69Click! The clicking of iron mugs rang out around the campfire.
"Hehyeah!" Rinnosuke Morichika tugged his mug in towards himself. "Ohp- piss…" The sake spilled onto his plain, ragged blue shirt.
"Nice one, idiot." Keine Kamishirasawa's face was blushing from the alcohol. "Just watch. Next time you'll clock yourself in the face."
"Fuck you, Kei~ne." He briefly flicked her a middle finger. "Go- goddammit…" Still, he couldn't help but grin.
"Man…" Marcus Kirisame sat on a nearby wood chair he brought along, just so he could read. "Last time I buy you twats alcohol, if yer gonna just spill it everywhere. Fuckin'- that's pure A, kids! Pure A!"
"If you wanted to save money, y'shouldn't 'a given it to us, twat." Becoming immensely smug, Keine smirked back at him.
Tsukiko Hakurei licked her lips, the tinge of the premium-grade alcohol warming her throat. 'Hot damn. This really is some pure-A shit. Hoo~.'
"Where'd you get this?" She was seated on a stump. Briefly, her eyes ran across her red hakama- or, her red pants- making sure she didn't spill anything on them.
Marcus looked up at her, before grinning. He began to stroke his beard. "Ah? Ah- yes, the premium craft. Y'see- I had a real recent deal wit' these tengu who're tryin'a invest in a beer company in the village, gave me a buncha sample drafts 'cause I got 'em some land. Shit's ten thousand yen a pop, normally!"
"Ten thousand?" Tsukiko's brows raised… "For-... a bottle, you mean?"
"I dunno wha' else a pop would be!" Grinning incredulously himself, he shook his head. "Damn!"
"Yeah. Damn." She looked down at her mug… "You're letting us drink this outta our shitty iron mugs?"
He shrugged. "Well, the young'uns here pro'lly wouldn't give ten craps 'bout finery, figured they'd like the taste…"
'Typical.' She smiled down at her drink. 'Gets a ton of expensive booze on the side of a good deal, ends up fucking pissing it away by tossing it to these assholes. And, me.'
"It's actually really good…" Keine spoke quieter, now. "Tha- thank you, Marc…"
"Ye- yeah…" Rinnosuke's reply was as sedated as hers, as he felt the alcohol burn his throat. "Man. Who made this shit, anyway. It burns- my throat…"
Marcus huffed. "That's called alcohol ya stupid. That's- how it works, when there's a certain density of it!"
"Fuckin'..." Fed up with the answer, Rinnosuke shook his head. "Ugh. I'd rather drink soda, or piss. Or- you know, good beer."
Marcus's angry grin intensified. "That is good beer, ya little shit! Don't make me cast confusion on yer dumbass…! Next time I'll run ya a freakin' tab!" He faced Tsukiko. "Hey- how's that sound? The 'Kirisame Magic Bar'! Sounds like a real fuckin' art, ah?"
...Getting cozy on her stump, Tsukiko gave him a small expression. "Don't think about it too hard."
'These guys're great.'
This was the fifth year she's known Keine and Rinnosuke, and about the twentieth year she's known Marcus. She looked up, sighting the stars over the clearing where they were drinking. '...Man.'
Every time she thought back over her life, she really couldn't help but wonder. '...It was one hell of a time getting here.' This was perhaps the most at home she's felt since she met her husband, and had Reimu.
'...Keisuke.' She missed him. 'I'll see Reimu raised right.'
The fire before them clicked, and flickered.
"Stop staring at the miko's boobs." Keine gave Rinnosuke a playfully aggressive look…
Tsukiko looked at him. He looked away. "I-... I'm not!"
"Are too!"
...Tsukiko smirked, and moved the heavy cloth apron she had on aside. Underneath it were her breasts, bound with a black leotard which left little to the imagination. "Aren't you a little young for me, Kourin?"
...He looked back in her direction, and saw her full, leotard-bound breasts. "Aa- well- fuck off…" He pushed his shirt down, over his crotch.
Keine giggled. "Hehehe! Kourin wants to have sex with a miko~!"
"And fuck you!" Rinnosuke thrust his beer mug in her direction, but ended up splashing himself with the momentum. "Agh-..."
Keine giggled further. "Ko- Kourin…! Hehehe!"
...Tsukiko re-adjusted her cloth, while he heated up. 'Man. These shitheads are always a good time.'
Rinnosuke was now thirteen, and Keine was fourteen. '...Is Reimu gonna be as much of a shithead as these two, when she gets older? I mean, I don't remember myself being this-... rowdy. Provided, my own mother was still alive at the time, so-... yeah, it's probably a parenting thing.' She sighed to herself, relieved…
"How's Marisa doing?" She asked Marcus…
He snorted. "Ah, fine. Michelle's lookin' after her, like usual. Told 'er this was a uh, business venture."
"Business venture, huh." Tsukiko nodded… "Yeah, we're gettin' real busy here."
Keine had a naughty smile. "And Kourin wants to get busy with you."
"Dh-..." His brows twitched, glaring at her. "Nn- no, I don't…!"
"I've got an idea!" Keine held her hand up, eyes lighting up. "Miko! Miko! You should fight Kourin!"
"Wh- what!? Why!?" Rinnosuke slammed his beer mug aside himself, and raised from his wood block seat. "What'd I do!?"
"It should be a competition…" Keine's face began to blush harder. "If- if Kourin wins-... he should get to do something naughty to you- Miko!"
...Rinnosuke was sobered by the thought, frozen by the idea.
...Tsukiko exhaled. "And, if I win, inevitably…?"
Keine relaxed. "Well, uh, we give you a shiny rock from our pile, or something…"
"What a fair tradeoff." Tsukiko remarked in monotone. "I accept the challenge."
"Re- really…?" Rinnosuke stared Tsukiko over again. "If I-..."
"Don't let your head go to your dick, now." Tsukiko stood from her stump, setting her own beer down. "I'll embed your skull between your shoulders if you're not careful."
"...We- well." Rinnosuke got up, backing away from the campfire, and raising his dukes. "If-... if you say so."
-+- Vs. Rinnosuke Morichika, Shunned Half-Youkai -+-
Cri- crack. Tsukiko cracked her neck. She stretched one of her arms, before sliding her legs out, striking a basic pose. "Alright. Let's warm up, a little…" It was just the onset of winter, so she was looking to get into activities like these to warm up…
'Let's run through some motions.'
Rinnosuke stood across from her. "Don't-... don't make me feel bad- if you lose."
Around them were the piles of rubble that Rinnosuke and Keine called their 'fort'. There was too much crap around for ambient youkai to care about it, and it was relatively close to Tsukiko's stomping grounds as it was. 'The shrine's literally one minute away from here, so…'
Albeit, it was on the edge of the Forest of Magic; a territory known for its wild and dangerous magically-enhanced youkai. Not only that, but it was a home to many other traditional youkai, due to its nature.
'I knew this when I lead these two here, to set up shop.' Knowing the patterns with which youkai housed themselves, Tsukiko all but created this place for the two youkai friends of hers to take refuge. 'Most youkai on the very outer edges of the woods are all little shits anyway, so if there's ever a territory dispute, I'll be able to solve it while picking up groceries or something.'
Rinnosuke finally looked ready. "Oo- okay…!" He had his fists up, expression fierce.
Keine patted on his shoulders. "Tr- try and win, Kourin…"
"Aa-..." He gave a look back in her direction, before focusing on Tsukiko again.
'Alright…' It was time for Tsukiko to practice her motions.
'Let's start with-... a basic chain of attacks.' There was one good perk to having youkai friends, she's come to realize. 'Not only are they rowdy and fun… they make great punching bags.'
Rinnosuke came at her, his instincts flaring. "Al- alright…!"
Whi- whi- whish! As he came closer, he tossed three hooks forward, shutting his eyes.
Fwish. Tsukiko vanished in a shockwave of wind, which whirled where her form was.
...When he opened his eyes, he widened them. "Uu-... uh- oh shit…"
WHA- CRACK. She was behind him, now. She snapped her whole body into a full-armed palm thrust, which struck him in the arch of his back.
WHCRACK- WHCRACK! Wind lapped off of her form as if her body itself released the world's breeze, her form moving just fast enough for the eye to track, as she powered two more metal-rending palm thrusts into his back.
WHCRACK- WHCRACK- WHCRACK! She kept going, sliding along the ground from the force of her own whole-body thrusts. Rinnosuke was no longer on the ground, propelled forward only by the might of her attacks.
FWISH! White, pure, holy light bloomed forth from the center of her being, contrasting the way her palms and arms became black as shade, making it look like her skin gained an opalescent tint.
'Now- to finish this!'
KACRUNCH. She snapped a leg up, and into his spine. "Ghk-..." He finally had time to make a noise.
She pivoted around on her standing leg's heel in an instant, and-
WHACKACRUNCH! She unleashed the second kick with the same leg; the Dragon's Kick.
"Huugh- uuah…!" Rinnosuke went fucking flying away. His form flailed through the air haphazardly, before-
KABAM! It met a tree, across the clearing, his spine striking the bark. "Kh- haukh…!"
...Tsukiko tilted her head back and forth again, but nothing cracked, since she'd just cracked her neck moments ago. 'Still gotta work out some of that stiffness. Been too long since I last exercised- taking care of Reimu and all…'
...fwish. Rinnosuke's form lit up with yellowish energy, as he stood up in the dark clearing, his yellow eyes fiercely glowing in the dark. "Th- that standard shit- won't work on me today- Miko~!"
He sprinted across the field, coming towards Tsukiko with inhuman velocity. Were someone of the outside world witnessing his speed, they'd instantly declare him a monster, and they'd not be wrong.
WHCRACK! When he dashed into range of Tsukiko, however, she instantly met his stomach with a full-body palm thrust to stop him. "Huu~!"
'Let's try some grappling, since he seems to be in a randy mood…' She figured he'd like that.
WHCRACK- WHCRACK! As he tried to bring his arms up to defend himself, Tsukiko thrust a left palm into his left shoulder, then her right for his right.
With his defenses down, she reeled an arm back, white and black spiralling along it. 'Alri~ght…!'
WHUNK- KUNK. Her readied, telegraphed palm met his stomach, striking twice with one blow, because the recoil from the ferocity of the strike was just that fierce. Rinnosuke wilted. "Hh- hh…"
PAP. With her crouched against his stomach like this, she used her other arm to grab him by the back, near his waist and ass. With the palm that struck his stomach, she held onto his collar.
She flipped him up, over her back.
CRI- CRIK- KRACK! She bent his spine the entirely wrong way, by pulling his two halves down against the top of her back and shoulders. 'Hehe- holy shit! I love the noise that makes!'
WHUMP. Once that was done, she tossed his limp body ahead, and it bounced against the floor.
"...Ha~h." Tsukiko exhaled. "Nothin' like gettin' your ass kicked to sober up, huh, Kourin? Not a bad way to get over hangovers too, not gonna lie."
Slowly, Rinnosuke staggered off the floor. "Kh- kaugh…" He coughed up blood, as he opened his eyes again…
Fwish… Then, his wounds began to heal. "I-... I won't ghive u~hp!"
'...Either he's really hurt, or really, really attracted to me.'
While he stood there, his body regenerating, Tsukiko strutted up to him. 'Alright. I think this's been enough warming up.'
She brought her arm back, readying to meet him with a palm-
Pap! That's when he broke from his posture, and tackled her. "Got- you!"
"Aa- ah…" Tsukiko staggered back, the smaller figure forcing her to slide back meters with his tackle. His face was buried in her bust, and he held on with the force of a machine.
'Ah- right.' She quickly thought of a way out of his vice-like grip. 'Let's just…'
While he buried himself in her bust, she let herself couch down, grabbing onto his waist.
WOOSH. Tugging up, she lifted him up, away from her body. Using the momentum of the pull and the uneven weight of his body, she flipped him around while still pulling up on his waist-
Pap. She'd tugged him into prime position to power bomb him back into the floor. In this posture, his crotch was in her face, his legs cast over her shoulders, with her arms viced onto his thighs. 'Oo- oh…'
WHACRUNCH! She leaned down, smashing Rinnosuke into the floor back-first. "Huu- uh…"
Crack! Something about his body snapped while he was down there, and he rolled onto his side. "Aa- aah- rrh…"
...Tsukiko took a few sniffs of the air. 'Mu- musty. Maybe fighting while you're horny really is a strategy even more effective for youkai. Maybe that's why everything's so fucking hard to fight.'
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
"...Aw." Keine seemed a little disappointed. "Man."
...Tsukiko gave him a flat stare. "You really wanted to see me get laid in front of you, didn't you?"
...She looked away from Tsukiko's gaze. "We- well…"
Exhaling, Tsukiko began to stroll back towards the campfire. "When Kourin's blood's all back in his body, tell 'em we're probably still by the campfire. Night's just begun, after all."
As she went, she sighted Rinnosuke twitching on the floor. 'Better luck next time, Kourin. Not that it'd be good if you won; that'd be fucking awkward.' ...She briefly considered the mental image of herself servicing him. 'Too young to even get pervy about. That's also the thing with youkai of his type; let something like that happen once, and they just keep coming back for more. Nothing's worth that sort of trouble, even if we're friends.'
Soon, she was back at the campfire. Reaching into her sleeve, she took out a magically replicated vial of holy mana-napalm. 'Hello, molotov.'
Crack! She leisurely tossed it onto the fire. For a moment, its amber glow shifted to a holy, blue-white one, before it turned back to normal.
"Ah." Marcus looked up from his book. "Y'done bein' a pedophile?"
"Yeah." Tsukiko moved for her stump, again. "...I really need to buy a toy, at some point."
He snorted. "Y'don't have any left over? Y'know, from before him?"
Tsukiko snorted. "Well, I had a few that he used on me, but my entire old collection got too dusty, and y'know, I wasn't into anything breakin' on me at a bad time. Plus, now that I'm as old as I am, I don't really need that many."
"...Hu~h." Marcus mulled over the book. "Musta been a hell of a toy himself, then."
Tsukiko rolled her eyes. 'Ah, shut the fuck up, Marc.'
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
The night had grown late. The fire amidst the seating arrangements in the clearing had begun to grow dimmer…
Marcus had a book on his lap, and Keine looked over it with interest. "Wh-... what. How's that move the fire?"
He held his hand out, towards the tiny flames. "It's all mana, kid! I mean, look..."
fwi- fwi- whish. He drew a squiggle in the air with the fire, his distant waving finger directing it. "Hah! Y'see…!?"
Rinnosuke drowsily swayed back and forth on his wooden block seat, fully recovered from what just transpired moments ago.
...Tsukiko stifled a yawn. 'Mmh. It's-... not even that late yet.'
After that event, everyone had mellowed out a little. 'I burned through the teens' energy… and now I'm just peaceful. I kinda wish something exciting would happen…'
Fwi- fwish. Then, she saw something move in the brush ahead. No one else was of the mindset to pick it up, but Tsukiko snapped into wakefulness. 'Wha' was that.'
Standing abruptly, she moved for the figure she saw. Talismans slid from her arm sleeves, as she marched out into the brush. 'Let's see, what've I got to contend with this time. If it's one of those bush monsters that go for the groin, I hope Marcus has his brain in his skull long enough to stop it from torturing me.'
Fwi- fwi- fwish, fwish. As she progressed into the foliage, she couldn't feel the aura or soul of anything abnormal, however. 'Oh. Is it just a human…? That magic, though… a magician?'
Fwish. Then, she came face-to-face with a young girl, past a generous wall of trees and foliage. "Yo." She greeted Tsukiko.
...Plainly, Tsukiko stared down at her. "Ah. You're-... Marisa. What're you doing out, this far?"
'Is she- ah, she really is Marisa.' Sendai gave her mana and being another once-over as she stood there, and could confirm that it was Marcus's daughter. 'Marisa Kirisame.'
"...I saw you beat up that dude." Marisa stated plainly. "...That was cool."
"Ah, yeah…?" Tsukiko rubbed the back of her head. "You've- been watching us, that long? I hadn't even noticed you…"
'And that's really saying something.' She felt very off, about this. 'I can sense Kourin or Keine miles away, as well as any garden variety youkai. I can sense humans coming up the hill before they're even in eyeshot of it. But- she's been just outside the light of the camp fire, and I just now noticed her? Come to think of it- her magic was hard to see until I got close, too. Must've been why I was so skeptical...'
She was a small, blonde girl, of young age, wearing the usual villager clothes that tykes wore; tiny overalls, and a little coat. 'It's a little more excessive than normal. She planned for the cold, even. But, she's-... she can't be older than five.'
"Yeah." Marisa stated bluntly. "...My dad gets mad at me, sometimes. For sneaking around. But-... 'cause of him, I'm good at it." She stared into the woods casually. "...I wish he would just relax, sometimes."
Tsukiko pointed at her. "It's really dangerous out here, you know? You're lucky you didn't get killed or eaten. Big men-type youkai love you little ones, you know? Heck, even the little girl-type ones might just lure you in and then eat you."
...Marisa smiled. "You would save me though, 'cause you'd know they'd be coming!"
'...Huh. Damn.' Tsukiko rubbed the back of her neck… 'Tyke's kind of got a point, there.'
"You're so cool." Marisa's smile widened, before becoming dangerous. "So-... what do you want me to do with that clown?"
'Oh, not this again.' She remembered Marisa's antics well, the last time she visited the Kirisame household…
"Forget about it." Folding her arms, Tsukiko gave her a flat look… "Who're you even referring to?"
"That beast dude." Marisa pointed back towards the distant campfire. "He wanted to put his dick in your mouth. You're too kind, miko. Soft as a marshmallow..."
"Wh- who taught you language like that…" Tsukiko gave her a more-amused-than-worried sort of look.
"You shoulda, like…" Marisa smirked. "Gone like unh." She stomped the ground. "And then jumped on him like-"
fwish. Doing the tiniest leap, she stomped on some leaves.
"And then like-!" She threw her fists at the air, almost losing her own balance.
Tsukiko was required to smile warmly at this. "...Maybe next time. Actually-... how would you even 'take care' of him?"
Marisa beamed at her. "I'd fight 'em myself. Wit' my magic."
"...You know magic already?" Tsukiko wondered. "Still… I wouldn't let you do something like that."
"Huh…?" Marisa blinked. "...But, I'd do it for you. I don't want you to suck a guy's dick."
Tsukiko resisted giggling. 'Seriously, who taught you about that…!'
"And, I can handle it myself." She responded. "You don't have to worry about me, right? I'm worrying about you."
"Hmm…" Marisa wasn't totally satisfied with this, but eventually smiled anyway. "Well. Okay. But-..." She held a finger up at Tsukiko, mimicking her pose. "If you ever get a dad again-... you gotta make sure he doesn't make you suck his dick a lot!"
'What the fuck.' Tsukiko slowly raised her brows.
"...We- well, I'll keep that in mind." She decided. "But…"
Marisa stopped again, her thought process visibly shifting. "...But?"
"I'm going to do things my own way." Tsukiko felt the need to declare this to someone an eighth of her age.
...Marisa beamed up at her. "Your own way…"
'Ahah.' At her awe, Tsukiko mentally fist-pumped. 'Found a way to turn this into a healthy learning experience. Mom points, plus one.'
"What way would that be?" Marisa wondered.
Tsukiko blinked. "...A- ah. Well-... it'd be the right way."
Instantly, Marisa's demeanor became somewhat frustrated, instead. "The right way…?"
Tsukiko paused at her visible displacement. "...Yeah?"
"Sounds like somethin' dad would say." Marisa glared up at her. "And, coming from you, that's stupid. You're stupid. I'm gonna fight you."
whump. Marisa punched Tsukiko in the knee. It wasn't very effective…
"Um." The adorable motion made Tsukiko's motherly senses tingle… "Huh. Wow. Why, though…?"
"I'm gonna make you fight me!" Marisa was determined to fight about this.
whump. whump. whu- whump. She kept slowly punching Tsukiko in the knee, each impact like a marshmallow against the earth's tectonic plates. 'Oh my god, she's adorable. I wanna nuzzle her.'
Marisa glared back up at her. "That enough reason to fight?"
"...Sorry I made you mad." Tsukiko apologized, for reasons dubious to even herself.
"What…?" Marisa paused… "Nn- no. Be cool, and fight back!"
whu- whu- whump! She rapidly punched Tsukiko in the knee, shutting her eyes to channel one hundred ten percent of her full power.
...Tsukiko propped her arms on her own hips. Marisa leered up at her, and huffed…
whish. Reaching into her coat-overalls combo, she drew a tiny wand, with a little star at the tip of it.
...As Tsukiko stood there expectantly, Marisa slowly rotated around, and pointed her little wand at Sendai. "Fire!"
woosh. A tiny plume of fire stretched up from the tip, darting towards Tsukiko's eyes in almost an instant, before dissipating right before the bridge of her nose.
'...Wh- what just happened? What was that light…?' The way the wimpy fireball came at her, Tsukiko hardly even saw it come at her. 'Huh.'
"...Man." Marisa let her wand arm drop. "You're really tough. You don't even get annoyed."
'It's hard to be annoyed when you're so tiny.' Tsukiko still marveled at the very tiny Marisa. 'Marcus's raising a keeper, I can tell.'
"Still…" Marisa shook her head. "You should do cool stuff all the time. Isn't it boring, sometimes just not doing cool stuff?"
Tsukiko considered this question. "...Sometimes there's not a point."
"...You think guys who want you to suck their dick care if there's a point or not?" Marisa tilted her head. "If you keep holding back-..."
"Alright no- seriously, who taught you about dicks." Tsukiko couldn't take it anymore. "If you tell me it's your dad, I'm going to actually murder him."
...Marisa smiled. "I heard about it around the village. Wait no- can I say it was him, so you beat him up anyway?"
...Tsukiko let her arms rest idly at her sides. "No matter what you say, I'm not changing how I do things. I'm pretty in-control of my life, at the moment."
Gazing into the evening black, Marisa took a great pause.
'...Well. I guess that's-'
"No matter what… huh?" Marisa repeated, staring into the starless void that was the Forest of Magic nearby. She centered her gaze on Sendai again.
'...Hmm?' Tsukiko found the silence a little awkward.
"You got it, the~n!" Marisa suddenly leapt with energy. "I'll have my eyes on ya twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week!"
"Oh…?" Tsukiko blinked.
"And- when I'm old enough…!" Marisa pumped her fists into the air. "Are you gonna fight me!?"
...Tsukiko blinked. "I-... wouldn't know, until then."
Clap! Marisa clapped her hands together. "Heck yeah! Aw...! All I need ta do- is make ya come up with a plan to fight me, then!"
Pivoting around, she gave a tiny, jolly walk away, into the darkness of the unforgiving landscape. "Look forward to it, cool miko! This is gonna be sweet! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" She clapped her hands again, dancing away as she ran.
...Tsukiko silently watched her bounce off into the black.
'...I- should go save her, before she gets herself killed, or worse.'
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
'...It's almost time for bed.'
It was some weeks since she had that night out, with her hooligan friends. 'Genji does really make a good babysitter. Blessed shrine turtle.' She was thinking of spending tomorrow evening out and about, too. 'Anyway…'
Reimu leapt about in place. "Candy!"
"No." Tsukiko smiled back at her. "Bed."
"Wha~t." Suddenly, Reimu appeared encumbered. "No~."
"Ye~s." Tsukiko moved to steal her from the floor. "Let's get you to your room."
...Slowly, Reimu tried to stomp away, hunching herself in a manner she knew her mother adored.
The strategy didn't work this time, because Tsukiko ignored it and just hoisted her up. "Got yo~u."
"Aw-..." Reimu relaxed in her mother's grasp. "Mrhm…"
Shoof. As they moved, Tsukiko slid the shrine door ahead open with a slow kick used solely to sweep it open, since it was a sliding door.
Reimu didn't quite have her own room; this was simply Tsukiko's room, with an additional tiny futon connect to the side of hers.
Something about the bedroom always invoked a carnal, basic fear in Tsukiko, however. '...It's safe.' She reminded herself. She had bad experience with trying to use futons and beds like actual sleeping places in the past, and the idea of letting her daughter rest in such a vulnerable state now made her want to simply not go to sleep, and to stand vigil. 'It's safe.'
Slowly, she tucked Reimu in. "I'll be to bed soon. I've just got to make sure all the doors are closed, for the evening. And, yes, I'll get you your water…"
shoof. Reimu slipped deeper into the futon, only her eyes and nose poking out now, since she had nothing to say about this, anymore.
Moving through the bedroom door, and into the kitchen, she looked around. 'Kitchen door sealed? Yep.'
The kitchen was a small room. If one walked up the stairs, it'd be the left extension to the shrine, and it was one of the three rooms it actually had. Centered in the torii gate's view was the main room, naturally, and tucked behind the kitchen and main room was the bedroom.
The design used to be symmetrical, but when the shrine was attacked two years ago, Tsukiko chose a more defensive approach. '...I'm so fucking retarded.' She kicked herself over the previous design. 'Fuck.'
Shaking off the bad memories, she moved for the back door…
It was shut, but that wasn't enough.
Shoof. Sliding it open, she looked out at the shrine grounds. At a glance, they were dark, the sun having passed the horizon, leaving the land as a silhouette inhospitable to humans.
Fwoop. Tsukiko let out a sonar-like beep, her inner aura flashing white for a moment.
All across the lawn, lights lit up. Holy mines, magic-reinforced traps, some akin to mouse traps but bigger, some as barrels set to magical triggers at the bottom of the hill, and some as various flavors of elemental purgatory meant secondarily to confuse and delay intruders. Primarily, all these traps weren't preventative measures; they were to serve as a warning, and a time buffer.
Only the occasional single trap went off in the past two years since the incident. '...Fucking youkai.' Tsukiko glared into the dark horizon. 'If only I'd-...'
Shaking her head, she shut the shrine door, and placed a green-teal talisman on it. She didn't know much about holy magic, or Hakurei technique, but Marcus was more than willing to help after she was as broken up about everything as she was.
'Just, stop.' She stopped herself. 'You don't-... need to think about it, anymore. It's done…'
She moved back to the kitchen to get the water.
Shoof. On the way there, she shut the kitchen-to-main room door, and put a warning talisman on it, too. Not so much as a single chip of wood of this shrine could be out of place at any time that Tsukiko was there, or she'd be ready to flip out.
...Looking up, she tensed an arm. Black, white energy coalesced in it-
WOOSH! She uppercut up, into the ceiling, the might she put into this single motion carrying her meters into the air.
CRUNCH! The ceiling made an unhealthy noise in response to her fist.
Clack! She grabbed the top, wood rafter beam, and climbed up onto it. Now up here, she closed her eyes… 'Rooftops check out, no signs of anyone there.'
CLACK! Landing on her sandals again, the kitchen shook in response to her landing. 'Let's get Reimu her water…'
She came to the jug of stored, pure-in-more-ways-than-one water. Popping the top, she stared inside… 'Checks out.' Then, she finally allowed the automatic motions of pouring a glass to take place.
The years had left her paranoid to a fault.
Finally, Tsukiko marched into the bedroom, and slid the door shut behind herself.
Slap. With a dismissive motion, she locked the final talisman onto the last door.
...Reimu looked sleepy. "Mmh…"
Click. Reaching past her, she sat down the water next to her. "Good night… Reimu-chan." Leaning down, she kissed her daughter on the forehead.
"G'night-... mom…"
...Tsukiko shifted to lie facing up, in her own futon.
'...Keisuke.' She was pretty glad it was about time to sleep, because her emotions had been welling up this whole evening. 'Why do I keep getting reminded of you, so recently…? You'd think, after my mother died, I'd be used to losing people.'
...As her anxiety and memories kept bubbling up, she closed her eyes. 'Man. I really do need to take tomorrow off. Fu- fuck…'
She rolled onto her right to watch Reimu. '...I love you, Reimu.'
It took twenty minutes more, for sleep to claim her.
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
"Mom?"
Tsukiko was happy, staring at all the colors. There was a girl next to her, but the orbs of morning light around her made it hard to see. Everything was ringing.
"...Mo~m."
'what' She didn't recognize the sound. 'where am i'
"...Mom?"
Tsukiko tried to turn around, but the colors everywhere were too bright. 'I can't see.'
'Kourin?' She turned to the grey. 'Wait-... did I set up-...' She wondered if she checked the house over, this evening.
'I guess I'm patrolling today.' She shifted her hand to ready her travel pack, but it wasn't there. 'Wh-...'
'...Didn't I just eat?' She stared straight up. 'Where is the sky…'
"Mom? Mom?"
Tsukiko moved through the lights, the world around her impossible to decipher.
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
"Are-... are you making breakfast?"
'Where's Keisuke?' Tsukiko searched for her husband. 'I left him-... here!'
She fell onto something.
"Mom- what're you doing."
Getting back up, Tsukiko felt her holy energy flare through her body repeatedly. "...Go- got you."
'Now-...' She looked around. 'Let's find Reimu.'
"Mom…?"
Tsukiko found her. "Hey, Reimu…" She smiled at her daughter.
...Reimu smiled back, sheepishly. "Hh- hi. Um…"
'Bright…' Tsukiko couldn't see.
"...Are you making breakfast?"
Now that she was alone, Tsukiko moved.
Thump. She hit something, and it was kind of frustrating. 'Ugh-... why am I-...'
Thump- thump- thump. It was a solid sort of something.
"Mom-... that's a wall, mom."
Slowly, Tsukiko traced along the exterior of whatever it was, using her knowledge. 'It should be… here!'
Thump! 'Damn it!'
"Mom…?"
Thump! Tsukiko hit it again. 'Get out of my way! I need to see him!'
WHACRACK! She kicked something. 'That oughta do it.' ...She smiled at herself. 'Huh. I guess I'm getting better at this.'
Shoo- shoof- clack! Something she pushed on gave away, opening. 'Aah. I found it.'
The light was even greater, in the new space. The world shifted and churned, wind and sound making everything impossible.
'What…!' Tsukiko was alarmed. 'Where's Reimu!?'
"Mom…?" Reimu was behind her, standing on something. "He- hey..."
Tsukiko saw her. 'Oh, thank god…'
Kneeling down, she hugged her daughter, and began sobbing. "Re- Reimu…"
"Mo- mom…?"
"I love you."
Tsukiko held the embrace, for a moment or two.
When she let go, her mind switched gears again, and she forgot why she was crying. 'Too bright…' The lights all around her mixed with her tears.
"Mom…?"
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
The light was irritating, incessant, and painful.
Tsukiko crawled on a blurry surface. 'it hurts'
The sky was a mixture of yellow, white and blue, arranged in no cohesive order, and the ground was a dull green.
'so warm' Tsukiko clawed at the fabric on herself. 'too warm'
Breathe in, breath out. She had to focus on her breathing, because it grew difficult. The lapping of water was nearby, and the sky's lights constantly shifted.
Tsukiko felt the urge to laugh at something, but she didn't know what. 'That's-...'
She coughed. Now lying face up, facing the sky, she kept coughing. 'That's- better.'
'Where's-...' She looked left, and saw colors, as hexagons and circles of light. 'Reimu?'
"Re- Reimu…" She rasped out. Her face began to itch, so she brushed her hand over it. "Aa- ah." The texture of her face and scalp felt weird, as she brushed her hair back, and kept brushing it. Holding onto some of the weird feeling, she brought it to her face to look at it, and saw black streaks blur her vision.
"Rei-... mu." She held up her arm, trying to feel at the colors above herself. "Where-..."
Her eyes began to close. 'keisuke'
"I'm-..."
The colors that reached past her eyelids stopped.
'breathe' Tsukiko felt wrong. 'don't stop don't'
...Suddenly, for a moment, she felt like she could move. 'Oo- oh… oh my god…'
'Finally!' She sat up. There sat a river's shore, the surroundings ironically sunny, and the temperature pleasantly temperate.
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
'...What the fuck was that.' She looked around, and down at her hands. The strands of her own hair she held were gone, now. 'I feel like- I can breathe again…'
'I-... tucked Reimu in, I went to sleep, and-...'
She remembered hours of complete nonsense. A scramble of confused senses and memories, being unable to use basic motor functionalities, being oddly satisfied with herself for no reason; and, in the midst of all the nothing, an odd sense of warmth that intensified right up until now. Now, it was all nice and cool.
Water lapped clearly now. When Tsukiko looked up, she could see the sky, and feel the breeze. 'Everything makes sense again, but…'
She searched her surroundings. She was staring at a river's water. Behind her, there were woods, some odd flower types, as well as a small series of glorified hill-like crags, mountainous only in their steepness.
'...This is-...' She knew exactly where she was. Her mind made her doubt for a moment, out of the sheer implausibility, but-... 'Alright. I'm-... gonna need some answers.'
woosh. Ahead, there was a small pier. From across the water, a boat bobbed across the idle waves of the Sanzu River.
The boat was small, almost mistakable for a dinky raft, if not for the somewhat ornate red design of it. 'That's Higan geometry.' Tsukiko recognized the material and style of it…
Gently, it pulled in to rest at the sand aside the wooden pier.
Clack, clack. The ferrywoman stepped off, her hair red, with two fluffy pigtails. "Aah. Looks like the VIP fer today…" She spoke to herself, as she patted off her blue-white outfit, and adjusted her bust right. "There we go…"
Tsukiko gestured to the water, and the boat. "What the fuck's this. Where am I."
...The ferrywoman scratched the back of her own head. "Eeuh. Um-... yer Tsukiko Hakurei, yeah?"
"Not the answer to my question." Tsukiko clenched her fists. "What the fuck is this. Where the fuck am I."
"Yer ride." She gestured to the boat. "I'm Komachi,' she answered preliminarily, "and yer dead."
"Bullshit." Tsukiko's eyes sharpened. "Fucking-... I don't even know how I fucking died! I-..." She thought of Reimu. "Oh- god, Reimu!" She looked around. "She- she's okay, right?"
Komachi waved a hand placatingly. "Finer than fine. If it makes ya feel any better, yer our only guest fer today. And, Reimu's still got some long years ahead of 'er! But, uh..."
"She needs me…!" Coming up to Komachi, Tsukiko held her arms at her own sides, ready to lash out at a moment's notice… "You-... you can't take me away from her! I'm not done yet!"
"C'mon…" Komachi sighed. "Please. Don't make this harder than it needs ta be. Look, I know it sucks, bu' we can talk about-... mmh." She watched Tsukiko grow angrier before her. "Tsukiko."
"What?" Tsukiko began to step back… "Fuck off. You don't know- what she's going to go through, without me! You don't know what I went through!"
"Ah, shit, c'mon…" Komachi held her own forehead. "Look. If it's-... any consolation, I know she'll be fine. The higher-ups told me ta relay some infermation to you. Look- it's not as bad as-"
"Bullshit!" Tsukiko cut and ran.
Ti~ng! Her face smashed against a reflective, powerful barrier, which had formed directly behind her. 'Hah! Oh no, you don't!'
KA- TI~IING! She plowed a fist into the barrier, but it didn't so much as ripple.
KA- TI~IING! She kicked it this time, the impact greating an explosion of wind, but there was nothing different about the result.
"...I can see why they assign you guys a whole day fer this sorta thing." Komachi remarked under her breath…
Tsukiko flicked a copy of the Chronicle of Gensokyo from her sleeves. 'This should work…'
"Holy Spark!" Flicking back from the barrier, she posed, with an arm outstretched to the air.
WOO- WOO- WOO- WOOSH… An octagram of light lines were drawn between nine different Chronicles of Gensokyo, which were translated out from the first copy that she tossed up.
VRRRRR~! A huge, house-sized beam of rainbow energy met the barrier, stopped perfectly by it.
RRRRR- rrrr… As the beam died out, Tsukiko swallowed. 'No…!'
"Divine Fantasy Seal!"
KROOM! Stomping the ground, Tsukiko charged her fists with rainbow-colored energy. "Hrah!"
KA- KLINK! She punched the barrier directly, transfixing a barrier of her own over it, and shattering it. The original barrier still remained. 'It- failed…!?'
Komachi shook her head. "The big idea's that Hakurei aren't supposed ta y'know, beat the crap outta the shinigami an' then go muck about. Can you imagine how screwed the world would be if all yer ancestors just refused to die?"
...Her face long, Tsukiko faced Komachi, and walked closer. "What age does Reimu die at."
...Komachi raised a brow. "Good question, actually. Y'see-... I don't know. And- that's just the thing: any shinigami knows exactly when someone's going to die. Of course, we can't really tell the living that, or- well, we can, but then things just change around a little, no cheating allowed. We can tell the dead, 'cause yeah. And-... the only people we don't know the deaths of, are those who beat death itself."
...Tsukiko blinked a few times. 'I knew Shinigami could tell people's deaths-... but, I knew nothing about them being unable to tell deaths. Those who beat death? Are those hermits? Wandering ghosts? Youkai? ...I'm going to bet on hermit, actually.'
"...Well." She was a little calmer, now. "Huh."
Komachi stepped onto the ferry boat. "All aboa~rd. Or, y'know, you could wait. Ain't no goin' back, though."
...Her expression more solemn, Tsukiko stared back at the shore of the Sanzu, and the trees and mountainside which barred sight of the Human Village.
'...I'm sorry, Reimu. I'm sorry I-... fucked it up, somehow, Keisuke. Fuck.'
There was no delaying it. Tsukiko stepped onto the ferry boat, and took a seat.
...Komachi leaned down next to her. "Oh, yeah. Y'gotta pay the toll."
'...Ah, right.' Tsukiko searched herself. 'Ah-... I left the money at the shrine, because I wasn't going out that day.'
"Pst." Komachi whispered to her. "Y'got three coins in the right pocket…"
...After some digging, Tsukiko pulled out three round, ruby and jeweled encrusted, O-shaped coins, which felt more like discs. 'The fuck…'
Komachi snatched them. "Ahp- yeah, thank y'very much. Pleasure doin' official business."
"...Ah." Tsukiko supposed it was best not to question that.
Shi~ng. Komachi summoned her great scythe, which was taller than she was. Reaching its sickle down into the water of the Sanzu, she began oaring the boat with it. "Al~right."
"Let's see, how much've you sinned…" Komachi held her hand out towards Tsukiko. "...Ah. Ha~h… decent fer a shrine maiden. Not like it matters, y'Hakurei types get the special course."
Tsukiko blinked. "Special course?"
"Mhm." Komachi nodded. "Y'see-... Hakurei don't go to heaven, they don't go to hell, an' we don't let 'em reincarnate. They go to-... well, it's basically a heaven, 'cept just fer Hakurei. 'Cause, let's be real, some of yer ancestors- they could very well just up and fu-... up an' walk outta hell. An' that's no good! Can't have none 'a that."
"Re-... really, now." Tsukiko supposed the afterlife seemed at least interesting. "...Huh."
'...Right before I was gonna take a day off, too.' Tsukiko stared down at the boat's hull. '...Yeah, I remember Reimu being fine. She was calling out to me, while I was-... ugh. What happened? Who-... what did that to me?'
"So." Komachi stared down at Tsukiko, while she oared. "What's the story?"
...Tsukiko stared up at her. "Of how I died? ...It was blurry, like my mind had stopped working. I could hear my daughter call out for me-... but, fuck…" She thought of Reimu again, and brought her knees to her chest.
"Ah, yeah." Komachi nodded. "Thought they retired that stuff. Guess someone's still goin' around usin' it."
...Tsukiko blinked at her. "Th- that stuff?"
Komachi nodded. "Ah, yeah. Just gonna say, a certain someone was pretty trigger-happy wit' that kinda crap back in the day. Screws up the mind, then the body follows. It's the most invisible of poisons, considerin' the era an' place it's bein' used in."
"Did-... someone inject me, with something?" Tsukiko guessed…
Komachi snorted. "Eeh, close. Y'see, it starts by gettin' placed in the brain, so y'can't fight back, an' that way talkin' about how ya died is just-... overall more confusin'. Watch yer cause of death be totally different in the paper tomorrow, too. Probably drowning, or fire, or somethin'."
"Who?" Tsukiko wanted to know. "Who'd have done that?"
"Now that," Komachi held up a finger. "I ain't allowed to tell you that. Hakurei god ain't allowed to know, and it knows this… and, hell, it probably already knows, but we got a lotta people watchin' this boat ride, and I ain't eager to take a ride to the paperwork dungeon."
'...How strange.' Tsukiko began to calm down again. 'I guess there's no use in fretting about things now. It's a little late for that.'
"Enough about me, an' us, and the forty-or-more old dudes watching us." Komachi looked down at her again. "An'- by story, I meant like, life story. Gimme tha' scoop."
Tsukiko gave her an uncertain look. "Don't you already know?"
Komachi snorted. "I know the date ya die, not everythin' about you. Although-... I can infer some things. Considerin' I had ta ferry yer mom."
"...Ah." Tsukiko tilted her head back.
'That-... must've been a fucking ride.'
"Guessin' yer age when ai had ta do that…" Komachi shifted her focus to the water for a moment, then back to Tsukiko. "I'm bettin' this is feelin' all too familiar."
"Fuck me, it is." Tsukiko admitted. "Da~mn."
...For some moments, she simply took in the paddling of Komachi's scythe against the water. As they'd began crossing the Sanzu, a mist had overtaken their voyage, leaving the beginning and destination vague.
"...Well." She started talking, sitting up a little higher. "When I was twenty, nearly thirty, I began really picking up on martial arts. I had Reimu when I was thirty five… and, my husband died when I was thirty eight. Now I'm forty, and also dead. That's the gist of the time between when I was fifteen, and now. I met some friends… fought a bunch."
"Oo~h, did you fight." Komachi began to grin. "You killed like-... you killed exactly one hundred seven youkai, just about-... a~nd, you injured at least between a thousand and a couple thousand. Y'didn't kill any humans unjustified- thank fuck- but you did kill-... twenty three in self-defense. Ya injured about one fourth of the human village, which is like five hundred fifty-something people. You've eaten about three hundred deer in your lifetime, around a thousand cows, and- hrm, the food stats're always inconsistent…"
'...Huh.' Tsukiko never looked back on her killcount, really. 'That's interesting.'
"Nice to get some concrete numbers on that." Tsukiko supposed.
At that, Komachi tilted her head. "Mmm… fer a Hakurei, it's a bit small compared ta others. Y'know 'bout cher grandma? She killed like-... one thousand directly; indirectly through her military leadership, she lead the death of over a hundred thousand."
"Holy shit…" The number sort of staggered Tsukiko…
The scythe clicked and clapped against the calm of the Sanzu, as they continued into the eternal afterlife.
"So…" Since Tsukiko didn't feel like saying much more, Komachi considered some basic icebreakers… "What's most important ta you?"
...It didn't take Tsukiko long to come up with an answer. "My family." She left it at that, too.
...Looking up, Komachi tried to think up another good one… "What do ya want outta life?"
Again, Tsukiko had a rather prompt answer. "To be strong."
...At that, Komachi rolled the response around in her mouth, for a moment. "To be strong, huh? S'that really so important?"
"Yes." Tsukiko nodded. "Without my strength, I would have died. If I had more strength-... my husband would still be here. I might not have died now, if I were stronger."
Komachi snorted, but just barely. "No~ guarantees on that one…"
Once again, the conversation had died. Taking in a breath of the river's air, Komachi went for another real stinger. "What're you afraid of?"
This question had a few answers for Tsukiko, actually, so she actually had to think on it.
'My fears…' She pursed her lips. 'I fear for Reimu right now, if that counts. Can I fear dying, now that I'm dead?'
"I would have said dying." Tsukiko decided. "...I suppose 'getting old' would fit my idea best, too."
"Don't those kinda contrast?" Komachi smirked at her.
"...Now that you mention it, yeah." Tsukiko admitted. "They're both fairly weak states of being. Provided, in the latter-... Reimu wouldn't need me anymore, then. I mean-... the situation I'm in right now was pretty much my greatest fear."
"Fair enou~gh." Komachi nodded gingerly… "Lotsa people fear death. Some fer similar reasons ta yours… an' some for less so similar reasons!"
Slowly, the mist began to clear up. 'Are we almost there…?'
"Ooh." Komachi had an idea. "Y'know, I saw this on a quiz pamphlet at HQ. Destructive power, magical power, or enduring power?"
"...The hell kinda question is that." Tsukiko raised a brow. "Really does sound like you found it off a pamphlet."
"S'cause I did." Komachi grinned at her. "Ya gotta pick one, and spit on the other one."
"Fuck magic." Tsukiko immediately disparaged magicians. "Enduring power, I guess."
"I guess that was kind of a silly question, fer you…" Komachi smiled, looking ahead. "Oh, hey. We're almost done here."
...Standing up on the ironically well-balanced ferry, Tsukiko stared ahead with her.
As the mist parted, a land locked in dawn was depicted ahead. The sun was rising, behind the tip of a large, red-roofed structure; but it wasn't so bright as to hurt the eye, even.
It was like the Hakurei Shrine, except one hundred times as grand; as complex of different levels, rooftops, and twisting, branching pathways. The wood and shingles were eternally pristine. The term 'shrine' didn't befit a structure of this magnitude: it was a Hakurei-styled castle.
To the sides of the river's shore, where the truly unique land of the afterlife began, as opposed to the regular Higan-esque shore, there were smaller, Hakurei-styled structures, as well.
"If it's any consolation…" Komachi spoke beside her. "All yer other family members are here too. Including yer mom."
"Aa- ah…" Tsukiko blinked at that idea. "...That's not so bad, either."
Shoof. The ferry boat slowed, as it neared the shore of the Hakurei afterlife.
"Whelp…" Komachi faced Tsukiko, and smiled. "Here's yer stop."
Clunk- thunk. The boat stopped abruptly, next to the pristine pier, making Tsukiko flinch for a moment. "Aah."
...Taking a gradual moment, Tsukiko stepped off the boat, and onto the pier.
She let out a breath. Looking back, she saw Komachi wave at her.
'Well…' Moving forward, she took in the grandiose castle's appearance.
Moving towards the huge stairway up, she chose to walk up the stairs regularly. Imposing obelisks dotted either end of the stairway, as she made her way up the lush hillside, approaching the castle atop it.
Near the stair's top, she could see how the great complex resembled the Hakurei Shrine. Even with this level of complexity, the door to the main room was still where it always was, and the walkway to it was the same.
Tsukiko looked back. The ferry boat at the bottom was gone.
….Turning back around, she gazed around the courtyard ahead. It was populated, to her surprise, with shrine maidens with vastly varying degrees of apparel, most in regular kimonos. There were men there too, in robes and various geki outfits. Some even wore armor; in fact, there were women there in armor, as well.
In the center of the stone path ahead, Tsukiko saw the figure of her mother standing there. She seemed as she remembered, clad in her slightly modified kimono, with her long brown hair flowing.
"...Time to go." Tears forming in her eyes, she faced the torii at the top of the stairs, smiled, and walked through.
SENDAI HAKUREI NO MIKO MODE
1
Hakurei Maiden
Tsukiko Hakurei was awake.
'O- oh… ugh.' Also, she had one hell of a hangover, or so it seemed.
...Slowly sitting up, the six foot tall miko found herself lying in a grassy field.
'I-... did I go drinking? Woah…'
Wind softly blew through her long black hair, and through her red-white clothes. Even though the season wasn't compromising, her toned and weathered body took the breeze easily.
A late day's hollow embrace soothed her eyes, and the auburn tint coming onto the distant trees made her feel warm inside.
'Wh- when did it become fall…? How smashed was I?'
She wore a black leotard underneath a thick red cloth apron, and a hakama. Two long Hakurei arm sleeves hung off each arm, attached by mysterious means; which were most likely strings.
'I'm still dressed? Huh…'
Then, they came.
Memories of battle met her again, against the many youkai of the land. 'Wh- wait...'
It'd been some years since she had gone on definitive hunts, or rallied with her friends against the monsters.
Those that defiled, those those who knew no mortal emotion. Those who saw humanity as stepping stones in their sometimes selfish, sometimes ascended perception of the world. This included not only those of youkai kin, but those of fragmented humanity as well.
Of course, it'd be one-sided to exclude those who acted out of need, desperation, misinformation, or true ignorance. 'What-...'
The sensations of memory rushed through her, like the breeze. Each moment came in pieces, mere disjointed sequences of a complete film, fragmented and incomplete. A whirlwind that called back to the void her soul had just been released from.
Countless warm days of sitting on the porch with her daughter. Cold winters clambering up the shrine steps…
Reimu. Keisuke. Fights. Marcus. Keine, Rinnosuke, magic, air- running- iron- holy- mom- Reimu- water- light- blurry light- pain- Reimu-
"Fu- fuck…" She held onto her own head.
'What-... what is- going on…? I- I-...' In the middle of this, she couldn't place this ailment. 'I-...'
That's when the most recent parts came back in shards. She tucked Reimu into bed, locked the shrine up tight, and then…
Her mind had seemed broken, or fragmented, at the time. '...Re- Reimu.' She remembered waking up on the Sanzu's shore, but nothing more. 'Reimu! Oh, gods!'
She began running, from the field she began in. Her legs had no speed, her jog scattered and at best consistent, but she used nothing but her muscles to push her towards the shore of the Misty Lake.
Stopping near the water, she paused, out of breath. "Aa-... ha~h… ha~h…"
'Are-... you kidding me…?' She looked down at her limbs. 'Why am I-...'
...Stopping in the reserved, pleasant day's light, she gazed at the Hakurei Shrine in the distance. '...If Reimu's-... been alive, for awhile, then… what am I?'
Across the land, in her era, she was known as the Hakurei miko. She told her name to few people; only those who she felt had a right to know. 'Tsukiko Hakurei. That's-... that's my name, right. Um…'
She was in Gensokyo, land of fantasy; and she was its keeper. Keyword being 'was'. She is now the miko who came before; Sendai Hakurei no Miko.
'The miko who came before.' She settled on her new personal title. 'That's not gonna get old fast, surely. I think I'll just-... hmm. I'll tell people what I am when I get around to it, I guess. Cross that bridge when I get to it, so forth.'
Bringing her arms behind her head, she stretched. "Hn~h…"
'So…' She looked around. Slowly, she brought her arms behind her head, and began stretching... 'Hnn~. I thought I was dead. What gives.'
Finished stretching, she ran her hands through her hakama pockets. 'Ah. I still have my things.' She remembered them, but somehow, they felt unfamiliar...
Bringing her hand out, she took out a Hakurei talisman, and threw it forward-
Woosh. It left a glowing trail of light as it flew off like a bullet, soaring into the distance of the plains… 'Wimpy talismans, check.'
Again reaching into her pocket, she took out a small yin-yang orb this time…
Holding it up, her magic made it maximize to about the size of her upper body in diameter with her magic.
"Hup!" Once it was fully expanded, she jumped into the air, she brought her other arm back to slap it.
Smack! The blow sent the orb arcing into the air. It soon succumbed to gravity...
Bam! Moments after she landed, the orb also landed, bouncing in the dirt.
'Good. All my-... weird toys seem to work. I don't even have any cramps...' Reaching a hand into her right sleeve, Sendai muddled about.
'...Oh.' She took out a handful of holy salt, freshly generated by magical means. 'Now's probably not the time to fool around with all this stuff...'
Idly, she tossed the handful forward. The thick salt clumps fell to the ground lazily. '...I'm sure the grass will appreciate that.'
Turning, she gazed into the water again. Seeing her own reflection in the shallows was sobering.
'I should get a grasp on just what the hell's going on around here.' Sendai gazed into the sky. 'Damn. At least it's a nice day for this sort of thing.'
Turning away from the lake, she began her trek to the path towards the Hakurei Shrine. 'Screw everything else right now. I need to get home and find out what the hell's up.'
...As she marched, she looked at the sky. Some cute fairies were approaching her, all of a sudden. 'Ah, good. Target practice. Let's take out my confusion on them.'
They almost beelined towards her, which she supposed was to be expected. "Heya, Reimu!" The blue-haired one waved down at her. Upon getting closer, she gaped, too. "Woaa~h! Your hair got super long!"
"Uh- uhm, Cirno-chan…" Floating up behind her friend, the green-haired greater fairy stuttered and jittered. "I don't think... that's the shrine maiden you're looking for…"
'She's adorable.' Sendai wanted to hug her.
...Hovering closer, Cirno narrowed her eyes. "...Well, then she can get outta my way! Eye wanted to talk to Reimu!"
Abruptly, a barrage of icicles whirred out to meet Sendai.
'What…!?' Tensing up at the luminescent spectacle, she braced for the impact with her arms. 'What power-'
Ti- tick, tick. The bright, translucent particles shattered into magic against Sendai's skin. The impacts were unimpressive and blunt, and vaguely left her arms itchy.
Still, this didn't really compare to what she'd experienced before. 'Huh. Is this… danmaku? Really…?'
She remembered the magic distinctly. It was one of few things she picked up from her mother, and she taught it to Reimu to give her something to play with. It was especially handy, since budgets were tight. 'Why's some random fairy running around, using it? Provided… it's probably not that complicated of magic, anyway.'
"Hahaha~! Eye hit her, Eye hit her!" Pumping a fist into the air, Cirno ceased firing the danmaku and mocked her. "Stupid fake shrine maiden!"
...Lowering her guarding posture, Sendai simply began to continue around the lakeside, outwardly indifferent. 'Well, that was cute.'
"Cirn- Cirno-chan…" Again, the great fairy spoke up. "She's leaving."
"What!?" Roaring towards Sendai, Cirno up behind her and tried to grab her shoulders. "Haha~! You can't run from me, fake-"
Sendai stopped, and pivoted on the heel of her sandal. 'Now!'
The move was nowhere near as graceful as she imagined. Failing to elbow the fairy with any force, Sendai rotated around gradually, and threw a huge hook. "Fuck off!"
-+- Vs. Fairies -+-
WHUNK! "Ghk!" Cirno held her own stomach, the hook to her body staggering her. "...Oo- ow! Ihdhiot!"
Memories of combat only just trickled into Sendai's body. 'Um.'
'...What do I do, again?' It was a very scary sensation. 'I guess- hit her, obviously, before she hits me back. Wh- why can't I-...'
Standing up onto both legs, Cirno pumped herself up, flexing both arms into the air. "You're a super idio~t!"
'He- hehe!' Sendai couldn't help but grin at her, however. 'Super idiot, huh. Well, she's just a fairy, so... I should be able to warm up easy enough.'
"Nngh…!" Full of power and childish anger, Cirno sprinted up to the bigger woman, reeling her arm over her head for a powerful overhead thrust.
pap. Sendai brought up both arms, and guarded cross-style. 'Ooo.' This action was pretty much automatic, and she supposed it was okay. It'd stopped the fairy's arm and fist pretty easily.
'Now…' There was more to fighting than taking a hit, she remembered. 'How about I dodge, this time?'
"Nrrh…" After clenching her fists, Cirno slapped them together before herself. "Take this!"
Fwa- fwa- fwash! In a moment, luminescent, person-sized blue icicles whirled from her form, towards Sendai.
'Woah!' Sendai recognized this as real magic.
fwish. She'd jerked all of her muscles, as if flinching, but the motion let her sandals glide across the grass, the precise motion pulling her form with some kind of martial grace.
'...Ah.' She supposed she saw how that worked… 'Huh. Ah- right… it's a-... magic thing? Maybe my body just does it? If I tense all my muscles, I can do it, so I'm gonna do it from now on...'
"Whah…" Cirno saw what happened, blinking with her eyes widened. "I can slide fast too! I read the mangas-... too!"
fwi- fwi- fwish! Abruptly, Cirno dashed around similarly on her bare feet, before stopping… "Oo- um." The quick sliding made her disoriented…
'As cute as this is, I've got to move on.' Sendai's curiosity ate at her.
"Haa~h…!" Calling on her inner magic, Sendai-... lost her train of thought. "A- aa…"
'My- magic…?' She'd tried to call on her spiritual power, to supercharge one of her replicable items. 'I felt really lightheaded, and then nothing happened…'
pap. Cirno succeeded in giving a cute punch to Sendai's abs. "Got you…!"
...Plainly, Sendai lifted a yin-yang above her own head. As it expanded in her arms, she guided it forward, lugging it down into Cirno's skull.
KRI- KRUNCH- Pi~chun! Cirno was squished.
"Ci- Cirno-chan!?" The great fairy's jaw dropped. "O- oah…! Oh, no~!" Almost on a delay, she held her own head, her whole body tilting back in a dangerously adorable manner.
...Seconds later, she darted away when Sendai made eye-contact with her.
'So damn cute.' It was business as usual for her, when it came to fairies. 'I needed that.'
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the spiral of clouds in the slowly whirling blue sky above.
'...For some reason-... I feel so good.' Sendai smiled at the day.
The path to the Hakurei Shrine was before her, recognizable and beckoning. Marching forward, she took onto it. 'On the road again. At least it's not the dead of winter.'
'How much have I forgotten?' Sendai searched herself, and her mana...
She thought to her weird tools- or toys- again, since they were the first thing that came to mind. 'My… weapon things.'
She still had the myriad tools she used to use. How to use them effectively, however, was somewhat of a mystery again.
'Hakurei talismans. They weren't ever really complicated, to use… you just throw them at youkai.'
'The yin-yang orb. It might be simple to bounce it forward, but it's also really helpful to just use as a weapon itself.'
Then, there were the more unorthodox items. '...The Gensokyo Chronicle? Oh, right- it's enchanted to go nuts, and the pages attack things. Hmm…'
'Rebound stone. Or, stones. Sharp, crystal-like stones that bounce around really nicely. With enough force, they cut like knives. They're holy, too. I think they were a Hakurei thing...'
'Salt.' On impulse, she drew some salt from her sleeves. '...I- I don't know. I think it was to help with cooking, actually. I do hunt animals for food, sometimes.' The process of hunting was mundane and native enough for her to remember.
'Oh, man. That reminds me of the time I had Kourin curse a deer, just so I could lay down talismans on it to cripple it. That was actually really good at killing it painlessly…'
Letting the holy salt flop to the dirt nearby, she continued to think about what she had control of. '...Holy molotovs!' Her friend Marcus had actually helped her with those. 'He helped with that… Gensokyo Chronicle enchantment, too.'
As she approached the shrine stairs, the sun began to set.
One of her strangest magic items was the Dragon Palace flintlock. She drew the tiny pistol, and held it towards the grass nearby.
zap- zap. Upon pulling the trigger, small blue bolts of electricity zipped out, randomly meeting the ground. 'What.' Sendai didn't remember this at all, actually. '...I know it came from the Dragon Palace. I don't remember a whole lot else.'
She pulled out a rusty stopwatch.
...Then, she shook it about. 'It won't open. Wait-'
Clack! It popped open after she smacked it. The hands inside were stuck. 'Aw. That's lame. Telling the time would've been handy.' This was a watch she'd bought at the village, and had Marcus help fix to her spiritual energy, she remembered.
How any of these sub-weapons worked was a science similar to how she could craft ofuda, talismans and yin-yangs from her spiritual energy. While she couldn't discard the Hakurei-centric relics, or at least not without effort she'd never explored, it was relatively easy to get help with blessing and making a holy tool of a number of other items.
For some items, it wasn't possible or convenient. 'I tried to make chairs a holy tool once. Sometimes, they just didn't come out right… or, they broke when I used them, or they ejected from my sleeves. Ngh.' It took a lot of care to properly orient an item, so she didn't do it a lot.
As the day grew later, the ground's color was yellow, as Sendai climbed the stone steps.
"...Gorgeous." Facing the setting sun, she took another deep breath of fresh air.
Her eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the contours of distant mountains bathed in the horizon's azure fog. '...What lies beyond those mountains?' It was a thought she'd returned to time and time again, although at this point, she was content with not knowing. 'I can't help but want to explore. But, Gensokyo's big enough for me.'
There was one mountain she'd scaled a bunch, however. It was inside the barrier, and not very horizon-colored due to its proximity. 'Not quite as alluring as the ones outside it...'
A wind hugged her, as she came towards the torii at the apex of the steps. "Well…"
No one was out on the shrine yard, at the moment. Just as Sendai always remembered, the shrine's main room sat there in plain view, with only the kitchen extension to the left throwing off the symmetry. '...Gotta do what you gotta do for safety.'
"...Time to go." She faced the torii at the top of the stairs, smiled, and walked through.
'...I don't know why I wanted to say that, but, I did.' She felt satisfied about it, too.
Click, click. Leaving the apex of the stairs, her sandals clicked against the stone landing atop the stairs, which was part of the path ahead.
Stopping on this stone path, she looked at the dimly lit shrine ahead. 'Why's she got the lights on?' Furrowing her brows, she both criticized and observed… 'That'll attract attention. Although… the steps and everything seem to have been refurbished. It's actually really nice looking, even if the evening might hide some of the wear.'
Stepping onto the shrine porch, she proceeded to the door. 'It's time to face this head on. Just yesterday, I was tucking her into bed. I don't actually know what to expect...'
Cli- click. As Sendai stepped forward towards this door, a woman clad in a flimsy maid outfit appeared near her.
'Hmm?' Sendai spared her a look, as she she did her.
...Then, the silver-haired maid just trotted ahead, chugging from the booze she had with her. 'Weird. Who the hell was that.'
-+- Sendai Hakurei no Miko Mode -+-
Shu~nk. The shrine door slid open plainly.
...Four girls stared up at Sendai, from a kotatsu ahead.
A shrine maiden sat; the new Hakurei miko, Reimu. Her back was to the front door. Slowly, she turned…
Next to her, a witch and a green-clad girl looked Sendai over, looking half-buzzed…
Someone in a business suit and rabbit ears sighted her too, her red eyes visible from the kotatsu's back, examining.
…
"Wha-..." Reimu Hakurei's gaze was plain. "...Oh."
'That's…' Ignoring the weirdos, Sendai felt herself stop… 'Reimu.'
"Aw, lookit…" The blonde mage girl- with the world's poofiest hat- gestured to her. "First time we've seen one 'a these in awhile, ze!"
The lavender-haired rabbit girl stood. "I could take care of her-"
"I'm used to cutting down pests." The white-haired girl began to stand, too-
"Coo~l it…" Grinning, Reimu stood before them, holding a hand up. "Wow, you guys are trigger-happy tonight. Sit down. I'll set it straight myself, so it stops coming back."
"Re- Reimu…" Sendai felt like melting from relief. "Oh my god…" She dropped onto her knees. "I'm-... I'm so glad you're okay."
...Shuffling across the shrine floor in her white socks, Reimu looked the woman up and down. "Cool costume. Right- who were you again? Is this Chitose? Doppel?"
'...Wh- ah.' Sendai felt herself drain. 'She-... she doesn't- think I'm me. Of course she doesn't- she thinks I'm some doppelganger.'
Crack. Crack. Ignoring those names, Sendai stood, then cracked her own neck, and her knuckles. "I… am the miko, who came before."
"Nice." Rolling her eyes, Reimu held up her gohei like a sword, or a bat. "I guess I'll beat your costume off and then question you."
-+- Vs. Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Reimu Hakurei -+-
Crack. Crack. Sendai cracked her neck, then her knuckles. 'How-... am I going to prove myself, to Reimu?' Her body felt distant, and different…
"I-... I don't want to fight you." Sendai didn't want to hit her daughter.
Reimu took a few practice swings with her gohei, like it were a bat. "...Ready when you are." She didn't seem to care.
'...Well. Alright.'
Woosh! Sendai ran straight at her, fists ready. She lunged a hook forward-
WHUNK! Reimu thrust her gohei forward, with enough force to stop Sendai entirely, making her cringe. 'Unh- the hell-'
CLACK! She brought her gohei down on Sendai's head. 'Ouch- fuck-'
Reimu spun around in an instant. "Take that!"
WHACLACK! She landed the backside of a spinning swing attack on Sendai, sending her skidding back from the knockback. "Ohn-...!"
'She hits like a fucking-... grown man!' Sendai nursed the stinging sensations along her body. 'No- she hits even harder! What the hell!'
Leisurely, Reimu strolled to the left, her gohei now over her shoulder. "...That's what pain feels like, doppel-chan."
Sendai began to glare at her. "...Re- Reimu. Please. I'm-... I'm Tsukiko."
"Give it a rest." Reimu began to waltz closer, now.
FWA- FWA- FWAP! A string of glowing, holy ofuda met Sendai's stomach.
...As she stood there, they fluttered off. Reimu furrowed her brows.
Sendai frowned at her. "The night I died-... the morning. Don't you remember that morning? The morning-... where I wasn't all together?" Sendai teared up a little, thinking about it. "I-... I died later that day, didn't I?"
"What the hell is your proble~m!?" Reimu roared. "What the hell do you know!? Where do you shitheads get off!?"
"...You can tell when Reimu's mahd…" The blonde, witch-hatted girl spoke up in the background. "She starts ta actually swear!"
At this point, Sendai had enough of everything. "Wh- where do you get off, Reimu…!? I- I know-... I don't have a lot for me to verify myself, to you, but-"
Cla- cla- clack! Reimu ran at her. "Hrh…!" She leapt, lugging her gohei up in a huge, overarm swing.
Woosh. Sendai moved to hook her in the stomach.
Reimu appeared behind her, the hook meeting nothing for meters. 'What-'
WHACLACK! The gohei met the back of Sendai's head. "Aaa-..."
'Da- damn it…' She stumbled forward. 'I can't-'
She turned to the right, where Reimu happened to appear from next.
Whunk! Thrusting an arm forward, she managed to land a hook on Reimu's midsection. 'Gotcha!'
"Nnh!" Reimu recoiled, her eyes narrowing, as she brought up her gohei to defend herself-
CLICK! Upon punching the gohei with her other arm, Sendai's momentum was completely reflected, making her stagger back. "Wh- what-"
WHACLACK! Reimu whipped her gohei up, along Sendai's body.
Thud! The strike was so great, that Sendai fell over from it. 'Ho- holy shit…' She grimaced up. 'She's-... she's not even that good yet, but- she's only a young adult, and has this power?'
WOOSH! Reimu unleashed a yin yang orb, in Sendai's direction. 'Wh- aoh!'
BAM! Rolling aside it, then standing, Sendai took a glance at the crater it made in the floor. 'How'd she use that so fast-'
BAM- BAM! It bounced off the wall behind her, then a rafter above-
CLAP! Sendai caught it with both arms. 'Yeah!'
WOOSH! Lugging it forward, she hurled the chest-sized yin yang back at Reimu.
CLACK! Smacking it away with a two-armed gohei swing, Reimu frowned ahead at Sendai. "Really…"
'The lights, when I died-...' Sendai thought of her own death, again. 'Goddamn it.'
Click! Suddenly, Reimu whirled ahead, through the air towards her. "Hyeah!"
THUNK! Sendai blocked a massive, forward cleaving gohei strike with both arms. "Gh-"
THUNK! Reimu leapt again, doing the same downward cleave-
WHATHUNK! One last leap-and-cleave broke through Sendai's guard, smacking an arm to the side. 'God- damn it…!'
Pap! Lunging a hand ahead, Sendai got her by the neck. "Nnh…!?" Reimu's eyes widened.
Woosh- BAM! Spinning around, Sendai tossed her back into an nearby shrine wall. Hurrying up to her, she lunged a punch forward.
WHACK- BAM! She rammed two arms into Reimu's chest, one after the other. 'Now-...'
WOOSH. She rammed her fist into Reimu's head, or, she tried to.
Fwi- fwi- fwish. When her palm crushed Reimu's head into the wall, her figure exploded into a mess of ofuda, glowing and holy, like confetti. 'What…'
WHAM- CLACK! Reimu swung her gohei into Sendai's head, smashing it into the wall. "Nghk- anh…"
Thud. Falling back from the wall, Sendai looked up…
Reimu pointed her gohei down, at her. "Just- stop, will ya? I'm just trying to have an evening, and here you are fighting tooth-and-claw just so you can annoy me."
"Nn- no…" Sendai began to push herself off the floor, and she stumbled for the door, while turning to face Reimu. "I- I won't just-..."
"Fine." Reimu held her arms out, and floated into the air.
'What…?' Sendai felt her adrenaline spike, her mind reeling. 'She's-...!'
"Divine Spirit!" Reimu announced the name of her magic. "Fantasy Seal!"
Fwi- fwi- fwi- fwi- fwi- fwish! Orbs generated in the air above her, rotating around her.
FLASH! That's when they lit up with dangerous, rainbow-colored energy, bending the light around them.
'She knows- item crashes…!' Sendai braced her arms, shutting her eyes. 'Fuck…'
'Wait-...' She looked up, seeing the rafters, and remembering her last night. 'I can just-'
WOOSH! Dark energy, only dark energy flooded up her arm, as she uppercutted.
She didn't even gain more than a meter off the floor, taking her nowhere near the rafter. "Aa- ah…"
The yin-yang orbs came for her. 'Oh- n-'
FWAM- BAM- FWAM- BAM- BAM- FWAM…! The orbs rolled into her one after another, exploding. The echoing blasts of color rocked her body, the light around her becoming an ineligible mess as she got torn into.
'Ho- how…' It was like an explosion.
The blossoming, unnatural and magical pain wracked through her. 'Not-... like this…' Her heart beat harder than she thought she could know, but a part of her knew this was… in some strange way, normal.
BOOM! The last orb exploded against her body-
Shunk! The shrine door shut. It took her mind a moment to catch up, but she was flung outside.
Thud. Body aglow with luminescent, danmaku residue, Sendai landed hard, her head vibrating against the stone it flopped against. "Aa- ahn…"
Deflated, defeated, and submissive, Sendai stared up at the dim blue sky. Her head reeled and her soul shuddered. 'I-... I...'
All of her energy drained, she felt herself slip away.
'Reimu...'
Her vision faded out, body slowing…
Reimu stood over her, a dry gaze meeting her eyes through the blurring world...
'im proud' It was all worth it.
It was all worth seeing Reimu again, even if it had to end like this.
Reimu was doing fine. She wasn't needed anymore.
Almost as warm as the chill of death, Tsukiko's consciousness fell away, one last talisman of danmaku properties meeting her head.
'i love you'
She welcomed it again. Reimu would kill her under her beliefs, and that would be that. Tsukiko knew she could return to peaceful rest once more.
She was no longer the Hakurei miko. She was the miko who came before.
SENDAI HAKUREI NO MIKO MODE: FINAL MIX
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
hello again chapter one!
except this time i'm a BIG STRONG LAD with a BIG STRONG JAB, er, hook
this intro should have a hell of a lot more weight since it actually like sets up some past stuff, and shows off some key characters that sendai appreciates in her life to give weight to things
also how she died that was pretty big too
there's a lot of really good stuff in this chapter!
INDEX:
CHEAT CODES:
Prologue: you are here
Return of the Shrine Maiden / Force Addiction Chapter 2
A Reintroduction to Marcus Kirisame Chapter 5
Reimu Hakurei Chapter 10
Parry Addiction Chapter 14
Crash Addiction Chapter 18
A Reintroduction to Rinnosuke Morichika Chapter 19
