View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3suCyu4JBcs
[The Fifth Sage] The Sage of Fortune
The one of which Yukari knows naught. Until you brought it to her attention, anyhow.
Thanks to
@Armoury for the beta!
—
"I shall require transport, if you could provide it. There is a fifth sage. Unknown to you She does not show her power. But I know where she should be found." Marisa's eyes widen, and the scratching of pen on paper you can hear accelerates.
Yukari… doesn't react, externally. She is far too old, too experienced, to let a tell like that slip when she is surprised. "Whom are they and where might they be?" Yukari asks, placidly. But peering beyond what she externally shows the world - there is a gleam of calculation in her eyes, as she swiftly reshuffles her thoughts and assembles theories.
"It would upset them were I to name them, my apologies. But I would need to be taken to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost."
Yukari simply inclines her head to a nearly imperceptible extent. "As you say. Alert me when you intend to make that trip." Her smile, ever-present, remains as her gaze sweeps over the remainder of your motley crew, before finally landing on Alice. "Thank you for having us, Miss Margatroid, but I must be going."
And then the seams of reality pull tight, and the aperture through which the border youkai had appeared vanishes as it had never been, along with its master.
Sariel slowly turns her head to look at you. "She doesn't like you very much."
You shake your head. "Such is the way of disrupting the lives of powerful kings in their kingdoms." Samyaza makes a hum of agreement, muffled as it may be by her current state.
"But she was all smilin' and stuff?" Cirno says, a quizzical tone in her voice.
"Indeed," you reply. "She was. Though, at least I shall not have to worry about her sending Reimu after me." You smile at the fairy. "I would dislike being exterminated."
Cirno shudders as she hears the word, as if she had bitten into some sour fruit. "Yeah! It always sucks when that happens." With a hop, and a flutter of her wings, she settles on your shoulder, giving it a pat or two. Or three. Or- you lift an arm, and gently guide the fairy's hands down.
Alice seems to have taken the disappearance in stride, her dolls already swooping in to gather Yukari's discarded teacup. Marisa, at some unspoken cue, has also stood up, and you can just about feel some form of minor water magic forming as she steps into the kitchen.
Shinki frowns after the witch as she steps out of the room, but visibly bites back whatever comment she was about to make. If you don't miss your mark, it was likely some sort of snide insinuation about only being fit for domestic help.
"They do seem to love each other," you say quietly. "Though from what I know of their history that must be quite a violent duo."
Shinki snorts. "Love? They've known each other for barely a decade. This is still mere infatuation."
"Okay, boomer. Careful to get all those spiderwebs out of your vagina grandma, just because the only APM you apply is to your lonely snatch doesn't mean you get to judge other relationships. " Sariel says snidely.
Shinki… smiles? "Ah, and you're able to lecture me with your extensive and sordid experience, then?"
You hear a
snap, and glance to see that Samyaza has bit
through the ballgag. "Will you two
stop, you're
both virgins!"
The sounds of dishwashing from the kitchen pause for a long moment.
Sariel's expression is frozen as she turns towards the fallen angel. "... clearly, I was too conservative with your restraints."
Samyaza rolls her eyes. "Kinky." It comes out dry and flat - more something she feels obligated to point out than something she can put feeling into.
"Koa, why are you in trouble?" Cirno asks.
Samyaza tilts her head, considering the fairy - specifically, considering dismissing her. But it seems that she's interacted with Cirno often enough that she feels some minor urge to say something, now. "Did some bad stuff, dumbass. Why else do people get in trouble?"
"Oooooh," Cirno says. "Did you get beatup by Reimu yet?"
Samyaza blinks, then mentally shrugs. "Nope." She tilts her head. "These guys did, though."
Cirno blinks, then looks at Shinki, then Sariel. "... Are you Sakuya's moms?"
Shinki looks over the small creature sitting on your shoulder. "I'm
Alice's mother."
Cirno contemplates this. "But… you could be both Alice and Sakuya's mom?"
"She's a virgin, and Sakuya is a human." Samyaza replies.
"What's a virgin?"
Samyaza stares at the ice fairy for a few moments. "You'll find out when you're older."
"But Koaaaaaaaa! I wanna know
now!" Cirno replies, her tiny fists hitting you in the head. "Also… Sakuya's human? The people at the village say she's a youkai, or… a vampire hunter whatsits… or just
really old."
Samyaza taps her fingers on the table. "She's entirely human. She used her chronomancy to stop her aging a long time ago, and the temporal lock prevents her from becoming a youkai." Her cadence of speech is different, you realize. Less rough, more erudite, more helpful… this is the role of the librarian's assistant, which she wore for many years, still not fully erased.
"Chrono… what?"
"You'll find out when you're older." Samyaza says tiredly.
"Be that as it
may." Shinki says. "And back to what
actually matters. I shall be staying
here for a short while to speak to my daughter."
"Oh no, you're going AFK, I'm going to miss you so
badly." Sariel says with a small smirk.
"You shall remove that smile from your face lest I make it a permanent addition."
"With
what strat? You couldn't out DPS
Cirno."
Cirno starts. "Hey! I'm great at.. Dee…pee… ess?"
Samyaza slams her head into Alice's table. "Stop arguing and fuck already." The tone is a defeated sigh.
"How
dare you." Shinki hisses.
Samyaza raises her hands towards the ceiling. "Either fight or fuck, this is
Gensokyo, pick one already."
"Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery." Sariel muses.
Samyaza glares at the angel, incredulous. "What part of fucking her is adulterous?"
"She's already in love with herself." Sariel says with a shrug.
You gently grab Cirno, tucking her underneath your arm. Then duck as a demonic demiurge dives across the couch to throw a punch at Sariel.
Alice storms out the kitchen, Marisa close behind her. The dolls throughout the house, as one, in unison, slam the butts of their spears into the ground, creating a thunderclap of noise. In the ensuing silence, she raises a trembling finger, pointing at the door. "OUT OF THE HOUSE!"
She glares at Shinki, and for a moment, even the demiurge seems to be taken aback by the disdain in that gaze. "Don't you
dare damage my home with your idiotic roughhousing.
Out."
"Not until I have
private words with you." Shinki says, crossing her arms, closing her eyes, and turning her head away.
Alice's glare redoubles. "Outside. You can have your private words outside. You've…" Alice sighs. "No. Perhaps you haven't changed, and I was simply too young to see it. But the Shinki I called mother wouldn't have trampled on guest rites like this." Alice's gaze sweeps across the room, before finally locking onto Marisa, and an unspoken exchange occurs.
Alice sets her shoulders and heads towards the door, beckoning Shinki to follow her, while Marisa steps up to the table, keeping an eye on the rest of you.
"My apologies for your developing family situation," you say to the witch.
Marisa's smile has an edge of tired exhaustion. "From what I've read, it's pretty normal for in-laws to be assholes." She hums, contemplatively. "Still worth it."
—
The Hakurei Shrine was, thankfully, intact when you arrived. But not unoccupied. Indeed, Aunn was running around the plaza, being chased by Kyouko, both smiling wide as they laughed and ducked between buildings. Byakuren was behind the shrine, out of view but audible, speaking a sermon to some assembled mass. And Reimu was out front, hand on her cheek, looking very bored as she spoke to a newcomer.
… One Kaku Seiga.
You knew her, not personally, but you knew her. And your smile dimmed. Your party, Sariel, Cirno, yourself and Samyaza, all landed in the shrine. And, immediately, Reimu's eyes flitted to you. Her form tensed, slightly, but noticeably. As if expecting your arrival to bring a fight. Then she relaxed, having realized that wasn't going to immediately happen. It was a slight thing, nearly unnoticeable, but it was enough for Seiga, who stopped whatever she was saying, turned, then smiled from ear to ear.
Her eyes didn't quite carry the same warmth as her smile. Oh, she tried, she was an excellent actress, but there was something cunning and cruel lurking beneath that gaze. "Oh, darling, look at you!" She stopped at a slight distance from you, just out of arms reach, yet her posture and certainty of self made it seem like a natural decision, as opposed to a calculated stance. "What a specimen! Who would have guessed Byakuren's Buddhists had someone like you hidden away?"
"Kaku Seiga," you say neutrally. "How might I help you?"
She shakes her head. "No, no, that's entirely the wrong question. The real question," she runs her fingers up her dress, to punctuate her speech. "Is how can
I help you? My, ah, associates would quite prefer if you were to avoid tipping the balance among Gensokyo's current religious rivalries." She smirks. "And so here I am, to offer my, mmmm, services as payment, in exchange for your inaction on that matter."
She isn't, you think, actually interested in you romantically in the slightest, and has no expectation of those being the 'services' you request. She's taking this approach because she delights in taking others off-balance, and feels that her insinuations will fluster or otherwise take aback a faithful Buddhist.
You stare down at her for a few moments. Then you look at Reimu. Without looking away from the shrine maiden, you reach up and grab Cirno. Then, gently, you place the fairy onto the ground. "Cirno, please join Kyouko. The rest of you, please remain here, I would speak to this hermit."
Seiga sweeps to the side, her voice just about containing her mirth. "Oh? Something to discuss, not fit for immature ears?"
You don't respond, you simply turn around and walk out of the shrine.
With a demure laugh, Seiga follows after you. "It's clear to those paying attention that you are not here in Gensokyo merely for matters tied to the Myouren shrine. If lending some assistance would get you out of our hair sooner… why, that's a trade well worth making, wouldn't you agree?"
"You believe me to be interested in the religious wars of this place?" you ask, as you step into the forest and away from the path. "Or does Miko."
Seiga smirks. "It is precisely because Miko believes you to be
disinterested that I have arrived. If you had some great stake in our conflict, then we could hardly expect to dissuade you from your course. But if it is an ancillary focus, then it becomes simple for the value of our assistance to outweigh other factors in your decisions."
"And so you attempt to offer your body to me." You say bluntly.
Seiga's smile grows. "And what a body it is! But as I can see y-"
"And all it cost was the life of your infant son."
Seiga blinks. She's not angry, or upset - she sounds honestly perplexed. "...Yes, and?"
You stop before a particularly large tree, staring up at it. She hadn't noticed, but then, few could. You were a good twenty miles away from the shrine now, distance, just like many things, was meaningless to you. "I understand why Miko has sent you to me. You do not need to explain it further."
Seiga tilts her head. "Well, then. Will you take up her offer?"
"Yes." You reply, then place your hand on her shoulder. "She is asking me to execute you."
Seiga blinks. "Eh?"
Your other hand presses against her forehead. "You have left the cycle of your own free will, you have murdered others and driven others to their deaths. May your judgment be swift." Then, she's gone, she doesn't
die, she no longer can. She has ceased existing upon this plane entirely. A waft of perfume carried away by the wind, and Kaku Seiga is no more. Then you turn your head slowly, looking east, towards the Taoist Temple.
…
Despite the miles of distance, and the deep and dense forests interposed between you, Miko's eyes have unerringly locked onto yours, from where she stands outside her temple.
—
[] [You shall speak to Miko, now.]
[] [She can wait.]
