As announced, Okuu's Look-alike will seek to reactivate the time-space distortion today in order to forcefully evict the swarm of travellers who have inundated Gensokyo Island's port and, by their very existence, threaten the continued daily functioning of the island and its residents. Never mind that the majority of those travellers are actually the offspring of Gensokyo Island's residents, permitted to come into being through Okuu's Look-alike's licentious breeding policies. It's not like they have been treated as anything other than expendable in the first place.
But what of those of us innocent parties, travellers from foreign islands, who have found ourselves caught up in this mess?
You were a good traveller, Toritori, but Gensokyo Island must move on. Whatever the cost.
Toritori stood resolutely at the front of the port, gazing into the distance and awaiting the arrival of the first time-displaced ship from the depths of the ocean mist. Her expression was unmoving, as if she was facing the firing squad for a crime she had never committed, perfectly resigned to her unjust fate. In contrast it was I who choked, muscles tensed, wanting to bay at the sky to let out my anger, frustration, and despair at the sheer unfairness of this world.
Yugen and Rebecca had been sent off to the campground to await the arrival of new travellers, if any. I gave them instructions to take photographs and make notes about the new arrivals, simply for the records of the Bunbunmaru Updates, rather than to cajole them into slaving alongside us. We were decently well staffed, after all, my primary objective was merely to ensure this seminal moment in Gensokyo Island's history was properly documented.
Watching from the vantage point at the cape, where I once waited with Toritori, this time it was her on whom I had my camera trained. The gradual darkening of the sky, despite it being the middle of the day, was the first indication that Gensokyo Island was once again beginning its unlawful intervention into the threads of time.
Sure enough, within minutes, the silhouette of a boat could be observed cutting its way through the mist, its markings and the shadows suggesting the presence of a new traveller who had been torn from their place in the weave. However, as the vessel coursed its way alongside the port to unload its cargo, something seemed to be missing.
Natalia, whoever you are and wherever you came from... I'm sorry. And Toritori...
Wha... I could have sworn that I saw a traveller on that boat, preparing to disembark, and yet as the boat pulled up alongside the port no traveller appeared. Was this merely some figment of my imagination? I rubbed my eyes in disbelief... no, I must have been momentarily confused. Toritori would be getting on this boat, and it simply wouldn't be acceptable, the thought that she would be torn apart by the effects of the time-space anomaly. Torn apart? Ahahaha... I meant, well...
Steeling herself, Toritori made the leap of faith onto that mysterious vessel. She did not back toward Gensokyo Island, her home of the last three months, even once as they sped away. In a few short moments the boat was nothing more than a dwindling glimmer in the horizon. Toritori... where she was now, whether alive or dead, no one knew and no one could possibly tell. But one thing was for sure as to her fate, and it was that no resident of Gensokyo Island cared about it.
I heaved a great breath, a sigh of dismay and resignation, as my longtime companion faded out of the reality that I knew. What should I do now? Cry? Or expunge the very thought of her existence from my memory? Conflicted, the roiling emotions coursing through my brain, I gathered my belongings and turned away, thinking to make back to our press office, only to catch the sight of more movement in the mists out of the corner of my eye.
Of course, with Toritori's departure, it was only understandable that Okuu's Look-alike would not stop there, seeking to procure yet more of these passenger ships from the mists of time to carry away Gensokyo Island's hapless children to distant lands. As to their fates, I did not really care - my emotions were already spent despairing about Toritori, and not a drop more of sympathy could be wrung from my stony heart. But somehow... somehow...
Somehow that new boat which was arriving looked oddly familiar. Was it... identical to the one that had just arrived mere minutes ago?
Wait, what? From the same place? And look at the crazy stare in the eyes of that Edwado fellow.
I raised my camera to capture the bizarre scene unfolding before me, but I felt my hands stiffening in fear. The coincidences were unusual ... unnatural. How could it be that the exact same boat, presumably from the exact same point of origin, arrived at Gensokyo Island multiples times within minutes. And what of Toritori? Did she... the thought of the various terrible fates which could have befallen her sickened me, leaving me petrified and only able to watch dumbly as the spectacle repeated itself before my eyes.
The boat, that same boat, would arrive, unload an identically-marked crate, and one of Gensokyo Island's travellers would leap onto it and be ferried away into the distance. And then it would return, once again empty, and repeat the procedure, except this time accepting a different traveller. This scene played itself out before me seven... eight times? I was so horrified that I did not even care to keep count. It was on one of the last iterations of that terrible sight that I observed a crucial difference in the process.
This time, the boat carried a traveller. And his staring eyes were stretched wide, as wide as plates, completely heedless of how his face and clothing were stained with streaks of bloody red.
What has happened to all these travellers? And... and what of Toritori?
I was told, lying on my sickbed later that day, that I had been found curled up in a fetal position near the cliff's edge, mouth agape and with the camera clutched tightly to my chest. Aya Shameimaru, accompanied by Yugen and Rebecca, had found me and carried me back, and later updated me on Gensokyo Island's progress after I awakened from my comatose state.
Okuu's Look-alike and her assistants had received
kudos from the grateful islanders for having taken the necessary
measures to return them to their normal states, never mind that the
problem was created entirely by their own choices. It seemed that with the eviction of a large number of travellers, a sufficient degree of self-will had been restored to the residents of Gensokyo Island and they were able to function once again as individuals, returning to their daily routines.
From top left to bottom right, Kurei, Lilith, Belle, Albert, Sasha, and Evan. Once more unto the breach, dear friends.
And such routines included returning to their ways of uncontrolled proliferation, with six new travellers being sent to the docks to replace the eight, including Toritori, who departed today. A shortfall of two? Why, that's not a problem at all, with the birth of two new children announced today as well, conveniently occurring right after the time-space anomaly had been suspended.
Gensokyo Island is nothing if not doomed simply to repeat its mistakes. For every one of its children lost to the void another is produced and sent off to relive the terrible fate of its predecessors, an endless cycle of death and rebirth. Without hate, without resentment, without envy.
For it is us who shoulder their sufferings. Rest in peace, Toritori. My friend.
BUNBUNMARU UPDATES, 11th May 2015
Traveller Updates
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Toritori of Shadai Island departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. Edwado of daiDueLati Island alighted, Yves departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Chiyoko departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Abigail departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Lewis departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Michiko departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Junpachi departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Yuriko departed.
A boat from Richtown Island arrived. ??? alighted, Bruce departed.
Children
Tenku was born to Utsuho Reiuji and Rinnosuke Morichika. It's their tenth child! He is an Independent Free Spirit.
Kurei, son of Reimu Hakurei and Junya Ohta, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Lilith, daughter of Shinmyoumaru Sukuna and Overlord Laharl, grew up. She was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Belle, daughter of Yuuka Kazami and Augustine Sycamore, grew up. She was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Albert, son of Patchouli Knowledge and Overlord Mao, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Yuuko II was born to Yuyuko Saigyouji and Maximillian Magma. It's their third child! She is a Confident Brainiac.
Sasha, daughter of Margit Ravelli and Archibald Aqua, grew up. She was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Evan, son of Koyomi Saigyouji and Almaz Beoulve, grew up. He was made to leave Gensokyo Island and become a traveller!
Tia Arlert announced that she was pregnant with her and Tadakichi Mihama's fourth child!
Tia Arlert announced that she was pregnant with her and Tadakichi Mihama's fourth child!
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