/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46826350 (1/3)
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Heart pounds, body hurts all over and I'm barely… Here, a sort of static buzzing in my ears and making the world around me—apprentices huddled together around me, shaking and reciting once carefree prayers wistfully. Below the flames consumed the village, the only two safe places being the unscathed markets of the HSE and Miko's golden pillar; and above, a sky made of blends of pitch black, gold and red—oddly deaf. Perhaps hemorrhage-induced stupor? It is a death by thousands of paper—pressurized air—cuts, after all; I'm so tired, too. That birthday party never ended. Yukari is watching; is Hana safe? I hope so. Did I leave the oven on? I don't remember turning it off; I wanted to cook something nice for Hana… What the hell am I doing here? Why did I meddle? Well, I wanted to protect the people of the village; of course I wanted to, yet nothing has improved. Things have only worsened—

“S-Sanae-sama…” Sayori's voice, my possibly smartest but also most stupid apprentice, jolts me back to consciousness.

… I zoned out?!

This split second moment could've killed me and my apprentices. What the hell, Sanae Kochiya?! You're fighting one of your strongest opponents to date!

Such an opponent that keeps watching, still like a monolith, her eyes wide and waiting for a reply to a question that hits like a violent gut punch, overpowering the agony of the cut eye and the broken arm: She had the perfect opportunity to attack, yet just stood there… She hasn't completely lost her mind, which comes through in those piercing words—only good hand trembling; of course I know what my interference is causing her! What I wouldn't give to stop this pointless fight, arrest Mr. Hieda; get him to religious trial under Suwako-sama…

If Mokou kills us, she'll swoop down and burn all the Hieda Clan into fine ash, even the innocent maids and children…

But then what? Without the Hieda Clan, the Human village has no ruler, leaving it wide open for a war of succession; one Keine and Miko would've pacified.

With just Miko to pick up the pieces and this catastrophic event, the village will be pulled apart and soon cannibalize itself…

No, Mokou cannot kill all the Hiedas; there are still people there who did not lift a finger against her and, with the revolution shattered, those people will be necessary to regain a semblance of order… Otherwise, others will exploit the chaos—eyes move to the HSE, Yukari's figure holding Hana with triumph in her eyes a nightmare… But also a source of strength. Hands clench and, breathing in and out, lungs burning, I whisper to my apprentices. “Retreat. Don't even think of getting close… Whoever does loses three 'Good Girl Stars'~” The attempt of humor doesn't soothe their frightened eyes or clean the grime, tears, burns or blood from their skin… But a few giggles echoed, snuffing hell for but a moment, and I prayed one day, amidst them, Hana would laugh too.

Without looking back, I fly towards Mokou, her trembling hands leaving those pockets and eyes on the golden pillar, heartbreak and vengeance etched in her crimson irises. “Get out of my way.” She speaks in a tone that is like a weak campfire in the middle of a snowstorm—constantly extinguished but frustratingly trying to find a spark again. It felt miserable. Heart thumping and holding the gohei tensely, I get within a meter of the immortal; my apprentices watch from the sidelines, prepared to cast seals to stop Mokou's infernal flames. “Just get out of my way; they deserve this…”

My intuition was right, sadly: that brief moment of hesitation; standing here, waiting. Hidden, quivering hands.

“You are gonna kill everyone down there, right?” I ask, the acrid air passing through the rifts in my uniform soothing the maimed skin underneath. Mokou… doesn't really react, groaning before turning her eyes downwards, searching the clouds of black smoke and waves of fire, my heart clenching; where's the bite? Where's the overwhelming pain that was there until a moment ago? Despite having torn her to pieces few minutes ago, those eyes that dodge mine… That's what death looks like, and it tastes sour, my heartbeat growing to a crushing pound. “We can keep on fighting and, at whatever point, you may kill me and my girls… The youngest of them is just 11, Mokou—”

“—Do you think I care?! Do you think I haven't killed children before?” She barks, yet holds not an ounce of power. A wounded beast, whose facade my next words destroy:

“You may then kill Mr. Hieda and his samurai and destroy the state… But that won’t be enough, right? So you’ll get into the bunker below the state me and my apprentices reinforced with seals.” She pauses, gawking at me from above. That information should've stayed a secret, but that doesn't matter anymore. “You’ll kill the pregnant women and children hidden in there, ending the Hieda Clan. After that, I assure you something: nothing…” Hana gently nestled in Reimu’s arms. “… will change the fact that you've failed her.”