Kotori seemed to be calming down, seeing that her voice was more level again and she was smiling put some relief into Rui, knowing she was feeling more reassured. It was a small gesture, but the little things count for people who were shy like her, or so he believes. Kotori always seemed to try to enjoy herself, but he never felt she really did at some points, seeing her smile warmly in such a way for the first time told him all he needed, somehow he had an urge to protect her now. After a pause, he removed his hands from her shoulders as she suggested they continue along the way, he smiled back and responded,
"Of course, let's get going. I'm sure someone's turned up by now", surely, right? Well in any case, they were headed back for now. The festival itself was beginning to populate, as the square where the bon odori dancing was to be held was beginning to look more and more full. In maybe an hour they'll probably have people dancing there, but for now they headed back.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
Rui was quick to agree with Kotori's suggestion of heading back - something she glad for simply because, as he turned to lead the way through the slowly growing crowd, she would have some time to calm down the heat that she could practically feel radiating from her face. As they walked with only the many sounds of the ongoing festival about them to accompany them, Kotori's thoughts drifted to what she'd just said to Rui - but as she caught herself thinking upon such things, she quickly shook her head and instead decided that there would be a time for that later, when she was alone. For now, she was at a festival, and so she ought to enjoy it - as Rui had suggested just a little while earlier yet. As such, she looked forward to meeting the others and to go around the festival together.
Unfortunately, this plan had one minor hitch. Namely, the fact that when they arrived at the meeting point, they found themselves in much the same situation as they'd been in when they had originally gone for their walk through the festival: they seemed to be all alone. Looking around, Kotori couldn't find any traces of the fellow investigation team members that she'd hoped to see - and for whom she'd already been trying to craft some excuse as for why they'd already gone on ahead rather than waiting for their arrival. Slight confusion and slighter yet worry crept into Kotori's mind as she glanced over to Rui - but even he didn't seem to know where the others were.
Not having thought of this possibility, Kotori was a little lost for what to do - at least until she remembered that she still had her phone with her. Quickly digging it out of her handbag, she checked it for any messages to indicate that the others had similarly decided to head out without them or that they'd been delayed - but to no avail. She was just about to start mustering the courage to ask Rui for his thoughts on the matter when her phone suddenly played a tone and buzzed in her hand. Kotori almost jumped at the unexpected notification of a received message and only barely managed to suppress a surprised cry - evidently, she wasn't exactly the most avid user of her phone nor particularly used to actually receiving messages or calls.
With a barely audible muttering to herself, Kotori quickly inspected the source of her surprise - and found only yet more surprise when she saw that it was from Shizuka. Apparently, she couldn't make it after all, but still wished her all the best at the festival. Kotori might have wondered at the odd phrasing were it not for the fact that another message arrived just then - followed in very short order by several more. Were she not more preoccupied with her surprise, Kotori may have wondered about the exact timing when, one by one, everyone else turned out to have some unforeseen commitment that unfortunately precluded their participation in the festival.
"Oh..." Kotori couldn't help but feel a little dejected - this did put quite a damper on the whole plan of going around the festival with everyone when just two turned out to have turned up. Glancing over to the other half of said two, Kotori saw that Rui no doubt too had found out that no one else was going to be showing up - and probably was a little disappointed with his situation, too. Not only had he already taken the time to go around the festival once with her, but now he wouldn't even get to see the girls in their yukatas - which Kotori had little doubt at least some of them would have worn.
Kotori only felt a little more guilty when she realised that, rather than anything he'd probably been hoping to for, Rui had instead just been laden with the sudden revelation of her own personal problems with no forewarning - in fact, she wouldn't have been surprised at this point if he was just annoyed with the whole situation and wanted to just go home; even if she could find no traces of frustration in the furtive glances she stole at his face.
"Uhm..." Kotori started, realising only then that she didn't really know what she wanted to say and took a moment to adjust her glasses despite her gaze being fixed on some non-descript patch of ground before her. "I... uhm, it doesn't seem like, well, the others are coming, so..." Kotori's voice trailed off at that point when she failed to find any way to say what she wanted. Of course, she could fully understand if Rui had had enough of the festival and wanted to go home - but at the same time, she found it strangely difficult to actually say that outright and instead, with a nervous glance his way, waited to see what his response would be.
As Rui waited at the meeting spot alongside Kotori, it became increasingly apparent they weren't coming. At around the same time as Kotori opened up her phone, he too ended up doing so, just a string of messages from one after the other, having various different plans. Akane had a deadline to meet so she was able to come tomorrow, since Summer Comiket was coming soon, very soon, and Alexei was dragged to help her. Matt and Shizuka made last minute plans to do something else but were coming to the festival another day, while Ryan had a family dinner to attend, then there was Sen and Mako who both had very vague messages saying they couldn't come, it stood out since those two were the only vague ones. Then came Ayano who also spoke for Kami saying he came down with a summer cold and she was caring for him. As he scrolled down a myriad of other familiar names had not been lit up for a long time too.
He let out a somewhat dejected sigh, but then was reminded that he wasn't alone here at least. Kotori's voice broke his train of thought as he turned to her. She seemed to have entered a similar mood, but it would do no good to just go back now. He gave it a bit of thought, before sighing again,
"I guess it can't be helped", he began. Everyone's beginning to go their own paths, and that was fine. He predicted after this entire cult business was over, everyone was going to begin to focus on the paths they want to take in life in full force.
"Everyone has their own plans, so let's make our own right now", he continued, he stopped leaning up against the fence and stood up properly and turned to Kotori, offering her a hand.
"Let's enjoy the festival tonight then, just the two of us", after all, it would be a waste to just go back now.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
Following Kotori's words, Rui's own sounded somewhat disappointed - it seemed like he'd been looking forward to going around the festival with the others too. At that, Kotori's gaze drifted back down to the ground. Considering that they'd already taken a brief tour of the grounds, he probably wasn't going to be too interested in doing the same again, she figured, considering that they'd mostly done so to tide over the waiting for the others who, as he said, had their own plans - and they, in turn, should make their own.
"Uhm... right..." she said, even as she began wondering just what to do with the rest of the evening now that they were going their separate ways. She took a breath before shifting her eyes back up at Rui, who turned to face her - but just as she opened her mouth to say the inevitable goodbye, he held out his hand toward her. "Eh?" she said instead, her brow furrowed in confusion - at least for the few moments before she realised, in time with his own words, that she had actually just misunderstood him. Apparently, the plans he was talking about didn't mean going their separate ways - in fact, quite the opposite.
"E-eh?!" she most eloquently put her surprise before realising that he was waiting for her response - or at least, an intelligble one. "A-ah, uhm, I..." she fumbled for a moment before settling for a quick nod. "Ye-yes, uhm, let's," she finally managed, as she quickly perched her glasses back upon her nose following the hasty head movement - which led to her sight coming to rest of Rui's still outstretched hand. She blinked once, twice, before looking back up at Rui, then down again - for some reason, it almost looked like he was holding it out for her.
That, of course, had most assuredly be her misconception - no, there was probably some other explanation for the gesture. But unfortunately, Kotori couldn't seem to come up with any on the quick. Should she just ignore it? No, that would probably seem rather rude. Maybe ask? No, she'd already wasted so much time just thinking on it - she really shouldn't keep him waiting even longer. And so, before she'd quite made heads of the situation, she found herself laying her hand in Rui's - and almost immediately felt her face heat up as she realised how this might appear to any onlookers.
Kotori hastily glanced to either side, hoping not to catch anyone looking in their direction - and was rather relieved when she didn't do so. However, she did notice that by now, the lanterns all around were making up the majority of the illumination. The scenery was cast in a warm orange light, setting the festive mood for a warm summer evening. The amount of people, she noticed, had also increased quite a bit - it seemed that only with the dying of the light did the festival truly come to life.
Of course, the people! That must be it, Kotori thought - the reason that Rui had offered his hand in the first place. It wouldn't do to get separated in the crowd and having to spend more time trying to find one another, after all. Yes, that made sense, Kotori thought with a nod - even as her eyes wandered to the sight of Rui's hand grasping hers. Only now did she notice how her whole hand fit inside his. Were all boys' hands this large? Or were hers perhaps just small? She could feel a slight roughness, too, probably stemming from his time spent at the kendo club - and in the mirror world, where he regularly put his sword skills to the test on the frontlines and protecting those further back.
And it was warm, too - much like they had been when he'd placed his hands on her shoulders before. Of course, all of this did not help in the slightest at abating the particular shade of red that her cheeks had chosen for the occasion of her over-thinking - even as, in turn, she began to worry if her hand might be too cold or sweaty. In fact, her mind was so preoccupied with this strangest of arrangements that she hardly even noticed where Rui was leading her until they slowed as they reached the first food stalls.
In all the hubbub, Kotori hadn't even noticed how long they'd put off eating, seeing as the original plan had probably been to do so with the others - and she was feeling a bit peckish. Besides, a festival foods were to be enjoyed at a festival, she figured - they weren't an everyday occurence after all. As such, Kotori spoke up - or at least she did on the second or third try: "Uhm... Sh-Shinichi-san? A-are you, ah, uhm... I mean, is, uh, is there anything y-you would like to eat?" As she spoke, she tried - and failed - to not think too much of the warmth surrounding her hand; all the while glancing in any direction but down - and only occasionally up at Rui for the briefest of moments as she awaited his response.
So it seemed to be decided, he'll be enjoying the festival with Kotori. She seemed to be anxious, well not quite anxious but more she was flushed red. Ahh... Could this be a date, now that it's just them two? Well there's little point thinking hard about that right now, but the idea didn't seem bad to him. She seemed to be waiting for him to answer her question, what to eat... Indeed, a difficult question considering how much they saw on the way here, including shaved ice, yakitori, yakisoba, and a load of other summer foods and even games at different stands.
"I wonder indeed, maybe we should go back in now and whatever catches our eye, we'll get some", he suggested to her.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
As it turned out, Kotori's suggestion was met with acceptance - though Rui proffered no particular preference, he wasn't opposed to the idea in principle. As such, they would continue along the various stalls and stands and occasionally stopping for a closer look. On occasion, Kotori would also try her best - which, by the looks of it, wasn't particularly convincing - to appear somewhat non-chalant as they passed by some stands. Specifically, these stands were those where she happened to recognise the owner as someone she knew, such as her neighbour two doors down - mostly because it would most definitely be far better to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings about why, exactly, she was visiting the festival with just one instead of many friends rather than having to explain it at a later point in time.
Aside from that, the two could take a little more time to look at all the festival had to offer, whereas before they'd only really been trying to pass a little bit of time with a brief walk through. In the warm glow of the various lamps, they could not actually take their time and appreciate the many offerings and, in the case of a particular food stand, even try their wares. But even though there were a great many things to see and the overall atmosphere was very much a pleasant one to enjoy, Kotori did find herself occasionally slightly distracted - for once though, it wasn't due to her mind wandering to the mysteries of the mirror realm, but rather the person who stood beside her. Or in front, depending on what walking arrangements the crowds around them actually allowed. Yet at the same time, she didn't speak up all that much - but thankfully, the hustle and bustle of the whole festival ensured that her quietness didn't feel particularly awkward.
Either way though, Kotori did quite enjoy the second and slower walk through the festival grounds; even though she occasionally thought it a a bit of a shame that the others had not been able to come whenever she saw something about the festival that she thought they too might have enjoyed - a list of things which, as they approached the largest square that of the premise upon which a bonfire had been constructed, would quickly come to include the traditional dance that was about to be held thereupon. Though this was mostly due to herself - Kotori always had enjoyed watching a dance, after all.
As the two passed by the stalls he could not help but emit a soft smile as he walked with her, she seemed a little more at ease now, not to mention he seemed to simply enjoy walking with her. As good as the food was they had enough fun going through the crowds, some familiar faces spotted them and he could suspect their thoughts, though they didn't recognize him too well, mostly just Kotori. It seems she meets a lot of people working at her family flower store.
Soon they reached the center and it seems the festive dancing has begun around the stage, with drums ringing out a beat for people to dance to. He stepped forward and grabbed Kotori's hand, "how about we dance a bit?", he suggested. Though knowing her, she would perhaps be a bit too shy to simply agree, and so he ended up pulling her along anyway.
As they danced to the rhythm, matching other people's moves, they began to learn how this dance works. Bon odori was pretty welcoming as far as dances go, but every area had their own dance and some would cycle between multiple region's dances, but you could just join and dance if you pleased. Rui helped Kotori out with her moves, at the very least this dance wasn't very demanding, some simple moves and gestures to a beat, no more no less, to the beat of taiko drums.
After awhile they would leave to rejoin the crowds by the stalls, hopefully for some food, "so was it fun?", he asked, still holding her hand as they stepped through the crowds.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
Standing still a little way off from where the actual dance was being held, Kotori couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. There were all sorts of people lining up; some taking their first steps and others seemingly moving in step with the drum effortlessly. There she saw an elderly couple who seemed to have made a tradition of the dance for years, over there was a parent that was mostly helping along their rather excited child. But wherever she looked, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves - it was a sight that had her so absorbed that it took her a moment to realise that Rui, still standing beside her, was speaking. And furthermore, that he was speaking to hear.
"Hm?" she went, turning her head slightly to look at Rui rather than the ongoing dance - and most decidedly not down at their hands, the feeling of which she had most definitely come to get used to. At least, that's what she told herself every time until she felt even the gentlest of tugs and her attempted self deception came crumbling down once more. However, it took her another moment before she actually realised just what he had said.
Kotori's immediate response was simply to blink at him, so odd seemed Rui's question. Of course she wasn't against dancing - but surely he didn't mean it like that. She'd never actually participated in any dances herself, so there was no way she could do so now - and in front of a whole plethora of strangers no less! And besides, that would look almost like - wait, why were the dancers suddenly getting closer? And why did her hand - and, by proxy, her cheeks - suddenly feel a slight bit warmer?
"Sh-Shinichi-san!" Kotori's voice was a mix between a whisper, trying not to draw too much attention, and a surprised, albeit muted, cry, when she realised that he had nonchalantly grasped her hand and was now moving toward where the dance itself was being held. Kotori desperately racked her brain for something to say before it all undoubtedly ended up in a huge embarrassement - not only for herself but, even worse, for him too. But before she could come up with anything, they had already reached the other dancers and within moments, they had somehow slipped in with them.
Kotori's mind was racing between a way to make Rui realise that there was no way she'd be able to be a fitting dance partner - there wasn't a moment's doubt that he either knew all the moves or would just effortlessly pick them up as he always did - and trying not to make a mess of the dance that had begun then and then. In her best attempt at not making things even more embarrassing than they already were, Kotori quickly glanced over at the lady before her and tried to copy what she was doing - albeit with movements that were a lot more stiff and belated, what with all that was on her mind at that moment.
Kotori barely dared move her gaze elsewhere - for one, she didn't want to confirm her fears that the entirety of the crowd that surrounded the dancers were staring at her stumbling her way through this dance when everyone else was making a grand performance of it. For another, she dared even less to glance up at Rui - who, Kotori was convinced, was probably regretting his choice in dance partners already.
At least, that's what she thought until she heard his voice as he discretely warned her of an upcoming twist and that she should just follow his lead. Kotori had little time to process this before the drum beat briefly changed rhythms and she found herself suddenly standing face to face with Rui - which, in turn, meant that she had little in the way of dancers to try and copy the moves from. Furthermore, she had little choice but to look up at him at that point - but as she hesitantly did so, surprise came over her face.
Rather than any sign of annoyance or disappointment, Rui was instead smiling - a sight which briefly put a halt to Kotori's otherwise incessant worries. And with her self-inflicted awkwardness momentarily lifted, the admittedly simple steps of the dance came with little hesitation and only the slightest hint from Rui via gentle tugs of her hand that were resting in his all throughout. Though she clearly wasn't at ease with herself, Kotori nonetheless found herself actually enjoying the simple act of following the beat of the drum with each step that she took - even if her gaze couldn't rest on Rui for too long at a time before she felt the need to avert her bespectacled eyes.
And as they moved, Rui would occasionally call out the next move ahead of time before gently leading her through the motions - still a little stiff for fear of messing things up, Kotori still did her best to follow his lead. Toward the end, they actually seemed to find a semblance of a rhythm that she could follow along even in her state - a feeling which slowly managed to bring a hint of a smile to her face.
But alas, they could hardly spend the whole evening dancing and so they eventually stepped out from the dancing folk - though with how focused she'd been on both the movement and trying to calm her racing mind, Kotori couldn't have hazarded even the faintest guess as to how much time they'd just spent. Somewhere in the meantime, she'd managed to push back her fear that all the onlookers were fixed on her and every little mistake she'd made - a fear which turned out to be unsubstantiated when they rejoined the crowd with not a single word or gaze their way.
From all the excitement, Kotori's breathing was still a bit elevated and her face still felt rather warm - and probably wouldn't quite return to her usual shade until the similar warmth surrounding her hand was lifted. At the same time though, she felt no small measure of relief at no longer being the center of attention - even if only in her own mind. But at the same time, a small part of her also felt almost disappointed - but before could dwell on that, Rui's voice once more broke through her reverie to ask if she'd had fun.
"Eh? O-oh, y-, uhm, I, I think so, y-yes, yes," Kotori said whilst nodding - truthfully and, rarely enough, with a small smile. Because even through all her fears and doubts and embarrassement, she couldn't deny that she did indeed have fun. As they headed back toward the food stands - leaving Kotori to realise yet again that no, she had not even slightly gotten used to the feeling of their hands touching in order to not get lost in the crowd.
Distraced as such, it took her a moment to realise that for all the things he seemed to be doing to put her at ease, she hadn't even stopped to ask if any of this was actually enjoyable for him, too. An attempt or two later, Kotori finally spoke up again. "Uhm... was... was it fun for y-you, too?" she asked as they were already headed for the food stalls; her eyes once again finding all sorts of most fascinating things to focus on - and thereby avoiding all but the most occasional of glances at Rui.
"Of course", he responded, pulling her up next to him to slide his arm around her. It was much more comfortable walking like this, rather than pulling her along. It was getting some looks until the realization was that they looked like a couple. Rui didn't seem to mind this at all, in fact he was finding Kotori more and more endearing now. Their walk slowed to give them more time to see the stalls and decide what to eat.
"So then, you must be hungry after all that... Go on, pick what you want, don't be shy", he offered. There were all sorts of festival food, okonomiyaki, takoyaki, karaage, yakisoba, yakitori, candy apples, a load of sweets and shaved ice stalls, as it was a pretty warm summer night, refreshment stands selling drinks, some games further along and so on such as shooting, goldfish and turtle capturing, and some other classics, along with prizes. There was so much to do and eat, it wouldn't be possible to do it all tonight, but not that it was necessary. Rui had no personal preferences, everything here looked pretty good to him, but right now he wanted to know what Kotori wanted. He was given quite a bit of money from his parents, so he was pretty free to buy a fair bit.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
When Rui answered her question with a simple positive, a small smile managed to sneak its way onto her face - she had held the slight worry that, given her lack of dancing experience, it hadn't really been all that enjoyable for him. However, his words did put her at ease - at least for the brief moment it took before she realised that he had slowed his steps and let go of her hand. Whilst she most definitely hadn't gotten used to the feeling of her hand being held by his, she did wonder what had moved him to do so - only to feel his hand instead coming to rest at her side.
For a brief moment, Kotori's expression turned to slight confusion - but this lasted only for a heartbeat before her face quite suddenly and most undeniably flushed with a bright shade of red once she realised just how they must look right now. Whilst Rui seemed quite nonplussed by the whole situation, Kotori's experience was quite the opposite - even more than before, she held her eyes behind her glasses fixed very intently on the ground in front of her; barely daring to lift her gaze unless absolutely needed to avoid walking into any fellow festival-goer. She held her hands close to herself, fingers clenched and only the constant motion of walking abating her sudden need to find some release for her nerves that would otherwise undoubtedly have led to her picking at her skirt.
However, she wasn't afforded this luxury - but her mind raced nonetheless, trying to come up with some semblance of explanation for this most embarrassing of situations that she now found herself in. Unfortunately, she couldn't really get anywhere without immediately imagining just how they must look right now to an outsider - a boy and a girl, walking this close together? Undoubtedly, there would be some people who would misconstrue this as a couple out on a pleasant walk - a thought that brought a fresh wave of heat to Kotori's cheeks - when no such thing was actually going on.
No, no, no, there was really nothing going on here - after all, this was really just a group outing; even if the group size turned out to be a bit smaller than they'd originally thought. And really, it was probably just a bit easier to navigate the crowd for Rui, rather than having to occasionally look back and make sure she was still following him, even if their touching hands probably let him know all he needed. And really, it wasn't as if anything else could be going on - that was really just silly. The popular boy and the awkward girl going out was really just fantasy, after all - something Kotori would probably quite enjoy reading, but not something that actually happened in reality.
Just as she managed to convince herself of this and bring the shade of red that had taken hold upon her face from 'blindingly obvious' to merely 'possible to miss, albeit only on the briefest of glances', Rui's voice interrupted her thoughts - and unmade what little progress Kotori had just managed, what with the source being quite a bit closer than before. "Eh? Pi-? Oh, ri-right, uhm..." It took her a moment to realise what he'd just said - which forced her to raise her eyes up from the ground and over the nearby stalls; making sure that in doing so, she could avoid directly looking at Rui for fear of her cheeks betraying her once more.
Truth be told, she hadn't paid any attention to the various stalls that they'd passed whatsoever - but put on the spot as she was, it was a little late to admit this. And rather than risk any questions as to why if she actually did, Kotori quickly decided on one of the nearest stall. "S-some, uhm, Ta-takoyaki... maybe?" she said, a little belatedly, after making sure that the stall owner didn't happen to be someone she knew, what with living in the shopping district - that would undoubtedly end up being an embarrassment that she'd never be able to live down.
Unfortunately, preoccupied as she was, Kotori didn't quite catch the fact that Rui wasn't just asking for her preference, but actually extending an invitation - a realisation that came a little too late to protest as he'd already stepped forward, using a lucky lull in the number of customers to place an order. Kotori was almost thankful for the fact that this meant he had to, at least briefly, leave her side - as this gave her a moment to try and calm herself down and maybe cool off the seemingly constant warmth that was emanating from her cheeks. Unfortunately, this endeavour was not met with particularly much success when the stall owner's confirmation of Rui's order ended with a joking "for the young couple" - and loud enough for at least some people to give a curious glance.
As such, Kotori was still feeling no less embarrassed when Rui stepped back to hand her the small plate of takoyaki. "Th-thank you," she more mumbled than said as she hesitantly accepted the food. It was only now that she actually held it in her hands that she realised that it might be a bit difficult to eat whilst simultaneously walking and navigating the crowds. "Uhm..." she started as she looked about - and luckily soon noticed a bench not too far off. Evidently, most of the festival goers seemed to prefer to actually walk about, as it happened to also be unoccupied.
"Uhm, shall w-we, uhm, sit? Ah, o-over there, I mean," Kotori said, making a vague gesture somewhere in the direction of the bench - whilst only now glancing up at Rui and even then just for a brief moment to await his answer. In fact, as she thought on it, a brief break to catch her breath after all this excitement would be quite nice anyway.
With Kotori making her decision he walked with her over to the stand. The stall owner was cheerful, like a lot of the other people around them, as he was making it, he recognized Kotori, and asked if he was her boyfriend. Between the two, Kotori was someone who lived and knew a lot of people in this town, a fact which Rui was reminded of as this was his first year here. Would she answer or would he? It would be irresponsible to leave the entire thing to her, so he answered instead,
"Does it seem that way? Maybe we should be", he answered, he and the shopkeep laughed before he would bid them a good meal. They of course, weren't... Yet? He wasn't sure how she felt, and asking her outright would be tactless, but for tonight they should simply enjoy the festival as it is. They got their takoyaki and left the crowds, finding a bench a small ways off under the trees.
It was probably a bit awkward a thought for Kotori, but the two simply sat there watching the sky, and the festival. They'd go and enjoy some of the games on display like the goldfish catching and shooting gallery, before watching the fireworks at the end of it. They weren't as grand as a fireworks festival, but Rui preferred this over the ones in the city that were not only grand, but ridiculously crowded.
As the two sat and idled away the rest of the night, he thought to himself. A life in this town wouldn't be so bad. There were some things to solve first, but they were on the case of course. Eventually the two would leave as Rui walked her home, before he would head home as well.
Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Central Shrine | Wednesday, July 13 2015
Kotori felt some measure of relief when she sat down on the bench - a brief respite was quite welcome after the unexpected excitement that the whole festival visit had turned out to be. As such, she didn't really mind the silence that came between Rui and her as they enjoyed their festival meals - it was almost comfortable, in a way. Of course, with all the sounds and voices that came with such a festival, it wasn't really like there was such a thing as silence anyway. But either way, she enjoyed the opportunity to just relax and catch her breath before they would head back into the crowd once more.
Not long after, they would find themselves visiting a number of amusement stands as they made their way through the festival grounds - Kotori even participated in a few; if mostly after a quick encouragement from Rui who, in turn, seemed quite at ease with the variety of tasks the games presented. As they did, time just seemed to fly - for before long, a reminder was announced about the firework displayed beginning soon. This being the highlight of the festival, there was no way they were going to miss it - and as such, they found another bench which offered a good view of the night sky; neither too close for comfort nor too far to miss even a single sight of the fireworks.
Throughout the display, Kotori had to keep herself from jumping several times when some of the more quietly rising fireworks suddenly exploded with a thunderous boom; their sparkling light spreading illuminating the festival ground for brief flashes at a time. Still, she did enjoy the whole event and all throughout the display even had a small smile upon her lips as she kept her eyes fixed on the various glowing trails that streaked heavenwards before bursting into brilliant displays of colour.
As the firework display came to an end, so too did the festival itself start to wind down. With the main highlight of the evening now in the past, the crowds were starting to visibly thin; even though the day's warmth still lingered as the evening slowly began to give way to night. Upon closer inspection, Rui and Kotori realised that they had, in fact, pretty much completed a whole round through the festival - and with how things were slowly coming to a close, decided to call it a night as well. Needless to say, Kotori's attempts at protesting whether Rui really needed to walk with her when it might not be along his way were summarily rejected. The fact that she didn't make all to many attempts was probably just down to how late it was getting.
A little while - Kotori was a bit surprised that the way back somehow seemed almost shorter even though she'd been in quite a hurry the first time around - the two arrived in front of the Shirohane Flowershop. As the time for parting came, Kotori thanked Rui - both for spending the evening with her and subsequently walking her home. She was about to also mumble and apology for probably not having been the most interesting company that he could have visited the festival with - but before she could, Rui instead wished her a good night. "Ah, uhm, yes, good night to you too, Shinichi-san," she said, giving a small bow as she did. A brief rummage through her handbag later, she unlocked the door; taking a moment to glance back - and give a small wave when she saw Rui still waiting for her to actually get home before he too would be on his way.
"I'm home," Kotori announced when she stepped into the living room - only to find her smiling mother already sitting there with two cups of tea before her; the steam still rising up from them. Unsurprisingly, it would only be after Kotori had told the whole tale of her evening before she would actually be able to head to bed for the night. Of course, Kotori had skipped the occasional detail in her retelling - chief among them being the conversation that she'd had with Rui about her fears for her own future.
It would be a long time before Kotori finally managed to get to sleep. In the quiet dark, she tried to make sense of her own thoughts on the matter - which proved oddly difficult whenever her mind seemed to insist on reminding her of some particularly embarrassing moment of the evening in excrutiating detail.
After about a week or two of trekking the Valley in and out, they finally set upon a town at the end of the winding roads. The valley held a strange air of mystique to it as the picturesque mist pervaded just far away enough to hide what may lurk beyond, but not enough that they didn’t know where they were going. They entire trip started out just outside the village of the plains, taking them past rice fields that some of the members of the party would recognize as similar to Warakuma’s, usually it was those who lived a bit further out of the modernizing inner town. Further on was the valley that was visible from the rice fields, and even further was the large mountain that was likely the final destination. Thickets of bamboo would obscure the route itself, within were various abandoned shrines and a few beautiful locations within that triggered phantoms similar to the village’s, but as usual they were not harmful. Once more though, it seemed to tell a tale of two happy lovers.
Today though it was finally time to see what the end of it all had in store. A town, set upon the mountain. Even as they stepped within it’s barrier, they didn’t go further than ten paces forward. The gigantic, gaping maw in the side of the mountain alone would’ve been enough to make anyone pause, but it was the various charms and seals placed around that entryway that was of note. It just screamed danger, like a demon existed within the mountain. Seen in the real world, some people would not be put off too much, but when you’ve been fighting metaphysical demons for a few months, it was hard to take this lightly at all.
“Hm, so then… Whatever is in there may answer some questions. Kami, Rui, have you both noticed? There are no cultists in this entire little world”, noted Kazuki.
“Aight, I had figured they wouldn’t use this world as a hq of any sort, but it seems strange to me none of them are here at all. But it makes no sense… By all accounts the leader should be here, but he took none of his retainers… Or rather, none of them followed him? But they take his orders? How are they getting their orders and targets?”, it was strange indeed, the answer was likely when they found the leader himself. Kami had figured out that the cultist leader had actually disappeared long ago, even while Kazuki had been rescuing people throughout last year. It did coincide with the cultist leader’s wife’s death though.
“Well in any case, I’d been snooping around my father’s investigations, they can’t make heads or tails of it either, but cultist members have begun being captured in recent weeks, and their operation was found, looks like they won’t be able to kidnap anyone anymore… But what didn’t make sense was they said they were getting orders from their leader, yet there was no communication device found that could’ve been used to communicate with him”, so the real question was how and why was the cultist leader doing this… Was he really still alive?
“The answer lies within, or hopefully it does. For now let’s just get this out of the way, and see if this fight will also gleam us any useful information”, like some of the fights before did… They seemed to be bits and pieces of the cultist leader’s memories.
As the party began to near the giant maw of a cave, the talismans along the edges and pillars surrounding them began to become active, glowing as the sky darkened. Rui and Kami stood at the forefront as the cave’s darkness came to life, a pair of gigantic fangs glinting violently as a giant tendril flew out, striking at the party. Rui and Kami both summoned their Personas just in time to absorb the blow, defending Kotori and Ryan from the sudden attack. It was fortunate that the two most suited for direct confrontation were in front.
Regardless, as soon as the tendril began to retract back into the darkness, having been identified as a snake’s head, a lady began crawling out of the darkness, reaching towards the party, before being dragged back in. Then silence… A long pause followed as the ground lurched, two… Three… No four? No, eight gigantic snakes began to emerge from the darkness, at the point where all are joined was the lady from earlier, now upon close inspection, the body belonged to a Persona known as Kushinada-Hime, and the eight-headed snake was most certainly Yamata no Orochi.
“To formations, Kami, you and me keep the other two safe, Kotori, Ryan, pelt it spells”, he ordered. As soon as he made those orders, the rest of the party further back found themselves turning around as shadows began to attempt to cross the long winding path that was behind them. It seems as always they were going to be occupied once more while the main party fought at the front. Ayano was to be the main navigator for the fight against Yamata no Orochi.
“Huh…? No it’s not just Yamata, the other shadow is also a threat”, Ayano’s warning was confirmed as soon as the limp Kushinada-Hime opened her mouth, screaming as a blast of wind was thrown at them, buffeting them for just a moment. It was a warning shot.
“Well that just makes things interesting”, so now it was a question of which first… The caster at the bottom, or the snakes that were a more active threat? But with 8 heads, they were going to need some serious firepower.
--- Kotori
It was with the usual mix of curiosity and apprehension that Kotori followed the others on the path leading through the valley. Her eyes darted between the strange sights and the occasional shadowy figures that presented themselves, never sure what might be hiding in the former or whether the latter might strike out at any point. Yet as they carried on, the only thing the phantoms seemed to be interested in was each other. As the group continued, the figures were seen sometimes walking hand in hand, sometimes skipping along or even hugging one another - it would almost have been sweet, were it not all happening in this Mirror Realm. Yet despite it, Kotori couldn't quite help a small smile finding its way to her lips.
However, this would pass the closer the group got to the village ahead - or, more specifically, the large mountain upon which it was built. Torn into its flank was a huge, oddly mouth-shaped opening - just jagged enough to make one wonder if it was natural or man-made. The sense of foreboding was not at all helped by the fact that it seemed to be the only way forward - Kotori was most definitely not looking forward to having to explore a dark and sinister cave from every which crevice a murderous shadow might leap forth. And that was before she even appreciated the almost ridiculous number of seals hung around or over the entrance. Were this not the Mirror Realm, her rational mind might have told her that this was merely the result of superstition and probably could be traced back to generations of fearmongering rumours. But even then, she still would not have wanted to set foot inside - and this sentiment was doubled now that she stood here in a place where she couldn't be sure that a flickering shadow was merely a trick of her mind.
Kotori's nervousness steadily grew as Rui and Kaminari discussed both the recent findings and the immediate plan of action. Unsurprisingly, they opted for the only path forward. Hesitantly, she followed the two a short distance behind; glancing every which way from behind her glasses in case this turned out to be a trap - or rather, to spot just what kind of trap it was. She was at least a little thankful that Ryan opted to stay behind too; perhaps in case any shadows decided to sneak up from behind. Before any had such a chance, however, the shadows within the cave itself seemed to shift.
Squinting against the blackness ahead, Kotori would have been a moment too slow to react to the sudden attack that burst forth from within - but luckily for her, both Rui Kaminari's reactions were fast enough as Askr and Zeus warded off the ferocious first strike. Only once it began to retreat - and Kotori had gotten over her initial surprise at the sudden attack - did she realise that the long shadowy form was, in fact, a snake. Yet strangely, the next thing to peel out from the cave's shadows was not this slithering shadow, but rather a woman. The whole group tensed when the shadowy female raised a hand toward them - yet nothing happened. At least, not initially - for a few moments later the darkness coalesced into the same snake as before - but then another. And then again, and again - before finally, all eight heads of a shadow serpent had broken free of their bindings, the seals and charms upon the cave having faded and released the monster within.
There was little time for Kotori to wonder about how the story of Kushinada-Hime and Yamata no Orochi might be connected to the leader of the Junsei Sekai Tensei cult as Rui was quick to order everyone into combat formations - and with her attention focused forward, she barely noticed that the second group further back had in turn engaged the encroaching mass of shadows that were pouring toward the village. The immediate plan was for Ryan and her to strike from afar whilst Rui and Kaminari would stand guard before actively engaging with an unknown foe. Kotori followed this with a quick nod, a deep breath and the slightly belated summoning of her persona: "Kikuri-Hime," she called - a call that was answered with the form of the flower-wielding shrine maiden materialising above her.
However, the enemy was not content to just let them act with impunity - before Ryan or Kotori could cast a spell, Kushinada-Hime sudden perked up and, following Ayano's quick warning, released a piercing cry that slashed the wind and cut the air, sending it blasting against the party. Kotori instinctively closed her eyes and threw her arms up over her face; wincing at the sudden wind - even if it was quite at the intensity of a outright attack. From the look of things, the eight-headed serpent was not the only threat - which meant that they now had yet another target to contend with. Still, Kotori beat back her hesitations and fear thanks to the calming presence of her persona and the confidence exuded by her fellow party members.
With only a small measure of doubt still lingering in her mind, Kotori raised her hand and called upon Kikuri-Hime. "Zionga," she said, her hand raised toward the octuple-headed snake - and, even as the dark clouds gathered were momentarily pierced by a blinding bolt of lightning, she hoped that she would be able to do at least some damage with her offensive spells.
--Ryan--
The mountains of Seto were strangely mesmerising to Ryan. He knew that this entire world was basically out to kill him, but it had a beauty to it despite it’s danger. It was like he was an intruder to this sacred place, and it sought to eject him from it’s border. It was almost enough to distract him from the tragic tale of the cult leader, but not enough. It was heartbreaking really, they seemed so happy in these… memories perhaps? Resonant feelings? Regardless of what they were, they were not real, only phantoms of what once existed. That’s what Ryan thought anyways.
They soon arrived to the mountain entrance, a large and foreboding cave that looked as if the mountain itself was alive and wished to swallow them whole. And they were going to throw themselves right into it’s maw, did that make them brave or stupid? Ryan chuckled lightly as he mused upon the thought, observing the many seals around the cave as well. Perhaps they were holding something back.
As they got closer and closer, the seals began to glow, Ryan pulling out his knives cautiously as he kept one eye on the seals and the other on the cave. A giant tendril struck from the darkness, with Rui and Kami summoning their Personas to defend Ryan and Kotori from the hyperspeed strike. The tendril retreated just as fast, but Ryan realised what it really was around the same time Kotori did. It was a snake, and a big one too. It disappeared into the darkness once more and something else began to emerge, Ryan summoning his Persona to get ready for another blow. But there was no blow this time as a woman emerged from the cave, crawling and reaching towards the party in what appeared to be terror. Ryan had to hold himself back from running to save her as he looked at her a bit more closely, not getting a good enough look as she was quickly dragged back into the cave. He gritted his teeth and inhaled deeply, hoping he hadn’t made the wrong choice.
Then the world exploded into action as eight snakes emerged from the darkness, the legendary Yamata-no-Orochi was here to consume them. The snakes were so large and imposing that he almost ignored the lady from before, now identified as the figure from legend Kushinada-Hime. Rui barked out orders, Ryan quickly following suit as he moved into formation like the soldier he is. His eyes narrowed as Kushinada sent out a blast of wind at them, it barely even ruffled his hair thanks to his impressive wind resistance.
And thus the battle began, with Kotori striking out against Yamata no Orochi with a mighty bolt of thunder, Ryan narrowed his eyes at the woman he had sought to save not even a minute ago. ”I suppose the only way to save a Shadow is to eradicate them completely. Come, Geraint!” Geraint smashed into view above Ryan, raising his sword as he cast Heat Riser on Ryan. The added speed boost from it gave Ryan just enough time to Charge up as well, getting ready for a big attack on Kushinada-Hime.
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As the battle progressed, Rui found himself darting between the snake heads, before delivering a Gale Slash, managing to strike all of the heads at once and opening the way to Kushinada. Kotori’s Zionga and Kami’s Ziodyne struck the wailing shadow, before it would return with a wave of ice, encasing the entire party in an icy sheet for a short moment. Ryan would come out without too much problem, giving him the initiative. Although the Yamata no Orochi wasn’t going to just lay down and let them beat it down. The many-headed serpent screeched, causing a shockwave to blast out from it, striking everyone with a Deathbound.
This didn’t look too good, it seems this shadow had a lot of area of effect skills. Although thanks to Heat Riser, Ryan was still not too affected.
“Kotori, keep us topped off. Kami and Ryan, focus on offense”, and him? He called forth Askr, and cast Masukukaja, a green aura briefly enshrouded everyone, and immediately they were feeling lighter on their feet. It was going to be easier to get in and out to avoid their attacks now. Still, it was area of effect, so the effectiveness of this alone was limited.
--- Kotori
Kotori followed Yamata-no-Orochi's movements with a small measure of worry as the Shadow attempted to get a bead on Rui, who dashed in between the eight heads. Unbeknownst to it, he was merely seeking to create an opening - one which he got just moments into the fight; forcing the multitude of heads back with a Gale Slash. This was the signal for the ranged barrage to strike as Kotori's own Zionga was echoed just a heartbeat later by an even more booming Ziodyne courtesy of Kaminari and Zeus whilst Ryan used the brief moment to instead set himself up for a big follow-up between his Heat Riser and Charge.
Unfortunately, their opponents weren't just going to sit back and take the hits. Almost immediately, Kushinada-Hime responded with a spell of her own; sending a freezing blast across the battlefield which engulfed the whole group. Though it lasted for but a moment, Kotori was left gasping at the sudden and massive drop in temperature - only to look up just in time to see Yamata-no-Orochi recoiling. This was not any of their doing, however - instead, the great serpent was preparing an attack of its own as an ear-splitting screech thundered through the whole area. Kotori winced once more, clutching her ears as the sheer force of the cry forced her back a step or two.
Shakily, she peered through her glasses in fearful anticipation of yet another strike - but even over her quickened and heavy breathing, she could hear Rui calmly relaying the battle orders. "Ri-right," Kotori quickly said as she nodded; only too eager to follow this particular instruction, seeing as everyone seemed to be quite a bit worse for wear after the two Shadows' assault.
Taking a deep breath, Kotori said: "Kikuri-Hime." Even before the next command, the shrine maiden raised her flower in preparation for the spell to come: "Salvation." And with that, a brilliant golden glow enveloped the battlefield. It coalesced around the individual party members, comforting them with a gentle warmth that soothed away the aches and pains that they had just suffered. After just a moment, the light faded - but left everyone refreshed and, thanks to Rui's own application of Masukukaja, even more ready than ever for the fight than when they had begun.
--Ryan--
Rui’s speed in dodging the strikes of the snake heads was impressive, especially since he wasn’t the one Ryan had used Heat Riser on. That kind of natural agility was just the thing he needed to strike out at Kushinada with a violent Gale Slash, the others following suit with bolts of lightning from the heavens. But she wasn’t going to take this punishment lying down, releasing a wave of ice at everyone in the party too fast to react to.
It struck Ryan head on, a violent shiver wracking his body as he resisted the urge to try and rub his arms to feel warm once again. He didn’t even have time to brace for impact when Orochi howled in pain or rage, maybe a mixture of both as it struck everyone with Deathbound. Ryan covered his ears in pain, wincing at the sheer volume of it’s cry as everyone nearly crumpled. Ryan undoubtedly came out of that assault the best, only minor injuries thanks to his Heat Riser. Rui called out his orders once again, Ryan smiling as he looked straight at Kushinada. ”Not a problem!” Rui cast Masukaja on everyone, or was it Masukukaja? Some of the names for these attacks are so confusing, but regardless it topped off Ryan’s speed boost from his Heat Riser so that was nice.
Kotori followed up with some mass healing, Ryan looking over nodding with a smile. Salvation was a pretty useful skill, maybe he could get her to teach it to him later? Could you teach moves to other Personas? A question to muse on another time, now it was time to bring down the hurt on the princess of the moon.
Ryan hopped on the tips of his toes for a moment, before taking off with a burst of inhuman speed towards Kushinada, holding the ever familiar Persona card in his hand as he stopped inches away from the shadow. ”Come! King of Dumnonia!” The card shattered within his clenched fist, the majesty of Geraint bloomed outwards from his soul as his sword pointed to the heavens in a blaze of glory. The Charge was spent, all that was left was to direct the power and then retreat.
The heavenly blade swung downwards, attempting to crush her underneath the weight of its royal light. The blast of energy enveloped her completely, along with the rest of the party as they all felt Heat Riser and Charge/Concentrate being applied to them simultaneously. A panting Ryan propelled himself back towards the group, slightly hunched over from exerting so much power at once. ”I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that. Now make sure to crush em for me… while I take a minor breather.” Hands on knees and face towards the ground, Ryan took several deep breaths to try and recover from such a cost intensive move.
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Ryan’s blade of light shined down upon the shadow, the visage of the serpents faded into the light, blinding all before they re-emerged, singed. While the serpents of Yamata no Orochi themselves were out for the count for now, the corrupted Kushinada-hime was still active, albeit damaged.
As the shadow raised her arm, it was met only with a blast of lightning as Kami intercepted it,
“Rui, now!”, he called.
In a flash of white, Rui called forth Askr, whose speed gradually increased, before suddenly disappearing into a flurry of slashes until the entire shadow was trapped in pillars of flashing blades. After a few moments, Askr appeared far above the shadow, with flashes locked around the shadow like a web, blade raised high above. “Hissatsu, Zan!”, as the move’s name was called, the final blow was struck as Askr came down, slashing right down the middle. A brilliant white flash split the visage before them into two perfect halves. Each flashing blade stood still, as Rui flourished his katana, before turning his back on it, slowly sheathing his blade. As soon as the click resounded, every flashing white blade erupted in a slashing storm, causing the shadow to crumple over with countless slash wound, before it slowly began to dissipate.
----
With that battle over, the party approached what remained, a pillar of broken shards, but the images shown in each reflection slowly became more and more depressing. Each shard slowly turned from the happy couple they had seen up until now into despair and separation, and soon, each one slowly and then gradually all of them reflected a single thing, a tombstone…
“Hmm…?”, Kami seemed to have noticed something, but that would have to come later. A voice resounded that they can only assume belonged to the man depicted.
“Why did you leave me…? Why…? No… Why has this world taken you from me? I… Without you I...“, and so the voice trailed off…
So was this merely just the story of a tragedy…? By now, it was probably pretty clear whose story was being depicted. As soon as the shards had given their insight into the memory, they rose to the heavens like always. Following this, the seals around the cave entrance began to illuminate, and on queue, torches began to light up within the gaping cavern, one by one each side lit up to show a path leading further into the mountain.
“I’d wager this will be the last stretch… But today has taken a lot out of us hasn’t it?”, plus Kami seemed like he wanted to say something. Though he would seem to save it for later.
--- Kotori
Able to breathe a little lighter after healing the damage done - yet also a little harder from the strain of doing so - Kotori quickly surveyed the situation. Thanks to Rui's Masukukaja, everyone managed to get the initiative back - with Ryan being the first to do so. Having set up his attack since the fight started, he was more than ready - and his blow struck true enough. Between his Heat Riser and his Charge, Geraint's brilliant light dared to blind all who looked on; causing Kotori to squint and shield her eyes. The light would not fade for what felt like ages - but when it finally did, even the mighty eight-headed serpent proved incapable of withstanding firepower of such magnitude.
This, however, still left the second Shadow alive and well - but before she could go on the counterattack, a bolt of lightning courtesy of Kaminari interrupted her would-be move. This was all the opening Rui needed - even without Kaminari's cry, he dashed forth as Askr joined him at his side. The flurry of blows that followed rapidly rose in velocity - quickly reaching the point where Kotori couldn't even follow the movements anymore and was left watching merely the aftermath as slash after glowing slash mounted on the stunned Shadow.
The barrage of blows came to a close with a final cut from above by Askr - the Shadow had a mere moment to truly realise how dire the situation was before a single clicking sound announced its end. Dozens, if not hundreds of blades simultaneously ripped through the Shadow which, left in tatters, began to fade just as the last blow landed. Kotori would give a sigh of relief that the fight had come to an end - but couldn't help but feel ill at ease and on guard as she peered across the surroundings for any other foes that might present themselves.
Thankfully though, her mistrust was misplaced - no more shadows rose up to challenge them as the group approached the pillar of broken memory shards. At least, that's what they'd come to believe these to be - Kotori had tried and failed to somehow come up with any explanation as to how it might be possible and instead just decided to accept these things rather than give herself a headache trying to wrap her mind around them.
Viewing the memories, meanwhile, turned out to be an exercise in the depressing - one by one, the sights and sounds of the happy couple were replaced by worries, fears, confusion, anger and, finally, despair. With a hand clutched tightly to her chest, Kotori watched as, one by one, the shards revealed the inevitable fate that they'd all known would come to pass. Even so, seeing and hearing what it wrought upon the widowed survivor still hit Kotori particularly hard.
Kotori noticed the changes in the environment out of the corner of her eyes, but couldn't bring herself to raise her gaze up from the ground. Even when it was announced that they would end their exploration here for today, she barely gave more than a hint of a nod and would wordlessly follow the others as they made the return journey out of the Mirror Realm - but even outside, the uncomfortable silence of her mood remained unbroken. She'd never been a fan of unhappy endings - and even less so when the story rang truer to life than she'd like.
