An invitation to Gensokyo

Chapter 15: an imperishable night part 2

Ten years ago, a great battle was fought between a wandering half-human half-phantom samurai, and a great and powerful Youkai. Wielding a sword that cut clean through any and all evil, the samurai had fought his hardest against the Youkai, however, it wasn't enough. The Youkai had eventually brought him to his knees, but he know could not submit. "I cannot allow you to take him, you know what that power is capable of!" He pleaded with the Youkai, who simply smiled smugly at him. "Well, that's exactly why I need his power for myself. With his soul, what I envision will become a reality! The future of Gensokyo will be one of prosperity and power! One where Youkai rule with an iron fist!" She yelled, laughing evilly afterwards. Footsteps came running from afar, a fellow samurai, who prays he's not to late to save his dear friend. "YOUKI!" He called out, sheathed sword in hand. The half-human half-phantom turned and faced him. "No, Sanger! She's too much for you! Here!" The half-human half-phantom, Youki, called out to his friend, throwing his sword to the human Samurai, Sanger. He caught it without trouble. "But, what about you?!" He cried. "I'll hold her off for as long as I can! Get that sword to the boy!" Youki replied. However, not a moment later, a sharp metal pole impaled him from behind, piercing straight through his stomach. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and the great Youkai laughed triumphantly. "What can you do to stop me, you old fool? Did you and that idiotic human think you could possibly stop me, you Youkai wannabe?" She said. "NOOOO!" Sanger cried out in agony, staring at Youki's lifeless body. He turned to the Youkai, filled with rage. "YOU WITCH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" He went for his blade, to which the Youkai smiled evilly. She snapped her fingers, and another powerful Youkai, seemingly appeared before Sanger. He didn't hesitate, drawing the sacred blade, he slashed down upon her. However, the Youkai used her sharp claws to collide with the blade, causing it to move out of her way. Her claws grinding against the metal, making a loud screeching noise. She scratched Sanger's right cheek, leaving three long cuts on his face. He withdrew as quickly as he could, holding his hand to his cheek in an attempt to prevent any further bleeding. He held still for a moment, contemplating between his options. One, fight the Youkai in order to avenge his dear friend, which would certainly lead to his demise. Or, return to the outside to bring the sword to the only one who may be able to save gensokyo. "Youki... your sacrifice won't be in vain..." Sanger told himself before turning to run away. "Shall we purse him?" The second Youkai asked the first, but she shook her head. "There's no point. Gensokyo already belongs to us." She said before releasing a maniacal laugh.

"Man, it's certainly been a long time, hasn't it Ran?" Ryusashi asked impatiently. He lazed in the candle lit living room as Chen rolled a ball of yarn on the floor. "Maybe we should go out and start looking?" He asked as Ran set a tray with a tea set on the table. "For the last time, forget it! I was given specific instructions by lady Yukari as to not leave the house, or go after her. That applies to you as well." She said, losing patience. She poured herself a cup of tea, and took a long sip, and quickly lowering it to the table. She looked inside the cup at the leftover liquid swishing inside. "Just so you know, I'm not exactly ok with this either. I would rather be helping in any way possible right now, however, I don't have that privilege at the moment." She continued disappointedly. She poured another cup for herself, quickly drinking the whole thing and placing the cup on the table. She was clearly running out of patience.  Chen continued rolling the ball of yarn back and forth on the floor, it rolled over to Ryusashi, who pushed it back to Chen out of boredom. "Isn't there anything we can do?" Ryusashi asked, making Ran sigh as she poured the remainder of tea left in the kettle into her cup. "Yes, there is. Sit and wait patiently as lady Yukari instructed us to." She said before finishing her tea in one go, then setting her cup on the table. She picked up the empty kettle and brought it to the kitchen, filling it with water and then setting it on the burner before lighting it with her fox fire. She watched the kettle, tapping her foot impatiently while waiting for it to boil. Her tails swayed with anxiety, Ryusashi watched then quickly move from left to right. Ran felt his gaze on her back, and thinking he had ill intentions, she turned around quickly with an angered expression. Although, he was simply rolling the ball of yarn back and forth with Chen, who was purring happily while pawing at the ball with him. Ran turned her nose up and looked back to the stove. Ryusashi turned back to Ran's tails, still watching them sway vigorously left and right, up and down. She turned back again, and Ryusashi went back to playing with Chen, who yawned quietly before setting her head down, curling up next to the table. The kettle whistled, and Ran put out her fox fire and poured a the boiling water in cup before mixing in some ground up leaves. She brought the cup up to her lips, but didn't take a sip. She stared into the cup, looking at her reflection in the liquid. Her hands shook as she gripped her cup, her breathing uneven. Ryusashi sighed when he took notice. He walked over, and he placed his hand on hers. She turned her face to meet his, then looked back down at her tea again. "Put it down." He whispered to her as he guided her trembling hands and the teacup onto the countertop. She looked back it him again with an angered expression. "I don't need you to pity me!" She shouted, turning away from him. Ryusashi paid her anger no mind, and simply hugged Ran from behind. She gasped gently at the sudden embrace and turned her head to the ground, small tears began forming in her eyes. "You're stressed, but it's alright. I'm here with you, just like you were there for me when I felt the same way." He said softly, attempting to soothe her if only a little bit. He put his hand on top of hers, resting them on her waist, hugging her tightly but not tightly enough to cause any discomfort. Ran's tails continue to sway, but they become more controlled, moving slower than they were. She turned around to return the hug, planting her face in the centre of Ryusashi's chest, before sobbing lightly. "It's my fault... it's all my fault..." Ran said, her voice breaking up as she gripped Ryusashi's shirt. He hugged her tighter, putting his cheek on her forehead as she cried. "If only... if only I had restrained myself... lady Yukari she... she wouldn't have beaten you... you didn't deserve that." She said through her sobs, struggling to hold herself together. "Ran, you don't need to blame yourself. I did what I did because I wanted to protect you." Ryusashi whispered lightly as he caressed her back. "I don't want you to cry anymore, I want to see your beautiful smile, Ran. I'll do whatever it takes to make you stop crying, even what I'm not supposed to." Ryusashi continued, and Ran looked up at him with teary eyes. "Wh-what are you saying?" She asked worriedly, and Ryusashi looked down at her with a smile. "You're stressed because Yukari hasn't returned yet, right? It must've been days by now. I'll go get her, and bring her back. I promise you." He declared bravely, Ran placed her head on his chest once more. "Is that really such a good idea?" She asked anxiously, and Ryusashi sighed. "And what makes you say that?" He asked and she hugged a little tighter. "Have you already forgotten what happened just a few hours ago? You just had a minor concussion, you're in no condition to go out and play incident resolver!" Ran said as she pulled away, brushing her tails on Ryusashi's chest. "Besides, it's not like we can PHYSICALLY leave anyway." Her statement made Ryusashi raise an eyebrow. "Come again?" Ryusashi asked skeptically. Ran turned around and folded her arms under her chest. "While you were out cold, Yukari-Sama put up a special barrier around the house, even I can't pass through it, or take it down. I'm sorry."  She said looking down sorrowfully, she felt like she had let Ryusashi down. He scoffed at her smugly. "A barrier? That's it? What a joke." He replied, amused by Ran's anxiety. Ran stared at him like he had lost his mind. "What are you talking about? That barrier is practically indestructible, even with brute force you'll never break it!" She said, confused by Ryusashi's confidence. He walked out the sliding door, the Zankanto was slung over his shoulder. A short distance from the porch, the air looked warbled and distorted somehow. "That must be it. Grandma seriously thought she could lock me in my room? That's funny." Ryusashi said to himself, Ran jumped in front of him, trying to hold him back. "I'm telling you, it's useless! You're not well, let's just go back inside!" She pleaded to Ryusashi, but he simply pat her head and gently moved her to the side. You're sorely underestimating me, Ran. To be honest, I'm a little offended. You have no idea what I'm capable of." He said, slinging the blade off his shoulder and into his hand. Ran had just noticed it, and stared with surprise. "What is that?" She asked timidly, and  Ryusashi smiled at her. "An old keepsake of mine from a good friend. And it's been waiting for the day it gets put to use once more for a very long time." He said as he lowered himself into a stance, his left leg bent behind him with his right front and centre. He closed his eyes as he unsheathed his blade, remembering the words of his master. "If you let the Zankanto guide you..." he began raising the sword slowly, with a firm grip on the handle. "Then there is nothing..." he took a deep breath, steadying himself. "That you cannot slash through!" Opening his eyes, Ryusashi lunged his left foot forward, slamming it into the ground. And with all his might, Ryusashi brought his sword downward across the barrier and shouted with the very essence of his soul: "CHEEEAAASUTOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!" The blade clashed with the barrier, causing a shockwave strong enough to knock Ran clean off her feet. "U-uwaah!!" She yelped as she fell back onto her fur, Chen came running outside to see the commotion. "Ran-sama! Are you alright?" She said, helping Ran back to her feet. "Ahh... I'm ok, Chen. Thank you." She shook her head, trying to shake off the ringing in her ears, then turned back to Ryusashi. There wasn't so much as a dent in the barrier. "See? It's pointless. You can't just-" Ran was cut off when Ryusashi raised a finger. He stood up straight and brought the edge of the sword back to the scabbard. He slid the blade in, and just as he clicked it back inside, the barrier began to crack, and crack, until it shattered into millions of pieces. Ran stood still, jaw dropped in amazement. "Bu-but... how?" She asked, and Ryusashi turned to face her, holding his sword triumphantly in front of him. "There's nothing my Zankanto cannot cut." He claimed with a grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Yukari was still investigating the cause of the incident with no leads. Until she felt a chill run down her spine, she turned with suspicion. "Is something wrong, Yukari?" A brown haired girl asked her impatiently. Yukari grinned at her, spinning her umbrella in her palms. "It seems that he's gotten through my barrier, I didn't expect it to fall so easily." Yukari said calmly, although slightly disturbed. The brown haired girl turned to face her. "That certainly didn't take very long. You're getting soft, old lady." She said, and Yukari scowled at her. "Come now, there's no need for such harsh language... Reimu Hakurei." She said to Reimu. "You know I still have to test him, see if he's capable in this line of work." Reimu declared, somewhat annoyed and pointing her purification rod right at Yukari's cheek. Yukari just brushed her off with a smile. "I know, I know. Do what you must, but I assure you, he's more than capable." Yukari stated, and Reimu scoffed at her. "Well, outsider. Come and show me what you're made of!"