/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Sighing, I poked Yamame's cheek, and she stirred. Sorry, I told her, but I didn't think it was a great idea to have a nice nap when there was a possibility of three oni, an ex-celestial, and a human Shrine Maiden crashing into your bedroom. "Mhm...? Oh, er.,..Yeah..." She sounded a little groggy, even though she hadn't been asleep for all that long. Now that she was awake again, I related my idea to her. "You're sure you want to go there?" She asked me as I shifted my arms off of her and allowed her to stretch her body out properly again. I nodded, though she couldn't really see it, and said that it was just a thing on my mind. "Well, sure. They might even be nicer since I worked for them." I wasn't sure they really did 'nice', but it was worth a try. "Was I asleep for long? You really are comfortable, you know." Not that long, I said absently as I listened to the noises outside. After a few seconds of silence, I decided that it would probably be best to get going about now.

Outside, things weren't too different. I could see Kasen in the distance, still engaging in fights with the other oni. On this peak, though, sitting with her gohei resting over her lap, was Reimu. Tenshi was sat not far from her, rolling the hilt of her sword between her hands yet again. Wandering over, Tenshi took notice first. "Oh, there you two are. I thought you had gone and left."

"Nah, I saw them." Reimu added. "In the water. Boating." She looked back at me. "Was that really the right time?" It seemed like a nice way of watching the fight, and it really had been. "...Right." She mumbled. "We're, uh, taking a break. Even a washed-up celestial wouldn't last too long against three oni, especially ones as freakishly strong as those three."

"And even a lazy Shrine Maiden would struggle." Tenshi replied, and Reimu whipped her head around to glare at the ex-celestial. "Since she couldn't even beat Kasen on her own." Reimu couldn't exactly argue that, since it was exactly what had happened, and she knew it.

"Beat the other two, though." She muttered under her breath. It was a little bit petulant, I thought. "Look - That's not important. What are you two doing, then?" She looked back to Yamame and me. "Are you staying? Going?" I thought we were going, probably to the Vampire's mansion. "What? Why would you go there?" I wanted to see Lady Patchouli, I explained. "She'll probably either attack you for daring to come into her library or just tell you to go away, you know." It was definitely a possibility, I supposed, but I hoped for a better result. "Yeah, you always do..." Reimu said slowly, nodding. "Alright, well...I'll stick around here. I need to just double-check that Kasen isn't going to, I don't know, go crazy. Or start running amok with the other two. Actually - Maybe we should just separate them." She looked over to Tenshi. "You're fine with that, right?"

Tenshi looked over at the oni in the distance. I could hear the booms of their fists colliding even from here. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll stick around." Tenshi looked back at Yamame and me. "I'll see you soon, okay?" I blinked, suddenly remembering something, so I blurted out the word 'fishing.' "...Fishing?" Tenshi repeated slowly, looking at me like I'd just started dribbling. "Er, what about fishing?" Stumbling through the words, I explained that I'd been given a fishing rod as a gift, and I knew that Tenshi could fish but I wanted to learn too. "Oh - Oh! Right, I see. That was our first conversation, wasn't it?" Right, I nodded. "Okay, well...When we get some free time, I guess. Probably won't be until after the wedding, though." Yeah, I didn't think it would be before. There still seemed to be a lot going on, so I figured that it would be after. "Looking forward to it." Tenshi said, smiling and nodding. With a few more minor pleasantries exchanged, we'd finally said our goodbyes.

Reimu promised to get Kasen to not change the senkai's route, so Kasen wouldn't have a chance to disappear or lock everyone either inside or out. That was probably for the best, I thought, since we still weren't entirely sure how her oni self would handle having her original personality back. For all we knew, she might have just decided on a whim to lock everyone in and have a fight until no one could fight anymore.

There was probably more than enough of Lady Kasen still in there to prevent that, though.

When Reimu finally did re-emerge from the storage building with Tenshi in tow and the duo of Ran and Chen following behind, it was with a whole host of bruises, torn clothes, and ill will. "-Just saying, it's not my fault that you can't organize your own storerooms. I try to help, and this is the thanks I get? Bah, I should've just gone and bugged Marisa all day." Tenshi raised her hands, her eyes lightly shut and her general air of smugness very much present.

Reimu, who's entire vest and shirt had been torn so that it now looked as if it only went down to just above her navel, and who's sleeves had some long gashes in them to go with the bruise on her face and the cut just above her left eye, growled. "You wouldn't know what help was if it kicked you in your smug ex-celestial face." She kept having to blink because the cut wouldn't stop bleeding, and feeling quite panicked, I hopped up from the veranda and rushed over. "It's fine - Fine!" She told me in her tired-and-annoyed voice. "Forehead cuts always bleed like this. I'm fine. Stop fussing." She told me, pushing me back when I tried to get a better look.

Turning to Tenshi, I tried to inspect her, because her clothes looked to be just fine. "Oh, I'm just fine. Your poor sister couldn't hurt me if she tried."

"She's lying." Reimu muttered. "It's just under her clothes." Tenshi did look like she'd been caught out at that, but she still shrugged me off when I asked if she was okay.

"They were having a fistfight when we arrived." Ran told me, sounding quite annoyed about the whole thing. "Like children." Her eyes narrowed and she spared a glance at Chen, who didn't look like she'd taken any particular notice, and Reimu, who was glaring daggers at her. "Human children." She clarified.

"Thanks." Reimu muttered. "That makes it much better." Tenshi looked like she was doing her best to not care, but also seemed to care significantly. "If she hadn't been messing up my storeroom, it wouldn't have happened, so-"

"Moving on!" Ran raised her voice just slightly, and I saw a flicker of the same sort of annoyance she'd displayed when I'd pushed her slightly too far by asking questions. "Reimu, Lady-" She cut herself off, her eyes flickering toward me for a split second. "Lady Hearn," Reimu snorted at this, "Has, as is always the case, tasked me with assisting you with any necessary Shrine maintenance for the coming Winter." Ran's jaw seemed just slightly too clenched, and I wondered if she was more annoyed with Hearn than she was trying to let on. "If there are any pressing matters you need rectified, please inform me now."

"Pressing, but not pressing enough for her to show up herself, huh?" Reimu muttered under her breath. I was surprised to see the expression on her face. It looked like some sort of resigned disappointment. Something she expected to happen, but still made her feel a little sad every time. "She hasn't shown up for all of Summer and Autumn, too." I stepped up to Reimu without really thinking and laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me with a small smile, but didn't say anything. Finally, she sighed heavily. "Well...Guess we can start with the big stuff. There's some big cracks running through the storm shutters, and some bits of the veranda got hit by water damage in the last few months, so they'll need replacing. Some of the tatami mats in my rooms got damaged - just tea and stuff..." She rubbed her chin, then made a slightly annoyed noise when she aggravated one of the bruises she'd gotten. "Oh, er, Suika broke my kotatsu during a party. She keeps saying she'll replace it, but I think we all know that even if she does, it'll be at some random point years down the line, rather than when I actually need it."

"Yes, she does tend to do that sort of thing." Ran nodded, her eyes sweeping across the Shrine. "And the roof? Leaks? Breakages?"

"Some. But," And here, Reimu cheerfully slapped Tenshi on the back, who cast her eyes down at the floor and grit her teeth, "I've got someone in for that!"

"Last time I ever make a bet with you." Tenshi grumbled. "Wasn't even fair in the first place."

"Oh, don't be a sore loser. Even if you can't help it." Reimu slapped her on the back again. "If you can't win, don't play."

This time, Tenshi looked to Yamame and I. "How was I supposed to know that I'd have to deal with all the goodbyes before we could even get moving?" I cast a sideways glance at Yamame, who'd taken the opportunity at the time to kiss me within an inch of my life. She looked at me, tried and failed to hide a smirk, then shrugged. Tenshi shook her head. "So, so unfair. Poor me. However, as a celestial, I've got a reputation to maintain, so I can't renege on a bet." Reimu's mutter of 'Ex-celestial' didn't stop Tenshi's smile, but it did set her eye twitching a little.

Yamame was on my mind. I hadn't seen the spider since my breakdown in her bedroom, and despite my misgivings, I missed her. I just hoped that she was doing a better job of improving than I was. It felt stupid, that I was still getting panicky over seeing youkai and being in dark places. It was never something I'd had a problem with before, and I wanted to go back to the way I once was. She'd been good to me, and I felt like I hadn't returned the favour in any amount.

We started to climb the steps to the Shrine. "You could stay at the Hermit's place." Miss Tenshi said to me. I nodded, because it had crossed my mind, though I hadn't really come to a conclusion. Lady Kasen was nice enough, and I enjoyed listening to her tell me about all of Reimu's escapades, but at the same time, she seemed dead-set on forcing something between Reimu and I, and I wasn't sure I could take it forever. Besides, the dojo didn't feel like home to me. It felt like a temporary place that I'd stayed at while in hiding.

What did I want?

At the top of the Shrine, Aunn - the one who wasn't talkative - greeted us with her arms crossed and the barest nod. Reimu ruffled her hair as she passed, and I thought that I saw the barest hint of a smile cross the komainu's face, though it faded quickly. Reimu pushed Reisen across to the veranda then sat her down on the edge. The sun had dried off everything by this point, and I did feel my mood improve slightly from being back at the Shrine. For a moment, I considered making tea, but then I remembered that Reimu was better suited to that job. I called out to her, and she left Reisen, who's hands were still tied, on the veranda and came inside. "Are you going to be okay with this?" She asked me as she began to prepare the tea. "Her being here, I mean." I slowly nodded and said that I needed to get used to being around youkai again if I was going to be capable of much at all. "...Okay, but if it gets too much, just...come to me. I told you that the Shrine was a safe place, and I meant it." I smiled and pulled Reimu into a hug. It was nice to have someone I could rely on.

After the tea was done, we all returned to the veranda. Reisen wasn't going to be going anywhere, so Miss Tenshi took her customary position, leaning against the wall, while Reimu sat next to Reisen. I stood on the ground in front of the veranda. Reimu had prepared three cups. Reisen was clearly not getting any concessions for comfort. "Right, I have a couple more questions." Reimu told Reisen. "Why'd you wait so long?"

"For what, Hakurei? To defy my Master's orders? How quickly would you betray someone to whom you owed your life?" Reisen's voice had gained an edge to it and a stronger level of emotion. "It was not as simple as just leaving."

"Okay, calm down." Reimu didn't sound particularly interested in making Reisen calm, so in a spur of the moment action, I offered her my tea without thinking. Both Reimu and Reisen, as well as Miss Tenshi, looked at me oddly, but after a moment, Reisen reached out her bound hands and accepted the cup. I had no clue what had made me do that.

"Er, thank you." Reisen said, sounding slightly bemused. I felt the same way. I'd just been thinking about how Reisen had been involved in my traumatic experiences on the way here. Reisen slowly took a sip and I watched her ears lose some of their stiffness. "As I said, I owe my Master my life. Do not take what I am doing to mean that I am putting the life of a human over hers."

"Your master came up with this whole scheme." Miss Tenshi said quietly. "Why should she be worth trying to save?"

"I...believe that she has been emotionally compromised." Reisen looked down at the steam wafting from the cup. "She isn't sleeping. I don't recall the last time I saw her sleep."

Miss Tenshi uncrossed her arms and pushed off the wall, coming to stand next to me. "What's the deal with Fujiwara no Mokou?"

Reisen looked even harder at the tea in her cup. "I don't know. She..."

"Well? What's all this about samples?" Reimu asked, leaning in.

"The samples are - it's to test the Elixir against, to see if they'll properly die." Now, even Reisen was looking a little squeamish, and I dreaded to think what would be coming next.