"Koishi, what are you holding?" Satori said flatly.
"A baby." was Koishi's entirely too casual response.
"I can see that." Satori said.
Koishi tilted her head. "Then why did you ask?"
Satori massaged her temple. Sometimes she forgets her sister is literally braindead… and now she just made herself sad again.
"Don't be sad!" pouted Koishi, thrusting the bundle of blankets in her direction. "Have a baby!"
Before Satori could even register what was said, her hands had subconsciously accepted the sleeping baby from her sister. "Wha- why are you giving it to me?!" Satori leaned back as if it would bite.
"Because everyone deserves to be loved." Koishi said, with such disarming clarity and sincerity that it caught Satori off balance.
Satori quickly studied her sister's face. Satori wasn't good at reading faces, least of all her sisters, but she might have seen something there, perhaps a flash of something…
But it was gone, and Satori shook her head. Koishi's flashes of lucidity are nothing new, no use getting her hopes up. But still. "Where did you get this baby Koishi? You know The treaty forbids us from going to the surface."
Actually it was likely Koishi didn't know, or at least didn't remember, and it wasn't as if anyone could really stop Koishi going anywhere she wanted to go. But it never hurt to remind her.
"Somewhere farrrr away." Koishi said, throwing her arms outward to demonstrate incredible distance. "Not a nice place though, she will be happier here. You are the nicest person I know!"
Satori sighed, Koishi's list of nice people is obviously very short if Satori is on top, probably understandably so. "That doesn't necessarily make me qualified to be a parent…"
"Come on, you'll be a great mommy." Koishi said emphatically, Satori visibly baulking at the idea. "You've got lots of pets right?"
"A baby is a lot more work than a Kasha or a hell raven." Satori reasoned.
"Come ooon you'll do great." Koishi whined. "You'll be the mommy and I'll be an aunt!"
"You know, I'd think you had an ulterior motive, if I didn't know you to be incapable." Satori muttered.
Koishi started pouting at Satori, and the elder sister started feeling a shift in her subconscious.
"Stop doing that!" Satori said hotly, and the pressure ceased. Koishi recoiled slightly, as if struck.
"Please don't do that, especially about important things." Satori said, already feeling bad. She didn't like getting angry at her sister.
"Sorry." Murmured Koishi.
"I'm not mad at you." Satori said, soothingly. "This is just a very serious decision, now please go and play with the animals while I think about it."
"Ohh, thinking. Okay~" Koishi said. "Just don't think too hard, otherwise it might hurt."
Satori's smile went crooked. "Of course Koishi."
Koishi frowned. "You're sad again." But she still left as instructed.
Satori sighed again. She really can't deal with her sister, she misses her too much.
Nevertheless, she regarded the more immediate problem, namely the infant her sister had literally left her holding.
She sat down, silently praying it won't wake up, she doesn't want to deal with a crying baby.
"What to do, what to do." Satori thought.
Giving it to someone else was out of the question, namely because Satori didn't know anyone else to give a baby to. Since her appointment as the custodian of old hell, she hasn't really felt the need to venture outside the palace unless the spirits acted up, which was extremely rare, considering the impression she had made the first few times.
There were a few Oni in the former capital that she might consider to be on speaking terms with, but she would sooner trust one of her ravens with a human child.
There was the Yama and her subordinate, but Shiki is an extremely busy woman, and Komachi…
Regardless, The lot of a Satori is a very lonely one and she is no exception. Most of her friends squawk, meow or bark.
She could take it to the surface, but the treaty prevents underground youkai from going to the surface and vice versa.
Not to mention she has no desire to go to the surface, even without the treaty. With her luck, that Nue still wants her head. From what she heard, Those priestesses up in that new 'Gensokyo' place she's heard about are all about protecting humans from youkai, but youkai from youkai? No such luck.
And as... appealing as sitting by the entrance of the underground and hoping for a sympathetic person to take a human baby off her hands and not eat it, sounds, it's basically a non-option.
She looked down at the baby. "Goodness I really am stuck with you aren't I?"
She then noticed the scar on the baby's forehead. "What is this, how does one so young get such a wound?"
She brushed a finger against it, and recoiled. There is something… there. Something that shouldn't be.
Satori sighed, and called for Rin. "looks like I'll be calling in the Yama anyway."
"Good Morning honourable Yamaxanadu. Although I did ask for you. I did not expect you to come so quickly." Satori admitted, opening the door for the Yama and her pink haired subordinate.
Eiki Shiki, the Yama of Gensokyo had a passing thought about it being afternoon, but knew full well that there was no way for Satori to know this without being told, especially without a clock of some sort, and quickly brought her thoughts to order. "You rarely request my presence, so I thought it must be important."
Satori smiled, She always did appreciate how the Yama always opted to let her thoughts do the talking, it prevented Satori suffering the usual irritation she felt in verbal conversations. Although she did make a mental note to get a clock from somewhere.
"Not terribly, but I didn't know anyone else who could help, sorry if this wastes your time." Satori admitted. "But come in, would you like some tea?"
"A personal problem then?" Shiki thought, allowing herself to be led in, with a passing idle thought thinking how nice a tea would be right now.
Komachi was busy wondering why it still has to be so warm down here, as it was making her sleepy, and wasn't really listening to the conversation, but following her boss dutifully.
"Well, not quite personal. More like my sister had elected to drop a problem into my lap, quite literally." Satori said, signalling a nearby kasha to prepare some tea.
There was a passing bout of sympathy as Shiki recalled the younger Komeji, which Satori appreciated, before her thoughts went back to business. "What sort of problem?"
Satori pushed a door open to a rather frazzled looking Rin Kaenbyou, whose finger was currently in the baby's mouth, acting as an impromptu pacifier.
"Why are babies so noisy?" whined the cat girl, as the infant in question sucked on her finger.
Satori was about to explain when she immediately felt the shock and surprise from behind her, and the immediate jumping to conclusions, making her pale.
Quickly turning to face them, she exclaimed. "It's not my sister's baby!" Satori said.
And as they jumped to the next (in hindsight) obvious conclusion. "It's not my baby either!"
"Then whose is it then?" Komachi said out loud the question they were both thinking.
"I... don't know." Admitted Satori. "Koishi literally dropped it on my lap. That's what I was trying to tell you, it's human as far as I can tell."
"I see." Shiki said, more out of something to say than any need for confirmation. She calmed down, and her face became a slight frown. "Do you wish me to find out where she came from?"
"You can do that?" Satori asked. "I tried questioning Koishi, but she seemed adamant that I should take her. Saying that, and I quote, 'every child has the right to be loved'."
"Well…" Komachi started, but Satori had already heard what she was going to say, so cut her off.
"Rather ominous, yes." Satori said. "I find that even in her mindlessness Koishi is a remarkably good judge of character, perhaps even better now than before."
"I think I might have to question Koishi myself later." Thought Shiki, considering using her crystal mirror on Koishi to figure out where the child came from. "But regardless if not that, then why did you call for my assistance?"
"Man it's so awkward only hearing one half of a conversation." Komachi thought. "No offence." she added when she remembered that Satori could hear that.
"None taken, I know I can be difficult." Satori said to the apologetic looking Komachi before addressing the Yama. "You see, considering my incredibly limited social circle consisting of no other responsible adults with free time, I had already resigned myself to having to take care of it."
"Heh, the problems of being a shut in… no offence." came Komachi's thoughts unbidden. Satori doesn't hold it against her, though, it takes a more disciplined mind than Komachi's to control your errant thoughts after all. Although the sideways look she shot the Shinigami was not lost on Shiki, who was wondering how annoyed she should be at her subordinate.
"...But as I was examining the child, I noticed a rather nasty looking scar on her forehead… and some sort of malicious presence dwelling within it." Satori finished.
"Malicious presence?" thought both the Yama and the Shinigami.
"Yes… it's difficult to describe, it was barely a murmur, which was why I didn't notice it until I started examining it closely, but there is… some sort of extra consciousness there, disjointed and strange, so I don't really know its nature, but it feels malicious. This felt out of my expertise, which is why I called you."
The two looked at each other, nodding as they both decided this required closer investigation, even Komachi losing her usual carefree air.
They walked over to the frazzled looking kasha.
"Can you put the child down? we wish to examine it." Shiki asked politely
"It's fine Orin, let them work." Satori said. "Go warm up some milk. Then you can take a break."
The Kasha nodded, gently putting the child down on the desk and made a hasty retreat.
The child looked up at the figures that now towered over her. But before it could vocalise anything, Satori waved a hand in front of its face, calming it down immediately, and putting it into a peaceful sleep.
"Nice trick, I know a lot of mothers would love to know that one." Komachi said wryly.
Shiki however was all business, examining the child. She ran a hand along the scar. "I think… this is a piece of somebody else's soul."
"Eh?" Komachi said, leaning in. "Hey you're right. Did someone try and turn this child into a Phylactery or something?"
"Worse," said Shiki grimacing. "A horcrux."
"Wow… that's just nasty." Komachi said, also grimacing.
"Thank god for mind reading, otherwise I wouldn't be able to follow this conversation at all." Satori thought dryly. "So she's a sort of… vessel for immortality?" she said aloud.
"A rather nasty one. I'll spare you the details." Komachi said while inadvertently providing them with her thoughts.
"I see, so it's a bit of somebody's soul in there. Can you remove it?" Satori asked.
"Can I?" Komachi said, smiling cheekily. "This is literally my job- well part of it at any rate." She lifted her scythe off her shoulder. "Just give me two seconds…"
"One moment please Komachi." Shiki said, pulling out her mirror. "I Wish to see who this is…"
Holding the Mirror up to the child. There was a soft glow, and a flood of information ran through the yama's head that was too much for even Satori to keep track of. Not for the Yama however, and Satori picked up Shiki's impression, and they found themselves wearing matching scowls.
"Komachi, with prejudice." snarled Shiki.
Komachi didn't need to be told twice. With an arc of silver, the scythe swept through the child's head, leaving no mark, but retching out some sort of black tendril made of mist that was left wiggling in the air, that gave an unholy screech. The baby cried out in pain, only for Satori to soothe it again.
It squirmed briefly before Komachi grabbed it and squeezed it in her fist, and with a quieter choked screech, it dissipated into nothing.
"Good riddance." sneered Komachi.
"Unfortunately not. He has about five more." Shiki's scowl was unchanged.
Komachi baulked. "five horcruxes?! Is this guy nuts?"
"I take it this is unusual?" Satori asked, before listening to the stream of information that came bidden by the question. "I see."
"Yeah, splitting your soul is not something someone sane would do, much less six times times." Komachi said, somewhat unnecessarily.
"Regardless, this one is destroyed." Shiki said, "Komachi could you return and put the paperwork for Horcrux destruction on my desk, I'll fill it out later. I cleared our schedule for today so feel free to take the rest of the day off afterwards."
Komachi, her lazy demeanour returning, gave a mock salute. "Yes ma'am." In her head, she was already picking out the best nap spot.
Komachi sauntered out.
Shiki, now alone with Satori (and the baby, but that hardly counted) turned to face her. "So you intend to keep the child?" Now that Komachi was gone, she slipped back into thought-speak.
"Do you think I should?" Satori said. "I mean, I don't really have any other options, unless you can think of any?"
Many thoughts ran across Shiki's mind. Various co-workers, and subordinates were considered filed away or dismissed outright. There was even a brief thought that Komachi could do with more responsibility, before chiding herself about thinking of a child in that manner. She started considering getting her a dog or failing that a goldfish, before realising she got side tracked.
After a moment of thought. Shiki came to a decision. "Well, I think the child could do a whole lot worse than having you as a parent. You are responsible, compassionate, intelligent, honest, have a large home, a stable job with child support and short hours that you do from home, and a large support group. Out of all my acquaintances I can think of no better."
"We have child support?" mumbled Satori, but she was blushing at the praise, she wasn't used to it really. "I'm not sure I'm parent material, especially for a human child, a Satori maybe…"
"If you are truly worried, I could always drop her off at the human village on the surface, it will be safe, if perhaps less comfortable, as her foreign features might mark her as an outcast." Shiki added. "But I suggest giving it a try, at least for a while, if motherhood does not suit you, we can always explore other options."
Satori still baulked at the idea of being a mother, but when she thought about it, she decided there is wisdom in the Yama's words. "Very well then, I will give it a chance."
Shiki smiled. "I'll send you down the forms to apply for child support."
Chapter note:
Third plot bunny, same disclaimer…
And to address the concerns people have about overextending, and trying to keep too many stories in the air, don't worry. You see, exercising plot bunnies is how I deal with writer's block, by clearing up the head space by committing ideas to paper helps me make make room to actually come up with more chapters, it also helps keeps me writing in general, because If I am having trouble writing for one story, having another story to work on means I'm less likely to stall.
… Now to notes.
Now at nine Preferences. Hailey Komeiji.
Honestly I'm surprised this wasn't the first Hailey Potter story I wrote, because Satori and Koishi are literally my favourite touhou characters, and I've been looking for an excuse to have them star in a story since before Youkai of Grudge.
Now probably first thing I should say, is that to a lot of people, this may seem like Satori is being pressured into being a parent against her will by other people (Koishi and Shiki), and while this is kind of the case, as Shiki says, Satori is literally the best option available with their current combined resources (neither get out much at this time, and Shiki has high standards), Satori also knows this, which is why she was resigned to look after her in the first place. Plus, it's not as if Satori doesn't want to look after a baby per say (although at the end of the day, who does?), but it's more that she doesn't think herself capable. Her desire to palm off the baby is out of concern for the child, because she considers herself an unfit guardian. For reasons that will probably become apparent over time, although I'll give a hint: Sister.
But yeah, the Komeiji sisters are basically an understated ongoing tragedy, what with Koishi being, in the bluntest possible way, a walking talking vegetable. It makes Koishi fun to write, but to really get to understand the character, you have to see how Satori interacts with her. To other people, Koishi would just seem like a giggling weirdo, but as a mind reader, Satori is fully aware that there is nothing going on upstairs, her sister is functionally in a coma. And dealing with that as an elder sister, that's a lot of baggage. I feel like a lot of authors sometimes miss or at least skim over how sad that is. As you can probably see Satori herself is somewhat numb to it, its been a long time after all, but still, Poor girl.
Also, Curse scar gone, and this isn't going to be the first of Haileys problems that Satori and co completely trivialises.
Also heads up, Next one on the priority list is Zero's Familiar Quest, so if any of my readers (at least the ones who aren't following me as an author) on the HP side rather then the touhou side of things who were interested in that, keep an eye out for that.
