Manor Coated in Scarlet [Kaguya]

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

It was a lot darker in the room than he thought. You'd think that a seemingly abandoned manor would at least have a few lit candles here and there, right? All that mumbo jumbo like in Beauty and the Beast or something of the sort. Make it eerie. Spooky. Haunted.

But it never needed candles for that. Not being able to see and hearing the sound of flesh tearing... that was enough on its own. It was bad enough waking up and hearing that, but not being able to figure out where he was or whatnot really just made everything worse. What was even better was the fact that he couldn't seem to get a good grasp about what made said noises or where they came from.

After managing to kick down a door (but where that was is still unclear) and storming out, the slender male held out a hand to catch it ablaze without effort, wrinkling his nose as he saw bloodstained walls stretched out before him. Great. How did he even get here, anyway? Or better yet, why was she even a man...?

...bah, who gives a shit.

There seriously were more serious matters at hand, ah? Like whoevers' nuts to rip off for trapping him here in the first place--wherever here was.

It actually wasn't until exploring for a bit that he began to realize that this was a very peculiar estate. It was rather large, old, and yet not as beaten up as he'd imagine. Even though the walls were indeed a bit "battered up" with the newly added splotches of crimson, it was actually incredibly neat and tidy. In fact, it was almost as if someone else still lived here (who would when there were strange things running amok, though?) and were expecting guests, of all things.

But alas, it was then that the albino heard a crash and a smash, and suddenly he was tackled to the floor from behind. He snarled as he felt something try to suck the life out of the back of his head, and he cracked his elbow into this disgustingly twisted creature before gripping its face and crushing its skull between longer, stronger fingers, and setting it on fire without much more than an unamused scowl.

"Tch... fucker caught me off guard."

Kicking the thing away he pushed himself up with another tsk of annoyance, grumbling to himself. What the hell is going on here? They don't have beasts like that in Gensokyo... even if there are some pretty horrid ones.

Like certain bitches, if you will.

But nonetheless, Mokou stomped his heel into the charring carcass and gritted his teeth before turning away with another grumble. Someone better turn up soon. Someone with answers.

[Kaguya Houraisan]

“There's no such thing as monsters.”

Over and over this mantra left the perspiring lips of a heavily crouched figure, huddled under an end table that was more dust than teak as if the decaying wood were a shield. Sleek black hair became threaded with cobwebs as it pooled around ankles that were drawn tightly to her body, much like a child playing hide-and-seek-- except this was no game, it was a matter of life and death.

Not that life and death actually mattered.

But dying of fright a few hundred times didn't sound particularly pleasant, let alone what else these bloodsucking terrors could do to her.

“There's no such thing as monsters, there's no such thing as monsters, there's no such thing as monsters...”

Immortal or otherwise, Kaguya had every right to be scared so-- however hard she might shake her mind for answers, she simply couldn't remember when or how she came to this horrid place; she had awoken to find the sweet sound of cicadas calling softly to one another had twisted into demonic, ear-shattering howls, the once moonlit sky suddenly tinted gray as the putrid air smothered her delicate lungs. She'd been content to dismiss it as a nightmare and lay back on the cold ground until it became warm pillows beneath her head as before, but a vicious growl fanned hot, sticky breath across her face, a rotten smell filling her senses before she finally got the impression that she should run-- and run the fallen princess did, not even bothering to look back at whatever beast disturbed her, not caring what stabbed and scraped at her poor bare feet as she fled, she just ran.

And that was how she ended up here-- at the time, it had seemed like the perfect hiding place, but to her dismay the seemingly abandoned mansion was crawling with just as many entities as there were lurking outside.

“No such thing...”

There was no way she was moving from this table unless forced.

“...as monsters...”

...and force came in the form of blood spattering at her feet, drawing forth a small gasp as she shuffled back as far into the wall as possible. The Lunarian sat trembling as she pondered a getaway, only raising her head at the bitter smell of smoke, a smell that had become unfortunately familiar to her. Her slouched posture suddenly became hostile as her eyes honed in on those shoes-- she recognized them, and whatever awful situation she had found herself in, this certainly didn't make it any better.

She would ignore it. She would take gargantuan, deformed fiends over that albino brute any day of her prolonged life.

She would ignore it.

But what she could not ignore was the way the smoke curled lovingly against the many layers of dust surrounding her, tickling her nose, coaxing a tiny but audible sneeze from her.

Frozen save for the hand flying to her mouth in horror, Kaguya silently inhaled and held that breath, wishing with all her being that she could be one of those scattered dust motes swaying around like filthy fireflies.

Go away, go away, go away.[/color]

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

A very soft and feminine sneeze snapped the young man's attention forward, his bright eyes narrowing with another snarl.

"Who's there?!" he boomed out, voice shaking the walls. "Show yer face, damn it!"

And yet, of course, no answer followed. Not that he was waiting for one. The phoenix was an impatient one. With a shout of annoyance, he slammed a fist into the wall beside him, a streak of fire shooting out across the wall to light the candles hung up in a neat line. The little dancing flames lit up the room in a lovely, soft glow, but made everything visible while doing so. That was really obvious of course, but he didn't want to see what splayed out before him.

There was no "monster".

Just another vampiric beast.

Mokou groaned.

"Of all the things I had to put up with today, the last thing I wanted to see was you," he ground out with his lip curled.

Who needed to be friendly when your mortal enemy was cowered in front of you? It was actually a great way to see her again--splattered with blood, on the verge of tears, curled up in a corner... but the fact that it wasn't because of him bugged him a little, monsters and whatnot set aside. Maybe he could just throw her into a pit of them while he's at it? Just watch her die over and over again.

However, she was still in his hiding spot. Not that he was hiding or anything, but whatever. He could make this his place, after all. S'not like he could die or anything. Just get rid of everyone and everything and keep the place safe for people.

...not that he's a softie, or anything.

Eugh.

"How th' hell'd ya get here, anyway? This is my spot. Get out."

[Kaguya Houraisan]

She didn't know what she expected the response to her revelation to be, but it certainly wasn't the vicious snarl of a man's voice that she heard. With a confused bat of her lashes, the Lunarian girl kept silent still as sudden light filled the room, her hand slowly lowering from her face. If not who she thought it was, then who...?

But then again, who else could it possibly be? The unmistakable talismans littering a red and white attire, hair pale as the moon that was mere inches from sweeping the floor...

And the fire, always the fire. The flame that danced for slender fingertips, obedient as a dog, the burning scent that Kaguya couldn't stand.

Then suddenly, the mystery man crouched before her and glared with a familiar intensity, speaking as if he knew her. But then again, didn't he...?

Now more puzzled than petrified, the dark haired beauty tipped her head as she looked the obviously male figure before her up and down. She didn't think her old enemy had some crazy masculine twin, but tested the waters with hesitation all the same.

"...Mokou?" A mouth that was rounded in curiosity slowly began to form into a smirk. "Did you finally get a sex change, dear? Not that there's much of a difference, anyway."[/font]

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

Okay, what?

Seeing her baffled really just made him just as confused as she was. What the hell was her problem? Didn't she recognize him? Sure, his teeny breasts were gone, but it's not like it was that big of a fucking deal. His face only seemed to scrunch up even more than before, making him almost look disgusted rather than curious, like he just smelled a rotting corpse that had been shat on and left out in the sun for months. Eugh.

"Did you finally get a sex change, dear? Not that there's much of a difference, anyway."

...Seriously?

The phoenix just let out a huff, getting a deadpanned look upon his face as his brows furrowed. God, that seriously wasn't what he fucking wanted to hear. He winds up in a horrifying place like this and ends up finding her--his worst enemy--and that's what she has to say?

"Did I ask fer yer opinion? S'none 've yer business. Wipe that smirk off yer face before I do it for ya, eh?!" he growled out. The albino really was too tired of all of this hitting him at once, his head already blocking out the annoyance of the other and keeping him from getting angrier than he normally would be. He just rubbed a temple, wrinkling his nose a bit. "An' ya never answered my question, Houraisan."

[Kaguya Houraisan]

Kaguya's laugh, while sweet and airy as it danced and echoed around the soundless room, was just as smug as her previous retort, and she simply shook her head at Mokou's outburst-- yes, how could it be anyone else? Male or female, the phoenix was as loud and obnoxious as ever before, but despite that, it was actually comforting somehow to see a familiar face, no matter how much she spat upon it.

With a delicacy as though she were stepping over eggshells, she crawled out from beneath the table, bones cracking beneath pale skin like little sighs of relief from having been cramped in the same position for so long. The petite maiden pulled herself to her bloodied feet, combing still-trembling fingers through her onyx locks to rid it of dust and dirt.

“Oh, your question? I thought it was rhetorical,” she hummed as she pawed through her hair. “Do you own this dump, Mokou? I should have expected as much.”
Her smile was pleasant, yet heavily guarded at the same time as she turned herself toward the other, shrugging a bit. Again, her dark eyes wandered warily over his form.

“I was napping, and it was such a nice nap, but then I woke up in those dreadful streets...” the Lunarian made a vague gesture toward one of the filthy windows behind her, blinking as she adjusted to the light once more. “I was chased by some of those... well, what are they? Not that,” Another point to the fried corpse on the floor, with more disgust. “but similar... I ended up here, I thought it would be safe. I didn't mean to intrude, dear, seeing as you seem to be so very busy...”

Having finished her explanation, though she knew he wouldn't buy a word simply because he was Mokou, Kaguya's gaze locked back onto his face, slowly covering the lower half of her lovely face with one of her long sleeves-- the faintest hint of a blush was visible, blending with the pink of the cloth.
“I think this appearance suits you, if it makes you less grumpy. You've always been such a man anyway.”[/color]

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

Mokou let out a grunt as he listened to the Lunarian's snarky comments. Wonderful. He wondered if he should even bother with responding to her since he'd just snap regardless, and bit his cheek whilst giving her a good glare.

Of course he didn't fucking own this hellhole! Sure, he wanted to make it a safe area for humans, but... god, the bitch just had to go and be a total ass about it.

As usual.

"Ya know, yer right. I really loved the peace an' quiet before you showed up. Maybe I could show ya the door, yeah?" the newly-made male gritted out with a faux smile, his seemingly calm voice dripping with venomous hatred.

Ignoring her was a grand idea indeed. Just block it all out. Don't let the bitch bring him down. In fact, he began to think that talking louder would be the best way to drown her out, fumbling with ways to do so in his head... Until he actually heard her say something peculiar. Mind you, not that he really gave a rat's ass about what came out of her mouth, but was that a compliment...? Towards him, no less?

The poor guy was dumbfounded. He turned slowly to watch her with a careful eye, his own narrowing with a cautious glance. What was she getting at? The fallen princess was too stuck-up to give compliments, much less to the likes of him--and flattery too, no doubt, even if she tried to cover it up with her usual prissy attitude.

...wait, was that a blush?

"Yeah well. Whatever," he said with a cough, looking away quickly. What the hell? How does he react to something like that?! "Ya look better than I would've thought. Ya need som'more ruffin' up, though."

He was so very bad at things like this.

[Kaguya Houraisan]

Even under the burn of the young man's glare, heated as his famous flames, the exile's own demeanor kept serene and innocent, not allowing his anger to get under her skin today. There was enough going through her mind right now, wasn't there? But as fearful as she was of these new surroundings, she wasn't going to show it-- her face was cool and calm to combat his fiery temper, and she refused to throw any sort of tantrum herself.

In fact, once she'd preened herself to perfect presentability, it was as if she hadn't been cowering under furniture at all. No sir, she wouldn't be caught dead hiding in such a way.

“What door, Mokou? There are lots of doors, aren't there? You probably know your way around by now, can you show me to the bedroom door? I'm still quite tired.” she droned with playful boredom, her voice lilting lightly as if speaking to a small dog. However, deep beneath that tone soaked so heavily in artificial sweetness, there was just as much poison laced into the meaning as he put forth-- she had no intention of going back outside, not with those... whatever she refused to call 'monsters'.

And despite her statuesque taunting, Kaguya's gaze was still very much focused on his physique-- not-so-subtly so, in fact, and knowing that she couldn't help it just made the tame tint in her cheeks flare up. Why must the one she despised most suddenly become something so attractive? How was this allowed? Stupid bird.

At his comment, she simply turned her nose up at him, a tiny huff of defiance managing to squeeze past her sleeve. "Excuse me, 'roughing up'? Not everyone wants to look like a tramp, unlike you." she sneered somewhat feebly, already trying to pass her, erm, compliment off as mere teasing. She dipped her head gracefully with another carefree giggle, suddenly more interested in her ribbons than the man before her. What a blunder.

[Fujiwara no Mokou]

"I meant that ya could use some bruises. Battle scars. Maybe missin' yer head. Much rather see ya like that, tch."

The man couldn't help but let out a scoff, crossing his arms before his chest. If she was human, the bitch would've definitely been dead by now. That high-class attitude is just going to get her killed. In fact, he didn't mind it if she died in the slightest (or was that just his pride talking?) but unfortunately, she shared the same fate as he: to live and die repeatedly for all eternity.

But dying was such a drag. You could feel every ounce of anguish just as a regular person would and it never gets old. Ever. You don't just get used to physical suffering. To be honest, that was probably what Mokou was afraid of the most in this horrid place--feeling the horrible pain of having your flesh ripped from your body, being eaten alive only to live again and have it all happen over and over.

Which made him think... What exactly is he going to do about it? All he really can do is fend them all off and save as many lives as possible, right? But the damned "princess" showed up, so what now? He scrunched his nose in thought. It's not like she'd help him save human lives since she'd be too caught up with herself since she's so goddamn important and all that, and it's not like he'd want her here in the first place. Solitude is a wondrous thing, that it is.

But... where else could she go? Is there even a way out?

Eugh.

Rubbing his temples, he looked at her once more, pointing a finger as if scolding her. "I'm serious, a'ight?! If ya wanna stay here that's fine, but ya better stay clear from me, got... it...?" he trailed off. Wait... Had she been looking at him like that the whole time?

The albino's mouth suddenly became dry. What the fuck? It was obvious that Kaguya had been acting a bit strange since their reacquaintance, but she kept giving him these looks that made his chest feel tight with something unfamiliar. Something... warm.

" U-uhh..."

It's not like it was something he hated, but the confusion and questions it brought along with it frustrated him. He fumbled over his own words and thoughts, running through everything in his head the best he could.

Why would she look at him like that?

Why did she have to cover that stupid face of hers to do it?

Why were her eyelashes so... long?

And lovely?

And make her seem incredibly elegant and beauti--

Mokou pressed his lips together in anger, furious with himself. How could he even think such a thing?! That disgusting, pitiful, self-absorbed skank. As much as he seethed, however, his cheeks continued to get redder and redder, scarlet with embarrassment and frustration. He turned immediately to hide himself, waving a hand.

"Look, ya know, I don't give a flyin' fuck. I'm outta here."

Don't look at me. Don't talk to me. Just go away. I don't want this. It's strange. Leave me alone.

Why is my heart beating so fast?

[Kaguya Houraisan]

Bruised, broken and beheaded-- in other words, he'd prefer to see her dead. That wasn't new at all, though, so she simply brushed his comment aside with a smirk.
“So sorry to disappoint.” she cooed with mock sincerity, still holding that tone as if addressing an infant, even while having to look up at him.

However frightened she may be, she absolutely refused to be torn limb from limb-- not yet, at least. For a dainty little thing, Kaguya could still boast a strength that staying alive in this place wouldn't be possible without. It was actually lucky that fate bestowed her with eternal life, because she sure as hell wasn't going to die here.
And she certainly wasn't going to give Mokou the satisfaction of watching her perish multiple times.

When the aforementioned nuisance finally responded to her, she took a small, yet deep breath, willing the color in her face to disappear as she glanced back up, eyes darting from that threatening finger to the man's face. He appeared to be stumbling over his words, suddenly... nervous? In honest, innocent confusion, the Lunarian's eyes fluttered ever so slightly as she observed his vague body language-- he wasn't really acting far off from how she had upon seeing him, but surely Mokou would never think such a thing...?

“...isn't that awfully nice of you.” she said slowly, quite surprised-- not that she would wait around for his permission in the first place. Why was he so red? It was almost kind of... cute.

But then he snapped at her, which wasn't very endearing, and her doe-eyed expression of wonder faded into something more smug and triumphant, despite not feeling very victorious at all.
“Fine, fine, suit yourself.” she sniffed, swiftly turning on her heel in a newfound quest to find a bed.

It was halfway down the hallway that a low growl from somewhere in the thick darkness prompted her to turn back around immediately, not even bothering to disguise her panic.
In something like a sprint, Kaguya found herself at Mokou's side in an instant, grabbing at his sleeve with childlike hysteria.
“Let me come with you.” It was hard to keep that edge of begging that crept into her whimper.[/font]