[ ] Let her lead you around for a while longer.

{X} Take a break. Find somewhere to sit down.

[x] Take a break. Find somewhere to sit down.

Suddenly I'm wondering if the chasing-Kotohime isn't a hologram of Chiyuri's.

[ ] Take a break. Find somewhere to sit down.

[ ] Let her lead you around for a while longer.

[x] Take a break. Find somewhere to sit down.

Though amusing as it may be, you're starting to run out of energy, and Chiyuri's slowly moving farther and farther away from you. You'd better tell her before you lose her..

"Chiyuri!" You call out, waving her over when she turns to look at you. Like an obedient child, she drops what she's doing and walks back over to your side.

"What's up?" She asks, giving you this deer-in-a-headlight stare that makes you want to burst out laughing. You somehow manage to force it down and reply as normal.

"I need to sit down. I'm not used to all this walking."

"That so?" She smiles, looking just off to the side. "I saw a bench a little ways back there. If ya want, I could meetcha there in a bit."

"That sounds fine." You'd rather not impede on her having a good time, and it's still far too early for you to head back. Your watch reads 15:12. "Let's meet up in an hour then. Sound fair?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" She shrugs, pointing on down the road a ways. "It's back that way, I think. In front of some bakery or something."

"Thanks.." You turn to look away for a second, and Chiyuri's practically gone by the time you turn around. Really, that girl..

You waste no time. You're already aching legs lead you a short ways back the way you came, and right into what appears to be the town center. The bench is just within view. It feels so good to finally sit down!

You take your time, idly watching the people pass by where you sit. They're all dressed completely differently than you, making you feel just a little out of place. They're all wearing variations of the same style of Japanese dress. They look almost like bathrobes to you, some more elaborate than others, but generally the same style of dress. Maybe your dress is the reason for all the odd looks.

You watch the people for a while longer as the time slowly passes. For a hard wooden bench, it sure is comfortable. You almost feel like falling asleep..

"Excuse me.." You hear a voice. It's closeness makes you jerk forward. A woman stands over you, only several feet from the bench you're sitting on. When did she get there?

What time is it? Looking at your watch, it's 16:43. Damn that Chiyuri! She's late! Did you fall asleep? Maybe she showed up on time and left while you were out. Has it really been an hour?

"Uhm, excuse me.." That voice again! It's coming from the woman in the white dress hovering over you. She gives you a friendly smile, but the way she twiddles her finger around her shawl looks like some kind of nervous tick. "I appear to have lost my way.. I was wondering if you could help me."

She certainly looks it. Her outfit alone tells you she's not from the area. The simple white dress she wears isn't exactly elaborate, but it does stand out from the traditional Japanese style of dress the locals wear.

[ ] ?

[x] "I'll do what I can, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm not familiar with this place either."

>>65977

"I'm only vaguely familiar with the area, but if you want, I can try to help."

[ ] "I'm only vaguely familiar with the area, but if you want, I can try to help."

>>65983

>>*Scorn*
>> help

pfft

"Well," You start, "I'm not from around here, so I don't know how much help I'll be.." You reluctantly pull yourself away from the bench. Your legs feel better, but it was just so comfortable you didn't want to give it up. The woman seems slightly disappointed by your response.

"Oh, I see.." She frowns, turning to look of into the streets. It'd be kind of sad to leave her here like this.

"So, what are you looking for?" You ask. If you help her, you might run into Chiyuri along the way. You'd have tried to call her, but this world is like one giant dead zone for phone reception. "I might know how to find it, if it's in the area."

"Hmm.." She looks off somewhere, thinking silently to herself. "I'm sure.. Yes!" She turns back to you, gleaming with a sudden enthusiasm. "There was a shrine nearby! If I can find that.."

"A shrine?" You're not exactly sure what she means, but you did have an encounter with some magician who called herself a 'shrine maiden'. It must have something to do with the local culture.

Still, you have no means to find it, and you've seen and heard nothing from the magician since then. For all intents and purposes, it's a dead end.

"Have you tried talking to the locals?" You ask.

"They won't speak to me.." She frowns. "Actually, you're the first person to talk to me since I got here."

"Huh." You shrug. The local folk seem to be skittish around strangers, but you can't quite understand why they'd--

"You there! Youkai!"

You know that voice.. It's that Kotohime woman! What does she want this time? Well, now's a good a chance as any to explain yourself..

"Look, lady. I don't know what your problem is, but--" You turn around slowly, careful not to disturb her any more than she already clearly is. As you lay eyes on the woman, you're more shocked to find what she's dragging behind her.

"Ahh!" You can't help but point and scream. It's Chiyuri! And she's in handcuffs! Her uniform is slightly more dirty and disheveled than usual, showing what appears to be signs of a struggle. How did she..

"Heya boss." She smiles and waves, as if she's not even slightly bothered by her being pulled around like this. She jiggles the chain slightly, making the links rattle together. Kotohime silently jerks the chain forward, forcing the still grinning Chiyuri to stand in front of her. "Looks like it's the end of the line for me. Ahaha~"

"Chiyuri!" You yell, your surprise replaced by a feeling of confusion, and maybe just the slightest bit of anger. "What the hell happened?!" Did she do something wrong?

"Uhh... Ahahaha.. Well.. You see.." Her smirk fades into a distraught grin. "So there was thi--"

"This is your familiar, is it not?" Kotohime blares, bringing Chiyuri's sentence to a screeching halt.

"Familiar?" You're not quite sure what she's talking about..

"Youkai?" The strange woman in the white dress expresses the same level of confusion. She scowls at you in suspicion, her narrowed eyes little more than slits.

"You heard what I said! This is your familiar, is it not?" Kotohime's words display a commanding sort of tone, but betray no emotion at all. She glares at you with fire in her eyes.

[ ] "Sure.. I guess."
[ ] "No, she's not."
[ ] "I'm not a youkai!"
[ ] "What's going on?!"

>>66077

[x] "You actually believed my moron assistant? ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST PLAIN RETARDED?!

[x] "You actually believed my moron assistant? ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST PLAIN RETARDED?!"

Okay.

[x] "You actually believed my moron assistant? ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST PLAIN RETARDED?!"

[x] "You actually believed my moron assistant? ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST PLAIN RETARDED?!"

invite her to the ship, lol

All this talk about strange creatures has begun to make your head hurt. Familiars? Youkai? You're nothing of the sort! Where does this woman come up with this?! Sure, your dress may be styled outside the local norm, but that's absolutely no reason for her to think you're some kind of hideous monster!

"She's my assistant." You reply, just barely able to fight back the almost overwhelming urge to simply scream. "I don't know what the big idea is, but I'd appreciate it if you were to release her."

"So she is a familiar, then." Kotohime leans her head forward, smiling victoriously. God, this is insufferable! Can't you just hit her, too? Even Chiyuri knows when it's time to quit!

"She is not! She is NOT some kind of slave beast!" You yell, unable to inhibit yourself any longer. "She's my employee! Stop treating her like some caged animal and LET HER GO!"

You hope to God that got through to her, because if it didn't.. You don't want to think of what you'll do next!

"She's right." The strange woman speaks up beside you, placing a hand on your shoulder, carefully, as if handling an active land mine. "She's no youkai, and this child is--"

"I'm not a child!" Chiyuri protests, rattling the chain between her arms as she shakes a fist at the woman. "I'm sixteen!" You sigh. For all intents and purposes, she is a child.

"My.." The woman covers her mouth with her other hand, excusing herself in the most polite of fashions. "Well, she's certainly no familiar."

"And who are you, I ask?" Kotohime looks up to the woman, eyes filled with suspicion and studying her carefully.

"Who I am is not important." She waves off the question with a gracious smile. "However, I will ask that you let these two go." For a split second, you swear you can see a faint glow in the woman's eyes. You can sense a sort of implied thread to her words, as well. Something tells you there's more to this woman that what you can see.

"Very well." Kotohime replies, asserting no level of her usual authoritative tone. What just happened here? You watch silently as she jiggles the cuff free from Chiyuri's wrists.

"Ehh.." As soon as she's free, Chiyuri starts rubbing the area previously in contact with the metal shackles. Her wrists are a little red, and aside from a few scratches and possibly her pride, she doesn't seem particularly hurt. "Took ya long enough." She tries to wave her captor away to no avail. "Now get outta here b'fore I shoot ya!"

Kotohime ignores her, turning to face you directly instead. "You're free to go, for now. Do not think I will forgive further incursions." Without another word, she turns tail and storms off down the road.

"Oh yeah?!" Chiyuri yells, shaking her fist and jumping up as if to kick her. "Well we have guns! Lots of 'em! Fuck with us again and we'll kick your a--"

Thump!

"Quiet, you!" Before you realized it, you'd already stepped forward and hit her square on the head. You've never had to hit her quite so hard before, though considering the situation.. What's more important is why Chiyuri wound up like that in the first place. "And why were you all chained up like that?!"

"Owwie~!" Her attention moves from her reddened wrists, to her injured head, and finally to your question. "Hey, that hurt!" Well, maybe not your question..

"It was supposed to." You hold up your fist to reiterate your message. You can still feel the skin around your knuckles throbbing from where you'd hit her, but it's not like it'll stop you from hitting her again if you have to. "Answer the question."

"But.. She was- And I-" She stammers, her eyes tracing the path Kotohime took when leaving, as if she still expects her to be around. Eventually, she settles for a much simpler, more childish sort of explanation. "I didn't do anything wrong!" She's practically pleading with you..

You're willing to believe her. Considering the way Kotohime behaves she may have truly done nothing at all. You just had to hear her say it herself. It's enough for you to hear the words come out of her mouth, and you decide to drop the subject. "Alright, fine." You lower your fist, now using the hand to help her to her feet. "God, what a mess.." This day's turned out to be more than you could've bargained for..

"So who's blondie, here?" Chiyuri dusts herself off, hardly acknowledging the other woman aside from the impolite question.

"You know.." You were about to ask that same question yourself.. Who is this daintily smiling woman standing beside you? "I don't believe I know your name.."

"It's not important, miss Okazaki, who I am." She tilts her head slightly, keeping the same expression. "My name is Luize. You could say I'm not from around here."

"I see." You extend your hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure. My name is--" Wait, she already said your name. But.. You didn't tell her. "How did you--?" Something strange is happening.. You're aware of that much. But how does she know your name?

"Like I said, I'm not from around here." Her smile changes. No, you weren't seeing things then. Her eyes really are glowing!

[ ] ?

[x] "Hey, I think you should get your eyes checked. They're all glowy."
[x] "Have we met before? Or have I already met one of your acquaintances?"

[x] "Hey, I think you should get your eyes checked. They're all glowy."
[x] "Have we met before? Or have I already met one of your acquaintances?"

[x] "Hey, I think you should get your eyes checked. They're all glowy."
[x] "Have we met before? Or have I already met one of your acquaintances?"

[x] "Hey, I think you should get your eyes checked. They're all glowy."
[x] "Have we met before? Or have I already met one of your acquaintances?"

Behold teh bandwagon

You want to ask her, just to get it out there. You want to say 'hey, your eyes are glowing' and be done with it. You want to know what she has to say about it, but she knows your name, which comes as much more of a surprise. Have you met her before? It's doubtful. Surely you'd remember someone like this! With her standing there like this, golden eyes glowing and smiling like a harpy, you can't seem to get the words out.

"Ey, boss?" You feel Chiyuri shaking you, but it feels an impossibility for you to turn away. "Boss!" You've been hypnotized by this woman, and by your own curiosity. Chiyuri soon shifts her attention elsewhere, turning now to Luize. "What did you do to her?!" She yells, reaching into her pocket.

"I'm fine." You finally manage to speak, breaking your own concentration in the process. You pull Chiyuri's arm up before she manages to find the weapon you assume she was looking for. "There's no need for that."

"What happened to you?!" She's obviously concerned about you. "Are you okay?" Were you to react sooner, she probably wouldn't have been all worked up like this. You simply nod and give her a quick pat on the head. But what of the woman? You quickly turn back to face her, confident in the recovered clarity of your thoughts.

"Who are you?" You ask, "How do you know my name?" You wonder if she'll answer truthfully, or give you some cryptic message. As you stop to think, memories of the woman you saw in the core come flooding back. This Luize woman really bears a striking resemblance to her. The same golden eyes and hair, her similar mannerisms and speech patterns, it's hardly what you'd call a coincidence.

"It's not my place to say." She replies, the smile slowly fading from her face. The glow leaves her eyes in an instant. "However, I don't believe our meeting here was merely by chance."

"I'll say." You groan, still wracked with thoughts of suspicion. "I bet you set it all up."

"Hardly!" She laughs, as if the idea is purely preposterous. "It's true that I've lost my way, and I've spoken no falsehood."

"You're still hiding something. I want to hear it." You place your hands on your hips and do your best to be demanding. The effort required is miniscule, and you can only attribute it to the company you keep. Looking down to her, Chiyuri seems completely lost in her own thoughts.

"Very well." Luize holds up a finger, "Do me one simple favor and I'll tell you what you wish to hear." She pauses, looking straight at you with the most laboriously kept straight face you've ever seen. She can't hold it, breaking out into an embarrassed sort of smile a moment later. "It's a little unusual to ask it now, but I'm still a bit lost.."

[ ] Help her.
[ ] Don't help her.

[x] Help her.

Just JAM IT IN.

[x] Help her.

[x] Help her.

[x] Help her.

You'd agreed to help her before, so why should you change your mind now? It's especially important that you help her now, considering she may be your only lead to figuring out the identity and purpose of the mysterious woman you'd seen earlier. Luize looks so much like her it's unreal.

"Alright. So all we need to do is find the shrine, right?" You ask, trying to formulate the best way to handle the situation.

"Shrine?" Chiyuri tugs on your shirt. "You said shrine just now."

"I did. What of it?" You remember that she wasn't present for your earlier conversation with Luize, though it should be clear enough that she could figure it out on her own. Sometimes, you wonder what you'll do with this girl..

Her lips curl into a smile as she reaches into her pocket. She pulls out some strange device, like nothing you've ever seen before. It almost looks like a scanner, but..

"Hmm.." She snorts, punching something into a small keypad that flips out from the bottom. Now, it looks more like an old-model cellular phone.. "Three kilometers..." Her eyes constantly kept on the device, she begins to point off in a small arc. Eventually, her arm stops. "That way!"

"How, may I ask, do you know this?" Luize inquires, staring intensely at the device. She's probably never seen anything like it before in her life.

"Hey boss, you remember that android we lent out to that shrine maiden like a year ago?" Chiyuri's lips curl back into that twisted grin of hers. You simply nod in response, allowing her to speak uninterrupted. "Yeah, well, I put a beacon in it's head. You know, just in case."

"In case of what, Chiyuri?" You can't help but worry about her response, but you're honestly thankful she did what she did. It's times like these you're honestly grateful to have her around.

"It's nuclear powered?" She replies, her words less of a question and more like her usual smart-alecky back-talk. For once though, she's speaking regularly and not with that strange accent. "You basically handed the woman a ticking time bomb. I didn't think it was too safe, so I put some stuff in it."

"It's perfectly safe." You argue, completely aware of the dangers. You're confident that it won't explode on random like she seems to expect it to. "It'll run out of fuel in about a year or two, she'll grow tired of it, and we can take it back then. Now get a move on." You push her slightly in the direction she pointed a moment ago. You'd like to be done with this before sunset.

In essence, you start out back the way you came in. You follow Chiyuri down one of the main walks, past the alley you ran down earlier, and back outside the village. From there on, it's all unfamiliar to you. As you come up to the fork in the road, Chiyuri points and leads you down the other path you've never tried before. Every so often, you check to make sure Luize is still beside or behind you, though she hardly once leaves your side. The entire way, she makes small talk with the two of you, talking about the nice weather or mentioning something she saw a short ways back. The usual talk of somebody visiting someplace unfamiliar to them.

The path leads you at first around the village in a large half-circle, and eventually veers straight away from it. You pass by two small farms, and after they're behind you, it's all wilderness. The only signs you see of anybody ever having been here are a few stone statues, and of course, the path itself.

A short ways down the road, you come to a small stone staircase about three feet high. You figure it would've made more sense just to follow the slope of the land. Maybe it serves some sort of purpose. Beyond it lies the edge of the forest, and after that everything is darkened by the treetops overhead. The forest isn't very thick, and you're able to easily see where your walking as the path begins to narrow and twist around. Without it, you'd probably have already lost your way.

You're sure you've walked more than far enough already. You'd only begin to realize it after the path led you across a small bridge over a stream. You turn to Chiyuri, who turns to the device in her hands.

"We're close. Says here we're about a quarter-kilometer from the target." She even goes so far as to show you the screen, so there's no denying it. You're close, but not nearly close enough to see anything resembling a building. Why it's built all the way out here is beyond you.

"I recognize this place.." Luize says distantly, her mind obviously elsewhere. She acts like she's looking for something. "I'm sure it was.." And then, she suddenly takes a step off the path. She begins to push her way through the underbrush, forcing a path of her own away from you.

[ ] Follow her.
[ ] Follow the path forward.
[ ] Go back to the village.
[ ] Stay put.

[ ] Follow her.

[x] "Hey, where are you going?"

[P] Follow her.

Luize, dear, recall where your paths have led you before.

[ ] Follow her.

You watch as she slowly begins to disappear in the underbrush. Perhaps she's found what she's looking for, and perhaps you should feel happy for her. Then, it hits you.

"Ahh!" She didn't hold up her side of the bargain! You have to chase after her! Letting her get away like this would just make your efforts a waste of time! Afraid to leave her by herself, you grab Chiyuri by the hand and force her along with you. "Wait! Stop!" You cry, hoping your voice will be heard.

Thankfully, it works. The sound echoing across the fairly flat terrain stops Luize right in her tracks. Surprised, she jolts her head around to look back. The underbrush keeps catching on your feet and tripping you up as you push through it. You wonder how she made it look so easy just now.

"Hey, lemme go!" Chiyuri demands, just as you're about caught up, and wrenches free from your grip. It's hard to keep a forceful grip while trying not to hurt her, and she always seems to get free.

"Ah!" Luize's eyes widen with a sudden realization, and she turns the rest of her body towards you. "I apologize, I completely forgot! I don't know what came over me."

"Forget it, it's nothing." She truly, honestly seems to be remorseful, and you'd rather not dwell on it any longer. It's 17:22 already, and the sun will be down in a matter of hours. The rumors you've heard from the locals about what lurks in these woods after dark send shivers down your spine, and you'd rather not be caught out here when the sun eventually does go down. "If you'll tell me what you'd promised me earlier, that'll be enough."

"Of course." She nods, a smile making it's way through her otherwise pitiable expression. "As I stated previously, I am not from around here." You know this already. You wish she'd hurry it up. "That was a gross misrepresentation, though a purposeful one. I am, like you, not from this world. My home is called Makai. To you, it could be called the world of demons, though one could go so far as to say it's simply Hell. This is not as far from the truth as one might expect. There are many sects of Hell currently residing within Makai."

"So.. You're a demon?" Chiyuri has a look of absolute confusion on her face. Without the knowledge of the occult that you currently possess, you doubt she'd be able to understand any of the words coming from this woman's mouth.

"Yes and no." Luize replies. "Though I may live far longer, I am no different than an ordinary human."

"That doesn't answer my question, though." You finally summon up the nerve to say something, but you still want to know how she's connected with the mysterious intruder from before. "How do you know my name? What can you tell me about the 'seer of dreams'?"

"Hmm?" She bites her lip, growing confused after your last question. "Though I can tell you how I know your name, your other question is beyond my knowledge. To make it as simple as possible, I possess certain extrasensory abilities. Clairvoyance, you could say. I know your name because you know your name, but I'm able to see little more than that."

"You can read minds?" Chiyuri, wide-eyed and curious like a small child, turns to Luize in an utter amazement the likes of which you've never seen her express.

"A little." Luize frowns, shrugging as if it's no big deal. "My powers don't extend quite so far as to allow me to read even surface thoughts. I can see names, ages, and little more." You breathe a small sigh of relief, knowing your thoughts are still kept secret. The feeling doesn't last long, as she turns back to you with a subtle amusement in her expression. "Is there anything more you would like to discuss?"

[ ] ?

[x] Ask how to get to Makai.
[x] Ask about any important figureheads within Makai.
[x] Ask what she was doing with the glowy eyes.
[x] Ask about that woman you met yesterday, and if Luize is familiar with her.

[x] Ask what she was doing with the glowy eyes.
[x] Ask about that woman you met yesterday, and if Luize is familiar with her.

"Absolutely." You reply. There's plenty you'd like to ask her, but time is short. You decide to keep it simple. "Your eyes, they were glowing.."

"They were?" Her hands move to her face, concealing her expression. "Oh, dear.." She seems rather embarrassed about it, and you decide to wait silently. She might not tell you at all is you try to press her. With an air of timidity about her, she peeks through the spaces between her fingers, and her hands slowly drop down. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes. It happened a few times back in the town." Her reaction is a little frustrating. How could she not know that her eyes were glowing? "Look ,I don't see what the big--"

"Oh no~!" Her hands shoot back up to her face as she shakes her head. "That's so- Noo~~!" Her normally calm, womanly voice wavers in her sudden distress.

"Hmph. She acts like we just saw her naked." Chiyuri grunts, picking a leaf out of her hair. "Look lady, are ya gonna answer the question or not?"

"I-I.." She stammers, dropping her arms again to reveal her uncontrollably blushing face. "It's not supposed to happen outside of Makai!"

"So, what is it, then?" You frown and groan. Chiyuri's right, she is acting like you'd just seen her naked. It strikes you as odd and annoying more than anything else. "What do the eyes mean?"

"It happens when I use my abilities. Normal humans aren't supposed to be able to see it." 'Instant recovery' doesn't do this woman justice. In a second, she collects herself and returns to her previously calm self.

"Hmm.." You wonder.. "Is it a characteristic only the people from Makai exhibit? I've seen it only once before."

"I believe so, but.. Wait," Luize's eyes widen. Slowly, but noticably. "You said you'd seen it before? Where?"

"Back in my ship outside the village. There was a woman.." You pause upon hearing Chiyuri mumble something, but you don't catch it. "She.. Her eyes glowed as well, that same golden color as your own. She told me..." You stop yourself, a precaution against giving out too much information. "No, it's probably nothing.."

"That is.. unusual." Luize seems stumped, though she seems to have realized something on her own. "Our people normally don't venture far from the village in fear of becoming lost. There are.. Rules we have to follow." Suddenly, she begins to smile. "You see, I'm somewhat of a tour guide."

"The hell kinda tour guide gets herself lost?" Chiyuri murmurs, just barely audible even when you're standing right beside her. For good measure, you give her a light slap to the back of her head. Giving you a single look of resentment, she quiets down.

"For some reason, the folks back in the city have taken a liking to this world, so a few have organized a travel agency to make going between worlds.. I suppose a little less hectic. If you ever decide to come to Makai, you'll understand my meaning." She takes a slight bow, tips her hat, and smiles again. "However, seeing as it'll be dark soon, I must be getting back. I know it's sudden, but I'd rather not keep you. I'll take my leave here."

Without any hesitation, she turns and pushes deeper into the forest, leaving you and Chiyuri standing behind. You bow and wave once you're sure she can see you, and turn to head back yourself. Once you're back on the path, you're faced with a number of options.

[ ] Go to the shrine. You won't make it back to the ship by nightfall.
[ ] Go back to the village. Find a place to stay.
[ ] Push yourself, try to get back to the ship.
[ ] Go back after Luize. Maybe she'll be able to help.

----------

Also, possibly the last update for maybe a week. Vacations, very limited computer access, etc. I'll try to have updates for both this and Gunman upon my return.

[x] Go to the shrine. You won't make it back to the ship by nightfall.

Let's go hit on Genji.

[x] Go to the shrine. You won't make it back to the ship by nightfall.

>I can see names, ages, and little more."
ITCYOA Luize is Ryuk.

>>66874

We should get her some apples, then starve her of them for days to see if she starts doing a weird dance.

[x] Go to the shrine. You won't make it back to the ship by nightfall.

ITT, proto-Reimu.

[ ] Go to the shrine. You won't make it back to the ship by nightfall.

Let's go bother Reimu~

Have a nice vacation.

But it's already this late. You won't be able to make it back by nightfall even if you were to run the whole way. You doubt you'd even have the energy left to try it. In any case, the shrine is just up the road a ways. Maybe the folks that live there might let you spend the night.

You look to Chiyuri, only for an instant but long enough to confirm her emotional state. She's been a little out of it since your outburst this morning, and now she looks about ready to plop down and sleep where she stands. Silently taking her by the hand, you egg her onward and she willingly, if only a little hesitantly, follows your lead.

Ahead, you see another set of stone statues. What truly catches your attention is the long staircase between them. It's made entirely of what looks like granite, and it appears as if it were carved into the hillside ahead. Through the tree cover, you can almost see the end. It's a long climb, and the incline is fairly steep, but you're able to make it. Chiyuri nearly collapses about halfway, and you end up giving her a piggy-back the rest of the way up.

"I'm tired~" She groans, shifting her weight slightly on your back. She's honestly not all that heavy, but as you climb, the strain on your own muscles makes it feel as if she's becoming heavier. Before too long you reach the top, and you set her down. She offers a quick word of gratitude and a small pat on your back, and you head off for the building ahead.

It's very similar to shrines you'd seen as a child in your hometown. A little run-down, sure, but a shrine nonetheless. You pass by the offertory box at the front, and make your way around to the back. The doors have been slid open, so it's a safe bet that somebody's around. Without qualms, Chiyuri presses ahead into the building, only stopping to throw her shoes off.

"Heeey~!" She yells, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Anybody alive in there?!" You giggle with amusement. Somebody else does, as well.

"Noooo~" A woman's voice cries in a feigned sort of wail, as if joking with you. Chiyuri doesn't seem to hear it. "We're all deeeeead~" It sends a chill down your spine, and puts a lump in your throat.

You spin around, looking for the source of it. Nothing even remotely human stands in your line of sight. You hear nothing more from the voice, but even as you step forward, you feel like there's something behind you, watching you. Unnerved, you kick off your shoes and step inside. You find nothing in the building, either. No people, no apparitions, not even a shrine maiden to be found.

The fading sunlight casts an orange-colored glow into the still open room. It's calming, and hardly the sort of mood you'd expect from a haunted shrine. The building is mostly wooded, and the walls and doors are interlaced with a flimsy-looking paper. It's an incredibly open design, giving you the feeling that even the slightest breeze would send the heavy roof crashing down on top of you.

"Hey boss, check it out!" Chiyuri's voice echoes from inside another room. You follow the sound of it down a short hallway and into a small,and much darker room. Chiyuri stands nervously in front of you, by the entrance with her hands clenched around the door frame. You look inside, finding an ordinary room.

Ordinary, of course, except for the man-sized tortoise laying flat in the middle of it. Now that's odd.. You question why there'd be a tortoise inside a shrine, but then you remember how the priestess you met would ride it around everywhere.

"The master is out at the moment." You hear another voice, different than the last. This one creaks with age, deeper and more masculine than the last. It speaks slowly and articulately, with a sort of wisdom only those who have lived long possess. It's coming from inside the room. It couldn't be.. "Fear not, she will return before nightfall."

"Uhh.." You don't know what to say, you don't know what to do. This shrine is surely haunted! You want to scream, you want to yell, you want to let your feet carry you from this place as fast as they can take you! But it's already dusk, and even if it's against your will, you're committed to staying here.

[ ] ?

----------

One more~

[x] "Wh-wh-wh-who's there? Come out! I know you're around here somewhere!"

[x] "Wh-wh-wh-who's there? Come out! I know you're around here somewhere!"

I like this Chiyuri.

[x] "Wh-wh-wh-who's there? Come out! I know you're around here somewhere!"

Mima~

Here's hoping Chiyuri capitalizes on your apparent fear of goasts

[x] "Wh-wh-wh-who's there? Come out! I know you're around here somewhere!"

[x] "Wh-wh-wh-who's there? Come out! I know you're around here somewhere!"

Just got back. Updates for this and GiG eventually.

>>67755

hooray!

"Wh-what's going on?" All these disembodies voices are really starting to freak you out! You turn to Chiyuri for confirmation. "Did you hear that?" Your fear isn't paralyzing, but because of it you're unable to peel your eyes from the room for even a second longer. "Who's there?!"

"Ey boss." Chiyuri replies, seemingly apathetic to the entire situation. Isn't she afraid? Her expression seems uneasy, but her voice betrays no emotion at all. "Turtle's talking."

"Huh?" Her words prompt you to immediately face the oversized reptile. Certainly, it's unusual. No tortoise you've ever seen has had a long beard like this one, but that doesn't mean it's..

"Something the matter?" The voice asks, the animals mouth moving at the same time. It is talking! You've never seen anything like this! It's got to be the doings of powerful magicks! But what about that other voice? You've heard nothing from it since you came inside.

"I-I-It's.." You stammer as a surge of curiosity overwhelms you. "...talking?"

"Is it really that strange?" The animal asks, bothered by your reaction. As it speaks, it slowly draws itself to it's feet, carrying with itself the weight of it's own age.

"We're.. uh, not from around here, guy." Chiyuri remarks, her usual lack of manners showing at full force. "Talking turtles are a little hard to come by." You're to shocked to react to it. It's really talking!

"That so, young lady?" It turns its scaly head to her. "I can't say they're too common around here, either." Again, it faces you. As it's head moves, you could swear you see it smiling. "You have business here?"

"Ah, er.." You hadn't been paying attention. The prospect of having a talking animal to study must be a little more than you can handle in your current state. "We.. We need a place to stay." Before it responds, you add, "For the night."

"Hmm.." It hums quizzically as it's head nods, slowly, and vaguely similar to the mannerism of a tired old man. "I suppose it can't be helped. There's a room across the hall you can use. Unfortunately..." The old tortoise's voice trails off. As you ready yourself to ask what's wrong, it speaks up again. "Unfortunately, we've only one bed to spare.."

[ ] "That's fine."
[ ] "We'll manage somehow."
[ ] "Chiyuri can sleep on the floor."

{X} "We'll manage somehow."

[x] "We'll manage somehow."

We can cut it in half. With a chainsaw.

[ ] "We'll manage somehow."

[ ] "That's fine."

"We'll manage, somehow.." You catch yourself glancing in Chiyuri's direction. You've no idea how you'll work it out, but there's no way you're going to share a bed with her!

You turn away before she notices your eyes on her and thank the speaking animal, treating it much the same as you would another human. It's ridiculous! It's an animal, right? Chuckling to yourself, you leave the room.

Chiyuri follows, and you search the place room by room. But... It all looks the same! Every room is the same! Which room are you supposed to stay in? There's a total of four rooms connected to the hall, and one is already occupied by the tortoise. The math is easy. You've a one-in-three chance of getting the right room.

"GYAAAAA!!" Chiyuri screams beind you, startling and almost knocking you clean off your feet. You whip around to see what's got her so spooked, and she goes straight for your dress.

"Wha- What the hell?!" You yell in surprise, trying to keep her from getting a good grip on the hem. "What's wrong?" You grab for her as she dives through your legs.

You get nothing, and she's standing behind you a moment later with her arms wrapped tightly around your waist.

"Th-th-th-th- d-d-d-d-d-" One of her hands raises, pointing to an open doorway. You don't see anything out of the ordinary. What's gotten into her? Is this another one of her tasteless jokes?

"Yes, Chiyuri. The door is open." She doesn't let go, and you can only stand there and wonder if the door was open when you passed by it a second ago. You can't bring yourself to recall such a minor detail.

"Th-th-that's n-not it!" She raises her voice, still stuttering like an idiot. "I-I-It opened o-on it's own!"

"Really now?" You're not convinced. Sure, there was a talking animal in the other room, and another disembodied voice outside, but-- Wait, you forgot to ask about that. Could all of this be connected? Maybe the place really is haunted! And if that's the case, you should give Chiyuri's outlandish claim the benefit of the doubt. "Well," You maintain your calm demeanor, "we're not staying in that room, then."

"Something wrong with my shrine?"

"AAAH!" You yelp as you hear another voice. It's faint, but you're sure you heard it. It came from behind you, right where that little girl stands. You regain a semblance of your cool demeanor, but all these weird happenings in one place has been more than enough to fray your already weak nerves.

It takes you a moment to gather your wits, but you eventually recognize the girl as the Hakurei priestess. She's about Chiyuri's height, likely no older than twelve or thirteen, with long, deep black hair that almost seems to glow violet under the light. She stares up at you with her calm, dark eyes, waiting for you to speak.

[ ] "Your place, uh, seems to be haunted."
[ ] "So you have a talking turtle..."
[ ] "The floor creaks, the roof leaks, there's a terrible draft.."
[ ] "No, err, nothing at all.."

>>67876

[ ] "Your place, uh, seems to be haunted."

[x] "Your place, uh, seems to be haunted."
[x] "And you have a talking turtle..."

COME OUT YOU SLUTTY FUCKING GHOST

And the latter for the possibility that Reimu might give Genji away.

[x] "Your place, uh, seems to be haunted."
[x] "And you have a talking turtle..."

[x] "The floor creaks, the roof leaks, there's a terrible draft.."
[x] "And you have a talking turtle..."

>>67818
You are now imagining Genji as voiced by James Earl Jones.

>>67876
>but there's no way you're going to share a bed with her!
Why did this option have the same effect as "Chiyuri can sleep on the floor"?

"This place," You start, feeling a little uneasy. "uh, seems to be--"

"Haunted!" Chiyuri exclaims, cutting you off. "This place is haunted!"

"Yes, I know." The priestess you know as Reimu replies nonchalantly. "She really is a bother, that ghost woman."

"Ahhh! Chiyuri yells, cowering behind you. "She knows! She's channeling the spirit! She's been possessed!!"

"That's not true." Reimu argues, her voice dull and without the energy you'd expect. As you match gazes, you feel you can understand her a little better. Bags under her eyes, she gives you a pleading stare, as if to say 'please, please, shut her up!'

You answer the girl's silent cries for help, giving Chiyuri a light tap on the head and silencing her. You figure she'll calm down soon enough, and you turn back to the tired priestess. "There was this turtle in the other room.." You don't know how to put your thoughts into words.

"Genji." Reimu interrupts, "His name is Genji."

"Yes, well.." You regather your thoughts, trying hard to form them into words. You must be tired.. Normally it's not so difficult. "He said we could spend the night, and.."

"Yes, that's fine." She answers impatiently, clearly more than eager to send you two away. She lifts a hand a moment later, pointing to the room with the open door. "You may stay in this room, here."

Chiyuri shudders, making an audible gulp as her grip tightens around your arm as waist. After hearing what you said earlier, you wonder if Reimu's doing this on purpose..

You decide not to mention it, instead leaving her in the hall with a small word of thanks, and thereafter dragging the struggling Chiyuri into the room with you.

"No, no!" She cries, trying to pull away. "Not that room!"

"I don't like it any more than you, but it's better than sleeping outside with a bunch of man-eating monsters!" You try to reason with her, though you share her sentiments. The prospect of sleeping in a room where the doors open and close by themselves is unnerving.

"I don't wanna sleep in the ghost room!" She yells, wide-eyed with terror, pulling harder as you cross through the doorway into the room. "You gotta let me go!!"

Obviously, reasoning with her is going to be a little difficult. You try hitting her on the head as usual, which stops her struggling but doesn't do much to calm her otherwise.

"You're being childish." You declare, hitting her lightly on the head for a second time. "Knock it off."

"B-But I.." She stammers, her voice small. You feel her arms squeeze you tighter.

[ ] Find another room.
[ ] Tell her do deal with it.
[ ] Offer to share the bed.

[x] Offer to share the bed.

Chiyuri: I won.
Chiyuri: Just as planned.

{X} Offer to share the bed.

♪~

[x] Offer to share the bed.

YES

[x] Offer to share the bed.

[x] Offer to share the bed.

She's clearly afraid, and probably on the verge of tears judging by the way she's shuddering. With her head pressed into your side, she reminds you of a frightened dog. It may not be too far from the truth. After all, she does go with you just about everywhere, and she rarely complains. This kind of behavior is unusual for her, and whatever the cause, she's seriously spooked.

And as you try to peel her away, you know she's not going to let go until she feels safe. You give up, there's nothing else you can think of. You didn't want to do it, but it looks like it's become your last remaining option.

"Alright, fine." You sigh, feeling the movement of your lungs restricted slightly by Chiyuri's arms. "Will you feel safer if we shared the bed?"

She nods silently, her face still buried in the side of your blouse. You feel her nose poking into your side. You try pushing her away again, but she still refuses to let go. With her clinging onto you like this, moving around is going to be a bit difficult..

Still, the thin walls and doors of the room leave you feeling a little bit exposed. If there really was a ghost, it'd have absolutely no trouble forcing it's way in. The only things providing you with safety at this point is the blaster in Chiyuri's pocket, and your own slowly fading alertness. You're tired, and if it wasn't already apparent enough, the thought that you'll have a bed to sleep on makes the fatigue on your mind grow just that much stronger.

But where is the bed? The room itself is hardly furnished. There's a small cabinet in the corner, and a closet built into the wall beside it. Beyond tat, the room could be considered featureless. The floor is bare, covered only by a few straw mats as is usual to the ancient Japanese culture prevalent in this world. You start with the closet, hoping there might be a pull-out cot or something inside. What you find is hardly more than a cloth floor mat, about the size of a small bed, rolled up with blankets and pillows at the bottom of the closet.

Once it's rolled out, all you can think to do is just stand back and stare at it. Chiyuri seems to have calmed down enough to let go of you, but.. How are you expected to share this? It's hardly more than a meter wide!

"Something wrong?" Chiyuri asks, oblivious to all but herself.

"It's a little.." You just keep staring and staring, maybe hoping that if you stare at it enough it'll grow.

"You'll live, right?" She smiles, the anticipation of sleeping with you greater than her fear of any ghost which may be lurking in the room. "I've slept on worse."

She's obviously on another wavelength than you. As if to prove herself to be such, she starts to strip down right in front of you. And you hadn't even gotten the door closed yet! You rush over to shut it, trying not to look at Chiyuri in the process. The door slides shut, and you turn around only to be faced with another dilemma.

"Wha-" You're practically speechless. The only article of clothing she now wears is a pair of simple, white panties. "What happened to your bra?" You can't help but ask.

"Hm?" She looks up, smiling ever so slightly. "Don't need one, ya know." She cups her hands around what little breast tissue she has. "Flat chest 'n all."

"W-Will you stop that?!" You catch yourself before your voice gets any louder. You were almost screaming just now, and you're sure your face is now as red as your hair. You're really not used to this..

"Stop what?" She grins, tilting her hips slightly as she drops her hands. She knows exactly what you're talking about, and you know it! "Aren'cha gonna get ready for bed?"

Suddenly, you're faced with the thought that you'll have to strip down as well. As if the thin walls didn't make you feel exposed enough already..

[ ] Don't bother. Sleep with your clothes on.
[ ] Lose the skirt, but keep your shirt on.
[ ] Don't think about it. Follow Chiyuri's lead.

[ ] Lose the skirt, but keep your shirt on.
Compromise

[X] Don't think about it. Follow Chiyuri's lead.

Because I like the thought of Yumemi stripping down.

[x] Don't think about it. Follow Chiyuri's lead.

[x] Lose the skirt, but keep your shirt on.

{~} Don't think about it. Follow Chiyuri's lead.

You'll just have to get over the feeling. It's not easy, but you won't be able to sleep with your clothes on. A quick look around the room reveals no cracks, gaps, or holes in any of the thin, paper walls. It's probably safe enough, and the only person looking is, of course, Chiyuri.

But you're perfectly fine around her for some reason. Undressing with her in the room to you is the same as having a stone in her place. You've been around her for so long it just comes as natural, and you don't bother to question it.

Your socks and skirt go off first, followed by your shirt. You probably could've kept that on, but you just took it off out of habit. It'd be a bit weird if you suddenly put it back on, and the action would give Chiyuri cause to question your state of mind. That exposed feeling only grows with each garment you pull off, but once your down to your bra and panties, it seems to subside.

"Oooh, nice, nice." Chiyuri giggles, staring as you'd expected. "I still think it doesn't really fit you.."

"What doesn't?" You look yourself over, and then down to your somewhat folded outfit laying on the floor. Is she messing with you? Trying to get you to take it all off? You could only guess what's going through her mind at this point.

"Those panties." She points, smiling, jeering. "Lowleg ain't bad, but the print's a little childish. Why don't you try for something more sexy? You know, like something with lace?" She crosses her arms, leaning forward as if she were critiquing a work of art.

"They itch." You grumble, trying to brush her words from your mind. "I like these just fine." At this point, all you want to do is go to sleep. You debate over whether you should lose the bra, but in the end you decide to keep it.

"Well, I guess it's not all that bad." She shrugs, pulling the thin sheet from the mat these people refer to as a bed. She sits down, throwing the blanket over her and patting the side of the bed closest to you. "C'mon, what're ya waiting for? Let's have sex!"

"Wh-Wha.." Did she really just say that? Was it a joke? It certainly didn't sound like one.. Oh God, you're not going to regret this, are you? "Touch me and I'll kill you!!" You yell, taking a step back.

"I'm just playing around!" She frowns, laying down the rest of the way as she turns her head from you. "I won't do anything like that.."

"Fine, fine." You're really beginning to think this was a bad idea, now. Had she not said that, you probably wouldn't have thought so hard about it. Still, you're tired, and you're not about to sleep on the floor. At least, she did manage to take your mind off of the strange things going on around here, even if her method was a bit unorthodox. You won't thank her.

You take your place on the other side of the bed, facing away from her in the hope that laying on your side might give you a little more space. The room grows dark as the sun sets, and all you can concentrate on is the sound of Chiyuri's breathing behind you. She groans, shifts her position slightly, and goes still. You can feel her bare shoulders touching yours, and her buttocks presses up against the small of your back. The sensation is a little unusual, but you find comfort in having her at your back. It's always been like that, hasn't it..

As the cool night air slowly begins to flow into the room, the heat from her body is the only thing still keeping you warm. The thin sheet provides you with nothing more than a thin veil to hide your figure.

"Boss?" You hear Chiyuri whisper. You groan in acknowledgment, too tired to form a proper response. "I can't sleep."

"Mmm.." You groan, staring off into the darkness as the words flow from your mouth. "Me neither."

"'s cold.." She moans, stretching her back out slightly, pressing into you slightly. "Is it okay if.." Her voice is surprisingly meek, though very awake. "..if I turn around?"

"It's fine.." You're glad she's seen fit to ask, but as cold as you are right now, you'd rather she'd have just gone ahead and done it.

You feel the bed shift slightly, and a small hand drapes itself over your waist. You don't mind it. She hasn't tried anything funny yet, and she probably won't at this point. You can feel her breath on your neck, and she's careful not to let too much of her chest press against your back. Having her there, silent for once, isn't all that bad after all.

"Smells nice.." She whispers, taking a deep breath. You wonder if you should object to her doing this..

No, no. It's fine.. Probably. As long as she doesn't go past this..

"Hey, boss?" She whispers, the words on her breath buffeting against your shoulder. "You awake?"

Again, you groan in acknowledgment. You wonder if it's ever been this difficult to fall asleep in your life. Whether she heard you or not, she continues anyway.

"I'm serious, you know."

[ ] ?

[X] "... I know."
[X] Take her hand, interlace your fingers with hers.
[X] Just lean back and try to relax. This is how Chiyuri is, and... sometimes it's nice to have someone who thinks so much of you.

[X] "... I know."
[X] Take her hand, interlace your fingers with hers.
[X] Just lean back and try to relax. This is how Chiyuri is, and... sometimes it's nice to have someone who thinks so much of you.

[X] "... I know."
[X] Take her hand, interlace your fingers with hers.
[X] Just lean back and try to relax. This is how Chiyuri is, and... sometimes it's nice to have someone who thinks so much of you.

Okay.

"I know." You can't think to say anything more. Of course you know. She's been at your side since this mess got started more than a year ago, and she's been there for you ever since. Through her often irrational behavior and sexual harassment-oriented jokes, you've seen how she feels for you.

"Y-You do?" Her voice grows louder, and you can feel her body tense up slightly. "I thought-"

"I'm not stupid, Chiyuri." You smile, taking a measure of comfort in her being there. You roll onto your back, wanting to get a better look at her. Even if you can't see her in this darkness, you're still able to imagine how she looks. "I know more than I sometimes let on."

"But you-" She still sounds uneasy, as if your words aren't enough for her. "And I-"

You feel a faint vibration as she sits up, and you'd like nothing more than to reach up and touch her, to show her that you're still here with her. It might be a little too much too soon, so you take for her hand instead. That small hand of hers, carelessly laying on your shoulder. Tiny, fragile, like the rest of her body, it's incongruent to her sometimes larger-than-life personality.

Still, she refuses to lay back down. Through the darkness, you feel her eyes gazing upon you. You hear her breathing, only audible since the rest of the room is silent. Her hand is cold in yours, clammy, like a thermometer for her mood.

"Do you.. About me-" She finally says, her voice meek. Her hand squeezes yours tightly, with a strength you'd have never expected from someone of her stature. "How do you feel?"

A sudden bombshell, something you weren't ready for. Do you love her? Do you hate her? To you, she's just Chiyuri. Love and hate don't really factor in. Having her at your side is more than you could've hoped for, and how she feels for you.. Returning her want and love is just too much for you. It only confuses you when you think about it.

You smile, pulling her hand closer to your face, letting the tips of her fingers brush against your cheek and lips before drawing it away again. The sensation puts a bit of clarity back into your thoughts, enough so that you can give her a good answer.

"You're probably the first true friend I've ever had." You release her hand, feeling it slowly drop away. "I'm not so sure I'm ready to lose that."

"True friends, huh?" She whispers thoughtfully as she lays back down, turning towards you like before. The small hand you held only moments ago brushes against your cheek and down your neck, and then quickly is pulled away to rest itself above your navel.

"You really.." You hear her whisper, going silent before she finishes. Her body goes limp, resting just slightly over yours as she quickly drifts off to sleep, leaving you to wonder why she didn't push the issue, or what she tried to say just now.

==========

A pleasant sensation.. You can vaguely hear something like birds chirping outside. It must be morning. You can't seem to find the energy to sit up, as if there's a great weight on your chest.

You feel a slight warmth on your upper body, as if the sun were shining directly onto you, or as if somebody was touching you. You slept with Chiyuri, didn't you? It must be her, the cause of that warm feeling on your chest. A slight pressure on your breast forces you awake.

"Mnh.." You grumble, trying to pick your head up. Your muscles are weak from having slept all night, and you can just barely turn from side to side. Chiyuri lays beside you, a little more on top of you than when she fell asleep. Her hand, having moved from your waist to your breasts, squeezes you slightly.

"Mmmmmmmmboobies.." Chiyuri groans, still fast asleep and drooling a bit where her head rests on your shoulder.

It's a somewhat enjoyable sensation, but you can't let her continue. You move her hand back down to your navel with little effort. Just in time, too. A moment later, the door slides open, Reimu stands at the other side. She has something in her hands..

"I took the liberty of washing your clothes for you." She says with a smile, "I'll be out front if you need anything." The door closes.

[ ] Find the showers.
[ ] Find some food.
[ ] Stay in bed.

Also,

[ ] Wake Chiyuri.
[ ] Don't wake Chiyuri.

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Don't wake Chiyuri.
[X] Cuddle.

Comfy~

[X] Stay in bed.
[X] Don't wake Chiyuri.
[X] Cuddle.

>>"I took the liberty of washing your clothes for you." She says with a smile
Reimu's workan. Better leave donations.

[X] Stay in bed
[X] Don't wake Chiyuri
[X] Cuddle

And with that, you're alone again, free to do what you want. You could go for breakfast, or grab a shower if you wanted, but you'd rather just lay about a little longer. It's not something you'd normally catch yourself doing, but this week has been loaded with firsts. Even the past two days have been a little out of character for you. You've really let yourself go, and it feels good to admit that you've enjoyed it.

Chiyuri, of course, is no different than her usual layabout, careless self. You've never really seen this side of her, though. It's.. kind of cute. She seems somehow defenseless, laying like this. With the sun out, you can easily see every little detail of her body. Every hair on her head, every wrinkle in her slightly tanned skin, every slight imperfection. It reminds you of that dream you had, but at the same time, it feels completely different.

You remember it vividly, the shape of her hips, the soft feel of her skin... Maybe your mind was playing on what you'd expect to feel from it, but hardly anything feels the same. What sticks out in your mind the most was how small she was in the dream, how you could hold her waist between your hands and almost touch your fingertips together. You find yourself compelled to try it, and as your hands slowly find their way to her pantyline, you find that it's not possible for you to do. Her hips are wider, more shapely and womanly than you dreamed.

Her body, too, is far heavier. You can't get out from under her without risking waking her, and doing so would spoil the moment. You instead do the opposite, shifting your weight and pulling her closer to you. She moans as you wrap your arms around her, but stays asleep. Your breasts press against her chest, and even through your bra you feel the faint beating of her heart.

"Mnn.." She moans, stretching her arms out around you. At this point, you're not sure if she's awake or asleep. You watch her as she squeezes her eyes shut and stretches once more. You feel her leg wrap around yours, locking you in your place. Her eyes slowly open..

"Heya boss." She smiles, her expression as sleepy as her voice. "Getting a little close there, huh?"

"Yep." You have no reason to deny it, and when you think about it, you really don't have the ability, either. You try to smile, only to realize you were already doing so since the beginning.

"Feels good." She mumbles, turning her attention elsewhere after what feels like minutes. "I had the strangest dream.." Lazily, she rubs her eyes, careful not to push herself away from you.

"Really?" You're curious, now. You want to hear more about the dream. "What happened?"

"Well, it all started out like normal. I woke up, had something to eat.." She snickers, glancing in your direction and quickly looking away. "And then when I went to take a shower, you were already there."

"What's so odd about that?" Isn't that how it normally happens? You're almost always up before her, so why should it be strange?

"Wait, wait! I haven't finished!" She's starting to get a little excited, now. She pulls her arms back, choosing to sit up this time. You follow her lead, brushing your hair out of your eyes. You try as hard as you can to remain focused on her face, but the fact that she's almost naked is just so distracting.

"So it all went along like usual from there, where you say 'good morning', I reply with some of my usual pick-ups.." She pauses, looking you straight in the eye. "And here's the weird part.. You took me up on it!"

"I what?!" You're a little shocked, but you feel like you should've expected it. Still, your curiosity reigns supreme. "Tell me more!"

"So yeah," She starts, bursting with laughter, "I said we should go bump uglies, and then you just started going at it! We started kissing and touching and then you took your fingers an-"

"Wait! Stop right there!" You don't need to hear any more to know what happens. "I think I've heard enough."

"Aww," Her expression drops, pleading with you to let her continue. "That's the best part!"

"You really don't skimp out on the details.." You sigh, now completely awake. You really don't feel like laying around any more. At least, not with that on your mind..

[ ] Find the showers.
[ ] Find some food.
[ ] See what Chiyuri wants to do.

Also,

[ ] Tell her about the dream.
[ ] Don't tell her about the dream.

[ ] See what Chiyuri wants to do.
[ ] Tell her about the dream.

[ ] Find the showers.
[ ] Tell her about the dream.

Hot-springs time.

[x] Find the showers.
[x] Tell her about the dream.


Go go Gainax Boobs.

[X] Find the showers.
[X] Tell her about the dream.

Let's act out that dream of hers.

"You sure you don't wanna hear the rest?" She asks, a smile slowly returning to her face.

"I'm sure." You reply sternly, "I'm absolutely sure." But it's strange.. You had a dream just like it. Maybe there's some sort of connection between them? Things have gotten awfully strange the bast couple of days, and you're not about ready to rule out the possibility, but..

Would it be right to mention it to Chiyuri? Should she know about it? After all, she did tell you about her dream. It'd only be fair to share yours as well.

You spend a good few minutes discussing it with her, describing what happened, what you saw, but tactfully leaving out a few details that might cause her to react negatively. She seems interested, engrossing herself in your words without even so much as a smile. You somewhat expected her to react differently than this..

"Don't you think it's odd?" You ask her, diverting from discussing the dream itself.

"No, not really." She shrugs, shaking her head slightly. "We've been together for several years now, so it's really only natural that our affections will manifest themselves i-"

"Stop right there!" You hold a hand over her mouth. "It's too early in the morning for any of psychoanalytic shit." You shouldn't have asked.. Don't think about it, you tell yourself. Thinking about what she said will only make your head hurt. Somewhere along the way you'd completely forgotten about that genius brain inside her head. Maybe it's because she never seems to use it..

You drop your hand, breathe a heavy sigh, and try to reroute the conversation. "I need a shower.." A cold drink wouldn't make things worse either, you think to yourself. You pull yourself to your feet, and watch as Chiyuri follows suit. But.. she's still half naked..

"Are you planning on going out like that?" You point, aiming your finger at her bare and nearly flat chest.

"Are you?" She retorts, pointing right back at you.

You'd almost forgotten that you're nearly naked yourself. You look around the room, searching for your clothes. Reimu said she washed them, so...

Where are they? You don't see anything left by the door, and checking just outside it turns up nothing as well. She didn't forget to bring them back, did she? There's absolutely no way you'll set foot outside the room like this!

"Ey, boss." Chiyuri snickers behind you.

"What?" You answer, turning around. Something hits you in the face as you do, blocking your vision and nearly knocking you off your feet. Pulling the object from your head, you immediately recognize it as your clothes. You want to ask where she found them, but it's not worth it. A trivial detail like that doesn't require you to think about it.

In a moment, you're mostly dressed and ready to head out. You figure it's not worth it to wear more than you absolutely have to, since it'll just get dirty again until you're bathed. The button-up shirt is enough to cover what's needed. Looking back to Chiyuri, you first notice she's still not dressed. Instead, she's wrapped the thin blanket around herself like a toga. You can see right through it, though.. She doesn't seem to notice, or maybe she doesn't care, but either way, you decide to stay silent.

Still, you have no idea where the showers are in this place, or even if there's running water at all. Everything seems so... primitive..

[ ] Find Reimu.
[ ] Find Genji.
[ ] Look around inside.
[ ] Look around outside.

[ ] Look around inside.

[x] Find Genji.

He probably doesn't move around much.

[x] Find Genji.

[x] Find Genji.

Reimu said she'd be outside, though the last thing you want to do is walk out there looking like such a mess. Your hair, your face, you must look awful. What about that turtle you saw yesterday? Maybe it's still there in the next room over?

You step out into the hallway, walk over to the room it was in last night, and look inside. Nothing. The turtle's gone. You feel a bit disappointed.. The other rooms are empty, too, though one of them appears to be a bit more lived-in than the others. It must be Reimu's room. Judging by the bedroll on the floor, you're probably not too far from the truth.

"Lookin' for something?" Chiyuri stumbles out of the room behind you, tripping over the sheet around her as she comes out into the hall.

"I'm trying to find the showers." You state matter-of-factly, trying not to laugh at her. That look doesn't fit her at all, and she looks so clumsy wearing it. How could you not want to laugh?

You manage to hold it in somehow, and you turn your attention to the next room. Again, nothing. The rooms here don't seem to have any specific purpose, save for the one at the end of the hallway with a small table in the corner. It's larger than the other rooms, with a small cooking area tucked away where nobody would really look to see it. It's just a wood-burning stove and a surface for cutting, but it's purpose is clear. The door you walked in through yesterday is open, and you can see Reimu sweeping the walkway in the front that leads back to the stairway and path you came from.

But of all the things here, the showers are nowhere to be found. You've searched the entire five rooms that make up this small house, and have found nothing. No bathrooms, no showers, nothing to tell you that somebody lives here! Maybe there's another building outside, you wonder.

There's a door on the other side of this room that's closed. A lead, maybe? You have to open it. On the other side is mostly bare ground, and a small cobblestone path leading to what looks like an outhouse. Beyond that, another path leads further up over a small tree-covered hill which seems to sprawl across the entire rear of the building. You wonder where it leads..

"Something amiss?" You hear the turtle's old man voice coming from just outside. As you step out onto the veranda, you see it laying just to the left of the door. It looks up at you, or at least, you think it does. It's hard to tell where those all-black reptilian eyes are looking.

"I'm looking for the showers.." You answer, feeling a little bit like a broken record. That's about all you've said to anybody today, isn't it?

It lazily raises one of it's clawed, vaguely flipper-like feet to the hill beyond. "Over yonder mountain lies a spring. There, you may bathe at your leisure."

What is this, the quest for the Holy Grail? The way it's speaking is so.. archaic, if not a bit overly-dramatic. It annoys you slightly, but not nearly enough to affect your mood. You grab Chiyuri by the arm and storm off towards the hill, your goal within reach. From the turtle's words alone, you've no idea to expect. It said 'spring', which brings to mind images of some lavish resort off in the countryside. It may be a bit much to hope for..

"Don't forget to bring a towel!" It calls out after you, waving it's foot at you as if it were waving 'goodbye'. But you don't really feel like going back, and since Chiyuri has her clothes with her as well, you'll just use that blanket she brought along.

Once your over the crest of the hill, you can see through the trees another small building, almost exactly the same design as the shrine save for one major detail. There's no walls! It's just a roof supported by four heavy wooden beams laid into the earth. As you get closer, you see it's built around a good-sized pool of steaming hot water. It's a little less than that resort-like image you pictured in your mind, but it's not exactly all that terrible, either. About average, you figure.

The building is completely open, though the trees surrounding it block out some of the light and provide for a bit of cover. If anything, it feels a bit less exposing, more isolated than the room you stayed in last night. You see a small closed-off portion for changing, though at first glance you'd thought it was a wooden shower stall, and a rack of wicker-made shelves beside it. There's a couple of towels already there, but only enough for drying yourself and Chiyuri. You'll have to bathe naked.

The pool itself is lined with rocks. Some smooth, some jagged. Getting in is a pain, both literally and figuratively. Finding a place comfortable enough to sit down isn't difficult, though. Much of the rocky surface under the water has been worn smooth, either by hand or by many, many years of erosion. The water is just the slightest bit murky, and you can hardly see past the surface.

Chiyuri, who'd lagged behind a bit due to her constant tripping over herself, has now caught up. She throws the sheet from her body, stuffing it into one of the shelves in a heap. You watch as she takes off what little else she's wearing, and more carefully sets it aside with her cleaned uniform. For once, you notice, she's let her hair down, letting it droop just past her shoulders and cover much of her chest and back. It's funny, but right now you hardly recognize her.

She follows pretty much the same path you took to get in the water, managing somehow to avoid most of the jagged bits you'd almost tripped on, and as you'd expected she would, takes a seat just beside you.

[ ] She's too close! Move away.
[ ] This really isn't all that bad.

[ ] This really isn't all that bad.

[ ] This really isn't all that bad.

[x] This really isn't all that bad.

{X} This really isn't all that bad.

feels good man

You can practically feel her beside you. Her naked body, her hair in her face, that listless look in her eyes.. She seems so defenseless, like you could reach out and grab her, and she wouldn't even know the difference. You just want to grab her and hug her and squeeze her, you want to know what it's like to have her so close, to have her wet, naked body pressing up against--

No, stop it! Stop it! You shake the thoughts from your mind. Why were you thinking about something like that?! Is there something wrong with you? It's got to be some side-effect of spending last night with her..

"This's niiice.." She purrs, slouching down deeper into the water, hiding her body from view. Strands of her hair float on the surface, covering much of her face.

"Yeah.." You mutter to yourself, those strange thoughts still in the back of your mind. "It's nice.."

As if to force yourself from the mindset, you submerge yourself, throwing your head first underwater. The heat feels good, calming, soothing, but at the same time invigorating. You come back up fully awake, but entirely too reluctant to leave the water.

"Hey, I just thought 'a something." Chiyuri smiles, brushing her hair from her face and sitting up in one quick motion. "That android.. I haven't seen it at all."

"Hm." You hadn't really been thinking about it. It's true that you lent one to Reimu, but now that you're thinking about it, you haven't seen it either.

"Whadd'ya suppose happened to it?" Chiyuri asks, leaning in closer to you.

"Who knows." You try not to pay her any mind. You can feel her breath on your shoulders, you can hear the air moving in and out of her nose, but if you can only ignore it.. "M-Maybe it's off in a junk pile somewhere?"

The sound of your voice practically declares your state of weakness to her! You can hear it wavering as you speak, but you can't get it under control! Please don't let her notice, please don't let her notice!

"That's kinda mean, boss." She sits back, allowing you to have your space back. Good, she didn't notice. Were you always this timid? You don't remember yourself to be so easily influenced by other people like this. What is with this weak-kneed and indecisive mood you're in?

[ ] Maybe you're not feeling well.
[ ] It'll pass.
[ ] It's all Chiyuri's fault!
[ ] You're just out of your element.

>>68661
[x] Maybe you're not feeling well.
Excuse-makin gaems.

{X} Maybe you're not feeling well.

[x] Maybe you're not feeling well.

[ ] Maybe you're not feeling well.

[X] It'll pass.

Want more naked time with Chiyuri.

[ ] It's all Chiyuri's fault!

S-stupid Chiyuri! Get away from me!

Maybe you're not feeling well. Yes, that's got to be it. You must've caught a cold last night. Maybe this wouldn't have happened had you another blanket. But it's strange.. You don't feel sick at all.

But if you really are sick, then wouldn't spending time in the baths help you get better faster? As strange as you're feeling, this is definitely the best thing for you right now. Sitting here, in the spring, naked.. With Chiyuri..

"Ah!" There it goes again! Every time you think about it, your mind always seems to divert back to her! You wish there was something else you could concentrate on besides her, this is wearing you out faster than any amount of physical exercise.

"Something wrong, boss?" She asks, only the top of her head and face above the water. You see a smirk, and then, "Your breasts too heavy or something?"

"N-No!" You yell, your voice coming out shrill due to her suddenness. That's the last thing you need from her! You're already distracted enough as it is! "I'm fine!"

"Really?" She snorts in amusement upon witnessing your reaction. "I could give you a 'hand', if you know what I mean."

"That won't be-AHH!" You scream in a mix of surprise and anger, suddenly feeling her hands against your chest. You want to slap her, to hit her as hard as you can. You want to knock her flat on the-

"Ahh!" She squeezes you, her hands clamping down on your naked breasts like a gentle vice. It feels.. good, making you feel completely powerless to stop it. You want her to stop, but at the same time you feel like you want her to do more.

"Is that good?" She purrs, positioning herself now directly over you, holding you down, pushing you into the rocks. You feel her hands shift slightly. "How 'bout here?"

"St-stop it!" You cry, pleading with her because you can't seem to think fast enough to do anything else. But she does stop, and then just sits there, looking down upon you with her hands still placed firmly over your breasts.

"You're such a tease, boss." She sighs, the amusement you felt before now gone from her voice. You feel her arms drop as she crawls off of you, moving to the other side of the spring. You don't know how to react. Should you hit her? Normally, you would without question. But you can't even see her face.

"Why..?" She asks, after what feels like forever. Her head turns, you don't know if it's away from you or toward you. Her words come out fast, carrying with them a feeling of bitterness. "You don't know a damn thing, do you?"

[ ] ?

[X] "No, I don't! I don't know what I want, or why I want it! I don't know why I... why I want you to touch me, even when I don't... shouldn't? I don't know anymore!"
[X] "So tell me! Tell me what I want, tell me what you want! Let me know something for sure! Don't... don't dance around it, or leave it implication, or anything else! Just tell me!"

Catharsis. (Then sex?)

[X] "No, I don't! I don't know what I want, or why I want it! I don't know why I... why I want you to touch me, even when I don't... shouldn't? I don't know anymore!"
[X] "So tell me! Tell me what I want, tell me what you want! Let me know something for sure! Don't... don't dance around it, or leave it implication, or anything else! Just tell me!"

>>68786
>>68807
Too many words, not enough action.

[x]Kiss her.

{X} "No, I don't! I don't know what I want, or why I want it! I don't know why I... why I want you to touch me, even when I don't... shouldn't? I don't know anymore!"
{X} "So tell me! Tell me what I want, tell me what you want! Let me know something for sure! Don't... don't dance around it, or leave it implication, or anything else! Just tell me!"

Fixed something I screwed up on.

----------

"Maybe I don't!" You yell. That's right, shouldn't you be the one getting angry? What right does she have after.. After doing something like that?! "Maybe I don't know a God-damned thing!"

"Then why the hell did you tell me you did?!" She shouts back, her naturally high voice nearly a shriek wit the added volume. At the same time, she pulls herself upright, the water level about even with her hips. "I'm not just fucking around here!"

"Then don't act like you are!!" You feel like you're losing control. Your anger kicks up a firestorm inside you, forcing up past memories and buried emotions you'd never intended to throw into the mix. Your frustration, your fears, your hatred, all brought back up and focused on Chiyuri only because she's there.

"It's all I can do!" She holds her arms out, as if pleading with you to stop what she'd started. She shakes her hair from her face, revealing her fiery expression. The resentment in her eyes is apparent. She must really hate you.. "I can't be serious because YOU WON'T BE!!"

"I CAN'T be serious!" You argue, now standing yourself, as if you were standing up not only to her and her tantrum, but to your own feelings. "I.." And then, the flame is gone. You feel as if the rage has just simply vanished. "I.. can't because I feel like it's wrong."

"..." And she simply stands there, staring at you with those same angry eyes. Her silence does more damage than any words possibly could, and you feel like you're just shrinking away under it all.

"You.." She mutters quietly, her animosity almost tangible. You're deaf to all but her voice, as if her resentment towards you has silenced the entire forest around you. "You never let that stop you before. You never let right and wrong come between you and this.. this.. fucking study of yours!!" She pauses, allowing herself enough time to let the anger subside. "Why should it come between us?"

"That's.." You don't know. She's right, but you just don't know. You don't know what you want, or why. Do you want her? You just don't know. "..Different.."

"It's not!" She cries, wading through the water towards you. "It's exactly the same!" She has you against the wall again, hovering over you like before. She stares down at you with those deep blue eyes. "God, you really piss me off sometimes."

You can't bear to look at her. You feel so pathetic right now, so out of control, so confused. When did you become like this? Weren't you always supposed to be the one in charge? Weren't you supposed to always have it together? Now, you find yourself unable to do much more than sit here. You can't even look at her..

"Boss.." She whispers, placing a warm, wet hand on your cheek. The tips of her fingers brush across your skin, leaving a slight tingling sensation as she turns your head. Her other hand rests itself on your other cheek, trapping you, forcing you to look up at her. All that hatred, all that resentment and malice.. It's all gone, replaced by only the faintest of smiles.

It all happens in an instant. Her breath on your face, her familiar scent, the taste of her lips.. She kissed you. Though it was only fleeting, you doubt you'll ever forget it. It felt just like you'd dreamed. It felt..

[ ] Good.
[ ] Terrible.
[ ] Like she needs to brush her teeth.

[x] Like she needs to brush her teeth.

[X] Like she needs to brush her teeth.

[ ] Good.

[ ] Good.

[ ] Good.

[x] Good.
[x] Kiss her.

{X} Good.
{X} Kiss her.

It felt good, like it was all the confirmation you needed. But at the same time, it wasn't enough. You want more, you want to touch her, to hold her. You want to try taking the initiative. You wonder, will the second time be as good as the first?

She moves to speak, but you don't allow her the time. She's still close, and you're still able to grab her. She reels back, caught off-guard by your sudden motion. You catch her by the hair, pulling her forward and toppling her down on top of you. Your lips touch hers, and it feels good, even better than the first. Now you're in control, and you won't let her pull away. Excuses be damned, this is what you'd wanted all along! Why didn't you realize it sooner?

Your body feels hot, burning with a sudden lust and desire. You can't seem to calm it, giving in seems to be your only recourse. Your hands slide across her back, searching for a way to keep her here, to keep her from slipping off of you. Her bare chest presses against yours, massaging you as she slides around. Eventually, you have to let her go, and as you gasp for breath you begin to feel faint. Chiyuri steadies herself, leaning over you like before.

"See?" She says between faint gasps, "It's not so hard." Her expression has turned to one of satisfaction. She's finally attained what she's wanted for so long--you. In turn, you've gained her as well, and though it was sudden, you don't want to give her up.

Still, you can't answer her. Not that there's nothing to say--you've loads on your mind you'd like to share, but the words don't seem to want to come out. You just reach out like a blind man, touching her, feeling her like you've never done before. Her face, her breasts, her back and thighs are all right in front of you--all yours. She does just the same, feeling you all over as if to verify that it's really you in front of her.

"Hey," She says softly, her head just barely touching yours. "Say something."

"I-" What do you say? What possibly could you say to her right now? It's just Chiyuri, but at this moment she's like a completely different person. You don't know this Chiyuri, here, naked, in front of you. She neither looks, nor acts like the childish pigtailed girl you know and love, who follows you everywhere yelling 'boss! boss!'

That's it, isn't it? She's never once called you by your name, has she? You're always 'boss' to her, and until now you always have been. You want to hear her say it, to hear the words form from her own lips.

"My name." You mutter, staring stern-faced through her hair and into her eyes. "Say my name."

"Eh?" She seems surprised, and you catch a glimpse of the Chiyuri you remember so well. You realize she hasn't changed one bit, it's only your relationship that's different. "Boss, that's--"

"Say it, damn you!" You grab her by the hair as you give her the order, pulling lightly at the wavy golden locks. You watch her eyes squeeze shut as she bites her lip. You wonder if it's really that tough for her to say a simple word. You're hardly even pulling..

"Y-Yu-" She starts, practically forcing the syllables out. "Yu--You can't force me!" She huffs, puffing out her cheeks like a spoiled child as she looks away.

"Try." You refuse to let this one go. You don't want her going around calling you 'boss' anymore, not after all this. Still, watching her make such a big deal out of it is amusing.

"Mmh.." She growls in frustration, looking back down at you. "Alright, fine! If I just say 'Yumemi' once, it's fine, isn't it?"

You watch as the realization sets in. She said it, and she didn't even think about it. You wonder if it was all an act, but when you hear it come from her lips, it's enough. You're smiling, and you know it.

"Hehe~" You let out a jeering laugh, watching her cheeks flush. "Chiyuri's blushing."

"S-Shut it, you!" She glares at you with a hint of embarrassment, though it's obvious she's trying to hide it. God, she's so cute.

"Is that any way to talk to your superior?" You ask, pushing her a step further. You try to sound sincerely angered, but it just doesn't come out right and you sound like you're trying to tell a bad joke.

"Fuck you!" She doesn't seem to notice your inconsistency, becoming clearly and honestly upset with you. "Fuck you, and fuck your superiority! I said your name, didn't I?"

"How does saying my name change things?" God, it feels so nice not to be on the receiving end for once, and she's playing right into your hands. "I say yours all the time."

"Fine, I'll say it all I want!" She sets a hand firmly on your shoulder, steadying herself as well as holding you in place. You smile and nod, and then wait for it as she blushes furiously. "Yumemi, Yumemi, Yumemi, Yumemi, Yumemi, Yu--"

You don't let her get past five, pulling her back down and kissing her again as she tries to keep going. It's even better when your name is still on her lips. You pull, she pushes, this time with more force. And somewhere along the way, you wind up falling forward into the water.

You're forced to let her go--as much as you don't want to--to come up for air. Maybe it brought you back to your senses, or maybe the short time separated from Chiyuri did it, but that lustful feeling inside you starts to slowly fade away as you remember where you are. Had this happened on the ship, you could do whatever you wanted with no interruption. But this.. This is somebody else's backyard. And it's also right out in the open.

You pull Chiyuri from the water in the most comical of fashions. She comes up limp. Breathing, conscious, perfectly fine, laughing like a hyena, but not moving. You sit her at the water's edge after dragging her laughing, squealing body under your arm. You throw a towel in her face, a clear message as well as a demand for silence.

"What, that's it?" She holds her arms out in a 'what-the-hell' sort of gesture. "Jeez, even when you're being honest, you're still a tease!"

You smile, "But that's why you love me."

"Fuck that, fuck your superiority, fuck the horse you rode in on, and most importantly, fuck you!" She grins, if only to show you she's not being completely serious.

You smile and laugh, grabbing for the last remaining towel. You've been in the water long enough that the tips of your fingers have begun to wrinkle, and though it wasn't the most relaxing bath you've ever had, you feel completely refreshed. As always, you towel off and dress yourself under the careful watch of Chiyuri. Somehow, even though everything has changed, it still seems to be just the same.

[ ] Head back to the ship.
[ ] Head back to the village.
[ ] Investigate the shrine.

[ ] Investigate the shrine.

Donate~

{X} Investigate the shrine.

Let's find that android robot thing~

[X] Investigate the shrine.

I'm making a note here:
HUGE SNAKE-CESS

And everything else seems to continue just as normal. Chiyuri follows you back to the shrine, smiling and laughing at some stupid joke you make, acting as if what just happened had never even taken place. But you notice some small differences in her behavior. She stands closer to you, touches you every so often where she'd have normally kept to herself. She's even taken up calling you by that stupid nickname you'd been given back at the academe.

"So," She asks, prodding you lightly on the arm with an outstretched finger. "What's on the agenda for today, Yumi?"

"Ugh," You feel your mood just drop. It's that nickname again, you feel it's like that ugly dress in your closet that only gets pulled out at the most inopportune times. A roommate gave it to you during your years as a student, and to your dismay, it stuck. How she learned it, you'd rather not ask. "Please stop calling me that."

"Aww, it's fine, isn't it?" She scowls, feigning a note of sympathy. "Besides, it's too embarrassing to use your full name in public."

"You were doing just fine a moment ago." You reply, stepping out of the way of a low branch. You can see the shrine up ahead.

"That was then, this is now." She leans her head closer, smiling deviously, cupping a hand to her mouth as if to block out any sound headed in the direction of the shrine. "Don't worry, I'll use it properly when we're doing the nasty."

"Keep talking like that and you'll never use it again." You look down at her, watching her expression as she almost immediately picks up on the implied meaning of your words.

"Spoil-sport." She pouts, turning her head away in a huff only to look back a moment later with a smile. "You know I'm just messing around, right?"

"Is that so?" You ask, not expecting or hoping for an answer. You manage to maintain a straight face as you add, "I wasn't."

"You weren't?" She looks up, clearly distraught. Her words come out as little more than a high-pitched whisper. She bought it, and even though she's supposed to be this kind of genius prodigy, she manages to fall for your simply mind games every time without fail.

You laugh, finding her expression both humorous and endearing. "Of course I was." You smile, shaking up her hair a bit with your fingers. "You really take me too seriously, sometimes."

"I always thought you were a serious person." She argues, grabbing for her hat as you knock it clean off her head.

"I am." You laugh, clearly contradicting yourself. She laughs along with you, and before you realize it, you're standing at the back step of the shrine.

You look up, the building looming over you, blocking out much of the sunlight around you. You feel like there's more to this place, something you can't quite put your finger on. You can't simply leave it alone, and you decide to look into it a bit more before you head back. Genji sits where you left him, clearly asleep. His position doesn't look to be the least bit comfortable, but you leave him be.

Instead, you make your way around to the front of the building, keeping a careful watch on anything you find out of the ordinary. Shadows dance in the woods beyond as the forest sways in the breeze, birds soar overhead, calling out ominously. There's something about this place..

[ ] Search for the android.
[ ] Look for Reimu.
[ ] Investigate inside the shrine.
[ ] Listen for the ghostly voice.
[ ] Leave.

[x] Look for Reimu.
[x] Ask about the android.

The fastest way to anything around the shrine is to, of course, ask the owner of said shrine.

[ ] Search for the android.

[x] Look for Reimu.
[x] Ask about the android.

[x] Look for Reimu.
[x] Ask about the android.
[x] Listen for the ghostly voice.

Mima's going to blackmail us.

Who would know more about it than the owner? Reimu seems like an honest enough person, if maybe just a little sullen. You wonder if you'd be able to squeeze any information out of her.

She said she'd be out front, but upon your arrival at the front side of the building, you find that she's not there. Well, you can't quite expect her to stay there forever. You're the guest here, after all. You'll just have to seek her out.

You check the inside of the house first, kicking your shoes back off and dragging Chiyuri with you. You don't see her inside the larger room, so maybe she's in one of the bedrooms.

The first and second are empty, and you find her in the third room. The same room you figured she would have lived in. For some reason or another, she's lying in bed, turning her head just slightly enough to glare at you as you slide open the door.

"What?" She growls, hardly acknowledging you otherwise. You sense a certain undertone of distress to her voice, but you're not sure if you should question it.

"Uhm.." Now that you've found her, you're not exactly sure what to ask. You'd wholly concentrated on the task of searching for her that you hadn't figured that part out yet. "I--"

"Where's the robot?!" Chiyuri blares, pushing you aside. "What have you done with my Ruukoto?!"

"Mmmh.." Reimu groans, throwing a pillow over her head. She grumbles something else from under it, but you can't quite figure it out. Still..

"Keep it down." You snap, pushing Chiyuri out of the way. You notice Reimu peeking out from under the pillow, her expression unreadable behind it. "I'm sorry, she's.." What's the right word? Wound-up? No, that's not quite it..

"In the closet, to your left." She points you down the hall, pulling her head back out into the open. She sighs, her face slightly pained by something. "Just.. Keep it down, will you?" Her hand goes to her forehead, "Ugh. Jus-just leave me be, okay?"

You don't answer, silently shutting the door. A headache? Normally a person wouldn't be in bed because of something like that. You wonder if there's something more, but you're afraid to ask. She didn't seem well at all..

"This way!" Chiyuri tugs at your arm, now all of a sudden making a conscious effort to keep her voice down. "C'mon!"

"Alright, don't pull!" You do the same, keeping your voice low and following her at your own pace. She seems awfully excited.

"In here!" She exclaims, rushing back down the hall and into the larger room.

You follow her with your eyes, seeing a much smaller door than the ones to the bedrooms tucked back in the corner. This must be the closet Reimu was talking about! You stand behind Chiyuri, watching as she nearly slams the door open.

"Wakey wakey!" She hollers, smiling brightly. You're far too distracted to attempt to reprimand her.

In front of you is what you're absolutely sure is your android. It's a little scratched up, but fine otherwise. If anything, it's been a little poorly taken care of. It still wears the same white and blue maid uniform you left it with, which appears to have been washed not once since you last saw it. It's light green hair is a tangled mess, and though it's been wiped clean, you can clearly see dirt and debris clogging several of it's many exposed joints.

"Greetings." It creaks to life, it's dirty joints grinding as it tries to move. It's voice projects clearly, as clean and pristine as you remember. "I am GLM-108, serial number--"

You allow it to run through the long series of numbers, listening and observing carefully, searching for any signs of crippling damage. Other than a little bit of dust and dirt, you can find nothing out of the ordinary. As it reaches the final octet of alphanumeric digits representing it's personal identification number, you tune back in.

"...A16GF. You may call me Ruukoto. Please identify." It goes silent, waiting for the proper voice command before it loads any of it's peripheral programs. Without it, she won't be able to do much more than act as an expensive paperweight.

"Okazaki, Yumemi. Administrative access priority Alpha." You repeat the words just the same as you have many times prior. Cold, emotionless, making you sound not much different than this android.

"Acknowledged." It's eyelids flutter open, revealing a single blue eye. The other... seems to have gone missing. "Hello, Miss Okazaki."

"Uh, hi.." You answer, feeling a little spooked by it's appearance. With the one empty socket for an eye, what's supposed to be Ruukoto's friendly smile is no less than ghastly.

"Urp." You hear Chiyuri gulp. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She looks first to the android, and then back to you. "We really gotta get that fixed."

"It's no wonder she's been locked up in the closet like that.." You debate with yourself what to do with the damaged robot. It's in such a poor state of affairs, you can't help but feel a little sorry for it. Not to mention the fact that it runs on a miniature nuclear fusion-powered generator. "Ruukoto," You order,

[ ] "You should come with us."
[ ] "You will stay where you are."

Also,

[ ] Go back to the ship.
[ ] Go talk to Reimu.
[ ] Continue your investigation.
[ ] Go elsewhere. (Specify)

[ ] "You should come with us."
[ ] Say thanks to Reimu.
[ ] Go back to the ship.

[ ] "You should come with us."
[ ] Go talk to Reimu.

[x] "You should come with us."
[x] Say thanks to Reimu
[x] Go back to the ship
Shall we speak to Reimu through the shōji, or intrude again?

[x] "You should come with us."
[x] Say thanks to Reimu
[x] Go back to the ship

"You will come with us." In it's current state, you're afraid that it'll fall into further disrepair. As for it's eye, this specific model of android is supposed to be quite resilient, so why--

"With pleasure." She beams with an artificial excitement, something commonly programmed into logistics and asssistive service models. Ruukoto is the former, previously designated to handling much of the paperwork before being carted off by the priestess. In her absence, the work fell on you and Chiyuri, and Chiyuri did more than her share of it.

But leaving with her unannounced would be impolite at best, and downright thievery at worst. You have to go back and let Reimu know, and maybe thank her for letting you stay the night. You head back to her room, followed closely by the sound of Chiyuri's footsteps, as well as the creaking and grinding of Ruukoto's dirtied joints.

"Excuse me," You speak softly, sliding the door open with great care not to make any noise. Reimu's eyes turn to you, her face expressionless.

"You've found her." She nods, and as you look behind you, Ruukoto stands visibly in the doorway. "Good, take her. I've decided I can handle the shrine's upkeep alone."

"I'd planned on it." You remark, taking care not to sound too forceful. "I just wanted to thank you."

"My doors are always open," She smiles, raising herself and supporting her weight with her elbows. "..So long as you ask." And then, her expression turns sullen, and maybe just a bit pained. "Now get going. I've got a miserable headache, and you're only making it worse."

You close the door as silently as you'd opened it. Before you do anything else, you should probably take Ruukoto back to the ship. There, you'll be able to repair her and, if you're lucky, maybe learn a thing or two from her system's visual log. Judging by Chiyuri's let's-get-the-hell-out-of-here expression, she must know this as well.

You say nothing, returning to the front entrance with the two of them in tow, and pulling your shoes back on. Ruukoto simply walks out barefoot, leaving you to wonder where her shoes went. You head across the neatly swept grounds and walkway back to the gate and stairwell, silent much of the way. Chiyuri rushes on ahead, nearly tripping as she half runs, half leaps down the stone steps.

You take your time, watching as she reaches the bottom only to wait for you. She yells back, telling you to hurry up in less than polite terms. You ignore it, keeping to your pace until you finally reach the bottom. Chiyuri scowls at you silently, and the two of you wait for Ruukoto as she struggles with her damaged body to traverse the steep terrain.

"She's really not lookin' to good, boss." Chiyuri lets out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head in disapproval as she watches the android's laboriously slow and slightly jerky movement.

"Something awful must've--" As if without any inclination on your part, you drive your fist into Chiyuri's head. "And stop calling me 'boss'!"

"Heh, sorry." She laughs apologetically, hardly even feeling even a note of pain from your attack. Well, you did hit her lightly.. "Force of habit, I guess." She turns away, grumbling, "This may take a while.."

You almost have to kneel just to stand at eye-level with her. "If you need incentive.." You touch her cheek, lightly, and turn her to face you. She gives you a surprised and unsure stare as you lean in and kiss her. Her lips are just as soft as the last time, if only the slightest bit dryer. "There," You whisper, leaning back and smiling to yourself. "Now will you try? For me?"

"S-Sure thing.." She blushes, caught completely off-guard by your sudden advance. You drop your hand from her face as you straighten your legs. Looking back, Ruukoto's just about reached the bottom.

"Well, off we go, then." You pat Chiyuri firmly on the back, pushing her forward just the slightest bit and making her jump. You set off first, making sure to keep Chiyuri close at your side. Ruukoto lags behind occasionally, but manages to catch up on the flatter parts of the trail. The rest of the walk is mostly uneventful, and you come back to the village in hardly even an hour.

You press on, watching the farmers as they tend to their fields. A harvest must be due eventually, if they're working so hard. Which means something else, which holds a particular significance to you--a festival is fast approaching. Your calendar tells you it's nearly August, and the village has, according to the local historians, held a festival without fail on the fifteenth of the month for the past three years.

You spend the rest of the journey back to the car thinking about and discussing the event with Chiyuri, wondering exactly what to expect from the once a year mixing of this world's human and non-human populations. From what you've learned, there's a great variety of beings the locals classify as 'youkai', from the intelligent, mountain-dwelling races of man-shaped creatures, to those with magical and supernatural powers, to the dumber and violence-prone beasts that take the forms of animals.

But you'd have spoken too soon were you to say you've never encountered one of the latter. The jovial mood shared between you and Chiyuri is cut short as you come upon the grassy clearing where you'd left the car. You feel a hint of fear welling up inside you as you see what appears to be a giant black beast--easily thrice the size of a large bear--resting on top of your vehicle.

But as you turn to leave, it lifts it's muscular head, bearing tooth upon razor-sharp tooth as it opens it's gaping mouth to yawn. It's eyes shoot open, beady, red, looking straight at you. It slams a large, clawed foot into the ground, causing the earth to shake below you. It's matted black fur seems to consume the light around it like a black hole, leaving only an ursine breach in space--a fissure in reality with a pair of glowing red eyes and daggers for teeth.

"Human.." It growls, it's unearthly voice as deep as the sound of thunder.

[ ] Run!
[ ] Try to fight it.
[ ] Talk to it.
[ ] Make a break for the car.

[x] Just stand there, paralyzed with fear. You're screwed.

[ ] Try to fight it.

[X] Talk to it.

{X} Talk to it.

[ ] Talk to it.

Inb4 Chiyuri says something inappropriate.

You're sure you heard it speak. You clearly heard it say 'human'. Your fear allows you only to focus on the black beast. The surrounding environment, and even the sound of Chiyuri's voice becomes a blur. What you'd intended to do, how you planned to get out of this alive, it's suddenly beyond your reach. Those deep red eyes have mesmerized you, paralyzed you with fear.

The beast advances, setting black, clawed foot upon clawed foot on the ground. As it moves, you could swear it changes shape, if only for an instant. A flicker in the beast's black body, a faint hint of light, the glimmer of metal. You don't understand.

It's footfalls shake the earth below you as it approaches, towering over you merely feet away. You're going to die here, like this. You want to run, to flee from this place as fast as you can. Your feet remain firmly planted in the soil, heavy like bricks of lead.

A ray of light shoots past your shoulder, striking the beast between the eyes. Chiyuri.. She's shooting at it!

The blast seems to penetrate through the beast, creating a vortex within the blackness as if the beast were only made of vapors. Its shape diffuses and reforms itself with each concussive blast. She can't even slow it down as it raises its claw above its massive head...

And brings it down.

Your world goes black. Deep, impenetrable, a pure absence of light--much like the beast itself. You die.

Or so you think. You hear a voice in your head, speaking to you. A soft, gentle, womanly voice provides you with a final remaining link with yourself, separating you from the blackness. You feel a great weight to the words, but your mind is unable to grasp their meaning.

==========

You slowly begin to find yourself conscious. Your eyes flutter open, nearly blind to the rest of the world. You see a light hanging over you, hear a shrill pulsing noise in the background, feel a dull pain in your chest. You're alive, you think. The pain tells you that much is true.

You struggle to grasp the situation. Where are you, why are you here? For all intents and purposes, you should be dead. So, why aren't you?

You can't move your body again, not out of fear this time, but from weariness. The effort it takes to simply move your fingers is too great, though the fact that you can feel them is enough to rule out paralysis. You allow your eyes time to focus, blinking helping to clear your vision.

You're back in the ship, inside the sick bay. Alone, you think. You can't hear anybody else moving about inside the room. That means..

Chiyuri! What happened to Chiyuri?! Did she bring you back here? What time is it? Why is that pulsing noise in your ears growing faster? Another noise flares up in the background.

You hear the door slam open, the sound of hurried footsteps. Somebody stands over you, the light from above creating a dark silhouette where you should be able to see their face. You sense a great distress, and you smell Chiyuri.

You open your mouth to speak, but find that even such a small task is far beyond your capabilities.

"Don't try to speak!" You hear Chiyuri's voice, hurried, full of urgency. You want to kiss her, but know that it's something you can't manage.

Her hand touches your cheek, her fingers gently caress your skin. "It's been a while, Yumemi." She whispers, her tone a mix of joy and lament. "I thought you'd never wake up. I.." She trails off, sobbing.

Why, you wonder. Why are you so useless when she needs you the most? You want only to make her feel better, to have her smile, but you can't even do something so simple as that.

[ ] Try to move.
[ ] Try to speak.
[ ] Try to recall the voice.
[ ] Try to remember the beast.

[x] Grab the hand on your cheek. Smile.
[x] Try to recall the voice.
[x] Try to remember the beast.

[ ] Try to recall the voice.

[x] Try to recall the voice.

{X} Grab the hand on your cheek. Smile.
{X} Try to recall the voice.
{X} Try to speak.

[x] Try to move, at least enough to reassure Chiyuri.
[x] Try to recall the voice.

You can only sit and watch as she tries hard not to bawl her eyes out over you. You want to hug her, to tell her everything's alright. Something so small as that should be easy, shouldn't it? Even as you open your mouth to speak, the sounds you intend to produce never come. It's.. hard, seeing her like this, not being able to do anything.

"I remembered.." She tries to smile, pain evident in her wavering voice. "I remembered to use your name, this time." She pauses, "I'm sorry..." She trails off, her hand trembling slightly against your cheek. "I'm.. sorry I couldn't do anything. I.. I tried fixing your hair, after you healed. I might've cut it a little too short."

You hardly feel anything. Your long hair was of some importance to you. Hearing that it's gone, just like that.. Nothing. You feel nothing. But as you close your eyes for a second, something warm touches your lips. The sensation is reassuring, and you feel like you should recognize it.

"Please.." She begs, her face close as you open your eyes. "Don't hate me for it."

And with that, she begins to back away. Is she.. leaving? No, you don't want her to leave! You want her here, by your side. Why does she have to go? You can't call after her, reach out to her. She..

The door clicks shut, the room goes silent save for that high-pitched pulsing whine beside you. You're alone again, and for the first time in what may be years, you truly feel like it. But even like this, you manage to find strength within yourself. You wonder, what was that voice? What was the beast that did this to you?

You can hardly remember. The events up to this moment have all blurred together. Of the beast, you only remember it's black hole of a shape. Of the voice, one word.

"Live."

As clear as day, you heard it. The voice prompted you to go somewhere, to do something. What it was has long since been forgotten, pushed deep into the recesses of your unconscious mind. All that remains is the gravity you felt carried by the words spoken. That, and nothing more.

You drift off to sleep, trying to pull clarity from the scraps of your faded memories. The world around you slowly fades out like the end of an old movie, turning to black as your consciousness recedes. You don't dream.

==========

As if all at once, the world around you is forced into your still sleepy mind. You awaken, all at once. The lights are dim, a machine hums quietly beside you, and the soft sheets of your bed fall from your sitting body. You realize you're completely naked, and you can clearly see a large bandage covering much of your chest and abdomen.

You can move, mostly. You're uncoordinated at best, but it's more than you had to go on before. You try to stand, only to find yourself restrained by a mess of wires, tubes, and needles all connected to various parts of your body.

Unconcerned with how it may affect you, you begin tearing them one-by-one from your skin. The machines at your bedside offer protest, flashing up warning lights and beeping louder and more obnoxiously with each cord you pull from your body. You don't care, you don't want to be here anymore. Once free of the attachments, you stand--

Only to find yourself lying face-down on the cold, hard floor. It hurts! Your entire body is in agony! You can hardly bear it, and you try to scream. Nothing comes out.

The pain slowly begins to subside, and you once again try to pick yourself up. This time, you're successful. Your legs support you, but only by a margin. They feel weak from disuse, making you wonder how long you've been out.

The wall lends itself as support, and you work your way to the door.

[ ] Head out into the hall.
[ ] Go back to the bed.

[x] Go back to the bed.

That ain't good. That ain't good at all. Page Chiyuri for a wheelchair or something.

Or a cane. Or a flying, anti-gravity segway. That'll be fuckawesome.

[X] Go back to the bed. And stop being silly. You're a scientist, you know how the healing process works.

{X} Go back to the bed.

:<

[x] Go back to the bed.

[x] Go back to the bed.

Short hair is fine too.

But at this rate, you'll only collapse from exhaustion before you even make it out of the room. You have to go back to bed before you make things worse. You're still not sure what drove you to do such a thing, but the fact that you did it remains evident.

You switch directions, now using the wall to return to your bed. Though if you plan on getting back to sleep, you'll have to shut the machines off. You're just about there when the door slams open.

You see Chiyuri rush in, paying no mind to the lights being off. Is she angry? You can't tell. She's by your side in a flash, and you're glad to have her there. The wall works well as a support, but unlike her, it's cold and unforgiving.

"You shouldn't get out of bed." She whines, clearly distraught. "You gotta get some rest."

You feel her wrap her arms around you. She seems careful not to touch your midsection. It hurts, and you're thankful for her avoiding it.

"I.." You manage to get out a single word, really more of a painful whimper than anything. You're still confused. Why did you try and leave? You really didn't have a reason to do it, and you should certainly know better than to try something so reckless in your condition. You don't know how badly your injured, and it could be worse than you think.

She walks you the rest of the way, sitting you at the edge of the bed. You watch helplessly as she unplugs the machines and wheels them into a nearby corner.

"Guess we don't need these anymore, huh?" She nods and smiles, though her voice seems flat, without that usual spark to them.

"..." You still have difficulty speaking. You can clearly form the words in your mind, your lips move, but your voice just won't make the sounds.

"You shouldn't push yourself." She walks back over to the bed, choosing not to lay you back down but to sit beside you. "I know how much you like to overwork yourself, but.." She pauses, watching you carefully as you lazily stare back at her. "Please, don't. Not this time." She looks away, her eyes full of hurt and sadness. "Not when you're like this.."

Now you remember, why you tried to leave the room. It was her. She left you here, alone, when you wanted her near you the most. This time, you can't let her leave. Even as she helps you to lay back down, you don't want to let go of her. She doesn't try to pull away, but she's too preoccupied to notice. Finally, as the covers are pulled over your chest, she seems to understand.

"Something wrong?" She asks, touching the hand you've kept firmly latched onto her wrist with her free hand.

You open your mouth to speak yet again, only to have the same result. You hear nothing come out, you feel nothing come out, but she sees your lips move.

"Sure," She smiles, holding your hand to her chest. "I'll stay." You finally feel like you can let go. She'll stay with you.

You watch as she pulls something out from under the bed. A chair, it looks like. One of those uncomfortable folding ones. She sets it up next to the bed, sitting forward in it and leaning just slightly over you. Her head rests only inches from your shoulder. You want to touch her, but it hurts to move.

[ ] Try to sleep.
[ ] Try to talk.

[ ] Try to sleep.

[X] Try to sleep.

We would probably try to talk, normally, but let's do our best for Chiyuri, okay?

[x] Try to talk. "Hold my hand."
[x] Try to sleep.

{X} Try to talk. "Hold my hand."
{X} Try to sleep.

Anyone else thinking that the chimera was a hologram, like the princess cop?

[x] Try to talk. "Hold my hand."
[x] Try to sleep.

[x] Try to talk. "Hold my hand."
[x] Try to sleep.

Chiyuri understanding what we say without us really saying it? I am getting some Saikano vibes here...

>>69409
Except Ruukoto is more likely than anyone to sprout weaponry.

It hurts to move, it hurts to breathe, but it hurts more not to try. You have to say something, anything, to make her acknowledge you.

"Chi-..." You try sounding her name. The word is clear in your head, and you struggle to get even that much out. She watches you, silently, with anticipation. She looks... tired. You try to reach for her, but there's a pain in your shoulder that prevents you.

"You should try to get some rest." She strokes a hand through your hair, gently caressing you, tickling your skin. It takes your mind off the pain. "I'm not going anywhere." She smiles weakly as you look upon her with weary eyes. "I won't.."

She slowly lays her head down, resting on the mattress. She doesn't finish her sentence, and you feel her hand loose over your chest. Has she fallen asleep?

You place your hands over hers, feeling the weight of all three combined pressing down on your chest. You expect to feel pain from the wound, but it never comes. The sensation of her small fingers between yours seems to shield your from it, and once more, you fall asleep to another dreamless night.

==========

You awaken, finding Chiyuri still at your side. Still sitting, sleeping in that chair by your bedside. She stayed with you, like she said she would. You can hear the sound of her breathing, slow and steady. You enjoy listening to the sound, taking comfort in her closeness.

"Mmmnn.." You whine, stretching your arms out. Your voice is returning, if only still a bit faint. The small vibration makes your throat itch, and you cough, starting a sort of chain reaction that sends you into a fit of coughing and gasping for breath. You try to cover your mouth. When you pull your hand back, your palm red with dark, coagulated, old blood.

"That's why I said," Chiyuri's small hand grabs your wrist, turning the hand to her eyes. "You shouldn't try to speak."

"Wha-" You want to ask her something, one of the many questions you have swimming in your head. It only sends you into another burst of coughing, forcing more of that disgusting looking stuff from your throat and lungs. How much damage did that beast do to you?

"Don't force it, I said!" She shouts, forcing her body out of the chair as she tries to lay you back down. "You'll make it worse!"

"Ugh.." You moan, waiting for the pain in your chest to subside. You feel your breathing begin to level out as Chiyuri holds you down by the shoulders. "I'm fine.."

"You're not fine." She argues, her eyes burning with determination. She won't let you up. "I won't let you make me go through that again!"

You relax your muscles, no longer trying to fight her to stand. It's frustrating to admit, but she's right. You're not fine at all. You've your voice back, and the coughing has stopped, but there's too much you don't know.

[ ] What day is it?
[ ] What happened?
[ ] Where is Ruukoto?
[ ] How'd you get back here?
[ ] How bad are your wounds?

[ ] What day is it?
[ ] What happened?

[x] What day is it?
[x] What happened?
[x] How bad are your wounds?

Will I... Will I ever be able to walk again, Doc?

[X] What happened?

One question at a time, folks. No straining ourselves.

{X} What day is it?
{X} What happened?

[x] What day is it?
[x] What happened?

>"I won't let you make me go through that again!"

This made me smile.

{X} What day is it?
{X} What happened?

There's so much you don't know, but so little you can think to say. Your mind is a blur--has been since you fist woke up after the attack.

"Chiyuri," You start, pausing only after you realize the weakness to the sound of your voice. You sound, well, like you'd just awoken from a coma. You have to ask, though. She's the only one here who'd have the answers. "What day is it?"

"It's already October." She answers you softly, her words carry no impact at all. "The second, to be more exact. You've been out for two months."

"I.." Was it really that long? To you, it felt like an instant. Yet, to her it was two months. Two long, hard months of agonizing--worrying that you'd never wake up again. It must've been hard for her. She looks, sounds, is exhausted. "What happened?"

"A lot." You feel her hands on your shoulders tighten, and then suddenly relax. You have no idea what runs through her mind, her face is a mask of emotionlessness. "I had to take you back.. To our world. They.. The doctors all thought you were gonna.."

She sniffles, rubbing her nose and eyes as she tries not to remember. "But, you didn't. You're still here, aren't you? I couldn't leave you there, in that empty white room. I.. I brought you back, took care of you myself." She smiles, brushing away the tears welling up in her eyes. "I did a pretty fair job, if I do say so myself."

"Chiyuri, I don't.." Know what to say? How to thank her? You can't bear to see her like this, breaking down right in front of you. You want to look away, to try and block the image out of your mind. She's supposed to be your pillar of strength, isn't she? So, why does she have to make such a deplorable face?

"You don't have to thank me." She lets go, dropping her hands from your shoulders as she turns to sit away at the edge of the bed. You can no longer see her face. "I know it sounds stupid and not like me at all, but I'd have done anything if it meant I could hear your voice again."

"Chiyuri, I-" You have to stop and think. What were you going to say just now? That you love her? That you'd have done the same had she been in your place? No, it wasn't anything quite so sentimental. "You're right." You mutter, laughing lightly. "It's not like you at all."

You reach out to touch her, your arm barely long enough to reach the side of her leg. She immediately grabs it, ignoring the blood on your hand. Her tiny hands are smooth and gentle in yours. She doesn't show you her face, but you can tell she's crying. She never wants to let you see her cry.

"I-" She tries to speak, pausing to rub her eyes. "I think it's time we got you a bath." She finally turns around, a smile on her face. You see the redness around her eyes and wonder if it's truly what she's thinking of right now.

"I'd like that." You smile back, wincing as you feel a slight pain trying to sit up. She pushes you back as you try to stand, and you watch as she pulls a folding wheelchair out from under the rack of machines she'd pushed away during the night.

She helps you into it, setting it beside the bed as she struggles to pick you up. In the end, she isn't nearly strong enough, and you do it on your own. You throw a small blanket over yourself, trying to cover your bandaged, nude body.

"I wish.." You think aloud as she begins heeling you out into the hall. "I wish we had a hot spring, too. The one at the shrine felt so good.."

"I bet the salts in the water'd hurt like hell, though." She remarks, laughing aloud for once. "You're still not fully healed."

"True." You smirk, happy to see a truly happy reaction from her. She seemed so... dead, before. "We can go when I'm better then, how about that?"

"I'll hold ya to it." She stops, pushing a door open as she turns down another corridor. Wait, this isn't the way to the showers..

"Chiyuri?" You lean your head back, trying to catch a glimpse of her face. You feel a slight concern, but you feel that you can trust her. "Where are you taking me?"

"You can't remember?" She looks down, slowing her pace slightly as she taps your cheek wit the palm of her hand. She lets out a confused sort of laugh. "I guess not, huh. So I really was just talking to a wall that whole time.."

"Hmm?" You're beginning to feel confused yourself..

"Oh, it's nothing, really." She looks forward, glancing down at you in quick intervals. "It's just, when I took care of you while you were out, I wondered if you could hear what I was saying." She seems the slightest bit more depressed as she sees your confused face. "Guess it'll be a surprise, then."

[ ] Lie, tell her you could hear her.
[ ] Ask her what she said.
[ ] Let her finish talking.
[ ] Ask her something else (Specify)

[ ] Ask her what she said.

[X] Ask her what she said.

[x] Let her finish talking.
[x] Ask her something else...
-(x) If we have a rocket hoverchair.

I'd rather keep it a surprise.

And maybe that question will make her laugh, even if they don't.

[ ] Ask her what she said.

You feel like she's just left you hanging out to dry. Won't she tell you at least some of what she said? What sort of surprise has she in store for you this time?

"Chiyuri," You grab her attention with your usual commanding tone. Once you hear her acknowledge you, you soften your voice. "What did you say? I'm curious."

"Oh, it's.." You notice she's not looking at you. "It's nothing, really." She smiles, her voice pleasantly calm. "Just me rambling on and on to pass the time. You know, it's," She finally looks you in the eye, "It gets real lonely in this place with nobody to talk to."

She looks forward, quickening her pace slightly. "And don't ask me to talk to that android you brought back. She couldn't hold a conversation if her life depended on it."

You remain silent, letting her talk freely. For once , you're actually listening, and she seems to be taking full advantage of it. Eventually, after a few minutes, she stops pushing.

There's a door to your left, one you hadn't seen before. You're sure this whole area used to be empty, if it was even here at all. The door opens automatically, and you're wheeled into a room which seems to have simply been uprooted from the grounds behind the shrine.

It looks... almost exactly the same as the spring, though you spot a number of differences that give it a more artificial feel. The faint sulphur smell from the real thing is absent, and the water's clear. Somebody made this, you think to yourself.

"Chiyuri, this.." You're in awe, you think. You can't speak, can't think straight.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She pushes you into one of the far corners of the room. "I had it custom built while you were out, figured you'd like it." She leans down over you, pouting. "You don't like it?"

"No, no!" You reply, your arms too weak to wave in your defense. "I love it, but.." There's so much you find wrong with it. "How did you- What about-" You sputter, slowing your words just enough to allow your mind to catch up. "Where did you get the money?"

"Family ties 'n all. I'll tell ya later." She smirks, clearly trying to hide something. "You'll just have to trust me this time." And without pause, she yanks the blanket from your body. "C'mon!" She beams with excitement. "You'll love it! Just lemme help you with those bandages."

Your eyes follow her hands as they reach out for you, as they grasp you firmly but gently by the waist, and you use them as support when you try to stand. It's not enough. You manage to find the wall, leaning on it before you topple back down. She never moves her hands.

"How do you feel?" She asks, beginning to unwind the linen tape wrapped around you.

"Terrible," You wonder if she wants you to describe every little ache and pain you feel at this moment. It hurts just about everywhere you can imagine, and it hurts the worst where you're covered in gauze. "Like I got hit by a bus."

You look down, watching her as she nimbly strips away the bandage. You expect to see blood, but it comes off mostly clean. But you still can't bend down enough to see what damage has been done. Your clean, perfect skin, ruined by countless scars. You can only imagine how terrible you must look.

[ ] Find a mirror.
[ ] Talk to Chiyuri.

[x] Find a mirror.
[x] Talk to Chiyuri.

Why not?

[x] Find a mirror.
[x] Talk to Chiyuri.

Whatever. Damage report, go.

[ ] Find a mirror.
[ ] Talk to Chiyuri.

[X] Talk to Chiyuri.

You'd like to see yourself, but there's not a mirror to be found anywhere in the room. You don't want to put another selfish burden on Chiyuri, even if it seems reasonable to you.

"How does it look?" You ask, straining yourself as little as possible to look down. Her expression doesn't tell you anything. "Is it bad?"

"Scars heal with time." She groans, tossing the bandages aside, touching your shoulder with her other hand. "C'mon, you're gonna hafta help me here." She drapes your arm around the back of her neck, helping you to shift your weight away from the wall.

You feel horribly off-balance, and even with Chiyuri supporting you, the short walk to the water's edge is incredibly difficult. You stagger, slip, and nearly fall flat on your face once, but you manage to make it. She sits you on a flat stone, cemented in at the edge of the bath. You can feel your legs below your knees dipping into the pleasantly warm water.

"Just sit tight," She tells you, leaving your side and stepping out of view. You hear her faint footsteps, hear the rustling of fabrics. Is she getting undressed, too? Does she plan on joining you? You wonder if that's entirely healthy, given your condition.

"Ahh, much better!" She hums. More footsteps, and you feel a heavy sensation on your shoulder. She sits beside you only for a second, nearly jumping feet-first into the water in front of you. "Alright," She smiles, "Here's the tricky part." She offers out her hands, and you take them. You're not entirely prepared for what happens next.

She pulls you forward, forcing your weight onto her as she wraps her arms around your waist and back. You're nearly being carried by her as she carefully sets you down in the tub. She lets go, sitting down just across from you and breathing slightly heavier.

"Well?" She leans back, stretching her arms out to relax. "How is it?"

"How is it.." You wonder aloud, finding yourself watching her movements through the water. She had her whole body pressed against you a moment ago, and you didn't even realize it until now--she's completely naked. Through the slight distortions of the water's surface you can see her entirely, and more closely than you've ever seen her before.

"Hey, you." She murmurs, suddenly placing a hand on your chin, lifting your gaze to match hers. She looks.. somehow upset. "You were staring."

"Is that bad?" You ask, feeling the slightest bit embarrassed. You'd hardly noticed yourself.

"No, not really." Her frown fades away in an instant, replaced by a slight grin. "But you should try to think about your own body before you start eyeballing mine."

"I'm trying not to." You reply plainly, allowing your thoughts to flow freely from you lips. "It hurts all over, and it only gets worse the more I focus on it."

"It'll get better soon," She scoots over next to you, leaning rather seductively over to your ear. "Lemme know when it does." The anticipation on her tongue is almost tangible, "I'll give ya a good scrub-down if you want."

[ ] "That'd be nice."
[ ] "I can wash myself."
[ ] "You never change, do you?"

>>69666
[x] "That'd be nice."
If only because I'm having trouble reading the mood of the third option.

[x] "You never change, do you?"

>>69668

Given the events preceding this I'd say it's light-hearted.

[ ] "That'd be nice."

[X] "You never change, do you?"
[X] "That'd be nice."

[X] "You never change, do you?"
[X] "That'd be nice."

{X} "You never change, do you?"
{X} "That'd be nice."

[x] "You never change, do you?"
[x] "That'd be nice."

"You never change, do you?" You answer her, pretending to seem oblivious to the mood she's trying to set. After all that's happened, she's still just the same as you remember. "Sure, that'd be nice."

"You'll have to forgive me," She purrs, leaning in closer. You feel her warm, wet body against your shoulder as she snakes a slender arm behind your head. "..If I get a little carried away."

You feel her running her fingers through your hair, and you close your eyes with the sensation. Her breasts rub against the skin of your arm, and all at once the feeling stops. She withdraws herself from you, and you hear her step out of the bath.

"You just gonna sit there?" She asks, playfully.

"Mmm.." You hum in response, the sensation of her closeness still fresh in your mind. You can't shake the warm, fuzzy feeling her touch has given you.

"That's not an answer.." She moans, adding a hint of distress to her words. "C'mon, stand up already!" You feel her hands under your arms, pulling you up.

You decide that it'd be best to comply. Though you're adverse to leaving the water's warmth behind, you've already agreed to let her do this. Again, she sits you at the water's edge, feet dangling just below the surface.

"This's gonna hurt you more than it's gonna hurt me." She smiles, beaming with excitement as you watch her grab a bottle from a shelf just beside her.

You think to yourself, this is the first time you've really allowed her to touch you like this, isn't it? When you stop and think about it, it really doesn't seem like anything particularly surprising. It just seemed natural to you.

Her hands touch your shoulders, slick with soap and gently massaging you. She starts with your upper back and neck, her touch gentle and thorough. You close your eyes as a familiar sweet sent fills the air. It smells like..

"Strawberries?" You ask, feeling her tense up slightly as the words fire from your mouth. Perhaps you used a little too much emphasis. Her hands begin to move slowly again, resuming their patterned, reciprocating motion as she moves lower and lower down your back.

"I thought of you when I saw it." She replies softly, drawing the tips of her fingers across your skin as she steps around you into the water. Her hand stops and rests on your shoulder, a sort of pivot point for the rest of her body as she turns to face you. "I think it suits you."

"I'm not so sure.." You answer truthfully. The scent is a little overpowering, compared to the bar soap you're used to. You try to say something else, but as her hands move across your chest, you're overcome by this overwhelming tickling sensation. You nearly backwards in a fit of laughter, but the sensation stops before you can let out so much as a chuckle.

"Hmm?" Chiyuri's eyes perk up, a smile forming on her face. "Looks like I found something~" She lets out a small giggle, her fingers drawing a line of soap up over your collarbone and to the tip of your chin. "So you're sensitive there.."

"I-I'm still injured.." You protest, unable to fight her as she tilts your head up slightly. You look her in the eye, trying to fight a mix of emotions as you blush furiously.

"And I'm not done washing you, yet." A smile creeps onto her expression, and you're unable to peel your gaze away from her deep, blue eyes. Her hand drops from your chin. "Now sit still and let me finish, okay?"

[ ] You've had enough.
[ ] Let her finish.

[X] Let her finish.

{~} Let her finish.

[%] Let her finish.

[x] Let her finish.

[ ] Let her finish.

[x] FINISH HER!
[x] Fatality.

[X] Let her finish us.

>>69736
Hopefully it will end happily
[x] FAPtality

[x] Let her finish.

"Okay.." You thought she had other intentions. Or perhaps she does.. The smile on her face speaks volumes, but you let her continue regardless of your own misgivings. You wonder if it's really a good idea to let her go on with this.

"You know," She looks up, placing her hands on your things to support herself. "It almost feels like I'm in charge, right now."

"How so?" You ask, feeling a little eager to hear more. You're not quite sure what she means, though you have a few ideas. Lately, all you've done is get yelled at by her for things you should know better than to do.

"Mmmforgot." She gives you this toothy grin as she raises her hands to your chest. "Tell ya the truth, though, it was pretty funny when I thought of it. And then, well, I just lost it. I was gonna fondle you a bit, but.." She places a hand lightly over your left breast, and it stings. Her hand drops as she sees your expression, dipping down below the water's surface and splashing a bit where she'd just touched. The pain subsides, slowly, enough for you to let the tension leave your muscles.

"Sorry, you okay?" You feel her touch it again, more gently, her hand wet but not covered in soap. It still hurts.

"Looks like it's gonna be a while yet." You smile through the pain, pushing her hand away gently with your own.

"Looks like it." She places her hand back on your thigh, carefully managing her weight as she pulls herself closer, trying to look seductive as she leans forward.

"Hey," She softens her voice, slowly raising herself from the water. You feel her leg brush up against yours as she struggles to right herself on the rocky ledge. You glance down, watching her as her stance widens, straddling your one leg.

"Can I kiss you?" She asks, raising her arms over your shoulders, playing with your hair. The light pressure from her fingertips guides your head forward, your lips closer to hers.

"You never asked before." You reply, wrapping your arms carefully around her waist, your hands settling on the slight curve of her hips. The feeling is almost too much to bear. Between the pain and pleasure, you've lost sight of yourself, given in to her will. And as you look her in the eye, you know you were probably right to do it.

She pushes forward, closing the remaining space between you and her as you close your eyes. You feel the heat of her body, and taste her lips just like the kisses you'd shared before. But something's changed. The way she moves, and the way she touches you is rougher. As you surrender yourself to her, she gives in to something else. You've lost your hold on her, and she pushes you down. A sudden pain forces you away from her.

The look in her eye changes, fierce passion replaced by horror as she realizes what happened. The pain in your chest eases away as she struggles to find words.

[ ] ?

[x] Get ye cape.
[x] "So as I pray, Unlimited Cross Works."

....

[x] Enough lovey-dovey play. Assure her we're alright and ask her to finish up. Injured people need rest.

I've got nothing, so I'm going with this.

[x] Enough lovey-dovey play. Assure her we're alright and ask her to finish up. Injured people need rest.
[x] Tell her to just take it easy until that wound doesn't hurt anymore.

[x] Enough lovey-dovey play. Assure her we're alright and ask her to finish up
[x] Tell her to take it easy until that wound doesn't hurt anymore

New thread:

http://www.touhouproject.com/th/res/69832.html