Chapter 14: Sonata Under the Moonlight
As night fell upon Gensokyo, the evening stars lit up the empty sky and shone a layer of silvery brightness upon the lands. Yet as far as the eye could tell, there wasn't a single soul to be found. That's because every one of them, with their sights and their sounds, were being attracted to a centralized location, the Human Village.
The bustling sanctuary of humanity, on this one, single day, allowed the more mannered Youkai and playful Fairies to partake in their festival. Even the blindest of the blind wouldn't be able to miss the village it was now, lit up across its four corners with a pale, festive orange glow.
Anyone who could fly descended to the village like mosquitos drawn to a lantern, and that included our two lofty lovebirds. But unlike the others they planted themselves outside the village perimeter and walked through the gates like any normal human would. The entire time they stood hand-in-hand, though as the gazes of other humans went their way Alex lost the fight against his own embarrassment and slowly peeled his hand from Shina's.
Too consumed by a pinkish flush in his face, he had failed to notice and appreciate the convenience of Shina clapping her hands right at that exact moment. With her lungs deflating like balloons to exhale the most awe-struck gasp ever, she took in the sights with a sharply pivoting head.
"Food stands full of sweets and meats?! Game stands full of fun and prizes?! Beautiful yukatas, a festive atmosphere?! Oh, its even better than Mamizou described!" She swung her arms out and ended up slapping a passerby in the back of the head, making them turn back and grumble. Shina curled her arms in and sheepishly waved some fingers out as an apology, only for them to keep their sour mood anyways.
"Geez, someone ain't in the festive mood..." She couldn't let that keep her down and immediately turned to Alex to see iff the joy in his eyes has hopefully been ignited. Instead his arms were down and lifeless at the hips, with his eyes staring straight and unfocused. Worst of all he shook, even though the robe should've kept him warm and snug.
"Everything alright?" She asked while leaning into his view.
He snapped back to life in an instant and gave an unconscious answer of, "O-Oh...yeah, I'm fine..."
She pulled up with a dull and curious hum and tucked her hands back, as she bobbed her waist around. Alex took in a deep breath and tried to focus, "Drown everyone else out...Tonight is just her...and me."
It seemed to do the trick, as he was able to look Shina square in the eyes and say without blushing too much, "S-So...is this your first festival?"
"Sort of?" Her eyes wiggled around a little as she appeared humored and just a tad nervous to say, "We...had one day a year back home where Gravitus would shut off the gravity in Sancturia and let us float around. It was pretty fun!"
Her eyes closed as she squeezed a bright grin out, "But I guess that'd count more as a holiday..."
"...Can't all Aurians fly already? The absurdity of the story couldn't hide the undeniable fact that they were both a couple fish out of water here, "But at least we're both at a loss of what to do..."
Suddenly her face was inches from his with eyes wide and anticipating of something he could not possibly have guessed. She kept her intentions silent until Alex stammered out in bewilderment, "Umm...w-what's up Shina?"
She squinted her eyes shut and stated as though the answer was obvious, "Duh dummy! I'm lettin' ya decide where to take me first!"
It wasn't enough that he had to burden the weight of crippling anxiety on a first date, but now she was planting her feet firmly atop that weight by expecting him to handle planning the night on his own like he was the expert here. His heart started racing, but since it was early enough in the night he could still salvage this potentially disastorous start with just a few words.
"I...appreciate you putting your faith in me, but..." He kept his eyes on Shina even as his eyelids tried their damnedest to shut, and was forced to bear the slowly growing disappointment on her face as he told her quietly, "But I don't know the first thing about festivals either."
Her pout was difficult to digest. In most cases she'd just throw that out there as an exaggeration of her mood at the time, but now it felt like she was genuinely disappointed to hear him say that. Yet as painful as it was to watch her slink back upright, Alex didn't look away.
Shifting to half of a smile, Shina pressed her hands together before the chest and remarked, "Well...someone we know's gotta be enjoying the festival! Maybe...we can get their advice on what to do?"
"And heck who knows? Maybe we'll just wander into something." The two thus stuck close by and waddled their way through the village streets. Stands aplenty bordered the sides of the road and took up most of the walking space, making manuevering through more cumbersome than necessary. As Shina described it, there was a wide variety of eateries and galleries...perhaps too many of them, in fact.
There wasn't just humans running these stands either. Youkai, some in disguise others plain as day, manned their own businesses with a repertoire of strange and colorful creations. The humans took a liking to these stands more than that of their fellow man, and their wallets emptied in the droves without a care. While Shina was delighted to see the two races in harmony, Alex had a more cynical view on the matter, as he suspected that the Youkai were just looking to line their pockets with money through scams.
Not that he was going to say so...Then he'd look like a right fool.
After a few minutes of wandering about and taking in both the sights and sounds of the people having fun, the two stopped close to the center of the village and took a breather. Shina leaned up against one of the houses and looked at the decorations spread across the rooftops. Paper lanterns with a kanji for "lunar" had been set up across thick and curvy rows of string, and that simplicity was all this place needed.
"Maybe we can just spend the whole night takin' in the sights." She murmured in a soothed manner.
Alex glanced her way and said, "Personally, I think that'd be a waste."
She closed her eyes and hummed deeply to herself, and something about her demeanor just...changed. Alex couldn't comprehend what she was feeling now, only that it reflected badly on him, and so he scrambled to fix it.
"I-I mean, unless that's what you want to do..." He stood there waving his arms and looking like a real baboon for a good few seconds. As Shina pulled away from the house she opened one eye partially and winked it down playfully towards him.
"Nah, I wanna do everything I can to enjoy this festival!" She swung a fist up and then declared proudly, "And if that means stumblin' around for hours figuring out what to do, then by golly that's what we're gonna do!"
"Shina? Shina is that you?!" A familiarly shrill and energetic voice called to her from down the nearest street, so with an excited perking of the eyebrows Shina spun her head back and waved down the street instantly.
"Sanae! Hey! We're over here!" She stood on her tippy toes and stretched her hand up high to get the shrine maiden's attention.
Wearing a blue yukata with stylized green clouds and frogs, along with a green cloth belt around the waist, Sanae pushed her way through the crowd and got to Shina in seconds. The two embraced in a quick hug and had smiling faces.
"I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!" The maiden decreed.
"Me neither, but I'm glad we found ya!" After squeezing each other tight for five seconds they broke up and got to talking normally. Alex, forced to submit to the complex and bizarre power of girl gossip, just stood back and lightly kicked his right foot along the ground.
"So what are ya up to?" Shina started off.
Sanae hung her head a bit and let out a very, very long sigh, "I came here with Lady Suwako, but the very moment we stepped foot in the village she ran off and left me behind."
"Well I'm sure she'll be fine on her own." Shina remarked with a firm reassuring nod.
The maiden squeezed her eyes shut and vented her frustrations by flailing her right fist in the air, "That's not the point! Lady Suwako took all the festival money Lady Kanako had given for me!"
Shina bit her lower lip and let out a pained, sympathetic hiss. Sanae's head drooped and after exhausting her anger she shook it and looked Shina in the eyes and wasn't too proud to beg, "So if you see Lady Suwako, can you try and bring her back?"
"We'll do what we can." Alex interjected with a bit of enthusiasm at the thought of getting back at the goddess for the earlier defeat, which led him to smile.
Sanae leaned right and blinked a few times, then looked back-and-forth at him and Shina before letting out a wide-mouthed gasp of shock and saying, "You two are on a date?!"
The boy's eyes clamped shut as he grit his teeth and felt ready to die, "Oh please, just scream it to the world why don't you..."
Sanae looked Shina in the eyes and apologized profusely, "I'm sorry! I didn't know I was interrupting! Its just that...I never would've expected your friend to-"
Alex utilized the one second of an opening he had to throw a fiery glare at Sanae, who clammed up on the spot and tucked her hands before the waist while letting out a sharp, awkward giggle, "I-I mean...I-I never would've expected you two to be here!"
"Hehehe, yeah, it was a pretty unexpected detour, but we decided to let someone more experienced handle the search for now."
"Well have fun! There's plenty to do around here!" The wishes of good cheer suggested that maiden would soon depart, but by scratching the side of her face with one finger and chuckling slowly Shina had managed to leash her friend in for just a bit longer.
"A-Actually, we're kinda havin' trouble figuring out what to do..."
Sanae tilted her head and her mouth puckered to the size of a pen until she mustered the courage to say, "How's that possible? Don't tell me neither of you've been to a festival before...?"
Alex leaned back against the corner of the house and looked skyward while Shina began whistling innocuously. Sanae laid a hand upon the side of her face and whispered, "Oh my goddess you poor things..."
Sanae grabbed one of Shina's hands and pulled it up, then laid a pair of fingers in an "L" to the right of her eye and winked the other as she proclaimed, "Well then its more than a miracle that brought us together! Don't worry you two! I'll show you how festivals are done, Gensokyo style!"
"Absolutely! Just lead the way, Sanae!" Shina declared with a purposefully rhyming inflection. The two did a little more chit-chat and then were ready to go.
Behind them Alex had a mopey frown and murmured to himself, "But...this was supposed to be our date."
Shina turned back at him and declared, "Come on Alex! Now the night REALLY begins!"
She was smiling, which to Alex meant a lot more than anything else, even if he wasn't the one responsible. With a short nod of the head the three went off deeper into the village, and Alex decided he would just have to make up for his inexperience when the time was right.
Sanae guided the two to the eastern part of the village, citing a few places of particular interest for them to stop at if they wanted to later. But she was adamant on them going to one specific booth first. It was a gaming one, a "throw the ball, hit the target" sort of one in fact.
It was run by a small blue eyed girl with twintail blue-hair and a blue dress with lots of pockets around the skirt and arms. She also carried around a dark aquamarine backpack and a golden key with a strap around her chest, and to top it all off she had a blue-white striped cap like a vendor normally would at these kinds of booths.
Nitori Kawashiro ~ The Business Kappa of the Mountains
Upon noticing the maiden's approach the girl perked up from her bored slump and wagged a hand out beside her face, greeting her with a neutral, childish tone of voice, "Well if it isn't the Moriya maiden. Come to try your hand at the Kappa's newest attraction?"
The girl smirked with an air of smugness surrounding her as she swung her arms proudly back at her contraption. There were three rows of moving paper mache targets carried by bobbing sticks, and each target resembled a crow with bobbly eyes and a long, obnoxious red nose.
Shina clapped her hands together with both eyes lighting up with sparkles, "Oh my gosh! I've heard of these kinda games in my history books! If you hit a target, you win a prize!"
"Thaaaaat's right!" The Kappa tipped the rim of her hat down as she leaned back full to really embrace the vendor mood, "Hit a target, win a prize! And if you can hit the secret target, you'll get an even better prize!"
Shina ran right up to the counter and slammed her hands down, leaning in to take a look at all the stuff hung up on the walls. There were a few nicely crafted masks resembling famous people in Gensokyo, some sleek hand tools, and a couple Kappa based memorabilia. But what stuck out the most to her was a pink hand fan with a few hazy cobalt butterflies spread around it.
She pulled back and sprung her right arm out to point at that while asking, "What do I hafta do to get that prize?"
Nitori hid a grizzly smile and chuckle under the shadow of her cap and then presented her company with a smile, "You have a fine eye for prizes my dear. That fan is said to have once belonged to a princess who couldn't handle the stress of her duties and killed herself."
"The fuck kinda salespitch is that?" Alex slumped his eyebrows, but Shina's attitude was so completely opposite of his that they may as well been standing on different sides of Mt. Everest.
"A princess' fan?!" She gasped until out of breath as though meeting the person of royalty right now.
"Normally something like this would cost ya 100,000 yen, but if you toss me 1000 yen and hit the right target in one ball then it'll be yours!" Nitori was urging Shina on with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and though Alex wanted to see her succeed in acquiring the fan he decided he'd rather not watch her succumb to a scam in the process.
"Hold the phone here," Alex closed his eyes and held a hand up, then took a couple steps towards the counter to look the Kappa in the eyes, "1000 yen for just one ball? Isn't that asking a bit much?"
"Nooooot at all sir! Most of our prizes are worth double that much, and as you can see they are all pretty easy to hit!" Nitori motioned to the crows, who were indeed moving at a pretty sluggish pace...But Alex wasn't buying it.
"2000 minimum worth for each prize, meaning if you get it in two attempts you'll earn your money's worth...But there's no way Nitori's running a straight-laced business here. There has to be some trick I'm not seeing..." Alex paused and squinted at the stand for a bit and then started tucking his hands into his pockets with a glance at Shina. Her eyes were locked onto the fan and she eagerly clasped her hands together.
There was nothing she wanted more in the world than that fan, but unfortunately for her...
"Sorry, we don't have any-" The cling-clang of loose change rattled at the touch in Alex's pockets, and with a murmur of 'Huh' he pinched a cold metallic coin between his fingers and pulled it out. It was a yen piece, worth 1000 to be precise.
He turned it around, unable to believe it was real until Nitori blurted out, "Looks to me like your pockets are lined pretty deep! So why not face the odds and play ball for a bit?"
She leaned on her elbows and wiggled her brows a couple times, but that was just negligible needling. What really got Alex reconsidering his prospects was when Shina swiveled back and widened her eyes like a begging child. She even went so far as to curl her bottom lip up and whimper like a puppy.
His defenses were weakly torn down in seconds, and with a click of the tongue he pointed the hand holding the yen at Nitori and flicked it over with a confident decree of, "Better get that fan down now, cause I'm shooting for a one-hit win!"
Nitori swiped the yen out like a hungry pirahna and snuck it into one of her many pockets, from which she then pulled out a ball made of smoothed down balsam wood and flung it at Alex. He caught it in both hands and looked to the targets, which began to bob around to become more difficult to hit.
Shina stood back and alongside Sanae cheered him on with 'Go Alex!' and 'Show her who's boss!'
Licking his lips and feeling pretty damn sure of himself, Alex stretched his left leg back and held the ball by the back of his rear. His gaze became more focused than a telescope's as he made sure not to miss a single movement.
"Secret target...Secret target...Where art thou secret target?" He only had to wait out ten seconds before something changed in the landscape. A realistic splash of water came from the middle row, and a large snake necked paper mache creature started bobbing around from the left to the right.
"Loch Ness monster eh?" Alex couldn't help but admit that its appearance looked pretty realistic, but the way it was setup wasn't as tough as he had expected. It was moving as fast as the other targets, bobbed at the same pace, and was as big as his arm. The only trouble would be slipping the ball between the crows to hit it, but luckily for him he had plenty of experiencing flinging balls.
Winding the ball back and tightening his fingers around it, Alex was certain he had his target locked down in his sights and threw the ball out with juuuust enough force to not break anything. The ball zipped in a straight line towards the Loch Ness and slipped between two of the crows. Alex pumped his fist up and went 'Yes!' as he'd soon score both a victory in both a game and in love...
...Only to struck down by pure tragedy as the ball missed and smacked the back wall. The targets slowed down and the secret one slipped into hiding, followed by a demoralizing buzz coming from the ceiling.
"...What." His arms dropped down and he lost all perception on the world around him. How could it have missed, he wondered to himself, when it was such a perfect shot?
Nitori shrugged and happened to catch the ball dropping down from a pipe during that. She then gave the boy a smug glance and remarked, "Tough luck, but you're welcome to try again for another 1000 yen."
Alex glared at the Kappa and only increased her smugness. But before his mouth got running something fierce, Shina stepped up to the counter and happily proclaimed, "I wanna give it a shot next!"
"...Shina are you sure?" Alex warned in the most subtle way possible, but she just spun back around and waved her hand out demandingly.
"Yeah yeah, I think I can do it!" It was hard to tell from the way she stared at him if it was disappointment at failure or a genuine desire to try that guided her actions. But alas, Alex was slowly learning that on a date like this he was but a slave to female whimsy.
"...Thank god this isn't my money..." Was the only brightside to this as he pulled another yen piece out and pressed it onto Shina's palm. But he was not letting go even as she coiled her fingers around his until she heard him out, "Just pay really close attention."
She pulled loose with a slippery tug and held the yen to her chest with both eyes closed, "I'll be fine Alex. I can feel your spirit in this yen piece...With that at my side there's no way I can lose!"
Alex's pupils shrank and his face turned bright red. Off to the side, Sanae's eyes were watery as she clutched her hands up before her face and squealed quietly, "Awwww...!"
Shina flicked the yen piece over to Nitori and caught the ball in that same hand. She got into position simiarly to Alex but stuck the tip of her tongue out. Alex watched closely to see if he could catch Nitori's trap for a rematch, while Sanae handled all the cheering.
The targets were in motion, but Shina had an idea of how long to wait for the secret one. No, she had another plan in mind while she waited. She closed her eyes and perceived the world through aura, and sure enough Nitori's trap became easy to decipher. There was another Kappa controlling the secret target through a manual lever, and their muscles were tense. Utilizing one-way glass to see outside, the Kappa was ready to move the target just the slightest bit out of the way of any balls thrown.
Shina smiled with a giggle only she could hear and waited for the Loch Ness to appear from the murky depths. The moment it did she threw the ball straight at it, where it slipped by the crows and looked certain to hit. The target then froze for a millisecond, and Alex bit his teeth down and cursed Nitori inside his head. Yet then his eyes and mouth went wide, as did Nitori's, as Shina's ball connected with the target and knocked it around.
She threw her fist up with a hop and proclaimed, "I won! First try baby!"
"I-I-I-I..." Nitori was about to lose her lower jaw from how agape it was.
Keeping a sunshine-y attitude as she plopped her upper body down onto the counter, Shina looked at the dumbstruck Kappa and asked, "So can I pretty please have the fan as my prize?"
Nitori stared at her for a good few seconds and was terrified at the girl's overconfidence. It was scarier than the Tengu and Hakurei shrine maiden combined. With her giggle sending shivers down the Kappa's spine, she silently summoned a robotic claw from her backpack, snatched the fan from the wall, and handed it over all in one piece.
"T-Thank you...c-come again..." Humility forced Nitori's kinder side through, and in Shina's eyes that was just as good a prize as any fan. She took the fan and flicked it open before her face, giving it a couple gentle waves as she turned back to look at her companions.
"Well whaddya think? Don't I look like a princess now?"
"It suits you well Shina!" Sanae stated merrily.
Alex stood there fluttering his eyes and at a loss for words. He knew he should be complimenting her, and damn it, that fan did make her look more mature...But he couldn't ignore that he blew a great chance to make Shina happy, and all because of his damn overconfidence.
"This was a mistake..." He thought, looking at the clothes on his back and perceiving them as worth less than rags, "I'm not cut out for this sort of thing..."
As his head began to slump a jolt in his spine forced it back up, and he could hear a nagging voice etching itself into his brain, "What'd I say about keeping yer chin up kid?"
Of course Mamizou couldn't have been around, but Alex shouldn't be faulted for believing otherwise considering how life-like the sound of her voice was just now. Real or not, it put just the tiniest bit of motivation into Alex's head to not give up. The night was young. He may have failed a couple times, but he could still salvage the date. And in fact, he started so by complimenting Shina sincerely, "Yeah I agree with Sanae, it especially brings out the color in your eyes."
Shina peeped and pressed the fan closer to her face, which turned dark red over time. She then twisted her head away and appeared ready to faint. Alex blinked a few times and murmured, "W-What did I do?"
Sanae just nudged him one with her elbow and wiggled her brows a couple times, giving an approving thumbs-up that just further perplexed the boy. He swung his hands out and looked to them both while raising his voice, "No seriously, what did I do?!"
"Heheheh...!" A playfully innocent pair of voices came from the crowd to the west, and Sanae spun around and responded in surprise, "That's Lady Suwako!"
Amidst the crowd the goddess of nature was engaged in a game of tag with another girl roughly her size, who had jagged oni horns, a roughly torn white shirt and purple skirt, and a glazed over pair of eyes. Suwako leapt and failed to snag the oni's gourd, which she swung around in the air as bait. The moment Suwako crashed into a booth, Sanae cringed and began to murmur concernedly.
"Ooh...Oohh..." She turned back to Shina and exclaimed in a hasty panic, "Sorry I have to bail you two! Have a fun rest of the night!"
She then made a mad dash for her goddess while crying her name multiple times. As relieved as Alex was to have that third wheel off his back, he also found the idea of Suwako and the oni going at it to be...amusing, and wished he could spectate it for longer.
But like he told himself, he'd dedicate this entire night to Shina no matter what. So, he checked up on her and saw that she was gliding the fan around in the air like it was a makeshift plane. He had a brief smile at her having fun, but stopped when she saw him watching and tucked the fan back.
"So how'd you do it Shina?"
"Huh?" She perked her eyes and ears up.
"How'd you beat Nitori's scam?" He crossed his arms and waited for a response.
She took the fan up to her face and hid a playful smile. It was a simple matter of using a tiny bit of aura to guarantee the ball's success, but she instead chalked her victory up to, "Guess I'm just...naturally talented!"
Then a loud gargling sound caught the two by surprise, and it lasted long enough for Alex to realize it was coming from Shina. She sheepishly looked down, shut the fan, and admitted in a meek voice, "I...haven't eaten all day."
She bonked the top of her head lightly with her knuckles and made Alex smile. He then waved his hand out and groaned, "Geeeez Shina, you should've said so sooner. There has to be something to eat around here."
The sound of something heavy breaking behind them got their eyes wide and they turned back to see a cloud of dust kicked up where the oni and Suwako were going at it. After a couple blinks Alex coughed and remarked, "Just...not that way."
They snuck through one of the alleys to the right and got to a less crowded part of the village, then went on the hunt for something edible. But without Sanae as their guide they were once more as blind as moles on a sunny day, and wandered around for a good five minutes.
Shina's sense of smell was sharpened by her hunger, and thus all the unfamiliar scents swiftly overwhelmed her. She stumbled around and looked ready to collapse, but Alex managed to help her prop up against a nearby wall just as her legs lost support.
"Easy there Shina." He kept a hand to her back and noticed her skin was getting pale, a sign of low blood sugar. Thus he created a few nuts with his powers and fed them to her, which seemed to do the trick for now.
She pulled away from the wall looking no worse for the way and gave him thanks, but was quickly back to staring at her surroundings with a lustful glaze in her eyes, "There's just sooooo much to eat and so little time...I-I gotta have it all Alex!"
As drool slobbered through her lips and she curled and rubbed her fingers against the sides of her face, Alex was given the almost impossible task of snapping her back to reality.
"I'm pretty sure I don't have the funds and you DEFINITELY don't have the stomach for this."
"B-But..." Her lips bubbled as she was slowly getting lost in a sea of flavors, "Takoyaki...Curry...Stir fry...REAL Sushi...I-I've never gotten to have any of 'em before!"
"Damn it Mamizou, you said nothing about how to deal with hunger of this magnitude...!" And as much as he complained about it in his head, her indecisiveness wasn't going to solve itself. But he simply had no idea what she'd even want, nor what booths were actually trustworthy.
"And here I thought that was the moan of a hungry werewolf. But t'was instead a pair of familiar faces..."
And as much as Alex wanted to be bailed out by some coincidential passerby, THAT person was dead last on his list right now. With a narrow stare that could burn through forests, he slowly creaked his head back and found that he was being approached by a group of three wearing European style yukatas. It was Remilia, Sakuya and...Flandre? Ignoring the absurdity of that last person being here for the time being, Alex noticed that neither vampire had their wings, yet had kept their hairstyles the same.
"You guys?" He groaned deeply.
"Has it truly been so short a time that you still stare at me with disgust, Mr. Overlord?" Remilia paused a few feet away from the boy and with her simply charismatic smile brushed the side of her hair and said, "Or perhaps you are finally captivated by the me you see now, whose beauty makes even the full moon turn pale?"
"..." Alex closed his eyes and fought with every fiber of his being not to vomit. Shina's vulnerable state of mind was not an excuse to suddenly start being a dick.
So instead he tucked his fists into both pockets and inquired, "How are you even hiding those wings right now? Those yukatas are way too small for that."
"Fufufu..." Remilia leaned her head back and leered at him with eyes bathed in crimson light, "Yet another mystery eludes your grasp, I'm afraid."
"Vampires can hide their wings. Remilia thinks its cool, but any of us can do it!" Flandre chipperly proclaimed, then had a cheeky grin as Remilia briefly lost her composure.
Shina managed to get herself away from the scintilating scents for a moment to greet the others with a wave of the hand and a pleasant tone, "Oh heeey Remilia. Didn't think I'd catch ya around these parts."
Then she caught a glimpse of the little sister and her heart skipped a beat in shock, "F-Flandre?! You too?!"
"Fufufu, hi!" Flandre bowed her head politely.
Alex and Shina looked at each other and thought the same thing, even going as far as to speak in perfect unison to Remilia, "Is this really ok?"
She crossed her arms and spoke confidently, "I have faith in my little sister's ability to handle a crowd these days."
"It doesn't hurt that Kokoro's here too." Flandre remarked.
"Kokoro again? Oh wait, Mamizou mentioned Remilia during her story...But Flandre got wrapped up in that mess too?" Alex realized that he really needed to get more of the story from one of the people involved later.
"Ah yes, we were just about to go see the menreiki's Noh dance...And then we happened upon you two," Remilia took the prime opportunity presented to her to comment, "So...having stomach problems are we?"
Shina weakly laid her hands together before the face and gave the vampire a respectful bow, but the sudden drop of altitude left her feeling dizzy as she spoke, "W-We don't know what to eat..."
Remilia laid the back of her right fingers just below the chin and smiled across the cheeks, "Ah, so you're unfamiliar with the kinds of foods a festival has to offer. Yes, I think I can relate..."
She flicked the fingers out one at a time and suggested, "Why, there's plenty of human flesh available. You'll get your fill of protein and fats then."
Shina stared wide-eyed at the vampire for a few seconds until she chuckled and said, "I jest. No, I know of the perfect place to get a bite to eat. In fact, seeing how I too wish to wet my appetite before the dance...Why don't we go together?"
Flandre groaned like expected of a child her age and said, "But I'm not hungry Remilia! Can't I go see Kokoro by myself?"
Remilia turned her head and remarked, "Sakuya can escort you to meet her, I'll catch up later. Just remember..."
"Yeah yeah, I'll be good and honest, and won't take the lives of strangers!" One second Flandre bore her one fang as she grinned and giggled, then the next she had anchored herself to Sakuya's arm and tugged her along. The maid silently waved to her mistress with a calm smile and disappeared in seconds behind the nearest house.
"Fufufu...Well then, shall we be off?" Remilia once more held her guests captive by her will alone, but for once in his life Alex was glad to be getting ordered around by a vampire. He held Shina's hand to keep her from falling, and hoped the trip to the food stand was short.
The world listened to his wishes, and after a minute Remilia stopped in front of a mobile food stand with a homely feel to it. Smoke sizzled out from a flat iron grill laid out at the front and entered Shina's nostrils. She was able to rise up high on her toes and feel like she was floating amongst clouds. All other smells stood no chance of overpowering this perfect mixture of salty, grilled, seafood-y goodness that she didn't recognize in the slightest.
Even Alex couldn't escape, as the food's penetrating stench made his heart skip a beat, and it took him a few seconds to feel the trickle of drool coming from the side of his face. Remilia chuckled as she took residence upon the middle seat and bridged her hands to support her chin.
Shina and Alex got over the initial scent and had to sit down beside the vampire almost immediately, moving at such speeds that the smoke was forced back into the cook's face.
"Khh, khh...!" With some hagged coughs the cook waved their spatula around and revealed that they were a Youkai. More specifically, one based on a night sparrow. She had messy pink hair adorned by a blue tied up cloth, and pointed ears like an owl. Like most of the villagers, she had chosen to wear a brown yukata with strings of blue notes patterned around the bottom.
After she had gotten rid of the smoke, the Youkai rubbed her eyes and grumbled in a somewhat deep voice, "What was that, a tornado?!"
Remilia's entrancing gaze froze the poor sparrow as she gave her fairest greeting, "And how is your business faring on this fine evening, Mystia Lorelei?"
Mystia Lorelei ~ The Chef Who Sings Beautifully
"Oh its just you..." She breathed a sigh of relief and took her spatula back to the grill, turning over a few freshly grilled pieces of a boney fish-like food as her salivating guests stared at them.
"...So are you paying for something or is the plan of attack to muck up my stand with your spit?" Mystia's voice was crass, as was her one-eyed stare, but that got the two lovebirds in line instantly.
"So this iiiisss..." Shina had the food's name on the tip of her tongue but Mystia filled in the blanks with a stoic bluntness, "Grilled lamprey."
"Grilled...lamprey?!" The trickle of drool was about to become a waterfall when Mystia swung the roasted tip of her spatula at her face and proclaimed, "Hey hey! Save the drool until AFTER you've taken a bite!"
Alex quickly laid a few of those 1000 yen pieces onto the counter and spoke up like a gentleman, "Sorry about that, she's famished. We'll take a couple pieces of your finest grilled lamprey, Mystia."
"Huh..." Mystia's attitude did a one-eighty and she got right to work after scraping the yen up into her hands and pocketing it, "Coming right up! And you Remilia?"
"Fufufu, I'll take two pieces all for myself. Just apply it to my tab and I'll have Sakuya cover it later, as usual."
"Got it!" She was quick on the draw when it came to flipping the lamprey over, and there was no unnecessary burns on the meat by the time she served them fresh on her pearl white plates.
"Take your time, they're hot!" She declared with pride. Thankfully, this saved Shina from burning her tongue, as she instead blew on it a couple times and THEN took a bite. Her teeth trapped that thin but succulent strip of salty goodness inside her mouth, where her tastebuds then disgested every single flavor seeping forth from within. Dozens of herbs and spices had been put inside, and none of them overpowered each other. It was a rainbow of pure concentrated flavor already, but then the true power of the lamprey was unleashed upon her vulnerable mouth.
The primary taste of the eel was bitter at first, but as the flavor was given time to digest it was rich with juices that gained a smokey aftertaste thanks to the choice of grill. Shina reared her head back as her eyes were forced shut, the overwhelming flavor being absorbed into her very being. Even her muscles, so weak from hunger, sprung back to life with incredible vigor and began to tingle from head to toe. Her knees buckled together, and the bottom of her lip quivered as she slowly creaked her eyelids open and saw a bright, heavenly light coming down upon her. An escort of winged eels rode a chariot made of salt and smoke flavorings, and within seconds she had been whisked off to seafood heaven.
Of course that last bit didn't happen, but would it really have been out-of-place in Gensokyo?
Alex sat beside her with his hot meal trapped in the mouth and both eyes wide, WIDE open. He really liked the lamprey, he really did, but he sure as hell wasn't going to make out with it like Shina appeared ready to. He pulled the lamprey from his mouth with a smack of the lips and could at least be grateful that she was enjoying herself that much.
But once again he was reminded that he had nothing to do with it. It was Remilia who had saved the day, much like Sanae did. So it was with great reluctance he gave a somewhat minor nod towards the vampire by telling her, "This place isn't that bad, honestly..."
"Fufufu, I'm glad you're both enjoying yourselves." She creased her lips into a smile and licked the last bit of lamprey from them.
"Don't think this makes up for painting a target on our backs though..." He then grumbled before taking another bite of lamprey.
She opened her eyes and pressed her hands upon the cheeks to remark, "Ah, so you do still hold a grudge..."
He pulled the lamprey free and swung his head at her to proclaim with some bitterness, "Of course I do! Especially now that I heard what a certain someone had to say..."
With perked eyes of interest the vampire leaned back and laid her hands before the waist, murmuring out of respect for Alex's own attempted secrecy, "Ah, so you spoke with one of the others."
"That has nothing to do with me anymore, regardless of my involvement then. I only wanted to play a game, nothing more...nothing less." Nonchalant attitude aside, she was making an effort to be sincere, so Alex couldn't keep fuming over that now. Dejected at how easy her 'apology' was, he took a bite of lamprey to finish it off.
"But you must admit..." She smirked his way while telling him, "You've gotten a good grasp of how Gensokyo works because of that, yes?"
"Huh?" Alex leered at her with a puzzled glare as she turned away and hid her intentions behind that playful smile. He was led to suspect that in her own peculiar way, the vampire had set that whole thing up to try and get the two more quickly accustomed to the ways of the world...
"...Nah." He licked the skewer clean of its lamprey flavors and couldn't get behind that theory. It was just too...smart for someone so childish.
Even after finishing her lamprey off Shina craved more, but as Remilia brought to their attention Kokoro's performance was to begin soon. So to solve both problems Alex threw a few more yen Mystia's way and got Shina some grilled lamprey for the road.
She sucked out the flavors like the thing was a roasted lollipop and took her time with every bite, which was good cause there was a lot of humans the three'd needed to wade through to get a good view of the performance. A large wooden stage had been set up in the center of the village, looking as though it could house a dozen dancers.
But one brave little girl would steal all that attention for herself on this peaceful night, the tsukumogami of 66 masks, Hata no Kokoro. Yet that menreiki was a no-show at the moment, causing the anticipating crowd to whisper gossip about whether she had gotten cold feet. Remilia smirked confidently and whispered, "I have no doubt that girl shall dazzle these doubters..."
She then glanced up at the two lovers and whispered, "Well then, I shall be off...Enjoy your night, but remember to keep your eyes wide open as you sleep. Fufufu, who knows when we may hunger..."
Leaving only as someone of her stature could through the crowd, Remilia's presence became a distant memory as Alex grew more nervous being alone with just Shina again. The girl nibbled down the rest of her grilled lamprey and had both eyes focused on the center of the stage, garbling a few words out as best she could.
"Mrphh...fis'll be my fhurst thime watchung a Noh phlay..." She swallowed the food down in one large gulp and after wiping her mouth with her sleeve smiled at Alex and whispered bursting with glee, "Its soooo exciting, ain't it?!"
Surrounding her lips was bits of spices and just a little bit of juice, but none of that dared taint her pearl white smile. Hell, Alex could daresay that nothing could taint how beautiful her whole face was. Her eyes were like radiant emeralds, her skin was as smooth and spotless as silk, and her hair was like a curtain of gold waiting to be unfurled. Under the moonlight her beauty was at its peak, and Alex just wanted to press his lips against her and partake in that splendor all on his own.
But his heart was a beating, nervous wreck, and his feet were as stiff as concrete. Her face was just inches away, but he couldn't make the distance. He's crossed whole galaxies for this girl he loved, but he couldn't spare the strength to move just that little bit more.
Suddenly a howl of wind spread through the village and put out all the lanterns in a fifty foot circle, and Shina spun to look at the stage. Alas, the opportunity for love had passed, and Alex could breathe easy for now.
The whispers of the citizens died out as a single figure debuted on the stage, adorned by a faint pink spolight coming from a mask overhead. Kokoro was dressed as Alex remembered her, but she seemed a lot less nervous than before.
That change in demeanor made all the difference, for now this shy, emotionless girl had captivated an entire village of humans to watch in dead silence as she began her performance. She gripped the sides of her skirt and took a bow as ghastly wisps of crystal blue embers carried various masks to her sides. She held that bow for twenty seconds, letting the masks surround her in a circle.
Then she raised her arms to the sky, crossing them along the way, and summoned a bright aquarmine fan in each hand. The masks spread out clockwise until they reached the edges of the stage. The humans closest to it sprang back and gasped from fright and then to awe as the masks rose to the sky and brightened the stage with trails of harmless fire.
Kokoro twirled around and the light surrounding her feet increased in volume and intensity, while a small vacuum pulled the masks back to her sides. She then leaned to the left on one foot and pointed a fan at a pair of masks, making them shine much brighter than before. It was then that Alex noticed that the masks had some...very interesting interpretations of Reimu and Marisa's face.
Those two masks danced around and mimicked the kinds of Danmaku they'd use for a little bit, all while Kokoro twirled around behind them, drawing in the flames they dispersed and creating streaks of sparkling light from their energy.
As more masks debuted, the comparisons to other figures like Miko, Byakuren, and even Remilia became more obvious by the second, as did the story Kokoro was trying to tell the puzzled masses. It was the tale of strange friendships formed under even stranger circumstances, and at the center of it all was Kokoro. She drifted through these events as they played out around her, involving herself only so often to draw attention to specific moments and the emotions she felt during them, which could be interpretted through her own masks.
Her dance was poetry without words, and the ultimate expression of years of experience and artistic talent. It spoke volumes of how engrossing the Noh performance was when, despite half an hour passing, the whole thing felt like it took five minutes. The finale of the dance had the masks rising in a spiral around Kokoro to carry her around as she twirled nice and slow. When she was fifteen feet off the ground, the masks were dropped, and then she parted her arms straight out and took a bow as light returned to all lanterns.
She looked up at the crowd and floated to the stage, landing on her toes first. There wasn't one clap but a whole crowd of thunderous applause waiting for her the moment she landed, and none of the claps were as loud and energetic as Shina's were. She even threw in a whistle.
Kokoro bowed the same way she started, and not long after the applause drew to a close and the audience went their separate ways. The menreiki looked around and breathed a short sigh, then made her way to the front of the stage. As she lowered one leg down she poked her brows up slightly and caught Alex and Shina from the parting crowd.
"You two..." Her voice was young and monotone, as expected really. She then dropped down and got a couple feet closer, with Shina running up to close the rest of the distance. Her eyes were doing the usual sparkling thing, and she had her fists squeezed up at her cheeks.
"You're the cutest little girl I've ever seen!" She then declared, "That's it! I've decided! You're gonna come home and become my second little sister!"
"No." Kokoro said right away.
"N-No...?" Shina froze up, and it was with great caution that Alex peeked around her to check her face. Her eyes were bubbling with tears and she forced a whimper through her lips, "B-But why?"
"Cause I've already got a big sister." Kokoro took a thumbs up over her shoulder and nudged it a couple times. Shina looked up and became even more devastated by the unexpected revelation that said 'big sister' was the delinquent Celestial Tenshi.
Carrying her vibrant sword the Hisou no Tsurugi over her shoulder, she rode a keystone to the ground with a bright brimming smile and declared to cease Shina's efforts in an instant, "That's right! The occupation of big sister's been filled by yours truly!"
She hopped down beside Kokoro and grappled her left hand around her shoulders to pull her in for a hug. Though Kokoro was squirming quite a bit to break free. Shina drooped her head so low she might as well been an ostrich and let out the biggest sigh until her lungs were empty.
Alex squinted his eyes and with a pointer finger flicked up from his chest bluntly inquired, "How in the heck could you possibly be her big sister?"
"Huh?" Tenshi and Kokoro blurted simultaneously as they split apart.
Alex widened his eyes, bit his tongue down, and realized how personal that remark sounded. Rubbing the back of his head and forcing a laugh he reconciled his mistake by adding, "C-Cause you two look so different, yeah!"
Tenshi squeezed a grin and batted the sword against her back a couple times before stating, "Heh! Funny story behind that. You see...a few years back I was harmlessly wandering around Gensokyo looking to have fun-"
"She wanted to find me and use my powers to cause mischief..." Kokoro's sudden and blunt interruption made the Celestial choke on her words for a bit. The two then looked each other in the face for a brief period before Tenshi coughed twice and resumed the tale.
"A-And then I thought I'd treat Kokoro to a good time by showing her around Gensokyo..."
"And along the way she forced me to use my powers to change people's emotions for her own amusement..." Kokoro shut her eyes and even as stoic as she was failed to look amused.
Tenshi bit her lip for a moment and then kept at it nervously, "B-But it was a very important lesson about how to respect other people's personal space!"
"We broke into Remilia's mansion and beat up her sick librarian..."
"...A-And through many hardships we learned valuable lessons and came to see each other as sisters..." Tenshi barely squinted her left eye open and looked to Kokoro for approval.
Alex and Shina could've sworn for a moment that the menreiki cracked a tiny smile as she whispered, "Yes...we did."
With a long sigh and shrug Shina had to admit, "Well shoot, guess I'm outta luck then."
Kokoro held her right hand up and said with blessed innocence, "But...we can still be friends?"
Shina grabbed her hands with both of hers and shook it for a couple seconds while proclaiming, "Of course we can!"
The menreiki's heart started rushing as she quickly started to regret her decision. Tenshi lowered her eyelids and commented rather loftily, "Geez Kokoro, didn't you learn from last time? You can't just go makin' friends with every random stranger you meet."
Alex's eyes perked to attention and he asked of the Celestial, "Last time?"
Tenshi closed her eyes and she grinned extra wide as she pulled the same cheeky tactic he did a moment ago, "Y-Yeah, someone she tried to befriend took her candy behind her back. She was crying for days after..."
Kokoro glanced back and murmured "No I didn't..." in an attempt to sound more mature. As the two 'sisters' bickered back and forth for a bit, Alex thought it best to perhaps just try and get more of that story from Mamizou later. Even if he'd heard all the parts relevant to him, he couldn't help but be intrigued by how all these mismatched folk got involved...
After a brief respite from Shina's overeagerness, Kokoro faced the boy and stared at him with vacant eyes. She didn't mutter a word, just like before. He didn't feel comfortable leaving it at that and started to ask jokingly 'Is there something on my face?' when Tenshi instead remarked, "Alright Kokoro, its time I escorted you back home as promised."
The menreiki's attention was then all on her, leaving the boy to let out a despondent sigh. Kokoro then slowly shook her head and said, "I don't want to go home. I haven't had my dessert..."
"Your mom's gonna be upset if I let you get a sugar rush..." Tenshi patted her back with the sword a couple times and stared at Kokoro. The menreiki's eyes were wide as she literally murmured 'Staaaaaaare' and penetrated Tenshi's soul.
The Celestial laid her fingers against the forehead and flicked them out with caution thrown to the wind, "Ah to hell with it. Lets get a quick nibble, my treat!"
"Yay!" Kokoro threw her arms up but her declaration was monotone. Then as the best doting little sister she could be, the menreiki hovered glued to Tenshi's hip as they made their way back to the village.
Shina rested a hand against the side of her face and was enamored by their strange but simple relationship. For a brief second she saw herself as Tenshi, and Kokoro as her actual little sister. Her eyes widened, her heart skipped a beat, and after shutting her eyes that vision of the past was gone. She then curled her hands up near the chest and let out a brief sigh, her expression turning melancholic.
"...Soon sis, soon..." Her whispers of anticipation did not go unnoticed, and Alex slowly approached her from the side and patted her on the back to say, "We'll find it Shina, I promise."
She peeked over the shoulder and lightly nodded, then cracked a smile and wiped a lone tear from her cheek. She mouthed the words 'Thank you' but the sound of them was eclipsed by the sudden burst and brightened flare of a firecracker up above.
They slowly pivoted their heads to the sky as yellow and red sparks fizzled down to smoke, only to be replaced by more in smaller bursts. The sight of fire in the sky was like magic. It was vibrant, as though each spark contained the essence of life.
It hadn't been the longest of festivals, not even the best of them...But for these two it represented so much more, especially for Alex. He looked into Shina's eyes and saw the fireworks reflected in her pupils. She was dazzled, so dazzled that a bomb could drop and she'd not even flinch.
The beating of his heart grew louder than any firework. His sweating face was ripe with passion and his mouth felt as dry and cold as a desert. She had grabbed his hand without his notice and held it tight as though it was precious. Her own pulse was rocky, signaling to the boy that the time was right.
He closed his eyes and drowned every doubt, worry, and resistance in a single wad of saliva he gulped down. Then he puckered his lips and went right for a kiss on the cheek. He only lasted a second until the numbing nervousness forced him back to gasp for air.
He forced himself not to look at her face. Whether she'd be excited or disappointed would be too impossible a weight to bear. His body trembled and his muscles clammed up. Then, something soft and wet pressed against his cheek and sent blood rushing through his body. It held there for five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds...All while his body melted to goo.
Then it was over, and as that feeling left his face a soothing sound penetrated his ears...
"I love you too...Alex Whiter."
A decade of suffering, feeling alone and unwanted by the world, all felt worth it just to hear those words again. That exchange was their vow that their love would be forever...and suddenly, just like that, the festival ended with the fireworks' silence.
Everyone went their separate ways to rest or clean up, and those two just stayed and continued to look at the sky. Though soon Shina broke the silence by stretching her arms to yawn, bringing with it another problem to resolve.
"Well...guess we oughta hit the hay..."
"Geez, this night went by fast..." Alex rubbed the back of his head and inquired, "But where are we going to go rest?"
"We could try bunking at Reimu's?" Her giggling after saved Alex some breath responding.
"Ohohoho, mebbe I can help ya there..." That old-timer's voice was one-of-a-kind, and the two looked back to find Mamizou behind them. She had disguised as a human by elongating her hair and wearing puffier clothes to hide her tail, but she still wore that cheeky smile.
"So how'd it go?" She snickered at the blush the two had failed to notice they had.
Shina pressed her hands up and was filled with happiness in every word she used to recap, "We got to play a game and and won a prize from it, ate scrumdelicious grilled lamprey, saw Kokoro's wonderful Noh dance, and enjoyed the fireworks!"
"And that's it?" She said with brows raised.
Alex hastily answered, "Yep! It was a fun and totally normal date!"
The tanuki closed both eyes and slowly nodded her head, "That so eh? Well I'm glad to hear that! But yer havin' lodging troubles now, yeah?"
"Yeah. Does Gensokyo have any motels?" Alex regretted that question as Mamizou almost keeled over dead from laughter. After exhausting herself silly she answered in a more serious manner.
"Tell ya what, since I'll be outta the village ya can bunk at my place. 'S got a bed, bathroom, everythin' ya need to sleep comfortably."
But the most troubling thing on Alex's mind was, "Is it clean though?"
"Hehe, well not like I can just plug-in a vacuum," She cracked a grin and wagged her right hand out, "Don't get yer britches in a bonnet, it'll be as clean as a whistle in dere, trust me."
Shina bowed and quietly gave thanks, "We appreciate your generosity Mamizou."
Then she sprung right up and proclaimed, "So! Where do we hafta go?!"
The tanuki wiggled her right hand out between the two and said, "Back of the northern part of the village, the house on the left closest to the perimeter. You'll recognize it by the statue outside."
"Great! Thanks!" And like that she was off faster than a fired bullet. Alex fluttered his eyelids and was prepared to go after her when the tanuki wet her lips with a whistle and murmured ominously, "Yer in for the toughest night of yer life kid..."
She had already vanished by the time he looked back, and was left with a slight feeling of dread hanging over his body as he caught up to Shina. Following Mamizou's directions was easy now that the festival was settling down, especially as she had set up a stone raccoon statue outside her doorstep.
Shina took the plunge by pushing the shutter open and peeking inside, and Alex poked his head over her shoulder to look too. The floor, walls and ceiling were all made of wooden planks, and there wasn't even any indoor lighting. The worth this place held to Mamizou was obvious in how few necessities were inside. There was just the one bed in the center of the room, and maybe a couple painting scrolls on the back wall.
Shina trodded inside and looked around, noticing there was a single doorway in the back and remarking, "Oh! That must be the bathroom!"
Alex frowned and took a nice long look at that empty space to the left. No kitchen, not even a couch. This level of detachment from those kinds of things wasn't surprising, but it was a little sad to see. Now as far as the bed went, it did look a lot more comfortable than this land's time period would lead one to think possible. It didn't have a frame, but the mattress was six inches thick and had the softness of a cloud at first glance. There were two pillows at the top, and a blanket covered by a leaf pattern.
"Wait a second..." He squinted again at the bed, and realized it was just the one...And it could easily fit two people their size. His face turned bright red and he internally cursed the tanuki for pulling this stunt.
Shina then looked back at him and wiggled her lips into a smile as she said with a lacksy-daisy attitude, "I'm gonna clean my face real quick and then hop in for the night, ok?"
Alex held his hand up but Shina walked right for the bathroom before he could say a word. He pursed his lips and hung his head to murmur, "How can you be so calm about this..."
His head sagged as it turned to face the bed. Just the mere thought of resting in the same space as her put butterflies in his stomach. While it would be easy to just tell her he'd stay up and keep guard, she might get insulted by that now.
To ward off undue stress the boy closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, and rationalized this situation the best he could manage, "Sleeping with a woman's just the next step up the ladder from kissing...Yeah, yeah...I can do this. Its just one night..."
He walked to the left side of the bed and lifted the corner of the blanket to tuck himself in nice and slow. He stared vacantly at the ceiling as the minutes passed by with no word from Shina. He clutched the edge of the blanket and held it under the chin, kept company only by silence and darkness.
"Ok! Sorry I took so long!" Her victorious voice almost gave Alex a panic attack, and his face started to be covered by a cold sweat. He held himself together as she walked around and then got into bed with a bouncy plop. She covered herself right up under the sheet and partook in looking at the ceiling too. She stretched her arms up high and let out one very tired yawn.
"...Its been a pretty long day, hasn't it?" Her voice only reflected fondly upon the events that played out.
Timidly, Alex shook his head and responded, "Y-Yeah..."
The bed ruffled as she turned to look at him, supporting her head on one hand. She had an unassuming smile and her hair had been unfurled from its bun-shaped shackle. Alex looked at her and slowly breathed through his nostrils.
"Thank god, she's still wearing her kimono..." Why that was the first thing that came to mind, not even he knew.
The pace of his heart worsened as the girl's eyelids began to crease shut with a sultry gaze, and she began to trod a couple fingers across the top of his chest like they were a pair of tiny hairs on his arms perked up as she stopped on the very center of his chest.
She lowered her head and let out a tiny gasp, then snuggled in deeper into the blanket. This behavior was a complete unknown to Alex, and so by comparison Shina came across an expert at whatever she was trying to do. Her face was just as red as his, and there were droplets of sweat trickling down the side of her face.
She looked unsure of herself, but unsure of doing what, exactly? She kept the mysteries of her mind sealed tight and gave murmurs of praise to the bewildered boy, "Y-You...really impressed me tonight...Alex."
"...I-I did?" He replied after gulping deep.
"Uh...uh huh..." She coiled her two fingers up and pressed the cold knuckles against his chest, feeling the tense rhythm of his heartbeat, "I...this night...would've been nothing to me if you weren't at my side..."
"...Did...did I really do anything..." He gasped his inner thoughts out.
"Yes! You...you..." She sheepishly pulled her hand away and curled it up next to her face, "When we first met...you'd have never taken the time to enjoy yourself...B-But you did it...for my sake, didn't you?"
"...I..."
She rose up and pressed one arm down on his chest, making his heart skip a beat as she stared into his eyes with a passionate fire slowly burning brighter within hers, "And that...that's just the sweetest thing you could've ever done Alex! Cause...cause that means..."
She looked down at herself and retreated right back under the blanket in embarrassment, mumbling in a barely audible tone, "...You're...you're really sincere about this...About...loving me..."
Alex couldn't say a word, and everything was quiet between them for a whole minute after. She then hid her eyes under the shade of the blanket's edge and murmured, "And I...I want to...s-show you how sincere I am too..."
She laid her hands on the ground and pushed herself up. Most of the blanket slid off her back as she hovered his left hand over his body and then planted it beside his shoulder. Then she crawled the rest of her body over his, pressing her kneecaps against his hips and putting the other hand next to the other shoulder.
His pupils dilated and his heartbeat got so fast that he could no longer keep track. She was sweating buckets, but kept his eyes locked squarely on his face. A dry gasp of air was all she gave him at first, for she wanted to see where his eyes would wander.
Beyond his control, that gaze of his did wander so. It went down the length of her shapely body and stopped at her waist. The obi...was gone, and her kimono all the more looser for it. She forced his gaze back up with a rough cough, and then moved her left hand up towards the chest of her kimono. She stared to the left and was quiet as she hooked her pointer finger under the fold of cloth and began to tug down.
"S-Shina, what are you..."
"Shut...shut up..." She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut, "P-Please..."
He didn't have the energy to resist, and every breath became a struggle. When Shina split her kimono down enough to expose her bare, hefty breasts, Alex died for two seconds. His 'corpse' then stammered with a barely intelligible raspiness, "B-B-B-B-Bah...B-B-B-Bah..."
She froze up and pulled her finger away, and the rest of the kimono came undone. Alex was too inexperienced to properly describe this breath-taking sight. Her breasts dangled from her chest, and were even bigger than he had imagined. Having seen the girl's mother in person a couple times, he could only appreciate how much genetics played a role in giving her these breasts.
Her waist was not too thin yet not too wide. It was the perfect, average size, and her abdomen was toned without a single gram of fat to offset it. Her hips were perfectly round like a globe, and she had on her a delicate, lacy pair of dark-blue panties. But what Alex would come to realize tonight was that he was infatuated by her legs most of all. Without jeans to hold them back, he saw them for what they were. Firm, muscular, and stretching out in perfect alignment with the length of his. All her features were complimented by some silky smooth skin, and a flawless complexion.
He should be happy that she presented herself like this. His innocent mind told him that much. But he was just so terribly, utterly confused. She sheepishly turned away, feeling as though what she offered wasn't enough. He shook his head a couple times and she widened her eyes with pale irises.
"...But...why?" He murmured.
She closed her eyes and answered honestly, "Because this is...my resolve..."
"H...huh?"
"My resolve to love you unconditionally until the day we both die Alex...B-But I don't want to keep this love to ourselves..."
Even Alex knew exactly what she meant by that. He shook his head, bit his teeth down and couldn't bear to look her in the eyes as he admitted, "N-No...No this isn't right Shina."
He shook his head some more and pleaded with her no matter how much it hurt, "We just had our first kiss not even an hour ago! You're going too goddamn fast and I..."
Tears squeezed out from his eyes as he said what troubled him the most, "I...don't think I can give you what you-"
She leaned in close, pressing her chest against his, and silenced him with a kiss on the lips. She held there for a whole minute, even as his tears trickled down between their passionate kiss. Then she pulled away, looked him dead in the eyes, and was crying herself, "I just...I just want to try...Please..."
And her meek voice resorted to begging with reason, "Because...I know that...through thick and thin...we'll still love each other...E-Even if we don't succeed..."
"Shina...I-I..."
There was little point in arguing it now. Shina was going this far not just for herself, but for him too. Rejecting her advances when he'd been plunged this deep into hell would truly leave him condemned for life. His body too weak to even move, he whispered with some reluctance, "I'll...give it a try...For both of us..."
The smile she gave would become unforgettable years down the line, and she sniffled those wandering tears into retreat before nodding her head and whispering back, "T-Thank you so much Alex..."
He turned his head aside and with a vacant stare in his eyes muttered, "B-But...I...I don't know the first thing about...this..."
"I...know a little..." She muttered with deep red cheeks.
The time for being secretive was long since past, but even THAT threw Alex for a loop. He sheepishly grinned and muttered, "Y-You...do?"
"...We'll just have to...wing most of it...ok?"
"...I-I...guess so?"
"And...don't be afraid of going too long..." She bit her lower lip as he obediently nodded.
"And...don't worry...If...if you're...big..." She mustered up some semblance of confidence and said, "I can...handle it...I think..."
He widened his eyes and broke the romantic tension a little by muttering, "Y-You idiot...why...why the hell would you say something like that?! I...I wouldn't even know the first thing about-"
She lunged right in and pressed his lips against hers. At that exact moment Alex's mind went blank, succumbing to an overwhelming wave of passion that flushed over his body. His body was no longer his to control, and everything that happened on this night would be a memory unforgettable yet difficult to recall. But this love was real, this love was true, this love...was all he needed to remain happy forever...
Next Time: What Next?