did?"
Kanako had to lean back and think deep on that for a bit, but her answer left no room for doubt, "There are two who would, but you already met one of them."
Alex tilted his head and sounded unsurprised yet curious, "Eirin?"
"Yes. Though if you don't know why, then I'm not going to do her job for her."
"Fair enough, I honestly don't even care. And the other?"
"Sealed inside a little underground bird, fueling my hot springs out back." Kanako's 'open-book' nature made for a pleasant conversation, to Alex's joy.
"So nothing to fret about then." He smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, besides that vampire calling for a 'headhunt'." Suwako noted with a shrug.
"Yeah, she's a troublesome little shit ain't she? Oh well, Shina will take on any and all comers." Alex flashed a confident smirk and Kanako and Suwako just looked at each other and chuckled. He stared at them and had no hesitation asking, "What, do you two want to go a round?"
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't~" Suwako bobbed herself around tipsily while holding onto the edge of the table.
Kanako stayed relaxed and mentioned, "There's nothing the vampire can offer us. In fact, accepting anything from her would probably deter humans from our shrine."
"Well that's a relief, I'm already sick and tired of Danmaku." Alex could feel his muscles relaxing as though he were placed inside of a sauna.
"Already? How could you be tired already?" Suwako spoke up in utter disbelief, then cheerfully proclaimed her love for the sport, "Danmaku is a wonderful thing! There are so many ways a god can play! Every battle is their own festival of colors, a feast for the eyes!"
She slowly lowered her head and narrowed her eyes, hiding that mischievous smirk of hers behind a sleeve as she said, "Maybe you just suck at it."
Alex's muscles tightened right back up with a ferocity that'd scare a dragon on the hunt as he growled to the little goddess, "You know, isn't it proper manners to provide drink and food for your guest? And hey, frog legs sound pretty damn good right now!"
"Enough of this, both of you!" Kanako yelled as she slapped them both across the face with an invisible gust of wind summoned by the swipe of her hand. Leaving them to relieve their own tensions while rubbing their sore cheek, Kanako crossed her arms under the chest and let out a couple gravely coughs.
"...I can imagine the circumstances that brought you both to Gensokyo have painted Spell Card duels in a negative light for you, but I would urge you to reconsider their worth...Just a little bit," She spun her hand around like a saleswoman making a pitch, "In Gensokyo there's nothing modern like TVs or video games, or even literature like manga. The most prevalent, safest form of entertainment for people like us are the Spell Card duels."
"Well that's fine and dandy for you guys, but for me-"
"That's your problem, Alex. You see Spell Card duels as little more than a game." Kanako's voice deepened as she chuckled. In the blink of an eye, the goddess was replaced with an embodiment of pure business.
"But a Spell Card duel can also be used as a means of bartering with someone. As long as you both agree to an equal wager, that is."
"The wager would have to be agreed upon, so that means one party can back out if they don't feel confident?"
"But when it comes to Gensokyo, there's confidence to spare, and very rarely will one back down when challenged."
Alex couldn't say no to that, seeing how he fell for Remilia and Eirin's provocation already. It was just part of the tragedy of being such a hot-headed battle junkie.
"Then you've already got a wager tailored for me, don't you?" Alex could see through her thinly laid veil of deception, but in Kanako's heart she has been completely upfront the entire time.
"Actually, the reason I invited you all the way up here was to make you an offer I felt may be in your best interest, depending on how you acquired your powers. And seeing how my first assumption was correct, it seems I made the right call reaching out to you when I did."
Alex went quiet and raised his brows, while a sly smile crossed Kanako's face as she had him wrapped up in her scaly little tail, ready to bite down on his bulging intrigue, "...How would you like to know of a way to keep the powers of the Elemental Overlord...Without his soul inside of your body?"
Meanwhile, outside the shrine...
Sanae had Shina tethered around by an invisible rope and string as she dragged her around the "backyard" of the shrine. She explained everything, and yes I do mean everything about every nook and cranny. Her title of "wind priestess" was pretty fitting, cause her lungs just wouldn't exhaust themselves even after droning on for minutes at a time.
Shina was fine standing around listening, cause Sanae was genuinely enthusiastic about detailing her history with the shrine. But by the time they got to the multi-tiered lake off to the left Shina began yearning for a little more out of this venture and politely raised her voice, "Umm...Sanae!"
The maiden twirled to her side and pinched her hands together near the chest, briefly taking up a flustered expression. Shina pressed her hands together near the center of her chest and smiled, showing a little exhaustion in her voice as she said, "I-I don't gotta problem with ya being a tour guide but...Can't we just talk girl-to-girl?"
"Girl-to-girl? You mean like...a casual conversation?" Sanae spoke as though experiencing these terms for the first time.
"Yeah! I wanna get to know ya as a friend, catch my drift?" Shina tilted her head and winked. Sanae blinked a couple times then ran right up to her, taking her hands and squeezing them tight while looking ready to cry.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?! It's been so long since I've gotten to speak normally with someone...!" She pulled away and relieved herself with a slumping gasp.
Shina's hands hovered in place for a little while, but she settled them down by her hips while asking, "But as a shrine maiden aren't ya friends with Reimu?"
"Well Reimu is...well, Reimu," Seemingly having a blunt and low-opinion of the red-white maiden, it was quite a surprise to see Sanae turn around and say, "We get along well enough, but she's never been one for just sitting around making small-talk."
"And Marisa, weeell..." Sanae squeezed her eyes shut while forcing a smile, "She's like what would happen if Lady Suwako drank too much coffee."
She perked up with enthusiasm as she looked into Shina's eyes, then told her with a hand resting against the side of her blissful face, "But its funny...I look at you and feel like we could just sit in a cafe for twenty-four hours talking about whatever. Or...does that sound too much like the plot of a harem anime?"
Her eyes somehow lit up even more as her mind got too far away from her. She started swinging her fists down near her chest while proclaiming, "O-Or maybe this is the start of an eye-opening journey where we find out we're long, long lost cousins!"
"Hehehe...Not unless my mom traveled out here two-thousand years ago." Shina giggled and rested a hand up near her bottom lip.
She then wiggled that hand around and said, "Well we don't have a cafe to get cozy in, but this view of the lake ain't too shabby, yeah?"
"Uh-huh." Nodding in agreement, Sanae walked up next to Shina and sat down on a rock near the stairs from the shrine. Conveniently, there was another stone just a foot away for Shina to sit on as well. The two looked out at the lake, which was sparkling from the sun's reflection. It hadn't set yet, but this was still a lovely sight.
Sanae laid the gohei down on her lap and stretched her legs out, while Shina just closed her eyes and enjoyed the natural breeze.
"So Shina, where'd you come from in the Outside World?"
Shina opened her eyes and tilted her head back all relaxed, "Actually I'm not from this planet at all! I'm from a whole other Earth!"
"H...Huh? You mean like an alternate universe Earth or..."
"Ya probably won't believe this, but there's actually a bunch of other Earths out in the universe. And Alex and I must've traveled to at least four other Earths besides this one!"
"Wow! That's so incredible!" The geek inside of Sanae shone through as she began to rapidly list off her knowledge of astronomy, "The distance alone between galaxies would be HAVE to be 100,000 light years minimum! The warp drive on your spaceship must be PHENOMENOL!"
"Spaceship?" Shina sat up and waved her hands around in disappointment, "Oh no no no, I wish...Alex does all the busywork when it comes to space travel."
"Huh? But..." Even living amongst a world as wacky as Gensokyo, Sanae's suspension of disbelief was vastly stretched by Shina's response. So instead of thinking logically, she jumped to the next best answer.
"Oh I get it! He must know Instant Transmission!" She snapped her fingers and locked in her answer like she was the first contestant on the Price is Right.
"I...think its just some magic mumbo-jumbo going on with the universes. Though...it wouldn't surprise me if Alex knew that technique."
"Still! To travel across the universe and visit so many other worlds! It reminds me of that one series about that boy who traveled with the duck and dog to combat the darkness!"
Shina paused for a moment, the revelation that her journey was very similar to that series hitting her like a one-ton sack of bricks, and she quickly tried to focus on the subject "...Though instead of hunting darkness, we're trying to find an ancient treasure my people's wisest Sage left behind long ago."
"And that led you to Gensokyo?"
"Yeah, turns out its around here somewhere. Who'da thunk?"
"A long journey across many wonderful worlds...all to find a single, important treasure..." Sanae murmured and slowly closed her eyes as her voice became inaudible.
"What's buggin' ya Sanae?" Shina leaned out and wrapped her pinkies together behind her back.
"Ooooh, its on the tip of my tongue...It had pirates in it..."
"Oh, One Piece? Our travel's reminding ya of of that now?"
"You caught that reference?!" Sanae blurted out, sounding pretty hipster-ish.
"Guess our Earths are pretty similar, hehehe..."
"Well hey since you're familiar with it, do you think you can tell me how it ended?!"
"Just straight up tell ya the ending?!" Shina gasped in disbelief.
Sanae fervently nodded her head and swung her fists up next to her face, "Please?! I haven't gotten to read a single chapter in ten years! Surely they found the One Piece by now?!"
"...U-Umm...ten years? What chapter was released around then?" Shina was stalling for time while she came up with a way to not tell the harsh truth to Sanae.
"I think they had just arrived at a place called Thriller Bark?"
"Oh my goodness...the poor girl never even made it a third of the way through the series..." With nothing but pity in her heart, Shina laid her hands together and whipped up a little white lie, "Well if I wanted to catch ya up, we'd be here for days."
"...Yeaaaah, I guess you're right. Maybe another time..." Sanae gave up surprisingly quick and only had a dejected sigh to show for her feelings.
Shina lowered her head in shame for a moment and then looked right back up at Sanae to ask her, "W-Well hey! Enough about me! How about you?"
"Oh yeah! Ask me anything you want!" Sanae firmly nodded her head and laid her hands atop her lap.
"Weeeell..." Shina tapped her fingertips against the side of her face, moving them along to her chin as she leaned back to think. When she was ready to tip over, she sprung back up, clapped her hands down on her knees, and proclaimed loudly, "I got it! How did you feel when you first came to Gensokyo?!"
"My first time?" Sanae brushed a hand out and smugly smiled, "Hehehe! I adjusted just fine to Gensokyo! All those days reading 'transported to another world' novels prepared me to take up the role as the heroine this land needed!"
"...It couldn't have been THAT easy for ya."
"...Well," Sanae let out all her hot air in a single breath and was burdened by labors of the past that left her in a depressed slump, "Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako had me working night and day to set up the shrine once we moved it to Gensokyo. Then there were the weeks I had to go around the Human Village advertising the shrine...Not to mention all the blessings and sermons...And oh goddess I can still feel the blisters on my soles..."
"Ouch..." Shina grit her teeth and could even feel those very blisters on her own feet, and it wasn't a pleasant experience.
Luckily Sanae's never-ending supply of energy perked her right up and got her seeing the brightside of all this, "But I met people like Reimu and Marisa, and started solving incidents, and having lotsa fun, so its not so bad after all!"
Envious of her happiness just a little bit, Shina tilted her head and said, "So ya don't miss the Outside World at all, do ya?"
"I miss some things sure...But its not like I ever had any friends or blood relatives out there." It was depressing for Shina to watch Sanae smile while saying all that, and she began to turn away and hang her head while thinking of her own family.
"Do...you have any family Shina?"
Shina lifted her head and was proud to smile and nod with a hand clutched near her heart. Sanae frowned and reached over to pat her on the left shoulder, and Shina began to feel something grim approaching from that pitying look in the maiden's eyes.
"I'm...sorry to hear that. I hope you never forget them..."
"W-What are you saying?" Shina's response bewildered Sanae, who thought she was being sensible in this situation. The maiden pulled away and stared blankly into her friend's eyes as she delivered a harsh truth with dreadful ease.
"...Shina, the Hakurei Barrier prevents anyone from leaving Gensokyo once they enter."
Shina's eyes became as wide as grapes and her heart started to race, while Sanae worried for her well-being but still had the gall to say, "Did...Reimu not tell you that?"
Shina trembled for a bit and then let out a scream that scared the crows off the mountainside, and disrupted Alex's train of thought off of Kanako's offer. He spun back and murmured 'Shina?!' in fear before she came bolting into the shrine and hoisted him off the ground.
With tears of rage flying from her eyes she took her fury out on the unsuspecting boy by shaking him with her hands gripped tight around the collar of his shirt and yelling, "WE'RE TRAPPED! TRAPPED TRAPPED TRAPPED!"
"Shina...hey..." Alex's lungs were getting throttled, making it hard for him to do anything but whisper.
Sanae caught up a little later and tried to explain herself to the distroden Alex, "I-I didn't mean to do this! I thought you both knew how the Barrier worked!"
Suwako and Kanako remained calm and covered their ears. Shina shook Alex some more and screamed hard enough to shake the shrine, "EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE IS POINTLESS! EVEN IF WE FIND THE COSMOS DRIVE, WE'RE FUCKED!"
"Shina will you please..."
"KAIRI'S GONNA GROW UP WITHOUT HER LOVING OLDER SISTER AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT! AND I-"
"SHINA WILL YOU GET A GRIP AND LISTEN TO ME?!" Alex mustered up all the energy he could to let out one overpowering roar, making even the goddesses tremble. Then there was silence, as Shina's eyes dried up and she sniffled gravely.
She let him go, and after the ringing in his ears vanished he laid his hands gently upon her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "We're fine, ok? I can easily get us out of Gensokyo, so don't worry. We WILL see this through to the end. There's no cage. In the entire universe. That'll separate you from your family."
Her eyes watered again, this time with happiness, and as the tears trickled down her cheeks Alex backed off and wagged a finger at her while saying, "So don't be so melodramatic next time, got it?"
"O-Ok..." She squinted her eyes and tried to smile, "Thank you for saying that Alex..."
"Haaaa...honestly..." He was reprimanding her with a smile, too taken in by her own to let himself get even the least bit harsh. He then turned around and looked down at Kanako, who was rubbing her chin while hunched over.
"A way to penetrate the barrier? You sure came prepared for your first time in Gensokyo..."
"That's just a coincidence and nothing more." He crossed his arms up against the chest, and Kanako stopped moving with her smile bridging the gap between her cheeks.
"Fine, I won't ask you any questions. But...about that offer I made..."
"No thanks." His sudden reply caught the goddess off-guard, making her widen her eyes for the first time.
"I thank you for the time Kanako...Suwako..." He lightly nodded his head as way of bowing, "But Shina and I should probably get going."
The boy turned around, but Kanako began to stand up while asking, "You're not even going to listen to what I have to say first?"
"Sorry." Alex stiffened up as Kanako's iron gaze punctured his back full of her divine authority, which carried through into her voice.
"Even though if you do...I'd tell you where you might find your Cosmos Drive?"
Alex glanced over his shoulder and felt something that wasn't there with Remilia or Eirin. Kanako was 100% sure of herself that she knew something about what they were looking for. Even with seemingly no stakes in it for her, Kanako was playing for keeps in trying to keep the boy ensnared.
The goddess crossed her arms under the chest and nudged her head up, "Here's my bargain, Alex Whiter. If you can defeat Suwako and me in Spell Card duels, I'll tell you where to go. But if you lose, then you will sit back down and listen to what I have to say."
He turned around and laid his hands down into his pockets. With a rough scoff he said, "Ok. I'll agree to your terms on one condition."
"Just name it."
"I'll just fight Suwako..." Alex pointed at his chest with a thumb, then stretched his pointer finger towards Kanako and said, "But Shina will face you, Kanako."
Sanae was flung aback with shock and let out an offended gasp, then ran up in front of Alex with her cheeks puffed red and exclaimed, "Hey! Lady Kanako challenged YOU, where do you get off passing her to-"
"I'll do it!" Shina merrily proclaimed, and Sanae's jaw dropped as she turned and saw the girl's warrior spirit flare up in her pupils.
Curling her fist up in front of the chest, Shina looked straight at Kanako and remained polite even while so fired up, "If yer ok with that, Lady Kanako?"
"I see no problem with this deal. I will gladly face you on our Divine Lake." The goddess' eyes glistened fearlessly with anticipation.
Suwako sprang up and leaned towards Alex, proclaiming with a child-like glee, "And I guess I'll be having fun with you! There's plenty of free space out back for us to duel!"
Sanae backed off as she felt the sparks flying between both parties, who were all eager in their own ways to duel. And with her left as the third wheel, she had the hardest question of all to answer...
"Ummm...whose duel am I supposed to watch?"
Next Time: The Timeless Battlefield