Due to various reasons, I don't have a whole lot of confidence in my CtC story nowadays, so I figured I should take some time off from that. In the meantime, I decided to repost what I wrote when I was in my
prime as a Touhou-fanfiction-person: My personal retellings of PCB, IN, and PoFV. I've done a little tweaking and made the characters' personalities in these a little more consistant with their characterization from later.
Enjoy.
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Somewhere in a plane of existence, beyond that of the world of Gensokyo, a female figure, shrouded in darkness, looks up at a large, but withered, tree.
A second figure approaches the figure from behind, ?Looking at the Saigyou Ayakashi again, Yuyuko-sama??
?Oh. Youmu! Yes? I am??
?Among all the cherry blossoms that grow around here, I imagine the Saigyou Ayakashi would be the most magnificent. Unfortunately, it fails to live up to its potential??
There is a long silence. Finally, the first figure, Yuyuko, says, ?Perhaps we can change that itty bitty detail. Youmu, I have a BIG favor to ask of you.?
?Um... Whatever is it, Yuyuko-sama??
?Go to Gensokyo and gather its spring essence. Bring it back here so we can fully bloom the Saigyou Ayakashi!?
?Yuh-Yuyuko-sama??
?C?mon, Youmu! It?ll be pretty!?
?... ... ... Of-of course! I shall be on my way?? Youmu respectfully bows and walks out.
Yuyuko pauses and solemnly says to herself, unsure of what thoughts to dwell on ?It?s not so much that, but? I don?t even know myself? Yukari? Why this? Can?t you just?? Why do you insist???
TOUHOU PROJECT 7: PERFECT CHERRY BLOSSOM
Episode 1: The Beginning (Reimu and Marisa's side)Months later?
Winter is known as a fun time where kids make snowmen, make snow angels, have snowball fights, and generally have a fun time in the snow. On the other hand winter is also known for uncomfortably low temperatures, slippery ice, terrible blizzards, lack of vegetation, and constant need of heat. In summer, people wish for winter, and in winter, people wish for summer. One never appreciates the other until s/he has had far too much of one, and at this point in Gensokyo, the time of wishing for a warmer environment is higher than ever.
However, one season, though all too brief, balances all needs into a picture of paradise: Spring. Not too hot and not too cold. A great season for being outdoors in the gentle breeze. The season where the cherry blossoms bloom, ushering a sight of beauty beyond compare. The season that follows winter.
However, spring is all but a distant hope, as it still seems far away, but it?s the time when it should have arrived and presented itself in its full beauty. However, as of the present, Gensokyo still suffers from the cruelty of winter, and that cruelty is greater than ever, a paradox to what is expected of the current time of year.
At the top of a sizable flight of stone stairs lies the Hakurei Shrine, home of Gensokyo?s resident miko, Reimu Hakurei. It is a popular visiting spot for youkai around Gensokyo, recently, the former enemy of Gensokyo, Remilia Scarlet, has also taken a liking to visiting the shrine. However, in the fury of the elongated winter, hardly anyone, human or youkai, had had the motivation to step outdoors.
Reimu is the only miko in Gensokyo, but she rarely acts like one. Though surprisingly competent at her duties, she prefers a laid back lifestyle, like sleeping.
Inside the shrine, Reimu buries herself in the covers of her futon, trying to get some extra warmth in her poorly-heated shrine. However, this time, unlike all the other time, there?s so much heat, it?s almost abnormal, and she gets a good night?s sleep, as opposed to all those other nights where the cold kept her up.
Finally, with a pleasant feeling, she wakes up, whispering, ?What a good night? The weather must be improving?? There is a sudden gust of frigid wind outside, which seeps between the wooden planks of the shrine?s walls, freezing Reimu to the bone, ?Brrr? Or not. I guess it?s still the same. Damn?? She randomly glances at her pillow and notices that her long black hair, lying along it, is mixed in with just as many golden strands of hair, ?Huh? Has it gotten so cold that my hair is starting to lose color? This is terrible!? Reimu tries to move, but hits something soft.
?ZzzzzzzzzZZZZZzzzz...? With that, there is a snoring noise, not belonging to Reimu, followed by a slightly disturbed snort, but goes back on track.
Her eyes scan the surroundings and see some things on the floor that she doesn?t recall: A heavy coat, a red scarf, snowshoes, a bamboo broomstick, a black dress with a white apron, and a pointed black hat. Reimu instantly recognizes the latter portion of these things, then looks into her futon, to see a peacefully sleeping face of a girl with long wavy blonde hair. Reimu?s post-awakening awareness comes flooding to a peak, and after a few seconds?
?AAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAhhhhhhhh!? Reimu leaps out of bed.
The girl that was in bed with Reimu wakes up, mumbling, ?Mornin?, Reimu? Have a good sleep??
The girl is none other than Reimu?s longtime friend, Marisa Kirisame, a human witch. She?s extremely book-smart and a hard worker, unlike Reimu, who?s naturally competent at what she does, though she tends to lack common sense at times. She?s foul-mouthed and very intense when her adrenaline reaches its peak.
??Good sleep?" yells Reimu, ?What were you doing in bed with me? Uninvited, no less!?
Marisa responds, ?Don?t pretend that you didn?t like it, Reimu. You were tossing and turning until I got in and snuggled with you. You needed what I provided.?
Reimu, confused, asks, ?Wh-what??
?Another?s body heat,? answers Marisa, ?We share the heat from our bodies, giving each other warmth. People do this to survive in freezing waters. Same concept. Brilliant, eh??
Still aggravated, Reimu says, ?Brilliant, perhaps. Indecent, DEFINIELY!?
?Who the hell cares about decency? I did you a huge favor for you, helping you sleep through this cold, especially with what you are wearing!? says Marisa, pointing out Reimu?s choice of night clothes, a white nightgown with very thin fabric, ?What are you thinking? You should have worn something heavier than that!?
?This is all I have!? exclaims Reimu. Suddenly, another chilly draft passes through the shrine. Reimu covers her body with her arms.
?Ah! That?s cold!? yells Marisa, who moves sideway in the futon, making room, ?PLEASE! Come back to bed, Reimu!?
?I REFUSE!? There?s another draft, ?Brrr? Okay? I guess it beats this?? Reimu climbs in the futon with Marisa.
?Thank you!? says Marisa, ?You?re a true pal!?
?Why did you come here?? asks Reimu, ?Isn?t your house good enough??
?Of course it is!? says Marisa, ?It?s nice, warm, cozy, and a hell of a lot better insulated than this shrine!?
?So why come here, enter without being invited, and climb into bed with me??
Marisa proudly responds, ?Reimu, my friend, I come bearing news!?
?What is it??
?I have reason to believe our spring is elsewhere??
?That?s weird. Why do you think that??
?Last night, I stepped outside to sweep some damn snow off my front stairway, when something soft landed on my hand??
?Huh??
?A lively, pink, and healthy cherry blossom petal!?
Reimu blinks a couple times, ?Are you sure you weren?t imagining it? Maybe you want spring to arrive so much that you?re imagining the aspects of it in desperation.?
?Reimu, I already confirmed that I am not. I looked at it for a LONG time. I examined its texture, I smelled it, I left it on a table, left the room, then came back and it was still there! It was too real to be a figment of my imagination! I came here to show you, but??
?But??
?I guess the cold was too much for the little bud and it withered and died? Poor thing.?
?Why did you come here with that??
?Because this winter may be unnatural! It lasted far beyond when it was supposed to end. All the sudden, symbols of spring are falling into my hands? Besides, I can imagine it happening. Remember when Remilia covered Gensokyo in that mist. This could be similar??
?Are you saying Remilia is behind this??
?No. I see no reason for her to do so. The sun is still very much present in this weather and she?s probably suffering as much as we are, but something must be up with the prolonged season. I came here, hoping you would come along and help me investigate this.?
Reimu turns over, ?You think I?m always willing to get up and help out, don?t you??
?Dammit, I knew this was gonna be a pain in the ass... Are you just going to sleep on it and have me go out on my little lonesome?? An extra cold gust of wind blows through the shrine.
?Agh? I ahte this? Sure, I?ll help. Anything beats winter. Heck, maybe we can get an elongated spring while we?re at it.?
?Aw yeah! Now you?re talkin'!? Marisa gets up, out of the futon, making a determined pose in her heavy purple wool pajamas, ?We?re gonna head to the Forest of Magic and go from there!?
Reimu gets up and rolls up the futon, ?Sounds as good a plan as any, I guess? but first, let?s get dressed!?
?Okay!?
Reimu goes around a nearby corner and into the shrine?s restroom, where she keeps her usual clothes, as Marisa changes into the clothes she left lying around the shrine's floor. She and Marisa talk as they change. As Reimu brushes her hair, adds the braids on the sides of her face, and ties her hair back with a red ribbon, she asks Marisa, ?So Marisa, why the snowshoes, there? You have a broom, so why didn?t you use it??
Marisa, straightening her tangled hair with her hand and braiding the hair on one side of her face, says, ?You can fly like me, but I guess you don?t unless you gotta. Fine! It was pitch black out and there was a blizzard going on! Those things together are a pain in the ass to fly through! It was best off going it by foot!?
Reimu comments, as she sheds her nightgown and puts on her underwear, sarashi, and red shirt, ?You know? You could have waited until morning to come over!?
Marisa, shedding her pajamas and putting on her lingerie and black shirt, says, ?And prolong the winter any further? No thank you!? She puts on her skirt, saying mischivously, ?And your sweet, sweet body heat was too good to pass up!?
Reimu pauses and blushes as she puts on her skirt and tightens her belt, ?H-huh??
?Juuuuuuust kidding, though it was still nice?? laughs Marisa, putting on her hat.
?Ha! Ha! REAL amusing, Marisa,? says Reimu sarcastically, as she tightens her white sleeves below her shoulders.
Reimu walks out of the restroom, wraps a red scarf hanging nearby around her neck, a magical item that allows the wearer to maintain his or her bodily temperature. She retrieves her four-foot-long gohei leaning against the wall, and fetches several handfuls of spell cards, throwing needles, and ofuda from a compartment on the wall a few steps away.
Spell cards are the source of power among the more powerful denizens of Gensokyo, human and youkai alike. They contain power exclusive only those who have the necessary abilities, which are greatly variable among individuals, which is to say, in most cases, only a single individual can use a specific class of spell cards. For instance, Marisa cannot access the power of Reimu?s spell cards, and vice versa. Spell cards are activated by a declaration, which converts it to the energies needed to perform a specific ability. As for the abilities themselves, they vary greatly. Some directly grant power to the user, some enhance objects used by the user, some manipulate the user?s body into performing tasks beyond their conventional abilities, some open up a subspace, allowing for certain powers, etc. The effects are limited however. With some, the effects wear off after a single shot from the granted power, while others go continuously for several seconds, but in the case of either, the effects can be broken should the user?s concentration be disrupted, specifically from pain.
?Ready to go, Marisa??
Marisa picks up her broom, wraps her own red scarf around her neck, and checks her pockets for her spell cards, ?Am I ready to go? That's a silly question!?
They walk to the shrine?s front door and open it, only for a ton of snow to pour in from the outside and bury them. They dig through to the other side.
Marisa emerges from the snow, aggravated and groaning, "Dammit... This screwy season has a mind of its own, doesn't it??
Reimu emerges soon after, ?If so, it's not going to make life easy...?
?Yeah..." says Marisa, taking a few deep breaths, ?This snow wasn?t here when I arrived! It must have came afterward! That?s gotta be a record!?
Reimu looks around the shrine?s walkways, seeing the only major accumulation being at the door, apparently snow that the wind had pushed there. She takes a few steps and kicks something out from under the snow, a newspaper, ?Huh? Oh, today?s Bunbunmaru News?? She picks it up and reads it outloud, ??Hello, your daily reporter, Aya Shameimaru here! As I report from my warm quarters, do know that there will be a lot of accumulation today, especially?? Grrr? ?around the area where a certain clueless little miko lives. Have a nice day!?? Reimu chucks the paper as hard as she can and it tumbles down the side of the hill where the Hakurei Shrine stands, ?... and that bitch, Aya, sure isn't making life easier, either...? The tengu reporter, Aya, usually likes to poke fun at Reimu in every other newspaper she writes. As such, Reimu sees her as her unofficial arch nemesis. ?Saying more stupid things from whatever birdhouse she lives in! Shouldn?t she have migrated south anyway??
Marisa shrugs, ?Well, let?s bring on spring so Aya will have one less thing to make fun of you about??
Still frustrated, Reimu says, ?Yeah??
Reimu focuses, slowly levitates off the ground, and starts flying.
Marisa hops on top of her broom and takes to the air herself.
The two girls fly through the chilly skies, in the direction of the Forest of Magic and Marisa?s home, roughly 25 minutes away from Hakurei Shrine, as the crow flies.
?So?? begins Marisa, ?What are you gonna do when we get spring back??
?Sleep under a tree,? answers Reimu.
?A typical response from YOU!? laughs Marisa.
?What are YOU gonna do?? asks Reimu.
?Er? Read under a tree??
?Haha! A typical response from you too!?
Marisa suggests, ?How about I read and you sleep under the SAME tree? The perfect unified consummation of our victory!?
?Sure thing,? says Reimu, ?But let?s focus more on the present. There?s only one clue, and it?s not even a very reliable one??
?But a clue, nonetheless,? Marisa reminds Reimu, ?That one little petal is the best lead we?ve got!?
?That?s true, Mari_?
KABOOM! There is a sudden loud noise in the distance, followed by a column of smoke. Reimu and Maris stop and hover, looking in the direction of the sounds and smoke. Marisa shrugs and say, ?Oh, it?s probably noth_?
KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM! More loud noises. ?Doesn?t sound like ?nothing??? says Reimu. The noises are coming from a distant village.
?I?ve passed that village before,? comments Marisa, ?I don?t think anyone lives there, but??
?I won?t sleep easy ignoring this,? says Reimu, ? Something is up. Who knows? It might have something to do with the winter. Let?s go!? She flies in the direction of the village.
Marisa shrugs, ?Whatever. If there are explosions, it?s bound to be fun. Count me it!? She follows Reimu.