/jp/ - Otaku Culture

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I open my tired eyes with a supernatural ping echoing inside my head—like an ululating whisper leaving the dried mouth of a skull—and sigh. Following the duel with Konngara, I couldn't sleep. Despite being surrounded by my Senkai's beauty, the pleasant weather, trees in bloom, and the setting sun, I am anything but at peace. The origin of the ping was new yet familiar, like a sleeping limb recovering its functions: Onikirimaru. It hadn't finished growing yet, but something—someone—foolishly tampered with its womb—

A Gap opened behind me, my whole body freezing… However, as seconds passed, Yukari didn't come out of it, my shoulders dropping when the message settled in: She's too busy to look for herself…

Tsc, that woman will never give me any rest, will she?

… No, she won’t.

What else do I even expect?

I squirm in my meditative pose, digesting the situation with eyes on the fake Sun… Memories of Hana moaning with my movements, Anon thrusting deep inside, Yukari's tongue… I sigh again, and the emptiness has nowhere to go but back inside—

A low rumble emanates from beneath me, causing the world and my body to tremble. “I apologize, Koutei. Did I wake you up?” I gently patted what looked like rough and mossy terrain, but as Koutei—with measured moves—rose, it was revealed to be just a small portion of the top of his head, which in its entirety is almost the size of my dojo. Hehe, he grew so big and wise on his spiritual journey, I am still shocked he chose to return to me~

… Though, with Yukari's actions and demands…

Koutei rumbles, a heavenly sound that travels throughout the mountains of the Senkai. I wonder if Miko heard it too. “I'll be fine; don't worry, you big, grumpy dragon.” I tap his head gently, and the following rumble is as if someone had amplified a cat's purring so the entire world would hear it. “Her actions, this way of life—that man's suffering.” A world of disgust accompanies the words. “… It'll all soon come to a close. A way or another.”

Another rumble. A question…

… One I'd like to never face. “I don't know, Koutei. I don't know. The weight of the things I've done, even those against my will—they just… It is just so much,” I whisper lowly, looking at the eternally setting Sun, which denies death, so day never becomes night. An artifact beyond its blazing peak, refusing to give way to the Moon and letting the cycle of life continue. “… I'm tired, Koutei.”

That setting Sun should just stop struggling against fate and die already.

Koutei beneath me whimpers, the cat analogy still applying, my heart a black hole. Wordlessly and with heavy eyes, I tenderly caress his head, the shackles on my wrist humming as I get up and march inside the Gap.

The Underground's atmosphere has changed. As my feet hit the glistening water, anticipation smolders in the air, bloodlust sounds like distant gongs, and a song from the past echoes. I look out into the distance at the sword in the middle of the lake, held an inch below the surface by cadaverous hands and a mountain of bones, and a rage courses through my body at the sight of praying altars and offerings surrounding the sword, a path built on water leading towards it from the shore, almost capable of tasting the faith saturating the air. Eight Oni gather at the altar, while numerous others make their way along the ‘sacred’ path. Two Oni children stare at the sword in wonder and bewilderment before their father, I assume, prods them into a prayer position.

They adore the sword as they adored Douiji a thousand years ago…

… The more things change, the more they remain the same.

My wrathful eyes are on the sword, brows frowned and fists shaking, heart thundering and body begging to tear it all down like the foul mistake it is…

But, at the sight of Yukari's Gaps hiding me from view, the fire dies into an ember. Small, yet burning anyway… A bandaged hand gently caresses the side of my neck, and a well-considered thought echoes inside my worn-out mind.

There's one way to truly end this vicious struggle…

And it's to finally let the Sun set.

Tense and feeling hollow, I put my hands on the water's surface, letting my energy course the lake and find the disturbance; pulsations of my power go along with it and, bitterly, I notice the faithful will detect the increase in 'Douji' inside the lake, which simply means their faith will be validated and strengthened. I want to cry, but I do not do it—

—there, found it…? Huh. The water's surface bears the impression of a face. Did anyone attempt to jump into the lake? Proof of unwise decision-making, indeed.

For hours on end, I destroy what they built, the sword feeding off the corpses of sigils and magic that tastes like the whole of Makai. The power behind the magic is enormous, even though its incursion is, at most, superficial as it didn’t have time to develop…

But it isn't enough to challenge two sages. It never is…

… Okina haven't tried anything…

Alone.

The Sun sets alone, after all.

Yamame Kurodani had no expectations. None in particular, at least. She tried to force down her nervousness as Kasen Ibaraki - Half of Ibaraki-douji, one of the Four Heavenly Kings! - somewhat forcefully guided her away from her human and off down the corridor of the specific springs up in a tucked away little corner of the Old City's Hot Springs Town. She cast one last look back and he gave her a sympathetic little smile, but then she was out of sight, and all she had to go on was Miss Ibaraki's arm, the one covered in bandages that didn't feel like it was all there. It unnerved Yamame just a little, because she did have a sister or two with a missing arm - usually from youkai exterminators before the Spell Card Rules had been implemented - and the idea that Miss Ibaraki had managed to create a perfect facsimile of the arm she had lost with nothing but bandages made her wonder just what else she was capable of.

The fact that the bandaged arm could extend so far outward and still retain full strength didn't help matters much. Especially since, while Yamame wasn't exactly the best at reading people, she had a vague suspicion that Miss Ibaraki didn't like her. It was only slightly painful to know that she might have already blown her chance to get to know such a big figure, but her human had reassured her that he would be waiting for her regardless of the conversation's outcome, so she consoled herself with that.

"Now, then!" Miss Ibaraki was not, slightly worryingly, leading her to a changing room. No, instead, she was leading her to a sitting room, one up a set of stairs and overlooking the Hot Springs Town. Two chairs already waited, big and plush, and Yamame wondered if they'd perhaps come from the Palace of the Earth Spirits, for they didn't look like the sort of thing she'd find anyone in the human village building. "Please have a seat." She gestured to one of the chairs.

"Um, what-" Yamame tried to ask, wishing that her human was here.

"Sit." Miss Ibaraki repeated, slightly forcefully. It was just about enough to make Yamame immediately take a seat. "There. That's better, isn't it?" Slowly, Yamame nodded, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. All of this, because Yura and Reiko hadn't been capable of driving out a few annoying oni interfering with their work?

No, the truth was that this was because her human had a gift to drag everyone he encountered up in his chaotic wake, probably changing their lives in the process. He'd done it to Yamame herself by making her fall for him and even give up on human food, he'd done it to Miss Ibaraki by apparently unsealing half of her true self, Reimu had come out of her tire with him thinking of him as her brother, and who knew what else she had missed entirely? "Can I fetch you anything? Tea? A snack?" Miss Ibaraki sounded perfectly pleasant now, but for reasons unknown to her, she was nervous.
"Um, I'm okay, Miss Ibaraki..." Yamame hesitantly ventured.

"Now, don't be so formal. Call me Kasen. I've no clue why that boy still insists on calling me 'Lady Kasen', but I'll not have it from you as well, understood?" Miss Iba- Kasen shook her head with a sigh, pressing the tips of her bandaged fingers against her forehead. "Are you sure you don't want anything? Call it having friends in high places, but we are getting this for free." She smiled, indicating the general room around them, and after a moment, Yamame took it to mean that she was indicating the Hot Springs Town in general. After a moment, Yamame noticed that there was a third person in the room with them, one of the staff members, she supposed. Kasen called her over and placed an order for several sweet items, and then she raised an eyebrow at Yamame one more time. "Last chance."

"Tea." Yamame said with a slightly strangled voice. "Er, yes. Tea, please. Thank you." Order placed - if awkwardly, Yamame relaxed just slightly as the staff person left and then immediately went back on guard as Kasen regarded her curiously.

"So, my dear, I'm rather curious about you, and I didn't get much of a chance to finish our conversation before we were interrupted on our last attempt." Lady Kasen crossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her bandaged elbow on her knee. "So, tell me about your family. I've seen many of them in and around the streets." She gazed out over the Hot Springs Town, and Yamame followed suit. "Such a large family must be difficult to control, hmm? Hard to get along with?"