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THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...
Kosuzu’s second life has been turned on its head more than once in the past twenty-four hours. When she first recovered her memories of her past life, she believed her new self to be a mere tube fox, the daughter of Kudamaki Tsukasa. But overnight, it became clear that her true mother in this timeline was none other than Yakumo Ran. The Wicked White Fox had kidnapped Kosuzu and taken her mother’s place, crushing the young kitsune’s spirit. Through that and other means, Tsukasa’s sought to reduce Kosuzu to the former’s much more meager species.
As soon as Yakumo Yukari learned of the young fox’s location, she tracked Kosuzu down and gifted her the Bluebell Grimoire - a tome made for her by her real mother. Using the grimoire, and working with the Mayumi and Reimu, she managed to rescue a young girl - Okazaki Yumemi. Like the Immaterial Children, she has traveled through time - though, unlike them, she travels using scientific means, as part of a stable time loop. A future version of Yumemi has been subtly intervening in the fates of all the Immaterial Children, for reasons yet unknown. But for Kosuzu - perhaps out of gratitude for the fox freeing her - she has been directly acting to help her grow in power and confidence. Her most recent, reckless, and costly attempt to do so was to rescue the Grimoire from Tsukasa’s clutches - succeeding only at the cost of ending up hospitalized.
Kosuzu’s false mother fled to the very same people who captured Yumemi in the first place - the Keiga family, an army of spectral wolves. Though they are powerful adversaries, the Haniwa normally have complete immunity to their attacks, and they thus should pose little threat. But with the aid of the wicked hermit Seiga they have devised a way to crack the Haniwa, breaking their bodies and morale alike. Now, they wash over Keiki’s territory like a vicious red tide, threatening to swallow all in its wake…
Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449 >>205720
Again/Akyuu >>206017 >>206302 >>206595 >>206906 >>207202
Yester/Youmu >>207370 >>207705 >>208027 >>208337 >>208664 >>208978
Kaizou/Kosuzu >>209221 >>209492 >>209799 >>210140 >>210522 >>210832 >>211127 >>211466
Epilogues and Shorts >>/shorts/2804
Or read the story archive on Ao3:
https://archiveofourown.org/series/4062991
Outside/Omakes (Shorts from Other Writers): >>/shorts/2947
Kosuzu wanted to go out and fight. But at the same time… she knew it wasn’t her place. Just the words ‘Reimu needs rescue’ were enough to prove that. Instead, she took a deep breath, and looked up at Yukari.
“Is there anything we can do to help? Even if it’s just moving files around?” …The sage was giving her that curious look again. Kosuzu did her best to rally through it. “I… know I shouldn’t go out into danger. But I don’t want to sit aside, either! Please… there’s gotta be something we can do.”
Yukari’s appraising look… slowly formed into a smile. “For a moment there I thought you’d be asking to rush out to battle.”
Kosuzu shook her head. “I want to help, but… this is serious. Chen’s already looking after me, I don’t want to hamper more people thinking I’m a liability.” She looked up at the sage. “But I don’t want to stand by, either. Everyone else is fighting… I wanna fight, too.
“Yeah!” Yumemi jumped forward. “This whole thing started because of me, right? You saw how Keiki is! I can’t just stand by while everyone’s getting hurt!” She looked up at the sage. “Please… you gotta let us help somehow!”
The sage chuckled. “Alright, alright. If you insist on taking part… I’m sure we can find something. Yachie?”
The dragon nodded. “You take care of my daughter, and I’ll take care of these kids. Though…" She gave the girls an appraising look. "I won’t have any half-hearted support. If I get the slightest hint you’re slowing the rest of us down, I’m kicking you right out. Got it?”
The two young girls saluted. “Yes, Ma’am!”
Yukari gave the fox a small pat. “...If you want to fight alongside your friends in the future… I’ll make sure you get the training you need. After all, in time, the world may very well be in your hands - and I won’t let the child of Yakumo Ran be found wanting.”
The fox leant into the petting, her tail starting to wag. Yukari lifted her hand, smiling gently. “But for now, you need to help where you’re best suited. I don’t even want to imagine what Ran would do if you got hurt when she was less than an hour away. She wouldn’t feed me for a month.” The two chuckled a bit at the thought.
“Still, you have many people here making sure you’re staying safe - the Haniwa soldiers, Yachie, the little spirits… and your big sister, of course.” In the corner of her eye, she saw Chen shift uneasily. “So I think I can leave you here while I go bring young Reimu back to safety. Make sure Yachie has whatever she needs to lead the defense. Alright?”
The fox nodded. She had to temper her expectations a bit. She wanted to help, desperately, but in an active warzone, she wouldn’t be abl-
She paused, looking up at Yukari. “Little… spirits?”
The Sage started, awkwardly. “Ah - I mean the otters, of course.” She waved her hand flippantly.
Kosuzu nodded slowly, letting the question drop. That sounded… odd to her, but she didn’t have the time to try and press Yukari. Maybe she could ask Chen later? “Alright… Stay safe, Lady Yukari. We’ll do what we can here.”
As the sage made her departure, Chen sighed. “Honestly, you two…” At length, the nekomata chuckled. “Well, the thought of twiddling my thumbs annoys me as well. So if we’re doing this… let’s do it right.”
Yachie stepped in front of them. “Enough chit-chat, we’re in a war here. I’ll have you start as gophers. A car will be pulling up shortly with documentation on otter specialist squads. It will be here within five minutes. You will bring all the files here and start distributing them as needed before ten have passed. Is that understood?”
The three girls nodded, scurrying off to the garage to be ready when the car arrived. Kosuzu closed her eyes, thinking of her friends.
Reimu, Mayumi… help is coming. Just hold on a little longer.
listening to the the alert theme from mgs3 as I read this really ups the already palpable suspense factor
You linked the wrong thread in the AO3 update lol (you linked the previous one you had already linked in the chapter "Bluebells")
Reminder Kosuzu kept picking up Danmaku rather than strategic spells or skills all along?
Gopher work is just asking to be picked off by Tsukasa.
Also yay good way to reinforce Kosuzu thinking of herself as a "liability"
>>211853
With Chen on hand? I think that if Tsukasa does make a move, it might become Kosuzu’s chance to finally stand up to Tsukasa, and that’s assuming Tsukasa doesn’t take too long and runs into an angry Momfox.
>>211853
we did pick up the silence spell, and the hairpin, and Kosuzu has started looking into the work behind the hairpin at that
we only picked Danmaku once.
and hiding back in the bunker would be the one that would have her thinking herself a liability, this one she is still trying to do something, and getting encouragement from Yukari that they will be help her get to the level she want to be. its just that right now the level is "THE Reimu needs help" which is... a liittle high up in the tiers... (admittly that line did kinda feel like how you are interpreting it at first for me... but well, it's Reimu Kosuzu only just got to figure out she is an awesome fox... needs to get use to it first.)
Don't forget that a very annoyed turtlemom is also on hand that wants to have words with Tsukasa at that...
Actually a thought occurred to me earlier... Yachie was a fan of Ran's from her time in the animal realm... despite either ending up, or starting an entirely different group... kinda makes me wonder if Yachie was a citizen of Tsukasa's little kingdom (a small fry and thus beneath Tsukasa's notice and thus not recognized.) and thus celebrates Ran's help in freeing her?
Which would also be why she was enjoying the interaction earlier, a chance to lord it over her old oppressor.
but eh, just a theory
>>211853
I say this even if I also voted the "let me fight" option at first and kinda wanted to see her in action: Why are you so sure that Yukari would have taken Kosuzu with her?
She might have shown promise before, but has virtually no experience with danmaku or even fighting in particular.
She has been a librarian her whole previous life. This current life so far, she only practiced skills for sneaking around (and Tsukasa actively sabotaged her efforts to be stronger). Saying that she might possibly be a liability is her being realist in this particular scenario, because she's not doubting her own abilities this time: Reimu herself was overwhelmed with the amount of enemies. If an accomplished fighter is struggling, what chances does she really have?
Before breaking Tsukasa's grip she might have been moping and calling herself useless, but she has chosen to help despite her perceived limitations (which as far as we know are very real) while also knowing that she has to be safe until Ran arrives.
Also, Yukari herself promised to help train her.
>> “...If you want to fight alongside your friends in the future… I’ll make sure you get the training you need. After all, in time, the world may very well be in your hands - and I won’t let the child of Yakumo Ran be found wanting.”
She just has to wait, set her sights on her future. Complete opposite of reinforcing the "I'm a liability" mindset.
My only real concern with this choice is that Grip didn't go down. But we can't expect every choice to be a Grip changing one, right? Eh, maybe it was, but whatever.
I'm still not sold on Tsukasa being Shirohime, but admittedly this has less to do with Tsukasa than feeling like our mysterious White Princess has a bigger role than being one of the major antagonists for one arc.
To be honest, the only part of me that gives me pause about Tsukasa = Shirohime is that we still don't have a good idea on how she learned about Kosuzu's existence. While alot of the problems are easy enough to hand-wave as Tsukasa spending an inordinate amount of time stalking Ran and Yukari in her spare time, figuring out that Kosuzu specifically was the child means that she is either in contact with the Pyre Master mind (at least to the extent of getting a tipoff on how to spy on Ran/Yukari) or got leaked the info by Ichi/Go. Both seem to be rather extreme speculation, even given Tsukasa's enhanced backstory.
If they are the same, part of me is wondering if Kosuzu will even get the chance of her confrontation with Tsukasa by the end of the arc, seeing as Tsukasa/Shirohime would be an excellent surrogate that would allow the mastermind to act without being seen (and we still don't have a 100% confirmation on where the Pyre Cherry came from, since all Chiyuri/Go apparently did was provide enough information to Suwako so she learned about the immaterial children.
correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've really have confirmation that Tsukasa knows Kosuzu is one of the immaterial children; she's definitely aware of the event, but was reflexively dismissive of any deeper significance to it. I believe the only thing she's admitted to is knowing she's Ran's child.
it's definitely a possibility, and more or less forms the basis of the idea the she's Shirohime, but the question that would let us confirm it one way or another--how, exactly, did Tsukasa learn about Yakumo Kosuzu?--hasn't really been answered.
>>211856
"Yeah you'll be something eventually. maybe. in the future. faaaaar future. Not right now you suck though" and "Yeah doesnt matter if you suck long as you have friends you can just sit back and reeeelaax since you'll just get in the way" are both the same flavor of choices that didnt reduce grip. both here and in the library before. Its a meek "ehhh maybe in the future others will help me actually be worth something so I should just sit back" rather than being proactive is the type of meekness that consumes Kosuzu. Even if the intentions behind the statements arent malicious at all and even if they're "realist". Her friends are in danger and the best she can do is be a gopher right now? not good for her self-steem.
And the tricks Kosuzu has are not to be underestimated, she wont be going to facetank the whole army but the different tricks she has access to and her acumen let her provide pretty good support and allow her to surprise most engagements that definetely do not expect her level of firepower from outdated information. She's an unknown variable that no one is expecting during the chaos. Even right now she was told she could at least deal with most spirits and that was before scope and danmaku upgrades. And at the very least showed she could handle herself during the Yumemi rescue and surprising Seiga.
>>211860
I'm not convinced that "Kosuzu didn't decide to run straight into an active warzone, that's gonna obliterate her self-esteem and trap her in an abusive household" is a real or serious concern.
You can't just ignore the context choices are made in. For one thing, the Yakumo clan are here for care and support now and Kosuzu knows she's one of them. For another, remember the last time we naively rejected context and voted to be stupid and headstrong? Grip got maxed out and locked.
>>211860
If Yukari Yakumo tells you "yeah I'm getting you trained" I'd bet you are getting the best training you could possibly have. Especially when the best trainer available is most likely your own mother. Yukari knows about the incident that caused the ICs, and I doubt she'll not help train one of the few people that can actually resolve the thing in the first place. And that means doing it ASAP, she has to make up for the time lost.
I think I've already said this, but I think that Kosuzu would have been quite powerful for her age by this point if she'd been raised by Ran (I'll not exaggerate it, she'd still be a trainee with lots to learn, but I think she'd be as competent as the usual incident resolvers were at this point in time in the previous loop at the very least). Her potential is still very high. And if being the child of Ran Yakumo and granddaughter shikigami-in-training of Yukari herself doesn't account to anything, I'll eat my shoe.
On account of "she's an unknown variable": I'd say that she's a VERY known variable now. Especially by Seiga, who could be very much masterminding the whole attack.
>> And at the very least showed she could handle herself during the Yumemi rescue and surprising Seiga.
She can go toe to toe with some wolves, yes. Maybe lots of wolves. But Seiga basically shrugged her attacks unless they were prepared way in advance and then it was mostly the surprise of the attack and the bottleneck caused by the hole she opened rather than the power itself. That's the level of preparation she won't be allowed to have in an active battle zone.
>> And the tricks Kosuzu has are not to be underestimated
Same as before, her "tricks" are better suited to guerilla tactics at best, depending a lot on stealth, surprise and previous preparation. Trying to pull something like that once will be difficult, doing it multiple times?
I get that she would be playing support to Yukari and Keiki, and I get your point too: I really want to see Kosuzu being competent and powerful, saving the day. She will have her time to shine, this is her arc and her "hero's journey": trouble WILL find her regardless of what we want and how we vote, and she will have to face it to grow (and being honest, she has already faced a lot thus far).
wellp, took a bit of time in between other stuff but uh... this is colored now. hooray?
>>211863
Spectacular, love the little details like the seams on the seats and the sneaky signature in the glass. Background's amazing, too.
Is there anywhere we can see more of your art?
No self-deprecation from me this time lol. Sorry about that.
no worries.
as far as it goes, I've been having increasing trouble finding someplace I can stably use as a gallery; the only place that I regularly update nowadays is my ancient deviantart gallery: https://www.deviantart.com/mshadowy
be forewarned, there are boobs
One question, did anyone think that Kozusu's grandfather can't have something happen to him for wanting to protect the library? I mean Seiga is going there, I doubt very much that he won't do something nice to him?
apuesto 5 pesos a que se remuere su abuelo
Chen's weirdness
From >>211466
>>Her mother muttered, under her breath. “...I’m worried about Chen. Her power as a shikigami’s been slipping, recently.”
>>Yukari didn’t visibly react, though she responded in the same hushed tones. “It’s natural, honestly. Classic first child behavior, to a degree - she’s not used to having to share your free time yet. It’s just that, as your shikigami, that has an effect on her efficiency, as well.”
>>The woman carrying her sighed. “...A-and I worry she sees herself as less my daughter than Kosuzu. I’ve done my best to distribute my time as evenly as possible-”
>>“But by nature, the youngest takes priority. And as a shikigami, she can calculate the exact amount of the difference between her share and Suzu’s.” Yukari stepped forward, to pat her on the shoulder. “Honestly, we get one ‘big sis Chen’ out of lil’ Suzu, and the problem’s solved, I think.”
From >>211617
>>The little ku-kitsune kept her gaze forward. “...No, but… I wanted to say sorry.” The nekomata hesitated. “I… I know I kinda ended up taking a lot of R- of Mom’s time, and… you felt left out as a result.”
>>The shikigami looked away. “...It wasn’t like that, Suzu. It was just kiddy stuff, honestly.”
>>“But… still.” The fox looked up at her. “Just because I was there, doesn’t mean it was fair on you.”
>>Chen shook her head. “...Look, Kosuzu. You’re not wrong that I was jealous back then. But… that wasn’t me being rational, or fair.”
>>She started to fish around in the drawers in front of the two girls. “You were a baby. You were Ran’s first-born daughter! Of course you were gonna take priority over her shikigami.” She pulled out a pair of scissors. “It’s only natural, no? Besides…” Chen sighed. “I got more than my fair share of attention while you were gone, you know.”
>>Kosuzu paused, confused. Ran’s first-born daughter? But up until now… “Surely you’re her daughter, too? I thought that-”
>>The cat gently tugged at the central bang on Kosuzu’s face, pulling it taut before snipping the whole thing off. “...Lady Ran’s called me that, a few times. But… I think she just needed someone to fill that role.” The cat’s ears flopped back. “I… I already owe Lady Ran my life for saving me, for making me her shikigami. And for that effort, when she needed me most… I wasn’t there. Not even close.”
>>Kosuzu opened her mouth to speak. It took her some time to find any words. “You mean… that night?”
>>Chen’s face in the mirror was dark. “I’d left the house to go and sulk about not getting as much attention as someone who couldn’t even care for herself. Ran was fighting for your life, and I was off playing with stray cats again. Not that I would have been much use, as poor as I was performing then. I’d lost sight of my place.” She took a few more snips around the back of Kosuzu’s hair. “And I won’t let that happen a second time.”
>>The fox looked down. But… it wasn’t Chen’s fault. If mom had managed to get away from Ran - if Tsukasa had managed to get away from her mother - it wasn’t likely Chen would have been able to help regardless. But… Chen was blaming herself for what happened to Kosuzu. She was assuming it was her fault, rather than pointing fingers at who was really responsible.
>>Kosuzu drew her tail up on herself. She didn’t remember much about the Yakumo from her past life, but surely they weren’t in this much of a wrecked state. She’d probably been the catalyst for leaving Chen and Ran in a mess all these years. And even before that, she’d left Chen feeling like she was secondary to Kosuzu; in light of Kosuzu’s nature as an Immaterial Child, that was just cruel.
From >>211355
>>She reached out, cautiously, for the woman’s heart. Trying to sense a gap in it. For a mercy, she seemed to have little in the way of spiritual defense, allowing Tsukasa to easily slither in, and-
>>Oh. Oh that was perfect. Almost too convenient. Tsukasa grinned, stepping in front of the fire and bringing the book behind her back. “You know, when it comes to books, I’ve never been the type to like spellbooks and grimoires. Always been the type for thrillers, myself.”
>>“Don’t you dare try to burn the book behind your back.” Ichi’s mouth was curled up in a snarl. “Show me your hands, now.”
>>Tsukasa grinned, pulling the book out from behind her back with her right hand.
>>And the kunai out from its sheath with her left.
>>The soothsayer’s gaze locked on it, immediately, and she began to sweat. The tip of her gun began to tremble, forcing the oracle to put her other hand on it in hopes of stabilizing her aim. Tsukasa twirled the dagger in her hand. “What’s the matter, dear? Not a fan of knives?”
>>...
>>Tsukasa chuckled, flicking a drop of blood with a twist of her dagger in the air. …This girl seemed to have a fresh, raw weakness, too. “You sure? ‘Cos I don’t know how your dear Keiki would react if she found out you left this woman to bleed to death.”
>>It seemed even beings of clay could have the blood drain from their faces. Tsukasa laughed, leaning back on the window. It was only open a crack, but that was more than enough for a tube-fox. “Well, I guess my hand’s been forced…” She gave a wave to the collapsed woman, and her baleful stare. “I’ve got to go. I’ll be here to pick up my dear daughter tomorrow, okay?” She put her hands in a heart shape, and gave a playful wink.
This is a wild what if (likely formed by over analyzing and/or paranoia), but what if Chen was an accomplice when Tsukasa kidnap Kosuzu. Tsukasa using her ability saw that Chen was jealous of Kosuzu and recruited her with the promise that Tsukasa won't kill Kosuzu but raise her instead and that without Kosuzu Chen will be able to spend more time with Ran a "best" of both worlds situation. it would explain why Chen's shikigami powers were out of whack (for thinking about betraying Ran), and the weird stops when she was talking about not being there that night because of the guilt. If that scenario was true guilt also would be why Chen wouldn't tell Ran and Yukari for fear of being kicked out for betraying them.
Please note: I don't think this scenario is too likely. I just had the though yesterday and reread some sections to see if it was possible and wanted to see what you guys though about it.
From >>211848
>>“Still, you have many people here making sure you’re staying safe - the Haniwa soldiers, Yachie, the little spirits… and your big sister, of course.” In the corner of her eye, she saw Chen shift uneasily. “So I think I can leave you here while I go bring young Reimu back to safety. Make sure Yachie has whatever she needs to lead the defense. Alright?”
>>The fox nodded. She had to temper her expectations a bit. She wanted to help, desperately, but in an active warzone, she wouldn’t be abl-
>>She paused, looking up at Yukari. “Little… spirits?”
>>The Sage started, awkwardly. “Ah - I mean the otters, of course.” She waved her hand flippantly.
>>Kosuzu nodded slowly, letting the question drop. That sounded… odd to her, but she didn’t have the time to try and press Yukari. Maybe she could ask Chen later? “Alright… Stay safe, Lady Yukari. We’ll do what we can here.”
Now for a less crazy thought train. Regardless of if Tsukasa is Shirohime or that Tsukasa worked with her, Tsukasa might have access to the spell that lets her see from animal spirits, if so no matter where we go Tsukasa will likely know where Kosuzu is (meaning that at least one of the protections that Yukari has in place is compromised). Then again Tsukasa did say she (in >>211355 you can it read it in the part above) that she didn't like spellbooks or grimoires so it reinforces my thoughts that Tsukasa isn't Shirohime (but she could be lying about her dislike or might be why she didn't use it herself).
>>211870
From >>211114 :
> …Though, now she was looking at her… “Chen… how tall are you?”
> The cat looked back, confused. “...Maybe it’s just me, but… I feel like last time, even a few years from now, you were still… shorter. Right?” She turned to Reimu for confirmation.
> Keiki smiled. “Youkai grow at least partially depending on their mental age. Some can seem to eternally be children, and some can mature rapidly compared to humans. It’s not uncommon for some youkai to experience some form of arrested development if they reach an equilibrium they’re happy with. ...Granted, it's no less uncommon to find them deliberately hiding their age, for one reason or another.”
Chen is bigger in this timeline than she was in the last timeline. The only thing different about Chen's life in this timeline is the fact that Kosuzu was born as Ran's daughter. Youkai are as old as they perceive themselves to be, which means that the reason Chen is older in this timeline is because she truly believes deep in her heart that she is Kosuzu's older sister. If Chen didn't care about Kosuzu, Chen would have stayed the same spoiled little child she was in the last timeline.
In order for your theory to be true, Chen would have to love Kosuzu so much that it altered Chen's perception of herself, while simultaneously not love Kosuzu enough to even try to leak the fact the Tsukasa was the culprit to Ran and Yukari. Even if Chen was afraid of Ran disowning her, Chen could have just played it off by saying she got the information from one of her cat friends who saw the whole thing. Chen's altered appearance proves that she would at least try to save her little sister.
Besides, if Chen was involved in Kosuzu's kidnapping, she would have known that the fox girl Tsukasa brought with her was Kosuzu the whole time, so there would be no reason for Chen to sniff Kosuzu so intently to confirm her identity in >>209799 .
>>211863
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE
This is amazing. I want to see more!
>>211871
Sadly even if you love someone that doesn't mean that you won't hurt them, expressly when other strong emotions like Jealousy and/or a master manipulator like Tsukasa (and Shirohime if they are different people working together) are in play. We have at least 2 examples of this earlier in the story during Yester/Youmu, when Akyuu and Youmu were fighting each other in >>208581 and the fight between the 2 Moriya Goddesses first mentioned in >>208386.
That being said your argument against my what if scenario about why did Chen have to sniff Kosuzu in >>209799 is great. I haven't came up with any counters for it that doesn't sound like someone grasping at straws, looks like my not too likely scenario has less chance than I first thought.
Sorry for the lack of updates.
It's crunch time at work - we're doing a big upgrade over the weekend - so I'm very busy hitting away at it. Next update is in the works, with the next chapter catching us up on the other two foxes we're interested in (seperately, of course).
>>211875
Good to hear. Take your time with the update. I’d rather have a well-crafted chapter in a week than a slapdash one tomorrow.
As always, thanks for the heads-up and take all the time you need.
>> “Why did I hire you?” Yachie’s sudden, toothy smile was bright, like a shining lure.
>> Her mother was momentarily thrown off. “Pardon?”
>> “Come now, surely you haven’t forgotten?” Yachie leaned in. “What we discussed just this morning? The one condition I needed you to fulfill?”
>> Tsukasa took a moment to respond. “Ah, well… it was to support your endeavors in sending your daughter to the surface.”
>> “Close, very close. It was to protect my daughter. And what did you do?” There was a moment of silence. Yachie’s lure broke, to reveal rows of jagged teeth. “Tell me, Tsukasa. What. Did. You. Do.”
>> The fox balked under her fury. “I-I… I can only apologize… I-I genuinely thought they’d have escaped long before that Seiga got there.” The dragon loomed closer, her toothy maw billowing smoke. “I-I swear, th-they must have been delayed or, or-or-or…”
>> “It doesn’t matter. You are lucky, Tsukasa - truly lucky. Because if my daughter had gotten a scratch on her, your throat would be spilling blood across this floor. And if she had been seriously injured in any way, I would not be so merciful as to grant you such a quick and easy death.”
>> Kosuzu had never seen her mother so starved of a reply. It must have been the Jidiao’s power to break one’s ability to refuse her. Only that could explain the normally slick Kudamaki elder being so devoid of a response.
>> “From now on, you don’t dare to act without my permission.” The fox nodded hastily. “This conversation will not happen again. You will follow my orders exactly, and you will not recklessly endanger my daughter. Ever.”
Took more time than I wanted for this, sorry.
>>211885
My only complaint is that Tsukasa shouldn’t have one knee up, because that’s more of a western thing culturally, but otherwise this is amazing. Yachie really looks like she’s about to shank Tsukasa right then and there.
Amazing work there! The little shadows of the girls in the background peeking are funny, and the smoke and all out aura around Yachie is great!
And even how small Tsukasa is in comparison too is a nice touch! Almost looks like a thin twig that Yachie could snap in two accidentally!
>>211886
Completely valid point, I wanted to depict Tsukasa with her tail between her legs so that's the first pose that came to mind but you're right, maybe I should have gone with a dogeza?
>>211887
Thanks! I had to redraw her because the first pose I did was kinda wonky and she ended a little smaller accidentally ^_^U
Overall, this drawing was thought as a callback to Reimu's first encounter with Kosuzu >>209832 (I had fun with that.)
I don't know what will I draw next, I have a couple ideas plus the "suggestion" list, but still. I hope I don't take too long for the next one!
The chick stirred. It slowly sat up, cheeping.
Kutaka cooed, gently lifting it into her hair. “About time you got up, little one. You missed calling in the morning, you know.”
The chicken goddess stretched, flitting back to her seat. It was going to be another quiet day at the checkpoint, it seemed. Most likely, that meant a certain shinigami was slacking off. While that was a problem, Kutaka couldn’t solve it without leaving her own post - which forced her to find ways to spend the time.
Shifts like this were… conceptually convenient, but rarely well-timed. A quiet shift would have been great yesterday, when she was still leveling out her tiredness from a rather stressful day before. But today, she was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and bored out of her eggshell.
She idly turned her head, towards the Sanzu river. She could see what she was pretty sure was the figure of Komachi’s boat, with the vague lumpiness that indicated a vessel whose owner was lying across it. Honestly, there was a limit to how brazen one could be.
The goddess sighed, leaning up against her post. She began the slow tossup on whether she could reasonably leave her post to scold Onozuka. But… that would require this rather important checkpoint being left unattended. While she was unlikely to miss anything that came from the Sanzu or living world to one of the many Hells, the real risk was the other direction.
If she was at her post, Kutaka could take most of what tried to escape to the living world, at least long enough for backup to arrive. Many an oni or spirit saw her merely as poultry, right up until she kicked them hard enough to break boulders. But if she wasn’t at the checkpoint, they could squeeze out past the bottle-neck, and rapidly become exponentially more difficult to catch. And Yama knows that the next person in line wouldn’t be of any use.
Kutaka started shuffling some papers, trying to think of what she could do to pass the time… but her thoughts trended back to her layabout worker. She didn’t need much, just… something to happen. Anything.
The chirping of her passenger caught her attention, and she lifted him out of her hair to check on him. His eyes were locked on the river, and Kutaka turned to look, seeing… what may very well be exactly what she was looking for.
It was a glowing light, not of a spirit - business instincts - but of a living creature. A powerful one, too. It appeared to be rushing out across the water, producing massive waves in its wake. It was making a beeline directly for her checkpoint - with Komachi likely to be caught in its backdraft.
The shinigami didn’t seem to have noticed it yet. If she was caught in the waves, she’d be thrown overboard at least, perhaps even badly hurt. Fortunately, Kutaka did have an emergency alarm for exactly this purpose. She rushed over to that part of the desk, clearing the space around the button, and lifted her hand to strike-
…
……….
………………………………….Now!
As soon as she saw Komachi’s boat start to be lifted, she slammed the buzzer. The ringing sound resounded out over the field, giving the shinigami enough time to realize something was happening. She saw the boat flip multiple times in the air, dispensing its sole passenger in her own gyrations. The chicken goddess smirked as she saw the twin splashes.
The glowing light slowed - relatively speaking - as it hit the shore. Kutaka hopped out, standing firmly in the middle of the checkpoint. It was a kitsune, though not one the gatekeeper recognised.
She stepped out, picking up a form. People who weren’t expected needed to make some declarations. As the figure slowed down from rocketing to merely sprinting, Kutaka clicked out her pen. “N-”
The fox leapt right over her, snatching the form right out of her hands. Her hands were a flurry, filling out the form in seconds. She shoved it back into Kutaka’s hands, staring her down. Kutaka felt the intensity of the fox’s gaze as she inspected the form’s new contents.
“Name: Yakumo Ran… Species: Kitsune… Desired Target Hell: (E) The Animal Realm… Purpose of Entry: (D) Rescuing loved one (not deceased)...”
“Lady Niwatari.” The kitsune’s voice had a strained edge to it. “I need to get past, now.”
The chicken shook her head. “I’m sorry, Miss… Yakumo, was it?” …Where had she heard that name before? Kutaka read the next few lines of the form, hoping it’d rouse her memories. “But there is still a procedure to this. ...You intend to take someone back with you? You need to fill out-”
Ran shoved past her into the guardhouse. A storm of paper erupted inside. Kutaka took a moment to realize what had happened, and rushed inside to stop her.
From the flurry, a document was forced into her hands. It was… huh. The right form. The gatekeeper started to speak again, before more documents shoved themselves out.
“Ah… well, these forms do… make a logical pattern-”
The fox muttered something under her breath. “-one minutes, thirty-eight-point-seven-three-” Her head snapped up. “Please hurry, this is urgent.”
“Alright, alright, give me a minute. Not everyone can move that fast…” This must be a shikigami - this kind of efficiency and speed only made sense with one of the twin-minded. Kutaka began to shuffle through the forms, as the fox hovered over her, counting out the seconds.
Kutaka moved through the forms, carefully checking everything. She was sure this woman did want to rush, but her power made that infeasible. She was a risk by default; Kutaka couldn’t just let someone this strong waltz right in and out without understanding why she did so. Lady Eiki was counting on her; she couldn’t just let a kitsune in-
As she nearly finished the second last form, something clicked. A kitsune shikigami? To command such a powerful being’s loyalty to such an extent must mean that the person in question was even stronger. Wait… “Yakumo… where have I heard that name…?”
The kitsune’s glare only got more pained. “My master is Yakumo Yukari. I-”
“Hold on.” Kutaka paused, moving over to her flipbook. “Zo, ze, za… Yu, Yo, Ye… Yakumo… Yakumo - Ah! Yakumo Yukari- See Maribel Hearn. One second-”
The fox groaned. “You have been wasting my time for seven minutes and twenty seconds. Please, my daughters are-”
“Ah, here it is!” The chicken hissed through her teeth. “Ah, yeah. I thought so. Maribel Hearn, born - that has to be a typo - now known as Yakumo Yukari… the Tsugaru Strait incident, Sage of Gensokyo… Sorry, orders from up top are clear on this. I’m going to have to call Lady Eiki.”
A vein started to bulge out of the fox’s head. “How long?”
“Well, there’s apparently some disturbance in the Animal Realm she’s investigating, so… it could be a while. Once that’s settled, maybe she can spare some-”
“My daughters,” Ran growled, “are caught up in the very disturbance you’re speaking of, and their lives are at stake. Eight minutes now. I will be entering the Animal Realm before nine minutes have passed. The only thing that could change is what state I will be leaving you in.”
Kutaka glared at her. “Is that a threat?”
“And a promise.” The fox clenched her hand into a fist. “Do not make me do something we will both regret.”
The goddess stood up. “That thuggery only suggests you might deserve a more permanent stay. But if you insist…” She raised a leg, getting into a martial stance. “Don’t go crying to your boss when I kick you to the curb.”
She’d done the best she could do to pass peacefully. It had taken much mental toil on both of her parts to not snap the infuriating bureaucrat’s neck, deserved or otherwise - but ultimately, she was just doing her job. The need for urgency had outweighed any necessity to be excessive, but it also had quelled any desire to leave the goddess in a state even close to comfortable …She’d have to make penance another time.
[But this was not that time. This was the time to push forward. She had a lock on Chen’s location, and the chance the nekomata would willingly separate from Kosuzu was statistically ridiculous.]
The fox ran on, muttering under her breath. Wondering about her young daughter - who she hadn’t seen in the flesh for all too long.
[And, of course, about the woman who stole her away. She bit back building rage. Because she knew her - better than anyone alive.]
Kudamaki Tsukasa. A relatively well-known kuda-gitsune acting as the servant to Iizunamaru. A craven and cruel thing.
[A shadow of what she had once been.]
…She tensed. The true name, her true name bubbled up. Even now, the reflexive urge to attach a Lady to it was strong. But the urge to curse it was stronger.
“...Say your prayers, Shirohime.” Ran spat out the name with venom. “The moment my daughters are safe… nothing will protect you from me.”
Thank you, Ran, for letting us all live out the fantasy of absolutely obliterating needless bureaucracy with overwhelming firepower.
Ouch, poor Kutaka! XD
Aaaaaannndd when we return it will be in the middle of Keiki's base looking at Kosuzu's back from a not-too-far distance won't it?
... Huh Tsugaru Strait incident? Hmmm. Tsugaru strait has nothing pop up in the touhou wiki, it is a real location between two of Japan's islands... I wonder what the story is there
Also ah the ridiculousness of bureaucracy where they can have paperwork so detailed to have an actual option for an afterlife of: rescuing loved one, still living! XD
I appreciate Ran still attempting to do things by the book! Proper record-keeping is important, you know?
And it's a great bit of character-driven comedy!
Poor Kutaka, though. But, hey, she lasted nearly a minute against a pissed-off ninetails! That's pretty good!
Interesting wrinkle that Tsugaru is between the imperial core of Japan and a (relatively) recent colony with a distinct indigenous population, too. Especially being mentioned by a character whose name is derived from a Japanese-Ainu creole ("Kutaka" comes from "Kutakake," an archaic word for chicken, and one of the leading etymological theories on it is that it's derived from the Ainu "Kotan," meaning village, by way of a creole that was spoken in northwest Honshu in ancient times).
Maybe Yukari was involved with Shakushain or something?
> Hundreds of years ago, a wicked fox princess ruled a portion of Japan called Tsugaru.
tsugaru is the place where shirohime/tsukasa ruled, close to tsugaru straight. the straight is actually named after the area. interestingly, there's a shrine dedicated to inari okami in the modern-day city of tsugaru- and inari okami is a kami of foxes.
> Maribel Hearn, born - that has to be a typo - now known as Yakumo Yukari…
i'm really hoping one of the epilogues for k/k is in yukari's pov, or even ichi's, because the implied relationship between them is something i'm real interested in. it's implied that the friend merry was looking for is renko, and while it might just be backstory and never touched on outside of vague mentions again, i'm curious about what happened to her.
Since the incident is attached to Maribel Hearn rather than Yukari, maybe that is the incident that Chen just told us... And the Tsugaru strait incident is referring to when the Tsugaru Strait was created.
Good job, inspector Niwatari.
Glory to Hell!
>>211889
I’m impressed Ran was willing to let Kutaka delay her as much as she did. I’d’ve given even odds that Ran would just bowl her over and fill out the forms on the return trip.
>> Chen sighed, looking down. “It was a victory, but a costly one. The human dethroned the wicked princess, but in so doing unleashed a terrible power within her. Her power had split the earth itself, tearing the island in twain and devouring the princess’ palace into the flooding fissure. While the land was free of its cruel mistress… she was seen as no less of a monster than the fox that had once blighted them.”
I have the feeling that the Tsugaru strait was once the Tsugaru plains.
>>211894
In fairness, having an Inari shrine there doesn't mean much. Inari's one of the premier agriculture/fertility deities - there are thousands of shrines to them around Japan.
I still do not really see how Tsukasa could clinch the arc villain spot here. She's certainly the most despicable, but she just comes across as petty in every sense of the word.
well, I guess that kinda nixes the theory I'd been privately nursing that Tsukasa and Shirohime were different people because it occurred to me that "Shirohime" might have been the first person with both motive and the means to shatter Yukari's walled garden, but Tsukasa is definitely not the gal, even if she might wish she was the gal
Normally I would advocate for cruel mercy by stuffing Tsukasa in a test tube, but she's either petty enough to ignore the immaterial children incident or is just a bad actor and trying to kill everyone.
She needs to insta die and get exorcized asap.
In fairness, she could also just be a useful idiot for the REAL mastermind of the pyre incident. If she was told "Hey I can give you an opportunity for revenge on Yukari/Ran and here's how you know I am telling the truth", all it takes is Shirohime using a certain spell to confirm that Ran has a Kid, then go out of her way to plan around stealing that child (especially if this benefactor is willing to provide the perfect window of opportunity).
It still opens up who on earth is the mastermind behind the kidnapping (Its probably not Ichi/Go, but if they felt like they had to set up this convoluted of a timeloop to match their timeline then they may of had to), and how they know the identity of one of the Immaterial Children (Not really a problem from Ichi/Go since they are from this timeline and aware of most of the IC, but if the Pyre mastermind knows they either have a similar method of viewing the timeline or we have to start worrying about something crazy like timelines B.2 and C.2), and that just makes this a bit more convoluted then immediately neccessary.
Of course, I will continue to expect Tsukasa to escape at the end of this arc, if only because her acting as a proxy for the Pyre Mastermind is a convenient way to obscure them.
Eiki's in the animal realm right now? Seiga better be careful... Or yanno, make it easier for us and don't.
Hmmm
I winder if she's going to run off once she has what she wants from the library and just leave Saki after getting what she wanted out of this and just discard Saki without giving her a chance to see Miko.
And sorry Kutaka... But i think Ran might be let off lightly under the mamma bear clause here...
I was listening to Sunken Fossil World's version of Everlasting Red Spider Lily and then I saw this update.
Poor Kutaka. :/
>>211902
I say that this is a perfectly fitting fate for Tsukasa.
I would have expected Ran to clothesline Kutaka at Mach 5. Good on her for keeping it mostly civil! That also made me think of a character entrusting Kutaka with something almost as important as the life they were saving, like a wedding ring or a family heirloom, but I can't think of what Ran would use. She doesn't have the grimoire, so maybe a drawing or a toy? Now I have to wonder who the father is and where he is, considering that I didn't imagine Ran having a wedding ring with her.
Just something quick I drew for fun today.
Big sis Orin and her helping hands.
>>211909
D’aww
Best big sis Orin.
I kinda feel like getting a little discussion going, so here's a question or two:
Who do you think will the final boss, if there is going to be one, and just because, any music suggestions for them? Nioh's soundtrack is stuck in my brain.
>>211910
>>211911
>>211912
Thank you all! Much appreciated!
>>211913
I have the feeling that this arc is not only Kosuzu's arc, but also a continuation of Reimu's, kind of a shared thing between both. As such, in the end I think there's two final bosses: Tsukasa for Kosuzu and Yumemi (add Ran here) and Saki+Seiga's attack for Reimu, Yachie, Keiki and the others.
I don't see a pyre attack happening here now. Then again, you never know.
I'm wrong most of the time so take this with a grain of salt lol
As for music, I'm not the best when it comes to that, but I like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNedVSJJ1Po for this Saki. The song is 荒野のペガサス "Kouya no Pegasus - Pegasus of the wilderness" from Akatsuki Records. I especially love the "western" opening part of the song.
I'm kinda wondering if there might be a pyre out of this, and if it is who I am thinking of it creates a bit of a conundrum...
Because if it is who I think it is, namely Tsukasa defeated by her hated enemies again and goes Pyre...
would we try to save her? or just make sure she doesn't burn everything else?
>>211914
I mostly agree with Kosu on both boss fights.
I think that Tsukasa will likely be the Kosuzu and Yumemi boss fight but I think we will have Chen but not Ran here, I don't think that Ran will make it in time for the boss fight but will show up for the aftermath (otherwise the boss fight would be too easy unless Tsukasa has some more help ,like the wolfs or someone else, with her). Tsukasa has her grip and Test Tube trauma to fight Kosuzu with. Yememi will be mostly a non-combatant despite her best efforts, I don't think she will put up as good of a fight as her future self did (this might be where she gets her knife trauma). That leaves Chen who as far as I know doesn't know about Kosuzu's trauma and will have to deal with whatever trick Tsukasa has to fight her or whatever weakness she can find on Chen using her ability (likely some kind of guilt about what happened with Kosuzu).
Saki+Seiga's attack vs. Reimu and gang is also a very good guess. Keiki and her Haniwa will have their hands full defending against the wolfs. Yachie is working as the main strategist back at HQ (at first I was confused why you added this on this front instead of against Tsukasa but figured out that she is going to have her hands full dealing with the attack planning), Mayumi is in shock and is damaged leaving her out of the fight. So Reimu and (a debuffed/ Restricted) Yukari will likely need to split up to fight Saki (at the Haniwa Production facility?) and Seiga and Yoshika (at the liberty?). My guess is that we will have a choice/vote of whether Reimu fights Saki or Seiga and Yoshika with Yukari fighting the other one.
>>211915
If there is going to be a Pyre fight I think it will be a Tsukasa Pyre (after all her plans fall apart and isn't able to run away anymore because of the collar Seiga gave her, she could give into despair). We should "save" her not just so she doesn't burn everything else but also so Ran can punish the kidnapper of her child and Lady Eiki can bring justice to the criminal. Even if Tsukasa doesn't go Pyre something is going to happen that is big enough for Kosuzu to activate Re/Awakening.
From >>211889
>>“Ah, here it is!” The chicken hissed through her teeth. “Ah, yeah. I thought so. Maribel Hearn, born - that has to be a typo - now known as Yakumo Yukari… the Tsugaru Strait incident, Sage of Gensokyo… Sorry, orders from up top are clear on this. I’m going to have to call Lady Eiki.”
>>A vein started to bulge out of the fox’s head. “How long?”
>>“Well, there’s apparently some disturbance in the Animal Realm she’s investigating, so… it could be a while. Once that’s settled, maybe she can spare some-”
Looks like we will be seeing the Yama sooner than I thought we would.
From >>211889
>>Kudamaki Tsukasa. A relatively well-known kuda-gitsune acting as the servant to Iizunamaru. A craven and cruel thing.
>>[A shadow of what she had once been.]
>>…She tensed. The true name, her true name bubbled up. Even now, the reflexive urge to attach a Lady to it was strong. But the urge to curse it was stronger.
>>“...Say your prayers, Shirohime.” Ran spat out the name with venom. “The moment my daughters are safe… nothing will protect you from me.”
Well I was wrong about Shirohime not being Tsukasa.
Tsukasa clasped her hands around her nose, holding back a sneeze. The wolf who’d come scouting with her looked mildly disappointed.
She shot him a glare. If this idiot started a fight just because he was bored… She shook her head, feeling the prickle of the collar on her throat. She couldn’t run even if she wanted to, and after all the indignities she’d been put through, she wasn’t keeping this collar on a second longer than she had to.
She peeked through the binoculars again. A door underneath the safe house was opening, and one of the Animal Realm’s strange vehicles emerged. Tsukasa watched it depart, hissing in annoyance.
“Damnit, they’re not here either…” She turned to the wolf, whispering. “They’re taking resources away from here. No way the human brat’s inside.”
The wolf perked up at that. “Then that means we’re going ahead with the assault?”
“Yes, yes… come on, let’s go.” The fox rubbed her forehead, as she crept away, towards the car. She didn’t exactly consider ‘blindly rush Haniyasushin’s home’ a plan, but apparently anything that didn’t involve braining themselves immediately was considered complicated by these meatheads. Ugh, being attached to them was a yoke she’d be glad to be free of.
And she just had to hope she could spot the brat with binoculars! Because the alternative was rushing around trying to find her, and god knows how difficult it’d be to get to her. Oh, if only she had a Hollow Psyche… Not for the first time, she regretted not bringing the book with her. Not that she was likely to get a chance to use it that wouldn’t result in that necrophiliac taking it for herself, and she’d never risk Kosuzu getting her hands anywhere near-
“Fox?” Tsukasa was shaken out of her thoughts. The wolf she was creeping with had asked her a question. After a few moments of her indignant glare, he asked again. “Didja hear me? I wanna know why you stole Ran’s kid.”
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow. “Why do you care?”
The wolf rolled his eyes. “What, you wanna just sit there and brood? Come on, it’s gotta be a hell of a story, right?”
Tsukasa growled, turning her eyes back. “We have a history. And not a pleasant one.”
…He was continuing to stare at her, even as they got in the van. She ignored him as she slammed the door, and turned to the driver. “Get us back to the main building, and get ready to extract when the time comes.”
The driver nodded. “Understood. What’s our exit plan?”
“Hey, fox-“
“Listen in on the comms. When it’s time to go, get us to the hermit or Kurokoma ASAP. Don’t care which, whichever keeps us out of a fight.” Tsukasa trudged to the back of the van, steadying herself as it lurched into motion.
One of the wolves in the back of the van called out. “Awww, come on. Why not take a route with some real fangs to it?”
“You can have your fun once we’ve delivered the human to your bosses.” Tsukasa snapped, waving her dagger in his face. “Until then, you’re going where I tell you to.”
A wolf with the voice of a real knuckle-dragger chortled. “Yeah, you ain’t gonna get any fun with a wet blanket like her around. Can’t you see she’s refine-erd?”
The wolves let out a collective guffaw. Tsukasa wanted to snap their necks, but she didn’t have any backup besides these idiots. She couldn’t afford any casualties. Yet.
“Yeah, she’s no good.” Another wolf chuckled. “She’s just another Kiketsu - all certain she’s better’n you, but too cowardly to try’n prove it.”
“Nah, she’s no Kiketsu.” the cave-wolf countered. “No Kiketsu’d be dumb enough to fall for the shock collar.”
Tsukasa bit back her tongue. Let them have their fun. All they had to do was distract - she’d point them right at a killbox, and enjoy a much quieter trip back to Keiga territory.
“She did steal Ran’s kid.” Her escort offered. “That’s gotta take some doing.”
“Did she steal the kid, or did someone else do the deed and leave her with the brat?” One of the wolves asked. “She strikes me as a stooge typ- ooooooohhhhh, now she’s glaring!”
Tsukasa broke her gaze, looking away. Right, if any of these bastards tried to ride back with her, she’d throw them into the road once they hit top speed. “Of course I did it, idiots. Nobody else could have.”
“Sure, sure. Stealing from the great Yakumo Ran, that’s not something an oni or a devil could do - gotta leave that to the gutter-fox, that’s the real professional!” The wolves burst out laughing, as Tsukasa’s eye twitched.
“I hear the boss wants to see if she can fight Ran. Man, that’d be an awesome fight. The Black Pegasus against the second coming of Tamamo-no-Mae!”
“The… the second… coming of Tamamo-no-Mae?”
Tsukasa’s voice crackled, with incredulity and rage. She launched herself up, slamming her fist into the back of the van. “Ran’s not even close to that! She’s just some spell geek! She’s not even fit to lick Tamamo’s geta!”
The wolves stared at her for a few moments, before they all burst out laughing. “Ooooh, jelly, are we? Come on, Ran was a big deal even when she had a single tail. Even now, the old boss tells stories about her.”
The wolves started sharing stories, Tsukasa seeming to drop out of their minds in exchange for telling stories about Ran. The knuckle-dragger was different. He leaned over Tsukasa, his foul stench clogging the air. “You know… they say all sorts of stories about Yakumo Ran, these days. Maybe she ain’t the second coming of Tamamo-no-mae - maybe she’s even stronger.”
Tsukasa growled, pulling out Kosuzu’s test tube. The wolves saw it, with a collective ‘oooooooh’ rising from the gaggle of idiots.
“What now, gutter-fox?” Knuckle-dragger asked. “You gonna jump in and hide?”
Tsukasa shook her head, firmly. “Not a chance.” She gave a vicious smirk. “You will, though.”
As her thumb flicked the flask open, her other hand swept around the room. The wolves in the back vanished, instantly. There was a gust of air through the van. The moment it had settled, she flicked the test tube shut.
She took a moment to inspect her handiwork. The wolves in the back of the van were all crammed inside, confused and afraid. She glared at them, her single eye bigger than any one of them. They shrank back in response.
“You think Ran is the successor of Tamamo-no-Mae? You dare?” Tsukasa’s voice was venomous. “None of you have a single light going on in your damn heads, do you?”
She heard the wolf in the passenger seat leap at her. Her dagger flicked out. The wolf yelped, falling to the ground in pain.
She strode over, tipping the test tube. The wolves tumbled head-over-tail. “Tamamo-no-Mae does not need a successor in some lowly youko who thinks her greatest achievement is bootlicking the gap hag. Tamamo had a daughter of her own, you know.”
The wolves huddled together, quivering, as she continued. “A daughter with fur whiter than snow. An unrivaled talent with magic, a being of grace and beauty second only to her mother’s - and only because she was yet to reach her full potential. She claimed a kingdom all her own, and she ruled over it absolutely.”
The fox smirked. As the wolf on the floor tried to stand up, she brought her foot down on his head. “Plenty of others tried to take it from her. They called her a witch, a tyrant, and any number of other things. They all fell. Crumbled into the dirt beneath her heels, begging her forgiveness for ever thinking they could challenge her.” She ground her foot on the wolf’s cheek, dragging his head along the floor of the van. “And that was all before she grew her fourth tail! By her eighth, she was virtually unstoppable.”
She snarled. “But she never reached her ninth. Never her full power. One year out from her ninth tail, one year out, two rotten witches stole everything from her. The lowly fox who claimed she’d wanted to learn from her only criticized and complained about her magic, trying to show her up at every turn with trickery and showmanship. The gap hag made my subjects revolt, demanding treatment not a single one of those bastards had the pedigree to deserve.” Her hands were shaking. “And when I finally had my chance - finally got the chance to put that fox in her place - her master went berserk, and destroyed the entire damn kingdom!”
Her foot lifted from the wolf’s face, only to slam down again. And again, and again, and again. “I had to go crawling away in hiding, just to survive! I went from eating dishes cooked by the finest chefs in the land, to scavenging scraps of meat like a common beast! And while that happened, I took the blame for Yakumo even showing up! I was reduced from Tsugaru’s shining light to the conspirator of its downfall! I was belittled and degraded and stained!”
Her foot smashed through the wolf’s head a final time, dissipating it into red mist. It slammed into the floor, denting it beneath her. She shook, trembling with rage. The wolves within her tube all cowered.
“...That’s why.” She panted. “That’s why I stole Ran’s brat. If Ran will deny me my tails, my kingdom, my birthright, it’s only fair I ruin something of hers in exchange. Don’t you agree?”
All was quiet. She lifted the vial, glaring balefully at the wolves. They all nodded, hastily.
Tsukasa grinned. “Good! That settles that, then.” She clambered forward, into the seat next to the driver. All of the red had drained from his face, and he couldn’t bear to look at her.
She smirked, twirling the test tube in her hands. “Well, I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. So I think all you whelps can sit in there and wait while we get in position, no?” She locked a baleful eye on the wolf next to her. “Now step on it, trash. Or you’re next.”
Reimu cursed as the gohei was ripped from her hand, hitting the thief with a Yin-Yang orb. She tried to reach for the dropped weapon, but two wolves pounced towards her, forcing the miko to leap back. She hit them with a gout of flame in her retreat, but the ground had been lost, and the wolves pressed in.
She hissed, lifting a talisman and slamming it into the ground. A barrier formed in between them and the wolves, at a sloppy, tilted angle. The wolves snarled and snapped, stacking atop each other, until the barrier was the only thing holding back a tide of gnashing maws and scraping claws. Still, it held for now, giving Reimu a moment to catch her breath.
Her eyes flicked back to Mayumi. The haniwa was quivering behind her, splayed out across the ground. She’d lost a leg after losing the arm, as well, and their radio had been struck from Reimu’s hand some time ago. She crawled back, shivering.
Reimu pulled back, helping the haniwa sit up against the door on the back of the wall. “It’ll be okay, Mayumi. We’re gonna get through this.” Mayumi just shivered. Reimu turned back around, doing her best to stay calm and assess the situation.
The two had dived into an alley for a defensible position, but the wolves seemed endless at this point, and the door that’d give them a much-needed bottleneck had been locked. And picking or bashing it open would take time Reimu didn’t have to spare. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, Mayumi. I promise you, I’ll get you back to Keiki.”
…They were big words. If only she could back them up. Now would be a really good time to Re/Awaken - if only she could figure out how. She’d only managed to do it once before, and that had been fighting Yuuma. And the number of eagles she’d fought over that entire day wasn’t even close to the number of wolves she’d fended off in the last half-hour alone. So whatever it was that allowed her to crystalize, it wasn’t happening as is. Maybe she wasn’t desperate enough?
The barrier cracked, under the strain of the pack. Reimu stepped back, looking to see where they could retreat to, but felt her tail brush up against the wall. There wasn’t any more ground for them to gain - any further back, and they’d be completely trapped. It was hard to imagine how things could be more desperate… but maybe that was what she needed. She took a deep breath, preparing to push them back one last time.
A particularly large wolf broke a hole through the barrier. It lunged at Reimu, jaws agape. She charged her ying-yang orbs, readying a spell-
A pillar of stone shot from the ground, smashing into the wolf’s chest. It dissipated instantly. More stone pillars emerged on the far side of the barrier, sending parts of the pack flying.
On Reimu’s left, a blue-haired figure emerged, offering a steadying hand on her shoulder. She looked up in shock. “K-Keiki?” She’d just looked behind her a moment ago, and she hadn’t heard the door open. How had-
Her answer came in the form of a gap, which opened on the near side of the barrier. As another wolf leapt through the first hole, an octagonal sign emerged from the gap, blocking it. There was a metallic clang, and the wolf fell down, clearly concussed. Yukari emerged from Reimu’s right, chuckling.
More holes were being gnawed through, but Reimu surged forward. “Yukari!” She ran diagonally for the right wall, and was met with a gap in just the right position. She emerged on the far side of the barrier, bathing the wolves’ side of the wall in a gout of flame. They broke, turning as a full rout, and Reimu landed, sweeping her tail across the ground, and sending a wave of danmaku after them.
As she straightened up, she lifted her right arm to summon her orbs back. …it was covered in a sleeve of red crystals. She paused, staring at it, before Yukari leant in to examine it with her.
“So, that’s Re/Awakening, is it?” The sage hummed, looking at the crystalline sleeve. “...My word. No wonder it’s so powerful.”
Reimu spun around, giving Yukari a hug. The elder youkai was momentarily surprised, but smiled and gave her a gentle pat on the head. “We heard you two were in quite a bit of trouble. Keiki, how’s Mayumi looking?”
“She’ll be okay. Thank goodness.” Over Reimu’s shoulder, she could see Mayumi clinging to her mother for dear life, sobbing. The sculptor stood up, lifting Mayumi with her, and rushed over to Reimu. “What were you two doing out here? Whether the wolves had their trick or not, this was horribly dangerous.”
Reimu sagged. “I-I’m sorry… it was my fault.” She pulled away from Yukari, looking down. “How’s the larger fight going?”
Yukari looked up. “We’re starting a counter-offensive. We’re setting up a forward position only a few streets back from here. It’s not quite up to Keiki’s aesthetic standards, but it’ll hold off anything it needs to.”
“We’re taking you both back there, now. We’ve set up a medbay there for treatment” The sculptor goddess gently ran her hand through Reimu’s hair. “I’m sure you know this was a mistake… but we’ll just bring you home and call it at that. You’ve both suffered more than enough already.”
Reimu looked at her arm. The crystals were beginning to dissipate. She gripped her fist, tightly, as she walked over to her gohei and picked it up.
Yukari knelt down, smiling. “You’ve done well, Reimu. Mayumi’s safe, and you’ve probably beaten more wolves on your own than any of the haniwa. It’s time to get some rest, alright?”
The sage of the gap clicked her fingers, opening a gap. She took Reimu’s hand, standing up. “Come on. We’ll drop Mayumi off at the medbay, and then I’ll take you to your mother.”
Yukari’s hand was worn, and gentle. There was something deeply comforting about it, almost bewitching. And yet…
“...No.” Reimu pulled her hand away, as the two elders looked back at her. “I want to fight. I want to fix this.”
Keiki shook her head. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous-”
“Unless I can Re-awaken, right?” She looked up at the others. “I managed to do it a bit there. If I can fully tap into it… I’m sure I can turn the tide.”
The sculptor goddess shook her head, worry starting to crease her face. “Don’t you dare, Reimu. You get stronger, sure, but you still only beat Yuuma with Youki. Besides, do you even know how you did it just then?”
“I have one idea.” The young miko locked her gaze on the Sage of the Gap. “Yukari… team up with me!”
Yukari looked rather surprised at the request. Reimu nodded, thinking back. “I know… you’re not the same person. But… you still fight the same. It’s… familiar. A-and you control boundaries, right? Maybe you can even help me Re-awaken more directly, too.”
Yukari looked at her, clearly conflicted. Reimu pressed on. “You’re stronger than Youki - way stronger! And I already know how to fight with you. Together, we’re an unbeatable combination, Yukari - I promise!”
The sage… sighed, leaning forward. “You’re not going to let this go, are you? …If your mother asks, you put me up to this, alright?”
Keiki’s head snapped to Yukari, her lips drawing back into a snarl. Reimu was rather shocked by the vitriol in her voice. “If she gets even slightly hurt -”
“I’ll make sure she pulls back at the first sign of trouble.” Yukari nodded. “But if we could just order her home and expect her to stay there, we wouldn’t be out here, no? Besides, we’re strapped for resources, and my usual backup is… occupied. We need a turn of fortune - and if I understand things right, nothing’s better for that purpose than a Re/Awakening.”
Reimu turned to the sculptor goddess. “There’s two big attacks, right? If you let me and Yukari take on one of them, we can beat up anyone there. I’m sure of it.” She thumped her chest.
Keiki groaned. “Reimu…” She set Mayumi down, kneeling next to the young girl. “If you go out there and get seriously hurt… I’ll never forgive myself.”
She pulled Reimu into a hug. “So… Promise me, Reimu. The moment things seem like too much to handle, trust your instincts and come back home. Promise me that you’ll come back safe.”
Reimu nodded, firmly. “I will. Trust me, Keiki - I’ll turn this fight around.”
Yukari hummed. “Which fight, specifically?” The young jidiao looked up at her. “We have Saki attacking the factory on one side, and Seiga ransacking the library on the other. Where would you go, young Reimu?”
[ ] The Train Station. If they let Saki destroy it, they’d just end up losing more territory later. They needed to save as much of the factory as they could, to get all the Haniwa casualties back on their feet. She was absolutely the top priority to rebuff, by any means necessary.
[ ] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
Oh, so Tsukasa's tube sucks anything up. That's how she trapped Kosuzu despite her being a Kitsune.
I like how the wolves are as skeptical about Tsukasa being able to infiltrate Mayohiga solo as the readers lol.
Tsukasa seems to have gotten some of her fire back. Could make her just that little bit more dangerous.
Alright, so Reimu's fight choice is here, whether or not she confronts Saki to end up 2/2 on fighting Family Heads or Seiga/Yoshika as a safer fight that will almost certainly cause more problems down the line if ignored (assuming Seiga is still associated with the Taoists, which I am beginning to suspect she is a bit more of a free agent than initially let on).
Personally, I will do considerate Reimu (especially since Keiki has a point that Reimu only beat Yuuma with the help of a high level VIP) and vote for the Seiga fight, especially since any special tricks I would expect to be targeted towards Kosuzu or trying to get her Hairpin back.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
As for Tsukasa, her amped backstory has certainly made her a fitting opponent, and someone that I don't want Kosuzu anywhere close to without Ran, especially since she likely has a tonne of magic artifacts to draw on that we haven't seen yet (at the minimum we know about the Tube she just displayed and probably another that created the tube in the wall). Kosuzu probably isn't ready to do more than repel Tsukasa, even with the advantages of Re/Awakening.
I'm guessing that Seiga getting the books will be a problem for the future while Saki is a problem for the present.
Ah, a classic villainous rant/breakdown from Tsukasa. Yeah, it definitely puts things into perspective. Also, I was expecting Ran to be Nine Tail herself, so it was pretty surprising that Tsukasa is Tamamo-no-Mae's daughter herself.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
I feel like Seiga getting away with whatever it is she's doing at the library is a long term problem in the making. She's quite the threat all on her own, and who knows, chances are she's siding with Saki solely to get to whatever it is she wants with the library.
On a side note, because the Nioh soundtrack has been stuck in my head, I want to put up some potential boss themes!
Seiga: Alchemists II from Nioh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU_FRT3FF1w&list=PL-Z9nCW4GlbFPoMEq6cX7mpV5VElooK6H&index=90
It's a pretty villainous theme used during battles with the main villains, powerful alchemists manipulating conflicts in the main story for their own gain. I think it's pretty fitting for someone like Seiga, who, to my knowledge, is a manipulative hermit and alchemist herself. For all we know, she too could be manipulating this conflict solely for herself, and chances are, she is.
Saki: Mononofu I from Nioh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF6rtzQdzf0&list=PLuluuv80x3vtMzr3_siyl29EZiXizw1i-
It's a fast, high energy boss theme that's overall very badass. I think it could fit a Saki fight.
Tsukasa: Tate Eboshi from Nioh 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyttgqXfOw4
It's a delightfully villainous theme with a slight noble air to it. Considering Tsukasa's newly revealed past as a fallen kitsune overlord, and probably the main villain of this arc, I think it's perfect.
The ideas of these boss themes from Nioh fitting whoever could potentially be the future boss battle of this story has been stuck in my head, so I guess I just wanna blurt it out lol
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
This seems to be quite the far-reaching decision... could affect whether or not we retain any resources in the animal realm at all.
I think that stopping Seiga should be top priority. Not only iis whatever she's planning to get from the library very likely highly destructive - but she also might just have whatever is infusing the wolves with lifeforce (just a hunch!).
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
Mmm... I would choose Saki but Seiga is too dangerous and unpredictable to let loose with those spell books in the library.
Seiga: Sadistic Yuan Xian - Tokyo Active Neets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biNAI3bdcHE
his song is very good to change it
Tsukasa: Morticide - TBoI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4kqOn0V8lc
It's a tough and emotional theme, something that fits with Kosuzu's situation in which he is going to face someone who doesn't want to fight.
I don't have any song in mind for Saki :(
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
Kosuzu would lose it if her grandfather died again, and personally, I’m not in the mood for a possible IC pyre. (Though I doubt this one decision would cause anything like that to happen).
Also, I really like the IN plot point, it feels like an incredibly natural Re/Awakening experience.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
I can't add anything to what has already been said above. Sad for Saki being outvoted twice as a boss lol.
Hey, I was right in >>211771 . Tsukasa did have all of her power handed to her on a silver platter by her parents. Tsukasa's skills amount to nothing more than a pathetic one tailed gutter fox without Mother Dearest Tammy to hold her hand for her. If anything, Tsukasa is even more of a loser than I originally thought. It takes about 1000 years for a kitsune to get 9 tails, which means Tsukasa had all that time to learn tricks and spells from the most powerful kitsune to ever live, and Tsukasa apparently retained none of it since the only power she ever displays is the ability to jump into tubes. She also lost to Ran when Ran was only a one tail, so Tsukasa had about another 1000 years to learn new powers and skills, and still could only muster up the strength of a tube fox. Even Tsukasa's defeat of the wolves was more due to the power of the magic tube than any skills or abilities of her own. Pretty pampered princess Tsukasa is a total chump, and Tamamo must be rolling over in her grave seeing her daughter's lame performance.
[X] The Train Station. If they let Saki destroy it, they’d just end up losing more territory later. They needed to save as much of the factory as they could, to get all the Haniwa casualties back on their feet. She was absolutely the top priority to rebuff, by any means necessary.
If we send Reimu after Saki, then that means Kosuzu is the one who will get Seiga as her boss fight. I just think Kosuzu defending the library she loves so much in a rematch against Seiga is a more compelling ending for Kosuzu's character arc. Kosuzu fighting Saki as her final boss means nothing because Kosuzu has no previous history with Saki.
[X] The Train Station.
Throw our self at danger.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
Reimu hasn’t been told, but we know that half of the main points that Keiki has gone out was to draw the wolves away from their attacks to come at the big shiny bait. This would include Keiki, which makes some sense on a Saki scale of things, but also from a somewhat more sensible one. On the Saki side of things, there is NO way that she would let one of her wolves take out the Idola Deus instead of her. On the more sensible reasoning (though the Keiga are far beyond that point…) if taking out the factory would set back the Haniwha by months, taking out Keiki might potentially make it so they don’t recover at all. So that means that the factory attack should be already handled because all of the wolves and the pegasus there are going to be changing direction towards the fort. Keiki and Yachie sounded confident that Keiki could hold the line so it should be good.
On the other hand… Seiga is a FAR different kettle of fish. She actually has some brains instead of all Brawn… and yeah, her getting ahold of those tomes spells trouble in the future. Though there is also another possibility, since she is the source of the spell, it's not a guarantee, but taking her down/ sealing her might at the least weaken the spell empowering the Keiga.
Also Kosuzu has had a chance to steal something from Seiga already, now its Reimu's turn!
Ah, ‘you can’t die yet! Not until WE kill you! …in about 5 seconds.’ XD
>>211922
Actually, y'know what
[UNDO] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
[X] The Train Station. If they let Saki destroy it, they’d just end up losing more territory later. They needed to save as much of the factory as they could, to get all the Haniwa casualties back on their feet. She was absolutely the top priority to rebuff, by any means necessary.
This feels a bit more fitting. Plus, it'd be cool of Kosuzu could get a round two with Seiga.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
definitely agree with going for seiga first- the keiga are easy to predict, but seiga is a bit of a wildcard that has a lot of potential to build up to a long term problem. she's the source behind the wolves getting buffed, so once we neutralize her we can grill her for information and hopefully figure out a way to undo that with the help of the librarians (that is, if seiga hasn't gotten to them first). my only concern really is seiga finding out about re/awakening, because she seems like the type of person to try to replicate that for her own ends.
>>211929
i was thinking more of SA or AoCF (reimu gap strats remind me specifically of SA ReimuA shottype) myself, but yeah, it feels like a really good way to trigger a re/awakening.
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
As much as I would love to see Reimu vs. Saki, Seiga is the true bigger threat. Hopefully Keiki and Yachie can figure out a way to save most of the Haniwa Production facility (and avenging "nameless" Sergeant), We most likely won't get a deus ex save like when Mayumi saved Ichi in >>211355, but there are a few who could Ran (but she is about a hour away), Lady Eiki, or even the Kousa (thou I can't see why they would help save the Haniwa), or Yachie might just be able to send enough forces to force a retreat or buy us time (Koji would be perfect for buying time as he struggles to survive "expertly" dodges all of the wolfs' and Saki's attacks).
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
Reasonable.
Theoretically, Reimu might have a way to immediately remove Yoshika from the fight, but that would involve 1) the legend of Miyako no Yoshika being visited in his dreams by the goddess Sarasvati to be canon here 2) Reimu or Yukari to know about that legend 3) Reimu or Yukari to recognise Yoshika as that Yoshika to realise that there's a goddess Reimu could summon who would probably be upset and offended by what happened to one of her favourite humans and 4) Reimu to already have re-learned god-channeling in this life, or Yukari being able to re-teach her on the fly. So in reality, not so much.
Though, come to think of it, I bet Yukari keeps some measure of tabs on the associates of her fellow sages, and my extremely single-track mind would love to see if she lets something slip about if Kasen and Yoshika knew each other in this canon. So as much as I'd really, really like to see Saki and Reimu face off...
[X] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
>>211922
As far as boss themes go, I've had the Raidou Kuzunoha soundtrack stuck in my head a little, so I'll toss The Soulless Army Approaching into the ring for Seiga, even though I don't think it's a battle theme, the ominous music of a cadre of undead soldiers seems pretty fitting.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JEnpDwu7-Os&pp=ygUcVGhlIHNvdWxsZXNzIGFybXkgYXBwcm9hY2hlcw%3D%3D
For Tsukasa, I'm kinda feeling Beauty is a Mad Mistress, or The Scion's Dance in Purgatory, or Hearken the Bell of Sickness, although other than Dance I couldn't explain why.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l86ow9ZjJc8&pp=ygUYQmVhdXR5IGlzIGEgbWFkIG1pc3RyZXNz
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xWRYIYe_I9w&pp=ygUddGhlIHNjaW9ucyBkYW5jZSBpbiBwdXJnYXRvcnk%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zDf9u5XEsuE&pp=ygUcSGVhcmtlbiB0aGUgYmVsbCBvZiBzaWNrbmVzcw%3D%3D
I think the plan to save the production lines is already in motion?
>She gestured to the map. “Let’s leave the strategists to the broad plans. What we need to do is get out there ourselves. The wolves clearly want to cripple haniwa production - you making an appearance on the front lines would be something they couldn’t ignore.”
>Keiki looked down. “Y-you really think-”
>Yachie’s voice cut in. “I think the wolves will go for wherever they think the biggest fight is.” The jidiao was clearly still stressed, striding out into the center of the room, but her eyes were locked on Keiki. “This whole maneuver is them trying to prove they need nothing more than brute force to win whatever they want. So the more imposing the defense is, the more eager they’ll be to break it.”
>She stepped out, jamming her finger on the display. At a singular dot, not a long way north of the river around Keiki’s home. “Go get them. Reimu and Mayumi. They need you, Keiki. Get there and make it an impregnable fortress. Make it a challenge the wolves can’t resist throwing themselves at.”
I don't think that Saki is going to be able to hold herself back from the challenge any more than her goons
Counting to >>211946:
Main Choice:
[3] The Train Station. If they let Saki destroy it, they’d just end up losing more territory later. They needed to save as much of the factory as they could, to get all the Haniwa casualties back on their feet. She was absolutely the top priority to rebuff, by any means necessary.
[15] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
:3
>>211922
Continuation of this, I thought of some extra/alternate themes :>
Tsukasa/Seiga alternate theme: Ayakashi II from Nioh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LDkZ05xBc8
Kinda has this manic, menacing energy to it. I think it could fit the sort of battle that could occur against the two.
Saki alternate theme: Decisive Battle from Nioh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W32cCU5UgPM
Used in the DLC boss battle with Sanada Yukimura, who has a horse Guardian Spirit. I feel like any clash with Saki at this point would be a decisive battle, and this song gives off big "major clash" energy.
Seiga alternate theme: Ashiya Doman from Nioh 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxKgPLwiXYM
In Nioh 2, Doman is an Onmyouji mastermind who spams spells at you. It also has this menacing, mysterious feeling to it, so perfect for Seiga I think.
An extremely cursed potential boss battle:
Ran: Mononofu III from Nioh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cck1PF3oZJ0
I know the possibility of fighting Ran is extremely low, considering the story's current direction, but if there is something that forces us to fight her, like, maybe being turned berserk or something, then this is the perfect theme. A sad, slower boss theme used as the backdrop to a fight with a grieving mother. It's an incredibly sad theme, and likewise, any battle with Ran at this point would be.
Oh yeah and if we get a Pyre Tsukasa fight, and she turns into a giant flaming Kyubi this would literally be perfect: Nioh's Main Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60xUy5bGsUY
The final boss of Nioh 1's final DLC is literally Nine Tails herself, and in that battle, you team up with Yukimura to take her down while Osaka Castle falls apart. If we get Pyre Tsukasa or someone similar, I can already see Kosuzu and Reimu double teaming her while this plays. It's just so right to me.
Anyways, that's more of my boss battle theme rambling, music is pure dopamine for me :D
Since we're listing songs, this is a good one, I imagine this is perfect for Ran's lullaby (especially the start/chorus):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKpu-wwFEAk
Of course, the song and lyrics are originally about Reimu but it has very accurate lyrics for what Kosuzu's been through on some parts.
At the current time of the quest, Tamamo is still hypothetically sealed within the Sessho-Seki, isn't she?
>>211952
Well then, Tamamo must be rolling over in her stone seeing her daughter's lame performance.
>>211954
Personally, I think Tsukasa was spectacularly untalented even before she got stripped of her raw power, and said raw power was the only reason she ever managed to be something. If nothing else, she’s proven either unwilling or unable to use any Kitsune magic, which is strange if such a thing is something she was once capable of.
Looking at her villainous breakdown, it’s pretty clear that Ran was naturally better at spellcraft than her, and Tsukasa had no talent at actually governing if she had to resort to physically beating down all rebels. She’s probably improved a tiny bit since then, but only because she’d be dead if she didn’t learn the slightest amount of cunning.
It is likely that Yukari forcibly depowered Tsukasa by messing with the boundary between Kitsune and Tube Fox, but if the boundary is as fluid as shown(Kosuzu nearly becoming a Tube Fox in under a decade, which is peanuts to a Youkai), then unless Yukari put a hard cap on her potential, which A: seems excessively cruel, and B: doesn’t fit her modus operandi as I know it.
Either way, I’m predicting Tsukasa is far worse than she thinks she is. As long as Kosuzu remembers to not listen to her, then there should be next to nothing Tsukasa can do.
I think that if Tsukasa is Kosuzu’s final boss, she’ll be a noncombat boss like Komachi, where we’re trying to stall Tsukasa until Ran shows up, with a fail state being Tsukasa either convincing Kosuzu to follow or Kosuzu getting Pyre’d.
Ps: normally I’m not for cruel and unusual punishments, but I do think that Ran has been getting low on tea powder.
>>211956
Personally, I'm of the mind for a different sort of ironic comeuppance.
Though, even if we were selling, I have no idea if this take on Yuuma would be buying.
>>211957
Yuuma would eat Tsukasa. It’s only a question of how long it takes for her to snap
Personally, I suspect that Tsukasa has the personality of a tube fox in a way that Kosuzu simply doesn't. Kosuzu doesn't have a malicious bone in her body, whereas Tsukasa has almost nothing but. As such, once she was toppled from her perch as Shirohime, and reduced into being a kuda gitsune, she's then her own personal crab bucket. Her malicious, scheming nature means that she's not going to have any real friends, and her jealousy means she tries to tear down and ruin other people. Once those traits are recognized, she's well and truly been identified as a tube fox.
Basically, I don't think it's necessarily a power issue on Tsukasa's end. She might still be on the weaker side, but I think that the main thing stopping her from becoming a kitsune again is her personality. Her continued attempts to ruin other people have, ironically, ruined herself just as completely.
... well, almost completely. There's still a final judgement for Ran to deliver.
[3] The Train Station. If they let Saki destroy it, they’d just end up losing more territory later. They needed to save as much of the factory as they could, to get all the Haniwa casualties back on their feet. She was absolutely the top priority to rebuff, by any means necessary.
[15] The Library. Seiga getting away with any of the books was a disaster in the making. And Reimu knew all the adults would be happier with her attacking what was probably the less dangerous target… if Seiga didn’t have any other new tricks.
“We’ll go to the library.” Reimu said, nodding firmly. “I really don’t like the idea of Seiga getting any more power than she already has.
Keiki breathed a sigh of relief. “At least you’re not throwing yourself at that mad pegasus…” She released Reimu from the hug. “Please, stay safe, Reimu.”
Reimu chopped off a salute, turning to Yukari. “Last time, I could beat Seiga on my own… but I’m not as strong this time. Are you… you know?”
The youkai of the gap raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “I am always ready for a fight. Besides, if your theory is correct… we’ll be able to see your full potential, no?”
“Reimu…” The jidiao turned to see Mayumi leaning back, pulling her torso away from resting on Keiki’s shoulder. “S-sorry… I can’t help. I’m just…” She flailed her stumped arm, helplessly.
The miko shook her head, firmly. “Mayumi, if you’d asked me before today, I’d have said the one thing the Haniwa Corps aren’t ready for is fighting living humans. Last time, you were badly thrown off the first few times you faced off against them. You had a whole squadron of haniwa at your command, and you were still br- beaten and forced to retreat.” …Granted, the one to break- er, to beat Mayumi specifically had been Reimu, but… she didn’t need to know that part. “I’d be too worried if you came with me against someone like Seiga.”
The haniwa sagged. “B-but-”
“I’ll be safe, Mayumi. I promise.” Reimu gave a cocky smirk. “Me and Yukari are an unbeatable duo when we get going. We’ll get this cleaned up in a wink.”
Keiki adjusted the haniwa’s position in her hands, looking between the girls with a concerned expression. “...Well, regardless of team strength, you’re in no shape to keep fighting, Mayumi.”
At length, Mayumi sagged. “...I know, Lady Keiki. Reimu… come back safe, alright?” The haniwa mumbled out her last few words. “…And thanks for protecting me.”
Reimu swung her gohei over her shoulder. “It’s what I’m here for. Alright…” She gave one last nod to Yukari. “Shall we be off?”
Yukari ascended into the air. “By all means, young Reimu, lead the way.”
Looking forward to seeing Yukari and Reimu fight together! Very interested in how well they'll cooperate. Sure, Reimu has her previous timeline knowledge to fall back on, but this Yukari doesn't. Fingers crossed this goes well for them!
This might be an opportunity to answer Marisa's question regarding Yukari's ability card: "what is a screen edge, anyway?"
XD
>>211966
honestly, something i'm worried about is the fact that yukari hasn't been able to undo any of her "restrictions". those still haven't been expanded upon aside from a brief explanation from chen, and if seiga's had a little bit of a powerup from the texts she's found in the library, that could be a problem, especially if tsukasa gets involved...
“Need a squad to defend the artillery on the easternmost hill!” One of the haniwa operators bellowed. “Got a pack coming up.right now!”
Chen nodded. “We already sent Sikamea squad to defend, but they’re not gonna get there in time. We need an interception force-”
Kosuzu snapped up a dossier. “How about the Barracuda squad?” She offered it to her sister. “They’re fast, right?”
Chen’s eye bounced between the dossier’s summary page, and the team’s position on the map. “...Send them.” She turned her head to an otter, who sent off the message quickly, and handed the document to the haniwa who’d spoken up.
Kosuzu grinned, wiping a bit of sweat off her brow. The desk she’d laid the dossiers out at was arranged roughly in line with the map itself, with the various positions reflecting their rough placements. And she’d given them all a quick scan, as well - not enough to fully understand their contents, but enough that she was able to help pass them out to whoever needed them.
It was hard work, but she was helping. And that alone thrilled her. She felt like she was actually making a difference, and helping to turn the tide, handout by handout. Heck, she was probably helping more here than Reimu was, in her own way. Heh, now that was a thought.
Grip reduced to 2.
The last few dossiers got handed out even faster. Before long, Kosuzu had cleared the desk. She and Chen shared a thumbs up, and trotted off to get another task from Yachie.
As she got closer to the jidiao and the speaker next to her, however, it was clear that something was wrong. Yachie was wreathed in her own smoke, and the speaker was trembling in her hand. The voice coming through it sounded like Yukari’s.
“We’ve broken through the Library defensive lines. Literally as we were talking, in fact.” Yukari chirped. “Frankly, Yachie, she’s outperforming everything I expected. This sure is an incredible power.”
“How fascinating.” The matriarch’s voice was dripping with vitriol. “Now turn around and come straight back here.”
A younger female voice spoke up. “We gotta drive them back from the library. And there’s nobody better for the task than me and Yukari. Seiga’s bad news wherever she goes - we gotta get rid of her ASAP.”
Kosuzu’s ears flicked. It sounded like Reimu… but not the young jidiao she knew. More like the miko she’d once been. Did Reimu have an older sister? …That didn’t make sense, did it?
Yachie’s tail lashed. “All the more reason I don’t want you there.” Her body began to glow with that oppressive aura again. “Turn. Around.”
“Seiga already managed to turn the war in the Animal Realm on its head.” Yukari’s partner countered, seemingly unaffected by Yachie’s aura. It might not work over the phone. “Do you want to find out what she can do with Keiki’s restricted section?”
Yachie didn’t respond to that at first, before ultimately sighing. “Why is it you’re only good at debating at these times…”
Kosuzu felt the urge to speak up. “Um, Lady Yukari? And… Miss?” The jidiao’s eyes snapped to her. “Could you make sure my Grampa’s safe, too?”
“Miss?” The young lady seemed rather surprised. “Can’t you tell who I am, Kosuzu?”
“...Reimu?” The young fox hazarded. “Why do you sound like that? Did Yukari age you up or something so you could fight better?”
Yukari gave a chuckle. “Something like that. I believe you’ve seen her Re/Awaken for yourself, Yachie? Needless to say, she’s doing fine.”
Yachie groaned, rubbing her forehead. “Reimu…”
“I’ll be fine, mom.” Reimu’s still-oddly-mature voice was confident. “Believe me, with Yukari as backup, there’s not many people who can back us up without being in the way. Has Ran arrived yet, by the way?”
Chen spoke up. “She was delayed. I believe she’s twenty minutes out now, approximately.”
Kosuzu felt her heart jump into her throat.
Yachie’s eye flicked over to them. “Are the dossiers distributed? …Then take a break to compose yourselves.” She looked away. “But send Ran in as soon as you can. Maybe she can convince her master to stop dragging my daughter into danger.”
“Technically, Reimu’s the one dragging-” Yachie slammed the receiver down, storming back into the middle of the room.
Kosuzu shook her head. “Ummm, that’s- fine! There’s gotta be some other way we can help-”
“I said LEAVE.” The oppressive aura made Kosuzu jump, trembling.
Chen saluted, gripping Kosuzu’s shoulder as she spun her around. “Of course, ma’am. We’ll be ready if you need us.” She whispered in her little sister’s ear. “Come on, Kosuzu. Or we’re gonna be dragon chow to drag Lady Yukari back.”
The little fox trembled, but didn’t resist. When she was led out of the room, her thoughts weren’t about Reimu’s supposed rapid aging, or Yachie’s stormy demeanor.
Instead, her eyes were locked on the clock.
Twenty minutes to go.
Chen nodded emphatically. “Yeah. You get these crystals all over you, you grow bigger, and you get way stronger.” She paused, considering a bit more as she sipped at her glass. “...Maybe smarter, too. Akyuu did beat a shinigami in chess after all.”
“And you get to change fate itself?” Chen nodded, leaving the young scientist awed. “Wow… hope I get to see that one day. Maybe you’ll get the chance, Kosuzu?”
The fox jerked up, looking away from the cup that had been set out for her. “Huh? Oh… yeah. It’d be good to know how to do it.”
Chen gave her a pat on the head. “Worried about meeting Lady Ran?” She gave a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to be, Kosuzu. It’ll all be good, I promise.”
Kosuzu looked down. Her tail hung limp, and her fingers drummed anxiously on the Bluebell Grimoire in her lap. Yumemi scooched her chair over, putting her hand on Kosuzu’s.
“I’ll wait with you, if you want.” She gave a gentle smile. “I finished off a formula for Haniwa coolant before I was sent on break. We have actually helped now… even if it isn’t fighting alongside Mayumi and Reimu.”
Chen nodded. “You’ve both done well. I’m sure your mothers will be proud.”
Kosuzu nodded. “Thanks, but… it’s just… a lot to think about.” She shook her head. “But I’m glad you two are here as well. Both of you.”
She waved her hand, trying to shift the topic. “Um, anyway! If I wanted to Re-Awaken, how do I do it? It’s gotta be some secret technique, right?”
Chen shrugged. “It’s not really clear. Something about getting your two selves in sync somehow, while under enough stress. Lady Yukari wants to experiment with using her ability over boundaries to help, but it’s not something that we understand yet. And she’s only seeing it for the first time with Reimu right now, so… I wouldn’t expect anything any time soon.”
Kosuzu hummed, trying to think. “I don’t know if there’s a way for me to bring my past self and current self into some sort of special sync to help with a fight. I wasn’t much of a warrior last time.” She gave a small, shaky smile. “A-at least I’m pretty ready on the stress front!”
The nekomata gave her a rub on her shoulder. “Akyuu seems to be able to trigger it just by talking about history. I’m sure we’ll figure out something for you too. And if we don’t… well, Lady Yukari will be extra invested in making sure you keep up.”
Chen sighed. “...Really, it’s probably a good thing you’re all friends. Once people start realizing how powerful you all can be…” She looked away. “...Keep your friends close, alright? Two Immaterial Children on opposite sides of a territory dispute… if fate’s turbulent around you all, what happens when you truly fight each other?”
Kosuzu gulped. They drank for a bit in silence.
Eventually, Yumemi hopped up. “If Lady Ran’s coming, we should get some snacks going to talk over. Any recommendations I should send to the chefs, Chen?”
“Fried tofu will be a good start. I’m pretty sure both Lady Ran and Kosuzu love it.” Kosuzu’s tail was wagging a bit at the thought. It had been a while since she’d had that, and… apparently her mother enjoyed it too? Ah, but… but if she ate too much, would Ran get mad at her for pigging out? “You know where the kitchen is, right Yumemi?”
The young girl paused for a moment to think. “It’s down that hallway in the east wing, isn’t it?”
One of the haniwa guards rumbled to life, making Kosuzu jump a bit. They’d been so quiet and still, Kosuzu had almost started thinking of them as statues. “It is in the east wing, but that leads west… if you wish, we can lead the way.”
Yumemi grinned. “Yeah, let’s get going! We gotta get back before Lady Ran gets here in… what, ten minutes?”
Chen hummed, before shrugging. “Fourteen, If she isn’t delayed again. Though at this point, the only delays would be beating up some wolves.”
Kosuzu waved Yumemi off, leaving Chen and her alone again. The fox took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
She looked down at the table, picking up Seiga’s hairpin to examine more closely. She’d taken the hole-cutting tool around wherever she could today - she wasn’t letting that mistake happen again. …Her real mother wouldn’t think bad of her for stealing, would she? No, no, this was a special case. She’d see the reason, surely. Hopefully. …But if Ran was angry at her, what would she do?
Kosuzu shook her head. Her mind was a mess right now. There wasn’t anything she could do to change how Ran would view her in only a few minutes. She needed something to distract herself. She looked over at her big sister, trying to gather her thoughts.
[ ] Ask about Yukari’s Little Spirits comment. That had been a little weird, hadn’t it?
[ ] Follow up on Chen’s story about the Restrictions.
[ ] Learn more about her mother. She had an impression, and a largely positive one, but she still didn’t know her all that well as a person.
[ ] Something else?
well, well, well. just after i talked about my concerns with yukari's restrictions.
not gonna vote on those immediately, though. we're down to 2 grip again, and if tsukasa's coming (which she is, her squad's heading right towards keiki's main base) we need to get of that completely this time before we confront her. normally i'd just go for the ran option, but i'm gonna see what the general analysis is before i cast my vote. i am kind of leaning towards the restrictions, though, if only because i'm curious about more of the yakumo backstory.
- The "little spirits" remark was odd, might be related to the spell Kosuzu's grandpa used, and/or the thing that Yukari was looking at while talking to Kosuzu at the library. Probably both are the same?
- Restrictions probably gives us more backstory on Yukari's origin, possibly how Ran became her shikigami too. Also more likely explains exactly what those restrictions are and how to remove them, even if glossed over.
- Learning about Ran is self explanatory, gives us more backstory on Ran, maybe on the relationship of the family as a whole.
There is probably no right or wrong answer here. Just go with what you want to see more of. I'll go with this one because it's bugging me, but any choice voted here is good for me. I don't know what would I add as a new option either.
[X] Ask about Yukari’s Little Spirits comment. That had been a little weird, hadn’t it?
[X] Ask about Yukari’s Little Spirits comment. That had been a little weird, hadn’t it?
[X] Learn more about her mother. She had an impression, and a largely positive one, but she still didn’t know her all that well as a person.
Kinda split between the "Little Spirits" thing(which might be Yukari having her own personal faction beyond Mayohiga), and the Restrictions, which is a big Lore button. For now, I think I'll go with
[X] Follow up on Chen’s story about the Restrictions.
I'm curious about what Ran needs to help Yukari with. It's also something Kosuzu might be directly involved with if she becomes Yukari's shikigami
[X] Follow up on Chen’s story about the Restrictions.
I would like to know who Kosuzu's father is, but I don't think it's the right time.
[X] Discuss what to have for dinner
[X] Ask about Yukari’s Little Spirits comment. That had been a little weird, hadn’t it?
I think this one could be !!!FUN!!! I just get the feeling
[X] Learn more about her mother. She had an impression, and a largely positive one, but she still didn’t know her all that well as a person.
[ ] Learn more about her mother. She had an impression, and a largely positive one, but she still didn’t know her all that well as a person.
We need to know about yakumom's gangster era
>Yachie’s eye flicked over to them. “Are the dossiers distributed? …Then take a break to compose yourselves.”
Yeeessss Yachie, its the kids that need time to compose themselves. XD
hmmm interesting that option 2 and 3 seem tied into extending further about either Ran or Yukari after the ... are the little spirits tied to Chen somehow then?
and yeah, looks like a lore choice here if I had to guess
1 - Little spirits, Chen?
2 - Restrictions, more about Yukari and the aftereffects of the losing control of her powers that resulted in the destruction of Tsugaru?
3 - more about Ran, perhaps talking about why she was a part of the Animal realm between Tsukasa's fall and becoming Yukari's Shikigami?
>Two Immaterial Children on opposite sides of a territory dispute… if fate’s turbulent around you all, what happens when you truly fight each other?”
Hopefully when Youmu and Reimu clash over Yachie we get to find out in a funny manner and not a serious one...
as to what to vote... hmmm. the little spirits seem to be what Yukari was noticing at the library, the restrictions will probably give us what was going on immediately after the Tsugaru Straight incident... and learning more about Ran probably will tell us how she ended up in the Gouyoku Alliance... which might? help with Kosuzu's worries right now (or might backfire, who knows?) since just means that Kosuzu is following her mother's footsteps with stealing the hairpin and wanting to eat (though the "gluttony" is probably just Tsukasa's abuse rearing its ugly head.)
might change my mind later, but for now I'm going to go with
[X] Learn more about her mother. She had an impression, and a largely positive one, but she still didn’t know her all that well as a person.
on the chance it might reassure Kosuzu on her current worries? otherwise I might go with the little spirits...
