Chapter Text
Within the depths of the Underground, tucked away through Old Hell, housed in a great structure, sat Satori Komeiji. The Mistress of the Palace of the Earth Spirits was usually found deep in thought, and was currently wearing an expression that betrayed such an activity to anyone that dared look at her. Orin, Satori’s pet Kasha, slinked away after noticing her expression, and so Satori was left alone at her desk, head resting on her hands. Thinking.
Satori pondered on about a certain series of recent events. It was unusual, but she had received a visitor. No one visited Chireiden. Ever. So, when she perceived a new set of thoughts, Satori immediately dropped the book she was reading for the 4th time, and promptly got to preparing a room to receive them.
Thinking back to how that day went, one week ago, Satori could deny it no longer.
She liked chicken.
More specifically, Satori could not stop thinking about a chicken goddess called Kutaka Niwatari. Kutaka had visited the Palace by pure accident, taking the entryway through the courtyard from the Hell of Blazing Fires after finishing up a task from the Yama, Eiki Shiki. That day had made Satori want Kutaka as a new pet.
Thinking back to it, the interaction was so different from conversations with usual strangers…
--
“Hey, Lady Satori! There’s a-“
“I’m aware Orin, a visitor, right? Their thoughts are hazy, but I can feel the fuzz of their presence.”
“Yeah! She’s all soaking wet too! How the hell did that happen when Okuu was supposed to be down there?”
“Wait, what does Okuu have to do with this?”
“Well, the visitor, uh, came from the courtyard, somehow.”
“Intriguing… is she still there?”
“Ah yes, I have some ghost fairies distracting her!”
Satori, despite her frail nature, stood up from her desk and started briskly walking towards the courtyard, elbow on her palm, and hand on her chin. She could hear the murmurs, silent or not, of her countless pets as she wormed her way through the expansive hallways of the Palace.
“Lady Satori is walking fast…”
“Woah! Lady Satori looks so cool today!~”
“Did Lady Satori try a new shampoo?”
“I’m hungry, swqurawwk!”
So, the parrot wasn’t fed again. Orin had a tendency to avoid it because it pecked at fingers.
“Orin, go feed the parrot please, meet me in the courtyard.”
“Ugh, I’ll see you then, Lady Satori.”
Satori finally made it to the courtyard, where she told a few of her animal pets to set up an unused room for tea. If Satori had a visitor, she needed to welcome them properly.
Except, as she scanned the courtyard, there was no new face in sight, in fact, the only thing out of place was a ghost fairy. Instinctually, she tried to read her mind, but only got aimless thoughts that didn’t matter to her. So, it came down to questioning it.
“You’re one of Orin’s friends, right? Were you tasked with distracting a certain someone? I’m told they were drenched with water.”
“Uhhhh, yeah! She’s a funny lady. I think she doesn’t know how to dress though. Her clothes had a bunch of holes in them! And she bumped into walls a bunch too.”
“Did Okuu injure them? I hope they’re alright…”
Despite her new set of worrying knowledge, Satori had to press the fairy further.
“Where did they go?”
“Uhhh, I don’t know! I think my friends were playing tag with her though! I was playing with the lion and they all just kinda disappeared.”
“Well, thanks anyways, and uh, be careful not to be eaten by the lion, they’re kind of snappy.”
“It’s ok! He’s already snacked on me three times! I think he likes me!”
“…Right…”
“Fairies and their carefree nature… I wish I could inhabit that attitude sometimes…”
Satori began to walk again. At an even faster stride than before. Though, it was just in circles around the courtyard, she had no destination in mind quite yet. From the information she had, she knew this visitor was someone who was possibly injured, and who was soaking wet. How the heck was she going to find her with no leads...?
“The water…”
Satori decided to look for any traces of water and follow the path it created. It took a bit, but finally she saw a line of small puddles leading down a hallway towards the east section of the Palace. That section…
“…it’s where Koishi usually spends her time…”
Another unseen variable to add to the equation. Was Koishi here, or was she anywhere else? Satori couldn’t sense her presence. No one could. Only a certain Mask of Hope could help with that, but Koishi didn’t wear it all the time. It essentially doubled the stress of the situation.
Satori walked faster, her breath becoming unsteady. As she followed the puddles, which were becoming less and less prevalent, she focused her mind and listened to stray thoughts from whatever directions possible. The voice she didn’t recognize would be her clue.
“These biscuits are really good!”
“I think Lady Satori should grow out her hair, thigh-length, at least.”
“Idiot dog, ruining my sleep!”
“Lady Satori’s lap is warm…”
“Mmm melon~”
“Eh, Lady Satori isn’t in the courtyard? Even though she wanted to meet here?”
Satori apologized to Orin silently. These thoughts weren’t getting her anywhere, and at this point, there were no clue-puddles to guide her. Left, or right? Which one would give her the result she needed?
“Bgawwwk!”
“Was that… a chicken screech? I don’t have a chicken yet…”
Left it was.
Satori took a deep breath, and despite her already strained body, she ran down the hallway, maximizing her range of mind reading to guide her to where she needed to be. Thoughts from what she assumed were ghost fairies invaded her brain as she got closer:
“Woah, a chicken, a chicken!”
“Her tail is golden. She must like potatoes!”
“I want to eat chicken!”
“Taaaag, you’re it, you’re it!”
“Achooo!”
Ignoring the fact that a fairy somehow sneezed in their mind, Satori finally burst into a room where all the commotion was coming from.
“What’s, *huff*, what’s going on here?”
“Aww the mistress ruined our fun, let’s go!”
The ghost fairies flew away without any hesitation and left a confused Satori, and an even more confused visitor.
Satori eyed the girl. Golden wings, tail, and hair, not from potatoes, but from natural brilliance, rested on a fairly standard body. She sported a tattered orange dress, beat up boots, and great flashes of red in a magnificent crest and a pair of piercing red eyes. The fairies were right, she was a chicken! Was that screech her?
A flurry of thoughts escaped from the girl’s mind:
“Who is this…? I wonder if she’s powerful like Lady Eiki…”
“Her hair looks like a cozy nest.”
“Remember the Sanzu River, remember the Sanzu River, remember the Sanzu River.”
“Are the fairies okay?”
“I want to go home and eat some corn…”
“…What was I doing here again? Did I need to deliver a message to this wire girl? I forgot to ask her name.”
“Lady Eiki is going to be mad at me isn’t she… I forgot again…”
Satori quickly realized that this girl was completely frazzled. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but they would have to wait. This was likely an accidental visit, but she wasn’t about to let her first visitor in years slip away. Catching her breath finally, Satori spoke.
“Hello, I am terribly sorry for the unacceptable reception. I promise, it was out of my control.”
“Ah, it’s- it’s alright. I’ve already had a lot of running around to do today.”
“Oh? Her thoughts betrayed that she has links to the Yama, I wonder if that’s why?”
“I’m Satori Komeiji, the mistress of this Palace, Chireiden, may I ask your name?”
“I am Kutaka Niwatari! Nice to meet you! I feel like I’ve heard of this place before… but I must’ve forgotten…”
“…It’s nothing too special, but let’s not talk in this room, would you like to join me for a little chat?”
“Ah, but I need to report… um… something! To Lady Eiki! What was it?”
“Something with the Sanzu River, but I won’t remind her just yet, I’m curious about her…”
“Perhaps I can help you remember? I’ve been told that I’m somehow really good at that.”
She was perfect at it, in fact.
“Oh, uh, okay! I’m sorry for the intrusion…”
“Don’t worry about it.”
--
Things were going well so far. Her pets had prepared a simple tearoom, with numerous teas ready to be brewed, as per her request. Satori had led Kutaka inside, nonchalantly and discreetly locked the doors so no one would bother the two, and set her plan in motion.
“Well, Kutaka, if you don’t mind me calling you that, would you like to dry off a bit? I’ve noticed you are quite damp with water.”
“Oh, sure! That would be nice… but I don’t have a change of clothes, so I wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Satori.”
“I can’t go causing trouble for someone I’ve just met! How did the Hell of Blazing Fires connect here anyway?"
“There’s no trouble, Kutaka, I’ve got plenty of clothes, for pets of all sizes, and humanoid youkai too. I could even provide a sweater for your baby chick; it looks a bit cold.”
“Attack them with something they care about, and they’ll agree to your proposal…”
“I suppose we should take you up on your offer then, thank you so much!”
“Works every time.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad to help those who need it, especially any animals that I happen upon. Pardon the question, but are you linked to chickens by any chance?”
“Ah yes! I’m a god of wild chickens! I also work at Higan and manage the passage to Hell and the Otherworlds under Lady Eiki Shiki. It’s a bit difficult sometimes, but I’m very honored to work for her!”
“Ah, is that why you were down in the Hell of Blazing Fires, then?”
“Yeah, I was trying to seal up the huge leak in the Sanzu River, but people kept—ah! That’s what I needed to tell Lady Eiki about! The Sanzu! How could I forget!”
“All those people kept distracting me with danmaku duels… I lost every single one…”
“It’s alright. Knowing her, she knows it’s been dealt with.”
“I led her to the conclusion she needed a bit too fast… I need to reel her back in before she excuses herself…”
“Kutaka we have some tea, would you like some?”
“Sure!”
“I wonder if they have any herbal tea… I’m partial to oregano and thyme myself…”
Satori lightly pried into Kutaka’s mind and put exactly those herbs into a tea. She threw in some parsley and sage as well, assuming it would mix well. She set the tea to sit on the table, eyeing Kutaka for a reaction. Luckily it seemed like it was a positive one.
“Woah, Miss Satori, do you usually drink herbal teas? I’ve never seen anyone else like them but me.”
“Well, I must admit it’s a rarity that I drink herbal tea, but I’m not opposed to it. I have many, many pets after all. Living in a situation like this, I’ve learned to switch around my diet to suit them as needed. …Something was telling me you’d like an herbal tea, I guess I was right?”
“Yes! I guess it’s one of those… gut feelings? Is that what they’re called? The only time I get that though is when I need to lay an egg, so maybe only some people get it?”
“…Egg laying aside, did she not pick up on my hint about mind reading? Does she not know what a satori is? I wonder if she’s like Okuu… I should test her.”
“…Perhaps. I have a question for you Kutaka, before we get to drying you, do you remember what you needed to tell Lady EIki?”
“Huh? Hmmm… what was it…? Was it about you Miss Satori? I think it might’ve been. Why did she send me here again?”
“Ah, so it’s as I thought, then. She’s a complete birdbrain… That’s so….”
“…cute!”
“Huh? What was that, Miss Satori?”
“*ahem* Pardon me, it was just a cough. I exerted myself a bit earlier trying to track you down, guess it caught up to me a bit. But let’s ignore that, let’s get you dried and with a change of clothes, alright?”
“Okay!”
Satori fetched a couple of towels and handed them to Kutaka. There was some part of her that wanted to help dry Kutaka and her little chick buddy, but she knew that would be crossing 10 layers of boundaries. At that point she’d be thinking of Kutaka as one of her pets…
“Ah, it’s alright if I change in here, right? I hope the floor doesn’t get too wet…”
“Oh, yes, it’s perfectly fine. Do as you please.”
And Kutaka, without any regard for who was watching just went ahead and started. Satori tried not to eye her, but she had to admit, she was curious. Seeing the chicken god’s bare skin got her thinking. Orin was more slender and thin, wiry even, while Okuu had, well, it all, everywhere. Kutaka was a pleasant middle ground, with a fair bit of plumpness on the lower half that was hidden by her loose dress. Satori had found herself with an immense desire to hug the chicken girl before her, just as she almost was finished drying herself.
“I wonder if Miss Satori would preen my wings for me… Perhaps it’s too annoying of an ask…”
Satori’s heart beat a little faster. This was her opportunity to pet her!
“Kutaka, did you need any help drying yourself? You seem a bit roughed up. If it’s a strain to reach somewhere I don’t mind assisting you.”
“Oh, uh, that’s very very nice of you Miss Satori, but I really couldn’t trouble you with—”
“Please, I insist.”
“Ah, um, then could you… preen my wings? I’ve done a lot of flying today, and with how much danmaku I was dodging, they feel a bit stiff. I’m sorry if that’s too much trouble.”
“I’d be glad to.”
Kutaka, still fully bare, sat with her legs crossed on a rug, while Satori knelt down on her knees behind her. Satori’s hands were cool, causing Kutaka to shiver just a bit from the touch, and she started at Kutaka’s lower back, rubbing it, slowly rising up to the base of her wings. Feeling the underside of the wings get touched by the cool fingers of the satori elicited a small gasp from Kutaka, but after a stiff raise of surprise, the chicken’s wings relaxed.
Satori got to work. Starting from the base, she brushed her knuckles against the lowest feathers, before slowing resting her fingers into the softness of the wings, close to the shoulder blade. Clawing into the wings ever so slightly, Satori let her loose hands fall in a slow rhythm. It was a scratching rub that felt immensely pleasant to the chicken god.
When Kutaka preened her own wings, it was usually rushed and inaccurate. She could only curl her wings so much, after all. If anything, Kutaka was more concerned with the well-being of her numerous chickens than how she was. It was a bit to her detriment, but she never paid it any mind. Having Satori work on her wings - and the mistress was clearly experienced, with her host of pets - was an unexpected treat. Satori’s naturally cool hands were the perfect feeling of comfort, and the wing-worker was careful in picking out feathers and smoothing all the ruffled parts out.
Satori was just as happy as Kutaka. The chicken’s beautiful golden feathers were soft to the touch, and although Kutaka shifted around every so often, it was clear that she was enjoying it. There was the occasional purring from her, but her thoughts especially gave her away.
“Miss Satori is so gentle…”
“Her cool hands are perfect…”
“Ahh, I was never able to reach that spot…”
“Sheesh… how did this end up happening again?”
And they also proved that Kutaka remained a bit clueless, ever the forgettable worker.
Eventually, after about 20 minutes of methodical preening, done in complete silence, Satori removed her hands from Kutaka’s back. There was something oddly intimate about the whole thing. Perhaps it was because the two had just met today, but it was different from petting Orin or tending to Okuu. Something about the silent satisfaction from both parties made Satori’s heart thump a bit harder.
“Thank you for that, Miss Satori. You’re really good at it! I can’t even remember the last time I participated in allopreening. I would do my part, but I guess you don’t have wings, huh?”
“Maybe brushing Miss Satori’s hair would be similar…? Or a back massage? Probably not…”
“I’m glad I was able to help you, you don’t need to worry about me though. I tend to my pets all the time. That being said, would you join me for tea? I might have to rewarm our tea, though.”
“Oh! Yes! I distracted us from that, right? Sorry. I’ll get dressed and join you.”
Kutaka, now sporting a white, baggy sweater and pajama pants with a bird pattern, took a sip of the reheated herbal tea.
“This is really good… I wonder if I can come back for more sometime…”
Satori smiled to herself. Already, she was winning over Kutaka. It was worth it to increase her level of hospitality to the max, even if it was in desperation for seeing new faces. Though, she felt that she had to dig around a little more to ensure that Kutaka would become a friend.
“So, Kutaka, I was wondering, do you know what a satori is?”
“Hm? Well Miss Satori, that would be you, right? That’s your name.”
“Ah this birdbrain touches my heart.”
“I was talking about the species of youkai. My name is Satori, but I am also a satori.”
“Huh. That’s a confusing name scheme. Did you choose that name yourself?”
“…I inherited the name of my species for… certain reasons.”
“Certain reasons?”
“To protect Koishi…”
“Yes. I am aware it is a bit redundant.”
“Oh, okay! Well, I still don’t know what a satori is, but if they’re anything like you Miss Satori, I shouldn’t have to worry about them, right? They probably all have a little friend like you!”
“Oh?”
“Yeah! The little eye that’s pinned to you looks cute! I think it's playing peekaboo with me!”
“I think… that’s just it blinking. And cute? That’s new. She really must not know, then.”
Satori figured she could use Kutaka’s cluelessness to keep her in the dark. People always left when they figured out what her third eye was for… she didn’t want that again.
“Well, you’ve figured it out, it’s not much help besides for danmaku, but, uh, it’s a little buddy after all. Like your baby chick. Speaking of which, where is it?”
“Oh, I wrapped Foghorn in a towel and he’s sleeping next to me right now. He’s quite the loud one, always pulling on my hair too, but he’s so precious when he sleeps!”
“Foghorn is an interesting name. How’d you come up with that?”
“Oh, the Moriya Shrine Maiden suggested it! She said it was a ‘throwback’, but I’m not really sure what that means.”
“Must be an Outside World thing.”
Out of nowhere, a new voice pierced the conversation.
“Oooh, you know Big Sis’s eye can do more than danmaku, riiiiight?”
Satori felt dread wash over her body.
“Oh no. Koishi not now, please! I almost have her!”
“Huh? Who said that? Big sis?”
Satori steadied her panic and prepared to do mental gymnastics for the upcoming conversation.
“Koishi, you know it’s rude to hide.”
“Aww, I was gonna make her go ‘bgawwk!’ again!”
“Oh, uh, you heard that? That’s embarrassing. Sorry about that… Miss Koishi, was it?”
“Yep yep! Hey, chicken lady, you know what else Big Sis’s eye can do? It can read minds!”
And there it was. The information that crumbled down all the relationships she’d ever try to build. Betrayed by her own sister, albeit unknowingly, it was still hurtful.
“Oooh that sounds super useful! Miss Satori, you should try it on me!”
“H-huh? You want me to read your mind?”
“Oh, do you not like doing it? I’m sorry!”
“No no, it’s fine, I’m just surprised. Many people hate it.”
“But it sounds like it could help people. That’s weird.”
“Y-yeah…”
“Anyway, what am I thinking right now?”
Satori hesitantly focused her mind and opened it to what Kutaka was thinking.
“Miss Satori is really nice!”
“…You’re thinking, ‘Miss Satori is really nice’.”
“Wow! You were right!”
Blushing a bit, Satori kept on reading.
“I should get the recipe for this herbal tea…”
“Miss Koishi is her name, right?
“Satori, satori, satori, satori, satori…”
“I wish I could visit this place again!”
Satori was completely boggled. All the usual, expected, streamlined, thoughts of doubt, fear, malice, and contempt that appeared whenever she was revealed were simply not present. In fact, Kutaka wanted to come back! This was a miracle in front of her very eyes! Satori had to take the chance.
“Ku-Kutaka. Even with my mind reading, are you fine with coming back here for more visits?”
“Ooh that would be wonderful! I’m usually super busy, but I’ll stop by if I can! It’s very comfy here.”
Satori gave Kutaka her widest smile in years.
“Woah! Big Sis has a huge smile! Chicken lady, you’re super cool!”
--
Indeed, the interaction was different from the usual strangers. As Satori opened her eyes back to the present, one week later, she realized something more.
She didn’t just like chicken. She loved chicken.
Perhaps it was the effect of many years of spite from the underground residents that caused this emotional whiplash. Was it because Kutaka was a very pettable and oh-so-cuddable animal? Or was Satori just genuinely feeling emotions that would affect a teenage girl from the human village?
Processing so many emotions, ones that came from her, was something she was not used to. All Satori figured out was that she wanted to allopreen with Kutaka again. She wanted to have herbal tea and talk about chickens and Agatha Chris Q. She wanted to hug Kutaka because somehow Koishi got to that last week, and she never went for it. There were so many things to do.
Satori had just wanted a new pet last week.
Today, she wanted Kutaka.
A voice that she had missed for a week pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Hello, Satori? Are you in here?”
Kutaka poked her head into the room innocently. Satori had convinced Kutaka to drop the “Miss” and have them stand as equal friends at the end of their first meeting, in exchange for reminding the chicken goddess about reporting the incident with the Sanzu River to Lady Eiki. Kutaka truly did find the mind reading as a positive thing. Satori knew, perhaps even back then, that it was better to take this pursuit of a deeper relationship with smaller steps, even if might be difficult with a (to her, cute) birdbrain like Kutaka. Of course, Satori returned the greeting with a warm smile.
“Hello Kutaka, it’s nice to see you again.”