Some Random Shorts

[CS]

Short #8, Part 13(/23)

?I??

I couldn?t really understand what I saw myself. All I know is that it scared me half to death. Should I really even try to tell her?

?I?ughhh??

I gulped and took in a deep breath.

?I-?

But then at that very moment I got cut off, or rather, saved by my good ol? buddy?

?Oh, I had a really weird dream. I dreamt that I was in this nice, comfortable, white room, and almost all of you were there. There were the four girls from the shrine, you and your friend Marisa, oh and even a girl with bunny ears who introduced herself as Reisen? All of you were members of my huge, manly hare-?

*SMACK*

?Owww? what was that for??

?I shook my head and pointed at the doll that had just hit him on the head. She wore a black and white dress, sorta similar to Marisa?s. A huge ribbon neatly tied up her long, blonde hair that reached her feet.

He turned to her direction only to almost shoot a stream of blood right in her face.

?HEY!? Alice shouted.

The red stream of Chucky?s perverse thoughts barely grazed the doll?s face, which showed no expression, just like that of a mysterious doll that has no facial expressions?

What? I can?t find a better way to describe her beauty, okay? Yeah, I gotta admit, she?s pretty cute for a doll? Did Alice make her herself?

She?s got really good hands then, I see?

?There, there, Hourai?? Alice said, clutching onto the doll, gently streaking her hair.

?I?m really sorry about him. He does that a lot??

Alice looked back at me with her with her blue eyes, as clear as the sky? well in the mornings of course. It?s night time right now so the sky is pretty dark and? well you get my point.

?Oh, how can I forget? We forgot the introductions, huh? A proper one I mean? Alice here, Alice Margatroid.? She then gave a polite bow as we introduced ourselves as well.

?Oh, and this is Hourai. She?s-?

Suddenly everything began to shake. The earth rumbled.

But after a while the tremors stopped.

?Woah, what was that?? I asked, still shaking.

?We gotta hurry up, boys." Alice said and quickly dashed off, her feet barely touching the floor, as if she were partially floating in the air, along with her doll, or rather dolls. Where did all of them come from all of a sudden?

Chucky and I decided to run as fast as we could behind her, making sure not to get lost among the super-tall, super-thick bamboos. We made sure we could see Alice?s back at all times.

?

We ended up stumbling upon the front door of what seemed like a huge mansion in the middle of the forest of nowhere, hidden stealthily under these indescribably tall bamboos. And by huge, I mean really, really HUGE.

I stood in awe as I gazed upon its magnificence. Is it even possible to make a mansion this big? In the middle of nowhere, even. I would take pictures of the house since I'd probably never see anything like it ever again, but I decided not to. Or rather, anxiety got the better of me. I rushed inside with Chucky. My heart was racing like never before. We took one step closer to the mansion, only to be stopped by an arrow that landed and embedded itself an inch away from my foot.

"Stay away from the Princess, you imbeciles! I shall not let you harm her. Not when I am still alive!"

"What does this princess of yours want?"

"Yea, we just want our moon back, ze."

Voices coming from the inside. I recognise Sanae's sweet, yet threatening voice and Marisa's more masculine accent. But who was the other one?

"I will fight... I will fend you off till the very last drop of blood in me. As long as blood flows in me, as long as my heart is beating, with every cell, every fibre in my body... YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

"Please, ask this princess to stop what she's doing. We mean no harm to you."

A polite and gentle voice there. Must be Alice's.

"Udonge! Shoot!"

"No, Master. I can't. Please. Master, I can't do this anymore. Please Master. Stop right now..."

That one ended with some sobbing. Sounds kinda like Reisen's to me. I recognised her sobbing.

"Udonge! Do you want to go back?"

"*sob* Huh? *sob*"

"Sigh. I guess I'll have to tell you later. For now, help me rid the house of these pesky trespassers, and you shall be forgiven for showing them the way here in the first place."

It may be dangerous to get in there right now. I can sense it. If we get ourselves into big trouble, Sanae will be really mad. At us and at herself. I don't want to trouble her. But still... deep inside, I really want to see this battle...

I took small, silent steps inside, making sure nobody hears me.

From the door, I caught a glimpse of Reisen in tears.

"No, Master I can't do it..."

And there was this other woman with long silver hair and-

"Udonge! Now!"

Then I saw a bright red flash...

I opened my eyes. I felt really dizzy. Just like the time I looked into Reisen's eyes, except much worse. Everything began spinning. The room became really distorted, just like-

Suddenly I recalled that nightmarish vision of the room, slowly distorting itself and melting off like candle wax.

I recalled the horrible, putrid stench that stained the air. I recalled the blobs of rotten flesh, smashed onto the floor, chunks of them still on the floor, inches away from the main, fatty, tentacled bodies. Then I recalled one of them releasing tear-like pus from its eyes while opening its razor-sharp-teeth-filled jaws, calling out to me, in its distorted, broken, barely-understandable voice...

"...Da...ddy..."

And in the blink of an eye, the room got better again. The dizzy feeling I had seconds ago disappeared. Everything was back to normal.

"What was that?" I heard Alice ask.

"Must be the work of that rabbit, da ze~" Marisa said.

"Well, they're gone and we gotta find them, quick! Cheap trick." Sanae said, slightly annoyed.

Without much hesitation, the trio took off.

"Wait!"

They were too far ahead. They couldn't hear me. And this house is just...

Wait, isn't it much bigger in here than it was from the outside?

"Hey, Chucky..."

I looked around, but Chucky was nowhere in sight.

"Chucky? Where are you?"

I dare not call out too loudly, as it could attract attention and I might end up in trouble.

"Chucky? Chuc-"

"Forgive me..." a soft whisper came into my ear.

I felt a heavy impact on my head and everything blacked out...

At least, not before seeing a slight spark of red in the darkness...

...

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[CS]

Note: May be slightly NSFW, not sure...

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Short #8, Part 14(/23)

I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was a blur. It was raining cats and dogs.  What can I do?

It?s so cold out here?

I wrapped my arms around my bare, naked body, unable to cope with the cold. However, my efforts proved futile.

Without much strength left, I slowly crawled my way into a forest and hid under a tree. My body was shivering so much I couldn?t concentrate or even hear my own thoughts.

I hid under a tree to at least get some protection from the heavy rain. And I slowly closed my eyes to take a nap.

I regret running away?

But somehow I felt relieved?

Finally I?m free from it all?

If this is the last time I ever close my eyes, if I never open my eyes again, if I don?t even get to see the sun after the rain, I still feel happy, as I?ve at least died free, and not under the clutches of war. I never wanted to die in the middle of a battle, amidst all the suffering and cries of the innocent.

But now I?m free?

?

?Oh, what do we have here? Pretty thing we have here??

I thought I just heard a voice. A very coarse one at that?

?What?s this??

And another one?

?Guys, take a look at this one??

Yet another one?

?Wow, beautiful thing??

?Yep, a fine one here??

?Look at ?em, mm mmm I would LOVE to get myself some of that chest??

?She?s mine!?

?No, mine!?

?MINE!?

So many voices at the same time?

What?s going on?

I slowly opened up my eyes?

The rain had stopped. The sun was up. Oh how I loved the warmth from it, but that didn?t matter. There was a bunch of men, arguing over something, right in front of me.

They all looked dirty and buff, like men of war. Scars over their faces and bodies, beards that had no time to be shaved off?

And then one man sneaked past all of them and came to me, stretching his hand out to me.

?Here, milady. Take my hand and we?ll leave this place quickly. These guys are bad men??

He sounded rough like the others, but his voice was gentle and trustworthy. His smile was warm and welcoming. Without hesitating, I grabbed his hand and he gripped hold of mine, firm and tight. I felt secure and safe with him?

Together, we dashed off quickly but silently to? somewhere even deeper in the forest? somewhere hidden among the trees, totally undetectable.

?Hey, miss??

?Yeah?? I replied.

?Who are you? Or, in that matter, what are you? I like your ears. They look really pretty??

?Uhhh??

I blushed, not knowing what to say. It was the first time anyone has ever complimented me on something.

?I? uhhh??

?It?s okay, miss. You don?t need to reply? now that we?re safe and far away from those people??

He slowly approached me.

?You must be cold? here??

He wrapped his arms around me? so warm?

I felt so safe around him? now that the other men are gone? bandits, I presume?

?So nice? so smooth??

And then he began groping my chest and fondling them, squeezing them and shaking them.

?AH!?

I let out a cry.

?So soft, so big and nice??

And then he got rougher every second as it began to hurt.

?Hehe? no one can hear you from here??

His face turned into a wide, evil grin. The gentle smile he had just a moment ago disappeared, as if it never was there before.

?Here, boys! Hurry up!?

And then three men crowded around me and all gave out the same evil grin as that man.

?She looks so pretty??

?Yup??

?But what?s with those ears??

?Who cares??

And then they gripped hold of my body, every single limb?

I let out loud cries for help but no one was there to hear me?

?

I could take it no more?

Is there no one I can trust?

I had to use them?

?Cause if I don?t?

I don?t even wanna think about it?

My eyes began to glow bright red; redder than they usually are? and then?

?AHHHH!!!?

The four men released me from their grip and shouted simultaneously in pain?

I took a quick dash away. I ran as fast and as far as my legs could take me. My body hurt so much, yet I kept telling myself to keep going on, or else they would catch up and I?d be? suffering again?

If there?s one thing I learned from the wars I?ve been through, that?s to never trust anyone, whether it be an ally or an enemy. The one and only person you can ever trust is you yourself. Every single person in the world otherwise would betray you sooner or later?

I was tired and I knew I couldn?t go too far, even with them distracted. In fact, I always feel a little dizzy myself after using that power of mine. But this time, I had no choice, did I?

Soon, my body was at its limit. I couldn?t run anymore even if I wanted to. My legs just refused to move, no matter how hard I tried?

I looked up into the sky?

I?m done for, aren?t I?

?

?Hey there, little bunny??

I lifted my head and saw a sweet, gentle smile. Her face blocked out the sun?s rays behind her. I had to squint my eyes a little to see her?

She was beautiful?

An angel with no equal in beauty?

Her long, black, silky hair that reached the ground swayed in the air as a light breeze blew.

?Princess? Princess? Princess, what are you-?

?Eirin, over here. Look at her? poor thing??

I looked at the other woman with long, silvery hair, tied into a long braid by her side.

?Eirin, can I take her home?? said the girl with the black hair.

?I don?t know, Princess? we do have a lot of rabbits back home already??

?Awww? Eirin? Please??

And then the girl with the long black hair pouted and looked at the woman with large, watery eyes.

?Please? Please oh please? With pills on top??

?I don?t know, Princ- wait, pills!? Hmmm??

I couldn?t help it anymore. I HAD to ask them for help. If I go back with them, I SHOULD be safe, right?

I said to them in a weak voice, ?Help me??

?Huh??

They both replied, confused.

?They?re after me?? I continued.

?There she is! Look! With two other women too! Oh God, we thank you for the gift today!?

Then the group of men caught up and saw me. I gasped and pleaded the two for help.

?Stay back, Princess!? said the silver-haired woman.

?I got this?? the girl said.

Then she stepped in front. Her sweet, gentle smiled turned into a bloodthirsty grin. Her pupils turned into slits as she cracked her knuckles.

She pointed a finger at their direction and a thin laser pointed directly at one of the men?s heads.

?What?s th-?

But then before the man could finish his sentence, the laser amplified and split into four; the other three automatically aimed at the other three men as pink, yellow, blue and green balls of light began slowly emerging from the girl?s finger and rained at the men, slowly piercing their heads and only after a second or two did it stop, and when it did? they were not the same as they were just a moment ago?

One of them had his head completely blown off, pieces his brain scattered over the ground around him and puddles of blood formed around him.

Another had half his face destroyed with only an eyeball still dangling from the remaining eye socket and his body had holes all over with a broken spinal cord bent outwards from the back of his body.

And the other two had their bodies blown right off with only their heads remaining, with that one hole made by the first laser she fired.

Chunks of flesh, organs, guts and blood everywhere?

The girl was about to turn back, only to let out a sigh as she saw another group of men heading this way?

The first few who found me under the tree?

She lifted a finger up in the air, pointing directly at the sky. Then she swung the finger downwards diagonally in a slashing gesture, releasing a line of arrow-headed bullet-like projectiles, sending them hurling directly at the men in an arc. She repeated the action a few times as the men?s screams of pain filled the air. I could see some of them having the bullets pierce right through them while some had them embedded right into their heads. Some of them were unlucky enough to be caught off guard in the wrong position at the wrong time, having an arrow pierce right through their chests, breaking their hearts instantly. I wouldn?t really call them unlucky, though. They were fortunate that they need not suffer like the rest.

?Princess, stop!?

The silver-haired woman grabbed hold of the girl?s hand tightly, not releasing it as she gave a stern look to this ?Princess?.

The girl stopped. Her slit eyes reverted to her round, dark brown eyes. Her huge, threatening grin filled with bloodlust turned into a little frown as she gave out a loud sigh.

?Ahem. Sorry about that, little rabbit?? she said in her sweet, elegant, gentle voice once again as she stretched out her hand to me and smiled with her eyes closed. ?Come on? let?s go home??

?Home? she said?

Is she really going to take me home with her? After all I?ve done? In fact, what have I done to deserve this? I?ve only been a heavy burden on her. She had to waste her time here just to protect me. I don?t deserve all this. I am but a piece of trash, a pile of rubbish. I do not deserve to be treated well, to be hospitalized by such a kind soul?

?You look worried, little bunny? Don?t be. It?s safe. Eirin and I were just here, picking up some herbs and mushrooms for her to make some new medicines and-?

?Princess, you needed all this fresh air. Being at home, locked up in your room all the time is not good for your health??

The girl with black hair pouted. And then she smiled when she looked back at me.

?Come on, let?s go!?

?*cough* Why? *cough*? I asked.

?Why what?? the girl asked with her smile on.

?*cough* Why are you being so nice to me? I am just a stranger to you??

?I don?t need a reason to be kind, do I?? She continued, still smiling. ?Oh, I?m Kaguya? Kaguya Houraisan. And that?s Eirin, she likes nagging?? she said, pointing to that other woman who was picking up some herbs. ?And you are??

?Kaguya?? I asked as I slowly recalled something from the past.

?Yes?? she replied, smiling back at me.

Kaguya, Kaguya, Kaguya-

Wait?

Kaguya!?

?Kaguya Houraisan as in? The Lunarian Princess??

I was shocked when I knew I had heard that name somewhere before.

?The one and only.?

Her smile was still as wide and beautiful as ever. She may be a little violent when she gets mad, like just now, but I don?t see a reason how someone like her could ever be exiled; banished from her home, unable to return no matter how much she cried and pleaded?

She was the first person to ever show me compassion?

Never before had I understood warmth and kindness until just a few minutes ago?

My whole life, I had been trained to never trust anyone?

Now, I think, with a new home, I can make new friends?

?and of course?

?have a nice and warm?

?family?

I blinked a few times and shook my head, slowly opening my eyes again as everything blurred and shattered, like glass dropped onto the cold, hard ground.

I blinked once more.

I was on a bed in a white room, filled with brightly-lit lights. I looked around a bit and saw Reisen seated beside me on a chair, dozing off. Her ears twitched. She opened one eye.

?Oh, you?re awake?? she asked.

?W-Wh-What just happened?? I asked her.

?Well, sorry you had to relive that feeling of having everything spin and distort around you? but now you understand why I?m doing all this, right??

?Huh??

I was still feeling shaky?

And then the girl with long, silver, braided hair came into the room.

?Awake already I see? Udonge, come here and help me out??

?Master, please don?t??

?Do you wanna be our little test subject again? Come on, just help me out here. I really wanna see how this one turns out??

Reisen only sat there, stubborn and not wanting to move a muscle.

?I? I?ll? I?ll do it?? she finally spoke up.

?Huh? And after all we?ve gone through to get some replacements, you want to be the subject again?? the woman raised an eyebrow and grinned. ?I see you?re starting to enjoy it, huh? Or maybe you?re addicted to it? Hehe??

?B-B-But, Master??

?Sigh. Udonge, who are these people to you? Why do you treat them this well? Are you really willing to give up the Princess just to help them? Are you really trying to foil the Princess? plans? Do you really want to go back there??

?Huh? I don?t get it. Go back where??

?We?ve been here for some time, and I guess they finally found out the Princess is still alive??

?What are you talking about, Master??

I could only sit there, watching the two?s conversation.

?Udonge?? the silver-haired one said. Eirin, if I recalled correctly? ?The Princess never was banished. She was supposed to be killed off long ago? by yours truly??

?What!??

The woman let out a sigh.

?She was sent to Earth for committing the crime that is the consuming of the Hourai Elixir which made her immortal. I was sent not long after that to kill her off, but seeing a young, innocent girl who had just grown to love and appreciate her life and truly understand the hardship of being? unwanted, I couldn?t help but help her out. Even back before the exile, we were great friends. How could I just take my best friend?s life away like that? So I decided to run away with her. We found our way into this place, Gensokyo, and then we met Tewi who helped us out a lot. And then we found you, Udonge, a fellow exile??

She coughed and then continued.

?Now, they somehow found the Princess?, or rather, OUR whereabouts and I heard they?re out to get us. All three of us. And who knows what they?ll do to the rest? The ones we?ve grown attached to. Will they all be killed off as well? What would happen to the family we?ve made here? What would happen to all my newly-made medicines that aren?t even in stock yet??



Reisen kept quiet, totally unable to say thing.

?Which is why the Princess and I devised this plan in the first place. We found a way to seal the Earth in an artificial chamber, completely cutting off the link between the Earth and the Moon. Besides, we even gave them a moon of their own. We aren?t really that selfish, are we??

?But this is not our moon?? I decided to speak up. ?This one is fake. It?s a lie. This moon?s a lie! We just cannot accept that. And this is why they?re fighting back??

?Hmm?? the woman turned to me.

?Miss Eirin? Yeah, you see, not everyone wants an eternal night like this. Some actually love bathing in the sun. Besides, if it is night time every time then-?

?Stop! Enough of this! You people don't understand...?

?Master, I think we really should-?

?Udonge, what?s gotten into you? Do you really wanna go back there? You?ll be executed! Or worse??

I tried to argue with her a little more. Who knows, I might be able to help Sanae and the rest solve this little ?incident? without any more bloodshed.

?Enough!? she exclaimed, putting on her rubber gloves like a doctor would in the hospitals. She took out a huge syringe and filled it with some blue-ish green liquid. ?I wonder what this will do??
The needle was sharp. No, that?s an understatement. It seemed as long as a ruler and just looking at the tip freaked me out that I could feel my guts shrinking.

?This will only take a second??

It was then that the only door leading outside was broken down?

By a few spears and a large, bright blue laser beam. And I heard Sanae?s voice?

?GUYS! ARE YOU IN HERE??

?

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[CS]

Short #8, Part 15(/23)

Three girls and a bunch of floating dolls came barging into the room where the four of us were. An annoyed expression filled Miss Eirin?s face.

She stood up and began asking, ?Why? why are you doing this??

?Why? Why are we doing this? Why are YOU doing this, lady?? Sanae said, angered.

The woman looked even more annoyed than before. She opens her mouth but before she could say anything she stopped and a slight grin appeared on her face.

?Then I guess? I?ll just have to stop this myself, huh?? she said as she quickly reached for a bow and a bundle of arrows set lying on the desk beside her.

Another fight was about to break out. I knew if we just stayed here, we would be caught in the crossfire and? no I don?t wanna be like those people I saw in that vision?

?Enough, lady! There?s three of us now and only one of you. You know you don?t stand a chance at all,? Sanae spoke; full of confidence in her voice.

Now that I think of it, if Eirin had to retreat while fighting only Sanae and Marisa back then, then now she would be trashed? no I don?t want that to happen too. I may not have known her for long, but she has her own reason for doing this. Can?t we just discuss this whole matter? Without anyone getting hurt?

Eirin readies her bow and arrows and gives Reisen a glare. ?Udonge! Are you just going to sit there and watch your Master die? Or will you join in and help accomplish the Princess? goal??

?B-But Master?? Reisen said, slowly beginning to wet her eyes again. ?These girls are too much for even the both of us. Why, Master? Can?t we just talk things through with them??

Her master gives one last sigh to Reisen, and then softly said to her, ?It?s die now under these people?s hands, or die later, in possibly more painful ways, under the hands of those who have been pursuing us all these years??

And then she shoots her first arrow, slightly grazing past Sanae?s face, causing a small cut on her pure, smooth skin and blood comes slowly dripping out.

?That was just a warning shot. Step back now and return to your everyday lives, or perish!? she said to the trio.

Marisa took out an octagonal-shaped object from her dress pocket and a spark in her eyes showed how ready she was. She looked at Eirin, ready to strike at any time. ?So you?re really going to do this again? Bring it on, ze~?

Sanae, too, prepares her exorcising amulets, slowly emanating a purplish glow from its surface.

And then Eirin pulls back another arrow quicker than any of them could make a move, but then?

She released the arrow which flew right past Alice, who was standing the furthest out back, right in front of the door. Not only did she miss, she missed by A LOT?

I looked up at the woman; her eyes wide open in shock as the arrow was stopped in mid air. Or to be exact, when I took a second look at the door, there stood a young girl, at around her early twenties, grasping hold of the arrow with her right hand.

?Princess!? Eirin then let out a gasp.

?Hohoho? what?s this? We have visitors? Why didn?t you tell me, Eirin?? the girl said.

?So YOU?RE behind all this?? Sanae said as she turned behind.

But to our shock, her hands were swift and in the blink of an eye, she used the arrow she had caught and stabbed it right through Alice from the back.

I sat there, stunned at what she had just done. Oh how I hoped it was all just another nightmarish vision like the ones I had before?

?except it wasn?t?

?ALICE!? Marisa shouted as Alice?s body fell to the floor.

?Alice!? Sanae kneeled down in front of the body as well. ?Alice??

?What is it? Given up already? Fufufu?? the girl with the long, black hair said, giggling like a little kid.

?Why, you?? Marisa?s eyes were filled with anger, blazing with furious rage. She wrapped her fingers around the little octagonal object she had brought out from her pocket earlier. ?How could you do that to her?? Her hand began to glow as tears rolled from her face.

?Marisa, what do you think you?re-? Sanae asked as she put her hand on the witch?s shoulder but was pushed away as Marisa charged right at the girl.

Marisa landed a punch on the girl and continuously assaulted her until both were outside the room we were in, and that was when she shouted at Sanae. ?Take cover!?

As soon as she said it, she cupped both hands together around the octagonal block of wood and aimed at the girl, followed by a huge blinding light and a large explosion?

?MARISA!? Sanae screamed at the top of her lungs. ?MARISA! WHY!??

The mansion shook and the ground trembled. This one is like the one before, except much MUCH worse?

?MARISA!!!? Sanae?s screams continued to echo throughout the hallways of the mansion even after the tremors stopped.

As the light faded away, Sanae ran out of the room, pushing away the dust cloud, to check up on Marisa, lying weakly on the floor.

?Hehe? I?m okay, Sanae?? Marisa said with faint smile. ?At least I got her, ze?? she continued.

?But why? You could?ve done it WITHOUT endangering your life like that?? Sanae?s voice filled with worry.

?But I?m okay, and I guess it?s all over, right? Haha?? the witch continued.

?PRINCESS!!!? Reisen shouted as both Eirin and her ran outside to see the other girl.

But something isn?t right?

I took a few steps, slowly, and stepped outside the room to accompany Sanae and Marisa.

?Hey, guys? Sanae?? I called. ?If it?s all over? why does it feel so? dark? It should be aroun-?

But before I could finish, Sanae turned to me, slightly surprised. And she pushed me back into the room, right before dodging a small but thick beam that blasted where I was standing.

?S...Sy?Sy?ou?ji? I heard Alice call out to me, weakly. She coughed a few times before she continued, ?Get Sanae and Marisa to get out you guys out of here as fast as possible??

?Why?? I asked.

?Shanghai?? she replied. ?She?ll be back with help to finish this??

?Finish what?? I asked again.

?Just evacuate?? she coughed a few times again. ??now!?

I stood up, and was about to get Sanae, only to realize she had disappeared, together with the rest of them. No one was in the hallways.

?Syouji, I?m telling you this one last time?? Alice said in her weak voice. ?Get out of here, now. Oh, and after this is all over, can you do me a favor and get Marisa to tell my mother I love her??

I stood silent for a while. ?No?? I said.

?What?? Alice looked back at me.

?I?m getting all of you out of here safe and sound. I wanna continue the normal life I had with Sanae, and if you have anything to tell your mother, tell her yourself?? I forced out all the courage within me. I pushed out all my confidence. I don?t want to see anyone hurt anymore.

Alice laid there for a while, surprised at my answer...

And then she began laughing...

?Hey?? she said. ?Don?t try to be a hero, kid? You?re not one so don?t even bother trying to become one. Listen here, I don?t know how long you?ve been in Gensokyo, but it?s not all rainbows and sunshine. If you?ve been treated well here ever since you came, then heed my words? you won?t be when that shrine maiden?s not around with you??

?Huh?? I didn?t really get what she meant.

?Kid?? Alice continued. ?I don?t mean to break your confidence, but we youkai can handle ourselves easily. All you need to do right now is to get that shrine maiden and that witch out of here. And your friend too. You are completely powerless, and no matter how hard you try, you can never level our strength. So please, if you want a normal life, just stay out of the shrine maiden?s business, will you? I?m being real nice to you since you?re a friend of Sanae?s, so please don?t stick your nose into someone else?s business like this, ?kay? You?re only looking for trouble??

I was stunned. I couldn?t agree less with her, though. But well, I did what she said and the first thing I did was quickly wake the still-asleep Chucky up. How does he sleep through that entire ruckus anyway?

?Heh?? Alice grinned at us. ?Now just get out of here and never speak of this incident ever again after this, for your own safety?s sake, AND for our sakes.?

?Huh? Where am I?? Chucky said, wiping off the drool of his face.

?No time to explain, just run. Now.? I said, hastily grabbing his hand and running off. At least, not before stopping at the door to take one last look at Alice. ?Are you going to be okay?? I asked her.

?Just go!? she exclaimed.

We got out as soon as possible and even in the distance, we heard her voice from the hallway. ?Geez, what was that Sanae thinking, bringing in not one, but two huge burdens with her??

?And now to find the rest...? I told Chucky, holding onto his hand as we both ran across the hallway.

?Dude, this is kinda gay?? he said, but I just ignored him, whether he meant it as a joke or not, as it was an emergency anyway.

?

==========

[Kips McKipzerson]

?Dude, this is kinda gay?? he said, but I just ignored him, whether he meant it as a joke or not, as it was an emergency anyway.

You sayin' I like dudes?

So Gensokyo isnt all gumdrops and rainbows eh? I like these kinds of stories, Good job on it.

[CS]

Short #8, Part 16(/23)

Past the hallways we ran, not stopping no matter what we saw or heard. Basically there were girls with bunny ears and bunny tails all over the place, gasping whenever we passed by and even without looking, I knew the person whose hand I?m holding onto right now is already gushing blood out of his nose like there is no tomorrow.

Anyways, no matter how much we ran, I saw no sign of Sanae and the rest. The hallways seemed endless. I don?t know how long it has been or how many turns we have taken, but this place is probably just as bad as the bamboo forest outside, if not worse.

Soon, after what had seemed like an endless journey, we managed to find our way to the entrance again. And there they were. Sanae, Marisa and the long, black-haired princess Kaguya facing off in the most vicious fight I have ever seen.

But what is this? It's two on one, Sanae's already panting and covered in scratches, Marisa looked exhausted and was already pushing herself beyond her body's limits, but the other girl, princess Kaguya... she was barely breaking a sweat and mildly panting, laughing even. How is this even possible?

The battle raged on. There was nothing else I could do but stand there and watch, amazed at the bedazzling colours being thrown around. I could see each of the girls getting hit quite frequently. But one thing I realized was, no matter how many times Kaguya gets hit, she doesn't seem to flinch. In fact, she's hardly even trying to dodge them and just taking them head on while holding out her right palm, blasting Sanae and Marisa with her own shots. She looks very confident, not even worrying about her own wounds and only prioritizing on getting Sanae and Marisa. A little too confident.

But something doesn't seem quite right. Why isn't she trying to dodge their attacks? Why isn't she even bothered to check on her own wounds? And then I noticed the shocking truth...

I looked at the cuts Sanae had just landed on her with her glowing-purple amulets. They just seemingly close up a second or two after she receives them. And after that, her skin just looks so perfect, ever so smooth and clear, not even the slightest hint of a scar, as if she had never received them in the first place. What is this girl?

And then I remembered what Alice told me. I know I am no hero. I know I am pathetic. I know there is nothing much I can do to help. I am but a burden that will drag everyone down. But even so, if Alice at least trusts me enough to get Sanae and Marisa out of here, I believe I can do it myself. But I wonder though, what is this big plan Alice has up her sleeve?

"Hey Chucky?" I softly whispered. "We'll have to make a run for it, okay?"

He nodded his head in reply.

Just then, the rumbling of the earth was back. This time, it was bigger... MUCH bigger than the ones before. And is it just me, or are these tremors a little... longer than the previous two?

THUD.

What's that?

THUD.

The sound of heavy footsteps.

THUD.

Wait...

THUD.

It's coming from...

THUD.

...

THUD.

Outside!?

THUD.

Whatever this is...

THUD.

It's coming this way...

THUD.

It's gotten even louder now. I don't know what it is but I can sense danger right outside. We have GOT to get out of here, now!

THUD.

But how are we going to get Sanae and Marisa's attention without being caught by Kaguya?

"Sanae! Marisa!" Chucky shouted suddenly. "Quickly, we gotta leave this place!"

Great plan...

Now we're going to get killed...

I turned to Chucky with an annoyed look on my face. But surprisingly, all the noise and rumbling had stopped all of a sudden. The three girls just took notice of the earth's trembling a moment ago. Everything stood still.

Without hesitating, Sanae gave a sign, calling us to leave quickly while Kaguya was distracted, which we did as fast as we could, for we knew, if we hadn?t, something really bad would befall us?

Right as we left the mansion through the front door, the sky was dark. Darker than ever before. The moon was nowhere in sight.

Everyone was panting, gasping for a breath.

?Hey?? Marisa called. ??w-w-where is? Alice??

I looked down, unable to look her in the eyes, and pointed at the mansion. ?She told me to find you guys and leave as soon as possible?? I tried to force it out.

Marisa?s eyes widened. ?She? what??

Silence filled the air?

But only for a second?

The sound of metal clashing broke the silence that filled the air. And as we eyed the mansion from where we stood, it came crashing down?

Marisa stood silently. Then tears filled her golden eyes. ?That idiot! Why?d she- Why!??

?Marisa?? Sanae wrapped her arms around the witch. ?Don?t tell me that?s??

?Yes it is, ze~? she replied. ?The doll she has been working so hard on? her life-long dream? A sentient doll who could guard its mother?s grave where all its sisters would lie lifeless one day??

?But is it worth the sacrifice?? I interrupted. ?I mean, she worked so hard to finally achieve something she?d always wanted and just die for it? I mean, I don?t get it-?

?Shut up!? Marisa shouted at me. ?What would YOU know? You don?t understand how she feels, okay? Not one bit! You?re just an ordinary human, spoon fed ever since you were born. You will never get her feelings. Not even the slightest bit!? then she broke out in tears, under Sanae?s embrace.

?There, there?? Sanae said, trying to comfort her. ?At least it?s all over now, ri-?, then she kept quiet for a while, looking at the half-ruined mansion as the dust clouds cleared up. Her jaw dropped wide open.

?Oh, what a mess...?, a voice suddenly said from under all the rubble. ?Good thing nothing else but the living room got destroyed. I hope the girls can fix this up soon?? And then Kaguya pops out from behind the dust cloud, wiping off the dust from her dress; almost totally unharmed with only some cuts and scratches on her. ?Sheesh, did you have to do that??

Now I see what was really blocking out the sun? what Marisa had meant earlier when she mentioned Alice?s dream?

A gigantic figure stood upon the mansion, around two times the size of the mansion itself -which was already HUGE- blocking out the moon. It raised both its arms with a giant crystalline sword in each hand. This is like a real giant mecha! Except, of course, it?s a doll.

With full force, it swung both swords downwards on Kaguya, not missing an inch. A direct hit! Blood spurted from her body. Then she fell flat on the cold, hard ground, face first.

?Is? it over?? I asked, curious.

Well, everyone THOUGHT it was over? but then the body began moving again. Her spinal cord reconnected itself. Her body parts slowly moved to the main body as her perfect skin regenerated quickly and wrapped around her guts and insides. After a while, the body had completely reformed. Almost completely reformed?

It walked around by itself, headless, before picking up the disembodied head with a huge, bloodthirsty smile cutting its face, and then raising it right above the body. Veins and arteries joined up first, followed by the spinal cord reconnecting and then the flesh and soon after that her skin wrapped around it all, making her look perfectly beautiful again. She was in her flawless figure once again. Not even a single scratch on her body anymore.

?You guys better run for it?? Sanae said.

She didn?t need to tell me that. I already know. And one thing is for sure, I am NOT going to take a look at Chucky, because if I ever see blood coming out from his nose after that, I know for sure I will see breakfast, lunch AND dinner? from yesterday?

The doll raised its two swords again, ready for another strike. And then once again, it struck. Its two swords glittered under the moonlight and then there was the sound of clashing metal.

Kaguya disappeared from where she stood. ?Tsk tsk? That last one actually hurt, ?ya know. I gotta watch out now?? the princess said in a cheeky voice, standing several feet away from where she was just a moment ago.

?It?s no use, Marisa,? I heard Sanae say. ?I?m gonna get them here to help us out. Can you distract her??

?Dunno, ze. I think I probably can, but only for a moment?? Marisa replied, slightly worried.

?That?s all I need,? said Sanae as she pulled out a stick from her sleeve. Well, I can tell it?s no ordinary stick as it had some small pieces of folded paper on it, and being the non-believer I am, I probably wouldn?t know what it is or what it?s used for. I guess it?s some kind of staff used by shrine maidens for rituals or something?

Marisa closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She grinned as she slowly opened her eyes again, ready for another go. Standing on her broom like a surfboard, she flew around in circles above Kaguya?s head. She was so fast even I had trouble knowing where she was.

?Why you pesky little-? Kaguya clenched her fist. ?Take this!?

I closed my eyes, prepared for yet another tremor in the earth.

?

?Alright little princess, joke?s over. Give us our moon back and we?ll leave peacefully??

I opened my eyes.

I was surprised?

?You ruined our little card game and our sake. And I know someone who gets REALLY cranky when that happens. Especially when someone takes away her sake??

Two figures appeared before Kaguya. One stood face-to-face with the princess, gripping tightly onto her fist as both exchanged glances and growled at each other.

?HEY!? a really cute, high-pitched voice. It was Suwako! ?I certainly do NOT get cranky when someone ruins my-?

?Enough of your shenanigans!? Kaguya exclaimed. ?I?m gonna-?

She stopped. Her body slowly dropped in half as the giant doll lifted both its swords from the ground, still dripping with fresh blood. A puddle of blood formed around the princess.

?Okay, let?s go home, Kanako. I want some of Suika?s sake again?? Suwako said, smiling.

?Guys, wait! This girl just doesn?t stay down. That?s why-? Sanae stopped them before they could turn their backs away.

?What?? the two replied in confusion. ?Hey, I just remembered something about Princess Kaguya from the moon, Kanako?? Suwako recalled, rubbing her chin. ?Remember that old story about the moon princess who drank some elixir that made her immortal??

Kanako put her palm on her forehead, gently massaging it, and then moving down to her chin and massaging it too as she pressed her brain hard, trying to dig deep into that old skull of hers to find this moon princess Kanako was talking about. There were so many wrinkles on her forehead I wish my great grandma could see, from wherever she is now, how young she still is.

?Hey, I heard that, punk!? she narrowed her eyes at me and showed me her fist. Then she released it and stood up straight. ?I? think I remember now? which means??

A barrage of prettily-coloured balls of light showered upon them from the rear and everything disappeared in a huge cloud of dust.

?Hahahahaha!!!? a maniacal laughter, that which you would hear from some demented villain in those movies and all, or in this case, a villainess.

When it all cleared up, Kanako stood alone with four huge pole-like objects in front of her. She was safe! Thank goodness? but wait, where?s Suwako?

Kaguya got back into a battle stance quickly and put out her palm, shooting out a laser about as thick as a marker pen. Kanako, being the cool-looking person she is, just stood still and tilted her head slightly. Just enough for the laser to graze her face (and scoring more points, too! Wait, what am I saying?).

Kaguya?s grin grew larger. Then it hit me. Back in that vision, where she used, well ALMOST the same move on the group of men who attacked Reisen. And right after that-

Too late?

The laser amplified several times, now the size of a huge train, cutting through the bamboos. Following it, is the shower of those blue, green, yellow and pink bullets like before. Except this time, they are at least thrice the size compared to back then.

Please? no? I don?t want to see her end up like those men.

?KANAKO!!!? Sanae?s screams pierced the sky, followed by another demented laughter from the moon princess.

?Now, witch!? a voice echoed from underground. The shadow beneath Kaguya grew larger every second. I felt time slow down, every second seeming like a whole eternity. I felt everything move in slow motion. By now, the shadow under Kaguya?s feet had already covered half the land we were standing on. I felt everything around us revolve; slowly twisting itself, turning into nothing but black darkness. Nothing else existed anymore, as if darkness had conquered my eyes. Everything around me was a void, pitch black you can say. Even the mansion had disappeared from sight. The sky was just black, not even a hint of light in it. Everything was gone and even when I tried letting out a scream, nothing came out. All sight and sound had perished, sucked into this void. There was only Sanae and Marisa, not too far away from the both of us, and there stood Kaguya, locked in her position and unable to move even a single muscle. Her pupils were moving about, scanning her surroundings, but her body stood still, paralyzed.

Suwako appeared from within the shadows with her eyes closed, humming a song. Four serpentine figures came forth from the shadows; their bodies were as white as snow, except they had a faded glow, like those effects you would see from a ghost in a horror movie. They were as long as entire rivers and soon their bodies fully emerged from the void and began twirling around Suwako in a graceful dancing-like motion.

Then Suwako stopped humming and slowly opened her eyes. It was quite shocking when her eyelids opened up and revealed her yellow irises, in the shape of slits, and it was pure black where her eyes used to be white. The motions of the four phantom-like beings followed suit and stopped along with the humming.

With their crimson red eyes, they looked right into Kaguya?s, who was still stunned there, unable to move an inch. A sweatdrop rolled down her forehead, slowly down her cheeks, down to her chin and then dripping onto the darkness-filled floor, causing ripples right beside her feet.

That was when the four struck her down and proceeded to wrap their long, serpentine bodies around Kaguya, constricting her and slowly and painfully squeezing her intestines out from her gut, right up to her throat and slowly pushing them out from her mouth. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as Suwako gave a terrifying and demonic gaze to the blonde girl who was holding her arm out ready.

Marisa let out a loud cry and released a rainbow-coloured beam from her left palm and using her right hand to hold the other arm in place. Slowly, she released the arm and brought her right arm in front of her, opening it up to form a cupped shape. From the right palm too, she released yet another beam, amplifying the previous one and everything turned white.

?

I forcefully pushed my heavy eyelids open. Everything started out blur, and then it cleared up. I looked up. The sky was back. I looked around. Everything?s back to normal. The bamboos, the half-ruined mansion, the giant doll sitting in a very highly-mannered style with its eyes closed, and- okay let me rephrase that. Everything?s back to the way it was before the black void showed up.

Then there was the sound of cracking. Like an egg being cracked before putting it into the pan for breakfast. Or like a mirror, or, well you get my point. Yeah? that sound filled the sky above us.

Then more cracking?

And then?

CRACK

I finally saw it?

The moon...

It was what made all those noises?

?

*CRACK!*

And as the fake moon shattered into pieces, only to disappear into the void seconds later, the dark of the night was purged and light began its reign over the land once again. The darkness that shrouded the sun disappeared so quickly, it felt as if the neverending night had never even happened in the first place. The sparkling sun rose from beyond the horizon, standing tall and proud atop the world as it became, once again, the center of the very sky. The clouds cleared up as the shimmering, golden rays of the sun penetrated the vast blue sky, onto the land on which we stand.

?It?s over?? Sanae said, relieved.

?

==========

May need some comments on my fighting scenes. They always turn out very one-sided when it's not like some curb stomp battle...

[CrowCakes]

Yer battles are one-sided? Well, in war, both sides stand equal chance of winning, so what I would suggest is to treat it as a tug-of-war kinda thing. One side pulls, the other side pulls, and occasionally one of them pulls real hard. Wait what am I saying I suck at giving advice why am I even doing this

Chucky must be in heaven with all them cute bunny girls. :getdown: also can i have replies for my shorts :colonveeplusalpha:

[CS]

Yer battles are one-sided? Well, in war, both sides stand equal chance of winning, so what I would suggest is to treat it as a tug-of-war kinda thing. One side pulls, the other side pulls, and occasionally one of them pulls real hard. Wait what am I saying I suck at giving advice why am I even doing this

I know what you mean, it's just, I wanna ask something, is it just me or did that whole scene seem a little too one-sided? As if Sanae gives one good hard tug right after Suwako and Kanako arrive?

Chucky must be in heaven with all them cute bunny girls.

How I wish that would really happen to me one day... :V (as long as they're not sadistic killers, then yeah)

==========
Short #8, Part 17 (Darn, this is gettin' a little longer than I expected)(/23)

?Finally??

It was already noon?

??it?s??

?the sun remained high up in the sky?

??finally??

?the shrine maiden stood up?

??all over??

?everyone else was completely drained and on the floor as she slowly limped her way to the biggest mess around?

?It?s finally over??

She stood upon it, attempting to converse with it in a monotonous voice. It was nothing but a big red pile of bloody, pulsating chunks of human flesh, engulfed in the smell of burnt meat?

?PRINCESS!!!?

A scream from inside the mansion, followed by a girl with bunny ears running towards the shrine maiden in tears.

?WHY!??

The girl grabbed Sanae by the leg and hugged it tightly, tears overflowing and making puddles under her. The shrine maiden gave an angry glare at the bunny. ?I can?t help it, it?s my job?? she said.

?B-B-B-But-?

Reisen could not even stop sobbing to finish her sentence.

?Stop it?? the shrine maiden gave the rabbit a stern warning.

?A?ahaha?ha?ah...ha?AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!?

And right there...

Right behind them?

Was a grotesquely bloodied, red blob of flesh?

?It?s never over?? it said, breathing heavily. It?s skinless, hairless body still had several missing limbs and only half a face. It continued dragging itself along the floor with only one arm, leaving a bloody trail behind it. ?It?s never over, you hear me?...?

Sanae eyed the once-beautiful princess Kaguya, still dragging herself along the ground as her legs slowly reformed.

?Stop, miss shrine maiden, please!? Reisen hugged her leg even tighter. ?Please, I beg of you?? her sobbing never seemed to stop.

Sanae could only watch her beg. ?Reisen, I?m sorry. This is my job. I have t-?

The bunny released the shrine maiden immediately and ran in between her and the princess, opening up her arms, trying to protect her princess. Then she clapped both hands together.

?Please, shrine maiden? ? she put her hands on the ground. ?Please don?t hurt her anymore?? then she knocked her forehead on the ground. ?Please?? and she did it again. ?Please!? and repeated the action several times over.

Sanae sighed. ?This is why I dislike trying to be nice to youkai. This is why I don?t sympathize with your kind. Once you guys get even the slightest amount of pity, you tend to ask for more. Greedy creatures you are. Just be glad you won?t be sealed away, rabbit. Now if you?ll please move, I?m gonna finish her off quickly before-?

?Please, miss shrine maiden, take my life instead. Just spare the princ-?

The rabbit was in tears, crying and begging for the sake of her princess, and what does she get? A slap on the face from the person she was trying to protect. ?That?s enough!? the princess said, pushing the bunny girl aside.

Her face was all done, except for that one empty eye socket. She put her right hand over it as her fingers slowly grew, inch by inch. Her skin regenerated quickly and wrapped around her fingers once they were done, just like before.

Sanae?s eyes narrowed. She brought out a bunch of amulets while muttering some chants to herself.

?Just give it up, humans. You may have ruined my plans, but I can just redo everything with Eirin. And remember this, you can never stop me?? the princess? face had already regenerated again. She was as beautiful as before, that is, until she moved her right hand off her face, revealing the other half of her face, all red and bloodied. She held an eyeball in her right hand with two fingers, then proceeding to push it into her right socket while holding it open with her left hand. Seemed really disgusting?

When she pushed it all the way in, she blinked a few times and lifted her head. All perfect once again?

?You see, puny human? No matter how many times you hit me? no matter how many times you kill me? no matter how many times you destroy me? you will never beat me?? the princess? smile grew larger and larger as she said it. Really reminded me of this clown villain from an old comic book I?ve seen in the past?

Sanae took a few steps back, readying her amulets as they began glowing.

?What can you do, human? Look at yourself, so weak and exhausted. Your body cannot take anymore of this. And look at me, all rejuvenated and ready to for another go,? Kaguya?s hand began glowing like before. ?Let?s see how long you?ll last??

Without hesitating, Sanae threw her amulets at Kaguya, hoping that it?ll work?

?Tsk tsk. When will you ever learn?? Kaguya grabbed hold of Sanae?s amulets and crushed them with her bare hands. ?Let?s finish this, shall we? Once I?m done with you, I?ll go for those friends of yours??

A second later, Kaguya appeared inches away from Sanae?s face, smiling at her. With her index finger on the shrine maiden?s forehead, she said, ?Good night, shrine maiden. Have a sweet, eternal dream??

?Okay, okay that?s enough??

?

Who was that?

A mysterious voice out of nowhere?

Its echoes are coming from?

Here? No. There? No?

?Come on now, enough with your foolishness??

More like? everywhere? At the same time?

?Who are you!? State your name!? Kaguya raised her voice.

And the sound of ripping, sort of like cloth being torn, or rather, in this case, the sky itself being ripped apart?

A pair of hands appeared in the sky, slowly tearing the sky open, revealing a space within which had eyes and mouths staring and smiling at us from the inside. And a mysterious woman stepped out of the gaping hole in the sky, dressed in a light purple night gown. Her hair was tied up in a bun, her face was emotionless and her figure was perfect, just like an hour glass.

?Who are you!?? Kaguya repeated, raising her palm to the woman in the sky.

No reply. Instead, the woman yawned and undid her hair, letting it all down, that golden blonde hair of hers, reaching right down to her thighs. A light breeze blew and her golden hair swayed in the skies above, seemingly glowing, like the fluttering wings of a phoenix. Slowly and elegantly, she descended upon the ground.

Not heeding a single word of Kaguya?s, the woman turned to the green-haired shrine maiden. ?Okay, that?s enough, hon??? she stroked her hair and ran her fingers through it. ?Any more and you would have gotten yourself killed. Reimu Hakurei was never here and the spellcard rules were never made. As you can see, Miss Houraisan here doesn?t die, so you can continue fighting her for as long as you want but you?ll end up dying anyway??

?Huh?? Sanae scratched her head. ?Who??

?Nevermind?? the woman let out another loud yawn, completely ignoring the moon princess. ?She never existed here so it doesn?t matter anyway. But here?s the thing, honey: you are a human. Your friends are humans, and even your two gods there won?t be of much help. Gods are still mortals with a lifespan many times that of a youkai?s. Miss Houraisan here is immortal. No matter how hard you try, you?re efforts will be in vain. Capeesh? Don?t waste your life like that, okay? Here?? she snapped her fingers and Alice fell out of the sky, landing right into her giant doll?s palms. ?Take care of your friends, Sanae??

?Hey!? Kaguya interrupted.

?Oh, hey there, Miss Houraisan. What? Has it really been that long?? the blonde woman raised her brow. ?Have you really forgotten the person who led the army of youkai to the moon a thousand years ago? Well anyways, I?m getting really sleepy and I?m gonna go take a nap now. I?ll fix your house when I come back tomorrow, ?kay? For now I guess you?ll just have to settle with the other half of that mansion that was not damaged in your meaningless little battle??

With the snap of her fingers, a hole formed under her feet and she sunk into the ground.

?And you two,? I jumped when I heard her voice from behind me. ?Be glad you got to meet Sanae. Any moment in the future, you would all just disappear. Your lives are all fake, meaningless, disposable??

And her words turned into echoes. When I turned back, she wasn?t even there anymore?

==========

[Kips McKipzerson]

getting really dark in here bro
So I'm guessing this is an alternate timeline where reimu never existed?

[CS]

Short #8, Part 18(/23)

*RING*

?Alright class, hand in your papers before you leave the class for recess!?

I looked down at my own sheet, still all clean and untouched. My hands and legs were still shivering as I recalled the bits and pieces of that day, and especially at the thought of those words, still resounding in my head whenever I close my eyes or blink.

Be glad you got to meet Sanae. Any moment in the future, you would all just disappear. Your lives are all fake, meaningless, disposable?

?Hey man, it?s recess?

*Snap*

?Hey, you alright??

I blinked and looked up, taking a quick, deep breath. A boy looked back at me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

?You should go see the nurse or something. You don?t look really well??

He patted my shoulder and walked away.

?Yo dude, ya? alright?? Chucky approached me from behind, tapping me on the back. ?C?mon, let?s go grab some lunch.?

I nodded my head and stood up. My legs were still trembling beneath me. I was wobbling as I took my first few steps away from my seat but the feeling just disappeared right after that.

?

?Hey, you sure you?re okay? You haven?t even touched that. Normally by now, you?d be back in the canteen, lining up for a bowl of noodles or some fruits or something like that. Are you sick or something??

He put his palm on my forehead to check my temperature.

I dare say this is my first time seeing Chucky serious like this. He?s always been the joker at all times that I?d never really got a chance to see this side of him before.

?Oh there you two are!?

I recognized the voice but I dare not turn, fearing reality.

?Hey Syouji, are you okay??

I closed my eyes, trying to avoid any eye contact.

?Chucky? What?s wrong with him??

?I don?t know either. He hasn?t been himself since this morning? Actually, I think he?s already been like this for a few days now??

I continued looking away as the words softly echoed in my head, like soft whispers in my ears?

Fake? Meaningless? Disposable?

Whoever that woman was, I just can?t scrap her existence out of my mind. I continued listening to that voice of hers still playing in my head over and over again like a tape recorder. I kept on pondering whether or not her words are true?

?Syouji? Don?t scare me like this??

The green-haired girl sat beside me and looked at me directly in my eyes, which I tried to turn away and avoid but was unsuccessful.

?S-S-Sanae??

I finally spoke up.

I had to ask her no matter what. Who was that woman? If what she spoke of was true, then what are we actually?

?Sanae, that blonde woman from the other day, wh-?

She put her finger on my lips, stopping me from asking the questions in my head.

?Shhh? I think I know what you?re thinking??

She sat down beside me and continued.

?I heard her too. Cheer up, that Yukari is always up to something. She?s a really tricky one. I bet she?s just messing with you, trying to scare you. Half the time everything she says is just a bunch of lies. So, lighten up, ?kay??

Her beautiful smile brought me back up again. A sparkle in her eye told me, ?Stand up! Puff your chest out! There?s nothing to worry about!?

?Hey, Sanae? I have one more question?? I admitted.

?Hm??

?Who is this Reimu person she mentioned? Something about her not existing or something??

?That, I can?t answer. Never heard of that name myself. Maybe just another one of those things she came up with to scare us or something. Just take it easy, that?s all. So, how did the test go??

I nodded my head a few times, up and down and- ?What? Test??

Oh no?

I recalled that empty sheet of paper I handed in and being the last to leave the class, mine laid there, atop the stack of papers. Darn, it?s gonna be the first one he sees.

?You okay, Syouji? So, how?d it go? After that hardcore tutoring session, I bet you did well, didn?t?cha?? Sanae smiled with confidence.

True, we did have a hard time during the weekends, trying to catch up on our studies with Sanae guiding us like that. But we did manage to pull it off in the end. When she tested us in the end, we could do just fine, despite History being my worst subject above all.

?It was great!? Chucky interrupted. Saved me actually.

Sigh. Despite what Sanae had just told me, I still have doubts about this Yukari lady. I can still hear her voice forcing its way out of my head. But why? Why can?t I just stop thinking about it and relax? I?m really an idiot aren?t I, scaring myself like this. Just calm down. Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Yeah, just like that. Relax?

Your lives are all fake, meaningless, disposable? You?re all just trash actually?

Damn it, there it is again. Wait, what was that last part?

?Hey guys, let?s get back to class now or we?ll be late. The bell is gonna ring right about?? she paused for a moment and snapped her fingers right after the short pause and winked at us. ?Now.?

*RING*

Accurate as always, Sanae?

Well, like she said, there really is no point in wasting my time here thinking about something like this. We?d better head back now.

I don?t know, it?s just that thought bothering me the whole time, disabling me from thinking throughout the test this morning. But of all times, why today? Am I crazy for pressuring myself the whole of last night? Even though I knew today was an important day? Why?

?Hey, so are you coming or not?? both my friends called out to me with worried looks across their faces.

?Yeah sure, I?m coming!?

I stood up, slapped myself on the face once. Yes, one tight smack on the cheek to snap myself out of this trance I?ve been in the entire morning.

?

Back at home, I had a good night?s rest after a tiring day. Without taking that incident this morning into account, it was pretty much just an average day. A long, comforting sleep is sure to bring my spirits up again by tomorrow.

At least, that?s what I thought?

?Hey Reisen is that you?? I called out. I had to at least greet her, seeing her as a friend now for helping Sanae and the rest find their way through the forest. What?s more, I had to apologize to her about the mansion. Even though it wasn?t my fault, but I can at least do it in Sanae?s place, can?t I?

The bunny girl slightly turned her head and glared at me with the corner of her crimson-red eyes.

?Reisen??

She turned again.

?Yo, remember me?"

She looked around a bit and decided to ignore me, turning her back to me and started walking away, much faster than she was before.

?Hey!?

?Okay Tewi, stop it!? she yelled. ?This isn?t funny anymore, it?s just plain creepy!?

?What is?? a short pink-dressed bunny girl appeared and let off a loud, unladylike yawn.

?Huh? Weren?t you- I mean, you were- where were you hiding?? Reisen began looking around the mansion. Wait weren?t we just somewhere outside Sanae?s shrine just a moment ago? I recalled seeing the shrine just behind me, and the stairs, and those trees, but how? How?d I end up in here?

?Uhhh, hiding? Can?t you tell I was sleeping? It?s the middle of the night, what else do you think I?m doing? Sheesh.?

?I don?t know, I just thought you were playing a prank on me, calling my name in a soft, creepy voice and hiding and- wait, so that wasn?t you??

?Nope??

?Then??

I stared at both girls, confused and unable to compute?

?Hey, you two, I?m right here?? I said aloud but was, once again, ignored by both of them.

?Okay, let?s just get some sleep. You?ve been under a lot of stress lately, Reisen. You really should get some rest for the night?? Tewi continued to speak, still ignoring me.

I had a bad feeling in my gut. My heartbeat grew faster. I jogged past them and stopped right in front of them, waving at them and calling out to them.

And then my greatest fear came true?

?I don?t know, Tewi. I guess you?re right, maybe I?m just too tired. I really should get some res-?

Without bumping into me, heck, without even stopping, I felt their entire bodies phase through mine as if I were nothing but thin air.

?Tewi, you felt that? I just had this cold sensation and? EEEEK!?

?What do you mean, I felt nothing at all?? the rabbit in pink stared back in confusion.

?Is this some sort of prank? If it is, it?s not funny!?

?I swear, Reisen, I?m not doing anything. Cross my heart and hope to d- oh look it?s that blonde woman again. Hi~? Tewi waved into the darkness. And from within the darkness appeared a figure shrouded in shadows, slowly approaching me and revealing herself as the woman who had appeared the other day to save us.

?So, kid? have you gotten used to it yet? Being non-existent in this world, I mean?? the blonde lady, Yukari as Sanae called her, smirked at me.

?W-what?s going on??

My voice was trembling as I felt a big gulp down my dry throat. However the woman only stood there with her face frozen in a creepily spine-tingling grin. Just watching her made my hair stand on end. Closing my eyes made everything worse. That image of her burnt into my mind and I could see it in my thoughts. Her impossibly-wide grin as if she had slit her mouth from one ear to another, her head slightly tilted and she was surrounded by pitch darkness and glowing red eyes everywhere.

?fake , meaningless, disposable?? she kept repeating over and over again. Her voice was everywhere?

But then I knew I had to ask her anyway, what she?s planning this whole time?

?Erm? Miss Yukari??

Suddenly there was a great flash of white and I felt my body boiling for a slight moment before opening my eyes the next second to realize that I was back in my own bed.

?Darn it!? I punched my soft bed. What?s really going on here? I need to know, who is this woman actually and why is it that I?m bothered so much by this. Normally if it were any other person on any other subject, I would have just regarded them as jokes and just forget them the next day, but this has been on my mind for far too long. I want to know!

*Knock knock*

?What?s going on in there, Syouji? Is everything alright??

Mom? What?s she doing up so early?

?Nothing, everything is fine, Mo-?

?I?m getting really good at this??

Huh? Wait a second, that voice!

I turned around to see the blonde-haired lady from my dream sitting on my bed, right behind me.

?Miss Yukari, I have something to ask of you?? I said.

?Hm? You don't seem that surprised, boy. Anyway, what is it??

I took in a deep breath and continued. ?Why did you help us? And who is this Reimu person you spoke of? What did you mean when you said she never existed and some rules were never implemented? What does this girl have to do with us being 'trash' like you mentioned? What are you planning with all this??

The woman only looked down and sighed.

?Well, I guess I can tell you everything, now that things don't look really good over there either??

...

[CS]

Short #8, Part 19(/23)

?I actually feel sorry for you, boy? so I think I really have to tell you? about you and your fake existence. You are but a replica. In fact, everything is; every single person you see, everyone you know, every little object lying around, every last particle from one end of the world to the other. They?re all fakes. And it?s all because of yours truly??

?What? I don?t get it?? I sat on my bed, deep in thought, trying to make out any hidden meanings behind her words.

?Sigh. To be honest, as almighty as one can be, one can never break the laws of the universe. To put it simply, I removed a single chess piece from the board and the universe responds by rearranging every other piece left on the board to its own satisfaction??

?I... still don?t understand, Miss Yukari??

?Hmm, how do I put this? Okay, you see, some time ago, out of pure boredom I decided to just mess around with? stuff? Ahem. Anyway, a simple otherwise innocent prank had gone awry, bringing up a whole other world to stand in the previous one?s place and well??

The woman stood up and walked towards the door, locking it and then proceeding to open up what had seemed like a small hole through it and with a snap of her fingers a cup of hot tea emerged from the hole, floating towards me, followed by another one she grabbed hold onto in the most polite, ladylike manner. Not wanting to refuse her offer, I took the floating cup and put it on my desk.

Yukari then took a sip of tea from the cup she was holding before continuing.

?I?ve never really felt this way for anybody before. Over three thousand years, this is, I dare say, the first time I can actually sympathize with someone. Perhaps it?s because I was the root of it all? well anyway-?

?Miss Yukari,? I interrupted. ?Can you just get to the point, please? I wish to know more about this whole thing-?

*creak*

*footsteps*

*knock knock*

?Time for breakfast, honey.?

Mom!? Wait, what should I do? ?Sorry Mom, busy discussing about chess with a youkai lady in my room?? Hell, no! Okay, maybe I should take it easy, slowly explain to her and-

?Mom! Can?t I have my own privacy time!? I mean, I?m a growing boy, ya? know! I need my own private time??

What the!? I never said that!

I turned to look at the blonde woman by the door, grinning back at me.

?What?? she asked after pausing for a few seconds.

?What did you just do!?!??

?Oh, just some fun with your voice. I?m getting pretty good at this, huh? She?s already downstairs by now?? she let out a girlish giggle.

I took in a deep breath and exhaled. Okay, if she were Chucky or any normal person I know, I would have punched her right in the face, but since she?s not, I?ll just have to bear with it?

 ?Okay, Miss Yukari, who are you, really? This time, I?d like you to explain everything to me, down to the very details. And this time, no more metaphors, just tell me, please??

The woman takes another sip from her cup, eyeing me with one eye before putting the cup down and grinning.

?Who am I? I?m the great youkai sage, of course! I have lived longer than even your greatest ancestors. I have seen the gods from long ago rise to become what they are today. I have lived through countless wars. I have seen and been through every single thing you can ever imagine. Everything. Which is why I?ve lost the true meaning of living long ago. I do things just for the sake of reducing everyday boredom. Enough for an introduction??

O?kay? So a youkai who has been through thousands and thousands of years of boredom is now in my room, seated right before me with her legs crossed and sipping tea? Why does it seem so weird yet I do not think it is a dream?... Wait, thousands of years? Seen gods achieve what they are today? Man, this lady sure is-

?Don?t you dare say it!? she held a parasol ?that had appeared out of nowhere- right before my face, with its tip just tangentially touching my face. I raised my hands up, at the level of my eye.

?Okay, okay,?? I said as she brought down her parasol which disappeared into a dark hole beneath her feet. ?So? Miss Yukari? who is this Reimu person then? What does she have to do with Sanae?s fight back then? You said something about some rules and Sanae not being able to beat that princess or something. So? who is this person??

?Reimu Hakurei? Well, some called her the Shrine Maiden of Paradise and, umm hehe, she was a good ol? friend of mine, nah, I?d call her more of a? umm? plaything, I guess? And well, one day she wished for a ?normal life?, so out of pure boredom and curiosity of how long she would last in a ?normal? world, I just decided to grant that wish of hers. But who knew doing so would bring so much more??

The ?great youkai sage? as she proclaimed disappeared in a blink of an eye, reappearing behind me and resting her hands on my shoulders.

?You know why I feel sorry for you? Not only you actually, I pity this entire world which will collapse any time soon. Everything will shatter and return to the abyss as it was??

I gulped and looked upwards, facing her eye-to-eye.

?Then what about that other world? Sanae?s world, will it disappear too?? I asked.

?You mean Gensokyo? Oh, you can rest assured; Gensokyo will be back to normal. But by that, I mean the real Gensokyo. In fact, Gensokyo was never Sanae?s world in the first place. Your friend Sanae was never a hero, just a replacement for good ol? Reimu, appointed by the universe to fight youkai in her stead. That blue-white shrine maiden was nothing but a nuisance??

?How? how could you say that?? I clenched my fists.

Without paying me any heed, she continued. ?However kid, once a wish is made to put everything back in place, all this will just disappear?? She snapped her fingers. ?Poof! Just like that??

I looked around, realizing I was in the kitchen, sitting at the dining table with my mother. I looked down at the untouched bowl of rice.

?What?s wrong, honey? Are you not hungry?? my mother asked with a gentle smile.

?Uhh? I guess it?s nothing. I must be imagining things??

Yeah, that?s right?

I just woke up didn?t I? Sigh. Another morning, another day at school?

I get the strangest of dreams, don?t I?

That is, I hope it was all just a dream

...

[CrowCakes]

Yukari created an alternate universe.

I should be screaming right now.

[CS]

Short #8, Part 20(/23)

So, it?s another BORING day at school?

Another day at school I guess?

?Oh hey there, Sanae. You?re early today.? I smiled her a good morning and took my seat behind her. I eyed our sleeping class representative and grinned.

I took my seat, at the usual place, usual time, sigh. Another day to slowly drain me of my time and energy?

I looked at Chucky ?secreting his transparent, creaturely fluids from his mouth and onto the table?, as I joked of. I turned to Sanae with my grin still on. And I looked back at Chucky.

*SMACK*

?Wake up, there?s a fire!? I shouted into his ear.

I looked around the class. Everyone?s smiling and laughing in high spirits as usual while I am left out?

Chucky jumped out of his seat; a trail of his saliva between his bottom lip and the table went on for several inches as he shouted in the class, ?FIRE! FIRE!!!? before realizing everyone else was staring at him with weird looks followed by a burst of laughter by everyone in the class.

Why? I made sure I did everything right, yet no matter how hard I tried, I can never achieve what Mom had. I can never bring the shrine back to its former glory?

?Okay class, get back to your seats and please turn in your English essays from last week??

The class was silent once again, with only the sound of shuffling footsteps and the sound of worry in the hearts of those who had not completed their homework. I for one, actually did this one? I think?

*Sob* I never knew something so trivial would end up so? huge?*sob* And who would think the shrine would fall on that very same day? *sob* all in one single night. *sob* Disaster after disaster. *sniff* A terrible accident, followed by a fire and *sob* and-and-and *sniff* and ending everything with a huge thunderstorm which led to a flood, washing everything away... *sob* Why? *sniff* What did I do to deserve this?

I smiled as I looked around the class.

?Reimu, are you okay?? Marisa asked me while checking my temperature.

I nodded my head and kept quiet, still silently sobbing in my heart.

Is this really all going to disappear like that woman said? Because seeing how peaceful and happy my everyday life is, I really don?t want to give it all up just like that. I don?t want it to end just like that?

Marisa turned around and faced her back towards me, resuming her normal chatter with Nitori.

I can feel I was at the verge of tears again. I do not blame my friends for this? I only have myself to blame? Leaving the fire on while I was on the phone? and now? now everything is gone? My home? razed down to the ground? I?m all alone? And to make things worse, the shrine was set on fire by a group of men who said the shrine was-was-*sob*was blasphemy to the gods? the REAL gods? Even the night before, they had entered the shrine and caused a ruckus, telling everyone to ?stop believing? and to follow in their footsteps, to worship a REAL god?
*sob* And I was too busy taking care of the one at my own home to even realize the fire there? now*sob*now? now I?ve lost everything? all of Mom?s hard work? everything my ancestors had worked for? all gone? carried away along with this careless misconduct of mine?

I felt a tear in my eye.

No, I don?t want that to happen! I want everything to stay, just the way it is!

Besides, Sanae DID say not to trust her, right? Right?

But why do I get the feeling she?s still here? Right by my side? Watching me every passing second?

And there?s nothing I can do about it? Not a single remnant remains? and it?s all my fault?

Then it came to me?

I CAN do something about this!

That one mysterious woman who appeared in my life ever so suddenly?

But I will need some help? from one person?

She told me everything here is fake? Should I trust her?

Is this really the right thing to do?...

She said that one day everything will vanish and nobody will remember a thing. Heck, there won?t even BE anyone left?

Will she answer to my call once again?

Is she really here with me right now? I can feel her presence, sitting right beside me.

I?m pretty sure you can hear my thoughts?

Will you answer me if I call upon you now and request for your assistance, despite having refused it before?...

?so, are you here, Miss Yukari?

Yukari?...

?

...

?Yes??

?

==========

So... remember a previous short where Reimu decides to stay in the "normal world" she wished for? Yeah, I just decided to make this a continuation of that :V
(Italics = Reimu)
_{And there is this small plothole, so bonus points if anyone realizes that slight mistake I made...}

[Mr. Rabi]

That actually made me really sad for some reason. I shall now wait patiently for the next part.

[CS]

Decided to make a little breather chapter for this one...

==========
Short #8, Part 21(/23)

?Psssst...? the sound came from behind me. ?Hey?? a girl whispered into my ear. Sounded really familiar? she sounded a bit like-

?Hey, kid?? she called out again in a soft whisper. I turned my head around, only to jump right out of my seat, falling on my bottom when I saw her face?

?Mr. Morishita, is there a problem?? the teacher gave me an annoyed gaze, followed by a sigh and the shaking of his head before he turned back to the blackboard to continue writing his notes on it.

I stared at the girl seated behind me.

?B-b-b-b-but w-w-why? How? What?s going on? H-H-how are you even here?? I stammered but managed to get my voice out in the end.

The girl smiled back at me, flipping her hair and running her fingers through the silky, long, golden blonde hair as it slowly fell ever so elegantly over her face like a stream of gold flowing down her perfectly-shaped face and further implementing the beauty of the pair of ruby-like eyes of hers that shone brightly under the rays of the sun. She took in a deep breath and began tugging down her uniform with a slightly uncomfortable look on her face.

?It?s a little tight?? she said.

?Maybe it?s because you?re just too fat?? I replied. Oh darn? slipped right out of my mouth?

She just stared at me; her face frozen in a fake and forced smile. She lifted both hands and cracked her knuckles. ?What?s that, boy?? she said as she proceeded to crack her neck. ?It?s just my HUGE womanly chest?? she continued. All with that one facial expression, as if it had been carved onto her.

O?kay? that was? awkward? but yeah? HUGE? like a cow-

Then I felt the absence of my belt, making my pants fall down, right onto the ground?

?EEEEEK!!? several girls in the classroom shouted simultaneously while a few other girls were heard giggling in the corner of the class, along with several others mumbling to themselves. I looked at Sanae, who could only blush as she saw me in my underwear. My heart was racing so fast I felt as if it could explode at any second.

?I-i-i-is that w-what t-t-the g-guys are into t-t-th-th-these days?... Little loli girls from S-S-S-Seihou imprinted on their w-w-w-w-w-whites?? Sanae stuttered as her face grew redder and redder. I could see her gulp once before turning her head away.

?MORISHITA! SIT DOWN!? shouted the teacher across the classroom as the class went quiet. Everyone returned to their places and buried their faces under their textbooks with their eyes focused solely on the books. There was but dead silence filling the air.

Chucky finally blinked and awoke from his ?sleeping with his eyes wide opened? trance. He looked around the class and asked me what had happened, in which I replied by shaking my head. And following that, he nods and resumes his beauty nap.

Then I suddenly remembered?

?Miss Yukari, what are you doing he-? I asked as I slowly turned back to the girl behind me, only to stop when I realized that she had disappeared. I scanned the class, looking for the blonde woman who had just disappeared from the class as suddenly as she had appeared just a moment ago. No sign of her anywher-

?Okay, okay? geez you don?t have to go narrating everything you do and all, you know? I can see full well what you?re doing with my very own two eyes, what more having to read them from your mind? Well, I think you do have a reason to do all this anyway? it?s for the audience, right? Right? Aww c?mon Syouji, you?ll be gone pretty soon anyway so why care about the readers?

That was her alright?

I don?t understand a single thing you just said, Miss Yukari?

But since you?re in my thoughts?

Okay, first things first. Please get out of my head!

Meet me on the roof during recess; I have a few things I would really like to inquire?

?Alright then, kid. Oh and I find your lack of lower body clothing a little? distracting??

I looked down and remembered my pants were still down. Without hesitating, I sat down and pulled my pants up; my face all red like a ripe tomato.

...

==========

[CrowCakes]

Hit Yukari below the belt, she hits you back harder. :V One of the only times I've read Yukari actually doing something.

Commencing ROFL

[CS]

Short #8, Part 22(/23)

*RING*

There goes the recess bell. And off I go to see my ?date??

My mind went blank, my eyes staring into space as I slowly went up the stairs, up to the roof. My hands trembled as I turned the doorknob but then I cleared all my thoughts and managed to get a grip on myself. I held on to the doorknob leading to the roof and firmly and steadily twisted it?

The door opens up; the bright rays of the sun shone over me, forcing me to block it out by putting my right hand over my eyes. I squinted and saw a big shadow under the shade at one corner. Took me a while to realize it was that of a bed! How?d it even get there, I don?t even know.

I decided to approach it and at least sit on something soft and comfortable while waiting for that lady.

I took a few steps closer, only to notice there was someone already on it, lying flat, face up.

?Uhhh? excuse me?? I blurted out.

?Ah!? I heard a voice and the bed seemingly sunk into the cement beneath it as if there were a huge hole under it!

Surprised, I decided to take a few back but before I knew it, I bumped into something? soft?

?What?s this?? I said as I put my hand over it, slowly moving around to feel it.

It was soft, but not too soft either. It felt like? like? like?

Then my face grew red as I realized what it was-

?Perverted boy?? Yukari stood with one hand one her hip and the other holding up a pink parasol to block out the sun?s rays. ?Sneaking up to a woman while she?s asleep and then violating her like that? tsk tsk? I can get you sued for sexual harassment if I wanted to? but I?m not gonna??

?Miss Yukari?? I gulped and cleared up my mind. ?Okay, first of all, why are you wearing our school uniform??

?Oh this? What?s wrong? You like it? How else would I enter your class and sit behind you without releasing an air of total awkwardness around myself?? she replied as she tugged her shirt down again. And then recalling something, she glared at me, which eventually turned into a sadistic smile. ?So? do I look? ahem? fat??

Okay, I?m not going to let it slip out of my mouth again?

Ignoring the question, I asked her mine. My main reason for calling her out here in the first place?

?Miss Yukari? that other day? I-?

I was interrupted by a voice. The voice of a young maiden I know and am acquainted with?

?Hey!? the green-haired shrine maiden said, pointing at the woman standing before me. ?What are you doing here??

Immediately, Sanae ran in front of me, faced Yukari and opened up her arms wide. ?If there?s anything you wanna do, you gotta go through me first!?

?I have no business with you, shrine maiden. I?m here because your little boyfriend there called me up here??

?Yes Sanae, I would like to ask her something? important? and I think you should listen to what she has to say as well?? I replied, gently resting my hand on her shoulder.

Loosening up her shoulders and placing her hands by her side, she looked down. Slowly, the young maiden held onto her left elbow using her right hand and she looked up at me.

?O-Okay? B-b-but? I?m not your girlfriend!? her face was glowing red like I?d never seen before!

?Okay you two lovebirds, let?s go somewhere a little more cozy, shall we?? Yukari asked, waving her index finger in the air.

?OH MY GO-? I heard a voice from the door leading to the stairs, followed by the sound of an object tumbling down the stairs, something like a sack of potatoes or something?

Out of natural instinct and curiosity, Sanae and I rushed over to investigate what was going on, only to see Chucky at the foot of the stairs, lying unconscious in a pile of blood.

And yes, the stairs were covered in it too?

*SNAP*

----------

?Chucky? you awake?? I asked.

?Wh-wha?? he slowly opened his eyes.

?You fell unconscious, Chucky,? Sanae said, doing her moe moe smile on him. ?But you?re okay now??

?Yeah, man. Yet another huge nosebleed?? I said.

?Oh? nothing wrong with that, is there? Seeing a body like that in our school- Wait? when did you guys carry me in here?? he asked.

?What?? then I realized something different?

Sanae and I looked around the room, scanning every single corner. Then we faced each other.

?When did we even-?

*SNAP*

?Like that,? Yukari?s voice interrupted after the snapping of her fingers. ?Care for some tea? I always make sure Ran has some prepared and keeps it warm the whole time.? She said as she snapped her fingers once again and before we knew it, we were seated around a small, round table -like what a little girl uses for tea parties- decorated with stickers of frogs everywhere. And on the table were four cups of tea.

Sanae kept silent and stared at the table. ?Hey! Isn?t this table-?

?Nope. Nah. I don?t think so. Doesn?t look like it belongs to that grandma of yours. I doubt it?s hers. Don?t even ask. I got it off the internet?? Yukari said with a grin on her face. A huge one. And her face wrinkled up like the old hag she-

?Shut up, kid!?

?Okay, okay?? I took a look at the tea sitting untouched on the table. I decided to take a sip from it and-

?

----------

?Syouji? Hello? Are you alright? Syouji? Earth to Syouji??

My sense of sight began clearing up. Sanae was right in front of me, waving her hand in my face.

?What happened?? she asked.

?I? I tasted heaven??







?Okay, kid. Time to finish off what you came here for. You wanted to know whether or not what I said the other day were just blatant lies? Unfortunately, no. And no, that wasn?t all just in your dreams, either? because??



?...?

??Because what?? I finally broke the awkward silence.

?Sigh? go on, kids. Give one another your kiss-goodbyes?? Yukari said.

?Syouji, what?s she mean?? Sanae looked at me, confused. The look in her eye showed how worried she was when Yukari said it in such a serious tone, something she knew the woman would rarely do.

?Well??

?

----------

Yukari? please? wake me up from this dream? I saw it all? my old life had just flashed before my very eyes? so this current life I?m living is just a mistake, isn?t it?? I want it all back... now? please?

[CrowCakes]

I think Yukari is intentionally baiting all those unfortunate accidents. Her idea of a joke scares me. It's like she's one of those old people who want to feel and are acting like they are young. And they just hate hearing bad stuff about their appearance.

Also, a question: is this Sanae the original Sanae or is she the alternate version?

[CS]

Short# 8, Part 23(/23)

*After a long-winded explanation of what had happened the other day*

?Are you? serious? You?re kidding? right? Right? This is all just a joke, right?...? Sanae said as tears filled her eyes. She turned to the blonde woman sipping her tea. ?Yukari, there must be something you can do about this, right? You?ve once told me, back when we first met, that you surpass even the gods. So can?t you at least? stop this from happening??

?I?m afraid I can?t do anything now, ?hon. I gave Reimu a wish, all out of boredom. Then everything got out of control, but now?s the time for me to bring everything back to the way it was, so why shouldn't I?...?

?What? what?s that supposed to mean?? Sanae continued.

?This reality of yours is just a fake. Didn?t you already hear that from your friend just a moment ago? If it?s Reimu?s will to bring everything back, then I shall bring it all back. As much as I pity you, there is nothing I can do to save you all. You were all destined to disappear from this reality? but rest assured, you will all revert to your original lives in the real world once this is all over. You shall be the green-haired shrine maiden who lives atop the mountains once again. You shall all forget everything you?d ever done here and return to your real lives. The ones you were living before any of this ever occurred. This entire incident shall become oblivion. Nothing and no one will have a trace of whatever happened here??

?No?? Sanae said as her voice became softer and softer. ?No? no? no no no? why?...?

She fell on her knees and buried her face in her palms. Her sobbing got louder as the seconds passed. Yukari could only stand there and gaze upon the poor girl on her knees, begging her to let everything remain.

?I apologize for all the trouble I have caused you people. But none of you will have any recollection of this, so I say it?s best if you just say goodbye and enjoy these last seconds of your existence. I don?t know what will happen once I open up that gap and end this ?game? of mine??

Chucky overheard it all and sat on the bed, softly chanting: ?I don?t wanna die a virgin??

How could he think of something like that at a time like this!?

But what more can I do anyway?

The world is about to end, right here, right now?

I am no hero?

I keep reminding myself that?

There is nothing I can do to stop this?

I felt my tears beginning to overflow uncontrollably?

I guess I can only embrace it, huh?

Face it, I never thought there was something I could do change all this in the first place?

No matter how much I begged to that ?great sage?, I doubt she could, or rather, would want to help us out?

?It?s been fun knowing you guys, huh?? I said. ?I wished I?d at least accomplished something if I knew this was happening??

Chucky got down from the bed and grabbed me by the shoulder. The two of us did the same to Sanae as we looked at her confidently.

?We?ll make it through this! Together!? I said.

?I?m sure this nightmare will end, and we?ll all be in our beds. Then we?ll see each other at school again and life continues on as usual on another boring day at school, I?m sure of it!? Chucky said with a confident smile. The first one I?ve seen in a very long time?

And finally, Sanae stops her sobbing, opening up her eyes and smiling once again.

?G-g-group hug?? she said as she wrapped her arms around the both of us.

?I?m sure of it too?? I said.

?Sanae?? Chucky called.

?Hm?? was the reply she gave in her usual, moe voice.

?? I don?t wanna die a virg-? he said, before being interrupted by Yukari.

?Goodnight, folks??

*SNAP*

?

----------

?Sigh, another BORING day at school!? I said in a pathetic tone.

?Yo, Shouji!? Chucky waved at me.

I gave out a loud sigh before he asked me why.

?Prom Night?s coming, huh? Then pretty soon, we?re all gonna graduate and move on in our lives. I?ll never see you again, nor will you ever see me again, huh??

?Nah, I?ll come over to your place whenever I?m free!? he replied.

?So? you bringing a date?? I asked.

?Sigh. Bros before hoes, man? bros before hoes?? he said as he handed me a brofist.

*Brofist*

?If only we had a friend who is a girl, huh?? I said.

?Now that?d be ridiculous! We?d be challenging each other to see who?ll get her, won?t we??

?Haha? I guess so?? I rubbed the back of my head, knowing what he said was actually true.

?And I don?t want to lose a friend like you, Shouji. You?re the only friend I had, have, and will probably ever have?? he smiled.

?What are you talking about? Dude, I?ve never seen you talk so seriously before, man!?

?Hahahaha, yeah, me neither. I just thought I wanted to sound cool or at least more mature for you to remember me by. I wanna leave school a man! An adult!?

?Haha, me too, Chucky. Me too? Hey, I wish we?d made more friends, huh?? I reminisced our high school life, which consisted of mostly playing around like little kids. Just the both of us...

?Nah, we?re good. C?mon man, two?s a beautiful even number! It?s the only even number that?s a prime number! It?s unique! If we had made another friend, then we?d become a group of three. Nothing good comes in threes, or any odd numbers in that matter. You know what come in threes? TRIANGLES!? he made an awkward joke but I decided to laugh with him anyway.

?Hey? Chucky?? I said, tapping his shoulder.

?What??

?Wanna set up another practical joke on him?? I said, pointing outside the window at the small blue car. ?He just got here, so we?ve got approximately fifteen minutes before he reaches his office.?

?Let?s do this!?

So we got up and ran off to prepare everything for our little prank on that annoying principal of ours.

Another day for our mischievous antics, as always?

==========

Also, a question: is this Sanae the original Sanae or is she the alternate version?

Alternate. All of them were, actually. Just that they had the memories of the 'originals' and were living their lives parallel to the 'real world' which was Reimu's world. So once Yukari turned everything back to normal, everything went back to 'normal' and everyone resumes their 'original' lives -the world they were living in back before Yukari changed the world-... I don't know actually, sounded like a much better idea in my head...

[CS]

To be honest I'm not really happy with #8 and will most probably rewrite it/do an alternate ending/do something to it but I don't know what just yet, so maybe I'll just leave it as it is for now...

So got a little bored yesterday and came up with this one-shot...

==========
Short #10, Part 1(/1)

"Spring!" said the fairy in white in an angered tone.

"Winter!" said the fat plump chubby disgustingly obese slightly above average yuki-onna as she let out a loud groan.

"Autumn!" said the two sisters who also happened to be gods. (They hate being called 'goddesses' because that's just sexist as they called it)

"SPRING!" screamed poor Lily White at the top of her lungs. "Spring's the best season because it's my favourite season!"

"Ugh. Winter's the only season!" replied Letty, annoyed at the fairy who looked down upon her one and only season. (Every other season she spends sleeping like the pig she is)

"No!" Shizuha, the elder sister said.

"Autumn's the best season because-" , the younger sister said before the two continued and ended the sentence simultaneously.

?It?s OUR season!"

"Spring's the be-" Lily said again but was interrupted.

"Yo sis, I'mma letcha finish, but Summer's da best season of all time! OF ALL TIME!" said the fairy dressed in black and yellow (like Bumblebee except with more black, and only yellow linings at the bottom of her dress?) "Well, mainly because I like pissing my sister off..."

"Well, I have to agree with the statement my fellow colleague here had just stated. Winter is indeed the one season that stands atop all the four seasons of the year. There is no reason any one of you uncivilized, primitive imbeciles should state otherwise..." commented the blue-haired fairy as she adjusted her glasses.

She shook her head a little and took the glasses off after feeling a slight dizziness in her head. "Wow! Glasses DO make me sound smarta and stronga! With ?em, eye shall be unstoppable! Haha! Eye'm da strongest!" exclaimed Cirno.

Everyone shook their heads and took their eyes off the ice fairy and continued their debate over the best season of the year.

Letty raised her arm and voiced out a suggestion.

"Everyone! There is but ONE way to settle this once and for all! And that's a duel to the death! The last one standing shall be the one who screams it up to the heavens, which of the four seasons is the best!"

"We accept!" said the voice in the sky.

"But there's one thing you gotta know!" said another voice over the clouds, but in a higher and more childish pitch.

"If you mess with one god," Madam Kanako and Little Gir*smack* I mean, Madam Suwako said together, synchronized as they descended upon the earth. "...you mess with all of us!"

"Haha! Eye'll win dis fe shure! Eye'm-" Cirno put on her glasses again. "Ahem. If it's war you brainless fools demand, then it's a war thou shalt hath!"

Cirno snapped her fingers once and darkness filled the skies. A split second later it was dispelled and a short blonde girl in a long white dress and a black vest with a red ribbon on her head appeared beside Cirno.

"Yellow Darkness reporting! I shall fight for our leader with my life! And if it resorts to that then I shall not hesitate to remove the seal with my bear hands..." the little girl said.

Then tremors begun beneath everyone's feet. A huge hole broke through from under the ground as a gigantic earthworm the size of a tower shadowed the land. And atop its head was the green-haired firefly girl who rode on it.

"Green Bug reporting for duty!" Wriggle cracked her knuckles.

"Mystia is the night sparrow from the forest in Gensokyo..." darkness once again shrouded the skies above. "...and when she's here she's what you call a... a... Darn I can't find a rhym- I mean Pink Bird reporting for duty!" everything cleared up and yet another girl stood beside Cirno.

"What's up with that badly edited Barney song?" whispered Wriggle, before yet another girl entered the soon-to-be battlefield.

"Why do I have to wear this cheerleader outfit!? These pom-pom thingies are making me wan-n-n-na-na-naAACHOO sneeze. 'scuse me..." Daiyousei stood from a distance.

"Now, my comrades! Show these foolish imbeciles our victory pose befor-" Cirno removes the glasses again. "...Before we pound da livin sh** outta dem! Wait what was dat sound? That loud beep. Ahem, eye'll beat da sh** outt- there it is again!"

"No vulgarities, Cirno. This IS for audiences of all ages after all..." said Dai.

Cirno puts on the glasses once again before continuing, "We shall let out the beasts within us and repeatedly unleash all our offensive forces upon you fools until every last drop of faeces in your bodies are excreted through every possible orifice! Then we shall bring an end to this meaningless shenanigan of yours!"

"You puny little grade-schoolers wanna talk tough? I'll show you tough!" said Kanako as she clenched her fist and Suwako grabbed her golden rings the size of hula hoops from her hammerspace hat. Pyonta, whose eyes turned to an angered gaze.

"Since you've all got your own forces, I shall bring out my own secret weapon!" Lily Black whistled at the sky.

A ball engulfed in flames fell from the sky at several hundreds of miles an hour. Right as it was about to collide with the ground upon impact, it stopped all so suddenly several feet above the surface and the white-haired 'phoenix' -as they called her- descended ever so elegantly.

"Why am I even doing this, I don't want to be a part of this little argument of yours..." Mokou commented as she blew a loud sigh.

"You do want that maid uniform Kaguya wore to Comiket the other day, right?" replied the black fairy.

Before anyone knew it, Mokou's face turned red like a tomato and she stuck her hands in her pockets.

"Hmph! I'll play along with your childish games..." Mokou tried to keep her cool, despite terribly failing as her heart raced faster than ever and the cool facade she attempted to use was unable to cover up her glowing, bright red face. As hard as she tried she could never avoid those thoughts in her head. Oh, the countless possibilities, all those things she could do with that hot maid uniform worn by the woman who stole her undying heart (literally, at a few occasions) all covered in her sweat, even though it's probably dried by now, it's still filled with her delightful flavour. She could do this and that or even THAT Oh the things she could imagine in that dirty mind of hers made her let out a loud "SQUEE!"

Everyone eyed her with disgusted looks on their faces. Except Lily White, who was all alone; the only person in favour of Spring...

Until...

"Don't worry, my dear friend..." a voice said from behind Lily White right before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Spring is the time the flowers will blossom. It is the most beautiful season above all, hands down..."

Lily turned and was stunned in shock and awe when she realized who the voice had belonged to.

"I shall step in right now and show these non-believers what Spring really is..." Yuuka Kazami, the flower youkai, stood in a confident, elegant and ladylike pose, holding up her parasol -which was said to be the pink flower that never withers and that it has been with her ever since her powers first awakened. Some even say the flower was once the beautiful woman who mothered Yuuka- above her head and her chest puffed out, greatly throwing down the other girls' confidence and mentally demoralizing them with her perfect shape and sizes.

"Then the battle shall begin!" said Lily Black as the 'leaders' of the four 'factions', Letty, the Aki sisters and the two Lily's, flew away to higher ground to watch the battle from a safe spot.

"Winter! Winter! Winter!" Letty cheered, along with their team cheerleader Dai.

"You can do it Suwako-sama!"

"Kanako-sama, you're so cool!" the sisters cheered the gods on as Hina Kagiyama laid unconscious on her bed after spinning one too many rounds on her way here.

"Please win, Yuuka-sama... I'm counting on you..." the canon Lily prayed.

"Summer FTW! DO IT FOR THE MEIDO UNIFORM, MOKOU-TAN!" the fanon Lily shouted.

...

A loud "FUJIYAMA VOLCANO!" was heard from the battlefield as flames erupted from the ground and the skies were stained red as the flames raged on and incinerated virtually everything in their path.

The flames died down soon after and Mokou stood still at the position where she was before, hands in her pocket. Like a boss.

"Looks like I win..."

The fog and dust cleared up, revealing a giant fortress of ice, a giant coiled up serpentine beast and of course, who could forget, Yuuka who just stood there with one arm outstretched, only mere scratches on it and leaving the rest of her untouched, still as majestically beautiful as ever.

Mokou watched, mortified, as Cirno thawed her ice fortresses and stood akimbo. Absolutely nobody was injured.

"Hah! My ice can even freeze yer fire, ya big flamin' turkey!" the ice fairy boasted.

Even the serpentine beast, or Mishaguji-sama as they called it, uncoiled itself, revealing the two gods without a single scratch on their bodies.

"That's a good boy, Misha. You deserve some doggy treats when we get back!" Suwako said, gently patting its head.

"Bark! Bark!" the curse god went as it wagged its scaly, reptilian tail back and forth like a canine.

And so the battle raged on...

The sound of spells being casted filled the air and echoed up into the skies.

"Mishaguji-sama!"

"Firefly Phenomenon!"

"Possessed by Phoenix!?

?Virtue of Wind God!?

"Ice Sign: Icicle Fall -Phantasm-!"

"Man-Eating Hat: Pyonta!"

?Fujiyama Volcano x10!?

And all while Yuuka stood in one corner and smirked.

"Is that really all you've got?" Yuuka flipped her silky, wavy, green hair before chanting the incantations to her spell.

"I am the stalk of my rose,
A body of petals, I need no blood in my veins,
I have seen the withering away of over a thousand flowers,
Unknown to death,
Nor known to life,
I have lived through countless years of pain and suffering,
Yet I stand here today,
So now I bring to you to my world,
Let me show you,
Unlimited Flower Works..."

----------

"Wow, look at the amount of mana needed to cast that spell! But look at the pretty effects! Oh look at the time, I better save my game at this point and go grab some lunch before Ran-chama gets mad!" said Chen as she hit the pause button to save her progress so she could have lunch with her dear Ran-chama.

"World of Touhou! Such a fun game!" Chen said as she skipped down the stairs, into the kitchen, where she could smell Ran-chama's delicious-

----------

"Time's up! Pay up if you wanna continue playing!" said the owner of the new cyber-cafe in Gensokyo, Kourin. He showed Marisa his palm and showed five fingers with the other hand, "That'll be five hundred gold pieces, please..."

"Dang! This is the last time I play this stupid game here! It's so darn addicting, this 'World of World of Touhou' thing. I'mma download it myself and play it on my own PC instead. So freakin' expensive, ze! Ripoff artist!"-

...

----------

And I woke up, looked around the room and realized it was all just a dream. Oh I wish it were all real, these Touhou girls...

I love them, and this franchise...

But no matter what, I know, deep inside...

It is all just fiction...

As much as I love them, they'll never love me back...

Only in my dreams...

I look around my room, filled with plushies of every single girl from Touhou One up to Touhou Fifteen...

I looked at all my dakimakuras, untidily thrown on the bed I sit upon...

And my closet full of Touhou CDs...

I looked at my computer, still on with the fanfic I was reading up front, and the Touhou TVTropes page behind it...

I looked at my Touhou posters on the wall...

And I cried, knowing my loved ones will never love me back, and I am but a lone otaku, just sitting here, in my room, rotting all by myself, no friends to share my happiness with, my waifus are all just drawings and animations...

I will never understand the true meaning of love?

I had been long since abandoned by the people I once called family?

It was long since I had stopped schooling to sit in front of my computer every single day, just to catch up on the latest Touhou merchandise?

I covered my failure of a face with these dirty hands of mine, which will never feel the warmth of a real girl?

And I cried my heart out...

Knowing I shall always be...

Alone... forever...

==========

[CrowCakes]

Short #10, Part 1(/1)

Otherwise known as the "soliloquy of an otaku."
It's a dream in a dream in a dream! :getdown: inception

Have I mentioned I like Kourin's new business?

[CS]

More like a game within a game within a dream :V

[CS]

Short #11, Part 1(/1)

Oh how long has it been since that day when I'd come across that kind soul who took me in without further questions, all with a warm smile...

Allow me to reminisce my days before that life-altering meeting...

All I remembered was darkness...

There was nothing in my surroundings, save the void that I'd had to bear with all those years in the past...

One fateful day, everything suddenly began to perish as light shone over my skin, allowing me to feel warmth for the very first time. I saw the world for the very first time and it was but a bright white light; nothing I had imagined it to be.

However, that light, too, disappeared soon enough, fading away and becoming dimmer and dimmer every second until there was nothing left.

That was, however, something I had only imagined. Little did I realize my life had changed so much since then...

The world to me was still filled with darkness, but I felt something different this time. I felt a presence nearby, instead of the usual void...

A loud sound of breathing did I hear, coming from somewhere just slightly above the ground. And curious as I was, I approached the source of the strange noise and with my arm outstretched towards it, my fingers felt a strange warmth emanating from a soft surface; one I had never felt before.

My fingers wriggled around to feel the surface which was in a shape so strange, I could not recall having touched such a weirdly-shaped object before. Then I was replied by a soft, weak, panting voice.

"Please... stop... I beg of you... no more..."

Maybe it was all just part of my imagination...

Slowly, I continued examining the specimen. I then felt a soft, thin layer with a slight bulge. Upon further investigation, it seemed the thin layer could be easily stretched opened, revealing a soft bulge underneath. Touching it and feeling it with my fingers only made the strange breathing sounds from before grow louder...

My curiosity got the better of me after I had deduced that the bulge was removeable. Slipping my fingers into the small gap around the soft bulge, I gave it a slight tug and managed to pull it out from the specimen. A further examination showed it was a soft, round object. An ear-wrenching screech could be heard before it disappeared and became even louder breathing.

Putting my hand on the oddly-shaped surface again, I found out there was yet another bulge on it, exactly like the one before. I decided to do the same to it and removed the spherical object.

"No..." was all I had heard before it became another chilling screech, only to disappear fully, this time without any more strange noises. I was surrounded by silence once again.

With the two round objects in my hands, I began wondering. I put my hand on my face and began inspecting it, only to discover slight similarities with the oddly-shaped surface from before. I moved my fingers up my face and found two small holes below my forehead.

And then an awkward idea popped up in my head... I decided to shove the two objects I was holding into the holes on my face.

Painful as it may seem, I still found it a strangely brilliant idea at the time...

The pain lasted for what seemed like minutes, before it all wore off and I realized the void that had shrouded me and kept me company for the past decades had vanished! I began to perceive the world around me in a completely different manner.

I turned my head around to scan my surroundings, though all I found -after having searched high and low- were endless rows upon rows of bamboos that stood up tall and blocked out the sky above. I gazed down upon a body on the floor, bleeding profusely. It was no more than a female with long ears protruding from its head, with its long, purple hair covering its bloodied face. Its motionless body showed no signs of life, meaning it was but a corpse, lying naked on the grassy ground.

Paying it no heed, I decided to take a walk, viewing the world around me which had once been shrouded in darkness.

However the bamboos all looked the same and never seemed to end. Hours on end I had been walking, and still no signs of change in the bamboos...

Until I came upon a woman with an unwelcoming gaze, but quickly it turned into a warm smile as she introduced herself and offered me a home to live in, people to accompany me and of course, she offered to show me the world. Without the slightest bit of hesitation I accepted but then she began stating conditions...

I could not understand her conditions but she said I soon would. And then she brought me into a room in a mansion much, much deeper among the bamboos. She gave me a creepy smile as she left the room and closed the door behind her. "Go and understand what I had meant..." she said as I heard the door click.

It was dark once again, but this time I could sense another presence in the room besides myself, a dark figure standing behind a relatively small -in comparison to the huge room- arched door, leading to yet another huge room.

As I approached the arch, I began to perceive the dark presence even more clearly and vividly until I was to behold in a frightened stance, a mortifying creature; a horrible, inconceivable, unmentionable monstrosity that was standing before me. It looked me dead in the face with its eerily glowing, crimson eyes. Its heavily-scarred, tentacled face showed a saddened emotion of great pain and grief. It scanned me from head to toe as I did the same to it, going from its toes up its body -made up of pale, putrid, rotten flesh with some parts ripped open till its bones were visible- until our eyes met once again and locked at one another.

I understood then, why the woman had said I was one who would never be accepted if I did not follow her instructions. I'd understood the meaning in her words ever since I stretched out my fingers to that abomination within the great gilded frame; stretched out my fingers and felt the unyielding, cold surface of polished glass...

----------

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The doorknob turned, followed by a familiar voice. "Udonge, isn't it time for you t- Udonge! Didn't I teach you how to use the eyes of a lunar rabbit already? Didn't I tell you specifically NOT to break the illusion of that cute bunny-girl shell of yours? What would you do if the Princess caught you like that?"

"I'm sorry..."

I apologized as my red eyes began glowing redder and the woman looked back in a smile.

"That's better..." she said as she gestured me to move towards her. "Help me deliver some of these medicines over to the Village now, Udonge..."

"Yes, Master."

I do not want to be homeless again...

Even though I am just hiding behind this facade, my happiness is real, and I do not ever want it to end... ever...

[Wolfsbane706]

I liked 'em all.  Particularly #9.  I admittedly skipped over #8 (Too lazy to read all 23 parts.) but I did enjoy the others.  There were a few spelling mistakes here and there, and a few parts where I wasn't sure who was speaking, but nothing that could kill a story.

[CS]

@MFZBdude
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed them. Actually, I've already done some updates on my some of my past shorts, correcting some mistakes back then, and it's already been saved on my computer, but I'm just a little lazy to edit my posts :derp:
Maybe I'll do that pretty soon, I guess...

[CS]

Darn, I was writing an alternate ending for #8 and it sounded okay at first when I was writing, but when I stopped halfway and read it myself, it came to me that I've ruined it, making Yukari seem like a selfish, heartless creature who would care less about others, so I think I'm scrapping that idea... (for now, maybe, if I change my mind in the near future) but to make up for it, I thought maybe I should just go back to short one-shots for now... so...

==========
Short #12, Part 1(/1)

"Huh? Where am I?"

The young blonde girl coughed and rubbed her head, still filled with questions unanswered.

"Who am I?"

She slowly got up on her toes and scanned the room that she was in.

Nothing at all that she could remember, even though the room was maddeningly familiar; every object in every corner of the room seemingly ringing a bell, taunting her with their familiarity, yet she could not recall a single thing. Her mind was but a blank; an empty void.

Taking a few steps around the wooden-planked floor made it creak, as if it would break any time soon.

A look outside the open window made the girl gasp as she saw the dark, cloudless, scarlet sky and then a heavy feeling inside her pushed her to her knees as she coughed endlessly.

She felt her heartbeat weakening and the room began spinning.

"What's happening to me?" she thought, still coughing and unable to breathe.

Moments later, the coughing had gradually stopped and the girl was struggling to catch her breath, panting non-stop. A throbbing pain in her chest made her clutch her fist onto it, making creases on her pink blouse. She clenched her teeth together in her futile attempts to hold in the unbearable pain that only worsened as the seconds passed. Her vision blurred for a split second and a glance on the floor made the blonde girl's eyes widen.

She stared down, mortified at the pool of fresh, red blood that she had previously coughed up.

Then the pain began spreading down to her guts as she tightly held onto her stomach with her other hand. Soon, the pain went all the way down to her toes. From her knees, the girl dropped down to the floor and curled herself up into a fetal position, trembling from the sheer pain she was suffering.

Another sudden throbbing pain then started on her back and the girl let out a shriek of pain, unable to hold in her screams of pain any longer.

"Why? What did I do wrong? Why did I deserve this? At least give me a chance to redeem myself. Heck, at least let me know who I am and how I got here, darn it!" the girl's thoughts ran wild and she began cursing and swearing in her head; something one would not expect from a girl who looked as elegant, as innocent, as well-refined or as pure as she is.

And suddenly everything stopped; her pain, her suffering, her heartbeat...

A voice reached down to her from nowhere and echoed in the room.

Wake up, my child...

The girl blinked once. She put her finger on her neck to find her pulse and gasped as she was shocked that there was none.

My child...

"W-Wh-Wh-Who are you?..." the girl asked in a dry, trembling voice.

I'm sorry, my child. But here, follow me, and I shall bring you to a better place...

A ray of light shone upon the young girl. She could feel the warmth of the light quickly spread over her skin. She tried to shield herself from the blinding white light by cupping her left hand over her forehead and she squinted her eyes to take a look at what was beyond the light, but was unsuccessful.

Come my child, leave everything behind, and follow me. I shall show you what lies beyond...

"Who are you? Who am I? Are you God? Is there really a deity watching over us all like from what I have heard in stories and preaches?" the girls questions were many and they continued, yet the voice never hesitated and gave her a reply.

Hm? God, you say? Well, I guess you can put it that way... Now come my child, it's time to go...

"Wait! You still haven't answered me one important thing... Who am I?"

Sigh... Some things are not meant to be, little one... I am just so sorry... It may have been my responsibility to look after you, no? ALL of you, all my children, but it is just not within my powers to care for you, Rin...

And with that the voice began sobbing.

I'm sorry, my child...

This was all followed by the sound of a click... and then another... followed by the yet another... and  then the girl named Rin vanished into thin air under the ray of light...

The room was left empty. Not a single soul in it at all, not even a hint of life...

Only a portrait sat by itself on the dressing table, by the mirror. The portrait -showing Rin's graceful smile, tidily kept hair and big red ribbon neatly tied onto the back of her wavy, blonde hair- was left alone for the years to come.

The voice's sobbing continued on for days and nights...

One day, my child... The great ZUN himself may not be able to keep you existing alongside your fellow sisters in this mystical land of Gensokyo? but I'm sure one day... one day you shall be reborn, under someone else's care... and you shall live on in the hearts of all your sisters?

==========

[locoroco1]

...Interesting.

[CrowCakes]

But Yukari IS a heartless, selfish creature-

*Crow is shot

The last part felt really funny. It's also a bit out of place, but I guess that was what made it funny in the first place.

[CS]

Short #13, Part (1/1)

Lightning flashed in the dark, starless sky, accompanied by the loud booming roars of thunder. The sound of heavy rain was all that filled the ears of the two girls...

"C'mon, why can't we just get a move on?"

"Because this stupid rain doesn't look like it's gonna stop anytime soon," the black-haired shrine maiden groaned at the happy-go-lucky blonde witch who smiled back in reply. "I for one am not returning home all soaked and drenched. That nosy tengu will surely be there to snap that camera of hers at me. I have a reputation to uphold, you know? Unlike a certain notorious thief..."

"Hey! It's called borrowing!" the witch's voice became slightly annoyed. "Besides, Reimu, you just don't want to get those delicious armpits of yours wet, am I right?"

"Shut up, thief! Sigh. I guess I have no choice but to put up with you and your nonsense here until the rain stops-"

"Face it, Reimu. We're lost, and the rain is just making it worse. Just admit it, we can't find our way back. All we can do now is-"

"I know the way out! Okay? Sheesh! Just shut up already, Marisa! I just need to remember how we got out the last time..." Reimu turned away from her companion. Deep inside, she knew they were helplessly lost, no matter how much she denies it...

The Bamboo Forest of the Lost...

Its name says nothing less about its capabilities... Even the bravest and most well-coordinated who venture inside will find themselves lost within this ever-changing maze. It is a labyrinth that never stops changing. The bamboos are always shifting their positions.

"Hey Reimu, let's do something to pass the time, shall we?" Marisa asked with a smile.

"No." Reimu snorted as she replied and proceeded to rest her back against the wooden wall of that tiny hut they had found and used as a temporary shelter from the rain.

...

Hours have passed, yet the rain showed no sign of ever stopping or even calming down. The two girls could only sit and watch the raindrops as they fell, one at a time...

Boredom filled their eyes. There was nothing else they could do except sit and wait... and wait... and wait...

"ARGGHHH! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" the shrine maiden leapt up from her seated position and ran out into the rain.

"REIMU! WAIT!" Marisa shouted at her but to no avail. So the black-white witch, without hesitation, got up and chased after her friend into the rain.

"REIMU! ARE YOU CRAZY!? COME BACK HERE!" she continued, running as fast as she could, until she managed to catch up...

However...

Upon contact between her palm and the shrine maiden's bare shoulder, the two fell into a deep, seemingly bottomless pit. Their screams echoed from the depths of the pit, slowly softening, trailing off until the point where they could be heard no more...

...

"Ugh... where... am I?" Reimu opened her eyes, unable to make out what was going on, with only a glaring white light on the ceiling...

The sound of metals scraping against one another filled the room, much to the annoyance of the shrine maiden.

Gritting her teeth and letting out a soft groan caught somebody's attention... and it wasn't her blonde friend Marisa...

"Oh, you're awake?" a mysterious voice said.

"Who are you!? Let me go! You don't know who you're messing with!" Reimu attempted to get up from the soft bed ?much like those one could find in a hospital- where she lay, only to realise her arms and legs were strapped onto the bed. "Hey! What gives!?"

"No use struggling. You and your friend there are in for some fun. I've injected a drug in you; all usage of magic has been disabled. Its effect lasts for, say, seven days?"

"What!?" the shrine maiden continued to struggle despite all her attempts to break free being absolutely futile.

"Wait... this voice..." Reimu thought to herself, recognising a familiarity in the voice, as if she had heard it before.

"I just wanna conduct a little experiment on the three of you..." the voice said.

Memories flooded back and Reimu began to recall the owner of the voice. "Wait... Wasn't this woman-"

"Originally, I was gonna try it on Udonge and Tewi, but I felt pity for Tewi, crying and begging for mercy, saying she would find replacements, so I decided to just let her be. And lookie here, she didn't let me down; she found two replacements instead, how fun! Now I'll finally get to test this out..."

"I remember you!" the shrine maiden finally recalled as the figure approached her. "You're that crazy doctor who was helping that moon princess with that endless night incident years ago! Wait, what are you doing with thos- HOLD UP!"

"Huh? Doctor Yagokoro, was it? What are you doing with those pliers?" Marisa interrupted as the woman was nearing Reimu, unknowingly saving her friend. The witch began blinking her eyes several times, still not fully conscious.

"Oh, you're awake too?" the silver-haired woman turned to Marisa. "Good, I wanna know how much this hurts, so I wanna do this when you are all conscious and fully aware of every little bit of pain you feel. Feel free to scream as much as you want, I'll be sure to jot down every single detail... Okay, I think it's time to get Udonge..."

The woman walked over to a metal door not too far away, unlocking it and opening it. Then out crawled a naked, crying, purple-haired bunny girl on all fours...

"Please, Master... don't do this..." the bunny girl pleaded, tears streaming down her face, but was paid no heed.

"Woah!" Marisa's jaw dropped open when she realised what she had just seen.

"Is that woman crazy!?" Reimu's eyes widened.

"What did she do to you?" Marisa asked.

"*sob* Please... Why are you doing this, Master... Why? *sob*" the bunny girl completely ignored the two...

No surprise, really. She was undoubtedly in a state of shock... Her mouth stained with dried blood from her gums; every single tooth forcefully pulled out from her mouth. The tendons behind her knees were cut off, disabling her ability to stand upright. She could only remain on all fours, crawling around like an animal. Her eyes were still filled with endless tears.

"I am gonna make you all one..." the woman suddenly said, appearing right above Reimu, shadowing her from the glaring white light.

With a push on a button underneath the bed, the straps around the shrine maiden's arms and legs tightened. The woman brought out two metal blocks, connected with a screw in the middle, applying them on both sides of Reimu?s face and screwing it, locking her head in place. The icy-cold chill of metal ran down the shrine maiden?s face, slowly tightening around her cheeks.

The woman drew close to Reimu as they went face-to-face. The woman's sinister grin grew as she slowly brought the pliers closer and closer to Reimu's face. The poor girl's face grew more and more worried. Terror was written all over her face. Marisa could only watch and scream, begging the woman to stop, unable to do anything else herself.

The rusty old pliers locked around both sides of Reimu's white, clean front teeth and with all her might. The doctor pulled them out like a gardener removing the weeds from his garden. Tears rolled down the poor shrine maiden's face and her screams echoed throughout the room. Her scream, along with Marisa's, blended together into the air, creating a terrifying wail ?like a banshee?s- and resounding in the sadistic woman's ears, appearing as melodious music to her.

And the worst part is... This is just the beginning...

...

The shrine maiden awoke, crying, but unable to make a single sound from her mouth, afraid of the immense pain it would cause her if she did. She wasn't alone in her pain, of course...

Marisa was on all fours behind her, jerking tears from her eyes like there was no tomorrow. For someone as tough as her to be crying like this, one can only imagine the pain all three of them were going through...

Reimu could only continue staring at the fair behind of the bunny girl Reisen -with bandages wrapped around it and to the back of her head, enclosing her face to it; her mouth attached, all according to the plans of the sick doctor- as Reimu silently sobbed and wept in her heart...

"Oh no..." Reisen let out a cry. "I'm sorry... I can't... any longer... Please... forgive me..."

?Watch, Tewi..." the silver-haired woman grinned from a meter or two away and standing beside her was the pink-dressed rabbit girl, eyes wide open, stupefied and mortified at the horrible, indescribable, despicable sight...

The doctor?s sadistic grin grew...

"This is the interesting part of this centipede... Now observe... my creation..."

[CrowCakes]

Eirin has way too much time on her hands. Also, you now have me thinking about teeth, or the lack of it. :V

[CS]

^Well, when you live in a forest of bamboos and the closest person to you is a NEET who only lies down in her room watching TV all day, it's no surprise if you just sat down one day and an idea pops up in your head after watching movies with her, right?

This one is me trying something different instead...

==========
Short# 14, Part 1(/1)

It was a bright, sunny Sunday morning. Oh what a fine day it was to just hang out with your friends, don't you think? It's a weekend; no school, everybody's free; best day of the week, ain't it?

And so today, we join none other than the notorious little girl who causes nothing but mischief, yup that's right, the short blue-haired fairy, self-proclaimed 'Strongest'... Cirno!

'What a lovely day today, I think I'll go hang out at Sunny's place', Cirno said-

"Hey! Eye said nuthin like dat!" the ice fairy stood with her hands on her hips and her eyes gazing into the (ummm... One... Two... Three... Oh yeah,) fourth wall, and-

"Stop it! Why am Eye talking in blue!? Who are you!? Are ye' some kinda God!?"

No Cirno, I am the narrator and-

"Enuf! Oi! Make me talk normally again, or else eye'll cyro free-... Yeah that's better... Now narrate!"

Okay... As I was saying... Ahem...

Cirno was just taking a stroll by the Misty Lake.

"Hmm... What shud Eye do today, then?" the ice fairy mumbled to herself. "School's off and- oo!" with a sudden pause, the ice fairy once again looked into the fourth wall, "Oi! Mr. Narrator! Take me to Sunny's place! If Eye recall, we were all invited to her place for breakfast, and maybe just hang out like we usually do, so take me there, NOW!"

Now, now Cirno, I'm a narrator, not a magic carpet. I can't bring you there in a blink of an eye, you know...

"Sigh... So Eye have to do it myself? You're lame, mister..."

The ice fairy yawned and- OI! DON'T STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE TO ME LIKE THAT YOU LITTLE BRAT! OR I'MMA-

*cough*

Hey... Cirno?

"What?"

Please, Cirno... You see, I just got this job, and I don't wanna lose it on my first day and all, and I have a wife and kids to take care of, you know?... So please,... can we just. .. get along now?

"Hmph!"

Cirno? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

"Hmmm... Make dat a ton of cherries and you've got yourself a deal!"

Yeah, sure, fine, whatever...

"Alrighty then! Let's get on with the story..."

Thanks Cirno!

Okay, so where were we?... Oh yea, ahem...

And so, with that idea in mind, the ice fairy skipped along, happily down the lake, headed towards her destination: Sunny's place.

...

"Hey everybody! Eye'm here!" Cirno exclaimed at the top of her lungs as she swung the door open.

"Oh, you're here!" said Luna.

"Come in!" Sunny gestured the ice fairy an invitation inside. "Chen just called up, she'll be joining us today! Isn't that great?"

"Oh, great!" Cirno's smile grew wide.

"Did I hear my name?" said a mysterious voice from inside the closet.

*click*

"Hey... Ummm... Sunny-chan? Luna-chan? I need a little help, I think I just locked myself inside..." the voice continued.

"EEK! Sunny! Is that a monster in your closet!?" screamed Luna.

Oh whoever could it be in there?

"Uhh... Cirno?" Sunny poked her friend with an index finger. "What's that voice?"

"That voice in the closet?" Cirno asked. "Eye think it sounded a lot like Chen..."

"No," the happy demeanor on Sunny's face turned into one of worry. "I mean that coarse male voice that keeps describing everything we do and imitating everything we say in a very... Gay way?"

Hey!

"EEK!"

Sunny! I've had enough! Gay? Gay!? GAY!?!?!? I'll have you all know, I have the most beautiful voice ever! I once auditioned in American Idol and had Simon Cowell watch in awe! I once performed a miracle by cheating death after someone had a premonition of me dying in a bizzare accident, and how? By singing! Heck, my voice is so beautiful I made Chuck Norris cry!

"Hey, mister..."

What is it, Cirno!?

"Uhhh... Eye don't know a thing you're sayin' but... The story... Let's just get on with i- OI! WHY AM EYE TALKING IN BLUE AGA- okay, that's better..."

Ahem...

Sunny, before you say anything, shut u-

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Yeah, just ignore that, it's just Rumia and Mystia at the door; Wriggle's just a few metres from your front doorstep, but whatever. Sunny, I'm the narrator, I know everything, this is my first time on the job, so please, as a fellow colleague, can we just get along? No, don't answer that, I'm not giving you a choice, it's either a yes or a yes, so let's just move on, shall we? No, don't answer that either, let's just move on!

Ahem...

Oh, whoever could it be?

"Eye'm da strongest! Eye'll go! Sunny, you go answer da door!" said Cirno as she gulped and- "EYE DID NOT GULP! EYE'M NOT EVEN SCARED!"

ARGGGHHHH! I JUST WANNA MAKE IT SOUND MORE DRAMATIC! Okay, fine!

All brave and mighty, the ice fairy unlocked the closet from the outside, like a boss.

"Chen! It's you!" she said, like a boss. The ice fairy helped the nekomata up -like a boss- and gave her a warm, welcoming smile -like a boss- as she held her hand -like a boss- and enquired the nekomata, like a boss.

"How'd you get in there?" Cirno asked, like a bo- "WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!? AND WHY AM EYE- sigh, yeah that's better..."

"Oh, Yukari-chama decided to gap me in here to surprise you girls,... but then... uuu..." Chen's face grew red.

Meanwhile, at the front door, Sunny was greeted by four more friends: Rumia, Mystia, Wriggle and Daiyousei.

The eight girls then sat around the table, eagerly awaiting their meal.

"And without further ado, tadah!" Sunny served a huge plate with stacks upon stacks of pancakes. "Haha, I just learnt how to make them and I conveniently bought this metal cooking device from that blue-haired Kappa a few days ago, so... Haha, I just wanted to give it a try... I mean, it's something new for a change, right?"

Everyone took one piece each, clapped their hands together and...

"Itadaki-"

"Wait!" Chen interrupted. "On my way here I bumped into this blonde witch in a trench coat. She sold me this packet of sugar; said 'It's the best, ze! Try it!' and so I did. So... You guys wanna put some on top of those pancakes?"

"Sure, why not?" Sunny said with a smile.

"Wait, guys... Where's Star?" Dai said, scratching her head while looking everywhere for the fairy in blue.

"Oh, her? She's still at Kourin's," Cirno said as she poured some sugar from the packet onto the pancake on her plate. "She's gotta work off her debt from back then in his first and only entry for the WWC. Remember? When we were all at Kourin's? When Star decided to pay for all of us?"

"Huh?" a question mark appeared above everyone else's heads. "Who do you mean by 'him'? Entry? What WWC?"

The ice fairy let out a sigh as she passed the sugar around. "Never mind..."

When everyone was done...

"Itadakimasu~"

Everyone took a bit-

"Wait... Eye have a question... Wasn't Chen gapped in here? Then how'd she meet Marisa 'on her way here'?"

STOP QUESTIONING THE PLOTHOLES AND TAKE A FREAKIN' BITE ALREADY!!! *pant*

Okay...

So everyone took a bite and...

"Why is the room spinning?" Dai asked.

"Weee~ firefliez evrywheree~" Wriggle said.

"Mystia?" Rumia called out. "Kentucky! Omnomnom!"

The three fairies, Sunny Milk, Luna Child and Cir'Strongest'no began singing...

"♪~I'm on shrooms, yay~♪"

Wait... What's this?...

*reads script*
*squint eyes*

And then Barney appears... and says...

"You see kids? Never do drugs, and never talk to strangers, especially Marisa. And remember kids,... I love you...
I love you,
You love me,
We're a-"

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!? WHO WROTE THIS ANYWAY!?

Okay, you know what? I can't take it anymore, I QUIT!

==========