I know I just posted this in the NWC thread, but I want this here for archival purposes.
Oblivious
Meira-san -
Your presence is required immediately at the Hakurei Shrine.
- Hakurei Reimu
~
Meira was quite used to these kinds of letters by now, ones that summoned her to some location without offering any explanation whatsoever. There was about a fifty percent chance it was a human who wanted her to kill a youkai or something, and a fifty percent chance it was a youkai intelligent enough to write, sending her into a trap. There was also a fifty percent chance that the letter would be signed at all, but Meira answered all letters either way. That was how she rolled.
On that note, Meira folded up the letter and slipped it into her sleeve. Very quietly, she stood up from the kitchen table and headed over to the window. She leaned across the sink and drew back the curtains a bit, scanning the outside. She then drew them shut again and headed back to her room to get her katana. Even if the letter wasn?t a trap, just getting out of the forest would be enough of a pain.
Upon opening the front door, Meira was greeted by the howls and screeches of youkai resonating throughout the forest in which her house was located. The trees stretched high above her head, creating a thick canopy that allowed little light to filter through. In spite of this, Meira seldom lit lanterns around her house. It would attract too much attention, and her house was already in a clearing. After taking one more look around, Meira locked the front door and sprinted into the trees.
Going through the forest wasn?t that difficult, just a bit tedious. As Meira picked her way through the web of trees, she would occasionally catch a glimpse of something on all fours crawling through the undergrowth, or hear the guttural shrieks of some beast as it was torn apart. This was all normal.
The most noteworthy encounter she had leaving the forest was coming across a barely-recognizable raccoon that was twice the size of her. It?s chittering was drowned out by the sound of a katana being drawn. Meira did not stop running even as she slashed at the beast youkai. It tensed its muscles and prepared to strike, only to feel something sharp cut across its neck. It slumped to the ground as Meira went straight past it; it would no doubt get back up later, but for now it was not going anywhere.
Meira cleared the last layer of trees with no incident and burst into an expansive field, only for her eyes to be assaulted by the sun beating down from high above. She frowned and squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden light before surveying her surroundings. Behind her was the forest she just came out of. Up ahead past the field she was now standing in was a small village. She had been there a few times before, but she would be ignoring that for the much less dangerous Forest of Magic, and then hill she would be reaching after she came to that. If she remembered correctly, that was the way to the Hakurei Shrine.
Walking through the fields and past the village was almost boring, and she didn?t even need to have her katana out when she walked through the last forest. Soon enough, she was at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Hakurei Shrine. The sight of the torii briefly gave Meira the feeling that she was crossing some sort of finish line, but she shrugged that off as she started to ascend the stairs.
When she finally reached the shrine, Meira stopped to take a look at it. For being the shrine of the legendary Hakurei Clan, it was rather small and modest, if not a bit shabby. There was not much of note about it, except for the lone figure sitting on the porch with a white cat in her lap. It was a young girl, donning the robes of a traditional shrine maiden, complete with a ribbon in her long, purple hair. She was swinging her legs back and forth, idly scratching the cat behind the ears, but when she noticed Meira a huge grin broke out on her face.
Hakurei Reimu leapt off the porch and trotted over to where Meira was standing, causing the cat to flee from her lap and dart away. ?You?re finally here! I was getting sick of waiting.?
In all fairness, it took Meira a few hours just to get to the shrine. She folded her arms as the girl drew closer. ?Of course I am. You sent that letter to me, after all.?
?Oh, that?? The girl?s smile only grew wider. ?Meira-san, I have a request for you,? she practically sang.
Meira raised an eyebrow. ?Oh? What do you want??
?I?d like you to have tea with me.?
Huh?
That was not what Meira was expecting.
?Listen, Hakurei.? Meira kept her arms folded and glared down at Reimu, whose grin had still not left her face. ?I?m a mercenary, not your playmate.?
?So??
?So, don?t just send me urgent-sounding letters when it turns out to be something trivial like this.? Meira turned on her heels and started back down the stairs. ?I?m going home.?
Reimu?s face fell. ?Oh?? She then proceeded to chase after Meira. ?Wait!?
Meira stopped walking and turned around. ?What??
?It?s not just tea! There?s cake, too! I got it from the Human Village!? Reimu?s arms flailed wildly in an obviously desperate attempt to keep Meira from leaving. Meira was never one to get excited over sweets, but maybe she?d be able to take some food home with her.
??Fine.?
?Yaay~~?
And that?s how Meira spent the better part of the afternoon, sitting on the porch with a cup of tea, listening to Reimu ramble on. It was mostly mundane things about the shrine, like skipping stones in the pond out back and a sudden rain shower that kept Reimu from drying the laundry. She did, however, rattle on for a good while about an incident involving some mysterious ruins, a bunch of heretics, and a crazy woman who wanted to kidnap her in the name of science. The names of that ghost magician and her apprentice came up, too; Meira remembered both of them, the former all too well.
Reimu also tried to get Meira to talk, although it was a fruitless effort. Meira wasn?t very inclined to talk much about her daily life. She mostly took odd jobs for other humans, both in the mountains she grew up in and the village she passed on the way to the shrine, but when she wasn?t doing that, there wasn?t really anything interesting to say.
During a lapse in the conversation, Meira stared down at the cup in her hands, idly shifting it so that the tea inside swirled around. The cake Reimu promised sat untouched on the porch between them. Somehow, she had ended up spending a lot of time at the shrine, evident by how the sun was lower in the sky now.
That was when Meira reached an epiphany.
?Hey, Hakurei??
Reimu glanced over at Meira. ?Hm??
?Why did you even invite me here, anyway??
?To spend time with you, obviously.?
Meira pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. ?That?s it??
?Yeah.?
?I attacked you and tried to steal the Yin-Yang orb, and that?s all you can say?? Meira narrowed her eyes, but Reimu remained blissfully dense.
?The Yin-Yang orb?? Reimu giggled. ?If that?s all you were curious about, you should?ve said so! If you want, you can hold it.? The shrine maiden hopped off the porch and started to round the shrine. ?Wait right there.?
Was this actually happening?
Reimu reappeared moments later holding a smooth round ball about the size of her fist, and held it out to Meira.
?It?s surprisingly heavy at first, but once you get used to it it?s really easy to throw and stuff. You have to give it back when you?re done holding it, though.?
Meira wasn?t listening to any of this; she was instead fixated on the Yin-Yang orb in front of her. Unimaginable power was within arm?s reach. She reached out, mesmerized, and took hold of the Yin-Yang orb
â̿̔̀͌̊ͤ̑ͧ̀̓̊̿̆̒ͭͫ͐̓͢͝͏̹͔̥͉͓̖̹ȧ̝̺̻̻͔̩͕̹̬͚ͧ̌̀ͯͬ̔̋̉͒̔̐̑͆͆ͬ̔ͪ͠a̴̴̼͕̮̫̤͙̤̬̝̼̦̣̬̖̤͉̍̿̒ͩ͂͂̓͟ͅȧ̵̸̷̬̳̲̖̪͔̥͎̠͓͎͇̘̖̼̥͌ͪ̊ ̛̻͉̬̲͌̉ͪ̔̏ͨͦ͋͊ͪ̌̉͆ͧͫ̌͠͞͠
̴̷̲͇̼̻̲͖̰̜̗̞̬͍̤͐͗̉̒̊̽̉̇ͨ́ͅa̷̢̯̘̪͕̜͈͙̲̳̔ͣ̄̽͜͜a̷̯̯̩̬̰̪̎ͬ̅ͫ̓̎ͬ͆̊̆ͤ͐͋͒̌̓́̕͝ͅa̸̬̥̩̪̭̥̠̝͇͎͕͙͕̞̲̰̔̃̓̽̃͗̈́͟͡a̸ͫ̐ͮ̽͊͂̏ͫ̉̈́͆͋̄̊̉ͭ̿̆͜҉̨̲̳͉̦̜̫̪̜̹̯̟̣̹͉͖̟̱̖̭͜ả̶̧͇̗̘̩̟͔͎͙͕̦̤̠̤͉̜͓ͬ̄̐̀ͮ̆̃̌͗̃͑ͤ̊̉̈̒ͦ͗̀́̕a͛͊̓̓̐ͭͫ͊̌͐̎̈́͛̓̀͜҉͇̮̥̻̗͔̬̬̩̠̳̩̲̭͖͢ ̂̍͗ͫ̂͆̆̓̂́̔̇ͬ̈̚͜͏͕̟̣͎̼͟ͅ
̣̣̻̲̗̥͇̹͂ͥ̊͊ͤ͗̌͊̏̉̚͟͜͟a̴̧ͤ̍͂̇̌̓̿̉̈̒͜͏̮͇͕͈̮͎̺a̸̴̳̜͙̻̠̗͙̪͈̺̲͖̙ͤͥ̿ͨͥ͠͞ͅͅa̡̺̻̞̲͐̆̉ͦ̂ͨͨ̃̊̓͌̋̃̋̀ͪͤ̓̓͢ͅä̢̘̰͈̖̱̗̞̻̱̫̯̳́ͤ͌͂̓̒ͨ̒ͬ͒ͬͬ͌͂͋ͮ̾́̚͢ͅͅa̵̹̤̗̫̮̹͇̪̹̝̫͛ͮ̊ͤͮͩ͡a̷̧̞̤̰̞͓̠̙͎ͬ̊̑̄̆̾͜ȧͭ̆̆͂̑̾̈̓̒͞҉͎̹̟͍͙̥̪̩̣͎̟͍͚̳̺ä̢̡͇̭̖̭̣͖͙̘͙͚͚̪̜͇̠̩̟̌̉́̒ͨ͑͋̏ͨ́́͟͡ͅa͖̝̟̞͎̬ͣ̔̓ͪ̉̽̅́̑ͤ̎ͨ͌̈́͂͞͞a̷̸̷̞͇͍͇͓̒ͣ̊̎͗ͤ̏͗͋͐ͤ̄ͨ͑̔̍́̚̕ǎ͔̟̺̬͖͎̋̒͋̒ͬ̈ͦ͑͞͝ ̸͍̘̣͈̞̼̠̹̻̿̂́̑̓͛͐̐͛ͤ͂ͧ͠
̮̳͚̩̗̙͔̝̟͉͖̼͔̠̃ͧ̓ͩ͗ͧͩ̓̋ͯ̓̄͜͢ͅa̩̹̼̰͙̯̞̳̖̱͉ͪ̆ͧͣ̔̀͑̒̅ͬ̀͑̊̿͌̕͝a̡̨͍͈̗̦̙̪̹͈̣͔ͥ͂͑ͧ̇̎̽̑ͭ̈̔̋ͧ̑ͪ͢͞ą̶̛͙̰͈̬̆͗͗̃̀ͤ͞ą̛̜̦̩̤͇͉͕̪̻̝̟̪̫͓͆͛̇ͯ́͝a̸̴̯̙̜̼̼͈͔͔͍͈͇̬̫̟̓ͤͬ̌̄͟ą̷̵̶̡͉̟̳͔͈ͣ́͂ͨ͐̍̅̏ả̶̢͎̻̤͓͗͛̃ͮ̈́ͭ̆̂ͣ́ͮ̉͂ͧ̾̚a͐̓̍ͭ̽̌ͨ͊̍̓͑ͨ͒̓̆̒̈̓̍͡҉̤̣̝̬̼̰̼̩̪̪̯͙̱͈a̸̧̅͛͆͛̌ͣ͆̃͆̕͟҉͓̫̦̲̙̠̼̭̱ͅͅa͉̯͕̞͖̬̱͔͓̯̅̏͌̌ͥ̈̚͡͡ą̴ͨ̿̉̆̋̈́͗̊̄̌ͩ͒ͣ̊̂̕͞͏̯͙̲̫̤̠̟̳̗̲͍͓̼̮̮͇ͅa̧̛ͤ̂̔͗͒̀͟͏̥͓̫͕̗ą̷̜̭̟̬̹̖̗̘̲̜̈́ͭ̌̌ͦͯ̑͗̉ͣ͒̒ͤ̀͗ͪͭą̺͖͎̮̼̻̼̖̭ͣͧ̆̇̎ͨ̔ ̞͇͈͉͇̪̰̖̩̙̦̗͖͎͈̱̭̃̈́͑̍͋̀́͘͝
ͬͭ̃̆̄̔̀͐ͬͬ҉̨̝͓͍̯̣̣̩̗̜̳͖̦̖̖̱a̶͉͙̘̭̹͙̳̘̟͈̺̭ͮ̌̈́ͭ̉͊̔̌̏ͫͬ̈́͆ͫ͒̀̚a̷͇̖̳̻̖͎̙̭͕̻̜̘̳͍̻ͫ̈́̅ͪͯ̈̌̊͗ͩ̾ͦ̅ͮ́͢͡ͅa̶͖̗͈̰ͬ̓̈͌̌͐͟a̛ͥ̔ͥ̓͌̃̈͜͏̴͙̤̺͎̘͟ả̴̷ͯͦͬ͆̊ͮ͑̃̌̇̿̓͒͌̒̌҉̜̻̞͇͕̟̬̲̝͍͖̳͕̟̣̤͈͘͝aͥͩ́ͬͣͩ̾͂͗ͩ̏̈́ͣ̄ͯ̌̈̉̚͏̢̳͇̭̬̙a͒ͧ̊̆ͦͧ̀̓̂͌̎ͣ̋̄̄̂̏҉̦̘̰̕͢a̴̶̡̛̼̫͖̗̗̝̲̻͔̥͙̥̫̮͍͔̳̰̯̋͒͂̐ͥ̊ͨ̽̃͌͛͑́̚a̷͆͛̑͑̂͛ͫ̓̅͑͌̑ͣ͞҉̲̖̙͈̘̼͎͙̱͡a̴̸̵͍̬̪̝͔̟̻͈͔̫̦̼͎͎͂͗͊ͪ͌ͨͤ̇̓̈ͩą͍̞̦͉̭͕͈̊ͥ̇ͮ̄̌̍͋ͯ͡ ̷̢̧̪̫̣̙̙̙̠̪͙̺͇͚͔̤͉̙ͦ̽ͧͥͥͤ͡͠
̶̯̰̣͈̪̤̟͚͖̠͇͖̼̜̩̻̬̣̀ͭ̒̾̀̎̾͟͞a̷̛͙̹̺̗͗ͬͨ͊̉͂̐͛̾̍̐̀̄ͨ̎͒̚a͊̍̄̎̃ͫ͊̏̒̏̎̄͆̍̊̇̈́̽͏̡̙̜̬̟̳̹̭̻̟͎̜͎̝͢͢͠a̞͔̦̭̣͕͖̗͖͔̤̐͆̊ͧ̐̽̀̚͟͝͠͠a̋̽͐̒̐̉̊͆̋͒̐̚҉̷̞̗̦̙͍̹͍̲̦͖͚̮͍ạ̴̛͈̩̬̿ͨ̌͒̈ͩ̌̀͘a̞̝͇͇̱̙̦͖̼̱͔̰ͬ̔͌̏ͩͧͣͧ̓͗̿̃̓ͫ́͜a̡͉̥̗̼̜̹ͬ̐ͪͭ͆̾͗́͡͠ ̷̱̫̬͖̬͇̳̱̗̖̘̞ͪ̋͑͂͛͑̑͑̔ͮ̇̋͛͛ͯͭ̓̑͆͘͝
̡͊̿̌ͫ̇ͬͩ͊̒ͮ̀̄ͭ̎͝҉҉͙̮̱̫̪̠̝̹̪̲̯͚͖ą̢͉̦͇̤͈̲̞͗̏̄̈̋ͩ͌̐͂ͪ̎͗̐ͮ͛̊̔̚̚̕a̵̶͎͉̟͗̎͆ͯ͂̉ͧ̏́̎̓̕͡ͅa͔̮̱̙͎̳̣̤͉̞̱͍͙ͣ̓ͪ̃̀ͫ͋ͥͪͩͣ̿̌͆͌͌̕̕͜͠ͅa̧̧̘̹͖̺͍̭͈̱͖̞̮̥͉͑ͪͨ͒͗͒̍́͝ ̷̨̩͍̰̮̗̺̹̣͉̙̼̜̩̲͇͉̞ͧ̑ͣ͗̑͟͠͝
̷̡̛̘̼̯̥͉̰̩͔̹̘̖̝̎̏͗̓̓ͫ̋̂̊ä̵̢̧̖̣̦̻͙̲͓͎̠͈͈̙̣͓͎̱̳ͣͦ̿͟͠ą̷͚̦̲͓̖͙̞̥̗̯̼͆̒ͯ̑̔͌̏ͣͥ̅̄͂ͯ̽ͧͦ̐̃̕͢a͍̗̫̬̬̩͈̼̥̤̟̗͐͆͋͐̋̏̀́͘͢a̽͗͐ͨ̔̇ͨͤ̐̐͒ͭ̍ͥ̽͐́͏̕͏͉̳͎̦̟͎̦̺́ͅa̵̸̸̧̞̹̮̻͓̦̘̮̦͖͇̻͉͍͗́̉ͣ̿̀̾͂̃ͬa̘̬̱̪̤̬̘͖̟̹̦͖͈̹̙̥͇̞͍͋́ͧ̽̓̆͛͘͘͞͞͝ą̴̤͇̱͚̘̱͕̣͇̩̐̎ͭ̔ͫ̍͊͆ͬ̌͌̿̅̎͞à̸̶̛̗͖͔͍̞̣͍̔ͣͮ̔̔̉̿̽ͭ̓̆͐̃͗ͧ̐̚͢ͅa̬̪̹̘̫͔͔̝͈̱ͯ̀̉̽ͥ̇̓̓̄ͫ͛̇̀͟͡ͅa̵̛̽̑̒ͤ̓̐ͨ͐ͪ͑̊̍ͥͩ̊ͯ̚͏̙͎̹͎̳̝̪͈̥̠͉͉̝̗a̯̺̬̘̹̗̺͚̦͖̖͓͆̿̔ͫͭͧ̑ͪ͠ḁ̷̧̨̡̬̥̦͇̮̰̝̘̩̀ͮͭ̅̄̃̌͐͠ą̷͙͇̖̟̟̺͇̦̙͎͔̮̿́̄̐͒͐̀ͭ̌̐̓̑ͩ̏ͪͧ͟͢͠a̶͍̩͉̲̟̹ͣ̌͑ͫ̔̄͗̅̈́͋͘ ̷̡̛̱͈̝̝͇̳̗̠̙̝͎̟̯͙̳̼̙̜͋̉̂͐ͤ̕͝
̷̵̘̲͇̼̰̬̜̻͔͕͍̗͎͈̼̯̼̼̏̒̓ͮ̌͘͘ͅaͭ̋ͪ͐͋͞҉͇͉̳̹̜͙̮̰͖͍ȃ̧͙̲̭̯̳̲̥̱͎͒ͭ̋ͪ̐ͪ͛͐͆̚̚͢͢͠ǎ̴̡ͫ́̀̒̉̈́ͣͨ́̇͂ͭ̓̀̚̚҉̸̰͍̗͕̠̣̻̪͇̙͎a̷͊ͮ̂̈́ͯ̽ͯ̈́͢͢͏̞̬̺̤̟̼̣̥̰̝̗̼̜͈a̴̛̰͕͔͓̹͖̖̬̭̟͖͙̰̾́͊͒̊ͭ͋̐͒ͫ̊̍͝͠ͅȧ̺̲͓͇̻͈̠̣̯̣̫̞̩̜͕̲̝͖͊̅͑̇̑͆̿̉ͩ̀ͬ̈́́̇̇ͪ͘͢͝ͅa̶̤̥̪͙̞͎ͮ̿̎ͣ̏̓̈ͮ̔̑̈̾͂̉ͣ͊̈́͝͡a̳̳̮̤̜͔̪ͪ͑ͫ͆̈́̍̾̌͒ͨͥͯ̑́̀͘͘͢a̶̷̶̯̙͙̼̰͚͆ͯ͗̑̎ͦ͡ͅa̋̽̔̉͗̃̃̀̽͏͓̖̙̹̩̖͖̖̫̕͜a͍̹̮̙͕̺̰̖͙͖̫͚͓̱͒͛̌̃͂́̀͟͠͠ ͋ͮ̓́̇ͨͮ́̿҉̨͙͇̟̮̳̥̕̕
̷͚̹̝̰̜̪͋̉ͫ̌͗ͦ̕a̶͎̠̞̭̳͔̺̯̼̯̥̍͒ͤͣ̏͒̎ͦ͘͟͝a̸̧͖̻̥͈̪͙̰͍̘͙̹̠̬̺̣ͬͬ̅̅͌̏̇̂̉̀͑̈́̌ͬͦ̍́̚͝āͧͤ̍ͯ̉̓ͫ͌̾ͪ̎҉̭̩̲̤͔̩̭̩͎̻͙̟̝̯͟͠͡ą̸̸̨̛̘̟̞̭̫̼̱̞̗̯͈̼̻͚͉͕̤͇̠͆̈͗̎̽̿̇̔̈́̈͂̀̚̚a̵̫̟̣̦̩̭͈̻̺̦̮̰̥̮ͯ͑̾̃͘ȁ̊̂̒̽̽̽͋̊̀҉҉̡̝̺̭͎̟̫̭ͅa̡̱̣̥͙̺̣̬̞͙ͬ̔͊̑̒̌̌͐̈́ͨͭ͆̚͜͝ ̨͔̘̮̫͓̘͎̼̼͈̰̫̪̭̽̿ͣͫ̀ͣͨͯ̊ͦ͌̎̑ͨ̽ͬͅ
̦̼̹͕̼̦̦͚̟̜̣͓̋̌͑ͨ͋̔ͥ̽̊ͭͭ̉̑́̀̚͜a̸̸̶̛̦̠̝͓̭͔̰̬͚̝̥̺͋ͪ̐ͨͧ͗ͬ̂͋̿̈̋̌ͮͦ̀̚͠ͅä̛͍̠͓̩͖̤̲́̽̆͆̊̄̌̑ͮ͑ͩ̅̀̚͞͝a̢̺̤̹̟͍̟̟̙̳̼̹̻̋ͥ̀̉̍͑ͥ͂̈́̈́̀̇ͫ͠͝͡ͅa̧̡̜̘̙̦͇͔͓̤͓̟͋ͩ͑̅̐̈ͨ̃́ͪ͗̈ͩ̿ͭ͟ ̡̢͔͉͇̬͍̲̬̯̉ͩ͑̿̓̈́ͭ̀͡ͅͅ
̸͎̠̭̣̗̖̗̺͔̤̹̟͉̠̙̎̋͂̓́̑̓ͣ̽ͨͭ̅ͪ̇̌̈́ͬ̎͢ ̨̬̩̳͙̤̗͍̤̹͈͍̯͙̒̋̽ͮ̃̿̅̎ͨ̏ͩ̔ͬ͐̑͐̐̾͡ͅ ̃͐̍̎͑ͧ̃ͫ̿̋ͪ̎͆̎͋ͧ̋͜͏̶̛̮͇̖̯̝͎͟ ̶̴̡̪̰̭̣̟̪̹̬͉̳͑̾͊͌͌ͨ̽̎͆̅̈̿͛̀ͨ̊͝ ̡͔͍̜̬͊̅̌̊͗̎͟͡ ̈́͛ͦ̐̋ͥ̇ͨ̚̕̕҉̗̜͇͕̖̰̙̙̱͟ͅͅ ̶͙̬̭̞̯̙̞̫͔͈̦̦̗̘̺̗̃̽̔̊̆̈ͧ͋̿͌͋̚͘͢͠ͅ ̗̻̫̹̻̬̜̪͈͎͈̗̫͇͈̫̂͗̓͌̐ͨͥ̽ͬͦ͋ͨ̍̑ͪͯ̂̿̀͜ͅ ̴̵̭̠̞̙̥͇̲͙͇̖͓̼̰͐ͮ̐ͩ̑͒̉̌̽̎͡ ̧̢̞̗̣̣̹̤̪̺͚̘͉̣̻̗̱̑͌ͪͩ͊ͩ̄̅ͬͭͮ̈̉̎͊ͥ͗ͥ́ͅ ̷̴̨͈̲͖̫̹̆ͦ̇̐͊̈́ͩ̌̀͗͋ͣ̃̓͆̿ͩ̍̚͘͘ ̷̴̢̟̪̗͍͍̠̰̭̦̹̝͓̒̾̑̔͑̏͌͆̅̽ͪͧ͌̊̌́ ̵̨͙̩̜̭̎͌̋̎ͭͭ̈̀̅̈̀ͦ̋̉ͯ͐̄͢ͅ ̶̢̢̫̟̝̝̞͎͇͈̞͖̟̟̼̟̇̔̐͒ͧͮ̌̃ͦ̓a̷̪͍̰͉̣̙̠͓͚̜̞̙̦͓̾̈ͨ̃ͫ̒̾ͧͭ̄̉̃̀a̢̒̐̎̈̈̄̅̒ͣ̉̚͟͞҉͖̫͎̩̳͇̻̹̗̼̙̟̣͔̘͕̪̟̳a̍̇̉͛̄́̕҉̯̮̖̙̙̯̩͉̩̠̩̯̣͠a̸̲̻̦͙̮̤͈̞̖̞͔̘̠̎ͦ͌̀ͨ̍ͤ̀ȃ̧̘̺̥̺̙̮̬͙͍͇̠͖̯̦̰̎ͧ̎̂̌ͤͣ̉͂͋̓͌͛a̡͍͇͍̬̤̞̝͓̥̠̯͖̪ͯ͑̀̈́̒͗ͭ͐̚̚͝͞͠a̶̍ͫ͛͗ͬ̈̓͆ͯ҉̥͈̞̠͍͔͓̲̩͜a̲̪̘̹͉̝̗̯͇̤͉̣̖̬̯̐̂͒͋̉ͩ̇̾̆̌̈́̽̎͋̃̉ͭ͟ͅa̴̧̠̗͍͕͍̪̻̟͕̱̓ͧͥ̏͒̉ͭ̓ͩ̀̽͋͆͛̈́͟͝͠a̢͈͖̲̞͕͎̾͒͐̏ͥ͠ǎ̢̖̮̲̠͚͕̑͌ͫ̃ͫ̒̾ͥ͋͑̆͋̊ͤ̊͐̾͗̕͢͢ ̴̗̖̪͙̱̗̼͚͖̱̞̠͐͒͌̊̏ͧ́͡
̴̨̤͕̰̦̌̐̅̽͂͐͌̄̉͑̂̐̌͋́ͧͯ̽ͤ́͜͡ ̸̱͚̰̞̮̯̫͔͔̳̯̃͂͊ͭ́ ̶͕͖͎̘̠͖͓͉̟̼͓̗̲̘̠̘̺̐̏̃ͤ́̇̀̐̊̔͋̍̍͛̊̑̚̚͜͡ ̴̸̣̘̔ͪͬ̇͒̎ͪ͆͐̂ͨͯ́ͤ̀ͤ̂̆̌͘ͅ ̴̸̨̮̦̹̠͕̲̩͉̞̗͎̙̱͓̝͉̜̱̫̊̿̍̾ͬ͋ͩͬ̆͆͞ ͔̮͓̙̫̯̞̻̃ͤ͋͌͊̈ͧ͒ͫ̎ͯ̆ͯ̔̊͆̚͜ ̢̨͍͈̝̘͎̩̞̹͙̼̙̝̩͓̼̦̤ͩͨ̋ͪ̒̚͜ͅ ̶̟̮̪̯̖͉̆ͨ̉̓̓ͨ̔ͫ̌ͮ̃̎ͥ̒͂a̛̫̹͎̘̝̩̞͚̐̀͐̐ͦ͆̌͂̈̽̓̔̆̽̈̐ͭ̚͘ą̬̠̘͙̖͓͉̿̈͆̅̓̉̿͊͐ͮͮ͆͐͊̏ͪͪ͋̇͡͠ą̶̛̬̼͕̪͙͓͔̪ͦ̐̀̐́͒ͬ̾͗ͭ̈́ͫ̋̐̀͋̏ͪ̕͞a̧̧̻̤̳̰̯̩̠̯̲ͬ͆̾ͯ̌̃͗ͬͣ̽̈́͞͝ą̷̺̖̪͚̫̜̳ͤ̿ͣ̿ͧ͆̓̓̔͘͟a̧̝̤̹̰͚̖͖̞͒̏̂ͮ̾́͜a̵̧͇̘̤͖͖͓͖̫̮ͧ͗̆͞a̢̮̱̬̳͈ͪͥ̈̊ͦ̆̾̉̄͆͟͝a̿͒͒ͮ̄̎ͩ̒͛̉ͮ̓͐ͤ̕͏̷̘͕̟̰̦̟̤̞̱͉̭̗̀a͂̃ͬ͌̽ͤͩ̅̈́̇̚͠҉͏̧̮̙̯̻̙͍̘͍̗͖͎̺̣͉a̴͖̜̙̤̩̼͐͋͊̋͂̀̄̊͆̓́a̧̅͛́ͣ́ͪ̅͐͒̔̔͒ͫͥ̐̌͢͏̥̪̳̥̩͔͍͇̺ã̛̛̖͚͈̘͙ͨ͂̑ͥͥ̏͑ͮ̒̾́͘͠a̢͎̘͈͉̙̝͓̹̠̻͖̣̖̩͍̜̼̯̗͊̽͗͌͒̀̊̓̃̍ͫ̇ͨ̃́̚͢ ̴̲̦̮̟̯̟̗̹̪̺̉ͪͯ̊͌ͨ͋̌̊̃̆̃ͨ̄̄͘
̴̣͉̹̦̪̈́̒̇ͨͧ̋̇͑͌̾̚͢͠ ̷̷̹̜̞̪̯̣̺̭̖̍̑̉̆ͮ̇͆̌ͪͮ͗ͥ̔͞ ̻͎̼̝̝̞̩̩ͪ̑̉̏ͤ̕̕͟͠ͅ ̴̸̪̹̭̝͔̩̪̝̠̖̮͓̞̰̟̠̆̉͐̎̿ͪ̂̍͊̓ͥ̒ͧ̈̒̇̇̒ͅ ͆̇̏̔̈͂̐̋͐ͥ̈́͏̱͍̜̟͇͚̪͕̠̼̜̝̝̹́͜ ̵̽̃̓ͨ̏̃ͥͦͮ͑̎͂ͤ̌͊ͣ̚͟҉͈̜̬͍̯̖̖͟͝ ̴̶̸͙͓̘͇̠̭̱̳̪̩̮̤̤͍͓̳̼̮͙ͨ̂̓̐ͨ̐͐̍ͥͥ̆͂͐̾͑̾̋̽ ̷̧̢̱͓̗͓͕̻̭̣̞̥̝̠͓̮̓̅ͦ ̡̛̙̬̞̪͕͉̣̉̈́ͩͧ̔̓ͮ̊̌̄ͅ ͈̘̱͈̘̜͍̻̠͙͔ͮͫ͒̋̆ͮ͢͜ ̱̱̻̘̤̲̹͎̜̭͔̰̳͈̥͈̰̯ͥ̎̂̈́̚͞͡ ̂̆͑ͦͣ͆҉̵̛͇̯̙̙̺͈̫̭́͜ằ̌̑ͯͦͧ͆̋̇ͭ̐ͭ̈́̋̚҉̶͙̳͍͙̫̻̦̜̜̻̖̰̀a̍̒̒̀ͯ͆̽̈͒̇̓̄̊̌̃̾͏̵҉̛̠̥̙̭̝͕͉̰͕̥̱͇̞̼̯͍̘͇̟͡ą͖̯̥͉̯̈́̅͂̓̂̋̄̅ͩ̄̅̏̄́ͪ̿͜͝ā̴̘̺̣͇̜͎͔̟̪̜̰͎̾̋̎̀͡ͅḁ̛̭͙̤͚̳̟̙̪͎̳̝̬̲͖̼̻͇̦̆̐̿͒ͮ̿̌ͪ͊̿̊ͧͥ͐̀͘͡a̸̴̴͖̦͓̟͖̘͊̆͊ͥ̓͑ͩ͂̄ͪͦ͡a̢͒̾ͭ̉̈́͂̇͐̑͛͗ͥͪ͑͑ͦ̚̕͏̸͏̟̘̻̘̠͙͎͉a̷̡̨ͦ̏͒ͩ̒̽ͧ̾ͪ̊̌ͭ̅̎̇͏̦̺͈̱̼͖aͦ̏̇̍̏͑ͬͮ͑̋̄̈͆̓̈͌̚͡͏̡̘̫͖̖͞a̵̶̷͕̳͖̹̼̮̰̠̪̹ͭ͐̊͋͒͞a̓ͪ̾̉̉ͣ̀̽̏҉̦͕͎̥̭̬̰a̞̫͈͈̠̮͂ͨͣ̓ͨ̌͗ͨͣͧ͛̃͘ ̵̩̮̖̤͍͕̪̱̱̱̣̮͕̒ͩ̑̇̉͊̒́
Meira was aching all over. When she turned on her side, a sharp pain ran through her hips and lower back. Every breath she took made her feel as though her back was being stabbed. Her hands felt heavily bruised and numb. Her neck felt stiff, and her head was throbbing. She groaned and forced her eyes open, finding herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Lanterns hung on the walls, and although their glow was dim, just looking at them made Meira?s head spin.
She was in too much pain to even stay on the floor any longer, despite it being surprisingly comfortable, so she eased herself into a sitting position. She felt a sudden wave of nausea, and as she swayed she noticed that she was sitting on a futon. That explained why the floor seemed so nice to lay on.
Despite the state she was in, she immediately reached for her katana, nervous that it had been stolen while she was out. A wave of relief washed over her when she felt the familiar weight at her side. Upon further inspection, she was still fully clothed, too. Even the letter Reimu had sent her was still in the pocket inside her sleeve.
?You?d best take it easy right now, young lady.?
Meira?s head whipped in the direction of the sudden voice, and winced as her head throbbed all the more. The source of the gravelly, ancient-sounding voice came from a huge tortoise with a long white beard and bushy eyebrows, sitting in the corner. Reimu was curled up on top of his shell with a blanket draped over her, fast asleep.
?Wha?? Meira squinted at the tortoise. ?Why??
?It?s because you carelessly touched the Yin-Yang orb as you did; only those of the Hakurei bloodline are able to handle it without any ill effects.?
So Meira was hurt because she touched an artifact of immense power?immense power?
?That just makes it even cooler,? Meira said, half to herself. She absentmindedly glanced out the door and at the shrine grounds. The outline of the torii and the trees were barely visible against the dark, dark night sky, dotted with thousands of tiny little stars. Somewhere in the back of Meira?s mind, she registered this as a bad thing, given her location.
?It?s already dark. I should be heading home.?
The tortoise frowned, if he was even able to do that. ?I would advise against that in your current state. Also, the young lady asleep on my back would be quite upset to find that she had failed to keep her guest comfortable.?
Meira glanced back at the sleeping Reimu. ?Huh??
She weighed the situation as best as she could. On one hand, her pride wanted to keep her from being indebted to this girl, but going in the forest at night was suicide, especially in her state. She was too exhausted to even stay upright, let alone raise her katana against some hungry youkai. She grudgingly let herself flop onto her back and curled up on her side, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible.
?Fine, I?m goin? to sleep,? she muttered as her eyelids drooped.
