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Also known as 'The Short That Stopped Being Short (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=1681.0)'. This post'll just be for the excerpts that are left strewn around that topic, and I'll post updates here as they come.
(And yes the name sucks, but I couldn't think of anything better.)
"The thoughts of other characters are represented by inverted commas and italics."
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Getting out of the Palace unseen was easier than she had expected. Orin and Utsuho were sound asleep when she'd made her move, and Koishi was nowhere to be seen as usual. Besides that, more or less everyone had been more than keen to act as though she wasn't there, so she reached the surface without a hitch.
Just as well - they would be worried sick if they found out what I was doing.
The Mountain of Youkai was only a small walk away, and Satori made the trip alone. It was an unusually quiet trip, because not only was there nothing to hear there was no-one to hear. A chance to have some time to herself without other people's thoughts flooding her mind wasn't something that Satori was used to.
This must be how Koishi feels all the time.
She sighed unconsciously as her sister's name came up in her memories. Always running around and doing whatever she felt like - it was something that Satori had never felt. This little endeavor was supposed to be an attempt at emulating her sister's behaviour in an attempt to understand her a little better.
Her destination approached, a pristine lake at the foot of the mountain. She'd seen lakes underground, but none had ever had water this clean or enticing. There was probably more living in the water here than anything she had seen back home.
I have it all to myself, as well.
Satori began to undress, carefully sliding her clothing around the wires of her third eye. Beneath everything she was wearing a simple dark-blue swimsuit, the closest thing to swimwear you could hope to find underground. She sat at the lake's edge, testing the water with her feet. Cold, but bearable.
It was a thought that had sprung to her head from nowhere a short time ago - 'I wonder what swimming feels like'. She'd clung onto the idea insistently, one of her few random urges, and over the last few days she'd been making plans to sneak out for a night like this. True, she had no idea how to swim, but there were plenty of fish down here who probably knew plenty about it who she could learn from.
Orin would be having a fit right about now if she knew about this - saying that it was too dangerous or too reckless or something like that. It would have been a funny sight, almost a role reversal given their usual antics, but if she had found out there was no way she would have let Satori away with it.
"...Okay, then. Here I go."
She took a single deep breath as she pushed herself lightly into the water, making a small, quiet splash. This was Satori Komeiji's first swimming lesson, and she'd literally thrown herself in at the deep end.
---
Satori instinctively closed her eyes as she hit the water, taking a few seconds to get accustomed to the new surroundings. Her third eye was unaffected, as receptive as ever and already picking up murmurs from the nearby fish.
...There're all coming towards me. Does this usually happen?
True, a land-dweller jumping into your lake would probably attract your interest if you were a fish, but every living thing in the lake seemed to be interested in her. The wave of thoughts hit Satori hard, and she had to focus to pick out anything in particular.
"Look at that eye. Did the other girl have hers open?"
Other girl? Do they mean...Koishi?
The same thoughts were coming from more or less all of them, watching her curiously as she sank deeper into the lake. Unsure if she was meant to keep up appearances, Satori waved lightly to the crowd with a small grin. The fish turned to each other, murmuring about the sight.
"What's going on over here? Lemme see!"
One voice rose from behind the crowd, louder than the ones around it. The smaller fish dispersed immediately, letting the complaining creature take a look at Satori. It wasn't a fish, it was something different whose name Satori vaguely remembered from a book she'd read somewhere.
A...dolphin?
Its back was a dark shade of grey, with a lighter patch on its belly. It hastily started circling Satori, inspecting her from all angles. She felt vaguely like a piece of art on exhibition.
"She really looks a lot like Koishi-chan...actually, didn't she say that she had a sister?"
That thought was enough to grab Satori's attention. Her guess had been right - Koishi had been here before her, which was probably why she everyone down here was so interested in her. She would have replied to confirm the dolphin's suspicions, but the lack of air in her surroundings made that a bad idea.
"Blub?"
She hadn't realised it, but she'd been under for longer than she'd thought. Her lungs were getting impatient, and she hadn't had the chance to figure out how to swim from any of the nearby fish yet. She quickly looked into the heart of one of them, but the only thing she could make out was 'swing fin left, then right, then repeat'. Legs weren't anywhere near as flexible, and despite her growing worry Satori continued to sink.
This is bad...
"Blub-blub..."
Satori held a hand over her mouth to try and stop the air from escaping. She was slowly becoming aware that this whole swimming thing was one of the worst ideas she'd had in recent times. The dolphin reacted hastily to the sight of the girl in distress.
"And Koishi-chan didn't know how to swim, either. She'll need me to help her out..."
The dolphin stopped circling Satori, swimming in front and turning its back towards her. Well aware that it was trying to help her out of the water, Satori clung onto it with both hands and focused on not letting any more air loose. Despite the extra weight the dolphin made it to the surface with ease, helping Satori back onto dry land as she caught her breath.
"...Thanks for your help. I guess that was a bad idea on my part."
"You said it. That's twice I've had to save people like that."
The same voice as before, but something about it felt wrong to Satori. It was louder, more vibrant, less like a thought and more like actual speech.
But I don't remember dolphins being able to talk...
Turning back to the lake, Satori did a double-take as she realised the dolphin that had saved her was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a girl in her early teens with long silver hair and what looked like a dark grey fin coming out from the back of her neck. Satori facepalmed.
What am I talking about? This is Gensokyo. Everything talks in Gensokyo.
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The dolphin youkai hauled herself out of the water with her newfound arms. As she pulled herself up Satori was able to see that she was wearing a pale blue shirt with bubble emblems running down the sleeves, and a light grey skirt which constantly seemed to be soaked. Around her waist were a pair of vials - one filled with water, the other with salt. She stretched her arms, yawning slightly as she sat down next to Satori.
"Why do people keep jumping into my lakes in the middle of the night, anyway? Dolphins need to sleep a little too..."
She pouted, rubbing her eyes to keep herself awake. Satori was hit by pangs of guilt as she realised she'd woken her up.
Looks like life in Gensokyo is even more plentiful than I thought.
"My apologies. I never really took the time to consider someone might be sleeping there."
"Yeah, neither did the last one. You two look a lot alike, actually."
The dolphin turned to Satori again, examining her more thoroughly than she had underwater. Her attention was drawn to the eye on Satori's chest, and she stared into it with her own dark blue eyes. Satori could tell from her expression that this wasn't her first time seeing one of these.
"Hey, have you ever met-"
"You wouldn't happen to know-"
Their questions overlapped, and both girls cut themselves short to allow the other to finish. Satori felt no need to complete her sentence - she already knew full well what was going on. The dolphin, on the other hand, seemed amazed by what she'd come across.
"You mean...you actually know Koishi-chan? You're her sister, aren't you! She's told you about me, right?"
Satori was tempted to look into her heart and just recite what she saw there, but that felt too much like a lie and so she simply shook her head.
"Not really. Koishi and I don't really see each other much."
The dolphin hung her head in disappointment.
"Aw...looks like the work of Sango Tororetsu is gonna go unheeded again..."
"Sango...Tororetsu?"
The youkai looked up, seeing an opportunity to sell herself. Satori noticed a glint of ambition in her eyes.
"Yeah, that's me! See these sparkling rivers and lakes you take for granted? They don't keep themselves clean, y'know!"
Sango stood up, grabbing the water-filled vial at her waist. She opened it, and allowed the tiniest drop to fall into the lake. There was a tiny ripple where the droplet hit the water, but otherwise there was no obvious change.
"And just like that, BAM! Anything toxic or dirty in the water goes poof! I can turn it to saltwater, too, if I use the other one."
It was certainly a decent pitch, but as Satori looked into the water she found it difficult to believe.
"It looks...exactly the same as it did before."
"Of course it does. I clean it all the time."
Apparently Sango wasn't aware that her statement effectively proved itself, totally sure that she'd convinced Satori completely. Unable to sense any deception in her heart, though, Satori took her word for it.
"Aaaanyway, you're really Koishi-chan's sister? The one who can read minds and stuff?"
Unsure if this was meant as a compliment, Satori nodded cautiously.
"That's me, Satori Komeiji, pleased to meet you."
Satori put her hand out to shake, but Sango ignored it. She was back to staring at the third eye, moving her head slightly and watching it follow her movements.
"So, wait. What am I thinking right now?"
"That there's no way I'll ever be able to guess what you're thinking."
Sango was astounded by the declaration, like a child watching a magic show. She applauded wildly.
"Wow! You really are as good as she said you were!"
Satori didn't have the heart to say that she wasn't trying that time, and that she was guessing that based on a hunch. For all her ambition and excitement, this girl was pretty simple in the head.
"But still, that was kind of a dumb thing you did there. Jumping into a lake when you don't even know how to swim...are you guys all crazy or what?"
And as soon as she had concluded the girl was simple, she found herself getting criticised by her. To be fair, she was doing so on pretty solid grounds.
"Well, I just thought it was the sort of ridiculous thing that Koishi would do, and I wanted to try it out for myself...but looking back, I agree that it was kind of ridiculous. I guess I didn't think swimming would be that hard..."
Sango sighed dramatically, holding her head in her hands in false embarrassment.
"Geez, I can't just sit here and let you go like this. What if you throw yourself into another lake and no-one's around to help you?"
Standing up again, she took a step forward and fell back into the water. Satori watched as she surfaced, still in human form, and raised a hand towards her.
"Come on, I'll teach you everything I know. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."
Still a little nervous after her last attempt went horribly wrong, Satori was reluctant to accept the offer. Sango's proud smile, though, along with the genuine feelings of concern flowing through her heart, were enough to convince her to take the plunge and take her hand. Jumping into the water, she allowed Sango to support her weight by holding her beneath her arms.
"...Thanks. I really appreciate this."
"No problem. Just tell Koishi-chan that she owes me double next time she sees me, okay?"
-----
I'm not quite sure how Sango evolved from what was meant to be a nameless dolphin into a full-blown Touhou character. It started with me being irritated at not being able to produce proper dialogue and ended with me looking up kanji for an accurate enough name and coming up with a ZUN-style costume. >_>
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The dolphin youkai hauled herself out of the water with her newfound arms. As she pulled herself up Satori was able to see that she was wearing a pale blue shirt with bubble emblems running down the sleeves, and a light grey skirt which constantly seemed to be soaked. Around her waist were a pair of vials - one filled with water, the other with salt. She stretched her arms, yawning slightly as she sat down next to Satori.
Oh crap, you went with clothes
Go on, go on.
Just don't forget to give her (flashy) Danmaku too, OK?
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yay my idea was used :)
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Just don't forget to give her (flashy) Danmaku too, OK?
I never really intended for there to be any combat in this, but I was considering possibly looking into Danmakufu a little when this is all over...:/
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Aaaaas for the story at hand, I do agree that it needs continuation.
Very enjoyable so far.
[Enter unrecognizable attempts at constructive criticism here to make the post bigger]
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I'll get on this once I finish reading Ruro's fic up to her latest installment.
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I never really intended for there to be any combat in this, but I was considering possibly looking into Danmakufu a little when this is all over...:/
That would be perfectly fine for me when this was a short, but it isn't anymore, so...
Being that we're on Gensokyo, Danmaku battles should be a very common solution to problems. But, to be fair, the story itself didn't really have much of a conflict to begin with (which you can definitely build upon given that this is only the beginning).
Anyway, you are an Idiot Deity; I will put a lot of faith into you.
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Hm, quite the interesting thing you got goin on here, and really we need a few fish type youkai around. (I think this was brought up in the Ideas thread some time ago about Gensokyo and it's marine life), mayhaps we'll see more of this.
Either way I had a good time reading this, nice work.
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"Okay, when you're treading water you want to keep your legs kicking all the time. Keep up a good rhythm, swing your arms and keep taking deep breaths."
As simple as she was, when it came to swimming Sango knew what she was talking about. She started off slowly by teaching Satori how to keep her head above water, staying close in case something went wrong. Satori picked up on the teaching with amazing ease, and in a matter of minutes she was treading water unassisted.
"Wow, you pick up fast! Koishi-chan never told me you were such a quick learner!"
Sango was genuinely impressed, unaware that Satori wasn't just learning from being told. Beneath the waves her third eye was staring straight at Sango's heart, looking deep into a memory from some time ago.
"Come on, you need to calm down a little. Stop splashing so much!"
Again it was Sango working as a swimming tutor, but this time her pupil was somewhat less cooperative. In fact, she was practically doing whatever she felt like.
Koishi...
Of course, she dipped beneath the water more than a few times, and Sango basically had to ram it into her head before Koishi starting doing it right. Satori simply copied what she saw, and avoided all the unnecessary complications that her sister had gone through.
"...I'm sure it's because you're such a good teacher."
A lie, but one with good intentions. Sango fell for it whole-heartedly, patting herself on the back.
"Of course it is! I've never had a pupil drown on me yet!"
But you've only had two pupils...and is not drowning really something to be proud about?
Next Satori was taught how to kick properly, Sango holding her arms as she lay face-down in the water. It was more difficult than treading water, and out of guilt Satori insisted on doing this one herself without copying Koishi.
"So you and Koishi get on well?"
Satori asked the question as she rose to take a breath, listening to Sango's answer as she submerged again.
"We sure do! She still shows up every so often and goes for a little swim with me. Never have any idea when she's going to show up, though. And keep your back straight, okay?"
Satori lifted her head again. "That's Koishi for you. She does what she wants, when she wants to."
As she dipped her head back into the water, Satori was suddenly aware that all the little fish from earlier were still watching her eagerly. She took a quick glance into some of their hearts out of curiosity.
"Is she gonna be like the last one and start prodding everything?"
"Hope she doesn't try taking someone home for a souvenir like the other one did."
They didn't seem to impressed by Koishi's antics, and they probably expected the same from her.
"Well, yeah, she does kinda do what she feels like, but that's one of the things I really like about her. She isn't scared about what other people think, she just goes her own way. I like people who are that confident, you know?"
Satori silently thought the point over. Was it okay for her to do what she wanted even if it involved stepping on everyone else's toes?
"...Um, are you okay? You can take a breath any time you want."
Satori jerked her head back up, knocked out of her internal debate by Sango.
"S-sorry. Can I ask you one more thing?"
"Sure thing. Shoot."
"Koishi...the last time you saw her, did she seem happy to you?"
Sango didn't take a moment to think it over. She nodded immediately.
"Definitely. Never seen a person as happy-go-lucky in my life. Then again, we don't really get many visitors around here..."
Satori sighed, a smile running across her face. If Koishi was happy, that was all that really mattered to her. Sango didn't seem aware just how much a simple statement like that actually meant.
"That's good to know. Thanks."
"Hey, don't mention it. And try not to splash so much when you're kicking, okay?"
---
In the space of an hour Satori was confident enough to start swimming on her own, thanks to a combination of Sango's thorough tutoring and Satori occasionally using her heart as a crib sheet. She did a quick length of the lake as a final test, Sango trailing along as a makeshift lifeguard.
Almost there...
Satori placed a hand on the other side of the lake, panting lightly. It had been tiring, but at the same time it was surprisingly fun. Sango applauded as she caught up.
"Amazing! Koishi-chan was here all night figuring this out, but you got it down so fast!"
As bad as the original idea may have been, Satori was glad that she'd done this. She really felt like she'd achieved something here, and she had managed to find out a little about Koishi while she was at it.
"I suppose I have an excellent teacher to thank for it."
Sango's face beamed, pride seeping out everywhere it could as she blushed furiously.
"Aw, you're too kind..."
The girls shared a small giggle as they congratulated each other.
"So...feel like going for a real swim?"
Sango dipped beneath the water, surfacing again in dolphin form. She turned her back to Satori, beckoning her to place her hand there.
"I'd be honoured."
She rested her hand lightly on Sango's back, taking a few deep breaths to prepare herself. Then, on a silent cue, the pair dove beneath the water together.
Without the impending fear of drowning, Satori was finally able to appreciate the beauty of the scenery beneath the surface. Sango certainly did her job pretty well from the looks of things.
"She seems a lot calmer, actually..."
She overheard one of the fish thinking about her, apparently no longer worried about her being the next Koishi. She took it as a compliment as she swam along serenely with Sango, who had deliberately slowed down so that her pupil could keep up. It was a relaxing, serene and highly enjoyable experience.
At least, until Sango decided to be a little adventurous.
"Can't catch me!"
The dolphin burst away, waiting at a distant edge of the lake for Satori to catch up. Only the fact that she was underwater stopped her from chuckling at Sango's antics.
Come on, I'm only a beginner...
Satori started to kick a little harder, compelled to do the whole journey on one breath. It wasn't that far, so there shouldn't have been any problem-
"Mm?"
Something moved in the corner of her eye. For a moment she thought it was Sango from the fin she could make out, but she could still see the dolphin in front of her. And besides, this fin seemed sharper, less like a dolphin's and more like-
"Satori-chan! Look out!"
-a shark's.
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I don't like leaving a story on a cliffhanger for too long, so I'm writing the last part right now. Feel free to comment until I get it out - it might take me a while, anyway. >_>
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I hate sharks! [/Francis]
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And, by request, have some combat!
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Satori's first impulse was to break for the surface, but the predator had already predicted that move. It rose up to block her, its cold black eyes looking at her with a primal hunger. Desperately looking for a way to tame the beast, she looked through its heart for something resembling rational thought. There was only one thought running through its mind.
"Eat."
It hung above her, tracing her movements as she tried to find her way around it. It clearly wasn't a youkai like Sango, but rather an ordinary fish looking for its next meal.
But I don't want it to be me!
Despite her best efforts, Satori hadn't managed to pick up the speed to outrun a shark. It continued to hover over her, still watching with its dead eyes. Sango began to dash back across the lake, her mind racing as quickly as her pulse.
"How did I let this happen? I thought the sharks were all away in other lakes, and even then what are they doing awake at this hour!?"
Sango made to slam into the shark, but before she could make it something slammed into her side. She let off a small cry of pain, turning to realise that this shark wasn't stupid enough to hunt alone.
"T-Two of them..."
Sango was getting frightened now. She might have been able to handle one shark on her own, but two was beyond her. Satori was still trapped, the first of the two sharks still looming over her. She wondered momentarily why it hadn't moved to eat her already, but another quick scan of its heart answered the question for her.
"Drown."
As if on command, Satori felt air push its way out of her lungs. This wasn't a primal, savage hunter - it knew her weakness, and it was exploiting it to its utmost. She had two choices - try to swim up and get eaten, or stay down here and drown for sure.
That's an unfair choice...
"B-blub blub..."
She was struggling now, her chest starting to burn. She turned to Sango with frightened, pleading eyes.
Help me...
Sango was frozen in place, trapped between saving herself and saving her new friend. It was too dangerous, too risky, she'd get herself killed-
"...She isn't scared about what other people think, she just goes her own way. I like people who are that confident, you know?..."
"No...Koishi-chan wouldn't think like that...and neither should I!"
Her own words ringing in her head, Sango threw her fears aside. She'd be no use fighting as a dolphin, so she willed herself back into youkai form. She produced a small piece of paper, mentally reciting the incantation due to a lack of other options. Satori heard it loud and clear, her third eye still working fine amidst the chaos.
"As the dirty waters are made pure, strike down my enemies with what remains!
Cleansing Sign [Purified Greywater]!"
As the chant concluded, a wave of dull grey bullets started to appear in front of Sango. The shark stopping her, realising that she was preparing an attack, charged her to try and cut the casting short.
"Gotcha~"
She clicked her fingers, and immediately each bullet split into two. Flying away from the shark were a series of bright blue bullets, and coming towards it was a barrage of black ones. If it had stayed back it might have had a chance of dodging, but at this range there was nothing it could do.
Danmaku is specifically meant to be non-fatal, so the shark was simply knocked out as the bullets struck it. For a moment Sango congratulated herself, her plan having worked without a hitch.
Then the second shark turned to her.
"Uh-oh..."
This was the reason she'd been so worried - she hadn't ever managed to go beyond one spellcard. She quickly realised that she'd left herself defenseless as the shark approached.
"But still, at least Satori-chan is going to get away safely, right?"
She glanced around the shark, hoping to see Satori taking the opportunity to take a breath.
Her hopes went ignored.
"S-Satori-chan!? What are you doing?!"
Satori's lungs felt like they were going to burst, but she mustered together the willpower to ignore it. She had come to the same conclusion Sango had - worrying about little things like her own safety didn't matter when a friend's life was on the line.
Time to show her...just what this third eye can really do.
The eye on her chest opened wide, focusing intently on Sango. She focused her mind on the one memory that she needed, a single card silently appearing in her hand.
...As the dirty waters are made pure, strike down my enemy with what remains.
It was one thing to copy someone's spellcard on dry land. It was another thing entirely to do it underwater, without a physical incantation, and on the verge of drowning. But still, Sango watched in awe as her own card manifested itself in Satori's hand, ready to be used.
...Cleansing Sign [Purified Greywater].
The card Satori produced was a poor imitation, consisting of maybe half the bullets Sango's had, but in a situation like this it was the best that she could hope for. Given that the shark was still unaware of what was going on behind it, it was also all she needed.
Click.
Another wave of black bullets appeared, flying towards the shark with just as much force as Sango's. It only had enough time to turn around, bewildered, before it was out cold.
For a moment, Sango was frozen in amazement. Satori had just taken her card, figured out what made it tick, and reproduced it in a matter of seconds. It was an incredible sight, far more impressive than simply learning how to swim easily.
"G-glug..."
Then she remembered something much more important.
"Satori-chan!!"
Satori's hands were clasped around her mouth, but bubbles still seeped through her fingers by the dozens. Her eyes had jammed themselves shut, and she had nowhere near enough energy to propel herself to the surface. Sango grabbed her around the waist, hastily trying to pull her out of the water.
"C'mon, kick with me! Hurry!"
Sango saw Satori's eyes turn to her for the briefest moment. Then, slowly at first, she felt her kicking like she'd been taught, getting stronger and stronger until the pair began to rise upwards. The surface was getting closer and closer, until finally...
Air!
Satori had never been happier to take a breath in her life.
"We...made it..."
She gasped out a cry of relief between gasps as Sango led her to the shore. After a few breaths she managed to find the strength to swim back to shore, Sango following suit.
"You okay? You're not hurt, right?"
Sango rubbed at her shoulder, where a painful bruise had formed after the shark collided with her. Thanks to Satori's intervention, though, that was the worst of her injuries.
"I'm fine...just a little...short of breath..."
"That's good."
Sango sat down next to Satori, in the same way she had last time she'd pulled her out of the water. This time, though, she owed Satori as much as Satori owed her.
"...So...I assume I passed?"
Satori smirked, still panting heavily. Sango couldn't help but grin in return.
"You sure did, Satori-chan. You sure did."
They sat smiling like idiots towards each other, but both of them knew that it was someone else entirely who they owed their thanks to. Someone who'd set the example they both ended up following, giving them the courage they needed to do the right thing.
Koishi...thank you.
---
"Satori-samaaaa!"
Orin's shout echoed across the plain unanswered. The trail was a few hours old, but there was just enough left for her to follow.
"But where would she go in the middle of the night? This is the sort of thing Koishi-sama would do..."
She realised that she was coming up to a lake, the trail coming to an end. She could make out two people talking in the distance, Satori and another voice she couldn't recognise.
"...So, I can just drop by any time?"
"Sure. I'll try and arrange a few things next time and stop the sharks from showing up again, or at least tell them that you're a friend of mine. It'll work out, I promise."
Orin had no idea what sort of conversation she'd walked in on, but apparently it was almost finished. She decided to let them finish and catch Satori on the way out.
"Oh, and...if you see Koishi-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll say you were looking for her. Don't worry about it."
"Alright. ...Thanks again."
As their talk concluded Orin heard someone coming closer, recognising her master's light steps. She hung around a corner and turned in false surprise.
"Oh, Satori-sama! I was looking for y- wait, what's that under your shirt?"
Apparently Satori had hastily thrown her clothes back on recently, because her shirt was folded upwards slightly. Beneath it Orin could make out something blue...it couldn't be what she thought it was, that'd be ridiculous...
"Ah, Orin. Your timing is excellent."
Satori firmly grabbed her pet around the shoulder.
"H-Hey, what're you doing!? I'm the one who's meant to be leading you home!"
"Orin, I've decided that I need to buy you a swimsuit."
Satori began to pull at Orin's arm, dragging her back to the passage underground. The cat was initially too stunned to respond, before suddenly jerking back to reality.
"A swimsuit? Why would you want to buy me a swimsuit?"
"So I can teach you how to swim, obviously."
Silence.
"...Sorry, did I hear that wrong? I thought you said that you wanted to teach me how to-"
"Swim? Yes, that's exactly what I said."
Again, it took Orin a few seconds to recover from this statement. When she did, her response was somewhat...desperate.
"You're kidding, right!? Why would I even need to swim? I don't need to do it anytime normally, and I really don't like water, so-"
"You're fine with taking baths, aren't you? And don't worry, I'll let Okuu learn along with you. If I can't teach you, I know an excellent tutor~"
"I take baths because I need to! And Okuu's gonna hate this just as much, she's a bird for crying out loud!"
She was moaning like a spoiled brat, but Satori could tell that she didn't mean it. This was just how Orin acted all the time - after a little resistance she'd be sure to enjoy it.
"And why do you even want me to learn to swim, anyway!?"
Satori turned to her with one of the most genuine and cheerful smiles Orin had seen from her in years.
"Oh, just call it a random idea that came to me."
THIRD EYE IN PURE WATERS
GOOD ENDING #1
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I'm happy with how this ended up finishing, to be honest. The whole 'Satori and Sango saving each other' thing gave me a pretty good opening to link back to Koishi, and it feels better as an ending in general.
As much as I typically dislike OCs, Sango ended up growing on me amazingly quickly
(probably thanks to all the effort I put into making her look legitimate) and it's sort of a shame that there isn't much room to use her elsewhere. I was looking for an excuse to teach myself a little DNH anyway, so I might end up trying to program something along the lines of this Purified Greywater card (to be fair, from what I know about the program, something like this won't be especially hard).
Hell, I'd draw her myself if I wasn't the worst artist in recorded history.
Anyway, thanks for reading through it all. Feel free to comment and stuff.
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I think I should be able to code Purified Greywater~ Also, you've obviously been playing Tales again.
Very nice. I love reading these.
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And, by request, have some combat!
Cleansing Sign [Purified Greywater]
My prayers have been answered... My faith in you really pays off...
...Roukanken, the true Idiot Deity.
It turned out greater than I expected; simply well done.
Good Ending #1? Are you planning on multiple endings/installments?
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Write a Bad Ending
No. For once, I'd rather be stayed of the despair they bring.
Ah, it looks like this has come to an end I see, not too long and a general joy to read. I don't really see this continuing in any sort of way, but if it does, I'll gladly read up on it~
-
As a former swim instructor for the city pool, I was touched by this.
Especially with:
"Of course it is! I've never had a pupil drown on me yet!"
-
Nah, make the kind of Bad Ending that you'd find in a Touhou game, more of a "dammit, we lost a danmaku duel" than "Kanako, what's going on there? KANAKOOOOO! *but the future refused to change*"
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Also, you've obviously been playing Tales again.
As in 'Koishi sounds a hell of a lot like Yuri'? Or Karol-style 'I'll protect my friends no matter what the cost'?
...Ohgodnowihavekoishiasyuriinmyheadanditsjustexpandingfromtheremakeitgoaway
Good Ending #1? Are you planning on multiple endings/installments?
Not really, it was mostly for the sake of writing this.
-----
This is bad...
"Blub-blub..."
Satori held a hand over her mouth to try and stop the air from escaping. She was slowly becoming aware that this whole swimming thing was one of the worst ideas she'd had in recent times. The dolphin's eyes followed each bubble as it rose upwards.
...Is it going to help me?
The dolphin looked her in the eye for a single instant. Maybe she'd let her grab on and carry her to the surface-
"I'M FASTER THAN YOU MOTHERFUCKER LOL (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=1784.msg71354#msg71354)"
Taking the opportunity to show off, the dolphin zoomed across to the other side of the lake, taking no interest in Satori's plight.
"Glug glug..."
Satori hit the bottom of the lake, her lungs empty. She felt her consciousness fading. This was it.
Only one thing worth doing...
With the last of her strength, she extended the middle finger in her left hand and held it up for the dolphin to see.
Jerk.
THIRD EYE IN PURE WATERS
BAD ENDING #1
---
Koishi-chan's Bad End Corner
*Koishi walks out wearing a pair of glasses, holding a small blackboard and pointer stick*
Hi, everybody!
The time has come to teach Nee-chan, who has walked into her first Dead End.
It's time for Koishi-chan's Bad End Corner!
Oh, this is a sad one.
You're sitting there, floundering around, and Sango-chan just leaves you there.
Actually, this one isn't really your fault, Nee-chan.
Sango-chaaaaaan!
*Sango appears from offscreen in youkai form*
"Hm? Yeah, what is it?"
Why'd you let Nee-chan drown like that?
"...She was drowning? I thought those bubbles were coming out of an engine or something. ...She wasn't challenging me to a race?"
...Well, that pretty much says it all.
This is the kind of person who you need to save you, Nee-chan.
It'll help if you make things as obvious as possible around Sango-chan.
If you don't, things like this end up happening.
"Huh? Who are you talking to, Koishi-chan?"
No-one at all~
-----
Why yes, Tsukihime was the first VN I ever played. What makes you think that?
After some thought, I might be able to produce a follow-up where she teaches Orin and Okuu...
-
But how will Okuu swim with an NUCLEAR CONTROL RAD FOR AN ARM and a FREAKING CONCREAT LEG!?
No, but seriously, This was an awesome thing, I'd love to read more stories from you <3
-
But how will Okuu swim with an NUCLEAR CONTROL RAD FOR AN ARM and a FREAKING CONCREAT LEG!?
Well, that's a question for Sango to answer, isn't it? ^_^
-
The dolphin looked her in the eye for a single instant. Maybe she'd let her grab on and carry her to the surface-
"I'M FASTER THAN YOU MOTHERFUCKER LOL (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=1784.msg71354#msg71354)"
Satori hit the bottom of the lake, her lungs empty. She felt her consciousness fading. This was it.
Only one thing worth doing...
With the last of her strength, she extended the middle finger in her left hand and held it up for the dolphin to see.
Jerk.
haha oh wow
that was GREAT
-
*slow clap + deadpan*
-
Dolphins ARE assholes, when you think about it, if only because they might think you're playing when in reality you're actually drowning...
In anycase, I throughly laughed at this bad end, and it seems you have intentions of continuing on...well, let's see if you actually do.
-
Dolphin bitch.
-
Actually I was referring to the incantation for Purified Greywater, but that works too.
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Actually I was referring to the incantation for Purified Greywater, but that works too.
Well yeah, I guess my response proved the point for you. >_>
So are you actually intending to program that attack? I'll admit that when I actually sat down and tried I failed miserably...need to really get some practice with it considering I'm going off to study freaking GAMES TECHNOLOGY next month. :|
Anyway, like I promised.
DIFFICULTY SELECT:
Easy - Swim like a rock
Normal - Swim like a human
Hard - Swim like a kappa
Lunatic - Swim like a fish
Extra - Swim like a dolphin
Extra - Adventures shared are adventures doubled.
This was the girl's mindset as she began this new journey.
-----
A few days had passed since Satori's little escapade, and already she was taking another trip to the surface. This time, however, she had a pair of companions trailing behind her.
"Nyaa...Satori-sama, you can still change your mind..."
Orin groaned yet another complaint, which (like every one before it) went unnoticed. Satori strode on regardless, her destination set, and there was nothing Orin could do about it.
"...Seriously, Okuu, are you okay with this?"
Utsuho was walking besides Orin, but she shared none of her friend's reluctance. In fact, she was strolling along quite happily, apparently anticipating the trip.
"What is there to be worried about, Orin? Satori-sama isn't mean. If she says we'll enjoy it, we'll probably enjoy it."
And that was all she had to say on the matter, running ahead to catch up with Satori and make it there faster. As Orin's last objections fell into the distance, Satori's march came to a halt. They'd reached their destination, a small lake not far from the Mountain of Youkai.
"Alright, you two. Let's see how those look on you."
Utsuho nodded eagerly, almost tearing at her shirt as she pulled it off, revealing the jet-black one-piece she was wearing underneath. A small slit had been cut out of the chest area, giving the red eye there room to stick out. In comparison, Orin seemed outright afraid as she stripped, taking off her long green dress and showing the simple light-green bikini beneath it. It had taken Satori some time to convince her to try it on, but she eventually managed to get a murmur of acceptance out of the cat.
"We look really stupid in these..."
Physically Orin continued to protest, but mentally she was saying something different entirely.
"Why do I like wearing this!? It's exposing and demeaning, but why is it so freaking cute?!"
Utsuho was much more honest with her feelings, looking down on herself with pride. Satori, in the same dark blue swimsuit she had been wearing last time, walked over to the edge of the lake.
"Here, let me show you how it's done."
Satori dove headfirst into the water, like a trained professional. It was simply a move she'd seen someone else do, but she had a habit for picking things up quickly. Orin watched nervously, almost afraid that she wasn't going to surface, but Satori's head bobbed above the water just as she was about to start panicking.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
She swam towards the centre of the lake with an efficient front crawl, repeating what she'd been taught flawlessly. Orin looked on, surprised, while Utsuho started clapping her hand against the control rod on her other arm.
"Wow, wow! Satori-sama is amazing!"
Reaching the centre, Satori turned underwater and started to make her way back. Orin could see that she was smiling, and despite the physical effort she was putting in she seemed to genuinely be having a good time.
"...Well, if it's that fun...I guess I can give it a shot..."
She murmured it, but honestly she was just glad she finally had an excuse to do this. She was aware that for some reason Utsuho had taken a few steps backwards, unable to hear her. Satori reached the lake edge in the midst of this, breathing hard but besides that she was fine.
"Alright, I don't want you two to be idiots like I was. There's a beach over on that side of the lake, so start off over there-"
"GERONIMOOOO~!"
Utsuho missed her master's warning, taking a massive run-up before leaping into the water. She flew over Satori's head, landing with a tremendous splash that left even Orin soaked.
"Cold, cold, cold...Okuu, why'd you have to do that?"
There was no answer from the raven. After the ripples from the splash died down, there was no sign of her in the slightest.
Then the first few bubbles started to surface.
"...Okuu?"
Logically, if she'd been flailing as she hit the water, she would have at least been close to the surface. Any force like that, though, was counteracted by the extra weight she was carrying - the rod on her arm, and a rock hanging on her right foot. This was why Satori had been hoping to keep her at the shallow end.
Blub. Blub, blub.
The first few tiny bubbles broke the surface.
"Okuu...!"
-----
No idea how long this one's going to last, so I'll just see how it goes.
-
Good job Utsuho.
-
Can someone explain where "GERONIMOOOO" comes from?
-
Can someone explain where "GERONIMOOOO" comes from?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Geronimo
-
.....
FISSION MAILED
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Every time someone gets to that lake, someone is in danger of drowning. Every single time!
Keep it up. =p
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OKUU NOOOOO~~ How will we power our NUCLUEAR BIDETS now?
-
WARNING: This author most likely Fails Biology Forever. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouFailBiologyForever) If at any time you feel things are getting ridiculous, recite the MST3K mantra. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MST3KMantra) (TVTropes, BEWARE)
-----
"Mm?"
This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She'd jumped into the water just like Satori-sama had, but instead of floating back up she was just sinking. Had she done something wrong?
Clong.
Her leg hit the bottom of the lake first, pulling the rest of her body down with it. She was vaguely aware that maybe it would have been a good idea to start at the other edge.
But still...it's so beautiful down here.
The waters were once again pristine, fish of all different colours making their way through them. A few stragglers from a nearby school swam up to her, looking her in the eyes. She reached out to touch one, so she could softly run her fingers across it-
Smack.
Oops, wrong hand.
She hadn't hit it hard, but the control rod was heavy enough to leave the fish seeing stars. Its friends quickly took the hint and darted away, leaving the raven by herself.
"Unyu..."
She gurgled out a little groan, taking a few steps to try and find another set of fish to examine. She made a mental note to be a little more careful this time-
Tap, tap.
A poke on her shoulder. Utsuho turned around, seeing a desperate-looking Satori pointing upwards.
That was enough to remind her of something that should really have been pretty obvious.
...Oh, crap! I need to breathe!
Utsuho tried to jump upwards, flailing with her arms and legs. She sank back downwards quickly, her only reward being tired limbs. Satori wrapped her arms around her and tried to lift her to the surface, but she was even weaker physically than Utsuho was, so she achieved about as much.
"Blub..."
Utsuho gave a nervous gurgle, already feeling her cheeks bulge. Satori, knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere alone, rose back to the surface and called on aid.
"Sango-san! Where are you!?"
Sango?
The name rang a bell in Utsuho's small brain. She remembered Satori-sama mentioning some sort of 'doll fin' youkai she'd met here that went by that name.
But...what's that fish thing swimming next to her? It doesn't look like a doll.
"Sango-san, one of my pets is down there! I need your help lifting her up!"
The fish thing nodded, phasing into a humanoid form. Apparently this was the girl Sango who Satori-sama had befriended after all.
"Wow...that's a pretty lifelike doll. How did she do it?"
Utsuho muttered to herself, unable to keep thoughts like that in her head. She pondered the question, wondering if it was magic or -
...Wait. What did I just do?
Looking up at the newly formed stream of bubbles, Utsuho realised that her little monologue had just spent the last of her air.
"Craaaaap!"
She didn't have anything left in her lungs to shout with, but sound came out anyway. For some reason her body didn't seem to care about the air, just letting it go without a care in the world. Wasn't there meant to be some sort of reflex to stop that!?
Satori and Sango dove down with lightning speed, afraid that Utsuho had already drowned. They both grabbed her around the waist and started to heave.
"Hngggggggggggh..."
Even with all their effort, they were only able to lift her maybe a few inches. Utsuho, naturally, was reduced to panic.
"Satori-sama, what's going to happen to me!? I'm out of air, I'm drowning, I'm-"
""...""
Silence. Both girls stopped trying to carry Utsuho upwards, letting her fall back down to the lakebed. They were looking at her with expressions of awe, unable to believe what she'd just done.
She was...talking.
"...wait, no I'm not. This isn't what drowning's meant to feel like. Unyuu?"
Utsuho felt weird. She wasn't breathing, that was for sure, but it didn't hurt or anything. She put her arm to her chest to check if it was rising.
"Crap, wrong arm again. Better swi-"
Utsuho cut herself off, looking down the rod she had just pulled up to her chest. She could make out a faint glowing somewhere deep within.
"...Ohhhhhhhh."
Breathing is just a way for creatures to turn food into energy. If another method was available that didn't need air, logically a creature could survive without needing to breathe.
Utsuho, practically a walking nuclear reactor, was a perfect example of this. It was producing far more energy from her food than simple breathing did, allowing her to go for potentially hours without air if necessary. (Of course, it helped that since absorbing the Yatagarasu her dinners were now laced with plutonium - half because she thought it tasted good, and half because it stopped Orin from stealing her share.)
"...Uh...sorry for the worry, Satori-sama. Looks like I'm fine..."
Realising what was going on, Satori facepalmed hard. Sango rolled her eyes, turning to Satori with a face that asked 'is this some sort of joke?'
"Um, I think I'll just walk over to the other side of the lake and get myself out. Sorry again for the tro- hey, Satori-sama, why are you looking at me like that? I didn't mean to scare you, I just-"
Slap.
---
"Satori-sama! What happened to Okuu!? Is she okay?!"
"...She'll be fine. Her cheek might be a little red for a while, though."
-----
I spent a while trying to come up with a valid way for Okuu to actually swim, but there's only so far I can possibly screw with the laws of physics. Now, biology...
-
You fail at biology >:O
But yeah I lol'ed.
-
...
...
Damn, Satori can slap hard underwater! =p
And somehow I get the feeling that Utsuho is a walking slapstick comedy now. =p
-
I prefer the following explanation:
Utsuho is too stupid to drown.
-
I prefer the following explanation:
Utsuho is too stupid to drown.
*Mega Man music starts playing.*
-
Um ... which Mega Man music? (Or is that a reference to Bob and George?)
-
Um ... which Mega Man music? (Or is that a reference to Bob and George?)
Yes it is...so whichever you feel like. I tend to like the Wily Stage 2 theme from MM2...buuuut that is off topic. =p
*Is thinking about Storm Eagle's theme now actually...*
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in b4 the forbidden template.
-
You fail at biology >:O
stfu D:<
And somehow I get the feeling that Utsuho is a walking slapstick comedy now. =p
Well yeah, she is sort of bird-brained, but I'll probably turn that down a little later on...
I prefer the following explanation:
Utsuho is too stupid to drown.
OF COURSE, WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT
Um ... which Mega Man music? (Or is that a reference to Bob and George?)
I hear Splash Woman, but then again MM9 was the only game in the series I really played. >_>
in b4 the forbidden template.
- Magic
- Kanako's shady new drug spell
- Suwako is fooling around again
-
Slap.
*Insert 'You Fail' quote here*
Amusing as ever.
-
*Insert 'You Fail' quote here*
.....
FISSION MAILED
-
You know, this doesn't fail biology too badly. The uber amounts of radiation Okuu gets exposed to can speed up the adaptation process by promoting cell mutation, thus allowing her body to use nuclear energy as its primary energy source instead of oxidization of carbohydrates.
Either that, or I have just failed biology forever too.
-
Well yeah, but that could also mean SUPER-DEVELOPING CANCER
-
Utsuho, stop smacking people with your third leg.
-
I think the main problem is more chemistry than biology - the breakup of glucose to release ATP relies on the presense of O2, otherwise it becomes fermentation and produces lactic acid. For Utsuho to not need air, she would either have to be capable of using the energy released by her nuclear fusion to fuel her cells rather than ATP or she would have to deal with massive lactic acid buildup. Of course, this doesn't matter as Touhou completely ignores science anyways in order to prevent Utsuho, a living fusion reactor, from completely vaporizing herself.
You know, this doesn't fail biology too badly. The uber amounts of radiation Okuu gets exposed to can speed up the adaptation process by promoting cell mutation, thus allowing her body to use nuclear energy as its primary energy source instead of oxidization of carbohydrates.
Either that, or I have just failed biology forever too.
Sorry, but considering the vast amount of radiation damage, each cell would undergo massive amounts of change independently, with the number of deleterious mutations roughly equivalent to the number of beneficial mutations. However, Utsuho seems to use fusion (non-radioactive) more than fission (radioactive), so its hard to determine if there would be much radioactivity released. Of course, as I said above, none of this matters.
The story itself is good, and I found a good deal of it, especially this last update, to be amusing, but my interest in science compelled me to write the above.
-
WARNING: This author most likely Fails Biology Forever.
(http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YouFailBiologyForever)
simply put:
this is Gensokyo.
fuck biology.
-
Unrealistic?
THIS! IS! UNPRECEDENTED! SERIOUS! AFFAIR!
-
Unrealistic?
THIS! IS! COMMON! WHIMSICAL! AFFAIR!
.
-
After Okuu's little display, Orin was more than willing to take Satori's advice and start over at a more shallow segment of the lake. She slowly walked in, getting deeper and deeper, until the water was up to her neck. It was a feeling she wasn't used to, and right now wasn't very comfortable with.
"So this is your first time too, huh? Least you seem to have a lot more sense than your boss does, I guess."
Sango was waiting for her further in the water, that fin on the back of her neck bringing a strange sensation of hunger to the cat. She restrained it, drooling slightly as she responded.
"W-well, I'm a cat at heart. We're not very good around water by nature..."
Orin's tails swung side to side beneath the water, her way of secretly venting her fear. Sango held her arms open, ready to accept her.
"Trust me. Satori-chan did, and it worked out fine for her."
Orin gulped, tying her tails up around themselves. She took one last step forward, letting Sango hold her under her arms for support.
"Alright. Now, first of all, I'm gonna teach you how to tread water. When I let go, I want you to start kicking your legs and swinging your arms at your sides. Think you can do that?"
Orin nodded, feeling somewhat comforted by Sango's professionalism.
"...Okay. I think I'm re-"
Sango's hands moved away.
"-adyblubbl!?"
No warning!?
Without a cue to prepare herself, Orin slipped under the water without a chance to follow the instructions she'd been given. Above her she could make out Sango muttering to herself.
"Hm, maybe that was a little over the top..."
If she wasn't underwater, Orin would have screamed something along the lines of 'DAMN STRAIGHT'. As was, though, she had to keep her lungs as full as possible - she wasn't Okuu, after all, with her own energy source attached to her chest.
"Mmh?"
Orin's attention was drawn to the wildlife swimming around her. She'd never actually seen a fish before as anything other than a rare treat, and now they were surrounding her by the dozens. Her tails stood on end as her mouth started to water.
...I can't believe it...it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet down here!
There was no way they would miss one tiny little fish down here, surely. Orin reached out to one of the smaller ones to take as a starter, her stomach growling in anticipation-
"Mmph!?"
Someone had grabbed her from behind. Turning, she realised that Sango had come down to save her, pulling her up and away from her snack. Her hand remained stretched out, still desperately grabbing at the fish as she reached the surface.
"Sorry about that. I kinda overdid it."
Sango apologised for her rashness, unaware that she was being totally ignored. Orin had realised a possibility she'd never considered before, given her knowledge of the lakes underground. This one was almost a living larder, with all sorts of bite-sized goodies just waiting to be tasted.
So if I learn to swim, I can-
"...You're not mad at me, are you?"
Orin almost spun on the spot, pulling an instant 180 and turning to Sango with a new enthusiastic smile on her face.
"No, not at all! In fact, after that, I want to do this more than ever!"
She hoped that Sango couldn't hear her stomach rumbing. The dolphin youkai smirked.
"Heh...so now you've seen the masterpiece of Sango Tororetsu, you're all fired up. I know, I do that to people, don't be shy about it. How can you not love such clear water?"
"Uh...yeah...doing it for the water...sure, that'll do."
"...Do I want to know why you're licking your lips?"
"Probably not~"
---
"Unyu~."
Utsuho sat at the lake's edge, watching as Orin's training suddenly took on a whole new level of fervour. She picked up a pebble at her side and skipped it, taking care not to hit anybody.
"Feeling alright?"
Satori walked up behind her, taking a little break after another few lengths. Utsuho couldn't bring herself to turn around.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"It's not good to lie, you know."
Satori's third eye saw through the bluff with ease. Utsuho sighed, realising it was a bad idea to try and lie to Satori-sama in the first place.
"...I just feel left out, that's all. You guys are having so much fun, and I'm stuck up here, doing nothing."
She threw another rock into the lake, managing four or five bounces before it sank. Satori took a seat beside her, smiling in the hope of passing it on.
"Come on, don't be like that. There are plenty of things down there you can see that we can't, aren't there? You aren't going to see any of it moping around up here."
Utsuho felt a hand on her back.
"Have fun~."
She turned one last time to her master, still smiling, as she was pushed forward. It was only a mild shove, but it was enough to send her over the edge.
"Ah-"
Splash.
"Sorry, Okuu, but as your master I'm forbidding you from not having a good time here."
---
"Unyuu...That was mean, Satori-sama..."
Utsuho pouted as she sank once again to the bottom of the lake. At least her swimsuit was seeing some good use.
Clong.
"Well, I'm down here now...might as well make the most of it."
She walked slowly across the lake bottom, hoping that some of the fish would be willing to give her a second chance. She could make out Orin and Sango at the surface, Orin being taught how to kick while Sango held her arms in place. Even from here, Utsuho could make out an ambitious glint in her friend's eyes as she looked down at the schools of fish beneath her.
"She didn't have breakfast this morning, now that I think about it..."
She strolled along, practically forgetting she was underwater. The fish came strolling back to her, their seven-second memories resetting and forgetting the previous accident. She held a hand out - the right one this time - and carefully stroked the scales on the closest fish.
"Aw, it's so cute..."
Utsuho possessed none of Orin's carnivorous instincts, more keen on just playing with the fish than eating them. They seemed to enjoy it, making no attempt to stay away from her this time.
"Y'know, maybe this is kind of fun...but I still wish that I could swim like everyone else."
She frowned again, looking at the rock stuck on her leg. It was half the reason that she was stuck like this, the other half being this freaking rod on her a-
"Unyu?"
An idea popped into Utsuho's mind, taking a few seconds to process properly. When at last it came out, a new grin popped onto her face.
"Ufufufu...wait until they see this..."
-----
I wish I could draw some pictures to go along with these, but my art is abysmal at best. -_-;
-
Too bad I know exactly what's coming, I wish I didn't so I could be like "YEAH".
-
For some reason I am reminded of mafia and concrete shoes.
You need to add in a scene with Mystia fishing for stock for her unagi stand!
-
I sense awesome/terribleness upcoming.
Also, tsk tsk, no manners Rin, no manners. Tsk tsk tsk.
Here's hoping for more. =)
-
Keikakunyu doori?
-
"Come on, just make it to the edge and you're done!"
Orin was splashing around far more than she needed to as she took on Sango's traditional last test - a full length of the lake. It wasn't that her technique was poor - if she focused she was actually a pretty decent swimmer - but excitement made it hard for her to stay calm like she needed to. After this she was free to do whatever she wanted - including taking a dive into the lake and helping herself to the local delicacies.
Just a little more...
She was tiring herself out with all this unnecessary splashing, but the end was in sight. She rose for another breath, seeing the edge just a few strokes away. Her head went under again, and she could see the wildlife passing beneath her. She never got tired of it - she could almost hear their little squeaky voices saying 'Eat me, Orin! Eat me!'
Soon, little ones...very soon...
Her hand felt solid stone, and she surfaced immediately. Looking down on her was a proud Sango, giving her one last pat on the back.
"Nice work. Not quite up their with Satori-chan yet, but you're getting there."
Wow, thanks for the vote of support.
Sango, unaware that she'd accidentally insulted Orin, jumped into the water with a smirk. Satori took her place, clapping softly to celebrate her pet's success.
"Well done, Orin. You look pretty proud of youself."
Orin nodded, spraying herself with drips from her soaking hair.
"You bet I am! Now I get to dive for real and-"
Orin suddenly cut herself short, relatively certain that she'd already said too much. It wouldn't have worked on most people anyway given the look of terror that had jumped onto her face, but Satori heard the tail end of that sentence loud and clear. She stared at Orin with an awkward expression, knowing what she was thinking but not how to feel about it.
"...I see. Well, just...try not to gorge yourself."
In the end, she opted for neutrality, giving Orin her blessing but also a warning. The cat nodded, already looking forward to her first real swim-
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeey!"
Just before Orin took her first trip into the depths below, she heard a voice in the distance. Utsuho was calling out to her, hoping to get the attention of Satori and Sango as well.
"Nyaa...always at the worst time..."
---
"A race?"
Utsuho nodded.
"Yeah. Is that a bad idea or something?"
Satori, Orin and Sango looked at each other awkwardly. They were fine with the idea of a race, yes, but the problem was with Utsuho.
"But Okuu," started Orin, "Isn't that sort of unfair on you?"
The raven shrugged.
"Eh, I'll figure something out."
Sango and Orin looked at her blankly, but Satori's eyes widened slightly. Apparently she was well aware of exactly what Utsuho was planning, and from the smile that rose to her face she seemed fine with it.
"That's a good idea. Don't you two think it'd be fun?"
Orin was still skeptical, but as she saw her master agree she decided that whatever Utsuho was planning couldn't possibly be that bad if she was fine with it. Sango crossed her arms, laughing out loud as she saw that everyone else was up for a race.
"Ha ha ha ha! You guys realise that you don't have a chance, right? I mean come on, I'm a freaking dolphin. No offense, but those arms and legs of yours are sorta...crappy when it comes to swimming."
As the teacher of all three of them (well, both of them that could actually swim) Sango had a good deal of confidence in herself. Satori was the one to come forward with a wry smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. One of us could have a secret weapon you don't know about yet, right?"
Unyu...way to kill off the mystery, Satori-sama...
---
The rules were agreed on quickly - one journey across the lake, first one to touch the far edge wins. The four competitors stood at the edge of the water, ready to jump in at Utsuho's call (as Sango put it, 'it's not like an unfair lead is going to help her much').
Satori stretched her arms, warming herself up for the competition. Orin was quietly reminding herself not to take a detour into a nearby school of fish. Sango was already paddling in the water, entirely confident that she was going to wipe the floor with the competition. Utsuho simply looked out into the water, making no preparations in the slightest.
"No hard feelings, guys. This is gonna be kinda one-sided."
Sango let off one last semi-honest apology as everyone took their positions. Utsuho, for some reason, stood further away from the edge than the rest, leading Sango to wonder if she was going for another run-in.
"OK, get ready..."
"You can say that again," quipped Satori.
"GO!"
Three of them dove into the water at once, but only two surfaced. A single grey fin hung above the water, blasting across the lake with ease. Satori followed behind, unable to keep up despite all her practice, and Orin trailed further still thanks to her non-existent technique.
Despite this, Utsuho continued to stand at the edge of the lake. Sango glimpsed her idling as she broke further away from the pack.
Well, at least she isn't fooling herself into thinking she has a chance...
Halfway there already, and Sango was still gaining distance. Behind her confidence she felt sort of guilty for her opponents, and most of all for the raven who'd insisted on it when she was easily the worst swimmer of them all...
---
And of course, trailing in last place was Okuu, who hadn't so much as placed a foot in the water yet. She looked out to estimate the progress of the other competitors.
"Hmm...Sango's about halfway. Better do it now."
She turned her back to the lake, pointing her Third Leg slightly upward but aiming at nothing. With her other hand, she pulled out a card and began to chant.
"Black Sun, grant me your blessing and annihilate the enemy before me!"
The control rod began to spin rapidly, making a loud whirring as it charged up. It began to produce a blinding light far stronger than the one underwater, so she took care not to look into it.
"...That's probably enough charging time. Explosion Sign [Giga Flare]!"
At her command the charging ceased, and a single massive bullet burst out of the rod with a gargantuan bang. It flew into the distance at lightning speed, flying above anything that it could possibly damage.
At this point, Newton's Third Law of Motion kicked in. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so all the force that had sent the bullet one way went into sending Utsuho the other. Needless to say, she hit the water pretty fast.
She could make out everyone turning around to see her: firstly Orin, who watched in amazement at her friend's ingenuity; then Satori, who simply smiled lightly as she was passed. Finally she caught a single glimpse of Sango as a dolphin, and even in this form Utsuho could make out the shock in her expression. Utsuho simply winked.
It worked! It really, really wo-wait, how do I stop?
Utsuho suddenly remembered that she had no way to stop herself. The lake's edge was approaching rapidly, and she showed no sign of slowing down. There wasn't even anything for her to grab onto, the local fish darting out of her path to avoid being roasted.
"...Aw, crap."
SMASH.
A chunk of the stone gave way as she crashed into it, still not quite enough to stop her. She collided with a pile of rocks lying against a lakebed wall, knocking up a considerable amount of dust. Sango, still in shock, waited for Orin and Satori to fill their lungs and catch up before venturing into the depths.
The dust had more or less cleared by the time they made it down, and they found rubble and debris were there had been rocks. Likewise, where they thought there'd been a wall there was a gaping opening - a forgotten cavern which Utsuho had forcefully reopened. She herself was lying in an Okuu-shaped hole in the ground.
"Unyuu..."
The three of them together were able to pull her up to the surface and help her recover from the self-induced dizziness. Orin hugged her, amazed at the feat her friend had pulled off, while Satori's congratulations were somewhat more reserved as she dried herself off. Sango initially tried to argue that she hadn't technically hit a wall so it didn't count, but eventually she conceded and congratulated Utsuho on a (painful) victory.
"...So, what exactly did Okuu crash into?"
Orin asked the question as she held Utsuho in her arms. Sango shrugged.
"You want me to be honest? I have no idea. Never seen that place before..."
There was silence, each of the girls keeping their thoughts to themselves. At least, that would've been the case if there wasn't a mind-reader among them.
"Well, it seems you three are as interested in that cavern as I am."
That was enough for each of them to realise they weren't alone in their desire. The swimming and the race were already things of the past - a new adventure was open to them, and they were willing to embrace it with open arms.
THIRD EYE IN PURE WATERS
EXTRA CLEAR
-----
And somehow, I feel like I've expanded from Extra into Phantasm. I just felt the race wasn't a satisfying way to end it, so...T_T
And now, in a risky move, Audience Participation Time!
Select Difficulty
Phantasm - Fly through the water
Select Pair
Satori Komeiji
Rin Kaenbyou
Utsuho Reiuji
Sango Tororetsu
I'm tempted to say 'Orin's going, who's tagging along?' because Satori and Utsuho basically got their own segments and it's her turn, but in the end I'll leave it up to you.
-
"...That's probably enough charging time. Explosion Sign [Giga Flare]!"
At her command the charging ceased, and a single massive bullet burst out of the rod with a gargantuan bang. It flew into the distance at lightning speed, flying above anything that it could possibly damage.
At this point, Newton's Third Law of Motion kicked in. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so all the force that had sent the bullet one way went into sending Utsuho the other. Needless to say, she hit the water pretty fast.
Utsuho is secretly a Genius Ditz. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main.GeniusDitz) I expected her to use Atomic Fire "Uncontainable Nuclear Reaction Dive"
but then again, does that work underwater?
Also, Rin x Utsuho.
-
Unyuuu~
I am very much reminded of looney toons now. =p
Hmm...I am a sucker for cat girls and nuclear powered hellravens...so that makes my vote obvious...but then again, as long as they appear I don't care if they are the focus. =p
-
Um ... Orin and Sango, I suppose. |3
-
Needs more Sango, at the very least.
-
It's Sango's turf, she should go. And I think the cat-fish/dolphin dynamic has potential so there you go.
-
Orin x Satori.
-
(http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm114/Roukanken/1232313831114.png)
"Well, at least I didn't get no votes. That would have been embarrassing."
Anyway, it looks like Orin is pretty much guaranteed now. Sango's second on 3, with Utsuho one vote behind and Satori trailing on 1.
So unless there's some landslide vote-switch sometime soon, it looks like it's gonna be Orin/Sango. The next segment shouldn't be affected very much by the choice, so last-minute votes are still acceptable.
-
So unless there's some landslide vote-switch sometime soon, it looks like it's gonna be Orin/Sango. The next segment shouldn't be affected very much by the choice, so last-minute votes are still acceptable.
Actually, I will withdraw my vote on Rin x Utsuho. If this is an opportunity for you to express Sango's character more, then by all means, go ahead.
-
Have a 4am update. -___________-;
Select Pair
Satori Komeiji
Rin Kaenbyou
Utsuho Reiuji
Sango Tororetsu
Phantasm - Curious spirit drives the cat.
Protective spirit guides the dolphin.
Can these two unite in their endeavour?
-----
"So, how exactly are we gonna do this? That thing is pretty deep...and it might go on for a while. I dunno about Satori-sama, but I don't think I can hold my breath for that long."
Orin frowned as she spoke, clearly keen on going but not sure how she could get anywhere. Satori nodded along with her, having the same doubts about her own endurance. Sango let off a loud 'hmmmm', trying to come up with a solution on her own.
"How about you...take little bottles of air down with you? Just drink them when you need to take a breath."
"I don't think that's how air works."
"Really? Well, uh...guess not, then."
After Satori shot down her idea nigh-instantly, Sango slumped back down onto the ground. She wasn't used to thinking about things like this - to be fairly honest, she wasn't used to thinking hard about anything. From the expressions on their faces, Satori and Utsuho weren't doing much better.
"Actually...what about the kappa?"
Orin felt everyone's eyes turning on her. That was a good sign, it meant she was onto something.
"They invent stuff, and they spend a lot of time underwater...surely they'll have come up with something that'll let us stay under for longer?"
There was a moment of silence as everyone thought Orin's proposition over, eventually deciding that it was worth trying at least.
"Well, in that case, I'm pretty sure you'll find the girl you're looking for over there," Sango said as she pointed into the distance. "Little hut just down there, looks sorta like it fell out of a hurricane."
As Sango gave her guests directions, she began to walk ahead to guide them directly. Satori and Utsuho followed, but as they turned back they saw Orin still leaning over the edge, getting ready to jump in.
"Don't mind me, just gonna...get some practice in..."
She poked her head into the water, seeing a tiny little snack looking up at her. Immediately feeling like she was starving, she opened her mouth and prepared to swallow it in one gulp-
"Ah!?"
Someone had grabbed her tails and yanked her out of the water. As she turned around she saw Sango dragging her along against her will.
"Come on, it's your idea. May as well get you to do the talking while you're at it."
Apparently Sango wasn't quite as unaware of Orin's intentions as she'd made out.
"Nyaa~n..."
---
Nitori Kawashiro was not used to getting visitors. Being relatively shy, this was a good thing for her. Being an inventor who needed people to buy so she could eat, it was a very bad thing.
"And it looks like today is as slow as usual..."
She sat at her workbench, idly screwing a bolt into some contraption she'd come up with. She hadn't decided what exactly it was yet - when nothing came to mind, she just put random things together until she got an idea. She'd currently produced an abomination of scrap metal that would make any mechanic wince. Aware that she'd screwed up, she threw the failed invention into an ever-growing scrap heap.
"I need to come up with something..."
Knock-knock.
What the?!
For a while she thought someone was trying to knock one of the walls of her house down, but eventually she realised it was simply a guest at the door. She tiptoed over to the entrance, peeking to see who her visitors were.
"H-Hey! You're-"
She recognised three of them - the cat, the raven, and the distracted one. She'd seen Marisa take them on during that hot spring incident a little while back, but the last one was someone new to her. Some sort of fish youkai?
"Uh, hi there. I'm Rin Kaenbyou, but you can call me Orin. Wanna talk business?"
Those last three words were enough to draw Nitori's attention. Business meant money, and money meant living on something other than cucumbers for a change. She pulled the door open, letting the entire ensemble in. There wasn't much in the way of furniture for them to sit on, so they either stood on the spot or sat on the floor.
"...I'm guessing from what you're wearing that you've been swimming?"
None of them had bothered to dry themselves before they met the kappa they'd been told about, so they were sitting around Nitori's home still in their swimsuits. Only Sango was wearing something decent, but her skirt constantly seemed to be leaving puddles all over the floor, much to Nitori's annoyance.
"Yeah, in one of the lakes nearby. We found a little underwater cavern, actually, that we were hoping to take a better look into."
"Really? I didn't think there was anything like that around here..."
"Well, it was pretty well hidden."
Everyone turned to Utsuho, who looked down and rubbed her head where it still stung a little. All of this meant nothing to Nitori, who simply looked on bemused.
"O...kay. So, you want to take a better look inside this cavern?"
Orin nodded.
"Pretty much, but there's a couple of stumbling blocks - worst of all, the fact that a few of us need to breathe every once in a while. You got anything to take care of that?"
Nitori paused, holding her hand on her chin as she let off a dramatic 'hmmmm'. In the end she shook her head, sighing.
"Nope, sorry, can't think of anything that'd help y-"
"Liar."
Nitori's excuse was stopped dead in its tracks. Satori suddenly spoke up, looking at her with all three eyes.
"You have something that's perfect for this. You just won't tell us because you don't think we can pay."
Nitori's teeth clenched. She'd forgotten exactly who she was up against and let her thoughts slip.
"...Then you understand also that I'm kinda, well, broke. I can't give you stuff for free, you know. Do any of you have anything on you?"
Orin and Utsuho responded to this with blank shrugs, while Sango rummaged through her pockets for some spare change to offer. She produced a rusty hundred-yen coin someone had thrown in the lake, which Nitori politely declined.
"Reputation."
A single word from Satori was enough to catch the kappa's attention. She hadn't considered that the mind-reader would know exactly what she wanted.
"We can pass around to people we know that you do good work. It's a totally untapped market, and we can help you get into it. Sound good?"
Satori cunningly omitted the fact that she lived underground, and thus the people she knew had more or less no chance to actually use Nitori's services. As such, her target was drawn in completely.
"...Yeah. I think that's good enough for a loan of a thing or two, at the very least."
Nitori led them backwards into her workshop, where her finest inventions were strewn around with reckless abandon. In this pile of (arguable) genius, Nitori started rummaging around, looking for something in particular.
"That was amazing, Satori-sama!" Utsuho declared. "You got her to help us even though we don't have any mo-"
Orin's hand was over her mouth before she could finish. Satori wisely ignored the statement. Meanwhile, Sango had tiptoed her way over to the heap, examining some of Nitori's creations and/or spraying them with water. She held up a strange rectangular object with buttons running across it.
"Yeah, that one isn't mine. Picked it up from Kourindou. Apparently you use it to work a television."
"What's a television?"
"That...is a mystery. I'm working on it."
Bemused, Sango dropped it back into the pile. It might have been a good idea for her to have been a little more careful, as the remote came apart on impact.
"...Oops."
Trying to ignore it, Sango decided to switch the subject entirely so that Nitori wouldn't notice her mistake.
"So, uh, what do you think of my work?"
Nitori turned away from scavenging, looking at her blankly.
"Sorry, what?"
"Well, come on, you've gotta have heard of Sango Tororetsu, right?"
Sango posed for dramatic effect, already waiting for praise to be thrown upon her. She was responsible for all of Gensokyo's magnificent lakes, after all - surely the kappa would know about her-
"Can't say I've heard of you, sorry."
Silence. Sango tried to maintain a smile as she slipped backwards, ending the conversation wordlessly. Satori could make out the thoughts running through her mind, frowning at the sight.
"It's not fair...I work so hard, and no-one even thanks me..."
She couldn't think of anything comforting to say to Sango, so again she kept quiet. No-one said a word until Nitori finally emerged from the pile, holding up a cylindrical object with some sort of hose coming out of it.
"Here we go~. Miss Kaenbyou, could you come over here?"
"Seriously, call me Orin...Kaenbyou is so long..."
The cat walked across the room, suddenly finding herself a mannequin as Nitori strapped the tank around her waist. The kappa, in the presence of her own work, suddenly developed a flair for style, treating Orin like a magician treats her assistant.
"Okay, see that thing sticking out of the hose? Put that in your mouth, and you've got enough air to last you for hours!"
Orin picked up the mouthpiece at the end of the hose, looking at it curiously before biting on it. It made a loud hissing noise as she breathed in and out, which she took as a sign it was working. Nitori smirked at the sight of another satisfied customer. The first in a long time, too, which made it feel even better.
"Heck, I'm feeling generous today. I'm gonna throw in a flashlight as well, since it's gonna be dark down there. Leave it to Kawashiro to give you good service!"
She lifted a smaller cylinder and threw it at Orin, still hissing as she breathed through the tank. A small button was on the back, and as she pressed it she was impressed to see rays of light burst out of one end. They didn't do much here, but down there light would be essential.
"And I'm afraid that's all I've got to offer you. Sorry, that thing's a prototype, so I haven't managed to make more than one yet. And I am expecting it back, you know!?"
"Hiss...hm? Only one?"
Orin finally took the mouthpiece out to relay her disappointment. That meant that she and Satori couldn't go down together. She turned to her mistress, who was already smiling calmly.
"Don't worry. I'll just wait until you're done before I use it, that's all. There's no problem taking turns, is there?"
Utsuho, hearing this, decided that it was unfair for Satori to go on her own.
"Uh...I think I'll wait until you two are done as well. Don't want Satori-sama going in alone, that's all."
In her head, Orin was doing some calculations. There were four of them, and if Satori and Utsuho weren't diving along with her, that left-
"So, looks like it's gonna just be the two of us, huh?"
Sango had already placed her hand on Orin's shoulder, her newfound confidence a drastic difference from her earlier emotions. Orin's face fell.
"What's the matter? It's not like you were planning on helping yourself to a thing or two down there, is it?"
"O-Of course not...h-hey, Okuu, is it possible you could switch with Sango-san? I just want to do this with you more than anyone else..."
"I think I'll just slow you down. It's okay, Sango-san looks like a good enough person to me."
"...Nyaa, you're missing the point..."
-----
Spot the doujin reference, win nothing!
-
*Akutagawa Ryunnosuke's "Kappa" ~ Candid Friend starts playing*
Kapapa Kapapa Nitori~ You should drink cucumber flavored beer~
And dayamn, Satori is sneaky there. =p
Then again, maybe some of the people in the underground become curious...after all Nitori and the Kappa are in part responsible for an increase of prosperity in the Underground City...Hmmm...
-
Heh, interesting ... wonder what they're gonna find there.
You know, Satori could use her powers either for great good, or for great evil. It looks like in this case she's doing both at once.
-
Again, to avoid confusion, other people's thoughts are "written like this."
-----
"Damn, this thing is heavy..."
As she carried the tank back to the lake, Orin's legs buckled slightly under its surprising weight. Nitori had (very quickly) explained that there was lots of air in a small space, but she didn't realise that air even HAD a weight.
"You okay, Orin? I can lend you a hand...well, one."
Utsuho, trailing behind, offered her friend some aid. Orin refused, brushing the request aside.
"No thanks, I'm fine. ...But seriously, of all the people it could have been, it had to be her..."
"Unyu? Do you not like Sango-san?"
"It's more like she doesn't like me," Orin muttered as she suddenly became interested in her own feet. "She's sorta protective of the local wildlife, but she won't appreciate that I haven't eaten all daaa~y..."
Utsuho stared at her blankly.
"But...don't cats eat fish? I thought that was just how things worked."
"I wish it were that simple, but she treats them like they're real people. To her, those fish are-"
---
"--My friends."
Up ahead, Sango was spilling her heart out to Satori. Her listener looked somewhat torn as she paid attention to the story.
"I suppose that is an issue, yes. But you have to appreciate that it's in her nature, and besides that she's a wonderful person."
Sango seemed unconvinced, staring at her blankly.
"You're probably right, but...I dunno, there's something about her I just don't like. It always feels like there's some part of her that she's hiding, that she doesn't want people to see..."
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
Satori chose her words carefully, letting Sango fill in the blanks herself. It stung slightly, mainly because she knew it was totally true.
"Heh...you've got a point there. Maybe that's right, but I don't want her thinking I'm weak or anything..."
"Sango-san, somewhere down the line you're going to realise that-"
---
"--No-one's perfect, right?"
Orin wasn't buying it. She stuck her nose up at the thought.
"Not that you could tell with her. She keeps on acting like she's the ruler of all of Gensokyo. Did you see her trying to sell herself to that kappa? Or when you came up with the idea for a race?"
Utsuho was trying her best to defuse the situation. Sango-san was a good person, she was sure of it, and she didn't want Orin to not like her for bad reasons.
"...Um, yeah, but don't you do that too? You like showing off when you do something you're good at, so what's wrong with her doing it?"
"I-It's not the same! I don't do it to make myself look better than I really am, do I?!"
"Well...you do, sorta..."
Coming from Utsuho, of all people, this hit Orin pretty hard. She was suddenly aware that her tails were dragging along the ground behind her.
"Nyaa...All I wanted was something to eat, that's all..."
"Orin, I'm sure if you just talk to her-"
---
"--You two can work things out."
Sango was glad that Satori was the only person who could see her from here, because right now she wasn't the cheerful, happy-go-lucky character she wanted people to see her as. She shook her head, getting more emotional than she wanted to be.
"I can't do that, it'll make me look weak. I don't wanna come off as needing to explain myself to her, y'know?"
Satori exhaled sharply. She was used to seeing that people had problems like this, but not to trying to resolve it.
"Orin's in the same position as you. Sooner or later, one of you is going to have to be the bigger person and make the first move."
"The bigger person..."
Sango whispered those words beneath her breath as she thought them over. Satori was aware that she was stalling for time.
"Well, it'll have to wait for a while, at least. We're here, and it's not like we can talk underwater..."
Satori smiled.
"Leave that to me."
---
As they arrived at the lake, there was one last test to make sure that Orin's equipment did what it was supposed to do. She dove to the bottom of the lake and surfaced, breathing from the tank the whole time as the flashlight gave off a radiant beam wherever she pointed it. She had to admit, the kappa knew what they were doing when it came to stuff like this.
And at least this means I don't have to talk to her or anything...
She sat at the side of the lake after the test was finished, ready to dive for real. Sango sat next to her, not needing to make any preparations of her own.
"..."
"..."
Both of them wanted to say something, but neither one wanted to talk first. For a few seconds, there was an awkward silence.
"Okay, you two. Something I'm throwing in as an extra precaution."
In the end it was Satori who spoke up, getting the attention of both of them. She seemed very confident as she put her hands on her shoulders.
"Now, obviously there's a problem you two need to resolve - after all, you need some way to communicate down there."
Both of them were now looking at Satori with their full attention, unaware that their nervous faces were nearly identical. Satori pulled out a card that Orin didn't recognise, chanting.
"Form a bond between these two that no weapon can hope to shatter.
Telepathic Sign [Heart-To-Heart]!"
As the card shone, Orin was aware of something glowing on her forehead. A white wire expanded from between her eyes, travelling through the air until it linked with an identical wire on Sango's face.
What the hell was that?
"I have no idea either..."
Sango was as clueless as she was, as the wire faded into nothingness. It took Orin a few seconds to realise that something was wrong.
"...Wait. What did you say?"
"I was just answering you, that's all."
Satori seemed unusually happy as she watched the two looking at each other, bemused. Utsuho was, as usual, totally lost.
"Unyu~? But Orin didn't say anything..."
Yeah, I was just thinking that-
"But I can hear you saying it."
There was a moment of silence as both of them realised what the spell did.
""CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!""
Still maintaining her cheerful smile, Satori started to nudge them both into the water.
"Come on, you two, that cavern isn't going to explore itself. Don't worry, the spell won't pass on anything if you genuinely don't want it to be heard, so both of you should be fine~."
...Right now...sorry, Satori-sama, but I kind of want to punch you.
"Seconded."
Sango slid into the water first as Orin adjusted the mouthpiece until it was comfortable. Giving the observers one last thumbs-up, she fell forward with a dramatic splash, leaving a trail of bubbles as she descended.
"Satori-sama...was that really a good idea?"
Satori gave Utsuho a warmer, more genuine smile in response.
"They've got more in common than they think. They'll be fine."
---
"Hiss...blub blub blub blub blub..."
Geez. I can barely hear myself think over this thing.
The endless hissing and gurgling initially got on Orin's nerves, but she got used to it as she dove down. Sango was only slightly ahead of her, already in dolphin form.
...Huh? Why aren't you running ahead like you usually do?
Sango turned around to look at her, waiting at the mouth of the cavern.
"I, uh, didn't want to leave you behind."
Orin gave off a little gurgled cry in surprise at that. It was a small gesture of politeness, but it was one that she hadn't expected given Sango's typical urges to show off. As she caught up, she ran her hand down the dolphin's back once.
...Thanks.
The dolphin looked up, nodding in approval. It was a small step, but things were going to have to start somewhere.
So, should we get going?
Orin flicked the flashlight on, illuminating the dark tunnel with it. Sango hung back, letting her go first.
"You've got the light source. Lead the way."
-----
Featuring the last segment of Awesome!Satori we'll get for a while.
...;_;
-
You've caught my attention hook, line and sinker. *http://instantrimshot.com/ (http://instantrimshot.com/)*
Just shoot me now.
-
You've caught my attention hook, line and sinker. *http://instantrimshot.com/ (http://instantrimshot.com/)*
Just shoot me now.
Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. I've seen worse. In fact, I've done worse.
-
Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. I've seen worse. In fact, I've done worse.
I'm well aware of this. In fact, I got that link off your site.
-
A PC-98 character appears in this segment. Try guessing who it is now before it starts.
And no, it isn't Mima.
-----
The tunnel was, for the most part, unimpressive, and there was nothing to be heard other than the neverending gurgling coming from Orin. It continued on for some time, making the cat glad she'd brought the tank with her.
There'd better not be a dead end at the end of this...
As they delved further within, Orin was worried she'd jinxed it - there was still nothing worth seeing, and they may as well has left the flashlight back at Nitori's.
"...There isn't. I can feel it."
Sango's thoughts played out in Orin's head, a feeling she still hadn't grown accustomed to. She looked back at the dolphin as she swam onward.
"There's something coming from this place. Something...dirty. I can't tell what yet, but it's getting stronger the further in we go. Maybe we should stop and ask someone for-"
Don't be a scaredy-cat! I feel fine, so it can't be anything that bad, right? Come on, let's go!
Orin continued onward, swimming faster as she became excited as to what could be waiting for them at the end of this tunnel. Sango trailed behind reluctantly, sensitive to impurities like this.
"...It's not like it's gonna be anything I can't fix, I guess..."
As they started to reach the end of the tunnel, Orin and Sango were surprised to notice that they no longer needed the flashlight - there was electrical lighting at the sides of the walls, which had suddenly taken on a metallic sheen. Orin's eyes widened.
Ooh...is this some sort of abandoned underwater facility, with all sorts of goodies to find!? Maybe an aquarium or two?!
"...You're half right."
"Blub?"
"It's probably some sort of facility. But I get the awkward feeling it's still in use."
...Is that a good thing?
"If this feeling I'm getting is right? It's very, very bad."
---
The tunnel came to an abrupt end not long afterward, opening up into an underground river. The walls were fully plated with a simple metal, and various pieces of machinery made deafening sounds of operation. Orin was the first to surface, spitting out the mouthpiece and enjoying a breath of real air.
"Man, that feels good. That stuff is so artificial, y'know?"
Sango didn't share in her relief, if anything more unnerved than ever. She switched out of her dolphin form as soon as she got the chance, practically leaping out of the water. Her eyes immediately locked onto an overgrown machine in the centre of the room, lowering a single tendril into the lake. A small stream of grey liquid ran through the tendril, leaving the water a duller shade than it should have been.
"...I knew it. I knew it!"
She ran up to the machine and began kicking it repeatedly, all the time looking at it with a furious expression. Orin pulled herself to her feet, grabbing Sango and trying to pull her back.
"W-What're you doing?! You don't even know what that thing-"
"It's polluting the water! I can feel it!"
Despite Orin's best efforts to restrain her, Sango was too angry to be stopped. As she slammed her foot into the machine yet again Orin could hear the impact, the sound of gears smashing and circuits breaking. The machine's whirring died down quickly, as Sango pulled out the freshwater vial at her waist and practically emptied it into the water. It returned to the beautiful, crystal-clear colour of the lake outside.
"There. ...What the hell do they think they're doing!?"
Sango was still furious, looking around the rest of the room to find something else to smash. Orin was stunned - she'd never seen the dolphin get so angry before.
"'They'? Who do you mean, 'they'?"
"The kappa, of course! They're using the lake to get rid of their goddamn waste!"
Sango was punching out another machine, ripping buttons off with her bare hands. It was rage that was driving her now.
"They promised! Gensokyo's fish and water youkai agreed to let them do whatever they liked as long as promised not to start polluting. And what do they do!?"
Orin thought for a minute she could hear crying amidst Sango's rampage, simply looking for anything that she could destroy with her bare hands. She hammered and hammered until her body exhausted itself, leaving her slumped on the floor, panting. Orin was nervous to approach, still enawed by the sudden rampage of an otherwise cheerful girl.
"...It's not fair...I work so hard to keep them clean, and people just..."
The only force she could muster was a single fist, slamming weakly into the machine in front of her. Orin came up from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sango...san..."
There was a moment of silence as Sango's eyes grew misty, tears running down her eyes. There wasn't time to worry about image, she had to get her emotions out right now. Orin sighed, unsure of what to say at a time like this.
"...Sorry. I must look like a wreck right now, huh?"
Sango was smiling amidst the tears, trying to regain her composure. She stood up, taking deep breaths as she pulled Orin's hand away from her shoulder.
"Let's just...go further in. I don't know what I'll do if I stay in here."
---
There was a simple corridor leading out of the waste disposal room, which the two girls quickly walked down. Orin had left the tank besides the lake, since she obviously wasn't going to need it any more. Sango was still recovering from her earlier tantrum.
"...So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find whatever's producing that crap they're spewing into the water, and I'm gonna turn it off. With force, if I have to. They break the rules, they pay the price."
The stamping of Sango's feet resounded through the corridor, deafening compared to Orin's light steps. She wasn't in the mood for thinking through how she'd go around doing it, she just knew it had to be done.
"...Alright then. If that's how it's going, then I don't see why I shouldn't help you a little~"
Sango froze as she heard this, turning around to see Orin grinning confidently towards her. She held a hand out for Sango to shake. The dolphin, grinning in return, accepted it and shook fiercely.
"Agreed. ...Thank you."
"No problem. Now, do you have any idea where we should sta-"
Orin's eyes caught something watching them. A camera had locked onto them, observing them with a cold, robotic glare.
That...can't be good.
"WARNING. INTRUDERS DETECTED IN WASTE DISPOSAL CORRIDOR. SECURITY ALERT INITIATED."
A blaring alarm started to drone through the corridor, causing both girls to shield their ears. Behind them they could barely make out the entrance they'd used slamming shut.
"Uh-oh."
In an instant they were both running, afraid that at any time some sort of kappa scientist would come at them with a taser. Orin was the faster runner, but she held back so Sango could keep up - repaying an earlier favour, in a way. The corridor split into to just ahead, and wordlessly they agreed to split up. Orin took the left path, Sango the right.
Dammit, now what are supposed to do!?
Heart-To-Heart was still working, so Orin's thoughts were making it to Sango even now as she started running full-speed.
"I don't know! Just look for something that looks like a generator!"
The corridors split up over and over again until neither of them were sure which way they were going. Doors flew past them, but neither of them wanted to risk walking into a guard station.
"But I...can't just...keep running forever!"
Orin's heart was pounding, her lungs burning. She needed to stop, but standing in the corridor when people be waiting for her anywhere was suicide.
Gonna have to just hope for the best...!
She charged into the first room she saw, smashing the door down with her shoulder. She stumbled a few steps from the momentum as she caught her breath. Her eyes drifted around the room, focusing on nothing until she got a few breaths of air in her lungs. As soon as she was aware of her surroundings, her mind froze.
...Um...Sango? I think I found it.
By an amazing stroke of luck, she'd walked into the reactor room. She could make out vats and machines performing complicated procedures she had no hope of understanding, and an endless sea of dials whose purpose she was clueless about.
"Can you...turn it off?"
Sango's thoughts were hazy - she was probably still running, and even at her slower speed it would tire her out eventually. Initially Orin shook her head, not realising that Sango wouldn't be able to see that.
No, I don't think so. It's some sort of...
Orin looked up at the largest vat, seeing a familiar-looking symbol on the front. Three yellow segments revolved around a small yellow circle, all against a black backdrop. This was a simple enough sign for her to understand.
...Nuclear reactor. ...No way, they're not trying to-
"I wouldn't touch that if I were you."
A voice Orin didn't recognise came up from behind her. By the time she'd turned around the fist was only a few inches from her face.
"Ah-"
If the impact didn't knock her out cold, the collision with the wall certainly did. Orin's attacker hung over her limp body, smiling to herself.
"I swear, these kappa I've hired really are horrendous when it comes to security. Looks like I'll need to dock their pay again."
---
Orin?
The train of thought that had been running through Sango's head had stopped. She waited nervousl for Orin to respond, hearing nothing in return.
ORIN!
Still nothing. Sango's heart felt like it was about to explode, and this news wasn't helping her in the slightest. Something had happened to her, and Sango needed to do something about it-
"Ah!"
She wasn't used to walking, and she definitely wasn't used to running. The fact that she'd gone for so long without tripping was a miracle, but it was one that came to an end pretty quickly. She almost fell through the door in front of her, barely knocking it aside as she continued to slip. Her head smashed into a machine she didn't recognise, knocking her out cleanly.
If she were conscious to see it, she'd have been glad to know that the machine was totalled.
---
"Nngh..."
Ow...my head...
Orin woke up dazed and confused, her brain feeling as if it was on fire. She remembered running into a room, finding the reactor, and then-
Oh yeah...I got knocked out.
Coming to her senses, Orin quickly realised something was wrong. She tried stretching her arms out, but her wrists refused to move apart. Some sort of mechanical device was holding them together, and no amount of straining was going to do anything about it. Looking down, she saw something tied to her leg, from which a chain led down to a metallic ball.
"Good morning, my little intruder. How are we today?"
That voice...!
It was the woman who knocked her out. Rising onto her knees, Orin could make out a figure in a white lab coat with long purple hair approaching her. She adjusted her glasses, looking down at her captive with calm, calculating violet eyes.
"What? You were expecting a kappa? Well, I'm afraid you'll have to settle for a lowly human for now. Oh, and so you don't get any ideas about escaping..."
The scientist pushed a button on a distant control panel. A simple transparent sheet of glass appeared in front of Orin, trapping her in a small rectangle. The floor was also transparent, and she could see the room below her through it, with a threatening-looking pool of water some fifteen feet deep waiting to swallow her up.
"Guess where you're going if you misbehave?"
There was a cruel pleasure in the scientist's voice as she walked towards the screen, looking down at the trapped cat. She sighed to herself.
"Ah, but where are my manners? I'm Rikako Asakura, but I'd prefer Professor Asakura if you know what I mean. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaenbyou."
-----
In memory of Gensokyo's first real scientist. Rika's an engineer, she doesn't count.
-
First guess: Elly.
Then I saw pollution: Rikako
And nice story as usual. I wonder how Utsuho would react to knowing there is competition. =p
-
D'oh! I was expecting Yumemi.
-
D'oh! I was expecting Yumemi.
Keyword: "A"
Chiyuri and Yumemi must always come in set.
Otherwise, yeah, Yumemifanboyraeg.
-
Now I feel guilty for basically trolling Yumemi fans. >_>
-----
"...How do you know my name?"
She'd called her Kaenbyou, and she hadn't been carrying anything giving her name away. Rikako smirked, grabbing a clipboard from on top of a nearby desk. Her finger began to run down the paper clipped to it, her eyes following.
"Rin Kaenbyou. Also known as Orin. Kasha. Pet of Satori Komeiji, owner of the underground Palace of the Earth Spirits. And most importantly..."
Her finger slammed into the board, her nail piercing the paper.
"Close friend of Utsuho Reiuji."
!!!
The look of horror on Orin's face spoke volumes. Rikako looked down on her with another proud smile.
"Ah, so you've figured it out. Yes, I have a particular interest in your hell raven friend. She has a power which I find most...intruiging."
The nuclear symbol in the reactor room flashed in front of Orin's eyes. She felt a violent urge rising within her, but she knew that she'd be taking a fatal plunge if she did anything out of hand.
"So...you want to figure out all that nuclear stuff."
Rikako sighed, irritation rising in her voice at the assumption that Orin had made.
"It's not that I don't understand it, it's that I've had to settle for a simplistic, weaker form than hers. I need to study her cellular structure, understand how her body could possibly hope to control it when it takes me several rooms of machinery to grasp."
Even as she said it, she seemed to be interesting herself, starting to walk in a small circle with her hand on her chin. Orin wasn't sure if it was safe to interrupt, but she tried anyway.
"Uh...maybe that's because it's ma-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT WORD IN FRONT OF ME!"
Rikako hastily grabbed a nearby wrench, throwing it at the screen with an impressive smack. The screen was undamaged, but it was enough to make Orin keep quiet.
"You're not going to convince me that your hocus-pocus mumbo jumbo could achieve something like this and science can't. I will take Utsuho Reiuji apart if I have to, but I WILL figure out what makes her tick! I swear to it!"
Orin had definitely picked her words poorly. Rikako became more and more flustered with each word out of her mouth. She turned to Orin and pointed at her with an accusative finger.
"And you...you're going to be my bargaining chip. When your dear friend Utsuho finds out you've been kidnapped, she'll be oh so willing to turn herself in for your sake! Then I can begin the dissection and the secrets of nuclear fusion will be mine for the taking!"
She was cheering herself on now, bordering on the insane. Orin's blood boiled just at the thought of this girl getting her hands on Utsuho.
"But...why do you want to do this!? Okuu can control it perfectly fine, it's not like we need anyone else to do it!"
"Why? Why not?! People have taken her as a gift from the gods, the epitome of your humbo-jumbo, but I know she's nothing but a fraud! And when I do it, your feeble excuses for 'magic' will be thrown to the side, and finally the glorious visions of Gensokyo's scientists will be accepted as the truth they are! We are your gospels, your prophets, but our teachings require no faith or belief at all - no, we teach you to believe what you can see! Your magic and your gods should be ridiculed for the fakes they are! Ha...ha ha ha...AHAHAHAHAHA!"
She snapped completely, lost in a fit of raucous laughter. Orin's anger turned into fear momentarily, watching as Rikako's eyes hovered over an ominous-looking red button. Then the cackling suddenly cut itself short, and with a simple cough and shuffle of her labcoat she was totally relaxed as if nothing had happened.
"So yes. I'll be using you as a tool to get your little friend to come here. Of course, whether you're alive or not when she arrives is still to be decided...but you're cutting it close right now, I'll tell you that much."
Orin's hands were held against the screen, the urge to punch this sorry excuse for a human being in the face held back only by the urge to not start breathing water in the near future. She slipped forward, despairing over how she could hope to get out of here without risking Utsuho's life...
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Her moping around ended abruptly, as a familiar voice suddenly popped into her head. It was complaining about a headache, but the fact it was there was enough to lift her spirits.
Sango!
-----
"!?"
Almost as soon as she woke up, Sango felt someone calling her name. She looked around for a few seconds, trying to find the speaker as she slowly became more aware of her surroundings.
Wait...Orin? Is that you!?
She remembered losing contact with her just before she'd lost consciousness, so hearing her voice now was a great comfort from the very start.
"Sango! Are you okay? Did they get you as well!?"
Rubbing her head, Sango checked that she was alone. The room was deserted except for the device which she'd managed to fall into.
No, I'm fine...but since you had to ask that, I'm assuming you're in trouble.
"No kidding...they want to use me to get Okuu in and experiment on her. The ringleader's a maniac, too, and if I'm not careful she's gonna dump me in a pool with a ball and chain..."
Her eyes widened. This was even worse than she'd expected it to be - she was hoping for a few people polluting out of laziness, but they were willing to resort to things like this for the sake of their research?
Oh...crap. Do you have any idea where you are?
"Nyaa...I got knocked out, so I don't know...but I think they dropped the security after I got caught, so you should be fine in those corridors..."
...Alright then.
Sango opened the door, feeling a violent determination in her heart. It was the sort of calm anger that you only reached after you'd gone too far for normal rage to sustain.
...Orin, you've gotta stall for time. Play to her ego, keep her talking. I'll be there as soon as I can.
"Got it. Hurry, though...she's nuts. I might end up pissing her off, and after that..."
Orin didn't finish off, not wanting to think about what came after that. Sango nodded, opening the door.
I'll try my best.
And with that, she was bolting down the corridor, faster than she'd ever ran before.
-----
So, I need to buy some time...
Orin stopped focusing on her internal conversation, focusing back on reality. Rikako was currently looking through some camera feeds of the waste disposal room, with a variety of machines irreparably damaged.
"My, Miss Kaenbyou. Your lack of appreciation for other people's property is astounding."
She was about to blame it on Sango, but she stopped herself before the word slipped out of her mouth. The element of surprise was all that Sango had, and she couldn't afford to let her lose that.
"Well, I know a couple of kappa, and they wouldn't have been very happy with what you were doing to the water. There was a treaty that-"
"I know, and I don't care. That was an agreement for the kappa, mere magical creatures. Why should I follow the rules of a turtle with legs?"
Her disdain for the kappa was obvious, even though they made up more or less her entire working force. Probably not a good topic to press on here, so Orin decided to change the subject.
"So, Miss Asa-"
"PROFESSOR Asakura."
"Sorry, Professor. ...Why Professor, anyway? What's wrong with Sensei?"
Rikako was more keen to answer this one, grinning proudly at the captive cat.
"Excellent question! I simply feel Sensei is much too vague. Call me Asakura-sensei and I could be perhaps a teacher, or a doctor, but call me Professor Asakura and you know for SURE that I am a scientist through and through!"
She stood up straight, proud of her work. It was hard to believe that she'd seen this woman take such a psychopathic turn mere minutes ago.
Alright, Orin, you've got this. Keep it up!
"So, where did you study? I can't imagine Gensokyo is a good place to be a scientist."
"You'd be right there. Not an academy in sight in this god-forsaken land. Had to teach myself everything I know with books that the kappa happened to drop into the local bookshop. Took a lot of effort, but here I am now!"
Orin smiled. This was easier than she had expected.
"Wow...that's pretty amazing."
"I know, I know. I'm not typically one to brag, but-"
Rikako stopped mid-boast, her eye catching an excerpt from a corridor camera. There was a single figure running down, heading in their direction.
Crap!
"Uh, hey, anyway, what was that about you not wanting to brag?"
She was desperate now, trying to pull her away from the camera. Rikako was ignoring her entirely, watching the intruder with her full attention.
"...Hmph. A dolphin youkai."
She turned to Orin with an unimpressed expression. Her hand hovered over the button that frightened her the most.
"Wait, what're you-"
"I should have guessed you didn't come here alone."
As if on cue, the door flew open just as Rikako finished speaking. An exhausted Sango dashed in, seeing the scientist holding her friend to ransom.
"You...let her go!"
From the other side of the room, Rikako shrugged.
"Or what? You'll sonar me to death?"
She was clearly on the verge of pressing the button, but before she could perform the deed another idea came to her. Sango still stood in place, afraid of angering her as she pulled out a ring with dozens of keys attached to it.
"Let's make a game of this, shall we? If you find the right keys, your feline friend might escape with her life. If not..."
Letting Sango finish the sentence in her head, Rikako finally pressed the ominous red button. The floor beneath Orin gave way, and she fell without so much as a scream.
"ORIIIIN!"
The screen opened up, and Rikako cheerfully threw the keys down the hole along with Orin.
"Well, then, dolphin girl? Are you going to waste your time with me and let your friend drown down there?"
She knew which choice the dolphin would make, laughing heartily as Sango dove in after them.
"You stupid dolphins...so predictable."
She pressed some buttons at the nearby terminal, activating another alert. Either they drowned down there, or they surfaced and the security took them out. Either way, she won.
"Ah...such a carefully thought out plan could only be the work of a true scientist. Hmhmhm..."
-----
As much as I hate leaving on a cliffhanger, it's 1:45 am. I might write the next short section now, but I'm sleepy >_<
-
I can tell, that Rikako is a well bred member of the genus Villainous. A proud specimen, complete with that special knack for slow acting death traps and walking away, illusions of grandeur, and a special flavor of maniacal laughter. Ah, a prime specimen indeed.
-
a special flavor of maniacal laughter
Blackcurrant, if I had to guess.
-
Blackcurrant, if I had to guess.
Dammit, I was aiming for raspberry >_<
Not strawberry, though, that's Yumemi
-----
Splash!
Orin was smart enough to take a deep breath before she hit the water. She started thrashing, trying to stop the ball around her ankle pulling her down.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Her efforts were in vain, and the ball hit the pool floor taking Orin with it. She tried to cup her cuffed hands around the ball and lift it, but she wasn't exactly known for super strength.
"Hnngh...hnn-blub!"
A little air leaked out, and Orin's attention was immediately diverted to making sure that was all she lost. Her hands struggled against the cuffs, but they still refused to budge.
Crap...I need to get a hold of those keys!
Almost on cue, the keys fell into the water just as Orin asked for them. She waited for them to hit the bottom before swimming over to take them-
"Mmph?!"
She felt the chain pull her back. The keys were tantalisingly out of reach, as if they'd been placed there to taunt her.
"MMPH!"
Her arm stretched out, still only barely missing the keys. She was lying on the floor of the pool now for extra distance, but it felt almost like it was getting further away the harder she tried.
"Mmmhblublbl..."
Orin slumped, lying on the floor of the pool. She was never going to get anywhere like this...
"Orin!"
Another massive splash from above, as a familiar voice worked its way back into her head.
Sango...!
The dolphin youkai dove down hastily, grabbing the keys from the floor. She swam to Orin's side, tending firstly to the lock on the chain.
"...Crap, the keys all look the same!"
She chose a key at random and tried to force it into the lock. Despite putting all of her force into it, the key refused to budge.
"Got any idea which one to use!?"
Orin frantically shook her head. Her cheeks started to expand as she began to feel the urge to breathe.
Hurry, I can't do this for much longer!
Sango wished Orin would calm down. It didn't help that while she was trying to do this she had the cat's panicking stuck in her head. She picked another key, jamming it into the lock.
"...Nothing! Dammit...!"
She was flipping through the keys now, picking whichever one came to mind. Orin did her best to keep herself still, but against her will her tails were thrashing about.
"Mmph...blublgl!"
Her hands moved up to cover her mouth, priceless bubbles slipping between her fingers. She was in pain now, looking at Sango with desperate eyes.
Please...help me...
Her thoughts were getting hazier as she started to get light-headed. Sango continued to wrestle with the lock, experimenting with key after key.
"Oh come on, you're kidding me - the last one?!"
She'd tried every key on the ring bar one, a slightly darker shade of grey than the rest. Logic denoted this HAD to be the key to the chain, so all she had to do was-
"G-glug!?"
Orin's lungs started emptying themselves against her will, her air quickly rushing to the surface. It almost seemed to be taunting her, stranding her at the bottom of the pool.
"Gluglglblub...San...go..."
I'm sorry...I couldn't...
Sango pulled herself away from opening the lock. There wasn't time for that - Orin needed air, and she needed it right now. Her mind rushed into overdrive, trying to come up with some way to keep Orin from drowning ASAP. Eventually one came to her, but it came with a painful consequence that she'd prefer to avoid...
"...Crap. That's the only way."
For a moment she slumped, guilt running across her face, but she pulled herself back hastily. This wasn't the time to worry about things like that, lives were at stake. She pulled over to Orin, bringing their faces close. The cat's last bubbles hit her in the face as her lungs ran dry.
...What're you...doing?
Orin was already blacking out. Her brain was barely processing right now, so Sango had no choice but to throw her fears aside and act.
She held Orin's head in place with her arms, and locked lips with her as tightly as she could.
...!?
As Sango pushed air into Orin's lungs, the cat became more and more aware of the situation. Her face started to pulse a bright shade of red, as her thought process collapsed entirely.
"Nyaaglugl?!?!?!"
She pushed Sango away as soon as her lungs were full, her face beetroot. Her tails were standing on end as she started pinching herself.
This isn't happening, this isn't happening, PLEASE tell me this isn't happening...
In the midst of her panic, Sango finally put the final key in the lock, turning it. There was a satisfying click as it unlocked, and Orin's foot was released from its restraint. The sound was enough to convince Orin that this definitely wasn't a dream, and her immediate response was to break for the surface.
"Nyaaaa~n!"
She let out a cry as she broke the surface. It was a cry of relief, guilt and embarrassment all at once. Sango popped up shortly afterward, and helped the distraught Orin back onto land. They started experimenting again to find the key for the handcuffs, taking a little more time now that death wasn't imminent.
"Uh...s-sorry about that..."
A stuttered apology was about all Sango could manage, the magnitude of what she'd just done hitting her as well. Orin was holding her hands out to be uncuffed, sinking her head into her lap.
"Nyaanyaanyaanyaa..."
She was nyaaing incoherently, steam almost rising from her ears. Sango could make out her thoughts, but there was nothing that made any sense.
sheactuallykissedmeicantbelievesheactuallydiditanditwasmyfirstkisstooandibarelyknowher
andhowdoitakeitbackwhycouldntithavebeensomeonelikeokuunyaaaaaaa~
Sango was embarrassed as well, but was still sane enough to get to work on the lock. She eventually found the key she needed, undoing the handcuffs and allowing Orin to move her arms freely again.
"...Um..."
"...Uh..."
As they both stood up, they looked at each other with expressions that suggested they'd rather look anywhere else. Sango was starting to turn a little red herself.
"Let's, uh, act like this didn't happen. Okay?"
Orin nodded, with no objections in the slightest. Taking a few deep breaths to wipe her memory of the entire ordeal, she prepared to finally start walking.
"Let's just get out of here and find Satori-sama..."
Neither of them wanted to hang around any more. Getting out had become their top priority, but as the door in front of them opened they realised it wasn't going to be as easy as simply retracing their steps.
"Freeze!"
Half a dozen security guards burst into the room, each brandishing a new kappa-brand weapon they called a 'tazer'. Sparks ran along the gadgets as they approached ready to give the two intruders a deadly shock, no doubt worsened by the fact they were both soaked.
"Aw, crap..."
-----
And yes, I've been planning for this to happen for a while. >_>
-
hot nyaa
-
I can just see the two of them reaching for a large bottle of Rationalization.
At least you made Sango likeable, so the shitstorm over the OC getting to kiss Everybody's Favorite Catgirl Mk. II should not be too bad.
Hmm... I want to give criticism, but sadly I can't find anything. Anyhow, a very enjoyable read. :)
-
That was totally predictable and I think it made me love that sequence even more.
-
That was totally predictable and I think it made me love that sequence even more.
This.
Mouth-to-mouth = kissing-joke. No two ways about it.
-
Suddenly, MORE ACTION SCENES
-----
The crowd hung around the door, approaching slowly to make sure their targets didn't slip around them. Getting back into the water wasn't an option - all they'd need to do is dip the tazer in the water and carry the bodies to Rikako.
"This is...bad."
Sango took a few nervous steps backwards. Purified Greywater might have been able to take them all out, but in this enclosed space there was no way she'd avoid friendly fire. Orin stood firm, staring down the crowd with uninterested eyes.
Is she still out of it!?
The kappa walked further forward, only a few paces away from Orin. The cat simply took a single step backwards, holding her arms behind her back. It looked to the guards like she was retreating, but Sango's viewpoint offered her a very different perspective.
That thing in her hands...what is it!?
A sphere of blue fire was emerging above Orin's hands, growing brighter and fiercer by the second. She continued to slowly walk backwards, the guards giving her plenty of time to prepare with their over-cautious approach.
"You aren't much of a fighter, are you?"
The flame was white hot now, and wider than Orin's palms. Stunned, Sango shook her head as Orin finally had her back to the wall. The guards began to walk towards them freely, no longer afraid of being strafed past.
"Well, then...looks like it's my turn to save you."
"Cover your eyes."
An unspoken warning was enough for Sango to squeeze her eyes closed. With the guards still a few steps away, Orin released her attack like a trained professional. In a single, fluid motion, she pulled her arm out from behind her back and threw the flaming orb at the crowd, landing square in the middle of the pack.
"Come on out, zombie fairies~!"
The sphere exploded, momentarily filling the room with a blinding light. Sango and Orin had closed their eyes in preparation, while the unprepared kappa were left grabbing at their eyes, stunned. A tap on her shoulder was Sango's cue to open her eyes and witness exactly what Orin had unleashed - an army of fairies had emerged from the sphere, a pale shade of blue with halos hanging over their heads.
She's a necromancer!?
The fairies jumped on their dazed prey, grabbing onto their faces and refusing to let go. The kappa started to wrestle with their attackers, struggling to pry them away. Most importantly, none of them were in any state to take out the intruders.
"Now!"
Orin blitzed at the crowd, grabbing Sango by the shoulder and pulling her along. The kappa were knocked aside, distracted by the spirits currently pulling at their ears. Running through the open doorway, they were dashing through the halls hand in hand.
"...Since when...did you know how to-"
"Long story, not important, let's get outta here!"
Orin nipped Sango's question in the bud, looking for the way back to the waste disposal room. For a moment both of them shared the same thought: Why do all of these corridors look the same!?
With no idea which way to go, the pair decided to turn right and hope for the best. Another identical corridor met them, with exactly the same twists and turns. Orin briefly wondered if this was all some sort of illusion and they were actually just running down the same corridor over and over.
"Wait! Over there!"
Sango pointed at a door as they ran past it, prompting Orin to come to a stop as quickly as she could. It wasn't the exit, but it was the first door they'd passed with letters on it, clearly spelling out EQUIPMENT ROOM. There didn't seem to be anyone following, so they quickly peeked in to try and find something of use.
"Hey, the tank! Good call, Sango!"
Orin's air supply must have been thrown in here after she was knocked out. She strapped it back around her waist - she was going to need it on the way out - as she grabbed the flashlight which had also been left there.
"Now, there should be a map around here somewhere..."
As Orin ruffled her way through the documents liberally thrown around the room, Sango was looking around for something that could work as a weapon, ignoring the various tazers and stun guns the kappa were keeping around.
"How about...this?"
She pulled out an ornamental trident, its prongs still surprisingly sharp. Orin looked at her unimpressed for a few seconds as she pulled out a blueprint of the facility's layout.
"Uh...you're kidding, right?"
Sango looked at her, puzzled, as if to ask 'what's wrong with it?' Orin could have been there forever explaining, but they didn't have the time for it. The guards could be back on them any minute now.
"Fine, but I hope you know how to use it. Come on!"
They ran back out of the room, now a little more enlightened as to where they had to go. Orin took the lead again, the only one of the pair who actually knew where she was going.
"Okay, left here, right there, then right again and - that's it!"
They could make out a door at the end of the corridor, hanging open as if to beckon them in. Orin picked up the pace, practically hauling Sango behind her.
"Come on! Just a little swim after this and we're home free!"
She whizzed past the door, greeted by the sight of dismantled and destroyed machinery. Sango's rampage was hardly going to fix itself, after all, but someone seemed to be doing their best to-
"Hm hm hm."
CRAP!
Standing between them and the lake was a familiar looking scientist, casually repairing a nearby terminal. She looked at the fleeing pair with an expression of total calmness.
"What are you, morons? Did you seriously think I'd leave the job of eliminating you to a bunch of hired goons?"
Despite her apparent occupation as a scientist, Orin could feel immense magical power rising from Rikako. She adjusted her glasses again, placing her hands in her coat pockets.
"Now, if you lay down your arms now, I promise to make your deaths relatively painless."
Orin grit her teeth. Behind her back, the fires of the undead were beginning to rise again. She turned to Sango, a severe expression running across her face.
"Okay, we need to double-team her right now. We're only gonna get one shot at this, so we need to make it count. Got it?"
Sango nodded. Her grip on the trident tightened slightly. Again, no luck with Purified Greywater. She wished she had a spellcard that worked a little better in tight spots like this.
"I'll give you until three. One..."
Orin and Sango braced themselves, looking for exactly the right moment to strike. Rikako seemed unaware of their plans, still looking at them as if they were ready to surrender.
"Two-"
"NOW!"
"Fairies, go!"
Orin hurled the flame at Rikako, aiming straight for her face. It was headed straight for her, no way it would miss-
"What the!?"
The flame, still potent, hung in the air inches from Rikako's eyes. She looked at it intently, and slowly the sphere began to shrink, its power waning.
"No way...she's this strong?!"
Sango leapt forward, seeing this as her only chance to get an attack. She stabbed at the scientist with the trident, hoping to at least injure her enough for an opening-
"!?"
Rikako must have seen it in the corner of her eye, because she caught the trident between her fingers without so much as a thought. The orb continued to fade, as Sango looked down at Rikako's hand in awe.
"How...did she..."
"Three."
She suddenly pushed forward, sending the hilt of the trident straight into Sango's stomach. The dolphin was knocked back across the room, winded heavily by the impact. Orin quickly started to channel another orb.
"Dammit, why didn't I bring a spellcard!?"
Obviously Rikako wasn't going to simply let her do whatever she pleased. She pulled out a card and began chanting her own spell.
"From the fusion of two, produce overwhelming flames!
Fire Sign [Exothermic Reaction]!"
Rikako opened her arms, a pair of spheres emerging at her palms. As they fully formed she brought her hands together, causing the spheres to collide together. They formed a third sphere, from which burst a massive wall of embers.
"Not gonna make it...!"
Orin focused harder on the summoning, but without a card to act as a catalyst it was a slow process. The wall began to cave in on her, leaving no room for escape.
"Oh, shi- AAH!"
The flames enclosed her simultaneously, attacking her body with a tremendous heat. Her hands desperately started fanning the flames, her own attack long forgotten, as she fell on the floor and started to roll around. Eventually the fire died out, but the effort for that alone was enough to leave her exhausted and still reeling from the pain.
"Well, that was even easier than I expected it to be. Then again, what else could I have expected from a pair of magicians?"
The word rolled out of her mouth like poison, as she walked towards the incapacitated pair.
"...We screwed up, didn't we?"
...Yeah. We sure did.
Their hands slowly stretched outwards, and their hands touched.
"At least...I have someone else to blame it on."
Despite the pain she was in, Orin managed to give Sango a smile, squeezing the hand she'd managed to grab. Sango returned the favour, squeezing back.
I could say the same thing to you...
They let out a little laugh together, glad that at least they weren't dying alone. Rikako was unaware of the entire exchange, charging a pair of simple bullets in her palms. In their current state, neither of them had a hope of dodging one, or surviving it.
"You're as good to me dead as you are alive, I suppose. Reiuji won't be aware of it until it's too late. Farewell."
The bullets reached their apex, glowing a bright shade of green. Orin and Sango each stared one down, waiting for the end to come-
"Won't be aware of what?"
The bullets vanished suddenly, as Rikako faced an unexpected development. She spun hastily around to the source of the voice she heard, and was immediately greeted with a control rod in the face.
"Ah-"
""Okuu!""
Utsuho stared her down, a cold hatred in her eyes. Orin and Sango slowly pulled themselves to their feet, enawed by their friend's sudden appearance.
"There isn't much that gets me angry. But let me tell you something-"
With her other hand, Utsuho lifted Rikako effortlessly into the air. The scientist thrashed around, desperately fighting her attacker's grip, but the only thing worse than a nuclear-powered raven is an ANGRY nuclear-powered raven.
"Start threatening my friends, and you're in BIIIIIIG trouble."
Rikako's glasses fell off, shattering on the ground below her. For a moment Orin was afraid that her friend would kill the human there and then from the cold, furious glint in her eyes.
"...Good thing you're not worth my time."
Utsuho threw her into the distant corner of the room, sending her flying into the one machine that Sango hadn't managed to wreck earlier. The impact was enough to at least break a few bones, and Rikako was knocked out instantly. Even when she woke up, with injuries like that she'd be in no fit state to fight.
There was a moment of silence as the injured pair realised that they weren't going to die after all.
"Okuu!!"
Orin stumbled across the room and embraced the raven in gratitude. Almost immediately her rage subsided, and she was back to the simple Utsuho that everyone knew and loved.
"Unyu...don't scare me like that, Orin. I was worried I wasn't gonna make it."
Sango, still clutching her chest, walked over and joined in the hug as best she could.
"Thanks, Okuu...but how did you know what was happening?"
"Satori-sama was monitoring your hearts carefully, and when she lost contact with both of you at once she worried that something was wrong so she sent me to check things out."
That must have been when they were knocked out.
"But wait...Okuu, that was maybe an hour ago. What took you so long?"
"Well, it's a long tunnel, and I never got that whole swimming thing down...Unyuu..."
Orin couldn't help but laugh at that. It was amazing - only a few minutes ago they'd been staring death in the face, and just like that they were laughing it all away.
"...Anyway, let's get back to the surface. Satori-sama must be worried sick by now."
She broke off the hug, walking towards the water. The tank had been lucky enough to survive the attack unscathed, and it still did its job at least well enough to get Orin out of here.
"Good idea. We need to get her to turn off this Heart-to-Heart thing, anyway. I'm sick and tired of having you in my head!"
Sango joined her, throwing out a playful insult as they stood at the river's edge together. They shared one last smile together before they dove in unison into the water. Utsuho was the last to leave, smiling for her own reasons.
"They're getting along now. ...Guess Satori-sama was right after all."
-----
And it'll still take me a few more installments to wrap this thing up. Jeez, how long is this story now? -_-
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My guess? Not long enough. :D
I had a feeling that Otsuho had gone for a walk though...
I do think that Rikako had some sort of plan though...I smell sinister things done to Lady Reiuji. Sinister...
or maybe I am just talking out of me sweet behind.
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OKUUWNED.
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OKUUWNED.
:V
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And finally, the concluding segment of Third Eye in Pure Waters ~Phantasm~.
-----
"Satori-samaaa!"
Orin almost leapt out of the water when she surfaced at the other side of the tunnel. Satori was waiting for her, and embraced her the instant she could. She didn't need to be told what had happened - reading Orin's heart told her everything she needed to know.
"Orin, I'm so sorry. I should have looked ahead and warned you I sensed other hearts down there..."
Orin ignored her master's apology, simply returning the hug with twice the force.
"Satori-sama, it's okay. I'm fine, Sango-san's fine, so there's nothing to worry about."
Satori was silent for a moment, simply relieved that her pet had returned to her. Sango surfaced afterwards, witnessing the reunion from a distance.
Well, of course they're close. They must've known each other for years by now.
Orin stood straight as Sango's thoughts inadvertently made their way into her head, her tails sticking out. Satori sighed.
"Well, from what I can read from your heart my card has done what it needed to."
She clicked her fingers, and the white wire from before re-emerged, still linking Orin and Sango. It snapped in the middle before fading, and the link between the two was broken.
"Finally! You have no idea how hard those last few seconds in the lake were - seriously, nothing but 'Maybe she won't mind if I eat this' and 'I might be able to snatch this one without her seeing me'."
Before she'd meant it in all severity, but Sango said it with a smile now. She knew that Orin wasn't going to actually eat any of those fish now that she knew how much it mattered to Sango. She pulled herself onto dry land, approaching the pair still holding each other.
"Aw, come on...I still haven't eaten anything all day...nyaa..."
For a moment, their eyes locked. They grinned at each other, sharing a silent congratulations.
"Well, you two had better get around to giving that kappa her inventions back. I'll wait for Okuu here - it'd be sad if no-one was around to greet her when she surfaced."
Satori smiled as she broke off the hug with Orin. She shooed them away in the direction of Nitori's hut, watching them hold hands as they strolled along.
I get the feeling Sango will appreciate the two of them being by themselves...
---
"What?! THE Rikako Asakura!?"
Nitori listened to their story, enawed. Orin was busy figuring out how to unstrap the tank as she told the story.
"Yeah. Hired a bunch of kappa to try and make nuclear power...wanted to kidnap Okuu and to some nasty stuff to her. ...Nyaa, how do you work this thing!?"
Nitori nonchalantly pulled at one end of the strap as she held a button down. It loosened immediately, falling to Orin's feet. She looked down at it, embarrassed.
"Oh, uh, that's how. Thanks."
The kappa nodded in reply, picking up the tank from the floor. Sango sat on a chair next to Orin, doing her best to stay out of the conversation.
"We know about Rikako - to the kappa, she's practically a terrorist. The officials have been trying to take care of her for months now. There's even a nice juicy reward for whoever turns her in..."
On the last sentence Nitori turned away, her eyes glazing over. She had to fight extremely hard to resist drooling at the thought of being able to afford a real meal, maybe do up the house a little. Orin pouted a little as she saw the kappa daydream. Meanwhile, next to Orin, Sango was starting to get very interested in the conversation.
"Oh, that sounds great! I'll just go and-"
"You can have it. Just go and tell them you did it."
Two heads turned to Orin at once, wearing identical expressions of shock.
"You need the money more than either of us, right? It's only fair. And it was your inventions that got us in there in the first place."
Nitori could feel her eyes misting up. This was the first time in an age she could remember anyone ever giving her a gift, especially one of this magnitude. She almost wanted to hug Orin right here and now.
"I...I...T-Thank you..."
Sango's expression of awe remained unchanged, her mouth hanging wide open. She wasn't interested in the money either, but think of the respect the kappa would have given her for it. Orin made a quick exit - she felt bad hanging around when people got this emotional.
"H-Hey!"
Sango burst out of the door to meet her, anger running across her face.
"Why'd you do that!? That was my big chance!"
Orin turned around to see her, looking puzzled.
"Nya? You don't need the money, do you?"
"No, but that's not - I could've finally made a name for myself, finally earned a reputation from something like this!"
Sango felt her blood boiling. She'd been given a chance to get the one thing she'd been dreaming of all her life, and someone else had thrown it away from her. She almost wanted to slap the cat right here and now-
"Reputation? What's the point in that?"
Orin strolled back down to the lake, seemingly unaware of Sango's emotions. The dolphin followed, stomping around as her rage built up.
"What's the point in it!? What's the point in doing a job if no-one cares about it!? I work my ass off keeping this place clean, and no-one gives a damn! How do you think that feels!?"
The instant the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. She grabbed her lips as if looking for a way to take it back. This wasn't the part of her that she wanted Orin to see - the jealous, attention-seeking side of her. Orin simply froze, not responding for the first few seconds.
"What's wrong with just being proud of a job well done?"
Her response was still incredibly calm, like she was answering a casual question. Sango's rage was quickly being spent as she realised she'd overexposed herself.
"How can you say that!? You don't even know what it feels like!"
She was distraught now, almost screaming. She was getting teary, another side of her she did her best not to show. She'd blown it, she'd shown herself, now Orin was going to abandon her-
Huh?
Orin had turned around and placed her hand on Sango's shoulder. The dolphin's shouting and flailing stopped, and she froze in place.
"I never told you how I got into necromancy, did I?"
Slowly, Sango shook her head.
"...It happened a few months ago. You saw the sort of crazy things Okuu can do with nuclear power, right? Well when she first got that power she went a little...crazy. As in 'take over all of Gensokyo' crazy.
Satori-sama had no idea of what was happening, and neither did anyone else for that matter. I was the only one who had a clue what was going on, and if I didn't do something the whole place was gonna get burned to the ground. Following me?"
Sango nodded. This wasn't the usual cheerful Orin she knew - this was the severe, serious Rin Kaenbyou.
"I couldn't tell Satori-sama - she'd panic, try and solve everything herself and get incinerated. There was no-one underground strong enough to take her on, either, so I had to get the message above ground without her noticing. That's when I began looking into the dark arts, and started sending spirits up to the surface.
It worked - some miko and her black witch friend came down and beat Okuu senseless. But what matters is that if it hadn't been for me, she'd have achieved her goal and this whole place would be the new Blazing Hell. I did it. I saved Gensokyo."
Sango's eyes couldn't get any wider. Such a massive achievement was something she'd never have imagined from Orin. The cat still wore the same totally straight face, so she couldn't possibly be lying.
"Did anyone give me credit for it? No. It was all Raymoo or whatever her name is, the miko who saved the day. But I don't honestly care about that - I know I did it, and that's good enough for me."
She wrapped her arms around Sango, who hadn't moved an inch since Orin had started to talk.
"I know you're a good person deep down, so I want you to listen to me when I say this. Do your thing because you're proud of it, not because you want people to accept you. Okay?"
She spoke with genuine worry, holding her softly. Sango felt the tears starting as she slowly returned the embrace.
"I...I didn't know...I'm so sorry..."
"Besides, get a reputation and people will start makin' you do stuff you don't wanna do. Which sucks, right?"
Suddenly Orin had flipped back to her normal, happy-go-lucky self, the gravity of her earlier tone completely forgotten. She broke off the hug, skipping ahead.
"W...Where are you going?"
"Back to the lake, obviously. Don't want to keep Satori-sama waiting again, after what happened earlier, nyaa!"
She happily strolled into the distance, leaving Sango to dry her eyes. Maybe she had been too insistent that being popular was a good thing...if she was pleased with her own work, surely everything else was just an extra on top of that.
"But even then, she's got it worse than I do. ...In her own way, she's even stronger than Koishi-chan."
Sango wiped her eyes, pushing herself to smile again. She couldn't let them see her like this, after all. Recovering her composure, she ran full sprint to catch up with Orin.
You people have all taught me so much...
---
"Well, I think it's about time we made our exit."
The three had finally changed back into their normal clothing as they prepared to leave. Sango pouted.
"Really? Come on, you guys can't have anything else you need to do..."
"Don't worry, we'll visit. It's not like we're leaving forever, y'know."
Orin comforted her with the promise of a reunion. There was something special between those two in particular after what they'd been through, a bond that nothing could hope to break.
"S-Sure. You're welcome anytime here. Feel free to drop by whenever you feel like it!"
This farewell was different from the one she'd given to Satori before. Back then it had been Satori who had learned from Sango; now she felt she had learned something from Orin, there was a gratitude there that hadn't been there before. She waved at the trio as they started the long trek back home.
"...Well, then. I'd better start getting to work."
Sango jumped back into the lake as soon as they were out of sight, flying through the water like always. She had to keep this place in working order, or she'd never be able to look them in the eye again.
And what can I say? I do a pretty good job of it.
She smiled, taking a joy in her work she wished she'd realised a long time ago. These waters were going to stay pure for a long, long time.
THIRD EYE IN PURE WATERS
PHANTASM CLEAR
-----
Final word count = 21867. Holy crap, that's easily the longest thing I've ever written in my life. o_O And to think it was meant to be a short when I started writing it...
So yeah, that more or less wraps this up. Thanks to everyone who's read and enjoyed it up until now.
And yes, expect me to get back to the PescoKilga slash fic now that this is over. :P
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I have tears in my eyes, man. No joke.
Good job.
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Crowning moment of heartwarming, yesh. :<
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Great, I have my pulse back. YOU GAVE ME BACK MY HEART AND THUS MY MORTALITY!
But seriously, a great story, from beginning to end. And congrats on what I consider a well executed OC.
Now, what is that about a slashfic? *sticking his knows where it certainly doesn't belong*
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Oh god, why am I so late? :(
In any case, I am slightly amused at the prospect of Rikako (or any Touhou character, for that matter) being kept in a jail, per se. The fact that there are criminals, or even 'terrorist' in Gensokyo
also made me chuckle. Overall, it was entertaining from beginning to end, and Sango was quite fitting as a Touhou character even without a headgear.
...Excuse me while I work out my visuals on her.
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What an amazing story!! I usually don't like OCs but I'm perfectly fine with some SangoxOrin right now.
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Careful with the necropost. This is the Library, so such policies are a little more lax, but if a story is complete, try to refrain from bringing it back up. If you truly liked it, go to the Discussion sticky thread and share your opinions and any questions there.
If you're interested in the rest of Rou's works, check the Summaries sticky and do an author search via Ctrl+F.
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ah, thanks for the heads up.