Touhou Project: Fear of Bitter Loneliness #4

    Reimu felt a faint presence as her eyes started to slowly open up. The hazy vision cleared up as she noticed some kind of black orb in front of her eyes. The orb's single eye opened to be purple. It was Nahumar. "Morning Priestess." he happily declared. Reimu's rage was building ever so silently. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and then looked back once more. Yep. Nahumar was sitting right there without his shell on. His true self. "You need anything?" he asked her. Reimu promptly picked Nahumar up with her hands to look at his eye. She then prepared to toss him just as Yukari grabbed Nahumar before she could throw. "Now now Reimu. This is only for a little while. Seeing how you and Nahumar get along oh so well, I figured it would be a fun experiment with the two of you living under the same roof." Yukari gently placed Nahumar on the table far from Reimu as she decided to change in a separate room away from his eye. "What about his shrine?" she asked. Yukari replied "I made Ran watch over it from time to time. His parasites will be enough to keep it hidden though." which followed with the next question Reimu had. "Then what do you gain from this?"

Yukari told her "I will get some enjoyment from watching you two." confirming it was out of boredom. Nahumar waited for the time until he noticed Reimu walking around the corner in her usual attire. She fixed the bow on her head just as she walked up to Nahumar. "Where is your shell?" she asked. "Over there." Nahumar pointed with one of his tendons from his body to the sleeping body he wore. "It gets tiring to use that thing a lot so I have to exit it every night until the morning." Nahumar explained as Reimu walked over to it, inspecting it closely. "As lifeless as it looks, I would mistake it for a human myself." Reimu added on as she started to drag his body into the closet.



    "So Nahumar is going to be living here for a short while?" Marisa asked Reimu as they sat on the porch. The sun halfway to to top as the day was still starting. "Yes Marisa. Yukari wanted some amusement between us and dumped him on me." Reimu sighed as she then noticed Nahumar in his orb like form rolling around inside. This reminded her that Nahumar was not to be seen in this image by anyone else. He stopped to see Reimu. "Hello Prie-" Reimu stopped Nahumar from speaking as she grabbed him and ran to the closet. Opening the hole and attempting to stuff Nahumar into the neck hole. "Get in there!" She screamed, all while Nahumar was frightened. "Slow it down Reimu! I-I can't fit it if you just rush me!" he responded just as he finally entered his shell and the head was secured. Marisa on the other hand caught a sight she would never believe. The way Reimu was sitting over Nahumar, and how he was resting against the wall made it look like Reimu wanted him. "Oh? Are you two this involved already?" Marisa chuckled with a smirk as Reimu turned around to expose her rosy cheeks and eyes filled with anger. "Y-you-" Reimu then looked down to see how she was sitting over Nahumar and promptly shoved herself off. "It's not like that at all Marisa!" Reimu loudly shouted while Marisa just chuckled. "Oh please, I was only kidding. But you two seem to be having fun."

Marisa walked over to help Nahumar up on his feet. "Thanks Marisa." he said. For a moment, Marisa felt his cold and lifeless hand. Despite it being the same as a human in shape and color, something about it scared her...yet she met Nahumar many times and held his wrists. She froze up. "Are you alright, Marisa?" Nahumar asked. Marisa snapped out of it and retracted her hand, blushing now like Reimu was earlier and keeping her face away from his sight. "I am." Marisa took her walk outside. Reimu looked to Nahumar with disgust as he didn't understand what happened. Marisa on the other hand sat on the steps and looked to the sky. She took her hat off, letting the sun's rays hit her face. "His hand was cold...like he was dead. Yet he seems so full of life. Nahumar is the Youkai of Fear, but what does he really look like?" she remembered how many Youkai hide their true image a lot. Especially ones like Ran. Her curiosity was getting to her now. 


    Later, a little oni with an elaborate purple and white attire. Chains hanging from her wrist and one leg with ornaments. Hanging from her hands was a purple gourd. She called out to Marisa on the steps "Yo Marisa. Is Reimu here?" she asked with a glee. Marisa smiled to her with some trouble in her eyes "Hey Suika. Yeah, Reimu is here but she would rather chat with Nahumar." she used her thumb to point over her shoulder back into the shrine. Suika took her seat next to Marisa, taking a swig of her gourd. "Nahumar is here as well, huh? That makes this task easier." she said, taking a letter out from her possession. Marisa looked at it curiously just as Reimu and Nahumar approached them. "Before you say anything, No Suika...I am not going to let you drink-Hm?" Reimu noticed the letter in her hands. Suika looked back and noticed the two. "Oh hey there Reimu. Nah I wanted to stop by to relax. However, now that Nahumar is here I can give him this." she handed the letter to Nahumar. He started to read it as the group watched him curiously. "Read it to us, Nahumar!" Marisa cried out. Nahumar took a moment to clear his throat and repeated the letter to the group.
   
    Dear Nahumar- 
    I Hate  
    I am Jealous  
    I don't
    I  
    I Envy you
    - Mizuhashi Parsee 
P.S: If it's alright with you, I don't mind if you visit the underground more often. As long as you come without that black and white witch.

"At least she could remember my name..." Marisa huffed. Nahumar was confused about it. "Seems like you must of done something to Parsee for her to write a letter to someone like you." Suika grinned as if implying they were going to fall in love. Nahumar yet still couldn't understand it. "So...she wants to see me again? Well it would be nice to see how much she reminds me of Jera." he smiled as Marisa and Suika groaned in disappointment. Reimu took the letter and read over it herself. Noticing the way that Parsee was writing it made it like a love letter. Why did she care anyways? The creature was a black mass of fear on the inside. Reimu cared not for what his interest is.


    The day continued on like usual for Reimu, Marisa and Suika. Nahumar on the other hand was relaxing by laying along the floor of the shrine as the others took their seat on the steps. Despite Nahumar's presence, the shrine was pretty relaxed say for the occasional comment from Marisa or Suika. It felt like nothing changed at all but one extra body was with them. That is when Marisa had the bright idea "Nahumar! Let's have a fun round of Danmaku to pass the time!" grabbing her broom as she noticed Nahumar sitting up with a smile. "Marisa. Quit treating it like it's some casual game. Danmaku is not to be used like some kind of toy." She reminded them about the use of Spell Cards but Marisa chuckled. "Are you scared that Nahumar might beat you one day?" she grinned under her hat. "No." Reimu said bluntly. Nahumar agreed to play a fun variant of their spellcards for the two on the ground to watch.

The 'game' began as Nahumar started off with one of his signature cards. "Fear Sign [Arachnophobian Web]!" he called out as his pattern was created. Eight lines of bullets shot out in all directions as one bullet started to create a sort of spiral trail to mimic a spider's web. Nahumar was in the center. The web spun slowly in either direction and at times he fired five rapid sprays of bullets towards Marisa. The web itself was easy to navigate for someone of her skill and the bullet sprays were making it more fun. Suika watched Nahumar with some intrigue in her. "Nahumar's Spellcards are very interesting patterns, right Reimu?" she nudged Reimu. "To a point. Then you realize that most of the bullets are fake and meant to mess with your head." she pointed up as Marisa was finished with one of her spell cards and he retaliated with a spell card that trapped Marisa in a grid, much like a scarlet sister but with some bullets being off colored. "The black bullets are the real ones, the purple ones are fake. He induces the fear of being trapped in this card with false bullets and make the target think she is trapped with no way to dodge his onslaught." Reimu continued on as Marisa demonstrated, passing through the purple colored bullets in a rhythm to the wave of dagger like bullets being tossed towards her. With two of them always being purple. Suika smiled wide "Ah...That makes sense. His patterns play with your sense of fear, so making fake bullets might trick someone into staying still long enough or run into the real ones?" taking a swig of her gourd. Her eyes set on their duel.

The bullets continued to fly towards each other, card after card was used. Marisa knew she would win with ease as she drew her most powerful card at the right time. "I win Nahumar." Marisa used her Master Spark spell card to easily win the battle. Nahumar started to fall down to the ground but slowed himself near the end to not break the ground beneath him. He stood up and smiled, yet after the fight was over she saw Nahumar's arm a little dislocated. "I'll be back out soon. Let me just pop this back in place." he chuckled. Leaving the group to fix his body inside the shrine. Suika took her chance to leave after that little duel. Reimu noticed the arm. "Marisa. You did a fine job, but mind being a tad easier on Nahumar?" as if asking to go easy. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry Reimu. I figured he got better so I didn't hold back...I'll apologize for the arm." 

    Marisa headed inside to where Nahumar was to see if he was alright. "Nahumar-" Marisa stood there in the doorway as she finally noticed Nahumar's body. Without the long jacket on, his body was pitch black like the shadows of the forest. His hands were of a human pigment to about the wrist and from the neck up he looked human. His backside had four odd tentacle looking tendons sprouting out as they looked to 'fix' his dislocated shoulder.
Marisa was frightened. Almost as if she was meeting death in the face. She froze there, wanting to scream. Nahumar turned to notice Marisa's growing fear and wanted to ease her before Reimu could punish him. "D-don't be afraid Marisa. Just keep calm..." Nahumar attempted to siphon the fear she was emitting. Walking up to her and with his arms out, he wrapped her gently in his embrace. "There...just breath easily..." he said, causing Marisa to slowly relax into his arms. Two tendons from his back embedded into Marisa's spine with care and gently siphoned the excess fear she was producing, calming her in the process. He eased Marisa down against the wall in her sleep like state once he retracted them. "So she saw it?" Reimu came out from around the corner just as Nahumar turned back. "Priestess! It's not-" he didn't finish. Reimu handed him his long coat and yet had deep pink cheeks. "Just put some clothes on before you scare someone else..." she said in a demanding way. Nahumar slowly smiled with a light chuckle under his breath as he put his long coat back on. "Right. Marisa should wake up in a few minutes, but by then she will forget what she saw in that moment. I'm sorry this happened..." Nahumar turned back to Reimu who stood there, silent. It took her a bit to finally say...