Season 01, Episode 07: Highly Irresponsive to Prayers: Part One
Even after all this time, Nitori didn't feel as easy as before.
But why should she? The car mechanic looked at her green scaled hands, sighing as she focused on them. They began to radiate a soft yellow light which completely engulfed them. When the light died out, all the scales were gone and her hand looked completely human. She sat at her dining table, opening and closing her new hands as she closed her eyes, thinking about what she remembered that day.
"Morty!"
"You're not Morty! Bring us Morty!"
Everyone started turning into mantis people obsessed with Morty, and she was forced to use something that she would not have used unless it had something to do with them. Her magic. It was actually quite effective against the mutants.
In the past iteration, Nitori walked across the snowy wastelands of Seattle, with one of her hands conjuring up a trio of light spheres. A couple of insectoids attempted to charge her, but she threw the balls of magic at them, knocking them back and drawing out red and blue blood. She wiped several tears that fell from her eyes when she watched the now lifeless corpses fall to the ground. Dead. More were arriving, and she was already feeling guilty.
Nitori's mind flashed through so many different memories. The mutation of the insectoids into Cronenbergs. Her reunion with Reimu. The surprise at time's sudden release and how only the four of them remembered.
"Woah! What the hell happened, Rick? Why won't they remember!?" a scared Morty asked.
"Won't you relax, Morty? Those little backpacks allow the four of us to remember what happened." Rick explained.
"Well, I suppose we can go back home now. Nitori, do you want to come?" Reimu asked.
Nitori looked at the city, with people going about their days like nothing happened. "I… I don't want to right now."
In hindsight, she should've gone with them. She could have warned the trio about them, even if they aren't likely to listen. Before she could ponder any more, she noticed a beeping sound coming from the pantry. Immediately, she got out of her chair and went towards the box the sound was coming from, and proceeded to open it. Inside the box, Nitori pulled out a circular device with a screen that displayed a map of the town.
Her eyes widened as she noticed several beeping dots moving across the map while a large concentration was set in a particular area. As Nitori continued to stare down at the device, only a few words could escape her mouth.
"Aw man…"
"…so yeah, my original Rick and Morty are dead and they got replaced. The duplicates showed up out of nowhere and just inserted themselves into the family dynamic, buried their counterparts as if they were garbage, and talked about it like they were describing the fucking weather! Who the hell does that!?"
After that angry rant, a tired and beaten Reimu Sanchez lay on the therapy couch, recollecting the events that happened during that traumatic moment. She was wearing a pair of her pajamas, as well as her red bathrobe and her sneakers. Her clothes had some stains in them, and her hair had some tangles. The last time she looked in a mirror, she saw bags under her eyes. She looked as messy as her current state of mind and she hated it.
She looked back to the source of the calm voice that has been asking her about her state of mind. The middle-aged woman of East Asian descent had her black hair done in a bob and was wearing her usual attire of a yellow long-sleeved shirt under a beige wool jacket, a black pair of pants held up by a belt, black shoes, a white necklace, and gray thick-rimmed glasses.
The woman's eyes were wide at the fury and self-rage Reimu had during her rant, but resumed a calm visage and looked at her client. "Wow. You really value family a lot, do you? That's… honestly quite the change compared to your relatives."
Reimu nodded. "Yeah. I might've been born and raised in America, but I was still exposed to many Japanese customs and ideas, mainly because of my mom. In Japan, it is extremely important to respect your elders, something Mom wanted me to abide by, and a concept I want Morty and Summer to abide by as well. Alas, Beth and her side of the family would laugh at such a concept, but even though they are selfish people, they're still family, and I have to take care of them, even if they don't give anything back." As she spoke, she let her head hang down and sighed. "All that effort, was it really worth it? Should I remain there or just leave? Did I fail them, Doctor Wong?"
Wong merely shook her head. "Reimu, I get that you have a concept of honor, but having some time to yourself to do what you want to do is just as important. I'm not saying you should give up on honor. Your family, as far as my many patients go, are among the most difficult people I've ever dealt with. You shouldn't brute force your way through this, Reimu, nor can you expect it all to happen right away. You should think it through, but for now, you should try to relax and let down your hair. Be yourself."
"But… I am…" Reimu stammered.
"You are many things, Reimu, and you need many things as well." Wong stated. "You have been focusing a little more on your hobbies, and it is okay to have time to yourself. It will not only help you, but also give you some time to think up a more effective way of raising them."
Reimu looked at Doctor Wong before sitting up and smiling. "You know what? You have a good argument." Her expression then saddened once more. "However, Grampa's adventures are still an issue for Morty. With the new pair present, I doubt I would be able to budge them, and I'm worried I'd wind up getting whisked away whether I wanted it to happen or not."
Wong merely shrugged. "I don't have a clear answer for you, but you should remain cautious with your steps, as well as to be sure to remember what we talked about during our current session."
Once more, Reimu nodded. "I'll be sure to see you next week, give or take."
"You're welcome any time, Reimu." Doctor Wong said with a smile.
When Reimu got out, she noticed Mairsa and Sanae sitting in the waiting room, both of which were smiling at her while the latter gave a polite little wave. "So, how was it?" Marisa asked.
Reimu sighed. "I have a lot to take in. We might as well talk about it while we drive back home."
As they got out of the building and into Sanae's car, they failed to notice a few shapes on the building, all three of which were gazing down hungrily at the people below. Another entity flew down and landed on the edge, perching next to the other three, all of which had glowing red eyes.
As they drove through the suburbs, Sanae took a moment to look at the mirror in the front of the car, which showed Reimu (who was still looking rather uncomfortable, with Marisa, who was still trying to get through to her. She sighed as she continued to tune the radio for something good to listen to.
"I don't know what they're gonna do, Reimu, but it's gonna be okay. We've got your back." As she heard Marisa comfort Reimu, Sanae couldn't help but to smile.
"She's right, we'll sort this mess us, the three of us." Sanae added.
"But what… what about… the other Rick and Morty? The… new… ones?" Reimu reluctantly asked.
Marisa couldn't help but to sigh. "We'll figure somethin' out."
"Hey, if you want, you could stay at my home for a night or two if you're feeling overwhelmed." Sanae proposed.
"It's fine, thanks for the offer…" Reimu answered.
The way she said it felt like it was more than a simple 'no'. Sanae looked at the mirror, and Marisa was confused at first, but recognized she was using it to look at her. She nodded back. However, no words were exchanged when they started to feel the ground slightly shake. And then it happened again, and again. Almost as if some large person was making several noticeable sets.
Reimu merely groaned as she turned over to see what it was. "Good grief, he better not be rampaging with a giant robot- OH MY GOD, STEP ON IT, SANAE!"
Sanae looked at the mirror and immediately stepped on the gas, her car avoiding the slashing of a sword, which instead slammed into the road below. Mairsa looked back to see that their attacker looked human, but the gigantic size, red skin, three faces (heads?), and six arms (all of which had some sort of weapon on them) said otherwise, not to mention the simple loincloth and golden jewelry it wore.
"What the hell is that thing!?" a frantic Marisa asked.
Reimu momentarily looked back and her eyes widened. "That's an ashura. They're demonic war gods from Japanese Buddhism that lust for violence and destruction. But that makes no sense! They're not supposed to be real- arrows!"
The ashura pulled out a bow and quiver with two of its six arms and began shooting arrows at the car. Sanae managed to avoid the first two, but the third managed to hit the trunk door. "Dammit! I just got that through the car wash yesterday!" an angered Sanae barked.
Reimu couldn't help but to sigh. "Dammit, I hope Grampa knows what's happening. Please be sure you're heading there…"
"Believe me, that's what I'm doing." Sanae replied. She proceeded to dodge an attack from another asura, though nearly running into a horde of small, black spheres with one eye on each of them.
Reimu could only look on in horror as the army of yokai fought against the police forces (and on occasion, a random civilian armed with firearms). Some of them, she recognized, others not so much. She sighed, hoping they can get to the Smith Residence in time.
However, they noticed a large concentration of the yokai near a certain house, which had a forcefield encircling it and armor on the building itself. "No!" She stepped out to see that they were too late, with both of her friends walking out not long after.
"Dammit! We were so close!" Marisa seethed.
Before they could do anything else, a green portal opened underneath Reimu, who sighed in recognition as she fell down the circle, with Marisa jumping behind not long after, followed by a reluctant Sanae.
The three girls landed on top of the floor on Rick's lab, with the scientist scowling, more so at Sanae and Marisa. "Oh there you are! I've been wondering where the *urp* you were since those yokai bastards showed up!"
"Y-you said you didn't even know what they were, Rick! I'm freaking out here!" an increasingly fearful Morty stammered.
Rick merely rolled his eyes at his grandson. "Obviously, knowing 'what' and knowing 'who' are two different things. Get it through your dumb skull."
"Are those friends of yours?" an increasingly agitated Reimu asked.
"No, I haven't even met them! I didn't even think they were real prior to this." Rick answered.
Sanae couldn't help but to sigh. "I can't say how much it means for you saving us."
"I didn't aim to 'save' you, the only person I wanted to 'save' was my granddaughter. You two are just extra characters that happened to jump in." Rick said back.
"Killjoy." Sanae remarked, her smile disappearing at Rick's answer.
"Welcome to my world, sister." Jerry remarked. Reimu noticed that Beth, Summer, and even Snuffles were there.
"Shut up, Jerry. You're only here because Morty wouldn't stop bitching about you and the rest of your shitty family." Rick stated.
"But what about her? She's not my family!" Morty protested as he pointed towards Reimu.
"In this universe, she is family, now quit being a dumbass!" Rick snapped back.
Reimu couldn't help but to sigh at the interactions. "Just tell me why you're all cooped up here?"
"Well, he wanted me to grab you and the rest of *urp* our shitty family before leaving." Rick nonchalantly replied.
"But she's not supposed to be related!" Morty protested.
"Are you gonna just bitch about it like sitting ducks or what?" Beth snarked.
Despite the rather mean retort, Beth did have a point. Rick couldn't help but to sigh. "Alright, I think we've wasted enough time. Get in the fucking car, all of you! Also, stay near the edges for this…"
He proceeded a remote, causing the floor around the center of the garage to part, with the Space Cruiser being lifted up by a new piece of floor. "Oh, lookie here. How did we not notice this?" Jerry stated, elbowing Beth as she glared.
"You two can argue all you want later. Just get in." an exasperated Reimu stated.
Before Beth and Jerry could retort, the alarm began to blare as the voice of Rick's AI echoed through the garage.
WARNING. WARNING. FORCEFIELD COMPROMISED. ARMOR AT 60% DAMAGE AND COUNTING.
"Damn, those yokai are strong. Just get the hell in if you want *urp* to stay alive." Rick ordered.
Everyone immediately got the answer. However, Morty was still reluctant to get in the car, but upon seeing bulges form on the garage door, he immediately screamed as he got in. The garage door burst open as dozens of angry creatures burst into the house. Rick activated the Space Cruiser and flew it full force into the blunt of the assaulting array of beasts with fully-activated shields. Even those who were prepared were caught off-guard by the sudden movement of the vessel as it took off into the sky, again, with Morty screaming, with Jerry and even Summer joining in on the sudden takeoff.
Rolling his eyes at the three of them, Rick was pondering his next move regarding his family and the yokai, as well as why they were attacking, specifically the Smith Residence. Was it something the other Rick did, or perhaps the other Morty before he died? He didn't know, and quite frankly, didn't care. He proceeded to fly the Space Cruiser across the city as he pulled the portal gun out of his pocket.
Before he could do anything with it, a large shape swooped above them, encircling the Space Cruiser and grasping it with its talons. As Rick attempted to shake it off, everyone looked to see that multiple birdlike creatures with humanlike faces and traditional Japanese kimonos were flying around the Space Cruiser, some of which were tearing at the hull. Rick pushed another button on his ship, causing it to emit an electric pulse that shocked the creatures and sent them falling down. Still, more came.
"Jesus, you can't really let us portal out of here in peace, can you!?" an annoyed Rick asked. He was about to press another button when a powerful force hit the back of the Space Cruiser. He groaned in annoyance as he proceeded to press another button.
Nitori fearfully rode on a small motorcycle as she dodged the carnage, throwing a blast of magic at any of the invading yokai who tried to attack her. She hated them, and while she knew that day was coming, she at least wanted to avoid them.
She remembered the moment they tried to break into her house, and how the mantis people broke in before that. This time, she realized she had to get going the moment it came on the news. As she was riding and avoiding crossfires and brawls between yokai and the police force and even a few civilians in the crowd, she noticed Rick's Space Cruiser flying up ahead, clearly being chased by a crowd of flying yokai.
She recognized the object instantly, there was no denying what it was, especially if she wanted a way out of it. As she proceeded to follow the flying vehicle, she began to feel a bit concerned. Though said concern was temporarily pushed aside as she dodged a car thrown by an ashura as it roared in the background. She hated the ashura, war was all those red-skinned brutes live for.
As she followed the Space Cruiser, she looked in horror as a gigantic bird rammed into it. As it was battered by the giant creature, it shot a laser right from its back and disintegrated it.
Nitori didn't know where they were going, but quite frankly, she knew that they would need her help. As they went towards the forest, Nitori noticed a large beam of light strike the edge of the Space Cruiser. Despite not knowing them that much, she knew they were her best shot at getting through this. So, Nitori steered her motorcycle towards the direction of the falling Space Cruiser in full force.
"GAAAAH! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
Rick rolled his eyes at the constant screaming of his family and pulled a lever, opening up a parachute that slowed the downed vehicle's fall. While most of the Space Cruiser's passengers looked back in relief, Jerry kept on screaming as an annoyed Beth rolled her eyes and slapped her husband in the face, much to Morty's worry.
"Mom! Did you have to do that!?"
"No, but it was effective." Beth calmly yet angrily retorted.
Before the conversation could be continued, the Space Cruiser landed on the ground, creating a sizable trail of dirt behind it. When it stopped, everyone flew face first onto the window. "Note to self: add seat belts to the car." Rick said as he and his family got out of the wreckage of the Space Cruiser.
As they did, Morty saw that the swarm of yokai was following. "Rick! Portal gun! Now!"
Without hesitation, Rick pulled out the portal gun. As soon as he opened a portal, a giant, purple frog jumped right beside them. When they attempted to go into the green vortex, it threw up on the portal, causing it to destabilize and melt into a greenish-purple puddle.
"What the fuck!? I swore I made the fucking portal fluids unbreakable!" Rick said in a panic.
"Rick, di-did you forget to charge your portal gun again, Rick?" a worried Morty asked.
"Shit." was all that Rick said.
A pair of hands grabbed Beth and Jerry, causing them to both scream as they were pulled back. Summer attempted to go after them, but another hand grabbed onto her, dragging her towards the same fate as her parents.
"Mom! Dad! Summer!" Morty attempted to go after them, only for Reimu to hold him back.
"Holy crap! We need to run right now!" Reimu stated.
The group proceeded to run into the woods, but more yokai slowly crept out from the forest. They attempted to run towards the side, but another group of yokai emerged from their shadows. They attempted to run towards the cliffside lake, but a gigantic spider with a cow's head emerged from the lake, causing everyone in the group to look at the creature in disgust (and for Morty to throw up), especially when its breath caused the surrounding grass to wilt and to die. The cow demon attempted to rush towards them, but something heavy collided with the creature, causing it to get knocked out into a nearby boulder. Everyone looked to see that there was someone riding on a motorcycle. The ox-headed spider angrily looked at the person, as if it recognized them, and attempted to pounce-
-only for the stranger to gesture towards the lake, causing water to fly out of the lake and turn into an icy spear midair. The stranger pointed the spear to the creature, causing it to launch into the ox demon's head, killing it in one blow. The stranger then looked directly at the other yokai and conjured up more spears and other water constructs to throw at them before lifting their helmet to reveal a familiar face.
"N-Nitori!?" a confused Reimu asked.
"Wait, who is she?" Rick asked.
Nitori briefly looked on in confusion before shaking her head and looking right at the recovering yokai, who were starting to get up from her ambush. She saw more of them emerging from the treeline. "We'll talk later. I know of a place that would be safe."
"Are you sure? That thing doesn't look like it can hold all of us." Marisa pointed out.
"Alright, Morty, Reimu, grab my back." Rick ordered.
Without hesitation, Reimu proceeded to grab onto Rick, followed by an unsure Morty. "Go go *urp* Sanchez Ski Shoes!"
As he said it, his boots sprouted skis and began to rocket away, causing the three of them to get caught in surprise as he dashed off. Nitori, who had Marisa and Sanae on her motorcycle was just as confused, but shrugged it off as she turned her motorcycle back on in order to catch up with Rick.
Momentarily, Sanae looked back in order to make sure no yokai were following, and then looked to the Smith/Sanchez grandchildren, who were clinging onto Rick for dear life.
As they rode through the forest, Marisa couldn't help but to peak her curiosity. "So, where's the place?"
"It should be nearby." Nitori diverted her attention towards Rick. "Rick, be sure to follow me. I know where it is."
Grumbling at the woman, Rick reluctantly agreed. He was half-tempted to throw her out, but given the situation he was trapped in, he had no choice. He hated that, and he hated those yokai. Still, he looked towards Nitori, who, as much as he hated it, saved him and most of the people with him.
But what happened to Beth, Jerry, and Summer?
Nitori kept moving across the outskirts of town, occasionally looking at a small metallic device in her off hand and occasionally looking for any signs of yokai. Eventually, they managed to get into a spot that looked familiar (at least to Reimu and Sanae). "Is this…?"
"Seattle's Japantown. I thought there might be more yokai there, but I digress." Nitori stated. "Still, we best keep our guard up in case we get any surprises."
Nitori proceeded to get off of the motorcycle and pull it along by foot. Rick proceeded to turn off his ski shoes as he proceeded to follow the kappa. "Well then, Miss Mysterious Savior, what's your gig?"
"Huh?" a confused Nitori asked.
"Yeah, you heard me correctly, your gig." Rick stated, readying a laser pistol in case of an attack. "You really wanted to save us, did you, or are you just another one of those bastard yokai and you want to kill us yourself?"
"I may be a yokai, but I'm nothing like those guys!" Nitori defended. "L-look, there are a lot of differences between me and them that I can say."
"Well, what's with that disk you're holding? I hope it's not an alarm…" Morty stated.
"No." was all that Nitori said. "Not in the sense you are thinking about. I made it to ensure that I would be out of their sight, not lure them to me."
"Oh, so you made it. You sure they aren't using any technology they must've hidden." Rick skeptically asked.
Nitori shook her head. "Believe me, that's the last thing they would ever do. The yokai that attacked you appeared to be highly traditionalist, and they would most likely despise any post-medieval technology, no matter how beneficial it is, mostly because it gives humanity a way to fight back against them and other magical beings."
"Woof, no wonder they are mad, they do nothing about it." Rick snarked. Despite his deadpan exterior, he was feeling concerned about the yokai and how they were able to catch them off-guard despite their apparent lack of tech.
"Well, speaking of 'doing things', what were you guys doing when they attacked?" Nitori asked.
Morty's expression shifted to one of fear as he thought of what happened last night.
Rick and Morty were in a small pawn shop located on an impossibly small planetoid with nothing but parking lots. Rick was talking to the toadlike alien managing it, who had his arms crossed at the scientist. "Look, I'm not paying seventy smidgens for a broken defraculator."
"That is a multiphase quantum resonator." the alien stated.
"Does it defraculate?" Rick asked.
"No." the alien answered.
"Then it's a broken defraculator." the scientist retorted.
"Like you would even know dick about fraculation! Your planet just got cellphones, and the coverage still sucks!" the toad alien barked.
"Yeah, yeah, and your species eat sulfur, So, let's say sixty smidgens, I tell you what - I'll do you a favor, I'll throw in a fart." Rick snarked.
As the two were arguing, Morty was inspecting the various items in the pawn shop, at one point picking up a claw gauntlet before looking towards a robot shaped like a human female. His sights were immediately set on the strange feminine robot. "Hey, uh, Rick, um, you think maybe I could get something from this place, like a souvenir, like, just to have… like, something cool, you know?"
"Not here, Morty, We'll stop somewhere else, because, you know, there's always another pawn shop." Rick answered.
"Oh, okay, I just, um… you know, I thought that robot over there looked pretty cool, you know?" As he spoke, Morty stammered, trying to figure out the right words to say.
"Oh, it looks cool, huh? That's why you want it?" a slightly skeptical Rick asked.
"Yeah! You know, I mean, it's different from the stuff on earth, and, you know, you take me to all these crazy places across the galaxy, and, you know, I don't really have anything to- to remember all those trips by." Morty took another look at the robot. "It'd be kind of cool, like a souvenir. You know, like, what if you passed away or died or something? I wouldn't even have anything to remember all the cool stuff we did, you know?"
Sighing in annoyance, Rick looked towards the alien. "Okay, sixty for the resonator, and my grandson wants the sex robot." Morty's eyes widened as he realized what it was.
"Nope! I wasn't doing anything at all!" Morty answered.
Reimu raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "Are you really sure?"
"Yesiree! Nothing! Nothing whatsoever!" Morty answered.
Reimu knew that Morty was trying to hide something, but she didn't have the energy to delve into this further, there were still bigger fish to fry and she was still shaken up by everything that happened the last two days. "Fine, but I'll look into this later on."
"Alright, everybody! Here we are!" Nitori alerted the group.
"Oh, you've-*urp* you've got to be shitting me." Rick angrily said.
Reimu's eyes widened in recognition, so did Sanae's. "That's- that's the Tsubaki Grand Shrine!"
"Correct." Nitori stated. "In times of yore, specifically in Japan prior to the nineteenth century AD, there was a classification of priests that were tasked with warding off yokai and exterminating any that threaten the local-"
"Boring." Rick and Morty simultaneously interrupted.
Nitori facepalmed in annoyance. "You'd probably find this to be useful information, but I digress." Nitori's device let out a few distinct beeps, and she held it up towards eye's view. "Someone's here."
"What?" Morty asked, albeit with more anxiety.
Nitori held her right hand out, with Rick and Morty fixated on the green scales that were growing on the seemingly human skin, as water from the nearby pond broke out from the icy surface and conglomerated into a few small spheres. She quickly kicked the door open and looked at the target with eyes widened, with Rick brandishing his laser pistol at whatever target Nitori was aiming towards.
"Kono jinja wa anzen'na bashodesu! Shin'nyū-sha yo, sugu ni kono shikichi kara dete kudasai!" Both Rick and Nitori looked at one another, and then at the person they were aiming at, right before they were shot at with several small spheres of light that knocked them back.
"Wait, what the hell is going on!? I'm freaking out over here!" a stressed out Morty asked.
The person stepped out, revealing a girl slightly younger than Reimu and Sanae. She had fair skin, a head of curly, green hair that flowed down towards her shoulders, and surprisingly, sported a long green tail the same hue and color as her hair, as well as a stony horn on her forehead and equally stony ears. She wore a simple dark gray hoodie with her hood up, a pair of blue jeans, and a single pair of traditional Japanese socks and shoes.
The dog yokai looked at Morty's confused expression and sighed. "Ah, you're Amerikahito, of course the lot of you wouldn't understand Japanese." she said in English. "I said for you to exit, this shrine is a safe place, meant for worship and prayer."
"Is that a threat, you fuck!? I've had enough of you yokai bastards for one day!" Rick said. He was ready to fire his laser pistol at the komainu, but Nitori put a hand in front of him.
"Hold on, she's a komainu. They're a type of guardian." Nitori stated.
"So what? That bitch attacked us!" Rick retorted.
"Well, we don't know what her motives are." Nitori reminded Rick.
The komainu shook her head as she walked out of the shrine, and glared at the group with a stern expression plastered onto her face. "At this point, I'd say for you to wash yourselves to cleanse any impurities for the shrine's kami, but I digress. This shrine lacks a kami, and faith…"
"Actually, Sanae and I work here…" Reimu mentioned, patting at her verdette coworker. "However, I want to know who you are and why you're here."
The komainu merely sighed as she looked at the group. "Anata ni mo ichiriaru… I should probably have been more formal with my introductions. My name is Aunn Komano, and I, as your kappa friend stated," Aunn momentarily looked towards Nitori as she spoke. "…I am a guardian, particularly towards temples of Shintoism and Buddhism."
"Kappa?" Reimu, Sanae, Marisa, and Morty all asked.
"Religion. Can't believe we went this low." Rick snarked, only for Aunn to smack him on the head. "Gah! Fuck you!"
"Apologies for my grandfather, he really isn't the one for religion." Reimu stated.
"And another reason I don't like him." Aunn stated. "Also, he's your grandfather!? By blood!?"
The surprise in her voice was obvious at that question. "Yeah, his name is Rick Sanchez, and he's my paternal grandfather. As for me, I should introduce myself. My name is Reimu Sanchez, the boy over there is my cousin, Morty Smith, and my other friends are Marisa Kirisamae, Sanae Kochiya, and Nitori Kawashiro."
"K… Kochiya? As in… the Kochiya clan?" Aunn took a few curious steps towards Sanae, who took a few steps back in awkward confusion.
"If it's any consolation, I'm sorry for attacking. I didn't know that a komainu would be here." Nitori stated. Aunn looked towards the kappa, causing Sanae to look at the komainu in confusion. "Look, we've been through a lot and we need a place to hide and plan our next move."
Rick rolled his eyes at Nitori. "Uh huh, like they'd totally avoid attacking such a 'holy' place."
As Rick walked into the shrine, Aunn gave him a glare and low growl. "Watashi wa ano hito ga kiraidesu."
As everyone else went into the shrine, Aunn took a moment to ponder the situation. Of all the places a yokai attack would occur, more so an army, she wondered why it occurred in the United States of all places. Even if time has passed by, she still had her duty as a guardian to hold on to.
She looked to see that Nitori person grabbed her large backpack and placed it on one of the tables, taking out all manner of contraptions that she still never got. She noticed the scientist, who noticed some of Nitori's devices and began staring at them. She noticed the young boy, who was cowering in the corner, and finally looked towards the remaining three, in particular Reimu and Sanae.
For the Marisa girl, Aunn doesn't have much thought on her, more so the other two. Kochiya… that was Sanae's surname, and Aunn knew of the Kochiya clan. Reimu was a lot harder to pin down, and Aunn momentarily glared right at Rick's direction as she had that thought, before returning to looking at her. Like with Sanae, Reimu had a rather familiar aura around her, an aura that reminded her of another clan she knew from times long gone.
As everyone continued their various activities, Morty's voice snapped Aunn out of her trance. "Wait, what about my parents and sister!?"
"No, it's your fault!"
"No, it's your fault!"
"No, it's your fault!"
"No, it's your fault!"
Summer couldn't help but to groan as she slowly woke up. Her everything hurt. Her ears were constantly battered by the childish bickering of her parents. Normally, she would not bother, but it has been growing increasingly tiresome with every second, not to mention the cold feeling around her wrists and ankles.
When she did manage to open her eyes, she looked around and saw that not only were her wrists and ankles attached to chains, but she was inside a cage alongside her parents, who were still arguing with each other like five year old kids, despite the situation they were in. Their cage was attached to a cart being pulled by oxen. Surrounding the cart were four armored soldiers, some of which had heads resembling those from other animals.
Their bickering was momentarily interrupted when the driver (which Summer presumed to be a yokai despite looking somewhat human) barked at them in a language she presumed to be Japanese, though she never learned any.
"Shut up!" Beth and Jerry barked in unison, causing the driver to reel his head back.
"Oh come on, why would I learn Chinese anyhow!?" Beth asked.
"To perhaps get us out of here." Summer muttered.
"That's bullshit! Stop drowning yourself in fairy tales and wake up! They don't exist, so why should I ask them!?" Beth asked.
"Don't exist? Are we gonna think them away? Good plan, Beth. Real good." Jerry snarked.
Summer could only groan in annoyance as her parents resumed arguing, this time in the more traditionally overlapping manner that she had to tune out every single time. Seeing that they were still arguing, Summer let herself fall into unconsciousness again, hoping that they would stop the next time she woke up.
As the cart was pulled across the streets of the suburb, its occupants failed to notice that the driver was going closer towards a Japanese torii in the middle of a park. The car went inside the torii, going through the glowing portal within.
As the portal rippled, a silhouette appeared, with glowing red eyes momentarily opening, followed by the glow of several fires from around the figure. The figure's eyes monetarily gazed at the camera as it let out a short laugh before vanishing into the portal entirely. As it vanished, several whispers echoed across the background.
To HakaseFanFic64: Good, I'm glad you liked it. I will see what I can do in regards to the story. As for the recent controversy that arose, I don't really care about it.
Apologies for having to delay you for half the year, I've been busy with a lot of things. College is a bitch with a lot of work, and a lot of things have come out, some good and some that are just plain bad, even watched two movies during this time. The chapter itself was not how I initially planned it, either, it could've been longer. Apologies if I had you guys waiting for half the year. I hope I can get the next episode up and running sooner.
Anyways, aside from that, what did you think of this original episode? Obviously, this is a Touhou crossover, and I had to apply more Touhou elements somehow for some reason. I spent a lot of that time doing some research on many of the different types of yokai and what they do. Most of the yokai (at least the ones that aren't Touhou characters) have been researched from the sites I've looked at.
As for the Touhou Project characters themselves, I apologize if they seem a little out of character. Alternate universe aside, I do have an explanation as to why their personalities are the way they are, so spoilers ahead. As for the family themselves, it does take place after Rick Potion No. 9, so Reimu and Morty are both recovering from that love potion incident. And from what you see at the end, the fun's not gonna be over. It's not so episodic now. You haven't seen what their real motives are yet, but they will be revealed in due time.
Aside from that tidbit, I hope I gave you a good chapter for all that waiting, and I hope to catch you guys sooner than this previous time gap. Though, honestly, writing an original chapter is a bit hard, but hopefully, I'll make it there. See ya!