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This morning, Raiko's body feels different.
Her legs have something attached to them, she feels less hollow, and her body is moist in all sorts of places. Gross, what happened? Why can't she see? She hurls herself into a sitting position, now feeling that she is wearing shoes of some sort, and two weights attached to her body swing forward.
Arms? Oh, arms!
Raiko opens her eyes and takes a look at her new body. She's a girl, like her mother dearest Shinmyoumaru, and she appears to be rather muscular, too. Her body is covered with these things, what are they called? Clothes. What a funny concept, thinks Raiko. Humans and those like them consider it to be immodest when you don't put any clothes on your body. The newly formed girl quickly figures out how to stand up, and uses her newly majestic legs to approach a mirror.
Oh, but of course, of course! She could just call for one, with her voice! "Hey, mirror! Come over here, now!" the mirror obediently waddles towards the room on its corners, stopping in front of the sliding door. Raiko, of course, can open it now, and she does. The mirror gleams with delight and wobbles on its corners excitedly to see that the rowdy, legged taiko now has more humanoid body parts.
The drum-turned-girl in question strikes a few poses, admiring her new self. "It's almost as if I match with Shinmyoumaru, yeah? With the colours, I mean. Yanno, red, heh." The mirror does not respond, because it has no mouth, but Raiko is sure it agrees. "It's pretty stylish, I think. Is it because I was red as a taiko? Or is it because of Shinmy's... I dunno, aura, maybe?" The mirror stands there as if it were to say that Raiko's hair was surely red because the taiko was.
"In that case, the koto and the biwa must have brown hair, right? C'mon boy, let's see!" She goes on her merry way to look for the other tsukumogami with the mirror in tow. She did consider for a second that the mirror might not have been a boy, and that's true, it is a mirror after all. Anyway.
She feels a warm current run through her body as she notices the faint sound of lutes in the castle - how exciting, she can feel her emotions physically now! - and runs toward it, now made easier by the fact that she has not a drum for a body, and opens the door. The instruments stop playing and the startled biwa jolts and topples over on its tiny, sad legs. Its strings hit the floor with a disharmonious 'dung' sound that resonates with Raiko as exactly what disappointment sounds like.
"Look you two, I'm a girl, now!" says Raiko, spreading her arms to emphasize the fact. The koto plays a short celebratory tune, and the biwa joins in after having successfully gotten back on its legs. "Thank you, thank you. I'd like to think I look pretty hot." The instruments do not play a tune this time, but Raiko is sure their silence means agreement. "Yanno, I'd love to play with you guys but I'm not sure how." She lifts her foot to examine the drumstick attached to her heel, she can move it freely. Hmm, how frustrating. Playing taiko as a human always seems so fun to do, she really wants to try it out.
She moves her arm as if she were hitting a drum and a satisfying rumble fills the room. The instruments and the mirror are once again startled, for a drum exactly like the one she used to be materializes in front of her. "Oh fuck, that's awesome!" she squeals. Sorry, Shinmyoumaru. Cursing seems like such an eccentric human behaviour that she had to try. "But it's pretty stupid that there's sticks stuck to my boots, don't ya think?" As if there were a genie in the room, the drum appears under her butt. "Oh, well, that'll do it. I kinda wish I had a cute and sexy girlfriend too, but life's life, right?" The cruel genie did not respond this time.
Figuring it wouldn't work anyway, Raiko begins to play the drum she's sitting on, and soon a ring of taiko appear around her waist as well, including sticks. The koto and the biwa join in to play music with her, and the mirror leaves with melancholy in its wobbles, feeling left out as usual. "Shut the fuck up!" Seija growls as the room flips upside down, literally and metaphorically, as if the entire room was flipping Raiko off. Very classy, she could only hope to achieve levels of cursing this great in her lifetime.
But, as Seija is essentially the vice-president of this entire revolution business they got going on here, the taiko had better listen to her. "Sorry, your prickliness, but it's great to finally speak to you!" Raiko says, eagerly shaking her superior's hand. Seija feels her fingers getting squashed in baby's first handshake and winces, in joy, of course, because she is stupid and evil. "Right, right. The uh, tsukumogami. Nice to know the mallet is working as intended there." "Yeah! You may call me Horikawa Raiko, formerly known as Horikawa taiko." Seija looks as if her eyes are about to shrivel up. "Okay. Raiko. Get uh, get to defendin'." She pulls her hand, disgustingly lubed with sweat, out of Raiko's iron grip and walks away as the instruments and everything else in the room plummet to the floor, which was originally the ceiling.
The three of them get up as Raiko makes note of her first-ever bruises and play music, but softly this time.
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It is another peaceful morning in Kishinjou. The sun shines gently onto the two futons sewn together into one frankenfuton, on it sleeping Seija, Shinmyoumaru, and Shinmyoumaru's big, muscly taiko daughter, taking up more than half of Seija's part of the futonstrosity.
Long, lilac hair tickles Raiko as she feels a hand on her shoulder shaking her out of her sleep. She takes a deep breath and looks to the intruder, her eyelids still somewhat heavy. When she realizes it's a new face she sits up immediately, knocking her head into the girl's nose. Said girl slouches over, wincing and rubbing her nose. "Ugh... I hope it doesn't fall off," she moans. "You! You're the-" Raiko takes quick notice of the biwa chained to her wrist, "the biwa girl! Oh my god, you're so pretty!" She takes the biwa's hands and her attention. "Yes, I mean, I- I am the biwa girl. And, thank you, and good morning," she says.
This girl looks way different from Raiko. She's purple, which also fits Shinmyoumaru's aura, although not as well as the colour red. She also has a more slender figure than Raiko does, and her eyelashes are super long, and... "You have a mullet." The girl is visibly taken aback by this. "I... I suppose I do, yes." "That's bombass and pretty cute! What's yer name?" Raiko finally lets go of her hands, and props her chin upon them. "My name is Benben Tsukumo, the koto girl is my sister, Yatsuhashi Tsukumo, and thank you, again. You look pretty stylish yourself." Benben smiles sheepishly. "Ha!" The taiko claps. "You two are sisters? That's golden, how did you even do that? I kinda want one too!"
Seija elbows Raiko in her side. "You tsukumogami are pretty shit at being quiet in the morning, aren'tcha? Get the hell out of here," she grumbles. The instruments might as well comply. Raiko gives Shinmyoumaru a kiss on her forehead before she goes, the princess appears to smile faintly.
In the hall, they see the koto girl. Raiko grins widely, this could be ground for a lady's night at the castle later. The koto turns her head to the others and smiles. "Oh hey, Raiko! You know me, but my name is Yatsuhashi," she extends her hand and Raiko takes it and begins her second, less awkward handshake. "Wow! You look just like Benben, but you don't have a mullet," she says. Yatsuhashi bursts into laughter. "Oh my god, you're right, Benben has a mullet!" The biwa's huff can barely be heard over the girls' thunderous laughter.
Yatsuhashi really does look like she would be Benben's sister, only her face is a bit more boyish and her eyebrows are a lot darker. Raiko wonders how anyone could not be attracted to girls. "Anyway, you guys have noticed Shinmyoumaru, right? She's super into Seija," chortles Yatsuhashi. Raiko had not, in fact, noticed. "That's pretty awful taste, to be honest," she quips. "Oh yeah, definitely, but you see" Yatsuhashi clasps her hands together, "I've been rooting for them since I became sentient. Plus, I'm kind of excited to get together on occasion, just the three of us, and share some gossip. So, just throwing that out here," she grins.
"There's not much going on in this castle besides that, though," says Benben, twirling her hair around her fingers. "Well, not really, but we could talk about romance and stuff, I mean, if we can even fall in love that is." Yatsuhashi chuckles. Raiko hadn't considered that. "You think we can't?" "Well, that's the thing right? We don't know."
"Oh, hey, why don't we go on a date with the three of us? Maybe we will develop a romance like that!" Raiko grins, her face heating up in embarrassment of the sheer ridiculousness of her proposal. Benben winces. "What? No. Yatsuhashi and I are sisters, we won't be dating." The taiko girl shrugs. "Just you and me, then? Hehe," she awkwardly laughs it off but she can't deny that she's curious as to what would happen. "Me? Well... okay," Benben smiles, just a little. "Oh! Now that's spicy, can I prepare something for you guys?" Yatsuhashi squeals, bouncing with excitement. Her bare feet are drumming on the floor, resonating neatly with the sound of the thrill in Raiko's chest.
Ha! Tsukumogami romance, eh? Now, this could get interesting. She takes Benben's hand and tentatively kisses it. "Very well, I hope I'll see you tonight, then, my dear," says Raiko. Benben scoffs, taking her hand away. "Not too fast, now."
It surely did not go too fast.
Benben looks out over the sky, a red-white shrine maiden is approaching the castle, and her eyes are locked on the biwa girl. Benben tightly grips her strings and plays a tune of danger, echoing against the castle. She hears koto music, and it's coming closer and closer, quicker than the shrine maiden is. Soon she feels Yatsuhashi's hand on her shoulder. She can still make it to the date, of course. Just wipe out this intruder just like she was brought to life to do, and that's that.
"Alright, you fuckin' jerk! Eight cards!" yells Yatsuhashi. "One," says the shrine maiden. The koto falls silent. Benben pulls her sister closer to reassure her. "Pah! Alright then, you dumb bitch."
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The sisters rest silently against a tree, they hadn't been on the ground since they became sentient. "I'm sorry for your date," whispers Yatsuhashi. "Don't worry about it."
"It was nice, right? These last few hours."
"Yes. I had fun with you, and with Raiko."
"Hey, Benben... will we... die?"
Benben went silent for a while. "Not really, right? We're instruments."
"But we won't be able to think anymore, now that Shinmyoumaru is gone."
Benben went silent again.
"What are you girls moping for, huh?" Raiko made a landing in front of them. "Raiko, don't you feel exhausted?" Benben said, trying to face the taiko standing in front of the sun. "Actually, I found a way to preserve my powers. You guys want in?" she extends her hand to Benben, who doesn't hesitate to take it, and pulls her up, soon followed by her sister. "After that, can we still go on a date today?" asks Raiko sheepishly. Benben places her hand on Raiko's cheek and pulls her into a soft kiss, just a little one. "No." Raiko chuckles, her entire face must have gone red. "Figures."