/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Shameimaru was not leaving the Hakurei Shrine without something, regardless of Reimu's decree that she had to get permission from Yamame to do the story - Which I supposed was turning into something more like a biography at this point, even though I was definitely too young to have a biography at all. "Well," She said, looking like she'd recovered from her momentary setback, "We can still get started now, can't we?" She leaned forward and lifted one of her pictures from the stack.

Reimu growled, making me wonder if she'd been entirely freed from possession in that Animal Realm incident that Lady Kasen had mentioned. She'd been mostly disapproving about it, though. "No, you absolutely cannot. Did you listen to a word I said?" Her temper seemed like it had been simmering right underneath the surface and it was just about to come out to play. Shameimaru watched Reimu and dropped the photograph she had picked up back onto the table.

"Reimu, you're getting a bit too close, thank you very much." Shameimaru leaned back slightly when Reimu almost tried to go straight over the table at her, so I was forced to grab her by the waist again and drag her backward. "Ooh, scary, scary. Now, if you'd like to relax before your head explodes, I'll explain myself. Yes, I will, as you have...Requested, get permission from Yamame Kurodani before I get to work on this in earnest, but if this is to be as all-encompassing as I'd like it to be, then I don't need Yamame's permission for all of the things that happened earlier, do I? His dates? His time at Eientei? Do you understand, or am I going to have to beat it into your skull?" Shameimaru watched Reimu seethe for a month, then clicked her tongue. "I'll extend you an olive branch, if I must. Anything he tells me now, I'll destroy if Yamame says no. On my honour as a tengu."

She had a point, I supposed, and even if I told her some things now, it wasn't as if Yamame still couldn't tell her no later on. Plus, that promise was an attractive addition. "You - You are so lucky that I have such good control of my temper." At that, it was Shameimaru and I who looked at each other as we tried to figure out if she was serious. "So...Okay. But if you don't keep to that promise, I'll find you. I'll break into the tengu city itself if I have to." She leaned forward, and I tightened my arms around her waist just in case. "And I will hurt you."

"Scary, scary indeed." Shameimaru muttered. "Whatever did you do with our usual lackadaisical Shrine Maiden?" She sat, watching Reimu curiously.

"I am Reimu Hakurei." Reimu Hakurei growled, her voice low and deadly. "And I take care of my family."

"Scary, sc- Okay, actually, the impact is kind of diminished when he's got his arms wrapped around you like that. Are you done with the threats? It's a little bit unoriginal at this point." Shameimaru placed her brown cap on the table and shoved her tokin into her jacket pocket before ruffling her hair with a free hand. "As I was saying before your bloodlust took over, I'll honour that promise. Is that good enough?" She looked at me for confirmation, and I agreed with a slightly faster than usual nod. Mostly so that Reimu would get over it before she decided that it was time to crack a few heads open.

"Good! Now, I'd like to start with..." She lifted that photograph that she'd dropped before, then slid it across the table. I reached out and stopped it with my finger, then flipped it over. It was a picture of me...In mid-air. Falling, from the looks of it. The picture had been taken from somewhere slightly above my position, and below me, I could see the green of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Summer, it appeared, and there was a little speck that looked almost like a person. "Here's where my story begins." Shameimaru said brightly. "When I was spy- Er, when I was investigating Eientei, and suddenly, there was one of my crows, telling me that some idiot from the village who stole other people's ancestors was falling from the sky." In consternation, I exclaimed that I'd not known that I was going to upset the crows because I'd buried one who was dead. I'd thought I was doing a nice thing! Shameimaru smirked at me. "Considering the potential ramifications of your actions would certainly have been good for you, wouldn't it? Especially with some of these other dates."