Goodbye, Chen
Goodbye Chen
(Inspired by, dedicated and all the thanks goes out to yours truly, takuyarawr)
Some time, after a battle, Ran and Chen found that Yukari's health had declined and that she fell ill. Despite how weak she was becoming, she tried not to pay any attention to it and was enjoying her life. As her illness worsened, doctors treated her with the best treatment they could offer but, however, it did more damage to her body than it did repair. Knowing fate was being merciful and hostile to her, she didn't know how to break the news to Ran and Chen, so she told Reimu and asked for her to give them her parasol.
When Reimu broke the news to the shikigami, they were in utter disbelief and were immediately grief-stricken. "I'm sorry, Ran, Chen, she didn't know she could tell you herself, so she told me to tell you and she wanted you to have this." Reimu said, handing them the pink lace parasol Yukari loved so dearly. A few days later, Yukari fell into a coma and died in her sleep, from the last of the treatment that she wasn't strong enough to survive.
Her funeral service was long and full of tears from those that loved her. Even Yuyuko, as gluttonous as she was, didn't think to eat all the food. Everyone was dressed in black and/or purple. Reimu closed down her shrine for a month, grieving and out of respect for her deceased yokai friend.
Grief-stricken, Ran was trying to hold things together and often took to caring for the violet garden that Yukari left behind but found her health, too, had declined. Chen was hit the hardest and spent half of the day at Yukari's grave, wishing for her to come back.
However, Ran had the most of her problems, other than her mistress's untimely demise. She found her declining health had proved she was ill with a terminal illness that was incurable. She knew she couldn't ignore it but couldn't tell Chen. All through the summer, she hid her illness and, in the fall, after becoming so frail and thin, she went to a doctor to see how far it progressed. However, the diagnosis wasn't good and that the illness had spread rather quickly through her body.
Throughout the fall, she secretly had herself treated for her illness and tried to make her appointments less frequent. She didn't want Chen, her ever so beloved shikigami and pet, to be alone so whenever she left Chen at Reimu's, she was going to see get treatment. In November, she left Chen at Reimu's one last time before she went into the hospital.
Before she went to the hospital, she asked Reimu to explain the situation. When Reimu did, Chen broke into tears and asked "Why didn't anyone tell me?" Reimu gathered her into her arms and said "We didn't want you to worry but I see that is the least of your problems." In the winter, after all the doctors did what they could, Ran passed away of her illness. Reimu brought Chen to be with her, as she died. While dying, Ran gave her the hat she wore. Ran's funeral service was short but tearful. With both of her mistresses passed on, Chen went home, alone. She walked through the house. Only she remained in the large house. She went to her room and cried.
Ran and Yukari's rooms were empty and quiet. Their beds were made. Nothing was taken out of their drawers. Nothing was left out of place. She went to each of their rooms and sat. She went to the kitchen. Yukari often served her a bowl of her favorite cereal, whenever she was awake, but now Chen had no one to serve her cereal. She went out into the garden. She, Ran, Yuyuko, Reimu, and, occasionally, Rinnosuke would play a game of baseball until one of them broke a window or a vase, in that situation they would run to avoid getting in trouble. The large house was full of memories of her mistresses.
Reimu stopped by everyday to feed her and that was all she could do for her. When spring came, she went to the Hakurei shrine to see Reimu. "Hello, Chen, what brings you here?" asked Reimu, curiously but in some degree of despair. Chen looked up and said "I want to know if I could say goodbye because I never really got a chance to." Reimu paused for a moment and said "I know, Chen, but I can't bring them back because that would involve messing with the border and Yukari wouldn't have wanted that."
"Is there any way I could tell them goodbye but spend some time with them before I do?"
"I could escort you to the netherworld and ask Yuyuko to lend them to you for a day but we must escort them back to the world of the living, then you must wait for them after about 10 minutes upon arrival, and, after the time is used up, they must return to the netherworld."
"How do I convince Yuyuko to lend them to me?"
"One must explain the purpose and ask for the favor as a favor but, if that doesn't work, one must bribe her with food."
The next day, Reimu escorted Chen to netherworld. Youmu met them at the gate and demanded their purpose. Reimu carefully explained the situation and Youmu let them pass. They met Yuyuko in her castle and explained the situation. "Hmm, I hear your plea but I wonder how Ran and Yukari would feel about it but I'm pretty sure they would give one more day to spend with you, I'll get them ready." said Yuyuko, as she left the room. She returned with Yukari and Ran. Both embraced her and said how much they missed her. "You can have them for one day and, after that, they must return to the netherworld. Any longer than that will cost you dearly."
After following Reimu's instructions, she brought them to their house and spent the entire day with them there, reliving her life before the battle, before their illnesses, and, most of all, before the loneliness and grief. After spending the entire day with them, the next day she knew she was going to lose them forever. The next day, Chen escorted them to them to the border between Gensokyo and the netherworld and, as her mistresses walked off after giving her a final embrace, she said " Goodbye."
Ran and Yukari didn't look back but said "Goodbye Chen, goodbye Chen, goodbye.... forever." She watched them leave and continued watching before they disappeared in the mists of netherworld. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she went home. She walked into her room and found a present for her. It had a note that said:
Dearest Chen,
We know our time to be with you is short, so we give you this present to remember us by and we want you to know we love you and we want you to be strong. We left this on your bed before we left, a gift to you.
Sincerely with love, your mistresses,
Yukari and Ran Yakumo
Chen opened her gift and found it was a photograph of them together in a golden Frame, decorated with fake flowers, and found that they had made a doll for her. Chen hung the photograph on the wall and fell asleep cuddling the doll. Back in the netherworld, Yukari and Ran stood, waiting for Chen to eventually join them.
Some time, after a battle, Ran and Chen found that Yukari's health had declined and that she fell ill. Despite how weak she was becoming, she tried not to pay any attention to it and was enjoying her life. As her illness worsened, doctors treated her with the best treatment they could offer but, however, it did more damage to her body than it did repair. Knowing fate was being merciful and hostile to her, she didn't know how to break the news to Ran and Chen, so she told Reimu and asked for her to give them her parasol.
When Reimu broke the news to the shikigami, they were in utter disbelief and were immediately grief-stricken. "I'm sorry, Ran, Chen, she didn't know she could tell you herself, so she told me to tell you and she wanted you to have this." Reimu said, handing them the pink lace parasol Yukari loved so dearly. A few days later, Yukari fell into a coma and died in her sleep, from the last of the treatment that she wasn't strong enough to survive.
Her funeral service was long and full of tears from those that loved her. Even Yuyuko, as gluttonous as she was, didn't think to eat all the food. Everyone was dressed in black and/or purple. Reimu closed down her shrine for a month, grieving and out of respect for her deceased yokai friend.
Grief-stricken, Ran was trying to hold things together and often took to caring for the violet garden that Yukari left behind but found her health, too, had declined. Chen was hit the hardest and spent half of the day at Yukari's grave, wishing for her to come back.
However, Ran had the most of her problems, other than her mistress's untimely demise. She found her declining health had proved she was ill with a terminal illness that was incurable. She knew she couldn't ignore it but couldn't tell Chen. All through the summer, she hid her illness and, in the fall, after becoming so frail and thin, she went to a doctor to see how far it progressed. However, the diagnosis wasn't good and that the illness had spread rather quickly through her body.
Throughout the fall, she secretly had herself treated for her illness and tried to make her appointments less frequent. She didn't want Chen, her ever so beloved shikigami and pet, to be alone so whenever she left Chen at Reimu's, she was going to see get treatment. In November, she left Chen at Reimu's one last time before she went into the hospital.
Before she went to the hospital, she asked Reimu to explain the situation. When Reimu did, Chen broke into tears and asked "Why didn't anyone tell me?" Reimu gathered her into her arms and said "We didn't want you to worry but I see that is the least of your problems." In the winter, after all the doctors did what they could, Ran passed away of her illness. Reimu brought Chen to be with her, as she died. While dying, Ran gave her the hat she wore. Ran's funeral service was short but tearful. With both of her mistresses passed on, Chen went home, alone. She walked through the house. Only she remained in the large house. She went to her room and cried.
Ran and Yukari's rooms were empty and quiet. Their beds were made. Nothing was taken out of their drawers. Nothing was left out of place. She went to each of their rooms and sat. She went to the kitchen. Yukari often served her a bowl of her favorite cereal, whenever she was awake, but now Chen had no one to serve her cereal. She went out into the garden. She, Ran, Yuyuko, Reimu, and, occasionally, Rinnosuke would play a game of baseball until one of them broke a window or a vase, in that situation they would run to avoid getting in trouble. The large house was full of memories of her mistresses.
Reimu stopped by everyday to feed her and that was all she could do for her. When spring came, she went to the Hakurei shrine to see Reimu. "Hello, Chen, what brings you here?" asked Reimu, curiously but in some degree of despair. Chen looked up and said "I want to know if I could say goodbye because I never really got a chance to." Reimu paused for a moment and said "I know, Chen, but I can't bring them back because that would involve messing with the border and Yukari wouldn't have wanted that."
"Is there any way I could tell them goodbye but spend some time with them before I do?"
"I could escort you to the netherworld and ask Yuyuko to lend them to you for a day but we must escort them back to the world of the living, then you must wait for them after about 10 minutes upon arrival, and, after the time is used up, they must return to the netherworld."
"How do I convince Yuyuko to lend them to me?"
"One must explain the purpose and ask for the favor as a favor but, if that doesn't work, one must bribe her with food."
The next day, Reimu escorted Chen to netherworld. Youmu met them at the gate and demanded their purpose. Reimu carefully explained the situation and Youmu let them pass. They met Yuyuko in her castle and explained the situation. "Hmm, I hear your plea but I wonder how Ran and Yukari would feel about it but I'm pretty sure they would give one more day to spend with you, I'll get them ready." said Yuyuko, as she left the room. She returned with Yukari and Ran. Both embraced her and said how much they missed her. "You can have them for one day and, after that, they must return to the netherworld. Any longer than that will cost you dearly."
After following Reimu's instructions, she brought them to their house and spent the entire day with them there, reliving her life before the battle, before their illnesses, and, most of all, before the loneliness and grief. After spending the entire day with them, the next day she knew she was going to lose them forever. The next day, Chen escorted them to them to the border between Gensokyo and the netherworld and, as her mistresses walked off after giving her a final embrace, she said " Goodbye."
Ran and Yukari didn't look back but said "Goodbye Chen, goodbye Chen, goodbye.... forever." She watched them leave and continued watching before they disappeared in the mists of netherworld. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she went home. She walked into her room and found a present for her. It had a note that said:
Dearest Chen,
We know our time to be with you is short, so we give you this present to remember us by and we want you to know we love you and we want you to be strong. We left this on your bed before we left, a gift to you.
Sincerely with love, your mistresses,
Yukari and Ran Yakumo
Chen opened her gift and found it was a photograph of them together in a golden Frame, decorated with fake flowers, and found that they had made a doll for her. Chen hung the photograph on the wall and fell asleep cuddling the doll. Back in the netherworld, Yukari and Ran stood, waiting for Chen to eventually join them.