Chapter 7: The Forest of Magic
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Keine's House
Morning of the 17th Day
The next morning, I woke up at sunrise, as I usually did (Eientei's effect on its surroundings most likely interfered with my wake up time. Another reason to hate it). Having nothing urgent to do today, I stood up, slowly stretched and yawned, and quickly adjusted my appearance.
Remembering that I hadn't eaten anything since the full moon, I helped myself to the use of Keine's kitchen. Quickly inventorying her larder, I grabbed a few ingredients to throw together for breakfast. After finishing off my breakfast and making a serving for Keine, I decided to spend the day hiking in the forest. Launching a counterattack while the enemy was still on guard was a foolish move.
And besides, I wanted to relax a little after the events of the full moon.
Checking her room to make sure nothing had happened to her in the night, I decided to let Keine sleep, and quietly left her house.
Human Village
Morning of the 17th Day
If there was one time of the day that I loved, it would be the time shortly after sunrise. A time immediately after the silent dawn, but before the busy afternoon. The only sounds were the sounds of animals, or flowing water. I had nothing against the hustle and bustle of the day, but there was no substitute for such a serene moment. Like everything else that I enjoyed, it only lasted a moment.
"Good morning, Mokou!"
Snapping out of my trance, I was staring at the only other person who could be so cheerful and energetic this early in the morning.
Reimu Hakurei, the local shrine maiden.
"Good morning, Reimu," I responded politely, hoping that she would not want to walk beside me and talk. Judging by how she slowed her pace to keep up with mine, however, she did.
"So, Yukari told me that you had gone to the festival a few days ago. You're not... causing trouble or anything, are you?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, which was understandable. After all, when anything went wrong, Reimu took it upon herself to interfere in whatever she could, regardless of the consequences. Typically, those consequences were negative.
"It was a friendly visit, nothing more," I responded, stopping myself from voicing my previous thought. "What are you doing in the village?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't want her to know more than I needed her to know. I had nothing against the shrine maiden, but she relied too heavily on emotion, a flaw that only brings ruin.
"I come here every two or three days to buy some supplies. Mainly rice, actually. Do you know how unbelievably heavy rice is? I have to carry two baskets of it every time I come down here, and that's not even considering the vegetables, sake, paper, ink, charcoal, wood... It's too much for me to handle alone, but, nevertheless, I strain myself, alone, for a shrine that nobody cares about."
I let her rant uninterrupted, because it was much easier to tune her out and go back to my thoughts than carry on a conversation with her. Although it was unusual to hear her complain, I paid it no mind. After all, she was still a child.
"Are you having any large gatherings at the shrine?" I asked, catching her mid-sentence.
"Huh?" She thought for a few seconds, "I don't think so... The closest feast, which is the only reason anyone visits the shrine anymore, is about a month away. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. I was just wondering when I would be able to see some of Gensokyo's more... elusive creatures."
"Do you mean Yuyuko? Or Yukari?" Once again, she was suspicious. Then again, due to Yukari's nature, anyone wanting to see her would be considered suspicious. Acting almost like a god, she was seen when she wanted to be seen, and only when she felt like stooping so low as to talk to those beneath her. Needless to say, she was a bit of a challenge to deal with.
"Neither, actually," I quickly lied. It wouldn't be good to have Reimu make another attempt on my life, even if it was futile. "I was actually hoping to speak with that reporter about an article concerning the Forest of the Lost that she printed recently. I would give anything to know how she dreams up these stories."
"If you do, let me know!" Reimu said, warming up for another tangent. "In the last issue, she made several claims about the shrine being haunted! As a professional shrine maiden, I can completely confirm that the shrine has been exorcised no less than twice, and is completely free of all-"
"I thought you were going into the village, not the forest," I interrupted. As we spoke, we had walked out of the village and onto the path to the Forest of Magic. Bowing quickly, Reimu muttered something under her breath, and ran back to the village.
I figured that, while I was here, I should pay the two spell casters a visit.
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The Forest of Magic
Late Morning of the 17th Day
It didn't exactly take me too long to find what I was looking for. After walking a few yards into the forest, a giant white explosion shook the forest, indicating that my target was about twenty yards in front of me.
"Why would you do that?" an indignant voice cried out, as I approached the hedges of Marisa Kirisame's house. "That could have killed me! A few feet to the left and it would have leveled my house!"
Getting closer, I stumbled across the two, Alice Margatroid and Marisa Kirisame, having an argument on the neatly swept walkway in Marisa's yard.
"What'cha talkin' about?" Alice replied, backed up by the two wooden dolls floating behind her. "I happened to find that piece of paper in my yard, and decided to bring it back, out of the goodness of my heart. I had no way of knowing it would be a spell card."
"You lying assassin!" Marisa screamed back, waving her fists in the air so wildly that she knocked off her black hat. Not seeming to notice, she decided to turn the tables. "That card had an incantation on it! What'd you think it was, a poem?"
"Perhaps I did. Maybe it was something that you didn't want anyone to see, so you rigged it to explode! Wouldn't be uncommon for a brute like you!"
"Right, Alice," Marisa said, bending down to pick up her hat. "You win, you're right. Now could you go away? It appears I have a visitor."
"By all means, don't mind me," I said, almost laughing. "If there's one thing I know about, it's troublesome neighbors."
"Exactly!" they both shouted at once, before Alice stormed off.
"Looks like you've wandered into the wrong forest," Marisa smirked, clearly eager to know what I was doing so far from my home.
"Perhaps you're right. I must have taken a wrong turn, and should be going now." I let my words sink in before turning around towards the direction of the village.
"Wait, you came here for a reason, didn't you?" Marisa called after me, clearly unable to pass up anything interesting.
"That depends on how busy you are. Between quarreling, blowing things up, developing larger explosions, and stealing what doesn't belong to you, I imagine that you have quite a busy schedule."
"Well," Marisa said, trying to act casual by leaning on a wall, "I guess I could make time. After all, the quarrelin' and explodin' is done, so all I have left is making bigger explosions and blatant thievery. And, if all goes according to plan, a visit to Patchouli should take care of those later this evening." She tried in vain to look serious, "So, what business do you have here?"
"Eientei." Taking a moment to savor the look of comical confusion on her face, I continued, "Or, more specifically..." I couldn't mention the feud, couldn't make it seem personal... "More specifically, Eirin Yagokoro. I need to make some medicine for a disease I've contracted, but, if my sources are correct, only Eirin has the necessary resources to make the cure."
"Why not just ask her?" Marisa shrugged, making it clear that I was starting to bore her.
"She wouldn't help me, Marisa. I need the alchemist, not the ingredients. I just need her to make the drug, and get back to her daily life. That's all."
Finally getting what I was trying to say, Marisa's face brightened by no less than three shades. "So, you want me to kidnap her, steal whatever I can from her stock, and bring her to you?" This is why I liked Marisa. She was quick, to the point, and rarely needed an excuse for senseless violence.
"Exactly," I replied, though her method was a little more direct than mine. "I can't accompany you, as I would attract too much suspicion. Can you give me an estimate of when you will have Eirin?"
"This evening! Just come by, and I can guarantee that Eirin will be at our service. After all, it's not like I actually have anything else to do. Patchouli has been on her guard lately." So that is why she was so eager to do this. It seemed suspicious at first, but... Perhaps being simple wasn't so bad...?
I thanked her, worked out a price (I was foolish for thinking that she would do it for free), agreed to be her servant for two months (the fool...), and went on my way.
After Marisa, I headed for her neighbor, Alice Margatroid.
Alice's house was much neater than Marisa's. Although Kirisame kept her yard fairly clean, her windows showed that the inside of her house was almost bursting with all sorts of odds and ends. In contrast, Alice lived in a small cottage in a clearing. Her yards was neatly kept, and her perfectly washed windows revealed an almost spotless interior.
"Conspiring with that witch?" Holding a watering can, Alice noticed me as she was turning around to pick up a pot she had dropped. "Or did she send you here to try and obliterate everything I hold dear?"
"Ironic, considering you tried to kill me without warning," I muttered, thinking of how this arrogant doll maker could be of any use to me. "Actually, I'm here to talk about that recent incident."
"Oh, you mean the one with the moon?" Alice set down her watering can, took off her gloves, and motioned me to follow her inside. Overall, a lot more civilized than her rambunctious neighbor. Not that I wanted to see the inside of Kirisame's house.
So, not wanting to offend her, I found myself walking in her front door, which slammed shut the moment I passed it.
"Excellent, now I have the advantage!" Alice gloated, practically singing with joy.
"I am forced to admit defeat," I muttered just loud enough for her to hear, which only inflated her ego to the point where I could barely fit in the room.
"So, what were you and Marisa talking about?" Alice said, once again surrounded by her floating toys. "If you're here to destroy, steal, or ruin anything, it would be better to tell me now than have me find out the hard way." Despite her dignified manner, her isolation has caused her to retain the mindset of a childish brat, and nothing more. Wondering why I didn't simply fulfill her wish of destroying everything, I collected my thoughts, and thought up a suitable excuse.
"It was regarding the mushrooms from this forest. Keine had asked me to get a few, so I-"
"That's a liiiiiie!" Alice sang, almost drowning in her own 'victory.' "Now... what'll I use this time?" She grabbed a large book from one of her shelves and opened it up. The book had several nasty looking runes in it, telling me what her intentions were.
"Are you going to torture and kill me, or are you going to try and find out what my purpose is? More powerful beings have tried to kill me, so I guarantee you won't get far."
"Thiiiiis one!" Alice giggled, completely ignoring me. The whole room faded into blackness, which was instantly replaced by a swirling mass off... was it... magical energy? Some form of a chemical? Something else? In the purple swirling mass... something... that surrounded us, millions of wooden dolls, each seeming to have its own features, surrounded us. It was remarkable how so many dolls could be so unique. Surely, this girl- No! I can't be distracted!
Then, I noticed the Alice in front of me, and I made a very educated guess about my surroundings.
Judging by Alice's indescribably dazzling clothes, her perfect appearance, and her smug grin, I knew where I was.
This was either Alice's mind, or Hell itself.
