In all there were a total of nine people (plus about half of a Nyudo) crammed into the wheelhouse. Renko had managed to get everyone to sit down on the floor ringing the outer walls of the room with Unzan poking his face in through the doorway and Renko standing in the center, next to the tiller. Even in this configuration we were all pressed knee to knee.
"Alright," Renko said, trying to sound confident. "I know tensions are a little high here, but I believe that stems from a number of misunderstandings. Let's all just go around the circle and introduce ourselves and state why we're here, then I think we can begin to clear the air. Captain, this is your ship, why don't you go first."
"Fair enough," Murasa said, climbing to her feet. "I'm Minamitsu Murasa, captain of this ship, the Holy Palanquin. My purpose is to sail to Makai, along with all of the other disciples of the Myouren temple so that we can free mother Byakuren Hijiri, the living saint, from captivity. I was imprisoned for a thousand years beneath the earth with Ichirin and have only just recently managed to escape with this ship. I wish no harm or really much of anything to the people of Gensokyo. My only aim to is get to Makai and free mother Hijiri."
"Holy mother this, sacred saint that, who is this 'Hijiri' person?" Reimu groused.
"I'll answer that," Ichirin said, rising to her feet and gesturing for Murasa to sit. "My name is Ichirin Kumoi and that nyudo at the door is my partner, Unzan. I, along with most of the others here, am a disciple of mother Byakuren, a Buddhist nun and living saint who taught the dharma in these lands about a thousand years ago. During the holy mother's time, she was betrayed by humans and sealed into Makai. Murasa and I were sealed into the Underworld at the same time, along with this ship. It is only because of the genius and benevolence of miss Renko here that we were able to escape to the surface. Currently we're working to collect the lost and scattered pieces of this ship, which is itself a divine treasure left in our care by mother Byakuren, in the hopes of gathering enough of her power to release her from her bonds. Thanks to all of you, I think we may have done that now."
"Wait a minute, so you mean to say this ship isn't full of treasure, the ship itself IS the treasure?" Marisa exclaimed, looking around through the windows at the battered deck and shattered mast. "I suppose a flyin' boat's a pretty good treasure, even if it's beaten up, but I was hopin' for somethin' a little easier to pocket."
"I want to know more about this nun of yours." Reimu interrupted. "But before that, what do you mean when you say you only escaped the Underworld due to Renko? What'd she do?"
Renko laughed nervously. "I suppose there's no getting around that. I'll go next then." She scratched nervously at the back of her head, then gestured for me to stand up. I did so. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Renko Usami and this is my partner Merry. I run a detective agency in the human village. We're both just ordinary humans."
"There's nothing ordinary about you." Reimu and Marisa both declared in unison, then turned to look at eachother.
Renko continued as if they hadn't interrupted. "Back during the Vengeful Spirit Incident last winter, Merry and I ended up falling into the Underworld, where we met the captain and Ichirin. I assisted them in formulating an escape plan by acting as a negotiator and getting various factions to work together to make it possible for this ship to return to the surface."
"So you're the human that Murasa was talking about!" the woman in the tiger-stripe clothing said, lowering her head respectfully. "Thank you very much. Naz, you give thanks as well." Nazrin made a slightly sour face as she looked from Renko to me to Sanae, but bowed her head and mumbled "thank you for all of your help, human."
"Renko, you've been helping these people out since last winter? Why didn't you introduce me?" Sanae asked, sounding genuinely hurt. "I could have helped out too!"
"Well, uh, you seemed really busy lately, and I wasn't sure if lady Kanako would approve of you working so closely with the youkai of the Underworld."
"What? Why not? They seem nice enough. Mostly." Sanae said, staring pointedly at Nazrin.
"Wait a minute," Reimu said, interrupting again. "Let's go back. You said you 'made it possible for this ship to return to the surface.' What exactly do you mean by that? If you hadn't interfered then this whole Incident wouldn't have happened!?"
"Ah, well, it can be difficult to sort out the interwoven chains of cause and effect. One thing leads to another and whatnot. But I suppose if you were to look at the big picture..."
Reimu shot Renko an impatient glare.
"Yeah, I guess you could say it was all my idea."
Marisa burst into laughter, leaning backwards against the wall and roaring as Reimu glowered and tapped a finger against her leg, one of her eyebrows twitching.
"Wahahah! You're the mastermind, Renko? Oh man, I shoulda known. What're ya gonna do, Reimu? A villager is the one behind the Incident threatening the village this time. Should we just toss her overboard and call it a day?" Marisa said, laughing uproariously. Personally I didn't see the humor in the situation.
"I'm tempted to just to make my life easier. I don't think this ship would go away now even if I exterminated you though, would it?" She sighed. "Alright, let's hear the rest of it, I'll decide what to do once I understand just how big a mess this is."
"I'll go next then," said the woman wearing the tiger-stripe robes. She climbed to her feet gracefully as I sat down. Under the robes she was slight and lithely built but she must have been nearly two meters tall. "I'm Shou Toramaru. I'm an adherent of the god Bishamonten and I served at the Myouren temple as his avatar, receiving the prayers of mother Byakuren to carry to him.
"So you were the god enshrined at this temple?" Sanae asked, tilting her head interrogatively.
"Well, not exactly. I'm not a god. Just a youkai favored by Lord Bishamonten. I joined the temple as a disciple of mother Hijiri's but she saw the potential in me to act as an avatar for Lord Bishamonten, and so she directed her prayers to me, even though she was my superior at the temple."
"The short version is that big Shou is the number two in charge of the temple," Murasa said with a grin.
"I see," Renko said with a nod. "So you're the other youkai who escaped the destruction of the temple a thousand years ago."
"Yes. Nazrin and I were the first to flee from the temple and as such were able to avoid detection. We've been laying low for a thousand years now, with little hope that the sacred treasures of the temple or mother Byakuren herself could ever be recovered. The re-appearance of the Holy Palanquin filled me with an indescribable joy. If I have you to thank for that, Renko, then I am forever in your debt. While this ship is indeed a priceless treasure in and of itself, it still lacks its crown jewel though. Now that we have reunited with the captain, I will do everything in my power to assist in liberating mother Byakuren."
Silence fell over the room for a moment as Shou sat back down. After a moment she nudged Nazrin with her elbow. The mouse looked around the room resignedly for a moment then climbed to her feet. Even standing, she was slightly shorter than Shou was when seated. She stood and glared at Renko, Sanae and myself for a moment, then sighed. "I'm Nazrin," she said simply. "I was commanded by lord Bishamonten to act as a valet and guard for Shou. I'm not a disciple of Hijiri's myself, but being as Shou lived at the Myouren temple, I acted as their watchman and protector. I've been in this role for a thousand years, and will continue to carry it out to the best of my ability until commanded otherwise by Lord Bishamonten."
"Thank you Nazrin, I appreciate that introduction," Renko said. "As long as you're standing here, can I ask you to return my stolen property?"
"Huh? What?" Nazrin said, looking nervously up at Shou, who was looking back at her with an astonished expression. "You said, you were going to give it to me!"
"And I would have if you had been willing to fly us here as I requested. Instead you threatened me, stole the pagoda and broke a hole in my office's wall to escape with it. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to cover those repairs as well." She said with a sharp grin.
"That's... I... That's all only because that miko over there attacked me first!"
"I'm a priestess, not a miko, and I only attacked because I found you threatening my friend!" Sanae exclaimed.
"Nazrin, is any of this true? Threatening humans? Stealing from them? Have we been in the wild so long that you've forgotten all of mother Byakuren's teachings?" Murasa asked.
"I didn't steal it! I offered to pay her for it, but then I got attacked and ended up taking it before I could!"
The eyes of nearly everyone in the room fell on the diminutive youkai, who shrunk away, her face reddening with shame. I couldn't help but think that Renko seemed to be enjoying watching her squirm. Was my partner the sort to hold a grudge?
Seeing that she was already caught, Nazrin let out a heavy sigh. "I hadn't mentioned it yet, but when we escaped from the temple, we left the pagoda behind. I lost track of it for more than a thousand years and only just re-located it today. I had been tracing it across Gensokyo on and off for a long time, so when I found it, I didn't want to let it slip away again. Especially not if you and this ship had escaped from the Underworld, captain. I was trying to negotiate a fair price for it, but tempers got a bit raised and I was attacked. I took the opportunity to grab it and bring it here. It was my decision, and not master Shou's."
"Nazrin, I'm disappointed in you! You never told me about any of that. How can you make me a party to theft and robbery?" Shou said, her shoulders falling as she spoke with a hurt expression.
"More than that, how could you have left something like that pagoda behind? That's the property of Bishamonten himself, isn't it?" Murasa exclaimed in dismay.
Shou turned toward Renko and bowed her head. "I'll see to it that you're duly compensated for both the houtou and the damage to your office once we're done here."
"Thank you, I'll take you at your word for that. Now that that's settled, let's resume. Is it correct to assume, miss Shou, that you and Nazrin intend to accompany Ichirin and the captain on their journey to Makai to free saint Hijiri?"
"Yes, that's my intention."
"Alright then," Renko declared. "That's that. Sanae, I think you're up next."
"Right!" Sanae said, shooting to her feet and standing stiffly. "I'm Sanae Kochiya, wind priestess of the Moriya shrine and part-time member of the Hifuu detective agency! My proudest achievement is getting 100% completion and a full collection in Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2! Recently, following Reimu's example, I've decided to try my hand at resolving Incidents. I think I can do it! Youkai extermination is a lot of fun! I'm pleased to meet you!" All of that came out in one rapid-fire torrent that was finished with a quick bow before Sanae sat back down, looking a little embarrassed. She seemed to take no notice of the way that most of the room's occupants stiffened up upon hearing that statement, but as awkward as she might have made Murasa and the others feel, seeing Sanae stumble through the ordeal of a public introduction, I couldn't help but feel a little more at ease myself.
"Then you're not allies here to help us with the holy mother's resurrection?" Ichirin asked.
"Ah, well, that remains to be seen, I suppose," Renko answered, interjecting before Sanae could reply. "Things are a bit confused right now, so that's what we'll have to work out. Let's move on for now. Marisa?"
Marisa didn't bother standing up, but addressed the room with casual ease. "Marisa Kirisame, just your ordinary human magician. I'm here because I heard rumors of a treasure ship floating over Gensokyo, but I think the kappa were probably mistaken now. This ship isn't full of treasure at all."
"Why would there be a rumor that this ship was filled with treasure?" Murasa asked.
"The tengu and the kappa have an old story that says there's supposed to be a great flying boat that hides in the clouds and carries a king's ransom in gold and jewels. Apparently they heard a bunch of fairies talking about having seen a flying ship whose captain had promised to give them a ton of treasure, so I guess one thing lead to another."
"What an unpleasant and worldly rumor..." Shou muttered, seemingly to herself.
Renko looked a little guilty as she said "Alright, last, but not least, Reimu. Your turn."
Reimu remained seated and crossed her arms in exasperation. "Why do I have to make a speech introducing myself to bunch of youkai? Everyone knows who I am."
Beside her Marisa giggled. "Oi, Reimu, are you mad because for once you're not the most famous person in the room? I'll introduce ya. This is Reimu Hakurei, the miko of Gensokyo's poorest shrine. She's a greedy and worldly shrine maiden who came here for the same reason I did, to try to grab some treasure and get rich quick."
"Hey, don't tell them that!" Reimu said, glaring at Marisa.
Murasa and the others, however, weren't listening to their bickering. At the mention of the word 'Hakurei,' a visible shock had gone through all of them.
"The Hakurei miko..." Said Shou, in a tone of quiet dread.
"Hey, calm down everyone," Renko said, turning toward Shou and the others. "You're thinking of the Hakurei miko of a thousand years ago. Times have changed and humans don't live that long."
"That's true..." said Murasa, hesitantly. "She doesn't have the same murderous aura as the Hakurei from back then..."
"Eh?" Asked Reimu, noticing the tension on the other half of the room. "You knew the Hakurei miko of a thousand years ago?"
"Hey, you said you're all tryin' to free someone who got sealed in Makai, right?" Marisa asked cagily. "Did that nun of yours happen to get sealed by a miko?"
It was almost like the air in the wheelhouse had frozen. No one drew a breath.
"I knew this whole thing seemed suspicious," Reimu said, climbing to her feet and brandishing her gohei. "Why would a bunch of youkai want to free a human nun? Your so-called 'holy mother' is a youkai too, isn't she?" A trio of ofuda appeared between the fingers of her free hand, snapping to rigidity as if electrically charged. "If she was sealed away by the Hakurei miko of another age, then there must have been a good reason. I won't let you try to release her. Anyone who attempts it is getting exterminated!"
"Aaah, I got the bad end," Renko said despondently. "I knew this was going to happen if we brought Reimu here."
"You haven't gotten any end yet, Renko!" Sanae said, smiling as she climbed to her feet, wand in hand. "In fact, the fun part's just starting!"
Marisa jumped to her feet as well. "I mighta missed out on the treasure, but I'm not gonna miss out on the youkai extermination!"
There was a brief pause, then Shou climbed to her feet on the opposite side of the room. "Violence is a sin. However, I cannot allow you to stand in the way of mother Hijiri's resurrection. Denying the world her wisdom would be a far greater evil. Allowing her to shine the light of the Dharma on this world is the will of the gods!"
Taking that as a signal Murasa and the others stood up. Nazrin brandished her divining rods as Ichirin silently slipped her bladed rings out of her sleeves. Murasa was the last to stand, and stood defensively in front of the tiller. As she climbed to her feet, the dark, greenish-blue flame I had noticed occasionally before began to boil off of her. Three against four, sparks flew as the two parties stared at eachother, with Renko and I standing in the middle between them.
"So it's come to this. I should have known that our quest would have been opposed by the Hakurei miko of this time just as it was back then. This time though, we won't run away. Mother Byakuren wouldn't approve of us fighting in her name... But she's not here!" She said, thrusting her arm to the side. Instantly an enormous, heavy-looking iron anchor manifested there, wickedly curved and wielded easily in just one of her small hands.
"Renko, Merry," Ichirin began, "Thank you for bringing us the pieces of the mast we were missing. I know that it wasn't your intention to guide these enemies here, but we never expected our actions to go completely unopposed. If the path to righteousness is paved in blood, then so be it. We all have a long road to walk before we can reach Nirvana." In the doorway directly behind Reimu I could see Unzan tensing, his fists raised. Marisa turned to face him, one hand holding her broom upright while the other rested in the pocket of her apron. The tension in the room seemed likely to snap at any moment.
"Renko... what do we do?" I asked, rising to my feet and turning around, looking at all of the pairs of eyes glaring harshly at eachother across the short distance of the room.
"Well, it's a bit of a tricky situation..." she said, scratching at her head.
"Don't scratch at you head like it isn't your problem! Reimu looks really mad!"
"Ah, she has been under a lot of stress lately. I think in a situation like this, discretion might well be the better part of valor."
"Meaning?"
"Run!" She declared, dashing for the window. Luckily there was no glass in the wheelhouse, just a slit, a little more than a half-meter high in the front wall. I followed her quickly and the two of us ducked under Shou's arm, grabbing the ledge and rolling ourselves over it and onto the deck beyond.
As I climbed to my feet, Renko extended her hand, pulling me toward the stairs to the hold. "We can't just leave them there!" I protested.
"What choice do we have? There's four of them and the captain seems pretty fearsome, so they might have a fair chance. At any rate, we can talk after they've had their match, right?"
At almost the exact same moment that we reached the stairwell the wheelhouse literally exploded, sending splinters and chunks of wood hurtling in every direction chased by waves of danmaku of every imaginable description as a fierce three-on-four team battle broke out on the deck.