!H8UfLAg.DQ 2011/03/28 (Mon) 21:06 No. 138407 ▼ File 130134638774.png - (213.95KB, 634x726 , you know who's got your back.png)
You're not sure why the oni are looking at your little friend like she could strike them dead at any moment, but you know a situation that needs defusing when you see one.
It sometimes amazes you how well you can read a situation when you are neither directly involved in it, nor the cause of it.
“Yes, Medi.” you say, with complete honesty. As fun as it would be to see what she would do, you don't want to cause any trouble for anyone, especially not when they've been so hospitable when you disregard whatever role they may have played in your being beaten unconscious and abducted by a brain-damaged fairy.
“They did?!” Medicine exclaims, briefly looking back at you before turning back towards the oni, some of whom are already frantically scrambling to hide under or behind the nearest piece of furniture they can find.
“No! Yes! I mean, they didn't!” you stammer, reaching out for the little doll-girl. “They didn't do anything to me! Really!”
Medicine says nothing as she continues to stare at the terrified group of oni, the silence that had fallen over the room now broken by the sounds of quiet sobbing, whimpering, and what almost sounds like desperate praying. After a few, uncomfortable moments of this, she finally nods and turns back to you, smiling. “Well, I guess that's okay, then! Right, Su-san?”
The smaller doll simply nods, and resumes enjoying her seat on Tenshi's head.
You have no idea how a doll with no discernible facial expression can manage to look so satisfied, but she's doing it. Quite well, in fact.
“Anyway, Human, we're here to get you!” Medicine announces, quickly getting back to the matter at hand. “So, um, let's go!”
She looks at you, happily and eagerly, while the oni behind her begin to crawl out from under and behind their hiding places. Though most go right back to trying to pour as much liquor down their throats as they possibly can, a few hold off long enough to bow repeatedly in your booth's direction.
“Actually, Medi,” you begin, trying to ignore the scene behind her. “I think I'm going to have to stay here for the night. I sorta promised, and, well...” You gesture down to the sleeping Parsee on your lap, and shrug.
“Okay!” Medicine replies, not even bothering to look down at the bridge princess.
“Er, really, Medi? You don't have a problem with this?”
“Huh? Why would we?” she asks, sitting down on the edge of the table in front of you. “We're here because you're here, so if you're staying here, then we're staying here, too!”
“Medi...”
“Besides!” she continues, cheerfully. “Su-san says that if we don't keep an eye on you, you'll probably go and get lost again or something!”
You open your mouth to say something, only to find the words stop in your throat as you realize she has a point. Though you are no stranger to aimless wandering, you can't deny that your day had involved a lot more of it than usual, even though you can barely remember most of it.
“Looks like you're not goin' anywhere tonight, huh?” Yuugi says, grinning, returning to your booth and sliding into a nearby chair. “You or your rescue party.”
“Nope, I guess not.” you agree. “Oh yeah, this is Medicine. Medi? This is Yuugi. She took care of me while I was unconscious, here.”
“Um, hi.” the little doll says, clearly wary of the newcomer who was currently smiling at her.
“Interestin' little one, ain'tcha?” Yuugi says, her grin now accompanied by a strange twinkle in her eye. “Dropped a celestial an' the satori's little birdie like they were nothin', and you've even got most of the boys so shaken up they're practically pissing themselves. Just what kinda power are ya packin', little dollie?”
“Wanna see?” Medicine glowers at the oni woman, in what you assume is either an attempt to intimidate the much larger oni, or simply out of annoyance at the interruption of her time with you.
“If you would be so kind.” Yuugi continues to grin, completely undeterred by the smaller girl's tone. If anything, it seems to have encouraged her, as the look in her eye has become somewhat more worrying to you.
The look of someone just begging for a fight.
You want to say something to intervene, but don't dare get between the two as they stare each other down, leaving you little else to do but lean back into your seat as far as you can go in a vain attempt to get as far out of their way as you can. To your amazement, though, it seems that intervention is unnecessary. No punches are thrown, nor poison sprayed. The two simply stare at each other, one smiling as the other glares. This continues for several seconds, seemingly with neither side budging, but just when you begin to once again think about saying something, you notice a subtle change.
Slowly, yet noticeably, Yuugi's smile begins to fade, as her combative grin is gradually overtaken by a look of confusion. Medicine seems to notice it as well, and as her posture becomes more confident.
“Huh. Now that's weird...” Yuugi mutters, brow furrowed. “Mmmmm...ahh, there it goes.”
“Huh?!” Medicine leans back slightly as Yuugi's grin returns in full force. “Ah, um...”
“Heh! Interesting! I couldn't feel anything at all, there!” Yuugi chuckles to herself, while Medicine's confidence visibly fades away, unsure of what to make of the oni woman's reaction to whatever it was she apparently did. “No wonder those fellas got so freaked out! Heh! Probably'll do 'em some good to feel like that. An' if ya did what ya did to these two, hmm...what was that?”
“Ah, u-uhm...” Though the mildly frightening glint in her eye is gone, replaced by a look of genuinely happy interest, Medicine still seems taken aback by Yuugi's quick rebound..
“She can control poison, Yuugi.” you offer, glad to have something to contribute.
“Is that so?” the oni woman says, not looking away from the little doll-girl. “Heh! Amazing! And you can already do stuff like this? I'm guessin' yer still a bit of a youngin', right, kiddo?”
“Um, well, uh...h-hey! I'm not a kid!” Medicine snaps, her apprehension quickly forgotten.
“Mmmmyep, definitely still young.” Yuugi snickers.
“H-hey!”
“Now, now, I don't mean nothin' by it.” the oni grins as she chances a quick ruffle of the little doll's hair. “It's just that you don't see a whole lotta youkai that can do stuff like that and still be runnin' around up topside. Usually, if they aren't down here already, they wind up here sooner or later. ...'course, I guess you sorta are here right now, aren't ya?”
“What are you talking about, lady? And don't touch me!” Medicine says, attempting to maintain her composure despite clearly being on the defensive.
“Well, that's what we're down here for, mostly, right? Well, 'sides us oni, of course.” Yuugi shrugs, snatches up a nearby bottle, and begins to idly swirl around the contents. “Disease controllin', mind readin', and just about anything else a youkai can do that might cause trouble for everybody else up there winds up down here, sooner or later. These caves become the stompin' grounds for anyone the surface doesn't like, doesn't want, but can't actually do anything about. Power like yours? You'll fit right in down here, kiddo. Mmm, bleh, this stuff oughta be cold.”
“We're not moving down here or anything, lady. We got important stuff to do up there!” Medicine says sternly, as both she and her smaller counterpart both fold their arms.
“'Course ya do, kiddo. But one day, well, you'll see.” Yuugi sets her bottle back on the table and pushes it away. “Just know that when that day comes, you'll be more than welcome down here. Especially if ya get that power of yours even stronger. Heh, it'll be nice to have someone else 'round that can keep these dolts in line! Ain't that right, boys?”
Looking up, you realize that the rest of the oni in the room have been watching your little corner of the bar for quite some time, seemingly in awe of the little meeting between the oni, the doll, and the dinky little human who was no match for any of them. Suddenly aware they had been found out, they all scramble to look as if they were busy doing something else. Some feign sleeping or drinking, while others act as if they were engaged in conversation with each other. One oni in particular does an especially convincing job of looking as if he were tying his shoes, or would be if not for the fact that he was completely barefoot at that moment, and clearly had never tied any sort of knot in his entire life.
“Anyway, just keep it in mind, 'kay? I like ya, kiddo. It'd be a shame to see someone like you get sealed up or somethin' worse on account of whatever stupid power struggle's goin' on at the time.” Yuugi says, as she resumes her search for a bottle with something drinkable in it. “Any power that can get an oni to cower like that is rare enough, but you also got honest eyes. I like that. Honesty ain't something you see a lot in youkai, but especially not in the stronger ones. Mostly, they just try to use you, crush you, or make it so you don't try to do the same to them. Tengu, 'specially.”
“Um. 'kay.” Medine says, staring blankly. “Are you done talking now?”
“Ha! That's what I'm talkin' about!” Yuugi laughs. “But, yeah, just listen to me, would ya? Heh. Anyway, what about you, kiddo?”
“Hey! I said I'm not-”
“Not you, dollie.” Yuugi interrupts, pointing to you. “Him.”
“Oh.”
“Uh, what about me?” you ask, wondering why the topic of conversation has shifted to you.
“Well, what're ya gonna do, now?” Yuugi asks with a smirk. “As fun as it is to have ya around, I'm guessin' you guys're gonna be wanting to get back to the surface, right?”
“Well, yeah, I guess.” you admit. “Since we're talking about powerful youkai, we still have the scary lady to deal with. Aw, man...”
“Heh, ya worry too much, kiddo. With that celestial and the little dollie here, how scary could one little ol' youkai be?” Yuugi chuckles, and ruffles your hair. “...'course, if she managed to chase you guys down here in the first place, well...huh.”
“Yeah.” you mutter, leaning forward enough to lightly knock your head on the table. “She's scary when she's angry. Very, very scary. Even when she's not angry, she was kinda scary.”
“Sounds like ya pissed off a pretty big fish, huh?”
“Yeeeeeah.” you say, as the cold, hard reality of your situation finally strikes you.
You have pissed off an very old, very powerful youkai.
Even if she were to have calmed down by the time you run into her again, you know there's no way she would be willing to just forgive and forget your attempt to hug her with a small, improvised explosive device that was intended to shrink her or something. What were you even thinking with that, anyway?!
You're dead.
Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.
You might be breathing, and thinking, and so on, but you're dead.
Your body has just not yet caught on to that fact.
Unless...
“Uh, hey, Yuugi?” you ask, the faintest glimmer of hope in your voice.
“I like ya, kiddo. I really do. But, no.” Yuugi says, as that glimmer of hope shatters into dust. Apparently hearing the quiet, defeated whine you let out, Yuugi begins to scratch the back of your head. “Aw, c'mon! Don't be like that! You're a man, right?”
A dead man. you almost mutter.
“Well, a man's gotta be able to fight his own battles, you know? Especially if it's a battle he started.” Yuugi says, as she continues to scratch your head. As nice as it feels, though, you're afraid you're not enjoying it as much as you might normally. “He doesn't gotta do it alone, but he's still gotta do it, right? And you're not alone, right?”
“Huh? Of course not!” Medicine speaks up. “The Human has Su-san and me! And we have him!”
“See?” Yuugi's voice softens, as her hand leaves your head. “No one can solve your problems for you, but you, kiddo. Most I could do is root you on, but you got that base covered already. I could tag along, even fight your youkai, but it wouldn't be your fight that I'm fightin'. Even if I beat her, you'd still have the settle your own debt with her in the end. Ya know?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know.” you say, both to her and yourself. “You're right, mo-...er, Yuugi. Still...”
“Hmm?”
“Does that mean you can't come along with us, anyway?” ask her, finally lifting your head off the table. “You know, for fun? The more the merrier, right?”
“Mmm, I dunno.” Yuugi says, leaning back in her chair. “We kinda gave up on the surface for a reason, y'know. Ain't much up there for us anymore, an' just about anything we could want's already down here. Plus, there's so much we gotta do...”
“Parsee said all you guys do is drink, party, and occasionally punch ghosts.”
“Well, yeah.” she says. “But that's no reason to not be down here, right?”
“Uh, I guess not.”
“Then again...” Yuugi sighs, rolling her head around to crack her neck. “I do like ya, kiddo. Seem like a fun bunch t'be around. An' if they can take a break from here, I guess there's no harm in me doin' it, either.”
“Huh? They?”
“So, I'll tell ya what!” Yuugi grins leans towards you. “Convince me.”
“Convince you?”
“Yep! Convince me!” she nods. “I'm not opposed to the idea, but I can't just go on my own little whimsy, y'know? I'll probably hafta call in more than a few favors to do but, but I can do it. You just gotta convince me!”
Still smiling, Yuugi shifts back into her chair, and waits for you to speak.
You don't doubt that she seems perfectly willing to go along with you, so long as you give her good reason to. You have to admit, even if she won't make your youkai problem go away, there would be something reassuring about having her with you.
But what to say?
[ ] What do you say?
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Yes, it's write-in only. Sorry.
No freebies this time, folks.
