NOVEL WEB Part 5: Growing Pains
It had been almost a week since the Scarlet Devil Mansion had entered lockdown, and things had started to sour. Remilia, Flandre and Sakuya were sitting in the main room, with Remilia holding a cup of tea, Sakuya standing by her side. Opposite her, Flandre had a pouty face, and her arms were crossed.
"Remiiiiii!" Flandre whined. "Can we open up the mansion again?"
"No, Flan." Remilia said simply, sipping her tea.
"But I'm booooored..." Flan kept complaining. "And hungryyyyy. We have food that tastes good but it doesn't make me feel full at all!"
"Flan, I've told you this before. We can't go out and get blood until we know for sure that it's safe outside."
Flan grumbled and replied "I don't understaaaand. If anyone comes I can just make them go boom and then we'll be safe for sure, right?"
Remilia sighed. "You know I said already that's not going to work. The person attacking us is too strong, even for me, Flan. Even for you."
"I don't believe you. I can destroy anything! Nothing is stronger than that!" Flandre grouched.
"Oh? And if that's so, how did you end up losing not just once, but twice to the shrine maiden and her friend?" Remilia asked nonchalantly.
"That's not fair! They cheated! It doesn't count if you cheat!" Flan shouted.
"Stop being petty, Flandre. They beat you fair and square, just like they beat me."
Flan was silent for a time, then said "So you're a coward, sis?"
Remilia's eyes shot open in a glare at Flandre. "Flandre. Watch your tongue."
"I won't!!!" Flandre yelled. "I'm not scared! Of you, or these bad guys! You never win when we play, Sis, and you know it! I'm stronger than you!"
Remilia's teeth clenched. "Flandre. Enough."
"If you're so scared, you should make all these barriers go away and let me just destroy everything!! I don't care how strong they are, I'll win!!" Flandre kept shouting.
At last, Remilia's composure broke. "Do you want Meiling to DIE, Flan?! Is that what you want? For Meiling to get eaten and DIE? And never play with you again? Never tell you another bedtime story, never plant any more flowers?!"
Flandre's eyes widened, and her face scrunched up, tears welling in her eyes. "No...I just-"
"Then go to your room and shut up until we're done! If you care about Meiling, then go in the basement and just WAIT!!" Remilia bellowed.
There was silence for a time, and Flandre sniffed quietly. Remilia's eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. Before she could say anything else, Flandre looked Remilia in the eyes and choked out "You're a stupid idiot, sis. I hope you get hit by the sun and disappear. You're a coward, and you shouldn't be the one in charge, it should be ME!" Flandre sobbed, before getting up and running away.
Remilia's breath caught in her throat. "Wait. Wait, I didn't mean that. Flan, I'm sorry! Flan, come back! Flan!!" But Flandre had already disappeared.
Remilia set her tea down and sat forward in the couch, placing her head in her hands. "I didn't... mean it..." She whispered, her own eyes becoming wet.
Sakuya's face grew concerned, and she sat down next to Remilia, who quickly buried her face against Sakuya's shoulder. "Mistress..."
"I already know, Sakuya. Just say it, I must be the worst sister ever." Remilia managed, a lump rising in her throat.
Sakuya was silent, then sighed. "I don't believe that's true, Remi. Perhaps you didn't display it in the most appropriate way, but..." She gazed up at the ceiling. "The fact that you're going this far to protect not just Meiling, but all of us - including Flan - I think you're a wonderful sister. It's clear you care about the young mistress very, very much. If you would like, I could offer some of my blood to you and Miss Flandre."
Remilia shook her head, wiping her eyes. "No. You already do more than enough for us. We can't ask that of you on top of-" She gestured around the room. "All this. I don't know what to do other than hold out and resist my hunger. I'm hungry as well, but I can't show weakness right now. Flandre needs to see that I'm being strong, otherwise she'll start falling apart."
Remilia's fist tightened into a ball. "Damn this oomukade!" She growled, slamming her fist on the table. "If it would just show itself already, we could figure out what to do next. But it's playing with us. I have a feeling it knows that our resources are limited, and now it's just waiting us out. Eventually, sooner or later, we WILL have to feed."
"If I may, mistress." Sakuya nudged. "Is it really necessary for all of us to stay here?"
Remilia's gaze turned back to Sakuya. "What do you mean?"
"The oomukade is targeting Meiling. Therefore, there's no need for you or the young mistress to remain in this mansion. Miss Patchouli, Koakuma, and myself could remain here while you refuel."
Remilia considered Sakuya's offer, and was about to agree, but then another thought came. "... No."
Sakuya tilted her head. "No, Milady?"
"No." Remilia repeated. "Meiling is a dragon and she'd still lose to this oomukade. If any of us went outside for any reason, it would be far too easy to capture us, hold us hostage, and have Meiling exchange her own life for our safety. And Meiling wouldn't listen if we told her to forget about us. She would put us first, always."
Sakuya's expression darkened. "I hadn't considered that. Very astute, Milady... And very unfortunate."
Remilia folded her hands in front of her, and took a deep breath. "We're in check. One wrong move and it'll be checkmate. Whoever this oomukade is, they've already thought of everything. We might ask for help from the other youkai and gods of Gensokyo, but if these centipedes are strong enough to take down a dragon, I can't think of anyone who would be of enough help. Save..." Her face drew into a scowl. "The Hakurei shrine maiden."
"But?" Sakuya inquired.
"If we were to seek her help, we would have to reveal Meiling's true nature to her, and her response is unpredictable. Knowing that there's a living, breathing, fully-grown dragon here, in the heart of Gensokyo? She might go to the gap youkai. Or to the oni hermit. She would certainly rid us of the oomukade, but it's highly likely she'd exterminate or seal away Meiling, too." Remilia bit her thumb. "Curses. Curses, curses, curses."
Sakuya paused, then asked thoughtfully "Would we really need to reveal Meiling to the shrine maiden, though, Mistress?"
Remilia turned to look at Sakuya. "Beg pardon?"
"We needn't mention Meiling at all, to be blunt. Consider the nature of what we're up against. Oomukade eat dragons, this is true. But just knowing that doesn't automatically reveal any of us as a dragon."
Remilia, now intrigued, asked "What are you suggesting, exactly?"
"We know that they eat dragons, but we also know that, to do this, they possess immense magical power. I don't feel the need to bring up the relevance of their diet to our mansion at all; simply telling the shrine maiden that there is a youkai loose powerful enough to kill a dragon should set her on the right path, while not incriminating us in any way. We would simply be giving her a friendly tip. And with luck, she would tell the gap youkai. She can tell whoever she likes, the more firepower the merrier." Sakuya gave a knowing smile. "But we remain completely unrelated to the incident at hand, save for a tipoff."
Remilia thought long and hard about Sakuya's plan. She tried to find any major flaws in it, but the more she thought, the more it made sense. "True. Very true. The oomukade has nothing to do with us. We're just concerned for Gensokyo. As an act of good faith." Remilia grinned wickedly. "Quite the intelligent plan, Sakuya."
Sakuya bowed deeply. "You are too kind, Milady."
Remilia stood up, and began to pace the room. "In return, we can ask for blood donations. What's a little bit of blood compared to the safety and security of all of Gensokyo?"
"An excellent argument, Milady." Sakuya responded.
Remilia put her hands on hips and announced "Then! It is decided. Sakuya."
Sakuya nodded. "Yes, Milady."
"Go now, and request the shrine maiden's assistance. Tell her to spread the word that the threat is now too great to ignore, that the very balance of Gensokyo is at stake. And that we were the first ones to notice."
Sakuya bowed again. "It shall be done, Milady." With that, she vanished.
Remilia stride to the window, her fanged grin growing wider. "It's time to go on the offensive. This battle has begun, and we will not rest until victory is ours. It's time to call in some pest control."
Reimu was sitting inside the shrine today, along with Marisa and another girl. The girl was clad in white shorts with red patterning, and a shirt that was the inverse: red with white patterning. Her hair was long, green and curled at the bottom, and she wore a simple pair of sandals on her feet. Her name was Aunn Komano, and she was the primary guardian of the Hakurei shrine.
"Geez. It's hot today." Reimu complained.
Marisa chuckled. "Aw, come on. It ain't that bad. Besides, ya got shade to sit in, don't ya? And tea to drink. I don't think ya have any right to complain."
"Says you." Reimu retorted without much effort. "How are you not dying in those clothes?" She asked, eyes running over Maria's black and white outfit.
Marisa grinned, and stuck out her tongue. "Wouldn't you like to know! Besides I think ya should be more worried about yer dog than me. She doesn't look like she's doin' too well."
Reimu turned to look at Aunn, who was spread out on the floor, unmoving. She nudged Aunn with her foot, and Aunn groaned quietly.
"She's fine." Reimu replied, taking sip of tea.
"Gosh. Ya could cool the shrine by yerself with that frozen heart'a yers." Marisa snickered. "Look at poor Aunn, so hot she's barely movin'. Shouldn't you get her some water or somethin'?"
"She'll be fine. If she can withstand a danmaku battle with me, she can take a little heat." Reimu insisted. "Besides, it's not like there's any way to cool her down right now anyway. Though if you'd like to go out and find Cirno..." She suggested.
Marisa laid back on the tatami-mat floor, and closed her eyes. "Nope! Not a chance." she announced with a grin.
Reimu glared at her, grunting in frustration. "I should start kicking you out whenever you come over."
"But yer not gonna. I'm such good company, to kick me out would leave ya with nothin' to do and no one to talk to. So you keep me around."
"You keep telling yourself that. Maybe one day it'll be true." Reimu grumbled, about to take another gulp of tea.
Suddenly, Sakuya appeared out of thin air, standing over the table that the three were at. Marisa and Reimu both yelled in shock, with Reimu spilling the tea on her dress.
"Good afternoon." Sakuya cordially greeted them.
Reimu stood up, and glanced down at her clothes. "Good afternoon?! That's all?! Look what you made me do, you scared the hell out of both of us!"
Sakuya shrugged and replied. "I apologize. However, there is a more pressing matter at the moment."
Marisa, regaining her composure, joked "More important than makin' Reimu angry? Better be somethin' good!"
Reimu glared at Marisa, then returned her gaze to Sakuya. "What do you want?!" She snarled, crossing her arms.
"Do you recall the powerful youkai we mentioned to you last week?" Sakuya asked.
"Yeah, so what? I thought we weren't important enough to know?" Reimu grumbled sarcastically.
Sakuya nodded. "That's correct. However, the situation has changed. We are now willing to inform you of the danger, as well as request your help, both in eliminating the threat and encouraging the other residents of Gensokyo to do the same."
Marisa interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait. So now ya WANT our help?" She laughed coldly. "Well, it's gonna take more'n just a simple 'Please help' to get us to save yer behinds. What's in it for us?"
"You get to not die." Sakuya replied curtly.
Marisa pushed her head forward incredulously, crossing her arms. "Scuse me?"
"You still don't seem to understand, so allow me to elaborate further." Sakuya stated. "This youkai is a threat to all of Gensokyo, and may very well be the most powerful youkai you have ever faced. If you do not help us, we will all end up dead."
Reimu and Marisa exchanged glances with each other. "I thought you said Meiling was the one in danger?" Reimu asked.
Damn it. We shouldn't have told them that last week, I hadn't thought they'd still remember. Sakuya thought. Aloud, she kept her composure, and said "It seems Meiling angered someone that was out of her league, and so yes, the youkai was targeting Meiling initially. However, as I said previously, the situation has changed. The youkai in question has decided to go on a rampage and take out their anger against not just Meiling, but all of Gensokyo. This would not normally be a problem, if the youkai in question wasn't so dangerous."
Reimu's arms were still crossed, and she closed her eyes. Something is off about this. I can feel it. My gut keeps insisting there's more to this situation than the Scarlet people are letting on. They're not telling me everything... But why? Reimu took a deep breath, then loudly said "Fine. What's the name of this youkai?"
"They are an oomukade. A giant centipede." Sakuya responded.
Marisa, flabbergasted, looked at Reimu. "Fine? Reimu, you're okay with this?"
"No." Reimu replied, uncrossing her arms and walking over to retrieve her purification rod, which was nearby. She turned back to Sakuya and walked back over, rod in tow. She stared at Sakuya, reading her face as best she could. "No, I'm not okay with it. In fact, I think this whole situation smells rotten. There's something you're not telling me, and I don't know what or why. Frankly, if it were up to me, I'd leave you and your people to figure it out on your own." Reimu glanced at Marisa, then sighed. "But unfortunately, if you're telling the truth, no matter which parts of it, it's not up to me. If it's anything like the Lunarians, this is bigger than a petty argument."
She walked past Sakuya, out into the sun. Without looking back, she said ominously "But when all is said and done, I am going to demand the full truth. Keep that in mind. And one more thing."
Sakuya waited.
"Don't get in my way." With that, Reimu pushed off, taking to the sky.
Marisa watched her go, then lowered her gaze to Sakuya. "What the hell is going on?" She murmured. "What's so important that you can't tell us?"
Sakuya gave Marisa a cold glare, then vanished.
Marisa stared at the spot where she had disappeared for a few seconds, then walked outside and got on her broom.
Under her breath, she muttered "Oomukade, huh... Great. Now my guts are starting to churn too. Damn it." With that, she kicked off into the sky.
"She's such a dummy! Idiot! Stupid scaredy-cat Sis!" Flandre sobbed, resting her head on Meiling's lap. They were in Flandre's bedroom, which was a mess. Ripped stuffed animals and stuffing were everywhere, several shelves had been knocked off the wall and snapped in half, and there were craters scattered on every wall.
Meiling stroked Flandre's hair. "There, there Flan. It'll be okay... You and Remi will make up and be friends in no time! I'm sure of it! So, please, dry those tears for me. I can't stand to see your cute face all messed up like that..."
Flandre sniffled, and wiped her tears away, still giving a quiet hic every so often. "If S-sis loves me so m-much... Why would she be mean to me like that? I don't get it."
Meiling sighed in a defeated way. "Flan... Sometimes, when we love people a whole lot, we have to do things that may seem unfair. Things that make us upset, or sad, or make us feel trapped or alone. I know you might not believe it, but I bet Remi hated saying those things just as much as you hated hearing them."
Flandre sat up, and took hold of Meiling's hand, looking away. "R-really?"
Meiling nodded. "Really. You see, Remi is in a hard place right now. She's hungry too, but she knows that if she leaves, or you leave, one of you might get really hurt. That's why she has to be so careful."
"Is the person attacking us really that strong?" Flandre murmured. "Strong enough that my booms won't even stop them?"
"Yes, Flan, they're very strong. Sad as it may be, even you wouldn't be able to beat them. And while I'm sure everyone in the mansion would appreciate it if you were to try, they also know you would get very hurt, too. We love you, Flan, and so we don't want to see anyone hurt you, no matter how big or small the injury."
Flan put her hands in her lap. "But... I don't want anyone to hurt you guys, either."
Meiling smiled kindly. "That's so, so brave of you, Flan. It really is, and I'm happy to have someone so powerful looking out for me. If it were any other way, I'd let you protect me as much as you wanted." Meiling's smile shrank slightly, and she continued "But this is the one time where you have to let us protect you. No matter what."
Flandre fell silent, as if deep in thought. "Okay." She finally mumbled. "If there's really someone that big and bad out there...I'll wait." She glared up at Meiling, defiantly. "But I want you to protect me. Nobody else."
Meiling smiled. "No problem, Flan. It's a promise." Flandre stuck out her pinkie finger, and Meiling wrapped her own around Flan's.
Flan's face finally broke into a smile, and she asked tentatively: "Can I lay on your lap for a little longer?"
Meiling simply responded by patting her legs, and Flan rested her head on them, closing her eyes. Right now, right here. This is all that matters. Meiling thought to herself. No matter what happens...just relax and enjoy this moment, Flan. Here... With me.