Touhou - Impure Dreams about a Strange Land

A Familiar Problem

(Author: Since I still have some plans for the Main Character, leaving him locked in Bonded By Sin, didn't feel like the correct thing to do, so this is the alternate path where he refuses Koakuma's advances.)

Man, I think I made a huge mistake. Koakuma is really close to me, awaiting for my answer. I won't lie, i wouldn't mind spending my night with her, but Patchouli warned me for a reason. And we all know, letting your head from down there do the decision making, more often than not, ends in disaster.

"Look, Koakuma, I..." I look at her again, her eyes are staring at me with need, lust. Not even my first girlfriend gave me a look so sweet in all of our relationship. She's breathing heavily, staring at me with so much intensity I can feel she's drilling a hole in my face.

"Yes, Nobu?" Her hands are on my leg. I can't. I can't give in.

"Look, you flatter me, but I'm more old fashioned, you know?" She squeezes my thigh, and her hands slowly creep towards my crotch. "I-I like dating first, getting to know each other, y-you know? W-We shouldn't go so fast!"

"Oh? But you're so eager already... Why don't we skip all those things first? We can start doing them tomorrow, after we..." She releases my leg and reaches for my face, holding me gently but firmly. "You know, work out some stress, together~"

I stand up, moving away from her. You don't know how much self restraint I'm putting on myself. "Stop that! My answer is final. I'm sorry, but something doesn't feel right." I scratch my head, why is this so difficult? "Just give me some more time to-"

I take a look at her and she's looking away, hiding her face. She's quiet, way too quiet. But there is a nasty sound coming from her. Is she gritting her teeth...?

"Um... Koakuma? Is everything alright?"

No answer, but her body starts to get tense and she's clenching her hands so hard she's piercing through the fabric of her skirt with her nails. I believe I should leave while I can.

"Hey, please don't be mad... We'll be coworkers for a while now, who knows what the future holds for us, right?" Again, no answer at all. I try to pat her head but... I better leave her be, I would rather have my hand attached to my body. "...sorry. Have a good night, Koakuma."

I leave the hall, trying my best to avoid crossing her field of view. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I have a vague sensation of danger lingering in my head. Staying locked inside my room for the night sounds like the best idea for now. Dashing through the mansion, the halls feel endless, and without the fairy maids floating around, I feel isolated, singled out by some predator lurking in these corridors.

After what it felt like hours, I finally find my door. Almost there! I start sprinting towards it at full speed. From behind me, I hear the flapping of leathery wings growing closer, frightening closer. I instinctively take a dive towards the floor before something tried to swoop down on me, moving insanely fast before crashing against the floor.

It was Koakuma. Her wings look a lot bigger now, she's drooling, barely containing herself. And her gaze... there was no semblance of a civilized thought in her eyes, it was all replaced with primitive, furious hunger. I don't think I can talk my way out of this one, but words is all I have unless Yukari decides to show her pretty ass for once and save me from this madhouse. "Hey K-"

"SHUT UP!" The way she yelled at me made my blood freeze. "I'm sick of listening to you. Always waiting, always being a stepping stone for everyone in this place! Always carrying my master's burden FOR DECADES, and still I have to work like a slave in that blasted library of hers! Not anymore, I refuse to keep on going with this, and the first thing I'm going to do, is claim you for myself." She takes a step towards me. "Now it is your turn. Step inside your room if you're willing to comply. If not, well... I don't mind chasing you down for a bit, it'll make the reward even more sweeter for me~"

She opens the door to my room with an inviting gesture. Looking at the darkness inside made me feel extremely nauseous.  Without saying anything else, I bolt to the opposite side of the corridor. I have to run. I need to find Patchouli or Sakuya as soon as I can.

I run through unfamiliar corridors and halls, I'm completely lost. I can hear her wings and her voice calling me from far away.  I look through a window. It is dark outside already. Going out there would be suicide, there's no way I could win against her in an open field, but I don't know how to return to the main hall. I finally find a set of stairs going to the upper floor. Running blindly sounds like a bad idea, but staying still sounds even worse.

I never saw the second floor before. Sakuya didn't show me this place before. All the fairy maids are scattered around, scared and hiding inside their rooms. At least they could take me with them, you know? I'm the one being followed by a winged horror!

I keep running around, trying to open the doors but they're either locked or the fairy maids are holding them from opening. Come on, give me a break...

The low lights in the second floor make it feel even more eerie than the first floor. Some moonlight goes through the windows, but it doesn't make me feel less scared, I get that awful feeling that something is about to lunge at me from the dark. I can hear Koakuma's sweet but haunting voice, echoing through the halls. "Nobu~ ♥. Please, don't tire yourself so much, we have an entire night to go through~ ♪"

I hide inside a room to catch my breath. Where in the hell are the rest of the residents? They must've heard something, right? Or are they feeding me to Koakuma just like that? But it doesn't make sense, Patchouli warned me for a reason, right?

*Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap*

I hold my mouth as tight as possible, trying to muffle my breathing. I didn't know she was so close to me.

"You're running out of floors to escape to, my precious Nobu. Or are you guiding me into the rooftop for a date? You humans are so romantic~ ♥, just thinking about making love under the stars is getting me even more excited!"

*Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap*

"Where are you~"

*Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap*

...I think she's going away. She's losing it, and I don't want to find out what she has in store for me if she gets me. I move outside of the room and take a few steps into the corridor.

*Drip. Drip*

Something  viscous is falling on my shoulder. It is saliva. My adrenaline starts pumping through my body and I jump out of the way before she drops from the ceiling. I don't even look at her, I just start running, climbing the last set of stairs going up.

I barely get away from her by doing sharp turns  through the corridors of the third floor. She's so frenzied she can't control the speed of her movements. If she catches me, I can't expect my bones to endure that lunge without damage, not to mention what comes after that.

I finally reach the last flight of stairs and there's a small room next to it. I don't know what to do, if I hide in that room, I might have a chance to fool her into thinking I'm on the rooftop, if not, I'm trapped in a small room with her. But if I move to the rooftop, I'm esentially cornered. Maybe if I'm lucky, the clock tower is open for me to hide into. If not, it is just me, her and a potentially lethal fall.  She's getting close, I have to decide now!

[Going to the Rooftop: That room is a trap. It would take only a glance from her to spot me and get me.]

[Hiding in the small room: As cool as a standoff on the rooftop sounds, that only works in videogames.]