(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJOeazJekqI)
Beautiful day today. There isn't a single cloud in the sapphire sky, and the sun sends its warmth down to the ground, enveloping us all in a gentle hug of sunshine. The breeze is lovely today, making for a wonderful counterpoint. The leaves in the trees sing as they are blown about, and the fragrance from my gardens completes the experience. This is one of those days that everyone knows deep within themselves is absolutely perfect.
But as I lean against the gate to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the story within the Kakashi Spirit News sends icy chills running down my spine.
Rinnosuke. I never would have guessed that he was capable of such a thing. I mean, I've shopped at Kourindou, I've spoken with the man, and he always seemed so pleasant! Admittedly, at times I thought that there was a dark chill behind his pleasant manner, but given who he had to deal with on a regular basis, I just took this as being par for the course. I never would have imagined that
this could happen!
Of course, we'd known that something had happened as soon as Yuukari returned early from her excursion, but neither she nor any of the associated parties had been willing to speak of it. Reisen had been sworn to absolute secrecy by Eirin, and Hatate had refused to breathe so much as a word of explanation to the tengu elders. According to Momiji, Yukari had a brief word with them, and they had laid off big time.
For weeks, we were left in the dark. And finally, late yesterday afternoon, Hatate had finally published a special edition of her newspaper, detailing the events at Pleasant Meadows. The mansion was utterly silent as everyone took in the story, and came to realize just what kind of a beast had lurked within Rinnosuke's heart.
I held Sakuya and Yuuka very close to me last night. Just thinking about what had happened made me want to be close to them. They were more than willing to oblige.
Still, it explains the behavior of those that had visited Pleasant Meadows since their return. All of them had clearly been deeply affected, and dealt with it in their own way. According to Koakuma, Yumeko had taken a leave of absence after her ordeal to recuperate mentally. Since returning, she had developed an interest in honing her physical capabilities and increasing the security of Makai's palace.
Reimu had told me that Suika had seemingly grown as a person from her encounter, and was now actively visiting the human village, getting to know the people there and encouraging them to visit the Oni from time to time. Likewise, she had spent a great deal of time in the underground city, speaking to the Oni there and relating the experience to them. According to Reimu, the Oni were starting to realize just why things had always gone sour between them and humanity. Suika was trying very hard to put all of that behind them, and Byakuren was supporting her to the best of her ability.
Lyrica had gone back to being a member of the band, and was now a much more noticeable presence on stage. No longer content to hang back, Lyrica put everything she had into each show, and had acquired a great many fans. This apparently caused a bit of jealousy in her sisters, who then tried harder themselves, and the Prismrivers had fallen into that state of conflict where they seemed to thrive the most. I'd gone to one of their concerts with my girls, and it was fantastic.
Kasen had gone back to the mountain to meditate heavily on what had happened. Reimu had paid her a visit, and Kasen had apparently described the experience as 'enlightening in many ways.' The hermit was doing fine, though, and was focusing on honing her mental fortitude. Given this article, I can see why.
Iku had walked away fine from the experience, but had taken a brief leave of absence from her duties for a time. Tenshi had apparently sensed that her caretaker was not doing so well, and had actually been on her best behavior while Iku recovered. Of course, once the oarfish was back on the job, things had immediately gone back to normal. Such is life.
Hatate had been very tight-lipped about the whole experience, much to the frustration of her superiors. On the other hand, with Yukari backing her up, no-one was willing to make too many waves about it. Personally, I suspect that Lord Tenma had been let in on things and had ordered the other tengu to lay off, but that was just speculation on my part.
Hina was an odd case. Word had it that Lord Tenma had made a personal visit to the Goddess of Misfortune, and some sort of discussion ha taken place between them. Regardless, there was a a new path leading to Hina's shrine on the mountain, and tengu no longer bothered anyone making a trip there. When I asked Momiji about it, she had simply shrugged and said that orders from on high were to support the curse Goddess to the best of their ability. I wonder what she made of things, now that this story was out.
Parsee and the Yama had apparently gone back to their jobs. I didn't really know much about how they were dealing with things, unfortunately. And then there was this Alfred guy. For all intents and purposes, he seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth. Reisen seemed to know something, but she refused to speak a word of it, and I didn't pressure her. When asked, the other guests seemed to be having a hard time remembering what had happened when that... whatever... crawled out of the gap. Something to do with its alien nature, perhaps?
God. What a story. I'll stick to the madness surrounding the Mansion any day of the week, thank you very much.
"Hell of a story, isn't it?" I'm so engrossed in the newspaper that I'm a little startled when Yukari speaks up in front of me, looked at me with a faint smile.
"Yukari..." I breathe. In a flash, I step forward and envelop the woman in a hug, which she returns fully. "I had no idea... I can't believe that you had to go through that..."
Yukari shakes her head. "There was a reason I didn't want to talk about it. Even had to come down hard on the tengu so that they wouldn't put too much pressure on Hatate. Poor girl wanted to go to presses as soon as possible, but she understood when I asked her to hold off. There were still some things that I needed to settle, you see."
"Things?" I ask, looked at her quizzically.
Yukari steps back and looks awkward. "Well... Rinnosuke was playing fast and loose with the fundamental laws of reality, and I was trying to fight him the whole way, and well... things got a little weird, you see. I've been keeping an eye on things, and now... well, it's time to settle one of the last loose threads. I'm just not sure how people are going to react, so... well..." Yukari coughs awkwardly. "Can I borrow you? As moral support, I mean?"
I nod slowly. "Sure. I'm willing to lend a hand." I wave down a couple fairies to take my position for a little bit.
Yukari sighs with relief. "Thanks. You're one of the few people that I'd trust to stand by my side during this, and Shinki's just been giving me this
look since she found out."
"Found out what?" I ask.
Yukari winces. "You'll see. I just know I'm gonna catch hell over this. Anyway," waving a hand, she causes a gap to appear in mid-air, "Don't worry about traveling through these, okay? They're honestly quite safe; it was just Rinnosuke messing around with things that caused so much trouble."
I shrug. "Sure thing." Yukari leads me through the gap, and after a brief moment of disorientation we step out onto the banks of a massive river. "...The Sanzu?"
"Yes. They should be here shortly." Yukari sighs, fiddling with her umbrella in agitation.
"So, how have you been?" I ask.
"Honestly? I've been fine," Yukari replies, turning to face me. "It was a bit difficult to deal with at first, but I'm over it. Shinki knows just how to treat wounds of the heart." Yukari's face gets a bit distant, and she seems to drool a little bit at a pleasant memory, before she shakes herself back to reality.
"...What about Rinnosuke? What happened to him?" I feel my fists clench up just speaking about him. Honestly, what a monster...!
Yukari's face darkens. "Rinnosuke has been transferred to a maximum-security prison in Makai, where he will likely spend the rest of his natural life. It's no less than he deserves. I gave his shop over to Marisa; apparently Pameel's going to start running it as a side-business."
Huh. Not a bad idea. "What about the mansion itself? How did you explain all of that?"
Yukari looks thoughtful. "The chiefs of staff, Eric and Sylvia, were beside themselves when they saw the damage. It was obviously of no natural cause. So, I took them aside and had a very long talk with them. Regarding aspects of the world that exist, and should be better left uncovered. The two of them were very reasonable; I wonder if those two haven't had any contact with the supernatural. Anyway, I assured them that Alfred was going to be just fine, and immediately started dragging kappa through to repair the damage. The house is fine, now." She sighs. "Although, I do hope that poor Nitori finds her way out of the bottom of that bottle at some point. Poor girl's yet another victim of Rinnosuke in all of this."
"What's the official explanation for the incident, then?" I ask.
"Officially, a gang of thieves attacked the mansion during the height of the storm, and Alfred heroically fought them off. In gratitude, I brought him over to Japan to spend some time on a private resort of mine. It's the kind of answer which is true enough, raises some eyebrows, and overall makes people stop asking questions. With Eric and Sylvia backing me up, everyone seems to be satisfied. For now, Alfred has 'found an art school which he absolutely loves, and will come back to visit when he gets the chance.'" Yukari shrugs. "That's the story, anyway."
At that moment, a boat appears on the waters of the Sanzu, with three figures in it. "Here they are," Yukari says with satisfaction. She turns to wait for the occupants, and I take a good look myself, curious.
I recognize Komachi as she docks the boat and promptly walks over to a tree, plops down, and falls fast asleep. The Yama, Eiki Shiki, glares at her briefly before shaking her head and walking toward us, hand-in-hand with a man with wavy brown hair wearing some official-looking garb. There's an easy chemistry between the two; lovers, perhaps?
......
OH.
"Yukari," Eiki says warmly as she walks up to us, "It's good to see you again."
"And the both of you as well," Yukari says with a smile. "Hello again, Alfred. How have you been?"
The man, Alfred, bows slightly. "Honestly? I've been fantastic, Yukari, thank you for asking." He gives me a curious look.
"Ah yes, let me perform introductions," Yukari says quickly. "Meiling Hong, this is Alfred Albert Westcastle."
I smile and shake his hand. "It's a pleasure. I've heard a lot about your actions, Mister Westcastle."
"Call me Alfred. And they certainly gained me a lovely reward." He squeezes Eiki's hand, who looks up at him lovingly. It's the same sort of look Sakuya and Yuuka give me; do we look that cute?
"Yes..." Yukari says hesitantly. "Well.. thank you both for coming! There is something rather important that I need to talk to the two of you about, and it simply cannot wait any longer! So, if you'll come with me..." Yukari gestures, and another gap opens up in the air.
Alfred looks at it warily. "Where are we going, exactly?" he asks.
"The underground. You'll see. And don't worry, the gap's safe, I promise." Alfred hesitates one more moment at Yukari's words, shares a glance with Eiki, then shrugs and lead the Yama through the gap. Taking a deep breath, Yukari follows them, and I go through last.
We emerge onto the outskirts of the underground city, just off of Miss Mizuhashi's bridge. And speaking of which, the bridge princess herself is sitting on the railings, humming happily. Wow, she's really cheered up since the last time I saw her; it's been way too long since I last paid a visit! Seeing us, Parsee hops down and folds her arms.
"Welcome to the underground city," the guardian intones, "Here we..." she sees Alfred and trails off, her eyes growing very wide with shock and... confusion?
Alfred bows, smiling. "Hello, Parsee. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Um..." Parsee, speechless, just stares at Alfred as though trying to work out a particularly difficult math problem. Slowly, she turns to stare at Yukari, who looks like she'd really rather be anywhere else than here."
"Wait for it," the gap youkai mutters to me. I look over at her in confusion, when my senses suddenly detect another individual approaching... magically? There is a swirl of air being displaced, and-
Um.
"Hello, my dear," a familiar figure in a butler's uniform says, wrapping his arms around Parsee's waist. The next moment, his red eyes notice us, and he jumps back in embarrassment. "Oh, excuse me! I didn't realize that you were busy...!" Then he notices Alfred and trails off. Which is not surprising, given that he may as well be looking in a mirror if it weren't for the clothing and eyes.
Alfred stares in shock at his doppelganger, as does Eiki. Parsee and her boyfriend stare at Alfred. Both look and feel almost exactly the same, save that Eiki's man feels like a spirit, while the one with Parsee is clearly a youkai.
"Meiling?" Yukari says awkwardly, "This is Parsee's boyfriend: Alfred Albert Westcastle."
There is a moment of silence.
And slowly, inexorably, everyone turns to stare at Yukari.
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7PGnvrJlLc)
"This is totally not my fault!" the gap youkai shouts, "Blame Rinnosuke!"
"Yukari..." Eiki says slowly.
"Not. My. Fault!" Yukari wails. "I mean, Rinnosuke, was screwing around with the fundamental nature of reality, I was trying to resist him, and then that creature came along and screwed things up even more, of course timelines were going to get all messed up!"
"My memories," Parsee groans, "Sometimes I feel like I have two sets of them."
"Well.... that's because, aside from Alfred... the Alfreds... we all do! It's just that you two have been able to lock on to one set of them due to being with one Alfred, while the rest of us have sort of had to muddle through..."
"Oh God," Spirit Alfred groans, facepalming.
"Quite," sighs Youkai Alfred.
"It's not my fault!" Yukari pleads. "I mean, okay, technically my powers are the cause, but there's just so much quantum uncertainty in a situation like that! We had two frickin' timelines occurring simultaneously! Do you have any idea how difficult that is to clean up?"
"Quantum... duplication..." Eiki groans. "Oh for the love of all that is holy, Yukari!"
"It's not my fault!" Yukari wails again. "Meiling, tell them! Meiling?!"
"Sorry," I say, walking away. "Advanced quantum mechanics are where I draw the line. You're on you own here."
"Awwwww!" Yukari whines.
Four voices speak up then, two female, two male, and the male voices are for all intents and purposes from the same man. "GODDAMMIT YUKARI!!!"
"IT'S NOT MY FAAAUUUULLLLTTT!!!" Yukari wails.
I just shake my head. Nope. This is to much for me. I'm going to go have a drink, go home, make love to my girls until they pass out, and then put all of this behind me.
And the worst part is that this is still pretty much a typical day in my life.
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NO ESCAPE TRUE ENDING ACHIEVED: QUANTUM DUPLICATION IS A BITCH TO DEAL WITH
NO ESCAPE
THE END
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