Season 01, Episode 08: Highly Irresponsive to Prayers: Part Two
A worn and torn Hieda no Akyuu sat in her quarters, with a lone guard looking at her to see if she was okay. Said quarters was a simplistic room with a futon, a desk and chair, shelves full of scrolls, and a few decorations plastered here and there. Hieda herself hadn't looked all too well since she first ran towards the door with a scroll in hand. The guard nearby was normally not fond of humans, but he had to admit, he couldn't help but feel bad for her.
Shaking his head for a moment, he spoke. "Hieda, our master wants to speak with you."
Hieda slowly turned her head towards him. "About what? The invasion?" Her voice was full of anger. "It wasn't even necessary to begin with!"
Underneath the helmet, the guard's glowing red eyes narrowed. "Just follow me, Chronicler. It'll be a lot less difficult if you are cooperative."
Groaning, Hieda no Akyuu got up and proceeded to follow the guard out of her quarters and through the hallways beyond it. She momentarily took a bit of time to look outside the palace window and see carts with captured prisoners approaching the gates. She didn't want any of that to happen. She then proceeded to run towards the direction of her escort so she wouldn't be in any more trouble than she had been.
She frowned at the thought and sighed, knowing that there was something else regarding their master's plans regarding the Outside World. For now, she has no other choice but to comply.
Rick couldn't help but let out a groan as he slumped down onto a nearby bench. "Why the hell did you decide to guide us to this God forsaken *urp* place, anyhow?"
"Well, for a few things, actually." Nitori stated. "For one, it could give us some time to rest and think. Two, there's a junkyard within driving distance."
"And three is because of that stupid religion, right?" Rick asked.
"Hey!"
Ignoring Aunn's reaction to his insult, Rick turned towards Nitori, who merely shook her head. "Nope, it is in a pretty strategic location in times like this. Convenient, eh?" Nitori answered. She proceeded to point in various directions as she spoke. "There's a grocery store a few blocks there, ooh, and a hardware store there, and-"
"Can you just *urp* shut the fuck up? I'm trying to think here." Rick stated, glaring at the kappa.
"Yeesh. Killjoy." Nitori said.
"I know, right?" Morty replied.
"Well, we can't just sit around and mope over our losses. Who knows if they might come back to get us?" Reimu pointed out, much to Morty's worry. "What we need to do is plan and prepare."
"Why isn't the army going after them, Reimu? Shouldn't they be here by now?" Morty asked.
"You make a good point, Morty. I don't know if it's their magic or an inconvenience." Reimu stated. "However, my point still stands. We need to prepare for our next move."
"Fine, fine, fine." Rick repeated as he got out from the bench. "Alright, where's the nearest junkyard?"
Nitori couldn't help but to sigh and point. "It's a few miles up to the northeast. Ideally, in driving distance."
She was answered by Rick immediately walking towards the northeast. Morty attempted to follow, and Reimu proceeded to go along with them. "Is it okay if I come along with you? We've got a lot of catching up to do."
Rick took a deep breath before speaking. "Fine, whatever."
Before they left, Reimu turned towards the group. "Does anyone else want to come with us?"
Rick held a hand in front of the group before anyone could ask. "Hate to *urp* burst your bubble, missie, but I'm only allowing two people to come with me."
"W-wait, can I come?" Nitori asked.
"No." Rick blatantly stated. He then gave two pistols to Marisa and to Sanae. "If either of those yokai attack you, don't hesitate to shoot and kill."
Reimu sighed, momentarily glaring at Rick, though she understood his mistrust towards the two nonhuman people. "Well, I suppose I can make do."
Rick gestured for Morty and Reimu to hop on him, activating his Sanchez Ski Shoes once more. Reimu waved goodbye as the trio rode off, leaving the remaining four to ponder. Aunn couldn't help but to sigh. "Well, I'm not sitting around with that scientist elsewhere." She proceeded to jump up, and instead of falling on the ground, she levitated. While the two humans were surprised, they had seen enough weird things to go around for the day.
"Wait, where are you going?" Nitori asked.
"To check on that scientist and his family. It's not as potent as Kochiya-san's, but Reimu-san has traces of holy energy within her."
As she flew towards the direction, Nitori looked towards her remaining company. "Wanna hop on?" Snuffles tilted his head at the kappa in response.
As they rode across the city, Reimu and Morty couldn't help but to look around at the devastation, now nearly devoid of people. Sure, many of the buildings stood, but they couldn't help but to meet the newfound emptiness with a feeling of eeriness and fear, not to mention the sky seemed a little… off…
Nearby, they could see a nearby man peek his head out of the wreckage of a nearby car, rubbing his eyes before widening them with glee. "Oh, thank God! Please help me, I-" Before he could run over to them, what looked like a severed woman's head with dangling organs flew and grabbed him, followed by several more. The man's screams were muffled as the creatures lifted him up and flew away, much to everyone's horror.
As they attempted to flee, two of them attempted to fly towards Morty, grabbing onto him, only for Rick to shoot them with his laser pistol, causing them to dissolve into dust. "Oof… that's… that's horrifying…" As he said it, a worried and scared Morty kept clinging onto him, shivering in fear. "Al-alright, that's enough, I think we're here."
As Rick attempted to shake Morty off, Reimu looked to see the junkyard, and looked towards Rick. "So, I suppose we're going to gather parts from here?"
"Hit the nail right on the board." Rick proceeded to pull out his laser gun. "Alright, you two, stay close to Grampa and don't touch anything weird. If you see a discarded car or a truck or something, tell me."
"Rick, there's like, a billion of those there." Morty stated.
"Then that part's easily solved." Rick replied smugly.
"Just make sure that some random yokai hasn't gotten into them." Reimu reminded.
As Rick went towards the car and began to modify the broken-down vehicle, he wrote on a small piece of paper and handed it over to Reimu. "Alright, here. This is the list of parts I'd need, chop ch-*urp*-op."
As they began to gather parts for Rick's newest invention, Reimu turned her attention towards Morty. "So, what was your old world like before everyone became Cronenbergs?"
"Wait, Cronenbergs? How did you know about that?" Morty asked, his tone becoming more defensive.
"I'm just making assumptions. My Morty attempted to brainwash Jessica into falling in love with him, you guys tried to fix it with hastily-made potions, and then, well… you get the idea. Did it happen back in your world?" Reimu asked.
Morty sighed. "Well, yeah, you're mad at me, aren't you?"
Reimu couldn't help but to sigh. "Not at the moment, we've got bigger stuff to worry about." (But that doesn't mean I will let you do it again) she thought as she looked towards Morty, who had gathered some pieces of scrap metal.
"Wh-why are you asking this stuff, anyway?" Morty asked.
Reimu, who had just picked up some discarded microchips, sighed once more. "Well, it was honestly to get to know you guys a little more and to see what differences lie between my timeline and yours."
"M-maybe you should ask Rick about this. He knows about this stuff more than I…" Morty offered, looking at the direction he presumed his grandfather was.
Reimu looked in the same direction. "Well, maybe I should. Have you met any alternate versions of the family yet?"
"Apart from this one, no." Morty stated.
Reimu put a hand towards her chin. "Ever since I first ran into the multiverse, I always figured that we'd run into alternate versions of at least one of us some time in the future. Did you think that might happen?"
"No." Morty answered.
Reimu did not answer verbally, though Morty got his response with Reimu shrugging her shoulders as she proceeded to gather more stuff and stuff it in all her pockets. As they went back to Rick with all the stuff they could carry, a couple of millipedes crawled across the used cars.
Rick himself was tinkering with the old car when Reimu and Morty returned. Rick looked towards Reimu, seeing that she was carrying chips with her shirt, causing him to momentarily think back to the Zigerion incident, whilst Morty had a few other assorted scraps here and there. "Geez, it's about time you kn-*urp*-knuckleheads got something useful, give me those!"
He proceeded to snatch the chips out of Reimu's shirt, causing her eyes to widen at how quick and sudden his movements were as he modified the car at breakneck pace. "Why did you do it?"
As Rick finished, he looked at Reimu with agitation and annoyance. "Did what?"
"Why did you tell them to attack?" Reimu asked.
"Because that Nito-whatever girl's just came out of nowhere. If she's a yokai, then why isn't she planning on capturing or eating us or whatever? Or-or that Aunn girl? What about her?" Rick asked in a questioning tone. "I don't trust 'em."
Nitori held up a hand. "I'm not in league with the group that attacked Seattle. As for Aunn, komainu are supposed to be guardians, particularly towards humans and their shrines. They don't eat people."
Rick raised one side of his unibrow in suspicion. "Still doesn't seem to add up to me."
Reimu sighed. She sighed. "Hopefully, your suspicions are incorrect."
As Reimu spoke, a worried Morty gulped while Rick rolled his eyes and proceeded to take another sip from his flask before speaking. "Whatever, I don't want them near me."
Hieda no Akyuu didn't know what to think when she found herself once more in the throne room. She saw dozens of tiny, implike tofu-kozu walking around with various items in hand. The small creatures were nothing more than servants like her, only that they were below even humans.
As she walked through the throne room, she remembered the last time she was in there, paranoid, fearful, and traumatized at her own moments as a lust-consumed beast before everything came back to the previous day as if nothing happened. She honestly wasn't thinking back then, just wanted for something to do against Morty Smith, but not going as far as to capture the residents of an entire city. Just what were they thinking?
Hesitantly, she walked up towards her master's throne, and bowed. "S-sorry if I'm late… my lord…"
"Late? LATE!?" Akyuu jumped at the sudden shout of the already deep and booming voice. "Actually, you're right on time, Chronicler…"
Akyuu sighed. Well that was a relief. "M-master Sharin, please forgive me for asking, but why did you call me here?"
Sharin rolled his eyes. "Like I would with you and every other Chronicler, OBVIOUSLY. Do the math, I brought you here to record information, you're the Chronicler, after all."
Akyuu kneeled down and looked up. "I-I-I'll write what you want, my lord. State it and it'll be done."
Sharin smirked, showcasing some of his many fangs. "I think the scene outside your window is enough clarification, to count every one of those… Americans, I suppose they call themselves…"
"You didn't have to capture them…" Akyuu whispered.
The yokai's robes whiffed in the wind as he got up, the various tofu-kozu already handing him stuff were knocked off from the throne and scurried away. "Oh, but I did. Now get to work before I make you."
Akyuu stiffened up before bowing and immediately running off.
As the figure sat back on the throne, one of the guards spoke. "Lord Sharin, do you really think that she could do it alone?"
Shrain was about to lash, but calmed down. "Oh yeah, that's right. You're new here. If you must know, the Chronicler has a perfect memory, and she knows exactly what happens to those who fall out of line."
Nitori was sitting on a discarded mattress, looking at her device with careful precision. As it beeped, she saw a few small dots move around, with her own dot and one near it at the center, but nothing too dangerous.
Sitting next to her was Aunn, who had her hood down as they stared at the Smith/Sanchez family. Nitori looked over towards Aunn before speaking. "So, how are you up here, anyway?"
The komainu raised a brow in suspicion. "Why are you asking?"
"Mainly out of curiosity, and because Rick isn't too keen on either of us." Nitori answered.
"Back in old times, I had served as the guardian for many different shrines. One of my favorite shrines was that of the Hakurei line." Aunn stated.
"I-I know what the Hakurei were, they were yokai exterminators, in charge of keeping a sort-of balance between humanity and yokai." Nitori answered.
"Ichiban no ichiban. But due to my status as a komainu and a guardian of sorts, I was exempt from it. However, when the Americans arrived, everything changed, Nihon started changing." Aunn explained.
"And they were one of the first families to abandon their duty." Nitori stated.
Aunn could only silently nod at that. "Do you know why I'm here?"
Nitori shook her head. "I didn't know there were any komainu here."
"That's because I'm the only one, and even then, I came here because of the Hakurei. After the events that transpired and American gunboat diplomacy caused Nihon to modernize, the Hakurei took to it like ducks to water, and were one of the first ones to become Japanese-American." Aunn slammed her fist against the ground. "M-Marude sekai ga hikkurikaetta yōna kibundeshita!"
Nitori looked towards Sanae. "Anything else?"
Aunn sighed. "Yes. As a komainu, I can detect holy and religious energy, though I'm more so attracted to Shintoism and Buddhism. For Sanae, it is more prominent, but… Reimu, for her… I can feel vague amounts of it there."
The two looked over towards Reimu and Sanae, who were sitting on the hood of an old car. "I know that most yokai care a lot about the old days, but I was never really one of them. I was always fascinated with human technology and wanted to see how it worked."
"That's not how a typical yokai would think about it." Aunn added. "Though, in your defense, there are others out there that likely share your viewpoint."
Nitori sighed as she got up and started looking towards them. "All I want to do now is prove that I'm trustworthy. I don't care if Rick trusts me or not. I want to have this threat over and dealt with."
As she walked over, she noticed Rick angrily turning his gaze over to her. "What the? I told you to keep you distance!"
"Why do you have to be so distrusting of others?" Nitori retorted. "I know I'm a yokai, but I'm not in league with the ones that attacked you!"
"Oh yeah? What about it? What do you have to prove?" Rick asked, glaring at the kappa.
The two glared daggers at one another before Nitori looked back into space. "Do you know where we yokai came from?"
"No." Rick answered.
Nitori nodded. "Then how about I prove everything to you. Have you ever had that fear where there is a monster under your bed or someone who steals your socks or the keys to your house?"
"Yes, st-still do." Morty answered.
Despite the answer from Rick's wayward grandson, Nitori sat down and began to explain. "You know that in ancient times, people didn't have any of the knowledge we have today, nor did they have the tools to access it. People were always looking for things to explain the things that go bump in the night. The world at the time had a lot more magical energy as well, which also provided fuel to the fire. Even as far as the Last Ice Age, early man has had to face magical creatures of their own making, forged out of their primal fears and shaped by the world around them and their desire for something to explain."
"This is ridiculous." Rick stated.
"Maybe, but it happened. Us yokai are only the Japanese result of this phenomenon." Nitori stated. "Magic was something that always existed, and early man didn't know how to interact with it, but they did, and yokai and other mythical beings are the result."
"Seriously, that's nonsense. Does every Greek or Egyptian god or whatever exist at one point?" Rick asked. "It's just total nonsense."
"Honestly, I find this rather interesting." Reimu stated. Rick glared at his granddaughter before continuing to tinker on his invention.
"Nonsense it may be, but that's what happened." Nitori stated. "However, as I stated before, they only came into being due to early man's perception of nature. Just because Helios and Ra were deities of the sun did not mean they actually held any true power over it. They were formed because of how their respective people viewed the world."
"Really? How?" Morty asked.
"Honestly, I don't have much knowledge. I know the Norse were from a cold area, which gave them darker myths, but that is just about all I know about the phonomeon." Nitori admitted. "What I do know is that in the ancient past, they ruled the world from the shadows, feeding off of early man's emotions and keeping them in the dark."
Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly, I don't get it, but I'll humor you. Let's say they were ruling ancient civilizations from the shadows, what then? Why aren't they present now, and why did your friends attack?"
"Honestly, the former has a good combination of reasons for it. The rise of Christianity, European colonialism, and the spread of ideas and resources all contributed to a scientific boom." Nitori held out the device she was holding and presented it to Rick, who eyed it in curiosity. "You know, there were several great scientists that I came to look up to. They may be long gone, but it inspired me to try my own shot at things."
"And that?" Rick asked.
Nitori looked at the device. "Oh, that. It's my magic detector. I was inspired by the dragon radar from the DragonBall series when making this bad boy, only instead of detecting Dragon Balls, it detects magical entities, including me. It was honestly so I would have a better time fleeing in case an event like this happens."
Rick stared intently at the device. "And where did you get it?"
"I built it from parts from the junkyard. It was tough, but once I figured out how to integrate the tech with my magic, then it was a cinch." Nitori said with a smile.
Rick didn't trust Nitori, but he was honestly impressed with her handiwork. Sure, it was rather scrappy compared to his own work, but he had to admit, she really put her elbow grease in it. He still didn't want her near him, but reluctantly, he spoke. "Fine… I suppose you can tag along… for now…"
"Wait, really!?" Nitori asked, with her smile growing wider.
"But if one misstep happens." Rick drew his finger across his neck. "Got it?"
Nitori's smile disappeared. It was clear he wasn't fond of her. "G… got it…" Ah well, it was better than nothing. She shook her head and resumed her talk with Rick. "Look, if you want to deal with these things, then Aunn and I are your best bet. She and I know some information that you would find useful. Plus, I can help you with whatever it is you are building, and I honestly want to learn a few things from you."
Rick looked towards the blow torch he was holding, and sighed. "You're not going to leave us alone, are you?"
"Not until this incident is over." Nitori answered.
Reimu was with Morty once more in their quest for supplies. Not only did she carry a wagon with boxes to put the items in, but also a crowbar in case of attacks from feral yokai. Morty looked on in a state of anxiety as he began checking various discarded junk for anything useful.
As he gathered some useful-looking chips, he looked at Reimu. "Are you sure you can trust a book with those guys, i-it doesn't seem very reliable."
"It might not be that reliable, but it's the best I have so far." Reimu answered. Morty proceeded to put the microchips in the box. "You're still worried about your family, huh?"
"Yes." Morty answered.
"At least you're not alone in that regard." Reimu added. She started to gather up some various cables and put them in the wagon. "Before I came to college, I always wondered where you guys were, or if you were even alive. I expected many things, but gathering materials in the yokai apocalypse was not on my list."
"Geez, way to kill the mood, Reimu." Morty slumped down.
"I didn't mean to make you sad, Morty. In any case, we should bring as much as we can back to the gang. Whatever Grampa is making I hope it works." Reimu answered.
Morty got back up and proceeded to gather some remaining scraps into the wagon as Reimu pulled it back to the makeshift camp everyone was in. There was even a small campfire due to the chilly atmosphere, with Aunn, Marisa, and Sanae huddling up for warmth.
As they went towards the group, Rick came in and proceeded to take a few of the scraps and head back to the discarded car he was working on before taking the wagon itself. Shaking her head at Rick's antics, she decided to walk towards the direction of the campfire, with Morty following her, not sure of what to do. Snuffles was on Marisa's lap, the sleeping terrier otherwise would've blended into the fresh blanket of snow. Aunn sat down beside her, unsure of her current predicament as she leaned onto the blonde's side. Sanae, on the other hand, was finishing telling a story.
"…anyway, that was the jist of what happened that day." Sanae concluded.
Marisa let out a laugh while the komainu rolled her eyes in annoyance before speaking. "You guys still know about the threat at hand, do you?"
"Yeah, but we gotta pass the time, somehow." Marisa paused for a moment. "Man, I need a hobby. Being in a homeless man for my puberty meant I-"
"Wait, wait, wait. You were inside someone!?" a shocked Aunn Komano asked.
"Yup. It's a rather long story, if I'm honest." Marisa stated.
"A-as in that giant naked Santa Claus on the news!?" Aunn asked. Marisa nodded again. "I suppose that man was responsible for it somehow." Another nod came in response. "Kami above, what's with your friend and her family?"
By now, Reimu settled down near the fireplace. "It's a rather complicated story." She looked around and started to smile. "I see y'all have built yourself a campfire. Honestly, I could use something like this to keep my sanity intact."
In spite of the initial peril and their bad first impression, even the initially cynical Aunn couldn't help but to smile as she allowed herself to relax. "This is nice."
"So, about the yokai…" Sanae proceeded to ask. "How are you and Nitori different from the ones that attacked us?"
Aunn's smile disappeared. "There are many answers to that question, but I can simplify things. For starters, Nitori and I tend to take on human form, it's essentially the form we've been in our whole lives, save for aspects of our non-humanoid counterparts." The komainu shook her tail and placed a hand on one of her stony ears to emphasize her point. "While it is not a set in stone, humanoid yokai are more able to empathize with humans and are able to blend in when in human settlements, assuming we can hide any animalistic features we have on our person."
The three girls looked over towards Nitori, with Reimu's mind flashing back to the Cronenberg incident, when a battle-torn Nitori displayed scales growing underneath her arm. "Well, I did see scales growing all over her body, so that proves your point, but you said there were other factors."
"Yes, ever since the Meiji Restoration, the yokai were no longer at the top of the food chain. The opinions we have over this change divide us yokai into three different groups." Aunn began to explain. "The ones that attacked you are those that have not accepted change and opt to cause trouble wherever and whenever they can. There are ones like Nitori, who openly embrace the modern world." The komainu began to sigh. "Then there are those like myself, whom while we accept change, it's very hard for us to adapt, so we usually keep to ourselves in the shadows. That, or we simply don't like how much mankind has advanced."
Reimu looked into Aunn. "So, if you don't like it, then why are you here?"
"I went to the United States because I was looking for the descendants of the Hakurei clan." Aunn stated.
"Wait, the Hakurei clan?" Reimu asked. She seemed clueless at first, but realization dawned upon her. "Oh, you mean my ancestors on Mom's side. Yeah, I never put any real thought into them."
If Aunn was drinking right now, she would've sprayed it all out in shock. "Y-Y-you what!?"
"Yeah, other than an interest in my forefathers, I never was that pensive about the Hakurei clan." Reimu answered.
"H-h-how can you be so nonchalant about it!?" Aunn asked. "Do you even know who you are!? For centuries, you Hakurei have been protectors of humanity and mediators between them and the yokai! Dōshite son'nafūni senzo ni sewomukeru koto ga dekiru nodeshou!?"
"In any other circumstance, I would've thought it as a myth." Reimu answered.
"Bu-bu-but…" Aunn stopped stammering and spoke. "B-but the Hakurei had their duty! You have a duty! What about your ancestors-"
"Aunn, please listen to me." Reimu's tone was calm, yet stern, similar to a mother's. "I am not my ancestors. Aside from mild curiosity, I've never really cared about them, and I'm pretty sure they didn't know any of their ancestors, either… unless some weird hocus pocus voodoo is involved. The point being I'm my own person, while I might have Hakurei blood in me, I am not the same people they are. And besides, who are my ancestors? Were they the Japanese Hakurei clan from Mom's side, the Germanic and Hispanic heritage from Dad's side, or some random Viking guy that I don't know about. If that's the case, then there are a lot of legacies behind me…"
Aunn paused her thought process, and sighed. "I've never been the same since the Meiji Restoration, as you Americans tend to call it. Nihon has never been the same since. Faith was dying. I'm…" She proceeded to wipe some tears from her cheeks. "I'm a komainu, I'm supposed to guard shrines, guard the kami, and since the Meiji Restoration and the United States' intervention, they died and I couldn't do a thing about it! It's total shit!"
Reimu decided to continue speaking. "Change is inevitable, whether it be for good or for bad. But that does not mean you should forever wallow about in mistakes of the past, even if it is hard not to do so. Even after this nonsense is over and dealt with, there's obviously going to be some form of change, even if it is only around here."
She hated the prisons. She absolutely hated them. But her master sent her here to keep tabs on their numbers, and she had a duty as the Chronicler to do so. She could see that the cells were jam-packed with other humans. She took a close look at them, and the frightened people immediately backed away from her as far as they can, though a few noticeable exceptions spoke to her in a language she barely recognized.
Then, it dawned on her. (Of course. This must be 'English', the same language that these Americans spoke. Shame, I never had any real opportunity to learn the language.)
As she began counting, a small part of herself spoke up. (But… they're humans, like me! Should I free them? They don't seem like people who deserve any punishment.)
She reached for the door, but stopped herself. Her expression grimace, and the purple-haired girl took a few looks around before sinking back into thought. (But, I don't have access to the keys. Not to mention Sharin's got eyes and ears all over the place.) As she continued her internal monologue, she sighed. "Damn it, none of you deserve any of this!"
As she continued walking, she kept looking about to make sure she wasn't being watched, a habit she adopted due to her constant servitude to Sharin's whims. She couldn't be any less careful here. Aside from the captured humans, she only saw another person, a humanoid yokai who was passing food towards the captives. As someone would expect, several of them had thrown out the food or handed it to the people who've already began eating it immediately. It was seemingly nothing unusual, just some bread or basic fish, but knowing what was going on, Akyuu started to feel a little queasy.
Still, she had a job to do, and she knew the fate of humans who didn't get their job done, much less one of the servant yokai that served her boss.
Nitori continued gazing at what Rick was doing with astonishment. She thought her own ability to make machines was impressed, but the spiky-haired scientist was modifying the car with precision and finesse that eclipsed her own, even if the thing was made in a junkyard.
Stares, however, gained an annoyed look from Rick. "What are you looking at?"
"It- It's your work, I'm utterly astonished, fascinated, there are so many words to describe it!" Nitori looked at the modified car and its current progress, all with a smile on the kappa's face. "And you're able to do it without blueprints or instructions, too! How do you do that?"
"It's classified." Rick proceeded to take a swig of his flask. "It's science talk for 'None of your business!', thank you."
"Rick, can you please stop being distrustful and just let her help us! Sh-she saved our lives." Morty argued.
"I still don't trust her, Morty. How do I know if she's gonna sabo-"
"How do I know if this!? How do I know if that!?" Morty started to rant. "How do I know if what!? Rick, what is with you and not trusting anybody? Y-you trusted Reimu, how is she different from her!?"
"She's family, Morty, and so are you?" Rick replied, rolling his eyes at Morty's response.
"Then what about Dad? Or Mom? Or Summer? What are they, just some extras!?" Morty asked. "What's so special with Reimu, a half-Japanese girl that happens to be my estranged cousin, that you don't see in my family!? The ones you probably see as background characters-"
"Morty, I'll *urp* I'll stop you there." Rick held a hand out to interrupt the teen.
"It's not like we can't go anywhere, either. Your portal gun is out of charge and the only portal that was open was turned to mush by some giant purple frog's vomit." Morty pointed out. "My point being is that we should trust her, we need all the help we can get. P-plus, I didn't see any of the army arrive, so you have to trust them."
Rick raised his hand and curled it into a fist, but stopped, still with that angered look on his face. "Why?"
"J-just don't ask questions, that- that's what you always say about things!" Morty answered.
Rick's eyes widened as his grandson continued speaking. "Just please, she saved us, a-a-and letting her and that dog girl tag along is not that big of a deal compared to what we could've wound up as."
As they conversed, Nitori couldn't help but think at the various stuff that Rick made. She remembered seeing his Space Cruiser fly in the sky, taking the beating of various yokai assaults while still staying airborne. She remembered seeing his shoes grow skis that allowed him to match the speed of a motorcycle. She even remembered him manipulate time to write out the events of the Cronenberg incident.
"Honestly, I've admired you ever since I saw what you were capable of…" Nitori thought aloud.
Rick looked back at her. "What are you talking about?"
"A stray thought flew out of my mouth." Nitori answered. "But yeah, since we met, I took a liking to your inventions, if we weren't stuck in an incident, I'd be geeking out right now. Unlike most yokai, I've always had a thing for technology and tinkering with it." She smiled as she looked at the progress of the car Rick was modifying. "Seeing you do your magic makes me realize that I have so much to learn right now." Her smile soon disappeared. "Plus, you'll need some knowledge about actual magic if you are to go face them."
"Yeah, no shit, that and the huge fucking amount of them." Rick admitted.
"That was kinda scaring me too." the kappa admitted. "…th-the numbers thing, I mean."
"You were able to control water, that shouldn't be hard for you." Rick pointed out.
"Yeah, about that… I'm not as powerful as I first appeared to be…" Nitori stated. "My hydrokinetic abilities do not extend to living things, even if you guys are mostly made of water. Besides, there are a lot of other factors that can prevent me from doing so." Nitori proceeded to look on her magic detector once more.
Rick looked on as her eyes widened. "What?"
Nitori turned her device so it was facing Rick's eye. "Three signatures are heading our direction."
"Wait, what do mean by signatures?" Morty asked.
The teenager was given no verbal answer as Rick looked to see three dots go ever closer. "Welp, I think that this can be a good time for a *urp* test drive." Rick kicked the modified car, and the top part of it opened up to reveal that it had a small machine gun mounted onto it. As the creatures flew towards them, Rick calmly walked onto the top of the car and placed his hands on the gun's handles. With a precise aim, bullets were shot out of the gun, hitting the darkened shapes as they fell to the ground and turned into dust.
Nitori looked at the sight with widened eyes as Morty turned towards Rick. "What was that, Rick?"
"That was our gun." Rick stated.
"Aw geez, did we have to kill them?" Morty asked.
Rick rolled his eyes as Nitori looked on. "I didn't see enough to know."
Nitori sighed. "We might have no choice if it means saving your family."
"Aw geez." Morty slumped in defeat.
"Aw geez, indeed." Nitori stated.
"Get your asses ready. The sooner I can finish, the better." Rick said.
A few hours had passed, and as Reimu sat by the fire with her friends and the komainu, she thought back to all she has managed to go through. Any normal person would've broken under the pressure of what she has been, and Reimu thought that she would break down as well, and honestly, she still didn't know what to do. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Rick's voice entered her ears.
"Alright, fucknuts, get your asses here if you don't want to be left behind!"
"Geez, Rick, did you have to be so rude about it!?"
She looked back towards Rick's group, and smiled knowing that the normally self-serving old man was finally working with someone, and it was Nitori, of all people.
Their creation, by the looks of it, was basically a large modified car. Not one of her grandfather's most impressive feats of engineering, but it was their best shot at getting everyone back. The car still looked like a hunk of junk, but everyone could see the gun attached to the top of it. Nothing else was really noteworthy, but judging by what she has seen, Reimu knew that there might have been some secret weapons that Rick implanted there.
"And what is that?" a confused Aunn asked.
"It's our armor and our gun." Nitori stated.
"But you and the dog girl have magic. Aren't you two able to take them on?" Morty asked.
The kappa was about to speak, but Rick proceeded to but into the conversation. "Don't remind me, Morty!" The scientist yelled. He spoke again, his voice somewhat calmer, yet still agitated "A-anyways, the *urp* the lizard woman's overtly abridged and undetailed answer is right. It's essentially a weaponized vehicle."
"Woah, like A-Team?" Morty asked.
"Wait, what?" Aunn asked.
Rick paused for a moment. "Okay, we might be ripping off the A-Team with the car and all. Just don't expect any cool iconic paint jobs or whatever."
Reimu could only sigh. "Man, I've got to see that once we're done."
"Fine, but I'm driving. We've got a few *urp* pit stops to get to, and you guys should know why it's obvious." Rick said as he entered the car and started the newly modified engine.
"What? Why is it obvious?" Morty asked. Rick grumbled and rolled his eyes at that comment. "No, I seriously don't know what you're talking about!"
"I think I have an idea what he's talking about." Reimu answered.
As they spoke, Rick drove towards the direction of the wreckage of the Space Cruiser, and Rick proceeded to get out of the car and look back at everyone as he took a swig of his flask. "Alright, f-*urp*-fucking peons, load 'em up. Gather any intact shit you can find, chop chop!"
Morty, in spite of his earlier confusion, realized where Rick was going, and he was the second to get out of the modified vehicle, along with Reimu and Nitori, with Marisa following not to far behind, with Sanae on tow as well. The last person to come out was a curious and slightly wary Aunn.
Nitori started to look at the Space Cruiser's wreckage, marvelling at it. "Woah, to think you built it out of discarded junk like that-"
"Yeah yeah, just get any shit you can find." Rick said as he took another swig of his flask.
"You know you could help, too?" Morty stated.
He merely sighed as Rick said nothing as he found an intact Meeseeks box and pressed it, summoning a Meeseeks. "I'm Mister Meeseeks!"
"Just pinch me, okay!" Morty asked.
"Oh, can do!"
The Meeseeks proceeded to pinch Morty, who let out a scream as the Meeseeks disappeared. "Dammit, not a dream!"
"Woah, way to a Meeseeks, Morty!" Rick stated. He walked up to the Meeseeks box and took it. "But then again, this will come in handy. Good find."
"Thanks Rick." Morty wearily said. As the brunette teen slumped his head down, Reimu looked over to him. "I'm worried sick, Reimu. I want this nightmare to be over."
"Me too, Morty." Reimu replied. "Think of it this way, at least we aren't going into the hornet's nest all willy-nilly. Gathering supplies is the smart option, especially if we're up against something we don't know of."
"Yeah, but every minute makes me more worried." Morty said.
Reimu sighed. "Me too, but hopefully, Grampa Rick's craziness is going to do something good for once."
After a few minutes of gathering from the Space Cruiser, they drove back towards the direction of the Smith Residence, still having its armor up, with several gaping holes where the yokai have busted through during their first invasion. Morty looked on in horror at seeing his house in its current state, but he thought back to when Reimu was talking to him, and tightened his grip on his cousin's hand.
Hastily, the boy grabbed a flashlight as they went into the garage. Most of the stuff in it was in a wrecked state, which made Rick sigh. Aunn looked around. "So, this is where you live, Miss Reimu?"
"Technically, yes, though I'm not the house's owner." Reimu answered.
Rick walked over to a tile and proceeded to pull on it, revealing a secret hidden hatch underneath. Needless to say, everyone was surprised at this, which varying levels of expression presented on their faces. The scientist climbed down the ladder, with a curious Morty and Nitori peeking into the new underground lair. "W-was it always down there?" Morty asked.
"Duh, I built it, dumbass, well, the other me did, anyway." Rick
"Other you?" Nitori asked.
"Think *urp* nothing of it, dipshit." Rick answered. From the viewpoint of Morty and Nitori, they noticed Rick proceed to go deeper into the underground lair for a bit. The kappa looked at her teenage companion, who gave an unknowing expression as the sound of rummaging echoed in the underground room. At this point, Rick came out with a few charges and a recharged portal gun. As soon as the scientist climbed up, Morty looked as he proceeded to shoot the portal gun into the air, causing a box of stuff to fall onto the space behind them, causing Aunn and Morty to jump back in surprise, the former even stumbling back after it.
"Gah! W-what kind of sorcery is this!?" the komainu frightfully asked.
"It's not sorcery. To put it simply, it's science." Morty answered.
"So, is that all of the preparations? Everything?" Reimu asked.
"Yup. Let's get the hell out of here." Rick was about to fire a portal, when Morty grabbed his arm.
"No, Rick! My family!" Morty demanded.
Rick soon grumbled as he found himself dragged back into the modified car. "Remind me *urp* why we're doing this?"
"Because I don't want to abandon our home again!" Morty yelled. Nitori raised her eyebrow and prepared to speak, but she decided to let the conversation continue. "Rick, please. I don't want to travel to another version of my family the very next day, I've got quite enough baggage as is. Plus, if the army isn't going to, then someone has to."
Reimu took a momentary gaze out in the distance as she spoke. "I don't know what's happened with them, Morty." She looked towards Rick and proceeded to ask him a question. "Do you think we're prepared enough."
"Eh, certainly, from what your *urp* friend said, they have the advantage in numbers, and I've got just the counter for that." Rick replied.
"We're still going to have to take out whoever's commanding them." Nitori answered.
"Yeah, that too." Rick answered.
No words were exchanged, but Rick confidently went into the armored vehicle, with the next to go in being Nitori, who while proud of her work wasn't as sure of it as Rick. Marisa went in, eager that this was almost over and done with, followed by a Sanae with similar opinions. The last three out of the car were Reimu, Morty, and Aunn.
There was a moment of silence before the komainu looked towards Reimu. "Do you really trust him?"
"Not fully, but considering the circumstances, who else?" Reimu answered.
"Please get in, I want to see my family again." Morty said. Both girls got into the modified car, with Morty being the last to enter. Rick rolled his eyes at his grandson's comment, and turned the keys, activating the vehicle once more.
The ride seemingly lasted forever, with most of the people present in the car in the field of thought. Rick himself was busy looking at Nitori's Magic Detector before momentarily taking a sip from his flask. Curiously, he snatched it from the kappa's hands, looking to see that there was a massive amount of dots in a concentrated area.
Rick looked to see the middle of a park, where a torii had a glowing purple portal right in the middle. As everyone looked at it, they all displayed various reactions. Morty shivered in fear as he clung onto the nearest person for comfort, which was Aunn, who after a moment of hesitation wrapped one of her arms around the poor boy. Sanae looked anxious, with Marisa, Nitori, and Reimu aLl having varying levels of uneasiness, but also had determination as the group looked at the portal.
Rick, however, looked determined. "Let's lick tits."
He stepped on the gas, bringing the vehicle into the portal, as it rippled when they went through.
Lord Sharin was once again on his throne, looking as Hieda ran over towards him, clearly out of breath. "I've… I've counted all the prisoners… but some of them weren't even real people… their faces were metal…"
"Well, count them again." The yokai ordered.
"B-but-"
"Did I stutter? COUNT THEM AGAIN, CHRONICLER!" Sharin immediately got up, with the flames behind his back intensifying, causing her to scream as she ran out of the throne room. One of the tofu-kozu walked over with some food in hand, but tripped. It screeched as Sharin reached his clawed hand out, grabbing it in one bite before proceeding to devour it whole.
Before he could delve into thought, the door opened, and one of the guards walked up. "Lord Sharin! One of the scouts detected some… horseless wagon enter Makai…"
"Horseless wagon? You mean like those metal things that the outsiders have?" Sharin asked, a bushy brow raising in skeptecism.
"I do not kid, master. A single horseless wagon entered Makai, with what looks like a weapon on it."
"So there are survivors, and it seems they're mounting a resistance?" Sharin bellowed into laughter as smoke billowed from his nostrils. "Well then, tell the guards to give them a warm welcome, shall we?"
"R-right away, sir."
As the guard came out, Sharin chuckled. "A single horseless wagon? I thought there would be more, the outsiders were not as tough as I believed them to be. This just keeps getting better and better."
No reviews this time. Ah well. Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait, I've been through various issues, but on the bright side, Rick & Morty's seventh season is nearly here, yay! And no, the Justin Roiland controversy isn't causing me to leave, I think the imitations are excellent and top notch. Anyway, I don't know how long the final part of this is going to be, and I hope you can remain patient with me. The finale to this is gonna reveal a lot of things about what I've been cooking and why they are the way they are. Catch you later!