Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Nnnnngh…the festival is tomorrow…! And I still don’t have something to give to her…!” 

Kisume hopped around in her bucket, unsure of herself at the moment as she furrowed her brow with an agitated look. Her blood boiled a bit as the sounds of her bucket’s bottom clapping the rocky terrain echoed throughout the cavern, getting slightly louder with each hop. 

The tsurube-otoshi clambered around the cavern, scratching her head and agonizing. She looked about her little space, seeing nothing but knicknacks, bones, skulls, and her signature cleaver, all scattered in different places. It was all that she had, for she wasn’t exactly the type of youkai who went out on day jobs, even in the underground.

“I’ve got to think of something…I can’t just skimp out on our anniversary!” The green-haired youkai raged a bit as she clutched her head, pulling it back and nearly screaming. “Especially when it aligned so well with this year’s Strange Sake Craft Festival!”

“Kisume? Are you alright, babe?”

Crawling in from a hole pretty high up in their part of the cavern was a blonde woman- to be exact, it was a tsuchigumo going by the name Yamame Kurodani.

“You seemed a bit mad for a moment when I heard ya.” Yamame spoke. “You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” The tsurube-otoshi folded her arms and slouched. “Just haven’t taken my calming medicine yet today.”

“Make sure you do, okay?” The blonde asked of her significant other, putting a hand close to her mouth to give her voice an extra echo. “I’ll just be out for a while to prepare some stalls for tomorrow’s festival!”

“Great,” Was all that Kisume could say as Yamame would crawl away while humming a tune.

Now alone once more, Kisume once again was wracked with the pressure of not being able to have a gift in time for the festival tomorrow, and by extension, the anniversary of their declared love. It was tough for her to figure out what to even get for Yamame, her girlfriend of quite a few years by this point, so it was hard to gauge what would work best within the limited time that she had. They both knew each other well, so why was it difficult for her to think of a decent gift?

“Hmmm…what would she want…?” Just as Kisume was about to daze into thought, she heard something- a yell, perhaps? Hopping over to get her cleaver, she moved off into the wider area of the Dark Blowhole.

When she made her way out to the greater cavern area, she saw a man with a satchel in one hand, and a book in the other. They were calling for help, and they were certainly wearing something that screamed “outsider”. With a nasty grin, Kisume prepared herself to ambush the poor schmuck, raising herself up into the air and waiting until he stood still.

“Hello? Hello?” The man below continued to yell. “Can anyone help me? I was sent here by some blonde with big tiddies-”

“Tally-ho!” Kisume cried out as she rapidly descended down onto the man, who looked up a bit too late as the falling bucket became more of an anvil to him.

BONK!

“Score!” The tsurube-oroshi raised her cleaver in victory as she sat in her bucket atop a dead man’s bloody head. When she looked down and around, she noticed that the book had went a short distance, opened up to a particular page. Hopping on over, she looked at it.

Kisume shook her head. “...eh, I can’t read this. But what are these pictures?”

Holding the surprisingly book up, she could see a man sat upon a throne and dressed in regal clothing, with a scepter in one hand, a crown on his head, and a shawl around his neck with a necklace over it. Unfortunately, the art was all in black and white with a bunch of weird bubble-things around it, but this game Kisume a rather…interesting idea. Quickly chopping the body apart for its bones and skull, she drops them- and by extension the rest of the man -in her bucket as her creative juices start to flow.

“I got it!” Tugging on her bucket’s rope, she pulled herself back up and over to her place once again.

Once she was back up, she tossed the remains off to the ground before her, before gathering more of the calcium structuring that she had procured from other hapless victims. Quickly getting to work, Kisume would fashion a set of accessories based on what she saw in the book, using it as a reference for her own design and accessories. The bag contained more things that helped the youkai out just a bit, like a random spool of thread, a cloth rag, two more small books, and what seemed to be a pen.

With those, the clothes and body of the dead man, and her previous collection, Kisume spent the whole day preparing her gift for Yamame. Using torn-up pages from the very thin paperback picture books, she’d dip them in the man’s blood and use them to paint the bones with a nice sanguine. The clothes made for a decent, if not hole-ridden, shawl with the pen used as a very makeshift needle. And by the end of the night, the tsurube-otoshi’s handiwork was all set. All she had to do now was wait.

“Thanks for the extra help today, Kisume.” Yamame thanked, looking up at the bucket youkai perched on a barrel. “The extra hands certainly helped with building all of these stalls.”

“Don’t mention it!” Kisume saluted, grinning all the while. “If it meant spending more time with you during the festival itself, then it is surely worth it!”

“Yeah, and speaking of,” The tsuchigumo looked around, seeing all the underground youkai preparing their wares and games for the festival. She could even see the headmistress of Chireiden, Satori Komeiji, conversing with a woman wearing what could only be described as a literal rainbow. “I think we should make some space. It’s gonna get pretty crowded.”

“Yup- oh- uh- wait, perfect timing! I have something to show you,” The tsurube-otoshi stumbled on her words a bit as she hopped off the barrel with her bucket. “Follow me!”

Confused, Yamame would follow Kisume to a pretty large rock. As they approached, the bucket youkai would say, “Close your eyes!” 

And so, the spider youkai would, and for a moment, she felt suspended in mid-air. Suddenly, she could feel a light weight on her shoulders, which then got slightly heavier, and soon her head also had something on it, as her right hand grasped something.

“Now, open your eyes!”

Yamame would clear the self-inflicted darkness, finding Kisume holding up a mirror and showing her what she was wearing. The tsurube-otoshi had fashioned an entire set of regal accessories- a crown, a scepter, a shawl, and a necklace -from bone and other pieces. It looked crudely made, with lots of uneven edges and misapplied “red paint”, but…

“Oh my gods, I love it!” The spider squealed, which got a wide smile out of her girlfriend. “What’s all this for?!”

“Happy anniversary, Yamame.” Kisume chuckled. 

“You didn’t have to make me anything, Kisume!” The blonde jittered as she inspected her royal wear. “But this is all sooooo cute!”

“Thanks-” 

Suddenly, the tsurube-otoshi would receive a kiss to her forehead!

“Gihihihi…ah, I really do feel like a queen now!” Yamame twirled with delight as Kisume just stood in place, stunned. “And you could be my royal knight, too!”

“Really…?~” The other youkai uttered, still stunlocked.

“Yes you could! In fact…” Yamame then walked over to the still-dazed Kisume. With her scepter, she tapped each of her girlfriend’s shoulders. “I hereby knight you as the Devoted Lady Kisume, the right-hand to Queen Yamame!”

And in her bucket, with a fast-beating heart, Kisume kneeled before her. 

“I am honored, milady.”

Chapter Text

“Haaaaa…haaaaaa…” 

All Ringo could do was breathe as she felt the flow of sanguine pour out of a hole in her lower abdomen. Her eyelids were heavy, as was the rest of her body as it grew cold. She could barely make out her surroundings, outside of what seemed like wood, maybe some furniture, and- oh, she was being jostled- ah. Someone was with her too.

“Hold still, okay?” Spoke the person in front of her, another woman who she knew as Seiran.

“You should’ve let me die back there, buddy,” Ringo muttered, turning her head away from Seiran, only for the latter to put both of her hands on the former’s cheeks, and move the head so that it looked straight.

Ringo couldn’t see all that well, but she did see Seiran’s lips move. “Listen to me. We’re almost home. Just gotta hold out for the night. And we take off in the morning, okay?”

“Get off o’ me, tiny-ears,” Ringo groaned. “Just let ‘em come to me, and go. You’ve got a better time making it outta here.”

Seiran looked bewildered. “And leave you for dead?! Rei’sen’s gonna kill me if I don’t bring you back, you oaf…”

“All the better for you to go…at least we’ll be judged together in Higan if you do, hehe.” Ringo huffed once again, not really caring about the wound on her stomach. “We both know we’re not gonna make it out of this one.”

“I don’t care who’s after us, Ringo; we’re gonna make it, okay?!” Seiran then moved away, hobbling over to the door with a hand to her right thigh for seemingly no reason. Was she pressing herself against the door…?

Ringo’s eyelids grew heavy again. “Seiran…just let me die already.”

“Not a chance.” Ringo heard the blue-haired rabbit answer, before she went over to the wall to Ringo’s right, opening a black backpack that was there, taking out a set of things from it. Store-bought gauze, a small package of cotton balls, a small roll of clear tape, a plastic lighter, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and safety scissors, all the works of a makeshift medical kit.

Seiran barely any noise with her footsteps as she kneeled to Ringo’s left with a bit of a grunt, pulling up the more gravely-wounded lunar rabbit’s shirt. “Okay, it looks bad…but the bullet hasn’t pierced through you.”

“It’s ‘cuz of the fat, Seiran. Stopped that shit in its tracks.” Ringo joked, trying to make light of the situation.

Seiran muttered something under her breath as she pulled up Ringo’s shirt to reveal the wound. It was a bit grisly, to say the least, as a good part of Ringo’s stomach was painted in blood, with the center of the rose being a nasty bullet hole slightly to the right side about ⅝ths of a centimeter in diameter, with a bit of blood still flowing. Giving the lighter a few flicks before it finally lit, Seiran would put the small flame to the wound, causing Ringo to grit her teeth and groan in pain as the hole was cauterized.

“Shhhhh!” Seiran put an index finger up to Ringo’s lips as she kept the lighter close. “You’ll get their attention!”

“And so what…?” Ringo asked with a hoarse voice, coming off of the brief high of feeling fire. “Again, what you’re doing is-”

“Not hopeless, Ringo,” The blue-haired rabbit finished as she managed to get the wound fully sealed. “Eirin’ll patch you up good as new when we get back home.”

Ringo could only scoff. “As if we’ll make it.”

“Hey, you heard that earlier, right?”

There was a voice that wasn’t their own. Both of the rabbit women froze.

“Must’ve been someone using the grill. Or feeding a caged bear. Or something.”

“You found those damned hares yet?”

“Nah. They might still be in the compound, though.”

In their silence, the two could hear footsteps- faint, but noticeable, and if it was noticeable, they were close.

Each of their eyes bounced between every part of the house they could see- or at least, from their position. However, Seiran and Ringo really could only look at each other, and not much else; the company was at the very least enjoyable in the moment, if only because the alternative was dull.

“You gonna keep searchin’ for ‘em?”

“Yeah. Same as you.”

“Keep it up.”

The footsteps can be heard again, and they still had enough audibility to give the rabbits some pause. However, this time around, they were…weaker, becoming more faint with every passing second. And soon enough…

…total silence.

Seiran quickly began to construct a makeshift patch for Ringo’s wound as soon as she felt that they were once again alone. “Good job on shutting up.”

“Heh, I used to say that to ya back in your cadet days,” Ringo nodded a little as her partner affixed the patch to her now-sealed wound. “And here you are now all grown up.”

“You grew with me, you know. Old dogs can learn new tricks.” Seiran wryly smiled as she looked up and down Ringo to make sure that her procedure had been performed successfully as she backed away.

“A true soldier, through and through.” Ringo smiled back as Seiran went over to somewhere she couldn’t see.

When Seiran came back into view, Ringo saw that the other rabbit had geared up, presumably to go back outside. Seiran now carried a submachine gun, a holstered pistol, and bandolier-backpack combo that presumably contained magazines for both guns. All of that gear taken from many of the people they had taken down on the way here, and now, she was going to have to hope that Seiran alone could finish what they had started.

“Just stay put, okay?” Seiran looked back at her partner for one final moment as she approached the door. “I can handle this.”

And all Ringo could do is look back, deciding that just a little bit of hope was better than the alternative.

“Ahhhh…you know what, sure. I know you can. Finish the job for me, Sei. I’ll keep myself quiet until then.”

Chapter Text

Momiji: Is it okay if I can come over after work today, Hatate? I’m getting off early today. Last night had me really beat.

hhimekaidou: yea sure. might be busy tho, momiji

 

Momiji Inubashiri took yet another glance at her kappa-made smartphone as she wandered into a house. As she entered, she sighed- it reeked of all sorts of smells, mainly alcohol, and it was littered with all sorts of junk and unnecessary things. While the white wolf tengu had already gotten used to the sake and beer aromas, the other scents were, needless to say, rather disgusting.

She would eventually find her way to a specific door on the lower floor, and took a whiff on what’s within. The tengu would smell someone was down here- and it was familiar to them.

“Hey, ‘tate. I was wondering where you were.”

Momiji steadily walked down a flight of stairs, finding herself in the basement room of Hatate Himekaidou’s house. Unlike upstairs, which was messy and cluttered with all sorts of random junk, the basement was strangely well-maintained. Even the smell of the place, picked up by her more acute nose, was pleasant enough for Momiji to have some personal reservations.

At one end of the room was a twin-tailed brunette in a white shirt and a purple-and-black plaid dress. She was staring up at a corkboard on the wall with multiple pictures, notes, drawings, and other things all connected with colored pins and red string. In the brunette’s right hand, with the left placed on her hip, was a bottle of sake, which she took a sip out of before turning around.

“Hey, Momi.” Hatate greeted back with a neutral expression. “I’m just doing my own thing.”

“I see that the whole ‘private eye’ business has been going swell, judging by how clean this place looks.” Momiji’s eyes glanced around, noting a few chairs strewn about and a table on each side of the room with various objects on them, assuming a lot of them to be kappa technology of sorts. “How’s the work?”

“This is my first real big case, and it’s a doozy,” Hatate then walked over to one of the chairs, sitting down in it and sighing as she placed her bottle of sake on the table nearest her. “Crow tengu found dead at the back of a ramen shop.”

“Oh?” Momiji’s wolf ears perked up.

“Earlier this morning, the owner of the place was preparing to open for business today, which included changing the barrels for his alcohol tap.” Hatate then explained, her eyes bouncing between Momiji and the board. “Sake barrel was strangely heavier than the rest, and so the guy opened it to see why it was so heavy. Dead tengu body in there, hunched over inside the thing and fully drenched in blood-mixed sake.”

“Sheesh. I heard about it on the way here,” The white wolf tengu looked at her peer, then at the corkboard. “I assume the cause of death is-”

“A nasty rend to the gut, among other wounds, courtesy of a clawing. Specifically, wolf clawing.” Hatate pointed at one of the pictures at the corkboard, which showed the front of the victim, and a large gash going along their stomach with other light scratches and cuts on their arms. “Four deep carves, all presumably done in one swing.”

“Huh.” Momiji nodded as she reached the base of the stairs, heading over to a nearby table and folding her arms.

“Currently got nothing outside of the suspect, outside of them likely being a white wolf tengu. Beak-n-Bark is one of the most popular ramen shops in the village, after all.” The other tengu sighed before taking a swig of her drink. “You wouldn’t happen to be there last night, hu-”

“I was there, went to it after work,” The white wolf replied almost immediately, giving her alibi. “Left early because Shameimaru dragged me out of it and said that there was a “better place” to go to.”

“Ugh. Of course it’s her.” Hatate groaned, not even caring about how quick the response was. “Doesn’t she know that the cheaper the ramen, the better it is? It’s how Beak-n-Bark got its crowd!”

“Yeah.” Momiji nodded, as she looked back at the corkboard.

“I’m just glad it wasn’t you who got killed, Momi.” Hatate gave another glance at her peer, this time a bit more somber. “We don’t usually get these now and again, so when it does happen, it is pretty tragic.”

“Hear, hear.” The white wolf nodded, keeping her eyes open and wandering.

“You’ve been controlling your alcoholism lately?” Hatate randomly asked. “I mean, if you can’t tell, I certainly haven’t.”

Momiji shrugged, slightly tightening her fists beneath her folded arms. “Being a private investigator means taking long hours to piece clues together. I don’t blame you for that. As for me, I’ve been…holding it together, yeah.”

“One of the witnesses was saying that a wolf tengu and the victim were having an argument at the countertop before the wolf stormed off.” Hatate spoke afterward, also looking back at the corkboard on the wall. “Must’ve been one charged with liquor, because the wolf left stumbling with the victim following them afterward.”

“Are you saying that I did it?” Momiji raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, even with your status as guard captain, you look practically the same as everyone else,” The other tengu shrugged again, looking at her fellow co-worker. “Finding our suspect’s like finding a needle in a haystack. There were many wolf tengu that evening, because one of them had a promotion and invited a lot of others.”

“Couldn’t you just use your thoughtography or whatever? Maybe you’ll find out who it was that way.” The guard captain then asked, curling her fingers once again.

The brunette shook her head. “I tried that, no dice. Aya didn’t even bother writing an article on the matter.”

“Huh.”

Hatate then stood up, stretching a bit before looking back at Momiji. “This one’s takin’ a bit. I’m gonna go fix us some lunch for a bit, okay? Got plenty of takeout from Bark-n-Beak hours before the incident, so I hope you like reheated ramen and some sake to go with it.”

“Yeah, no, that’s perfectly fine by me.” Momiji reassured, smiling a bit at Hatate, who smiled back before heading upstairs to prepare their meal.

As soon as she was alone, she unfolded her arms and let out a long sigh. Looking at her hands, she saw the undersides of her nails, slightly tinged red. They had not been as washed as the rest of her clothes and body from last night.

I’m sorry for lying to you.

Chapter Text

The Road of Reconsideration is as bustling as ever, and of course, it was punctuated by the market goddess herself, having descended from the clouds to give her blessings to the market that straddled the line between life and the afterlife.

Although the place was populated with many a spirit, it was lively, as the Road was brimming with many different individuals looking to partake in the ordinarily extraordinary affairs of today’s market. From carnival games to exotic booths to fine cuisine, the Road was packed from top to bottom with points of interest that’ll have you stuck here for quite a while. And it wasn’t just the attractions themselves, but rather, the people that took part in them, as well, ranging from humans to youkai to spirits to gods and everything else in between- oh, and speaking of, that market goddess I mentioned earlier is currently in some kind of cahoots with a very excitable woman in craftsman’s clothes, who’s showing off some fine clay works.

Nevermind that, though; instead, we cut to a pair of individuals carrying some cotton candy and having a debate.

“So are you really going to join the Keiga or not, Enoko?” Asked a blonde in witchwear, taking a quick bite out of her cotton candy. “I mean, I’m not stoppin’ ya.”

“I said it before and I’ll say it again: No.” The addressed yamainu sternly answered. “I don’t care what rumors you’ve been hearing, Marisa. Saki and I are just friends.”

“That pretty much makes you a Keiga, Enoko!” Marisa exclaimed. “You’re in good spirits with an animal matriarch , dude, one of the baddest people in New Hell that isn’t named Hecatia!”

“So you’re saying that Sannyo is associated with Yachie and Mamizou’s a collaborator of Yuuma’s, is that right?” Enoko then asked.

Marisa took another bite of her cotton candy before nodding “yes”.

“Ugh, seriously, Marisa…” The yamainu groaned, her grip on her cotton candy’s stick tightening as she took a large bite of her own, chewing a bit before swallowing. “Just because someone’s friends with another person doesn’t mean they’re acceptive of being part of that group, you know!”

“I mean, from what I’ve been hearin-” Marisa tried to respond, only for Enoko to stamp her foot down and stop walking.

Her bright red eyes gazed right into Marisa’s own dark red. “Like. I. Said. I’m not thinking about rejoining the Keiga, especially not after the Land Grab War. Saki let me off fairly amicably anyhow, and we’re still friends as a result.”

“Which means that you’re still connected to her in the first place.” Marisa’s own tone began to deepen. “And one day, she’ll ask you for a favor simply because you’re one of her ‘friends’. And you know how I don’t like it when my actual friends are dragged off by shady people, especially those who claim to be their own ‘friends’.”

“Oh for gods’ sake, Marisa, shut up!” Enoko raised her arms in confusion. “It isn’t all that serious, you know that?! I know you want to have a deep connection with the people you meet and cherish, I know…it’s how we’re together, after all, even after we’ve been apart for so long.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just,” The human magician took yet another bite, this one a small piece. “I don’t wanna have to suddenly be at risk of losing a friend, or someone even closer to me, y’know? I hate that. I hate that a whole lot.”

“I get it, but please…Saki isn’t all that bad. She’s a bit brash, if anything, but she does have a good heart-”

“ENOKO!”

The yamainu couldn’t even register what was happening as she suddenly found herself falling down, with a weight being on top of her for just a moment before it suddenly felt much lighter. Disoriented, she would scramble to her feet as best as she could, as she felt that something was seriously wrong- as she saw Marisa sprawled out on the ground a few feet away. And just near her was…a man in a sharp, feathery purple aura, looking around with confusion before running away, leaving the magician to twitch and convulse on the ground.

Suddenly, her seemingly normal self had shifted- a form of rage flared in her body, as Enoko swiftly took off after the fleeing man, one possessed by an eagle spirit. She growled, even barked a few times as she gave chase, barreling past many stalls, set-ups, and other obstacles that stood between her and the person who hurt someone she loved. The possessed man tried to do everything to stop her and get as far away as possible, from throwing food and objects, to slamming doors on her, to pulling down carts, all with his enhanced senses and strength.

However, Enoko was just stronger in every conceivable way, and her relentless pursuit of the man would not be a lone hunt, either. From her peripheral vision, glowing tinges of red lined her view’s edge, as wolf spirits suddenly came into the picture, as well as an otter spirit and a haniwa, too, but those two were nothing compared to the wolfpack. They covered every path, every route, and blocked the man from any escape whenever they got the chance, slowly corralling him back to where the yamainu started, encircling him with a threatening aura.

“There’s the damn defector.” A voice came from atop one of the stalls, raspy and crooked. The source leapt, and hit the ground as a second person flew in with her jet-black wings. “I’ll let you deal with ‘em, Saki.”

The Keiga Matriarch, Saki Kurokoma, scoured the scene before her as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Gouyoku Leader, Yuuma Toutetsu. Upon seeing Enoko in the crowd, and taking another moment to notice Marisa being tended to by nearby apothecaries, she called out to the yamainu. “Go wild, girlie. Make that spirit pay for the injustice he dealt to you!”

With one last low growl, Enoko took a pouncing stance, before leaping right at the spirit, who decided to unpossess the man at the first moment it was too late to do so.

“Hey, you did great out there, kiddo.” Saki rubbed Enoko’s back as they sat on a crate, while they watched the Road return to its usual liveliness. “You’re still kickin’ it strong.”

“Thanks…” The youkai muttered.

“Heard that your friend got hurt badly. Nasty tackle, broken bones and all.” The pegasus then said.

Enoko glanced at Saki’s face. “She’s taken worse, but, ugh…I dunno…”

“...what’s wrong?”

“We were talking earlier about you and I. About how me being your friend means you might need me one day for something…bad. I dunno.” The yamainu sighed.

“Shucks.” Saki leaned forward a bit. “I did say back then that you’re free to just do whatever. You deciding to come back to the family entirely was your choice, and you didn’t take it.”

“She’s just…worried for me, that’s all. She doesn’t want you manipulating me, or anything.” 

The matriarch would look at Enoko for a bit, as well. “I think the bigger problem is with Mari, y’know. You’ve known her longer than I have known you. She’s more important to you, and you should do the same for her.”

“...yeah.” Enoko nodded a little bit, as Saki got up and stretched herself out a bit.

“Keep her as close to you as you can, okay?” The pegasus looked back at her old associate one last time as she adjusted her hat. “She’s a good soul- wouldn’t wanna see her in Hell without flesh, after all. I’m just an acquaintance, whereas she thinks you’re everything to her.”

“I will. Thanks, Saki.”

“Anytime.”

Enoko watched the pegasus blend into the crowd, before looking down at her right and seeing Marisa, comfortably sleeping on the ground with her injuries kept in check.

“I’ll hold you close to me for as long as I can, Marisa.”

Chapter Text

“Nnnnnnmmmmgh…hhhhnnnghhh…”

Whadda hell? I dun’ remember hearin’ Megumu sound like dat.

“Mmmmnnn…hnnggghhh…mmmmhhggh…”

Man, it’s abbit annoying. I’ll just turn turnover and sleep on me other side, like so…

“Hhhhnnnggghh..nnnnngah! Ah- aha- ah- aha-! G-Gods, oh gods, oh god, wha-what the hell…!”

Okay, that maaaaaybe definitely doesn’t sound like Megumu alright, but maybe it must be a nightmare or somenthin’ like that. She’ll be back to sleep in a matta of d-

“AYA! AYA! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF!?”

Oh, good damn grief, too loud!

“Oi, Megu! Quit whinin-”

“I’M SORRY, I’M SO SORRY, I’M SO SORRY, AYA, I- I- I- ack! h-ha-ack! ”

Well, damn, she ain’t looking too good at all! I have to help her!

“Megumu! Get a grip of yo-self!”

“I- cough cough -I don’t know what to do- cough cough -I don’t know what’s going on!”

Oh, for crying out loud, she’s hot in the wrong way! And she’s shiverin’, too! Whole body’s trembling like she’s feeling an earthquake!

“It hurts, it all hurts so much, Momoyo, it hurts…augh…my stomach’s churning…”

“Easy there, Megu…it’s gonna be okay. C’mon. Breathe a bit.”

She tries to follow me advice, but coughs into her forearm right after, and then another on her hand. She seems to have stopped- oh heck why is she grabbing her own shakin’ forearm-

“What have I done, what have I done, what have I done?! ”

“You hadn’t done a damn thing, Megu…don’t worry. I’m here. Don’t worry.”

“I just- ugh. I feel dizzy…”

“Lean on me for a bit. Come on, Megu, ‘tis okay.”

Okay, it’s somethin’ boutta that one news bird. The one with the red hat an’ attitude. Hmmm…can’t putta finger on it, not yet.

“Was it a nightmare, or somethin’? Did that baku mess ya up? I’m gonna do somethin’ about it if she did.”

“No, no, it’s fine…I’ll just go back to sleep, Momoyo.”

“Y’sure? I’m still here for ya, whatever y’need.”

“…it’s fine.”

I know damn well it ain’t alright, not in the damn slightest. Now, where da hell did I learn aboutta that news bird…?

Oh, wait, I think I got it!

“Megu…y’still kickin’ yourself over that whole caste system thing?”

“…”

“C’mon, I’m right ‘ere. You can talk to me about it, I don’t mind at all.”

“…I still see that bloody face. The broken camera. That pale, pale body…”

“Oh.”

“Aya slowed her reporting down since then. She’s even silently retired as of this year, choosing to live in the Human Village permanently.”

“Wow…she really must’ve broken afta all dat.”

“And I still feel like it’s all my fault. I could’ve helped her, I could’ve fought the system earlier, and yet…I just didn’t see it. I was just…doing what I was told, going through the motions.”

Man, Megu’s really been bottlin’ this shit up for quite a long time, even after the whole caste system thing was shat on and thrown away. Whatever caused her to finally change that must’ve really fuckin’ spooked her to her core. Bloody face, broken camera, pale body…I don’t think I’ve heard of that all happening, let alone anyone else.

“You still changed things in the end, y’know? That’s all dat matters, doesn’t it?”

“But I changed it too late. Too many tengu hurt, even choosing to take their own lives over the work given to them. Over the work that I assigned to them.”

“Megu…”

“It still haunts me seeing the culmination of all of that exhaustion, that animosity…it’s made me feel miserable, really.”

“H-Hey, Megu…”

“I put a sword to my neck and nearly pushed it the other day. A few days ago I, snuck into Tsukasa’s room and just start drinking her vials at random. I even decided to fling myself off a cliff last week- only to land on a pile of rice sacks that the yamawaro have gathered!”

“MEGUMU! STOP! HURTIN’ YOURSELF ISN’T GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM!”

“AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT CAN! I’VE DONE EVERYTHING, FIXING TENGU SOCIETY AND ACTUALLY MADE IT BETTER, AND THOSE HORRID IMAGES AND THOUGHTS STILL CAN’T LEAVE MY MIND!”

“THEN LET ME HELP YOU! LET US HELP- ME, TSUKASA, CHIMATA, EVEN YOUR OWN SUBORDINATES! YOU’RE NOT ALONE IN THIS SHIT!”

“IT’S NOT GONNA BE ENOUGH, YOU DAMN OOMUKADE! IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH TO WASH THESE SINS AWAY!”

“AT LEAST LET US TRY-”

“IT WILL AMOUNT TO FUCKING NOTHING, YOU STUPID BUG! NOTHING!”

…Megu…please…c-calm down… 

Th-this ain’t you. You’re not like this, you’re not someone who just gives the fuck up. This isn’t the you that I met all those years ago, brave enough to stand against me. This ain’t the bold and courageous you, who always planned for everythin’. Come on, Megu, please…

“Please…even if we ain’t enough, we hafta try, Megu…it’s for your sake…”

“…I’m sorry, Momoyo…I- I really am so, so sorry…”

“Shhhhh…it’s okay…y-you can cry all ya want, okay…? S-See? I- I’m c-cryin’ too!”

“I shouldn’t have lashed out at you…I’m terribly sorry…”

“I- I can take it, Megu…if it’s for ya, I- I can take anythin’…”

F-Fuck, man, this fucking sucks…been a few years since that whole shitshow and still feelin’ da ripples since then. The birds are just not the same anymore, especially Megu…man, all the weight finally comin’ down on her and she’s still trying to carry it alone. I- I’m big and strong, right? I can help her carry it, or break it into chunks to be carried easier! 

“I…th-thank you, Momoyo…thank you…” 

“I’m right ‘ere, Megumu…I’m ‘ere. Don’t worry, Megumu, I'm gonna be ‘ere with ya.”

She’s so soft and cool when she’s calm…I like it a lot. I’ll do anythin’ to keep it that way, even if it means that I hafta fight her demons in her stead. Don’t care where they’re comin’ from, but I’m gonna fight them all the fuckin’ same, and I’ll fight ‘til I die, or they do.

As long as I get to see Megumu smile after it all, it’ll all be worth it.

Chapter Text

…

“Hakurei.”

…I turned my head around.

There she was.

“I knew I’d find you here, all fucked up.”

I sighed. “What do you want?”

She looked up. “I just wanna talk. Y’know, before the cracks in the sky give way to something.”

“…fine. Have a seat.” I disgruntledly allowed.

She floated over to me, sitting down as best as she could, with her hands on her lap.

“How’s the hag?” She asked.

I took a deep sigh. “Recovering. All three of them.”

“Even the quote-on-quote ‘Secret God’? Wow.” She didn’t even try to hide her sarcasm. “Must be tough for you, ever since the first crack took the witch.”

“…”

She blinked. “Hit a sore snag?”

“Don’t talk about her. Please.” I sighed.

“Alright.” She put her hands to the back of her head, looking back up at the fractured sky once more. “But what about this incident? Surely there’s a way to beat back whoever’s causing it.”

“There’s nothing we can do.” I hugged my legs, pulling them close as I rested my forehead on my knees. “I can’t. I couldn’t do it.”

“That’s not fuckin’ true, Hakurei.”

My gaze went from my dress to her pale face, now equipping it with anger. “Look at me! I can’t do anything, and I haven’t! All I got was the credit for “stopping” the rifts- because I had no power to do so. You and everyone else were able to do it without me.”

“And you didn’t even bother with your god or whatever, Hakurei?” She procured, to which I only sharpened my glare.

“That’s just bullshit,” I spat, looking back at my dress, damaged and torn. “If it wasn’t coming now, it would never come. I’m just a good-for-nothing shrine maiden.”

“…I used to say that too, before you were born.”

I looked back at her, the ghost, with a look of bewilderment. “What?”

She brushed a bit of her blue hair aside with a hand. “Youngest in the family before we were all slaughtered, forced to carry the shrine maiden duties by the powers that be while your bloodline struggled to conceive a girl.”

“Slaughtered…by this being, I assume?” I was now curious.

“I thought we’d be safe, just because the Sages and Hakurei God were by our side. But they did nothing, and I thought they just let us die on purpose.” She elaborated, leaning back as she put her hands back behind her head. “Never knew then they had everything in place and were ready to defend us, only for it to come so suddenly. It’s why I never bothered to deal with you after you lost her, and your powers.”

“Because it happened to you too?”

She only nodded, before she herself sighed. We both looked to the sky once more, the many indigo cracks in it further growing, as more cracks formed. Ethereal pieces fell from the sky, fragmenting as they plummeted down until they were like rain. It was a rather bleak feeling, to say the least, watching the literal sky fall with someone who once hated you the most, and yet…there was something calming about it all.

“I wanted to first-and-foremost see you suffer, Hakurei,” She uttered after some time in silence. “And yet, this doesn’t…feel like the punishment we deserve. I should be the one to make you despair, and now, I don’t even know if it’s worth it.”

“…maybe you should.”

“Don’t say that.” She lightly shoved me with a hand.

I look at her once more. “And who is trying to stop the incident? You, right, Mizuchi?”

“It’s not just me.” She answered. “It’s a lot of us- humans, youkai, spirits, gods, demons…it’s so many of us, working as one to defend our home.”

“And I thought you didn’t like that; I thought you hated us.” I chided, dropping my legs and letting them lay straight and flat on the roof. “I mean, I know why you’d change suddenly.”

“The only thing I hate more than you and the current Gensokyo itself is anything that would impede me from doing so.” The ghost elaborated, looking at me now. “And I suppose the end of the world counts, too.”

“Funny how that works.”

We both laid down on the roof, watching the fragmented sky break apart more, little by little. At some point, as we stared, her right hand- or was it my left? -snaked onto the other and grasped it gently, joining us together. And there is when I could feel all of her energy, her entire being, one not just born out of spite and hatred, but one of yearning, one that wishes change, an aspiration to make things…right.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame her now; the world was all upside down, and I hated every bit of it. Perhaps this is what she felt when she broke out of Former Hell all those years ago, realizing how different Gensokyo was now compared to before her imprisonment, or even death.

“Hakurei…I, I want to…say sorry.” She spoke up again, turning her head to me once more.

I responded in kind. “For what?”

“I dunno,” She shrugged. “But it felt like I must.”

“…I don’t think I can accept it yet,” I answered, with a softer tone. “But I’ll hold you to its truthfulness.”

Our hand-holding tightened as we gazed into each other’s eyes, seeing a different kind of fire being lit in them. In our eyes, we didn’t see a rival, a nemesis, an enemy to destroy or a being to hate; we saw…just the two of us. Just two pained, lonely women who’ve both lost everything to something that seemingly was beyond our control.

Suddenly, it was me who took initiative, as I reached my other hand over to tug at Mizuchi’s shoulder, and pull her on top of me as we kissed. Something about this just felt so strange, about how we’ve gone from total animosity to clear understanding, and now, I made us go farther than ever before. She touched me, and I touched her, red and blue mingling on that rooftop as we learned our true colors together.

I felt her aura, her form, sink into me as we enacted our passion on that rooftop, and quite literally, too. However, it didn’t hurt me, or even bother me at all, as it just never seemed to burn. I never lost control of myself as she gained it, too, and as we concluded our act of love…she was gone, but at the same time, she wasn’t.

“Hakurei…?” I heard her voice in my mind as I sat up. “Are you…okay? I might’ve…”

“You’re in my body,” I responded, sitting up with a surprising amount of vigor. “And yet…it doesn’t hurt me in the slightest.”

“Haku- no, Reimu,” Mizuchi finally spoke my name, and both she and I knew it all, so suddenly. “I’m not absorbing your life force. I’m part of it now.”

“And that means…” I entertained my thought, extending a hand out, and…a handcuff. Her handcuff, now suddenly in my hands.

“We’re sharing it. Two souls, one shell.” She was in disbelief, and I was, too, at what had transpired. Our reconciliation, our union, this is what the result was. Not so much a possession, but a true synchronization of our souls, and we were both empowered by it.

I decided to try one more thing; heading to the top of the roof, I took a run-ready stance. And before either of us could speak, I dashed off, running to the edge of the building and leapt-

-and I never fell. I was flying.

“This…this is amazing!” I exclaimed, looking at myself, and the large handcuffs in my hands. “I…I can’t believe it!”

“I can’t, either!” Mizuchi echoed our surprise in our shared mind. “It’s as if…”

The earth shook. We looked up, and saw that the crack had festered more; it had now become even more unignorable.

“Do you know what to do, Reimu?” She asked of me as we both watched the sky break open more and more.

With my other hand, I let my gohei come into being as it, the cuff, and my being became wreathed in a calming blue flame.

“I know what to do, Mizuchi.”

Chapter Text

Yumemi Okazaki and Rikako Asakura, a pair of scientists within the illustrious land of fantasy, are currently residing in what appears to be one of an inn’s many rooms that are available for customers to sleep in. The current time is just past midnight, with the two of them sitting on the tatami mat on their knees, facing each other with their hands on their respective thighs. Their breathing cycles appear to be normal despite how close the two are at the moment, as they are about to perform an experiment.

“The theory that I am proposing is that I may be in love with you, Ms. Asakura.”

“I can tell. Your face had become a tinge more redder just after telling that to me, Ms. Okazaki.”

“To match my wear for today? How flattering of you, Ms. Asakura.”

“Oh, please. Nothing screams the want of something beyond a mere collaboration more than you eschewing everything from your time to return to this one.”

“And I take that you’ve been doing well with researching science as well, Ms. Asakura?”

“Oh, definitely, Booster Gold.”

“Firstly, it’s Booster Ruby to you. And secondly, I’m surprised you actually used pop culture to reference me!”

“Blame it on Usami and the Moriya Shrine Maiden.”

These were the kinds of conversations that both Okazaki and Asakura wanted in their spare time, when there was no work involved. Just two women discussing their lives and having a moment to reflect on the simpler, more leisurely times. It was definitely a departure from their usual experiments, with the banter and the casualiness of it all, but this was definitely required to make sure this particular one went well.

“Going back to the theory you proposed, Ms. Okazaki…is that why we spent most of the day together not working on anything else?”

“Well…it’s a bit…complicated…”

“How so? I mean, you arrived here yesterday with the presumption that there was a very important experiment we have to conduct, no?”

“That is true…that is true.”

“And you had spent years perfecting a way to return to the past from the future…so why are you wasting the time you have here? Why spend it all on no prep work at all for this experiment?”

“I…well, you see-”

“I don’t see it, Ms. Okazaki. I’m sorry. Even after yesterday and most of today, when we were out and enjoying ourselves…I feel like it was unfulfilling. It’s like you are secretly lying to me.”

Rikako’s hands shrunk into fists as she looked down, her expression darkening, especially once it was slightly obscured by her hair. Yumemi’s own face would become one of concern as one of her hands would reach up to brush purple strands from what they coveted. The two seemed to be at some sort of crossroads, impeded by a matter regarding how much time the scientist from the future had left before she would have to go.

“I don’t want this to become wasteful to you, Ms. Okazaki. I thank you for all the exciting things we’ve done together these past few days, from when you arrived to now. But I feel like we must rest now, and prepare for your departure tomorrow.”

“…but the theo-”

“I care little about that, right now. It had foundation, but no real proof of its credibility. Chalk it up as a failure.”

“…”

“We should head to sleep-”

“I love you, Rikako.”

“…what?”

“This is the experiment that I told you about. The theory I said earlier, it is coming true now.”

“…Ms. Okazaki…I don’t understand.”

“You can’t understand love, Ms. Asakura. Ever since my theory on magic was rejected, I branched out to other ideas, other fields of study. And through it all, I thought of you, and every time I did, the image of you in my mind became rosier, more stylized.”

Yumemi’s heart was now beating out of her chest, with the cat now out of the bag and running all over the place. Rikako, who would’ve remained a blip in her mind from the magic competition long ago, had now heard that she was anything but. The confession had forced out different feelings from them, feelings that they had never confronted before, and ones that they’ll have to confront, sooner or later.

“Ms. Okazaki…”

“I know, I know, it all seemed like much, but I didn’t want to confess to you when I first returned here. I didn’t feel like I was ready to do so- and I didn’t know how you’d react then. So I simply said that it was for an experiment, which got your attention better.”

“It did…and now…I understand what you’re trying to do. The experiment didn’t involve fixed variables, or lab equipment, or any formulas whatsoever. The experiment…was the time we shared together, as friends, as colleagues, as peers…”

“…”

“…as lovers.”

“…as lovers.”

They both spoke at once, gazing into each other’s eyes. And it was then, at that point, it all clicked.

“Do you-”

“I love you too, Ms. Okazaki.”

The scientist from the future had little time to react as the one from the present leaned in and pulled her in for a kiss. Yumemi’s whole world just shattered into a million pieces with the crushing impact of their lips colliding. This is what it all felt, the feelings of love, springing from their hearts and overflowing their minds with irrationality that served to define it better than anything else.

Rikako knew it too, and the only way she was gonna show that is if the last stage of their experiment were to be conducted. She knew that Yumemi waited so long for this moment, this fleeting yet exciting moment, to finally realize and finalize her love with her. And thus she was the one to begin their last test, to prove that their love was genuine, as she pushed herself further so that she was on top of the redhead.

They both took a moment to breathe as they broke the kiss, leaving behind a trail of saliva that kept their lips connected as they pried themselves from each other. Rikako had a hand on Yumemi’s chest, feeling the curves and contours of one of her breasts, and they both blushed at that feeling. The invisible red string had now finally joined them together, and now they had this one night to tighten it as much as they could before fate snapped it apart.

“Take my breath, Rikako.”

“I’ll make you say my name as many times as I can tonight, Yumemi.”