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Those Who Fight Monsters (Worm/Touhou)(Post-GM)
- Thread starter Chaos Theory
- Start date
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- Tags
- touhou project worm drama humor
- Location
- Italy
Unless Taylor had somehow gained the power to transform into a boy after falling in a Chinese spring, I believe that should be Gensokyo
In other news, Yukari is both broken and a troll. Geez, how strange.
Thanks for the correction, it was pretty late só likely a brainfartUnless Taylor had somehow gained the power to transform into a boy after falling in a Chinese spring, I believe that should be Gensokyo
In other news, Yukari is both broken and a troll. Geez, how strange.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Oh Taylor you don't know just how wrong you are.
A Life of Its Own
"When you said you fight with butterflies I thought you meant actual insects, not energy blasts with wings."
Taylor glanced away from the smoking crater the butterfly spirit had created in the boulder and at Yuyuko. "Great job! This is going so much better than when I tried to teach Youmu."
It had been going well. Yuyuko barely had to explain how to form the mental link with the butterfly spirit before Taylor had already established one. Sending orders to the spirit felt natural, a concerning idea that she was doing her best to ignore. She was about to ask what had happened to the spirit when it reformed by her side, a feeling of satisfaction being transferred through the mental link as Taylor dismissed it.
"Butterflies enjoy blowing themselves up?"
Yuyuko nodded, "Apparently they get annoyed about how everyone across trillions of worlds only ever associates them with peace and beauty and enjoy having the chance to destroy things every once in a while."
The concept that butterfly souls were enthusiastic suicide bombers was almost as concerning as discovering insects had souls at all. Taylor was starting to feel guilty for the uncountable amounts of 'junk insects' in her swarms that she had forcefully fed to the ones she had deemed useful. She forced herself away from that train of thought, knowing precisely where it would end up.
"Well I'm glad I have some talent for this, but I don't think my previous experiences controlling butterflies will be much help for either of us; I mostly used them as a distraction for my other insects."
"That is very useful in danmaku. Getting your opponent to dodge out of the way of the big flashy attack and into a quicker smaller one is a classic strategy." Yuyuko's eyes seemed to light up. "I know! You just need to see a demonstration."
Yuyuko cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Youmu!"
"Isn't that dangerous? Youmu is alive and that," Taylor gestured at the crater, "would kill a person if it hit."
"Don't worry Taylor. We will be invoking Spell Card Rules."
"How would rules stop Youmu from being blown up?"
"Spell Card Rules were created so that powerful Gods and Youkai could duel without killing each other as well as anyone else who happened to be in the surrounding area. Once a duel is invoked the rules of reality are temporarily overwritten preventing fatal damage.I once hit the human that created the rules straight in the face with one of my butterflies and she ended up no worse for wear." Yuyuko giggled, "Though she still does get annoyed with me about it when she gets a few too many drinks in her."
"We can temporarily overwrite the laws of reality in order to stop people from dying. How does that even work?"
Yuyuko shrugged, "I never really thought about it. If you want to know more you should probably ask Reimu or Yukari."
Taylor made a note to ask about those people later as she saw Youmu enter the garden.
"Yes Lady Yuyu-" Youmu's voice trailed off as she glanced at the boulder Taylor had blasted. "Lady Yuyuko, why is there a hole in that boulder?"
"Taylor shot it."
Youmu's eye began to twitch slightly, "Lady Yuyuko, why did Taylor shoot the boulder and not one of our practice targets?"
"I couldn't remember where we left those and the boulder was convenient."
Youmu closed her eyes and took a deep breath before talking again, "What did you call me for Lady Yuyuko?"
"Oh, I wanted to show Taylor what danmaku is like. Care for a match?"
Yuomu crossed her arms, "Well I would normally not mind, but apparently I need to pull a boulder out of the rock garden and go find a replacement."
Yuyuko pouted, "Please, Youmu"
Taylor watched as Youmu's facade broke down, "Fine. But only a quick one, okay?"
Yuyuko hugged Youmu, "You're the best!"
"Let's just get this over with."
A moment later Taylor felt a jolt of surprise as both of them took off into the air. Taylor was about to call out when Yuyuyko turned around, "Come on Taylor!"
"How? I can't fly."
Yuyuko laughed, "Of course you can fly, you're a ghost."
Taylor paused, she really couldn't argue with that statement. She focused on the memory of using the jetpack Defiant had built for her and leaped into the air, only to fall straight back to the ground.
Yuyuko landed right in front of her. "Don't think about it so hard. Just fly."
"How? I need more instructions than that."
Yuyuko furrowed her brow before perking up, "I know, I'm going to pick you up and let you feel what it is like to fly to see if that helps you do it."
"That doesn't seem safe."
"Taylor, you are an eternal soul. There really isn't much that is unsafe for you anymore."
"Alright, let's try it."
Yuyuko pulled Taylor into a tight hug. "Hold on."
"Wait, this isn't the correct way to carry someone while... " She was cut off as Yuyuko launched into the air and Taylor wrapped her arms around the girl and held on for dear life. A moment later they stopped and Taylor glared at Yuyuko's smiling face.
"Try to focus on the sensation of flying."
Taylor did as instructed. It was odd; she wasn't in enough pain right now for the way Yuyuko was carrying her. After she had been given her jetpack she had been forced to attend multiple classes by the PRT about proper ways to carry another person while flying before she had been allowed to take it out on patrols. Injuries caused due to improper methods of carrying while flying had been one of the leading causes of lawsuits against the Protectorate during the early years after it had formed.
With the way Yuyuko was carrying her she should nearly be falling right now. There should be a strong pinching sensation across her back and her arms should be straining to keep herself up. The more she thought about it the more the expected discomforts began to arrive.
Yuyuko leaned forward and whispered right in her ear, "Has anyone ever told you that you have the loveliest eyes?"
"What?" Taylor yelped. As she did so Yuyuko released her and slipped out of her own grip.
Taylor looked down, realizing that she was now hovering in the air completely under her own power. She looked where Yuyuko was hovering a few meters away, her hand over her mouth as she completely failed to hide the fact that she was laughing.
Taylor willed herself forward unsteadily until she was only a couple feet away and asked, "What was that about?"
Taylor had to wait a second for Yuyuko to get herself under control so she could respond. Finally she said, "I needed you to stop thinking about falling."
"I wasn't thinking about falling. I was remembering the flying lessons I went through when I was with the Wards."
"When you were alive the goal of flying was to not fall. Now the only reason you will ever fall is if you think you can." Yuyuko twisted into the air facing towards where Taylor could see Youmu hovering in the distance. "Let's go, it would be rude to keep Youmu waiting too long."
Yuyuko shot off and Taylor followed at a more sedate pace. As she did she felt a small giddy feeling grow in her gut. Even while she had been at the height of her one minded obsession with saving the world, flying was one of the few pure pleasures she had allowed herself. This felt even better than flying with her jetpack. There was no mild discomfort from the harness or need to carefully regulate the thruster outputs, flying felt as simple and natural as walking.
Taylor slowed to a stop a few feet away from Yuyuko who turned to her, "Alright Youmu wants this to be quick so whoever lands a hit first wins. You should retreat so you don't get caught in the crossfire."
Taylor did as requested and floated to a spot roughly between the two and a ways to the side in order to watch.
As Taylor turned to face the duelists she felt something she could not describe shift. Then Taylor jumped as the air between the two was suddenly filled with hundreds of balls of energy firing in every direction. It was impossible to tell what was going on, the air was so filled with light that it almost hurt to look at. She had seen less energy blasts in the air during the coordinated Blaster attacks she had fired off against Scion.
After just looking in awe at the chaos for a second Taylor realized that she needed to focus in on one of the duelists, trying to track all of the attacks was impossible. She turned her to where Youmu had been and focused on the girl.
Youmu had both her swords out and was effortlessly navigating through the attack, slipping into larger gaps and slicing balls of energy that came too close with her swords. With each swing Taylor saw nearly a dozen lasers arc off her towards Yuyuko.
After about a minute of dodging Youmu dove low and swung both her swords, releasing a large energy blast that tore through Yuyuko's onslaught. Taylor watched as the blast flew high above Yuyukon and then exploded. From the explosion thousands of glowing cherry blossom petals rained down on Yuyuko.
Taylor turned her attention to focus entirely on the ghost princess and she could just make out a smile on her face as the attack enveloped her. It was impossible to see Yuyuko through the petals and the only indication Taylor had that she had not been hit was that Youmu was still in a ready stance.
Yuyuko erupted from the top of the cloud of petals, one hand raised above her head, a ball of light hovering over it. From the ball lasers began to fire directly towards Youmu. As the gardener dodged Taylor noticed hundreds of spectral butterflies emerge from the cherry blossom forest beneath them and start moving to cut Youmu off. Unable to change directions due to the lasers, Youmu plunged into the swarm but continued to avoid the butterflies.
As Taylor watched she noticed that the swarm was not acting properly: the butterflies stayed in their rigid pattern instead of focusing in on Youmu, leaving holes for the swordswoman to navigate through. Still after a couple of seconds in the swarm she tripped up and a butterfly landed on her back before exploding.
Immediately the swarm dispersed and Yuyuko stopped firing her lasers and started cheering. "I won!"
After a moment both Yuyuko and Youmu were flying towards Taylor. As Youmu approached Taylor saw that she was wincing slightly and rubbing her back, "Are you alright?"
Youmu looked up at Taylor, "I'm fine. The attacks don't cause any damage, but they do sting to let you know you got hit."
Yuyuko arrived a moment later, "Great job Youmu. The petals were so pretty I almost forgot to dodge." She turned to Taylor, "So what did you think?"
"It was impressive," it really was, she didn't think Legend could fire off even half of what either duelist had done. "But your swarm of butterflies was weird. They didn't seem to respond to Youmu properly."
"You have to leave enough space for your opponent to dodge or it wouldn't be fair." Taylor snorted at the thought of a fair fight, that seemed overly optimistic. Yuyuko continued undeterred, "Come have tea with me and we can discuss all the rules."
-----=====-----
Professor James Murphy watched the political talk show host hold up a copy of his book from his office. When he had written the book on Khepri he had expected it to stay largely underground. Despite there being a decent amount of evidence for Khepri's existence during Golden Morning it was quite obvious that the Wardens were attempting a coverup and the rest of the Parahumans had gone along with it.
When he had anonymously published the small print run for the book he had thought that would be the end of it. That the book would find its way into fringe groups but it would be mostly ignored by the general public. He had only even released it so that he could know that the truth could be at least available for people who wanted it. But apparently someone else had different plans.
Someone had gotten ahold of the book, translated it into dozens of languages and released it across multiple Earths. The book was quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon even as the Wardens continued to call it baseless fantasy. It was a bit terrifying, while he had taken every precaution available to himself when he released the book he had mostly been planning on its relative insignificance to keep himself safe. After all, no matter how many precautions he took there was no way to stop some Thinker from just pulling his name out of thin air.
He jumped as he heard the door creak open, he had sworn he had locked it. He frowned as he looked up at it only to see a girl wearing a purple gown and mob cap of all things step into his office. He let out a tiny sigh, seeing that despite the odd clothes she wasn't wearing a mask. He did not recognize her but she looked to be about eighteen so he assumed she was one of the students from his larger lectures.
James forced a false smile onto his face, "I'm sorry Miss, but my office hours are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from two to five. Do you think you can come back then?"
The girl ignored him and shut his door then he felt a pit form in the middle of his stomach as she pulled out a copy of his book. "Miss, I asked you to leave."
The girl smiled serenely, "I so wanted to meet the author of this book. Do you think you can sign it?"
James stood from his chair, "I have no idea what you are talking about! Now get out before I call security!"
The girl sighed dramatically, "Drop the act, Professor. I have put no small amount of effort into making sure your book was read by as many people as possible and I would like to discuss it with you."
James dropped back into his chair, "Are you a parahuman?"
The girl smiled as she sat in front of him, "I am no such thing. You can call me Yukari."
James nodded, "Why did you publish my book?"
"I just wanted people to know the story."
James frowned at her response. "You had it translated into multiple languages and released on multiple Earths. That cannot have been cheap. Not to mention the fact that the Wardens are probably hunting you down this very minute, along with myself." He paused at that thought, "How did you find me anyway?"
"You would be surprised at the power of a good story. It can take on a life of its own."
"You didn't answer my question."
Yukari just continued lounging in her chair and smiling at him.
"Fine, just tell me what it is you want from me."
"I was wondering if there were any details about Khepri that you kept out of the book?"
There were. James had been careful with the book, focusing on the evidence of Khepri's existence as well as what they had done and how they had likely done it. He had left out theories about who Khepri might be. One did not spend their life studying parahumans without realizing what things you could not publish without getting hunted down and killed, and accusing a cape of being Khepri, even a dead one, was definitely on that list. Still the puzzle of it had rankled him so he had spent quite a bit of time looking into it anyway.
He leaned back in his chair, "No, I put everything I had into the book."
Yukari sighed dramatically, "I know you aren't particularly happy with me right now. How about we make a deal, you answer my questions truthfully and I will ensure that no parahuman will ever find you."
James stopped to think, if Yukari here had been able to track him down he doubted the Wardens were far behind. He didn't really think that she could stop the Wardens but if she was able to get his book released on multiple Earths then she had to have serious resources. At the very least she had better odds of hiding him then he did.
"Fine." He opened a drawer and emptied it before pulling up the false bottom. Underneath it was a file. He pulled it out and handed it to Yukari. "I think the most likely source of Khepri is a Second Trigger. It is unlikely that a fresh trigger would be experienced enough to do what Khepri did. I compiled a list of the most likely candidates from the death records the Wardens provided. I assume they just listed Khepri as being killed by whatever caused their second trigger since it is the easiest way to keep the coverup consistent."
Yukari thumbed through the dossiers before setting the file on her lap.
"So what are you planning on doing with that information, if you don't mind me asking? Are you crazy enough to release another book?"
Yukari laughed politely, "Oh no, I have no desire that the true identity of Khepri ever be known. I rather enjoy all the discussion the mystery has caused, don't you?"
James shook his head, "Whatever. So what is your plan to stop me from being found?"
Yukari stood up, still holding onto the file. "That is simple. I will send you to an Earth with no parahumans."
That made sense. She obviously had interdimensional connections given what she had done with his book. Still travel between the Earths was heavily regulated. "How are you going to arrange that?"
As soon as the last word left his mouth he felt a sensation of weightlessness and then he and his chair fell straight through his floor. Looking up he saw a black opening filled with glowing red eyes above him. A moment later an envelope fell out of it and onto his lap.
James smacked his forehead; of course the mysterious woman who showed up asking about his book had been a parahuman. It had been stupid of him to believe her. Still everything she had said had been oddly compelling. He wondered if it was a secondary power other than just her portals.
James stood from his chair and looked around. He appeared to be in an aisan village based on the architecture and people he saw staring at him.
Opening the envelope three notes slipped out. Two of them were written in what he thought was japanese and had a number written in the top left corner. The third was in English.
'Give the first note to a villager. They will make arrangements for you to meet a shrine maiden. Give the second note to her. You will be given a house in a couple of days and I will deliver you select items from your home and office when you do. It would be wise of you to stay within the village until you learn the language and its customs, Gensokyo can be quite dangerous for those who do not know its ways. With this our deal is complete. I hope you find satisfaction in your new life.
-Yukari Yakumo'
Not seeing any other options, James walked towards the villagers.
-----=====-----
A/N: Thank you to @skyedelaciel for beta reading the chapter. I hope my first attempt at writing a danmaku duel worked. It's honestly kind of difficult coming up with rules for two equal opponents fighting like it is in the lore as in the games it is just a boss battle. It also doesn't help that the game's most iconic spell card breaks the canonical rules of danmaku by being a screen filling laser beam rather than something dodgeable. I ended up using MinusT's 3D animated danmaku videos as inspiration. On a related note I suggest that anyone who has an even passing interest in Touhou watch those videos since they are great.
Taylor glanced away from the smoking crater the butterfly spirit had created in the boulder and at Yuyuko. "Great job! This is going so much better than when I tried to teach Youmu."
It had been going well. Yuyuko barely had to explain how to form the mental link with the butterfly spirit before Taylor had already established one. Sending orders to the spirit felt natural, a concerning idea that she was doing her best to ignore. She was about to ask what had happened to the spirit when it reformed by her side, a feeling of satisfaction being transferred through the mental link as Taylor dismissed it.
"Butterflies enjoy blowing themselves up?"
Yuyuko nodded, "Apparently they get annoyed about how everyone across trillions of worlds only ever associates them with peace and beauty and enjoy having the chance to destroy things every once in a while."
The concept that butterfly souls were enthusiastic suicide bombers was almost as concerning as discovering insects had souls at all. Taylor was starting to feel guilty for the uncountable amounts of 'junk insects' in her swarms that she had forcefully fed to the ones she had deemed useful. She forced herself away from that train of thought, knowing precisely where it would end up.
"Well I'm glad I have some talent for this, but I don't think my previous experiences controlling butterflies will be much help for either of us; I mostly used them as a distraction for my other insects."
"That is very useful in danmaku. Getting your opponent to dodge out of the way of the big flashy attack and into a quicker smaller one is a classic strategy." Yuyuko's eyes seemed to light up. "I know! You just need to see a demonstration."
Yuyuko cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Youmu!"
"Isn't that dangerous? Youmu is alive and that," Taylor gestured at the crater, "would kill a person if it hit."
"Don't worry Taylor. We will be invoking Spell Card Rules."
"How would rules stop Youmu from being blown up?"
"Spell Card Rules were created so that powerful Gods and Youkai could duel without killing each other as well as anyone else who happened to be in the surrounding area. Once a duel is invoked the rules of reality are temporarily overwritten preventing fatal damage.I once hit the human that created the rules straight in the face with one of my butterflies and she ended up no worse for wear." Yuyuko giggled, "Though she still does get annoyed with me about it when she gets a few too many drinks in her."
"We can temporarily overwrite the laws of reality in order to stop people from dying. How does that even work?"
Yuyuko shrugged, "I never really thought about it. If you want to know more you should probably ask Reimu or Yukari."
Taylor made a note to ask about those people later as she saw Youmu enter the garden.
"Yes Lady Yuyu-" Youmu's voice trailed off as she glanced at the boulder Taylor had blasted. "Lady Yuyuko, why is there a hole in that boulder?"
"Taylor shot it."
Youmu's eye began to twitch slightly, "Lady Yuyuko, why did Taylor shoot the boulder and not one of our practice targets?"
"I couldn't remember where we left those and the boulder was convenient."
Youmu closed her eyes and took a deep breath before talking again, "What did you call me for Lady Yuyuko?"
"Oh, I wanted to show Taylor what danmaku is like. Care for a match?"
Yuomu crossed her arms, "Well I would normally not mind, but apparently I need to pull a boulder out of the rock garden and go find a replacement."
Yuyuko pouted, "Please, Youmu"
Taylor watched as Youmu's facade broke down, "Fine. But only a quick one, okay?"
Yuyuko hugged Youmu, "You're the best!"
"Let's just get this over with."
A moment later Taylor felt a jolt of surprise as both of them took off into the air. Taylor was about to call out when Yuyuyko turned around, "Come on Taylor!"
"How? I can't fly."
Yuyuko laughed, "Of course you can fly, you're a ghost."
Taylor paused, she really couldn't argue with that statement. She focused on the memory of using the jetpack Defiant had built for her and leaped into the air, only to fall straight back to the ground.
Yuyuko landed right in front of her. "Don't think about it so hard. Just fly."
"How? I need more instructions than that."
Yuyuko furrowed her brow before perking up, "I know, I'm going to pick you up and let you feel what it is like to fly to see if that helps you do it."
"That doesn't seem safe."
"Taylor, you are an eternal soul. There really isn't much that is unsafe for you anymore."
"Alright, let's try it."
Yuyuko pulled Taylor into a tight hug. "Hold on."
"Wait, this isn't the correct way to carry someone while... " She was cut off as Yuyuko launched into the air and Taylor wrapped her arms around the girl and held on for dear life. A moment later they stopped and Taylor glared at Yuyuko's smiling face.
"Try to focus on the sensation of flying."
Taylor did as instructed. It was odd; she wasn't in enough pain right now for the way Yuyuko was carrying her. After she had been given her jetpack she had been forced to attend multiple classes by the PRT about proper ways to carry another person while flying before she had been allowed to take it out on patrols. Injuries caused due to improper methods of carrying while flying had been one of the leading causes of lawsuits against the Protectorate during the early years after it had formed.
With the way Yuyuko was carrying her she should nearly be falling right now. There should be a strong pinching sensation across her back and her arms should be straining to keep herself up. The more she thought about it the more the expected discomforts began to arrive.
Yuyuko leaned forward and whispered right in her ear, "Has anyone ever told you that you have the loveliest eyes?"
"What?" Taylor yelped. As she did so Yuyuko released her and slipped out of her own grip.
Taylor looked down, realizing that she was now hovering in the air completely under her own power. She looked where Yuyuko was hovering a few meters away, her hand over her mouth as she completely failed to hide the fact that she was laughing.
Taylor willed herself forward unsteadily until she was only a couple feet away and asked, "What was that about?"
Taylor had to wait a second for Yuyuko to get herself under control so she could respond. Finally she said, "I needed you to stop thinking about falling."
"I wasn't thinking about falling. I was remembering the flying lessons I went through when I was with the Wards."
"When you were alive the goal of flying was to not fall. Now the only reason you will ever fall is if you think you can." Yuyuko twisted into the air facing towards where Taylor could see Youmu hovering in the distance. "Let's go, it would be rude to keep Youmu waiting too long."
Yuyuko shot off and Taylor followed at a more sedate pace. As she did she felt a small giddy feeling grow in her gut. Even while she had been at the height of her one minded obsession with saving the world, flying was one of the few pure pleasures she had allowed herself. This felt even better than flying with her jetpack. There was no mild discomfort from the harness or need to carefully regulate the thruster outputs, flying felt as simple and natural as walking.
Taylor slowed to a stop a few feet away from Yuyuko who turned to her, "Alright Youmu wants this to be quick so whoever lands a hit first wins. You should retreat so you don't get caught in the crossfire."
Taylor did as requested and floated to a spot roughly between the two and a ways to the side in order to watch.
As Taylor turned to face the duelists she felt something she could not describe shift. Then Taylor jumped as the air between the two was suddenly filled with hundreds of balls of energy firing in every direction. It was impossible to tell what was going on, the air was so filled with light that it almost hurt to look at. She had seen less energy blasts in the air during the coordinated Blaster attacks she had fired off against Scion.
After just looking in awe at the chaos for a second Taylor realized that she needed to focus in on one of the duelists, trying to track all of the attacks was impossible. She turned her to where Youmu had been and focused on the girl.
Youmu had both her swords out and was effortlessly navigating through the attack, slipping into larger gaps and slicing balls of energy that came too close with her swords. With each swing Taylor saw nearly a dozen lasers arc off her towards Yuyuko.
After about a minute of dodging Youmu dove low and swung both her swords, releasing a large energy blast that tore through Yuyuko's onslaught. Taylor watched as the blast flew high above Yuyukon and then exploded. From the explosion thousands of glowing cherry blossom petals rained down on Yuyuko.
Taylor turned her attention to focus entirely on the ghost princess and she could just make out a smile on her face as the attack enveloped her. It was impossible to see Yuyuko through the petals and the only indication Taylor had that she had not been hit was that Youmu was still in a ready stance.
Yuyuko erupted from the top of the cloud of petals, one hand raised above her head, a ball of light hovering over it. From the ball lasers began to fire directly towards Youmu. As the gardener dodged Taylor noticed hundreds of spectral butterflies emerge from the cherry blossom forest beneath them and start moving to cut Youmu off. Unable to change directions due to the lasers, Youmu plunged into the swarm but continued to avoid the butterflies.
As Taylor watched she noticed that the swarm was not acting properly: the butterflies stayed in their rigid pattern instead of focusing in on Youmu, leaving holes for the swordswoman to navigate through. Still after a couple of seconds in the swarm she tripped up and a butterfly landed on her back before exploding.
Immediately the swarm dispersed and Yuyuko stopped firing her lasers and started cheering. "I won!"
After a moment both Yuyuko and Youmu were flying towards Taylor. As Youmu approached Taylor saw that she was wincing slightly and rubbing her back, "Are you alright?"
Youmu looked up at Taylor, "I'm fine. The attacks don't cause any damage, but they do sting to let you know you got hit."
Yuyuko arrived a moment later, "Great job Youmu. The petals were so pretty I almost forgot to dodge." She turned to Taylor, "So what did you think?"
"It was impressive," it really was, she didn't think Legend could fire off even half of what either duelist had done. "But your swarm of butterflies was weird. They didn't seem to respond to Youmu properly."
"You have to leave enough space for your opponent to dodge or it wouldn't be fair." Taylor snorted at the thought of a fair fight, that seemed overly optimistic. Yuyuko continued undeterred, "Come have tea with me and we can discuss all the rules."
-----=====-----
Professor James Murphy watched the political talk show host hold up a copy of his book from his office. When he had written the book on Khepri he had expected it to stay largely underground. Despite there being a decent amount of evidence for Khepri's existence during Golden Morning it was quite obvious that the Wardens were attempting a coverup and the rest of the Parahumans had gone along with it.
When he had anonymously published the small print run for the book he had thought that would be the end of it. That the book would find its way into fringe groups but it would be mostly ignored by the general public. He had only even released it so that he could know that the truth could be at least available for people who wanted it. But apparently someone else had different plans.
Someone had gotten ahold of the book, translated it into dozens of languages and released it across multiple Earths. The book was quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon even as the Wardens continued to call it baseless fantasy. It was a bit terrifying, while he had taken every precaution available to himself when he released the book he had mostly been planning on its relative insignificance to keep himself safe. After all, no matter how many precautions he took there was no way to stop some Thinker from just pulling his name out of thin air.
He jumped as he heard the door creak open, he had sworn he had locked it. He frowned as he looked up at it only to see a girl wearing a purple gown and mob cap of all things step into his office. He let out a tiny sigh, seeing that despite the odd clothes she wasn't wearing a mask. He did not recognize her but she looked to be about eighteen so he assumed she was one of the students from his larger lectures.
James forced a false smile onto his face, "I'm sorry Miss, but my office hours are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from two to five. Do you think you can come back then?"
The girl ignored him and shut his door then he felt a pit form in the middle of his stomach as she pulled out a copy of his book. "Miss, I asked you to leave."
The girl smiled serenely, "I so wanted to meet the author of this book. Do you think you can sign it?"
James stood from his chair, "I have no idea what you are talking about! Now get out before I call security!"
The girl sighed dramatically, "Drop the act, Professor. I have put no small amount of effort into making sure your book was read by as many people as possible and I would like to discuss it with you."
James dropped back into his chair, "Are you a parahuman?"
The girl smiled as she sat in front of him, "I am no such thing. You can call me Yukari."
James nodded, "Why did you publish my book?"
"I just wanted people to know the story."
James frowned at her response. "You had it translated into multiple languages and released on multiple Earths. That cannot have been cheap. Not to mention the fact that the Wardens are probably hunting you down this very minute, along with myself." He paused at that thought, "How did you find me anyway?"
"You would be surprised at the power of a good story. It can take on a life of its own."
"You didn't answer my question."
Yukari just continued lounging in her chair and smiling at him.
"Fine, just tell me what it is you want from me."
"I was wondering if there were any details about Khepri that you kept out of the book?"
There were. James had been careful with the book, focusing on the evidence of Khepri's existence as well as what they had done and how they had likely done it. He had left out theories about who Khepri might be. One did not spend their life studying parahumans without realizing what things you could not publish without getting hunted down and killed, and accusing a cape of being Khepri, even a dead one, was definitely on that list. Still the puzzle of it had rankled him so he had spent quite a bit of time looking into it anyway.
He leaned back in his chair, "No, I put everything I had into the book."
Yukari sighed dramatically, "I know you aren't particularly happy with me right now. How about we make a deal, you answer my questions truthfully and I will ensure that no parahuman will ever find you."
James stopped to think, if Yukari here had been able to track him down he doubted the Wardens were far behind. He didn't really think that she could stop the Wardens but if she was able to get his book released on multiple Earths then she had to have serious resources. At the very least she had better odds of hiding him then he did.
"Fine." He opened a drawer and emptied it before pulling up the false bottom. Underneath it was a file. He pulled it out and handed it to Yukari. "I think the most likely source of Khepri is a Second Trigger. It is unlikely that a fresh trigger would be experienced enough to do what Khepri did. I compiled a list of the most likely candidates from the death records the Wardens provided. I assume they just listed Khepri as being killed by whatever caused their second trigger since it is the easiest way to keep the coverup consistent."
Yukari thumbed through the dossiers before setting the file on her lap.
"So what are you planning on doing with that information, if you don't mind me asking? Are you crazy enough to release another book?"
Yukari laughed politely, "Oh no, I have no desire that the true identity of Khepri ever be known. I rather enjoy all the discussion the mystery has caused, don't you?"
James shook his head, "Whatever. So what is your plan to stop me from being found?"
Yukari stood up, still holding onto the file. "That is simple. I will send you to an Earth with no parahumans."
That made sense. She obviously had interdimensional connections given what she had done with his book. Still travel between the Earths was heavily regulated. "How are you going to arrange that?"
As soon as the last word left his mouth he felt a sensation of weightlessness and then he and his chair fell straight through his floor. Looking up he saw a black opening filled with glowing red eyes above him. A moment later an envelope fell out of it and onto his lap.
James smacked his forehead; of course the mysterious woman who showed up asking about his book had been a parahuman. It had been stupid of him to believe her. Still everything she had said had been oddly compelling. He wondered if it was a secondary power other than just her portals.
James stood from his chair and looked around. He appeared to be in an aisan village based on the architecture and people he saw staring at him.
Opening the envelope three notes slipped out. Two of them were written in what he thought was japanese and had a number written in the top left corner. The third was in English.
'Give the first note to a villager. They will make arrangements for you to meet a shrine maiden. Give the second note to her. You will be given a house in a couple of days and I will deliver you select items from your home and office when you do. It would be wise of you to stay within the village until you learn the language and its customs, Gensokyo can be quite dangerous for those who do not know its ways. With this our deal is complete. I hope you find satisfaction in your new life.
-Yukari Yakumo'
Not seeing any other options, James walked towards the villagers.
-----=====-----
A/N: Thank you to @skyedelaciel for beta reading the chapter. I hope my first attempt at writing a danmaku duel worked. It's honestly kind of difficult coming up with rules for two equal opponents fighting like it is in the lore as in the games it is just a boss battle. It also doesn't help that the game's most iconic spell card breaks the canonical rules of danmaku by being a screen filling laser beam rather than something dodgeable. I ended up using MinusT's 3D animated danmaku videos as inspiration. On a related note I suggest that anyone who has an even passing interest in Touhou watch those videos since they are great.
- Location
- Asian
well looking forward for James to freak out when eventually meeting Khepri.
Nice post! Looking forward to seeing how the legend of Kehpri begins to change Taylor in the afterlife. Also, decent job with the danmaku. I'd say you captured how it looks to a newbie pretty well. Side note: Master Spark doesn't take up the whole screen when you go against it. It follows the rules of Danmaku because you can dodge, you just need to realise the need to rush to the edges. It may be cheap, but it is still legal. (Kinda has to be considering that you face it in several games when against Marissa and Yuuka.)
- Location
- Argentina
Well, so a new Youkai will be born...
Zedman7054
Eternally 3rd
- Location
- United States
I'm really going to feel for Taylor when all of this youkai business comes to it's head. Here she is, finally, dead, freed from the cycle of reincarnation, and a future of peace and introspection in front of her. She's even starting to acclimate. And then, her moment of peace is taken away from her.
It's a good reminder that Yukari isn't a good person. She doesn't know, nor care about how her little game is going to affect Taylor mentally and emotionally.
It's a good reminder that Yukari isn't a good person. She doesn't know, nor care about how her little game is going to affect Taylor mentally and emotionally.
I just updated A Reason for Salvation so that it does a better job conveying the timeline of the story and contains an actual description for Yuyuko (don't ask me why I originally spent a paragraph describing the side character of Youmu and only a line describing one of the main characters). I also cut a joke that I don't think worked.
I'm hoping to get the next chapter out this weekend in which Yukari meets an Undersider and Taylor gets some proper headwear so she can become a real Touhou character.
I'm hoping to get the next chapter out this weekend in which Yukari meets an Undersider and Taylor gets some proper headwear so she can become a real Touhou character.
Last edited:
Born of Ignorance and Fear
Taylor felt a warm smile slip onto her face as she stepped out of the library. She couldn't help but think of how much her mother would have given to spend even five minutes in Hakugyokurou's library. The accumulated works of the greatest authors and poets to have ever lived and more as they continued writing after their deaths.
In her hand she held a book of short stories that Edgar Allan Poe had written a short time after his arrival in Hakugyokurou that the spirit that ran the library had told her were chilling. The librarian had also promised to track down a transcript of Shakespear's fifty-fourth play which was apparently a return to form for him after a weak showing early in the 1700s.
She turned down the hallway and started floating towards her room. Navigating around Hakugyokurou was simple, even if it had taken her a little time to get used to it. Intent was what mattered, all one needed to do was keep a destination in mind and walk in any given direction and soon they would arrive.
No sooner than she had finished the thought she had arrived at her room. She slid open the door and stepped out of a traditional Japanese manor and into a room that appeared to be from a western mansion. The tatami mat floors and paper walls were replaced with wooden floors and glass windows.
As Taylor walked in the room lit up with magical lights that responded to her will. She passed the giant four post bed and went to the comfortably overstuffed chair next to the window open to the gardens. She paused for a moment before sitting down in the chair and with a thought the view from the window changed from one overlooking a Koi pond to one looking out over the endless forest of cherry blossom trees.
Satisfied Taylor sat down in the chair shifting around a bit in order to get comfortable. She shifted the magical light a bit closer and adjusted how much light it output and then opened her book.
Everything ready she began to read the first line only to be interrupted by two knocks at the door.
Taylor looked up, hoping that it had just been a mistake, then she sighed as the knocks repeated a second time. Setting her book aside, she got up and shuffled to the door, swinging it open to reveal Yuyuko carrying a package.
"Taylor! I'm glad I caught you." Yuyuko paused, her smile fading as she looked at Taylor's face, "Is this a bad time?"
Taylor smiled, the ghost princess was easy company to keep even if she had been looking forward to her book. "No, I was just settling down to read but it can wait. Come in." Taylor stepped aside so Yuyuko could enter.
Yuyuko stepped into the room looking at her reading corner, "Oh, is that Poe? I remember when Youmu tried to read that one, she couldn't sleep for a week!" She giggled for a second, "I should go drop by to see how that sourpus is doing, I bet he drew all over his walls again."
Even having already been in Hakugyokurou for a couple of months Taylor was still getting used to the fact that she could drop by and talk to people she had only ever read about while she was alive. Still at least she hadn't made a fool out of herself since the time she ran into Mary Shelly, that had been embarrassing.
"So, what is in the box?"
Yuyuko lifted the box, "It is a present for you, but before you open it I wanted to ask you something."
Taylor smiled, "Alright, what did you want to ask?"
"Well with Spring coming some people I know on Earth are having a little gathering and I was hoping you would accompany me and Youmu."
Taylor had remembered Yuyuko saying that she visited Earth somewhat regularly and she was curious what kind of place didn't mind ghosts dropping by. "Where would we be going?"
"Gensokyo, it is a location in Japan where supernatural beings like Gods and Youkai are able to live and interact with humans."
"Would it be a problem that I don't speak Japanese?"
Yuyuko giggled, "Taylor, the only language Youmu speaks is Japanese."
Taylor opened her mouth to protest then stopped herself, "This is another one of those ghost things, isn't it."
"Yep, you speak the language of the dead now. You can understand everyone and they will all hear you in their own tongue." Yuyuko's voice became a bit more serious, "If you focus a bit you can still hear what they are actually saying, it is an important skill you need to learn so you can listen to poetry."
"Then I would be happy to accompany you."
"Yay!" Yuyuko handed Taylor the present. "Well then, this is for you."
Taylor opened the present revealing a piece of cloth. Pulling it out it unfurled to reveal a kimono. The cloth was a blue so dark it appeared almost black with a few silver butterflies scattered around it like they were floating in the night sky.
Taylor turned towards Yuyuko, "It's beautiful, but I don't think I'd look that good in this."
Yuyuko pouted, "At least try it on before you say that. If you don't like it we can go find something else."
Taylor opened her mouth to suggest that they find something with pants but stopped when she saw Yuyuko's slightly glistening eyes. She quickly began to understand why she had never seen Youmu tell Yuyuko no once she started pouting.
"Fine, just help me put this on. I've never worn anything like this before."
-----=====-----
Taylor looked at herself in the mirror. The kimono really was beautiful and she was willing to admit, albeit somewhat grudgingly, that it looked good on her as well. She still wasn't beautiful, her too wide mouth and The dark silk highlighted her pale skin giving her an almost ethereal glow, which she thought looked entirely appropriate given what she was.
She swirled the fabric a bit watching how the slight movements made the butterflies appear to dance playfully. She would have never worn something like this while she was alive, but perhaps that was why she should take the opportunity to do so now, after all she still didn't particularly like the person she had been. Still she made a note to find out where Yuyuko had gotten this. Just because she could see herself enjoying wearing something like this didn't mean she wasn't going to get some more practical clothes as well.
Taylor felt a warm weight on her side as Yuyuko pulled in tight wrapping one arm around her in a loose half hug. Looking in the mirror Taylor noted how the ghost princess' light blue kimono appeared as day next to her own kimono's night.
"So, how do you like it?"
"I'll admit, it doesn't look as wrong on me as I thought it would."
Yuyuko's smile was positively radiant. "Of course it looks great on you Taylor; you are the one wearing it! Oh, but you still need a finishing touch." She released Taylor and pulled something else out of the box.
Taylor looked down at what Yuyuko was holding, "I am not wearing that."
"Why not, Taylor we'd match!" She held up the mob cap she was holding, "And hat's like these are all the rage in Gensokyo."
"Yuyuko, no. I am putting my foot down about this."
Yuyuko pouted but Taylor managed to hold firm. Finally, she sighed, "Fine, but you should still put something in your hair."
Taylor thought for a moment. Despite how much she liked her hair the only thing she had ever really done with it was use it to hide insects so she wouldn't be caught unarmed. She paused for a moment, that idea had a bit of potential. Silently sent out a call and a moment later a large spectral butterfly flew into her room and nestled itself in her hair.
Yuyuko clapped, "Ooh! That is so pretty, Taylor!" Then she grabbed Taylor's hand and tugged her out of her room, "Let's go grab Youmu and head to Gensokyo!"
-----=====-----
Lisa watched the video feeds her men were sending back to her. They moved quickly, neutralizing the security guards as they approached her target's manor. She smiled, soon she would find out who had been behind that damn book.
Getting Hollow Point established and keeping it under control was difficult enough before the book. Doing so now, with the Wardens breathing down her neck as their primary suspect for the distribution of the book, made it nigh impossible. But even more than that the book was a threat to the memory of Taylor.
While she did think Taylor had gotten a raw deal for saving the world she did not want her friend to be remembered as a monster. It was better for everyone if Skitter was just another forgotten casualty in the War against Scion. She would not allow this person to drag Taylor's name from obscurity and through the mud.
It had taken her a considerable amount of time and effort but after a month and a half of searching and no small amount of favors she had finally tracked down the person who was behind the distribution of the book. She had almost contacted the Wardens with the information but bringing them in would limit what questions she could ask. In the end she decided she would handle this herself and drop off whatever was left when she was done with the Wardens.
With her men now in position she gave the signal and they breached the doors and entered the manor. Quickly the teams moved from room to room finding the manor to be furnished but empty of life. Finally in the master bedroom they found a young blonde woman asleep on the bed.
Lisa allowed her power to start feeding her information as one of her men pulled out a syringe full of a tranquilizer and approached the bed.
Deep sleep. Has been asleep for more than a month.
Publisher's activity dropped off during that time. She is the target.
Lisa frowned and spoke over the radio to the commander, "She is probably a cape. Tranq her and use the brute restraints for transport."
As the commander relayed her orders, the man with the tranquilizer moved to jam it into her neck only to collapse as the woman opened her eyes. As the woman sat up in the bed two more of her men brandished their guns and ordered her to stand down. The woman responded by smiling back at them.
Slightly annoyed from being awoken.
Surprised someone found her this soon.
Amused by demands. Will kill if attacked.
Aware that she is being watched. Waiting to see what you will do.
She turned her attention to the man on the floor.
Dead. Cause of death… unknown.
No heart attack. No stroke. No abnormalities.
Just dead.
Shit, what the hell type of power killed without any sign as to how, and no beam or contact required. Lisa called over the radio, "Commander, order your men to stand down. If they open fire you all will die. Have the other teams leave the manor and prepare to patch me through to her."
Lisa was beginning to really regret having not just handed this mess off to the Wardens. She turned her attention back to the unknown parahuman, hoping to get a bit more in who was now inspecting the body as she stood from her bed. She felt a pit form in her stomach as the information started flooding in.
Hungry. Considering eating the body. Decided that doing so would be impolite.
Older than she looks. Over a thousand years old.
Not human. Used to be human.
Impressed that she was found before next week. Decided to reward initiative.
Either her power was on the fritz or something here was very wrong. Then the body of the dead man sat straight up and started gasping for air. A moment later he was crawling away from the woman as fast as he could.
Alive. Not being puppeted.
Lisa felt a spike of pain and stopped her power. What the fuck had she gotten herself into. Not seeing any alternative she started ordering her men to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, only to stop when a black void full of glowing red eyes appeared next to the woman and a second identical one in her own room.
"Fuck!" Lisa sprinted to the door only to find it impossible to open.She turned around and saw the void gone and the woman standing before her.
The woman walked toward her and leaned in close, a predatory smile on her face. "Well now, Tattletale I presume." Another smaller void appeared next to the woman's hand. She reached into it and pulled out a file. "I presume that means this one is Khepri."
Lisa glanced at the file. The text was in Japanese but she saw Taylor's mugshot and another picture of her dressed as Weaver. She turned her attention back to the woman only to immediately look back down at the file. The text that had been in Japanese only moments prior was now entirely in English.
Lisa slowly looked back up at the woman standing before her. "What the fuck are you?"
She smiled enigmatically "Now that is no way for a young lady to talk, but I suppose that I can forgive you. You do seem to be going through a stressful time." The woman bowed her head slightly, "You can call me Yukari."
Lisa forced herself to calm down. Yukari had not killed and eaten her yet. Which, given what her power was saying about the woman, was something she should probably be grateful for. All she needed to do was to get Yukari to decide to leave without changing her mind.
"Yukari it is then. So then, may I ask what you are doing here?"
"So, you are not going to offer your guest some refreshments?"
Lisa bit back a scathing remark as Yukari smiled politely. That bitch was enjoying this. "I would but my door seems to be stuck."
"Ah well that is quite understandable." A void appeared and out of it came two chairs and a small table with a steaming tea set sitting on it. "I know it isn't normal for a guest to provide refreshments but come and sit. I find tea helps even the most difficult conversations go down easier."
Hesitantly Lisa sat at the offered seat but did not pick up the cup. "I'm sorry but I can't say I have ever found tea to be much to my liking."
"Oh? I could probably get my hands on some wine if you want."
Lisa decided against risking getting the millenia old cannibal who could apparently kill and resurrect people with their mind drunk and picked up one of the teacups, "Maybe I will find a taste for it today."
She took a sip and watched Yukari match her. The tea actually was surprisingly tasty. Though she wasn't finding it particularly relaxing in this situation.
After her sip Yukari set down her teacup, "Well the reason I am here was to learn Khepri's identity. I figured if I set down a trail and waited their companions would eventually follow trying to find the source of the book."
Lisa's power informed her that Yukari was telling the truth. "That cannot have been the easiest method for you to have found out."
"No, but it was an entertaining one. After all, it is resulting in this lovely conversation over tea." Lisa felt her smile strain slightly and took another sip to cover it. "Plus it afforded me some time to sleep. I have been much more active this winter than I have in quite some years. Though I will say, it was quite the surprise you found me so quickly. I suppose I should not have underestimated you parahumans."
"So you undermined a multi global coverup just to find out Khepri's true identity?"
Yukari laughed politely, "Oh, no. I am getting something very interesting out of that. I am just waiting for that particular seed to sprout."
"Would you mind telling me what that is?"
"I'm sorry but a girl must have some secrets. I'm certain you, of all people, understand the importance of secrets." Lisa unconsciously began loosening the reins on her power. "And I am certain you understand the consequences of trying to pry those secrets loose."
Lisa quickly took another sip of her tea to buy time and reestablished control over her power. As she did so a thought came to her mind, one that left her both afraid and slightly excited. "Are you planning on resurrecting Taylor?"
Yukari's smile faded slightly, "I cannot say. My meddling may bring her back but it would be a side effect of what I truly am after. Even if she were to resurrect, do you truly think she would be able to find a home on this Earth?"
"If she come's back will you protect her?"
Yukari nodded, "If she were to come back then I would consider her fate to be of the utmost importance."
Lisa felt a slight hope, "Would I be able to see her?"
"If it is in her best interest."
Knowing that was the best she could hope for Lisa let the conversation drop and finished her tea, watching Yukari do the same. Once done Yukari set down her teacup and stood up from her chair. "Well, Tattletale, that was lovely, but I should probably be going."
Lisa stood up hiding her elation at surviving this behind a polite smile. "Thank you for the tea."
Yukari smiled back, "Keep the tea set, you never know when company might drop in on you unexpectedly."
Lisa felt the pit reform in her stomach but kept it off of her face. Another one of those unsettling voids opened up and Yukari approached it, before stopping and turning back towards Lisa.
"You know I just realized how rude it was of me to keep you while your men are surely waiting for your instructions. How about I do you a favor as recompense. Is there anything you would like me to handle?"
Lisa stopped herself from asking her to just leave. Slowly she started loosening her grip on her power to figure out what it was Yukari wanted from her. The woman smiled patiently and after a moment the information started coming back in.
Bored. Looking for something to do while she ensures that her plan won't be undone.
Lisa wracked her brain, what could keep this monster busy for long enough that she would finish her business here and fuck off to wherever it is she went when she wasn't making Lisa's life miserable. Well, no one knew where Teacher was hiding.
"There is this parahuman who goes by the name Teacher. I am certain he is working on some plan that would be a problem for me. Do you think you could do anything about that?"
Yukari's smile regained its predatory edge. "Well I was hoping to get some breakfast soon. I suppose that will do nicely. We will have to do this again some other time, Tattletale, it really was lovely."
With that Yukari stepped through the void and it disappeared behind her. Lisa collapsed into her chair, she had been through Endbringer attacks less terrifying than that.
-----=====-----
Yukari felt comfortably full as she left what remained of Teacher's compound. As she stepped into the City a smile spread across her face. She could feel it, the story had spread far enough and the fear of it had fully infused into the collective unconscious. A new youkai would be born within the lunar month.
A youkai born after the Age of Information had killed so many of her kind. A youkai that proved her species had a future beyond preserves like Gensokyo. It was a triumph.
She opened another gap to her home, already making plans to get in touch with her contacts in the Ministry. She needed to find the Soul of Taylor Hebert. Either the girl's soul would become the new monster or her past would tell Yukari where she needed to look. She would not allow the future of her species to fade back to nothing.
A/N:
Yuyuko: Taylor you are a Touhou character now, the fans demand that you get a hat.
Taylor: Sticks the magical equivalent of a live grenade on her head.
The ending of this chapter has been completely rewritten. Please see this post for details.
In her hand she held a book of short stories that Edgar Allan Poe had written a short time after his arrival in Hakugyokurou that the spirit that ran the library had told her were chilling. The librarian had also promised to track down a transcript of Shakespear's fifty-fourth play which was apparently a return to form for him after a weak showing early in the 1700s.
She turned down the hallway and started floating towards her room. Navigating around Hakugyokurou was simple, even if it had taken her a little time to get used to it. Intent was what mattered, all one needed to do was keep a destination in mind and walk in any given direction and soon they would arrive.
No sooner than she had finished the thought she had arrived at her room. She slid open the door and stepped out of a traditional Japanese manor and into a room that appeared to be from a western mansion. The tatami mat floors and paper walls were replaced with wooden floors and glass windows.
As Taylor walked in the room lit up with magical lights that responded to her will. She passed the giant four post bed and went to the comfortably overstuffed chair next to the window open to the gardens. She paused for a moment before sitting down in the chair and with a thought the view from the window changed from one overlooking a Koi pond to one looking out over the endless forest of cherry blossom trees.
Satisfied Taylor sat down in the chair shifting around a bit in order to get comfortable. She shifted the magical light a bit closer and adjusted how much light it output and then opened her book.
Everything ready she began to read the first line only to be interrupted by two knocks at the door.
Taylor looked up, hoping that it had just been a mistake, then she sighed as the knocks repeated a second time. Setting her book aside, she got up and shuffled to the door, swinging it open to reveal Yuyuko carrying a package.
"Taylor! I'm glad I caught you." Yuyuko paused, her smile fading as she looked at Taylor's face, "Is this a bad time?"
Taylor smiled, the ghost princess was easy company to keep even if she had been looking forward to her book. "No, I was just settling down to read but it can wait. Come in." Taylor stepped aside so Yuyuko could enter.
Yuyuko stepped into the room looking at her reading corner, "Oh, is that Poe? I remember when Youmu tried to read that one, she couldn't sleep for a week!" She giggled for a second, "I should go drop by to see how that sourpus is doing, I bet he drew all over his walls again."
Even having already been in Hakugyokurou for a couple of months Taylor was still getting used to the fact that she could drop by and talk to people she had only ever read about while she was alive. Still at least she hadn't made a fool out of herself since the time she ran into Mary Shelly, that had been embarrassing.
"So, what is in the box?"
Yuyuko lifted the box, "It is a present for you, but before you open it I wanted to ask you something."
Taylor smiled, "Alright, what did you want to ask?"
"Well with Spring coming some people I know on Earth are having a little gathering and I was hoping you would accompany me and Youmu."
Taylor had remembered Yuyuko saying that she visited Earth somewhat regularly and she was curious what kind of place didn't mind ghosts dropping by. "Where would we be going?"
"Gensokyo, it is a location in Japan where supernatural beings like Gods and Youkai are able to live and interact with humans."
"Would it be a problem that I don't speak Japanese?"
Yuyuko giggled, "Taylor, the only language Youmu speaks is Japanese."
Taylor opened her mouth to protest then stopped herself, "This is another one of those ghost things, isn't it."
"Yep, you speak the language of the dead now. You can understand everyone and they will all hear you in their own tongue." Yuyuko's voice became a bit more serious, "If you focus a bit you can still hear what they are actually saying, it is an important skill you need to learn so you can listen to poetry."
"Then I would be happy to accompany you."
"Yay!" Yuyuko handed Taylor the present. "Well then, this is for you."
Taylor opened the present revealing a piece of cloth. Pulling it out it unfurled to reveal a kimono. The cloth was a blue so dark it appeared almost black with a few silver butterflies scattered around it like they were floating in the night sky.
Taylor turned towards Yuyuko, "It's beautiful, but I don't think I'd look that good in this."
Yuyuko pouted, "At least try it on before you say that. If you don't like it we can go find something else."
Taylor opened her mouth to suggest that they find something with pants but stopped when she saw Yuyuko's slightly glistening eyes. She quickly began to understand why she had never seen Youmu tell Yuyuko no once she started pouting.
"Fine, just help me put this on. I've never worn anything like this before."
-----=====-----
Taylor looked at herself in the mirror. The kimono really was beautiful and she was willing to admit, albeit somewhat grudgingly, that it looked good on her as well. She still wasn't beautiful, her too wide mouth and The dark silk highlighted her pale skin giving her an almost ethereal glow, which she thought looked entirely appropriate given what she was.
She swirled the fabric a bit watching how the slight movements made the butterflies appear to dance playfully. She would have never worn something like this while she was alive, but perhaps that was why she should take the opportunity to do so now, after all she still didn't particularly like the person she had been. Still she made a note to find out where Yuyuko had gotten this. Just because she could see herself enjoying wearing something like this didn't mean she wasn't going to get some more practical clothes as well.
Taylor felt a warm weight on her side as Yuyuko pulled in tight wrapping one arm around her in a loose half hug. Looking in the mirror Taylor noted how the ghost princess' light blue kimono appeared as day next to her own kimono's night.
"So, how do you like it?"
"I'll admit, it doesn't look as wrong on me as I thought it would."
Yuyuko's smile was positively radiant. "Of course it looks great on you Taylor; you are the one wearing it! Oh, but you still need a finishing touch." She released Taylor and pulled something else out of the box.
Taylor looked down at what Yuyuko was holding, "I am not wearing that."
"Why not, Taylor we'd match!" She held up the mob cap she was holding, "And hat's like these are all the rage in Gensokyo."
"Yuyuko, no. I am putting my foot down about this."
Yuyuko pouted but Taylor managed to hold firm. Finally, she sighed, "Fine, but you should still put something in your hair."
Taylor thought for a moment. Despite how much she liked her hair the only thing she had ever really done with it was use it to hide insects so she wouldn't be caught unarmed. She paused for a moment, that idea had a bit of potential. Silently sent out a call and a moment later a large spectral butterfly flew into her room and nestled itself in her hair.
Yuyuko clapped, "Ooh! That is so pretty, Taylor!" Then she grabbed Taylor's hand and tugged her out of her room, "Let's go grab Youmu and head to Gensokyo!"
-----=====-----
Lisa watched the video feeds her men were sending back to her. They moved quickly, neutralizing the security guards as they approached her target's manor. She smiled, soon she would find out who had been behind that damn book.
Getting Hollow Point established and keeping it under control was difficult enough before the book. Doing so now, with the Wardens breathing down her neck as their primary suspect for the distribution of the book, made it nigh impossible. But even more than that the book was a threat to the memory of Taylor.
While she did think Taylor had gotten a raw deal for saving the world she did not want her friend to be remembered as a monster. It was better for everyone if Skitter was just another forgotten casualty in the War against Scion. She would not allow this person to drag Taylor's name from obscurity and through the mud.
It had taken her a considerable amount of time and effort but after a month and a half of searching and no small amount of favors she had finally tracked down the person who was behind the distribution of the book. She had almost contacted the Wardens with the information but bringing them in would limit what questions she could ask. In the end she decided she would handle this herself and drop off whatever was left when she was done with the Wardens.
With her men now in position she gave the signal and they breached the doors and entered the manor. Quickly the teams moved from room to room finding the manor to be furnished but empty of life. Finally in the master bedroom they found a young blonde woman asleep on the bed.
Lisa allowed her power to start feeding her information as one of her men pulled out a syringe full of a tranquilizer and approached the bed.
Deep sleep. Has been asleep for more than a month.
Publisher's activity dropped off during that time. She is the target.
Lisa frowned and spoke over the radio to the commander, "She is probably a cape. Tranq her and use the brute restraints for transport."
As the commander relayed her orders, the man with the tranquilizer moved to jam it into her neck only to collapse as the woman opened her eyes. As the woman sat up in the bed two more of her men brandished their guns and ordered her to stand down. The woman responded by smiling back at them.
Slightly annoyed from being awoken.
Surprised someone found her this soon.
Amused by demands. Will kill if attacked.
Aware that she is being watched. Waiting to see what you will do.
She turned her attention to the man on the floor.
Dead. Cause of death… unknown.
No heart attack. No stroke. No abnormalities.
Just dead.
Shit, what the hell type of power killed without any sign as to how, and no beam or contact required. Lisa called over the radio, "Commander, order your men to stand down. If they open fire you all will die. Have the other teams leave the manor and prepare to patch me through to her."
Lisa was beginning to really regret having not just handed this mess off to the Wardens. She turned her attention back to the unknown parahuman, hoping to get a bit more in who was now inspecting the body as she stood from her bed. She felt a pit form in her stomach as the information started flooding in.
Hungry. Considering eating the body. Decided that doing so would be impolite.
Older than she looks. Over a thousand years old.
Not human. Used to be human.
Impressed that she was found before next week. Decided to reward initiative.
Either her power was on the fritz or something here was very wrong. Then the body of the dead man sat straight up and started gasping for air. A moment later he was crawling away from the woman as fast as he could.
Alive. Not being puppeted.
Lisa felt a spike of pain and stopped her power. What the fuck had she gotten herself into. Not seeing any alternative she started ordering her men to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, only to stop when a black void full of glowing red eyes appeared next to the woman and a second identical one in her own room.
"Fuck!" Lisa sprinted to the door only to find it impossible to open.She turned around and saw the void gone and the woman standing before her.
The woman walked toward her and leaned in close, a predatory smile on her face. "Well now, Tattletale I presume." Another smaller void appeared next to the woman's hand. She reached into it and pulled out a file. "I presume that means this one is Khepri."
Lisa glanced at the file. The text was in Japanese but she saw Taylor's mugshot and another picture of her dressed as Weaver. She turned her attention back to the woman only to immediately look back down at the file. The text that had been in Japanese only moments prior was now entirely in English.
Lisa slowly looked back up at the woman standing before her. "What the fuck are you?"
She smiled enigmatically "Now that is no way for a young lady to talk, but I suppose that I can forgive you. You do seem to be going through a stressful time." The woman bowed her head slightly, "You can call me Yukari."
Lisa forced herself to calm down. Yukari had not killed and eaten her yet. Which, given what her power was saying about the woman, was something she should probably be grateful for. All she needed to do was to get Yukari to decide to leave without changing her mind.
"Yukari it is then. So then, may I ask what you are doing here?"
"So, you are not going to offer your guest some refreshments?"
Lisa bit back a scathing remark as Yukari smiled politely. That bitch was enjoying this. "I would but my door seems to be stuck."
"Ah well that is quite understandable." A void appeared and out of it came two chairs and a small table with a steaming tea set sitting on it. "I know it isn't normal for a guest to provide refreshments but come and sit. I find tea helps even the most difficult conversations go down easier."
Hesitantly Lisa sat at the offered seat but did not pick up the cup. "I'm sorry but I can't say I have ever found tea to be much to my liking."
"Oh? I could probably get my hands on some wine if you want."
Lisa decided against risking getting the millenia old cannibal who could apparently kill and resurrect people with their mind drunk and picked up one of the teacups, "Maybe I will find a taste for it today."
She took a sip and watched Yukari match her. The tea actually was surprisingly tasty. Though she wasn't finding it particularly relaxing in this situation.
After her sip Yukari set down her teacup, "Well the reason I am here was to learn Khepri's identity. I figured if I set down a trail and waited their companions would eventually follow trying to find the source of the book."
Lisa's power informed her that Yukari was telling the truth. "That cannot have been the easiest method for you to have found out."
"No, but it was an entertaining one. After all, it is resulting in this lovely conversation over tea." Lisa felt her smile strain slightly and took another sip to cover it. "Plus it afforded me some time to sleep. I have been much more active this winter than I have in quite some years. Though I will say, it was quite the surprise you found me so quickly. I suppose I should not have underestimated you parahumans."
"So you undermined a multi global coverup just to find out Khepri's true identity?"
Yukari laughed politely, "Oh, no. I am getting something very interesting out of that. I am just waiting for that particular seed to sprout."
"Would you mind telling me what that is?"
"I'm sorry but a girl must have some secrets. I'm certain you, of all people, understand the importance of secrets." Lisa unconsciously began loosening the reins on her power. "And I am certain you understand the consequences of trying to pry those secrets loose."
Lisa quickly took another sip of her tea to buy time and reestablished control over her power. As she did so a thought came to her mind, one that left her both afraid and slightly excited. "Are you planning on resurrecting Taylor?"
Yukari's smile faded slightly, "I cannot say. My meddling may bring her back but it would be a side effect of what I truly am after. Even if she were to resurrect, do you truly think she would be able to find a home on this Earth?"
"If she come's back will you protect her?"
Yukari nodded, "If she were to come back then I would consider her fate to be of the utmost importance."
Lisa felt a slight hope, "Would I be able to see her?"
"If it is in her best interest."
Knowing that was the best she could hope for Lisa let the conversation drop and finished her tea, watching Yukari do the same. Once done Yukari set down her teacup and stood up from her chair. "Well, Tattletale, that was lovely, but I should probably be going."
Lisa stood up hiding her elation at surviving this behind a polite smile. "Thank you for the tea."
Yukari smiled back, "Keep the tea set, you never know when company might drop in on you unexpectedly."
Lisa felt the pit reform in her stomach but kept it off of her face. Another one of those unsettling voids opened up and Yukari approached it, before stopping and turning back towards Lisa.
"You know I just realized how rude it was of me to keep you while your men are surely waiting for your instructions. How about I do you a favor as recompense. Is there anything you would like me to handle?"
Lisa stopped herself from asking her to just leave. Slowly she started loosening her grip on her power to figure out what it was Yukari wanted from her. The woman smiled patiently and after a moment the information started coming back in.
Bored. Looking for something to do while she ensures that her plan won't be undone.
Lisa wracked her brain, what could keep this monster busy for long enough that she would finish her business here and fuck off to wherever it is she went when she wasn't making Lisa's life miserable. Well, no one knew where Teacher was hiding.
"There is this parahuman who goes by the name Teacher. I am certain he is working on some plan that would be a problem for me. Do you think you could do anything about that?"
Yukari's smile regained its predatory edge. "Well I was hoping to get some breakfast soon. I suppose that will do nicely. We will have to do this again some other time, Tattletale, it really was lovely."
With that Yukari stepped through the void and it disappeared behind her. Lisa collapsed into her chair, she had been through Endbringer attacks less terrifying than that.
-----=====-----
Yukari felt comfortably full as she left what remained of Teacher's compound. As she stepped into the City a smile spread across her face. She could feel it, the story had spread far enough and the fear of it had fully infused into the collective unconscious. A new youkai would be born within the lunar month.
A youkai born after the Age of Information had killed so many of her kind. A youkai that proved her species had a future beyond preserves like Gensokyo. It was a triumph.
She opened another gap to her home, already making plans to get in touch with her contacts in the Ministry. She needed to find the Soul of Taylor Hebert. Either the girl's soul would become the new monster or her past would tell Yukari where she needed to look. She would not allow the future of her species to fade back to nothing.
A/N:
Yuyuko: Taylor you are a Touhou character now, the fans demand that you get a hat.
Taylor: Sticks the magical equivalent of a live grenade on her head.
The ending of this chapter has been completely rewritten. Please see this post for details.
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- Location
- Belgium
Why do I think this is going to end up as a massive Taylor vs Khepri danmaku match?
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
Couldn't have happened to a more deserving snack.
Also: The list of beings willing to mess with Yukari's plans is hilariously short. Reimu (duh), Seija (who not only is the ultimate contrarian but also wields a conceptual power), a couple Oni who are old friends with her, a vampire far too full of herself, and... that's about it.
He was her all you can eat breakfast buffet. Honestly it is probably one of the better things he ever accomplished in his life.
Kagemoto
I stand against the Infinite Horizon
- Location
- Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high.
I can hazard a guess that she and Taylor are going to fuse in the end or something. But honestly, I'm more concerned that probably the entirety (or most of) of the wards plot is just gone.
... is it gone? I haven't started reading it yet, so... idk
also lmao Yukari, I knew I loved her for a reason
- Location
- Hell
On the other hand, it is Marisa and Yuuka we are talking about.
Hey, it does not have to be a hat, headwear counts!
*glances at Youmu*
Important Note: Major Story Change
As I was writing the next two chapters of this story something became abundantly clear to me. I had made a serious mistake making Khepri her own seperate character.
I still stand by the concept. Khepri was a good idea that gave Taylor an interesting conflict to face and I had a few scenes that I felt were really good worked out, but I do not feel that I am strong enough of an author to properly realize that potential. As I read what I had written I realized that if I wanted to be able to continue this story I needed to make a change. So I have rewritten the end of the last chapter in order to preserve this story. Luckily I do have plans for where to take the story without Khepri so this should only delay the next chapter by about a week or so while I finalize my new path forward.
I'm sorry for any confusion this ends up causing.
TLDR: I rewrote the end of the last chapter do to me being very unsatisfied with how future chapters were turning out. Khepri is out. Sorry if this causes any confusion going forward.
I still stand by the concept. Khepri was a good idea that gave Taylor an interesting conflict to face and I had a few scenes that I felt were really good worked out, but I do not feel that I am strong enough of an author to properly realize that potential. As I read what I had written I realized that if I wanted to be able to continue this story I needed to make a change. So I have rewritten the end of the last chapter in order to preserve this story. Luckily I do have plans for where to take the story without Khepri so this should only delay the next chapter by about a week or so while I finalize my new path forward.
I'm sorry for any confusion this ends up causing.
TLDR: I rewrote the end of the last chapter do to me being very unsatisfied with how future chapters were turning out. Khepri is out. Sorry if this causes any confusion going forward.