The only thing I can remember seemed almost like a dream.

There was nothing. I was falling, falling, forever in a sea of black. I wanted desperately to reach out for anything to grab, anything that could break my plummeting, but my body did not respond to my commands. Terrified, I tried to let out a scream that had been building in the back of my mind, but I could only add to the silence. This was the end, despite the fact that it had only begun.

Suddenly, everything became whole. In an instant there was a blinding light, as if it had been there this whole time. The faint smell of something burning; the distinct taste of dirt caused me to reflexively cough up. There was an unbreakable surface beneath me, and I could hear a dull roar, the crinkling of grass, and slight, inconsistent movements to my… left? Struggling to see past that impossible light, I could make out motion… or was that coming from the light itself? I focused my vision more, and to my surprise, my eyes complied with my request. Strangely enough, though, all I could make out were the silhouettes of colors. Perhaps my eyes were ill fated to adjust so quickly, but I did not mind. Whatever I was staring at made me calmer, and I felt safe. Warmer, even… A sense of comfort overcame me, and I drifted off.


* * * * *


Sorting through the only memory I had yet again, I begrudgingly continued my torturous journey through yet another area I knew nothing of, hoping to find some answers to… well, to anything.

It suddenly hit me, just like that: I had no idea where I was. I spun around, looking for anything I could recognize, something that gave me a hint as to where I was going. There was nothing but patches of trees up ahead, in the same direction I had been walking all this time. I heard the sound of running water to my right, and to my left, I saw a clearing in the distance. Perhaps there was civilization…?

[ ] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.
[ ] Head to the right, where the sound of running water is coming from. Water is always a welcome sight.
[ ] Wander towards the clearing to the left. The chance of civilization is invaluable right now.
[ ] Travel back to where I came from. I need answers, now.

[x] Travel back to where I came from. I need answers, now.

Good, another reason for me not to bother - ahem - another new writer; welcome!

[X] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.

[x] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.

[X] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing

[x] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.

When in doubt, confabulate.

[X] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.

Moving forward wins. Writing now.

To be honest, I'm relieved. I was worried this wouldn't be received well... but then again, I'm always paranoid about these things.

>>8144

Whoops, forgot my tripcode.

[x] Continue in the direction I was going. A small memory relapse is nothing to worry about, and I’m sure I knew what I was doing.


No sense in wandering off the path; Wandering elsewhere would only cause unwanted trouble. And so I continued, unsure of where I was going or even why.

As I walked, I made yet another feeble attempt at recalling anything that would aid me with information, but I could still only come up with a blank slate. I couldn’t possibly have lost all of my memories, could I? There must still be something! Anything! But it was all in vain. Clearly I was a lost soul, and I would just have to come to terms with such a fact.

I glanced up from my concentration, only to realize that I was in a completely new area, one lacking trees of any kind. In fact… it seemed as if I was much higher in elevation, come to think of it. Just how long had I been walking?

I turned sharply to see the direction I had been traveling from, and I immediately dropped to the ground, a sharp, intense pain shooting through my neck. All at once my whole body was in a level of fatigue and agony of which I had never conceived. I couldn’t think; someone could have been dismembering me inch by inch for all the pain that I was going through.

My body and mind were rapidly shutting down. With all of my might, I forced open my eyelids, my seemingly final attempt at learning anything. I was met by the ground, individual rocks and clumps of dying grass greeting me in all their mockery.

I was going to die here.

How ironic, to only have a memory of death, just to travel a distance to be met with death again. In my cynicism I would have chuckled to myself, but that cursed pain crawled back up to my consciousness.

Ah, oh well. It was a good run, I suppose.

My will conceded, and everything faded to black.

. . .

Shuffling. A distant voice. A loud thud. PAIN!

I… I remember this feeling. Someone was holding me gently.

It felt nice.

. . .

[ ] Wake up.
[ ] Rest some more.

[X] Wake up.

Excellent, more new life in /youkai/.

>With all of my might, I forced open my eyelids, my seemingly final attempt at learning anything. I was met by the ground, individual rocks and clumps of dying grass greeting me in all their mockery.

This is a good line.

[x] Wake up.

[X] Rest some more.

This is good so far. I like your writing style~

[x] Wake up.

Welcome. I thought I might be the only writer left on /youkai/ after Klay decided to focus on his story in /forest/, so this is a pleasant surprise.

[X] Rest some more.

[x] Wake up.

[X] Wake up.

Waking up wins.

I'm gonna be busy for most of the morning and afternoon, so while I may be writing, I don't know when I'll get a chance to post it. Just know that you can expect an update today, and I am, in fact writing.

>>8149

Thank you! It's encouraging to see that my writing style isn't completely unintelligible or bland.

>>8150

Indeed, it's nice to know this board has life again. I've been planning this for /youkai/ for some time now, and you had excellent timing, as I was planning on starting within the week. I wish you all the best for the progress of your story.

>I… I remember this feeling. Someone was holding me gently.

>It felt nice.

How does it feel to be held in a girl's arms, /youkai/?

[x] Wake up


“…m…mm…”

Again, a sense of comfort. That’s twice now, right? Well, it’s not like I’m complaining about it. I mean, after practically dying out of nowhere…

Wait a minute. I’m alive? But…

I tried moving my right arm. There was a distinct feeling of stiffness about it, as well as a jolt of pain, though considerably less than that little incident. But still, that’s odd. Why was my arm so difficult to move?

Every muscle in my body begged me to stop thinking and go back to the much-appreciated resting, but I had come too far to go back to sleep now. Slowly but surely, I opened my eyes.

After taking a moment to let my eyes adjust to the level of brightness, I realized that my surroundings had changed. Glancing around, I noticed that I was in a small, also unfamiliar room, which clearly appeared in disarray. I seemed to be lying on a makeshift cot, and several blankets had been irregularly placed on top of me. Whoever moved me (as well as whoever was here last) was clearly in a hurry. Diverting my eyes from the blankets, I noticed my body – or what was visible.

I was covered in gauze. I could only make out small patches of skin in my line of sight, but the majority of my body was white with bandages.

Just what in the world happened to me?

Everything became cold. An overwhelming feeling of despair fell upon me, and I felt as if death itself was standing next to me.

Looking up to confirm my feelings, I saw a… a figure hovering directly in front of me. Wait, hovering? That doesn’t make any sense! And yet, here he was; sense had no say in his existence. He wore a fedora upon his head, and sported a trench coat, yet I could not see legs emerging underneath it. And though I could clearly see his face, only the lower portion was perceivable.

He was grinning.

“I see you’ve finally noticed me.”

[ ] Reply (Write-in dialogue)
[ ] …It’s only a dream, man. Go back to sleep.
[ ] Try to run away, disregarding my condition.

________________________

Sorry about taking so long; I had work and classes for most of the day.

[x] "Death wears a trenchcoat? Now I've seen it all."

[X] "...oh. It's Inspector Gadget."

[x] "Death wears a trenchcoat? Now I've seen it all."

[x] "Death wears a trenchcoat? Now I've seen it all."

[x] "You don't have legs."

>>8179

>Death wears a trenchcoat?

Seems that "Death wears a trenchcoat? Now I've seen it all." wins. Writing now.

>>8183

I really like this. I think I'm gonna have to throw that in too.

[x] "Death wears a trenchcoat? Now I've seen it all."


Perhaps it was because I had just woken up. Maybe it was due to the fact that I had gone through a great deal in what seemed like such a short amount of time. At any other given time before this, I probably would have responded in a manner more natural: shocked, frightened, or confused. But now? I just woke up after going through what I had thought was unimaginable pain. I was suddenly covered in what appears to be rather serious wounds, and there wasn’t a single familiar piece of land anywhere to me, not to mention that I couldn’t remember anything. I was tired of being caught off guard.

“So, Death wears a trench coat, eh? I suppose now I’ve seen everything.”

At this, the man chuckled. “You’re quite perceptible, young sir. But I’m afraid you’re incorrect. I am not quite so absolute.”

Glancing down to further inspect the bandages, I ignored his last remark. To be perfectly honest, speaking with a man who was floating above me didn’t seem like my highest priority at the time. But all the same…

“At any rate, who are you?” I asked. It was at this time that I realized that I had absolutely no trouble speaking. Was I in better condition than I thought? I looked up, only to realize that the man was no longer there.

“Look closer.” His voice seemed to come from every direction. “You, more than anyone else, should be able to tell. What makes my existence different from everyone else?”

Well, things were certainly becoming confusing, and I suppose it didn’t help that I had just awoken. “Uhh… no legs?”

That same chuckle resounded through the room. “Perhaps you are not as perceptive as I once thought. Well, it doesn’t matter in the long run.”

Silence.

“Who I am is not a question. All you need to know, young sir, is that you and I are, in fact, the same.” Behind me. I glanced over my left shoulder, but… nothing?

“In that sense, I am your ally.” To my right! I quickly turned, and this time it seemed my hearing was correct. The man, now floating upside-down, was facing me at eye level, or where his eyes would be, anyway; his hat, somehow still firmly attached to his head, was angled in such a way that I could still only see his grin.

That same grin.

“Recover quickly, young sir. I will be watching how well you fare in this broken world.”

And with that ominous statement, time seemed to skip ahead, for the next thing I knew, light was pouring in from windows I hadn’t noticed before. That sick feeling seemed to disappear, too…

There were noises outside. From what I could hear, it was alone, it was probably alive, and it didn’t sound like just a local animal.

The sounds were getting louder.

[ ] Right, back to sleep. Maybe if I sleep I’ll actually wake up this time.
[ ] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.
[ ] Look for a weapon. After that? I should be ready for anything.
[ ] Ready myself to greet the visitor. A friend!
[ ] Scream.

_____________________________________

Ugh, I'm still really slow. Working on that.

[x] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.

[x] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.

[ ] Look for a weapon. After that? I should be ready for anything.

[x] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.

[x] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.

>All you need to know, young sir, is that you and I are, in fact, the same

But, we're not the same.

Unlike you, I do have legs.

Feigning sleep it is. Updates tomorrow.

>>8193

oh u

Due to several reasons, I've been busy for most of today as well. I'm gonna be writing from work, so you can expect an update today; I'm just not sure when I'll be able to post it.

In the meantime, is there anything that I could possibly improve upon with my writing? I feel less than comfortable with certain parts, and I would like to fix that.

Thanks for reading this thread thus far, by the way.

>>8214
You're doing a fine job at creatiing our protagonist, so zero complaints on that front. In terms of criticism...

First of all: 4 updates and not a single Touhou. A couple of other stories have witheld this long before, but have rectified themselves pretty fast. Hoping for the same here.

Second, and it's fairly minor considering it's so early in the story that you haven't had the opportunity to do so (or you're playing off our disorientation), but our environment isn't really defined yet. Most of the observations have been 'self' oriented (how do I feel?), vague, or focused on dialogue.
For example: our eyes adjusted to the brightness when we woke up. Was that "early morning~" brightness, "dammit, I slept too long!" brightness, or "what the hell time is it?" brightness?

Thoroughly stretching for any criticism (and self sage because of it). Looking forward to see where this goes~

[x] Feign sleeping. They’re probably not hostile, and maybe it’s the person who saved me.


Lying back down, I rearranged the blankets back to where they were. I closed my eyes and listened intently. The sounds were definitely getting closer.

Given the present circumstances, this seemed like the wisest course of action, even if the odds were in my favor. I clearly did not move and bandage myself, so it was very likely that the person who was approaching was the person who saved me. Even so, at least I would get an opportunity to learn about them without their knowing. Still, I would’ve liked to at least get a better look at my surroundings…

Footsteps. Distinct ones. Clack! Clack! Clack! Those weren’t ordinary footwear, that’s for sure. The sound of a sliding door. And then, a delicious smell! Wow! Whatever it was, it certainly sparked my appetite.

There was silence. Several minutes passed.

Another sliding door, this time much, much closer. Then… more silence.

. . .

Wait, did…?

“Well? How long are you gonna keep that act up? It’s pretty obvious you’ve been awake for a while,” came a female voice.

Well, that went smoothly. Defeated, I opened my eyes. Standing directly in front of me was a young woman, arms crossed in impatience. She wore a shirt of pure white, with long, baggy sleeves patched in such a way that the armpits were vented. A rather large black and red skirt accompanied her shirt quite nicely, but from this angle I couldn’t tell what type of shoes she was wearing. Her hair was shoulder length; its color matched her shirt. She had a long ponytail stretching out behind her, and long, dog-like ears positioned neatly on top of her head. But perhaps the most peculiar things about her attire were the little… puff balls? Whatever they were, they adorned her shirt in a basic pattern, as well as the small hat she wore atop her head, which I can only describe as a little red box… thing.

Well, to each her own, I guess.

“Alright, alright, I’m up,” I mumbled. Woah, was that a tail I saw behind her?

Her expression softened a little. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not angry or anything like that. I just need questions answered, that’s all.”

Questions, huh? “Well, I’ve got quite a few questions I need answering as well. So where do we begin, Miss…?”

“Oh, uh, it’s Momizi. Momizi Inubashiri.” Clearly that much caught her by surprise a little.

[ ] I want answers, and I want answers now. Ask questions first and answer second.
[ ] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

If you ask first:

[ ] Write in only (up to three).

________________________________________________

Woohoo, seems I can't stick to a time schedule to save my life. Ah well, at least tomorrow is looking pretty free. Sorta. If all goes well, expect two updates.

>>8215

Thanks for responding... Well, I didn't mean to hold out for so long before introducing someone, but that ends with this post (as it was intended to). As for the latter, that was a problem I made myself aware of after reviewing what I had written thus far. Seems elaborate descriptions and I don't get along too well, so I'm hoping to improve that as I go along. But yeah, there's also a bit of playing off of the main character's disorientation in that too. I just can't seem to properly explain that.

I am saving this story as "Chain Letter."
Also it is late and I cannot think, so I am not voting yet.

[x] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

[ ] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

She just answered our question, so...

[X] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

"Well, uh, what did you need to ask me?"

[x] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

[x] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.

It's pretty clear what won. Writing now.

On a side note, I think I might stick to one update a day until I can get a better handle on things.

[x] Be polite; I’m a guest and indebted to this Momizi. Answer her questions first.


There was a pause before I spoke again. “Well… uh, what do you need to ask me, miss Inubashiri?” Whatever she had to ask, it seemed evident that it couldn’t wait.

Momizi’s expression tensed. “I’ll be direct, then. What is your business on Youkai Mountain?”

Can’t really be much more direct than that. “Youkai Mountain? Is that where I am now?”

“Yes.”

Youkai Mountain, huh? The name didn’t ring any bells. “To be honest, miss Inubashiri, I have no idea where I am, how I got here, or what I was doing. I don’t remember much, I’m afraid.”

Her expression change from tense to downright confused. “You don’t remember anything?”

I then proceeded to explain everything that happened to me that I could remember. Along the way, I felt compelled not to mention anything regarding the strange man I met prior. Not until I understood my current situation, anyway. When I finished my brief tale, Momizi only seemed more confused.

“…None of that makes any sense. I mean, I know it wouldn’t, coming from someone who lost all their memories, but…” Momizi thought aloud to herself, turning away. Feeling no need to interrupt her thoughts, I looked down and was reminded of my current attire. Gotta ask for something more decent to wear.

Momizi turned to me again. “It’s pretty clear you’re a youkai, so you’ll have no trouble staying here for the time being. Normally we prevent trespassers of any kind from reaching the vicinity, but I’m pretty sure you qualify as an exception, at least until you recover. Considering just how severe your wounds were, it’s a wonder you made it out alive.” She gave me a warm smile.

Wait, what?

“Erm… I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t understand. How severe were my wounds? And what’s this about being a… youkai?”

“Oh… right.” Momizi’s smile faded. “You were covered in some real nasty burns; I found you lying face-down a little ways down the mountainside while I was out patrolling. From a distance, you looked like a White Wolf Tengu, but when I got a good look at you, it was clear you weren’t. It’s difficult to tell, though, considering the hair and the tail. You could easily pass for one of us.”

Things were just getting more complicated. How did I end up with burns all over me? How did I end up on a mountain, of all places? And what’s this business about me having a tail? I certainly didn’t like the way this was sounding… “Uh… miss Inubashiri, wha-“

Momizi smiled again. “I know, it must be a lot to take in. I’ve got some food ready in the other room, so if you want, we can carry on this conversation in the other room. I’ll explain everything you want to know in there. But first, you need to get properly dressed.” Ah, no need to ask.

She bent down to help me stand, allowing me to use her arm as a crutch. Holding onto her, I stood up without too much trouble, taking notice that I was, in fact, almost a full head taller than her.

Freeing herself, Momizi started to leave the room. “I’ll be leaving you to your privacy, then. I trust you’re able to dress yourself?”

“Of course. I’m not a kid.” Well, I wasn’t.

“Good,” she replied. “I laid out some clothes for you to the left of your bed. When you’re ready, just say so.” And with that, she left, sliding the door behind her.

”Oh, and one more thing,” came her voice from behind the door.

“Yes?”

“Call me Momizi, please. I feel uncomfortable otherwise.”

. . .

Looking next to the bed I was lying on, I saw a pile of clothes I hadn’t noticed before. Unfolding them, I realized they looked a lot like what Momizi was wearing. They even came complete with one of those hats that had puzzled me so much before.

Great.

[ ] Get dressed and meet Momizi immediately. I hunger.
[ ] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[ ] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[ ] Sleep. Man, I don’t even know.

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi. I hunger.

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi. I hunger.

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi. I hunger.
[x] Remind yourself to act a bit more like your age. Your comments so far have been a little too familiar for a complete stranger.

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi. I hunger.

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi. I hunger.

Again, it's unanimous. While I won't have time to just sit down and write today, I'll be writing every chance I get, so there should still be an update soon.

>>8245

I figured this would be brought up eventually. I'll just say that this is intentional, though I probably haven't explained that well enough yet. I'll take it into account all the same.

>>8256

Forgot my tripcode again. That's what I get for using a public computer.

[x] Meet Momizi immediately. I hunger.
[x] RUN, COWARD!
[x] RUN! RUN! RUN!
[x] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH

Updates?

Yeah, I'm still here. Long story short, I got swamped with work and I hit a minor block, but I'm gonna try to update the first part within the next couple of hours. Sorry for disappearing for so long; I don't intend to make that a habit.

Here, have a Wriggle for your troubles.

>>8317
Don't sweat it, not updating is practically the modus operandi of almost all writefags on these boards, you won't stand out at all.

>>8322

Here, slackers abound in great numbers. Haha

[x] Look around the room for a mirror. What exactly about me looks like a… ‘youkai’?
[x] Inspect those burns. Just how bad were they?
[x] Get dressed and meet Momizi immediately. I hunger.


I would eventually join Momizi, but I had to learn more about my physical condition first, to get a better understanding of my limits. I remembered the window I saw in this room earlier; perhaps I could see my reflection in it?

I approached the window. Good, the surface was smooth and reflective enough; even so, I could still only barely make out my own image through the daylight pouring in.

A plain-looking young man with white – no, a very light shade of gray hair stared back at me. It was pretty obvious that I had been lying down for some time, as my hair was matted down in places and coarse in others, and it seemed long enough to reach my eyes in the front and cover my ears on the sides.

My ears… They were exactly like Momizi’s, only much smaller in size and located further down on the sides of my head rather than on top. And if I had ears like Momizi, than that means… I turned at an angle. Sure enough, there was a tail, matching the color of my hair. For some reason, the prospect of having a tail didn’t sit well with me.

Looking into the window, I found my mind wandering towards what little I could remember. Just how many memories had I lost? What did I still know? So far, it seemed to me that I had only forgotten everything about myself, as well as anyone I could have possible known… but then why wouldn’t I know what a youkai is? Thinking about it was causing my head to spin.

I looked down at the gauze. My burns… Curiosity got the better of me. How severe of a condition was I in? Taking the utmost care, I gently lifted part of the bandage wrapped around my right arm, expecting quite a painful sight. Instead, there was only a patch of pink skin; nothing serious at all. Strange… I investigated my chest next, where most of the gauze was, and where I was most likely to find the majority of the damage. More pink skin. These burns were minor at best… were they like this from the beginning, or…

Just how long had I been asleep?!

. . .

My stomach reminded me of Momizi’s words. Walking back to the now-unfolded pile of clothes, I picked them up and inspected them one by one.

- A white shirt, remarkably similar to Momizi’s, only lacking a gap where the armpits would be.
- A black pair of baggy pants, which looked rather comfortable.
- That stupid hat thing, nearly identical to Momizi’s. I really didn’t want to wear that.

As I picked up the hat and inspected it, a dark spot in the floor near where the clothes were set caught my eye. Looking down at the spot, a chill ran down my spine; words.

‘i can tell you your name’

Words that I could read and understand. Words that seemed to apply only to me. How did they… no, wait, there was more underneath them.

‘hat man’

Hat Man? Was that my name? No, that’s not a name, that’s practically a title. There’s no way that made sense.

Not unless it was a signature. And in such a case, who would sign it as ‘Hat Man’?

. . .

(Continued)
________________________________________________

Next part will be written tomorrow. I have to sleep now, as the past three days have worn me out.

>>8322
>>8324

I would rather not be put in the position of slacking off, so if I go too long without updating, just get on my case, and I'll update as soon as possible. But I can be quite busy at times, so my apologies once again for taking so long to update, as well as possible future instances where I may go days without a comment.

>Hat Man
>He wore a fedora upon his head, and sported a trench coat
We dealing with shadow people?

...hat man?

You don't write lighthouse, do you?

>>8327
>>8328

Good eye. To be honest, yeah, I kinda ripped the concept visually at first, but now I'm kinda doing my own thing with him. I had qualms with using that name on top of the basic concept, but in the end I went with it; I couldn't think of anything better.

In other words, even though I stole the basic concept, this is an original creation. ;_; I still feel kinda bad about it, though.

Aaaand I'm writing the second part now. Whether or not I'll be able to post it soon is undetermined, as I have work in the morning, so if I don't finish it now, I'll have it finished by the end of work. Again, my apologies for the sudden delays in my updates. I guess that's what I get for juggling so much at one time.

>>8329
Don't worry about "ripping off" ideas from someone else's work, as long as you have at least some ideas of your own, and you have an excellent implementation, nobody will give a fuck about you borrowing things from elsewhere. Hell, even most so called legendary artists have done that at one point or another. It's all about implementation.

>>8339

Exactly, make it your own and the sky will be your limit.

I shoved the eerie message to the back of my mind; I’ve spent my time idle long enough. Deciding I would start changing with the pants, I looked them over thoroughly. There was a somewhat large, circular hole in the middle of the seat, no doubt placed specifically for the tail.

I feared that exerting myself to put on clothes would be painful in my condition, but I was proven wrong; there came no pain, and I felt somewhat normal… well, as normal as one could feel with sporadically placed gauze wrapped around their body. Carefully shoving the annoyance that was my tail through the seat of the pants, I then moved onto the shirt. This came even easier to put on, and as I finished, I made a note to myself to ask Momizi about shoes. Glancing back at the mirror, I tried to play around with my hair, in hopes of making myself look more presentable. I didn’t have much luck, but I at least looked a little neater.

Now, all that was left was that hat… I took one last look at it. Surely I don’t need to wear something as silly as this right now? As long as I’m decent, that should be enough. Yeah, forget it. I turned around and approached the door; walking seemed much easier as well. At this rate I would be able to move around freely in a couple of days.

Sliding the door open, I was surprised to see Momizi standing there. She noticed my still-bare head and frowned. “Well?” she asked expectantly.

I knew exactly what she was talking about. “There’s no need for me to wear something like that right now, is there?” Anything to get out of wearing it. Anything.

Momizi seemed disappointed by those words. “Ah, well, can’t force you. It would probably be a good idea to see how well you’d look in full Tengu garb soon, though.” She turned around and walked down a small hallway connected to the room I was in, leaving me to follow her while dreading her words.

We entered a somewhat larger room. It was a mess just like the small room I was resting in, but it was pretty easy to tell that this was a kitchen. There were cooking tools and various foods and ingredients scattered about, and a familiar smell emanated from the center of the room; in fact, wasn’t this the smell I sensed earlier?

Momizi headed to a corner of the room, where a small table and a couple of chairs were set up, and a blackened bowl sat on one side of the table. There was something… green in it. “Sorry about the mess,” Momizi said, sitting opposite of the bowl. “This, ah, isn’t exactly my home, and had circumstances not been so sudden, it would’ve been a lot more presentable. But anyway, I prepared a little something for you to eat; you must be starving.”

I cautiously sat down in front of the ‘food’. It was a darker shade of green liquid, with a couple of leaves at the bottom. This was the source of the smell, though, no doubt about that. Not even bothering to worry about utensils, I lifted the bowl to my face and took a rather large swallow. It tasted absolutely nothing like the smell – bitter, but not in a negative way.

Setting the bowl down, I looked up at Momizi, who was smiling back at me. “So? How is it?” she asked.

“…Kinda bitter. But good all the same. What is it?”

She chuckled softly before replying. “That, my friend, is a Tengu’s secret. I may tell you sometime in the future, though… But I am being rude! You must have so many questions to ask me!”

Come to think of it… yeah, I did.

[ ] Write-in question (up to two before the next event).

Also:

[ ] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.
[ ] Don't mention the strange man and the 'note'.

________________________________________________

About time I finished this whole thing.

Also, I'm gonna be gone on a trip starting tomorrow for four days. During this time I'll come back and visit whenever possible and call the vote when I can, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to finish writing it until I get back.

Thought I would let you all know so it doesn't seem like I disappeared again.

>>8339
>>8341

Thanks very much for the feedback; I'll be sure to take it to heart for future posts.

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.

[X] "Let me think. Let me...no, you know what?"
[X] "I won't stand for it. I won't stand for it at all. You--"
[X] "What's with the insistence on adherence to a strict dress code, anyway?"
[X] "I mean, is this a personal thing, or are the rest of you so hypersensitive?"
[X] "Of course, if the headgear serves some sort of practical purpose, that another story--which brings me to the next question: is it useful in any way? I mean, does it ward off insects? Or is it just traditional?"
[X] "Because, you know, if this apparel's purely traditional, I'm going to attempt to procure something better, posthaste."
[X] "I mean, I mean..."
[X] "Armpit gaps. Armpit gaps, for god's sake."

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.

[X] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[X] Don't mention the strange man and the 'note'.
Hopefully there will be chances to tell this later when we possibly have more information.

[X] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[X] Don't mention the strange man and the 'note'.

[X] "Let me think. Let me...no, you know what?"
[X] "I won't stand for it. I won't stand for it at all. You--"
[X] "What's with the insistence on adherence to a strict dress code, anyway?"
[X] "I mean, is this a personal thing, or are the rest of you so hypersensitive?"
[X] "Of course, if the headgear serves some sort of practical purpose, that another story--which brings me to the next question: is it useful in any way? I mean, does it ward off insects? Or is it just traditional?"
[X] "Because, you know, if this apparel's purely traditional, I'm going to attempt to procure something better, posthaste."
[X] "I mean, I mean..."
[X] "Armpit gaps. Armpit gaps, for god's sake."

Gonna boost the vote count total to five now, since this is a bit too close to call.

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.

[X] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[X] Don't mention the strange man and the 'note'.

The silly Tengu hat is meant to be a drinking cup, according to the mythology.

I'd worry less about the cup and more about that fucking impossible footwear.

>>8371
I'm not fucking drinking out of something I wear on my head, thank you. I doubt the protagonist will, either.

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.

Alright, explaining everything and mentioning the strange man won. I don't get back until tomorrow, but I'm gonna go ahead and get started writing anyway.

I'm surprised, though. I went to Katsucon and they were selling Touhou doujins. I picked up a couple for myself; quite an unexpected turn of events, I must say.

First thing we do when we get out of here, we ditch the hat and find a decent shirt.

>>8395
Can the shirt be emblazoned with abuse and/or obscenity?

>>8425
>shirt
>emblazoned with obscenity
Suddenly, Astaroth.

>>8439

>Astaroth

>>8441

WORMS

[x] "What... How..." raise your arms out wide "I don't know, everything!! Anything in particular you could explain to me?"
[x] Mention the strange man and the 'note'.


I attempted to narrow my thoughts down to specific questions, but there was just so much I didn’t know. “What… How…” Finally losing my patience, I threw my hands in the air in exaggeration. “I don’t even know where to begin! Is there anything in particular you can explain to me?”

Momizi was taken aback from my sudden outburst, but regained her composure almost immediately. “Oh, yeah, I suppose it would be a little overwhelming with how little you can remember.” She rose from her seat and slowly paced around the immediate vicinity. “You’re probably not from the outside world – not looking like that, anyway – so I shouldn’t have to explain as much…” A pause, then she turned to me. “You know what a human is?”

I had never heard of such a thing, so I shook my head. “All these terms you keep using are unfamiliar to me… Should I know what a ‘human’ is?”

A pensive look crossed her face. “Nothing, huh? Well, there’s not much to know, really.” Back to her pacing. “They look a lot like you and I, only with smaller, rounder ears and no tails to speak of. Not very common here in Gensokyo, but we do have a whole village full of ‘em. Rather inferior, if you ask me, what with how quickly they die, but occasionally you get to meet a strong human; We’ve got one up here on Youkai Mountain. I’ll have to introduce you while you’re here.”

Momizi continued on her explanation of humans, but the description she gave struck me as vaguely familiar. “I think I may have met one of these humans before, Momizi, though it wasn’t quite like you described,” I interrupted. She stopped again. I then explained what I left out earlier: everything I saw, felt, and heard from the strange man earlier. When I brought up the peculiar ‘note’ for me practically inscribed on the floor, Momizi immediately ran back to the room I was sleeping in, only to emerge several seconds later.

“Whatever it is, it’s gone now,” Momizi said, with a tinge of disappointment. “Still, this man you described is unlike anything I’ve ever heard of before. I think it’s safe to assume that he wrote that note to you… Do you think he could have anything to do with your lack of memories?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.” Hat Man, huh? Whoever he was, I had a feeling that I would be seeing a lot more of him in the future, for better or for worse.

”Are ya sure he’s not just dreamin’ the guy up?” a voice from outside the room spoke. Momizi spun around, completely tense. “Miss Shameimaru! How long have you been there?!”

A sound of a sliding door from across the room, and another female figure emerged. It was as if she was here to give me a demonstration of what a ‘human’ might look like; there were no ears that I could make out, meaning they were probably small enough to hide underneath her shoulder-length black hair, and she didn’t have a tail. Her attire was also much simpler, featuring only a black short skirt and a white blouse with a long black ribbon tied across the top. She did, however, wear the same silly hat that Momizi (and tragically, soon myself) wore.

“Oh, calm yourself down, Momizi, it’s not like you’ve got something to hide,” the newcomer spoke. Her voice was… how do I describe it? Light? It felt as if every word she spoke was lighter than air. “Although you seem to be friendlier than usual with our guest. I wonder wh~~y?”

Momizi’s face flushed. “I-it’s not like that, Miss Shameimaru!”

Giggling, the woman approached me. “Surprising how quickly he woke up. How much does he remember?”

“Not much, I’m afraid,” Momizi spoke up again, still somewhat tense. “It’s odd; he doesn’t know what a youkai or a human is, but he’s obviously educated, judging by how he speaks. I wouldn’t say it’s a complete case of amnesia, per se, but he doesn’t seem to remember a lot about how Gensokyo works.”

The woman looked at me. “Name’s Aya. Sorry about the mess; I was in a bit of a hurry this morning. You wouldn’t happen to remember your name, would you?”

My… name?

The room became pitch-black. Momizi and Aya disappeared entirely. I sat alone in a sea of black.

A letter formed in my head. “f”

Then another. “a”

And another. “u”

Another. “s”

The final letter appeared in my head, and the room lit up again. Aya and Momizi were still looking at me, waiting for my response.

[ ] I told you, I don’t know my name. I suppose I need one, huh?
[ ] Yeah, I know my name. (Write-in name).
{ } I… Faust. My name is Faust.

________________________________________________

I'll go ahead and explain the 'Focus Choice' system I imagined for this story.

There will be times that choices will be labeled with { } brackets. This is called a "focus choice", and is essentially a choice that is a hit-or-miss. Either it will cause the main character to pull off an impressive victory over the situation at hand, or will ultimately lead to an untimely demise. These choices will be vague, and will not openly state exactly what will happen if you choose it. You'll want to think about the possibilities of your choosing it, but I can promise you that the main character will benefit from this choice if it's positive, and the story will be enriched and overall a more thrilling read.

This one is just a freebie, though. All this one exists for is if you want to choose the 'default' name for the main character (as well as an excuse for me to explain this here.)

{ } I… Faust. My name is Faust.

How auspicious and lucky, I like it.

{X} I… Faust. My name is Faust.

strangely suiting, i like it

{X} I… Faust. My name is Faust.

{x} I… Faust. My name is Faust.

How deliciously evil sounding.

{ } I… Faust. My name is Faust.

[ ] Yeah, I know my name.
-[ ] My name is Yon Yonson.

Faust wins. Writing.

I'm gonna try to put out another update tomorrow, but judging by how slow I am, I can't say for certain that you can trust my words on that.

Faust Wayne, otherwise known as Hatman.

>>8451
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
IT'S PLAYING IN MY HEAD

>>8456

Lolwut?

Anyway, keep up the good work Chain, I'm interested in how you portray the Youkai Mountain.

So, yeah, what's the CYOA called?

>>8467
I've been saving it as "Chain Letter."

>>8453
Must be one hell of a wall to take two days to write.

>>8478
Dear asshat,
You are being an asshat.
Love,
Anonymous

>>8480
Why thank you anonymous, I most certainly enjoyed your deep and thoughtful analysis of my personality. My asshatness is certainly most overwhelming, and for that you can thank those dear writefags that stop updating without at least telling us that we are assholes and that they don't want to write to us anymore. Worry not, for with the great state THP has been in for the last half a year, and will continue to be in for the forseeable future, I shall certainly have many more chances of being an asshat.
- Love, Asshat

>>8486
Dear asshat,
You are still being an asshat.
Love,
Anonymous

>>8478

I've stated this before, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it again for good measure.

I am a very busy man. I don't say that without reason; I have never been so busy in all my life. If there was a way I could free up a major portion of my schedule, I would, but I need to keep my job because I need money, and I can't very well just ignore classes on top of that. As it stands right now, I have very little free time to myself, so I don't get much time to write every day. On top of all of that, I am nothing more than an amateur's amateur, so my speed is not nearly up to par with what I want. I'm gonna be trying to fix this soon.

If it bothers you so much that I can't update every day, than I can do nothing but offer you my humblest apologies. If there was a way for me to be faster, than I would most certainly take it, but there isn't. I'm trying to put quality on a higher priority than quantity, but I would like to be able to achieve both.

If you still have a problem with my speed, then it may be best that you just ignore this story. I'm not writing it strictly for you, after all; I'm writing it because the story must be told for the sake of the art.

Before you say something about starting this thread while I'm so busy, let me say this: I have my own reasons for doing so.

>>8467

Good question. I was gonna say something about this once I got past this particular section, but now's a good a time as any, I suppose. I could not think of a name by the time I started the CYOA, but I figured I would be able to come up with something by the time the thread maxed out. However, I still haven't thought of anything. I will continue to weigh my options, but I am also open to suggestions.

As much as the prospect of 'Chain Letter' made me chuckle, I'm afraid it's not very fitting in the least.

>>8456

I am ashamed to say just how long it took me to get the joke.

>>8490

Also, yes, I am still writing. You can expect an update tonight sometime.

...Unless I consistently update the day after I say I will, in which case, you can expect an update yesterday.

Thank you for those of you who have been reading this far despite how slow I am.

>>8490
Hey don't sweat it, we're not blaming you for not updating. Still, I'm pretty certain most would appreciate if you just told us that the story'll be on hiatus for a time, instead of being told that you'll update "tomorrow" and the disappear for 7 minutes. I know it may seem like a small, pesky thing but it really does calm people down when they know where we stand. Again, it's fine to have a life, in fact I'm pretty certain most of us would say it's preferrable, but being kept in the dark can be somewhat annoying.
- With Love from Asshat

{x} I… Faust. My name is Faust.


“I… Faust. My name is Faust.” The name in my mind seemed familiar somehow.

Momizi’s eyes widened in surprise while Aya’s lit up. “Faust, huh?” spoke Aya. “Interesting… Is that all you can remember about yourself?”

I waited; Nothing. I focused my mind in a feeble attempt to grasp anything else, but it was to no avail. “I’m sorry, but it seems that way,” I said, after a few moments of blank concentration.

“Ayayayaya…” muttered Aya, obviously disappointed. “Well, a name is better than nothin’, I s’pose. Pleasure to finally meet’cha! Been anticipating it all day, after Momizi informed me about finding you.”

Something about Aya’s last sentence struck me as odd. “Hey, uh, Momizi? My burns… How bad were they?”

Momizi’s head shot upwards at my words; she must have been lost in thought. “…Oh! Oh, terrible! To be honest, I can’t believe you’re awake and moving around right now!”

Now that was curious. I reached into my right sleeve and rubbed the bandages wrapped around my arm. “If what you’re implying is true,” I said, “then I think you should see something.” I rolled my sleeve up to my shoulder and proceeded to rip the bandages from my arm, much to the surprise of my hosts.

What lied underneath was something that surprised even myself.

There were no burns. There wasn’t even a sign that I had been scorched. No pink skin. Just a normal, albeit pale, arm.

Momizi immediately ran over to look at my arm closer, clearly shocked; Aya stood in place wearing a very surprised look. “What?! How?!” Momizi cried.

“Wow… Even I didn’t expect it to be completely gone.” I muttered. If Momizi really found me sometime this morning, then this clearly didn’t make any sense at all.

“Well, it’s not like it’s impossible,” Aya replied. “I mean, you are a youkai, right?”

“…Yeah, I guess I am.” I may have agreed, but something about the whole situation nagged in the back of my mind.

. . .

Some time passed, and after the shock of my speedy recovery subsided, the three of us discussed various topics, most of them turning out to be idle banter. At this point I had all but forgotten about the meal prepared for me.

“Hey, Momizi? Faust here hasn’t been to the local shrine yet, has he?” Aya asked after a brief period of silence, sitting on a counter nearby.

“No, he hasn’t,” Momizi replied. “Unless you’ve been before collapsing and haven’t said anything about it?” She turned to me, now seated in her original chair across from my position.

Was that sarcasm? I couldn’t tell from the serious look she gave me. “No, I did nothing of the sort that I can remember.”

“Excellent! The day’s almost over, but I think we can squeeze in a field trip before it’s all said and done. Whaddya say we take a trip up there?” Aya suggested.

“Miss Shameimaru, I really ought to be getting back. Can’t this wait until morning?”

Aya thought for a moment before responding. “Tell ya what: One of us can escort him up there while the other takes care of personal business; I gotta clean this mess up soon anyway.” Aya looked around the room. “You can spend the night here if it comes to that. Faust really oughta get to know the area where he’s staying, you know? And the shrine’s a great place to start. I’m sure we wouldn’t be imposing on Sanae, and she’d love to meet someone new.”

She turned to me. “I’ll leave the choice up to you, Faust: If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

[ ] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[ ] Don’t go and spend this time relaxing.

If Faust goes:

[ ] Travel with Momizi.
[ ] Travel with Aya.

[x] Don’t go and spend this time relaxing.

[ ] Don’t go and spend this time relaxing.

[X] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[X] Travel with Momizi.

[X] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[X] Travel with Momizi.

My decision to vote for taking a trip to the shrine stems solely from a desire to piss the important people off.

(and also steal some clothes maybe)

(or is that covered under item one i don't know)

YOUR ITEMS WERE INITIALLY UNNUMBERED
YOU FAIL VOTING FOREVER

aw man

{X} Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
{X} Travel with Momizi.

[X] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[X] Travel with Momizi.

An afternoon with the gods ...

Four for traveling with Momizi, two for staying and relaxing.

I permanently changed the deciding vote count to five, in case I didn't explain that properly. If no one else is gonna vote tonight, I'm gonna go ahead and call it.

[X] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[X] Travel with Momizi.

>>8543

Time,Work,Nigger,etc

Alright, Momizi wins. Figured as much.

The next two days are gonna be filled to the brim with work and stress. I honestly have no idea how it's gonna be worked out, but somehow I will write an update within the next two days. If I fail, I will let you know ahead of time.

There goes my sleep schedule.

Alright, update comes today. Feelin' pretty motivated today, so if I can knock out a lot of work tonight, I may be able to update again tomorrow.

I'm gonna close off this section of the story once I get to a certain point as a 'prologue' and change my writing style a bit to hopefully enhance writing speed. In other words, I'm planning on updating more often in the future.

Just thought I would let you guys know.

[x] Go to the shrine and meet this Sanae.
[x] Travel with Momizi


“I don’t mind going, Aya,” I answered. “Momizi…?” Traveling with her was going to prove more comfortable, all things considered.

Aya grinned at this and turned to Momizi expectantly. Outnumbered, Momizi conceded. “I guess I have no choice, then, do I?” She rose from her seat. “I’ll go prepare; meet me outside when you’re ready, Faust.” And with that, she left the room.

Aya, still grinning, turned to me again. “Seems like you two are getting along fine,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

“Well, it’ll do you no good to just sit around like that! Go get ready or you’ll keep her waiting!”


. . .

Back in my temporary ‘room’, I glanced over my right arm again. Still normal. But how? There’s no way it healed that quickly, and yet my arm seemed to suggest just that. A thought crossed my mind to rip off the rest of the gauze wrapped around my body, but I thought better of it; I felt fine, so I could assume the rest of my body was just like my arm. Besides, I wasn’t wearing anything underneath this borrowed clothing, so better to use the bandages as underwear.

I looked over at the spot in the floor where the words appeared. Just as Momizi said, it was gone. My thoughts ran over the oddity of the situation, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this Hat Man had something to do with my name.

Preparing to leave the room, I scanned it over once more. I noticed the hat lying exactly where I had left it.

…No.

. . .

Aya guided me towards the exit when I emerged from the room. “Now behave, you two~!” she called after me as I stepped outside.

The sky was so… open! I couldn’t help but look up in awe. Weather was nice, too, though day was just beginning to break.

“How do you feel?” Momizi’s voice in front of me distracted my thoughts. I looked back down and immediately noticed the large, curved sword she held at her side. It looked quite sharp.

“I feel great, Momizi.” At this point, I had just accepted the fact that I recovered at a miraculous speed.

Momizi shook her head. “Unbelievable… Well, at any rate, you should still try to take it easy for a couple of days. Do you remember how to fly?”

Fly? The idea didn’t seem too unfamiliar. “I may have at one point, but you’ll probably have to remind me.”

She nodded. “Well, I can’t really explain the science of how it works right now, but I can at least describe how to do it. Here, watch me first:”

“Alright, you’re gonna want to shift as much focus to your upper body as possible.” She took a deep breath. “Maintain concentration no matter what, or this won’t work. Now, if you’re capable of flight, you should be able to lift one foot off the ground and – this might seem a bit weird – find an invisible ‘step’ to place your foot.”

She lifted her foot… wait a minute. What in the world was she wearing?! Her shoes were like geta, only with one incredibly long oval tooth in the middle of the sole instead of two teeth. Just how was she able to keep balance with those things on?!... I found myself bewildered by the sense of fashion once again, as well as thankful that I was still barefoot. If I had to wear shoes like that, then I was just as well off.

Momizi stopped her foot in mid-air. “Once you’ve found that step, all you have to do is–“ Momizi leaps upward – “use that same foot to kick off!” And Momizi was floating in the air a little ways off the ground.

“It generally comes a lot more naturally to those who’ve done it a few times,” she said, effortlessly hovering in front of me. “Let’s see you try it! If you’ve flown before, this shouldn’t be too difficult.”

I took a deep breath as I focused intensely. I felt myself become slightly lighter. When I thought I was ready, I lifted my left foot…

I paused. My foot came down, only to forcefully meet the ground below.

“You need to concentrate harder!” Momizi scolded. “Come on, Faust, I know you can do this!”

Right. Focus. I took another deep breath; I could feel my body grow lighter as my weight shifted to my upper torso. I emptied my mind of every thought that wasn’t lifting myself off the ground.

And my foot rose. Without pause, I brought it down. My foot collided with someone soft, as if I had just stepped on a pillow. I could feel air flowing upwards underneath.

{ } Kick off.
[ ] Gently push off.

________________________________________________

And now a real demonstration.

Here's to hoping I can pick up the pace a little bit.

{x} Kick off.

{X} Kick off.
Structural failure imminent, please inject nanomachines to fix Faust.

>>8571
>My foot collided with someone soft
>someone

>>8576

...Something.

Honestly, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

{x} Kick off.

Fucking Superman!

{x} Kick off.

{x} Kick off.

Focus.

It's obvious what won.

Loads of work to do tonight, so I'm gonna have to get started writing tonight. It'll be out by tomorrow. You have my word.

Bow, axe, etc.

>>8604

Also, I've got a title in mind for this thread: Because I usually like to keep things like this simple, I'm thinking of calling it "Echo".

I'm curious as to what you all think of this; I, for one, don't think I judge my own ideas fairly.

>>8605

Aha! It must be a hint! Clearly, this means Faust is really a Dolphin!

...

I think it's a fine name.

>>8605
I'm still saving it as Chain Letter.

Echo is fine too.

>>8621
That pun is bad and you should feel bad.

{x} Kick off.


I could feel the wind envelope me. My muscles tensed, yet my body knew only peace. I looked up; suddenly the sky didn’t seem so far away.

The world was mine.

An instant. A period of time that felt infinite, yet was gone the very moment I could conceive of it.

I took off. The ground beneath me was gone. I was surrounded by an ocean of fading orange; the setting sun in the distance seemed infinitely brighter and closer. I was flying.

All in an instant.

I immediately stopped in mid-air, finding that I could do naturally. Looking down, I grasped just how far I traveled in a moment, as I noticed a white dot that could only be Momizi rapidly approaching me. As she grew closer, I felt my mind gradually remember how to move freely in flight.

As soon as I could make out Momizi’s face, I noticed her eyes were wide, either shocked or filled with the curiosity and wonder that of a child.

”Faust!” She caught up to me, abruptly stopping in front of me a few feet away, still carrying that large blade. “That was incredible!”

The sheer magnitude of what I had just accomplished hit me then. “Momizi, I… what just happened?” Was it really possible to fly like that?

“Oh Faust, I’ve never seen anyone but Miss Shameimaru lift off like that before! And the first time, too!” She was clearly excited. “Have you remembered how to fly?!”

“Apparently. But why? It seems almost too convenient.” There was no way of knowing at this time. It would almost definitely amount to waiting around for all of my memories to return at this rate.

“But you remembered, and that’s a good thing, to be sure!” Her optimism was apparent. “Well, if you know how to fly now, we should really be off; you’re sure you’ll be able to keep up?” She smirked at me.

No choice but to accept that challenge. “After the way I was able to take off like that, I’m gonna have to ask you the same thing.” I returned her smirk.

An amused look appeared on her face. “We’ll see about that!” And she was off, heading in a direction that seemed to go further up the mountain. Determined to catch up, I bolted after her.

Looking back on it now, it seemed odd how well I became accustomed to the new world around me. I suppose it would be natural for a person to feel panicked when there were no memories for them to hold on to, but I did not. Perhaps I felt at home, here in this place known as Gensokyo. Maybe it was my home all along.

. . .

Catching up to her was no meager task. Momizi proved a lot faster than she let herself on to be, and even at my fastest it took a while before she was close enough to talk to. Indeed, the moment I was in the air, flying became as natural to me as walking or running.

“I suppose it is for the best that I came with you,” Momizi called out from in front of me when I was in speaking range. “After all, I can’t very well leave you alone with Miss Shameimaru in that house.”

We were passing over a very large pasture, and there was an even larger forest up ahead. “You don’t live with Aya?” I asked.

“No, I live elsewhere. Aya’s my superior, but we know each other well enough.” Momizi started to drop her altitude gradually in anticipation for the forest; a small path was visible from this distance. “I do apologize for Aya’s behavior, though. She’s a bit energetic, but she’s quite dependable when it counts.”

I followed her gradual decent into the forest, flying just above the small path now. “Hey, Faust? There’s something that’s been bothering me.”

”Yeah?” I couldn’t help but get lost in the feeling of flying. I had never felt so free! Or maybe I had and simply couldn’t remember it.

“Your name… is that all there is to it? You don’t have a surname or anything like that?” Momizi slowed down a bit, and I followed suit.

“Hmm? No, not that I can remember. I mean, ‘Faust’ is the only name that came to mind, and I’m not even sure that’s right.”

Momizi was silent. Trees zoomed by us, and I began to wonder if she even knew where we were going. Suddenly, she spoke up again. “We’re here, I believe. I hope you remember how to land; it’s easy enough if you don’t.” Her feet gracefully touched the ground in front of me.

Attempting to copy her movements, I landed – lacking the same grace, for sure, as my landing shook me up a bit and it was all I could do to keep from toppling over. I could hear Momizi stifle a giggle on my behalf before continuing forward on foot.

I looked ahead of where she was walking, and my vision was filled by the large building before us. It looked quite old; at least a couple hundred years. It was well kept though, and there were obviously signs of life. I could easily recognize it as a shrine, and there was a faint aura coming from somewhere around the area that seemed familiar…

Momizi had continued forward, walking straight through the most apparent entrance and leaving me behind to take in the scenery.

[ ] Continue after Momizi.
[ ] Stay here for a bit and enjoy the view.

________________________________________________

Alright then, I suppose 'Echo' is now the official name for this story. Thanks for the feedback.

[ ] Stay here for a bit and enjoy the view.

[x] Stay here for a bit and enjoy the view.

[ ] Continue after Momizi.

Let us not linger here ...

[x] Continue after Momizi.

{X} Continue after Momizi.

[ ] Continue after Momizi.

I'm gonna go ahead and call the vote now.

I would like to say that I can have the update out in a day, but I have no idea at this point; lots of schoolwork to do tomorrow, and amidst those an exam. So to summarize, if an update isn't out tomorrow, you can expect one soon after.

Well, I sat down to write last night, but I was only able to write one or two sentences before hitting a block. I think I'm burnt out from schoolwork, so I'm gonna take a walk, among other things. There will still be an update tonight, it's just a bit delayed.

Just letting you guys know what's up.

[x] Continue after Momizi.


Taking one last glimpse around the area, I hurried inside the entrance after her, not wanting to be left behind. I heard a faint noise behind me, but I ignored it and continued forward.

I stepped through the entrance and entered a fairly empty room, save for a small wooden table in the center. The tan walls were paper-thin and did little to stand out. There was a sliding door directly in front of me , but other than that, the room was rather plain. Momizi was already inside the room, apparently waiting for me.

“Now, I’ve passed by this place once or twice,” spoke Momizi quietly, “but I don’t know this Sanae too well, so I suspect I’m just as new as you are in this situation. It may be a good idea to follow my lead.” Then, in a louder tone: “Excuse me!”

There was a loud noise in reaction to Momizi’s voice. Footsteps soon followed at a rather quick pace and the door in front of us slid open. A young adolescent girl stood in the doorway, bowing deeply. “Ahh! I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting guests at this hour!” in she said, short of breath.

I immediately realized this must have been the human in the area Momizi mentioned earlier, from the description she gave me. She wore a blue and white outfit, and her sleeves seemed to share the same gaps in the armpit area that Momizi’s had. Her hair was a light shade of green, and she wore what seemed like the head of a frog on the top left side of her head, as well as an accessory shaped like a snake wrapped around a lock of hair, for what reason I couldn’t say.

I let Momizi take care of the talking. “My apologies for disturbing you. We’re just here on a simple visit, so we won’t be troubling you too long.”

“N-no, it’s no trouble at all! Please, make yourselves comfortable! I’ll go prepare something to drink.” With that, she left, sliding the door closed behind her.

Momizi wasted no time, setting the large sword she had been carrying down against the wall nearest to her. “Well, I’d say we surprised her, huh?” she said, sitting down at the lone table, facing the door the girl opened. I followed her, sitting to her right. “In case you haven’t figured it out, she’s a human,” she continued. “I know Miss Shameimaru looked like one when you met her, but that’s because she can hide her wings when she wants to.” The fact that she had wings didn’t really surprise me.

The door slid open again and the girl emerged, carrying a small black tray with what seemed like a plain teapot and several small cups on it. “I just finished making a new batch of tea, so I’d say you came right on time.” She set the tray down on the table. “Welcome to the Moriya Shrine! I don’t believe we’ve properly met; my name is Sanae Kochiya.” She bowed again.

“I’m Momizi Inubashiri, and this is Faust. I’ve seen you a couple of times, but I don’t believe we’ve met each other personally.” I remained quiet, looking over the tray Sanae set down in front of us. There was a sweet smell emanating from the teapot… Apparently I was still familiar with tea. Just how much was I still familiar with? The whole situation was starting to hurt my head.

Sanae looked us over for a moment, saying nothing. “Tengu, huh?” Momizi nodded. “You two look a lot alike… Are you related, by any chance?”

This question caught me off guard, but apparently Momizi was prepared for it, as she almost immediately replied. “Yes… Faust here is my younger brother.”

…Eh?! I looked over at Momizi, who gave me a quick apologetic look. Sanae turned to me with a curious look on her face. “Siblings, huh?”

[ ] Go along with Momizi’s words. There’s no harm in it.
[ ] Deny what she said and explain everything.

________________________________________________

So I can't stay consistent or describe things well, and I don't seem to be able to follow my own schedule. I've got a lot to work on.

[X] Go along with Momizi’s words. There’s no harm in it.

[X] Deny the claim.
[X] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

[X] Deny the claim.
[X] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

[ ] Go along with Momizi’s words. There’s no harm in it.

Momizi neechan

[x] Deny the claim.
[x] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

[X] Go along with Momizi’s words. There’s no harm in it.

Excellent.

[X] Go along with Momizi’s words. There’s no harm in it.

[x] Cousin, actually.

[X] Deny the claim.
[X] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

Lying is bad.

[X] Deny the claim.
[X] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

[x] Deny the claim.
[x] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

I don't want to lie to Sanae's face.

[x] Deny the claim.
[x] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.

Well, seems like denying the claim wins. To be honest, I didn't expect that.

I probably can't get the update out by tomorrow, but I should be able to write it up the day after, so expect that.

...Wow. I really don't know what to say.

>>8720
Ah yes. Your very first "Oh fuck I was not planning on this" moment? Welcome to writefaggotry.

[x] Deny the claim.
[x] Don't spill your guts about everything, but answer honestly (thought perhaps concisely and in an undetailed way) to anything Sanae asks.


…No. I just couldn’t go along with Momizi’s story, harmless as it was. Not only was I a guest here, but I had only just met this Sanae, and I just didn’t get a good feeling from lying to her on such terms. But that didn’t mean I had to explain everything.

I shook my head. “Sorry, Momizi, but no, we’re not really related. Momizi found me just this morning with no memory of who I am and has been more or less taking care of me.” Momizi remained silent; I didn’t look to see her reaction.

Sanae’s expression, however, remained unchanged. “No memories?” She paused for a long moment, leaving me to wonder if she had completely forgotten about the tea she had prepared. “Well, even if the two of you aren’t related, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. And it seems to me that you could use someone like her as family, the way things are right now. Besides,” she added with a smile, “You said yourself that she was taking care of you.” Her smile was pure; it struck me then that this Sanae was a good person.

She continued. “I appreciate your honesty, but your story worries me.” Dispelling my fears about the tea, she began to pour a small amount into three cups, the sweet aroma becoming stronger.

Momizi was still silent. “I wouldn’t worry about me, uh… Sanae, was it?” There was something about her that was easy to be informal with. She nodded in response, having just finished pouring the tea and started to set the cups in front of Momizi and myself. I continued. “I’m not too worried about my past, and I think I’m gonna enjoy my time here, for what it’s worth.” From somewhere, I heard a very faint chuckle.

“This tea is excellent.” Momizi spoke for the first time since my interjection. Apparently she wasted no time in trying the drink before her, and her words reminded me of the drink set before me. I picked it up carefully and took a meager swallow, expecting the same inconsistency between smell and taste I experienced before. Such was not the case this time; the taste was incredible! I had never tried anything like this before, but whatever it was, it was good.

“Oh, you like it? I’ve never made this before, to be honest. I was just experimenting earlier, but I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I uh…” She smiled to herself. “I suppose I should call it Brambleberry tea.”

“Brambleberry, eh? It’s quite good, Sanae.” I took another sip, determined to make it last.

Sanae beamed. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’ll have to make some more if you stop by again.”

“I hate to be rude, Miss Kochiya, but it’s getting dark out, and we really ought to be heading back now,” Momizi said, standing up and grabbing her weapon, still leaning against the wall.

Sanae was clearly surprised. “Huh? But you just got here!” Perhaps a touch disappointed as well.

Momizi was already heading towards the entrance, not bothering to turn around. “I’m sorry about that, but we’ve both got a long day ahead of us. Faust!” My name being the last thing she said, she walked out of the room, leaving me alone with Sanae.

There was a moment of silence before I spoke. “Sorry, Sanae, but I really should be going after her.” I stood up. “Thank you very much for the tea; it was very kind of you.”

Sanae nodded and smiled. “Take care of yourself, then,” she said, and I began to leave.

“Oh, Faust?” Sanae stopped me, and I turned around. “Stick close to her; she obviously cares a lot about you. I think you could use a friend like her right now. On that note, feel free to come by here at any time. I’ll try to help you out in any way that I can.” She gave me her kindest smile yet, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her.

I thanked Sanae one last time before I stepped outside. Indeed, it was quite dark outside. Momizi stood in the distant, just barely visible, clearly waiting for me. I started to approach her… only to have her take off.

Was she angry? By the way she was acting… I ran after her; there was no time to think. I didn’t stop to prepare myself for flight. With a running start, I shot off into the sky, the liftoff coming to me naturally. I didn’t know my way back. Momizi was my only means of getting home.

Fortunately for me, she was still visible, and easy to catch up to at that. She was moving slower than normal… did she want for me to catch up to her? I flew after her, and in no time I was nearly beside her.

I said nothing as I caught up. Nor did Momizi, and there was silence for a good length of time.

“Um…” Momizi was speaking softly, her usual demeanor gone. “Faust, I… I want to apologize.”

Huh? “What for?”

She paused again as we passed over a river. “I was being selfish earlier. I didn’t consider your feelings, and–“

I cut her off. “What are you talking about? I’m not offended or upset or anything like that, Momizi. If this is about lying to Sanae, it didn’t have anything to do with what you said; I just didn’t want to lie to someone like her, especially if I’m a guest.”

Momizi was silent for a bit. “I haven’t been acting myself since you showed up, and for that, I’m sorry. It’s just that I was so excited, finding you, learning about all the mystery surrounding you… it’s probably the most exciting thing to happen around here since that incident with the shrine maiden.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond. “Uh…” Momizi said, slowing down to a halt. I soon followed, and we both hovered in mid-air. “Hey, uh… Faust? About your name, and introducing you, and…” She scratched the back of her head, avoiding eye contact. “Well, uh… I guess what I’m asking is…”

Another pause.

“…Do you mind if I consider you family?” Momizi looked at me, her eyes showing nervousness, yet completely serious.

[ ] Write-in response.

________________________________________________

Hooray, I actually updated.

Last choice before I cut off the prologue.

>>8746

Eh, it's not so much that I was caught off guard by the choice, so much as it was my surprise at the amount of votes. Really, it made my day.

[x] "Not at all "Big Sis".

[x] "Well, like Sanae said, you really can't tell much of a difference between us. Maybe I'm just some long lost cousin who's returned home."

[x] "Not at all "Big Sis".

[x] "Not at all "Big Sis".

[x] "Well, like Sanae said, you really can't tell much of a difference between us. Maybe I'm just some long lost cousin who's returned home."

Seems to fit better with the matter-of-fact attitude this guy's got.

[x] "Well, like Sanae said, you really can't tell much of a difference between us. For all we know, I'm just some long lost cousin who's returned home."

[x] "Well, like Sanae said, you really can't tell much of a difference between us. Maybe I'm just some long lost cousin who's returned home."

[x] Warm, gentle smile. "Of course not. I'd be happy to be a part of your family, and I'll be there for you, whenever you need me".

[x] Warm, gentle smile. "Of course not. I'd be happy to be a part of your family, and I'll be there for you, whenever you need me". Besides, like Sanae said, you really can't tell much of a difference between us. Maybe I'm just some long lost cousin who's returned home."

C-C-C-Combo!

[x] "Not at all "Big Sis".

Calling the vote now, I suppose. As for what won... I don't think I can decide definitively. I may just use all three write-ins.

Tomorrow is a bad day, I can feel it. Expect an update the day after.

>>8827
>the day after
>09/03/04
;_;

>>8844

By my clock it was the day after when I posted that. Doesn't matter much, though.

Can't update tonight, I expect. I'm writing now, but I've been awake for +36 hours, and I have work early tomorrow morning. You will get an update by the end of tomorrow whether you expect it or not.

The next week, if all goes well, will have me updating a lot more frequently.

Please wait warmly until it is ready.

>>8876
Take it easy, you're doing a good job.

[x] “Not at all, ‘Big Sis’.”
[x] “Well, like Sanae said, you really can’t tell much of a difference between us. Maybe I’m just some long-lost cousin who’s returned home.”
[x] Warm, gentle smile. “Of course not. I’d be happy to be a part of your family, and I’ll be there for you whenever you need me.”


There was no way I could deny such a request. In fact, I didn’t want to. She was the closest thing I had to family right now, anyway.

“Of course I don’t mind,” I said with a gentle smile that matched my tone of voice. “I’d be happy to be a part of your family, and--!”

Momizi had thrown her arms around me, and the impact was enough to cut me off. She didn’t say anything, however, and I couldn’t see her face from the angle she was in, so I continued where I left off.

“…and I’ll be there for you whenever you need me, Momizi.”

A quiet, muffled ‘thank you’ came from her; she had clearly buried her face into my chest. Feeling awkward, I couldn’t help but return her embrace. Neither of us said anything, and for a while we simply stayed suspended in mid-air in each others’ arms.

“Besides,” I said, breaking the silence. “Like Sanae said, it’s hard to tell a difference between us.” Momizi looked up at me. “Maybe I’m just some long-lost cousin who’s returned home.” I smiled for added effect.

She laughed at this, releasing her arms around me. “Somehow I doubt that,” she said, her good mood apparent. Then without warning, she flew off in the direction we were heading in before, motioning me to follow.

. . .

We landed outside of Aya’s house. Standing close, with her back turned to me, I noticed that her weapon was now sheathed and tied to her waist. Just when did she do that?

There were no lights coming from inside, probably meaning Aya was asleep. Momizi assumed this as well. “We should be as quiet as possible, Faust.” I nodded.

We entered, met only with silence and darkness. “Follow me,” Momizi whispered. I could barely make out Momizi in front of me; she probably had better eyesight than I did. Sticking close to her, she guided me a short ways to a sliding door.

“Here’s your room,” she continued to whisper. “I really hope Aya cleaned the place up…” I stepped inside the room, my eyes adjusting to the darkness enough to barely make out the familiar room. “Just, uh… Just call if you have any problems.”

I could feel a sarcastic comment welling up inside of me. “Sure thing, ‘Big Sis’.” She said nothing; I couldn’t make out her face to see her reaction.

As I walked to where I slept before, I could feel fatigue grip me; apparently I was a great deal more tired than I realized.

“…night’s rest… tomorrow.”

I had already lied down without my realizing it. Sleep hit me immediately.

. . .

“Yes, rest well, Faust. Tomorrow will be an important day for you.”

Laughter.

* * * * *

________________________________________________

Finally, the prologue is over! Now the story should pick up.

Update tomorrow.

>>8882

Thank you, I appreciate your compliment.

Ah, we've got a new big sis whom we can love in a totally platonic fashion.

Excellent, I'm looking forward to where this is heading.

>>8897
Sure. Nothing weird at all will happen.

That ending was ever so vaguely ominous.

>>8897
I can't imagine Chain will write a (pseudo)incest route, and I-- oh wait.
>There are a total of three character routes that are possible to achieve. The moment they are available, I will let you know, but I will not disclose who is open at this time. I will, however, state that two of the three characters reside on Youkai Mountain.
...Damn.

He might.

Well now this is all kinds of interesting, right here.

It's not like Chain hasn't been totally directing us towards Momizi in every goddamned post of his.

I mean, even when we directly contradicted her, foiling whatever plan she had, for whatever reason Momizi not only wasn't angry, but got to have some sort of moe-moe moment.

So yeah. I think I'm seeing a little bit of gamemaster bias, albeit bias everyone seems to be more or less okay with.

For the sake of dispelling this rumor:

>>8897
>>8903
>>8901

There is no Momizi route. I know what I've been making it look like, but Momizi is there to be exactly what she asked to be: family.

>>8906
I shake my fist angrily at you, good sir.

>>8906
>>There is no Momizi route.
Picture is more or less related to my reaction.

>>8906
>There is no Momizi route.

Eh, no big deal, we've already got a Momizi route going in Vodka's story. Let's get on with the story with this in mind: there are only 3 character routes. Limited, yes, but let's try to focus on characters no one has really done before.

>>8916

Agreed. 3 user choosable routes is much better then being railroaded to the writefags hardon.

Well damn.

How's Kanako, Lily White, and Sanae sound?

Changing my writing style a bit, as well as switching to present-tense. This should hopefully speed up my writing a little.

________________________________________________

Act I: CONSTRUCTION



…you…

There is a blank white surrounding me, as far as the eye can see. The only thing I can make out is a broken, irregular pathway that lies before me. Tiles layer the path, black and white, broken and worn.

How did I get here?

Where will the path take me?

…who…

I cannot bring myself to move from the spot I stand on. My desire is evident, yet my body is unwilling. Frozen in place, I can do nothing but look at the path.

…are… you…

That voice is annoying me.

…me…

Please, stop talking. I’m trying to think.

…find…

I wish for all the world to cover my ears so I don’t have to listen to that voice.

…please…

Just shut up already!

* * * * *

I wake up in a cold sweat. Lying on my back, I stare at the off-white ceiling, gathering my thoughts. Was that a dream? It felt… real…

A chill runs down my spine; as if to confuse me more, words begin to inscribe themselves on the ceiling.

‘the eyes are looking for you’

Before giving me a chance to even question what this means, an overwhelming feeling in the back of my mind tells me to leave as soon as possible. Standing up quickly, I barely recognize the room as the one I woke up in yesterday. It was… clean. Really clean. In fact, aside from the makeshift bed I had been sleeping on, the room was completely empty now. Aya must have really cleaned the place up. The light coming from the now open window tells me it’s daytime, though it’s hard to tell the exact time of day. A small breeze flows through the window; the crisp air is made all the more obvious due to the sweat covering me.

Since I still seemed to be dressed in the same clothes as I was yesterday, I open the sliding door, stepping out into a short hallway. Taking one last look at the room now behind me, I walked through the hall, feeling as awake as if I had been up for several hours.

In the room at the end of the hallway was Aya, scribbling something in a small notebook she was holding. Noticing I had just entered the room, she shut the book quickly and grinned at me. “Finally up, huh? You must have been tired.”

“Yeah, apparently so.” I shrug. “I feel alright now, though.” I glance around the room; a desk near where Aya was standing and a bookshelf with stacks of papers and books scattered about led me to believe this was some sort of a study.

Aya set the notebook down on the desk near her. “I was just about to check up on you. Momizi’s out patrolling the mountain as usual.” Her grin widens. “She seemed to be in a really good mood.” I pay her no heed. In fact, I’m more distracted by the ever-growing feeling that I need to go outside.

“Eh? Faust?” My name catches my attention. “What’re ya planning on doing today?” She has an inquisitive look on her face.

[ ] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.
[ ] Spend time doing whatever Aya’s doing.
[ ] Make an attempt to find Momizi.
[ ] Visit Sanae.

[ ] Spend time doing whatever Aya’s doing.

[ ] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.

[x] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.
[x] Visit Sanae later.

[x] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.

[x] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.

[x] Make an attempt to find Momizi.

[X] Spend time doing whatever Aya’s doing.

>>8925
>Tiles layer the path, black and white, broken and worn.

[x] Feel up Aya in the back of my mind
[x] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.
[x] "Not sure yet. I'll tell you when I get there."

Alright, I suppose Faust is gonna go outside then. Heh, this is going to be interesting...

I wonder if I can get the update out by the end of tomorrow?

>>8944

Oh hey, it's that figure I reserved.

[x] Follow the feeling in the back of my mind.


I’m not sure what to say. “I uh… I’m gonna go out for a while, get a feel for the layout of the mountain or something.” That feeling is nagging at me more and more.

Aya looks at me for a moment with a concerned expression before answering. “…Alright. Just be careful out there.” Looking into her eyes, I’m almost convinced to forget the whole thing and stay here, but I think better of it.

. . .

Stepping outside once more, I feel the solid, cool dirt beneath my still bare feet. It’s windy today. There is a distinct coldness in the air; dark clouds loom overhead, and a chill runs through me. The feeling is getting stronger, and I can’t help but feel like it’s telling me to head east of my position. Looking to my right, I see a short patch of grass; the terrain slopes after that, and the beginnings of a forest follow.

I can’t help but feel excited, for some reason. My heart is racing.

Flying proves even easier the third time. I effortlessly lift off of the ground, and the air enveloping me is a welcome feeling. Without hesitation, I’m off, flying in the direction my mind keeps telling me to go.

As I’m flying, I casually glance down at the scenery below. Swarms of vibrant green forests pass underneath me; up ahead in the distance, a field painted with vibrant yellows and dark browns, a calm, flowing river separating the two.

I was getting closer.

I look up at the sky. The clouds seemed to form a giant mass of gray for all the light that they let through. Was there any light coming through? All this gray is a bit gloomy… To my surprise, the clouds begin to separate as I think this.

The breaks in the clouds begin to form words.

‘to find your answers’

…Eh? The clouds stopped, much to my confusion. Instinctively, I looked down – and saw the river, now below me. Ripples were forming, probably due to unseen movement caused by wildlife. Wait…

The ripples were taking shape.

‘you must leave this mountain’

…What? For some reason, this was becoming a regular occurrence with me. But was this really all the Hat Man’s doing? Was he actually helping me? And just how is he able to do things like that? Who – or what – is he?

Closer. The field of yellow and brown was almost underneath me.

My mind turned to Momizi and Aya, the two youkai who saved me, and the closest thing to family I had. Wherever this feeling was leading me, I shouldn’t stay out too long, lest I worry them. The thought of worrying them causes me to unconsciously pick up speed.

Closer… Closer…

Do I really want answers? I began to wonder about what possible past I might have. Does someone out there know me? There must be answers out there… especially if no one on this mountain knows who I am.

That dream.

…I’m here.

I land directly into the middle of the field, easily the smoothest landing I’ve made since living on this mountain. I look at my surroundings now; the field of yellows and browns was, in fact, a field of unfamiliar flowers. And they were tall. Taller than myself. I’ve never seen flowers so tall. Was this really where the feeling was leading me? What a strange place…

However, it didn’t seem like they were all quite so healthy. To my right, there’s a tiny violet flower. It’s dying, the obvious source being several small weeds covered in thorns wrapping themselves around said flower. I pity such a thing, not being able to fight back against such an overwhelming enemy. If I could just free it…

[ ] Rip the weeds off of the flower.
[ ] Leave it alone, the weeds are covered in thorns.

>>8969

[x] Carefully untangle the weeds from around the flower.

[x] Rip the weeds off of the flower.

Stupid weeds. Stop bullying the flower.

[ ] Rip the weeds off of the flower.

These weeds ... ARE AN EYESORE.

[x] Carefully untangle the weeds from around the flower.

[x] Carefully untangle the weeds from around the flower.

Weeds are technically a part of a plant.

[x] Carefully untangle the weeds from around the flower

{X} Carefully untangle the weeds from around the flower.

...Wow.

Carefully removing the weeds wins. If you're lucky, I may be able to get the update out tonight. It'll be in a new topic.

Heh.