[mm?]
Looking at the blonde girl that was curled up on the bed, I smiled before grabbing my trusty hat and leaving the room, whispering softly to her as I did so, I owed her that much, seeing I rarely ever visit her.
She grows on ya, that I give to ya? that kid, growing up so fast learning lots too, thanks to Keine? well, that?s that I suppose.
[She?s asleep.]
Whispering to the figure that appeared beside me, I winked at her who sighed in relief.
Izayoi Sakuya, the maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion offered to walk me to the door but I refused, saying I got to pay another visit to her.
[? ? mm? It would help if you would tell her sleep early.]
She smiled wearily and I nodded my head, signaling that she could leave.
She did have many more matters to tend to, her mistress is running even her haggard?
[Thank you? Marisa?]
[mm? it?s no problem, da ze? Take care, Sakuya.]
--
The Shrine of Gensokyo: Prologue
The Promise
--
[yo, Patchey!]
Kicking the door open, I hushed up when I saw Koakuma, the little devil dozing beside the door, poor kid?
Putting a blanket over her, I walked towards the middle of the library where I was sure Patchey was, that bookworm must still be reading?
[Patchey!]
Waving at the visible figure that was looking at her books, I hastened my pace before putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking her.
[M-marisa?]
She coughed softly before opening one of her books and chanting.
[?. Rat?]
From the book came a cloud of dust that made the both of us cough and splutter, what was she thinking?
[Hey hey!!]
Watching her cough, I became concerned when she started coughing blood, a normal thing for her but still a matter of concern.
Despite the many times I chided her for it she refused to get a cure for it or? rather the cure for it won?t work without her cooperation.
[C?mon, off to bed, Patchey!]
Hugging her and carrying her bridal style, I whistled for my trusty broomstick, Starfire to pick me up.
[M-Marisa!]
Patchey, the cute little magician that she is struggled in my hug but I stifled most of her attempts to chant a spell by covering her mouth and tickling her by the ribs, the most ticklish spot of hers and watching her try hard to remain a straight face.
[Off to bed, Off to bed! You won?t get well if you don?t rest!]
Hearing the telltale signs of Starfire, which was the slight tinkling of the stars that she gave out, I jumped into the air and on cue, Starfire zoomed right below me and we shot forward, out of the library and into the corridor in a heartbeat.
[Okay, Patchey?]
I somehow managed to made my voice heard over the sound of the wind as we reached out destination in a matter of seconds, covering a distance that would take about an hour to actually cover on foot, seeing how we relocated her room to the top of the mansion.
Pushing the door wide open, I dumped her into the room before tucking her into bed.
That girl, she never does learn, no matter how many times I did this over the years.
It hurt me too? ya know
[? Good night ze?]
[?]
She turned in her bed, upset at me but it was for her own good after all, like the many things that I?ve done over the years for her and for the others? It?s all for them?
[good night? Marisa?]
Hearing her small voice from below the covers, I grinned back and closed the door behind me, whispering again.
[Yea, good night, Patchouli?]
Closing the door, I mounted Starfire and the both of us flew out of an open window and into the night sky.
It was close to dawn now but perhaps I could get some shut eye today..
?
...
[?. Another day, huh, Star?]
Yep, another day? another day without her?
[?]
It hurts thou, very much so? when the things I?ve done for Patchey, for Flan? doesn?t seem to match up?
No matter what I do, they were still hurt? even thou not directly but still, they were hurt?
And there is nothing I could do about it?
[? ?]
--
My name, is Kirisame Marisa? the witch, the black white witch who lives in the Magic Forest?
Well, if you asked me if I AM human, I?ll be hard pressed to answer you.
As I do not know?
After years and years of magical research, I?ve stopped ageing?
[? not a bad benefit da ze?]
So, although I look human, I might possibly be not human at all.. I am a witch thou so you might not call me human in the first place, ahaha?
In magical fairy tales, there are good witches, like the witch in the Wizard of Oz and there are bad witches, like those in Snow White?
Now I have no idea why these two are considered witches? more like con-women to me? but hey, those are stories? so I?ll cut them some slack, ze!
That said, I am a good witch? who?ll admit they are bad witches.. AHAHA
But seriously, I am a good witch. I am Kirisame Marisa, the guardian of Gensokyo? and I am serious on that.
[? let?s go, Star?]
Yawning as Starfire zoomed below me, I flew out of the house and circled my home.
[Take good care of yourself, Mr. House.]
Grinning at my house, which was a living, magical house by now, I watched as it closed the windows by itself and rocked a little, a sign that it had heard me.
Another good thing about a witch is that almost everything around me has a magical conscious in them, a result of my constant meddling?
Ah, I remember the day when it actually came to life? or as close as life as a house can get? that was quite interesting?
-Refer to Casual Days of Gensokyo on that Incident-
[Well, I?m off! If u need help just shine a light!!]
Grinning, I took off straight towards the village on my daily rounds. The villagers knew me by now so as I swoop down between the rows of houses, the one that noticed waved at me while as I made my way to the grandest of them all, the Hieda residence.
[Marisa?s here, da ze! Akyu!]
Jumping from Starfire as I blew past, I grabbed hold of her just before I landed on the ground.
Having Star around makes it much easier for me, she?s in synched with me now, being able to dodge danmaku, fly independently and to top it off she could read my mind and know exactly where I needed her to be.
[Morning to you, da ze?]
--
[Marisa? how nice to see you.]
Smiling, Akyu invited me to sit while she served a cup of tea to me, the taste of the tea is aromatic as usual but she added a twist to it, essence of vanilla was it?
Hmm.. intriguing?
[Nice to see ya too, Akyu.]
[?]
She smiled again while waiting for the cakes to come, Akyu is my constant informer now, what with Yukari disappearing a few months ago and not coming back.
I had difficulty with most of my work, making my rounds and crushing the youkai hordes when they got a bit too rowdy.
Akyu?s memory and her family makes her my most value ally, she seemed to know everything and anything that I asked her about.
[Well, what?s new?]
[?]
Akyu paused for a moment before pushing the plate of cakes to me, her face unreadable?
God, I?ve seen many of Akyu?s expression over the years but nothing like this, she seemed unsure of herself?
[?]
Taking a bite, I swallowed and showed her my trademark grin while adjusting my Hakero, which was hung around my neck, the position it was in since I swore I wouldn?t use it again.
Not until? she came back that is?
With those bitter memories, Akyu had to wave a hand in front of me to get my attention again.
[Marisa?]
[Eh? Ah? sorry, was? thinking? ahahaha]
I laughed it off before I turned serious again, grinning at her and motioning Starfire close to me. It sounded like something might be wrong after all, my gut tells me this?
[? mm? there, might be something?. Wrong?]
[? Mm? an incident?]
My eyes sparkled a little as Akyu slowly drew out her words, she had a knack for that, she is a genius with that actually? She seemed to enjoy it?
That said, Akyu is not looking that good either? her illness is undoubtedly catching up with her.
I briefly considered giving her the Hourai Elixer that I could probably get from Eirin, base on the number of favors she owed me but she said no?
[An Eternity that I can Remember for all ages? that is one life that even I could not endure?]That look haunted me and I never looked at Akyu in the same light again, she had lots bottled up inside her after all, she appears so optimistic all the time that I could hardly tell.
[? mm? an Incident?]
[? great?]
I laughed and groaned at the same time, from Akyu?s tone it?s going be quite a hassle but yet, a part of me was excited, it bring me to the time when she was still around, where I had little more to do than hang out at the shrine? a different time from now?
How long was it again?
[Are you listening to me, Marisa?]
[? uh? yes? sorry? it?s just one of those days? I just keep feel nostalgic? I guess?]
[? about that, it?s around the day where she left?]
[? mm? maybe that?s why?]
I agreed with her and smiled, letting my smile hide my feelings of bitterness?
If I could stop her then, persuade her not to? perhaps it would not be like this? where I have to play catch up ball so many times?
Remilia, Yukari? and the others? all of them? damn?
[Marisa? Are you listening?]
[? Yea?]
[You should go, to find Alice?]
I stiffened immediately, hearing that name. I?ve not seen her for months? who knew where she was now.
[she?s still there? but she?s in the midst of a complex spell.. .you better be careful.]
[? heh, don?t worry about me? worry about yourself.]
Smiling, I took the note from Akyu and sat on Star, who was hovering just outside of her yard.
Akyu, struggling to get up, told me one more time what was happening, but my mind was not there? I only caught the last of what she told me.
[? the border is weakening? Alice will know more? she should]
[Yea, thanks? send my regards to Keine kay? And I?ll be visiting Suika later, drop what you need to give me to her yea? See ya, Akyu?]
And I was off, into the blue sky, headed towards my neighbor? Margatoroid Alice? but with a heavy heart and feeling of uneasiness in my stomach.
It?s been ages since I?ve felt this way, something big is happening, I can feel it?
And there I was, thinking this was another day in paradise, the Paradise known as? Gensokyo?
--
Flying away from the village, I casted a quick spell en route to check what was going on at my home.
[? Hmm.. looks fine da ze?]
Grinning, it seemed that everything was fine today. After Reimu had gone, I finally knew why Reimu was so bothered at times.
With the title of youkai hunter placed over her, she was a living target for any youkai who wanted her dead.
Sure, she was the hakurei shrine maiden and the protector for the border and yadayada? but to the youkai who really did not care moot about Gensokyo and only about themselves, Reimu was the biggest threat and likewise they wanted her out of the picture.
She does set up some borders to wake her up or to deter them but there are times a few stubborn youkai got through and wanted to kill her in her sleep.
None of course succeeded but she would pissed off as hell the next morning.
I saw it once and I never quite forgotten what was the expression on Reimu?s face?
Cold, heartless and unforgiving as she struck her gohei through the heart of the youkai that disturbed her sleep.
[stay down.. and don?t come back.]Muttering under her breath, Reimu crawled back to her futon and fell quickly asleep while I sneaked back to collecting mushrooms.
I vowed never to disturb Reimu from her sleep ever, who knew what she?ll do to me? the mere thought gave me nightmares for a while.
And now it was my turn. The youkai came after me like I was free food and I didn?t have border magic like Reimu did.
Thank goodness for Yukari thou, she set up a border for me almost immediately but I improvised in the years that had gone by.
Mr. House is a reliable war machine when it wants to and I surrounded the area with offensive magic that could possibly, and hopefully not? blow up the house in case of an emergency.
That aside, my other magically enhanced broom, SilverLight, a silver coated broom is always on hand to bust those youkai out as effectively as me.
[And Alice was going on about creating a living doll?]
I looked at StarFire below me, loyal but hardly thinking and I took my words back.
In a witch?s life? one must deal with loneliness.
Before I had Reimu, she was an awesome rival, if a friend to boot? otherwise human contact was limited.
The other two were Keine and Akyu but we can?t call them human can we?
The same for Mokou but she?s got a prissy temper and we hardly even chat, we only end up danmaku-ing if we talked more than five minutes together da ze.
I blame my big mouth but that?s me, I?m not gonna change that for better or worst.
[That?s right Star?]
Talking to magical item, man I?ve sunk to a new low?
Pulling on Star to go into a deep dive, I screamed out in exhilaration as I dodged and weaved through the Forest of Magic, heading towards Alice?s home.
I could have gone up and dived down later but right now I needed to get my mind off things and danmaku was the way to go.
[.. speaking of which? it has been a while since my last Danmaku fight da ze.]
Danmaku and the spell card rules? all were left in the wayside after Reimu left. No one used them anymore, at least not in formal tests of power nowadays.. everyone wanted a fight.
With Reimu out of the equation and Yukari, a youkai being the one looking over the Shrine and Suika being the one tending the Shrine?
it seems humans were redundant and the youkai started attacking everyone, everyday even at the village.
It took ages but me, Mokou and Keine with the help of Yukari and Suika drove them out permanently.
It was a horrible time, people were living in fear and anger at youkai and me being a witch who have links to many youkai didn?t help.
I bounced back however and earned the respect of the village by singlehandedly driving away a group of 50 youkai beast by myself.
[?]
Pity it had to come with sacrifice? those bastards they refused to danmaku even when they knew the danmaku rules.
If they had beaten me I?d have to let them past and if I?d beaten them they?ll get a free passage out of there? but no? they had to force my hand.
They wanted a fight and I gave it to them?
I killed all of them? every single one of them was not spared and? my hands had been stained ever since then.It gets easier with every kill, it is shameful but yes.. I am falling into an endless cycle of kill, revenge killing, kill and revenge killing?
I would never stop the cycle till I die? and even then, will the cycle be picked up again.
I hated it.. but I told myself there was nothing I could do if they wanted a fight and wouldn?t stop till they die.
?
Even now, the excuse seem weak and puny and it rightly should be? I should never kill. Reimu never killed.. but she was Reimu and I am..
[Kirisame Marisa? Now let?s get going, Star!]
Patting my trusty broom, I shot forward like a comet towards my destination.
The home of the Seven Colored Puppeter, Alice Margatroid.
--