/jp/ - Otaku Culture

"Alright, everyone looking!? Three, two, one..." The camera flashed. I couldn't stop the nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that I'd been blinking at the exact moment it had gone off, but fortunately, Shameimaru took multiple extra pictures anyway. "Done!" She called, raising her hand again. "Pictures for the first half are done!"

A collective sigh of relief rippled through everyone. "Wow, I thought my legs were about to fall off." Kisami muttered. "That wouldn't have looked very good, would it?"

"If you have to ask, it's too late for you anyway." Yura replied, poking her taller sister in the shoulder. "I feel like I need to go and have a nap now."

"Or something to eat." Ruka added. "Wonder if Miss Kazami's got any more of that bread..."

Miss Yuuka had managed to very silently walk right past us to stand directly behind the group of spiders. "Miss Kazami does, in fact." She said, making all of them jump. Fortunately, they managed to not try and scatter. "My lovely gatekeeper can bring some of it out shortly. If you do not mind the possibility of horrifying agony, you may venture into my home on your own in search of it." She paused while the sisters stared at her in horror. "No? Hmm, perhaps that is for the best." She seemed happy to continue in her own teasing manner, then.

Unfortunately for Yamame and me, we were not given a moment's rest, because Kasen approached us next. "That - That was..." one of the Four Heavenly Kings stood in front of me, her eye twitching much like Yamame's had. She kept clenching and unleashing her hand, the motion sending the muscles rippling up her arm. "It was - G-Good. The ceremony was...Lovely. Like the ones I saw in the past." She nodded frantically, her hair bouncing. "I'm- I'm glad that it could be given the respect it deserved and - A-And..." and finally, she broke. Ibaraki-Douji burst into tears and launched forward, her arms wide enough to grab hold of both of us. "It was so beautiful! The pledge and the sake drinking and - And the dance that Reimu did! Oh, I'm so happy that I'm alive to see this!" She was hugging us both now, very tightly. I was being denied oxygen from the way her bicep was pressing into my cheek, and Yamame was stuck to Kasen's arm on the other side, which might have been fine if it wasn't for the fact that her arm was now awkwardly pushing into my ribs. "I love you two!" Kasen cried, her voice cracking apart from the tears spilling from her eyes. "If anyone ever tries to mess with you or with this wedding, I'll tear them limb from limb!"

I finally managed to force something out in a raspy, slurred whisper, which I used to tell Kasen that we appreciated it. My free, flailing hand managed to reach her back, where I could pat it encouragingly. "K-Kasen, Can't- Breath!" Yamame croaked.

Fortunately, Kasen seemed to get the message, suddenly releasing us. "Oh no! Are you both okay!? Did I hurt you!?" She got a little closer, lifting each of us off of the ground with no effort at all. Her face, soaked in tears, immediately shifted to elation when she realised that, no, she had not crushed us. "Oh, good!"

Finally released, Yamame and I were forced to prop each other up until we were capable of standing again. "I thought Raki learnt boundaries about this stuff..." Yamame gasped, massaging her throat.

"I did learn boundaries!" Kasen told us, nodding hurriedly. "And I didn't mean to hurt you." She raised her hands, chains jingling. "I just - Uh, get a bit excited at weddings." Suddenly, she looked away. "No, a bit scatterbrained. " She muttered to herself. "Scatterbrained? That doesn't sound good." She paused, silent for a second, then looked back at us. "I get a bit overwhelmed at weddings. Er, emotionally." Yamame and I looked at each other with some confusion. For the supposedly merged form of Ibaraki-Douji, she did seem to be in two minds about things. "Anyway, I'm very happy for you. Not many get to experience having an oni attend their wedding peacefully. If anyone even dares to cause trouble, I'll - I'll make them sorry for even thinking about it." We nodded, and I thanked her for the hard work she was putting into keeping herself collected.

"Hey!" Reimu called, and we turned from where we were standing to look over at the Shrine Maiden. She had been joined by Marisa and Miss Narumi, who'd seemingly only just arrived. "Come over here, you two!" She beckoned Yamame and me over, so we had to say goodbye for now to Kasen, who waved slightly shakily.

>>15449050
...!!!!