>Thread two~
Congratulations.
[x] Yes

[x] Yes

[x] Yes

Well she didn't sell us out to Yukari, she just had just pull off her ribbon as to kill those two. I think our fate is now tied in with hers.

[x] Yes

[??] No.

Gotta be honest here.

[ ] Yes
I'm inclined to trust her as of now...

I'm reminded of the Scorpion and the Farmer.

If we trust her, then we have to believe that we're youkai, forsaking our humanity. More than simply asking for permission to hurt us, I think she wants to make us her shikigami.

If we don't trust her, then we still believe we're human, but she is still a youkai so we'll have to start running. We already made a decision to stop running just now; moreover after avenging ourselves on the one who turned out life into a waking nightmare

[x] Reach up and touch the hand cupping your cheek.
[x] "I have indebted myself to you thrice. The first debt was paid. I removed the ribbon, and while you saved my life and avenged the death of my mother in the process, I cannot help but believe it was you who benefited most from this. Even as you hid me from my pursuers, you led me by the hand to this place of conflict. So, do I trust you? Truthfully, I am conflicted."
[x] "But if that is what you wish of me to fulfill my second debt, then I will trust you with my whole heart."

Master: Rumia
Servant: ??"
2 command seals remaining

>>26216
Interesting...

[x] Reach up and touch the hand cupping your cheek.
[x] "I have indebted myself to you thrice. The first debt was paid. I removed the ribbon, and while you saved my life and avenged the death of my mother in the process, I cannot help but believe it was you who benefited most from this. Even as you hid me from my pursuers, you led me by the hand to this place of conflict. So, do I trust you? Truthfully, I am conflicted."
[x] "But if that is what you wish of me to fulfill my second debt, then I will trust you with my whole heart."

>>26216

The problem is that you're assuming that's giving up whatever humanity is left.

And I think it's too late to go "I'm not a Youkai" especially not after we slashed Chen to ribbons.

Also a few youkai try to hang on to their human parts such as Alice.

I'm going to call it for "yes". The write in is fundamentally the same, but a little wordy for our protagonist.

Not the longest update, but it's here.

-----

[Q] Yes

You reach up and place your own hand over hers. This girl... this woman... has been nothing but kind to you. You won't betray that. It doesn't matter if she's a youkai.

"Yes." Your voice is hoarse.

Her expression turns surprised, then softens.

"Really... you are just like her..."

She blinks, and you think you see moisture in her eyes. She moves her hand up, placing her palm over your eye.

"This may hurt some, but it will keep you alive.."

What is she talking about..."

A tingling sensation spreads across your face. Sharp, needle like pangs form in your eye.

"W-what are you-."

Pain, shooting back into your head like a spike. Your eye throbs, like it's about to burst open. Your breathing becomes erratic. The pain is too much.

Rumia pulls back her hand. You lie there, gasping, clutching at your eye.

"it's so small in here. Too small to stretch out my wings." She flexes the black wings on her back for emphasis.

She turns back to you and smiles.

"Isn't it great? You'll be able to go home soon.."

She notices something.

"Oh... they'll be here for you soon." She lets out a chuckle. "I have things to do know. Be good and wait for me, okay?"

She vanishes in a swirl of black feathers. You hear hurried footsteps. Human. They stop at the edge of the town.

"What is this... youkai? But what was strong enough to do this..."A man's voice, laced with astonishment. There are two others with him. Their heartbeats are speeding up, making them glow red. Everything is too bright, but you can't shut it out. "Hey, is that a person?"

They run over to you. Too bright. You can't close your eye.

"Are you alright? Kid?"

The world goes blessedly black.

-----

More coming later, maybe today.

Uh oh.

Getting this out before bed.

-----

When you were a child, your mother sat and the edge of your bed and wove grand adventures with her voice. When she spoke of the heroes, you could almost see them, and you hide under the covers in fear when she spoke of the monsters.

You always remembered the stories she told you. They were tales of friendship, of saviors, of monsters that weren't always. Late at night, you would lie wide eyed on your bed, picturing the world she showed you.

Her stories were always full of emotion and color. The world from her stories... it was a world you fell in love with. Sometimes, you wished you could live in that world.

-----

Waking up, you stare at a dark ceiling that you don't recognize. There's something over your eye, but you can still make out the lines of the wood, and the shape of your hand. You sit up in your futon. This room... it's Keine's house, isn't it? You touch your head. Bandages? What are these doing-

Your eye throbs painfully, eliciting a small cry from you. You clutch your hand over it.

Why can you still see the wall? It should be too dark. Your hand should be there. It should be covered with bandages. So why?

You start breathing rapidly. The throbbing in your eye gets faster, stronger.

The door slides open with a clunk. A woman, young, her heartbeat steady. She nearly drops the tray in her hands, managing to set it on the floor before running up to you.

"Are you alright?"

She places her hands on your shoulders. She's talking to you urgently. You clutch your hand tighter. She places her hand over yours. The image disappears. You exhale in relief.

"What happened to you?"

You recognize her voice.

"Keine...?"

"Yes?"

You squint into the darkness, looking for her.

"What time is it?"

She takes a deep breath.

"I think... it's about noon."

-----

More coming tomorrow.

>Not the longest update, but it's here.

Better than most.

Oh shit did we just get Zato'd?

Some kind of synethesia, I guess.

Sorry for all of these short updates. I figured it's better to keep going than stop until I can write big ones again.

-----

Noon? But it's so dark...

You take a deep breath to brace yourself as you carefully remove Keine's hand from your eye. The room returns in monochrome, and you look around. Keine is a clear outline, her heartbeat sending out pulses of red. You can see the wall behind her as well. Standing up, you walk over to the window.

Experimentally, you hold your hand near your other eye. You can just barely see the shape of your hand. With a heave, you pull up the window and stick your head out.

You can see the edge of the forest. You look up higher. Above the treetops, there's nothing but black. No sun, no clouds, no stars, no moon.

"Hold on just a moment, let me get-"

A quiet scraping makes you turn, only to be blinded by light.

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

Keine runs over to you with a lamp in her hand. Little pains flash under the bandages while you squint your good eye against the sudden brightness. Keine places her hand over the bandage again, and both the pain and the picture vanish. You wait a few moments to adjust to the light.

"Why is it so dark?"

She looks torn.

"M-more importantly, what happened to you?"

She's speaking hopefully. You think, then grimace.

"I don't want to talk about it. Keine, why is it dark?"

She bites her lip.

"This morning, the sun didn't rise."

----

I'm not entirely happy with my writing, but I'm trying to keep up the pace.

>I'm not entirely happy with my writing, but I'm trying to keep up the pace.

If you need to slow down, fast updates are nice and all, but if you keep pushing yourself too hard you are just gonna burn yourself out. It has happened to several writefags.

>>26325

Rumia is now the true queen of the night... I wonder what our role in the way of things is now...

>>26207
Knew I wasn't wrong.

A new, longer, update.

>>26331
I was actually surprised there weren't more "no" votes.

-----

"Didn't rise? What do you mean?"

"Just that. Last night never ended."

"How could that-" No. You know how.

-----

"How do you do that?" You ask, sitting on the bank of the river, dangling your feet. Knee-deep in the stream, her skirt up around her waist, Rumia is catching fish for dinner.

"it's just something I can do." As she speaks, she plunges a huge black ball into the water. She reaches under, pulling up an armful of fish easily as large as your arm. "it's a like breathing, really~"

-----

it's like breathing, really...

"You know something, don't you?"

You snap back to reality with Keine only a few inches away from your face. There's an alien intensity in her features that's somehow unnerving. Somehow, you don't flinch in the slightest.

Your gazes lock, expressionless. She breaks first, exhaling and looking away.

"Alright, I'll stop prying if that's what you want."

She gives you a half-smile, and you do your best to return it.

"Oh! I almost forgot!"

Keeping her hand over your eye, she reaches into her dress and pulls out a paper talisman. She presses it into your hands.

"The priest that found you made this. He said it would help your eye."

You try to read the symbols.

Keine reaches down beside her and and turns off the lamp. She slowly removes her hand and exits the room, closing the door softly behind her.

The seal in your hand shines like a beacon to your covered eye. Letters crawl across it organically, somehow whispering in faint colors. They read ?no sight?.

Keine said it was made by a priest, right? It should be fine.

It tingles briefly as you place it over the bandages. The feeling is not unlike when Keine's hand was there. It doesn't feel bright anymore, in fact, you can see better through your other eye.

You stand up, your muscles aching from fatigue. For once, you're still fully clothed. Your hand bumps into something metal on the ground next to you. You pick it up, carefully.

The cold, rough surface is immediately familiar. Suppressing a shudder, you place the knife in your pocket. For some reason, you're still reluctant to get rid of it.

You nearly trip over the tray Keine left near the door. Cursing and holding your foot, you hastily place the scattered contents back into the bowl as best you can. They feel like apples. You take a bite of one, tucking several more into your clothing for later.

-----

My writing hand glows with an awesome power! I! AM! A! WRITEFAG!

I like this story, probably the only one which has EX-Rumia as a villain. Please proceed.

Today's update.

-----

You carefully slide open the door. Your strength is coming back already, and you're getting restless. Since you doubt it'll be getting light anytime soon, you resolve to go outside.

Your mental map of Keine's house is vague at best, and it takes you nearly twenty minutes to find the front door. You get an eerie feeling when you open it, only for it to be just as dark, if not darker, outside. You check through your clothes for the lighter, until-

Right. She took it, didn't she? You grimace, managing after several minutes to locate a lantern and some matches. You light it and step into the street for the third time.

-----

The streets are surprisingly populated. It seems the every other house has a lantern or torch by the door. All the stalls and shops are lit up, casting little pools of light into the street.

You take a while to marvel at how casually these people seem to have accepted the situation. it's as if they had decided that if the sun wasn't going to come up, they'd just go on without it.

This atmosphere... it reminds you of a festival you went to once with your mother. There were colored lanterns strung up, back and forth over the street. You clung to your mother's yukata in the river of people, staring in awe at the stalls, entranced by the noise...

A sense of déjà vu brings you out of your reminiscence. The street here looks familiar, somehow. You feel someone staring at you and turn to meet their gaze. They quickly turn away and hurry on. As you walk on, you notice progressively more people staring; all of them turn away as you look at them.

Is... is it the seal? Your eye pulsates softly when you touch it. Feeling a deal more self-conscious, you duck down your head and listen to the tapping of your sandals on the ground. A strangely parked stall catches your eye.

Isn't that the same one you ate at before? You walk up to it, peering in through the steam.

"I'll be with you in minute!" He calls over the hissing of the broth.

it's the same old man from before.

"Oh, it's you again. I wasn't expecting to see you again, after the way you ran off that time."

You blush a little, stammering out an apology. The old man just laughs.

"Don't worry about it too hard, kid!" Reaching over the bar, he pats you heavily on the shoulder. "The one you should really be apologizing to is Yuji. He got pretty worried when you weren't here. He even went up to Miss Keine to ask about you!"

You blush again, feeling a bit guilty. You'll have to make it up to him next time you see him.

"Anyway, stick around a while. it's not a very nice time to be out and about."

You oblige, carefully setting your lantern up on the counter and hopping onto a stool. The old man pushes a steaming bowl in front of you. He shakes his head as you reach for a purse.

Well, you are still hungry...

-----

>If you need to slow down, fast updates are nice and all, but if you keep pushing yourself too hard you are just gonna burn yourself out. It has happened to several writefags.

The thing I'm really worried about is that if I take a break, I won't be able to start back up. I'm in the last third or so of the story anyway, so it's not too much trouble.

>I'm in the last third or so of the story anyway
...Oh.

Shit.

Funny that Rumia's gift, the ability to see through darkness, puts the protagonist in a unique position as being one of the few beings that could pose a danger to her.

>>26395
I have a feeling it's not accidental. Perhaps Rumia is setting us up for http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou ? Another epileptic tree I want to plant is as follows: Rumia wanted to be free of the seal put on her, if only for a while. But knew that unsealing will make her go insane after a while, and needed to plant a seed that has the power to reseal her after it becomes necessary, thus the protagonist becoming a nifty tool to facilitate her "last free night".

>>26410

That might be where her favors come in.... unsealing her, accepting her gift, and then finally resealing or killing her.

>>26395
>>26410
>>26412
21:09:59 < Doktor_Q> Someone in my thread came dangerously close to plotminding me.
Oh ho.

>>26414
Now you just need to find out what parts are correct~

-----

"Why is everyone so calm about this?"

You make conversation with the old man as you eat. He chuckles.

"Well, the way most people see it, between Miss Keine and the Hakurei priests, it'll be over by lunchtime tomorrow." He scratches his head. "Admittedly, nothing quite like this has happened before, and that's got some people worried, but I've got faith in them."

You blow on you noodles and take a bite, savoring the taste and texture. A question that's been on your mind floats to the surface.

"That woman... when I came here before, who was that blonde woman, the one who came right before I left?"

"Was that why you ran off? Embarrassed?" The old man laughs good-naturedly, and you bite your tongue. "She comes by every week or so. I don't really know where she lives, but she tips well. Now that I think about it, she hasn't even given me her name yet!" He laughs again, caught up in his own jovial spirit.

So she came here regularly? You idly wonder what kind of life Yukari lived. Noticing something, the old man calls past you.

"Oh, Yuji! Perfect timing!"

You nearly choke on your noodles. Already?! Turning around, you find yourself face to face with a particularly surprised Yuji. He smiles brightly and runs over.

"You're back!"

You smile sheepishly and scratch your head. For some reason it feels odd to have someone get excited over you.

He jumps up on one of the stools enthusiastically and begins to slurp down the noodles the old man places in front of him. You finish your own bowl in silence, save the sound of the people on the street.

You lean back as Yuji sets down his bowl noisily. He turns to you smiling.

"C'mon, there somewhere I want to show you!"

He jumps down from the stool running a little ways. He stops and waves for you to follow him. Grabbing the lantern and thanking the man in the stall, you run after him.

-----

At my current pace, I think I'll be finishing up around October 20th, Give or take a few days.

>>26426

Hooray!

>>26426
>At my current pace, I think I'll be finishing up around October 20th, Give or take a few days.
Aww...

Today's update was hard, but I'm pretty happy with it.

-----

"Where are we going?"

You shout up to him as you narrowly avoid another surprised pedestrian. You really shouldn't be running in these sandals.

"You'll see! We're almost there!"

You nearly lose him a few times in the crowd, but as you continue through the winding alleyways, it thins out. The lantern in your hands bounces up and down, making your shadows flicker and dance across the walls.

Then, suddenly, there aren't any walls. The packed dirt under you isn't packed, but uneven, sprouting with lumps of grass. You stumble in your sandals, waving the lantern wildly as you attempt to keep your balance.

You finally steady yourself, carefully slipping out of the cumbersome wood blocks and stepping onto the cool, dew-soaked grass with bare feet. You find it odd that it's still damp this late, but you probably shouldn't, considering the circumstances.

You look around for Yuji. You find him a little ways away, crouching down to look at something. Holding the lamp higher, you walk up behind him.

"Put out the light."

"Huh?"

"Put out the light. You'll see."

Confused but obliging, you carefully blow out the flame. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, you can make out faintly glowing spots in the air.

Fireflies

Dozens of tiny fireflies rise out of the grass, their wings making a gentle hiss against the air. They blink on and off, sending ripples of pale light across the clearing. As the waves spread out, you see even more fireflies, ascending up into the sky and spreading out, forming a little sparkling cloud over your heads.

Watching the spectacle unfold, you forget to breath.

"A girl showed this to me, when I was younger. She said it only happens here." He stretches out his hand, allowing one of the insects to light on his finger. "No one else knows about it."

The firefly crawls down his hand and then takes flight, flashing slowly as it rejoins its brethren.

You sit down on the grass, watching in awe as the tiny lights swim around in patterns before finally spreading out into the forest. You continue sit in silence after the last of the lights disappears into the distance. Yuji stares after them, a faint smile on his face.

"What was it like, where you're from? Outside?"

"Eh?" You turn, caught off guard. "W-well, I think it was pretty normal..."

He continues to look at you expectantly. Stammering at first, you tell him everything you remember, the smell and feel of the city, school, friends, vacations with your family and shopping for birthday. As you slip into reminiscence, you notice the spellbound look on Yuji's face.

Was it like yours, you wonder, when she told you stories?

As the memories flood back, you feel a familiar, hot pressure behind your eyes. But you don't cry. You've already cried enough. Instead you smile.

-----

>>26491

You know, I always forget that "breathe" has that extra "e". Proofreading has never been my strong point.

This took much longer than it should have. I had to throw out a whole scene as well.

-----

You aren't sure how long you stayed there, but judging by your stomach, it must be almost evening. You glance anxiously at the still-dark sky as you walk back through the streets.

Not far from Keine's house, your attention is caught by a light... something. You feel it more than you see it, a white line hanging in the air and a silver-gray figure split in two, dissolving into the air like smoke. Your covered eye twinges.

You round the corner at a sprint, almost running into a small crowd. Through the bodies of the crowd, you can see a sharp line of white, glistening dangerously in the air. It slides slowly to the side, then quickly dips into nothingness, accompanied by the sound of a blade sheathing.

The crowd parts, and someone steps heavily past your blind side. A few pale bands, nearly invisible at any greater distance, uncoil themselves from the person's arm and vanish into the air. You turn quickly as she passes.

"Keine!"

You jog to catch up with her. You don't need to see what was in the circle, you know what it is.

"Hm?"

She turns to you, massaging her brow with one hand.

"Oh." She sighs. "I hope you aren't here with something that needs my attention."

You shake your head.

"Good. There's been too much of that."

She slides open her front door with far more force than necessary.

Keine walks ahead of you, out of the lantern's circle. Kicking off your sandals, you try to keep up with her. She winds through the hallways without looking, vanishing into the kitchen. You hear something clatter, and she re-emerges, carrying a bottle.

You recognize the smell immediately. Your father smelled like it sometimes when he came home. Keine pours some into a cup.

"I hope you aren't hungry right now?"

You shake your head, pulling out one of the apples from before. After a moment's thought, you give one to her as well. She smiles half-heartedly.

"Thanks."

She downs her glass.

"it's been pretty bad today... a few youkai even landed in the center of town. Fifteen injuries already, and it'll be worse tonight." She takes a bite of the apple, then takes another drink. She turns to you, smiling again. "You should get some sleep."

-----

You lie in your room, staring at the ceiling. Sleeping at night is still difficult, even though it's been night all day.

Out of habit, you touch the knife in your pocket. Right now, it doesn't feel reassuring.

"Why does do people think youkai are evil?"

The question is still in your mind. You were so sure, but...

Rumia. You trusted her. Maybe you still do.

You reach up, spreading out your fingers. In your eye, through the bandages, you can see the faint red tracks winding through your arm. You stare at them until sleep takes you.

-----

Next one already in the works. It shouldn't take quite as long.

Interesting question, since the way I see it Youkai are just predators, few attack humans with much malice, just hunger.

Yukari in this story is a bit of a exception.

Another update. I think I'm getting back into the groove now.

-----

The space around you is black. White and gray lines stretch into the distance behind, curving away at right angles.

The blackness ends abruptly in front of you, changing to a different kind of void. Hundreds of eyes, reptilian and staring, watch you, blinking slowly, one at a time.

This... this shouldn't be here. You've never seen this before. In this space, it shouldn't-

"There's no need to panic. Really, it will only make things more difficult."

You leap back, drawing you knife. The blade shimmers only faintly, like a silver thread.

"I hope you didn't expect to cut me with a dulled blade like that. I would sincerely advise against it." She looks more amused than annoyed.

"Why are you here? You should be dead."

Yukari theatrically places the back of her hand to her forehead, fanning herself with the other.

"How rude. And after I came all the way here to tell you something..."

"I asked why you were here."

"As I said, I came to tell you something. It is rather important."

You cut her off again.

"Why are you still alive?"

Her eyes narrow.

"If you must know, I am not. But you would do well not to try my patience, child." She spits the last word with undisguised disdain. "Now, if you would listen to me, I'll tell you something."

She glares at you, hiding her mouth behind folded hands. You bite your tongue and listen.

A grin spreads across her face, and she continues.

"Good. Now, you might not have noticed, but the sun didn't come up as usual yesterday. Or rather, it was hidden. I suspect your village wasn't too happy about it, yes? Of course, they trust the Hakurei to get rid of it, But-" She holds up a hand. "That won't happen. You see, this thing that you released- it doesn't care about them, or Gensokyo, at all. Unlike the rest of us, it-"

"She. Not it. She."

Yukari's expression twitches, faltering for an instant. "As I said, it won't hesitate to actually kill them."

You eye her warily.

"Why are you bothering to tell me? Why do you even care?"

Her face becomes a mask of fury, and she rushes forward, the boundary between the spaces shifting with alarming speed, until she hovers barely an inch from your face.

"Don't think that I do things without a reason." She hisses.

Yukari steps back, regaining her composure.

"What would happen to a house if you broke all of the pillars? It would be a bad thing for everyone living it, don't you think?" She laughs humorlessly ?Consider that for a while."

The eye space retreats, closing up on itself and vanishing along with the woman. Your own space enfolds you, driving you back into an uneasy sleep.

-----

Thankfully, this one was both easy and fun to write.

I think the question is how can a human who can't fly and has a dull knife hope to stop something that pwned Yukari.

Too bad our heroine didn't get a chance to ask "Why did you do that to our train?" since let's face it, if not for that none of this would have happened.

>>26716
Openly malevolent Yukari is a very refreshing change from the normal elegance-and-manipulation Yukari.

Not as tall, but more words.

-----

You open your eyes to the wooden ceiling of Keine's guest room. You have no idea what time it is, but you don't think it should be this dark. You walk to the window and, opening it, poke your head out. it's all pitch black. Still.

You shut the window in both irritation and anxiety. Stumbling out of the room, you grope along the wall until you find the kitchen again. At random, you pick something out of the fruit bowl and eat it. Was that woman right? You'd rather not think so. And what was up with ?don't think I do things without a reason?" What about what she did to you? Everything she did to you? You vent on the hapless fruit, biting into it angrily.

"What would happen to a house if you broke all of the pillars?"

You slam your other hand down on the table in a fist. What are you supposed to do with this? Tell Keine, like last time? "Oh, the ghost of a dead demon told me in my head!" You could say. Setting aside the carcass of the fruit, you run your fingers through your hair. By chance, one of them brushes the seal, making your eye throb unexpectedly.

"This may hurt some, but it will keep you alive."

You place your entire hand over it. It thrums gently, in tune with your heartbeat.

You might be able to do something. If she left you this, you might be able to talk to her. You cringe mentally at the prospect of doing anything that woman wants you to do, but ?It would be bad for everyone living in it, don't you think?" There are people and things you care about here. You'll do it for them. And for her.

-----

You labor, lifting one leg after another, a lantern in one hand, the other in your pocket, resting on your knife. Slipping out of town was easy enough, if you went through the alleys. Gone was the unconcerned air from yesterday, replaced by an uneasy but expectant one. Getting directions to the shrine wasn't terribly hard. You had struggled to but on the best mask of childhood innocence and asked one of the shopkeepers who was least distracted.

"The shrine? Why'd you wanna go there?" The gruff man in the butcher shop asked. You said something about wanting to see such an amazing place for yourself. "Not my problem if you die, I guess." He pointed out the general direction. "The trip's pretty long, and dangerous too. You should at least wait until- ah, left already?"

It hadn't been really dangerous, yet, despite the number of youkai you could sense lurking just off the path, but it was certainly long. Why didn't he say it was on a mountain? You dropped down on one kneed to rest, cautiously glancing around. It wouldn't do to be taken by surprise, after all.

-----

Out of breath, you pull yourself up from the last step, and up onto shrine platform. You lie there on your back for several minutes, eyes closed. Finally, you stand up, carrying the lantern forward. As you near the entry, though, the direness of the situation finally strikes you. It was good you decided to set out early, it seems.

The entire shrine is surrounded by a sphere of darkness.

-----

>>26875
Shit just got real.

>>26878
The sun being eaten wasn't real enough for you?

Can we still be friends with Rumia the Sun Eater, Lady of Shadow and Darkness?

>>26895
Well, eating up the Hakurei Shrine in a ball of darkness just made it more so.

-----

You approach, cautiously. The light from your lantern ends abruptly at the edge of the sphere without even a reflection. When you experimentally press the lantern into it, the darkness seems to ignore it completely, remaining exactly where it was. You push your entire hand inside, and feel a familiar, tingling, numbness. You switch the lantern to your other hand and pull out your knife. Taking a deep breath, you step inside.

Numbness seeps into every part of your body, dissolving sensations. All that remains is a blurred white haze, indistinct symbols trailing across it. You stumble, reeling backward, and land on your butt outside.

You pull your legs out of the darkness and blow the lantern. Leaving it on the ground, you wrap your fingers around the bandages, cutting them with a single stroke of your knife.

The darkness gives way, revealing the front of the shrine shrouded in an invitingly dimmed lighting. You glance at your hand. You can see the ground through it, as well as a web of regularly pulsing red lines throughout. The edge of your knife is a dull silver-gray, faintly visible. As you look up, you see the surrounding trees in far more detail than you could up close, you can see the patterns on each leaf. A bird flushes, panicked, and you can see the sound of its wings echo.

The first pang of a headache forces you to tear yourself away from the scene, and you once again step into the darkness. Once again your senses vanish, but unlike before your eye remains clear. You manage to drop down to one knee as that clarity spreads out, first to your face, then your head, until it finally reaches your hands and feet. You stand up and blink, which does nothing to dull the flood of senses.

At least your headache went away.

The wood floor creaks ominously as walk through the desolate shrine, making little colorless ripples. You creep through the halls as softly as possible, glancing briefly at each door you pass. Most of them are shut, but you can see the faint outlines of things through them. Most of them appear to be storage, but...

You stumble over something soft and curse, before realizing exactly what you tripped over. A corpse, its midsection torn asunder and its contents strewn about. His clothes mark him as a priest, and his one remaining hand holds a dimly glowing paper seal. You retreat quickly, wiping his rapidly cooling blood off your hand.

You try to swallow, but your throat is suddenly dry. From further inside, you hear a woman's long scream, slowly dying into a gurgle.

-----

Whoa.... does our heroine have mystic eye of death perception now?

>>26931

I think those lines are blood vessels.

>>26931
I thought the same thing, but because of the headache, not the lines.

-----

You slide open another door, cautiously. More corpses, their heads split and severed, deep scars left in the wood. She's definitely been here. You close the door softly, as a gesture of respect for the dead.

Most of them wouldn't even have been awake. Those that were probably wouldn't have realized she was there until they were already dead. You shift your grip on the knife, trying to make it fit comfortably into your hand again. You really hope that talking works.

You dart quickly down the hall, adrenaline fueling your almost inhuman care. Two doors are open, both radiating pure white presence. You step silently into the first room, glancing about. More corpses, a man and a woman, one eviscerated and cut apart, the other's throat torn out.

The presence, a sparkling sphere, emanates from the closet. You doubt it's Rumia, but...

Taking short, deliberate steps, you approach it, laying a hand on the door, squeezing your knife tightly-

You pull it open in one motion, your knife ascending in front of your eye subconsciously. The blade intercepts a single amulet, cutting it in two in mid-air. You hear a muffled squeak from the girl inside. She must be barely eight years old, and is dressed in a shrine maiden's clothes. One hand is outstretched, presumably having thrown the amulet, and a Gohei clutched tightly in the other so hard that her knuckles are white. A white-and-colored field surrounds her, making a hole in the darkness. She gasps, opening her mouth wide.

Your eyes widen, and you press your empty hand over her mouth as quickly as possible. Leaning in close, you make a ?shhh? sound, pressing a finger to your lips. After a second, she nods, very slightly, staring at your eye. You notice small tears in the corners of hers.

Straightening up, you remove your hand from her mouth and beckon to her. You cast a glance over your shoulder, at the two bodies in the room. Thankfully, she can't see them.

"So you're like me, then?"

A smaller, more practical part of you tries to speak up, but you squash it immediately.

-----

Updates might slow down for a bit. I'll be updating Dead Enterprise though, for those that remember it.

>>26979

So the Hakurei shrine in this story has more priests, etc than just Reimu?

>So the Hakurei shrine in this story has more priests, etc than just Reimu?

I think it had.

>>26982

Thanks for the correction.

But that's a difference in contrast to the games, and it might be before the games perhaps.

>>26980

I would say that this little one is Reimu.
And we just missed Rumia slaughtering her parents as well as the rest of the household.

A surprise update.

-----

The second presence flairs brightly, then disperses into a fine mist. Did one of the priests... get her? You breathe a sigh of relief. You won't have to fight after all.

Step

Right, they'll be coming over to check on the girl now.

Step

Step

Step

Why isn't the dark disappearing? And why doesn't this person have any presence? The girl beside you looks up, confused.

Step

Step

Click

You body goes rigid. You can feel a difference in the air, almost see it.

She isn't the same as she was. You look down at the girl beside you.

"She's the last pillar, then?"

Her grip tightens around your hand. She can feel it too.

I won't let you be like me.

The door opens. You rush, dancing aside as the weight of the sword passes by your ear, cutting into your arm and drawing blood. Your knife swings, and just for an instant the blade is pure white.

?AAAAAAHHH-?

She throws her head back and screams, clutching her hand over her face as blood pours out down her cheeks and nose. A silver ?flame? catches over the wound, hissing and crackling.

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry

Pulling the girl after you, you break into a run past the still-screaming Rumia and through the halls. The screaming stops and becomes gasping, both hers and the girl's and yours. You veins ache and your muscles ache, but you keep running. You hear footsteps again and duck into a room, hiding against the wall and holding on to the girl.

Your heartbeat
slows.

Step

Step

Step

She stumbles after you, still blind for now. She doesn't run. She's patient. She's listening for you. You make your breath shallow. You try to calm the girl in your arms.

Step

She gets closer.

-----

-----

Step

Step

She's standing outside the door. You stop breathing, willing the girl in your arms to do the same.

Step

Step

You keep holding it, even as she passes barely three feet from you, on the other side of the flimsy wall. You focus on the sound, making it sharper, clearer, drowning out everything else. The little ripples take shape. You can see her legs, which boards she steps on, where she's about to step. She keeps walking, passing you by.

After nearly a minute, you let out a slow breath, and your senses return to normal. Can't panic. She's near the front of the shrine, near the exit. She'll hear if you make too much noise. You don't have long until she heals.

Think, think, think

The shrine should have a porch of some kind on the back. You can get out that way.

Standing up carefully, slowly, you lead the girl after you. She grips your hand tightly. Placing one foot after the other, you very carefully creep down the hall. If you watch the floor carefully, you can see what spots will creak.

The back hallway. You're near the outbuilding. The porch is close. You don't feel any presence but you and the girl. With light, considered steps, you advance to the door.

Ten feet

Eight feet

Six

Four

You stretch out, craning your neck, and manage to catch to the door with two fingers. Twisting your chest, you try to tug it open. Your weight shifts.

Creak

The sound cuts through the silence like a knife, echoing throughout the building. You freeze, not even breathing. A minute passes, maybe more. Exhaling softly in relief, you shuffle forward a few more inches, and sliding the door halfway open. On the other side, she smiles at you sadistically, baring all of he teeth. The line across her eyes is barely visible now.

-----

The forecast for today is cloudy with more A Different Story, and a chance of Dead Enterprise later on in the day.

-----

Your heart sinks. How can she be here already?

She raises her sword with one hand and licks her lips.

Why is she even doing this?

She laughs lightly, without your eye you wouldn't be able to hear it. She puts both hands on the blade. Her eyes go wide, her mouth wider.

Even to this end...

Wordlessly, she brings the blade down, cleaving through the air

...You still trusted her.

The air in front of you turns white. The blade strikes it and shatters, like a kaleidoscope. It seems, for that moment, that it moves through you, in the spaces that you aren't. With a dull ?thunk," it embeds itself firmly in the ground below you. Beside you, the girls grip weakens, and she collapses to her knees.

The situation suddenly seems so right. You don't even need to think as you scoop up the dazed girl in one hand. Your knife fits easily in your other, shining brightly as you run up along Rumia's blade. Her grins falls, but her mouth stays open, emitting a silent hiss. She frees one of her hands and swings up at you, only recognizing the situation a second too late.

You block her claw with your sandal, pushing off the blade with your other foot. The momentum carries you into the air, above her. Your armed hand swings out, at her head, faster than you can ever recall. You see a movement, and hear a scream as it stabs through something. The darkness wavers, tiny holes appearing and disappearing in an instant.

You land on your feet, pumping your legs against the ground for all they're worth. You make it around the shrine in seconds, before the screaming has stopped. You kick the discarded lantern aside as you pass it, leaping out onto the steps.

Not bothering to walk down the steps normally, you simply leaping, springing forward again each time you land. You clutch the girl tightly to you, praying to whatever god will help that your balance doesn't fail.

The screams of pain behind you stop, shortly to be replaced by a roar. You don't even need to look back, you can already see it. She's spreading her wings, rushing toward you. She won't bother using the darkness; she already knows it doesn't hurt you.

You hear her approaching rapidly. She's faster than you, and she doesn't need land. You practically throw yourself to the side to avoid her first projectile, which leaves a gash down one side of the steps. Your breathing is starting to become ragged.

Kicking with all your might, you fly off the staircase, landing at the bottom in a crouch. The girl clings tightly to your shirt, eyes screwed shut. You push, running faster and harder than you've ever run before. In the distance, through the treeline, you can see the village. Your eyes start to water.

-----

Next part coming later today still

The suspense. It is killing me.

-----

Behind you,
A small rush of wind, a faint, held breath,
The sound of a blade, cutting through air.

You curse, loudly, twisting your body to catch the attack at an angle. The point of the sword tears across your back and shoulders.

"Get down!"

Your body obeys on instinct, falling to the dirt and wet grass. Above you, the air shrieks, flowing past like a knife. Thin, white lines, almost blinding, trace across. You hear a familiar splash as warm blood splatters on your back.

"Go! Now!"

Gritting your teeth, you pull yourself up, willing your legs to move.

-----

Rumia leaned back, blood flowing from the numerous, deep gashes along her body. With a short, rasping ?Ha!" she snapped forward, a burst of power flowing through her body and erasing her wounds.

She straightened up to face her new assailant. The Woman of the Village. The sword in her hands was blindingly bright, leaving lacerations in the darkness.

The woman blocked the route to the village behind her, her posture clearly defensive. The child and the last maiden scrambled past her.

She raised her blade again, bringing it down heavily with both hands. Some of the whiteness came free, riding the wind. Rumia raised her own sword, striking back with mighty black wave. The two collided, sending out little invisible ripples through the air.

She smiled. This could be a good opponent~

Rumia's wings spread, encircling her foe. Keine closed her eyes, holding her sword out to the side.

"Leaving yourself open like that isn't a good idea~"

Barely touching the ground, she bounded up, into the air, bring her sword down with all its power. The woman sidesteped slightly, and the attack cleaves through her shoulder, down, across one breast-

Her wrist twitched ever-so slightly. A searing hot pain pulsed through Rumia's arms, and she screamed, leaping back. The white-haired swordswoman swung twice more, sending blades along the wind to cut through her and the darkness.

With another surge of power her arms reformed, the excess becoming projectiles of her own. The two sets struck, the gusts deflecting away into the forest harmlessly.

A silver-blue banner, not unlike a scroll, unwound from her body, her wounds vanishing with it.

Rumia smiled, though a part of her pleaded desperately to flee. She ignored it, instead grasping another handful of black ?feathers? and molding into a new blade. Longer, sharper, with a single edge.

She rushed again, thrusting up through the woman's ribcage. The sword moved quickly, but instead of blocking it simply turned the blade to the side, sliding through her lung. Instead of backing up, though, Keine stepped into the blade, driving it deeper through her body.

The bright sword struck Rumia again, cutting across her left side, narrowly missing her heart and severing a ?wing?. She dragged her claws across her foe's face, removing most of it, and repelled again. The scrolls moved again, uncoiling and dissolving into the air, leaving her behind, unharmed.

Rumia screamed, forcing out her claws longer and healing her own wounds. She didn't need a sword for this.

She set upon the woman, tearing, slashing, biting, stabbing her again and again as the blinding burning white sword cut into her flesh in so many places. Scrolls emerged by the dozen, her wounds vanishing as fast as Rumia could inflict them. She raised one arm and plunged into Village Woman's heart, only for another scroll to emit from her own arm, erasing it.

Redoubling her power, another grew in barely a second. The scroll reappeared, winding back around her new limb. For a sick, distorted moment the flesh bulges out. Wet cracks and pops and tearing sounds, and another scream of pain. She swung quickly, slicing it off. She brought her remaining hand back, across the girl's face, her claws carving into her head. The horrible blade plunged into her heart, stinging burning hot like a branding iron, turning flesh against flesh. She screamed until her vocal cords died, leaving a hoarse ragged gurgle.

She staggered up from the unmoving body. Her eyes focused, barely on the point in the distance. She needed to eat. Ahead of her in the breaking twilight, she saw food.

-----

But wait! There's more! Next part should (probably) be the final.

-----

You build speed as you go, breaking into a full sprint before long. You see the screams and the flashes of light and not-light. The village is close enough for you see individual people on the street.

The air is cold, and burns your lungs as you gasp for breath. Halfway to the village, the screams stop. You see people looking around. They heard it.

You normally wouldn't pay it any heed, but it's getting lighter. Little dots of light are slipping through her barrier but...

It wasn't broken. Rumia is still alive.

You close your eyes, tears welling up. There's nothing you can do about. You couldn't have helped her. Right now, you have to protect the girl in your arms.

You enter the village at a dead run, opening your mouth to shout for help, but-

Plastered across every person's face, a look of sheer terror. Not directed at you, or something intangible. Something very real, behind you. Your own eyes widen with realization.

Instead of the expected sharp blow, the impact is heavy, full bodied. Sharp points tear into your shoulders, and you reflexively slice of the hand's fingers, rolling with the impact. You put one knee down, springing forward with full force.

"Run!"

You release the girl, giving her a strong push into the village. She looks at you, frightened.

"Go, now!"

She turns, clutching her hands together, and dashes into the crowd. You breathe out and pull yourself laboriously into a half sitting position, facing Rumia. This is the only task left, the only thing that matters.

You're going to kill her.

Slipping one foot out of your sandal, you plant it firmly on the ground. Rising to one knee, you hold out your knife in front of you. it's edge shimmers with an unearthly light. Rumia sees it, and stops. She grunts, and white light runs through the red of her veins, stretching out into the air. New flesh forms to cover them.

Her presence is still there, a powerful, glowing white, but it flickers unstably, like the cat?s.

You stand up unsteadily, pointing the knife at her blood-streaked form.

Looking into her eyes, you see nothing but a blank, animal hunger.

"Rumia..."

The shaking stops, and you feel strangely at peace.

"Die."

You leap at her, swinging your knife swiftly. Bursts of white run through her arms, but you cut them off with a single stroke. The energy bursts out, tearing short gashes in her arms. She gurgles, sending a second wave to heal them. Taking the opportunity you step in closer bringing the knife down at her head. The almost-flaming blade slips through the air with no resistance, yet slowly, like a dream. Her eyes are riveted to the weapon, yet she makes no move to block.

A sharp pain runs through your wrist, nearly severing it. The knife flies from your hand, aura extinguished. You start to gasp, but the impact of another body knocks the wind out of you.

"Wha-"

The image is forever fixed into your mind's eye. Yuji's face, locked in a rare expression of determination as he pushes you out of the way. There was something else there, too. Acceptance. A second swipe goes over your head. Something warm and mushy splatters across you.

You hit the ground, veins running cold. What just happened?

Another swipe takes his lifeless body away from you, opening up his midsection. Again, a razor-sharp claw swings toward you, carving into your Bright eye. In the sudden darkness, you scream.

Something in you snaps, then, like a spring pulled too far. Your hand flies up, gripping the hilt of the sword still in her chest. You hear her gurgle, screaming through her bleeding throat. With a sharp tug, the sword comes free, cutting through her flesh like water. You swing wildly, carving away limbs, bones and organs. You stand up, throwing her off, and bring the blade down, through her skull. Her mouth opens and she arches her back, blood flowing from every wound, all in complete silence.

At last, she flops down, thin rasps of breath escaping through her torn lips. Her eyes flicker, animalistic fury subsiding. Tears rolling down what remains of her face, she tries to speak, mouth and tongue flapping in vain - two words, over and over.

?I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-?

Exhausted, you fall to the ground, and sleep.

-----

Okay, next post is the final. Comes tomorrow.

Hey! Good thing we trusted her, right, guys?

-----

You open your eyes. Your body feels light, and for once truly painless. Without effort, you stand up. Breath comes easily, filling your lungs.

You look around. The world seems... distant. Colorless.

Another figure joins you.

"Yukari." Somehow, you can't muster enough emotion to be angry.

Neither of you speak for a few minutes. Yukari is the first to break the silence. She casts a glance over at the discarded remains of the boy.

"He didn't die in vain. He saved the Hakurei maiden. He saved the village. All of us, too."

A butterfly flits through the edge of your vision. Yukari reaches out with one finger, allowing it to light.

"I will ensure his well being in the next life."

You step over to Rumia's still form and sit down.

"...Why me?"

Yukari looks ponderously at the insect.

"How much did you know about your mother?"
"Eh?"

"Consider this my apology."

"Wait, what did you-"

She blows on the butterfly, causing it to break into hundreds of pieces, each one a smaller butterfly. The world goes white.

-----

You open your eye as the first ray of morning light reaches into the room. The ceiling above you is the familiar planks of wood that make up the ceiling of Keine's guest room. You blink and reach up to your face, feeling the mass of bandages over your eye. There's no seal, but it's still completely dark, and aches.

You rise from the futon, wandering dazedly into the hall. You hear someone humming in the kitchen.

Keine is standing over the stovetop, her back turned to you. Noticing you, she turns.

"How are you?"

You rub your eye.

"Keine? But, I thought you..."

You notice the bandages around her arms and on her shoulder, and the bruises along her face. She looks at you, expression serious.

"I don't die easily."

"Yuji?"

She looks away. A silence passes between you.

You sit down at the table to eat.

That was a week ago.

-----

it's already evening. A gentle breeze rustles your hair. You raise your hand to shield your eye as you survey the remains of the train. The men who came with you finish the burial and begin performing the rites. So many of them died here, nameless, frightened, alone.

Already the ivy and grass have begun to overtake the burnt-out structure, and a tree limb pokes through a broken window. As the sun dips down to the horizon, you close your eye and offer a silent prayer for the dead. A warm pressure forms behind your eyelid.

"We're done here."

One of the men comes up behind you and places his hand on your shoulder. You nod.

"One minute. I've got something to do."

You pick your way from the husk of the train, retracing the path of that first evening. At the base of the tree, you stop, and turn back. You hold out the knife, arm outstretched. It protest with rust and grit, but with great force, you close the blade back inside. You hold it there, grasped tightly in you palm.

Mom... I'm done now.

Uncurling your fingers, you tilt your hand; allow it to slide off onto the ground.

You hurry back to the men as the shadows grow long, and begin the long trek back to the Village.

<TRUE END>

I guess then she lives a peaceful life in the village to see the dawn of a new age where the young girl she saved grow up?

And was there more than one possible ending?

>>27582

Yes, there were other endings. If you hadn't trusted Rumia things would be different, certainly.

Also, Q & A is open.

Some Questions from IRC:

>that is, what would have actually happened if we had not trusted rumya, you dodged the question completely when it came up

You would have lost an eye then and there.

It was also one of two triggers leading to the "youkai hunter" end

>what would have happened if reimu had died, or was that even a possibility?

Wasn't possible.

>(and was the kid we saved reimu)

Yes.

>I was a liiiittle disappoint when Rumia suddenly changed from benefactor to antagonist but I realize you probably had a fixed idea on where you wanted to go with this, and I'm just biased. Is what why she kept repeating 'I'm sorry' over and over again, or?

...Something like that.

Epilogue:

-----

Eight months later

Nervously, she ascends the last steps to the shrine. Her home. it's been almost entirely rebuilt since then, but something about it still feels the same.

She stops before entering, fidgeting idly with her sleeves. From now on, she'd be living alone. Taking deep breaths, she nodded to herself. It was her duty right?

One step at a time, she climbed to the entrance, placing a hand on the door. She was shaking. Hahaha... it was pathetic, wasn't it? After convincing everyone else she'd be fine by herself, she was afraid to open a door.

"Who's there?"

She jumped, nearly falling off the steps in the process. A woman came around from the shrine's outbuilding. She was tall, with a motherly figure and long, blonde hair, yet she didn't look old at all.

"Hm? Who are you?"

The woman approached, limping slightly. As she moved away from the wall, she suddenly collapsed, coughing violently.

"I-" She coughed again ?I'm fine, it's nothing for you to concern about."

She waved dismissively at the worried child now standing over her, and unsteadily got to her feet.

"What's you name, little one?"

She bent over, ruffling the girl's hair. She drew back into herself shyly.

"...Reimu."

The woman smiled at her genuinely.

"Well then, Reimu, why don't we go inside and make some tea?"

-----

More questions from IRC:

> in your timeline, does that mean there's no more Rumia?

She reincarnates eventually, into the Rumia we all know and love.

> And was there a way to explain why Yukari gapped in that train?

Yes, there is. It's all tied together, along with why Rumia helped you and Yukari's last comment to you.

> and I guess we missed it, or did Yukari sense some kind of potiental in the lead to take care of the build up going in with Rumia?

Actually, Yukari hadn't planned on Rumia's actions at all.

I'll try to write up the backstory in a proper format a little later.

-----

Feel free to ask more questions in this thread!

>this story
Superb.

>>27607
Indeed.

Also, did the main character turn into a youkai? What made her able to fight Rumia like that?

Was Yukari's apology from the fact that she had killed the Protagonists mother in that train wreck, or was there some other deeper meaning to it?

>>27608
The protagonist never became a Youkai. It was a "youkai hunting instinct." Basically a hyper-up, supernatural survival instinct, over developed by her year in the wild.


>>27609

It could be considered a general apology for everything. Yukari isn't completely heartless, just close.

Okay.
Who was the protagonist's mom, and why was she special?

Would have liked to write this as a story post, but, considering how well I've been doing with my other writing...

Short and sweet description:

Your mother was originally from Gensokyo. She was from one of the many families of exorcists, and was being trained to hunt youkai.

She didn't like all the violence and killing, and in fact ended up befriending some Youkai, including Rumia, by refusing to kill them. Rumia developed a one-sided crush on her.

When her family found out the all but disowned her. She worked up enough courage, and went to Yukari. Yukari eventually agreed to send her to the Outside, where she eventually married and gave birth to you.

Rumia, meanwhile, felt that Yukari had stolen her away. On top of that, Rumia didn't like the idea of the border in the first place.

When the train fell into Gensokyo, Rumia found your mother's body, and it cemented her plan to kill Yukari. She helped you as a means to her goal.

After she was unsealed, though, she kept you alive in your mother's memory. (your mother is the "she" Rumia refers to several times.)

So the matter with the train was a fluke?

>>27866

The fact that you and your mother were on it was. Prior to the story, the tensions between Human and Youkai were higher than normal. Enough so that the human might be eliminated entirely, destroying Gensokyo.

Yukari's plan was to leave the train, full of dead passengers no one in the village would know or care about, as an offering to pacify the youkai. This backfired spectacularly when you not only survived, but blew up the train.

Yukari was able to work out the situation though Reimu, who she would raise for several years after she was orphaned. She leaves a few years before Highly Responsive to Prayers begins, and is primarily responsible to Reimu's relaxed view of youkai and general laziness.

>>27868

Guess Yukari must have used a different name for that time since in the timeline Reimu first meets Yukari in PCB. But that'd be an interesting meeting when Yukari reveals the truth.

But that explains Chen's behavior and such.

>>27873

Chen's behavior can be explained by the fact that you cut off the tip of Ran's ear and impaled her hand.

>>27862
>>27868
...Oh.

Well, that makes a lot more sense.

>>27874
Children can get worked up over the silliest things.

Why did Rumia take the lighter?

wow this place is dead. this thread is going to linger on the first page for months because of this. sorry?

>>32701
I don't have my fullretard.jpg on me at the moment, so let me just say you are an idiot. Do everyone a favor and don't post again.

>>32702
How about you shut the fuck up? I'm asking a question about this story that I haven't seen answered, and I know the writer is still hanging around this site because I've seen him post in recent threads.

>>32706
It'll be nice to sage your post, you know? When a story is over, the only being allowed to bump are Kapow, and the writefag. And you're neither of them, so be kind.
And to sage your post, write "sage" in the Email field.

>>32706
And maybe you can go IRC to ask him. IRC is an horrible place, but you're righteous, you (maybe) won't be psychologically scarred by it.

>>32706
And how bout you fuck off. Posting on a thread that has been dead and buried for just about about a year and a half, merely to ask one stupid fucking question is ludicrous. To do so, and not even sage just shows that you are a complete and utter moron who doesn't belong.

Holy shit what, this thread still exists. Nice to see someone recently-ish read the story, though.

>Why did Rumia take the lighter?

Let's see... if I remember correctly, she took the lighter because it was interesting, and one of only two things that could be taken. Between a knife, and a, to paraphrase, "magical fire-making contraption," which would be more useful to an inhumanly strong youkai with claws and relatively specific magical talents?

>this thread is going to linger on the first page for months because of this. sorry?

Don't be. My inner egotist is giggling madly.

Also this thread need more chill.

>>32710
Thank you. I was thinking it might have been her mom's old lighter or something, but that makes more sense.
>>32707
If I saged, unless Dr. Q watches his old threads, he wouldn't see it. And I didn't ask elsewhere because it isn't a relevant question elsewhere. by the way, sage does nothing when the thread is at the top of the board

back to taking it easy~

While this is still up near the top, I'm curious how many endings there were. We saw the true end, and you mentioned a "youkai hunter" end.

>>32711

Naw, she didn't have one. It belonged to one of the many casualties on the train.

>>32713

I'd need to load up my flowchart for that one, but offhand I think there were about four:

The peaceful end- the one you got.

The youkai hunter end- not trusting rumia, not holding back against Chen. Instead of retiring and living peacefully, you become an embittered monster slayer who lives alone in the woods.

The youkai end- Favoring Rumia, not holding back, and not helping other humans would lead to Rumia transforming you. This one got axed near the beginning, so it wasn't very fleshed out.

The bad end- Being constantly wishy-washy, not helping others, and running away too much would get you killed. You were totally avoiding this, so I don't quite know how this one would play out, either.

>>32720
There was a youkai end? Damn. That would have been awesome.

>>32726
I just realized that getting it would have saved Yuji's life. It's win-win! And since Rumia loved a human, she probably didn't eat humans either. I'm not seeing a single downside here.

Also, this story invented Byakuren. It predates UFO by a couple months.

>>32727
>And since Rumia loved a human, she probably didn't eat humans either. I'm not seeing a single downside here.

No, actually, she ate a lot of them. Plus, remember Unsealed Rumia? Well, now imagine that, only now you're her servant instead of trying to kill her. It involved a ton of casualties, and, in at least one of my notes, the destruction of the border. Again, though, I didn't write out a lot of it.

>>32740
Nice downsides. His mom thought some youkai weren't monsters; I sort of assumed she'd be one of the good youkai. Maybe abuse Rumia's trust by betraying her before shit got serious.

Why was the protagonist able to unseal Rumia anyway? She'd be getting unsealed fairly often if all she has to do is dupe some idiot human into untying a ribbon.

>>32746
Well, a couple points-

> ...mom thought some youkai weren't monsters;

Depending on your definition of 'monster'.
It's kind of like the reverse of someone keeping a pet chicken (under the assumption that they also eat chicken). Youkai eat humans, humans hunt youkai to protect themselves, but that doesn't mean they can't sometimes be friends.

Or something like that.

> Why was the protagonist able to unseal Rumia anyway?

The requirement wasn't "human," it was "youkai hunter." The protagonist was descendant of a youkai-hunting clan, which was enough. Incidentally, she could also be unsealed by a non-human youkai hunter, should such a situation arise, it's just that most of them wouldn't be quite that dumb.

Oh, a further note on the nature of Rumia's seal- it wasn't made to be left on for as long as it was, so there were some significant side effects. Most notably, all of the extra power she couldn't use during the some-odd centuries it was on was kept bottled up. When it was removed, it all came tumbling out, resulting in a drug-like surge of untapped power. Blotting out the sun was caused by power she was 'leaking' alone.

That was a fantastic read. I am not even sure why i haven't read it yet, something must have been wrong with me.
Even if it was short it was worth it.

>>32899
See
>>32702

It's like you have never heard of sage. Unless you have something of absolutely earth-shattering importance to say, you do not bump old and dead threads. Least of all ones that are in the process of redying.

To be honest I'm kind of happy someone bumped this. I probably wouldn't have had the pleasure of such a wonderful read if it wasn't for them.

So thank you, >>32701, for being the reason I saw this and thank you, Dr. Q, for writing such a fantastic story.

>>32900
I have.
I want to let the writer know that i enjoyed his story. And that is damn enough reason to bump an old thread that is already on the first page.

>>32902
No. Contrary to idiotic belief, inane comments are not reason enough to resurrect dead threads. It doesn't matter that some moron before you did it either. It's just not done.

>>32904
Fucking seconded. "But he did it first!" didn't fly on the playground in first grade, and it's not going to fly here, either.

It was, a good read. The non-forced (plot-wise and character-wise), non-in-vain sacrifice was well done. I didn't see it coming.
>Being constantly wishy-washy, not helping others, and running away too much would get you killed.

This sent a chill up my spine. Now that I think about it, it was probably because that was kinda what happened in ASSM